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Tag: inspiration
A Broken Heart
A friend of mine lost her husband in a motorcycle accident. He wasn’t racing. He wasn’t even speeding. He was riding in a charity event for abused children. It happened in front of her eyes. The man she loved, gone like that in a freak accident. How quickly our lives can change.
Many of us have experienced great loss, or we will at some time in the future. It has happened to me. How does anyone survive without the Lord? He is the only one who can comfort and heal our hearts.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted … to comfort all who mourn … ” Isaiah 61:1-2
A broken heart is like a giant wave, drowning you in sadness and pain, but God’s word is a soothing salve that heals. Not only will God heal your broken heart, He will care for the wounds left behind. Healing may not happen overnight. It didn’t for me. Deep wounds heal over time, but they do heal. The Great Physician will bandage your wounds and heal your broken heart. Ask Him.
“Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him …. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars, and calls them each by name. Great is our God and mighty in power, His understanding has no limit …. The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalm 147:3-5 and 11)
He is able! He knows the number of stars and has called them all by name. How much more does He know every detail of your heartache! Sing praises to His name and put your trust in His unfailing love. I believe that praising Him and spending time in His presence delivers the soothing balm that heals. He is delighted when you put your hope in His love. Spend time with Him by prayer, studying His Word, and singing praises.
“Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you..” Psalm 55:22
“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
I pray for my friend that she may know the comfort that only He can provide.
With Love, Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Photo by Yuris Alhumaydy on Unsplash
When Disaster Strikes, You Are Not Alone
” … Then one day, my world was shattered.”
But wait. Let’s 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 was falling apart. I lost my job because of lies that were told about me. These lies tarnished my record and eventually ended my career. With my emotions in high gear, I could not stop crying. I was completely devastated and left with a long drive home.How could this happen? I thought I couldn’t go on. In an emotional state of mind, I made the decision 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. (Surely teaching had not been God’s will. 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.)
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.
When I saw that sparkling starfish, I was overwhelmed by God’s love and kindness. 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 a 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.
The Starfish Story
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.
Continue reading “When Disaster Strikes, You Are Not Alone”Where Has God Asked You to Love?
My job (and ministry) is in a middle school. You know, where kids know how to push your buttons and are exercising their desire to rebel against authority.
Maybe God hasn’t put anyone “hard to love” in your life, but I bet He has. I only know that what God has asked me to to do isn’t easy and even though I am willing – I keep failing over and over.
What is our mission?
It is to love!
Sometimes I wonder why He has called me to love those “not easy to love”. I’m not good at it! I lose my temper. I get angry. I lecture. I utter those horrible teacher words, “I’m done!”
The kind of love God expects us to show to others is not a feeling. It is an action. It can be very hard to show agape love. Where is your mission field? Do you sometimes find it difficult to show love to people there?
Over 20 years ago, God showed me something that I will never forget. At the time, I was very involved in women’s ministry, but I became increasingly disturbed by some of the teaching in my church. I asked God to show me where my focus should be.
I asked Him to show me the main idea of the New Testament. I felt like my focus was on the wrong things. In desperation, I read the New Testament through three times in a row.
In a notebook, I kept track of how often various subjects were discussed, such as hope, faith, prosperity, love, spiritual warfare, etc.
I discovered that love was the most frequently taught subject by far! There was no doubt about it. God was showing me, through my crisis, that love, agape love, was very important to Him and my focus should be there.
I began an in depth study on agape love, looking for every Biblical reference. I studied Greek and Hebrew definitions. I wrote. I read. I studied.
I Corinthians 13:4-8
I can’t do it in my own strength. God must do it through me. Every day, I must pray for God’s power to dwell in me. Once we realize that we can’t do it ourselves, we have passed Lesson 1.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 (NIV)
Lesson 2: Let our day begin with prayer. “Father, Show the Savior’s love through me today. Teach me to love.” And pray for them. Ask God to help you see the good things about them, not just what they do wrong.
Lesson 3: Study God’s Word about love and be changed. Start with I Corinthians 13. Meditate on it. Study it. How does it apply to my life?
“Love is patient.” I Corinthians 13:4a
(I don’t know about you, but I need to meditate on these 3 words for at least a week!)
The Greek word for patient is makrothumeo. It means “slow to anger”.
“Being slow to anger does not mean that one does not care, but rather that he has his emotions under control.” (Detzler)
Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)
According to Vine’s Bible Dictionary, “Patience is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate.”
Webster defines patience as “enduring … trouble with composure and without complaining; refusing to be provoked …”
Note: I wrote this post about a year ago, but I find myself once again needing His strength and His grace to do the very thing He has asked me to do – love those God has put in my path – and show them God’s unconditional love.
With Love,
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Just Don’t Say “Jesus”
You can say “God”. You can say “the Lord”. You can say “God bless you.” Just don’t say “Jesus”. Did you ever notice what happens when someone mentions Jesus? A tension fills the room. It’s true. I wonder why that is.
I guess we don’t want to offend anyone. I suppose we don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. Maybe we want to be politically correct. Whatever the reason, I think we need to think again.
The problems of the world seem hopeless. Watching the news is depressing. Crazy people kill the innocent. Gangs rule neighborhoods. Children are abused and neglected, starving for food and love.
Jesus is the answer to the problems of the world. He is Love. He is the Healer of the brokenhearted and gives hope to the hopeless. He is rest for the weary, and peace for the anxious.
Imagine what the world would be like if everyone were a Christ-follower – If the whole world loved the Lord with all their heart and their neighbor as themselves?
Imagine a world that loves Jesus.
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” Luke 10:27
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
What’s In Your Heart?
Over the last few months, I’ve thought a lot about what I look at and listen to. For example, television, music, news, talk shows, Facebook, etc. How does it all affect me? How does it influence my thinking and my attitudes?
The Bible says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV
What does that mean exactly? I decided to dig in.
A wellspring is the source of a spring or abundant supply. OK. Above all else, I should guard my heart because it is a spring of abundant supply of something called “life”. Hmmm. I still didn’t get it, so I dug in more. I found some clues.
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” NLT
So, how well I guard my heart determines the course of my life. Well, that’s certainly been true enough (and sometimes in a bad way).
“. . . out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45
My mouth reveals what’s in my heart. Can’t argue with that, either.
“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Sometimes we think God only looks at our actions, but what he really examines is our heart. Well, that’s certainly something we should think about! That tells me that no matter how many good works I perform, He is still going to look at my heart.
“. . . the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” (1 Chronicles 28: 9
He knows me better than I know myself.
If I’m to guard my heart, I must be careful what I allow to influence me. After years of being a “news junkie”, I rarely even look at the news anymore. Honestly, it doesn’t do anything positive for my attitude. However, I’ve learned that the more I listen to and sing Christian music, the closer I feel to God.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4
“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” Psalm 146: 1-2
My heart is the spring that nourishes my life. Is that spring sparkling clean or is it polluted by the things of this world? Well, I guess that depends on how well I guard my heart.
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Eliminate Stress
1. Pray
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6 & 7
2. Memorize God’s Word
Psalm 91: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” (verses 1 & 2)
If you make the Most High your dwelling … then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (verses 9-12)
‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.’ (verse 14)
3. Praise God
Today, we are blessed to have access to so many beautiful songs of praise to our God. I play Christian music through Pandora every day. It puts my focus on the Lord and gives me peace. Try some of these stations on Pandora:
The Hymn (O What Mercy) Radio
Bill and Gloria Gaither
Christian Contemporary Radio
Hillsong United Radio
Hymns 4 Worship Radio
Laura Story Radio
Phillips Craig & Dean
Praise & Worship Medley Radio
Sandy Patty Radio
Selah Radio
Today’s Christian Hits Radio
Kari Jobe Radio
Laura Story Radio
Hymns on Piano Radio
Country Hymns Radio
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
The Devil is Still Around!
“… that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world … ” Revelation 20:2
Have you ever wondered how the devil attacks Christians? The Bible says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) I think Peter used the roaring lion illustration for a reason!
I Peter 4:1 says to “…arm yourselves with the same attitude (that is in Christ)…” It doesn’t say to have the same attitude as Christ. It says to ARM yourselves with it!
I haven’t been able to get those words out of my mind for days. To arm yourself means to equip yourself with weapons. The mind of Christ, or having the same attitude as Christ, is our weapon against the devil!
I knew I needed to learn more about the attitude that equips me for battle with the devil. After all, a “roaring lion” is prowling around, looking for someone that is unprotected and unarmed! To prowl means to search stealthily, implying he is difficult to detect. He is sneaky.
What is the mind of Christ? What is His attitude? First of all, the mind of Christ is completely unselfish. He gave His life for us. He loves us. He put us above His own needs and desires. He sought the will of the Father, not His own. He had no time for sin. He sought the glory of God the Father. He was willing to suffer. Early in the morning, He prayed. In humility, He became a servant.
When we obey God and allow Him to transform us into a new creation, we begin to think like Jesus. We become less self-centered and begin to care for others more than ourselves.
I realize that there have been times when the devil tried to “devour” me. He attacked me with the purpose of dragging me away from God and what God called me to do. Because I was not thinking with the mind of Christ, the devil was able to get a foothold. I was focused on what I wanted (what I thought I needed.) I clung to my selfish desires because, well, I needed to! (It was a big mistake!)
But when we think like Jesus, we are well armed against the devil’s schemes. I see it now. I wish I had seen it earlier.
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11) The Bible tells us how to protect ourselves against the devil. He tells us how to arm ourselves.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6: 10-18)
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ” Philippians 2:5-11
I pray that my blog will inspire you to search God’s Word and learn more about the mind of Christ, the attitude that was in Christ. His Word is filled with precious promises and leads us faithfully to Jesus.
With Love, Cindy
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.
“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.” ROMANS 10:9-11
realchristianwomen.blog
Lord, Teach Me to Pray
Two years ago, I had no idea I was going to write a blog. I had no idea my daughter would lead worship in my church. I had no idea God was getting ready to change my life.
But God had His plan working all along, even though I was completely unaware of what He was doing! He already knew these things would happen. I have prayed frequently and asked God to do many things, but I haven’t always seen the answers I hoped for. Finally, I asked Jesus to teach me to pray.
I learned I was right to ask Jesus to teach me how to pray. He has already taught me something new! Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…: Matthew 6:9-10 NIV
What does that have to do with effectual prayer? Everything! Because, I don’t need to go to God with a list of things for Him to do. What do the words mean “hallowed be your name”? Hallowed means: honored as holy, blessed, greatly revered, respected, honored and worshiped.
Let’s think about that for a minute. When we go to the Father in prayer, let us worship Him. Let us adore Him and recognize the character of our God. Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving and praise.
Then Jesus said, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
God has shown me that the key to effectual prayer is not about me. It’s not about my ability to pray. It’s about Him! I’ve been too focused on myself instead of on Him!
Let Jesus teach us to pray. Let us worship the Father. Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving and praise. Then, let us pray for His will to be done in our life, in our church, in our city, and all over the world. He has a plan that is better than all we can ask or imagine!
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” Ephesians 3:20 NIV
The words of the hymn are true, “What a friend we have in Jesus.” But, let us have a new and deeper revelation of His greatness and love. Let us revere and love Him as we should. We can find words to praise Him throughout the Psalms! Here are just a few key verses:
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens…. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him… that you care for him?” Psalm 8:1-4 NIV
“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise….” Psalm 18:1-3a NIV
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.” Psalm 25:1-2a NIV
“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep…. How priceless is your unfailing love!” Psalm 36:5-7 NIV
Ask Jesus to teach you to pray!
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Lord, Teach Us to Pray… (Luke 11:1)
I urgently feel the need to learn how to pray more effectively for the people God has laid upon my heart. Sisters in Christ, Join me as I ask Jesus to teach me how to pray.
O Lord, my God, teach me to pray the effective prayer that avails much! Teach me to pray in full surrender to your will! I confess that I don’t know how to pray as I should. Reveal the sin that hinders my prayer. Give me the humility to learn from You. This is the cry of my heart! I pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Although I do not want to suggest that there is a “formula” for prayer that we must adhere to, I do want to search the Word of God for direction and help to pray in the way that I should and that is pleasing to Him. After all, there are numerous references to prayer and many examples of prayer in the Scripture. Let’s look first at Jesus’ teaching on prayer:
“When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen.” Matthew 6:6
Although I know that God hears me when I pray in my car on the way to school, I think that we must remember that we also need to make time to pray alone in a special place where we can take time to worship and listen. Jesus said, “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:8
” And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
Answers to prayer depend, not on me, but on the love and power of the Father. And He “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” Ephesians 3:20
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 KJV
So let us go to the Secret Place of the Father’s presence and speak with Him, not just to Him. Let us seek His presence and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in prayer.
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Photo by Olivia Snow on Unsplash
Real Christian Women 