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Debbie Presnell

Inspiring women and teens to shine
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Life is a journey—sometimes we’re on the mountain top and other times we’re in the valley. Regardless, let’s shine together. Subscribe Now

    Tagged: joy

  • Looking For Joy In All The Wrong Places Dec. 15, 2022 / 0 Comments

    I recently read an article that listed forty ways to discover joy. God was number forty on the list. The thirty-nine suggestions placed before God,…

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  • Remaining Faithful on the Journey When It Doesn’t Make Sense Jul. 01, 2022 / 13 Comments

    Uninvited I couldn’t have imagined that responding to God’s call to write and teach a Bible study on joy while suffering, that six months later,…

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    • Plans, Dreams, and Goals … Oh My!
    • What Are You Waiting For? Something to Begin or Something to End?
    • Parents: 10 Ways to Support your Child’s Teacher

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    • Debbie Presnell on Plans, Dreams, and Goals … Oh My!
    • Maggie Rowe on Plans, Dreams, and Goals … Oh My!
    • Joni on Plans, Dreams, and Goals … Oh My!
    • Life-giving truth. HE is the way. Without Him we c Life-giving truth. HE is the way. Without Him we cannot survive. Thank you Charles Spurgeon. Shine on!
    Do you remember the childhood game, “Hide and Seek Do you remember the childhood game, “Hide and Seek”? I LOVED playing! We didn’t travel far to hide — mostly we hid in the backyard. The swing set and trees easily concealed our whereabouts. The rules were simple. We needed two or more players. While the others hid, one person covered his or her eyes, counted to ten then tried to find everyone else. When my friends and I played, we tried to hide so we weren’t easily found. But God doesn’t hide so that we can’t find Him. He wants us to find Him when we seek Him. He longs to be found so He can reveal His character. He wants us to discern His voice so we can hear instruction, obey it, and be blessed. In Jeremiah 29:13 we read, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Are we seeking God? Finding Him may be difficult in an environment filled with many distractions. People with differing viewpoints about who God is can cast confusion if they’re the ones to whom we listen. Busying ourselves with activities leaves no room for God. Hiding our feelings from Him denies us the opportunity to change or grow. We can begin seeking God by prioritizing. Matthew 6:33 tells us, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Seek God and ask Him to reveal Himself. Cut down on busyness, which makes it difficult to find time to have a relationship with God. We might think that we need to clean up our act or change our behavior before we search for God. But God gives us a clean start. All we have to do is come to Him. Psalm 14:2 says “the Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.” When we seek God, we’ll find Him. And in this “Hide and Seek” activity, we’ll always come out a winner. Copyrighted@www.debbiepresnell.com
    Good morning! Today I want to again share one of m Good morning! Today I want to again share one of my favorites quotes. A favorite, yet, convicting and challenging. How are we different? Hmm. Ask God to teaches us today ... His beloved and precious daughters. SHINE ON!
    Sweet Angel? I can’t recall the movie I was watch Sweet Angel? I can’t recall the movie I was watching on the Inspirational channel. But I vividly remember my reaction. It was set in Old Testament times. The people were engaged in battle. Chaos ruled. Rapid scene shifts depicted bloodshed and fire. The roar of battle cries, the thunder of galloping warhorses racing into battle, and the screams of the injured echoed through the city. Then slowly emerging from the smoke and darkness, came two men wearing long red capes. For several seconds, the camera recorded their movement. The battle sounds faded, riveting my attention on the red-caped men. As they studied their surroundings, they moved forward with determination, fully focused on their objective. Suddenly, the scene shifted to fast motion. The battle sounds grew loud again. And just as fast, both men threw back their red capes, to reveal their suits of armor. Their swords rapidly swung at their targets and killed the enemy soldiers. The men were angels. I stood in the privacy of my home and shouted, “Yeah . . . I want those angels!” For many of us, an angel is a cute little child sitting on a cloud . . . or the shelf of a gift shop. Or maybe it’s the handsome adult whose hands play soothing music on a harp. In life’s battles, we don’t need a sweet-talking, harp-strumming, angel whispering to our enemy. We want the angel who fights for us. Psalm 91:11 tells us, “He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.” One Bible translation uses the word “keep” in pace of “guard.” The Cambridge English Dictionary defines “keep” as something we have in our possession. “Keeping” means to repeatedly do something without stopping. God has charged His angels with the responsibility of keeping, guarding, and protecting continually — without stopping. Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.” We cannot identify with certainty the angels among us, but we can see the evidence of their work. We can also take God at His word. His angels are working on our behalf to kill the schemes of the Evil One. Copyrighted@www.debbiepresnell.com
    Cast. Like, throw. Do you have concerns today? Tak Cast. Like, throw. Do you have concerns today? Take pen to paper and write them down. Then, hand them over to Jesus. He wants us to. Shine on!
    Do you know the word “baca”? It’s used in Psalm 84 Do you know the word “baca”? It’s used in Psalm 84. It’s a Hebrew word that means weeping or lamenting—like a balsam tree whose sap oozes like tears. The New Living Translation uses language we may be better to understand: “Valley of Weeping.” When overwhelmed with sadness, some may briefly shed a tear; others may weep for long periods of time. Eyelids swell. Vision blurs. Our nostrils cannot take in air. Sometimes heartache fills our soul to the point we can no longer feel other emotions. We avoid other activities so we can crawl under the blanket of seclusion and isolation. An overpowering sense of exhaustion engulfs us. For other people, crying actual tears are difficult. But their heart is crying tears of pain as it breaks. God sees our tears. He pays attention to our weeping in the night. He also hears the silence when we’re numb. Psalm 30:5 tells us, “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” God is faithful to His promises. We may be in a season of weeping and mourning that create a puddle of tears. But these tears — this puddle — will become a pool of blessing. Copyrighted@www.debbiepresnell.com

    Debbie Presnell

    Inspiring women and teens to shine
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