hope

Is this challenge a test?

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

We’re all going to encounter challenges along life’s journey. Some of you may be in the middle of a marriage crisis. Some of you are facing a health or financial challenge. Or maybe you are in the middle of a really difficult situation with one of your children, or your mother-in-law. It’s so natural in the middle of those challenges to throw up your hands in despair. It’s even tempting to give up on believing that God is good and has a plan to bring something good out of the painful trial.
But have you considered that God may be allowing that trial to test whether your faith is genuine? Psalm 11:5 says, “The Lord tests the righteous…” Maybe God is waiting to see whether you’re only willing to trust Him and obey Him when times are good. Maybe God is asking you stay steady and calm in the middle of the storm as you stubbornly keep your eyes on Him. Maybe God is testing you to see if you truly believe that He is good and will bring something good out of this distressing situation. Afterall, He makes that promise in Romans 8:28.
What will you do during the challenge or trial? What you do, and how you react, reveal what you actually believe about God. Is your faith solid? Is your faith genuine? Can your trust in God withstand the test?

** or view this topic as a 2 minute VIDEO BELOW

Handling devil-inspired thoughts

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

Don’t you sometimes wish you could silence the voices in your head? You may hear the voice that runs you down and reminds you of your failures…or conversely, you may hear a voice that tells you your husband is a loser and you’re doomed to a life of misery. Either kind of thought is from the pit of hell!

We MUST examine every thought rolling around in our heads and determine whether it’s true or whether it’s a twisting of the truth that’s inspired by Satan. Remember, Satan’s mission is “to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). He wants to slowly crush you with the weight of his lies about your value, your future and your husband.

2 Corinthians 10:5 instructs us to “take every thought captive” and we really need to do that. The next time a self-deprecating thought enters your mind, stop and ask God if this is really true. (I bet it won’t be!) The next time a hopeless thought enters your mind, ask God if it’s true. (I know it won’t be!). The next time you have the thought that your husband is beyond redemption, ask God if that’s true. (Absolutely not!). It’s time we stopped believing every thought that pops into our minds! We must intentionally pause and ask God whether that thought is true or from the devil. Here’s a simple, but hugely clarifying, question to ask yourself in that moment: “Does this sound like something God would say?”

Facing something daunting?

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

If we could all truly embrace the Biblical principle of taking just one day at a time, we would all be better off! Yes, this is a Bible principle. Jesus says in Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” In other words, instead of worrying and fretting about the “what if…” questions, Jesus tells us to just focus on doing what we should do today.
How does this apply to you? If it seems overwhelming to you to put your marriage back together after betrayal, just choose to move forward, one day at a time. If you tend to avoid confronting your husband or establishing boundaries on wrong behavior because you fear the possibility of future tension, trust in Jesus and move forward, one day at a time. If it seems daunting to take off the 50 pounds you’ve gained in recent years, don’t think about how hard this is going to be for the rest of your life. Just choose to eat healthy today and take it one day at a time.
Worrying about the future is pointless. Being consumed by the “what if…” questions will only keep you trapped in fear. Let’s do what Jesus says. Let’s decide each morning to do what we know we should do that day, and let’s trust God to handle tomorrow.