jesus calling
4 Tips to Living with Confidence
4 Tips to Living with Confidence By Alli Worthington Have you ever felt so nervous, worried, or anxious that you wanted to stay in bed and pull the covers over your head? Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the fear of failure, of disappointing your family, that you just shut down? Me, too. So often, I sense fear getting the best of me. When I feel like I’m going to fail, I want to hide, put on my mask, and snap at the people I love. Sometimes I just want to flat-out quit. But that’s not the person I want to be. So when I feel overwhelmed I pray, read a powerful daily devotion in Jesus Calling, and use this little Fierce Faith mantra to keep me on track. Show up. Be real. Love others. Don’t quit. These four little phrases have boosted my confidence and transformed the way I live. I bet th...
Finding Spiritual and Financial Stability in a Crisis
In December 2001, my parents went to a holiday party with friends. During the party, my father gradually became extremely dizzy and nauseated. Fortunately, one of the other guests was in the medical field and knew that my father was on the verge of having a heart attack. My father thought his friend was overreacting, but his friend rushed him to the emergency room. Doctors confirmed that my father needed triple bypass heart surgery and would definitely not be leaving the hospital any time soon. And for the first time in my life, I experienced the frightening reality that I might lose my father. “You can feel secure, even in the midst of cataclysmic changes, through awareness of My continual Presence.”Jesus Calling, March 24 Fortunately, my father’s surgery was a success. He eventually reco...
6 Ways to Make Prayer Simple for Kids
That shiny purple birthstone, set in a ring to fit my six-year-old finger, was my most prized possession. That’s why I dreaded telling my mom I had lost it. Cartwheels in the grass had given way to utter panic as I realized the ring wasn’t on my finger anymore. After I confessed what had happened, my mother uttered four words that impacted my spiritual journey for the rest of my life: “Let’s pray about it.” “When you pray, I want you to share everything with Me: your joys and heartaches, your struggles and triumphs, your worries and questions. I am you best Friend—pour out your heart to Me.”Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids,January 11 My husband and I often talk about the goals and desires we have for our kids. Like everyone around us, we’re neck-deep in sports and academics and servic...
Choices in a Faith Journey
In 2012, my word for the year was risk. My daily devotional consisted of studying risk takers, AKA crazy people, in the Bible. It was a pivotal year for me in my faith journey. I’m not a natural risk taker. Far from it, actually. I like to control my environment and make calculated decisions. I call it wisdom, but in reality, it teeters on a lack of faith. And as someone who’s not a risk taker, the words of the December 9 entry of Jesus Calling strike me to the core: “Be willing to go out on a limb with Me. If that is where I am leading you, it is the safest place to be. Your desire to live a risk-free life is a form of unbelief . . . In order to follow Me wholeheartedly, you must relinquish your tendency to play it safe.” Have you ever looked up the definition of risk? In case you haven’t...
Rachel Hollis Shares Excerpt from Girl, Wash Your Face
When Rachel Hollis spoke on the Jesus Calling® podcast she shared one of the hardest seasons of her faith journey. Here is excerpt from her book,Girl, Wash Your Face, that describes a portion of that difficult time and how we must have faith in God’s perfect timing. Imagine a little baby taking her first step. She’s joyful and chubby and she’s been balancing in place without holding on to the coffee table for weeks now. Finally, finally, she takes her first coltish stumble from the relative safety of the side table, then wobbles across the perils of the living room rug to grasp the edge of the sofa. She gets there and looks up at you with elation and pride and so much excitement. Now imagine you give her a quick, brittle smile and demand, “Yes, Chloe, that’s fine, but why aren’t you r...
Finding Joy When Your Heart Hurts
“You can find joy in the midst of brokenness. One of the hardest times to be joyful is when you’re dealing with multiple problems—seeking solutions but finding none—and then several new difficulties beset you. The way to encounter joy in adversity is to encounter Me. You can pray,‘Jesus, help me find You in the midst of this mess!’ ” —Jesus Today, Day 67 “You aren’t listening to me. I’ve had enough. Get out of my house!” Harsh, isn’t it? Brokenness reveals itself in so many ways. I recently felt very broken over a verbal misunderstanding. I knew that the other party could only see her way and felt that I was completely wrong. Exasperation grew when she failed to take time to listen to me, and I lost my temper for the first time in a long time. As a Christian, I felt extremely discouraged. ...
When Life is Hard, God is Near
As a young husband and father of two, holding down two jobs and taking extra work, life was hard. But no one is supposed to say that, especially in faith circles. To some, admitting life is hard implies God is not enough for me, that my faith is small, that I’m ungrateful. Some say life is filled with blessings if we say and do the “right” things. I call this “fake-it culture.” Good reader, I can tell you with confidence, I was wearing myself out doing the “right” things—and it caught up with me. I was 32 and directing a multi-state, multi-faceted youth program that was making huge impacts. My staff was talented. My children were doing well. My wife and I had the makings of the American Dream. Until depression hit. I’d managed to hold off the dark feelings for years, but a launching event ...
Steps of Faith
“Follow Me one step at a time. That is all that I require of you. Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying My Presence. Walk by faith, not by sight, trusting Me to open up the way before you.” —from Jesus Calling, February 1 Jesus left us with a lot of promises: words of hope, encouragement, plenty of instruction. Yet one thing Jesus said we probably wish He hadn’t was that trials are sure to come. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As you know, trials come in all shapes and sizes—financial insecurity, sickness, infertility, the loss of a loved one. While we might be overwhelmed by them, trials can also be great opportunities to put our faith to the test. Trials refine and reveal our faith. Several years ago, we e...
Steps of Faith
“Follow Me one step at a time. That is all that I require of you. Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying My Presence. Walk by faith, not by sight, trusting Me to open up the way before you.” —from Jesus Calling, February 1 Jesus left us with a lot of promises: words of hope, encouragement, plenty of instruction. Yet one thing Jesus said we probably wish He hadn’t was that trials are sure to come. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As you know, trials come in all shapes and sizes—financial insecurity, sickness, infertility, the loss of a loved one. While we might be overwhelmed by them, trials can also be great opportunities to put our faith to the test. Trials refine and reveal our faith. Several years ago, we e...
Seize the Opportunity
“When tests and challenges come at you from all sides consider it a joyful opportunity.” Jesus Always, August 23 Mr. Opportunity Walt often greeted me with, “Hey, Dan, I have an opportunity for you.” This was how many of our conversations began. Over time I learned to laugh and beat him to the punch. “So Walt, what opportunity do you have for me today?” Walt was one of those happy, easy-going guys who had the gift to see the positive in every situation. Even the worst of times was an “opportunity” for someone to learn something new, to grow, to rise above expectations and do great things. Walt lived as if every “opportunity” was a moment for us to remain faithful, do our best, and then watch as God showed up to redeem and transform a difficult situation. I was a young man whe...
Jesus Calling Wraps CMA Fest 2019 with Randy Travis, Crystal Gayle, and more!
It was another pinnacle year for Jesus Calling® at CMA Fest last week in Nashville, Tennessee. The best-selling devotional that has sold more than 25 million copies set up shop at Fan Fair X and hosted a variety of guest artists that included Randy Travis, Crystal Gayle, T. Graham Brown, Crowder, Aaron Watson, and others. One of the biggest highlights from this year’s lineup was the CMA Close-Up Stage event: Jesus Calling Presents a Conversation with Randy and Mary Travis—covered by the Tennessean. Mary sat at Randy’s side to speak for Randy as he is currently not able to perform and only partially able to speak since his 2013 stroke. Mary read from the Jesus Calling and went on to say, “Sometimes people ask me if we are bitter or angry? This man sitting beside me was never...
Our Father…
“I am a shield for all who take refuge in Me. When you feel afflicted or afraid, come to Me and say: ‘Lord, I take refuge in You.’” Jesus Always, June 16 “Our Father Who Art In Heaven.” This is how the Lord’s Prayer begins …acknowledging that we have a “Father in Heaven.” When God tells us that He is our Father, and we really grasp what that means, it opens the door to not only great benefits, but also great healing from the pain that many have experienced at the hands of their earthly fathers, who sometimes were not the best. Fathers are important…and key to our lives. And as a psychologist, I can tell you that some of the most difficult scenarios that people deal with and have to heal from have to do with their earthly fathers who did not do their job. At the same time, some of the...
