You are blossoming in this Season! Happy Spring SCW family. To God be the Glory for the things he has done. The first official day of Spring this year is Monday March 20th 2023. Spring brings with it a freshness, a newness, that is full of possibilities and that is exciting.Your testimony may be that God has kept you through the last season to make it to this one. If You are healthy and well give God a praise. Health is wealth.Jeremiah 33:6 – Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I feel fabulous.I take really good care of myself with diet, exercise, and spiritual nourishment.I encourage women to put ourselves first a little more.
You are a resource that the entire family draws from. The husband, kids,. In addition you have your careers,social interests,balancing fitness. It’s a lot for one person, you need replenishment. You have to make it a priority. I went out of town for my birthday this year and I had a lot that I needed to do and one of them was the spa for a massage.. I had planned on going. While I was there I having such a good time shopping and seeing my friends from the East Coast, that I thought I can just skip the spa. But then I thought that that’s exactly the type of thing you need to prioritize.
It’s the very idea of putting yourself first. If you are exhausted and worn out you’ll have no energy to give to your family or for yourself.. Make sense? So this year we will prioritize ourselves by taking continual steps to do something that nurtures us.Be at exercising, drinking more water, taking more baths instead of showers, regular manicures and pedicures. Try getting your makeup done. Plan a 2 day getaway with your girlfriends. You also might want to consider a women’s christian retreat.Remember that you have practical as well as spiritual needs. Your soul has a need to be fed spiritual food. As God is healing your inside go ahead and nurture your outside as well.
1 Peter 2:24 – He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed
Life can take it’s toll on all us. Transitions, Family, careers,sickness, death of loved ones spiritual attacks,etc..The bible says that many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers us out of them all.Allow God to heal you from the past and walk in to the newness of life that is waiting for you. I want to pray for you. Let’s Pray
Prayer for Healing
Father, help me to keep my focus on You when the pain and hurt are overwhelming. Help me be faithful and see the good and blessings surrounding me. Please strengthen my mind, heart, and body, and heal me today. May the Holy Spirit guide me in peace and comfort. Amen.”
Smart Tip of the Day : I heard something absolutely amazing I want to share with you.” Choosing Yourself sometimes mean saying No and not entertaining an energy dynamic that is Not a representation of your self respect! The Power of a Woman who can walk Away! Time to make room ladies for the best is yet to come that I can promise you. Guard your hearts and minds, keep praising God, keep your integrity and be the high value woman God created you to be.
International Women’s Day is March 8, 2023
Verse of the Day:
3John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you and that you may be in good health even as thy soul prospers.
How can our lives become more abundant? By trusting God and making the necessary changes to simplify our lives we live richer fuller lives that ultimately glorify God. I hope you are enjoying this 4 part series on Simplifying our lives. If you are just tuning in Joyce Meyer’s book on simplifying your life blessed me so much I had to share it with SCW’s readers. Smart Christian Women are smart enough to know that the simple life is the best life!
Simplify Your Life
1.Let go of what lies behind- It’s imperative that we get our minds out of the past in order to see God’s plan for today. Every day is a new day containing tremendous possibilities: new life, new hopes , new dreams, we can’t stay entrenched in the mistakes and disappointments of yesterday. It’s a trap of the enemy. Let go of what lies behind and move forward.
Joyce Meyer
2.Stay out of debt- Excessive debt makes life more complex than it needs to be and places great pressure on the borrower. It also puts a tremendous burden on a marriage. Statistics say that the burden is so heavy it is the root cause of many divorces. One of the worst things that can complicate and spiral our lives into torturous, chokehold financial debt. Our society makes it very easy to get into debt. Merchants tempt you to buy things now pay for them later by using credit cards a billion- dollar industry today in America. We live in a time where people are very impatient and care very little about the future. They live for the moment but the cold hard truth is that tomorrow always comes and tomorrow we will be forced with the result of what we did today. Proverbs 22:7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Joyce Meyer
3.Only Believe-With Humility comes peace and power- Humility is a doorway to a simple yet powerful life , lived joyfully. Animosity is a wedge between individuals that opens the door for the devil to bring destruction. It is a negative emotion which complicates our life and hurts our hearts and the heart’s of others. When a person always feels the need to tell someone what they think they know it proves they really don’t know anything at all. If they did they would know you need to listen more than you talk the Bible says contention only comes by pride.
Joyce Meyer
4.Be Merciful- Another way to simplify your life, increase your peace and improve relationships is to be merciful. Mercy cannot be deserved. It is a gift given to one who does not deserve it. God is merciful and it is because of his great mercy we are not consumed by our own sin. He gives us mercy first and then expects us to let it flow through us to other people.
Joyce Meyer
Proverbs11:17 The merciful, kind, and generous man benefits himself for his deeds return to bless him, but he who is cruel and callous to the wants of others bring on himself retribution.
Joyce Meyer
5. Be realistic in your expectations- We all hurt and disappoint one another simply because we have inherent weaknesses. we are naturally selfish and tend to do what is best for us instead of what’s best for other people. As we mature spiritually through our relationship with God he can help us overcome these selfish tendencies. But while we’re in the process of changing we will make mistakes. The bible says put no confidence in the flesh. God wants our trust in him.
Joyce Meyer
6. Be quick to forgive- One of the quickest ways to complicate your life is to hold grudges. God tells us in his word to be quick to forgive for a reason.. See James 1:19. He wants us to enjoy peace. He says we should pray for those who have hurt us because they’re really hurting themselves see Proverbs 11:17.When we do that it releases God to deal with the person who has wronged us. We do ourselves a favor when we forgive because it releases us from a prison of inner turmoil and greatly simplifies our lives.
Joyce Meyer
7.Keep your conscious clear- Nothing complicates our life like a guilty conscious. We may try to ignore it but it’s always whispering to us reminding us that we have not done what is right. There are only two ways to live with a clear conscious. The first is to do what is right.; and if we fail in that, we move to the second choice, which is to be quick to repent, to admit our sins and ask for God’s forgiveness and man’s if necessary. We should determine to do our best in life. It is only then that we feel better about everything. We may still fail but at least we’ll have the comfort of knowing we did not fail on person.
Joyce Meyer
8. Be Adaptable- If your motto is my way or no way you are in for rough ride. A spirit of pride is at the root of unwillingness to adapt and adjust to the desires of others. It is much simpler to adapt and hold your peace than it is to fight and war and end up in strife. By never learning to take your turn to be the one who adapts and adjusts. Your life certainly won’t be simple. I struggled with this concept for years and I finally decided peace was more important. God tells us in his word if we humble ourselves he will be the one to exalt us. Be ready to adapt if you want to simplify your life.
Joyce Meyer
9.Be Decisive- Simplicity prays, seeks wisdom, and decides. The apostle James said the double – minded man is unstable in all his ways and will not receive anything he asks of God.
Joyce Meyer
10. Think before you speak- Before you speak ask yourself if what your going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no. Maybe what your about to say should be left unsaid. Proverbs 13:3 He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruins.
Joyce Meyer
11.Follow your heart- Top thine own heart be true. One of the ways we make our lives so complex is we veer off course and ignore what is really important to us. If we put aside our own hearts and follow what the world thinks we should and ought to do. We will find ourselves unfulfilled and empty. Life will be tasteless. We will go through the motions, but nothing will satisfy us. What do you want out of life? What do you believe God’s will for you is? When I ask “what do you want out of life I’m not talking about selfish desire. I’m talking about heart desire.
Joyce Meyer
12. Be Positive- A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; and optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Sir Winston Churchill. Esphesians 4:23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind. having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.
Joyce Meyer
13.Don’t worry about your children- Do the best job you can to raise your children according to Godly principles and leave the rest to God. Some people feel if they don’t worry about their children they are not being good parents. the Bible teaches us worry is not God’s will for us and is useless. Mathew 6:27 And who of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature or span of life? We need to pray for our children then cast your care on God.
Joyce Meyer
14.Be quick to Forgive- Forgiveness doesn’t make the other person right. It makes you free. God tells us in his word to be quick to forgive for a reason James 1:19. He wants us to enjoy peace that’s impossible if we are bitter, angry, and resentful. God is our vindicator and he is a just God.
Joyce Meyer
15. Choose your battles- There are far too many battles in life to try to fight them all, so we must choose the ones we feel are worth the effort.
Joyce Meyer
16.Avoid Excess- Excess is the devil’s playground. Any time we become excessive in anything.
Joyce Meyer
17.Mind your own business- We all have enough business of our own to take care of without getting involved in other people’s business. Pray that people will follow God and then don’t worry about what they are doing.
Joyce Meyer
18. Have simple friends- The people we spend time with affect us ,so it stands to reason if we want a more simple life, we should not have a lot of complicated people for close friends . If i’am around people who are intense and always stressed out, they get me stressed. but if i’am around people who are peaceful, it helps me remain peaceful too. Proverbs 22;24 Make no friendships with a man given to anger, and with a wrathful man do not associate.
Joyce Meyer
19.Keep prayer simple- we think that simple prayer can’t be acceptable to God. God has challenged me to pray simply. Matthew 6:8 God knows what you have need of before you ask.
Joyce Meyer
20. Remember God is for you- Statistics say that 10% of people we encounter won’t like us. There is nothing we can do about it. God is for us and since he is so mighty and so awesome it really doesn’t matter who’s against us. Think about who is on your side not who is against you. There are many people who do love and accept you. it is much more enjoyable to keep your mind on them.
Joyce Meyer
21. Don’t plan for perfection- Unrealistic expectations can steal your peace and joy. Only God is perfect and the rest of us are under construction.
Joyce Meyer
22.Give it to God.- Let go and let God it immediately simplifies our situation no matter how difficult.
Joyce Meyer
23.Be easy to get along with- It is impossible to enjoy a simple life unless your easy to get along with. There was a time in my life when I was hard to get along with and God showed me I was the problem. Are you hard to please? Do you demand your own way? How do you handle correction? Ask yourself these questions and ask God for his help to better yourself in this area.
Joyce Meyer
24.Define personal priorities- Our journeys in life will bring us to many unavoidable decisions. God wants us to make wise decisions. Having wisdom is choosing to do now what we will be happy with later.
Joyce Meyer
25. Find the most efficient way to do things. For example learn to combine errands. Plot out a route that doesn’t waste time and gas set aside a specific time each week to go where you need to go. Make lists of phone calls you need to make. set aside a time to to this. Think about what you’ve been doing recently and come up with ways to be more efficient.
Joyce Meyer
Prepare yourself mentally.
Get some sun — When it’s sunny outside, our bodies produce more of a hormone called serotonin. …
Watch what you eat — If you want to stay up late on Saturday night (who doesn’t?), avoid eating heavy meals or drinking alcohol within two hours of bedtime.
Consider setting your clocks ahead and making it faster. You’ll give yourself extra time each day.
Out with the old in with the new in 2022. This year at SCW we’re simplifying our lives. You’ll enjoy this 4 part series. More and more we’re leading busy complicated lives that increases our stress levels. What we wouldn’t give for our lives to just be simpler. Well it’s not automatic. We have to work at leading simpler lives. Working at it means making adjustments and changes wherever necessary to ensure you’re living the best quality of life minus the extra added stress. Walking with God is development. God is developing you. Letting go of the past can be difficult we get attached to people, places, and things, we experience death and loss. Our lives unfold in seasons. Sometimes people, places, and things come into our lives for a season or to fulfill a purpose and when the season is over or the purposed has been fulfilled they’re gone. We don’t always understand God’s plan and as a student of the word I don’t have all the answers, but what I can tell you is God knows what he’s doing. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9 But Rejoice! A new season is here. The Bible says to everything there is a time and a season. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Please refresh your page SCW has been updated.
I’m an avid reader, kindles are great to have but I still enjoy curling up with a good book. I’ve been so blessed by the new book I’am reading that I thought I must share it with the SCW online community. The name of the book is ” 100 Ways to Simplify your life by one of my favorite authors and bible teachers Joyce Meyer. I could recommend everyone get the book for yourselves but since there’s no guarantee of that I want to be sure my viewers have this simple practical God inspired information to simplifying your life in the new year. In life you steer the ship the best way you know how sometimes it’s smooth some times you hit the rocks. But by all means keep moving forward. The book is filled with pearls of wisdom, quotes from Joyce, and other great men and women, truly words to live by. Let your faith remain unshaken.
Be Yourself – For many years of my life I tried to be like other people I tried to act like them , even look like them. After many years of misery and struggle. I finally realized God would never help me to be anyone but me. There was a reason he made me the way I’m and not like someone else. This is one of the ways Jesus came to set us free. “I have heard her share the upcoming story in many of her conferences it is a great example of learning to be yourself.”My neighbor was the perfect homemaker. She had a garden and sewed her own clothes. I tried to be like her but I couldn’t sew and was terrible at gardening. Sometimes we feel so bad about who we are, we create a fake persona to the world. This is usually when we have trouble in relationships. But when we enter in to the freedom of simply being who God created us to be the anointing of God is present and gives us favor with people. I learned to stop trying to make people like me and start trusting God for divine connections.
Joyce Meyer
2.Clear Out the Clutter- If you find yourself overwhemed by disorganization and clutter . You can change this. In order to keep my surroundings free of clutter I regulary pass things on to other people. I have learened to enjoy it and see it as a way I can give. I like nice things, but don’t want so many I can’t enjoy them because everything appears untidy and disorderly.
Joyce Meyer
3. Don’t be Afraid of what People Think- A man’s reputation is what other people think of him , his character is what he really is.” John Milton
Be excessively concerned about what other people think is an open door to torment. Of course we all enjoy being well thought of . But it is not possible to be liked by everybody all the time. Someone is not going to like you or think negatively about you and there’s nothing you can do about it. The bible says we should cast all of our cares upon God and that includes the care of what other people think.
Joyce Meyer
4. Don’t be so hard on yourself- Are you quick to judge or criticize yourself? If so I highly recommend you read Matthew 11:28- 30. Jesus said he is not harsh, hard, sharp, and pressing, but he is humble, gentle, meek and lowly. Ask him for a second chance, or a third or fourth, or whatever you need. God is full of mercy , and he is long- suffering. His loving kindness never fails or comes to an end. If we keep account of all our shortcomings and failures we become oppressed. Jesus came to lift burdens, but we must believe he is greater than our mistakes.
Joyce Meyer
5. Progress is made one step at a time.- Anything that grows and changes does so progressively. When a seed is planted in the ground it does not immediately sprout and produce fruit. The farmer must be patient and so must we. As we are diligent to study his word, he changes us into his image, little by little. We inherit the promises of God through faith and patience. Being impatient only tends to make us miserable. It doesn’t make God hurry. His timing is perfect and the best thing we can do is to make a decision to enjoy the journey every step of your progress, or you will waste a lot of your life being frustrated about something you can not change.
Joyce Meyer
6.Keep Strife out of Your Life – When we talk about strife, we’re talking about all the bickering, arguing, heated disagreement, and angry undercurrents. We can experience strife with family, friends, co-workers, and the day to day tasks of life.The bible teaches us the servant of the lord must not get caught up in strife (see Timothy 2:23-24). To keep conflict and discord out of our lives, we must be willing to avoid conversations that lead to distress and turmoil. I can tell when Dave and I are having a conversation that is becoming a bit heated. On the occasions, I often choose to just drop it because our human desire to be right often leads us to a great deal of strife In order to keep dissension and disputes out of your lfe entertain the idea there is a possibilty you could be wrong. We cause all kinds of problems trying to prove that we are right, and what good does it really do? It satisfies the flesh, but God has called us to peace.
Joyce Meyer
7. Be a God Pleaser- Galatians 1:10 -Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
In the verse above, the apostle Paul says if he were trying to be popular with people, he would not have become an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. The pressure to please people will build a wall keeping us from pleasing God and fulfilling our God- ordained destiny. It’s normal to want acceptance. Most of experience rejection early on in our lives from some source. From parents, siblings, teachers, or peers- it always hurts and the painful memory causes us to do almost anything to avoid it in the future.
The fear of rejection causes us to react emotionally instead of wisely. Wisdom always does now what it will be satisfied with later. But emotions does what feels good now. They push us to do whatever it takes to avoid pain and discomfort. For years I let people control me. But eventually I discovered they really did not care about me. They weere using me to make them happy.
When I received the call from God to go into ministry all the people I thought were my friends rejected me without hestiation. I was no longer doing what they approved of So I was no longer neccessarry in their lives. I was deeply hurt and felt so aloine but I’m grateful God gave me the grace to choose him ovrer them. I shudder to think I might still be living a phony life of pretense, trying to win over the favor of people who really did not genuinely care about me. People who are really your friends will help you to be all that god has called you to be.
Joyce Meyer
8. Establish Boundaries- Acts 17:26 And He hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, their allotted periods of time and fixed boundaries of their habitation their settlements, lands, and bodes.
We see from the scripture above that God sets boundaries and we should set them also. When you have no boundaries in our life you have no protection. Boundaries are like fences. They keep people and things out of our lives that are undesirable. They make things definite rather than vague. Many people are afraid to set boundaries because they think they will anger or offend someone. We must remember we are called by God to follow him and walk in wisdom. We are not called or required to let other people dictate to us what we must do to keep them happy.
Joyce Meyer
9. Regulary Revaluate Committments- Jesus says he wants to give us rest. He invites us to come and perhaps he wants to give us an opportunity to reevaluate our committments. He wants us to find what isn’t necessary and get rid of it. Anytime we feel like life has lost the simple flow it should have, and instead becomes burdonsome and heavy, we should take those weights to Jesus. Life was not meant to make us feel dragged down and weary. We are God’s children with a blood -bought right to peace and joy! Things in life are always changing and shifting. In order to grow we must change also, and our committments must change to match the changes happening in our lives.
Joyce Meyer
10. Don’t be Judgmental- When we judge someone we pass sentence upon them and only God has a right to do that. It is very easy to glance at someone or a situation and judge very quickly without knowing anything at all. God not only sees what a person is doing he see’s why they are doing it. We judge according to the flesh. God see’s the heart .
11.Don’t let work pile up- Do you feel overwhelmed when you look around and seriously consider at how much work you have to do? A good way to simplify your life is to never let work pile up. When you’re facing a project you don’t want to do it’s easy to decide to do it later, or wait till tomorrow. But you have to exercise willpower to stay with a task and not waste your time finding excuses to not finish your work. Living a simple life requires self- control. You must decide what needs to be done and systematically do it. No excuses. It may be tough at first especially if you haven’t been disciplined in the past, but the rewards of order and restraint are worth it.
Joyce Meyer
12. Take control of your thoughts- Where the mind goes the man follows! If you want your life to change your thoughts must change also. The bible says in order to experience the good plan God has for us we must completely renew our minds. We must learn to think like God thinks. The truth is, it is not our circumstances making us so unhappy, it is the way we look at them. Life is probably not going to change, so we must change our approach to it.
Joyce Meyer
13. Don’t be afraid of what people think- Being excessively concerned about what other people think is an open door to torment. Of course we all love being well thought of, it is not possible to be liked by everybody all the time. Someone is going to think something negative about you and there’s nothing you can do about it. The bible says we should cast all our cares on him for he cares for us . That includes the care of what other people think.
Joyce Meyer
14.Don’t try to take care of everybody- Are you a caretaker? Some people actually get their worth and value out of taking care of everyone else. A lot of them ultimately become martyrs. They take care of everyone and constantly complain about having to do it. The interesting thing about these types of people is you can not stop them from doing what they like to do They don’t want help or an answer they want to complain. Some people feel they are in a trap you can’t they out of. If this is you I suggest you locate your true responsibility and give up the rest. Of course they’ll be people who won’t understand. They’ll get angry with you but atleast you may get a life and save your sanity.
Joyce Meyer
15.Tackle each day as it comes-“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”—Matthew 6:34, New International Version. In other words ” One day at a time”. A little daily discipline keeps us in a place handle life peaceably.
Joyce Meyer
Decide what things need to be done first today. What needs to be done next? Place things in order of importance and do one thing at a time.
SCW
16. Be satisfied with what you have- The affluence of our western culture has created an epidemic of coveting what everyone else has. People crave more and more yet they don’t enjoy what they already have. A simple person is a satisfied person they don’t crave more of anything but they do thouroghly enjoy what they have. They trust that more will come in due time. We should develop a habit of asking God for what we want and believe that he will give it to us if , and when the time is right. This simple approach o life sets us free to enjoy life.
Joyce Meyer
17.Learn how to say no- People don’t like the word “no”, do they? They’ll grin from ear to ear when you say yes to something but you won’t get many smiles when you say no. It didn’t take me long to discover that saying yes when I really wanted to say no was stealing my life from me. I resented the very people I was trying to keep happy and I learned in the long run they were not truly my friends. People who are only willing to be happy with you when they can control you are using you. Make a decision to please God above everything else Godly confrontation and refusing to be controlled by people is jealthy for all involved and eventually builds great relationships that are fair to both parties.
Joyce Meyer
18. Get your mind off yourself- God never intended us to look only inward. Only trying to take care of ourselves. He wants us to reach out to others and trust him to take care of us. Everything in our carnal or human nature is for self preservation but thank God when anyone receives Christ as their Lord and savior they receive a new nature. Thast new nature gives us the ability to be self less. We must learn a new way of living once we are “in Christ”. Worrying about yourself and always trying to make sure you are taken care of is complicated, but trusting that God will care for you as you care for others is simple.
Joyce Meyer
19. Don’t get discouraged with yourself – When get discouraged with ourselves we must rememember everyone goes through the same types of things. These things are often designed to test and check our character and faith. Will we give up or will we get up and try again? The Bible says the righteous man falls seven times and rises again. Even righteous men fall. None of us manifest perfection while we are in fleshly bodies. When God gives us instructions he often only shows us one step to take. It’s natural for us to want the whole blue print but that’s not how God works. If we take that one step we’ll be given another and another until we reach our destination.Many people refuse to take a step until they feel they have their entire future figured out. these are the people that usualyy ends up as failures in life. Even those willing to take these important steps one step at a time will make mstakes along the way and have to try again. If we trust God we must trust him along the way. it’s not about the destination so much as it is the journey.
Joyce Meyer
20. Be a Prisoner of hope- The Bible mentions Prisoners of hope (See Zachariah 9:12). What is that? I believe it’s someone who absolutely refuses to stop hoping no matter how desperate his circumstances are. Hope defered makes the heart sick and it causes depression , despair, discouragement. When you have hope you intentionally becomes positive in your thoughts and attitude.Prisoners of hope are swept up and locked into hope. They just can’t get away from it. They must hope in God and believe that something good is going to happen. A positive attitude makes life simpler. It relieves pressure and puts a smile on your face.
Joyce Meyer
21. Stay spiritually strong- Don’t wait until you are in the middle of a terrible ordeal and then try to get strong in the spirit. It doesn’t work that way. You must build up your reserves over time by spending the necessary time with God regularly, praying and studying his word. I have discovered if I stay spiritually strong , many things no longer bother me, and in some cases these were things that upset me for days at a time. They were able to upset me because I wasn’t strong enough in God to resist them properly or to even look at them in a right way. Our mindset towards life challenges has a lot to do with how we handle them and how they affect us emotionally. A man in the bible Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, but he said what the enemy meant for harm God intended it for his good.. he had a right attitude because he had a great relationship with God. He stayed spiritually strong at all times and experienced one victory after another.
Joyce Meyer
We here at SCW stay spiritually strong because we are constantly feeding ourselves the word of God. Also all your circumstances don’t need to line up for you to have the victory, with God on your side you can still succeed.
SCW
22. Trust God to change you- Do you ever struggle with yourself? Do you see things about yourself you know you need to change and desperately try to change them? I did that for many years and they were some of the most complicated and frustrating years of my life. Through God’s grace I finally saw how it was a waste of time for me to try to fix something only God could do something about. Paul wrote that God has begun a good work in us and he will complete it and bring it to its finish. Frustration = works of the flesh. We honor God when we depend on him in all things.
Joyce Meyer
23. Trust God to change other people- One of the biggest mistakes we make in relationships is trying to make other other be what we want them to be. Only God can change people and even he cannot change them if they aren’t willing to change. Instead of “working on” people we should pray for them that they would be open to change and allow God to work in their lives. When we pray for others to change we should do so with a lot of humility still keeping in mind we have faults of own. I can remember when Dave and I ( her husband Dave Meyer), stood in a room and shook hands, making a commitment to accept and love each other “as is”, faults and all. We had both been so busy trying to change the other but the result was that neither of us enjoyed being together. From that day forward things got better. We have to renew our commitment quite often. because it is to fall off the wagon and start trying to control again.
Joyce Meyer
Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Land our God is good. Blessed , happy and fortunate and to be envied is the man who trusts and take refuge in him.
Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love and the future to God’s providence. – St. Augustine
24.Beware of Distractions- We often look at the devil as the author of our destruction, but he is actually more the author of our distraction. If he can distract us from our God Given purpose, he can cause us to bear no good fruit in our lives. God is glorified when we bear good fruit so, obviously the devil wants to do anything he can to prevent that. It is easy to get distracted in life. We need to really discipline ourselves in order not be distracted. Each person has many demands and expectations placed on them. It seems that every person in our lives is expecting something different and we find it confusing when to say no and when to say yes. Our spouses, friends, parents, children, other relatives, employers, government, churches, It can be overwhelming and tiring. While we try to meet all of these expectations we frequently find that they distract us from the main goal, which is following the will of God.
Joyce Meyer
By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailing arrive at his chosen destination or goal. – Christopher Columbus
Mark 4:19 Then the cares and anxieties of this world and the distractions of the age, and pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the word and it becomes fruitless.
25. Be Wise- The bible says wisdom is pleasure and relaxation to a man of understanding (see Proverbs 10:23) Wisdom is choosing to do now what you will be happy with later on. For example wisdom does not spend all of it’s money now, but it saves some for the future., knowing it is wise to do so. Wisdom doesn’t put off today’s work until tomorrow because it knows it will then have two days of work to do in one. Wisdom is not a procrastinator it takes action. If you want to simplify your life you must think about the future and realize the choices you make today will affect tomorrow. Some people are never able to truly relax and enjoy life because every day they deal with messes resulting from not walking in wisdom. It is foolish to do things we know we should not do when we do them. How can anyone expect to get a right result if they already know they are making a wrong decision? They are gambling on things turning out right anyway, but wisdom does not gamble , it invest. Simplifying your life requires that you really think about your decisions before you make them. Proverbs 8:33 Hear instructions and be wise and do not refuse or neglect it.
Joyce Meyer
Verse of the Day:
To all of SCW’s followers and viewer’s leave the old you in the old year. Be a new you in 2022, a better you. Don’t waste a new year with an old mentality. What good is a new year if you are not new? Thank you for your continued support of this ministry. May God keep watch over you. I pray for your well- being and continual spiritual growth. Have blessed , happy, healthy, New Year and Stay Safe.
Kiss that old year goodbye!! Embrace the fresh start of a new year.New years are a chance to learn from the past and to do things differently going forward. In God’s kingdom change for the better goes beyond New year’s resolutions which is said to fall by the wayside by January 10th or sooner. There needs to be a faith filled heart attitude committment to become more like him. To be the person God has called us to be. Whatever stands in the way of that must go. Hebrews 12:1 says to Lay aside every weight and every hinderance and the sin which so easily besets us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Let nothing seperate us from the Love of God. I’m not going to tell you that laying aside weights or hinderances is an easy task. Honestly walking with God is not an easy thing it’s the right thing. Even doing the right thing is hard sometimes. But God didn’t say it would be easy he said he’d be with you. His grace is sufficient. God places a grace on us to do the hard things.
You know why a lot of people do not make permanent change for the better? Because change takes discipline, courage, committment, effort, and time.Quite frankly most people are just not willing to do the work. It’s much easier to just go through the new years ritual of making ” resolutions” you know you never going to keep so then you’re not accountable and wash , rinse, repeat each year. Pull yourself out of that rut and tell God , ” I struggle in this particular area ( whatever areas you struggle in) and I need your help”. The truth is you’ll never change until the pain of remaining the same becomes greater than the change itself.
.God wants us to start laying aside every weight by examining the sin in our life. We can ask him to provide a way out of. Then, we are to ask him for help for the sin that is a challenge for us. If it concerns you, it concerns God because it is robbing you of your peace. When I look back over this year and see how God has brought me through my heart is full with gratitude.
Through many dangers toils and snares tis grace that has bought me safe thus far and grace will lead me on Matthew 2:13-23.These dangers, toils and snares the bible speaks of come from the battles that rage against us through devils, other people, or even our own flesh. But God says many are the afflictions of the righteous but God delivers us from them all. God is a God of justice he has way of making things right.Examine what are weights for you. God is there to help us however we have a part to do too. We have to be accountable for our behaviors .
For example” If I am trying to lose weight, nightly binges on my favorite ice cream and pizza might prevent me from reaching my goal. If I am a born-again Christian, cursing like a sailor might not be suitable for me.There are many different things that can be considered a weight. For instance not having your priorities straight only further complicates life.
Draw a line in the sand that you will obtain better results this year by doing things differently and making those changes for the better that need to be. Insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result. No excuses in the new year just results. Wisdom is doing now what you’ll be happy with later.
New Year’s Eve Church service is a wonderful way to end the year and start anew worshiping God
Stay Powered up– Charge your phone before you leave home and take your charger with you.
Designate a driver– If you do not have anyone to drive , call an uber or taxi. Depending on where you live some taxi companies are offering free rides. Look up taxi companies in your area.
Be aware of your surroundings- Follow pandemic proptocols, wear a mask, Never leave a drink unattended. Bad things can happen to good people.
Stick together- There is safety in numbers
Staying In New Year’s Eve
If you’re staying in this New year’s eve , make a plan for a fun night. Whether staying in alone or with friends make it a fun evening with SCW’s tips for staying in New Year’s Eve.
Make delicious drinks with friends and family. For our non-alcoholic friends you can make delicious tasty hot or cold drinks like champagne spritzers or hot chocolate fudge cinnamon drinks like the one above.
Having friends over ? You can order out, or have each person bring a dish.
Play games- There are great new modern board game versios of games we love like family feud, jeopardy, monopoly etc..
Great music is a must . There will be various entertainment shows hosted by your favorite celebs.
America’s favorite New Year’s Eve show Rockin Eve in Times Square New York City Countdown to the new year with todays popular musical artists is a must see.
How to make permanent Changes for the better in the New Year
Mentally prepare for change
Changing ingrained habits is no easy task, so before diving head-first into your New Year goals, it is important to take a step back and get ready for that impending change.
The first breakthrough in change is taking a personal inventory. Being that it’s the end of one year and the beginning of the next; it’s perfect timing to take stock in the past year’s accomplishments. Think about the following:
What did I set out to do in the past year?
Where did I make progress?
Where didn’t I see progress?
As you start thinking about the changes you want to implement, make sure to do the following:
Not only should you align around your inner-most desires, but you should also make sure the resolutions align around your top priorities. This will lead to a “must do” attitude.
If your goals are career-centric, like improving your Excel skills, creating your own professional development plan is a great way to stay motivated on the path towards your goal.
Thus, it’s a safe bet if your resolutions align with the following:
Your goals
Your priorities
Your dreams
Your aspirations
Limit resolutions to a manageable amount
make a short list of resolutions that you can manage in the upcoming year. Knowing that short list of priorities is the hard part. The key here is understanding how to prioritize.
Here is an exercise that you can undertake to help you figure out what is most important in your life. All you need is a post-it pad, a pen, and a wall.
Write anything you want to accomplish for self-improvement purposes on a post-it
Each post-it only gets one discreet tactic
Place each post-it on the wall
Go crazy – use as many post-its as possible
Group together similar post-its
Place the topics you feel strongly about at the top of the wall
Put the topics you feel “meh” about on the bottom
Spend a lot of time thinking about the order of the first 3-5 post-it (groups)
Be specific
When it comes to setting resolutions, it’s easy to set bad goals that could lead to poor follow through. Fortunately, SMART goal setting framework can help you craft better goals.
SMART goals are:
Specific – Articulate the resolution as clearly as possible. For example, quitting smoking is better than being healthy. While “being healthy” is great, the wording can be interpreted in many ways.
Measurable – Quantify your resolution if possible, i.e. I will lose 10% of my body weight.
Attainable – Choose a goal within the realm of possibility, but yet challenging. Making 100 friends this year would be amazing, but probably pretty hard to do. On the other, making 10 new friends is doable.
Relevant – Keep it relevant to your priorities and goals. See motivation section above!
Time-sensitive – Give yourself a time-frame in which to achieve a goal. A deadline will instill some urgency and provide a time when you can celebrate your success.
Review your resolution regularly
Let’s face it, if you are not thinking about your resolution regularly, you are not going to follow through. Thus, a crucial part of realizing your goal is a regular review.
At a minimum, this review should be monthly, but the more frequent the better.
If you fall off track, get back on quick
Rome was not built in a day.
We’ve established it will take time for your resolution to become a reality and we know change is difficult. In fact, we’ve already established we should leave some room for mistakes and setbacks.
Keep the following ideas in mind:
Skipping an intermediate task is not a complete failure
Missing a goal by 10% or even 80% is not a complete failure
Finishing a task late is not a complete failure
A moment of weakness is meaningless in the grand scheme of things
Setbacks can happen, but so long as they are handled correctly, they will not impact the big goal. The key is to avoid a defeatist attitude at all costs, i.e. “Well I screwed up once, why should I even try to do this anymore.”
Seasonings Greetings everyone! In the midst of this busy holiday season when we are buying gifts, planning holiday parties, and entertaining family and friends. Rememember the main reason for the season is not about gifts,or parties. It is celebrating the birth of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. Who came that we might have life and more abundantly.
The holiday season usually comes with a lot of stress that ultimately steals our joy. We can get stressed out and worried over money issues or feeling like what we’re doing isn’t enough. Be at peace in this season! Most of all be content and grateful with such things as you have because it is a blessing from the Lord. To God be the Glory! Remember to keep God first and everything else will work it self out.
3 John 1:2 says, Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in good health even as thy soul prospers. “Even as thy soul prospers” means that he wants you to have spiritual maturity. He doesn’t want us to outwardly prosper and be spiritually bankrupt. Which is why he wants us to meditate on his word day and night.Prosperity means that you will not lack any good thing the Lord has designed for you.
You get revelation from studying and meditating on the Word of God. Revelation drives out the rulers of darkness that try to control your life. Revelation from the word causes you to see what is hidden from the natural eye. Revelation will give you understanding of the mysteries of God. You will begin to walk in a level of understanding that is not common without revelation. This is a significant tool for victory in spiritual warfare and sustaining success in life.
Meditation on the Word keeps your spirit free from entanglements of the enemy and in tune, aligned, and walking the right path.Being bound by demonic strongholds and oppressive spirits has a way of keeping you in a place of lack and failure.
Success, victory, and breakthrough become a way of life when you see true deliverance and learn to maintain that deliverance.Prosperity is the key benefit to being in covenant with God.Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. —PSALM 119:105
Tips for a stress free holiday season
Plan ahead, make a list, do your research online before you hit the stores . Or if your shopping online this season. Check around various websites to compare prices. Get the best deals for your money that you can find. If you are a last minute shopper you’re in luck , the best deals are last minute.
Shop for your holiday dinners early. Check your inventory to see what you already have that you can use that will save you money.
Do something nice for yourself and don’t you dre feel guilty about it. After all who’s the one that’s making it happen. Aways putting ourselves lase can in the long run make us feel resentful and again, steal our joy.
Bonus tip for a stress free holiday season: PRACTICE GRATITUDE. Gratitude is, after all, what this season is all about right. Practice gratitude by trying your best to stay in a thankful mindset. Practice gratitude for EVERYTHING during this time, even the small things.
What are your Christmas Eve rituals?
Going to church for candelight service
Gathering with family opening gifts
A special holiday dinner
From Your Author: Thank you my dear followers and viewers from around the world . I pray for your well being and that you are strengthened in your relationship with God and for your continual spiritual growth. Merry Christmas and have a happy healthy New year! Don’t miss SCW’s New 2022 January New Years issue.
Give thanks with a gratefulheart1Thessalonians5:18 and praise God! God inhabits the praises of his people. He is emanuel which translates to “God with us”. In our busy and demanding lives, it’s easy to focus on our challenges and overlook all our blessings. When we focus on all the positive things in our lives, we will find more joy, satisfaction, and happiness.Why should we just be grateful and thankful on Thansksgiving ? There is something to be thankful for to God everyday no matter what the circumstances are. It’s about cultulvating a heart attitude of Thanksgiving. When you’re thankful and greatful to God you are humble. James 4:6 That is why the scripture says, God opposes the proud but shows favor and grace to the humble.I can’t stress enough the importance of writing things down . Not just for the moment but so you can back and review over and over again throughout time. When the enemy tries to flood your mind with dissapointments, doubts, you can return to what God has done in your life and instantly change your mindset and mood.
Remember the battle is for your mind.Romans 7:25 It is with the mind that we serve the Lord. How do we serve the Lord with our minds? By having right thoughts and a grateful heart attitude. I’am not suggesting it is easy . If were easy our minds wouldn’t need to be renewed daily.That’s why we have to be consistant on keeping our minds on God’s word. Writing down God’s words and his works is the best way to do that.
Do it for a month to make it a habit lower stress and strengthen your relationship with God. Write down one thing a day that you are greatful for. When your children are grateful and humble doesn’t it make you want to do more for them? Colossians 3:2 Set your minds and keep it set on the things of above.Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], ( Good things) not on things that are onthe earth [which have only temporal value]. So in this season don’t stress instead train your mind to focus on the positive. Praise God and be thankful. So the holidays are officially upon us. A stressful time for many. Do not forget the reason for the season the birth of Christ, That he came so that we my have life , and more abundantly. No matter what this year has been like God has brought you through. To God be the glory.
What are your Thanksgiving Holiday plans this year? Going out of town perhaps? Connecting with family across the miles.? More people are starting to travel again and gathering more. Remember to be safe and take safety precautions with your family. The practice of keeping hands washed is especially important in dealing with food. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Preparing to get a huge Thanksgiving dinner underway.
Simply type in Thanksgiving in the SCW search bar and there are posts and videos to help you in preparing all of your favorites. From the turkey to side dishes and deserts. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday from SCW to all of you! If you have a great Thanksgiving story leave a comment, or would like to share your holiday plans I’d love to hear it. Be at peace and be well in this season.
SIMPLE WAYS TO START THE PRACTICE OF DAILY THANKSGIVING?
Start a thankful journal. Every day spend a few minutes writing out as many gifts as you can think of and don’t be afraid to include everyday things. They may seem mundane to you but they are special to God. You can use a simple spiral-bound journal or a book bound journal.
Write one thing you are thankful for each day on a small sheet of paper and place in a jar. At the end of the month, open the jar up and read through your gifts.
Make a thankful tree with your children. Grab a large stick or tree branch from outside and place in a vase on the table. Along with your children, each day adorn it with a small token of gratitude or have your young children draw a picture.
Read a book on gratitude. My personal favorite one is Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. It also includes a 30 day devotional in the back.
Do a word study. Using a concordance or Bible dictionary, spend the next 30 days looking up all the verses in the Bible with the words thanks, thankful, blessing, gratitude, or thanksgiving in them.
Complete a Bible study. Join the She Reads Truth gratitude online Bible study (you don’t need to purchase the study pack to participate) or other online Bible study resource like YouVersion Bible App, the First 5, Hello Mornings, or Good Morning Girls just to name a few.
Pick a few Bible verses on gratitude to memorize this month. Write them out, journal through them, pray them, speak them, and let the words marinate in your heart.
Author’s note: To all of my followers and viewers around the world , I thank you for your viewership, I pray for your continued health, strength, enlightment in your walk with God. SCW viewers rock! May the beauty and blessings of Thanksgiving bring warmth and peace to your home this season.
Smart tip of the day: 1st Sunday in November 7 time to fallback
Look up and lift your heads for your redemption draws near Luke 21:28. Celebrating Labor day! To all of the hardworking people in this country and around the world you deserve a break. Come unto me all ye that labor and I will give you rest. Today here at SCW we’re talking about work/life balance. It can be challenging to create a work life balance. However it is important to have both ,work and a life. God wants us to enjoy our lives as well as the fruits of our labor. In fact how will you enjoy the fruits of your labor if you do not make time for it?
The first secret to creating a work/life balance is that you have to see it as priority. If you don’t view it as something important you’ll never make time for it. The consequences of not having a work/life balance and not viewing it as important is burn-out. At this stage you are drained,resentful,and lacking energy to do the things you want or need to do. First what exactly is work/ life balance?Work-life balance is a concept that emphasizes the benefits of balancing your time and energy between work and free time.
There isn’t a perfect balance that applies to everyone—people’s ideal work-life balance is an extremely personal preference.Not only is achieving a healthy work/life balance an attainable goal but workers and businesses alike see the rewards. When workers are balanced and happy, they are more productive, take fewer sick days, and are more likely to stay in their jobs. It is important to keep in mind that creating work-life balance is a continuous process as your family, interests and work life change.
With that in mind periodically examine your priorities — and make changes, if necessary — to make sure you’re keeping on track. Get out your pen and pad. Yes, write it down. Writing things down somehow makes it more concrete and more likely that you will carry it out. Like the bible says “write the vision and make it plain. Next take action! Something pratical that you can do if you’re just getting started is to make an action plan list for each day. Your action plan list will include priorities like, work, picking kids up from school, helping with homework, making dinner.
However if your action plan looks like this everyday it’s time for change! Do you see what’s missing? Time for self. Time to do the things that you would like to do. Sometimes we’re so tired from doing the things we have to do that we’re just too tired to do things we want to do? Sad but true. So we have to actually push ourselves to have a little relaxtion and fun. It doesn’t have to be a full blown vacation.
I’m talking daily activities that are soley of your choosing. Like for instance actually calling that friend you’d like to catch up with. An uninterrupted bubble bath at the end of a long day. You get the idea. The point is you are relaxed and connecting with others. Time alone is also a precious activity if for instance you have small children who demand almost a hundred percent of your time. If that has to be at night when they’re sleeping so be it.Maybe that’s a time for watching that movie you’ve been wanting to see uninterrupted. The point is you need an outlet regulary. So make time for it. Below are some tips for creating a realistic work/ life balance.
Don’t be afraid to say ‘no.’
Some people have a hard time saying “no,” but trying to please everyone can result in a major time-suck, cutting into your time away from work.
Don’t be afraid to decline last-minute meetings or send an unscheduled call to voicemail. Don’t do things out of guilt; instead, focus your time on your top priorities.
While that may be difficult at first, you will soon feel comfortable saying “no,” especially when you notice how it improves your productivity and has a direct impact on your work-life balance.
Unplug from work when it’s family/personal time.
Two hours of quality family time in the evening that are completely distraction free are better than three hours of family time that include checking your email every 15 minutes and doing other work-related tasks.
When you are away from work, either engaging in an activity you enjoy or spending time with your family, try to completely unplug from work. That’s not always possible to do — and that potential impossibility is something you sign up for when you become an entrepreneur — but when it is possible, take full advantage.
The quality of time, not necessarily the amount, will play a bigger role than you expect in improving your work-life balance.
Choose a company that values work life balance. An organization that truly cares for its team members will never penalize employees for prioritizing work life balance. It’s important to research all aspects of company culture before accepting a new job.
Understand that there is no ‘perfect’ scenario.
As an entrepreneur, you may find it difficult to achieve the perfect work-life balance. But, if you go in knowing this, you will find it much easier to focus on making adjustments that improve your work-life balance, not perfect it.
Unexpected meetings will come up, and you may have to cancel plans to attend a social event at the last minute. It happens. Expect it.
Light comes from within. Let your light shine!The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5 NIV). This is a wonderful reminder that the darkness is not winning. The key to a healthy mindset is a grateful heart and focusing on God’s goodness. There are two things that God requires from us, Faith and to be grateful for all he has done.
Life Can be hard and it is easy to think about what’s wrong in your life. Such as, loss of a job, a sickness, family issues, divorce, etc.. When you find yourself feeling heavy or your spirit is weighed down because of worry. Stop, pause, and think about what you are thinking about. Positive thoughts produce positive outcomes. I was thinking that one active way to maintain our gratefulness toward God is to constantly remind ourselves of what we’re grateful for. A grateful Journal.
Join me in journaling your gratefulness this month in an effort to making it a lifestyle. Get a book that is exclusively used for this purpose. Don’t just jot a few things down and lay it to the side. Instead take it with you keep it with you when your out. Thoughts come to us all day long . Those thoughts are either waying you down or uplifting you. Uplift your spirit with a grateful Jounal. In fact I’m going to start today. I’ll be going to the store later and I’m going to get a book just for this purpose. I’m determined to keep a grateful heart, concentrate on God’s goodness and keep your spirit elevated.
Notice the difference in your attitude, thoughts, and feelings of gratefulness in just 30 days of practicing this. The more grateful you are the more God bless you. Think about it, just like kids we more apt to do more for them if they are grateful for what we’ve already done. No one likes an ungrateful person and everyone wants to be appreciated , yes even God. Even if you don’t appreciate him he’s still God! This little nugget of wisdom is to teach us about ourselves.
golden harvest in sunsetThis is the image description
Verse of the day:
Smart tip of day : Reminding you to practice self- care. Itis especially important for women who are the care givers in the family. At the end of a long stressful day with kids, errands, housework, you feel drained like you don’t have anything left to give. Praticing self care helps to avoid burn out.
Manage stress. Make attempts to manage and reduce stress in your life. Sources of stress might include having a lot to do with work, school, or taking care of someone else. Identify what you have control over, which is usually just your reaction to the stress.Practicing relaxation techniques will increase energy, motivation, and productivity. Some simple techniques to reduce stress include:
Taking 5-30 minutes every morning for morning prayers and or meditation.
Using imagery by finding a quiet spot, closing your eyes, and using all of your senses to imagine a deeply relaxing and peaceful scene. Imagine a space that’s meaningful and calming for you.
Trying progressive muscle relaxation, where you alternatively tense and relax the muscles throughout your body.
Practicing deep breathing.
Trying tai-chi or yoga.
Make time for fun. It’s important to make time for fun and leisure, especially when you’re stressed. Remember to engage in a variety of things for fun and involve other people. Try one of these ideas:
Make time for fun. It’s important to make time for fun and leisure, especially when you’re stressed. Remember to engage in a variety of things for fun and involve other people. Try one of these ideas:
Have a date night once a week with your spouse or with your friends.
Have a date night once a week with your spouse or with your friends.
Re-read a favorite book.
Watch a favorite movie.
Find a hobby to enjoy.
Listen to peaceful music.
Buy an adult coloring book.
Surround yourself with supportive people. Spend time with friends, family, and others who make you feel good about yourself. Choose people who respect your needs and boundaries. Make sure the people you spend time with are considerate, reliable, and supportive of your goals. Avoid people who drain you, belittle you, or stress you out. Who needs dead weight? Life is for the living!
Give yourself affirmations Encourage and validate yourself by saying something affirming to yourself. Pick a phrase or saying that’s positive, personal, powerful, and precise. Some examples you can try: Post them where you can see them everyday.
“I can do this.”
“I believe in myself.”
“I love and accept myself.”
“I am doing my best.”
“This too shall pass.”
Exercise regularly. Moving around does so many great things for you and can be done in the comfort of your own home! Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, even if it’s just in 10-minute intervals. It’s okay if you can’t exercise every single day, just aim for most days of the week. Choose activities that are fun and interesting for you. Try to do a variety of different activities to keep things interesting.
You canEat healthy foods. Eating healthy foods will help keep you energized and your body healthy. When you’re busy working or taking care of others, it can be difficult to plan and cook a healthy meal for yourself. Eventually though, the easy foods you tend to grab are going to drain you and leave you feeling unhealthy. Some ways to modify your diet a little to better take care of yourself:
Eat whole grains.
Eat more dark green vegetables.
Eat a variety of fresh or frozen fruit.
Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
Try a variety of lean proteins.
Eat regular meals and snacks.
Always Give God the Praise! Remembering to thank him for what he has already done! I love hearing from you leave a comment and let me how God is blessing your life.
Happy Valentines Day! February is the month of love and below I share a few of my favorite love scriptures. I pray all is well with you, and if it isn’t may God bless you and keep you, guide and protect you. He loves you and you’re not alone. As daughters and sons of God we all have difficulties and we’re all still here in the press together! However it’s not about never having challenges it’s about how we get through them and forge ahead with God’s grace and purpose! Focus more on loving yourself as God loves you, whether you are in a relationship or not.
Especially if you are in a relationship in a caregiver role. Mothers especially spend the majority of their time giving to the family. Mostly it is the giving of time and being available for others. You can find yourself depleted at the the end of a day with no more to give. There needs to be someone pouring into you. If there isn’t make time to intentionally do the things that make you feel good. If the kids need to be put to bed earlier so that mom can relax, unwind and watch a lifetime movie in peace, then that’s what needs to happen. If you need to get out by yourself for an hour or two to do some shopping. Having coffee with a girlfriend at a coffee shop for a mom date, build each other up.
The point is to replenish yourself so that you can carry on with the things that must be done. But there needs to be some uninterrupted alone time that is just for you and about your needs. Don’t you dare feel guilty about being good to yourself. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people that pour into your life. People are either assets or liabilities. Take stock of the people in your life. Are they adding anything or taking away? When you have mastered self love you won’t allow people to treat you any kind of way. Single ladies and gents if you’re not seeing anyone or do not have a date this Valentines Day, you are loved! Also there’s still time, there are a bunch of online Christian dating sites for like minded singles.
My husband and I were discussing how with the shut down due to the pandemic it’s almost impossible to meet today, and online dating is increasing. You kinda have to go online. I personally don’t see anything wrong with it, you can go at your own pace. When I was single, being introverted, not getting out, online dating saved my dating life. Of course use caution when meeting, coffee shop meeting dates are great, no pressure, daytime, casual.
1 Corinthians 13:48, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.“
Colossians 3:14,“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
1 John 4:19,“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:7,“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
Smart tip of the day: Just because you may not have a love life at this time, doesn’t mean you can’t still Love life! Be secure in knowing what you have to offer and in God’s timing you will make that connection with that special person that’s suited to you.
Valentine’s Day dates in 2021 will have to be creative. Depending on where you live you, restaurants, movie theaters, live music venues, are closed or operating with take out only. If you’re lucky enough to go out to a restaurant and sit down and be served good for you because it has become a luxury. Most of California is only doing takeout. Another quiet evening at home you say, though it’s a blessing to have shelter. At the end of the day more than where you go, it’s about the company you keep, and if that’s good you can work out the rest.
Happy Valentines Day to all our followers and viewers around the world. Have a blessed day. Thank you for reading SCW .
Sorry guys, with all the excitement of the holiday I’m late getting this post out. This long awaited New Year’s Eve holiday will be different. As we’ve all had to make adjustments and changes in our lifestyles do to the Pandemic. However, God is still good and we are grateful for his faithfulness. We look forward with hope for the coming year. We celebrate the birth of Christ which is the true gift of Christmas. He is our present. A present help in time of trouble and we give him honor, glory and praise. He has kept us through these difficult times and now it’s time to push forward together. Many Americans are spending the holidays at home and new years eve is no exception. The Biggest party night of the year. So just because your spending New Year’s at home doesn’t mean you can’t have fun or have an enjoyable evening. So whether you’re a family with kids, a couple, or small gathering of friends, there’s lots of fun to be had at home.
Decorate for 2021
Decorate for 2021! It wouldn’t be New year’s eve without glittery decorations and noisemakers. Take pictures in front of 2021 numbers to commemorate the year.
Make a New Year’s brunch
New year’s Day Brunch is delicious and with you as the chef you can make whatever you like. Pancakes or french toast with powdered sugar and strawberries are always a big hit for brunch.
Get dressed up
Just because your staying home doesn’t mean you have to wear pajamas. Besides dressing up makes us feel good.
Make a festive dinner
A simple oven roasted budget friendly Chicken is a great option with a fresh salad, sides and dessert.
Join the Times Square New year’s Celebration via television.
Champagne toast at midnight. There is non alcoholic champagne if you prefer.
Make an amazing meal together
Observing social distancing, find a spot to watch the fireworks together in your area
Champagne toast
Make decadent dessertscustard apple tarts
Make a list of things you accomplished this past year and hang it in your room.
Make a big bowl of popcorn and finish it all by yourself, while watching your favourite movie.
Skype with your family and friends across the miles
Make a short video of good memories you had with your friends and watch it together. A sweet trip down the memory lane.
If you don’t already have one, make a spiritual journal. Write down the ways in which God has made a way for you this year. List your blessings. List the areas in your life God has helped you to make progress in. List the areas in your life that you need to be more effective. Write down your prayers for yourself and your loved ones.
Below are the latest 2020 New Year’s Eve safety guidelines issued by the ( CDC Center For Disease Control)
Covid 19 risks for New Year’s Eve
With the arrival of a few approved vaccines, many are feeling hopeful about getting back to a sense of normalcy. But we’re not there yet. We want to protect ourselves and those around us. Why you should really stay home with your family this year.
Shared air supply: Joining any kind of group or crowd in a small interior room is inherently risky, but even a small crowd in a larger event space can elevate your risk compared to outside areas. Wearing masks can work against the likelihood that infectious airborne particles end up spreading to people inside. But spending hours on end in small spaces with limited airflow (even with masks in play!) isn’t safe by any means.
High touch surfaces: All of the surfaces in your home can harbor infectious virus throughout the evening — think doorknobs, handles, serving utensils, and even soft surfaces on chairs and the like. You’d have to frequently disinfect these surfaces throughout the night to ensure that there isn’t any risk to guests, and most people don’t do that.
Dancing and singing: It’s likely that most New Year’s Eve hosts won’t have all of the invited guests seated quietly 6 feet apart from each other. Rather, New Year’s Eve often includes dancing and singing, which can increase the likelihood that COVID-19 can pass through shared airspace.
Party favors, food, and drinks: Scientists have maintained that food itself hasn’t been causing COVID-19 outbreaks during the pandemic, nor is it a concern on its own. But having people congregate around a shared holiday buffet of appetizers, cocktails, and trinkets like kazoos or confetti crackers can increase the likelihood that the virus is passed from hand-to-hand. Inoculation, or rubbing your face, eyes, nose, or mouth with a dirty hand, is still a considerable concern for COVID-19 spread in communities, Dr. Gohil says. While providing guests with hand sanitizers or handwashing stations can help lower that risk, hand hygiene may fall by the wayside throughout the night for some.
Loud music: Yes, really! It boils down to having guests shouting rather than speaking to one another. “This is a time when we project; the more noise we have indoors, the more you are going to want to project your voice,” Dr. Gohill explains. “The louder things get, the more we all want to talk forcefully, and so we start spewing whatever is in our airways, which is problematic.”
You have a friend in California
Happy New Year to all! Especially to our followers and viewers. We so appreciate you. Our prayer for you is that you have a new year full of God’s goodness. SCW followers Rock! Have a blessed Holiday everyone. Be safe. We will be staying in this year. I’m looking forward to a cozy evening at home full of good food and laughter. This will be New York’s first virtual new year’s eve without the millions that line the streets for the festivities. But it is tradition and we’ll still be watching all the performances of the biggest names in music new year’s eve. If you’re able to see the fireworks in your area it’s a good idea to get out and enjoy them, observing social distancing of course. My husband and I love to go, but with Cali on severe lockdown we’re hoping they will still observe the tradition. But either way God’s been too good to be sad. I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the new year with hope.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Merry Christmas everyone! Whatever your situation today God is worthy to be praised! This Christmas season celebrate the goodness of Christ Jesus, who paid the ultimate price, and died on the cross, paid for our sins, so that we have life and that more abundantly. So take the focus off ourselves and place it appropriately on him, and the blessings he has bestowed on us despite a difficult year. That said, for all who have suffered loss this year because of covid, loss of family members, friends, jobs, income, businesses, hope, Matthew 5:4“Those that mourn shall be comforted.” God is restoring your life! Your latter days shall be better than the former. Please do not get caught up in consumables, Christ, our lord and savior is the true gift!
When the challenges are the greatest and the opposition the strongest we must be tenacious enough to hold on! We have to screw our courage to the post! Throw your anchor forward! No doubt this will be a very different Christmas Holiday from those past. Depending on where you live with covid restrictions still in place safety precautions must be taken! Here in California we’re on our second wave of covid lockdown, restaurants, parks, most public spaces are closed because we’ve had a spike in cases and deaths, it is very sad. Pray for the state of California. Yet and still, I’m thankful, the lord has kept myself and family from sickness and it’s a major blessing. Of course we do what we can to protect ourselves wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, and being tested when we do hospital visits. We will be tested again at UCLA medical center next week.
So we’re just doing the best we can with a less than ideal situation. It’s the difficult times that makes us stronger! Is everything in my life exactly the way I’d like it to be? No. Are there areas in my life that need improvement? Yes. You don’t need faith when everything is going right. Your faith is being tested, will be tested, but we can get through all things through Christ who strengthens us! Airline travel is of course down this year, there won’t be as many traveling as in a normal year. However, the politicians can not Cancel Christmas! That’s a lie from the pit of hell. No one can cancel Christmas! They may put restrictions in place. But you can’t stop people from praising God! And you don’t need anything too specific to praise God! You can praise him in your house right there where you are.
Yes it’s nice to go to church and gather with the household of faith, hear the lovely music, and praise. But you are the church! Even if churches are closed in your state. I know, it’s sad, but we cannot let the enemy steal our peace in this season! Stop focusing on what you lack! Thank God for what you have, and who you have! We have to declare, This- is -the- day- the Lord has made I WILL! ( as an act of my will) Rejoice! And be glad in it! And devil you can go to HELL! Let GOD arise and his enemies be scattered! But let the righteous be glad and let them rejoice before GOD! Philippians 1:6.
If you are traveling and having guests, please be safe. I encourage you not to be alone, even if you have to skype with your loved ones, make phone calls, just try and connect in the safest way possible. If you are able you can purchase a thermometer to tests your guests before gathering. But if churches are open in your state indoors, or outdoors, I encourage you to connect. Churches are open here in California for outdoor service. Please remember that no matter how bad you think you are doing there is someone hurting worse.
Small acts of kindness can go along way. If you are able to give to food pantries this year, please do. Help out with some type of community service such as feeding homeless, or safety house for women and children. Donate to a toy drive, or maybe the gift of time spent with someone who would be alone because of a covid death of a loved one. It’s never a waste of time being good to people because God will reward you! Galatians 6:10“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Please click this picture above for our Holiday Decorating and Entertaining Post
Many of us will literally be home for the holidays this year. This year it’s a blessing if you have a home! Life is so unpredictable and what’s true today may not be true tomorrow! God has been to good to me to sit around being sad and complaining. No ma’am, I’m going to turn up the music and party and praise! Laugh and Rejoice! Because the hand of the Lord is on my life! And the blessings of God rest upon me! I love decorating and entertaining for the holidays as I’m sure you do. That’s something you can control you can still decorate to make your environment festive and cozy. And good surroundings make us feel good. But the the most important ingredient is true love! Love in the house, and thankful grateful hearts makes the atmosphere special. SCW has all your decorating tips, as well as food, desserts and drinks for the holidays. Click the picture below and enjoy.
Click the picture above for Holiday Decorating and Entertaining
If you are missing your loved ones in heaven this holiday season like I am, and like many of us are, you are not alone. We miss them everyday but especially around holiday time. Those memories come flooding back like a stream of joy and sorrow of times that will always be special to us. We can keep their memories alive by honoring them and doing this to keep our spirits up while missing them terribly. Give these creative activities below a try this season!
For you Mom, Merry Christmas, I miss you everyday, and you mean more and more to me as the years go by. Pamela Newman 1956-2005 Your permanent dwelling place is in my heart. Your one and only Loving Daughter.
The Season of hope brings with it great tidings and joy! Through the trials and tribulations of this year, ask yourself what have you learned in this year? Hopefully after going through hell, we will have learned something. What lessons or pearls of wisdom can we pull from this year? For example think this year has reiterated that health is wealth, everything is shakable except God, we can’t put our trust in our possessions, people or our positions. Our hope must be in God and in him alone.
Your whole life can change in an instant, family is important. Family isn’t always blood relation, they are the people who genuinely care for us. That’s the reason good friends get called family. As we move through the different challenges of life, we learn, we grow, we keep moving forward. Don’t miss SCW’s ultimate Christmas planning guide on December 1st. Topics will include entertaining, decorations, and of course delicious traditional holiday meals and tasty festive holiday desserts and drinks. And Don’t miss SCW’s December 26, issue for New Year’s Eve. This is my favorite season\ holiday, and favorite time of year. I’m loving the change of weather here in California.
Another thing I love about this time of year is all the pageantry entertainment shows. Starting with the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade an American staple that kicks off the holiday season! In light of covid I thought to myself, it’s a bummer we’re probably not going to have the parade. But then I went online to see what was happening on the East Coast in New York and low and behold they were still having it! I was so glad. They said they felt they needed it to lift people’s spirits and as a comforting sense of normalcy. I love that East coast spirit that says we must persevere no matter what! (I’m from the East coast by the way)
Now of course it was different. They didn’t have millions of people lining the streets for safety reasons. But they still had all the favorite balloons, and floats, great music and musical numbers. I enjoyed it. My husband and I watched, it’s a family show, kids love it as well. I’m looking forward to the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center next week that’s always a fun show. I’m the type of person I’m usually always in good spirits. It comes from the inside not what’s happening outside of me. I’m human and I get disappointed like everyone else at times but I look to God who is the source of our joy. It’s not always easy but we have to seek God and keep on keeping on!
I hope you will do in this season like Paul. “This one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and pressing forward to those things which are ahead!” The best is yet to come in all our lives. I truly believe that. You know what’s good about about a setback? It’s the comeback! I pray we all emerge from this year, better and stronger! If you are new to SCW welcome! We love having you! To all our followers and long time viewers we love you, you rock! May God’s blessings rest upon your family.
Black Friday and Covid -19. With covid restrictions still in place for most states. More and more Americans will do their black Friday shopping online, opting not to put themselves at risk. This means big sales for the online retailers and ending the traditional Thanksgiving night shopping as popular brands stores will be closed on Thanksgiving night. SCW has your list of closings.
Walmart
Kohl’s
Best Buy
Target
Others stores that will be closed on Thanksgiving night, (that were also closed last year) include: Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club, Costco, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Nordstrom. Stores cannot risk large crowds with the pandemic still spreading. That means they have no choice but to end the mad rush to stores Thanksgiving evening. If you are going out on Friday be prepared to wait in line. Most stores are limited to just 25% to 50% capacity now, which will likely mean lines outside their doors when they open on Friday morning after Thanksgiving. Wear masks and be safe everyone.
Let us give thanks for all the Lord has given us and celebrate the goodness of him and the BLESSINGS he has given to us. Wishing your family a warm blessed holiday full of Joy, laughter, and love. It’s been a challenging year for everyone in some form or another. We have to focus on the good that’s in our life. That is how we remain grateful.
Make a list if you have to for everything your grateful for. Such as good health, in the midst of a pandemic. I think we’ve all been taught a lesson this year on how valuable good health is. You don’t notice good health until you’ve been sick. And other valuables like shelter, employment, love, family, true friends, and best of all the blessings of the lord. Do not forget those less fortunate than yourself, pray for them.
If you are new to SCW just type in Thanksgiving and you’ll find step by step instructions on how to prepare your favorite thanksgiving dishes including turkey and desert. It always astonishes me how many countries SCW is viewed by. For you we are truly thankful. My husband and I want to thank all our followers and viewers around the world. We wish you a blessed Holiday Season. Looking ahead to the new year with hope we know that the best is yet to come!
Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”
Click the picture above for our Thanksgiving Planning Guide
Let’s us celebrate with grateful hearts. Being content with such things as we have. We love hearing from you. Post a comment. Let us know how your doing. What your plans are for the holidays, if you’d like us to pray for you, or just to say hello.
Verse of the Day:
Prayer for Change
We know it’s time for a change. Give us the strength and courage to keep going. We know that when one door closes another door opens, for you are faithful. Thank you for holding on to us through the different seasons of life. Let the Winds of fresh change blow.
Time flys! It’s been a difficult year and yet God has sustained us. He is worthy to be praised. If there’s one thing these times in which we are living has taught me it is that scripture says “Be happy with such things as ye have.” Do indeed be content with what you have. People of a mature age have been through enough trials and tribulations to know that your hope and your trust must be in God alone. Situations will fail you, people will fail you, but God is everlasting and he does not fail. Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” The season of gratitude is upon us. Be thankful.
Smart Christian Woman Magazine 
