You’ve Been Recruited!

Posted on November 3, 2021 by 4sisterssharing

How do we find courage amid danger? Look around you. Look around your family. Look around your community. Look at our nation. Evil lurks at every corner. Satan has clever ways to camouflage himself in our lives. He skillfully conceals himself in your home, in your workplace, in your children’s school, in your church and in every solitary detail of your life. Does this not anger you? It should! We are fed up and prepared to fight back! So what can we do? How do we fight back? How do we become a catalyst for change to honor and uplift the Kingdom?

The first step in becoming warrior-minded is to change your current mindset. A change agent operates from courage, boldness and discernment that is supplied by our Father. Have you ever felt like Gideon? He was found hiding from the enemy during an all-out war. But why? It was nothing but an act of self-preservation. How many times have you ran away from a particular situation? We repeatedly convince ourselves we are inadequate to push past an obstacle. It’s a trap. I don’t have time for this. I’m not capable of managing this situation. I honestly don’t want to get involved. Have these thoughts ever crossed your mind? Courage is the ability to do something that frightens you. We allow fear to dictate and dominate our thoughts which produces inaction. We need fighters! We need bold risk takers to initiate change from within to become a change agent who others can trust and believe in.

Close your eyes for a moment. Envision yourself putting on the whole armour of God.

Step 1: Put on your belt of truth. We must stand in the truth of God and what He speaks over us, not how we define ourselves.

Step 2: Put on your breastplate of righteousness. We must believe we are in right standing with God.

Step 3: Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Confidently slip into your shoes of peace which guides and rules your heart.    

Step 4: Take the shield of faith to quench and deflect any fiery darts that the wicked toss your way. Be reminded God is omnipresent and knows your every circumstance and will never leave you nor forsake you.

Step 5: Put on the helmet of salvation. This protects and aligns our thoughts as we walk with Christ.

Step 6: Take the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. This gives us the power to voice the truth of of His word which makes the enemy flee.

Step 7: Pray. Seal everything in prayer and be mindful to listen as much as you petition.

God is working in you and through you. Once you realize and accept your potential, you can relentlessly encourage and inspire those around you to join God’s army as a voice of truth and change. Evil prevails when salt and light are removed. YOU are the salt. YOU are the light. Believe in yourself as God continues to recruit, equip, and reveal His purpose for you. Trust him fully and heed His call.

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Strategy with the Word

Posted on April 30, 2017 by 4sisterssharing

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Lordy Mercy!

Posted on February 11, 2016 by 4sisterssharing

ken_blake_mercy

Taken by Tiffany Bryson 

 

I’m stronger than you! Oh yea? Let’s see just how strong you are…I jump at the chance to prove that my girly strength is unequivocally just as good as yours. We face off, join hands and ready, set, GOOoooooo!

How long will it take for him to scream MERCY?!! Ahhh, reminiscing about our childhood is so much fun! We remember playing this all the time with friends, sisters and those cootie infested boys we wanted to prove our strength to! Remember this game? The goal was to force the other person to cry out ‘mercy’ before you did. Crying mercy meant you were weak or couldn’t withhold the forceful grip and pain of your competitor. The irony of it all is this is the complete opposite of why we should be crying out mercy to God more often than we do.

Mercy1

Found on Pinterest.com

 

 

Lamentations 3:22-23 reads 22 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Crying mercy {help} to God is NOT a sign of weakness or unbelief. Let’s look at the word mercy. The Oxford dictionary defines mercy as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. Picture this– when we ask for mercy, Jesus takes a step between us and that sin. Why? To guard us from the true consequences of our sin. Imagine what the possible outcomes might be without his intercessions.

Now let’s talk mercy. Lawd have mercy! Have mercy on his soul. Mercy me! Lordy mercy. That’s a lot of mercy talk. If you think about it, mercy is a cry for help. It’s a cry for sparing– sparing from what though? Undoubtedly from judgment or from something harmful. So we really could use help interchangeably with the word mercy. Do you find it hard to ask for help when you need it? Does your pride stand in the way of asking God to help you through your circumstances? To meet your needs? Are you relying on God in desperate times or relying on your own strength and knowledge?

mercy3

Found on Pinterest.com

When the blood of Jesus Christ has been applied through salvation, we have mercy granted for all eternity. We must accept that crying out isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s truly a sign of faithfulness and strength. It represents putting your faith, hope and trust in God and fully believing that He will protect and guide you. Humility is hard to express, but know that God is waiting for your cry. His hand is outstretched when you’re ready…

Be Blessed in His Sweet Holy Name,

4 Sisters Blogging

 

 

 

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Fear Not

Posted on February 4, 2016 by 4sisterssharing

We generally meet at Starbucks to write since they have free Wi-Fi and the fact that it’s easy access to our lifelong addiction! There’s never less than 5 of us meeting so by the time we get our orders in and unfold our laptops, Bibles and books we’re about 30 minutes into the session before we’ve even creatively addressed a topic. Coffees and lattes in hand, we open up with light conversation to catch up on how our day has unfolded. By now, we’ve jumped full force into a topic, scripture and the logistics of our new post. And then BOOM! Things. Come. To. A {SCREECHING HALT}.

fear not.jpg

found on biblestudytools.com

I have my head down as the transcriber, pecking away 90 to nothing trying to quickly capture every idea, every quote and every amazing personal insight as we collaborate to get something newly published. When the chatter stops, I naturally gaze up to see if the well has run dry or if their heads are dropped in their Bible or iPad. On this particular day, things were different. I look up and see frightened faces, scowled brows and an inkling of concern. But why? We were just cutting up and laughing about Tonia holding a wall-sit to strengthen her glutes during the session. I sat quietly. I observed intently to read the vibes off my sisters. As I scan the room, I realize a gentleman who appears to be of Middle Eastern decent, had boldly pulled up a chair super close to our cluttered circle. So close that we’re sharing an outlet to charge our electronics. Now before you say, oh wow, you’re being judgmental–you Christians always have to pull the race card. NOPE, not hardly. For heaven’s sake, we are a half-and-half descent. Irish + Island Pacific = Mixed Race here. Before you form an opinion or stop reading, you gotta hear us out….with our national crisis at hand and the fact that Christians are being targeted by ISIS groups and many more AND the fact that we were openly and loudly discussing the Bible in front of him, we became concerned. Not because of his race, but what he gestured (or really the lack thereof) and what he was reading.

The southern hospitality in all of us made us nod at him and say hi, how are you? But he was less than interested in making small talk. In fact, he made and held eye contact, but never spoke a word or acknowledged that we greeted him into our circle. He looked at us with a glaring eye. Not just at first sight, but for over 20 minutes. Like no other glaring eye you’ve ever seen before. It was an uneasy feeling. The awkward uncomfortable uneasy feeling. You’ve felt this before. When you feel like someone is staring or acting oddly? And let’s make it clear that there were many other places to sit throughout the store and there were open chairs with open outlets too. Yet he chose to literally scoot into our personal space. He was reading the Taliban News online. You know when you just get that gut feeling that something isn’t right? Well, that was one of those moments. And everyone of us had it. All four of us, including our two nieces. In the dismayed moment, we all silently prayed for peace to prevail. For divine intervention. For faith to overcome the fearful, paralyzing moment in time. Have you felt this before? Maybe not about someone, but about something? The chaotic thoughts and the fight or flight response took over. We were texting each other in this circle wanting to leave! I remember looking for the exit doors for my quick escape. Now, you must remember, several shootings had occurred just weeks before this. It makes you feel more alert about your surroundings. As we regained control of our chaotic thoughts, faith ignited in us! We quickly agreed that this could be divine intervention for this man. He was listening to us. We used that moment to lift God up and share Jesus with this stranger as opposed to letting him put our light out.

Isaiah 41:10 reads Fear though not for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

fear greater

God gave us the whole armor of God to squarely stand and charge the enemy, NOT to stand and run! We have not been designed to retreat or rely on our own strength, yet put our faith and trust in God and stand up for truth to push back darkness. Now let’s put this into perspective. What are you afraid of? Is it rejection? Financial burdens? People around you? Health issues, loss…death? Whatever it is, know God is stronger and bigger than your biggest fear. For too long, we’ve bought into fear. Fear paralyzes our faith. It literally smothers our faith. And guess who you’re giving an open door to—that’s right. The devil himself. Do you know who you belong to? How can we be afraid when the God of this majestic universe holds us in His hands? If ever there was a time to walk in the fullness of His destiny for us, it’s now. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Be bold! When faced with fear, force yourself to stop and regain focus. Have that conscious awareness when things start spinning around you. Know that you have a choice to stay and fight or make a run for it. Before we left the coffeehouse, Kendra boldly squared up to the man and said, “Sir, is there anything we can help you pray about today?” And he replied, “Ughhh, ugh, no. No.” One tiny seed planted may be a game changer for someone somewhere so never be ashamed or afraid when God’s hands are in it!

Be Blessed in His Name,

4 Sisters Blogging

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A Fierce Weapon

Posted on November 9, 2015 by 4sisterssharing

found on pinterest

found on pinterest

Let Us Pray

Matthew 6:9-13King James Version (KJV)

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The What, When and How’s

Have you ever wondered how to pray? What to pray for? How long should you pray? Or if your prayers are even getting through?

Let’s get real here. How often DO YOU really pray? When life gets tough? After your first bite of food because you failed to beforehand? In church because the preacher reminded you to? Around the holidays because needy causes are quick to remind you? Or are you consistently calling out to God—requesting and praising? We’re not judging you, rather asking you to take a deep breath and be honest with yourself here.

Let’s take a look at some statistics found on the Gospel Coalition

* Prayer is mentioned throughout the Bible over 300 times

*There’s over 650 prayers listed in the Bible

*The Bible references several bodily praying positions including sitting, standing, kneeling, kneeling with one’s face on the ground and with hands lifted up to heaven

*There’s at least 8 types of prayers

1. Prayer of faith

2. Prayer of agreement

3. Prayer of request

4.  Prayer of consecration

5.  Prayer of worship

6. Prayer of thanksgiving

7. Prayer of intercession

8. Praying in the spirit

God put so much thought into this, don’t ya think? Seriously though, He deeply reverences this concept so much that He repetitively offers advice, deeper meaning and understanding of this powerful weapon. What weapons are you using to fight your daily battles? Is it the weapon of choice?

found on booklybooks.com

found on booklybooks.com

Prayer is quite simple, really. It’s a conversation WITH God, not TO God. It’s directly addressing and communicating your heart and soul’s desires. So if it’s this simple, how is it not a part of our everyday routines? In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18English Standard Version (ESV) 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

God craves our attention. He wants us to personally check in with Him throughout the day. When something goes awry, seek God. When something goes perfect, praise God. When there’s a specific need, ask God. When you receive a blessing, thank God. It’s really that simple, we just need to make a conscious effort to speak to Him often. Still not convinced on how to pray? Imagine you’re speaking to your best friend. It’s that easy. And if you’re still struggling, the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of this post is a perfect start.

Prayer is a vital key to living a successful Christian life. As we learn to walk in constant communion with God, it is imperative that we stay connected to our life source. We have learned this firsthand in our own life through some very difficult situations. We need to pray and seek God in the good times and the bad. Please don’t wait until you’re desperate for His divine guidance. He holds the key to every answer that we are seeking. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Reach out and take hold of His perfect strategy to overcome every scheme of the devil.

found on bestpinterest.blogspot.com

found on bestpinterest.blogspot.com

Discussion & Reflection

  1. What are your needs? What are your struggles? What is holding you back? Have you prayed about it as much as you’ve talked about it?

Many Blessings,

4 Sisters Blogging

Kendra, Tonia, Blake & Tiffany

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RSVP

Posted on August 28, 2015 by 4sisterssharing

found on marvelesstudios.blogspot.com

found on marvelesstudios.blogspot.com

We celebrate life in so many ways–gender reveals, births, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and job promotions just to name a few. The planning phase is the same for any of these events. First things first: create a “to do” list and a “who’s who” attendance sheet. Budgets are set and then we realize the VIP list needs a delete button. Whoa!!! How will I EVER be able to afford to feed and host all these people? Maybe it’s best to keep the party intimate with close family and friends. No, we’ll extend it to immediate blood-kin.  Ahhhh, but what about him? And her? I don’t want to hurt his/her feelings if they find out they weren’t invited. Oh well, it’s just how it has to be. Or maybe I should just cancel the event all together. Sigh.

Step back and reflect on this from a different perspective. Have you ever been left OFF the attendance sheet for a special event that left you feeling confused, angry and rejected? Did it happen to your sweet, precious child? That’s even worse, right? As an adult, we can handle the emotional let-down, but how do you explain this to your child? It’s gut wrenchingly difficult to find an excuse as to why he/she was shunned. Being let down is such a misfortune. You blame yourself, you blame others. You question what you did or didn’t do. Was it something I said? Something I didn’t say? I just don’t get it. It’s really tough accepting the fact that you missed out on a fun and memorable celebration with the people you thought were your closest friends.

found on pinterest.com

found on pinterest.com

Your RSVP

Did you know God will never exclude you from the biggest celebration that has yet to occur? Matthew 22:2-3, 8-10 (KJV) “The Kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son. 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 8 Then saith he to his servants, the wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.” (read in full context Matthew 22:1-14) Click here for the NLT version.

Here, Jesus uses a parable to teach us about the most valuable and sought after invitation one could ever receive, but many ignored. Will you choose God or refuse God? For those of you that have already accepted Christ as your Savior, there’s still a lesson to be learned here. You’ll never have to worry about having to create a facade to fit in with the “in” crowd in order to be invited to the next big shin dig. The most exclusive party doesn’t have a price tag or any strings attached to attend. It’s so easy to get swept up in the chaos of social acceptance, but God has promised us VIP treatment to those that have accepted Him. Remember when you set out in your own pity party because you’ve been excluded from a social event, don’t hash it out and be angry because you have a far greater celebration awaiting you! And it’s going to be the most exquisite event you could ever imagine. Focus on what’s important. The petty things we obsess over on earth are temporary fixes- walk in the light. Be the peculiar person God intended you to be. Stand up and stand out!

Discussion & Reflection

  1. Who has excluded you or your child from an event that hurt your feelings or angered you? How did you handle it?
  2. How will you choose to handle this same situation in the future so your light shines rather than retaliating or lashing out?

Much love and many blessings,

4 Sisters Share

Kendra, Tonia, Blake & Tiffany

Instagram @faithistheseed

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Hide and Go Seek?

Posted on July 14, 2015 by 4sisterssharing

found on betterphoto.com

found on betterphoto.com

Can I get an Amen?

There are so many naysayers in this world–particularly in our communities, and in our personal lives that are just waiting to make us feel bad about ourselves. Can I get an AMEN? What makes a naysayer? Well, typically it is someone who is considerably more negative than positive, sees the glass pretty much empty and is dark and gloomy ALL the time. He or she may even display passive aggressiveness. It doesn’t matter what you do, how you do it or how lightly you tread, this person is out to bring you down no matter what. Oh yea, I just saw you shaking your head agreeing with me. These people are just lurking around waiting to rain on your parade. It almost seems like it brings them nasty fulfillment too. Ohhhh….there stands THAT person trying to pull YOU down, talking or influencing YOU out of what and where God wants YOU to be. Yep, there’s one of those nasty naysayers again! So how do we handle them? The easiest out is to turn and run! And I mean run as fast and as hard as you can. Avoidance may work. I’m guilty of that myself. I’ve been in the grocery store before and have literally hid out just to avoid someone because I didn’t have time to make small talk. Again, this is the simple selfish answer, but is it the Godly answer?

Matthew 5:43-44 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Oh boy, here we go…Jesus says to love and pray for our enemies. But I don’t want to! Have you ever thought this? Can’t I just act like they (the enemy) don’t exist and make them invisible? I don’t want to work at building a relationship with someone who doesn’t seem to reciprocate love and certainly doesn’t come across as wanting a personal relationship with me either. So there, we’re even, right? Lord, don’t you see what I see? When someone has mutual agreement, it’s a good thing. And then there’s something that slaps you upside the head to remind you that this isn’t Christ-like. Our Heavenly Father has poured love into our lives to share, uplift and encourage. It’s not meant to withhold for a rainy day. We are challenged to love and pray for the unlovable.

1. List the constant naysayers in your life. Identify the capacity in which you know them (work, school, family, etc.).

found on bloglovin.com

found on bloglovin.com

My Goliath

I finished up graduate school in my late twenties. I was offered a job at my alma mater. I’ll never forget the first day of school. As I walked down the hallway to my classroom, I kept repeating Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” The door swings open to my classroom and I felt a whirlwind of emotions—anxiousness, lack of confidence, low self-esteem. You name it, I thought every negative thing in the book about my competency level. I overheard students wondering who was the teacher, hoping that he or she was nice….then suddenly, I introduced myself as the instructor. The look on their faces was enough for me. Total disbelief. I looked like one of them! Young, trendy, and lacking experience, but somehow I had to dig deep and determine how I would earn their trust. Think about it- most professors are older, experienced, and very comfortable in their skin. Not me. My biggest fear was public speaking. A seasoned colleague began to peck away at me. This colleague was self-assured and experienced and seemed to enjoy intimidating people. I was hurt, confused, and degraded by the mere thoughts that my own colleague, who shared a love for health and wellness, was throwing darts at me rather than mentoring me. This person would deliberately do things to me and others that I just didn’t understand. I just couldn’t fathom treating people this way. I kicked around the idea that I would go far, far out of my way to avoid putting myself in situations that may lead to an emotional whirlwind. That was the simplest measure. I would escape to my office and hibernate there, keeping enough food and water stashed away that I wouldn’t need to come out and face this mean, terrible giant in my life.

I was also teaching a teen Sunday school class during this time. One particular lesson that was a major tipping point for me was over the exact scripture that is the focal point of this lesson. I had a Godly Ah-Ha moment! He was working in and through me as I shared this with my class. I had to practice what I was preaching and that’s exactly what I began doing. I made a deliberate point to walk by my colleague’s office as often as I could during the day. I would intentionally make eye contact so that I could say hello and ask how this person’s day was going. I began praying very hard for myself and for my colleague. I asked God to give me wisdom and words to speak and to let my actions and words be a direct reflection of His love. I wanted my mere presence to exude warmth. I prayed that God would break down the barriers between us and soften this person’s heart to allow love in. I prayed that this person would be able and willing to love and be loved. Let’s be honest, biting our tongues and being the better person is often difficult because again, we are imperfect humans, but I didn’t give up! I persevered. I felt like David and my colleague was my Goliath, but I wasn’t about to be defeated! Through prayer and supplication, love has moved another mountain. Today, I have a working relationship with this same person who was once my enemy and there’s something different evolving in this person’s life—it’s a God thing. There’s no other answer. Just as scripture teaches us, we must pray for our enemies. Love evolves over time. Don’t give up on people just as God never gives up on us! Rather than hide from your enemies, be an optimist in these situations. Find good in your naysayers–take the opportunity to shed light on darkness and be a living vessel for them. Instead of hiding, get out there and seek!

2. Go back and review your enemies list from question #1. What strategies will you implement into your life to begin the rebuilding process to improve these relationships and to share the love of God?

Love and Blessings,

4 Sisters  Blogging

Kendra, Tonia, Blake & Tiffany

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Dying of Thirst

Posted on June 25, 2015 by 4sisterssharing

found on yesjesuslovesyou.tumblr.com

found on yesjesuslovesyou.tumblr.com

Parched

OMGoodnessss, it’s soooo hot out. And the first day of summer just arrived last week! Our bodies naturally sweat to keep us cool in warm environments. It’s our internal air conditioning system. Staying cool and hydrated gets kinda tricky if you don’t consciously make an effort to stay balanced. Did you know the first sign of dehydration is thirst? Yep, that’s right, there’s many signs and symptoms that serve as your internal message center to warn you about potential danger. Dehydration occurs when there isn’t sufficient water intake. Bottom line, water output is greater than input.  A 2-3% decrease in total body water can potentially cause fatigue, headaches and make you feel lethargic. Many believe that rehydrating can be accomplished by chugging on a bottled water and return to normal in a matter of minutes, but this just isn’t the case. Think back to the last time you were in hot weather and just felt so thirsty. The feeling is unsettling. It’s like a mosquito bite that you claw to death but the itch just can’t be satisfied.

We are training for a half marathon; we chose a fall race thinking how nice the weather would be while running that distance. Ughhhh, hello—don’t forget the training! This means training starts during the blistering heat of summer. Dohhh! For those of you who live in the deep south, you get it. You can empathize here– Georgia heat is NO JOKE! Hot, humid and smothery. Imagine jogging inside a sauna! Your mouth gets so dry in this heat.  Cotton mouth at its finest! And your body feels like it’s melting. All we could talk about toward the end of our run was how excited we would be when it was over and how refreshing a cold water was going to taste.

e6b099dd0c26c7fc2ceba3bb5af9ece8

Near Fatal

Water is essential for life. Without it, one would perish and die. Dehydration can be fatal if left untreated. Do you realize a Christian life without the Holy Spirit is the same way? Just because you’ve accepted Christ, doesn’t mean you should stop seeking Him on a daily basis. Psalms 42:1-2 (AMP) reads, “1 As the deer pants and longs for the water brooks, so I pant and long for you, oh God. 2 My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” Do you get thirsty for God? In the natural sense, when we’re thirsty, it’s a simple fix– grab your favorite drink and satisfy the sensation, but when we’re in a jam in our lives, are we quenching our thirst with the right things? When we’re upset, we may reach for comfort foods. When we’re angry, we may seek revenge. God longs for us. When faced with turbulence in your life, God is sitting and waiting–waiting for you to turn to Him, not food, not worldly things, just Him. He is very aware of your situation, your troubled thoughts and your every action. Just when you think you’ve handled things silently or subtly, He is still watching. When we decide to take matters into our own hands, we are dehydrating our souls from God’s grace and will. The longer we go without seeking His guidance on a daily basis, drawing from our own strength, not His, will lead to greater despair.

John 7:37-39 (AMP) reads, “Now on the final and most important day of the feast, Jesus stood, and He cried in a loud voice, if any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! 38 He who believes in Me who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me as the scripture has said, from His innermost being shall flow continuously springs and rivers of living waters. 39 But He was speaking here of the Spirit, whom those who believed trusted and had faith in Him were afterward to receive. For the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified raised to honor.” Can you imagine the disparity of walking in the hot desert, searching for water but all you discover is cracked, dry earth? Think of your emotions here– you’re scared, you’re thirsty and oh so panicked. At some point it would be easy to give up out of lost hope. In this scripture, Jesus was compassionately, yet boldly crying out to the people. Why? Because the living water and life source is infinite. Jesus knew there would be rough, dry patches in our life. Remember, hardships are inevitable thanks to Adam and Eve! But the beauty of it all, is that our grief-stricken soul can be revitalized and quenched by the Holy Spirit. Once you drink from the fountain that never runs dry, you’ll never die of spiritual thirst. Physically, we would submit to IV fluids with severe dehydration. Spiritually, the answer is to hook up to God’s lifeline, our creator and master. So will you go with the worldly flow or the spiritual flow?

found on pinterest

found on pinterest

Much Love,

Four Sisters Blogging

Kendra, Tonia, Blake & Tiffany

Instagram: @faithistheseed

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Jealous Bones!

Posted on June 19, 2015 by 4sisterssharing

found on Pinterest.com

found on Pinterest.

Pitty Party

Girl, I ain’t got a jealous bone in my body!  HAhahhahahah! Sure, hun! We’ve all been guilty of it– you know you have. I have. Emotions are so powerful, aren’t they? We experience them with every breath we take. Joy, love, sadness, grief, pride, fear, envy, accomplishment…Social media outlets do an excellent job influencing who we are and behaviors we adopt or modify. We wind up harboring negative feelings and emotions about who we are, what we don’t have, what you do have. Ughhhh, before you know it, we’re envious AND depressed. Now don’t get us wrong, we love witnessing the beautiful moments that life brings–like your old roomie that just got married, your sister who just had a baby, or maybe your best friend’s husband that just landed his dream job, but you know what happens here. We experience a millisecond of joy for them and THEN, when we have a moment, we begin to stew on why these wonderful things aren’t coming into fruition for ourselves. You are thrilled that they have found completeness, but it also seems to highlight your incompleteness at the time. Maybe you’ve been desperately trying to get pregnant, but you can’t. Or you recently went through a brutal breakup with the one you knew you were destined to live the rest of your life with. We really think people have good intentions on social media for the most part, but have you ever thought about the over exposure of it all? The tEEnnnyyy tiny details we learn about old friends? And this is at a click of a button. In seconds we can refresh news feeds to remind ourselves that we’re a failure. ***STATUS UPDATE*** New photos stream in of a friend who dropped 50 pounds, a friend that purchased a convertible vet, went on a luxury vacay or just won the lottery. WHY, WHY, oh why couldn’t that be MEeeeee??? And here’s where the jealousy begins to fester for the self-proclaimed content individual.

found on pinterest.com

found on pinterest.com

STEP 1: Self-Evaluate

Ok, so let’s be super honest here. You must determine what and who you’re envious of. Don’t be afraid of this step and it’s important to write it down. Research supports the notion that when you record your thoughts, it’s easier to let go of them in the long run. Don’t beat yourself up about what you discover; we’re all guilty of it and human for heaven’s sake! It’s virtually impossible to overcome unless you first acknowledge. This is for no one but yourself, so you gotta be brutally honest here.

STEP 2: How to Overcome

Take a deep look at your self-evaluation. Is it worldly things you’re after? Are you lustful? Is it discontentment of who you are? Classifying your results will help you identify where to place your focus. And it also gives you a clear snapshot of who or what is creating the turbulence in your life. Now when you pray, you can confess and pray for these specific needs rather than just praying in a generalized manner. God commands us to confess our sins in order to be fully forgiven so we can be set free of the worldly things that are holding us back from nurturing our relationship with Him and the people in our lives.

Step 3: Study & Pray

Philippians 4:11-13 (KJV) 

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

As Christians we totally miss the point at times. Take heed to what Paul teaches in Philippians.  He was a very educated man. He had been brought up under the most skilled Jewish teacher from childhood, but he came to a point in his adult life that he realized that through good times and bad and when he had much and very little, he could be quite content. Paul realized that so long as Jesus was in the matter and he kept his eyes on Him, he could be happy and at peace. He learned to walk in the joy of the Lord no matter his circumstances. This is where he drew his strength from. We should take notes and keep our eyes on Jesus no matter what comes our way (or what doesn’t) and believe that He orders our steps and knows what’s best for us. Sometimes tests aren’t fun, but necessary to purify our hearts.

James 3:14-16 (KJV)

14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

James tells us that jealousy is inspired by the devil, the father of lies. I don’t know about you, but that’s enough to make me be super cautious about how I react to others. Particularly when they are on the receiving end of the blessing and we’re just observing.  Let’s ask the Holy Spirit, our helper, to change our hearts when it comes to others having things that we might not yet have. Who knows, God may be waiting on our reaction to see how He is going to bless us. Be satisfied with what God’s blessed you with. God is not the author of confusion. Find clarity and peace in His word and be happy, not envious, for those around you.

Many Blessings,

Four Sisters Blogging

Kendra, Tonia, Blake & Tiffany

Instagram @faithistheseed

Email: faithistheseed@hotmail.com

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Found on Pinterest

Found on Pinterest

Awareness

God has a funny way of testing us in our personal worlds. God tests us, not to assign an “F”, but to give us opportunities to learn how to be a good Christian example. Have you ever noticed that things are occurring all around you–some of the same occurrences? Maybe you’ve stopped and thought “why does this keep happening to me?” Have you ever considered that this is God giving you ample opportunities to be obedient to Him?

An Odd Occurrence

It was around dusk when Blake parked her car at Publix. It was late, and the parking lot was quite empty on this cold winter night. As Blake swung her door open to get out, a woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Her head was completely covered by a scarf.  As you can imagine, this startled Blake pretty badly. The lady said, “I have small children and I was wondering if there’s anything you can do to help me?” Without hesitation, Blake dug through her purse for her emergency cash stash and gave the stranger all she had. The lady graciously accepted and said, “Please read Psalms 33:13-15. You will blessed for your kindness.” After Blake arrived home, she pulled out her bible and read the scripture. Tears poured down her cheeks as she realized what had just happened. What a blessing! Psalms 33:13-15 (KJV) reads, “The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15 He fashioneth their hearts alike, he considereth all their works.”

found on Pinterest

found on Pinterest

Reap What You Sow

Some may call it Karma, we call it God’s favor! When we accept Christ, we accept many personal Christian responsibilities. Think about the fruits of the spirit. The spirit dwells in the saved…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. These are all  attributes that should be visible in a Christian’s life. We should give when someone is in need. Share, even if we don’t have enough to share. Display love, even to the unlovable. Persevere, even when things seem impossible. To live and demonstrate Christ-like actions is to provide for others even though we may feel it’s not impactful. God fully understands we are not all called to solve the world’s problems or pay major debt off for someone.  The majority of us are on this earth to answer to those in need within our church, social ring, communities and families. How? That’s for you to observe. Look around–there’s a need at every corner. Maybe it’s visiting someone who is ill, providing a home-cooked meal for someone who’s had a hectic schedule, reaching out to let someone know you care about them, or something as simple as a random act of kindness. Have prayer spontaneously with someone when he/she is discouraged, upset, or asks for advice. Pick up the phone and call someone to tell them you’ve been thinking about them. Tell people what they mean to you. Provide your God-given talents to your church or your community. Giving goes far, far beyond money alone. Be aware. Try to avoid getting so caught up in your own life, that you miss a personal blessing.

A Simple Reminder

The bible is the best manual we have on how to love, problem-solve and walk through life.  Luke 6:38 (KJV) reads, “38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” What an awesome promise to know your hard work is never unaccounted for! What type of fruit do you bear? The beauty of this scripture is the simple reminder that no act goes unseen. But remember, God knows our hearts. He knows our intent. Give out of love and be cautious not to expect anything in return. This is the best way to give God all the glory. Giving is an attitude, a lifestyle.

Personal Reflection, Discussion & Call to ACTION!

1. Recall a time when you provided a kind service or act for someone. How did it make you feel? How did you grow spiritually through your kind deed?

2. What resources, talents or efforts could you offer to people around you that doesn’t cost a thing? Make of list of all possibilities and identify where and how these could be used to bless others.

3. Call to ACTION! *Make a personal pledge to provide a kind deed every single day. Keep a journal and get your family involved. This journal will forever be a keepsake for you and your family.*

Scripture: Psalms 33:13-15, Luke 6:38, Galatians 6:7-9

 

Many Blessings,

4 Sisters Blogging

Kendra, Tonia, Blake & Tiffany

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Posted on June 13, 2015 by 4sisterssharing | Leave a comment