Dealing with Discouragement - by @Lori_Kennedy

Property of Church 4 Chicks - All Rights Reserved

DEALING WITH DISCOURAGEMENT

By Lori Kennedy

"When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.  They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.'  And the disciples were filled with grief." 

Matthew 17:22-23 (NIV)

I don’t know about you, but I get discouraged sometimes.  Sometimes I see the glass as half empty instead of half full.  When this happens, it’s important for me to recognize my discouragement might be coming from the way that I am viewing the situation.  That means there is some ability for me to find a positive perspective. 

Jesus predicts his death the second time in Matthew 17:22-23 (above).  The scripture says that the disciples were filled with grief even though Jesus said that on the third day he would be raised to life.  They saw the glass as half empty and were unable to comprehend the rest of what was said.  Remember that before Jesus came to the earth in human form, the concept of death was the end, not the beginning.  This was a very out-of-the-box concept for these men, and they were unable to find the hope in Jesus’ death, even though he also stated that he would be raised to life.  

Our capacity to understand this concept on this side of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is greatly increased, yet we still struggle with this concept.  Jesus conquered the grave, and his spotless blood covered our sins for all eternity.  We can now look at death as the beginning versus the end.  Revelation 21:4 (NIV) says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away." 

It is a proven botanical fact that a seed that has been planted must die in order to grow into what it was designed to become and produce fruit.  Jesus spoke of this in the Bible in John 12:24 (NIV), “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”  It will produce many seeds because from the death of the original seed grows new life.  From this new life many seeds can be produced. 

Sometimes something in our life must die in order for new life to be created.  Sometimes this “death” can feel very discouraging.  If you’re feeling discouraged or shrouded by shame today, go to God and ask Him if there is anything in your life that must die in order to bring about new life.  Feel confident today in God’s character and promises.  There is hope for your future!

• In what areas have you dealt with discouragement?
• How have you handled it?
• What was the outcome?
• What is your Heavenly Father leading you to do as a result of what you've read today?

************
Connect with Lori Kennedy at www.LoriKennedy.com 

Click here to view the video of Hillsong's "Desert Song"

Hillsong United - Desert Song (Official Music Video) from hillsong-united on GodTube.

All Access Pass by @Lori_Kennedy

Photo by Amelia Grace Photography

All Access Pass 

By
Lori Kennedy 

“God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes.”(Psalm 18:24 The Message)

Have you ever been to a concert and seen people with an All Access Backstage Pass?  When I was a teenager, I always wanted to get my hands on one of those passes and be included backstage where I perceived all the action and important people were. 

God has given you an All Access Pass to eternal life through His son Jesus Christ.  

John 3:16 (NIV) states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” 

What does this mean?  God loves YOU!  In fact, He loves you so much that he wants to be with you forever. But what does, “He gave His one and only son” mean?  God allowed His son Jesus to die on the cross.  But why did Jesus have to die?  Jesus conquered death when He rose back to life from the grave three days after his death on the cross. 

Whereas you and I are sinners, Jesus was sinless.  If you have ever told a lie, stolen anything, or even talked back to your parents, then you have sinned.

  Romans 3:23 (NIV) states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”   

Heaven is a fabulous place that has been prepared for you where no one will hunger or thirst again (Revelation 7:17).  God created Heaven and Earth with laws.  The laws of Earth include the law of gravity and the tides of the oceans.  The law of Heaven states that sin is not allowed into Heaven (Revelation 21:27).  Since God could not allow sin into heaven, Jesus’ sinless sacrifice covers our sin so that we can enter into heaven. 

This All Access Pass gives you more than eternal life.  It gives you freedom from the chains that bind you in this life once you open your heart to your Savior.  You, see, II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) says that you are a New Creation, the old has gone and the new has come.  Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. 

Have you given your heart and life to Christ?  God has promised you that He can rewrite your life if you open the book of your heart to His eyes.  I challenge you today to take full advantage of your All Access Pass so that you can overcome having freedom to fulfill your God given destiny.

LoriKennedy.com

Click the picture below for a video to Darrell Evans' song 

"Freedom"

How to be Your Own (Single) Person ~ A guest post by @DevotionalDiva

Photo by Amelia Grace Photography

How to be Your Own (Single) Person 

ByRenee Fisher 

Do you know how to be your own (single) person?  

Sometimes the hardest person to get along with is you. Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of people we just can’t get along with (ask Shelley, she wrote a book on it)! But when it comes to being comfortable in our own skin, it can be tough.

Maybe you’re afraid of being alone. 
+ Desperate Singles
+ Breaking Up With “The One”
+ Why Changing Your Significant Other Won’t Work
+ The Right Way To Breakup
+ How To Handle A Breakup
+ How To Be Your Own (Single) Person
+ Why Breakups Are Hard
+ He (Jesus) Loves You! 

Maybe I’m more co-dependent than I want to admit.  

I wrote in my new book, Loves Me Not,  

“Instead of letting my bitterness [over a breakup] get me down, my confusion led me deep into the heart of Texas.  

I decided it was time for me to be my own person. 

I moved to Texas and joined a nine-month-long Discipleship Training School called Ambassadors For Christ and said goodbye to my friends and family. I couldn’t wait to learn more about writing and the Word. I had so many more questions than answers. I thought I had heard God right about [my ex]. I thought that He said he was “the one” for me. 

I was wrong again. 

How could I be so stupid? 

I hadn’t yet learned it’s actually possible to hear what you only want to hear. It’s easy to mistake God’s voice for my own because all I could hear was the sound of my heartbreak. I understood God’s comfort, but I had yet to understand His ways.” 

Have you ever felt that way? Maybe it’s been years since you’ve been single, or maybe the pain from a previous breakup still threatens to bring tears to your eyes.  

An important lesson we need to learn along the road to adulthood is how to listen to God’s voice instead of our own.  

Who does God say that I am?  

I guarantee you--after you hear how much God really loves you and has a plan for your life-then no one else’s words, plans, or ideas will matter. Plus, it’s easier to be the version God wants you to be versus the other copies-because they’re all carbon, or fake.  

When I was in my early 20’s I had all these grand ideas of what I wanted to do with my life, and who I wanted to become.  

I never thought in a million years that serving God on the mission’s field wasn’t where God wanted me.  

Have you ever felt like a failure at serving God?  

Maybe you thought you heard the voice of God (like I did) only to find out it wasn’t where He wanted you. 

Be encouraged my friends!  

God never wastes a step on the journey towards becoming His child. Since we are made in the image of God, there’s nothing we can do to surprise Him-even when we think we’re perfect (he’s not surprised to find out that we’re not). 

I recently wrote a book entitled Loves Me Not, and I’d love for you to read it! 

I wanted to focus solely on heartbreak and how to find healing God’s way. If you or anyone you know is currently experiencing a broken relationship or a breakup--I encourage you to pick up the eBook for only $2.99. 

Here are a few benefits you will gain from reading this book: 

+ Why Guarding Your Heart Isn’t Enough

+ Can Men and Women Be “Just Friends”?

Relationships are very important to me.  

God had me wait over twelve years to meet my husband. It’s probably because God knew how long it would take to become the person He wanted me to be-instead of the person I thought I wanted to be. I can’t wait for you to read it and be encouraged.

Renee Fisher, the Devotional Diva®, is the spirited speaker and author of Faithbook of Jesus, Not Another Dating Book, Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me, and Loves Me Not. A graduate of Biola University, Renee’s mission in life is to “spur others forward” (Hebrews 10:24) using the lessons learned from her own trials to encourage others in their walk with God. She and her husband, Marc, live in California with their dog, Star. Learn more about Renee at www.devotionaldiva.com.

Jabez

Photo By Amelia Grace Photography 

Jabez

by Lori Kennedy

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."  Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.” (1 Chronicles 4:9, 10)

 

Historically, the prayer of Jabez has been equated with financial blessing.  However, there are some powerful “non” financial truths that apply to this prayer.  There are 149 verses of genealogy before and 261 verses afterward.  This prayer was hidden in scriptures.  It makes sense to ask why. 

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.  During this time in history, people were recognized by their family genealogy.  The culture rules were that the conduct and honor of your family line directly indicated what was to be anticipated from your own conduct and honor.  If there were scoundrels in your past, then it was assumed you could not be trusted.  If you had heroes in your past, then you were automatically thought to be a hero. 

The name Jabez means I gave birth to him in pain.  Parents expressed their aspirations in their children’s names.  Names were significant in these times and in this culture.  A person was considered to be marked for life by their name.  It reflected their expected destiny.  It was customary to step into the role of your name and to play out the role you had been given.  Jabez did not want to live up to his name.  Instead, Jabez wanted a dynamic encounter with a great God that would change his life forever.  He wanted to break free from the dysfunction and circumstances and transform his future. 

First, Jabez asked for a blessing. James 1:17 (NIV) “Every good and perfect gift is from above.”  God WANTS to bless his children!  He then asked God to enlarge his territory.  Or for us, increase our sphere of influence.  Next Jabez asked that God keep his hand with him. This is a practical request not to step back into the dysfunction.  Jabez asked to be kept from harm.  In other words, may I trust You and follow You and not become dependant on myself, knowing all blessing is from you and not of myself.  Finally, Jabez asked to be free from pain.  This is powerful as this was his name and he was asking to be freed from his name and the destiny that man had assigned to him.  How many times in the bible was a person given a new name?  II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) states “For you are a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” 

Jabez had great faith.  God responds to Jabez’s faith and answers his prayer.  Jabez took the remarkable step to put faith in God to fulfill his destiny in a different way which was totally unacceptable in this time and culture.  Something about this average person touched the God of the Universe.  In a world where everyone becomes what was expected and lived out their predetermined path, Jabez had the courage to take a different road.  He was set apart because he was truly seeking God’s will for his life. 

I challenge you today to be a Jabez!  Get out of your dysfunction and into God’s will by overcoming and having the faith to fulfill His purpose and destiny for your life!

 

Sanctify Me, Lord!

Photo Courtesy of Lori Kennedy

Sanctify Me, Lord! 

By

Lori Kennedy

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”  Romans 12:2 (NIV) 

To sanctify means to be set apart.  We are sanctified at the moment of conversion.  It has been done, but it doesn’t end.  Sanctification is the process of being set apart; of transforming into the likeness of Jesus.  Since it is indeed a process, it is ongoing and doesn’t end until we reach heaven.  The goal would be to look a little more like Him and love a little more like Him each day.  God saves us in an instant and we are His forevermore.  He places His Holy Spirit in our hearts and as this process of sanctification takes place, our want to’s begin to change and become more like His want to’s for us.   

As we begin our new lives in Christ and develop into a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), we still bring in all our old learned junk and bad habits into this relationship with us.  We bring in any lies we may believe about ourselves.  We bring in any wounds that we have not dealt with.  All that is a part of us comes along with us into this new relationship.  As God begins the process of sanctification, His desire is for us to be whole and Holy.  Again, we are whole and Holy in the instant of conversion.  But, learning how to live in that truth must be learned.   

All of our lives, we could have possibly been making decisions through a broken filter of self-protection, doubt, fear, and shame.  As we begin to become aware of this and begin to recognize in what ways our filter might be broken, we must use the Word of God to replace any lies we may possibly believe with the message of the truth in scripture.  Just like with any other application in our lives, the more we practice, the better we develop skill.  After much practice, the truth that we have replaced the lie with becomes new truth to us and we begin to restore our filter into a filter of truth.  You see self-protection, doubt, fear, and shame are not from God.

 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  (NKJ) 

Psalm 34:5 says, “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” (NIV) 

When I think of my life ten or five or even two years ago I can see sanctification occurring in my life. I am different today that I used to be and I love that God is continuing to show Himself to me on an ongoing basis.  My yucky stuff still comes up from time to time and I still react out of a false belief or an old wound.  But I find that it’s less often, and the pity party I give myself afterwards occurs for a shorter period of time. 

My friend Shelley Hendrix says, “You don't get to choose what kind of opposition the enemy will send you, but you DO get to choose your response to it.”  As you continue upon the journey of sanctification in Christ, you will get better and better at recognizing the darts and filtering your responses through the loving Hand of Christ.  That is the hope of continued sanctification.