I was reading how Moses received His calling from God to rescue the children of Israel from bondage. In Exodus 3.19 the Lord says: “And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.”

It was going to take time. There were going to be roadblocks along the way. It was all part of God’s divine plan.

Moses and Aaron ask Pharaoh to release the children of Israel to worship God in the wilderness. The result: Pharaoh accuses them of idleness and takes away he  straw for making brick. More work, deeper bondage.

The children of Israel are despondent, they immediately turn against Moses and Aaron saying:
“…The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh…” (Exodus 5:21).

This is in stark contrast to their allegiance to their leaders back in chapter 4, verse 31:
“And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel…they bowed their heads and worshipped.”

So how does Moses respond? He asks the Lord:
“…wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?” (Exodus 5:22).

How often are we like Moses and the children of Israel? As soon as we hit a roadblock, we doubt our calling and question God’s intentions and plan.

What would be a better response? How should we view roadblocks in our day-to-day lives?

The Lord calls us to turn to Him with faith when things don’t seem to add up in our lives. To remember what He taught us in the light and not to be afraid to walk hand in hand with the Lord through dark times.

Don’t doubt God’s calling when you face difficulties. Perhaps this roadblock is precisely what the Lord has allowed in your life to refine you and prepare you for what’s ahead.

HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND?
1. Pause and pray
2. Recall God’s promises
3. Place your trust in Jesus
4. Keep going!

Never give up sister. Praise God Moses didn’t. Roadblock after roadblock he continued to walk with God and experienced God’s wonders.

Do you want to see God do wonders in your life my friend?

Expect the roadblocks. Pray through them. Trust Jesus. And reap His rewards.

In Christ
Linda

When you rise up in the morning, what are the first thoughts that come to your mind?

Work, university, children, your ever expanding TO DO list?

Have you ever considered that your first thoughts each day reflect what you indeed are living for and cherish most?

Our purpose in life dictates what we do with our time each day and how we live.

The most perfect example given to us in scripture is of Jesus Christ Himself. What was His purpose in life and what drove His every thought and action?

This morning as I read from Matthew 20 my heart was warmed when I read these words:

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).

What an incredible purpose! I believe His first thoughts each day were consumed with the needs of others – of you and me.

He walked each day in service for the people God brought His way. He loved, He cared, He gave. He knelt down and washed the disciples feet. He healed the sick and helped those who were at their wit’s end.

Why did people flock to Jesus? They heard of this man. They heard that He cared. They heard that He was able to help. They came to Him because they were in need of salvation.

I wonder whether the same could be said of us. Whether people come to us because they feel we care. They feel we can help them.

I wonder whether we are clear about our purpose here on earth and whether our first thoughts each day are aligned to that purpose. I wonder whether the decisions we make about how to live each day, how we use our time and resources, are working towards the purpose God has given for us to live.

Friend, are you planning to minister to the needs of others today? Have you considered what God would have you to do today for His glory and for the sake of growing His Kingdom?

May the Lord help us to lift our eyes off our own problems and seek to minister unto others with all that God has blessed us with.

May you search for God’s purpose for your own life dear sister and go after it with all your heart.

Wishing you a most blessed and purpose-filled day.

In Christ’s love & service,
Linda

A very warm welcome to you.

My name is Linda Karkafi, author of Thrive to Make a Difference and I’m delighted to have you visit my blog.

The ministry of Thrive to Make a Difference was born from a desire God placed on my heart to thrive in the life God has called me to live, and to find purpose and perspective in the seemingly mundane moments of life.

In this blog I share my experiences as a wife, mother of four and business owner, and how the Lord has helped me develop a strong sense of focus and fulfilment in my life. I regularly share Christ-centered encouragement from the Word of God to help you thrive in your walk with Jesus.

I would be honoured if you would join me on this journey where we can thrive together in our relationship with Jesus and make a real difference in this world for eternity.

I would also like to invite you to join our community on Instagram and facebook @thrivetomakeadifference

Thank you again for your interest in my blog. I pray that I can be a blessing and encouragement to you this year and beyond.

God bless you!

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).

‘Well done, good and faithful servant’. Are these words you want to hear from the Lord when you meet Him face to face?

Do you desire to be a faithful woman with the one precious life God has blessed you with?

In a series of blog posts, I would like to share with you the qualities of a faithful woman. Each of these will correspond to a letter in the word ‘Faithful’.

First up, a faithful woman is ‘Fervent in prayer’. She finds refuge in God through prayer. She is close to the Lord because she talks to Him constantly and allows Him to speak to her heart.

She unloads her burdens daily before her Saviour. Her prayers reveal her humility. She doesn’t come to the Lord with a list of demands, but rather she communes with Jesus and comes to Him with an open and teachable spirit – desiring God’s ways and God’s interventions.

One of the secrets to her success as a faithful woman rests in her prayer-life. She draws strength, wisdom and support from God. She knows that she has no power to influence people in her own strength – but she has full faith that God can.

So she faithfully brings all her petitions to God one by one each day and trusts that God will work miracles and that she can be part of them simply through her fervent effectual prayers.

Psalm 145:18 says ‘The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him: to all that call upon him in truth’.

If we want to be truly faithful women we need to get down on our knees and pray fervently with belief.

Take the opportunity now to whisper a prayer to your Saviour. Ask Him to help you grow in your prayer life.

Our walk with Christ here on earth is a journey and we will never come to perfection until we are in our Saviour’s arms. So until then, may we seek to live on higher ground and unlock one of the most powerful tools given to us to live a faithful, godly life – and that’s prayer.

Philippians 4:6 says ‘Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’

Blessings,
Linda

While a faithful woman is fervent in prayer, she doesn’t remain in her prayer closet – she is action-oriented.

She may speak about the Lord and His Word often, but what makes her flourish in faithfulness is the way she puts her words into action.

Have you heard the saying… ‘your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks?’ In other words, your actions speak louder than your words.

A faithful woman lives by example and is a hard-worker for Christ. She offers up her talents and spiritual gifts to the Lord as a sweet sacrifice of praise and worship, for the purpose of edifying her family and the church.

A faithful woman recognises that anything good in her is from God and makes the decision daily to use her talents and gifts for His glory.

In Acts 13:22 God describes King David by saying: ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will’.

If God was to describe you – would He call you ‘a woman after God’s own heart?’

Do you have a heart that seeks to serve God and obey Him in practical ways?
Are there ways that you could offer up your talents and gifts to Jesus in order to edify your local church, particularly through this pandemic?

Each one of us has been placed in the body of Christ and has a special purpose to fulfil.

Perhaps you are an excellent cook – you could take the opportunity to prepare a meal for a sister who is sick or going through a difficult time.

You may be gifted in administration – offer your services to your Pastor and help in the church office or in planning future events.

You may have a beautiful voice or play an instrument – you could join the church choir and be faithful in practicing for special presentations.

You may say ‘I prefer to work behind the scenes’, well then you are one of the most valuable people in the church. You can serve faithfully in children’s nursery or get alongside women and support those who are struggling.

The opportunities are endless for the surrendered woman who seeks to faithfully serve Her Lord.

May God help us to be action-oriented women, faithful in serving our King.

Linda

It’s day 3 of the series – ‘Qualities of a faithful woman’.

Yesterday we discussed how a faithful woman should be action-oriented. Today I want to share the importance of being inspired by the Holy Spirit of God.

Too often we give control of our lives to other things:

– We are driven by our own selfish desires
– We let our thirst for acceptance inform our decisions
– Or we allow our priorities to be defined by our search for financial success

The Lord commands us as Christians to be ‘filled with the Spirit’ and ‘to walk in the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18, Galatians 5:16).

The truth is that our actions, responses and attitudes reveal if we are walking in the flesh or in the Spirit.

If you walk up to a group of ladies and listen to their conversation – it doesn’t take long to work out what’s leading their hearts and minds. The same goes for social media. Mathew 12:34 says.. ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh’.

As I prepared this devotion I prayed and asked God to help me to be led by His Spirit.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of just serving God by going through the motions. We teach another Sunday school class as we always have or just turn up to Bible study with a luke-warm heart. We sing hymns at church without truly worshipping God and thinking about what we are singing. We break bread and our minds are far from the cross. Sister, we all fall into the trap of walking in the flesh.

The challenge to us today is to surrender to Jesus and ask Him to control our lives fully again.

What is the result of being led by the Spirit of God?

– The power of God working through us
– Being in the centre of His will

– Heavenly results

– People will notice that we are different

Beautiful sister, do you want to thrive in your walk with Christ? Then I beg you, ask the Lord to help you walk in His Spirit and serve in His strength.

Allow God to be the inspiration behind every single thing you do each day.

Turn to the One who has the power to transform your life, home, relationships and ministry. Walk in His power and follow His lead.

This is one of the marks of a faithful woman of God.

With much love,
Linda

Day 4 of our journey is here…

A faithful woman of God is indeed filled by the Spirit of God (my last blog post), but she can’t keep it to herself!

She is so overflowing with the Word of God that she allows it to spill over to impact others. She is a teacher of good things (Titus 2:3) – a teacher of the holy Word of God.

A faithful woman shares with others what God is teaching her, she encourages them with the same encouragement she has received from the Lord.

While we may not feel called to teach in a formal sense, we can all use our mouths to impart wisdom from God’s Word to another woman.

In Philippians 1:27 Paul instructs the saints at Philippi the following ‘Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel’.

What a wonderful challenge to live by. Imagine if every time you spoke, people could identify Scripture in your speech.

If God is at the centre of our lives, then it should come naturally for us to speak about His Word in our daily interactions.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE:

1. Write down the names of 3 women you will be connecting with in the next few days.

2. Pray and ask the Lord to give you the opportunity to share something of spiritual value with them the next time you speak.

3. You could share something that touched your heart in your daily Bible reading or a testimony of an answered prayer. It doesn’t have to be awkward, simply ask God to help you weave the Word of God and the goodness of God into your conversations with these 3 women.

Perhaps you could ask Jesus to bless your conversations at upcoming gatherings and allow God to speak through you.

As we seek to be faithful women of God may the Lord help us to be generous with God’s Word, sharing it with sincerity and love.

Remember, our time on earth is fleeting. Take every opportunity to be a beacon of hope. Point to Jesus in your conversations this week and see what great things will follow.

God bless
Linda

Is holiness a virtue you desire in your life?

A faithful woman of God seeks to be holy. She is set apart from this world. She talks, walks, dresses, thinks and behaves differently. People who meet her almost instantly get the impression that she is different.

What makes a holy woman different? She has completely surrendered her life to Jesus and is experiencing victory over sin. As she walks with God daily she is becoming more like her Saviour and becoming less like the world.

So we see that genuine holiness is something that starts from within. It’s not about a set of standards or rules that we follow religiously, but rather it’s an amazing transformation that occurs within us as we allow God to change us into His beautiful image.

When our goal in life is to be like Jesus, we will see holiness form in our lives. And holiness ought to be a goal in every Christian woman’s life. Because when we love Him we will want to be like Him.

Also note in 1 Peter 1:15-16 that God commands us to be holy: ‘But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.’

When our goals are rooted in the things of this world – we can expect to find ungodly characteristics form in our lives. When our heart is set on holiness, we can expect to see the fruit of the Spirit rise up in our character and conduct. It’s noticeable either way.

Who do you find yourself admiring these days? Are you imitating Jesus or someone else? What proportion of your goals are spiritual versus physical? Be warned, what you concentrate on is precisely what you will become.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE:

Pray and ask the Lord to give you one spiritual goal to focus on in the coming month. Perhaps you will read your Bible each day without compromise. Or pray for a specific set of people every night. Maybe you will reduce your TV time by 20 minutes and read a wholesome Christian book instead.

May we fix our goals on spiritual aspirations this week. Let’s allow the Lord to touch every aspect of our lives, and together become more like Jesus.

Blessings
Linda

I’m so delighted to be continuing with our series ‘Qualities Of A Faithful Woman’. Today we explore the importance of a faithful woman being full of faith.

I want to share a story with you of a Pastor’s wife who described a time in her life when she really had to trust God to provide for her family’s needs in the early years of her husband’s ministry.

They were so poor and some weeks they didn’t have enough money for food. One night the church asked the Pastor and his family to join them at their local restaurant for some fellowship. It was a situation where everyone was paying for themselves.

The Pastor and his wife agreed – they wanted to minister to the church people and this was a great opportunity for them to be a blessing. But then on their way they searched their wallets and found that they actually only had less than a dollar. They even had the kids check the back seats of the car for any coins that may have fallen.

They had already committed to going so they decided to turn up anyway and agreed that they would just buy a drink to share.

At the front counter, before they were seated, the lady handed a few large bags of food to them and explained that some kids went through the drive-through and ordered so much food but then drove off without paying – and now all the food would go to waste – so she asked whether they would like them.

The Pastor and his wife were filled with tears!

This family was living by faith and praying daily for God to supply their needs. They were working hard to support their new small church, despite the lack of financial support.

The purpose of this story is to show that when we have true faith in God, we can expect His provision and blessings in our lives.

A woman who is faithful can share many stories of how God is working in her life and providing for her every need.

The world says ‘you’ve got this’, but faith says ‘Lord I know You’ve got this, so I’m relying on You today’.

He can and will provide us with all our needs – we just need to take steps of faith each day and trust Him.

Wishing you a most blessed week sweet friend, fuelled by faith and laced with grace.

In Christ’s love
Linda

Now for one of my favourites. A faithful woman of God is unmovable!

She has a strong and deeply rooted foundation.

I love the song we sing to children in Sunday school ‘build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ and the blessings will come down.’

The only unshakeable foundation that we can base our lives on is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful women choose to build their lives on the firm foundation of God’s Word and they are unmovable:

– When trials come, they move not.
– When disappointments come, they move not.
– When people around them falter or fall, they move not.
– When people hurt or fail them, they move not.

A faithful woman is the kind of person you want to go to for help and advice, because you can trust that she is walking firmly with God and unwavering in her faith.

Who comes to mind when you think of this kind of woman?

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.’

Would you consider yourself unmovable?

Sister, we need to be strong and unmovable in our faith, otherwise we will be ineffective Christians, mothers, wives and leaders.

Our friends, sisters, children and relatives need to be able to come to us for consistent godly advice – if we are wavering in our own thoughts and beliefs then we will lead them astray.

The best way to ensure that we are unmovable is to build our lives on the Lord Jesus Christ – that means we need to study the Word of God and rely on His Word to guide our thinking and actions.

We can never go wrong if we follow the Bible. When different doctrines come our way, we need to run to God and search the scriptures and not just rely on people’s opinions.

In Hebrews 13:8 we read that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

People will change their mind – but God never will!

God is truth and we need to commit to worshipping Him in Spirit and Truth.

May God help us to be unmovable Christian women – who stand firm on God’s Word and are unshaken by the world around us.

God bless you precious sister.

Linda