“Every moment, as you take a breath, as you enjoy the beautiful sunshine, as you live your life, as you simply smile…someone around the world is suffering, someone is fighting for their life, someone is taking their last breath, someone is crying for the loss of a loved one, someone is broken and trying to find the strength to go one.

As you sit at a restaurant enjoying the company of good friends and good food, someone is dying of hunger, someone is wondering where their next meal will come from.

While you’re lying on your couch in the safety of your home, with your cozy blanket, and watching your favorite television show, someone is lying on the cold ground, searching for a park bench, or somewhere safe to lay their head down at night.

As you search your phone for your next big purchase and complain when you can’t find the exact item you are dreaming of, someone is struggling to make ends meet.

While you are texting your friends and family random emojis and pictures, someone is completely alone and considering suicide.

The list could go on and about the “someones” that aren’t you. The “someones” whose needs may never be met, whose hearts are broken, whose life is on the brink of defeat. Someone needs you.

Each breath that you take should be treasured and treated as the gift from God that it is. While you are free from your sin, forgiven, and awaiting an eternity far grander than you could ever imagine, someone has never heard the name of Jesus.

Be the someone that makes a difference.

Be the someone that comforts the suffering, feeds the hungry, and does whatever it takes to share the love of. Christ with others.

Be the someone that makes friends with the lonely, encourages the broken, and always has a positive Christ like attitude.

Be the someone that brings a smile to the room.

Be the one that changes someone’s life through the love, the guidance, and the glory of Jesus Christ.

Be the one to the someone that needs you the most.”

May God bless you and show you His Grace every day!

-Kayla Rampey

As another Mother’s Day has come and gone, I can’t help but think of my own mother and how much she means to me. There are times, even as an adult, that we don’t see eye to eye, and we disagree on a variety of things; however, she is still my mother. As a teenager, I remember torturing her with my temper and rebellion. I look back at the darkness that was in my soul and I wish, with all my heart, I could take it all away and erase the dark times my mother and I had. She didn’t deserve the pain that I put her through. No one did. My mother has always been a Christ-like example for my family. We woke up each morning and saw her sitting at the table reading her daily devotion and preparing for the day. She always had a women’s devotional book sitting beside her bed and somewhere in the kitchen as well. She has always been giving, caring, and understanding through every trial we’ve encountered. Even during my worst years of rebellion and depression where I withdrew myself almost completely from my entire family, she still loved me, and she still prayed for me.

My mother showed me the love of Christ by reflecting His love in all that she did. She wasn’t perfect, just as no mother really is, but she did her best to ensure that her children knew the love of Christ and would one day grow up to hold Him in their hearts.

My mother always loved me unconditionally reflecting the unconditional love of Christ.

My mother never gave up on me, as Christ will never give up on you.

My mother stood by my side even when I didn’t deserve it, just as Christ is with you always.

“I love you more than life itself” is a statement often heard from mothers. As a mother of two young boys, I now understand what it means. I love my children and will always do my best to raise them in a Christian home and protect them from everything that I can. I love them more than life itself. I will always put their lives above mine, no matter what they do in life. They are my children, they are my responsibility, and I will never leave their side even if they leave mine.

Christ showed you the ultimate showcase of love when He died for your sins. His ultimate sacrifice. He didn’t deserve it, but He loved you more than His own life.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

The love of a mother should always reflect the love, sacrifice, grace, and gentleness of Jesus Christ, but we all know that isn’t always the case. No one is perfect and parenting is not the easiest job.

But today, as Mother’s Day is passing by, take time to thank God for your mother. No matter where she is in your life or the role she has played, good or bad, thank Him for placing her in this world. Without her, you would not be here. Without her, your children or future children would never exist. Generations would become non-existent if it weren’t for your mother and mothers from years ago.

As a mother that has suffered multiple miscarriages, I count it as a miracle that God has blessed me with two wild and crazy, amazing little boys. I treasure each moment I have with them and remind myself daily how precious they are in God’s eyes. God has a purpose for each of them, and though I’m not a perfect mom, I want my relationship with them and others around me to always reflect the love of Christ.

Mothers aren’t the only ones called to reflect the love of Christ; so are you. Young and old, male and female, whoever you are, wherever you stand, you are to live like Christ, love like Christ, and stand out in a dark world.

“Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:4-6

Trust God, love always, and make it your mission to let your life reflect the love of Christ.

Thank you, Mom for always being there for me (and now for your grand babies) and most importantly trusting God through it all! Love you mom/nana!

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

Each year’s Secret Church gathering consists of over four hours of intense Bible study, as well as concentrated time of prayer for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Over 53,000 people attended Secret Church 2019 either live in Washington, DC or via simulcast. This year, my church, East Pickens Baptist, hosted a live simulcast of Secret Church from 7pm-1am. It was an amazing experience and really opened my eyes to how “self-sufficient” this world is becoming and how prayer and fasting is pertinent to overcoming this epidemic.

This year’s theme focused on the importance of prayer and fasting. From Genesis all the way to Revelation, David Platt went through the bible and discussed how important prayer and fasting is. We started with the foundations of prayer (Genesis) and ended with the consistency and culmination of all our prayers (Revelation).

In David Platt’s words, “The goal for Secret Church is not to entertain you, but to equip you through God’s Word.”

I must admit, although the goal is not for him to entertain you, he does amaze you. For one man to be able to go through the entire bible and astound you with basically one topic for 4-5 hours, it is amazing! It’ll open your eyes to how passionate you should be for God and how intense your study of His word should be.

One of the main things I took from the night, amongst the hundreds of things, was that fasting is something Christians should be doing on a regular basis. As a Christian, I know that I am supposed to pray every day, read my bible, desire to be like Christ, love people like Christ loves us, and seek God first in all that I do (etc. etc.); however, I’ve never thought about “fasting” being on that list. At 31 years old, I can’t remember a time in Sunday school (as a child, youth, or adult) that my teacher stood up and said, “Have you fasted lately? Or have you ever fasted?” No one talks about it because no one wants to give up their food, and to be honest, not many people realize how important fasting really is.

Fasting is repeatedly seen throughout scripture as a way of deep communion with Christ. The world views fasting as a way to lose weight or physically renew a person to health.

The actual definition of fasting is to abstain from physical food for spiritual purposes.

Sadly, most Christians choose to ignore this ordinance because it’s not an easy task. No one wants to give up food or feel uncomfortable, but God calls us to pursue Him. Through prayer and fasting, you will gain a deeper relationship with Christ.

Just as David Platt stated, I am not a doctor. If you have a physical health condition that requires you not to abstain from food, consult your doctor first. Also, start small. If you choose to try to add fasting to your Christian walk (which I hope you all will try), don’t start by giving up food for an entire week or even a day; instead, start by cutting out one meal and devoting that time to prayer. The goal of fasting is to remind you that you not only need your daily bread, food, but you need your daily Bread, God, even more. Fasting will teach you to rely on God more than ever before.

The reason we fast is to teach us to rely on God. When you start your fast, you will inevitably get hungry at some point in the day. If you choose to skip breakfast so that you can spend that time in prayer, you might be ok for a few hours, but as you get closer to lunch, you’re stomach will start to rumble as reminder that you haven’t ate in a while.

A rumbling stomach is a physical reminder that you need to eat. Conviction is a spiritual reminder that you need to feast on the word of God.

When you are fasting and you start to feel hunger pains and desire to eat, take that time to pray and thank God for all that He has provided for you. As you feel weak, thank God for the strength that only He can give. As you hurt, pray for those that are hurting. Embrace every moment you fast as an opportunity for you to grow closer to Christ.

We fast from food because God has given us an innate desire and addiction to food. We are accustomed to the comfort that food gives us, and we easily get into the habit of eating even when aren’t hungry. Have you ever found yourself snacking all day long for no apparent reason? Or just eating because you’re bored or having a bad day? We seek food for comfort and fulfillment physically just like we should be seeking God to fulfill us spiritually. Fasting will teach you to rely on God.

“God us our physical cravings to teach us about spiritual sustenance (nourishment, fulfilment). Our spiritual need for God is far more fundamental than our physical need for food and water.” – David Platt

When you fast, you are giving up your comforts to be fulfilled by God. Your sacrifice of one meal a day or maybe even a few meals may seem extremely tough for you to do, and it will probably make you uncomfortable, but I promise you it will bring you closer to the Lord if you’ll let it.

D.L. Moody bluntly states, “If you say, ‘I will fast when God lays it on my heart,’ you never will. You are too cold and indifferent to take the yoke upon you.” D.L. Moody

There will never be a “right time” to start fasting. Make a plan today to fast in the near future so that you might deepen your relationship with God.

Directly after Jesus is baptized, He is sent to the desert to be tempted by the devil. In Luke 4, Jesus is tempted by the devil for 40 days and 40 nights. During this time, I can’t imagine the hunger pains and struggles that He went through, but through God’s word, He was able to overcome temptations. Even Jesus felt the pain of fasting, yet God sustained Him.  

“where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.” Luke 4:2-4

Throughout the entire bible, prayer and fasting are pertinent to the Christian walk with Christ, what makes believers think today that things are different?

Are you willing to get out of comfort zone to get closer to God?

My prayer for you is that when you do fast, you will learn to rely more on God and less on yourself, learn to submit to God’s will, and ultimately grow closer to Him.

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

“I’ve seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
I’ve seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again.”

What battle are you facing today that you think you’ll never be able to overcome? Anxiety? Fear? Lust? Anger? Bitterness? Or something else that is holding you back from truly experiencing God?

Whatever your problem may be – I want you to make this song your anthem:

“Walking around these walls
I thought by now they’d fall
But You have never failed me yet
Waiting for change to come
Knowing the battle’s won
For You have never failed me yet
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You’ve never failed me yet
I know the night won’t last
Your Word will come to pass
My heart will sing Your praise again
Jesus, You’re still enough
Keep me within Your love
My heart will sing Your praise again
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed me yet”. (Do it Again, Elevation)

1) He made a way when there was no way.
2) You’re still in His hands
3) Let this be your confidence that He will do it again.

Stay strong ladies! May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

-Kayla Rampey

Have you ever felt like just running away? There is no doubt that life will get you down at times. You will always have good days, but you will also have some bad days. In my perspective, I’ve found that in my weakest moments, amidst my hardest trials, I have thought the same thing that David did in Psalm 55:6. “Oh that I had the wings of a dove, I would fly away and be at rest.” David was in a pit of despair. He was struggling with his own sin and had lost all hope. His friends had turned against him, and he was all alone. In his despair, he cried out to the Lord and said, “Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.” (Psalm 55:1) David begged God for Him to hear him and answer his plea. He was at his lowest and he knew he needed God’s help. As he continued in his psalm (prayer), he speaks of sin and struggles, “My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught because of what my enemy is saying, because of the threats of the wicked; for they bring down suffering on me and assail me in their anger.” (Psalm 55:2-3)

The backstory to David’s plea is that he was in a situation where he lusted after a woman, Bathsheba, and later committed adultery with her. When he feared that her husband would find out, he had her husband killed while in battle. In every step, he lied about what was going on. One sin led to another which led to another which led to murder and more lies. In the end, his sin was exposed, and he was left with the consequences of his actions. The people that once knew him and trusted him now hated him and turned towards him in anger. He was the talk of the town and there were some people that threatened him and wanted him dead for his sin. In his defeat, he cried out to the Lord throughout the book of Psalms asking for forgiveness and mercy for his sins and restoration of his joy. He describes the pain and agony that he felt in his heart and mind in Psalm 55:4-8,

“My heart is in anguish within me;
    the terrors of death have fallen on me.
 Fear and trembling have beset me;
    horror has overwhelmed me.
 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest.
 I would flee far away
    and stay in the desert;
 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
    far from the tempest and storm.” (Psalm 55:4-8)

At David’s darkest moment, he wanted to just fly away like a dove. He just wanted to get away from it all and leave everything behind. If I’m honest, I can relate. On my hardest days, I would love to be able to just fly away and go to a beach somewhere and just relax (definitely not a desert like David mentioned). In reality, fleeing from your troubles won’t make them go away. It might create distance between you and someone that has caused you pain; however, it will never solve the underlying problems. The strongest people will endure the battles placed in front of them and trust God to help them overcome each hurdle. Even when the battle you face is something you caused because of your direct sin, running away will not solve anything. David could have found a way to run from his troubles and distance himself from God and anyone that was against him; however, he begged God and prayed continuously for God’s forgiveness and mercy throughout the book of Psalms. His prayers are remembered today as he is remembered as a “man after God’s own heart.” His desire was to please the Lord, but he knew he had messed up pretty bad. Instead of just giving up, he gave his problems over to God and begged Him to forgive him and give him another chance. David continued to trust in God through it all and was forgiven for his sins. The Bible says in 1 Chronicles 29:28, “He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.” Despite his past and his sins, he died at an old age and enjoyed his life. Yes, he went through a struggle, but he never stopped trusting in God.

“Fight or Flight” is the term you’ll probably hear or have heard in school about your body’s reaction to certain situations, but in life you have the same responses to hard situations. When trouble arises, you either fight the battle in front of you or avoid it all together (flight). Don’t let flight be your go-to option. Anyone can run away from their troubles, anyone can give up, but with God’s help, you can overcome any battle you face. I challenge you to fight. Stand firm in your walk with Christ, and when you mess up, plea to God, pray for forgiveness, and let Him help you out of the darkness.

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

“Stability is essential for your sanity.”

What are your daily routines? Do you start your mornings with exercise or just a simple cup of coffee? Whatever you do first in your day, sets the stage for the next 24 hours.

Stability is as simple as creating a list, writing in a prayer journal, reading a daily devotional, or just saying a prayer before your feet hit the floor.

Being a mother of 2 boys, writer, public speaker, teen ministry director, and working part time at a medical office, my life can get hectic and a lot of times, unstable. An unstable house is certain to fall when a storm hits, will you be ready?

I challenge you to make a list of 1-5 tasks that you want to achieve each day. Don’t make the tasks impossible, just make them something you know you can achieve.

For example, my first list looked like this:

1) Make the bed
2) Drink my coffee before the kids wake up (not always easy)
3) Take time to pray with my kids before leaving the house (or even in the drop off line at school)
4) Read scripture / devotional
5) Write 250-500 Words

Every time I mark off one item on my list, it gives me a sense of achievement and reminds me that I can do anything if I just set my mind to it and trust God.

Life is not all about checklists, but when life gets busy, it’s important to keep yourself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually stable. If it takes a list to help you stay on track, write your list every night before you go to bed. If you like to run to clear your head, run your heart out. Singers, praise Him every day and use your voice to remind yourself of His love. Each person is different, but each person has a purpose designed by God.

Are you following God’s plan?

What’s holding you back from a stable life in Christ?

“in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:6

Often, I hear people say, “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.” Is that true? Do you really need to “go to church” to be a Christian? Or can you just worship from home in your nice cozy covers? Or pray at home with your family?

Personally, I believe people say they “don’t need to go to church to be a Christian” because they just don’t want to go. If you don’t go to church every time the doors open, I am not calling you a terrible person. I just want to encourage you to rethink your priorities. Are you not going to church because you would rather do something else?

In some situations, “going to church” is not an option. Some people are unable to go to church because they don’t have transportation to get there, or maybe they work on Sundays or work odd hours or have parents that won’t take them. If you are sick or have the flu, please do not go to church. I encourage everyone to find a church and go there as much as you can; however, if you are unable to go, there are millions of online churches and livestream services. Just don’t use the excuse, “I can just watch it online” to avoid other people.

To answer your question, I am going to ask a question, “Why is the church there?” I live in South Carolina where there is a church building on every corner. One Sunday, my husband and I counted over 25 churches between our house and a 45 minute drive to the church we were attending (and those were just the ones we could see from the main road). Churches are everywhere, but why?

My #1 Reason for believers to go to church: “If we are truly “the Church (believers in Christ as a whole)” then we should desire to get together with other believers regularly. We are not meant to live life alone. It’s important to worship together, pray together, and encourage others in their walk with Christ. Do you desire to go to church?

Here are a few reasons why it IS IMPORTANT to go to church:

1. The church is a place where people can gather together and worship God, the Creator and King.
   
2. The church is meant to be a place where people encourage each other and build relationships to help them through life.
3. Church should be a “safe haven” where people in need can turn to when they need assistance (spiritual, physical, or emotional). A homeless person or person in need should always be able to reach out to a local church for help.
4. Church is not just a “hang out” for Christians. When a person becomes a Christian, other believers should gather with them and welcome them as family. The Bible says we are brothers and sisters in Christ. How often do you see or contact your brothers, sisters, family members, and friends? If we are all a spiritual family, don’t you think we should meet together?
5. Church is a place for renewal and remembrance. Life is busy, and you are not intentional about making time for God, you will leave Him out. Making a commitment to attend church is a showing God that you are giving Him some of your time to devote yourself fully to worshiping and learning more about Him. How deep is your devotion to Christ?
   “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42
6. The Bible tells us multiple times to ‘love one another’ ‘encourage” “teach” “disciple others” How can you do that with other believers if you never attend church?
7. Yes, YOU are the church, not the building you go to; however, gathering in a house of worship is a great way to remind yourself that you are not in this fight alone.
8. Your team is at your church, not on your couch or boat. Your “team” is your church family. I know that when I have a prayer need, I can depend on my church family to pray for me. So often people take their prayer requests to Facebook or other social media sites and expect every person that likes or throws up a prayer emoji to pray for them. Do you really think a prayer emoji counts as a prayer for your struggles? Praying with your church family is vital to the Christian life. Do you have a church family you can depend on to pray for you? If not, I encourage you to find a church, build relationships with other Christians, and serve God together. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
9. Church builds community. A person that works alone cannot complete as much work as a person that has hundreds of people helping them out. When you go to church, you gain helpers to work beside you for the glory of God. Together, you can change the world. Imagine if there were empty churches everywhere and no one to lead Vacation Bible School? How many of you would not be saved? I know of a lot of people that were saved at VBS. Without churches that serve together and host VBS each year, how many children would never know about God? ”
   “ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Colossians 3:16
10. Going to church is a place where your Pastor and leaders can guide you through God’s word. The Bible is not always easy to understand, and Google does not have the answer for everything. Plus, if Google does have the answer for Biblical questions, how do you know which website to trust? It’s important to go to church to learn from others about your Heavenly Father.
    “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17
11. You can’t sit still and expect God to move you. You have to take a step of faith and actually do something. Church is a great starting point.
12. Why go to church? You need to. You may not always wake up on Sunday morning and want to get out bed to go to church, but you need to. God has a message just for you, but you can’t hear Him without letting Him speak to you.
    “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2
13. God equipped your Pastors, leaders, and teachers in your life for a reason. “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. ” Ephesians 4:11-13

I pray that this will encourage you to go to church next Sunday. If you already attend church on a regular basis, invite a friend next time. It’s time to introduce them to your spiritual family members.

May God bless you and show you His love and grace every day!