Faith vs. Fear

Yesterday, my husband and I were out and about and I approached him about something...In a nutshell, I told him I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to ask him about giving God more of our money. We have prayed daily about the growth of our business and for the people in it. We've already taken in a profit just in the first month. That being said, we know that we are blessed to be a blessing. I truly believe that we have what we have today because we understand the importance of giving. We know who our Provider is and we are confident that His Word is true. "... Yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their seed begging bread." Psalm 37:25

We have a house that most 26 year old's dream of when they purchase their first home...We are debt free with the exception of 1 car and our mortgage. We do what we can to take care of others. We are in a good place! And it is not because of anything we have done. I don't say all these things to boast, but I say them because, as Christians, we shouldn't withhold the blessing.

Going back to the above. Today's message at church was about giving. It bothers me when people say I can't give because I can't afford to. Truthfully, you can't afford not to. If we can trust God with our spouse, our children, our friends etc...then why can't we trust him with our finances. The message today was confirmation that we need to do what the Holy Spirit impressed upon us to do.
It is in times like the current economic crises that believers should be looking for ways to live 'recession proof,' a phrase coined by one of the great financial adviser's today, Dave Ramsey. The first step in pursuing a 'recession proof' lifestyle is to give...and that means different things for different people. Giving comes as an overflow of the heart. So, the percentage of what you give is not the focus, the attitude behind your giving is. I encourage you to be faithful in the little and watch how good God is in the much.

The most prevalent commandment in Scripture is to "fear not." We cannot be scared of sowing financial seeds into God's kingdom, because He desires to use those seeds to reap a harvest in and around us.

I pray that as Christians we would be consumed with faith, not fear. I truly believe that in these last days, in the midst of an uncertain government, economy & health care issues, God has us covered. I pray that we would find comfort in the One who is our provider, our Jehovah Jirah.
Remember that what we do have is already God's, we are just called to be faithful stewards!

I hope this challenges you, just like it has Trey and I.

Blessings,
~Jenni~

P.S. You will notice that I actually wrote this blog last weekend but didn't finish it....so I saved it and finished it tonight!

By Faith...

So, my husband and I were doing our devotion's and we were in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11...The Hall of Fame of Faith!

As I was reading aloud, the Lord just bombarded me with all sorts of thoughts. I just hope I can recall them all at this moment. I know, that's what I get for not writing them down...

As many of you know, Trey and I have ventured out into the MLM business. A business that has already shown itself to be effective. But, more importantly, it required us to have faith. We saw the numbers, we saw the opportunity, we prayed and off we went! It has definitely grown to the point where in 11 days we are just about to pay off our product.

We have seen some who are so amped up while others are a little wishy-washy. Facebook launched a game called RAD which represents the product-Efusjon. Apparently, this is where the confusion set in...some thought, that now that it has hit facebook, they can just sit back and make money. Truthfully, these kinds of mindsets get you no where. Once again, SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE GET TO BE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE THEY WORK HARD!

I guess this is coming from someone who understands that you have to work hard in order to see your harvest. I have learned to be content in whatever situation I've encountered. My friends, I know what it is to literally have nothing. I know what it means to have everything ripped right out from underneath me and to walk into a bank with $80.00 at the age of 19.
For those of you who know my past, you know that my family lost everything and then some. So maybe that's what makes my mindset different from others--where I am today hasn't been handed to me. I've worked hard and I've established what I have today. Excuse me, it was by the grace of God that I am where I am today. Thank you Jesus-for loving and caring for me enough that You've always provided!

Have you ever wondered what sets the go-getter and weary apart or the successful and unsuccessful apart? Could it be that the go-getter doesn't see what presently is and the weary does...Or could it be the motive/intention of the heart? If you read my post, "The Power of Persistent Prayer" then you would have come across James 4:3. It's a good verse, read it sometime!
Let me squeeze this in, "Faith without works is dead." You can have faith in something but if you don't actively pursue it then it's useless. If you have faith and you're praying, but your prayer's are for your own selfish gain, then that isn't effective either.

By faith, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son in his known circumstances, understanding that God would bless him in his unknown future. Look at all of the unknown's he faced yet he continued to ascend up the mountain, not descend. Allow Abraham's life to encourage you and to help you remember that "ALL things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purposes." Romans 8:28

I will close with this verse:
Galatians 6:9-The Message
"So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith."

In Him,
~Jenni~

Skeptic of all Skeptics...

I'd like to think of myself as a person who really examines both sides of the coin before I venture out into the "unknown." I go to the Lord in everything before I make big decisions, but sometimes I wonder if God requires us to step out in faith FIRST in order for Him to move. We are to walk by faith not by sight!
With that being said...My husband dove into a business opportunity that personally could change our lives. Now, remember, I am a skeptic about opportunities like this and really like my money where it is. But truthfully, financial increase sometimes requires us to sacrifice in the beginning before we ever see the harvest.
I was not completely in agreement with my husband but I knew that whatever decision was made in the end would need to be made by him. As a result, I was not in agreement with him, but I knew the Lord would still honor me and protect me IF I honored and supported my husband. So my prayer became, "Lord protect us and if this is something that could bring honor and glory to your name then give me peace which surpasses all understanding!"
For the last 7 days my husband and I have prayed every night for the expansion of this business and in the last 7 days we have had 9 people join. Coincidence, I don't think so!
The Lord is showing me that it is easy to trust in the existing, but true faith lies when we step into something we can't see. After all, isn't that what Christianity and being a believer is all about?
My blog today is not to persuade you or coerce you into joining Efusjon. I would ask that you inquire about it and then go to the Lord in prayer with your spouse. I believe that there is power when a couple, or two or more, go to the Lord in prayer. It's evident in our lives today!

I realize the stock market has failed many who have trusted in it. My father-in-law lost a significant portion of his retirement via the stock market in the last year. In spite of that, he's believing by faith that Efusjon is more than a stimulus package or a part-time job. He genuinely believes that he will recoup his lost money and then some, enabling him to still retire at 55. (He is 53 today.)
Trey and I have dreams of significantly expanding the kingdom of God. We believe this could be the avenue to get us there.

Do you have a dream or have your dreams been squashed out by the circumstances surrounding you? I encourage you to step out in faith and make a small investment--an investment that eventually could bring about a life changing result.

Matthew 17:20- New International Version
"He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

With God ALL things are possible. It's time that Christian's rise in the business arena and let the world look at us, so that we can turn around and show them God! In the end, it is all about expanding the kingdom, we are just being faithful stewards of what is already God's!

Proverbs 13:22-New Living Translation
"Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly."

Check out the following:
www.freeus.ws/efusjonvideo2
http://www.efusjonse.blogspot.com/

or you can search for Derek Broes on YouTube.

If you would like more information please call me.
404-451-9097 (H)

Thank you for your time.

In Him,
Jenni

P.S. If you have read this far then this should intrigue you....The founder of Efusjon is a CHRISTIAN-so that should tell you where this business is headed! Rob Towles-founder of Efusjon

"Persistent Prayer"

Sorry, for the delay in writing...Trey and I have been on vacation for quite some time! BUT, I'm glad to be home and back at it....So here I go!

Today's blog is going to come from I Samuel 1....

As I began to read, the Lord really impressed upon my heart the POWER of PERSISTENT PRAYER! I will use Hannah as the perfect example of what it means to press through in prayer.
Hannah was married to Elkanah who was also married to Peninnah.
At this point in the story, Hannah was without child and Peninnah had many. Peninnah, I believe, made daily attempts to remind Hannah of what she did not have.
WOW, I can't even imagine how difficult that must have been for Hannah. Yet, I see no retaliation on Hannah's part. I must add, in this particular situation, I don't think I could hold back like Hannah did. GO GIRL is all I can say.
Moving forward... Here's where persistent prayer comes into play. Instead of retaliating, Hannah got on her knees and prayed DILIGENTLY. I am reminded of this verse in James 5: 16b "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." Because of Hannah's inward position before God, her prayers were both powerful and effective.
But more importantly, I am reminded of this verse... James 4:3 "When you ask (pray), you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
SHOCKING, I know...Do I believe that God does not give us some of the things we want? No, of course he does. The point here is that what we desire may not offer anything to us spiritually. Until our desires for us are God's desires for us, our prayers are not the prayers of a righteous man. I believe that with every blessing God gives us comes growth. God will never give us something that we are not mature enough to handle or that is not in line with his plan for us because we will blow it on our own selfish pleasures.

Going back to Hannah.

She desired a child badly to the point where she was communicating intently with God and was accused of being drunk. How many of us pray to the point that we are praying under the power of the Holy Spirit? Persistent prayer led to breakthrough. Hannah even goes a step further-- this is where many of us stop--offering to use the blessing (a son) for God's glory. This is what separates our prayers from Hannah's. She desired a child so much that giving him back to the Lord was ok. She just wanted the blessing of bearing and caring for a child of her own. Hannah's motives were pure and sincere and it was to benefit the work of God's kingdom.

So I encourage you today to pray without ceasing and pray that what you desire would be beneficial for the kingdom of God. I believe with every blessing, we have the opportunity to glorify and bring honor to the kingdom of God.

Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

In Him,
~Jenni~

Christ's challenge to us....

As a church body, we have been diving into a series entitled "Go....Grow....Reproduce." I love the idea that my church is all about making disciples and sending them out. They definitely are about replicating the 1st century church! Unfortunately, most of the modern day church has tucked away the sending nature of God time capsule style, thinking that maybe one of the succeeding generations might uncover it one day and be reminded of how church used to be.

Moving forward. My pastor really did an incredible job relaying the message of growing as Christians and what it takes on our part, CHANGE. The road to progress is paved with change. I know it is a small word but quite intimidating to say the least.

He made the following statement: "Christ is asking that we follow Him." Apparently the word "follow" in the Greek means "to cling." Think about the picture here.... and how differently it feels to "cling" to something, rather than to simply "follow" something.

If Christ's desire for us is to cling to Him with every ounce of life, then why is it not good enough just to follow?
1 Peter 2:2-3 "Like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."
Lets break this down for a minute....
1) Remember the time when you first became saved??? We were all on fire for God, right??? Definitely. It was a "new experience" that caused us to want/crave change and more of God....
2) Key word-- GROW UP in your salvation. These verses imply that spiritual milk is only sufficient for a time, not forever.
3) Once you are able to "taste" the goodness of God, there should be a desire within to strive for what's better, what's more perfect, the things and plans of God!

I say all that to say this. In order to do away with spiritual milk, an inward and an outward change must take place. If you desire to eat of the "meat" then it is going to require CHANGE. I personally do not feel that a person can grow spiritually without first changing inwardly. The inward then results in the outward. Once you have made a change, inwardly and outwardly, then you can find yourself leading towards growth...Spiritual growth. If, of course, that's the path you have chosen to seek after.

I feel like the following verse can piggy-back on what I am trying to say.
1 Corinthians 13:11 "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."

Even as we grow into maturity considering our physical bodies, we don't do certain things that we did in the past because we've matured, developed and grown.

So I guess our challenge would be this...Are we desperate enough to cling to Christ by being willing to change inwardly and outwardly? Calcium is good for a while, but at some point you get a hankering for steak.

I hope this encourages you but most importantly challenges you to seek after your change!

Deuteronomy 8:3
"He humbled you, causing you to to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."


Until next time....

The Power of a Godly Woman!

Today's blog has a lot to do with us as women. Applying the "God image' in our lives will allow us to be victorious in ALL situations. How many of us want to be victorious in whatever situation comes our way?!?!? I DO....

So, with that being said, I love reading books that offer spiritual fuel for the battle. I don't waste my time reading books that are "non-sense" and that don't offer anything to my spiritual walk. I'm not putting down those types of books, they just aren't for me, ya know??
Lately, I've been reading a book entitled Only a Woman-Claiming Your Amazing Power in Christ.

It's an incredible book and I have enjoyed what I have read thus far. The book begins with a woman's village being attacked and her husband losing his life during the battle. The "baton" was passed to her by her husband and she was given the mission to save her people, all the while holding onto her own precious baby. To sum up what I have read, she saved the village people! GO GIRL! But she was faced with the overwhelming fear, as they lowered her lifeless husband's body into the ground, of doing this all alone. You know, LIFE. As the village people sang her praises, she was numb to it all. Yet, I love the point the book makes: Do we choose "God-image" or self-image. Many times, during those trying situations, fear may grip us. In a real crisis, we will struggle with the person we believe we are and the person God has called us to be. Many times, we revert back to the self-image, while simultaneously paralyzing the power of the God-image inside us.

Terri McFaddin's book defines the "God image" as the person God intended you to be from the womb-the person with special gifts, purpose, and calling.
The self-image is the person you perceive yourself to be based on the influences of your environment and your culture. Pretty powerful, huh?!?!? How many of us know this, but forget it when faced with a trying situation? We allow worry, fear, and anxiety to creep in.
Truthfully, I can't even try to relate to this wife and mom, but what I do see in her is a quality I want to have. In the face of adversity, anger, and sadness, she still pressed on in her "God-image", not her self-image.

So, as a woman writing to other women, how will you DAILY carry your "God-image" versus self-image? As I continue reading, I will blog different insights that I may get from the book. Allow these insights to challenge you in the face of your everyday life, in whatever this life might bring. Whether you face a business deal that you really need to close, or you find taking care of your husband and children a difficult task for the day, stay focused on letting your "God-image" come through.
In order to be a powerful, godly woman we must continually carry God's image not our own. We are limited when using self-image but with His image we can do ALL things. (Phil. 4:13)
Reflect on times when you were faced with a difficult situation. Did you put on the full armor of God or did you hide in fear carrying your self-image?

Be that powerful woman God has enabled you to be!

I'll close with this verse...
Judges 5:7
"Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah (god-image not self-image), arose, arose a mother in Israel.

Be a 21st Deborah!

In Him,
~Jenni~

Ready...Set...Lose Weight!!

So, Trey and I have made some lifestyle changes recently...As many of you know, or may not, my husband is a diabetic and has battled his weight his entire life. He has been ridiculed by many, and I mean many, from the time he was a young boy. It hurts me and breaks my heart when we talk about the struggles he faced growing up. There are even times now when somebody may mention Trey's weight and I want to go off. Its ridiculous.

Side bar. Have you ever realized the goodness of God in the following situation. Everyday you wake up and realize more and more why God put a particular person in your life? Spouse..friend...neighbor..pastor..etc...
Everyday I wake up I thank the Lord for my husband. And realize, in sooooo many ways, why the Lord brought us together as man and wife. Trey and I are similar in a lot of ways but also very different. We both know what it is to struggle with maintaining a "healthy" weight, being ridiculed by others and suffer from hurt, pain and anger. Bottom line, we can relate. It bothers me immensely when I hear or see people make comments about heavy people. Seriously, you have NO idea what drove that person to that point. You could have had a HUGE impact on why that person looks the way he/she does. Obviously, I know, we are to take responsibility for our own actions...but your influence could have left a negative impact on that person causing them to "escape" into an eating frenzy. Because that is how they cope.

Side bar. A lot of people today abuse medicine-pain killers, anti-depressants etc...For a person who suffers from depression, alcohol, and/or nicotine addiction what do they do? Take medicine to hopefully alleviate the issue, right??? YES. Or they just continue in their bad habit. For a person battling their weight it is the same thing. Except in our society socially acceptable is being a size 2 (women) and a size 34-36 (man). So overeating is a huge NO-NO and, like the above, it deteriorates your health. My point. Please do not speak an ill word of someone who struggles with their weight if you are medicating yourself in a different way. We all have issues plain and simple. God did not design perfect people and if you are striving for perfection you will lose. And maybe even cause yourself a lot of harm in the end.

With that being said, Trey and I have been working together to both lose weight. We've been doing a fantastic job incorporating exercise and healthy eating into our lives. We plan on continuing to do so! We look forward to the end results, for thanking each other and thanking our Heavenly Father for encouraging us every step of the way!

I just need to boast a bit... :)

My husband is more of a man than most. He desires to walk in the will of our Heavenly Father. He desires to be a good provider, husband and father. He attempts everyday to break negative patterns that have been a strong influence in his life. And in the deepest parts of my husband's heart lies a man who seeks out change everyday for himself. A trait that many of us would rather not tackle. He is a man who desires to set others free from the bondage of this world by teaching and inspiring through biblical scriptures. His dreams and desires are endless! I know that through every step of faith and every growth in maturity God is opening a door to use his gifts and talents for His glory!

So if you are on a journey to lose weight...YOU CAN DO IT!
"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!" Philippians 4:13 NKJV

Until next time....

Ready..Set..GO-lose weight, break a bad habit, start a daily devotion!