Today’s devotional episode of the I Witness Podcast dives into the profound message of Matthew 5, where Jesus calls us to be the light of the world. Kelly Jo Wilson shares actionable insights and personal experiences illuminating how we can embody this divine mandate daily. Join us as we explore how to live out one of Jesus’s most empowering teachings and truly be a beacon of hope and love in our world.
Matthew 5:16, NKJV: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven
Ephesians 5:8-9: For you once were darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)
Ephesians 5:10-11 Finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them
Ephesians 5:12-14 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:
Awake, you who sleep
Arise from the dead
And Christ will give you light
Matthew 9:37-38 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Focus on your relationship with God by spending deliberate time with Him
Journaling or writing down what He’s saying to you
Resources for You
Want to start journaling your walk with God?
I have a resource to help you walk with God in your own unique way.
The Stillness Prayer Journal is a printable prayer journal with over 100 customizable pages all dedicated to simplifying your walk with God.
The journal has cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques combined with Bible verses and Christian-based encouragement to guide your time with Him in a simple, thoughtful way.
Stillness Prayer Journal Includes:
A one-page daily journal for simple goal-setting and reflection
In this episode of the I Witness Podcast, we uncover the inspiring story of Stephanie Flohr, an unlikely servant of God who, amidst profound grief, found herself in a dark place, even planning the date she would take her life. Through unwavering courage and a renewed trust in God, listen to how she discovered her true worth and purpose.
Stephanie Flohr is an unlikely missionary, but she follows God’s call anyway. On May 4, 2020, her husband unexpectedly passed away, and her desires, dreams, and goals went along with him.
Stephanie has traveled to a dark place, planning her own time to meet Jesus in heaven, but God had other plans. Through her unique ministry of encouragement and compassion, she spreads the transformative message of Jesus’ love, offering hope to those who need it most.
Stephanie is determined to share her uplifting story of faith, resilience, and obedience to help others come to know their beautiful worth in Jesus.
“I can’t spend a lot of time dwelling on what I am leaving behind, the tears start to flow and the heart hurts. Yes, I will miss so many people. But I know beyond any doubt where the Lord is leading me, allowing me to go and He has a plan and purpose for my life.”
-Stephanie Flohr
Bible Verses for Encouragement
Psalms 147:3, NKJV: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Are you inspired by Stephanie Flohr’sstory but not sure how to reconnect with God in a difficult time?
I have a resource to help you walk with God in your own unique way.
The Stillness Prayer Journal is a printable prayer journal with over 100 customizable pages all dedicated to simplifying your walk with God.
The journal has cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques combined with Bible verses and Christian-based encouragement to guide your time with Him in a simple, thoughtful way.
Stillness Prayer Journal Includes:
A one-page daily journal for simple goal-setting and reflection
In this inspiring devotional episode of the I Witness Podcast, host Kelly Jo Wilson explores the profound concept of God’s unconditional love. Through a heartfelt devotional, she delves into the idea that this divine love cannot be earned but only accepted.
Join Kelly Jo as she shares wisdom on embracing this boundless love and how it transforms our lives.
Struggles are real and when we feel empty we can lean on God and Jesus
We can’t earn God’s love
God’s love is present whether we accept it or not
When we struggle, the Holy Spirit helps speak for us when we don’t have words
Jesus’ life is the evidence of God’s love for us
God loved you before you were created
Nothing can separate you from the love of God
Bible Verses for Encouragement
Romans 8:26, NKJV Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Ephesians 2:4-8, NKJV But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
John 3:16-17For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 15:9As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
John 15: 12-13This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Resources for You
In the depths of despair, can one woman find the strength to accept the love of God?
Sarah’s world was shattered two years ago with the loss of her beloved husband. She has been a mere shadow of herself, drifting away from her faith and the God she once leaned on. As she navigates the turbulent waters of grief and single parenthood, her resolve is constantly tested.
This Christmas, Sarah’s struggle reaches a tipping point. With the mounting pressure to provide for her children and the weight of her sorrow, she finds herself at a crossroads.
Will she continue to turn away from God, or will she find the courage to face her pain and embrace the love that has always been there for her?
Hope for the Holidays is a poignant tale of loss, resilience, and the redemptive power of faith. It’s a story for anyone who has ever questioned God’s love in the face of suffering. Join Sarah on her heartfelt journey as she learns to trust in the divine embrace, finding hope and healing in the most unexpected of places.
In this episode of the I Witness Podcast, host Kelly Jo Wilson explores how to heal while grieving, and the intersection of grief and faith with guest Stefanie Cabaniss, a specialist in grief support for Christian women. Stef shares her poignant journey of losing her best friend to cancer, a loss that deepened her faith and inspired the creation of the Grief 2 Great Day podcast and ministry. Their conversation delves into the transformative power of trusting God through life’s toughest challenges, highlighting the strength of honesty and vulnerability in prayer.
Stefanie Cabaniss is the founder of Grief2GreatDay.com, a coach and author specializing in grief support for Christian women. She hosts the Grief 2 Great Day Podcast to support Christian women navigating the difficult journey of grief.
Experiencing indescribable pain and confusion after losing her best friend to cancer, she struggled to create a new life. She earned a master’s degree in Public Health focusing on community grief support. She served as secretary for the Eastern Carolina End of Life Care Coalition.
Her book entitled, Dying to Be Healed, was released in January 2021. Stef is also the creator of What Do I do After the Loss of a Loved One? 4 Actions to Take Now to Cope with Grief a faith-based workshop to help women breathe, laugh, and live again.
Stef contributes to local newspapers and radio and is available to discuss grief support topics such as ‘getting through’ the first year of grief and creating purpose after loss. Stef and her husband, Jeff live in eastern North Carolina.
Interview Highlights
How to heal from grief when it doesn’t have a timeline
Giving ourselves grief grace and what that looks like
Stef has practical tips for how to heal from grief and prepare for difficult days
Stef talks about her anger at God and how her faith changed when coping with the loss of her best friend
Stef shares uplifting ways she and her friend Monica kept positive through the cancer journey with their B-POD
Stef shares wonderful takeaways and resources to help women navigate grief, especially during the first year after the loss
Bible Verses for Encouragement
Matthew 11:28-30, NKJV: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and al these things shall be added to you.”
Stefanie Cabaniss knew in those agonizing moments watching her friend dying that the story must be told. As with the Scriptural account of Noah, Abraham, and Moses, this recollection conveys a realistic version of that manner of ‘crazy’ faith.
Dying to be Healed is not a story set in a backdrop of ages past. It is a contemporary, true, bittersweet, and altogether real-life narrative of the final months of the earthly existence of Stefanie’s best friend, Monica.
Monica battled the ravages of stage-four Melanoma but came to strongly and immovably believe that she had been miraculously healed by the power of the Great Physician. This is a story of that unshakeable faith in the midst of rampant physical contradiction.
Do you struggle to spend time with God because of anxiety, distraction, or because you’re going through a difficult time?
I have a resource to help you walk with God in your own unique way.
The Stillness Prayer Journal is a printable prayer journal with over 100 customizable pages all dedicated to simplifying your walk with God.
The journal has cognitive behavioral therapy techniques combined with Bible verses and Christian-based encouragement to guide your time with Him in a simple, thoughtful way.
Stillness Prayer Journal Includes:
A one-page daily journal for simple goal-setting and reflection
In this episode of the I Witness podcast, we explore why it’s so easy to doubt God. We dive into 1 John chapter 5, a scripture that shares the unwavering assurance found in God’s testimony. We explore the challenges believers face in their faith journey with a short story and discuss the eternal promise we have in Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ existence is the physical and spiritual confirmation of God’s testimony.
Jesus is strong in us when we are weak.
Everyone sins and doubts at some point in their lives.
We have assurance through our relationship with Jesus in prayer
We can lean into the assurance provided by God’s testimony of Jesus Christ
Bible Verses for Encouragement
1 John 5: 11-13, NKJV: And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
Matthew 11:28-30: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Resources for You
Do you struggle with doubt and feeling unworthy?
This 7-day devotional takes you through women’s stories of heartbreak, death, disease, and more, with Bible verses to remind you of God’s promises.
You don’t have to earn God’s love. All you have to do is accept it
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