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What to do when a Goliath is in our path

All of us face a Goliath at some point in our lives – a giant sized problem that is overwhelming and beyond our capabilities to fight. We could certainly call COVID19 a giant sized problem. In fact, its a worldwide sized problem. But there are also giant-sized problems that come in the way of finances, health crises, children with behavior problems, abuse, racism, and the list could go on and on.

What do we do with our Goliaths?

What do we do with the Goliaths that come into our lives, upsetting the way we live? Do we worry or even panic? Do we become angry, and bitter? If so, this demonstrates a lack of trust in God and we can see in the Biblical account of David and Goliath that Israel lacked trust in God when their giant stood before them.

In fact, the Israelite army was so intimidated by Goliath that you could have probably heard their armor pieces clanking together as they quivered in their boots. King Saul even offered his daughter in marriage and riches galore to anyone who could kill Goliath. But no one was found brave enough to go up against Goliath. What made Goliath such a scary person?

Meet Goliath, the most famous giant of all

According to the Bible, Goliath was 9 feet, 9 inches tall. Just his armor alone weighed 125 pounds. The iron point of his spear weighed 15 pounds and he had someone that walked before him, carrying a shield. He was a giant bully that taunted the Israelites to the point that they lost courage and were terrified. Now I am not quite 5.5 feet tall and my husband is just over 6 feet tall – can you image someone almost 10 feet tall? That would be like me standing on Brian’s shoulders and the two of us together would almost equal how tall Goliath was.

Now look again at how much his armor and gear weighed. He wasn’t a scrawny 9 feet, 9 inches tall – he would be more like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at 9 feet, 9 inches or Chris Hemsworth at 9 feet, 9 inches tall. He was all muscle to carry that kind of weight around and still be able to use it all in battle. So to give the Israelites some credit, I’d be shaken in my battle armor too if that’s what I had to go fight against. Understandably, not one of the seasoned soldiers from Israel wanted to go up against this giant.

I will fight Goliath!

In all of Israel, there was only one person that said, “I will do it.”  It was a small shepherd boy, named David who showed an unwavering faith in God. What was the difference between David and the Israelite army? The Israelite army only saw the power and strength of Goliath – David only saw the power and strength of God. To David, God’s honor was at stake and he was willing to stand up for God.

The Israelite army only saw the power and strength of Goliath – David only saw the power and strength of God. — Click to tweet

Fear and doubt creeps in when we take our eyes off God and only see the Goliath in front of us

The question we must each ask ourselves is: “When a Goliath is in our path do we focus on the giant and quiver in fear or do we focus on God and stand strong in faith?” When we take our eyes off God and begin to focus on the giant in our lives, we become terrified, just like the Israelite army. We begin to doubt if God will come through and defeat the giant for us. We begin to wonder if God is listening to our prayers. Or we wonder where God is and why isn’t He doing something!

But when we take our eyes of the giant and let them rest on God, then He gently reminds us that He holds us in the palm of His hand and He tells us our name is inscribed on His palm. His Holy Spirit whispers across our heart that God is working in ways we could never know and even when we don’t understand, we can rest in his everlasting and faithful love.  

Renew your faith and trust God to take care of your Goliaths

Dear fellow Christian soldier, renew your faith! Turn your eyes to focus on God, because with God, anything is possible – even killing a giant with one small stone and sling. That’s all it took for David to kill Goliath. And for COVID19, keep praying for God’s healing for who is sick and for Him to remove this virus from existence. Keep your faith and focus on God – not on the giant. Allow God to have the glory over your giant. Go ahead and cast all your cares on Him – and leave them there – because God cares about you and every little (or big) detail of your life. (1 Peter 5:7)


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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 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 and takes a Biblical approach to self-care.

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This week’s new Christian Tees designs:

#Done 2021

This week, we are celebrating the accomplishments of the class of 2021. If you have a high school, college, or university graduate this year, our #Done 2021 shirts and products make a great gift. View the samples below and other products in this design in our Spreadshop store. Once in the store, you can click on the customize tab and add your school name or graduate’s name!

Class of 2021

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Once in the store, you can click on the customize tab and add your school name or graduate’s name!

The slide show below highlights some of our favorite Christian Tees designs available in our Spreadshop and Teespring stores.

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God, Love and Marshmallow Wars by Julia M. Bruce

What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?

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.

Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.

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Trusting God or Self? (Jeremiah 17:5,7)

by Julia Bruce
CEO, Author, and Conference Speaker

Trusting God- even in difficult times

Trusting God when everything is going right in life is easy. But what about when horrible things happen? What about when there is pandemic and racial unrest? What about when the world around us walks further and further away from God? Do you still reach out to a hurt and lost world and help them bear the unbearable burdens they face? In your most difficult and heartbreaking moments are you still point people to Christ because you have a hope and peace that the world doesn’t understand?

Trusting Self or Trusting God

The prophet Jeremiah recorded the Lord’s words in chapter 17 about both the man that trusts in himself, who God says is cursed, and the one who is trusting in God, who God says is blessed.

In verse 5, the Lord says: Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.”

In verses 7-8, the Lord says to Jeremiah: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

Trusting God leads to Hope

The blessed man (or woman) not only trust in the Lord, but their hope is in the Lord. In our English language when we use the word hope it carries the connotation of a “feeling of desire for a certain thing to happen.” It’s like us Floridians saying “I sure hope it snows on Christmas” but knowing the likelihood of that happening is very slim…and slimmer the more south you go. Biblical hope is something totally different. It is a hope that is a confident belief and expectation in the truths and promises of God. 

Biblical hope not only desires something in the future – it expects it to happen and is confident it will happen based because God said it would happen. In 1 Timothy 6:17-19 we find that those who hope in God find “a firm foundation” and are able to “take hold of the life that is truly life). That firm foundation is built on the power, provision, promises, and personality of God. We know that God is capable of doing exactly what He says He will do because nothing is impossible for Him (Genesis 18:14, Luke 1:37). We know that God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). God can make a way to provide when there seems to be no way (Isaiah 43:19). He is the one who helps us (Isaiah 41:13).

God is 100% trustworthy. We know that He cannot lie. He doesn’t make a promise and then change his mind. He doesn’t speak but then does not act. God fulfills every promise He makes. (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2). His personality – or His character – is who He is. He is not just merciful – He is mercy. He is faithful. God is good. He is righteous. He is love. God is justice. He is strength. He is comfort. And we can trust Him. Our firm foundation is solid and trustworthy and that is why He is our hope and we can put our trust in Him.

Trusting God leads to Blessings

God said to Jeremiah that the person who trusts in the Lord is blessed. He or she is like a tree that is planted alongside of a river with a strong and deep root system. In Revelation 22:1, John wrote that an angel showed him the river of the water of life that flowed from the throne of God and the Lamb. In John 7:38, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'”

Watered by the Living Water

As a Christian, when we are trusting God, our roots are being watered by the living water of Christ. As we dig into God’s Word, meditate on it, and apply it to our lives, our root system becomes more firmly entrenched in the nurturing soil of the Bible.

A tree with a strong root system is able to withstand calamity. The “hurricanes” of life can blow through but when our spiritual root system is firmly and deeply buried in the promises of God, we will withstand the storm. We will have no need for fear or anxiety, because we know that God works all things out for our good (Romans 8:28) even if we don’t understand it right now.

It doesn’t mean we don’t grieve a loss or feel the effects of the storm. We will still feel the wind whirling around us and hear it howling at ever corner. But as we stand on the solid foundation of Christ, we are able to still praise God in the storm and trust that His promises are true. Even in the middle of the storm, our leaves will stay green and we will keep producing the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The shrub in the desert

However, if we back up a few verses in Jeremiah 17, we find that God also said to Jeremiah that when we trust in ourselves and our own strength, our heart departs from the Lord and this person is cursed. (Jeremiah 17:5). God likens this person to a shrub in the desert, dry and parched. He is so thirsty that he isn’t able to see good when it does come. All he can expect is to “inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land, which is not inhabited.”

Parched without any Living Water

God created us with a soul that is always seeking Him. But when our trust is not in God, it is parched and without any living water. Desperately seeking the living water, we turn, instead, to every cesspool of the world to try to find what our soul is longing for. We will turn to sexual relationships, drugs and alcohol, pornography. Or we might turn to things not as bad, such as money, careers, political power, or family.

However, none of these things will satisfy the thirst of our soul. And because these are the things we have placed our trust in, when the storms of life come the things of the world will fail us. These things to do not provide soft, fertile ground for our roots to sink deep. In the desert, the ground is dry and hard and the tender roots of plants find it difficult to break through the hard ground so they can be nourished. Even if a plant or shrub springs up, it generally will die quickly because it is not being nourished. It’s roots are very shallow and when a storm comes, it is uprooted and blown away.

So which is more like you? Are you more like blessed man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. Or are you more like the man that departed form the Lord and is parched in a dry and weary desert? If you’re not sure which is more true for you, then think about how you react when the storms of life show up. It’s easy to trust God when everything is going well. But where our trust is when life becomes unbearable will show our true loyalty – are you trusting in your own strength or do you trust in the Lord?

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God, Love, and Marshmallow Wars

What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?

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.

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 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.

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Quotes from the Self Care Blog Series

205 trust God

The quote above is from Part 19 of a blog series by Julia Bruce on Self-Care for people in ministry. Read the blogs here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19.

April divider

Cover_mHave you seen Julie’s new book: God, Love and Marshmallow Wars? This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel

004

Looking for a speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is now booking for 2019 and 2020 Christian events for women’s and couples’ ministries for both small and large events.
Book with us now.

Julia is CEO of Wellspring Christian Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people and couples develop a passionate relationship with God. A public speaker, conference trainer, event planner, and blog writer, Julia is a two-time graduate from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor in Psychology and a masters in Professional Counseling. Saved as a child and raised in church and in a Christian home and private Christian School as a Pastor’s kid, Julia has taught Sunday school, led music, played the piano, served as Children’s Director, and engaged her gifts in many other areas of church life. Previously employed with the Florida Baptist Convention, Julia organized events and led conferences for church ministry assistants.

Julia enjoys sharing her journey as a growing Christian with others looking for a deeper connection with God. Through Bible study and her own life experiences, God has given Julia a passion to help couples understand God’s design for marriage while they learn to place God first in their marriage, cultivate meaningful relationships, build intimacy, and address the tougher issues that come in every marriage so that they can experience a marriage that honors and glorifies God. Julia also loves mentoring, teaching, and working with women to help them learn to live as Godly women.

With her history and experience growing up in both small and large churches, Julia enjoys bringing top level quality events to churches of all sizes. Her father largely pastored small churches and therefore she understands that these vital parts of the believing community need to be good stewards of the resources God provides them with. This knowledge inspires her passion for being available with a fresh perspective for those who want to provide their congregations with meaningful spiritual growth opportunities.

Image result for form pngTo request more information or a booking, 
fill out the online form here.

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Or call us at 904.524.8073

 

 

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Genesis 50:20

Jan 21 Genesis 50 20 NKJVA surgeon, an engineer, and a politician were debating which of their professions was the oldest. The surgeon said, “Eve was made from Adam’s rib, and that, of course, was a surgical procedure. Obviously, surgery is the oldest profession.” The engineer countered with, “Yes, but before that, order was created out of chaos, and that most certainly was an engineering job.” The politician smiled and said triumphantly, “Aha! And just who do you think created the chaos?”

Joseph’s brothers sure did create chaos for Joseph! They threw him in a pit – a dried up water hole used for watering sheep. Then they sold him as a slave. Placed on an auction block, the favored son of Joseph was inspected like a animal, bartered over, and sold to the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. However, the Bible tells us, “But the Lord was with Joseph” and everything Joseph did God caused him to prosper so that Potiphar made Joseph over his entire household. But chaos wasn’t finished in Joseph’s life. Potiphar’s wife takes a “liking” to Joseph and when Joseph refuses her invitation and flees he leaves behind his cloak when she then uses it to falsely cry “Rape” and the cloak becomes her “proof” to her claim. Joseph is then thrown into prison. Again the Bible tells us that God was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. (Genesis 39: 21-22).

No matter what chaos the people in Joseph’s life created, God was behind every evil intent to bring about a plan to save many people from an extensive famine. God give Pharaoh two dreams that trouble him and no one in the land of Egypt is able to interpret the dream. However, from the prison days, Joseph had interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s cup bearer and baker. The Butler remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about the man that had interpreted his dream. Pharaoh summons Joseph and provides the meaning of Pharaoh’s dream while also giving him a game plan for preparing for the famine that God was warning Pharaoh would come. As a result, Pharaoh places Joseph  2nd in command of all of Egypt with only Pharaoh in more power than Joseph.

When the famine is severe, Jacob (Joseph’s father) sends his sons off to Egypt to buy grain so they don’t starve to death. Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. He accuses the of being spies and begins testing them. He gives them grain and sends them home but tells them they can’t have more grain if they do not return with the youngest brother (Benjamin – Joseph’s only full-blooded brother). Eventually, when the brother’s return for more grain, Joseph reveals who he is and the brothers become afraid that Joseph will seek revenge. However, Joseph reveals his wisdom and shows that he recognizes how God has been at work in his life all along.

If it were not for the pit, sold as a slave, accused of rape, and thrown in prison, Joseph would not have been placed in a position to save not only his own family of thousands of people from the famine. God used each of these adversities that brought chaos to Joseph so that Joseph would be in the position God needed him. If anyone had the right to sit in corner and have a pity-party – it would be Joseph. Instead, Joseph recognized God at work in his life. He recognized that God made him prosper even in the chaos. When chaos comes knocking at your door, do you run and hide from it or look to see where God is at work? Joseph told his brothers that what they had intended as evil against him, God meant for good. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Trust God in the chaos and look for where He is at work to make the chaos work together for good.

 

Snowmen-Divider-85442

Cover_mHave you seen Julie’s new book: God, Love and Marshmallow Wars? This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.)

004Looking for a speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is now booking for 2019 and 2020 events. Book with us now.

 

 

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Matthew 15:28

Jan 20 Matthew 15 28A woman fell of a cliff and, at the last minute as she fell, happened to grab hold of a shrubby bush.  As she dangled in space, she was filled with terror and called out toward heaven, “Is there anyone up there?” A calm, powerful voice came out of the sky, “Yes, there is.” The woman pleaded, “Can you help me? Can you help me?” The calm voice replied, “Yes, I can. Simply let loose of the bush, and everything will turn out fine.” There was a tense pause, then the woman yelled, “Is there anyone else up there?”

How many times are we like this woman in our prayer life? We ask God to give us wisdom for a decision and we don’t like the answer He gives. Or we pray for a certain job promotion to work out and someone else gets it instead.  We pray for healing for ourselves or someone we care about and instead they journey on to heaven.

The woman Jesus is speaking about in Matthew 15:28 is a Canaanite woman (a Gentile) whose daughter was vexed with a devil. Throughout the Bible we see Jesus have compassion and he healed both Jew and Gentile. But here in this verse, Jesus sates that the focus of His earthly ministry was to the Israelites who had been abused by their spiritual leaders. The distraught mother doesn’t look to the disciples for a second opinion or ask them to heal her daughter. Instead she demonstrates her faith that Jesus is the only one that could heal her daughter and she came and worship Jesus. Her use of the words “Lord” and “Son of David” indicate that she recognized Jesus as the Jewish Messiah….something even the Jews did not recognize. She knew Jesus was the only hope for her child and she and cried to Him, “Lord, help me!” As a result her daughter was healed of the devil that very hour.

Whether God answers our prayers the way we asked Him to or not, are we more like the woman dangling from cliff asking for a second opinion or do we have the kind of faith that Jesus would say to us, “O woman great is thy faith!” How I long to be a woman of great faith.

 

Snowmen-Divider-85442

Cover_mHave you seen Julie’s new book: God, Love and Marshmallow Wars? This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.)

004Looking for a speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is now booking for 2019 and 2020 events. Book with us now.