InstaEncouragements Blog

Are You Tired of the Manna?

5/29/2020

The year was 2014. Every morning I dreaded getting out of bed to start another day. It was a hard year to say the least. I really needed to see the Lord work in a special way. I determined to begin the year by asking God for miracles, and I started a list in my journal for those miracles. Day after day passed with weariness, but my miracle list began to grow. If I were to show you that list today, you would think 2014 was the best year of my life!

Being a Christian brings with it many blessings, but life, even the Christian life, is full of challenges. Moving forward in God’s ways and in God’s work takes intentionality and effort.

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Do I have a Teachable Spirit?

5/26/2020

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This is a breakout post from our 27-day devotional, Come and Gather: Family Time With God, or what we lovingly refer to as Gather. You'll find this post featured in Part Two: Days 6-10 A Walk Through God’s Word.

Our text today is from Proverbs 12:15.

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” Proverbs 12:15

It has been said of some, they’re not always right, but they are never in doubt. The Bible would call that type of person a fool.

Thirty-six times in Proverbs the fool is mentioned as one who:

Will not heed warnings
Will not receive instruction
Makes light of sin

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Letting Go and Living Like Jesus

5/22/2020

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Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus

Are you facing a problem in life that you just can’t fix, no matter what you do? Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “Let go and let God.” But it’s easier said than done. Is it possible that giving up on what you can’t change is God’s path to peace for your life? In Surrendered, Barb Roose’s new six-week Bible study of Jesus in the wilderness, she explores Jesus’ time of testing and contrasts it with the Israelites’ failures in the wilderness.

As readers learn from Jesus’ example, they’ll discover six principles that will equip them to let God lead them to victory despite their circumstances as they deal with the problems and pain they are facing.

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Dealing with Difficulties

5/19/2020

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This is a breakout post from our 27-day devotional, Come and Gather: Family Time With God, or what we lovingly refer to as Gather. You'll find this post featured in Part Two: Days 6-10 A Walk Through God’s Word.

The theme we are looking at today is the providence of God and our text comes from Genesis chapters 45 and 50.

"And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt." Genesis 45:5-8

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The Things We Tell Ourselves

5/15/2020

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How Our Inner Monologue
Determines Our Outward Actions

Whether you’re a dramatic Disney villain ranting about insufferable princesses or a stressed-out mom picking up after your cyclone of children passing through the house, you’ve probably been caught talking to yourself at least once in your life. The truth is, we all find the idea of talking to ourselves rather funny. We have pictures in our minds of those people that usually take the form of absent-minded scientists or psychotic mental patients. Either way, they’re slightly insane.

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The One Thing I Did To Revitalize My Bible Reading

5/12/2020

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The One Thing I Did That Revitalized My Bible Reading

This year, I am reading through the Bible in chronological order of book authorship.

This is different from reading the Bible in chronological order. That's a great way to read God's Word as well, but when I've done that in the past I find myself skipping all over the Bible at some points and it's easy for me to get distracted.

Reading through the Bible in chronological order of book authorship simply goes book by book in the order that they were written. Plans may vary as it is difficult to accurately date the writing of some books of the Bible.

Besides reading through the Bible in chronological order of book authorship, let me share with you the one thing I did that has revitalized my Bible reading this year.

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Conflict Management in the Home

5/8/2020

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Conflict Management in the Home During COVID-19

Doors slamming, voices raised, looks of frustration and disgusted, and even the occasional silent treatment have been some of the sounds of our quarantine. I know this may be shocking to hear, but with thirteen people cooped up in one home for going on eight weeks, it is unavoidable. Try as we may to escape the conflict of many personalities, age ranges, and agendas, we end up seeing the clash of the Rossiters on many fronts. Yes, I know this flies in the face of the “Home Sweet Home” sign you may have envisioned, but transparency and real-life are winning out today.

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