Encouraging Words For Your Tough Days....

We all have them....those days that seem to stretch on ad nauseum while dragging us painfully and dishearteningly through the muck and the mire.....
We especially have more of those days, it seems, whenever we are trying to focus on accomplishing the purpose and very work for which God called us into this world in the first place.....
So when those days strike, this "Words of Affirmation" gal usually finds herself in need of a healthy dose of "wordy" reassurance....with that in mind, I'd like to do for you ladies today....what I absolutely LOVE to have done for me....I want to give you some encouragement....especially for your tough days!
On the days when you feel small & inadequate, remember that you are enough! God rarely calls the equipped....but He certainly does extend His more than adequate equipping to everyone He calls!
When you feel as though you don't measure up to the rest.....remember....you don't have to! God did literally break the mold when He made you....which means you get to run your own race, at your own pace with your God, who has lovingly & uniquely designed just the "right" work for you to complete on His behalf....in other words, He has a work for you to do that will bring Him glory as well as good to you & others!
On the days when fear threatens to paralyze you..........remember that the Spirit that is housed within you is one of power, love and stability.....you serve The One and Only..... The One and Only who spoke the universe and all that's in it into existence! He is for you....He rejoices over you with singing....what in the world do you have to fear? Yes, I understand that the future is unknown to us and life plainly hurts at times, but we never experience anything in this life that our God cannot understand, cannot walk us through, cannot deliver us from, cannot help us overcome & certainly, cannot work for our good!
On those days, please remember that Jesus came so that you might live in victory....not defeat! He came so you might have an abundant life...live it to the full, and hopefully, invite a few folks to the party!
God doesn't need you, Sis....that's for sure.....yet, cooler still & don't you ever forget it; HE WANTS YOU!!! In the purest, most passionate sense of the expression! He wants you so much that He went to the farthest degree possible to ensure that He would have you as His own...not just in this lifetime, but forever!
So the next time you run across those folks that the enemy is so great at putting in our path who seem to just delight in knocking us down a peg or 2.....I hope I come to your mind....I hope you'll remember that you have a gal pal in this world who wants you to know that you're a gem, a peach, the cat's meow.....all that and a bag of chips.....and she thinks it not cause she's bias and just desires to placate you with a little false flattery....but because she too knows the God you serve and she thinks you're great....even on the tough days.....cause He does too!!!!


*Remember...to take in more great encouragement for your tough days....head on over to http://holleygerth.com/ and let the other gals who have linked in on her page lighten your heart with love and hope! Then, join me Monday, February 10th, at 10 AM EST on Blog Talk Radio, so we can continue today's conversation! Love & Blessings!*

You're Not Alone....

"The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged...." Deuteronomy 31:8


I remember it like it was yesterday, December 12th 1998.....The EMT's were carefully loading my precious Daddy into the back of the ambulance as he literally struggled for every breath.....It felt as though every cell in my body were screaming all at once..."This can't be happening again!"
You see, My family (Daddy included) and I had just been through almost the exact same scenario just 4 months earlier with my precious Momma.....who, was by this time, in Heaven with Jesus......
I climbed in the front passenger seat of the ambulance, and as I did, I felt panic creeping in....as an only child, my life was becoming unrecognizable......and quickly at that!
I was numb......I sat there staring straight ahead with my heart and mind racing.....searching for something to hold onto in that moment when it felt like everything I knew....everything I had built my life around was slipping away......
Suddenly, my heart snagged on something....something solid, something true, comforting, and very familiar....it was faint at first, but the still, small voice began to grow stronger inside of me until I heard it with force and clarity......"NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU....NEVER WILL I FORSAKE YOU!"
And then I knew it.....I wasn't alone....despite how small and alone I felt in that awful moment, my God was there assuring me of His constant, eternal Presence......with me....and with my Daddy.
As God would have it, my Daddy did leave this world and join Him in Heaven that day, and even though I went through a season of fear and discouragement the like's of which I had never experienced before.....I have since learned the absolute truth of Deuteronomy 31:8......I am never alone and my Sweet Sister, neither are you.......
I don't care how alone you may feel, right now, at this very moment.....you simply must remind yourself that feelings lie! Scripture tells us, that God, on the other hand, is not a man that He should lie....to make it plain.....HE CAN'T LIE because there is no darkness in Him.....
He says you are not alone and by George, you're not alone....ever! Early in the morning, at noonday and late in the midnight hour....He is there.....with you, for you, by you, over you, and around you! Ever-loving, ever-caring, ever-present, ever-working.....
I wish I could say I've never experienced another moment of loneliness, sorrow, or panic.....nope, I can't say that at all.....I also cannot tell you that you'll never experience another moment filled with those emotions either.....what I can tell you though is this....now, when those moments find me, I try to do 3 things right away.....I close my eyes, quiet my racing mind/heart and begin to listen for His still, small voice.... and I listen hard until I can hear it ringing loudly within me like a bell full of eternal promise....."NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU.....NEVER WILL I FORSAKE YOU!"
I pray you can hear it too, Girlfriend.....I pray you hear it too.......


*For more great reminders that you're not alone head on over to http://holleygerth.com/ today and/or join me Monday, February 3rd at 10 AM EST on  Blog Talk Radio to hear more on ways to relate to loneliness!

You're Beautiful.....Just as You Are

As a 51,  very soon to be 52 year old woman, whose BMI falls comfortably in the "overweight" range....living in a society where all over the television, especially this time of year, are svelte, swimsuit clad, gorgeous, 20-somethings.....I really NEEDED this weeks reminder!

I am beautiful....just the way I am!!!! Why? Simply cause GOD SAYS SO and He alone, along with His Word alone, are to be our final authority!

Now, please hear me clearly, I am not at all saying that there is anything wrong with having been endowed with the God-given gift of external beauty.....every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above....beauty included!

I suppose that what I am attempting to say here is....while external beauty is good, it is not ALL that there is to beauty....especially in God's economy....and especially if you are a child of God in Christ! God's Word reminds us that external beauty is fleeting and does not last (Proverbs 31:30) but there is a most important "type" of beauty that does last, and goes far beyond external appearance.....that is "the beauty" I want to discuss with you today, and I pray with everything in me that by the time I'm done, you'll know for certain, just how gorgeous you really are!

The first thing I want to tell you about  "the beauty" afforded us by God via Christ is that it is eternal....

As 1 Cor. 15:35-50 tells us, we shall receive new, imperishable bodies....unlike the frail human bodies we now live in, our resurrected bodies will be very different from our earthly bodies.....Yes, we will be recognizable to one another, but our bodies will be spiritual ones; full of glory and equipped to endure for all of eternity.....without any of the trappings of earthly beauty that we so often feel the need to partake of in order to feel attractive on this side of life. In other words gals, someday we're gonna receive the Ultimate makeover and NEVER have need for another one......ever again!

The second thing you should know about our beauty in Christ; is that it debunks the world's standards of beauty because it manifests from the inside-out....not the outside-in.......

2 Cor. 4:7 assures us that we have been given a great treasure which is the light of Christ shining in our hearts! This "treasure" is the supremely valuable message of salvation in Christ Jesus which God has entrusted to us to share with those around us.....

In 1 Peter 3:3 Peter admonishes Christian women, particularly wives, to not be overly concerned with outward beauty...i.e. fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry and beautiful clothes.....but rather to concern themselves with the beauty that comes from within; the unfading beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit.

Now let me say again, this does not mean that we, as Christian women, should be dowdy and frumpy. It is absolutely good for us to take care of ourselves, be good stewards of the bodies God has given us, and to look one's best, but far more important than all of that is the developing of an inner spirit of Godliness,which again.....is eternal.

The Third thing you should know about our beauty in Christ is that it is recognizable in us, now....on this side of life because those who possess it also possess wisdom and discretion.....

 Show me a beautiful woman who consistently shows no wisdom and discretion in her behavior and I will show you a woman who does not yet fully know her worth in Christ! Proverbs 11:22 instructs us that a beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like adorning a pig's snout with a gold ring! Basically,  physical attractiveness without discretion is soon discovered to be quite ugly indeed. We also need to develop our ability to think and make wise decisions.....because those two qualities will lead us and sustain us in our efforts to walk out a Godly life here on the earth....yet again, leading to eternal gains.

Again, I can't speak for you gals, but it has done my heart good to be reminded that I can be comfortable in my own skin....right now....today and always.....I'm grateful to know that I can drop, and never need pick up again, the vices of comparison and competitiveness..... I'm grateful that I can continue on in my own race and seek only to become more like Jesus and better at being me.....and the cool thing is....you can too.....because Sweet Sis, you are beautiful.....just as you are! Always have been & always will be!

You're Loved

Ok....I'm just gonna go ahead and admit it.....I am a Girly-girl from the word "Go!" I absolutely adore all things "love" so this week's topic of the Coffee for Your Heart Encouragement Challenge over at Holley's website http://holleygerth.com/  totally floats my boat!
There's nothing better than romance.....good, old-fashioned, true, authentic, romance with the One and Only Lover of our souls!
Yes, human love is great....it can be fulfilling and endure for a life-time, but today, I'd rather we focus on the One true love affair we are offered for ALL of eternitty......The One True Love that doesn't change based on our successes, failures, good times, bad times, education level, or socioeconomic status.
By all means, I love you....like crazy as a matter of fact! I desire, pray and hope the best for you, and I want like nothing else to see you live life to the absolute full....but....unfortunately,  my love is fallible, flawed and finite.... Although I promise to do my best to honor God's decision to allow you & I to journey through life together, alas, that's all I can do....my best....which in the final analysis will not be anywhere near good enough to measure up to the love God Himself holds for you!
There are numerous aspects of God's amazing love that are worthy of our meditation and attention....it's eternal, enduring, unconditional nature are enough to make me swoon, but there's one thing I want you to know, cherish, remember, and hold onto for dear life.....Nothing, and I do mean NOTHING can ever separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus!
"Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, "For we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below- indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39
I'm not sure about you, but I am in one of those seasons of life where I need to be reminded that I am loved beyond limits or circumstances! I need to be told afresh that I have a love covering me which cannot be shaken or removed.....contains none of the varying degrees of human fickleness.....watched me come into this world, shadows my every step through this world and will certainly be there someday to escort me away from this world.......And I pray Precious Friend, that I have reached my goal in today's post....I pray that your memory has been jogged, your faith bolstered and your heart stirred because we serve a God who is no respecter of persons.....in other words, He has no favorites amongst His kiddos.....just like He loves me....He wanted me to tell ya that you're loved too!

What I Want Those I Care About to Know in 2014

It has been quite some time since I have found myself so excited about taking part in something!
Holly Armstrong Gerth announced last week on her website http://holleygerth.com/ that she was beginning a new series titled "Coffee For Your Heart Encouragement Challenge" and my heart just jumped all over the idea of using my words to encourage and build up the hearts of those God has lovingly placed within my sphere of influence!
I am an encourager by gifting and nature; so being part of something so important.....so cool....just made perfect, immediate, absolute sense to me!
What makes this even more of a blessing for me is the fact that I had been seeking God about how He might have me share thru my regular weekly broadcast in this new year. There had been passing, fleeting ideas which didn't stick....but this Challenge......this caught, stuck and ignited like a wildfire in my heart!
What could be better than getting to spend the next few weeks to months lavishing words of life & love on those I care about?  Absolutely nothing!
In a world where so much of what we hear and are told is designed to make us feel less than and discontented, it is a pure JOY to deliberately set my heart and mind to doing the exact opposite!
I fully expect that the  dividends of completing this challenge will resonate in and thru my life not just for this year, 2014, but throughout all of eternity! That's my prayer at least.....I pray over all those who are embarking on this Encouragement Challenge that our hearts will enlarge with love and hope.....I pray that as we are purpose driven to share the vitally important resource of encouragement with others that God will see to it that we reap 100 fold on what we are sowing! I pray that the joy of The Lord will flow out of us and become contagious to those in our presence! Mostly, I pray that God will be glorified in and thru this series as many of us join together using the various gifts and talents He has entrusted to us as we seek to lift the hearts of His people! Amen!

Our topic for this week is: Encouraging Words I Want Those I Care About to Know in 2014.....so here goes!

1. I want them to know fullness of relationship with God in Jesus Christ.
John 14:6, John 10:10

2. I want them to know that relationship with God is possible because of God's great love for them.
John 3:16, 1 John 4:10-12, (and I am sharing Him because I love them deeply too....)

3. I want them to know they are created with purpose.
Eph. 2:10, Jer. 29:11, Psalm 139:14

4. I want them to know that God is still good even when life is not.
Romans 8:28, Gen.50:20, John 16:33, John 14:27

I hope you'll take the time to search out and reflect on each Scripture reference for yourself, but I also hope you'll join me Monday morning, January 13, at 10 AM EST as I elaborate and share my heart on each point via my weekly broadcast on Blog Talk Radio! Tune in at blogtalkradio.com/lotg so I can tell your heart even more of what I really want it to know!

Dont Believe The Lies....

Today has been one of those days....you know, those days when the Enemy of our souls tries to throw us down, out and off course by whispering into our vulnerable, unsuspecting hearts every nasty lie and criticism he can find to sling against us....
I called a friend to tell her the lies that were eating me alive, from the inside out, and begged her to tell me how foolish I was being for listening....for tuning in even a little bit to the junk that was coursing through my mind.....and thankfully, she obliged me and shared with me some very valuable, and much needed words of wisdom.....
Having regained some strength of heart, I decided that I needed to further bolster myself against another onslaught of the enemy....just in case he wasn't quite through with me yet....and so I ran to the only Source I know where I can hear everything I need to hear to encourage and steady my heart....the Word of Almighty God.....Once there, I took in the Words of love, compassion, instruction, correction and wisdom that only my Father could speak over and to me.....and then, I found myself wondering out loud, "Why, Oh why am I so quick to believe the lies the enemy spews in my direction?" How about you? Do you find yourself relating with me on some level?
If so, I can only say with certainty that we'll probabaly ALWAYS wrestle with the voice of condemnation that our enemy raises so well, and so often, against us......BUT we can be sure that the closer we walk with our Lord the less likely we'll be to "own" or believe those lies....For each of us the lies may be different, but we know them when we hear them....that's for sure....the question is....how will you respond? Will you respond like me and let them beat and bog you down till you cannot discern which way is up; or will you put on the full armor of God and battle them?
I hope you'll battle them, Sweet Friend....from the moment they enter your mind. I hope you'll confront them boldly with all of the assurance you possess in Christ!
You are called with a Holy calling and purpose, to serve God and His people in ways that only you can accomplish....Now, does that sound like the destiny of someone who doesn't matter? I think not....
Stand firm.....and don't believe the lies!

Cracked Pots

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from oursleves....." 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT) Chronological Life Application Study Bible





At first glance, today's title may seem like an attempt at a joke.....I assure you, Sweet Friends; it is not....Why that title you may wonder? Well, quite simply because we're ALL cracked pots....Every believer in Christ is a "fragile clay jar" as today's Scripture reference reminds us.....
Imagine with me if you will, 2 ceramic terra cotta pots....one in mint condition, perfectly formed....you then take that clay pot and place clear white Christmas lights in it, plug them in and what do you expect to see when you step back to look at the pot? Yep, you guessed it......absolutely nothing.... Now, imagine with me that you take another terra cotta pot, but this one is chipped and has a big ole crack running down the length of the pot....add some more clear, white Christmas tree lights, plug them, step away from the pot and what do you expect to see now? Marvelous light pouring through that chip and large crack!!!!
Friends, I'm about to burst because I surely hope you're better beginning to understand what I'm getting at.....If we, who are in Christ, represent those jars of clay, then our "cracks" and weaknesses now take on new meaning....because it is THROUGH those very cracks, frailties, etc. that Christ has the best opportunity to shine and bring glory unto Himself....if we will allow Him to do so.....
As I've said, we're ALL cracked pots...so what then shall we do with that truth?

1. We embrace being a cracked pot: We need to simply accept our frailties and imperfections....I didn't say we should wallow and stagnate in them, just that we should "accept" that we have them....it's part of our human condition and who we are..... next

2. We must remember that God uses cracked pots: This has been and I dare to say, probably always will be, one of the most amazing truths for me to ever ponder, but there you have it in bold type....God USES cracked pots like you & I.....unbelievably, God chooses & allows us, with all of our "stuff"  to "partner" with Him in sharing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ....He certainly, doesn't need us....amazingly, He chooses us!!!!
The missionary, J. Hudson Taylor, who opened inland China to the Gospel....said it best....he used to say...."All God's giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on Him being with them. Sometimes God permits our vessels (earthen jars) to be jarred or shaken so that some of the treasure will spill out and enrich others. Suffering reveals not only the weakness of man, but also the glory of God." (1)

And that, is the absolute point.....We carry this Precious Treasure, the salvation of Jesus Christ, within our frail, fallible human vessels because our responsibilty is to allow others to see God through us....
So what are they, My Friends? What are your greatest failures, mistakes, struggles and sorrows? Name them, but don't dwell on them so as to allow the enemy to stunt your growth....name them with the certainty that our God has the power to turn them into your greatest ministry and works to further the cause of His Kingdom in this world!!! So serve on....cracks and all, but like those Christmas tree lights.....be sure to stay plugged in to the Power Source!!!



(1) Excerpted from; Weirsbe's Expository Outlines On The New Testament