Be Strong and Courageous...

Yes, this IS my 400th post and yes, I am supposed to offer a giveaway, but I'm not. I'm leaving that until the next post! Why? It's because the message in this post is more important. It's one that God is hammering home to me. His Truth.

It's about being strong and courageous. It's about never, ever forgetting that He will never, ever change who He is, lie to me, betray me, belittle me, abandon me, forget me, nor leave me.

It's about this...

"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 NIV

It's about the fact that I can rely on Him for the kind of love that I yearn for. That I can trust Him. That I will always be able to rely on Him for anything and everything. That I know He has my best interests at heart.

There are so many reasons why I love the Lord and all that He has done for me

One important thing, however, that I can do for myself is keep reminding myself that my past does not account for who I am now. That it's OK to make errors in judgement and wrong choices, because God is all over them. That's it's OK to feel how I feel, but that I'm to give those feelings to Him so that He can make clear in my heart why I'm feeling them.

There is just so much, but the most important thing is to remember to be strong and courageous, to not be afraid or discouraged, and that He is with me wherever I go and in whatever I do.

My Strength...

The year is zooming by and it's April already. My daughter turns six years old in just under two weeks and I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by. But in looking back over the last six years, a lot of things have happened. A lot of changes. A lot of heartache and hurt. A lot of joyful and happy moments.

But things change. We change. Circumstances change. Levels of resilience change.

Last month was all about relationships for my 2010 Word List. As you can see from here, I only managed one post on the theme, but relationships are still on my mind. This month's theme, however, is strength. I am glad to be concentrating on this as He IS my strength. He is why, at this particular time of my life amid this change, I am able to hold my head up high and feel the reassurance in my heart that I am going to be OK.

I feel weak, feeble, tired, emotionally drained, and, most of all, I miss the man who shared my life for the last 4 years.

He came into my life when I needed strength and he gave it well. Over time, however, it became evident that I needed God's strength more than I needed that of a man. For those who have read my blog for a while now, you will know that I have spent my entire adult life - up until now - searching for unconditional love. I have learnt that I will never find it here on earth. It's the one thing we all crave, but it's the one thing we won't find...outside of God, that is.

Psalm 46:1 in the NIV tells us that "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." This is so profoundly true.

I never actually realised how strong God's mighty power was until I started experiencing the hurt and pain I've felt over the last 9 months or so, and especially over the last week. Just by calling on His name and taking my concerns to Him, I have on many occasions been comforted by Him almost immediately. Other times I have had to endure some suffering before the hurt and pain subsided, but it did not happen without Him providing me with the strength I needed to cope.

He IS my strength.

He IS my mighty tower.

He IS my comfort and shield.

He IS my everything.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for providing me with Your strength through the times when I've needed it most. Thank You for always being here for me, either to provide an out for my current circumstance, or to strengthen me to endure it until the hurt and pain subsides. You are God who is good, faithful and the provider of an everlasting love that we all need so much. I love You. In Jesus' Mighty Name, Amen.

"Me Day" ... Um, No ... HIS DAY!

I enjoyed “Me Day” on Thursday just gone. I feel rather guilty referring to my day off as “Me Day” as it was more about Him than me, hence the title of this post. It was a chance to rest from the daily grind, renew my spirit and refresh my outlook. From the get-go, outside of a niggling day long headache, the day was wonderful!

Isaiah 32:17 spoke to me first – “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.”

After a somewhat interesting month where I’ve had to deal with some turmoil, this verse spoke of the three things that I have been seeking – peace, quietness and confidence.

The second verse to speak to me was Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” This verse was accompanied by this quote from Gloria Gaither –

“This day let our actions and attitudes be in sync with all creation. May be articulate praise with the moments we are given today.”

I think I got the purpose of “Me Day” at that point.

God’s love needs to be displayed through me ... first and foremost in everything I think, say and do.

Onto the shopping centre I then ventured to a cafe to enjoy a coffee and read. My sights and thoughts along the way included the following, as written in my notebook once at the cafe:

“Old men sitting outside the supermarket chatting while their wives shopped ... a mum saying “see you later” to her tantrum throwing toddler at the main door.

A visit to the new stationery shop with young girls and boys looking at all the goodies, wanting to make the right purchase. Memories of my early teenage years flood back of me doing the same thing. Walking through to the cafe and seeing two young teenage girls sitting on some steps looking pretty, not returning my smile, looking at me with trepidation, me knowing full well that “image” is taking over their lives.

My thoughts move to being thankful for where I am at in life, despite the difficult times. I have God's love to share with others and I have to start doing that from today. THE MOMENT IS NOW.

Thoughts then go straight to my girlie. Love and smiles abound. I can do this. Even though we have bad times and she frustrates me no end (and vice versa!), I can do what God needs me to do; steward this child, this gift from God, into a life filled with richness.

I am not God’s purpose. He is using ME to show Himself to others.”

My cafe reading included continuing Liz Curtis Higgs’ book titled “Embrace Grace” and the chapters on embracing faith and truth. I then moved onto reading through the first chapter titled “Doing What’s Right” from Charles Swindoll’s book, “A Life Well Lived.” I then did some study questions from Micca Campbell’s “An Untroubled Heart” to finish off her amazing book.

All food for my soul and spirit on this day that I feel God used to strengthen me. He used the day to take me back to the basics of my walk with Him and to reassure me that through Him I can be all that He needs me to be, despite the fact that on the most part I feel I do a terrible job!

There are many, many verses that I read that spoke to me, but the following two stood out the most:

“We must obey God rather than man.” – Acts 5:29

“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” – Psalm 118:6

A timely reminder about where my focus needs to be. Even when manking conspires against me, when life here on earth gets a bit tiresome and unfair, I have the assurance of God's protection and love over me.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to draw closer to you; to gain strength and reassurance from only you. May my walk here on earth among mankind be fruitful and grace-filled. May I live simply under the shelter of your wings and may Your purpose for me be fulfilled. In Jesus’ Wonderful Name, Amen.

Thanksgiving...

After a few weeks of trials and tribulations, I have been presented with various revelations from the Lord, and I am truly thankful for His constant presence. I am slowly reading through the New Testament and this morning I started on 1 Corinthians. Paul is the epitome of one called by God to serve Him, and I always enjoy reading his invaluable contribution to The Word.

Two passages of Scripture stood out this morning - 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Both of these remind me to be thankful for God's presence in my life, for the sacrifice that Jesus made for me, and for their enduring presence in my life.

While reading through the first passage, I wrote the following down:

Thank God
Life enriched
Wait on Jesus
He is my strength
God called me
God is faithful

Simple yet poignant reminders about the simplicity of the Christian walk amidst the complexity of it. These are basic truths for me to hold onto throughout my walk.

Thanksgiving then leads onto a reminder of who I was before God chose me. It’s an open and honest reminder of the fact that He is wiser and stronger and I am to never forget that.

"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." - 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NIV)

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your presence in my life, thank you for the blessing of Jesus' sacrifice for me and thank you for your enduring presence through the good and bad times in my life. All things, good or bad, serve a purpose, and I have been strengthened by this truth through You. In Jesus' Wonderful Name, Amen

Strength and Perseverance...

"Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance." - Samuel Johnson

I am not a strong person as far as physical strength goes, but I consider myself to be a strong person mentally when it comes to dealing with life's challenges. The only problem with that is that there is an element of weakness that creeps in and stops me from being all that I can, and should, be. This element is the nasty little words that the enemy invades my mind with in an attempt to steer me off God's course for me.

This is an ever increasing issue that I need to overcome so that I can function to my fullest capacity. I have been blessed with the discovery of Joyce Meyer's book "Battlefield of the Mind" where I have learnt techniques to help overcome this. I am also blessed by regular blog posts I come across from my sisters in Christ in cyberspace who share their experiences. And yes, as you may have already guessed, I am blessed with God's Word that I diligently read every day for strength and encouragement where I discover that through Him I can overcome anything!

I actually can't get enough of studying His Word, and I often feel saddened when I know that I have to stop my study and get on with life. But I need to get on with life so that I can serve Him better and as I should. I am a daughter of God first and foremost and then I am a mother. And strength and perseverance are two key elements that a mother needs, whether a solo parent like myself, or a married mum with kids.

Speaking of strength and perseverance, the mum of one of Jasmine's pre-school friends recently had a wee baby boy. He is a gorgeous little bundle and already very alert. I've been fortunate to be able to see him a few of times over the last week and it's reminded me of the strength and perseverance a mother requires with a newborn. Not only does this mum have to get to know her new son and meet his needs, but she also is responsible for the continued care of her elder son, who is 4, plus her husband. She joked this morning that it's like having three children in the house! I won't enter into that discussion being that I'm a solo parent with just one child at home!

The only way I know how to be strong and to persevere, be that as a mum or in general, is through faith in God. I know, and it's been proven, that I cannot do life without Him. Everything I have comes from Him, and He has a purpose for everything, including me, which is to strengthen me through perseverance, as strength alone will not achieve His ends; it's character that matters.

Romans 5:3-5 tells us that we are to "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

These verses show that we have the answer right here with us in the Holy Spirit. James 1:3 reminds us "that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." And 2 Peter 1:6 tells us that perseverance leads to godliness. Given these things we can conclude that strength and perseverance has a round robin effect. Perseverance builds character, which builds hope, which builds faith, which builds godliness, which builds strength, which then builds our perseverance for when trials come our way. And all this comes from God through the Holy Spirit.

James 1:4 tells us that "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." It's a joyous feeling knowing that through all the hard times and through all the struggles that come our way that we can delight in the fact that all of this is working for the good of He who loves us. We will be favoured and not lacking in anything, but first we must become strong by persevering, hoping, having faith and calling on the Holy Spirit to strengthen us.