Category: Dying Daily

How to Prevent Stumbling

I’m not perfect, far from it and I’m okay with that. I have never been in pursuit of perfection. I have instead always reveled in mediocrity.

Yet, certain things, when I fail to accomplish them, can send me into a guilt and shame spiral. I feel stupid, lazy, or worse condemned. For many of us, there are those few things in our Christian walk that can cause us to feel inadequate, guilty, or less-than.

However, I discovered that there are reasons why I stumble into sin and it’s those reasons that prevent me from finding freedom. But, there is something I can do about it, if I’m willing to play a little game.

Continue reading How to Prevent Stumbling

The Sin on Everyone's Lips

I’ve done it. I’ve committed this sin in hallways, over telephones, even at family functions.

We have all committed this sin, I suspect. We practice this offense against God so often and so causally, I wonder if we even think of it as anything but accepted or normal.

You know what I’m talking about…gossip. The accepted Christian sin. Gossip is so commonplace among believers that we forget to mention it in the list of “real” sins.  How, though, do we justify this sin of the tongue and what does God really thinks of it? How has gossip become the sin on everyone’s lips? Continue reading The Sin on Everyone's Lips

Why You Should Quit Praying…

…at least, the way you are currently praying.

I know, I’m tricky. Sorry for that. I haven’t written specifically about prayer on Modern Reject before. I think it’s because when I think of prayer, I admittedly get a little sleepy. I do not find prayer to be the most exciting of topics. That alone is a problem, I admit.

In reality, however, God has chosen the system of prayer to accomplish His will through His people. That fact alone should compel us to pray more. However, praying more isn’t enough. If we want our prayers to be powerful, effective, and relevant, we have to quit praying the way we have been praying. Continue reading Why You Should Quit Praying…

Pick a Word, Any Word

I am not too fond of New Year’s Resolutions. Why would I make a list of goals, too strenuous, time-consuming, and impossible to keep? What fun is that?

I’m all for setting goals (sorta), but resolutions are just the list of things we never quite accomplish and then get down on ourselves for not completing.

When I first met my husband, however, he introduced me to a different way of starting off the New Year. You pick a word. A simple idea–one word, to focus on, meditate on, and reflect on for an entire year.

Only, be careful of the word you choose. My first time choosing a word, I made a huge mistake…

Continue reading Pick a Word, Any Word

Do You Hear from God?

Do you hear from God?

Look, I’m no Moses. I have neither seen the burning bush in the wilderness nor climbed down from the mountain after seeing God face-to-face. I have, however, heard God speak–many times, in fact.

I have seen people roll their eyes, or raise their brows when during conversation I say something like,  “and the Lord told me…” I suspect that many Christians have never actually heard the Lord speak. The reason, however, is not that He hasn’t spoken to them–it is that He has spoken and they simply do not know how to hear Him.

So here’s the questions: Do you hear from God? Do you know how He speaks and can you recognize His voice? Continue reading Do You Hear from God?

Our 3 Greatest Needs

Your three greatest needs

From the time we are born, each one of us begins to seek out our needs. Some are provided for us by our parents–food, shelter, clothing. Some of our needs are met by our parents themselves, as they protect us, encourage us. Some of our needs are not met by our parents. They may have neglected us, ignored us, or even abused us.

Many people still desperately search to have their needs met after they become adults. They search in all the wrong places–alcohol, sex, money, ministry, affirmation of others–and are left feeling empty.

The Lord, however, knows our three greatest needs. He designed them. He placed them within us. Every single one of us shares these three needs. Continue reading Our 3 Greatest Needs

I Quit…

I Quit

I had another post written for today, but as I sat typing it, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to say.  You see, yesterday I read a blog post that sort of took me by surprise. It was about being a Christian blogger. It’s weird, because I don’t consider myself a “blogger,” I just happen to have a blog.

Anyway, the post talked about making your blog–and thus, your writing–your service, worship, and art, unto  the Lord. I felt like I had done that when I first started blogging 6 months ago. I “gave” Modern Reject to the Lord. Over the last month, though, my focus has shifted. I have been distracted by numbers, page views, comments, tweets, and all the rest.

I realized that I have been striving versus serving and I don’t like it. So I did what any healthy girl would do–I swallowed hard and said the words to the Lord that were so difficult for me to say… Continue reading I Quit…

Why I'm No Good at All

I'm No Good at All

You know that expression “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water?” Well, I do that… a lot, and the baby being thrown out is usually me.  I have a tendency to disregard any of the good I have done, if it is peppered with any amount of bad, no matter how small. I struggle to accept where I am making progress, whether it be spiritually or otherwise, if I experience any sort of setback.

The words of self-doubt and lack of self-worth come flooding in. “You are no good, Nicole. You cannot do this. You should quit.” Why is it in such moments that I cannot just say to myself, “Yeah, you’ve messed up a few times, but that doesn’t mean you are totally messed up.”

I recently read a book called Having a Mary Spirit. I couldn’t read more than a few pages at a time, otherwise my eyes would swell up with tears, as I was both convicted and comforted, knowing I’m not the only one. The author, Joanna Weaver, posed one question in the very beginning of the book that rattled me. I sat on this question for days, then weeks, and I am still asking myself:

“If we aren’t all good, does that mean we are no good at all?” Continue reading Why I'm No Good at All

The Easy Way or the Hard Way?

Discussed: Is the Christian life easier or more difficult?

The Eay Way or the Hard Way

How did you become a Christian? I always wonder about people’s testimonies. How did God find you, rescue you, redeem you? I was one month shy of my 17th birthday when I first met Jesus. Since that time nothing has been the same…

No, things have not been easier. Many things have been harder. No one painted an idyllic picture for me of the Christian life. I didn’t know exactly what I was doing on that July evening when I said “Yes” to Christ. I just knew, in my innermost parts, that I needed to say, “Yes.”

No one told me the Christian life was not a cake walk. No one was there to tell me that, while life with Christ is rich, full, and abundant, it can also be ripe with disappointment, grief, and heartache.

The Christian life is not the guarantee of an easy life. Quite the opposite, in fact. Jesus even said so…. Continue reading The Easy Way or the Hard Way?