2-Min. Thoughts on Faith
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Two-Minute Thoughts on Faith: Feed Your Belly & Feed Your Spirit This Holiday Season!
Video Transcription Can Be Found Below. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Hi, everybody! Shannon here with Raising a Blessing Blog and today as we roll into the holiday season, (we’re only two days away from Thanksgiving) we’re going to talk about the spiritual food that we are consuming as we gather together with our friends for friendsgiving or with our family for more traditional Thanksgiving. We’re going to talk about how important the spiritual food is that we are consuming. You know, Jesus said, that the most important commandment was to love Him and to love others. And I know that as we roll into this Thanksgiving season, sometimes it’s challenging to be…
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Two-Minute Thoughts on Faith: Teaching Our Children to Dance with God
One day, he’ll decide for himself what he believes. You could say that about him now, with his confident nature and unapologetic faith in who God is, but he’s still so young and he still comes to me with his doubts and questions. But one day, he won’t. One day, he will seek out those answers on his own. One day, he will be on a journey that is all his. And on that day, it won’t be the knowledge that I have shared with him or the beliefs that I hold deep in my own heart that securely anchors him to the Father. It will be the one-on-one relationship…
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Two-Minute Thoughts on Faith: Come Just As You Are, My Child
“For (Jesus) has dedicated a new, life-giving way for us to approach God. For just as the veil was torn in two, Jesus’ body was torn open to give us free and fresh access to Him. We come closer to God and approach him with an open heart, fully convinced that nothing will keep us at a distance from him. For our hearts have been sprinkled with blood to remove impurity, and we have been freed from an accusing conscience. Now we are clean, unstained, and presentable to God inside and out!” (Hebrews 10:20,22 TPT) Sometimes one simple Bible verse can ground you solidly in His truths, given permission to…
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Two-Minute Thoughts on Faith: The Identity List
It started off as a conversation about shame between my Heavenly Father and me. He pressed on my heart to give it over to Him and I resisted, arguing in a most stubborn fashion that I deserved to carry it. The conversation quickly transpired into a full-blown discussion about my identity and who I am in Him, but it unexpectedly evolved into a beautiful and life-changing challenge that He placed on my heart: To write a list, the list: Much like I asked my son to do for this art project, my Father asked me… Who are you? Make the list. Write the words. Leave nothing left unsaid. And here’s…
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Two-Minute Thoughts on Faith: Gen-X Blast from the Past – Save the Last Dance
Okay, so warning… today’s “Two-Minute Thoughts on Faith” post is a bit out there. But it’s been lingering on my mind for days now, so I figured… why not? And bonus… if you’re of the Gen-X generation, particularly the latter end of that generation, you might even get a real kick out of this. So, let’s do it! I promise that if you hang with me for the end, it will be worth it! (Heads up: This post contains some colorful language.) If you were a teenager or young adult during the turn of the century, think around 2001, you likely remember the movie, Save the Last Dance. Now, although…
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Two-Minute Thoughts on Faith: The Armor That Holds Us Back
Ever get the sneaking suspicion that the protective armor that you choose to wear every day could be the very thing that is holding you back from your breakthrough or your victory? Absolutely no judgement here. I’m in the trenches with you, still learning to let God protect me in those places and spaces. But hang with me for a minute and let me share a story with you – It’s a familiar story. The story of David and Goliath. And here’s a king, King Saul. And this king decides that this young man, this boy, David, should be adequately protected if he is going to face such a fierce…
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Two-Minute Thoughts on Faith: They Carried Him
Over and over again, Jesus repeated the same words: The greatest commandment, the greatest instruction, the greatest lesson… was to love and love well. But how do we truly love well? It’s a question that I have been walking through with God a lot recently; a place and space where He has been calling me to grow. And here’s just one of the lessons that He has taught me… In Mark chapter 2 (TPT), we find the story of the paralyzed man lowered into a house where Jesus was speaking: “While Jesus was preaching the word of God, four men arrived, carrying a paralyzed man. But when they realized that…
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Am I Really Lovable? Finding God’s Truths in the Ashes
Can I share something with you today in the spirit of vulnerability and encouragement? This right here was one of the hardest truths for me to accept in my journey through healing. Like many of you, I have experienced firsthand the life-crushing weight of shame, fear, and insecurity. I have walked through very difficult seasons feeling hopeless and lost. I have known the pain of facing really hard days alone and deeply broken. But I learned something powerful in each of those places and spaces: From our darkest seasons, God pieces together our most beautiful breakthroughs! And mine was no exception. In fact, it was nothing short of miraculous. But…
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Can You Trust God With It? The Short Answer: Yes, Absolutely!
Sometimes it won’t look the way you thought it would. Sometimes your heart will feel heavy with all the questions, the hurt, and the fear. But, my friends, always remember who calls your name in those moments because He is the true source of all comfort and peace. Just read what happened to me yesterday… If you watched the New Year’s video about my 3-Step Approach to Resolutions, you know about the “wish list”. There were several exciting things on mine this year. After watching the way that God poured through my 2022 wish list, I felt Him encouraging me with the same word all year: Bold. Be bold. And…
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“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:13 NLT
This is just a short note from my heart to yours. Just a short word of encouragement, love, and light. Just a short reminder and prayer to cover your day, or your week; your battle or your circumstance. But in all its simplicity, it is so very powerful, my friends. So very powerful. So here it is… If I have learned one thing about God’s presence in the day to day, it’s this – When we begin to look for God in even the little things, the daily grind, the seemingly mundane, we get to experience glimpses of His incredible presence in absolutely everything! ❤️ And knowing that He is…