August 2023 – She Believes 3

Faith August 27, 2023

God Is Always At Work

A few weeks ago, I had spent countless hours looking for a Birthday list that I use in my home-based business. After several days of looking and not finding it, I started to get a little frustrated. I had prayed and asked God to help me find it, but I still couldn’t seem to put my hands on it.

It was important to me because it was the beginning of a new month, and I always tried to send out my Happy Birthdays on the very first day of the month. One day while thumbing through lots of papers, still looking for the list, I decided to send up one more prayer. What happened after that prayer was absolutely amazing, and straight from the hand of God.

I heard a soft whisper saying “Send out a text to all of your customers letting them know that your birthday file had disappeared. Ask them if they would send you their birthday info”. The response was unbelievable! Within 24 hours the size of my list had tripled the size of the original list, and people are still texting their info to me.

What God showed me in that moment, is that so many times we get upset and frustrated because we can’t have what we want when we want it. We don’t realize that many times God is trying to bless us with more.
I had to stop and just thank God for blessing me beyond my expectations. As a result of things going God’s way and not my way 4 things happened.

I will get to be a blessing to more people through my Birthday Club. Not only will customers benefit, but my team members will also benefit from what I have learned.
God’s timing and provision proved to be what was best for me.
I became more keenly aware of God’s concern for even the small things in my life. No need is too small for God to step in and show that He cares about what’s important to me.
I learned that no experience is insignificant, because God is always at work.

Prayers August 23, 2023

What Will They Say ?

What Will They Say?

9 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. ²All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,^[a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
As it is with the good, so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.
³This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. ⁴Anyone who is among the living has hope[b]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
2 Samuel 14:14
¹⁴Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.
Hebrews 9:27
²⁷Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
Ecclesiastes 3:2
²    a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
Ecclesiastes 5:15
¹⁵Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,  and as everyone comes, so they depart.
They take nothing from their toil  that they can carry in their hands.

This morning my husband and I watched a Celebration of Life Service on Facebook, for a woman who had indeed lived a very full life. The large attendance at her service was quite extraordinary. But what I was most impressed with were the many comments that were made about her. Over and over comments were made about how strong her faith was, even through her illness and other adversities that she had faced.

Words that were used to describe her were, kind, servant, helpful, joyful, positive and faithful. So many comments were also made about her beautiful voice and how she loved to sing for the Lord. They also mentioned how everyone knew without a doubt that she truly loved God. One lady said that she did not know how to say no to anyone because she always wanted to help others..

So my question to you today is, what will they say when God calls you home? Will the things that are said about you at your Celebration of Life, be comments that genuinely inspire those attending to live better, and more fruitful lives?

The mark that we leave on this earth will affect generations to come. We are all sent to this planet to be a blessing to others. We are the hands and feet of Jesus here on earth. May I encourage you to live your life in a way that when you leave this earth you will be truly missed. And, prayerfully your legacy will live on forever through those you leave behind,

The Dash Poem (By Linda Ellis)

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
From the beginning…to the endHe noted that first came the date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those yearsFor that dash represents all the time
That they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
Know what that little line is worthFor it matters not, how much we own,
The cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering this special dash
Might only last a little while

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash…
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent YOUR dash?

She Believes 3 Devotion August 21, 2023

Let’s Pray For A Great School Year

⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
1 Corinthians 10:31
³¹So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Timothy 2:1
2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—

As we are about to embark upon a new school year, I want to encourage you to pray for all who are involved in making a school run smoothly. Pray for the students to be blessed with the teachers that are best for them, this year.

Please pray for everyone from the teachers to the administrative staff members, to the cafeteria workers, librarians, PE teachers, coaches, band directors, counselors, school nurses, security officers, janitors, aides, bus drivers, and most importantly the students.

Please also pray for the parents of those students, pray that they will be supportive, patient and loving towards their children. Please also pray for each student’s homelife. So many students live in poor conditions. Pray that they will be able to mentally rise above their circumstances for a few hours each day, to focus on learning while they are in an environment that is conducive to learning.

Pray that the teachers will be able to pour into each student, in a way that they grasp all that they have prepared for them. Pray for protection over each teacher’s homelife. Pray that they are able to do their jobs without being distracted by personal issues this year.

Pray for the principal as he leads his staff. Pray that he will have wisdom for every decision that he has to make this school year.

Pray for protection for the students from bullying, abusive behaviors or violence of any kind. Pray for protection for each teacher and staff member as well.

Pray that each student will know that they matter and that they are important.

Most importantly, pray that those who are Christians, whether teachers or students, will allow their lights to brightly shine, through their actions and attitudes, this

school year.

Pray that God’s angels will surround each campus all over our country this year, and that they will block any destructive thing that the enemy will try.

Blessings over you and your family this school year, may it be the best school year ever !

Scriptures For Parents

Scriptures For Teachers
Luke 6:40
⁴⁰The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
Proverbs 9:9
⁹Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
Scriptures For Students
Jeremiah 29:11
¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Isaiah 30:21
²¹Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
1 Timothy 4:12
¹²Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Joshua 1:9
⁹Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Proverbs 1:8-9
⁸Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.⁹They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.
Ephesians 6:1-3
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ²“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— ³“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”[a]
Philippians 1:6
⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Faith August 7, 2023

What Is Your Disobedience Costing You?

Since the beginning of time, it has been man’s will against God’s will. With the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden, humans have since entered the world with a sinful desire to be in control of their own lives.

This sinful nature can be very costly. Not only does it affect the lives of the sinner, but also the lives of those that are nearest and dearest to them as well.

A couple of days ago I was reading a passage of scripture from 1st Samuel, chapter 13. King Saul had become fearful of losing all his troops. He became impatient and would not wait any longer for Samuel (who was a prophet) to arrive as promised. He did as most of us do when we become impatient, we decide to take matters into our own hands. This is almost always a mistake, especially if God has said wait.

Saul’s disobedience cost him his kingdom, a kingdom that Samuel told him that God would have established forever, had he been obedient. As a result, God sought a man after his own heart, and that man was David.
King Saul not only lost his kingdom, but he also lost his peace. He became a jealous crazed man, who desired to kill an innocent person, and he even tried to kill his son at one point. Needless to say, he lost the respect of his son also.

Can you imagine losing an entire kingdom for generations to come, because you were disobedient?

So, I ask you to stop and think today, what might your disobedience be costing you? You see God has blessings upon blessings in store for us, but we will never know what they are, if we live in disobedience.
May I encourage you today to live a life that honors God, with a heart that seeks after Him faithfully and obediently and watch the blessings flow!