As the cross was where the physical life of Christ was wiped out, so it is to us. Christ’s cross bids us come to die; to be emptied of anything we dare think we can offer to God in exchange for entrance into the coming kingdom.
Help for the Struggle
With the rates rising steadily over the years, I can bet that about 20% of you reading this now are struggling with anxiety of some kind. I understand this struggle personally, having navigated periods of severe anxiety that required medication and endured panic attacks with lingering effects, to feeling totally and completely normal. I won’t pretend to have any fabulous cure-all to share with you, but I can tell you something that has helped me and others.
Cultivating gratitude can shift your perspective and reduce stress. Experts confirm that gratitude releases dopamine, lowers cortisol levels, and improves sleep. While gratitude won't eliminate life's challenges, it can provide balance and stability.
If you’re searching for things to be thankful for, explore the Psalms- many of which sing praises about the great things God has done. Psalm 33 is one worth bookmarking to have handy when you’re searching for things to be grateful for.
Psalm 33 reminds us that we can praise God because his word is upright, and he is faithful. We can be thankful that by His words, God created the heavens and the earth and knows the depths of the sea. We can be grateful that God shares his wisdom with us and that it is unchanging and reliable. What’s more, we needn’t worry because everything is in God’s hands. Even kings can’t guarantee their safety, just like the strongest among us can’t guarantee our success. The same God that created this world is the same God that created you. Throughout our anxiety, we are encouraged to “wait for the Lord” and trust that our creator can handle it.
©Hope Fletcher, 2025
Our Creator
Our Creator is not a creature. Limited as our understanding is, the impossible question often comes to mind: Where did God come from? It is incomprehensible that the Immortal One does not owe His existence to anyone or anything. His simple statement, “ I AM THAT I AM,” lends itself to all that we truly can understand of Him. YHWH simply is, and always has been and always will be.
Enduring Faithfulness
When was the last time you made a truly eternal promise? If you’re married, hopefully, you’ve made an eternal promise of love and commitment. I’m sure if you have children, you’ve vowed to love and cherish them always. Even something as seemingly simple as getting a tattoo is a promise to yourself that you’ll carry that image on your body for the rest of your life.
Sowers of the Seed
The Blameless Way
Integrity is a part of your character that you can’t develop overnight- it involves a lifetime of good, honest, and moral decision-making. In Psalm 101, we read words written by David telling us how he desires to live with integrity in both his personal life and in his rule. Though none of us are likely to ever be kings, we can still apply a lot of this wisdom to our own lives, but you should probably leave the destruction of the wicked to others.
Healing
How thankful we are that the Son of Man has authority both to forgive sin and physically heal. The countless physical healings recorded in scripture are abundant evidence of this power and authority, but these were signposts pointing to the greater unseen healings which matter for eternity. Without the forgiveness of sins, physical healing in this age are of limited value and benefit.
Who Shall Dwell on God’s Holy Hill?
Basis of our Promises
God’s Best Way
Fact Of The Second Coming
God’s Wonderful Works
Conforming to the Cornerstone
Personal Prayer Journal
Face to Face
The Same God
Unmistakable Vision
Remember – and Share
Who Directs Our Steps?
Seed & Soil
Years ago I was led to discover the central importance of the kingdom, but I’m seeing that it is a lifetime venture to grasp the kingdom lifestyle. How very far I have yet to go! But the power of the kingdom, made possible through the resurrected and ascended Christ, through Holy Spirit, is quietly transforming. “For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power” 1 Corinthians 4:20.