Seizing God's Promises Fearlessly


Oh, how this verse has ministered to my soul! In January of 2018, my son swore into the U.S Navy. I was filled with pride followed by waves of fear and worry. That's when God whispered the promise found in Joshua 1:9 right to my spirit.

Be strong and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go... 
I am with him wherever he goes.

I needed those words that day. I needed to be reminded of what I already knew: that I can trust God with my children's futures. I can trust that He loves them even more than I do and that He knows the perfect plan for them. That's a promise I cling to and God helps me to do that without living in fear.

For a good while, I saw that verse everywhere - it was quoted in sermons, mentioned on the radio, painted on signs all over, printed on t-shirts... everywhere! After a while, either my sensitivity lessened, or it really did lose frequency, but I didn't see it as often. Like manna, it was there when I needed it.

It turns out that life as a military mom means frequently getting news that is unsettling. Because this is real life, and operational security is vitally important, I can't be any more detailed when it comes to the specific news we received most recently than to say it made me ugly cry.

Those completely natural mom fears reared their ugly heads. And immediately chasing those fears, that promise from Joshua 1:9 has been popping up everywhere again. And when I see or hear it, it's like a sweet hug right from my heavenly father.

I love that we serve a God who cares about the state of our hearts. Who brings just the right words to mind at just the right moments. Who knows us more intimately than we can imagine, and can bring comfort like no other.

My experience with Joshua 1:9 drove me to a deep study of the book of Joshua, which led to writing the Bible study Seizing God's Promises Fearlessly.

Since publishing that Bible study, I have been urged several times to begin a blog, so here we go on this new journey!

This space will focus on growing spiritually as Christ followers. We are on a journey of sanctification, daily being made more like Jesus, and I think we need encouragement along the way. I hope to be one of those encouraging voices to each of you who come across this blog.

For today, I'll share a little about me.

My Family

I've been married to Ron for twenty years, and most of it has been a blast! He's supportive, my best friend, the guy who's fun to hang around, but also the one who brings me down to earth when necessary. We have two kids, one of them is my son mentioned above, and the other is our daughter, a teenager who is pretty awesome, too. 

My Ministry

When I list it all out, it looks like I must never stop, but the truth is that most of what I do in ministry is also what I do for fun, and it fits right in with my life. I serve part-time as a pastor to children and families at my church. I serve as the Associate Pastor of Salvage Yard Biker Church opening in Cincinnati this Fall. I also serve as the Chaplain for the Cincinnati chapter of the Priesthood Motorcycle Ministry. My husband serves as the Road Captain for the Priesthood and is heavily involved in the Biker Church, so we get to do those things together. 

My Self

Besides what I have already shared, I love to read, and I love to write. I enjoy painting, but I can't dream up an image to save my life so I find stuff to trace and color in! I enjoy hiking, though I don't get to do it very often. And I have begun, once again, the struggle of getting back in shape; at this point I hate it, but I know that once I get some momentum it's something I really enjoy.

My Socials

Facebook: @SeizingGodsPromisesFearlessly
Instagram: @ileana_seward
Twitter: @Sewardileana
Website: ileanaSeward.com

Now You

Today this blog is all about me, me, me, but I want to find out about YOU! When it comes to spiritual growth, staying on track, getting past your past, doing this Christian walk, what are your hangups? What do you struggle with? What do you hope to learn?

Like you, I'm not who I was yesterday. 

We can do better.

Let's grow together!








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intro to My Next Bible Study!

Image
Dear reader, guess what! After mountains of study and so much prayer, Bible Study number two is finally in the writing stage! The first week is well under way, so I am sharing the (draft) introduction with you. I do this for two reasons. First, I need the accountability to keep typing away! Second, I want to get your feedback in real time. I will continue sharing from the study each week, and I'd love to know what you'd like to see addressed, and what questions pop up in your mind.   I invite you to clear your mind of distractions for a moment, and ponder what God has to say to us today. Maybe this gorgeous scenery will help! *** *** *** *** “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Romans 7:15 In Romans 7, Paul went on something of a mini rant about doing what he doesn't want to do and not doing what he does want to do. It made me go cross-eyed the first few times I read it. But the more I did, the more the sente
Read more

Sneak Peek into the new Bible Study!

Image
Thank you, first, to everyone who was excited about joining me in the writing process of this new study! I would LOVE for you to comment and help me along with questions and comments! I will share some of the study below, and then I will share something I'm excited about including in the study - this is still in the brainstorming phase, so your feedback would really help! If you share an idea I use, your name could end up in print! Let's open those Bibles... Excerpt Today we’re going to press on and meet the first Judge in Israel. We’ll focus on the importance of witness being shared. Read Judges 2: 6-10 Right off the bat, we’re witnessing something so important. Joshua and the elders who led with him saw miracles and fought battles with God leading the way. They saw with their own eyes and experienced wonders that left no room for doubt that God IS and that He is good and powerful and   for   them. The next generation benefitted from the work of Joshua’s generation, but they w
Read more
Image
What it is to be a Disciple Who are we following? Last week my accountability partner, Pastor Angela France, was working on a sermon that I could tell was a big deal. She always takes sermon preparation seriously, but there are some where it’s evident that God is working on something extra special. So I called her and asked to hear what she was putting together. It was like having my own private church service over the phone! What she was working on was tackling the question : Who are we following? And the follow-up question: Whose voice are we listening to? She shared an instance where, during a church service, a phrase popped into her head as clear as a bell. It was so clear and so applicable to a struggle she was dealing with that she just assumed the phrase came from God. But as time went on, she was less certain of that, and yet, the phrase stuck with her. Now she asks: was that from God, or was that the enemy trying to deceive? This led into a focus on the importanc
Read more