Liz Bell

"PRAY WITHOUT CEASING"… 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I use busyness as an excuse not to spend even five minutes with You. I often say I'll do it later, but later comes and goes without me taking that time. I know I need God every day and in everything, so He is the first priority in my day. I don't want to wait until trouble comes, as I don't know when it might sneak up on me. I also don't want to wait until later to thank the Lord for His continuous transformation and re[...]

"I call on the LORD in my distress, and He answers me." Psalm 120:1 I can't even count how many times I have cried out to the LORD, who answered me in my distress. I love how He shows up in the very instant of my despair. I know God doesn't just visit. He dwells with us. He is so faithful.   His thoughts towards His children are so wonderful—our perfect heavenly Father. But there are times I fail to remember this. In my prideful way, I believe I'm strong enough to carry my grief and hurt. I forget to cas[...]

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22(ESV). “What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer…..” The above text is from a gentle song, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” written as a poem by an Irish-Canadian, Joseph Sc[...]

"…And behold an angel touched him and said to him, 'Arise and eat.'" ….1 Kings 19:5 The story of Elijah is very interesting. Although we don't know much about him, we know he's a prophet, a faithful man of God. His name means "My God is LORD". I picture Elijah as a rugged man, somewhat like John the Baptist—a caring soul but with a tone of sarcasm. As I read about him in 1 Kings 17 until 2 Kings 2, I felt his emotions went up and down. Faithfully obedient to God but somewhat tired. Elijah had a lot t[...]

BEHOLD THE MAGNIFICENT DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST!! “AND NOW WE ALL, WITH UNVEILED FACE, BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF THE LORD...” 2 Corinthians 3:18(A) “One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ” (Oswald Chambers).   BEHOLD!!! A word that kept stirring me as I read 2 Corinthians 3:18 over and over. I found meanings like “pay close, careful attention to”; “to take hold of…grab onto[...]

“FOR I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. ” Romans 1:16 (NIV). I love how God places scriptures in our hearts. Sometimes for the moment and sometimes to be released when He knows you need to remember. I recall searching for the true meaning of Romans 1:16 about eight years ago. New in my relationship with Jesus, I wondered how God’s Word could have such power. Then, at a Women’s Event in[...]

"This I know, that god is for me"…Psalm 56:9(b) It will always amaze me how God uses His Word and others to send a message that gently and intimately touches our hearts. I've encountered many moments like this, but one recently has stirred me so deeply. It began one Sunday in pre-service prayer. Lindsay was praying and speaking over parts of Psalm 56. She repeatedly said, "THIS I KNOW…." louder and louder, owning and declaring it and the following promises. I felt Holy Spirit speak it into me as she spok[...]

"THIS I KNOW, THAT GOD IS FOR ME"…Psalm 56:9(b) It will always amaze me how God will use His Word and others to send a message that will touch our hearts so gently, so intimately. I've encountered many moments like this, but one recently has stirred me so deeply.  It began one Sunday in pre-service prayer.  Lindsay was praying and speaking over parts of Psalm 56.  She kept repeating, "THIS I KNOW…." over and over, louder and louder, owning and declaring it and the promises that came next.  And as she[...]

"A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit." Proverbs 15:4 ESV I often think about how people speak to each other.  I like to observe and listen. I've witnessed confident people crumble because someone crushed and broken them with words that fly out of the mouth and off of something as small as the tongue.  I think words are invisible but can cut like a dagger, break the heart, and shatter the spirit, sending someone living life in light and joy into darkness and depressio[...]

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” Ephesians 6:10 ESV. During these wonderful months of HEARTstrong, I have been feeling many things.  Some I don’t yet understand. But I have been feeling the Lord drawing me closer, filling me with a desire to lean more into Him and His Word.  That word “PREPARE” that dropped in my heart before I knew about HEARTstrong, still keeps coming up. And I’ve been eager to "lean in" more, pray more, learn more of His Word and let it sink[...]