April 20, 2024

Love Letters from God by Diane Meyers

My story is made up of many love letters written from my heart to God’s heart and from His to mine.  I open up to Him with a pen in my hand and a journal in my lap.  The Lord speaks to me through my writings and I am beyond excited to share with you bits and pieces of different letters I have from God.  I share parts of my story so that God’s love, power, grace, forgiveness, and perfectness may be showcased.  As you read, I pray the Lord grabs a hold of your heart and fills you with hope!

GOD,

Why is it that I still have no one to hold my hand through this life?  I don’t have any idea how I am going to have that family I have always desired so strongly to have with no husband in sight.  I know the truth that You are all I need…that You hold me by Your right hand.  I know that You will give me the desires of my heart.  I do not mean to sound ungrateful for these promises because I most certainly am NOT.  In fact, these promises have dried my tears on several occasions.  But there are several more occasions, God.  More occasions where I may know the truth but my dateless nights and single looking future have me believing otherwise.  How do I do it, Lord?  How do I constantly find hope and comfort and satisfaction in You alone and not in my desire to have a husband one day?  Please, Lord; open my heart to the truth You have prepared for me.  I so desperately need to hear from You.

Love,

Your discouraged single daughter, Diane

 

Dear One,

Your honesty is what I have been waiting for.  I was waiting for you to admit to yourself, and to Me that you put your ideals over My plans for you.  Until you give up control of your non-existent love life, I simply cannot work in your life to bring you My love.  I will bring you another love, the love of the man I have hand-picked just for you to hold your hand one day.  BUT, first you must accept My love in your life.  I know you have accepted me into your heart.  I know you have written down those truths and promises that I have given you in the past all over your bedroom and bathroom mirror.  I know you have stored them up in your house, but what does your heart look like?  Are they there, too, when you need them the most?  On a snowy night when all you want to do is cuddle up with a man and watch a movie, do you reach into your heart for My promise to be the one to comfort you when you are all alone on that snowy night; or do you reach to your phone to contact that not-so-good-for-you guy that you are willing to settle for if these lonely nights continue much longer.  The thing you are learning is when you choose Me over everything that tempts you so much as a single woman in this world, that is when I will make those promises shine through your life.  Surely then, you will feel them!  I will bring you comfort and you will grow even closer to Me!  There is nothing wrong with you because you are single.  You are single because I am still molding you into the princess I have created you to be.  There will be a man one day, someone who spots you out of a crowd because he sees that you are living a life reflective of what is in your heart.  Don’t waste these moments and miss out on a chance to fill your heart with My blessings from above—the very thing your husband desires to see.  There will never be a man who will replace what I am for you.  There will only be a man who will add to the beauty and love I have given you.  When you become discouraged, reach out your hand to Me; I promise I will always grab on and comfort you no matter what the pain is you may feel.

Love Always,

Your Knight in Shining Armor

 

Heavenly Lord,

Thank you for this time I have to grow closer to You.  You have opened my eyes to something huge!  I do not want a man to want me; I want a man to want what He sees through my heart: YOU.  I pray that I make the most of this single time to seek You.  Show me Your ways, guide me in Your truth.  Lord, I completely trust that when I get to my ‘aha!’ moment with You; the moment where I know and feel Your truth running through my soul, that is where I will be found in You-nothing else will matter.  This single life is all about teaching me to get to that moment.  No one else can bring me to that moment, not even a man.  I know You are my only Hope in this lesson of learning to feel You more.  I am sorry for sulking in this singleness.  I choose from this moment forward to embrace the time I have to grow closer to You.  Give me Your perfect strength to help me get through!  Thank you , I love you!

Love, Your Princess in training

©Diane Meyers 2013

 

Questions for Reflection:

  1.  Meditate on Psalm 25:4 and 5.  Shift your focus onto God and off of the desire to have a husband one day, even if just for a minute.  Journal this experience.
  2. Are you ready to be boldly honest with God?  He knows your heart more than you do, get out the honesty He has been waiting to hear from you.
  3. Let your heart’s desire to be living for and with God.  Get rid of all other hopes and dreams.  Let God fill your heart, for then you will find what His hopes and dreams are for you.

Captivating: Chapter 9 Weekly Review – “Arousing Adam”

Wow, wow, wow!!!  Has this been an awesome chapter or what? Every week we learn so much from the Eldredge’s!

On Monday, Jackie wrote that although we love the men in our lives with all we have, we cannot answer the question that boggles their minds. This validation of a man’s soul only comes from knowing who he is in Christ. In the same way, a man cannot fill the void that is inside our hearts no matter how much he declares his love for us. Only God Can!

On Tuesday, Tonya confirmed once again that the strength of God is what makes us BEAUTIFUL. The hand of God in our lives is what prepares us for life, it’s what teaches us how to be beautiful, it’s what teaches us how to be good women. God completes us, not men. God needs to be our Number One man, always!

On Wednesday, Carissa asked if we identify with the Emasculating, Desolate or Arousing Woman. What we do need to remember as a woman, is that the men in our lives need us to be their “ezer,” their support, and their strength.  Which woman did you identify with?

On Thursday, Michelle told us that we deserve to be valued, and not every man deserves all of us. We must guard our treasures—physical, emotional, and spiritual—to share with the man that only the Lord provides.

Reading this chapter made me long to be the Arousing Woman. I want to be the woman my husband hates to leave in the morning and can’t wait to return to in the evening. Yes, things happened in our lives that made us feel insecure, hurt, and ugly but, by the grace of God, all that can change. Let us put God first, let Him be our Number One Man, and our relationship with the man in our lives will be what God intended it to be.

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank You for another chance to learn about being Captivating. I pray that we will put You first in our lives, that we will work on our relationship with You first. Amen.

**********

GWS

Our next online Bible study begins March 24th!

Click on the picture to sign up TODAY!!

 

Captivating: Chapter 9 – “Loving Fallen Men” – “Good Men That Do Not Belong To You” (pp 161-167)

Wow, ladies…I have to say, this section of the chapter really hit close to home in many ways.  And to be honest, part of me started to balk as I was reading this.  “I can’t write about that!  I can’t talk about that!”  or  “I don’t know what to say!”  Of course, I know this is a ploy of the enemy to try to get me to shy away from a difficult topic, so here I humbly sit writing this post for me, as much as every reader out there.  I pray you are blessed.

You Will Find Me

Seek me with all your heart.  How many of us long to have a man who is willing to do just that?  Exactly what does that look like?  And how do we cultivate that in our relationships? This is no easy question.  I believe that we have to walk a delicate line when we are attracted to a man.  In the book John and Stasi state, “Don’t offer everything, but don’t offer nothing.”  How do we know what is too much…not enough?  This is something we cannot do on our own.  This is when we must lean into the arms of Jesus and seek His guidance. Fervently pray for discernment and wisdom when entering into any relationship.

We also need to remember that “don’t offer everything” not only includes the physical, but also the emotional.  I have had some trials in my life, like most of us, and in the past I have found myself spewing forth every detail of my past to someone who, in reality, I barely knew. We have to realize that this isn’t necessary; as with anything else, the reveal should be slow and based on increased intimacy with a man.  When we find ourselves sharing so much so soon, we also have to look at our motivations for doing it.  Are we longing for intimacy so much that we are forcing the issue?  Are we sharing every skeleton in our closet to scare any potential mate away?  Or are we just not using good judgement?

We deserve to be valued, and not every man deserves all of us ladies.  Guard your treasures—physical, emotional, and spiritual—to share with the man the Lord provides.  We cannot avoid this challenge in our journey but, when we trust in our Lord and seek His guidance completely and fully,  the results will all be worth it.  Remember the words in Matthew 6:33 (NLT) – “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

**********

LET’S PRAY:

Father, I ask You to guide us.  You know this journey isn’t an easy one.  It can be so hard to know how much is too much when we delve into the world of dating.  We pray that we always keep You first, because then all that follows will be pure.  Guard our hearts, mind our tongues, and keep us close as we learn to discern Your voice in the chaos.  Thank You for loving us with a love like no other.  In Your Heavenly Name we pray.  Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

In which aspect do you find it hardest to find the balance between “not enough” and “too much?”  Is it spiritual?  Physical?  Emotional?  In what ways do you turn to God for guidance?

**********

GWS

Our next online Bible study begins March 24th!

Click on the picture to sign up TODAY!! 

********************

 If you would like to send Michelle a private email in regards to this blog post, you may email her at:  Michelle@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

Captivating: Chapter 9 – “Emasculating Women” – “Arousing Women” (pp 158-161)

As I read about each “type” of woman, I attempted to pin myself to one of the three types.

Am I the Emasculating Woman—always trying to be the boss and control my man in order to get my way? Is my heart hard and do I send the message that “I don’t need a man. I can do everything on my own?”

Am I the Desolate Woman—super needy for love and attention because I’m trying to fill the void in my heart that only God can fill? Am I hiding in activities and business to disguise the hurt and desperation I have to be “completed?” Does my desire to “get a man” define me?

Am I the Arousing Woman—strong and confident in who I am in Christ? Am I gentle to the men in my life, encouraging them to fill their role and be the Hero? Do I act in love and beauty and offer it daily?

The truth is I have embodied all of these types of women at some point in my life.  And you probably have, too!

So the question is: which type of woman do you resemble most in your life right now?  How has God changed your heart in the past few months, years, maybe even decades?

Ladies, the men need us.  We’re their “ezer,” their support, and their strength.  What messages are you sending to the men in your life?

I love how our authors condense the Arousing Woman’s role into two simple sentences:

Need him.  And believe in him.

 

Praise Him,

Carissa

**********

**********

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the men in our lives.  Lord, we lift them up right now, that they will seek You and find who they are in You and only You.  As we walk through this life, let us, as women, demonstrate to our men that we need them, and we support them.  Let us speak life to our men.  Thank You that we are able to do these things because of You.  In Your Name we pray, Amen.

 

Your Assignment:

What does needing a man in a healthy, God-centered way look like?  In what ways can we show the men in our lives that we believe in their abilities and goals?

**********

GWS

Our next online Bible study begins March 24th!

Click on the picture to sign up TODAY!! 

Captivating: Chapter 9 – “How Does a Woman Love A Man?” – “The Holy Scandalous Women Of The Bible”

Throughout my life I have heard that there are many ways to a man’s heart, many ways to make a man happy. Sex and food being the main two theories or methods, tools, feeding his favorite hobby, or being submissive. I’m sure if a survey were taken it would be found that there are as many answers as there are people polled, and that the answers differ greatly between men and women.

“Femininity is what arouses his masculinity. His strength is what makes a woman yearn to be beautiful.”

”The beauty of a woman is what arouses the strength of a man.” 

The first thought that popped into my head was “hmmm….” But it makes sense, there are many other complimentary relationships in life, this just happens to be a very important one, past the peanut butter to my jelly, past the ink to my printer, it is about a man to his woman and a woman to her man, strength to beauty and beauty to strength.

But what if I’m single. What does that mean for me?

What I write next applies to all women. Before God sends our husband, and even after God has blessed us with the man we are to marry, we need to make Him Number One in our life. The strength of God is what makes us beautiful. The hand of God in our life is what prepares us for life, it’s what teaches us how to be beautiful, it’s what teaches us how to be good women. It’s been said before that a man doesn’t complete us, God completes us. Yes, a man’s strength is what makes a woman yearn to be beautiful, but until that man comes along, and even after he has been placed in our lives, the Number One man needs to be God.

The strongest women in the Bible displayed courage, cunning, and stunning vulnerability.  When we display these characteristics in our relationship with God it will only allow His strength to shine through more.  When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable to Him, then our beauty will shine through more.

 

With Love,

Tonya

________________________________

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

Beauty is a word strived for by all women, beauty is also one of the things in life that seems impossible to feel at times. But when we allow Your strength to take hold of our life that beauty shines bright; when we are vulnerable to You, Lord, our beauty is magnified because of Your strength. Please prepare us for our husbands by teaching us how to let masculinity and strength shine through because when this takes place our beauty does the same.  In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

Your Assignment:

 “Femininity is what arouses his masculinity. His strength is what makes a woman yearn to be beautiful”…”The beauty of a woman is what arouses the strength of a man.”   

What does this mean to you? Or what else stood out to you? Share your thoughts; they may bless someone more than you know.

 

GWS_Slider1

Our next Online Bible Study

“Girls with Swords” by Lisa Bevere begins March 24th.  

To join us for this amazing study, click on the picture above!

Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details!

__________________________________

 If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

Captivating: Chapter 9 – Arousing Adam – Standing in Love’s Way (pp 148-153)

This is one of those chapters where if I happened to meet with John and Stasi, I would thank them for including this topic.

It’s so easy for us as women to blame the men in our lives for the pain that they have caused us over the years without knowing that they, like us, carry the same wounds. Such blame comes because we have not really gone to the basics to find out why men act the way they do.  It’s only when we understand the issues at play that we will begin to address our hurt.   The truth of the matter is that both men and women have wounds that date back to the time of Adam and Eve and, should we fail to address them, every generation will go through the same things.

There are so many misconceptions about masculinity that we have believed and embraced.  However, looking at our topic today, we can put some of those lies to rest.  Men just like women HURT and as much as they don’t always show this side to us, deep inside they carry childhood wounds.  They may act macho and have an “I don’t care” attitude, but they too have been hurt by their fathers who were also struggling with the same issues and did not know how to reach out to their sons.

How do we expect little boys who have grown up being told that “boys don’t cry, it shows weakness” to understand and comfort a woman when she is hurt and needs emotional support?  How will such a man relate to you when you want answers to these questions:  “Why won’t he talk to me? Why won’t he commit?  Why is he so angry? Why is he violent?”  The truth of the matter is the boy in him sees this type of emotion as weakness and probably thinks you are needy.

John and Stasi tell us that we won’t begin to understand a man until we understand his Question, his wound and how Adam also fell.  His search for validation is the driving force of his life.  The question that boggles a man’s mind is “Do I have what it takes? Am I the real deal?  Am I a man?”

We may love the men in our lives with everything we have got but we cannot answer this question for them.  This validation of a man’s soul only comes from knowing who he is in Christ.  In the same way, a man cannot fill the void that is inside our hearts no matter how much he declares his love for us.  ONLY GOD CAN.

Let us allow this chapter to help us heal the wounds that have been inflicted on both men and women.  Let us open our hearts and minds to allow God to validate our souls.  Only God can restore our beauty as women and strength to the men who we love and cannot live without.

Our understanding of this topic will help us build loving relationships and help heal the hurt that we have inflicted on one another because of lack of knowledge.  The bible says in Hosea 4:6 “My people perish because of lack of knowledge….”  When I understand what my husband or a boyfriend went through while growing up, it will help me understand why he acts the way he does with me.  Then it’s my job to pray for him, not try to fix him!

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ went through Calvary in order to restore the relationship that we had with our Heavenly Father.  At Calvary, Jesus bore our sins, including all the misconceptions that are there between men and women.  When He created us as male and female, He did not create us to inflict pain on one another but to love one another, enjoy one another and be One.  However, it is because of the Fall that we were cursed and have to endure the pain and suffering of this fallen world.  Jesus’ death and resurrection was vital for man’s existence because it validates our existence and answers the questions that He alone can answer.  It is through their relationship with Jesus Christ that men and women can truly love another and live in harmony.  I pray that this study will continue to draw us near to Him and, that through Him, we will embrace the relationships that we have with one another.

**********

LET’S PRAY:

Father, thank You so much for all that You did for us at Calvary through Jesus Christ.  His death gives us purpose and validates our existence on this earth.  It is only when we know You that we can embrace who we are and are able to truly love one another.  Restore in us that which was stolen when Adam and Eve fell.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Ask Jesus to show you what you’ve been doing with your Question and how you have related to Adam.

**********

If you are interested in sending Jackie a private message in regards to this blog, please email her at: Jackie@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

Captivating: Chapter 9 – “Arousing Adam” (Reading Assignment)

Happy Sabbath Ladies!

This week we will be delving into Chapter 9, Arousing Adam.  This chapter talks about how men’s wounds sometimes cause them to become passive or overly driven and what women should do to encourage men to become the type of men God intends them to be.

Here are our reading assignments for the week:

Monday: Jackie – Arousing Adam – Standing in Love’s Way

Tuesday: Tonya – How Does a Woman Love a Man – The Holy Scandalous Women of the Bible

Wednesday: Carissa – Emasculating Women – Arousing Women

Thursday: Michelle – Loving Fallen Men – Good Men That Do Not Belong to You

Friday: Jackie – Weekly Review

LET’S PRAY

Lord, I ask for Your blessing upon each and every woman in this study.  You know their hearts even better than they do.  Through this study, through this book, and especially through your Word speak to them.  Give them what they need to hear and give them the clarity to recognize it even when it isn’t easy.

Love Letters from God: Restore All of Me

My story is made up of many love letters written from my heart to God’s heart and from His to mine.  I open up to Him with a pen in my hand and a journal in my lap.  The Lord speaks to me through my writings and I am beyond excited to share with you bits and pieces of different letters I have from God.  I share parts of my story so that God’s love, power, grace, forgiveness, and perfectness may be showcased.  As you read I pray the Lord grabs hold of your heart and fills you with hope!

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.  Philippians 3:20, 21

Dear God,

Restore my heart, O LORD.  Restore all of the broken pieces of my life.  I am desperate.  Please, I need You!

Yours, Diane

Simple but powerful prayer I spoke to God one day.  I could sit here and describe to you every broken piece my heart and life once were, but I would rather fill this empty page with what God has taught me about restoration.  As you read these words God has filled into my life, I pray that you picture Him speaking them directly to you.  Think of the area of your life that needs some serious restoration.  Take heart, because God is in the restoring business.  He not only fixes, He replaces the old with the new—the broken with the whole.  Open your ears to God’s powerful truth.

Dear Broken and Shattered,

Yes, dear one, you most certainly do need Me.  Truth be told, I am in the center of all of your brokenness.  I know the pain in every break.  I know the tears you have shed because of this shattered mess.  I am here, in the middle of your mess, waiting for you to reach out of your brokenness and experience ME.  I truly am all you ever need.  I am the reason you can have hope in this.  I am the reason you do not need to suffer through this alone.  Listen for My soft voice, calling you closer and closer to Me: for then you will find inexpressible joy and My peace that passes all understanding.  What is it that you want?  Is it a quick fix?  Is it even a fix at all?  You know I can do all things, right?

Are you ready to let Me in to make something beautiful out of your broken mess?  It is time let go of the broken pieces and grab onto My hope, love, and grace to fill your entire being.  I promise to be here to restore these broken pieces into the most beautiful masterpiece you can ever imagine.  This will not be an easy process, but I will be there always; I will not leave you.  You may not like the process but you will learn to love Me the whole time.   It may not be a quick fix, but My timing is BEST.  You only know a sliver of what I could possibly do.  I want to do something better than you could ever imagine.  I am going to make you a new creation, in Me.  I will restore even the most unimaginable pieces.  The ones that you may not know are there or choose to ignore I will replace with pieces of Me that I created you to possess.

My Spirit will dwell in you.  Why you may ask, would I do this for you?  Honestly, the love I have for you drives Me to create in you a new spirit, My Spirit.  My love for you is so deep and so wide and knows NO BOUNDS.  This love desires to bring restoration to your life so you may live the life I created you to live.  At the end of this process you will find it is truly just the beginning.  The beginning of a new journey with Me.  This does not promise that you will never break again, but it does promise that you will never break beyond what I can mend.  You will find the purpose for your life—to share this love you have received with every single person you encounter in this life, drawing them to Me.  You will pray for these people to find Me.  You will have eyes to see the brokenness in lives of the hurting, but you will know My Beauty in that brokenness.

You will not only help others find My beauty in their lives, but you will find more of My blessings in your own.  There will be a day when the attempt of brokenness will no longer exist.  The day I take you up to Heaven to spend eternity with Me, will prove to be the day you know in your heart that all of the pain and hurt behind each moment in your life that left you broken was well worth it all to see Me in all of My glory.  For this, my dear, is the day you will be found in Me.

Until the day we are face to face in My Heavenly Place,

Your Mighty Savior

**********

Spend time writing your prayer back to God.  Write whatever is on your heart.  Make this from your heart to His.

God Bless You!

Diane

©Diane Meyers 2013


If you would like to email Diane in regards to this blog post, please send it to: Diane@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

Captivating: Chapter 8 Review

Girlfriends, this week we learned about our true beauty!  Please join me as I go over some vital points of this last week with you.

On Monday, we learned from Jackie that Beauty that comes from the inside is what this world longs to see from us. It is such Beauty that speaks and people listen; it invites others in and makes them want to stay forever; it nourishes, comforts, inspires, and it is transcendent. It is this Beauty that draws us to God.

On Tuesday,Tonya said that, despite what life and others may say, God created all of us for a reason. He knew what character traits we would have, and He placed them in us for a purpose. Through Him and His love we can all embrace who we are and open our hearts to rest.

On Wednesday we were challenged by Carissa to think about our ‘ugly’ moments. Our ‘ugly’ moments have one thing in common: OURSELVES!!!!! Let us change the ugly into beauty by reaching out to those in need. We offer joy and beauty when we serve.

On Thursday with Michelle we learned that unveiling our beauty is not just a simple matter of putting on a nice outfit and some makeup. Unveiling our beauty is our greatest expression of FAITH, HOPE, and  LOVE.

Girlfriends, for the last couple of months I have been on a life-changing journey. Although I have been deeply hurt and wounded, I decided to trust God with every fiber of my being. Instead of focusing on the ugly and the disappointments, I focused my attention on the beauty that will come out of this experience.

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank You for Your beauty that lives within us. Thank You that we don’t have to allow the ugly of this world to consume us and to change us.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Captivating: Chapter 8 – Letting Our Hearts Be Deepened – Faith, Hope and Love (pp 144-149)

Deepening our hearts sounds like a no-brainer, right?  Who wouldn’t want to deepen our hearts, grow closer to God, enhance our relationships?  Well, when we find out the method He uses to do the actual deepening, we may be a little more hesitant.

To possess true beauty we must be willing to suffer.  Wait…what?  Yes, ladies, that is scary and makes me want to run too, but we must be willing to suffer.  “Why?” you ask?  Well, the better question is “Why not?”  As our authors state, “If Christ Himself was perfected through His sufferings, why would I believe God would not want to do the same with me?” Sometimes God leaves us in the painful places.  Not because He doesn’t love us, but because He does love us. His main purpose is not to make us happy, but to grow and restore us in an eternal weight of glory.  Cultivating this beauty will likely require waiting and tenacity.  It is in this time of waiting when we turn to our relationship with the Lord.

During the wait we must not sit idle.  Along with spending time with God, we need to be kind and gentle with ourselves.  We need to feed on beauty. We need to laugh, rest, refresh.  As women, we tend to put everyone else before ourselves, and we need to stop that.  We are important, and we need to start treating ourselves as such.

Unveiling our Beauty

 

Unveiling our beauty is not just a simple matter of putting on a nice outfit and some makeup.  It is hard, and it takes work, but ladies…the results are SO worth it!  Remember:  unveiling our beauty is our greatest expression of faith because we have to completely trust Jesus.

Unveiling our beauty is our greatest expression of hope, because we put our hope in our growing beauty through our relationship with Jesus.

Unveiling beauty is our greatest expression of love, because we are able to love like Jesus, with a sincere, inviting love.

Faith. Hope. Love.

Be blessed, sisters. Never forget how beautiful and loved you are!

 

LET’S PRAY:

Lord, I ask You to come along side of us.  We know You love us, and sometimes love means pain.  We trust that with these struggles comes a life more amazing than we can ever imagine.  Give us the grace needed to turn to You when we are unsure or feel as if we are faltering.  Help us remember to pamper ourselves because we deserve to.  We want to live confidently and fearlessly under Your guardianship.  Thank You for always being by our side.  In Your Holy Name we pray.  Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

What are some of the ways you pamper yourself, or take some “me” time?  If you had one day to do whatever you wanted to, what would you do?  Let’s share!