Category: testimony

Divinely Different

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture, testimony1 Comment

Note: The idea for this blog came from a devotional entitled Jesus, Day by Day by Sharon Kaselonis (8-15-25)

All of my youth I tried to fit in. I wanted to play with the other neighborhood kids outside, ride bikes, learn how to ride a horse and run chasing each other through our yards. Unfortunately, since I was born with asthma, I was not allowed to go outside except for short spans of time in which I was to sit quietly and play jacks on the porch with friends willing to sit with me. So, I just never fit in and felt like one of the toys from a Christmas movie who live on the “island of misfit toys.”

I think the time during my youth when I always felt different is what led me to seek and search for something more in life. After college, I came to the saving knowledge of Jesus and found that finally I fit in. I was part of the body of Christ, His church, one of His people.

But then, someone told me I was supposed to be separate from the world. What?!? I had spent all of my teen years feeling separated from friends and fun, and now I have to step back from the world that I was just discovering. It has taken a lot of Bible study and patience on God’s part to show me that I am “divinely different” and that’s exactly what makes me acceptable to God and a part of a big family who also love the Lord. So, I am different in a good way, a way that keeps me safe from the temptations of the world (provided I choose to walk away) and with a whole future in eternity to look forward to. Through my relationship with Christ, I have found that being different isn’t always a bad thing. Rather, it is life-affirming and one of the best things that ever happened to me!

Look at those adjectives! Chosen, special and wonderful. These descriptive words help me to continue to walk in the light because I want to be all of these things for my Father.

Now, look at the nouns in this passage: righteousness, holiness and redemption. Jesus is all of these inside of us because of His sacrifice. It is Christ who makes the difference in my life.

On the outside, I am the same person. I still have the same physical body, but inside, I am brand, spanking new. I am a new creation because I am in Christ. I am indeed divinely different! I pray that you are, too!

Holy Is His Name!

On By vickleaIn praise, Scripture, testimony, worship3 Comments

This verse is from Mary’s song of praise when she finds out that God has chosen her to be the mother of the Messiah. She had to be a little wary of what was going to happen since she was a young girl, unmarried and with a baby on the way. God showed Himself strong on her behalf and fulfilled prophecies through her.

Fast forward several thousand years to my life. I have health problems so numerous that I get tired of going to specialists all the time. Nevertheless, God shows Himself strong and holy for me, too. Yesterday, I went to my nephrologist for my kidney labs and check up that I have to have every four to six months. (For those of you who don’t know, I was born with a single kidney and I have been diagnosed with Stage 3 kidney failure for the last few years.) The doctor checked me, talked to me and ordered the labs. I got the report this morning and the results have to be a God thing! Everything is normal…everything! My levels are better than they have been in the last five years. I have no explanation for this great report, but I do offer God praise and know that He is and always will be holy. I had expected a bad report since I had infections repeatedly in the last six months. My faith was low, but my hope was high and God showed me just what He has been doing and continues to do within this mortal body.

I hope that you will join me in rejoicing over this good news and also share with me a testimony of how God has come through unexpectedly for you. Let’s spend today lifting up the Name of the Only One who is truly worthy!

From YouVersion Daily Refresh, 08-15-25

Obedience or Disobedience?

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, testimony1 Comment

Many years ago as I was busily raising small children, one of our pastors preached a message about obedience. He said that delayed obedience is disobedience and used the example of training children not to run into the street. If they decide to go ahead and run into traffic and then stop in the middle, the results could be catastrophic. The same is true when God tells us to do something and we are so busy doing our own thing that we put off doing His requirement.

How do we know what God is telling us to do? He speaks to us in His Word, if we just take time to listen and then to obey.

You know what else is disobedience? Partial obedience is the same as disobedience. I used to tell my children that they could have a snack and then they had to finish all of their homework BEFORE they could play. Well, they had their snack, but I found that frequently, the older ones would do part of the homework, tell me that they had finished (a lie) and head outside. After all, they told me later in their reasoning, the sun was only going to be up for so many hours but they could do their homework when it was dark. That sounded reasonable, but it was still disobedience as well as lying, and consequences followed. I always told them that if they had trouble obeying me who was right there with them, how would they learn to obey God whom they could not see? They understood well enough to change their habits and get all of the homework done before playtime. And I relented slightly after seeing their willingness to obey, so after a few weeks, I let them prioritize their homework into what would take the most time and do that after playtime. Compromise, but it worked for us after the lesson in obeying completely was learned.

We cannot say we are obeying God if we only do part of what He has told us to do. Remember the Bible lesson about the people Jesus said He never knew? They thought they were doing what He wanted them to do…but were they partially obeying or delaying in their obedience? God does not take disobedience lightly and neither should we. If we know what to do, then we need to do it. That is my Scripture verse today and my lesson for myself, too.

Is there something God has been prodding you to do and you have put it off? Just obey so you can move on with life and in right relationship with the Lord. I am not sure about this, but I don’t think that God will give you the next thing to do until you complete the first task that He has already given you. We grow with God, one step of obedience at a time, not standing at the crosswalk and debating with ourselves whether it’s a good idea to do what God says or not. If we are trying to talk God out of having us obey, that won’t work. Look at Balaam whose donkey spoke to him when he refused to obey the Lord as your example. God can use anything or anyone at any time to get your attention when you are in the process of disobeying. I think it’s a much better idea just to heed His call and obey in the first place so you can grow in the Lord the way you were meant to. Don’t be the one who runs into the traffic and then look up at God and ask how you got into that mess in the first place. Just listen, obey, repeat.

Scottie Scheffler’s Faith

On By vickleaIn Re-blog, testimony2 Comments

narrowpathministries.wordpress.com/2025/07/26/what-the-sports-media-dont-understand-about-scottie-schefflers-all-consuming-faith/

Please go to the original post, read, comment and follow. For the information of my usual readers, I am not a sports fan of any kind. I don’t play sports, watch sports, follow sports or go to sports. However, I am always interested in athletes who live out their faith because they have a wide audience whom they can influence for the Lord, so may the Lord keep and prosper Scottie Scheffler.

Gratitude for God’s Faithfulness

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Characteristics of God, Scripture, Song, testimony4 Comments

If we started sharing all of the wonderful attributes of our God, we would be here a long time because just when we think we know God, He shows us another facet of His character. Today, I am focusing on the faithfulness of God. We know God is faithful to His Word. He is also faithful to His promises. And best of all, He is faithful to each of us, even when we forget to acknowledge all that He has done for us.

I can, and I hope that you can, too, easily come up with all of the things I have seen God do in my life. I have kept journals in which I wrote my thanksgiving down and praised God for all that He has done and is still doing for me and for my loved ones. Why, this week alone, I have testimonies! Our son-in-law Aaron had been sick for well over a month. When he finally saw a doctor and they did blood tests, his liver function was low. This week, the doctor repeated the test, and it is normal! Hallelujah! Our granddaughter Teagan fell in the yard and broke her wrist. This week, she went to Shriner’s Hospital in Erie where they told her she only has to wear the cast for two weeks and perhaps a brace after that. So, praise God! My husband had an appointment this week with his regular dentist to start the process for a dental implant. This whole thing has taken about a year, so we are both ready for it to be done, but we didn’t really know what to expect at this week’s appointment. Pain? Dietary restrictions? None of the above. The dentist took virtual photos in order to order his permanent implant and put in a temporary crown while he waits for it to arrive. Once again, a praise report!

Of course, there are the prayers that I am still praying and waiting for an answer, but I can count on God to be faithful. He was faithful before and He doesn’t change, so He will continue to be faithful. Instead of wallowing in the pain of unanswered prayers (or sometimes those not answered the way I hoped or expected), I am praising God for His faithfulness, knowing that the answer is on the way and His answer is always what is best for me.

Instead of just reading this first verse, I recommend that you read the entire Psalm 105. Read it aloud. Say it to your mind and your heart and let it sink in what God is capable of doing and what He has already done. I think the last part of the verse is very important and often overlooked. We praise God and proclaim His glorious name during our devotional time, but do we make known what He has done? Do we testify to others about this faithfulness to us, His goodness, His grace, His mercy? Others cannot know if we do not tell. To many, if they even think about God’s existence at all, He is that scary guy who could zap them at any time or He is that smiling guy who keeps blessing them in ways they don’t really appreciate. What about if we gave personal testimonies about what God has done in our lives every day? Every week? Instead of calling friends to tell them how bad the week has been, how about calling and telling them all of the good things God has done for you because He is faithful? It’s all about perspective. You can keep what God has done for you and “ponder it in your heart.” But you can also reach out to others and give them a reason to think about God and His love and faithfulness. I think the latter is a better plan, don’t you?

Faithful God-I Am They

Look What the Lord Has Done-Charity Gayle

Please keep praying for those in Texas who have lost loved ones. God is sending His comfort and peace because He is faithful. Let us be faithful to pray for them in their time of grieving unbearable loss.

For THE Good

On By vickleaIn Scripture, testimony, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/en/videos/49737

I confess that I have been guilty of thinking that this verse is meant to be applied individually, to me personally. And when that doesn’t work out so well for me, I end of questioning God and wondering what happened to His fulfilling His word. This devotional today made a lot of sense to me and I don’t know why I didn’t realize this on my own. When we think of it as God addressing the church, then we know that it is indeed true. God is working for the good of everyone, not just me and not just you, but for His entire church. That may mean persecution, but the end result may be many coming to the Lord. It may mean our plans have to change, but we can trust that God will be in the new plan working everything out. I am seeing this verse with a new light and rejoicing in the fact that God isn’t letting me down, not ever! Rather, He is expanding my horizons to see the bigger picture of what He is accomplishing in the world, and I am a small part of His big plan.

“To God Be the Glory” by Fanny Crosby

On By vickleaIn Family and Friends, Photos, Song, testimony5 Comments

To God Be the Glory

May this old hymn speak to your heart today and give you peace as you reflect on all that God has done and is still doing for you. I am thankful for all of the safe trips we made and the blessings of seeing grandchildren graduate, my brother and his family from Colorado and our daughter and granddaughters from Pennsylvania. Here are photos to show you the graduates, my family members and happy, blessed me!

Isaac Steven Watts on graduation day with his Grampa and Nanna
Tyler James Bailey on his graduation day with Nanna and Grampa
Teryn Joy Bailey on her prom day (also Tyler’s grad date). She is a homeschooled young lady who plans to go to Liberty University to study elementary education, with an emphasis on serving on the mission field.
Teya Elizabeth Bailey on her graduation day.
Me, my brother Steve, his wife Lee and my great-niece Juni in Myrtle Beach, SC (Steve and family flew in from Colorado.)
Amen!

Sunday Prayer

On By vickleaIn praise, prayer, testimony, YouVersion App4 Comments

My thoughts on this prayer are yes! and amen! I am not a bold person, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, I can be. I love that I can fight fear with faith. That is what I leaned on while we were traveling so far these last few weeks. I leaned hard into the Lord and he calmed me. I even fell asleep in the car yesterday, and I never do that (you can ask my husband). I’m usually so anxious about traffic and weather and the car in general that I just can’t relax. But I actually snoozed. Thank you, Lord! I needed that!

I am praising God that we are home for a while now and we can both rest and recover. Our daughter is traveling home today, my brother and his wife are going to see my sister in NC and then home to CO, so I am still praying for them and their safety.

Have a blessed Sunday and a faith-filled week!

Sing Praise to the Lord

On By vickleaIn praise, Scripture, testimony1 Comment

I am praising the Lord for a wonderful time with my family as many of us joined together in SC this week. I got to see my brother (we see each other every couple of years), his family from Colorado, including his new grand baby Juni, and our daughter from Pennsylvania and her granddaughters. We enjoyed meals together, swim time, game time and a lot of laughs. So, praise God!

Think about this verse. We imagine, and God does more, so much more!

Tuesday Prayer: Worrying

On By vickleaIn Admonition, prayer, testimony1 Comment

My Thoughts and Prayer

I know many of you don’t need this prayer on a daily basis, but I confess that I do. I was raised in an environment where worry was a part of everyday life and it was almost like it was expected. As a result, I joined in at an early age, worrying about mundane childish things. As I got older, my worry increased. I wanted to make good grades and was anxious that I wouldn’t be able to, that I would disappoint my perfection-demanding mother. So, I strived, oh, how I strived! College was the same. Then, after college, I became a Christian, but I still did not let my worry habit go. If anything, it increased as I faced the challenges of raising children, working a full-time job and having my husband constantly deployed with the military. Nevertheless, I did pray, probably almost unendingly, to the point that I felt as though I was having a conversation with God all day and that He was the only One keeping me going. Nowadays, I still fret, I still worry, but I have learned a new habit. When a worrisome thought comes in, I counter it with a scripture verse or a prayer of thanksgiving for all God has done and is doing. Does that mean I “have arrived” and I don’t worry anymore? I wish I could say that is true. What it means is that I am leaning into God a lot because I am a worrier. I can blame it on genetics, family habits or whatever, but it is a habit that I don’t want to have but can’t seem to break. Thus, I pray, I memorize and cite scripture verses. I don’t think there is a “magic bullet” to cure me of this malady, but I do like this part of the prayer from today’s Daily Refresh Devotional on the You Version App, so I am making it mine.

“Please replace worry with peace, anxiety with hope and concern with confident trust.” May we all press into God as He will also draw closer to us. May He be as close as our next prayer and shape us into the confident, worry-free and hopeful children He created us to be. ~Amen.