Maybe you have told yourself you will come back to God when things settle down. When you stop the habit. When you get your thoughts under control. When you become more consistent. When you finally deal with what happened. When you can walk into church without feeling like a hypocrite. For now, you keep your distance. You may still believe in God. You may even miss Him. But somewhere along the way, shame convinced you that you should not come close until you have something better to show Him....

Some people come into prayer ministry knowing exactly what they want God to heal. Others come carrying so many layers of pain that they are not even sure where one wound ends and another begins. Recently, I had the privilege of ministering to a woman I will call Anna. I have changed identifying details to protect her privacy, but the heart of her story remains the same. Anna loved God. She had served Him faithfully for years. She knew Scripture. She prayed. She ministered to others. But when...

Some days, you feel close to God. You prayed that morning. You read your Bible. You were patient with your family, helped someone in need, resisted a temptation, and followed through on what you believed God asked you to do. By the end of the day, you feel spiritually steady. You feel as though you and God are doing well. Then there are other days. You sleep through the time you planned to pray. Your mind wanders when you try to read Scripture. You become frustrated, speak too quickly, or...