Candidly Christian

Real Women. Real Life. Real Faith.

Spirit Lead Me: 2 Simple Steps For Seeking The Holy Spirit

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Spirit Lead Me is a Guest Post Written by Gloria Sutherland

Our lives right now are filled with many distractions that take up so much time in the day.

The pandemic has really turned so many aspects of our lives inside out. Daily life was already difficult as is but now we are required to take our masks with us everywhere and for some, make the choice to get vaccinated. Whether it be work, school, family, or any social aspect it has become more difficult as a Christian, but especially as a Christian woman to find time to nurture your sense of well being and then also find time for God.

Through this reading, I would like to encourage you, wherever you are right now to seek direction through the Holy Spirit and allow the Spirit to lead you.

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New Eyes & Excessive Worry

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I was born with retinoblastoma.

So was my son.

It’s a rare type of cancer where tumors grow on the retina of your eye. If it’s left untreated, the tumors can travel down the optic nerve into the brain, causing death. Thus, we both lost our right eyes before our first birthdays and have prosthetics.

Growing up with a prosthetic eye was a little awkward. Okay, it’s still awkward to have one eye. I may or may not walk into doors on occasion. But what was really awkward was getting a new prosthetic.

Yes, I have a new eye. (No, I can’t see any better.)

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Jesus and the Woman at the Well

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One of my favorite verses in the New Testament has been John 4:4 (NKJV)

And He needed to go through Samaria.

Jesus insisted on going that direction, a direction the majority of Jews refused to go because of their disdain for the Samaritans. What follows this verse is the well-known story of Jesus and the Woman at the Well. She’s never named, but her story is so important. It’s almost as if God doesn’t tell us her name because she symbolizes all of us.

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3 Truths I’m Learning About Spiritual Warfare

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My friend Alana and I have co-hosted a podcast about prayer for several years now, and our top episodes continue to be those that deal with spiritual warfare.

Recently we led a 24 week study on the book of Ephesians, and through that study God opened my eyes to three truths about spiritual warfare that might seem pretty straightforward at first, but that God allowed me to see with new eyes, and which have really transformed my prayer life and outlook on the spiritual battle.

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To the One Whose Faith is Hanging on by a Thread

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Over a year ago, I left my job because the Lord told me to, and I have been wandering in the wilderness with God ever since. When this season began, I was beyond thrilled. It was exciting to take such a large leap of faith. I loved experiencing new facets of who God is. I was overjoyed at how my intimacy with God grew and grew. 

But it’s been over a year now, and the situation around me doesn’t look good.

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Living in Light of the Gospel

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We walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)

If you’re anything like me, when you read the words, “Living In Light of the Gospel” you think about sharing your faith. You think about all the lost people of the world who need to know Jesus, but I’m coming to find that it means so much more than that. Yes, sharing our faith is part of it, but it’s not the whole.

Years ago, I was introduced to the idea that the gospel wasn’t just for the unsaved… it wasn’t a onetime thing, but an everyday thing. That realization was life-changing. The love and forgiveness of Christ isn’t something that we ever stop needing.

Tethered to Jesus

When I think about living a holy life, the gospel is where I start. It’s there for when I fail. It’s there for when I’m feeling down.

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Whitewashed Christianity

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I walked into church Easter morning feeling more like a whitewashed tomb than a temple of the Living God.

Have you ever felt like that?

Pretty on the outside, but just full of junk on the inside?

It seems like the older I get, the less I enjoy holidays. Going to church on Sunday is just what we do. It felt pretty normal. Sure, we ate breakfast with our church family, and the kids had an egg hunt. Our pastor preached about the resurrection. But all in all, it felt like a pretty normal day.

Which made me feel even worse on the inside.

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When the Struggle is Real

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“I don’t need refreshment, I need a resurrection.”

My friend said that to me in January as we were sitting at the local Starbucks. That statement hit me like a ton of bricks, and I have been reflecting on that statement still months later. The truth is that if I am honest, there are times that I have felt like that. Times I wasn’t sure I had anything left to give. Times I felt like God was being silent. Times I wanted to quit, because I was unsure He had anything in front of me. Times of fear, and doubt. Times of the weight of unworthiness.

Several months back, I wrote Confessions of a Perpetual Quitter. Little did I know at the time, that as I began to write that post, I would face an intense battle of wanting to quit. In my defense, I had a 2-month-old, and I was running low on sleep, and high on emotions. But the struggle was real, and I was barely walking the fine line of solid ground, and falling off a cliff. In writing the post, I began to feel like a hypocrite. How could I write a post about following His lead, when I was about to run from what He had in front of me? This is as real as it gets.

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5 Lies I Have Believed About Being A Mom

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I’ve been a parent for twelve years now, and in that time have made all kinds of mistakes. I’m sure I’ll make loads more before it’s all said and done. There are several lies about being a mom that I realize I’ve believed over the years that have contributed to those mistakes, some of which I still struggle with. I believe that exposing the lies of the Enemy is a powerful way to defeat him, so I thought I’d call him out on a few of them today.

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Hope For When You Feel Like Giving Up On Life

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I was ready to give up. My head hurts so bad. I started counting the cost. Not just the cost, but the worth.

I begged the hospital staff to let me go because my family needed me. But then I got home and my head hurt so bad I couldn’t get out of bed. I was useless. Sure, they loved me and were happy to see me, but I wasn’t needed. And it’s a good thing I wasn’t.

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