Here’s a five minute video to encourage your marriage AND your prayer life.
Lovingly,
Denise
Category: Christian Life
How To Deal with Criticism
We all like to think we have no enemies, that everyone is behind what we represent, how we live and what we do. But the truth is, none of us will ever please everyone. There will always be someone who will criticize and slander our name.
When was the last time someone spoke evil of you? Maybe it was to your face, or perhaps that word was behind your back, but got back to you (as gossip and slander always do!).
Apparently David also knew what it was like to be criticized and talked about. I recently read Psalm 119:23
Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
I love David’s response! Rather than thinking about the people who were talking, rather than repeating what the people said, and rather than dwelling on what he’d tell them if he got the chance, he made the choice instead to meditate on the Scriptures!
When I’ve dealt in the past with criticism, I have often done all the highlighted things above. I rehearse it in my mind, I think about “those people!,” and I make long, speeches in my mind, instead of meditating on Scripture. My thoughts did not help or comfort me! But what if I had chosen to dwell on God’s Word? Oh, the comfort, the counsel and the wisdom it would bring!
Are you dealing today with ugly things that have been said about you? Don’t think about it! Instead, follow David’s example and find a passage of Scripture to meditate on. Write it on a card and keep it with you all through the day. Commit it to memory. Pray it back to the Lord. Those biblical thoughts will profit you and encourage growth – something that dwelling on the evil will not do!
Refresh yourself with thinking on God’s Word!
Show Yourself Friendly
Our world teaches us how to be:
Budget-Friendly Pet-Friendly
Eco-Friendly Kid-Friendly
But the Bible teaches us to be People-friendly. In truth, it’s pretty easy to be Budget-friendly (spend wisely), Pet-friendly (create spaces Fido and Fluffy will love), Eco-friendly (treat the earth well) and Kid-friendly (give children foods they’ll eat). But sometimes coming up with ways to be just plain ol’ friendly to another human being stumps us!
In a world that drives up the driveway, pushes the garage door open, closes it quickly, and goes inside before anyone sees a real, live person getting out of the car, being friendly can be uncomfortable. However, if we love the Lord Jesus and desire to be like Him, we won’t avoid people; we’ll look for ways to minister to them.
Proverbs 18:24
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly:
Not – Should, might, or maybe, but MUST shew himself friendly.
How could you and I show or prove our friendliness today?
- Reach out – Make contact. Smile. Give a hug. Send a text. Make a call. Send a card. An unfriendly person will turn and go the other direction to avoid others.
- Give out – Give of your time – make a visit. Give of your possessions – provide a need. An unfriendly person will only see their own needs. If they do see the needs of someone else, they’ll dismiss the thought of helping.
- Speak out – Use your words to be a blessing. Give a greeting at church to the visitor you don’t know. Stop to chat and get acquainted. Speak with the stranger in the grocery store. Don’t be afraid to engage in conversation. An unfriendly person only speaks to people that makes them feel comfortable.
Now, you evaluate – are you friendly? What could you do to change that today? The Lord will help you! Philippians 4:13
John 13:35 – By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Will others know by watching us that we are Christ’s followers? Open more than your garage door – open your heart’s door to someone today and show the love of Christ to them!
How has someone recently shown friendliness to you?
With love,
Eliminate Distractions
It started with a simple task ~ go downstairs and fix the morning coffee.
I got the Dunkin Donuts coffee into the filter, poured the water inside the coffee maker and pressed the “on” button. While I waited for the coffee to brew, I unloaded the clean dishes in the dish drainer and also in the dishwasher. When I opened the fridge to get out the cream I would need for my cup, I noticed the shelves needed to be wiped down, so I got the dish cloth and took care of the crumbs. While wiping, I spotted a couple leftover containers that were past their “prime.” They were dumped and the dishes loaded into the now empty dishwasher. I also took care of fingerprints, a spot on the floor, streaky counter tops, and Sunday coupons before I finally got back to the coffee that had finished brewing long before I returned to the pot.
As I was pouring the steaming liquid into my cup, I was reminded why I don’t let myself start on that “one little job” first thing in the morning. For me, one thing leads to another, and another and another and I use my morning energies on physical things instead of spiritual.
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Is there anything wrong with emptying wilting lettuce from the Tupperware container? Of course not, but when those tasks occupy the time that I would spend with the Lord in His Word, then I have to know my limit and stop before I get started. Hence, on the days when I make the coffee (which is not too often, since my husband takes care of it most times), I need to use my energies to get into the Word while the coffee is brewing. I can
- read my Proverb chapter in that amount of time
- review my memory passage
For me, the momentum of working gets me distracted from doing what is best. It’s better if I wait until after my Quiet time to do those tasks .
What is it that keeps you from really getting the most out of your time in God’s Word? Is it all the “stuff” on your phone? Do you feel an urgency to check Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, blogs or texts first? Is it a morning news show, a broadcast on the radio that gets your best attention in the morning? If that takes away time that you need to be drawing up near the heart of God in His Word, then ask the Lord to help you wait; to discipline your time in such a way that He gets the best of your attention and energies.
All the notifications will be there when you finish hearing from God.
And yes,those fingerprints on the microwave would’ve still been waiting for me yesterday.
Tomorrow I’ll ignore them by sitting with my back to them!
Let’s give our best to that which is most important!
With love,
Fess Up!
I recently heard a story about a man who had been running from the police for over ten years. He was from Canada and came to the States where he completely changed his identity in order to continue to hide from authorities. He shared how that during that time, he was constantly looking over his shoulder; fearful someone would recognize him and arrest him for the things he had done.
You and I might not have that kind of criminal record, but have you ever worried that someone might find out what you are doing? Maybe you don’t want your husband to find the receipt in your wallet for the money you spent that you know you shouldn’t have. One might worry that the history on their computer might be checked, and they would be caught in the truth that they were viewing inappropriate material, or spending way too much time chatting on Facebook with an old friend.
I don’t need to drudge up scenarios. The Holy Spirit will bring to your mind and mine the things that we may be hiding that need to be confessed and forsaken. I love Proverbs 28:1 –
The wicked flee when no man pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion.
When we are doing what is right, we do not have to be afraid of who is watching, of where they might look into our personal things, or hear a conversation we have on the phone. We can be bold. However, if we are involved in sin, we should be afraid. Proverbs 15:3 –
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
We cannot hide our sin from God. He sees and it will be discovered. The man I described in the beginning of this post was miserable due to the guilt. He confessed his sin to God, and turned himself in to the authorities where he received a lesser punishment for his crimes than what he really deserved. When we “fess up,” with God and others we’ve sinned against, we will be freed from the fear of being found out, our conscience is clear of the guilt, and we can move joyfully on with life!
Is your conscience clear, or did something come to your mind when you began reading today’s post?
Proverbs 28:13 –
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Fess (confess) up, forsake, and get back to living!
Pastor’s Encouragement: Pray that your pastor will earnestly seek God’s will and be committed to instant and complete obedience-ready for God to work powerfully in and through his ministry.
Husband Encouragement: There are lots of tough guys in the world, but true courage comes from the Lord. Does your husband exhibit the courage to take an unpopular stand alone against evil? Is he courageous in his faith? Does he work hard to change injustice? Is he a stickler for the truth? Does he protect you or your family from the attacks of the enemy?
Psalm 27:14 says this kind of courage comes from “waiting on the Lord for His strength.” Such spiritual courage is a gift and blessing to you – thank the Lord of it and praise your husband for the covering he supplies.
With love,
RefreshHer 