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Tagged: Psalm 51:10

Gifts For God Dec. 19, 2022 / 4 Comments
Walking with me into my bedroom, Lanie, my then four-year-old granddaughter spotted my jewelry box. “Nana,” she asked. “Can I look at your jewelry?” I…
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What big or small thing is on your mind? You need

What big or small thing is on your mind? You need direction? Help with decisions? Let’s not delay to boldly go to the throne and ask God for help. :) SHINE ON!

Are you as smart as “this” 5th grader? Becaus

Are you as smart as “this” 5th grader?
Because sometimes adults forget the simplest, yet most profound truths.

While I was teaching a fifth-grade class, God used Austin to remind me that God would always help me. I was waiting for an important text — one that concerned an issue I’d been praying about for a year. My phone was visible, and I glanced at it when it vibrated. When I read the simple phrase of good news, tears welled up in my eyes. Thinking the incident had gone unnoticed I proceeded with my work. Austin, a handsome boy with dark hair and tons of freckles, got up from his seat and walked to me. Our eyes locked. Thinking something might be wrong, he said, “Jesus will always help you.”

Simple. Subtle. Truth.

We were made to need God’s help in all things, big and small. No other person or god can do what Almighty God can do. In fact, in Psalm 60:11 David prays, “Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless.”

Call out to God for help and remain confident that He will see you through your troubles (Psalm 54:8).

Then you’ll be as smart as a fifth-grader.

Copyrighted Deborah Presnell.com

Good Monday morning! Today is the perfect day to e

Good Monday morning! Today is the perfect day to establish firm roots that stretch to the river to receive her nourishment. Here’s what I mean:

A godly woman entwines her roots around the Word of God and ponders His precious words, for she knows they give her life. And she delights in them. His Word is a powerful source of spiritual energy, and she draws her strength from these living waters.

When the storms of life come, this woman won’t be whisked away, for her strong root system holds fast. When the season of drought descends on her, she will not wither. When it is time to prune her limbs, she may experience discomfort, but this trimming enables her to produce beautiful, sweet-smelling fruit in season (Galatians 5:22-23).

This woman is able to achieve that which has eternal value.

Jeremiah 17:7–8 tells us, “Blessed is the [person] who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.”

The woman without God is also like a tree. But her roots do not go deep or stretch to the river for nourishment. When the winds rage, she is devastated and blown away. She withers in the heat, unable to bear fruit. She is unstable in her ways and lives aimlessly without direction.

Today is the perfect day to ask God to help us establish strong roots.

Copyrighted and adapted from, “Shining Through the Psalms,” by Deborah Presnell, 2018. Available on Amazon.

Six high school girls came to my front porch this

Six high school girls came to my front porch this afternoon for an ice cream social – – and to talk about getting registered for shine camp and inviting their friends. Only 43 days to go! We are so excited! And we would love for you to join us at Shine Camp!

Instagram post 18425687128030802

Instagram post 18425687128030802

In preparation for National Day of Prayer on May 2

In preparation for National Day of Prayer on May 2, I want to share with you a life-changing prayer. When I was nine years old, I trusted Jesus as my personal Savior. I didn’t have much theology or spiritual maturity. Neither did I have any fancy words to use in prayers. I used simple language. “Help me,” is what I mostly prayed.

Later as I matured and learned more about Bible theology and vocabulary, I could use fancy words in my prayers. But do you know what? I have returned to my nine-year-old’s prayer, simply asking God to help me.

God help me know:

• What to think.
How we live and what we believe begins with our thought pattern, Philippians 4:8 tells us,
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (NLT).

• What to say.
Most of us have either said the wrong thing or said the right thing at the wrong time. Ephesians 4:29 tells us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (NIV).

• What to do.
As busy people we make dozens of decisions a day—everything from choosing a career to finding a daycare. Jeremiah 33:3 tells us, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (NASB).

• Where to go.
Do we go here? Or there? Psalm 25:4 tells us, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow” (NLT).

I attached these words to my mirror years ago to help me focus on what is important each day. Since then, this reminder evolved into a prayer.

The words are simple, yet profound.

And if we listen to how God responds, we’ve just prayed a life-changing prayer.

*show/help are used interchangeably
Debbie Presnell, 2024