Category: Infertility

The Harvest From Your Lips

Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com | Dominik Damaziak
Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com | Dominik Damaziak

The beginning of 2013 is just around the corner. What are you expecting from opportunities and challenges in the New Year? More importantly, what are you saying about the things that will come your way in the New Year?

Maintain a positive outlook and attitude. Start now by speaking what God has already said in the Bible that corresponds to what you desire to experience in your life. Speak it with confidence and expectancy, assured of God’s love for you!

Expect a bountiful harvest from the seeds (words) you sow each day.

What will be the harvest from your lips?

“From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”  ~Proverbs 18: 20, 21 NIV

“As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”  ~Romans 4:17 NIV

Focus Friday

Focus on the following scripture throughout the day. It’s God’s Word and it’s what He desires us to believe. Believe it is true for you because God’s Word is Truth. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day. Personalize it by putting your name in it!

 “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

~~Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT~~

Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com | John Minix
Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com | John Minix

Famine in the Land?

Do you sometimes feel that going through infertility is like experiencing famine in the land? Today, I’m sharing an excerpt from my devotional book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertilitythat addresses that issue.

This devotion is entitled “God’s Circle of Blessing“:

Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com | Romulus Hossu
Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com | Romulus Hossu

The Living Bible Translation of Psalm 25:13 says, “He shall live within God’s circle of blessing, and his children shall inherit the earth.” To whom is this passage referring? The previous verse tells us…the person who reverences God.

Living in God’s circle of blessing enables us to enjoy the best in life even when circumstances around us tell, and sometimes yell, otherwise. Isaac, Abraham’s son, was a great example of living in the circle of blessing. The Bible’s account in Genesis 26:1-13 tells how there was a famine in the country where Isaac lived and he wondered if he should leave like so many others and go to Egypt where there was no famine. God told him to stay and that He would be with Isaac in his obedience. God promised him increase in all areas of life, including children. So in the midst of his country’s famine, despair, lack, and death, Isaac was blessed with extreme abundance because he stayed where God wanted him—in His circle of blessing. Infertility is like a famine—extreme hunger and despair—except it’s for a child. Just as Isaac experienced great bounty in the midst of famine, so can you, when you choose to remain in God’s circle of blessing even as your circumstances scream “famine.”

You can live in God’s circle of blessing by keeping the ears of your heart open to His Word. Hear Him as He speaks to you through it. Receive the Word by faith, as personal promises from God to you. Receive His wonderful blessings by saying “thank you” to Him for the promises you find in his Word for your child. Repeatedly speak His Word, His Truth, over your life. When we speak the Word, we’re in agreement with God. Receive His blessings by living in His Word and resting in His grace.

No matter what the doctor’s reports say, you don’t have to be stuck in the famine of infertility. Declare that you live in God’s circle of blessing because famine can’t exist there. Jesus is God of abundant joy! Nothing is too hard for Him to change; therefore He can change your circumstance of infertility. His Truth, His Word, can bring extreme abundance in its most wonderful form—the blessing of a child.

Speak the Word: I choose to stay in God’s circle of blessing.  He is my source of everything good.

More Encouragement: Galatians 3:14; Hebrews 6:14

If you’d like to have more devotions like this at your fingertips, to encourage you on a daily basis,

click here to order the printed version of A Seed of Hope.

A-Seed-of-Hope-low-cover

What’s the Answer?

What’s the answer to your problem today?

Do you think your answer depends on what the problem is?

                • Infertility
                • Unhappy Marriage
                • Lack of Money
                • Poor Health
                • Hopelessness
                • Strained Relationships
                • Failing Business
                • Loneliness
                • Depression
                • (Fill in the blank)

Regardless of the problem you face today, you can make it through because JESUS is the answer to any and all of your problems!

Be encouraged by this classic song by Andrae Crouch, “Jesus is the Answer“.

Thankful in the Midst of Infertility?

When you’re facing the difficult struggle of infertility, what is there to be thankful for?

Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com | Ctulu8

It’s so easy to get caught up in all that’s going wrong, the disappointment that comes month after month, the emotional drain of it all, the possible health scares, the financial toll and the marital problems that tend to stealthily creep in. But this Thanksgiving week, make a DECISION to look for the things in life you can be thankful for.

Start by remembering that God is with you. If you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, He has promised to never leave you and to bless you with his unfailing grace. Continue to rest in knowing that God is for you and not against you (Romans 8:31). Be thankful that He has given so many examples of women who overcame infertility along with promises in the Bible that relate to your fertility. Thank Him that you can count on Him to make good on those promises (Isaiah 55:11).  Even during the moments when you doubt  His ability, willingness, and timing, stand firm in being thankful that  He still loves you. Believe that He loves you unconditionally, just as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23).

Be thankful that there is nothing too hard for God, not even infertility (Genesis 18:14)!

What is Hope?

Hope is not just thinking or wishing that something will happen or thinking, “Maybe it will happen, maybe it won’t ; I sure do hope it will.” The Bible definition of hope is different from that “wishy-washy” point of view.

HOPE = THE CONFIDENT EXPECTATION OF SOMETHING GOOD

This confident point of view of God’s willingness to come through in any situation is what gives us the assurance to believe in His love for us and have faith in His Word.

If you’re struggling with infertility, I encourage you to find resources and activities that will promote and strengthen your hope in God. The spiritual aspect of infertility should not be ignored. Having a confident expectation based on the promises of God is what you’ll find in my ebook,  A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility. After many requests to have it in print format, I’m pleased to announce that it will soon be available to purchase as a paperback!

This devotional will inspire you to strengthen your hope for a child and to not give up! Each devotional reading in A Seed of Hope will encourage you because it is a product of my struggle and God-given victory over infertility.

To reserve your paperback copy and to receive an additional bonus with it, please fill in the information below.

Paperback Edition

Supernatural Truth

Supernatural Truth. Is there such a thing? The Bible says there is:

“Your word is truth.” John 17:17 [NKJV]

“Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” John 6:63 [NLT]

God’s Word in the Bible is Supernatural Truth. It is eternal and unchanging. God gave us His Truth so we can use it. We are free to use it to bring life and light to our circumstances that seem to be filled with nothing but endless darkness. We use His Word  by believing and speaking it. 

We are enabled by His Truth when we wield it as a sword, using it as an offensive weapon in our struggles [Ephesians 6:17]. God promised that when we believe and speak His Word it would produce prosperous results [Isaiah 55:11]. By believing and speaking His Word, we are speaking words that are empowering, life-giving and situation-changing. Believing and repeatedly speaking His Word brings the essence of HOPE and LIFE to our lives.

Does the struggle with infertility weigh heavily in your life? It did in mine. Believing and speaking the Word help me to become an overcomer in that struggle. I want to encourage you:

Trust in the power of God’s love for you which is embedded in His promises in the Bible.

Believe in the unfailing power of His Word [” Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave…” ~ 1 Kings 8:56 {NLT}].

Bring life to your situation of barrenness by using God’s Word to tap into His good plan for your life.

Confidently trust the power of Supernatural Truth!

 

Do You Smell Victory?

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”  2 Corinthians 2:14 [NKJV]

Photo courtesy of Microsoft Images

The first part of that scripture, has been one that I’ve believed in and stood on through multiple and various struggles. I frequently have to remind myself of my victory in Christ so that I don’t concentrate on the problem and sink into a pit of despair about my circumstances. I depend on that verse because it contains the word “always.” “Always” means without exception, on every occasion, continuously (dictionary.com). When I have truly and consistently put my trust/faith/belief in that victory supplied by Jesus to every believer, I have seen its manifestation.

But only today did the second half of that verse stand out to me—“through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” For the last 8 weeks, I’ve been teaching a Bible study class at my church about the unmerited, unearned favor (grace) of God. Having done so has opened my eyes to an entirely different way of looking at things! Now it’s easier to see that knowing more about Jesus’ perfect and complete work on the cross multiplies His grace in my life [2 Peter 1:2]. His grace does not depend on my efforts/works. His grace gives us continuous victory. We did not do anything to acquire because Jesus did it all. Knowing Him imparts a beautiful fragrance to our lives because increased knowledge about JESUS multiplies grace and peace.

To know Him — His love, His strength, His sacrifice, His work —  is to know victory, and it smells good!

Do you smell victory?

Please encourage others by sharing below an instance of victory that you’ve experienced.

Focus Friday

Focus on the following scripture throughout the day. It’s God’s Word and it’s what He desires us to believe. Believe it is true for you because God’s Word is Truth. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day.

Photo courtesy of Microsoft Images

 

“For He is not weak and feeble in dealing with you, but is a mighty power within you.”

~~2 Corinthians 13:3b Amplified Bible 

5 Bible Verses Every Infertile Woman Needs To Know

If you are struggling with infertility, you know what a hopeless situation it can become, if  you let it. When I dealt with it, I found the best source of hope was the Bible. It contains numerous scriptures that pertain directly to infertility. It also gives many accounts of women who were once barren/infertile/childless but became a mother all because they trusted God to be true to His Word.

I’ve said it before, Infertility Sucks! But I know firsthand that it can be overcome. Here are five verses that I meditated on and repeatedly used as verbal affirmations, putting my name in each scripture. I think you’ll find them to be great sources of HOPE.

Deuteronomy 7:14 [NKJV] ~ “You shall be blessed above all people; there shall not be male or female barren among you.”

Isaiah 50:7 [NKJV] ~ “For the Lord God will help me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.”

Leviticus 26:9 [Amplified Bible] ~ “For I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you, rendering you fruitful, multiplying you and establishing and ratifying my covenant with you.”

Hebrews 11:11 [NLT] ~ “It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.”

Luke 1:37 ~ “For with God NOTHING shall be impossible.”

Are there other scriptures in which you find hope? Please share them below.