by Misty Phillip | Apr 27, 2017 | Fulfillment
Today I had the wonderful opportunity to share some of my testimony in an interview with Vickie Petz Henderson, MD on the My Journey of Faith Podcast. On the show, we talk about my passion for encouraging women through the difficult circumstances of life by trusting in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Life is challenging, and sometimes it is just downright hard! We need to encourage one another in the faith. Vickie and I discuss my passion for encouraging women to seek Jesus, studying the Word, and for growing in grace. We talk about some of the most challenging times in my life experiences struggling with grief, infertility, problem pregnancies, loss of babies and miscarriage.
Vickie Petz Henderson, MD practiced obstetrics and gynecology for nearly twenty years and counseled many women in her practice going through circumstances similar to what I experienced, and we agreed that Jesus is the answer to any of the problems we face today.
We also talked about my devotional writing for Philanthropy at www.PhilanthropyFashion.com
Here is a link to the podcast My Journey of Faith Podcast – Featuring Misty Phillip
I hope this podcast blesses you, and if it does, please share it with someone you think might benefit from listening to it!
by Misty Phillip | Apr 25, 2017 | Featured
Today I would like to share another devotion I wrote for Philanthropy Fashion.
PhilanthropyFashion.com – It’s all about the prayer!
One of the things that drew me to Philanthropy besides the obvious things—the great people working at their stores, the beautiful clothes and their unique style—was that they were a retail company that has a mission for prayer and to change people’s lives. Philanthropy considers it a privilege to intercede on behalf of those who cross their paths and is evidenced by the prayer chapels in each store.
As Christian believers, we are to live a life of prayer. It is our joy and honor to pray for others and is an important part of our Christian life. In the Old Testament, only the High Priest was able to enter the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary where the presence of God dwelt in Tabernacle.
We now have direct access to God the Father since Jesus tore the veil. We can talk to God like we talk to our friends. Anywhere. Anytime. We have direct access to the same God who spoke the world into existence, and yet He is the same God that knew us in our Mother’s womb and numbers every hair on our head.
Not only did Jesus make way for us to have direct access to communicate to God the Father, but he also modeled for us on several occasions how to prayer. Prayer was an important part of Jesus’ life, and it should be an important part of our life as well.
Throughout the book of Luke, Jesus gives us several examples of prayer. Let’s take a look at some of those examples.
What a beautiful picture we see here as Jesus prays and the heavens opened. When Jesus is baptized, and the Holy Spirit descends upon him in Luke 3:21-22 ESV we see Jesus is praying.
“Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” – Luke 3:21-22 ESV
The night before Jesus called the disciples, Luke says that Jesus prayed all night to God.
“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” – Luke 6:12 ESV
From this, we learn that when Jesus had an important decision to make, he committed his decision to prayer. We can learn from His example, and when we have difficult decisions to make we should also commit them to prayer, even praying all night if necessary.
In Luke 9:18 Jesus prays alone as he was with the disciples, and He asks them”Who do the crowds say I am?” They answer, with various answers like John the Baptist, Elijah, or a prophet of old, but Peter confesses Jesus as Christ. Jesus was in constant communication with the Father, even when he was with others.
Later in that same chapter of Luke in verse 28, we see the Transfiguration of the Lord. As Jesus prays “the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.” The glory of God changed the countenance of Jesus, and it will transform us too! Spending time in prayer and praise changes our whole demeanor.
Finally, in Luke 11, one of his disciples asks Jesus to teach us how to pray. Jesus responds with what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer by giving us the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11:3-4 (below in the ESV)
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
Jesus’ example to us was, to begin with, praise to the Father. Acknowledge His will and His Kingdom, and to ask God for our daily provision. We should ask for the forgiveness of our sins and forgive others who sin against us. Finally, leading us not to temptation.
Prayer was important to Jesus, and prayer should be important to us too! If you have a prayer request, you may leave it below, or just leave your name or a word. God intimately knows your situation, and we would be honored to pray for you.
by Misty Phillip | Apr 23, 2017 | Life
We met the sweetest elderly couple in the Costco parking lot. The husband was parked next to our car in his Suburban that had a wheelchair attached to the back. His sweet pudgy wife was trying to direct her granddaughter to help her unload their two huge baskets of goods.
Enter my dear sweet husband, Peter. He has a soft spot in his heart for the weak, disabled and the elderly. Peter has been like this his entire life. When he was a boy in school, the only time he got into trouble was when he defended the underdog and stood up to the bully who was picking on the special kids.
Like a knight in shining armor, my husband came in to help this elderly woman in distress. He unloaded their baskets and carefully stacked everything in the back of their vehicle, speaking blessings over them in the name of Jesus.
The weathered elderly man with a kind face was a disabled veteran exposed to Agent Orange in service to his country and now because of his diabetes is confined to a wheelchair. Peter thanked him for his service to our nation and helped his sweet wife into the car and buckled her seat belt. She gently patted my husband on his chest and thanked him.
Now Peter could have just walked by them and paid no attention to their needs, loaded up our car and drove away. Instead, he took a few minutes out of his day to notice someone in need, and help them. My husband’s encouragement blessed this sweet couple by taking a moment to see them and lend a helping hand. We spent a few minutes helping them, but it blessed us.
When we slow down and live aware of our surroundings, we will find that God will put people in our path for us to minister to if we are willing. Not only does it bless both us and them, but we fulfill the law when we treat others the way we would want to be treated.
Jesus summarized the Torah, the law, with the Golden Rule, found in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31.
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, also do to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12 English Standard Version (ESV)
“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” Luke 6:31 English Standard Version (ESV)
Think how different our world would be if we always lived out the Golden Rule in our daily lives.
Can you think of a time when you have applied the Golden Rule or has someone gone out of their way to minister the Golden Rule to you? I would love to hear how you have applied this principle in your life. Leave me a comment below, and tell me how you have lived this out.
by Misty Phillip | Apr 18, 2017 | Featured
How was your weekend? We had a Blessed Easter Weekend, celebrating Easter with a fantastic church service followed by a relaxing day of fellowship with family.
We experienced great praise and worship in the service and our Pastor shared about the resurrection from Matthew 28. Jesus is the resurrected Savior who overcame death, hell, sin, and the grave!
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” Matthew 28:5-6 ESV
Easter is over, what’s next?
After we celebrate Easter and put away our church clothes and Easter baskets, what’s next? We just experienced an amazing holiday celebration. So now what? Do we just go on with life, business as usual? If we continue reading in Matthew 28, we find the answer. Matthew 28:1-10 we learn about the resurrection and the following verses 11-15 are about the report from the guard. The chapter closes out the first book of the New Testament with the Great Commission. So what do we do next? We tell others about Jesus and make disciples.
We are to tell others about Jesus!
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:11-15 ESV
After conquering death, hell, and the grave, all authority in heaven and on earth was given to Jesus! After the resurrection, the first thing Jesus says is for us to tell others about him and make disciples of all nations. Once we tell people about him, and they accept him as Lord and Savior, then we are to teach them to follow his commands and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus concludes that passage by telling us that he is always with us, even to the end of the age.
We are blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are given the Holy Spirit to comfort us and guide us through life. No matter where we go we have access to the throne of God the Father, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. If we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will have opportunities to share the love of Jesus Christ with others. Find out what happened with my divine interruption Mastermind Group Interrupted by Divine Appointment.
Now that we have experienced the great love and forgiveness of Jesus, we should tell as many as we can about the good news of Jesus Christ. I recently wrote about an experience my friend had in Why didn’t anyone ever tell me about Jesus?
Here are some simple ways to share the love of Christ with others:
- Begin with Prayer. Pray about who you can witness to, and how you can show them, love. Make sure to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Maybe you can invite friends or neighbors to church or Bible Study. Offer to pray for those you know at work or school who are hurting.
- Look for opportunities to do random acts of kindness. Live aware of those around you, and look for opportunities to bless. Karen Ehman in Listen, Love, Repeat! calls these “heart drops,” when we have the chance to see into the heart of those around us.
This week I challenge you to share the love of Christ. Leave a comment below and share some other ways that we can share the love of Jesus Christ with those around us.
Have a fantastic week! Blessings, Misty
by Misty Phillip | Apr 14, 2017 | Featured
Remember what looks like defeat on Friday is Victory on Sunday!
Praise Jesus! The sinless spotless lamb suffered for our sin and shame and was obedient unto to death on the cross so that we could be reconciled to the Father!
Praise Jesus! He is Risen!
Have a Blessed Easter Weekend!
Recent Comments