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RUNNING THE RACE || A Study of Hebrews: Guarding Your Heart

This year, our Bible study will take us through the powerful and hope-filled book of Hebrews. Each month on the 2nd Friday, we’ll discover how its timeless truths strengthen our faith, anchor our hearts, and help us run our race with victory in Christ.

 

Unbelief is rarely planned.

More often, it grows quietly — through circumstances, disappointments, unanswered prayers, or prolonged seasons of difficulty. Left unguarded, these moments can slowly set us up for unbelief.

That’s why Scripture urges us to guard our hearts with diligence.

The Risk of Unbelief

“So, brothers and sisters, be careful that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that will turn you away from the living God. But encourage each other every day, while it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”
Hebrews 3:12–14

In Hebrews 3, the author offers a clear and loving warning. Just a few verses earlier, he reminds his readers of the Israelites — a people who witnessed God’s mighty power firsthand, yet still refused to trust Him. Because of their unbelief, they failed to enter the Promised Land God had graciously prepared for them.

Seeing miracles is not the same as walking in faith.

A Warning for Us Today

We, too, can be in danger of missing the fullness of what God desires to give us. When our hearts become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, unbelief can quietly take root.

Over time, this hardness can distance us from God — not because He stops loving us, but because He honors our choice to resist Him. When we continually refuse His gentle conviction, we risk settling into patterns that pull us away from faith and trust.

This warning is not meant to frighten us — but to awaken us.

Grace for Hardened Hearts

There was a season in my life when I allowed my heart to grow hard toward God. I turned away and lived in sin for many years.

But God, in His grace and mercy, met me in my darkest place. He did not abandon me there. Instead, He gently drew my heart back to Him.

This is why Hebrews 3 speaks so deeply to me. It warns us honestly — but it also reminds us that no heart is beyond God’s reach when we turn back to Him.

 

RHW Victory Lens

Unbelief is resisted through close fellowship with Bible-believing Christians.

Victory grows when we remain alert to any hardness trying to take root in our hearts.

God never intended us to run this race alone.
Seek out a trusted friend, pastor, or mentor who can encourage you with godly love, truth, and care.

Reflection Questions

    • Are there any areas where I may be at risk of being led by unbelief?
    • Has my heart become hardened in any way?
    • Who has God placed in my life to encourage me in faith?

Closing Prayer

Lord, thank You for giving me the Holy Spirit, who lovingly guides me when my heart begins to wander. Help me remain tender toward You and alert to anything that could lead me toward unbelief. Place godly people around me who will encourage my faith and help guard my heart, so that I may run my race with endurance and finish well. Amen.

Worship Reflection

As you listen to this song below, offer your heart honestly to the Lord. Ask Him to keep it soft, responsive, and anchored in truth as you continue running the race.

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RECOVERY REFRAMED || When Needing Someone Becomes Needing Too Much: Relationship Addiction

The Recovery Reframed series looks at the deeper reasons behind why we run to certain behaviors when we’re hurting. Each month, we’ll explore a different struggle and how Christ can help us overcome it. New posts release on the first Friday of every month in 2026.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” – 1 John 4:18

Some women live from relationship to relationship, terrified of being alone. Others stay in unhealthy or one-sided connections because the thought of losing someone feels unbearable.

This month, we will talk about relationship addiction—the pattern of clinging, over-giving, and losing ourselves in the hope that someone will finally make us feel secure.

The Fear of Abandonment and Being Alone

Relationship addiction is often rooted in a deep fear: “If I’m alone, I am nothing.” Past experiences of rejection, betrayal, or inconsistency can make us feel like we must hold on to people at any cost.

We may ignore red flags, silence our needs, or tolerate mistreatment just to keep someone from leaving.

Over-Giving, Over-Functioning, and Losing Yourself

When we believe our worth comes from keeping others happy, we can slip into over-functioning: doing too much, apologizing too often, and carrying emotional weight that doesn’t belong to us.

Over time, we may realize we don’t even know what we like, what we need, or who we are apart from the relationship.

Letting Jesus Sit in the Center, Not a Person

God created us for connection, but no human being was ever meant to carry the weight of being our entire source of security.

As we let Jesus move back to the center of our lives, relationships can become healthier—no longer our oxygen, but one of God’s good gifts.

Learning to Stand Firm in Your God-Given Identity

Healing from relationship addiction means learning to stand as a beloved daughter of God, even when you feel lonely or afraid.

With time, support, and the Holy Spirit’s help, you can develop boundaries, preferences, and a voice that reflects who you are in Christ—not who others need you to be.

You Don’t Have to Walk Alone

If today’s topic touched a tender place in your story, please know you don’t have to walk this road alone. Healing often grows deeper when we walk with others. A Christ-centered support community like Celebrate Recovery may be a helpful next step. They offer safe groups for women where you will find encouragement, accountability, and hope. Explore locations and resources at: celebraterecovery.com.

A Soft Closing Prayer

Lord, You know the ways I have clung to people out of fear and loneliness.

Forgive me for looking to others to give me what only You can give.

Teach me to rest in my identity as Your beloved daughter.

Help me build relationships that are healthy, mutual, and rooted in You.

Give me courage to release what is unhealthy and to trust that You will never abandon me. Amen.

Before you go, take a moment to breathe and receive this healing worship. “I Speak Jesus” by Charity Gayle is the theme song for this series — a simple, powerful declaration of hope, freedom, and the gentle presence of Christ over every wounded place in our lives.

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BOOK STUDY || The Answer to Anxiety by Joyce Meyer || Ch 1

On the fourth Friday of each month in 2026, we’re studying The Answer to Anxiety by Joyce Meyer. Join me as we learn practical. Scripture-based steps we can take when fear or worry try to take hold.

CHAPTER ONE — Be Anxious for Nothing

Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything. ~ Mary Hemingway

The Answer to Anxiety opens with a simple but powerful truth: worry accomplishes nothing. Joyce Meyer reminds us, “When we waste today being anxious, we accomplish nothing that will change tomorrow.” Anxiety keeps us stuck in fear, drains our strength, and steals the joy God intends for today.

Jesus addresses this very issue in Matthew 6, where He speaks directly to the human tendency to worry. His words are loving, practical, and deeply reassuring. This chapter invites us to see life through God’s eyes and to trust Him more fully.

WHAT WE’RE LEARNING THIS MONTH

    • Our lives matter deeply to God
    • Worry does not add anything positive to our future
    • God provides for His creation without anxiety
    • Nature reflects God’s care and faithfulness
    • Faith is active trust, not passive hope
    • Jesus clearly commands us not to worry

WHY IT MATTERS

Worry consumes time, energy, and emotional strength—resources God designed us to use for living, loving, and serving. When we worry, we actually lose valuable moments of our lives. As Joyce says, “Anxiety is spending today dreading tomorrow.”

Jesus reminds us that if God cares for the birds, flowers, and even the grass, how much more does He care for us? Our lives are far more important to God than anything else He created. Because of that truth alone, worry simply doesn’t belong in the life of a believer.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Matthew 6:25–34

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So, don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

In the verses above Jesus points us to some of nature’s most beautiful creations to focus our attention on that will help relieve our anxiety and worries.

    • He tells us to watch the birds. They never worry, yet God faithfully feeds them. Simply observing a bird can calm anxious thoughts and remind us of God’s steady provision.
    • He also points us to flowers, encouraging us to stop and notice beauty. Taking time to “smell the roses” soothes the soul and redirects our attention back to God’s care.
    • Jesus even mentions grass—something we rarely think about as important. Yet God clothes it beautifully. The next time you can, take off your shoes and stand on soft green grass. Receive it as a quiet blessing from God.

THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION

Worry is not just unhelpful—it’s unnecessary. Jesus gives us a command not to worry, not as a suggestion, but for our mental, physical, and spiritual health. We are called believers. That means we are called to believe God.

PRACTICAL STEPS

    • Pause when anxious thoughts arise
    • Spend time observing God’s creation
    • Step barefoot on grass and thank God
    • Ask yourself, “Is this worry helping me trust God?”
    • Replace worry with God’s promises

CALL TO ACTION

This week, meditate on God’s promises instead of worrying. When anxious thoughts come, gently redirect your focus toward trust and watch how God’s peace grows.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord, thank You for reminding me that my life matters deeply to You. Help me obey Your command not to worry and to trust You with today and tomorrow. Fill my heart with Your peace. Amen.

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THE HEALING JOURNEY || Guarding the Heart God Gave You – Women’s Cardiovascular Health

In THE HEALING JOURNEY we’ll explore the unique health challenges women face and how Christ meets us in every season with compassion, strength, and restoring love. Join me on the 3rd Friday of each month in 2026 as we walk together toward greater wholeness in body, mind, and spirit — one gentle step at a time.

 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23

When Your Heart Feels Tired

A woman’s heart carries so much more than blood and oxygen. It carries worry. It carries memories. It carries people.

And sometimes, without even realizing it, it carries stress, grief, and emotional burdens that slowly affect our physical wellbeing.

Women are often the caregivers, the encouragers, the steady ones — even when our own hearts feel worn thin. We push through fatigue, we minimize symptoms, and we tell ourselves, “I’m fine,” even when our bodies whisper otherwise.

Cardiovascular disease is often called a “silent threat” for women. But God never intended for our hearts — physical or emotional — to be silent when they need care.

The Heart as God Designed It

Your heart was created by God with care, intention, and purpose. It beats faithfully through every season of your life — joy, loss, transition, and healing.

And just as God designed it to sustain your body, He also cares deeply about the spiritual and emotional life that flows from it.

Women often assume “heart care” means exercise or medication alone. But Scripture expands that definition. Guarding your heart means tending to what you carry, what you fear, what you hold onto, and what you internalize.

Stress, Hidden Emotions & the Body

Many women with heart issues trace their symptoms back to chronic stress or emotional overload:

— racing thoughts
— tension and pressure
— overcommitting
— carrying old hurts
— never resting

The heart keeps score. The body remembers. And God sees.

Let God Strengthen the Heart

Caring for your heart is not selfish. It is stewardship.

Simple, gentle choices honor the body God entrusted to you: slowing your pace, breathing deeply, choosing foods that nourish, moving in ways that feel kind, and resting without guilt.

Psalm 73:26 reminds us: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Learning to Guard Your Heart Gently

Guarding your heart doesn’t mean building walls. It means creating space for Christ to tend to what’s within.

It looks like noticing your limits before they break, saying no when you need rest, releasing fear and perfectionism, and letting God love you right where you are.

A Soft Closing Prayer

Jesus, thank You for the heart You gave me — for every beat that keeps me moving, loving, and living. Teach me to listen to my body with kindness and to honor the limits You designed for my wellbeing. Help me release the stress and burdens I’ve carried for too long. Guard my heart with Your peace, strengthen it with Your presence, and fill it with the assurance that I don’t walk this healing journey alone. Amen.

As we begin The Healing Journey, our worship theme song is “Healer” by Kari Jobe. This beautiful song reminds us that in every season of sickness, stress, pain, or uncertainty, Jesus is our strength and our restoration. Its simple declaration — “I believe You’re my Healer” — invites us to rest in the truth that Christ is near, He is faithful, and He is gently healing our bodies, minds, and hearts.