Daily Challenge #3

Good morning,

 

It's early. The sun has not even risen, and I'm already eager to send out this challenge.

 

I was reading something this morning and wanted to share it with you.

 

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. " 1 John 4:18

 

"You may say to yourselves, "These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?" ¹⁸ But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. ¹⁹ You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. ²⁰ Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. ²¹ Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God." Deut. 7:17-21

 

What is it that you fear? What do you worry about? Where does your anxiety stem from? What is it in your life that is causing you to feel overwhelmed? Finances? Loneliness? Marriage troubles? Career decisions? Kids? Lack of kids? Bad habit or addiction?

 

There are 2 things for me: one is a financial strain, and two is a constant struggle to guide/train our boys to maturity in their faith and wisdom. So I need to memorize this verse for the confidence that comes in knowing that the God, who is with me (Emmanuel), will drive out my fear. I can be made complete in love when I trust in Him to meet my needs. Fear is a trust issue. Just a reminder that the Lord (the baby Jesus born in a barn) is a great and awesome God, powerful enough to drive out whatever is causing me pain and hurt and worry.

 

 

So our Challenge today is the memorize 1 John 4:18. Grab your journal and write it down. Think about the verse. Meditate on it - Envision God driving out your fears. Imagine him taking care of whatever your are worried about. Talk to him about what's bothering you.

 

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. " 1 John 4:18

 

May you be released from the pain, hurt, and worry that evade your peace.

 

May you have enough courage to trust the GREAT and AWESOME God to deal with whatever is bothering you this day.

Daily Challenge #2

Good morning to you.

 

Hope you survived another Thanksgiving. We had a nice time with our family. Love when the grandparents and relatives take the kiddos for a few days!

 

I've been overwhelmed by how many people are responding to this daily challenge. People are coming out of the woodwork to be part of this community of friends.

 

Daily Challenge #2:

 

At the top of your first page in your journal write the words: "I am..."

 

Then ponder all the things you are. Write them down. Don't be afraid to use some honesty.

 

For me, the first things that comes to mind:

Hard-headed.

Stubborn.

Frustrated.

Hopeful.

Stressed.

Intelligent.

Mom.

Daughter.

Friend.

Worker.

Christian.

35.

Hungry.

Desiring something more out of life.

Loved.

 

This is who you are, faults and all... and God loves you for who you are. After you come to place where you feel like stopping, say a prayer over this list, thanking God for your life, or maybe a plea for some help that we may look more like Jesus.

 

Jesus,

Thanks for my life - short-comings and all. Help me to develop into the person You desire for me to be.

In Your Name ~ Amen.

 

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! " 1 John 3.1

 

Have a great day!

 

 

Daily Challenge #1

Good morning, Friend,

Happy early Thanksgiving to you. Having our kids out of school this week has reminded me how much I used to enjoy getting the time off from school during the holidays. Admittedly, I still look forward to getting a few days off from work!

What are your plans for the holiday?

You may already be aware of this little thing called 'Daily Challenge' Each day (or a couple of times a week depending how chaotic my life gets) I'll email out a Daily Challenge. These challenges range from attempting to do some exercise to writing a thank you note to a friend.

Lately my ears and heart have been filled by stories of others who are feeling worthless and down. I definitely have my struggles as well. My heart is heavy with these stories. I'm praying these little challenges will offer some hope and a purpose for each of us. Hopefully they will become a flicker of hope.

So with that being said, our first challenge is… (Drum roll, please.)

To acquire a blank notebook: It doesn't need to be anything fancy. It can simply be a 3-ring binder with loose leaf papers or a $.59 spiral notebook from the grocery store. This notebook will be used to jot down thoughts/ideas along the journey.

I'll be posting these Daily Challenges on my blog

Http://beautifuladventure.blogspot.com. If you have any comments regarding the challenge, I'd love to hear about them on my blog.

Until next time,

Tanya