liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place,
and you and your father's house will perish [since you did not help when you had the chance].
And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this
[and for this very purpose]?"
Esther 4:14
The words above are from a story in the Bible that is one of my most favorite. This story is powerful and when I received my copy of Jill Eileen Smith's new book, "Star of Persia: Esther's Story", I couldn't wait to dive in. I did receive a copy from Revell publishing for my honest review, but let me tell you, I knew in advance it would not disappoint. I have read several of Smith's books in the past and her attention to biblical detail is on point. If there ever was an author that could bring the Old Testament stories to life it would be Jill Eileen Smith.
The story of a Jewish Queen over Persia hiding her ancestry before her king is one that never gets old to hear. When evil Haman seduces the king into thinking the Jews are the problem in their country and they need to be annihilated, Esther is forced to choose between keeping her ancestry a secret so that she may continue to live peacefully with her king in the palace or speaking up to save her people and risk losing her life.
Of course, I won't tell you what happens next, but as soon as I finished it, and in only a couple of days, I had to open up my Bible and re-read the story myself and Smith's story mixed with biblical and historical facts breathes new life into this incredible heroine's decision.
You see, coming before the king uninvited and unannounced could have been an automatic death sentence, by itself. But also sharing her ancestry and her plea to save her people could have also infuriated the king, so she had nothing to rely on but her faith in God (Adonai) and hope His presence in the room with her would be enough to soften the king's heart to her request.
I highly recommend this book and lucky for all my readers, this book just came out yesterday! Get your copy on Amazon asap!
I will leave you with a beautiful song that I think sums up what might have gone through Esther's mind as she pondered the big decision she had to make- My Weapon by Natalie Grant.
"Your presence is my greatest weapon
Pushing back the darkness Breaking every chain
My worship opens up the heavens Crushing every stronghold When I speak Your name Your presence is my weapon"
“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true,
noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst;
the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized.
Do that, and God, who makes everything work together,
will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” Philippians 4:8 (MSG)
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you probably already know I am an avid reader. But recently two incredible books came to my attention that I had to share. First let me explain something, right after the holidays, I began to experience an anxiety level I haven’t experienced in years. I stressed about not being further along in paying off debt by the time 2020 rang in the new year. I stressed over seeing family over the holidays and making sure everyone felt like they had ample time to spend with us while also realizing not everyone got what they wanted. I came back to work (I work in the human services industry) to a caseload that had more than doubled and hit an all-time burnout with hearing about the families’ drama and trauma that I work with all day, every day. Not to mention my upcoming tonsillectomy that I had scheduled and frequently tried to talk myself out of needing.
It was too much, all of it and I was ready to wash my hands of it all and climb in bed with my three dogs and tell everyone to let me know when this anxious feeling I had passed, and when winter turned to spring. But, that did not happen. Thank God, literally! God wanted me to get my head out of the sand and put my big girl pants on one leg at a time and I felt like over the last month that He has been working on my heart, body, and mind, he has been giving me a hug with resources at my fingertips to encourage me on my journey. Input= Output.
First, God had me open His word again. I hate to admit it, but the daily Bible reading that I have preached about in the past had slipped through my fingers except for the occasional Bible study. I felt that God wanted to begin showing me things through revelation with Him that I then began to see confirmed in other avenues. Input= Output.
I knew a natural stress reliever for me and something I really enjoy doing is cardio dance. I began to make it a priority to attend more classes and make my health a priority. Because my day job can be very sedentary sitting behind a desk all day, God began to prompt me to wake up 20 minutes early everyday and get on the treadmill and get moving and the blood flowing. During this time, I would listen to my all-time favorite Bible teacher- Joyce Meyer on her podcast channel. Every morning this time with God is holy and I feel the need to protect it and savor it, no matter how tired I am. With my legs jogging and God’s word going through my ears, I feel as though my day can’t get started any better. Once I get to my office and check my emails, I open God’s word and look up scriptures God has put on my heart for the day for about 10 minutes. Input= Output.
I then began to watch what I ate because I didn’t want the increased physical activity to be all for nothing. I didn’t count calories, just limited my intake of sweets (I am a chocolate lover!), serve myself one portion of meals (no seconds), and incorporate more fruits and veggies in my life. Input= Output.
My husband and I spoke about our financial situation and planned to put so much money towards debt even if it meant we cut back on frivolous spending this year to reach a goal of paying off a certain amount of debt by the end of the year. Having a plan in place made me feel so much better about the situation and I am excited to see how God helps us reach this goal and the incredible growth trusting Him for this will inspire in our family. Being better stewards of our resources (input) will result in a greater blessing down the line- being debt free (output).
I also began to journal more often. Not everyday but about 2-3 times a week. I poured out my heart and soul on the pages of my journal, expressing my thoughts and feelings, praying prayers to God, and sorting through the place I found myself in physically, emotionally, and spiritually and asking myself “How did I get here?” and “What needs to change to get me to be emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially healthy?” Input= Output.
So back to the two book resources I wanted to share. The first is “Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” by James Clear. This was a phenomenal read on the science behind habit forming and habit breaking without being too scientific and really abreaking it down to be very practical. This is a wonderful book for men, women and I want to give a copy to both my boys when they are around 16. The basis for the book is that if you want to create a habit you will stick with it needs to be obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. Behaviors and habits, you want to break or be rid of need to be invisible, unattractive, hard, and unsatisfying. I will leave that there and if you want more info, get the book.
The other book is “100 Days to Brave: Devotions for Unlocking Your Most Courageous Self” by Annie F. Downs. This is an incredible author, speaker, and host of one of my favorite podcasts “That Sounds Fun”. This book was the spiritual encouragement I needed for each day. From talking about working at your job as unto the Lord (whether or not it is your calling), to exercising and eating your fruits and veggies, to remembering to rest and make time for fun, to even how the pain of surgery God can use to heal (remember I am having a tonsillectomy soon). It was everything I needed to hear at just the right time I needed to hear it.
Input=Output. When I began to shift the input in my life to be habits that grew me spiritually and emotionally with my Bible and uplifting podcasts and books, to physically with healthier habits and exercise, to mentally and financially with learning to live more on budget, the output began to change. Shifting my focus to how big my God is made my problems I felt I had much smaller. My anxiety lessened greatly and the worries that kept me up at night began to dissipate.
“You will have nothing to fear at night and
no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day”
Psalm 91:5
Whether you like to read books, listen to podcasts, listen to audible, exercise, eat healthy or not. I implore you to start looking inward and see where your stresses are coming from and what you can do about them and rest and trust in God that He will take care of what you cannot. Promise me you won’t sit idle and let your fears swallow you up. Do what you can with what He’s given you.
I want to leave you with one of my favorite worship songs right now, “Nothing Else” by Cody Carnes. The words say it best:
“I'm sorry when I've just gone through the motions I'm sorry when I just sang another song Take me back to where we started I open up my heart to You I'm sorry when I've come with my agenda I'm sorry when I forgot that You're enough Take me back to where we started I open up my heart to You”
This week we focus on an a very important part of our armor- The Robe of Love. You don't hear about this piece in the Ephesians 6 verses, but it is binding and unifies all the pieces better than anything else!
So many times life puts us in positions where we ask God to give us peace, but we already have it! It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit! We just need to learn to walk in it!
We are now on our second piece of the armor- The Belt of Truth! Let's prepare to strap on our belts as we ride this roller coaster called life! We continue our journey through Ephesians 6 with the Week three video and PDF.
I am so excited to finally kick off the Arm Yourself Online Bible Study! Pull up a chair, a cup of coffee (or hot cocoa) and let's dig in to Ephesians 6 and learn to put on God's armor together!
This is the first video of the 9 week study and you can print out the link below that has a pdf that you can take notes on and follow along.
Homework this week: Read chapter one this week in Arm Yourself: Equipping Ourselves with the Armor of God.
Don't forget to join us at the Arm Yourself Online Bible Study facebook group for more info, community and accountability! Here is the link for that also: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1696570913889883/
If there are any issues at all with these links, don't hesitate to contact me at michellemoore.heartssong@gmail.com.
Many of us have sung the song in church by the popular
worship band, Hillsong United, … “Spirit
lead me where my trust is without borders, where I walk upon the waters in the
presence of my savior. Take me deeper than feet could ever wander and my faith
will be made stronger in the presence of my savior.”
What a bold statement we are actually singing. I think if we
realized what was actually coming out of our mouths, we might hum that part or
lip sync.
What kind of situations leads us to a state of complete and
utter trust in God? One that might cause us to depend on him solely for
provision when it comes to our finances.
What kind of time in our lives allows us to feel like we are
walking on the waters in the presence of our savior? One where the waves
threaten to overwhelm and overtake us with life’s demands or an ever-increasing
busy schedule.
In what situation might you ever be taken deeper than your
feet would have ever originally dared to wander? Perhaps you are in a new town
or a new job that has taken you out of your comfort zone completely.
So how does the last part come true?... “My faith will be
made stronger in the presence of my savior?” The answer is REST.
In Vicki Courtney’s new book,Rest Assured: A Recovery Plan for Weary Souls, she writes a
beautifully honest and real take on how we can rest in the middle of the storms
in our lives.
She explains that sometimes the storms are brought on by
ourselves and our need to never disappoint anyone and our constant people
pleasing. This leads us to a schedule bursting at the seams and us gasping for
air above the never-ending obligations.
Other times the storms are out of our control, causing our
emotions to spin out of control also. We become frazzled, worn out and
stressed.
I love what she writes here:
“We’ve all experienced
our fair share of wit’s end moments. Moments turn to days, and days turn to
months. Before long, being at wit’s end becomes our standard default setting.
Fortunately, you and I
don’t have to set up camp and live there. We can choose differently. The harbor
we long for lies just off in the distance, but many of us have lost sight of
the shoreline because we can’t see past the waves. We funnel our energy into
staying afloat and scooping out the water one Dixie Cup at a time rather than
turning to the one who openly rebuked the wind and sea with a simple command:
“Peace Be Still!”…”
With practical advice coupled with raw and truthful accounts
in her own personal life, she encourages the reader to find the areas in their
lives that are spinning out of control in the first part of the book.
In the second part, is when the recovery plan comes in. She
asks the reader to devote one week per chapter to truly let it soak into their
hearts and lives and each piece of advice to begin making a difference in the
life of the reader.
The goal here is learning to enter God’s rest through the
difficult times because that is when you are able to fully hear the voice of
God speaking to you and make clearer and wiser decisions for your future.
The back of the book also includes a 30 day restoration
guide and “100 Ways to Give it a Rest” section. Being a mom of two boys,
recently moving across the country for my husband’s job, and being in ministry
while living in a fixer upper…you can see why I was thrilled with the privilege
of writing this review. ( I needed this book!)
I am also very excited to give you an opportunity to enjoy
this incredible book and learn to begin to truly enter God’s rest, which is so
appropriate, especially this time of the year.
(This blog is
sponsored by Family Christian. In exchange for a copy of the book, Rest
Assured: A Recovery Plan for Weary Souls, I agreed to review the book and host
a giveaway. The opinions included are solely mine.)
