1/29/2015
Unleashing the Courage to Be Bold![]() I (Melissa) have been spending a lot of time this week thinking about whether or not I can truly be bold (see Monday’s devotional for a bit more context). During this time, I’ve found myself focusing some of my thoughts on a character from my favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz. I found myself relating a little too closely with the Cowardly Lion – particularly when it comes to being bold in my faith. As a quick refresher for those of you who may not have seen the movie or may not remember it as well as I, the Cowardly Lion was scared of nearly everything and would not step forward for anything even though his species was known to be one of the bravest in the forest. The one thing that would make his life better, he thought, was a good dose of courage. And so he was off to see the wizard (along with his friends) because surely an all-powerful wizard could give him what he felt he was lacking. In the end, he learned from the wizard that he actually possessed courage all along; he just hadn’t looked deep enough to discover it. And once the wizard helped him believe this to be true of him, he gave the Cowardly Lion a medal, an outward reminder of his courage and his ability to be bold. As I thought about this scene, I wondered whether this could be true for me, too. Could there be even just an ounce of courage within me? How could I discover it? And, even more so, how could I continually remind myself of this? Proverbs 28:1 states that “the righteous are as bold as a lion.” And 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us that “the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” So it is true. As a Christ follower, I possess the courage to be bold. That courage is unleashed when I pray that God will help me to embrace opportunities to be bold. Just as Paul did. "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel..." (Ephesians 6:19) And my “medal?” My reminder of this courage? The promise that God is there with every bold step I take. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) So what does this mean practically? How can I live out this boldness, the result of my newfound courage? Here’s where I'm starting: I’m reminding myself that not all my actions need to be big to be bold. But they DO need to be actions. So instead of waiting for opportunities to be bold to drop in my lap, I want to seize them as they present themselves. For example:
In the spirit of full transparency, I need to tell you that, in fact, a number of opportunities as outlined above have already presented themselves this week. Have I handled them all flawlessly? Of course not! Am I becoming more aware of the opportunities I have to be bold in even my day to day? Absolutely! And am I unleashing indescribable amounts of courage gifted to me by the Holy Spirit with every bold step I take (even the seemingly small ones)? Without a doubt. And I pray that the steps will just keep getting bigger. What about you? What bold steps have you taken this week? How will you walk with even more boldness next week?
1/22/2015
Is God Enough?![]() This week, in our devotional, I [Ginny] encouraged you to think about the things that you would have difficulty giving up if God asked you to. I would be lying if I said that I would be whole-heartedly willing to give up everything right on the spot. I like comfort, I enjoy good food, watching cable television is a nightly ritual for me, and dear me, if God asked me to give up my yearly beach vacation, I would throw a huge hissy fit. Trust me, it wouldn’t be pretty. Yet I know that all of those things are privileges and not necessities. I need to get to the point in my heart where I would be willing to drop the privileges to follow the call of God. For those of us who are in progress (ahem, me!) in this area, I would like to suggest you start by giving and serving creatively. My husband and I have been doing this for some time, and I have noticed a profound effect on how I view my possessions and what I desire. My heart is changing, and as it does, I am closer to being able to say “God is ENOUGH.” Creative giving/serving is taking an otherwise self-focused opportunity and making it a God-focused opportunity. A few examples: * On your birthday, take your age and do that many acts of random kindness. It might mean handing out water bottles with Scripture verses on them to people on your local walking trail. Maybe it is helping the elderly carry out groceries. My favorite easy random-act-of-kindness is paying for the coffee of the person behind me in the Starbucks drive-thru. If you have a lot of acts to cover, you could enlist your friends to help. * Turn a holiday into one about giving instead of receiving. Several years ago, my husband came to me and told me about an idea to take the money we spend on gifts and a fancy dinner for Valentine’s Day and use that to help a family in need. We did just that and started a tradition of anonymous giving on an otherwise us-centered holiday. It is so much fun to dress up in our fancy outfits to eat at a fast-food restaurant that night instead! We now have hundreds of others joining us in this tradition, and we welcome you to join us, no matter what your relationship status or location is. You can find out more by following this link or visiting The Great Valentine's Day Give Facebook page. * Add up how much you spend on personal “treats” each month. This could be your trip to the local coffee shop, desserts, massages (I wish!), etc. I have been Starbucks gold-card carrying customer for some time now (Yes, I like coffee!). What if I sacrificed the trip to the coffee shop, made my coffee at home, and gave that money to sponsor a child through Compassion or contribute toward a need of someone you know? It doesn’t take much to make a difference. Now that creative giving is easier to do for us, we are entering the next stage of sacrificing even more to allow God to use us in whatever way He wants. I don’t know what that will look like yet for us or what it will look like for you. It might be small in the world's eyes or big. Whatever it is that God calls you to do or give, you need to be ready. For some, that might mean living in a hut in Africa. For others, it might be signing up to be a Big Brother/Sister to a child who needs a mentor or helping a local family fund its adoption. Perhaps you may be led to leave a high-paying job for one in a local ministry. I am always amazed at the stories of the founders of Online for Life. The men who run this incredible ministry that saves the lives of the unborn were executives with cushy jobs, but they gave that up, along with all of the benefits that come from those kinds of positions, because God was calling them to save lives in a new way. Wherever you are in the process, I encourage you to start somewhere. Take a small step forward and do an act of kindness for a neighbor this week or offer to watch an overwhelmed mother’s children for her so she can have a few hours to breathe. Whatever that first step looks like for you, take it. Don’t make any more excuses. That small step will eventually turn into a leap and that leap will eventually turn into flying as God takes you on an incredible journey of learning to live less for you and live more for Him.
1/14/2015
For All The Single Moms & Winner Announced of Karen Ehman's New Book: Keep It Shut!![]() With 6 children and a husband who often works long days and late hours, I {Mandy} know what it's like to bear the lion's share of responsibility when it comes to parenting. I am a stay-at-home mom by choice, and I love it; however, some days (weeks!) are overwhelming. Some days I feel so weary that it's hard to get out of bed. Knowing how I feel on days that my husband works late and misses most of the day with the kids pales in comparison to how my single mom friends must feel. My sweet friend and blogging partner (Janelle) at Overcomer Outreach wrote a beautiful post for single moms. I felt compelled to share it here. "Friends, if you are single please know that Jesus sees you and goes out of His way for you as well. I am so sorry if you have felt slighted. Not one person has the perfect life whether they are single or married. You are not alone... even though many days you might feel that way. " Contest Winner Announced!Thank you to everyone who commented on our post for Karen Ehman's new Book: KEEP IT SHUT: What to say, How to say it, and When to say nothing at all.
We were overwhelmed by the reponse of those who shared times they struggled to KEEP IT SHUT! Thank you to all who participated! Our winner, chosen using Random.org, is: Carol G. Congrats, Carol! You have been notified via email and will have 24 hours to respond! You can still grab a copy of Karen's book by going HERE!
1/9/2015
Positive Vibes...What's That?I (Mia) have heard people say, many times, they are sending happy thoughts and positive vibes my way. I honestly have no clue what that means. But, I do know that if you talk to God in the name of Jesus that the power and effectiveness of THAT far outweighs any vibes you could possibly transmit over some imaginary wave length.
Ladies, we have been challenged this year, not to just think happy thoughts for each other, but to actually get down and dirty and pray to the One who hears and acts according to His word, His faithfulness, His steadfast love and justice and mercy.... to pray in the name of Jesus to Our Father who art in Heaven. So how did your week go? Was it hard to be deliberate about prayer? Did you find that the more intentional you were the harder it got? I know it did for me. So many crazy distractions came my way, that I normally do not have, after I wrote Mondays devotional. My usual morning prayer time wouldn't happen until mid afternoon or sometimes even after dinner. How crazy that was for me! But what I did find is that no matter what, no matter when, time alone with Jesus, talking and listening, meditating on His word is sweet anytime of the day. So, don't get discouraged if you are in the battle, stand firm, sit still, talk to your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and watch Him do what He does so well...RESPOND! The other night as I found myself (finally) sitting down with the Lord, I said these words "All day I've been running and thinking of you, God, but right now I want to stop and BE with You, just you, all of you, only You." Once I sat down and cried out to God, I saw Him respond so quickly and He allowed me to simply rest in His arms. It's what He does. I pray that He will do that with you. He is waiting. Ladies, We at Deliberate women, love you. We pray for you in the name of Jesus. If nothing else, know you are loved by the Savior and if you don't believe me...go and ask Him! "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory for ever. Amen." In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26–27I wrestled with several plastic grocery bags as my purse swung wildly from my shoulder. I was trying desperately to free up a hand to open the back door that leads from our garage into the kitchen. Tired from a long day of errands and appointments, I just wanted to get into the house, put the groceries away, and then collapse on the couch. As I fumbled with my keys and stepped up onto the landing that leads into the kitchen, I nearly tripped and broke my neck. I also broke out into a horrible rant as I saw the reason for my near trip and fall. “Kenna! Mitchell! Spencer! You kids get out here right now and take care of these shoes and boots. I am sick and tired of how you all just toss your shoes here with absolutely no regard for what I’ve told you. You know your shoes go on the rug. I don’t want to ever see this junk lying here again. You hear me? You are all so lazy! Now I said get out here … right now!” My kids heard me all right. So did half the neighborhood. I have a major pet peeve about the shoes, sports cleats, boots, and flip-flops that collect in our garage. First, I’d prefer that each family member have only a pair or two there. (That day there were about nineteen, and only four were from my husband and me. The other fifteen or so were from our three darlings. Yes. Crunch the numbers. That’s five pairs each!) I also prefer that shoes be lined up neatly in a row on the lovely industrial rug that is strategically placed just to the right of the landing for my clan’s convenience. I’ve even timed out how much longer it takes to actually place said pairs of shoes neatly on the rug instead of kicking them off haphazardly. Just three seconds! But my kids couldn’t seem to get with the program and so? It made me angry. This wasn’t the only time a domestic dispute broke out. There were other shouting bouts as well. Sometimes they were over issues of outright disobedience when I had specifically instructed a particular child to clean up a mess they had made. Other times it was over an accident: spilled grape juice on the light-colored carpet, too much laundry soap in the new front-loading washing machine, a screen door left open and now there were mosquitoes in the house. Many normal mishaps of childhood. Although on the one hand it felt good to vent my anger, on the other hand it made me gulp in guilt for barking so angrily at my sweet children. Later, after the shoes were straightened and some even put away, I felt God tap me on the heart, prompting me to apologize to my kids. I fought it for a while, arguing that the kids were the ones who should be apologizing to me. It was then that I felt God clearly say, “Mind your own sin, sweetheart.” Ouch. Yes, my kids’ disregard of instructions wasn’t right. Children should obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1). But when they don’t? Well, I couldn’t recall a single verse that then grants parents the right to holler and scream, giving all of the neighbors who were trying to eat their spaghetti supper both dinner and a show. I apologized to my kids that night before they went to bed. I asked them to forgive me for my angry mama mouth. Then together we strategized about how we could remedy the whole footwear fiasco in the garage. I realized that part of the reason I was always badgering my clan to get with the program was that there was no good program for them to get with in the first place. The industrial rug just wasn’t cutting it. So we cut the rug. With a trip to the department store and some nice wire shelves, we found a solution to the footwear conglomeration. We compromised. I didn’t get my entire desired neat-as-a-pin plan, but the modified version still worked better than the industrial rug. As a result, I no longer badger my poor kids about their shoes. My vocal cords aren’t so sore, and the neighbors can now enjoy their dinner in peace. And I learned that day a very valuable lesson… Don’t say something permanently painful just because you are temporarily ticked off. ![]() Got words? Oh yeah, you do! The average women speaks over 20,000 a day—not to mention the ones she types online. Karen Ehman — a woman whose words have often landed her in a heap of trouble — shares from experience the how’s (and how-not-to’s) of dealing with the tongue in her new book Keep It Shut. Using biblical examples, as well as Karen’s own personal (and sometimes painful!) stories, Keep It Shut will equip you to know what to say, how best to say it, and when you’d better just keep your lips zipped!This book will teach you:
Here's your chance to win a copy of Karen Ehman's new book Keep It Shut! One lucky winner will receive a copy of Karen's new book, mailed directly from the publisher, Zondervan.
Comment below with a time you've had to "Keep It Shut" (or should have!) Winner will be selected Tuesday, January 13, 2015 and contacted via email and given 24 hours to respond. A valid email must be submitted or another winner will be selected. Winner must be 18 years old or older. Valid in the United States or Canada only. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. |
This space is reserved for Founder Mandy's perspectives and viewpoints of Scripture. Man is fallible, but God is not. It's strongly encouraged that you study the Scripture for yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in your understanding.
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