Faith | Laurie Coombs

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On Plans, Yielding, and Walking With God

Posted on: January 14th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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It’s time for a new beginning. Don’t you think? We all need a new beginning from time to time, and what better time than the present. Now, I know you’ve probably heard quite a few messages on the topic of “New Year’s Resolutions” already, so rest assured, this is not another one. “Resolution” messages, while valuable, are often the same. Evaluate your previous year. See what worked. See what didn’t. Set goals. Plan. Plan. Plan…. But honestly, while these exercises do have some merit, I believe most people, while making these plans, unintentionally fail to factor God into their equation. I just finished reading Me, Myself, and Bob over Christmas. It’s written by Phil Vischer, the founder of Veggie Tales, and let me tell you, it’s a good read. In his book, Phil tells the story of the rise and fall of Veggie Tales, a popular Christian children’s video series. In…

A Son Was Given

Posted on: December 19th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). A son, born to die––heaven sent––lay swaddled in a feeding trough. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). Immanuel––God with us. Christ the child, through whom salvation had finally come. I will provide a way, whispered God to His beloved. I will not leave you, nor will I forsake you. For, you are Mine. A promise, whispered throughout the ages, was fulfilled in that moment through the birth of this child––this beautiful child, full of grace––the Light of the world. And on that first Christmas morn, light shone like never before into the darkness, terrifying and commanding the powers of darkness to flee. But elsewhere, God spoke a soothing word to His…

Deeper Surrender

Posted on: December 17th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 8 Comments

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I thought I had surrendered to God, but it turns out, I haven’t. At least not completely. I seem to be living out the early stages of God’s call on my life. Every day I wake up, I pray for God to use me and for God to show me the way with willing intent to following His lead, which is why I honestly thought I was living a life surrendered to God. But recently, God has made it clear that my level of surrender is not absolute. Up to this point, I have surrendered only in part. Though I stand willing to do that which God calls me to do, I still want control over my time and how it’s allocated. I must confess; I am not very interruptible. I’ve noticed this before, but it’s become increasingly clear over the past week as certain situations have challenged me to…

Dying to Live

Posted on: December 12th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 7 Comments

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Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. – Matthew 16:24-25 I pray for growth––revival. My heart feels stale, and I know I am not where I ought to be. My desire is for the Lord, this has not changed, but a barrier––invisible to the eye but felt in the spirit––stands erect. I want passion and fire to consume every part of my being, as it once had––but it doesn’t. Months go by, and my prayer remain the same. Awaken. Oh, my soul, awaken. I still see glory, as only found in Jesus, but glory has not taken residence within my heart for some time and coldness seems to endure. Joy in the Lord and even passion are present in moments––fleeting moments––but…

Why Do You Cry Out To Me?

Posted on: December 10th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

God’s people were hard pressed. Slaves to a foreign king, the Israelites cried out to God to intercede on their behalf. Their cries were heard, and scripture tells us “God saw the people of Israel––and God knew” (Exodus 2:25, emphasis mine). He knew their distress––knew their pain––and would soon come bringing deliverance along with Him. We all know what happened next in the story––Moses, the burning bush, the plagues on Egypt––all resulting in Pharaoh’s reluctant release of God’s chosen. The Israelites were free. Set free by the heavy hand of God upon an unbelieving ruler. The story is familiar. So familiar, in fact, that we often miss treasures––hidden just below the surface––that are intended to bring greater depth and richness to that which has become commonplace. I just love how God’s Word is inexhaustible––there are always more treasures to be found. A few months ago, I sat reading Exodus 14…

Being Thankful for God’s Grace in All Things (Even Our Trials)

Posted on: November 28th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

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There are times I forget to be thankful. Times when circumstances––and all that is simply life––seem to get in the way of being able to clearly see my life for what it is. To see all the beauty found in all the little things. All the big things. And all those in-between. Life is full of blessings. Full of grace. And I must choose to see. To see every bad day as evidence of my need for Jesus and as a chance to draw close to Him. To see interruptions to my daily schedule as a opportunity to abandon myself––and my agenda––for the sake of loving someone else. And to see every hardship and every trial as a blessing in disguise (which is something I know well). We serve a God who redeems. A God who takes what is broken, sinful, and ugly and uses it all for our good. Nothing…

Finding Joy in Thanksgiving

Posted on: November 26th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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There seems to be a direct correlation between the level of joy we experience and our level of thanksgiving. And I’ve come to believe being thankful is something we must deliberately purse. After reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, I came to realize that we must fight for joy through deliberate recognition of God’s grace upon our lives. Ann encourages others to begin to list each and every grace, or gift, seen in our lives and in the world around us. We must list our gifts so we might properly recognize them. You see, we live in a broken, sinful world––there is much darkness to be seen. And it seems the darkness––with all that is wrong in and around us––is sometimes much easier to recognize than the light. But light shines ever-so-brightly upon every one of us. It’s there––always present, but in order to recognize it, we must train our eyes…

Can Jesus Really Redeem Our Losses?

Posted on: November 21st, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

I’ve been finishing my book proposal this week, and it’s almost done, which means it should go out to publishers within the next few weeks! It’s super exciting; I’m just so close, which is why I chose to focus most of my attention on my proposal this week. And it is also why today’s post is a repeat, of sorts. I originally wrote this piece for another blogger as a guest post a while back. Some of you may have seen it, but most probably haven’t, so I hope you enjoy and are blessed by it. I’ll be back with all new posts next week. Thirteen years ago, I sat on top of a houseboat next to my dad watching the sun set behind the towering canyon walls of Lake Powell. Dad half-heartedly joked about how he was getting older, and I was sure to poke fun at his old age. I…

Modern Day Slavery and The Power of One

Posted on: November 19th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

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Did you know there are more slaves in the world today than any other time in world history? [Tweet that] It’s true. There are an estimated 27 million people in bondage across the world today. This industry is extremely lucrative, “representing an estimated $32 billion per year in international trade,” being the third largest criminal industry in the world (Wikipedia). “Men, women, and children are being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will” around the globe. And what’s even more astounding is that many of the victims are children or young girls who are forced into the sex trade and made to service up to twenty men a day. Tragically, the average age of trafficked victims is 12 years old (source, The A21 Campaign). TWELVE YEARS OLD! This could your child! My child! But regardless of whose child this is, this is unacceptable. Something must be done! When I first…

Have You Stopped at Mere Belief in God?

Posted on: November 14th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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And [Jesus] did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. – Matthew 13:58 We serve a mighty God. A God who still performs miracles in this world. But do we believe it? God has been inundating my world with one message, lately––BELIEVE ME! Not believe in Me, but believe Me. What would happen if we were to believe God more? It seems many Christians today––myself, at times, numbered among them––merely believe in God and fail to believe God. And there is quite a difference there. Believing in God means we simply believe God is who He says He is. It’s believing in Jesus, the One sent by God the Father to die for our sins. But is that enough? Possibly. It may be enough to obtain salvation. But maybe not, for we’re told, “Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19). So, maybe it’s not enough. But here’s the thing,…