Clicking on the Scripture links above will open a new window where you can read the scripture from the Holman Christian Standard Bible at Biblegateway.com or choose the Bible version you prefer to read. Check back each day to get the Scripture to read in the One Year Bible Reading Plan.
Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
A Boy who liked sinning best
Children in a Sunday school class were asked to write down what they liked best about Sunday school. One little boy, who also happened to be the pastor’s son, thought for a moment and remembered all the songs the class sung during the year. His spelling was not a good as his memory, and he wrote: “The things I like best about Sunday school is the sinning.” Why did Jesus come to earth? To save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
Sin brings forth pleasure for a season
The Bible tells us that sin does bring forth pleasure for a season, but it’s consequences have an eternal outcome: eternity in Hell. Sin keeps us separated from God but Jesus came to bring sinners to repentance, restoring the relationship between mankind and God. If there were no sin, there would be no need of a Savior – just as a person who is healthy has no need of a physician. Since the Bible tells us that all of has sinned (Romans 3:23), then we all need a Savior and we all need repentance.
Repentance
Repentance occurs when there is a change of heart and mind. Once we realize just how much sin breaks the heart of God, we can feel regret or remorse and we make a complete turn about in our thoughts, actions, and words. In its biblical sense, repentance refers to a deeply seated and thorough turning from ourselves to God. It is an experience in which God is recognized as the most important fact our existence.
True repentance occurs when we no longer seek after the selfishness of our own desires and instead seek the face of God. Proverbs 18:7 says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” And Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”
Why Jesus came
This is what Jesus came to do – to change our sinful nature to repentance and faith in Him so that our relationship with our heavenly Father can be restored. He came to save us from the penalty of our sin, which is eternal death and exchange the wages of sin for the gift of eternal life. If you have not come to Jesus in repentance, believing by faith that He is the Son of God, perfect, holy and without sin who died in your place and rose again, conquering death, sin, and the grave, what’s holding you back? 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.”
Even after salvation, we constantly fight our old nature and sin. Some of our “pet sins” we have a hard time letting go of. We want to cling to some of them because we enjoy them or because we are comfortable with them. Jesus says, “Let it go!” What is it in your life that Jesus is calling you to repentance today? Why not give it over to Him now?
Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
Click here to listen to our devotions on Spotify be sure to follow us.
Visit our three retail experiences:
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Tee of the Week: Be Still & Know
Be Still
With all that’s going on in the world today, sometimes we just need to be still and know that God is God and He is in control of all things. He is exalted among the nations and on the earth. From Psalm 46:10, this design is on t-shirts, long-sleeved tees, mugs, bags, tumblers and more. Click the link to see all the available products in this design.
Do you have an event on the calendar and need a speaker?
We’re offering 30% off our speaker fees as our gift to you if you book any 2022 event with us by December 31, 2021. Call today and use the discount code: CHRISTMAS2021.
We’re excited to be a part of your ministry and can’t wait to see you – no matter what size your event.
904.239.8937
Visit our YouTube Channels for Christian playlists and our short animated devotionals.
This book includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
Scripture to memorize and meditate on
Conversation Starters
Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages
Romance Builders
Relationship Builders
Personal reflections
Date ideas
Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples
Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.
Join the community of couples on Facebook who are committed to intentionally growing their marriage and learning how to have a marriage that honors God. Here you can post photos of the different activities as you do them, ask questions of other couples, share how God is using this book to strengthen your marriage, and grow with other Christian couples. We’ll see you in the community.
Bible Studies, Bibles, Books & More
Everything Christian for less!
Looking for a Bible Study, Bible, book or Christian gift? We are an affiliate with Christianbook Distributors and receive an 8% commission on any item purchased through one of our links. However, the commission never increases your cost of any item. View some of our favorite items by clicking on the logo and thank you for supporting our ministry.
Wellspring Christian Ministries receives an 8% commission on any purchased made from Christian Book Distributors through any affiliate link on this site. Your price for any item is the same as purchasing from CBD directly.
Clicking on the Scripture links above will open a new window where you can read the scripture from the Holman Christian Standard Bible at Biblegateway.com or choose the Bible version you prefer to read. Check back each day to get the Scripture to read in the One Year Bible Reading Plan.
Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
A Boy who liked sinning best
Children in a Sunday school class were asked to write down what they liked best about Sunday school. One little boy, who also happened to be the pastor’s son, thought for a moment and remembered all the songs the class sung during the year. His spelling was not a good as his memory, and he wrote: “The things I like best about Sunday school is the sinning.” Why did Jesus come to earth? To save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
Sin brings forth pleasure for a season
The Bible tells us that sin does bring forth pleasure for a season, but it’s consequences have an eternal outcome: eternity in Hell. Sin keeps us separated from God but Jesus came to bring sinners to repentance, restoring the relationship between mankind and God. If there were no sin, there would be no need of a Savior – just as a person who is healthy has no need of a physician. Since the Bible tells us that all of has sinned (Romans 3:23), then we all need a Savior and we all need repentance.
Repentance
Repentance occurs when there is a change of heart and mind. Once we realize just how much sin breaks the heart of God, we can feel regret or remorse and we make a complete turn about in our thoughts, actions, and words. In its biblical sense, repentance refers to a deeply seated and thorough turning from ourselves to God. It is an experience in which God is recognized as the most important fact our existence.
True repentance occurs when we no longer seek after the selfishness of our own desires and instead seek the face of God. Proverbs 18:7 says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” And Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”
Why Jesus came
This is what Jesus came to do – to change our sinful nature to repentance and faith in Him so that our relationship with our heavenly Father can be restored. He came to save us from the penalty of our sin, which is eternal death and exchange the wages of sin for the gift of eternal life. If you have not come to Jesus in repentance, believing by faith that He is the Son of God, perfect, holy and without sin who died in your place and rose again, conquering death, sin, and the grave, what’s holding you back? 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.”
Even after salvation, we constantly fight our old nature and sin. Some of our “pet sins” we have a hard time letting go of. We want to cling to some of them because we enjoy them or because we are comfortable with them. Jesus says, “Let it go!” What is it in your life that Jesus is calling you to repentance today? Why not give it over to Him now?
Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
Click here to listen to our devotions on Spotify be sure to follow us.
Visit our three retail experiences:
Bible study and Self Care Resources
Christian Tees, Bags, Mugs & More
We are an affiliate of CBD. We earn a commission on any purchase you make when you enter the store through this link. However, your CBD price is the same. Visit CBD for Bibles, Bible studies, gifts & more
Tee of the Week: Be Still & Know
Be Still
With all that’s going on in the world today, sometimes we just need to be still and know that God is God and He is in control of all things. He is exalted among the nations and on the earth. From Psalm 46:10, this design is on t-shirts, long-sleeved tees, mugs, bags, tumblers and more. Click the link to see all the available products in this design.
Do you have an event on the calendar and need a speaker?
We’re offering 30% off our speaker fees as our gift to you if you book any 2022 event with us by December 31, 2021. Call today and use the discount code: CHRISTMAS2021.
We’re excited to be a part of your ministry and can’t wait to see you – no matter what size your event.
904.239.8937
Visit our YouTube Channels for Christian playlists and our short animated devotionals.
This book includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
Scripture to memorize and meditate on
Conversation Starters
Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages
Romance Builders
Relationship Builders
Personal reflections
Date ideas
Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples
Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.
Join the community of couples on Facebook who are committed to intentionally growing their marriage and learning how to have a marriage that honors God. Here you can post photos of the different activities as you do them, ask questions of other couples, share how God is using this book to strengthen your marriage, and grow with other Christian couples. We’ll see you in the community.
Bible Studies, Bibles, Books & More
Everything Christian for less!
Looking for a Bible Study, Bible, book or Christian gift? We are an affiliate with Christianbook Distributors and receive an 8% commission on any item purchased through one of our links. However, the commission never increases your cost of any item. View some of our favorite items by clicking on the logo and thank you for supporting our ministry.
Wellspring Christian Ministries receives an 8% commission on any purchased made from Christian Book Distributors through any affiliate link on this site. Your price for any item is the same as purchasing from CBD directly.
by Julia M. Bruce, MSPC, Mental Health Coach, CEO, Wellspring Christian Ministries
Revival is needed because we have all gone astray
While a man dressed in a devil costume was walking to a Halloween costume party, it began to rain torrentially. The man ran for the first cover he could find. It happened to be a church in the middle of a revival service where the pastor was deep into his sermon on the fires of Hell. He ran directly into the sanctuary to the shock of all in attendance. The congregation panicked and they all cleared the room, except for one unfortunate woman who was trapped beneath the feet of this confused fellow. With fear and trembling the woman pleaded, “You know I’ve been on your side all along!”
Doesn’t this woman’s plea sound like our world today? We choose to remain on the side of Satan rather than surrendering our hearts for the revival we desperately need. The words of Isaiah 53:6 ring true for us today:
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jerusalem needed revival just as much as our world today
In Jeremiah’s day, Israel wasn’t any better. God says to Jeremiah in verse 5 of chapter 1:
“Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem; See now and know; And seek in her open placesIf you can find a man,If there is anyone who executes judgmentWho seeks the truth,And I will pardon her.Though they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’Surely they swear falsely.”
God says he would spare Jerusalem if Jeremiah could find a man – just one. Jeremiah and his scribe, Baruch, would have been two righteous people, but God uses this hyperbole to make a point. Jerusalem had become as heathenistic as our world today. Stubborn. Bent on having its own way. Refusing to repent and experience a revival.
Back in Genesis 18, we find a similar situation. God visits Abraham and tells him his plans to destroy five cities and Abraham bargains with the Lord. Just as God agreed then to spare the cities for ten righteous men (which could not be found!), God still extends mercy to cities and nations on the grounds of a few righteous people who dwell in them. But sooner or later, God says “Enough!” and His judgment will come. How many truly righteous people would God find in America – or in your nation?
Jeremiah’s response: They will not repent
Jeremiah responded to the Lord saying that God had already stricken and consumed the people of Jerusalem, but still they had not grieved over their rebellion and sin, they refused to receive correction, they made their faces harder than rock, and they refused to return to God. Down in verse six, it says of the city: “Their transgressions are many; Their backslidings have increased.” In other words, they refused to experience revival.
Living Every Sin Imaginable
As you read this, you might say, “Sounds just like our nation today.” Perhaps as you read this description of Jerusalem, someone you know comes to mind. They are caught up living in every sin imaginable and any time they are corrected they just become harder and harder, refusing to acknowledge or repent of their sin. Perhaps these words convict you because it sounds like you.
Jeremiah said of the people of Jerusalem: “They are foolish.” And the people of today are just as foolish. They refuse to repent and continue living every sin imaginable. We refuse to see the desperate need for a revival in our nation – or we see it, but just don’t know how to start a revival.
God’s Response: Righteous Judgment
Jerusalem and the entire nation of Israel will experience the righteous judgment of God, but when warned, they believed that they, “God’s chosen ones,” would not see it. They mistakenly presumed that God’s promises to bless Israel precluded the possibility of judgment for sin. They believed that the covenant God made with them would protect them from the promised judgement that was coming. However, they must have skipped over a two-letter word: if. All the way back in Exodus 19-24 where Moses is the leader of the nation, God promised to make the nation of Israel a treasured possession among all people and “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” if they follow God’s commandments. But they did not. Instead they each turned their own way and did whatever they wanted.
Because they did not chose revival, God judged
Israel was still God’s chosen people and through them God would bless all nations through the birth, life, death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. But just as a parent disciplines a wayward child, God must discipline his chosen people. As a result, the nation would be invaded, conquered and the people carried off into exile. Only a remnant would be left and from them, God would keep his promise to Abraham and David.
Will we be like Israel or choose a Revival?
The question for us today is, will we be like the nation of Israel and falsely believe that God will not judge? America has been known as “In God We Trust” – but no longer. The people have spoken. The Ten Commandment have been removed from every government building and court room. They have tried to remove “In God we trust” from our currency. Today, people only trust in themselves and live for themselves. Judges 17:6 describes us perfectly: “but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.“
Christians of today need to wake up. If God would judge his chosen people for their moral depravity and sin, you can bet He will judge us today. We, like the nation of Israel, sit around in denial and think it won’t happen– but there will come a day when God says, “enough is enough!” It is time that the Christians of the world unite in a unified prayer effort for a revival for our world.
Recipe for Revival
We can find the recipe for revival in 2 Chronicles 7:14. The first half is what we must do. The second half is what God will do if we do the first half. In this verse, God says:
What we must do to experience revival:
If my people, which are called by my name
Who are those who are called by God’s name? Us. Christians. Those who called and believed in the name of Christ to save them from their sins
shall humble themselves –
Our world today doesn’t like humility, but that’s the only way to come to God. We must acknowledge how far we have fallen short and that there is no good work of our own that can save us from God’s judgement of sin. The only way we can be saved is through Christ who created a way for us to have fellowship with God. James 4:8-10 says, “Come hear to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
Humility require the proper heart posture
It is necessary that we have a proper heart posture when we come before God. We live like we deserve His mercy, grace and blessing and take salvation for granted – but Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. Death. That’s what we deserve for our sin. Eternal death. However, because he loves us, he created a way — one way — for us to have eternal life. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father but by Me.”
The ultimate example of humility
Jesus is our ultimate example of humility. Philippians 2:8-11 says, “Being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” If the Son of God found it necessary to humble Himself, then why would we think we don’t need to? The truth is we don’t want to. Humility is hard – even painful sometimes.
and pray –
This isn’t a memorized, repetitive prayer. It isn’t the Lord’s Prayer. This is the kind of soul-searching, gut-wrenching prayer that takes place as the Holy Spirit reveals to us just how sinful we are. It’s an agonizing conversation with our Holy Creator as we pray for ourselves.
Too often we treat prayer like a magic spell to bring a genie out of a bottle who will gladly give us everything we wish for and then get mad when we don’t get it. God is not a genie.
When we pray, we come into the presence of God. In His presence there is no room for arrogance and pride. It’s where we find forgiveness of sin. It’s where the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. In His presence, our hope is restored. It’s where we make our requests to God. It’s where we admit our need and our dependence on Him. In His presence, our faith is laid out before Him and we are able to touch the heart of our heavenly father. It’s where we have a relationship with God.
and seek my face –
I can’t help but think of Mary losing Jesus, the Son of God, as the family left Jerusalem to return home and Jesus stayed behind in the temple. If God had entrusted you to be the earthly mother of His Son who would be the Savior of the world and you lost him, I guarantee you would be earnestly and diligently seeking His face. How often and how diligently do you seek Him? Are you satisfied with just enough of Him to get you through the gates of heaven for eternity – or do you long to have a passionate relationship with the One who gave His life for you? Do you only seek Him when life is full of chaos? Do you seek Him just for the hour or two you are at church on Sunday? When was the last time you truly sought the face of Jesus?
and turn from their wicked ways –
One lie. That’s all it takes to have “wicked ways.” In fact, In Isaiah 64:6, the prophet said, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are are filthy rags.” The filthy rags that he was talking about were the dirty rags a woman used during her menstrual cycle. What Isaiah was saying is that even in our best state of righteousness, we are still just filthy, unclean rags. We are all sinners. But we look at the person we work with or the one that lives down the street and say, “But I’m not as bad as …” Well, you certainly ought to pray for that person, but this recipe for revival starts with you and it starts with me.
If you drew a circle around you and stood in the middle, revival begins with a humble heart praying & turning from your wicked ways – not the wicked ways of your husband or wife, rebellious teen, mother-in-law, teacher, boss, or coworker. Your focus is on you & your wicked ways – your own filthy rags. If you truly believe you don’t have any, sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them to you and He will.
What God will do when He sends a revival:
It is only then that God will hear us from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land. The nation of Israel didn’t get it. They chose to remain hard-hearted and sin-filled so God judged. If He judged Israel – His chosen people – so severely, how can we not expect Him to judge us today? Would you commit this week to following this recipe and ask God to send a revival to our nation?
Click here to listen to our daily devotions on Spotify – and be sure to follow us on Spotify
We’ve added a new canvas print to the Teespring Store. These prints make great gifts or for decor in your home.
When we ask Jesus to forgive us and save us from our sin, He takes our old, sinful self and makes us new in Him. This beautiful canvas is a great reminder of what Jesus has done for us.
We’ve added a new canvas print to the Teespring Store. These prints make great gifts or for decor in your home.
When we ask Jesus to forgive us and save us from our sin, He takes our old, sinful self and makes us new in Him. This beautiful canvas is a great reminder of what Jesus has done for us.
Do you have an event on the calendar and need a speaker?
We’re offering 30% discount on our speaker fees if booked by October 31, 2021. Call today and use the discount code: FALL2021.
We’re excited to be a part of your ministry and can’t wait to see you – no matter what size your event.
904.239.8937
Help support our ministry:
7 FREE Downloadable Resources
Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template
Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
[Download not found]
What Satan Does Not Want You To know
This trifold document includes Scripture verses that Satan does not want you to know about. As you hide these verses in your heart, you’ll be able to defeat the lies of Satan when he tries his wiles and schemes on you.
[Download not found]
Stress Journal
We all face stress. How we handle stress, however, has many variables. Learning how to recognize stress, coping with stress, and creating a self-care plan during times of stress can begin by journaling. Taken from our series on Biblical self-care for people in ministry, we’ve created this free download to help you through the things that cause you stress.
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2021 Bible Memory Verse Plan
We’ve put together 52 memory verses for you to hide God’s Word in your heart! You can download the full document for free and then print a new verse each week and as many copies as you’d like. Each verse prints four times on a page so that you can then cut them into index size cards and place them in prominent places where you will see them frequently throughout the day to help you remember to memorize them. Just because you visited our site, they’re yours for free! Download today.
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The Path to Sin
Satan is constantly trying to trip us up and he doesn’t even play fair because he uses our own desires as bait to get us to sin. James tells us the five steps that lead us down the path to sin in James 1:14-15, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” This download helps you identify your desires so that you can better recognize when Satan is baiting you and you can avoid falling into sin. When used along with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to identify the desires that Satan baits you with, you can then ask the Holy Spirit to help you not become a victim to the bait of your desires. Download the worksheet today.
[Download not found]
One Year Bible Reading Plan
With just 30-40 minutes per day, you can read the entire Bible in one year. The One-Year Bible Reading Plan consists of both Old Testament and New Testament readings for each day of the year. The Bible is God’s personal Word to you. What is He saying to you today? Open your Bible and find out!
[Download not found]
Self-Care Wheel
The Self-Care Wheel provides ideas for practicing self-care in six dimensions of yourself: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Sensory, and Social. NOTE: You will need 11X14 paper to print the wheel.
Want to know more about self-care? Our Self-Care blog series targets people who serve in any ministry position (paid staff or volunteer) and takes a Biblical approach to self-care.
[Download not found]
Need some music to get you through the day? Check out one of our Playlists on YouTube
Click here for the Contemporary Christian Playlist
Click here for the Southern Gospel Playlist
Or Click here for the Hymns Playlist
You can also watch our animated devotionals on the YouTube Channel
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
Conversation Starters.
Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
Romance Builders.
Relationship Builders.
Personal reflections.
Date ideas.
Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.
Looking for a Bible Study, Bible, book or Christian gift? We are an affiliate with Christianbook Distributors and receive an 8% commission on any item purchased through one of our links. However, the commission never increases your cost of any item. View some of our favorite items by clicking on the logo and thank you for supporting our ministry.
Wellspring Christian Ministries receives an 8% commission on any purchased made from Christian Book Distributors through any affiliate link on this site. Your price for any item is the same as purchasing from CBD directly.
by Julia M. Bruce, MSPC, Mental Health Coach, CEO, Wellspring Christian Ministries
The simple truth is that when stress, burnout and/or compassion fatigue become your norm, then you have reached a place where your tanks are empty, and you cannot pour from an empty tank. You cannot give what you do not have. You will never be effective in ministry when you are operating on empty tanks. In fact, the lower your tanks are, the lower your effectiveness is. There are six self-care tanks, but even with one of them low, it lowers your ministry effectiveness.
Who ministers to the minister?
Every Sunday, church members file into their favorite pew to hear God speak to their hearts and souls through the pastor’s sermon which renews, recharges, and sends them out to face the next week ahead. They sing the worship songs with hands raised and tears running down their cheeks as they worship the God they love. And when they leave (hopefully) they say, “It was good to be in the house of the Lord today!” But who ministers to the minister? Who shepherds the shepherd?
As ministers, in whatever calling you are serving in, people come to us, expecting us to fill their tanks. But where do we go when our tank is empty? How do we stay filled? How do we stay charged up and ready to stand firm on the battlefields we face day after day?
Fueling up your tanks with Self-Care
As a Christian, the immediate and most obvious response would be that we stay filled through Bible reading, devotion, and prayer. Others might add that they listen to sermons on the radio. Some might add that they read spiritual growth books, blogs, and articles. Some will add in worship music. But we must realize that the spiritual battlefield is only one of six battlefields we fight on day after day. We must also realize that if we do not tend to our spiritual self-care first, we won’t stand a chance at self-care in the other five areas.
Research from Thom Rainer
Thom Rainer wrote a blog post in 2013 entitled, “From Burnout to Vision: Twelve Ways Pastors Went from Burnout to Vision.” Mr. Rainer talked with seventeen pastors who had experienced burnout and asked them, “What did you do to reverse the dark spiral of burnout?” He summed up their responses into twelve responses and ranked them in order of frequency. The responses included:
spent more time in prayer and the Word
dreamed again
stopped comparing
developed relationships with non-Christians
moved my focus from the negative to the positive
learned to have fun
ended draining relationships
expressed gratitude regularly
spent more time doing things that energized me
got in better physical shape
made a commitment to have a greater servant spirit
began to pray for my community (Rainer, 2013)
The sum of these responses is that they found a way to practice self-care. However, we need to make sure that when we practice self-care that we are taking care of all the multifaceted parts of who we are. Taking care of our spiritual needs only represents one-sixth of who we are. Each part is like a tank that is empty, full, or somewhere in between.
We lose our effectiveness when we operate on empty tanks
As human beings, created in the image of God, we have six “tanks” that we need to keep filled: spiritual, sensory, emotional, physical, social, and intellectual – one to match each of the battlefields we must face. We can be running low on one tank, several tanks or all tanks. However, even if only one tank is low or empty, we can lose our effectiveness in the ministry.
Take a moment to look through the twelve responses given to Mr. Rainer and see if you can match at least one response to each of the six “tanks.” For each response, name in the “tank” that is being filled.
Self evaluating the fullness of your tanks
Take a moment to do some self-evaluation. Beside each of the “tanks” listed below, determine how full your tank is right now. Then as we explore each of these tanks, I will ask you again to self-evaluate and see if you change your response.
Notice any tank that is on empty. What areas are between half-full and empty? As you look at your self-evaluation, perhaps your spirit cries out to God, “Fill my cup, Lord!” Maybe you look at it and say, “Not doing too bad.” Or maybe all your tanks are full to the brim.
Whether you are reading this reading this blog series because right now you are in full burnout mode and ready to call it quits, or because you want to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue in the future, or because you just simply want to know more about self-care, our self-care blog series will help you find the way back to full tanks or help you keep your tanks full so that you can keep on pouring into others. Just remember that as you pour out of yourself and into others, you must keep coming back to fuel up again and again if you want to keep your tanks full.
In the coming blog posts
As you continue reading, the coming blog posts will help you understand the differences between stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue. Also, in those chapters, you will learn the danger signs of stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue. The following chapter will explain what self-care is. After that, I will explain the six areas in which you should practice self-care and give you ways that you can practice self-care in each of the six areas.
Self-care is not a miraculous cure-all
I must point out that self-care is no miraculous cure-all to what ails in your ministry. It will not fix the problems or make them all disappear. It will not make all your parishioners get along. For as long as Satan prowls this earth like a mighty lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), then we are on a battlefield, and we need to be able to stand firm in our calling until the day of Christ’s return. Self-care will allow you to keep your “tanks” as full as possible so that you will be more capable of standing firm, steadfast, immovable and always excelling in your work for the Lord. It will give you the physical and emotional strength you need so that you don’t choose to throw in the towel and walk away from your calling.
As we close out this chapter, let’s return to 2 Corinthians 4:8. Paul wrote: “We are pressured in every way…” Look up the verse in your Bible and write out verses 8-9 on an index car or piece of paper as a letter God wrote to you. Write your name on the first line then the verses, exchanging the words “we” for “you” or “I” as needed. At the end write “God” as the signature line. Keep this verse handy where you can refer back to it every time you feel the pressure and troubles of Satan and remember that the battle belongs to God. You do your fighting on your knees in prayer and activate the power of heaven to strengthen you and fight for you.
Pre-order for a 50% discount. You will get the complete set of downloadable self-care video-based course plus 10 group coaching sessions.
Pre-order now to receive a 50% discount! (Releasing December 2021)
You will get the complete downloadable self-care video-based course plus 10 group coaching sessions.
We know that ministry is hard! When you serve in ministry as staff or volunteer, you are on a spiritual battlefield 24/7. As you serve God, you fight for the Kingdom of God and our adversary is constantly attacking. He wants you to either lose your effectiveness in your ministry role or get you to quit. We must be sure we are reconnecting to the Vine (Jesus) so that we can refill, renew, and recharge. Then we can keep on pouring into others.
If you are feeling like you are losing the fight or struggling to stay in the fight, Jesus says to you, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31) Self-care is both Biblical and necessary, if you are going to stay in the fight and be effective in the Kingdom of God. Stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue are real weapons that the adversary uses against us.
Even if you do not serve in ministry, if you are a Christian, you too are in a spiritual battle. Every Christian fights the same adversary and our Biblical self-care principles are for every Christian.
What you get in this self-care course:
In Part 1 of this video-based course, you will learn about the spiritual dangers in ministry, discover if God is testing you or is Satan attacking you, understand that ministry is battlefield and how to be steadfast, immovable on the battlefield, learn how the devil uses his wiles and schemes against us, and remember how to use your Spiritual Armor. We will also breakdown stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue.
Part 2 is all about Preventing and Recovering from Burnout and Compassion Fatigue as we go through six areas that need self-care. In this part of the course we will provide you with practical ways that you can immediately begin practicing self-care. As you continue to serve God in whatever way He has called you, self-care is vital if you are not going to grow weary in doing good so you can reap at the proper time (Galatians 6:9).
Additionally, this packaged deal will provide 10 group coaching session where we will discuss the weekly assigned videos and do check-ins on where you are in each of the six areas of self-care that include: Spiritual, Sensory, Emotional, Social, Physical, and Intellectual.
Releasing in December 2021, this packaged deal will include the complete video-based course plus 10 group coaching sessions with the author, Julia Bruce. In the 10-week program you will complete weekly videos and assignments and then meet virtually for a group coaching session to help you apply self-care where you need it.
But wait! That’s not all! Check out this Bonus to the self-care course and coaching program.
BONUS: While this course and group coaching is not releasing until December 2021, if you’re purchasing this material, we know you need help now. So, if you purchase before the release date, we’ll place you in our new private Facebook membership page for free through the end of 2021. In January, this group will require a monthly subscription of $19.99. But it will be yours free through the end of year when you purchase the pre-release of the course and group coaching sessions.
Here in Florida, it does not feel like fall yet, but September is here and that means we are growing our fall line of t-shirt designs. Check out these two new designs:
Here in Florida, it does not feel like fall yet, but September is here and that means we are growing our fall line of t-shirt designs. Check out these two new designs:
We’ve added a new canvas print to the Teespring Store. These prints make great gifts or for decor in your home.
When we ask Jesus to forgive us and save us from our sin, He takes our old, sinful self and makes us new in Him. This beautiful canvas is a great reminder of what Jesus has done for us.
We’ve added a new canvas print to the Teespring Store. These prints make great gifts or for decor in your home.
When we ask Jesus to forgive us and save us from our sin, He takes our old, sinful self and makes us new in Him. This beautiful canvas is a great reminder of what Jesus has done for us.
Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template
Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
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What Satan Does Not Want You To know
This trifold document includes Scripture verses that Satan does not want you to know about. As you hide these verses in your heart, you’ll be able to defeat the lies of Satan when he tries his wiles and schemes on you.
[Download not found]
Stress Journal
We all face stress. How we handle stress, however, has many variables. Learning how to recognize stress, coping with stress, and creating a self-care plan during times of stress can begin by journaling. Taken from our series on Biblical self-care for people in ministry, we’ve created this free download to help you through the things that cause you stress.
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2021 Bible Memory Verse Plan
We’ve put together 52 memory verses for you to hide God’s Word in your heart! You can download the full document for free and then print a new verse each week and as many copies as you’d like. Each verse prints four times on a page so that you can then cut them into index size cards and place them in prominent places where you will see them frequently throughout the day to help you remember to memorize them. Just because you visited our site, they’re yours for free! Download today.
[Download not found]
The Path to Sin
Satan is constantly trying to trip us up and he doesn’t even play fair because he uses our own desires as bait to get us to sin. James tells us the five steps that lead us down the path to sin in James 1:14-15, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” This download helps you identify your desires so that you can better recognize when Satan is baiting you and you can avoid falling into sin. When used along with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to identify the desires that Satan baits you with, you can then ask the Holy Spirit to help you not become a victim to the bait of your desires. Download the worksheet today.
[Download not found]
One Year Bible Reading Plan
With just 30-40 minutes per day, you can read the entire Bible in one year. The One-Year Bible Reading Plan consists of both Old Testament and New Testament readings for each day of the year. The Bible is God’s personal Word to you. What is He saying to you today? Open your Bible and find out!
[Download not found]
Self-Care Wheel
The Self-Care Wheel provides ideas for practicing self-care in six dimensions of yourself: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Sensory, and Social. NOTE: You will need 11X14 paper to print the wheel.
Want to know more about self-care? Our Self-Care blog series targets people who serve in any ministry position (paid staff or volunteer) and takes a Biblical approach to self-care.
[Download not found]
Need some music to get you through the day? Check out one of our Playlists on YouTube
Click here for the Contemporary Christian Playlist
Click here for the Southern Gospel Playlist
Or Click here for the Hymns Playlist
You can also watch our animated devotionals on the YouTube Channel
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
Conversation Starters.
Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
Romance Builders.
Relationship Builders.
Personal reflections.
Date ideas.
Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.
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by Julia M. Bruce, MSPC, Mental Health Coach, CEO, Wellspring Christian Ministries
With so fierce a battlefield and so many battlefields to stand firm on, is it any wonder that people who give their all to the ministry God has called them often face the engulfing flames of burnout? It becomes important, then, for every Christian soldier to be on our guard. We need to suit up in our spiritual armor, ready for the fight. But Satan is relentless, and the battle is constant. So, what do we do so that we are constantly battle ready?
Every soldier must return to the source our strength and power
God has given us the Armor of God, but if all we do is fight, we will become weary, battle fatigued, and drop out of the battle. We must take time to rest, regroup, sharpen our swords, and return to the source of our strength and power. We gain our spiritual strength from God, but we must also tend to our physical strength, and we do so through self-care.
Even if you have not yet reached a place in ministry where stress and burnout has engulfed you, learning how to practice self-care now, can help you avoid possible burnout in the future. Understanding self-care can help you recognize when stress, burnout and compassion fatigue are staring you in the face so that you can take a step back, rest, refocus, and renew your strength as you get away with Jesus and reconnect to the Vine where you will receive living water to nourish and strengthen you for the battles you face.
A sobering picture for every Christian Soldier
If you are new to the ministry or at a place where you are excelling and seeing God work in mighty ways, you might think a blog series on Biblical self-care practices is not needed. However, statistics paint a sobering picture.
In an online article from LifeWay Research, Lisa Cannon Green reported on a survey of 1,500 pastors of evangelical and historically black churches in which pastors stated that their professional roles are difficult. From that research, it was found that eighty-four percent of pastors say they’re on call 24 hours a day. Eighty percent expected conflict in their church. Fifty-four percent found the role of pastor frequently overwhelming. Fifty-three percent are often concerned about their family’s financial security. Forty-eight percent often feel the demands of ministry are more than they can handle. Twenty-one percent feel their church has unrealistic expectations of them (Green, 2015).
Missionaries, Religious non-profits and Christian Counselors
If the pastorate is this hard, imagine for a moment the added stressors that missionaries face: living in a different country or continent from their friends and family members, dangers they face if working in a place where proclaiming the gospel could cost them their lives, facing illnesses in third world countries with limited medical help, just to name a few.
Ministry non-profits are also hard as they often depend on the financial support of donors and the work is often done with volunteers. The hours are long and there is a fine line between operating as a business or a ministry. There is long-term strategic planning as well as leading the ministry through today. There are board members critiquing every decision and staff who do not always support the difficult decision that must be made. It’s leaders struggle every day with the next step to take, how to fund it, and how to lead it.
Christian counselors are also targets as they are constantly bombarded emotionally with the life-stories of their clients. They often carry around with them the emotional pain their clients experience. Some even end up with secondary post-traumatic stress disorder.
Volunteer ministry work
Even if your ministry is leading a small group, mentoring, or providing care in the church nursery, serving as a foster parent, or vacuuming the church carpet, the demands on your time, emotions, and energy can become overwhelming at times. You started this volunteer ministry work with passion and zeal but when you reach burnout, your passion and zeal become dread and filled with apathy and indifference. What once was compassion for those you served has become detachment and tolerance.
It doesn’t matter if your ministry is full-time, part-time, or volunteer. At some point, you will experience some level of stress, burnout, or compassion fatigue. It is one of the enemy’s best plan of attack to keep you from achieving what God has called you to do.
Satan’s scheme
In this scheme, Satan lies to us and says, “You’re the only person who can do this and do it right. If you let someone else do this task, they will get it all wrong.” He keeps us busy doing as many good things of God as he can to the point our calendars are full, and we have no time to renew our minds or our strength. The more he can get us to say “yes” to, the sooner we will reach burnout and quit so that we are no longer on the battlefield. And if we are busy doing many things, it prevents us from being the experts in the specific ministry to which we are called.
Satan is willing to take a few loses along the way
It’s the idea of losing a few souls in an attempt to win the entire battle. Yes, you’ll win some souls to Christ, but he’s willing to sacrifice a few souls if it means he can cause you to walk away from your ministry and all the other souls that need you and are waiting for you to reach them. His mission is to keep you from winning as many souls for God as possible, but he knows he will lose some to the Kingdom of God. He’d rather lose a few then all, so by attacking you and bringing you to the point of burnout and/or compassion fatigue, he can get you off the battlefield all together or make you ineffective when you are on it.
Pre-order for a 50% discount. You will get the complete set of downloadable self-care video-based course plus 10 group coaching sessions.
Pre-order now to receive a 50% discount! (Releasing December 2021)
You will get the complete downloadable self-care video-based course plus 10 group coaching sessions.
We know that ministry is hard! When you serve in ministry as staff or volunteer, you are on a spiritual battlefield 24/7. As you serve God, you fight for the Kingdom of God and our adversary is constantly attacking. He wants you to either lose your effectiveness in your ministry role or get you to quit. We must be sure we are reconnecting to the Vine (Jesus) so that we can refill, renew, and recharge. Then we can keep on pouring into others.
If you are feeling like you are losing the fight or struggling to stay in the fight, Jesus says to you, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31) Self-care is both Biblical and necessary, if you are going to stay in the fight and be effective in the Kingdom of God. Stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue are real weapons that the adversary uses against us.
Even if you do not serve in ministry, if you are a Christian, you too are in a spiritual battle. Every Christian fights the same adversary and our Biblical self-care principles are for every Christian.
What you get in this self-care course:
In Part 1 of this video-based course, you will learn about the spiritual dangers in ministry, discover if God is testing you or is Satan attacking you, understand that ministry is battlefield and how to be steadfast, immovable on the battlefield, learn how the devil uses his wiles and schemes against us, and remember how to use your Spiritual Armor. We will also breakdown stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue.
Part 2 is all about Preventing and Recovering from Burnout and Compassion Fatigue as we go through six areas that need self-care. In this part of the course we will provide you with practical ways that you can immediately begin practicing self-care. As you continue to serve God in whatever way He has called you, self-care is vital if you are not going to grow weary in doing good so you can reap at the proper time (Galatians 6:9).
Additionally, this packaged deal will provide 10 group coaching session where we will discuss the weekly assigned videos and do check-ins on where you are in each of the six areas of self-care that include: Spiritual, Sensory, Emotional, Social, Physical, and Intellectual.
Releasing in December 2021, this packaged deal will include the complete video-based course plus 10 group coaching sessions with the author, Julia Bruce. In the 10-week program you will complete weekly videos and assignments and then meet virtually for a group coaching session to help you apply self-care where you need it.
But wait! That’s not all! Check out this Bonus to the self-care course and coaching program.
BONUS: While this course and group coaching is not releasing until December 2021, if you’re purchasing this material, we know you need help now. So, if you purchase before the release date, we’ll place you in our new private Facebook membership page for free through the end of 2021. In January, this group will require a monthly subscription of $19.99. But it will be yours free through the end of year when you purchase the pre-release of the course and group coaching sessions.
Here in Florida, it does not feel like fall yet, but September is here and that means we are growing our fall line of t-shirt designs. Check out these two new designs:
Here in Florida, it does not feel like fall yet, but September is here and that means we are growing our fall line of t-shirt designs. Check out these two new designs:
