Tag: favor

I Got Distracted

Posted on by Evangeline
Image courtesy of Idea go/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Idea go/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I got distracted last week.

On Saturday, 7/27/13, I woke up with a “little ache” in my lower back. By Saturday night, nausea and a headache had set in. Relief did not come even after using the pain reliever and heating pad. With no appetite, I endured the weekend of feeling yucky, eager for the doctor’s office to open on Monday morning.  I was fortunate to get a same-day appointment. Diagnosis? Just a viral infection that “should pass in few days”.

During the eight (8!) days it took to finally feel better,  I watched TV (most of the time). My body ached for almost a week, yet the achiness did not serve as a reminder to do what I knew (focus on Jesus). Tiredness  and headache set in and I didn’t persistently look to a different source of strength after I took the pain reliever . Nausea swept through and I did not seek out alternative nutrition for the part of me that was not sick—my spirit. The headache, back ache, tiredness, nausea each became a physical distraction that I allowed to keep me from pursuing the spiritual solution to my problem.

Thankfully,  I’m feeling much better today. Looking back on this past week,  I did not follow what I’ve encouraged others to do so many times—get in the Word of God, find my answer to the problem at hand, and focus on the answer. I got distracted by the symptoms and the TV.  I feel like I wasted a LOT of time last week.  No writing, no working on goals, no online posts, and certainly no chores or exercise got done. Admittedly, I didn’t feel like doing much of anything. I didn’t even feel like strengthening my spirit by reading God’s love letter to me (the Bible).  But God so lovingly strokes me with His gentle, fatherly hand and tells me, “It’s okay, I’m still here with you.”

Proverbs 18:14 (NKJV) encourages us that, “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?”  Within the Word of God lies the answer to every problem we can ever experience in life. I know that. I teach that. But, I got distracted by my circumstances.  Has that ever happened to you?

Today, no more beating myself up with thoughts about what I should or could have done in the midst of that illness. All the “Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda” in the world won’t change the past nor help in moving forward. Now is the time to praise God that He kept me through those eight days and will continue to do so. Now is the time to read and marvel about how His power and favor work in my life. Now is the time to realign my focus so that I continue to look to the One who loves me and does nothing but good on my behalf.

I’m looking forward to a productive week where I handle distractions in a much more effective way. Are you?

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!

“…by the word of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent (the paths of the destroyer).”~ Psalm 17:4 [AMP]

Photo source: Microsoft Images
Photo source: Microsoft Images

Focus Friday

Posted on by Evangeline
Image courtesy of aopsan/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of aopsan/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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!

“You have given me your shield of victory.

Your right hand supports me.

Your help has made me great.”

~ Psalm 18:35 [NLT]~

Focus and Finish

Posted on by Evangeline

At the beginning of every year, I try to designate a scripture that be my “theme” for the year. The scripture becomes a focal point that helps me to expect good things, remember where my help comes from, and  know Who it is that loves and favors me.

It’s important to me to set the stage of 2013 with a scripture that will impact not only my personal life but also my business. I believe God’s Word brings illumination and Life [Ephesians 1:17,18; John 6:63] to our lives and I definitely need those for this year. This year is bringing big changes in my life, which include building a business as an author and speaker and my husband and I becoming official empty-nesters later this year. I know I have to press into God in order to manage these and other changes well!

I’m still looking for the verse(s) that will be “the one” but here are some I’m considering:

  • Psalm 65:11 ~ “You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.” [NIV]
  • Psalm 84:11 ~ “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
  • Jeremiah 17:7,8 ~ “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” [NLT]
  • Colossians 1:10 ~ “Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” [NLT]

Do any of those resonate with you? I’d love to hear what you think, especially if you’d like to suggest other scriptures. Here’s to focusing on God’s Word and finishing strong!

Image courtesy of koratmember / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of koratmember / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Still Thankful?

Posted on by Evangeline

We just finished celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in America. Even though that weekend is set aside to more openly express thankfulness (and shopping), how can we remain thankful in the weeks and months ahead? What about today…are you still thankful?

Why should we look for things in our daily lives that could be reasons to thank God? Because giving thanks to Him is the means of focusing on the solution to the problems we have. When we give thanks in the midst of our problems, we keep victory’s door open. Thanking God when we’re dealing with trying circumstances is the best way to express that we expect Him to make good happen.

I’m not saying to thank God for the problem. My point is to thank Him for being the answer to our problem. Talking about the same problem over and over again changes nothing. Labeling yourself as being one who constantly suffers/experiences problems prolongs the problem! Continuing to talk about your dissatisfaction with being “stuck” in a negative situation is actually the language of defeat.  But, by expressing thanks and acknowledging that our full and final solution is found in Jesus, we speak the language of victory.

Trust in God’s ability and willingness to make good come out of bad. His divine power has given us everything we need [2 Peter 1:3,4]. All our solutions are found in His promises in the Bible. Find the promises related to your problem and then believe them and speak them. When we increase our knowledge of what Jesus accomplished on our behalf and how He made those promises able to be manifested, Peace and Favor are increased in our lives. That’s a reason to still be thankful everyday!

What’s your reason to still be thankful?

Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com | Olga Vasilkova

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Loved by a Cross-Eyed God

Posted on by Evangeline

For the last 6 weeks I’ve been teaching at my church about God’s Favor in our lives. It has been a transformative time as I have learned more about being accepted by God purely by what Jesus did on the cross and not by my efforts/works. Here’s one of the props I’ve used in the class:

I know, it looks ridiculous, but when God gave me the idea, I knew it would be effective in getting this point across…

Did you know that God is “cross-eyed?” He sees the believer only through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.What Jesus did on that cross on our behalf was so important. At the cross is where He established our value to Him. It’s where we find assurance of both His love and His desire to bless us with His unearned favor/grace.

Do you know how God sees YOU? Well, He’s “cross-eyed” all the time so when He looks at you, He ‘s still looking through the lens or filter of the cross.  No matter what you’ve done or are doing at this moment, if you’re a believer in Jesus, God’s viewpoint of  you is always through Jesus’ shed blood and complete work on the cross. That’s why He can love you unconditionally, the same way He loves Jesus (John 17:23), because He sees you clothed in Jesus’ righteousness, fully and eternally cleansed of any sin because of His sacrifice on the cross.

God’s blessing, healing, delivering and prospering believers is all because of Jesus’ perfect obedience/efforts/work at the cross. There’s nothing we can do to earn His love and there’s nothing we can do to lose it. As the old hymn goes, “Jesus paid it all!”

Being loved by a “cross-eyed” God is the best way to be loved! Can you think of any better way to be loved?

*****************************

Cover of "Unmerited Favor"
Cover of Unmerited Favor

 

If you’d like to study more about Jesus’ finished work and His favor to us, our resource text for the class has been Unmerited Favor by Joseph Prince. I highly recommend it!

Want Great Results?

Posted on by Evangeline

Ruth, a woman whose story is found in the Old Testament, was living a life that seemed desolate of anything good. Her husband had died, leaving her childless. Her father-in-law and brother-in-law had both died, leaving Ruth, her mother-in-law (Naomi) and sister-in-law without a family provider. She was living in a country that was not her own so she had no nearby relatives who could help her. There was famine throughout the land. Talk about unfavorable life circumstances!

But Ruth chose to put her faith in the God of her Hebrew mother-in-law. She was determined to see the salvation and deliverance that she believed God had for her. Even while she lived in seemingly unbearable conditions, she believed that God would ultimately show her favor.

Ruth and Naomi traveled back to Naomi’s homeland, hoping to find a family member who would show kindness and assist them.  Ruth chose to declare that God would help them and provide for them. She trusted that He would lead her to the right field to glean and to its kind owner. God honored her faith in Him. She began to see His hand of favor operate in her life. God led her to Boaz, who loved her and redeemed her. Instead of being a poor, childless widow, she experienced marriage, wealth, and motherhood. Faith in God’s favor produced great results!

Want great results in your life? Believe that God’s loving hand of favor is on you. Declare it every day!

Please come back and share the wonderful results you experience due to believing and declaring God’s favor in your life.

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.