InstaEncouragements Blog

Leadership Comes With Great Responsibility

1/31/2020

The little girl peaked out through the reeds to keep a watch on the basket in the water. It was the cargo inside the basket she was concerned about. Inside was her baby brother. The Egyptian king had decreed that all the boys born to the Israelites were to be killed. Her family was trying to save their little baby, Moses.

As Miriam was watching, the Egyptian princess came to the water with her maids. She saw the basket and the baby. Her heart went out to the little one. Moses would be hers. What could Miriam do? She ran to the princess and asked if she needed a mother to nurse the baby.

Because of her quick thinking, Miriam was able to go get her own mother to be the nurse for their baby Moses. Although he would be reared in the palace as the son of the princess, years later Miriam would reunite with her brother to help with a very big task appointed by God.

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Moses & Aaron: The Leaders Punished

1/28/2020

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We are currently, on Tuesday mornings, looking at seven different characters from God's Word. We've looked at Abraham: God’s Powerful Promise to a Patriarch, Joseph: He Obeyed Quickly & Completely and Moses: Lifting the Hands of God’s Man. Today, we're looking at Moses again but also Aaron.

These characters are also featured in (Part Three: Days 21-27 Men of God Character Study) our Come and Gather: Family Time With God 27-day devotional. Or, what we lovingly refer to as Gather.

Today's theme is responsibility and our text is from Numbers 20:1-13 and 1 Timothy 2:1-2.

"And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.

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We Find Our Ultimate Home in Him

1/24/2020

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"For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him amen, to the glory of God through us." 2 Corinthians 1:20

House hunting is a tough thing, especially when trying to find a house from a distance. On our last move, my husband and I were looking for a house that met each item on our wish list:

land for the children to roam and explore
enough bedrooms to accommodate six children (with some sharing)
an area to set up a permanent home school and
a laundry ROOM

Our previous homes both had laundry pass-throughs that caused major hazards for people coming into the house from our garage entry.

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Moses: Lifting the Hands of God’s Man

1/21/2020

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We are currently, on Tuesday mornings, looking at seven different characters from God's Word. We've looked at Abraham: God’s Powerful Promise to a Patriarch and Joseph: He Obeyed Quickly & Completely. Today, we're looking at Moses: Lifting the Hands of God’s Man.

These characters are also featured in (Part Three: Days 21-27 Men of God Character Study) our Come and Gather: Family Time With God 27-day devotional. Or, what we lovingly refer to as Gather. Today's theme is encouragement and our text is from Exodus 17:1-16.

“Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side.

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“Are We There Yet?” A Question We Should Stop Asking

1/17/2020

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“Are We There Yet?” The Question God’s Children Need to Stop Asking

This past Christmas, my husband and I traveled for 15 hours in a car with my 3-year-old nephew, Jackson. The repetition of all variations of the phrase “are we there yet?” still rings in my brain.

Parents of young children laugh at how often their kids ask this question. Only now do I realize that they’re laughing to avoid tears.

In a way, the question “are we there yet?” defines the perspective of a child. If they aren’t wishing away the hours of a road trip, they’re wishing away the days until summer begins, the months until Christmas, or the years until they can move away from home.

That all-encompassing desire for the next “big thing” in life fuels a child’s excitement. Lately, I’ve been wondering if any of us really outgrow this mindset.

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Joseph: He Obeyed Quickly and Completely

1/14/2020

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We are currently, on Tuesday mornings, looking at seven different characters from God's Word. Last week we looked at Abraham: God’s Powerful Promise to a Patriarch. Today, we're looking at Joseph: He Obeyed Quickly & Completely.

These characters are also featured in (Part Three: Days 21-27 Men of God Character Study) our Come and Gather: Family Time With God 27-day devotional. Or, what we lovingly refer to as Gather. Our text today is found in Genesis 37:

“And Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.’ And he said to him, ‘Here I am.’ So, he said to him, ‘Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.’ So, he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

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New Garments of Spirit-Filled Change and Humility

1/10/2020

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New Garments of Spirit-Filled Change and Humility

“These are new things I am teaching, and they can’t be reconciled with old habits. Nobody would ever use a piece of new cloth to patch an old garment because when the patch shrinks, it pulls away and makes the tear even worse.” Mark 2:21

A New Year... 365 days... a new start, a fresh page, a clean slate. We have all heard the many clichés about the new year ahead. They bring a sense of hope, endless possibilities, and growth. The feeling of potential accomplishments and true change surround us. We begin to embrace the positive outlook that is portrayed.

My accountability partners and I are back in the New Testament for our Bible reading. How fitting it was for God to bring me to Mark 2 on the second day of this new year.

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