a butterfly flapping its wings...

Physicists and scientists agree that even an apparently insignificant event such as a butterfly flapping its wings in Africa can affect the atmosphere in Alaska.

Isn’t it true that even a small thing, such as the beautiful hymn, Be Still My Soul, can transform the atmosphere in the room where it is being played?

The same is true for words…just a few encouraging words of Truth from God’s Word can transform the atmosphere of our thought-life.

Read these words out loud and see what happens to your atmosphere…

You are who God says you are…

In Christ, you are...

   BLESSED with every spiritual blessing,
      ACCEPTED in the Beloved Son of God,
         ADOPTED as a child of the King,
             CHOSEN before the foundation of the world,
                REDEEMED by His Blood,
                    FORGIVEN by His Grace,
                        LOVED with an everlasting love.

When you feel betrayed, God says: You are BLESSED

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Eph. 1:3)

When you feel ignored, God says: You are ACCEPTED

According to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Eph. 1:5-6)

When you feel abandoned, God says: You are ADOPTED

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. (Eph. 1:4-5)

When you feel inadequate, God says: You are CHOSEN

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. (Eph. 1:4)

When you feel rejected, God says: You are REDEEMED

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. (Eph. 1:7-8)

When you feel condemned, God says: You are FORGIVEN

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. (Eph. 1:7-8)

When you feel forgotten, God says: You are LOVED

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. (Eph. 1:4) 

Take a few minutes to enjoy Kari Jobe’s rendition of Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest)…

Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake

To guide the future as He has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;

All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Was this encouraging to you? Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below, I'd love to hear from you!

Linking up with Holley Gerth's Coffee for Your Heart as an encourager.

encouragement is everyone's love language...

Mary Gemmill's beautiful Protea in Porirua, New Zealand

There have been many books written on the various kinds of love languages we all have, but I believe encouragement is everyone’s love language. Who doesn’t want to be encouraged? I have experienced this first-hand by being a part of the (in)courager online community groups. They are a “Christ-centered safe place that meets for 6-8 week sessions throughout the year in small groups of 30 on private Facebook groups.” Through our (in)courager group, I have become friends with Mary Gemmill, an empty-nester just like me, who lives in Porirua, New Zealand. Throughout the year, we have shared our hearts by commenting on each other’s posts, we truly have become encouragers to one another. This week when Mary posted the beautiful photo of a Protea sitting on her kitchen counter, she commented that she had “tidied it up by cropping out the clutter.” But I responded that the photo of the beautiful Protea was, “just like Jesus, He stands alone, altogether lovely, in the middle of our cluttered lives, as we focus on Him.” Suddenly, even as I wrote those words in response, this scripture came to mind…

When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. (Matthew 17:8)

This scripture concludes the passage on that glorious transfiguration day when suddenly Jesus’ face was seen to shine like the sun! The apostles would later describe Jesus' clothes as "dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them…as bright as a flash of lightning!" Then, the three apostles saw Moses, and Elijah standing there with Jesus, talking about the events which would take place in Jerusalem when he would depart from the earth. There was power of recognition--it was possible for Jesus and the apostles to know who Moses and Elijah were..."I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." Then, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, Whom I love; with Him I am well-pleased. Listen to Him!" What God said of His Son that day was not just a repetition of what he had said on the occasion of Jesus' baptism: "This is my Son, Whom I love; with Him I am well-pleased." It's those three additional words—“Listen to Him!"—that tell the tale. The voice from Heaven. The voice of God saying, "Listen to Him!"

O Lord Jesus, I want to know, see, and experience You in fresh ways so I can truly say that I desire You more than anything on earth! You and You alone are the strength of my heart. You are all that I need, and I am so thankful that You are mine forever. Nothing can separate me from Your love. Open my eyes, and grant me fresh vision to constantly see Your beauty and Your love for me. With each new day, speak to me out of the cloud. Let my face shine brighter and brighter with the light of Your face. May my own story end just as the apostles ended that glorious day...When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

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Look Up—meditate on Matthew 17:8... pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

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Look In—as you meditate on Matthew 17:8... pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

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Look Out—as you meditate on Matthew 17:8... pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.

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May your hearts be encouraged by this amazing video of Jeremy Camp singing Beautiful One...

You opened my eyes to Your wonders anew, You captured my heart with this love, because nothing on earth is a beautiful as You, my Jesus!

Was this encouraging to you? Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below, I'd love to hear from you!

Linking up with Holley Gerth's Coffee for Your Heart as an encourager.

encouraging resurrection power words

the empty garden tomb in Jerusalem, Israel

I find great encouragement in a word study of the four different Greek words used in this Scripture for the resurrection power with which God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and toward us who believe...

…what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…(Ephesians 1:19-20)

power (dunamis)—dynamic—it refers to intrinsic power. The gospel is dynamic, God’s dynamic, and so is powerful in the transformation of human lives. Dunamis is the same power that resides in believers because we are in Christ and He is in us.

working (energeia)—describes effectual working, efficiency or active, effective power. In this passage, energeia describes the active, energetic, productive power of God at work. Energeia describes God’s power in raising Christ, Paul instructs us that we have it, too.

strength (kratos)—refers to manifested power or power that is released, put forth in action. It is power to overcome what stands in the way. It is power which is able to overcome resistance. Kratos means strength or might, the power to rule or control, supreme authority, sovereignty.

might (ischus)—inherent power or force. A muscular man’s big muscles display his might, even if he doesn’t use them. It is the reserve of strength. Ischus conveys the sense of endowed power or ability. The idea is that it is the active efficacy of the might that is inherent in God, His indwelling strength. He is able!

As a believer, I know this is the same resurrection power that dwells in the innermost part of me, giving me strength to face every day’s challenges.

[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers] (Philippians 3:10 Amplified Bible)

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].(Philippians 4:13 Amplified Bible)

Take a few minutes to listen to these heart-felt lyrics from “Resurrection” by Nicole Sponberg

Here I am at the end, I'm in need of resurrection

Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead 

What I've lost to the world, what seems far beyond redemption 

You can take the pieces in Your hand and make me whole again

 

This is encouraging to me, because it’s not my power, but the power of the Spirit of Christ Who dwells in the innermost part of me, the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

How about you? Is this encouraging to you? Please leave your comments in the box below. I’d love to hear from you!

Linking up with Holley Gerth’s Coffee for Your Heart as an encourager!

connecting the dots to a blessing...

Have you ever had the experience of saying, “Yes!” to something our Lord Jesus Christ has placed on your heart, and then having the veil lifted just a little to see how God used your willingness to say, “Yes!” to connect-the-dots to a blessing?

Linking up with Holley Gerth’s Coffee for Your Heart Encouragement Challenge to share one of my very encouraging connect-the-dots experiences…

The missionary from Burkina Faso, West Africa, Jay Shafto, had a table display set up at a small mission fair in my hometown. After speaking with him for a few minutes about his family’s need for a teacher for their three young children, I agreed to leave my name and contact information and take their photo prayer card and lift them up in prayer every day. Beginning in November, 1999, I faithfully began to pray for them daily. One day in January, 2000, I received a phone call from Jay’s wife, Kathy Shafto. The minute she identified herself, I shrieked, “I prayed for you and your family this morning!” She thanked me for praying for their family, and she asked if I would be willing to make copies and distribute a flyer that she had created with a job description for the teacher they needed and their contact information. I was more than willing to do such a small thing. I made 50 copies of the flyer and distributed them at my local church and continued to pray for them every day.

A few months later, I received another phone call from Kathy Shafto, in which she excitedly told me that God had used me as “His willing vessel” to connect them with Elsie McCall, a dear 64 year-old single woman who attended my church. Elsie had picked up one of the flyers I had copied and distributed at our church. She generously responded to the call to Burkina Faso, West Africa, as one of the first people to serve with the International Mission Board’s Masters Program which gives people who are 50 years and above the opportunity to work alongside career missionaries for a two-to-three year term.

During her time over eight years on the field, Elsie generously homeschooled the Shafto’s three children, Madelyn, Robby, and James. Through her teaching, Elsie was able to free up Kathy Shafto to minister along with her husband, Jay, through women’s and literacy ministries among the Bissa people of Burkina Faso. The Shaftos refer to Elsie as an answer to prayer, and so do I. “The neat thing is that it was a whole God thing,” Kathy Shafto said. “I felt God was calling me to be involved in full-time ministry. So, the only way I was going to do that was if I had a teacher. Without Elsie, I would not be able to do that."

I am still in awe at how God answered my prayers for a teacher for the Shafto family.


It gives me hope in my prayer life today, even when something seems impossible or very unlikely, I’ll say to myself, “Nothing is impossible for our God—remember how He used your prayers and willingness to copy and distribute the flyers, to connect a sweet missionary family to the teacher for whom they were praying.” The generosity of these missionaries and memory of the effective power of prayer has strengthened my faith and my belief that trusting God means looking beyond what I can see to what God sees. God already saw Elsie as the answer to the Shafto’s prayer, and He used my prayers and willingness to copy and distribute the flyers as His way to connect-the-dots to get Elsie to Burkina Faso. What an awesome God we serve!



How about you? Have you ever had the experience of saying, “Yes!” to something our Lord Jesus Christ has placed on your heart, and then having the veil lifted just a little to see how God used your willingness to say, “Yes!” to connect-the-dots to a blessing?

Please feel free to share your comments below, I’d love to hear from you!