Tag: hope

Monday’s Marinade- I Believe

Posted on by Evangeline

Believe for something better in 2016.

Now that the new year is well under way, I hope that you’re expecting something better to happen in your life than what you experienced in 2015. What are you believing for?

Here are some of the typical things most people think about and desire at the beginning of the year:

      • Improved health
      • Peace of mind
      • A promotion or raise on the job
      • An upgrade in lifestyle (car, house, wardrobe, etc.)

But there are a variety of things that could be viewed as more influential on your quality of life than those desires listed above.

Are you open to allowing your thoughts to marinate on something more impactful? Print the following graphic so you can verbally affirm what you believe as you move forward throughout 2016. Be sure to read the Scripture verses  that are shown so you can build your confidence in what you affirm!

Monday's Marinade- I BELIEVE

 What else will you believe in 2016?  Share your thoughts below. 🙂

 

Monday’s Marinade-Planning

Posted on by Evangeline

Are you planning for success in 2016? The book of Proverbs gives us many tips for how to make that happen. Remember to invite God to show you how to shape those plans so that they will be in line with His good plan for you (Jeremiah 29:11).

Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on this Word. Repeatedly think about and quietly say it to yourself.  Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!

As you do your planning, here’s your spiritual marinade for this week:

Monday Marinade - prov. 163.jpg

Think About What You’re Thinking About

Posted on by Evangeline

What are you thinking about at this very moment?

When we’re faced with a thought filled with doom and gloom, and it repeatedly comes to mind, it’s hard to maintain a hope-filled focus. That’s exactly when we must remind ourselves that we can choose what we think about. We can dwell on the thought that brings us down and continue to ride that wave of despair, OR, we can switch gears and begin to think about the truth.

Truth always prevails. It is unshakable. It is unchangeable. Truth is the foundation upon which we can build a thought-life that brings waves of joy and not sorrow, hope and not despair.

David knew the power of truth and he used it to his advantage:

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” 1 Samuel 30:6

When everyone else around him could would not help him at a time when he was grieving, David chose to think about the truth that he knew — the always-there, never-failing, goodness of God. He looked to Him and David found strength to go on.

The only truth I know is the Word of God. It is absolute,  filled with hope and  love, showing us how good God is. Read it today and let it shape your thoughts, acting as the agent to encourage and strengthen you.

 

Thinking about things

Sarah’s DUI

Posted on by Evangeline

Sarah's DUI

Did you know that Sarah had a DUI thousands of years ago?  Her DUI was, of course, not driving while intoxicated/under the influence; it was “Deciding Under the Influence” – of doubt. Sarah made some life-changing, not-so-good decisions under the influence of doubt. Her strong incredulity about God’s promise of a son came back to bite her. Because it was taking so long for her to see the manifestation of the son God had promised them, doubt started to cloud her judgment. She made a doubt-influenced decision to help God keep His promise.

The details of Sarah’s DUI and the consequences of it were not pretty. You can read her story in Genesis 16. Doubting God’s goodness and His faithfulness to keep His word influenced her to offer her Egyptian slave, Hagar, to Abraham. Sarah decided to have her husband to take Hagar as a wife and have sex with her so that the slave could produce the heir that Abraham so desperately wanted. And of course, Abraham gladly cooperated! He probably thought that he was winning all the way around—sex with a “pretty young thing” AND producing the son he always wanted. But that was not God’s plan. As a result of this DUI, Sarah did not experience God’s promised gift as quickly as she thought.

God’s plan was for Sarah to birth a son. A surrogate was not going to bring forth the child of promise that He had planned for Sarah and Abraham. Even though it looked impossible, even though it took a long time, God’s plan was still the best plan and He did not need Sarah to run interference and attempt to force His plan to come to fruition.

Have you ever had a DUI like Sarah’s? Are there times when you struggle because you’re making a decision under the influence of doubt?

Decide to rest in God’s promise. Decide to be still and know Him as God of your circumstances. Your best efforts can never measure up to what He can do to bring good things your way!

 

 

Image from Springfield News Sun

Sticky Note Thought #2

Posted on by Evangeline

Sticky Note Thoughts are from a collection of sticky notes of my personal thoughts and revelations.

As quick sources of insight, I hope you’ll find them encouraging, challenging, funny, uplifting, etc. –just what you need at the moment you read it.

sticky note #2

 


Original background image by Boykung \ Freedigitalphotos.net

Evangeline’s Sticky Note Thought

Posted on by Evangeline

Sticky Note Thoughts are my random personal thoughts and revelations that I’ve captured on waaaay too many sticky notes scattered around my home. I’ve decided it’s time to share them with the world! 🙂

I hope that you find them to be a quick source of insight; that you’ll find them encouraging, challenging, funny, uplifting, etc. –just what you need at the moment you read it.

 

sticky note-distraction - Heb. 12-2
What’s a sticky note thought that you’ve recently had? Please share it!

 

Background image by Boykung|freedigitalphotos

Thoughts Get Stuck in the Muck

Posted on by Evangeline

thoughts in quicksand

Sometimes you get stuck in the muck and mire of your own mind.

Do you ever find yourself thinking renegade thoughts? You know, those thoughts that really don’t line up with what God has said about you as a believer in Jesus and as a possessor of what He died to give you. Sometimes thoughts can come to mind for the sole purpose of bringing you down.  You know where those thoughts come from…right? NOT from God! They come from your enemy, Satan. They come to make you feel stuck in the muck of your circumstances. Think about them long enough and you’ll find yourself  believing that your situation can never change.

But there’s a solution to this problem. There’s a way to become unstuck. How? By resting in God’s promises, trusting that what God has said is what will come to pass in your life. Use His words as your tool and weapon. Here are a few of the many important things God has said about you. Begin to shape your thoughts around them so you won’t get stuck. Believe what He’s said, act as if it’s true, speak your agreement with His words,expect them to come to fruition, and be determined to stand with gratitude until they do. Trust that what He has said is your unshakable truth [Isaiah 55:11].

God has said:

You’re loved by Him just as much as He loves Jesus. [John 17:23]

You’re forgiven. [Colossians 1:13-14]

You’re healed, by Jesus’ stripes. [1 Peter 2:24; Psalm 107:20]

You’re an heir to the blessing of Abraham (which includes having children). [Galatians 3:13-14; Deuteronomy 7:14]

You’re already victorious, because you are in Christ, the ultimate conqueror. [Romans 8:37]

 

What do you say to your renegade thoughts?

Release your faith and say what God has said!

 

 

Darkness vs. Light in Your Life

Posted on by Evangeline

Darkness vs Light

A friend of mine has lost a friend to suicide. How dark life must have appeared to that person. She couldn’t see past the darkness even though the light was always shining.

Have you ever felt that hopeless about situations in your life? Ever felt overwhelmed by the darkness?

I pray that at this very moment, you’ll have eyes to see the light that Jesus is  lovingly making available to you. I pray that through His Word, you’ll be able to experience the hope it brings to your situation.

Jesus’ light shines on, even in the midst of darkness; it cannot be extinguished. Darkness cannot overpower the light His Word brings nor can it take authority over it.  Even in the natural realm, darkness cannot absorb light. Actually, light sends darkness fleeing! Just think about what happens when you flip a light switch or turn on a flashlight. Darkness immediately leaves. You’re able to see!

Light always wins.

Today, allow God’s Word to shine brightly and penetrate your darkest thoughts and your toughest situations.  Here’s how: read it, ponder it, speak it out loud to yourself. Repeat. Repeat again. Repeat until that Word gets rooted inside you and you begin to feel the darkness flee. Renew your partnership with God’s promises that address your situation. It’s your means to see His light.

Flip the switch.

 

 

Communication During Infertility

Posted on by Evangeline

Communication in a marriage is of utmost importance; it is critical if the marriage is going to be the best it can be. Without open and authentic communication, intimacy is negatively affected and that in itself opens the door to other problems. 

Mark 10:9 – What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

James 1:19 – Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.

Find help about how to strengthen your marriage during infertility in my book, “Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility.”

Today’s post is taken from my friend’s blog over at In-Due-Time. Caroline Harries’ husband, Colby, shares great insights about maintaining open communication and expressing from the heart during their infertility journey. 

Communication is vital to relationships and essential to marriages. We have all heard, experienced, and accepted this important truth. Yet it is these types of foundational truths that we can also take for granted and miss if we become complacent. And communicating specifically in the area of a marriage that is going through infertility is something that has come up for us numerous times. I recently realized where I may have missed key communication that caused recurring heartache for us. Hopefully this will help other couples identify a potential area of hurt and miscommunication.

Read more…

Communication in Marriage

What do you do to maintain open communication with your spouse? 

Focus Friday – Loved by a Father

Posted on by Evangeline

I know. June is long gone and so is the American celebration of Father’s Day. But tomorrow is my husband’s birthday and I want to celebrate and honor what an awesome father he has been to our children. He gladly sacrifices having better things for himself so that he can provide for our children. This week, our youngest son had some car trouble and had to drive Freeman’s car to get to a couple of commitments he had. When he got back home, he said, “Dad, you need a new car.” 🙂 Freeman’s response was, “I know, but I needed to get y’all through school first.”  That’s the kind of dad he’s been all along– one that doesn’t mind doing without so that his children have what he feels they need.

God is like that too. He loved us so much that He was willing to:

  • do without the presence of His Son for decades,
  • watch His Son go through the blood-sweating agony of taking on mankind’s sin,
  • turn away from His Son as He hung dishonored on the cross with His flesh sliced, and bloodied, and
  • send His only Son to hell in mankind’s stead.

But the Father didn’t stop there; He did not leave Jesus in hell. He gladly made those sacrifices knowing there was  a perfectly good ending to the story. He raised His Son with power so that we could then be seated with Jesus on the right hand of God– a position of power. The Father was determined to get us back and love on us NO MATTER WHAT!

What  sacrifice!

What LOVE!

How do you see yourself loved by the God who sustains the entire universe?

Take a moment today to express your love to the Father AND, more importantly, to receive His “no-matter-what” kind of love.

My father--father's day

 

Photo credit: Women Living Well