10 Promises to Overcomers

Happy Freebie Friday!

I was reading through Revelation in my ESV Study Bible, and stumbled upon a quick reference chart that depicts 10 Promises to Overcomers. I decided to put it to a quick, fun design for you to print out and have as a helpful reference!

Click here to download.

If you are looking for a good Bible to study with, I definitely recommend the ESV Study Bible. It's so helpful and breaks down all the verses you might have trouble with, and includes John Piper's sermons and countless resources and charts for you to better understand God's Word. What I love about the ESV Study Bible is that it has an online version, that allows you to record all your notes, digital highlighting and you can open it up from any device, whether on the ESV app or on any computer when you log in to your account!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Your Spiritual Diagnosis

I could be the only one that does this, but I have the WebMD app. It can be dangerous. If I feel any kind of cold, headache, you name it coming on, I immediately go to the app and use their symptom checker. I diagnose myself with all kinds of crazy issues and my husband thinks I'm ridiculous. :)

And sometimes that symptom checker works really well, but most of the time it doesn't really have that accurate of results...they're pretty broad and list hundreds of possible cases you might have. You could be achy and have a headache with all kinds of diseases and sicknesses, but you can't always pinpoint what's actually wrong with you.

BUT, did you know that you can accurately pinpoint your closeness to God? Are you feeling spiritually dry and you don't know why? Give yourself this spiritual diagnosis and see where you're at in your relationship with Him:

1. Do you spend time in the Word each day for a quality amount of time? Do you make it top priority?
2. Do you spend time in prayer with God each day, throughout the day? Do you make prayer to Him a top priority?
3. Do you thank God each day for His Son, whom He sacrificed so that you could have a personal relationship with a perfect God, even though you're still a sinner?
4. Do you recognize the blessings that God gives you and thank Him for it?
5. Do you feel instant conviction when you sin?
6. Do you ask God for forgiveness of your sin?
7. Do you ask forgiveness from others you've sinned against before asking for forgiveness from God?
8. Do you desire to love your enemies?
9. Do you desire to talk about Jesus without being ashamed or guarded?
10. Do you enjoy worshiping with your church family?
11. Do you tithe at least 10 percent of your income to the Lord each time you are paid?
12. Do you desire to serve the Lord in your church?
13. Is your attitude positive and uplifting toward others?
14. Are you dependent more upon God than you are on yourself?
15. Do you have a genuine love for God's people?
16. Do you trust God's will for your life?
17. Do you have a desire to share the Gospel?

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, then it shows what areas of your spiritual relationship with God that are lacking. Pray about these things, and ask God to help you in these areas so that you can be a more mature and equipped believer. A Christian's whole life purpose is to serve God. That's the agreement you made when you chose to become a Christian. It is a privilege to serve Christ.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24

Praying that you have a strong relationship with Him,

Free Prayer Card Giveaway!

SydneePeacock Pink Chevron Prayer Cards!

:: SYDNEEPEACOCK PRAYER CARD GIVEAWAY::

Looking for a fun, fashionable and helpful way to help you pray Scripture? 

Look no further then these quality printed and designed Prayer Cards! 

And I'm giving a 10-pack of Prayer Cards away FOR FREE!

There's two ways you can win these cards!

1) LIKE the SydneePeacock Facebook Page, SHARE the picture on your page, and COMMENT "shared" underneath the picture to be entered for a chance to win.

2) FOLLOW SydneePeacock on Twitter, RETWEET @sydneepeacock this post, and tweet something along the lines of "Yay for FREE prayer cards!" to be entered for a chance to win.

The WINNER will be announced this FRIDAY MORNING (Jan. 17)!

Learn more about SydneePeacock Prayer Cards here.

Making Time for Your Best Friend

Being silly is what we do. #matchingjackets #bonnieclyde #dannyandsandy #benandsydnee

In the midst of this crazy life, you need to make sure that you guard and protect your time with your husband. I feel like I keep seeing married couples who don't really mind being away from each other all the time. Now it may just be that they let on like they don't care or they really just don't value spending lots of time together.

I feel like I'm often alone on this topic. Maybe it's because Ben and I dated long distance and never had a normal dating period of time before we got married. I'm not sure. But still, I'm pretty sure that wanting to hang out with your husband a lot is a good thing. :)

For us, life can get REALLY busy really fast. With both of us being in ministry, we have to give the majority of our time to other people. Being a graphic designer, I'm more behind the scenes, but Ben is on the front lines when it comes to ministry. He's teaching kids, interacting with them, going to all the youth events – all in attempt to win more young people to Christ. And I 100% support him in that. I try to be right there alongside him when I can, but there are times when I can't because I also have my job to do.

Working at the same church, Ben and I have the privilege of going to work together 5 days out of the 6 day work week. It's GREAT. We share a desk. We collaborate over ideas, agree to disagree on design techniques, teach each other new things (because he's also a graphic designer), and go to lunch together. And while that may seem like a lot of time, we STILL want more. But just time to focus on each other–not to be preoccupied with other things. Ben's my best friend and we just love being together. And I think that's a very good thing. :)

But I also do believe in a space too, but not too much. We need (ideally) an hour or so to spend completely alone with the Lord first and foremost. But for me, if I have too much space all day or all week, I fall into my old habits of being completely independent. And I don't like being that way, and I know I'm not supposed to. Ben and I have also noticed that when we are away from each other for too long, we start getting in arguments all because we're frustrated that we couldn't be with each other more. It's really quite ridiculous. So our best option, most of the time, is to just stick together. We're a pair! We don't like to be separated. :)

So with that being said, go make time for your husband (if you have one) and have FUN! And enjoy that time while you can because life is just SO short! So be sweet and love each other. :)

Your Words Can Have Eternal Consequences

Have you ever gotten stuck behind a driver who had a bumper sticker on their car that was bashing a political figure? Or maybe you've seen someone negatively rant or post degrading pictures of/about a celebrity, political figure, or someone you know personally on Facebook, Twitter, a blog, etc.? I've noticed that a lot of people get generally annoyed by these comments on a day-to-day basis. 

But let's get a little more personal. Maybe there is someone in your class, neighborhood, church, school that you particularly do not like, and choose to complain and talk negatively about them with your closest friends, family...or just everyone?

I know that girls, especially, have a tendency to talk about others. We're interested in people's lives, relationships, and we just seem to talk to and about people all the time. We don't always talk about others badly, maybe most of the time it's good. But I've noticed throughout life that this is just something ladies seem to gravitate toward in conversation.

If you are or someone else is a Christian, and you/they are talking negatively about others (regardless of whether or not the people you are talking about are Christians) I must tell you that it is not okay. Even if you're talking about others with those you are close to, or with those in your family, it is not okay.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29

Paul, the author of Ephesians, advises us to only speak that of which is good for building others up so that those who hear it will be encouraged by what you're saying and your integrity. Because Christians represent Christ, on a broader scale we should embody the the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) so that we may win more people to Christ just by our conduct.

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
1 Peter 2:12

This can be a struggle for all of us at times, especially if we have been wronged or hurt by someone or if they hurt someone we love. Pray to Jesus about this if you're struggling with this. Ask Him that He would help you to have this kind of mindset and heart-attitude:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Colossians 3:12-13

16 Free Beth Moore Books!

This is SO exciting! Beth Moore is allowing us to download 16 of her most well-known books for FREE! I just wanted to share this with you because she is one of my favorite speakers/authors. She has such great insight into the Word of God and has an incredible testimony. If you're looking for some good books to read, I'm sure all of these are great. I have yet to read them all myself!

These downloads will be available until Jan. 10, which is THIS Friday, so get them while you still can! These can be downloaded through Amazon or iTunes. If you have an iPad like me, you can download the Kindle app for free and be able to access all of her books there.

• When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Finding Authentic Restoration in the age of Seduction     Amazon | iTunes
• A Heart Like His: Intimate Reflections on the Life of David      Amazon | iTunes
• Believing God     Amazon | iTunes
• Believing God: Growing Your Faith All Year Long     Amazon | iTunes
• Breaking Free     Amazon | iTunes
• Breaking Free Day by Day     Amazon | iTunes
• Feathers from My Nest: A Mother's Reflections     Amazon | iTunes
• Further Still     Amazon | iTunes
• Jesus, the One and Only     Amazon | iTunes
• Praying God's Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds     Amazon | iTunes
• **Praying God's Word Day by Day     Amazon | iTunes
• The Beloved Disciple     Amazon | iTunes
• Things Pondered: From the Heart of a Lesser Woman     Amazon | iTunes
• **To Live is Christ: Joining Paul's Journey of Faith     Amazon | iTunes

And two Spanish translated books:  Creerle A DIOS and Jesus, Solo Jesus.

This makes me want to write a book or two! :)
Happy reading!

Memorizing Scripture

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Joshua 1:8

When I was an undergraduate in college, I lived at home with my family–my mom, dad, and little brother, Sean, and sister, Summer. I am about 12 years older than my siblings, so they were about 7- or 8-years-old around that time. One of my favorite and most encouraging memories was hearing them memorize Bible verses for their Sunday School class all throughout the week.

They were SO good at it, and at the end of every semester, they'd get the highest awards for memorizing hundreds of verses in both the NIV(1984) and KJV versions. And it was then that I really started to realize the importance of memorizing Scripture.

There's something about memorizing God's word that does something to you. Maybe you've heard of this verse:

I have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

It really is true. You don't just forget His Word once you memorize it. It stays with you because you've "stored it up in your heart." And just when you need to hear something from Him, in the perfect moment, a verse you memorized pops up! It's encouraging, and it proves that God's Word is alive and at work within us! Not only that, but it may be exactly what someone you're talking to needs to hear.

Because memorizing Scripture is so important, I have taken time to design small packs of cards for specifically for women and girls so they can do JUST that!

I have several sets designed that have 25 cards each (different patterns available) and on the back of each, it is blank for you to write your verse on. **It is said that if you write something down, that's the equivalent of reading it 11 times and you're more likely to remember it!**

And sure–you could write them down on a plain sheet of paper, but if you're anything like me, you love pretty colors, trendy patterns and thick paper that will more than survive the jostling of your purse as you move from place to place throughout the day. You can order these cards here.

I also, upon numerous requests, just created a pack of 50 prayer cards pre-made in one set. This set is called "All About Jesus" (because it is!). Each card in the set is a different neon color, and each has a different verse (those of which I handpicked) to memorize. There are THOUSANDS of verses to memorize in the Bible, and it was tough to just stop at 50, but I made these to help you get started on memorizing! You can check these cards out here.

So, what are you waiting for? Go memorize some Scripture! :)

Freebie Download!

We all love free downloads!

Make it a daily routine to PRAY specific scripture for your life, for the lives of loved ones, strangers, and your country this year! This will strengthen your prayer life, bless those around you and yourself as well. Make 2014 a year that is focused on Christ and do all for the glory of God!

This is a 8.5 x 11 inches poster. Print this out and hang it on your fridge, tape it to your bathroom mirror, fold it up and stick it in your Bible, give to your friends, etc! (When printing, please select "scale to fit" in your printing settings.)

All scripture is word for word from the ESV Bible. This is not to replace your daily Bible reading. Enjoy! :)

Click to download your free poster!

New Year, New Plans!

The New Year is upon us and we are all feeling an extra BOOST of energy to make big plans, challenging goals, get our life in order and attempt to establish new habits that we think will make our lives better.

I'm feeling the excitement, too! My husband, Ben, and I have made all kinds of goals...working out, eating healthy, saving for a house of our own, etc! And it is SO easy to get so excited about all of these new ambitions that we can easily forget to consult with the Creator of the Universe: GOD! What does HE want us to do?

As we go into this New Year, yes it's important to establish goals and plans. But as Christians, we are to prayerfully go about making these decisions.

Before I even began making a goal list, I spent about two or three hours in prayer, just asking what God would have me do this year, that He would give me peace about different decisions, etc. I'm not saying you have to spend that much time, but it certainly doesn't hurt. :)

In the silence of just being in God's presence and Word, you begin to develop peace about certain things, and new God-honoring goals you would've never thought of on your own come into your mind. Write those down!

Anything that is good and beneficial to your walk with Christ, aligns with His Word and glorifies God is FROM God. A few things He placed on my heart was to (1) join an exercise class and befriend a lost person and share Jesus with them and (2) Be a sponsor for one of the youth trips at my church this summer.

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3

The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9

On the topic of planning, I invite you to check out my Etsy shop. I have a $2 calendar download that is designed with gold dots, beautiful script and functional in serving as your everyday planning calendar! You get 12 pages for each month. And best of all, each month has a different encouraging Bible verse from the ESV Bible. The picture above is an example of the calendar being used.

Happy planning and goal setting!!

Your Most Important Conversation of the Day

Did you know that your most important conversation of the day is the one you have with Jesus? It's also known as prayer. And you shouldn't do it just once in the morning–it should be a continual conversation all day long!

Do you feel distant from Him? Do you want Him to be the most important person in your life? One of the best ways to measure whether or not your walk with God is flourishing is the amount of time you actually spend talking to Him daily. So...PRAY. :)

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Ephesians 6:16-18

God has placed upon my heart a passion to design biblical tools to help you in your prayer life.

Today I would like to showcase my Prayer Cards. If you visit my Etsy, you will see several different Prayer Cards I designed to help girls and women alike to pray Scripture, just as Jesus has led in example in the Bible.

Right now, there are two different packs I offer: Praying God's Word for Your Life and Praying God's Word for Your Husband. Please check them out and start PRAYING!

Have a wonderful day, and may you make prayer a priority today and everyday!