"Your Great Expectations"

Day #7 - "A Woman of Faith" Devotional
Verse: Proverbs 13:12 "When dreams come true, there is life & joy."

What kind of dreams do you dream? What are your biggest dreams, wishes & desires? Did you know that God CAN make those happen? We have to however work diligently to make those happen. We can't just sit back and EXPECT God to do it for us, but we should be EXPECTING that He can and will do great things in, for and through us!

God wants us to be the BEST "ME's" that we can be... how are you living up the the 'ME' you are supposed to be? There is a GREAT book by John Ortberg called just that, 'The ME I Want to Be'. It is a great study to do alone, or as a group. I want to start a group this year, so that we can be challenged to be the ME that God has called us to be. You can be the ME that others want you to be, the ME that you think you are, or the ME that God has called you to be. Which are you striving after? Are you a man-pleaser, a self-pleaser or trying to be a God-pleaser? When we live our lives pleasing to God, it should in fact be pleasing to ourselves and others (depending on where they are in their own walk with the Lord).


2011 will be a year of 'great favour', 'great expectations being fulfilled', & 'no limits'... (Check out and download a great song, 'No Limits' by Joshua Mills {& Beckah Shae} on I Tunes - click the link or the pic below.)

God, "our Creator intends that we live faithfully, hopefully, courageously, and abundantly. He knows that we are capable of so much more; and He wants us to do the things we're capable of doing; and He wants us to begin doing those things today." ('A Woman of Faith'- (Day 7)

©2007 Freeman-Smith, LLC)

Are you living up to your full capability, or your M.E. (Maximum Effectiveness) that God has created you to be? I know that I am not, and most of us aren't truly, if we are being honest with ourselves. How can we get there?  Barbara Johnson quotes, "Allow your dreams a place in your prayers & plans. God-given dreams can help you move into the future He is preparing for you". So go ahead & DREAM BIG DREAMS... have GREAT EXPECTATIONS of your life (and your kids and other family members & friends), but PRAY into those dreams, and allow others a chance to pray alongside you. Allow God to move in and through you. Things He does for you, aren't always just for you. He wants you to move out and use them to help others too!

In the words of WALT DISNEY, one of the world's greatest dreamers... "ALL OUR DREAMS COME TRUE, IF WE HAVE THE COURAGE TO PURSUE THEM."

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

"Solving Life's Riddles"

DAY #6 -- "A Woman of Faith" Devotional
Verse: "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruit, without favouritism and hypocracy." James 3:17 HCSB

Life is full of problems, and other trials that come our way... yet God offers us a way out of them, if we choose to live the righteous life. Part of that entails using wisdom... wisdom from God above, not worldly knowledge. As the verse above in James says, it is first pure... same as we are to be. We are to be holy as He is holy, part of holiness and righteousness is made of of purity. Wisdom is to be sought after, and then our lives will be pure, peace-loving, gentle, compliant, fully of mercy & good fruit. We will show love and mercy to all, no matter who they are or what they've done. This allows us not to show favouritism or hypocracy. We cannot talk the talk, and not walk the walk. We can't be pure in one instance, and yet not merciful or peace-loving as well, it's all or nothing.

When facing 'riddles' or dilemmas, first seek answers from the Word of God... but after that God has given us many mentors, teachers, pastors and other Spiritual leaders who can impart some of their knowledge, and they can also be praying for you to gain wisdom.

Remember that God is God alone... here's a little song we are doing on our worship team, I love it!! "You are God Alone"


Be blessed and be a blessing!

"Comforting Others"

Day #5 - "A Woman of Faith" Devotional
Verse: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

{*Editor's Note: So... obviously the devil didn't want any posts today... or someone to receive a word, as there was technical difficulties posting on the original 5th of January (as you can read by my first comment below). But the devil couldn't get a foothold in our lives, as God wanted and wants to do something great! We have been blessed by 2 special conferences with 2 special men of God... they will tell you they aren't special, but it's the amazing power of God working inside of them. (which I know, but I also know they are special to me too!) ALL PRAISE & GLORY to GOD!!}

Psalm 118 tells us that 'This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it'. Our devotional today is regarding comforting others... something some of us don't usually want to play a big role in. God comforts us, brings us joy, heals us, delivers us, etc... so that we can in turn do the same or share our testimony with others. Our testimony is our 'in-your-face' example of God at work in our world today. Some people think their problems are too big for anyone to handle... but they just don't know the power of God yet! If they see God at work in our lives, and the power of God moving in us and changing us, then they will be able to blessed knowing that He will be able to do the same for them. They just need to believe...

Every day there are those around us that need comforting, or even just a smile or a hug. Now, I know some of us aren't 'huggers', but even a hand-shake or a simple gesture that tells them you recognize they are there will help them out. We have the power of God inside of us to help those around us... His love in us helps us love those around us, even those tagged as 'unlovable'. His peace inside of us can overflow and help those who need the peace of God in their stormy lives. His joy that will bubble up inside of us and ooze out can lift even the darkest of spirits. His strength inside of us can help uplift those around us that are in need of some supernatural power. We just need to be AVAILABLE! I have heard a quote by ministers or preachers alike, "God's not interested in our abilities, he wants our availability". God wants us to be obedient and available... there are simple little things called 'shoulder taps' where God might just whisper something in your ear, or tap you on the shoulder for you to stop from your busy day, and realize that there's a hurting world of people around us. The world does not revolve around us... and sometimes we think our problems are leading us to the end of the world... but really there are ALWAYS those who are worse off then us. God wants us to be a light to them... to shine the Light of His Son. A simple word of encouragement (yes, even if your gift is not encouraging or exhortation) can make a BIG difference in someone's life.

Get out there and be the 'hands and feet' of Jesus... that's not just a cute saying someone made up, that is what God wants us to do and be. He cannot physically touch others, without us first using our hands and or feet to do so. We need to GO where he sends our feet to go, and TOUCH who He tells us to touch with our hands... or be his mouth or ears and SPEAK or LISTEN (truly listen) words of affirmation and blessing. A simple testimony of what God has done for you in the past, or even just yesterday or today will help someone else out more than you know. (I am speaking to myself here too, I don't always remember to stop and help... nor share my testimonies as often as I should.) But the Word tells us that we can OVERCOME by the Blood of the Lamb, and the WORD of OUR TESTIMONY... whether it be spoken or written...

The devil is a deceiver and he will try to tell you that your life doesn't make a difference... but GOD knows (and I know) and YOU SHOULD TOO... that your life DOES make a difference! Go M.A.D. (Go Make a Difference) Be the M.E. that God has called you to be. (M.E. = Maximum Effectiveness) Are you living up to your potential? Do you know what your potential is? None of us really are, and none of us really know... but GOD does, and He will guide us and direct us down the right paths if we just TRUST in Him!

To read other 'A Woman of Faith' devotional messages, click here...
To read other devotionals regarding the M.E. you are called to be (your MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS) Click here...

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!!