Everything You Need

Are you weary? Jesus is the Great Shepherd who knows what you need and how to meet those needs. Go to Him for rest.

Are you afraid? Jesus is the Prince of Peace. When He speaks peace, He imparts it. Listen.

Are you in need? God is the Provider. Ask.

Are you in danger? God is the Protector. Trust.

Are you in pain? God is the Healer. Seek His face.

Whatever your need, God is the answer. Press in and ask. Trust Him to move. Let your faith be built up as you wait. That's how it works.

He wants to meet your needs. He'll be glorified, but He will also draw you closer in the process.

Whatever's happening in your life--He's all you need.

Freedom

Saturday night, the smoke from hundreds of fireworks around our neighborhood obscured the flag standing tall in a neighbor’s still yard.

Got me thinking about the battle for our country’s independence: the rocket’s red glare, the smoke clearing and the flag representing freedom in the midst of the fighting.

I imagine the flag inspired our soldiers as they fought for freedom.

What do you hang onto as you push through the hard times toward freedom or victory?

I run to the Scriptures. They’ve carried me through some tough times.

The thing about the Word of God is that it is both an anchor as you await victory, as well as the means for attaining victory in your situation. It is your sword and your light as you go. The Word of God inspires, like that flag through the smoky mist.


I’m grateful to the soldiers who fought for freedom (and those who fight today). I’m thankful for this country. And I’m thankful for freedom.

Hope

And may the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope,
through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13, MKJV

Do you have hope? Hope in the midst of everyday life, hope that your dreams will come true, hope in your future, or our future as a country? Hope is necessary for joy, for perseverance, for life.

Here is hope’s definition:

~~to cherish a desire with expectation of fulfillment; to expect with desire: Trust.

That says a lot. When the Bible uses the word hope, here’s what it means:

~~Joyful and confident expectation.

Romans speaks of our God as the God of hope.

What that means to me is that He will meet us in the place of expectation. If you have a need, go to God (at the throne of grace) with confidence and express it, ask for His help and expect Him to come through for you. Risk joy. Trust in His goodness and wait on Him. (see Isaiah 40:31)

He is the God of hope. Take your concerns to Him and trust with expectation:

Hope.

(For more: click this link to Bible Gateway and read Luke 11:9-13 in The Message Bible. I have this pinned on my wall.)

Announcing the Launch of Seriously Write

My good friend Dawn Kinzer and I have just launched a new blog entitled: Seriously Write.

Our mission is to help writers succeed in spreading the message God has given them through their writing.

Each day will be dedicated to a different topic. Take a peek:

Manuscript Mondays -- focus on the craft of writing
Net's Notation Tuesdays -- I will offer thoughts on writing
Writer's Journey Wednesdays -- we'll highlight writing organizations and helpful blogs, post articles offering advice, and generally cover stops along the writing journey
Dawn's Devotional Thursdays -- Dawn will share her devotional writing thoughts
Fortifying Friday -- we'll encourage writers as they jump into the weekend by posting guest authors' encouragements, success stories, inspirational pieces, etc.

Click over and check it out! Seriously Write.

If you're a writer and would like to offer pieces to coincide with the topics listed for Monday/Wednesday/Friday above, please leave a message in the comments or email me at annette [at] annetteirby [dot] com. We're actively seeking submissions as we schedule through the summer.