Today, I want to talk about the two parts of giving thanks that can powerfully impact our lives – praise and edification. You might not have considered praise and edification powerful practices, but literal battles have been won with praise alone! (Read 2 Chronicles 20:21-30)

Everything you see or do goes through the filter of your attitude. The wonderful thing about it is it’s the one thing we have total control over. It doesn’t matter what situation you’re in; your attitude can be changed.

Are you facing something hard right now? Does it feel as if you’re lost in the “valley of the shadow of death”? There are times that life plain sucks, and what we are going through feels like it will overtake us. We know God is with us in all situations, but can we be honest? Knowing that He’s with us and feeling His presence are two completely different things.

That all sounds great, but where I tend to come up short is in the follow-through – finishing what I have started. Anyone else like me? I tend to get bored with a task I start and let myself get distracted by anything and everything. This is an area I’m definitely working on, so this blog is as much for me as anyone who reads it.

Serving others (and even ourselves) isn't about depleting who we are but helps develop our giftings even more. Ephesians 4:1 says, "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.." Matthew 20:26 says, "If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others." This means that true greatness comes from a servanthood lifestyle.

Words can be used to build people and situations up, and they can cause the deepest wounds a soul can endure. Not only do other people's words affect us, but our own words significantly impact our lives and our success in life.

It seems that commitment is something that is less and less important in our society. As a teacher, I have watched commitment to activities and even to each other digress. The “selfie” culture has us focused on what makes “me” happy. If I’m not feeling it, I’m not going to do it.

Do you ever wish you had a manual for a healthy marriage or, better yet, one for each of your children? Yes, wonderful books are out there, and we should educate ourselves from those who have gone before us. But often, the books fail because your situation seems to be a little different from those you read about.

When it comes to loving others, we know it's something we're supposed to do as Christ's followers. I mean, it is what Jesus commanded us to do – love God and love others. But it would be much easier to love people if they were more… loveable! Or is it just me who thinks that?

Do you like change? Often people are on one side or the other when it comes to change. They either embrace it and seek new opportunities and ways of doing things, or they can't stand when things get switched up. The latter believes, "If it's not broken, don't fix it!"

Imagine a world where wounds are mended, where pain is replaced by peace, and where broken hearts find solace. This is the world that Jesus invites us into, with His arms open wide, ready to welcome us just as we are. By embracing His unmatched compassion, we will witness a healing unlike any other.

No one likes to talk about the hard times in life, but they're a huge part of our human experience we need to be prepared for. Tests and Trials will come no matter who we are until we reach heaven. Therefore, shouldn’t our aim be to pass the tests?

Pride is a word that has slipped into the fabric of our culture seamlessly, with more prominence each passing year. As Christians, we innocently talk about how proud we are of our children or ourselves – I'm in the same boat. Therefore, this message is a wake-up call for me as well.

Did you know you have the authority to rule and reign in your life? The word reign means to have power, authority, and dominion. Therefore, you can have authority and dominion over every situation in your life.

Wouldn’t it be nice if salvation came with a “get out of jail free” card? Actually, it does better than that with a “get out of hell” card! But I’m talking about a pass for all of life’s scary and even life-threatening moments – free from anything bad happening.

Would you like more wisdom and understanding in your life? Would you like to be strengthened from the inside out? Sounds good to me! Is it God's will for you to have those things? Absolutely!

Have you ever wondered what the will of God is for your life? Is it possible to know, pray, and follow His will? Or must we go through life guessing?

It is said that prayer is the power plant of the church. Therefore prayer is also your powerplant, the source of your life and energy. Sure, we can stumble through life without God, but is that truly living?

Have you ever felt like you don't measure up? Maybe you have a reoccurring sin in your life that you feel guilty about or feel condemned from a past sin that keeps haunting you with the consequences of that sin. Either way, you don't have to feel condemned any longer.

Thank you, Jesus, for the blood applied! Amen?! He laid down His life – a sacrifice once and for all. But the question remains: How do we take advantage of what Jesus did? How can we enter the Holy of Holies and spend time in His presence? The same way it’s always been done – through sacrifice.