Devotionals for the Heart: Surrender

The Way of Surrender
A devotional by Jamie De Silvia

“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”—Mark 14:36 (NIV)

I had very little church background when I gave my life to Jesus Christ on Valentine’s Day in 1988. With a great deal of curiosity and determination, I set out to learn all that I could about the One who had saved me. Oh, how I yearn to share with my 16-year-old self the insights and wisdom I've gained since then about walking with Jesus.

I would tell her not to worry so much about her sin, that Jesus went to the cross knowing she would make a million mistakes, both deliberately and unintentionally. I would assure her that our Heavenly Father is carrying her in His hands, not holding her at arm's length in disapproval. I would warn her against wasting years of her life trying to please God by performing in her own strength. I’d tell her that transformation isn’t her job—it’s the Holy Spirit inside her who will accomplish it. I would take her hand, look her in the eyes, and tell her that the answer to every problem and challenge is simply surrender.

Today, I understand what I could not comprehend on that special day 36 years ago: The most important thing for me to practice is letting go of control and putting my full trust in the Lord. It took me a long time to come to this realization because many things are easier than surrender. Worrying, performing, controlling, planning, and analyzing are all easier than surrendering. Jesus Himself showed us when He was pleading with God in the Garden of Gethsemane, how agonizing it can be to lay down your own will and accept God’s will instead.

Surrendering to the Father’s call to the cross was likely the very hardest thing that Jesus was required to do. Laying down His life and saying yes to God caused Him to feel “deeply distressed and troubled” and his soul was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Mark 14:33-34). This agony was not just about dying. Jesus knew that saying yes to God meant surrendering control over the present moment and the outcome—as well as His body, His voice, His ministry, His disciples, and His life.

According to Mark 14:36 (NIV), Jesus called to “Abba, Father” because God was the only One who could help Him. He professed his faith and trust when He said, “Everything is possible for You.” He still asked for an alternate path when He whispered, “Take this cup from me.” And finally He surrendered with these words: “Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Knowing how difficult this was for Jesus gives us two helpful insights. The first insight is that He understands how hard surrender is to do. Jesus knows that surrender can feel like suffering, and even He wanted to suffer less. He knows it will take a lot of practice for us to learn to let God choose the cup that we drink from, surrendering all other alternatives as He did.

The second insight is that if true surrender pushed Jesus to His limit, how much more will it push us beyond our limits? I am here to testify that we absolutely cannot do it in our own power. We need Jesus to hold our hand and provide the willingness, determination, and power to lay down control of our lives and our will.

Beloved, Jesus sees how hard it is for you to let go. He knows the fear and grief that accompany surrender. He understands your questions and concerns. Share them! Invite Him into your wrestling and then ask Him to help you say, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”

Let’s Pray: Lord, I confess to wanting my own way so much of the time. Open my eyes to see the daily situations that allow me to practice yielding control. Jesus, show me the way of surrender. Teach me to trust in the Father as You did when You were here on Earth. Have Your way in me. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “I Surrender All” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Jamie De Silvia is an author and speaker from Southern California with a passion for helping women connect with the heart of God. She hosts the “Pressing In” podcast.

She has authored two devotional books: Come Hear the Song of the Shepherd (a 30-day devotional journey through Psalm 23), and You Shall Be Praised (a 40-day devotional offering a fresh perspective on Proverbs 31).

You can find her on Instagram and Facebook daily, offering encouragement to help you draw closer to Jesus Christ.

Jamie is married with two adult daughters and a teenage son. She is also a homeschooling mom who enjoys oil painting, playing games with her family, and savoring a good chai latte.

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Connect with Jamie:
Website: https://jamiedesilvia.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiedesilvia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamiedesilviaauthor
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jamiedesilvia
Email: jamie@jamiedesilvia.com

Devotionals for the Heart: God wants to gently guide you through life

The Gentle Guidance of God
A devotional by Tessa Huckstep

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Finding the will of God can be a daunting task for most Christians.

In fact, finding the will of God can seem like an impossible task. Most of us have been led to believe that the will of God is illusive. We believe we have to read the entire Bible from beginning to end at least six times before we are ‘spiritual’ enough to know God’s will. We think that we have to be ‘super’ Christians to understand something like God’s will.

Or worse, some people experience FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) when it comes to the will of God. I am a Christian who is guilty of ‘fear of missing out’ on the will of God. What if God was speaking to me and I was not listening? What if I was supposed to hear a special sermon or inspirational message that would tell me exactly what I was supposed to do with my life and I missed it? What if I have completely missed God’s will and ruined my entire life?

STOP! That spiral of FOMO will never lead you closer to the heart of God, and therefore, has no place in your life. The first word from the acronym FOMO is ‘fear’. The Bible has a lot to say about fear, but simply put, ‘faith is greater than fear’. Faith is being able to step out in spite of your fear because you know that God will take care of you, no matter what.

One truth I always come back to concerning the will of God is this quote by C.S. Lewis: “For you will certainly carry out God’s purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John.”

God’s ultimate plan will come to pass. The book of Revelation is filled with God’s ultimate will and purpose. There is nothing you can do to stop God’s ultimate will. You can run from God. You can reject His plans for you. But in the end, God uses all things for His glory. It is not a question of ‘if’ you find God’s will for your life, but rather ‘how’ you fulfill that plan.

Many of us are searching for an emotional, dramatic, ‘Damascus Road’ (Acts 9:3-8) kind of calling. We are looking for God to directly give us permission to fulfill His will. But what if the will of God does not come in one dramatic experience? What if the will of God came in gentle whispers from the Holy Spirit? What if God is guiding us through His will right now, but we are too busy looking for extraordinary signs to notice?

What if we were never meant to ‘find’ God’s will for our lives, but rather, we are simply meant to live our lives one day at a time, trusting that God will guide us wherever He desires? That is what it means to live by faith. Faith does not rely on clearly written out plans. Faith is taking one step at a time, not knowing the destination but trusting the gentle hand of God to lead you.

Even when we think we have ‘figured out’ the will of God, life throws us a curveball and we realize we had it wrong all along. It may seem to us that there is no defined purpose in our lives, but we have to remember that we are only seeing things from our limited human perspective. God sees and knows all things.

Take that risky step into the darkness. Without risk, faith is not faith at all. We must be willing to submit and be gently guided by God toward our ultimate purpose. God loves you. He has thoughts of peace toward you. He is fighting for you. Take a risk and put all your plans into His hands.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for Your gentle guidance. Please strengthen our faith that we may fulfill Your will for our daily lives. Help us to submit to the Holy Spirit and lay our plans and agendas before you. Lead us to fulfill Your ultimate purpose for our lives. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “I Know the Plans (Audrey’s Song)” by Damaris Carbaugh. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Tessa Huckstep grew up in rural Illinois to Christian parents and has known Jesus personally since the age of five.

She is currently attending community college and majoring in elementary education. In the future, she plans to teach in the public school, hoping to bring the love of God with her.

God’s dream of Tessa becoming a writer was revealed to her at the age of sixteen and she hasn’t been able to stop since. Though she has not yet been published, Tessa enjoys writing historical romance novels and speculative fiction.

Tessa believes God loves stories, and through her writing, she wants to reveal the happily ever after God dreams of for each of his daughters—one where Jesus is the knight in shining armor.

Tessa loves all things Georgian/Regency, needlework, and dainty teacups of every size. When she isn’t writing or studying for exams, Tessa can be found in the kitchen with more flour in her hair and on the floor than in the mixing bowl, though the mess is always half the fun!

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Connect with Tessa:
Blog: https://beautifulbeloved937002841.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/101227159

Devotionals for the Heart: Our Plans

Releasing our plans to God
A devotional by Heidy De La Cruz

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” 

– Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

We all have plans, goals, and desires for our lives. We all want to succeed, and we have a vision of how our life will go. But life doesn't always go as planned. As a matter of fact, can you think of a time when things went right according to your plans?

Prior to getting engaged, I had not thought much about my wedding. I know some females dream of their wedding since they were little girls, but that wasn't me. I had been to plenty of beautiful weddings, but it wasn't until I got engaged that I really started to think about mine.

I'm not much of a party planner; it causes me too much anxiety. So I never gave it much thought about planning a wedding. I did know that there's a ton of small details that goes into planning a wedding, and it all seemed overwhelming to me. Then there is the money part; weddings are expensive! But before my husband, then fiancé, started planning our wedding, we prayed.

We would pray every day for our wedding, for the planning aspect, for the financial aspect, and we would pray that everything will turn out according to God's will for our life. It seemed like everything was working smoothly from day one, considering that we were planning this wedding in five months because I wanted to get married on my birthday, which is in February, and we got engaged in September.

As the days went by, we continued to pray and continued to plan – everything was working out according to plan. God provided the financial aspects, which was only His doing because I wanted to use credit cards right away, but my husband stopped me. There were a few things I started to worry about as the day approached. Like the wedding was on a Thursday, we had family flying in from out of town, the DJ was also part of the wedding party, my siblings went to school in the morning, the caterer was also a wedding guest … but at the end of the night, everything, absolutely everything turned out perfect!

People would ask me how the wedding planning was going if I was stressed out or worried, but because I prayed and left everything in God's hands, He worked everything out and we had minimal bumps along the way.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16:3 (NIV), “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” and that is my testimony in regards to my wedding. From the very beginning, I prayed to God and released everything to Him, and He worked things out to His will. At the end of the night, it was the dream wedding I never knew I wanted.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, I know we have plans for our lives, but Your plans are far more significant than what we can ever imagine. Help me Lord, to always commit to You my plans first, and let you guide my steps. You work things out for my good. Remind me that You will make things happen in your time according to your plan for my life. In your name, I pray, Amen.

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Author Bio:

Hello, my name is Heidy (Reynoso) De La Cruz. 

I am Dominican-American and I’m passionate about writing! I write poetry, encouraging blog posts about personal experiences and any message that God has stored in my heart. I am working on publishing my first poetry book.

First and foremost, I am a daughter of Jesus Christ. I am also a wife and a mother. I have my master’s degree in Healthcare Administration through Belhaven University’s online course. I have my bachelor’s degree in Science with the concentration of Psychology and Healthcare Administration.

I currently work in the medical field as a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist, and I’ve been in the medical field for the last six years. I love my career!

My hobbies include writing, reading, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, traveling, and spending time with my family.

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Connect with Heidy:
Blog: https://heidyreynoso.wordpress.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidy.delacruz13/
Read my poetry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidyspoems/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heidyreynoso13
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heidyreynoso13

Devotionals for the Heart: God's Will

Remaining in God’s Will
A devotional by Temeka Borden

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” 

– Matthew 6:9-10 (KJV)

One of the most common questions I receive is, “What is God’s will for me?”

Typically, when I am asked this question by my readers and viewers, they are asking in regard to a major decision they must make such as a relationship/marriage, a career opportunity, et cetera. To questions such as these, I typically respond by encouraging the reader to invest in some real “God time” so they can get the answers they need, although I know some are looking for me to give them a more specific answer. 

In fact, I remember one reader telling me her entire situation regarding her boyfriend and asking what she should do. It’s almost as though she knew the right thing to do, but she was hesitant to do the “right thing.” I felt as though she wanted me to give her an answer different from the “right one.” However, I responded by saying, “I can’t answer that for you, but if you pray about it, God will show you the answer.”

God Time 

I know it’s not easy making certain decisions, which is why I constantly discuss the importance of prayer, worship, meditation, and studying our Bibles. Doing so helps “unclog” our ears so that we can hear the truth. Doing so helps soften our hearts and humbles us so that we obey God. Doing so helps clear our minds so that we are not deceived and distracted by our freshly desires.

Prayer, meditation, and Bible time (God time) is not a chore. God time is not something we just check off our list. This time is precious. It shows God that He is first in our lives, that we truly love Him, and that we are committed to continually developing our bond with Him.

Prayer

You may notice I keep mentioning “God time.” This precious time may entail various things to various people. However, for me and as already mentioned, it involves prayer, meditation, and studying the Bible.

Regarding prayer, another question I commonly receive is, “How should one pray?”

Well, I wrote a separate post regarding that topic, and one thing to note is that we should always ask that God’s will be done, as stated in Matthew 6:10. God knows what is best and it is in His will that we find continued protection and direction. Our flesh can get us into trouble. Allow me to write that again. Our FLESH can get us into trouble!

Our flesh clouds our vision of what God wants in our lives, and it is so important that we keep our flesh under subjection. God sees things that our flesh (or natural eyes) cannot see, including any hidden dangers. For example, we may be presented with an opportunity, and to the natural eye, that opportunity may seem perfect. However, behind that opportunity may be much grief, pain, and sorrow. Again, there may be hidden dangers that we did not see or consider, and we place ourselves in positions where we face hurt that could have been avoided had we listened to God. Thankfully, we have a compassionate, forgiving Savior who rights our wrongs, but also expects us to learn from our mistakes.

Look, we have all been there at one point in our lives. We allowed flesh to dictate our decision. We rushed into a decision. We allowed people to pressure us into a decision. We wanted something so bad that we convinced ourselves that something was God approved (and it wasn’t), and we ended up making the WRONG decision. However, hopefully, we learned. We healed. We allowed the hardship we endured as a result of our decisions make us stronger, and we committed to working on getting better aligned with God.

Remember, if we receive a “no” from God regarding something our flesh wants, His intent is not to hurt us. Quite often, it’s His method of protection. So remain under God’s protection. Remain in the will of God. Trust His wisdom and let Him lead you in all things!

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Author Bio:

Temeka Borden, better known by her pen name “Positivity Inspires,” is an author, speaker, minister, PharmD, multi-state licensed pharmacist, founder and owner of Positivity Inspires, LLC, and most importantly, a servant of the Lord. 

She was introduced to Christ at a very early age and was raised in the church. Her ministry focuses on encouraging Christians to love God first, to love all people, to continually strengthen their bond with Christ, and to study His Word, and live His Word daily.
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Dr. Borden has been blessed with a variety of gifts, and she has gained much professional experience in a variety of settings. She also has served in administrative roles in the professional and church settings.

In addition to obtaining her PharmD, she also obtained her bachelor's degree in biology (minor in English), and she is working on her third degree. What's more, as stated in her words, “I completed a specialty pharmacy residency that prepared me for the workforce and made me a force to be reckoned with.” She is a long-distance runner, a drummer, a singer, and she has a strong “fashion sense.” She also can read and type at almost supersonic speed in some instances.

Dr. Borden loves to learn and is constantly looking for new ways to challenge herself.

She loves God and she loves people. She is “crazy about her family,” and she adores her friends. She strongly encourages others to show kindness, respect, and love to everyone. She loves and welcomes diversity and flourishes in culturally diverse environments.

Dr. Borden loves to laugh and loves to make other people laugh. She also is passionate about giving back to the community. Her favorite sayings are “Speak Up!” and “Watch God Work!”

Devotionals for the Heart: Rest

Rest in God
A devotional by Tammy Karasek

I wish I could say my soul is perfectly content—that I have the kind of soul-rest that comes from God. But I’m a stubborn only child and often behave like a toddler ready to strike into a full-blown tantrum. I like to do things “by myself.” What the toddler is usually trying to say is, I don’t need you. I can handle this on my own. Have you ever felt this way?

We are told to take time to rest. Articles from women’s magazines to medical journals shout from the rooftops the benefits of rest. While I will not argue the importance of resting as in sitting down for a period of solitude or even sleep, the rest I’m talking about is a rest that comes from God. “My soul finds rest in God alone” (Psalm 62:1, NIV).

The kind of rest written in the above scripture is what I seek. What about you?

As I have grown older and wiser, I have learned true rest in my soul can’t be obtained by anyone or anything other than God. No amount of sitting and relaxing in the sand by the ocean or in a rocking chair at a mountain cabin can give me that kind of soulful peace. Oh, most definitely it can slow us down and give us the opportunity to calm down or de-stress, but it cannot give us the kind of rest deep within us. We can get in the way of that.

When we read through Scripture and are quiet with God—it’s there in that time and space where we find that rest. Where we close out the world. Where we turn off the noise. There is where we find sweet rest, deep down in our innermost being.

With this knowledge, one would think we’d take the opportunity every chance we could get. But nope, we try other things to calm us down. We read a magazine, a new book, go shopping or maybe dine with a friend. Yet, more times than not, we end up in a worse mess than we started. We are left stressed, frustrated and wondering why God won’t fix it.

When in this spot myself, I realized I haven’t asked for the calm, let alone the rest. I’ve ignored my time to sit with God and process the issues at hand. I’ve not read my Bible to meet God in that quiet space to allow him to pour into me that soulful rest I’m longing for.

It’s me getting in the way. Not God ignoring me.

My prayer for you today is that you make it a priority to find time to sit with the Lord and seek that rest, deep in your soul, that only He can give you. Will you be so kind to do that for me as well?

~*~
Author Bio: 

You’ll find Tammy seeing humor and causing laughter in every aspect of life. Tammy’s past filled with bullying and criticism is the driving force of her passion to always encourage others and share with them the Reason to smile. 

She’s been blissfully wedded to her college sweetheart, Larry, for 36 years, mom to their grown daughter, Kristen and wrapped around the paw of a little puppy named Hattie.

She’s the President of Cross N Pens Christian Writers and a member of ACFW. She will be published in the 2018 Divine Moments book – Cool-nary Moments.
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Connect with Tammy:
Blog - http://www.tammykarasek.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/tickledpinktam
Email - tickledpinktammy@gmail.com

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Devotionals for the Heart: He Laughs

The Last Laugh
A devotional by Quantrilla Ard

“But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 

~Genesis 15:2 (HCSB)

One of my dear children loves to get the last laugh when things happen in our family. 

The words “That’s what you get, baby!” rang out loud and clear one day to my surprise as my two-year-old chided her brothers for something they had done. She is undoubtedly spirited and full of passion when identifying her brothers’ mishaps. Of course, she has a few challenges identifying her own. This, coupled with her comedic and ironic timing, makes laughter an everyday occurrence. With so many opportunities for giggles, I am reminded of the old adage, “He who laughs last, laughs best.” I’m so glad God has a sense of humor. Abraham and Sarah would probably agree.

Abraham and Sarah had waited, albeit not so patiently, for God to keep His promise to them through a son with whom He would establish His covenant. Sarah was long past childbearing age and well into her sunset years. Abraham was knocking on 100. God’s timing was then and is now often vastly different from our own.

In their story, the first laugh comes from Abraham, in his ninety-ninth year as God changes his name and again calls him to remember the promise He made years earlier as the story details in Genesis 17:17. The second laugh comes from Sarah, after a visit from three men, one of whom just happens to be God Himself (Genesis 18:12). They were hopeful yet equally despondent from the trials of waiting. One son Ishmael, through Sarah’s servant Hagar, had to be sent away because Sarah’s desperation and subsequent insecurity got the best of her. They are spent.

One question changes everything. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” God asks as He calls Sarah out for laughing. And I can imagine in my mind’s eye that God is laughing to Himself at the look on her face. Within the year, as God had promised and re-promised, Isaac was born. And guess what Isaac’s name means? Yep, you guessed it, “He laughs.”

Is there a place in your life that seems desolate and barren? A place that feels forgotten? Have you held out hope only to see another year pass without God fulfilling a promise in or to you? I know I have. I have laughed at reminders that God sent my way, thinking that my season has expired and it’s just too much to expect that things will turn out the way He said they would. And then I hear God ask me, thousands of years later just as He did Sarah, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?”

The answer is a resounding no. I see His promises come to pass in His timing, not my own. I wait sometimes patiently, sometimes not (thankful He loves me anyway). I can rejoice in my “Isaac” circumstances, and see that God indeed gets the last laugh.

Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Absolutely nothing.

~*~
Author Bio:

Quantrilla (Quanny) Ard is a faith-based personal and spiritual development writer who lives in the D.C. Metro area with her husband and three littles. 

In addition to being a dedicated wife and mother, she is an entrepreneur, doctoral student, and curator of all things lovely.

As a woman on her own quest of shining a light on the shadowy, hidden places in her life, she writes as the PhDMamma about things she knows to be true in hopes to encourage others to do the same.

Her spiritual goals and her love for Christ propels her quest to share the journey with other women: to walk alongside them and encourage them with words, deeds, and wisdom. Quanny believes in the power that is within collective strength, community, and fellowship.

You will find her wherever people are sharing stories of triumph.

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Connect with Quanny:
Website - https://www.thephdmamma.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thephdmamma
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/qyard08
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/quannyboo/

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Love is in the Air: His Will

Welcome Caryl McAdoo to my blog today. She's here to talk about the importance of seeking God and following His call on your life.

If you have questions about God's purpose, plan and will for your life then this devotional written by Christian author Caryl is just for you! :)

Did I mention she's giving away a copy of her latest book release, Sing A New Song? Answer Caryl's question toward the end of her devotional and follow the instructions listed in the Rafflecopter giveaway tool in order to enter this contest for your chance to win a copy of Caryl's book! :)

Enjoy! 

~*~
His Will
A devotional written by Caryl McAdoo

It is surely true that we all have been in a position where we know God is calling for change, right? You know it in your spirit. Like the old crooners sang, ‘something’s gotta give’! Something has to happen. Your life is about to change—whether it’s a new job, a new house, or city—maybe only a step or two will do. One baby step forward. Remember that game “Mother, May I”?

You know He wants you to move.

Circumstances are bringing you to a place where you will be forced to make a decision. And truth be known, though it might be scary, you’re absolutely willing no matter how comfortable you’ve been right where you are. Why, if God wanted, you’d be happy to keep things as they are…for another decade.

But you are certain that is not the case.

Still, your heart’s desire is obedience.

Here’s the problem. What exactly does He want you to do?

One time when I was in one of those places, He gave me a song to sing. I love it when He does that. This song’s titled "Your Will". The lyrics go (without the repeats): I just want to be in Your Will, Father. I just need to know Your Will. (repeat) For to walk in obedience is what I want to do. For to walk in obedience shows how much I love You. Open my ears, Lord; so I can hear. Teach me to listen as I draw near. Silence my flesh, Lord, in Jesus’ name, and by the power of His blood, I will proclaim that demons and devils will not speak to me. I’ll not hear their lies or their blasphemies. I only will hear the clear voice of my Lord. And then I’ll obey Your every Word. I just want to be in Your Will, Father. I just need to know Your Will.

For me, these times are a test. "Do you trust me?"

I have come to stand, then stand some more, knowing God is in control and on the throne. He knows my every need. He will never leave or forsake me. He has a plan, a good plan. These are all promises from the Word (The Holy Bible).

To win a copy of my book, Sing A New Song, I’d like to know that I’m not the only one. Console me by answering this question, "Have you been in such a place? Are you in one now?"

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Author bio: 

Simon & Schuster published Christian hybrid author, Caryl McAdoo is currently writing three series: her historical Christian ‘Texas Romance’; the contemporary ‘Red River Romance’; and ‘The Generations’, her Biblical fiction. 

The novelist loves singing new songs the Lord gives her, and she paints. In 2008, she and her high school sweetheart-husband Ron moved from the DFW area—home for fifty-five years—to the woods of Red River County. 

Caryl counts four children and fourteen grandsugars life’s biggest blessings believing all good things come from God. Praying her story gives God glory, she hopes each one will also minister His love, mercy, and grace to its readers. Caryl and Ron live in Clarksville, the county seat, in the far northeast corner of the Lone Star State.

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Details on Caryl's latest book: Sing A New Song is Book 2 in the Red River Romance series. It is a stand alone, contemporary Christian romance set in Northeast Texas.

Book blurb: The untimely death of her father shatters Mary Esther Robbins’ heart and separates her from her grade school best friend, Samuel Levi Baylor. During their twenty years apart, she fulfills her life’s dream of penning new songs and singing God’s praise with a Christian band, while he tends his growing cattle herd and shares the Good News at every opportunity. 

The Lord brings her home then throws them back together when Samuel agrees to help Mary Esther move and remodel her childhood home. The two decades lost vanish, and their time together convinces both the other is the true soul mate. But misunderstanding and fear keeps them from expressing their true love. Though jealousy rears its ugly head, can love and commitment hold the two together? And while they’re both dedicated to ministering the Gospel together, can they do it as husband and wife? 

Excerpt from Sing A New Song:

The twelve-year-old boy who drove that same truck to her daddy’s funeral stood over six feet tall, a full grown man decked out in jeans, blue long-sleeved work shirt, and scuffed boots, but she’d know him anywhere.

He gawked. “It is, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s me. How in the world have you been, Samuel? How’d you know I was in town?”

“Well, I’ll be. Blessed. I’ve been blessed, but I didn’t have any idea. None. What are you doing here? Slumming?”

She refused to take the bait. “I’ll have you to know I’m moving back. Just now I was trying decide if the old girl is worth fixing up.”

“Really? What? You’re not singing anymore?”

“Of course, I am. No way will I ever stop singing, you goof, but I can sing in Clarksville same as in Dallas. I quit the band though. I’m sick of the road. If you could call it that.”

He nodded and looked around. “So what do you think?”

That he didn’t offer to give her a hello hug was just wrong, but she didn’t say anything about it. “I don’t know, but what about you? Are you married? How’s your grandfather? Y’all still living in English?”

He laughed a melodious bass that begged for a harmony. The boy’s promise had bloomed.

“Same old girl, except you got famous.”

“Oh, not so much.”

“PawPaw—thanks for asking—went home three years ago, and no, I haven’t found a lady who would have me, and yes, I’m still in English. I’ve doubled its size though, got me a right nice block of black land.”

“What are you doing? Farming?”

“Heavens no. Still trying to make a cowboy.”

She nodded. The old timers and cow punchers all told the same story. Not a one of them ever made it, but they were all still trying.

“Okay, now that we’ve caught up, what do you think about my house? Is she worth moving? I was thinking of setting her back in the woods a bit, in front of that deep pool daddy dug. You remember it? Should I bulldoze her or find me a carpenter and fix her up?”

“Of course I remember that pool, and you have found your carpenter. Me. If you want, I’ll have a look see.”

~*~
Review of Caryl's book, written by Christine Barber, Canadian author of Broken to Pieces:

Sing A New Song is a delightful breath of Christian air. McAdoo writes in such an eloquent way bringing her audience always nearer to God. She opens her readers’ minds to fresh ways of viewing Christian life and all it has to offer.

The characters are loveable and react to one another in humorous ways. The romantic tale is just as lovely as always demonstrating Christian virtues we all be best to remember. The story was illuminating in how it shares the Gospel in such a beautiful way.

The words from Samuel’s sermons as well as the gorgeous lyrics of Mary Esther’s songs fill our hearts with newfound worship for Our Lord. Truly an inspiring tale. It is Christian fiction in its best; recounting a romantic love story while bringing its readers closer to God. A treasure for sure.

~*~
Buy Caryl's books:

All Books - http://tinyurl.com/CarylsAmazonPage

Sing A New Song - http://tinyurl.com/NewSong

~*~
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