In the Word #3: Best joke of the day – “I am in control.”

by | Apr 29, 2022 | In the Word | 0 comments

A humorous quote that I have heard many times is that “If we want to hear God laugh, we only need to tell Him our plans.” We so often think we are in control of our lives. So many of the self-help books and modern day quotes enforce this fallacy…for example:

  • “No one has power over you unless you give it to them, you are in control of your life and your choices decide your own fate.” Anonymous
  • “If you don’t like the situation you are in, change it. You are in control of your own life.” Anonymous
  • “You control you.” Anonymous
  • and SO MANY MORE!!

However, as a Christ follower, I know that the true control in my life is through God when I am submitting to His will. I am not saying that I do not have free will. Clearly, I do… as seen when I examine the poor decisions that I have made throughout my life and the resulting painful outcomes. I know God would not have lead me to some of the places I have gone! However, I do believe that God is able to redeem my life and my poor choices. He will use my life for the good of His kingdom. When I choose Him, he will lead me to the path that He has laid out for me. And my experiences and poor decisions, the trials that I have endured by my own choices, He is able, willing, and delighted to bring beauty from the ashes. He will use all my story to equip me for the journey He has for me. There is nothing that I have done that will surprise him. He is omniscient…He knows all things. I do not need to hide from Him. I may be my true self and He will accept me. And He is willing to work with all the outcomes of my life due to my own choices towards the good of His kingdom. A few of the scripture verses that I choose to remember and hold as Truth regarding God’s control in my life as as follows:

  • “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
  • “He refreshes my soul, He guides me along the right paths for his names’ sake.” Psalm 23:3
  • “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21
  • “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” – Colossians 1:17

Thank you, Jesus!! You are my God and my strength. You lead me in paths of righteousness for Your purpose. (Psalm 23:1-3) I desire to submit to you. I have hope because I know you will make right the things that I have done wrong. All of my poor decisions will be redeemed by You as my Lord and Savior.


REFLECTION:

  • What choices have you made in your life that you are not proud of?
  • Have you given these to God? If not, why not, my Friend?
  • Have you confessed your sin to Him and accepted His forgiveness?

We are saved, my Friends, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus. Not by our works.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)We will never be good enough on our own to redeem our story. But God desires this most of all. That we come running to Him in faith, and He will have His arms open wide to accept us just as we are. To shed light in the darkest parts of our heart. He will hold us and comfort us as we pour out our hearts to him in repentance. He will wipe our tears away and adorn us in white by cleansing all our sin. (Isaiah 1:18)


Live no longer, my Friends, in the chains of bondage from sin. Break free. Rejoice. Praise our Lord. For He is waiting for us to come to Him, and He freely gives us the forgiveness we desire. Let this be your next free choice! Ask for forgiveness, and it will be given to you when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.


“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9


PRAYER: Lord, our Father, we praise your name as our Redeemer and our Lord. You offer us freedom from bondage. You offer us a better path. You are willing and able to redeem our story as we submit control of our lives to your capable hands. Lord, help us to submit to you. To confess our sin to You. To seek your guidance. To choose You! And as a result of choosing You, we also choose joy! Amen.

Hugs & blessings, Sweet Circle,

Stacy Turley

Behind the Scenes #2: Affirming the Calling

by | Apr 26, 2022 | Behind the Scenes | 0 comments

“Writing…Really?  Writing…This can’t be right.  Writing…I am not trained for this.  Writing…what would I say?  Who would listen?  Writing…What if I say the wrong thing? Writing…oh, boy!”
My mind was filled with doubts and fear.  However, God was not done planting seeds in my mind to help me overcome these doubts, step out in faith, and surrender to Him.  He has gently persisted in revealing His plan.  And He has firmly reminded me that it is His plan, His words, and His strength that will work through me…not my own.  My desire to hear His voice spurred me on in prayer.  My prayers allowed God to open my eyes and ears to an awareness that I did not perceive before.  I cried out to Him for direction.  My plea included phrases like,

  • “Don’t leave me in the wilderness, Lord.”
  • “Help me hear you, Jesus.”
  • “Help me say YES even if I am afraid or feel ‘not good enough’. For it is not me but YOU that I want people to hear.”

Here are the places God met me:

  • I received an email from an online Christian devotional site asking if I would be interested in submitting a writing sample to them in order to apply to be a devotional writer.  I don’t recall receiving this ever in the past. 
    • My step:  Sadly, nothing.  I did not submit a sample, but I did feel God leading me to consider this calling.
  • I received an email from Proverbs 31 Ministries to attend a women’s conference called She Speaks for writers and speakers.  Again, this was the first time I recall receiving this information on this conference.
    • My step:  I signed up for the conference!
  • I read several devotionals over the subsequent weeks about other servants of God where God was telling them that their wait was over.  It was time for them to take the next steps.  I felt God saying a similar message in my spirit. 
    • My step:  I spent time in praise and prayer letting God know I see Him moving, and I hear His message for me being affirmed.
  • As the She Speaks conference approached, I realized I could not attend the weekend of the conference as I was going to be helping my son pack to move from Indiana to Washington D.C. on a Friday night and then flying out on Sunday to help my daughter move from Indiana to Oregon.   
    • My step:  Doubt and fear.  “Did I misunderstand you, Lord?”
  • I called the conference coordinator to tell them of my dilemma.  To my surprise, they said that the entire conference is videotaped, and I could watch it anytime I wanted to on my own time.
    • My step:  Praise to God.  He provided a window!
  • I watched the She Speaks conference online.  It was so powerful and provided tools and guidance I much needed on writing and speaking.  It also comforted me that other writers and speakers had to overcome doubts and fears when they got started too.
    • My step:  I wrote my Calling Statement.  A Calling Statement is a unique filter to make decisions based on God’s vision and provision for us.
  • I received a call from one of our associate pastors at church.  She had two women who were looking for a mentor.  She said she thought of me and wanted to know if I would meet with them.
    • My step:  I said YES.  I met with one of them and we are still meeting over a year later.  We support and encourage each other and I am practicing sharing my faith with her.

Not only does God continue to affirm His plan for me, He also helps me battle the doubt and fear that still sneaks up on me. 

  • The last speaker of the 2020 She Speaks conference was Jennie Allen.  She wrote a book called Get Out of Your Head.  Jennie shared how one of the most important battles we will face in life is the battle in our minds.  We must find victory of the negative thoughts that circle over and over in our minds.  The enemy loves to fill our minds with lies.  We must fight this battle with the Truth of God’s Word.
    • My step:  I bought the book and read it with a friend to discuss and process.
  • The same week, I noticed a book on my shelf that caught my eye called, The Storm Inside by Sheila Walsh.  It continued to speak God’s Truth to me about overcoming the lies and doubts with God’s Truth of faith and trust.
    • My step:  I read the book and found many of the same messages from Get Out of You Head.  I felt God’s whispers assuring me to keep pressing on.  Thank you, Jesus.
  • At the same time, I lead a women’s ministry small group at church called Chasing Vines by Beth Moore.  So many messages of hope, resilience, and trust that God will walk with us in our calling.  It is not to be done on our own but with Him.  He is in the lead.

All of these books, speakers, and experiences have become sources of Truth for me.  I heard in the words and wisdom of these women writers and speakers that God’s plan is better than my plan.  God’s Truth will break the enemy.  God’s purpose for me is perfect for where I am and how He has equipped me.  He uses ordinary people for extraordinary work, and He does not require educational or societal credentials first.  Thank you, Jesus.
Three lessons I learned in this journey of affirming my calling.

  1.  My doubts and fears are not from God.  Doubt and fear are from the enemy trying to stop me from doing God’s work.
  2. God is asking me to step out in faith…to say YES to His purpose for me.  I only need to take the steps, but He will complete the tasks, touch the hearts, and change the lives of His people.
  3. This is about God’s work, not my work.  I am a vessel He uses…an obedient servant.  I hope to be smaller so that He may be bigger.  I want women to hear His message of hope, not my words.

Look for upcoming post for more at Behind the Scenes #3:  Two Steps Forward, One Step Back.

Hugs and blessings, Sweet Circle,
Stacy

In the Word #2: “Anger is Fear’s Bodyguard”

by | Apr 22, 2022 | In the Word | 0 comments

A few years ago I read a quote from a book that stated ANGER IS FEAR’S BODYGURAD by Celeste Ng in Little Fires Everywhere.  I had never heard this statement before and it stirred something in me.  Was this true?  Was anger fear’s bodyguard?    

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.  He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy, no shadow of shame will darken their faces.” – Psalm 34:4-5

When we are experiencing anger or fear, we tend to lash out or withdrawal inside ourselves.  We can become emotional and yell, stomp our feet, cry, behave irrationally, or all of the above.  In this verse, King David was afraid for his safety as this is likely addressing his escape from the Philistine king, Abimelech (1 Samual 21:10-15).  In this Psalm, David is determined to give honor and glory to God who has saved him in the past.  As David remembers the faithfulness of God to strengthen him and protect him, his hope and confidence in the Lord to be with him and deliver him from this current fear is also strengthened.

What can we learn from David’s experience in this passage?  Here are a few lessons:

  • Pray to the Lord.  Anger may drive us to lash out to others  with hurtful words or actions if we let it rule us.  Fear may chain us in our own internal prison with the inability to act at all.  When we stop and pray, not only do we give ourselves a moment to calm down, we allow our great counselor to step in and help us.
  • The Lord answers us.  Jesus hears our prayers.  In 1 Peter 3:12 the scripture states, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”    As followers of Christ, we have a direct line to the Jesus’s phone.  His is waiting for our call…our prayer to Him.  When we must invite him into our life and our experiences, he will hear us and he will answer.  Maybe not the way we want it answered but he will answer.
  • Jesus frees us.  We are in bondage when we allow fear and anger to control us.  The enemy would love for us to stay chained.  Through prayer and the guidance from the Holy Spirit in us, we may be freed from the chains of fear and anger.  We can be held in the arms of Jesus as our protector. 
  • We are filled with joy.  With Jesus intervening for us and freeing us from the bondage of fear and anger, we are able to rejoice and radiate to others a strength, patience and calm that is beyond our own understanding.  Philippians 4:6-7 states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests by made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Amen!
  • We will bear no shame.  When we allow our emotions to rule us, we may find ourselves acting in a way that we will regret later.  These responses may cause us to feel guilty or ashamed of our behavior.  However, Jesus has the power to bring victory over this behavior.  As we rejoice in His protection, we are also able to celebrate that we carry no shame from actions and words we regret.

We may be experiencing anger or fear from a variety of life’s circumstances such as illness, job security, abuse, relationship difficulties, political collapse, war, or everything in between.  It may or may not be true that “Anger is fear’s bodyguard”, but we do know through God’s Word that faith replaces fear.  Faith will help us remove fear and anger from dominating us and keeping us in bondage. 

God promises He will be with me through all of my circumstances…the good and the bad.  He will never leave me.  God promises that He has a plan for me…a plan for good, not evil.  A plan for prosperity in Him.  God promises that His kingdom WILL WIN and that I am a child of His who will inherit in His kingdom.  And guess what…He not only has made these promises to me, but to YOU also.  When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, when you repent from your sin and turn back to God, then all these promises are yours too.

Prayer:  Thank you, Jesus, for loving me even though I still feel fear and anger at times.  Help me to overcome these emotions…to not let them rule me…and to put my trust in you.  Help me to rely on Your promises and truth and not get pulled into the comments and opinions of mankind.  You know me more than I know myself and I desire to trust in You for all things.  Amen.

Hugs & blessings, Sweet Circle,

Stacy