Charisma Magazine

Stepmom. What word pictures come to mind when you hear that word? Perhaps you are like my young daughter, whose first encounter with stepmom went like this: "Mommy, Mommy, Alison has a stepmom! Will she be mean and wicked like the stepmother in Cinderella? We've got to help Alison!"

Or maybe you know a boy like Billy--quiet, shy and frightened that his "new" mom will take off like his first. One year ago Billy's real mother abandoned the family, and now the stepmother is trying to love him. Billy is resisting. From his point of view, one rejection is hard enough.

Shari, an unhappy teenager, refuses to talk to her stepmom, who became part of the family after an affair with her dad that led to divorce and remarriage. Dad has repented of his sin, but Shari has no intention of accepting the "other woman" as her stepmother. She can't stop thinking about how Mom suffered as a result of her dad's infidelity. The stepmom is a living reminder of the family pain.

In the conclusion of his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul wrote: "A final word: Be strong in the Lord. ... Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil" (Eph. 6:10-11, NLT). How often do you feel "strong in the Lord"? Many Christians more frequently feel "small and puny" or "frail and afraid."

The good thing is, Paul wasn't telling the Ephesian believers (or us) that through self-effort we could just be strong-he wasn't saying, "Just do it!" as the Nike commercial says. He goes on in verses 13-18 to explain that being strong in the Lord requires getting suited up for battle. Spiritually speaking, he compares it to dressing like the professional soldiers in his day.

On that sunny afternoon, as my husband and I took a fitness walk along a row of car dealerships, I never dreamed that we would be cruising home in a brand-new, red, SAAB convertible. The car just seemed to fit the day. After all, this was Southern California, where sunshine and fancy cars abound.

It is also a place where many judge you by what you drive. Of course, we already owned a prestigious foreign convertible, but it had become a real headache with its never-ending, expensive repair bills.

As we negotiated with the SAAB salesman to purchase the car, we abandoned the idea of a trade-in because of the tremendous loss we would have had to take on the market value. Besides, we had driven my husband's car that day, and the problem car was at home. We would just have to sell it on our own.

A man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 7:50 a.m., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the wannabe robber ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The frustrated man stormed out of the restaurant.

In Tennessee, a burglar realized he'd left his Nikes at the home he'd just robbed. So he returned and asked the lady of the house if she'd seen his shoes. She called the cops, and the guy was arrested.

The mistakes criminals make could fill a book. In fact, they have. Leland Gregory's The Stupid Crook Book (Andrews McMeel) reveals dozens of real-life stories about captured criminals who are so dumb you almost feel sorry for them.

You spend hours listening intently to hear God in prayer, only to question if He really was the one telling you to leave your job or begin a relationship with the man you thought was Mr. Right. Though Satan whispers untruths to us, we can be assured the Holy Spirit will heighten our spiritual ears to discern God's voice. Respected Bible teacher and conference speaker Priscilla Shirer can help you hear God correctly with the five Ms of prayer. Click below to watch the video.