Tag: prayer

Do You Have An Answer?

1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV, “15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 16 But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

Photo by:
August de Richelieu

Recently while attending a small Bible study group, the speaker asked the question, “What keeps you committed to Christ?” For me, it was a very timely question because I had been thinking about this just a few days earlier.

These verses in 1 Peter tell us to be prepared to answer this question. We never know when we will be given the opportunity to share with someone the reason we have chosen to put our hope in Jesus Christ.

When it was my turn to answer the question, and share about something that keeps me committed to Christ, I said, “He always sees and He always hears.”

I love that Jesus is the God who always sees me. He is always aware of me and what I am going through. Although I am blessed to have people who care about me, people cannot always see what He can. I am never out of His sight. He understands me and my circumstances completely.

Secondly, I love that Jesus is the God who always hears me. I can pray at anytime and He will hear me. No appointment needed. He is always available. He does not slumber or sleep.

Psalm 121:3-5 NLT, “3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. 5 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.”

Photo by: Mental Health America 🇺🇸

I was glad the Bible study leader asked us this question. I was reminded to always be ready to give others an answer for the hope Jesus gives me and why I choose to stay committed to Him. It could be a non-Christian asking us about our faith in Christ or even another Christian who needs encouragement. Whatever the case, we should be ready.

I could use some encouragement and I am sure others can too, so I am asking you to please share in the comments, “What keeps you committed to Christ?”

No Need to Worry

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

These are verses that are familiar to many of us. And they’ve been on my mind quite a bit over the last week. As we all know, life can be tough and give us many reasons to worry. However, God is giving us another option. He invites us to choose to be thankful, and present our worries to Him in exchange for His peace.

Photo by: Oleksandr P of the Ukraine 🇺🇦

I am convinced that choosing not to worry takes some intentional effort. Because even though we may not want to worry, worry often consumes us and we find ourselves struggling to trust God. Trusting God can be especially hard when we do not see immediate answers to our prayers. But nevertheless, we have a choice. Even when we do not see the immediate answers we hoped to see, we can still open our hearts to receive God’s peace.

Since choosing not to worry takes effort, then prayer is an essential first step. No matter where we are or what we are doing we can whisper a prayer to God. We can repent for not giving God our worries in the specific situation (repentance refreshes us, Acts 3:19-21) and then we can ask Him for His help not to worry. It is such a blessing that He is always willing to help us do the things He instructs us to do. We can also pray for discernment and wisdom in our situation and God will show us what He wants us to know or do. And through all of this, we get to receive His peace as He guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Photo by: M Venter of South Africa 🇿🇦

Through these verses in Philippians, God is inviting us to relinquish control of people and situations and trust Him. Trust his goodness, trust His justice, trust His mercy, trust His provision, trust His faithfulness and trust His love.

God is a good Father, who wants the best for us. His desire is for us to walk in His perfect peace. I pray that we would quickly pray and learn to receive His peace, no matter what we are facing.

Isaiah 26:3-4, ”You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”

God’s Power is Perfect

12 Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

These were my mom, Belle’s, favorite two verses in the Bible. She has it engraved on the cover of one of her Bibles.

We can be strong, because of the grace that is given to us through Christ. When we are weak, He is strong. His strength and power never run out.

My dear mom, went home to be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus, on the morning of January 21st. Of course I miss her, and find it hard to believe she is no longer here with us. However, I am thankful for the life she lived and the love she gave to me, my family and countless others.

Mom was ill for awhile, so I am also thankful she is no longer suffering. I can’t imagine the bliss she is now experiencing, being in God’s presence for all eternity, with a new glorified body. She loved trees, so I thought of her when I chose this picture…

Photo by: Felix Mittermeier of Germany 🇩🇪

God’s grace is sufficient. That is a truth that my mom lived each day and I am thankful that through Christ, we can continue to live in that truth too. Weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, do not change who He is. His power is perfect. We are secure in His love.

We are busy planning my mom’s memorial service, plus I am still processing the reality of losing her, it’s very difficult. So, I may not post every Monday for awhile, but I will still be checking in, reading and commenting, from time to time.

I ask for your prayers during this time. May God continue to direct your path as you trust Him, and as always, thank you for your love, support, and prayers. Blessings.

Be Still, Stay Calm and Watch

Over the last couple of days, I have been meditating on Psalm 136. The verses in this chapter, recount instances of God’s enduring love throughout scripture. One of my favorite parts, is when it mentions how God divided the Red Sea, in verses 13-15.

Psalms 136:13-15 (CSB)

13 He divided the Red Sea, His faithful love endures forever. 14 and led Israel through, His faithful love endures forever. 15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His faithful love endures forever.

The original story is told in Exodus 14. However, verses 13-14 in Exodus, also stood out to me. It says, “13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

Sometimes, we just need to stand still, stay calm and watch to see what God will do.

Photo by: Iforce

Reflecting on these miraculous events from the past, brings us strength for today. We can choose to cast our cares upon the Lord and trust Him to fight our battles. He never runs out of whatever it is we need. He will create a path for us to walk through, just like He did for Moses and the Israelites. Every verse in Psalms 136, ends with, “His faithful love endures forever.” These are words we can all take comfort in. No matter what we are facing, we can remember that, “His faithful love endures forever.”

For more inspiration Visit Drawing Closer to Christ on YouTube

God Is At Work & My New Endeavor

Philippians 1:6 NLT, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

God is constantly at work in our hearts and in our lives. If you are like me, you may have days where you wonder if you will ever overcome a particular struggle or if a difficult situation will ever get better. But this verse assures us that God has a plan for us and He is working diligently to bring it to completion.

Photo by: Pixabay

We will always need to keep improving as long as we are here on Earth. However, we can look back and see the progress we have made; we can also take time to celebrate and praise God for the victories we experience along the way. And most of all, we can look forward to seeing Jesus face to face, when the work in us will finally be finished and we will be with Him for eternity. Praises to our God!

My New Endeavor…

I am now sharing my written blogs in video format on YouTube (a project I actually started awhile back but now I am getting back into it). You will also find inspirational messages and prayers on my channel. Please visit and feel free to subscribe and pass the link on to others. Thank you! DCC on YouTube

Also don’t forget my ebooks are still available for your encouragement. Ebooks Here

Keep moving forward in Jesus Christ. He is aware of everything concerning you and will finish all that He has started. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven (Matthew 5:12)!!

As always, thank you for your support of Drawing Closer to Christ! I appreciate your encouragement and I ask for your prayers as I continue to seek the Lord.

Thankful for the Family of Believers

1 Peter 5:9, “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

Photo by: Pavel Danilyuk of Belarus 🇧🇾

I am thankful for the family of believers that we have because we are able to support and encourage one another in our faith. It is a blessing to have fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are praying for me and standing on the Word of God just as I am. All of your writings here on WordPress also bring me much inspiration and help my faith to stay strong, thank you for sharing your heart through your blog posts and comments. I pray we would all continue to stand firm against the tricks of the enemy and be strong in our faith in God.

Dear Father,

Thank you for the family of believers here on WordPress and around the world. Keep us in your perfect peace as we keep our minds fixed on you. No matter what we may be facing, help us to stand firm against the enemy and be strong in our faith. Help us to be quick to call out to you for help in times of need. You are our ever present help in times of trouble and thank you for hearing our prayers.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

For more inspiration visit: Drawing Closer to Christ on YouTube

Give Where It Counts

Ecclesiastes 3:6 AMP, “A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.”

Sometimes in life, without even noticing, we can get caught up in giving our thoughts, time, and energy to people or things that are not doing us any good. We must make sure that the things and people we are giving our attention to are the things and people God wants us to give our attention to. We do not want to waste out thoughts, time, and energy in areas that are not God’s will for us.

Perhaps there are relationships that are no longer of value, but you still hang on to them. Or maybe it’s a job that God is leading you to leave, but you’re comfortable going there so you refuse to move on. Or there could be some other area of your life that is not producing fruit, but you keep on giving to it because you do not want to it let go.

Photo by: Pixabay

Understanding what areas of our lives need to change, is a process God can help us through. He will give us clarity if we ask Him and listen to what He says. Letting go of the old and embracing the new can be scary, but it can also be rewarding.

God is faithful to supply our needs when we embark on new journeys out of obedience to Him. We should ask Him to help us to Give Where It Counts and trust Him for a meaningful outcome that will make a difference in our lives and the lives of others.

View on YouTube: Give Where It Counts