Lara Love's Blog, page 376

Is Hatred Keeping You in the Dark? / BIBLE TAKEOUT

I love you. I love you. I love you. That's how I spent a good part of my second marriage - before my husband abandoned me for the last time. The words were meaningless; my heart was full of hatred. I pridefully bragged to the world how I walked in God's light because I knew and followed the Lord while my husband lived in the dark. Some time after my husband left and I found myself living in the filthy basement of the house we rented with countless dogs facing multiple blizzards and total brok...

Don't Give Up on Me - DAILY INSPIRATION

"Don't give up on me." The words didn't just come once. They came several times. Emphatically. "Don't give up on me." "Promise you won't give up on me." My friend had just gotten out of the hospital where she had been exceedingly sick, but by God's grace was still alive. She had not just received medical care; she had gotten another wake-up call from God. As she shared with me some of the things she was coming to see, I reminded her that I had told her some of it over the past few years as I...

Please visit Walk by Faith Ministry at http://www.walkbyf...

Please visit Walk by Faith Ministry at http://www.walkbyfaithministry.com.

L is for Lust: Desiring the Ungodly / Bible Takeout

I know a man who has been consumed with lust for as long as I have known him. And oh how I pointed my finger for years at his insatiable hunger for sexual immorality. Little did I know that lust isn't limited to having insatiable cravings for what is sexually immoral, but it does have everything to do with desiring what is ungodly. So much for pointing fingers. Not only was I filled with the sin of judgment, pride, and condemnation, but I was utterly ignorant of how we ALL struggle with lust...

Why? Because I Said So / Daily Inspiration

"I don't see why I have to do that," I found myself moaning to the Lord in my usual ongoing conversation with Him. "WHY?" I knew good and well what He wanted me to do next with my work, but nevertheless I found myself questioning Him. After all, shouldn't God explain Himself when we ask why He is telling us to do something? Doesn't it make sense He should have to tell us why He wants us to do something so we can figure out if, and when, we want to do it? Or, even if we are truly committed eno...

The Best Marriage Advice - from a Pro - BIBLE TAKEOUT

Call me a pro when it comes to marriage. But I am not. Not in the least. I have been abandoned by two husbands, and rest assured we all played our parts - and all fell far too far short of God's glory. It would be easy to say I have learned far more from my mistakes when it comes to marriage than from my successes. But the truth is the greatest lessons I have learned about marriage come from God's Word. In my first marriage, neither one of us was a follower of Christ. In my second marriage, w...

Ever Feel Stuck? Don't Miss Your Opportunity / DAILY INSPIRATION

Ever felt so stuck you can't help but think you're missing some great opportunity someplace else, in some other situation, with some other person, in some different experience, in some other circumstances, in some other anything at all, anywhere but the very place you're utterly convinced you're STUCK in?! Did you ever consider that the very place you're feeling so stuck might be exactly where a great opportunity lies? This thought came to me thanks to a totally unexpected prayer I found myse...

Have You Shot the Messenger? / DAILY INSPIRATION

I'm not good with details, my memory is not up to par, history doesn't much interest me, and it's a struggle for me from one minute to the next to remember the names, places, and specifics of the Bible no matter how much I love the Lord and love His Word. But by God's grace alone, His message behind the details rings loud and clear. Such is the case when it comes to a very small portion in the Old Testament involving the princes of Judah. What they did, and God's response to it, contains a po...

Do You Really "Know" the Lord?

If you profess to know the Lord, does your life reflect that you know Him? Repenting and believing the Gospel that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for your sins to receive forgiveness and the promise of everlasting life does not mean you have reached the finish line . Being born again through faith in Christ is the starting line . Knowing the Lord is not about believing in Him; it is about believing in Him AND following Him. It is an abomination to God when we profess to know Him but...

Your Good Deeds Aren't Good Enough - BIBLE TAKEOUT

Your good deeds aren't good enough. And if you think I'm not serious, you're wrong. I'm entirely serious. In fact, let me go a step further. You can do all the good deeds in the world from the next breath you take for the rest of your life, and I can promise you this. Your good deeds will never be enough. Talk about discouraging, huh? Especially for those who invest endless energy into doing so-called good deeds. So what's the deal? Here's the deal. And it's two-fold. So before you stop doing...