Are you struggling with feelings of sadness, loneliness or despair. Need someone to listen… talk to a mentor

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins . . . Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in you.” (Psalm 25:16-18, 20-21)

Finding hope in the midst of an unbearable affliction may seem impossible. It feels like no matter what you do, or how fervently you pray, sadness, and hopelessness remain. It feels like being on a ship that is slowly sinking with no help in sight. You ask God to breathe new life into your tattered sails, hoping to maneuver out of the sea of despair, but find yourself stuck in the storm. An ounce of hope, a smidgeon of joy, would be enough so long as it arrived before the next crushing wave.

Some might say, “This cannot happen to a child of God. How can such a dreadful thing happen to a believer?” Truthfully, it can. In fact, for some of you reading this today, what I’m describing might sound all too familiar.

Years ago, I experienced a disheartening season of despair. During this wretched season of life, I fervently sought God, but my anguish would not cease. I longed to be in the house of God, but numerous times, I failed to get there. I knew healing awaited, yet my heart-wrenching affliction continued to pull me down. Many times, I mustered up the energy and drove to church, regardless. However, crippling fear, torment, and dismay prevented me from going in. Parked outside, I sat in my car reading the bible, crying out to God for deliverance.

One Sunday morning as I prepared for church the attack on my soul was atrocious. I knew healing waited beyond the church doors, but indescribable distress prohibited me from going. In lieu of sitting home in despair, I decided to go to the beach for a Sunday morning walk. To my surprise, as I walked the shores, a beautiful floating church passed by. Immediately, my heart fluttered as I looked up to say, “thank you” to God. His joy flooded my sullen heart as I professed with a huge smile on my face, “I couldn’t make it to church, but God you arranged to have one float by.” As I drove home, hope returned. I recognized God was with me, no matter how bleak my situation was.

After this divine encounter, God rescued me from the dreadful affliction and delivered me back into the house of the Lord. God breathed new life into my tattered sail and you have to believe He will breathe mightily into your sail, too.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Prayer:  Father, would You breathe renewed hope, joy, peace, and healing into my anguished soul? Give me inner strength to arise. Help me place my hope in You. I choose to praise You along the way and watch as You restore my soul for Your wonderful purposes.      

Questions: How has God restored your soul today? Are you in the middle of a storm and in need of hope?

How is your journey going?

Hope

Ladies, we need HOPE.  Hope makes us move ahead for the greater good for our children and ourselves.    It is easy to become like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.  Do you remember that purple donkey?  According to Eeyore everything was negative and nothing was exciting. He just existed.  I have met single Moms who are like this.  They live a defeated life as if they had nothing to live for.

Man, have I got news!!!  We have a big world out there with possibilities and new steps to travel.  There is plenty to live for.  It’s not going to be easy, but I promise it will be worth it.

After years of staying home with my kids I hardly knew how to turn on a computer but I persevered.  People believed in me and gave me chances. I took night school courses and built my resume.  I learned that I could balance a bank account, take the battery out of the riding lawn mower, and build a home for my children.

So my dear friend, begin to hope!  Wake up each day with a sense of hope that things are going to move ahead.  We don’t have to be like Eeyore.  We can be positive and believe in a life with hope.  God is rooting for us.  He gave His 100% guarantee of never leaving us or abandoning us.
Psalm 34: 18 says, “The Lord is there to rescue all who are discouraged and have given up hope.”

God’s got you covered. He is waiting for you to take this step with Him.

Trust

How do you begin to trust again when your definition of trust has been erased from your mind?   That is a toughie but I know it can be done. Give yourself permission to take some time to heal.

God is the only one that is trustworthy with His 100% guarantee. Have you noticed He provides 100% coverage in life issues?  I have tested this trust thing over the years and He has never let me down.  That doesn’t mean that He gave me everything I asked for.  It means He created us and passionately cares and loves each of us.  He will help us get through this.  Trusting God is a risk that is worth taking.  Be honest with God in your thoughts, fears, and your uncertainties.  He is a big God with a big heart and a big plan.

“Trust God, my friends, and always tell him each one of your concerns.  God is our place of safety.” (Psalm 62:8)

Take a risk with God and ask for some things that you need.  Let me share one of my situations. My car needed a huge repair. (We are on the same page aren’t we!) I didn’t have the money.  After the repair was done the bill was double the amount they had quoted me.  I had no funds to pay for it.  My parents had graciously given as much as they could, but I was in a pickle.  It was time to trust God.

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3…

God answered. Not in the way I wanted because I would rather have had cash fall like raindrops from heaven.  However, God supplied.  He gave me a part-time job four nights a week, right by my house.  I drove home from my day job, changed into my next work clothes (it involved a hairnet-yuck!), made sure supper was prepared for my girls, and worked for 3 hours each night.

I paid off my bill and met a lot of interesting people.  Was I tired? You bet… but I did it.  I asked for help and God gave me this job.  I didn’t have it forever and I was able to reduce my hours as things got paid off.  I just had to trust God that He would help.

Trusting is hard work and I need to upgrade my trusting skills frequently.  God just asks us to trust Him and He will help. My faith grew because I trusted in God during those times when there seemed to be no solution to my predicament.

Are facing one of these issues today?  We have two gift-wrapped boxes from God – hope and trust.  He asks you to open them up and use them. Write out what you hope for.   It could be anything – healing your heart, pursing another job, a week free of constant stress, or a dream of a mini holiday with your kids. Can I share another story?

We were as poor as church mice.  Deep in my heart I wanted to take my girls on a holiday.   A caring couple gave us their condo in Florida to use for free.  We just had to get there.  My heart still bursts with the memories we made on that trip.   Don’t give up but hope.  As it says in the verse above, God will help your discouraged heart.  I can honestly say this will be one exciting journey. Live in HOPE.

What about your trusting skills?  This is a huge action verb!  Write down what you desire to trust God for and date it.  Like me, I am sure you have had to trust about employment, the monthly rent, the kid’s schedules and their emotional health.  You are not alone. Write it all down.

Father, we need HOPE to get through this.  We desperately want to TRUST You in our next steps.  Guide us in your ways.  In our Ever-Faithful God.  Amen.

There is HELP, there is HOPE, there is HEALING!

Don’t miss the rest of the Single Mom Survival Kit:

A box of resources
How to set boundaries
The monster called FEAR

Take the next step:

Why do bad things happen to good people? Is God still good when it hurts?
Take a lesson: How to choose peace
 If your world feels unfamiliar, read this

Ten reasons to hope.

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed….” (Romans 4:18a)

I’m thankful that hope is so stubborn. If it wasn’t, I think I’d be a goner. Many times my circumstances have tempted me to throw in the towel, but each time I find hope popping to the surface and eventually taking over.

Oh, I’ve tried to resist. I’ve let discouraging thoughts smother the “noble, lovely and praiseworthy.” I’ve listened to the whispers of failure more times than I care to remember. I’ve allowed the voice of disappointment to become louder than a scream. But with the predictability of a Hallmark movie, I find that after all my rants and raves, hope stands there quietly waiting. She penetrates my protests with the undeniable assurance that it’s gonna be okay.

It’s a God thing, of course. Scripture compares hope to an anchor (Hebrews 6:19). It attaches us to what is really real, to what is solid. It causes hearts that would otherwise go adrift to dig in to the truth.

Abraham learned this truth about hope. Although he didn’t start out that way, he arrived at that place which required him to “hope against hope.” He had been given big promises — promises accompanied by big delays. These delays stretched him, pushed him to the edge, and disheartened him.  Proverbs 13:12 reminds us that, “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” But in spite of all the waffling doubts he kept hoping.

The stubborn nature of hope arose every time he looked at the brilliance of the night.  He must have seen God’s promise echoed in the sky. When he walked in the endless desert sand he was reminded that God said, “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.” (Genesis 13:16) Whenever he heard his new name, “Abraham,” hope took him back to the time when God told him he would be the “father of many nations”. (Genesis 17:5) Hope bound him so tightly to the word of God that it yielded the indomitable substance we call faith.

It will do the same for us. So go ahead. Give in to the stubbornness of hope.

Father, Remind me that it is safe to hope in You. Your word is strong and Your promises are forever.  My only hope is in You.  Amen

Question: How does Abraham’s stubborn hope impact you today?

Take the next step:
Understanding cutting
Are you fighting suicidal thoughts? Take our free life lesson.
Do you want to talk to someone about self-harm?

Take the next step:
Have you been suffering?
Dealing with death
Are you experiencing a crisis? Talk to a mentor.

Take the next step:
Dealing with life’s hard questions 
Does God care?
Are you dealing with death and disease? Talk to a mentor.

Throughout the Bible there are stories of women who had incredible faith. They believed God’s promises when their circumstances made it seem impossible.  They stood in prayer for their families, and God used them in powerful ways.  In this series we’ll take a closer look at the lives of several of these women and see what we can learn from them about what it means to be a woman of faith.

1. Women of Faith: Hagar
2. Women of Faith: Sarah

How can we pray for you today?

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” (Psalm 84:10)

Is your hope in the wrong place? If you’re like me, your auto-answer is, “No!” But the truth is that I struggle with putting my hope in the wrong thing – specifically in an idea of heaven. Our idea of perfection (eternity) greatly affects how we live. It controls the things we seek now and dictates our desires for the future.

My subconscious idea of eternity involves blessings, gifts, healing, and power. But underneath my subconscious, in my spirit, I desire something entirely different. In the deep places of my person, my hope is in the presence of God. Otherwise, I’m not at peace and I’m not at rest. I know this to be true, but I often forget. When that happens it results in painful trying, ceaseless holding, constant drifting, and anxious caring.

Really, I want to be happily praising God, not constantly asking for things. Deep, deep down in the same place, I hate the hectic planning and controlling nature of life. I would rather be praying in faith. But I forget these things and live as if I did not believe them.

When I expose, examine, and execute on these deepest of all desires, my work becomes His and He uses me, not the other way around. That is what I want. That’s what kingdom life and eternal life are all about.

David sang, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” I want that to be my song today.

God, better is one day in Your courts that a thousand elsewhere. Give me this mindset today. Remind me of Your goodness. Help me seek You in every mundane task. Give me a steadfast spirit that unflinchingly believes in You. I’m tired of trying and drifting and holding on. Instead, would You work in me, guide me, and hold on to me? I need You and desire to be with You, for You are good all the time. Hallelujah!

Question: What do you think Heaven is like?

How can we pray for you today?

“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.” (Psalm 61:1-3)

During the month of February, you cannot help but notice attractive displays of hearts nearly everywhere you go. Card shops, jewelry stores, flower shops, and bakeries carry sentimental heart shaped items ranging from cards to eye-catching necklaces. We purchase such tangible items for our loved ones as an expression of our love.

What about spreading God’s hope, comfort, and love to those who are sick and dying? Sad to say, many avoid those who are physically fading, not knowing what to say or do during this stage of life. At this critical point, they don’t need a tangible item…they need hope, comfort, and love from others.

As followers of Christ, knowing which Bible passages to share to console those needing comfort during this transitional time makes a difference. A compassionate heart, filled with God’s truth and love, brings comfort to His beloved children as He prepares to bring them home. Their physical body may cease but spiritually they live on. Below are passages that will comfort those in need of hope and assurance of God’s promises during this transitional period.

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)    

 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26)

Additional passages to read: Psalm 23, 27, 84, 91 & 103, Isaiah 40, 2 Corinthians 5:1-8, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 21-22.

Heavenly Father, May we be readily prepared to bestow hope, comfort and love to our loved ones during the end stages of life here on earth. May we not shrink, hide, nor fear death for we know that our real home is in heaven and we will live with you in eternity. In Jesus name, Amen     

 Question: Is there someone who you can share the message of hope with during this Valentine’s season?

Lessons also available in: Arabic; Chinese; French; Italian; Japanese; Malay; Spanish; Russian; Thai

1. Understanding Your Relationship With Jesus Christ
2. Experiencing God’s Love
3. Power for Living
4. Growing in Your Relationship with Christ
Need prayer? How can we pray for you?