Maranatha: He is Coming

/3 Comments/in , , , , , /by

Did you know the first ever marathon ran in history was by a Greek soldier?   He ran from the city of Marathon to Athens to announce the defeat of the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.  He ran an approximate 26 miles to deliver the good news of their victory.

Who knew that one man’s race for victory over 1,500 years ago, was setting the stage for the race many would run known as a marathon. I can’t even imagine running 26 miles after fighting in a battle, probably not having that much food or water and running in sandals (I don’t think they had running shoes back then)! My body would feel tired, hungry and exhausted if I didn’t get enough food, water or sleep.  This motivated Greek soldier didn’t exactly train for those 26 miles, he just ran!

Well anyone who has ran a marathon knows going out to run 26 miles the first day isn’t the best way to run this long race. There needs to be a gradual increase of miles over weeks and months. Rest periods need to be incorporated as well as adequate nutrition, hydration and sleep to be able to perform well enough to cross the finish line.

Running races can be compared to the race we run in life.

How do you run this race of life?  As a sprint or a marathon?

Do you live life like a sprint, trying to rush through life getting many things done in the little time you have? Or do you take the marathon approach–taking time to equip your self so your prepared for what lies ahead?  I for one have tried to live life both ways and found sprinting through life doesn’t get me anywhere faster except more weary and depleted. When I try to speed through life taking short cuts, I end up missing all of God’s blessings He intended for me along the way.   I usually have to backtrack my steps in order to get back to where I originally started.  I realized speeding through the process never got me anywhere anyway.

In my stubbornness and disobedience God has showed me…..

Taking the marathon approach to life may be harder and longer but the reward is so worth it in the end.

So how can we make it to the end when there are days where life feels so heavy and defeated like we are climbing up a steep mountain going nowhere?

Or where can we find our strength on the days we feel as though we can’t take another step or carry any more burdens weighing heavy on our hearts?

Everyone’s race of life looks different.  Maybe you or a loved one is battling cancer.  Maybe you have gone through a failed marriage.  Maybe you have a prodigal son or daughter, praying they will return home one day.  Maybe you are a widow.  Maybe you are struggling financially trying to make ends meet.  Maybe you lost your job.  Maybe you have an estranged or strained relationship hoping it will be restored.  Maybe you battle addictions or are enslaved to your circumstances.  Maybe you have gone through a terrible loss.

These trials and struggles we face can be so heavy and burdensome.

Whatever race you are running, know God is with you and He never leaves you.

When there are days we are weary and burdened and the finish line seems so far away– rest in what God is able to do for us.

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

How will we ever be able to run this race and persevere to the end if we don’t allow God to carry our burdens or seek Him to find rest? 

God can carry our burdens for us much better than we can do on our own.  This race we run, is not for nothing.  The pain we go through is not to be wasted.  God cares about the struggles we endure and go through.  We can always turn to Him and seek Him for our every need.

”…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

Carrying our heavy burdens on our own makes persevering to the end so much harder.

How do you run this race of life?  With God holding your hand or trying to run on your own?

Whatever race we run when we seek God, we will always persevere when we allow him to have our struggles.  We will always persevere when we stand in his presence and allow his truth to be alive in our lives.  We will always persevere when we hold onto His promises that “now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:22).

In the marathon race we run, there will be days we are weary and need his strength—then God reminds me, Maranatha “Our Lord is Coming.”

“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” Revelations 22:7

No matter what happens in this life we can rejoice because our Lord is coming.  Until then we will keep running this marathon until Maranatha, the day our Lord will come!  I promise you the reward is greater than anything we could ever imagine.  The enemy would like nothing more than to defeat and destroy us.  He can never change what God has already done for us.

Keep running the good race, the Lord is with you!

Did you enjoy this blogpost? Please share with others! Want more encouraging messages sent right to your inbox? Subscribe to my blog and receive a weekly Monday Message or like my Author Facebook page to catch the latest posts.  Have a blessed week!

I would love to hear from you! Leave your comments below!

This post was first published on www.akchristianwomensministry.com.

Subscribe and Receive a Weekly Dose of Encouragement Right to Your Inbox!!

The Victor’s Crown

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Four years ago I had the unbelievable opportunity to participate in the 2013 Boston Marathon. It was unimaginable I was there. I looked around at the sea of runners thinking, how did I even get here? I didn’t feel worthy to be there, nor did I feel qualified even though I met the requirements to enter. This race was for elite runners and I wasn’t even close to that category.

However, none of that mattered once the gun went off. Everyone started running full speed ahead to achieve the same goal—crossing the finish line. This is where we were put to the test.

Were all the early morning training runs and nutritional diet going to pay off to get us to the end?

Marathoners are a different breed. Who in their right mind gets up at 4 a.m. and runs 20 miles? I didn’t consider myself a marathoner, just someone who needed to put the pain to the pavement. I was searching for a place to heal and God led me to running. Running is where I spent time with God.  In my training, God taught me so much. He showed me my hands and feet weren’t really mine anyway, they were His. He showed me I wasn’t really running for myself, but for Him.

When I was weak, His strength carried my feet further than I could ever carry myself. Running was a way to use the feet He had given me for His greater purpose. Running was a representation of what my son was doing in heaven. Even though he never had the chance to walk on this earth, he is now running in heaven.

At the beginning of the race, many runners ask each other, “What is your goal?” That means what time do you want to complete the race in? Most runners say they run the race to have fun and others say they just want to finish. Every runner receives a medal for finishing the race. At the finish line, it’s usually a time to celebrate the ending to the grueling endeavor someone just spent months training for. But this time it was different. In 2013 was the year of the Boston bombings. This day will forever be engrained in my mind. Moments before the bombs went off, strangers congratulated me for finishing because they saw the medal around my neck. After the blasts, congratulation turned into ‘I’m sorry.’

The instant the bombs went off the medal around my neck lost its meaning. It no longer mattered that I completed the race. What mattered were the lives that were injured and lost. Their lives were more important than winning the medal.

What happened that day was the result of pure evil. Satan may be able to change the meaning of worldly medals, but there is one thing he can never take away or change—“the crown of life.”

Revelations 6:2
“I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.”

In the Bible, there are many uses for crowns. Gold crowns are worn by kings and queens to symbolize their royal status (2 Samuel 12:30). Crowns are worn by high priests to represent their holy status (Exodus 29:6, 39:30). Another type of crown is a wreath of flowers (made of laurel, pine or olive branches), which were worn at banquets to honor someone in celebration. These crowns were also used at the Isthmian games and won as athletic prizes in Corinth.

All of these crowns mentioned above—their meaning can be changed in an instant. The word used to describe the crown mentioned in Revelations 6:2, is ‘stephanos’ which means ‘the victor’s crown.’

There is no amount of evil Satan can achieve to change the meaning of the victor’s crown.

Ironically the crown of thorns worn by Jesus the day he was persecuted, is considered the most victorious crown we can wear as Christians. What the Romans used to mock and persecute Jesus, God used for His ultimate victory.

The victor’s crown is a symbol of victory.

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” Revelations 2:10

There is no crown greater than the victor’s crown.

Revelations 3:11-12
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.”

Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt defeated?

I sure have many times.  Chances are, in our defeat, we are listening to the lies Satan is whispering in our ears.  In the race we run, we don’t have to be extraordinary or wait until we achieved something great.  In our worthlessness, God gives us his worth through Jesus Christ. Satan can never take away our crowns when we wear the crown of life.   We can rejoice because the promise of God’s truth reigns victoriously over our feelings of our defeat.

Satan is the defeated one, not us.

Never let the enemy take away your crown.  We are victorious in what Jesus Christ has already gone ahead and done for us!  Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Did you enjoy this blog post? Please share with others! Want more encouraging messages sent right to your inbox? Subscribe to my blog and receive a weekly Monday Message or like my Author Facebook page to catch the latest posts.  Have a blessed week!

I would love to hear from you! Leave your comments below!

FREE Printable with 7 Bible Verses Reminding us of God’s Victory!  Click Link to Download Victorious Bible Verses-3

a portion of this post is a modified version from chapter 22 of “Waiting for Heaven:  Finding beauty in the pain and the struggle”  by Heather Gillis.  

This post was first published on www.akchristianwomensministry.com.

Subscribe and Receive a Weekly Dose of Encouragement Right to your Inbox!

God’s Timing is Perfect

/3 Comments/in , , , /by

Have you ever been waiting on God? Waiting for Him to answer a prayer you have been praying for a long time? Have you ever wondered when is God going to answer MY PRAYER? Or is He ever going to respond?

I think we all have been there—In God’s waiting room. Waiting for answers, waiting for results, waiting for the unknown. Sometimes waiting in God’s waiting room, He teaches us valuable lessons we would have never learned if we weren’t in waiting.

I do think God answers our prayers; just not always in the way we may want or like. God may answer us with ‘Yes!’, or ‘No,’ or even ‘Not yet, or not now.’ But these in fact are God’s answers to what we ask of Him. Just as a parent doesn’t give a child everything their heart desires, because they know what is best for their child, is the same thing God does with us. His delayed responses or answers is not a way to punish us, but a way to help us learn what He is trying to show us.

There are so many lessons we can learn from God’s timing. Here are three things I have learned.

3 Things I Have Learned From God’s Timing: In God’s Timing I learn,

1. It’s Always Perfect- God is God. He has the most perfect plans ever. We cannot put a deadline on His timing. When we give God a deadline we are demanding our desires to be God’s desires. It doesn’t work that way. God’s ways and desires are so much better than ours. God created the heavens and the earth; He knows what He’s doing. Will you trust God with the plans He has for you?

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

2. He has the best plans ever– If I never waited for God in His timing or always went ahead of Him, I’d never know how great the reward of His plans really are. How many times have you gone ahead of God, looked around and said God ‘where are you?’ Then realize, you never consulted God in the first place? I sure have, many times. My impatience has made me make some not so good choices at times. I have learned when I don’t wait on God, I get myself into a whole lot of trouble. I can almost see God tapping his foot with His hands on His hips, saying “If you just wait for my timing, I will have something so much greater and better ahead for you, Just Wait For ME!”

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

3. How important it is to grow my patience- If I never had to wait on God, I would never learn how important it is grow my patience. Waiting in God’s waiting room, grows our patience. We need patience when going through and enduring our trials. If our patience was never tested, we would never know we needed the patience’s of God to get through what we are going through. If we didn’t have patience, how could we ever accomplish what God is asking of us?

Sometimes in our waiting, God reveals to us very convicting, yet valuable lessons. In His waiting room, sometimes I realize, maybe God is really waiting on me? Maybe God is asking me to do something that I have not done yet. It is God’s waiting room, He reveals what is in my heart, what He desires of me and that I only need to trust in Him.

God never wastes anything, especially the time He has given us. He desires us to use the time He has given us in a certain way, the way He created it to be used. When you feel like you have been waiting for a long time or don’t seem to ever have enough time, ask God “How can I use the time you have given me more wisely?” “Please Lord, Help me be patient and wait for your timing.”

There are great rewards in our patience.

What have you learned from God’s timing?

Have you been in God’s waiting room for awhile? What is He trying to show you?

Did you enjoy this blogpost? Please share with others! Want more encouraging messages sent right to your inbox? Subscribe to my blog and receive a weekly Monday Message or like my Author Facebook page to catch the latest posts.  Have a blessed week!

I would love to hear from you! Leave your comments below!

This post was first published on www.akchristianwomensministry.com.

Subscribe and Receive a Weekly Dose of Encouragement Right to Your Inbox!

Does Our Faith Save Us?

/1 Comment/in , , , , , /by

The other week I went to a special viewing of the movie “Facing the Darkness.” It was a documentary produced by Samaritan’s Purse about the Ebola Crisis Outbreak in 2013/2014. It featured Dr. Brantly who was the first documented American to enter into the United States with this deadly disease. He was extremely close to death until a major breakthrough occurred.  An experimental drug emerged that could possibly save his life.  His only options were to do nothing and die at the expense of the disease or be given an experimental infusion drug only tested on animals.

I can’t imagine being in this situation, knowing you were going to possibly die in both situations. Dr. Brantly took a leap of faith and chose the latter, which ended up saving his life. He became the face of Ebola all over world. Dr. Brantly contracting Ebola showed the world, no one is excluded from this disease, it can happen to anyone.

His diagnosis was the catalyst for the Center for Disease Control pursuing a cure for a disease that spread and killed people at a very rapid rate. Because of the Dr. Brantly situation there is now a vaccine created for this virus.

At the end of the movie Dr. Brantly said something so profound. He said, “Faith is not something that makes you safe. My faith did not save me but got me through it. My Faith actually brought me to the Ebola crisis.”

Dr. Brantley’s situation asks deeper questions.

Is our faith enough to save us?

So many people in the Bible can ask the same question.

Did Daniel’s faith save him from being thrown in the lion’s den? No

Did Shadrack, Meschack, and Abendago’s faith save them from being thrown in the fiery furnace? No

Did the Israelites’ faith save them from being attacked by the Egyptians? No

Did Jesus’ faith prevent him from being crucified on the cross? No

You may be thinking, then what is the point in having faith if it doesn’t keep me safe?

These examples of faith did not PREVENT them from being put in scary, dangerous circumstances. Standing firm in their faith DID PROTECT them and allow for God’s greater plan to happen.

If Daniel didn’t have faith we would have never seen God’s power to shut the mouths of lions.

If Shadrack, Meshack and Abendago didn’t have faith we would had never seen God’s power protect them from being burned in the fiery furnace and how God was with them.

If the Israelites didn’t have faith we would have never seen God’s ability to part the Red Sea providing a way out from their enemies.

If Jesus refused to put his trust in His Father’s hands, we would have missed out on the greatest plan that ever existed—our eternal salvation.

Think about it. Each example of faith, including Dr. Brantly’s brought them to the heart of a crisis where their lives were at stake. Through each act of faith, we were able to see how trusting in God’s plan moves mountains and makes the impossible, possible.

How big is your faith?

Matthew 17:20 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Our faith allows God’s greater plan to play out. Our faith does not save us, but God’s grace does.

Ephesians 2:8-9. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Our faith will not SAVE us from our bad circumstances or GUARANTEE us a life without struggles. Our FAITH will not prevent us from being thrown into a pit of lions, a fiery furnace, being attacked by our enemies or contracting a deadly disease. Having faith does not exempt us from harsh realities of this world.

Our faith DOES allow God to be in control and puts the trust in HIS capabilities. Our faith is the very thing that will get us through to the other side and live in the abundant blessings God has to offer. It doesn’t matter what circumstances we are up against, when we have faith we become OVERCOMERS in Christ. Our faith allows us to experience PEACE in the storms and JOY in our struggles because of what God has already gone ahead of us and done.

Where will you allow your faith to take you?

Our faith may lead us into scary, dangerous places.

Our faith will never take us where God’s grace cannot protect us.Click To Tweet

God’s grace and love are greater and bigger than anything in this world.

1 John 4:4 “ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

How has having faith in God protected you in your hard circumstances?

All you need is to have faith the size of a mustard seed and you will see the mountains move.

Did you enjoy this blogpost? Please share with others! Want more encouraging messages sent right to your inbox? Subscribe to my blog and receive a weekly Monday Message or like my Author Facebook page to catch the latest posts.  Have a blessed week!

I would love to hear from you! Leave your comments below!

Subscribe to Receive Encouraging Messages Right to Your Inbox!

7 Things the Enemy Can Never Change

/6 Comments/in , , /by

Lately, it seems everywhere I look I see the enemy reeking havoc in this world.  I see his relentless attacks on marriages and relationships.  There is nothing holding the enemy back from targeting our children, the helpless, the vulnerable.  The enemy has been coming on fierce and strong using all tactics to carry out his evil plan to make us believe his lies.  Sometimes I fall victim to what the enemy is trying to do.  I become weak and weary from fighting against his evil schemes.

Then God reminds me, there is nothing the enemy can do to ever change what He has already done for us.  We can rest in His plan, that one day there will be no more sorrow, or pain that we can rejoice because of what He has done for us (Rev. 21:4).

God reminds me in my weariness, that my fight isn’t against flesh and blood, but against all the powers of this dark world (Eph. 6:12).  He tells me to keep fighting the right fight with my prayers, not my weak self.  He tells me to keep standing firm in his truth;  it will protect and provide us with peace.

No matter how bad things get in this world.  No matter how bleak our situations may seem, we can trust in God’s truth and promises of who He is and what He has already done.  We can rejoice among all the chaos.

7 Things the Enemy Can Never Change:

​1.  God Will Prevail-  The victory has already been won.  Nothing the enemy can do, can ever change the resurrection of Jesus.  “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die,  Do you believe this?”  John 11:25

2.  God is All Powerful-  Nothing is stronger or more powerful than God’s strength.  “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”  Psalm 27:1.

3.  God’s Love- Nothing the enemy can do, can ever change God’s love for you.  His love, loves you unconditionally.  Nothing is bigger or better than God’s love.  Nothing you can do can make God love you less or more than He already does.  You are loved and accepted for who you are right now.  Only God’s love has the power to redeem, restore, renew, forgive and love unconditionally.  Something the enemy can never do.  God would have never sent Jesus if He didn’t love you.  “For God so loved the world, He gave his one and only son, who ever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life!”  John 3:16

4.  The Light of Jesus-  No matter how dark it gets in this world, nothing can never extinguish the light of Jesus.  In fact the darker it gets the brighter the light of Jesus shines.  “…I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12

5.  God’s Truth-  God’s truth never changes.  It stays the same.   God’s truth is eternal, everlasting.  When the things of this world fade away, rust, mold and decay God’s truth still stands, nothing can destroy it.  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6

6.  Your identity in who God says you are-  You are accepted and loved no matter what the enemy tries to tell you.  Don’t believe his lies, you are loved!  God does not make mistakes.  He has made you the way you are, for a specific reason and purpose.  “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  Psalm 139:14

7.  He is the Source and Provider for all Things Eternal-  God is the source and provider of our eternal joy, love, hope, peace, freedom and life.  Nothing the enemy can do, can change God’s eternal plan.  On earth, the enemy will try everything to take away your joy, your freedom, your hope.  We can rejoice even in our suffering like Jesus, because when God is our provider, we have an abundant supply of everything He has to offer.  We will never be hungry, thirsty or depleted of joy or hope when God is our provider. Everything He provides is abundant and eternal.  “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”  John 6:35.

When you feel the heat of the battle turning up you can rejoice because….

God Will Prevail.

When you feel like you are in the trenches fighting hard against the enemy.  You can rejoice because…..

God Will Prevail.

When you feel the relentless attack of the enemy armies coming on fierce and strong, you can rejoice because…..

God Will Prevail.

Keep holding onto God’s truth and promises.  They will provide you with the strength and peace you need when facing your battles.

If you like this blogpost, Please share with others!  Want more encouraging messages sent right to your inbox?  Subscribe to my blog and receive a weekly Monday Message or like my Author Facebook page to catch the latest posts.

I would love to hear from you!  Leave your comments below.  Have a Blessed Week!

Finding Victory in Our Messes

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

I have a confession to make.  There are certain areas of my life that are in a state of continual mess.  My desk is one of them.  I probably shouldn’t admit this, but there is something very comforting about my messy desk.  Maybe because it doesn’t demand me to keep a certain appearance of having it all together all the time.  Or maybe because it doesn’t nag me to clean it up?

Do you have an area of your life that is in a continual messy state?  

I struggle to keep my messy desk organized.  One piece of paper out of place leads to a pile, which leads to a mountain of open books, to a point I don’t know where anything is!  My messiness impedes progress to move forward in completing projects.  I get to the point where my desk is so messy I am forced to organize it.  Even though there is a place for everything, somehow in my busyness and distractions my desk becomes messy again.  The time I need to organize and put away things is easily replaced by other activities or commitments.  I have good intentions to keep my desk clean, but somehow the piles seem to always appear!

My desk is a reminder of how my one decision to not put something away, leads to a big mess!

Can you relate?

There lies a constant struggle within all of us, to keep our lives without messes.  Is this a realistic achievement to have a life without messes?  I don’t think so. I think messes are apart of our lives, whether they are physical or spiritual.  I think our messes are apart of our stories in which God has written.

My mess makes me think of Joseph in the Bible when his brothers sold him into slavery.  His brothers did not like Joseph because their father showed favoritism towards him.  Their jealousy took a turn for the worse when they plotted an evil plan to kill him.  Thank goodness one of their brothers had the sense to spare his life.  Instead, they plotted to throw him in a well and sold him to the Ishmaelites traveling to Egypt.  The brothers then decided to deceive their father, making him believe his beloved son was killed and devoured by a wild beast.  They even killed a goat and dipped Joseph’s coat in blood to show their father, to make their whole story seem more believable (Genesis 37:12-36).

What a mess!  Their evil plot to kill turned into a lie, which turned into a conspiracy of deception–selling their brother into slavery!  I can’t imagine how their father felt, thinking his son died, but was really deceived by his own sons and didn’t even know it!

Oh, what God can do with our messes.  

Little did Joseph’s brothers know, what they intended for harm, God intended for good to accomplish His greater plan (Genesis 50:20).   What the brothers thought would be the downfall of Joseph, God used to equip Joseph all for His glory.

Joseph had been a slave in Egypt for about 13 years.  In that time he learned much because he was a servant of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh.  He gained favor with Pharaoh when he was able to interpret one of Pharaoh’s dreams (Genesis 41).  Joseph’s dream saved Egypt from a great famine that devastated many lands around them.  Unknowingly, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt looking for food, not knowing their brother Joseph was there, in a place of power.

In Genesis 45, Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, letting them know he indeed was still alive and had power in the land of Egypt.  He was able to spare his family from the famine by supplying them with much food, and land for their flocks and herds.

What an amazing surprise for Joseph’s father Jacob, to discover his son Joseph was still alive!  Joseph could have repaid his brother’s with revenge, but instead, he chose to love them despite selling him into slavery.  Even though Joseph’s brother’s intended to harm him, God was at work the whole time.  He turned the brothers’ horrible decision into one of the most glorious plans ever!  

There is Victory in Our Messes!

Can you relate to Joseph’s story?
​
Have you been in a mess and felt like there was no way out?

I promise you can trust that God is at work in your life.  If God can deliver Joseph from slavery making him a powerful ruler over Egypt he can deliver you from your circumstances.  Stay faithful in prayer, I promise God is listening!  We may not always see what God’s plans hold, but can trust he has something better for us just ahead!  (Jer. 29:11).

Did you like this blog post?  Please share with others!  If you would like more encouraging messages sent right to your inbox, Subscribe to my blog and receive a weekly Monday Message or like my Author Facebook page to catch the latest posts.  Have a Blessed Week!

Subscribe

Receive Daily Encouragement Right to Your Inbox

There is Victory When He Is Enough!

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

The other day our family was fortunate to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity, to not only see one of God’s greatest creations but to experience it to it’s fullest.  We were going on a plane to see Denali the tallest mountain in the United States and land on a glacier.  We weren’t just going to see Denali, we were going to stand its presence and take in its magnificence.

Before the day even started there was grumbling and complaining from our children.  ‘I don’t want to go!’  ‘I don’t want to wear or bring a coat!’  It took every parenting effort to make our kids put food in their mouths, brush their teeth and put socks and shoes on their feet nonetheless get into the car!  There were tears of fear of the unknown, what to really expect, how was this day really going to play out?

We tried explaining to the kids we were going to have one of the most amazing experiences in their lifetime.  We described landscapes, picturesque views, mountain tops, planes, glaciers you name it to prepare them what to expect.  We explained, people from all over the world travel to come see the grandeur of Denali and the beauty of Alaska.  They were going to experience what most people never experience in their lifetime.

Regardless of our tireless explanations, we realized they needed to come to their own conclusion and trust in our promise of an amazing day.  Our puny words would never bring justice in comparison to what they were going to experience.

As the plane took off, we were a little nervous because we had never been on a plane that small amongst the mighty mountains before us.  There arose a lot of questions, ‘What if we crashed?’ ‘What if something happened to the plane?’ ‘What if…….?’

It made me wonder, how many times have I done this before with God and questioned Him, ‘What if’?

How often do I put my hope and faith in what I see?

How many times has he tried to nudge me in a certain direction and I gave him a hard time?!?

How many times have I gotten in God’s way, when he tried to tell ‘me’ I have the greatest plan ever for you, one where you will experience the abundance of everything I have to offer if you just let me show you?!?!   

Just like our kids, I don’t need to know every single detail of how everything is going to turn out, I just need to TRUST IN GOD’S PLAN!  His ways and plans are so much greater and better than mine. There will never be answers good enough that will suffice my human understanding.  The only answer I need to know is God loves me and that is ENOUGH.

Is God’s Love ENOUGH?  

Each time I ever question God, ‘Are you sure?’ or ‘What if?’ he gently reminds me, He’s got it.  He sees at a God’s eye view, the bigger picture of what is really going on.  He has all the details under control, I just have to trust his plan is good enough.  

There will be times where it seems he is asking us to go down rocky paths or troubled waters, but I promise you His love will always bring you home.  His love will never take you where his grace cannot protect you.

I am happy to report we saw the most amazing views we would ever see in our lifetime.  We had the most unforgettable experience.  It would never have happened if we didn’t take a step of faith and got on the plane.  We would have missed out on so much if we didn’t trust in his plan and go.  His love is able to do so much more than I could ever do.  When God’s plan is the plan for your life you will have the most Amazing Life Ever!

Where do you find your hope?  In your circumstances?  In what you see?  In yourself?

What do you put your trust in?  Yourself?  Or God’s love?  

God has the most amazing life ever waiting for you to have RIGHT NOW.  He designed you to live the best life ever in him, live life to the fullest, one that is filled with his abundance of everything he has to offer, something this world can never give you.

Will you trust in his love for you?  

You are victorious when you rest in the only answer you ever need, God's love.Click To Tweet

Trusting in  God’s plan allows His love to intercede on your behalf and make all things possible.

There is Victory when He is Enough!  

Did you like this blog post?  Please share with others!  If you would like more encouraging messages sent right to your inbox, Subscribe to my blog and receive a weekly Monday Message or like my Author Facebook page to catch the latest posts.  Have a Blessed Week!

I would love to hear from you!  Leave your comments Below.  

Subscribe

Receive Daily Encouragement Right to Your Inbox

The Joy of Less: The Power of Contentment

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by

What’s your dream?  Everyone has a dream about what type of life they want to be Living.  Are you Living the best life ever?  You were Made for More, to live the Best Life Ever.  One that is filled with abundance, fullness, and richness.

Below is a story which I hope challenges you to ask important questions.

A Parable of the Mexican Fisherman and Investment Banker (Author Unknown)

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.  The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

Moral of the Story:  Live Simply, Love More.  When we Live in the Present we will always find Contentment.  

This story really challenges us to ask, “Am I really Living life the way life was meant to be Lived?

Sometimes bigger isn’t always better.  There will always be another dollar to make, a bigger house to buy, a nicer car, a nicer life.   Then what?  The chase for more will only rob us of life’s precious moments that are meant to enjoy NOW not LATER.  It’s time to ask, When is Enough, ever Enough?

Where does Contentment get lost?  When your need for more money and stuff is greater than your purpose.  Sometimes purpose can get lost along the way when trying to reach your goal for more when in reality your purpose was right in front of you the whole time.

True Contentment will never be found at the bottom of a shopping bag, the bottom of a wine glass, at the top of the corporate ladder,  in a pair of smaller jeans, in an empty mansion with a bunch of stuff.  (Temporary Contentment)

True Contentment is always found in who God says you are.  God says you are worthy and valuable just the way you are, you are beautiful and you have a purpose.

You are loved by a God who loved you first.  When you have God’s love, that makes you the richest person alive.  God’s love gives you more value and worth than anything this earth could ever offer.  (Eternal Contentment).  Here are 10 Ways to Always Be Content.

More money doesn’t make us rich, the love and time we invest in your relationships do.  “Don’t put your hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but put your hope in God, who richly provides you with everything for your enjoyment.”  1 Timothy 6:17

When we have God’s love, We are RELEASED from the BURDEN of trying to do it all.
When we have God’s love, We are FREE from trying to live up to worldly standards.
When we have God’s love, We will be ETERNALLY SATISFIED never wanting more.
When we have God’s love, We learn GOD IS ENOUGH and all we will ever need.  

Living within God's boundaries of love, Trusting in his provision--We will always be abundantly filled with the fullness of everything He has to offer and live in Eternal Contentment. Click To Tweet

God desires for us to Live the Best Life Ever in Him, so he can provide us with eternal riches.  

Are you truly Living the Best Life Ever in who God says You are?  

What do you put your hope in?  Circumstances or relationships?

Do you trust God Enough to Provide the Best Life Ever in Him? 

'Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.' (Matthew 6:20)Click To Tweet

'The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.' Isaiah 40:8Click To Tweet

Going Deeper:  Read 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 6:17-19

Did you like this blog post?  Please share with others! If you would like more encouraging messages sent right to your inbox, Subscribe to my blog and receive a FREE e-book, “Esther:  God’s Plan for Victory.”  Or like my Author Facebook page to catch the latest posts.

Want to know more about the Joy of Less?  Read Heather’s story in Chicken Soup for the Soul “The Joy of Less.” Click Here.

I would love to hear from you.  Leave your comments below.

Subscribe

Receive Daily Encouragement Right to Your Inbox