And The Result Will Be… Joy

Don’t be sad because the joy you have in the LORD is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10b GWT)

I’ve been clinging to these words.

In the past 2 years, I have faced some of the biggest joy-draining challenges in my life.  It’s been – without a doubt – emotionally, spiritually and physically exhausting.

• I’ve faced a cancer diagnosis and two related surgeries.
• My family discovered a mammoth betrayal from a beloved uncle that resulted in his suicide.
• Our son was diagnosed with PTSD and depression from the effects of bullying at school.
• We left our church home of 12 years and lost dear friendships in the process.
• Our world was shaken when my husband was laid-off in this tough economy.
• My beloved grandmother died, leaving a hole in my life.

There have been times I’ve wanted to curl up in a fetal position and wave a white flag in surrender.

Can you relate?

But God makes us a promise we can’t deny.

When we press in during those times where we feel discouraged and dejected…

When we praise Him regardless of the storms we face…

When we trust that He is working it all out…

When we choose to remain faithful no matter what…

God will give us strength to stand.

But sometimes we are drama-mommas.

We think that since our life is experiencing a “rough patch,” we have to walk around with a scowl on our face.  We think that if we look sad enough, people will take pity on us.

We use this opportunity to make it all about us.

Please tell me I am not the only one?

But when we act that way, we are choosing not to accept God’s best for us.

We are looking for that same end result of strength in all the wrong places.

Then God whispers, “Beloved, don’t be sad.  Trust me in your journey.  Praise me for what I am planning for you because I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Trust me and watch your joy arise!”

So I press in to Him.  I start believing that God is working it all out behind the scenes.  I see glimpses of His fingerprints.

• My heart begins to soften.
• The stress leaves my shoulders.
• My thoughts are more easily taken captive.

And then I watch it happen.

Money shows up anonymously in the mail.

The surgeon can’t find any traces of cancer.

A spirit-filled therapist counsels and heals my son.

Our new church introduces my family to a deeper relationship with Jesus.

My husband lands a job that makes his heart soar.

Listen, God really is who He says He is… and He really does what He says He’ll do.

Sisters… the joy you have from your relationship with God is what will give you the strength to press on in tough times.

Maybe you are having a hard time finding that joy right now.

Maybe life seems too big.

Maybe the light at the end of the tunnel really is a train.

If that is you, try this… Make a list of all the things He has done for you.

It will remind you… encourage you… challenge you to trust just one more time.

And the result will be… joy.

©2011 careyscotttalks.com

Let’s Connect!  Follow me on Twitter, Book Me to speak at your event, Like my Facebook Fan Page, Visit me each Wednesday at “Moms Together,” Learn about LeadHer’s mission to equip women to make an impact for Christ

Read Full Post »

The Result Is Joy

I wrote this post for my friend Heatherly’s blog, A Pinkdaisy Life, last Monday.  The struggle to hold on to joy is so real to me right now that I actually went back to reread this devotional. 

Ever have a time when you had to be so intentional in keeping your joy at a detectable level?  Life is hard and we get dinged by it.  But God offers us a way to hold on to our joy.

Sisters, enjoy this post.  I hope it speaks into your life right now.

† † †

Don’t be sad because the joy you have in the LORD is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10b GWT)

I’ve been clinging to these words.

In the past 18 months, I have faced some of the biggest joy-draining challenges in my life.  It’s been – without a doubt – emotionally, spiritually and physically exhausting.

• I’ve faced a cancer diagnosis and two related surgeries.
• My family discovered a mammoth betrayal from a beloved uncle that has deeply affected all of us.
• Our son was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the effects of bullying at school.
• We left our church home of 12 years and lost dear friendships in the process.
• My husband was recently laid-off with little in the bank.

There have been times I’ve wanted to curl up in a fetal position and wave a white flag in surrender.

Can you relate?

But God makes us a promise we can’t deny.

He tells us when we press in during those times where we feel discouraged and dejected… when we praise Him regardless of the storms we face… when we trust that He is working it all out… when we choose to remain faithful no matter what… God will give us strength to stand.

But sometimes we are drama-mommas.

We think that since our life is experiencing a rough patch, we have to walk around with a scowl on our face.  We think that if we look sad enough, people will take pity on us.  We use this opportunity to make it all about us.

Please tell me I am not the only one.

When we act that way, however, we are choosing to not accept God’s best for us.  We are looking for that same end result of strength in all the wrong places.

Then God whispers, “Beloved, don’t be sad.  Trust me in your journey.  Praise me for what I am planning for you because I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Trust me and watch your joy arise!”

So I press in to Him.  I start believing that God is working it all out behind the scenes.  I see glimpses of His fingerprints.

• My heart begins to soften.
• The stress leaves my shoulders.
• My thoughts are more easily taken captive.

And then I watch it happen.

Always at the right moment, money shows up anonymously in the mail.  During my second surgery, the surgeon couldn’t find any traces of the cancer 4 pathologists noted.  A very spirit-filled therapist decided to counsel my son and charge us next to nothing.  Our new church home has introduced my family to a deeper relationship with Jesus.  My husband has had time off to pour into his family.

God really is who He says He is and He really does what He says He’ll do.

Sisters, the joy you have from your relationship with God is what will give you the strength to press on in tough times.

• Maybe you are having a hard time finding that joy right now. 
• Maybe life seems too big.
• Maybe the light at the end of the tunnel really is a train.

If that is you, try this.  Make a list of all the things He has done for you.

It will remind you… encourage you… challenge you to trust just one more time.

And the result will be… joy.

©2011 careyscotttalks.com

Let’s Connect! Subscribe to this blog,  Follow me on Twitter, Book Me to speak at your event, or Like my Facebook Fan Page

Read Full Post »

Keep Fighting

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  (2 Timothy 4:7)

I was on the back deck talking to God about my weariness in battle.  I’m usually up for a good battle as I really enjoy watching the Enemy exposed and humiliated, but this one is brutal.

Why?  Because I’m getting hammered on every side.  I’m struggling with…

• A child with intense emotional pain,
• A husband requiring surgery,
• A set of difficult logistics to figure out, and
  
• A lack of finances to make it all come together.

Now I know, that I know, that I know, that God is in this!  I never doubt His profound and divine ability to take care of me and my family because I have seen it a million times.

My weariness is not for a lack of support or resources as I’ve learned that every challenge always comes with its own provision.

It is just constant right now and I’m getting hit where it hurts me the most.

Well as I was sitting outside downloading with God, my attention moved to some interesting activity on the pond behind our house.

A visiting pelican swam a little too close to the nests of some resident Redwing Blackbirds and they went after him.  These little blackbirds are known to fight back when anything or anyone encroaches on their territory.

And fight him ferociously they did.

The pelican stayed the course for a while, continuing to swim closer and closer to the nests of the blackbirds foraging for something to satisfy him.  But the constant assault from these little blackbirds proved too much and he eventually turned tail and left.

You might be thinking one of two things could be the lesson behind this visual:

1. God is saying we should be the pelican and leave when the battle seems too much, or
2. God is saying we should be the blackbirds and fight like hell until the intruder leaves.

Well, here is what I felt God whisper into my spirit, “Carey, keep fighting.  Stay at it.  Eventually the Enemy will see your fierceness as you battle for your territory and he will give up.  Be relentless.”

Sisters, when the Enemy invades… fight back like hell.

Here’s what your arsenal might look like:

• Pray constantly for wisdom, discernment, strength, motivation, favor and whatever else you need.
• Gather a team of prayer warriors that you know will cover you in battle daily.
• Spend time refreshing yourself in the Word as it’s the sword of the spirit.
• Have praise music in your house 24/7.
• Pray over your house asking God to protect and restore you and your family and then command – in the name of Jesus – that anything evil or demonic leave immediately.  (Sometimes I do this daily!)
• Refuse to isolate yourself from your support system and instead surround yourself with Godly friends and wise counsel.
• When the Enemy whispers those lies to you, immediately restate it as a victory in Christ (When the Enemy says: “Your son will never heal from all the damage.”  I restate it as: “Thank you God that you are in the business of restoration!”)

But we’re only human, right?

And there are times the heaviness of our situation is too much.  There are times where we deeply feel the fear or sadness or anger from battle… and we crumble.

Friends, that’s okay.  Been there, done that.  But listen to me… All mighty warriors have to step off the front lines and change their armor and wipe the blood off their swords.

But because Christ is in you, once you’ve rested and have regrouped… you gather your arsenal and walk back to the front lines.

Like those Redwing Blackbirds, we refuse to let our enemies enter our territories and steal from our lives.   We’re going to be relentless in the fight.

In that God moment of encouragement and understanding from watching the fighting blackbirds, things shifted.

• My tears stopped.  
• My back straightened.
• My jawbone clinched.
• My heart healed (a little more).
• My resolve emerged.

Because we have an Enemy that hates us with a burning passion, we need to expect the battle.  We cannot afford to be caught off guard.  We can’t be knocked out of the game when the Enemy hits us where it hurts.

Nope.  Instead, we need to fight the good fight.  We need to bring it.  We need to stare him down.

So when the Enemy threatens me… I’m gonna threaten him right back.

©2011 careyscotttalks.com

Let’s Connect! Subscribe to this blog,  Follow me on Twitter, Book Me to speak at your event, or Like my Facebook Fan Page

Read Full Post »

When God Shows Up

Oh, I’ve been so excited to share the news with you.  God showed up HUGE this week!

• Remember me sharing about the Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference in North Carolina this July for speakers and writers ?
• Remember how I told you it was the premier training ground for women called into ministry?
• Remember when I asked your prayerfully consider supporting me through a tax deductible donation?

Well, I am so humbled and so grateful to share that God dramatically intersected my life in a ginormous way.   Thanks to a very generous friend, my registration fee almost completely covered!

When this news came through my email, I broke into tears and called my mom. (We never get too old to need our moms, do we?)

After I hung up with her, I started to wonder… Just why did this blessing surprise me?  I mean, when I look at my life I see His fingerprints are all over it.

The truth is, God has always shown up.

Sisters, when we step out in His will, He blesses us by providing all we need for our calling.  He makes things happen.  He opens doors.  He prepares our hearts.  He covers us.  He moves others.

Our loving Father has such an eye for detail.  Nothing misses His gaze.

Oh how I’ve seen Him intersect my crazy, drama-filled, broken, exhausting life a million times!

• When my marriage was at divorce’s doorstep… God redeemed it!
• When I was diagnosed with a rare ovarian cancer… God healed me!
• When a bully was causing my son to melt into a mess… God restored him!
• When my husband’s job was causing unhealthy stress… God fixed it!
• When I stepped out in faith and signed up for the conference without the financial means… God provided it!

Friends… God.  Loves.  Us.  And because of that, He always shows up.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 “God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.”

This verse explains that regardless of the call, you can step out knowing God will give you what you need every time.  Why?  Because He is always faithful.

Always.

So you know what?  I’m publically endorsing God.  You cannot go wrong when you intentionally choose to follow His prompting in your life.

Friends, I want to encourage you to:

• Go where He leads you.
  
• Move where He moves you.
  
• Stay if He wants you to stay put.
  
• Fight if He wants you in battle-mode.
  
• Speak out if He wants you to share His words.
• Reconcile if He wants you to forgive.
• Support if He prompts you to give.
  

And here’s a bonus.  When you obey God – He blesses you!

God’s economy rocks.

I’m so excited to be able to attend the She Speaks conference this July!  And to the friend who answered His prompting to help make that happen for me, I pray huge blessings on your life.

And I know it will happen… because God always shows up!

©2011 careyscotttalks.com

Let’s Connect! Subscribe to this blog,  Follow me on Twitter, Visit my Website, or Like my Facebook Fan Page

Read Full Post »