Archive for Spiritual Growth
The Power of One
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Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
I am sitting in my office as I type this article with more than enough things on my to do list. I have tackled my kitchen with hopes of getting my living room and kid’s room in order before a conference call that I have scheduled this evening. At this point I have a few options:
- Option 1: Get frazzled and overwhelmed ending in no productivity.
- Option 2: Start cleaning my living room but with a lack of vision only to look up hours from now with only bits and pieces of each room in order.
- Option 3:Or I can do what has consistently worked for me in the past. That is the Power of One.
Had you visited me earlier today you would know that my kitchen was a hot mess! Read More→
Being The Best
Posted by: | CommentsI truly believe that whatever success a secular business owner achieves, those of us who know and walk in the power of Jesus should dwarf their success. We have the secret key – access to the Kingdom of Heaven through Jesus Christ. This means that you have to be in a place where you are comfortable being the best in your area of industry and calling.
This is a time in which the Lord is opening up His harvest like never before. Your capacity to receive more joy, power and wealth is expanded every time you stretch your belief, go for something you really desire or encounter a situation that causes you to reach deeply within yourself to muster up the strength to get endure and overcome.
Being the best means that you truly embrace the power, dominion and authority you have been granted through Jesus. It means operating with the love of The Father and opening your heart up to providing solutions to the problems they encounter on a daily basis. When you have a heart to provide their solutions, they are happy to value what you bring to the table. Read More→
Guest Post: The Power of Thank You!
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Did you ever notice how little kids show appreciation? My son comes to me several times a day and says things like “I love you! You are the best mommy in the whole world!” The conviction of his words and the look on his face as he utters them are what touch my heart! That’s what true appreciation is.
Most of us teach our children to say thank you, but few of us really understand its power. Showing appreciation is not only etiquette, but it is a responsibility especially during the holidays.
I was privileged to have been in the audience when Florence Littauer was speaking on “Silver Boxes”. It’s what she calls her philosophy on appreciation and edification. She quotes Ephesians 4:29. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” She says that words are like a gift we give others that come in little silver boxes with bows on top. This is how we should show proper appreciation.
Many of us remember to say thank you when we get a gift, but often forget to show others appreciation for the things they do for us on a daily basis. And just how much appreciation does our “Thank You” show? Read More→
Guest Post: Practicing Spiritual Disciplines: Prayer, the Starting Point
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Spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, confession, or meditation, go beyond teaching biblical truths, but impart godly habits to such a measure that God’s Word becomes part of our character. Disciplining our children’s lives takes hard work, however practicing the spiritual disciplines lead to inner righteousness and a longing for God.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. -Hebrews 12:11
Like many parents, especially as a busy CWAHM, I struggled to practice the spiritual disciplines in my own life and found it overwhelming at times to instill such habits in my children’s daily lives. But now that my three sons and numerous foster children are grown, I can see the harvest of righteousness that such training produces. It began with a determination to make Deuteronomy 6:5 my guiding scripture in their lives.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
In my upcoming blogs we will look at how to teach our kids to practice different spiritual disciplines, such as study, solitude, confession, fasting starting this week with prayer.
Prayer
Prayer is the starting point for all spiritual disciplines. The disciples, seeing the power in Jesus’ prayer life asked, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). We forget that prayer must be taught and doesn’t just happen for our children.
Here are a few things to think about when you teach your kids to pray.
- Pray beyond the usual times of meals and bedtime. This will teach your children they can communicate with God throughout their day.
- Pray with your children often. My children often tease that someday I will cause a wreck with my spontaneous praying out loud while driving. They learned, however, that they could pray anywhere, anytime. Don’t worry when your toddler or preschooler mimics your words. He will soon find his own expressions toward God.
- Make prayer posters of pictures of people and situations to pray for. Allowing your children to choose what they want to pray about connects them to God in a real way.
- Demonstrate, coax, and encourage, but never force older children to pray. Encourage your child to journal prayers or list the things he wants to talk to God about in his quiet times. My husband left notes, especially for our older children, on the bathroom mirrors encouraging them to pray each morning.
- Ask your children to pray for you in specific ways—situations in your career or a personal struggle, such as anger or impatience. This will help your child feel that his prayers are valued.
- Rejoice and acknowledge when prayers are answered. Keep a family prayer journal, recording your prayers and making note of how God answers—including when he answers in ways we didn’t expect or desire.
Share ways you teach your kids to pray.
About the Author:
Carla Williams, writer, speaker, and mentor has writing credits in curriculum, devotions, articles, and books. She and her husband have been in ministry for over thirty years. Carla now enjoys working closely with her family in the Christian publishing industry. Her website can be found at www.thespiritualmom.com.
Guest Post: Teaching Contentment
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My daughter is dying to go shopping at the store, Justice: Just For Girls. She gets pulled into wanting all the cute clothes in the magazine that comes in the mail.
The other day, she informed me she wished we lived on a lake because it would make her happy to be that close to water. She now wants a slide cell phone rather than a flip one and the pink walls in her room bother her. They need to be painted purple.
Wow.
Her desire for more, better, bigger and different is becoming an issue. Do you have a child like this?
Don’t get me wrong, Sara is a sweet girl. Her heart is full of love and compassion. She loves her God and prays the most amazing prayers!
She’s just struggling to find contentment.
This is a hard lesson to teach! When the world tells your kids they’re only cool if they wear these clothes… or have this backpack… or live in this kind of house… you have to change their perspective.
Hebrews 13:5 says “Don’t love money. Be happy with what you have because God has said, “I will never abandon you or leave you.”
One of the toughest things to teach our kids is that God is enough.
The world will always tell them they are only as good as their “stuff.” It will make our kids think they are only valuable if they have the right “things.” The world teaches our kids that true contentment is getting the best, biggest, newest and hottest “items.”
But what our kids don’t know yet is that the world’s acceptance is fleeting. They haven’t yet learned that the world changes its mind all the time.
On the flip side, they might not know that God is different. He will never grow tired of them. They may not realize that they don’t have to do anything, have anything or be anything to be loved by Him.
If your goal is to raise Godly kids, you need to counter the world’s truth with God’s. And sisters, the younger they grasp this concept… the better our kids are set up for success down the road.
They need to know that God is enough.
How do you do that?
- Ask God to fill your children with contentment in all areas of their lives.
- Encourage them to pray about it.
- Model it! Make sure you’re not always talking about wishing you had more, different or better.
- Tell your kids about a time when you were discontent and how that affected your walk with God. Contrast this with a time when you felt deep contentment and how your relationship with God was strengthened.
- Intentionally comment on how God knows exactly what you need and gives it abundantly!
- When you see a situation that highlights discontentment on television or in a book, open it up for discussion and get their perspective.
Caution. Make sure that in your attempt to dissuade them from the trap of always wanting more, you don’t make them feel guilty or bad.
Speak this truth into their lives in a loving and compassionate way.
Once your children understand the riches that come from Jesus, they won’t want for anything else.
About the Author:
Guest Post: Three Ways to Build Christ Esteem
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In the last posts I share with you why build an esteem that is based on Christ and not on self is important. The relevance of such a concept is important because it will help you to focus on the fact that it is not about you anyway.
There three main factors to consider when focusing on building Christ-esteem. In this post we will examine them. Read More→
Guest Post: Let’s ExerServe!
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As I write this, I am preparing to embark on a missions trip with our youth group. In fact, if I spontaneously break into a packing list, feel free to skim to the part where I regain my focus and resume the pertinent content!
In preparation for our excursion, our team has been studying and practicing servanthood. Through that focus, the Lord convicted me to make this commitment to Him: “I will practice serving in my home this week by consistently putting my family’s needs ahead of my own, and I will consciously look for more opportunities to serve them in love.”
Serving on a missions trip (or comparable opportunity) doesn’t necessarily feel like a stretch. Service is expected and embraced in such situations. Meanwhile, serving at home often tends to resemble an aerobic workout! Yet that is the very place, the very ministry where our servant selves should be in shape. It’s more than an obligation, more than a “duty”, more than an expectation. Being a servant should be at the heart of who we are because that is the example of our Savior.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45, NIV)
As in an exercise program, we start the practice of serving with a warm-up. Say a prayer, make a commitment, and prepare your heart to serve. Is it that simple? Absolutely. A heartfelt prayer such as, “This is the commitment I’m making. Please help me to serve You by serving my family” reaches the heart of the Father and, in turn, shifts our hearts to servanthood.
Then it’s time for the heart-healthy workout. If you’ve ever taken part in cardio fitness, you know that this is the time when you push through and give it all you’ve got. It’s no different when we serve. There are times this past week when my children have tested that servant’s attitude I’m striving toward … and the Lord has provided the strength to hurdle their responses and to press on to serve in love. Is it tough? At times. Is it worth it? Definitely. And it’s good for us, too! J This is the stage where the difference is made and hearts are changed.
Finally, no workout is complete or wholly effective without a cool down. After sweating it out in service, it is necessary to replenish. Breathe in, breathe out. Have that “you” time. Nourish yourself through the Word, partake of the Bread of Life, drink in the Living Water. Take the time to recover so that you are ready to exercise your servant self again.
We could carry this illustration on by looking at consistency and commitment, long-term benefits, and being spiritual fit as we repeatedly practice serving. Actively pursue servanthood in your life. Consciously look for opportunities to serve in your home. And above all, do it because you love your family and your Lord. Love never fails and never gives up!
I find that exercise is more enjoyable when friends are sweatin’ it out with me. I am committing to a service workout. Will you join me?
*Results are guaranteed. Spandex are not required.
Joy Jochems has been in ministry literally her whole life. While Joy is actively involved with her local church as youth ministry coordinator and lends a hand at CWAHM as devotional coordinator and guest contributor, she recognizes that her primary ministry is in her home, to her children. You can contact Joy at joy@cwahm.com.
Guest Post: Let It Go: Hebrews 12:1
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Why is it so hard to let some things go?
For some time now, I have been dealing with some discomfort and it was suspected that I may have gall bladder issues. (Stick with me…I’m going somewhere with this. lol!) After seeking two specialists, it was suggested to have a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal surgery).
What?!!! Depart from my gall bladder?
Prior to this, I gave no thought to its existence but now that there was a chance that we may have to go our separate ways, I began to grow a bit fond of it.
That’s when I began to do research and decided there had to be another option because those who felt that this was the best option certainly did not spend enough years in their field of study to know what was best for me. So I googled and googled and found that gallbladder detoxes existed. Surely that would save my gall bladder.
Isn’t that what we do? We either unconsciously decided that God, leaders, parents, bosses, or husbands, our authorities, really don’t know what they are talking about and we continue living and doing things that continue to bring us discomfort and pain. When in essence, all we have to do is let those things go. But nooo…we justify why we need to continue in circumstances, situations, and sins and give reasons why we can’t let go.
After dealing with the discomfort for some time, it got to the point where “I came to myself” (Luke 15:17), changed my thinking (Romans 12:2) and realized going through with the surgery was better than dealing with the discomfort, which inevitably could turn into pain. Therefore, I made the decision to “let it go” seeing that I am not interested in dealing with the latter.
“Let it go Louie!!” is what my Pastor would probably tell me. His cry would be for me and others to simply let those negative things go because holding on to them are only causing us unnecessary discomfort and pain.
Presently, as I wrap my mind around my upcoming surgery, I began to look forward to saying good-bye to my lifelong companion, which currently had not been as quiet and discrete as years before. In addition, not only am I losing a gallbladder but I decided to lose some other things as well, which had been with me for what seemed to be a lifetime, such as anxiety and allowing my will to control certain areas of my life and not the Holy Spirit.
I don’t know….maybe we can let go of some things together.
Poor Attitudes… “let it go Linda”.
Wrong Companions… “let it go Lisa”.
Bad Memories… “let it go Laura”.
Past Failures…Bitterness…Unforgiveness…Anger…Misplaced Priorities.
Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”
DO THIS: Fill in your issue. Fill in your name. And Let It Go!!!
Join me in letting some things go. Leave a comment and share what you are letting go so that we can encourage and pray for one another.
Love y’a!!!
A Sister for Your Journey,
Elisa Gilmore
Reflections: Take a moment and pray that God reveals to you what need to LET GO.
PS: DON’T FORGET, we’d love to hear from you to find out where you are in your ministry journey and what future topics are of interest to you. Also, don’t hesitate to send me any prayer requests you may have concerning your calling or ministry. I’d love to pray with and for you.
Elisa is a Holy Spirit-led child of God, servant of God, wife, mother and ministry leader. She passionately shares from her life experiences, both the good and bad, to encourage, support and spiritually mentor others to be all that God has called them to be through her authenticity and transparency, but most of all through the Word of God. DivineExchangeMin@gmail.com / Twitter.com@ElisaSGilmore / ElisaGilmore@facebook.com
The Communication of Witnessing
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” Are you a Christian?”
” Uh, no I’m not.”
” Well, then you’re going to HELL!”
This is probably not the best way to bring people to Christ. I have seen well-meaning Christians who are so on fire for Jesus that they practically beat unsuspecting souls over the head with the Gospel and are surprised at the reaction it elicits. People stop listening when they feel that their beliefs are being attacked. This phenomenon is what I call “Screaming in a Deaf Man’s Ear.” He can’t hear what you’re saying, but you sure are making him angry. How you say something can be even more important than what you say.
So what does it hurt if you approach someone the wrong way about Jesus? The worst they can do is say no, right? Wrong! Someone who has been told repeatedly that they are going to hell in a handbasket may grow weary of people spiritually beating them up. It leaves them with a bad taste in their mouth about Jesus, Christianity or Christians in general. This can apply to other Christians who don’t see things exactly as you do.
“Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-” 1 Cor 10:32
Here are some tips for better communication when witnessing:
1. Know your audience.
Everyone sees the world differently and each one of us has had different experiences that got us to this point. You cannot expect to present a topic the same way to everyone. Some people are ready to hear about the Lord and are desperate to find a reason to accept Him into their heart. Some have never seriously thought about the subject. Some are angry. They are so tired of people screaming “sinner” that they stop listening whenever anyone so much as mentions Jesus. You cannot approach them with a one size fits all speech and expect them to interpret your message the same way.
2. Be considerate of other’s beliefs.
Never insult someone’s beliefs. It never endears you to the other person and it has almost zero chance of convincing anyone that their position is wrong.
Wrong: “How could you possibly believe in that?!”
Better: “What do you believe about God?”
3. Never badger someone.
If someone tells you that they aren’t interested in hearing about the Lord, they are not open to listening right now. The more you harp on the topic, the more they will resist. Remember that we do not have the power to “convert” anyone. That is God’s job. We are only His instruments. Sometimes we just plant the seeds in His garden. Sometimes we water them and sometimes we help harvest. If we hit people over the head with the Bible, we don’t show Christ’s love.
4. Remember that the Lord changes hearts.
If we remember that the Lord is the one who changes hearts, then we won’t feel the pressure to bring each and every encounter to this conclusion. We also realize that the Lord doesn’t force us to accept Him. He merely shows His love to us and He allows us to choose. Think of it more as “sharing” your faith with others and not “converting” them.
5. Avoid Christian-Speak.
There are words that Christians use a lot that are foreign to some people or can turn them off without giving you a chance to share with them. “Praise God!” To some, quoting scripture may cause them to put up a barrier that prevents them from hearing you.
6. Let your faith shine through your actions.
Sometimes you don’t even need words to introduce people to the love of Jesus. They can see it by looking at your life. They can see the peace you have through the way you deal with others. Show others the love of Christ by the actions you take to help someone else. These things can minister to others as powerfully as any words you could use. I am not saying that you shouldn’t share you faith with people, but sometimes just living your life as a Christian example can share enough about Jesus that will pique someone’s curiosity to wonder or even ask.
Also we shouldn’t forget that we are a living example of our Christian faith just by how we live our lives. There is a story floating around the internet about a woman who was pulled over by a police officer because she was yelling and cursing in her car. The police officer pulled her over because she had a fish symbol on her car and deduced that the car was obviously stolen! The communication we send can draw people to the Lord or draw them away!
7. Ask to pray with people in trouble.
” Can I pray with you?” A great way to minister to others who are hurting is to ask if you can pray with them. Very few people would take offense to that. The worst they could say is no. They would at least have a good feeling about you and Christians and maybe Jesus!
8. Finally…Don’t hide your faith under a bushel.
I am cautioning you not to stumble a non believer by being harsh or coming off as pushy, but I don’t want you to think that I am asking you to apologize for being a Christian. Don’t be ashamed of your faith. Don’t shy away from an opportunity to help others to come to know Jesus. Don’t be afraid to mention Him by name! I just want you to think about the one who is hurting. The one who needs Jesus’ love. Meet him where he is. Give him what he needs.
If you keep these things in mind and approach people with humbleness, honesty and love, you will bring glory and honor to the Father.
JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication, but it is her humorous approach to communication skills which has made her a highly sought-after Christian speaker and writer. Her articles appear in homeschool publications, such as Homeschool Enrichment Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which also endorses her Say What You Mean curricula including Say What You Mean: Defending the Faith. You can also find JoJo on web sites such as Crosswalk.com and Dr.Laura.com. For more information on communication FUNdamentals and Christian-based communication skills for the whole family, please visit http://www.ArtofEloquence.com
A healthy dose of medicine for the soul
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Rev. James L. Snyder
A large segment of the human population takes things way too seriously for their own good. The strange anomaly is that most people laugh at the wrong thing and fail to laugh at the right thing. This serious incongruity has robbed people of a healthy attitude towards life in general.
Those who take life too seriously are in danger of missing the great joys of living in a crazy world like ours. I am not sure about the scientific research but I would guess that for every sad moment it takes one hundred laughs to balance the books. Some people are about ninety-nine laughs short of a real sane moment.
I like the old English proverb that says, “Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone.”
From my perspective, if you cannot laugh with someone you will not be able to cry with him or her and have it mean anything.
According to some medical advice, it takes more facial muscles and energy to frown than it does to smile. Of course, the only exercise some people have is frowning and who am I to take that away from them.
I am determined, no matter what, to exercise my right to smile and laugh and enjoy the world around me. I must confess that I get this attitude quite honestly.
My paternal grandfather was a Past Master in the area of practical jokes. No amount of time was too much to spend preparing for one of his famous practical jokes. His favorite holiday was April 1 and began preparing for this holiday right after Christmas.
The fact that his practical jokes at times got him into trouble did not seem to affect him at all.
Once while in the hospital for an extended period he had somebody smuggle in to him a can of snuff. For some reason he liked chewing snuff. It is the most disgusting habit I know of on earth.
He no sooner received his smuggled goods then he began chewing it. If you know anything about chewing snuff, you know it is accompanied by a lot of spitting. As usual, his timing was impeccable. Just as the head nurse passed his door and looked in, he leaned over and spit in to the garbage can he had next to his bed. The nurse, not knowing about the chewing snuff, thought he was spitting blood and immediately went into emergency mode. Immediately my grandfather was rushed into the operating room and the surgeon and medical team were assembled.
My grandfather was very sick at the time. Some did not think he would get out of the hospital.
Just as they got him situated in the operating room he pulled from under his sheet his can of chewing snuff and smiled at them. The only person in the room that thought this was in any way amusing was my grandfather. The doctors were so angry with him but they refuse to see him for three days and confiscated his can of chewing snuff.
My aunt and uncle lived right next to my grandfather. My aunt was hyper clean when it came to her house. Dirt in any form was not welcome under her roof. She had a broom that was always within reach because she never knew when a piece of dirt would try to invade her domicile.
That year my grandfather found something new. I am not sure where he found it but he probably spent a lot of time looking for something like this. It was a rubber facsimile of a very nasty looking piece of vomit. To him it was a prized possession.
Most of his practical jokes were executed on April 1. Whenever we saw grandfather coming on this particular day we usually ran for cover.
He went over to visit my aunt and was sitting on the couch in the living room. They chatted for a little while and then my grandfather began to cough a little bit. He said to my aunt, “I haven’t been feeling good lately. I really don’t know what it is.” Then he started to cough a little more seriously, to which, my aunt got up and went to the kitchen to get him a glass of water thinking that might help him.
When she got back, she was shocked to see on her new coffee table a very horrible sight. My grandfather was bent over the coffee table hacking and coughing as though he was in the process of dying. On the coffee table was very nasty looking piece of vomit.
My aunt went into hysterics. She whirled around and within a moment had grabbed her broom and started towards my grandfather. My grandfather was laughing but not for long.
Suddenly he realized that the flailing broom in my aunt’s hand was aimed at him. She chased him out of the house, down the driveway and for at least three blocks yelling obscenities at him that I dare not repeat in public society.
Laughter is the fresh air of the soul. Even the Bible thinks so.
“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken” (Proverbs 15:13 KJV). And, my favorite, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Proverbs 17:22 KJV).
I recommend a healthy dose of medicine for your soul.
The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.