The words jumped off the page and grabbed me as I read them. Right there in my morning devotional, I received a challenge and assignment for my year. The author mentioned that many times God brings us through a season of sickness, and on the other side of our healing, we are called to point those around us to the Healer —  Jehovah Rapha — the only One who can heal us body, mind, and spirit. Physical healing is fantastic, but the greatest healing of all is spiritual.

Let’s be honest, if I suddenly discovered the cure to Cancer, then I would shout it from the rooftops. Why is it that I hesitate to share that Jesus is our only hope for true and lasting salvation?

The next day after reading that thought-provoking devotional, I jumped in the car with my man and headed to a very important doctor’s appointment. The whole way there, I laid my hands in my lap with palms open and facing up and prayed, “I surrender all.”  We were driving to hear my biopsy results. Yep, I found out I had Cancer in November. A pimple on my right arm was apparently the pesky problem.

If you are reading this, and you haven’t been to the dermatologist in the last 12 months to have a full-body check, I want to challenge you to stop here and dial your doctor’s number to make an appointment. It could literally save your life. What I thought was a tiny boil was actually a very large melanoma.

I now have a lovely 3-inch battle scar to remind me that God answers prayer, and I have much to be thankful for. My lymph nodes were clean, and we went to Paneras on the way home to celebrate.

Sharing soup and sandwich with my man is a sweet gift from God I don’t ever want to take for granted. Every couple of years, God seems to send Bruce and I a reminder that we should not take “today” for granted. Live like you are dying. Today is a sweet gift from God to be celebrated. Getting out of bed and having the next 24 hours to live is a treasure.

For the first 6 days of this year, I had no idea what the surgeon was going to say, and I wondered what my year would hold. But on January 1st, I felt God tell me that I needed to be fervent and not lag around like something was holding me back. Because no matter what the doctor said, God wasn’t going to give me a “free pass” on walking out my faith. Come what may, I am called to stay fueled and aflame for Him. Wherever He leads me, there is someone who needs to know Jesus saves. And, as long as I have breath in my lungs, I can speak His name.

So as I sat in my bed in my pajamas (I spent most of December in my pajamas), I took a picture of the.4 devotionals sitting in my lap, and I posted them on Instagram. And, I decided to challenge myself to share a little more about how we can stay bubbling up and boiling over in our hearts even when all hell seems to be afoot.

So, for the next 365 days, I am going to be sharing a little daily faith fuel challenge on my social media accounts. In case you don’t follow me on Instagram or Facebook, I wanted to give you a little taste of what you’ve missed so far and invite you to join me.

Check out Week 1 of the Faith Fuel Challenge:

Day 1

We are walking through a hard season at our house, so I am starting my day with sweet and short devotional content:

Daily Light for the Daily Path

Strong, Brave, Loved

The Quiet Place

Live in Grace, Walk in Love

It’s like drinking a bottle of Ensure when you are weak and need a quick, compact source of extra nutrition.

What’s your favorite devotional? What tools and resources are you using to fuel your faith?

Day 2

If I come across a verse in my quiet time that jumps off the page and informs me how to walk in faith through my current season, I write it out on a 3×5 card, tuck it into the devotional on my nightstand, and pull it out to review every morning.

What simple steps can you take this week to meditate on verses and arm yourself with Truth?

Day 3

My new routine for the new year is to sit on a stool at my kitchen island, light my favorite candle, and spend some time in prayer as I start my day.

Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” Where is your solitary place where you sit quietly seeking God’s heart and surrendering all as you pray?

Day 4

Every morning, I do my best to crucify the grumpy girl in me by looking back at the last 24 hours and writing down 5 things I am thankful for — even when it’s a dark day, there is always a reason to say “Thank You, Jesus.” Today I get to live & will experience God’s grace in some way — I just need to keep my eyes open and my heart ready to receive.

How will you cultivate an attitude of gratitude this year?

Day 5

Sabbath is a commandment, not a suggestion. Your mind, body, and spirit need time and space to replenish. It’s dangerous to run full throttle and not stop to be still and know He is God.

How will you intentionally choose rest and sit at His feet this week?

Day 6

I have this little dish for my rings sitting on the bathroom counter, and this week it smiled up at me and reminded me to put my armor on and stop letting the enemy of my soul distract me with stinkin’ thinkin.’

Every day, we must take up the challenge to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (II Corinthians 10:5, NIV). What steps will you take  to push past fear and worry and remember God is faithful and true?

Day 7

God created heaven and earth, and all creation proclaims His glory.

My response to the wonder of all God has made when I look around me should be reverence, awe, and a holy hush in my heart. But, the reality is that I am often in such a rush that I don’t stop to “be still and know He is God.” I run full throttle into my day, and I don’t stop to smile because the sun is shining or marvel at the majesty of a beautiful flower or blue sky. God is speaking loudly all around me, and I don’t want to miss it. So, I need to slow down and drink it all in. I think of that old song by Third Day and I pray, “Show me Your glory, Lord.” Amen. 

How will you slow down today and stop to really see God’s wonder all around you?

Day 8

Every morning before little man goes to school, we say our “cheer” to remind us of who we are in Christ. We point to the sky and shout, “I know the Lord is with me.” Then we put our hands on our hips like a superhero & declare, “I am a man of valor.” And, we wrap it up by flexing to show our muscles as we say, “Strong & Courageous.” This week as I processed some hard things we are dealing with at our house, the Holy Spirit reminded me that I am a woman of valor, and I need to flex those faith muscles.

Are you letting anyone or anything define you other than Christ? How will you remind yourself that you are more than a conqueror today because Jesus has already won the victory?

Want to join me in the 365 Faith Fuel Challenge? I will be posting daily inspiration on Instagram and Facebook.

Need more inspiration to fuel your faith? I’ve created a one-page printable to help you FUEL your quiet time. This simple 4-step format will help you focus in on one verse and see God’s Word come alive in your heart. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and  grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.

 

When we are intentional about fueling our faith we will shine brightly for Jesus. The watching world will wonder how we stay fueled and aflame, and we can share we’ve a fire in our bones that comes from drawing near to Jesus. Keep the fire of the Spirit burning in your heart, friends.

Challenge yourself to intentionally fuel your faith for the next 365 days.

⇓

 

 

Let’s chat: Challenge yourself do more even if life is messy. What is one simple step you can take this next week to fuel your faith?

---

 

Need help fueling your faith?

Are you feeling overwhelmed by your commitments and constantly running on empty?  CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO HELP YOU develop a plan to Refuel with rest and soul care.

 

---

 

ARE YOU READY TO FIRE UP YOUR FAITH?

SIGN UP TO GET WEEKLY #FAITHFUEL IN YOUR INBOX.

YOU’LL RECEIVE “4 SUREFIRE WAYS TO IGNITE YOUR FAITH” AS MY GIFT TO YOU.

YOU’LL ALSO GET ACCESS TO THE PRACTICAL RESOURCES IN OUR PRIVATE FAITH FUEL LIBRARY.

⇓

Friends: As a social media influencer, I have a sweet list of my favorite resources to fuel a wildfire faith in my very own shop on Amazon.  (Note: I will get a little something back if you follow any of the links in this post and buy anything on this page. Thanks in advance if you do.).