Category Archives: Personal Growth

What It Means to be Surefooted as a Deer

It’s an interesting comparison that the prophet Habakkuk makes in Habakkuk 3:19; he says that God gives us strength and makes us surefooted as a deer. The King James Version says it this way:

The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.
Habakkuk 3:19 KJV

What is a hind?

A hind is actually a female red deer. I did a little digging this week to better understand this verse. Here’s what I found out. A hind won’t step on anything that is not sure and steady under its feet. What’s so interesting is that she will place her back feet exactly in the same place her front feet went. She is exactly sure footed, not off by an inch. Because of these two abilities, she is able to scale mountains and rocks without any fear of falling. It’s no wonder God told Habakkuk to use a deer as an example of sure footedness.

I haven’t seen too many deer up high in the mountains, but I have seen goats and mountain sheep high on the tops of mountains. It’s amazing to watch them. They are so sure footed, even on the side of a mountain. It’s the most amazing sight! Below are a few pictures I took from the road of big horn sheep climbing the mountains in Colorado.

They are so fearless as they traverse up and down the sides of mountains.

What does living like this look like?

When I see a picture like this with this verse in mind, it helps me to understand more clearly how God wants me to live my life. He wants me to so trust in him and in his goodness that I can literally bound around even dangerous places and not feel an ounce of fear because I know “God’s got this.”

I’m not sure how close to bounding you are right now. You may be the furthest thing away from that, and that’s okay. It just gives us a picture of how God created us and wants us to live. It gives us something to strive towards.

How do we live this way?

How do we live this way? What’s the secret? The secret lies in the preceding verses:

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
Habakkuk 3:17,18

If we want the surefooted confidence of a hind, we have to hand over the control of our lives to God and choose to rejoice no matter what comes our way. We can not control the circumstances in our lives, but we can control our response to those circumstances. And the response every time, according to these verses is supposed to be joy. It’s a choice. A choice to choose joy and to be as surefooted as the deer as we make our way through this life, or a choice to choose despair and frustration and find ourselves doubting, questioning, and stumbling on our difficult journey.

What does it mean to choose joy?

These verses are some of the most encouraging yet challenging verses in the Bible. How do we choose joy when life is so hard at times? I think we have to remember that joy doesn’t mean “happy” necessarily. It doesn’t mean we slap a smile on our faces when our world has just fallen apart.

It simply means that in the midst of the heartbreak, we choose to acknowledge that God is still good. That’s where our joy comes from. It comes from this deep place in side of us that goes deeper than simply “happiness.” It’s a deep understanding that I choose to still trust God and not let my circumstances determine my response.

So the next time you see a deer, stop for a moment and just watch it bound effortlessly away and remember these verses and let it remind you to choose joy every time.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post Enjoy the Stage of Life You’re In.

I would be remiss to not mention a popular older book called Hind’s Feet in High Places that gets its name from these verses.

Finding Freedom from Comparing Ourselves

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Comparing ourselves to others is so easy; in fact, it’s too easy. Social media channels make it the easiest thing to see the perfect moments in somebody else’s life and feel the pressure that we don’t measure up. Do any of these thoughts feel familiar?

Comparing Ourselves

My house doesn’t look like that. I don’t know how she does that. She looks really good. How does she dress like that and look so good all the time? How are their kids so smart? Why doesn’t my husband say those things about me? I wish we had that kind of money. I wish we had a house like that. If we had more money, we could do that too. How do they make enough to get that car, that vacation, that….fill in the blank.

Have you ever found yourself spiraling with thoughts like these after being on social media? It doesn’t just have to come from social media, either. It can happen after going over to someone else’s house, after meeting with a friend for coffee, after seeing a commercial on tv. We find these thoughts pinging at us constantly. Satan knows just how to show us something that makes us want more than we have or make us think we don’t have enough.

Shaming Ourselves

Usually then, we take it one step further. We begin to shame ourselves for not measuring up to another person or idea. We feel completely inept and imperfect, and we begin to doubt ourselves. Then come the thoughts that paralyze us and keep us from moving forward.

I can’t do this. This isn’t working. I am a complete failure. How can anybody love me or stand to be around me? Why can’t I figure out life like everybody else? Why am I the only one who doesn’t have their act together?

I am so convinced that this is one of the greatest weapons Satan uses to keep us from doing what God wants us to do. He uses these doubts and questions to keep us side-lined or at least distracted. If we don’t feel good about ourselves, if we constantly doubt ourselves and feel shame, how in the world can we be of any use to God? The answer is we can’t be.

Emily Freeman, in her book, Simply Tuesday, says this:

The best way to sabotage my own success is to be obsessed with someone else’s.
Emily Freeman

Focusing Ourselves

The surest way to not succeed and not move forward in life is to focus on other people and their successes. Paul tells us how to combat this problem in the book of Galatians.

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
Galatians 6:4,5 NLT

And we’re reminded of the foolishness of comparing ourselves to others in II Corinthians.

For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
II Corinthians 10:12 KJV

Freeing Ourselves

So how do we free ourselves from the trap of comparison? Here are a few ways to get you started:

Don’t compare yourself to others. Refuse to compare yourself or your work to other people or what they are doing. Keep your head down and stay focused on your own work.
Take a break from social media, or limit your time on social media.
Spend extra time each day practicing gratitude. Gratitude is a great way to combat envy.
Start each day with God and get consistent with a morning time routine.
Spend some time writing down your successes. What has God allowed you to accomplish? Then thank God for those successes.

Above all, remember that God created you uniquely you and gave you the talents and abilities needed to do the work he wants you to do. That’s all you have to focus on.

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out Sandra Stanley’s devotional Comparison Trap. It’s a 28-devotional and has a free accompanying app with corresponding videos.

You can also check out my Finding Free Products.

The Key to Unlocking Hope

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I wrote last week about my word of the year—believe. If you missed that post and want to read why I chose that word, check out my post , My Word for the Year. The more I think about belief, the more I am beginning to see how belief and hope are tied to each other.

Abraham Held Tightly to His Hope

One of the greatest examples of hope in the Bible is the story of Abraham and Sarah. Romans 4 tells us that even when there was no reason to keep hoping, Abraham held onto his hope.

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
Romans 4:18,19 NLT

Abraham knew how old he was, and he knew how old Sarah was. He had every reason to give up hope that they would have a baby, but he stubbornly clung to hope.

How? How did he not lose hope? And how do we get that same kind of hope, a hope that doesn’t give up no matter what?

The Key to Unlocking Hope

The key to unlocking hope is belief. Abraham believed when there was no reason to; he kept hoping when it was long past time to give up hoping.

If you’re still alive, then it’s too soon to give up. If your heart is still beating in your chest, then there is still hope. There is still hope for your marriage. There’s still hope for your finances, for your unsaved loved ones, for your wayward child, for your health, for that impossible situation. Whatever it is, it’s not too late. There’s still time for God to work. The key is to believe that God can do whatever it is you’re asking him to do, and trusting that he will do it.

Don’t Give Up

Maybe you just need to be reminded today to stay in the fight. Don’t give up. Get back out there. Keep believing. Keep hoping. Wait with anticipation for God to work and to come through for you.

I can tell you this. If you stop believing, then it won’t come to pass. God cares too much about your faith. Faith is everything to him.

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 NLT

If You’ve Lost Your Hope

If you’ve lost your hope, here’s what you have to do. Go back to when it was that you stopped believing—when you stopped believing in God’s goodness, trusting God to come through for you. Go back to when God let you down. Start there. Have a painful conversation with God; write down your thoughts and pray them to your Father. You’re not going to hurt his feelings; he can handle it. Be honest. Tell him everything you are thinking and feeling.

Then, ask God to help you start believing again; that’s on him. The next part is on you. Now you have to choose to start believing again. It’s going to take some work at first. Just like strengthening any muscle that’s weak, it will take time. But if you keep doing it, if you keep exercising faith, you will find hope begin to bloom inside of you once again.

Here’s my prayer for you…

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 NLT

For More Encouragement

If you enjoyed this post, consider sending it to someone else to encourage them. For more encouragement, check out The One Guarantee if You Quit.

A great book to read about increasing your faith through prayer is Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears. I highly recommend it!

My Word for the Year

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I can’t believe it’s January of a new year. Where did the time go?

A Look Back

Every year, Matt and I spend some time in December reflecting on the year. We write down all the good that happened. I’m always amazed at God’s goodness when we wrap up the year. 2022 was no different. We can see God’s hand and faithfulness all over our family this year.

After we finish processing the year, we move on to the new year. We write down our goals for the new year, what we want to accomplish, things we want to change, dreams we want to go after, and more.

My Word for the Year

Then, we choose a word to focus on for the year. Last year, at the beginning of the year, I chose the word fulfilled. I wanted to remember all year long that God was enough, and that I have all I need. My verse for the year was psalm 23:1.

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
Psalm 23:1

The word I chose for this year is believe. It’s a pretty common word. In fact, I saw it on so many Christmas T-shirts this year. The simple fact is I want to increase my faith; I want to take Jesus at his word. No more doubting, second guessing, stutter stepping, questioning…I want to believe. Like the disciples, I want to say, God, increase my faith.

Choosing to Take God at His Word

The older I get and the more I grow in my faith, I realize how weak my faith is at times. As a child and then into my teen years and college years, I had no problems with faith. I had more faith than the next person, or at least I thought I did. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how much I don’t believe—how much I doubt.

This year, I am choosing to take God at his word. I am going to choose to believe that God will come through for me this time, just like he did last time. I will believe that God loves me, and I can rest in that love. It has nothing to do with whether I deserve it or not. I am choosing to believe that God will be enough when I fall short in my kids’ lives. I’m choosing to believe God is not done working in my life; and that he is going to use me in this new year, in spite of my failures. I will believe that I am doing the work he wants me to do, and that he will strengthen me and guide me in that work. I have some personal things I am choosing to believe God for this year as well.

Believe.

It’s a simple word, but it’s power? Not quite so simple. The word believe is tied to faith, and faith can move mountains. I’m excited to see what mountains are going to move this year! Want to join me on the journey?

That’s my word for this year.

What’s yours?

For More Encouragement

If you want to find a word for the year but need help finding one, check out Day Spring. That’s how I found my word for 2022. You can also read my post, The No-Stress Way to Find Your Word for the Year.
Also, if you want to start January strong with a morning time routine, check out my morning time routine training videos. And be sure to visit Manney Resources. We have everything you need to get started—journals, devotionals, books, etc.

Thanksgiving Prompts for Each Day Next Week

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The Busyness of Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving next week, preparations are underway to prepare for this special holiday. There’s so much that goes into Thanksgiving, making it a special holiday for everybody to enjoy. You’ve got to buy the right size turkey and remember to thaw it on time, peel the potatoes for mashed potatoes, bake the pie, thaw the dinner rolls, cut up the bread for stuffing, set the table, and more. We prepare all week to make Thursday the perfect day.

In the midst of the craziness, we try to spend a few extra minutes being thankful. God has so richly blessed us in so many ways, and this is the perfect time to spend some extra time thanking him.

No Time to be Thankful

What usually happens though, is we simply run out of time. The week passes by in the blink of an eye. We miss our chance to spend some extra time in gratitude. We promise ourselves that next year it will be different.

This year, carve out a time each morning in your morning time routine to spend just a few extra minutes in gratitude to God. Use these prayer prompts and verses below to make it easy this next week!

Thanksgiving Meditations for each day next week

Just using these simple prompts each day can transform your week this next week into a true week of Thanksgiving.

For More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post Don’t Cancel Thanksgiving Just Yet. If you need help getting into the habit of writing down something you are thankful for each day, check out my Faithfully Stepping Journals. These journals have a section each day for gratitude.

The One Guarantee if You Quit

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Wanting to Quit

Have you ever wanted to quit on something, but you didn’t? You pushed through and were rewarded when you did?

We were walking this week as a family on some trails. We’re past the peak of fall, and there’s not much color left. We’d been walking down this one path for a while and just not seeing anything worth seeing. Honestly, I was about ready to tell the kids to head back when all of a sudden, we turned a corner and this beautiful scene opened up before our eyes. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. We almost missed it. If we hadn’t kept going, we would have missed it completely.

One Thing’s For Sure

What do you have in your life right now that you want to give up on? What’s just not working? What are you ready to say enough to? You’ve tried and tried, and it’s just not working. You’re exhausted from trying so hard. You’re ready to be done. You feel overlooked, underappreciated, undervalued. Everybody else is making it work, but you just can’t! What are you so close to giving up on?

Here’s the next question: What will happen if you quit? One of my favorite quotes about not giving up comes from Steve Harvey.

“Everybody has a turn-back moment. You have a moment where you can go forward or you can give up. … [But] if you give up, the guarantee is it will never happen. … The only way the possibility remains that it can happen is if you never give up, no matter what.”
Steve Harvey

If you quit now, you can know for sure that you will never know what would have happened if you hung in there, if you waited it out.

So I’m coming alongside you today saying, “Don’t quit. Not yet. Hold on just a little bit longer. Keep at it just a little longer.” What might be on the other side if you just don’t quit?

Exercise to Try

Here’s a great exercise to try. Write down what could happen if you don’t quit.
Now write down what will for sure happen if you do decide to walk away? Now compare the two lists. Which one could you live with? Which one could change your life? Why?

The writer of the book of Hebrews understood a little something about wanting to give up, about growing weary and losing heart.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:3

The writer tells us to consider Jesus. Why? So that you won’t grow weary and lose heart. How does that work?

When we stop and consider or think about Jesus and all that he went through for us, it helps us to remember what’s really important.

Turning our Focus to Jesus

Why does that work? Why does focusing on Jesus help us to keep going? That’s because focusing on Jesus does four things for us.

Focusing on Jesus…

Gets the focus off of ourselves.
Makes our problems not seem as big.
Reminds us what’s important and what’s at stake.
Reminds us that Jesus knows and understands.

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
Hebrews 4:15

So if you’re feeling tired today, if you feel like you just want to quit, like you can’t do this anymore…turn your focus to Jesus. Consider what he did for you. He gave everything for you, so that you could in turn live for him. Remember his amazing gift of love and let that challenge and encourage you to serve him today and not give up.

He knows what you’re going through, and he will get you through. Only God knows what’s on the other side if you don’t quit! But you’ll never know if you choose to give it all up.

More encouragement

For more encouragement, check out Matt’s book Breakthrough or check out my post It’s Too Soon to Quit.

When You Can’t Feel God in Your Life

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a cloudy day when you can't feel the sun

When You Can’t See or Feel the Sun

The other day, Matt and I went for a walk early in the morning. I eagerly anticipated the sunrise; sunrise is the best part of the day! The closer we got to sunrise, the more I realized it was just not going to happen. It was too cloudy and overcast. A depressed sort of feeling came over me; I’d really been looking forward to the sunrise. I looked at my phone to see the weather for the day. Not only was there no sunrise, but there wasn’t going to be any sun all day long.

As I walked, I looked up at the sky. I knew the sun was up there; it had risen as it does every single day. Yet, I couldn’t see it or feel it because it was behind the clouds.

Knowing but Not Seeing

It made me think about our relationship with God and how it’s similar to a cloudy day. We know God is there, but we can’t see him or feel him. So it feels like he’s not there. When we’re going through a difficult time or a hard season, it feels like God is nowhere near us. Yet, those facts aren’t based on reality. The reality is that Jesus is right beside us. He promised to never leave us or forsake us. He’s kept that promise to his children for hundreds of years, and he’s not going to go back on his word now.

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”
Hebrews 13:5 NLT

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 NLT

Our Reality isn’t Based on Feelings

We have to remember in difficult seasons that what we feel is simply that—feelings. We can’t base our reality on our feelings. If we did, we would make a lot of really bad decisions. Instead, we have to base our reality on what we know to be true.

Here’s a few facts that we know to be true:

God is good.
He loves me.
He is for me.
God will never leave me.
God watches over and protects me.

Just like we know that the sun still shines even when it’s behind the clouds and we can’t see it; we know that God hasn’t left us, even when we can’t see him. So base your reality today on what you know to be true, not on what you feel.

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post Getting Through this Season of Rainy Days or try our 30-day devotional, You Are Not Alone.

Peace in the Midst of Life’s Hard

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Finding Peace

Sometimes, peace seems so elusive, especially when you’re going through a difficult time. David, the expressive Psalmist, teaches us how we can have peace even during hard moments in life.

Like an Olive Tree

I read a verse this week during my morning time routine about an olive tree that made me do some further Bible study and discover some great truths.

Why would David compare himself to an olive tree?

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.
Psalm 52:8 NLT

About the Olive Tree

Why an olive tree? What is it about an olive tree makes David compare himself to it? I know almost nothing about olive trees, so I did some study.

Olive trees are pretty low maintenance. They don’t need a lot of water; they just need direct sunlight. They flourish in dry, hot summers; which is why they do well in the Middle East. They’re obviously very valuable because of the oil they produce.

So what makes them special? Olive trees are first mentioned in the account of Noah and the flood. The dove brings back an olive branch, indicating to Noah that it was safe to leave the ark. An olive branch often represents peace because of this first instance of an olive branch.

Olive trees grow slow but are fruitful and sturdy trees. In the Bible, they’re represent beauty and abundance. People recognize olive trees today for their beauty and for what they represent—oil. Olive trees are beautiful, resilient, fruitful, and represent peace. Sounds like something pretty great to compare ourselves.

Peace in the Midst of Hard Times

What’s more interesting to note, is that David penned these words right after he was outed by Doeg to Saul. So now Saul knows where David is, and David has to run for his life. So when David says, “I am like an olive tree, thriving in God’s house; I always trust in God’s unfailing love,” we can understand what he’s saying. David is saying, “I am at peace, even in the midst of bad circumstances, because I trust in God’s love.”

David is one of the most expressive writers of the Bible; he gives us so much emotion throughout the Psalms. In this verse, David gives us a picture of how he saw himself, how we can see ourselves, when we trust in God’s unfailing love and believe in his goodness even in the midst of life’s hard.

Peace for Today

I don’t know what you’re going through today, but God does. He sees you. He hasn’t forgotten you. He loves you, and He will get you through today. His unfailing love surrounds you today, so live in that knowledge. Find your peace in that today and thrive.

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post Finding Peace in Non-peaceful Times. A great read is The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts.

The #1 Thing I’m Most Passionate About

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What I’m Passionate About

If you’ve spent any amount of time with me in this corner of the world known as Faithfully Stepping, you know that I am passionate about developing a morning time routine. I believe having a time each day that you spend with God reading his word and praying is the most important thing you can do every single day. The reason I am passionate about it is that this is the way we develop our relationship with Jesus; and developing a relationship with God is the most important thing we can do.

The physician Luke put it this way:

Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.
Luke 12:21 NLT

Developing a Relationship with God

We know that our relationship with God is incredibly important, but sometimes we don’t know how to go about creating or cultivating a relationship with God. That’s where having a morning time routine comes in. When you follow a consistent morning time each day, you set yourself up to spend time with God each day. When you spend time with somebody every day, it’s impossible not to grow closer to them. That’s how it is in our relationship with God. You may not even get something every single day from your Bible reading, yet you feel blessed and encouraged simply by having spent time in God’s presence.

The Thirty-to-THRIVE System

So how do we do this? How do we create a morning time routine? Matt and I teach a simple system. It’s called 30-to-THRIVE.

You spend ten minutes reading from either your Bible or a devotional. If you need a good devotional, check out Manney Resources. We have several 30-Day Devotionals to choose from.
Then you use your journal to work through your prayer for the day. If you use our journals, there’s a section for gratitude, confession, and requests. Then there’s a section to write down what you learned from your Bible reading or devotional for the day.
Lastly, you spend time reading a book. This can be a Christian inspirational book, a book for work, a leadership book, a new hobby book, whatever you choose. It’s simply something that adds value to your day. I like to read Christian inspirational books as a part of my Bible reading time. Matt often reads a leadership book or a book that has something to do with working with people or pastoring. Check out my page for book reccommendations, or you can pick up one of our books.

Resources for Morning Time

You can find everything you need to get started at Manney Resources. Below is a picture of just a few of our resources. Journals on the left, books on the right, and devotionals at the top.

Making It Special

To make your morning time special, I suggest adding a candle, a cup of coffee, some pretty pens, and a basket to keep all your materials in.

That’s it; that’s how you create a morning time routine. It’s simple, yet it can change your life. If you are more of a visual type of person, I created a video series on getting a morning time routine started.

If you can develop a morning time routine and stick with it, I can guarantee you will grow in your relationship with God and in your faith. It will become the grounding force in your life and will carry you through times of discouragement, depression, and defeat. How do I know this? Because it’s done that for me; that’s why I’m so passionate about it. This is simply a tangible way to have a relationship with God, and a relationship with God is the most important thing in your life!

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post, Revolutionize Your Morning Time with These Ten Products.

How Well Do You Love Quiz

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L.O.V.E.

Love. It’s a pretty amazing thing, but it can also become so trite. We know we’re supposed to love people, but sometimes we lose our way a little bit. A great way to see how we’re doing with anything in life is to take a test, to rate ourselves. I got this idea from my husband Matt. He told me he had to rate himself on the characteristics of love from I Corinthians 13 in a zoom group he’s in. I thought it was a great idea and decided to do the same thing for Faithfully Stepping.

Pop Quiz

So here’s a little pop quiz. Take a few minutes to rate yourself in each category. Just use piece of scratch paper and keep your score.

SCALE: 0–1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10

0- Not at All——————–10- Killing it!

Scoring

How did you do? If you scored 120, you’re perfect! You can stop reading this post because you have arrived!

96-120……………………. You are doing really well! Keep up the good work and keep loving!

50-95……………………… You are doing a okay, but it’s time to step it up in a few areas.

30-50………………………. It’s time to make loving others a priority and really work at it!

Below 50…………………. You can do this, but it’s going to take some effort on your part!

Complete and Full Love

When you read through this list, some of them may surprise you. It may seem that some of them are completely obsolete and seem to have nothing to do with love. Here’s the thing—I didn’t write the list. God did, and each of those characteristics or traits are what he considers to be a part of loving.

This kind of love found in I Corinthians 13 is the whole picture; it’s a deep, rounded, and complete kind of love.

A test simply reveals where we are at. So this simple exercise is just a gauge of where you’re at. It’s a reminder to focus more on living a life for others, a way to see where we’re struggling so we can begin to change that.

For More Encouragement

One of the best books on love is Love Does by Bob Goff. It’s such a great, uplifting and encouraging book that will challenge you and inspire you to love others. You can also check out my post, Love is Still the Answer.