More to Life, Author at More To Life Bible Studies for Women

In Articles

This Is Significant

December 6, 2019 No Comments

A little while back, I had one of those emotional breakdowns where I questioned the value and importance of what I was doing and what I had accomplished in life. And when I say breakdown, I mean a sudden, unexpected wreckage of utmost proportions.

I could have made a list of everything I was doing at my job, at church, with family and friends, and in my life. Yet, despite everything I knew I was doing, I suddenly felt like none of it meant anything or made a difference.

Let me insert a postulation here that I think most of us have these moments, even if we don’t admit them to ourselves or anybody else. That’s why I think God constantly reminded us to trust Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Anyway, here I was, in the midst of a breakdown, when my sister showed me a video from Steven Furtick, the pastor at Elevation Church. His message was simple: This is significant. He spoke about how we should speak those three words over everything we do, even if what we’re doing doesn’t seem significant in the moment. That’s where our faith comes in.

We might not always see it, but everything we do and say can have significance if we choose to view it that way.

Did you do the dishes today? That is significant. You changed another diaper? That is significant. Studied for a test. Called your mom or best friend. Finished a work project. Taught another Sunday School lesson. Led another worship service. Had dinner with your family. Encouraged someone. That is significant.

Maybe, sometimes, it’s all we can do to just breathe. And you know what? That is significant.

Even the moments of pain, hurt, desperation, anger and frustration are significant, because they offer us a chance to grow, learn and rely on Jesus.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

The enemy would love to trick us into believing that what we’re doing doesn’t amount to anything, because that’s when we allow the lies to morph into our own thoughts.

For example:

Why on earth are you still writing? You’re just embarrassing yourself.
Do you really think praying will do anything? What’s the point?
Do you really believe you’re helping those kids? Who do you think you are?
Do you actually think you can make a difference at work? You must be delusional.

Even the Israelites were plagued with this mindset. God had come through for them countless times, but when they were presented with another chance for victory, they chose to see their own insignificance instead.

“And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, who come of the giants. And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” (Number 13:33 NKJV)

When the Israelites viewed themselves as grasshoppers, they put a label with the word “Insignificant” on their foreheads. They were defeated without even fighting a battle, purely because of their mindset.

How often do we do the same thing? We belittle ourselves, demean the things we accomplish or get stuck in the mundane. We give up, refusing to see our value in God, viewing ourselves as diminished, weak, insignificant, worthless and inadequate.

Too easily, we forget who the Author of our lives is and that He has designed a wonderful story for each of us. That story is formed by thousands of individual words that gain value as they join together. On their own, the words look small and insignificant. Together, they culminate to create something significant.

It’s the same with our lives.

Each situation and choice adds up to make you who you are. Don’t allow yourself to stay defeated. Choose to look at each choice, action, word, mistake or success with purpose. See the significance in it.

“And whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Colossians 3:17)

When we start living with faith, purpose and intentionality for the Lord, even in the seemingly insignificant things, our outlook will change. We’ll see things from a different perspective.

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT)

In other words: It is significant.

BY JEN ENGLISH

You can follow Jennifer English on her personal blog https://jensrandommusings.wordpress.com/

In Articles

Intercessory Prayer

November 6, 2019 No Comments

“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers” (Romans 1:9).

Recently, while sorting through our family members’ clothing and preparing for the transition from winter to spring and summer, I came across two small T-shirts with these words printed on the front: “My mom prays for me”. They were given to our two boys several years ago, and I never had the heart to give them away. They are a precious reminder of the fact that as mothers, we earnestly pray for our children. In fact, we tend to pray more fervently and more frequently for the ones who are close to us, especially when there is a need. Intercession, or intervening for another, happens when we willingly put ourselves in someone else’s place and pray on their behalf. Interceding in prayer for someone far away or for someone we don’t know may not always seem natural to us at first, but a heart and readiness to pray for our own children, whether natural or spiritual, is something we are often more ready to do.

“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30).

God is searching for anyone who is willing to intercede – to stand in the gap before Him – on behalf of others. We live in a world in desperate need of God. Our first priority is to pray for and meet the needs of our own children, who have been given to us. But it doesn’t stop there. A gate into intercessory prayer is to see any person we are praying for as if they were our own child, sister or brother, dear parent or closest friend. We need to be willing to care about the salvation of others, as we would care for our own family members.

Intercessory prayer requires a true humbling of the heart. We don’t intercede for other people because they are worthy of it, or because there is some gain in it for us. Moses interceded over and over again for people who rebelled against God and were given over to their own selfish ways. Many people we pray for may not know exactly what they need, or how to get out of their mess. They need our help.

As women of God, we need to rise and intercede on behalf of our neighborhoods, our cities and our nations. Will you answer the call?

BY INGUNN TURNER

Ingunn Bakke Turner was born and raised in Norway. Nate and Ingunn Turner are UPCI missionaries to Estonia and pastor in the capital city of Tallinn.

Reposted with permission from Ladies Prayer International

In Devotions

Deep Places

November 3, 2019 1 Comment

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:17)

Pain and suffering are inevitable. As long as we are alive on this earth we will encounter pain. Most people do not like suffering nor do we like pain. There are some that inflict pain because their wounds are so deep they have become numb to the pain and desire to feel again. For others the pain is so intense they cannot find their way to solitude.

More often than not we avoid the things we don’t understand. We run from them or cover them up with a band aid, praying they will never resurface again. Finding a place of refuge and healing is vital to our survival. We will each develop our own coping skills to help us deal with the pain. Many have been taught or have developed ineffective coping skills. These ways of coping lead them down the road of addictions to food, drugs, illicit physical activity, alcohol, abusive relationships, isolation and anxious behaviors, just to name a few.

God robed Himself in flesh so He could identify with our humanity. In our deepest pain, we should cry out to the One who not only desires to help us, but also the One who is also able to bring about the changes in us that might not happen any other way. In this process, we learn that we cannot take responsibility for another, for they must choose for themselves. We can give them the information they need to make an educated choice but in the end it is up to them to choose. We can only take responsibility for how we ourselves respond.

Most of our pain comes from relationships with others as does our greatest joy. Through these “relationship hurts”, God is able to give us a glimpse of His heart and teach us about ourselves and the roots that are buried deep within that need His attention. Through Spirit and Truth we are opened up and God’s healing begins to surface. He goes deep down in those places that no one else can see. What God sees is much deeper and He goes to the root of our pain. What others see is the effects or manifestations of that pain.