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. Use it as an affirmation. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day. Personalize it by putting your name in it!
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. Use it as an affirmation. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day. Personalize it by putting your name in it!
I recently received an email from business coach, Valorie Burton, that spoke to something that’s been on my heart for a while. Here’s an excerpt from her newsletter:
“While returning from a speaking engagement on an evening flight, the pilot announced that he expected we would land a few minutes early. Instead, as we approached, nearby thunderstorms changed the plan. For more than an hour – as daylight turned to evening – we circled. At first, I found myself – like many of the passengers – feeling agitated. Then I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and enjoyed a few moments of rest.
I’ve noticed that so often in life, when we encounter a holding pattern, the natural reaction is one of frustration for having to wait. But a holding pattern serves a greater purpose – protecting you until the right conditions unfold that allow you to land at your destination safely. In our fast-paced world, we are tempted to believe that faster is always better. Sometimes, though, pushing for something to happen in the wrong timing can unnecessarily force you into a storm.” (c) Copyright 2014 Valorie Burton and Inspire Inc.
Valorie encouraged her readers to “take a deep breath, trust God’s timing and calmly embrace the journey.”
I think that’s what God means when He says to rest in Him. He wants us to receive the lavish, unfailing love He has for us and then trust Him to workout whatever the challenge is that we may be facing. That can be hard to do but I have a feeling that it’s the best way to come out on the other side of that challenge with the results that are best for us.
In the Bible, Sarah did not initially trust God’s timing. She had spent years waiting for His promise of a son. In her impatience, she decided to have her husband, Abram, impregnate her maid, Hagar (Genesis 16). She chose not to rest in God’s love for her. She chose not to trust His promise and His timing. Her choice to not wait for the child of promise did not lead to the fulfillment of her hope for a child. What resulted from her “pushing for something to happen,” has been manifested as a centuries-long conflict between the Arab descendants of Ismael (the son of Hagar) and the Jewish descendants of Isaac (the son of Sarah).
So today I encourage you to actively seek that place of rest. Rest in knowing that Jesus finished the work on your behalf on the cross and He desires that you accept it to the fullest extent.
Trust His promises.
Trust His wisdom.
Trust that His effort is better than yours so you can relax and wait expectantly with patience and joy.
Why?
His love for you is unfailing, His timing is impeccable, and the presence of His power in the midst of your challenge will bring the desired results of victory (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Do you know the power of your words?
Do you know the power of God’s words?
They can be one in the same, IF you’re saying what God said about your circumstances in His Word, the Bible.
Our words have the creative power of death and life (Proverbs 18:21). We get to choose whether they will be words of blessing or of cursing (Deuteronomy 30:19; James 3:10).
May I suggest that everyday, you choose to speak words of life and blessing? You may be thinking, “OK, but HOW do I do that?”
Find scriptures that promise what you need and then continually speak them, meditate on them, visualize yourself enjoying those promises of what you need or desire. Then you’ll be automatically speaking life and blessing because that’s all that God’s Word contains (John 6:63).
So no matter what your challenge is, whether it’s infertility, marital issues, finances, health, etc., remember to believe and say what God has said about it.
Yeah…what He said.
During the Winter Olympics, will you be mindful that you too are a winner? And you didn’t even have to compete!
Your victory is in Jesus; therefore you are forever a victor, never a victim.
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. Use it as an affirmation. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day. Personalize it by putting your name in it!
It’s my pleasure to have Lisha Epperson bless you with her unique way of inspiring you to have hope– to wait with expectancy. Thanks Lisha for being my guest!
It was Christmas and the long drive out to southern New Jersey made my legs cramp and tingle. I jumped out of my seat, folding arms around my most valued possession. That year, I was happy. That year, I had a baby to hold. I made a beeline for the entrance. Making my way to my brothers’ always open door, I trudged through fresh fallen snow.
Cold rushed in behind me but couldn’t compete with their cozy home. I pushed the door shut with my free arm and enjoyed the heart warming feeling of family…of home. Surrounded by faces I love, I looked up to see my sister-in-law coming down the stairs. She had just given birth to their third child…a boy. And I had forgotten the particular sting a new baby brings to a woman who cannot birth her own children. I was in love with my son and in so many ways fulfilled, when I remembered. Adoption isn’t a cure for infertility. It healed my hurt but didn’t cure the longing.
She held him over her shoulder swaddled in a thin tan blanket. I could smell him. Before she reached me I imagined the softness of his skin, the tender curl of his hair. I wasn’t done. The longing was intense and moved me to hopeful, happy tears. I lowered my eyes to hide tears I could never explain. That night I knew there’d be another baby in my world. And so began another season of waiting.
This season of waiting would be different though. I’d learned how to do it.
Winter is for waiting.
It’s cold and NYC is covered in a blanket of snow. Outside, several inches cling to over-laden leaves and branches. They bend, giving in and to the weight of their unexpected burden.
But it’s beautiful and important. The shimmering softness and powdery glitter tell stories of an airy wonderland. It feels magical and weightless. But tiny leaves and thin branches have another story to tell. They’re holding on.
Look closely. Each snowflake under a veil of uniformity is unique. And today’s snow fall won’t look the same tomorrow. In fact, each storm is new and will never come again. Winter is a perpetual pause, a forced interruption before the wild rush of spring. Winter wills us to wait in expectancy. A tender shoot. A fragile twig, the elusive bud. Winter demands….spring.
It’s broken, brittle and cracks. Lulled by this cyclical suspension, winter forces us inside. We crave shelter, a covering and protection from danger. We retreat to prepare for the hopeful promise of spring. But first we wait.
Winter is a season of waiting. Powdery hills and drifts camouflage life. And bare trees crush optimism. Winter covers or strips…either way, our view is obstructed and we find it hard to see.
Winter is hard not hopeless.
Winter tests our faith…because the promise of spring comes with this truth. Not every tree will bloom. Not every bud will blossom. But we’re born to believe and winter makes us wrestle. We long for a faith that’s whole. Desperate to believe, we settle in to let God do the work….mending the cracks in our fragmented faith. In winter, we swallow the word whole and simply, beautifully…TRUST.
That winter was different. That winter I embraced the quiet. I didn’t worry about the wait.
The stillness and silence of a world gone cold is perfect for restoration. Before the breakthrough we’d do well to replenish. It’s the ideal time to renew our faith…to prepare our hearts to again…BELIEVE.
Winter is for wisdom. Let’s use it wisely.
Lisha Epperson writes the stories of her life on the couch , in the car or at the kitchen table. She scratches out bits and pieces of joy and lessons learned while homeschooling 4 children she affectionately calls the Lovelies…..usually with a cold cup of coffee nearby. It isn’t easy to carve out a modern Christian lifestyle in NYC but that’s what she’s doing. Lisha is passionate about marriage, motherhood, nutrition and her Christian faith. She makes room for her journey through infertility and adoption and shares a warrior song about this experience as an encouragement to women at www.seespeakhearmama.com. In other travels Lisha was a ballet dancer and clothing designer. She is currently in the process of launching Epperson Design Studio featuring stationery, crafts and clothing.
God would not give us anything that is not true to His character of love.
Today’s love note to you from God.
Find more love notes from God in His Word, the Bible.
God IS love. Allow His love to be an ever-flowing river, with cascades of the highest levels of joy in your life.
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. Use it as an affirmation. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day. Personalize it by putting your name in it!
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me [Jesus].” John 14:1 (NLT)