She Buildeth Her House

Devotions

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Simple Christmas Devotional for Moms and Kids

I love Christmastime. It can be stressful, sure. But the wonder of it never gets old. GOD made Himself like us, He became flesh, to save us from ourselves.

I look forward to doing this advent devotional with my kids each year. Hopefully it will be a blessing to you too! There is a mom section and a kid section. I do mine in the mornings and then do the kids part with them beside the Christmas tree at night before bed, and I couldn’t love it more.

https://amotherfarfromhome.com/advent-devotional/

It does use a children’s Bible that we already have. If you don’t, I highly encourage it. It uses even Old Testament stories as a way to point to Jesus.

Here’s a link to a cheaper than Amazon place to get books, since they are gently used!

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-jesus-storybook-bible-every-story-whispers-his-name_sally-lloyd-jones_jago/247609/item/9897331/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax_high_vol_frontlist_under_%2410&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiApaarBhB7EiwAYiMwqtytxJd5QtYNADq9WCW983f9TNOL9hIXDjNMO3PDstEtnGxuwfPaphoCGGcQAvD_BwE#idiq=9897331&edition=4614061

I hope today is a beautiful start to the Christmas season for you!

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A Simple Way to Ruin Your Life

I’m reading in 1 Samuel and I was struck with a truth today.

God loves us, really loves us, and His way is ALWAYS best.

But He won’t force His way on us.

God warned His people what would happen in they insisted on having a king. How it would ruin things. But they didn’t care. They INSISTED ON THEIR OWN WAY.

And so He it to them.

This is so scary to me. The thought of God giving me MY way because of my own stubborn heart. Because I want what I want when and how I want it, no matter the repercussions.

He sometimes will do that. And the end isn’t pretty. Of course He does it to bring us back to Himself, but I’d rather choose Him the first time around.

What are you holding onto like that? Demanding your way? Is it worth ruining your life over?

Run from whatever it is and run back to Him. He’s waiting. He’s ready to help put the pieces back together. His ways are higher. He always knows best.

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Simple Principles for Defeating Giants-Part 5

5. David was content to be himself.

David was given the option of using all kinds of fancy weapons and armor when going to fight Goliath.

He would have looked gooooood, like a real warrior. 

Intimidating.  Strong. 

Instead, he chose to use tried and true methods. He didn’t try to be someone else. He used a slingshot and a stone that he’d used a thousand times before. He knew his strengths. He knew God had enabled him before to kill a lion and a bear when the situation called for it. And what’s a giant in comparison to wild animals?

APPLICATION: Just be you.

God created you to be who you are with all of your strengths and weaknesses. You don’t have to look like a warrior to defeat a giant. Just remember all the battles God has brought you through before.

Always remember the battle is the Lord’s. This one might look a little more intimidating. But if it’s a lion, bear, or a giant, God’s got it under control.  

Just trust Him to take care of you. Be you. And go fight.

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Simple Principles for Defeating Giants-Part 4

If you missed parts one, two, or three, click to find them!

4. David’s goal was the glory of God. Period.

David didn’t walk up to Goliath full of pride. He didn’t offer to defeat Goliath so that he would look good in front of everyone else.

Instead, he gave credit to God again and again.

His motive for defeating the giant wasn’t for his own sake, but rather for God’s name’s sake. He had confidence in the Lord to deliver him from this giant, and that’s exactly what God did

APPLICATION: The main motivation you should have for defeating your giant is God’s glory. Not to make yourself look better in front of your friends or on Facebook.

Or to help you have more self-confidence. 

Or so you can use your accomplishments as a weapon to cut others down with. Your motive is to be God’s glory. 

Your anthem in life should not be “try harder.” Instead, it should be to “lean further” on Him. The more you lean on Jesus, the stronger you will become, and the more your life will point to the One who give you your life in the first place. And isn’t that the goal, after all?

Remember that HE is the vine and YOU are the branch. Without being connected to Him, you can do nothing.

Trying to produce fruit when you aren’t connected to the Vine is…well…fruitless.

Connect to Him. Give Him the glory. And stop fighting in your own strength for your own glory. You’ll be glad you did…especially when you watch a giant tumble to the ground.

Part 3, Part 2, Part 1

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Simple Principles for Defeating Giants-Part 3

This is a continuation of a previous blog, so if you missed parts one and two, go check them out!

The next principle the Lord has taught me from the story of David and Goliath is this:

David did his best.

Several descriptive words stood out to me when I read the story of David and Goliath this time. For example, verse 20 says, “David rose up EARLY in the morning”

He knew he had a job to do and he got up early to make sure he got it done. Also, verse 22 says, “and RAN into the army.” How many of us would run? To me, these words indicate that David didn’t take his orders lightly.

This passage also showed me that he took care of his responsibilities, as he left both his sheep and his carriage with a keeper, to watch over them while he was away. 

APPLICATION: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” (Colossians 3:23).

Do YOUR BEST. But here’s the catch, only YOU (and God) know what your 
best is.  For example, I’m doing my best at writing this blog. But there’s probably a million people who could write it much better than I do. Thankfully God doesn’t judge me by that. He only judges me on what I do with what He has given to me.

(SIDE NOTE: I am in no way advocating perfectionism. As good at it sounds in theory, and as much as the world advocates it, perfectionism will destroy you and your family quicker than you could ever imagine. When you believe that you are never good enough, or what you do could always use improvements, you have great difficulty in accepting others as well. We CANNOT be perfect. We can however do our best.)

Let me illustrate. If you have tended to your teething baby all day, the goldfish died and your 4 year old is devestated, you’ve been sick, a friend called for an hour phone counseling session, and your washer bit the dust, and the only meal you can muster that night is hotdogs and macaroni and cheese, give yourself a break. Having a bad attitude is going to harm your family a lot more than a TV dinner every once in awhile.

But also remember that God equips you to do exactly what He’s called you to do. So if you’re stressed out and feel like you can’t get everything done ALL THE TIME, look for some things to eliminate. Pray and ask God to show you. He will.

He may show you that He wants you to learn to rely on His strength and not your own.

Or maybe He’ll show you that He wants you to learn what is important and what isn’t. After all, scrubbing your sink with a toothbrush or alphabetizing your spices isn’t really going to matter that much when you get to Heaven 🙂

Maybe He’ll gently remind you that you spend too much time on your phone.

Whatever He shows you, act on it in the best way you know how. And I know you won’t regret it.

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Simple Principles for Defeating Giants-Part 2

If you didn’t catch part 1, go check it out!

2. David did NOT go looking for a fight.

David wasn’t planning to defeat a giant that day. He just was following orders from his father. He was a sheep keeper, which didn’t involve slaying giants. He had a monotonous job that he did day after day after day. The orders David received for the day happened to lead him right into a battlefront, but he did not go looking for a giant to fight.

 APPLICATION: Don’t pick fights. Don’t make mountains out of molehills. Don’t be easily offended.  Life has enough drama without creating more. Some people seem to find pleasure in a constant state of turmoil, and oddly enough, it’s often the ones who claim to “hate drama.” 

As a rule, if you find yourself wanting to fight, it’s probably best for you to stay quiet. Wisdom is learning to speak out when you would rather stay quiet, and staying quiet when you’d really like to say something.

Part 1