Letting God Heal Your Wounded Heart

A team of nurses and doctors cared for my dad’s failing body. I prayed day and night that the Lord would touch his body and heal him. But after thirty days in the hospital, he breathed his final breath.

Losing my dad brought a heartache I’d never known. The grief threatened to swallow me alive. When your heart seems to shatter in a million pieces, you wonder if it can ever be put back together. 

Do you relate to this kind of wounding to your heart?

Wounded: Heal Your Heart

Afflictions can not only attack your physical body, but also your heart—grief, loss, despair and other heart-wounds. Both your outer body and inner self need care and lots of it.

Sure, you are responsible for part of this care like desiring a healthy body and guarding your heart from the wrong influences.

But the ultimate care-giver for your heart is not your spouse or best friend. It’s God himself. And it’s not reading a self-care book on healing your own heart or a religious or human meditation practice. It’s God himself. 

The ultimate care-giver for your heart is not your spouse or best friend. It’s not reading a self-care book on healing your own heart or a religious or human meditation practice. It’s God himself.  Share on X

God’s Heart Care

Who better to tenderly and lovingly watch over your heart, care for your heart, and heal your heart than the God who created you. Just as the Lord transforms your spiritual being from the inside out, He heals you from the inside out. 

Because let’s face it, a wounded heart affects so many things about a person. Things like your countenance, outlook, relationships, peace and hope.

Inside-Out Healing: Heal Your Heart

So let’s look at each of these areas our troubled heart affects and the ways God brings inner healing. 

Countenance. Maybe you’ve heard these sayings. The pain was written all over her face. His face said it all. 

Our face often reflects our heart. 

When your heart’s broken or sad, smiles never come easy. “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:13 (NIV) 

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Praying Over Your Loved Ones for Salvation

Are you praying for someone’s salvation?

If you nodded, I have an encouraging story for you.

Wow! and Praise Jesus! resounded in my soul. And I rejoiced. I cried happy tears over a long-awaited answer to a prayer I prayed over 5,000 times.

You see, when my twin sister and I were little, our father disappeared from our life. My mom and stepfather took us to church, but we didn’t understand much about God or prayer. 

Along about fourth grade, my dad reappeared and wanted to be a part of my life again. I’ll never forget what he told me at nine-years-old, “People think there’s a God, but there’s not.” 

Not understanding it at the time, I knew later my dad was an atheist. This confused my young heart, wondering, Is God real and does He love me? 

Yet, I was in church and Sunday school each week hearing about the God of the Bible and about Jesus.

Do you have family and friends who need Jesus? Jesus loves us so much, He died for us. Christ died for you and me, our loved ones and the world.

Do you have family and friends who need Jesus? Jesus loves us so much, He died for us. Christ died for you and me, our loved ones and the world. #salvation Share on X

My Salvation Story

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Want to Admire Your Spouse? 6 Practical Ways

Do you admire your spouse?

Because it’s easy in our present day culture to applaud and think highly of others. 

Perhaps our admiration commends what someone has accomplished. Or we like what a person stands for such as courage, integrity, character and faith. Maybe we look up to people in the spotlight, online or offline.

But when was the last time you told a friend how you admire your spouse and why? Better yet, when was the last time you expressed your admiration directly to your spouse?

Admittedly, I fall short in this area with my husband. And it’s sad. I want to change that. 

While to admire isn’t included in conventional marriage vows, I believe there’s a place for it in our marriages. 

So let’s unpack 6 practical ways to A-D-M-I-R-E our spouse.

A – Abandon self-admiration in your marriage: Admire Your Spouse

Nothing puts a damper on admiration for your spouse quite like thinking too highly of yourself in the marriage. Thoughts may try to invade your mind of how much more you contribute to the marriage, care for the kids, make money or conquer most marital areas better. 

Christ is our example of not thinking too highly of ourselves when He humbled himself on the cross. “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 (ESV)

Ask the Lord to help you view your spouse with eyes of humility and how you can build them up in your marriage. A spouse who’s admired will joyfully rise to the occasion.

Christ is our example of not thinking too highly of ourselves when He humbled himself on the cross. Ask the Lord to help you view your spouse with eyes of humility and how you can build them up in your marriage. #blog Share on X

D – Decide to focus on the praise-worthy attributes

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10 Powerful Rewards for Following Jesus

Following Jesus has great reward.

Sure, we also know there are costs.

Such as the call to deny our desires and pick up our cross.

Family and friends may disown us.

Or, we can suffer persecution and ridicule.

Still, let’s not forget the powerful rewards. And one greatest reward of all. I list ten rewards here and save the best for last.

(1.)  Reward of Eternal and Abundant Life: Following Jesus

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

(2.)  Reward of Righteousness

“If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” (1 John 2:29)

We follow Jesus in a foreign culture of unrighteousness. And those who refuse to follow Him have destruction as their end. 

Because “enemies of the cross” make their belly a god and glory in shame. Since their minds are set on earthly things. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (See Philippians 3:18-20)

Do we desire to follow Christ and His righteousness, Sunday through Saturday, 24/7?

True disciples not only want to follow Jesus, but also follow through by seeking to stay on the path of righteousness.

(3.)  Reward of a Good Shepherd: Following Jesus

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