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WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
by Linda Hull
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"I meditate on all thy works." Be Transformed! |
In This IssueAugust, 2008, Volume 14.8 "Take
therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take
thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof." Matthew 6:34 Letter From The EditorGetting focused... |
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"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient; whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter 2:1-10
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The
Believer's
Mission...
Letter from the Editor...
Dear Folks,
It is so difficult sometimes to get our focus on the righteous things. We can become so enmeshed in our daily business that we literally are too busy to focus. Oftentimes, we not only lose focus, we soon realize that we have forgotten our focus. In this August Issue of Words of Encouragement, we want to look at some ways to determine what our focus should be, then understand the steps we need to realize our goal. In the process we will recognize real solutions to real problems.
IN THIS ISSUE
CLICK ON THE LINKS TO TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO AN ARTICLE
| Get Focused! |
| Fine Tune Your Focus Onto Blessings |
| Musings: Out of our abundance |
| Resting in God's Goodness |
| Grandmother's Scrapbook |
| Home School Tips |
| Thought Provokers |
| Recipe Corner |
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Copyright © 2008 by Linda G. Hull
What is the one thing that is most occupying your thoughts these
days? Is it the coming election? Maybe rising prices have you
wondering how to avoid using your credit card. Got mounting debts that you
can't pay? Health issues may be consuming all your thinking.
Let's stop worrying. Take a deep breath. Get out some paper. Let's make a list. First fold your paper lengthwise in half. On the left side, write down all your concerns, no matter how small. Number your list as you go. Don't leave anything out.
Once your list is complete, go back to the top of your paper. On the right side column, list specific needs next to each concern. Be as specific as possible. Work thoughtfully, without rejecting a need as being too ridiculous. If you aren't sure what you need, leave that space blank. Be sure to number your needs consistent with the number of the concern.
Now you have just created a prayer list. Each of these concerns and corresponding needs must be brought to our Lord in prayer. Before life gets desperate, take it to the Lord. When life is desperate, run to the Lord for help.
Begin to pray over each concern every day. When your thoughts become cluttered with your concerns, pray. Don't allow your thoughts to have rule over you.
When our thought life is out of control, soon our actions will begin to be out of control. We lose our tempers, become fearful, stress to the max, and our health declines. Take charge of those thoughts. Use them as a springboard for prayer.
Pray, believing that the Lord will supply your need according to His will. You may not find instant solutions. You may not realize the resolution you prayed for. However, be certain that He hears and He answers.
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7
As a believer, you will find yourself feeling very conflicted. That is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing you to conviction over your sin. You will not be able to rest comfortably if you are a believer, nor should you want to. When sin feels like it has entrapped you to the point of no return, stop. That's a lie, for we know that our Lord is always ready to receive us back into fellowship with Him when we repent. He is always seeking us.
Returning is difficult when we allow our shame to keep us too prideful to admit our need. Confession and repentance always involves admitting our sin. Admission is so hard, but without it, we will stay in our hateful circumstance.
With confession, comes turning. We are to turn away permanently from that sin. Don't indulge it. Don't go back to it. Don't be persuaded. Give it up. It may be so difficult that you have persuaded yourself that it is impossible. That's because you are looking at it from a wrong perspective. Take it moment by moment.
Remove the temptation. For some that means putting those maxed out credit cards in a safety deposit box to avoid using them. For others, it means a change of job to avoid that affair. Sin isn't over until you make restitution; an apology, paying back what was stolen, forgiving another, etc. Whatever the deed, make it right as much as you can so you can cultivate a clear conscience.
Remember that when you confess sin, our Lord forgives and forgets.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:1-5
If you are struggling to believe the truth and do not know Jesus as your Savior, then please go to Do you know for sure?
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Fine Tune Your Focus Onto Blessings
Disappointments are so hurtful! That's what makes them so awful! They always seem to come at a time when we are least ready for them.
Many of us have experienced the disappointment that comes when people let us down, jobs fizzle, or life just gets way too complicated. Disappointments cause us to lose our focus.
When we concentrate on our disappointments, we forget our blessings! We lose hope, forgetting that our circumstances are under the control of our awesome Lord.
Did you know:
Disappointments are often a "no" answer to our prayers.
Disappointments cause us to change direction.
Disappointments bring us to our Lord.
When we place our hope in ourselves, we will surely be disappointed. Yet when we place our hope in our Lord, then we can know there will be a solution.
The Bible plainly teaches us to put our trust in Him, not in man.
"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." Psalm 118:8
Disappointments can be expected, but we are not to focus on them. Instead treat them as stepping stones to blessings. Count your blessings when things don't go as expected. Thank the Lord for your deliverance!
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"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12
MUSINGS... Out of our
abundance
"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ." 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9
"But by equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality. As it is written, he that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack." 2 Corinthians 8:14-15
"But this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
"And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
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When you hear talk about "the good life," what comes to mind? A new car every two years? A spacious home in a well-to-do neighborhood? Fortunately for us, God’s definition of the good life is much better than that. It’s something we all can have—something we already have, whether we realize it or not.
The good life is simply a life showered with God’s goodness. Psalm 116:7 says, "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." Regardless of your income or social status, God has showered and will continue to shower his goodness on you again and again. You don’t have to fret if your piece of pie doesn’t seem as big as someone else’s. You can rest in thankfulness and appreciation for what you do have, knowing that God has been good to you.
On some level, this tendency to define the good life by worldly standards is a hindrance that entices us all. How easy it is to get caught up in unhealthy comparisons. But remember what Hebrews 12:1 tells us: "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles." Ingratitude is a grievous sin when it causes us to look at our lives through deprivation-colored glasses. But when we change our perspective on what it means to live well, we soon realize that nothing stands in the way of our living the good life—no income shortage, no financial hardship, nothing—except our own attitude toward whatever circumstances we face.
In our fifteen years of marriage, Michael and I have experienced our share of having very little. Most times we have chosen to view our cup as half full rather than half empty. But I can remember a season during which I struggled with this. It was during the Christmas holidays right before our daughter was born. Our businesses had not done well that year, and with the added expenses of a pregnancy without insurance coverage, our budget was even tighter than usual by the time the holidays rolled around.
"I wish Christmas would just go away!" I told Michael in a moment of frustration as we talked about whether we should buy a Christmas tree that year. We could barely afford inexpensive presents for everyone on our list; how could we justify spending even fifteen to twenty dollars more for a small tree?
I felt poor, and I didn’t like the feeling one bit. Intellectually, I knew Christmas was not about how much we could spend or whether we had elaborate decorations. I also knew we had more than our share to be thankful for—not the least of which was a beautiful baby on the way. Yet in my heart I couldn’t shake the feeling of being deprived because our holiday celebration would be much simpler than that of our relatives and friends.
Have you ever experienced a similar situation? Are you feeling that life has dealt you a bad hand compared with that of someone else? Here are some things I did that you can also do to help move from feeling sorry for yourself to feeling grateful within your circumstances:
Refocus on your blessings. Although we couldn’t afford expensive gifts, we could afford to give each person on our list something. Although we couldn’t buy a tree, we had an ample supply of decorations to make the house look festive. What can you be thankful for in your current circumstances? Instead of focusing on what isn’t as you’d like it to be, focus on the blessings to be found when you choose to look for them.
Put your creativity to work. I worked hard at finding out-of-the-ordinary ways for us to give of ourselves while still giving within our means. Instead of feeling bad because I couldn’t buy expensive gifts, I focused on using my time and talents to express my love for each person on my list. Likewise, you will probably feel much better about your situation if you approach it with a healthy dose of creativity. Look for ways to enjoy simple pleasures and make the most of what you have.
Let go of preconceived expectations and ideas. Having a good Christmas that year required that I let go of any expectations about what an enjoyable holiday celebration was supposed to be. I knew that if I busied myself with being thankful and resourceful, there wouldn’t be much time left for feeling sorry for myself. You too may have to let go of some preconceived notions about what it means for you and your family to have a satisfying life. Ask God to help you let go of worldly definitions of success and accomplishment so you can embrace his definition of living the good life.
Has the habit of comparison held you back? Have you allowed ingratitude to sneak in and steal your joy? If so, it’s time to get rid of any faulty perceptions of what it means to live well. Choose instead to live with gratitude, and rest in the clarity of God’s goodness.
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Nancy Twigg is an author and speaker who loves inspiring women to live more simply. To learn more about Nancy’s speaking and writing ministry, visit her online at www.keepitsimplesister.com.
GRANDMOTHER'S SCRAPBOOK
"Inspired by great-grandmother's scrapbook, compiled before 1918."
A Beautiful Prayer
Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me,
Bless Thy little lamb to-night,
Through the darkness be thou near me,
Keep me safe till morning light.
All this day Thy hand has led me,
And I thank thee for thy care,
Thou hast warmed, and clothed, and fed me,
Listen to my evening prayer.
Let my sins be all forgiven,
Bless the friends I love so well;
Take me, when I die, to heaven,
Happy there, with Thee to dwell.
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*Public Domain
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"Therefore endure hardness, as a god soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." 2 Timothy 2:2-3
HOME SCHOOL TIPS
LET'S GET FOCUSED ON A NEW YEAR!
August is planning month! It's also decision time...
Are you going to continue homeschooling in the coming school year?
If you're a seasoned homeschooler, now is the time to look at last year. What were the pros and cons? What do you need to do better?
I recommend seeking the Lord for His direction and insight. If you struggled last year, then this year can be better, when you allow Him to take the lead.
Sometimes we lose our focus because we stay busy with field trips. Book work comes in dead last on the list. Yet getting that book work accomplished is so important for your child. First, it teaches your child to finish a task. Second, it prepares your child for the next book. If you aren't getting through the material, you are in effect robbing your child of a solid foundation.
I believe that learning can be fun. Include field trips that support the lesson. Plan fun projects to reinforce a concept or teach a concept such as simple science experiments, art projects, library reading, discussions, etc.
Let's establish our priorities. It might help to do a school plan where you write down accomplishable goals for each student for the year. Then set goals for each quarter, then each week. List the steps you will use to accomplish each goal. The more specific you are, the easier it will be to plan ways to meet your goals. Keep your worksheet handy and review it regularly, checking off each step as you work towards your goals.
As a seasoned homeschooler, you have gained a wealth of wisdom! In the process, you are also more closely bonded to your children, and more aware of your need to pray for them. Let's not forget how exciting it is to watch them learn and grow! Pray for renewed enthusiasm and fresh anointing to continue the work.
Are you going to begin homeschooling in the coming year?
If you and your family are new to homeschooling, I recommend seeking the Lord for His direction and insight. Have you realized the enormity of the commitment you are making to teach and train up your child? It's a heavy one, but definitely do-able with His help and guidance! Seek support with a local home school support group. However, don't let the support group activities and business rob you of precious teaching time.
Organization and flexibility are the keys to success. As you homeschool, you will begin to recognize how our Lord uses your new circumstances to teach new habits, cure you of old ones that weren't helping you, and reveal your weaknesses and strengths. Homeschooling will stretch you in amazing ways!
The first year is a time of learning, so don't be too hard on yourself if things don't go quite as planned. I remember one time using a large peanut butter jar for a science experiment involving boiling water. As I poured the boiling water into the plastic peanut butter jar, the jar began to melt in a matter of seconds with the water running all over the floor. My boys howled their delight! Course that wasn't the experiment, but it was a learning experience!
Pray for courage, enthusiasm, and boldness to teach and train up your children. You will be amazed as you watch Him work in you and in your children. Hold on to the excitement of a new beginning!
To learn more about homeschooling please contact me!
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Providing Christian Homeschool Curriculum and online courses for families who want to build a Biblical worldview.
A wonderful free downloadable program for all your record keeping needs!
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"Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work." 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
THOUGHT PROVOKERS
ARE YOU GOING TO BE READY WHEN HE RETURNS??
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS???
DO YOU REALLY LOVE HIM???
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
What is your hope placed in? Here's an excerpt from "In the Footprints of the Lamb" by G. Steinberger that discusses what would happen if we really hoped in Jesus the way He wants us to.
"Those who are truly waiting need not be exhorted to cleanse themselves; they do it without outward prompting. They do not need to be urged to press forward, to deny themselves, to humble themselves; they just naturally strive to be like the Lamb. They do not cleanse themselves only from sins but also from themselves, that is, from their own mind, their own nature, from all that is not of Him and is not directed toward Him. As long as we do not have this hope, we are really without hope;..."
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RECIPE CORNER
"And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." I Timothy 6:6
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Click on the links to go to the recipe or scroll down.
"Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." Matthew 15:10-11
* More recipes can be found at Free Recipes.
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1 large banana, sliced into small chunks 1/4 cup blueberries, rinsed 1 medium sized apple, peeled and sliced 2 cups Dole pineapple juice (Use Dole because it is not from concentrate.) Optional: 1/4 cup of organic strawberry yogurt Place all ingredients into blender, beginning with apple, then banana, and blueberries. Pour in pineapple juice. Place lid on blender. Turn on blender on low speed. As fruit is chopped, gradually increase blender speed, finishing on high speed. Blend only until fruit is pureed. If the juice is too thick, add a little more pineapple juice or water. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
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"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12
Check your carpet warranty before you shampoo your carpet. Some warranties have restrictions on do-it-yourself cleaning. They often require annual professional heat extraction (steam) cleaning to continue to validate the warranty.
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