Restoring Hearts Blog

“The value you place on the word determines the power you receive from the word…unbelief will kill a prophecy.” Kris Vallotton Words spoken by others can have the power of life or death, just as Proverbs 18:21a states. Words, whether intentional or unintentional, can birth and infuse life, faith, and courage into us. They can also have the opposite effect and fill us with hopelessness and defeat, like a popped balloon being deflated. Gideon, in Judges chapter seven, overheard

“Faith looks not at what happens to him, but at Him Whom he believes.” Watchman Nee Fear is one of the by-products of the Coronavirus and our time of self-quarantine. If we understand the root cause of fear, we will be able to choose faith over fear. The Israelites in Deuteronomy 1:27 grumbled to Moses, “The Lord hates us; so He brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us.” The Israelites had a wrong perception of God and how He felt tow

“Put everything you have into the care of your heart, for it determines what our life amounts to.” Dallas Willard During times like these, many emotions are floating around. We feel anger, grief, fear, disappointment, frustration, and sadness. Anger and frustration are a result of blocked goals: not being able to do what you want or need to do. The loss of normalcy and the loss of events such as seniors not being with their classmates their final year of high school are disap

“…Prophetic words are generally not inevitabilities but invitations waiting for our response.” Katherine Ruonala Over and over again in Genesis chapter one, we see cause and effect play out. The cause is displayed by the words, “And God said…” The effect is noted in the words, “And it was so.” When God says something, it happens. God’s spoken word births or creates it into being. An example of this cause and effect is seen in Genesis 1:24: “And God said, ‘Let the land produce

“Happiness depends on what happens; joy does not.” Oswald Chambers Everyone experiences adversity at one time or another in their lives. Disappointments, loss, unmet expectations, or our life story not turning out the way we had hoped, are just a few of the troubles we encounter. Even though we may not understand what God is up to or why He’s allowing the trial to take place, we can still trust Him. Trust doesn’t have to do with our circumstances or even the outcome. Trust ha

“Faith is the supreme effort of your life-throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God.” Oswald Chambers At one time or another we will have a battle to fight. Let me suggest we fight our battles with our faith, just as David did when he faced the giant Goliath in I Samuel 17. Goliath defied the armies of the living God and that angered David. The shepherd’s boy faith was fueled and David’s love for God and his mission ignited his passion enough to fight. Davi

“There is no greater discovery than seeing God as the author of your destiny.” Ravi Zacharias Last week’s post was about how we fulfill our divine destinies by crossing our Jordan Rivers. The Lord gently said to me, “Get ready my daughter, for you are about to plunge into the river of your destiny.” God explained that when I submit my book proposal to a literary agent, I will be putting my toes in the Jordan River. Therefore, I paid attention to what He revealed to me in the

“Destiny is not for comfort seekers. Destiny is for the daring and determined who are willing to endure some discomfort, delay gratification, and go where destiny leads.” T.D. Jakes In order for the Israelites to enter their Promise Land, they first needed to cross over the Jordan River. Likewise, it’s essential for us to negotiate our personal Jordan to complete our divine destiny. The Jordan represents barriers which come between us and the fulfillment of our destiny. Our J

“Faith is nothing at all tangible. It is simply believing God; and, like sight, it is nothing apart from its object.” Hannah Whitall Smith John and I recently reflected on how God has rescued us in the past from situations that imploded. In God’s kindness, our heavenly Father removed us from circumstances prior to their falling apart. God not only did this to protect us, but to preserve our hearts from taking up offense. It was a way our Father kept our hearts pure. Our refle

“As prayer is the voice of man to God, so revelation is the voice of God to man.” John Henry Newman Sometimes the physical gets in the way of the spiritual and blinds us from seeing reality. It takes faith to see the spiritual realm. Overwhelming circumstances in the natural snuff out faith and cause spiritual blindness. Faith changes our vision and helps us see what others can’t. I’m like the two blind men in Matthew 20:29-34. I’m unable to see and understand the mysteries o

“The good news of suffering is that it brings us to the end of ourselves – a purpose it has certainly served in my life. It brings us to the place of honesty, which is the place of desperation, which is the place of faith, which is the place of freedom.” Tullian Tchividjian In Mark, chapter five, there’s a story about a desperate woman who had suffered with bleeding for twelve years. The woman spent all that she had on doctors, yet became worse. She not only suffered physical

“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” Anthelme Brillat-Savarin – 1826 I read the book “You Are What You Eat” several years ago. The book suggested if we eat good food, then we’ll be healthy. What we ingest has a direct correlation to how well we feel. What we put into ourselves comes out. Like the old computer adage implies, “Garbage In, Garbage Out.” We will become whatever we feast on and put into ourselves. Input affects output. Galatians 6:7b says, “A m

“Courage will follow when faith takes the lead.” Anonymous Reading biographies of courageous men and women inspire me. The Apostle Paul’s faith in what God had promised, gave Paul courage. In Acts chapter 27, the vessel Paul was on was about to be shipwrecked due to a violent storm. In spite of the dire circumstances, Paul urged the sailors to keep up their courage. An angel had visited Paul one night and told him not to be afraid, as he would stand before Caesar one day and

“God never sets us up to fail – only to grow.” Bill Johnson I don’t know about you, but my walk with God isn’t easy and at times, it requires a fight. It’s hard to persevere and not give up. In I Timothy 1:18, the Apostle Paul encourages his spiritual son Timothy, who is pastoring the church in Ephesus. “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight.” I find two strategie

“Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord.” J. I. Packer We get to know God by spending time with Him in the Word and by experiencing Him. Before David became King, he faced and fought the giant Goliath. His older brothers and others more mature in the army were too afraid to take up that challenge. Even though David was much younger, he knew who God was experientially. God w

Belief is a truth held in the mind. Faith is a fire in the heart.” Joseph Fort Newton King Saul’s son Jonathan and his armor-bearer were up against impossible odds with the Philistines. But because Jonathan’s faith was grounded in God’s promise (I Samuel 9:16), he took a risk in I Samuel 14:6. “Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, ‘Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from s

2 “Of all the passions, fear weakens judgment most.” Cardinal de Retz While in college, I lamented over the stress of my classes and couldn’t wait to graduate. But once I landed a full time teaching position and juggled that with my desire to be a good wife, I missed the life of a carefree college student. I was no different than the Israelites in Exodus 14:12 when they fled from their slavery in Egypt and Pharaoh and his troops pursued them in front of the Red Sea. They comp

“Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.” Anonymous My mom and stepdad are both artists in Arizona and for numerous years they sold their artwork in a Scottsdale gallery. Year after year though, the drama with the owner and their family members bled over into my parents’ lives causing undue stress. My parents were loyal and kept trying to give advice, help, and friendship to the owner and their family, but each year the stress seemed to build. I encouraged my parents

“What difference does it make to you what someone else becomes, or says, or does? You do not need to answer for others, only for yourself.” Thomas a Kempis Since responsibility is my number one strength, it’s easy for me to take on what is really other people’s responsibility. And when I do that, worry opens the door to my heart, climbs up on the couch, and makes itself right at home. Recently I found myself fretting over a possible outcome for a loved one’s life. I would w

“Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading.” Oswald Chambers Throughout my Christian walk, I have struggled with unbelief and believing the enemy’s lies. That’s why I love to surround myself with those who possess the gift of faith. Their faith is contagious and my belief increases as I draft off theirs. The Bible is full of people who exhibit great faith; those who believe without seeing. We