Even in the darkest of places, the tiniest bit of light chases the darkness away. Darkness cannot rule where light is allowed to shine.
In those areas of your life where darkness seems to rule, insert the Light of God’s Word.
Speak His promises out loud to your circumstances. Enjoy life in His Light!
“…for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9 [NLT]
I decided to continue the theme of royalty from my post, Embrace Your Inner King/Queen on September 12, 2012.
Sometimes I need to ponder my royal status in Christ more often and maybe you do too. Revelation 5:10 assures us of our royal status in this life on earth through Jesus: “And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
I need you to put on your math cap for a moment. Remember “If-Then” statements? They show us that if one thing is true and it says/demonstrates the same thing as another, then they are equal. For instance, “If 4+1 =5 and 3+2 =5, then 4+1=3+2.”
In Ecclesiastes 8:4, we’re told, “Where the word of a king is, there is power…” So here’s the “If -Then” statement I’m proposing: IF we are kings/queens in Christ (and we are, whether we live like it or not), and the word of a king/queen has power, THEN our words must have power! In our natural lives, our words have the power to bind us in an agreement/contract, to involve us in a covenant such as marriage, and to change our circumstances, for better or worse.
Your words act as seeds that will grow and be fruitful. But beware, the soil of your life WILL produce what you plant in it. Stay away from the weed seeds, those words that are nothing but negativity.
As a king/queen, you get to choose what kind of seed you will speak into your future and then live with its harvest.
Will you speak seeds that yield a harvest of Life and Blessing?
Do you ever find yourself thinking renegade thoughts? You know, those thoughts that really don’t line up with what God has said about you as a believer in Jesus Christ. Sometimes thoughts can come to mind and bring you down, making you feel stuck in believing that your situation can never change. But be encouraged, what God has said is what comes to pass when we trust that what He has said is the unshakeable Truth [Isaiah 55:11].
God has said:
You’re forgiven. [Colossians 1:13-14]
You’re healed, by Jesus’ stripes. [1 Peter 2:24]
You’re loved by God just as much as He loves Jesus. [John 17:23]
You’re an heir to the blessing of Abraham (which includes having children). [Galatians 3:13-14; Deuteronomy 7:14]
You’re more than a conqueror because you are in Christ, the ultimate conqueror. [Romans 8:37]
What do you say to your renegade thoughts? Release your faith and say what God has said!
I hope you’ll be encouraged by this excerpt, which is one of the daily readings from my devotional e-book, “A Seed of Hope–God’s Promises of Fertility.”
Confidence
“Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ…”
~ 2 Corinthians 2:14 ~
Confidence. It means trusting in the abilities, strengths, integrity, or faithfulness of someone or some thing. Typically, we willingly speak out boldly about people when we are confident in them. We are told in 1 John 5:14 that having confidence in God means that we believe that He hears us when we pray according to His Word and that He will grant what we ask. Part of your battle plan against infertility must include increasing your confidence in God’s love for you.
Having confidence in others, even God, may sometimes be difficult. Have you ever had trouble letting someone else be in charge? I have. Have you ever wanted someone else to take control of a situation and allowed him or her to do so, only to snatch it right back because you didn’t like how he or she was doing it? Maybe that’s what you’re experiencing with God—not trusting Him enough to completely let go of your circumstances and allowing Him to be in control. If so, you’ve got to get over the fear of what will happen if you’re not in control and instead, trust that His way is a better way. Develop a positive expectation of what will happen when He’s in control.
That’s what my husband and I experienced in our battle against infertility. As engineers, we both were good planners and detail-oriented. We had our lives planned out and thought we knew exactly when we’d start having children. We’d planned to wait until we had been married for 3-4 years, and of course we expected the pregnancy to happen within three months after we first started “trying”. On 6/2/86, I wrote in my journal: “Freeman and I are preparing to start pregnancy in July/August.” Well try as we may, our plan did not work. It didn’t happen in July or August. Neither did it happen by the end of December. And so began the journey of going from doctor to doctor to see what was wrong with me and who could fix it. That journey did not last long before we decided we’d had enough. We clearly saw our need to develop confidence in God. We had to become better listeners to Him, through prayer and reading His Word, so we could follow His directions and find rest in His plan.
Speak the Word: I submit myself to God and His plan because I am confident that He always causes me to triumph in Christ Jesus.
More Encouragement: Hebrews 10:35,36; 1 John 5:14,15
I hope you’ll share this with others who need encouragement in their struggle. Remember, God loves YOU and He does not withhold good things from his children.
Benefit from having hope-filled daily readings like this at your fingertips. Check out the sample or purchase your devotional, “A Seed of Hope–God’s Promises of Fertility,” on Smashwords.
Hope= the confident expectation that GOOD things will happen.
Sometimes, we can run low on how much hope we have about ever having a baby. Here’s a “booster shot” for increasing your personal level of hope:
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “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.”
Be encouraged…keep your hope alive!
Is your lifestyle one of anticipating the worst case scenario or do you expect good things to happen? As humans, it’s easy for us to see and talk about the negative aspects of our lives. But as a Christian, it should be easy for us to see AND talk about the positive things in our lives. After all, we have an “unfair advantage.” We have the favor of God!
The favor of God is His abundant, unearned grace, and it is unaffected by anything that we do. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the abundance of God continually available to us for every area of our lives! It’s up to us to believe that it is ours to receive. Even when going through the throes of infertility, believe that the favor of God is working in your life. Despite what the evidence/medical report/family history is in your life, anticipate good results. Believe that the favor of God is working on your behalf. Believe that He is for you and not against you.
As you continue to believe, the things you say will be more positive. As you continue to believe, you’ll anticipate the good, more and more because your focus will change. Your focus will not be on the negative circumstances of your life but on the all-sufficient grace and love of God. And that…is ALL good.
Finally, an encouraging devotional for those suffering with infertility! My new ebook, “A Seed of Hope—God’s Promises of Fertility,” is from my perspective of having overcome infertility. It uplifts and brings hope to the reader through daily readings with the premise that nothing is too hard for God, not even infertility.
You’ll be encouraged along your journey to get through this season of childlessness by relying on, speaking, and trusting in the Word of God and His love for you. Please let me know what you think after you take a look inside “A Seed of Hope” .
Sometimes it’s hard to trust and be in agreement with the plans of someone else regarding the impact of their plans on YOUR life. If someone asked you whether you agree with whatever God has said and planned about your situation, what would be your response? Would you express sincere confidence in His plans for you?
Maybe David of the Bible can be our example of how to be in agreement with God. David, a man who so openly loved and trusted God, knew the power of speaking the Word of God. He said in Psalm 17:4, “…By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.” Similarly, we must speak the Word of God to keep us off of Satan’s paths that are lined with his burdens and devices of deception. Most importantly, speaking the Word helps us to keep our eyes and mind on Jesus’ love for us, which enables us to agree with His plans and receive the victory over infertility.
Be encouraged!
What’s the purpose of having children? Some may say: “To continue to populate the earth” or “To have someone to carry on the family name” or “A child will satisfy my need to be needed by someone else”, or worst-case scenario, “A child will save our marriage.” Just as a heads-up, having a child won’t save your marriage, especially if it’s already in trouble. Besides, that is a pretty selfish motive for bringing a child into this world.
God’s purpose for children is so that they grow to live godly, abundant lives and be able to show others a demonstration of His love and power. He wants to ensure that His Word is perpetuated from generation to generation, bringing wholeness, victory, and prosperity to each generation (Genesis 18:19). He wants everyone to experience His love.
The dictionary defines a “heritage” as something someone is born to, a special way of life that passes from generation to generation. Psalm 127: 3 tells us that children are a special possession of God, for whom He cares and watches as His own. A wise parent will regard each child as a reward and a source of joy. That’s a good reason to keep learning how to raise a godly child and to train him/her properly. This will enable the child to have deep faith and strong character. Parents should always seek God’s direction and assistance with this precious gift. They should consider themselves as privileged to participate in God’s creation process.
“Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.”
~ Psalm 127:3 ~