"Finding Faith" is Not Something that Happens Just Once

There are times when you hear of someone "finding faith". We even use that term at times when we are telling about our book and the story that happens in it. Isaiah sets out to make changes in No Longer Broken after "finding faith". That is a term that is used for a person coming to God for the first time, but it is also something that we have to do every day. We don't just "find faith" one time and then trust God with everything for the rest of our lives, we have to make the decision to trust him every day, and we have to "find" our faith each day.

When I wake up in the morning, I have to find faith. I have to trust in God to get me through the day. I have to look to him and have faith in him if I am going to get through all that the day brings.

When I am nervous about something that is going on in my life, I need to pray to God for faith. I have to ask him to give me the faith to believe that things will turn out fine.

When the world seems to be going crazy and everyone is pushing an agenda that disagrees with what I believe, I have to find faith and trust that God has everything under control.

Finding faith is about so much more than just a one-time coming to God, it is about trusting him each day and believing that he has the world in his hands. I have to ask him for faith before I can start the day, and I have to remember to trust in him as the day goes on. I have to try to believe, try to hold on to faith, no matter what comes my way.

There is a kids song that talks about faith and that encourages children not to be afraid. It talks about God being someone who is great and able to handle our problems. We need to find faith like the song suggests, and we need to hold on to that faith as we go about each day.

Choose to "find faith" once again today.

By Emily Acker, co-author of No Longer Broken

If We Do Enough Good, We Will Be Saved... Right?

If you are under the impression that doing good works will save you, then it is time that you knew how wrong you are.

And how amazing God's grace is.

God doesn't demand any of us to do a certain list of things in order to gain salvation. He doesn't say that we need to work harder, or be better people, in order to get into Heaven.

No.

God's gift is free.

God's gift is good.

And He wants nothing more than for you to accept it and be free.

Free from the thought that works will save you. Free from the thought that you are not good enough.

In the book of Ephesians says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast."

God is very clear about this.

He wants us to know that his son's death on the cross is enough to save us. 

We are only human, after all. Why would we think that God would allow us into Heaven because of anything that we could do? Do we not realize how great and awesome and powerful our God is? He can make anything happen. He can choose to do what he wants with us.

And he has chosen to give us the freedom to accept or decline the gift that he is offering.

Salvation is a beautiful gift. It is the best gift that you could ever receive.

Know that your works will get you no where. But that salvation will mean everything.

God loves you and wants you and wants you to be his. He sent his son to die to give you eternal life. It is not by works that you can be saved, but only through his amazing grace.


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled. Something Better Is Coming.

In John chapter 14, Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be troubled. He tells us to believe in Him. Further into the chapter, He tells us that He is the way, the truth, and the life.

Jesus loved us and showed that love by dying for us. By coming back to life for us.

When we accept that gift that He is offereing, to take away our sins, we are made brand new. We have a whole new life not only on earth, but also one to look forward to in Heaven.

So don't let your hearts be troubled.

Don't be afraid of the things going on in this world. Don't stress out about your life and all of the things that you just can't control.

Instead, trust God. Believe in Him. Thank Jesus for saving you.

We all need to remember that Heaven is waiting.

And Heaven is bigger, better than anything we know on earth.

And although this is our home for now, it is not our only home.

When we believe in Jesus, when we have asked him to take away our sins and enter into our life, we have a whole new home to look forward to.

Something better is coming.

So don't let your hearts be troubled, but believe in Him.


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

I Will Lift My Eyes.

"I will lift my eyes to the Maker 
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You."

Last week I shared a post written around the song "One Thing Remains", and this is another of my favorite songs.

This song encourages us to look beyond ourselves. To know that our Maker is out there, and that he has made the mountains and the earth.

The song reminds us that God is the Calmer of wild oceans, and that anything is possible through him.

And it tells us that he is our Healer. He is there for us when we need him.



The presidential election is taking place today. I'm sure many people are biting their nails waiting to hear the results. It's a big deal. This next president will be the leader of our country for the next four years. We want the right person to get in to lead our country.

And we need to be praying today.

We need to also remember that God is in control.

That no matter who gets in that will not change.

Of course we want what is best for our country. We should. But no matter what happens, we will still have a good God to call Father.

A God who made the mountains, who calms the oceans.

A God who loves you and me more than we could ever know.

And God is in control.


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

God's Love Never Fails.It Never Gives Up. And Nothing You Do Will Make Him Give Up On You.

We find ourselves in dark places at times.

Maybe we are ashamed of all that we have done wrong. And instead of asking for forgiveness, we keep digging a deeper hole for ourselves.

We keep doing the destructive things that we know we should avoid. We fail our friends, our family.

Maybe we even abandon those we love in one way or another. If not physically, then emotionally.
We make mistakes. We make bad choices. We sin.

And maybe all of this goes on for years. Decades, even.

We have done so much wrong, and for so long, that we feel distant from God.

We believe the lie that he will never forgive us.

We believe that we have done too much wrong for him to care about us.

We have been lying, hurting others, cheating, disrespecting the gifts that God has given us. Why would he love us?

God's love is unexplainable.

It's unfathomable.

It's endless.

And God's love never fails.

As one beautiful song says of God, "Your love never fails. It never gives up. It never runs out on me."

God loves us just as we are.

God loves us despite our many mistakes.

God knows how many times we have failed him, and yet he wants us still.

He never gives up on us.

His love is there for you, for me, no matter what we have done.

His love is so great that it never runs out. There is nothing that we can do that will make him stop loving us.

God is great. He is full of grace. He is merciful. And he is loving.

And if you have been making mistakes and choosing the wrong things in life, then it is time for you to realize that. It's time for you to turn around and start doing what is right. And it is time for you to accept God's love for you.

He loved you so much that he died for you. He realizes that you are a sinner, and he wants to save you from the way you are living. His love his waiting, and all that you need to do is to accept it.



In No Longer Broken, Isaiah has been running from his past. For fifteen years he's been hiding from the mistakes that he's made. He's hurt his brother in a deep way. He's abandoned his son. He's been hiding.

And because of all of the hiding and running he's done, he has hurt himself and others.
But in the novel you will find that he has accepted God's love. And because of that, he is able to reconnect with those he left behind. There are struggles that he must face, but because of God's love he is able to make things right.

God's love is amazing, and I hope that you are able to see that today.


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken