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!
“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”
~ Mark 11:24 (NLT)
Jesus died to enable us to reign in life. Do you feel like royalty? Or do you simply feel like you carry the royal title of “Christian” but you’re not exercising nor experiencing the ruling power that’s supposed to come along with it?
There is a king/queen in you if you are a believer in the work of Jesus on the cross on your behalf. Maybe you need to tap into the knowledge that through Jesus, God transferred you from the devil’s kingdom of darkness and oppression into the His kingdom of light, life and power [Col. 1:13]. If you need a boost in believing your life should be more of a demonstration of the power to reign in life, I encourage you to read these scriptures and thoughtfully consider their application in your life.
There IS a King in you if believe in Jesus as Savior. How will you more fully embrace your inner king/queen and reign in life?
“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” ~~ Romans 5:17 NIV
“And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” ~~Revelation 1:6
Enjoy hearing Donald Lawrence & Company sing There Is A King In You.
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.
Have you ever wondered if God is mad at you? Do you sometimes wonder if infertility is a result of God’s anger toward you because of something you’ve done or haven’t done?
The best thing to do whenever you’re wondering about the negative things in your life is to look to the Word of God. It continually points us to Jesus and His loving, all-encompassing work on the cross. Do you know that Jesus died for you so that God’s anger toward your missteps, your wrong choices, and your bad behavior would be totally satisfied? Because He died on your behalf, He took ALL the punishment and now you can simply rest in God’s grace.
“Rest” means living life knowing that everything is completed, there’s nothing left to do to satisfy God. Jesus did it perfectly and completely so that you can enjoy receiving all that God’s grace provides. God’s response to the believer in Jesus Christ is always grace. His grace is free, it is unearned favor—nothing you can do to acquire it, nothing you can do to lose it. Grace brings goodness in your life as you continually believe that God is for you and not against you.
So when you are once again faced with wondering if God is angry and sent infertility your way as a result, think again. Only this time, think about His grace toward you and how it is sufficient to turn infertility around and send it packing.
“And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.” ~~Romans 11:6 New Living Translation
When I was on the frontline of the battle against infertility, Mother’s Day was difficult to celebrate. Of course, I honored my own mother but something inside me yearned for the ability to celebrate it with my own child.
I wanted to experience pregnancy. I wanted to watch my tummy grow. I wanted to feel the baby kicking and moving inside of me. I wanted to be the one who could console my child when no one else could. But it wasn’t happening…
Thankfully, I had a husband who was understanding and got me through the day without tears (he was good at distracting me). And I had a mother who encouraged me to never give up hope. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” Even though he was referring to the Civil Rights struggle, it is applicable to this personal struggle of dealing with childlessness. With infertility, the finite disappointment rolls around on a monthly basis, but don’t allow it to make you lose hope in having a child.
Childlessness can drain you emotionally, if you let it. It can sink you into great despair, if you let it. I encourage you to find creative ways to maintain ongoing, infinite hope.
How will you cope with Mother’s Day 2012? Please share with us your ways of maintaining hope!
The more I learn of the love of Jesus, specifically His love for me, I am astounded by its depth, height, width and length. I see more clearly now that His love for me covers everything; it is complete and perfect. There are no holes in His love for me, no void spaces. So if nothing is missing in His love for me, why am I not always confident in the victory that love has already provided?
Maybe I need to look more at what He’s done instead of what I’ve done or what I need to do (I can sometimes have a l-o-n-g “to do” list to correct my circumstances). Maybe I need to allow Him to be in control so that I can rest. Everything that He’s done has been based on His love for me. Every bit of punishment inflicted on Him before and at the cross was because He did not want me to experience it. Every bit of scourging was endured for me. Every sickness and “condition” was taken on by His body for me. He satisfied every requirement of the Law so I wouldn’t have to. He left nothing undone and did everything perfectly. What a love!
No matter the circumstances that I find myself enduring, I’m determined to choose to look to Jesus’ love for me, to have confidence in it, to trust it. I’m determined to rest in the knowledge that His love for me has done enough to get me through.
Be encouraged!
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 ~