Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

God’s Powerful Preparation {First 5}

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I’m sharing today over at First 5 in our new study of Ezekiel. I’d love to have you join us in the First 5 app! Here’s a preview . . .

When I face a task that I don’t feel equipped to tackle, I get frustrated. I reach for the sugar canister and find it lacking the full cup my recipe needs. Or I’m afraid there’s not enough gas left in my tank, literally or figuratively. Maybe you’ve felt that way, wondering if you have what it takes to complete your work at the office or in your home.

In Ezekiel 3, God commissions Ezekiel to speak to his fellow exiles and then guarantees they will not listen. Ezekiel’s difficult assignment prompts him to sit for seven days, overwhelmed by deep distress. (Ezekiel 3:15) But as we continue through this book, we’ll see that Ezekiel isn’t simply an overwhelmed prophet — he’s an obedient prophet who’s been equipped by God for this task. God prepares Ezekiel through the power of His Word, the proper perspective and the presence of His Spirit.

You can read the rest of the teaching or find out more about First 5 over on their website. I hope you’ll check it out!

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Who Are You Trusting? {First 5 App}

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I’m thrilled to be contributing to the First 5 app of Proverbs 31 Ministries. Today I shared a teaching on Psalm 115. Here’s a sneak peek . . . You can read the rest of it here, or download the app to join in this study of the Psalms!

Psalm 115:11 (ESV) “You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.”

On a spring morning during my senior year of college, I wept in my professor’s office as the identity I spent my life building tumbled to the floor. I’d always been a star student, but my senior research project didn’t go as planned. I wouldn’t graduate with honors, and I was crushed.

The pain of that moment remains poignant two decades later because I still struggle with making idols of my reputation, my accomplishments and my gifts. But God’s Word shows us the truth about these shaky foundations. In Psalm 115, we see the danger of trusting what our hands have made rather than trusting the Lord who made us.

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