Encouragement for Moms

May 5, 2023Leave a comment

Ever felt a out of your comfort zone? As moms and grandmoms, there are times when we can feel a little overwhelmed. For the next few weeks I want to provide a few inspiring devotionals for moms, as you serve in the hardest job you ever loved. Here’s a Mother’s Day devotional from the book of Esther.

“Appearances can be deceptive. The fact that we cannot see what God is doing does not mean that he is doing nothing.”

Sinclair Ferguson

Key Scripture Esther 4:13 – 16: ‘Don’t think for a moment that you will escape there in the palace when all other Jews are killed.

If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. What’s more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?”

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “God and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then though it is against the law; I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I am willing to die.”

Devotional: God placed Esther in a place of honor; a long way from her humble beginnings as a young Jewish girl. She held the title of queen, living in a Persian palace. Little did she know that God had an even bigger plan for her life. After a decree to destroy the Jews was unwittingly signed by the king, she had to step out of her comfort zone and into unknown territory. One thing was for sure, she knew she must depend on God. As she began her walk of faith, she asked for her people to fast and pray. She didn’t rely on the comfort of her position, but rather the comfort of God’s sovereignty.

It would be nice if we could live in a comfy, safe situation with all of our ducks neatly in a row. Unfortunately that’s not always how life plays out. It may be a stretching experience like being asked to serve in a leadership capacity or it could be a stretching experience due to injury or tragedy. Whatever takes us out of our comfort zone, takes us to the throne of grace. We can learn a lesson from Esther: Trust in God’s sovereignty, pray for His help, and make a wise plan of action.

Prayer for Moms:

Sovereign Lord, praise you that you have plans that are far bigger than I can see. I trust you and know that you are working in ways that are beyond me. Thank you that no matter what I go through, you are with me. No matter where I am, you are there. In the nice, comfy times and in the stretching, scary times I know you will never leave me. Please grant me strength and wisdom for the path you want me to take. In Jesus Name, Amen.

“God’s ways are behind the scenes, but he moves all the scenes which he is behind.” – John Nelson Darby

This devotional is from my book, “The Power of a Positive Mom Devotional and Journal.”

The Joy of Life

March 15, 2023Leave a comment

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:4

As followers of Christ, He is not just a part of our life or a nice guy that we segment off to Sunday mornings. Christ is our life. He is in us, He lives through us. He gives us strength and wisdom for our journey. Most importantly He gives us the promise of eternal life. He is the one who makes us who we are. He is our life and without Him our lives would be incomplete and without purpose.

This verse from Colossians is filled with great promise. It not only reminds us that our life is abundantly fulfilled and enriched here on this earth through Christ, but we also have the beautiful promise that He is alive and we will be with Him in glory. What a beautiful future awaits us in our heavenly home! What joy for those in Christ who have gone before us! As we head toward Easter, let us celebrate the risen Christ who gives our life meaning as well as hope for eternity.

Photo by todd kent on Unsplash

Creating a Prayer Strategy

January 16, 2023January 16, 2023Leave a comment

Welcome to Positive Life Principles with Karol Ladd. I’m so glad you have joined me here for a healthy dose of encouragement and wisdom. During the month of January, I’ve asked my friend Candace Gray to be my guest blogger and share her insights on starting the new year in a positive and productive way. Enjoy and be strengthened!

– Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

Do you have a strategic approach to your prayers? Being strategic is about being consistent and intentional. Making progress on meaningful goals can be a fight, so you need a battle strategy for the year. Here are some things to consider: how & when will you pray? What and who will you pray for? What are your go-to Scriptures that encourage you and remind you of truth? Who are the people who will encourage you, pray with you and challenge you? Finally, does your prayer strategy include bold requests?

There are many benefits and specific promises tied to prayer. James 5:16 tells us that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Here are some suggestions for being strategic in prayer:

Ask, Seek, Knock continuously. Matthew 7:7-10. This passage is an encouragement to be persistent and consistent in prayer and you will be rewarded with a response. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (7:7)” Furthermore, the passage explains the heart of God and His willingness to respond to His children. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will give Him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him. (7:9-10)”

Be bold. In Matthew 14:29, Peter asked Jesus to allow him to walk on water. Jesus’s response to him was, “Come.” He allowed Peter to walk on water just because Peter was bold enough to ask. Not one to waste an opportunity, Jesus used the experience to show His power and increase Peter’s faith.

Ask with confidence. 1 John 5:14-15 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.” Don’t over-analyze your prayers and hold back in what you ask of God. If you pray for something that is not in alignment with God’s will, know that He is good and He will sort it out. He does not punish you for asking. Instead, He teaches you so that you grow in understanding His will. Therefore, present the desires of your heart to God and let Him guide you in His will. If I pray for something that’s not good for me and is not born out of the right motives, God, in His kindness, will help me to come to that realization. In His mercy, He will not give me something that He knows will be harmful to me.

In the spirit of confidence in God and pursuing a focused, purposeful and bold new year, pray and seek:

God’s vision for you for this year;
Ability to do more than you think is possible this year;
Wisdom, creativity and practical ideas for accomplishing your goals this year.

About Candace: Candace Gray is a seasoned leader with a track record of living a life of purpose and helping others to do the same. She is a Senior Director for Buckner Children and Family Services and a longtime member of Concord Church in Dallas.

If you’d like to follow her full 21-day devotional series, go to www.candacegray.com

Photo by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash

Redeeming God

August 3, 2022Leave a comment

Who redeems your life from the pit.

Psalm 103:4

The pit. Been there? There are simply times in our lives when we find ourselves in a rut. It may be an emotional pit of feeling down or blue. It may be in a money pit where you find yourself in a hole which keeps draining more and more of your finances. The job pit may seem like you are tirelessly working without enough recognition or pay. Maybe you are even in a spiritual pit – a lull where you feel alone. Take heart my friend. God is a redeeming God and He is able to redeem your life from the pit.

He can bring new life into worn out frustrations. Isaiah reminds us that He makes a way through the sea and a path through the mighty waters. When life seems to be at rock bottom, He is able to lift us up. Look up my friend, whether you are in a pit of your own making or one you didn’t choose. Look up and seek Him. He is the God who redeems your life from the pit.

Prayer Must Not be Our Chance Work

June 3, 2022Leave a comment

Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. Spurgeon

In his book entitled Prayer, Timothy Keller describes a conversation he had with his wife during a particularly challenging time in their lives. His wife Kathy urged him to pray with her every night and she used the following illustration to convince Him:

Imagine you were diagnosed with such a lethal condition that the doctor told you that you would die within hours unless you took a particular medicine – a pill every night before going to sleep. Imagine that you were told that you could never miss or you would die. Would you forget? Would you not get around to it for some nights? No – it would be so crucial that you wouldn’t forget, you would never miss. Well, if we don’t pray together to God, we’re not going to make it because of all we are facing. I’m certainly not. We have to pray, we can’t let it just slip our minds.*

Kathy recognized her desperate need to go to the Father for everything in her life. Last week I read through the book of Daniel and was inspired by his courage and faith, but more than that, I was moved by his commitment to prayer. Think about it, Daniel prayed even when the public policy was against him, and he could be thrown in the lion’s den.

If Daniel took life-risking measures to pray three times a day, then why am I not willing to get up a little earlier and spend time with the Father. Great work happens on our knees. God gives us insight on our knees. We grow more in love with Him, on our knees. We find comfort and peace on our knees. May we be determined not to make prayer a chance thing in our lives, but an essential part of each day.

Here’s one of Daniel’s prayers of praise after God:

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
    wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
    he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what lies in darkness,
    and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
    You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
    you have made known to us the dream of the king.