April 20, 2024

Child Forgiven

April 16, 2015 by

 Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed. 

However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause, a hug,
and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv
I thought I had my bases covered
My destiny was in control
But I could see I’d never reach perfection
The day I hit a slick spot in the road

After that I thought my life was over
But Jesus had a different point of view
All I did was confess, and Jesus did the rest
Thank God I’ve been released and made brand new

You’re looking at a child forgiven
You’re looking at a soul set free
You’re looking at a pardoned prisoner who’s walking now in liberty
I’m standing here because of wondrous grace
My sins are in the deepest sea
He washed me clean somehow
So what you’re seeing now
Is a happy, happy child set free

Now what you see is not a perfect person
What you see is not a faultless soul
What you see is someone who was broken
Until the hand of Jesus made me whole

What you see is not a finished product
What you see might sometimes miss the mark
But I know my Father’s eyes see only His sweet prize
The perfect holy children that we are

The Gaither Vocal Band
Songwriters: Suzanne Jennings and Bill Gaither

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Hey, before we go any further, would you do one thing, please?  Would you go look in the mirror….  Now, see there?!  There is a “child forgiven, a happy happy child set free”…you!

But for the grace of God, we would still be prisoners and slaves to sin. But for His wondrous and amazing grace, we would be without hope.  But,

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace….
Romans 3:22-24

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness,
and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13 and 14

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.
Ephesians 1:4

One of the joy-filled lines of this song is “But I know my Father’s eyes see only His sweet prize—the perfect holy children that we are…”.  Now I know we aren’t completely and totally perfectly perfect yet…but remember Jesus told His disciples (and us!) to “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

The apostle Paul, who is such a wonderful example to us of how to live righteously, wrote of his own struggle with this Truth:

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on
so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude;
and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
Philippians 3:12-16

It is so very important to remember the Truth of who you are in Christ.  Here are just a few aspects of this reality that, by God’s grace, He has made us to be.

  • I am forgiven; Jesus paid my debt

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,
God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us
and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the Cross.
Colossians 2:13 and 14

  • I am His child

Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name,
He gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:12

  • I belong to Him

Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him]
and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist],
because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

  • I am chosen, holy

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

  • I cannot be separated from His love

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39

  • I have been given strength to do all which God calls me to do

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me
[I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him
Who infuses inner strength into me…].
Philippians 4:13

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

…Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come…
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead,
and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us
and released us from our sins by His blood—
Revelations 1:4 and 5

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Praise At All Times

November 24, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Through Jesus, therefore
let us continually offer to God
a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess His name.
Hebrews 13:15

A believer who is in fellowship with God has to be full of praise…for that’s the calling we have.  Believers who cannot praise and worship the Lord are not true disciples of Jesus.  When you are in good fellowship with Christ, you are always mesmerized with the Lord’s deeds and naturally a spirit of praising comes from your heart and your mouth lets it out.

Why do we praise God?

For what He has done:   In everything we have to praise the Lord and the Lord is always pleased with our praises.

Sing praises to the Lord enthroned in Zion,
proclaim among the nations what He has done.
Psalm 9:11

The Lord does a lot in our lives—His protection, providing, shepherding, etc.  We need to thank God for all of those!  Whether we face adversity—or even challenges that make us wonder whether God is seeing us—we have to praise God for we are commanded to praise the Lord at all times.

Fourfold Reason:

But you are a chosen people, a loyal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him
Who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

And we need to celebrate this fact that He took us out of darkness, what a wonderful God that He is so mindful of man. He is indeed good and compassionate. We have to praise God for all this.

As a commandment:   Perpetually we are to praise the Lord and universally do so (as Psalm 63:7 stipulates),

May the peoples praise You, O God, may all peoples praise You.

Let them give glory to the Lord and proclaim His praise in the islands.
Isaiah 42:12

So we are all to praise God; let us make a choice of doing so in the morning…in the afternoon…and in the evening time!  As children at Sunday School we used to sing this song (many times, repeatedly, we would sing this).

Praise Him
Praise Him
Praise Him in the morning
Praise Him in the noon time
Praise Him
Praise Him
Praise Him when the sun goes down
Halleluia!!!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Lord, we thank You for who You are, what You have done and what You are yet to do in our lives.  We praise You for this unfailing love and the good deeds we testify about day in and out.  May Your name be praised at all times.  Help us, Lord, to praise You more and more as this pleases You the most.  Let the praises come from deep within our heart.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

He Knows My Name

November 7, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Spent today in a conversation
In the mirror face to face with
somebody less than perfect
I wouldn’t choose me first if
I was looking for a champion
In fact I’d understand if
You picked everyone before me
But that’s just not my story

True to who You are
You saw my heart
And made
Something out of nothing

I don’t need my name in lights
I’m famous in my Father’s eyes
Make no mistake
He knows my name
I’m not living for applause
I’m already so adored
It’s all His stage
He knows my name oh, oh,
He knows my name oh, oh

I’m not meant to just stay quiet
I’m meant to be a lion
I’ll roar beyond a song
With every moment that I’ve got

True to who You are
You saw my heart
And made
Something out of nothing

He calls me chosen, free, forgiven, wanted, child of the King
His forever, held in treasure
I am loved
I don’t need my name in lights
I’m famous in my Father’s eyes

Singer/Songwriter: Francesca Battistelli along with Mia Fieldes, Seth Mosely

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

This song speaks to me in so many ways….  Do we really know how precious we are to God??  It amazes me when I think about the details of my life and that He still chose me.  Me—a girl once so beaten down by life and caught up in the depths of despair.  But I am redeemed, I am chosen and He knows my name!

And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved,
put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
Colossians 3:12

He knows who you are and He knows who you are meant to be…and, oh sweet sisters, you are so adored!

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

We don’t need applause from man or our name in lights.  We only need to live for an audience of One.  We were chosen by Him.

“Your Heavenly Father is the creator of the universe. God created all things. He is holy, righteous, omniscient, all knowing, loving, full of grace and mercy, and He calls you his child. You are a co-heir to the one and true God, and you will receive all the benefits that are attached to being an heir.”

(From Adored By God…by Karen Stubbs.)

Click here to read entire devotional.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people.
You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.
As a result, you can show others the goodness of God,
for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Father, thank You for seeing my heart and for making something out of nothing.  For choosing each one of us and calling us out of the darkness surrounding us and into Your wonderful light.  May we produce good fruit and remember each day that we are living for You.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen!!!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Child Forgiven

October 16, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I thought I had my bases covered
My destiny was in control
But I could see I’d never reach perfection
The day I hit a slick spot in the road

After that I thought my life was over
But Jesus had a different point of view
All I did was confess, and Jesus did the rest
Thank God I’ve been released and made brand new

You’re looking at a child forgiven
You’re looking at a soul set free
You’re looking at a pardoned prisoner who’s walking now in liberty
I’m standing here because of wondrous grace
My sins are in the deepest sea
He washed me clean somehow
So what you’re seeing now
Is a happy, happy child set free

Now what you see is not a perfect person
What you see is not a faultless soul
What you see is someone who was broken
Until the hand of Jesus made me whole

What you see is not a finished product
What you see might sometimes miss the mark
But I know my Father’s eyes see only His sweet prize
The perfect holy children that we are

Performed here by the Gaither Vocal Band
Songwriters: Suzanne Jennings and Bill Gaither

  *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Hey, before we go any further, would you do one thing, please?  Would you go look in the mirror….  Now, see there?!  There is a “child forgiven, a happy happy child set free”…you!

But for the grace of God, we would still be prisoners and slaves to sin. But for His wondrous and amazing grace, we would be without hope.  But,

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace….
Romans 3:22-24

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness,
and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13 and 14

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.
Ephesians 1:4

One of the joy-filled lines of this song is “But I know my Father’s eyes see only His sweet prize—the perfect holy children that we are… ”.  Now I know we aren’t completely and totally perfectly perfect yet…but remember Jesus told His disciples (and us!) to “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

The apostle Paul, who is such a wonderful example to us of how to live righteously, wrote of his own struggle with this Truth:

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on
so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude;
and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
Philippians 3:12-16

It is so very important to remember the Truth of who you are in Christ.  Here are just a few aspects of this reality that, by God’s grace, He has made us to be.

  • I am forgiven; Jesus paid my debt

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,
God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us
and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the Cross.
Colossians 2:13 and 14

  • I am His child

Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name,
He gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:12

  • I belong to Him

Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him]
and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist],
because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

  • I am chosen, holy

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

  • I cannot be separated from His love

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39

  • I have been given strength to do all which God calls me to do

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me
[I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him
Who infuses inner strength into me…].
Philippians 4:13

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

…Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come…
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead,
and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us
and released us from our sins by His blood—
Revelations 1:4 and 5

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Desert Song

October 15, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me, Lord, through the flame

And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I’ve received I will sow

Performed by Hillsong United / Songwriter: Brooke Fraser

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Thank You, Father, that ‘in every season You are still God,
and, even in the desert, I have reason to sing’…because I have You.

Even in the fire we are being refined. And, just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abendago, we will come out better, stronger, and not even smelling like smoke. Thank You, Lord, for the victory ahead.

See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
Isaiah 48:10 NIV

“Every one of us is a potential diamond in the rough. Embedded within each person are diamond-like qualities waiting to be mined bringing joy to our Maker, others, and ourselves. Are we willing to endure the pressure, the cutting, and the polishing of the Master Jeweler to bring out the diamond within us?”

A quote from God’s Diamond in the Rough.

Click here to go to Prevail Magazine.org

So, are we willing to let God refine us through the fire and be looking for the good that will come in the desert seasons?  When we give praise in the desert, He will give us the strength that we need to overcome.  God is our Victory!  Praise Him that He is here….

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him
Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 ESV

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Heavenly Father, I thank You that even in the desert You have not left us and that we always have a reason to sing in every season because we have You. Thank You for strength and peace as we are awaiting the triumph that is on the way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife — Week Seven

February 23, 2014 by

cl part three banner

I would like to start off by asking you three questions:

Do you feel that you belong?…that you are worthy?…that you are competent?

I know…NOT easy questions!  Here, let me ask them again with a small (but HUGE!) different slant, ok?

Do you feel that you belong to Almighty God?
…that you have value and worth to your heavenly Father?
…that you are competent and can do what He asks you to do?

How about now? Are your responses different; perhaps more positive? Oh, I truly hope so!  And you know why?  Because you DO belong to Almighty God!  His Word tells us: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people…(1 Peter 2:9).”  And you have MUCH value and worth to your heavenly Father!   His Word tells us, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold…but with precious  blood, as of alamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19).  And you ARE competent and you CAN DO because you have Christ IN you!  His Word tells us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

God doesn’t see us the way we oftentimes see ourselves. God see us the way we are…the way He has made us to be…the way we are in Christ. God sees us accepted; as His Bride, friend…and more; as worthy; as loved; and He delights in you, favors you, and honors you.

In our continuing study of CHRISTLife: Embracing Your True and Deepest Identity, we have entered into Part 3: The Three Pillars of Your New Identity. For the next two weeks, we will be focusing on the Truth of these ‘pillars of our new identity.  This week,Mrs. Myers writes on the following topics in chapters 31-35.

  • Accepted
  • Bride, Friend, and More
  • Worthy
  • Loved
  • Delighted In, Favored, and Honored

So I am back with a question.  Now being reminded of the Truth of who you ARE—the Truth of what God says… Do you feel that you belong?…that you are worthy?…that you are competent?  (Yes, i know…still the same question.  God wants you to know that you DO belong, and that you ARE worthy and competent! His opinion and thoughts towards you will never change!)

May the words of this song help to bring you to a place where you can sing along with your brother, Jason Gray, confessing the Truth that you are…

♥    Forgiven
♥    Beloved
♥    Hidden in Christ
♥    Made in the image of the Giver of Life
♥    Righteous
♥    Holy
♥    Reborn and remade
♥    Accepted and worthy
♥    This is who you are now

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife — Thirty: Belonging

February 21, 2014 by

cl belonging

Picture this scene:

Years ago while walking down the hallway of the school where I was teaching, I came face-to-face with an eighth grade student who had transferred out of my class the previous quarter.  Curious about her transfer, I stopped her and the conversation went like this:
“Why did you transfer out of my class?”  She replied: “I don’t like you!”
After years of teaching, I wasn’t naïve enough to think that every teenager in my class was madly in love with me.  However, no one had ever point-blank told me so to my face.  A glutton for punishment, I pressed her for more information. “What is it that you don’t like about me?”
Placing her hands on her hips, swerving them from side to side and rolling her big eyes at me, she bluntly said, “Lady, there ain’t nothing about you that I do like!”
Whoa! It wouldn’t do for me to repeat what I wanted to say and do to this fourteen-year-old.  Let’s just say, if I had carried through, I would have been put behind prison bars for assaulting a child.  So, I just mustered up a fake smile to her, and continued on my way.  As I walked on down the hall to my next class, my thoughts flashed back to an encounter I had with myself a few years earlier.  Alone in my bedroom one cold and rainy night, I had gazed into the mirror on the wall and uttered the exact same words that this fourteen-year-old had so bluntly spoken to me: “I don’t like you,” and I also admitted for the first time in my life: “I have no idea who I am.”

After my encounter with myself in the mirror, and what was fast becoming my bottomless pit of despair, it was as though the Holy Spirit took me by the hand and we began to travel down a muddy road that I had traveled for years.  As I retraced my tracks along that road, I viewed people whom I had allowed to mold and shape me into their image.

Being a “don’t rock the boat” kind of person with a low-key personality, I had avoided conflict at all extremes.  In doing so, I became a yo-yo on a string, bobbling up and down, trying to keep peace and harmony, albeit a false harmony. People Pleaser—that was my addiction.

Talk about having no sense of belonging, that was me.  How well I can relate to what Mrs. Myers says we do on the human level to achieve a sense of belonging:

“…we base our feelings of belongingness on our ability to attract love and approval and inclusion. Since both we and other people are imperfect and changeable, human relationships fail to fully meet our need for inner support.” (page 127)

New Sense of Belonging:  I believe the Holy Spirit took me down that muddy road to view ways I had gotten off the right path and then He gave me a new direction.  I began to travel on a new ‘Road of Identity’—one that gave me purpose in life.  In our chapter today, Mrs. Myers describes it so well.

  • “In God we have a belongingness based on eternal, unconditional love that accepts us without regard for our merits or demerits.”
  • “…In Christ we never have to view ourselves as deficient or as outsiders, or as inferior to those who see themselves as exclusive or elite.”
  • Christ is in us. (Colossians 1:27)
  • We are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. (1 Corinthians 3:23)
  • ‘Through the blood of Christ,’ we are now ‘inside the circle of God’s love.’ (Ephesians 2:13)
  • We ‘belong in God’s household with every other Christian.’ (Ephesians 2:19)
  • Each of us is a full member of ‘the Church of the Firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.’ (Hebrews 12:23)

It reminds me of an old hymn of the church…
Now I belong to Jesus,
Jesus belongs to me.
Not for the years of time alone,
But for eternity.

Let’s pray:  Father God, Your Word says: “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (I Peter 2:9 NIV).  Thank You, Lord, for choosing us as Your own.  Help us to look only to You for belonging…not anyone else.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife – Fourteen: Continuing the Adventure

January 30, 2014 by

Christlife Graphic wk3_4If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory.
Colossians 3:1-4

Y’know what I SO love about this little passage of the Scripture—all I have to do is set my mind (and keep it set!) to seek ‘things above!’ All the rest is God’s job!
• being raised with Christ
• having a new, real life
• being hidden in Christ
• Christ’s return
• appearing with Him

Here we are, friends,…we have now entered into Part 2: Your Life IS Christ!  As Mrs. Myers writes on page 61, “…as we let God lovingly invade our lives through our faith in Christ, He provides what is essentially a new album…we relate to God as our Father, He fills our new album with images that give unshakable support of our sense of identity.”  Images like these:

2014-01-30 01.18.30

Ok, show of hands here (actually, please leave a comment below or a ‘like’ in our study group!): who of you wants a new album filled with God’s images of our identity?  Oh…I do!  These images will reflect that ‘I AM who God says I am!’  No doubt!  One could fill journal after journal with these Truths.

Kim and I would love to encourage you to design your own inner identity album page today that does just that!  If God is showing us His images of us, we no longer should be finding our identity through status, or performance, or our physical appearance.

Oh!  Kim has something to share, AND her inner identity album page, too…
I love what Mrs. Meyers reminds us of on page 61.  That our status is important ONLY as it gives opportunity to glorify God and serve others…Our actions become a way of giving love rather than trying to earn an ego-building response from other people.  We no longer need to depend on how people respond to us and we escape from evaluating ourselves in the mirror of human approval.  Ladies, it isn’t about us…It is ALL about Him!  The enemy would love to render us ineffective by making us think we are not worthy.  But because of Jesus we have been redeemed, bought with a price—and that makes us royalty, princesses, daughters of the King!  I want to encourage each of you to do a page like this (below) as a reminder of just how much the Father loves you and who you are in HIM.  The key here is in Him.  Apart from Him we can do nothing!!!!

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of Him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

CLiiakimweek3

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may we pray just a portion of Mrs. Meyers prayer over you?

“Father, I’m so glad for the beautiful portrait in Your Word of who I am in Christ. Thank You for revealing these Truths—Truths which we humans so desperately need. I celebrate the fact that I never again need to rely on my appearance, my performance, or my status to define who I am. I invite You to lovingly invade all my thinking about myself. Expose further ways in which I’m holding on to what is deceptive and inadequate, and encourage me to cling to the exciting Truths You have revealed—Truths that confirm who I really am in Your sight.”  We pray and ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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“Esther” – Chapter 1:16-19

September 5, 2013 by

Week1_IfWeDontSubmit_ClellaFox

The party is over! The king is angry, the court officials are appalled, and the queen is realizing that she made a big mistake!

King Xerxes in his anger and frustration turned to his court advisors to figure out what to do considering Queen Vashti’s disobedience. Memucan, one of the advisors, might have stood up and said, “Good king, ‘no man/woman is an island!’ What the queen did affected not just you but your whole kingdom!”

It is true for us as well. What we do or don’t do has an effect on others around us. The Word exhorts us in Romans 13:5, that “everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities….” And in Hebrews 13:17 it says, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.” We are also told in I Timothy 4:12 to “set an example for the believers…” and in I Thessalonians 1:7-8 [to be] ”a model to all the believers….”

If we don’t submit to our authorities, why should we expect others to submit? A simple example would be obeying the speed limits. To obey them is to submit to the Transportation Authority that has set those limits for our safety. If we don’t submit to that authority and don’t obey the limits, why should we expect our youth when they start driving to submit to and obey the limits? Others are watching our example and are likely to follow us–even possibly to a greater extent.

Remember the saying, “Actions speak louder than words?” Well, these are the things that Memucan was so concerned about when he said,

For this deed of the queen shall become known to all women, and so shall they despise their husbands…There will be no end of disrespect and discord. (verse 17)

He was greatly concerned that others would follow Vashti’s example to even greater extremes. Therefore, to stop that potential fallout there had to be consequences for her actions. She lost favor with the king, she lost her position of respect, and she lost those precious possessions that go along with the position. The punishment corresponded to the crime: she wouldn’t go before the king–so she was denied access to the king from that point on.

Now remembering that King Xerxes was a foreshadow of a greater King, Jesus, we need to recognize Vashti as a foreshadow of the Jewish people. Time and again the Jews refused to submit to God’s commandments. They chose to “do their own thing.” And thus they lost favor with God and were even separated from Him by exile to foreign lands. As with Vashti, the punishment corresponded to the crime.

When Jesus came, he came to be the Jews’ King. Through His example, His teachings, and His miracles, He tried to draw the Jews to Himself. Matthew 23:37  says, “I longed to gather your children together…and you were not willing”—you would not submit.

Our author, Darlene, writes, “righteousness is conformity to God’s laws,” —submitting to God’s Will and God’s Way. I think of righteousness as “being in right standing with God.” But most of us, like the Jews, like to do things our own way. Surely we are good enough. We do good deeds! Vashti thought her beauty and position were enough to sustain her! We, as Vashti did, try to define our own righteousness by our own rules. “Beauty is only skin deep,” and so is our “goodness” unless we come before God in submission and in faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22, 4:3-5).

If Vashti had come in submission before the King it would have shown everyone that she trusted him. It would have put her in “right standing” with the king. Perhaps he would have presented her with some lovely gift or a new royal robe! In Matthew 22:1-14 (the parable of the wedding banquet) many were invited to come but most refused to attend. They were doing their “own thing” and didn’t have time for the king’s banquet. Others came and accepted the wedding garment and enjoyed the party. The man in verses 11 and 12 refused to submit to the king and his offer of security and right standing (righteousness) and, like Vashti, he was forever separated from the one who wanted to save him (verse 13).

ALL of us are invited to Christ’s banquet, but only those prepared can come and stay. For us, the garment represents our covering of righteousness provided through our faith in Jesus Christ to make us acceptable in God’s presence. God wants to clothe us with His robe of righteousness. He wants us to sit with Him in His heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6).  Have you accepted God’s invitation?  Have you submitted to Him and allowed Him to clothe you with His robe of righteousness?  If not, do it today, and join the greatest banquet ever!

*****

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

Today we are reminded that our submission to You, our King, makes the difference between separation from you or being welcomed into Your presence. Help us, Lord, to also remember that what we do or don’t do does affect others. Thank You, Jesus, for offering through Your shed blood Your robe of righteousness. We cannot earn it and certainly don’t deserve it, but You are offering it to us freely as we have faith in You. We submit our lives to You, and ask You to clothe us with Your robe of righteousness.  Thank You.  In Jesus’ Name.

Amen.

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Girls with Swords: Chapter 10 Weekly Review – “Sword of Light.”

May 31, 2013 by

Welcome to Campground USA

Log Cabins, Nature Trails, Canoes,

Paddle Boats, Bikes, Fishing

Yes, here we are at the campground listening to the birds chirping every morning, as well as sipping coffee, taking walks along the nature trail, and above all, learning so much about our Sword from Lisa Bevere.  No doubt each woman has their own special chapter that might have ministered to them the most.  For me, it was Chapter 10, our current chapter.  So, let’s head on down to the bonfire to see what my 4 girlfriends have to say about it.

Teresa 

“We can’t see the whole picture NOW (the earthbound temporal realm). Because there is more than what meets the eye, “we need the sword of light and discernment”  to see what our eyes are missing in the Big Picture.  (Lisa)

If we do not recognize the Light, the darkness will overtake us and the ones we love.  Paul’s letter to Timothy described the last days as:

People will—-

  • love only themselves and their money 
  • be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful 
  • consider nothing sacred 
  • be unloving and unforgiving
  • will slander others and have no self-control
  • be cruel and hate what is good 
  • betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God
  •  act religious, but will reject the power that could make them godly (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

These are not issues brought about by circumstances of where you live, but about where your HEART is.  Just as Lisa said: 

  • The Word of God is the lamp that lights our paths while it judges our actions as surely as it discerns our hearts.  Without the light of God’s Word, we would all be running around in the dark, afraid of what we cannot see. 
  • Without the insight of God’s Word, it is easy to mistake an enemy for a friend and someone’s past for their future, because the shadow realm distorts our perspective.  But when the light is brought to a situation, you see what is actually before you.

Jennifer 

Satan uses his schemes, plots, and tactics to divide us from God and each other.  Lisa presents three methods of countering Satan’s attacks.

1.  Love – – Biblical love teaches us what true love really is in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and Mark 12:31. 

  • “Hate lives in the dark; love lives in the light.”  (Lisa)

2.  Power – – Satan attempts to make us think we are not worthy or good enough by using our past sins against us.  Remember:  “We are descendants of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession”  (1 Peter 2:9). 

  • Our #1 assignment is to be an ambassador for Christ and to let His will be done in our lives.
  • “You are his prized possession, redeemed to proclaim all that He did when He called you out of a life of darkness to live forever in the glory of His light.  That’s the power of your testimony.”  (Lisa)

3.   Sound Mind – – Our thoughts can breed a multitude of negative thoughts.  “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is”  (Romans 12:2).

  • “The Word of God has the power to renew your mind and change it from unsound to sound.” (Lisa)

 Tonya

We are a society that almost automatically labels those around us; we label ourselves just as much. Often times these labels focus on our negative characteristics, what we or others may see wrong on the outside, or on our brokenness. But there is more beyond those labels.

Lisa says:  “Discernment is about knowing what is really going on, so that heroic daughters can turn what others see as a disadvantage into an advantage. The discerning warrior will know how to turn evil around for good.”

God gifted us with discernment so that we could see the good and the bad, so that we could help encourage the good and help us see ourselves and those around us for what He created us to be. 

As the much loved scripture says: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Diane

The following words from Lisa are ones that stuck out the most to me:

  1. Discernment and true intercession have the power to release restrained captives into their destiny.
  2. Throughout His earthly walk, Jesus discerned the work of the Evil One, then interceded by bringing light, truth, and healing into the darkened days of earth.
  3. Discernment realizes when others are blind and then intercedes based on their ignorance rather than on their actions. The cross ended our separation from God, but his intercession didn’t stop there; Jesus not only rose from the grave; he ascended into heaven and is interceding for us.  (Romans. 8:33-34)

(Diane’s testimony sums up ‘Discernment and Prayer’ beautifully)

  • I was once held captive, restrained by Satan’s slithering grasp. I was so blinded by the darkness my life was quickly becoming. 
  •  I cried painful tears every single day.  Every time I cried, I wished someone would see me crying, and then maybe someone would pray for me; I had no strength or words to pray for myself.
  • Then I came across this passage:  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.  (Romans 8:26-27)
  • I then realized that God saw every tear that fell from my eyes, not only did He catch them in His hands, but He also prayed each one away.  In those teary moments, God’s spirit interceded for me. He was the One I was wishing for all along to pray for me – -I just didn’t know it at the time.
  • Because of the dark we find God’s light.
  • Because we have found God’s light, we are able to help others find God’s light.

IntercedeForOthers.jpg”

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After Diane spoke, Praise and Worship began.  This is usually the time I reflect on what my friends have just spoken about.  As I said, this chapter really touched my heart.  To be honest, I have never considered myself an intercessor. Oh, I talk to God all day but, sometimes I have this vision of intercession as being on your knees hours at a time.  But, Lisa listed other ways we intercede:  speak up for another as an advocate, speak into a conflict that needs resolution, stand up for the downtrodden and silenced. 

Oh yes – -I am an intercessor!  I get great pleasure doing that!!  I walked back to the cabin in the moonlight and felt the presence of the Lord all around me. 

Let’s Pray: 

Father God, how we thank You for Your Sword of Light.  May we become a discerning daughter, and ready to be a vessel to set free those who are being held captive by the enemy.  In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

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