Feeding a Hungry Soul: encouragement

Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts

God Gives Peace to a Distressed Mind

My reading plan today had me reading Ephesians 6:10-20, but it was this one verse that made me stop and read it again. In fact, I was compelled to read over and over again.

The NIV translation I was using said it this way:

“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”

Readiness. Ready for what? It sounds like I'm being to told to get my shoes on and be ready to go. I needed more insight, so I began to do some research, which is when I found this:

“The Gospel is so called, because it makes men to be of peaceable tempers and behavior, and gives peace to distressed minds: it directs the way to eternal peace,”

---John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

There were lots of other expositions and commentaries that had similar thoughts or even other thoughts. But today, these words of John Gill rang true to my heart. It put into words the reality of my life in a way that I had not been able to before.

“gives peace to a distressed mind”

You don’t need to know what has my mind distressed today. That’s not what matters.

The truth and power of this scripture is what matters.

There is every reason in this ‘world’ for my husband and me to be distressed about our situation. Friends and family that are aware of our circumstances and recent turn of events wonder why we aren’t showing the outward signs of a distressed response to the circumstances of our life.

I’ve struggled to give an answer, lamely repeating words that usually just confuse them even more….”we have the peace of Christ”.

I think many people hear that and assume it means that we are in denial of the circumstances and choose to look away from reality. But the words of this commentator said it perfectly.

I do have a distressed mind. I’m not blind to the circumstances we are facing. I’m not ignorant of the consequences of these circumstances if things don’t change. And I’m not blind to the fact that there does not appear to be any source of significant change on the horizon.

Yes…my mind thinks of all of these things.

It is, by every definition of the words ~ a distressed mind.

But the gospel of Christ gives that mind of mine something I cannot give it myself.

Peace.

Like a blanket thrown over a shivering child; the cold does not go away, but the covering of the blanket warms her.

Yah…it’s like that.

The covering of Christ is like a calming blanket placed over my distressed mind.
{click to tweet}

The circumstances and situation have not gone away, but the blanket gives me REAL peace.

Overcoming Peace!

In our world, peace can be such a passive word. But in God's world, peace is a powerful word; an active word. The peace of the Gospel of Christ moves us forward when our distressed mind wants to stop us in our tracks. The enemy wants to use our distressed mind to paralyze us with fear.

God gives us a peace so powerful,

it overcomes all fear and paralysis driven by a distressed mind.
{click to tweet}

Therefore, it is so very appropriate that Ephesians 6:15 talks about shoes, not blankets! Life on earth is a journey. Daily we are called to get up and walk with God. There are days when the path is smooth, and there are days when it's rough. There are even days when it is so filled with rocks and pot holes we can barely keep our balance.

So we put on our shoes. With shoes we can withstand the rough terrain. With shoes we can walk more surely when the path is unstable.

Which is why it is vital that daily I come to His table so He can fit me with the Gospel Shoes I need for this day.

And so, with Gospel shoes on my feet, I walk in peace even when my mind is distressed.

I know it.

I believe it.

I’m living it…one hour at a time.

I smile about it.

I have joy about it.

I love living in it.

I’d rather walk like this, than with bare feet on my own.

Prayer:

Lord God, thank You. I have no elaborate words of praise to shower You with today. But my word of thanks comes flowing from an overwhelmingly grateful heart. May You receive this humble offering of praise just as it is presented; simply stated from a pure response to Your overcoming peace. Yes Lord..OVERCOMING PEACE. Not a peace that causes me to run and hide from the challenges of life, but a peace that empowers me to walk in the strength of Your word and Your promises. Thanks for putting my shoes on for me today as I came to sit at Your table. I confess that I came with bare feet, but I'm stepping out today with feet fitted with readiness. I love You Lord, and I come before You in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our recipe today is for Overcoming Peace
The ingredients are from Ephesians 6:15
The directions are to let God fit your feet with readiness found in the overcoming power of the gospel of peace. {click to tweet)

{CLICK HERE for a printable version of today's recipe for the soul. Make notes on it of how God is speaking to you today, and carry it with you to feed your soul as needed.}

Other conversations held at His table that may feed your soul today...
Confidently Trusting God
Fearless Living
Do You Really Trust Me?

I'd love to have you at the table each time I pull up a chair.
If you don't already, won't you join us?

Subscribe to Feeding a Hungry Soul by Email

Just click the link above, submit your email address and then

be sure to click the 'verify' link when the email is sent to your inbox.

After that, I'll be saving you a chair at the table!

God Bless and Keep You,

For more time at His table, try visiting these blogs

where I like to link up in fellowship with other followers of Christ.

A word of encouragement? A note to say 'hey'?
Just click comments below...it makes my day!

I Am Blessed with a Lack of Self Confidence

Jeremiah 17:7

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.

I lack self confidence.

For so many years I considered that to be a flaw; something to overcome. When I couldn't overcome it, I’d dress it up in worldly success so that people around me wouldn't see how insecure I really was.

In the last 2 years, I've let some heartbreaking and life changing circumstances be the magnifying glass I viewed myself through, increasing my self-doubt and lack of confidence.

The costumes of success I had masqueraded in for so many years were suddenly ripped from me and I was left exposed.

As a result, I pulled back and found places to hide. My computer and even this blog have been some favorite retreating spots.

Before long, those hiding places began to feel like home; a safe place to be.

Problem is, we are not created to hide but to shine with His light.

Ephesians 2:10 ~For we are God’s handiwork,

created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do

So while I felt safe hiding out, my soul grew increasingly restless. Every scripture, every Bible study, every sermon, and even the praise and worship music I let myself get lost in, was calling me out of hiding.

For the longest time, my response to this tugging on my soul was this:

“If I’m meant to step out and accomplish more for God,

then someone will ask me.

Until then,

I’ll just stay here.”

Of course, this is exactly what a person lacking self-confidence would do! It’s putting the power into the hands of people to validate our worth and ability to contribute.

But God says…

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.

~ Jeremiah 17:7

And then I had one of those Ah-Ha moments.

“Blessed is the man…..whose confidence is in God”

One could even go so far as to say…

“Blessed are those that lack self confidence

but instead are fully confident in the power and abilities of God."

For so long I was convinced that my problem was a need to increase my self-confidence, but what I really needed to do was lose all sense of self-confidence.

Less of me and more of God.

Even better…none of me and all of God.

(but I’m a work in progress…so I’ll give myself a break and take it one step at a time!)

So no more waiting around for others to ask me to ‘dance’. I've been asked to the dance already, I just wasn't listening for the right voice!

But now I’m curious.

Am I the only one,

or does any of this strike a familiar note with others?

Has anyone else been waiting for permission from people to step out and shine for God?

If so, what is it that you know God is asking you to do with full confidence in Him and no confidence in yourself?

I’ll start.

As a writer, blogger and speaker, I've always watched from the sidelines as other writers / bloggers and speakers shared their experiences after attending conferences of like minded writers / bloggers and speakers.

I'd watch the announcements go out inviting anyone and everyone to come and join them for a time of education, edification and inspiration. I’d watch, but I would never respond.

I’d let my lack of self-confidence fueled by my introverted and shy nature keep me from taking that step to sign up and go, simply because I didn't know a soul that was going.

It wasn't that I didn't want to go. In fact, if someone had come up to me and said "Hey Tami, let's go to this conference together"...I'd have gone to one years ago.

But this is the year I decided to stop waiting to be 'asked to dance' by people I don't know and dance because 'God has asked me to dance'!

Just last week I surrendered my need for self-confidence, drew upon all the confidence of God, and signed up for the Declare Blogging Conference.

I don’t know a soul that is attending, but I've already made some virtual connections after drawing on that God Confidence to get the nerve to post on the Declare Community Facebook page

{yes…I stalked the page for days before I typed a word to let anyone know I was there. Like I said…a work in progress!}

If you are a blogger or have been thinking about starting a blog, it’s not too late to sign up.

Just CLICK HERE.

Not sure?

CLICK HERE to read more about the details

CLICK HERE to read about the session topics

And…

CLICK HERE to read more about the speakers.

BTW… Mary DeMuth is a key note this year and it was her ‘tweet’ last week that pushed me over the edge and got me to act on what I knew God was asking me to step out and do.

Can’t wait to hear from her!

Now it’s your turn! You could just hide behind the screen, but it would bless my socks off if you left a comment. What is it you are doing or are ready to do with all the God Confidence you've been given and with absolutely no self-confidence to get in the way?

Before you go though, I'd like to leave you with one of my signature 'soul food' recipe cards!

CLICK HERE for a printable version

Confidently Trusting God

Jeremiah 17:7:
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him!

I needed this today.

I've been battling a lot of self imposed doubt, taking it to God weekly, sometimes daily, knowing it's not from Him and prayerfully seeking to be released from this paralyzing shackle.

The enemy is good at reminding me why I should be consumed with this 'Purpose Paralyzing' doubt:

business failure in the last 2 years
financial mess (as a result of the above)
heartbreak and betrayal in the last 2 years
friends and colleagues I have wronged or let down in the last 30 years will laugh at me, mock me or call me out for my past failures and shortcomings

If I stop and think about it for long, the bulleted list keeps growing. The enemy is good at shooting those arrows at us.

I awoke today mindful of the empowering and Jesus driven purpose I ended yesterday with. It had been a wonderful day spent doing the things I was perfectly created to do. I couldn't wait to face this new day, ready for more of the same!

After spending time at His table where He reminded me in Proverbs 4:11 that He guides me in the way of wisdom and leads me along straight paths, I was empowered again to hit the key boards of my computer and finish what I had begun the day before.

And then the distractions began.

First it was an email. Then a post I saw on Facebook that reminded me of a time when... {no need to walk down memory lane here...suffice it to say that the memory was of a past failure listed in the bullets above}. Before I knew it, doubt was taking over and I was paralyzed.

What was I doing? Why did I think I could do it? Retreat...

Into my hole I began to crawl. A familiar hole that lets me disappear and forget that I am here for a purpose. I don't love the hole...nor to I hate the hole. It's just a place to hide...a place where I can't get hurt because there is no one there to hurt me.

It's also a place where I am imprisoned. Shackled and paralyzed. And if I do nothing, I can cause no harm and no harm can be done to me.

It hasn't been that long ago when I would settle into this hole for days or weeks at a time. But God has been working overtime to coax me out over the last few months, feeding me with His healing words and reminding me of that feeling of joy that comes from stepping out in His strength for His glory, doing His work.

So today, before I got too comfortable in that familiar hiding place, I got on my knees and asked my loving Father ~ "what do you want me to do?".

And He answered:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him!

Jeremiah 17:7

And as I prayed over this verse, my Heavenly Father reminded me....

That business failure was not a surprise to me. You are looking at a small part of a bigger picture. Trust Me...I have great plans for you.
Your financial mess is not missed by me. Have you forgotten how I have provided for you one day at a time. Trust Me...I will not abandon you.
The heartbreak and betrayal was painful, I know, but it does not define you. Trust Me...healing is yours and I'll provide that healing balm you still need.
Those friends and colleagues you fear will mock your or reject you, they are Mine too, and I'm working in them just as I'm working in you. Trust Me...keep your eyes on Me and I'll lead you on the path I've planned for you.

As I sat at the table with Him, feasting on this perfectly prepared meal, my confidence grew strong in Him. The shackles were released and I stepped out of my hole and into the truth of His light.

Yes Lord, I trust You.

And in trusting You, I find my confidence.

I can walk confidently forward, trusting Your lead.

Eyes fixed on You Lord;

blinders on so I cannot be distracted by

the arrows of the enemy .

I'm ready to do this...with You and for Your glory.

Prayer:

Lord God, I am overflowing with a thankfulness. I cry out to You and You answer me. You do not leave me in my hiding place but call me out so you can feed me with Your life giving words. You replace the lies of the enemy with reminders of Your faithfulness. Forgive me for needing to be reminded. In Your name I walk with enthusiasm and confidence. In Your name I am able to accomplish good things. When I succumb to the weakness of my flesh and crawl into my hole, it's the power of Your name that brings me out, ready to run for Your glory. On my knees, praying in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our recipe today is for Confidence found by Trusting in Him

The ingredients are from Jeremiah 17:7

The directions are When doubt closes in around you, take time to sit at His table and be reminded of His faithfulness.

{CLICK HERE for a printable version of today's recipe for the soul. Make notes on it of how God is speaking to you today, and carry it with you to feed your soul as needed.}

Other conversations held at His table that may feed your soul today...
What Are You Looking At?
Just Do the Next Thing...God Has a Plan
Holy, Holy, Holy ~ Lord God Almighty

I'd love to have you at the table each time I pull up a chair.
If you don't already, won't you join us?

Subscribe to Feeding a Hungry Soul by Email

Just click the link above, submit your email address and then

be sure to click the 'verify' link when the email is sent to your inbox.

After that, I'll be saving you a chair at the table!

God Bless and Keep You,

For more time at His table, try visiting these blogs

where I like to link up in fellowship with other followers of Christ.

A word of encouragement? A note to say 'hey'?
Just click comments below...it makes my day!

Promise of His Presence

Psalm 42:5
Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him
For the help of His presence.

I was brought to this verse the other day as I was sitting at His table and I found myself pausing to meditate over these words...."I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence".

How many times do I focus on tangible answers to prayer (resolution, problems fixed, healing received, etc....) and forget to recognize the gift of His Presence?

In a world now driven by 'instant gratification', I am reminded that I need to take time at the table and...

praise God for simply being with me
thank God for the gift of fellowship given through the blood of Jesus
exalt God for not forsaking me

I think a good question to ask myself each time I'm feeling stressed, fearful, overwhelmed, confused or consumed with doubting thoughts, is the one this Psalmist asked himself....

Why are you in despair, O my soul?

Why are you disturbed?

{The definition of despair is 'to lose hope'.}

If I let the circumstances of my life cause me to despair...BE WITHOUT HOPE...then my relationship with God is more like a relationship I might have with a vending machine.

Put my money in (aka: prayer request)
Pull the lever (aka: pray in the power of the name of Jesus)
Pick up my candy bar (aka: be able to point to the result of my prayer request)

If a vending machine does not deliver what I asked for, I get upset and eventually stop putting my money into it if it continues to fails to deliver.

Perhaps I need to realize that sometimes when I pull the lever,

what He delivers at that moment in time is

HIS PRESENCE.

Yes Lord.

I praise You for the

Help of YOUR PRESENCE!

When things happen that I don't understand, it is HIS PRESENCE that comforts me.
When His answer to a prayer is 'not now', it is HIS PRESENCE that sustains me.
When I want to see the long term solution to financial struggles right now, but He is asking me to trust Him one day at a time, it is HIS PRESENCE that calms me.
When I pray for healing and it does not come immediately, it is HIS PRESENCE that gives me strength to wait.

Time spent at His table each day is when I am most reminded of the hope I am given through the gift of His presence. When I fail to take time to fellowship with God, I lose sight of His presence and am easily overwhelmed by the chaos of life around met.

All things will work for His glory, in His time.

Meanwhile,

I am given the gift of His presence

while He asks me to wait.

I am not alone.

By the blood of Christ...I am not alone.

Prayer:

Lord God, I come to you with a thankful heart. No matter how the world swirls around me; no matter how difficult my current circumstances are; no matter how heartbroken I am at this very moment... I am not alone. You are with me. While I may be seeking real answers to real problems or issues, I can rejoice in Your presence while You work out the answers to Your glory, in Your time. I confess that I sometimes fall into despair, letting my soul lose sight of the hope You give. Yet You never leave me. You never forsake me. You stay with me and wait for me to look up and seek Your face. And once again I am reminded that my hope is found in the gift of Your presence; in Your unfailing love. Thank You Lord. I come before You in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our recipe today is for HOPE...found in the Promise of His Presence

The ingredients are from Psalm 42:5

The directions are Spend time in His presence, know you are not alone and give Him praise for that gift of His presence.

{CLICK HERE for a printable version of today's recipe for the soul. Make notes on it of how God is speaking to you today, and carry it with you to feed your soul as needed.}

Other conversations held at His table that may feed your soul today...
Hope in His Unfailing Love
What Are You Looking At?
His Words of Unfailing Love

I'd love to have you at the table each time I pull up a chair.
If you don't already, won't you join us?

Subscribe to Feeding a Hungry Soul by Email

Just click the link above, submit your email address and then

be sure to click the 'verify' link when the email is sent to your inbox.

After that, I'll be saving you a chair at the table!

God Bless and Keep You,

For more time at His table, try visiting these blogs

where I like to link up in fellowship with other followers of Christ.

A word of encouragement? A note to say 'hey'?
Just click comments below...it makes my day!

God HAS to be Enough

For most of my life I subscribed to and agreed with the mantra "God is enough".

As a good christian, I nodded my head in agreement and spouted the scriptures that declared this to be truth.

If you asked me all those years if my walk reflected my belief in these words, I would have given an automatic yes...without any consideration for personal reflection before answering.

If you asked me all those years if my prayer life reflected my belief in these words, I would have declared 'of course', basing my enthusiastic response on the fact that I pray, so of course I believe it. I wouldn't pray if I didn't believe it.

But in recent months, on the heals of (and still in the midst of) a year of turmoil, uncertainty, betrayal, hurt, financial insecurity, helplessness and heartbreak... I learned that 'God is enough' isn't right at all.

That was a catch phrase I had integrated into my christian vocabulary, but it wasn't a life giving statement of faith.

No, the right way to say it is...

God HAS to be enough.

As I sit with a family member as she cries over broken promises made by a spouse, my heart breaks. There is nothing I can do to fix this or heal this. I can only pray her into the arms of Jesus.

God HAS to be enough.

As I walk beside a family member that struggles to surrender a life long sin pattern over to God and open himself up for healing and restoration, I recognize my inability to fix him and realize the consequences of his sin will forever touch our family. There is nothing I can do but pray him into the arms of Jesus.

God HAS to be enough.

As I consider the costs of supporting our family when jobs have been lost and various crisis have taken an additional toll on limited resources, I am forced to look at what can be done today and let God take care of tomorrow. There is nothing I can do but pray us into the arms of Jesus.

God HAS to be enough.

As I watch from a distance as a dear friend takes the final steps of the journey that will end in the death of her dearly beloved, my heart aches. I cannot change this for her. I can only pray her into the arms of Jesus.

God HAS to be enough.

As I intercede in prayer on behalf of a close friend who desires healing and intimacy with Christ for her wounded and straying children, I am painfully aware of how powerless I am on my own. I can only pray her and her children into the arms of Jesus.

God HAS to be enough.

For years, I lived by the mantra, God is enough, but my prayers reflected my true, self reliant nature. "Here is how I am going to do this or fix this or what direction I am going to move...thanks for being enough to make my plans happen God." I acknowledge Him but was not reliant upon Him.

Today I am thankful for a year of turmoil, uncertainty, betrayal, hurt, financial insecurity, helplessness and heartbreak. God wanted me to go deeper with Him. He knew I was missing out on the joy and peace of knowing....

He HAS to be enough.

It is when we come to a place in our journey where we realize we cannot be enough, our family and friends will fall short and not be enough, our best laid plans will go awry and not be enough....and we pray ourselves into the arms of Jesus...we realize it's not good enough to just believe God is enough.

We have to come to the end of ourselves and fall on our face saying ....

God HAS to be enough.

God Bless and Keep You,

Would love for you to leave a note!

When has God had to be enough for you? Have you been in a place where you were at the end of every resource you had ever depended upon and came to rest in the realization that God HAS to be enough? Is this an ah-ha moment for you as it was for me recently? Would love to hear your thoughts...comment link is below :-)