“Sometime later, Jesus went to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is a pool in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Many disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’” John 5:1-15

This...

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“So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:1-4

You are so much more than a body. You are a masterfully...

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Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed. But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including His people, his own special possession. The Lord of Heavens Armies is his name. Jeremiah 10:15-16

Is your weight an Idol? I’ve had many times in my life when I’ve had to pause and ask myself this question.

Most of us think of idols as wood statues that are worshiped as false Gods, when in reality, an idol is...

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From the first moment I found out I was having a daughter, I knew I would have an incredible responsibility as she grew to teach her about her worth and identity in Christ.

I am still very much learning, but from the time she could walk and talk here are some of the ways Sean and I are working towards establishing her identity in Christ!

1. Praise her character attributes rather than just her physical appearance.

2. When we do say she’s beautiful, we state the reason why is because she’s made in...

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I share my testimony of how God set me free from eating disorder every chance I can because we overcome the enemy by our testimony; But I also share because it is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and I want to share the freedom that can be found in Christ!

I can say from experience that there are many forms of disordered eating, all of which steals the health our bodies, and robs us from the life that God designed for us. When it comes down to it, anything that is in extreme, excess,...

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“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:6

We spend an inordinate amount of time and resources investing in our outer appearance. How many products did your face dawn today? No shame in this game. I’ll go first! With this devotional in mind, I counted the number of products and supplements (not to mention tools) I used, all in the name of health and beauty. Somehow, I managed to swallow or slather on more than twenty products – all before 9...

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Is there such a thing as being too healthy? In our crazy diet and image obsessed culture, it can be easy to take a good thing of being healthy too far, and get out of balance. Whether it's to do with your weight, your nutrition, or how you exercise, it's possible for a healthy positive to turn into a negative.

Focusing on eating healthy can itself become an obsession and turn into orthorexia, an eating disorder that focuses on strict rules and fear of unhealthy food. Focusing too much on...

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I can still feel the soft, warm cupping of chubby little hands on my face as my baby girl looked adoringly at me nose to nose. "Mommy," she'd say, "You're gorg." Moments later, she'd twirl into the room adorned with fake pearls and a ruffled dress to captivate her Daddy's attention. "Daddy, do I look beautiful?" she'd ask, already knowing the answer but yearning to hear it again and again.

There's no question. Girls are made to feel beautiful. It matters. It just does. It was knit into our...

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I read a quote recently that struck me. American Journalist Sydney J. Harris wrote, "Middle-age is that perplexing time of life when we hear two voices calling us, one saying, 'Why not?' and the other, "Why bother?" Bullseye! This topic has been swirling around in my mind for months. For those of us not quite in the prime of our youth and not quite menopausal, we find ourselves in the chasm of the middle. The middle can be an uncomfortable place. It's a place I'm becoming well acquainted...

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Looking for a 25 Day Bible Study you can do in just a few minutes each day!? Sarah Shaffer is sharing her 25 days of Prayer and Study Inspired by the Women of the Bible! We hope it blesses you!

Day One: Lessons from Eve

Father God, thank you for your Word that has existed from the beginning. Thank you that you are Immanuel -- God WITH us. Just as you were with Eve, you are with us still. Lord, it's so easy to take our eyes off of you. There are times when you speak so clearly to our hearts,...

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