I have been a Christian for many years now and continue to grow in all areas of my life. I come from a long line of strong women who pride themselves in providing the emotional and spiritual strength for their family. Often times I find myself being the one that stands ready when others are in need of seeking encouragement, compassion or sympathy. Many times though, it is simply a pair of arms that offer love, understanding and a caring shoulder to lean on that they seek. As a Christian woman, I am thrilled to offer that encouragement because I myself am often in need of it and understand where others are coming from and how they are feeling.
As a mother, not only have I been blessed to give life to another, but am under an obligation to provide godly guidance, correction, stability, and love unconditionally to my own children. Our children learn what they are taught or not taught mainly from their parents. As parents we are their first glimpse into Who Jesus really is. I am reminded every day to ask myself if I am teaching them to love and act as Jesus loves and acts. I am also challenged to rid myself of any indifference, hate or disobedience in any other area of my life as a child of God. As a woman and a mother, my life is a tool in which God can use to bring Him glory or I can dishonor Him through living a life of disobedience. Life can be very difficult at times, but I have but one desire and that is to live a life that is pleasing unto God and being an over comer when things happen that satan wants to use to discourage or destroy me.
May I encourage you today that when you are in need of encouragement to seek out those that want to lift you up and encourage you to get to the other side of what you may be going through. Bren's blog and all her writings have been a great blessing and encouragement to me. God has given her a servant's heart and a compassion for helping others walk in God's will. I hope that you will drop by many times and dip into her own personal experiences and be encouraged to keep up the faith and as she often times reminds us.....never give up!
Robin-
HE WHO FILLS MY EMPTY HEART
I long to be loved. Yes, my husband loves me. My parents love me. My children love me. And even my grandchildren love me. But it’s not enough. It’s not enough to fill that way deep down longing to be loved just for me. It’s just not enough to fill that gaping heart hole that aches to be filled.
The only place I can find that kind of love is from God Himself. I’ve found it in coming into a loving relationship with my Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ. When I’m longing for that love, I must go to Him first. His love has seen me through my most empty and excruciating times – a friendship betrayal, an unfaithful spouse, a divorce, a job loss and even the death of a newborn baby grandson. When I find myself in that place where my heart is broken and wounded so deeply that I almost despair of life, there is only limited solace in the care and concern from my loved ones. I need something more. That’s when I find and remember the depths of God’s love. He gives a love that is always available and reaches those depths that no one else knows.
It’s these times that I turn to scripture to remind me of His love. One verse reads like this, “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zeph 3:17). Now, there’s a love I can inhale and breathe in deeply. He lavishes me with His love, delights in me, rejoices over me and quiets me. It’s that love that gives me a reason to face each day and look for ways to know Him better and help others know Him.
My empty heart hole has been filled! I am loved! He can do the same for you. Are you searching for that kind of love? If so, allow Him to meet you where you are today. He will not fail you. He is faithful and can be trusted.
“God is love” (1 John 4:8b).
VEH-
KNOWING GOD DEEPER
I came to Christ when I was 8 years old. I grew up in and Christian home and attened church every time the doors were open. Both my parents served the Lord and taught me to serve Him through their own actions.
In all these years that I have served the Lord even as a young girl I have known and loved the One that I served. I attended and helped in GA’s and Mission camps all through my growing up years. I helped my parents in planting a Mission Church, served in vacation Bible schools and taught GA’s and Mission Friends as well as a Sunday School class. I have also always had a heart for Missions and have been on a few mission trips as well. Music has always played a vital role in my life and it seems like God has always found some avenue for me to use my love for music in no matter what area of service I may have been in. God has opened some wonderful doors for me in my life and my love and knowledge for Him is constantly growing.
While I have always loved God and served Him in some way or another since I was a very young girl, my relationship to Him only began to grow deeper and more personal as I began to study His Word and attend various Bible Studies. I have found that the deeper I get into His Word the stronger my walk with Him becomes and the more I get to know Him on an personal and intiment level the deeper my love and desire to live for Him grows.
I am grateful for what God has done in my past and look forward to what He has in store for my future and the future of my husband and son…..
May I encourge you today to get into God's Word every opportunity that you get. Feed yourself spiritually and encourge yourself through God's promises for your life. When time does not allow you to dig deep take a spiritual snack and read a quick devotional. Who knows there may be a devotional that is waiting to say just the right thing at just the right moment to encourge you today to know God deeper.
Brandy-
A TESTIMONY OF "THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD" IN AFRICA
This story is one of many times that I have seen God’s faithfulness in confirming His will for my life. This time in particular, I had never experienced His confirmation so specifically before; since becoming a Christian in 1980. The Lord had been dealing with me for close to 3 years about going on a mission trip to Africa. Up to that point I had no desire or interest in being out of my comfort zone or doing without the comforts of my own home, until His constant faithfulness brought me to the place where I gave in and surrendered my will to be His will.
A couple of things that the Lord had used to bring me to the place of surrender in this trip was first, I kept pondering on the fact that I did not want to die knowing, that I had not fully obey God in that area of my life. I also was reminded that upon my many years of witnessing to my nieces and nephews concerning the importance of always keeping their heart’s clean and obeying the LORD, then how could I now expect them to obey, if I was not?
During that time of my many reservations, concerning going on a Mission trip, I attended a Women’s conference to receive a Word from GOD and to get focused and be encouraged. At the conference they had drawings and gifts and of all things to win, I won a ‘Free Passport’! God was confirming and I was listening. It was at that point that my journey really began. God began speaking to me and telling me so many things. Day after day as I spent time in His Word and in prayer, I was receiving a fresh Word from Him as well as what I should say and do on my trip. It was then that I surrendered to His will, signed up and immediately started the process of preparing to go.
I just have to be honest and tell you, that I still struggled some and did not want to go. My attitude was not always good but I was determined to be obedient. As I was preparing to get ready for my trip, one afternoon I stopped at a local Retail store close to my home, that I had often times patronized to purchase the necessary items that I would need to take along on my trip. It had been my second trip there within 2 weeks. Since my time of departure was drawing close, I was trying to get those last minute items that were still on my list and pack them in my luggage.
That day I had been frustrated and tired, and was trying to stay focused on my list in order to finish up my shopping and check them off my ‘to do’ list. As I gathered up all my items, put them in the shopping cart and headed for the checkout the cashier (of which I had never, ever seen in that store before) suddenly exclaimed, “Wow you have a lot of the same items, are you stocking up?” Unknowingly to her of my attitude, she had no idea that I really was not in the mood to be chatty; and I for sure was not in the mood to be discussing my trip at that point. Yet, to avoid any more conversation than needed, I simply said “yes”. With persistence and a smile, she asked, “Why do you have so many of the same items?” I figured if I wanted to get out of the door quickly, then I better answer her questions and move on. So I said, “I am going on a Mission trip” and she immediately was so elated and said loudly, “Wow, that is a blessing!”, “Where are you going?” I said, “Uganda”. Then she began telling me how she always wanted to go. (Well, I was glad that she wanted to go, but it was not something that I wanted to do, let alone be overly excited about.) I thanked her for helping me and headed towards the door to exit, when all of the sudden, she yelled out, “SAY EVERYTHING YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO SAY AND DO EVERYTHING YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO DO”. I found myself frozen at the door and quickly turned to ask her, ‘What did you say?” She repeated it with the biggest smile on her face and I said, “Ok thanks sweetie”. As I got to the car I began to cry in a very big way. All I could do was simply thank the Lord for His Faithfulness and constant confirmation.
As the time for me to leave drew near, I became apprehensive due to the fact that I hate to fly and had not flown since the late 70’s. I also began to think more of the dangers of where we were going. I said my good byes to my family and my husband took me to the airport (that was the toughest thing that I had to do, was leave my husband behind). But the moment that I walked past the security, I suddenly had such a peace, it was amazing! When I got to the gate I sat down in a corner to take a quite moment to be by myself and pray for my husband and family while I was away. Suddenly, a young man sat down beside me and asks where I was going? Annoyed by his asking me, because I wanted to be quite and have some time to myself before I got on the plane, I wasted no time and simply told him, “Africa!” He said in a loud voice, “Wow that is awesome!”, “SAY EVERYTHING YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO SAY AND DO EVERYTHING YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO DO!.”. Then, he got up and left. Upon hearing his words, once again all I could do was cry, and I did, as I again thanked the Lord for His Faithfulness.
Time does not allow me to tell you all the things that God did for me on that 2 week Mission trip to Uganda, but for the few things that I can say, were that; He was Faithful to me in every way in every minute of every day. He gave me peace and joy during my flight time as well as His great provision by using others in raising my support which enabled me to go. He had faithful people praying for us while we were there. He kept us healthy while were in extreme heat and protected us from danger, as well as blessing all the efforts that we had made.
In conclusion I would like to tell you about a special day of ministering that God allowed me to be a part of. One late afternoon as we were leaving a local hospital where we had been ministering and praying for the sick, my interpreter and I were the last to leave the hospital. As we walked off the ramp, we passed a young lady and as we passed her, God spoke to my heart asking me the following question, “Are you not going to tell her about ME?’ As I turned around and looked at her, immediately I recalled what both the cashier and the young man at the Airport terminal said to me “SAY EVERYTHING YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO SAY AND DO EVERYTHING YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO DO.”. I quickly said to my sweet interpreter, I cannot leave this country without telling her about Christ, so be sure to tell her everything that I am saying. We went back to where she was and we led her to Christ. Praise God again for His Faithfulness! As soon as I turned around I saw a beautiful young Muslim lady standing there, shaking her head in disgust. I walked up to her and said, “We love you and God does too, but Jesus is the only way.”
Not long after we returned from Africa, we heard that the very place that we had been, had been bombed. I knew that I had fully obeyed the will of God in my life in going on that Mission trip and such sweet peace came over me. You see, God had spoken those very words to me, right after I surrendered to obey Him ...SAY EVERYTHING YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO SAY & DO EVERYTHING YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO DO! Wow, the Faithfulness of God! He blows me away every time I think of how He confirmed His will to me all along the way; me, His child, right in the middle of His will. HE IS FAITHFUL!
One of my favorite songs say’s Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey! You too, can trust and depend on Him.
Diane-
