Help For Your Daily Walk

Are these some of the things that keep you in a state of concern and confusion? … “I wish things were different”. “I never feel as though God hears my prayers”. God just wouldn’t be interested in this part of my life”. “I worry about everything “. “Why do I feel pulled in so many directions?” You may think Paula would never deal with this stuff. She writes devotions and makes encouraging videos. But hear me when I say, “I do”. The only difference between me and possibly you o

It seems as though peace of mind can be a fleeting thing. It doesn’t have to be that way. The scriptures have been given to us to give us the way to peace of heart and mind. Even when a problem seems impossible to conquer, God is there to make a way where there seems to be no way. Today’s verse lets us know that we are not immune to trials and sorrows. They will come our way. The difference for those who trust in an overcoming Jesus, is that word “overcoming”. Because He has

I can see where you are coming from when you say out loud what many think … “I ‘have’ failed or ‘may’ fail and no longer see myself as a good or strong person.” This is the kind of thinking and talking that gets you nowhere. It could just be the thing that makes you miss out on something wonderful in your life. You may be at a point of stepping into blessings your mind can’t even fathom. That self-doubt and condemnation of failure make you hesitate when you should be listenin

We are always looking for a bargain, right? Some will travel for miles just to get a lower price on some item that is important to them. Why is that? They really “want or need” it but are not willing to pay such a high price for it. What is interesting is that most folks don’t give a second thought to the high price that was paid for us by Jesus. They will continue to live a life that is contrary to what they profess to believe and seem to be totally fine with it. Jesus trave

How do you approach life each day? Are you constantly in a rush or too laid back? Finding that middle ground is not as difficult as you might think. I suggest when you get the opportunity to watch how a happy carefree child manages their day. There is really no management needed…they just “live it”! No one has to say, “keep your life simple today”. There is a certain amount of parental guidance that needs to take place …but watching how a little child can be happy just living

So many of us refuse to try something different for fear we “might” not be perfect, or we “might” fail a time or two. We have a fear of being made to “feel” inferior or just plain stupid. First of all, figure out why you are doing it and if it makes sense. Is it to feel superior or is to help others? Is it to pad your ego and pockets or is to genuinely be a blessing to those around you? Ignore the naysayers. When you nail that down, just be yourself and go for it. Most can sm

I am using The Message translation today for our devotional because it says plainly what we need to hear about our thoughts and our words. If you are genuinely a good person, good things show in your life. These good things come from a heart that is free from a foul snake pit of a mind. It is true that you become what you think about. You’ve heard it said, “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.”

The realization that God is more than enough is the point in your life where you are living in abundance. You recognize that no matter what your surroundings, He is there to continue to bless you with a “cup that overflows” (not just get by). He is there to fill you emotionally, spiritually, physically and financially. The old song says, “Fill my cup, Lord; I lift it up Lord; Come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more. Fill my cup,

The words in today’s scripture are from Zechariah, John the Baptist father. He spoke them when it was time for the circumcision ceremony of his son and giving him the name of John instead of what was expected (Zechariah after his father). I love the fact that this man didn’t do something just because it was what some expected him to do. Instead, he remembered his encounter with the angel Gabriel all those months prior and did as he knew he should. His son would be John and wo

Being “present in the moment” is different than just “living for the moment”. Too many of us get that mixed up. We do want to tune out outside forces trying to steal our attention when we are involved in something important in our lives. We want to be present full stop. These moments can be missed by allowing distractions like social media to root its way into that time. So “be present” with family, friends and other important people. Now when we think of “living for the mome

Our scripture reading is a little longer today, but I wanted to give you an example of God’s supernatural power displayed in both the Old and New Testament. I also wanted you to see that both Moses and Mary were integral in our Christian history and heritage. When the angel of the Lord appeared in the burning bush, Moses was amazed and took a closer look. That is when God spoke to him about an assignment, He had for him. Had Moses never made that step forward, he could’ve sti

Our scripture today tells you what God’s plan is for you. It’s the same plan He has always had for you. He wants good for you. He wants you to have hope for your future. We can’t sit back on our laurels and expect everything to fall in our laps. It takes effort on our part to accomplish anything. Does God want to bless us? Of course He does. Look what it says in Psalm 84:11 “For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no goo

Of course, we have no choice but to step into a new year. It’s here tonight when the clock rolls past midnight. There will be toasts and kisses and all sorts of resolutions. We all determine in part how our new year will play out. That tribulation part, well, there will be some of that…But. I love using that word when it has something good after it. Not so much when some sort of disaster follows it. In today’s verse we see a “something good” follow the BUT. “There will be tri

Every action you take starts with a thought in your head. It doesn’t matter what it is…it starts in your “noggin”. That is why when you are wanting a change of any sort in your life, you HAVE TO get your thinking on it right. I am going to go in the direction of health, wellness and weight loss for today’s devotion. Is that an area that you are seriously wanting a change made starting in the new year? It CAN happen. I am proof of it. I am not talking about a change that happe

I’m sitting here this morning (with coffee in hand) looking out the window of our little cottage. There is a heavy mist of fog hanging over our block. It may be over most of the little town where we live, but I wouldn’t know, because I can’t see past the fog. As I thought about this, it dawned on me how often we stay in a state of fog, because we only see what is right in front of our eyes. We know that there is more out there, we’ve seen it before. But now, for whatever reas

There are things in life we never experience because we are too afraid to take that first step. Many times, we look back and regret the “not trying part”. Then we are forced to live with the “if onlys” that follow. I mentioned in a previous devotion that one of the things my sister, Linda, said to me at one point in her life was that she wanted to live her life with “no regrets" I heard her say that, and yet the enormity of those words didn’t sink in until after she was gone.

The words in Handels Messiah… “King of kings and lord of lords And He shall reign forever and ever” are powerful words. How are these words translated into our lives? How do we make Jesus the king of kings over our lives? When an earthly king reigns, he rules a country and has supreme authority and governance over that country. He should also have a moral duty to lead righteously. He should be a willing servant that serves his people with justice and wisdom. It is an honorabl

There was a song my mom used to sing as a solo in Church that said, “little is much when God is in it”. Those words are so true. You may feel as though what you have to offer is so small, it could never be used, but you must realize something today. What you have to give is made “much” when placed in God’s Hands. Bethlehem was located outside of Jerusalem, and at the time of Jesus birth, it is said that the population there was approximately 300 to possibly 1,000. It was refe

I know, I know…you are busy! We are all busy with one thing or another. There are times we feel as though we can’t make room for anything else. This time of year, there is decorating, the extra get-togethers, parties, shopping, baking and for some “elf on the shelf” along with preparing for “Santa”. All of these things can be important activities and bring loads of happiness but let me encourage you to also (or most importantly) …make room for Jesus. It is, after all, His bir

The still of nighttime is such a calming and peaceful part of the night. All is quiet and somewhat motionless. It is no wonder that the initial design for the first successful electric light bulb by Thomas Edison is thought to have taken place during late-night work sessions. And then there was Paul Revere's ride, that pivotal event in American history that warned of the British coming. The event that took place thousands of years ago during a silent night is by far one of th