Equipped with Words of Life!

"A life lived for Christ is a gift that keeps giving. Her legacy lives on in the lives of all she touched." ~Coach Kufahl about Jenni (today = her birthday)
...AMEN to that!! Please pray for God's grace, blessing, and comfort for their family! 

" For You bless the godly, O LORD; You surround them with Your shield of love." 
~Psalm 5:12

"God's silence does not mean that He is absent, apathetic, or angry... You have no idea what or who hangs in the balance of your decision to remain FAITHFUL when everything around you says 'be faithless.'" ~Andy Stanley

"So speak life, speak life to the deadest, darkest night. Speak life, speak life, when the sun won't shine and you don't know why. Look into the eyes of the brokenhearted; watch them come alive as soon as you speak hope, you speak love, you speak life!!" ~Speak Life, TobyMac

It's so perfectly timed that I've been thinking about this, but then, God is the master of perfect timing, so why should I be surprised!?  I've been telling myself several times lately that I have the mind of Christ and I am "equipped with words of life," and last night, I had a unique opportunity to put that into practice. When people I love are hurting, I want to step up and step in and offer words of life and light that point them to hope and to God's love - not shallow words that ring empty, but words that come from a place of deep inner faith that has been tested. (On that note, I'm honestly thankful for every HARD season I've been through that gives more credibility, relatability, and depth to my faith.)

This post (HERE) was written in the hopes that it will encourage me if ever I slip back into the slimy pit of feeling dark, depressed, and hopeless. I know that words of life spoken from a place of genuine love and care mean everything - they can make an awesome impact when someone is at the end of their rope (and we all get there or have our moments in that place). I pray for more revelation on that and that I will see and take every opportunity God gives me to encourage and comfort and pray with people!! And it's important to practice this in daily life and in my words about myself, so I'm working on that too... I will never be perfect, but as long as I live, I hope to fight for this and do my best to stay close to Christ and speak life!

"In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it!" ~John 1:4,5