31 Days Of Bible Affirmations – Day 22 – I Am Free
I have the honour of introducing you to an extraordinary woman who I have come to know and admire and will be guest posting for me today . June Smothers has a love for God that is so fierce. She wants everyone to know this and experience the love God has for themselves.
June has a passion to help others learn to speak the truth, in love, just like Jesus. She wants to create a safe place for those who are broken. Like myself, June has a special place in her heart for survivors of sexual abuse and also for those struggling with mental illness.
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 21 – I’m Gonna Be OK
“I️ have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,” John 16:33
What do you do when challenges hit you? You know, those moments when it seems week after week something else crops up to try and get you down.
~Do you face them head on? ~Or do you shrink back and retreat? ~Maybe you look to something else for comfort?
When I am faced with a challenge, my default mechanism is to look to materialistic things to help me through; What does the internet have to say about this dilemma? I know, I will have a rant on Twitter about what I am going through. Or maybe I will post something on Facebook to see if I can find some support. Ultimately, there is always a nice glass of wine at the end of the day to make me feel better.
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 20 – I am Resilient
I Am Resilient
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
I love this Bible verse. When I read it I can’t help but say “hell yeah” at the end with my fist punching the air. This is how I see my life. I have been through so much, and yet I am still here to tell the tale. I am resilient to say the least.
We will always experience hard times in our lives. Some more than others. I think more so too when we are striving to do God’s will. The trick is to keep connected with God throughout all of the situations that try to bring us down.
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 19 – I am Creative
I Am Creative
He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.
Exodus 35:35
I have always thought of myself as someone who was creative. Drawing and creating things was what I enjoyed when I was a little girl. I learnt to play an instrument when I was 12 and enjoyed creating music. There is something free about losing yourself in music. I also started writing poetry in my teens. This was where I really started to express myself.
I never really shared what I was creating though. It was easier to keep it to myself. Encouragement wasn’t given enough for me to express myself in these forms. It was probably one of the reasons why I felt nervous . It scared me what people thought about what I had created. My problem was that I never knew how good I was, or could become.
Until now.
It has only been in the last 5/6 years I have been able to cultivate my creativity. A fellow writer and friend Shelly Miller, bless her soul, encouraged me in my pursuit of writing. She gently guided and nudged me in ways I had not had before. It gave me a freedom to express what I wanted to write.
More recently, I have turned my creativity towards crafting. Losing my job during the pandemic was one of the hardest losses I had to cope with. Ever since I was 16 I have always had a job. Then I found myself as one the statistics of unemployment.
But it didn’t have to be like that! I enjoy being creative and I love providing hope to people. What better way is there to do that than through art? What started out as a hobby a few years ago has now turned into a small business.
My aim is that my creations will bring hope and encouragement to others and shed some light into the darkness that we experience. Through the encouragement of friends, I have been able to use my skills to create my business, Lumina Creations.
Do you see something special in someone? How can you encourage them today? You never know what your encouragement will do for them in the future.
Something to think about…
Why not have a go at personalising Exodus 35:35 and re-write in your own words what you feel God is saying to you. You could also use my version and change to your own name.
Lynne, I have filled you with the skills you need to do the work I have called you to do. You are so talented and creative. You are able to do anything with the gifts I have given you.
If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on today’s Bible affirmation then why not catch up on my other thoughts for previous days.
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 18 – I CAN Stand Firm
I CAN Stand Firm
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3
We are always going to face difficulties, and when we do, it’s painful. I find that when I am trying my hardest to run this race that God has set before me, that is when the enemy runs alongside me and he tries to trip me up. I struggle to stand firm.
When we go through times when we struggle, our faith is always the first thing that takes a stumble. Do you have something you feel is holding you back from keeping you in the race? Or is there a situation you are going through right now and you just need some encouragement?
It’s ok if we stumble through these moments. As long as we keep turning back to God with how we are feeling with what we are going through. When we open ourselves up fully to Him, that’s when He can do a deep work in us to place us back into the race He wanted us to run.
This year has been the year for me in moving forward with what I have been called to do. I have been working through growing in my gifts and trying to develop a character that would help me carry out my calling.
The one area I struggle with is how I perceive myself and what I feel God and others think about me. That’s why I decided this month to set myself this challenge. To develop Bible based affirmations about how God sees me and what His heart is for me. Hopefully, by declaring Bible based truths over myself it will begin to shift a mindset I have in how I perceive myself.
So, what’s holding me back?
Well, the enemy hates when we move forward in our faith with something and I feel that he has been using anything he can to try and get me to give up. I am now on day 18 and I did feel a little demoralised because I know I’m so behind. I’m tired and part of me just feels this is going to be another thing I will fail at again.
It’s similar to getting a stitch when we are running. We get over the halfway mark and then bang, the pain hits. It’s so easy at this point to want to give up. The only way to beat the pain is to stand firm and run through it. It hurts to start off with, but then our body gets stronger as we persevere.
This is what I am going to try and do with my writing. I’m going to persevere through the pain barrier and stand firm in what I want to achieve. The only thing I need to do is to keep focussed on the finishing line and not worry about how long it takes to get there. I CAN stand firm.
Something to think about…
Why not have a go at personalising Hebrews 12:1-3 and re-write in your own words what you feel God is saying to you. You could also use my version and change to your own name.
Lynne, you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, throw off everything that hinders you and the sin that so easily entangles. Lynne, keep running with perseverance the race marked out for you. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of your faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on today’s Bible affirmation then why not catch up on my other thoughts for previous days.
