What Does Jesus Have to Say?

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, & with all your mind.’  This is the first & greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the Law & the Prophets.”

(Matthew 22:36-40) (emphasis mine)

What a Striving for Holiness Looks Like

Have you ever stopped & taken a moment to consider what the implications are behind that passage?

What does this passage teach us about what God cares about?

Jesus shows us here both what God cares about & simultaneously what a pursuit of holiness looks like—to seek to have everything you feel, do, & think be that which seeks to honor & please God…. & to actively seek how we may love those around us just as much as we look out for ourselves & our own needs.

This quick passage is so powerful… it is so succinct in its summarizing of God’s commands, because as we seek to love God with our everything, we will, in turn, seek to not do what dishonors or displeases Him…. While highlighting just how important those around us are to Him, & the importance of seeking to love them as we love ourselves.

Not My Default… For Sure!

I don’t know about you, but those are definitely not my default settings. My sin nature glares at me some (most) days to just seek my own will & way, based on what I decide I think or want in any given moment.

My default is self-absorbed laziness on the couch with snacks & a nonstop binging of a good show—NOT seeking to actively love others. I feel I have enough to be concerned about my own life that I just don’t have the time, energy, patience, or care to also look out for others.

A Whole Lot of Everythings

But God is clear in this Matthew 22 passage that I shared above… What HE cares about is that we make Him number ONE in EVERYTHING… Everything we FEEL… Everything we DO… & Everything we THINK…. That’s a whole lot of everythings.

And that the second greatest thing He cares about is that we seek to love others as we love ourselves.

Oof.

That doesn’t blend well with my default settings/desires to look out for numero uno & stay cozy in my insecure-driven comfort zones.

God Knows Best–ALWAYS–100%

But what a blessed life it is when we commit to live out these commands from Matthew 22.

It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not a one-time decision, but rather a daily one.

It’s not even something we can force to happen… without God’s help.

It takes consistent surrender… Consistent repentance… Consistent reminders that He ALWAYS knows best, 100%, even when we think we know better.

And yet I fight it. Every day. Sometimes it’s in little ways & other times it’s the big things… but it’s every day.

Surrender. Repent. Obey-with God’s Help.

I have to constantly, consistently remember to surrender (& surrender to His help, it is, because oftentimes I would rather stay as I am & not have Him help me do otherwise)… to say something like:

“God, I am sorry. I feel Your gentle nudge on my heart that I need to show love here, but I’m intimidated. What if I’m hearing You wrong? What if they don’t want my help? What if I make them cringe at me, like, ‘do I LOOK like I need your help?’ Oh, LORD, please help me trust that You care more about that person than me being trapped by my fears & insecurities. Help me trust You to help me. Give me the words to say. Give me courage. I’m sorry for letting my fear dictate my actions more than my faith in You. Help me. In Jesus’ name, I pray… AMEN.”

Sometimes, it sounds more like this:

“God, I know this is a responsibility You have put before me. I’m sorry my fleshly nature is resisting it. I’m sorry that I want to listen to it over You. Help change my perspective. Put the desire in me to do Your will over mine. You know better EVERY time. Help me remember that & help me obey even when it just feels easier to live for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray… AMEN.”

Surrender. Repentance. Obedience (with an asking for God’s help).

He Proves Himself Deserving Time & Time & Time Again

These commands of His, to us, on which all other commands hang, sound like such a tall order… impossible even… & they are… Without God’s help… without asking God to BE your help.

He renews. He transforms. He grows our faith in Him… as we walk in obedience to His will & His way.

And as we walk in that obedience—seeking to love Him with all that we are & to love others as we love ourselves—He proves His deserving of it time & time & time again.

The Bible (God’s Word) Says….

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children & walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us & gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering & sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2) (emphasis mine)

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 1:6) (emphasis mine)

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy & dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness & patience.  Bear with each other & forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14) (emphasis mine)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)

A Lifelong Pursuit That God Works Out within Us As We Submit to His Help

Loving God with everything is not easy. It will be a lifelong pursuit of allowing God to weed things out of your heart & mind & routines to replace with that which pleases & honors Him.

Loving others like ourselves is not easy. It will be a ride of selfishness to surrender, pride to humility, insecurity to faith that God will grow in you as you are willing to take your resistance &/or fears to Him for His help.

But while those 2 commands may be so impossibly hard some days, a surrender to be willing to let God love through you makes it possible.

Surrender. Repentance. Obedience (with God’s help).

Shine Hope by being willing to surrender to God’s help in putting your love for Him first & in always determining to love others just as you love yourself.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out the newly updated Resources & Recommendations page!***)

This blog/website has been running for almost FOUR 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 Medallion Necklace (India)

This textured silver-tone chain from India can be worn separately or layered with other necklaces from our One World Collection. The uniquely textured pendant adds the perfect artistic touch. Three length options allow you to choose your comfort & style. Every purchase provides fair-trade jobs in areas of extreme poverty 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 in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Do We Model What We See from Others? Or Do We Seek God’s Instruction?

How well do you know the Bible… aka the Word of God? Would you be able to tell whether the words of Mark 7:8 describe you? “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men….” (Mark 7:8)

In other words, how much of your walk with God (or strivings to live in such a way that honors & pleases God) revolves around God’s own instructions versus what you grew up seeing demonstrated at church or from others?

I Follow What I Grew Up With, Often without Considering God May Ask Something Different of Me

To be honest, most of my life could probably reflect more of following “the traditions of men” versus even having a clue as to what God wanted from me or even bothering to ask Him or seek it out… & I even much preferred that, thinking God’s tall order would be too overwhelming & beyond my willingness &/or ability to maintain.

But what a sad life that creates… empty & void of any true blessings that come from God’s way of doing things.

Test What You Know Against God’s Instruction

One of the vital reasons we need to be in God’s Word daily is that it can be too easy to live based on our personal preconceptions, thinking, “well, this is just the way my church [family, friends, etc.] has always done things.”

This pattern gets us easily looped into an often-unintentional self-righteous attitude of doing “churchy” activities/traditions rather than surrendering to God’s will for each situation & time… trading our worship for tradition… trading God’s lead for tradition.

Avoid the “Good Christian” Check-List Way of Life

On the flip side of this coin, we can get so used to our churchy activities & traditions, that we slip into auto-pilot, neglecting to consider it as our worship to God & instead checking it off our imaginary “good Christian” check-list.

This was reflected in Revelation 2:2-5, where God commends the people on all of their hard work, but says that the one thing He has against them is that they have lost their first love—a cautionary alert to anyone going through the motions of “good Christian work,” while simultaneously forgetting their WHY behind it—worship & grateful service to our Almighty Father.

I Don’t Do It on Purpose!

Now, how can I change that? It is usually not even intentional when I live this way.

God will lead me to something, I then will surrender to His lead & ask for His help in it… I do it… & then pretty soon, my doing becomes just routine/tradition & I forget to pause & ask God for any necessary changes to my course or my work… just checking off my obedience in my routines/traditions, versus consistently following God’s lead, through prayer & doing it out of worship & service to Him.

What Is Your Why?

Are you doing things because it’s the way you’ve always done things or because God is asking it of you? Because it’s the way your family has always done it? Because it’s the way your CHURCH has always done it?

And do you do things to please & honor Him? Or simply to keep up “what good Christians do”?

Do you need to come clean to God & repent? To start fresh again? Renewal & a clean slate?

Do you take time to get to know God’s Word & do as HE leads, both in the Bible AND as He moves your heart in prayer?

Following the Traditions of Men… Or Not So Much… Versus Asking God’s Way Forward for Me

For example, I struggled reading the Bible all the way through my whole life (I became a Christian at 5 & I didn’t read the Bible through completely until about 30 years later) because it seemed boring, unrelatable, not understandable, tedious, etc. & because I had always been told I have to read through it in a year… but as a non-avid reader, this was overwhelmingly daunting, I always fell behind, & then I would just quit.

BUT, when Andrew Murray’s book on PRAYER (highly recommend, by the way!) mentioned our need of God’s help in our obedience, I would pray for God to help me in my obedience, even in my willingness to obey & perspective change… & God encouraged me that nowhere in His Word does He say how many chapters or for how long I ought to be reading each day… just that His Word renews my heart & mind & that I ought to be dwelling on its Truth day & night, sitting & standing & going about my day. (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:16; Joshua 1:8; Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

This revelation allowed me the freedom to just READ without the pressure of “not enough” or “not deep enough,” just walk in obedience by reading it.

How freeing!

And somehow the more I read the Bible, the more I seem to WANT to read & learn… reading His Word invoked that reaction without me trying to force it to happen from the get-go. I simply obeyed in the doing, asking for God’s help along the way in the doing & in the willing to do.

Don’t Rely Solely on Human Teaching… Learn from God Himself

No person is perfect, even pastors, & while God appoints pastors to guide us as our earthly shepherds, we cannot replace our personal need for God & His Word with a pastor.

Traditions start as a benefit, to streamline the how-to, but can often eventually become merely the, “this is how we _____________” … replacing the life-giving, essential step of intentionally & frequently asking God how HE wants us to ________________ this time.

Traditions of Men or Commandment of God?

Don’t rely solely on traditions. Get to know God’s Word & His instruction.

Get to know what honors & pleases God from God Himself, through His Word & through prayer for help & discernment versus depending solely on “the way we’ve always done things.”

Keep your faith fresh this way, seeing God’s lead & work actively in your life & through your life & instead of blindly following the traditions of men, seek the commandment of God. (Mark 7:8)

Shine hope by leaning on the good, pleasing, & perfect will of God.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    & lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him,
    & He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out the newly updated Resources & Recommendations page!***)

This blog/website has been running for almost FOUR 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!!

Long Chain Necklace (silver-toned) (INDIA)

Love long chain necklaces? This is the necklace for you! This silver-tone link-chain design is handcrafted in India & is totally on-trend! Wear alone, double up, or layer together with other chain necklaces from our One World Collection, like our Long Chain Necklace – Gold. Every purchase provides fair trade jobs in areas of extreme poverty 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 in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

I’m Not the Person for the Job

Lately, I have been doing a lot more reflection on the fact of my undeserving to represent God to you.

I am just an average person. You may look at me in awe, wondering how I can display the discipline & ambition to start & run a website, with a social media community to boot, but I am just an average person.

I get complimented regularly for these accomplishments, for which I am so grateful because the encouragement is often just the motivation I need that day, but you need to know the truth about me.

My go-to is not to edify, build up, or encourage. My default ambition is not to reach out & inspire & pray for.

Quite the contrary.

I Choose Me So Often, It’s Embarrassing

When I am given the choice, my ambition only serves ME. I look out for ME, MY comfort, & MY selfish heart.

I would rather stay in pajamas on the couch, all day, with the worst-for-me, delicious snacks, watching tv & playing video games.

I would rather not go out of my comfort zone… like at all.

I would rather eat out for most every meal & avoid any & all responsibilities.

I would rather forget the needs of every other person & only serve myself.

Like I said, I am not special… I am just an average person… maybe worse than.

Sincere, But So Weak to My Selfishness for Comforts

But at the same time, I am not insincere in my efforts of these pursuits to encourage & edify you as you seek to know & love God more. It’s important to me & of great value in my heart.

But it for sure takes surrender some days. And then some of those days, it takes REAL BIG surrender… “kicking & screaming temper tantrum because “I DON’T WANNA!” surrender.

My selfishness will rear up, my greed to waste my time away at my own choosing. I don’t like being uncomfortable or stretching myself or being vulnerable or reaching out to others who haven’t asked for it. I like staying safe in the known, versus risking the unknown.

God Pursues My Heart & Beckons Me to Take His Hand in Surrender

But deep down, there’s a gentle whisper behind the waves of my tantrum… “Michelle, you know this is your sin talking, trying to take over your life to live just for you. But what kind of life would that be, Michelle? Empty. Meaningless. Purposeless. You know that’s not truly what you want. You need to surrender these strong feelings of temptation & fear to Me. You need to trust Me to help you overcome them. Let Me help you. Don’t waste away your life with selfish ambition. Submit to Me & find life.”

It’s not exact words. It’s not a voice that I hear. But it’s like this feeling, like truth whispering behind the storm… beckoning me to trust God to help me through the temptation to quit everything & live selfishly, aimlessly, fruitlessly for myself.

To trust God instead.

I Wanted So Badly to Just Believe & Obey… But That Was Not My Story

I am no model Christian.

A majority of my growing up years, I was plagued, no… TORMENTED… by doubts that raged & threatened & harassed me every single day… me wanting so badly to find that I could toss it all out upon finding out it’s all a hoax so I could just live my way, live like everyone else I envied.

I hated that I needed evidence for EVERYTHING.

I hated that I couldn’t just have “childlike faith.”

I hated that I couldn’t just accept it like everyone else at church seemed to so easily be able to do.

But when God finally answered me once & for all, slicing through every doubt to prove Himself worthy of my surrender, worthy of my awe & respect, worthy of my unquestioned obedience, through His beautiful plan… I still find ways to shut Him out.

I Trust the Blessings from God Sometimes More Than I Trust God

I get comfortable with the blessings He gives me, then I begin to covet the comfort those blessings supply… worship & idolize that comfort… pulling away & hardening myself against God to cling to that comfort.

And yet God loves me. He is patient & kind. He doesn’t keep a list of my wrongs. He is quick to forgive. He is gracious & long-suffering. (1 John 4:8; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

And no matter how many times He proves Himself in my life, I still hold back… my default is still so often to choose ME.

God Called & God Provides… When I Am Willing to Surrender My Will/Fear for His Help

I don’t deserve this role. I don’t deserve to come & encourage you. I don’t deserve this.

But He called me anyway. And He provides & walks with me through it.

And when the storm of angry, selfish rebellion threatens to dismantle the whole thing, I have learned that when I allow that quiet whisper to bring me to my knees in surrender to God’s help, He never withholds it from me.

Surrender, It Truly Is

And surrender it truly is. Surrender in a war between what is right & good against my own personal selfishness & fear & limitations.

God loves me too much to let me have my way. He knows the dark path that leads me to. He knows that quitting triggers patterns of self-indulgence, isolation, & eventually depression.

He KNOWS.

I know. And I still fight Him.

I am not worthy.

If I didn’t surrender to let God help me, I would choose me a shameful amount of the time.

I am not the better Christian, the shining example. I am a sinner saved by grace, still a work in progress, learning more & more my need for daily surrender.

A Prayer of Surrender

And oftentimes, my prayers sound something like this:

“I hear You, God. I hear that whisper, that gentle whisper, a breeze across my heart of the truth. But I feel desperate to forget anyone & everything that doesn’t serve me right now in this moment. I want more snacks. I want soda, not water. I want to eat out. I want to stay in pajamas & binge tv versus my blog or encouraging a friend or anything else truly worthy of my time & efforts. I want to completely avoid any & all responsibility. I don’t want to care about anything but me…. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I want so badly to reject You again & live for me, even if it destroys me. I’m sorry I want that. Please forgive me. Don’t let go of me. Hold on when I don’t feel I can… when I don’t feel I want to. Be my strength. Help me see You do this for my good. I know it & You know it, but help me choose Your will for my good over this temporary instant gratification that we both know will lead me down a dark path I don’t want to go down. Help me choose to trust You. I want to! Please help me let go & take Your path. Walk with me. Show me the way. Be my strength. Thank You for never, ever giving up on me. You are so wonderful. Your grace is beyond my deserving. Thank You. In Jesus’ powerful, wonderful name… AMEN.”

What About You?

So, if this isn’t you, you’ve got more potential than me. Don’t waste it. Let God use your willingness to trust & follow His lead.

But if you are like me, there IS hope. God can take you each step. God won’t give up on you. His loving, faithful, forgiving, grace-filled pursuit of us is relentless & life-giving.

I am just an average person loved & helped by an Almighty God.

Shine HOPE by letting Almighty God use your life for good, even if you’re just an average person like me.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out the newly added Journal Printables & updated Resources & Recommendations page!***)

This blog/website has been running for over THREE 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!!

Ellora Necklace Set

This set of two adjustable gold-toned necklaces can be worn separately or together. Mixing classic styles together by layering freshwater pearl & a golden coin pendant make these delicate necklaces on-trend.

In India, poverty often leads to exploitation of vulnerable women in sweatshops. Every purchase provides these Artisans with fair wages, access to healthcare, education for their children, & care for elderly family members.

Purchase this necklace & empower an Artisan 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 in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Inaction Is Just As Much a Sin As Wrong Action

The Bible mentions 2 separate categories of sin in the Bible: 1. Grieving the Spirit (doing what we should not do) (Ephesians 4:30) & Quenching the Spirit (not doing what we should do) (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

For me, I find myself mainly focusing on what NOT to do & tend to “justify away” my inaction in various ways.

I often, (arrogantly, I might add), try to logic my way around what God directs me to do via His Holy Spirit. In other words, I feel His nudge on my heart & think my way out of doing it versus just trusting God knows what He’s doing better than I do–that is me quenching the Spirit.

When We Say “No” to God

Do you feel God nudging you to serve somewhere in church or your neighborhood, but the idea intimidates you & so you avoid it?

Do you feel God wants you to befriend someone, but you feel uncertain of how they might respond & your insecurity keeps you at a distance?

Do you feel God nudging you to share your testimony, but you’re afraid of judgement?

I could go on & on with examples similar to these that have halted me in my tracks, where I didn’t do what God asked of me because of fear, timidity, anxiety, insecurity, feeling insufficient, etc.

These, as I understand it, are exampled of me quenching the Spirit of God, as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:19—“Do not quench the Spirit.”

Wrapped in Excuses

There is a similar, yet different command in the Bible, found in Ephesians 4:30, commanding us against GRIEVING the Spirit. This command is something I find myself talking about more often, because it is the command to AVOID doing what God says to AVOID doing, plain & simple (yet, often not simple to accomplish).

But QUENCHING the Spirit is much more subtle. Sometimes God’s leadings are not expressly mentioned in the Bible, but rather are nudges from the Holy Spirit. And usually, it can completely go against logic or human wisdom, making it easier to find loopholes & avoid altogether, wrapped up in words like: insecurity, anxiety, feeling unsure of what to do or say, recognizing a personal weakness we feel prevents our ability to do it, etc.

But our weaknesses can never thwart God’s plan (Ephesians 3:20-21). He enables us where we lack (1 Corinthians 12:9-10).

The Holy Spirit Has Been Sent As Our Help

God promised to send us the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17), upon Jesus’ resurrection from the cross & into Heaven on His throne. The Holy Spirit convicts us to avoid doing those things God tells us not to do.

But the Holy Spirit also leads. He directs & guides us, especially as we pray for God’s wisdom & direction in a specific area–It’s just not always so easy to follow His lead–especially when His lead doesn’t seem to make sense to us.

God’s Nudges

Since I had been a Christian since I was 5, I have had the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life from a very young age, although I didn’t always recognize His nudges as from Him until my discernment & understanding grew as I grew closer to God.

Because of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life, I would feel nudges to or away from things sometimes, creating an opportunity for me to choose my way or His way.

I Didn’t Listen

When I fell in love in my early twenties, the Holy Spirit gave me such a nudge after I prayed about the future of the relationship.

I was so sure I would marry that guy because of how much I cared for Him, but God kept nudging me to obey His lead & walk away–that God had a different path for me & him.

Well, I chose not to. I kept fighting it. I was sure maybe those nudges just meant “not right now,” so I kept holding on. I dragged this guy I cared about through the mud in the process because I refused to trust God’s lead.

That was me quenching the Spirit.

God Knows What He’s Doing Better Than We Do

I had asked for God’s guidance & when His answer didn’t match the one I desired, I ignored Him & pushed through, hurting myself & the person I so cared about along the way.

That guy was not a part of God’s future for me, & I was not a part of his. But I didn’t want to listen & we both paid the price for my stubborn refusal to follow God’s will.

I shared my story once before about my “first love”–read about it , here.

My Temper Tantrum

Another example came more recently. My husband asked if I wanted to eat out at a favorite restaurant—I am a SUCKER for eating out & immediately & excitedly agreed.

But, the back story to this is how I had recently discovered my addiction to eating out that God had been convicting me of in a new awareness of my problem.

I immediately felt God’s nudge on my heart to choose eating healthy leftovers at home versus going out.

Rearing up, I felt defensive & angry: “Great. Now You have brought this to my attention & does that mean I can NEVER have fun ever again by eating out?! I want to go out after a long day & enjoy a night out with my husband. Is that so bad?! Why are you guilting me & keeping me from having any fun!? Is this what I have to look forward to from now on?!” –I know… real mature temper tantrum, huh?

Humility Check–God Is Always Looking Out for Our Best

So, I stuffed His nudge deep down & determined it was no big deal & that this was “just this once more,” as I got dressed & ready to go out.

But something happened. For some odd reason-that was never explained-whether from a neighbor’s bbq or who knows… I smelled smoke.

And as soon as the smell hit my nose, I got a flash in my head (like seeing my life flash before my eyes) of my house on fire, with my kitty trapped inside… & my heart dropped.

I got it. I instantly understood the message… & I instantly saw how arrogant & untrusting I had been.

I had been fussing, whining, complaining, accusing God of trying to take all my fun away, but in that split second, I was humbled by the Truth: God NEVER tells me (or you) something that is not EXPRESSLY for my GOOD. EVER.

God Looks Out for Us

And while I complain about God’s so-called strict, fun-zapping, dictator-like control, God reminded me in that moment of His LOVE. He wasn’t trying to ruin my life by asking me to stay home… He was trying to lovingly protect me from myself & my addiction.

After remorseful, embarrassed, humbled tears, I shook my head & whispered in my heart, “God, I am SO sorry. I was so unkind & unfair to You. You know everything & I don’t. You know exactly what I need & I don’t (even though I often feel strongly that I do). Please forgive me for my arrogance. Forgive me for not trusting Your Goodness & Your love for me. Please, show me… was this scenario designed to teach me a lesson? Or do you really ask me to stay home tonight? I’ll do whatever You ask now. Thank You for guiding me even when I am rude to You. Thank You for Your persistent, faithful goodness. Thank You. AMEN.”

What Does It Mean to “Quench the Spirit”? Is It Sin?

So what does it mean to “quench the Spirit”? Is it sin? It means not trusting God’s leading & trusting our own logic or wisdom above His. And yes, it is a sin.

It may be scary. It may seem, in the moment, to be restrictive. It may make you feel insecure or insufficient for the task. But whatever God asks of you… DO IT. Do it & trust that HE can fill where you lack.

Hard doesn’t equal bad. Hard means we get to step back & watch Him work.

Trust God’s lead & follow it.

Trust Him to Help You Grow in This Area As You PRAY

And if you struggle here, as I so obviously do… PRAY about it. Ask God to help you see WHEN you’re doing it & to remind you to SEEK HIM for HELP when you would rather avoid.

Determine to obey anyway. Determine to trust His help. And do it.

I often don’t trust God’s plan & His lead, & as a result, my path is much more painful than God ever intended it to be… & yet still, every day in small ways, I ignore His little prompts as I run on autopilot through my routine. This should not be.

Ask God to wake you up. Ask Him to show you how to know it’s Him, to recognize His still, soft voice on your heart. Ask Him to help you relinquish what you THINK you know, for what He DOES know.

Shine hope—don’t quench the Spirit.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out the newly updated Resources & Recommendations page!***)

This blog/website has been running for over THREE 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!!

Long Chain Necklace (Silver-toned) (India)

Love long chain necklaces? This is the necklace for you! This silver-tone link-chain design is handcrafted in India & is totally on-trend! Wear alone, double up, or layer together with other chain necklaces from our One World Collection, like our Long Chain Necklace – Gold.

Every purchase provides fair trade jobs in areas of extreme poverty in India.

In India, poverty often leads to exploitation of vulnerable Artisans in sweatshops. Every purchase provides these Artisans with fair wages, access to healthcare, education for their children, & care for elderly family members.

Purchase this necklace & empower an Artisan 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 in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Self-Surrender Vs. Self-Empowerment

Last week, I talked about our need to urge self-surrender over self-empowerment.

In other words, the reminder that we don’t need to convince ourselves “we are enough” but that despite NOT being enough, God IS & He loves us AS IS.

This idea that to accomplish more of what matters in this life—God’s will & purposes—we need to surrender more of ourselves to HIS “enoughness,” rather than convincing ourselves &/or each other that WE are capable & enough.

The Dangers of Trusting God’s SOLUTIONS More Than We Trust GOD

I like to feel in control… In control of my own happiness, comfort, & life. I want to know I can rely on things working out my way & be able to grasp some means of making that happen predictably.

But God calls me to rely on Him & not on myself… to build my house on Him—our Rock—by walking in obedience & reliance on Him, rather than the sands of unreliable crutches/strongholds that I tend to cling to. (Matthew 7:24-27)

This flows into another topic worth discussing: The dangers of trusting God’s SOLUTIONS more than we trust GOD.

Do I Continue to Turn to Him As My Help?

Have you ever had God answer a prayer so clearly that you could not question it was from Him? And what happens when we get that answer from God? Do we continue to go to Him as our source in every circumstance? Or do we begin to place our hope in that answer?

For example, as I have mentioned recently, when God told Naaman, through the prophet Elisha, to go wash in the Jordan, in 2 Kings 5:10, was the power in that specific body of water? Or was the power in Naaman’s obedience to God?

Or, when Jesus instructed the disciples to catch a fish, find a coin in its mouth, & use that coin to pay their taxes, in Matthew 17:24-27, was the power in that specific type of fish? Or was it in their obedience to Jesus?

Those may sound like silly examples & maybe you’re thinking, “Duh, it’s God. The power is from God,” but how quickly I disprove this supposed trust when I am faced with similar situations.

How Deep Does My Trust in God Really Go?

Lately, I have been working on body stewardship—of not abusing, but rather learning to care for, the body God has made for me.

Well, when we lived in Guam, I used to create my own fitness challenges, with prizes, to help me stay on track & motivate myself forward in better caring for my health–& it worked!

Fast forward over 6 years later, in trying to get back those good habits that I abandoned during a great time of stress for me, & what did I go to as my solution? Those fitness challenges.

It’s not that anything is wrong with those fitness challenges, but that they were what I turned to in my struggle to re-form good habits in my life… versus going to God for His wisdom, guidance, & help.

Did God provide the idea for those fitness challenges back on Guam, to help me overcome some personal hurdles? I believe so, yes. But they were not the source of my help–HE was.

My Resources to You Are Not to Trump PRAYER to GOD for HIS Solution for You

This is why I stress in whatever resources I provide for you—no matter how much they have helped me personally—your ultimate resource is PRAYER.

Maybe my resources can offer help & maybe God will use them to help you overcome a hurdle, just as He used them in my life to do the same… But maybe God knows you need something else instead.

God knows your situation better than I do. God knows your reasons for hesitation, resistance, anxiety, etc. specifically. He also knows what will help your personal hang-ups specifically.

No matter how good a resource & no matter how much it has helped others, the fact remains that ONLY GOD KNOWS what exactly you need.

Where Does My Help Come From? My Help Is from the LORD, The Maker of Heaven & Earth

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven & earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2)

What or who do you look to for your help? Do you look to your wits or charm? Your “wisdom” or logic? Past successes? The support of others? Your bank account?

Where does YOUR help come from? Where do you look for it?

Shine HOPE by demonstrating that our help is not in past successes, but in relying on & leaning into GOD as our help… by inquiring of Him EVERY time versus assuming we know what’s best… by walking in obedience to HIS lead over our logic. Shine HOPE by always turning to Him in ALL things Big OR Small.

“In all thy ways acknowledge Him, & He shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6) (emphasis mine)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out the newly updated Resources & Recommendations page!***)

This blog/website has been running for over THREE 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!!

Zoya Earrings (India)

Zoya means “shining, life” in Hindi. These stylishly stunning gold-toned earrings are handcrafted in India, featuring genuine freshwater pearls on a delicate linked-chain design.

Every purchase provides fair-trade jobs in areas of extreme poverty in India. In India, poverty often leads to exploitation of vulnerable Artisans in sweatshops. Every purchase provides these Artisans with fair wages, access to healthcare, education for their children, & care for elderly family members.

Purchase these earrings & empower an Artisan 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 in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

It’s Not Always Best to “Go with the Flow”

I have found that this topic is not a popular one. I can almost see hair bristling when I talk about it. And that reaction has been my own as well.

Who doesn’t like to feel they have some manner of control in their life?

I’ve talked about this topic before, in “The Tale of Two Cakes,” (that post being from the perspective of how we decide to encourage others–toward self or God), but it’s a concern I see slowly seeping into mainstream Western Christianity, so I feel compelled to revisit this topic, in hopes that you & I both take it to heart.

We need to discuss the very important distinction between self-empowerment & self-surrender.

I Want to Feel in Control of Things

There are so many areas of life, where I mess up regularly, that stem from this innate need I feel to have some control over my own life.

This need manifests itself in many ways, from eating out to soothe anxiety, to questioning God’s direction in my life by testing out my way 700 times first.

I want a say. I want to try. I want to do it myself. (I sort of sound like the typical toddler, don’t I?) But if you evaluated your own life, could you detect this same inner voice? Maybe sugar-coated & justified, but with the same telltale undertones ringing true of your personal need for control?

It’s Even Being Taught by Well-Meaning Christian Leadership

Sadly, this message of SELF-empowerment is spreading like wildfire in many Christian circles—even Christian conferences & sermons.

How can WE get OUR life back on track? How can WE get the most out of OUR life? How can WE feel good?

But the joy (& peace) is not in having more or accomplishing more, but in surrendering more. It’s not in having more control, but by giving Him more control.

The more that we look up & say, “God, I am sorry for clinging to or coveting such-&-such. Help me know how to find that joy in YOU,” the more we actually find what we’re looking for.

I feel saddened by Christian mantras that echo self-empowerment sentiments of “YOU’ve got this!” “YOU’re ENOUGH!” “YOU can handle it!”

Because, the truth is, you don’t, you’re not, & you can’t.

You Were Designed to NEED HIM

You’re not meant to be self-capable, self-sufficient, or self-empowered.

You were designed to NEED HIM.

And until we figure that out & live like that is true, because it is, then we will always feel like we, compared to everyone else around us, just can’t seem to get a handle on things.

You don’t need to believe that you’ve got this. You need to recognize that HE DOES.

You don’t need to be told you’re enough. You need to realize that HE IS.

You don’t need to think that you can handle it. You need to see that HE CAN.

We need to learn how to surrender more. To take our “I can’ts” to His throne & say, “God, be my enough. Supply my needs. Direct me. Guide me. Show me how to obey You & to honor You & to please You with my everything. Make me decrease so You may increase.” (John 3:30-36)

This life is not about a rat race of trying to feel capable & strong & get the most out of it. It’s about learning more & more that His plans are higher & better than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9) & that He can enable us in our MANY weaknesses every step along the way.

By Him. For Him. Through Him. (Romans 11:36)

What Do You Cling to for Control That You Need to Entrust to Him?

I am convicted of how little I am willing to give up control in my own life… I love feeling self-capable & self-empowered more than most anything.

I give, but only from excess or leftovers: time, resources, money.

I help, but only if/when it’s convenient/comfortable.

I edify intentionally & am friendly, but only if I feel it will be received well.

I support others, but only if there’s little cost to me & I can “protect my mental health” (aka feel no stress from it).

I sacrifice, but only if I can see the reward.

I obey, but often only if I can see the benefit of it up front.

This should not be! I NEED to SURRENDER MORE to Him. I need to trust His work & His Truth & His sufficiency more than my own!

I am not enough. I am weak to temptations. I am selfish. I am prideful. I am prone to wander. I am prone to choose ME. I am disobedient in my inaction & sometimes in my actions. I am too me-focused in life–MY comfort, ME well-being, MY desires, MY needs, MY wants, MY plans, MY control.

God Says…. We Ought to Trust HIS Way

God says when someone demands your tunic, give them also your cloak. (Luke 6:27-36)

God says when someone demands you go a mile, go with them two.

God says that Whatever we do to the least of these, we do also to Him. And whatever we don’t do, we also don’t do to Him. (Matthew 25:31-46)

God says to test Him with our giving sacrificially, that all things come from Him & we can trust Him to provide as we provide for others. (Malachi 3:10)

God says that in all our ways we ought to acknowledge Him (not OUR wants/needs/perception/logic) & He will make our paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-7)

God says that in our weaknesses, that is when His power is made known to us & we realize it really is enough for us. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Self-Surrender.

Self-Empowerment or Self-Surrender?

The more you give for Him, the more you seem to gain. It’s never not worth it.

Shine HOPE—Instead of seeking to feel more capable, strong, & worthy… seek HIM.

Self-Empowerment or Self-Surrender—which will you choose?

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out the newly updated Resources & Recommendations page!***)

This blog/website has been running for over THREE 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!!

Long Chain Necklace (Golden) (India)

Love long chain necklaces? This is the necklace for you! This gold-tone link-chain design is handcrafted in India & is totally on-trend! Wear alone, double up, or layer together with other chain necklaces from our One World Collection, like our Long Chain Necklace – Silver. (Shown with the Darling Charms Set.)

Every purchase provides fair trade jobs in areas of extreme poverty in India. In India, poverty often leads to exploitation of vulnerable Artisans in sweatshops. Every purchase provides these Artisans with fair wages, access to healthcare, education for their children, & care for elderly family members.

Purchase this necklace & empower an Artisan 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 in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

My Prone-to-Rebellion Heart

I have been honest lately about specific sin areas that I wrestle with, & while I have seen God move mountains from where I once was, I still have so much work to do on my stubborn, prone-to-rebellion heart.

It’s not that I don’t want to please God, but I oftentimes want both—to find a way to please Him AND still have what I want.

Like with lust, as I talked about in “Lust, the Secret Sin”, I look for loopholes where I can “technically” still obey, but still indulge in what I want. I justify & try to fool myself & others until I can keep my façade that I don’t mean to be a façade.

My heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), as the Bible says, & I am pretty good at fooling even myself when I want to. But the Bible, God, also says that my heart is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), as is true for every other human being.

Paul even laments this in saying that he does what he does not want to do & doesn’t do what he wants to do. (Romans 7:15)

Our lustful flesh is constantly tugging at us to just take a bite & all will be well. And I am no exception with this pull.

Getting My Way (Over God’s) Never Pays Off

Satan’s tactics haven’t changed much since his, “but did God reaaally say that?” (Genesis 3:1) Satan still does this to us every day, creeping in little doubts & little, “but maybe you should try YOUR way… just in case God is wrong this time.”

But God is NEVER wrong, is He?

And I know this. I have seen it firsthand, in my life. I have seen me wrestle & “win,” getting my way & then seeing all the cards inevitably fall. My way never works & then His way always does.

But still I resist. STILL.

So Defeating… & Yet, Met with So Much Grace upon GRACE

If you are feeling beat up by Satan for making the same bad choice or disobeying God the same way for the hundredth time & Satan is whispering to you that you must not be a Christian, you must be lying to yourself, & not to come crawling back to God AGAIN… I get it, I REALLY get it.

Satan is very good at deception & lies… in fact, God, in the Bible, describes him as “the father of lies.” (John 8:44) His whole business is lying to us… & seeking whom he may devour, kill, & destroy (1 Peter 5:8; John 10:10) . And he is good at it.

But God is bigger still.

God’s Grace ABOUNDS

There’s a little nugget of Truth God has been reminding me of lately—besides the story of the prodigal son’s return (Luke 15:11-31), where the son was rehearsing his speech after all his wrongs against his father, but he could barely get a word out before the grand, warm, happiest of welcome homes by his father—but besides that story, is the little nugget where Paul is talking about how awesome God’s grace is, how much we NEED it & how powerful & all-covering it really is, before saying, “but does that mean we should let sin abound because God’s grace abounds? Certainly not!” (Romans 5:1-6:2; 2 Corinthians 9:8)

But read that again. “Because God’s grace ABOUNDS.”

And again, “WHILE we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (emphasis mine-Romans 5:8)

In other words, it’s not based on my goodness or willpower of lack of mistakes… my standing before God, once my faith is placed on Jesus, is based solely on my faith in HIS goodness, HIS obedience to God on the cross, HIS perfection & holiness! NOT mine.

Hallelujah! Praise God!

But Still… The Sin That So Easily Ensnares Me

But still….

The sin that so easily ensnares…. (Hebrews 12:1b-2)

I am so easily deceived. The lusts of my flesh still scream for attention sometimes, wanting what I know is not good for me… wanting what God commands me to avoid. (& if He commands ANYTHING, it’s because He knows better what will damage/harm me & what will bless/fulfill me. His Truth is the ONLY standard I can 100% rely on 100% of the time!)

But still….

The sin that so easily ensnares….

Why?

How Do I Move Forward When I Don’t Want To?

So, knowing all of this:

1. God is always right
2. God’s grace ABOUNDS, DESPITE my undeserving
3. My heart, in its lusts is deceitful & desperately wicked
4. Satan is always whispering doubts in God so I get ensnared by those lusts of the flesh
5. AND God can help me, where it is impossible for me, nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26; Ephesians 3:20-21)

But what do I do, knowing all of that, when I don’t WANT to change?

Asking Me to Give Up My Idol Feels Like a Threat…

I recently signed up for a new health program & I find myself stressed because I feel like the meal plan is asking me to give up my nonexistent firstborn child.

I have, with God’s unwavering support, guidance, & help, grown leaps & bounds from old me & old habits… I walk daily, make more well-rounded breakfasts every morning, cook a Whole30 Fast & Easy recipe every week (I LOVE their recipes & it focuses on whole, clean foods–it’s been a lifesaver of delicious, easy recipes that help me learn to eat better & enjoy it! (I don’t get commissions for advertising, I just really love it), etc….

BUT, I love to eat out. I love to treat myself with FOOD. When I am restless, stressed, bored, etc., I want food as my burst of joy. I turn to food as a dopamine fix to help me feel excited about my day. It makes me happy.

BUT, I turn to food to numb over hard things vs. turning to God for wisdom/direction in those moments.

I have made food an idol that I worship & adore, that I turn to in times of distress or anxiety, that I turn to to feel good & be excited for my day.

And asking me to give up eating out or eating whenever I feel like it… feels like a threat. I tense up & look for my loopholes to reassure me into staying just as I am.

Obeying in Part… Is Disobedience Still

But I had all the loopholes. I convinced myself that the SOME was good enough. SOME good habits, but keep some bad ones. Do SOME good for my body, while still getting to hurt it sometimes (too often).

I’m not saying I can’t ever enjoy food, but as my friend Jackie says, “God wants us to enjoy PURE pleasures—pleasures that don’t have negative side effects that hurt us.”

And eating out 5 times a week is not exactly a PURE pleasure. It has side effects on my insides: headaches, tummy aches, fatigue, etc. & indulging so often is definitely NOT a pure pleasure.

But I don’t want to change. I don’t want to give up my over-indulgences. I LIKE going to food when I am tired, sad, bored, restless, anxious, or as something to look forward to when out shopping or out on a date with my hubs or vacationing.

And telling me no feels like a threat to my happiness.

I feel like I don’t even want to pray about it because I don’t want to feel MORE like I should stop.

HOW to Move Forward When You Don’t Want To

So, here goes… How to move forward when you don’t want to:

Pray.

I know, I know… prayer does little without me being willing to ACT ON what God directs me to do.

But I need to repent. I need to be honest with myself AND with God. I need to be willing to accept that no matter how WELL I can justify it or sugar-coat it, I am abusing the body God made for me when I shut Him out & rebel.

I am dishonoring Him with my choices in how I treat His creation—ME.

I need to confess that to Him. I need to be willing to accept it as wrong, EVEN IF I have NO desire to do ANYTHING about it.

And then I need to ask for His help even in the WANT.

My Prayer in Stubbornness

“God, I am sorry I have mistreated Your creation—ME. I’m sorry that I abuse it in my abundance of wrong choices. I’m sorry I am so rebellious & stubborn & selfish, no matter the COST. Please forgive me. And forgive me for my attitude of rebellion, of not even wanting to change, KNOWING I need to. I have an addiction that feels impossible to break free from. I relied on food in Hokkaido in my darkest times because it was the ONLY thing about my life that made me feel any NORMALCY, but in that, I created a pattern, a harmful, destructive pattern, of turning to food over You. I’m sorry, LORD. Please forgive me for relying on my “need” for a fix more than on You. I’m sorry for how hard-headed I am, how much I resist Your good judgements. Forgive me. Please help change my heart. Renew me. Help me see that I can hand this addiction over to You. Help me see I can trust You with it. Help me let go. Guide me to learn PURE pleasures that honor You with how I treat my body AND are things I heartily enjoy. Thank You for starting that spark with the Whole30 Fast & Easy cookbook. Continue to work that out in me & change me. Make me want what You want for me. Help me let go of food & turn to You as my hope & joy instead. Help me know HOW. Thank You for Your ever-persistent faithfulness, love, & goodness… & GRACE that ABOUNDS… toward me. Thank You for never giving up on me… or on any of us. You are so patient & kind & gentle… & powerful to do the “impossible.” Thank You, Lord, forgive me… & help me. AMEN.”

It Feels IMPOSSIBLE, But WITH God, It Is NOT

“With man [humanity/willpower], it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful & just & will forgive us our sins & purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“Have no other ‘gods’ before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)

Shine HOPE, by not letting your deceitful heart rule your decisions, but rather the Truth of God, with His help every step of the way… even when you don’t want it.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out the newly updated Resources & Recommendations page!***)

This blog/website has been running for over THREE 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 Medallion Necklace

This textured silver-tone chain from India can be worn separately or layered with other necklaces from our One World Collection. The uniquely textured pendant adds the perfect artistic touch. Three length options allow you to choose your comfort & style. Every purchase provides fair-trade jobs in areas of extreme poverty in India.

In India, poverty often leads to exploitation of vulnerable Artisans in sweatshops. Every purchase provides these Artisans with fair wages, access to healthcare, education for their children, & care for elderly family members.

Purchase this necklace & empower an Artisan 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 in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Taking Time to Reflect

Since Christmas was only a few days ago, I wanted to reflect on some thoughts that roll around at this time of year: Why does Christmas matter? What is the point of Christmas?

Now, the Sunday School answer is “Why Jesus, of course!”

Others may say, “It’s all about family & being together with the ones you love.”

Kids are often quick to chime in with their yearly wish list & excitement of Santa.

But, while the Sunday School answer may be quick to jump into our minds, especially if we grew up in church or are a Christian… do our hearts really reflect that it’s about Him?

Excited for (Distracted by?) Traditions

This thought is something that has been lingering through my last few Christmases, myself being excited about getting things on my wish list, driving to see everyone’s decorations & lights, preparing delicious, specially-reserved-for-Christmas foods… Christmas cookies, carols, & maybe even a white Christmas (as long as I don’t have to be out in it).

I am quick to claim the meaning of Christmas as being Jesus. I am quick with the right answer of why Christmas matters, but I often feel like my heart tells that it’s mainly about me.

I have even been guilty of feeling & saying, “I just don’t feel in the “Christmas spirit” this year,” as if Christmas is about me feeling festive, with childlike excitement.

Why does Christmas matter? What really is my focus?

Am I Being Intentional in My Why?

How can I make it REALLY be about HIM? It is HIS birthday, after all (or at least the day we celebrate it).

So it’s something I have been trying to intentionally dwell on… that when I open my presents I remember that they are a mere shadow of the greatest gift ever given, when God sent Jesus to pay my price to make me right before God Almighty when I could never earn or deserve it.

That when I eat the foods, I recognize that God made my tastebuds to appreciate the flavors & created spice & variety of flavors & textures of food for me to enjoy.

That when I look at the lights, I remember He is the light in my times of darkness, that He shone His grace into the darkness of my sin, that His light guides me through His Word & the Holy Spirit’s help.

That friends & family are His treasures, made in His image, whom He also died for, to live humbly & graciously, serving those I care about knowing God cares for them all the more.

I have been trying to make Christmas a day of praise & thanksgiving to God, turning my heart in all the things I look forward to about Christmas into opportunities to recognize God’s presence & love & grace in my life.

Jesus, the Light of the World

Before God even made me, before time even began, God knew I would rebel against Him & think & act like I know better than Him. He knew I would want my own way over His. He knew my stubborn heart would kick & fight to have her own way.

And He knew I could never do enough to pay Him back.

He says that the punishment for my sin is eternal death in Hell. That’s what I deserve. That is what I have earned.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

And He knew all that before He even made me… before time began.

He knew HE would have to pay my price for me if I were to be reconciled to Him, forgiven & restored.

And He was willing.

And He sent Jesus.

Why Does Christmas Matter?

Christmas is not just a celebration of Jesus’ birthday, but of Jesus being willing to humble Himself, as God, in the flesh of weak humanity, serving & loving & teaching & healing all who came to Him… until He was rejected by the very people He came to save, dying willingly on the cross for me… for you.

So why does Christmas matter? It’s okay, go ahead & say it: it matters because of JESUS.

Jesus-Emmanuel-God with Us

So, during this season, take some time to praise Him & thank Him for His goodness & love & mercy & power… His foresight & His plan to redeem. For Jesus.

Jesus is why Christmas matters… & let us not forget that fact in the hustle & bustle of traditions & well-meaning distracted chaos.

Jesus, God with us. Emmanuel.

Thank You, Jesus. THANK YOU.

Shine Hope by proclaiming the Good News: Jesus came to save all who accept Him & believe on Him! Hallelujah indeed! Praise Jesus!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one & only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

Amen.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out the newly updated Resources & Recommendations page!***)

This blog/website has been running for over THREE 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!!

Darling Charms Set (2 of 6 shown) (India)

This set of six pairs of versatile & colorful ethically collected bone, clay, & metal charms are handcrafted in India by Artisans who are committed to fighting child marriage & providing opportunities for women to become financially independent as fair-trade Artisans. Designed to mix & match, create a new look each time you wear them with our Customizable Gold Hoops or your favorite bracelets & necklaces! Every purchase supports vulnerable women in areas of extreme poverty in India.

India is home to one-fourth of the world’s poorest people. Vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops. Your purchase provides them with safe jobs, fair wages, healthcare, literacy programs, & more!

Purchase this charm set & empower a woman 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 in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Post #200! Thank You!

First of all, I want to thank you, whether you are new to my blog or a long-time supporter & encourager of this journey. Today marks blog post #200!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 3 years since I launched this website & blog & God has for sure helped me tweak & improve every step along the way (& I have much growing yet to do). I am blown away by His faithfulness & the love I have seen in your support. Thank you!

Lust: The Secret Sin

This topic is one that’s hard for me to talk about… Probably because it makes me feel vulnerable to attack & the comfort of hiding it is much easier.

But, as in most things, God always seems to prompt me to share the things that aren’t so pretty to help you see our collective & very real need of HIM.

God tells us in Matthew 5:27-30 that even looking at someone with lust in your heart is the same as cheating on your spouse (& YES, this includes doing so before you have even MET your spouse). God even goes so far as to say that it is more beneficial to you to cut off your hand or pluck out your eyes if it keeps you from doing so. That’s a pretty bold statement against lust!

Well, despite its secrecy, this has probably been a lifelong wrestle for me. I don’t know how it started, but curiosity led to addiction & addiction caused destruction & a prison that seemed impossible to escape. Lust was my secret sin.

“Checking All the Right Boxes”

I used to justify it that if I didn’t think of anyone I actually KNEW… just made up people in my head… that it was okay.

Hey, I wasn’t having sex CHECK & I wasn’t lusting after anyone real CHECK. I thought I had all the right boxes checked to be a good Christian while still indulging in my addiction.

I was wrong.

I Don’t Even Remember Where It Began

This addiction is one that started probably in pre-teen years for me… maybe sooner? I can’t remember, but it was definitely young.

I don’t remember how it started, whether I came across a tv program that clearly was inappropriate for me depicting a couple under a blanket, bare shoulders only, but plenty implied. I DO have a memory of such an occurrence back when I was little & we had only about 5 tv channels growing up.

Or maybe I heard people talking crudely & I was intrigued, not knowing the addiction that would soon lead me down a dark path.

But whatever it was, I made the choice. Something in me felt off about it, but then again, I thought I had checked all the right boxes, so I justified the heck out of it.

That became my vice & a lifetime of scars on my heart, distorting my perception & understanding of the real thing with a damaging substitute. And it all started when I was just a child.

Seems So Innocent, But It’s Laced with Poison Meant to Kill

Now, even as a 38-year-old woman, I struggle sometimes more than I feel okay admitting. What started as “innocent” curiosity, justified & smoothed over as just “Christian-y” enough, has been a prison quite difficult to escape.

Now, maybe you read romance novels or have some other seemingly “innocent” way that you lust. Maybe you justify it & run through the check boxes as I did. Maybe it’s not a problem for you at all.

Maybe you’re reading this & thinking I AM justified. No sex, no problem. Not actual men, so who cares. It’s all pretend. No harm, no foul… right?

That’s what I have told myself anyway.

Again, I was wrong.

A Pattern of Addiction Is Hard to Escape

I didn’t trust God to know what was best for me. His rules were meant to guide me away from things I thought I knew so well but was so wrong. I should have trusted HIM over ME.

Now married, I have a pattern of addiction that maybe you feel is harmless & no big deal. But God only commands us to flee things He KNOWS will hurt us. And we should listen!

It’s a big deal because lust keeps me distanced from my husband! It keeps me at arms length from him… The very man God gave me to enjoy those things with. It is trading the REAL for the FAKE.

Instead of having only a connection with my husband, I am constantly tempted to go somewhere else in my mind, disconnecting from him & trading him for a fake substitute, because of the patterns of lifelong addiction.

What a hurtful thing to something meant to be so beautiful a connection between spouses.

There’s no way around it anymore: It is SIN. When I decide to lust or fantasize, I am hurting my own love-life with a cheap, fake substitute. And a lifelong pattern of addiction is hard to escape.

The Lie, the Trap

I know fantasizing seems easier. It requires less vulnerability to lean into a fantasy. You can dream yourself to be a beautiful princess when you feel like a sloppy blob or a nuisance. You can “have” a man that does whatever your fantasy dictates exactly how you deem it, with no mistakes or flaws.

But, although the real has flaws… so do you. And PRETENDING avoids accepting & EMBRACING the REAL (& also prevents someone from accepting & embracing YOU as is)... wanting to enjoy connection, but never letting it happen.

The real thing is not as “perfect” as a fantasy, but it’s the REAL THING.

I have come to understand that though I ran circles tirelessly defending my check-marked list, lust IS sin & it DOES cause harm. It’s a lie. It’s a trap.

It’s NOT worth it.

Lust Often Becomes Addiction

It is addiction. It is destructive. It saps real connection & intimacy. It blocks out the person wanting to love you. It is divisive. It is selfish. It is unkind.

It exploits the image of God’s created, whom Jesus died to save.

It’s wrong however you justify it. It’s wrong.

And although it can start small, supplemental, a curiosity… it often numbs you to where you no longer get anything from it… unless you take it further & it gets darker & harder to escape. It’s a path that leads to a prison... to death (death inside).

The Secret Sin Plague

Maybe this isn’t your fight, but I can promise you that it is a secret battle for many others around you. Your sibling, parent, friend, spouse, & ministry leaders… who battle this in secret, trying to convince themselves that their prison hurts no one, checking all of the boxes, but living in addiction (in sin) that subtly tears apart at their marriages & their relationship with God… Living a lie… As I did.

In secret.

And just because it is “secret”, I promise it WILL hurt those around you, even in the divisive nature of the lie….

And it’s no secret to God.

FLEE! Run from It! Kick Fantasies in the Face!

But this is my call to you. Confess it as is: SIN. Ask for God’s forgiveness. Determine to do life HIS way. “If we confess our sins[to God], He is faithful & just to forgive us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Flee the temptation! Actually FLEE! Not just resist & beg God to stop it & wrestle it… RUN FROM IT.

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18)

I have found that when those patterns arise & my prison beckons me to return, tempting images prance across my mind & I feel the allure… that I legit PUNCH them & ROUNDHOUSE KICK those images in my head & then RUN away in the fantasy to GET OUT OF THERE. It helps me yell “NO!” in my head & determine not to fall for its lies anymore!

Do I still fail? Yes. Is it far less often? YES. It’s a process of re-writing lifelong patterns & habits, where when my mind wants to kick into auto-pilot, I am learning to turn & RUN in my imaginings.

Be willing to FAIL FORWARD versus accepting defeat in continuing a pattern of disobedience to God & destruction for yourself & your relationships. RUN. Like your life depends on it. RUN.

God ALWAYS Provides a Way Out

Yes, I have struggled my whole life with this. I got married close to 30. I get it… wondering if God would EVER help, taking my satisfaction into my own control.

But I promise it’s not worth it. It may be subtle… you may feel “that’s just how life is” & strive to just “learn to live with it,” but it’s NOT meant to be that way. Healing IS possible. A healthy & blooming relationship with God & your {even future) husband is WORTH IT.

God knows & He knows our battle with it. That’s why He makes a point to command us against it, knowing we’ll want to. He is trying to help us not get ourselves locked in a prison we feel is impossible to escape.

And He promises His help if we ask. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, & He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

He provides the way out, but we have to be willing to walk in obedience & trust… & take the way out… to RUN through it!

FLEE.

Jesus Came to Set the Captives FREE! (Luke 4:18)

Trust God to Know Better Than You

Repent. Trust God to know better than you.

The Bible repeatedly echoes the phrase: “Fear God,” even going as far as to say that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). This, as I covered in my post: “Fearing God Is the Beginning of Wisdom” means recognizing that no matter HOW MUCH you THINK you know or how MUCH you want something… even if you’re not sure you have faith in God… Trust that GOD ALMIGHTY knows better than you do… & DO what HE says.

Shine hope by determining to let God lead your decisions in this area of lust, determining that He DOES know better than you, no matter HOW MUCH you may feel you want it-the desire to sin is a lie & WILL bring destruction. Trust GOD.

Flee lust & kick it in the face if you have to.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out the newly updated Resources & Recommendations page!***)

This blog/website has been running for over THREE 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!!

Moonstone Hoops

Artisans from India cut & frame moonstones on these gold-toned elliptical hoops. Moonstones are prized in India for the unique way they reflect light.

Women in India still face widespread discrimination that often leads to poverty & exploitation. Your purchase provides opportunities for women to earn sustainable income through creative expression as fair-trade Artisans.

Purchase these hoops & empower a woman 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 in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Does Prayer Even Work?

Have you ever felt like, “Prayer? What’s the point?”

Or maybe, when someone tells you to “pray about it,” you scoff & think, “Well, thanks, that is about zero percent helpful to me right now”?

Maybe prayer seems too “spiritual” or maybe you do it but you don’t really see it help anything.

Maybe you feel you do it because you grew up hearing you should do it, but you don’t really see prayer accomplish anything.

I have probably felt all of those & more growing up as a Christian.

Ask God… The HOW Matters

I get it. I used to feel like prayer was just something you do because it’s “churchy” or because I’m supposed to. I didn’t really see how prayer helped me in any real way.

But, I did, through the years, ask God to help me understand why I should pray… to show me what I didn’t seem to get… to reveal how maybe I wasn’t praying right.

I know I say all the time that there are no magic words to prayer, that there is no magic formula, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t matter at all HOW you should pray.

Besides, why would God tell us, in the Bible—His Word to us, to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) if prayer was pointless?

I think the biggest reason I was struggling with prayer is that I was completely missing the whole point of prayer. I was praying wrong.

Why Do You Pray?

If I am praying to “get something” from God, as if He is my personal genie, then I am not getting the point. He doesn’t exist to carry out our every whim.

If I am praying as if I’m the ringleader, coming up with the plans, & then asking Him to carry them out for me, then I am not getting the point. He doesn’t exist to make my plans happen for me.

Prayer is not vain repetitions of, “If I say it enough times, maybe God will answer me.”

Prayer is not a magic formula of, “if I say it the ‘right’ way, maybe God will answer me.”

Prayer is not just empty, meaningless words to put “good vibes” out there because, well, “it couldn’t hurt.”

Prayer is not meant to be a “backup plan” to throw out there while you try to fix it yourself, your way, in your strength & plan.

Prayer is not the magical fairy dust to make your plan take flight.

Prayer is not saying, “God, help me to grow in my faith,” while not ever taking any steps of obedience of what God already tells us will bolster & strengthen us in our faith in Him.

Prayer Puts HIM As LORD

Prayer is a posture of the heart.

Prayer is acknowledging that HE is God & you are not.

Prayer is recognizing that “many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the will of God that will prevail.” (Proverbs 19:21)

Prayer is a heart posture of stepping back from ME being in charge, & recognizing that He alone holds that position. His kingdom, where He rules, is heaven AND earth. (Deuteronomy 10:14; Matthew 6:9-10)

Prayer is putting Him in the driver’s seat of your life & letting Him run it.

Prayer is releasing control of YOUR WAY, & letting Him have HIS WAY.

Prayer is relying on His strength instead of your own… His power, His wisdom, His comfort, His peace… instead of leaning on anything else, including yourself, for those things.

Prayer is saying, “I am weak, but You are strong. I am not enough, but You are.”

Prayer is saying, “not my will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Prayer Relies on Him AS We Walk in OBEDIENCE to Him

Prayer is not reliant on “believing ‘enough,’” but believing rightly (Matthew 17:20) that if anyone can, He can… if anyone is able, He is (Matthew 19:26)… if anyone loves & cares for you, it’s Him (1 Peter 5:6-7), & praying accordingly.

Prayer is saying, “God, I know that no matter how much I want to believe it, I DON’T know what’s best, because my perspective is limited. But I know that Yours is not & You DO know, so please help me see what to do.”

Prayer is saying, “I am not the solution, You are, so God, please help me do it Your way, even if it’s not the way I pictured it.”

Prayer is saying, “God, I don’t feel like it, AT ALL, & I’m sorry for my bad attitude, but please help me do it anyway as I step forward. I want to do it because it honors You, so please help me! Change my heart & enable me!”

Instead of Praying __________, Pray ____________________

Instead of, “God, help me to do this,” & then stepping away from it until He makes you feel like doing it “enough,” Instead, pray, & DO IT, trusting that if it indeed honors Him, He WILL help AS you do it.

Prayer is standing on His promises as if they are factual vs wishful thinking (because if He says it, it is factual), versus a hopeful begging for what He has already promised to give or provide.

Instead of, “God, please be with them in their hurting,” when He already promises to be with us… pray: “God, give them peace. Fill them with Your comfort. Let them feel Your presence of comfort in this difficult time. Help them see You move. Give them wisdom on how to best move forward through this storm. Show me how I can help lighten their burden.”

Jesus’ Model Prayer

A great place to start, in learning HOW to pray, is Jesus’ model prayer, in Matthew 6:

Jesus said, “In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom & the power & the glory forever. Amen.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

To better understand this prayer, please listen to the sermon series recordings by a pastor I very much respect as someone who preaches God’s Word as is, without fluffing it, but with grace to edify his listeners (found on gracehome.org, starting June 6, 2021, by Pastor Tim Perrin–HIGHLY recommend this series, even for those who have maybe heard this passage preached a billion times).

How to Know If You’re Praying Wrong

So, how to know if you’re praying wrong? To sum all of this up, prayer is a heart posture that says, “God, You ALONE are God. Enable me AS I obey YOU. Help me to trust You to enable me when I know I am NOT enough &/or feel I have nothing left to give. Be my comfort & give me Your peace. Lead me in YOUR plans, not mine. Teach me Your Truth & show me how to LIVE IT. Help me to walk in obedience to You, even when I don’t feel like it or feel like I care, changing my perspective & will to Yours vs. insisting You see & do mine. You always know best. You keep Your promises. Thank You, God, for Your faithful, generous, long-suffering daily grace for me! Amen.”

There is no magic formula for prayer, but it IS possible to pray incorrectly or ineffectively.

Shine HOPE by asking God to teach you how to pray in a way that gives Him the glory & credit He deserves WHILE you walk in obedience to what He already tells you in His Word.

Amen & amen. Let it be so.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out the newly updated Resources & Recommendations page!***)

This blog/website has been running for over THREE 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!!

Darling Charms Set (India)

This set of six pairs of versatile & colorful ethically collected bone, clay, & metal charms are handcrafted in India by Artisans who are committed to fighting child marriage & providing opportunities for women to become financially independent as fair-trade Artisans. Designed to mix & match, create a new look each time you wear them with our Customizable Gold Hoops or your favorite bracelets & necklaces!

Every purchase supports vulnerable women in areas of extreme poverty 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 in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!