Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on this Word about how to prosper. Repeatedly think about this scripture and quietly say it to yourself. Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!
It’s God’s Word showing how grace, and not self-condemnation, should rule in your life. It’s what He desires us to believe. Believe it is true for you because God’s Word is Truth.
Use it as an affirmation. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day. Personalize it by putting your name in it!
In elementary school, or in junior high school, you probably learned about the grammatical impact of the word “but” in a sentence. The word “but” is a conjunction, joining two phrases. It is a powerful word to use because “but” essentially negates the idea in the first phrase and implies that something else should be considered.
Here’s a quick list of what “but” can do:
As I was writing my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility, one of the things that Holy Spirit whispered to me to include was how to use the “Holy But.” I laughed when I heard that– the Holy But. However, I began to understand how using it could bring godly results to our ungodly circumstances. You’re probably wondering what makes the “but” holy. The use of God’s Word following the “but” is what makes it serve a holy purpose in your life.
When you find yourself saying some negative things about yourself that you know you should not have released from your mouth, use the Holy But by stating some truth from God’s Word that addresses the circumstance that you previously stated negatively.
For example, you may have said in a moment of exasperation, “I feel like I’ll never be pregnant!” Quickly follow that up by saying, “BUT, God said that none shall be barren and that includes me” (Exodus 23:26). Maybe you’re experiencing some financial challenges and you might slip and say, “I’m always broke.” When you catch yourself, say something like, “BUT, Jesus is with me and He prospers me (1 Chronicles 22:11). The key is to negate your negative statement by stating what God has said about the matter using the word “but”. You see, good grammar really can bring godly results (Proverbs 18:21)!
God’s Truth is stronger than your fact. It is powerful and never changes. God’s Truth never fails. When you believe it and speak it, it can actually change your facts of life. What’s God’s Truth? It’s His Word of love and grace toward you (John 17:17). God’s Word doesn’t change but it does change– it is eternal. It’s power can change your circumstances. It can change how you see yourself and your circumstances. It is absolute—you can count on it!
Use the Holy But to:
It is applicable in any circumstance. It is a simple exercise that will redirect your focus and strengthen your faith.
In the midst of negative circumstances, what do you do to redirect your focus to Jesus’ words, love, and viewpoint?
God’s Word is Truth. Believe it is true for you. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day.
As October is coming to an end, being in the FLOW has brought challenges, victories and a few surprises.
The FLOW is what I consider as being in synch with the Holy Spirit.
Since I started this F-Word challenge in July 2014, I understand better how hearing from Him is a result of “Fellowship” with Him (1 Corinthians 1:9). Fellowshipping was sometimes (surprisingly) a challenge. There were other things that I wanted to do at the moment that my phone alarm beeped to remind to take a P.I.T. stop and focus on Jesus for (a mere) 60 seconds.
I see the resultant rest that comes from my “Focus” being on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). When I look to Him instead of the negative circumstances surrounding me, life is so much better! I’m less stressed. I see His acceptance of me; I’m more confident of it. My words about my situation change because I trust Him more. I’m also more grateful.
My productivity has gotten better because of the “Follow Through” that I commit to His instructions (John 15:5). I released some things that I thought for sure I needed to do, but through Fellowship and Focus I was convinced otherwise. I found that I was enjoying doing the Follow Through because I knew that I was headed toward the target that He had set for me (rather than my own). I also found that I experienced more of God’s strength and power in all the “next steps” I needed to take.
My point is that I’m seeing how each of these steps in my F-Word process is tied to one another. And when I’m Fellowshipping with Jesus, Focused on His love for me, and Following Through on His plan for me, I get to FLOW with ease!
I think all of this is building up to make November FUN for me! 🙂
Here is a consolidation of a couple of posts that I previously shared. I hope you find this encouraging and a source of light in what can be a dark and lonely experience.
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 promises of fertility.
Infertility Sucks! But I know from personal experience that it can be overcome. Here are some verses that I meditated on and repeatedly used as verbal affirmations, putting my name in each scripture. 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.”
John 17:23 (NLT)- “…you love them as much as you love me [Jesus]”
Lamentations 3:26 (NKJV)- “It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”
Hebrews 13: 5 (NLT)- “For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
1 John 5:4 (NLT)- “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.”
1 John 5:14, 15 (NIV)- “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
Focus on this scripture throughout the day.
It’s about God’s gift to you– HIS righteousness, not that born of your own efforts– that causes you to reign in life.
It’s what He desires you to believe. Believe it is true for you because God’s Word is Truth. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day.
I love to study different words and phrases that are in the Bible. Delving into their meaning can bring to light a rich revelation of new ways that I can apply God’s Word in my life. I thought I’d share a few nuggets that I gleaned from studying Ephesians 6. This is not a summary of the entire chapter. It is a capsule of points of enlightenment about the verses that describe the armor of God (Ephesians 6:12-18).
The armor we are encouraged to put on is not our own, it’s God’s. When David decided to face Goliath, King Saul wanted David to put on his royal armor for protection against the powerful enemy. But David told Saul that he’d prefer not to put on the king’s armor. It was unfamiliar and uncomfortable. David had no confidence in that armor. But, he was accustomed to God’s protection. God had protected him when he fought against a bear and a lion as he watched his father’s flocks. As he talked with Saul, he recalled how God had come through for him so many times. David had confidence in God. He chose to trust God as he went out into the field to battle the giant. David was refusing man’s mode of protection– he didn’t want to fight in his own strength. Instead he put on God’s armor by his faith in God’s love for him and his confidence that God was willing to protect him (1 Samuel 17:23-46).
” We must all be aware that our defeats have mainly come from one of two errors– the one being that of fighting in our own strength and the other being that of leaving unused our God-given power.”
Alexander MacLaren
Putting on God’s armor means having an attitude of dependence on Him. This provides a higher level of confidence in His power. It makes it easier to have an expectation of the fulfillment of His promises. As we draw closer to Him and commune with Him, we rest and receive His power. It’s all about receiving Him. It’s all about receiving His love.
Hear Jesus encouraging us, “Be of good cheer, I have already overcome the world [the troubles that we face].” If He has already overcome whatever we are facing, why would we try to defeat an enemy who has already been defeated? If He has already finished doing everything it takes for us be more than conquerors, why would we try to complete a work that’s already been completed? He wants us to rest in His victory.
Jesus accomplished the vanquishing of every foe on our behalf (Colossians 2:15). He stripped them and disarmed them, publicly shamed them, and triumphed over them on the cross and through His resurrection. That’s why we can now stand as more than a conqueror– He did all the work in order to let us enjoy the spoils of His victory.
Would it make sense for a soldier to only wear one piece of armor and then expect to enjoy complete protection? No! A soldier can expect complete protection only when wearing the whole/complete armor provided. It is likewise with God. We’re instructed to put on the whole armor of God in its entirety so that we can experience all the blessings He has planned.
Photo courtesy of Sattva | FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on this Word about allowing God to be the Source of your success. Repeatedly think about this scripture and quietly say it to yourself. Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!
