No matter what you are going through, remember, this is a new day and a brand new week. I love Monday’s. They offer a fresh new opportunity to stand down our giants and live victoriously through Christ Jesus. God calls us to choose hope because He executes justice for the needy. He sees our burdens, struggles, hardships and human failings, but He fights for us. A life in Christ contributes to the health of the body, mind and spirit and gives us a legitimate basis for the hope that we carry with us.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Strong leaders never lose hope.

There is a story about a great, never-say-die general who was held captive and thrown into a deep, wide pit alongside many of his fellow soldiers. In the pit was a big pile of horse manure. Can you imagine being thrown into a pit full of horse manure? But the general was an optimist. Strong leaders never lose hope. “Follow me,” the general cried to his men as he dug into the pile, “There has to be a horse in here somewhere!”

We are either glass half empty people or glass half full people. There is no in-between. Some of us are born optimists while others lose hope during any kind of trial. A hopeless Christian is a contradiction to his faith. Hope is everything, for God alone is hope. The basis of our faith is based upon hope. Without hope, there is no yearning for a better tomorrow, a better week to come and no belief that things can change.

Trials and Temptations

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

There was once a pastor who was asked to go to the home of a woman with cancer. When he arrived at her home, she answered the door and looked emaciated, weighing only 85 pounds. She had been sent home from the hospital to die, as her body was full of cancer. Her only hope was Divine healing.

The pastor prayed over her but without great fervency, as he thought there was no hope. By appearances, she already had one foot in the doorway of heaven. That night, she felt intense heat throughout her body along with tingling. She tried to call out to her husband, but didn’t have enough energy, so she lay there. Alone and frightened, she crawled into the bathroom, filled with horrible pain. “Oh, my God. My body is falling apart and I am dying.” As the night progressed, she eliminated from her body, a number of large tumors. She didn’t know it, she just stayed in the bathroom and fell asleep, thinking she may not wake up the next morning.

The next morning, her husband woke up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. “What are you doing?” he asked, astonished to see her up on her feet and with enough strength to make a pot of coffee. Afterall, the hospital had just sent her home to die. She replied, “God has healed me.” When she went back to the doctor, he gave her a clean bill of health. God had completely delivered her from cancer!

That’s our God! He does work this way sometimes! He does still perform miracles!

So, as you begin your week, believe that God maintains the cause of the afflicted. Remember: Strong leaders never lose hope. You may not feel like a leader, but people are always watching, listening and waiting to hear and see our faith to believe. You have endless opportunities to be Jesus to someone who needs hope. God often meets our needs through people.

Have a great week and remember, we are victorious in Christ Jesus! He will fight for us, maintain the cause of the afflicted and our souls crave that which only He can give. 

 

Soul Care = Self-Care.

Self-care is so much more than a pretty haircut, a new workout outfit or a pedicure. God created us as very complex beings with a body, mind and spirit. When one or more of these areas are not tended to, our “whole” person is out of tune, as they all flow in and out of one another.

The foundation of self-care begins with care of the heart center of our being: the soul. When the soul is healthy, we can conquer the challenges that arise in our daily living and create a happy, healthy perspective. This holds true, even in the midst of adversity and the storms of life.

As we learn to view God with a deeper understanding, we begin to love ourselves as whole, complex persons. The truth is, the definition we hold of our Creator is the sum of how we define ourselves. If our internal definition of God is that of an angry, harsh, critical Father, we will define the scope of our worth as such. This perspective limits our growth as whole beings. Reflecting on our personal beliefs about who God is and how He loves us may be a challenging task, but an important aspect of loving ourselves more fully. This is self-care. This is soul care.

Growing spiritually is a process of changing negative beliefs about ourselves and God that stem from our life experiences and problems. We get to choose what we hold close to our hearts and what we get beyond. We also get to choose to be healthy, whole, complex individuals created by a loving God. As we evolve spiritually, chains of fear and shame fall away and we are free to move forward into a more loving, joyful and fearless life.

Soul Care = Self-Care.

Take time out to pray today. Ask God to show you experiences that crushed your heart and made you feel guilt or shame. Go back as far as you can remember. List 5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Do you see how these experiences may have shaped the beating heart of your soul? Ask God to reshape your perspective and heal the broken pieces of your heart. This is the foundation of self-care.