InstaEncouragements Blog

Perfection: Is It the Answer to All Our Problems?

2/28/2020

Eve looked at Adam as they walked through the beautiful garden and thought how wonderful life was. It didn’t just seem perfect—it was perfect!

The best thing about it all was their direct communion with God the Creator. Everything was new and wonderful. Adam and Eve were given total liberty in the garden except they were not to eat of the fruit of one tree. With access to a whole new world, surely being forbidden to eat of just one tree wouldn’t be a problem—or would it?

Eve was perfect after her creation. No other human has been perfect except for Adam and Jesus.

Eve was beautiful, smart, kind, and everything we would like to be. But Eve made a wrong decision that changed the future of mankind. Why did she sin if her life was perfect?

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Look to the Ant to Find Peace in the Storm

2/25/2020

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Look to the Ant to Know #Peace When the Storms Come: A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When asked for his qualifications, he said,

This is the last in our Tuesday morning series where we have been 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, Moses: Lifting the Hands of God’s Man, Moses & Aaron: The Leaders Punished, David: An Acceptable Offering, and Peter: Why Do You Doubt?

Today, we are looking at a character that's not human. We're looking at the ant. There's lots to be learned from this tiny creature.

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.

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16 Promises of Proverbs

2/21/2020

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“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.

She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.” Proverbs 3:13-18

Wisdom and understanding, two things we could all use more of!

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Peter: Why Do You Doubt?

2/18/2020

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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, Moses: Lifting the Hands of God’s Man, Moses & Aaron: The Leaders Punished, and David: An Acceptable Offering.

Today, we're looking at Peter: Why Do You Doubt? Peter is a fascinating character. I see so much of myself in Peter.

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 the protection and provision of the Savior, and our text is Matthew 14:22-33.

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From Tongue Up to Tongue Down & all the in Between

2/14/2020

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From Tongue Up to Tongue Down and All the Heartache in Between

Sometimes I feel like my tongue has a mind of its own. No matter what truth about God I’m meditating on that day, or how much grace I have to be thankful for in my own life that week, I always find it monstrously difficult to hold my tongue still when people and circumstances give it an opportunity to dance. After all, I’m entitled to my opinions. Expressing what I know and feel about other people falls under free speech, right? It can be so liberating—so gratifying to allow my words to flow uninhibited.

And then I sit down to read God’s Word and my overindulged tongue begins to stumble over the words of the Psalmist declaring:

"Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill [...] he that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor." Psalm 15:1,3

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David: An Acceptable Offering

2/11/2020

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We are currently, on Tuesday mornings, looking at seven different characters from God's Word.

We took a break last Tuesday and looked at 9 Blessings of Brokenness, but today we're back on track.

We've looked at Abraham: God’s Powerful Promise to a Patriarch, Joseph: He Obeyed Quickly & Completely, Moses: Lifting the Hands of God’s Man and Moses & Aaron: The Leaders Punished. Today, we're looking at David: An Acceptable Offering.

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 consecration and our text is from Psalm 19.

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Stop! Oh I Should Not Have Said That

2/7/2020

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Stop! Oh, I should not have said that!

Does my face show the terrible selfish response that is running through my mind?
Does my tone reflect the rude and frustrating way I am handling this situation?
Can anyone sense the impatient way in which I am facing this crisis?

Do you ever find yourself thinking these thoughts? Do those convicting questions run across your mind on more than one occasion during your day?

I have found myself camped out here lately. My words and attitude have gotten the better of me and have left me with a huge load of guilt. Stopping this trend was my true desire, so I created an acrostic to give me some direction.

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