By Paula Williamson guest writer Faith and hope are fascinating realities. You cannot see them, touch them, or measure them—yet they are undeniably real. Jesus, the King of Kings and the Messiah, performed miracles everywhere He went—except in one place: His hometown. The people there had watched Him grow up. They knew His earthly family. Familiarity clouded their belief, and because of their lack of faith, He, the Messiah could not do many miracles. In contrast, Scripture tells us of the woman who had suffered with an issue of blood for twelve years. After exhausting every earthly solution, she held onto one simple, unwavering belief:  if she could just touch the fringe of His garment, she would be healed.  When she did, healing came. Jesus told her, “Your faith has made you whole.” Scripture also reminds us that  hope deferred makes the heart sick.  Imagine how different the world would be if it were filled with faith and hope instead of doubt and despair. It Is Written Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen—the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses. Believing Is Seeing The world often insists, “Seeing is believing.” But Scripture teaches the opposite:  believing is seeing. Faith reaches beyond what is visible and holds onto what is promised. It trusts that what cannot yet be seen is already secured by God. Throughout my life, many situations appeared hopeless. Yet time and again, what seemed impossible has turned into joy, restoration, and gratitude—outcomes that cannot be explained by human understanding. When everything else has been tried, perhaps the real question is this:  Why not place our faith in God? Prayer Lord, Your Word teaches that faith is the substance of what is hoped for not seen. Help me to trust Your Word even when I cannot see the outcome. Strengthen my faith where it is weak and teach me to walk by faith and not by sight. Increase my confidence in Your promises and anchor my hope in You alone. Takeaway With God, all things are possible.

By Paula Williamson guest writer There is truth in believing what we see—but there is also a deeper truth in believing what we cannot see. In Scripture, we read of a moment when the prophet Elisha and his servant were surrounded by an army with horses and chariots. What the servant saw filled him with fear and hopelessness. From his perspective, defeat was certain, but Elisha saw something entirely different. He lived by faith, not by sight. He prayed that his servant’s eyes would be opened—not to the visible, but to the invisible. In that moment, everything changed. The servant saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding them—God’s protection had been there all along. It Is Written 2 Kings 6:15–17 “Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, ‘This is hopeless, my master! What are we to do?’ And he said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are greater than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘Lord, please, open his eyes so that he may see.’ And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” Faith Believes What It Cannot See Through the eyes of faith, the world looks very different. It reveals a reality where the invisible God is actively at work—keeping His Word, fulfilling His promises, and surrounding His people. Faith sees beyond the natural. It believes beyond the possible. It is in the impossible that God often moves—storms are stilled, seas are parted, donkeys speak, and ninety-year-old women give birth. Promises are fulfilled in ways we could never imagine. What seems overwhelming to us is never beyond Him. Prayer Lord, open my eyes to see beyond what is visible. Teach me to trust You, even when I cannot see what You are doing.Help me to walk by faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord, believing Your promises over my circumstances. Takeaway Truth is not based solely on what I see, but on who God is.By faith, I trust in His promises—even when I cannot see them yet.

By Paula Williamson guest writer Have you ever seen the movie  Dead Man Walking ? Sometimes life can feel like that—going through the motions, yet unsure of your purpose or why you’re here at all. Don’t we all long to know? At some point, many of us realize that everything the world offers eventually loses its shine. As Scripture says, there is nothing new under the sun. What once felt exciting can leave us empty, searching for something more. It Is Written Ephesians 2:1–5 “And you were spiritually dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, in which you once walked, following the ways of this world… gratifying the cravings of your flesh and following its desires and thoughts… But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Alive and Fully Alive! Before Christ, we were spiritually dead—breathing, moving, existing, but separated from the true source of life. The world promises fulfillment, but it cannot sustain it.Sin offers satisfaction, but it never satisfies for long. Yet God…Because of His great love and rich mercy, He steps in.He doesn’t leave us in that lifeless state. He makes us alive. Not partially alive.Not barely surviving.But truly, fully alive in Christ. This is what our hearts have been longing for all along. Prayer Lord, regardless of how I feel or what I see around me, I choose to believe Your Word. You say I have been made alive in Christ. I don’t have to live under the influence of the world, my flesh, or the enemy’s lies. Today, I surrender my life to You—Your will, Your purpose, Your plan. I am Yours.Teach me to live fully alive in You. Takeaway I don’t have to just exist.In Christ, I am made alive.

By Paula Williamson guest writer Who can truly know God?His ways are far higher than ours. He spoke the universe into existence and sustains it by His power. He is beyond full human understanding—yet Scripture tells us that we  can  know Him. How? Through Jesus. Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. If we want to know what God is like, we only need to look at the Son. In Him, the invisible God becomes visible. In His life, we see the heart of the Father revealed. It Is Written Ephesians 1:17–19 “I always pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation that gives you a deep and personal and intimate knowledge of Him. And that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened—flooded with light—so that you will know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His people, and the immeasurable, unlimited, surpassing greatness of His power in us who believe.” Jesus Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead. He touched the untouchable and loved the overlooked. He confounded the wise and lifted the humble. No other life has so profoundly impacted the world as this one solitary life. But more than His miracles, it is His heart that reveals God.Compassion. Mercy. Truth. Power. Sacrifice. If you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father. Prayer Lord, I want what Paul prayed for.Give me a spirit of wisdom and revelation so I may truly know You.Open the eyes of my heart—flood them with Your light.Help me to understand the hope You’ve called me to and the riches of Your inheritance.Let me begin to grasp the immeasurable, unlimited greatness of Your power at work in me. Takeaway God is not distant or unknowable.He has made Himself known. If you want to know what God is like—look at Jesus.

By Paula Williamson guest writer We’ve all heard stories like it—the poor little girl living in an orphanage discovering her father is alive and wealthy, returning to rescue her. Or Cinderella in ashes, whose prince arrives and she becomes royalty. They make for beautiful fairy tales… but they aren’t real. Yet there  is  a true story—one written long ago, and it includes you. It Is Written Ephesians 1:11–14 In Him we have received an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we who first hoped in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory. The Great Rescue This isn’t a fairy tale—it’s your story. Before the foundation of the world, God already had a plan for you. You were not an afterthought. You were chosen, claimed, and given a destiny in Him. Through Jesus Christ, the greatest rescue took place. He paid the price for our salvation, making a way for us to be brought into God’s family. And when we believe in Him—not just knowing about Him, but placing our trust in Him—we receive something extraordinary: An inheritance. Not one that fades or can be taken away—but one that is eternal. And as a promise of what’s to come, God places His Holy Spirit within us—like a seal, a mark of ownership, and a guarantee that what He has promised, He will fulfill. You are no longer without identity.You are no longer without belonging.You are an heir. Prayer Wow, Father… You have given me the riches of Your inheritance. I belong to You. I am chosen, protected, and sealed by Your Spirit. Thank You that I am an heir with Christ. What a gift—what a grace. Thank You. Takeaway This is not a fairy tale—you are part of the story. Your inheritance is not something you earn; it is something you receive.

By Paula Williamson guest writer Have you ever felt invisible—unnoticed, unimportant, and without a sense of belonging? Most of us have, at one time or another. Anyone who has moved to a new town, started a new school, or stepped into a new job knows that feeling all too well. It’s unsettling… even painful. But oh, the joy when someone calls your name, takes notice, shows interest, and wants to hear your story. What a powerful sense of validation that brings. The truth is, we were never meant to live without belonging. Someone has always been there, waiting for us to find our way home. Long before we ever took our first breath, we were in His heart. From the very beginning, His plan included a moment—your moment—when you would realize:  He is your home.   It Is Written EPHESIANS 1: 3 -6 Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, 4 just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we  would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love 5 He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will —6 to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ].   Adoption The Creator of the universe made a plan to adopt us as His own. Think about that—chosen, wanted, pursued. Yet in His love, He gives us the freedom to choose. He waits for us to respond, to accept the invitation into His family. I remember when I was 12 years old, I made that decision. I ran to my Heavenly Father and received His wraparound love into my life. There are many things I’ve regretted over the years—but that decision has never been one of them. Prayer Thank You for blessing me with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Thank You for choosing me and calling me Your own. Thank You for making me blameless in Your sight through Jesus. Thank You for adopting me into Your family through His life, death, burial, and resurrection. Thank You that I belong—and that my life has purpose in You. Takeaway Your adoption papers are ready and waiting. This isn’t just a beautiful idea—it’s a personal invitation. If you’ve been feeling unseen, unwanted, or unsure where you belong, this is your moment. You don’t have to earn it. You don’t have to clean yourself up first. You simply have to respond. Say “yes” to the One who has already chosen you. You’re Invited If you’ve never received an invitation, you’re invited. If you’re ready, here’s a prayer: “Father, I come to You just as I am. I believe You chose me and made a way for me to You, through Jesus. I surrender my life to You. I confess my sins and receive Your forgiveness, Your grace, and my place in Your family. Thank You that I belong to You. Amen.” Today can be the day you come home.

By Paula Williamson guest writer Wouldn’t it be great if we had a GPS that spoke to us about how to walk and when to recalculate—one that told us when to take a different direction in life? Actually, we do. If you don’t have a Bible nearby, there is an app called  Holy Bible  that you can read anywhere you carry your phone. God’s Word not only shows us when we need to change direction, but it also reveals the roads that lead to blessings or curses.   It Is Written: DEUTERONOMY 28: 1 -13 “Now it shall be, if you diligently listen to and obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all of His commandments which I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you pay attention to the voice of the Lord your God. 3 “You will be blessed in the city, and you will be blessed in the field. 4 “The offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your animals, the offspring of your herd and the young of your flock will be blessed. 5 “Your basket and your kneading bowl will be blessed. 6 “You will be blessed when you come in and you will be blessed when you go out. 7 “The Lord will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way but flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your storehouses and in al l that you undertake, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 9 The Lord will establish you as a people holy [and set apart] to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk [that is, live your life each and every day] in His ways. 10 So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord , and they will be afraid of you. 11 The Lord will give you great prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open for you His good treasure house, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. 13 The Lord will make you the head (leader) and not the tail (follower); and you will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen and pay attention to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today, to observe them carefully.   Recalculating In Deuteronomy, we find verses that clearly describe what happens when we choose to live God’s way—and what happens when we choose our own way. The law of the harvest is real. If you plant a tomato seed, you get a tomato. Life works the same way. When we spend our lives sowing negative choices, attitudes, and actions, we eventually reap a negative harvest. But the good news is that we can change direction at any time. When we choose God’s path, we begin planting seeds that lead to a very different harvest. Prayer Lord, thank You for the roadmap in Your Word that shows us how to walk in blessing and warns us of the consequences of following our own ways. Thank You for the rewards of obedience and for faithfully guiding those who seek You. Help me walk in Your ways today. Takeaway God’s Word is the perfect GPS. Follow His direction leads to blessing. If we lose our way we can always recalculate and return to Him.

By Paula Williamson guest writer Sometimes everywhere we go people are talking about hardships, negative world circumstances, the latest conspiracy theory, or words that spiral downward. It can feel like discouragement is everywhere. But there is a place you can go where everything shifts into an upward spiral. It Is Written: PSALM 91:10 -16 No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. 11 For He will command His angels in regard to you, to protect and defend and guard you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. 12 They will lift you up in their hands, so that you do not [even] strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra; The young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. 14 “Because he set his love on Me, therefore I will save him; I will set him [securely] on high, because he knows My name [he confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon him, no, never]. 15 “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 “With a long life I will satisfy him, and I will let him see My salvation.” Change Your News Source Psalm 91 tells us that when we dwell in the secret place of the Most High, we rest under the shadow of the Almighty. He becomes our refuge, our fortress—our God in whom we trust. When we step away from the constant noise of the world and step into God’s presence, our perspective changes. Fear begins to fade, hope rises, and our hearts remember that we are not alone. Prayer Lord, thank You for the promises in Your Word. Thank You that You command Your angels concerning me. Thank You that You hear when I call and that You are with me when I am in trouble. Thank You that You promise to rescue me and satisfy me with a long life where I see Your salvation. In You my heart confidently trusts. Takeaway There is a place of peace, encouragement, and safety. When the world feels heavy, change your focus upward and step into the presence of the Most High.

By Paula Williamson guest writer Do you ever wonder why you are here? Most of us have days like that. The Word of God brings clarity to our cloudy days. It Is Written 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (ESV) “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”   The Bus Boy I was once eating at a restaurant and couldn’t help but notice that most of the people had their heads down, looking at their cell phones or quietly eating. There were tired moms, restless kids, and people from every walk of life. But one person stood out. It was the young man bussing tables. He had a smile as wide as his face and teeth that seemed to shine when he laughed. As he worked, he hummed to himself. If someone walked near him or caught his eye, he was quick to ask how they were doing and offer a kind word. In a room full of people, he was the brightest light in the whole restaurant. Not the manager. Not the hostess. The bus boy. Let that sink in He probably had no idea that anyone noticed. But I did. That young man changed my life, and I will never forget him. In that moment, I realized something powerful: you don’t need a title, a stage, or a spotlight to shine for God. Prayer Lord, help me grasp the reality that I am the temple of the Holy Spirit. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me. Help me, like that bus boy, to glorify You in my body. Your Word says in 2 Corinthians 4:7,  “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” Takeaway You never know who is watching your life. Shine anyway.

By Paula Williamson guest writer Do these words seem far away from you? They are not. They are exactly what the Creator of the universe says about His children. We are sons and daughters of the King. Would we really argue with Him? After all, He created the earth and everything in it. To this day, creation still obeys the command He gave when He spoke it into existence. I think it’s safe to say He knows what He’s talking about. It Is Written 1 PETER 2: 9 -10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession , so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy , but now you have received mercy, You Have a Choice My grandmother used to tell me that I could put on my  glad pants  just as easily as my  sad pants . She was right. We are not helpless victims of our circumstances. While we cannot control everything that happens around us, we can choose how we think, how we respond, and what we allow to come out of our mouths. Through Christ, we have the freedom to choose gratitude over bitterness, hope over despair, and truth over lies. Prayer Thank You, Lord, that You say I am  a chosen race, a holy nation, and Your own possession . Thank You that I have the honorable purpose of making known Your wonderful deeds. Thank You for calling me out of darkness and into Your marvelous light. Thank You that I belong to You. Thank You that I am Your child. Takeaway I am a child of the King.

By Paula Williamson guest writer Imperishable Inheritance Many of us love a fairytale or fantasy story with a happy ending. But there is a story that is not a fantasy or a fairytale. It is real, and we can be part of it. It is a story filled with boundless mercy, spiritual transformation, renewal, and a living hope. It speaks of being shielded by God’s power and receiving an imperishable inheritance—one that is undefiled and unfading. It almost sounds like a fairytale. But we have God’s Word on it. It Is Written 1 PETER 1 :3 -5 Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above— spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 [born anew] into an inheritance which is imperishable [beyond the reach of change] and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are being protected and shielded by the power of God through your faith for salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time. Sounds Too Good to Be True If you are anything like me, you have believed some of the worst things about yourself and about life. But here’s a question: how has that been working out? It has been said that insanity is doing the same thing the same way and expecting something different to happen. Maybe it’s time to trade in the old belief system for a new one—one that comes from the words of God. It has also been said that the highest form of pride is exalting what we believe over what God says. Prayer Lord, Your thoughts are not my thoughts, and Your ways are not my ways. I am tired of living inside my own head and being subject to the ever-changing thoughts and trends of this world. They are shallow, unreliable, and constantly shifting. Today I want to trade them all in for the imperishable inheritance You offer—one that is unchanging, undefiled, and unfading, given through Jesus, Your Son. My way has not worked very well. So today, Lord, I come lifting this humble prayer. Takeaway I can trade in my old life for a new one—spiritually transformed, set apart, given an imperishable inheritance, and protected by the power of God.

By Paula Williamson guest writer Name Changer What do you call yourself when you’ve failed, messed up, forgotten something important, responded without the patience you wished for, or found yourself down in the dumps? I’m guessing it’s not a very good name. There are three gifts promised in Scripture that intrigue me: hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name written on the stone—a name God gives. It is written: “To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” —Revelation 2:17 Hidden Manna I am no theologian, but when I read the inspired words of God—the One who spoke the universe into existence—I stand in awe. Even today the seasons arrive like clockwork, birds migrate across continents, and the oceans stay within the boundaries He set. And the unconditional love of Jesus wraps around me like a warm blanket. The names I find in the Bible are much kinder than the ones my mind sometimes gives me. Scripture calls me forgiven (Col. 1:13–14), chosen (Col. 3:12), loved (John 3:16), redeemed (Gal. 3:13), blessed (Deut. 28:6), led (Rom. 8:14), the light of the world (Matt. 5:14), an heir (Rom. 8:17), adopted (Gal. 4:5–7), more than a conqueror (Rom. 8:37), an overcomer (Rev. 12:11), the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13), a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and delivered from darkness (Col. 1:13). When I break open the Bread of Life—God’s Word—each day, I discover hidden manna that feeds me with nourishment the world cannot offer. My soul is satisfied. Prayer Lord, thank You that the words You call me are kinder and more merciful than anything my own mind could ever imagine. Thank You for the promises in Your Word—extravagant, life-giving, and heart-changing. Help me remember who You say I am. Takeaway The world, my past, and even my own thoughts may try to give me names that do not belong to me. But God is the ultimate Name Changer. And one day, He will place a white stone in my hand with a new name written on it—one that comes from His heart. That is the name that matters.