Month: January 2016

  • Confident, Not Arrogant

    “We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.”
                                           2 Corinthians 3:4-6 NLT

    I grew up in a family that didn’t quite understand confidence. For some reason the Fletcher’s were a tough bunch and didn’t think it was right to speak positively about yourself. They would call that being “bragadocious”. I put that in quotes because it’s not even a word! It’s been a journey for me to learn to speak positively about myself; to be confident, but not arrogant; or bragadocious as the Fletcher’s say!

    I think that Christ’s family is a little too much like the Fletcher’s. Brothers and sisters in Christ often feel that speaking positively about themselves is wrong. People read verses like Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek” and mix meekness up with weakness. That’s not what Jesus was meaning, and not the example He lived. To me, Jesus was confident, but not arrogant. He knew who He was and wasn’t afraid to say it. Jesus often started sentences off with “The Son of Man…” This was a big title to speak over Himself.

    There’s a common saying in the family of God that rings true and it would be good if you believed it;

    [tweetthis]God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called. #Liveit #SoulH2O [/tweetthis]

    You are called, you are equipped, you are competent, you are qualified!

    You need to start speaking this out loud to break the fear of the enemy over your life and release yourself to live confident, but not arrogant!

    Prayer

    Father…Thank you for your equipping me. Help me to believe that you see me as qualified and to walk in that truth. May I learn to speak in confidence so my words defeat the enemy when he tells me his lies! Help me to live confident, but not arrogant so I can make a difference in this world for YOU! In Jesus Name…Amen

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  • Build, Not Bite

    “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
                                                  1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV

    There’s nothing more pleasing to a parent than to watch your kids enjoying each other’s company. It doesn’t matter if they’re 2, 22 or 52. A parent wants to see their children being good to each other and helping each other out. This year my daughter stepped “out of the boat” in so many ways and with every step her brother has been cheering her on!   Shelby has always admired her big brother, so his encouragement is powerful to build her up.

    Screen Shot 2016-01-25 at 1.10.32 AM

    God loves it when His kids are enjoying each other’s company, encouraging each other and using their words to build one another up, not tear each other down. Words can build or words can bite. Nothing is more powerful than words. Paul warns the Galatian believers that using their words to tear down will destroy each other.

    “…“Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.” (Galatians 5:14-15)

    How our heavenly Father is grieved when His kids don’t get along, and the enemy loves nothing more than when God’s children bite at each other, we make his job easy. [tweetthis]The devil doesn’t need to attack when we’re devouring each other. #buildNOTbite #SoulH2O [/tweetthis]

     

    So, let’s be kind on the playground of life and continue to build, not bite!

    Prayer

    Father…Help me to choose my words wisely today. Let everything I say encourage and build others up. May I see the purposes you’ve created people for and seek to embolden them to be all You’ve destined them to be! Help me to get along with all my “siblings” and let my words build, not bite! In Jesus Name…Amen  

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  • Desperate Faith

    “A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly…”Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
                                  Matthew 15:22,28 NIV

    I know what it’s like to have a sick child who is suffering. There is something that riles up in your ‘momma-bear’ heart when you’re kid is struggling. It can make the meekest of women a roaring, clawing bear-like animal unwilling to give up in order to protect her cub. The desperate faith of a mother can set the unhealthiest of children free!

    The Canaanite woman was in good company. The Bible is peppered with examples of mothers bringing their children’s needs to God in desperate fashion with miraculous results. Often when we’re desperate we pray bold prayers of great faith. Our Father loves when we pray these BIG prayers. It’s just sad that we often wait, like the Israelites did, until our situation is desperate before we pray like that. Eugene Peterson paraphrases Psalm 107:4-7 in a way that makes this so clear, “Some of you wandered for years in the desert, looking but not finding a good place to live, Half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion. Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God. He got you out in the nick of time; He put your feet on a wonderful road that took you straight to a good place to live.”

    Let’s learn to pray prayers with desperate faith to our God, before our situations get to desperation!

    Prayer

    Father…You’re so good to me. Thank you for listening to me, even when I wait till I’m desperate and have expended all my efforts. Help me to learn to call out to You for help before my situation is desperate. May I pray with desperate faith at all times because I know You are able to answer! In Jesus Name…Amen

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  • Metathesiophobia

    “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
                                         Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV

    This week Todd and I are speaking together at an event. We were asked to talk about ‘New Beginnings’. I assume they asked us because we’re pretty much experts on that now! Change is the new normal for the Stahl’s and I think we’re starting to get ok with it, but at first it caused us a great deal of Metathesiophobia!

    Metathesiophobia is “The fear of change or changing things”1 When God began to change things up for us it was completely scary. New relationship, new dreams, new careers…all equal a lot of change; and change is scary! The fear of the unknown can immobilize you, but if you know that God is leading you to the change, you can trust Him, He’ll make a way! Jeremiah 29:11 assures you that God has a good plan for your future. Isaiah 43:18-19 reminds us to keep our eyes and ears open to what God is doing. Look for the areas He’s trying to bring change into and get excited! God’s new beginnings for your life will bring about great things. Understanding this should help relieve you of all that metathesiophobia!

    So, Keep on the lookout. If God is leading you; risk change for the sake of following your dreams, a new career, the chance at love or a warm friendship, it will be ‘oh so worth it’!

    Prayer

    Father…I thank you for all the good plans you have for my life. You don’t bring about change to destroy me, but to bless me. Help me to perceive what You’re doing and not be afraid so I can follow Your lead. In Jesus Name…Amen

    1  fearof.net/fear-of-change-phobia-metathesiophobia/ Fear Of Website: Accessed December 31, 2015

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  • Resolve, Not Resolutions

    “Strengthen your resolve and do what must be done.”
                                                                                 2 Samuel 2:7 MSG

    I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions because I generally don’t keep them! Most often my resolution has been to change my pattern of behavior and become an ‘on-time’ or ‘early-to-things’ kinda girl. I’m not one of those ridiculously late kind of people, but one who could definitely work on punctuality! This year, Todd and I decided not to make any resolutions, but to resolve to make some changes in another area.

    I think we stand a better chance at following through with this change because we’ve taken some steps to “strengthen our resolve”. On the first day of this year we took the time to sit down and make a list of “to do’s” related to our New Year’s resolve. We followed the encouragement in Habakkuk 2:2 that says, “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” We’ve made a game plan, written it down and told some friends that can hold us accountable. Taking these practical steps increase our chance at success by 33% according to a University Study.1

    Make this year different; don’t just make unrealistic resolutions. “Strengthen your resolve and do what must be done” to follow through on the changes you need, to make 2016 your best year yet!

    Prayer

    Father…I thank you for this New Year! I ask you to help me to go beyond wishful plans and live this year to the fullest with a strengthened resolve to make the changes you are prompting me to make. Help me to listen to Your lead and “do what must be done”! May Your favor be over me and all my family this year. In Jesus Name…Amen

    1 https://www.dominican.edu/dominicannews/dominican-research-cited-in-forbes-article

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    [tweetthis]Strengthen your #Resolve forget the #resolutions #SoulH2O[/tweetthis]

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