Tag: children

7 Gifts From God and How to Get Them

Posted on by Evangeline

There are seven power-packed gifts from God that are mentioned in Proverbs 3:16-18. These gifts are available to any believer in Jesus Christ because He performed the finished work on the cross in order to make us eligible to receive them. The exciting news is, according to Jewish traditions, this list of seven gifts includes children!

It amazes me how God has packed so much into a very short passage of Scripture:

She (God’s Wisdom) is more precious than jewels; nothing you desire can equal her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant, and all her paths, peaceful. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who hold on to her are happy. – Proverbs 3:16-18 CSB

 

Through God’s written Word, and the Living Word– Jesus, He has given us:

  1. Long life
  2. Wealth
  3. Honor
  4. Wisdom
  5. Children
  6. Favor
  7. Peace

The 7 Gifts From God

Long Life – God’s words have power! Keeping His words in your heart will help you enjoy well-being and live a long and fulfilling life.

“Let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life; and peace they will add to you.” –Proverbs 3:1, 2

Wealth – God desires for believers to prosper. In the midst of famine, God caused Isaac to prosper.

“Let the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.” -Psalm 35:27 NKJV

Honor – God provides high respect and esteem for those who receive His love and, who love His Son, Jesus.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. -Psalm 91:14, 15

Wisdom – The wisdom of God is delineated in the Word. It is not burdensome. It doesn’t impose difficulties upon the believer. Instead, it shows believers the right path to choose; it’s a road map of life and it always leads to truth and justice.

“Make your ear attentive to wisdom.” – Proverbs 2:2 NASB

“The Lord gives wisdom.” – Proverbs 2:6

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom.” – Proverbs 3:13

Children, Favor and Peace: Gifts from God

Children – Jewish tradition, through the Vilna Gaon, explains that “the tree of life” and its fruit refer to a person’s children. Someone who dies and leaves a son to fill his place is not considered dead; thus they are his tree of life.

“The fruit of a righteous one is a tree of life.” – Proverbs 11:30

“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3 NLT

Favor –  The Lord’s favor is available to surround us and bring grace into our daily lives. His favor never runs out!

“For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” – Psalm 5:12

“Your marvelous favor makes us even stronger, lifting us even higher!” – Psalm 89:17 TPT

“His loving favor lasts a lifetime!” – Psalm 30:5 TPT

Peace – Jesus is our source of peace. When we keep our attention turned toward Him instead of our problems, we experience a deeper and greater tranquillity and contentment.

“For He Himself is our peace.” – Ephesians 2:14

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” – John 14:27

How will you receive and accept these seven gifts from God that are available to you?

How to Have Ridiculous Hope Like Abraham

Posted on by Evangeline

Abraham firmly believed God’s promise. Romans 4:18 (NLT) tells us how Abraham had ridiculous hope—“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations.”

I recently read how Jewish tradition promotes that Sarah actually had no womb:

Sarai was barren, she had no child.

[Why the double phrasing?] To teach that she did not even have a place for offspring – i.e. a womb. (Rashi, citing Talmud – Yevamot 64a)

[This is an interpretation of Genesis 11:30.]

Ridiculous hope
Photo courtesy of Michal Marcol/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But even when there was no reason to hope — Sarah had been barren for decades and he was nearly 100 years old — Abraham kept believing that they would have a child. Their predicament made hope seem nonsensical, even laughable. But Abraham kept hoping.

This wasn’t the first time Abraham had experienced and maintained ridiculous hope. God told him to leave his extended family (very unusual in that culture) and go to a different land, promising him that he would be blessed and become great.  Abraham made a decision to step out and find out. The promises came true as Abraham trusted God.

I think Abraham was an outstanding example of how to have ridiculous hope in the midst of infertility. He opened himself to hear from God. He trusted what God said. So much so, that he changed his name from Abram, which means “exalted father”  , to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” Imagine hearing other people call him father of multitudes when he and Sarah didn’t even have one child!  Think of the ridicule he must have experienced.  His ridiculous hope required having faith in what God had promised, trusting that what God had promised would indeed come to pass. Repeatedly hearing that description of himself , through others calling his name, surely must have built Abraham’s faith (faith comes by hearing–Romans 10:17).

There was another factor that increased Abraham’s hope for a child and faith in God’s promise. We learn in Romans 4:20  (YLT) that he “was strengthened in faith, having given glory to God.” The act of praising God, acknowledging His power and honoring Him by the words that Abraham spoke, helped to build up his faith.

Abraham had ridiculous hope in God, viewing Him as the only One who could give him all that he desired.

What will it take for you to live each day having ridiculous hope?

Focus Friday

Posted on by Evangeline

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. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day. Personalize it by putting your name in it!

“Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.” ~~ Deuteronomy 28:4

Image courtesy of tungphoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of tungphoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Famine in the Land?

Posted on by Evangeline

Do you sometimes feel that going through infertility is like experiencing famine in the land? Today, I’m sharing an excerpt from my devotional book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility, that addresses that issue.

This devotion is entitled “God’s Circle of Blessing“:

Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com | Romulus Hossu
Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com | Romulus Hossu

The Living Bible Translation of Psalm 25:13 says, “He shall live within God’s circle of blessing, and his children shall inherit the earth.” To whom is this passage referring? The previous verse tells us…the person who reverences God.

Living in God’s circle of blessing enables us to enjoy the best in life even when circumstances around us tell, and sometimes yell, otherwise. Isaac, Abraham’s son, was a great example of living in the circle of blessing. The Bible’s account in Genesis 26:1-13 tells how there was a famine in the country where Isaac lived and he wondered if he should leave like so many others and go to Egypt where there was no famine. God told him to stay and that He would be with Isaac in his obedience. God promised him increase in all areas of life, including children. So in the midst of his country’s famine, despair, lack, and death, Isaac was blessed with extreme abundance because he stayed where God wanted him—in His circle of blessing. Infertility is like a famine—extreme hunger and despair—except it’s for a child. Just as Isaac experienced great bounty in the midst of famine, so can you, when you choose to remain in God’s circle of blessing even as your circumstances scream “famine.”

You can live in God’s circle of blessing by keeping the ears of your heart open to His Word. Hear Him as He speaks to you through it. Receive the Word by faith, as personal promises from God to you. Receive His wonderful blessings by saying “thank you” to Him for the promises you find in his Word for your child. Repeatedly speak His Word, His Truth, over your life. When we speak the Word, we’re in agreement with God. Receive His blessings by living in His Word and resting in His grace.

No matter what the doctor’s reports say, you don’t have to be stuck in the famine of infertility. Declare that you live in God’s circle of blessing because famine can’t exist there. Jesus is God of abundant joy! Nothing is too hard for Him to change; therefore He can change your circumstance of infertility. His Truth, His Word, can bring extreme abundance in its most wonderful form—the blessing of a child.

Speak the Word: I choose to stay in God’s circle of blessing.  He is my source of everything good.

More Encouragement: Galatians 3:14; Hebrews 6:14

If you’d like to have more devotions like this at your fingertips, to encourage you on a daily basis,

click here to order the printed version of A Seed of Hope.

A-Seed-of-Hope-low-cover

4 Ways to Thrive Like a Tree

Posted on by Evangeline
Photo courtesy of Microsoft Images

Hidden in the passage of Jeremiah 17:7, 8 are four ways to thrive like a tree. This scripture declares,

“Blessed [is] the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

The four ways this tree thrives are:

  1. It is planted in fertile soil because it is near the water.
  2. It has developed a strong root system as it stretches, sometimes even through solid rock, to reach out to the water to be nourished.
  3. It has strong branches and green leaves that do not wither even under drought conditions because it has grown strong by continual nourishment from the nearby waters.
  4. It is always fruitful.

Similarly, the four ways we can thrive like this tree planted by the waters are:

  1. Be firmly established in the soil of God’s love. Trust in Him, no matter what our current circumstances may be.
  2. Seek spiritual nourishment from His Word, growing in the knowledge of what Jesus has already accomplished on our behalf. Speak His promises, trusting they are true for our situation.
  3. Receive Jesus’ ever-forgiving love as it supplies nourishment for every “branch” of our lives [spirit, soul (mind, will, and emotions), body, finances, and relationships]. The “green leaves” of our lives indicate good health, a by-product of continual nourishment from God’s Word (see Proverbs 4:20-22).
  4. Manifest fruitfulness in our lives by having a laser focus on Jesus, the One Who initiates and matures our faith through His Word. This fruitfulness, according to Strong’s Concordance, also includes “offspring, children, progeny (of the womb).”

Thriving like THIS tree is a good thing! Don’t you agree?

Remember Simba

Posted on by Evangeline

I am a huge fan of the Lion King movie. When it was first released on DVD, my children and I watched it over and over again. We saw the Lion King parade at Disneyland, and my daughter and I have seen the musical play. All of the characters in this story are so personable. They each remind me of someone I know.

The main character in the story is Simba, a young lion trying to find his way. He has a loving father, Mufasa, who gives him guidance and teaches him what it’s  like to be a king. When Mufasa dies, Simba thinks it’s his fault because he believes the lie uncle told him.  Fortunately, before Simba gets too far off course, a wise baboon (Rafiki) comes into his life.

Rafiki reminds Simba who he is. He tells him to remember what Mufasa taught him about being a king. I love the scene where Rafiki tells Simba to look in the pond. Simba sees only his own reflection—his weaknesses, his ineptness, his missteps. But Rafiki tells him to “look harder.” When Simba looks again, he sees the reflection of his father, Mufasa, and all of his strength, abilities, and wisdom.

We are much like Simba, believing the lies of the devil and focusing only on our problems and our weaknesses. We too need to be reminded of who we are in Christ. The bible tells us we are Priests and Kings. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit is with us to remind us of the strength, abilities, and wisdom we have because of Jesus.

We are indeed victorious Kings in life when we believe that Jesus’ power resides in us. We are able to have favor-filled lives as we focus on Him and believe that all He provided for us is already ours.

Fruit of the Womb

Posted on by Evangeline

What’s the purpose of having children? Some may say: “To continue to populate the earth” or “To have someone to carry on the family name” or “A child will satisfy my need to be needed by someone else”, or worst-case scenario, “A child will save our marriage.” Just as a heads-up, having a child won’t save your marriage, especially if it’s already in trouble. Besides, that is a pretty selfish motive for bringing a child into this world.

God’s purpose for children is so that they grow to live godly, abundant lives and be able to show others a demonstration of His love and power. He wants to ensure that His Word is perpetuated from generation to generation, bringing wholeness, victory, and prosperity to each generation (Genesis 18:19). He wants everyone to experience His love.

The dictionary defines a “heritage” as something someone is born to, a special way of life that passes from generation to generation. Psalm 127: 3 tells us that children are a special possession of God, for whom He cares and watches as His own. A wise parent will regard each child as a reward and a source of joy. That’s a good reason to keep learning how to raise a godly child and to train him/her properly. This will enable the child to have deep faith and strong character. Parents should always seek God’s direction and assistance with this precious gift. They should consider themselves as privileged to participate in God’s creation process.

“Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.”

 ~ Psalm 127:3 ~

Speaking God’s Word

Posted on by Evangeline

In the beginning was the Word…

God created this planet and the entire universe by speaking it into existence.  As believers in Jesus Christ, and therefore as children of God, we can, like earthly children, imitate our heavenly Father by saying what He says. We have the honor and privilege to use what God has said about a matter to create a life that falls in line with His plan for us—an abundant, overflowing life (Romans 10:8; John 10:10). That abundance includes having children and raising them to know that God loves them immensely and wants them to enjoy an abundant life (Psalm 102:18, 28).

 

We can activate that abundant life and change our current circumstances by declaring God’s Word. He gave us His Word to empower us so that we don’t have live in bondage to infertility any longer! Over and over again, God shows us in the Bible that it is important to speak His Word because it is powerful in shaping our lives. God said that His Word would go forth and return to Him with results that please him (Isaiah 55:11).  The method by which His Word returns to Him is through us speaking it out loud in faith.  Everyone knows that God’s name is holy and should be respected and honored.  But did you know that He has exalted His Word even above His name (Psalm 138:2)? That means we should believe His Word, trust it, and value it as something precious! It also means we can act on it with confidence.

 

Speak God’s Word and be encouraged that it is working and will work on your behalf. Believe it and continually speak it in faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). Speak the Word with confidence because it is the foundation for God’s language of faith.

Copyright 2001 Evangeline Colbert