Jeremiah 29:11 Archives - KidMinspiration

New Year – And Trusting God!

01/06/201501/06/2015 Kathie Phillips 3 Comments

Happy 2015, friends! I pray that your new year is off to a great start!

The start of a new year usually ushers in a reflective mood that often leads to us setting goals for various areas of our lives. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. A new year is a great time to reevaluate life and make adjustments to live more in the calling that God has for you.

But what if you aren’t sure what those goals are yet? This is where I am currently. I’ve been reading social media updates, articles and blogs about all of the ‘great things’ people have planned for the new year. It seems that some of these folks have been working on these things for some time now. I began to feel behind the eight ball – really behind.

When my family gathered to celebrate New Year’s Day, we talked about our responses to the following statements (we were given these in advance to ponder):

Ask God what He wants to reveal to you and through you in 2015.

Ask yourself where you let a dream fall by the wayside in 2014.

Ask God to breathe new life into dormant dreams or stir new dreams within you.

Ask God what He’s dreaming for you this year.

Write down what He is saying to you.

I found myself stumped with statements #1 and #4. Although I have prayed, I don’t yet know what God wants to reveal to me and through me this year. And I don’t know what He’s dreaming for me this year. Of course, there are many things that I’d like to do and dreams that I’d love to see come true, but what God wants and is dreaming – the bigger picture…I’m not sure yet. And that’s ok. So, if you find yourself in a similar place of waiting, you’re in good company.

Who says we have to have our yearly plan figured out on the first day? Or the 6th day? Or the 56th day? While I firmly believe that we should have goals and work strategically toward them, I am also content with the fact that God knows the plans He has for me (Jeremiah 29:11). I know that His ways are higher than mine (Isaiah 55:8).

So…I will wait. I know that He will reveal His plan to me in His timing – and I can’t wait!! I know it will be more than I could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Will you trust God to reveal His perfect plan in His perfect timing? Will you wait?

Choose to Speak Life!

05/08/201405/08/2014 Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

A month ago, my daughter and I began a weekly one-on-one Bible study. We are working our way through Elizabeth George’s book A Young Woman After God’s Own Heart. The conversations that have come out during our time together has far exceeded my expectations. I get to hear her share more of her tender heart, her struggles, what matters to her more than I have by just asking her to tell me about her day. Our time together gives me the opportunity to speak life into her, to encourage her, to pray over her and with her. My time with her account for some of the most precious minutes of my entire week.

Yesterday I was reminded that some girls don’t have a female at home who cares for them and invests time speaking life into them. One of my leaders came into my office, deeply burdened by something that a little girl in her small group asked this past Sunday. Her question: “What if your Mom says you’re worthless?”

The girl’s leader expressed to me how speechless she was. She (the leader) found it hard to believe that a child so young had ‘worthless’ as a part of her vocabulary. As only God could orchestrate, I was able to look my heartbroken leader in the face and remind her that this is why we minister each and every week. It’s more than just preparing and teaching a lesson. We are building relationships with children from broken homes; children who are struggling to know that they matter and have worth because God created them for a purpose.

We have the opportunity to speak life into people in our circle of influence. Whether we lead a staff, teams of volunteers, a small group of children at church or are parenting our own children, we have an opportunity to speak life.

What might that look like?

**Take time to listen – really listen. Listen with your ears and your heart.

**Remind them of their worth in Christ.

He created them in a special way (Psalm 139:13-18).
He delights in them (Zephaniah 3:7).
He has a purpose for them (Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 2:10).

**Tell them how important they are to you – and do this regularly.

What special traits/gifts/talents do they possess?
What do they do well?
How are you seeing God work in their life?
What do they bring to the group? How would the group be different if they were not a part of it?

I am so thankful to serve in a church that places a high value on Children’s Ministry. I am thankful to serve alongside volunteers whose hearts break for hurting children. Children today need to hear positive messages from the adults in their lives. Our words have power. They need us to pray regularly for them and with them. They need us to speak life into them.

What child needs an encouraging word from you today? Ask God to reveal that to you and then act. Speak life!

The Question that Never Goes Away

09/12/201309/12/2013 Kathie Phillips 6 Comments

Our family is mourning the loss of my father-in-law, who passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday. He was a man who loved the Lord and who preached His Word diligently for 35 years. He celebrated his 71st birthday on Monday, so his passing on Tuesday was very bittersweet.

Many of my friends are going through a similar period of loss and bereavement. Why is my ministry failing? Why am I being persecuted? Why did cancer take him from me? Why are we struggling to make ends meet? Why is my child, who was raised in the church, no longer following the Lord? Why can’t I conceive? Why has it taken me a year (or longer) to find a job? Why is there so much tragedy and heartache in our world?

Asking God “why” is a common question. It is very human to want to understand why God allows bad things to happen.

If you are in a place where you’re asking God “why”, please be comforted that God knows and cares. While we might not know the outcome, God does know and He requires us to trust Him. Will you trust God for the outcome? His Word tells us,

“‘For I know the plans I have for you’, says the Lord.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Philip Yancey, author of Where’s God When It Hurts? has recently released a new e-book entitled The Question that Never Goes Away. Today only, you can download it free on Kindle. By clicking on the image below, you will be taken to the website..