How Do You See and Label Yourself— As an Infertile or an Overcomer?

Posted on by Evangeline

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 images 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 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

Delayed Does Not Mean Denied – RELOADED

Posted on by Evangeline

This blog post initially appeared here in 2014. The version that you see here is RELOADED…I’ve added a few key insights that I hope you’ll find helpful.

A promise of God may be delayed but His Word tells us it is not denied (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Waiting is difficult but when you wait with an attitude of confidence in God’s love for you, maneuvering through the wait can be easier.

Have you prayed for a child for a LOONNGG time? Do you feel like God is ignoring your request or is somehow holding back the one thing that you desperately desire with all of your being? Today, I want to encourage you to not give up while you wait.

Daniel’s Experience of Waiting

Take a look at the Bible’s account about the prophet Daniel and the delay he experienced in the manifestation of his requests to God (Daniel 10:1-12 NLT):

In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship.

2 When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. 3 All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.

4 On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, 5 I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. 6 His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.

7 Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. 8 So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. 9 Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.

10 Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. 11 And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.

12 Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. (emphasis added)

Daniel was a man of boldness; he was not afraid to pray and trust in God, even when it was illegal for him to do so.  Daniel prayed earnestly. He had “set his heart,” that is, devoted himself, to this thing he was praying about.

The Scriptures give the account of how the prophet lamented for 21 days. He did not understand why he had not yet heard from God. He still had not seen the manifestation of his request. He mourned during that time, not eating, not anointing himself. Had the waiting become a distraction to Daniel? Could it be that in the waiting his focus had changed from the faithfulness of God to the troublesome circumstances surrounding him? Not necessarily. There could be something else working behind the scenes to cause the delay in manifestation.

When God, When?

Do you sometimes wonder WHEN God’s promises will manifest in your life? Delays are a strategic tactic of the devil. It’s during the delays that he seeks to fill your mind with fear and doubt. He wants you to ever so slowly lose your trust in God’s love for you and His willingness to answer your prayer.  He wants you to become hopeless, thinking that having a baby will never happen for you. delayed but not denied

The devil wants you to believe that God’s promises of fertility are not true for you. He wants you distracted, stressed out, and anxious about your future. The enemy of your fertility does not want you resting in knowing that God is for you and not against you. He doesn’t want you to trust God to come through on His promises.

But, when you choose to look up and see Jesus in the midst of your situation, you see more clearly that He is right there with you, loving you and wanting to give you the desires of your heart. In Daniel’s case, when he looked up and saw God’s messenger, the messenger acknowledged, “I have come in response to your words” (Daniel 10:12 NASB). He had been dispatched to bring the answer as soon as God heard Daniel’s request.

What had caused the delay? It wasn’t anything that Daniel had done. It wasn’t anything God had done. Evil spiritual forces had interrupted the dispatch and caused the delay. Have you considered that those spiritual forces are possibly causing the delay in the manifestation of God’s promises in your life?  The delay is meant to make you give up, to become hopeless, and to no longer expect that God’s promises will come to pass in your life.

How can you deal with this delay?

The best way to deal with delay is to continue to hold on to God’s promises of fertility by speaking them daily. Speak them with gratitude, as if they have already been granted to you. As you speak them out loud, you build your faith (Romans 10:17). When you repeatedly say them, your mind gets more focused on Jesus. You look at His loving power instead of the turmoil of your circumstances. As you speak them, you’ll find it easier to let go of the problem and let God solve it.

It’s important to realize that God loves you, that He has heard your prayer, and that He wants His promises to manifest in your life. While you wait, it’s critical to trust in God’s faithfulness, to never give up on His promises, and to express gratitude. Yes, you can be thankful in advance of the manifestation!

Remember, delayed does not mean denied when it comes to God’s promises. Address the spiritual aspect of infertility.

Scriptures to Speak and Believe

While you wait, here are some additional scriptures to consider, speak, and believe.

God answers YES to His promises: 2 Corinthians 1:20 HCSB – For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in Him. Therefore, the “Amen” is also spoken through Him by us for God’s glory.

You are loved: John 17:23b ESV – that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.

God doesn’t withhold His goodness: Psalm 84:11 HNV– For the LORD God is a sun and a shield. The LORD will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.

You’ve been made blameless (infertility is not a punishment): 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV– “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

Trust Him: Jeremiah 17:7 NLT– “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” Mark 11:22-23 NIV – “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

God’s word is true and final: Psalm 119:89 NLT – Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven. Matthew 24:35 NIV – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

It’s a spiritual battle: Ephesians 6:12 NASB– “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”.

Delayed does not mean denied! Trust God's promises of fertility. His answer is YES to all of His promises. #ttc #infertility #Borrowed Hope Share on X
overcoming infertility

My Story of Infertility May Increase and Strengthen Your Hope

Posted on by Evangeline

My Story of Infertility

Every marriage goes through seasons. Just like we confidently expect and prepare for changes in the weather as we move from spring to summer to fall to winter, we should expect changes in our circumstances and prepare for them.

Every marital season requires fresh perspectives and new commitments. We can confidently expect positive change as we transfer our focus from our problem to the ultimate solution that is ALWAYS found in Jesus. Looking to Him is the best form of preparation for any season in life.

I choose to call infertility a season because it’s something that we can expect to change.

But before I go any further, let me give you a bit of my story of infertility.

Because I experienced both infertility and childbirth, I can honestly say that the emotional pain of infertility hurts worse than the physical pain of delivering a baby. As a woman, I felt inadequate during my season of infertility. I thought I was a failure. I couldn’t do the ONE thing that women can do that men can’t–and that is to get pregnant.

My story begins in college at Georgia Tech where I met and fell in love with Freeman. After graduation and working a couple of years we got married and as engineers do, we planned our lives–in detail. We knew how many years we wanted to wait before having kids. And trust me, infertility was nowhere in our plan.

We started “trying” but nothing happened. After multiple visits to doctors, D&C surgeries, and multiple tests, no firm diagnosis was made as to the cause of the infertility but my doctor said indications were that we may never have kids.

My husband and I experienced a roller coaster of emotions–disbelief, fear, anger, sadness, even feeling inferior to our friends who already had children. As time went on, I had to fight against numerous thoughts that were fearful, doubtful, and shame-filled everyday. Yes, I was ashamed that I could not get pregnant. No one else made me feel that way; it was self-inflicted.

I reached a point where I felt I had to make some decisions before moving on to infertility specialists and all the treatments that I may have to endure.  It was in this time frame that I made some decisions (the word “decision” means to cut off all other options).

Decisions I Made

I would not get depressed or become a hermit; I would continue to hang out with my friends and their children and find joy and pleasure in being with them.

  • Psalm 118:24 NKJV – This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

I would enjoy life while we waited; I would not fall into the trap of thinking that life would begin to be good only when we had children.

  • Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV – Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

I would not do the easy thing and give up without a fight; I would continue to hope.

  • Psalm 71:14 ESV – But I will hope continually and will praise You yet more and more.

I would honor God with my faith by believing in His power to change my situation and by letting Him work it out.

  • 1 Peter 5:7 NLT – Give all your cares and worries to God, for He cares about you.
  • Ephesians 1:19 NLT – I also pray that you would understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him.

I would make my marriage the priority—divorce would not be an option. My marriage had to take priority over everything else because I wanted to enjoy living the rest of my life with my husband.

  • Matthew 19:6 NIV – So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together let no one separate.

These decisions were not easy to make nor were they easy to carry out. But they were highly important and extremely powerful in helping my husband and me get through that season of infertility. 

Eventually, I experienced VICTORY! I was able to get pregnant naturally, without any treatments (three times! 🙂 ). Making those decisions to trust God’s Word and to keep believing that His healing Word works made a significant difference in my fertility.

Borrow Some Hope

Now that you know more of my story, I pray that it encourages you and fills some of the holes where your hope has diminished. Hearing about another woman’s story of infertility can be a source of hope when you see how she became an overcomer. God’s promises of fertility are true! “Borrowing” hope from other women’s victories over infertility can help immensely. Some days, it may be the only way to not give up!

I have written a book, Borrowed Hope, about this topic. My friend, Angela Williams, who experienced miscarriage, is my co-author. The book is a unique presentation of Sarah and Abraham’s story of overcoming infertility. Peek into her world and witness her intimate conversations  with Abraham, God, and herself about her season of infertility.

Her story of infertility victory will encourage you and strengthen your hope, propelling you to expect your own victory.

[NOTE] A large portion of this post is an excerpt from the ebook, Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility. Infertility Sucks will give you tips to keep your marriage intact and strong during infertility. You can receive this ebook for FREE, along with other goodies, when you purchase the preorder bundle of Borrowed Hope.  This bundle is available only through October 31, 2018.

Exciting News! The Borrowed Hope Book Bundle is Available!

Posted on by Evangeline

Borrowed Hope bookToday…RIGHT NOW… it’s finally time to pre-order my new book, Borrowed Hope: Sarah’s Story of Triumph Over Infertility. 

Order it now so you can get some great bonuses bundled with the book. My co-author, Angela Williams, and I will personally sign your book and send it along with great bonuses to anyone who orders the book before it comes out at national book sellers.

What’s It About?

 

Borrowed Hope: Sarah’s Story, is the first book in the Borrowed Hope series. It is a unique presentation of the life of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who struggled for more than 70 years with infertility.

*Witness Sarah’s honest conversations with God as she longs to understand and experience His faithfulness.

*Peek into her world and hear her frustrations as she deals with seemingly impossible circumstances.

*Walk with her through fear, doubt, anger, hope, faith, and finally, to victory.

Sarah’s infertility experience is living proof that God is true to His word and that He is the final authority in all circumstances.

Sarah experienced victory over infertility.
Borrow hope from her victory so that you are empowered to hope again!

The book bundle is available for a limited time and only when you pre-order the book.

Here’s what you’ll receive when you order the
Borrowed Hope Book Bundle:

  • Your autographed copy of the book, signed by both authors.
  • A set of Borrowed Hope Scripture cards that gives you the “antidote” to negative thinking and helps you focus on God’s Promises.
  • A Borrowed Hope book mark that reminds you to not give up.
  • Membership within our new private Facebook Group so that you can build community with victory-minded women.
  • A FREE ebook– Infertility Sucks: How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage (PDF format)
  • Regular encouragement in your inbox from Evangeline and Angela
  • FREE Shipping on your book, cards, and book marker!

⇒⇒ Order the Borrowed Hope Book Bundle NOW! ⇐⇐

Borrowed Hope book

Borrowed Hope – How Sarah’s Infertility Story Can Give You Hope

Posted on by Evangeline

Has hearing the story of someone else’s experience in overcoming a challenge you’ve faced ever given you hope? Has it strengthened your belief that you will overcome too?

That’s the purpose of my next book, Borrowed Hope: Sarah’s Story of Triumph Over Infertility, co-authored by Angela Williams.

Sarah’s Infertility Story

The story of Sarah’s season of waiting is well-known primarily because she waited for so long– 70+ years! The Bible’s account about Sarah shows that she was unable to get pregnant from the start of their marriage. Decades of their lives had been filled with monthly disappointments because Sarah was not pregnant. Imagine what her one-on-one conversations with her husband, Abraham, might have sounded like.

You’re invited to witness conversations that Sarah and Abraham likely had in their long season of infertility. Husbands and wives of today may have very similar conversations since the emotions of a fertility struggle remain the same as what Abraham and Sarah experienced. This is their story of how they had hope in the midst of their season of waiting.

In Sarah’s infertility story, you will see how Sarah experienced the same emotions that you are possibly feeling. You will see how she moves through a gamut of emotions… from fear to doubt and anger but then begins to hope and have faith. Eventually, she transitions into a place of victory!

Pre-order Borrowed Hope

If you’ve become hopeless about your fertility, Borrowed Hope: Sarah’s Story will encourage you and allow you to borrow hope from an overcomer.

Angela and I are so excited to release this book! If you’ve been looking for something that will increase your fertility hope, Borrowed Hope is what you need. Sarah’s Story is the first in a series of Borrowed Hope books that tell the stories of women in the Bible who suffered through infertility. The good news is that EVERY one of them overcame infertility and gave birth to a child.

ALERT: We’re offering a bundle of great bonuses when you pre-order the book! 🙂

The book won’t be available in bookstores until late October. BUT, you can pre-order the book, starting today. By pre-ordering, you can take advantage of getting bonus resources that you’ll absolutely love! Check them out HERE.

 

Borrowed Hope: Sarah’s Story will encourage you and allow you to borrow hope from an overcomer, especially if you’ve become hopeless about your fertility. Share on X

 

INFERTILITY

What’s Your Favorite Bible Verse that Speaks to Your Fertility?

Posted on by Evangeline

Do you believe the Bible  speaks to your fertility?

Infertility Sucks! But I know from personal experience that it can be overcome. When I dealt with infertility, 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.

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.

Bible Verses that Speak to Your Fertility

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)- [Jesus said], “You [Father] love them as much as You love me.”

Hebrews 13: 5 (NLT)- “For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

Lamentations 3:26 (NKJV)- “It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

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.

What other bible verses do you depend on to give you hope during infertility?

TIP: You can find more verses in my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility.

 

Thankful in advance

Being Thankful in Advance Helps to Kindle the Flame of Your Faith

Posted on by Evangeline

Being thankful in advance of seeing the answer to your prayer request is a means of fanning the flame of your faith.

Praying God’s Word is an important principle for answered prayer. Philippians 4:6 encourages us to pray instead of worrying. In the midst of that prayer, we need say what God has said in His Word. And before the end of that prayer, we need to thank God for the answer, even before we see it or experience it. It’s a matter of expecting Him to show a high degree of integrity by following through on His word.

Paul wrote this verse to encourage the Philippians to freely give thanks; to use grateful language as an act of worship. Giving thanks to God is an expression of joy toward Him– of gratitude for HIs favor. Paul also wrote on the topic of being thankful in his letter to the Colossians. He encouraged them to live with an overflow of gratefulness. We’re to never stop giving thanks to God because it’s a form of praise. Praise keeps us aware of His presence!

Thankful During Infertility

I don’t believe I ever felt thankful for the infertility I experienced. But I did find ways to be thankful in it. I was thankful for Jesus’ comfort and wisdom, my supportive husband, my praying mother. My numerous caring and fun friends, the doctor who was understanding about my desire to avoid fertility treatments, my job with benefits, etc. were additional blessings I was thankful for.

Gratitude gave me strength and hope. It was a foundational building block for my faith that I would have a baby.

Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 CEV

Being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith…and overflowing with gratitude.
~ Colossians 2:7 CSB

In the midst of infertility, it’s hard to see much to be thankful for because your focus is always influenced by what you don’t have… a baby. So it becomes a choice to admit that you can’t get along without Him, to purposely recognize God’s kindness, and to have a mindset of gratitude. This mindset involves thinking of ALL that God has done for you, especially in other areas of your life that aren’t directly connected to your fertility. And, it involves thanking Him for His loving hands working on your behalf, even when you can’t see it. You can find ways of thanking Him in advance of seeing the manifestation of your desires.

Thankful in Advance

With each expression of gratitude, you acknowledge the good, the favor, and the sweet harmony in your life. The more you give thanks, the more your awareness shifts from the negative to all the positive experiences you have. Using thankful language regularly redirects your focus to His love for you and away from any pain and lack.

Thankfulness is a way to kindle the flame of your faith. As the intensity of your faith grows, you find yourself more and more in line with God’s plan of abundance in your life. Keep fanning the flames of your faith by expressing your thankfulness!

I never felt thankful FOR the infertility I experienced. But I did find ways to be thankful IN it. Gratitude gave me strength and hope. Share on X

 

 

Let God Do What Only He Can Do

Posted on by Evangeline

wait with confidence - let go and let God

 

So many times we get stuck. The more we look at our circumstances and our lack of progress, the more we become impatient with God’s plan. Then we feel even more stuck. And being stuck causes us to gradually stop trusting God and stop having any hope that He will keep His promise.

This is a “rerun” of a post from a year ago. My hope is that it will help you see beyond your circumstances. Focus on God’s willingness to do what it takes to help you reach your destiny that He planned for you.

⇒⇒ [Check out the new exciting offer at the end of this post!] ⇐⇐

Have you ever been able to really “let go and let God” do the work that only He can do in your life? Psalm 138 provides motivation to let God do the work– to allow Him to bring to fruition all the good that He planned for you. Here is that Scripture in its entirety:

1 I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You.

2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, [And] made me bold [with] strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, When they hear the words of Your mouth.

5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, For great [is] the glory of the LORD.

6 Though the LORD [is] on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.

8 The LORD will perfect [that which] concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, [endures] forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

 

Look Closer

Verse 8 is the particular verse I want to call your attention to. As you probably know by now, I enjoy reading various versions/translations of Scripture. Here are some other ways of stating verse 8:

The Lord will work out his plans for my life. (TLB)

Will you trust Him to do so, in His way and His timing?

Finish what you started in me, God. Your love is eternal—don’t quit on me now. (MSG)

Will you decide to not give up on His love for you?

Adonai will fulfill his purpose for me. Your grace, Adonai, continues forever. (CJB)

Will you choose to live enjoying His abundant grace every day?

You will do everything You have promised. (GNT)

Do you believe He’ll keep His promises for you?

Which version resonated with you? It’s clear that God wants to work on your behalf and to bring His promises to fruition in your life, no matter what the obstacles may currently be.

Believe His love. Allow Him to do what He does best.

Exciting Offer!

borrowed hope- let God Sarah found herself stuck in infertility for decades. She reached a point where she tried to do what only God could do. That failed miserably and created a whole new set of problems. BUT, she discovered that when she stood on God’s promise to her, she was able to wait with confidence.

If you feel stuck in infertility, I have an exciting new resource that may help you. It’s a book I’ve co-authored with Angela Williams. The title is Borrowed Hope: Sarah’s Story of Triumph Over Infertility. It will be released in September 2018! 🙂 

Don’t miss it!

Want to receive notification of when Borrowed Hope is available? Let me know by filling out the form below.

The Implantation Process and the Parable of the Sower

Posted on by Evangeline

Sometimes in my yard, I see the implantation of the same seeds in the same soil yielding a different harvest. Some seed is less productive in the amount of harvest that it brings about. A thriving plant can be right next to one that is not healthy or not growing at the same pace. What influenced each seed’s productivity?

implantation of seed

Implantation Process

The implantation process can be an important factor. How the seed comes in contact with the soil can determine the harvest (or lack of one). Here’s where that elementary school lesson on prepositions pays off. 🙂 If the seed falls on the soil rather than into the soil, there is a big problem. There is nothing to protect it from harsh sunlight, high temperatures, waves of irrigation, or hungry birds swooping in for a snack. Little harvest, if any at all, will occur.

There has to be an intentionality about ensuring that the seed is embedded in the soil in order to get the result of an abundant harvest.

Parable of the Sower

In the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4), Jesus gives us enlightenment about how this implantation process is applicable to the best gift He left for us. He left His Word for us to use as seed and to embed into our lives. It’s up to us to choose how the Word is implanted. Will it simply fall on our ears once? Or will we choose to hear the Word repeatedly and purposefully so that we come to believe it (Romans 10:17)?  Our faith in the Word the affects the productivity of the Word.

Intentionality

Jesus said He wants us to live life abundantly, to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10). While we wait for the harvest, let’s be intentional about a few things: hearing the Word repeatedly and purposefully, so that we build our faith; acting as if we already have what Jesus died to give us; speaking God’s Word to the “mountain” we’re facing, which helps that seed grow roots within us. Perhaps most importantly, let’s always use H.O.P.E. ==> Having Only Positive Expectations. Expect the Lord to do what He said, to be true to His word. Lastly, let’s be intentional about expressing gratitude while we wait. Praising and thanking God in advance of seeing the harvest is a powerful tool we can use to impact the productivity of our seed.

What will you do to ensure your implantation of seed (the Word) will produce an abundant harvest in your life?

Expect the Lord to do what He said, to be true to His word. Share on X

 

Image courtesy of zirconicusso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

jesus' love

Jesus’ Love For You and Me is Solid Like a Rock

Posted on by Evangeline

Today, I can honestly say that I see more of the multi-dimensional, multi-faceted love that Jesus has for me, my family, you, and the world. His love filters through the muck of everyday living because it is strong, complete, and perfect. Jesus’ love does not look like swiss cheese. There are no holes in His love; no void spaces. His love is solid, like a rock! The song, Solid, sung by Ashford & Simpson back in the 80’s, acknowledges a love that endures through anything and everything. They sang it to each other as husband and wife. But now when I hear it, it reminds me of the love Jesus has for me. I can imagine Him singing it to me. 🙂

Everything that He’s done has been based on His love for you and me. Every bit of punishment inflicted on Him before and at the cross was because He did not want us to experience it. He took on every sickness and “condition” so that we wouldn’t have to endure any of them. Because He so deeply loved us (and still does), He left nothing undone and did everything perfectly as our substitute. His love still advocates for us in the Father’s presence.

Choose Jesus’ Love

No matter the circumstances that I find myself enduring, I’m determined to choose to look to Jesus’ love for me (Hebrews 12:2), to have confidence in it (1 John 5:14,15), to trust it (Psalm 13:5 NLT), and to believe that His love does not condemn me in any way (Romans 8:1).

I rest in the knowledge that Jesus is love. And His love for me has done EVERYTHING necessary for me to live life with good health, joy and peace.

What can you do to more fully engage yourself in His love for you?

Jesus' love does not look like swiss cheese. There are no holes in His love for me; no void spaces. His love is solid, like a rock! Share on X

 

Photo courtesy of Microsoft Images