Lyli Dunbar's Blog, page 5
May 27, 2021
Does My Life Reflect God is What I Want Most?
Sometimes we are scared to ask ourselves “Do I know what I want most?” because our hearts are divided. Today, I am delighted to welcome my wise friend, Crystal Storms, to encourage us to pray: “Lord, give me an undivided heart.”
“What do you want most?” I pondered her question on the drive home. Webster defines most as “greatest in quantity, extent, or degree.”
I respond Jesus is what I want most. But in the quietness of the car, I ask: Is that true or what I think I should respond? Does my life reflect He is what I want most? Does my heart reveal Christ is my everything?
I seek God the first part of my days. I give Him the first fruits of my finances. I gather with believers on the first day of the week.
He’s first in my life, but God doesn’t want just my first or even my most. He wants my all, my whole heart. He promises in His Word:
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13, NKJV
I want Christ to be my all, my everything.
Then I feel the restlessness in my heart as I catch a glance in the mirror and notice gray hairs reaching for the sky. I long for something new and shiny as I browse my favorite kitchen supply store’s small appliances. I become frustrated with my journey when the number of posts on my blog taunt me with thoughts that I should be further than I am.
Discontentment in my heart reveals Christ is not my everything. It exposes a lack of trust in God’s plans and His ways. It uncovers my desire to control my circumstances.
I’m guessing you want Christ to be your everything too. You long for a fiery faith that walks in the truth He is more than enough. You desire the peace that comes from the assurance that in Him you have all you need.
But discontentment may pierce your heart as you scroll through polished, filtered photos of smiling faces. Distress may rear up when a friend shares her latest success, and you wonder if God will ever grant your heart’s desire. You may become discouraged at your lack of progress even though you plug away at your goals.
Jeremiah wrote to exiled Jews during their captivity in Babylon. They wanted freedom, but what they needed was to know God was with them. They needed hope in the midst of their trials.
The text continues in verse 14:
“I will be found by you, says the Lord …”
God promises all of Himself when we seek Him with all that we are. He said it, and we can stand on it. When we seek Him, we find Him.
We find His smile as we recall we are wonderfully made. We discover evidence of His presence in the goodness we already possess. We uncover His joy when a loved one calls to check in on us. We recognize His grace in our journeys when a friend remarks how far we’ve come.
God is in the business of heart change. Let’s ask Him to do what we could never do on our own, change our hearts.
Lord, give me an undivided heart, one that wants You more than anything else.
When Christ is our all, we can rest in who we are. We don’t need to work to earn His love or prove our worth. We can experience peace knowing what we have or don’t have is evidence of His loving hand in our lives. We can move forward confident in what He’s called us to do. We can rest in the truth that when we seek Him, we will find Him.
Remind yourself of this truth: God promises all of Himself when I seek Him with all that I am.God promises all of Himself when we seek Him with all that we are.
Click To Tweet Meet Crystal
Crystal Storms is an award-winning author, watercolor artist, and speaker. She shares words and art that encourage hearts so women can rest in the security of who they are in Christ, live in unity of heart with their husbands, and move forward from a place of rest.
Crystal has been married to her dear husband, Tim, since 1995. They live in Florida with their sweet Yorkie, Minnie. She would love to connect with you at CrystalStorms.me.
The Pray Big SisterhoodEvery morning, I wake up and lift my heart to God in prayer.
I praise Him for His glory and goodness.
I surrender my agenda and expectations to His greater kingdom purposes.
I yield my desires to do His will.
And, then I ask for Him to move a mountain.
I cry out to Him for that mountain to crumble.
I believe that God is bigger than any obstacle or stronghold.
Yet, my mountain remains — immovable and unyielding.
Do you have a mountain? I bet you do.
Like me, you may be discouraged by the darkness that looms large in your view.
You aren’t alone. If we sat down today in my kitchen and shared our stories, I bet we would see similarities.
Together, we would ask God to move two mountains.
With worshipful hearts, let’s keep crying out to the Lord for those mountains to crumble.
Let’s pray big!
Y’all his has been the craziest season ever, but I know that God has a bigger purpose than just our merely surviving the chaos. In hopes of redeeming the time in the weeks ahead, I am inviting you to “Pray Big” as we look to the Lord for even greater things to come.Let’s ask God to help us have an expectant heart that is not overwhelmed by all the negativity in this world. Let’s pray big and believe God is bigger than the obstacles we are facing. Our Mighty God is going to do more than we can ask, think, or imagine as we pray with hope. To encourage us on this journey, I have invited my wisest and most Spirit-lead friends to share their heart here in this space for a monthly #PrayBig Guest Post Series. We will start next week and cry out to God together..
I was to also invite you to join a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for sisters to share our stories and surrender them to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s lift up holy hands together and pray big in community.
To help you get started, I’m sharing a copy of My Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Join the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to strengthen your step and breathe fresh wind into your weary spirit.
If you are visiting from Crystal’s,welcome to my little space on the web!Here you will find fuel for a wildfire faith to help youLOVE DEEP: Fervently extend God’s kindness and grace to pesky people.PRAY BIG: Go down fighting on your knees with fire in your bones.HOPE FULL: Stay tethered to a confident anticipation that keeps your heart ablaze.STAND STRONG: Rest courageously on God’s promises with red-hot resolve. 
Challenge: Begin each day this week by praying: Lord, give me an undivided heart. What I want most is to know YOU.ARE YOU STUCK IN A SPIRITUAL RUT? Let’s PARTNER together and SPARK A TRANSFORMATION IN YOUR LIFE.CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO DISCOVER STRATEGIES TO REKINDLE YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Have you written something challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. 
As a courtesy, please link back to LyliDunbar.com in your post. Grab and share the #FaithOnFire button to spread the word. Use the hashtag #FaithOnFire to share your post and connect on Twitter. Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up and find #FaithFuel for your soul. Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment. (Note: First time members of the Faith on Fire Link-up Community are agreeing to sign up for my weekly email for writers. You can unsubscribe and continue to link-up if you do not find it helpful and encouraging.)
Come grab your#FaithFuel at the #FaithOnFire #LinkUp. I’m sharing my burning passion with @LyliDunbar and friends.
Click To TweetYou are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterThe post Does My Life Reflect God is What I Want Most? appeared first on Lyli Dunbar.
April 23, 2021
What to Tell Yourself When You Want Things to Go Your Way
Confession: I will always be a little like a 5 year old girl in pig tails who wants things her way. I may have had a toddler moment this week with God where I pitched a fit. It was not pretty. I can hear Him whisper, “I know you want things to go your way, but I want you to trust me.” And, I just want to stick my fingers in my ears and say NO at the top of my lungs. Currently, I am walking through the hardest season of my life. My bratty self wants to kick and scream and tell God how He should fix things. I don’t want to listen…. I just want all the good stuff on my plate. No vegetables please. Here is what I am learning — I can’t wear a frowny face all day when things don’t go my way. Pitching a fit and crying myself to sleep doesn’t solve a thing. So today, I am waving the white flag. No more emotional meltdowns. No demands. I am just going to crawl up into my Father’s lap and let Him lead me. I am going to be quiet and listen. I am going to trust that He knows better than I do.
Are you struggling to put your big girl pants on right now? When you don’t get what you want, sometimes the tendency is just cross our arms and pout. A tiny voice inside us says, “God I hate this. Make it go away.” “Mine!” This is the word the heart holds tightly and won’t let go. My kids. My job. My health. My marriage. My dreams. It’s mine, and I want it the way I want it. Friend, I get it. I really do. Sometimes it feels like God is prying open our hands and taking away what we are holding on to for dear life. We are clinging tightly to all the broken pieces and refusing to let go. In case you are struggling with your inner little monster like me, I want to share 3 things I am reminding myself to help me embrace the will of my Heavenly Father.When You Want Things to Go Your Way, tell yourself this: God knows what is best for me, and His way is often beyond my limited understanding. (Isaiah 58:8-9)Our Heavenly Father comprehends more than we do what is good for us. The eternal God has a broader, fuller, completer perspective of our present reality.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)God’s plans for my life cannot be foiled or frustrated by temporary problems.No one can withhold from us what God has purposed for our lives. The Almighty’s will is unstoppable.
“I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2, ESV)God’s fierce love never forsakes us or leaves us alone to figure things out.God is near; He walks with us through the hard stuff and provides every thing we need. Our Deliver is fighting for us — even if we feel like we are losing the battle, He is Faithful and True.
“God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, His merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great Your faithfulness. I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.” (Lamentations 3:22-25, MSG)I’ve created a one-page printable with 10 Scriptures to help you remember your God is bigger than bad days. Download a copy and read through these sweet promises to help you brave it and get going this week. Every morning, you can sit at His feet and strengthen your walk as you remind yourself your faithful God is in control. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.
I am a slow learner sometimes. (But at least I look kind of cute in pig tails). Friends, if we eat our vegetables, we will get stronger. Maybe someday we will get to graduate from kindergarten faith, but for now let’s stay at His feet and keep learning. . . With God’s help, we can move forward with hope and turn our frowny faces upside down. Every faith-filled decision we make will help us persevere. While the rest of the world is kicking and screaming, we will be singing His praises loudly for everyone to hear. God wants to grow us up and strengthen our resolve so that His redemption can be revealed through us. God wants to grow us up and strengthen our resolve so that His redemption can be revealed through us.
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Let’s Chat: What Scriptural truth helps encourage you when you want things to go your way, but it’s not happening? WANT THINGS TO GO YOUR WAY, BUT feel uncertain about what to do?I CAN HELP YOU FIGURE OUT YOUR NEXT STEP TO MOVE YOU FORWARD TOWARD GOD’S DIVINE PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE.LET’S PARTNER TOGETHER TO HELP YOU CLARIFY THE CALLING GOD UNIQUELY CREATED YOU TO FULFILL.CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO START WORKING ON A PLAN TO REFINE YOUR PASSION AND PURPOSE.
ARE YOU READY TO FIRE UP YOUR FAITH?
Have you written something challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. As a courtesy, please link back to LyliDunbar.com in your post. Grab and share the #FaithOnFire button to spread the word. Use the hashtag #FaithOnFire to share your post and connect on Twitter. Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up and find #FaithFuel for your soul. Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment. (Note: First time members of the Faith on Fire Link-up Community are agreeing to sign up for my weekly email for writers. You can unsubscribe and continue to link-up if you do not find it helpful and encouraging.)
Come grab your#FaithFuel at the #FaithOnFire #LinkUp. I’m sharing my burning passion with @LyliDunbar and friends.
Click To TweetYou are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterThe post What to Tell Yourself When You Want Things to Go Your Way appeared first on Lyli Dunbar.
April 22, 2021
1 Thing You Need to Know: Your Story is Not Over
Today, I am delighted to welcome my wise friend, Micah, to encourage us as we pray: “Lord, give me beauty for these ashes.” Her story will help you see your story is not over.
Lord, give me beauty for these ashes.
We all have a story. If you asked me to tell you mine, I might hesitate for a moment. I might even ask you if you want the short version or the long version. Sometimes life holds so much, it becomes difficult to sift through life events and find the purpose, meaning, or things worth truly sharing. While life holds many beautiful moments, there are also moments of deep heartache and ashes. Brokenness isn’t reserved for a few less than fortunate friends, somehow it reaches each of us in its own unique way.
For me, it’s the difficult circumstances of my life that tend to rise to the surface when I’m asked about where I come from. My childhood holds divorce, abandonment, and heartbreak. As a little girl, I learned trust is a valuable thing that can’t be thrown around and given away freely. Along with divorce came a blended family and distant relatives I would not meet until I grew into an adult and made my own connections.
As time passed, I did finally get in contact with some of those family members. Some of those relationships flourished, while some famished. In it all, God gave me a priceless gift from the ashes.
I sat nervously waiting for his arrival. He knew who I was, and I knew who he was — but we had never met. We shared one thing in common – our dad. The blood that ran through our veins had a common thread. Although we had never seen each other or met before, there was a deep bond that developed over long distance messages. He walked in, and immediately I knew the walk. He strangely resembled our family.
We shared a meal, talked about our lives, and were mesmerized over how much we looked alike. And in those moments God gave me a precious reminder of His goodness. While life might not always be perfect or pretty, God uniquely creates us and orchestrates our lives in ways we cannot always understand. While I would not have chosen to live a life that held distant relationships that would one day be uncovered, God had another plan. In His perfect time, lives came together and shared common ground. Hearts that were broken bonded.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3, ESV
You may not have a long lost relative you are waiting to connect with, or a family reunion that will pierce your heart in a good way, but you do have a story. A story that holds meaning and value. The hurt and heartache of your past has a purpose. While we might not ever truly understand every detail of our lives, what we can receive from God in our life story is God’s promise that He uses the ashes for His glory.
To grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness.
Isaiah 61:3 (ESV)
I am learning to look at the loss in my life and the brokenness of my family as an opportunity to receive God’s goodness. It does not mean every long distance relationship is good, or that I’ve reunited with every person connected to my family. It means saying yes when God opens doors for connection. It means choosing love over the pain of the past. We can choose grace over the struggles of distrust.
In that choosing, God is teaching me. He is able to mend broken lives and comfort hearts that once felt too shattered to let anyone in.
God restores shattered lives.
No matter how messed up and broken life feels, let God in. When you do, you’ll find He takes broken things without hope and gives them fresh life. If your story feels like ashes and there’s nothing good, keep waiting and looking for God’s goodness beyond the ashes.
Your story is not over.Your story is not over.
Click To Tweet Meet Micah
Micah Maddox is a national women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher, blogger, and author of Anchored In: Experience a Power-Full Life in a Problem-Filled World. She is passionate about helping women find purpose, peace, and calm in our chaotic world. As a pastor’s wife, mother of four, and foster mom, she contributes her time to her family and local church serving as a women’s ministry leader and writer for Proverbs31 Ministries. You can view Micah’s YouTube Channel HERE or connect with her on Facebookand Instagram.
The Pray Big SisterhoodEvery morning, I wake up and lift my heart to God in prayer.
I praise Him for His glory and goodness.
I surrender my agenda and expectations to His greater kingdom purposes.
I yield my desires to do His will.
And, then I ask for Him to move a mountain.
I cry out to Him for that mountain to crumble.
I believe that God is bigger than any obstacle or stronghold.
Yet, my mountain remains — immovable and unyielding.
Do you have a mountain? I bet you do.
Like me, you may be discouraged by the darkness that looms large in your view.
You aren’t alone. If we sat down today in my kitchen and shared our stories, I bet we would see similarities.
Together, we would ask God to move two mountains.
With worshipful hearts, let’s keep crying out to the Lord for those mountains to crumble.
Let’s pray big!
Y’all his has been the craziest season ever, but I know that God has a bigger purpose than just our merely surviving the chaos. In hopes of redeeming the time in the weeks ahead, I am inviting you to “Pray Big” as we look to the Lord for even greater things to come.Let’s ask God to help us have an expectant heart that is not overwhelmed by all the negativity in this world. Let’s pray big and believe God is bigger than the obstacles we are facing. Our Mighty God is going to do more than we can ask, think, or imagine as we pray with hope. To encourage us on this journey, I have invited my wisest and most Spirit-lead friends to share their heart here in this space for a monthly #PrayBig Guest Post Series. We will start next week and cry out to God together..
I was to also invite you to join a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for sisters to share our stories and surrender them to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s lift up holy hands together and pray big in community.
To help you get started, I’m sharing a copy of My Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Join the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to strengthen your step and breathe fresh wind into your weary spirit.
If you are visiting from Micah’s today, welcome to my little space on the web!Here you will find fuel for a wildfire faith to help youLOVE DEEP: Fervently extend God’s kindness and grace to pesky people.PRAY BIG: Go down fighting on your knees with fire in your bones.HOPE FULL: Stay tethered to a confident anticipation that keeps your heart ablaze.STAND STRONG: Rest courageously on God’s promises with red-hot resolve.
Challenge: Each day this week, start your day by praying: “Lord, give me beauty for these ashes.”ARE YOU STUCK IN A SPIRITUAL RUT? I CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO HELP YOU SPARK A TRANSFORMATION IN YOUR LIFE.CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO DISCOVER STRATEGIES TO REKINDLE YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Have you written something challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. As a courtesy, please link back to LyliDunbar.com in your post. Grab and share the #FaithOnFire button to spread the word. Use the hashtag #FaithOnFire to share your post and connect on Twitter. Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up and find #FaithFuel for your soul. Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment. (Note: First time members of the Faith on Fire Link-up Community are agreeing to sign up for my weekly email for writers. You can unsubscribe and continue to link-up if you do not find it helpful and encouraging.)
Come grab your#FaithFuel at the #FaithOnFire #LinkUp. I’m sharing my burning passion with @LyliDunbar and friends.
Click To TweetYou are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterThe post 1 Thing You Need to Know: Your Story is Not Over appeared first on Lyli Dunbar.
April 15, 2021
3 Scriptural Truths to Help You Survive the Hardest Week Ever
I wasn’t going to write a single word this week. I told myself I should just stay silent — because it’s been the hardest week ever, and my feelings are raging out of control. I feel kind of like a wounded animal locked up on a cage. Yesterday, I told a friend that I feel unheard and misunderstood and powerless to change anything that really matters to me.
Have you ever had a week where everything just seems to go wrong? On top of all the drama in my life, the AC also decided to just stop working in our very hot house. Plus, I found out that an important relationship I thought was flourishing needs some major work and is actually fractured. I got one of those hard phone calls that leave you feeling like you’ve been sucker punched by a bully who vomits judgment all over you and tries to cover you with guilt and shame.
Y’all, everything seems broken in my life right now. So, I sat in my minivan in front of the house again and had a good cry. (I seem to be doing this quite frequently lately). I am so thankful that God collects our tears in a bottle — I am pretty sure He has several bottles on a shelf with my name on them at this point.
And as my negative feelings raged and threatened to overwhelm me, a still quiet voice in my heart reminded me that God is still God. God is still God, and I am not. Right there in my minivan, God met me. He reminded me that He is the one who determines my days and gets to direct what comes next. I don’t get to decide how the Almighty God is going to fix things. My job is to trust He is in control — even when I can’t see His hand at the moment.
So, I picked up the Bible sitting on the passenger seat of my minivan, and I opened it up to the book of Psalms. Psalms is full of tears and trauma, but it’s also full of Truth. Psalms reminds me I can have “all the feels” in the worst way, but I must remember that God’s word is true. My feelings lie all the time.
Have you had a good cry this week over something you can’t control? Maybe like me you are feeling like the whole world is against you, and like God has decided not to answer any of your prayer requests ever again. If you are feeling alone and fighting disillusionment because you can’t fix things, I want to let you know that you are not alone. Friend, I totally get how you are feeling. Honestly, we are grieving what we have lost. Tears, anger, doubt. All these feelings are natural, but we need to fight to keep the faith even when it’s hard.
During the worst week ever, we can choose to worship. We can fix our thoughts on God’s Truth and shift our perspective from our feelings to God’s faithfulness.
This week has been heartbreaking, but I want to give God all of my heart even when He doesn’t make sense to me. I want to trust that He is a good God, and He will see me through this.
Friend, your God has a plan and a purpose for your pain and my pain.
Even though I feel blinded by my feelings this week, I am asking God to give me His eyes to see. As I poured over the book of Psalms, I found 3 verses that encouraged me to persevere. So, I created a little game plan to help me win the war over my erratic feelings. Every morning, I start my day with Truth before I get out of bed, then I carry another verse with me as I step out into the world. And, at the end of the day, I tuck a third Scripture under the covers with me as I turn out the light. These 3 Biblical promises have helped me survive the hardest week ever, and I wanted to share them with you.
Here’s 3 Truths to Help You Survive Your Hardest Week Ever:In the morning, plant your feet on the floor and trust God has a good purpose for your day.God designed this day and placed you in it to bring Him delight. Even on the most difficult day, you have reason to rejoice because you have been redeemed. Christ lives in you, and you get to partner with Him to bring His light into dark spaces. His joy is our strength.
“This is the day the Eternal God has made; let us celebrate and be happy today.” (Psalm 118:24, VOICE)Throughout your day, move forward with a holy confidence that God is in control.Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble. (Read that last sentence again.). Yet even when we feel helpless and overwhelmed, God never leaves us or forsakes us. Friend, we have a good Father who is our help. He has promised to work all things out for our good and His glory. The Lord of all turns wildernesses into springs of water and always does more than we can ask, think, or imagine in the end.
“Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.” (Psalm 37:7, AMPC)At the end of the day, exhale all anxiety and breathe in His peace.The enemy of our souls loves to whisper fear and doubt into our minds as we lay down our heads on our pillows at night to rest. To find sweet sleep, practice this technique:
Breath in deeply to the count of two and hold. Whisper in your heart: My soul finds rest in God. He is my Salvation. Breathe out to the count of two and think aloud: God is my rock and my fortress. I will never be shaken. Repeat until you fall asleep.
“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (Psalm 62:1-2, NIV)I’ve created a one-page printable with 10 Scriptures to help you remember your God is bigger than bad days. Download a copy and read through these sweet promises every morning to help you brave it and get going this week. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.
Even when everything seems to be going wrong, we can set our mind on what is True and overcome the lies of the enemy. When we choose to lay down our feelings of disappointment and confusion on the altar, God will fill us up with an unexplainable peace even in the midst of the worst week ever. We won’t just “survive” — God will give us His strength and wisdom. We will grow quietly stronger in faith, and everyone around us will start to take notice of our resilient faith that never gives up.
Saturating your mind with Scriptural Truth will help you survive the hardest week ever.Saturating your mind with Scriptural Truth will help you survive the hardest week ever.
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Let’s Chat: What Scriptural Truth has helped you survive your hardest week ever? Need help figuring out how to refuel your faith and renew your joy? Do you feel overwhelmed by your commitments? Are you constantly running on empty? Does life feel more like a duty than a delight? Do you feel depleted and defeated?CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO help you develop a plan to Refuel with rest and soul care.
ARE YOU READY TO FIRE UP YOUR FAITH?
Have you written something challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. As a courtesy, please link back to LyliDunbar.com in your post. Grab and share the #FaithOnFire button to spread the word. Use the hashtag #FaithOnFire to share your post and connect on Twitter. Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up and find #FaithFuel for your soul. Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment. (Note: First time members of the Faith on Fire Link-up Community are agreeing to sign up for my weekly email for writers. You can unsubscribe and continue to link-up if you do not find it helpful and encouraging.)
Come grab your#FaithFuel at the #FaithOnFire #LinkUp. I’m sharing my burning passion with @LyliDunbar and friends.
Click To TweetYou are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterThe post 3 Scriptural Truths to Help You Survive the Hardest Week Ever appeared first on Lyli Dunbar.
March 31, 2021
Lord, Help Me Die to Self and Love Like Jesus
Today, I am delighted to welcome my wise friend, Lori Schumaker, to encourage us as we pray: Lord, help me die to self and love like Jesus.
Her fierce little eyes glared at me across the crowded hospital cafeteria. I felt the heat rising into my cheeks with each angry word she shouted. Although her words were in Bulgarian, there was no doubt this little girl was cussing her mama out!
Her red punch splattered across the floor, she blamed it on me. I hadn’t touched the drink, much less spilled it, but that was irrelevant in her eyes.
In the eyes of my daughter, I was at fault for everything wrong in her life. Even though I knew the trauma she lived before becoming a part of our family, I felt defeated. I think I’ve shed a million tears over the years as I’ve prayed and begged God to help my daughter recognize my love, rest in the safety of it, and find it in her heart to love me back.
Loving well often cuts deep.
God doesn’t call us to love only those who are appropriately grateful, who will love us in return, or those we deem deserving. Loving well means digging into the tough stuff and making hard decisions. It’s messy and often painful. But it’s far more difficult in reality than it is on paper.
But God’s love is a different kind of love. He takes what is broken and gives new life.
He began teaching me how to love, sacrifice, and fight for our daughter even if she never loved me back. God began teaching me in a new and different way, how to die to self and love like Jesus.
The details of your story may be different. But chances are you’ve experienced a time when it hurt to love. Maybe you’ve struggled with your rebellious teenager who has turned from you and God and is walking a dangerous path. It could be your spouse, friend, work, church, or anywhere you’ve invested yourself and your heart.
Friend, we are wired for love. Not just to receive love. But to give love, as well.
However, when we rely on that need to be fully met by earthly means or of our own strength, we have a problem. Human love is imperfect. It’s not God’s love. Our love is fickle and eventually falls short.
God’s love shines brightest in the darkest places. He reaches into pain and guides us out with the light of His love.
God fills our hurting places, giving us the strength to love well. And He reminds us that when those we love cannot return our love as we need them to, He can.
The enemy tries to tell us differently. He wants to distract us from the unconditional love of God. He wants to pull our eyes off Jesus so that we will lose hope and believe lies.
When others betray us, forget us, or fail to acknowledge us, Jesus doesn’t. He will never betray or forget us. And He will always acknowledge us when we go to Him.
Do for other people everything you want them to do for you. If you love those who love you, do you deserve any thanks for that? Even sinners love those who love them. If you help those who help you, do you deserve any thanks for that? Sinners do that too. If you lend anything to those from whom you expect to get something back, do you deserve any thanks for that? Sinners also lend to sinners to get back what they lend. Rather, love your enemies, help them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward. You will be the children of the Most High God. After all, He is kind to unthankful and evil people. Be merciful as your Father is merciful.
~Luke 6:31-36
Our goal as followers of Christ is to grow more like Him each day. That includes dying to self and loving as He loves. Jesus is often slighted, forgotten, and placed at the bottom of our to-do lists. Yet, He continues to love and bless us. What if we make this our prayer and our challenge? What if we declare today to love even when loving isn’t easy? And what if we declare today as the day we stop looking anywhere else but Jesus for a love that defines our worth?
Dear Jesus,
Help me die to self and love like You. Help me love when loving isn’t easy. When I’ve put the weight of perfect love on imperfect people, turn my eyes back to You, Lord. You love me unconditionally and your perfect love fills my every need. Thank You for that. I want to seek that love from You alone. Please give me an unquenchable thirst for Your Word and guide me to wholeness and victory through each precious Word.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
If we could all die to self and love like Jesus, what a beautiful world it would be! Broken hearts would be extinct and evil would be erased. As believers, we have the privilege of knowing that a world like that awaits us in Heaven. But for now, what if we do our part? What if we bring a little bit of heaven down to earth?
Lord, help me die to self and love like Jesus.Lord, help me die to self and love like Jesus.
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As a wife, adoptive and biological mom, teacher, writer, speaker, and coach, Lori’s heart is to encourage others to meet the challenges of life with the hope of Christ. Wherever you find yourself today, you can find the encouragement you need through her work at www.LoriSchumaker.com. In her award-winning book, Surrendered Hearts, she weaves lessons on letting go, trusting, and living surrendered to Jesus through the telling of her family’s adoption story. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Amazon.
The Pray Big SisterhoodEvery morning, I wake up and lift my heart to God in prayer.
I praise Him for His glory and goodness.
I surrender my agenda and expectations to His greater kingdom purposes.
I yield my desires to do His will.
And, then I ask for Him to move a mountain.
I cry out to Him for that mountain to crumble.
I believe that God is bigger than any obstacle or stronghold.
Yet, my mountain remains — immovable and unyielding.
Do you have a mountain? I bet you do.
Like me, you may be discouraged by the darkness that looms large in your view.
You aren’t alone. If we sat down today in my kitchen and shared our stories, I bet we would see similarities.
Together, we would ask God to move two mountains.
With worshipful hearts, let’s keep crying out to the Lord for those mountains to crumble.
Let’s pray big!
Y’all his has been the craziest season ever, but I know that God has a bigger purpose than just our merely surviving the chaos. In hopes of redeeming the time in the weeks ahead, I am inviting you to “Pray Big” as we look to the Lord for even greater things to come.Let’s ask God to help us have an expectant heart that is not overwhelmed by all the negativity in this world. Let’s pray big and believe God is bigger than the obstacles we are facing. Our Mighty God is going to do more than we can ask, think, or imagine as we pray with hope. To encourage us on this journey, I have invited my wisest and most Spirit-lead friends to share their heart here in this space for a monthly #PrayBig Guest Post Series. We will start next week and cry out to God together..
I was to also invite you to join a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for sisters to share our stories and surrender them to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s lift up holy hands together and pray big in community.
To help you get started, I’m sharing a copy of My Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Join the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to strengthen your step and breathe fresh wind into your weary spirit.
If you are visiting from Lori’s today, welcome to my little space on the web!Here you will find fuel for a wildfire faith to help youLOVE DEEP: Fervently extend God’s kindness and grace to pesky people.PRAY BIG: Go down fighting on your knees with fire in your bones.HOPE FULL: Stay tethered to a confident anticipation that keeps your heart ablaze.STAND STRONG: Rest courageously on God’s promises with red-hot resolve.
Challenge:Begin each day this week by praying: Lord, help me die to self and love like Jesus.ARE YOU STUCK IN A SPIRITUAL RUT? Want to love like Jesus, but need help?I CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO HELP YOU SPARK A TRANSFORMATION IN YOUR LIFE.CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO DISCOVER STRATEGIES TO REKINDLE YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Have you written something challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. As a courtesy, please link back to LyliDunbar.com in your post. Grab and share the #FaithOnFire button to spread the word. Use the hashtag #FaithOnFire to share your post and connect on Twitter. Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up and find #FaithFuel for your soul. Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment. (Note: First time members of the Faith on Fire Link-up Community are agreeing to sign up for my weekly email for writers. You can unsubscribe and continue to link-up if you do not find it helpful and encouraging.)
Come grab your#FaithFuel at the #FaithOnFire #LinkUp. I’m sharing my burning passion with @LyliDunbar and friends.
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March 23, 2021
4 Simple Ways to Promote True Peace
I turned around to face the sink as my husband brushed by me into the garage. I wanted to discuss when we would sit down for dinner, but he was busy working on a project. His curt response cut me to the quick.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll fend for myself this week,” he retorted as he disappeared back into his man cave.
The tears welled up in my heart as I thought about the load of groceries I’d just stuffed into the refrigerator. I’d spent several days menu planning, and now he was telling me he’d rather eat cereal alone.
My tears quickly turned to icy anger. We’d exchanged vows just four weeks earlier, and now I wondered if I’d made a mistake.
As I wrestled with my rollercoaster emotions, my oblivious groom stepped back inside to grab a piece of equipment. He saw me standing at the sink and nuzzled up in my ear. I felt completely suffocated. I wanted to throw the dirty dishes at him, but instead I responded by excusing myself to gain my composure.
Both my husband and I grew up in homes where the philosophy was “he who screams loudest wins.” Neither of us wanted to have a marriage established on selfish animosity, so we began studying the Scriptures to help us learn how to live peaceably with one another.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9, ESV) You can’t create a happy haven unless you are willing to do the hard work of setting aside your selfishness and responding with meekness. Rather than pummeling each other with angry words, we can purpose to promote peace.
4 Simple Ways to Promote True PeaceEdify others and overcome evil with good.Kindness and love can create space for the Holy Spirit to invade and transform the atmosphere. Look for ways to wash the feet of the hard-hearted.
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:13-14, ESV)Endure people’s humanity with patient humility.Remember we are all sinners in need of a Savior. No one is perfect. Expect people will mess up and not get it right. Jesus did not cast stones, and neither should we.
“…walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)Extend grace and resolve to forgive.Fight for redemption and surrender your right to be right. You want to win a soul, not an argument.
“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” (Hebrews 12:14-15)Encourage reconciliation and battle against resentment and bitterness.Ask God to fill you with His supernatural love for difficult people in messy situations. Reconciliation is a supernatural work that requires God’s divine intervention.
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:17-18)Need more help in living like a peacemaker? I’ve created a one-page printable with 10 Scriptures to help you plug into God’s peace. Grab a copy and spend the next 10 days focusing on how your God is you shalom. Every morning, you can sit at His feet and strengthen your walk as you remind yourself your faithful God is the Prince of Peace. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.
As daughters of the King, we are called to be peacemakers. Rather than react in the flesh, we can turn to prayer, ask God to strip away our pride, and fill us with His supernatural love. We serve the Prince of Peace, and His Word will light the path and show us the way.
Let’s resolve to not push back, but instead to promote peace.Let’s resolve to not push back, but instead to promote peace.
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Challenge: What one simple step will you take this week to promote peace in your world? SIGN UP TO GET WEEKLY #FAITHFUEL IN YOUR INBOX.YOU’LL RECEIVE “4 SUREFIRE WAYS TO IGNITE YOUR FAITH” AS MY GIFT TO YOU.YOU’LL ALSO GET ACCESS TO THE PRACTICAL RESOURCES AND GOODIES IN OUR PRIVATE FAITH FUEL LIBRARY.
When you need promised provision, you should persevere in prayer. I’m sharing a copy of My Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Join the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to rock your world. Let’s #PrayBig and stand on God’s promises!
Have you written something challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. As a courtesy, please link back to LyliDunbar.com in your post. Grab and share the #FaithOnFire button to spread the word. Use the hashtag #FaithOnFire to share your post and connect on Twitter. Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up and find #FaithFuel for your soul. Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment. (Note: First time members of the Faith on Fire Link-up Community are agreeing to sign up for my weekly email for writers. You can unsubscribe and continue to link-up if you do not find it helpful and encouraging.)
You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterThe post 4 Simple Ways to Promote True Peace appeared first on Lyli Dunbar.
4 Simple Ways to True Promote Peace
I turned around to face the sink as my husband brushed by me into the garage. I wanted to discuss when we would sit down for dinner, but he was busy working on a project. His curt response cut me to the quick.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll fend for myself this week,” he retorted as he disappeared back into his man cave.
The tears welled up in my heart as I thought about the load of groceries I’d just stuffed into the refrigerator. I’d spent several days menu planning, and now he was telling me he’d rather eat cereal alone.
My tears quickly turned to icy anger. We’d exchanged vows just four weeks earlier, and now I wondered if I’d made a mistake.
As I wrestled with my rollercoaster emotions, my oblivious groom stepped back inside to grab a piece of equipment. He saw me standing at the sink and nuzzled up in my ear. I felt completely suffocated. I wanted to throw the dirty dishes at him, but instead I responded by excusing myself to gain my composure.
Both my husband and I grew up in homes where the philosophy was “he who screams loudest wins.” Neither of us wanted to have a marriage established on selfish animosity, so we began studying the Scriptures to help us learn how to live peaceably with one another.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9, ESV) You can’t create a happy haven unless you are willing to do the hard work of setting aside your selfishness and responding with meekness. Rather than pummeling each other with angry words, we can purpose to promote peace.
4 Simple Ways to Promote True PeaceEdify others and overcome evil with good.Kindness and love can create space for the Holy Spirit to invade and transform the atmosphere. Look for ways to wash the feet of the hard-hearted.
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:13-14, ESV)Endure people’s humanity with patient humility.Remember we are all sinners in need of a Savior. No one is perfect. Expect people will mess up and not get it right. Jesus did not cast stones, and neither should we.
“…walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)Extend grace and resolve to forgive.Fight for redemption and surrender your right to be right. You want to win a soul, not an argument.
“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” (Hebrews 12:14-15)Encourage reconciliation and battle against resentment and bitterness.Ask God to fill you with His supernatural love for difficult people in messy situations. Reconciliation is a supernatural work that requires God’s divine intervention.
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:17-18)Need more help in living like a peacemaker? I’ve created a one-page printable with 10 Scriptures to help you plug into God’s peace. Grab a copy and spend the next 10 days focusing on how your God is you shalom. Every morning, you can sit at His feet and strengthen your walk as you remind yourself your faithful God is the Prince of Peace. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.
As daughters of the King, we are called to be peacemakers. Rather than react in the flesh, we can turn to prayer, ask God to strip away our pride, and fill us with His supernatural love. We serve the Prince of Peace, and His Word will light the path and show us the way.
Let’s resolve to not push back, but instead to promote peace.Let’s resolve to not push back, but instead to promote peace.
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Challenge: What one simple step will you take this week to promote peace in your world? SIGN UP TO GET WEEKLY #FAITHFUEL IN YOUR INBOX.YOU’LL RECEIVE “4 SUREFIRE WAYS TO IGNITE YOUR FAITH” AS MY GIFT TO YOU.YOU’LL ALSO GET ACCESS TO THE PRACTICAL RESOURCES AND GOODIES IN OUR PRIVATE FAITH FUEL LIBRARY.
When you need promised provision, you should persevere in prayer. I’m sharing a copy of My Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Join the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to rock your world. Let’s #PrayBig and stand on God’s promises!
Have you written something challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. As a courtesy, please link back to LyliDunbar.com in your post. Grab and share the #FaithOnFire button to spread the word. Use the hashtag #FaithOnFire to share your post and connect on Twitter. Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up and find #FaithFuel for your soul. Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment. (Note: First time members of the Faith on Fire Link-up Community are agreeing to sign up for my weekly email for writers. You can unsubscribe and continue to link-up if you do not find it helpful and encouraging.)
You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterThe post 4 Simple Ways to True Promote Peace appeared first on Lyli Dunbar.
March 11, 2021
3 Important Things You Need to Know When Nothing is Going Right
My husband called to check on me this morning, and I was sitting in the car in front of our house decompressing. It seems like nothing is going right in my world this week, and I am feeling the weight of it. I sat in the minivan for an hour and stared up the blue sky and breathed in the crisp air.
I cried out to God in my prayer closet on wheels, and I felt better.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is just take a few minutes to slow down and stop worrying about everything you can’t fix. Peace comes as we pray.
Is your life feeling a little bit too heavy right now, friend? Maybe like me you want to hide away from the world. If you’ve looked up to heaven this week and cried out, “Fix it, Jesus,” you are not alone.
Sometimes our burdens can blind us from seeing past all the brokenness in our circumstances. We forget that God is bigger than bad days.
Nothing may be going right, but we have a righteous God who has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We aren’t fighting this battle alone.
When Nothing is Going Right, Remind yourself:The Lord remains faithful no matter what you currently see.You have a merciful God who still performs miracles every day. The Maker of heaven and earth created everything you see, and He never slumbers nor sleeps. You can trust that even in the darkest of circumstances, Your Deliverer goes before you and will see you through to the other side. The Light of the World will clearly show you which way to go.
“… the Master never lets us down. He’ll stick by you and protect you from evil.” (II Thessalonians 3:3, MSG)“Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful to His word.” (Hebrews 10:23, AMP)Nothing stays impossible when you surrender everything to God.God can breathe life into the bleakest situation. The Lord of wind and waves parts the waters and makes a way where there seems to be no way. Your Heavenly Father will speak life and peace over your life and fully restore what the enemy has destroyed.
Job: “I know that You can do all things, and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted.” (Job 42:2, AMPC) “ Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.’ ” (Mark 10:27, NLT)You stand fully protected and empowered to withstand all opposition.No weapon formed against you will prosper when you are in the circle of God’s will. The enemy wants us to think that “our life is over,” but he is already a defeated foe. Arm yourself in the power of God’s might and fight with the spiritual weapons at your disposal. You might not be able to stand, but you can kneel and pray and win the war.
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.” (Psalm 28:7, ESV)“The Lord rules over the floodwaters. The Lord reigns as king forever. The Lord gives His people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.” (Psalm 29:11-12, NLT)Need more help for days when nothing is going right? I’ve created a one-page printable with 10 Scriptures to help you remember your God is bigger than bad days. Grab a copy and spend the next 7 days focusing on how your God is able to help see you through anything. Every morning, you can sit at His feet and strengthen your walk as you remind yourself your faithful God is in control. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.
God has promised to make all things new one day soon. We can trust He is righteous, and He will restore every inch of this universe that where sin has planted sadness. As we wait for God to step in and bring salvation, God is strengthening our resolve and helping us to persevere through all the hard stuff.
One day soon, we will see how God used all the experiences we’ve endured to build us up in faith and bring us a greater blessing down the road.
When nothing is going right, remember God remains with you and will bring redemption.When nothing is going right, remember God remains with you and will bring redemption.
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Challenge: Write out one Scripture from today’s post and keep it visible this week to remind you that God is bigger than bad days. Need help figuring out how to refuel your faith and renew your joy? Do you feel overwhelmed by your commitments? Are you constantly running on empty? Does life feel more like a duty than a delight? Do you feel depleted and defeated?CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO help you develop a plan to Refuel with rest and soul care.
ARE YOU READY TO FIRE UP YOUR FAITH?
Have you written something challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. As a courtesy, please link back to LyliDunbar.com in your post. Grab and share the #FaithOnFire button to spread the word. Use the hashtag #FaithOnFire to share your post and connect on Twitter. Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up and find #FaithFuel for your soul. Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment. (Note: First time members of the Faith on Fire Link-up Community are agreeing to sign up for my weekly email for writers. You can unsubscribe and continue to link-up if you do not find it helpful and encouraging.)
Come grab your#FaithFuel at the #FaithOnFire #LinkUp. I’m sharing my burning passion with @LyliDunbar and friends.
Click To TweetYou are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterThe post 3 Important Things You Need to Know When Nothing is Going Right appeared first on Lyli Dunbar.
February 19, 2021
How a Simple Two-Word Prayer Can Save Your Life
I’d had enough. All day long I had waged a war against an unseen sinister enemy who had invaded my house. I was frustrated and ready to give up, but instead I stepped into a quiet room, closed the door, sat in a chair by the window and had a good cry. Words failed me. All I could do was look up to heaven and groan a simple two-word prayer:
Help me.
I know I have an enemy, and he works overtime to fill me with fear. But, I also have a Savior, and His unstoppable love will never leave me.
I am going to confess that my prayers lately have been pretty pitiful. I feel like I am saying the same two words to Jesus over and over again. I just can’t find the energy to put full sentences together. And, I started feeling like my prayers were “lesser than.” You know? I felt like my prayers were not good enough because I just didn’t have enough faith to put my big girl pants on and really sound eloquent Thankfully, I have a sweet friend named Grace who mailed me her new devotional book, and in its pages I have found help and hope:
The length and eloquence of our prayers has no bearing on God’s ability to hear them or His willingness to answer. He knows our heart and hears the words we can’t express. Two-word prayers spoken in sincerity catch His attention and draw His help.
~ Grace Fox, Finding Hope in Crisis: Devotions for Calm in Chaos
How about you, friend? Are you in the middle of a crisis and finding it hard to voice your faith in more than a couple of words?
Well, you are not alone. I just want to encourage you to give yourself some grace. Sometimes, a sincere prayer that is short is stronger than you think.
With just two words lifted up to heaven, you may just see a mountain move someday soon.
A Two-Word Prayer can save your life:Help me.
When we don’t know where to turn, we can cry out to God for support. The Lord will undergird us with His strength when we are weak. What you can’t handle is not too hard for Him. .
“My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.” (Psalm 121:2-3, ESVI surrender.Stop striving and let God be God in your life. The God of Angel armies fights our battles much better than we can. Hold up your open hands and let go of everything you are wrestling with right now.
“Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God. I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth.” (Psalm 46:10, TPT)Lead me.Even when their seems to be no way, God will part the waters and move your forward. Step by tiny step of faith, you can trust God will guide you and go before you. No matter how dark the day is, God will light your path.
“Lead me in your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” (Psalm 25:5, ESV)Want more help with your prayer life? I’m sharing a copy of My Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Join the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to strengthen your step and breathe fresh wind into your weary spirit.
Two words spoken in faith with a fully yielded heart can transform our perspective. Two words can slice right through the fog of fear and doubt and give us eyes to see the light.
Your simple prayer will help you persevere.
Your simple prayer will remind you God is in control.
Your simple prayer reaches the heart of God, and He will respond.
A simple Two-Word prayer said in faith can save your life. Finding Hope in Crisis
This lovely book provides 90 devotions packed full of hope for you. Here are 3 reasons I am thankful it’s on my nightstand right now:
Grace has helped me focus on God’s character and promises instead of my problems. These bite-sized bits of truth have encouraged my soul and given me strength to survive a very difficult season. I love that the devotions are concise and easy to read. When my brain is on fire, I find it hard to focus on anything because my mind is on overload. But, Grace’s words are to the point and packed full of wisdom. Every entry starts with an encouraging Scripture as the theme for the day. She ends with a question to ponder and a short one-sentence prayer to help me start my day off right.If you are in crisis or have a friend going through a hard time, this devotional is a treasure. Grab your copy here. Meet Grace
Grace Fox is a career global worker, speaks at women’s events overseas and across North America, and has authored ten books. She’s a regular contributor to Guidepost’s Mornings with Jesus and a member of the “First 5” writing team for Proverbs 31 Ministries. Her new devotional Finding Hope in Crisis: Devotions for Calm in Chaos is available wherever Christian books are sold. Connect with Grace on her website or Facebook page.
Challenge: Start your day off for the next 7 days with a two-sentence prayer.ARE YOU STUCK IN A SPIRITUAL RUT? I CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO HELP YOU SPARK A TRANSFORMATION IN YOUR LIFE.CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO DISCOVER STRATEGIES TO REKINDLE YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Have you written something challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. As a courtesy, please link back to LyliDunbar.com in your post. Grab and share the #FaithOnFire button to spread the word. Use the hashtag #FaithOnFire to share your post and connect on Twitter. Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up and find #FaithFuel for your soul. Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment. (Note: First time members of the Faith on Fire Link-up Community are agreeing to sign up for my weekly email for writers. You can unsubscribe and continue to link-up if you do not find it helpful and encouraging.)
Come grab your#FaithFuel at the #FaithOnFire #LinkUp. I’m sharing my burning passion with @LyliDunbar and friends.
Click To TweetYou are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterThe post How a Simple Two-Word Prayer Can Save Your Life appeared first on Lyli Dunbar.
February 11, 2021
When You Need to Pray “Make Us One”
Today, I am delighted to welcome my wise friend, Lisa Burgess, to encourage us as we pray: Lord, make us one.
One year ago I felt too busy. Even though I enjoyed the weekly activities I volunteered for, they were wearing me down. What could I cut?
And then…shutdown. All around the world, we cut out activities.
I went from being too busy to feeling left out.
Where did I belong anymore?
I began working jigsaw puzzles at home, previously reserved only for Christmas breaks. I finished one puzzle. Then two, then three, and more. For my final puzzle of 2020, I couldn’t find a green puzzle piece to fit into the grass scene. I kept looking and looking. Is this what my life had come to?
Your life was likely disrupted by the pandemic too. Maybe your normal activities came to a screeching halt, or else ramped up to breakneck speed, depending on your job.
If the latter, you may have felt you no longer fit in with the rest of the world who were waiting out the pandemic at home.
Or if the former, like me, you may have felt isolated at home, as life rumbled on without you.
We all occasionally feel disconnected, like we don’t belong. Sometimes it’s only due to circumstances. I could no longer volunteer at the school library because schools were closed. I couldn’t deliver meals to our local housing unit because they no longer allowed visitors.
But other times, disagreements divide us. We unfollow a Facebook friend because their political leanings disturb us. Or we drift apart from our neighbor because their COVID protocols don’t match our own.
We are a world divided.
Whether by circumstances or by disagreements, being outside the circle is the opposite of Jesus’s desire for us: to be one (John 17:11).
Jesus said our unity would be a sign to the world that He indeed came from God (John 17:21).
But instead of unity, even among believers, is the world only seeing division?
Lord, make us one.How can we fulfill Jesus’ command to be one when we’re so splintered?
As I continued working my jigsaw puzzles in 2021, I began to regain my sense of belonging. Just as each piece of a puzzle is necessary to complete the picture, regardless of its position, its color, its shape, I am equally necessary in the world God placed me, no matter my level of activity (or inactivity).
I am a piece of the puzzle. You are a piece of the puzzle. And together we create the picture that God designed for this point in time. When we fit together, we are in unity.
Regardless of our different political parties, our different church affiliations, our different contributions to the world, we are each an important piece of the puzzle.
Yet we are only one piece each. Mother Teresa, with all her accomplishments, was still only one piece. You in your situation are only one piece. And I in mine.
It’s humbling. But might humility be our stepping stone to becoming one again?
Just as Christ emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:5-8), so we also can humble ourselves to serve each other, no longer valuing one person above another, nor degrading one as less than the other. Humility is our act of love.
And love holds all things together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:14).
Can we return to love?
Lord, make us one.With only a dozen puzzle pieces remaining in my final puzzle of 2020, the green piece was still missing. I looked under my kitchen table, underneath the recliner, even on top of the piano.
I never found it.
I finished the puzzle anyway, then crumbled the pieces back in the box, with a sticky note for the next person: “One piece missing, 12/20.”
Thankfully, “one piece missing” is NOT the pattern God created for our world. Regardless of what the pandemic has stripped away or added to your agenda, your location in the puzzle remains steady. Stay interlocked with every piece beside you.
This is our space in the puzzle, our place in time.
Each piece is valuable. Every piece is wanted. Not because we’re all the same, but because we’re all different. God has joined us together. And together, we complete the picture, even when we can’t see it.
Let’s pray big “Lord, make us one” and humbly love each other as a valued piece of this puzzle.
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11, ESV
We are a world divided. Lord, make us one.
Click To Tweet Meet Lisa
Lisa Burgess looks for God in ordinary people and everyday moments. Then shares where she finds Him on her blog, LisaNotes.com. She’s a wife, a mom, and her newest role, an on-the-floor-playing-with-babies, Granna.
Connect with Lisa on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
The Pray Big SisterhoodEvery morning, I wake up and lift my heart to God in prayer.
I praise Him for His glory and goodness.
I surrender my agenda and expectations to His greater kingdom purposes.
I yield my desires to do His will.
And, then I ask for Him to move a mountain.
I cry out to Him for that mountain to crumble.
I believe that God is bigger than any obstacle or stronghold.
Yet, my mountain remains — immovable and unyielding.
Do you have a mountain? I bet you do.
Like me, you may be discouraged by the darkness that looms large in your view.
You aren’t alone. If we sat down today in my kitchen and shared our stories, I bet we would see similarities.
Together, we would ask God to move two mountains.
With worshipful hearts, let’s keep crying out to the Lord for those mountains to crumble.
Let’s pray big!
Y’all his has been the craziest season ever, but I know that God has a bigger purpose than just our merely surviving the chaos. In hopes of redeeming the time in the weeks ahead, I am inviting you to “Pray Big” as we look to the Lord for even greater things to come.Let’s ask God to help us have an expectant heart that is not overwhelmed by all the negativity in this world. Let’s pray big and believe God is bigger than the obstacles we are facing. Our Mighty God is going to do more than we can ask, think, or imagine as we pray with hope. To encourage us on this journey, I have invited my wisest and most Spirit-lead friends to share their heart here in this space for a monthly #PrayBig Guest Post Series. We will start next week and cry out to God together..
I was to also invite you to join a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for sisters to share our stories and surrender them to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s lift up holy hands together and pray big in community.
To help you get started, I’m sharing a copy of My Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Join the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to strengthen your step and breathe fresh wind into your weary spirit.
If you are visiting from Lisa’s today, welcome to my little space on the web!Here you will find fuel for a wildfire faith to help youLOVE DEEP: Fervently extend God’s kindness and grace to pesky people.PRAY BIG: Go down fighting on your knees with fire in your bones.HOPE FULL: Stay tethered to a confident anticipation that keeps your heart ablaze.STAND STRONG: Rest courageously on God’s promises with red-hot resolve.
Challenge: Each day this week, start your day by praying: “Lord, make us one.” ARE YOU STUCK IN A SPIRITUAL RUT? I CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO HELP YOU SPARK A TRANSFORMATION IN YOUR LIFE.CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO DISCOVER STRATEGIES TO REKINDLE YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Have you written something challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. As a courtesy, please link back to LyliDunbar.com in your post. Grab and share the #FaithOnFire button to spread the word. Use the hashtag #FaithOnFire to share your post and connect on Twitter. Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up and find #FaithFuel for your soul. Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment. (Note: First time members of the Faith on Fire Link-up Community are agreeing to sign up for my weekly email for writers. You can unsubscribe and continue to link-up if you do not find it helpful and encouraging.)
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