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Archive for July, 2013

Posted on: July 30th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments
God, Jesus, Christian, Christ, Christianity, Love, Love God, Love Others, Ruth Graham, Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Ruth Graham Poem, Give me eyes to see, spiritual eyes, ordinary, mundane, souls, people, love people, love other, making a difference, make a difference, change the world, make the world better,

Look o’er the people about you–– faces so furrowed with care, lined and hardened by sorrow sin has placed on them there; think of the evil they live in, hopes none and joys so few; love them, pray for them, win them, lest they should perish, too.                         – Ruth Graham, age 13. (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) … I love these words. But more importantly, I love the heart behind them. Give me eyes to see, I pray. For, when we see as we ought––when we see with spiritual eyes––the world and the people in it take on a different hue. Checking out at the doctor’s office a few months ago, I stood waiting. The receptionists busied themselves with work. One was helping me. One was speaking to a patient on the phone. Another typed intently at her computer….

Posted on: July 29th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments
Radio Interview

Author and Speaker, Lisa Buffaloe, recently asked me to share my testimony on her radio program, Living Joyfully Free. If you’re interested, head over to her website to listen to my interview. (Just as a bit of a heads up: The program lasts about one hour, so be sure to set aside some time or listen while engaging in some other “mindless” activity.) Praying you are blessed this Monday morning! Laurie

Posted on: July 26th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments
Real faith, faith, greatness, great things happen, look to jesus, look unto me, victory, victorious living, living victoriously, how do i live victoriously, living a life of faith, life of faith, faithful life, faith is a gift, grace of god, God, Jesus, how do i grow in my faith, how does my faith grow, how do i grow my faith, Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews, the book of hebrews, Hebrews 12, Hebrews 12:1-2, essentials Christian, Christian living, sin, run, endurance, look to jesus, Hebrews 10-13, Faith is enough, Luke 17:5, increase our faith, apostles, Lord, the Lord, Luke 17:6, ESV Bible, ESV Study Bible, faith seed, Hebrews 12:2, Philippians 1:6, Jesus center of faith, Jesus center, Isaiah 45:22, faith is not passive, faith is active, faith is a verb, grace of God, Hebrews 4:7, choose faith, choose Jesus, choose God, by grace

We all want to live victoriously, and that is only possible by living a life of faith.  As mentioned in my last post, faith comes only when given. Truth is: we cannot will ourselves into a place of faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Emphasis added). We are saved through our faith, but our faith is given to us by the grace of God. How Does Faith Grow? So how, then, do we grow in our faith? We are told in Hebrews 12:1b-2: …let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before…

Posted on: July 23rd, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments
Who do you say that i am, Hebrews 12:2, seed of faith, object of your faith, truth, matthew 16:15, many ways to heaven, Hebrews, the book of Hebrews, the Bible, Scripture, grace, God's grace, by grace alone, all is grace, Ephesians 2:8-9,  God, Jesus, Faith, Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:6, Faith is believing, you just need faith, why can't i have faith, why can't i believe, why i couldn't have faith,

I’ve been camped out in the book of Hebrews for a while now. I keep reading the same chapters over and over, and for whatever reason, I can’t seem to move past this section of scripture. And I don’t want to either. So much is packed into this book. There are so many nuggets to be mined, and I honestly feel Jesus speaking a powerful word over my heart about faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:6 goes on to tell us that “without faith it is impossible to please [God],” which tells me that it’s not about what we do––though that does matter––it’s primarily about what we believe. Faith is believing. “You just need to have faith,” Travis would tell me during the trials we went through before I became a Christian. Without trivializing…

Posted on: July 19th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 8 Comments
Will God fail me, Will God fail you, questions, doubts, God, trusting God, trusting Jesus, Jesus, Christ, Christian, God loves me, God's love for me, How do I know God loves me, Does God love me, Does God care about me, Faith, surrender, surrendering, surrendering to God, reckless abandon, God is good, control, need to control, controlling behavior, why am i controlling, security, God failed me, dark, light, darkness, light, the light of the world, the light, illusion, lie, truth, the truth, what is truth, what is the purpose of life, the nature of God, know your God, character of God, trust, trustworthy, God is trustworthy, God is faithful, faithful, scripture, Satan, Romans 8:28,

Will God fail me? I think if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve all asked this question––either consciously or unconsciously––at one time or another. In fact, it may be this very question that underlies our inability to give ourselves fully to God and His purposes in our lives. We think, perhaps God doesn’t love me. Perhaps God is too busy or too majestic to care about one individual such as myself. Or even if He does love me, even if He cares, He certainly doesn’t care about each intricate detail of my life.  Will God pull through? Doubts come. Questions arise. All of which are a part of the normal process of faith. But I think the real question behind all our doubts is: Does God really love me? This is the real doubt behind our unwillingness to surrender. It all comes back to love. We were created to be loved and to love others….

Posted on: July 16th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 6 Comments
Christianity, sex trafficking, sex trade, sex slave, enslavement, widow, doing something that matters, what is the purpose of life, god wants to use you, hands and feet of god, jesus follow me, follow me, gifts and talents, spiritual gifitings, steven furtick, elevation church, spiritual gifts, part to play, you have a part to play, 1 corinthians 12, play your part, God, Follower of Christ, Christian, Christ, Following Jesus, Following Christ, Adventure, faith, faith adventure, God calls us to an adventure, brokenness, mission, God's mission, mission in the world, what is God's mission, mission of God, christian mission, sin, darkness, light, pain, enslavement, fear, children dying, orphans,

I’ve been a follower of Christ for only four years now, but I can honestly say that the last four years have been an adventure without parallel. I sat in on a church service last weekend. The pastor asked his congregation, “Who here thinks of your walk with God as an adventure?” No hands went up. It seems to me that most Christians fail to recognize the adventure God calls them to. As Christ followers, we are not called to bunker down and simply hang on until the rapture. But instead, we’re called to join the mission of God in this world. And what a mission it is. Brokenness: The Need We needn’t look too far to see brokenness throughout the world. Sin. Darkness. Pain. Enslavement. Fear. They’re all there for us to see. If we take a closer look, we see children orphaned and dying on the streets each day, without anyone to love…

Posted on: July 12th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments
Romans, Romans 12, Romans 12:17-21, Overcome evil with good, do not be overcome by evil, never avenge yourselves, live peaceably with all, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Christian forgiveness, forgiveness testimony, bible forgiveness, biblical forgiveness, forgiveness stories, forgiveness Jesus, forgiveness God, loving your enemy, how to love your enemy, how do I love my enemy, how, words, the power of words, words are powerful, words power, words powerful, Jeff Goins, Goins Writer, written word, spoken word, truth, John 17:17, God's Word, Romans 12:18, work toward forgiveness, reconciliation, reconciling, use words wisely, Proverbs 29:20, gracious words, Proverbs 16:24, Scripture, How can you impact another, The Revolutionary Power of Words

Jesus made it clear. If I were to have any impact on Anthony (the man who murdered my dad), I would have to live out the commands found in Romans 12.  Jesus spoke: Repay no one evil for evil. Love your enemy. Overcome evil with good. Yet still, the questions plagued me: How? How do I overcome evil with good? How do I love Anthony? What does it look like?  And then it became clear. I was to love Anthony through my words. Words hold power.  As Jeff Goins recently wrote, “Words are powerful, painful, awful, and amazing tools. They can hurt, help, hinder, and heal.” I wanted my words to be used for good. I wanted them to bring light to a very dark part of my past. So when I sat down to write Anthony for the first time, I chose kindness over my feelings. I felt a strong conviction that…

Posted on: July 9th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs
right wrongs, Forgive, Will you forgive me, forgiveness, christian forgiveness, biblical forgiveness, bible forgiveness, forgiveness jesus, forgiveness christianity, forgiveness god, murder, forgiving, forgiving the unforgivable, unforgiving heart, asking for forgiveness, grudges, reconciliation, reconcile, romans 12

There comes a time that we need to right the wrongs we’ve committed against others. [Tweet that] I was a baby Christian when this time came for me. Jesus whispered the words “it’s time to forgive,” and I began to search my soul. Anthony––the man who murdered my dad––was the obvious one that needed my attention, but there were others I needed to forgive as well. My unforgiving heart ran deep. There was the girl I hated in high school. There was the man who witnessed for the defense in my dad’s murder trial yet had once called my dad friend. There was my dad’s ex-wife. And there were even some family members. Apparently, this German-Irish girl knew how to hold onto grudges. But it was time to let them go. [Tweet that] As I did, I was given perspective, and I began to see how my behavior contributed to the issues…

Posted on: July 4th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs
United Colonies, Revolutionary War, The War for Independence, Divine Providence, Freedom, Our Founding Fathers, Constitutional Convention, Delegates, Christian, How many founding fathers were christian, foundation of America, Country founded on Christian principles, don't waste your freedom, don't waste freedom, what do we do with freedom, Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 2:16, spiritually free, politically free, martyrs, Christian martyrs, Matthew 28:19-20,  heroes, criminals, founding fathers, America, United States, 4th of July, Forth of July, history lesson, July 4 1776, colonies, Great Britain, thirteen colonies, Declaration of Independence,

Are you ready for a history lesson? Alrighty here we go. Stick with me. I promise, I’ve got a point coming! Heroes or Criminals? On July 4, 1776––two hundred thirty-seven years ago today––56 colonial men signed a document challenging Great Britain’s rule over the thirteen colonies. The Declaration of Independence declared these “United Colonies” to be free, independent states, yet the war had not yet been won. In fact, it had just begun. Touted as heroes by many colonials, yet deemed criminals by the British crown, the signers “pledge[d] to each other [their] Lives, [their] Fortunes and [their] sacred Honor,” confidently assured of “the Protection of Divine Providence” (Declaration of Independence). Yet, with the signing of this document, each of them effectively signed their own death warrant as they opposed the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world. And for what? Freedom. As we all know, freedom was won. In…

Posted on: July 2nd, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment
Love your enemy, God's Calling, God Speaking, God Speaks, Does God Speak, Does God talk to people, Murder, Murderer, Bring him a bible, audibly, Word from God, Command, God Speaks to People, God Speaks to Humanity, God Speaks to You, Does God Speak to Me, Adam God, Noah, Elijah, Abraham, David, Job, New Testament, Jesus, God, Christ, Jesus Christ, God Still Speaks, Listening to God, Hearing from God, How do I hear from God, How does God speak to us, God speaks through creation, tuning in, God speaks through whispers, God speaks boldly, Visions, Hearing from God, Hearing God, Hearing God's Voice, Tuning into God, Coincidence, Coincidence vs providence, God's providence, Providence, God is in control, God is in control of all things, God speaks through others, God whispers, Whispers, Christian, Christian forgiveness, Christian forgiveness testimony,

Love your enemy, I was told. I knew who God was calling me to love––Anthony, the man who murdered my dad––and I didn’t like it. I cried out to God and said, Okay, God I get the whole forgiveness thing, but love my enemy? How am I to do THAT?!? Immediately, His response came, Bring him a bible. Now, I have only heard from God like this a few times. I’m certainly not one who claims that God speaks audibly to me, though I’d love it if He did. But instead, this was more of a thought planted into my mind immediately following my prayer. And I knew it was a word from God. In fact, it was a definitive command. God Speaks If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it is this: God speaks. As a skeptic, turned believer, this blew my mind. God speaks. To humans, nonetheless! [Tweet that]…