Tag: encouragement

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A Dose of Laughter

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Proverbs 17:22

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

Have the situations in your life got you down? Are things not going as well as you would like? Is depression weighing heavily on you? Are you just sick and tired of being sick and tired? Well, there’s a cure for that; it’s called laughter!

When you laugh, not only are you exercising your muscles and bringing much needed oxygen to your body; you are also changing the atmosphere for yourself and those who are around you. Your laughter is infectious! Instead of letting the spirits of depression and sadness pass from you to someone else, why not pass on the spirits of joy and laughter? Laughter can change your perception of your situation, because when you laugh, things don’t seem quite so bad. So the next time you are going through, go through with joy and laughter. This will leave the enemy looking really confused, and that should give you another dose of “medicine” to cure your blues.

~ Prayer ~

Father, I thank You for the gift of laughter. On today let something that I do or say brighten someone else’s day. In turn, let their joy bring laughter to those around them. May what started as a smile or a kind gesture turn into an epidemic of merry hearts, and the resulting laughter ring like musical praises in your ear. Amen.

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God’s Got This!

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2   Corinthians 4:8-9

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” ~KJV

There are often times in our lives when it seems as we are under “Murphy’s Law”; that is to say, “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”  There is trouble all around us; at home, on the job or in school, on the roadways, in retail shops, and even in the church. Don’t be distressed. God’s got this!

We may not understand what’s going on, and some things just may not make sense. Don’t worry. God’s got this! People are going to talk. They will say that you did it when you didn’t, and they will say that you didn’t do it when you did. God knows the truth. He hasn’t left you; He’s right there in the midst of the persecution with you. Shake it off. God’s got this!

Traps will be set, and some backs will be turned against you. But just as He did with Job; God has granted the troubles and the troublers, the confusion and the confusion starters, the persecution and the persecutors, an all-access pass to run amuck in the palace of your life. However, their request for permission to destroy you has been denied. They don’t have a high enough security clearance to take your life because God is not finished with you. So, keep your head up, walk tall, and above all, never let them see you sweat. God’s got this!

~ Prayer ~

God, I thank You for Your very presence in my life. No matter what is going on around me; I know that You are in control.  I thank You for showing me how to respond in times of trouble and persecution. Help me to learn the lessons that each trial is designed to teach, and cause my heart to be glad that You have considered me worthy of the test. AMEN.

 

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I Choose Joy!

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Psalms 126:2

“We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, ‘What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” ~NLT

It was like a dream when God brought back His exiled children to Jerusalem.  They were laughing, singing, and filled with so much joy that the people around them marveled at the wonderfully amazing things that the Lord had done for them.  The freed exiles were praising God for what He had done. But what if he hasn’t done it yet?  Here’s what I do…

Every morning I look at my vision boards and my inspirational wall, which cover at least a quarter of the wall space in my bedroom. Some of the goals have been accomplished; some are in progress, but my eyes are always drawn to the sticker in the top right corner that bears the declaration, “I Choose Joy!”  and that is exactly what I do. I sing songs of joy; upbeat and uplifting,  and I may even crank up the music and “dance like no one’s watching. Soon my little reservoir of joy has been stirred, and it begins to swell and rise and spill over into my day, all because of what I chose.

Sometimes all it takes for God to turn a situation around is a praise. So, “Don’t wait ‘til the battle is over, shout now! You know in the end, you’re gonna win!” OR, if Jill Scott is more your cup of tea, sing “I’m taking my own freedom, putting it in my song, singing loud and strong, grooving all day long. I’m taking my freedom, putting it in my stroll, I’ll be high-steppin’ y’all, letting the joy unfold. I’m living my life like it’s golden, living my life like it’s golden…” Hey, you can even freestyle. There’s nothing wrong with bursting into a spontaneous song! In other words, on the road to your victory, be filled with laughter. Sing and dance for joy. Your praise just may be the oil on the gears that will shift you from the place of your exile to the place of your promise.

~ Prayer ~

Father, I thank You for being my joy and my strength. Help me to consciously choose joy and intentionally choose happiness. Put a song in my heart and laughter on my lips that will cause the people who know my situation to marvel at my response and say, “Look what God has done!” And, Jesus, I will joyfully give your name the glory, the honor, and the praise. AMEN!

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The End Game

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Matthew 29:39

“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my  Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” ~KJV

Before Jesus came down from Heaven, He knew what His end game would be.

Yes, He came that we might have life and that more abundantly, but ultimately; His end game was that we may be reconciled to the Father and dwell with Him for eternity. However, neither of those things could happen until He suffered the bitterness of the cup and the pain of the cross.  In other words, He went through His nevertheless because he remembered the end game.

Has God ever showed you a great vision or revealed to you your purpose?  Often He allows us to glimpse into the future—peep the end game if you will. We begin to get excited and earnestly work toward that thing that He has purposed us to do, and then, life happens. We are faced with problems at work, at school, at home, and even in the church.  As the stress mounts, the weight of the load we carry causes our knees to buckle and we want to throw in the towel, but we cannot give up!

There are blessings that God has for us that are exceedingly and abundantly above all we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20), but sometimes we can’t get to our exceedingly and abundantly until we get through the bitterness and the pain of our nevertheless. Be encouraged, go through, and remember the end game! But as it is written, Eye hath not see, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9, KJV)

~ Prayer ~

Lord, sometimes I get tired, and I want to give up. Thank You for sending your Son, Jesus, to be an example for me. Oh, God, give me that same nevertheless spirit and a willingness to go through as was in Christ Jesus. Be my strength, and never let me lose sight of what you have purposed for me. This is my prayer, Amen.

 

 

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IT IS WELL!

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2 Kings 4:26

“Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband: is it well with the child: And she answered, It is well.” ~KJV

This familiar passage of scripture is a part of the story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman. At this point in the story, the woman is going through every parent’s worst nightmare—the death of her only child. But more important than the death, was the way that she perceived the death and her actions immediately following.

When the woman’s son died in her arms, she immediately took him and laid him upon the prophet’s bed, shut the door, and left him there. She then asked her husband to provide a servant and a donkey so she could go see Elisha. When her husband questioned her about her journey her response was, “It shall be well.” When Elisha saw her approaching from far away he sent his servant to find out what was wrong. Her response to his three questions was, “It is well,” even though her son was still dead.

There are times in our lives when we face dead circumstances.  Sometimes we have dead-end jobs, job loss, the death of relationships, or even the physical death of a loved one. It is at those times that we should follow the example of the Shunammite woman. Regardless of what it looked like, she laid her problem at the altar and sought help. She didn’t waste time lamenting over the death, but rather she spoke life into her situation, and ultimately into the life of her son. She encouraged herself, and her faith increased from “All shall be well” to “It is well.” Speak wellness over your life today!

~ Prayer ~

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Word that comforts and reminds me that it is well.  Let me face each circumstance and every situation knowing as long as I put my trust in You, it is well. No matter what it looks like, it is well, No matter what it feels like, It is Well. No matter what the world says, IT IS WELL! I decree and declare wellness over my life, over my family, and over every situation that I have up before you. And I know, without a doubt, that it is so, and it is well!

 

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You Wear It Well!

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Proverbs 31:25

“She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.”

“You have survived the worse season of your life!” Though it seems clichéd, it holds a certain amount of truth. Sometimes we wear our strength and dignity as a badge of honor, and at other times, we wear it as a shield of protection. Either way, everything that we have been through and survived makes us stronger for the next challenge. It is when we look at our past victories that we can look forward to our new challenges and laugh because “We’ve been there, and we’ve done that!”

Affirm It!

  • God made me strong!
    • I Am Strength!
  • God clothed me in dignity!
    • I Am Dignity!
  • God made me to laugh!
    • I Am Laughter!