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By Paula Williamson, guest writer Humans like to fling one-liners. Many aren't true, but this one has some truth. Scripture does not teach that we will be exempt from trials, but that God will walk with us through them. Trials are painful to our flesh and are meant to put it to death. As children of God, we are to live by the Spirit, not the flesh. Trials can kill pride, selfishness, and many unbecoming traits that do not resemble a child of God. It Is Written JAMES 1:2 -

By Paula Williamson, guest writer Whoever said that was misinformed. There is only one remedy for healing wounds, and it isn’t time. Where do we get our wisdom? Is it from a credible source? History repeatedly shows we are fallible, yet one place has never been proven wrong in over 3,000 years. God’s word will never pass away. It Is Written ISAIAH 53: 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; t

By Paula Williamson, guest writer If I asked everyone in the world who has been hurt by words, I don’t think anyone would hesitate to raise their hand. Words can be extremely cruel, like weapons of mass destruction. That should not be. God created the world with His words. It Is Written PROVERBS 12:18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. PROVERBS 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love i

By Paula Williamson, guest writer When I was growing up, children were expected to be seen and not heard. In my family, we were taught to obey rather than think for ourselves. Only one opinion mattered, and it wasn't ours. This type of parenting led me to look for voices outside my own head to tell me what to do. Empowering children to think is important. It Is Written MATTHEW 19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such be

By Paula Williamson, guest writer When I think of the differences in my family over the last four generations, I marvel at both the good and the bad. My great-grandmother was alive when slavery was legal. My grandmother was not allowed to vote because she was a woman. My mother was born during the Holocaust, when six million people were murdered because they were Jews. I was born at a time when there were signs on restaurant doors and water fountains prohibiting Black peopl

By Paula Williamson, guest writer When Jesus came, He did not come the way the religious leaders, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Jewish citizens, expected. He did not fit the box they had for Him. Mary Magdalene, a former prostitute, traveled with His 12 disciples. Jesus went out of His way to reveal to the Samaritan woman at the well that He was the Messiah. He commended the Syrophoenician woman for her great faith. Although the religious leaders frowned upon it, Jesus includ

By Paula Williamson, guest writer God forgive those who, through intimidation, words, and actions, have made many feel inferior, stifling their God-given gifts. We were created in God’s image, and each person has unique gifts and abilities to offer. There is only one you, unique and valuable. It Is Written 1 TIMOTHY 4:12 Let no one look down on [you because of] your youth, but be an example and set a pattern for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and

By Paula Williamson, guest writer We often go through life without examining our motives. Even when we sense the direction we should take, we rationalize, and our mouths say yes to what our gut says no to. Wisdom pauses before it speaks. Ask yourself: “Is what I am about to say in the best interest of others, or is it just making me feel and look good?” It Is Written: PSALM 141:3 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Boundaries We can s

By Paula Williamson, guest writer The word submission causes most women to bristle. Misconceptions about wives submitting to their husbands conjure images of men as superior and of women wearing a muzzle over their mouths, forced to keep their opinions to themselves because only his matters. In Scripture, the word for submitting comes from a Greek word meaning to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Paul emphasizes that the role is not about dominance but about

By Paula Williamson, guest writer Depending on where you get your knowledge, the lines can get blurry. Those of us who are uncomfortable with an imperfect world can easily find ourselves under a mountain of false burdens and responsibilities. Here is a lens of clarity. We should not be doing what others can and should do for themselves. It Is Written GALATIANS 6:2, 5 Bear one another's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ". 5 For each one should ca

By Paula Williamson, guest writer The human paradigm is an endless staircase and a hamster wheel. The worldview pushes us to achieve and accomplish. I once held thirteen jobs in a church. That’s crazy! The truth is, people who don't know how to say “no” get used and taken advantage of. When we view the Bible as an endless set of rules to follow rather than the Holy Spirit’s leading, life becomes hard and often fruitless. It Is Written MATTHEW 11:30 “For my yoke is easy an

By Paula Williamson, guest writer Taking care of oneself is not selfish. When flying, the stewardess tells passengers to put on their oxygen masks first in case of emergency. You cannot take care of others without good self-care. You cannot give others what you do not have. A wise counselor once told me, “You can’t pour from an empty pitcher.” It Is Written MARK 12:30-31 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all

Paula Williamson, guest writer Abuse is rampant in our world today. Hollywood, video games, and social media have played a major role in desensitizing us to say and do things we would never say or do to a real human being standing in front of us. Growing up in a dysfunctional home normalizes verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, making behavior that is not okay seem acceptable. Even Christians misinterpret scripture to tolerate abuse. It Is Written MATTHEW 5:39 But I tel

By Paula Williamson, guest writer I have seen too many lives destroyed by alcohol. It is a deceiver and a life-destroyer, a god in a bottle that controls one’s life like a cruel puppeteer. It not only destroys the life of the one held hostage by its influence but also devastates the onlookers who love the person under its cruel control. It causes beautiful women to slobber, slur their speech, and behave in unbecoming ways. It drives people to say and do things they would neve

By Paula Williamson, guest writer The greatest thing we will ever do begins at home. Living a public life that does not reflect the life we lead at home is hypocrisy. The battle for integrity begins within the four walls of our homes. What kind of steward are we of the things God has entrusted to us? How do we treat the members of our household? Do we handle conflict at home as respectfully as we do at work? Do we have more patience with other people’s children than with our

By Paula Williamson, guest writer As a child, I heard song lyrics: Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear. Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear. There’s a Father up above, looking down in tender love. Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear. Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say. Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say. There’s a Father up above, looking down in tender love. Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say. That’s a lot of wisdom for today.

By Paula Williamson, guest writer I wish parents would teach their children from a young age how important sexual purity is and how it affects future generations. Hollywood’s lust-filled images reduce the beautiful relationship between two people to sex. Sexual intimacy unites two people in ways that affect family lines for generations. Unless we forgive and break those bonds, they pass on things from other people's families that we never imagined. It Is Written EPHESIAN

By Paula Williamson, guest writer Rare is the family without some form of dysfunction. I once heard Charles Stanley say, “We get our view of God from the authority figures in our lives.” That stopped me in my tracks because I thought that if it is true, we all have a skewed view of God. Angel Studios produced a series called “The Chosen.” While it is a movie, it certainly provokes one to think about who Jesus was and is, a perfect role model. It Is Written EPHESIANS 5:1

By Paula Williamson, guest writer Bitterness should be on the list of fatal toxins. When we hold on to the offense others have done to us, it is like drinking poison and expecting them to die. Bitterness eats away at us, the person we were created to be. It robs us of our God-given destiny and sours every part of our lives and relationships. It is like toxic gas that everyone around us can smell. The beginning of freedom is forgiving others, ourselves, and God. It Is Writte

By Paula Williamson, guest writer The book of James says our mouths are like a ship's rudder. The direction of our lips controls our ships. That’s a shocker! In a fear-driven society where bad news travels around the world in a blink, it would do us well to recognize the power of our words. If we had a GPS on our mouths that rerouted us every time we slid into the abyss of speaking words that do not bless us or others, how many times a day would we hear, "Proceed to the rou