InstaEncouragements Blog

Dealing with Difficult People

6/28/2019

Every day it seems we meet annoying people. People who are rude, negative, judgmental or just plain mean. Jesus encountered difficult people too. Matthew 22:15-40, tells us about three religious groups that tried to entangle and discredit Him with their confrontational questions.

Herodians ask about paying taxes

First, the Herodians, Jews who favored submitting to Rome, came to Him with a political question about paying taxes to Caesar.

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The Red Sea Rules: Week 4

6/25/2019

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The Red Sea Rules Week 4: How do you trust God with difficulties that are so overwhelming? I’m grateful that Robert Morgan breaks faith down into distinct steps that can help us walk with God one day at a time through all of life’s challenges.

Sometimes our problems appear to be so ginormous that trusting God with them seems beyond our ability. We make an effort to turn the problem over to God, but we soon find ourselves paralyzed with fear and worry all over again. How do you trust God with difficulties that are so overwhelming? I’m grateful that Robert Morgan breaks faith down into distinct steps that can help us walk with God one day at a time through all of life’s challenges.

Today, we continue our investigation into how God wants us to face hard times. We’re using, as our guide, this little book titled The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times. The author, Robert Morgan, summarizes ten biblical principles on what it means to trust God. He breaks faith down into identifiable steps, and I find that so helpful.

We're so glad you've joined us!

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8 Ways To Love Someone Who Doesn’t Love You Back

6/21/2019

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8 Ways To Love Someone Who Doesn’t Love You Back

Have you ever felt that prickly feeling of someone’s personality bristling up against yours? It’s the worst. I was in elementary school when I realized not everyone is going to like me. I distinctly remember writing on my workbook, Everybody hates me! Needless to say, I was a little dramatic. I think it was one girl who said something that made me upset and suddenly I felt like the whole world was against me. This scenario played out several more times in my school career, all except for the writing on the workbook part. Even into adulthood, I’ve found myself confronted with people who are difficult to love because they don’t seem to want to love me back.

Jesus said that we will experience rejection, as a matter of fact, we may even feel hatred from others. He certainly experienced both rejection and hatred. But, Jesus also taught in Matthew 5:43-48,

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The Red Sea Rules: Week 3

6/18/2019

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The Red Sea Rules Week 3: Today, we are continuing our Summer Book Club-Style Bible Study based on the book The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times by Robert Morgan. I like this little book because it provides us with a biblical, and intensely practical, picture of what faith actually looks like.

“Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them.... So the Egyptians pursued them.” Exodus 14: 5–9

Today, we are continuing our Summer Book Club-Style Bible Study based on the book The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times by Robert Morgan. I like this little book because it provides us with a biblical, and intensely practical, picture of what faith actually looks like.

We're so glad you've joined us!

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Come and Gather: Family Time with God

6/14/2019

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Introducing Come and Gather: Family Time with God, or what we lovingly refer to as Gather. Gather is a lovely, 35-page, daily devotional centered around families enjoying time together with God and each other. Download yours free today!

Why Have a Family Time with God?

I once thought we didn’t have time for family devotions. But one day I read a report that said the average family watches over 20 hours of television a week! I wondered if TV time was eating up hours my family could be using to become more like Christ. So, I did a quick check of our TV habits and realized we were watching at least 15 hours of television a week. I was shocked!

I led the way for better family time. I quit watching one of my favorite shows. That gave us time to relax at dinner and talk about how our day went. As we began sharing our joys and concerns, we were soon praying together and reading the Bible together. Now, that family time has become one of the most important things we do together.

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The Red Sea Rules: Week 2

6/11/2019

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"How, then, did God take an impossible situation, flip it around, and use it for His honor? The story of parted waters shows us that God gains glory when His enemies are defeated, when His children are delivered, when His name is exalted, when His exploits are remembered and when His praises are sounded." —Robert Morgan, The Red Sea Rules

Today, we continue our Summer Book Club-Style Bible Study we began last week based on the book The Red Sea Rules by Robert Morgan. We are so glad you've joined us! We will meet here each Tuesday morning at 9:00, through August 6. If you can’t join us on Tuesday mornings, no worries. Anytime during the week, when it’s convenient for you, read that week’s chapter in the book and the corresponding blog post. Then join the conversation down in the comments section.

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SLiCES of Summer Goals

6/7/2019

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SLiCES of Summer: Being teacher has always granted the summertime to take a break from the hectic schedule of sports and school calendars. Our family has enjoyed this time in many different ways. When I was a stay at home mom I would plan out special free activities for each week. We would pick a special Bible program to use in family devotions or plan an incentive plan complete with rewards for reading and personal devotions. Such treasured memories have been made during these times.

Being a teacher has always granted me the summertime to take a break from the hectic schedule of teaching, sports and school calendars. Our family has enjoyed this time in many different ways. When I was a stay-at-home mom, I would plan unique, free activities for each week of the summer. We would pick a special Bible program to use in family devotions or put in place an incentive plan, complete with rewards, for reading and personal devotions. Such treasured memories have been made during these times.

This summer, as I prayed about what we should do with these precious few weeks, the Lord led me in a different direction. Instead of planning actives and trying to fill our days, God challenged my heart to look for the purpose behind each activity we would plan or do.

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