Wednesday, February 25, 2015

REFLECT

 New Life



Hello Loves!

I have been asked by my church to write a 40 Day Easter Devotional so that's where I'll be until Easter! You can follow along by texting the word REFLECT to 555888. Each morning at 6 AM you will receive the devotional or you can follow along by clicking here.

I am so thankful to the Lord for this opportunity!

Love y'all!

xo

Friday, February 13, 2015

Flies

*This is what I am sharing at my homeschool co-op today.

February: Welcome to the time of year when my homeschool related fears rush in. We passed the 100 day mark. It's almost convention time.  Cabin fever. You know what I mean. The blizzards: Juno, Marcus,  and Neptune. I can't. This would be a lovely time for me to try and provide some encouragement to weary and worn out moms. Riiiight. Thanks for volunteering me to share today, Michelle! P.S. The devotion scheduler is bossy! :)

Earlier this week as I began to ask the Lord what He would have me share, I kept recalling 1 John 4:18. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear...."

I have life fears. I'm sure we all do. Today though, I want to talk about fear as it relates to homeschooling. I know that I'm not alone in this. But just to be sure, I asked some fellow homeschool moms (online) to share some of their fears.  I will share some responses in a moment.

As it turns out, my fears are not unique to me.  Being responsible for our children's education is a daunting task.  My fears cause me to freak out and forget the Truth of the Scriptures for a minute. I sort of panic and tell myself that I can't do it... but my reactions don't bring glory to God.  Because the Truth is that He called me and has equipped me to do this even on my worst day of school.

These are the "flies" (fear/lies) I received and truth to replace them with:

...I fear opinions of family members...
Do not be afraid of people’s scorn, nor fear their insults. Isaiah 51:7 NLT

...I fear that I'm not a good enough teacher...
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3 NIV

...I fear that I'm not capable of giving them the best education...
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NLT

...I fear they are missing out because of me...
But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. Psalm 33:18 NLT

....I fear that I'm not enough...
On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 2:4

...I fear that I'm not teaching them what they need to know...
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD--Isaiah 11:2

....I fear that I am failing them....
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8

I'm so thankful to the Lord for this Truth:

"For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

These slavish fears we at war with are not from God. They are lies straight from the pit . We need to take back our thoughts of fear and replace them with the Truth. We are loved by the Lord. He has equipped us to teach, train and encourage our children. The enemy wants nothing more than for us to get caught up in what we are not doing. We need to stop falling into his traps and believe what God's Word says.

We have to trust our lives, our souls, our interests, our reactions, our routines, our children and their education to the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, they belong to Him.

                                                                     Image: www.lysaterkeurst.com