In 2 Corinthians 12:8, the persevering apostle Paul made a very reasonable request to the Lord:

“Concerning this thing [a thorn in the flesh], I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.”

It seemed like the obvious solution. Yet the Lord had a different answer for Paul—removing the “thorn” was not part of the plan.

Have you been pleading with the Lord to remove a “thorn” in your life? Are you struggling to understand why God would allow it when you could be so much more productive and effective without this painful impediment holding you back?

I know what it feels like to desperately hope that God’s response to your prayers to remove or heal a limiting weakness will be more than His answer to Paul. However, the Lord transformed my expectations of His goodness through my battle with severe physical anxiety.

Find out how I learned to rest in His sustaining grace in my devotional story, “When God Says His Grace is Enough: Learning to Abide Within the Limits God Allows,” based on 2 Corinthians 12:9 (this week’s #MondayMindRenewal verse).

“When God Says His Grace is Enough” is one of 34 stories published in ButterflyLiving’s Life Changing Stories: A Devotional Collection Revealing God’s Faithfulness and Transforming Power, which was just released Friday, September 29th! You can purchase it on Amazon for just $3.99 (Kindle version) or $11.99 (paperback version). Click here to order your copy.

I am so thrilled that this team of 34 authors is supporting Compassion International, an organization that is transforming children’s lives all around the world by releasing them from poverty in Jesus’ name, with all profits from the sale of this book.

However, we are most excited for you to experience the beauty of a life changed by Christ when you explore this devotional collection, where encounters with Christ lead to hope-filled transformation.

Each devotional story is centered around a scripture passage you may want to add to your #MondayMindRenewal list of transformational truths to meditate on and memorize. I will be sharing many of the key verses other authors chose for the devotional in the weeks to come.

In the meantime, get to know the encouraging authors who penned these devotions for you by listening to their behind-the-scenes interviews in the Life Changing Stories podcast series, hosted by fellow contributing author Angie Baughman (founder and host of the Steady On Podcast).

Sign up to receive FREE access to the podcast series today!