Stay In Peace

The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. – Exodus 14:14-15 (KJV).

In order for God to fight for you, you have to hold your peace.

He told me recently that as long as I worried about things, I kept my hands on those things I wanted  Him to handle.  Instead every time I am anxious, I am training myself to say, “I will not let my heart be troubled, neither will I let it be afraid.”

When I stay in peace, God fights for me. And He will do the same for you…if you remain in peace.

- Annagail Lynes

You’re Beautiful

As a little girl it doesn’t take much to make us feel beautiful. We would put on our mom’s high heels, pearl necklace, and night gown and feel like a princess straight out of a fairy tale story. As time goes on and we grow older it takes more and more for us to feel truly beautiful. We watch the women on tv and in magazines and slowly our own beauty slips farther away from us. We don’t recognize it as easily, even though we have a God who recognizes our beauty constantly. The world is always changing its definition of beauty and we see desperate women trying to meet that definition. Sometimes it means buying new, trendier clothing and other times it means getting plastic surgery to make yourself better. I don’t want to have to work hard at being beautiful. I want it to come naturally from who I am and who God made me to be. That is what we need to realize….God made us. You and I are a creation of God, His masterpiece. You are a stunning piece of art created by the Almighty Himself. Doesn’t that make you feel beautiful?

I love imagining God forming me and contemplating on how He wanted me to be. And we know that we serve a God who does not make mistakes. That let’s me know that I am how he wanted me to be.

Let’s praise God by recognizing our beauty and not compromising it by falling to the world’s definition of what is “beautiful.”

You are beautiful…You are a masterpiece of the One true God of Heaven and Earth….Celebrate Your beauty in Him!

In Christ’s love,

Angela Sanchez

www.a-womans-heart.blogspot.com

Patience: Willing to Bear

Love bears all things.  Love is patient.  Patience is the ability or willingness to bear things.  What kind of things do we have bear?  We bear lots of things, like hardships, temptations, wrongs done against, suffering, trials, physical or financial problems, and many other things. 

 

Bearing hardships is difficult.  But it helps to remember God uses all things for good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28).  If you are steadfast is following God, even when there are hard times God will use it for good some way.  We might not know how, but God is faithful and will carry it out for His good purposes in your life. 

 

Bearing temptations is challenging too.  It helps to know the source of our temptations.  The Bible tells us we have three sources of our temptations:  (1) Satan, (2) the world, and (3) our selves.  As God is not the author of temptation, we can rest in His guidance.  God always makes a way out so we are able to bear it.  No one is ever tempted beyond what they can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

 

Bearing the wrongs done against us is hard.  It’s difficult to be patient when things are not going our way.  It’s helpful to remember it’s our way is not important, but God’s way is.  Ask yourself whether this current slight against you is would still be remembered 100 years from now.  It probably wouldn’t be, so don’t waste any time harboring bitter feelings over it.  Jesus taught the disciples to forgive others 70 times 7, as if to say we should always forgive.  Bearing the wrongs through forgiveness is what love does. 

 

Lord Jesus, thank you for bearing with our weaknesses.  Thank you for your Spirit to enable us to bear all things as you do.  In your name we pray, Amen.

 

© Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions and has a heart for encouraging others with God’s Word.  For more devotions, bible studies and a recommended book store, visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com today.

Saying “NO”

I have this “inner” dilemma. I hate to let people down. When I am asked to do something I have a very hard time telling someone “no” – even if I would really rather not.

You see, I am a people pleaser. So that means that I find great delight in helping others. I want people to be happy with me. I want them to find favor with me. Sometimes to my own detriment.

But I’m learning how healthy it can be to say “no.” God says that everything may be permissible for me, but not everything may be beneficial. So I’m using that new perspective to filter what I say yes and no to.

A friend of mine recently told me that “there will always be opportunity and there will always be needs.” And she is so right. I can give until I’m blue in the face. There has got to be a line to draw somewhere.

I know that I have a large, active family who all has great hearts for the Lord and for others. We do our best to give our all to everyone we care about. But we are learning that to do “all” for everyone else means that we sometimes can’t do “All” for what God really has in mind for us.

All it takes is a little discernment and some practice to learn how to say “no.” You’re not going to please everyone anyways (I found that out the hard way!).

~ Dionna Sanchez (EmphasisOnMoms.com)

Patience: Suffer without Complaining

Who would have thought having patience means to suffer without complaining?  Think about this.  We can suffer a number of ways.   We suffer the loss of time while we wait in lines.    We suffer emotional pain as we recount al the wrongs done against us.  We suffer relational pains as we focus on all the ways our needs are not meet.  We suffer from physical pain either from our own doing or not.

 

But patience is not just suffering.  No, it is to experience pain or trials while staying calm and not complaining.  Before I gave my life to Christ, I was overcome by my physical pain. I was not a good role model for patience during my gallbladder ordeal.  The surgery typically takes 45 minutes, but mine took 5 ½ hours!  My defective gallbladder had made a tremendous mess in my intestines.  My recovery was not pleasant.  I allowed my pain to turn me into the worst patient.  As a result, I was treating everyone around me terribly.  I was so self-absorbed I couldn’t accept anyone’s care for me.  I just wanted out of the hospital.  However, none of those reasons are good enough excuse for my poor behavior.    

 

Why is finding a patient person is hard to come by?  It could be because having patience is difficult.  Most people give in to grumpiness or harsh behavior before letting patience have its good work.  Personally, I don’t think one can be patient without the Holy Spirit’s help.  One of the fruits of the Spirit is patience.  Therefore, if we walk in the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit will be more and more evident in our lives.

 

It’s sad to witness someone in such pain they loose their sense of right and wrong.  Pain has a way of bringing out the worst in people, if we let it.  But as believers in Jesus Christ, we have the power of the Holy Spirit within us.  This power enables us to walk in the spirit.  In doing so, we reap the fruit of self-control (Galatians 5:23). 

 

What pain or trial are you experiencing?  Are you practicing patience during your current situation?  Tap into the Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead you through this circumstance.  When you do you will experience peace beyond your wildest expectations.

 

Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of your Spirit enabling us to be patient during our circumstances.  Help us to suffer without complaining so you receive the glory you deserve.  In your name we pray, Amen.

 

© Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions and has a heart for encouraging others with God’s Word.  For more devotions, bible studies and a recommended book store, visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com today.

 

He Just Wants Love

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38,39

This morning I woke up to Zeke’s face in my face.  Now he wasn’t licking me, or scratching me or even whining at me.  He was simply staring me in the face, when my eyes opened up.  That is an interesting way to start the day.  With those big eyes staring at me.  He wasn’t on the bed, he’s not allowed on our bed.  But Zeke is so large, he pretty much is face to face with me and that’s exactly his position this morning.  With his big head resting on the mattress, a few inches from my face.

I looked at him for a few minutes, he looked at me and then I reached out and rubbed his head.  He sorta melted into my hand and you could hear his tail thumping against the carpet.  Zeke has quite a large tail.  It can about knock Chase down, if it’s going strong.  As I laid there rubbing that big goofy dog, I was thinking about how all he wanted was a little love.  Usually Zeke goes about trying to get love with a lot of wrong actions; barking at me, jumping on me, scratching me, but not today.  Today he just sat and waited for me to wake up and love on him.

Isn’t that what we all desire?  Just a little love?  I spent a good part of my young adult life looking for love in all the wrong places, as the song goes.  I was doing all the wrong activities, with all the wrong people.  And then one day, I found Jesus!  He filled up that empty void in my life with a love that is simply indescribable.  And when I slow down and simply wait for Him, He’s right there, showering His love on me, letting me know how much He loves me!

Yep Zekey Boy … I can relate!

Father, thank you for filling me up with your love.  Some days, I feel like you have taken a funnel and just poured your love right into my heart, until it overflows.  Lord, teach me how to be still and receive all that you have for me. 

I Love You Jesus.

      In Your Name I Pray,
     Amen

God Bless You!

Love,
Joyce

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Patience: Not Hasty or Hurried

Another meaning for patience is not to be hasty, impetuous or hurried.  How many times have you been in a big hurry?  Did you ever think being hurried meant you were not being patient? 

 

For me, one of my struggles is the morning routine of getting the kids ready for school.  No matter how early I wake them up, we never seem to leave the house on time.  My default response is to get flustered and hurry my kids along.  As I studied the meaning of patience I discovered my behavior is not what I want to teach my kids. 

 

Every time the feeling of hurriedness appears, it’s an opportunity to pray to our gracious Father in heaven.  Pray something like:

 

Lord, your word tells us patience is a fruit of the spirit.  If I’m not patient right now, I must not be walking by your Spirit.  Lord, I give you this moment and ask you to fill me with your Spirit.  Enable me to stay calm as we get ready this morning.  In Jesus’ name Amen.

 

© Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions and has a heart for encouraging others with God’s Word.  For more devotions, bible studies and a recommended book store, visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com today.

 

When It Rains, It Pours

When it rains, it pours. We all have phases in our lives like that don’t we? It seems like everything is going fine and we are plugging along on this journey of life and then it hits like a tidal wave. Everything seems to happen at once.
These are the times when we realize how much we took those slow, normal days of life for granted. That’s why it’s so important to embrace the simplicity and beauty in our day-to-day walk – because it may not always be there! There is much to teach us in the everyday. We need to be ready to learn from it so we can be stronger and more ready to tackle the rain when it comes our way. And it WILL come our way! That’s a part of life. Our lives will not always be easy or comfortable.
God has much to teach us. Let your sunny days bring your soul healing, comfort, renewal, and strength. Let your stormy days grow you stronger and help you appreciate the sun all the more when it comes your way to shine.
~ Dionna Sanchez

Visit me at PreciousMoms.com!

Guests

 

Guests

Pain knocked upon my door and said
That she had come to stay;
And though I would not welcome her
But bade her go away, She entered in.

Like my own shade
She followed after me,
And from her stabbing, stinging sword
No moment was I free.

 And then one day another knocked
Most gently at my door.
I cried, “No, Pain is living here,
There is no room for more”.

And then I heard His tender voice,
” ‘Tis I, be not afraid”.
And from the day He entered in –
The difference it made!

For though He did not bid her leave,
(My strange, unwelcome guest,)
He taught me how to live with her.
Oh, I had never guessed

That we could dwell so sweetly here,
My Lord and Pain and I,
Within this fragile house of clay
While years slip slowly by!

By Martha Snell Nicholson

***

Posted by: Kristine K. Lowder

http://www.HEvencense.wordpress.com

Navigating the delightful, sometimes dangerous and often mysterious realm of  relationships between Daughters of Eve with candor, hope, and faith.

 

 

Qarah Moments

…but time and chance happen to them all. – Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NIV).

The Hebrew word used in this Scripture for the word happen is qarah, which means right happening.  This means that God will put us in the right place at the right time.

Abraham sent his servant out to find a wife for Isaac.  The servant prayed, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham” (Genesis 24:12 NIV).

Give me success here is actually the word qarah.  He was asking for God to give him right happening in order to find Isaac a wife.  And God granted his request.

It is only God who can put us in the right place at the right time, so why don’t you ask for God to give you qarah today?  Ask Him for right happenings every day!

- Annagail Lynes