Daughter of Encouragement

What is your natural reaction when you go through a negative experience?

The natural response could be anger, bitterness and an expression like “Why me?” as I wrote in my previous blog.

Over the last couple of months, Daughter of Encouragement went through some challenging experiences. It was first an attack on our website. I could not blog, as there was a technical hitch somewhere, which had to be looked into. Secondly, the site was being bombarded with pornographic links, which I thank God got caught in our net before the public could see them.

While this experience was going on, God was showing me other areas He would like me to develop both spiritually and business wise. I have been amazed at how God used this time of rest from blogging to prepare me for other areas of my life. To Him alone be the glory.

 How are you handling the situation you are currently going through? Are you seeing other opportunities around the corner? Ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes to behold wonderful things from it. When one door closes, it might be that God wants your attention in another area.

By the grace of God, Daughter of Encouragement would be organising some Encouragement Seminars, which are meant to build us all up. More about this would be coming up in due course. At our seminars, you will be encouraged and desire to fulfil your calling more than ever.

I know God has a plan for our lives, and as we trust and seek His face, He will reveal His heart to us. Take time out to seek Him today and let Him show you how to turn your negative experiences into positives.

 
But as for you; ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is day, to save much people alive. Genesis 50:20

Have you ever wondered why you are always going through one struggle or the other? You are not alone! Reading through the bible, I discoverd that there were many men and women of God who must have asked the question “why me?” I could imagine people like Joseph, David, Job, Hannah, and Paul ask themselves this same question because the road to success for them was not a jolly ride.

You need to understand that the road to success is not easy; there is a price to pay. However, God is always there to help His own.  I can assure you that you do have a great destiny before you and that is why the devil will want to discourage you at this point in time. Even though Jesus had the backing of heaven when He came to earth, it was not an easy ride for Him because the devil and his cohorts did all they could to distract Him from fulfilling His mission but they failed, Glory to God!

You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus so rejoice because it shall be well with you. I have learnt in life that the more fierce the battle is, the nearer I am to my victory.  The devil likes to frustrate the effort of the believer, so do not be mincemeat for him. Let God strengthen you from within and this will bring about the desired victory. It shall be well with you. Take care.

The righteous cry and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Psalm 34:17

How do you explain a situation where you are rejoicing even though you have not received the things requested for in prayer? You may think it is an easy thing to do, but I can testify  to the fact that it takes an unshakable faith in Jesus to keep rejoicing in the midst of uncertainty. As we daily witness gloom around the world, it takes great faith to keep hope alive. This is because there is so much negativity around us and we need to keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith.
 
Have you been holding unto a promise in the bible or a word of prophecy that has been given to you for a long time? Do not lose hope but keep it alive by rejoicing and speaking positively to yourself. God never fails and His word will always come to pass. Take a cue from father Abraham, who believed that his wife Sarah would be a mother of nations according to God’s word, even though she did not have her only child until she was ninety years old. The bible records that Abraham  “ against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb” (Rom 4:17-18 KJV).
 
God is always pleased to see us rejoicing at all times, especially when we are facing difficult times. The Apostle Paul who wrote more than half of the new testament also emphasised the importance of rejoicing at all times (Philippians 4:4). No matter how bad your situation is, always rejoice while still believing God for your miracle. Never give up because God is working on your case and will fulfil His promise concerning you. How hopeful are you? Pick yourself up today if you have lost all hope and rejoice in the fact that God is in control.  I am certain that before the end of the first quarter of the year, you will be singing a new song of joy in Jesus name. Take care and God bless you.
 
 
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer. Romans 12:12

Why are you struggling over that problem? What makes you think you can work it out all by yourself? Do you know there is a place where you can lay all down and watch all the struggles disappear?

It is so sad to see many believers still struggling. Even though we know the saviour and His ability to carry or lift our burdens, we still prefer to shoulder it all. Jesus’ main purpose of coming to earth was to set the captives free. He hates to see you struggle knowing fully well that He is there all the time. No wonder the bible says in His word “ casting all your care upon him for he careth for you”.

The Lord indeed cares and desires to have those burdens. Once you do cast them on Him, it means you can be rest assured that it is being taken care of. If it is a financial struggle, He knows how to open doors of opportunity to ease the situation in your finances. It could be an opportunity of a new job or business. It could even be a creative idea that would bring unlimited financial reward into your life thereby easing the burden in your life. However, if we want to see this happen in our life we need to trust the Lord and have faith in His word. 

As we start a new week, remember Jesus’ arms are wide open, waiting for you to cast all upon Him. You will never be the disappointed as you do so, for He indeed cares for you. God bless.

Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 

Do you know you have some leadership that could be passed on to your children or those around you? Everybody does have a measure of leadership qualities that can be developed and passed on. In Genesis 1: 28, God commanded us to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it, and exercise dominion over His creations. This command was not only to men but to women too.

How can you as a woman pass on your leadership skills? Leading by example is the first way this can be done. Your number one follower as a woman or mother would be your children. Children tend to learn from their parents. You and I are their role models and therefore we have the priviledge of passing on some of the skills we have.

One skill I am currently hammering on my girls is organisational skills. I am hot on this at the moment because I believe that a leader must be organised. Teaching my children this skill at this stage of their life will be beneficial to them as students and future leaders. I must admit that I am not perfect when it comes to organisation, but I am not terrible either.

Jesus our perfect example displayed leadership qualities from the tender age of 12. This shows that age is no barrier when it comes to displaying leadership potentials. While some are born leaders, I believe some grow into it. It is our duty to assist our children and others in our care to lead effectively.

Are you a good leader? If not, you have nothing to be be ashamed about. Leadership skills can be learnt and improved upon. One way of doing this is by enrolling on any suitable Leadership course or better still search on the internet for quality books on the subject. As you grow in leadership, you will see how much impact  and a difference you can make in the life of your children and those around you. God bless.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

It never ceases to amaze me why some people like making trouble. They always want to make a point over petty issues and interestingly, when they are offended thier slogan is “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”. Their victims never go scot-free. What would anyone gain by getting even with others? Even if you are on the right, as a Christian, you should learn to let go that peace might reign.

In my own opinion, a  Christian woman should stand out by her relationship with others. She should be at peace all the times with everybody she comes in contact with. If she is married,  as  peacemaker, she should ensure that the atmosphere in the house is peaceful. If her husband’s anger is out of control, she should seek ways of calming him down and not to fuelling it the more. In her workplace, she should be seen as a mediator and not a confusionist. God is counting on us all  to be ambassadors of peace on earth.

We are not only to be at peace with others but with ourselves. Do not allow the enemy to rob you of God’s blessing by reminding you of your past life or mistakes. Remember that the bible rightly states that when we are in Christ Jesus “old things are passed away behold and all things are become new” (2 Corin 5:17). Learn to forgive yourself and allow the peace of God to follow you. The reason why some women are not confident in themselves is because they have lost their peace. You need to come out of your shell and enjoy the peace that comes from God.

As you start a new week, decide to be a woman of peace. If a friend has hurt your feelings, find a place in your heart to forgive and move on. Unforgiveness is a disease and it kills like cancer. If you harbour it  in your heart, you will discover that you may not have peace.  At times, you might discover that you are struggling with the Holy Spirit who is nudging you to walk up to your friend for a reconcillation. If you are in this position, do not disobey Him, or else you might find that your prayers will not be answered ( Matt 6:14-16). Can you afford that?

My prayer for you if you have lost your peace with others and within yourself is a full restoration and the prosperity of your spirit, soul and body according to 3 John 2. God bless

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.  Romans:12:18

Hi everyone! I have been away from you all for quite a while now and I am deeply sorry for this. I have recently taken on a new responsibility and I am still trying to find my feed. However, I am determined not to stay away for so long again in Jesus’ name.

Are you one of those scared to move on because of the economic crunch? I have heard people express thoughts such as ” these are the days of holding tight to whatever job you have because many people have none”. As much as we all know what is prevailing in the world today,  I do not believe you should stay put in a job for this reason. My advice is that, if one of your goals this year is to venture out in search of greener pastures, then by all means go for it! Do not allow what you see or hear determine how you should move. The bible says ” The just shall live by faith” Let your faith see you through these times. Do not hold back! Isaac sowed and prospered in a time of famine and since we are living under a better convenant, we are bound to prosper! Do not allow fear to get in the way because it will cripple  and shatter your confidence altogether.

You have been created for greateness and this is your time to shine. You have so many treasures within you waiting to be expressed, so arise from your seat and make that difference today! How do I go about this you may be wondering.  I suggest you make up your mind on what you want to do and make the necessary plans. Secondly, familiarise yourself with the area you intend to move into   before venturing out. Lastly, If you are currently in paid employment, secure the new one before leaving the old one. It will not be wise to do otherwise.

We should thank God for His word. He has promised to guide His children by the way we should go and this is quite assuring (Psalm 32:8). What this means is as long as we commit our ways unto the Lord, victory is guaranteed.  This year is full of promises and challenges.  Nevertheless, as a child of God, you are bound to succeed, so still make that move!

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. Ecclessiastes 11:4

Do not wait for perfect conditions before making your move?

Have you ever wondered why some children kick against going to church with their parents? Well this amazes me too. However,I have come to understand that many times, as parents we do not take time to explain the Christian faith to our children. We just take it for granted that they will pick things along as they grow up in church. Unfortunately, more than about 30% of rebellious children in our societies grew up from practicing chrisitian homes.

 The question is how are we training our children in the faith? Do we ever take time to explain why certain doctrines are practised or do we just expect the children to accept them without questioning? The other day, I asked a friend’s ten-year-old son why he fasted every Sunday. Surprisingly, he could not explain this to me because it was imposed on him by his parents. What we do not understand as parents is that if doctrines are imposed on children without any explanation, when they grow up, they might kick against it. We need to simplify issues for them by explaining certain aspects of the faith.

One way to impart our faith is by holding regular bible studies with our children. This could be once a week. Let these studies be on various subjects. This allows the children to recognise that the bible has solutions to all issues of life. Secondly, allow your children to ask questions; do not shy away from them. If you do not have the answer to any particular question, make sure that you assure the children that you will find out. This will keep their interest going in the things of God. We are living in the Information Age and our kids want to know what the bible has to say about certain issues.

Furthermore, allow the children to take part in the family worship time. Allow them to take turns in praying. Give them prayer points to pray on or allow them to generate thier own. Let them also see you pray because this will teach them to do likewise. When prayers are answered within the family, share the testimony with them. They will then believe in the God who answers prayers and whose existence is real.

We as parents should also live by example. If we are rebuking our children for gossiping for instance, we should not be seen by them doing the same. We should be examples of believers in whaever we do or say. We should not allow our good to be evil spoken of. If we live an exemplary life, our children will respect us for it and will want to follow God all the way.

As we gradually progress in the year, let us determine to nurture our children in the faith. Our goal should be to raise godly children that would serve God after we have left this world. We want to get to heaven with joy knowing that we left a good legacy of faith for our children. My prayer is that as parents and mothers, we will not disappoint God in the way we raise our children in Jesus’ name.

How best do you think we could encourage our children in the christian faith?

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

One of my goals this year is to become more effective in all that I do. I desire to be effective in my service to God, my husband, children and other people that come my way by the grace of God. I want Him to be pleased with me as I know that when I am effective in these areas of my life, His name is glorified.

What is the level of your effectiveness? You will need to take stock of your life in order to evaluate your current level. You will also need to be sincere or else you would be deceiving yourself. There is no use being in a place and not adding value to it. In any organisation for instance, employers will only retain employees who are highly effective and valuable. This is because the organisation is in the marketplace to make profit and would be looking to retain staff that could possibly help make this happen through thier creative ideas or God given talents.

God is also seeking for effective workers in His vineyard. What have you decided to do for Him this year in His house? It is high time we changed our attitude for the better! Being effective raises your profile in the eyes of God and is a way of getting His attention. Determine to do your best this year!  Look for ways to increase your knowlege. This could come through various means; since we live in the information age. Shine for the Lord wherever you find yourself, and He who sees in secret, will reward you openly. God bless.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Ecclesiastes 9:10a

Happy New Year to you all! I am grateful to God for sparing our lives. To Him alone be all the praise. Last year was a year I saw another dimension of God’s power. He stayed true to His word and revealed to me areas of my life where I needed to trust Him more. I thank God that I was able to commit those areas unto Him and by His grace, I can testify that God is faithful.

How was last year for you? No matter how it was, this year shall be better in Jesus name. Do not think God is not interested in your affairs. That would be a lie from the pit of hell. The book of Isaiah 49 verse 15 says ” Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee”. God has marked you for greatness this year, so key into His programme for your life.

What goals have you set for yourself this year? Commit them unto the Lord and give Him room to fulfil them on His own terms. Do not allow fear to stop you this year as it did last year. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but one of power,  love and a sound mind. The mind that God has given you has the capability of achieving great things. No wonder Apostle Paul said, ” I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”. God is interested in you succeeding and not being a failure. Therefore, arise, because it is definitely going to be well with you this year in Jesus’ name.

Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of thier doings. Isaiah 3:10