GRACE WHEN STRESSED

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

Stress is a killer.  Don’t let it take you down.

Ways to combat stress:  exercise, diet, prayer, and praise.

I’m aware of many who are in the middle of battles in their lives.  I don’t have a Band-Aid-fix or a quick word of encouragement saying everything’s going to be OK.

What I do have is Jesus and the inspiration He gives me to share with you.

I’m under a time schedule of completing a renovation.  There are different stresses I’m facing.  One is time and another is the weather.  Even when it shows it’s supposed to be sunny, it has rained.  It’s a good thing I love to paint because even using a great primer, I still have to paint at least 2 coats.

When you’re in the middle of a huge undertaking, you can’t quit. What do I do?  I pray and praise God and do what I can when I can.  Then I go from there to the next thing.

Life is like that.  When you are thrown a curve ball, you don’t lay your bat down and quit the game.  You hit the ball and eventually you will make it to first base, second, third, and finally home.

Someone once told me I was a spiritual Firestarter in people’s lives.  She also said that I need to guard my heart from discouragement and disappointment.  Because I was to encourage others, that’s where I would get hit.  She was right.  It’s in my heart and quite a natural thing the Lord has blessed me with to encourage others to motivate and to inspire.

If you’ve been knocked down or you are hurt and wounded in your life, lift your eyes up to the Lord and see Jesus and His hand of mercy.  Turn to him in prayer.  Hope in Him.  Whatever God has placed in your hand, do it with all your might as if you’re doing it to the Lord.  Guard your heart.  Forgive your oppressors.  Leave them in the Lord’s hands.

What other people say about you does not define who you are.  See yourself the way God sees you:  perfect, whole, and complete, entirely lacking nothing.  Do what God has called you to do.  Be who God has created you to be.  Hold your head up; shoulders back, and with one step in front of another follow the Lord with all your might.  Be courageous!

Stir up the gift God has placed in your heart.  Rekindle the fire that once burned brightly.  Stir the embers of your heart once again.  Let the fire burn off the chains that are holding you hostage to depression, defeat, and disappointment.

Today, all you may be able to do is pray, “Help!”  Start there.  God hears the cry of your heart.  He doesn’t Band-Aid fix anything.  He works from the inside out.

As you turn to the Lord, hope in Him and His hand of mercy in your life.  Let Him fill your heart with joy and peace.

I am a grandmother.  I have a mother’s heart as well as a grandmother’s heart.  My heart goes out to many and I wish I could scoop up all the hurting people and give them a hug and let them know the Lord loves them.  I pray God comforts you with the Holy Spirit and His word.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

God’s amazing grace abounds to you today.  Receive His abundant and miraculous grace in your life.

Mahalo,

Cindy

SONG: Your Grace Still Amazes Me by Phillips Craig and Dean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXVUYC_ykwE

PICTURE:  Christmas Heleconia from my garden

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

If you want to soar with the eagles, you need an “Attitude of Gratitude!”

Our attitude affects everything in our lives!  Your attitude can see a glass as half empty or half full!

You can mope around with your head hanging down till it touches the ground and you will never be in a position of lift off when the opportunity presents itself.  It’s time for an attitudinal adjustment!

You can have a hopeful heart and faith filled eyes knowing the God of the impossible is moving heaven and hell on your behalf.  Out of a thankful and appreciative attitude, spread your wings and have your posture ready for lift off!  Your cheerful faith filled attitude will cause you to gain altitude and soon you will be soaring above the circumstances you are facing.

John 14:6 (NIV) “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Following Jesus in every area and aspect of my life allows me to live outside the box of limitations.

“Can’t” isn’t in my husband’s vocabulary.  I’ve heard so many people tell him you can’t do it that way or it can’t be done many times!  If he would have listened to them, he would not be where he is today.  And that’s a fact.  He has helped me to think outside the box.  He’s a visionary and can see things as they are and how he wants them be and brilliantly devises a plan to make it happen.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Don’t let your own mind or other people’s comments stop you from stepping out of your boat that’s secure and familiar.

God’s people could not enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief and they were unthankful.  It’s a reproach on the Lord for His people to act like somebody owes them something!  Yes, we are Kings Kids!  Yes, the Kings kids run the race set before them!  Yes, the king’s kids work!  Yes, the godly wife works willingly with her hands.

Psalm 107:1 (AMP) “O give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!”

Create a new habit this week by working on your attitude.  Change your stinking thinking to an “Attitude of Gratitude!”  Stretch out your wings and soar with the eagles!

SONG: Kim Hill – You Alone, https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kim+hill+you+alone

PICTURE: Orchids from my Garden

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

“GIANT SLAYER”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

There are giants in the land defying you. They are insulting your God.  What are you going to do about it?

1 Samuel 17:10,11 (NIV) “then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel!  Give me a man and let us fight each other.”  On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.”

The giant, Goliath, was the champion of the Philistines.  He was an intimidating foe to be reckoned with. He stood about 9 feet 6 inches tall.  He seemed to be invincible with his stature, strength, and armor!  His armor weighed 125 pounds and the spearhead was 15 pounds.

David, on the other hand, was just a shepherd boy who took food to his 3 brothers who followed Saul. Per, his Father, Jesse’s instructions, David was bringing cheese to the commander of their unit and while doing so overheard Goliath’s threats.  The Israelites fled in fear. This happened for 40 days.

David’s response. Vs. 26 “David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?  Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 

David was not intimidated.  Vs 34-37 David testified of the Lord rescuing him.  He went into action using the tools he had, his sling and a stone.

We can have overwhelming challenges that we face that intimidate us.  When the odds are stacked against you and threaten to take you down, Like David, we only need one smooth stone to take down the giants in our lives.  What has God placed in your hand?

My husband and I have been working on a project that we are close to completing and it’s had its challenges.  Along the way I thought of David and his one smooth stone.  His story was so encouraging while working on this project that on each set back or delay, I was encouraged to persevere. 

If you don’t take down the giants in your life, they will take you down.  Remember, God is bigger than any giant you will ever face. 

1 Samuel 17 “David and Goliath” Read the whole chapter and be encouraged!

SONG: Kutless, What Faith Can Do https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur6Zznc407U

PICTURE: Red Torch Ginger from my garden

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

“THE TURTLE WINS”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

In the story,” The Tortoise and the Hare,” the turtle wins!

Do you ever feel like you’re going at a snail’s pace trying to reach a goal and it seems like it’s taking forever to get there?  Remind yourself, the turtle wins!  You can do it!

It’s ok to take baby steps.  Slow and steady wins the race!  In a marathon, you pace yourself.  It’s not a flat-out run like in a sprint.  Keep your eye on the goal and keep moving forward.  You will get there one step at a time!

I’ve worked on many different projects and it seems like the preparation takes longer than the last step. There are usually challenges along the way that make it all take even longer.

There were some badly damaged kitchen cabinets that I knew could be beautiful.  I filled in the bad places, sanded, then repeated until they were smooth.  Cleaned off all the dust and primed both sides, and then painted the top coat with a high gloss oil twice. Oils take a long time to dry, but are well worth the wait! That was the doors.  Then I taped, primed, and painted the cabinets. Once everything was very dry, I re-attached the doors and added new hardware and they were beautiful!

It took a goal or a vision looking beyond what I could see with my own eyes. I then calculated the cost and what I would need to complete the project. I went through the steps of refinishing the cabinets. The prep work is what it took to make the final coat of paint look great!   The turtle wins!

If I would have skipped the prep work, the top coat would have looked terrible and you’d see all the damage in spite of the new paint.

Are you willing to do what it takes to reach goals in your life? Patiently persevere.

Don’t give up when you’ve hardly begun.  Going into it, know there will be opposition and challenges, but don’t let that deter you from your goal.  Start with small projects and it will encourage you, when you finish them, to go on to bigger ones.  Build your confidence in the Lord and in yourself as you conquer projects.

God is patient and long-suffering with us. I’m so glad He doesn’t throw us away because we’re broken or damaged!  He lovingly sets us on the potter’s wheel and patiently works on us a little at a time.  The more we yield to Him and His will being done in our lives, the more we reflect Jesus!

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) “Yet you, LORD, are our Father, We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Isaiah 28:10 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

SONG: Hope in Front of Me (By Danny Gokey) ~ Lyrics video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJkjcWUceLg

PICTURE:  Heliconia in my garden

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

“THE BOTTOM LINE”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

I passionately love the Lord with every fiber of my being!  There’s a tap root of hope in Him through every storm I’ve ever faced.  There have been many challenges throughout my life, and He was with me through them all! The bottom line in my life is Jesus! 

If you are struggling today, I want to encourage you in the Lord. I pray the bottom line in your life is also Jesus.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (Amp) “Though the fig tree does not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines; [though] the product of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls; Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation! The Lord God is my strength, my personal bravery and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering or responsibility]!

God was with David in the valley of the shadow of death.  Psalms 23.  He was with all the disciples who ultimately all died horrible deaths except John.  This may sound gruesome, but you can take heart. The Lord is with you through it all!  It’s by His mercy and strength we stand anyway.

True Christianity is real.  Just read your Bible.  It’s not religious. Our faith is built on a right relationship with Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 

We are all at different places in our journey with the Lord.  Don’t become disheartened when things get worse and continue to do so.  Take heart.  Rejoice in the Lord!  Hope in Him!  He enables us to continue on this fight of faith while we’re still on this side of heaven. 

What’s the bottom line in your life?  I hope it’s Jesus!  

SONG: Christ The Rock- Home 2013, Kim Walker-Smith & Skyler Smith Chttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s25–3HRsBQ

PICTURE:  Native Hibiscus in my garden

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

“MAKE TIME FOR JESUS”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

*Today’s life-style is fast-paced and crammed-packed-full!  It seems that every minute of every day is filled to the max and even then it seems like we don’t have enough time to do everything. *

The modern inventions that were supposed to help us save time have actually made it more convenient to do more in the same amount of time so we are busier now than ever!*

Do you feel like you’re burning the candle at both ends trying to get everything done?  This may be a good time to take a few minutes and do some Spring Cleaning on paper.  Make a time graph and see what takes up your time.  You may want to spend less time doing some things and more time doing others. *

**Make Jesus First Priority. Give your life and all it entails to the Lord**

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV) “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

Proverbs 16:9 (ISV) “A person plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”

Psalm 46:10 (NIV) “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted
among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

**God, you, your family, work, and then others.**

Our priorities may need to be revamped.  We need balance in our lives. For those who work too hard and are constantly putting others first, remember to take care of yourself! 

2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV) “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

It’s not just Jesus and don’t worry about anything else.  It’s Jesus on the throne of your heart and He’ll help you with the rest. Let Him help you with balance and order in your life.

SONG: Give Me Jesus- Jeremy Camp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_SwjzlMGhw
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_SwjzlMGhw>

PICTURE:  Flowers and fruit from our backyard*

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

“HOPE ENDURES”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

I dedicate this message to my Mama.  Her hope never faltered to the day she died.

Have you ever felt like giving up?  You may relate to some degree.  When the odds are stacked against us and there seems to be no way out, don’t give up hope!   You never know what you can go through until you go through it.

Remember, Jesus is with you and He is our blessed hope!

The Lord cares about every detail of your life!  Allow Him to wrap His loving arms around you and hold you through every storm. Keep your focus on Him not the storm.

Psalms 121 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help…”

In spite of Mama going for her regular check-ups, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  By then it was metastatic.  I was devastated.  My brother, sister, and I cared for her as she went through chemo.  It was hard for all of us seeing our once strong and independent Mom in constant pain slowly slipping away before our very eyes.

Even in her frailty, 3 weeks before her death she played and sang one of her beautiful anthems to the glory of God. The whole time she battled cancer her faith was in God.  Her hope endured through all her suffering.  At 63, she went on to be with the Lord remaining hopeful in Him.

Don’t become cynical when God doesn’t answer when and how you want him to. Choose to continue being hopeful in Him knowing He is the beginning and the end in life and in death.

Being Hope Full is not just a positive attitude.  Being HOPEFUL is faith trusting in a living God who knows and cares about us no matter what.

As long as you’re alive, God has a plan and a purpose for your life. You can’t quite living til the day you die.  Each day with each breath hope in the Lord!

Be blessed by this incredible video sung by Natalie Grant, “Our Hope Endures!”  It’s powerful! I watched and sang along with it a few times. Let the Lord fill your heart with hope.

“Emmanuel, God is with us!  El Shaddai, All sufficient! You never walk alone!  He is our Hope!  Our Hope Endures!”

SONG: Natalie Grant “Our Hope Endures” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl2ogefMInQ

PICTURE:  Picture taken in my backyard.

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

“BUILD YOUR HOUSE ON THE ROCK”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

We live in troubled times.  The foundation of our society is crumbling. Its fabric is fraying and coming apart at the seams. Now is not the time to sit in a corner and twiddle our thumbs while our once wonderful and Godly Nation is falling apart right before our eyes.

I implore you to stand up for Jesus.  There may come a time when we can’t.

This is not a doom and gloom message.  It is, however, a message of HOPE IN JESUS WHO IS THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. He is our eternal hope and it’s in Him we trust now and forever.

Sometimes I feel like carrying a sign that says, “THE END IS NEAR!”

How sure is your foundation?  Have you been going through the motions of being a “Christian?”  Do you know what you believe and why?  Do you know Jesus personally? Are you a hearer and a doer of the Word? Are you walking in a right relationship with Him?

NOW is the time to turn your heart fully to the Lord and follow Him.

Build your faith and life on the impenetrable and immovable Rock, Christ Jesus!

Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV) “EVERYONE THEN WHO HEARS THESE WORDS OF MINE AND DOES THEM WILL BE LIKE A WISE MAN WHO BUILT HIS HOUSE ON THE ROCK.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the ROCK.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

I challenge you to STAND on the ROCK, CHRIST JESUS.

READ the Good news! PRAY at all times! PRAISE continually!

Although we live in troubled times, the Lord is our sure foundation!  He is the Solid Rock of our Faith!  The storms will rage, but the Lord is the anchor to our souls.  Hope in God!  He is Immanuel, God with us!

Now is the time to diligently seek the Lord and pray for our nation and its leaders.  Don’t be discouraged with negative news.  Be encouraged knowing God is with us!

Encourage yourself in the Lord.  He is our Hope!  Maranatha!

The song clip is a message all by itself!  Be blessed with the beautiful pictures, scriptures, and affirming song, “On Christ the solid rock I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand.”

SONG: Avalon, “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM7vodGhOaE

PICTURE:  I took this picture, “House on the Rock,” at Spitting Caves on Oahu

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

”JOY FILLED HEART”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

Our hearts are full of something.  It might as well be filled with “JOY!”

Is your heart full of grief, despair, hate, fear, unbelief, sorrow…?  If your heart is on the EMPTY side of JOY today, there is hope for you! FILL UP WITH JESUS and you’ll soon find that you have the JOY of the Lord!

JOY is one of the fruits of the Spirit.  Fruit must be cultivated to grow. If you don’t have JOY in your heart, you may need to do some weeding and perhaps pruning.  Neither are pleasant or fun, but are necessary for healthy fruit.

JOY isn’t subject to any situation or circumstance.  You can be in the middle of a trial and the JOY of the Lord will come bubbling up inside your heart. Before you know it, you are rejoicing in the Lord.

Do you have the JOY of the Lord?  His JOY is our strength!  Jesus is the JOY set before us!

Inevitably, in life, we are faced with fear, hate, doubt, unbelief, anger, sorrow, and many other JOY-stealers.  We choose how we deal with each circumstance.  I encourage you to process and go through with JESUS!  Don’t live in denial.  Do live in FAITH.  Turn to Jesus and let the JOY of the LORD be your strength!

“I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart…down in my heart to stay.”

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, forbearance, kindness,     goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”

Romans 14:17 (NIV) “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and JOY in the Holy spirit,”

Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the JOY set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Proverbs 17:22 (NKJV) “A MERRY HEART does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.”

Proverbs 15:3 (NKJV) “A MERRY HEART makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

SONG: Desert Song by Hillsong United https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urxW5KVvriI

PICTURE:  Sexy Pink Heliconia from my garden

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

TESTIMONY TIME

by Cindy Black

Aloha!

Your personal testimony of what the Lord has done in your life is something no one can ever take from you!  You can, by your choice, share it with others.

Have you ever been to a church when they say, “it’s testimony time, does anyone have a testimony?”  It’s thrilling to hear what God has done in people’s lives!  When was the last time you shared your testimony?  What has God done in your life lately?  Your testimony can encourage others in their faith in God! 

We can encourage others in their walk with the Lord by what He’s done for us. 

Jot down when God answers prayers and share with others when you are able. It’s good to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness in our lives. 

God is alive and well and He cares about every part of our lives.  He saves us to the uttermost.  I encourage you to look for and expect God at every hand.  He’s with us and hears every prayer and the cry of our hearts. 

Whether it’s Salvation, healing, or answered prayer, we all have a testimony where we are personally affected that we can readily share with others.  You may ignite hope in someone’s life. 

Revelation 12:11(NKJV) “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

We live in a lost and dying world who desperately needs… hope, life, light, help.  We may not have the answer they need, but we know the living Savior, Jesus!  Friendship Evangelism is simple.  You don’t preach at people.  You share, from personal experience, what Jesus has done in your life. 

When sharing your testimony, you point people to Jesus. He’s our focus!  Jesus is the answer. 

John 14:6 (NIV) “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

There’s power in the blood of the Lamb!  Today’s a great day to share your testimony!

SONG:  Alan Jackson, “There’s power in the Blood” https://www.bing.com/search?q=there%27s+power+in+the+blood+alan+jackson&qs=HS&pq=there%27s+power+in+the+blood+&sc=8-27&sp=1&cvid=68D0AD0C4E2C40409257D89C9BAE9124&FORM=QBRE

PICTURE: Bulb from my garden

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice