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Karen Sipps Writes

Encourage ~ Equip ~ Empower

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Guess what today is? It's a new podcast episode re Guess what today is? It's a new podcast episode release day for The Sofa Series! Yippee! Today we're talking about Jael, and skillsets, and oppression, and just a wee bit of murder. 😱 I hope you listen in. Www.karensippswrites/podcasts or just click on the link in my profile, and then on the chalkboard podcast. Lemme know what you think!
Dear Young Ones, Don't worry if you don't look li Dear Young Ones, Don't worry if you don't look like everyone else... if everyone else seems prettier. Or taller. Or seems to be a better shade of feather than you. So you're different. So what!? Different's not bad. Find joy in knowing that God created you exactly the way you are for a purpose! Who you are and where you are in life is right where you're supposed to be. Cheering for you, Karen #dearyoungones #babies #hanginthere #hopewriters #womenoftheword
The year 2020 has been the longest century ever. N The year 2020 has been the longest century ever. November has been especially harrowing. I want to run away to an over-the-water hut with a glass floor so I can watch my cares float further away with each fin that flips beneath me. But traveling is still not an option and saving for two upcoming teenage drivers doesn't leave much room for dream huts. When you're overwhelmed, what can you do? Well, what did Jesus do when HE was oveewhelmed? I'll tell ya. He surrounded himself with the people and things that brought him comfort. He went to a familiar place where he liked to pray (Luke 22:39), brought three best friends along to keep him company (Mark 14:33), asked them to pray with him (Matt. 26:40-41), and spent time with God in prayer on his own (Matt. 26:39). If you're anxious, follow his lead. Step away from the crazy. Gather your friends, go to a place that brings you comfort, and spend time alone with God. I promise you it will do your soul wonders. You got this, friend. I'm cheering for you, Karen #hopewriters #womenoftheword #devotional #bestfriends #overwhelmed
Do you remember our Bible friend, Hezekiah, and ho Do you remember our Bible friend, Hezekiah, and how he was going to be attacked by Sennacherib, King of Assyria? God sent the prophet Isaiah to Hezekiah with a message from the Lord, promising deliverance for Hezekiah and Jerusalem. This verse from Isaiah 37:30 has really stuck with me this week: "This is the sign I have for you: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what grows from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit." Let's think about that. Typically, once a farmer grows a crop and eats that crop, if you don't plant again next year, you won't have new food to eat. But God said "this year, you'll eat. And next year you will *continue* to eat - without having to plant. And that third year" - listen close - "you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit." Do you know how long it takes to bear fruit from a vineyard? Three years. But God said plant THIS year, and eat the vineyard THIS year. Not only could they eat the crops from two seasons without planting, but in the third year they'd reap a harvest in a fraction of the normal time. Maybe it's just me, but that has me in awe. God doesn't have to bow to the timelines we have for ourselves. If you're waiting on God to answer your prayer, remember that God knows the bigger picture and the plans He has for you. He doesn't have limitations. And for Hezekiah, how did this promise begin? When he spread out Sennacherib's letter and prayed to the one true God. It's all about that relationship with Him. Do you have that? If not, message me, and we'll talk. Cheering for you, Karen #devotional #womenoftheword #hopewriters #hope #prayer #vineyard
I tend to be a pile-er. I will pile on and pile on I tend to be a pile-er. I will pile on and pile on, taking on way more than I should. For the most part, I think I can handle things, and I usually don't recognize I CAN'T handle it until I'm beyond overwhelmed with the weight of what I've been carrying. At that point I have a huge, full load of trash-heap junk and dump it in front of the Lord. "Ok, Lord, what do I do with all this STUFF?" King Hezekiah did the opposite. When he was overwhelmed, he didn't just drop the pile off in front of the Lord. Jerusalem was under threat of attack from King Sennacherib of Assyria. Sennacherib had already attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.  The king sent a message via royal messengers and a huge army to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, telling him, "I'm about to attack you, just like I attacked all these other cities. Don't think the Lord is going to rescue you. Join forces with me, and life will be better! No other gods have rescued the other people I've attacked, and yours won't rescue you either." After Hezekiah read the letter, Isaiah 37:14 tells us he went up to the Lord's temple and spread the letter out before the Lord. Page by page. He wanted the Lord to hear every word that Sennacherib said. He prayed that the Lord would rescue them, and in doing so, everyone would see that He alone was God. The rest of the story is that God DID rescue Hezekiah. You know, God is big enough to handle our big piles of junk as well as the page-by-page requests that we lay at His feet. The difference is when we spell it out for HIM, we can look back later and see exactly what He's rescued us from. Cheering for you, Karen #hopewriters #rescuer #womenoftheword #BibleBasics #thesofaseriesbiblestudies
A little heart to heart this morning: It's not a A little heart to heart this morning: It's not a competition. Your faith walk, and your calling is yours alone. If you're on the "same road," to the same destination, but your friend is "further along" and you just feel behind? Girl, stop. The only thing that matters is are you on the road God has called you to be on? And if it's yes? If the answer is yes, and you're where YOU need to be? That's what that matters to God. There is no competition. This is your journey to own. If you constantly compare yourself to someone else, you miss out on seeing the wonderful things God is doing for you. Just stay the course. You got this, friend. Cheering for you, Karen
This morning as I was having some quiet time, I fl This morning as I was having some quiet time, I flipped a few pages back in my prayer journal. I read a note I'd jotted down, from a recent theology event I attended. It said, "Embedded in the call to build the tabernacle was the promise of God's presence." Do you ever get the feeling that you're not enough? I do. A lot of times, it's when I read eloquent words - like the ones above - that someone else has written surrounding doxology and theology. Immediately my thoughts were, "I can't write like that. That's not me. How am I ever going to do what you've asked when I don't sound like..." And the words that came whispering into my heart? "I'm not asking you to sound like that. I'm asking you to sound like you." We put these pressures on ourselves, don't we? Pressure to be like someone else or to sound a certain way? But that's not our calling. God calls us because He needs US, in our own voices, talents, gifts, and abilities. Don't let satan's shouts that you aren't good enough speak louder than God's whispers that you are. Cheering for you, Karen #doxology #theology #womenoftheword #hopewriters #youareenough #spiritualgifts
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