Monthly Archives: August 2017

Not Everything God Supplies is for You

21 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by in Living Letters, money, Terrific Teachings

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Hi dear daughters,

God is so good! His provision is abundance and constantly flowing towards us. As He leads us in paths of righteousness, provision is laid up along those paths. His paths drip with abundance and He crowns the year with His goodness.

The principle is that God provides for our needs and gives an abundance for every good work. Even the smallest measure of provision can be multipied as we seek His ways of stewardship.

How much do we hoard instead of passing on the blessing to others? When we have more than we need for ourselves, we then have an opppotunity to bless others with our abundance, meeting their lack and perhaps even being an answer to their prayers!

Dear ones, whatever God provides for you today be thankful and receive it gracefully, as a gift. If there is some leftover once your needs have been met, ask the Lord who you can bless with these extra resources. Don’t stop the flow. Be generous and prosper yourself and others. Live large. Be generous like God.

Provision is all around us and even the smallest thing we sow can be of major benefit to others. Nothing is wasted in God’s economy. So before you throw something away, or store away items in a cupboard to be forgotten forever, consider who you might be able to give to. Remember, giving is about relationships. The blessing is always multiplied back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over.

Join with God in the gift of being a generous giver. You will find opportunities everywhere you look if you are mindful and attentive.

Blessings to you today!

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Accepting Yourself as You Are

14 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by in Living Letters

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Dear sisters,

The Lord is speaking deeply to my heart to day about the need for us to accept ourselves.

Some of the things we reject about ourselves are, in fact, part of God’s grand design for us and when we reject them it is like a slap in the face to Him.

For many years I had deep insecurities about many things, my height, my weight, my looks my body, my capabilities and competences and my intellect. I did not understand my worth and value. Much of this can be related back to childhood messages I received.

But when God was wanting me to step out in faith to live the creative life, there was such an internal struggle. I could not believe it. What was wrong with me and why did I find it so difficult to obey God as he was leading? Why did I find it so hard to trust His grand design for my life?

One of the things that has been difficult for me to understand is that I do not have to earn love. I am not loved more by producing more and more, working harder and harder. My worth is not rooted in how much money I can make. It is rooted and grounded in the love of God and His generous and loving care for me. I am His child and he loves me an everlasting love that I cannot lose.

Much of my life has been spent trying to please other people and never seeming to succeed. When I came to Christ I went straight to work ministering to people, attending every meeting and event, working harder than ever. I experienced burnout on three occasions. It was not pleasant and it took a while to recover.

Over time God began to reveal to me that he is not a withholder of love or of any good thing. He cares for me, guides me and has made abundant provision for me. He loves and accepts me as I am. I am enough. I do not have to perform or jump through hoops to please Him. I simply need to learn to be a good receiver of every good thing He gives and to accept His invitation to co-work with Him.

Dear Lord, help me walk with You in simple faith, trusting you to meet every need that I have and causing me to be blessing wherever I go. Help me to give an encouraging word to each person I meet today, in Jesus’ Name, Amen

Become a Good Receiver of God’s Provision

09 Wednesday Aug 2017

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I believe God wants me to become a receiver and responder to His abundant provision in my life.

My husband and I have been experiencing financial lack recently and for the first time in many years I have been worrying about how we are going to make ends meet. When doing our budget it became apparent that there was a substantial shortfall between our income and expenses and that we had already pulled our belts in as tight as we could go. When I discussed this with my husband he felt discouraged because he felt his pay was too low, but at the same time we both agree that God has assigned him to his current workplace at this time because he is moving in the hearts of some of his co-workers and God’s favour and grace remains upon him. Therefore this leaves us in a position of needing to trust God to meet the shortfall and meet every other need that arises. Could it be that the Lord is stretching our faith?

Meanwhile, after spending the last three years studying for a Bachelor of Theology fulltime, and now having completed my coursework, I seem to have hit the wall emotionally. I have been looking at job advertisements but nothing suits, and have been offered the potential opportunity in the future to work as a jobsearch trainer, but not sure if this is right. During this time I am dreaming about writing, speaking and teaching, enjoying sewing, cooking, gardening and wood working projects and being a blessing and encouragement to others.  What is God trying to teach me? Can I trust God and follow Him in the pursuits He has laid on my heart and trust Him to increase and prosper me financially through it?

An idea came to me this morning after the Lord convicted me on not tithing on some sales of household goods I have made recently. I immediately transfered the money to my church account and thanked God. Suddenly, the thought came to me that the Lord wanted to me to trust in Him as my provider as never before and he wants to deliver us from a scarcity mindset. After all, God has promised to meet all our needs according to His riches in glory. I believe that as we follow where God is leading us we will be led out of debt and into an abundant and delightful land. Thankyou Lord!

My greatest need was salvation and having provided that for me God will give me everything else I need beside.

Do I really trust Him fully? Or do I trust in the meager nest egg we have saved up, which has been slowly dwindling? Forgive me, Lord.

The Lord challenged me that I need to be a good receiver and that will also make me a better giver. God is pouring out His abundant provision upon us all each day but am I recognising and thanking Him for it at every opportunity. Gratitude produces joy and a sense of abundance.

One thing I need to recognise is that when God’s provision comes into my life, it is always in abundance of what I personally need. The overflow is so that I can be generous and share with others. What I have in abundance I can share with others who lack and vice versa. I do not need to hoard resources. I need to trust God and not stop the flow.

This does not mean that we should not have some savings or insurance against hard times, but simply means that I should be more open-handed and ready to share as God leads me, not fearing for my own future needs.

What do I have in my house that could be used to greatly bless others? What is currently flowing abundantly through my hands? Where am I stopping the flow?

God has promised that provision lays along the path as we walk in His will. Where God guides, He provides. He has put seed in my hands that I should be sowing. Do not be afraid to give in times when your circumstances say there isn’t enough. Walk by faith and not by sight.

Ask God for what you want and need. He will give you the desires of your heart when your ways please Him. He delights in your prosperity and success. It is okay for you to have abundance. But always hold it with an open hand.

 

 

Listening to the Voice of Conscience

07 Monday Aug 2017

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Sisters,

Why is it that we so often override the clear voice of conscience within? Why do we do the things we know beforehand are wrong? We know it’s going to end in disaster, yet we continue on anyway!

Each one of us has an internal guidance mechanism. The conscience. That place in our spirit that discerns right and wrong. Have you ever met someone who you instantly disliked and felt a sense of warning within to keep away from them? Ever felt the urge to not share information with someone, or go ahead with a business transaction, simply because something inside gave you a sense of foreboding? That is your inner discernment speaking.

This God-given guiding radar is never to be disobeyed. I repeat. Never. Always be true to your own heart and keep a clear conscience. This is one of the ways in which the Spirit guides, protects and keeps us from harm. God is aware of things laying ahead on our path that are not yet apparent to us. Following our inner guidance could save us from much heartache.

Keeping a clear conscience is essential to our peace. When we override the voice of conscience the immediate effect is an underlying sense of guilt and conviction.

The Bible teaches that if we continue to override and ignore our conscience then it is possible our conscience will become seared. The effects of this will be that we are unable to see trouble coming and effectively avoid it. More importantly, we have rejected the voice of God speaking to us through the mechanism of our conscience. A serious matter indeed!

Let us pray that our conscience would remain soft and sensitive and if we know we have failed come to the Lord for forgiveness and restoration. Let’s admit our wrong and go on in faith. Conscience is a gift God has given us to help us walk worthy of our most holy calling.

Let’s not ignore its wisdom.