Saturday, October 29, 2011

Dreaming of a White...Halloween?


For those of you in my neck of the woods, I know most of you will join with me in saying, “Seriously! Snow in October!” And, it was not just a little dusting either! I love snow, but I was definitely not ready for it to come so soon. But, I have to admit I did enjoy being snowed in today. My closet finally got the cleaning that it needed, and my mountain of laundry is now down to a manageable size. We even listened to some Christmas tunes and baked our favorite cookies, peanut butter blossoms!
Often we look at snow for its beauty and for its recreational purposes; however, we do not always think about it being a precious commodity. One third of the world’s water used for irrigation comes from snow. It lies in higher elevations, and then it eventually melts in time to help in the irrigation of crops in the late spring and early summer.
As much as some of us may despise snow, we must remember God made it.  Did you know the Bible mentions snow about twenty-four times? There are lessons that we can actually learn from snow. It reminds us of God’s provision. Like snow, we have a creator, a distinct look, and a purpose.
Isaiah 55:10-11, says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. “ Not only does God send the snow to carry out his purpose of providing for us, His Word does the same.
Snow can also remind us of purity. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us reason together. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” All of us have sinned; but praise the Lord we can be whiter than snow! And, this was made possible by Christ giving His life for us!
So, as we shovel out from our first snow of the season, let us remember that snow is only here for a limited time and so are we! How wonderful that day will be when Jesus returns!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Insert Foot in Mouth

We’ve all been there - that slip of the tongue that we wish we could take back. How about the gossiping? As women, we can be quite good at it. What about non-stop complaining? Are you guilty?

Last year, I did a series on “Girl Talk” with my group of junior high girls. We discussed about how destructive our words can be. Teenage girls are faced with it every day as they try to live up to the social standards our society has placed on them. As we grow older, we realize that sometimes we do not grow out of our youthful bad habits.

James 3:8 states, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

How important is this issue of taming the tongue? Can an uncontrollable tongue really be that sinful?

James 1:26 says, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”

Ouch! A loose tongue can make your every spiritual doing useless in God’s eyes! Read that one more time. Yes, you may be holy and loving and kind, but if you go about your life with a sharp tongue, all your efforts at spirituality are in vain, even worthless!

This is probably one of my top “forgive me” requests. Sometimes we do it and don’t even realize we’re doing it. That’s why we should always pray and ask God to guard our tongues; but, not just our tongues, our ears as well. Listening to the gossip can be just as bad as speaking it.

So, let’s be accountable for all of our words. If you realize that your tongue is out of control, look to the Lord for His forgiveness. Allow Him to change the attitude of your heart, so it will be pleasing to Him.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Music To My Ears

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to attend with some friends a Beth Moore conference. It was the first time I had ever heard her speak. She was amazing! I highly recommend picking up one of her Bible Studies.

One thing I loved the most about the event was the worship. It was lead by an amazing singer, Travis Cottrell. As I stood there and looked at the crowd of 6,000 women and listened to them sing beautifully songs of praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I realized that I would someday stand with these ladies again. And, not just them, but with everyone!! We will all stand before Jesus someday singing “Holy, Holy, Holy.” What an awesome day that will be!
In heaven we will worship as Adam did before the Fall, with one big difference—we will worship with hearts spilling over with thankfulness, for we will worship with the knowledge that we are saved by the precious blood of Jesus.
When Isaiah speaks for the Lord of the new heavens and earth, he says that "all flesh shall come to worship before me" (Isaiah 66:22,23). The Apostle, John, also says the same thing proclaiming, "For Thou only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee" (Revelation 15:4).

All will worship! All will fall to their knees and praise the Lord whose glory is revealed. Philippians 2: 9-11 declares, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Are You Dressed?

Every now and then, my sister-in-law will ask me if my armor is on. It’s a reminder to me that I should always be on guard for when temptations or other spiritual battles come my way. Have you ever faced a challenge and prayed you could stay in the Spirit? 

In Ephesians 6, Paul gives us a strategy on how we can move towards God’s highest goal. He guides our attention to the importance of knowing God’s Word. For without knowledge of scripture, we are left to battle against the enemy with only our own might.

Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

Putting on the armor of God is not a request, it is a command.

With the Belt of Truth, the Word of God holds the rest of the armor in place. The Breastplate of Righteousness is meant to protect the heart. The feet are fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel which gives us a solid footing to stand on. Having the Shield of Faith will help put out all the flaming arrows of the enemy. When we take up the Shield of Faith, we are holding our principles and our confidence upon Christ for the enemy to see. With the Helmet of Salvation, we should put on Jesus, who will protect us. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Paul underlines the importance of the Word as an aggressive tool to be used in the face of the enemy. Speaking the name of Jesus and saying scriptures out loud fends off the attacks of the enemy.  

I love the teaching of the late David Wilkerson. In one of his devotionals, he has this poem on the Armor of God:

Dear Jesus,
You told me to resist the devil and he would flee from me,
But I have no resistance. You have all the power and resistance I’ll ever need, so give me the power to resist.
You told me I could move my mountains, If I had faith even as a
mustard seed; Yet my mountain won’t move even though my faith in you is as great as I can conceive it.
You made the heavens and earth; please move my mountain.
You said, “Flee the very appearance of evil!” So I ran hard,
but sin overtook me in my finest hour of effort.
You have power over all the power of the enemy. With miracles, signs and wonders, deliver me from the trap of Satan.
I don’t even have the strength to put on the whole armor,
So dress me as my armor-bearer. Do for me what I know I
cannot do for myself.

Dress Me, Dear Jesus!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Slapping Demons


I once heard Joyce Meyers say that when we raise our hands in worship, we slap demons in the face. I have to admit that the next time I raised my hands in praise, I wondered how many demons I took out :). With our worship we make war on the devil. Praise reveals God’s presence as well as to repel the presence of the enemy.

When I drive to work in the mornings, I almost always have Hillsong on Pandora, or lately it’s been Travis Cottrell’s “When the Stars Burn Down.” For twenty minutes, I have time to praise and worship the Lord. It’s an awesome way to start my day! I used to feel somewhat guilty because I thought I should be using that time to pray. But the more I have learned about praise and worship, the more I understand just how much I need those twenty minutes.

Praise can release stress and anxiety. Turn on some good gospel music when cleaning or put your headphones on while grocery shopping, and see how it can change your mood while having to do those dreaded chores. Even better, simply find time throughout the day to say or sing a song of praise to God, no matter where you are or what you are doing.

Praise sets an atmosphere for our hearing from God, as well as to release His generosity. When we praise and worship the Lord, telling Him how much we love Him and how great He is, He is likely to give us our desires, sometimes even before we ask. “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24 NIV).

King David knew the power of praise to defeat the enemy. Psalm 149:6 says, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.” Praise can shake the foundation of our prison and loose the bands that hold us captive. Israel shouted in praise and victory even before they possessed the victory over the city of Jericho (Joshua 6). Worship brought relief to Saul when he was tormented by an evil spirit (I Samuel 16). It also brought deliverance to Paul and Silas when they were in prison (Acts 16).

So why not take time out to worship Him today and send the enemy fleeing!

Friday, October 14, 2011

It's Time to Die

I was about to say that in my household, I used to want to be the one in control. But, who am I kidding…I still want it! Patience is not exactly one of my strong points either. Funny thing is that outside of the home, I don’t need to be in control, and I am actually quite patient. But, under my roof, I want it to be my rules. I always joke that I have three children because my husband is just as big of a kid as our children. Sometimes, I think worse. Unfortunately, when things are not going my way, I let them have it. Thankfully, God is dealing with me on that subject of selfishness, and I have felt some improvement. Basically, I just need to die…

That theme has actually come up several times in the lessons I have heard or read this week. I figured it was God trying to tell me something. Dying to oneself means to do God's will and not our own selfish will. You have to die to self everyday.

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." – Matthew 16:24-25

To die to self means that we are to put behind the sinful things of the world and to live a life solely surrendered to God and His commandments. It means that we are to deny the desires of our flesh that are contrary to God’s ways and begin to seek to further the kingdom of God in our lives. Dying to self daily is not optional for believers, but something every true believer must do.

How do you die to self? By allowing your circumstances to help you become more like Christ–especially the ones you don’t like. Anytime you feel the pain of an insult, disappointment, suffering, physical challenge, failure, injustice, or trial, it’s an opportunity to die to pride, ego, sin, and self.  And if you keep dying to self, you’ll come alive in ways you never imagined.
 
John 12:24 says, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

So, how about you? What areas in your life do you need to die to? 

Thursday, October 13, 2011

He Heard You The First Time

Not too long ago, my daughter, Alyssa, showed me an example of what it means to have a child-like faith. For the last year and a half, we had been praying for bumps on her legs to go away. The doctor said they eventually would, but she would go through phases when they would be infected and very painful. So, of course, we prayed all the time for them to go away.

During one of those prayer times, I put my hand on the bumps and prayed that Jesus would take them away. And, before I said “amen”, I prayed for them one more time. As soon as I finished, Alyssa looked at me and said, “He heard you the first time. You only have to ask Him once.”

Now there is nothing wrong about asking God more than once to answer a prayer as long as what you are praying for is within His will, but she is right when she said He heard you the first time. In Matthew 6:8, it says, “your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” And, you know what, the bumps did go away.

Sometimes God makes us wait for an answer to our prayers in order to teach us patience and perseverance. Sometimes we ask for something when allowing it is not yet in His timing for our lives. Sometimes we ask for something that is not His will for us, and He says “no.” Prayer is not only our submitting requests to God; it is God presenting His will to our hearts.

"And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the request that we have asked of Him." – I John 5:14-15

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Take Your Position!

“I have been driven to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” – Abraham Lincoln

One of my favorite stories in the OT is of King Jehoshaphat and his battle against the Moabites and Ammonites. He knew that Judah did not have the power to battle the great multitude that was coming against them. So, he had all of Judah fast and pray. In 2 Chronicles 20:17-18, the Lord spoke and said, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you. Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD.”

The next day, they did according to the guidance, and Jehoshaphat sent the singers ahead of the army. When they began to sing praises to God, the Lord confused the Ammonites and Moabites and they killed each other. When Jehoshaphat's army reached the battlefield, there was not one survivor.

The one thing I love the most is that the Lord said take up your positions, and Jehosophat and all of Judah fell to the ground in worship. Is that not the position we should take? The battle is the Lord’s, and what we need to do is to trust and believe his promises in the face of hopelessness and what seem to be impossibilities. We need to learn to give praise and glory to God in the face of every obstacle even before we see the victory.

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” – Psalm 95:6-7

POSITION yourself for victory!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Let’s just get this out of the way…

Instead of just throwing out bits and pieces along the way, I thought I should share my story…

Casting Crowns has a song titled "Slow Fade" that tells us, "It's a slow fade when you give yourself away, it's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray, thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid when you give yourself away, people never crumble in a day..."  Sometimes we tell ourselves that what we're doing will not turn into something more. We convince ourselves that we can stop at anytime. It can be anything from lying, gambling, drinking, or cheating. But one day we wake up and realize that we're in deep...very deep. That is when the moment of hopelessness sets in, and you think that there is no way out. That is exactly where I found myself a few years ago.

I grew up in a Christian home, attended church faithfully, and even went to a Christian school. I had a strong foundation heading into adulthood. At twenty-one, I married my husband who had the same Christian upbringing. But, from the very beginning we failed miserably. We failed to keep God at the center of our marriage, let alone the center of our lives. Yes, we went to church and were even Sunday school leaders, but outside of that, we were casual Christians. Five years later with two kids, we had become roommates. Neither one of us paid attention to what was happening. We were both content raising kids together, but living independently outside of that. And then that is when it happened...the slow fade. Little did I know that my husband had a secret of his own, but I was about to have one as well.

Unfortunately, I allowed myself to get too close to a former coworker. While I told myself I would never let that happen, I soon found myself in farther than I ever expected. Our relationship lasted over two years. Finally, my husband knew something was wrong, but I was at the point where I felt our situation was hopeless. I figured once he found out what was going on, he would leave me. I was depressed, emotionless, and absent. My kids even suffered from it.  I came to the point when I was done with the lies and wanted out. So, one night, my secret came out. I waited for my husband to unleash his wrath on me, but all he did was walk away. A little while later, he came to me, and said something that completely floored me. He told me that he loved me and that he was going to fight for us. 

I wish I could say that I threw myself into his arms, but instead I rejected him. I became angry because my heart was so hardened. I resented the fact that it took something like this for him to want to fight for me. So, I continued down my path of destruction. However, my husband was determined to change. He went to our pastor and family for guidance. Very quickly, he recommitted his life to Christ. And, little did I know, that he was doing the “Love Dare” on me from the movie “Fireproof”. I saw the change in him, and yet I still resisted giving in. 

A few weeks later, I was sitting in church, and the pastor spoke on Romans 8:28. I also heard a man, whom I had known for a long time, tell the congregation that he was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. But, he had hope. It was amazing listening to him. And, for the first time in a long time, I could feel God’s presence. I finally had a glimpse over the wall that I had built of how life would be if I would just tear it town. But, I still resisted.

A few more weeks went by and my sister-in-law asked me to go away for a weekend with her, just the two of us. I felt like it was a set-up, but something inside me told me to go. And, as I left for the weekend, I knew I was not coming home the same. 

That Friday night and all day Saturday, we enjoyed just hanging out. Never once did she bring up what was going on at home. Late that Saturday night, she asked if I wanted to watch a movie. I agreed, but soon discovered the movie just so happened to be “Fireproof”.  As I watched the movie, I felt like I was watching my life play out. When it ended, we both sat quietly, not saying a word. Then my sister-in-law began to share about some struggles in her life, but still I sat there and said nothing. But, then I knew the time had come, and I turned to her and confessed my sin to her. I wanted to change! I got on my knees and surrendered myself fully to Christ. It was like I was breathing for the first time! I had been carrying such a huge burden of sin that I literally felt as though I had been suffocating. But, it was gone in an instant! I called my husband to tell him, and together we cried and asked each other for forgiveness. As for my other relationship, I ended it immediately and have never turned back since.

Our marriage truly was healed in an instant. People told us to give it time, but God had other plans. Almost three years later, we are still growing in love and respect for one another. It overwhelms me every time I think about it. God’s love and mercy and grace that He has bestowed upon us amazes me! 

So, maybe now you can see why I have such a heart for you! You are my sisters in Christ, and I want nothing more for you to experience God’s love to the fullest!!

The things which are impossible with men are possible with God!
-Luke 18:27

Monday, October 10, 2011

Why Women's Ministry??

Hello Ladies! 

Here is my first official post as a blogger (my spell check tried to change it to booger :) )!  Anyway, I have never considered myself much of a writer, and maybe you will discover that along the way.  However, God has spoken loud and clear to me over the last few years, so it’s about time I start paying attention!  Writing happens to be one of the things He has put on my heart.  Another big thing is you! 

A few years ago, I read a statement from the book Gripped by the Greatness of God written by James MacDonald that said, "You will never experience the fullness of joy that you were created to know until Jesus Christ has first place in every area of your life.”  That statement meant more to me than you could imagine.  Prior to that, I had looked in the wrong place for happiness, and it almost cost me everything.  I went on the path of destruction that led to depression, loneliness, and heartache.  But by God's never ending grace, my life was restored.

It is my desire to shake you uncontrollably until you get that fact!  If only it was that simple!  What I can do is share personal stories as well as God’s Word on what it means to have a relationship with Christ.  I recently heard Joyce Meyers say that we are only as close to God as we chose to be.  I don’t know about you, but I want to be as close to Him as I can possibly be!

I pray that God will bless this Blog and that a community of women will unite together as we seek to know Him more.  Please feel free to post comments at any time!!  As women we are encouraged to accept our responsibility as women of God who will offer ourselves as living sacrifices, acceptable and pleasing to God; be devoted to one another in love, honoring one another above ourselves; be patient in affliction and faithful in prayer; and share with God’s people who are in need.

Make sure to check out events posted to the right of upcoming PBF: Prayer, Bible Studies, & Fellowship!

I hope you have an amazing week!! 

1 John 3:1 (NIV) - How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.