Spirit of Confidence - Karen Huffaker

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. Jeremiah 17:7 NIV

Every time she steps on the mat, I see a spirit of confidence beyond the ordinary level. 

My granddaughter’s nose is up, and her shoulders are back. We joke that she has an “attitude.” She has been a gymnast almost all of her young life. She’s grown in skill, strength, and poise yearly. Watching her in action is a joy—tumbling, flipping, spinning, and jumping to new heights. No matter the size of the crowd or how much noise they make, she remains focused and confident.

But her successes didn’t come easy. They required years of focus, practice, and commitment—and pushing herself to new limits. Today’s athletes are highly competitive, exceptional, bold, and confident.

Her example reminds me of how my relationship and spiritual walk with God should be. I can approach Him with complete freedom and confidence through faith.

Growing up to be more like Jesus in strength, conduct, and grace should be a natural result of spending time daily with God in prayer and Bible study. I find more confidence and strength in quietness and devotion to live out His will. 

God is my strength, and my confidence lies in Him. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in powerful people. We are blessed when we place our trust and confidence in the Lord.

I trust in God because He keeps His promises. I know He will never fail or forsake me. He is the true and faithful one. Therefore, I can depend on Him. My confidence in Him grows daily, and I am blessed.

How does meditating on God help build your confidence in Him?

Tweetable: Do you have a spirit of confidence? 

Karen Huffaker is a freelance Christian writer. She has taught children’s Sunday school and single mom’s Bible studies and written poetry. She is from the Deep South and loves reading Christian books, devotionals, genealogy adventures, fishing, and all things family. She is also passionate about her grandchildren’s sporting events. 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Flashback Friday - Balanced - Martin Wiles

Balanced

Time comes in the same increments for everyone.

So be careful how you live… Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Ephesians 5:15-16

Flipping and tumbling across the floor didn’t concern me. Even bouncing off the trampoline and flipping over the horse beam didn’t tax my nerves. Watching her swing round and round on the bars only made me a little nervous. What set my nerves on edge was the balance beam. The other gymnastic activities my daughter performed could have resulted in injury, but the balance beam appeared the most dangerous. Walking, jumping, and flipping on a piece of a narrow slither of wood simply didn’t seem safe. Happily, she never injured herself. Read more...

Tweetable: How are you finding balance? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Living with Balance - Martin Wiles

Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. Proverbs 30:8 NLT

Every time she mounted it, I cringed.

For four years, my daughter took gymnastics. One part of the sport made me cringe. I didn’t mind the floor exercise. She could only fall. The vault wasn’t too bad either. She ran down a mat, bounced off a trampoline, and vaulted over a small beam. The bars scared me more. The coach lifted her so she could reach them. My daughter could injure herself. Break a neck or limb. Suffer a concussion.

But the balance beam troubled me more than anything else. A long piece of wood so narrow that my daughter’s two narrow feet couldn’t fit side by side. If she only had to walk along it, I wouldn’t have minded, but she had to perform stunts on it. Cartwheels. Backflips. And then a running dismount. Mastering the balance beam required … well … balance.

Wise King Solomon, who had all the wealth a person could possibly want, asked God not to give him poverty or riches. He needed only enough to satisfy his needs. The apostle Paul later said something similar: For I have learned how to be content with whatever I have (Philippians 4:11).

Living with balance isn’t easy, especially when the world throws so much at us that can easily unbalance our lives. Listening to advertisements makes us think we need more than we actually have to live, causing us to mix up the definitions of wants and needs.

If we’re to live with balance, it takes planning. I have to know my income, along with a proper definition of a need. A need is something I must have to live and to accomplish God’s will for my life. Anything more is a want.

Living with balance relieves—or prevents—anxiety, something our world seems afflicted with. If I don’t overextend myself—with payments for unnecessary things or with my time—my anxiety level will stay low. I’ll be able to walk the balance beam successfully. When anxiety leaves, peace arrives.

Most of all, living with balance is God’s will. How do I know? Jesus did, and He perfectly accomplished God’s will. He lived modestly, but depended on the Father to supply His needs. And He did.

If your life is out of balance, tell God. He can give you the needed wisdom to live a balanced life.

Prayer: Father, teach us how to live a balanced life. One that demonstrates to others that You will indeed supply all of our needs.

Tweetable: Is your life out of balance?

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.