Blog – Page 20

Victorious Living Study

September 24, 2017 by Mary

The Victorious Living study is a 31 day journey into my workbook, Victorious Living: 101 Prayers and Praises. This workbook is a result of my own personal journey of faith and victory over obstacles. We all go through struggles but we all look at them differently. Victorious Living is a way to rearrange our thoughts and feelings about our struggles and put them into a more positive perspective through God’s promises for us. We must be cautious of letting the difficulties in life create in us a negative mindset.

As with all of my workbooks, this promises to be a personal journey toward spiritual growth and newly discovered truths for you. During this month long abbreviated study, you will have weekly challenges, which I have outlined, below.

Weekly Challenges for our study include:

Week 1: God’s Light

As we begin this study, take some time out this first week to recognize the Light of God. Choose a special candle to light each time you are working on your workbook pages. Let the shimmering light remind you of God’s Light and Love for you. His Love for you can not be quenched, it is eternal.

Week 2: Prayer

Take time during the study this week to seek God in prayer. Place a cross or a picture of Jesus in your prayer area to give you a visual reminder of His faithfulness and love. You can scroll through Pinterest to find a beautiful picture and print it out to help you along this journey.

Week 3: Praises

Take a praise walk. Think of the many ways you can praise God this week for His mercy and grace. Sing praises to Him on your walk. Look around. Notice the beauty of His creation all around you and give Him praise!

Week 4: Reflection

Take time during the study this week to reflect on all that you have learned about overcoming. To celebrate and honor your spiritual growth, treat yourself to a bouquet of fresh flowers. Place them in your study area to remind you that new spiritual life is blooming inside of you. You are His beautiful creation. Think about what you have learned and how far you have come during this study. Give God praise that He has made you victorious!

Resources

The Victorious Living workbook is optional, as I will provide a devotional and the Bible reading plan for each day, but I highly recommend that you purchase the workbook, as this is an abbreviated study and the full workbook is 101 days of scripture suggestions, daily assignments and reflection.

My Blog and Social Media Schedule for This Study

Blog:

All of the free resources for the 31 day study will be posted here daily and include Prayer, Praise, Reflections and study questions.

Instagram:

I will post daily encouragement and Bible verses on the Hope Filled Living Instagram page. Please feel free to post updates and photos of your weekly challenges by using hashtags, #hopefilledliving or #victoriousliving. I would love to see your candles, flowers and pictures of your journey!

Facebook:

I will post the daily assignments Monday-Friday on the Hope Filled Living Facebook page.

I hope you will join me on this 30 day journey!

xxooxxoo.

Mary

Courage Boxes and Fear

August 23, 2017 by Mary

I can remember the day that I approached my church with the ministry idea that my daughter had shared with me. She was twelve and she had this beautifully compassionate thought that she could gather people to help her make a difference in the lives of others, who might need a dose of courage and hope.

We had written a letter to Day-Star television about the ministry that was on Ashley’s heart and received a letter and $500 check from Joni Lamb. Now we needed our home church to support us. Ashley had the wonder and excitement of a child and I was apprehensive. After all, what if they thought it was a silly idea? What if people did not want to participate? What if, what if, what if???

We took the $500 donation and used it to purchase all kinds of needful, useful and pretty things. We went to the local shoe store and asked if we could have all of their empty boxes. They donated hundreds, and so it began. God was making Ashley’s ministry dreams a reality.

The church accepted us as an official ministry with a few restrictions. Ashley was “too young” to run a ministry. I would have to manage it and all of the resources and contacts (little did I know at the time that God was shaping me to study to become a pastor and that this little shoebox ministry would explode into something that needed a staff).

As our story unfolded, so did the plans God had for me to enter into full-time ministry, go back to college and become a licensed pastor. As a young adult, Ashley went on and performed missionary work in Russia and Mongolia, but in the years in-between, we handed out more than 3500 shoeboxes to needy men, women and children. We grew a large and bustling ministry, offering practical assistance, compassion and spiritual direction for those in need. Food trucks, meals, coats for kids, clothing, back to school programs, partnering with community agencies, literacy programs, foster care programs, nursing homes, specialized programs for women and so much more.

God had taken a small seed and grew a great big harvest because we were obedient and willing to serve. But I remember being so apprehensive and worried about rejection in the beginning…and all of the “what if” questions that rolled around in my head. Fast forward to 2017. I finally listened to the call that God had put on my heart back in 2007 about creating these COURAGE BOXES, HOPE BOXES, RENEWAL BOXES and HEALING BOXES. Holy smokes! It only took me 10 years!

My goodness, God has given me experience in all of these areas–courage, hope, renewal and healing. I have been through more life experiences where I needed to call upon these areas than most people know or could comprehend. And yet, orders started coming in for the COURAGE BOXES and as the orders came, the greater a fire of fear was burning in my belly.

I have learned enough along the way to know that when God wants to move people and use you to touch them with His word, the enemy of our souls will torment us into believing that what we have to give is not enough, that we are not equipped, that it won’t make a difference, it’s silly, not pretty, that people will reject us or it and a whole host of other fear based internal dialog.

There sat the COURAGE BOXES…and I had to muster up the COURAGE to send them. I stayed up late into the wee hours of the morning for several nights reading the Bible. So I know that I am in for a great adventure, roller coaster ride with this new aspect of my ministry because when the enemy tries to fill us with fear and doubt…God always has a bigger plan.

There is the short of my story.

I mustered up the COURAGE to ship the COURAGE BOX orders. I leaned in closer to God through His written word and prayed through the fear and I used past experience to teach me that when God has a great plan, the enemy will try to throw us off course.

Here’s the thing:

I think when fear kicks in–we need to take a step back and evaluate because all ministry belongs to him. We are vessels that the spirit works through. Projects like this are divinely inspired, we do not own them. So, if you are working on something to share with and minister to others and you suddenly get overwhelmed with fear, take a step back and evaluate the situation. I know that God has a plan and a purpose for you and the desires of your heart. Understand that fear based thinking is not of God but of the one who would try to hinder you from taking the path God has for you.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

Feeling Persecuted? Some Grace for You.

July 30, 2017 by Mary

Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!

1 Corinthians 4:8-10

We have all that we want and are rich with spiritual food because the Holy Spirit lives in us –and yet we often feel self-sufficient enough to think we do not need to seek righteousness or the favor of God. Emboldened of our own power and might, we forget that those who walk in Christ are not to be proud or haughty. We must remember with reverence and yielded heart, the price that was paid for the faith. Often, as the Church in Corinth, we pick and choose teachers who preach what we want to hear. Teachers throughout history have sometimes been filled more with education than they are with the spirit of God. Teaching out of their own intellect more than a yielding or surrender to God, we are led astray and distracted by pomp and circumstance. Just as the Church in Corinth, there still lies a danger in becoming lovers of self, rather than lovers of God and his grace and fullness.

The cross for all believers comes at a price, which is paved with suffering and always yielding. Are we to believe that we are above suffering when Christ suffered the ultimate price for us? Countless men and women throughout history have suffered and were persecuted for the faith.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Matthew 7:13-14

Living victoriously we take the word of God, receive it into our hearts and make ourselves vessels which are filled by the Holy Spirit. With wisdom, knowledge and the indwelling joy of the Living Christ, we shall continue to hunger and thirst for God.

When we feel torn up, bruised, a bit worn out from the battle of the world, it’s okay to feel tired. We all get tired. We have all felt persecuted at some time in our lives. “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life“…Jesus is the way through the narrow gate and we find him there, waiting. His cost was heavy so that our burdens may be light. His love defies persecution. “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

Exhale today and find rest for your weary, battle scarred spirit. Jesus paid the ultimate price for your liberation from persecution. The weight of the cross was so that we could live victoriously through Him in all circumstances.

“For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand and say to you: Do not fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13