Saying Yes to God | Laurie Coombs

Archive for the ‘Saying Yes to God’ 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…

{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…

The Same Spirit…

Posted on: October 10th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

Why do we feel that we must wait for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit when the Spirit continually resides within every believer? If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. – Romans 8:11 {The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in each and every believer! Live, knowing you are empowered to do that which Jesus calls you to!} Do you ever struggle with not feeling empowered do that which He calls you to? Leave a comment below!

Why Obey God?

Posted on: October 2nd, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

It’s my first “vlog” or video blog! I apologize in advance for my awkwardness…. Hopefully, by the grace of God, I will get used to speaking to a videocamera imagining that I’m speaking to YOU! I hope you enjoy! {We obey in response to God’s love. And, of course, God knows best!} So, what do you think? Should I keep doing vlogs?? Leave a comment below!

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…

{Love Your Enemy} When the Path is Unclear

Posted on: September 21st, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

I was freaking out. There’s simply no other way to describe it. I just received that first letter from Anthony, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know if I should respond. I didn’t know how to respond. Again, I knew God was leading me down this path, but I didn’t know what to do next. I needed to know His will. I needed to know what He wanted me to do. I prayed. I spoke to my husband. I called one of my best friends, all of which helped, yet still, no clarity. Then, I called one of my pastors. “Bobby, I just got a letter from the man who murdered my dad. I don’t know what to do,” I said. I gave him some background as he listened on the other end. “I just want to do what God wants me to do, but I don’t know what…

{Love Your Enemy} Pray Like the Dickens!

Posted on: September 18th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

I have to be honest, when I began this journey, I understood my need to forgive and knew that forgiving would bring me to a new and better place. I wanted to forgive. The thing I did not want to do, however, was love my enemy. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. The word “love” in the same sentence as “enemy” didn’t seem to make sense to me. What’s more, the word “love” in reference to Anthony was repulsive. Still, I knew that this is what the bible tells us to do. Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Yet, I didn’t quite understand it. The only insight I had on how to do this was to pray for Anthony and to do what God told me to do, which was to bring him a bible. So, out of obedience,…

{Love Your Enemy} The Letter

Posted on: September 14th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 9 Comments

It was May 18, 2010––close to 10 years after my dad was murdered––when my husband, Travis, came home from work with a letter in his hand. “You’ve got a letter,” he said. “Thanks,” I said smiling as he handed it to me. I looked down to see a bold stamp on the backside of the envelope reading, “NORTHERN NEVADA CORRECTIONAL CENTER.” Looking up at Travis, I spoke in a faint whisper, “I gotta…I gotta go. Take care of the girls.” I ran upstairs and into my bedroom, closing and locking the door behind me. I didn’t want my girls to see me like this. I heard my daughter ask, “What’s Mommy doing?” “She just needs to take care of something,” Travis said, “Wanna help me with dinner?” “Yea!” she said with glee. I sat there, on my bed, for what seemed like hours simply holding the letter, tears pouring forth, willing…

Simply Me

Posted on: September 5th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

Today, I am blessed to be sharing a bit of my story on the blog Simply Me. Be sure to stop by Simply Me and see my new friend, Veronica, as she explores being content in who God made us to be. Many gems can be found in Veronica’s posts! If you’re visiting my site from Simply Me. I’m glad you’re here! And I hope you’ll enjoy, explore, and stay a while… Blessings to you all!

{Forgiveness} Why We Forgive – Part 2

Posted on: August 27th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

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As explored in Why We Forgive – Part 1, we are called to forgive because we have been forgiven. In respect to forgiveness, God simply asks us to give that which He so graciously gave us. And that’s just it. God asks us to forgive, which means that forgiveness is not an option. [Tweet that] Colossians 3:13 says, “as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” It’s a command. Jesus tells us during His Sermon on the Mount, For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. – Matthew 6:14-15 While this command may seem harsh, we need to look at the heart of God to gain understanding. We know God is not just loving, but that––as the bible says––God is love. That’s simply who He is. It’s part of His character….