Barbara Hayes

REJECTING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS!

Trust Me in all your thoughts. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Ps. 20:7

The Word of God helps to overcome thoughts of negativity. It addresses fear, self-doubt, and self-criticism.

Phil. 4:8 says: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in Me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Whenever doubt clouds your mind, trust God in all your thoughts. Instead of allowing such things that do not benefit you, commit such things to God in prayer, trusting He will deliver you from those thoughts that are unconscious or semi-conscious.

Know this; “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” 2 Cor. 10: 4, 5.

The bottom line is to place your Trust in God!

Blessings,

Presiding Elder Barbara Hayes

SY Jesus Calling | WSB | HSB

BY YOUR FRUIT, YOU ARE KNOWN!

A TREE IS KNOWN BY ITS FRUIT Luke 6:43

Jesus used the illustration of a tree to remind us that fruit is always true to its character. An apple tree can only produce apples, not oranges, therefore a good person produces the good from within their heart, not evil.

The heart, the center of our being, determines our outward behavior and deeds and must be changed or converted. Without that inward change, no one can do God’s will. The heart in Scripture is the totality of intellect, emotion, desire, and volition. An impure heart will corrupt one’s thoughts, feelings, words, and actions.

For we speak and act from the overflow of our hearts.

Contemporary people consider the head with its brain the center and the director of human activity. However, the Bible speaks of the heart as the center; “out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23; Luke 6:45).

People consider things in their heart (Deut. 85), meditate in their heart (Ps. 19:14), commune with themselves (Ps. 77:6) or with God (1 Sam. 1:12-13) in their heart, hide God’s word in their heart (Ps. 119:11), keep things in their heart (Prov. 4:21), imagine things in their heart (Ps. 140:2, reason in their heart (Mark 2:8), doubt in their heart (Mark 11:23), ponder in their heart (Luke 2:19), believe in their heart (Rom. 10:9), and sing in their heart (Eph. 5:19). All of these actions of the heart are primarily issues involving the mind.

An impure heart will corrupt one’s thoughts, feelings, words, and actions. Jesus reminds us that our speech and actions reveal underlying beliefs, attitudes, and motivations. The good impressions we try to make cannot last if our hearts are deceptive. Righteousness is produced only in a person’s life due to righteousness in the heart.

For we speak and act from the overflow of our hearts.

Blessings,

Presiding Elder Barbara Hayes

LAB | WSB | FLSB | TEBC

WHY DOES GOD CHOOSE WEAK PEOPLE TO DO HIS WILL?

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;” 1 Cor. 1:27

The Bible tells the stories of many people whom God chose to do extraordinary things, even though they had weaknesses: for instance, Moses had a speech impediment, yet God used him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

King David had multiple things against him, adulterer, and murderer, yet when it was all said and done he is forever known as “a man after God’s own heart.” We can also look at, Esther, Nehemiah, Jonah, and Gideon who hid in a winepress
when an angel appeared to him.

Many had flaws or faced struggles yet God saw beyond their weaknesses, beyond their flaws, and He saw their hidden strengths within. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” 2 Cor. 4:7

God’s Grace

See, the gospel of God’s grace leaves no room for personal boasting. God is not impressed with our looks, social position in this world, or our achievements, our natural heritage, or our financial status. He is not looking for someone to glorify themselves, all the glory belongs to Him and Him alone.

The Bible says in 2 Tim. 2:20, “In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.” For God to use the weak as vessels of use, He must first cleanse them and make them available as vessels of use for His work.

Vessels Of Use

Like an imperfect clay pot, once cleaned, it can be shaped, molded, and made into a vessel of use by the LORD to do His Will even in difficult circumstances.

There is an old gospel song that says; “Use me LORD in Your service, draw me nearer every day, for I am willing to run on all the way.” A Question: If the LORD should call you, will you obediently be willing to do the Father’s Will, or will you run like Jonah?

Blessings,

Presiding Elder Barbara Hayes

TWFYT | NIV

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/barbara375/episodes/Why-does-God-Chose-The-Weak-e2le004

BELIEVE IN YOUR VISION!

“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who
reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; in the end, it will
speak and not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it because it will surely come,
it will not tarry.” Habakkuk 2:2-3

For An Appointed Time. Do you know that God has a purpose and a plan for you,
not just for you but for each of us? Maybe you are an artist, a songwriter, or
an author and feel that as much as you try you cannot get the notice you
believe you should for your craft. Or maybe you are toiling at your desk trying
to get your idea from paper to prototype. Believe in your vision.

Sometimes waiting for that little door to open seems like forever. Yet in
the between time, we should never stop believing in our dreams or visions.

Now just supposed Madam C.J. Walker did not believe in her vision of a hair
care treatment for Black women that led to the invention of the first pressing
combs, or Thomas Edison who is credited with inventing the first lightbulb. Frederick
Jones, for refrigeration, and Charles Babbage noted as “the father of
computing”.

Could God have used someone else for any of these visions? Yes. However, they were the ones blessed to receive them.

Believing in yourself, and trusting in your vision means trusting in
yourself. Your vision helps us see things beyond what others cannot see. Some
have to see it to believe it, however, you see with spiritual eyes what we
cannot see.

God has a set time for everything, pray to seek His guidance, and trust that
if He blesses your vision it will come to pass in God’s time, not ours.

This I believe, as I wait for one to see my vision in my paintings until then we wait with patience, and if it’s what God has for us, it will come to fruition. Until that time, as my daughter often says, “My Mom is a proud parent of her artwork!” I say, “Whatever! I believe in my vision!”

“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; in the end, it will speak and not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

Trust and believe in yourself and continue the good work. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and you the believer.

Blessings,

Presiding Elder Barbara Hayes

TWFYT | FLSB |WB

Oh, Taste And See

An invitation to try before you buy. This invite also contains a promise to you.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

If we trust in Him, He can help us with our feelings. We have the assurance that God is near to us when our hearts are broken and our spirits are crushed, whether we feel like it or not. This is not a promise with conditions attached to it; it is a fact! Those who seek the LORD discover that He not only saves and keeps but also satisfies.

“Taste” doesn’t suggest a sip or a nibble; it implies feeding on the LORD through His Word and experiencing all He has for us. It means knowing Him better and enjoying Him more. Not only does He saves and keeps but He satisfies.

Come, taste, and see that the LORD is good, Blessed is the man or woman that places their trust in His Hands!

Blessings,

Presiding Elder Barbara Hayes

SY Jesus Calling | WSB

DISTRACTIONS!

Distractions can be your family members, like mine who continually interrupt me to look at old photos as I write the description for today’s devotion. “Ma, look at this one…” LOL

Distractions can cause you to lose focus on the most important things in your life; family, and work. They can also be caused by a loss of interest in the primary activity, an inability to pay attention, or the intensity of the distraction itself.

However, the worst distractions are the ones (if allowed) that take a person’s attention away from God. For instance, you have created a time set aside to pray, but one thing after another seems to happen directly before this time and those things seem to need your immediate attention, the washer is spinning out of control due to the clothes being off balance. So, I run downstairs to correct this before it walks out the door! Are such distractions hindering your scheduled time to yourself, or are they robbing you of your peace and joy?

In the Bible, David, with Bathsheeba, then we have Peter when he was distracted when Jesus called him to step out on the water and come to Him. The list goes on.

Then we get upset at ourselves which is a distraction because we allowed the distractions to distract us! What do we do?

When we pray, and remember prayer is having a sincere talk with our LORD. To thank Him for His goodness and mercy, worship and praise our LORD and Savior, and seek His forgiveness and prayers for those on our prayer list. Then our prayer should be, LORD please deliver me from distractions from the importance of serving You!

Blessings,

Presiding Elder Barbara Hayes

TWFYT | NIV

STRESS IS LIKE KRYPTONITE!

I’m happy to have you join me as I share today’s thoughts.

“Are You Stressed Out?

Stress is like kryptonite (Superman’s nemesis), and it’s out to knock off your cape and diminish you to a heap of trembling, useless mush!

Allow me to share some spiritual food for thought, from the Word of God:

The Book of Mattew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” and …

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I would also like to share with you a few quotes I found online: “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”

“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.”

“If you feel like you’re losing everything remember trees lose their leaves every year, and they stand tall and wait for better days to come.”

“Stress is not what happens to us. It is our response to what happens. And the response is something we can choose.”

This one is a dear reminder … “God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, or sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way” — Anonymous.

So when times seem hard and the path before us seems to darken, let’s remember that our God is the LORD that will light and show us the way.

I’ll bring it a little closer to home, “whenever I forget which way to turn, He reminds me that He is still the wheel in the middle of my wheel.” Trust God. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

After listening to The Word for You today via The Church Within You! podcast, https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/dOG4DSeeKIb reach for your Superman’s cape, because kryptonite is just a word to the LORD!

Blessings,

Presiding Elder Hayes

TWFYT | HB

A FRIEND LOVES AT ALL TIMES

A friend loves at all times. When you’re up, they’re not envious, when you’re down, they’re not condescending.

Proverbs make it clear that true friendship is based on love because only love will endure the tests that friends experience as they go through life together.

We may have many companions and no real friends. “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Pro. 18:24

Friendship is something that must be cultivated, and its roots must go deep. Friends must be constant with each other. That is not true friendship which is not constant. Friends, like swallows, that fly to you in summer, but are gone in winter are no loss. But if I love my friend because he is wise and good, though he falls into poverty and disgrace, still I shall love him.

Christ is a friend that loves at all times (John 13:1) and we must so love Him, Rom. 8:35. Relations must also in a special manner be tender of one another in affliction. Some take it thus: “A friend that loves at all times is born (that is, “becomes”) a brother in adversity and is so to be valued.”

Blessings,

Presiding Elder Barbara Hayes

TWFYT|WSB|FLSB|MHSB [TheChurchWithinYou! podcast]

A PARENTING DO-OVER

“RAISING GREAT KIDS IN A TROUBLED WORLD”

The word for you today asks, “Have you ever wished for a parenting do-over”? Knowing what we know now, I wonder just how many of us, if given the chance, would return to the beginning, when our child was first born.

Just think, we would be able to address the blame of feeling like we might have been awful parents. We could remove the question, “Where did I go wrong with this child?”

Listen honestly, there is no perfect parent we have all fallen short somewhere along the line in our parenting skills. We do our best not to repeat the things we didn’t like about our parents. And said we would be different when it came time to raise our own. We tried our best not to incorporate those hard rules, but, sometimes we found that those rules were necessary.

Let’s share a laugh, we do not teach our babies how to tell a lie, but if asked, “Did you do that”? even with you watching them as they did it, they would reply, “No”. Therefore, begins their first lesson, “You should not tell untruths”. From toddlers to teenagers, we take on a different world, theirs, and ours.

We are to provide them with the protection of the ills of this world that we live in. They do not see this world as we do, just as we did not view it from the eyes of our parents. Proverbs tell us to get understanding and to get wisdom, those two go hand in hand.

Remember you have already walked the road they are walking now – maybe a different day and year, but you’ve walked it. Be open to listening, rather than judging, and know that open ears and closed mouths learn more about your young one and their world.

My prayer is, LORD, help me and show me how to accomplish the requirements of being as good a parent as possible. Help us to show sincere love, listen, understand, share the good and the bad, respect, and encourage with unconditional love and acceptance.

Blessings,

Elder Barbara Hayes

TWFYT | FLSB | The Church Within You! podcast.

THE PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES

“I THANK MY God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.” Phi. 1:3

Every recollection that Paul had of the believers back in Phillippi, he remembered with joy. While he awaited his pending trial in Rome, Paul found joy in remembering them before the throne of grace in prayer. Perhaps the deepest Christian fellowship and joy we can experience in this life is at the throne of grace, praying with and for one another.

He recalled Lydia and her household, the poor slave girl who had been demon-possessed, the jailer and his family who found Christ, and the other dear Christians at Phillippi. Each recollection was a source of joy.

When you pray do you think of others who are in need? Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of praying on behalf of another, just as Jesus interceded on our behalf to God. Do you intercede on behalf of families, neighbors, co-workers, the homeless, the sick and shut-in, our seniors, youth, and those caught in war-torn areas? We should all be partakers in prayer for one another.

Let us remember to keep each other lifted in our prayers. Take a listen to “The Church Within You!” podcast.

Blessings,

Presiding Elder Barbara Hayes

TWSB | [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/barbara375/episodes/THE-PEOPLE-IN-OUR-LIVES-e2gmbrn]