November 15, 2024

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 4 / Day1 – Protecting HIS Name

October 22, 2012 by

 

There is this sick feeling I get sometimes.  One that leaves me feeling, honestly, to be the worst person in the world.  This feeling happens just after I choose to NOT stand up for my God in Heaven or anything I say I stand for.  It is the feeling of defeat, disappointment.  These feelings I never want, but somehow I get stuck with them when I do not want to defend my Savior.

During my teenage years I struggled with this the most.  I did not like the fact that I stood out from the rest of my “friends” because I went to church, or grew up in a pretty strict home. I tried to fit into being a cool, carefree girl, not having any real opinion or beliefs on God-all I knew about Him at the time was that He was in my heart but I did not know what that meant. I did not stand up for God or try to shine His light; instead I blew it out every morning before school. I didn’t want anyone to think I was weird or different. I did not fully understand what a relationship with God was. I was not about to try to figure it out when I could just be a fun girl with lots of friends.

Lots of friends quickly turned into no friends.  I didn’t understand this at all, I was doing what I thought they wanted me to do, why did they not like me?  I honestly believe that God was protecting me by taking me away from all of these relationships.  These friendships were not positive ones.  They were not bringing glory to God, nor were they lifting me up or encouraging me in my walk with Christ.   To my complete surprise, even though my friends had all left me, there was one friend that stuck like glue.  It was Jesus.

When I started learning about this relationship with God, I started to get that sick feeling.  Knowing the comfort the Lord so graciously gave me during this time, left me feeling so sick about how I was acting when it came to God being a part of my life.  I was so mad at myself for being so ashamed of wanting to KNOW GOD MORE. I was so disappointed in myself for not sticking up for God, or being confident in HIM.  This is why I so desperately want to help every single teenage girl come to know the love of God that they must defend every moment of every day.

My teenage years did not go so well.  I am so thankful that YOURS do not have to be anything like mine!  You have the strength and courage of the Holy Spirit living inside of you.  That power can make you be a difference maker in your school, home, or church.  YOU have the responsibility of standing up for God in a world that wants to push Him down.  You have the ability to share what HE is to you with others.  If you are scared or nervous or afraid you will not be liked, remember this verse: 1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.  If the result of standing up for God causes you to be unliked (totally made that word up) by many or even friendless, DO NOT FEAR!  In fact, you can rejoice because God tells you, YOU WILL BE BLESSED for standing up for the name of Jesus Christ!

As you are put in many different situations each day, resist the sick feeling.  Desire to feel the best feeling ever (that replaces the sick feeling when you honor God by defending His holy name) …the love of Jesus Christ and the joy His heart bursts with when He sees and hears you living as He wants.

Let’s Pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for your love.  I thank you that we have YOUR power inside of us to protect, defend, and stand up for your name.  I ask that as we go through our days, we are able to have the courage to stand up for what is right.  Give us the right words to say to share YOU with everyone you bring along our path.  Thank you for being with us and replacing that once sick feeling, with your blessings.  I love you!!  I pray all of these things in your precious name, Amen.

MUCH LOVE,

Diane

____________________________________________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 4 – Protecting the Name

October 21, 2012 by


Philippians 2:15-16a

“Be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe, as you hold out the word of life.

…a few words from Megan…..

My dear friends…

This weeks’ lessons are all about protecting the name of The Lord. This is a huge subject and vital to our walk as Christians. Living with integrity and taking pride in all we do as we do it for God is what each lesson is about this week. It is easy to talk up God and walk clean with our church friends and while we are at church… but what about at home, at school and in our community? How are you representing the Lord in all aspects of your life? Why is this so challenging to do in our fallen world? How can we lift each other up in this area? Each day this week we will be focused on different aspects of how we can protect the name of God in our everyday lives….

Monday, Diane will be sharing with us how to know when to defend your faith. On Tuesday, Teresa will be sharing with us how to choose your words. Our dear Jordan will help us on Wednesday with knowing what (and what not) to wear, while on Thursday, Tonya will guide us through knowing where to direct your steps. Then on Friday, Tina will discuss with us why you work so hard. We are in for one awesome week!

<3 Megan 🙂

 

Megan and Morgan… Cinco de Mustache

 

Now, for a few words from Morgan about our week to come ….

Hey girls! I hope everybody has been having fun doing the study, it’s really challenging and super amazing how much you can grow from each week! It’s super awesome, so this week we get to talk about the name of God. Did you know that so many times people disown or insult the Name of God EVERYDAY? Most people don’t even know it sometimes, but even just saying “Oh my God” insults His name! It’s crazy to see how many people use that in their everyday vocabulary, I liked the idea of how Ava said that her dad talked with her about keeping their family name in a good reputation… we as Christians should do the same thing! Take pride in being called a Christian and stand for what you believe in! It’s very powerful.

Then, this week we will be talking about how to live out our faith, which is so important, girls. I have caught myself at times being a different person when I’m not at church and that’s not ok! You have to be able to live out the Name of Jesus Christ everywhere you go! So don’t be ashamed about it, because I know at times it’s so hard. There is light at the end of the tunnel, ladies. God will give us a very big reward for obeying His Word and living it out.

My last thought is that Ava also talks about giving God our best, and this hits home to me. I have found myself way too often not giving God my full attention but making Him second. I have had to correct myself, and put God first. God deserves our best and nothing less. I love you ladies so much and can’t wait to see everybody grow over this study!!

Morgan!

Let’s pray…..

Dear Lord, I lift up to you each heart working through this study. We so desperately want to grow closer to you Lord, and we thank you for working through us already in the first few weeks we have been so intentionally seeking You. Show us this week what You have for us in living out everyday protecting Your mighty name. Show us how we can best talk to our friends about You and best represent you in this world. We want to glorify You in all we do, God… help us to see where we are falling short in this area and how we can do better. Thank you for the fellowship of GCH:decaf and please protect all of my sisters this week as we seek your guidance in this area. Thank you in advance for all you will do. In Your Son’s name we pray, amen <3

_______________________________________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens

Lord Teach Us To Pray: Part 4

October 20, 2012 by

Today we continue a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray! Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus’ disciples did — ”Teach {me} to pray”?

Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray. I believe that, as we continue to look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who pray—who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father. This is my heart’s desire.

Jesus was asked this important question by His disciples. One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….” Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:

Pray, therefore, like this:

Our Father
Who is in heaven,
hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts,
and have given up resentment against) our debtors.
And lead (bring) us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13

The first week, in this series, we focused on the very first, and most important aspect, of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as “Our Father….” We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!

The second week, we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of importance—“Who is in heaven.” This attribute tells of the utmost importance of Who God is…He is in heaven. And we also were reminded of an awesome promise from God, that we will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and our Father, Who is in heaven.
Last week, as we followed Jesus’ instruction, we came to the third aspect referring to Almighty God— “hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.” We looked at one definition of holy: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness And we looked at five examples in the Scriptures where we saw the Almighty God, ascribed by the Psalmist as ‘You are holy’…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him ‘my Holy One’…that Isaiah saw in a vision God seated on His throne with the seraphim proclaiming ‘holy, holy, holy’…that Jesus our Lord prayed ‘Holy Father’…that one of the seven angels praise Almighty God saying ‘You Who are and were ‘O Holy One.’ There is no doubt Who each of these examples is speaking about—our Father. What a privilege that our Father…Who is in heaven…would allow us to come before Him and call Him ‘holy!’

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

Now here we are, this fourth week, looking at the next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed important— ‘Your Kingdom come.’ We, of course, need to ask the question, “What is the Kingdom?” I believe it is represented in two distinct ways in the Scriptures. There are more than 125 references in the New Testament alone to “Kingdom.”

The first connotation that “Kingdom” has would be in reference to the eternal Kingdom, commonly understood as Heaven, where God and Jesus dwell. Jesus had already taught the disciples the proper and respectful attitude toward God Almighty when He brought attention to ‘our Father, Who is in heaven…’ Throughout the Bible much is spoken of (especially in the books of Isaiah and Revelations) about Heaven, or as we are discussing here, God’s Kingdom. This is one of the things I believe our Lord communicates in the Lord’s Prayer—to constantly have that attitude of heart as we pray to be yearning for that time when the Kingdom comes! And, oh, don’t we long to live for eternity in that heavenly Kingdom ?!!!

Which bring us to another understanding of “Kingdom.” There are a number of records in the Gospels that show us Jesus’ great desire to give us understanding about the Kingdom. (You can use a Bible search engine and do a short study to help you get a better grasp on this; I use <biblegateway.com>). We are going to focus today on just one time that Jesus was teaching about His Kingdom.

In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus spent the day, sitting on the shore and finally, because the crowds listening had grown so large, sitting off-shore a bit in a boat, teaching and sharing about the Kingdom. During this time, He spoke a parable to them about the Kingdom comparing it to a sower and his seed (verses 2-9). He spoke another parable to them about the Kingdom relating it to a grain of mustard seed and how it grows (verses 31, 32). He then told them another parable about the Kingdom comparing it to the leaven used in baking bread (verse 33). Finally, He withdrew along with His disciples and talked with them continuing to help them to understand the parables. However, while still with the crowds, Jesus began to answer privately their questions.

verses 10-13:
“Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables?
And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand.”

And He explained a parable, verses 18-23:

“Listen then to the [meaning of the] parable of the sower:
While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside.
As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy;
Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] and he falls away.
As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit.
As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty.”

Don’t you just love the heart and compassion and attention that our Lord gave to his disciples (and us!) as He explained. The subject over and over is the Kingdom. But He uses tangible examples to help them and us to understand the importance of having ‘the Kingdom’ established in our hearts. Our desire is for Jesus’ words to be at the center of our heart, the focus of our pure living, the impetus for our choosing His ways over the ways, the cares, the pleasures of the world. Further on He uses other examples through parables to explain about the Kingdom.

verses 44-51
The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field.
Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls,
Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet which was cast into the sea and gathered in fish of every sort.
When it was full, men dragged it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted out the good fish into baskets, but the worthless ones they threw away.
So it will be at the close and consummation of the age. The angels will go forth and separate the wicked from the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God)
And cast them [the wicked] into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth.
Have you understood all these things [parables] taken together? They said to Him, Yes, Lord.

verse 53: “When Jesus had finished these parables (these comparisons), He left there.”

The kingdom of heaven is of great and precious value; Jesus wanted them to know and realize this. Our Lord’s strong desire is for us to have Him, the King, ruling in our hearts and that a lifestyle of that will allow us entrance in the future to eternity, in the Kingdom, with Him and Almighty God.

Jesus, Who God has made to be King of our lives, wants us to thoroughly understand the TRUTH about the Kingdom…He wants you and me to be in that Kingdom along with Him… Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. < 3

—————————————————————–
This week we have talked and talked about fully embracing how beautiful we ARE: because I am who God made me to be; believing the TRUTH not the lies; holding in our minds that truth and not allowing the world’s viewpoint to color our thinking; that who we are in Christ makes us SO beautiful; that our eternal VALUE–it makes us beautiful! As I have reconsidered the value of who God made me (and you!) to be, and I think on these truths, and I recognize that I am beautiful in light of this, it has reminded me that I have value and I am beautiful inside&out because Jesus IS my Lord, my King, and that I have His Kingdom NOW reigning in my heart. And YOU, my sister, too!

So let’s embrace this truth…ask yourself: How much worth, ______ (insert your name here), do I have if Jesus, as King, wants to reign in my heart? My heart…His home! Truly, how beautiful and valuable am I to my Lord and my God…I can only imagine! <3

“…Your Kingdom Come..”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_OB7d-B1Vw

Grace, mercy, and peace to you
from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ

with love,
coleen

____________________________________________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3/ Day 5: See Your Eternal Value

October 19, 2012 by

 

Girls, just like all of you, I want to look and feel good about myself. Like some of you I can spend hours upon hours in the mall. What can I say, I like clothes, shoes, bags, make-up, jewelry; did I leave anything out?

Over the past ten years I was able to travel to different countries and have seen some really amazing things and sites. But when I look back at the places I have been to and the stuff I have accumulated over the years, I have to ask myself if this is what life is all about?

 

Although I treasure the memories of standing under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, taking a water taxi in Venice and looking at awe at the Alps in Switzerland, I have to ask myself if this is what I value in life. Does this satisfy my deepest heart’s desire, is this something that will change my life for the better and more importantly, will I be able to impact someone else’s life?

Girls, I don’t know about you, but my deepest desire is to do something of eternal value. Something that will last forever and that I along with other people will hold dear. How can I do this you might ask, the answer is simple, it is in the little things we do for other people, it is in the attitude of our hearts. You know, when you do something good for someone, you automatically feel good about yourself, not that that should be your motivation.

Colossians 4:5 says: “…… make the most of every opportunity”. That can simply be paying someone a compliment, opening the door for someone, returning your grocery cart, giving someone a smile or helping out at a shelter. If we do these things, we are helping others find Jesus, and helping them find Jesus is the best gift we can give anyone.

Not all of us have the means or finances to support people in need, but all of us have the ability to go on our knees to pray for someone, to be kind, to do good, be faithful, gentle, have self-control, give love, spread joy, be patient and kind.

Girls, I don’t want to leave a bunch of photos and a closet full of clothes behind, but what I want to leave behind is a godly legacy.

 

Let us strive to see our eternal value. This is our lives; these are the moments that make up our lives. Let’s use them wisely.

Be blessed my dear girlfriends!

Let us pray:

Father, I thank you for each and every girl in GCH: decaf. Thank you Father, that each one of them are fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you that each one of us will do something of eternal value every day to give You all the glory. Amen.

Be blessed!

Love you,

Edwina

______________________________________________________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3 / Day 4 – Concentrate on Inner Beauty

October 18, 2012 by

    
                

1 Peter 3:3-4

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment

such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle quiet spirit,

which is of great worth in God’s sight.

I have been more of a plain Jane when it came to dressing up my outer appearance. My mother used to always ask me why I didn’t dress up more like my two sisters always did. I was always comfortable wearing my jeans and t-shirts, and I still am. Now there are times when I love to get all dolled up and wear very nice evening gowns and heels and make up and getting my hair done in an updo (as some call it). I think that there are occasions where all of us like to dress up really nice and celebrate.

Peter tells us that our beauty should come from on the inside. Have you met someone and everything about them just lit up? Their smile, personality, who they were on the inside, just leaped out of their skin? Well I have, and that person drew me closer to them. It is all the more exciting when they are a Christian and the Jesus that is on the inside of them jumps out at you and draws you closer to them. I have always been told to look at who a person was on the inside and not pay as much attention to who they were on the outside. My mother always told me to never judge a book by its cover; that is so true! I have picked up a lot of books and put them right back down after looking at the pictures on the cover/outside and my sister or a friend would come along later and tell me that the same book that I put back and didn’t give a chance by reading it, was a phenomenal book…a GREAT read! Of course, I immediately went back and purchased the book or checked it out at the library, but you see, if I had given the book a chance, read the summary, or opened the book and read the first page or two, I would have been hooked!

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight.

Oh Lord my strength and my Redeemer

It is the same with people. We have to give people a chance. We need to stop looking at where they live, what color they are, where they go to school, who their parents are, or whether they have parents or not, what clothes they are wearing, hairstyles, etc… It is so important to give people a chance by looking at their inner beauty. Try and get to know someone this week that is not like you or may not live in your neighborhood and tell me what you find out about that person in the following weeks. I am sure that you will be surprised in a GREAT way! Give it a try!!

When you allow people to see who you are on the inside that is who they need to see. It is not fun to try and pretend to be someone that you are not. It takes up too much of your time to try and be someone else. Be yourself. Be who God intended for you to be!!!

 

Start with your heart and look within. Is God pleased with who you are? If you are not, ask Him to help you change into the young lady that He desires for you to be. God wants all of His daughters to shine from within! He loves you and so do we! GCH: Decaf thinks…no, we know, that you girls are something pretty awesome and we are going to continue to do our best to pour into you what God would have for us to give you.

Dear Lord,

Please help each girl in GCH: decaf to know that it is their inner beauty that is so attractive to people. It is what You use to bring people closer to You and it is Your way of allowing them to see You for who You are and who You desire for them to be. It is what is on the inside that matters most. Yes, they can look beautiful on the outside, and yes it is important to look your best, but it is who they are on the inside that You will use for Your Glory. Lord, I thank you for each girl and I pray that You speak to their hearts and give them the makeover of all times! Your makeover! It’s in Jesus’ name that I pray. Amen.

Love you bunches,

Tonya <3

___________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

___________________________________

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3 / Day 3 – Watch What You See

October 17, 2012 by

 

Sometimes I find myself wishing I had been born 200 years ago, or even 100 years ago. Why? Because we are bombarded day after day by images portraying what the “perfect” woman should look like. I am sure ALL women, regardless of when they were born, have dealt with insecurity, but women 100 years ago didn’t have Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, magazines, E! news, or music videos. It is SO easy for us to compare ourselves with other women because we are constantly seeing images of them.

I struggled with my weight throughout most of high school, so I had this idea that women who were thin or fit had no insecurities. I have found that this is different for every girl. “You’re so pretty, there is nothing for you to be insecure about!” or “You’re so popular, why are you insecure?” or “Your boyfriend loves you. How could you possibly feel bad about yourself?” Whatever you’re the most insecure about, you will envy most about other people. I also found that by watching certain shows or reading certain magazines, I was in an awful funk after watching or reading. Most of the women on tv, who I envied, most likely eat around 500 calories a day and exercise for 3 hours twice a day… and the images in the magazines? They’re not real. They’re doctored. They’re photoshopped. They’re made to make those women look like they weigh 95 pounds, when in reality, they weigh around 130 or more. It is just part of the industry in Hollywood.

Am I telling you to delete all of your social media accounts? Absolutely not! Am I telling you to watch TV altogether? Nope. Here’s what I am telling you- if you find yourself wallowing in self-pity, it’s time to step away from these things. And also, you need to learn to recognize the enemy’s lies. I believed the lie that, because I wasn’t skinny, I wasn’t worthy of love. About a year ago, I recognized that those thoughts were NOT from the Lord, and I began the journey toward freedom. I started eating healthy, NOT to lose weight, but to take care of myself. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and I cannot do the work of the Kingdom if I am feeding myself garbage! I also added exercise to my daily routine. Yes, I felt better physically, but I also felt better mentally. And now I can watch those shows and read magazines without experiencing thoughts of self-hatred. I have made the choice to keep my heart and my eyes fixed on Jesus. I have made the decision to take care of what He has given me. And I have made the choice to kick the enemy in his teeth whenever he lies, because I have the Spirit of God in me!

Girls~ your worth is NOT defined by your outer appearance.

Your worth is found in JESUS, and Jesus ALONE. And He says you’re BEAUTIFUL!!!!

 

Lord~ I ask that EVERY girl and EVERY woman reading this today would KNOW that You have created them, and because YOU are perfect, the work of Your hands is perfect. I pray that they would get a new revelation of Your love today, that they would be comforted and encouraged. When the enemy tries to come and lie to them, I ask that Your Spirit would protect them and that they would see the chains and bondage and they would RUN into Your arms. There’s power in Your name, Jesus. At the very mention of it, satan HAS to flee. JESUS, we call upon You in our moments of insecurity and self-doubt. We BELIEVE what You say about us! We believe that we are fearfully and wonderfully made! I pray that every girl would walk in confidence, knowing the truth! Amen.

~Jordan

_________________________________________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3 / Day 2 – Refute Satan’s Lies

October 16, 2012 by

 

TRUTH

Today, we are going to start with truth.  If we don’t know what TRUTH is, then we won’t know what a LIE is when we see it or hear it.  “Satan would love for us to believe the lie of “not good enough.” (A Daughter’s Worth, p. 32)  If Satan can distract us from the TRUTH of who God made us to be, then we feel like we are not good enough.  Feelings are deceptive, so we need to know what truth is before our feelings get involved.  Sometimes we need to tell our emotions what we KNOW is true so we don’t get distracted.

Look at 2 Corinthians 11:3:  I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.  Eve was created perfectly, by our perfect God.  She walked in the Garden and talked with God personally.  It was only when Satan began to mess with her head that she began to doubt who she was created to be.  We need to know who we are in Christ so that when doubt creeps in, we don’t believe the LIES that will destroy our hearts.  If Eve could be so easily deceived, we should not think that we can resist the devil when he wants to sneak those bad thoughts into our heads.  We have to know the truth about what and who He says we are.  We find out what God sees in us by getting to know him by reading his word and talking to him.

One of the neatest things about having eight daughters is that I have proof of how God can make us so individual, unique and BEAUTIFUL.  No two daughters are alike, but they are all the same.  God has gifted them in very different ways.  I don’t expect them to react the same way, be good at the same subjects in school, wear the same style of clothes, or reach the same kind of people as their sisters.  Wherever we go, we bring a party.  Some are planners, some are preparers, some are entertainment, but ALL of them are fun.  Sometimes one will be feeling down and we try to show her how blessed she is and how accepted she is.  We acknowledge her feelings, but emphasize the TRUTH of the matter.

When one of my girls says, “I’m not smart enough”, it usually means – I wish I was smarter or had made better choices.  Then we talk about how we can choose better next time.  When they say “I’m not pretty”, it usually means they are comparing themselves to someone else, or someone has made fun of some part of them that day.  Those days we talk about what makes them unique and how no other daughter on the face of the planet can be them.  When one of my girls thinks they have no talent or special gifts they are usually thinking about someone they admire who is gifted in a certain area and has not looked at the ways God has gifted them to serve.  We are all unique!!!!!  God made each of us special!  There could never be a more beautiful you than you are to your Heavenly Father.  When you feel those doubts creep in, and they will creep in, push them out with the TRUTH of God’s Word.

“Protect the Father’s truth with everything you have.  How?  When Satan tries to distract you, confront the lie with scripture, combat deceit with prayer, and ignore the negative messages that Satan suggests.  Thank God for His TRUTH.  Ask Him to HELP you, His precious daughter, to EMBRACE (believe) it.” (p. 33)

Let’s PRAY:

We thank you Father that you have called us daughters.  We thank you for sending your Son to us to enable us to refute the lies of the enemy of our souls.  Help us to recognize your voice.   We love you Father.  Help us to ACCEPT your love.      AMEN

“And because you are sons (DAUGHTERS), God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “ABBA! Father!”  Galatians 4:6

 

The TRUTH is…God Loves YOU!  I love you!  Your leaders love you!  Have a blessed day, girlfriends.

 

Mama T

 

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

 

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3 / Day 1 – You’re Beautiful

October 15, 2012 by

 

When reading the chapter titles in this study, my heart sank a little when I read “Embracing True Beauty”. That is something I struggled with BIG TIME for a majority of my life. I was interested what this week of the study would stir in my heart and yours. I cannot help but pray that as we tackle this week titled EMBRACING TRUE BEAUTY that we all come to find our beauty in God alone and to be confident of who we are in Him; BEAUTIFUL.

About three years ago, my sister sent me a text message that said, listen to Beautiful by Mercy Me, it reminds me so much of you, you have to hear it! When I saw that message I started to tear up. I did not understand how a song titled “Beautiful” could ever remind her of me. I thought I was the farthest thing from beautiful and I certainly did not think anyone else thought I was beautiful. I went home that same night she sent me the message and listened to Beautiful by Mercy Me. Listening to it brought me more tears, but the words also tugged so softly on my heart.

For all the lies you’ve held inside so long, they are nothing in the shadow of the cross.

That is my second favorite line in the whole song. What lies about who God created you to be do you believe? Do you actually believe you are beautiful? I believed I was ugly, unworthy, damaged, destroyed forever, and disgusting. Now all I see when I look at myself in the mirror is God’s beauty shining through. After all that truly is the most beautiful thing about each and every one of us. We have God’s beautiful spirit living inside of our hearts. The more we let HIS beauty that we have in our hearts overflow into the lives of everyone around us the more beautiful you become.

Think about it again, WHAT LIES ABOUT WHO GOD CREATED YOU TO BE DO YOU BELIEVE? Can you please write them down, and throw that paper away! They have no place in your life. It is time to embrace the beauty you have within! Psalm 139:14 says, I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Are you confident that this verse is true? Are you confident that you are wonderful and unique because you were made by a God who loves you so much? I struggle with the confidence from time to time, but thanks to this study bringing Isaiah 32:17 to my attention, I will now repeat what this verse says every time I start to lack confidence in my beauty. The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.

I so strongly believe that there is nothing more beautiful than a precious princess of the King being confident in the beauty that the Lord has brought to her life, embracing it, and sharing it with others. I hope that every time you look in the mirror, that you see God’s beauty shining through. I pray that when you do look in the mirror you take a minute to thank Him and praise Him for YOU.

I remember the day I sent my sister a message that said, Beautiful by Mercy Me is on and I thought of you, I remember when you told me to listen to that song and I thought I would never believe those words, I finally believe those words, thank you! It is my prayer that you finally believe my favorite line of that song; YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL!

Let’s Pray: Lord, I lift every single person who reads this up to you. I pray that you wipe away any negative image they have of themselves, and that you give them YOUR eyes to see the beauty that they possess. I thank you and praise you for creating us. We are all special because we are created uniquely in YOUR beauty. Thank you Lord, and help us to embrace the beauty you have given us! We love you so much, Amen.

Be Beautiful Today and Always! Much Love,

Diane

Listen to Beautiful by Mercy Me Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C2o0jHNRuU

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3 – Embracing True Beauty

October 14, 2012 by

 

My dear sisters….

We’ve made it to week 3 and this week we get to dive into embracing our true beauty! This is something I struggled with so much as a teen and into my adult years as well. It wasn’t until very recently that I finally feel good in my own skin and have embraced me for who I am. I pray that the Lord shows you through our lessons this week how to embrace your divine true beauty and be confident in how God do wonderfully and perfectly created YOU!!!

Monday, Diane will be posting all about appreciating God’s handiwork. Teresa will be bringing a message about refuting Satan’s lies to you on Tuesday. On Wednesday, you will hear from Jordan about watching what you see. Tonya will be blogging on Thursday about concentrating on your inner beauty and on Friday, you will hear from Edwina about being able to see your eternal value. I also hope that you have been enjoying Coleen’s Saturday blogging series about prayer. What a blessing! She will be back with another installment this Saturday as well!

Let’s pray:

Lord, we come to you this week asking you to help us to appreciate how you divinely made us. We ask You to show us so clearly how You want us to combat the lies that satan fills our heads with and replace those lies with Your promises and truths. Help us to find our acceptance only through You, Father, and help us to concentrate on our inner beauty… the way you so divinely created each of us. Lord, we seek to find our eternal value in You and we thank you so much for all You will show us through this week’s lessons. It is in Your Son’s mighty name we pray, amen <3

Be a blessing,

<3 Megan

Jonny Diaz…. “A More Beautiful You”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ks3R2BwyO0

_________________________________________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Lord Teach Us To Pray: Part 3

October 13, 2012 by

Today we continue a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray! Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus’ disciples did ––”Teach {me} to pray”?

 

Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray. I believe that, as we continue to look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who pray—who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father. This is my heart’s desire.

Jesus was asked this important question by His disciples. One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….” Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:

Pray, therefore, like this: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed (kept holy) be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors. And lead (bring) us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13

The first week, in this series, we focused on the very first, and most important aspect, of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as: “Our Father….” We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father! We learned that ‘Abba!’ (today we would say ‘Daddy!’ or ‘Papa!’) is used when talking about “a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person.”

Last week we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of importance—“Who is in heaven.” Jesus’ first attribute relating to God showed the depth of relationship we have with God. This next attribute also pertains to relationship but tells of the utmost importance of Who God is. He is in heaven. And we also were reminded of an awesome promise from God—in the coming ages, you and I will be seated together with Jesus in the heavens (Ephesians 2:4-8). We will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and our Father, Who is in heaven.

This week, as we follow Jesus’ instruction, we come to the third aspect referring to Almighty God— “hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.” Holy is an adjective, it describes. One definition of holy is: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. Another definition would be: (applied to the Supreme Being,) holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character. My understanding of our Lord’s instruction is that Jesus is not speaking about His Father’s actual name but metaphorically that His Father’s “name” is Who He is. The phrase could be stated as, “…holy are You….”

Throughout the Scriptures, we see God described as ‘holy’ many times:

But You are holy, O You Who dwell in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered]. (Psalms 22:3)

Are not You from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? (Habakkuk 1:12)

And one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! (Isaiah 6:3)

And [now] I am no more in the world, but these are [still] in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep in Your Name [ in the knowledge of Yourself] those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We [are one]. (John 17:11)

And I also heard the angel of the waters say, Righteous (just) are You in these Your decisions and judgments, You Who are and were, O Holy One! (Revelation 16:5)

Just in these five examples, we see the Almighty God, our Father, ascribed by the Psalmist as ‘You are holy’…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him ‘my Holy One’…that Isaiah saw in a vision God seated on His throne with the seraphim proclaiming ‘holy, holy, holy’…that Jesus our Lord prayed ‘Holy Father’…that one of the seven angels praised Almighty God saying ‘You Who are and were ‘O Holy One.’ There is no doubt Who each of these examples is speaking about—our Father. And there is no denying the great adulation, adoration, worship, and praise that is being communicated to our Father.

And, as such, we are to praise and worship and adore Him with that same heart…He is holy, holy, holy. What a privilege that the our Father, Who is in heaven, would allow us to come before Him and call Him ‘Holy!’ Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. <3

He is holy, holy, holy!

—————————————————————–

This week we have talked about accepting our Father’s love. We have considered that He wanted us to be born; that He delights in us; that He protects us and He forgives us; as well as that He give us great advice. Possibly you have had to make a few changes in your thinking toward yourself in light of just how MUCH God loves you. Probably you are thinking more in alignment with God’s thinking about you. Perhaps you are even thinking of yourself in the same way that God thinks of you. Here is more truth that God thinks about you; consider this, daughter of God ….

But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living. For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. 1st Peter 1:13-17

Clothe yourselves therefore, as Gods own chosen ones (His own picked representatives), [who are] purified and holy and well-beloved [by God Himself, by putting on behavior marked by] tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, [and] patience…. Colossians 3:12

So I ask you to add this to your new thinking: How much worth, ______ (insert your name here), do you have if you are holy {as Your Father Who is in heaven}is holy.

“…Holy be Your Name..”

with love,

Coleen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w_fdyLRvmE

___________________________________________________________________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »