This is not one of my “normal posts”. However, I wanted to take a minute and say THANK YOU to all of you who have or are currently serving in the armed forces! God Bless You All!! I also want to say THANK YOU to the family members who are left behind.. You all are just amazing people!

I truly want you all to know that you are appreciated!

My PaPa, my Daddy, and many others that I know who have served..and those of you who are currently serving… you are heroes. You are brave..and you are not selfish in the least.

Those of you who have lost loved ones in the line of duty… May God comfort you. May you know that your loved ones will always be remembered as heroes!! Freedom is not free at all.. and we salute you ALL!

God Bless America..

Let’s remember to pray for our country, pray for our military families, military, and the leaders of America!! Prayer is powerful!!!

UNTIL NEXT TIME!
Happy Memorial Day!!

Heather

Welcome back!! The Lord laid something on my heart to blog about yesterday. Yesterday was a busy last day of school for us and then I had a momma/daughter afternoon with my girls. Last night I had a chance to write a little..and this morning I was able to finish it. I really hope you are blessed, challenged and encouraged by these posts that Jesus lays upon my heart to write.

Philippians 4:19 (NIV) ~ And my God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.

The only thing that can truly fill you completely..fill an empty hole or void inside, is Christ and Christ alone. Do you look for someone else to fill a void when you should be looking for Christ Jesus to fill that spot? Most everybody has at one point or another in their life… People will never meet all of your needs. If you are looking for a friend, or even your spouse or significant other to fill an empty spot in your soul…you are going to be disappointed and you are also setting the other person up to fail. It just isn’t possible for you to have complete peace and joy apart from God.

HE is the only one that will never let you down.

Do you find yourself putting your hope in how others make you feel? How is that working for you? It doesn’t work too well for me….Jesus Christ is the only one who is and always will be consistent in His feelings toward me. He loves me no matter what. I am extremely blessed to have a husband, children and whole family that loves me..but even they can let me down ..even though they don’t mean to. Do you see what I am saying? Even the people in your life that treat you extremely well will do things( even though they don’t mean to) that will rub you wrong or hurt your feelings, etc..

When we depend on other people for our happiness..joy..peace..and contentment, we are putting God second. If you are an authentic believer in Christ, He HAS to be 1st. If you feel lonely or let down in a relationship with someone..GOD wants to be that someone who fills the void inside. In fact, the Bible states that anything that we put before our relationship with our Heavenly Father is an idol. According to Scripture, we are to have no idols before HIM. When we base our joy on anything other than Christ, that becomes our god or idol.

Exodus 20:3 (NIV) ~ You shall have no other gods before me.

Don’t get me wrong, relationships with others here on earth are very important and necessary. They just should never take the place of your relationship with your Savior Jesus.

~ Depending on someone to make you feel good about yourself all of the time is just unrealistic..unless that someone is Jesus.

~ People will let you down whether they mean to or not..God never will.

~ Because of the fact that we all have different personalities, up-bringing, views, and opinions, it is impossible to be able to please someone all of the time. (people..not Jesus)

~ When you are able to surrender it all to God, and completely put your trust in Him..then you will begin to look to Him alone to fulfill your needs (emotional needs especially).

I hope you see through all of this that I have written that Jesus loves you and can meet every single need you have. I hope you know that you don’t have to feel alone..He is waiting for you to run to Him. He never leaves us..we leave Him. He never walks away..when we do, He is right where we left Him. Let Jesus love you..let Jesus meet all of your needs.

I am praying for every single one of you that reads this…God bless you all!

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

   James 2:14-19 (NIV) ~ What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say,”You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.

My husband and several others helping at a camp for inner city kids last summer.

   There is more to having an authentic relationship with Christ Jesus than just believing He exists. The next verse (20) in James 2 says that faith without deeds is a useless faith. Verse 19 tells us that even Satan and the demons believe that God is real.  Their belief in God does not mean that they have a personal relationship with God. 

   When you have truly surrendered to Christ and are an authentic Christian, that is not THE END. There’s more to it. We are supposed to keep moving forward in our Christian walk. Walking = Moving = Progress.

    There is an initial point of surrender, a daily surrender to Christ, and a full surrender to Christ. Even when you are fully surrendered to Him, you will still have to surrender daily and even minute by minute.

   There is head knowledge and then there is heart knowledge.

   To truly be saved, your relationship with Christ is supposed to be in constant growth.

   You can tell someone something all day long, if your actions prove otherwise then your words won’t amount to much. Your life should look different after you accept Christ as your Savior than it did before. If it doesn’t and if you don’t have the conviction of the Holy Spirit, then you might ask God to search you and show you the Truth.

     Psalm 139:23-24 ~ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

   You can’t earn your way to Heaven with good works…NO! Salvation can never be earned…It is a GIFT from God. There for the taking. Non-returnable. FREE! Bought and paid for by Christ Jesus on the cross!!

   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 – not by works, so that no one can boast.

   A true Christian (authentic believer in Christ), will want to do things for Christ because he/she loves Christ! Not out of duty or to impress others. God doesn’t force us to accept Him and let Him be Lord of our lives…nope…He wants us to want Him..He wants our true love. When you love someone, it usually shows. Am I right? You want to do little things to show that person..whether it be your husband, wife, friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, parents or child, etc.. You can’t help but “do” nice things..right? Our relationship with Christ is evidence of our initial surrender to Him.

   1 John 1 : 5,6 ~ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

   If you have already accepted Jesus, WONDERFUL! If you have but have put your growth on hold, now is the time to WALK..move forward..progress. If you are unsure about your salvation, don’t let pride keep you stuck..talk to someone about it and get it straight. Last but definitely not least, if you have never trusted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you are not reading this by accident. Now is the time..but don’t stop there..There’s more to it..lots of growing to do. Trust me though, it is amazing!!! Surrendering to Christ is not a prison sentence…NO..it’s the opposite..it is FREEDOM!!

   Thanks for joining me today! You can subscribe to my blog, share it and you can also follow me on Twitter @hgd1973.

   UNTIL NEXT TIME!

   Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) ~ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,  peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

   I realize it has been a while since my “fruit of the Spirit” posts. Today’s post is about kindness. Not human kindness..but the type that comes from God. True kindness. The type that comes from knowing God personally and therefore having the Holy Spirit living in you.

   I know for a fact that if I didn’t have the power of the Holy Spirit living in me, I wouldn’t be a kind person all of the time. When things go wrong and people hurt me (intentionally or unintentionally), my first thought isn’t always the best thought. Praise God that He chose to give us Christ to live in us so that we don’t have to act like the world..we can choose to act like “little Christs” instead.

   Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) ~ Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

   When I think of kindness, I think of “random acts of kindness”, pay it forward, etc.. I also think of times when someone has done something for me..just because. How awesome of a feeling is that, when somebody “just does” something for you..because they want to??

   Just one example: We got home from school and town, and our youngest daughter just started unloading the dishwasher and putting away the clean dishes for me. WOW! Talk about kindness! I didn’t ask her to..or even better, I wasn’t even expecting her to do that! You better believe I praised her for it too!

   I could go on and on about acts of kindness that others have done for me.

   I have to say this, being kind to someone feels good! It feels even better when you are doing it without telling anybody about it. Try it, if you haven’t already. I believe that when you can get to that place..the one where you do something kind for someone “just because”, and you keep it between you and God, then you have truly arrived at the destination of “Godly kindness”!

   Matthew 6:3,4 (NIV) ~ {JESUS speaking} But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

   There is a kindness like no other, and that is the kindness that Christ showed to us. HE willingly suffered and died on the cross for your sins and mine. He did it out of “GODLY KINDNESS”, and love for us! He lives and because of His kindness towards us, we can live eternally too! If you have admitted you are a sinner, and accepted Jesus as your Savior, and confess with your mouth..you have the promise of eternal life! That is the most AWESOME gift..and act of KINDNESS ever performed!

   Friends, if you are not positive %100 that when you die you will go to Heaven, please don’t wait anymore! Please talk to someone..a pastor, church leader, someone who you know “knows”. I want you to have the peace and joy that I have. It is all because of Jesus!

   UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Sometimes, you just have one of those days. The kind where the devil just tries to get at you any way he can. Some days it is easier to fight that spiritual battle than others.

When I am faced with a spiritual battle, sometimes I remember to put on my armor and other times..well, I forget.

Ephesians 6:13(NIV)~ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything , to stand.

The truth is, Satan has no power over me since Christ lives in me. I can rise up and conquer that junk..for lack of a better word..and tell Satan to get away from me! There is power in the Holy Spirit! There is power in Jesus’ name!

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)~ But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

How many times do we let little things get to us? How often do we read into someone else’s comments? Why do we sometimes think that someone is being hurtful or negative towards us when they are just being the way they are..which is imperfect..like the rest of us.

I have learned that not everybody thinks the same way as I do. I have also learned that my perception can be totally different from what someone’s true intentions are. We are all made different. Some are more alike than others. One thing we all have in common though, is the need to be loved.

The enemy loves to use our differences to keep us down or against each other. God wants us to love and accept one another, and to be kind and thoughtful in our words and actions with each other. God is love.

John 15:17 (NIV) ~ This is my command: Love each other.

How often do we waste time..precious time..walking around wearing our feelings on our sleeves…asumming that “somebody” has something against us? Does it hurt when people don’t think before they act or speak? Yes! Guess what else? People are going to let you down…but GOD never will!

Psalm 42:5 (NIV)~ Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

Put your faith, trust and hope in GOD. Love one another..and try to look past the faults that we all too easy seem to find. Fact is, we all have faults.

Prayer is the best and most effective tool we have in this battle. Think about it..prayer is a direct line to God. Who better to turn to than God when you are feeling low or hurt or even annoyed? How often do we forget to go to God in prayer before we go to a friend or even worse..before we act or speak? He is the best friend you could ever hope for and He always has your best interest in mind.

Romans 12:12 (NIV) ~ Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

The best advice I could give you right now if you are feeling discouraged because you are internalizing some negative outside forces (hurtful words, other’s opinions, or your own assumptions even), remember that God is greater than all of that. Remember that not everything is as it seems. Remember that if you are saved, the power of the Holy Spirit lives in you. Remember that you are not perfect either. Remember to pray. Also, don’t beat yourself up when you fall into that old trap..rise up and fight the battle of negativity with GOD leading you! Last but certainly not least, forgive and let go. Bitterness, anger and dwelling on negative just robs you of peace, joy, and precious time. Jesus willingly forgives and forgets..if you really want to be like Jesus then an unforgiving spirit just isn’t an option.

Colossians 3:13 (NIV) ~ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Blessings and Peace to you all!

   Sometimes, you just have one of those days. The kind where the devil just tries to get at you any way he can. Some days it is easier to fight that spiritual battle than others.

   When I am faced with a spiritual battle, sometimes I remember to put on my armor and other times..well, I forget.

Ephesians 6:13(NIV)~ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything , to stand.

   The truth is, Satan has no power over me since Christ lives in me. I can rise up and conquer that junk..for lack of a better word..and tell Satan to get away from me! There is power in the Holy Spirit! There is power in Jesus’ name!

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)~ But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

   How many times do we let little things get to us? How often do we read into someone else’s comments? Why do we sometimes think that someone is being hurtful or negative towards us when they are just being the way they are..which is imperfect..like the rest of us.

   I have learned that not everybody thinks the same way as I do. I have also learned that my perception can be totally different from what someone’s true intentions are. We are all made different. Some are more alike than others. One thing we all have in common though, is the need to be loved.

   The enemy loves to use our differences to keep us down or against each other. God wants us to love and accept one another,  and to be kind and thoughtful in our words and actions with each other. God is love.

John 15:17 (NIV) ~ This is my command: Love each other.

   How often do we waste time..precious time..walking around wearing our feelings on our sleeves…asumming that “somebody” has something against us?  Does it hurt when people don’t think before they act or speak? Yes! Guess what else? People are going to let you down…but GOD never will!

Psalm 42:5 (NIV)~ Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

   Put your faith, trust and hope in GOD. Love one another..and try to look past the faults that we all too easy seem to find. Fact is, we all have faults.

  Prayer is the best and most effective tool we have in this battle. Think about it..prayer is a direct line to God. Who better to turn to than God when you are feeling low or hurt or even annoyed? How often do we forget to go to God in prayer before we go to a friend or even worse..before we act or speak? He is the best friend you could ever hope for and He always has your best interest in mind.

Romans 12:12 (NIV) ~ Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

   The best advice I could give you right now if you are feeling discouraged because you are internalizing some negative outside forces (hurtful words, other’s opinions, or your own assumptions even), remember that God is greater than all of that. Remember that not everything is as it seems. Remember that if you are saved, the power of the Holy Spirit lives in you. Remember that you are not perfect either. Remember to pray. Also, don’t beat yourself up when you fall into that old trap..rise up and fight the battle of negativity with GOD leading you!  Last but certainly not least, forgive and let go. Bitterness, anger and dwelling on negative just robs you of peace, joy, and precious time. Jesus willingly forgives and forgets..if you really want to be like Jesus then an unforgiving spirit just isn’t an option.

Colossians 3:13 (NIV) ~ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

   Blessings and Peace to you all!

Beautiful: made by God

You have heard it said, “Nobody’s perfect”. Why then, knowing this is a fact, do we sometimes expect others to live up to our standards..instead of God’s standards? He is the only perfect One. As those who have accepted the free gift of salvation (Christians), we are called to be patient, humble, kind and gentle with everyone. Not just the ones we like the most.

Ephesians 4:2 (NIV) ~ Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

We all have faults..believers and those who have not accepted Christ. If you are a believer (Christian), you are called(commanded) to be accepting and also to be humble, patient and gentle. Even if the other person(or people) annoy you to no end!

The only way to do this is to rely on God. We have to rely on His strength during these difficult times.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) ~ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Philippians 4:13 ~ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

We have to keep our focus on God. Instead of looking at other’s faults and judging them, we are to pray for them…to try to find something positive about them, and to be gentle in guiding them towards God. If you are a Christian, God’s love should be pouring out of you onto others.

It is so important to remember that if you profess to be a Christian, you are being watched even more closely by others. Another saying you have heard I am sure, “You may be the only Bible some people read.” Well, that is so true! Our actions and our words reflect what we truly believe in our hearts. We can draw others closer to Christ..or we can turn them away from Him just by our actions and words. As Christians we have a responsibility to reflect Christ.

Two good questions to ask yourself (myself included ) :

1) Do people see Christ in me?

2) How well do I represent or reflect Christ?

Something that I pray pretty much every day with my children is this: Dear Heavenly Father, please let others see YOU in me…let us be a light that shines for YOU in a dark world. AMEN.

Praise God! He loves me and he loves you…even though we are all far from perfect. My hearts desire is to glorify God in all that I say and do. Yes, I still mess up. When I mess up, it is because I didn’t seek Him first though. When God is leading my steps, words and actions, it all works out and brings Him glory. His way is so much better than my way or your way.

You may want to read some of my others posts that relate to this one: (SHINE, To Judge or Not to Judge..your choice, Forgetting What Lies Behind, and A NEW OLD RULE) You can also sign up to get free posts whenever I publish a new one! Feel free to share this on Twitter, Facebook, or Email. You can follow me on Twitter @hgd1973

Have a wonderful day! Blessings!

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

 Billy Graham ~ We relegate God to our spare time- but end up never having any spare time! Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom” (Matthew 6:33 NIV)

Family time...

  I have felt so blessed this week. To be able to spend time …quality time with some of the people I love. Quality time is definitely one of my love languages. There is a huge difference between quality time and time.

    TIME

   I spend lots of time with my family…but when it is quality time..that is, time that is uninterrupted by distractions, it is awesome! I feel the same way about friend time too!

  Time is a gift.  Life happens. We all get busy. There is work. There are outside activities that take up time. Time can be wasted. Time can be well-spent. Time is not guaranteed. Time is valuable. I am sure you have also heard that “time is money”. Time can be short and time can be long. You can have time alone..and you can have time together. Time can drag by and there can be “not enough time in the day”.

   QUALITY TIME

My husband and I on our date!

   Now, this is my favorite kind of time. You have also heard the saying, “It’s not the quantity, it is the quality.” How true is that statement! It doesn’t matter if it is five minutes or five days, if there is quality to your time, it is all the same.

   My husband and I were able to enjoy a “date day” this week. I must admit, there was a little work and a few phone calls here and there that he had to take, but man the quality of time we were able to spend together cancelled out the interruptions. We are very family time oriented..which means that most of the time we include our children in our activities. I love this too! However, we don’t always schedule a date time just for us. You know, it is so important to have a “date night”.      

   I felt like I was the center of his attention for a whole day! WOW! You may be thinking, that’s sad..she gets excited about a date day!?! Yep..I do..because that is quality time to me. Time to focus on just him and me. Time to talk about things we want to talk about….

   Other times, when we have spent just 30 minutes talking to each other at the end of a busy day, are just as wonderful as a whole “date day” spent together.

   When I think of the word quality, I think of the word valuable.

   Quality time with my children and other family members and my friends are very important to me. I truly value the moments that are spent with each one. If you value someone you will in turn spend more quality time with them.

   Let’s not forget God in all of this “time” talk. Shouldn’t He be at the very top of our quality time list? I value Him the most. He desires to spend quality time with you and me each day. How often do we ignore him?

   I have to share something: This morning I had a headache and was really tired. I had planned to spend some quality time with someone. I had a little bit of time before I was to meet her. Since my head was hurting and I was tired, I thought I might lay down for a few minutes. I kept feeling a tug to do my quiet time instead. I started to ignore it…but then I just felt like God was saying, “Heather, I just want to spend a little time with you this morning.” I couldn’t ignore Him. I picked up my Bible and notebook and begin to read it and take notes and concluded with talking to God and writing down my prayer. I was so blessed by that time with my Savior. My headache went away too, and you know, I wasn’t even tired anymore.

   Quality time with God is the most important and most rewarding time you will ever spend. It is never time wasted. It can be short or long…but it will always be valuable.

   I encourage you to spend quality time with God each day. He loves us so much…He just wants to spend some time with us. I spend time with God every day..talking to Him..seeking Him..but there is just something special about a quiet time with Him. It is basically special quality time like a date night,etc..except it is even more special.

   Feel free to check out some older posts of mine about quiet times and spending time with God. (Getting and Staying Spiritually Fit,  Making the Time and Giving Him Glory, and To Know HIM More)

   Every day has exactly 1,440 minutes; can’t you find even ten of them to be with your heavenly Father? Doesn’t God deserve the best minutes of your day?  ~ Billy Graham

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

On the way home from church this past Sunday, Mother’s day I might add , our kids had to sit right beside each other on the way home. Not the best idea…siblings are going to aggravate each other..that is just a fact of life friends. Isn’t there an unspoken rule that your kids have to get along on Mother’s day and your birthday??

Well, I spoke up…rather quickly..before I had thought out exactly how I wanted to word it…”Ok..we are NOT going to talk to each other like this..I have a NEW rule..(silence…)..and the NEW rule is…” What’s the new rule Momma, asks our youngest? “Hang on, stick to the OLD one while I try to put into words what the NEW one is…(laughing).”

Here is what I told them: From now on before you speak to each other or act..I want you(and me and Daddy) to think, “Is what I am about to say or do going to bring God glory(make Him proud of me) or is it going to make Him ashamed of me?”

Now, does this mean that because I said this, that now every time before we act or speak that we are perfect in our words and deeds? Only in a fairytale world! When you mess up, that is a perfect time to teach your children the importance of confessing and repenting. Yes, kids are going to fuss..and so are parents. Yes, this is a rule we have taught our children since they were little…but, it never hurts to remind them and yourself of how we should treat one another. Especially within the family.

Your home should be a place where there is love and peace and acceptance. There is enough negative that we receive from the outside world. What if though..we all practiced this NEW rule..not just in our homes with our family..but with EVERYONE. See, that is the intention that I had when telling our children this NEW rule. It isn’t really NEW… It goes along with what Scripture tells us: Love your neighbor as yourself..and bridle or control your tongue.(this is not quoted scripture..just referring to scripture)

Our words and our actions relate to being an effective witness for Christ. Our words and behavior reflect what we truly believe in our hearts.

Words are extremely powerful! Our words can heal or they can tear down. Words can lift somebody up or bring them down. Words can be restrained and controlled or they can run wild. Our relationship with Christ Jesus is reflected through our words. (tone, choice of words, self-control) Do your words reflect Jesus or do they reflect you?

Proverbs 13:3 (NIV) ~ He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

Proverbs 15:28 (NIV) ~ The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

Luke 6:45 (NIV) ~ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.

Our actions reflect what we truly believe. Many people claim to know God…our behavior will speak volumes about our beliefs. We all make mistakes, and we all sin, it is our attitude about those things that reflect our beliefs though. If you truly know God..those things that keep you separated from Him will convict you..and make you sad and want to repent and change.

Titus 1:16a (NIV) ~ They claim to know God, but their actions deny Him.

If you don’t really know God, don’t let shame or pride keep you from knowing Him. He loves you…he loves me…thank goodness He doesn’t want “perfect people”. If you do know God as your Savior and Redeemer but you know your actions and words haven’t reflected that, it is time to give in and give it all to God. There is freedom in letting Jesus take control.

Thanks for letting me share with you what God has put on my heart to share. I wish for you all the freedom that comes from letting go and letting GOD!

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Sisters..best friends one day..

   I left you yesterday, on my post (ALL..God cares about it ALL), with a thought about encouragement. I wrote, Everyone needs it..and everyone can provide it..but the best kind comes from God alone! I studied up on encouragement in my Bible this morning. I want to share with you what I learned…and I would like to just share what it means to me.

   Who doesn’t need to be encouraged?!?! Especially in the times we are living in. Everyone needs it. We are commanded by God to give it. So often we are tempted to offer criticism instead of a word or act of encouragement. I’ll be quite honest, when running that last part of my 13.1 miles in a half-marathon , if somebody had yelled that I should be running faster instead of “come on, you can do this!”, I would have probably wanted to just stop,  or probably would have felt like crying. (I felt like crying anyways. )    

I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength! I did it!

   Encouragement can give you that little bit of hope and spark that you need to keep going and finish what you have started.  

   Encouragement says “You CAN”..when Criticism says “You CAN’T”. Encouragement says, “I believe in you..I have faith that you can!” 

   There is nothing wrong with “helpful criticism”, but to me that is another term for ENCOURAGEMENT. If you want to criticize in a helpful way…then it really can’t be called that..it has to be called ENCOURAGEMENT. Take the criticism out…just be helpful and encourage.

   I will be the first to tell you that I strive to be an encourager, and I will be the first to tell you that I also need to take the criticism out. Praise God, that He convicts me when I am wrong about the way I may go about saying things to my children and husband . It is usually the ones we are closest to that we are the most blunt with. I know for a fact that when I speak words of encouragement..or correct them (my children ) in love..instead of being blunt, it is received much better. Really though, isn’t that how we all want to be treated ?!?

   ENCOURAGEMENT FROM TIME SPENT WITH OTHER BELIEVERS

   When I spend time with other women who have the same desires of the heart..the same hunger for Christ, I am encouraged. Don’t take that wrong…I simply mean that they provide the encouragement for me that God leads them to provide. They are not the source of encouragement, simply the tools God uses. As God’s daughter, I do love everyone…but I also need encouragement too. I desire to be that tool Christ uses to encourage every single one of you! I want you to know that it is Christ alone that provides true encouragement, not the fake kind.

   Hebrews 10: 23-25 (NIV) ~ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

   Fellowship with others who have the same desires to serve and seek God is extremely important. We all need encouragement.

   ENCOURAGING OTHERS BECAUSE OF OUR PERSEVERANCE

   We are also commanded to watch how we live and what we profess, making sure that they line up. In order to be an effective encourager, we have to live what we teach..what we profess. As Christians, we are commanded to go and spread the Gospel..and make disciples. A disciple of Christ is a follower of Christ..one that follows Christ and then in turn disciples others. Spreading the Gospel..the TRUTH about Jesus. That is THE source of real encouragement.

   We must remember that what we believe is the foundation for how we will in turn live.

   1 Timothy 4:12-16 (NIV) ~ Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the  body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

   That is encouragement to my soul folks! The kind that God provides! If I persevere even when I feel defeated, God will use me and my message and you and your message…to reach those who need to hear it! If I let God use me as His tool, others will be encouraged! You can let Him use you too!

   ENCOURAGEMENT THROUGH PRAYER

   Prayer is the MOST POWERFUL weapon, tool, resource that we have available to us! Why then is it neglected so often? Prayer is our direct line to our Heavenly Father. As a believer in Christ, you not only have Jesus living inside you (The Holy Spirit, the source of conviction), but interceding on your behalf. To intercede means to plead someone’s case.

   Romans 8:26-28(NIV) ~ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.

   That’s fact folks..not fiction or fairytale..not ghosts and goblin stuff..but the same power that is in Jesus..lives in me..because I have accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. God cares that much! He didn’t just send His Son to die on the cross for your sins and mine. No, He also left us with the gift of The Holy Spirit being in us.. That blows my mind!!! I won’t pretend to understand it all…and Scripture tells me that there are some things I just am not going to get! I am not God..He is! Man!!! That is powerful stuff!!!

   We are called to pray for one another too though. Prayer is powerful..I can’t get that across strong enough! Jesus prayed! Want to be like Jesus? Then PRAY!!! Talk to Him…

   The most encouraging thing to me is to know that when I am struggling, I have people praying for me. That is SUCH a comfort to my soul! I in turn, am what some might call a “prayer warrior”. It’s just a phrase..and anybody can be one. However, I take it seriously. I know the power in prayer..and I know that prayer is our lifeline to Christ.

   I encourage you to pray..seek His word…and be encouraged by ALL that He offers you!

   Pray for your family, your leaders, your friends..and don’t forget to pray for those who persecute you. There is power in prayer friends. Be encouraged!!! Then, encourage each other with TRUTH!

   Blessings to you all!

   UNTIL NEXT TIME!