Here are some bite-sized words of encouragement I've shared with friends and family this month.
Way back when I started dating my husband, I used to send him daily text messages with short bible verses. Cute, right? Truth is the Lord was still working on my heart, and that was our way to learn and grow together.
Well, I haven't stopped since and now share those words of encouragement with about 30 friends and family via (near) daily text messages. Sometimes a girl gets caught up and forgets to send them earlier in the day. But God knows my heart!
What I share throughout the week is a combination of encouragement that comes out of my quiet time with God, sermons I hear, books I'm reading, songs that minister to my soul and lessons from unlikely places. So I want to test out sharing those words with you, my Using Words For Good community. Updating daily might make this post a bit long, so I'll add to this list periodically throughout the month with little nuggets. Here goes...
***
Never forget that you have the wisdom of God in you. That wisdom will show you what others can’t see, how to navigate situations and make progress in areas you didn’t know were possible. Don’t just take my word for it. “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.” Isaiah 48:17 NKJV
***
God never gives us a vision without provision. In other words, He won’t ask us to do something without providing a way to do it. What I’ve learned about this truth is that we have to rethink what provision means. When Jesus asked the disciples to feed 5,000 people, His provision came in the form of a little boy’s lunch. Now, Jesus, what will 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread do for all these hungry people? Not only was everyone fed, but there were leftovers! We have to stop discrediting the apparent “little” that we have and be open to how God can multiple and use what’s available to us. Sarah Jakes Roberts breaks this down beautifully in her “Woman Evolve” book. Today’s confession: Lord, thank you for provision. I believe that what you’ve given me is exactly what I need to see visions and dreams manifest in my life. Amen.
***
My pastor said something so profound that I have to share: Real success doesn’t come from the outside, it comes from the inside. Real destruction in our lives doesn’t come from what happens on the outside, it comes from the destruction we allow to happen and grow on the inside. Read that again. Whatever you’re facing today or about to go through, remember that YOU are a success because the Lord is with you. Period. Do not let the fiery darts of the enemy’s lies, what people think or don’t think outweigh what God says. Today’s confessions: “You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book.” (Psalms 139:16 TPT) I am a success because God is with me.
***
A powerful prayer to guide your conversations with God: “God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way— the path that brings me back to you.” (Psalms 139:23-24 TPT)
***
Ever wonder if your future truly is bright and whether past choices and mistakes will rob your future? Let’s put those worries to rest by meditating on the truth. Here’s what God did for you: “You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness you follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past. You have laid your hand on me!” (Psalms 139:5 TPT)
Photo by Daniele Franchi on Unsplash