WOMEN FOR THE NATIONS: October 2011

Saturday, 8 October 2011

I am sorry that I have been away from familiar for a while, but it has been difficult to articulate the place I have found myself in.How do you even begin to speak about walking through the valley of the shadow of death and similtaneously describing the continuous bombardment of pressure and cruelty,HOWEVERLet the bells ring......I have left my paying job to walk on the water with Him, you and me. We will journey into the hearts of ourselves, into places hitherto unspoken of and sometimes just have a cup of coffee and tea together gathering around the campfires of our hearts to share our secrets and dreams.I may have been away BUT I love you every daySharmaine1 Cor 13

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Col 3: 23

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.

How often do we fall into the trap of being people pleasers..We burn out just to churn out other peoples expectations of us.

So how do we avoid burnout?

Establish a time each day for prayer and Bible study, read the Word even if it is only a paragraph at a time.

Unwind

Talk with God when you feel tired and overwhelmed.

Re-creationAllow yourself time for rest, laughter, and music.

Nourishment and ExerciseEat health nourishing food. Cut out fat and caffeine. If necessary eat up to 5 small meals a day

A safe place to let go or unload
We all need a person in our life that is considered safe, a true friend, someone who we can share our heart with who will honour our confidence.

Manage your time wiselyDon’t live each day putting out fires. Prioritize your time. We each only have a certain number of hours in the day, ask God to help you prioritise these.

Most of all BREATHE...stop, exhale......

Remember God loves you, so do I

Sharmaine's Daily Devotional

He hushes the storm to calm and to a gentle whisper, so that the waves of the sea are still. Then the men are glad because of the calm, and He brings them to their desired haven.
Psalm 107: 29, 30

God will always do more than we ask for, and long for and as we revel in the calm He will take us to that place of our desire, that place where we were headed. Our desired haven!

What is your desired haven today? Where were you headed when the storm blew you off course? Submit to the Father today, cry out to Him and stand back and see the deliverance of the Lord.

Sharmaine's Daily Devotional

Proverbs 3:27
Withhold not good from those whom it is due (its rightful owners), when it is in the power of your hand to do it.

How often have we casually said to someone "I'll pray for you" ..and walked on by. Have we prayed for them, maybe, but just perhaps there was something we could have done, some small act of kindness, of mercy.

What about the single mother who is worn out with working and caring for her children? How about having them for a few hours so that she can have personal time....

What about the hungry person who has no food at home or the young man in a bind.

Let us slow down and stop speaking "christioneese" for a while and pause long enough to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit as He directs us in what to do.

Have a miracle filled day!

SHARMAINE'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL

So repent change your mind and purpose): turn around and return (to God), that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of the heat, of "reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord;
Acts 3:19

The thing that has been so precious to me is that my Lord is there all the time waiting to refresh me, to renew me, and to take me into a time of restoration. This time of restoration and renewal is available only a prayer away every day of my life. In the times when I thought that God never heard me and I felt as if I was praying to "brass" heavens there was always the comfort and peace that is found in His presence alone.

SHARMAINE'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL

HE WHO WALKS WITH THE WISE GROWS WISE, BUT THE COMPANION OF FOOLS SUFFERS HARM. PROVERBS 13:20

How long it takes us to fully understand that we become like the people we walk with. Surround yourself with people who would edify you, speak vision into your life and exhort you.

Stay away from those who slander and hurt others with their tongues. Do not allow others to spoil your faith with their foolish philosophies, their wrong shallow answers are built on mens thoughts and ideas, instead of what Christ said

SHARMAINE'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL

12 JULY 2007

So repent change your mind and purpose): turn around and return (to God), that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of the heat, of "reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord;
Acts 3:19

The thing that has been so precious to me is that my Lord is there all the time waiting to refresh me, to renew me, and to take me into a time of restoration. This time of restoration and renewal is available only a prayer away every day of my life. In the times when I thought that God never heard me and I felt as if I was praying to "brass" heavens there was always the comfort and peace that is found in His presence alone.

SHARMAINE'S DAILY DEVOTION

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,…
Ecclesiastes 9:10

When God first planted the vision of our ministry in our hearts 18 years ago we wanted to jump up and start with great gusto. God showed us that the first thing we had to do was serve. We faithfully served God in whatever our hands could find to do.

Often when we serve it is not in a glamorous way. It is often behind the scenes and with no human reward, but God sees and He rewards us!

Never feel despondent, the Father sees all!

SHARMAINES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

6 JULY 2007

Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.
Hebrews 5: 7

So often we believe that the things that God has called us to do will be "easy" because He called us. This scripture was a revelation to me and encouraged me through my times of "strong crying" before the Lord as my ministry was being birthed.

Is there something that God is calling you to do, which seems impossible? Are you going through, "strong crying and tears" to fulfil God's will for your life?

Make a choice today to remain in the will of God and not to move under any circumstances.

SHARMAINE'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL

5 July 2007

For, behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.
Song of Solomon 2: 11

Our God is a God of suddenly and one day when you thought that you could not handle one more day of pain, one more day of stress, one more day of abuse or trouble the winter will be gone.

Every prayer that you prayed during those difficult times, every cry to God did not go unheard and suddenly the winter is gone, spring has arrived with new hope, new dreams and new horizons.

The rain is gone and the sun will come shining through!

SHARMAINE'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL

3 July 2007

My Beloved is like a gazelle or young hart. Behold He stands behind the wall of our house, He looks in through the windows, He glances through the lattice. SONG OF SOLOMON 2:9

What eagerness from the Lord to be with you, what anticipation of you waking up. What a perfect picture of expectation. When you wake up what are your first thoughts? Does your mind dart around waiting, longing, desiring Jesus and His presence?

No…well today is a new day, a fresh start, a time of choosing Him above the busyness of the morning, of choosing the warmth of His glance. Choose Him now and your portion will be unspeakable joy.

SHARMAINE'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL

2 JULY 2007

(Vividly she pictured it) The voice of my Beloved (shepherd)! Behold He comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
Song of Solomon 2:8

This paints the most incredible picture, a picture of our Lord and Saviour calling to us, running towards us...... not strolling along taking His time, but leaping upon the mountains bounding over the hills just to meet you, to be with you.

The Creator of the universe, the One, who gave His life for you, running, is bounding towards you. Wow! What love!

What will you do with this love today?

Will you get up and run into the arms of the Lover of your soul today?

Saturday, 8 October 2011

BetweenYou and Me