THE DEEPLY DEVOTED BLOG
Tips from the trenches for your daily walk with God
Making the most of your vacation: Repentance
If you're following this blog, I've been unpacking a profound process God led me through during my vacation this past summer. The Father did such a beautiful work that I wanted to share it with you....
Make the most of your vacation: Learn to rest
I'm now a week out from my vacation, and I still have energy to spare. In my last post, I shared how God led me through a process so powerful that for the first time in my life, I was ready to go...
Make the most of your vacation
For most of my adult life, I've lived from vacation to vacation. Something about daily life drains us so profoundly that weekends aren't enough to refill our tank. We limp along throughout the year,...
When our experience doesn’t live up to our theology
The Bible both shows and tells us what to believe, which raises our expectations for what we can experience. But what do we do when our experience doesn't live up to our theology? I have a...
When God changes channels
I've heard it said that if we find ourselves far from God, God hasn't moved—we have. The heart behind that statement seems to be that God is faithful when we aren't. He is omnipresent, and he is...
Four practical things to do when God feels distant
We all slog through days, weeks, and even seasons when God feels distant. Maybe a 'distant God' experience is even normal for you. Just this morning, God seemed eerily distant in my daily 'sit-down'...
Why waiting is a crucial part of your faith
I hate waiting. Why? Well, by definition, waiting means I don't have something I want or need. Oftentimes, to obtain that thing I'm lacking, I need to stop doing other things. Like waiting in line...
21 ways you are already hearing God speak
Has it ever seemed like God doesn't speak to you like he does with other people? Do you long to hear his voice more clearly, more often? Me too! The good news is, as Job 33:14 says, "God does...
“In the name of Jesus” means more than you realize
Why are Christians urged to pray "in the name of Jesus?" I've been walking with God for thirty-five years, and I've never thought through what "in the name of Jesus" is all about. Maybe you're in the same boat. My study (which is still underway) completely blew my...
Two keys to process your pain for healing and growth
Does your life hurt? Mine does, too. We live in a world at war. Until God's final restoration of the heavens and the earth, angst and struggle are baked into the human experience. "In this world you will have trouble," Jesus promised (John 16:33), and Peter added, "Do...
Four ways you can experience the joy of God’s presence
Do you want to experience more of God and his presence? Personally, I can't get enough of him. That's understandable, because the presence of God is the atmosphere of heaven. Heaven is heaven because he's there, not because the streets are made of gold. Every ounce...
How joy can lead you deeper into God
I think joy is one of the fastest pathways into sublime fellowship with God. What I mean is, the moment I feel a flutter of joy or swell of happiness in my soul—especially when it comes 'out of nowhere'—I immediately gasp, "It's YOU!", drop whatever I'm doing, and...
How Christ’s word to ask, seek, & knock really does change everything
God has been teaching me so much about asking, seeking, and knocking. Here is the text that inspired this lesson: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks...
Is life hard or dark? This promise will give you hope.
Imagine you're slogging through a dark season or trudging through a deep valley, looking for God, listening for his voice, feeling disconnected from him. Maybe you don't have to imagine. Maybe that's your current experience. You're trying to be faithful, aren't you?...
What if I’m not wired for intimacy with God?
Have you ever looked at other people's deep relationship with God with longing, maybe even jealousy? Have you ever felt like some people get special treatment from God? Or maybe you've wondered, "What if I'm not wired for the kind of deep intimacy with God you talk...
How to experience God in three powerful ways
There are three ways or modes through which we experience God: his presence, his voice, and his work. God's presence is about his nearness and how he affects us by being with us. His voice refers to what he says and communicates. His work is about his activity,...
THE DEEPLY DEVOTED BLOG
Tips from the trenches for your daily walk with God
Making the most of your vacation: Repentance
If you're following this blog, I've been unpacking a profound process God led me through during my vacation this past summer. The Father did such a beautiful work that I wanted to share it with you....
Make the most of your vacation: Learn to rest
I'm now a week out from my vacation, and I still have energy to spare. In my last post, I shared how God led me through a process so powerful that for the first time in my life, I was ready to go...
Make the most of your vacation
For most of my adult life, I've lived from vacation to vacation. Something about daily life drains us so profoundly that weekends aren't enough to refill our tank. We limp along throughout the year,...
When our experience doesn’t live up to our theology
The Bible both shows and tells us what to believe, which raises our expectations for what we can experience. But what do we do when our experience doesn't live up to our theology? I have a...
When God changes channels
I've heard it said that if we find ourselves far from God, God hasn't moved—we have. The heart behind that statement seems to be that God is faithful when we aren't. He is omnipresent, and he is...
Four practical things to do when God feels distant
We all slog through days, weeks, and even seasons when God feels distant. Maybe a 'distant God' experience is even normal for you. Just this morning, God seemed eerily distant in my daily 'sit-down'...
Why waiting is a crucial part of your faith
I hate waiting. Why? Well, by definition, waiting means I don't have something I want or need. Oftentimes, to obtain that thing I'm lacking, I need to stop doing other things. Like waiting in line...
21 ways you are already hearing God speak
Has it ever seemed like God doesn't speak to you like he does with other people? Do you long to hear his voice more clearly, more often? Me too! The good news is, as Job 33:14 says, "God does...
“In the name of Jesus” means more than you realize
Why are Christians urged to pray "in the name of Jesus?" I've been walking with God for thirty-five years, and I've never thought through what "in the name of Jesus" is all about. Maybe you're in the same boat. My study (which is still underway) completely blew my...
Two keys to process your pain for healing and growth
Does your life hurt? Mine does, too. We live in a world at war. Until God's final restoration of the heavens and the earth, angst and struggle are baked into the human experience. "In this world you will have trouble," Jesus promised (John 16:33), and Peter added, "Do...
Four ways you can experience the joy of God’s presence
Do you want to experience more of God and his presence? Personally, I can't get enough of him. That's understandable, because the presence of God is the atmosphere of heaven. Heaven is heaven because he's there, not because the streets are made of gold. Every ounce...
How joy can lead you deeper into God
I think joy is one of the fastest pathways into sublime fellowship with God. What I mean is, the moment I feel a flutter of joy or swell of happiness in my soul—especially when it comes 'out of nowhere'—I immediately gasp, "It's YOU!", drop whatever I'm doing, and...
How Christ’s word to ask, seek, & knock really does change everything
God has been teaching me so much about asking, seeking, and knocking. Here is the text that inspired this lesson: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks...
Is life hard or dark? This promise will give you hope.
Imagine you're slogging through a dark season or trudging through a deep valley, looking for God, listening for his voice, feeling disconnected from him. Maybe you don't have to imagine. Maybe that's your current experience. You're trying to be faithful, aren't you?...
What if I’m not wired for intimacy with God?
Have you ever looked at other people's deep relationship with God with longing, maybe even jealousy? Have you ever felt like some people get special treatment from God? Or maybe you've wondered, "What if I'm not wired for the kind of deep intimacy with God you talk...
How to experience God in three powerful ways
There are three ways or modes through which we experience God: his presence, his voice, and his work. God's presence is about his nearness and how he affects us by being with us. His voice refers to what he says and communicates. His work is about his activity,...