Philippians 2:13 - God is Working in You

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies
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I love Philippians 2:13 because it is a promise.

The verse shows up in a long passage where Paul encourages followers of Jesus to become like Jesus - to have the same humility, attitude, and mindset of our Savior.

Does anyone else struggle with that?

I think about last week's Scripture from Matthew - the call to serve others like Jesus, even laying down our lives for other people. I know I can't do that on my own. I can't even want that on my own. Everything in my natural self cringes against the idea of always putting others before myself. And I can't change my desires with sheer will power. The heart wants what the heart wants.

You know what? We need new hearts. 

 In Philippians 2:12, the verse right before this one, Paul calls on believers to continue "working out their salvation with fear and trembling" - and then he tells them, it's actually God changing your desires to line up with his and giving you the power to obey him.

In the end, it's not up to me. If my wants and attitudes change, it's not because I've overcome my personal weaknesses or learned a new strategy that enables me to be a kinder, more loving version of myself. It's because God is creating a new person and giving me the will and the ability to obey him. In this verse, God has promised to be at work in us and making it possible for us to want him, love him, and worship him with our lives like he deserves.

Knowing this keeps me humble and dependent on the Lord, in two ways. When I fail (as I often do) to follow him whole heartedly, it gives me the opportunity to recognize my complete weakness and to turn to him for strength. When I do succeed - whether it's responding patiently to difficult situations or forgiving someone who's hurt me - I know it's not because I'm a good person or superior in any way. I know God has been at work inside my heart, slowly changing my attitudes, my perspective, and my desires.

So if you're struggling with personal change or feeling like you will never overcome the difficulty you're facing, take heart. God is at work, even if you can't see the results yet. He is giving you the desire and power to do what pleases him.
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Psalm 91:2 - God is My Refuge

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies

Psalm 91:2 is a reminder to me that God alone is my place of safety.

What do you turn to when you feel fear or uncertainty? I often turn to a system or a ritual. When I felt anxious about becoming a mother, I made lists of books to read, baby gear to buy, tasks to conquer before he arrived. While preparing to move to Bangkok during a time of political unrest, I made contingency plans for what we could do if the unrest exploded into a full-out coup.

None of these things are bad, but the motivating factor behind them was fear, not trust. I feared the unknown and found external actions I could take that would make me feel more safe, more secure.

But then God reminded me who I really needed to trust: Him.

God alone is my refuge, my shelter, my protection. I can't completely protect myself from the unknown - or even the known, for that matter. But I can rest in the knowledge that God is good and only allows situations in my life that will make me more like Jesus and will bring him glory.

And trusting him means I don't have be driven by fear in my life. I can still plan and make lists. But my hope isn't in those things; it's in God and his control over my life.

It's human nature that we run to someone or something else besides the Lord when we feel fear. But I pray that this verse is a reminder who our shelter is.

What about you? What do you turn to in times of anxiety or uncertainty? How can we encourage each other to trust God in those moments?
/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies/
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Whitney @ Journey Mercies

February Goals {+ free goal planning printable}

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies

Yesterday, I wrote about my month-long journey seeking vision for 2014 and writing out goals, guided by Lara Casey's Powersheets.

February is the month I'll start taking action on the areas of life I want to grow and mature in. I have my monthly tending sheet filled out, color-coded, and hanging up on my wall. What can I say - I love lists. I even made a color-coded Excel spreadsheet listing all the baby stuff I need to buy from which vendors at what prices, etc...But let's save that for another counseling session.

But first...a review.

Looking Back - Goals for January 2014 {original post here}:
  • Personal:
    • Finish clinic well - In December, the clinic team and I had made a list of things we wanted to accomplish before I stopped working, such as creating more patient forms to improve our patient care. We finished it all and celebrated my "retirement" last week. It was definitely bittersweet {read more about it here}.
    • Finish Powersheet planning & start my best year ever - Finished! Read this blog post about my journey using the Powersheets.
    • Finish Powersheets with Andrew - Andrew is still working on his, and I'm working on encouraging him, too. I definitely have a lot more free time and brain space than he does right now!
    • Study John together - wow, I think we studied together maybe twice this month. We really need to work on making that more of a priority! Many times, we'd say we'd do it on a certain day, but by the evening, we were wiped out, or other things came up. Consistency is definitely a struggle for us.
  • Family:
    • Buy stuff for baby - I did not buy a thing. BUT I did make a list! I made an online gift registry which many friends and family have given on, to give us some cash for the little guy {major thanks to everyone who's done that!}. But this weekend {Feb. 1}, Andrew and I actually went to some shops in town and bought a few small things. 
    • Finalize doula decision - We're hiring her! Mandy is a Christian, mom of 6, and blogger, and we are so excited to work with her. You can read more about her on her blog here.
  • Relationships:
    • Encourage one person a week online or in person - I found that having this as a goal helped me be more "in-tune" with people, and I really enjoyed looking for ways to encourage women in my life.
    • Have a women's fellowship night - I honestly didn't plan this, as one night it just happened that all the guys were out of town for prayer. So all the ladies came to my place, and we enjoyed talking and praying together.
  • Blogging:
    • Actually attend an Influence class - I attended a class on Instagram and a class on Really Speaking Life, which has inspired me and another blogger to host our first blog link-up this week - read about it here if you want to join up Feb. 5!
    • Write a post for the Overcome the Lie blog tour - Done! My first blog tour post ever, I wrote about the lie of identity outside of Jesus - read it here.
    • Tackle blog-to-do-list, one item a week - Check. It may be small things you haven't noticed, but it's helped me!
  • Books: Finish what I started!
    •  - Still reading it, enjoying it, and soaking it all in. 
    •  - I finally finished it. I plan on writing a post later on pregnancy and birthing books next month, so you'll have to wait for my opinion til then (or just read my review on Goodreads if you can't wait that long).
    • - this wasn't actually on my list of books at the beginning of the month, but I bought it and tore through it in about a week. There's some strange stuff {to me} in there, but I found it very empowering and energizing.
And now....

Goals for February 2014
{I've actually divided these up to match my 5 goals for 2014}
  • Marriage
    • Finish studying John with Andrew
    • Start using the Spouse Tending Sheets from Lara Casey - these were emailed to everyone who pre-ordered the Powersheets and attended her goal-setting webinar. They will help me think about ways to support, encourage, and help Andrew, as well as different ways to say, "I love you."
    • Submit all tax documents to our CPA before the baby comes - ok, this isn't that exciting, but very important for our marital harmony.
  • Family/Pregnancy
    • Make a birth plan with Andrew and our doula Mandy - I really want a natural childbirth {no inductions/augmentations, IVs, continuous monitoring, epidural, episiotomy, etc.} - pray for us!!!
    • Really start shopping for baby stuff - now that I have my Excel spreadsheet, I have no excuse.
    • Read - It's written by a doula, and I'm hoping it will be more of an in-the-middle birthing book than Ina May's, which is very home/birthing-center focused.
  • Relationships
    • Start using Encouragement Sheets from Powersheets set - just another way to help me focus on relationships in my life that need tending
    • Skype with our advocacy team at least twice this month
    • Continue reading  and hopefully finish it!
  • Nursing/cross-cultural: Since we're moving to Bangkok this weekend and won't return to Cambodia til mid-March, I'm putting this goal on hold for now.
  • Blog
    • Host my first blog link-up {Speak Life} with Danielle from This Life I Live on Feb. 5
    • Write a Travel Tips series - my parents have lots of questions about coming to visit, so I thought I might as well share the tips I've given them with my readers
    • Set up guest writers for March - Because the baby is coming around March 1, I'd like to blog less next month. But I still want to provide meaningful content here. I'm looking for 4-5 bloggers to write posts for Journey Mercies in March. So if you're a blogger who writes about faith, family/marriage, travel, and/or working overseas, contact me!
    • Read An Inspired Life by Katie from A Place to Dwell and participate in the book club - Katie wrote a book all about living creatively in every season of life. This book crosses over to a lot of different areas of my life, and I'm hoping my time off in Bangkok {before the baby comes} will allow me time to participate in the book club with other readers.
Whew! I think it's going to be a busy month for us, but I'm excited about the change and challenges coming our way. If you're making goals for February, too, please share with me! I love reading about what you're dreaming about this month. And, just because I love ya, here's for this month {you can also download a blank planning sheet here}. Enjoy, and go make February count!



I'm also linking up with Hayley at the Tiny Twig on February goals!


P.S. Amazon affiliate links used. Full disclosure here. 
/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies/
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Whitney @ Journey Mercies

2 Corinthians 9:8 - You Will Abound In Every Good Work

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies

For the past few years, a yellow index card has hung in my kitchen window, held up by a clothespin and leftover fabric scraps. Written on the card is a verse that has given me strength when I felt like I didn't have it in me to keep going.

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
2 Corinthians 9:8

Sometimes it was something small - like washing a huge pile of dishes that I just didn't want to face. Or to repent of the selfish bitterness building up in my heart towards someone else. Or to ask for joy instead of wallowing in self-pity when the electricity or water was cut off, again.

Paul was talking about financial generosity when he wrote these words in 2 Corinthians, but he went on to apply it to all of life: you will abound in every good work.

It's a promise that God makes to his people. He will bless us abundantly, so that we can overflow in love in serving others.

He promises to give us - you, me - all that we need to do the work he's called us to. In every season of life and in every situation.

Maybe that work is an actual career - meeting deadlines, creating new products, serving customers. Maybe it's within our homes - wiping dirty faces and bums, washing clothes, cooking food. But I think more than anything, it's ministry - our ministry to our families, to our neighbors, to our friends, and within our church communities - living and loving in a way that points others to Jesus.

And the part that I really cling to, is the "abound" part. I won't just scrape by, or be given the bare minimum. God promises that his blessings will be abundant, so that our service can be abundant. Why is that important? Because it reminds me that my ability to do good works doesn't come from my innate goodness. It comes from God's blessings. 

So when I'm feeling lost or out of energy or just not enough, I look at that Scripture. And I know what I need to do: turn to the Father and trust him to give me what I need to continue loving him and loving others. 

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/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies/
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Whitney @ Journey Mercies

Luke 6:45 - What Is Flowing Out of You?

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies
Free 4x6 printable card - !

This week, I took a class on "Really Speaking Life" by Jessi Connolly {of Naptime Diaries} from the Influence Network {I know, I mention them a lot, but seriously, it is the most amazing online community I have ever encountered!}.

If you know me - at all - you know that speaking life is not one of my giftings. Let's be honest - I am blunt, opinionated, and good at pointing out flaws in others. God has done a lot of work in me, but I am still a very raw product. I've never been afraid to say exactly what I think. That can be a good thing when it's God prompting me to speak out for Him. But honestly? Most of the time, I am speaking out on behalf of myself.

Proverbs 18:21 says, Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit...you choose {The Message}. And many times, I am not using my words to give life to people. I am using them as a selfish outlet - a way to make myself feel superior, to judge others, to focus on the negative instead of seeking to praise the positive.

And why is that? Do I need to just change my habits, or find a new system to implement that will help me view the world in a more positive light? Do I need to pay a quarter into a jar every time I swear? {yes, let's be honest, there is one word I fear I will never stop using in moments of frustration...#keepingitreal} 

My problem is not a behavioral one, or one based on my circumstances. If my life gets easier or I'm around less-frustrating people, I won't stop having negative thoughts and saying critical words about everything. Because my problem comes from my heart.

That's why I love these words of Jesus. In Luke 6, he's refuting the Pharisees' belief that what touches a man from the outside makes him dirty or sinful. No, Jesus says; evil and sin already reside within us. And when we speak, whatever is in our hearts - including evil - will flow out.

I visualize it like a jar full of water. You may not be able to see what's inside the jar, but when it's pushed or jostled, whatever is inside will spill out. It's the same for me. If I am full of myself, pride, criticism, and self-centered thinking, all of that will flow out in my words. But if I am full of God's Word, his truth, his love, his Spirit - that's what will come out of my mouth in times of stress and testing.

It's in the moments when we're caught off guard or faced with unexpected challenges that our hearts are shown for what they really are. When life is smooth, it's easy to maintain a happy facade. But when testing comes, we can't maintain our masks. And our words are a key indicator of what's going on inside our hearts. But the answer to change is not changing our outward behavior or learning new habits. That won't get rid of the darkness inside us. We have to repent and turn to Jesus, trusting him to change us - because we're incapable of that ourselves. 

So I created the above card to print off and remind myself that the words I'm using are a reflection of my heart. What am I filling myself with today? What is flowing out of me? And I hope you can use it, too, to encourage you to fill yourself with Christ and allow his Word to change your heart.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you struggle with speaking life? Are there verses that help you repent and turn to Jesus when you are not speaking life?