InstaEncouragements Blog

A Small Book for the Anxious Heart

3/31/2020

These are anxious times! The unknown is scary whether anxiety is something you struggle with on a daily basis or only on occasions that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable for everyone.

Most of us have at least a little anxiety right now thanks to COVID-19. But, God’s Word has a lot to say about feeling fearful and anxious. The following is an excerpt from A Small Book for the Anxious Heart by Edward T. Welch, a small but powerful devotional book to remind us of the encouraging, beautiful words in Scripture written to anxious people.

Don’t Be Anxious . . . Pray. This sounds too simple, doesn't it!?

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

Don’t be anxious . . . PRAY!

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Supernatural Response to Trials

3/27/2020

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Everyone has trials at some time or another. Sometimes they are determined by our season in life:

Moms dealing with sleep deprivation or disobedient children
Career women working an unbearable job or for an unreasonable boss
A wife in a tough marriage relationship
Older women with health issues

There could be financial challenges, loneliness, fears, or a multitude of other such problems. And who knew we would ever be part of a pandemic and its ramifications?

As we are met with these obstacles to happiness in our lives, we tend to focus on them and cannot see beyond our own hurt, pain, and inconveniences.

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A Small Book for the Hurting Heart

3/24/2020

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How do we know that God is a God of all comfort? The Bible tells us so in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

He is the "Father of mercies and God of all comfort." No matter the loss, God offers us comfort through His Word, His love letter to us, the Bible. He does so not only that we would be comforted, but also, "so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction."

That's exactly what Paul Tautges does in his new book, A Small Book for the Hurting Heart.

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From a Proverbs 31 Woman to a Titus 2 Woman

3/20/2020

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When we read about the character traits of the #Proverbs31woman, we see she is a virtuous, #faithful #woman who reverences her husband. She exhibits strength and endurance, is well-rounded, charitable, and provides for her #family. We also see that she's well-dressed, the wife of a good man, honorable, wise, kind, and a good #mom. She is praiseworthy, attains and excels her #goals. But mostly, she fears the Lord!! As I grow older, I think about the amount of energy the Proverbs 31 woman needed.

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

When we read about the character traits of the Proverbs 31 woman, we find that she is a virtuous, faithful woman who reverences her husband. She exhibits strength and endurance, is well-rounded, charitable, and provides well for her family. We also read that she is well-dressed, the wife of a good husband, honorable, wise, kind, and a good mother. She is praiseworthy, attains, and excels at her goals, but most of all, we read that she fears the Lord!

As I grow older, I think about the amount of energy the Proverbs 31 woman must have needed to be and do all of these things. It seems exhausting! I know, however, it wasn’t all her, it was God working through her.

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3 Effective Ways to Study Your Bible

3/17/2020

14 Comments

This year, I am studying God’s Word with a fresh, new approach. I'm reading in chronological order of book authorship.

It's easy using this Bible Reading Itinerary.

This is different from reading the Bible in chronological order. That's a great way to read it as well.

I am also listening to the Bible with an audio version while I read.

I’m an audible learner, so this approach has been a tremendous help when it comes to comprehending what I read.

Let's link up, and then join me over at Money Wise Steward, where we will discover 3 effective ways to study your Bible.

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The Power Within: Are We Helpless Against Temptation?

3/13/2020

4 Comments

The Power Within: Are We Helpless Against Temptation?

This is not the start of another self-help book. I’m not trying to tell girls to wash their faces or trying to empower women to reach their goals and fulfill their dreams. Goals and dreams are nice. They are a big part of what makes us human. We are creatures bearing God’s image, and we are never satisfied to stay the same. We are always striving to grow. We want the next promotion at work, the next baby to make our family complete, the next financial milestone to be reached. Our goals and dreams can be very good things.

At the end of the day, though, trying to make our spiritual pursuit of holiness another human goal will end in failure, tears and a wretched feeling of helplessness. Reading self-help books and undertaking strategies to increase our responsibility and initiative may help us to lose weight, live healthier, and crush that resumé; but they won't help us meet our spiritual goals.

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More Like Him & Less Like Me

3/10/2020

6 Comments

More Like Him & Less Like Me: I don't know about you, but I'm not much for making New Year's resolutions. Even when we do, by this time of year many of us have forgotten what they were.

I don't know about you, but I'm not much for making New Year's resolutions. Even when we do, by this time of year many of us have forgotten what they were.

The new year is great for reevaluating your journey, but we can do that at any time.

In January 2015, I did that. I re-evaluated my spiritual journey and made a positive lifestyle change.

I committed to completely immerse myself in Scripture that year on a daily basis. I longed for God to make me more like Him and less like me. I needed this!

Today, let's link up, and then join me over at Wield the Word and find out what happened after I made that commitment.

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A Small Book for the Anxious Heart

Supernatural Response to Trials

A Small Book for the Hurting Heart

From a Proverbs 31 Woman to a Titus 2 Woman

3 Effective Ways to Study Your Bible

The Power Within: Are We Helpless Against Temptation?

More Like Him & Less Like Me

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A Small Book for the Anxious Heart

​ Supernatural Response to Trials

A Small Book for the Hurting Heart

From a Proverbs 31 Woman to a Titus 2 Woman

3 Effective Ways to Study Your Bible

​The Power Within: Are We Helpless Against Temptation?

More Like Him & Less Like Me

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Categories

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Supernatural Response to Trials

The Power Within: Are We Helpless Against Temptation?