“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NIV)
One morning I woke up feeling beat up by discouragement. My mind was being bullied by thoughts of doubt: I can’t do it all! I am not cut out to be a wife, a mom, a daughter, a speaker, a writer and all the other things God has called me to.
My thoughts were against me, and my feelings were too.
As I lay in bed feeling completely inadequate, my radio alarm came on. Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by Twila Paris singing to me. With confident assurance, she spoke truth to my soul, telling me this was no time for fear, but a time for faith and determination. She challenged me not to lose my vision or be carried away by my emotions, but to hold on to all that I had hidden in my heart, and all I believed to be true. Then she reminded me of the most important truth of all: God is in control. [1]
As I heard these words, my thoughts aligned with God’s truth. It changed my whole perspective. I went from feeling afraid to feeling determined and from feeling out of control to knowing God is in control.
We have the choice either to let doubt beat us up or to let God’s truth build us up.
If we have Christ in us, we have full access to God’s power and His promises to live with a confident heart. But it won’t just happen because it’s possible. We have to take action.
When my alarm came on that morning, I was so glad I’d set my radio to that station the night before, so I would wake up hearing encouraging music and truth. Just like I tuned into that station, we need to get intentional about tuning our thoughts into God’s thoughts toward us, every day.
In the same way a radio has AM and FM frequencies, so do our thoughts. They are either AM (against me) or FM (for me) thoughts. The truth is, we are often our worst critics and have a lot of AM thoughts.
And if our thoughts are against us, our feelings will be too.
So, the next time you get those feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt, stop and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you are thinking that is making you feel that way. Then compare your thoughts about that situation to God’s thoughts, which are reflected in Scripture. Do they match? If not, find a promise in God’s Word to replace the lie that has filled your heart with doubt. Here are few to get your started:
• When doubt comes against me, saying I’m weak and all alone, I will focus on the truth that God is for me! I can be strong and courageous because the Lord my God is with me. He will never leave me nor forsake me. (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV)
• When doubt comes against me, saying I’m not good enough for a certain role or position, I will remember that God is for me! He says I am His masterpiece, created to be new in Christ so that I could do good things He planned long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)
By: Renee Swope
Showing posts with label By: Proverbs 31 Ministries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label By: Proverbs 31 Ministries. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Leak A Little
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater.” Isaiah 55:10 (NIV)
On my back deck I have two identical flower pots. They were planted at the same time. They contain the same variety of flowers and the same soil. They both get the same amount of water, shade, and sun. They are similar in every way but they look vastly different.
One is thriving. The other is not.
One is full of flowers cascading down its sides. It is lush, full of blooms, and an absolute delight to look at.
The other has a few flowers among the greenish brownish leaves. It is sparse with a few gangly sprigs — not exactly a gardener’s delight.
So, I asked my husband the other night why he thought the two containers were turning out so differently. “Simple,” he said, “one’s got holes so excess water can leak out and the other doesn’t.”
Interesting.
The one that has the ability to leak out excess water is the one that’s thriving.
The one keeping all the water in its container is the one that’s not such a beautiful display.
This morning I was reading Isaiah 55:10-13 and it made me think of my flower pot situation.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
Water is supposed to be poured out, create growth, and leak out so it can evaporate, having accomplished what it was created to do.
It was never supposed to be poured out, sit stagnate, hoarded by the container thus stunting the growth of life within.
So like God’s Word.
God’s Word should be poured out into our lives, creating growth, and leak out through the way we live our lives. People should notice we’ve spent time in God’s Word. They should see our joy and peace.
We should be a little less prickly like the thorn bush and briers. We should be a little more fragrant and lovely like the juniper and myrtle.
We should leak God’s Word.
Which got me thinking about how I respond to criticism and harsh emails. And I am challenged.
It’s not enough for me to just respond properly when I am criticized. I should use those criticisms to remind me how much the world is desperate for encouragement.
I should be a little more leaky with positive emails or notes or thank yous to the businesses and ministries and staff members of my church who bless me week after week after week.
I’m not one to criticize. But I also shouldn’t be one to stay neutral and stagnant either.
In order to be the grand display of God I should be, I need to be, more holy…or holey as this case may be.
Be a little leaky this week sweet friends. The one that leaks is the one that thrives.
On my back deck I have two identical flower pots. They were planted at the same time. They contain the same variety of flowers and the same soil. They both get the same amount of water, shade, and sun. They are similar in every way but they look vastly different.
One is thriving. The other is not.
One is full of flowers cascading down its sides. It is lush, full of blooms, and an absolute delight to look at.
The other has a few flowers among the greenish brownish leaves. It is sparse with a few gangly sprigs — not exactly a gardener’s delight.
So, I asked my husband the other night why he thought the two containers were turning out so differently. “Simple,” he said, “one’s got holes so excess water can leak out and the other doesn’t.”
Interesting.
The one that has the ability to leak out excess water is the one that’s thriving.
The one keeping all the water in its container is the one that’s not such a beautiful display.
This morning I was reading Isaiah 55:10-13 and it made me think of my flower pot situation.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
Water is supposed to be poured out, create growth, and leak out so it can evaporate, having accomplished what it was created to do.
It was never supposed to be poured out, sit stagnate, hoarded by the container thus stunting the growth of life within.
So like God’s Word.
God’s Word should be poured out into our lives, creating growth, and leak out through the way we live our lives. People should notice we’ve spent time in God’s Word. They should see our joy and peace.
We should be a little less prickly like the thorn bush and briers. We should be a little more fragrant and lovely like the juniper and myrtle.
We should leak God’s Word.
Which got me thinking about how I respond to criticism and harsh emails. And I am challenged.
It’s not enough for me to just respond properly when I am criticized. I should use those criticisms to remind me how much the world is desperate for encouragement.
I should be a little more leaky with positive emails or notes or thank yous to the businesses and ministries and staff members of my church who bless me week after week after week.
I’m not one to criticize. But I also shouldn’t be one to stay neutral and stagnant either.
In order to be the grand display of God I should be, I need to be, more holy…or holey as this case may be.
Be a little leaky this week sweet friends. The one that leaks is the one that thrives.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Serving Others
Four years ago as I began to lead the Women's Ministry I looked for a foundation verse. What was God calling this ministry to do? The verse I was drawn to was 1 Peter 4:10. You will now find it listed on our brochures, fax cover sheet, and other printed materials. Serving others is what we are called to do. I told someone on Monday night that we are here to help women grow - not to grow the Women's Ministry. I believe that with all my heart. The following devotional was written by LeAnn Rice. I hope you enjoy it and that you learn to live 1 Peter 4:10. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
Five years ago I took a spiritual gifts test and failed! Well, in my mind, I failed.
I had high hopes that the test would confirm that I have the spiritual gift of wisdom, discernment, evangelism or mercy. You know…a good, useful gift. A change-the-world kind of gift. I was crushed to discover that I do not possess any of what I perceived as “good” gifts.
Since I was sure I knew myself better than this silly test, I took it again. I ended up taking the spiritual gifts test five times! Sadly, each one confirmed that I was stuck with the frivolous gift of hospitality. Seriously? I wanted to be a wise sage and soul-winning evangelist, not a hostess!
Shortly after my testing marathon I read today’s key verse. Reading it a second time, my eyes lingered over the words “whatever gift.” It doesn’t say, “Only those with the gift of leadership or evangelism go and serve.” As I pondered this verse I realized that as a body of Christians we could not accomplish nearly as much if we all had the same gifts. I embraced my gift of hospitality and God showed me He could use my ability to create a fancy meal or decorate a beautiful table to make others feel special. I can administer God’s grace through what I thought was fluff!
What gift(s) has God given you? If you haven’t yet determined your spiritual gift(s), spend some time thinking about what you do well, what hidden talent you may have, and what you have a passion for. Ask your friends what they think your talents are.
Then ask God how you can use these gifts to share His grace with others. If you are a musician, consider playing at a local retirement center or soup kitchen. If you love to scrapbook, consider organizing memories for someone who is unable to do so. If you have great computer skills, consider helping women at a shelter put together resumes or teach computer skills to help them secure a job.
I have learned that my “frivolous” gift of hospitality is not so frivolous after all. Extending hospitality, simple or extravagant, is a tangible way to share God’s love and His grace with family, friends, co-workers, and strangers. My prayer is that every day God will provide me with new opportunities to use the gifts He has bestowed upon me for His kingdom and for His glory.
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