Harper's Column: My Spiritual Devotional

No Different Than... I have discovered that I am no different than the Israelites who were led out of exile by Moses.  I would like to believe that if I was led by Moses and seen with my own eyes the miracles God performed through him, that I would no longer fear, that I would not lose my faith, continually forgetting the strength, power, and love of our creator; I would like to think that I would stand firm in my faith, marching forward through any circumstance without hesitation.  The reality is that I have experienced the presence of God and I have experienced his gentle words peeling away one layer at a time the things that I need to change, filling me with His truth. Yet, at each crisis or crossroad in my life, I hesitate.  I hesitate despite my faith, I hesitate despite my knowledge, and I hesitate despite my personal experience. There is no escape from the human condition that wants desperately to cry out, “What about me!”.  The truth is, my life does not belo...

  Jesus did not die on the cross so we can trust in him to make us happy and pain-free. Jesus died to stop sin from controlling us by: •           Aligning our heart with his •           Conforming us to his image But Jesus did promise to help us, to sustain us, and to never forsake us if we only love, honor, and obey him and his teachings Our worldly pain is not the ultimate threat, and it isn’t the threat that will destroy us.   SATAN is .

Fear & Anxiety I struggle with paralyzing fear and anxiety that interfere with normal functional living.  The fear and anxiety I experience, over time, has morphed into a phobia known as agoraphobia, a fear of open spaces.  Many people who know me are unaware of this fact because quite honestly, I do not talk about it; I am embarrassed and ashamed.  I used to be so outgoing and confident. So, I am not sure how I got here.  I think maybe it’s because I’ve learned nothing is what it seems , and I have yet to be able to work through it all.  I have lived my entire life believing, for the most part, people are good.  And even those who weren’t some good could be found in them too.  I truly believed in that.  My Pappy has always called me naive, but I prefer the term, optimistic idealist.  Then I married my 2 nd husband, my high school sweetheart.   After 8 years of marriage, he tells me not to trust anyone, not even him.  Then...

  Just Enough at Just the Right Time COVID has caused many financial hardships.  Businesses have been lost, homes have been foreclosed on, and life as many knew it forever changed.  My husband’s business is not any different.  We researched and looked to attorneys to learn about the various options available for survival or to plan a business closing.  I have done the bookkeeping and overseen the operations since November 2018.  During this struggle, I trusted my Lord and Savior to not only guide my steps and decisions about the business but also to manage my fear and anxiety.  I spent time in prayer and reading His word daily seeking guidance and wisdom.  Despite my genuine trust in God and His provisions, I still found myself paralyzed with anxiety and fear.  I struggled with my inability to control it and constantly felt as if I was letting God down.  Daily I asked for forgiveness and asked Him to strengthen me.  Prior to beginni...

The Power of One: Created in the Image of God The book of Genesis tells us we were created in the image of God.   Until recently, I did not understand that concept.  Being made in God’s image does not have anything to do with our outward appearance, but rather, it speaks of who we are, the purpose of our creation, the power we have, and it reminds us that we should imitate Him, just as children imitate their parents.  “Created in the image of God reminds us that we should imitate Him, just as children imitate their parents.” God created us as supreme beings to have dominion and rule over all living creatures on earth and in the sea, just as God rules over all of creation.  Most people would agree that there is something satisfying about speaking out and being heard.  God spoke all of creation into existence, including man.   God created life and ended it with the spoken word; God spoke Jesus into our world. During creation, at the end ...