When things seem hopeless…

Posted by Joy on Nov 11, 2013 in Blog | 2 comments

I’m so glad you stopped by my website today because I have a word of encouragement for you!!  I want you to go with me to the book of Ephesians where we find a familiar and powerful passage of scripture in Chapter 3.  Verse 20-22 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  What a powerful verse this is.  It reminds us that God hears our prayers—every one of them.  He is alive and active in our lives even when we don’t feel Him.  I wonder, as you are reading this, how ALIVE does God seem in your life right now?  Is His spirit so alive within you that you feel it is going to burst out of you, or are you in a season where you do not feel His presence?  Most of us have experienced times when we did not feel that God was near, but rest assured my friend, He is always with us and there are no situations too big for Him to handle.

Are you going through a difficult time in your life right now?  Maybe you are struggling in your marriage.  Maybe you are in a difficult situation with your kids.  Maybe you are facing real financial troubles or maybe you have aging parents and you cannot see a clear answer on what to do.  Maybe in your mind, your situation seems hopeless.  Listen my friend—with Jesus, no situation is ever hopeless because HE is the hope of the world!  Go to Him.  Get alone with Him, with your face in the carpet and cry out to Him.  Cry out BELIEVING He can do all things.  Cry out BELIEVING He can do more than you can ever ask or imagine.  BELIEVE He is the God He says He is in His Word.  Pour out your heart with total confidence that He is big enough to work out your situation for good.

When life gets you down, remember what God has done for you in the past.  Focus on how He has moved in your life.  Think back on times when you have asked God for something and He answered you way better than you even asked.  OH doesn’t He just blow you away with His goodness?

Life brings disappointment, heart ache and trouble.  We must remember that God is at work, often behind what we can see, weaving together the pieces of our lives in order to bring Glory to Himself and good to us.  When times seem dark, we must have faith to stand firm on His Truth!

Whatever doubts you have, whatever burden is on your heart today, wherever are you desperate for God to do a mighty work,  GO—-find a quiet place to be alone with Him and cry out to Him.  Get into His Word and remind yourself of the Truth we find in Chapter 3 of Ephesians.  Our God IS able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.  Pray and believe, and watch God work something beautiful out of a hopeless situation.

Give Him all glory and praise for ever and ever!

~Joy

Overwhelmed with life?

Posted by Joy on Oct 21, 2013 in Blog | 3 comments

A couple of weeks ago, I had one of those weeks where many things came crashing down all at once.  I imagine you know what kind of week I am talking about.  Those types of weeks leave you feeling defeated, beaten down and overwhelmed.  Those are the kind of weeks where you begin to question everything you are doing as a wife, mother, daughter, employee, friend, and even as a child of God.  Well, that was my week and the enemy was in full force trying to steal my joy.  As I cried out to God in desperation over what I needed to do to “fix” my problems,  He began to reveal some truths to me that I needed to hear.  He began to expose some of the sin in my life and He began to teach me how to get back on track with His plan.

I wonder if you feel overwhelmed right now with all of the responsibilities you carry in your life.  I wonder if you feel defeated as a wife, mom, friend, coworker or even as a Christian.  I wonder if there are nights when you cry yourself to sleep and no one knows about it.  I wonder…..

My friend, we all feel overwhelmed from time to time.  This life is stressful and the demands on us are great.  I want to give you some encouragement as you read this posting.  I want you to know that you are not alone.  None of us have it all together.  Oh–we know how to look the part, but inside we all have insecurities and we all need Jesus!  None of us have perfect marriages.  Most of us struggle knowing how to raise our children, and most of us have more laundry piled up than we want to admit.  Below is a list I put together of some lessons God continues to teach me about fighting the feeling of being overwhelmed.  As you read this list, I hope it causes you (like it does me) to examine your life more closely.  I hope it brings you some encouragement!

• We must spend quality time with God, daily and study His Word.  It is a MUST!  Set aside time with Him.  Be intentional about it!
• We should prioritize our relationships according to God’s plan (your most important human relationship is with your spouse).   Our children should not be more important than our spouse.  Neither should our best girl friends, or even our Mother.  Our man should be our #1 human relationship!
• We need to pray and LISTEN more carefully to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Do we know how to hear His voice?  Are we hungry to hear Him?  If not, ask Him to help you.
• We should be careful before committing to a new project.  Just because something is a good idea, does not mean we should be a part of it.  Every need is NOT your calling!
• We need to stop over-scheduling ourselves and our children.  We all need time at home to play in the back yard and we need to have more regular meals together around the kitchen table.
• We cannot do everything for our children.  We are raising them to be responsible adults.  Being a helicopter parent does not teach them how to think for themselves or be responsible for themselves.  Sometimes letting our children reap the consequences of their actions is the best teacher of all.
• God blessed us with the Sabbath Day as a day of rest and worship.  Spend time with God on the Sabbath and take a nap!  You need both!
• We need to focus on what is RIGHT with our lives and enjoy the life God gave to us.  Laugh and have fun with those you love—be intentional about creating special times…MAKE A MEMORY!
• Be careful not to sin in your anger.  When you are angry, do not send an email or post anything to social media.  Pray about it, and sleep on it.  Things typically look a lot clearer and more manageable in the morning.
• Nurture your most precious relationships.  Fight for them!  When you are wrong, say “I’m sorry”.
• Be “media free” whenever possible.
• Pray, pray and pray some more.
• Ask God to create in you a pure and clean heart—do not be found doing all the “right” things but for all the wrong reasons.
• And lastly— I’m not superwoman and neither are you.  Let’s take off our capes and thank God for His grace!

Thanks for stopping by!  I’m so grateful for you!

~Joy

15 cents!

Posted by Joy on Oct 2, 2013 in Blog | 2 comments

Oh I remember how frustrated I was when I realized my son, Sam, had taken 3 pieces of candy off the counter (that we did not pay for) of the Mexican restaurant and was eating them in the back seat of our car.  It would not have been so bad if we were not already half-way home.  Once I realized what had happened, I was in a quandary of what to do.  Here were some of my thoughts:

• I mean, really?  What was Sam thinking?  He knows better than that!
• Each piece of candy was only 5 cents each!  5 x 3 = 15 cents!!!
• We go to this same Mexican restaurant almost every week. Can’t I just pay the extra 15 cents the next time we eat there?
• It is Sunday.  I am tired and I can hear my comfy bed calling my name.   I—need—-a—-nap!
• Is 15 cents worth turning around?

I tried to rationalize myself out of it….but then I felt it.  That small, quiet voice in my spirit urging me to do what my flesh did not want to do.  It was there for Bryan too.  So, without blinking an eye, Bryan whipped us off of the interstate and back we went to the restaurant to pay the 15 cents for the candy.  Sam went in, apologized to the restaurant manager and we had a teachable moment right then and there.  God began to speak to me about the importance of being trustworthy in the little things.

Surely you are faced with these tests in your life too?  Some tiny thing that may go completely unnoticed by the rest of the world, but inside your spirit, you know God is urging you to do the right thing, the hard thing, the inconvenient thing.  We are given opportunities to prove ourselves trustworthy and faithful followers of Christ, but often we miss those opportunities because we brush them off as unimportant.

Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

Many times, we are tempted to take the easy road because it is more convenient.  Life is hectic and sometimes we choose to ignore the still, small voice of God.  The more we ignore His urging, the easier it becomes for us to sin.  Before we know it, sinning becomes more and more comfortable for us and we find ourselves out of fellowship with God.

Have you ever found yourself looking for that “next big thing”?   I imagine you know what I’m talking about.  We want something more grand to come our way.  We want our finances to grow, we want our Sunday school class to grow, we want more people to hear our story or see our talent.  We strive to live lives of significance and we feel that will only happen if we have more.  If you are itching for something new, something bigger, something more grand, I want to encourage you to examine how well you are stewarding what has already been entrusted to you.  Are you proving faithful where you are right now?  Are you trustworthy?  Maybe it’s a better job you are after and you are frustrated because there are no open doors for new opportunities.  If so, then I encourage you to examine your heart.  Are you really giving your best at your current job?  Are you working as for the Lord and not for men?

If we cannot be trusted with the little things, then how can we be trusted with bigger things?

Let’s prove to be faithful and trustworthy servants of God!

~Joy