Monday’s Verse, 1/13/25
“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.” Psalm 34:7 NIV Read full chapter
(A Psalm of David when he pretended to be insane before Abimelek. Read about it in 1 Samuel 21.)
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
Sunday’s Memory Verse, 1/12/25
“Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” Hebrews 4:16 NASB
Note: God’s people do not need to fear being turned away, so they never need to hide or omit anything from their prayers. God gives mercy for past failures and grace for present needs. (Jeremiah Study Bible)
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
Dear Blogger Friends, Many of you have the gift of encouragement! How do I know? Because you encourage me every day! So many times, I have read your blog and it hit me right between the eyes! It was just what I needed that day!
But you don’t have to be a blogger for God to use you to encourage others. God can use you to encourage others in many ways, but today’s post will focus on written encouragement.
” . . . so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is … to encourage, then give encouragement” See Romans 12:5-8 NIV
The gift of encouragement is more important now than ever. Between the pressure of political correctness, the increase of Christian persecution, and the flaming arrows of the evil one, Christians need encouragement to fight the good fight of faith. God did not intend for us to fight alone. We need each other!
It is our faith in God’s Word that protects us from the enemy! It is our shield. So don’t hesitate to quote Scripture in your written encouragement.
” . . . take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16 NIV
When you write God’s Word on your blog or written note, there is power in those words and they bring encouragement to the reader by the power of the Holy Spirit.
” . . . the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled..” Romans 15:4 NLT
We all need to encourage each other!
“Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 NLT
The Apostle Paul encouraged believers through letters he wrote from prison. (Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon) In fact, he wasn’t known to be a good speaker, but he wrote with power! (See 2 Corinthians 10:1 NIV.)
“I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away!” 2 Corinthians 10:1 NIV
And don’t forget Barnabas!
“Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means ‘Son of Encouragement’ ) . . . ” Acts 4:36 NIV
Can you imagine!? This Joseph was such an encouraging person, the Apostles changed his name to “Son of Encouragement”!
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV
I love these verses because we know that God can use our personal suffering to comfort others. Just as He has comforted you, He will comfort others through your testimony and encouragement.
“Encouragement is transfusing some of your courage into another life.” Pastor David Jeremiah, from his book The Joy of Encouragement
If your desire is to encourage and comfort others, use your gift freely! Fan it into flame by using it often!
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
Friday’s Verse, 1/10/25
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15 NIV
Christians cannot be confidently prepared to give an answer unless they have immersed themselves in God’s Word. (Jeremiah Study Bible notes)
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
Verses for Meditation, 1/9/25
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
“The heart that has really tasted the grace of Christ, will instinctively hate sin.” J.C. Ryle
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12 NLT
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
“and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” 1 Peter 2:2 NASB
Note: This is how we grow and become mature. There is no other way. There are no shortcuts.
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comfort delights my soul.” Psalm 94:19 NIV
My advice: When battling anxiety, turn to God’s Word for comfort. Write down the verses that speak to your heart.
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
“Then one day, my world was shattered.” But wait. Let me start at the beginning.
I was blessed to spend 18 years as a stay-at-home mom. That was the desire of my heart. But my kids started growing up, so at age 47 I decided I would go back to school and become a special education teacher.
My “ministry” became teaching children with disabilities. I prayed for my students and prayed that God would use me in the public school system.
I hung a starfish on my desk lamp to remind me that I might not be changing the world, but if I could help even one child, my prayer would be answered. (See “The Starfish Story” below.)
Then suddenly my world fell apart. I lost my job because of lies that were told about me by a jealous colleague. It was so unfair! These lies tarnished my record and eventually ended my career. I could not stop crying. I was completely devastated and faced with a long drive home.
How could this happen? I thought I couldn’t go on. Even though I had become single and needed a retirement, I decided to retire with only seventeen years of experience .
You can imagine the thoughts that went through my mind. I doubted everything I had previously believed. Teaching must not have been God’s will for me! I should have never done this! It was all in my head! I’m a failure. And worst of all, I never really helped anyone anyway.)
Have you ever been there? Have you ever questioned everything? When you are hurt, you are vulnerable to the attacks of Satan and can begin to believe his lies. But God lifted me out of the valley of despair. This is what happened:
That very night, I met a friend for dinner, which had been planned several days before. She knew nothing about what happened to me that day, but she had a gift and a note from her son, a former student from 15 years before. The note thanked me for all I had done for him. The gift was a beautiful sparkling starfish on a silver chain.
I was overwhelmed by God’s love and kindness when I saw that sparkling starfish. God was speaking loud and clear to my heart and mind, “I know what is going on. I know your heart is crushed, but I am with you and watching over you. You are not a failure.”
I realize now that even if God had not sent me such great encouragement, He would have been watching over me just the same. We must always remember that He is with us every single day and He knows our every care. Sometimes He will give us visible reassurance, but most of the time He wants us to believe His promises and stretch our faith.
A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!”
— Adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren C. Eiseley
Meditate on God’s promises.
“When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” Isaiah 43:2-3 NIV
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you” Isaiah 43:5 NIV
“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 NIV
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
Continue reading “If Disaster Strikes, You Are Not Alone”
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