Charles Spurgeon told a story of how during a sudden storm a woman on a ship became very terrified. She was so distraught that she found her husband, who happened to be the ship’s captain, and said, “I don’t understand how you can be so calm while I am totally terrified.”

Her husband calmly walked across his quarters and picked up his sword. He took it and aimed it at the center of her chest, but she only laughed. Then he asked, “Why aren’t you afraid of this sword? It could slay you in less than a minute.”

His wife replied, “I am not afraid of a sword that is wielded by the hand of my husband.”

“Then neither am I,” said the captain, “afraid of a storm in the hand of my heavenly Father.”

As Christ followers, we look around in today’s culture, and we could easily start to say, “Where is God? Is He even paying attention to our prayers?” God is right where He has always been and always will be – sitting on His throne in heaven. He is still God! The world, that He created, is still in His hands.

Do not be deceived. Do not live discouraged. Do not give up. Do not allow your love to grow cold. Let your faith arise – things are still in His hands.

The Bible was very clear in telling us that times such as these would come. Much of what we are seeing is proof that God is on His throne and His Word is being fulfilled. He is not shocked by anything going on – we are, but He is not. As believers, we are to continue to beam with His love and radiate His light. We can stand strong in what we believe and still be kind and loving. Wherever you are, wherever you go, bring His love.

I am determined to walk in His love and power all the way to the end. I can do that because I firmly believe it’s all in His hands, and I am in His hands.

“And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:11-14

After being at a conference all weekend, it is nice to be home and to sleep in my bed. I had the privilege of hanging out all weekend with a group of women at varying stages of their journey with God. It was my joy to teach them from God’s Word. There were tears, laughter, hugs, hands raised to God, shouts of joy. God truly met with us.

Usually when I speak at conferences, the hosts are kind enough to put a gift basket in my room. Often it has snacks, stationery, lotions, beverages, and occasionally even a gift card. The basket is one of those bonuses that I am blessed to receive.

This past weekend, since I knew the person who invited me to speak, she and I talked about things to place in my room. I requested no food items, especially sweets, because I am really trying to eat healthier. I have a love affair with chocolate, and if there is a nice stash of that glorious treat, it WILL get eaten. Chocolate probably should have been on the list of gifts of the Spirit!

My basket this past weekend was quite amazing. Almost everything in there was made from essential oils. There were several different oils to use in my diffuser and fill the atmosphere of my home with a sweet fragrance. There was oil spray for the surfaces of my home to keep them from being overtaken by harmful things that I do not even see. There were shower steamers to place on the floor of the shower, and the instruction is to let them slowly melt as you shower and breathe in their wonderful, healthy aroma as it rises.

Oil, oil and more oil. The intention of the gift was that oil would touch every area of my life. Let it fill me and my home.

I could not help but think of the Holy Spirit being the oil for the believer. In the Bible, the oil of the Holy Spirit was poured over those set apart for the work of God. The Holy Spirit anoints us and empowers us to stand strong as we work for His Kingdom.

Oil feeds a lamp with fresh light every day. Holy Spirit will fill us with a fresh touch if we take time to sit with Him. Fresh light will come to the soul and fresh strength for the journey.

Oil was used for the healing of wounds that the body had received from life. There are so many wounds in the lives of people today. It brings comfort and healing to the wounds. We are in a dysfunctional world that readily wounds the heart and emotions. The Holy Spirit stands ready to bring comfort and healing to our wounds.

The Bible speaks of the oil of joy in Isaiah 61. There is a supernatural joy available to the believer.

These items in my basket were called essential oils. The word essential means absolutely necessary, highly important, or fundamental to the core nature of something. Allowing time each day for the Holy Spirit to touch our lives is essential oil. Breathe in His fragrance. Fill Your home with His fragrance.

The oil of the Holy Spirit is not just a theological concept, but an invitation to transformed living. This heavenly oil is available to saturate our lives and leave a residue wherever we go. The essential oil of the Holy Spirit makes us carriers of His presence.

Let it be as Isaiah said.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” – Isaiah 61:1-3

“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 rejoicein the Lord!

I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. – Habakkuk 3:17-19 NLT

The prophet Habakkuk sums up life, doesn’t he? 

On this September morning, I have been thinking and pondering about the things going on around me.

• Financial hardship for those simply trying to put bread on the table and gas in the car.
• The state of our country, in light of the Word of God.
• The endless political drama.
• A niece who is battling stage four colon cancer after losing her only sibling to ALS just two years ago.
• The chaos of the situation in the Middle East.

I could go on and on, and many of you could chime in quickly, adding your own difficulties. There have been some very good places, but 2026 has been challenging. Yet, while it might seem crazy to some, I still have great hope and faith, that God is the strength of my life.

Sometimes it feels like we are on shaky ground, and that at any moment, the earth will open and we will be swallowed up. Habakkuk reminds us that God will cause us to be sure-footed in the treacherous places.

Habakkuk also has a “yet” praise! I choose to have a “yet” praise!

It is easy to praise and be joyful when things are going well. But, the truth of life is, that things will not always go well, even when we serve God. When we face sickness, hardship, challenges, and unfairness, and still offer a “yet” praise, it shows that something supernatural has occurred in our lives. It shows that the living God is within us. He is Immanuel, the God who is with us!

Immanuel is with me today! I will celebrate what I DO have right now and not focus on what I DON’T have. God is the very present help who is with me today! I choose to go deeper in experiencing the love of the Father who gave His only Son so that I can truly LIVE! Over and over, He has shown Himself to be nearby.

Yes, there is a lot of darkness around, but the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life is with me. The One who declared, “I am the Light,” is with me. I will lift my voice to Him, and I will have a “yet” praise!

“Believing God when “the chips are down” is one of the most difficult things that we will ever be called to do. Yet if we trust the Lord only when things are going well, then we do not really trust Him at all. When things are good, let us thank God for His blessings, but also ask Him to sustain our faith if we face real hardship. As we walk through dark times, let us ask Him to help us rejoice in Him and remember that He is our exceedingly great reward.”  – R. C. Sproul

Miracles do not happen! There are some sports fans who would highly disagree.

When I was a child, I followed baseball. Bobby Richardson was from my hometown of Sumter, SC, and was a player for the New York Yankees. Richardson was on the Yankees’ roster from 1955-1966. During that period, the Yankees won several World Series. In one of those series, Bobby Richardson was outstanding. He hit a grand slam in one game, and he won the MVP and was the only player to ever win that award while being on the losing team. As kids in a small town, Bobby Richardson was our hero, and he was the talk at the school lunch table.

There was a lot of talk about another team from New York, and that team was the Mets. The Mets were established in 1962, and there is no nice way to say it. They were awful! They were mocked and the brunt of many jokes. Their record was abysmal, and that is a generous way of saying it.

In 1969, when I was a senior in high school, people were still laughing at the Mets. As they began that season, no one gave them any hope of being successful. Before 1969 the Mets had never had a winning season. In what was considered one of the biggest upsets in baseball history, the young Mets team rallied behind manager Gil Hodges and star pitcher Tom Seaver to produce a winning season and to win the World Series. That team became known as “The Miracle Mets.”

Just ask Mets’ fans. Miracles do happen!

There are many in the Christian Church who teach that miracles do not happen today. The cessation of miracles is the theological view—known as cessationism—that miraculous sign gifts like healing, prophecy, and speaking in tongues stopped operating after the death of the first-century apostles and the completion of the New Testament.

I go on record right now as saying I highly disagree with cessationism. While I do not believe that we command God to change every situation because we said so, I know that God still does miracles. I have seen God do miracles in myself, my family, and in many others.

I could write many paragraphs about the miracles I have experienced personally and about the miracles I have seen in the lives of others. Let me just cite one of those that I know to be true.

One of my friends who is married to a pastor was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent surgery, chemo, and radiation. At the end of the treatment, the doctors gave her a grim diagnosis and said there was no hope. It was a devastating blow.

Those of us who still believed in miracles began to ask God for a healing miracle. He is a merciful God. When my friend went back for a checkup six months later, there was no sign of cancer. NO SIGN. Twenty years later, there is still no sign of cancer in her body.

Yes, He is a God who still does miracles. I have seen financial miracles, physical miracles, spiritual miracles, and marriage miracles.

To say that miracles do not happen is, in my opinion, an unwarranted dogmatic view. I do not claim to know why God does the miraculous in some situations and not in others. That is God’s business. I trust Him either way.

I will continue to ask God to intervene in situations where miracles are needed. Why? Because miracles do happen—even after the 1969 World Series.

“Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.” – Acts 3:16 NLT