Contagious Joy

How’s Life?

Di — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:50:03 +0000

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy….” John 10:10a NIV

“How’s life?” Someone I once knew often asked me that. Depending on the day that can be a loaded question and often I didn’t really know how to answer them.

Truly most people would rather not hear what is really happening in your life. Some days were good; everything was going as I thought it should.

Some days were not so good; not up to my expectations. On the not so good days I felt as if I had been robbed. Who robbed me? Well, I could say that it was people who weren’t cooperating. There were some who didn’t follow through, some who said unkind things, any number of reasons.

Donna

Truthfully I allowed myself to be cheated. I developed an attitude. As a result life wasn’t so great those days. I wished those days away.

I wasted them by not acknowledging them as a gift from God. The wiser choice would be numbering my days and growing in wisdom.

Have you been sidetracked lately; losing sight of what you knew God would have you focus your energy on.

The thief comes to steal our joy and hope.
The thief comes to kill our love for life.
The thief comes to destroy our relationships and families.
The thief is far too often successful in hindering the work God would have us do.

With the economic downturn and the demands of the fast pace life of today so many have fallen into the mindset of “just get through this day, this week, this month. If I could just make a little more money, if I could just have a little more time, if could get a little help and cooperation. And sadly, statistics say that those who claim to be Christians are just as likely to have this mindset as those who don’t. That should not be the case. We have promises from the One who loves us more than we can comprehend, has plans for hope and a future. He is in control when everything seems to be out of control.

Ministry families often have extra expectations placed on us that God never intended us to carry. If we continue to carry the extra load the enemy will use that to steal our joy of ministry, to kill our love for the life of serving, to destroy our relationships with those in our church family and our immediate family. It is so important that we constantly be checking with our Helper and evaluate how we are expending our energy. Number your days right and grow in wisdom.

Meet me in the forum to chat about the demands of ministry life, your joy meter, and the tricks of the “thief” and how avoid them.

Check back next week when we will ponder John 10:10b and The Life!

NavPress & Starbucks Gift Card!

Di — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:43:35 +0000

This month we are giving away a $50.00 Starbucks Gift Card!

This has been made possible because of the generosity of NavPress.

Thanks NavPress for being such great friends to Contagious Joy!

The Great CJ4H Summer Give Away

Di — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:02:43 +0000

June 2012 – September 4, 2012

Annual CJ Summer Give Away. By simply posting to our forums the members of CJ will be entered in a drawing every two weeks.

Our prizes include:
(2) Double Cruise Packages
(2) I-Pads3
Summer Reading Bag
2 Lifeway Conference Tickets

250.00 Gift Card
150.00 Gift Card

Voice Lessons

Di — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:56:30 +0000

This week Nona challenges us to live with a clear understanding of baggage and what happens when we lose our voice. Nona writes, “Even on good days and there were many good days, my heart and my ministry were on a short leash, captive to the taunts of the dragon. Day after day I chose to believe only bad about myself and my unwillingness to open up to anyone crippled me. Deuteronomy 31:6 tells me, “Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.” I lived my life cowering in the shadow of rejection and it wasn’t helpful because a victim is a good target for contempt, and it wasn’t necessary because God protects his own–if we only let him. Yes, I was victimized, but I didn’t have to be a victim. ”

Are you letting God protest you? Meet us in our forum and join the discussion concerning dragons and the greatest dragon slayer!

Moved but not Shaken

Di — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:52:03 +0000

When the strong winds come, it usually leaves everything in my yard in disarray. Patio chairs and flower pots blow over, branches fall, and leaves scatter. It looks like the whole yard has been turned upside down and everything has been shaken loose from its foundation.

For those of you moving through the “winds of change” in your life, you might feel like the very foundation of your world is shaken. Just like the wind is beyond our control, so are many of the circumstances that blow into our lives. From a traumatic job loss, home foreclosure, or unwanted move; a devastating divorce, or being a self-supporting single mom; a debilitating illness, or the painful death of a loved one; being an empty nester, or a caregiver to aging parents—change can leave your life turned upside down and often brings unexpected chaos to your world. Nothing seems the same around you and you don’t know where to begin to start putting the pieces back together again.

When you are moving through change, remember that our God is unchangeable. (Malachi 3:6) When the winds and the storms of life hit, you must stand strong on the solid rock of Jesus Christ and His promises; then your foundation will not be shaken-regardless of your circumstances!

He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. Psalm 62:2

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against the house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. Matthew 7:24-25

What are the winds of change that have shaken up your world? Will you choose to respond or react to your circumstances? Choose to respond by clinging to God’s word and His promises in the midst of a storm. Spend time with Him in prayer. His words and His presence will calm your emotions and soothe your soul. Don’t lose faith, and don’t give up. God will strengthen you and enable you to get past this storm.

Oh Lord, I am going through major changes right now, and my world has turned upside down. I run to you, my rock! Protect me, calm me, and let me rest in the shelter of your arms. Give me the strength of your Word to get through this. Amen

Speak and Live

Di — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:51:20 +0000

For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. (2 Corinthians 1:20 NASB)

Are you living a “Yes and Amen” ministry journey? Years ago when God called your husband and you to the glorious work of serving in ministry, do you remember that call? Is there a time when God has spoken promises to your heart through His Word? In 2 Corinthians, Paul is speaking to the church in Corinth concerning letting their yes be a yes and their no being no. God is always faithful. HIS YES IS ALWAYS YES! “He sent his Son as the greatest sign of His Yes in fulfilling the promise He made to Abraham that by his seed all the nations of earth will gain blessing and His yes was heard through David’s offspring to establish his throne forever.” (New American Commentary)

God will always give us the strength to answer through Jesus with an AMEN (So BE IT- SURELY). While the journey may be uncertain to us HE knows where we ARE and HE is NEVER late but exactly on time with a RESOUNDING YES IN OUR JOURNEY! Keep speaking the YES of HIS calling over your life and LIVE the AMEN as you walk by faith and Power in the ONE who has called you to this work.

What does it look like to live a YES and AMEN ministry journey? I’ll see you in forums and devotional to talk about it.Praying for you!
Diane

Finally, the winner of our $50.00 Date Night Gift Card is username: llinda Please contact us and we will mail out the gift card! Congratulations!

This months gift card is a Starbucks gift card! Remember to post to the devotionals or forums

Believe When You Don’t Feel Like It

Di — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:16:31 +0000

I can tell it has been another bad day by the way he walks in the door, his shoulders slightly slumped and the grin that used to welcome me is turned upside down. He pretends to smile for me and the kids but it never fully reaches his eyes. He unloads all his stuff onto the dresser but the weight of years of disappointments rest heavily on his shoulders.

I watch him, wondering how to help ease his irritation. I want to offer words of encouragement but they stick in my throat, not knowing how to dislodge his hurt. When I finally open my mouth, my suggestions sound canned and only increases the hurt. He gently responds to me,

“I know the correct answers but I am just mad.” His wounds masks themselves as anger but deep into his green eyes you see the hurt.

From the outside, few would know his struggles and search for significance. One must look closely to see that the monotony of life has left him bored and unfulfilled. He has a wife and two kids, a ministry, talent, and love for people but comes home each night tired and angry. Most days, I go one way and he goes the other and we occasionally cross paths to offer a greeting and then we fall into bed at night to get up and do it again. I wonder how many men around have reached a mid point and are left wondering if this is all there is to life? I wonder how many wives stand by them helplessly questioning how to help.

We are told and believe that serving the Lord would bring the greatest fulfillment, while staking our claim that doing God’s will would be the best for us. However, many days His will isn’t the easiest. Sometimes, it is just down right painful.

The dictionary tells us that belief is a “confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.” In this season of our lives, when anger and disappointment cloud the picture of God’s best for our life, we must choose to believe. To believe when we don’t feel like it. To trust when we are shaking. To hope when it seems hopeless. To stand on the promise that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV)

Have you or are you living in a time of believing when you didn’t want to believe? Have you had your trust shaken? How has choosing to believe brought you through? Meet us in the forums or the devotionals and comment.

Believe- Because I Know it Works

Di — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:04:41 +0000

Believe – Because I KNOW IT WORKS! Today, We recorded our devotional for you. Hope you enjoy it! Click on the link and go back to multi-tasking! At the end join us in the forums or post a comment to be entered in for a chance to win a gift card for Date Night! See you in the forums!

Do You Believe?

Di — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:05:27 +0000

Do You Believe that Jesus can transform a heart in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye? Our business, our work, is the work of religion. There are times in our work – if we are not on guard – we simply get used to believing! I mean we lose the awe of the powerful work of the Holy Spirit. We’re in the trenches – doing the work and we just get used to the supernatural. Now that’s an oxymoron.

When someone makes the proclamation, “I do believe!”, confesses their sin and asks Jesus to be the Lord of their lives a mighty supernatural work occurs! The scriptures tell us that the angels of heaven celebrate! I find that in our business of religion we can just forget the powerful moment of transformation for an individual. We forget that God has been pursuing relationship with his most precious creation since the fall in the garden. We also tend to forget or at least not give acknowledgment to the fact that He is pursuing people today.
This past Saturday afternoon my husband was home alone. He heard a knock on the door and went to answer it. As he opened the door, one of our dogs darted passed him to freedom and the lady standing at the door tried to block the escape with one leg. Preston was able to block the other two from escaping (yes I have 3 dogs – I know it’s crazy but I love my kids). My husband stepped outside and closed the door behind him. The lady began the conversation by telling him who she was and then what she was doing. A financial adviser – she was out drumming up business the old fashioned way. One customer at a time. As she finished her spill, my husband, being the man that he is turned the conversation to one of a spiritual nature. He shared his personal testimony of almost missing heaven by 18 inches.

He knew all about Jesus in his head but didn’t have Jesus in his heart. As he shared his story of a personal relationship with Jesus a transformation began to occur. The Holy Spirit was at work in the woman’s heart. A couple of times in the conversation she expressed, “I think I might cry..”, “I agree with that” and “your touching my heart”. At the end of his sharing, she expressed that she knew and believed everything that he had shared but she had never made it personal. My husband simply said, “Well we can take care of that right now if you would like.” She said, “YES, let’s do that.” So on our front porch, she bowed her head and asked Jesus to be her personal Lord and Savior! When they had finished praying, she hugged my husband and thanked him for his time. She said, “I knew there was a reason I was to come out today.” She walked to the end of our driveway and turned back and said, “You’ve changed my life!”

Do You believe that God is in the life changing business? Do you believe that He can do it in the moment such as the one above? Do you believe that all of our religious activity can conjure up the activity of the Spirit? Do you believe that God can move us from the work of religion to the powerful work of the Spirit? What if our churches – full of good religious folk began to BELIEVE that God does and could use them to help others BELIEVE? What if you and I would live a life of real BELIEVING? Not religious, head knowledge but real, authentic belief. The type of belief that changes the world one person at the door at a time. Meet me in the devotionals and in the forums!

Praying and believing for you!
Diane

Fear to Living Hope

Di — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:04:35 +0000

What if………….

Donna Avant

My cell phone rang. “Where are you? Have you seen the news?”……Words you do not want to hear from your husband when your 19 year old daughter is in the Middle East on a Mission Trip. She had been within 100 yards of a car bomb. Fear gripped my entire being. What if she is killed in the Middle East?

The house phone rings. “Mrs. Avant, we need you to come to the school immediately your son has been in an accident.” I could literally hear him screaming in pain through the phone. Again, fear grips my heart as the doctor tell us “Your son has broken his leg in five places. We need to take him to surgery immediately.” Fear plagues my mind…….what if my son never plays football again…the game he loves so much!

My husband of 25 years is standing in front of me. “I think the Lord is calling me to leave the pastorate and take a job with a mission agency.” Hold on……..what……I have been a pastor’s wife since I was 20 years old...I know no other way of life. What if I can’t adjust? Fear, once again, grips me.

Fear has become a common emotion in our society today. This generation of young people have experienced more to be fearful about than ever before. In the last 12 years, the younger generation has seen school shootings, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, our own nation being attacked and several economic crises. It all comes alive for them to see in living color on their TV, IPAD, or computer.

It is no wonder one in three Americans are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Antidepressants are the number one prescribed medication in America. (Peace without a Pill by Thomas Lindberg) The average American child today has the same level of anxiety as a psychiatric patient in the 1950′s. (Anxiety Free by Robert Leahy)

And yet, God’s word says “Do not fear”, some bible scholars say at least 365 times…….enough for a daily dose! A coincidence………..I think not!

At two of the most important events at history, the birth of Christ and at His resurrection, a woman was told “Do not fear.” (Luke 1:30 and Matthew 28:5) My Savior knows as a woman I will struggle with fear.

Fear is the exact opposite of faith. It is when I choose to dwell on circumstances or “what ifs” instead of the TRUTH!

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7) Christ gave us His power.…the power that raised Him from the dead…….to overcome fear.

Christ gave us a sound mind…….a mind that chooses to dwell on truth and not play “what if” games.

Most of the time our fears are irrational and come from playing “what if” games…….you know, What if they fire my husband, what if we can’t pay our bills, what if my daughter is raped, what if my son is in a car accident, what if they don’t like me, what if………and it goes on and on.

When my mind begins to play what if games……..I quote II Timothy 1:7 and remind the enemy of my mind that I have a sound mind and choose to dwell on Truth and not on “what ifs”!

And finally, the Lord gives us a His love to overcome fear according to II Timothy 1:7. If I truly believe Christ loves me………I will choose not to live in a spirit of fear. “There is no fear in perfect love. But perfect love drives out fear………….The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” I John 4:18

Saying Jesus loves me and saying I am fearful is a disconnect! It is a rejection of His love.

Do I truly believe Christ loves me enough to not allow anything to come into my life that He will not use for my good? Do I truly believe Christ loves me enough to empower me to overcome any and every circumstance that comes into my life? If I say Jesus loves me…….. I will choose not to fear or live my life in fear.

There are times when the emotion of fear begins to creep into my heart and the “what if” games begin.

At this point, I choose to believe He loves me and will live my life not in a spirit of fear, but in His power, in His love and with a sound mind!

No more “what if” games!!!! Have you ever played those “what if” games? See you in the devotionals and in the forums!

Donna Avant is the wife of Dr. John Avant, Senior Pastor of First Baptist West Monroe, Louisiana