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Being Confident Of This

Grace for the work-in-progress woman

How to Trust God With Your Marriage

August 15, 2015 by jstults 3 Comments

Sometimes trusting God with your marriage is just plain hard!  Our men go through tough times and so do we.  Maybe there has been a breach of trust, or maybe you’re both caught in the midst of a painful trial.

Maybe you’ve simply grown apart.

Whatever the case may be, trusting our husbands isn’t always foremost in our minds.

The hard part about being married to an imperfect man is that we are called to trust him and submit to him anyways, even:

  • When he forgets to pay bills
  • When he breaks a promise
  • When he grows depressed
  • When he acts irresponsibly
  • When he acts unloving
  • When he runs from God like Jonah

Failing to trust your husband is really failing to trust God. Hard to hear? Yes, I know.  Read here to find out how to trust God with  your marriage!

Do you find that challenging?

Because I certainly do!

When I see evidence that my husband is really struggling in his faith and not walking well with the Lord, I begin to question his judgement and leadership for our family.

Are you frustrated by failure you in your marriage? Do you wonder if there is any hope left for you? Hope for the Hurting Wife is a 30 day devotional journey written by two women who survived the muck and mire of marriage problems. Christian marriage|difficult marriage|encouragement for wives|hope for marriage|should I get a divorce|how to stay married| healthy marriage|trusting God with marriage|wife|husband|christian woman

That slippery slope of distrust quickly leads straight to disrespect if I don’t catch it in time.

How to Trust God with Your Marriage

Join me over at my friend Starla’s place for the rest of this piece on learning to trust God by trusting our husbands!  It’s my contribution to her awesome 31 Days of Trusting God series. 🙂

Click the picture below to read!

Failing to trust your husband is really failing to trust God. It's a hard pill to swallow sometimes, I know!  Read here to learn how to trust God with your marriage!

Filed Under: Marriage Tagged With: Christian living, Christian Marriage, Christian Women, how to trust, Husband, Marriage, Trust, trust my husband, Wife

Listening for His Voice ~ Grace and Truth Week 31

August 14, 2015 by jstults 3 Comments

Hello faithful readers and friends!  It’s our favorite part of the week when we share and find all sorts of encouragement in the Grace and Truth Christian Living link-up. 🙂

Since I missed sharing a feature last week due to our lovely and relaxing family time away, I thought I’d share two features this week!  (Okay, truthfully I just really liked more than one, haha.)

I found encouraging words that really spoke to our current in-between status as we wait for approval to begin church-planting from Christi over at The Cheerio Trail.  Have you ever thought about learning to recognize the enemy’s pattern of attack in your life so that you can more easily head it off? Love these tips – especially number 2!

You can also follow Christi on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, as well as hear her voice via podcast.

I also really enjoyed this week’s post from Sarah at Abiding in Grace.  Sarah reminded me that the key to waiting is really rather simple. If you want to know, you’ll have to read it yourself. 🙂

You can also find Sarah on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Thanks to all of you for continuing to share quality Christian Living content with us each week. We appreciate you!

Listen for His voice this week, friends.
Jen 🙂

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Christian bloggers wanted for Grace & Truth : A Weekly Christian Link Up. Come share your recent Christian Living post with us!

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3.) Visit 1-2 other links and leave a meaningful comment! We want to encourage community, so please don’t link and run!

4.) All links are randomly sorted – feel free to link as early or as late as you’d like. The playing field is even!

In order to be featured next week:

5.) Grab a button or link back to encourage new linkers. This is not mandatory to participate, but is required to be featured.

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When You Need Showers of Blessing

August 9, 2015 by jstults 20 Comments

In the few weeks since my husband resigned his position as pastor of our previous church, he has filled out many a job application.

He’s even had several interviews.

But still….

nothing.

And I have to be honest, claiming God’s promises to provide for His children was a lot easier when we still had extra money sitting in the bank. It’s easier to trust Him for showers of blessing when we’re not quite in drought yet.

When needs arise, what is your first course of action? Often we neglect to ask for showers of blessing that our Heavenly Father is waiting to provide. What if we tried a different approach?

I knew that this moment would come when our faith would really be put to the test.

Now is the time.

Now is the time when the money is no longer coming in, the time when the savings account is running woefully low.

Yet now is also the time when we see the very hand of God act on our behalf in both big and small ways!

There shall be showers of blessing…

It’s true, friends, that in the midst of this season of trial, we are reaping a multitude of blessings.  Not just mercy drops, but showers!

I’ve been longing to keep record of the showers here in this space as stones of remembrance that I can look back on. So here goes.

A record of our showers of blessing:

~ unexpected income from a funeral my husband preached and I sang for

~ taking a family vacation we were planning but hadn’t paid for yet (not even a need, but purely a want)

~ Church Camp for our middle son

~ Missions trip for our oldest son

~ miscellaneous food for a family get-together

~ a tank full of gas

~ a Kohls gift card for some of our back-to-school shoe and clothing needs

~ new backpacks and school supplies from a local back-to-school carnival

~ a local church’s generous love offering to cover the rest of our school supply       list (from mostly strangers…people who don’t even know us, friends!!)

~ Overlapping coupons saving us a bundle on a pair of much-needed           running shoes for the oldest boy who is currently in cross country training        (hey, this isn’t the first time this bargain shopping mama has asked the Lord  for help to find a good deal on necessities)

~ free eggs (I know it’s small, but every bit helps, right?)

~ vacation extras this past week, like cheese fries, ice cream, and a boat ride

~ income from this blog (which has never, ever produced income before last month!)

Specific answered prayers for church-planting needs:

~ donated pews

~ an offer of building space to use for gatherings

~ smooth sailing through the church-planting application process with NAMB     thus far

Not just a handful of blessings, friends, no – showers of blessings!

When needs arise, what is your first course of action? Often we neglect to ask for showers of blessing that our Heavenly Father is waiting to provide. What if we tried a different approach?

So often I am quick to ask the Father to provide for big, noble, spiritual needs – like funding for church planting or for a missions trip, etc. Then when it comes to smaller needs or things that might just be selfish wants, I’m afraid to ask.

I fear that  my reasons aren’t “spiritual” enough, so He might choose not to provide for them. How about you, friend? Are you ever afraid to ask?

This is the promise of love…

When I think on the line above, I’m reminded that God is my Heavenly Father and a father’s main role is to provide for the spiritual and physical needs of his family.

My husband certainly desires to meet all of our children’s needs whether big or small and yes, even some of their wants, too.  Yet we are earthly, human, imperfect parents.

“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Mt. 7:9-11

 Too often we are busy trusting in our own ability to provide for ourselves to see our Father already at work on our behalf. 

When needs arise, what is your first course of action? Often we neglect to ask for showers of blessing that our Heavenly Father is waiting to provide. What if we tried a different approach?

It’s only when we are incapable, when we have no way to meet our needs on our own, that we finally turn to Him and ask.

When will I learn? When will we learn that God is the Father who is not only capable, but also willing to provide all that we need, and even some things that we simply want?

Maybe as James wrote, we don’t have because we don’t ask? (Js.4)

I’m not talking about asking the Father to make us millionaires or provide for worldly extravagances (although sometimes He likes to blow our socks off with an extravagance, doesn’t He?!).

I’m talking about asking Him to meet our needs first…

before we step into problem-solving mode,

before we launch into penny-pinching mode,

before we sink into panic mode!

What if we just asked Him first and trusted in His character as our loving Father, as Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides?

There shall be seasons refreshing

Sent from the Savior above…

I’m betting we’d see more miraculous answers to prayer than we’re used to.

Next on the list?

The right jobs for us and a partial new roof before winter.

Praise the Lord along with us, friends!

Mercy-drops round us are falling

But for the showers we plead!

Jen 🙂

Sharing with: Grace and Truth, Tell His Story, A Little R and R Wednesdays, Wholehearted Wednesdays

Filed Under: Christianity Tagged With: blessings, Christian living, Encouragement, financial needs, God provides, Jehovah Jireh, Showers of blessing, trials, Trusting God

Vacation! ~ Grace and Truth Week 30

August 7, 2015 by jstults Leave a Comment

Hello, faithful readers! I’m typing these words out in advance because we are on family vacation this week – hooray! 🙂

Needless to say, since I am without internet this week, I was unable to choose a feature. But I look forward to reconnecting with you all next week here at Grace and Truth!

Until next week,
Jen 🙂

 

 

 

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Arabah Joy
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A Divine Encounter
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4.) All links are randomly sorted – feel free to link as early or as late as you’d like. The playing field is even!

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Grace and Truth Week 29

July 31, 2015 by jstults Leave a Comment

It’s our favorite time of the week, right?! Fridays mean the Grace and Truth link-up goes live, so we are all ready for your encouraging Christian Living posts!

This week I’m happy to share with you a post from Deborah at Growing in His Grace about When His Words Hurt.

Deborah discusses those times when we spend time in the Word and what we read there hurts us. What will we choose to do when that happens?

 

I pray this week you will grow in Christ-likeness,

even through hurt or pain,

and that His love for you will be evident.

Until next week,
Jen 🙂

 

 

 

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Christian bloggers wanted for Grace & Truth : A Weekly Christian Link Up. Come share your recent Christian Living post with us!

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Kaylene Yoder
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Arabah Joy
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A Divine Encounter
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Being Confident of This
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Sharing Redemption’s Stories
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2.) Leave 1-2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. Please do not link DIY, Crafts, Recipes, etc. Links of this kind will be deleted. We also reserve the right to delete posts that don’t align with the theme or that are deemed by the hostesses to be inappropriate.

3.) Visit 1-2 other links and leave a meaningful comment! We want to encourage community, so please don’t link and run!

4.) All links are randomly sorted – feel free to link as early or as late as you’d like. The playing field is even!

In order to be featured next week:

5.) Grab a button or link back to encourage new linkers. This is not mandatory to participate, but is required to be featured.

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Every Wife’s Choice Review

July 28, 2015 by jstults 16 Comments

 

*Being Confident of This makes use of affiliate links. To find out more about affiliate links, please visit the About page.  Additionally, a free copy of this book was provided for review purposes. However, all opinions are my own and I have not been compensated in any way for them.

From the very first lines of Sarah Fairchild’s new release, Every Wife’s Choice, I knew this book had the potential to powerfully impact women, especially those in modern marriages.

Every Wife’s Choice: Loving beyond the mood of the moment speaks to the current culture of do what feels good for you and the selfish human tendency to look out for our own interests.

I’ll be honest; as a woman, even a Christian woman, my emotions often dictate my behavior if I allow them to.  So stressful moments with my mate are compounded by the fact that emotions come into play and cloud my thinking.

That’s why Fairchild’s book is so important for wives!

“Sure, love is patient, but how do I choose patience in the midst of emotional turmoil? When frustration boils over into meltdown mode how do I release those pent up feelings and act patiently instead?  Love  is kind, but where do I draw the line before my heart begins to feel like a doormat?  

I needed more than pretty cliche’s. I needed practical answers.” ~Sarah Fairchild 

More than obvious cliche’s or trite sayings, Every Wife’s Choice delves into Greek word study to discover the significance of the First Corinthians love passage and apply that knowledge to everyday life in a practical yet biblical way.

 

Newly released, Every Wife's Choice by Sarah Fairchild teaches women to move beyond the "mood of the momen" so they can love their husbands God's Way. Combing personal anecdotes with Greek word study, the author focuses on the First Corinthians love passage that is so familiar to us all.  After in depth study, readers will learn to apply new insights in very practical yet biblical ways!

From chapter one, it’s clear to readers that the foundation for Every Wife’s Choice comes straight from the Gospel itself. The mercy and grace shown to us by a loving Father is what empowers us wives to choose to agape love despite what we are feeling in the moment!

“Jesus never asks us to do more than He has already done, however, and He understands exactly what it means to love an enemy.

After all, He loves us…” ~ Sarah Fairchild

That’s why I wholeheartedly recommend Every Wife’s Choice for women from every walk of life.

In fact, the application of the Greek word study contained in this book reaches beyond marriage, beyond women, and to all Christ-followers. It’s themes are universal!

Although this study comes from a marriage perspective, the information contained is applicable to all women (and even men) desiring to love others as Christ loves us.

It doesn’t hurt that Fairchild’s book is full of humorous anecdotes from her own life, either! The chapter titled “Till Dogs Do Us Part” had me giggling all the way through yet the humor did not distract from her important message.

Fairchild’s easy style and quick humor remove any potential dryness that some readers might find in a typical Greek word study.  And although the author’s approach is academic in nature, her effective use of story-telling sets readers at ease.

Every Wife's Choice by Sarah Fairchild teaches women how to choose love in spite of our fickle moods.  Combining humorous anecdotes with Greek word study, the author leads women to understand how to overcome the "mood of the moment."  Her applications of the First Corinthians love passage are both practical and biblical!

Each chapter of Every Wife’s Choice builds on the previous, just as each attribute of love described by Paul in the First Corinthians passage builds on the previous one.  Such scaffolding of knowledge and application are aptly described by the author in the final pages:

“There is a Rock upon which we can build our love, brick by brick, choice by choice.” ~ Sarah Fairchild

Thus, Every Wife’s Choice is clearly a book for all wives:

~ the newly married wife

~ the fifty-years-in wife

~ the struggling wife

~ the happy wife looking to keep her marriage strong

“[Agape] love enables us to give ourselves fully to the marriage we’re in, whether it’s the marriage we dreamt about or a painful work in progress.” ~ Sarah Fairchild

Fairchild’s aim throughout is to free wives from the tight grip of emotions so that we can become the wives God intended us to be, wives who reflect His heart for others.

What better way to learn to be a godly wife than to study His Holy Word?

You’ve read many a time here on Being Confident of This that we are work-in-progress women. Perhaps that is what I love most about Fairchild’s book –  she recognizes the work-in-progress nature of married life.

And she anchors the hope of progress firmly in our Lord.

Now, who wants to win a free copy??! 🙂

GIVEAWAY:  Enter now to win a free copy of new release Every Wife's Choice by Sarah Fairchild. Every Wife's Choice teaches women how to choose love in spite of our fickle moods.  Combining humorous anecdotes with Greek word study, the author leads women to understand how to overcome the "mood of the moment."  Her applications of the First Corinthians love passage are both practical and biblical!

 

Enter to win a free copy of Every Wife’s Choice!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Keep the up the good work-in-progress, friends!

Jen 🙂

Sharing with: Grace and Truth

Filed Under: Marriage Tagged With: Bible study, Christian Marriage, First Corinthians, happy marriage, how to love, Husband, Imperfect Marriage, Imperfect Progress, Marriage, struggling marriage, the Love passage, Wife

Trusting Jehovah Jireh ~ Grace and Truth Week 28

July 24, 2015 by jstults 2 Comments

I know I said it last week, too, but summer really is flying by!  Can you believe it’s Friday again already? And time for the Grace and Truth Christian Living link-up?

I’m looking forward to a slower pace and some great family time at the beginning of August – going camping, sort of. Sometimes we need that time away to help us focus on one another and enjoy being a family.

I found so many encouraging words from you all last week that choosing a featured post was a little difficult.

However, considering the season we are in with my husband still looking for work, I found this post about Trusting God to Mulitply Your Resources (from Kathryn at Finding Hope) to be especially timely.

Kathryn can also be found on facebook if you like to connect there. 🙂

Thanks for sharing truth from the Word with us, Kathryn!

Jen 🙂

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Christian bloggers wanted for Grace & Truth : A Weekly Christian Link Up. Come share your recent Christian Living post with us!

Grace & Truth exists to point people to Jesus! We hope this link-up will be a source of encouragement each and every week. If you’re a blogger our hope is that you’ll use this space as a way to meet new friends within the Christian blogging community. If you’re a reader our hope is that you’ll meet new bloggers that love Jesus just as much as you do! Most of all, we hope you’ll meet Jesus here.

Meet Your Hosts

Satisfaction Through Christ
BLOG
| FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER |G+

Kaylene Yoder
BLOG | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER | G+

The Brown Tribe
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Arabah Joy
BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST | G+

A Divine Encounter
BLOG | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | G+ | STUMBLEUPON

Being Confident of This
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Busy Being Blessed
BLOG | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER | G+

Sharing Redemption’s Stories
BLOG | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER | G+

Grace&Truth-Rules2

1.) Follow your hosts via their blog and/or social media channels. This is not mandatory, but appreciated!

2.) Leave 1-2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. Please do not link DIY, Crafts, Recipes, etc. Links of this kind will be deleted. We also reserve the right to delete posts that don’t align with the theme or that are deemed by the hostesses to be inappropriate.

3.) Visit 1-2 other links and leave a meaningful comment! We want to encourage community, so please don’t link and run!

4.) All links are randomly sorted – feel free to link as early or as late as you’d like. The playing field is even!

In order to be featured next week:

5.) Grab a button or link back to encourage new linkers. This is not mandatory to participate, but is required to be featured.

6.) Each host will choose one link to feature and promote via their social media channels next week.

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Practical Help for Christian Bloggers

July 21, 2015 by jstults 32 Comments

As a Christian bloggers, we want to do our best to honor God and His Word in all that we write, say, and do. Yes?

Yet there is this tension in faith blogging between worrying about pleasing God rather than man and becoming a successful blogger.

If you are a Christian blogger, I’m sure you’ve felt it.

You don’t want to be a sell-out.

You’re not in it for the money but for the message.

Thus, your definition of “success” varies greatly from the typical blogger who is mostly concerned with building a blog that is successful according to the world’s means.

Are you a Christian Blogger who needs help growing your reach in a Christ-honoring manner? Look no further! Christian Bloggers Bootcamp offers practical strategies that are unique to the Christian blogging niche. Join now during open registration!

 

At the same, we cannot reach others with the message unless we learn how to make the best use of our blogs and social media outlets.

How can you best set your light on the lampstand so that it can shine before men without letting pride take over?

How can you use best blogging practices for His glory without becoming consumed by numbers and your own small fame?

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Mt. 5:14-16 (NASB)

It’s not an easy balance to achieve, is it?

We want to do our best to get the message out there, yet we know that numbers and dollars are not our best measure of success, not as Christian Bloggers.

It reminds me of that whole be in the world but not of the world dynamic that applies to so much of Christian life.

Well, today I offer you some practical help and hope for achieving this balance, friends!  I know some of you are waiting anxiously for the re-opening of Christian Bloggers Bootcamp by missionary and author Arabah Joy because you’ve heard about it from other like-minded bloggers.

 

Why recommend this course above all others?

Because I know Arabah Joy personally.

She has become a mentor to me, not just in my writing, but also in my spiritual life. Her faith is real, folks, and that’s what I admire most about her.

Because I know her heart for God’s message and her desire to spread the influence of other Christian bloggers, I have learned that I can trust her advice!

“We live in a dark world. As a follower of Christ, I consider it not only a joy but a duty to invest in other Christian bloggers whose effectiveness would dramatically increase by learning the key things I have learned.”  ~ Arabah Joy

Working together with Arabah and a close group of other Christian bloggers has helped me to increase page views by 40 percent so far.

Thus far I have only implemented part of Arabah’s Pinterest strategy for Christian bloggers and some of her Facebook wisdom, and already I’m seeing significant growth, not only in pageviews, but also in followers on both platforms and this blog.

I’m excited to see the snowball effect that implementing just a few key strategies for Christian bloggers has already created, and I can’t begin to imagine what the full effect will be once I work through the modules.

Now I want to learn more! 🙂

So, I highly recommend to you Arabah Joy’s Christian Bloggers Bootcamp, which is now open for registration!

 

Arabah understands the balance required by faith-blogging and she also understands that many typical blogging tips just don’t fit our unique niche.

Christian Bloggers need strategies that fit the nature of our subject!

What Christian Bloggers Bootcamp offers:

6 Foundational Modules

  1. Clarifying your why
  2. Finding and creating your best content
  3. Being savory in a world of instant gratification
  4. Image creation and visuals
  5. Leveraging Pinterest
  6. Winning on Facebook

14 practical assignments for Christian Bloggers

 

Are you a Christian Blogger who needs help growing your reach in a Christ-honoring manner? Look no further! Christian Bloggers Bootcamp offers practical strategies that are unique to the Christian blogging niche. Join now during open registration!

Lifetime access to the material in Christian Bloggers Bootcamp!

~ start right away or wait until you have a good chunk of time

~ work at your own pace if needed

~ refresh your memory whenever necessary

Access to the Christian Bloggers Bootcamp facebook group

The CBB facebook group allows you to ask questions of Arabah Joy and other seasoned bloggers.  Join in share threads, pinning projects, and other mutually beneficial promotions, too.  In case you don’t realize, the value in this community alone is exponential!

UPDATE**  I have to tell you all that I failed to realize the value of this facebook group at first. Aside from the excellent content within the course itself, the Christian Bloggers Bootcamp facebook page is my favorite feature. I know anytime I have a question, whether practical or ethical in nature, I can come to this group of ladies and know that they are approaching blogging as a ministry in the same way I am. That means I can more readily trust their advice to lead me in ways that are God-honoring rather than self-promoting. Additionally, because of their faith, they are eager to share tried and true techniques and eager to help one another. This group alone makes the course worth the financial investment, in my opinion!

What are you waiting for?

Oh, yes, maybe you’d like a discount? 🙂

I’m happy to be able to offer an affiliate discount code for 10 percent off – just use code JKS10 when you register.

Use coupon code JKS10 for 10% off

All for His glory!

Jen 🙂

* This post makes use of affiliate links. Jen is an affiliate for the Christian Bloggers Bootcamp and will receive compensation for any registration made through the affliliate links on this blog.  Thank you for supporting the ministry costs of Being Confident of This!

Sharing with: Grace and Truth, Mama Moments Monday, Making Your Home Sing Monday, A Little R and R, Think Tank Thursdays

Filed Under: Blogging, Christianity Tagged With: Blogging, blogging tips, Chrisitan Bloggers Bootcamp, Christian bloggers, Christian blogs, faith blogs, honoring Christ with your words, Writing, writing tips

Simplifying Time With God ~ Grace and Truth Week 27

July 17, 2015 by jstults 6 Comments

It’s Friday again already and time for the Grace and Truth Christian Living link-up!

We’ve been through a couple of tough weeks lately due to a situation at our church that resulted in my husband resigning as pastor. So while I have your attention for a minute, can I ask you to pray with us about our future?  Right now, my husband is jobless, but we are counting it joy that the Lord continues to be faithful in this difficult time!

Lately, I’ve been convicted of the need to draw even nearer to God, especially considering our current circumstances. In fact, considering all that is going on in our world right now, I believe all Christians need to draw ever nearer!  Let’s humble ourselves before the Lord and pray for our lost world!

If you find it difficult to make time to draw near to God, then you’ll appreciate this week’s featured post from Betsy at Faith Spilling Over.  Betsy shares a simple technique for focusing your quiet time on a single verse. Even though the technique is simple, I believe it can be powerful to affect change in our daily lives!

Be sure to read below to learn Betsy’s secret for effective quiet time even in times of busyness. 🙂

And while you’re at it, why not join Betsy on Facebook? 🙂

Thank you, Betsy, for sharing with us last week.

See you all in the link-up!

Jen 🙂

Thanks for linking up with us last week. If you were featured, feel free to grab a featured button below!

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Grace & Truth : A Weekly Christian Link Up

Grace & Truth exists to point people to Jesus! We hope this link-up will be a source of encouragement each and every week. If you’re a blogger our hope is that you’ll use this space as a way to meet new friends within the Christian blogging community. If you’re a reader our hope is that you’ll meet new bloggers that love Jesus just as much as you do! Most of all, we hope you’ll meet Jesus here.

Meet Your Hosts

Satisfaction Through Christ
BLOG
| FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER |G+

Kaylene Yoder
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The Brown Tribe
BLOG | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER | G+

Arabah Joy
BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST | G+

A Divine Encounter
BLOG | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | G+ | STUMBLEUPON

Being Confident of This
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Busy Being Blessed
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Sharing Redemption’s Stories
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Grace&Truth-Rules2

1.) Follow your hosts via their blog and/or social media channels. This is not mandatory, but appreciated!

2.) Leave 1-2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. Please do not link DIY, Crafts, Recipes, etc. Links of this kind will be deleted. We also reserve the right to delete posts that don’t align with the theme or that are deemed by the hostesses to be inappropriate.

3.) Visit 1-2 other links and leave a meaningful comment! We want to encourage community, so please don’t link and run!

4.) All links are randomly sorted – feel free to link as early or as late as you’d like. The playing field is even!

In order to be featured next week:

5.) Grab a button or link back to encourage new linkers. This is not mandatory to participate, but is required to be featured.

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Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: #GraceTruth link-up, Christian bloggers, Christian Living Link-up, devotions, faith bloggers, quiet time

There is No Shame in Truth-telling

July 11, 2015 by jstults 20 Comments

I can tell you from personal experience throughout my life that being falsely accused of acting in an unloving manner just plain hurts. Like most other women (and quite a few men), I like it best when people like me. 🙂

Yet there have been times in my life when I have been conscience-bound to speak truth into a tough situation even if I expected it might not be well-received.

What makes truth-telling even more difficult, however, is when fellow  brothers and sisters in Christ ask us not to “rock the boat” for fear of repercussions.

I do not refer to those voices who caution us to speak God’s truth gently or even intelligently (that message is needed, too!), but those who would ask us to quit speaking truth altogether.

Many grow weary of debate in current Christian circles, and some even ask for silence. Yet the example of Christ gives us reason to risk offending others for the sake of the Gospel!

Sometimes false accusations about our character or motives (not just the words we speak) dissuade us from truth-telling. They work just as the enemy intends by effectively shaming us into silence.

Sometimes we simply feel alone in our truth-telling, and so after a while, we simply give up.

According to Billy Graham, “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.”

We need courage now more than ever, my truth-telling friends!

I’m reminded of this recent favorite from Galatians 1:10:

“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”

As a bond-servant of Christ, I am willing to cause offense, even at great personal cost, not because I despise others or believe I am so much better, far from it. If you’ve read this blog, you know without a shadow of a doubt that I fall short of perfect.

I eat when I shouldn’t,

I disrespect my husband,

I choose anger instead of joy.

I sin.

I’m a miserable sinner saved solely by grace, Praise be to His Name!

In spite of my own imperfections, I am willing to take the risk of offending because I believe God’s Word enough to bear the wound of potential rejection.

The wound is worth it because I know the power of both grace and truth in my own life for affecting change from the inside-out, and I want others to experience that same power, too, all for the glory of the Lord!

Furthermore, I believe Jesus when He says in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (emphasis mine)

My brothers and sisters in Christ, if you are bearing the brunt of a difficult stance, whether public or private, please realize that you are not alone. In fact, according to Jesus, you are in excellent company!

You see, the world would have us Bible-believing Christ-followers to accept that truth-telling isn’t just un-kind, it’s downright un-Christian.

It’s another Screwtape reversal in which something that is based on a little bit of truth sounds right and good but is really twisted, insidious and destructive.

The world would have us believe a lie.

There is no shame in truth-telling, friends.

Because being a Christian is being a follower of Christ, and Jesus had no problem speaking truth in love, even to the point of death itself. Likewise, his disciples followed his example to their own gruesome deaths, all for the sake of a gospel that the world around them found offensive.

I applaud what Answers in Genesis has to say on the issue:

“As Christians, we need to have the utmost integrity in all areas and be careful not to be a stumbling block to a fellow Christian. We should make every effort to live at peace with others (Romans 12:18). This does not mean, however, we will never offend a fellow Christian if, for example, a rebuke is needed. Even though we speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), we might still offend. We must live by the truth of God’s Word, and those people who are living contrary to the truth are often offended.”

And here’s what Jesus had to say to his followers on the issue:

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” Jn. 15:18-19

We can and should expect persecution because of the gospel we are so aligned with!  Not only that, it’s our badge of honor, in a sense.

By all means love one another, but in so doing, don’t become salt-less in a salt-needy world.

Many grow weary of debate in current Christian circles, and some even ask for silence. Yet the example of Christ gives us reason to risk offending others for the sake of the Gospel! Read here to learn why there is no shame in truth-telling.

Instead, put your lamp on a stand for all to see.

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Mt. 5:16

So this is me,

lifting my lamp,

and praying,

praying that by it, others will see!

Jen 🙂

Sharing with: Saturday Soiree, Grace and Truth

Filed Under: Christianity Tagged With: Bible, biblical authority, Biblical truth, Christian living, Courage, Encouragement, Grace, no shame, offend, Truth, truth-telling, Women of Faith

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Hi, I'm Jen: a work in progress. I'm imperfect - a mom of four, pastor's wife, discipler, and sinner saved only by grace. I like to sing, read, write, teach, and smile. I have a heart for encouraging women everywhere to understand God's limitless love for them and what His grace means for everyday living. Welcome! :) Read More…

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New devotional release from Jen Stults - Being Confident of This: 30 Days to Discovering Your Identity in Christ. This book is for every Christian woman who wants to walk in confident faith instead of struggling with doubt, fear, and insecurity! self-esteem | self-confidence | self-help | motivational | personal growth | spiritual growth | how to be more confident | Christian women | devotional | Bible study | identity in Christ | superwoman myth | being like Mary

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