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Welcome to Campground USA
Log Cabins, Nature Trails, Canoes,
Paddle Boats, Bikes, Fishing
Yep, that’s the sign entering our campground where we gather around the bonfire nightly to discuss Girls With Swords by Lisa Bevere.
How about that meeting we had last night discussing Chapter 4! The Holy Spirit moved upon Christi, and it was as though fire came down from heaven as she spoke about taking back all that Satan has stolen from us. Didn’t we have a Hallelujah time dancing on top of the old devil’s head!
And speaking of a fire within them—Jennifer, Teresa, Tonya, and Diane did as they answered the questions: “Where is the Battle?” and “Who is my Enemy?”
- Jennifer put it to us straight! Our war is not with each other; it is with Satan.
- Teresa laid out God’s plan of Redemption: “One Heart, Vision, Purpose, Name, Kingdom, Mandate. We could be the answer to Jesus’ prayer He prayed for us at The Last Supper by becoming ONE.
- Tonya reminded us that we must battle to become ONE, using the tools God has given us in Galatians 5:22-26.
- Diane told her testimony of how the thief had come to steal, kill, and destroy her. But, Jesus came to give abundant life, and she didn’t listen to the lies of the enemy.
- Praise and Worship ended the meeting with Heaven’s angelic choir joining in.
I just gotta tell you about a childhood memory I had as I was walking back to my cabin after the meeting. I began thinking about the cattle farm I grew up on in Georgia. I loved watching Daddy’s herd of cattle grazing out in the field. The old cows would fill their bellies full of hay and then lie down under the shade trees and wait until it was time to get up and graze some more. It was as though they lived only “to be fed.”
A thought suddenly hit me as I recalled that memory, and I stopped and prayed: “Father God, help me not to just graze on the things I am learning. May I feast upon your word, and really ‘get who I am in Christ.’ May I not lie down like Daddy’s old cows after feasting. Instead, may I rise up and use my Sword as a weapon in my daily life.”
Well, the sun has gone down here at the campground. It’s time to make my way on over to the bonfire. Tonight we are discussing Chapter 5—“The Cross as a Sword.”
Teresa pinpoints the Crossroads.
Lisa says: “Just as Adam stole the fruit of a forbidden tree and caused all within him to die, Jesus died on a barren tree and thus became its fruit that all in Him might live.”
You and I are part of the fruit of Adam, and if we accept Jesus’ gift on the cross, we are His fruit as well. Because we are Adam’s fruit we have a sinful, hurtful part of us. Many of you have been hurt. Your hurt is holding you back from the freedom and abundant life Jesus Christ has to offer. If you have buried secrets, living in shame and regret, you are at a crossroads.
- One path leads to…loneliness, embarrassment, shame, pride, just getting by.
- The other path leads somewhere new and scary, feels vulnerable and shakey.
- It requires us to walk one step at a time lighted by faith, trust, hope, and love.
- But,it binds us to other travelers who are ready and willing to share their life story.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).
Could we get together, talk, and share our stories?
Jennifer spoke on Transformation.
Isaiah and David prophesied that God’s chosen people would kill His only Son. The religious leaders thought that by killing God’s Son they would get to steal His inheritance. “None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified The Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8).
Lisa asks the question: “What blindsided each and every ruler of that age? They could not see the transforming power of The Cross.”
What about you?
- Do you see the transforming power of The Cross?
- Do you live a transformed life?
- Do you live fully believing that Christ died for you?
- It is one thing to know about The Cross and what happened that day on Calvary.
- Do you live in a way that your life represents this knowledge?
We were saved, forgiven, healed, loved, graced, empowered, and restored “in Christ” at the Cross. It was the dead tree that brought us all back to life.
You were already transformed because of the Cross.
The question is – Have you accepted it? Are you living it?
Tonya spoke on the power of The Cross.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity” (Ephesians 2:13-16).
Lisa said: “On the cross God leveraged all that He was for all that we could be.”
- Jesus died on the Cross, so that we could one day fulfill our potential.
- The Cross brings us together.
- The Cross lifts us up above any attack used against us.
- Christ created the bridge needed between our neighbors and ourselves, between races, between genders, between ages, between classes.
The Cross has the power to unify all who are willing to embrace it.
In Christ the far-off and the wandering come near.
Diane spoke on the Scapegoat.
Everyone’s journey to The Cross is different. We can all relate with the scapegoat in different areas as we journey to The Cross.
Guilt Lonely nights Oppression Rejection
Jesus knows the pain and the hurt behind each and every word used to describe what a scapegoat represented. Yet, this pain was all taken with Jesus on the Cross as He became the ultimate sacrifice. Lisa is right: The Cross is a Sword of Love.
“Yet it was our weakness He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6).
“Ladies, we must pick up His Sword and follow Jesus to Heaven!”
After Diane spoke, many women shared their painful past as Teresa had suggested. Suddenly, a woman spoke out boldly: “Let’s lay hands on these women that God would restore the years that the locusts and canker worm has eaten up!”
This lady has “got it.”
She knows who she is in Christ and is applying the Sword to the hurting.
Praise and Worship followed with old hymns of the church flowing throughout the campground: Near the Cross, At the Cross to name a couple.
The smell of s’mores roasting nearby filled the air, and what’s that other smell I smell? Could it be the aroma of Christ? (Ah, how sweet it is!)
Let’s Pray: Father God, may we become a living testimony of who we are in Jesus and know that, because of the Cross, You have equipped us to walk in You and defeat anything the enemy might throw at us. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
*****
If you would like to join us for the “Girls with Swords” Online Bible/Book study, click HERE to be taken to our sign-up page. Once you complete the enrollment process, we will email you further details. We hope you will join us!
About Martha Bush
“Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word. Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er. Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.” I love camping, learning, growing, and worshiping with all of you, dear sisters in Christ!
Martha, you got the gift. I felt like I was at that campground discussing Chapter 5 with ya all. I want some s’mores now.
Have a great weekend!
Clella, I have been singing old hymns about the cross all week long. And didn’t you just love the video Christi used at the end of “the service today?”
Amen! I love many of the new choruses but the old hymns are in my blood and are so meaningful to me. My heart swells up to bursting when I sing of the wonderful cross and God’s amazing grace! This time together in The Word and Worship is encouraging me and strengthening me in the Lord! (And I’m having fun too!) Thank you all for camping together at the foot of His Cross!
Jackie, it still amazes me how you can feel so close to people you have never met through this thing called cyber space. But, then again, that’s the way The Body of Christ works. You have a good weekend, too.
What a beautiful thing Christ did on that cross for all of us. I am simply in awe of our Savior, and feel so humbled!! Beautiful week of blogs this week!!!
just think…if gathering together at the campground blesses our li’l hearts this much…just think that someday…one glorious day…we will be gathered together by our Lord at His triumphant return to spend eternity with each other and in His holy Presence singing His praises forever and ever! <3
Oh, I just love your thinking, Coleen, on that one. What a glorious day, indeed, that will be! Feel like singing that song, too, right now.
Beautiful blog, beautiful message! Thank you, Martha! I feel like I’ve been to revival services the past few weeks!
I’m telling my age here, as if you can’t figure it out by looking at my picture, but I used to go what was called, “Campmeeting.” Wasn’t held in a campground, but it was singing, preaching, and having a time well spent with the Lord, and people from all over the state. A true experience of revival, like you said.
I love what you said about the “grazing” That is exactly how I feel sometimes. I desire to be on fire for the Lord and live out what I feel in my heart every moment of every day. I do not want to be a lazy grazer. Thank you so much for sharing that with us Martha!!!!
You and me, too, Diane. But, I think that is what the Lord was trying to get acroos to me this week – -stop grazing, really feast!
Martha, God has certainly given you a gift in bringing so much together!! Loved this week!!
Just wanted to give a praise to an answer to my prayer. I have had my implant for a tooth scheduled for more then a month. I had the estimate and my dental insurance covered general anesthesia. I personally don’t like to take anesthesia unless I need to. I went back to the office and told them I wanted local. They kind of looked at me crazy. What person would want to be awake? They told me that I better stay NPO in case I would not be able to tolerate the procedure. I said to them I had three children without any pain medication that I think I can handle a 45 minute procedure. I felt pressured and ask God to intervene as it is the next week. This Monday I got a renewal on our health insurance and the dental insurance changed the same day as my procedure.WOW what are the odds of that!! I put a call in to the dentist to notify the office and they got back to me. With this insurance, I don’t have coverage for the general anesthesia which would be $500 more. I said to the nurse I really didn’t want general anesthesia and that local will be fine for me. WOW, God is good and I now am at peace going in for the procedure.For me it is the little things that God does for me that gives me the most Joy!!
Lorraine, that is a testimony of God’s faithfulness, even in the little things. Though I personally con’t consider dental work a little procedure. I am a chicken. But, God certainly was at work in your behalf. Thank you for sharing that testimony here.
Thank you so much!!! I wish I could pitch my tent at the GCH campground and roast some s’mores with y’all.
Awesome blog post loved it and so thankful what Jesus did for me on the cross I am so thankful I am not who I was m thankful that Jesus changed me
Kim, as Coleen said, how excited we feel being around this campground together, think about the one we will have in heaven with Jesus. I just know He is going to have some of our favorite things for us.
Carol, you and I both are so thankful for the change Jesus has brought in us. I can’t imagine living life without Him.