Faith | Laurie Coombs

Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

God Wants to Use You!

Posted on: November 6th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

Shortly after forgiving Anthony, I closed one of my letters to him with this: I pray for God’s will in your life, and that He uses you where you are for His purposes to further the Gospel! Be an ambassador right where you are! Be sure not to waste your life in there. I believe we’re all placed right where we’re supposed to be. I was listening to a sermon by John Piper the other day…what was so prominent about this particular sermon was his call for all God’s children to not waste their lives. Most of us do, and that’s a tragedy. Just because you’re in prison, doesn’t mean that you’ve wasted your life. Allow the Spirit of God to use you in there to transform lives according to His will!!! Do not let my dad’s death be in vain. Do not let your life be in vain. God…

{Triple Braided} Resting in His Faithful Arms

Posted on: November 1st, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

I’m over at Triple Braided today writing for Brenda Rogers, author of e-book Fall for Him. Join me there to read my latest post, Resting in His Faithful Arms, in which I write about how we may simply rest in our Father’s loving arms as we follow Him. If your visiting from Triple Braided, welcome! Be sure to take a moment, look around, and read. And don’t forget to subscribe (in the right hand column) to receive future posts via email or in your reader of choice! Blessings to you all today…

{Fear} Blessed is the Man Whose Trusts is the Lord

Posted on: October 30th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. – Psalm 3:5-6 I trust Jesus. Most of the time. But if I’m going to be honest, there are times when I’m doing everything else but trusting Jesus. Every once in a while I lay awake at night for hours, wondering why I can’t go back to sleep, when a thought hits me. Maybe Jesus woke me. Maybe He has something to say. When this happens, there are the times I simply pray and willingly say, “Speak, my Lord, I’m listening.” Yet, other times, I’m stuck with fear. What if Jesus is going to ask me to do something I don’t want to do? I anxiously ponder. I know I will do whatever He asks of me, yet at times, I fear what that might be. I know…

Freedom Through Grace

Posted on: October 23rd, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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“He’s doing it again,” I told my friend, Sarah, “listen to this!” I read the letter I received that afternoon from Anthony. “Why won’t he simply say ‘I did it. It was my fault. Period.’” I said. “He’s still trying to justify his actions! He committed murder! He killed my dad! There’s no justification for that!” After talking it though, I sat down and began to type my response, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I wanted to rebuke him. Set him straight. He claimed to be a Christian now. Why isn’t he repentant? Why does he keep blame shifting? I thought. I wrote, words pouring forth like flood waters out of my heart, addressing each of the issues and backing them with scripture. Oh, this is good, I thought, but I knew. This was not the response God wanted. I prayed, as I awaited direction from Jesus. Days passed and…

{Discerning God’s Will} When Doors Shut.

Posted on: October 12th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

I was reluctant to correspond with Anthony prior to my planned visit, but I found it was necessary in order to work out the details of the visit. We exchanged several letters as we awaited approval from the prison, each letter unearthing feelings I unknowingly buried years before. One day, I received a letter from the warden of the prison. As I opened it, I was sure it would be the approval I had been waiting for. Much to my surprise, however, I read the following: Dear Ms. Coombs: Your visiting application was forwarded to this office for consideration. Due to safety and security conserns for the institution because you are the victim’s daughter, we are not approving visiting privileges for you. Sincerely, {Name Omitted}, Warden I was confused. My application for visitation was denied. Did I hear God wrong? God called me to bring Anthony a bible. I was certain…

There Will Be Murderers in Heaven

Posted on: September 28th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 17 Comments

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And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Jesus speaking to the criminal being crucified with Him.) – Luke 23:42-43 “In this life we will never be perfect,” wrote Anthony, the man who murdered my dad, “but in the one to come, you and I will be brother and sister, as much as you may hate that now.” It was a difficult truth to swallow. But I knew Anthony was right. In God’s economy, murderers and rapists will stand worshipping before the throne of Jesus alongside every other Christ follower. Indeed, God’s ways are not our own. Christ died for all who place their faith in Him––murderers and homeschooling moms alike. This is why the doctrine of grace offends many. In church a couple weeks ago, my pastor said something…

Fear vs Faith

Posted on: September 25th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 13 Comments

…for we walk by faith, not by sight. – 2 Corinthians 5:7 I knew that I could trust Jesus, but when called to love and forgive my enemy, I was scared. I didn’t know where this was going. I didn’t know how it would end. Yet, I knew that I had already allowed fear to motivate me far too long. When the anxiety first came, it hit hard. The once fearless, self-sufficient, social woman I knew crumbled and left in it’s place a scared little girl who had little energy to get out of bed each morning. Panic attacks would come out of no where, with no warning. It was all so irrational. The worst part was that I knew it was irrational, but I didn’t know how to conquer it. Fear had taken over and was my main motivator. But when I was saved, God gave me the grace to overcome my…