Provision in tough times: 4 ways to see Him as Provider

Reaching My Gilgal (reminder God’s powerful provision):

These past 3 years there have been days where God winked but this was often overshadowed by the hardship of circumstances in my faith and life journey.  You see in March of 2012 I shut my Business Coaching business down.  That same week I won a website at a Women in Business Networking event.  I looked up at God and said "Really? I just spent our entire retirement on this business, which failed, this isn't funny." I was mad because I was crushed.
 

Fast forward 6 months. The word catalyst kept on coming to mind but I didn't know why.  I still had the free website and in January 2013 I decided to do something with it.  This was only after hearing a sermon, from my new church, Living Hope, about the journey out of the wilderness into the promise land. Then through trial and error, of what was available, I settled on MyDreamCatalyst.com and there it sat for 8 months.  I did nothing with it and was very confused now that I was back in the corporate world.   In August, I started an online class with Donna Partow at WEU having no idea you could make a living selling E-Products on the internet.  This was awesome since I love writing and helping people! So I FINALLY started my blog three weeks ago.
 

Then this past Friday, Donna gave me a word that she sees me as a type of Moses leading women out of the marketplace into the Entrepreneurial arena.  Out of the wilderness of their soul to their promised land using their God given talents, skills and abilities.  Then the next morning my devotional reading in Our Daily Bread was based on Exodus 3:7-15 where Moses gets his assignment to lead the Israelites to the promise land because God heard their suffering!
 

This journey, through my own desert, has been messy and hard.  I have had to learn to have faith, to trust and to let go.  This is simply not my personality so this was VERY hard for me.  I had to trust God and not ask why He wants me to do something.  To be obedient in shutting the business down, to focus on my marriage, to swallow my pride and work for someone else, to let God heal me, and then do the hard work of healing. All this work, all this fighting happened while I was blindly following God taking only...one...step...at...a...time.  He has given me purpose out of what seems like a complete mess.  He has taken me to my Gilgal and revealed a bigger part of His plan. I praise the Lord and want the rest of you to know that yes things are messy and are confusing.  He has a reason and a purpose for your life.  To me His winks in my story tell us:
 

•     I AM HERE NEXT TO YOU, ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT
•     I AM FAITHFUL, TRUST IN ME
•     I AM POWERFUL, LET GO
•     I LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO WORK ON YOUR HEART FIRST, SO WE ARE READY FOR YOUR CALLING

What do you need to ask Him for this week?  

Where do you need to trust Him? 

Where do you need to let go? 

Where in you heart do you need to let Him heal you?

Grocery Checkout Coupon

 

See how God provided in a wink in the checkout lane through a coupon.

You will also find 3 practical ways to find coupons on the internet, enjoy!

The end of the month can be tough.  For those of us who have to watch our pennies when there are a few days left in the month and only a few dollars left in the account., it can be especially tough. 

As I was picking through the grocery store to get what we absolutely had to have to finish out the month, I spotted a yummy Greek yogurt I enjoy.  Although my stomach said “yes” my wallet said “no.”   I chuckled to myself at the mini-battle I was having and said a quick “thank you” to God that I live in America where I have a roof over my head, a warm home and more food than most of the world’s population.  The special treat wasn’t in the budget but I was able to get the things I really needed.  

As I proceeded through the checkout, holding my breath a bit at the total, I was pleased I purchased what was necessary and stayed in the limits of our budget for the month.  I was even more pleased when God winked at me as the cashier handed me my receipt along with a coupon for a free Greek yogurt.

Psalm 34:8

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the  man who takes refuge in Him.

 

How could you help your budget at the end of the month?  What coupons would you find helpful?

Check out a site for printable coupons:

• http://www.couponmom.com/printable-coupons-242

If you shop at a particular store like Kroger or Target, you can visit their sites for coupons as well.

• http://www.softcoin.com/programs/kroger/digital_coupons/?campaign=DigitalCoupons&banner=Kroger
• http://coupons.target.com/grocery-coupons?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=msnstr&CPNG=groceries+search&adgroup=beverage+coupons&LNM=coupon%20for%20drink&MT=broad&LID=28p4598545&KID=5b54ecc2-3590-caa9-6226-00001c674915

 

 



by Tina Wagner



Chiropractor to the Rescue

A weekend to remember with my WEU sisters came with many God winks.  Laughter and tears were shared over thoughts about weekend takeaways, our families, and God working in our hearts.  Of course it was over ice cream at an outside mall.  It all seemed perfect for a weekend surrounded by women of excellence who love God and want to serve Him wholeheartedly.

Here are a couple God Winks from that night after ice cream:

1)      One of the women staying with me on Saturday night, Kristin, is a chiropractor.  The thought of her profession was the last thing I thought as I met Kristin.   She is beautiful, striving to follow the Lord in a difficult situation, and fun to be around. 

Fun after ice cream; Kristin far right

As we were out having ice cream, I checked in with my husband to see how my son’s football game had gone.  It was good, but Daniel had hurt his knee.  I told the ladies staying with me that we needed to go soon.  Kristin offered to take a look at his knee.  Oh, yeh, she is a chiropractor and “happened’ to be staying at my house on the day my son got hurt!   

Ladies who stayed at my home

She looked at his knee and said he would be fine after some ice and rest.  No need for an ER visit on a Saturday night.  Thank you God!!

2)      Leaving early leads to the next God wink!  Marian had gone to dinner with us as well because her husband was still visiting their son at a nearby university.  Marian’s bags were in my car and we left forgetting all about them.  God provided for Kristin in our “oversight.”

Ladies at Dinner; Marian far right

       Marian had to come to my house to get her bags out of my trunk which allowed her to be a part of a conversation with Kristin.  Marian was able to encourage Kristin in her present, difficult situation.   Marian could empathize better than the rest of us because she had walked the path Kristin was walking.  They talked for over an hour. 

Forgetting Marian’s bag in the car was not an accident!  God provided for Kristin and my son.  I love how God shows up and shows off!

Everyday decisions that seem mundane and insignificant line up to show His handprint of provision.  I am grateful that we saw Him winking.

Where has God winked a provision for you in recent days? 

Joni Ormsbee

Job Searching Summer

The excitement from submitting the final paper, graduating from college, and getting a diploma quickly fades with the daunting task of searching for a full-time job. My four months of summer have consisted of several hours per week scouring the web and filling out repetitive and lengthy job applications with little to no response. Despite the fact that I have learned more about myself professionally, the experience has not been my favorite. It can feel like a shot in the dark when I don't have the right connections.

It may help if I explain what I want to do with my degree. I chose a Comprehensive Communications major so that I could pursue a career in event planning. My passion is to positively impact others in a dynamic environment where I can use my organizational skills and still have the opportunity to interact with people. Unfortunately, this type of job tends to be very broad which confused my job title search a bit. I found that there also aren't many event coordinator positions available that didn't require several years of experience. At first, there wasn't much financial pressure which gave me the opportunity to solely apply for my "dream" job. The mood quickly shifted when my college loans kicked into repayment mode this July. Not desperate but following financial responsibilities, I ended up accepting a minimum wage, part-time retail sales associate position (if you know me, I'm NOT interested in sales) located five minutes from our little condo. It would count for something while I continued to search for my "dream" job. 

Two weeks before I had even began training for this sales associate job (start date was set for September 9th, today!), I thanked God and began to pray intentionally for Him to lead me in my "dream" job search. I prayed that if God has a perfect job out there for me that it would happen before I started my little part-time sales job (I would feel horrible leaving a company after only a short time). On a Tuesday morning, I began my normal e-mail purging routine and came across a LinkedIn job listings e-mail. Although I didn't see any intriguing job titles, I still clicked the linked and began to briefly browse. An opening for a Front Desk Receptionist at a golf club caught my eye and I immediately felt a butterfly of excitement. Strangely there wasn't any indication on how to apply for this job, so I called the listed phone number, but there was no answer. Since I wanted to act quickly, I thought I might as well send my resume to their info email address which usually gets glossed over but it was worth a try. Just as I was about to click send, I re-dialed the golf club to leave a message on their voice-mail about my resume e-mail. I was delighted that the receptionist picked up! She gave me the name and e-mail address of the manager who would be hiring for the position. Only a couple hours later, I received phone call about scheduling an interview which was set up for the next day.

Literally EVERYTHING about this job was what I wanted in regards to a first full-time job using my degree to work towards my "dream" job of event coordinator. Of course, I was very excited and very nervous for this interview. Driving up, I was in awe of the beauty of this golf club building and grounds. I prayed in my car that the interview would flow casually and be comfortable enough that I could just be myself, and that is exactly what happened. After talking with me, they offered me the job on the spot saying that I was the only candidate who had followed-up with them over the phone. They thought that I would be a great fit. And I agree! 

After four months of searching on my own terms, God handed me a special and perfect job in just TWO DAYS! It is so wonderful when our Father reminds us of the power of prayer. He is so sovereign in controlling our lives. He continues to show me that my natural impulse to plan my life should be rooted in trusting Him in all things. And so, God winks...

by Katie Sue Hill

Believe in a Wink

What an amazing weekend at "Advancing Your Message" with Women’s Empowerment University (WEU)  in Bellbrook, OH at “Restoration Ranch”, Deborah Lovett’s home, with Donna Partow and Deborah Lovett.

Deborah Lovett and Donna Partow
 

 

 

You may remember the post “Beauty from Ashes” and how God showed  me He would fulfill a dream I had five years prior to meet Deborah and see her home. This past weekend I was able to be in her beautiful home with women who desire to honor God by fulfilling God’s calling on their life by advancing their message.

I am going to share one of the winks that is simple but profound.  Isn’t it like our God to use the simple to blow our minds about Him, His love, and His care? He touched me from heaven through one word: Believe.

Believe became the bookends to a beautiful weekend of experiencing the power of prayer! Many women, including a group of women fasting, were praying for our time with Donna and Deborah.  Prayers were answered mightily!

Someone told me in the past few months that my future would depend on one word: Believe.    

Fast forward a couple months to the Advance:

 

·     The first event was a Luau Friday evening to gather and socialize and get an introduction to our weekend.  Donna and Deborah offered to pray over any lady with anointing oil that wanted to stay.  When Donna prayed it was powerful as always!  When she was done, she said "Wow!  Are you starting to believe?"  

·     Donna and Deborah prayed over every lady there on Saturday throughout the day.   Donna prayed again for me at the end of the day.  This time short, but powerful, she prayed over me the word Believe saying “Believe, Believe, Believe” at the end, holding my forehead on either side with her hands anointing my mind with prayer.  I knew God’s spirit was working.

 

·     Sunday morning I found a bagged gift from one of the women who stayed in my home. This one blew my mind that the God of the universe would put His word to me on a gift bag!!  The bagged gift had the word, BELIEVE, on the outside. Not only the word, but the phrase “Deep in your heart, Believe, you are destined to do great things”!

 





 The weekend had the word "Believe" as bookends to a beautiful story of the power of prayer calling Him to show up and show off!! God did not disappoint, He is glorious!

It was an amazing weekend filled with divine appointments. God winked all weekend, not only in my life, but in many of the lives of the women I met. He allowed me a front row seat to the power of god and the moving of His spirit. I am humbled that He allowed my spiritual eyes to be wide open and my heart to be free to hear.

How is God showing up in your life and showing off His love to you in tangible ways? Maybe it isn't a gift bag, but I pray your spiritual eyes are open to see Him. He is all around you. 

by Joni Ormsbee