Holy Spirit | Laurie Coombs

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Grace upon Grace

Posted on: July 5th, 2018 by Laurie Coombs

All through the book of Deuteronomy, the people of God were told to remember. Remember where God found you. Remember His faithfulness. Remember that He spared no expense to deliver you out of slavery that He might bring you into your promised land. Each time I read Moses’ words to the Israelites as they stood on the edge of their promise, I cannot help but hear these same words spoken over me. “Remember.” We are all prone to forget. One moment we stand in praise of Jesus after He did some crazy awesome thing in our life. And the next moment, fear comes when we face uncertainty, and we forget that Jesus had just parted the Red Sea on our behalf. Just like the nation of Israel, we are called to remember. Remember who our God is. Remember His heart toward us. Remember the gospel and the cross. Remember His…

Twenty-One Days: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain

Posted on: April 15th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

There’s an incredible account of God answering prayer in the tenth chapter of Daniel. I was amazed by it the other day and still am today. At first thought, most of us think only of Daniel in the lion’s den when we think of the book of Daniel, but this book has many more gems to mine than we may know. Now, I’ve always believed the truth taught in Daniel chapter ten conceptually, but even though I’ve read through this book several times before, I have never seen it for what it is. For some reason, I have been blind to what this passage shows us. As you read through the book of Daniel, it seems Daniel sought the Lord continually, but at this particular time in his story, Daniel decided to fast. For three weeks, we’re told, he “ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered [his] mouth.” He was mourning, as he considered the…

It Is for Freedom That We Are Set Free

Posted on: January 29th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

There’s a song that I just can’t get out of my head. It’s called “I Am Set Free” and is written and performed by All Sons and Daughters. The chorus is what keeps playing a loop in my mind continually. In fact, I’ve even woken up hearing the lyrics several nights in a row: “I am set free oh oh oh oh I am set free oh oh oh oh It is for freedom that I am set free.” It is for freedom that I am set free––words echoing a truth, written by Paul long ago to the churches in Galatia, that said, “For freedom Christ has set us free…” But I love what comes next in this verse–– “…stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (5:1). I think we all have a tendency to slip back into old habits, back into things we’ve been freed from. When I read the…

Making Your New Year’s Resolution Stick

Posted on: December 30th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16 I once did a 40-day Bible reading challenge. The challenge was just as it sounds––read through the Bible in 40 days. Yep––the whole thing! For 41 days (I got behind a bit), beginning in Genesis and ending with Revelation, I read an average of 30 chapters a day. This challenge was crazy, but let me tell you: it was absolutely amazing! When first presented with all this craziness, I was intrigued, but I didn’t think I could do it. After all, I have children who need their mommy and a husband who needs his wife, but God made it happen. Day in and day out, I was given the time needed to soak in the truth of God’s Word. And when God’s truth continually washes over…

Sometimes It’s Just Hard

Posted on: November 13th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs

I was following Jesus into the unknown––into my scary places. Places I did not want to go. He was calling me to walk on the water with Him––to do things I did not want to do––but I knew those very things would bring me to the place He intended, a place of blessing. Still, I was scared. It was hard, laying myself down like that. Ridiculously hard. I knew my God. I knew who He is. I knew His heart toward me. And I knew where I’d end up if I followed, but what I did not know is what that narrow rocky road would look like along the way, and quite honestly that scared me. “I feel like I’m falling apart,” I wrote in my prayer journal, sometime during this season. “[The girls and I] have been sick, my emotions are all over the board, I feel weighed down by…

{Fight for Faith} Sanctified Stubbornness

Posted on: July 9th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

If you’re anything like me, your faith is not static. You may have times of great faith––faith so strong you’re absolutely convinced your unwavering trust in Jesus will quite literally move mountains. But oftentimes, that very faith seems to diminish over time. It goes out from you, like the air of an untied balloon when let go. Seasons of great faith are simply amazing, and I always think I ought to stay there. I seem to measure my level of Christian-success by how audacious my faith is, but I’m starting to think I have it all wrong. Downswings of our faith can be frustrating, alarming even, but I’m not entirely convinced these challenging seasons are a bad thing. I think we’re all bound to experience moments of failed faith. Times when we seem to be holding on by a thread. When we feel weak and discouraged by our lack of faith. But ultimately, every challenge, every…

{Anxiety and Depression} Losing Your Life to Save It

Posted on: June 25th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 12 Comments

Anxiety and Depression Losing You Life to Save It

I think my anxiety was brought on by the many years of heightened stress I experienced after my dad’s murder. It seemed the stress built up slowly over time until my body simply couldn’t take it any more, and I just sort of fell apart. But it wasn’t just the murder. I think it was a combination of many things––my type-A personality, my need for control, additional stress caused by a high-risk pregnancy, and the normal stresses of daily life––that contributed to my downfall. I was confused when the physical symptoms of anxiety finally came to a head. I didn’t understand what was wrong with me, and this was when the depression hit. All the medical tests ordered by several different doctors came back normal. In hindsight this was a good thing, but it didn’t feel like it at the time. Not finding a cause for my many troubling symptoms left…

More like a Hose than a Pitcher

Posted on: February 13th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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“I feel depleted,” I told my husband. “I feel like Elijah laying under that broom tree.” Travis looked at me curiously. I didn’t pray to die as Elijah had, of course, but I was spent. Why is my tank so empty? I questioned. What am I doing wrong? I was serving, both my family and church, and was pursuing my calling. All good things, by my estimation––things I believed God was calling me to do, and so I was confused. Why am I so burnt out if I’m doing what I am supposed to be doing? The answer came. I was doing it in my own strength. I needed to learn how to receive God’s strength and to allow His Spirit to empower me for the work I was called to. This was perhaps the first time I had become aware of my need to receive. Learning to receive from God…

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…

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,…