“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? I thought I would tell you of a lesson I have had lately in perseverance. I have wanted to create a list a digital product now for well over a year. At first, I procrastinated a bit, because I wasn’t sure which product to list. Then, I procrastinated a bit, because I wasn’t sure if I was going to be good enough. I was getting imposter syndrome. Yet, I felt God was calling me to step outside of my comfort zone and do this. After a while, I created the digital product, I got feedback, tweaked it, and finally got it so that all the feedback was positive. Yay! Then, I ran into trouble with actually listing the product. I wasn’t sure where to list it. Some places didn’t handle the taxes and I didn’t know how to deal with taxes online. I was afraid that I might get into some sort of trouble. Yet, I still felt that God was calling me to do this. So, I prayed, I researched, and I asked around, but nothing. I didn’t get any answers. Ugh. It was frustrating, but I still felt God was calling me to do this. Yes, there were more ups and downs than this. However, long story short, finally, the other day, after praying with a friend, doing more research, making a phone call, and trying out a new platform, I was able to list my first product with confidence. It took a while, but God showed me the way. (No, I am not giving you the link here, because I am not trying to sell you anything and that is not the point. LOL.) So, what is the point of this story? I needed perseverance and I needed to trust God and His timing. Even though creating and listing a digital product, at first I didn’t trust that I could do it, although I felt God calling me to do it. I say that I didn’t trust that I could do it, but what I am really saying is that I didn’t trust God to give me a way to do what he was calling me to do. I know, over a year may seem a bit extreme to list one digital product. Yet, it was all in God’s timing. God knew that I needed to be ready to list it. He needed me to trust Him fully, to do the work and experience the ups and downs to get there. No, I didn’t always enjoy and appreciate the time it took to get from start to finish. There were times when I wanted to give up. There were also times when I set it aside for a while. And, I did waste the time in the beginning procrastinating. However, I am here. I am thankful and I thank and praise God for bringing me here. I give Him the credit. I couldn’t have done it without Him! I feel very blessed! I believe the words in Galatians 6:9 refer to doing well spiritually and we will reap in due time the rewards of being in heaven and with God eternally. Yet, I also believe that we can also use these words to encourage us to trust in God and His timing doing what He has called to do here on earth. Will trusting in God and having the perseverance to list this digital product help me to have eternal life with Him? Well, I am not sure. It doesn’t seem like something that would have that big of an effect. I do think that it is a step in the right direction. This is a step in learning to trust God in small things, which also is a step in learning to trust God in important things like life, death, and eternity. Heavenly Father, Thank you for your guidance. Thank you for letting us experience all we need to experience in order to be in a better place and where you want us to be in the end. Help us to have trust in you and perseverance to follow through with all that you ask us to do. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Galatians 6:9 (KJV): *What does Galatians 6:9 mean to me? *Do I persevere in what God wants me to do or do I give up easily? *Do I trust that God can help me do what I don’t think I can do? *Do I get weary of doing well, especially when I feel threatened or persecuted? *What can I do to trust God more? *What can I do to better persevere in what God calls me to do? Now, it is your turn. What are your thoughts? Have you ever felt like giving up? Did you end up succeeding in God's time? I look forward to hearing your testimony. Also, if you are finding value in these posts, please share with your friends and family. And, if you are not signed up already, please consider joining the email list to get these posts right in your inbox. Thank you.
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“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”
Deuteronomy 8:18 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? Recently, I started trying to set up email marketing and a way to sell digital products. I feel God is calling me to expand my way of business and to step outside of my comfort zone to do things unfamiliar to me. As I have been looking into these things, I feel like my mind has been into finances way more than I would like. (Call me an ostrich if you must, but I don’t like thinking about finances. That isn’t to say that I am irresponsible with money. I just think my mind and soul does better pondering other things.) Anyway, I believe that it is a good reminder to look at what God’s Word says about money. So, while I was praying for and looking for a verse to use for today’s blog post, God directed me to Deuteronomy 8:18. Deuteronomy 8:18 starts off with a reminder that I really like, “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth the power to get wealth....” Often times, we forget to include God or to thank our Heavenly Father. Sometimes, we get to thinking about what “we” need to do in order to accomplish this or that and we don’t take time to pray or to consider that we can’t do anything without God’s help. This may seem like “backwards thinking” in today’s society. We are bombarded with phrases like “self-made man” and “independent person” that make us think that we decide what we make. With phrases like these and statements like “You get out of it what you put into it,” makes it difficult to remember that God is in control and He is the one that gives us what we need to do things. So, does this mean that we need to sit back and wait for God to do things for us? No. God often calls us to do something, before He guides us to our destination. The saying, “God helps those who help themselves” may be close to how we are called to work. We are more apt to make more money or be more successful if we put more into it. Yet, the point is that we are to pray, to remember God, to know that we can’t do anything without God, and to thank God for all that we have and can do. We aren’t to think that we did something by ourselves, even if we don’t see anyone else physically helping us. Heavenly Father, Thank you for being our Heavenly Father. Thank you for creating us and giving us all that we have. Help us to remember you in all that we do. Help us to thank you and not to take all the credit for something as if you weren’t a part of it. Help us to include you in all that we do, to pray for your guidance, and to be thankful for all that you do for us. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective Questions for Deuteronomy 8:18 (KJV): *What does Deuteronomy 8:18 mean to me? *Do I remember God in all that I am doing or trying to do? *How can I better remember God in all that I do? *Do I give God credit for all that I am able to accomplish or do I take all the credit? *Do I use phrases like “independent” and “self-made”? Now, it is your turn. What are your thoughts? How can we, as Christians, involve God more and dissuade ourselves and others in thinking we are "independent" or "self-made"? Friends, if you are finding value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you are not signed up to receive it in your inbox, please consider doing so. Thank you. 
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 KJV Hi friends, How are you? I hope you are well. Sometimes I think about the pandemic and whether or not it was brought on by God or by Satan. I am not sure the origin of the pandemic. Yet, I do know that many people have been touched by it. Regardless of the origin, I wonder if God is using the pandemic to give people a chance to grow closer to Him. I wonder if it is like a “last chance motivator” to get our affairs in order and get on the right path. And, yes, either way, I can’t wait for it to be over. I will be glad when the difficulties of the pandemic will be over. What are your thoughts? I do believe that God either initiates or allows difficult things to happen, so that we feel a warning. It could be a “close call” in a health matter. Or, it could be a global pandemic, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. It could be many different things. Whatever the affliction or struggle, we sometimes realize that there is a lesson in it for us. That lesson could be that we need to learn patience or that we need to learn to praise God even during difficult times. Although, that lesson could be that we need to learn to follow God’s Word and to grow closer to Him. Our difficult time may be to remind us that we have something buried in our life that needs forgiveness. I don’t know about you, but I am way over the pandemic. I am ready to have a mask free life. Yet, if God is using this time to give us motivation to get “right with Him”, then we must still need time. This might be difficult to understand. I mean, we are all tired of the pandemic. We know that. God is a loving God. We know that. So, why can’t it just be over already? Well, if we go back to the idea that the pandemic may be a warning, we may be able to understand it a little better. Have you ever given a child a warning, like, “When I count down from twenty to zero your toys better be picked up or you will be grounded”? Then, you start counting down. And, if the child isn’t acting right away, you start counting slower in order to give that child a better chance to finish. Yes. I have done that as well. I wanted to give that child every chance to succeed within the restrictions I had set. It is the same way with God. God wants us to succeed, so He will give us many chances and as much leeway as possible in order to succeed. So, if the pandemic is a warning of “you better get right with God by the time this pandemic is over or you will be sorry”, then God is probably letting the pandemic continue to give even more people a chance to “get right with Him”. Are you right with God? If the answer is “yes”, great! If the answer is “no’, now is the time to get right with Him. So, what can we do? We can pray. We can pray that more and more people, ourselves included, do what is necessary to get right with God. Yes, we want the pandemic to be over. But that might not be the prayer we should be praying, maybe the prayer should be that as many people as possible use this time to get right with God. What do you think? * * * * * * * * * * * * * Heavenly Father, Thank you for your holy Word. Thank you for being our Heavenly Father and loving us so much. Help us to remember that when we are going through difficult times, often there are lessons to be learned or good to come out of it. Help us to not just pray for the difficulty to stop, but for the lessons to be learned and for the good to come. Help us to be right with you. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. Reflective Questions for 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV): *What does 2 Peter 3:9 mean to me? *Am I right with God? *Do I feel that the pandemic is from God or from Satan? *Is the pandemic a warning or motivation to get “right with God”? *Am I praying for the pandemic to be over or for people to get “right with God”? Now, it is your turn. I would like to know your thoughts. Please, comment below or feel free to contact me. Also, if you haven't already, and you find value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please consider signing up to receive it in your inbox. Thank you. 
“The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.”
Proverbs 18:15 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? I hope you are well. It seems a little strange to write something after the Lord’s Prayer Series. Part of me, finds it difficult to “beat” a topic such as that. However, all of God’s Word is important and deserves acknowledgement. So, today’s topic is knowledge. I figured, since it is the beginning of the school year for many, knowledge would be a great topic to explore. The Holy Bible has many verses on knowledge. This week’s verse is Proverbs 18:15. First of all, I looked up “prudent” in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary online. It shows four different definitions for prudent. The one I think fits the best is the following: “characterized by, arising from, or showing prudence: such as a: marked by wisdom or judiciousness” God considers knowledge important. Here, the words in Proverbs 18:15, say that “the heart of the prudent getteth knowledge”. So, to me, God is saying that those who are wise and judicious (or even those who want to be wise and judicious) learn. They know the importance of knowledge. So, they do what is necessary to learn as much as they can and value education. If that means study, they study. If that means, read, they read. If that means ask questions, they ask questions. If that means, taking notes, they take notes. Prudent people do what they need to do to learn. I don’t know for sure the Lord’s meaning behind the second part of this verse. Maybe it is meant to mean something different to everyone. I like that it states, “…and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.” The word “ear” stands out for me. I am used to hearing that a person’s “heart” seeks knowledge. People often talk about their “heart’s dream” or “passions of the heart” or whatever. Heart is mentioned quite a bit about things we seek, and we do see the “heart” mentioned in the first part of this verse. Yet, in the second part of the verse it is the “ear” that is mentioned. So, to me, the second part of Proverbs 18:15 highlights the importance of listening. Not everyone possesses skills to listen or values the importance of listening. However, I think that this verse shows its importance. I don’t think the word “ear” would have been used and related to wisdom, if listening wasn’t important. Not only that, but one can learn more by listening than by speaking. I also think that if one is listening, one is showing that one is willing to learn. This isn’t always true when one is talking. One can say that one wants to learn, but if one is listening, one is showing that one is willing to learn. It may also be a reminder that one would be wiser to ask questions and remember to listen to the answer when one is seeking answers. Sometimes, we want answers, so we ask questions, plead for answers, and pray for help, yet we forget to actually stop and listen for the answers. Or, if God or someone else tries to give us answers, we say, “yeah, but…” and don’t really listen. Through our behavior, it seems like we don’t really want answers. We don’t want to learn. We need to remember that listening is an important part of learning. Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us words to live by. Thank you for showing us the importance of learning and knowledge. Help us to seek knowledge all the days of our life. Also, help us to remember that listening is an important skill and an important part of learning. I thank you and praise you for your words of wisdom and life. Help us to learn all that you want us to learn. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective Questions for Proverbs 18:15 (KJV): *What does Proverbs 18:15 mean to me? *What are my thoughts about learning? *Do I value knowledge? *Do I seek out knowledge? *Do I pray and ask God what He wants me to know or learn? *Do I remember to listen, especially when I am searching for answers? Now, it is your turn. I value you being here and value your thoughts. Please, let me know what you think. Also, if you enjoy reading the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please consider signing up to receive it in your inbox. (Just check the "faith box" as you sign up. Thank you. |
Hi friends!
This is Jodi. I am so glad you are here! I am a Christian and life-long learner. I enjoy sharing and encouraging others. I pray you are blessed by this blog. Thank you for being here. Archives
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