Dear Mommies

Hey mommies, Jesus never asked us to be perfect or to conquer the world, or to be better than Sarah down the street or Beth who seems to have it all together. He just asked us to be the mommy He designed us to be, and do our part and trust Him to do His.

No, it's not always easy, but He never told us it would be. We have to constantly battle the comparison, and doubt, and the I am never good enough, and I will never have it all together voices Satan tries to fill our minds with.

That is why it is so important we fill our thoughts with His Word and keep our eyes focused on Him.

When we take our eyes off of Christ and put them on the people around us, we are allowing those voices of comparison and doubt to become louder and louder.

When we fail to open His Word and feast on His truths and promises we are allowing the world's opinions to creep in and fill us with unwanted garbage.

Let's remember who we are in Christ, women of worth, value, purpose and clothed in the love and blood of Christ. Let's remember we are His first. He is more than enough for us. He is more than able and capable of filling in where we fail. He is strong when we are tired and weak. He is our constant source of sanity and hope and stress relief and joy and He is our greatest companion, listener, problem solver and comfort.

When we feel bent over and unable to stand up because of all we have placed on our backs, let's remember this one promise.

"The Lord is faithful in all he says; He is gracious in all he does. The Lord lifts up those bent beneath their loads." Psalm 145:13-14

Confidence

In order to teach our children and others how to be confident, we must first set the example. But we must first follow the perfect example...Christ! 

The way we live and the things we do make a HUGE impact on our families lives, especially our children. 

Often times, we need to take a step back and allow God to open our eyes to see what example we have modeled. This will be very visible by the way our children act, the things they do, say and even their habits. 

If our children eat poorly, it's most likely because we allowed, and even encouraged it by feeding it to them. 

If we struggle with over eating, our children could too. 

If our attitudes are negative, more than likely so will theirs be. 

If we don't spend time in the Word, our children probably won't either. 

If we use poor language, they probably will too. 

If we are never content, they might not be either. 

If we have no confidence in ourselves or in our relationship with Christ, then more than likely they won't either. 

Let's learn from the One who was the perfect example, Jesus. 

The more we know Him, the more we will live like Him, and desire too. 

I promise, if your relationship with Christ is intimate and real and growing and you are always talking and communicating with Him, Your confidence will grow. Your actions will be a reflection of Your relationship with Him and it will produce fruit that will be seen through the lives of your children. 

Do our lives show the difference?

"Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too and what they are doing." Philippians 2:3-4

There is a huge difference between selfishness and self LESS ness. 

Selfishness...

1. Hinders our relationship with Christ and others.

2. Interferes with what God wants to do in us and through us. 

3. Says "Me" first

4. Weakens our spiritual growth

5. Blinds us to God's truths

6. Focuses inward

7. Says, "Do for me."

Self LESSness...

1. Says, "God first."

2. Is concerned about others

3. Keeps its focus on God and the things above. 

4. Loves without requirement

5. Speaks truth

6. Encourages

7. Gives of its time 

8. Works for God and to bring Him glory

9. Doesn't seek the praise of man

10. Is aware that time is fleeting and doesn't waste opportunity to serve and share Christ with others. 

11. Has not hidden agenda or impure motive. 

We Too Can Overcome

"For forty days and 40 nights He ate nothing and became very hungry." Matthew 4:2

When we think of having to go without something apart of us panics and begins to question, "what about this? How will it work? What if this happens, what will I do?" 

To be able to separate ourselves physically (flesh) and spiritually requires a great help from the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus knows exactly what it is like to go without. He spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. 

Not only was He alone, tired, weak, hungry and thirsty, but He also endured the temptations Satan tried to throw at Him. 

And despite all that, Jesus never gave in, He never quit and He never sinned. 

This is just a glimpse of how amazing Christ is. 

Not only that, but we now have Jesus within us. 

If we could just take some time and draw deep into the well spring of His living water and allow it to nourish us, we would be able to display and live a life more like His. A selfLESS, rich, satisfying life that is able to overcome and deflect the fiery arrows Satan and the world shoots at us. 

Let Matthew 4:1-11 encourage you to desire to live more and more with less of the things your flesh wants and more of what your soul desires, Jesus! 

Be encouraged, Jesus overcame many things and because He lives within us, we can too! 

Pure At Heart

As we begin a new day that the Lord has made, let's focus on having pure motives in all that we do. 

It's easy to let self get in the way this causing our motives to become selfish. 

Let's remember why we are choosing to be healthy. Not for ourselves but for Christ. 

May our motives be pure in His sight and pleasing to His eyes. 

In your time with the Lord today ask Him to reveal your true motives.

And as He does thank Him, praise Him and confess the ones that displease Him. 

May this verse fall upon you today and begin to weave itself into the deepest parts of your being uprooting any impure or selfish motives. 

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." 

Jesus thank You for loving us so much that You desire only the very best. May every thought, spoken word, action and reason be to magnify You. Help us be mindful and conscious of our health today. Before we eat or do anything may we think of the benefits and effects it will have on our bodies. Help our motives to be pure and selfless. Amen

Revealing the Truth

Grab your Bible and flip over to Romans 12:1-5

1. Why is it important for us to give our bodies to God? What does this look like?

2. Make a list of 10 things God has done for you. 

3. How can you surrender your thought life to the Lord? 

4. What are some ways you have copied the behaviors of the world with your health? 

5. What role do you play in the Body of Christ? 

6. Why are we to function as one body? 

7. How does our health affect the Body of Christ? 

8. What are some areas you need God to cleanse in order for you to honor Him with your health and walk with Him? List those out. 

    -I.E.Your eating habits, your thought life, etc. 

Jesus as we look over this powerful passage, may we not just read it, but may we study it, absorb it, chew on it and digest it. Help us to be open and honest in our answers so we can truly be transformed. May each one of these sweet people in this group find the time to get with You and discuss these areas. Reveal amazing things to them. Jesus we desire to be the absolute best we can be for You. Help us not to walk away feeling defeated or ashamed of the truth of our answers but instead to walk away refreshed and excited to change. Amen

On Loan

"You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

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For true change, we must fully accept and acknowledge that we don't own our bodies. They have been loaned to us by Christ. He allows us to live in them while we live here on earth. , and He expects us to take care of them. 

1st spiritually

2nd physically

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Jesus thank You for the body You have given me. May I honor You by honoring it. Amen