Psalm 34 offers encouragement and demonstrates ?God's grace.
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Psalm 34: A Song of Praise And Promise

ByKatherine Wisniewski

Have you ever messed up and felt unforgivable? Sadly, I have. When my daughter was twelve, I walked into the house with my arms full of groceries and tripped over her backpack, nearly falling. Rather than simply asking her to put it away, I lost my temper and barked at her about being more respectful. As the words flew from my mouth, I noticed the new friend she’d invited over and the look of horror on her face, and I was reminded of David when he wrote Psalm 34.

Whenever I’ve made mistakes, I’ve felt unworthy of God’s love and wanted to run from Him due to my shame. But when I read Psalm 34, I find genuine encouragement because it demonstrates God’s grace. It shows God is with us, helping, healing, and delivering us even when we are at our worst. All that is needed is a humble, repentant heart seeking God.

If I know my Identity in Christ, Why don't I act accordingly?
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When You Know Your Identity But Don’t Act Accordingly

ByKatherine Wisniewski

Is there a difference between knowing who God says you are and acting like that person? I once thought there must be some magical way to get God’s truth of my identity from my head to my heart. There must be a trick to actually “receiving” His gift of love and feeling the freedom His word promises. 

Try, try again
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Try, Try Again

ByKatherine Wisniewski

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” This is advice we should all heed. Or should we? There was a point in my life when I thought if I just tried harder, I would stop letting God down. I knew that He forgave me when I sought forgiveness. But I was convinced that because I kept making the same mistakes again and again, I was a huge disappointment to God. 

Trust is Letting Go
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Trust Is Letting Go

ByKatherine Wisniewski

I am unfortunately prone to a pattern of giving my problems to God, then immediately picking them back up and refusing to let them go. Over the years I have e learned that God doesn’t always answer my prayers when and how I ask, I’ve also seen how He always shows up and acts on my behalf. In fact, when I look back on my life I see countless times where He has worked His good plans even out of seemingly bad situations. Yet, my obsessive need to find a solution on my own persists. Instead, I need to trust God. Trust is letting go.

Shining God’s Light Into Our Darkness
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God’s Light Illuminates Our Darkness

ByKatherine Wisniewski

Have you ever run away from God? I have. When I became a Christian I kept hearing about how I was supposed to behave. But because of my rocky childhood, I was a survivor. My coping mechanisms were keeping busy ,being perfectionistic with myself and others, and being angry when I and others couldn’t live up to my impossible expectations. But even worse, I saw God as a judgmental parent who rejected me because I wasn’t good enough. 

The truth is God doesn’t need us to be perfect. Thus, we can stop pursuing perfection.
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In Pursuit of Perfection

ByKatherine Wisniewski

After I became a Christian I was told I was reborn spiritually. And I read this verse. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come”. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV) The problem was I didn’t feel like a new creation. No matter how hard I tried, I was the same old me, making the same old mistakes. So I pursued perfection and tried to please people But this was a no win situation