Hi Friend,
I have another encouraging word for you today! But first, let me ask you a couple questions …
Do you ever feel like life requires a LOT of work but sometimes offers little return?
Have you ever invested a lot of time, energy and commitment to a special relationship, career or important project only to arrive at a point where you feel discouraged and weary, instead of successful and prosperous?
Let’s take a few minutes right now and discover what God’s Word says about being prosperous and successful. Simply click on the audio button below to find out more:
I hope you enjoyed today’s message. Feel free to share it with your friends and family, especially if you know someone who is struggling right now and needs encouragement.
I hope you’ll take some time this week to begin applying what we’ve discovered today in Joshua 1:8. Select your own special Scripture verse (it doesn’t have to be Joshua 1:8) and begin meditating on it, speaking it out loud as you memorize it, and apply it to your circumstances. Allow God’s Word to renew your mind and speak truth into your life. Oh, and don’t forget that amazing promise of success and prosperity that God offers us.
Below is a free graphic that you can download and save as a screensaver for your desktop or phone. It will be a great reminder and reflection of hope for you in the days and weeks ahead.
I’d love for you to share which part of Joshua 1:8 resonated with you the most. Just leave your comments below and I’ll automatically include your name in this week’s giveaway of Listen, Love and Repeat. UPDATE: This week’s winner is Karolina. Thanks to everyone for leaving such great comments. Y’all are the best!!
Remember, life is so much better when we share it together!
Reyna says
Today I was searching online hoping to see or read something that could help me understand my situation. I just don’t know what else to do. I am 55 years old and I have no idea what it is that God wants me to do as I have done so much over the years but yet I have nothing. I have worked hard to keep a job since I was 18, and finally in my 40’s I was able to complete an MBA Degree. I am a good person, I believe in God, I love to help people, I love my family, and I attend Sunday morning church services almost every week. But for some reason, I am always the first to be laid off from jobs, despite having an MBA I have not been able to land a job since early Nov/2016. I am divorced and have a son at home with a service connected disability who needs my help constantly. I don’t know what else to do in regards to jobs I apply to every single day. I am exhausted and extremely discouraged. I make sure that when I pray I thank God for still having good health and the will to go on, for not giving up. I pray for guidance, I pray for wisdom, I pray for the job that will help us pay our bills soon, and I pray for patience. But I’m left wondering if I’m doing something wrong. I understand that I have to place my worries and troubles in God’s hands, have faith, believe, and wait. But I have been waiting long and now my financial situation is becoming critical. How long am I suppose to wait after leaving my troubles in God’s hands? It seems companies don’t want to hire me because of my age. That’s very wrong. I am honestly very weak and tired of fighting for more than 37 years to achieve at least some level of financial stability. I cannot quit as I am the only person who loves my son enough to help him until God takes one of us.
Leah says
Reyna, it sounds like you’re doing all the right things and your struggles in finding a job are similar to so many others. I agree, the waiting can be hard and hope-draining. I am praying for you today.
Cheryl Neely says
Thank you for fleshing out this verse. As always God has a word for me in a time I need it. This is my message for now and I thank God for you being the messenger to me today. God bless you.Listening was a better way for me to digest it as well as written. Keep it up .
Tammie C Painter says
Leah, I want you to know, I just lost my dad February 16th. He was my heart. My mother no longer talks to me and will not answer any of my calls. I don’t know why.
Ive been sick a lot myself. I was in the hospital when my dad was. The only difference is that he went on to be with the Lord, I did not.
Having said all of this, Ive been really discouraged because my mother looks at money. She leans to my brother because he has all the worldly riches. I do not think that my mother or brother or my neice is saved. My mother knows I am, and I feel like she has just pushed me to the side.
This devotion helped me a lot. I do believe that God is working on me to build a ministry. My dad and I sang in church many times. Now that he is no longer here, I will carry this through on my own.
Thank you so much!
Tammie C Painter
Leah says
Dear Tammie, I’m so sorry to hear about your dad and everything else you’re going through right now. I’m praying for you today! I’m asking the Lord to soften hearts and draw your family closer together during this time of separation and grief. My parents died within 15 months of each other and it was really tough. My best advice for you is to stay in God’s Word, allowing Him to speak to you and lean on Jesus for help and guidance. He will see you through this hardship.
Leah says
HI Friends! I’ve LOVED reading your comments and suggestions on the blog this week. After I recorded/posted the audio message, I remembered another important and effective way we can keep God’s Word on our lips –> singing worship and praise music. I do this all the time – whether I’m working in my office, working around the house, cooking, cleaning, working out at the gym or running errands. Singing God’s Word can be so powerful! It not only speaks life and healing into our hard circumstances, but I believe it also nurtures and comforts our soul as we sing.
One of my favorite music artists is Travis Cottrell, because much of his music is Scripture put to melody. When I sing his songs I know I’m singing straight from God’s Word. In fact, I’m listening to one of his songs on itunes right now. Who is one of your favorite worship artists?
Joelle Foong says
Thank you, Leah for the sharing. Once again, God is affirming that as I grow, I need to be firmly rooted in His Word. I’m doing Pastor Rick Warren’s daily devotions. It’s no coincident that Pastor Rick had been talking about reading the Bible and meditating on the verses too for the past few days. Even my church Sermon last weekend was on reading, meditating and applying God’s Word! Everything this season for me just points to immersing myself in God’s Word! Praise the Lord! Thank you, Jesus for guiding me.
Jessika Hoover says
Leah, thank you so much for your words of encouragement! I really am loving these audio posts.
As for which part of Joshua 1:8 resonates with me the most, I have to say “meditate on it day and night…” I liked what you said especially about sometimes reading the Bible and not always knowing what you read. I am reading through the Bible again this year and I’m trying to be much more intentional about meditating on what I’m reading and trying to understand just what God is trying to show me.
Karolina says
Thank you so much for sharing your perspective on this verse :). I think you give us an important reminder – that prosperity is not necessarily the material things that most of us tend to associate the word with, but it’s equally important to be blessed with health, good relationships and other things that at that at the end of the day more important than material things.
You also gave me a new perspective on how I should be reading God’s word from now on. I really appreciated you listing some questions that we should ask ourselves when reading the word. I think it will help me to take more out of my reading time, and also you gave me a bit of a new definition on what it means to meditate on God’s word- through asking these questions as we read through the Bible. I’m looking forward to applying it 🙂
robin shader says
Thank you for sharing through these audio clips. I read often but do find that many times I have ” forgotten” what I’ve read so after. I hadn’t realized it before but I learn better when hearing audibly as well as visually.
Sherrie says
I really appreciated your message. This year I have been trying to focus on memorizing scripture, something I have always struggled to do. This encouraged me to keep at it. And I really liked that you focused on prosperity & success not being just about money. I need my marriage to prosper & be a success. Thank you.
Gina Klee says
Meditate on it day and night… as I am going throughout my day often a verse from either the Bible or a Christian song will just pop into my head out of the blue. I thank God for these moments of when I feel his presence so near to me.
Jeanna says
I’ve noticed that all the women in the Proverbs 31 ministries are trying to go digital, like the video teachings, and that’s great for a lot of people! Unfortunately I’m not one of those people who can learn by sound. I need the written word in order to get the most out of any teachings. It would be nice to have the videos translated into words afterwards… This was a great teaching!
Proverbs31 ministry….please think about having the written word also for teachings. Thank you!!
Elsie says
Thank you very much for your blog and being able to listen what you said about Joshua 1:8. Bible verses do become more apart of you when you single them out. I have read the book of Joshua before,but never singled out that verse. I like what you said about prosperity and I agree with you. Prosperity does mean more than just money – it means as you said the abundant Christian life here on earth. Thank you for that reminder. I like to look up the verse I have chosen to meditate on in other translations instead of commentaries to fully understand the verse. I underline in my Bible when I read it , I underlined Joshua 1:1-9 and put a star by Joshua 1:9, I will now add a star by Joshua 1:8.
Beth says
Loved this teaching! I have been focusing on how obedience brings God’s blessings and this was a confirmation! ❤ The closer I become to God, the more hungry I am for His Word, the more I’m aware of His blessings. Life is still challenging but He is blessing big!!! Thank you Leah!