November 22, 2024

Hope for Good

June 16, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you a hope and future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

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Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular Scriptures known to Christians…that and John 3:16.  Jeremiah 29:11 has been misquoted, misused, and misunderstood, as well.   Sometimes, we like to take Scripture and toss it around, in a well-meaning (but incorrect) fashion.  What I like most about Jeremiah 29:11, though, is that it reminds you that God cares for you and all that you do.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God is on our side.

  • He does not harm us
  • He does no ill to us
  • He does not give us cancer
  • He does not cause accidents
  • He does not burn down houses

He does not do any of those things!  There is no burning down your house to give you a better house.  God doesn’t do wrong, bad things, or cause harm.  God, however, can make good come out of bad.  But He does not make bad happen so that good can happen.

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good?
No one is good except God alone.
Mark 10:18

The LORD is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does.
Psalm 145:13b

Knowing these proven truths, no matter what our circumstances look like or what our eyes can see or what our minds tells us, we can rest assured that God is for us and will never let us down.  Yes, the way things work out don’t often make sense to us, but God can see the big picture.  Hoping in the Lord Almighty is the best decision that can be made for one’s family and future.

We may “lose” things.  Things may not go our way, but this does not mean that God does not have a plan.  No, it simply means that our plan does not look like God’s plan.  It’s okay to let go of the steering wheel and take the passenger seat. You’d be amazed at the places you will go.  Following God is made a bit easier when your hope is in Him.

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Lord, help us to keep our hope in You.  Help us to see the hopeful future and plans You have for us.  Amen.

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Hope in Eternity

June 8, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

I think one of the main reasons that hope is possible is not because it is something that we do day-to-day, but because it helps remind us that there is more to this life.  Hope keeps us focused on God Almighty and eternity.  Hope is something that will last until our dying day.

1 Peter 1:3-5 says,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
who through faith are shielded by God’s power
until the coming of the salvation
that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Paul is a very good example of what hope on Earth is supposed to look like—He experienced many hardships while here on Earth and yet he never seemed to waver in the hope that he experienced.  He said about his Hope,

He has delivered us from such deadly peril, and He will deliver us again.
On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us,”
2 Corinthians 1:10

Look at the faith that Paul had!  His hope was unwavering.  Is ours?  Are we so consumed with our day-to-day hope in our daily circumstances that we miss out on the big picture?  Do we sometimes get so consumed with our current situation that we forget what God has done for us?  His track record proves that we can trust Him…but do we not sometimes forget?  Doesn’t THIS situation somehow seem different than other situations?  We forget sometimes that our hope is that of an eternal hope.  It can never be misplaced if we are placing it in God.  It is impossible.

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Lord, help us to not forget the big picture of hope.  Hope is our fuel to get us to eternity.  Hope helps make life bearable, but hope also strengthens our relationship with You.  Help us understand that our hope in You is an eternal hope and that it can never be misplaced when we hope in You.  Amen.

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Hope Waits

June 3, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us.
And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement
as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
Romans 15:4 NLT

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Hope

  • is ‘a confident expectation of good’
  • is what keeps you moving each day through your struggles and trials
  • is what allows us to believe in big dreams

Can you imagine a world without hope?  Maybe a whole world is hard to imagine…how about just one person?  Have you ever seen a person who has lost all hope?  One look into their eyes and you can see much pain.  It hurts even the beholder.  And although we, ourselves, may have hope we do have something in common with those that do not.

We both must wait.  Waiting goes hand in hand with hope.

Sometimes it’s a matter of seconds…sometimes it’s a matter of years.  Hope can be lost.  Hope can be found.  We can temporarily lose sight of the hope that we hold.  Hope is something that we have to focus on; something that is actually intentional.  Hope helps you keep a smile on your face when it’s raining.  Hope is a matter of perspective, but also, knowing that we are loved by the Creator of the world who only wants good for us.  With God, the hope we have has a real chance of actualizing.  Otherwise, we are just wishing for good things to happen.

God has promised us many things in His Word, and because of this it is possible for us to have hope. Our verse this week says,

… And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement
as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

However, we have to know His promises and believe His promises in order for true hope to take root in our lives.  With hope comes peace and with peace comes joy.  I feel these three things all go hand in hand.  Without one, you are missing a piece of the puzzle.  To me, hope is the foundation for peace and joy.

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Lord, help us to keep our eyes on You that our hearts may overflow with the hope that you provide us each day, and the hope that you provided us when Jesus Christ died on the Cross for us.  Help us to stay focused on You and all that You stand for.  Let us know Your Word and Your promises.  Let us believe Your Word and Your promises.  Thank You for providing us with all the necessary tools that we need in order to have hope.  In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

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We are Stewards of Our Bodies

May 25, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Do you not discern and understand that you
[the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary),
and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you
[to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?
1 Corinthians 3:16 AMP

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Who are we in relationship to the things around us?  God made it very clear that we are His stewards.  Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.”  Remember this as you continue to read.

I have always been overweight.  I cannot remember a time that I was ever a size that would be considered “normal weight.”  Weight is often one of those things that make people uncomfortable.  Here recently I have been teetering on 300 pounds.  According to health charts, for my height I am supposed to weigh 140-160 pounds.  I weigh almost twice as much as recommended.

Why am I mentioning this?  Well, because!  Because God made us stewards of our bodies.  Our body is a temple.  Temples are regarded as holy places.  Have you ever met a person who would cuss anywhere under the sun except for in a church?  There are many things that people would do OUTSIDE of a church that they would never do INSIDE of a church.  I suppose it makes sense.  People often view a church as God’s house.  When people go searching for God, they often go to a church.  People somehow understand that inside the church is a sacred place.

Just as we would treat the inside of the church, we should treat our bodies.  This means taking care of ourselves.  This means maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  We are stewards of our bodies and should not do anything to intentionally hurt the gift we have been given from the Lord above.  This does not just pertain to weight alone, but also our mental and emotional health are important, along with not smoking or excessive drinking.

I’d venture to say that we should also utilize the tools that have been provided to us, i.e., doctors.  God loved us enough to provide a shelter for our souls to dwell within.  He Himself dwells inside this body in the form of the Holy Spirit.  So!  As you would behave in a certain way inside a church, so you should behave within your own body.  God dwells in us and we are stewards of His little personal temple that is our body.

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Lord, help us to be good stewards of the body that you have provided in whatever fashion that looks like in your eyes for us. Help us to have open minds and to seek your guidance in how you would have us care for this gift you have given us. Thank you, amen.

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Finding Purpose

May 18, 2015 by

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For we are God’s workmanship
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

What is my purpose?  This is a question that everyone has to answer.  People struggle with answering this question…people die trying to answer this question…people search their whole lifetime trying to answer this question.  Some of us start asking this question at a very young age; some have just always known.

I have never been one of the latter.  How lovely it would be to know what you want to do with your life from a young age.  I am one of those people who, well into my late twenties, am still trying to figure out my purpose.

I can’t say for sure what the big picture is, but I can say that focusing on the end game has caused me to miss out on a significant amount of present time.  I believe that yes, a goal should be in mind; but when you don’t know what the future holds (which is often), you should do what you know to do right now.  Doing nothing is a waste of time.

For instance, I have had quite a few jobs in my working career and just about each one I have treated as a means to an end.  I do my job and I do it well.  I excel in the actual performance but my attitude has not always been the best.  Instead of going in with the mindset that this job is what is paying my bills now, I go in with the mindset that this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, so it’s not important.  Have you ever tried to do a job that you didn’t think was important?  Coupled with the fact that I’ve always had the mindset that there are always more jobs…disaster is what occurs.  And I’m not a bad employee.  It is just the way that I approach the job that is the problem.  I feel that ‘If this were my purpose, then I would be happy doing it.”  Ha! Being content is something that is cultivated, it doesn’t just happen because the circumstances are good.

So, your purpose? Well, your purpose can be in the moment. Your purpose doesn’t define your worth. Your worth is always found in God himself. Your purpose is simply the role(s) you are in at any given moment. Your attitude during any season determines whether you see you in your purpose. Purpose isn’t just a one-time ultimate goal. It shifts. God has “good works” for us. Not just one single work /purpose.

Make sure that you are mindful of your current purpose…and not blinded by your end game goal.

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So Wait…Who Am I Then?

May 12, 2015 by

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 My old self has been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 NLT

Galatians 2:20 says that our old selves have been crucified with Christ. When I first got saved all I knew was that the darkness that once consumed my mind was gone.  For the first time I had hope and the now believable notion that my life really did have a purpose.

My initial conversation with the God was a slap in the face.  I accused God of not caring anything about me and not doing anything for me. His response was, “Why should I care about what you have going on, when you don’t care about what I have going on?”  This was an eye-opener for me.  (I am not saying that God did not care what I had going on, but I see things better when I’m not focused on myself.)  The truth is God has always cared about me, and what I do, and how I am.  I am the one who cared nothing for Him and what He had going on.  He was pointing out that we had a one-sided relationship—His side.

Somewhere along the line, I began to hate God and was determined that He was against me.  I approached God with the notion that He was my enemy and not my friend.  And, yes, some part of me knew different or else I wouldn’t have bothered at all.  Months later, after laying some Scriptural foundation, He tugged at my heart again.  He wanted my life.  He wanted me to live for Him not just with Him.  He invited me to a deeper relationship to explore Him and learn His ways.

I feel He did this to prepare me to help others like I had been.  One of the first things I had to learn to do was die to myself.  This is something that has to be done daily.  I hesitated.  If I was to let go of who I had always been, then who would I be?  How could I be me and not be me at the same time?  To me this seemed impossible. God was going to change me into someone different, someone I didn’t know. And the last thing I wanted to do was give up my uniqueness.  It took some time, but God showed me that he did not want to eliminate me…He was proud of creating me.  What he wanted was to improve me. When you improve something, the original is there, but its been made better and that was God’s plan. The angry Ahmee would be kinder, gentler Ahmee. All the while my uniqueness is still present just more Christ-like.

I was then who the world made and influenced me to be.  I am now who my Father says I am.  Each day I am growing and changing to be more like the person God intended me to be.  All the while I am and will always be the only Ahmee He ever has made or will make.  Why not be the best version of me?

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In the Middle: It’s Called Balance

May 4, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ,
set your sights on the realities of heaven,
where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:1-3

Verse 1 of this passage tells us to “…set our sights on the realities of heaven…”  I agree with this statement (it is in the Bible, after all, and it is not wise to argue with the Bible).  However, I also believe in balance.  Although the reality of heaven is very real, we are not to be blind to that which is going on around us.  If we did this, a countless number of souls would be lost because everyone would be solely concerned with the afterlife.

I believe what this verse is saying is that we need to live our lives with heaven in mind; but not to ignore our earthly life now and live in a dream world.  Nobody ever said, “I’m running low on gas in my car…oh well, that’s an ‘earthly’ thing. I don’t need to be concerned with that.”  The facts are as facts are: if you don’t stop to get gas, you will run out.

No, we don’t need to worry about things in our lives because God will provide for us in all situation.  However being practical is not the same thing as “worrying or being concerned with.”  Jesus felt that it was important enough to come to Earth and help people. He came and walked among the people of earth.  He did good deeds and performed miracles.  And we should do as He did.

Colossians 3:3 says, “…your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”  Let us live for our God.  Let us point people towards Him. Let us remind each other and comfort each other discerningly with the very real reality of heaven.  Sometimes, we can get so overwhelmed with life and forget that all that we strive for here will pass away.  In these moments—when we are so immersed in our earthly doings—we need each other to remind us that what we have here on earth is not all that we have.  Matthew 6:19-20 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” We live with our ultimate goal in mind, but we don’t simply stop being productive.

Be productive for God…always point people to the Father.
And remember that heaven isn’t all that far away.

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Who You Are

April 27, 2015 by

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You, dear children, are from God
and have overcome them,
because the One Who is in you
is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

These past few months I have had a lot going on—constant sickness, tragic events, stress at jobs, quitting the preschool job, deciding what to do with my life, school, exams, papers galore, and, getting engaged.  During this time I have been struggling with my identity, or rather, a mixture of that and where I belong.  Life can be tough sometimes.  And I’ll be the first to say that I am not a happy-go-lucky person.  I’m often practical…not too emotional; but I do have my days.  Some would say I’m mean.  I say I’m just straight to the point.  Either way, I think we could all agree that I’m a little rough around the edges.

I used to struggle daily with self-hatred.  I have grown to like myself.  I love myself, but I also now like myself, too.  Others, though, are keen on trying to change me.  I know I have things that I need to improve, but people don’t change people.  God changes people.  And people constantly telling me that I need be this or that, does not work for me. I hear what people say. And I prayerfully consider what people say. But I work with God to improve me, and I strive to be the person that He created me to be.

I believe that you are who you are because of the things we have experienced and the lives we have lived and the hand we’ve been dealt and the families we are part of.  I also believe that who you are may not line up 100% with who God intended you to be.  Therefore, we must work hand-in-hand with Him allowing Him to transform us into the beings He intended us to be.  It’s a lifelong process.  Do I think I will ever reach that goal?  Nope.  But I will strive for it until the day I die.

I would say this is a long introduction to get to the point I am trying to make.  1 John 4:4 says,

You, dear children, are from God
and have overcome them,
because the One Who is in you
is greater than the one who is in the world.

This passage really does need to be read in context.  It goes on to say, “They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them” (verse 5).

Be mindful of the spoken words you choose to believe about yourself. John 8:44 says that the devil is ‘the father of lies’.  The people we encounter may not be of the devil or demons, but their words can be used to plant seeds that Satan will use against us.  Anything time you choose to believe words spoken about yourself, first test it against the Word of God.  God has the final say about who you are, because He made you.  God is greater than Satan.  He will always be greater than Satan. Therefore, His Word is always going to be greater than anything Satan could have to say about us.  Test the words you hear, against the Almighty’s words.

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Lord, I know that You are greater than anything this world could ever fathom.  Please help me to believe and live in this wonderful truth.  Amen.

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Your Way…The ONLY Way

April 24, 2015 by

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause,
a hug, and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

SeekingHimLogo

The revelation of GOD is whole and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of GOD are clear and point out the right road.
The life-maps of GOD are right, showing the way to joy.
The directions of GOD are plain and easy on the eyes.
GOD’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of GOD are accurate down to the nth degree.
Psalms 19:7-9 MSG

Many objects, people and organizations claim to have the ultimate solution for life. These things slip in and take hold of our lives attempting to show us a better way. Thing is—your paycheck, your boss, and your job do not hold the key to life. These things didn’t make you and they couldn’t possibly tell you what path to follow and what choices to make. One Being, and one alone, knows all that the world could hold. And that very same Being created both you and me. As Job said, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). Isaiah advised, “Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?” (Isaiah 2:22).

When I first researched Psalms19:7-9 in the Message Translation, I was taken aback. The way this version explains these verses is amazing. “The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.” Wow…if you sit and think on it…how simple, but profound, is this statement. Not just knowing about or being aware of, but the revelation of God basically makes everything right and complete. “The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.” Truthfully, I don’t find this to be so simple, but then again, in my human ways, I have been known to… (putting it nicely) complicate things. “The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.”

Notice these verses say nothing about any other thing in this world—but God. God has the answer to everything.  He IS the answer to everything. Nothing is impossible for the Lord. What other way could there possibly be, if God is the answer to everything?  There is no other way. All other ways are false and a waste of time. THE Way is the way. Jesus said it best in John 14:6: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

I know I’ve said this before, but it is so important and imperative for us to remember, that the only One who knows our path is the Lord. Yes, I do believe that He can, and will, place people in our lives to help us, listen to us, and guide us.  But these people cannot replace the Maker. If we constantly are leaning on our physical helpers…and not taking the time to spend time with God and hear His voice…then we aren’t hurting anyone but ourselves. No person can have a relationship with God for us. This means our parents, our friends, our pastor, our spouses, our children—none of these can have a relationship with Christ for us.

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Lord, thank You for being The Way.  Thank You for making the choice simple. Although, it may be hard sometimes to walk Your path, I know that Your way is the only way for me.  Amen.

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A Small Reminder for God

April 17, 2015 by

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause, a hug,
and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

SeekingHimLogo

Remember Your Word to Your servant for You have given me hope.
Psalm 119:49

When I read verses like this, I always wonder why the writer felt the need to tell God to remember.  If God said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…” then it’s safe to say that you should come to Him…and He will give you rest.  No reminder needed.

There is a certain level of uncertainty when it comes to God.  For example, two people can pray for healing; and yet one will live and one will die.  Why?  Only God knows. Surely, there is some type of order to the happenings of life.  After all, 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, “…For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.”  Even with this being the case we don’t get to see the Big Picture all the time.

Perspective plays a huge role in our relationship with God.  He sees things we simply do not see and can not see.  We often have to ask Him to open our eyes to see what He sees.  And sometimes He sheds light on a situation.  But sometimes, we are told to wait.

Have you ever felt betrayed by God?  You went to Him for guidance, followed His directions to the best of your ability, and still got what seemed to be an unfavorable outcome?  I have.  And when I find myself in these situations I often take to reminding God of His promises.

Reminding God of His promises is beneficial to us, not to Him. Reminding God about His promises, reminds us of God’s Word and can bring up some very important issues:

  • Do I really believe this promise?
  • Do I trust God to fulfill this promise?
  • Is there something in my life that I need to address or hand over to God?
  • Is something hindering God’s progress in this situation?

I feel this is a very vital role in growing with God.  I have friends who can read the Bible and take God at His Word easily.  When they read that God will provide for them…they believe that God will provide for them.  When I read that God will provide for me…I ask questions.  I need to know to know how and when.  If I can’t come up with a solution in my mind, then it must be impossible.  I need details.  I have gotten better at simply taking God at His Word, but I often have to fight the urge to remind Him of the way things are “supposed” to be.

The Message Translation says,

Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart;
Don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
He’s the one who will keep you on track.
Proverbs 3:5 and 6

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Lord, I pray that I never forget Your promises and that I never stop coming to You when I have questions or concerns.  Thank You for being faithful and answering my prayers.  Thank You for giving me knowledge and understanding.  Help me to doubt less, trust more, and follow relentlessly.  Give me the courage to stand for You, and humility to obey You.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

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