Never give up

5 Scriptures for When You Feel Like You Want to Give Up On God’s Promises

Posted on by Evangeline

The enemy would like nothing better than for us to give up on God.

When we don’t see the results that we want to see…

When we don’t get what we asked for in a “reasonable” timeframe…

When we feel like giving up on what God said…

We need a plan. A plan that we can count on to pull us through the tears, the fears, and the dread that comes when we experience delay. I think the best plan for maintaining hope and for changing any circumstance in our lives always needs to include the power of God’s Word. The Word is what helps us remember that the God of the universe is on our side. It makes it clear that God loves us with a no-matter-what love. Incorporating His promises into our plan makes it an effective battle plan so that we don’t give up.

Don’t Give Up… Encourage Yourself

David encouraged himself when he was on the verge of giving up (1 Samuel 30:6). Couldn’t you do the same?

Here are 5 examples from Scripture that you can use as a part of your battle plan to ultimately live as the victor God created you to be. Use them to keep yourself encouraged about experiencing what God has promised:

  • “But as for you, be strong and do not give up.” – 2 Chronicles 15:7
  • “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial.” – James 1:12
  • “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” – Mark 10:27

  • “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” – Isaiah 40:29

  • “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then.” – Ephesians 6:12-14

What other scriptures would you add to this list? Please share one in the comments! 🙂 

The Word is what helps us remember that the God of the universe is on our side and loves us with a no-matter-what love. It makes our plan into an effective battle plan so that we don't give up. Share on X
easter-death-resurrection

Jesus’ Death Was All That Was Needed to Remove the Obstacle Between Us and God

Posted on by Evangeline

As we celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, here’s a prayer to offer up. It’s a reminder that Jesus’ finished work on the cross was all it took so that we could have unhindered access to the Father’s love for us. [See Matthew 27:51]

Father, You tore the veil so there is no longer any boundary for us to cross to get to You. There is no barrier that hides You from us. Thank You that Jesus’ death did everything necessary to remove anything that stood between us, even our guilty conscience. Thank You for making a way for us to enjoy an unencumbered relationship with You. 

Because of Jesus, the Father’s love can now reach you, touch you, and move you toward your God-given destiny that is filled with goodness and joy. There is no force field or deflector shield that can act as an obstacle to His love and power. Fear may try to distract you and cast doubt on His love for you. But rest assured, His perfect love for you is eternal and provides unlimited protection and abundant grace.

**If you’ve never asked Jesus to come into your life, I encourage you to do so. His death was for you, so that you could choose to live in His Blessing. He’s waiting with open arms and an unfailing love.

There is no force field or deflector shield that can act as an obstacle to God's love and power. Share on X

Strike Out the Negative Thoughts So That You Live With More Hope and Power

Posted on by Evangeline

Kamilah Giraud - Thought StoppingIt’s my pleasure to provide a “rerun” of Kamilah Browning Giraud’s guest blog post from 2015. She shares with us how she used “thought stopping” to get through her mother’s illnesses as well as her own struggle with infertility/miscarriages. Kamilah made the decision that she could depend more on God’s Word than she did on the doctors’ diagnoses. I hope her words encourage you to use the “STRIKE” method to turn away your negative thoughts and live with the hope, positivity, and power that God’s Word brings!

Be sure to read the 2018 Update below! 🙂 

Strike ‘Em Out by Kamilah Giraud

How many times do you go through a day and have “random” thoughts that are completely unrelated to your job, or to the task at hand? I’m sure there are some statistics that give an average, but I can even share with you that in the few minutes it has taken me to sit down and share the first few sentences with you, I have already thought about; how cute my co-worker’s shirt is (as she walked by my door), whether or not I will eat the salad I brought to work, or go to the cafeteria (as my stomach growled), and I even thought about what color I should get my nails painted next (as I looked down at the keyboard while typing). Now as trivial and harmless as these “random” thoughts may be, they all still served the same purpose–taking my focus away from what it is I have set out to do.

TOXIC THOUGHTS

While some may perceive these “mental vacations” as healthy breaks, others might find them as nuisances. I tend to ignore them most of the time because if I gave those thoughts much thought, then I would not have time for anything else. This scenario can be a little entertaining, but what about more disturbing thoughts that sound like, “Why bother running, you’ll always be fat”, or “It’s too hard to save money and pay my bills, so I’m probably never going to buy a house.” And what about the thought that comes up that sounds like, “Why keep trying? It hasn’t happened yet. I am fooling myself.”?

These  less trivial, less mundane, and certainly less entertaining thoughts can so easily surface throughout the course of the day and yes… they too serve the same purpose of taking your focus off that which you have set out to do. So then what type of recourse do we have against these thoughts? Well a good friend of mine name Paul, (whom I have actually never met) was imprisoned and wrote some most amazing letters that reflected how in spite of being in a place of true suffering, we can still choose joy. Even though I never met my friend Paul, and although his letters might originally been written in about 62 A.D, you cannot tell me that he didn’t address me directly in his letters too!

Philippians 4:8  says, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  Paul understood how these “random” thoughts can come to steal your peace. I can bet while he was imprisoned he had more than a few thoughts that popped up serving the sole purpose of stealing his focus off of spreading the gospel.

Paul said to fix your thoughts, which to me implies the need to replace “broken” thoughts. Broken thoughts are the ones that shatter your dreams, and distort your promises. Broken thoughts are lies from the enemy, and broken thoughts are contrary to the truth. So let’s do what my friend Paul urges. Let’s fix those broken thoughts by using thought-stopping, or what I call the STRIKE method.

S.T.R.I.K.E. Method

Stop the Thought
Replace it with God’s Word
Imagine what it looks like
Keep seeing it
Embrace the truth

As the broken thoughts begin to surface you can stop the thought. Many times that is an internal stop, but I have had to audibly say “Stop” in order to refrain from repeating the broken thought in my head.

As soon as you “stop the thought”, you need to replace it with God’s Word. Replace it with the truth–those thoughts that are honorable, right and pure. Replace it by thinking of things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

As you think on those things, imagine it and see yourself in the manifestation of it.

Keep visualizing the thoughts and keep seeing it. This is a faith walk, and we cannot be moved by what we see in the natural, so allow yourself to keep seeing through the eyes of Christ, and know that He sees His promises.

Embrace the truth! God’s word is true. As believers, we are not exempt from the suffering that’s inherent to human existence, but the good news is our faith gives us a different and hopeful perspective that is based on the truth. God is forever faithful and the truth is that He has plans for you to prosper and not to harm you. He has plans to give you hope and a future. That is the truth and you can embrace it.

S.T.R.I.K.E. out your negative thoughts: Stop the Thought. Replace it with God’s Word. Imagine what it looks like. Keep seeing it. Embrace the truth. Share on X

Our thoughts may or may not respond to 3 STRIKES and be “out”, but if the negative thought comes to bat again, just as sure as a pitcher’s form and speed improves with practice, yours can too. All you need to do is throw another STRIKE.

Thought Stopping - Philippians 4:8

 

2018 UPDATE:

Kamilah is an overcomer! She consistently replaced the negative thoughts with Word-based positive thoughts. She meditated on the best, not the worst. Knowing that the power of life and death were in the words she spoke, she made her conversations align with God’s promises (Proverbs 18:21). Kamilah acknowledged that her miracle was in God’s hands AND her mouth!

She is now the mother of a beautiful baby girl! 

What God Says

3 Tips About How to Expect God to Answer Your Prayers

Posted on by Evangeline

What can we really expect to receive from God?

I’ve been sharing my thoughts through this blog for years. I’ll admit, I’m still surprised when I get notes from women who have finally overcome infertility.

But why am I surprised? Shouldn’t I EXPECT to receive news like that on a regular basis? If I’m praying that someone receive the gift of a child from God, shouldn’t I expect that it will happen? You’d think that I would anticipate it and look for it to happen.

According to 2 Corinthians 5:21, I should.

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV

God’s response to His promises is a resounding “YES” in Christ because Jesus did absolutely everything to make us eligible to receive the promises.

  • He has made us righteous so we can stand before the Father with no shame and no self-condemnation, having only an expectation of good.
  • He took every punishment that was meant to come our way so that we could take every blessing that was meant to come His way.

Jesus did it all because He loved us and valued us above His own life.

3 Tips For How To Expect More

  1. Remind yourself daily that Jesus loves you.
  2. Pray God’s specific promises about your circumstances, with confidence that He meant what He said (yes, that means you’ll need to research Scriptures 🙂 ).
  3. Envision yourself having what He promised, expect to experience it, and thank Him for it in advance.

Jesus did everything it takes for us to experience and enjoy every promise the Father made. That’s why we can confidently expect good gifts and perfect gifts to come our way. Our part is to simply believe His promises.

What are you praying for today? If it’s based on the promises of God, are you EXPECTING what you prayed to happen?

 

 

 

How Your Thought Life Could Be Affecting Your Fertility

Posted on by Evangeline

It’s important to know the factors  that affect fertility, isn’t it? Have you ever considered that your thought life could be one of the factors? Proverbs 23:7 NKJV enlightens us about this:

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Here’s a graphic that I shared in my book, Live to Win.  It may help you see how our thoughts can actually become the seeds of our destiny.

Thought Life - Live to Win

From that graphic, it’s easier to see that our thought life is important, isn’t it? The thoughts we repeatedly think tend to eventually become the words we speak. Since our words shape our actions and future, we really need to pay attention to what we’re thinking. In other words, think about what you’re thinking about.

“My son, give attention to [think about] my words.” Proverbs 4:20 (emphasis added)

God’s Thoughts

The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that God said the thoughts He thinks about us are positive and good. They are thoughts of peace and not of evil. His thoughts about us, which are expressed in His Word, give us a future with a hope-filled outcome. Does His way of thinking indicate that God thinks you should be infertile and that you should forever remain that way? No—He’s thinking thoughts of fertility and abundance toward you!

God says that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. This means there’s room for improvement when it comes to our thought life. Instead of dwelling on the fact that another monthly menstrual cycle has started, or that you have a referral to yet another fertility specialist, choose a higher thought, a God-given thought. God-given thoughts are always based on His Word. Take time to meditate on His promises of fertility and allow them to shape your thoughts throughout each day.

Your Thoughts

Instead of wondering if you’ll ever get pregnant, choose to think about something else. Fix your thoughts on God’s love for you. Think about things from God’s Word that are lovely, true, pure, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). That’s thinking like Jesus thinks.

It just feels better when you think about good things, especially the things that God has said in His Word to bless you. It makes a significant difference in how you feel physically and emotionally. When you dwell on things that are good and uplifting rather than things that make you feel fearful, full of despair, and desperate, life is better!

Jesus has made a way for you to bring good things into your life and it starts with your thought life. Make the conscious effort to pay attention to what you’re thinking about today and enjoy thinking about the good things God has for you.

If you feel that you need help with improving your thought life, particularly about fertility, check out my Bible Reading Plan on YouVersion.

While You Endure the Storm Do You Ever Wonder “Where Is God?”

Posted on by Evangeline

It’s been a while between the last message from me and this one. Thank you for your patience.

In this season of infertility, you probably wonder to yourself, “Where is God? When is He going to show up and turn this thing around?”  I’ll admit that I did! Doubt and impatience sometimes got the best of me. But when it feels like Jesus is nowhere to be found, it’s important to recognize that it’s just a feeling and not the Truth. The truth is He is right there with you, promising to never leave you. He is ever-present and already well-proven to be able and willing to help.

Let Psalm 46:1-2 (The Passion Translation) encourage you:

God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in time of trouble— more than enough and always available whenever I need you. So I will never fear.

Let Jesus be your Superhero!

There’s no need to fear… He’s the best ally and friend you could ever have. Recognize that He’s for you and not against you.

Call on the Lord; talk with Him from your heart. Invite His love into your situation. He cares about all the practical things in your life– your health, your marriage, your finances, EVERYTHING. He wants you to seek Him for wisdom on what your next step should be. He’ll never grow tired of your desire to have a heart-to-heart with Him.

Align your words with His promises. What comes out of your mouth is powerful. So much so that your words will either promote life/success/blessing or death/failure/affliction within your situation. Let what you say be based on what He has said.

All of these things are important. I think the BEST thing to do in this season of asking,”Where is God?”, is to consistently ask God for a fresh revelation of His love. When you know how much He loves you, that is a HUGE difference-maker in every circumstance of your life.

 

where is god
Photo courtesy of Microsoft Images

God Saw Fit to Send the World This Vocal Visionary

Posted on by Evangeline

God creates through His words (Genesis 1; Isaiah 46:10; Isaiah 55:11). And since He made mankind in His image, He uses us to speak into existence those things that align with His Word. Throughout the Bible, God has always used a vocal visionary to express what He wants to come to pass. He has had men and women declare the specific things that initiate or accelerate His plan.

In America, today is the holiday designated to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. He was a vocal visionary. His words matched the vision God had given to him for America. His words gave people hope. God was able to use him to declare the end result that God ultimately wants to see us experience. Dr. King acknowledged and promoted the Dream.

But it wasn’t just Dr. King’s Dream, it was God’s dream for America.

Dr. King was not just an orator, he was a willing vessel– a vocal visionary– sent to speak life and love to the masses.

“Martin Luther King Jr. was the conscience of his generation. He gazed upon the great wall of segregation and saw that the power of love could bring it down. From the pain and exhaustion of his fight to fulfill the promises of our founding fathers for our humblest citizens, he wrung his eloquent statement of his dream for America. He made our nation stronger because he made it better. His dream sustains us yet.” ~Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States

It wasn't just Dr. King's Dream, it was God's dream for America. Share on X

Thoughts from the Visionary, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”

“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”

Visionary - MLK

 

 

Merry Christmas

Posted on by Evangeline

merry christmas - snowman

I wish you many celebrations of joy and that you’ll be filled with awe as you celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Praying you’ll have a fresh revelation of Jesus’ love for you!

Grace and Peace to you during this holiday season.

Merry Christmas! ♥

Evangeline

apple band aids - healing

Healing: It’s a Jesus Thing and He Does It So Well

Posted on by Evangeline

From time to time, I find it necessary to boost my confidence in Jesus’ desire for healing our lives. Can you relate?

When I come across scriptures like Mark 7:37, my spiritual eyes open to see Him more clearly. Scriptures like this help me to have more confidence in His ability, in His love for me, and in His willingness to do good things for me:

“He has done all things well.”

The passage where this verse is found relates the account of when Jesus healed the man who was deaf and stammered when he spoke. People brought this man to Him because they had heard that Jesus was the One who had the powerful healing touch.

Healing is What Jesus Does

In this case, Jesus used an unusual method to lay hands on the man. He didn’t just speak to the man and say, “Your faith has made you whole.” Jesus chose to 1) take the man away from the crowd, 2) put His fingers into the man’s ears, 3) spit on His own fingers and place them on the man’s tongue, 4) look toward heaven, 5) groan as He prayed, 6) speak to the man, 7) command the ears and tongue to be thoroughly opened and restored.

Taking the man away from the crowd may have been important because Jesus wanted the man focused only on Him. It would have been easy for the man to become distracted with the crowd surrounding him.

What’s the most effective way you pull away from all that would distract you from looking only to the One who has the best healing hands in the universe?

His Healing Touch

When Jesus put His fingers in the man’s ears, my first thought was, this is how He “laid hands” on people– He’d put His hands on the specific body area that needed healing or restoration. But how can we experience that today when He’s not physically here to lay hands on us? I think using His Word is how we make that connection. After all, Jesus is the Word (John 1). We can “apply” His healing words to our bodies and minds.

OK, I have to say, when reading the next part about Jesus putting His spit on the man’s tongue, I thought that was gross. Imagine a stranger coming to help you and spitting on his fingers before touching you. Wouldn’t you be grossed out?  Wouldn’t you have turned away from the incoming spit? 🙂 But this man was open to whatever method Jesus chose to use in order to receive healing from Him.

Are you open to allowing Jesus to use His preferred method and timing when it comes to healing you?

Notice that this healing did not take place immediately. It didn’t happen when Jesus put His fingers in the man’s ears. It didn’t even happen when His spit touched the man’s tongue. It only happened after Jesus looked toward heaven and then SPOKE. He gave the Father His attention and then spoke what He heard the Father say. He commanded the ears and tongue to be thoroughly opened and restored. The man’s body responded favorably to the words that Jesus spoke.

His Healing Words

The words that Jesus spoke were, and still are, spirit and life (John 6:63). His words are powerful because He always speaks from a position of love…the most powerful force that exists.

So remember to use His words as you speak to your situation/condition that needs healing because Jesus does all things well!

Which of Jesus’ words and promises apply to what you are facing today? Will you speak them to your circumstances?

Infertility Help for the Holidays

Posted on by Evangeline

This post about navigating the holidays was originally shared a few years ago. Its message is timeless, so I’m sharing it again (with a few tweaks). Hopefully, you’ll find it uplifting! 

Holidays can be difficult to navigate when you’ve been declared infertile. I remember how easy it was to get caught up in all that was going wrong (infertility). It would have been easy to paint myself into a corner and have a pity party.  I could have chosen to neglect enjoying what’s meant to be a festive and fun time.  With the disappointment that comes month after month, it can become difficult to maneuver through the emotional drain of infertility, the possible health scares, the financial toll, and the marital problems that tend to stealthily creep in.

But during the holiday season, I encourage you to make a DECISION to look for the things in life you can be thankful for. A thankful heart looks beyond its present negative circumstances to the positive possibilities that lie ahead.

You may be asking yourself, “What do I have to be thankful for when all I want is to get pregnant and it isn’t happening?”

Holidays - Be Thankful

 

Here are 5 ways you can choose to be thankful during the holidays:

 Be thankful that God is with you. 

If you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, He has promised to never leave you and to always bless you with his unfailing grace. Be thankful that you can rest in knowing that God is for you and not against you (Romans 8:31).

 

Be thankful that there is nothing too hard for God, not even infertility!

Some people believe that we’re to thank God for putting us in tough situations because that’s how He teaches us something. I believe God is a better teacher than that. He can get his point across to us without putting us in tough situations. I believe that tough situations are brought to our lives by the devil but God can and will bring us out of them. Trust in God’s ability and willingness to make good come out of bad (Genesis 18:14; Genesis 50:20).

 

Be thankful for role models.

Be thankful that He has given so many examples of women who overcame infertility and that He has made promises in the Bible that relate to your fertility. Thank Him that you can count on Him to make good on those promises (Luke 1:7, 24).

 

Be thankful that God hears you as you pray His promises.

“So is my Word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me [through your confession of it] without producing results. As you believe and speak it, My Word will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” ~Isaiah 55:11 [paraphrased]

When you’re in the throes of difficult circumstances, life can become overwhelmingly sad and anxiety-laden. But remember, the One who has the power to change your circumstances is always right there with you in the midst of them, ready to display His power. Trust His love and His promises. God the Father wants to bring you out of the grip of tough times into His gentle caress of peace and rest. That’s what He planned for your destiny.

Giving thanks to God is the means of focusing on the solution rather than the problems we have. When we give thanks in the midst of our problems, we keep victory’s door open. When we’re dealing with infertility, or any other trying circumstance, being thankful to God is the best way to express that we expect Him to show Himself strong on our behalf. Thankfulness reinforces our belief that He will make good things happen.

 

Be thankful that He loves you unconditionally.

God the Father loves you just as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23)! To have someone who always loves you is wonderful! No matter how much you doubt God’s ability, willingness, and timing, He still loves you. That’s something to be thankful for!

 

You can choose to make the best of the holiday season, in spite of your experience with infertility. One powerful way to do so is to express gratitude for what you have. Consider how you’ve been blessed in your health, relationships, career, finances, etc.

What will you choose to thank God for during the holidays?