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  • Patience

    Patience

    Patience: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

    How many times have you heard the phrase, “Be patient”? I’m sure we’ve all had a variation of this phrase repeated to us over our lifetime. 

    However, no matter how many times it’s said to us, it’s still hard to do.

    Naturally, we are not good at waiting or patience. When we want something, we want it now. Like Abraham and his wife. When they were promised a baby, they couldn’t be patient and wait for God to work. So they made their own plans, and we all know how that turned out. 

    I personally believe that the situation regarding patience has become worse due to our “microwave society” where we often have that instant gratification available to us. And let’s be honest, we don’t take kindly to it when we don’t get things in the timeframe we want. 

    But we’re meant to have patience. If you look through the Bible, you’ll find many scriptures bearing some variation of the phrase be patient.

    God doesn’t necessarily work in the timeframe we want. Why? Because He knows better. His ways are higher and greater than we could ever imagine, and He has a reason for the delay.

    I promise, God did not give up or leave you. He’s still working. Just have patience.

    Our God always follows through on His promises. We just have to have patience.

    Maddisen Sauls is the smile and voice behind the Everyday Joy blog as well as the author of the Word of the Week posts and the editor of by leaps and bounds. Throughout her life, Maddisen has worked as a reporter for small town newspapers, a School Age and Preschool teacher, and has acquired her ministerial license. 

    An avid book reader and lover of the written word, Maddisen is passionate about using her favorite medium to reach the lost and the hurting, and to offer encouragement and hope to those struggling through life. 

    Following her battle with depression, Maddisen has made it her mission to help other people through this journey and to bring joy to the lives of the people around her. 

    You can find Maddisen on Instagram @maddisen.paige

  • Victorious Faith

    Victorious Faith

    For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)

    You gotta have faith! This statement is absolutely true when it comes to how we relate to God. Hebrews 11:6 states it this way, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” There are different circumstances in which we are privileged to use our faith.

    The moment we realize and admit that we are sinners and need our Savior, saving faith is evident. We can ask for forgiveness and give our lives to God believing that he will hear and answer our prayers. God saves us and cleanses us simply because we believe that the sacrifice Jesus made was enough — according to scripture, it surely is enough! Romans 3:24-26 says, “And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” This is just the beginning of our many opportunities to use our faith.

    As we live for the Lord, our faith will be tested by various life concerns. Health concerns, family issues, financial problems — anything that concerns us concerns God. Nothing is too big or too small to pray about and believe that He will answer. Scripture calls it “casting our cares on Him because He cares for us”. Hebrews 4:16 states it beautifully, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that way we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

    I think of the old song “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” when I study this scripture. If we think on these song lines, we have to admit there is no reason to refrain from praying about all our concerns. 

    Oh, what peace we often forfeit;

    Oh, what needless pain we bear;

    All because we do not carry:

    Everything to God in prayer

    So, we have saving faith and faith for everyday life. We also have overcoming faith that will carry us through this life and through all eternity. As we look at the condition of our world, we definitely know this is not Heaven. There is something much better — better than we could ever imagine — prepared for us. Listen to the voice of Jesus as He says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

    Yes, someday we will see just how great our faith has been. We will come through it all victorious because of our faith in God. Then we will each hear the words we have been longing to hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou unto the joy of the Lord.” (Matthew 25:21)

    Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

    Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

    Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

    Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

  • His Sheep (and Chicks) Know His Voice

    His Sheep (and Chicks) Know His Voice

    We moved back to the church we started out youth pastoring at a little over a year ago. We have a lot of land where we live now, and most importantly, we are just outside city limits.

    We love animals but have kept it to a cat and at the most, two dogs. Even that was kinda hard sometimes living right beside the main road. But now, we have space for (and we’re allowed to have) all the animals we want! 

    My daughter has always wanted a horse and when we first moved, she begged for one. We talked her down to chickens. I grew up with animals all around me and knew that chickens are pretty low maintenance, and they give you breakfast every morning so it was a win/win! 

    Well, we decided that we would like to have a few more so a couple weeks ago, I got six chicks. They are the sweetest things!! Since they were so little, I could keep all six of them in a cat crate in my bathroom. We’ve moved up to a bigger crate now. Those things grow really fast! 

    We had a couple nice days, and you have to be careful about introducing chicks to the older chickens, so I thought I would take them outside so they could get some sunshine and see if the older chickens came over to check them out. 

    Well, as we were sitting there, our rooster, Tyrone, (my son named him, ha!) crowed. Now as far as I know, the chicks had never heard a rooster crow before. I had gotten them when they were tiny babies. But when he crowed, those chicks lost their minds. They started running all over the place. One chick was standing on the container with water in it getting a drink and fell completely in. 

    Each time he crowed, the response usually wasn’t as dramatic as that one, but you could tell that the chicks paid attention to it. 

    Even though they had never heard a rooster crow before, they seemed to recognize the sound and knew to pay attention. Like there was a natural connection that didn’t have to be taught. The chicks were created to recognize that sound. 

    I started thinking about how humans were created to recognize the voice of God. It seems like that first experience shakes us, we don’t really understand what’s going on, but we hear something that we’re naturally drawn to. I believe that is deep calling out to deep. A God given connection that He has to His people. A calling from His spirit to ours to connect with him. We can choose to hear or ignore the voice, but He is speaking if we will listen.

    When we first got chickens, I was hesitant to get a rooster. Waking up to a rooster crowing at the crack of dawn is not my idea of fun. But, I have since learned the importance of having him and now have a greater respect for roosters than I ever thought I would have. 

    The rooster doesn’t just crow because he likes the way it sounds. Well, most of the time anyway. Sometimes, I think he’s just proud of himself for being able to do it. Ha! But this is a way that the rooster actually serves the hens and protects his flock. 

    Sometimes he crows to let the hens know that he is there watching out for them. Almost every time I go outside, if the chickens are out, that rooster puffs up at me like he’s ready to fight to protect his girls. He never does, (he better not) but he is always the first one to me and I know that if anyone or anything tried to harm them, he would be right there taking care of them. 

    Do you know that God does that for us? He goes before us. If we could only see how many times He has blocked things from happening that we don’t even know about, I’m sure we would be amazed. 

    The rooster is a defender. Sometimes he crows to let the hens know that he senses danger. They say that the rooster actually has a different sound that they make when they sense danger and it causes the hens to freeze and he will fight for the hens if he needs to. 

    God is our defender and He tells us in Exodus 14:14 that the Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. I first noticed that verse a few years ago and it has spoken to me so many times since then. 

    Sometimes the rooster crows to let the hens know where the good stuff is. I can watch him scratching around at the ground and almost every time he finds something, the hens will go to where he is and take advantage of his findings while he moves on to find something else.

    God leads us to good things and is a giver of good gifts when we follow him, but we have to be following, watching, and listening to him. The Bible says in James 1:17 that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

    Do you remember me telling you before that the chicks started running around? It was like electricity was going through them. 

    This reminded me of my grandma a few years ago who was in her eighties. She was talking to someone and she said, “When God speaks, you’ve got to move!” Now she has always been known for not holding back her emotions when she felt God’s presence. Actually, one of the things I think of when I think of her is her playing her electric guitar in church, shouting and her big bow that she always wore (she had each color to go with her outfit) bouncing around. Now, she can’t even stand without help, but she still doesn’t hold anything back when it comes to praising the Lord. 

    There is so much truth in her statement. When God speaks, we should be moved to action. When He says to go, we should go. When he says to do something, we should do it! But we should recognize His voice so much that when He speaks, it moves us to action, even if we just have to run around because we can feel Him so strong.   

    John 10:27 says, “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 

    I always want to be a chick that hears his voice.

    Telina Frye is the author of Dare to Dream, as well as a pastor’s wife and mother to her 13 year old son and 10 year old daughter. 

    She is a singer/songwriter and a natural born dreamer. Telina is also credentialed in the Church of God as an Exhorter and holds a Minister of Music License. She serves as the worship leader at the church where her husband serves as lead pastor. 

    Telina loves having deep, meaningful conversations about what is and what could be. She hopes this blog will inspire readers to dare to look past what is, see what can be, and reach for the impossible.

  • Our Children are our Assignment

    Our Children are our Assignment

    “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6. 

    Not only does the above bible verse give us the promise of our children not turning away on their Christian walk, it demands us to train them in the Word for this promise to produce its fruit. 

    Our children are not really ours, because one day they will stand before the judgement throne and have to give an account of their own lives. They belong to the Lord, just as we all do, and just as God originally planned for us in eternity with Him. 

    Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Children are a gift from the Lord. Make no mistake, our babies are special, amazing blessings from the Lord. Before our babies were even born, they were appointed as prophets. God is no favor of persons, so what He says to one person in the Bible, goes for all. If we let them, children can teach us an endless number of things. They automatically love with no boundaries or stereotypes. They forgive quickly and don’t hold grudges. They wake up each day excited for what’s to come and don’t stress about if they have everything they need. They see the joy and fun in every situation they encounter, and recognize the best in people. They are confident and don’t let others’ opinions affect them in any way. 

    In fact, God told us to become like little children if we want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (ref. Matthew 18:1-3). We have to love like children. Not only that, He also told us that if we become a stumbling block to them learning about Jesus, it would be worse for us to be thrown into a lake with a boulder around our necks (ref. Matthew 18:5-6). 

    Our children are our assignment on this earth. We are to discipline them, teach them, be an example for them, and love them just as Jesus loves us. To everything there is a season, just as there is a time to be your child’s friend and a time to be their parent. The Lord corrects us out of love and protection but HE is also the best teacher and confidant we could ever ask for and we are to do the same for our children. 

    A Jesus-filled world starts at home with our families. Broken families produce broken children and adults. We are fighting generational curses and bondages, but our God is able to heal exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask or think. We are to impress God’s commandments on our children’s hearts. God instructs us to talk about them when we sit at home, when we walk, lie down, and get up (ref. Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

    Proverbs 29:17 tells us to discipline our children, and they will give us peace of mind and will make our hearts glad. We can surrender our obsessive need to protect them over to God because He cares for them even more than we do. His love is perfect and blameless. God is ready to help us parent anytime we ask because He knows just how important raising our children truly is. God gave you your babies for a reason. There will be difficult seasons, but in those times you can let God shine through the storms. You got this! You are equipped and enough! Just keep going.

    Hannah Smith, author of the Moving Mountains blog, is a woman who feels she has experienced a lot of life in her 33 years. 

    At 19 years old, Hannah joined the Army. After moving around the country, getting a divorce and losing what seemed like everything, she landed back where God wanted her in Ohio, even though she fought the whole way. She is now a devoted follower of Christ and seeks the Lord with all she’s got.

    Hannah is married and a RN, but works as a stay-at-home mom to her 3 children per instruction from the Lord.

    She loves to hike, travel, drink coffee, and talk about Jesus. Hannah also has a heart to create a home and life in which she can be a safe place for the hurting and the broken. Her biggest piece of advice would be to never tell the Lord you will never do something- because He will most likely then ask you to do that very thing, LOL!

    To her readers, Hannah says, “I believe that God set every single one of you reading this apart, for such a time as this. It is my hope and prayer that God would use the words I say to change your life in a way you and I never thought possible!”

  • Shift

    Shift

    Shift: change the emphasis, direction, or focus of

    It’s time for a shift. 

    It’s time for a change. 

    And it takes your effort and your involvement to make it happen.

    So many times we want a change. We want a closer relationship with God; we want to be better examples; we want, we want, we want. But we don’t work for it.

    If we want a closer relationship with God, guess what? It’s not just going to magically appear because you desire it. It will take a conscious effort of yours to bring it about. You will have to put in the time; you will have to pray, worship, and read the Word. You will have to speak to God. It will take you. 

    If we want our desires to become a reality, we must shift. One definition of shift is “change the emphasis, direction, or focus of,” and this is key.

    What has been your emphasis in life? What direction have you been heading in? What has been your focus?

    Do the answers to this question align with accomplishing your desires? If not, it’s time to shift.

    Change the emphasis in your life. Change the direction; change your focus. Shift gears today. Align yourself with the Word of God and begin putting in the effort. 

    Set your eyes above, and work for the Lord. Do not give up or lose heart! A simple shift can make a big difference in your life. Try it today and see. 

    Maddisen Sauls is the smile and voice behind the Everyday Joy blog as well as the author of the Word of the Week posts and the editor of by leaps and bounds. Throughout her life, Maddisen has worked as a reporter for small town newspapers, a School Age and Preschool teacher, and has acquired her ministerial license. 

    An avid book reader and lover of the written word, Maddisen is passionate about using her favorite medium to reach the lost and the hurting, and to offer encouragement and hope to those struggling through life. 

    Following her battle with depression, Maddisen has made it her mission to help other people through this journey and to bring joy to the lives of the people around her. 

    You can find Maddisen on Instagram @maddisen.paige

  • Have A Heart

    Have A Heart

    And let the peace of God rule in our hearts, to which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom: teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:15-16) 

    Whenever a new life enters the world, a new heart enters the world. There is no life apart from a heart; a new life necessitates a new heart. 

    This holds true for physical life. It also holds true for spiritual life. Ezekial 36:26 says this clearly, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.”

    A believer receives a new heart when a new life is received. It is a heart ruled by God’s peace. It is a heart full by thanks and rich with the Word of God. 

    The choice to have peace rule in our hearts is up to each individual. “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts” is a command that requires obedience. Only Jesus can give the kind of peace that says “God will take care of me regardless of my circumstances.” Peace is the deciding factor in all situations, circumstances, and trials of life. This is certainly something for which we can be thankful. 

    With hearts ruled by God’s peace, thankfulness should be easily expressed. Our Lord should never be short-changed with regard to our giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” When we gather together, the air should be filled with expressions of thankfulness and praise to God. Not only is He good, He is worthy to receive all the glory. 

    Finally, we need hearts that are rich with the Word of God. A Sunday morning sermon is not enough. We want more than a visit from the Word of God; we want the Word of God to live in our hearts. It is up to us to make a home for God’s commandments, instructions, promises, and warnings. We would do well to follow Paul’s advice to Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of the truth.”

    As Christians, we have life — eternal life. Each of us can say, “I have life and I have a heart.”

    Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

    Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

    Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

    Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

  • Stuffed Cabbage Rolls For Dinner

    Stuffed Cabbage Rolls For Dinner

    These cabbage rolls are loaded with ground beef and rice filling, wrapped up in a boiled cabbage leaf, and then baked in the oven with flavor packed tomato sauce.

    Ground beef mixture

    1 pound ground beef

    1 cup white rice 

    1/2 sweet onion

    1 clove garlic

    1 egg

    1 teaspoon salt

    1/2 teaspoon pepper

    3 teaspoons parsley 

    Tomato sauce  

    15 ounce can tomato sauce

    15 ounce can crushed tomatoes

    1 teaspoon sugar

    1 sweet onion (diced) 

    Cabbage rolls

    Step 1

    Cut and remove about one inch from the bottom of the head of cabbage. 

    Step 2

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, place the entire head of cabbage into the pot of boiling water for four to five minutes or until leaves are tender. 

    Step 3

    Remove the cabbage from the water and peel back the leaves. Be careful; it will be hot. 

    Step 4

    Once you have your filling ingredients mixed together, place one cabbage leaf on a cutting board. Stuff leaf with mixture and roll tight. 

    Step 5

    Place cabbage rolls into tomato sauce and bake for 60 to 75 minutes at 350 degrees.

    The verse for this blog is Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”

    In addition to providing delicious recipes on her Faith and Food blog, Tina Rucker is a proud mom to her 18 year old son, happy wife to her husband Joel of six years, and the spearhead of the Five Loaves Food Pantry ministry in her local church, open twice a month. 

    Tina has worked in the food industry for over 25 years, and has a heart and a passion to serve, feed, and provide for those in need.

  • Autism Awareness Month

    Autism Awareness Month

    Hey guys! April is Autism Awareness Month! 

    I am super excited to be writing this blog to show you guys, and to tell you guys, different weird facts and also the signs of autism! 

    Like I have said before, I was diagnosed at 14. We were at the beach and we went to dinner at our favorite restaurant Miyabi. We were waiting for the chef when I started having my first panic attack. I was hearing voices telling me to put my hand on the hibachi grill. The only thing that would calm me down is my dad praying with me. 

    So when it happened again just two nights later, we knew there was a problem. When we got home to West Virginia, my mom took me to the pediatrician to figure out what was going on. I was referred to a psychiatrist and after some testing, we found out that I not only had depression and anxiety but I also have autism!

    It was hard for me to believe. For me, autism meant being non-verbal and not being able to do anything for yourself. What I didn’t know is that autism is a spectrum disorder, which means that there are varying degrees of it. Also, girls are a lot harder to diagnose than boys. I was misdiagnosed with ADD when I was in third grade. 

    I see high functioning autism as an invisible disability… people often misunderstand and therefore mistreat people like me. I have dealt with bullying my whole life. 

    So be kind. We are different… not less!

    God loves you and so do I!

    Hannah Benson — known for her big heart, her kindness, and her eagerness to serve — is the author of the Overcoming Autism blog.

    Hannah was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 14, and now uses this media platform as a way to reach out to those living with Autism and other handicaps. Hannah shares tips and coping skills for those with Autism and for family and friends of those who have been diagnosed; she also relates her life to stories in the Bible and chronicles the lessons she’s learned along her journey.

    Hannah Benson can be found on Instagram @hannah_benson94 or on Facebook on the Overcoming Autism Hannah’s Story.

  • Just Let Go and Let God

    Just Let Go and Let God

    Let go and let God. How many times have you heard this saying? I’m sure a few, at least. But do you understand the true power of this statement? 

    The Lord tells us to hand over our burdens and let Him carry it for us because His yolk is easy and His burdens are light (ref. Matthew 11:30). He tells us to come to Him if we are weary and burdened and He will give us rest. Not alcohol, not drugs, not sex, not another human, not even a spa day! God says turn to HIM and we will find true rest for our souls.

     He is gentle and humble in heart. I feel this message so deeply on my heart to remind everyone who Jesus really is. He is the friend you would run to when something happened to you, He is the friend who will always be there no matter what. He is the Father who won’t ever make you feel ashamed, unworthy, or unloved. He won’t ever hold your mistakes against you. He won’t tally up a list of all your wrongs and dish them out when He gets upset or you hurt Him. Following Jesus is simple, carefree, restful, peaceful, and oh so joyous. 

    The devil likes to tell us that we can’t turn to God until we fix ourselves, but I’m here to tell you that is the opposite of true. Jesus died on the cross for our mess. He beat hell and rose from the dead so we wouldn’t have to suffer. He’s a gentleman, though. He will never force you to love Him or to turn from your ways. 

    Once you ask Him to come rescue you, you better be ready for the ride of your life! Whatever you are facing today, Jesus died for it, and defeated it, 2000+ years ago. God wants you to give Him everything because He can handle it. When you have a circumstance that seems too big to even take another step, give it to God. When your kiddos have a cold, give it to God. When your family member seems too lost to be saved, give it to God. When you can’t forgive your abuser, give it to God. When you can’t forgive yourself, give it to God. 

    My entire point is this: whatever you are facing, you have the option to let go of trying to handle it yourself and instead, give it to the God who knows exactly how to fix everything. Because of our free will, He won’t make this earth as good as Heaven, but He can handle everything we give to Him. God isn’t going to just take it from us, we have to freely offer it. Here’s the thing about giving it over to the creator of love. Once you surrender it to the Lord, you can’t keep trying to take it back or fix it. 

    God doesn’t need us to ‘check up on Him’ or to help Him in any way. 

    He. Can. Handle. It! 

    The best option for anything you face in this life will be to give it to God. Your heart, your joy, your pain, your fear, and your doubt. God wants us to be reliant on Him because He knows we can’t do it for ourselves. Our world may look hopeless, but I know the God who created hope and He says it’s not over! Your rescue is here. Your healing, peace, unexplainable joy, and the amazing plan He created for your life before you were even formed, is here. 

    Letting go to let God is probably the most powerful thing you can do on this earth, other than your salvation. He wants the very best for your life and it will be better than anything you could have tried to make for yourself. Let Him show up and show off! I promise you that you will never regret Jesus.

    Hannah Smith, author of the Moving Mountains blog, is a woman who feels she has experienced a lot of life in her 33 years. 

    At 19 years old, Hannah joined the Army. After moving around the country, getting a divorce and losing what seemed like everything, she landed back where God wanted her in Ohio, even though she fought the whole way. She is now a devoted follower of Christ and seeks the Lord with all she’s got.

    Hannah is married and a RN, but works as a stay-at-home mom to her 3 children per instruction from the Lord.

    She loves to hike, travel, drink coffee, and talk about Jesus. Hannah also has a heart to create a home and life in which she can be a safe place for the hurting and the broken. Her biggest piece of advice would be to never tell the Lord you will never do something- because He will most likely then ask you to do that very thing, LOL!

    To her readers, Hannah says, “I believe that God set every single one of you reading this apart, for such a time as this. It is my hope and prayer that God would use the words I say to change your life in a way you and I never thought possible!”

  • He is Your God, and That is Enough

    He is Your God, and That is Enough

    I was sitting on the floor, legs crossed and tears running down my face. I cried as I begged God for an answer.

    I had been praying and praying and praying over a situation, and seemingly had no answer. This decision would impact my life, and greatly impact my future, and I needed an answer yesterday. But I wasn’t getting anything new.

    You see, I thought that I had maybe gotten a green light from God, but I just wanted to make sure. I didn’t want to make a mistake or go in the wrong direction or do the wrong thing or take myself out of His will. 

    So there I was again. Crying. Begging. Agonizing. 

    And in the midst of this situation, these words were deposited into my soul: 

    I am your God, and that is enough.

    And I stilled. 

    The tears stopped flowing, and my words dried up. What did that mean?

    I thought about that for a minute — a long minute — and simply meditated on this. And it hit me.

    He is my God. Emphasis on the personal aspect. 

    Who is God? 

    God is Healer, Deliverer, Provider, Sustainer, Creator, Protector, and Father. Our God is a god of miracles, signs, and wonders. 

    He is a god who created us in His image to be His companions. He is a god who sent His son down to Earth to die for our sins, even though humanity had continuously messed up (and messed up big). He is a god who lived among men, healed the sick, ate with sinners, loved all, forgave all, taught all, and died for all. 

    He is a god that is always with us, and never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is a god that guides, directs, and lovingly corrects. He is our Father and the lover of our souls.

    He is a personal and a powerful God. And He is enough.

    Whatever situation you’ve found yourself in; whatever emotional turmoil you’re going through; remember this: your God is enough.

    We can trust Him. Not just because He’s a god, but because He’s our God. It’s in His very nature to care for us and love us. It’s just who He is.

    So even when we don’t have the answer or the solution, we can trust in Him. Lean not on your own understanding, but submit unto Him and trust in Him because He is your God and that is enough. 

    We don’t really need any other answer. All we need to know is that God loves us, is for us, and will work on our behalf. 

    Who God is, is simply enough. And He’s your God. 

    Hold onto that and don’t ever forget that.

    Maddisen Sauls is the smile and voice behind the Everyday Joy blog as well as the author of the Word of the Week posts and the editor of by leaps and bounds. Throughout her life, Maddisen has worked as a reporter for small town newspapers, a School Age and Preschool teacher, and has acquired her ministerial license. 

    An avid book reader and lover of the written word, Maddisen is passionate about using her favorite medium to reach the lost and the hurting, and to offer encouragement and hope to those struggling through life. 

    Following her battle with depression, Maddisen has made it her mission to help other people through this journey and to bring joy to the lives of the people around her. 

    You can find Maddisen on Instagram @maddisen.paige