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spiritual gifts

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Stop meditating on the couch cushions and save the people

Couch potato
Image: http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-eats/healthy-eating/healthy-eating-athletes/view-all/

I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, so instead of laying in bed tossing and turning, I got up and did chores. Afterward, I watched Dr. Aikyna D. Finch on Periscope. She is a very anointed, smart, and hilarious lady. One of the things she shared today was, “Stop meditating on the couch cushions and save the people. You have a message to share that others need to hear. How are you changing the world?”

Her scope was so convicting, especially since I was actually sitting on the couch as she said this! I really felt that God was speaking straight through her to my heart. Dr. Finch, who is a university faculty trainer, talked about the excuses we often give for not sharing our message with others.

Bible

Yes, God wants you and me to pray, read the Bible, worship, go to church, and all that jazz. But Jesus also commanded His disciples to go into the world and make disciples. (Matthew 28:19)

There is a lost world out there and not a lot of time left before Christ returns. And there is only one you with your specific calling and unique gifts to help others. It’s time to use your gifts and go save the people!

I needed that kick in the but this morning from Dr. Finch. How about you?

***

Check out my books that I’ve written to help you in using your spiritual gifts at my Amazon Author Page below:

http://www.amazon.com/author/bethmjones/

March 15, 2018 by Beth Jones

Blog, Business, Ebooks, Faith, Family, Marriage, Parenting, prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Travel, Writing

Still time for your (God’s) bucket list

pumpkin

This year has sped by, hasn’t it? Again.

The older you are, the faster the years go. You grasp at time, but it rushes through your hands like turbulent rapids in a river, and there’s no stopping it. That’s why it’s important to be present in the moments each day and to savor your time with loved ones. To live intentionally.

rapids

Christmas is around the corner and the new year. I think it’s important to live each day fully, and there is still time to get things accomplished this year. What things?

Writing a to-do list

Whatever matters most, what is important to you personally–and to God. I highly recommend reading the book What If God Wrote Your Bucket List? 52 Things You Don’t Want To Miss.

family pic

coffee pic

fall decos

For me, that would be:

Using my spiritual gifts for God and living out my purpose daily;
Working on healing my marriage to Ray;
Staying connected with our 3 beautiful daughters and 4 precious grandkids (soon to be 5!);
Having my “coffee with God” time each morning, praying, journaling, & reading the Bible;
Walking/jogging at the track and eating healthy to become fitter;
Enjoying this new fall season (pumpkin scented candles, mm; pretty sunflowers decos);
Traveling to new places;
Being an example of Christ to all those God brings across my path each day.

What about you? What is left on your bucket list that you’d like to do before this year ends?

fall trail

October 20, 2017 by Beth Jones

Blog, Faith, prayer, Spiritual Gifts

Refreshing Rain: Repent of your sin

cherry tree after rain

Yesterday we had a sudden thunderstorm here: heavy rain, loud thunder, and lightning. It stopped as suddenly as it started, and reminded me of the thunderstorms in the south where I grew up.

Afterward, everything looked so fresh: the emerald-green grass, the tree’s leaves, and the beautiful flowers like our neighbor’s cherry tree, pictured above. This reminded me of Acts 3:19-21, NIV:

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

The word “sin” isn’t very popular today. We like to call it by other names: mistake, weakness, or “I just screwed up.” (If we even admit it; sometimes we blame others, hide, justify, or make excuses for our sin.)

But God, who is holy, calls a spade a spade: it’s sin! And He knows that sin will destroy our lives and hinder your purpose and mine.

Thunder and lightning

God is not an angry Deity ready to just zap you with lightning and send you to hell every time you mess up a little! Hell was created for the devil and his demons, not man. God loves you and has a good plan for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11) God wants you to repent of your sin, so that nothing will stand between you and Him. He wants to be as close to you as possible.

daisies

When we repent of our sins, we are refreshed. We feel relieved. We don’t carry around that guilt, and worse, condemnation for our sins. Jesus died on the Cross over 2,000 years ago for you and me, as a sacrifice to God and a substitute for our sins, so we wouldn’t have to carry the burden of them. His death and resurrection sets us free. When we repent, we are in right relationship with God and others. We are forgiven–forever.

Today, ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart for any sin. Confess it to God. Ask His forgiveness. Let nothing stand in your way of intimacy with God. and fulfilling your purpose.

woman in rain

Receive the refreshing rain and the beauty, like the flowers after the rain, of His forgiveness, love, and power in your life.

***

Promises In The Dark: One Woman's Search for Authentic Love

Get your copy at:
https://goo.gl/rRQhIC

Do you feel that you have sinned too much and that God can’t and won’t possibly forgive you?

He will forgive if you repent. God is faithful, even when we are not!

Read my encouraging life story about my childhood abuse, adulterous affairs, and three abortions, Promises In The Dark: One Woman’s Search for Authentic Love, and how God forgave and delivered me by clicking here.

March 25, 2017 by Beth Jones

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I'm an International Speaker, Author of 30 books (and still writing!), traveler, wife to fire chief/paramedic Ray, and a blessed mom of 3 beautiful daughters, Heather, Eden, and Leah. I encourage women to use their gifts for God's glory, fulfilling their great purpose, and living a life they love. I help aspiring Christian speakers & writers to share their hearts' unique, powerful messages. The ocean is my happy place and place of peace and refilling. I love Jesus, my family, my cats Natalya and Nichodemus, traveling, chips & salsa, coffee, chocolate, nature, music, and art. My husband Ray calls me an enigma: I love to laugh and cry a lot. What about you? I'd love to connect more with you and hear how you desire to make more of an impact here for God's glory. Thanks for stopping by here. I pray you will find the hope, inspiration, and motivation you need to become all God created you to be. Dream big because we serve a big God!