Joy and a Thankful Heart – Part 2 of 3

Joy is not a feeling that just comes and goes like natural happiness. Natural happiness is gained by the ups in life and not the downs. Joy, however, is supernatural. You can have joy even in the midst of great trials. God gives us the grace to live joy through it all. If that is the case, then how can we maintain our joy? Joy is maintained by nurturing a thankful heart. It’s easy to be thankful when everything is going right, but what about when adversity strikes? How do we react then? The ultimate test is to see if we can be thankful...

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Joy and a Thankful Heart – Part 1 of 3

We have an enemy called the devil, who goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour (1Peter 5:8). We ought not to underestimate his craftiness because when our guard is down he’ll try to blindside us. Whether we like it or not, the truth is that we are engaged in a war twenty-four hours a day. Every team wants to know its opponent’s strategy so that it can win the game. That is why I may mention the devil’s strategies now and again – not to give the enemy glory, but to expose his game plan. When God gave Adam and Eve...

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Poem - Be Faithful in the Little Things

Be faithful in the little things And God will give you more. Be faithful in the little things And He’ll open the door. Did He give you a job? Then do it well. Were you honest? Only time can tell. As God has blessed you, Have you blessed others? Have you loved your neighbor And Christian sisters and brothers? There is no such thing As a spiritual lottery And there are no short-cuts To godly maturity. So be faithful in the little things And God will give you more. Be faithful in the little things And He’ll open the door. by...

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Discovering Your Potential - Part 5 of 5

Most people will not champion you beyond their idea of what is possible. Therefore, you have to be willing to go where others refuse to follow. Many people are trapped in boxes of their own making. They feel either threatened by or jealous of anyone who ventures beyond their limited understanding. They take comfort in surrounding themselves with others who are doing the same. Christians are not exempt from this kind of thinking. We are all tempted to hold on to what is familiar and to build our walls around that. When we ask the Holy...

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Discovering Your Potential - Part 4 of 5

The God who worked supernaturally through the prophets and the apostles is the same God who is still working through His servants today. God wants us to use the gifts of the Spirit, but not for our own gain. They are available to us in order to bless the body of Christ and to reveal God to unbelievers. Either we can be Jesus “wanna-bes” (all talk and no power) or we can be the real thing. God desires to transform us from being average Christians to being Spirit-filled (Matt. 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33). Be open to the Spirit...

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Discovering Your Potential - Part 3 of 5

When I was a teenager, I asked God to give me the ability to play the piano by ear. I was taking piano lessons at the time and found trying to read music slow going. Around that time I also asked God to give me the ability to write poetry. Well, I never developed into a pianist, but I did begin writing poetry. My first request may not have been granted, but my second one was. Because I was willing to try something new, I became richer for it. The good news is that we don’t have to stay where we’re at. There’s much more up ahead for...

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Discovering Your Potential - Part 2 of 5

Too many women wish they had different hair, or eyes of a different color, or different gifts and talents. Wishing we were something or someone else only cripples our potential and our joy. Some even think that they’re not a bit talented or gifted. Actually, we’re all talented and gifted, but in different ways and to different degrees. We bring God glory when we embrace the unique way that He made each of us. We are like life coaches, but we can’t coach our kids about discovering their identities if we don’t know our own. Therefore,...

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Discovering Your Potential – Part 1 of 5

The devil doesn’t like it when Christians are in a healthy relationship with God. He knows that if he can keep us from really connecting with our Maker, then he can keep us from reaching our full potential. That potential is wrapped up in a God-given calling. Part of knowing our calling is knowing who we are as individuals. God made each of us differently for His good pleasure. He has given us both natural and supernatural potential. The natural potential God puts in us and we discover it. He does this like a computer programmer....

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Finding Balance – Part 3 of 3

Perhaps you’ve chosen to be a full-time homemaker. That fact doesn’t mean the other members of the family don’t need to help. They’ll learn to appreciate what you’re doing when they have to do a few things themselves. They will also take ownership of the values that you hold concerning home life. In my home, my husband jokes that he’s the butler and I’m the maid. It’s the reality of our home life. We shoulder the load together and endeavor to teach our kids the same. We’re a good team, but it has taken us lots of open communication...

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Finding Balance - Part 2 of 3

When God designed us, He had a vision and purpose for our lives beyond that of caregiver. God made us unique individuals for a reason. He didn’t label us “Childbearing Females,” throw us all into one great big category marked “Homemaker” and leave us there. Yet, we easily get stuck and lost in the complexities of raising a family. It’s easy to get sucked up into the whirlwind of working and raising kids only to get spat out at the other end as living zombies. We can go through the motions so that people think we’re still alive, but...

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Finding Balance - Part 1 of 3

God desires that we live out of a relationship with Him so that there will be a healthy balance of priorities to our day. When there’s an imbalance in our lives it’s important to find out what’s causing it, why it is there, and how we can change things to improve the quality of our lives. Imbalances can be harmful to our peace and joy and, of course, our health. Sometimes it’s as simple as choosing to get enough sleep, but at other times it’s more complicated than that. If you can’t see the way out of a bad situation, ask God to...

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Happy Moms - Part 2

If you feel guilty about spending time on yourself, then remind yourself that God’s love for you is greater than the greatest love you could ever have for your children. Of course, He loves your children with that same powerful love. Therefore, He doesn’t want you to neglect yourself. Sometimes you have to deny yourself for your family’s sake, but if you do it all the time then your family loses something very valuable, and that is you! Your family needs the real you with your personality, not a robot! Remember, God loves you for who...

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Happy Moms - Part 1

The previous blogs were about developing a healthy relationship with God. These next few blogs are about developing a healthy relationship with ourselves. Cultivating a healthy relationship with ourselves is not a new concept. However, it’s not about becoming self-absorbed. It’s about rediscovering what makes us unique and what our purpose is. It’s also about creating balance and boundaries. Each of us has the ability to positively influence thousands through the people that cross our paths every day. Satan knows this will hurt his...

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