Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Mini Mercies
    Mini Mercies
    Mini Mercies
    Ebook213 pages1 hour

    Mini Mercies

    By Madelyn Harman

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Life is a miracle, but it's also not smooth sailing. Through the various waves and rocky shores encountered, Mini-Mercies is a collection of encouraging and thought-provoking articles composed with the help and strength of our dear loving Father by the author.

    These words are written with the hope that they will enlighten others to the fact that we are not alone in the trials we face, the questions we have, and the doubts we fear.

    Let us bear in mind the words of Philippians 3:14 ("I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus") and Lamentations 3:22 ("It is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, His compassions fail not") as we continue on in our pathway of faith.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChristian Faith Publishing, Inc.
    Release dateJan 24, 2022
    ISBN9781639037506
    Mini Mercies

    Related to Mini Mercies

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related categories

    Reviews for Mini Mercies

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Mini Mercies - Madelyn Harman

      Broken

      True brokenness makes us realize how fully dependent we are on our marvelous Creator when we recognize our weakness and are crushed by the weight of our own unworthiness. This is when we step out in our weak and feeble faith and surrender.

      Overwhelmed.

      Distraught.

      Weak.

      Unhappy.

      Then it dawns on you that you are focusing on your problems, not on the overcomer. He is breaking you to make you a perfect vessel. The sweetest perfume is that of a crushed flower. Diamonds, a thing of beauty, can only be created under pressure.

      I don’t know where you are in your Christian journey, but I do know that there is someone who is with you each step of the way. No matter what deep waters you go through or high mountains you climb to see the sunrise, God is with you and He knows exactly what you are going through. Look up!

      He loved you before the world was formed, He’s seen you at your darkest, He knows where your heart is, the pain and hardship you endure, and He wants you anyway! Don’t turn your back on Him!

      Positively Negative

      Not going to lie, it’s tough to think positive!

      It goes against our nature as humans.

      But ponder this: how we think is largely our choice.

      Do we choose to keep negative thoughts in our heads, or do we replace them with good, positive thoughts?

      Whichever one you choose affects how you live.

      If you are negative, it takes the joy out of your day and, yes, out of other people’s day too.

      How you think, speak, and act does not just affect you!

      God didn’t make you for you.

      Which do you choose: joy or unhappiness? You have the ability to change!

      God never asked us to meet life’s pressures and demands on our own terms or by relying upon our own strength. Nor did He demand that we win His favor by assembling an impressive portfolio of good deeds. Instead, He invites us to enter into His rest. (Charles Swindell)

      Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

      Focus Assist

      It seems like none of your plans are working out and that you’re continually being thwarted. Everyone else is living the perfect life while you suffer from what is really a lack of dependence on God.

      We often get too comfortable in our current situation and forget God completely, turning our attention and confidence to earthly things.

      This can only lead to destruction and unhappiness. At this point, the Lord puts us in situations that turn our focus and trust back to Him.

      He will take out everything we’ve been trusting in to make us realize that He alone is our rock. Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: For now, we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord (1 Thessalonians 3:7–8).

      When things do not go the way they should, God always makes them turn for good. (John Piper)

      For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

      Made for More than Me

      How often do you think of anyone but yourself?

      Honestly, I frequently find myself absorbed in my selfish thoughts, thinking only what would make me happy or what would be the best for me.

      This is absolutely the wrong mindset, and I continually have to drag myself out of this zone. It only causes jealousy and resentment, and eventually, people won’t want to be around me.

      Jesus was the happiest man alive.

      Why? Because He lived to serve others, not once putting His personal concerns above even those considered the lowest human being. You are not made for you.

      If everyone lived for the purpose of making themselves happy, no one would be happy. Selfish people are not joyful by any means!

      It is contrary to our human nature to think outside our little world and to put others before ourselves. But I can tell you, it is the only way you can gain true happiness and keep friends.

      Read Philippians 2:3 and Psalm 139:23.

      God can take what Satan meant for shame and use it for His glory. Just when we think we’ve messed up so badly that our lives are nothing but heaps of ashes, God pours His living water over us and mixes the ashes into clay. He then takes the clay and makes it into a vessel of beauty. After He uses us to pour His love into the hurting lives of others. (Lysa Terkeurst)

      Bonded through Christ

      After being at a Bible conference this weekend with almost six hundred people, it hit me just how much of a bond Christ creates between each one of us.

      As a Christian, we all have individual struggles and I can guarantee we have our down days! But when believers come together and the focus is Jesus Christ, the explicit joy expressed in the faces of each one is incredible! The Bible never once says that our joy comes from fellow believers; it can only truly come from the one we are here to serve.

      How amazing it is to see these ones who find strength and joy in living to serve and honor the Lord.

      May we never forget the importance of fellowship and who is at our center.

      Read Psalm 100, Ephesians 2:18–22, and Romans 14:17.

      God’s timing isn’t our timing. It is sometimes inconvenient, often slower, but always better.

      Tower of Refuge

      Escape—a place where you can let go of everything holding you down.

      How do you cope with problems?

      Do you immediately turn to another human or even the Internet or your phone?

      These all may offer some temporary relief, but in the long run, those tormenting emotions come back.

      What about turning to God?

      How often do we immediately seek His condolence and refuge?

      God puts us in situations or circumstances that force us to choose where we put our confidence.

      He wants to show us that if and when we rely on Him, we will find complete and perfect peace as well as the strength to overcome whatever we may face!

      Don’t doubt His merciful loving-kindness!

      It is of the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed; His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23).

      Don’t shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him. (C. S. Lewis)

      You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16)

      Slow the Flow

      Sitting on our deck tonight in the quiet darkness by myself, I was amazed at how peaceful it was and how easily I could relax and talk to God!

      Often, we get caught up in the flow of life, in running the race or pursuing God, that we forget to slow down and take a quiet, peaceful moment to reflect on and talk to our awesome Creator!

      Remember the story of Elijah when God showed him all these mighty things but then came to him in a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11–12)?

      That is how God wants to talk with us. He wants us to purposely take a moment out of crazy busy lives to have fellowship with Him!

      Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He makes the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so, he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalm 107:28–31).

      Sometimes it isn’t about the answer to the prayer. Sometimes it is more about what you learn while waiting for the answer.

      If we got everything exactly when we wanted it, there wouldn’t be room for growth.

      Just Do It

      Averse brought to my attention recently is Psalm 63:1, O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsts for thee, my flesh longs for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.

      He says here early, or earnestly. How often do you find that if you don’t get your time with God in the morning, it often won’t get done at all? The day just takes over, and by the end, we are just so exhausted that even if we do spend time with God, we don’t get much out of it.

      First thing in the morning is the time to read and pray. God has shown me this as I had recently asked Him to open up a time for me to spend with Him. The very next morning, at six o’clock, I awoke and looked at my clock, groaning as I wanted to go back to sleep. But then I thought, this is the answer to my prayer!

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1