feeling hopeless choose hope

Here’s Help if You’re Feeling Hopeless About Your Fertility (or Anything Else)

Posted on by Evangeline

If you’re feeling hopeless about the status of your fertility, you can find help in many ways and from many sources. Sources like your gynecologist, a fertility doctor, a close friend, your parents, books, online forums, etc. But one thing I’m sure of (from personal experience)– the best help will come from God. When you address the spiritual aspect of infertility, you are increasing your opportunity to overcome infertility. And that’s reason to be hopeful!

If you feel hopeless, it’s not because there’s no hope available in your life. It’s because you feel there’s none.

Put an End to Feeling Hopeless

When it feels hard to find hope, look for ways to change things. In the Bible’s account of Abraham and Sarah’s infertility, we see how in spite of hopeless circumstances, Abraham chose to maintain hope.

When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. Romans 4:18 MSG

There are always actions we can take to move past hopelessness and feel better.

  • If a hopeless thought comes to your mind that things are never going to get better, remember a situation in your life when things looked hopeless but did improve. Doing this simple exercise will remind you how feelings will typically pass over time.
  • Express gratitude regularly. Appreciating the present moment will take your attention off of feeling hopeless.

So it boils down to making a choice. You can choose to pay attention to your feelings and have an attitude of hopelessness or, you can choose to focus on God’s love for you and what He has said in His Word. Yes! God has spoken about infertility. He’s even made promises about fertility. Here’s a good one to know:

And He will love you, bless you, and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your body…there shall not be male or female barren among you. Deuteronomy 7:13-14 AMPC

Therefore, choose to remember these thoughts when you are feeling hopeless: You are deeply loved. You are empowered by God’s Word. In Jesus, you are a recipient of the outcome of His promises.

Those are all reasons to be hopeFULL! 🙂

Feeling hopeless about your fertility? Focus on God's love for you and what He has said in His Word. Yes, God has spoken about fertility! Share on X

What’s the Self-Image You’re Holding On To?

Posted on by Evangeline

A couple of years ago, I became a Certified Professional Coach. I love seeing lives transformed! In working with clients, I’ve gotten to see what an important role the self-image we hold of ourselves really plays. Here’s a “reloaded” post that you may find a bit challenging but I’m sure it will be helpful.

So, I ask you, what are you calling yourself in your everyday conversations…Infertile or Overcomer? Because that determines how you see yourself and it establishes a foundation for your future!

How you see yourself is important in the grand scheme of life. The images that we hold in our minds are typically what we will experience or become.

Do you see yourself as an infertile woman or as an overcomer of infertility? Even if you are currently experiencing infertility, you can choose to hold a positive picture in your mind’s eye of you being an overcomer!

Do you label yourself as an infertile woman when you’re having conversations with your friends or family? Maybe you’ve heard yourself say, “We don’t have kids yet because I’m infertile.” Even in the midst of this difficult season, you can choose to speak words that help you rise above what the Enemy has sent your way.

Yes, your thoughts and your words are really that influential!

One way to tip the self-image in your mind and the words from your mouth toward more positivity is through gratitude. When you choose to express thankfulness, you begin to think of even more things to be grateful for.

How you see yourself - Be thankful

 

Gratitude is also what brings you into God’s presence (Psalm 100:4).

Being thankful on purpose results in a shift from negativity and fear to positivity and faith.

You can be grateful that He WILL finish what He has started in your life (Philippians 1:6).

Being thankful on purpose results in focusing on the good. What you focus on expands!

As you cast all your anxieties onto Jesus, you will experience more inner peace
(1 Peter 1:7).

Being thankful helps you to more easily recognize the gift of GRACE that God has poured out to you.

When  your words carry and reflect more of the power of life instead of death, you’ll find that you think of your circumstances very differently.

How you see yourself–your self-image–is important. It influences your quality of life. Ask God to help you see yourself the way He sees you–> whole, victorious, and loved.

Even if you are currently experiencing infertility, you can choose to hold a positive picture in your mind's eye of you being an overcomer! Share on X
gratitude in infertility

Being Thankful–Even in the Midst of Infertility

Posted on by Evangeline

“No matter how much we ask for something,
it becomes ours only as we accept it and give thanks for it.”
– Agnes Sanford, The Healing Light

 

Gratitude in infertility is difficult but it is possible. And know that even though you’re not grateful for infertility, you can be grateful in this season of infertility. There is always something to be grateful for! But it’s your choice to communicate and exhibit gratitude.

As a follow-up to my previous blog post, here are some additional effective ways to express and practice gratitude. I hope you find them helpful and that you’ll use them to uplift yourself, especially on “hard” days.

  • Start by remembering that God is with you. If you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, you can be assured He will never leave you. He always desires to bless you with His unfailing grace.

I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life! – Hebrews 13:5

  • Rest in knowing that infertility is not a punishment from Him. Be thankful that God is for you and not against you.

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?
If God is for us, who can ever be against us? – Romans 8:31 NLT

 

Be Encouraged by Expressing Gratitude in Infertility

 

  • 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.

You will be blessed above all peoples; there will be no infertile male or female among you. – Deuteronomy 7:14 HCSB

  • Thank Him that you can count on Him to make good on His fertility promises.  Even during the moments when you doubt His ability, willingness, and timing, stand firm in being thankful that He keeps His Word.

It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. – Isaiah 55:11 NLT

Standing firm in the heavens and fastened to eternity is the word of God. – Psalm 119:89 TPT

  • Believe that He loves you unconditionally, just as much as He loves Jesus, and be thankful for His constant expressions of love.

For they will see that you love each one of them
with the same passionate love that you have for me. John 17:23 TPT

You open yourself to more possibilities when you maintain an attitude of gratitude!

What will you be intentionally thankful for today?

Gratitude in infertility is difficult but it is possible. And know this... even though you’re not grateful FOR infertility, you can be grateful IN this season of infertility. Share on X
gratitude

How Life Gets Better When You Are Accessing the Power of Gratitude

Posted on by Evangeline

There is power in gratitude– in saying “Thank you” and truly feeling grateful. Even scientific studies have shown gratitude is so powerful that it balances us and gives us hope.

Those studies show that gratitude, a positive, appreciative attitude, contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery. Whew! Who knew that so much goodness was contained in the simple practice of saying, “Thank you”?

Do  you use gratitude as a tool that moves you toward happiness and peace?

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7 TPT and TLB

For gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives,  we have to learn a new way of looking at things. We need to make gratitude a habit. And that can take some time. That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks to God for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing. We become less focused on our problem and more focused on the Provider and His loving provision.

Some Ways to Practice the Power of Gratitude

  1. Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful; it will remind you to think in a grateful way.
  2. Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your bedtime routine.
  3. Make it a personal challenge to search for the overlooked blessing when you’re in a challenging situation.
  4. When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.

So, what do you do to ensure that you are continually on the lookout for something good and being thankful for it?

 

prayer - how to trust

Your Prayer Life: How Strong Is It?

Posted on by Evangeline

A prayer life is the foundation of good success.

Have you incorporated prayer into each day in order to get positive results? How do you pray?

Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking that we need to beg God to give us what we desire. But Psalm 37:4 NLT tells us that He will place His desires in us if we ask Him and trust Him and then He will manifest those desires.

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

We may even think that our prayers should somehow manipulate God to overlook our missteps/sins in life, hoping that He will not condemn us. But Romans 8:1 assures us that because of Christ, we are no longer under condemnation. So there’s no need for manipulating Him.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Approaching God in Your Prayer Life

There is a protocol in approaching God. We’re given an outline of that protocol throughout the Psalms. And we’re given some important keys about how to come into His presence. 

Psalm 100 says we are to enter his gates with thanksgiving, enter his courts with praise and be thankful to him. Praise and thanksgiving are critical in an effective prayer life. I think it’s good to start prayers by expressing gratitude.

When we include Scripture in our prayers, it is a call to action for God and His angels. They are moved by his Word. He honors His Word and always keeps His promises. 

For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. – Psalm 138:2 NKJV

Victory Through Prayer

As we take time to talk with God, it is also our opportunity to make a strong, bold declaration that reminds the enemy that Jesus defeated him through the cross. We can freely declare our gratitude for a life filled with deliverance, victory, and power!

Husband and Wife: Praying God’s Word Together

Posted on by Evangeline

If you’ve read many of my blog posts, you know I’m a big proponent of speaking God’s Word out loud. Our words carry the power of life and death. Jesus said that His words were spirit and life (not about death!). So why not ensure that your words are carriers of life by infusing Scripture in what you say?

“The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit. They give life.” John 6:63 NIRV

When Jesus was faced with temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), He always answered the taunts of the devil with something from Scripture by saying, “It is written…”. I think we should imitate the example He set!

Husband and Wife Praying

That’s why I want to encourage you to consider including speaking relevant Scripture out loud when you pray with your spouse.  There’s a special power available when God hears a husband and wife praying together–we’re assured that He’s in the midst (Matthew 18:19-20). AND, there’s added power if that couple is incorporating God’s Word– Scripture –in their prayers. Check out my previous post in this series on praying with your spouse.

As you start/build and strengthen the habit of praying with your spouse, here is a sampling of verses you can incorporate in your prayers. Speaking God’s Word is how you apply His promises to your situation. It also increases your faith and empowers you to pray with confidence that He hears your prayers. Another benefit is that it will help you believe that He will follow through on what He said in His Word (Romans 10:17; 1 John 5:14,15).

Praying Scripture

Print and share these verses with your spouse as you prepare to pray together:

[Romans 8:1 ESV]  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

[Psalm 118:1 ESV]  Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

[Psalm 66:20 ESV]  Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

[Isaiah 41:10 ESV]  Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

[Jeremiah 32:39 ESV] I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them.

[2Corinthians 2:14 ESV] But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession.

[Psalm 84:11 ESV] For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

What other verses would you add to this list?

As you start/build and strengthen the habit of praying with your spouse, here is a sampling of Bible verses you can incorporate in your prayers. Share on X
Praying with your spouse - love in action

Praying with Your Spouse

Posted on by Evangeline

What is an advantage of praying with  your spouse? Taking time to pray with your husband can help you get thru the daily grind of handling issues at home, at work, within relationships, etc. And it can help the two of you draw closer to one another and to the Lord.

I’ve learned over 37 years of marriage that there’s a certain “magic” that you can experience when praying with your spouse. Incorporating this action/habit into your life will help fortify your marriage. Even if there is conflict in the relationship, praying together will work to defuse the disagreements. Also, there is power in praying together because the two of you are inviting the God of the universe to be involved in your circumstances.

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” – Matthew 18:19-20 NIV

Prayer always serves to bring calm in the midst of the storm. This is true especially when your prayers are infused with the Word of God. It’s good to find scripture verses to include in your prayer time. Look for verses that specifically address the issue you’re praying about. By doing so, you’ll see how praying together will bring a peaceful and unifying effect to your daily life.

There is power in praying together because the two of you are inviting the God of the universe to be involved in your circumstances (see Matthew 18:19-20). Share on X

Does Praying with Your Spouse Feel Weird?

Praying with your spouse may feel weird at first. Due to circumstances that affect your marriage, it may not be easy to do. But don’t give up! As you and your spouse become more comfortable with regularly interacting with God together, the more you’ll see evidence of His guidance,  wisdom and peace.

Praying together should be friendly, not forced. If you’re not sure where to start, here are some suggestions of things to pray about:

  • blessings you’re thankful for
  • how to joyfully serve one another
  • protection of your family
  • the health of each of you

Consistent fellowship with God by praying your concerns and the things you’re thankful for with your spouse can transform your marriage. By getting in touch with His love for the both of you, your marriage relationship is strengthened. And then you’re better able to recognize and enjoy the blessings He has planned for the both of you.

 

Prayer : We All Have Our Own Perspective

Posted on by Evangeline

What’s your prayer perspective? How do you see the importance of and the effectiveness of prayer?

The definition of prayer according to Webster’s Dictionary is:

In worship, a solemn address to the Supreme Being, consisting of adoration, or an expression of our sense of God’s glorious perfections, confession of our sins, supplication for mercy and forgiveness, intercession for blessings on others, and thanksgiving, or an expression of gratitude to God for his mercies and benefits.

My definition of prayer is :

Talking with God.

Conversations with God should be like those we have with our closest friends. We should be able to tell Him everything. He is, after all, described as a friend in the Bible.

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. ~ James 2:23 NIV

I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.  ~ John 15:15NIV

Prayer Perspective: Praying Scripture

In addition to sharing my heart with Him, I like to also incorporate Scripture in my talks with Him. When I tell Him what He has said, I am reminded of the promises He’s made and the power of His Word. Isaiah told us that when we “return” God’s Word to Him (by speaking it aloud), it will be effective in carrying out God’s intentions and will not be void of results.

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. ~ Isaiah 55:11 NKJV

For it will be pleasant if you keep them in your mind [believing them]; your lips will be accustomed to [confessing] them. ~ Proverbs 22:18 AMPC

Pray for Your Husband

In a previous post, I mentioned praying for husbands. So today, I’m sharing a specific prayer you can pray for your husband as you fellowship with your Creator, Protector, and loving Father.

Lord, help __________________________ to realize who he is in Christ. Give him certainty and clarity that he was created for a high purpose. Enable him to walk worthy of his calling. And help him become more and more of the godly man you made to him to be. Grant him a fresh revelation of Your love for him. Give him patience to wait for Your perfect timing as You work in his life. May he seek You for direction, clearly hear when You speak to him, and then act on what You say to him.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I like to also incorporate Scripture in my talks with God. Telling Him what He has said acts as a reminder to me of the promises He's made and the power of His Word. Share on X
Praying - where is god

Praying for Your Husband

Posted on by Evangeline

Do you have confidence when you’re praying for your husband?

I want to encourage you to trust the power of God’s Word and show your confidence in it by including it in your prayers for your husband.

I love finding Scripture that is applicable to whatever is on my mind. Sometimes, I think of a keyword about whatever my concern is and then I look it in a concordance to find a verse that relates. Other times, a verse may come to my remembrance and I search for it in various translations. I like to use BlueletterBible for both of these searches. Currently, I’m praying Ephesians 3:16 AMPC for my hubby:

May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the Holy Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. 

Praying Scripture

Have you prayed Scripture before? If so, how you confident did you feel about it?

Be encouraged… God said His Word would not return to Him void. So when you return His Word to Him by praying it and by confessing it aloud, you can have confidence that He not only hears you but He’s also putting appropriate action behind His Word.

In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do. – Isaiah 55:11 ERV

That’s right. From this know that I am watching over My word until it is accomplished. – Jeremiah 1:12 VOICE

We have such confidence in him that we are certain that he hears every request that is made in accord with his own plan. And since we know that he invariably gives his attention to our prayers, whatever they are about, we can be quite sure that our prayers will be answered. – 1 John 5:14-15 PHILLIPS

As you’re praying for your husband, have confidence in God’s Word being true for him.

What’s on your mind today about your husband? What Scripture is applicable to that concern or desire?  Please share the Scripture in the comments below.

So when you return His Word to Him by praying it and by confessing it aloud, you can have confidence that He not only hears you but He's also putting appropriate action behind His Word. Share on X

A Live Online Event TONIGHT for Live to Win — Join Me!

Posted on by Evangeline

For the past 2 months, it’s been my privilege to have members of the Woman2Woman Book Club (on Facebook) reading my book, Live to Win. I LOVE helping people transform their lives for the better. That’s why I wrote this book. The fact that women around the world have been sharing with one another and encouraging each other because of the contents of my book is marvelous! My prayer is that they are now living more like victors rather than victims.

Tonight, at 7pm PDT, there will be a live event to discuss how you can live to win in every area of your life.

So consider this your formal invitation to join us tonight! If you’re in the Phoenix, AZ area, come be a part of the audience. I’d love to meet you!

If you live elsewhere, join us online. You can watch the discussion via live stream at Fcc-phx.com.

It’s been fun and such an honor to be a part of this effort to have more women reading my book.

Are you a member of a book club? I’d REALLY appreciate it if you’d make Live to Win recommended reading for your group too.