I’ve heard a lot of talk lately about preparing for the attacks of Satan. We certainly do need to prepare and put on the whole armor of God. We also need to be encouraged that we are more than conquerers in HIM. We have victory in Jesus. We need to have faith in His awesome power!
My church is going through a very important process. We lost our Pastor last February, he left the ministry, leaving us with heavy hearts and a determination to see things through to the end (pressing on toward the goal!).
My husband is one of the 7 members of the pulpit committee which has been meeting almost every week for many many months.
They have been seeking God’s will in searching for pastor and now tomorrow we meet the man who may be the one of God’s choosing. His wife will also be with him, and their 3 year old daughter.
The pulpit committee are all (18 adults total, plus children) having dinner at my house at 6:00pm to meet this man and his wife. I beg your prayers. I am feeling weak. But in my weakness, HE can make me strong.
For myself and my sisters in Christ who are also feeling weak, I write these verses:
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; His is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend of God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:5-8
He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:4 (warm place, isn’t it?)
Casting all your care on HIM; for He careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (all. all. all. all.)
Be still and know that I am God. Ps. 46:10 (a command!)
“Lord, keep me still,
though stormy waves may blow
and waves my little bark may overflow
or even if in darkness I must go;
Lord keep me still.
The waves are in Thy hand,
the roughest seas subside at Thy command.
Steer Thou my bark in safety to the land
and keep me still,
keep me still.”
~Author Unknown
Be still my soul! the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still my soul! thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul! thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still my soul! The waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still my soul! the hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still my soul! when change and tears are past;
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
words by Katherine von Schlegal, b. 1697
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, “IT IS WELL, IT IS WELL, WITH MY SOUL!!!!
“Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul!”-from the hymn “It is Well” by Horatio Spafford
“Let everything that hath breath PRAISE THE LORD!”
Spend much time with the Lord today and focus on His goodness. When all around us is dismal and bleak, He gives us sunshine in our souls always.
Also, we need to take care of our bodies and amazingly enough at this time of year we often neglect to do just that. Here are a few ideas: Get enough sleep at night and take time to rest during the day. Eat and drink wisely. Get some fresh air. Exercise. Take a daily vitamin. Spend quality time with your loved ones. Do a little something to pamper yourself. Don’t overdose yourself with caffeine. Keep a sense of humor. Wear PINK!~or RED and a pair of crazy socks or tights! (coffee and fashion tips ispired by ebabe)
Good to be Home 
Thanks for the reminder that we ARE more than conquerers in HIM! Praise the Lord. I’ve been dealing with some “attacks of Satan” lately, and you’ve been an inspiration to me today.
I needed this reminder today. This next week and half is going to be absolutely crazy for me, too. Plus, I have that personal concern I told you about. I can definitely feel Satan trying to get me discouraged and overwhelmed. I’ll be praying for you. What are you serving tomorrow night?
Wow, you DO have a lot of work ahead of you. You’ll do fine and be able to enjoy your loads of company with an air of grace and hospitality! Thanks for the reminder we all need to just lean on God. We are in a battle with Satan each and every day…he roams about like a lion seeking whom he may devour. If we are strong in Christ he won’t be able to penetrate our spirit.
The church we are at now was without a Pastor for 3 years before DH came. Being on a pulpit committee is a great deal of work and stress,but so it looking for the church God has for you!
Oh to remember that we are more than conquerers in Him! Thank you for your great post today. Be at peace about your coming guests. All will be well since Jesus has been invited. Blessings on your day.
Thank you for this, Shanda. I really appreciate your concern and encouragement. I hope tonight goes well for you, I can’t wait to hear how it goes. Love, Trish
During a great encouraging sermon on Proverbs 31 yesterday, I was reminded that my great hero had an optimistic attitude (opposite of ebabe!)
“She shall rejoice in time to come” or, translated differently
“She smiles at the days ahead”
Praying for all of us, that we might rejoice in His strength and goodness in the coming weeks,
ebabe
I am praying for you dear sister. I love your new picture. Love, Beverly
And I am so out of it, I meant tomorrow night. LOL I hope tomorrow night goes well. 🙂 Silly me.
God is in control and He gives us strength when we are weak. Keep your eyes on Jesus. That was often said to me when I was young. I still say it often to myself. I will be praying and all things will work out. I pray that God would give you peace, strength, and comfort. He is our confidence.
I needed those words of encouragement. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for the encouraging words. I will pray in earnest for your meeting tonight. Take care~ Laurel
You have been on my mind since first reading this post…I’m praying.
I love your Christmasy look and new profile picture. Very pretty and festive! 🙂 I’ve been having a very blue today and found encouragement here. Thank you for sharing your heart. 🙂 I will pray for you today as you prepare for your company tonight. Be blessed!
Wonderful thoughts! So uplifitng! Thank you for sharing the encouragement. Every word of the post was needful. This is a stressful time for a lot of people. It need not be if we iwll only remember the reason for all of the “hustle and bustle”.
Hi Shanda!
What a wonderful post……such an important message, and right now during holiday season, very timely. I feel very overwhelmed at times right now with so much to do each day and seemingly so little time to do it in. The temptation is to wind myself up like a top and spin out of control trying to do it all. However, the Lord has seen fit to cause me to have to slow down much more often than I would have done on my own. Levi wasn’t gaining weight like he should’ve, so now I need to sit down and nurse him for a half hour to an hour every two hours. It is a blessing to hold and enjoy my baby more often and to be able to truly “see” what is going on with the other kids because I’m not busy “doing” so much. Now, I am learning just how much they are capable of and can sit and nurse, while delegating jobs they can do to them. What a wise God we serve! The kids are most of the time, quite happy to help me out since they really want to see their beloved baby brother grow like he should. This too, is a blessing. I see character issues more readily when I’m not up doing it all myself as well and can take care of some important training in each child, as a result.
Well, I’ve rambled here, but just wanted to say…..”Be still my soul” and “rest in Him” …… this is the message the Lord has been speaking to me as well. He’s even sent help from some dear sisters in areas that are important in order to save some time in the long run and one of them is coming today to help organize my kitchen. This will save lots of time in the long run and I’m so grateful for Debbie’s servant heart.
Have a blessed day!
Love,
Jana
RYC: All is not well, but taking it minute by minute at this point seems to be working.
Thanks for caring!
Hugs