Expectations

10 Truths I Want My Children to Know

May 20, 2017 By Eva Conner 11 Comments

10 Truths for our Children

Here are ten truths for all of our children.

Those of you who are parents know how terrible it is to see your child in pain and not be able to fix it. There’s no easy way around it. Heartache is pain. I know from my own life experiences that heartache make you wiser and stronger. However, that’s little comfort to the hurting soul walking through the darkness.

But as parents, we must be able to discern when to comfort and when to step back and let God take care of them. God will give us that discernment if we ask for it. It’s important that we don’t take God’s place in their lives. That would be detrimental to their own walk with God.

This season of life has made me think about what I want to hand down to my children. Lessons I want to give them that will last a lifetime. Here is a list of those life lessons I want them to know.

1. God has a purpose for each of our lives.

If we lean into God for direction and comfort, He will guide us. Before the beginning of the world, He designated a certain path for us to take. It’s up to us to listen to His voice in our lives.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”. Jeremiah 29:11

2. In the darkness, He is still working good.

No matter what we are going through and how alone we feel, He is always there and He is always working things for our good.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

3. When God guides, you will always have joy and hope – even amidst pain and suffering.

God gives us joy for our mourning. Even when we are dealing with sadness, He can make our hearts calm with His peace.

…in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. 2 Corinthians 7:4

4. Pain is inevitable. It’s how you deal with that pain that determines how you live your life.

When we turn to God in our dark times, we will get comforted as only He can comfort us. But first we need to know He is always there! When we turn to the world in our dark times, we get led down a deceiving path to more darkness.

“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.” John 16:33

5. Never, never, never allow someone to become “your everything.”

You are setting yourself up for disappointment every time and you are doing an injustice to yourself and that other person. Who can fill the shoes of Jesus? No one but Jesus Christ Himself. Look to Jesus only to fill you with joy and peace. The “happy” that the world sells us is short lived and dependent on things that will not last. When we look to Jesus for our “joy” we will never be disappointed.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

6. Jesus is Love.

Without Jesus, we can never truly experience all that love has to offer in our lives. That includes loving ourselves and loving others.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16

7. God’s promise for each of us is that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

And God doesn’t break promises. He answers His promises with a Yes and Amen. His promises are truths to firmly stand on even when the rest of the world is shaking around your feet.

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8

8. Life is precious and a gift.

When you have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you, it’s the most awesome feeling you will ever experience in this lifetime. You know that you are not alone. As Joyce Meyer says, “you know that you know that you know.”

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:16

9. God’s love for each of us is unconditional!

No strings attached. No trying to measure up and falling short. No worries of rejection – ever. He loves us as we are right now. And that will NEVER change.

Now I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

10. A loving, bright, life-filled eternity is ONLY offered through the love and grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.

Don’t question the gift. Don’t doubt the gift. Just grab that gift and make it the very cornerstone of your life.

For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 1 Peter 2:6

God honors our prayers.

As parents, it is our job to pray for our children. God hears our cries. As members in the Body of Christ, it is so important for us to stand together united for all of our children. Let’s commit to one another to pray for each others’ children. Visit my post for a special prayer for our children.

I hope you visit my site often so we can continue to grow in Christ together. It is my goal in life to encourage and build up my brothers and sisters in Christ. When you sign up to receive future emails from this blog, you will receive a free e-book that I wrote all about the Holy Spirit and His precious role in our lives. If you are interested in receiving this e-book, enter your email in the orange address bar at the top of the page. Blessings and love to each of you.

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

My Very Personal Challenge

August 2, 2015 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

What does the word “weakness” mean to you? Here is how Merriam-Webster defines weakness:

the quality or state of being weak
a quality or feature that prevents someone or something from being effective or useful
something that you like so much that you are often unable to resist it

This is exactly how I would define the word as well. Wouldn’t you agree that these three meanings are packed with a punch? Weakness and temptation go hand-in-hand. Each one of us have our own weaknesses. For me food is a weakness. And lack of desire for physical activity. I have very little ‘want to’ get up and move. All the things I love to do – study Scripture, sew, quilt, embroider, make cards, read – are all sedentary things. I would rather do these things than get up and move. This is a very serious problem for me. It is a weakness in my life. I need help. And I suspect I’m not alone. I’m putting it out there for all to know. This is the chink in my armor. My achilles heel.

What can I do about it? I’ve lived 40+ years without being able to change things in my own strength. The next several blog posts are going to be a series on my very personal struggle with food and exercise. I am sharing for two purposes:

The first reason is to give myself some accountability.
The second reason is to use my own personal journey to inspire others who may have the same struggles.

I am committed to making healthier food choices. I am committed to introducing physical activity into my life. I am committed to handing it all over to Jesus for His divine intervention! Stay tuned for more… For now, I leave you with these inspiration verses:

And do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:27

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16

Dear God, Please work in my heart and all of my friends’ hearts who have similar struggles. We know that it is your desire for us to be healthy and fit to serve You as You’ve called us to serve. I am very sorry that I’ve been lax in this area of my life. Today I surrender all to You. I need Your strength in this very real battle. I cannot do it without You. Thank You in advance for giving me the desire, the ‘want to’ and the ability to accomplish my goals. Keep us in the Light and the Love that is only found in Your Son Jesus Christ. In His Name we pray. Amen.

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

Magic Eight Ball

October 22, 2014 By Eva Conner 1 Comment

When I was a child, I had a Magic 8 Ball. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about – the toy that looked like a pool ball. You ask it questions, shake it and it gives you an answer. These are some of the responses that could pop up:

It is certain
Yes definitely
Outlook good
Signs point to yes
Reply hazy try again
Ask again later
Very doubtful

At times when I pray, I find myself asking God questions and expecting the Magic 8 Ball responses. “God, is this the right thing for me?” Shake the ball for an immediate ‘yes, no, or ask again later’ response.

Sometimes His response is a hearty “Yes definitely” and other times it’s “Ask again later.” It’s these “ask again later” responses that require us to develop patience and wait on His response. I find it very hard not to take matters into my own hands at times when I know that God wants me to wait and be patient. No matter what my own wish or desire may be, I have to wait on God’s timing and His blessing. And when I wait, guess what? Every single time, God’s timing and blessings are so much better than anything I could ever have imagined. Every. Single. Time.

This just happened in my personal life regarding a major decision. Two months ago the answer was “Very doubtful.” At that time, I knew this was God’s will and I put it on the back burner and did not give it much more thought ~ even though it was something me and my family really wanted. Just last week, God gave us our wish – in an even better package than we ever imagined. God is that good. I can’t stop praising Him for the wonderful blessings He keeps giving to me. I am so grateful that we did not try to manipulate the situation a couple months ago because we never would have experienced His goodness and love. He wants to bless each one of us ~ we just need to be patient and allow Him to work in our lives. I know it’s easier said but I can tell you how wonderful it is when you let Him work.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

When “Becoming Less” Is A Good Thing

October 7, 2014 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

I’m drawn to a statement from John the Baptist about Jesus.

He must become greater; I must become less.

John 3:30

I want to give the inside of my head a good fall cleaning! If only I could have one gigantic yard sale with all the old baggage that I’ve carried around for years. Why is it that I can’t remember important things that I should remember but I have senseless, useless stuff floating around ready to pop out of my mouth at the most inappropriate times.

I want to become less of what’s not important so that I can become more of what is important ~ Jesus. I ask myself how can I become more of Jesus? The answer, my friend, is easy. To allow Jesus to become more in me, I must allow the Holy Spirit, which I already have possession of, to take over and control my thoughts.

Allow the Spirit to control our thoughts.

Romans 8:6

To do this having an arsenal of right beliefs is invaluable. I am righteous because He is righteous. Jesus loves me as I am right now ~ not how I think I should be. I am Holy because He is Holy. I am in the Body of Christ ~ right now! It is not about how much I love Jesus but more so about His love for me. I will never be enough in my own strength but thankfully I don’t have to be ~ He is more than enough for all of us.

When I start thinking rotten thoughts that are discouraging, depressing, unkind, and, let’s face it, just plain nasty, these are the exact moments when I need to capture these thoughts and kick them to the curb and replace them with nice, sweet and loving thoughts of our Lord Jesus. When I master this is when ~ and only when ~ I will find that supernatural peace that defies human reasoning. The peace that is there no matter what turmoil may be surrounding me.

I’ll leave you with this wonderful verse that I found yesterday tucked away just waiting to be discovered. What a promise for our children and grandchildren and their children and grandchildren ~ ALL generations. Allow Him to become more!

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:5

Guard Your Heart

September 27, 2014 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

Did you know that we’re told in the Bible to guard our hearts?

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

In the verses right before, Solomon tells us to pay close attention to his words and to not let them out of our sight. He tells us that they are life and health to those who do so. And then “Above all else” we’re told to guard our heart. No matter how long you follow Christ and devote your time to studying His Word and praying, if you let your guard down for any length of time at all, you can get pulled back into the world’s way of living. To stay true to who you are – who you want to be – you simply must take time to guard your heart. To do this, you must stay true to the Word of God. And to do this you must know the Word of God.

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.'” After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked, “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” ”

Mark 7:14-19

Wow, it’s what is within us that makes us who we are! This makes me think about the “seen” and the “unseen.” We can see our bodies. We cannot see our souls or our spirits. And isn’t it our soul and spirit that make us who we are? We cannot see our thoughts. We cannot see our Jesus either. However all of these things are the very essence of life. Jesus is the very essence of life. He is life. If you let Jesus in your heart, He can and will help you guard your heart. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite go-to verses that helps me guard my heart. For it is my heart that I gave to Jesus to fill – and He will fill your heart as well! Just ask Him.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

Deuteronomy 6:5-6