Never Ending Praise The Lord

Spoiler Alert! The Cards Can’t Tell You What God Already Knows

December 1, 2025

Deuteronomy 18:9-13 NIV When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.You must be blameless before the Lord your God.

I know the above verse is long and you’re probably thinking, “Okay what is she talking about?” You also may be rolling your eyes thinking the old testament is just full of old laws that are null and void. Well, I’m talking about Divination! Divination is defined as the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means. It’s an attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by use of magic ritual or practice. I will also tell you that the Lord specifically speaks against these things and more in the new testament as well. [Acts, Galatians, even Revelation, and I promise to get into all of that!]

Some examples of Divination are fortune telling, witchcraft, tarot and palm reading, crystal balls, crystal healing, astrology and necromancy [speaking to dead people]. I am going to tell you about all these things in separate devotions.

When the Lord said “Write about divination” I admit, I really questioned him and dragged my feet. To a degree, I still am! Scrolling through social media, I found current believers who formerly dedicated their lives to these same practices, but now they speak on why it’s dangerous. Surely, they are much more qualified to speak on these matters than I am.

While it can be a pretty confusing and a difficult topic to address, I encourage you to do your own research and ask the Lord for discernment and conviction. Some of these topics are seen as harmless to other Christians, and while I will explain my alternative view, the Lord may not convict you of the same things he has convicted me of.

My aim isn’t to scare or shame anyone but to invite you to seek him first in all things and share what I’ve learned in my own journey. Obedience is rarely comfortable, but I believe he convicts to protect and show his sovereign love. I am praying that you stay open to whatever the Lord wants to reveal.
A simple gratitude list

November 24, 2025
Before I post my next few devotions next week, I wanted to use this week as a time to just sit back and show gratitude to God for all he’s done for me. I could probably sit here and list hundreds of things, but I will spare you the reading and list a few. Please feel free to tell me what you’re grateful for as well!
1. I am grateful for the freedom I have in America to carry, open, and read my Bible as well as publicly worshiping and proclaiming God.
2. I am grateful for God giving me discernment and wisdom in different areas.

3. I am grateful for the opportunities and blessings on the horizon for next year already!

4. I am grateful for amazing friends, Christian and non, who support me and everything I stand for.

5. I am grateful for my family!

6. I am grateful for my dog, Bella…… ok and I guess the felines as well. 😉

Have a safe and beautiful Thanksgiving, friends. I pray blessings and joy beyond your wildest dreams!
An Attitude Of Gratitude

November 17, 2025

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV “Give Thanks In All Circumstances. For This is God’s Will For You In Christ Jesus.”

I have a question for you. Have you stopped and given thanks to the Lord today? Really think about this for a second. Think past the bills that are piling up, your stressful job, and how broken you might feel. What have you thanked God for?

Believe it or not, anxiety and depression had a stronghold on my life for a long time. Negativity surrounded me. A lot of it was company I kept, circumstances of life, and not walking in line with Christ. Because I wasn’t really living as a true Christian, showing gratitude never even crossed my mind. I was so focused on everything that was so wrong, that I didn’t even open my heart’s eyes to all that was right.

As I’ve been thinking about gratitude, I looked to scripture and even throughout history for inspiration and connection. I’ve been guilty of saying things like, “Of course that person can find things to be grateful for, they haven’t even walked a mile in my shoes.” I was officially aboard the pity train in those days. However, there are people who, surprise, have had it much worse than I could imagine and somehow, they maintained their attitude of gratitude.

For instance, as Paul sat under imprisonment for his ministry, heavily guarded, he wrote the book of Ephesians. In fact, he said to give thanks to God in everything. [Eph. 5:20]. I’ve never been imprisoned, but I can tell you anxiety and depression are a sort of prison all their own. Paul has many instances of straight gratitude in the midst of hardship all through the books of Thessalonians and Acts.

I’m left to ponder what was so great in Paul’s life that he was able to look past all of lifes unfair circumstances and instead see blessing? The answer doesn’t lay in wealth or worldly possessions. The answer is God himself- His goodness and faithfulness, his perfect sovereignty, his unconditional love, and the cost of that love.

This came together for me after a short period in a psychiatric ward, when I began seeing a therapist. He advised me to start a gratitude list of three to five things a day. Then, I moved and during a period of loneliness, I started the gratitude lists up again. That list of small five things a day grew and grew until I found I was grateful for at least a hundred things daily. Some of it was a little silly, some of it was more personal and of course a lot of it was repetitive. I found that my depression kept me in the past, my anxiety had me worrying about my future, but being grateful kept me in the present and the more I chose to find things to be grateful for, the more joy I found. My anxiety and depression lifted entirely because I focused on all the blessings that came from God.

With the holidays upon us, it’s a great time to put gratitude into practice and sit in a quiet time of reflection to just pray and thank God for his goodness and faithfulness- even if it’s small and silly.
Even If

November 10, 2025

Daniel 3:17-18 NIV …”If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but I love the Old Testament. There’s so much adventure and history. I get hooked every time I reread the story of Moses leading those grumbling, wicked Israelites out of Egypt. I often find myself flummoxed at the sheer audacity of those guys. Of course, I’m not much different than them. I too prioritize worldly treasures over God. I also complain and tell God that what he’s done isn’t sufficient. I seem to clearly be guilty of questioning God as well.

                                Don’t worry, I’m not being too hard on myself. Questioning God and asking him for signs and wonders isn’t entirely out of the ordinary. I want to specifically zero in on my friend, Gideon for a minute here. In Judges 6, Gideon is called to deliver the Israelites from oppression by the Midianites. My man is doubtful. Have you ever squinted your eyes at God and thought, “Me? Really?” I can totally relate. Gideon was no different. He laid out fleece on a threshing floor and told God if he really wanted Gideon to do this thing, that the fleece would be covered in dew the next morning and the ground would be dry.

                                I know you don’t have to guess what God did. Of course, he obliged. Still not quite sure, Gideon then said, ‘Okay, God let’s just check and make sure it’s really you though. If the fleece is dry in the morning but the ground is wet, I’ll believe you then.” God again answered. I think if he was exasperated by Gideon, scripture would tell us. It honestly makes me scratch my head. I know I would for sure want to strangle Gideon by that point. However, God knows human nature- he did after all, create us.

                                I think it’s the same for people today. I know I never thought I would be writing devotions. In fact, last year my friend had us write advent devotions and when I tell you I was dragging my feet over it, I’m not exaggerating. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was God preparing me for what I’m doing now. When he told me to write the devotions, I really said, “Are you sure, Lord?” I kind of wish I had asked for a fleece test now.

                                Now that I’ve told you about Gideon, I’m going to skip forward quite a few books in the bible and tell you about three of my other favorite people. If you don’t already know, Israel continued to be disobedient and well, wicked. So, God eventually exiled them to Babylon. Not all of the Israelites were fools though. Meet Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I urge you to run-don’t walk- for your bibles and open up to Daniel. Daniel’s three friends refused to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue and as a result, they were tossed in a fiery furnace.

                                These guys didn’t just refuse to bow down to a statue though. They specifically stated that God would save them…. But even if he didn’t, they would not bow down to the King’s idols.

                                My question is, how do we go from testing the Lord when we doubt, to trusting him in full confidence? I can only hope to be that person that chooses to trust… even if.
My Story, His Glory

October 24, 2025



Psalm 40:2-3 NIV He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

            One of my favorite things to do with my mom is sit down over dinner and listen to testimonies of faith given by different people around the world. I’ve heard some amazing stories of people who left behind really dark things in their past and now walk into a bright and glorious future with Jesus Christ by their side. As Christians, we all have testimonies that are meaningful to others. This is the shortened version of mine.

            I was born into a church going Christian family. I was also really blessed with many people through out my life who encouraged me to walk with Christ. Unfortunately, going to church didn’t mean much more to me than pretty dresses, easter egg hunts and later on, cute boys.

            As I entered my teenage years, many things affected my mental health. An older brother who was very emotionally and mentally abusive, being bullied at school, and learning disabilities are just a few examples. It seemed the harder I tried to seek worldly approval, the more I failed. I wanted to be beautiful, smart, popular, and loved. Instead of opening my bible and seeking truth from God, I continued to seek approval from both platonic and romantic relationships.

            While I made a choice to accept Christ at nearly sixteen, I still didn’t make many changes. Because I so often neglected scripture, I couldn’t tell you why I had accepted Christ. On October 31^st, 1998, I was on a youth retreat in Vero Beach, Florida. My pastor, Dave, personally sat me down and explained the Gospel to me. I had a hard time with the concept at first because the answer to just accept the gift Jesus offered seemed too simple. I essentially said yes and accepted Christ that night but part of my confusion was having a belief that I was already a Christian. I was wrong- being part of a Christian family doesn’t save you. Dave must have really been led by God that night. God knew something I didn’t and he used Dave to reach the confused young girl that I was.

            I continued to make grave mistakes. Promiscuity, laziness, drugs and alcohol entered my life. I made a decision on two separate occasions to marry. Neither man was a Christian, and both ended in divorce. I don’t think I have to tell you that all these decisions led to anxiety and depression, yet I still didn’t call on the Lord.

                        Then, I lost my child. I was so heartbroken. I felt I was really at my very lowest. I didn’t know up from down, but somehow knew the answer was God. So, I went to church. I poured my heart out on a prayer card. Then the people at that church poured love into me unlike any I had ever known. I realized that what I truly needed was a true relationship with Christ- and there he was, ready and waiting.

                        The road since then has been bumpy. I haven’t been the perfect example of a Christian because none of us are perfect. I’m still a sinner forgiven and saved by the grace of God. The beauty of my life is that God placed new dreams within me, he gave me new hope, and a new chance every day to try again. Much of my closeness with God is maturity but most of it is knowing my worth in his eyes.

                        I asked a question a few days ago. I wanted to know who Jesus is to you. For me, Jesus is not just my savior, but he’s also my King. He’s my light, my everlasting to everlasting. He’s my provider, my peace and my joy. Jesus didn’t just forgive me by dying for me, he forgave me over and over and patiently waited for me to return and set my focus on him.

                        Now that I’ve shared my story, I would love to hear yours. How has God answered prayer and changed your life?
New Thoughts

October 20, 2025

Hey everyone,

I’ve decided to do little “in between” posts where I ask a question and hope I receive answers! I would love to engage more with my audience. Devotions may not come out on Mondays anymore, but sometimes they might. Please know that even if it’s not a whole devotion, I will definitely post something every Monday morning.

In anticipation of my upcoming devotion, I want to know…

Who is Jesus to you?
The Best News You’ll EVER Hear

October 13, 2025

Romans 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

                If someone asked you why we need Jesus, how would you answer? I’ve thought about this off and on for several years now. I’ve had so many different answers but the one I keep coming back to is so basic and it lays in Romans 6:23.

                The problem started when sin entered the world. Ah, sin. What is it? Allow me to give you a visual. I used to leave lipstick in my jeans pockets because for whatever reason, I hated carrying a purse. Then, my distracted mind would wash the jeans, throw them in the dryer and cry when everything in that load of laundry was covered in a deep berry color. Stained for life. Sin is that lipstick and we are the load of laundry. We can spray the clothes all we want, and try every detergent in the house, but we can’t fix it. Sin is that regrettable act we commit that we can’t take back- so we have to rely on the only one who can fix it. In the meantime, it affects everything and everyone around us.

God intended for everything to be beautiful and perfect. Unfortunately, it’s been human nature from the very beginning to turn away from God and seek satisfaction in the wrong places. This is what leads to sin. Sin leads to death and unfortunately, we can’t save ourselves.

                God, however, had a solution. Because he truly loves us, [john 3:16] he sent Jesus to die on a cross so that we would be saved. The best part of this amazing gift is that it’s free. You don’t have to buy anything or do anything because Jesus already did it.

                If you’re anything like me at all, you still feel like there’s a catch. I was a skeptic once in my life too because it seemed a little too simple. It felt like I had to think really hard about my response or say and do the right thing without being told what that thing is. Boy, do I have good news for you! Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, for you, you will be saved.’ [emphasis mine.] Then verse 10 goes on to tell us that it is with our hearts that we are saved and justified and with our mouths that we profess this faith and are saved.

                I want to take it one step further. You can be at your most broken place in life and still say yes. Claim it for yourself, then proclaim it to the world. God isn’t waiting for your perfection, your empty promises, or your bargaining. He just wants your heart.

                So, the gospel is this; Jesus lived the perfect life we couldn’t live, he died the death we deserved, and then he rose again so we could have eternal life with him. Say yes and thank you, Lord AMEN!
Deemed Worthy

October 6, 2025

Luke 12:6-7 NIV “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Have you ever looked in the mirror and wanted to be someone different? I know I sure have. And it doesn’t help when the enemy fuels this thinking by filling my head with lies from myself or through the comments of others. Why do we desire to be someone else? Why do we struggle with accepting who we are for what we are? I’ve come to see that it’s not just about our self-esteem, but our self-worth.

I’ve always thought self-worth and self-esteem were different names for the same thing. I was surprised to find that these are two very different concepts that are deeply interconnected. Our self-worth is an internal belief in our own value as a human being that’s not based on performance. For example, you lose your job, but you know that your value isn’t dependent on achievements or failures, it’s based on your personal qualities and values. Self-esteem is external and focuses more on abilities and performance. A good example of this is found in accepting compliments gracefully. Gosh, is anyone else getting a headache? In short, your self-worth is the foundation for a stable self-esteem.

In my own experience, my absent sense of self worth led to a really low self esteem. I wanted the world to love me. I worked hard to get meager grades, I tried to look the way society told me I should look, I chose the wrong relationships because I didn’t trust in God’s plan and I certainly didn’t see myself the way he does. All these things made my self esteem even worse because I wasn’t gaining what I desired. That desire was to love myself. The lie that I had to be better, be more, look different- that was all from the enemy. This led me to making bad choices thinking I would somehow get approval and love through sex, relationships, and even food.

The same can happen when someone has a heightened sense of self worth. I’m not talking about love for yourself. I’m talking about someone thinking they’re superior to everyone else. I’m talking about straight up pride and arrogance. This also comes from the enemy and it’s dangerous. Pride and arrogance create a blindness within ourselves and we end up judging those around us. In Matthew 7, Jesus talks about taking the plank out of our own eye before we can see to remove the speck in our neighbors eye. [Matthew 7:3-5]

So how do we change our thinking? Well, it starts when we open the Bible. There are so many verses about how God sees and values us. When we see ourselves through his lens, we get the chance to hang up our world view and see ourselves as deemed worthy by Christ. Remember the foundation I talked about? When our self-worth is rooted in Christ, you have this solid foundation that builds confidence, a secure identity, and freedom from the world’s ever-changing standards.

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” So rejoice. You are made in the image of God, You are a new creation, and you have more value than the sparrows.
Yes, No and Nothing In Between

September 29, 2025

Matthew 5:37 NIV All you need is to simply say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

                When the Holy Spirit put the word “boundaries” on my heart as a devotion, my mind immediately went to a physical intimacy context. Woweee, how pure and Christian of me right? As I’ve looked through scripture though, God showed me he has so much more for me to learn about this subject.

                It’s not just about being able to say no to a man. I also wrestle with trying to balance everything out, and what needs to be a priority. I want to say yes to every invitation or request for help I receive and still have time for the things I have to do or want to do. Honestly, when I look at my calendar, there just aren’t enough hours in a day or days in a week to pull that off! It sometimes feels like I have no time to breathe. When I have to say no, there Satan is with the guilt and the idea that I have to come up with an excuse of why I’m saying no. I’ve had to wonder if I would ever know when and how to turn down activities without that guilt and explanation. Does anyone else experience this?

                So, the question is, are we taking on too much? If so, how do we trust in God to help us discern what to let go of?

We are told in Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your hearts for everything you do flows from it.” As I dwell on this verse, I can see that God will give us the ability to simply say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ I want to say I completely embrace this theory but the truth is I am still learning to step out in saying ‘no’ without hesitation. I’m also still learning God’s priority and what can be dropped from my calendar of ‘yeses’.

                A wise woman [my friend and writing mentor] once told me to pick a day and just rest with God. Even Jesus retreated in prayer despite the demands and needs of people. I don’t know if Jesus had a specific time or day, or if he just knew when he needed to be alone with the Lord to refresh his focus. In this day and age, it can be difficult to just pick an entire day. There is a constant streaming of needs and demands on our time. But it’s important to find time somewhere like after work, before you start your weekend chores, before the kids get up, maybe while you sip on that much needed cup of joe. Give yourself even an hour.

            For me, I gave up an extra hour of sleep so I could sit in prayer with God. This has given me a much clearer head and a growing joyful heart. My next goal is to make Friday my sabbath night- a night where I simply sit with God, in his love and glory and let him just give me rest. In order to do this, I’ve got to tell him yes and something else no- really, there is no in between.
Less About The Wounds, More About The Healer

September 22, 2025

Romans 15:4 NIV For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Many believers journal which can have a huge positive impact. But what happens when the words we write down hold us captive instead of setting us free? This was my experience with journaling. For years I poured out my heart and soul onto paper. Instead of healing though, I found I was reliving pain again and again.

God, in his mercy, clearly commanded me to move forward. He called me to stop looking back and defining myself by written reminders of past hurts. Destroying twenty years of journals didn’t erase or diminish my experiences, it merely shifted my focus right to God.

Believe me when I say; journaling still carries incredible blessings. Today, I don’t journal to dwell on pain. I journal scripture and prayers. I record testimonies of God’s faithfulness, words from the Holy Spirit, and reminders of his guidance in every season.

Did you know that there are scripture verses instructing us to journal? I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that God had blessed us with the tool we call journaling. However, he never intended for it to trap us in the past and cause more harm. Journaling should be less about the wounds and more about the healer.

“Write therefore, the things that you have seen” [Revelation 1:11] “This will be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord” [Psalm 102:18] Jeremiah himself recorded God’s promises, [Jeremiah 30:2] These are just a few examples. Romans 15:4 also reminds us why we write things down- not just to teach but to give hope through endurance and encouragement.

So, I’ve learned this; God meant for journaling to be a tool of freedom, testimony and truth. Each page can become a prayer, a declaration of faith and a record of God’s goodness. Take every thought captive. You can write it down, but don’t hold onto it- Give it right to God.

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