Category: Words

Give Your Body a Pep Talk CONSISTENTLY!

Posted on by Evangeline

No matter how long you’ve dealt with infertility or some other condition, you can use God’s Word as a tool of transformation by consistently speaking it aloud. When is the last time you spoke to your body? What did you say to it? If you’re like most people it was a put-down, not a pep talk.

Most people will say things to and about their body that are negative—how they don’t like their hips, thighs, hair, chin, skin, muscle tone, etc.

If you are a child of God, it’s important that you speak to your body as if you’re giving it a pep talk. Speak to  it

Positively…

Gently yet with authority…

Intentionally…

Consistently…

and Scripturally.

Pep Talk

The best things you can say to your body come from what God has said in Scripture; after all, He loves you just the way you are because He made you in His image.

So here’s a short reminder of what to do with your words when you give your body a pep talk:

Speak what you seek until you see what God said.

My Gift to You for Your Pep Talk

To help you with that, I’ve created something that will help you develop/enlarge this habit — it’s a Guide, filled with God’s promises.  Click the button below to download your guide. Speak them as a means of whispering to the Fear that’s trying to invade some part of your life. Use them to thank God for His Presence, His grace and peace, and His willingness to bring good things you.

REQUEST YOUR GUIDE HERE

It’s important to remember Proverbs 18:21–The power of death and life are in the tongue (your words). What YOU say about you matters! So, develop this healthy habit of giving your body a pep talk.

Will you say what God said about being healthy until you see what God said?

Give your body a pep talk! Speak what you seek until you see what God said. Click To Tweet

 

 

Delayed Does Not Mean Denied – RELOADED

Posted on by Evangeline

This blog post initially appeared here in 2014. The version that you see here is RELOADED…I’ve added a few key insights that I hope you’ll find helpful.

A promise of God may be delayed but His Word tells us it is not denied (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Waiting is difficult but when you wait with an attitude of confidence in God’s love for you, maneuvering through the wait can be easier.

Have you prayed for a child for a LOONNGG time? Do you feel like God is ignoring your request or is somehow holding back the one thing that you desperately desire with all of your being? Today, I want to encourage you to not give up while you wait.

Daniel’s Experience of Waiting

Take a look at the Bible’s account about the prophet Daniel and the delay he experienced in the manifestation of his requests to God (Daniel 10:1-12 NLT):

In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship.

2 When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. 3 All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.

4 On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, 5 I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. 6 His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.

7 Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. 8 So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. 9 Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.

10 Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. 11 And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.

12 Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. (emphasis added)

Daniel was a man of boldness; he was not afraid to pray and trust in God, even when it was illegal for him to do so.  Daniel prayed earnestly. He had “set his heart,” that is, devoted himself, to this thing he was praying about.

The Scriptures give the account of how the prophet lamented for 21 days. He did not understand why he had not yet heard from God. He still had not seen the manifestation of his request. He mourned during that time, not eating, not anointing himself. Had the waiting become a distraction to Daniel? Could it be that in the waiting his focus had changed from the faithfulness of God to the troublesome circumstances surrounding him? Not necessarily. There could be something else working behind the scenes to cause the delay in manifestation.

When God, When?

Do you sometimes wonder WHEN God’s promises will manifest in your life? Delays are a strategic tactic of the devil. It’s during the delays that he seeks to fill your mind with fear and doubt. He wants you to ever so slowly lose your trust in God’s love for you and His willingness to answer your prayer.  He wants you to become hopeless, thinking that having a baby will never happen for you. delayed but not denied

The devil wants you to believe that God’s promises of fertility are not true for you. He wants you distracted, stressed out, and anxious about your future. The enemy of your fertility does not want you resting in knowing that God is for you and not against you. He doesn’t want you to trust God to come through on His promises.

But, when you choose to look up and see Jesus in the midst of your situation, you see more clearly that He is right there with you, loving you and wanting to give you the desires of your heart. In Daniel’s case, when he looked up and saw God’s messenger, the messenger acknowledged, “I have come in response to your words” (Daniel 10:12 NASB). He had been dispatched to bring the answer as soon as God heard Daniel’s request.

What had caused the delay? It wasn’t anything that Daniel had done. It wasn’t anything God had done. Evil spiritual forces had interrupted the dispatch and caused the delay. Have you considered that those spiritual forces are possibly causing the delay in the manifestation of God’s promises in your life?  The delay is meant to make you give up, to become hopeless, and to no longer expect that God’s promises will come to pass in your life.

How can you deal with this delay?

The best way to deal with delay is to continue to hold on to God’s promises of fertility by speaking them daily. Speak them with gratitude, as if they have already been granted to you. As you speak them out loud, you build your faith (Romans 10:17). When you repeatedly say them, your mind gets more focused on Jesus. You look at His loving power instead of the turmoil of your circumstances. As you speak them, you’ll find it easier to let go of the problem and let God solve it.

It’s important to realize that God loves you, that He has heard your prayer, and that He wants His promises to manifest in your life. While you wait, it’s critical to trust in God’s faithfulness, to never give up on His promises, and to express gratitude. Yes, you can be thankful in advance of the manifestation!

Remember, delayed does not mean denied when it comes to God’s promises. Address the spiritual aspect of infertility.

Scriptures to Speak and Believe

While you wait, here are some additional scriptures to consider, speak, and believe.

God answers YES to His promises: 2 Corinthians 1:20 HCSB – For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in Him. Therefore, the “Amen” is also spoken through Him by us for God’s glory.

You are loved: John 17:23b ESV – that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.

God doesn’t withhold His goodness: Psalm 84:11 HNV– For the LORD God is a sun and a shield. The LORD will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.

You’ve been made blameless (infertility is not a punishment): 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV– “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

Trust Him: Jeremiah 17:7 NLT– “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” Mark 11:22-23 NIV – “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

God’s word is true and final: Psalm 119:89 NLT – Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven. Matthew 24:35 NIV – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

It’s a spiritual battle: Ephesians 6:12 NASB– “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”.

Delayed does not mean denied! Trust God's promises of fertility. His answer is YES to all of His promises. #ttc #infertility #Borrowed Hope Click To Tweet
prayer - how to trust

When God Speaks :: His Word Changes Everything

Posted on by Evangeline

When God speaks, do you listen with the expectation that something is about to change?

God’s words contain the power to change everything! That’s why we need to pay attention when God speaks.

Years Decades ago, there was a TV commercial which had the catchy phrase about investing money, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen!” That same thing should be said about God but unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. We get distracted and don’t hear Him, or we hear Him but become afraid of how His words could affect us, or we simply don’t believe what He said could possibly be true for our life.

But the Bible tells us that there is so much positive power contained in God’s words that those words alone can keep us alive!

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4 NIV

When God Speaks

So when we are challenged with diseases/conditions in our bodies, we need to be sure to go to the Word. We can take time to encourage ourselves by finding out what God has said about it. Why? Because there are many references in the Bible that assure us we can receive healing through His words. Here’s an example. It’s from Proverbs 4:20-22 NLT:

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

Let Scripture encourage you to LISTEN when God speaks to you, to remember His words, to hide them in your heart, and to acknowledge that His words bring life and healing to your whole body. No part of your body is left out of this promise. There’s a healing word for your entire body.

What words of His will you use to change your circumstances? Please share the scripture below so that we can all be blessed by it. 🙂

God's words contain the power to change anything and everything! That's why we need to pay attention when God speaks. Click To Tweet

 

God Saw Fit to Send the World This Vocal Visionary

Posted on by Evangeline

God creates through His words (Genesis 1; Isaiah 46:10; Isaiah 55:11). And since He made mankind in His image, He uses us to speak into existence those things that align with His Word. Throughout the Bible, God has always used a vocal visionary to express what He wants to come to pass. He has had men and women declare the specific things that initiate or accelerate His plan.

In America, today is the holiday designated to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. He was a vocal visionary. His words matched the vision God had given to him for America. His words gave people hope. God was able to use him to declare the end result that God ultimately wants to see us experience. Dr. King acknowledged and promoted the Dream.

But it wasn’t just Dr. King’s Dream, it was God’s dream for America.

Dr. King was not just an orator, he was a willing vessel– a vocal visionary– sent to speak life and love to the masses.

“Martin Luther King Jr. was the conscience of his generation. He gazed upon the great wall of segregation and saw that the power of love could bring it down. From the pain and exhaustion of his fight to fulfill the promises of our founding fathers for our humblest citizens, he wrung his eloquent statement of his dream for America. He made our nation stronger because he made it better. His dream sustains us yet.” ~Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States

It wasn't just Dr. King's Dream, it was God's dream for America. Click To Tweet

Thoughts from the Visionary, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”

“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”

Visionary - MLK

 

 

You are Forever Royal: Speak Like it with Consistency

Posted on by Evangeline

You are royalSometimes I need to ponder my royal status in Christ more often and maybe you do too. Revelation 5:10 assures us of our royal status in this life on earth through Jesus: “And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

I need you to put on your math cap for a moment. Remember “If-Then” statements? They show us that if one thing is true and it says/demonstrates the same thing as another, then they are equal. For instance, “If 4+1 =5 and 3+2 =5, then 4+1=3+2.”

The Word of a Royal King

In Ecclesiastes 8:4, we’re told, “Where the word of a king is, there is power…” So here’s the “If-Then” statement I’m proposing: IF we are kings/queens in Christ (and we are, whether we live like it or not), and the word of a king/queen has power, THEN our words must have power! In our natural lives, our words have the power to bind us in an agreement/contract, to involve us in a covenant such as marriage, and to change our circumstances, for better or worse.

Your words act as seeds that will grow and be fruitful. But beware, the soil of your life WILL produce what you plant in it. Stay away from the weed seeds, those words that are nothing but negativity.

As a king/queen, you get to choose what kind of word-seed you will speak into your future and then live with its harvest.

Will you consistently speak word-seeds that yield a harvest of Life and Blessing?

How God and the Power of Good Grammar Can Give You Good Success

Posted on by Evangeline

There’s a powerful connection between grammar, God, and your success. In elementary school, or in junior high school, you probably learned about the grammatical impact of using the word “but” in a sentence. It is a conjunction, joining two phrases. It is a powerful word because  “but” essentially negates the idea in the first phrase and implies that something else should be considered. Here’s a quick list of what “but” can do:

  • suggests there’s a chance for a different outcome
  • implies there’s something which should not be forgotten
  • serves to redirect your attention
  • implies doubt in the preceding phrase and a more confident expectation in the phrase that follows
  • marks an opposition to the preceding phrase

As I was writing my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility, one of the things that Holy Spirit whispered to me to include was how to use the “Holy But.” I laughed when I heard that– the Holy But. However, I began to understand how using it could bring godly results to our ungodly circumstances. You’re probably wondering what makes the “but” holy. The use of God’s Word following the “but” is what makes it serve a holy purpose in your life. When you find yourself saying some negative things about yourself that you know you should not have released from your mouth, use the Holy But by stating a promise or truth from God’s Word that addresses the circumstance that you previously stated negatively.

God’s Truth is stronger than your facts.  Tweet this!

God’s Truth is stronger than your facts. It is powerful and never changes. God’s Truth never fails. When you believe it and speak it, it can actually change your facts of life. What’s God’s Truth? It’s His words of love and grace toward you (John 17:17). God’s Word doesn’t change– it is powerful and eternal. Use it to pressure your circumstances to line up with what God has said. For example, you may have said in a moment of exasperation, “I feel like I’ll never be pregnant!” Quickly follow that up by saying, “BUT, God said that none shall be barren and that includes me” (Exodus 23:26). Maybe you’re experiencing some financial challenges and you might slip and say, “I’m always broke.” When you catch yourself, say something like, “BUT, Jesus is with me and He prospers me (1 Chronicles 22:11). The key is to negate your negative statement by stating what God has said about the matter using the word “but”. Good grammar really can bring godly results and good success, when you combine it with what God has said about your circumstances. Proverbs 18:21 points out that the words we speak carry the power of life and of death. Do a self-check on your conversations and start using the Holy But when you’ve spoken negatively. Use the Holy But in your everyday conversations to:

  • Express belief about the outcome God has planned for you
  • Remind yourself of God’s viewpoint of the matter
  • Redirect your attention to Jesus’ love for you
  • Erase doubt and affirm your confidence in God’s words
  • Declare your opposition to the negative thing you’ve previously said

It is applicable in any circumstance. It is a simple exercise that will redirect your focus and strengthen your faith. In the midst of negative circumstances, what do you do to redirect your focus to Jesus’ words, love, and viewpoint? good grammar - words of life

Monday’s Marinade – Wise Words Give You Life

Posted on by Evangeline

Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating (thinking and muttering to yourself) these words from the Bible.

Here’s your spiritual marinade:

Wise Words - Proverbs 10

What life-giving words will you allow to come from your mouth this week?

You Talkin’ to Me?

Posted on by Evangeline

  The problem that you’re facing right  now may seem like a tough guy that won’t go down easily. You may feel overwhelmed, like there’s no hope of victory. But have you considered the account of David and Goliath? David spoke with confidence, telling the giant that he was “going down” because he was approaching Goliath in the unquestionable and unbeatable authority of the God of Israel. Have you read about the event where Jesus spoke to a tree and it shriveled up at its roots (Mark 11:12-21)? Jesus told that tree that its deception would not be tolerated. Perhaps the details of the battle between Israel and the Amorites (Joshua 10:12) will encourage you—that’s where Joshua spoke to the sun, telling it to stand still. Amazing! The account of Jesus speaking to the storm is also a good reminder of how our words can be instruments of peace in our lives.

Whatever you’re facing today may seem hard to overcome. It may even feel like the situation is standing before you taunting you, saying, “You talkin’ to me?” But don’t be fooled! Jesus has told us that when we have faith in Him, even the thing that seems like an immovable mountain must move.

“I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.”

Mark 11:23 HCSB

Be encouraged! Turn the tables on your tough situation and become tough in the face of the mounting evidence that seems insurmountable. Be swayed not by what you see or what you are experiencing, but only by what God has promised. Faith speaks. Keep speaking God’s Word to your circumstances. His words, spoken through your mouth in faith and acted upon with confidence, will always work to fulfill His good plan.

March Madness 2014

Posted on by Evangeline

March Madness 2014Have you gotten caught up in the Madness? Did you do a bracket hoping to win the $1,000,000,000 contest?

There are only 16 teams left to play for the college basketball championship so I thought I’d share this previous March Madness post with you.

 

I enjoy watching basketball games. It was especially fun to watch when my 2 sons played at the YMCA and later for their high school teams. Whenever the college basketball tournament, known as March Madness, rolls around, I get excited. At the very beginning of the 3-week tournament, I print out the bracket sheet that shows all the team match-ups. I like to use it to predict (more like guess!) who’ll be the winner of each game and the overall champion at the end. It’s fun, especially when my husband and children develop their own bracket sheet to predict winners because we can compare who made the best guesses as the tournament progresses. Of course, whatever we predict at the beginning does not have to necessarily come to pass by the end of the tournament.

This is slightly similar to how God does things. He declares the end of things from the very beginning, except of course, what He says ALWAYS comes to pass, it is not a guess. Isaiah 46:9, 10 states, “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.'”

I’m grateful we can count on God’s ability to always perform what He has promised. His words are power-filled and He has spoken so that we can experience his best. His faithfulness is truly a blessing for which to be thankful because He has made a way, through Jesus, for every believer to be a champion in life by maintaining confidence in His promises and predictions.

What promises of God do you declare and count on Him to perform on your behalf?

 

Use Your Tongue for Life

Posted on by Evangeline

 

This past weekend, I was privileged to speak at the TCWF Women’s Empowerment Conference. It was striking to hear the response of attendees who were helped by my pointing out the importance and the influence of their words.

 

 

English: This is a tongue
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We all need to realize that our words are transporters of power in our lives. Proverbs 18:21 notes that life AND death are in the power of the tongue. When we read and believe words, or when we say and believe words, that leaves an imprint within us that either adds life to our lives or adds death. This death is not necessarily physical but rather it’s a secession or withdrawal of good from our lives. Speaking negatively should be avoided. Speaking negatively can drain us of hope!

 

 

Bible hope means to have a confident expectation of good. So speak hope-filled words, believe your words of hope,  and expect something good to be added to your life today. Jesus said His words are life (John 6:63). Why not agree with His words/promises by saying what He said? Speak and believe God’s words and you’ll be speaking life to your life.

 

 

Make a decision today to use your tongue for  life!