6 Promises for God's Children

1. You will have glorious freedom! Somehow we have fallen for the lie that the Christian life "should" be easy. We think it's not fair that we have to suffer if we have committed our lives to serve the LORD. That is a lie from the pit. Show me a Scripture passage that says the road to glory is smooth sailing. Romans 8:18-25 reminds us that our present sufferings have a purpose. Without suffering, we would never be liberated from our bondage to decay. It is our sufferings that help shape us into obedient children of God. Our sufferings remind us that we are aliens here on earth. However, suffering does not signify defeat (see #6 on the list). A sign that you are truly saved is that you long for heaven. You wait eagerly for your final redemption, your glorious freedom. I'm not trying to rush things, but I often ask God if we could just skip to the end. I'm ready for my adoption to be finalized with my arrival in heaven. Are you? That will be glory!

2. The Holy Spirit intercedes for you! Do you struggle with prayer? Do you feel that God doesn't even hear your prayers? Romans 8:26-27 states that if you are a believer, you have a direct connection to the throne room of God through your interpreter, the Holy Spirit. Even when we do not know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit knows, and He communicates with the Father on our behalf. If you never see God answering your prayers, perhaps you have never made a secure connection with him through Christ by asking him to be your Savior. You can't have answered prayers without making Jesus your LORD.

3. He called you for a purpose! Romans 8:28-30 has repeatedly been used and abused. It is incorrect to shorten this passage to a t-shirt quote: "All things work for our good." Wrong. Again, you cannot have God's good gifts if you have not first accepted his best gift of forgiveness. Then you must follow through by answering his call on your life. These verses promise he works all things for good for those who love him and who are called according to his purposes. Please don't use God like a genie in a lamp who will grant your three wishes just because you went to church or said your night time prayers. Love him. Seek him daily. Find out what pleases him. Pursue his purpose for your life. You will not be disappointed!

4. God is for you! Praise the LORD, and Hallelujah! Do you have those days when it feels as if the whole world is against you? Me too! It is such a relief to know that God is my defender when anyone brings a charge against me. Romans 8:31-34 reassures us that God spares no expense when it comes to the salvation of his children. Who else do you know who would sacrifice his only Son for you?

5. Nothing can separate you from His love! Romans 8:35-39 brings us the assurance that no matter how isolated we may feel, God's love never fails us. Paul gives us quite a list of perils in these verses, but declares that not a single thing on his list can disconnect us from the everlasting love of our Almighty Father. I don't know about you, but those words bring rest and peace to this weary soul of mine.

6. You are more than a conqueror! What if you have no strength left to fight? Baby, your war is already won! Look up Romans 8:37 in a Strong's concordance, or find it on http://biblehub.com/greek/5245.htm. You will discover that the word for "more than a conqueror" is hypernikáō. Hyper. More than. Beyond. Exceedingly. God promises that his children are super conquerors. We are completely and overwhelmingly victorious. Surpassing victory. Pre-eminent conquerors. Is this the life you are living as a child of God, or are you allowing the enemy to steal your joy and keep you wallowing in defeat? Girl, let's go stand on the promises of God together!

We could all use a little encouragement from time to time. Share your word of encouragement in the comments!

It Might Be Spiritual Warfare If . . . .

1. You woke up this morning.  Seriously, spiritual warfare is all around us. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, "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."

2. You feel condemnation. Romans 8:1-2 assures us that we who are in Christ Jesus have been freed from  condemnation. However, we have an enemy that continually threatens us with the feeling that we deserve God's judgment. The enemy is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44) As a child of God, you have the right to remind your enemy that the victory over your soul has already been won.

3. You feel torn between sinful desires and what the Spirit desires. Romans 8:5-8 makes it very clear that those who are saved have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Those who are not saved are hostile to God. They cannot submit to God, and they are unable to please Him. If you repeatedly yield to temptation, you are losing the battle for your soul. Give your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit.

4. You feel powerless. Romans 8:9-11 promises that we have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living in us when the Spirit lives in us. Does the Spirit live in you? He alone can empower you to win your spiritual battles.

5. You aren't sure if the Spirit is leading you. Romans 8:12-14 makes it clear that the sons of God are led by the Spirit. How often are you seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit? He will lead you in the path of life. Sin only leads to death.

6. You are a slave to fear. The enemy fills you with fear. The Spirit confirms in your spirit that you are God's child. As a co-heir with Christ, you have no need to live in fear. (Romans 8:15-17)  Your Father will conquer your fear when you allow Him to do so. 

Even though satan knows that his fate is sealed and that he will lose the final battle, he is waging war for as long as he is allowed to rule this world. Are you going to allow him to win any more battles in your life? What is keeping you from surrendering your life to Christ? His promises are true. Let your mind be controlled by the Spirit, and he will give you a life of peace.

Share your story of spiritual warfare in the comments!

Amazing Daughter Post

My amazing daughter brings me so much joy!

I don't often post on social media regarding my amazing daughter, Jacque. She does not enjoy the spotlight and much prefers staying in the background. She has given me instructions not to tag her in pics because it blows up her phone. I'm more likely to send her a private message, or text her a link, or pick up the phone so I can hear her sweet and soothing voice.

If you've never had a Jacque hug, then you haven't felt true love. The thing her daddy and I missed the most when she went off to college was our Jacque hugs. She is forever our Baby Jacque, no matter how grown up she thinks she is. I also missed our "I love you more" contests. She always seemed to one-up me with something like, "I love you to infinity and beyond," or something else immeasurable. She would be proud that I just used thesaurus.com to find the word "immeasurable." Jacque loves language, and she writes with a giftedness that inspires her readers. She also loves to read, and her imagination enables her to travel the world and the universe. Her intelligence impresses me. She is just an amazing girl.

Jacque's spiritual giftedness lies in her servant heart. "I just really enjoy helping others, Mom." Her freshman year in college, she started her professional organizing business "Sorting Etc." She combines her helping skills with her slight tendency to be OCD and creates workable systems for people to gain control over their cluttered lives. She has this incredible gift of bringing calm out of chaos as she helps others make life-impacting decisions. Jacque's favorite thing about her high school years was being a mentor to girls younger than her. She beamed when they called her "Mom." Her inspiration comes from drawing out the creativity hidden in others, especially when others lack confidence in themselves.

It has been fun for me as Jacque's mom to see her personal confidence flourish. Jacque is naturally shy and introverted; so it was super fun for us to watch her first solo performance of her original oratory at a drama competition. Her natural sarcasm oozed from every syllable as she delivered her speech. It was delightful to hear the audience laugh at her wit. She usually saves her wisecracks for close friends and family. Jacque's greatest triumph was winning a medal for being State Runner-up in drama. Jacque's confidence also grew by leaps and bounds as she participated on her academic team. She claims that her greatest high school accomplishment was being the captain of her academic team her senior year. She was proud that she could put her communication and encouragement skills to good use as she helped her team excel.

Some may find it hard to believe, but Jacque was a very stubborn child. If it wasn't her idea, Jacque would not do it. Her number one trick was that she would not smile. "I lost my smile," she would pout, and it was everyone else's job to hunt for the elusive happy face. Most often, we could find it hidden in someone's pocket. Her grandma and I like to blame her stubborn streak on her daddy, because her mama was as compliant as they come. "I don't know how you do it," my mom would say. Well, I'll tell you how I did it, I prayed and prayed. I prayed that God would shape the stubbornness in both of my children into the God-given character of persistence. I prayed that God would use that trait to mold my children into leaders and not followers, to be people who could stand up for what was right in the face of strong opposition. I am especially grateful that God heard my prayer and answered it one hundred percent.

So, now that my Baby Jacque really is all grown up and busting the curve in all of her college classes, I am still praying for her. I pray that she never gives up on her dreams. I pray that she pursues her love for God with passion. Jacque has always loved Jesus, and I miss the songs she made up as a little girl about how wonderful his love for her was. I pray that Jacque can see and hear God as he guides her toward her future. I believe he has huge plans for her, and I don't want anything to get in her way. My heart hurts when she hurts, and I hate it anytime she has to struggle through stressful times. I want life to be easy for her even though I know the best learning takes place in the classroom of adversity.

I want the whole world to see what I see in my amazing daughter. I pray that God surrounds her with people who return the favor of encouragement that she so willingly offers to others. I pray God brings her the perfect mate designed in God's image and that he will love Jesus first and Jacque a very close second. I pray he treats her like the princess she is, because she is a daughter of the King of kings. I pray they will have a love relationship like Jacque's daddy and I do. I pray they can serve God with the power of the Holy Spirit and be world changers. I pray that Jacque will have the courage to change the world in spite of the people around her. I pray that Jacque will know and believe that she is the amazing daughter I know her to be. Being Jacque's mama is the greatest assignment I could ever hope for, and it brings me unending joy!