Candidly Christian ~ Page 2 of 51 ~ Real Women. Real Life. Real Faith.

Resist The Devil And He Will Flee

Valerie Riese · April 19, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

The devil tempted Jesus repeatedly as He wandered through the desert for 40 days. Each time, Jesus resisted Satan’s bait and instead obeyd God’s plan, until eventually the devil fled.

I struggled with debilitating anxiety for a long time, because I was afraid to confront Satan and call him out on his lies. But then as I read in Revelations 12:11 that Satan is defeated by the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus reminded me I am covered by that same blood, and that I belong to Him.

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Pressure, Grace & Truth

Valerie Riese · April 16, 2021 · 1 Comment

Intracranial hypertension is a rare brain disease characterized by too much fluid pressure inside the brain. It’s the industrial vice grip my Dad has on the farm, only clamped onto my brain – not my skull – my brain, so the pressure feels like my eyes might just pop out.

It’s the pressure that brought me to the lowest point in my life, the place where I even considered ending it altogether.

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An Open Letter to the Guy Who Stole My Car

Jessica Schneider · April 14, 2021 · 10 Comments

Dear Person Who Stole My Car,

I wish I knew your name. And I wish you knew that you didn’t just steal my car, and leave it abandoned in the middle of the road. Because you didn’t just steal my car. You have caused a giant headache for my life.

You didn’t just steal my car. Somehow you broke my car to the point that we still don’t know if it is drivable two weeks later. Within the two hours you had the car, somehow the engine failed to work.

It is now eight weeks later, and we still don’t know if the damage to the car is going to be covered by insurance. Yes, it has been a long road.

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Check Out These 3 Prayers for Physical Pain

Heather Hart · April 12, 2021 · 2 Comments

My head hurts.

That’s a common phrase for me. Whether it’s in my head or coming out of my mouth, I hate complaining. Yet sometimes it’s the only thought I can process.

Pain is… well, painful. It’s distracting to say the least and can often consume your thoughts.

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Faith is Not a Feeling (& Our Grace and Truth Link-Up)

Heather Hart · April 9, 2021 · 1 Comment

Faith is not a feeling.

It isn’t.

The definition of faith is: “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.”

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Looking for the Sunshine

Laura Marshall · April 7, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Cloudy skies and rain have characterized winter this year.
Endless looking for the next weather alert.
As a pluviophile, you would think I would be in my glory.
But with Corona and divorce and life … I long to see the sunshine.

Physically.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
When gray skies are endless, what do we do?

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Look Up

Valerie Riese · April 5, 2021 · Leave a Comment

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
John 20:15-16 ESV

I remember one dark morning when I sat on the floor in our basement, surrounded by a pile of tissues again. I held my head in my hands, trying to catch my breath when the most unlikely of songs began playing in my head.

It was Lauren Daigle singing “Look up child, eh hey.” I ignored her and blew my nose again to drown her out, but she just wouldn’t be quiet. It was then that I realized it was God speaking to me through music as He often does. So I lifted my head, looked up at the ceiling panels and whispered, “Jesus, help me.”

My favorite part of the Easter story is when Mary is too busy crying at the empty tomb to realize Jesus is standing right in front of her. Mary gets me. But the most incredible part is that a hot mess of a woman like me was the first to see the risen Lord. Jesus didn’t choose royalty or a calm Bible scholar to appear to first. He chose a woman who came running to find Him.

What I’ve learned from Mary (and Lauren Daigle) is that Jesus is always with us. All we have to do is look up.

All we have to do is look up… Click To Tweet

Jesus, thank you for loving me just where I am. Thank you for being there for me at any hour, whether I’m seeking you or ignoring you. Please help me remember to always keep my eyes on You, especially when all I want to do is hang my head. In Your Holy name I pray, Amen.

Pigeons, Grace & Truth

Valerie Riese · April 2, 2021 · 2 Comments

When I’m swirling in a perfect storm of anger and hurt, all I want to do is run away where no one will know to cry and scream as loud as I can until I have no tears or voice left.

I’ve actually done it more than once. I fled to my car, drove to a deserted field, and returned home with a headache and a sore throat. And the none the better for my little tantrum.

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What Can Be Learned From The Rolling Away of a Stone?

Sarah J Callen · March 31, 2021 · 2 Comments

I often focus on the things you’re not supposed to focus on. I will spot something that’s a little off while watching a movie or reading a book and will be unable to let it go. If one thing doesn’t make sense or is out of place, it consumes me and I can focus on nothing else. I often get tripped up in the little details.

The other day, I was reading through Genesis and stumbled upon the story where Jacob meets Rachel. If you spent any time in a youth group, you probably heard a sermon or two about this story of a man pursuing his bride. While reading, I got tripped up by a little detail that I hadn’t paid much attention to before.

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The Invisible Woman & The God Who Sees

Candid Guest · March 29, 2021 · Leave a Comment

The Invisible Woman is a guest post written by Jennifer Carnes

Grief. Loneliness. Uncertainty. Hopelessness. Resentment. Fear. Invisible. All the emotions that come when one is used, abused, and discarded because they are considered no longer useful.

In Genesis 16, Hagar was experiencing these very emotions. She had done her duty. She had been obedient. She had been a faithful servant. To Sarah, Hagar was just a means to an end: an incubator for a child. Yet, the anger, abuse, and jealousy of Sarah drove Hagar fleeing into the wilderness.

As the pregnant Hagar fled the encampment of Abraham, no one followed her. No one enquired as to why she was weeping or why she was running away. Not one person stepped up to defend or befriend her. She was alone… or was she?

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