Grace, By Definition, Is Undeserved

Being gracious does not come naturally, does it? Because, by its very nature, grace is undeserved.

Even if you may feel it not a weakness, I definitely struggle with it.

You know, if it’s something small or if I can tell nothing was meant by it, I can sometimes easily brush it off & move on… but when it was intentionally meant to hurt me or they recklessly hurt me, followed by zero remorse or compassion… yeah… not so easy for me then.

But today, I want to cover 4 people in the Bible whose demonstrated graciousness has really challenged me in this area: the slave girl, the prisoners, the betrayed brother, & the Lamb.

The Slave Girl

At church yesterday, our pastor spoke on the story of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-16). Naaman is described as: Commander of the king’s army, a great man in the sight of the king, highly regarded, a valiant soldier… but he had leprosy.

But we’re not here to talk about this “great man of valor.” We’re here to talk about his wife’s slave girl. She is described as: taken from her home by raiders, held captive, & now a servant of Naaman’s wife.

Now, if it were ME we were talking about, I would find out my master’s husband had leprosy which he would most likely eventually die from, & think he kind of deserved it & that maybe it could even lead toward me finding a way to be released from captivity so I could go home.

But that is not how this slave girl responded to her unfair, hurtful circumstances that dragged her away from her home & family.

She surprisingly responded with GRACE. We know this because it was HER idea to tell Naaman’s wife that a prophet of God lived in Israel & could, through God, heal him of his leprosy.

Her Grace Led to His Healing, in More Ways Than One

And guess what??! Desperate man that he was, under all of his high praise titles, he LISTENED to her & WENT. And long story short, Elisha (the said prophet of God in Israel) did not show any recognition whatsoever to Naaman’s prestige, which greatly offended Naaman… because God wanted Naaman to see that it wasn’t JUST his physical malady He wanted to heal, but his heart & soul as well… & God KNEW Naaman needed to be humbled first, to be put on the same playing field as everyone else so to speak, & reminded that at his very core, Naaman was just simply a person like everyone else.

And through the urging of his servants to look past his offended pride & anger, he did indeed follow the instructions given by Elisha & he was indeed HEALED of his leprosy… & through all of that humbling, his heart was able to recognize the glory & splendor of the God Who had healed him!

He surrendered his life to God because a slave girl saw past her unfair circumstances, looked through the lens of grace, & had compassion on her master.

Was That Grace Easy for Her? We Don’t Know…

We aren’t told what went on in that young slave girl’s heart. Maybe she wrestled with wanting to let him suffer… maybe she had to bow down her natural inclinations to allow God’s perspective to override her feelings on the matter… or maybe she abided with God so closely through talking with Him (prayer) & reading His Word (Scripture texts), that she knew already how God would will her to respond. We don’t know.

But regardless of her process to get there, respond with grace she did. And her master will be grateful for her compassion & grace into all eternity.

All because a slave girl was gracious to a man named Naaman who wasn’t at all deserving of her grace.

The Prisoners

The second challenge to my struggle with graciousness is the story of 2 men who were “stripped, beaten, & severely flogged…” & then taken to prison because they freed a slave girl from the control of a demon & it made her masters FURIOUS because her fortune-telling made them heaps of money at her expense. (Acts 16:16-34)

The response of these 2 men—Paul & Silas? … “Praying & singing hymns to God as the other prisoners listened to them.”

In the middle of the night, earthquakes SHOOK the prison & caused the prison doors to fly open & all the chains on the prisoners to be loosed!

But you know what they did? The jailor came RUSHING in, SAW all the doors wide open, drew his sword & was ready to kill himself (the punishment for losing prisoners on your watch was SEVERE)… but then, a voice calls out….

Paul shouts out: “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (Acts 16:28)

Their Grace Led to Hope for a Jailor & His Whole Family

The jailer was humbled to his CORE & was trembling as he asked, “What must I do to be SAVED???”

“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.” (Acts 16:31-34) (WOW, it’s hard not to get choked up at that response!)

We don’t know how uncomfortable prison was for them, how wronged or hurt they felt… we know they were beaten & stripped & humiliated. And yet, they chose to worship God & trust God even in the midst of ALL THAT. And God used their time in prison & their attitude of graciousness to reach the heart of a particular jailor & his WHOLE family.

All because 2 prisoners saw beyond their uncomfortably poor circumstances & showed GRACE undeserved through it. Wow.

The Betrayed Brother

And then, this story, this betrayed brother that I have talked on so often in the past almost 7 years of doing this blog… Joseph, betrayed by his brothers. (Genesis 37-50)

They wanted to kill him, but then decided they could profit better from the situation by selling their own brother instead to passing slavers.

But you know what? Joseph, in being threatened to be killed by his brothers out of jealousy, being threatened to be abandoned to die of starvation or thirst in a hole by his brothers, being SOLD by his brothers to slavers, being bought, being accused wrongly because his new owner’s wife wanted him & he refused her honorably, being thrown in prison from false accusations, forgotten & left behind after helping someone in that prison, etc. etc. etc. The Bible says God BLESSED everything he did because he would strive always to do his best, even when it wasn’t earned by those demanding it.

What a life of GRACE he demonstrated, huh? I don’t know if I could have done it, outside of MUCH prayer & sobbing for home.

His Grace Led to Saving His Whole Family During a Time of Terrible Famine

But, in the end, God showed Joseph that what others meant for evil, God meant it for GOOD, because all of these HORRIBLE circumstances led him to be in a position of impressing the PHAROAH of Egypt so much so that this Pharaoh gave him power over his entire kingdom! AND, because of that gifted power, Joseph was in a position to provide food to his whole family when YEARS of famine struck all the land.

GOD KNEW… Joseph was faithful & gracious…. GOD PROVIDED.

(***You can read Joseph’s powerful story in Genesis 37-50. One of my FAVORITE stories. And it’s a TRUE one at that! God is so GOOD!***)

The Lamb

But then, we are at Person #4, who challenges me the most out of all 4: the Lamb.

More particularly, the Lamb of God… Jesus Christ.

Jesus is GOD. Imagine with me the ROBES that FILLED the throne room… the GLORY & MAJESTY like you can’t even begin to imagine….

And His love for US… it COMPELLED Him to step down from His heavenly throne when all of humanity’s efforts failed. The perfect garden with His presence? Wasn’t enough for us…. The 10 Commandments? Couldn’t keep ‘em. The sacrifices? Didn’t stop the sin.

So, Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice… a once-for-all type sacrifice… as the Lamb of God.

His Grace Brought Us HOPE

We sin & we sin & we sin & we sin & we have no hope. We are naturally OWNED by our sin nature.

BUT GOD. God had compassion. God showed grace. God had His ONLY Son JESUS to pay our price FOR us. And Jesus, although overwhelmed by the weight & pain of it, willingly condescended Himself on our behalf. Talk about undeserved GRACE!

Aren’t you so incredibly GLAD that God did not leave us to our own sin & deserved punishment in Hell? That He provided an OUT? That He offered HIMSELF?

The perfect Lamb. Our perfect Sacrifice. Our SAVIOR.

What Does the Bible Say About Jesus?

“Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

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

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, [Jesus] Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

“For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord [Jesus] shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

“All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.

[Jesus] was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
[Jesus] was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So [Jesus] opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:6-7)

Graciousness, as Told By: The Slave Girl, the Prisoners, the Betrayed Brother, & the Lamb

Who else is challenged in the area of GRACE today?

The slave girl, the prisoners, the betrayed brother… the Lamb…. Because they were willing to extend grace undeserved, God was able to change lives through their graciousness.

Praise GOD for GRACE.

May this urge us all to live in the perspective of grace. To live beyond & above our awful, difficult, unfair circumstances….

… To see ALL circumstances of unfairness as God-appointed opportunities to be, as our pastor termed it: “Messengers of Mercy.”

Shine HOPE by living a life of graciousness in moments of unfair treatment/circumstances, so that you can live as a “Messenger of Mercy” to this broken world owned by sin, to be redeemed by God’s GRACE.

(***Read more about grace undeserved in some of my previous posts: “An Undeserved Grace,” “Living Hard Things with Grace,” “Care More About the Person Than the Hurt,” & “Just an Average Person Used by an Almighty God.”***)

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Ardent Necklace-Golden (INDIA)

Create safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty in India by purchasing the Ardent Necklace! The design of the Ardent Necklace makes it uniquely customizable, featuring its twisted cord, elegant metal finishing and an adjustable golden bead for easy wearing. This necklace is easy to pull over your head and adjust to your perfect length. The gold-tone pendant is an organically shaped pendant with a freshwater pearl.

***Use the “Shop Here” link below to purchase this beautifully handcrafted necklace & help create job opportunities for women in areas of extreme poverty in India.***

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Are You Living It or Just Rehearsing It?

A trend I have noticed over the past decade has brought me to an interesting topic I’d like us to discuss this week: that quoting Scripture is not the same as living Scripture.

Maybe you’re pretty good at trying to memorize God’s Word, the Bible, tucking His truth away in your heart on a regular basis—that is amazing!

We need God’s Word. In fact, the Bible says we ought to crave it as newborn babies crave milk. (If you’ve had kids, you know the desperation.) (1 Peter 2:2)

We also ought to consider God’s Word to be necessary nourishment for our soul. (Jeremiah 15:16; Matthew 4:4) Like, we will be malnourished followers of Jesus without it. I have seen this, too, because I used to think I was “just fine” without it (other than the occasional applicable, quotable verse or passage), but boy did I realize how much I had been missing when I did eventually make it a daily habit. I hadn’t even realized how spiritually malnourished I had been most of my life before that habit was installed into my daily routine.

(*Oh, & just to get this out of the way first thing, all added emphasis in verse quotes are mine.*)

Not Just Hearers, But Doers… Is Not JUST What You Think It Means…

But, in James, there is an interesting little verse there that warns us not to be just hearers (or readers) of the Bible, but also DOERS. (James 1:22)

Now, most of my life, I thought that just merely meant the general idea of obedience or loving/serving others type thing… but how often is the reality of this necessitated command also so much more subtle than that? As in, not just the “big” things, but ALL things. Let’s consider that a moment.

Do We Actually “Cast Our Cares”? Or Just Remind Ourselves We Ought To?

How often do we quote: “Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you,” (1 Peter 5:7) for example? That’s a GREAT verse! But, when you are struggling with many “cares,” do you simply rehearse this verse in your heart until you feel better, reminding yourself of His care for you… or do you actually DO what this verse is TELLING YOU TO DO—CASTING those cares ON HIM?

Do you rehearse the verse FIRST & THEN take a moment to prayer dump all of your cares at His feet, asking Him to help you trust He can take care of them better than you can & asking for His help in them? Do you indeed cast those cares on Him or just rehearse the verse-truth that you OUGHT to do that?

Do You Actually “Acknowledge Him in All Things”? Or Just Remind Yourself That You Ought To?

Or, here is another one I am guilty of, for sure. “Lean not on your own understanding… but in all your ways, acknowledge Him & He shall direct your steps.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Nice truth to quote, for sure. We need this reminder every day, don’t we? I do.

But do we take it from rehearsing the verse to LIVING this verse? Reminding yourself through it that you ought to take all you think you know to Him & say, “God, You are God. I am not. Please guide me. Give me wisdom here. Not my way, but Yours. Not my will, but Yours. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Do We Lean into Him for Strength? Or Just Recite How We Ought To?

Then, the often-lacking-context verse of: “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me,” (Philippians 4:13) which is MEANT to say that whether you have plenty or lack or whatever situation God allows you to face, He can be your strength through it. (NOT that whatever YOU want out of life YOU will get WITH His help… if you trust Jesus to give you strength—no—He is not your wish-granter. He is GOD.)

When God brings you through tough circumstances, whether it be poverty or the temptation to trust yourself in wealth, or sickness or anything, do you really trust Him to BE your strength when you have none on your own?

He Is Your Refuge & Strength & Very Present Help in Time of Need… Do You Quote It or Live It?

The Bible also says He IS our refuge & our strength, a very present help in time of need. (Psalm 46:1)

Do you quote that or live that? Do you slump into Him when you are weary & beaten… when sickness or injury has taken you down… to trust Him AS your strength, *even if* He doesn’t allow YOURS to return to you?

I struggle always wanting to pray AWAY the struggles, but sometimes the struggles remain. And I really believe that oftentimes, it’s because God wants me to remember again that He is enough even when I see I am not. Even if things DON’T get better.

Will I trust Him to truly be my refuge? To be my strength? To be my very present help in time of need? To move forward through it asking God to be my strength, knowing as I pray that He will?

Or do I just rehearse the verses that say so, in place of actively leaning into Him in it, as if it is the Truth that it actually is?

Give Thanks to God in All Circumstances… the Call to Worship… the Call to Praise… Quoted or Completed?

Or what about all the many verses that remind us of the importance of giving thanks to God? Of worshipping & praising Him? Do we recite those over & over? Or actually DO AS IT SAYS? Do we recite the verse AND THEN list out what we know we can thank Him for? Recite it & THEN actually take some time to lift Him up in worship & in praise?

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
    for His steadfast love endures forever!” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

“I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” (Psalm 7:17)

“… in everything give thanks [to God]; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

Are we actually taking time TO thank Him? TO praise Him? TO worship & adore? Quoting Scripture is not the same thing as living Scripture.

The Bible Isn’t Just Any Book

Now, if you don’t know enough verses to be able to rehearse them to yourself as the Holy Spirit brings back to mind what you have learned when you need it… that is definitely a first step. You NEED His Word—it’s a non-negotiable to prevent malnourishment.

Tuck that truth in your heart so when Satan, in all of his subtle, crafty deception tries to come at you with whacks of discouragement, betrayal, hurt, temptation, etc., that the Holy Spirit can pop in one of those verses you have studied & you can stand FIRM on the TRUTH.

It’s way too easy to be deceived for us to not be equipping ourselves with God’s Word in our heart. I know from personal experience. Jesus-believer/follower for 35 years & I STILL find myself falling for it. BE PREPARED.

God’s Word Is MORE

But don’t leave it there. Don’t stop at the knowing. Don’t even stop at obeying God on the “big” things through His Word… God’s Word is not just encouraging advice, guys. It is TRUTH.

So don’t just be content quoting it, reminding yourself of what God can do as encouragement during tough times. DO WHAT THE VERSE SAYS TO DO.

Can you think of any other examples of this? Of being quick to repeatedly rehearse a verse while never actually doing what the verse says we ought to do?

Quoting Scripture Is Not the Same Thing as Living Scripture

CAST those cares.

ACKNOWLEDGE Him.

ASK for His strength to follow Him.

TRUST Him to BE your strength when you have none.

THANK Him.

PRAISE Him.

WORSHIP Him.

Don’t just TALK about it, reminding yourself of what the Bible says to do. Actually DO what the Bible says to do.

Shine HOPE by LIVING the Word of God, even in the simple verses that are so easy & encouraging to quote that we sometimes forget to move beyond quoting it to actually LIVING it.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Kairo (Lava Bead) Bracelet (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Each stretch-to-fit Kairo Bracelet features a striking combination of grounding black lava beads, warm brown wooden beads, and a dainty gold accent bead at its center. The natural textures and earthy tones make it a versatile piece for any style. Pair it with the Katie Bracelet for a complete fair-trade look — both meaningful and timeless!

***Purchase this beautiful bracelet, using the “Shop Here” link below, to support a safe house in the Dominican Republic, providing education, legal services, safe housing, and trauma counseling for survivors of human trafficking. Empower women on their journey to healing and restoration!***

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

If This Was You… Thank You

Throughout my life, the friendships that have really impacted me are the ones that point me consistently to Jesus Christ, praying with/for me, asking me what God has been teaching me lately, sharing testimonies of how they have seen God show up for them…. Those are the friendships that really stand out to me & change my life for the better.

I crave those types of friendships.

I Need to be Pointed to Jesus

If you don’t read all of my hot mess blog posts, in seasons of hard & hurt, or where I feel like I am falling apart on all accounts, you may be tempted, at a glance, to see me, a woman who owns a website, provides resources, runs a blog, leads Bible Studies, or anything else… & think I have it going pretty well faith-wise over here.

But I am just human like everyone else, which means I have seasons of struggle just like everyone else. I sometimes have doubts creep in my head & slap me in the face with a wavering question. Sometimes I grumble starting my day, wanting nothing more than to cancel my alarm completely & pull the covers back up under my chin, totally ignoring any & all responsibility. Sometimes, like today, I REALLY crave a nap instead of sitting here working on this week’s blog post.

Sometimes I feel worn down. Sometimes I feel beat up. Sometimes I feel insecure. Sometimes I feel afraid. Sometimes I just want to do absolutely nothing at all. Sometimes hurts drown out all else. Sometimes I don’t make the right choice.

I have need, just like everyone else, & I would argue that anyone with an intentional platform for Jesus is going to get an extra layer of tired &/or struggle because Satan would prefer that you just quit.

And thus, I crave edifying friendships.

I Crave Edifying Friendships

My ideal hangout? Talking about how God has shown up in your life, sharing answered prayers, singing praise/worship together, talking about personal weaknesses & reminding each other of truth & praying for each other. My ideal friendship is ever-pointing me back to Jesus, so that I leave not only refreshed, but built up & ready to face the next day, remembering Who is in control of it & Who deserves the glory through it.

Some may think I am just trying to be overly spiritual or self-righteous or something, but for me, it is genuine hunger. I CRAVE that type of conversation.

I am too easily distracted! Too easily numbed & made complacent! I am too easily busied! And sometimes, I am too easily discouraged!

My Absolute Dream Job

If I were to have my dream job, where there were no obstacles & I could just wish it & have it happen just so, it would be for me to have my own small office with a desk, a small rug, a few chairs, & a bookcase (lots of pink, too, if I’m honest). The bottom couple shelves would be toys & games & if a mom needed to bring her kids, she could. I would have a lit candle on my desk, peaceful worship music playing for soothing ambiance, & the rest of my bookshelf would be books that have had an impact on my faith so I could share them library style. And I would just do discipleship training, accountability, mentorship, & counseling all day every day with teens, young adults, & grown women, just pouring into them, coming alongside them in their lives & pointing them always to Jesus, through discussion/sharing, looking to God’s Word (the Bible), & prayer… because I know I need it, too. That is what lights a fire in me. That’s my pipe dream.

Lord, Let Me Live My Life Wholly Devoted to Pouring into the Lives of Other Women–AMEN

But I digress…. I crave those types of relationships. I want to go all in for God, but I feel so easily complacent or numbed… distracted… discouraged…. I need to pour into & be poured into… I need my focus constantly reset & when I work with other women in this way, it just ignites me & reminds me consistently why living for God & His glory is the very absolute best thing I could ever give my time to. It glues my focus ever to HIM. And I absolutely LOVE that. That is why I LOVE ministry work.

Pray with me to that end. That God help me develop more friendships & opportunities like that… where I can pour into & be poured into, resetting our focus always to the glory of God in all things big or small. Fixing our focus on HIM.

And shine HOPE, by being that type of friend to the women God has put in YOUR life. We need each other.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for SIX years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

October 2024 Hope Mail (INDIA)

***Purchase this month’s Hope Mail, using the “Shop Here” link below to create safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops and human traffickers.***

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Recap Review

Last week, I introduced the topic of reviewing the “armor of God,” as outlined in Ephesians 6…. How this isn’t just some “Christian-y” thing we say or quote… it is actual armor that is actually useful in protecting us & keeping us standing firm when life turns to chaos around us.

We NEED it. To review last week’s pieces: the belt of truth (growing your knowledge base of Truth from the only One Who truly has the right to determine what Truth is—the God Who made us all, by getting to know His Word to us—the Bible), the breastplate of righteousness (doing what His truth says, even when it doesn’t make sense to us, protecting ourselves from the destruction that comes naturally as a result of doing it our way instead), & the shoes of the gospel (good news) of peace (not living in anxiety-driven thought control, but moving forward with the understanding of all God gave through His power, Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, & the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, guidance, & strength)….

To catch up fully, read last week’s post: “What Good Is the Armor of God? (Part 1/2).”

Let’s continue with the remaining pieces of this armor that God empowers & supplies.

Blocking Attacks by Trusting God Can Where I Can’t

“…above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” (Ephesians 6:16)

This shield of faith is amazing, because it’s not how big your faith is, but how big your God is. Figuratively holding up this shield to protect you, as if saying internally, “My God is bigger than this! My God is stronger than this! My God is ABLE!”

Remember, when the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, He reminded them that even the teensiest amount of faith can make miracles happen… because it is not reliant on how strongly you believe, but rather how WHOLLY you believe. (Luke 17:5-6)

Are you trusting Him + _____________________? Or do you put your whole stock wholly in Him as your true & only source? GOD ALMIGHTY?

Shaking & All… Hold Up That Shield!

It’s a faith that even says, “God, I don’t understand! God, this hurts! God, I want this to stop! But I know You are GOD & I am NOT, so help me to trust YOU more than what I SEE or FEEL.”

HOLD UP THAT SHIELD! Block those fiery arrows that satan tries to attack & hurt you with. HOLD UP THAT SHIELD!

“God, I don’t understand this, but I know You DO!” “God, this hurts, but I KNOW You have me!” “God, this is hard, but I know You will help me!” “God, I don’t know what to do next, but I know YOU do!”

Hold up that shield.

Remember That Heaven Awaits

“… And take the helmet of salvation…” (Ephesians 6:17a)

And sister, when the battle just seems to be going south FAST, like ALL HOPE IS GONE… you remember your helmet of salvation to protect your thoughts from despair… remembering that even if the world collapses… even if evil seems to win… HEAVEN awaits you if you have put your trust in JESUS CHRIST to pay for your sins. (Read previous posts: “The Gospel Changes Everything” & “Why the Gospel Is Such a Big Deal.”)

Whom He sets free is free indeed! (John 8:36)

We are no longer slaves to sin. We are no longer at the mercy of this sinful world. We have JESUS Who paid our debts! Heaven awaits!

No matter how hard life may seem to get on this earth… heaven awaits.

The Spirit Helps Us Fight Back!

“… and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;…” (Ephesians 6:17b)

I can’t tell you how many times I have prayed about something & immediately a random verse from the Bible just floats across my mind in direct answer to my question… or when answering someone else’s questions directed at me.

I have been a Christian for a pretty long time—35 years… & while I will always have a lot left to learn, I have been studying & learning from & reading my Bible for a very long time, so my sword is pretty strong & ready (while it can always improve).

But, if you are a new Christian, it is not too late to learn (even if you’re not new!). And the time to learn is now… so that when life throws something at you out of left field, you can hold that sword up & the truth will be at the ready to combat it.

Make sure your sword is sharp & ready to swing.

Armor OF God–Prayer & Dependence on Him Is Necessary

Keep in mind… this is the armor OF God… Not of me… Not of you… of HIM. He is the power behind it. Knowing HIS Truth… Living as HE says… Resting in HIM… Trusting in HIM… Remembering HIS gift of grace… Relying on HIS Truth. HE IS THE POWER BEHIND THE ARMOR OF GOD… NOT YOU.

Just as Priscilla Shirer repeatedly emphasizes the role that prayer has on empowering all parts of God’s armor supplied for us… so we ought to pray. (Find the link to the referenced “Armor of God” study by Priscilla Shirer, along with other recommendations that have greatly impacted my life on my Recommendations tab.)

“… praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—” (Ephesians 6:18)

We need God through all of these pieces. He is the One Who gives each of these pieces their strength & power—not us. So—PRAY.

I Need Your Prayers

And, just as this letter to the Ephesian churches ends, I urge you with the same plea….

“… and [pray] for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:19-20)

I may not be in physical chains, but if I am not careful, fleshly chains are quick to try to hold me down… discouragement… feeling alone… apathy… distractions… hurts….

Pray for me as God brings me to your mind. Whenever a person chooses to step forward in faith, proclaiming Truth & pointing to Jesus as our hope… Satan comes at the ready to knock down & keep silent.

So, PRAY… please.

And Shine HOPE by knowing Him more… obeying Him more… resting in Him more… trusting Him more… remembering His gift of salvation more… letting His Truth fight for you more… & by praying more, putting on that Armor of GOD!

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for SIX years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Elva Scarf (INDIA)

This rust colored Elva Scarf includes a screen-printed leaf design on cotton fabric. Each lightweight flowing scarf is finished on each end with a light, feminine fringe. This Artisan-made scarf is a classic wardrobe favorite with a modern design.

***Purchase this beautifully handcrafted Elva Scarf with the “shop here” link below to help create safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty in India!***

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Is It Just Some Christian-y Thing We Say?

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11)

Especially if you have grown up going to church or around those who do, you may have heard something about the “armor of God,” mentioned in Ephesians 6.

What does that mean to you? Is it just some Christian-y, good-sounding thing you just say because it’s in the Bible? Is it something you understand? Is it something you practice—the “putting on” of the armor of God?

It Doesn’t Really Carry the Same Weight I Think It Was Meant To

I’ll be honest—I thought the “armor of God” was just some nice-sounding Christian-y thing in the Bible for a long time, but I didn’t really understand what it meant practically-speaking.

One book that really helped me understand it a little more clearly & practically was Priscilla Shirer’s book “Armor of God,” which encourages you to pray through each piece & to pray over where you may have holes that need patching with God’s truth. (*Alphabetically, it is the first suggested Bible Study of mine on the Resources & Recommendations tab of my website. Find it, here.*) Definitely recommend this one for a deeper look into this passage of the Bible.

I know it’s a good reminder for me to talk through each piece, because it can be easy for me to not consciously, intentionally put on that armor, so let’s talk it through, shall we? Because it really is of utmost importance in the life of every follower of Jesus.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:12-13)

Truth… How Can We KNOW It?

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth….” (Ephesians 6:14a)

How is your knowledge base of TRUTH?

Well, first we must determine Who determines TRUTH. The WORLD? Or, the God Who MADE the world? (Psalm 146:5-6) <– (*Fun fact, those verses not only mention God as Creator of Heaven & earth & all that is in them… but also His TRUTH. Totally not planned, but it’s the verse God brought to mind, so there you have it!*)

God is our Creator. He determines what is true. No one else.

I can believe otherwise. I can believe what I want. I can believe what makes sense to ME… but ONLY He can determine what is actual TRUTH.

And where do we find or figure out what GOD says is truth? The Bible—the Word of God.

How Are We Actively Nourishing Our Knowledge of Truth?

Did you know that every single day, you are exposed to countless other worldviews that are oftentimes contrary to what God says (ie television shows, movies, music, other people, even other CHRISTIANS)? If you are not regularly, daily feeding your mind & heart with TRUTH, you WILL STILL automatically be fed by what the world determines as truth.

Which outweighs the other for you?

Did you catch my mention of other Christians in that list above? Why would I include THEM? Because we all grow up in the same world as everyone else & can oftentimes adapt to what we see around us, not questioning whether or not God would agree. Everything MUST be checked against the Word of God—the Bible.

Every worldview, every opinion, every perspective… it must be filtered by TRUTH.

Truth holds us together & steadies us in a constantly shifting world. We don’t have to get tossed around by ever-changing beliefs. We can hold together with truth that goes above & beyond us—the Word of God—TRUTH.

God provides us with the truth, but it’s up to us to get to know it…. So… are you getting to know it?

What Is a “Breastplate of Righteousness”?

“… having put on the breastplate of righteousness….” (Ephesians 6:14b)

The breastplate is what covers your vital organs. You miss out on this piece of physical armor & you are an easy target to take out on the battlefield… so what does it mean to have a “breastplate of righteousness”? How is righteousness supposed to protect me where I am most vulnerable?

Well, I think it’s interesting that God mentions this piece of armor in the same sentence as the “belt of truth,” because it’s not enough to KNOW the truth… we have to live ACCORDING to the truth that we know in order to protect us!

Righteousness essentially just means living rightly… living the way God says we ought to live… & we have to know His truth in order to do this well, don’t we? We can’t do what we don’t even know we ought to do.

How Does It Protect Us, as a Physical Breastplate Would?

How does doing things God’s way protect us like a breastplate of armor protects our vital organs?

Well, when we live contrary to God’s truth… OUR way versus HIS way… we are honestly setting our course for destruction.

It’s like God knows the stove is hot, but it’s not red & looks just fine to us, so we determine we’re just going to touch it anyway, even though He tells us not to…. What happens? We get burned.

God KNOWS. He doesn’t have to guess because He KNOWS. HIS truth IS truth.

When we neglect this piece of armor, aka determining to do life our way instead of His way, we’re leaving ourselves open & vulnerable to Satan’s attacks of deception that lead to our destruction.

We must protect ourselves by choosing to do what God says is right, even when it is hard to do so & especially when it makes zero sense to us.

Wisdom… From Letting God be GOD in Your Life

The Bible tells us that the fear of God is the BEGINNING of wisdom, because it’s basically an understanding of, “well… God is GOD… & I am NOT.” Do you make your choices that way? Do you protect yourself by obeying what God says over what you believe?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

Do you let God be GOD in your life? Do you live the way HE says? Or are you vulnerable to attack… do you need to put your “breastplate of righteousness” on & start living that way, now?

The Good News of PEACE

“…and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace….” (Ephesians 6:15)

Because of what Jesus did on that cross… we can move forward in life with PEACE. (Isaiah 53)

This world is riddled with anxiety. So many decisions, or avoidance of decisions, are led by anxiety. I am no exception.

But God has been getting my attention on this one… that I am literally allowing THOUGHTS to CONTROL my LIFE. THOUGHTS! Like, I think something, freak out, & become completely paralyzed because of just thoughts.

How silly & insane that sounds when I break it down that way. My anxiety is my perpetuated thoughts that have perpetually been reinforced by more thoughts & have thus led me to sometimes existing in crippling anxiety. THOUGHTS did this to me.

Where is this PEACE & confidence that God promises… to be “more than conquerors, in Christ”? Where is THAT in the average Christian life? (Romans 8:31-39)

How Can We Move Forward with the Good News of PEACE?

We can move forward knowing God is in control–not us. Knowing Jesus paid our debt–not us. Knowing the Holy Spirit will give us wisdom & strength.

We can move forward in this life… READY… with PEACE as our sure footing.

Do you ever stop to take those mean, intrusive, controlling thoughts CAPTIVE? (2 Corinthians 10:5) MAKING them obedient to Christ? TAKING that belt of truth seriously? Take back ground! Retrain your thoughts to look to Him versus looking around you.

Put on the Full Armor of God

I will leave it there for this week… we’ll finish up the remaining armor pieces next week… but let’s take this week to think how we can be feeding ourselves intentionally & regularly with TRUTH to keep us together with the “belt of truth”… covering the “vital organs” of our soul by living in a God-glorifying/God-honoring way with the “breastplate of righteousness,” & moving forward with the good news of PEACE to give us sure footing in a world plagued by anxiety.

Shine HOPE by putting on these armor pieces EVERY day, so that we can be ready when the hardships of life slap us out of nowhere, or when Satan comes a knocking with deceptive-led paths to destruction, so that, having done all… we can STAND.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for SIX years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

The Everyday Minimalist Earrings–Golden (INDIA)

LIMITED EDITION – Available While Supplies Last! The stunning, hammered drop earrings are the perfect fair-trade fashion statement! Each gold-tone Everyday Minimalist Earring features multiple shapes – a semi-circle, small circle, and oblong drop shape to create the beautiful dangle earring!

***Purchase these earrings using the link below to help create safe jobs for women in areas of extreme poverty in India!*** 

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Go & Make Disciples… But How?

If you have grown up in church, you have probably heard the gospel call/command from Jesus that goes as follows:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:18-19) (emphasis mine)

But, then you may have wondered… how? I think the majority of us over-complicate this a ton, so let’s take a closer look.

AS You Go

Well, first of all, that little word “Go” that starts off this command is in a tense signifying an “AS you go” feeling, which means, wherever God has you… follow this command. In other words, He is not saying, “pack your bags & move to a remote village somewhere in order to be obedient to me,” but rather more of a, “wherever I send you, wherever you are… AS you go… do this.”

Right where God has you is your mission field. Right where He has you, you are strategically placed to be a light in that place… a light able & willing to point to HOPE in Him (through His power, His wisdom, & His help). (Colossians 1:28-29)

We’re Not Perfect… So How Can We Possibly Disciple Someone Else?

Then, you might consider, okay, still… HOW am I supposed to disciple someone else?

If you have even a smidge of self-awareness, you most likely recognize that you have flaws & weaknesses. You may even recognize, as in my case, that you are indeed NOT a theology major nor a pastor. Isn’t discipleship reserved for people in those categories? Nope.

God calls us to this task all the same, “ready” or not. And I think, for maybe a lot of us, the inaction & possible anxiety on this topic is more because it was not modeled to us growing up, so we don’t know what it means to disciple someone else. It’s definitely & unfortunately a weak spot in a lot of western churches that I have witnessed.

I want to help remove the barriers between the desire to follow this command & a complete lack of knowledge as to the HOW.

A How-To Guide on Discipleship

The biggest thing that God has taught me about discipleship in my 20 years or so of leading Bible studies, sessions as a camp counselor, Sunday school classes, accountability, prayer group in college, & my blog, is that the heart of discipleship is honestly as simple as just coming alongside another person, consistently pointing them back to prayer & God’s Word through all of life’s circumstances.

You don’t have to be a theology major or a pastor or in any sort of church leadership position to do that. You literally just have to consciously & consistently come alongside someone, pointing them always back to Christ in all things.

That is literally it. Go to the Bible. Go to God in prayer. Teach them & remind them to do all for the glory of God & all through the power of God & all by the wisdom of God. For Him, by Him, through Him. That’s really it.

(*If you are interested in meeting with another lady for coffee/tea, to hold each other accountable & consistently point each other to God in all things in life, but don’t know exactly where to start, I have designed an in-depth guide that includes both instructions to get you started, as well as question prompts to discuss, to make getting started less complicated &/or intimidating. Go check it out, along with other free printable downloads made available to you on my Resources/Recommendations tab @ michellehydeonline.com/abiding-in-Him/ *)

Discipleship Also Keeps ME Accountable

Did you know that one of the major reasons that I LOVE being a part of discipleship is because it also keeps ME accountable?

I see how easily my heart wants to stray. I can imagine that I am not the only one.

I NEED people in my life saying, “let’s pray about this right now.”

I NEED people in my life asking, “so, what has God been teaching you lately?”

I NEED my compass reset on the regular!

Oh, How Often I Need Reminding!

Do you realize how often we dishonor & disrespect & displease God on the DAILY? Some days, it is every MINUTE for me because God hears our THOUGHTS & knows even when we have our bad attitudes. We never fool Him & we can’t hide anything from Him.

Even our anxiety shows we’re trusting what we see more than we trust Him.

Even our stress shows we’re trusting what we think we can handle more than we trust Him.

Even our complaining shows we’re looking around more than we’re bowing down to Him.

A roll of the eyes. A BLEH attitude. Fear, doubt, worry, unwillingness, the grumpies…. God knows. God sees.

I talk a lot about “quick repentance” because some days it’s like a constant roll of me thinking something like the above, realizing right after that my heart is looking around versus bowing down & looking up, apologizing to God, & asking Him to help me do better. And some days I feel like a broken record in that cycle! Anyone else?

(Check out my blog post on “quick repentance” here: “The Great Power of Daily Repentance.”)

Invest in Each Other… Point Each Other to Christ through It ALL… THAT Is Discipleship

So, don’t get intimidated. Don’t feel overwhelmed. Don’t let Satan convince you that you are too ill-equipped. Pray over the who, get together consistently, & do life alongside her, ever pointing her to hope & answers & help in our LORD Jesus. THAT is discipleship at its heart, dear friend.

When I talked a few weeks ago about needing each other, in my blog post: “We Need Each Other–the Desperate Need for Discipleship,” I meant it. It’s a desperate need for discipleship. An epidemic of lacking in this area even.

But it doesn’t have to be. Let us change that.

Shine HOPE by pouring into the lives of other women, consistently ever-pointing to God as their help, strength, wisdom, love, & HOPE–to give Him the glory in all that they do, big or small.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for SIX years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

August 2024 Hope Mail (GUATEMALA & INDIA)

FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of August!           

This exclusive August Hope Mail package makes a great gift for any occasion! Receive free shipping on this August Hope Mail package that includes our Lavender Shower Earrings handmade in India, Huipil Wristlet from Guatemala, and our adorable Rainboot Sticker!

(*Order below today to partner with, support, & empower women in Guatemala & India out of poverty–woohoo!)

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Always the Romantic

I enjoy watching quippy romantic comedies & classic animated princess movies. I was always a sucker for a good love story & I couldn’t wait to have one of my own. I was always a romantic with my rosy glasses & dreams of the married life… dreams of feeling loved & accepted by a guy who was head over heels in love with me.

But something I fear has happened in a culture saturated with this genre of movies—we almost subconsciously believe that the “happily ever after” implies that once you find your “prince charming” & once you work through your struggles or whatever the specific trial is in the storyline of your relationship, all’s good from here on out as you enjoy forever wedded bliss.

And then sitcoms go & show marriage to be a joke almost, like misery is just an expectation, divorce is inevitable, & there is absolutely no way to feel satisfied & happy in marriage. And a sex life? Ha. Forget it, right?

So there becomes this conflict between expecting that once you work through your differences, everything should go perfectly, & that when it inevitably doesn’t, well, “that’s just marriage for ya.”

We Are Complex People

I talked on social media yesterday about how complex we are as people & how it’s often that we like to label people, even subconsciously as: “a nice guy/girl,” “a rude person,” “an angry person,” “an annoying person,” etc. because it just helps us in quickly determining whether we like or dislike, trust or distrust someone… a way we protect ourselves instinctively.

But I go through seasons where you’d probably feel like warning others about me: “she complains ALL THE TIME,” “she gave into temptation & dishonored God,” “she seems to be struggling all the time, she’s a mess,” “she overshares,” “she’s awkward.”

I have seasons where I am moody & selfish & just want to take care of me first. I have seasons where I doubt God’s way & choose my own. I have seasons where I feel all hope is lost. I have seasons where I trust in the blessings given to me by God more than the God Who gave me those blessings. I have seasons where I am giving & kind. I have seasons where I am courageous & confident.

I can’t be summed up by a simplistic generalization.

Humans Choose Wrongly Sometimes

I don’t stop being a flawed human with a sinful human nature that wars with my spirit when I accept Jesus’ payment for my sins on the cross. I don’t become perfect.

I still have to choose to submit to the work & leading of the Holy Spirit in my life.

Just like Job, as he questioned God in his deep pain & tragedy.

Just like Jonah as he ran away from God’s directions.

Just like Abraham, as he listened to his wife’s terrible plan to “help” God fulfill His promise to them for a child.

Just like David as he didn’t avert his gaze but gave into sexual temptation & then followed it through by having the woman’s husband killed to cover it up.

I am still human. I am saved from my sin, guaranteed to go to heaven… but I still require His DAILY grace & to DAILY submit to HIS leading, wisdom, & strength in my own humanness.

Well, guys… the same is true in marriage.

You Married Another Human… Of Course There Will be Struggles

If you feel frustrated with your spouse, you are far from alone in that, because you, my dear… married another human being.

Just like me, when I can be a grump. I can be selfish & self-centered. I can be a complainer. I can be tempted to throw in the towel & just give up. I can cry & struggle a lot sometimes & seem like a huge burden. I can struggle with anger & resentment. I can choose to sin by denying God’s promised way out.

I am a lot. And so are we all at times, if we’re willing to be honest with ourselves.

That is why we can understand how it is such an extremely undeserved blessing of what Jesus did on that cross for us, right?

That is why marriage is so hard in some seasons. Especially when we fixate on what frustrates us rather than pray/extend grace. (Grace, by definition, is undeserved.)

The Necessity of Building a Marriage upon GRACE

Giving grace is absolutely a necessity in marriage. But giving grace is also one of the hardest things in the world to extend to another person sometimes. Jesus gave His life to give us grace.

Habits may annoy you. Seeming lackadaisical about something that means so incredibly much to you can frustrate the snot out of you. Grumpy moods or bad attitudes, especially when you have a headache or are having a bad day yourself can make you want to throw down.

We see the worst of each other. We see the weaknesses, the failures, the bad habits, the lazy days, the lack. We see their humanity better than anyone else. Friction is imminent.

That is why it is so vital that we take all of those things, whenever they may arise, & bow them to Jesus… asking God to give you the perspective & strength & peace to extend grace… to bring healing to your heart where sometimes it feels impossible… & by refusing to feed your desire to fuel the fire you feel is so rightfully needing to be fueled in that moment. GRACE.

You Don’t Struggle Alone–Looking to God in Your Marriage

Don’t let Satan trick you into believing your marriage is beyond saving because of these things… that the annoying habits are just “too much,” or that you can’t get past them… or that either divorce or unhappiness is inevitable in every marriage… that “it will be different” in a new marriage….

But also, don’t let Satan trick you into believing that marriage does not require much grace all along the way. Much prayer & submission to God to be the glue & the bridge when rifts threaten to pull you apart for good.

God CAN where you can’t. God CAN do the impossible. Dare to try Him on that. Dare to trust Him more than you trust yourself.

Shine HOPE by giving your spouse grace upon grace & by always remembering to turn to God as your daily hope, wisdom, & strength to hold your marriage together strong & to continue growing your marriage into a better physical representation of God’s great & undying love & grace for us, through Jesus Christ.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for SIX years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Noa Marquise Set (INDIA)

Bundle and Save – Available while supplies last! This beautiful necklace set includes the Noa Necklace and the Chery Marquise Necklace to create a stunning layered look. Each necklace is made by women earning a dignified income in India.

***Purchase the Noa Marquise Set to create safe jobs for women ending poverty cycles in India.***

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

My “Anti-Word” for 2024

One word that keeps popping up in my head over the last couple months is “victim.” Not in a menacing or threatening way & not in a mocking sort of way, but a call to pay attention & to step up.

Basically, I have had the sense this year that the main way I would describe me in my life increasingly so over the last 12 years is with the word “victim.”

Victim of circumstances. Victim of hard situations. Victim of unkindness/meanness. Victim of stress. Victim of loneliness. Victim of misunderstandings. Victim of the consequences of my poor health. Victim of my limiting back pain. Victim of my brain fog. Victim of lacking support/compassion. Victim of language barriers. Victim of terrible, literal storms. Victim of lacking in friendships. Victim of feeling like an outsider wherever I go. Victim, victim, victim.

All of these things have piled up…. They’ve latched on to the previous, making each one seem heavier to carry than the last. They’ve made me shrink back a little more with each one.

God Has Continued to Teach Me… But the Undercurrent Has been Strong

Obviously, I have noticed them & I have wrestled through them & I have prayed & I have seen God work & I have even lived as an open book to allow even my worst handlings of them to bring glory to God & point others to Him as their source of true HOPE.

But what I didn’t notice was the subtler side effect. The shrinking. The changing of my perspective of the world around me—going from a girl full of hope, wonder, & joy, to one who instantly assumes this will be another circumstance to bring me low… shrinking a little more with each time.

Jaded is what it’s made me. It has sapped my joy from me. It has made me far more anxious & tired & just uninterested in trying again, of putting myself out there again. More closed off. Less vulnerable, less approachable.

I don’t like it.

The Me I Was 12 Years Ago

I get a little choked up thinking about my perspective even 12 years ago before moving overseas. How bright & happy I was. Sure, I had hard days & times of stress or worry or failure… but overall, I was so full of hope.

I trusted God more.

Now it’s often more of a “how will THIS let me down this time?” as if it’s expected or guaranteed—even when just having hope for a productive day swept out from under me by my back just giving out or my brain fog swooping in so heavily over my brain that I go numb & zone out, as my day goes partially wasted. A victim to my own body failing me even sometimes.

I just start a lot of my days expecting defeat.

A Battle Cry for Change

And so, this little word seems to keep popping up in my head every time something like that happens—VICTIM—almost as if it is trying to sum up the gist of the dark cloud I feel has been following me & gradually growing over me these last 12 years, gradually sapping away my hope, joy, vulnerability, peace.

So, what to do about it? How can I make it stop? I am supposed to live as “more than conquerors in Christ,” (Romans 8:31-39) & this seems so the opposite of that. So, what can I do about it?

2 Ways to Stop Living Life as a Victim of My Circumstances

Well, the answer has been coming to me in 2 different ways as I have been asking God those above questions.

1–What parts of your victimhood CAN you control or do something about?

2–Stop perpetuating the negative that DOES happen to you & purposefully fix your thoughts more regularly on what is going RIGHT in purposed gratefulness to God. Because bad & good are always both happening at once in ways—but where am I fixing my focus?

A Lesson I Learned 2 Years Ago, Moving Back to Guam

So, starting with the second, I will say that God has been reminding me of when we moved back to Guam 2 years ago. (How has it already been 2 years?)

I didn’t want to come here again. I had mainly very hard memories of here. I felt I had finally gotten past this hard season of my life. I was so mad at God for even initially suggesting we were to move back here through the doors He was opening against my will.

Well, I prayed, unwillingly, “Okay God, I know You ought to win. I get that. You know better than me. You have a plan. I know that. But I don’t like it & knowing that is not going to make me like it, so please help change my attitude.”

His Response? Find Ways to Praise Him

His answer? Thank Him for THREE things, just 3 things EVERY single day (even if they were the SAME 3 things)… 3 things I DID like about being here. You know what my 3 things were consistently for MONTHS? Palm trees, beach views, & ocean breezes. For MONTHS that’s most all I could come up with–that regardless of all else, at least I had those.

But focusing on praise for His blessings in the midst of my hurt did something funny. I started to NOTICE those 3 little things more often & more readily. I started to APPRECIATE them more. I started to appreciate what a BLESSING it was that God had given me the chance to experience those again after our 7 years away in Japan.

Funny, huh? It’s almost like God knows what He’s doing….

Find Ways to Thank God, Even in the Hard–Fix Your Focus

Now, He is encouraging me with the same thing. “What place or person or situation makes you feel like a victim & what about them can you purposely give God thanks & praise?”

It’s funny that our weekly couple’s devotional: “Devotions for a Sacred Marriage,” by Gary Thomas, (HIGHLY recommend!) mentioned in yesterday’s reading that the same can happen with marriage. We see the worst of each other–the bad days, bad attitudes, failures, flaws, etc. & if we focus only on that, it can seem impossible… but that we need to look at the big picture (which our pastor also talked about in his sermon yesterday) to work toward intentionally appreciating our spouse & our marriage. Fixing our focus on the blessings of the whole versus the right now.

So, I need to work on retraining my brain to focus on the blessings more than I fixate on the hard things, remembering to give God thanks in all things, so I don’t become jaded & poisoned by the hard. (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Philippians 4:8)

Where do you park your focus? Where do I park mine?

What Is in My Power to Change or Adjust?

Then there is the first—the things I can do something about.

Now, when I feel small, jaded, or that little reminder of “victim” pops up in my head, since I have been praying about this for a while… I think, “where do I need to retrain my thoughts to not automatically go into victim-mode, by finding something positive to praise God for? OR, what part of this do I have some control in changing so I don’t just accept defeat & slink back?”

For example, I can’t help that I have the back of a woman twice my age that seizes up & makes me go rigid in pain sometimes… but I can pray for alternative methods of doing things (like when I prayed how to clean our floor-to-ceiling glass shower with a bad back & God orchestrated me thinking to look up long-handled cleaning brushes where I don’t have to lean or stretch/strain my back to clean). Don’t just give up–PRAY & trust God sees an answer where you don’t.

What CAN I Do About It?

Or maybe change looks like taking some small steps in the right direction where you have been unmoved or going in the wrong direction.

Steps for future change might look like me using a posture corrector to help strengthen my spine or taking walks & snacking less unhealthily & making better food choices so I am not essentially carrying around an extra 100 pounds every day. NO WONDER my back is damaged!

Or maybe, if someone is being unkind, I can do things to make the atmosphere more pleasant & love-filled versus tense. I can start praying for that person.

Victimhood Brought on by Anxiety…

A big one for me is when I feel overwhelmed & don’t know what to do next, ANXIETY is there to knock out my knees, so that I crumble & become paralyzed in my progress.

And last time it happened… my little “anti-word” of the year came up to greet me– “VICTIM.”

I have been allowing my anxiety… my THOUGHTS to control me.

How much of my life vapors away because I let my THOUGHTS control me? How much has been wasted or slumped or crumbled? Because of my THOUGHTS?

Why do I let mere thoughts control my life? Control my peace? My happiness? My actions? ME?

What Makes YOU Feel Like a Victim?

VICTIM. Does that word whisper over your heart right now?

VICTIM. Does that word make you slink back & slump in defeat?

VICTIM. Does that word make you feel jaded against the world, as if you are just a victim of your life?

VICTIM. Let’s not let that mental state or perspective control our lives anymore.

Take Steps. Make Change. Fix Focus.

Be purposeful in praise.

Be intentional in prayer & trusting GOD to be BIGGER than ANYTHING else.

Be quick to look at the situation or circumstances that make you feel small & think, “what in this do I have control over to STOP?”

Be mindful of your thoughts that you are allowing to run your life.

Maybe it’s your attitude. Maybe it’s your habits that lead you always downward. Maybe it is a LACK of GOOD habits. Maybe it’s your thoughts. Maybe it’s a lack of gratitude & praise to God in your life.

What is it? What can you change?

Don’t Live as a Victim Anymore

What person, place, situation, or circumstance do you need to spend some time even begrudgingly asking God to help change your attitude… to find ways & things to praise God for even in it?

Are you going to keep letting your VICTIM status control your life & your mindset? Or are you going to live in the freedom bought for you by CHRIST? Living as a CONQUEROR & no longer like a victim….

Shine HOPE by taking on this “anti-word” of 2024—VICTIM–letting it be a constant reminder to turn to & trust God, to find things to praise Him for, & looking for what you have control over in preventing that victimhood from taking you down with it anymore.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for SIX years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Silver Fanfare Earrings (PERU)

Handcrafted in Peru, these show-stopping, silver-plated fan earrings are made in a workshop committed to empowering the next generation with traditional Artisanal skills training. The Silver Fanfare Earrings hang vertically in a textured semicircle shape and create dignified jobs for women to pursue their higher education studies.

***Purchase these earrings to help provide safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in Peru.***

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Church or Christian Country Club?

I noticed this a couple decades ago & now even more so, but in a country that was once known as a Christian nation, it has seemed that, even in my youth, church is oftentimes more about attending because that’s how we grew up or in order to be a “good Christian,” rather than any particular personal investment or much heart surrender on the part of many whose lives I observed outside of church.

It has also seemed, in many churches I witnessed through the years, church has been treated as more of a Christian country club rather than a body of believers submitted to & serving Jesus Christ—a place to feel good rather than a place of humble sacrifice to Him.

Do we get encouragement at church? Yes, of course. But that ought not be its main function… to FEEL good.

This mindset is often evident in arguments within the church about music taste or carpet colors or other inconsequential things.

Church is not about focusing on us & our comfort & our feelings. Church is about coming together to worship the God Whom we serve, He Who made heaven & earth & all that is in it. It is about bowing our lives to Him to be used as He pleases, even if uncomfortable or lacking “fun.” It is to glorify HIM & make HIM known & seen. It is about learning how to know & love Him better.

A Dangerous Shift in Thinking

How does this sort of thing happen? Where church becomes more about an emotional high & a social gathering rather than serving & submitting to God Almighty?

Well, another deficit I have witnessed is the alarming lack of personal discipleship… aka walking alongside each other in life, pointing one another continually to God’s Truth & the hope we have because of Jesus, resetting our compass to always point to Him & His Word (the Bible), living our lives, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do… doing it ALL for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

That is NOT natural.

It is definitely not natural for me! I mean, sure, there are times where it seems to come more effortlessly. But it is far too easy for me to stray & live for myself instead of for God.

We NEED each other in this regard. We should not neglect the importance & great value of discipleship. Discipleship ought to be a heavy focus in every church as we all seek how we may better please & honor God with the entirety of our lives versus just Sunay mornings & praying before meals.

Pour into the Lives of Others!

I think one of the big LIES satan has infused into much western Christian culture thinking is the fact that you must be a Bible scholar or ministry major or church leadership to be involved in discipleship. This is NOT the case.

God is talking to ALL of us when He commands us to “GO & MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19-20) The Bible ALSO says that the older women ought to teach the younger women. (Titus 2:3-5)

We need each other. We ought to be growing so that we may invest in the growth of women younger than us—AKA discipleship.

The Bible says that iron sharpens iron… (Proverbs 27:17) that everything we say ought to be for the edification (building up) of those who hear it. (Ephesians 4:29)

We need each other. We need constant reminders to reset course to always be seeking Jesus, to know & love Him more.

We All Need Focus Resets Sometimes, Don’t We?

If you see me wearing shirts with Bible verses or listening to worship music or bringing up spiritual things in “non spiritual conversations,” that’s because I need that constant reset of, “oh yeah, HE is what it is all about… not this… not me… HIM.” I NEED that reminder CONSTANTLY.

We really need each other, guys, because it is way too easy to be fooled by the great deceiver—Satan… to be tempted & distracted away, to live for ourselves & our routines & our habits & our responsibilities & our likes & our problems & the many distractions that surround us everywhere, every day.

We need to be watchful, sober-minded, ready, knowing Satan will forever be trying to lure us away from the God Who gave us everything, through Jesus… to doubt Him & to doubt His love for us & to live for ourselves & our own destruction.

We NEED to be prompting each other toward Jesus.

We Need Each Other—The Desperate Need for Discipleship

Maybe you recognize this & you feel like I am “preaching to the choir.” Maybe you are already living to pour into other women & go alongside them in life to encourage them & continually point them back to truth & the hope we have because of Jesus. YAY! Keep at it. It is the most eternally worthwhile investment you will ever make!

Maybe you recognize this is necessary, but you feel you are far from adequate for the task. Well, you are not alone. I don’t feel adequate! But this isn’t an, “I am better than you,” gig. This is an, “I am a fellow weak one in need of grace wanting to learn to live to point back to Him more & more in all things big or small. Seeking always to know & love Him more.”

You may not be “good at it,” but the good thing is that God doesn’t require you to be good at it. He requires that you trust that He fills in where you lack, & for you to just encourage a constant turning to Him as your help. It takes practice. And in your learning, you will encourage someone else to learn as well. Yay!

How to Do It…

Maybe you recognize it’s importance & WANT to obey in this, but you have ZERO idea where to start…. Well, first, I am going to ask you to pray for it… with a willing heart of obedience, sincerely asking God something like, “God, I want to encourage other women toward You, but have no clue with whom or where to even begin. Please guide me & direct my steps. I desire this. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” If you are hesitating because of perceived inadequacy, “God, please forgive me for avoiding it because of my own lack. Help me better trust Your sufficiency. Lead me as I point others to You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

THEN, ask someone. Maybe you feel a little nudge toward a younger lady who seems to crave learning about God & His Word… maybe you notice a young woman who seems a little on the outside, disconnected… maybe it’s someone who just got saved. No matter where we are on our faith “journey,” we ALL need growth & encouragement.

Maybe all it looks like is meeting for coffee, reading a chapter in the Bible & discussing it. Maybe it looks like sitting at a kitchen table & talking about life, looking up verses that speak to what you’re facing, reminding each other of truth when satan would rather you drown in lies or discontentment or fear or whatever. Maybe it looks like having a prayer topic sheet list where you take turns praying over each thing, seeking Him together.

Seeking Him Is Our Greatest Reward

(***If you would like an accountability partner guide that you could use for this, I have produced a free printable download in the resource tab of my website. This is something God encouraged me with when I prayed for help in this area. It is not the “holy grail” of guides, because God knows each individual’s specific needs, but it can provide a starting point as you learn & grow. It’s been helpful to me anyway, so feel free to check it out, download it for free (no strings attached), & use it as you get started. You can find that FREE download, here: www.MichelleHydeOnline.com/abiding-in-Him/***)

What holds you back? Repent of fearing that over trusting God, trust Jesus paid for it, & ask for a way forward, trusting He will provide. Because He will.

Shine HOPE by determining to live a life of consistent discipleship, always pointing others to your hope in HIM.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

This blog/website has been running for SIX years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox, along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Sicilian Grove Lumbar Pillow Cover (INDIA

Traditionally block printed, this beautiful bright yellow and deep-green floral Sicilian Grove Pillow Cover is the perfect addition to your summer home decor. Blending ancient Artisan traditions with modern function, women in India handcraft this beautiful block-printed design of birds, pomegranates, and florals.

***Purchase the Sicilian Grove Pillow Cover to create necessary jobs for women in India to rise out of the grip of poverty to impact the lives of their families and their communities.***

How You Can Help:

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me to continue supporting them as well as continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Where Do You Feel You May be Compromising?

So last week I challenged us to take stock of areas where we may have compromise or even sin in our lives that we sugar coat or excuse away. I also shared my own personal areas of compromise & sin that I have allowed to creep into my life.

Do you drown out God with busyness? Do you feel bored trying to learn about or hear about God? Do you have trouble feeling you really care about God if you’re really honest with yourself?

Do you feel like you have lost your zeal for God?

I think it’s time to talk about how we can re-spark that lost zeal for Jesus in our hearts.

Just Not Feeling it Anymore?

Do you find yourself sort of mindlessly singing to worship songs or singing out of habit or memory rather than really thinking about what you’re singing & actively lifting up your voice in praise to God?

Do you find yourself only half paying attention as you read your Bible or just skipping it altogether?

Do you find yourself getting so caught up in your day-to-day that you barely even think twice about God because your own happenings consume the totality of your thoughts & time?

Do you ever feel personally attacked when sin or compromise issues are discussed? Recoiling back to what feels safe?

Do you crave your comfort zones more than you crave God?

Yeah, some of that is what I am talking about when I say I have lost my zeal for the Lord.

Find the Root Cause

And last week, we addressed compromise, weights that weigh us down & keep us from growing… strongholds we cling to instead of to God in struggle or distress… sin… & how a lack of zeal is often really a symptom that points to something being amiss.

So, let’s talk about how to reignite that spark & find that zeal for the Lord once more.

First, it takes a willingness to admit something IS amiss versus making excuses for it & burying it. You have to be willing to accept your part in it.

What Then?

And then, well… you need to repent. This isn’t to shame you, because we all fall short… but it is honestly necessary to admit you are one of those who fall short & that you absolutely do require God’s forgiveness & help in change, trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice to pay even that.

Then, start praying over your heart every time God brings it to your attention for one of those areas, trusting that though it may feel completely beyond your control or ability to change… God is bigger than you are.

And really… just that conscious decision to humble yourself, to admit failure/struggle/defeat to God, & then to ask for His forgiveness & help… that’s it right there… that is how to change… submission to Him.

Getting Your Zeal Back for God

Find yourself praying on autopilot? Ask God for forgiveness & for help with focus & reverence.

Find Bible reading boring? Ask God forgiveness for treating His Word so trivially, asking for His help with focus in using that reading to teach you more about Him.

Find yourself singing worship in church on autopilot as well? Apologize to God for being so complacent & for treating Him with less honor & praise than He deserves.

What Satan will try to deceive you into believing is that you ought to STOP doing the right things because you aren’t FEELING it enough… that you’re not “sincere enough.” That. Is. A. LIE. Do it anyway!

***Read “Screwtape Letters,” by C. S. Lewis for a HUGE eye opener on the tricks & deception that Satan often gets us to believe because it seems to make sense on the surface.***

Shine HOPE by bowing to God at every turn in your life… every mistake… every bad thought… every apathetic moment… every time you notice treating Him with less honor than He deserves… every sin… every stronghold… & by trusting that Jesus has already paid in full for ALL of it!

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

This blog/website has been running for SIX years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox, along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Star Stud Set (INDIA)

LIMITED EDITION – While Supplies Last! These sets of star-inspired studs are the perfect festive look for this season. These ethically made earrings from India come with a silver-tone and gold-tone set of star design studs with detailed etching marks. The set is perfect to purchase and gift a set to match your friend, daughter, or family member for a fun look! Every purchase creates safe jobs and a dignified income for women in India.

How You Can Help:

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me to continue supporting them as well as continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!