Tired of Not Feeling Good Enough? Grab this.

January 30, 2018 by Kristi 19 Comments

Many voices chimed one, similar answer. I sat astounded.

Computer keys clicked as I asked a “crowdsourcing” question on my personal Facebook page. A beautiful group of friends and family sitting on the other side of computers worldwide, offered their helpful input. Feeling “not good enough” waved its victory flag as the #1 answer.

And funny enough, that has been my #1 battle as well. Do you combat the feeling of not being good enough, too?

Not good enough as a mom
Not spiritual enough
Not good enough as a wife
Not a good enough employee or friend
Simply not good enough.

Isn’t it funny He inscribes names on the palm of His hands –

yet we don’t feel good enough.

How about the fact that all have fallen short of His glory?

Yet we somehow measure with comparison, forgetting we’ve all fallen. They’re good enough. We’re not.

What about those beautiful words from Psalm 139:14, the words assuring how fearfully and wonderfully we’re made?

His work is wonderful – in “them”, but not us.

We fight against the truth.

We gather a whole argument – feelings of why we’re not good enough.

But remember, those are feelings. And feelings are often fickle and false. Why not grab prayer and ask for the truth concerning worth?

Heart change is His specialty. So spend some time alone with God. Grab a prayer and sit with the One who tells you truly who you are. Ask Him to change your heart. He’s faithful – and powerful. And He’ll hear.

I wrote a piece for iBelieve.com about this topic and 9 others. All are lies the enemy tosses our way in hopes we’ll grab ahold, allowing temptation to take us for a ride. The iBelieve.com article, 10 Lies the “Father of Lies” Will Tempt Us to Believe, can be found here.

A Prayer for Those Ready to Relase the Feelings of Not Being Good Enough ~

Father,

You are good. You are faithful and loving. Your love abounds. Your work is wonderful – even your work in me. Father, forgive me for not trusting you with my worth. I want to trust. Change my heart – to one that knows I’m good enough simply because of Jesus. Help me see truth. Uncover the lies. I give you permission to remove them and fill me with your truth instead. Come, Holy Spirit. Counsel me well. Thank you, faithful God, for listening. I love you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Linking with other Jesus lovers here: #chasingcommunity, #heartencouragementThursday, #faithonfire

Gift Ideas for Your Faith-Filled Christmas

December 5, 2017 by Kristi 8 Comments

Gift Ideas for Your Faith-Filled Christmas

I love giving faith-based gifts. Do you?

Today’s post is an exciting one. It’s a listing of Christian gifts available for giving this Christmas. All have a thread woven within, one that’ll help the receiver build faith.

Ready to shop?

Books

Let’s start with a really fun one. Here’s an article I wrote for Crosswalk.com outlining several solid book offerings. It’s called 10 Books Christians Need to Know About, and it includes an allegory, parenting books, fiction, Bible study aids, a devotional, and more.

We review books here at the blog. Call ’em gift ideas. 😉 Check out the various titles here.

Book ideas for both personal spiritual growth and Christmas gift giving. Click To Tweet

Personalized Scripture Journals

Ever heard of Paper Sunday?

Oh.my.word.

I LOVE their personalized scripture journals and have given several as gifts.

Each page contains a scripture threaded with the receipient’s name. (Check out the photo above for an example. It kinda gives me chills, just reading it.)

God’s Word exudes much power, and it rings personal when finding our name tucked within.

Really. This is the coolest gift.

Paper Sunday is offering KristiWoods.net readers a discount this Christmas season. (Ummm – jingle bells and joy to the world!)

Just enter KRISTI (case sensitive) to receive a one-time 15% discount.

Thanks, Paper Sunday!

A personalized scripture journal? Yes, please! Check out this special discount from Paper Sunday. Click To Tweet

Giving to Others

Mighty Women of Vision (MWOV)

Clean water holds a special spot in my heart. A jr. sailor, who worked alongside my husband during his Navy tenure, shared with my family the impact of his village’s “new well” in Ghana. (He later joined the US Navy and became a United States citizen.) That well changed lives – his included.

We have the power to help provide something often taken for granted: clean water. Consider Mighty Women of Vision.

Mighty Women of Vision (MWOV) is a nonprofit that brings light and financial help to a hurting world. They are committed to being the hands, feet, heart, and voice of Jesus. Through their philanthropy effort, MWOV brings compassion and necessary funds to women and children in crisis locally and internationally.

After traveling through remote villages in India, Elizabeth Thompson, one of MWOV’s founders, knew she could not be silent nor unsee what she had seen. Through translators, she heard the plight, heartache, and cries of mothers over the loss of their babies, children, and loved ones due to unclean water.

Water Facts

1. Worldwide 750 million people or 1 in 9 do not have access to clean water.

2. As many as 1600 children under the age of five die every day from diarrhea due to unclean water.

3. The average weight per container women carry on their heads is 40 pounds!

John and Elizabeth Thompson and all of MWOV invites people to get on board and participate in their Living Water Well Campaign by simply giving up one $5.00 coffee each week. A $20.00 monthly donation with others will raise the necessary funds to change the lives of the less fortunate. The average cost for a well is approximately $2,000.00. Consider foregoing that $5 coffee each week. If just 100 people obligate $20/month, that’s a well!

Once a well has been installed, women have time to learn a trade. MWOV started the Train and Trade Sewing Project and are supplying sewing machines and training for women. The children are freed up to attend school.

MWOV’s partners in India, Geeta and Kanteswar, started Mighty Women and Youth Ministries. They are a young couple who work passionately to expand God’s kingdom here on earth. Not only are they reaching out to remote villages to help with humanitarian needs, they also bring the gospel, education and churches in God’s timing.

Recently, they have contacted the Bondo people who live in a very remote area. They are very primitive people still carrying poison-tipped arrows. Future trips to their village are underway.

For more on this grass roots effort and to contribute a Christmas gift, contact Mighty Women of Vision here.

Advent Devotional

Countdown to Christmas: Unwrap the Christmas Story with Your Family in 15 Days

Bring the story of Jesus’ birth to light in a hands-on way using scripture and your nativity. Build your nativity one piece each day for 15 days and unwrap the real Christmas story from the Old Testament to the New with this fabulous faith-filled tool from Lisa Appelo at True and Faithful.

Gather your faith-filled Christmas gift ideas here! Click To Tweet

Health and Nutrition

RCA Nutrition

Sounds a little odd, adding health and nutrition to faith-filled gifts, but this is one of my favorites – because it’s life-altering for our days here on earth.

Suzi Dobias is a friend from our Navy days and a sister in Christ. This girl LOVES Jesus, and does she ever PRAY! She loves to help folks across the US find freedom from eating strongholds, poor nutrition, and all that intertwines.

She came to my aid a year ago after I landed in the ER Christmas night with a heart beating over 150 beats/min. Docs called it Afib. Suzi called it overcomeable. (Is that a word?!) And right she was.

I dropped 40 lbs., think more clearly, sleep through the night, feel fabulous, and find myself working out several times a week. What a gift! I love this woman, and you likely will too.

Here’s a little more info from and about RCA:

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a driven focus on finding the underlying problem and applying corrective action to prevent a condition from occurring or reoccurring. It specializes in weight loss for people who struggle with losing weight, autoimmune disorders, hormonal issues, food sensitivities, thyroid conditions, inflammation, and digestive issues, just to name a few.

With over 20 years of experience, Suzi’s training, coaching, and nutrition knowledge is not only cutting edge, but one that is guaranteed to produce results. She is known in the industry for her progressive techniques and proven results. Suzi has presented at various conventions over the years and helped set up programming for health clubs all over the country. She is one who centers her life and programs around Jesus and uses her business as her ministry. For more information, contact Suzi at the link below.

www.rcanutrition.com

Bible Journaling & Coloring Pages

Sweet to the Soul Shoppe

Have you met Jana? If you’re a #YourStory reader, then you likely read Jana’s story here. She is one of the most gifted artistic humans I know. This girl….

Journey on over to her store to soak in all the artistic goodness Jana has to offer. Journal tools and coloring pages await!

T-shirts and More

Fiercely His

Excitement filled my blood after meeting Shannon Geurin. Her house and mine were just 30 minutes apart! Then she moved. But never fear, the web is here – and consequently, so is Shannon.

This brave warrior hosts a sweet, encouraging online community that’s fierce for Him. Why not bond with a group of spiritual warriors? And grab a t-shirt while you’re at it. Take a peek here for more information.

Flourishing Today

A whole array of t-shirts and mugs awaits at Alisa Nicaud’s Flourishing Today. Wear a spiritual motto well and look stylish too. Click on over and see what Alisa has to offer.

Find faith-filled Christmas gift ideas here. Click To Tweet

Whether you give time, words, a smile, or neatly wrapped gifts like those above, I hope your “gift” giving this season keeps Jesus at the heart and brings joy to all. Merry Christmas, friends!

Linking with other Jesus lovers here: #chasingcommunity, #heartencouragementThursday, #faithonfire.

Four Keys to Effective Prayer {Guest Post by Jim Wolstenholm}

November 21, 2017 by Kristi 1 Comment

Four Keys to Effective Prayer

By Jim Wolstenholm

Nearly everyone prays – you pray. But do you pray effective prayer? Does your prayer make a difference? Does your prayer get answered? Effective prayer is answered prayer! When we pray effective prayers, they make a profound difference. While faith that your prayers will be answered is foundational, what else would be considered keys to make your prayers effective?

Effective prayer is God focused.

Jesus started his model prayer with the words: “your kingdom come; your will be done.” When we focus on the will and purposes of God, we align ourselves with his power and his work in the world. Far too often we pray for what we want and not for what he wants. We live with a limited perspective so we cannot see things as they really are. Only God sees things as they really are.

It is too easy to become consumed with our wants and desires. They seem very important to us and sometimes they are. But God, in his mercy and grace, has promised us everything we need if we will seek his kingdom and his righteousness first (Matthew 6:33). We must trust his word and turn our attention to the things he desires for us as we pray. When his kingdom comes and his will is done, awesome things happen because he is awesome!

To focus on God in prayer is truly to start with worship and with the two requests already mentioned: his kingdom and his will.

You must be willing to accept any answer.

In Jeremiah 42 and 43, the people were at a critical point. The governor assigned by King Nebuchadnezzar had just been assassinated. The people were naturally afraid of reprisals so they asked Jeremiah to pray and find out what God wanted them to do. They promised Jeremiah that whatever it was, good or bad, they would be obedient. A few days later, Jeremiah came back to them with the word that they were to stay put and not fear. However, they rebelled at his word. The leaders of the people rounded everyone up and headed to Egypt, where they believed they would be safe.

Sadly, we often pray the same way. We know what we want and we ask God to bless it. Or maybe we ask God to stop us if that isn’t what he wants for us. Too often people believe they are doing what God wants when they have truly been unwilling to hear an answer that they didn’t want to hear!

When you pray, you must be willing to hear the answer you don’t want to hear and then to accept and embrace that answer. Many times in my life, I have had to accept an answer I didn’t want to. When my dad was diagnosed with advanced cancer, I began to pray for his healing but was quickly rebuked by God. I accepted his response and prayed for peace and comfort for my dad instead. A few months later, he joined Jesus in heaven. Although I miss him, I would never want to deprive him of the glory he now knows just so I could spend a little more time with him.

You must be persistent.

If God knows what I want, why do I keep having to ask him for it? Jesus taught us to persist in prayer: to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking on the door. There are some reasons for this.

Sometimes we must wait for the right timing. We are asking for something but the time is not right. David wanted to build a temple in Jerusalem to honor God – a glorious desire – but God said, the timing is not right. Solomon, David’s son, was to build the temple.

Sometimes, we must wait for the decision to be made. When we pray for someone to begin a new life of following Jesus – something we know is God’s will – we must persist until that person is convicted to the point of repentance and a new life with God.

Sometimes, we must wait until our faith is strengthened. The idea of pressing against resistance to build strength is central in health and fitness. It is also central in spiritual fitness! Persistent prayer builds faith. When Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow (read it in Luke 18) he concluded with these words: “However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earth?” In other words, do you have the faith it takes to persist in prayer until you receive an answer?

You must have a pure heart.

A pure heart is a heart that is fully devoted to God and his purposes. It has been cleansed of selfish desires and motives. Therefore, when we have a pure heart we want God glorified.

A pure heart draws us near to God in ways that are profound and glorious. Jesus said: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” When we see God, we perceive his glory and power and purposes. In seeing God, we begin to understand the world from his perspective and it fuels our passion and our prayer.

A pure heart turns us away from what we want and towards what God wants! This makes praying the will of God a natural exercise and it also strengthens our resolve and our faith!

Today, you have the opportunity for effective prayer! It takes work and requires endurance. Effective prayer will build your faith and you will see answers to that prayer.

Your challenge is to begin to pray: “Your kingdom come; your will be done.”

About Jim ~

Jim Wolstenholm: I’m a 20 year Navy Veteran and a 18 year pastor. My mission: I help people follow Jesus so they can live the abundant life and change their world.

I blog at https://jimthefollower.com