Help
Thank You
You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved
Everything We Need
Even There, Even here, Even Everywhere…God is
Wherever you find yourself today, know that you’re not alone. You’re not stuck. You’re not without someone who cares, and who’s able to save. Thank God, there’s no escaping His presence
Even there, even here, even everywhere God is always present to lead and guide, to strengthen and support.
God, thank You for always being there! I can’t run away or do anything to escape Your presence. Your love is light, Your strength is supportive, and Your guidance is good. Even when I mess up time and again, You remain the same. Thank You Jesus, Amen.
“even there Your hand will guide me, and Your strength will support me.” Psalms 139:10
If you haven’t heard of YouVersion Bible App I highly recommend you download it. I use it every day for their daily devotionals, and for reading and sharing Scripture. I’m on the prayer team. Click this link to download: https://apps.apple.com/app/id282935706
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Let’s Make The Most Of It
God created us with unique gifts, abilities, and experiences. Today, we will have a chance to serve others in Jesus’ name. Let’s make the most of that opportunity.
Remember, it is a privilege, not a punishment. It’s not that we “have to,” it’s that we “get to” live out a purpose and life significance that we were uniquely created to do.
Have a blessed day ❤️
A Prayer for the Followers of Jesus::
A Prayer to Remain in the Lord::
Jesus, I want to be in Your presence at all times. Thank You for promising to remain in me as I remain in You. I want to be as close to You as possible—to hear how Your heart beats for those who love You. I want to feel Your very breath on my face. I want a soft heart and mind to hear Your tiniest whispers to me and bold feet to obey quickly as You send me. As I grow closer to You, please use me for Your purposes—to serve and love those around me each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4
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A Prayer of Belief :: Save Me Now
Jesus, I believe that only You are Lord and Savior of the world. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins. I believe that our Heavenly Father raised You from the dead, and that You are alive and in Heaven right now. And I know that You alone are powerful enough to save me from an eternity without You and from an eternity in the pits of hell. I believe that You are King and Lord over all of creation—and I want to surrender every inch my life to You. All of me. Take me , Lord. I am Yours. You alone are my Savior and You alone are the Lord of my life and worthy of following every step of the way. So please take my life, and give me Yours. In Jesus name, Amen.
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 NLT
Taking My Chances
A Prayer of Thanks
God, You are worthy of all my praise! When I am weak, You carry me. When I am overwhelmed, You support me. My burdens are not unknown to You. Thank You for never requiring me to bear my hardships alone. Thank You for letting me bring them to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior. Who daily bears our burdens. Psalms 68:19
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Bless the Lord!
A Prayer for My Role in the Church
Prayer point:
Jesus, because of Your death and resurrection, I am part of Your body—the global Church. Help me to take the role I play in it seriously. The choices I make reflect the way Your Church is perceived. So use me to bring Your hope, love, and joy to the world. Use me to build others up. Bring revival to Your people, so that way Your Body represents You authentically and powerfully. In Jesus name. Amen.
This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:25-27
Be blessed and be a blessing today, friends.
XOXO
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Unshakable, Assured, and Deeply at Peace
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Jesus is saying: I am telling you about this ahead of time so that you won’t be worried. By trusting Me, by believing Me, you will be unshakable, assured, and deeply at peace. It is peace *with* God that gives us the peace *of* God. In this godless world you will experience difficulties, but don’t worry because you can also expect Jesus right there with you in the midst of it. And, yeah, about this godless world…don’t forget, Jesus has already won.
Prayer:
God, I believe in You. No matter what comes my way—I believe that You have overcome the world. Even though trouble is ever-present, You are my constant source of peace in the midst of it. You surround me and protect me. Nothing is too difficult for You to accomplish. I will praise You because You are the One in whom I trust—You are in control. In Jesus name, Amen.
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I can’t stop thinking about it
Are You Next?
But when they cried out to the Lord, He raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them.” Judges 3:9
Have you ever heard of a man named Othniel? Probably not. He was Caleb’s nephew. When the people of Israel went into the Promised Land, they were victorious through the courageous efforts of Joshua and Caleb. As this generation grew older, a new generation began to emerge. Israel again fell into sin by worshiping idols and once more they were enslaved by their enemies. However, the people again cried out to the Lord and God heard them.
Whenever God’s people cry out to the Lord, He hears them. When they are truly repentant, He responds. He responds by rising up those whom He has prepared for such a time. Every soldier looks forward to the day he can use the training he has received. God had been preparing a nephew for such a time as this. He had the same Spirit as his uncle, Caleb.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him.
Has God been preparing you for a time when you will be called upon to deliver God’s people? Many are enslaved to sin. Has He placed you here to be a deliverer? Pray that you will have the same Spirit as Joshua, Caleb, and Othniel.
O Hillman
He Stands Us Up
God forgives us for the times when distractions lull us into complacancy and our spirit falls asleep. Sometimes we lose the passion and desire to pursue You with our whole hearts. Thank You that You touch us and wake us up with Your Words of love. You set us upright again and align us with Your plans for our lives. You love us so much. You won’t let us drift too long when we are facing down disappointment and weariness. You pick us up and shake off the opression and get us going. Thank You, Jesus, for keeping and eye on us and keeping us out of the enemy’s hand. In Jesus name. Amen ❤️
#hope #revival #Bible #Daniel #prayer #loveofGod #Godlovesyou #GodRescues #Godcalls #Jesuslovesyou
Dear God,
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Truth is a Person
You’ve Got This!
Be Yourself and You’ll Find Your Tribe
Different is good!
Different is good!
Be the one God created you to be! Be YOU! Don’t hand over your “you” to anyone! We all need you!! We aren’t supposed to be the same, but we can live in unity and purpose with our differences and glorify God
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1 Corinthians 12:14-20
Dear Lord
So many friends and loved ones are going through some very hard things right now. I’m praying so much for them all. And in case any of you are too, I want to pass this prayer on to you:
Dear Lord God,
You are my Shepherd.
You watch over me.
You tend to the needs of my heart and my life.
Help me to trust Your guidance in this time of uncertainty.
It is so hard to look ahead and not see a clear vision for my future.
Please help me to trust in Your timing.
Let me always seek Your will.
Please fill me with Your peace, knowing that You are the one true God and You love me.
You are…
…my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.
Psalm 91:2
Thank You for watching over me.
In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen.
Daddy!
Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6 NIV)
Do you know what “Abba” means? It means “Daddy Father.” Have you ever thought about God as your Daddy? When Jesus taught us to pray “Our Father” in Matthew 6:9, the same word in Greek is the word “Pater” – “Abba Father.”
American children say, “Da-da.” But in the Middle East they say, “Abba – Abba.” Jesus says that we can call the great God of the universe “Daddy.”
When the call came that my son got caught up in a powerful rip tide and that he was being admitted into the Intensive Care Unit in Florida, my heart and soul cried out. No, it screamed out for Daddy so hard I could feel it throughout my whole body. I just wanted my Heavenly Daddy. I wanted His loving arms surrounding us because I knew being close to Him was the best place to be. It was the only place I wanted to be.
I’m so glad that our Heavenly Father never gets too busy running this universe and commanding the angels that He forgets us. He wants to be with you like there is no one else on earth and nothing else for Him to do.
Do you wish you had a hug right now? You can crawl up into the lap of your Daddy Father, and He has nothing better to do than to give you a hug.
#Father #Daddy
Status Update
No matter what you feel like your status is today, know this: you are not forgotten. Daddy sees you. You are not alone.
Reclaiming Eve: The Identity and Calling of Women in the Kingdom of God
I had the privilege of reading Reclaiming Eve:The Identity and Calling of Women in the Kingdom of God. Visit HERE to get your copy, today!
To be invited in the blog tour was a blessing, but it was only the beginning. Reading this book blessed me on so many levels. My electronic version has so many highlights in it that the whole book is nearly yellow. It unlocked so many things I already knew and encouraged me to continue searching out true freedom in becoming the woman God intended me to be when He created me: a strong power and agent of rescue. An ezer
The following is an excerpt from Reclaiming Eve Chapter 5
God of Community
The spirit of our times could be described with one word: “alienation.” Garage doors go down, people sit entranced in front of computers and televisions, while the solitary lives we lead are crushing our souls. There isn’t a person God will put in your path today who doesn’t long to be known and loved. The bank teller, the boss, the mail carrier, the child, the client, the sister, the old college roommate who just asked to be your Facebook friend.
If it’s true that God calls to us in our pain, then he calls to the isolated businesswoman who has no friend to call when she needs to visit the emergency room. With arms outstretched, he beckons the teenager who was just rejected by her boyfriend after being used. He patiently longs to comfort the fifty-year-old woman whose father abandoned her at birth, leaving a gaping emotional wound that paralyzes her in relationships.
We all long for connection. The ezers and the adams. The single and the married. Those with power and money and those with nothing. In fact, a study from the University of Chicago showed that as you age, loneliness actually raises your blood pressure just as much as obesity or a lack of exercise. The message: healing is a group activity. It’s not only unfulfilling but also physically dangerous to go it alone.
We were hardwired for community. And while you may not have thought about it in this way, you’ve known it all along. You knew it when your mother or father laid you down as an infant and you longed to be held. You may remember moments of friendship that made your heart soar, along with your confidence. And if you’re anything like me, you remember a time when your body physically ached from the ending of a relationship you held dear.
How amazing that in a world of isolated individuals, God the Creator provides the answer to our longings by pointing us back to his original plan. Remember? A God of community, dancing around in a three-in-one relationship, creates Adam. Immediately afterward, he recognizes Adam’s loneliness, highlighting Adam’s complete lack of any suitable companion. Then God dispenses a prescription with only glorious side effects: to end the loneliness of the single human, I will make an ezer who is suitable for him.
The Creator who made his ezers designed them as agents of rescue to destroy isolation. Think of it: simply by being born female, you are a dazzling testament to the beauty of community. You see, it is not good for Adam, or for anyone, to be alone. It violates God’s design and leaves us empty, depressed, and even hopeless. God created his ezers to remind us over and over again that we cannot, must not, go it alone.
How ironic that the very place in which Adam and Eve violated God’s love is the place in which he wants to restore each of us. His community. The place in which each of us are hurt the most, through our relationships, happens to be the same avenue in which God wants to bring unimaginable healing. Whether or not you like it, you are dependent on other men and women to fully experience Christ’s love for you.
There is so much more packed into this book! You must go and grab a copy for yourself and grab hold of your powerful calling in the Kingdom of God for your good and His glory. You are created in God’s image to be an ezer – a strong power and agent of rescue!
Unlock that power today!
When Things Don’t Go As Planned
Sometimes things don’t go as planned. T’s crossed. I’s dotted. You even prayed about it and was sure things were going your way. There was peace. There was joy. And then the door slammed shut. Hard.
I had this happen to me a few weeks ago. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I prayed. I lamented. I asked GOD to show me the lesson. What did I miss? What did I need to learn from this?
Maybe you had a dream vanish, a relationship suddenly go south, a friendship ran its course, a deal went sour, and big plans fell through. Maybe you were in the middle of something great and God called you to move out of it. Or maybe for you it was bunch of little things that together, became seemingly unbearable.
God moves in ways we seldom understand. We must let go of judging the situation as failure. Couldn’t it actually a blessing?
What??
Yes.
GOD has an awesome way of redeeming the broken situations and the hurting people and creating something beautiful from it.
Here’s a few examples:
He took a team conflict between Paul and Barnabas and created two successful ministries instead of one.
He used Joseph’s forced exit from his home to deliver two nations from starvation.
After Peter publicly rejected Jesus three times, God made him the founder of the modern church.
When Jesus’ earthly father Joseph relocated out of concern for their lives, a prophecy was fulfilled that verified Jesus as God’s Son.
Don’t misjudge the situation as loss. We are super conquerors in Christ. Once we let go of judgment, we find freedom from grief, anger, and disappointment.
There’s nothing like change to reveal how we truly handle change. How many times do we kick and scream against it? With our carefully marked itinerary in hand, we get mad and try and take back control.
There’s a popular saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” I don’t think God would ever maliciously laugh at us, but I do think He wonders why we thought we had the right to determine our course in the first place.
Who’s plan do we operate by?
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” Proverbs 16:9
Dealing with a change in plans requires us to have God’s thoughts as our focus. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24 that if we want to follow Him we must deny ourselves. Following Jesus requires a change in our plans. We must relinquish our desire to plan, scheme, and insist our way through daily surrendering our lives to Jesus.
While salvation is secure through our Savior Jesus, the struggle to make Jesus Lord is a constant giving up of our plans for God’s plans.
When your plans change, look for something unexpected. Look for something amazing that changes your course and gives way to God’s life-giving plans. Look for something that came about because of those changed plans.
Surrender.
Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence – Jenni Catron
Clout.
We all have it.
Your clout is your God-given power and influence. You are uniquely made by God. When we discover and unleash our God-given influence – our clout – we position ourselves to lead with passion and purpose that DEFY our personal limitations. Defies it. Goes beyond. Soars way past anything we could ever imagine in our finite minds! Whew! That’s exciting!
I’m thrilled about a book that came out this week called Clout by Jenni Catron:
Jenni’s leadership is outstanding. She is the Executive Director at Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee where she leads the staff and ministries of 5 churches that has grown exponentially under her leadership. Her writing is full of heart and shows her desire to help us all grow exponentially! I was deeply encouraged. My book is covered in highlights.
I love what Jenni said here: “One of the most important lessons we have to learn about unleashing our God-given influence is that it is not simply for our benefit. It is for God’s plan and purpose to be accomplished through us for the blessing of others.”
Right. On.
Each of us has the ability to change the world around us.
We all are capable in influencing others.
We all want to matter. We all want to know that our lives are making a positive impact on the world around us.
There are some common traps which short-circuit our clout. Jenni discusses seven clout killers and teaches us through scripture how to avoid these traps:
- Confronting Fear
- Understanding the Impact of Jealousy
- Squeezing Out Scarcity
- Identifying Insecurity
- Purging Pride
- Relinquishing Control
She doesn’t stop there. She goes on to share how we can cultivate our clout, making the most impact in our area of influence:
- Discovering Your Identity
- Developing Your Confidence
- Defining Your Mission
- Determining Your Passion
Thomas Nelson Books has graciously offered me a copy to give to one of you! And trust me, you will want to get in on this. The offer will end on Tuesday, January 28. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Wednesday, January 29. Enter to win by leaving a comment below. The book will be shipped directly from Thomas Nelson.
The Thomas Nelson Books team are amazing and they are giving away an iPad mini in celebration of Clout’s release! Here’s the link to the offer on the Clout website: go here
Don’t forget to leave a comment to win the book!
#discoverCLOUT #JenniCatron #Influence
Speak.
No subject is unsuitable for discussion with GOD. Our tendency is to avoid certain subjects with GOD even though this not taught to us in scripture.
It doesn’t take long when reading in the book of Psalms to discover a writer that went to GOD about everything. The good, the bad, the ugly. Even anger and vengeance. The anger expressed is intense and graphic – directed at GOD because they are intimately aware of GOD’s justice. Vengeance – or action taken as a result of something they have done – is to be carried out by God (Proverbs 20:22, Romans 12:19).
In Psalm 59, we see David’s angry outburst against Saul’s pursuit. The Man After GOD’s Own Heart never took personal revenge on Saul. He always freely spoke His mind to GOD, having confidence that He could sort out what was meant and what was felt. Pray with that same confidence – GOD can be trusted with your heart.
Some of you haven’t suffered intense cruelty on a personal level, but love someone who has. And it hurts. Bad. Your heart breaks because, through no fault of your own, you weren’t there to rescue them when it happened. And you just want to stop their pain. You want to go back in time and rescue them. Just thinking of what your loved one endured stirs up so much emotion and grief.
I’m holding your hand and saying I know. Boy, do I know. Let’s stand strong together and pray for GOD’s intervention.
Speak.
Yell. Whisper. Scream out to God if you want to. He can handle it. He can be trusted with your heart. He knows the real you and how you feel. No subject is unsuitable for discussion with God. Speak up for them and advocate for them now (Proverbs 31:8-9).
Some of you have suffered such intense pain and hurt inflicted by others that you can’t breath…and still….years later….you are awakened by the same frightening nightmares. Like King Saul in Psalm 59, they chase you. The scars you bear are deep and wide. Your past isn’t your past because it’s right here. Right now. In your present. You’re dying inside. Your body physically can’t handle the secret anymore. It impacts everything about you – how you relate to everything and everyone in your life.
I’m holding your hand and saying, I know. Boy, do I know. Don’t hide anymore.
Speak.
Don’t keep quiet. Bring it out into the Light. Drag it kicking and screaming if you have to. Speak out. Scream it out with God if you want. No subject is unsuitable for discussion with God. He’s a big boy. He can handle it. He can be trusted with your heart. I see you. More importantly, GOD sees you. You will sing songs of victory over this. I’ll be even do a Jesus jig with you.
Do not fear the scars. Do not fear the victory.
When GOD heals you – and He WILL if you let Him – don’t be ashamed of the scars of life that GOD healed for you. When Jesus appeared to His disciples, He showed His scars openly. No one escapes suffering in this life. Even the innocent. Jesus was innocent. He connected with the disciples…with us…through His scars. He brought redemption through His scars.
We all need to offer our scars to the world. Not only as proof of what we’ve been through, but as tangible proof of the healing power of Christ in our life. To show not only that we are human, but that we are healed.
Someone is waiting right now for you to speak out and speak up. We connect to others through our scars – thereby connecting them to Christ through our scars.
Speak.
We think we have to pretend the scars don’t exist and that we have it all together. Wrong. Lies. There is something intrinsically broken inside everyone. Jesus comes as the Great Physician. Jesus is redemption. The Rescuer. Restorer.
Sometimes He heals the scar completely and it isn’t seen anymore.
Sometimes He allows the scar to be seen as a reminder.
Someone is waiting to connect with you – and Christ – right now.
Speak.
Show them your scars.
GOD still listens.
GOD still answers.
GOD still heals.
GOD still forgives.
GOD still leads.
GOD still directs.
GOD still cares.
GOD still loves.
GOD is still here.
GOD is alive!
(Some of you are the very ones inflicting pain on others. Verbally, physically, emotionally, whatever. Stop. Now. Remove yourself. And run. Run to a professional. A hospital. The first police officer you see. Get away and run for help not from your problems. Run to GOD. Grace was made for people like you (Grace was made for all of us). He knows all about it anyway, and vengeance is still His. But, I’m standing here telling you that I’m having none of it. Stop what you’re doing and step away from that precious child, that precious girl or precious boy. That precious woman. That precious man. Whoever. I love them, and what’s more…GOD loves them. They are not yours to vent on, abuse, hit, take your own hurts and frustrations out on, or whatever else you are doing to them. Seek help. Seek a professional help. Stop. S.T.O.P. GOD will forgive you. But, you need to stop.)
Sticks and Stones
Words.
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Big.Lies.
Great.Big.Fat.Lies.
Ever said something in the heat of the moment and then instantly regretted it? Yeah, me too. You know exactly what I’m talking about. That crazy moment when you’ve lost all good senses and out it comes. And there it sits….looking just as ugly as it felt coming out. We’ve all done it.
*sigh*
Or, have you ever said something carelessly and had no idea the impact your words had?
Yep.
Words are important to God. God spoke all of creation into existence. God spoke. That’s all. And whatever He said, it happened.
God is serious about our words and how we use them, and we should be too. Our words have the power to influence and shape the world around us – physically and virtually- in a good and bad ways.
James talks about how our tongue is used for evil:
“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is a fire. A world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed or have been tamed by man. But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men , who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth, come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3:5-12 NIV) “
But in Proverbs, we get to see how our words can bring light and a future!
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. (Proverbs 10:11 NIV)
The lips of the righteous nourish many, but the fools die for lack of judgement. (Proverbs 10:21 NIV)
An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. (Proverbs 12:25 NIV)
Pleasant words are a honeycomb: sweet to the taste and health to the body. (Proverbs 16:24 HCSB)
Before you speak – think:
Is it uplifting? Is it beneficial? Will it strengthen and encourage? Will it bring glory and honor to God? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then it’s not something that should be voiced.
Let’s taste our words before we spit them out, shall we? Me and you. Deal? Deal.
There are SO many more verses on our words and how we can use them. I would encourage you to look them up! It’s so rewarding.
I just can’t believe the people that GOD has blessed me with. Incredible. I had so much fun writing this with our dear, sweet Morgan. I’ve had a peek at a few ideas she has. You guys, I can’t even. You will be blessed. Can’t wait for you to see what’s coming.
Our writing team is growing. There’s room for you. Contact me with what you have and let’s talk.
Christy Rawls :: Encouraging, Equipping, Empowering Others 