Juliana Elizabeth Travis

          You feel sad. You feel alone. You feel hopeless. You struggle to make it through the next day. You feel unimportant and unworthy. You feel like you are drowning in a sea of sorrow and  shame.  You wonder if you will ever feel happy again.            Satan tricks you into thinking that you are not good enough leading you to a depressed state of mind. He tells you that you are behind and  you will never be successful. Eventually, you fall so deep into this pit of depression that you see no light, no way out, and you start to feel numb.  You wish you could change it, but see no hope in trying.  You don't see a point in living another day.            But God gave you this mountain to show others that it can be moved. Whatever struggle is causing your depression, it will be overcome when you let Christ consume your mind. He will show you what...

          It is so calming to know that in all of our troubles, God is there to comfort us. No matter how bad the situation gets, God never leaves us. He never gives up on us. He sticks with us till the end. And He calls us to spread His comfort and love with those around us.           This week has been devastating for many families in Texas, including some that I know personally. Now is the time for us to pray for those who lost their lives, who lost loved ones, who lost their homes, their schools, their work places, and their churches due to Hurricane Harvey, and to pass on the comfort that God has given us to those who are affected by the storm.           Knowing that God gives us comfort in the midst of trouble makes each day a little easier. Spread God's love and comfort today. #Pray4Houston 

          While on vacation this summer, I spent a few days at the beach. One morning while walking along the shore, I was fascinated by the way the waves rolled up and washed away my footprints. As I looked behind me and saw that my past steps were gone, it really put in to perspective what our Savior does in our lives.           Sometimes in life we go through situations that leave us with unwanted memories. Sometimes it is a bad decision, a conflict, an addiction, or an argument or break up with someone you love. We all go through hard times that fill us with pain and regret that we feel will follow us around forever. We get filled with this anger towards ourselves bringing on unnecessary self-doubt and self-hatred. What if I told you that your past sins are forgiven and you can walk freely as a child of God?           Just like the waves washed away my footsteps, God washes away our past, our greatest...

           Most of our bitterness and anger towards others is rooted in our inability to be unconditionally amazed at Christ's love for us in our sin.  You may say "Oh my bitterness is because of this person or this thing or this situation," but the solution is not to fix the other thing. The solution is to fix yourself-- to gain a heart that is overflowingly thankful for grace from Christ and that spills over with grace towards others.  Here are 4 steps to overcome the bitterness of life and replace it with joy and contentment: 1.  Focus on the good in your life           In my last post "Focus on the Good" , I wrote about how we are sometimes surrounded by the darkness of sin, in this case bitterness. When we take our eyes off the bitterness, we are able to see God's goodness and love all around us. Instead of being bound by bitterness, run to God's truth. Replace the bitterness with contentment in every si...

            This past year has been a rough, heavy load for me.  I had controversy with my best friend, went through a tough break up, prayed for recovery of the people closest to me, lost loved ones, and struggled with my own emotional stability.  Over the past few months, a key phrase that I have spoken over my life continuously is "Focus on the Good."            About 6 months ago, I fell into a depressed state where I just couldn't find a reason to be happy.  I overthought everything, I skipped meals, I laid awake in bed at night wondering where everything went so wrong. I got to a point where I didn't really want to wake up and struggle through the next day. I wish I could tell you that things have changed and I am better now, and while some things have gotten better, I am still in the pit of depression. I struggle with insecurity and I let my negative thoughts and the unkind words of o...

           You're insecure. You feel ugly. You feel like your body is not perfect, your face is not perfect, your hair isn't perfect. You feel unworthy and unimportant.  You feel unwanted. You feel completely alone.  You feel like no matter what you do,  you will never be good enough for anything or anyone.           That is a list of lies placed in your mind from the devil. The devil is trying to crush you and overtime you believe his lies he rejoices because he is pulling you away from God. The devil may have tiny victories over your life, but he will NEVER win. And you may say "I'm not worthy of God," but honey, God loves you and God is there for you no matter what. He created you as His child and He's not giving up on you.            When you ask God to step in, He will crush the devil and his evil lies and fill you with the truth, His truth. Yo...