Beautiful Moments: Recent Episodes
Debbie Huxton
Somedays we all need encouraging. This podcast is for those days, beautiful moments of reflection and the occasional conversation to inspire and uplift you the listener.
Seize this moment.
You probably have heard the ancient saying “Carpe diem.” It’s a Latin aphorism that can be translated as “Seize the day.” Sayings with similar meanings can be found in many cultures.
Life is different at the moment. Many may be worrying health, relationships, finances.
There is a difference between concern and worry. It is ok to be concerned about something but when it turns to worry and is affecting how we do life then we need to do something about it.
Worrying has no benefit. Worry can turn to fear. Fear can become a habit. Much of our worry is based on FEAR. Untruths our minds are telling us.
With every sunrise there is a new invitation to step into the day and seize every moment. If you are struggling with fear, worry, doubt, lost in an ocean of overwhelm it’s important to deal with these feelings. Leaving them only leads to them becoming strongholds that threaten your well being. Its important to surround yourself with the right people to help you get to the root cause, see how’s it’s affecting your physical and mental health, your personal and spiritual growth, your relationships and how you do life and then working with the right resources and tools to set you free.
Matthew 6:27 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
Seize this moment to so each day becomes a day of breakthrough. It’s time to invest in you.
Pause For Thought - Valentines Day
Happy Valentine's Day this is one of the most widely celebrated unofficial holidays. I was reading an article the other day written by Dianne Neal where she was discussing there several different explanations for Valentines day, which was declared a celebration of martyrs in A.D. 496 by Saint Pope Gelasius I.
Did you know that some experts believe the celebration was designed to divert Christians from the pagan observance of Lupercalia, an ancient Roman festival. Other experts link the custom of exchanging valentines with the old English belief that birds chose their mates on that day.
Now the early church had two saints named Valentine. In one story the Roman Emperor Claudius II forbade young men to marry, thinking that single men made better soldiers. However a rebellious priest named Valentine disobeyed this and secretly married young couples.
Another version tells is that Valentine was an early Christian who seemingly made friends with children. When the Romans imprisoned him, the children threw loving notes through his cell window.
Jesus condensed the Ten Commandments into two:
"... love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." Mark 12:30 (NLT)
[Jesus said,] "I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other." John 13:34 (NLT)
He said the love we have for one another will prove to the world that we are his followers (John 13:35).
Once we experience God's lavish, unconditional love, the only reasonable response is to share that love with others.
Jesus also gave a command that appears illogical and impossible:
"But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.” Luke 6:27 (NLT)
Our natural tendency is to love only those who love us, which Jesus said is no credit to us. The selfless love He described can be expressed only with supernatural help from God's Spirit, but it offers the world an undeniable witness of God's transforming love and power.
Maybe we should use this February 14 to reach out to those who don't come to mind when we think of Valentines.
The Essential Message of Christmas
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name ‘Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ ” Matthew 1:23
At this time of the year, we say, “Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays,” and we need to be mindful Christmas isn’t always a merry or happy time for everyone. For some who has lost their job, this is not the most wonderful time of the year, because so much emphasis is placed on a merry Christmas being a materialistic one.
There are also those who have lost loved ones. I am one of those people, and this time of year now come with an ache as songs, and preparations evoke memories of happy times gone before. Therefore, Christmas becomes a difficult time for some. This year unlike any other is very different, separation and isolation, loss and uncertainty seem to be the message being given.
This Christmas we are in need of encouragement, we need to hear a message of Hope and certainty. We don’t need Christmas presents; we need Gods presence. We need to be reminded of what this season is all about. It is not about material things, food drink or presents as nice as they all may be.
In the bible we read in
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name ‘Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ ”
We need to be reminded now more than ever of the essential message of Christmas, which is Immanuel—God is with us. And for the hurting person, the lonely person, the sorrowing person, the fear filled person, it is time to be reminded of the gift that was given over 2000 years ago.
“The message of Christmas is: God will be with you. God will help you. God will strengthen you.”
God’s Will for you is to receive Jesus into your heart, your life as a gift so that you can receive all He has to give you
Forgiveness
Health
Encouragement
Hope
Wisdom
Peace
Provision
Freedom (Deliverance)
Fresh Infilling of the Holy Spirit
Receive the best present ever this Christmas, receive Christ into your heart and unwrap the gift that keeps on giving.
“The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make His face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn His face toward you
and give you peace…”
Numbers 6:24-26
Be strengthened and filled with renewed Hope this Christmas.
If you are looking for community online you can join us in our private facebook group - Beautiful Ministries
Have a safe, Hope filled Christmas
Lots of love to you all
Debbie
In this podcast I want to encourage you to pause and think about Gods word being a love letter that came alive through Jesus ‘the word became flesh’ and in receiving Jesus as our Lord and saviour in our hearts and through our actions we are called to be a love letter to the world.
If you would like to become part of the Beautiful family then head over to the website www.beautifulsisterhood.co.uk where you will find the link to join our facebook group.
Pause For Thought - Rise Up
“And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.” ~ Luke 13:10-13
Our emotions can overwhelm us and sometimes we get lost in the midst of them. The feeling of overwhelm can cripple us just as much as this woman was crippled; affecting our relationships, our goals, and our whole life. Some of you, just like this woman, have battle this your whole life and some of you have battled with it for years. Overtime your perspective has became distorted and skewed.
It is time to rise up.
www.beautifulsisterhood.co.uk
Pause For Thought - Blossom For His Glory
When a rose bush is planted, it’s just a stick with maybe a few leaves. But it’s still a rose bush.
As it grows, it gets more leaves and more branches and it is just as much a rose bush as it was when it was first planted, but now it’s more the way God designed a rose bush to look and grow.
After more growth, fresh buds appear and bloom, beautiful roses appear. Then it’s more obvious that it is a rose bush. But still it is no more a rose bush now than when it was first planted.
https://www.beautifulsisterhood.co.uk
Pause For Thought - Live Balanced Not Burdened
This is an invitation the Bible tells us as believers we are called to be people of rest.
Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
When we live from a place of striving and exhaustion it can feel like the weight of the world lives on our shoulders, we are carrying burdens that are not ours to take.
God wants us to give to Him the heavy things from our lives, the burden of keeping up appearances, trying to find solutions to our dissatisfactions, trying to fit in, feel significant and in control.
Come and sit at the feet of Jesus.
www.beautifulsisterhood.co.uk
Pause For Thought - Let Go
Sometimes we can be our own stumbling block and need to get out of Gods way.
‘Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding’ Proverbs 3:5
Heavenly Father, help us to put aside our restless soul, our busy minds, our uncertainty and instead let us learn to place our full trust in you.
www.beautifulsisterhood.co.uk