Martha Wilson
Annette Burrell
Pat Elsberry
Welcome to the blog ministry of Touching Hearts! Each week we will release a new blog written by one of our team of authors. We pray each blog will encourage you to go deeper into a relationship with Jesus.
Our Recent Posts
Posted by Martha Wilson, August 28, 2024
Simple words embellish the walls of our homes and offices. We no longer only decorate with beautifully painted pictures but with simple words. Words that cause you to pause and think. Words that shift your perspective. Words that make a declaration about your life.
I have meaningful signs in almost every room of my house. Perched above the cabinet in the sunroom is the word “RELAX.” High above the cathedral bathroom shelf is the word “BELIEVE.” The kitchen wall reminds me to: “ENJOY THIS DAY; BE PRESENT; BREATHE DEEPLY; SHOW GRATITUDE.” The sign in my office daily declares: “Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.”
Of all the words in the Old Testament story, just one word gripped me. This prominent word hung above this storyline, and everything changed.
The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, “David cannot get in here. Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David." 2 Sam. 5:6-7
It brings a twist to the story. It didn’t matter what the enemy thought or spoke; David believed God and did it anyway. A few verses later, we understand the how.
David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with Him. 2 Sam. 5:10
His hand was upon David’s life, and he had success in everything he did. He didn’t let the words and thoughts of anyone control him. The words of others didn’t deter, discourage, or cause him to waver. Nevertheless, he believed what God said.
Just one word has the power to bring a twist or turn in your story.
Why do we allow the taunting words of the enemy to stop us? Why do we give in to fear and bow to his voice? Why don’t we believe just one word that God speaks? Why not delete the words of the enemy or the voice in your head?
“That can never be done.”
“It’s too late.”
“You’re too old.”
“Things will never change.”
“If it hasn’t worked by now, you might as well give up.”
Why not nail an overarching sign over our lives?
The enemy lied;
NEVERTHELESS, she did it anyway because the Lord God Almighty was with her.
Martha Wilson is a writer, speaker, blogger and co-host of A Burst of Hope weekly podcast. She is the founder and director of Touching Hearts Ministries for women. She has led women to pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus for most of her adult life. She is bold, tender, and transparent as she teaches women to embrace powerful Biblical truths. Martha and her husband, Ed, live in Fayetteville, Georgia, and enjoy their blended family of five children, eight grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. You can connect with Martha at: Facebook and Instagram @TouchingHeartsMinistries or listen to the A Burst of Hope Podcast.
Posted by Erin Roberson, August 21, 2024
This blog is inspired by a sermon by Dr. Crawford Loritts (Click here to listen.)
In a recent sermon, Dr. Loritts said “It’s never okay to not depend on God, and God creates gaps in our lives when we must depend on Him.”
God spoke to me through Dr. Loritts’ statements, because I am preparing to enter a “gap” very soon! On December 1, I will retire from my career as an educator, and my husband and I will move back to our home state of Kentucky. When people find out I am retiring and moving away, they often ask, “What will you do next?” My reply is always the same, “I have no idea!”
There is a Hebrew word for this kind of waiting - “Qavah.” This word means much more than passive waiting. With Qavah, we are eager, hopeful, and actively involved!
Maybe you are in a “gap season” of qavah as well. It may be an exciting time of waiting expectantly for what God has planned next, or it may be a terrifying time that has you asking, “How long, God?”
Perhaps you have experienced the end of a relationship that was very important to you.
Maybe you’re between jobs or, like me, you are retiring from the only career you’ve ever known.
Maybe your child has wandered away from God and the family, and you are waiting for God to intervene.
Maybe you have no money until your next paycheck, and you’re not sure how you will make it financially.
What should we do when we find ourselves living in the gap?
“But they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). As we wait, we should live in prayer and worship! We lean in and call on Heaven, listening for God’s leading. We also look for God. Henry Blackaby wrote in Experiencing God, “Look for where God is working, and join Him there.”
We may be tempted to focus on ourselves when we're waiting, especially if our choices have put us in this “waiting place.” We may be tempted to cling to past mistakes or shame. Instead, spend this time to meet the needs of others. Serving others brings joy, and it helps our perspective. It also blesses the people around us.
Generosity is the path to our own provision. I Timothy 6 tells us to be generous and ready to share, and God will supply what we need. Being generous causes us to be grateful, and it creates in us a spirit of hope.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).
God is never early, and He is never late. His timing is always perfect, even when it feels like a very long delay. Our faith can grow during gap seasons as we wait and trust God’s perfect plan and timing. ”Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” (Psalm 37:7).
God knows what we don’t know, and He is already in our future. We need to remember that God’s ways are higher than our ways. He may have plans that far exceed anything we can imagine, and we can participate in those plans if we allow Him to have His way! We will be ready for whatever is next when we allow God to transform us.
How do we do this? Attend worship services, get involved in a group of Believers, read Christian literature, and get immersed in God’s Word. These activities are especially important during gap seasons, because they prepare our hearts for the Holy Spirit to provide wisdom, peace, and clarity.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
While we are waiting, we need to avoid the temptation to grumble and complain. It may feel good in the moment, but complaining results in a negative mindset that can keep us from learning the lessons God has for us. Besides, the Bible says God doesn’t like it (see Philippians 2:14-16 and I Corinthians 10:10). Contentment is found in the source, not in the resource.
So, when you find yourself in a gap season of qavah, it is important to give everything to God. God wants us to live this way - to have open hands, to live generously, to allow Him to transform us, and to join Him where He is working.
Erin Roberson is a wife and mother of two wonderful grown boys. She is a lifelong educator who loves learning and teaching others. She believes our primary focus should be on our relationship with God, learning who God is, who God says we are, and how God wants us to live.
Posted by Priscilla Carr, August 14, 2024
Our pastor is teaching through the book of Revelation, and his sermon series is titled “All Consuming Fire.” This exposition of “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:1) has illuminated me. I’ve come to see Jesus as I’ve never seen Him previously, and it has both emboldened me and made me draw back in fear and awe as I’ve encountered Jesus’ holiness and otherness. The Apostle John wrote Revelation and was the apostle who walked closely with Jesus and, along with Peter and James, witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration “on a high mountain.” (Luke 17:1,2); he wrote the book of John and gave us insight into Jesus’ earthly ministry and was the self-described “one whom Jesus loved” (see John xxx), but when he saw the risen, glorified Jesus as he described Him in Revelation 1:12-16, he “fell at His feet like a dead man” (Rev. 1:17).
Do you throw caution to the wind and try to get as close as possible to it, to view as much as possible? Or do you try to put as much distance as you can between you and the event? Many years ago, my sister Lillian, her four boys, and I were on our way to Southlake Mall in Morrow. I was driving when suddenly several police cars sped by us to my right, suddenly stopped the car in front of me, and with guns drawn, got out and surrounded the vehicle in front of me. I screamed at the kids in the back seat and Lillian beside me to “get down”! I didn’t know if a gunfight would ensue. I only knew there was potential for harm, so I got down as low as possible in the driver’s seat. However, my sister and 1 (of 4) of my nephews did not share my concern and chose to watch everything unfold. The shouts of the officers and their drawn weapons did not deter them. They wanted to see and know.
In Revelation, future events are described in detail. But, often preceding the events, trumpets are sounding and peals of lightning and thunder—the descriptions are alarming and frightening. I was reading Exodus 19 and 20 and noticed a similar event. Before God gave the Israelites His ten commandments, God’s glory descended on Mt Sinai, and its description is very similar to that given us in Revelation:
“On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, and a very loud trumpet sound so that all the people in the camp shuddered. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in the thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai at the tip of the mountain, and he went up.” (Ex. 19:16-20).
I wrote the following in my Bible after I read the Exodus passage, “Would I have been too afraid of the display (peek) of God’s glory to go ‘up’?” Moses wasn’t—he went up. I tend to want what appears safe and not to go up. Make no mistake about it: our God is a consuming fire. His presence is heralded with flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, and the blasts of trumpets. The small glimpse of Him I’ve gotten in Revelation from Pastor Louie’s talks is scary. When my friend Tonya taught about God’s holiness, she shared that our God is “awe-full.” And because He is, we bow accordingly in reverence and worship. And we must also draw near to Him if we want the intimacy He offers us, His beloved children. Jesus paid the ultimate price to give us that access so that we could go to Him boldly, with nothing separating us (see Luke 23:45). He gave us the capability to draw near so that we could know Him intimately. And He invites us into that intimacy. Our God, who is “a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29), also summons us “to come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16). What is your response?
🎶 Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love. Our God is an awesome God 🎶
-Richard Mullins
🎶Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidd'st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come🎶
–Charlotte Elliott
Priscilla Carr was born in NYC, but has lived in metro Atlanta since 1979. She is a Navy veteran trained in electronics which God used for a 30-year career at the FAA. She uses her training to provide audio support to Touching Hearts Ministries, and is the Editor and Producer of “A Burst of Hope” podcast. She began her adult new life in Jesus in 1990 right before leaving the Navy, and today she exudes her love for Jesus. She is the proud mama to two rambunctious fur kids, Gracie (Lab) and Faith (Pit-mix). Priscilla was encouraged by elementary teachers to write. She took creative writing courses in High School and college, but in the mid-eighties, she stopped writing. The desire to write has been recently reawakened, and she is thriving in her new writing adventure.