Tag: hope

build your faith

Sticky Note Thought–Use Your Senses to Build Your Faith

Posted on by Evangeline

Use your senses to build your faith??? I know, it sounds counterintuitive. But maybe it’s time to #StartAsking God how to do that!

We’re told to walk by faith, not by sight. We’re not to let the negativity that we experience through our senses  affect how we experience God’s love. Our senses tend to distract us and color our belief in His capability, power, and willingness. Faith involves rising above what we see, hear, feel, taste, and smell with our senses and living with a belief that something better has been done/given to us by God.

So what do I mean by “use your senses to build your faith”?

Use your sight to read God’s Word and see your answer in His promises.
[2 Corinthians 1:20]

Use your hearing to listen to God’s Word repeatedly.
[Romans 10:17]

Use your mouth to speak life to your life, speaking the promises of God.
[Joshua 1:8]

Use your sense of smell to enjoy a fragrance during your daily prayer time with Him.
[Revelation 8:3,4]

Use your hands to touch someone else’s life and provide the practical help they need.
[Proverbs 31:20]

These sensory activities each help to build your faith because you’re not distracted by what your senses are telling you about any problems you’re facing. You’re actually directing your senses to help you focus on God, your loving Heavenly Father. When you do these things, there’s a powerful spiritual result. Your spirit–your inner man–has taken charge over your flesh (the natural you). That’s as it should be. Your flesh should be subject to your spirit, because your spirit is the part of you that connects with God.

Be encouraged! Your spirit was created to rule– to tell your senses how they can honor God. He’s the One who is the source of your answer to any problem in life. And the best way to honor and please Him is with your faith (Hebrews 11:6).

 

Original image by Boykung|FreeDigitalPhotos

NIAW 2016

National Infertility Awareness Week–Ask Questions During NIAW!

Posted on by Evangeline

It’s NIAW! There are lots of questions being asked about infertility this week in an effort to raise awareness. Hopefully there are many conversations being started about infertility’s impact on women, marriages, and families.

I want you to consider asking a question from a spiritual standpoint:

Ask God what it is that you still need to see in His Word so that you can believe He has already delivered you from the yoke of infertility.

His Word is able to change any impossibility into…I know I should say “possibility” here but a possibility does not convey the certainty and firmness of receiving what you’re desiring. What you want is not just a possibility. What you want is what He has promised–that none would be barren (Deuteronomy 7:13-14).

Here’s an excerpt from my soon-to-be-released book, Live to Win!, that may shed some light on asking God:

Ask God, knowing He’s the One who loves you like no other. Ask Him with confidence that He is not only able to meet your needs but He is also willing to do so in abundance. God is Spirit and He tells us that He has ears that hear with excellent clarity (Psalm 27:7). When you call to Him, He hears you. He always keeps His promises and His power and goodness are always available—just ask!

Scripture says in 1 John 5:14 that when we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. The Bible is His will. So if God said it in the Bible, you can ask Him for it in Jesus’ name, and you can have confidence that He has heard you. Verse 15 goes on to say that if we know that He has heard us, then we can know that we have what we have asked of Him.

So during NIAW, ask practical questions about your health to your health care provider and ask how you can help encourage someone else suffering with the disease of infertility. Ask your government officials how they can help prod insurance companies to give better health care coverage. Ask your employer how they can get involved in the NIAW movement.

BUT MOST OF ALL, ask God where your answer is in His Word. He will be faithful to show it to you when you take the time to ask, listen, and then look for it.  Ask what it is in His Word that will meet your need and change your circumstances.

NIAW  #StartAsking

What Truth Do You Believe About Overcoming Fertility?

Posted on by Evangeline

What do you believe about overcoming fertility? It’s so easy to believe the negative reports about infertility. We humans are trained through our normal, everyday situations to focus on and remember the negative circumstances of life. But what if there were powerful reasons to believe something radically different from the medical reports and the advice/counsel you get from friends and family?

 Believe His Promises

Would you believe?

Here are three powerful reasons to believe that you are already blessed and empowered to overcome infertility:

  1. God said none will be barren/infertile, not male or female.
    • “You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless.” Deuteronomy 7:14 NIV
  2. God said ALL things are possible with Him  and impossible without Him.
    • “For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37 NLT
    • “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NIV
  3. God said He is always with you and His Spirit bears witness to the Truth (Truth=what God has said). His Word is truth.
    •  “And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross–not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony.” 1John 5:6 NLT
    • “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.” John 17:17 NLT

Be assured that no word from God will ever fail or be void of power (Luke 1:37 NIV and ASV). We’re also told in 1 Kings 8:56 that “not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises He gave.”

Will you believe that His promises of fertility are your truth?

 

Monday’s Marinade – Got Health? Need Help?

Posted on by Evangeline

No matter what health issue you may be facing, God’s Word contains your solution. His promises of healing and deliverance can turn your situation around. Build your faith in the power of His Word. Let your words agree with His. Find healing scriptures and then speak them regularly, as a daily affirmation. Here a few affirmations crafted from Scripture to get you started:

“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed.” ~ Jeremiah 17:14

“The Lord will take away from me all sickness.” ~ Deuteronomy 7:14

“He has redeemed me from the hand of the enemy. He sent His  Word and healed me and delivered me from my destructions.” ~ Psalm 107:2, 20

“Jesus took my infirmities and bore my sicknesses.” ~ Matthew 8:17

“This is my comfort and consolation in my affliction: that Your Word has revived me and given me life.” ~ Psalm 119:50

What other healing scriptures resonate within you? Please share one below!

Monday’s Marinade is a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on scriptures that affirm good health. 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 ask for and affirm good health, here’s your spiritual marinade for this week:

health and healing

facebook infertility group

You’re Not Alone– Join Our Facebook Group

Posted on by Evangeline

Are you feeling alone as you struggle with infertility? Join our Facebook group!

I am excited to invite you to join A Seed of Hope fertility support group, a “Closed” Facebook group created to serve women looking to overcome infertility. Fertility solutions can be found in God’s Word and this group will serve to encourage you  and help you find hope in God’s Word and His promises of fertility.

Living with infertility can leave you feeling isolated, with no one to talk to who really understands the reality of it. By being a part of this group, you won’t have to walk this journey alone.

  • Connect with like-minded women who understand the unique challenge of infertility.
  • Anchor yourself in the hope found in God’s Word so you can diminish doubt and not give up.
  • Share stories and be inspired to take positive action during this season of infertility.

This group is unique in that we will address the spiritual aspect of infertility and will look to God’s Word for encouragement, direction, and hope. I will moderate the group, occasionally posing questions to foster more confidence in God’s promises of fertility.

Come join us on Facebook. Simply request to become a member. Become an active part of this uplifting community!

IMPORTANT: If you have any difficulty with initiating a request to join the group, email me at Evangeline@EvangelineColbert.com to let me know of your desire to join. Then I can send you the Facebook invitation.

Image courtesy of Apolonia | Freedigitalphotos.net

resurrection

Resurrection of Your Confidence in His Promises

Posted on by Evangeline

After Jesus willingly gave His life on the cross for everyone in the world (even the unborn), He did not just leave an empty tomb as proof that He had risen. He chose to once again demonstrate His love for us by presenting “Himself to them [believers] and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3 NIV). Jesus did not want to leave His followers wondering what happened once they saw that His tomb was empty. He wanted to convince them that He indeed had risen. His resurrection served as proof of His finished work on the cross for the justification [freedom from guilt and the penalty of sin] of all who choose to believe in Him!

Two thousand years later, we can live in that freedom because we believe in Jesus’ resurrection.

I think Jesus stayed on earth so long after His death because He wanted to make sure that those who believed in Him had not lost hope. Some may have lost hope because Jesus did not become the reigning King of Israel as they had envisioned Him. Others may have believed the Pharisees’ account of grave robbers having come to steal the body and lost hope that Jesus was really their Messiah. Isn’t that how we find ourselves sometimes–expecting Him to do something in a certain way and then losing hope when He doesn’t do it our way?

But because of His love for those believers (and us), Jesus wanted to assure them that He indeed had risen, so He patiently took time to show Himself to over 500 people (1 Corinthians 15:6). In doing so, He made sure the message of His resurrection would span the globe and stand the test of time so that generations to come could choose to believe and have hope in Him.

If you’ve lost hope for something in your life, maybe for having a baby, or advancing on your job, or overcoming a debilitating illness, RESURRECT your hope! Bring your hope back to life by finding a promise of God in the Bible that relates to your situation. Believe that promise is true for you. If you find it hard to believe, ask God to help you believe it (Mark 9:24). Then speak that promise and expect it to manifest in your life. Be persistent in speaking that promise…your enemy, the devil, will do all he can to distract you from believing and speaking it with confidence. Despite that, continue to thank God that His promise for you is sure and worthy of your trust. Rest assured, your hope will be renewed and your confidence increased as you take a stand on the promises of God.

Live to Win - cover thumbnail

Discover more about taking a confident stand on the promises of God in my upcoming book, Live to Win! 

Coming soon through major booksellers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo of cross courtesy of FreeDigitalPnotos.net

Monday’s Marinade – What You Expect From God

Posted on by Evangeline

Monday’s Marinade is a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week so that you can expect to experience God’s best.

Start your week by meditating about what it is that you expect from God. 

Repeatedly think about this verse and quietly say it to yourself.  Marinate and season your week with hope.Have a confident expectation of good things happening in your life!

COMING SOON: Evangeline’s latest book—Live to Win! You’ll find out more about the importance of expectancy, how to incorporate it into your life, and how it affects your breakthrough to victory.

Here’s your spiritual marinade:Monday's Marinade- EXPECT - Ps 42-11

 

Sticky Note Thoughts #7 – Stupid Sins

Posted on by Evangeline

I admit it– sometimes I commit stupid sins.

Sometimes, it’s easy to think that I can do what I feel God should be doing–especially when He isn’t doing something in my timing or the way I want it done. The Message Bible calls that a stupid sin.  I am smart enough to know that I can’t do anything as well as God can, nor can I do anything without Him (like breathe). But sometimes a challenge may get the best of me and I forget Who really can fix my life (FYI, it’s NOT Iyanla!).

I resolve to no longer commit stupid sins! [Please pray for me! 🙂 ]

I resolve to look to Jesus, the One who can keep me from stupid sins… if I let Him.

 

stupid sins

 

Image template courtesy of Boykung | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Affirmations You Should Be Saying

Posted on by Evangeline

affirmations of trust

Affirmations are a powerful way to express trust.

Sometimes it’s hard to trust and be in agreement with the plans of someone else regarding the impact of their plans for YOUR life. If someone asked you whether you agree with whatever God has said and planned about your situation, what would be your response? Would you express sincere confidence in His plans for you? Your victory depends on trusting His Word and being in agreement with what He has said.

King David of the Bible can be our example of how to be in agreement with God. David, a man who so openly loved and trusted God, knew the power of speaking the Word of God. He said in Psalm 17:4,

“…By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.”

Similarly, affirmations that you speak should be crafted using Scripture.

Affirm the Word of God by speaking it into your life. Doing so will help keep you off of Satan’s paths that are lined with his burdens and devices of deception.  Most importantly, speaking the Word helps you to keep your eyes and mind on Jesus’ love for you. This enables you to agree with His plans and receive the victory over infertility or any other challenge you face.

Stay encouraged!

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

3 Things to Do About Perpetual Pain

Posted on by Evangeline

PainThe pain of infertility can be excruciating. As I stated in my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility, I found the pain of infertility to be worse than the pain of birthing a long-awaited baby via vaginal delivery! For some of you, infertility seems to be perpetual. It’s something you’ve lived with for so long and you don’t see the end in sight. The pain of it never fully goes away and is influenced by what (babies) and who (pregnant friends) you see daily. Well, I want to encourage you with something that you may not have considered before.

Yesterday, during my morning quiet time, I was looking for a scripture about healing and came across Jeremiah 15:15-20. This passage turned my quiet time an eye-opening and exciting experience in the Word! The scripture is not one that directly addresses infertility but it definitely can be applied to it. That’s what I love about God’s Word– it is so organic, malleable, and powerful. It’s able to bring LIFE to any situation we’re facing.

In this passage, Jeremiah is complaining to God about how long he has had to face an enemy, seemingly without any help from God. He even accuses God of failing him in his time of need. Sound familiar? But guess what God’s response was to Jeremiah… “Trust Me.” I know that seems like such an extraneous instruction, one that we hear often, especially when we don’t understand what God is doing. But trusting His faithfulness is the golden ticket to what ever we need from Him. No effort is required on our part. He simply wants us to trust that He loves us and will deliver us.

This particular passage of Scripture is best digested as a combination of various translations. Below, I’ve paraphrased the verses from a few different Bible versions. I hope they open your eyes to what God  has to say about perpetual pain in our lives.

[Jeremiah says] You know where I am, God! You know, understand, and care for me. Remember what I’m doing here! Visit me and avenge me. Take my side against this enemy of mine. Don’t stand back while it ruins me. Just look at the abuse I’m taking! Don’t let my joy slip away while I wait on You.

When I found Your words, I devoured them. Your words made me glad. Your words are what sustain me; they are food to my hungry soul. They bring joy to my sorrowing heart and delight me. How proud I am to bear your name, O Lord. 

Yet, You have failed me in my time of need! You have let this issue continue far too long. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will this never stop hurting me? You are like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail and are uncertain. Your help seems like a seasonal mountain brook—sometimes a flood, sometimes as dry as a bone.  

The Lord replied:

“Stop this foolishness and talk some sense! Return to trusting Me. If you return and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair, then I will give you again a settled place of quiet and safety. And if you cleanse your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning My faithfulness, I will make you like a fortified, bronze wall— strong and impenetrable by troubles. Speak worthy, not worthless, words! You are to influence those troubles by speaking to them; by speaking what I have said.  Do not remain silent and thereby let troubles influence you. They will fight against you, but they will not prevail over you, for I am with you to save and deliver you.”

[Paraphrased from Message, Amplified, Living, and NIV Bibles]

Here are three things that I gleaned from this passage that you can implement in dealing with perpetual pain:

  1. Make a decision to trust God, no matter what. Get rid of the attitudes and words of distrust and despair. (Philippians 4:6-8)
  2. Determine to view God as always being faithful. As a friend once told me, being faithful means you always say “Yes.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)
  3. Choose to ensure your conversations with others reflect what God has said about your deliverance. Speak worthy, not worthless, words! (Proverbs 4:20-22)

Now that you’ve read how God corrected and encouraged Jeremiah about his pain (and gave him hope!), what will you do to address the pain you’re experiencing today? I’d love to hear from you. Leave me a note about what you’ll do!

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles | FreeDigitalPhotos.net