Romans 8:29

A Letter From Your Father

April 17, 2015 by Kim Spring

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!

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves,
so that you live in fear again;
rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:15

Adoption…God has searched you out and adopted you for His own. Before you knew you even needed Him as your Father, He had already filled out the paperwork and made you a room in His House.

For God knew His people in advance,
and He chose them to become like His Son,
so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Romans 8:29

He will never leave you fatherless in this world…after all, He wrote your name in His family tree. And He paid a huge price for you too!

God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law,
so that He could adopt us as His very own children.
Galatians 4:5

We didn’t pay for our adoption, we only have to accept it. The minute we do, we go from orphans with nothing to heirs with everything. We are adopted into a new family…but we are not home yet. We know our Father’s name, but we haven’t seen Him face to face yet. He has claimed us but He hasn’t come for us yet. But we know He will. But until that day, we live as His.

You are no longer wandering alone. You are loved so much by a King! Someone actually paid for your freedom in full with His own life! All the sins you have committed and ever will have already been erased by His blood. You can never do anything to make Him love you any more or less. And, though this world may be hard, He will never let you flounder alone. He wants so much for you, His child.

If God were to write you a letter, it might sound like this:

Dear ______,

I love you more than you will ever understand. I bought you and I complete you. I will always comfort you and I will never fail you.

I know all that you have done, all the regrets and shame you feel about your past. I want you to know that My grace is sufficient for you and I have put them all behind Me. I have the ability to actually forget them and, of course, forgive them. You have been washed clean, like new. Please come to Me, for I have truly set you free. I broke the stronghold of the enemy. You have a home with Me in Heaven and all glory. There you will have no more sorrows, no more sadness or crying and no more death and pain.

I see that you are worried about so much that you cannot control. But I can. Please put your trust in Me and I will rescue you every time from all your trials. Cling to me in your struggle and know that I will give you the strength you need to get through what is in front of you. Don’t ever give up. I will give you the help you need and I will give you courage.

Just trust me with all that you have. I will never leave you. I never sleep and I am always looking out for you. I will go before you and make a way. I have planned every detail of your journey here and until I come again and bring you home, I will give you what you need daily. I love you, my precious child.

Keep pressing on toward the finish line, never losing momentum. I will see you soon!

Your Father

* ~ ♥ ~ ✞ ~ ♥ ~ *

Do you know Jesus? He is waiting on you with open arms. I encourage you to pray with me today and ask Him into your life, to be Lord. Pray with me:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I need a Savior. I believe that Jesus is Your Son and You sent Him to die in my place. I ask that You come into my heart and be my God. Please go with me and help me to grow in You. Thank You for this life You have given me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: encouragement Tagged With: A letter from Your Father, adoption, encouragement blog, Galatians 4:5, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Kim Spring, Letter from God, Romans 8:15, Romans 8:29, scripture, Sinner's Prayer

A Letter From Your Father

March 27, 2015 by Kim Spring

Adoption…God has searched you out and adopted you for His own. Before you knew you even needed Him as your Father, He had already filled out the paperwork and made you a room in His House.

For God knew His people in advance,
and He chose them to become like His Son,
so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Romans 8:29

He will never leave you fatherless in this world…after all, He wrote your name in His family tree. And He paid a huge price for you too!

God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law,
so that He could adopt us as His very own children.
Galatians 4:5

If God were to write you a letter, it might sound like this:

Dear ______,

I love you more than you will ever understand. I bought you and I complete you. I will always comfort you and I will never fail you.

I know all that you have done, all the regrets and shame you feel about your past. I want you to know that My grace is sufficient for you and I have put them all behind Me. I have the ability to actually forget them and, of course, forgive them. You have been washed clean, like new. Please come to Me, for I have truly set you free. I broke the stronghold of the enemy. You have a home with Me in Heaven and all glory. There you will have no more sorrows, no more sadness or crying and no more death and pain.

I see that you are worried about so much that you cannot control. But I can. Please put your trust in Me and I will rescue you every time from all your trials. Cling to me in your struggle and know that I will give you the strength you need to get through what is in front of you. Don’t ever give up. I will give you the help you need and I will give you courage.

Just trust me with all that you have. I will never leave you. I never sleep and I am always looking out for you. I will go before you and make a way. I have planned every detail of your journey here and until I come again and bring you home, I will give you what you need daily. I love you, my precious child.

Keep pressing on toward the finish line, never losing momentum. I will see you soon!

Your Father

* ~ ♥ ~ ✞ ~ ♥ ~ *

Do you know Jesus? He is waiting on you with open arms. I encourage you to pray with me today and ask Him into your life, to be Lord. Pray with me:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I need a Savior. I believe that Jesus is Your Son and You sent Him to die in my place. I ask that You come into my heart and be my God. Please go with me and help me to grow in You. Thank You for this life You have given me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Glorious Living w/ Coach Megan: Encouraging Truth-telling

July 26, 2013 by Megan Smidt, CCLC

Dear Coach Megan,

I’m not so sure this is a “Life Coaching” question, but I am having a lot of trouble with my kids lying to me and to others. Sometimes it is even about things that I can’t think of any reason why they would even think to lie about! I’m not really sure how to proceed in guiding them except to punish them for lying. I hope this is something you can help me with. If it matters, my kids are middle school and high school aged. Thank you! ~A

Dear A,

I have coached many clients specifically on parenting and parenting relationships…and this is a wonderful question I am happy to give you guidance on. While I believe that lying is part of a development stage for many children, I also know that you need to be careful when punishing for this as it can cause them to dig in their heels even deeper! In younger children, they will even form “wishes” in the space of a lie. Because your kids, specifically, are older, I am going to encourage you to help them in a similar way that I would even coach you to manage dealing with adults who are not telling the truth. I have five young adult children myself, so I understand your frustration and your heart to want to help them!

Typically, liars don’t see themselves as liars. It typically comes down to the fact that they are just trying to get their needs met. When our God-given inner needs for significance and security are not met {especially in childhood} the tendency is to try to meet those needs illegitimately. That being said, the two primary causes for lying are:

Feeling insignificant and lying to appear more important. “I need to change the truth because the real truth doesn’t sound important enough.”

Feeling insecure and lying to keep from looking bad, stupid, or inadequate. “I need to change the truth because if I speak the truth, I’m afraid of what others will think of me and do.”

The fact is that the Lord promises to meet all of our inner needs.

As Christians, we need to tell the truth all the time because Jesus lives within us and He is the Truth!

He will empower us to overcome lying so that we can reflect His character!

Encouraging truth-telling in difficult situations:

1. KNOW that you CANNOT please everyone!

Galatians 1:10

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?
Or am I trying to please people?
If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

2. KNOW that you are NOT responsible for everyone’s feelings!

Proverbs 9:7-9

Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.
Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.
Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.

3. KNOW that you CAN speak the truth in a loving way!

Ephesians 4:15

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

4. KNOW that you are not a perfect person… No one is perfect!

Isaiah 53:6

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;

5. KNOW that you are not accountable for how others respond to the truth. You are accountable to God to tell the truth.

Romans 14:12

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

It is important when you talk to your kids about this, you explore the Scriptures together and try to get them to reveal what God’s truth is about this for themselves. Do not judge, do not condemn…lovingly guide them to God’s truth on this subject and leave room for them to make good choices with whether to tell the truth or not. It is a CHOICE.

It is also important to understand that even “white lies” dirty the conscience and darken the prospect for transparent relationships. To help them on their path to recovery and exchange half-truths for honesty, it is helpful to look at what God has to say about it:

His consequences for lying and His hatred for deceit {Psalm 5:6}
Determining to be totally honest with God and freely admit your failures {1 John 1:8}
Discerning your areas of personal temptation…to stop and think before you answer {Psalm 141:3}
Deciding that you want your life to reflect Christ, Who lives in you {Romans 8:29}
Depending on the strength of Christ within you to enable you to change {Philippians 4:13}
Delighting in speaking the truth, which is more rewarding than telling lies {Proverbs 28:13}

What I always say to my kids is that when you tell a lie, you might “look” better…at least you HOPE you do…. But when you tell the truth, you FEEL better as you reflect Christ in YOU! 🙂

Blessings to you and your family,

Coach Megan 🙂

Filed Under: Glorious Living w/ Coach Megan Tagged With: 1 John 1:8, Christian walk, Christianity, co-dependant, Ephesians 4:15, Galatians 1:10, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Glorious Living with Coach Megan, Glory to Glory Christian Life Coaching, God, insecure, insignificant, Isaiah 53:6, Megan Smidt, Megan Smidt cclc, parenting, Philippians 4:13, Proverbs 28:13, Proverbs 9:7-9, Psalm 141:3, Psalm 5:6, Romans 14:12, Romans 8:29

Glorious Living w/ Coach Megan: Discerning The Will of God

April 12, 2013 by Megan Smidt, CCLC

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Dear Megan,

How can I discern God’s voice from my wants so that I can be in His will?

I know that God will open the right doors, but in the meantime trying to wait and not push what I want to have happen is so hard. Sometimes it is so hard to discern His voice when our desires are so strong and the enemy starts to make us doubt, plot and plan, and he makes us think that we are in God’s will when we are really just doing what we want. Looking forward to your thoughts!

Blessings!

My dear C, this is one of the questions I get asked most as a Christian Life Coach and I am so excited to discuss it with you and a few friends here today!

One thing I know for sure is that the more you are in the Word, and have a consistent, deeply intimate relationship with the Lord, the more your will will be aligned with His and the easier it will be to discern His voice through your wants.

I think it is important to begin this discussion with a few Biblical facts about the will of God:

1. God’s will for you was prepared in advance:

Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

2. God desires to reveal His will to you in a personal way:

Acts 22:14

“The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will.”

3. God reveals His will primarily through the Spirit of God and the Word of God:

John 16:13

^“…the Spirit of truth^… will guide you into all truth.”

Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.”

4. God sees the whole big-picture of your life…past, present, and future. Discovering God’s will for you is like unrolling a scroll…. He unrolls it one line at a time:

Psalm 32:8

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.”

5. Sometimes God’s will for our lives includes sorrow and affliction. Suffering gives us compassion for others and allows us to see God’s sufficiency as we learn to depend on Him:

Psalm 119:71

“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”

Okay! Now that we have that background established, let’s move forward and discuss what decisions are pleasing to God. One thing I know is that God doesn’t play hide-and-seek as you try to discover His will! As you sincerely place HIS desires above YOUR desires, He will be faithful to point the way. Let THIS be the prayer of your heart:

Psalm 40:8

“I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”

In His Word, God states that He blesses decisions that…

He initiates (Proverbs 4:11)

line up with His Word (Psalm 119:33)

accomplish His purpose (Philippians 2:13)

depend on His strength (Philippians 4:13)

result in giving Him glory (1 Corinthians 10:31)

promote justice, kindness and humility (Micah 6:8)

reflect His character (Romans 8:29)

come from faith (Hebrews 11:6)

consider the interests of others (Philippians 2:4)

are bathed in prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

My friend C… I so wish that I could just tell you exactly what to do and what decision to make, but we all know that is not possible (and you probably don’t even want that)! I do know, though, that God is guiding you each and every day as you discern which path to take:

through your spiritual gifts, talents and abilities
through your understanding all facets of this decision
through impressions God is making on your spirit in the form of convictions and establishing truth
through knowing that God placed certain desires in your heart for a reason
through advice from trusted sources who God so divinely places in your path who are grounded in the Word, who are mature in godly wisdom and who might also have overcome similar circumstances in their own lives
through the possible necessity of the situation (like having to move because of a sick parent, etc.)
through seeing beyond circumstances (Proverbs 16:9)
through the elimination of options which you discern are not the best options (1 Corinthians 10:23)

I pray that this has helped you to have a better understanding in your current situation and know that even if time has run out on this decision and you still don’t know what to do, you can still pray!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Because You know everything, You know the decision before me and the way I should go. I want only YOUR will, Father. Because I no longer have the option of waiting, I will choose one option. If this decision is not right in Your sight, I ask Your Spirit in me to put a heaviness in my heart. If this is the right direction for me to walk, please confirm it with Your peace that surpasses all understanding. I am willing to take whatever detours You decide to put in my path, as long as I reach the destination You have for me. In Your Son’s matchless name, I pray, Amen. <3

Blessings,

Megan Smidt, CCLC

Filed Under: Glorious Living w/ Coach Megan Tagged With: 1 Corinthians 10:23, 1 Corinthians 10:31, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Acts 22:14, Christian Life Coach, discernment, Ephesians 2:10, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Glorious Living w/ Coach Megan, Hebrews 11:6, John16:13, Megan Smidt, Micah 6:8, Online Women's Bible Studies, Philippians 2:13, Philippians 2:4, Philippians 4:13, Proverbs 16:9, Proverbs 4:11, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:33, Psalm 119:71, Psalm 32:8, Psalm 40:8, quiet time, Romans 8:29, time in the word, will of God

A Letter From Your Father

A Letter From Your Father