Tag: hope

God Did it Again — Another Victory Over Infertility!

Posted on by Evangeline

overcoming infertilityVictory over infertility is not too hard for God (Genesis 18:14)!

This is a letter that testifies of God’s goodness and His willingness to work on our behalf. It is from Camille, a reader of my blog. I pray it encourages you to not give up on God’s promises of fertility. Her story starts back in 2014.

An Overcomer

Back in November my husband and I decided to start the process for IVF.  This was after trying 3 unsuccessful IUIs before I ever read your book. So we thought we would go for it and if it was God’s will, it would happen for us.

We both believe that God is the giver of all life and we found a wonderful fertility specialist. What was so special about him is that when we met with him, he was very open and passionate about his belief in God being the orchestrator and creator of life and that his role was “helping setting the scene” from a medical standpoint for God to do his work. This was very important to me as sometimes these doctors do get the notion that they are in control and see themselves as God.

We went through the process of taking a lot of drugs and ended up having 9 eggs retrieved. There were 4 that survived. They implanted two and that is how we got our little boy and we have two more frozen embryos that we plan to have implanted in another 1.5-2 years.

My pregnancy was amazing. I had very little nausea and vomiting. I worked up until last my 39th week.  We have been blessed beyond measure. Our friends and family who have prayed for us this entire journey had 3 different baby showers for us. We have been provided with more than we could ever need for this baby and things keep coming. When God blesses you, he always go above and  beyond!

Reading A Seed of Hope

My husband and I read your book and it was so encouraging.  I would re-read certain passages over and over again when doubt and fear crept in. When I purchased your book, I posted something on your website/blog I believe only one time (I cannot remember what I posted). However, the day that you contacted me via email was a very interesting day. I was talking with my best friend about my struggle with infertility.  She and her husband had just given birth to my god-daughter through IVF and while I was extremely happy for her. However, I thought, “Why isn’t God not making it happen for me?” You see, I felt I had done things the “right way.” Coming from a family of teenage mothers, including my own who had me at 15, I waited. I went to college, found a God-fearing and loving husband, and we purchased our dream home. I went back to school to get a second Bachelor’s degree and we traveled the world. We certainly were ready!

However, on this particular day of talking with my best friend, I was so down and depressed. Usually she knew the things to say to keep me encouraged because she had gone through the same thing, but on this day, nothing was working. I think it made me more upset because I had gotten to a point where I felt she could no longer relate because she  had her baby. That’s another story.

Fighting Anger and Depression

I remember going to Wal-Mart to get some household supplies after getting off the phone with her and when I came out it was pouring down raining. With no umbrella and getting completely soaking wet, I looked up to the sky and said to God, “Come on… are you serious?” I was so full of anger and depression. However, when I got home, I had an email from you! Now I had never spoken to you and am sure that I had only posted on your blog just one time. This was a sign to me that the Lord hears us and He sends people our way (sometimes even strangers) to show us that He is still with us even when we think He is not. I have used this story as a testimony.

I’m sorry I wrote so much, but I really wanted to let you know how much you and your book has meant to our lives. You following up with me is another reminder of the importance of telling our story of God’s greatness and continued blessings. Please know that you are making a difference and that the Lord is truly using you to change lives.

If God did it before, He’ll do it again. He’s no respecter of persons. Keep your hope alive!

Hope is Having Only Positive Expectations. It is powerful and has an eternal purpose (1 Corinthians 13:13). The purpose of hope is to give you greater inner strength. It serves you no matter what you’re feeling or experiencing.

I pray that Camille’s story of victory over infertility will give you hope!

The Ways God’s Love Works in Your Life

Posted on by Evangeline

What do you do to tap into God’s love for you in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances? Find encouragement in my free handout, “Hope in Hard Places.” Request it today, using the blue arrow form to the right of this post.

God’s Love

Scripture assures us that God loves us in so many different ways. Here are a few of them to remind you that the Father loves you the same way He loves Jesus (John 17:23).

Scripture assures us that God loves us the same way He loves Jesus. (John 17:23) Share on X

God’s love is strong and He gladly protects us!

LOVE Psalm 5-12

God’s love brings joyful satisfaction! 

Background image by Vectorgirl |Fotolia

Background image by Vectorgirl |Fotolia

God IS love. Allow His love to be an ever-flowing river, with cascades of the highest level to bring joy in your life.

Background image by photointopainting
Background image by photointopainting

Nothing– no problem, no trouble, no struggle in your life — is too hard for God’s powerful love to solve or change.
Not even INFERTILITY!

Here’s What REAL LOVE Looks Like

Posted on by Evangeline

real love

Sometimes we need a reminder of what REAL love is.

How can you know what real love is? If you listen to popular music, no matter if it’s R&B, country, hip-hop, rock, or pop, you’re likely to hear lyrics about how love let someone down:

  • “thank you for the love, thank you for the heartaches, thank you for the tears I’ve cried, thank you for all those lies”
  • “can’t believe that love would hurt again”
  • “she’s my love gone wrong”
  • “love done gone”
  • “good lovin’ gone bad”

A lot of times, people will label something as being “love” when it’s really not. As we celebrate Valentine’s Day today, I want to give you a different perspective about love (this will be the theme of my posts over the next few days). Knowing what God’s love is really like is important in being able to see Him as willing to provide the healing, material supply, relationships, etc. that you may need. Make a decision today to gain a fresh revelation of His love for you.

“The Lord your God is with you. He is a hero, the Mighty Warrior who saves you. In his love, He will no longer punish you.He will take great delight in you. He happily rejoices over you, renews you with his love, and celebrates over you with shouts of joy.”
 ~Zephaniah 3:17 (NIRV and GW)

After all, if God is love (1 John 4:16), how can there be anything bad or hurtful about REAL love? 

Please spread the love! Share these images with others via social media.

Sometimes we need a reminder of what REAL love is. Share on X

Love is demonstrative and takes action on behalf of others.

Background by Stuart Miles| FreeDigitalPhotos

Love seeks to refresh and restore.

LOVE -PS 23

Love gives…always.

LOVE John 3-16

 

Certain images courtesy of David Castillo Dominici and Stuart Miles| FreeDigitalPhotos.net

America — You Can Choose to Bless God

Posted on by Evangeline

God Bless America

God bless America. It’s a familiar refrain. Sometimes it’s used without even thinking of Whom we’re speaking. Here’s an alternative to asking/begging God to bless America. We can choose to bless God by declaring His Word with confidence about Who He is in our lives and in our country.

In return, we’ll see that He graciously blesses our nation.

 

God of America

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

HAPPY NEW YEAR- Expect to be Blessed in 2017

Posted on by Evangeline

Happy new year

As you celebrate the beginning of a new year, take a few moments to reflect and celebrate the good things you experienced in 2016. It’s important to make a decision to see the good, especially if 2016 was filled with disappointments.

If infertility was a factor in your 2016, what good came out of it? Are you closer to God? Closer to your spouse? Did you get better results by changing/removing some old habits?

If the death of a loved one infiltrated your life last year, what good came out of it? Did you learn that you are stronger than you thought as a result of that loss? Did love and support come from unexpected people?

No matter what your challenge may have been, there’s something good that came out of it…you just have to look for it.

Once you determine what those good things were, express gratitude for them. God always finds a way to show us His love in the midst of challenges and it’s a good practice to say, “Thanks” to Him.

A New Year of New Beginnings

And now as we begin a new year, let this year be the launching point of more good things experienced in your life–on an even higher level. Embrace what lies ahead and let go of 2016’s setbacks. Let your hope be reignited! Let what you say in 2017 reflect unwavering hope. Raise your expectancy for good things to come your way. Expect God to do wonderful, miraculous things in your life.

Prayer for 2017

What are some of the things you’re praying will happen in 2017? Please share them below.

My prayer for you in 2017 is that you will:

  • Gain a new and fresh revelation of God’s no-matter-what kind of love for you.
  • Ask boldly for what He has promised in His Word.
  • Expect to receive more than ever before.
  • Experience new-found freedom in Him, not settling for less than what He promised.
  • Look ahead with confidence, letting your words reflect what God has said about you.
  • Walk by faith and not by sight, knowing that it’s what you trust in but don’t yet see that keeps you moving ahead.
  • Be greatly blessed as you stand with daily gratitude.

May your 2017 be filled with abundance in every way!

Need help with clearing out old mindsets so that 2017 is filled with better results and more breakthroughs? I am here to help! Check out the scripture-based coaching services that I offer at iHope Coaching.

You crown the year with Your good blessings, and You leave abundance in Your wake.
~ Psalm 65:11 NET

The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.
~ 2 Corinthians 5:5 MSG

His favor lasts a lifetime! ~ Psalm 30:5 NIV

speaking in tongues

5 of God’s Tools You Need to Use to Improve Your Health (Part 5 of 5)

Posted on by Evangeline

Over the last month, we’ve looked at some very effective tools God has given us to use to help us experience healing in our lives. Today, we’ll focus on Praying in Tongues. You can find the 4 previous posts by clicking the links below.

Here are 5 of His tools that can bring restoration to our health:

  1. His Word (The Bible)
  2. Communion
  3. Meditation
  4. Scriptural Affirmations
  5. Praying in Tongues

Praying in Tongues

There is an experience following salvation in Christ that is called “being filled with the Holy Spirit”. Paul asked the believers in Ephesus, “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?” (Acts 19:2). They needed to know of this important experience in order to live in their God-given authority and become a more powerful witness for Jesus.

Speaking with other tongues (an unfamiliar or heavenly language) is a supernatural sign of having been filled with the Holy Spirit. Rev. Kenneth Hagin wrote “the more I worship God in tongues, the more manifestation of the other gifts of the Spirit I have. The less I talk in tongues, the less manifestations I have. Speaking with tongues is the door into the rest of the spiritual gifts.”

Yes, speaking in tongues is a good thing; it’s a gift from God. It is nothing fear or look upon as being weird. Even in the 21st century, it is still one of God’s ways of empowering you for an abundant and healthy life. How? By revealing the wisdom of God to your spirit as it communicates with His Spirit. Speaking in tongues puts you in contact with the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 14:4, 2:10). It also allows you to pray God’s perfect will apart from your natural understanding and aids you in interceding for others. According to Jude 1:20-21, speaking in tongues also strengthens you and intensifies your personal relationship with God.

It is a gift supplied by the Holy Spirit and therefore, it is in line with God’s will.  He has come to not only live in us but He also imparts this gift to help us live filled with His power (Rom.8:26, 27).

Science and the Physical Benefit of Speaking in Tongues

The tongue is the most powerful and influential member of the body (Proverbs 18:21; 1 Corinthians 14:2; James 3:1-12). God has provided, through the finished work of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection, a way for you to use your tongue that taps into His supernatural power. Praying in tongues is a means of accessing healing. There was a study done by Dr. Carl Peterson, M.D. at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a brain specialist, he researched what the relationship is between the brain and speaking in tongues. This study revealed that there is a healing power that can be released within our own bodies by speaking in tongues.

Dr. Peterson discovered that as we speak in tongues, there is an activity that begins to take place in the brain. As we speak our heavenly language, the brain releases chemical secretions that directly boost our immune system. These secretions promote healing within our bodies. They are secreted from a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which has major impact on our metabolism.

There’s also been a study done at the University of Pennsylvania by Dr. Andrew Newberg using MRIs to study the brain while speaking in tongues. The results showed that the brain is activated in a different way than when the person was speaking in his/her native language.

Benefits of Speaking in Tongues

  • It is a means of spiritual edification–charging your own spirit’s “battery” with the power of God Himself.
  • It’s your supernatural means of communication with God; your spirit speaking with His Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:14).
  • It is a continual experience throughout life, to assist you in the worship of God.
  • You are more conscious of God’s indwelling presence. Being more aware of Him affects the way you live (John 14:16,17).
  • You are able to live a lifestyle in the Spirit more fully.
  • You build up your faith to trust God for the things you need/want in life (Jude 20).
  • It is a way of trusting God–allowing Him to be in control of what you say.
  • The Holy Spirit, who knows everything, can pray through you for things that you don’t know about in your natural mind. (1 Corinthians 14:2 NLT)

It is a good thing to pray in tongues often! When we pray in tongues, mysteries are revealed to our spirit man. The more we pray in tongues, the more we open ourselves to God, allowing Him to program our spirit with His wisdom. Our spirit will then be better able to influence our thinking and actions. Speaking in tongues is the greatest gift that Jesus gave believers because it activates God’s His power within us. It empowers believers to live the full life that God had planned for them.

Food for Thought

The Holy Spirit lives in us as our Helper and our Intercessor. He helps us pray, but He does not do the praying for us. We are responsible for our prayer life.It’s our choice to yield our mouth and words to Him. I hope you’ll choose to practice the presence of God by daily speaking in tongues. Strengthen yourself through this gift of empowered prayer that God has provided. Yielding the tiny tongue to the power of the Holy Spirit is a huge step toward yielding our whole selves to God.

If Jesus is your Savior, ask God to fill you with His Spirit and give you a new heavenly language. He is faithful to give His children good gifts that empower them to live abundantly and in good health!

“And these signs will accompany those who believe… they will speak in new tongues.” ~Mark 16:17 NIV

How has this series changed how you view your health? How has it impacted the way you use the tools God’s provided for you? 

Please let me know by leaving me a comment below!

tools for health

5 of God’s Tools You Need to Use to Improve Your Health (Part 1)

Posted on by Evangeline

When I woke up this morning, one of my first thoughts was about the tools God has given us to use for improving our health.

A handyman, who’s able to fix so many things, has a variety of tools to use to make repairs. He or she has a hammer, a wrench, a screw driver, and a few other common tools of the trade they keep within easy reach by carrying them in their tool belt. Each tool has a specific purpose and the handyman knows how best to use each one. A hammer wouldn’t be ideal to use for turning a screw nor would a saw be useful in grasping a pipe like a wrench could.

God’s “tools of the trade” are for our well-being. He gave them to us to use so that we can improve our health and finances, increase our confidence in His love, and to take advantage of all that the finished work of Christ provided.

Here are 5 of His tools that can bring restoration to our health:

  1. His Word (The Bible)
  2. Communion
  3. Meditation
  4. Scriptural Affirmations
  5. Praying in Tongues

Just as God’s armor has many pieces that serve different functions in protecting us (Ephesians 6), His tools of the trade also serve different functions in our lives, especially when it comes to our health.  Here are some thoughts about how scripture impacts our health.

How can His Word bring healing?

Proverbs 4:22 (NLT) clearly states, God’s words “bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.” Search God’s Word to find the healing promises and then ask Him how to understand and use their inherent power.

Scripture has a divine purpose. God sent His Word to heal us and save us from destruction (Psalm 107:20).

The Bible shows us how God fulfilled His Old Testament prophecies through the finished work of Christ in the New Testament. What the prophet Isaiah spoke has come to pass–Jesus Himself took away our infirmities and bore our sickness (Matthew 8:17).

God’s Word also builds our confidence in His love for us. This confidence is hugely important if we are to take advantage of all that His promises have to offer us (1 John 5:14,15).

What about Communion and the other tools?

In the upcoming weeks, I’ll share about the advantages and usefulness of the other instruments in my list of God’s tools. In next week’s post, you’ll see how communion plays a powerful, relevant role in our health…even in 2016 and beyond.

Need help with finding healing scriptures? Click the link below below to request my free pamphlet, Speak the Word Over Your Physical and Mental Health.

YES! Please send me the healing scriptures pamphlet.

 

Believe It or Not, God’s Word Covers It

Posted on by Evangeline

So often, we forget that God’s Word covers everything that we could possibly need or want. Yes, even in 2016, God’s Word is still relevant and able to affect change in our lives. We can choose to believe what God has said…or not. He has given us the freedom to choose.

I recently read a passage from the Believers Voice of Victory Magazine that drives this point home:

“No matter what kind of situation we are facing, no matter how terrible, dangerous, and confusing it appears to be, God’s Word covers it, sees through it, and reveals the answer to its defeat. The living Word of God will penetrate the darkest difficulties and shed light on the most impossible situations.” ~Kenneth Copeland

God’s Word Covers It!

If you’re involved in a struggle or facing an impending challenge, rest in knowing that God’s Word covers it. It’s up to you to find what He has said about it and then stand on it until you see it manifested. Ask Him, ” Lord, what is it that I still need to see in Your Word that will bring me victory?”  God will always gladly answer this question!

God's word cover itI remember hearing Dr. Bill Winston say that he found his ministry airplane in the Word. That got my attention! There were no airplanes 2000+ years ago when the Bible was written; how could it be in the Word? But he had prayed asking God to show him how to pray to meet the needs of his fast-growing ministry which was requiring an inordinate amount of travel for him to preach. Some time later, a preacher from Africa was speaking at Dr. Winston’s church and in the middle of his sermon, stopped, turn around, looked at Dr. Winston and said, “Your airplane is in Ecclesiastes 10:20” and then turned back around and went right on preaching. Of course, Dr. Winston feverishly flipped through his Bible to find that passage and there it was…his airplane:

“for a bird of the air shall carry the voice”

Don’t tell me that Scripture isn’t applicable in 2016 (and beyond)!

No matter what you’re facing today, rest in knowing that God’s Word covers it. Your solution is embedded inside the Bible. It’s up to you to choose to discover it and the use it as a tool that will manifest the victorious life that God intended for you to live.

After all, He wants you to LIVE TO WIN!

Will you take time today to find a Scripture that addresses your need/challenge?

You can find more information and encouragement about effectively using God’s Word in my book, Live to Win.

The Official Password for Your Free Access

Posted on by Evangeline

Monday's MarinadeMonday’s Marinade is provided to you so that you can “soak yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week.

Sometimes we feel like it’s difficult to be in God’s presence. But He’s given us a password to access His presence that works every time we use it.

Start your week by meditating (thinking and muttering to yourself) on this special password for freely accessing God’s presence. 

Here’s your PASSWORD. Let it be your spiritual Marinade for this week:

Monday's Marinade- Password

Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!