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Psalm 1.1-3 NIV

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

Help us to remember that You are our provider. You take care of Your children and we have no need to worry. When we start to feel anxious or try to take things into our own hands, we can turn back to You and put our trust in You. We can put our troubles in Your hands and rest. 

Matthew 6.25-27 NIV

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Remind us of your love and care every day, even as the world around us feels increasingly inhospitable and cold. Show us how to love others as ourselves and be the hands and feet of Jesus to a world who desperately needs it. 

St. Teresa of Ávila

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which to look out Christ’s compassion to the world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good; Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.”

Lord, please draw close and help us to draw close to You. Renew us, and make this a spring season in our lives. Revive the cold and dead parts of our faith and open our eyes to all You are doing in the Earth. Show us the parts You have given us to play and the works You have given us to do. May You be given all the glory and all the honor and all the praise. Amen. 

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“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Philippians 4.8 NLT

Don’t Believe the Lies 

“It’s no secret that many of us are weighed down right now by chronic fears or worries- negative thoughts that can run away with you at night and you spiral. Anxious and toxic thinking. We even believe the lies of our enemy, Lucifer. ‘You’re not good enough. You’ll never change. You’ll never measure up.’ Flat out falsehoods that the devil designed to hold you hostage and keep you from the freedom and power that’s your birthright as a son or daughter of God. What we’ve discovered is that most of life’s battles are won or lost in your mind. Your mind is a battlefield. As a Christian, you have a choice: you can believe Satan’s lies to you, or you can believe God’s truth about you.” ~Tim Lucas

Talk Back

“The enemy always has some sort of tool or memory or situation he uses to terrify you, even though the good times are there. The dream is there, the blessing is there, and the goodness is there. There’s always this haunting, nagging defiance that says, ‘don’t you relax. You’re not worth it. You don’t deserve it and it’s not going to last. Everything else went away…maybe this will go away too.’ We talk about faith for bad times, but you also need faith in good times to actually believe the goodness of God is not going anywhere. To silence the voices that keep saying you’ll never make it- you’re about to lose everything. Fear gets in your heart. You can change your outcome, but you have to stop talking to yourself the way you do. If you continue to talk to yourself the way you do, you’ll always be where you’ve always been. It is what you say within yourself that heals you. You see, those voices that say what you can’t do, what you can’t have, what you can’t be, what’s not going to last, what’s not going to work, is how the enemy pulverizes the promises of God in your life. Talk back to those voices- shut the enemy down. The pressure I was going though was coming from the things I allowed to reverberate through my head. I was wondering if there are things echoing in your head right now that are stopping you from living your best life because you will not silence them by speaking back.” ~T.D. Jakes

You Are in Control of Your Thoughts

“Many times the problems we think we have with our lives are actually problems with our thoughts. Proverbs 4.23 says you’ve got to carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life. You are the narrator of your life. So we have to fix our thoughts. Jesus wants to change your pattern of thinking and give you a new pattern. That’s why Romans 12.2 says, ‘do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind then you will learn to know God’s will for you which is good and pleasing and perfect.’ So it’s about the pattern: if you think negative thoughts, you’ll become a negative person. You will likely find whatever you fix your focus on. If you decide to look for what’s good in life, you’ll find the good. If you decide to always look for the bad in any given situation, you’ll find the bad. If you don’t decide in advance to fill your brain with Godly, positive thoughts, your human nature will be more than happy to revert to its default setting, which is looking for what’s negative. 2 Corinthians 10.5 says, ‘We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’ Listen, your thoughts are not in control of you. You are in control of your thoughts.” ~Ryan Visconti

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“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Colossians 3.16 NKJV

I’m thankful today for His goodness and His mercy in the land of the living! We’re not just talking about in glory- He gives us joy here. Something I’ve been reminded of is that joy is a choice. Thankfulness is a choice. Gratitude is a choice. I encourage you if you have time, to go on our website, https://937thelight.com/living-life-with-lauren/ and listen to the pieces I played on 11/17/22. You can listen to them again and again and be filled up to overflowing with all the Lord has done for you. 

“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Psalm 106.1 NIV

This is the thing: if the enemy can keep up down in the dumps, then he wins. He’s thinking, “you know what? If I can’t win their souls, and they’re going to Heaven, I’m going to make sure the journey there is not a good one.” But we have the power in the Word of God and all He’s given us to defeat anything the enemy lays on us any given day of the week! So the strength in your pinkie finger- because of the power of Jesus living in you with the Holy Spirit- (because when you accept Jesus into your heart, you get all that!) that will defeat the enemy! We have to learn to be warriors and we have to learn to stand. And then when you know what it’s like to be a warrior, you stop and think, “how can I live any other way?” 

“Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”

2 Samuel 10:12

I’m really trying this Thanksgiving to just pause and say, “Lord, thank You for all these things.” That changes your heart. It just floods over you and chases away all your worries and your cares. You know what? You’re reminding yourself that He is good all the time, even when it doesn’t make sense to our fleshly eyes. 

Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.”

1 Chronicles 16.35 NIV

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

~Lauren

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A Word From Lauren

Hey, dear ones. I am so grateful and thankful for you. I was able to be a part of a women’s event recently and we had the best time. Just being together sometimes with other people that are right where you are uplifts your spirit. I heard this amazing ministry piece called, “You Will Pray Like Never Before After Listening To These Words.” It’s motivation. It’s encouraging you and reminding you of how loved you are; how treasured you are. Not only that, but you are a warrior. God called you for such a time as this to do great things. If the enemy can keep us pent up, tied up, worn out, trodden down, then he just thinks that’s the funniest thing in the world. We have to look at him and say, “Not today. Not tomorrow. Not the next day. Not the next day. Not the next day.” This might help give you some power!

~Lauren

“Every problem has its purpose. Valleys are there for our character development; for the maturing of our faith, rather than our comfort. Everyone who experienced a miracle in the Bible had gone through their own valley experience. Job lost everything, but in the end he came out of that valley knowing that God can restore what was lost with a double portion. Those who were blind and could not see; those who were sick and lame; those who were paralyzed or struck with leprosy; they all came out of that valley experience knowing that God is a healer. For whatever trial you are facing today, I would like to encourage you that your valley experience is there to strengthen you and not to destroy you.”

Such a Time as This

If you aren’t familiar with the story of Esther, stop what you’re doing and go read it! It’s beautiful and epic and thrilling. You may have heard someone say, “you have been born for such a time as this.” That line is spoken to Esther by her cousin, Mordecai, who is encouraging her to do something brave and dangerous. When we are tempted to think the world is too bad of a place for us to make a difference, or that we’d be better off to close ourselves up in our homes and avoid everyone, we can remember these words. You were, in fact, created for this time in history to do what only you can do. 

“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Esther 4.13-14

We hope you’re encouraged by this and feel empowered to keep on going!

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I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

The Gift of Peace 

Before Jesus was betrayed and taken to the horrible crucifixion, He told his disciples what would happen in the days to come, when He would no longer be with them physically. He told them about the horrible things that may happen to them, but also the incredible gift that was coming to those who believe in Him- the Holy Spirit, who would dwell within them. He encouraged His disciples to continue trusting Him and to remain in Him. In Jesus, we can enjoy the gift of peace, knowing that whatever comes our way, we’re with Someone who has overcome the world and defeated death. This is a beautiful piece from someone being real honest about what they’ve gone through. A lot of you listen to Christian music, and Big Daddy Weave has been around for years. I love their music. This is called “Hating Yourself” and when Mike Weaver shared his words, I was like, I understand that. And I don’t know if you ever dealt with thinking I just don’t like myself, Lord. I know I need to love who I am because of who I am in You, but I need help along the way. Mike Weaver is just being honest about when he dealt with that.

If you are in a place of self-loathing, I pray that will be lifted off you in Jesus’ name. 

Hating Myself

Man, I just went through a really weird season, but an awesome season because I never really knew how to give voice to this, but I just hated myself. I never knew that was wrong, either. I knew that Jesus loved me, but I was never good enough for me. I had this standard for myself that I could never live up to, it seemed like. Nobody ever put that on me. There was this day, I remember literally the feeling of the cold concrete on my leg as I’m sitting on the floor of the garage, telling God everything that I hated about me and man, I had a list too. In the middle of me just pouring out, God shows up. And it was the voice of God in my heart, saying Michael, you need to let Me tell you what I think about you for once. So I’m sitting there, ready, on the journal of my heart, ready to write the most profound thing I’ve ever heard and God says to me, I like the way you smile. And I don’t know what it was, but as simple of a thing as that was, it was like- it just- there are these walls that I had built up in my heart and God just took this wrecking ball to all of them. He just began to fill my heart and my mind with stuff that He, the God of the universe, likes about me. He showed me that day that His love for me is not based on my ability to perform for Him. It’s completely based on what Jesus has done. It makes all the difference.

Mike Weaver

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Forgiving Yourself

“For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

Psalms 103.11-12 NLT

It’s been difficult in my life to forgive myself. I constantly ask ‘why did I do that?’ We can tend to look back, can’t we? We go back as far as 15, 25, 35 years, asking “why, why, why?” And the Lord is saying, “I have forgiven you. Forget it. When I forgave you, I forgave you as far as the East is from the West.” Meaning, He doesn’t remember it anymore. But we do. When we can forgive ourselves, it frees us up in life to forgive others and to walk out being someone who’s whole, because if we hold on to unforgiveness, especially to ourselves, it’s damaging to our heart and it affects our relationships. I’ve seen it affect mine and I’ve seen it affect loved ones.

If we can forgive ourselves and say, “you know, I might see these things in myself that I don’t like, but they’re under the blood.” When we can learn to love who God called us to be, not in an arrogant way, but in a humble way, then it’s easier for us to walk in freedom, to love others, to say, “Father, I know that when I was in the womb, You had a plan for me.” He loves you so much and He forgives you. When we embrace that, when we drink that in, when we walk in it, it’s a whole lot easier for us to bestow the same love, grace, and forgiveness on others around us. 

Forgiving Others

“Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”

Matthew 18.21-22 NLT

It’s not easy thinking I’m supposed to forgive someone 7 x 70 times. What? No way! But this is the thing, God has given us wisdom. When you’ve forgiven somebody, that doesn’t mean you give them access to your heart right away, if ever. You have to pray about it- you have to look at the situation and see what’s going on with that person. It means you are releasing the feelings of anger, frustration, and betrayal. You’re saying, “Lord, I’m going to give that to You.” We don’t want to get a seed of bitterness in our hearts. For the Lord to fully use us effectively, we’ve got to be able to walk out forgiveness. 

Forgiving When The Person Hasn’t Asked 

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Romans 12:18 NIV

I’m thinking this morning of people I need to forgive. I might not want to, but Jesus forgives me Every. Single. Day. Can’t I forgive others? Whether they’re sorry or not. You might be thinking, “but, they didn’t come tell me they were sorry…” You’re not responsible for them. We’re told in the Word of God, “be at peace with all men as much as possible.” And what depends on us is doing the right thing. Forgiveness equals freedom. The Lord is saying, “If you’ll walk out forgiveness, you will have freedom. You won’t have a seed of bitterness. You’ll be able to walk out a fulfilled life.” If we have bitterness, that will hold us back and we don’t want anything holding us back from all He has for us.

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May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.

Romans 15.5 NIV

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10.24-25 NIV

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

1 Thessalonians 5.11 NLT

What does it mean to encourage someone? 

The definition of encourage according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope: hearten. But the part that’s hard to define is what it feels like to be encouraged when you really need it. How the smallest of kind gestures or a supportive word can absolutely unglue you. I love this quote from the Psychology Today article The Quiet Power of Encouragement, for the way it shows us what encouragement can do for a person. Of course, Biblical encouragement coupled with the leading of the Holy Spirit is a very powerful tool for the believer!

And what an amazing gift we can offer to others through encouragement! When we ‘en-courage,’ it’s as though we actually infuse courage into another person. Encouragement can provide people with strength to look ahead, move forward, and reach for the next goal. The whole emotional tone of a tough situation can be transformed through encouragement. Somehow things seem a little brighter.

Julie J. Exline (Psychology Today)

When you encourage someone…

To build on the ideas in the quote, let’s talk about what can happen when you encourage someone. I know, sometimes it feels like it will be easier if you just keep to yourself. You might fear you’ll look stupid, or the person won’t want to hear what you have to say. That could happen…but in my experience, people are hungry for a kind word and a listening ear. Your willingness to step out of your comfort zone could remind someone that they’re not alone. It could give them the little push they need to keep going. You can help build their confidence, and possibly even build a friendship from the experience. 

How to Encourage Family and Friends

Pray for God to guide you in encouraging the people in your life in meaningful ways. Watch for ways you can support loved ones when they are having a hard time, or when they’re discouraged. Ask them what they are struggling with. Here are a few ideas to help you get started: 

• Smile and listen
• Send a note of encouragement
• Point out progress, no matter how small
• Explain all the ways you’re thankful for them
• Buy a little gift that made you think of them

How to Encourage Strangers

Is it just me, or have you noticed that people in public avoid eye contact like it’s their job? This can make it difficult to find an opening to encourage a stranger, but God will give you an opportunity at the right time if you’re open to it. 

• Smile 
• Hold the door
• Compliment 
• Tip well at restaurants 
• Make time to have a conversation with someone who seems willing. People are lonely out there. 

How to Encourage Yourself

This might seem like a strange idea, but sometimes there’s not someone around to encourage you, and since you have the Spirit and the Word, there’s no reason not to remind yourself of the reasons you have to be joyful and courageous. If you don’t know some encouraging Scriptures off the top of your head, search for verses to have ready for the struggles you are facing.  A few of my favorites are: 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29.11-13 NIV

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2.10 NLT

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalms 121.1-2 NIV

What are your favorite verses to encourage yourself with? Let us know in the comments what ways you like to encourage others in your life!

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