Lessons Learned From a Swept Floor
The broom swished over the tile and I wondered how many times I'd swept this exact tile, this exact corner of the room. It would depend, I thought, on how often this particular tile was exposed from underneath a sofa or chair. Maybe I've been sweeping it for the last 4 months, but before that? Maybe it had been a few years because it resided darkly beneath a love seat.
Sweep, swish, dustpan.
It's the same tile, with the same semi-grungy grout: cleaner at the edges of the room than in higher trafficked areas. It's the same room that we've cried in, laughed in, sang in and slept in front of the television in. And for the most part, it houses the same furniture it did seven years ago.
Sweep, swish, think, dustpan.
How many times has the property in my heart been rearranged? It's been moved, shoved, cleaned by life. Betrayals, indiscretions, hurts, iron-sharpening-iron.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of Sarah's story: Lessons Learned From a Swept Floor, how God prepared her heart as she was preparing her home for Easter. Sarah Markley writes at www.saramarkley.com, and she's a regular contributor to DaySpring's blog (in)courage.
Family Activity: A Repentance Box
Our Box of Repentances, preparing our hearts for Easter, is tucked into a corner of our Peace Retreat - because what peace is there without peace with God?
As the day rolls out, and snags here and there, we find ourselves, Mama and Dad, big kids and little, taking a moment to confess our sins on small cards, slipping them into our box of repentances.
In this practice we are experiencing it afresh: Confessing sins is a cleansing, emancipating grace.
Come Easter morning... we'll burn up our cards of sins confessed.
Because they are, astoundingly, no more, because of Christ who did it all.
"I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,
And I will not remember your sins." Isaiah 43:25
CLICK HERE to read more from Ann about her family's Repentance Box activity in preparation for Easter. Ann Voskamp writes at A Holy Experience. She is the author of the bestselling book One Thousand Gifts, and a contributor to DaySpring's blog (in)courage.
Devotions for Easter
Rejoice!
"...As Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father,
we too may live a new life."
Romans 6:4
Devotions on Jesus & Preparation for Easter
We have been sharing a second Devotional Email every Wednesday with messages focused on Jesus, the Cross, His Resurrection, and the New Life we celebrate this season. We invite you to join us in preparation of a Christ-filled Easter, and to help us share the hope of Jesus with others.
CLICK HERE for Week 1: Jesus is Hope
CLICK HERE for Week 2: The Resurrection and The Life
CLICK HERE for Week 3: Jesus - Light of the World {Free Printable}
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Good Things Ahead for You!
WALK - RUN - FLY
When you WALK the Lord with guide you.
When you RUN He will sustain you.
And when you FLY, yes when you FLY-
He will take you places you've never dreamed.
The Lord has good things ahead for you!
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. Isaiah 40:31
Devotions for Easter
Rejoice!
"...As Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father,
we too may live a new life."
Romans 6:4
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God's Grace Covers Me
I am...
G - God's
R - Redeemed
A - Accepted
C - Chosen
E - Expression
of love.
God chose you from the beginning.
II Thessalonians 2:13
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Falling From...
I caught my fingers on the keys yesterday.
I almost typed the words:
"FALL FROM GRACE"
I was trying to describe my own history and I had no other language to use to describe it. Like when a toddler uses "big" to describe everything from elephants to trucks to bowls of spaghetti. "Big" is the only good word he knows to use in that situation.
Fall from grace. I didn't know how else to put it, but something irritated me about that term.
We actually don't fall from grace, do we?
As if grace is a place we live in and then when we do something terrible we fall out of it. We hang, feet dangling, above the nothingness of life.
In reality we are all broken people... So every day, when we fail again, and again, and another time, we FALL BACK INTO the pillow of grace. We fall down into the wild, unexpected arms of His forgiveness, not OUT of it.
That is where we belong... in the arms of grace.
What do you think? Have you had it backward all along?
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By Grace Alone
By the grace of God,
I am what I am.
I Corinthians 15:10
Devotions on Jesus & Preparation for Easter
We have been sharing a second Devotional Email every Wednesday with messages focused on Jesus, the Cross, His Resurrection, and the New Life we celebrate this season. We invite you to join us in preparation of a Christ-filled Easter, and to help us share the hope of Jesus with others.
CLICK HERE for Week 1: Jesus is Hope
CLICK HERE for Week 2: The Resurrection and The Life
CLICK HERE for Week 3: Jesus - Light of the World {Free Printable}
CLICK HERE for Week 4: Prepare Heart & Home for Easter
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The Blessings of Spring
Lovely flowers show us God's faithfulness...
If God cares so wonderfully for flowers...won't He more surely care for you? Matthew 6:30
Singing birds tell us of His tender care...
Look at the birds...Your heavenly father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than they are.
Matthew 6:26
Soft rains remind us of His refreshing grace...
I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessings. Ezekiel 34:26
Sunny days reflect the light He brings...
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will...have the light of life. John 8:12
All of Spring proclaims the hope God gives our hearts!
See! The winter is past; the rains are come and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come. Song of Solomon 2:11-12
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Always Loved
When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then Thou knewest my path... I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Psalm 142:3,5
Your worst day as a child of God is better than your best day when you were without Him.
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31
There is no place beyond His strength...
no boundaries to His love...
no limit to His mercies...
no problem outside His solutions...
no need beyond His care.
Devotional encouragement by Roy Lessin, excerpts from his gift book Always Loved.
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By Grace Alone
By the grace of God,
I am what I am.
I Corinthians 15:10
Devotions on Jesus & Preparation for Easter
We have been sharing a second Devotional Email every Wednesday with messages focused on Jesus, the Cross, His Resurrection, and the New Life we celebrate this season. We invite you to join us in preparation of a Christ-filled Easter, and to help us share the hope of Jesus with others.
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Tree of Mystery
Just before Easter I was driving the kids over to see my parents and we were talking about all the beautiful trees that had blossomed overnight. The whole neighborhood was transformed by bursts of lavender, pink, and pure white and it looked like something out of a movie.
"Which one is your favorite, Kate?" She pointed out at a tall white tree that looked like it was covered with snowballs.
"How about you, Ellie? Got a favorite?" She watched as the houses passed us and then a few seconds later I heard her say quietly, "That one, mommy. That one is my favorite. It's the prettiest one on the whoooole street. That's what I think."
I made a confused face and looked at her in the rearview mirror. "I think it's dead mommy. It doesn't have anything on it. But it's the prettiest one." I just sat and waited, fascinated by the fact that out of everything we were looking at, that was the one she chose.
"Well...it looks dead, but I love it because everyone picks the fancy ones and that one might be keeping a secret. Maybe it's flowers haven't come out yet, or maybe it's just pretending to be dead. Nobody knows what that one is going to do. So I think it's the most beautiful."
I sat stunned with my hand on the gearshift, unable to even put it into drive because I so felt the presence of the Lord. He uses my girls so many times when He is speaking to me and I know from experience that it's best to just be still and soak it in.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of Angie Smith's story: Tree of Mystery, how God revealed truth about the Resurrection and prepared her heart for Easter through her daughter's favorite tree choice.
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Why a Christian Family May Celebrate Passover: A Messianic Seder
I shouldn't have been surprised when the questions came, rushing like a river searching... God knew they would.
And He planned for parents to answer and teach, so children might learn: "And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, 'This is done because of what the LORD did for me...(Exodus 13:8).
For there are children pressing in now, anxious for just this, this tradition, this meal before candles, this sipping of goblets. The questions now trickle, the same four questions that have come rippling down from one generation, to the next, for centuries; from the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...to our children.
Levi, his young voice pitched high but gentle, asks the first of the three-thousand-year-old queries, "Why are we eating unleavened bread, or matzah, tonight?"
I pick up the matzah, a flat cracker of bread, striped with narrow lines, and pierced with small holes. And I answer in the only way I know how, "Because tonight we remember Jesus. By whose stripes we are healed. Yeast leavens, or puffs up, as pride and sin inflates our hearts. Tonight we eat unleavened bread, bread without yeast, to remember Jesus who was without sin."
I break the matzah in half and whisper, "Just like He was broken for us."
CLICK HERE to read the remaining three questions and answers that are part of Ann Voskamp's family tradition of celebrating a Messianic Passover.
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Devotions for Easter
Jesus is light... Shattering all darkness.
He is Truth... Silencing all doubts.
He is life... Defeating death.
Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."
John 14:6
Devotions on Jesus & Preparation for Easter
We invite you to join us in preparation of a Christ-filled Easter, and to help us share the hope of Jesus with others.
CLICK HERE for Week 1: Jesus is Hope
CLICK HERE for Week 2: The Resurrection and The Life
CLICK HERE for Week 3: Jesus - Light of the World {Free Printable}
CLICK HERE for Week 4: Prepare Heart & Home for Easter
CLICK HERE for Week 5: By Grace Alone {Free Printable}
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His Day of Victory
Jesus-
His shed blood means...
We can live each day in His forgiveness.
His resurrection means...
We can walk constantly in newness of life.
His presence means...
We can know His victory in each situation.
His love means...
We will never face anything alone!
His day of victory makes all our days complete!
Praying His Very Best is Yours this Easter Season
For in Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
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Think How Much More
Jesus came into this world before we were living in it;
He gave His life before we had ever committed a sin...
If He did that much for us before we were born, think of all He desires to bless us with now that we are here!
May your Easter be a time of fully enjoying His gift,
His blessings, and His love for you!
He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:32
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Devotions for Easter
Jesus is light... Shattering all darkness.
He is Truth... Silencing all doubts.
He is life... Defeating death.
Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."
John 14:6
Devotions on Jesus & Preparation for Easter
We invite you to join us in preparation of a Christ-filled Easter, and to help us share the hope of Jesus with others.
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There's no greater love
than the love of Jesus
There's no love that's wiser, that's stronger,
that lasts longer, that's more willing or thrilling.
There's no love more beautiful, more bountiful,
more bold, more basic and unbiased.
There's no love more gracious, more giving,
more living, more sacred, more selfless,
more soul-satisfying, more pure and undying.
There's no love more verifiable, more valuable,
more validating, more victorious, more glorious.
There's no love more precious, more costly, more kingly.
There's no love that's greater-that's more wonderful,
more wild, more passionate, more powerful - than the love of Jesus.
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Jesus' Best Day
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
The cross was Jesus' best day because He did the will of His Father, because He glorified and pleased the Father through His obedience, and because He finished the work the Father sent Him to do.
The cross was His best day because it meant the day of salvation, the day of redemption, and the fulfillment of the day that was foreordained before foundation of the world.
Jesus' death on the cross has made it possible for this day to be your best day.
--Roy Lessin
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God's Amazing Love
His love is unquestionable-
Its power unconquerable,
Its meaning undeniable,
Its mystery unexplainable,
Its sacrifice incomparable,
Its price unimaginable,
Its absence unthinkable!
For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son... John 3:16
CLICK HERE to download this Free Printable message.
Devotions on Jesus & Preparation for Easter
We invite you to join us in preparation of a Christ-filled Easter, and to help us share the hope of Jesus with others.
CLICK HERE for Week 1: Jesus is Hope
CLICK HERE for Week 2: The Resurrection and The Life
CLICK HERE for Week 3: Jesus - Light of the World {Free Printable}
CLICK HERE for Week 4: Prepare Heart & Home for Easter
CLICK HERE for Week 5: By Grace Alone {Free Printable}
CLICK HERE for Week 6: Easter Truths on Resurrection & Sacrifice
CLICK HERE for Week 7: God's Amazing Love {Free Printable}
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You are Loved & Known
What kind of week have you had?
Hard, great, somewhere in between?
I wish I could sit down with you today, lean across the table and let you tell me about the moments that made you laugh or the ones that brought tears, about the fears you faced and the joy you felt, about the obstacles that seemed so big and the breakthroughs you never thought could happen. All of it.
I'm glad that even though I can't be there, Someone can. And He doesn't just have to hear about it second hand. He was there. For every moment. Every smile, every frown, every victory, every let-down.
And He's still here...inviting you to tell Him all about all of it again. Until you know again that everything is going to be okay. He'll comfort you, celebrate with you, whatever you need.
Because He loves you.
And that's what love does.
--Holley Gerth
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Never Alone
You're never alone. God is with you.
He knows your name.
He numbers the hairs on your head.
He understands the cares in your heart.
Every morning, He's by your side.
Every night, He watches over you as you sleep.
There's never a moment you're not in His thoughts...
never a day you're not in His care.
You're never on your own.
He whispers to your heart, "You're forever My own."
Just a little reminder...Love is with you today.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God. I John 4:16
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By Grace Alone
Do you wonder if God sees what you're walking through?
He does. Not casually, but in detail - with a love that will sustain and strengthen you with every step.
Search the book of the Lord and see all that He will do; not one detail will He miss. Isaiah 34:16 TLB
God has everything you need today.
God wants to be involved in everything you do today.
God has a purpose for everything you face today.
There is no one else as interested in everything that concerns you, as the God who loves you with all
His heart.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 NIV
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Jesus Is...
Jesus is our Comfort. If we have faith in Him alone, we can rest assured that He will care for us.
May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your promise. Psalm 119:76 NIV
Jesus came to comfort and to restore. God's promises
are true and powerful in Jesus, and He is faithful to care
for you.
--Devotional excerpts from April 27-29 of the 365 Day Perpetual Calendar Jesus Is....
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The sunrise ushers in God's grace toward you-yesterday is forgotten, today is in His hands & tomorrow is filled with promises.
Isn't it amazing to know the God of the universe set you apart to be His very own? Let your heart celebrate being held in His hands, loved by His heart, and cradled in His care.
The Lord has set apart the godly for Himself; the Lord will hear when I call to Him. Psalm 4:3
--Excerpt from Moments of Grace for Women by Bonnie Jensen.
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Whatever challenges you encounter, God has promised to help you. When your faith is tested or circumstances are uncertain, you can rest confident in these guarantees from God's word. Read them. Meditate on them. Let them soak into your spirit. And then, with God as your perfect companion, every adventure of your life will be better than you've ever imagined.
The LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you. Deuteronomy 15:6
--Excerpt from God's Promises for Graduates - Class of 2012
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The Power of His Love
Wider than the widest river...
Deeper than the deepest ocean...
Able to reach from the Savior in heaven,
straight to You with a single prayer...
That's the power of His love...
and I pray it fills you up today.
How wide and long and high and deep
is the love of Christ. Ephesians 3:18
Did God bring someone to mind that needs a reminder of His love?
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God Cares About Every Detail
God cares about every detail of your life...
He collects every tear in a bottle. (Psalm 56:8)
He numbers every hair on your head. (Luke 12:7)
He knows every hurt in your heart. (Psalm 34:18)
The Lord knows all you are going through.
He loves you, He cares for you,
and He will make sure not one detail is overlooked.
Thinking of You and Praying too
God cares, cares right down to the last detail.
James 5:11 The Message
Did God bring someone to mind that needs to know God cares?
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Prayer, America's Hope
No ocean can hold it back.
No river can overtake it.
No whirlwind can go faster.
No army can defeat it.
No law can stop it.
No distance can slow it.
No disease can cripple it.
No force on earth is more powerful or effective
than the power of prayer.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:22
Prayer is America's hope. Thursday, May 3rd is the 61st Annual Observance of the National Day of Prayer. Join with millions of people in prayer for America. We invite you to be part of interceding for our nation, leaders, communities and families. One prayer, one heart at a time, we can change our nation!
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Join the National Day of Prayer
A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper He amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in whom I trust. Psalm 91:2
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A Mother's Day Prayer for You
May you have all the joy your heart can hold...
All the smiles a day can bring...
All the blessings a life can unfold...
may you have God's best in everything!
Have a Wonderful Day
The blessing of the Lord be upon you.
Psalm 129:8
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The Lord Brought You To Mind
Lord, You brought someone special to mind.
I pray You will bless her
for the many ways she's been a blessing.
Surround her with Your love,
and the love of those who care so much for her.
Help her to see the many ways she's touched her family and the many hearts who are blessed by her life.
Happy Mother's Day with Love
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.
Philippians 1:4
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Looking Up When Life Is Looking Down
Then one day, at the bottom of my pit, I raised my weary head and dirty, tear-streaked face to the sky. And redemption drew nigh. God knew the plan He had for me.
You can get out. And I do mean you. But here's the catch: You can't get yourself out.
We need a Deliverer who is in for the long haul. Philippians 1:6 tells us that God, who began a good work, is faithful to complete it.
--Beth Moore, excerpt from her devotional gift book: Looking Up When Life Is Looking Down.
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Plans for Hope and a Future
...I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and
I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when
you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:10-13
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A Commitment to God & Family
I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.
I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.
I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.
- Excerpt from The Resolution, featured in the movie COURAGEOUS
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A Prayer for the Brokenhearted
Father of the brokenhearted daughter...
Oh, hear our prayer...
Give Your daughter the wisdom to know it:
Hiding when you're hurting won't heal you and growing isolated can just let infection grow.
Give Your daughter the love to live it:
The secret way to heal a broken heart is to let love leak out like an ocean through all the cracks.
The best way to tend to your open wounds is to open your arms... When you have Jesus on the inside, you're never on the outside... When Love's got hold of you, there isn't a lie in the universe that can pull you apart.
And may all her trials be but a trail, all the stones on the way be but grace stairs to God.
In name of Jesus who broke His heart to heal ours...Amen.
- Devotional excerpt by Ann Voskamp. Click Here to read the entire prayer and the heartfelt comments.
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God Will See You Through
Sometimes it's hard to see through our tears.
But even when we can't see,
God has promised to be there-
loving us, strengthening us,
giving us what we need to face each day.
No matter what happens God will hold you close and see you through because you are so precious to Him.
God cards, cares right down to the last detail.
James 5:11 The Message
Did God bring someone to mind that may be hurting or in need of encouragement?
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Things Our Hearts Forget
Hello, You...
The one beginning your week,
maybe thinking about your hurts,
hoping no one wil notice until you are better.
Lean in close,
You are already good enough.
You don't have to be better.
Not because you're perfect
(because none of us are)
but because you're loved
by a God who is committed to
"completing the good work He started in you."
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6
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Your Heart Should Remember
You have grace enough for this day.
You have something to give.
You are created with care
and placed in this world with a plan,
His plan.
No one can take your place.
Whatever this week will hold for you,
let Him be the One to hold your heart,
the One who will never stop telling you
all the ways you're loved.
- Holley Gerth
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When You're in the Middle of a Struggle
We talk about our struggles.
We're friends, fellow travelers on this journey. She keeps repeating a phrase, "I'm the girl who...."
It's the phrase I've heard from the lips of hundreds of women. From my own too.
We face a challenge and redefine ourselves by it.
Here are some I've said:
I'm the girl who has social anxiety.
I'm the girl who has depression.
I'm the girl who can't have children.
Those sentences trap us, limit us, make us believe we are our worst moments.
I clear my throat and whisper quietly into the phone what has set me free...
"That's not who you are, friend, it's where you are right now."
She sighs with relief and says the words that are like candy for my ears, "You need to write about this on your blog." So here we are. Because I need to hear this truth more than once...and maybe you do too.
Your struggle is not your identity.
It's your location at the moment.
If there were spiritual GPS, we could locate your spot in the desert. Imagine you did so with me and I said, "This place is my identity forever." You'd shake your head and say, "You're on your way to the Promised Land! This is just a temporary stop!"
Then you'd remind me...
I'm the girl who is God's daughter.
I'm the girl with strengths placed within me for a purpose.
I'm the girl who's unconditionally loved by Someone who can get me through anything.
Where we are in life changes.
Who we are stays the same wherever we may go.
Where are you today, friend?
And who are you, really?
Words of encouragement by Holley Gerth. For more hope and encouragement, visit her blog Heart to Heart with Holley. And to receive Free Devotionals from Holley, Click Here to subscribe by e-mail.
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Prayers & Blessings
- Encouragement Booklets -
You're a blessing & I thank God for you!
Lord, I pray that You will pour out Your goodness on them, and may the joy they have given to others be returned to them many times over.
I have not stopped giving thanks for
you, remembering you in my prayers.
Ephesians 1:16
-Excerpt from Prayers & Blessings premium booklet. Available this month
for a Special Price!
God's Heart for You
- Premium Card Special -
Think of it...You belong to a God
who has no limitations.
His provisions are endless,
His blessings are measureless,
and His generosity is boundless.
All that is in His heart (for you)
flows out in waves of love.
-Excerpt from God's Heart for You
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God's Heart For You
Think of it...
You belong to a God who has no limitations.
He is able to do things for you,
be mighty in you, and bring blessings to you.
His provisions are endless,
His blessings are measureless,
and His generosity is boundless.
All that is in His heart (for you)
flows out in waves of love.
They are sent to touch you, to fill you, and to cover you.
You cannot contain them for they are
more than your mind can imagine,
more than your arms can embrace,
and more than your heart can hold.
Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25
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You Must Be Born Again
Born Again. Once just wasn't enough.
Jesus replied, "You must be born again."
John 3:5,7 NLT
It's not about religion.
It's about a relationship with God.
Share Christ with those around you, and equip youth to share in schools, with these messages featured on our Back to School Supplies. Look for them at select Walmart and Christian Retail Stores.
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My Future & My Friend
Forever is in my future.
I John 2:17
The world and everything that people want in it are passing away, but the person who does what God wants lives forever. I John 2:17 NCV
Jesus is my BFF
1 Corinthians 1:9
[God] is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9 TLB
Share Christ with those around you, and equip youth to share in schools, with these messages featured on our Back to School Supplies. Look for them at select Walmart and Christian Retail Stores.
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When It's Best Not To Listen
To The Voice In Your Head
There are so many things I'm not good at.
And apparently I have an inner monologue determined to record each and every one of them.
There's a voice in my head that tells me I am not enough. Some days it's quiet and some days it's super shouty.
My friend Holley calls it devil static - the noise that tries to drown out the truth God is speaking into our lives and through our lives. The noise that crackles and cackles and tries to poke fun at who we are growing up into; tries to derail us out of sheer embarrassment.
And there is a much greater voice, a voice with all the rich, resonant tones of Truth so filled with love for us that unlike that devil static He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
-Devotional excerpt by Lisa-Jo from (in)courage.
Click Here to read Lisa-Jo's full devotional story and testimony.
For more hope and encouragement, visit with us at the (in)courage blog. And to receive Free Devotionals from (in)courage {and be entered into a monthly DaySpring $100 drawing}, Click Here to subscribe by e-mail.
God Rejoices In You
The Lord your God is with you...
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
God rejoices in your life.
He believes in you... watches over you...
and tenderly keeps you in His constant care.
You are valued and loved,
not only by those who know you,
but by the One who created you!
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Take That Brave Step
It's funny how the biggest, bravest steps in our lives often happen quietly...
When we decide that God's silent whisper is somehow louder than the sound of our heart about to beat out of our chest. When we longingly look back at our comfort zone and say, "I'm going to miss you." When we cross the ocean and burn the ships and we don't yet know what we may find.
Everyone talks about when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. But that's not the only time God parted the waters for them. On the edge of the Promised Land, they came to the Jordan river. When the priests stepped into the water then it parted. It always takes a step of faith to get to the Promised Land. Always. And if you wait until you're unafraid, you'll never cross.
Go for your Promised Land, friend.
Let nothing hold you back.
Put your feet into that water and feel the dry ground of God's goodness.
You can do this with Him-one step at a time.
"With God all things are possible."
Words of encouragement by Holley Gerth. For more hope and encouragement, visit her blog Heart to Heart with Holley. And to receive Free Devotionals from Holley, Click Here to subscribe by e-mail.
Move Forward
God is with you, for you,
behind you, and ahead of you.
And even if you lose your way for a bit,
even if you grow weary,
even if you donít know which direction to go at times,
His purposes will prevail.
So move forward in faith, woman of courage,
and know that love goes with you all the way.
Many are the plans...but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21
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Open Doors to Community
{Flower Pins & Chocolate}
If there is one thing I know about building community, it is that to be successful, you have to have two things: an open door and someone to go through it. An open door is one in which you have provided a safe, comfortable, welcoming environment for someone to enter in to a community where they may not know anyone. Building community is a two way street to be sure, but someone needs to make the first move by creating the open door environment.
We are praying for even more women to take that important brave step by walking through the open door and meeting us in the middle where we can get to know each other!
A local community of friends is SO important, sweet dear ladies, and it can't be built when we choose to stay home instead of participating. Oh, it is so tempting to stay home sometimes, isn't it? There have been times I've set the stage for community and women were too tired or too busy to meet me in the middle. They didn't realize the divine opportunity to encourage others by their presence.
I know we are all really busy and have so much going on. But I encourage you to make real community building a priority in your life. Set aside time for it. God designed us to grow and thrive as followers of Christ in community. We need each other more than we might even realize!
Be a door opener or one who walks through the doors. Either way, you'll be a blessing to someone else and in all likelihood you'll BE blessed.
-Devotional excerpt by Melissa from (in)courage.
Click Here to read Melissa's story about building a church family in a new community.
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