Trusting God | Laurie Coombs

Archive for the ‘Trusting God’ Category

What Do You Do When Doubts Come

Posted on: October 29th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 7 Comments

At some point during your faith walk, doubts will come. I’m convinced no one is immune to doubt. “Maybe there is no God,” you may think. “Maybe this whole ‘faith thing’ is just a product of wishful thinking.” Or maybe you don’t doubt your faith in God but think, “Maybe God doesn’t love me.” Or, “Maybe God doesn’t work miracles or speak to us as He did in the Bible.” When doubt strikes, it seems to come, quite literally, out of no where. Doubt is never settling. In fact, it’s quite startling. But I, honestly, don’t believe doubt is the enemy that it appears to be. Doubt in and of itself is not sinful. And in fact, doubt can serve us well because, after all, a faith challenged––a faith questioned––is a stronger faith in the end. The story of the gospel is a powerful one, one that holds the power to transform lives,…

Go

Posted on: October 15th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

Go, God, God is holding you, god is with you, i am with you, Matthew 7:13, anxiety, fear, trusting god, saying yes to god, faith, following Jesus, Jesus, God, Christ, Christian

My girls are off this week for fall break, so I’m taking the time to be with them. Today’s post has been recycled, so to speak, but it’s still new to this site. I originally wrote it back in 2012 to be a guest post for a friend. I hope you enjoy it! And I’ll be back next week with all new posts. My daughter, Avery, busied herself in our home office while I was getting things done around the house. She was four, at the time, and she had no idea I was wrestling with God. As I worked, my mind was flooded with thoughts, inundated with worry. Avery came running into the kitchen where I was cleaning counter tops. “Mommy, Mommy!” She cried, with excitement. “I have something for you! Here!” I bent down and took the little card my sweet child made for me. Not expecting the message I…

Beauty Can Be Found in Death or A Call to Come and Die

Posted on: October 8th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

autumn, fall, leaves, die, death, beauty, beauty death, life comes through death, beauty in death, Jesus, Christ, Jesus die, why did jesus die, John 12:24-25, loves life loses it, hates life keeps it, fortune cookie, seed die to have life, seed, die to self, christ at center,

Autumn is a favorite time of year for many. Breathtaking colors––vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges––saturate our once-green world for a short time before life gives way to death. It’s beautiful, really. But what’s even more beautiful are the truths exemplified through this process. Truth is, beauty can be found even in death. Scripture tells us we will be given beauty for our ashes. Even in death, Christ followers are promised life. This is why Jesus had to die––to bring us life. True life comes through death. [Tweet that] Jesus told us––as He willingly walked toward the cross, knowing the fate that awaited Him––that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25, emphasis mine). Jesus was referring to His own death…

Refined by Fire

Posted on: October 1st, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

As mentioned in my last post, sometimes God leads us into the fire. The objective, however, is not destruction but refinement. We are refined––or sanctified––by fire. Scripture likens the process of sanctification––becoming more and more like Jesus––to the process of refining gold and silver. These two metals are classified as “precious metals,” or highly valued metals that are well sought after. What an amazing analogy for the way God sees His children––loved, valued, and sought after. Yet, these metals, valued though they are, must be refined by heat to obtain a state of purity, which is certainly the case for us as well. In my understanding of the process, the metal is heated by fire, which allows all impurities to rise to the surface. These impurities are removed. The metal cools. And then the process begins once again. Heat, skim, cool. Heat, skim, cool. And it continues until the metal…

{Lessons Learned} Sometimes God Leads You Into the Fire

Posted on: September 26th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 7 Comments

Christ follower, following Christ, Following Jesus, Jesus follower, God calls us into the fire, God leads, following God's leading, God leads you into the fire, fire, trials, trial, suffering, why do we suffer, why is life so hard, into the fire, better place, redemption, beauty, blessing, trial by fire, Joshua, Joshua 1:9, Daniel, Daniel and lions den, Esther, Shadrach meshach abednego, cast into the fire, rescue from fire, rescue in fire, joseph, jesus, christ, christian, peter, paul, prison, cross, isaiah 43, john 16:33, keep going, don't stop. will you follow jesus, god,

Being a Christ follower is hard. And if you’re truly following Jesus (i.e. submitting your life fully to His leading, praying, asking for His continued guidance), He’s going to ask you to do things you don’t want to do. This was certainly the case when I was called to have correspondence with Anthony, the man who murdered my dad. You see sometimes, God leads you into the fire. Sometimes He asks you to trust Him enough to follow Him into your unknown, scary places. But His intent is not harm. Oh no, His intent is to use your time in the furnace for His purposes in your life. To bring you to a better place. A place rich in beauty and blessings. I, personally, don’t know anyone who has been strengthened through the calm, peaceful seasons in their life. Just as a tree cannot stand until it’s properly “hardened off” by…

{Lessons Learned} God is with Us

Posted on: September 24th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Christianity, following jesus, follow jesus, God is with us, God with us, follow me, God's whisper, murder, forgiveness, forgiveness testimony, Christian forgiveness, God forgiveness, Jesus forgiveness, be still, be still and know I am God, Psalm 46:10, Trust God, trusting God, trusting Jesus, Wait for the Lord, Wait, Waiting, Waiting on the Lord, Wait Lord, Deuteronomy 31:8, Lord goes before you, do not fear, Isaiah 48:17, Immanuel, Jesus God with us, God with us, Romans 8, Romans 8:31, If God is for us, God is for us, Christine Caine, Matthew 28:20

Of all Jesus taught me throughout my correspondence with Anthony, the man who murdered my dad, the most important, life altering lesson was displayed by His mere presence. Throughout this very difficult season, Jesus showed up. He was there through it all. Never once did I doubt His presence, for it was almost palpable. There were times I heard His gentle whisper beckoning “follow me.” And I would follow. There were times, after receiving another difficult letter from Anthony, I sat in confusion day after day, unsure of how to respond, unsure of God’ leading. Yet all the while, He was still there––His presence very real––urging me to “be still, and know that [He is] God” (Psalm 46:10). “Trust Me. Wait on the Me,” He said. And I would wait. Show me the way, I prayed. Show me how. And He would lead. All throughout Scripture, we see the Lord going before…

Receive Your Crown

Posted on: September 19th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

Yosemite fire, Yosemite, fire, Reno, Reno Nevada, Smoke, Smoke from the fire, smoke from the Yosemite fire, receive, crown, ash, oppressive, heaviness, weighty, beauty for ashes, beauty ashes, crown of beauty, Isaiah 61, Isaiah 61:3, imagery, death, unclean dirty, Jesus, Christ, Messiah, Smoke, freedom, life, Jesus came life, Jesus brought life, Jesus brought freedom, new life, 2 corinthians 5:17, made new, reborn, come to me, follow me, mend brokenhearted, mend broken, clean unclean, carry burdens, give you life, Isaiah 43:19, new thing

For weeks, thick smoke drifted hundreds of miles from the fire in Yosemite to our home in Reno. Ash fell from the sky in a delicate dance much like that of a snowflake, yet in itself was the antithesis of snow. Dirty flakes, remnants of life now dead filled our air. Smoke blocked the Sierra Nevadas from view and, at times, was so thick one could not see to the end of the street clearly. It became oppressive. There was a heaviness to the air I have not experienced before, and everyone was feeling it. “Oh, this smoke,” people would say in exasperation as they mulled about their day. Windows remained shut, and we remained indoors to prevent breathing unnecessary amounts of dirty air. After a while, however, the smoke began to lift. Despite its continued presence, God brought us some of the most beautiful sunsets. “Beauty for ashes,” I whispered…

{Love Your Enemy} Fight Darkness With Light

Posted on: September 17th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

overcome evil with good, good vs evil, good v evil, good evil, good, evil, sin, light dark, light darkness, darkness v light, light, dark, darkness, martin luther king jr, love, love your enemy, loving your enemy, enemy, Jesus, God, Christ, Christian, Christianity, devotional, children, children's devotional, childlike, hate, love hate, darkness drive out darkness, light drive out darkness, hate cannot drive out hate, truth, god satan, Satan, Romans 12, Romans 12:14-21, Marks of a true christian, overcome evil with good, lord will repay, vengeance is mine, wrath of God, grace,

Jesus taught his followers a new way to treat people. Usually when people hurt you, you want to hurt them back. If people don’t like you, you don’t like them either. But Jesus tells us to love our enemies. It’s never easy but Jesus can help you. If you do good to your enemies you could change your life and theirs forever. – Avery (right before her 6th birthday), quoting one of her children’s devotional books. I came across this piece of paper a few weeks back and had to share it. As I busily cleaned the house one day, my daughter, Avery, decided to grab her “devo” and copy down one of its entries. This is what I found. Now, I don’t know if her selection was intentional or not, but out of the 365 entries in her book, she chose this one, and of course, you all know how…

It’s Been Thirteen Years

Posted on: August 6th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 6 Comments

Anniversary, death anniversary, Anniversary of death, dad died, dad murder, dad murdered, tragedy, storyline, story, God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Forgive, Forgiveness, Forgiveness Christian, Forgiveness God, Forgiveness Jesus, good life, gift life, I miss my dad, i miss dad, joy, blessing, heartache, letter, letters, peace, correspondence, forgiving the unforgivable, heal wounds, heal, healing, wounds, pain, tragedy, grace, Satan, what satan meant for evil, satan evil, God works good, God works all for good, Romans 8:28, God's grace, Jesus victory, Jesus victor, Jesus redeemer, redeemer, redeem, redemption, goodness of God, God accomplishes impossible,

My dad died thirteen years ago yesterday. It’s hard to believe thirteen years have passed. It’s all still a bit surreal. My life seems to be somewhat of a paradox. Tragedy weaves throughout the storyline of my life, yet God has given me a good life––full of many joys, many blessings, and yes, much heartache. Honestly, I miss my dad. I think I always will. But my dad’s absence is always a bit more real on the anniversary of his death. Three years ago, on August 5th, I found myself writing my fourth letter to Anthony. All doors had closed. I wasn’t going to be able to visit him in prison as I was hoping to. Yet, I was committed to pursuing forgiveness and peace through our correspondence. In my letter, I wrote: Ironically, I’m writing you on the tenth anniversary of my dad’s death. While in a way, it does…

Legendary Faith: Unleash the Faith of Old

Posted on: August 2nd, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 7 Comments

Walk Through That Door, Laurie Coombs, Faith, by faith, impossible, see the impossible, impossible happen, witness the impossible, witness impossible, possible, the impossible is possible, God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, power, powerful faith, great faith, I want great faith, we can do all things through jesus, walk on water, step out of boat, only say a word, follow jesus, following jesus, God works all things for good, Romans 8:28, presence of faith, faith present, gift of faith, faith is a gift, the gift of faith, Martin Luther, Martin Luther faith, Martin Luther faith quote, God's grace, grace, daring confidence in grace, confidence, Matthew 17:20, mustard seed, mustard seed faith, move mountains, impactful life, good life, live a good life, true faith, genuine trust in Jesus, trust jesus, genuine trust, how to trust, i want my life to matter, life count, faith of old, Bible, Scripture, Elijah, Elijah stop rain, Moses part Red Sea, Hebrews 11, Elisha raise boy from dead, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Samuel, Prophets, forefathers, father of faith, faith has power, God wants to use you,

I want great faith. I want the kind of faith that allows us to step out of the boat and walk on water toward Jesus when He beckons, knowing we can do all things through Him. The kind of faith that confidently says to Jesus, “Only say a word,” knowing full well that even the impossible is possible with God. The kind of faith to follow Jesus into the unknown––into our scary places––regardless of the cost, knowing confidently He will work all things for His glory and your good. The Presence of Faith Christian reformer, Martin Luther, was quoted as saying “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” Do you have this daring confidence in God’s grace? You know, Jesus tells us that even “if you have faith like a grain of…