Words

I'm amazed how I have become more aware of the words that come out of my mouth. For example, a co-worker saw me today and said, "LaDena when I see you, you look like you have all the money in the world." Without thinking I said, "thank you but I don't have a dime."
As soon as those words left my mouth, the Lord shook me and said you won't have a dime with those words and attitude. WOW!
I have been in great prayer for a long time (seems like forever) that God would help me to change the words that spill forth from my mouth. I realized that a lot of my problems and mishaps were all caused by me and the words I spoke. WOW!
I was a chronic complainer, a chronic finger-pointer, and a chronic put-myself-in-a-depressed-state! Boy, oh boy could I put myself in a depressed state just by constantly saying I'm depressed...LOL...now I can laugh about it but before I could only cry. Plus to be all those things were so tiring. Whew, I was
T I R E D!
So I begin to cry out to the Lord; Lord please help me with the words that come from my mouth. Lord show me how to pay attention to what is coming out of my moth.  It has taken some time, plenty of slip-ups, but I can see God working IN my mouth. Thank you Father.
Proverbs 16:24 reads, Pleasant words are like honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. YEEESSSS! I need sweetness for my soul and health for my bones. I need pleasant words for myself and pleasant words to give. So, Lord, please help this ole'girl with her words! What about you? Are you watching your words?

From my heart to yours.
Words of encouragement.

Hopeless to Hope

There is a song that says, they say I’m hopeless like a penny with a hole in it.  Hopeless…hmmm…yes, I have been hopeless. I’ve been hopeless just as recent as… well recent. Being hopeless is not having that feeling of expectation or desire for a certain thing to happen.

So, what makes us hopeless? For me it can be my ongoing battle with impatience. See, there are times that I want what I want when I want it and even more how I want it. Just writing that down makes me cringe but it’s true. I have flesh. See, when things do not happen in that “my” time that I have set; I lose hope. I begin to feel that it will never happen. Or, I feel that it was never suppose to happen for a sinner like me – that’s a different story.

But the Word of God says a lot about hope. There are many, stories in the Bible full of hope. In Psalm 31 David speaks about hope. Psalm 31: ²⁴ Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.

If I’m going to put the Word of God to practice in my life, then I have to know that I’m not hopeless. I have to know that I shouldn’t feel hopeless for God is strengthening me as my hope is in Him. Therefore, I will choose to wait on God to give me the best in His timing which is far greater than my timing. Having hope is to be expectant. Having hope in God is knowing that He can do exceedingly, abundantly above all that I could ask or think.

Today live hopeful! Live expecting God to do mighty things in and through you. Live knowing that when you become hopeless, that your it – whatever your it may be- is never going to happen for you, but remember BE OF GOOD COURAGE, AND HE SHALL STRENGTHEN YOUR HEART, ALL YOU WHO HOPE IN THE LORD. Keep your hope in Him and He will see you through.

From my heart to yours. Encouraging myself while I encourage you.