Daughter of Increase

Good morning Gems!!! I can't believe it! We have two days left before we begin the 40 day prayer challenge. This is going to be an intentional prayer challenge that will change my life in many ways. I am so excited for this! I am also nervous about this challenge. Why I'm excited? I'm excited for this challenge because I've been feeling the push to pray more, to spend more intentional quality time with God and to learn more about prayer for the past year, but I never did anything about it. I know ( intercessory ) prayer will be one of my powerful gifts once I get past some barriers and really embrace it. To break those barriers I need to grow in my own personal prayer life. Why I'm nervous? I'm nervous because I know this isn't going to be an easy journey. I know God is going to say some things I don't want to hear and even deny me some things in order for me to come to full capacity with my prayer life and faith walk. I know this is going to ...

Hey Gems!!! Today I want to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart...books. I am a book-nerd. A major book-nerd. I've read all types of genres. From romance to fantasy to historical and non-fiction. Just about every genre you can think of. Whether eBook, physical or audio, I'll read it. Reading is something I've grown to love as a kid when I first started school. I 1000% encourage people to read because it's fun, educational and entertaining. However, last year I came across a genre that I never really knew of or cared to read because of my lack of knowledge on the genre... BIBLICAL FICTION For me, as a girl in my early and mid-20's biblical fiction just seemed like something I wouldn't enjoy. Fiction based on the Bible -- oh please. That's what I thought. Keep in mind, at that time I was just living my truth and not the Truth of God. Also, I always heard about Christian fiction which included the Amish and the genre turned me off ...

Hey Gems!!! This post is one that should have been written and posted back in January, but better late than never. I shared in December via my Facebook group that I was going to do a 52-week reading challenge that was faith-based. What is it? The 52 week reading challenge is a reading challenge all about intentional faith-based reading. It focuses on reading books that will edify for your spirit and help you in your faith walk. It's about maturing and growing in God and in His Word by reading things that build character and help us bear fruit.  Why join? Are you trying to get into reading more books? Do you enjoy reading? Do you want to grow in Christian maturity this year? Are you tired of secular books leaving an impact on you that puts you in the way of temptation? This challenge is for you! Anyone who is a follower of Christ and desires to be more intentional with their reading. How does it work? I wanted this challenge to be fun, but intentional so t...

Hey Gems!!! Today I want to share my favorite Christian and biblical fiction reads of 2018. I recently shared my favorite non-fiction reads from 2018, so I felt it only right to share my favorite fictional reads. For me reading Christian fiction used to be a genre I steered clear of. Most where either Amish related or dealt with younger girls marrying older men and it turned me off. It wasn't until I made a video that many people told me to give it a try again. I decided to dive into biblical fiction, Christian fantasy and even tried out a historical romance based on a biblical story and I fell in love! I am now  MAJOR fan of Christian fiction with a preference of biblical retellings and fantasy. I have a post coming tomorrow on what biblical fiction is for those who haven't heard of the genre before so stay tuned for that. If you want to read it ahead of time head over to DTTGW and check out the post I did for her blog! These books were all 5 stars reads except for...

Hey Gems!!! Today I want to share with you all my top 8 non-fiction Christian reads of 2018. I read over 175 books last year and of that I challenged myself to read at least 25 Christian-based books. I wanted to pick my favorites to see how they would compare to the books I will read this year. Picking these books out was rather easy because I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them! Each book had an impact on my life and are books that spoke to me in the specific time that I read them. I highly recommend each and every book. Here is the list of each book and links for you to purchase them: 》 Anywhere Faith by Heather C. King             - Kindle: https://amzn.to/2E8NnxM             - Paperback: https://amzn.to/2Eb01N7 》 Battle Plan for Prayer by Alex & Stephen Kendrick             - Kindle: https://amzn.to/2GFS8k9             - Paperback:...

Hey Gems!!! I shared with you all a week ago that I'd be doing a 40 day prayer challenge which I'm opening up to each of you to join in on. In that post I run through the basics of the entire challenge. With this post, I want to share with you all the books and devotionals I'll be reading to help me grow in my prayer life. Now, of course a Bible ( I'll mainly be using the NKJV Spirit-Filled Life Study Bible ), pen ( I'll mainly be using blue ink pens ) and journal ( I'll be using my homemade prayer journal ) is essential to this challenge, but outside of those things I'll be using several other things to keep me focused on prayer and help me to truly understand it better. None of these things are necessary to the challenge. These are just books and things that I have and want to make use of during this challenge. Bibles I'll be making use of my Pray the Scriptures Bible . This Bible has prayers on every page concerning each scripture within th...

Title : Wiersbe Study Bible by Warren Wiersbe Type : Study Bible Translation : NKJV Audience : Adults Binding : Smyth-Sewn Size : 9.50 x 6.50 x 2.25 inches Pages : 2176 Font Size : 10.5 type, comfort print Text Layout : Double column Red Letter : Yes Gilded Edges : No Bookmark : Yes, two ribbon bookmarks Resources : Cross references, concordance, book introductions, maps, commentary and various "articles" Publisher : Thomas Nelson Publication Date : February 5, 2019 Synopsis : Now you can experience Dr. Warren Wiersbe’s lifetime of powerful Bible teaching in one place. Whether through his bestselling "BE Series" commentaries or his popular "Back to the Bible" radio ministry, Dr. Wiersbe has guided millions into a life-transforming encounter with God’s Word. Now, in this single volume, you have access to Dr. Wiersbe’s trustworthy, accessible explanations of the Bible’s truths and promises, through his comprehensive system...

Title : Of Fire and Lions Author : Mesu Andrews Series : Prophets and Kings #2 Age : Adult Genres : Biblical Fiction Expected Publication Date : March 5, 2019 Publisher : Waterbrook Press Source : ARC Purchase : Paperback | Kindle | Audible | Christian Book Synopsis : The Old Testament book of Daniel comes to life in this novel for readers of Lynn Austin's Chronicles of the Kings series or Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series.  Survival. A Hebrew girl first tasted the need of it when she escaped death nearly seventy years ago as the Babylonian army ransacked Jerusalem and took their finest as captives. She honed her skill while living among the Medes, bowing her knee to both gods and men.  Now, as Daniel’s wife and matriarch of her family, Belili thinks she’s safe and can live out her days in Babylon without fear—until the night Daniel is escorted to King Belshazzar’s palace to interpret mysterious handwriting on a wall. On that very ni...

Title : How to Pray: Reflections and Essays Author : C.S. Lewis Age : Adult Genres : Christian Living, Prayer Publication Date : June 5, 2018 Publisher : HarperOne Source : Hardcover Purchase : Hardcover | Kindle | Christian Book   Synopsis : The revered teacher and bestselling author of such classic Christian works as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters , C. S. Lewis here offers wisdom and lessons that illuminate our private dialogue with God—prayer—in this collection drawn from the breadth of his writings.  C. S. Lewis’s insights on Christianity and his reflections on Christian life continue to guide us more than fifty years after his death. How to Pray showcases Lewis’s enduring wisdom on prayer and its place in our daily lives.  Cultivated from his many essays, articles, and letters, as well as his classic works, How to Pray provides practical wisdom and instruction to help readers nurture their spiritual beliefs and embrace...

Hey Gems!!! I will be doing a 40 day prayer challenge in March. I have been feeling this urge to dive deeper into prayer, both verbally and journaling. I find that prayer is something I struggle with more so than I care to admit. I understand that prayer is an essential part of the walk of a Christian. It's through prayer that I can communicate with God. Prayer is simply a conversation with the Father in which I confess my sins, bring my questions and concerns to Him, praise Him for who He is and show my gratitude to Him. The second half of prayer is also being able to sit and hear from Him. I fail at prayer most of the times, but with this 40 day prayer challenge, I want to be able to truly understand prayer and make it a priority and habit in my life. If I had to place where my prayer life was at the moment I'd say that it's lukewarm. I want my prayer life to be on fire and the only way to do that is to challenge myself. I am opening this up to anyone who wa...

Title : Wiersbe Study Bible by Warren Wiersbe Type : Study Bible Translation : NKJV Audience : Adults Binding : Smyth-Sewn Size : 11.11 X 6.11 inches Pages : 2272 Font Size : 10.5 type, comfort print Text Layout : Double column Red Letter : Yes Gilded Edges : Yes, silver Bookmark : Yes, 2 ribbon bookmarks Resources : Cross references, concordance, book introductions, maps, commentary and various "articles" Publisher : Thomas Nelson Publication Date : February 5, 2019 Synopsis : Now you can experience Dr. Warren Wiersbe’s lifetime of powerful Bible teaching in one place. Whether through his bestselling "BE Series" commentaries or his popular "Back to the Bible" radio ministry, Dr. Wiersbe has guided millions into a life-transforming encounter with God’s Word. Now, in this single volume, you have access to Dr. Wiersbe’s trustworthy, accessible explanations of the Bible’s truths and promises, through his comprehensive syste...

Hey Gems!!! Today I want to share some awesome biblical and Christian fiction books I've recently purchased and/or received for review. I have just been loving biblical fiction since I began reading it last year. I find myself really drawn to the genre. In light of having purchased and received so many books for the month of January, I decided to do a separate book haul for these beautiful books. Check out the video below and continue reading for the list of books and where you can purchase them. Review Books 》 The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jamie Jo Wright Kindle  |  Paperback  |  Hardcover  |  Audible 》 Between Two Shores by Jocelyn Green Kindle  |  Paperback  | Hardcover 》 Healing Hearts by Sarah M. Eden Kindle  |  Paperback  |  Audible 》 Blessed by A.L. Bryant Kindle  |  Paperback 》 The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson  Review  |  Kindle  |  Hardcover  |  Aud...