"What is the Lord capable of?" A guest post by Cynthia Giles

I read the phrase: “turn your scars into stars” from Kimberly Pothier. This phrase is a testimony of what Christ is capable of.

Ephesians 3:20

The Lord is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we dare to ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us.

Are you broken?

The Lord comforts and saves the heart crushed in spirit.

Are you lacking money or resources?

The Lord makes you a royal heir, with access to wisdom which is worth more than rubies.

Are you depressed?

The Lord offers exceeding joy as a recipe for strength.

Are you fatherless?

The Lord will adopt you as a daughter or son. The Lord will grant you double for your losses.

Are you lonely?

Neither height nor depth, nor anything in all creation can separate you from the love of God and his omnipotent presence. Seek friendship through prayer.

Are you abused?

       

Be strong and courageous. The Lord is your advocate and redeemer. The darkness is light to you.

Are you tempted?

Do not fear. The Lord will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear and he will provide a way out.

Are you sick?

The Lord brings deliverance and his power is made perfect in weakness.

Are you oppressed?

The Lord is your refuge and relief from despair. You serve the Lord of the breakthrough. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.

Are you a widow?

The Lord is your bridegroom, defender, romance, and best friend.

Are you anxious or part of a stressful situation?

The Lord is faithful. Do not be discouraged. He goes before you. The Holy Spirit is a counselor.

Are you forgotten? 

The Lord accepts you as a chosen one, set apart to do good works.

Are you insecure? 

The Lord transforms timidity into a spirit of power, love, and self-control.

Are you under the weight of shame?

The past doesn’t define you, it refines you. The Lord makes all things new. You’re pure.

Did you make poor decisions leading to irreversible mistakes?

The Lord keeps no records of wrongs and remembers your sins no more.

Are you lacking love?

The Lord is love. He rejoices and delights in how he created you. His love endures forever.

I hope your need was listed with an answer. What do you need today? Write a list and pray. Ask God to reveal the answer to your need. God wants to be there for every bit of your story, the good, bad, pretty, and ugly. God wants you to ask hard questions. The Lord knows we are prone to doubt so release the guilt and ask. You’re going to be okay.

The Lord desires the best for you when it’s difficult to accept his answer. If you misunderstand or wrestle with the Lords answer, ask another question. Trust his character. Maybe theirs part of the story you can’t see yet. Be strong, take heart, and wait on the Lord.

The Lord holds the answers to the questions in your heart.

Philippians 4:19

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 9:8

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

God wants to meet your need. Ask for the answer. God wants to hear you ask.

Matthew 7:7

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

Cynthia Giles enjoys writing in all types of genres and styles. Her goal is to honor God by remaining humble and thankful for the opportunity to make a positive difference in the world. She is a published writer and spoken word artist who performs at various events. She holds a bachelor's degree in Integrative Studies, with concentrations in English and Writing from Kennesaw State University. Connect with her on facebook at facebook.com/cynthia.spokenwordartist

Promises, Promises ~ A Guest Post by Becky Dye

I wonder if he ran around tossing his toys all over the living room.

I wonder if he loved smearing his black beans all over his face….then all down his shirt.  Did he then take his gooey bean-covered hands and run them through his hair?

I wonder if he loved running around, squealing at the top of his lungs for all to hear.

I wonder if he ran from his momma in hopes she would chase him around the yard and follow him wherever he went .

I wonder about his momma, too. Did she pick up every mess he made or did she leave it till the end of the day when her energetic toddler was finally asleep?  Did she have the energy to chase her precious son around the yard as he gleefully begged her to play?  Did she just collapse at the end of the day from shear exhaustion?

I mean, come on….

She was old, ancient even, grandma age...no, make that great-grandma age.  Yet in spite of that, she became a first time mommy at the ripe old age of 90.

She was nearly double my age.

These thoughts have crossed my mind over the past 48 hours or so because I’ve had the joy of having my precious 20-month-old grandson for the weekend.  Oh, that boy!  I love him so! I cherish each and every second I get with him. 

When we agreed to take him for this weekend, we knew we had other plans.  Well, I should say JoePa had other plans.  So going into this weekend, I knew that the bulk of the responsibility of watching Holden would be mine.  I was OK with that, but it’s caused me to have some random thoughts.  So here you go…

Random thought #1... God has done many brilliant things since the dawn of time but making humans most reproducible while we’re in our 20′s and 30′s was amongst His most brilliant.

Random thought #2… I wish there was a way to bottle up the energy of a toddler so that old grannies like me could take a whiff of it later and have instant toddler energy!  I’d be a gazillion-aire if I could figure out how to do this!

Random Thought #3… I have no right to claim exhaustion as a young, sprite 50-year-old woman when Sarah gave birth at the age of 90.  Shewie……….

Exhaustion.  Did Sarah consider the fact that the older she got, the more tiring it would be to raise a child of her own?  I don’t think so, because she continued to want that child, and God PROMISED it to her.  He PROMISED!

I wonder now, as the years crept up on her, did she ever doubt God?  As she celebrated her 50th birthday? Her 60th?  Her 80th? Surely she felt God had forgotten her. Her friends were all mothers. Her maidservant became a mother FOR her……oh, Lord, what in the world was she thinking on that one???

God’s timing is always perfect.  We have to remember that only He sees the whole big picture.  To us, his timing may seem off at times.  I’m sure to Sarah, God’s timing was a bit odd, but we find in Genesis 21 that God does not withhold the fulfillment of a promise He makes…..

“Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as He  had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised.  Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age at the very time God has promised him.  Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him.”….Gen 21:1-3

Sarah was 90.  Her old man husband Abraham was 100.

And all I can say about that is, "Praise You, Jesus, for somewhere in time changing Your mind about the appropriate age for women to bear children!!"

God promised.  God fulfilled.

Friends, if you are still waiting on something you know God has promised you, remember Sarah.  God’s timing surely seemed slow and endless to her, but in the end, there was no better time for sweet baby Isaac to come into the world.  

God’s timing was perfect then, and it’s perfect now.  So don’t lose faith if you’re still waiting. And in the waiting, give a shout of praise because you know God is working out His promise to you……..and because you know you’ll likely never be a 90-year-old with a newborn baby!

Thank You Jesus!

**********

I’m Becky and I guess this is the part where I tell you a little bit about myself.  I’m Joseph’s wife.  I’m a mom to five. When I was a teenager, I used to spend hours coming up with baby names for my future children….I wanted six.  I settled on one name…Tiffany Marie.   That was it!   My children are Megan, Lauren, Alex, Josh and Noah.  Not a Tiffany in the bunch!   Maybe  Tiffany is that sixth child I never had!  Megan brought us Justin.  And together they gave us Holden, who calls me by my very favorite name, BeBe.   I’d heard rumors that grandkids were beyond fabulous.  If you have yet to be blessed with little grands, trust me when I tell you the rumors are true!

My biggest love is Jesus.  I hope you know Him.  If you don’t, I hope you’ll see Him all over the stories I share and come to love Him too.  He’s pretty awesome!

And I’ll leave you with a picture of me.   No matter how old I am, I’ll always be a work in progress!

***********  Connect with Becky at http://bebedyearies.wordpress.com/