Kristi Woods

Is Your Citizenship in This Safe Place?

March 19, 2019 by Kristi 4 Comments

Sky with winter tree and words black lettering

Your Citizenship

Do you live, think, eat, and breath like your citizenship sits in this place?

As I prepared the verse graphic below (which, by the way, is free to print for personal or ministry use–just right mouse click) I stopped to consider the question.

What if we lived, TRULY LIVED, as though our citizenship sat solidly in heaven? Would that change how we interact with others? The words we offer? How we pray? What we believe about others and ourself? The possibilities we imagine?

Sometimes I house a small view. I limit God–what He can do in and through me. And goodness, what He has already completed and promised.

I want a bigger view–to believe more. Maybe that’s why God gave me the word “believe” this year–even though I’m not a “one-word” kind of girl!

What if we BELIEVE and operate daily with assurance our citizenship sits in heaven?

Can you imagine? Oooooweeeeeee!

blue sky background with a winter tree and Phil. 3:20 in black lettering

If you’re born again, that’s where your citizenship sits. In heaven. Period.

If you’re not certain you’re born again, check out this post or scroll to the bottom of this page. Heaven’s citizenship remains yours for the taking!

More on Memory Verses:

Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday look for a post here on KristiWoods.net containing a new memory verse. This year those verses focus on our true identity.

Yowza!

Can you imagine the power of God displayed in us when we truly know who we are in Christ?

Our past 2019 memory verses assure we are:

Soak in ’em, friend. This is you.

Your Thoughts?

A huge THANK YOU to those who already responded to the upcoming “Believe” bible study survey. You rock! Thanks for helping me form a study to and for people just like you. Sweet!

If you haven’t already responded the 3 short questions and would like to, click this link (opens in a new tab) click this link.

Have You Visited the Subscriber Library Lately?

A slew of downloads and helpful ministry tools await. In fact, the current featured download is a helpful printable called, I Am Enough: Truth and Declarations to Squelch the Voice of “Not Enough. The password is found in your subscriber’s welcome email as well as in each monthly newsletter. Look for those newsletters on the 1st Friday of most months. 🙂

Do You Pray for Future Generations?

God stirred me recently to pray for my future grandchildren and several generations beyond them. None of them have been born yet, but God is thinking of them. If you’re interested in reading more about this and praying for your future family members, check out this piece I wrote for iBelieve.com.

Linking with other Jesus lovers and writers here: #heartencouragementThursday, #faithonfire

Is God Prodding You to Share Your Story?

March 12, 2019 by Kristi 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links.

Have you ever sensed God prodding you to share a part of your story? I have. And I can assure you, I wasn’t too keen on sharing the part He eyed.

I stood in our country church, pressed between two pews when it came.

No. No, no, no, no. Please, no. I don’t really want to share that, Lord. Folks will think I’m crazy.

My fingernails dug into the pew in front of me.

Hello prompting. Hello God.

The churning inside wouldn’t stop. My story seemed ready to be told.

But I don’t want to share that, Lord. I’m not ready.

Churn. Churn. Churn.

After service, I headed to the Sunday school room…and began to ease into an explanation of my postpartum journey. The story God prompted me to share–my battle with depression and even psychotic thoughts–oozed forth.

The churning stopped. I’m still alive. God is good. And the testimony remains powerful.

Your Story

You have a story too. It’s important. It’s powerful. Why? Because it lifts high the name of Jesus. It points eyes to Him.

We face trials in life. The Bible promises this reality, and many of us know it to be true. Sometimes those struggles include encounters with mental health battles, circumstances we never requested or desired, the sin of others dropped on us, and more.

However life looks, God remains faithful. He delivers. He heals. He imparts wisdom. And More. You and I may be prompted to share these powerful parts of our story.

Book Review

In Growing Forward: When You Can’t Go Back, Laurie Pawlik shares her story. She opens wide the hard parts of her past as well, allowing us to come alongside her as we move through loss–whether it’s due to divorce, death, disease, or a closed door.

Laurie intertwines bits of the Bible within each chapter, overlapping the stories of several women with our own. She also includes snippets of her story and action tips–all helpful as we journey forward.

Her background is hard, folks. She was handed a childhood riddled with difficulty but found a way to thrive–through Christ–and champions readers as they fight to do likewise.

Would I pick up this book from bookstore shelves? Yes. I like how it reads–easy and fast with just enough depth to keep my “bunny rabbit trail” personality focused. I think it’s good for those of us who are facing life circumstances different than what we expected.

Take a peek. Perhaps you’ll like it too.

Growing Forward When You Can’t Go Back can be purchased at Christianbook.com (link below) or at other book retailers.

Growing Forward When You Can’t Go Back
By Laurie Pawlik

For Those Times When I Look in the Mirror and Don’t Like What I See

March 5, 2019 by Kristi 4 Comments

Don’t like what you see when you look in the mirror?

Do you need something tangible to combat those times when you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see?

“Visuals” like me will understand. When we look in the mirror, we see limp hair that never looks good, eyes too large, a crooked nose, ringlets of skin under that chin, thighs a titch too wide for the liking–or SOMETHING not right with our reflection.

Call it crazy, but we don’t like the woman staring back at us.

Sure, we can have our preferences, but what happens when nearly every time we look in the mirror, we find something wrong versus all that beams right?

I used to be the queen of that nest. Man, and what a nasty, dirty nest it was. I didn’t like myself. Critical, belittling thoughts zipped across my brain every.single.time I looked in the mirror.

Talk about self-denigrating.

The odd part is that I never even realized I had a problem until the Holy Spirit uncovered a heart issue. Oh, beautiful, wisdom-filling Holy Spirit–I love you!

Heart Issue

Yep. Call it a heart issue. Not liking ourselves often originates due to a heart issue.

But the Holy Spirit stands faithful. His wisdom coats the scene, revealing and healing, then leading us in freer pastures.

And girl, when He opens wide eyes to see, we notice things we NEVER EVER EVER realized were clinking around in that heart of ours.

I sure did.

And there’s a good chance you’ll be SUPER GLAD the Holy Spirit brings revelation, too. In fact, you might wonder why you waited so long to find this healing and freedom!

I’m working on a talk centered on this very topic. A few ladies here in Oklahoma as well as a few in Nebraska will hear it this month. My hope is that the Holy Spirit will reveal heart issues and that these ladies will find healing. Will you pray for their preparation? And will you pray for me as well, that my words will be led by the Holy Spirit and delivered with the power and annointing of His?

Fighting Words

But that doesn’t answer what tangible something or other we can use for those “I don’t like myself” glances in the mirror. If you don’t like yourself–something you see that ranks as insufficient whether it’s looks, talents, past circumstances/decisions, or more–then grab two things.

Grab Prayer
Grab Truth

Prayer is a powerful tool–even when we don’t see its impact. Keep praying. When we ask God to show us our heart, He does. He indicates whether we love or don’t love what we see in the mirror–and He shows just how far-reaching those words roam. (Trust me–experience speaking here.)

The Bible–truth–remains sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts through to the intent of our heart. It leads us in paths of righteousness.

And rest assured, being hard on ourselves, belittling that beatuiful woman in the mirror, or sabatoging her by slathering critical words all over her reflection isn’t right by God. It’s a battle, friend. Remember, we don’t war against flesh and blood… (Eph. 6:12).

But God Almighty stands as victor…and as Christians, so are we. So go ahead, transfer that trust from self to God. Refuse the negative comments and watch how the Lion of Judah roars in righteousness.

Memory Verse

This week’s memory verse is spot-on for combating this battle. Grab your sword, girls! It’s a powerful one full of truth. So go ahead, grab PS 139:14 and use it well. Behind it stands the strength of the Lord Almighty.

flowers with PS 139:14 written in black lettering

So for those times when we look in the mirror and don’t like what we see, we are truly…

Fearfully Made
Wonderfully Made

And past Bible verses assure us we are also…

Most 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, we’re here, basking in a new memory verse–ones assuring our TRUE IDENTITY!

Join us by subscribing to KristiWoods.net. Don’t miss a single verse!