Secret Lives of Christian Women: The Holy Spirit “Our Secret Weapon.” (A quick reminder about the function of the Holy Spirit in our lives)

As my frustration continued to rise while attempting to teach my toddler our home address, a gentle voice nudged at my heart to try something different. Instead of asking him, to repeat or write our address the Holy Spirit suggested incorporating fire trucks and police vehicles. Anyone who has ever been in the presence of my 4 year old knows how much he loves the mention of fire trucks and police cars. Playing games involving a toy phone and asking him to dial 911 to let the dispatcher know we need help from the police and fire department, helped him memorize our long and weird street address. 

The Holy Spirit not only helped me with my son but has reminded me about important school and work events along with scriptures I needed to remember during my toughest times.

I always tell my friends that the Holy-Spirit is a Christian’s secret weapon.

Do you ever feel the unction to do something different, say something to a stranger or your close friend facing hard times? It could be that you are being led by the Holy Spirit.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

There is some (maybe a lot of) mystery behind the Holy Spirit but the one thing we all know is that he completes the trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Jesus said that he will send us a Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, who will bring all things to our remembrance (John 14: 16, 26)

1. Shows Grace and Mercy: (Titus 3-5 NIV)

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. 

2. Teacher and reminder: (John 14:26 NIV)

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

3, Revealer: (1 Cor. 2: 10-11 NIV)

But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

4. Helps in our Weakness: (Romans 8:26 NIV)

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

The next time you are feeling overwhelmed, forgetful and all alone, remember that we have a secret weapon the Holy Spirit.

How do you let the Holy Spirit function in your life? 

Secret Life of Christian Women: What To Do When Life Changes

As I sit at a coffee shop enjoying my hour of silence with my favorite Iced Chia Latte coffee, I reflect on life before having a family. On a Saturday night, I would hang out with my best friend and laugh for hours. Now, time alone is limited and a treat. At times I catch myself complaining about my lack of sleep and heading to Walmart for the third time in one week. During one of my frustrating times I was reminded that this is a day, hour, and season of life that I will never see again. 

Ecclesiastes 3 talks about the different seasons of life. “A time to cry, laugh, die, a time for war and peace, a time to keep and throw away."

 I was having a conversation with one of the elderly women in my church and she said, “We are so busy raising children, that we miss out on the joy of having them.” Wow! Would you agree with what she stated? If no kids are at home, we may miss out on life by wishing we had our kids back home, which is not what God wants us to do.

My mother who is in her mid-60s never recovered when her three children left home. I remembered her saying, “This is all I ever lived for and now I don’t know what to do.” When I speak with her on a weekly basis, she always reminisces on the past instead of the present or her future. I can honestly say, I have been doing the same thing lately. Today I told my neighbor, “I remembered sleeping in until 10 or 12 on Saturdays before having a kid, I am really missing those days.” I could feel the conviction after that conversation.

Are you doing the same things? Wishing for another season? Here are 3 suggestions to help you enjoy the present.

• Laugh more! Psalm 126:2: Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them."
• Be MINDFUL (present).  Do you ever wonder how you made it to the store, or answered yes to a question? Mindfulness in communication basically means to be fully present in the moment. Are you present?

• Start creating memories in your head and take lots of pictures. At certain times, I stop, breathe and enjoy what my son is doing (I also take a picture). There is something about stopping, breathing, enjoying the moment and taking a picture. I can remember every one of those moments. Try it and let me know if it works for you.

 What to do when life changes? Enjoy it and allow God to receive the glory during good, bad, frustrating and challenging times!

 So……are you living in the Past, Present, or future?  What are you doing NOW to enjoy the present?

Link ups for the Week: Will continue adding throughout the week

@ Soul Survivor

My Husband's NOT the Spiritual Leader, I am

Spending a few days agonizing while praying about this new post led me back to my mission for the year, "Authenticity."

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Last Friday, as I led the morning prayer (like I do every morning), I was  left feeling annoyed and regretful in the decision I made to married a man that views spending time with God as something we are supposed to do, but no one really does.

As he said, "hurry up, make the prayer short," I was even more irritated with the situation. My drive to work was filled with questions for God.

1. Why is my husband not the leader of the home?

2. How can I make him more of a spiritual person?

3. Will the future of our family be affected by his lack of dependence on you?

I really thought God would feel my pain and frustration (and honestly feel sorry for me) instead I felt him say, 

"Why do you think he is not a spiritual leader?"

I started to name the list of things, such as him not praying over the family in the morning and not spending hours a week reading his Bible etc. I went on talking and referred to the scriptures. Specifically:

As I continued talking, a sense of conviction started to come over me. From my decades of walking with God I knew this meant, my thought process was not in line with his thoughts. It took everything for me to do a 180 with my thoughts but I know at this point it was required. I then reflected on the years my husband and I spent together and remembered two things that distinctively stood out to me and confirmed he was not only a follower of Christ but the head of the home. 

1. When my one year old had a seizure.

I was in a bad place watching my 1 year old in the hospital, powerless and listless. At that point my husband gave me a big hug and said, "God will take care of him, He promised.” My son is now doing better than ever despite the bad reports.

He started pre-K yesterday J

2. When I wanted to give up on singing.

I love singing but got tired of the politics and the negativity from others in the body of Christ. My husband stated, "If you feel God doesn't want you to sing any more you can stop, but I feel as though, God is calling you to reach others with your voice."

Since then I have gone on to record 5 songs and now singing around the country (deloracares.com) and leading praise and worship at a church of over 3, 000 members.

After reminiscing on my husband’s past track record, I then asked God to teach me how to help my husband lead and here are the three (3) things:

1.     Encourage him to lead: Instead of praying every morning encourage him to pray every other morning.

2.     Before making life altering decisions (saving, spending, choosing a college fund), ask for his input.

3.     Pray: Pray that God lays on his heart the importance and responsibility of a leader in the home.

Our husband’s may not always lead in the way we want them to but through prayer, God will continue to mold them into the man he created for our households!

Please leave any other suggestions you may have for me and others.

I look forward to linking up this week.

Link ups:

How to Reclaim Your Time in a World that NEVER Stops

When I dropped my four year old son off to daycare and quickly found the exit, one of the teachers ran behind me yelling, “Ms. Peters…..Ms. Peters!” I thought my kid was already misbehaving before I left the building, but I was wrong. The teacher whispered, “Your shirt is buttoned incorrectly.” The feelings of frustration and embarrassment overwhelmed me as I quickly said, “thank you.” On my 20 minute drive to work I cried uncontrollably, I felt like that was my sign from God.  I realized time is running me instead of me running it. Since that day, I came up with 4 ways I plan to reclaim my time and enjoy my family while paying close attention to me (like aligning the buttons on my shirt correctly J).

 Pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Praying centers me quickly, it takes my focus off of worry, time and my limitations (as a wife and mother) and propels me to focus on God’s word.

Create a daily blueprint (Habakkuk 2:2)

Asking myself how I want the end of the day to look will help keep me focused on daily tasks. I always use a to-do list consisting of no more than 5 things a day and it has been a successful plan.

Get quiet (Job 6:24)

In the quiet moments I hear God more than ever. This means not listening to the radio on my drive to work and turning the TV off while in bed to reflect on my day.

Avoid drama and Time Stealers: (1 Thessalonians 5:22)
 
For some reason I always seem to get caught up in drama. I think I have a sign on my forehead that states, “Come and tell me all of your problems, I have the solutions.” Instead of politely saying, “I understand” and removing myself from the situation, I feel the need to comfort and listen to others. This takes time away from what I should really focus on and subconsciously affects my mood for the rest of the day.  My new rule is 3 minutes. I allow the individual a few minutes and if it is not leading to successful outcome or God centered conversation, I remove myself.

 

What are some things you do to reclaim your time? I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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