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Welcome to the blog of Refreshing Moments with Sharon Fletcher. Here you’ll find posts and video devotionals to help inspire and encourage you with Biblical truths.

We pray these moments refresh and restore your relationship with the Creator.

Posts in times of refreshing

He Remembers My Name

He Remembers My Name

I remember one summer while in college, I went to Atlanta, GA to The Underground shopping center. I was walking along and I heard someone say “Sharon!” I turned around, and I was greeted with a very familiar, beautiful smile that lit up the room and truly made my day!

There was only one problem. Although I knew in the depths of my soul that I knew this person and knew her well, I could not remember her name to save my life.

This bothered me. I often prided myself on really SEEING people…and at the very least, remembering their names. Of course, as I got older with children and had more things to take up my brain space, this became more challenging. But when I was younger, I hardly ever forgot a name or a face!

times of refreshing, TIMES OF REFRESHINGSharon FletcherFebruary 2, 2021God remembers your name, he knows my name, he knows your name, he never leaves us, he never leaves nor forsakes us, the good shepherd, he leads me beside still water, Isaiah 49, he has written your name on the palms of his hands, your steps are ordered, your name is important to God, God has not forgotten, He knows your name Comments

The Only One Who Can Satisfy the Human Heart is the One Who Made It

The Only One Who Can Satisfy the Human Heart is the One Who Made It

Hello Hello!! I pray you all have been doing well and have been staying safe during this pandemic.

Crazy ride, huh? It almost seems like anything that could happen in 2020, did happen! In times of such uncertainty, the only thing that we can be sure of is God’s sovereignty. He still reigns and rules, and holds everything in His hands.

In the midst of waiting for this uncertain time to pass, I have noticed that many (including myself), have become antsy, discouraged, and dissatisfied.

Many are waiting for life to “return to normal.” Many are waiting for the next best thing…a new job, a spouse or new relationship, a new home, or for their business to go in an upward direction. Many feel like all will be well once our hair is a certain way, our wardrobe gets to a certain point, or we lose a certain amount of weight.

In a nutshell, there is a serious longing and yearning in the hearts and minds of many that we believe can be satisfied with certain conditions or material possessions. But this is not unique to this season of life. We all have found ourselves in this place at one point or another in our lives.

Sometimes we think that all will be well once we get married, have a child, get a new job, or do what God has called us to do. It’s like we are always thinking that we will be at peace once we achieve this certain goal.

The truth is, there is a place in our hearts that will always have a deep longing and yearning for something more…something greater. And no matter what we do or what we accomplish, the only thing that can satisfy that longing and yearning in our hearts is the one who created it.

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What is the Condition of Your Lens?

What is the Condition of Your Lens?

Matters of the heart. This is what Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about a lot these days.

Last week in the blog post Guard Your Heart, we talked about the importance of not allowing the seeds that the enemy plants to grow into weeds in our hearts. These seeds were planted to rob us of our joy and peace that is ours through Christ. They were also planted to stifle all of our God-given gifts and talents that were placed in us to share with the world and to stop the beauty that resides on the inside of us from being manifested on the outside.

This morning as I was pondering, I heard ever so softly the question, “what is the condition of your lens?”

I often say the manner in which we view others and respond to situations is largely dependent upon the condition of the lens that we are viewing it through. That lens is our heart.

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Guard Your Heart

Guard Your Heart

Last week, my husband and I were doing some yard work. In addition to running into a slithering beast (gasp), we did some major weeding. We had not cleaned out flower beds in quite some time, so as you can imagine, it was quite a task.

I have several rose bushes in my back yard. Weeds had grown all around them. Some of the bushes had so many weeds around them that they actually started growing up through the bush. The weeds were so large and numerous that they began to choke the life out of my beautiful rose bushes. A few of the bushes had bloomed, but you could not appreciate their beauty because they were covered by weeds.

As I was pulling the weeds up, Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart.

Seeds of bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, resentment, disappointment, guilt, shame, and condemnation are sometimes planted in our hearts. These seeds may have been planted by the enemy, life’s circumstances, or even words from people that we love. In some cases, weeds have grown from these seeds and have choked the beautiful life of abundance that Christ died on the cross for us to have.

times of refreshing, TIMES OF REFRESHINGSharon FletcherMay 5, 2020Refreshing Moments with Sharon, LLCguard your heart, from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it Comments

God is With Us in the Fire

God is With Us in the Fire

I pondered this passage and it made me ask myself, what is my stance during this unique time in history? Am I bowing down to the god of panic and despair? Or, am I continuing to have my hope in the blood of Jesus to cover, protect, and deliver me and my loved ones?

Will my profession of faith draw others to the Most High God? Or, am I promoting fear and despair, and allowing panic and uncertainty to cause me to waiver in my faith?

A lot of people may not agree that God has allowed this pandemic to draw His people’s trust back to Him. However, our trust in Him is all we have right now. And trust in Him is all we have ever needed! We can wash our hands, wear all the masks, and sanitize until our hands are cracked and bleeding. But, only the Blood of Jesus can save and sustain us.

God has promised us that He will never leave us nor forsake us! We are in a fire, but we are not in the fire alone. God is with us as He has always been.

Your Mind is a Battlefield Part 4: Be Proactive in Prayer

Your Mind is a Battlefield Part 4: Be Proactive in Prayer

Hello Friends! We finally made it to Part 4 of this series!

We have learned how to recognize who our real enemy is. We have learned how to arm ourselves for battle with the word of God. We have learned how to be intentional with our thought life and take captive the thoughts that don’t line up with the word of God.

This last strategy is the most practical, common-sense approach, but most people, including myself, find it the hardest to consistently do.

We need to fight the battle of the mind by being proactive in prayer.

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Your Mind is a Battlefield Part 3: Take Captive Your Thoughts

Your Mind is a Battlefield Part 3: Take Captive Your Thoughts

Hey there! Here we are in Part 3 of this series. I must say, this is my favorite part.

Once I grasped this concept, my life was forever changed.

Just remember, It all starts with ONE thought.

If we allow ourselves to ruminate on that one negative thought, it becomes a mountainous monster.

It will become much larger than we would have ever wanted or expected it to be.

That one negative thought can become so large that we become paralyzed…too fearful to do anything, too stressed out to move to the left or to the right.

And that’s what the enemy wants. The devil wants those thoughts to be magnified to the point that they seem so much larger than the God that we serve.

There is no greater lie ever told.

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Your Mind is a Battlefield Part 2: Arm Yourself For Battle With the Word of God

Your Mind is a Battlefield Part 2: Arm Yourself For Battle With the Word of God

This topic is near and dear to me, as I fought this battle for years, and it continues to be an ongoing battle. But God rescued me by transforming my mind through His word and prayer. God taught me how to fight…the right way.

So trust me, everything that I’m sharing with you is things that I walked through. If I know nothing else… I know the word of God WORKS.

Last week on the blog, we talked about recognizing who your real enemy is. The first step to winning the battle in your mind is knowing who you are really fighting against, and recognizing him when he comes.

So, now to the most important thing….how do we fight this battle in our mind?

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Your Mind is a Battlefield Part 1: Do You Know Who Your Real Enemy Is?

Your Mind is a Battlefield Part 1: Do You Know Who Your Real Enemy Is?

One minute you are happy and joyful. Then you have a fleeting thought about something that could happen, should be happening, or might happen. The next thing you know, you are in a dark place, and you have no clue how you got there.

Pondering upon that one fleeting thought leads to a whirlwind of emotions, including fear, anxiety, sadness, doubt, guilt, and sometimes anger.

The truth is, your mind is a battlefield. You have a real enemy warring for your soul. He starts the battle in your mind by planting seeds in your thoughts.

The first step in learning how to fight this battle and ultimately winning the war is identifying who your real enemy is, and recognizing his plots, schemes, and tactics.

5 Things to Ask Yourself When You Are About to Blow Your Top

5 Things to Ask Yourself When You Are About to Blow Your Top

So…if you have been following the blog for a while, you know every now and then I have to come with the “super real” topics.

We have all had those days when we are about to GO OFF.

You know, like when that man blows the horn at you, cuts you off in traffic, and uses hand gestures that aren’t too kind.

Or, like when that lady in the store cuts in front of you.

I’m sure teachers and administrators often have these days when it comes to dealing with difficult parents.

How about when your kids act like they were raised in a barn but anything other than a human, and you KNOW that they know better?

And, if you have a customer service related job, you know all too well when someone uses “colorful language”, threatens you in some way, or is just plain old rude for no reason, sometimes you want to BLOW YOUR TOP.

But, after you respond and have that “unbecoming interaction,” it sometimes leaves you feeling guilty for possibly hurting someone’s feelings, and ashamed of your actions.

Although we know we will be forgiven if we repent, as a Christian, it can damage your witness. Unbelievers will look at you, without a doubt, and say, “I thought she was a Christian! Is that that how a Christian is supposed to act?”

To help us avoid these feelings and consequences, I came up with a list of Things To Ask Yourself When You Are About to Blow Your Top.

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Integrity: Lessons Learned From My 13 Year Old Son

Integrity: Lessons Learned From My 13 Year Old Son

For the past 5 years, my oldest son has played football. Each season, I watch him grow as a person and as a player.

Every season has teachable moments… for him and for me. We try to make the most of these moments and use them as life lessons.

As I watch my son each season, I admire him more and more. Especially after this season.

By watching my 13 year old son, I have learned what it looks like to have a walk of integrity.

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Unplug to Recharge

Unplug to Recharge

Sometimes the cares of this world make you forget how very real and how ever present God is.

Sometimes we just don’t feel him and we forget that he is right there, walking with us every step of the way.

We forget that he sees your struggles, he feels your pains, he knows what you are concerned about. Not only does He know, but He cares.

And because we forget these things, we sometimes lose hope.

I was reminded this morning that there is no such thing as a hopeless situation in Jesus.

Because He lives, we can face whatever life may throw at us.

We can rest with no fear, because He holds our future.

This morning, as I took my walk, listened to the birds chirp and the ducks quack, my Lord certainly showed me that He is and always will be my Shepherd.

He made me lie down in green pastures.

He lead me beside still waters and restored my soul.

He reminded me that I do not have to fear, be anxious, or worry, because He is always with me.

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El Roi: The God Who Sees Me

El Roi: The God Who Sees Me

Have you ever gone through a period in your life where everything just seemed topsy turvy?

Situations at your job are a mess.

Finances are a HOT mess.

Marriage is a mess.

And PLEASE don’t mention the kids! Whose kids ARE these?!?

Or maybe you are currently suffering repercussions from a situation that was simply not your fault..such as someone stealing something from you, false accusations, or, God forbid, someone had taken advantage of you in some way.

All of these situations can leave you feeling hopeless, helpless, in despair, rejected, and sometimes like a failure.

You’ve cried, prayed, cried some more, sought the Lord, and still no relief.

During these times, I have often wondered if He heard me. I have asked, “God, do you see this? Do you see what’s happening? I NEED YOU!!”

Take heart, God has put you in a position to get to know him as El Roi, the God who sees you!

True Identity: Remember Who You Are

True Identity: Remember Who You Are

The world will try to dictate who we should be, what our ideas should be, and what our beliefs should be. But, by reading His word, we are reminded of who we truly are. And, once we grasp that, when we look in the mirror we will see a reflection of our Heavenly Father. We will see the Christ in us.

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Our Steps are Ordered

Our Steps are Ordered

I put the address in the GPS. Too tired to even wonder if the GPS may be taking me on the best route, I blindly made every turn that it instructed me to make. And I made each turn with ease. I made each turn without even thinking about it. And lo and behold, I made it to my destination with no issues and no problems.

I began thinking how easy that was! I began thinking of how wonderful it would be if I would just follow God’s directions that easily.

Why do I second guess and overthink everything that the Lord tells me to do? Why do I second guess and over analyze His word that gives me clear direction?

His word is truly a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It is only when we don’t follow the directions of His word that we end up on a dark path and lost.

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The Vine

The Vine

I was looking at my beautiful hydrangeas that I had cut from the bush in my yard. I put a few in a vase on my dining room table. They were thriving and doing wonderfully at first…then, after a while.. they withered.

This is how we are when we become disconnected from the True Vine, which is Christ Jesus.

For a little while, we will appear to be fine. All will appear to be well! Then after a while, the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control begin to wither. And you find yourself out of sorts..on the front seat of the struggle bus..being the leader of the pack on the hot mess express.

If you find yourself seemingly out of sorts, and it just seems like you cannot get it together, I would encourage you to go back to your roots. Go back to the basics. Get connected to the vine.

New Identity

New Identity

Jesus said, “Go, and sin no more.”

At that point, something very profound happened.

Her life was changed.

Her identity was changed.

Through the eyes of God, because of Jesus, she was no longer seen as the the adulterous woman. Because of Jesus, she became the righteousness of God.

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No Greater Love

No Greater Love

As Good Friday and Easter approach, I often reflect upon the meaning of the holidays. Every time I ponder the true meaning of the cross, I am in total awe, and often speechless.

How could someone love me so much that He would leave a Holy place, enter a sinful world, and willingly take my place on the cross?

No greater love exists!

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