Tag: bible verses about infertility

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

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.

waiting

I Don’t Like Waiting–I Want it NOW!

Posted on by Evangeline

Waiting…

It’s not fun.

In our  American “get it NOW” microwave mentality, we tend to want what we want when we want it– immediately. We don’t like waiting!

But the old saying, “good things come to those who wait,” still rings true. Sometimes an incubation period is needed in order for us to see the desired end result.

For instance, farmers and gardeners have to wait before they get to see the fruit of their labor. The seeds they sow don’t produce immediately after they are planted.  It takes time before the seed produces roots to establish an unseen system of drawing nutrients from the soil. The roots also provide stability for the plant as the first sprout forces its way through the soil to bask in the sunlight and continue to grow. Eventually, the sprout will become a seedling and grow into a mature plant ready for harvest.

Our desires can sometimes overwhelm us and even depress us in the season of waiting. Most times it’s because we’ve taken our eyes off the One with the solution and made our desire an idol–the think we think about most.

But here’s the thing…even God waits. He waits for His desires to manifest.How long did He have to wait on you to decide to see Him as your Father and to ask Him to save you through His Son? 🙂 He planted many “Word seeds” in the Earth through His prophets who predicted a Savior/Messiah would come. But He waited through many generations. He desired for Jesus to come to the earth and save mankind but it took thousands of years before Jesus was born. Sending Jesus was indeed the BEST thing that God has done for mankind but God patiently waited for the right time!

Patience in the Waiting

Like the farmer, you too must plant seed–the Word of God (see Luke 8:11). You may be waiting on a desired result that seems impossible to come through, only because it’s taking so long to manifest. But hang in there! The seed–God’s promise–is working in the unseen realm. It’s doing its thing underground and is about to sprout. There is HOPE! You’ll find it in Hebrews 10:35, 36:

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

I pray that you’ll choose to endure this season of waiting with hope, peace, and joy!

Get more encouragement in the waiting from my devotional,

A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility.

Infertility Devotional for waiting

Guest Blogging Today

Posted on by Evangeline

I’m honored to be a guest blogger at www.waitingforbabybird.com today.

Come check out my post that I shared with Elisha Kearns’ readers!

 

Baby Bird logo

You Should’ve Been Here at the iHope Fertility Retreat!

Posted on by Evangeline

iHope fertility retreat themeI recently hosted and facilitated a retreat to help women who are struggling with infertility. The iHope Fertility Retreat helped women attending from across the country to:

  • Pull away from the daily stress of infertility and hear what God has to say about infertility. 
iHope Fertility Retreat workshop booklets
iHope Fertility Retreat workshop booklets
  • Spend a weekend of R&R—Resting and Receiving.
iHope Fertility Retreat 2014
iHope Fertility Retreat – Times of Rest and Relaxation
  • Enjoy a time of fun, pampering and recreation– Pajama Party, Pedicure, Swimming, Nature Walk. 
iHope Fertility Retreat Nature Walk
iHope Fertility Retreat Early Morning Nature Walk at South Mountain
  • Address the spiritual aspect of infertility and get new Word-based tools to help maintain hope.
iHope Fertility Retreat Shower Power
iHope Fertility Retreat Shower Power
  • Receive prayer and encouragement for overcoming infertility.
iHope Fertility Retreat balloon release
iHope Fertility Retreat balloon release

Workshops at the iHope Fertility Retreat were based on the content of my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility. We discussed many topics that helped with increasing trust in God such as God’s lavish and unending love and  His faithfulness to always follow through on His promises. The weekend was filled with revelation and spiritual growth as we held open and honest discussions centered on God’s promise.

In addition to hearing my personal story of victory over infertility, attendees were empowered through video testimonies of other women who have overcome infertility. Guest speakers provided encouragement and fun insights. Activities and props enhanced the lessons learned in the workshop sessions.

A personal chef provided delicious and nutritious meals that incorporated natural, “good for you” foods because the goal was to feed the women “as if they were pregnant.”

iHope Fertility Retreat Meals 2iHope Fertility Retreat Meals

The iHope Fertility Retreat provided an environment to recharge each woman’s spirit by tapping into what God says about infertility in the Bible. Learning how to increasingly trust God’s love and believe His fertility promises in the Bible helped the women to experience enhanced peace.

I was excited to share spiritual strategies and solutions that specifically related to infertility and empowered women to leave with a more hope-filled focus for having a child!

If someone you know is struggling with infertility, invite them to contact me about the next iHope Fertility Retreat, which will be held in Fall 2014.

 

Trust or Doubt?

Posted on by Evangeline

TRUST. It’s something with which we all have issues.

Here are my notes from my time with God this morning. I hope you find them encouraging!

Doubt is the consequence of distance.

Doubt arises and increases when we have distanced ourselves from the Word. [Remember, Jesus IS the Word.]

Doubt infiltrates our mind and circumstances. It reduces our trust in God because we’ve been distracted from His promises.

Doubt is our automatic response when we don’t look to Jesus’ love for us.

 

Trust is the consequence of closeness.

Trust is the result of increasingly drawing nearer to God through His Word.

Trust infiltrates our mind and our circumstances. It erases doubt when we focus on Jesus, and are consistent in verbally  affirming God’s promises.

Trust is our automatic response when we continue looking to Jesus in the Word and acknowledging His love for us.

 

What do you do to be more aware of God’s love for you? Please share your ideas/strategies below.

 

Trust in God
Tulip photo courtesy of Fotolia

 

Confidence Boosters

Posted on by Evangeline

SONY DSC

 

How’s your confidence in God today? Is it higher than it’s ever been?

Are you finding it to be easy to trust that His promises are true for your life?

Or are you needing something to boost your confidence in His love for you as you struggle through infertility?

The best thing I’ve found that builds my confidence in God is — wait for it — God’s Word. Does that surprise you? The Bible tells us that everything we need in life can be found in God’s Word, we just have to search the Scriptures for the promise that applies to our specific situation.

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him.” 2 Peter 1:3 NLT

We come to “know Him,” as that verse points out, by reading the Bible, relying on the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Word and how to apply it to our lives.

Here are a few scriptures that should build your confidence in God. I pray that as you read them and say them to yourself out loud (because faith comes by hearing – Rom 10:17),  you’ll be empowered to rely on Him even more than you do now.

“You love them as much as You love Me.”  John 17:23

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

The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14 NIV

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!” Hebrews 10:35 NLT

Confidence Collage.jpg

 

Fertility Retreat – You’re Invited!

Posted on by Evangeline

Infertility Retreat

14 Days of Love – Day 11

Posted on by Evangeline
Image by digitalart | FreeDigitalPhotos
Image by digitalart | FreeDigitalPhotos

Today is my birthday and I want to give you a gift! Claim your gift below. This gift will be available only through 2/28/14.

 

The gentle hands of the Father lovingly shapes our lives.

LOVE - Potter -ISA 6-8 scripturepics

It’s Evangeline’s birthday but you get the gift!

Focus Friday

Posted on by Evangeline
Background image courtesy of Scripturepics
Background image courtesy of Scripturepics

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

“So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” Colossians 2:10