3 Things To Remember While Waiting

May 18, 2017May 18, 2017 ~ Tayrina Gonzalez ~ 23 Comments

I stumbled across the story of Hannah recently during my devotional time. I’ve read the story before, but that particular morning I saw it with fresh eyes.

You can find her prayer in 1 Samuel 1:10-11. Here are 3 things I learned from Hannah about waiting.

3 things to remember while waiting

3 Things To Remember While Waiting

1. Don’t turn away from God.

Verse 10 tells us Hannah was experiencing “deep anguish” and she “wept bitterly.” But through all of her grief, she continued to pray. She never allowed her hurt or sense of loss and grief cause her to turn from God. She trusted Him and believed He would one day answer her prayer.

2. Be specific.

Verse 11 tells us Hannah was specific in her prayers. She prays “Oh Lord…give Your maidservant a male child.” She did not pray for just any child…she prayed for a son. Only a son could take care of her after her husband died.

James 4:2b states “You do not have because you do not ask God.” Even though God knows what we’re thinking and what we desire, we demonstrate faith when we specifically ask for what we need.

3. Be prepared for any response.

The last thing Hannah teaches us in this prayer is a little tough to hear. Even though she prayed, trusted God to hear her and was specific, she was prepared to hear a response other than yes. In verse 10, she starts her prayer with “Lord Almighty, if …”

IF

It’s such a small word, but it packs a major punch. “IF” was Hannah’s way of acknowledging that she trusted God regardless of the outcome.

We must remember that God is sovereign. We must trust His plan for our lives even IF we can’t understand what He’s doing.

Proverbs 13:12 tells us:

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.”

“When” is not on our timeline. “When” is up to the Lord. “When” might look different than we expect. But “when” we trust in God, His plan will be our tree of life.

Hold fast to Him and know that He is with you…regardless of the outcome.

If you would like to dig deeper into the ways God answers prayer, feel free to check out my article “The 3 Ways God Answers Prayer” for more information.

Until next time…be well…be encouraged.

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What do you want Jesus to do for you?

May 11, 2017May 10, 2017 ~ Tayrina Gonzalez ~ 7 Comments

What’s Your Number One Prayer Request? – If you were allowed one request of God what would it be? Often in the gospels, Jesus asked people:

“What do you want me to do for you?” Matthew 20:32

What do you want Jesus to do for you

How do you think you would answer Jesus? I know that I could easily come up with a list a mile long on things I would want Jesus to do for me.

Some things I would request would be for practical needs, such as enough money to pay our bills, put our children through school and support our missionary friends.

Other requests would be more for our spiritual needs, such as the salvation of family members and friends, a greater understanding of the Bible and the boldness to speak to others about Christ.

Now there is nothing wrong in bringing all of our needs to God. In fact he encourages us to do that. Many times, especially in the Psalms we are told to pour out our heart to the Lord.

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” – Psalm 62:8

However, as I contemplated the answer to my question, that if we were only allowed one request what would it be, I know that I would answer in the following way.

“Lord Jesus please satisfy my heart with your steadfast love today, so that I do not go looking for it in other people, my circumstances and in other things.”

What do you want Jesus to do for you 2

God created us with a need to be loved by him. When I pray that I would be satisfied by his love, I find that I have a peace, joy and hope that goes beyond my circumstances and seems to keep my other needs in the right perspective.

I find myself resting in his control of things and not being as anxious, as I know that if I am loved by him, he will work all things together for my good and his glory.

I pray this prayer often through the day and am surprised at how he lifts my head up off my circumstances to remind me that I have an incredible treasure and that is the love of God.

I would encourage you to try the same prayer for yourself and see how he warms your heart and strengthens you for whatever lays ahead. His love is steadfast and will never let you go.

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Jane

Jane blogs at Just Take a Moment, where she shares about encouragement, life, prayer and much more! She is married and have three children. Visit her at the blog or follow along in social media: FACEBOOK | PINTEREST

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How To Replace Fear With Faith In Your Life

May 8, 2017May 1, 2017 ~ Tayrina Gonzalez ~ 22 Comments

The word says in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God. Many times we face daily situations that cause us fear. We have all experienced fear. However, the word tells us that perfect love casts out fear. So we have a way to replace fear with faith. A faith that pleases God. Let’s walk this journey!

How to replace fear with faith in your life

Las week I started reading a book called “Women Who Move Mountains” by Sue Detweiler. An excellent book, which while reading it, it was confronting my inner being. Many questions began to emerge from me about my faith, my fears, and where my confidence in the difficult moments was really grounded.

In one of the chapters she shares that whenever we make the decision to trust God fully, it is when we change or replace our fear with faith. Not only in some moment or situations, but everyday!

The Dictionary of Bible Themes defines faith as:

A constant outlook of trust towards God, whereby human beings abandon all reliance on their own efforts and put their full confidence in him, his word and his promises.

Our moments of greatest fear may be the opportunities for God to manifest His power and His glory in us and for our faith to be strengthened and to take root in God alone. We can not overcome fear if we trust in ourselves or in man. We can only replace fear by relying fully on God’s promises, provision, and care for us.

Praying is a key for replacing fear with faith

Each time you feel fear in a situation, pray to God confidently knowing that He will give you a solution to your problem. But you must trust in his provision. Remember that God has full knowledge of your past, present and future and knows what is best for you. In this way we can place our trust in the one who knows everything about us and sees the path we are going to follow first than ourselves.

Are you prepared today to replace your fear for faith? What situation should you put today in prayer before God? Are you walking in faith?

I will walk in faith printable

Today there is a free printable for you! A beautiful reminder to walk in faith everyday as declaration of your trust in God. This printable is in PDF format in 8 x 10 size, perfect for your war room or your favorite room! – Enjoy it!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD!

Maybe you will like to read: How obedience will lead you to a victory

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Praying Through The Healing Process

May 4, 2017April 28, 2017 ~ Tayrina Gonzalez ~ 16 Comments

There have been so many times that in my suffering my heart wandered from the Lord.

Why is it that in times of need, we tend to run from the One who can truly heal us?

I’ve feared that He won’t answer. I’ve felt abandoned and betrayed. I’ve tried to create hope for myself where hope was lost.

Praying Through The Healing Process

I’ve looked for a faster answer elsewhere and every time I came up empty, I returned to the Lord in the same broken place – in need of healing and hope.

When we face brokenness the Lord is the only one who can truly mend our wounds.

I had to accept that the healing process might not look like I’d envisioned.

It was only then that I found the courage and the strength to approach God with boldness.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. -Hebrews 4:16

When we approach the Lord, trusting His goodness and His working, our hearts will be truly opened for the healing transformation and redemption God longs for us to have.

When I finally surrendered my picture of what healing looked like, my heart was opened to healing more beautiful than anything I’d ever imagined.

God opened my heart to this new picture through dedicated prayer.

I had to hit my knees and fold my hands so many times before my heart was softened.

I prayed in surrender more times than I can count before I truly felt myself release my hold on these expectations.

Prayer doesn’t need to wait until our feelings are all set in place. Prayer takes place before we even know where to begin.

Before we can see the final picture, before we feel like surrendering, before we feel the healing, we must offer our hearts to God in prayer.

I find it helpful in these times to write down prayers. I write short prayers of surrender or asking for healing and hope. When I don’t have the words to say, I utter these small prayers.

God knows what we are able to give. Search your heart for areas you may be holding back in prayer. Ask God to reveal these areas to you.

When we offer our hearts to God in prayer, He brings us healing beyond anything we can imagine.

Meet our Guest:

Nicole encourages us to keep walking in faith no matter the circumstances of life maintaining hope. She blogs at Courage, Hope Love where she shares her experience in marriage, life and faith. You can connect with her at Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

If you want to know more about her and her blog you can go HERE directly. If you want to read more about her posts on hope and encouragement you can read these posts HERE!

For the Woman who prays for a Child

April 29, 2017 ~ Tayrina Gonzalez ~ 6 Comments

Maybe while you read this post you are living this experience. Perhaps you have already lived the experience and you are the women who are now praying for a child. If you lived the experience or you are going through the process, I know what you are living and feeling. I am a woman who prays for a son the same as you.

For the Woman who prays for a Child

A woman may have several reasons why she can not get pregnant. It can be due to physical or genetic problems, among others. No matter the reasons, every woman who has gone through this brings with it an emotional load that is often found in the depths of her being.

Some women speak it and express it with their family or friends. Others only pray to God so that the longing of their heart is answered. There is a woman in the Bible who prayed with bitterness of spirit for a son. She was wise enough to recognize that if she prayed to God He would answer her request. Not only that, but she knew that she should leave his emotional load on the altar.

That woman is Hannah.

Hannah inspires you and me to wait patiently for God. It teaches us that we should pray and pray and pray until our request is answered by Him. If we pray we must be prepared to receive God’s response in different ways. God can heal us, God can bring life to our wombs, God can open doors and opportunities for adoption, God can do as He wants to do in our lives.

For the Woman who prays for a Child 2

If we long and patiently wait for His perfect will for us, He will surely put into our hands what we desire in His time.

My experience has been, long times of prayer and waiting, pouring out my heart, my sadness, my anguish and my yearnings on the altar with God. He alone can fill my voids, He alone can bring answers to my prayer. If you are a woman who prays for a child, surely God will answer your prayer. You will not know how, nor when but you can receive healing in your soul and your emotions in His presence.

But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman with a despairing spirit. I have not been drinking wine or any intoxicating drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord….. So the woman went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. (1 Samuel 1-28)

Do not give up to your prayer, do not give up to your faith, do not surrender in your dreams. Always remember that God has plans of good for your life. Do not give up!

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