Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, NIV)

Not There Yet

Remember learning to walk?
Remember learning to talk?

There is always a beginning,
A newness to whatever we do.

Faith is like that.
We don’t just meet God and that’s that.

We take baby steps.
Each day is a new day for learning about ourselves and God.

If we open our hearts and minds, God will gradually find His way
Through our tangled webs to our hearts.

So don’t worry if we feel
We’re not there yet.

We never are.

Life is a period of time for becoming who we are.
Open our hearts to God and He will do the rest.

©Janis Cox

Hi friends,

At the age of 77, I can say that life has been an adventure. But I am certainly not there yet. I have plans to publish more books in the coming years.

Today I’ll remind you of a new children’s book, Two Sisters: the story of Mary and Martha.

When I first decided to follow Jesus – really follow, I was led to a book called, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. From thoughts after studying the book and how my life has changed, I wrote a children’s story based on Luke 10:38-42.

This children’s book is for ages 6 and up.

I also did the artwork and added activities for children at the back of the book.

To buy

Canadian Amazon

US Amazon

May I pray for you and me?

Lord, we know life is a journey. Each day is new. Open our hearts and minds to grow closer to You each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The post Faith Takes Time appeared first on Growing Through God's Word.

Hi friends,

I am sorry that the cover photo isn’t clear. I do have to find this picture. It was one of the first ones I drew – probably before 2005.

But the poem remains in my heart as I seek each day to find where God is leading. I love waking up to a new day.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16, NIV)

A New Day

Each new day awakens
A sense of wonder.
What will I see?
Where will I go?
Whom will I meet?
A sense of adventure awaits the rising of the sun.

Renewed from a good sleep
I am rejuvenated to experience
All the wonders God has in store for me.

©Janis Cox

I love the words uncharted territory. If we look around us and really see people we can see more uncharted territory.

What will you do today? What will you see? Whom will you meet?

May I pray for you and me?

Heavenly Father, each day is a new day. Help us to keep our eyes and ears open for what the Spirit shows and tells us. Keep us connected to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Join us at Growing through God’s Word on Facebook or at Growing through God’s Word on Substack.

I would love to hear from you.

Jan

The post This Day is Uncharted Territory appeared first on Growing Through God's Word.

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. (Philippians 2: 1-2, NIV)

In the quiet
I listen

I hear a small voice
That understands
My very being, my essence.

I read.
I try to understand God’s words.

The meaning becomes clearer.
New ideas flow through me.

God reminds me to listen not just to Him but to others

By listening I can show God’s love to others.
By listening I can show how much I care.

God tells me to be still and listen.

I am His ears.

©Janis Cox

Do you try to listen to God?

It’s not easy. For us to quiet our minds and hearts we need to focus on who God is.

Reading scripture helps.

Being in a group with others also helps.

Join us at Growing through God’s Word on Facebook or at Growing through God’s Word on Substack.

May I pray for you and me?

Heavenly Father, help us to listen to You. In this world with more distractions that ever, it’s hard to make time to SIT and listen. If there are others way You can speak to us, show us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The post Listen or Try to Listen appeared first on Growing Through God's Word.

Our Creator

A beautiful butterfly
A frog’s croak
A bird’s song

An inch worm
A guppie
A blade of grass

A moonbeam
A rainbow

God is all around us.
Open your eyes and you will see Him.
Open your ears and you will hear Him.
Open your heart and you will sense Him.

Based on Psalm 100

On your feet now—applaud God!
    Bring a gift of laughter,
    sing yourselves into his presence.

Know this: God is God, and God, God.
    He made us; we didn’t make him.
    We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.

Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
    Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
    Thank him. Worship him.

For God is sheer beauty,
    all-generous in love,
    loyal always and ever. (MSG)

May I pray for you and me?

Heavenly Father, Creator of all. Thank you for the beauty of the earth and skies. Our password to You today is thank you. Help us to see and hear You through Your creation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Don’t forget to follow me in Substack.

https://substack.com/@authorjaniscox

Blessings

Janis

The post God Is appeared first on Growing Through God's Word.

Based on Judges 4:1-24 – The story of Deborah

Trust in God’s victory even when your circumstances look overwhelming.

Do what God tells you even when you are fearful.

O LORD I thank you
For giving me strength
For giving me health
For giving me faith.

O LORD I bless You
For my family
For my friends
For Your love.

O LORD I pray 
For You to lead me
For You to guide me
For You to help me do Your will.

Gather me in Your arms to renew my devotion 
and
Send me out into the world to spread Your love to all.

“It is presumptuous in me to wish to choose my path, because I cannot tell which path is best for me. I must leave it to the Lord, Who knows me, to lead me by the path which is best for me” — Teresa of Ávila.

May I pray for you and me?

Heavenly Father, sometimes things look overwhelming to us. Sometimes, we can’t see the way to go. Help us to learn to trust in You and take one step at a time. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Just to note: The acronym is one from my new Acronym book, Word Power.

Buying Options

Amazon Canada

Amazon US

The post Trust Leads to Victory appeared first on Growing Through God's Word.

Dear friends,

Hi,

I’ve been absent from my blog for a few years. First I was publishing on Medium and now I am writing on Substack. But I didn’t want you to think I forgot about you.

Praying my words from this post will grow your faith – small as it might be – into a powerful journey with God.

Matthew 17:20

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

Did you know that from one of the smallest seeds grows one of the largest trees? The seed of the sequoia is only ¼ the size of a grain of uncooked rice. And yet it grows into the biggest tree, having roots that can cover over between two and four acres and bark that can be two feet thick.

I find that amazing!

And can you imagine our earth without seeds? There would be very little plant growth.

In Genesis 1:11-13,

God spoke: “Earth, green up! Grow all varieties
of seed-bearing plants,
Every sort of fruit-bearing tree.”
And there it was.
Earth produced green seed-bearing plants,
all varieties,
And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts.
God saw that it was good.
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Three. (MSG)

Jesus told this parable: From Matthew 13:31-32

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches. (NIV)

Have you looked at a seed lately?

As I planted my garden this spring, I marveled that the tiny beet seed would produce luscious red beets and tomato seeds would grow into tall tomato plants.

This parable of the tiny mustard seed makes more sense when I understand the miracle of a tiny seed growing into a large plant. And that our faith can be like that – small, unassuming, but powerful because we enlist the aid of God.

Mark Batterson in his book study called Draw the Circle – The 40 Day Prayer Challenge, reminds us of the miracle of that tiny seed and also how we need to go slow and wait expectantly for our prayers to be answered.

He says:

Each prayer is like a seed that gets planted in the ground. It disappears for a season, but it eventually bears fruit that blesses future generations. In fact, our prayers bear fruit forever. 1

In this world, we want quick fixes and instant solutions.

Mark says:

We want God to microwave solutions, MapQuest directions and Twitter instructions. 2

We forget; yes, we forget that we serve a powerful awesome God.

In Psalm 50, we hear that God owns the cattle of a thousand hills.

For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10, NIV)

We need to remember that we can’t let fear dictate our decisions.

Mark Batterson also says:

When Jesus walked out of the tomb, the word impossible was removed from our vocabulary. 3

Our God, who can make a humongous tree grow from a tiny seed, can surely answer our prayers.

Is your God big enough to answer your prayers?

Remember you need to ask.

Dream big and ask our awesome God.

Our God, who can make a humongous tree grow from a tiny seed, can surely answer our prayers.

May I pray for you and me?

Lord Jesus, You came to earth to show us the way. You came to teach us about God. You talked about Who God is and you showed miracles to show us how big our God is. Please help us to have that mustard seed of faith to put our trust in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Think about your prayer time.
Are you spending time in prayer and reading God’s Word?

This is an excerpt from my book, Growing through God’s Word.

Join us at Growing through God’s Word on Facebook where we read, study and discuss God’s Word.

1 Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge (Michigan: Zonfervan, 2016, 75)

2. Batterson, 75-76

3. Batterson, 82

The book of this week is Growing through God’s Word. I actually have two books. It is a series but only two so far. May I get time to write more.

Do you seek a daily spiritual rhythm in your life?

Janis believes in the impact of a daily rhythm to seek God. In this devotional, Janis shares her experiences in studying God’s Word daily. She encourages readers to grow closer to God through the practices of journaling and prayer.

Amazon US

Amazon Canada

The post What Can We Learn from a Tiny Seed? appeared first on Growing Through God's Word.

Five Minute Friday — this week’s word is “decide”. Join FMF by following this link.

If you want to kick-start your writing, use a prompt.

This morning, I had to decide whether to write my FMF post first or meditate with a scripture. I used the Reflect app from Apple to meditate on a scripture which was 1 Samuel 17:45–47

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

When I heard those highlighted words, “for the battle is the Lord’s”,  I could be at peace with all the thoughts and worries on my mind. I needed to find peace this morning. The decision to meditate on His Word helped me find that peace.

As I let go of all my earthly concerns, I remembered that God is in charge.

He is the God of the impossible.

I read this today, too.

Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few. (1 Samuel 14:6, NIV)

And that reminded me of one of the first blogs I created, “He Cares for You.”

God is only a breath prayer away.

And today, as well, I read 

Ron Mahler’s post about how God cares for us. This blog post has been short-listed in the Word Guild Awards.

My Encounter With A Wounded Bird Reminded Me Of Something

I had forgotten the extent to which God is sovereign

What a great decision I made today to go with scripture meditation. Try out the Reflect app and tell me how you like it. I also like the Lectio Divina mediations it has.

May I pray for you and me?

Heavenly Father, may we always remember to talk to you. If we made the BIG decision to follow You, help us remain in close contact, and remember that You are the God of the impossible. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

And to finish off this post on the word “decide,” I wrote a haiku.

I have to decide
To put God first and to pray
Then peace will follow.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7, NIV)

Blessings,
Janis

If you want more prompts, please check out 28 Days of Writers’ Prompts.

Janis is a writer, illustrator, and publisher. She has over ten books in print, from children’s, devotionals, colouring books, and Bible studies. Check out her Book Page on her website.

Creativity Spiritual Catalyst. Author/Illustrator. Christ Follower. FB group for reading the Bible. https://www.janiscox.com

This post is linked at Five Minute Friday for the word prompt “Decide”.

The post Make a Decision to Use a Writers’ Prompt and Help Words Flow appeared first on Growing Through God's Word.

I have been reluctant to post to my blog because I really don’t like the way it is setup now. But this post is taken from Medium.com where I now do all of my blogging. Check it out. .

This is Five-Minute Friday. (posted on Sunday.. lol

Time to write for just five minutes. Now, I like to write by hand, so mine takes double the time as I have to type up what I wrote.

What is work?

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (Colossians 3:23, NLT)

It’s certainly nice to find work that’s enjoyable. I have a degree in English/Psychology. Here is how I have spent my “life’s work” so far.

• Teachers’ degree — taught until we had our first child. Then stayed home with three children for 13 years. I volunteered everywhere.
• Started our own business — so need to go back to teaching so we could eat.
• Stopped teaching when I was needed back in the business — it was expanding and needed my help.
• Sold the business — retired, realigned.
• Ran a Bed and Breakfast.
• Started to write, paint and podcast.

Having fun in what I do
In all my life, I have had fun with “work”. And I am still having fun.

I write, paint and tell others what I learn through reading The Word of God.

Throughout my life, God has established the “work of my hands”. He has led and guided us through all sorts of ideas.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us —
yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17, NIV)

What do you “work” at? I think we all should be working at following Jesus. He will give us the desires of our hearts if we trust and look to Him.

May I pray for you and me?

Heavenly Father, we desire to do the work of Your hands. We want to work with all our hearts and enjoy what we do. Help us to find that type of work. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Email me anytime at Janis Cox.

If you want to read along with me in a Chronological Bible,* I would suggest you get your own. It makes so much sense to read His Word yourselves. Also, please check out my Facebook group, Growing through God’s Word, where I encourage you to read the Bible for yourselves. *affiliate link

The post How Can We Make the Work We Do Enjoyable and Do It for the Lord? appeared first on Growing Through God's Word.

There is something that we do as believers that we shouldn’t.

We get stressed.

Do you know ways to lessen that stress?

I have joined with fellow Christian authors to put together a bundle of digital products that can help you lessen that stress.

It’s called Too Blessed to Be Stressed. We have over 25 products worth more than $500. We are selling it for $24. Yes, that’s right. $24.

We want to bless you and make you relax.

Bible studies, calendars, planners, colouring books, graphic art. There is even a course on how to use the digital program Procreate. I’m getting that one.

Three of my books are in the bundle – worth $22.

It’s easy. But it has a time line. We are only offering this bundle between November 22 and November 29, 2022. You can check it out by clicking HERE. (This is an affiliate link.)

Let’s find time to destress this season. And to all my American friends, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

May I pray for you and me?

Heavenly Father, we know that You want us to be at peace. If we find ourselves getting stressed at this time of year, please show us the path to peace. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Blessings

Janis

PS I love hearing from you!!

The post Are you feeling stressed at this time of year? I can help. appeared first on Growing Through God's Word.

Today as I read Ephesians 6:10-20, I heard, “Take a fresh look.” I looked at different versions.

The Message helped me look deeper than the familiar words.

“God is strong and he wants you strong.”

I love that God wants me strong.

“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle.”

Always read His Word. Embed the words in my heart and mind.

“God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way prayer is essential in the ongoing warfare.”

Let’s keep praying. For Ukraine. For our countries. For our families and friends.

“Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.“

Let’s encourage one another in our posts.
In words to our neighbours.
In words to our families.

These are good words to remember for this week.

Blessings
Janis

May I pray for you and me?

Father, help us to take time to read your Word every time. Help us to gain strength from You. And help us to raise the spirits of others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The post God Wants You Strong appeared first on Growing Through God's Word.