Just Say No
Warning: This post is very likely to step on some toes. But please know this — I never post anything here but that my own toes have not been stepped on first. It is my desire to grow every day to be more like the Lord Jesus and to help other Christian ladies to do the same. Sometimes what He teaches me is not going to be popular. But hey, it's not always exactly what I want to hear myself either. We don't always expect our children to like what they're told, but we still expect them to obey. And when God tells us something in His Word, He doesn't ask us to like it; He asks us to obey anyway. But you know what? Obedience brings joy and blessing. So even if we don't like what we hear today, let's obey anyway and expect the blessing that obedience brings!
Ready? Here we go…
What are you doing right now?
Well, yes, I know you're reading this blog post. But why are you on the computer/phone/tablet?
Are you spending your time intentionally today? Is this the time that you're supposed to be relaxing at the computer? Or are you just avoiding other stuff you'd rather not be doing?
What have you eaten today? The things your body needs or the things your taste buds want?
When did you get up this morning? Whenever you felt like it or when you should have? Actually, let's back that up. When did you go to bed last night? Early enough to get enough rest for the day ahead, or did you lollygag on Facebook or Pinterest instead of shutting it down and going to sleep?
I could go on and on with many areas in which you have to make the choice to say no to what you want.
But the truth is, God has told us that we are to practice temperance.
Temperance? Really? You're writing a blog post about an obscure little word in the Bible called temperance?
To some people it may not seem like a big deal, but to the Christian it is a big deal!
Over-indulging in that dessert is typically something we make into a joke. Call me extreme, but I don't think it's a joke to God when he has very specifically told us to practice moderation. (Notice: I didn't say enjoying a dessert is wrong. But enjoying dessert to excess is not practicing temperance and that's when it becomes wrong.)
The ability to say no to our desires when those things are not beneficial to us is part of being a Spirit-controlled Christian.
II Peter 1: 6-9:
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
Did you catch that? We are to be adding temperance to our faith. According to scripture, practicing temperance is not something to be done lackadaisically. We are supposed to be practicing it diligently! To God it's apparently a big deal if it's something at which we're told to work hard to put into practice.
The 1974 Merriam-Webster dictionary defines temperance as: habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetites or passions.
Notice the word habitual. Temperance should be something we as Christians practice all the time; not just when we feel like it or when it's convenient.
Do you want to bear fruit for the Lord Jesus? Then you must practice temperance. Another word I could use is self-control.
When your child has committed an offense and you need to speak to him in a firm tone, do you cross the line and allow yourself to lash out in anger? Or do you control your desire to vent your frustration?
When that book is sooo good and you just can't put it down, do you give in to your desire to finish it or do you turn out the light and go to sleep so you can be refreshed in the morning?
But, here's the kicker. Self-control sounds like something we can do ourselves, but it is absolutely not. Controlling yourself can only be done when you are Spirit-controlled.
Galations 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Temperance is a result of being filled with the Spirit.
So…you're saying if I waste time on the internet when I should be going to bed, I'm not being controlled by the Spirit?
You got it. You're being controlled by your own desires rather than by the Spirit of God.
Now, please let me be 100% clear.
It is not wrong to relax.
It is not wrong to enjoy dessert or soda or any other junk food.
It is not wrong to have fun.
It is not wrong to browse Facebook.
Etc.
Relaxing, sleeping, eating are normal human desires. But when you enjoy them to the point of excess you are not practicing temperance and are not exhibiting the fruit of being filled with the Spirit.
So…in what area of your life do you need to start saying no to yourself through the power of the Spirit of God?
If you want to grow to be all that God wants you to be, you must not dismiss things as “not a big deal”.
God promises that when “these things” abound in you (see II Peter 1:6-9 above), you will not be unfruitful.
I don't know about you, but that sounds like a great incentive to say no to my own desires!
Find more encouragement on Facebook:
Dark Sayings of Old (and a Free Devotional eBook)
Guest post by Imperfect Homemaker contributor Ellen (my mom!)
What do I want to leave my children and grandchildren when I leave this present world?
It would be nice to leave them a few riches in material goods, but I don't know how much of that is going to happen. But much more important than that, I want to leave them riches in Christ. I want to leave them a godly legacy.
As I get older, it is more and more clear how little time we have on this earth. I pray that I never take my time with my family for granted for it is the only time I have to show them who Christ is and what He can do for them. I want to live in such a way before them that their desire will be to love and serve Christ whole-heartedly. This is what I read in Psalms 78:1-4: Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
Here are some things I ought to do as a parent, grand parent, or instructor, using the examples in the Bible to teach my children truth:
1. Tell them and read to them from God's Word all that He has done. Teach them the holiness of God so that they learn to reverence Him, love Him, and obey Him.
2. Use object lessons to teach them God's truths. My husband was very good at using travel time, play time, dinner time, etc. to take every day happenings and make lessons out of them to teach the truth of God's Word to our children. We are grateful it paid off. As parents we ought to work hard at practicing Deuteronomy 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
3. Don't ever hide these things from my children. Don't be silent about God's goodness by keeping it to myself. Show them from God's Word and through examples in my own life. Show them and tell them of His strength, the works that He has done, and answers to prayer. Praise Him continually before my children and grandchildren. Teach them to teach their children the same. Why? So that generation after generation will know God and who He is and will in turn continue to pass it on to the next generation. Today we see more and more of a generation that does not know God! Is it perhaps that the parents and grandparents neglected to teach it to them? Just suppose that Moses' parents and Daniel's parents and the three Hebrew children's parents had not taught them about God. What might have been different? And what might be different in the future if we faithfully teach our children; one of them may be used of God for “such a time as this”!
(I've recently been reading this story of a woman who left a godly legacy. She was a prayer warrior; she walked by faith, not by sight. She prayed, believed God, and God answered. She was a godly example to her family. You will not be able to put the book down.)
My parents also left us a godly legacy. I saw my mom every morning read her Bible and pray. She was consistent and lived what she learned in front of us. My dad also, if he was not working, was studying his Bible and taking notes. We are privileged to have his Bible notes now and it is just exciting to me to hold them in my hands knowing they are written with his own hand writing. Godly parents are such a treasure and what a treasure to know that we will one day be together again in eternity. Recently, I have been scanning all his notes and putting them into files so they can be shared with all the family. He wrote one study on effectual prayer, which I in turn studied and it was such a blessing to me. It prompted me to write my own notes regarding effectual prayer.
I enjoy writing in journals every day. I keep a daily log of happenings and blessings and thoughts and meditations from God's Word. I do so hoping that one day my children and grandchildren will read about my blessings and the treasures of things God has taught me from His Word; hoping that in turn some of these things will speak to their hearts and help them to grow in grace.
If you have never done so, I encourage you to write down something everyday that is a blessing to you from God's Word, even if it is just a verse. It will keep it in your mind better and who knows but that one day your children or grandchildren will read the things that the Lord has taught you, only to apply them to their own lives.
I am also working on a devotional book in eBook form. You are welcome to sign up to receive the first volume for free! These are just random devotions from my daily time with the Lord; I pray that you will be encouraged with something from God's Word that you can apply to your own life.
How Can I Be Successful at Affiliate Marketing When My Audience is Small?
The first step to affiliate marketing is to have a product to promote.
But after that you need an to whom you are going to promote that product.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. “I don't have an audience! My blog is tiny right now! Don't I need to concentrate on growing my blog before I can make money with it?”
I agree that you need to work on growing your blog, but I disagree that you do not have an audience. Bigger does not necessarily mean better. Would you rather have 10 followers who are truly interested in everything you say or 1000 followers who are just there because they entered a random giveaway, signed up for a freebie, or accidentally clicked the like button on your Facebook page? Having 10 people who know you and care about what you have to say can be just as profitable as having 1000 who don't even know how they got on your email list.
If you have 1 follower, make that relationship worthwhile to that person and you will find that they will be more than willing to buy through your links when you offer a helpful resource.
(Likewise, if you have a million followers, strive to view each person as an individual with needs that you can help meet rather than just as a random mass of people.)
Your audience is not limited to just your blog either. Here are some other places you can find your audience:
- Your personal Facebook account
Please, please don't be the person who posts 10 times a day about whatever miracle product, oil, makeup, nails, etc. that has changed your life! That is not how you make sales. That is how you annoy people and make them never want to see you again. Be a true friend. Never make your conversations about how you can make more money. I understand that you might honestly and truly love the product, but other people do not understand that, so please don't talk about it all the time.
However, if you are involved in other people's lives because you truly care about them, there will be plenty of times that it will be appropriate to suggest a product as the solution to a problem they are having. Sometimes they will flat out ask for suggestions and if you are involved in their life in an ongoing basis, it is not tacky to use your affiliate link when you give your own suggestion for a product that would help them with their problem.
Additionally, you can occasionally put out an affiliate link on your status update if you are truly trying to help others by recommending the product. This is especially true if the product is on sale and you want to make sure people who were thinking about getting it know about the sale price.
- Facebook groups
The same principles apply for Facebook groups as apply for your personal profile. Be genuinely involved in people's lives; don't just look for every opportunity to drop an affiliate link. But when you are involved in the conversation, those opportunities will occasionally come up. Don't ignore them when they do. (Please be aware of the rules of the group, though. Some groups do not allow affiliate links at any time.)
- Your blog's Facebook page
Use your page to either link to articles on your blog that have affiliate links included, or use your affiliate link directly on your Facebook page.
Understandably, your reach is limited sometimes on your Facebook page. Take a look at the Facebook crash course in the Facebook group for help improving your page. We also recently had a discussion about PostPlanner, which I have been using for a couple weeks now and absolutely love.
- Forums
The same ideas would apply here as apply to Facebook groups. Be genuinely involved in the conversation and follow the rules.
- Your email list
If you are not actively building your email list, you are making a big mistake.
What are more people going to see? A billboard on one specific road or a flyer that lands in every mailbox in the city?
What are more people going to see? An ad on Facebook that may or may not get shown to followers or a letter from you that lands directly in every single follower's inbox?
There is no faster, easier, and lucrative way to do affiliate marketing than through your email list. There's just not. If you are not finding time to build your list, you need to make some time.
Again, the same principles apply. Always be genuine. Don't make every email a sales pitch. Just be helpful and involved and opportunities to share your favorite products will naturally arise.
Think Twitter is dead? I know for certain it's not! Every single time I get myself over there, I get clicks on what I post. Sometimes LOTS and LOTS of clicks. It truly baffles me. But it doesn't have to make sense. If it works, do it!
7.Pinterest
The beauty of Pinterest is that you don't have to have a ton of followers to get seen. Pinterest is a search engine. Use the right keywords, and people will find your content.
When you create evergreen posts that include affiliate links and pin them to Pinterest, anyone and everyone can find those posts. What's great is that sometimes people are searching for a certain keyword because they're shopping for it. If they're shopping for something, what do you think they're going to do when they find it? That's right, they're going to buy it.
Instagram is a great way to show your authenticity to your followers. You get to show them a little of the behind-the-scenes life at your house. If you get a new product in the mail, post it to Instagram with the affiliate link in your profile. Show people the things you use and love and then tell them where they can get it for themselves.
- Other social media
I haven't personally dabbled in too many other platforms, but if you're on other social media platforms, use them! Don't be afraid to use your affiliate links when you're following the principles of authenticity that I've mentioned over and over.
- SEO
Don't overwhelm yourself with this at the moment if it's not your strong point. Just take one step at a time. But if you do understand a little bit about SEO, write optimized posts about products. You don't have to have “followers” for people to find your posts via search engines. And just like on Pinterest, when they're searching for a product it's because they're shopping for it. And when they find it they're planning on buying it.
- Real life relationships
Now you're not going to make millions using affiliate links this way, but regardless, when you take the time to recommend a product to someone, I think it's fair for you to get paid for it. Say your friend tells you she loves your lip gloss and you tell her where you found it and how ridiculously low-priced it is. You can tell she's planning on hopping online to order some for herself. It's not at all inappropriate to say “You can order it at such-and-such, but if you wait until I get home, I'll email you a link and I'll get a little credit if you order through that link.” Chances are your friend will be tickled that she's getting some lip gloss and that you're getting something out of it too.
See? Your blog doesn't have to be huge for you to have an audience. Your audience is in lots of different places. Just focus on cultivating relationships and using affiliate links where it makes sense. Keep practicing and it will be more and natural to know when it's appropriate and when it's overkill. (Hint: less is better if you're not sure!)
I've got lots more ideas that I'd like to share when it comes to affiliate marketing, but this is really long already so I'll stop for today.
If you have any questions, though, feel free to shoot me an email or ask in the Facebook group!
Free Healthy Living Pack (Updated and Expanded)
I've expanded the printable Healthy Living Kit with some more pages, and I'm offering it free for a limited time!
The set is 9 pages and includes:
-Menu
– Daily schedule, water, exercise, and supplement reminders
– Shopping List
– Meal Tracker
– Supplement tracker
– Price comparison worksheet for your healthy living products
– Natural Remedies and Recipes worksheet
To get your free copy, enter your name and email below and you will receive the link in your inbox! (Check your spam folder if you don't see it.)
[wp_eStore_free_download_squeeze_form id=16]
Starting Natural from Day One
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own.
When I think of baby essentials, I naturally think of larger items like a crib, stroller, and car seat. But then I realize that babies need so much more than that. Smaller essentials like baby wipes, baby wash, and diaper cream also need to be collected before a new baby arrives in the home. I prefer to use only products with natural ingredients on my babies (and on myself for that matter.)
We have used and loved Burt's Bees diaper rash cream for every single one of our babies because it is the only one we've found that does the job on even the worst diaper rash — and it usually clears it up overnight!
Burt's Bees sent us a package with some Baby Bee Nourishing Lotion, Shampoo and Wash, Chlorine Free Wipes, Cream-to-Powder, and Multi-purpose Ointment. We have enjoyed trying out these other products, and I love that there is a whole line of baby care products that is based on natural ingredients.
Now, I'll be completely honest and say that while most of the ingredients in these products are easily recognizable and definitely natural, there are some that I would need to check into a little further. I also would prefer that they didn't contain soybean and canola oil as those are usually genetically modified, and I like to keep exposure to GMO's to an absolute minimum, even though it is only external exposure. (Remember, your skin is your largest organ.)
With that said, I'll go back to saying that I'm okay with using the diaper rash cream for the reason that it works so well.
I just want to be completely honest with you.
I like the way Burt's Bees products work, but I do think their ingredients could be cleaned up even more than they are. Are they better than some of the alternatives? I think so. You'll just have to make your own call on this one.
Update: Burt's Bees has offered the following information about their products:
“We actively engage with our suppliers regarding their sourcing practices, including the starting materials they use for our ingredients. Both the suppliers of our soybean oil and canola oil have signed a declaration that these are non-GMO ingredients.”
That's nice to know! That actually makes me love their products so much more!
Baby products that work really well and are natural and non-GMO? Yay! I love it!
(Maybe Burt's Bees should add to their packaging that their products are non-GMO for the paranoid mothers like me?)
Some of the other natural ingredients you'll find in Burt's Bees products:
- Buttermilk for moisturizing.
- Beeswax to help lock in moisture.
- Shea butter to soften dry skin.
- Aloe vera to soothe irritated skin.
- Coconut oil to help nurture, young sensitive skin.
Want to know more about Burt's Bees baby products? Follow them on Facebook:
How will you go natural with your baby?
This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Burt’s Bees blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.
Save Money, Reduce Stress, and Feed Your Family Healthy Food
Answer this question right now.
What's for dinner tonight?
If the answer is “I don't know,” when are you going to figure it out?
Will you wait until 5:00, when you will throw something together, inwardly kicking yourself for not feeding your family something more nutritious?
Planning your meals ahead saves money (no picking up takeout), reduces stress (no guilt trip over feeding your family sandwiches for supper), and helps your family be more healthy (always have the ingredients you need to prepare balanced meals.)
The problem with meal planning for some people is that it requires a window of time each week to sit down and figure out what to put on the meal plan.
Build a Menu is an easier way to meal plan, but you still get to choose what you want to prepare rather than having the menu determined for you. They are running a special right now where you can get 3 months for $15. This is a great way to try it out and see if you like it!
You can also choose specialty menus if you need them, like gluten free or Trim Healthy Mama! You can choose the store where you'd like to shop, and your shopping list will automatically be created for you as you create your menu, along with the approximate total you'll be spending for the week.
I posted a few months ago exactly how it works if you'd like more information. Check it out here.
To get the 3 months for $15, use the coupon code 3For15 when you check out.
