February 23, 2025

Captivating: Chapter 8 “Beauty to Unveil” – Reading Assignment

February 24, 2013 by

Women are the essence of beauty.  Doesn’t that sound amazing?  There are days we may not feel like that…the flu takes hold, that overnight shift at work, it happens to all of us.  But isn’t is great to know that God sees us as beautiful no matter what?  He created us to be a beauty. This week we are going to take a look into seeing exactly what that means for us.  Here are our reading assignments for the week:

 

Monday: Jackie – Beauty to Unveil – The Essence of a Woman

Tuesday: Tonya – Beauty Flows From a Heart At Rest – Beauty is Inviting

Wednesday: Carissa – Offering Beauty – Of Course it Feels Risky

Thursday: Michelle – Letting Our Hearts Be Deepened – Faith Hope & Love

Friday: Edwina – Weekly Review

Saturday: Diane – Love Letters from God

LET’S PRAY

Lord, I ask You to come alongside each woman this week as we continue the study of Captivating.  As we look into what makes us beautiful, let us be open to the message You have for us, the lesson You want us to learn and the growth You want to see.  Thank You so much for Your love and grace, because without that we would be nothing.  In Your Name we pray.  Amen.

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Captivating: Chapter 7 – Cultivating Intimacy (pp 127-129)

February 21, 2013 by

We live in a very busy world.  I know I can personally attest to that.  We look at our schedule or our smartphone and we see “the list.”  We wonder if we will have time to get from work to appointment A on time, and then will there be time to eat before class B starts?  There is work, friends, family, ourselves…oh! and God.  Where do you put yourself on that list?  More importantly, where do you put God?

The key to enhancing your relationship with God is a simple one.  You need to spend time with Him.  Think about it, it makes perfect sense.  If you have an acquaintance you want to get to know better, what do you do?  You talk to them, hang out with them, get to know them, and possibly become friends.  If you have a man you are interested in, you date them, talk to them, learn more about them, and it can possibly lead to a more intimate relationship.  Isn’t that what we want?  Intimacy with our Lord?

What exactly is intimacy?  According to Dictionary.com intimacy is  “a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group.”  Yes!  That is what I want!  I want an affectionate, loving, personal relationship with God!  And the amazing thing is that it is ours for the taking!  He offers it freely and with no strings.  All we have to do is spend time with Him, and it’s ours.  Wait.  Spend time with Him.  Time?  Who has that to spare?  That in it’s essence is the problem.  God doesn’t deserve our “spare time.”  God deserves to be a priority.  He should be coming first on that daily to-do list.  No exceptions, no excuses.  I know…I get it…I am a single mom.  I have to-do lists as long as my arm and leg.  I run my home.  I run ministries.  I have my own business.  Trust me, I get it!

Sometimes we have to get creative with our time, and sometimes we need to get out of our comfort zones.  I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination.  But at the same time, I am exhausted by the end of the day, so I had to make a decision.  What I do is get up at 5:30 in the morning so I can have my quiet time with the Lord before I have to get my son up for school and the craziness of the day begins.  Do I LIKE getting up that early?  No.  No matter how long I have been doing it, it’s still no fun when that alarm goes off.  But is the tradeoff worth it?  Without a doubt!  That quiet time with God is what sets my day straight.  There may be a day I miss, and it may not seem like too big of a deal, but let that one morning turn into 2 or 3, or even more, and it only means trouble.  I can feel a difference.  Something will be nagging at me, or I will feel burdened and I won’t know why until I realize that it has been 4 days since I spent time with God, and then it’s like “Duh! No wonder!!”  It makes a difference.

So now I ask you to look in the mirror.  Where has God been on your list of priorities?  No matter the answer, there is a beautiful reality.  It’s ok.  Whether He has been at number one, or He has been relegated to “if I have time,” God is still there, He is still waiting for you.  He is not mad, or standing with a checklist checking off how many days you have spent with Him. He is just waiting for you to come back.  He loves you! He longs to spend that time with you, and He will delight in you the very second you return to Him.  That is so comforting to me.  If you don’t already, I hope you will set aside the time you need to spend with Your Father.  The change you will feel will be worth it.  Intimacy with Our Savior?  What could be better?

 

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LET’S PRAY:

Dear Lord, we long for an intimate relationship with You.  Please help us to clear our schedules and make the time we need to spend with You.  Sometimes it seems too hard in the craziness of life to set aside time.  Help us in our weariness, in our busyness, even in our laziness to realize that You are worth it, and that intimacy with You is timeless.  We love You, Lord, and we thank You for Your never-wavering faithfulness.  In Your Name, we pray.  Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Share your routine for spending quiet time with the Lord.  Do you have a specific time each day?  Does it change depending on the day?  If you haven’t been spending time with Him regularly, share some strategies you can implement to make it more consistent.

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Crazy Love: Chapter 7 – “Your Best Life…Later” (pp124-127)

February 21, 2013 by

Chap7_CL

“What are you doing right now that requires faith?”  That is a profound question posed to Mr. Chan in this part of our chapter today. For some of us, we are holding onto faith for our next breath. For some of us, faith is getting through another day. And yet for some of us, it’s doing what God has asked us to do, though it might not be something we’re comfortable with.  Whatever it is, I think it’s worth looking at and pondering.

I read chapter 58 of Isaiah and here are some things I am pondering:

The Israelites cried out to God and acted like they were a nation that was right with God and had not forsaken God’s commands when in reality they were just going through the motions of fasting because it was required of them at that time.

There was a whole host of things that God wanted for them listed in the chapter, for instance:

  • He wanted them to break the yoke of all that entangled them in the day and set the oppressed free!
  • God wanted them to share their food with the hungry.
  • He wanted healing for them.
  • He wanted them to not turn away from their own flesh and blood.
  • He wanted them to stop pointing fingers at each other.
  • And most of all He wanted them to honor the Sabbath.

He told them when they did these things they would take delight in the Lord.

And isn’t that still true today of us when we fast? We immerse ourselves in God, putting away all the things in our world that hinder us from meeting with God for a time. Isn’t our faith bigger when we’re done because we have dwelt in the presence of the Lord? We feel like we’ve heard from God and He has increased our faith, so we can step out and do more. God wants this for us! He wants us to shout His name from the rooftops unashamed! Living freely and able to share our faith whenever called upon is what God wants for us too!! We just need to grab hold of His hand and step out.

Are you ready………?

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Let’s Pray:

Father, I pray we can holdour hands out to You and take that step that leads us into bigger faith for You. Increase our faith as we are obedient to Your call so that we can do even more. Let us live freely as You want us to and serve others more. Thank You for Your faithfulness to us, Lord. In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.

Your Assignment:

What steps can you take even today that God has been calling you to do that will grow your faith? Let us know so we can all pray for you as you step out in faith for God.

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If you would like to email a private message to Donna in regards to this blog, please email her at: Donna@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Captivating: Chapter 7 God as Lover – Opening Our Hearts to the Romancer (pp 113-119)

February 19, 2013 by

Yesterday in church our pastor spoke of a love so deep and passionate that it saves lives, it saves hearts and heals the wounded. It changes the course we are on; it sacrifices itself for us and places our best interest above itself. This love gave His life for us. He died on the cross for our salvation, so we wouldn’t have to pay for our own wrongdoings. A love that chose us, a love that is available at all times, day or night.

This love does not come from a man.

This love comes from God.

I can relate to the analogy used of a wilting flower. When we feel loved, desired, and pursued we seem to come to life, we perk up, and we feel beautiful. “Her (our) heart begins to come alive, come to the surface, and her (our) countenance becomes radiant.” Our heart comes to the surface; that thing we have tried so hard to build walls around and protect comes back to life.

When God pursues us, which He does passionately our hearts come back to life. The hearts we tucked away so long ago begins to desire to become what it once was, it begins to talk to us again, to share our desires again, and all because it is being pursued. This only happens when it is pursued by God. When we allow our hearts to truly know God, and when we seek that intimate relationship with God our hearts will begin to grow into the heart God intended for us to have all along. 

Potter and His clay

Shepherd and His sheep

Master and His servant

Father and His Child

His friends

Bridegroom and His Bride

All of the roles God plays in our lives are meant to guide, love, and protect us. They are meant to offer protection and caring. A potter knows the clay he is working with, he knows what it is going to be in the end. A shepherd knows each sheep by name and does everything to guide and protect them. A master knows his servant and accepts them into his family. A father knows his child and loves them unconditionally. Friend’s support and offer companionship. And a bridegroom loves his bride to no end.

Like the book says, God has been passionately pursuing us since before we were conceived. He knows our heart better than anyone, even ourselves, and He has been here from day one, loving us!

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, Your pursuit for us is what makes us feel beautiful. Your love for us is what awakens our heart. You have been passionately pursuing us since before we were born; You alone know what our hearts truly desire and what our hearts truly need. Thank You for knowing what our heart can be; thank You for molding it into that image. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

This assignment has 2 parts:

Part 1: God plays many roles in our lives; they’re listed in the post. What are some Scripture references that refer to these roles?

Part 2: God shows us His love and His presence through things that romance us. What has God used in your life to show you that He is always there?

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

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Life’s Healing Choices: Chapter 7 – Maintaining Momentum (pp 204 – 239)

February 17, 2013 by

Choice 7:

Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to KNOW God and His will for my life, and to gain the power to follow His will.

John Baker introduces this next choice simply writing, “In the last six chapters, you’ve been learning about coming out of the dark and exposing your problems to the light of God’s love. At whatever level you’ve been able to accomplish this, God has been healing the hurts, hang-ups, and habits that have messed up your life. Many of you are already experiencing some of the amazing changes in your life” (page 206).

Through the comments on our Facebook page, the changes are happening in the lives of those who are sharing this journey. For some, the changes have been small; but for others it’s been mind-blowing. It’s not about comparing where you are with another person but on a personal focus on your growth. This will be an on-going process, not something we attain and stop doing. If you are not alert and intentional with your Christian walk, you can (and will) relapse into the old habits and thought patterns that brought you to this study in the first place. Obviously this is not our goal; but rather we hope to give helpful information to encourage you to maintain the momentum towards God and His will for your life. Baker tells us to “Celebrate any victory, no matter how small, and do it on a daily basis” (pg 214).

This week we’ll discuss the causes of relapse, and how to prevent relapse by introducing NEW habits into your life. Unlike those we’ve been shedding over the past 6 weeks, these habits are good for us and will only serve to strengthen and refine us even more as we draw closer to Him. By the week’s end, we’ll introduce “praying the Scriptures” to bring encouragement to your prayer life.

Seeing the choice for this week, I will be the first to admit that I know I should have a daily quiet time with God. He desires to spend time with me, to hear my voice speak to Him as if in conversation with an old friend, and He wants to bless me with His wisdom and love. As a parent, I know how much I love to have time with my children, so I can only imagine how much He wants to spend time with me! But I’m running ragged with a full time job, volunteer responsibilities, church activities, and of course, family obligations (aren’t we all?).

Every time I hear a message on having this quiet time, I immediately offer up the excuses—“I’m too tired after work…I can’t get up early because my body requires sleep…I’m reading devotional emails so that’s something…I listen to praise and worship music at my desk so I’m constantly ‘focusing’ on Him…I’m reading this book or that book that talks about God and gives Scriptures…I take notes at church.”  There’s nothing inherently wrong with what I’ve said, but it still doesn’t address His desire to spend time with me—quality one-on-one time.

Yes, I’m tired after work; but He has promised to give me strength (Philippians 4:13).  Yes, getting up early is a challenge; but there’s no better way to start your day (Psalms 59, 65, 90, and 92…just to name a few).

Ps90_14

While reading the devotionals and books, taking notes during a sermon, or listening to music will reinforce the messages and keep our minds more focused on Him, these are not substitutions for personally reading His word and finding the applications for my life.  So the challenge for me this week is to put aside all of the plans to do it, and (like Nike) JUST DO IT! I’m convicted by this week’s choice and need to put my head-knowledge of knowing a lot about God in to a solid heart-knowledge of truly knowing God.

 

Reading Assignment for Week 7: Chapter 7 of Life’s Healing Choices
Monday: Laurie will discuss Principle 7: Growth Choice
Tuesday: Leslie will discuss the Causes of Relapse
Wednesday: Kim will discuss Preventing Relapse
Thursday: Amy will discuss Make The Choice
Friday: Laurie will bring it all back home with a recap of our week

 

Music has always been an emotional connection for me (in good ways and bad). Christ speaks to me more through music than most other media. One song that’s been a strong encouragement and reminder to me over the past couple of years is “Captivate Us” by Watermark.  I want to close out today with the link to the song. I’d also like us to use the lyrics as a prayer—to bring the encouragement and the desire to be captivated by God in the coming week. Read the lyrics, and then play the song. While it plays, close your eyes and use this as your prayer to draw closer to the Father who wants to spend time with you.

http://youtu.be/7JtXa9pBOHI

Captivate Us – by Nockels, Nockels, & Hall

Your face is beautiful
And Your eyes are like the stars
Your gentle hands have healing
There inside the scars
Your loving arms they draw me near
And Your smile it brings me peace
Draw me closer oh my Lord
Draw me closer Lord to Thee

Captivate us, Lord Jesus
Set our eyes on You
Devastate us with Your presence
Falling down
And rushing river, draw us nearer
Holy fountain consume us with You
Captivate us Lord Jesus, with You

Your voice is powerful
And Your words are radiant bright
In Your breath and shadow
I will come close and abide
You whisper love and life divine
And Your fellowship is free
Draw me closer O my Lord
Draw me closer Lord to Thee

Let everything be lost in the shadows
Of the light of Your face
Let every chain be broken from me
As I’m bound in Your grace
For Your yoke is easy, Your burden is light
You’re full of wisdom, power and might
And every eye will see You

Have a wonderful & blessed week!

A wonderful pocket-sized (28 page) booklet that talks about our walk with Christ is “My Heart Christ’s Home.” It’s available HERE  as a 5 pack for a small price. It speaks of allowing Christ into our home and how we care for Him as our invited guest. Does His presence require spring cleaning, or a light dusting? Do we lock doors to certain rooms, or give Him full access?

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If you would like to send Amy a private email in regards to this blog, please email her at: Amy@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Captivating: Chapter 7 Reading Assignments – “Romanced”

February 17, 2013 by

Ah…romance!  The sound of that word can cause different reactions in different women depending on where you are in your journey.  That is completely normal but deep down inside I think we all long to be romanced.  Let all your preconceived notions go as we hear about what it means to be romanced by our One True God.  Here are the reading assignments for the week:

Monday: Jackie – Romanced – Longing for Romance

Tuesday: Tonya – God as Lover – Opening Our Hearts to the Romancer

Wednesday: Carissa – What Does God Want From You – Adoring Hearts

Thursday: Michelle – Cultivating Intimacy

Friday: Edwina – Weekly Review

LET’S PRAY:

Dear Lord, I come to You today, heart in hand.  I ask You to reach out to each and every woman reading this.  Comfort them, love them, romance them as only You can do.  I pray that through reading this chapter we will trust in that love completely and live in the knowledge that You are the love we most need.  In Your Holy Name I pray, Amen.

 

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Captivating: Chapter 6 – Let Him Father You – A Deeper Healing (Pg. 106 – 112)

February 14, 2013 by

Daddies.  I have come to find that this can be a tough topic for many women.  Some have had wonderful doting fathers that made them feel like princesses.  More often than not our dads have fallen short in some way, and sometimes not intentionally.  Some work to provide and give their family as much as possible, but leave us emotionally void, never saying “I love you” or knowing we are cherished.  Some say all the right things, but their actions do not show love or respect for their family.  And unfortunately there are fathers that take advantage of their position in the family and violate their daughters in ways that no girl should have to experience.  What is wonderful though is that no matter what your experience with your dad, you have a Heavenly Father that loves you and cares about you more than any human father can, no matter how amazing they are!

I, like Stasi, have heard many times that we view God through the lenses we view our own fathers.  I can definitely see the validity in that, and I have seen women who definitely do that, but I don’t know if that is necessarily true for everyone.  For me, my dad was one of those dads that worked very hard to provide for our family.  I also knew that he was always in my corner.  But he was not someone who made me feel cherished, or like his little princess.  “I love you” was rarely verbalized in our house, and there was no “twirling around” in dresses or cuddling up in his lap that I can ever remember.  Despite that, I put my daddy on a pedestal and thought he could do no wrong.

To this day, I have very similar feelings.  But my view of God was just the opposite.  I thought of him as the “punishing God” just waiting for me to mess up.  Someone to be afraid of, and who would never “be in my corner” or provide for me.  So I viewed my Heavenly Father much differently than how I viewed my earthly father.  I think it was more about the faith I was raised in, rather than my dad.  I don’t think I ever heard God referred to as a father, except in prayers I was given to memorize, and even then it just seemed like words and not an actual relationship.

But praise Him that I know the truth now.  I know who He is.  He is my Daddy, my Papa, my ABBA Father.  I can snuggle up in His lap whenever I want, and He welcomes it.  I can talk to Him about anything and everything and He listens like I am the only person in the world.  I can ask Him, “Do you love me?  Am I beautiful and captivating?” and His answer will always be yes.  Isn’t that amazing?  What a loving God we serve. Do you believe this for yourself?  Are you still working to earn His love?  Rest easy sisters, there is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more or any less than He does right this minute.

A line in this chapter really stood out to me, “What if you have a genuine and captivating beauty that is marred only by your striving”.  Wow.  That stung a bit, and I definitely saw myself in that comment.  I know God loves me, right now, where I’m at, human and stumbling.  He does, and He loves you too.  So why do I still try to earn His love in so many ways?  I tend to try too hard in all relationships, tend to overthink every issue I face, put too much energy into pretending that everything is fine, try to do more and more for God through ministry or studies or any other number of things.  I am striving.  And I am holding myself back.  I am learning that is isn’t about “doing for” God, it is about “being with” God.  I take comfort in that.  I need to sit in His lap more and listen.  I need to embrace His love.  I need my Daddy.  How about you?

 

Captivating_Ch6_109

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LET’S PRAY

Lord we come humbly to You today.  Father, we need Your love.  Come to the core of our hearts, come and bring Your love for us.  Help us to know You for who You really are, and perhaps not as we see our earthly fathers.  Reveal yourself to us.  Reveal Your love for us.  Show us what we mean to You.  Come and father us, we need You Daddy.  In Your Heavenly Name we pray.  Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Part of the reason women are so tired is because we are spending so much energy “striving”.  So much energy devoted to suppressing issues and keeping a good appearance.  We want to give you permission to relax. Rest in the security of the Lord’s love.  Let it go sweet sister! How does the thought of giving up all that struggling make you feel?  

 

 

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Life’s Healing Choices: Chapter 6 – Make the Choice (pgs 182-186)

February 14, 2013 by

MAKE THE CHOICE: Repairing Relationships


“Today is a new day. Starting today, you can refocus your life on doing God’s will in your relationships” (Baker, 180)

I think we would all agree with John Baker’s assessment that broken relationships are the root of much of the pain we experience. The action steps this week allow us to move towards forgiving those who hurt us, and making amends with those we’ve hurt. Let’s explore how we can live unashamed, forgetting our troubles, full of hope and blessed (Job 11:13-10)

WRITE –
Throughout this study, we’ve taken a lot of time to write about our experiences, our actions, and our pain. I believe that writing gives us the opportunity to clearly see the thoughts that run through our minds, but by using both the thinking & writing tasks, it becomes more real to us. We take an active approach to the thoughts. We see it in black & white (or purple & white if you were to see my journal), and it’s no longer something hidden in the back corners of our lives.

Start out this week’s exercise by writing down a list of people who have harmed you in some way, and their relationship to you. Now, I’m not talking about the guy who cut you off on the road. It’s not the petty little stuff we’re dealing with here. Go back to your inventory lists from Chapter 4 if necessary. We are creating our Forgiveness List.

Once you have the list of people, or maybe just one person, describe what they said or did to hurt you. How did it make you feel? Dig deep and find the descriptive words for your feelings, don’t just say “angry” or “hurt”. Do you struggle with finding words to describe how you feel? You’re not alone! I know in counseling sessions, we were given charts & lists to help us as a family learn to communicate our feelings more clearly with one another. I found these links that might be helpful if you struggle in expressing words for your emotions:

http://www.professional-counselling.com/list-of-human-emotions.html

http://www.ami-tx.com/Portals/3/EmotionsFlyer.pdf (this is great picture chart for children!)

Now, let’s move to the Amends List. Write down names of those you’ve hurt or offended, and their relationship to you. As we did with the previous list, write down what you said or did to this person. How do you think this person felt? Why are you sorry for hurting this person? Do you stop to think about how your words or actions affect another person? So often we can point out every little offense of other people, but we dismiss what we did as nothing.

Baker gives a list of questions (p. 184) to help jump start your thinking if you’re struggling to think of those you have hurt:

  • Is there anyone to whom you owe a debt that you haven’t repaid?
  • Is there anyone you’ve broken a promise to?
  • Is there anyone you are guilty of controlling or manipulating?
  • Is there anyone you are overly possessive of?
  • Is there anyone you are hypercritical of?
  • Have you been verbally, emotionally or physically abusive to anyone?
  • Is there anyone you have not appreciated or paid attention to?
  • Is there anyone you have been unfaithful to?
  • Have you ever lied to anyone?

SHARE –
Our accountability partners will be crucial in this process. We do not want to run to someone who hurt us and put ourselves in a vulnerable position where we can be hurt again. In some instances, we will not actually face (or contact) the person we are forgiving because the risk of further harm is too great. Your accountability partner is there to talk with you, serve as a sounding board, and help guide your steps. Share your Forgiveness List with this person BEFORE you go to the one you are forgiving.

Heb10_24

Also share your Amends List with your accountability partner, and work together to develop a plan to make amends with the people you have listed. It’s not about running out to accomplish all that we can as fast as we can. There will be an appropriate time, location, and way to manage this step. Your partner knows you and will help guide you to the best way to accomplish your task.

I shared with you on Sunday my lesson in forgiving others. This was an action I needed to do, not just because God expects this of me, but because my life & health depended upon it. Harboring the resentment and anger would have caused more harm in my life … my ability to love and trust others, my ability to demonstrate His love to my daughter, and my ability to draw close to Him. But outside of the day I spoke to the court, I did not face my ex-husband to have a personal conversation with him. It would have been inappropriate to do so. I do have fleeting moments today where I think I should write him a letter, but going through this study has shown that it would bring harm to him. I said what needed to be said years ago. To make contact now would only stir up the issues and the emotions. Deep down, the flesh side of me wants to show him how well we’ve done in the years since. But that’s not what God wants. Forgiveness has been given. It was spoken, it was done.

At this time, I can think of one other for whom I need to forgive, and as much as I’ve said over the years that I have forgiven him, this study has made me see that perhaps I really haven’t. If I have forgiven this person for his actions years ago, would it still bother me that I only hear from him on birthdays and Christmas? If I have forgiven him, would it bother me that I don’t often receive replies to emails? If I have forgiven him, would it annoy me that he doesn’t seem to interact with family in ways I feel would be more appropriate? If I have fully forgiven him, would I actually have this list of things that bother me so? Or am I just holding on too tightly to the emotions the memories evoke? Either way, I haven’t fully given the issue to God, and I believe this is the area I need to really explore more deeply.

Power Verses for Chapter 6:
Luke 6:31-37
Hebrews 10:24
Philippians 2:4
Romans 12:17-18
Matthew 5:23-24
1 Peter 5:10
Colossians 3:13
Romans 8:31
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Taken from the Celebrate Recovery Participant’s Guide 3, I want to share with you the following prayer to closer out this week’s activity:
Dear God, thank You for Your love, for Your freely given grace. Help me model Your ways when I make my amends to those I have hurt and offer forgiveness to those who have injured me. Help me to set aside my selfishness and speak the truth in love. I pray that I would focus only on my part, my responsibility in the issue. I know that I can forgive others because You first forgave me. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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If you would like to send Amy a private email in regards to this blog, please email her at: Amy@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Crazy Love: Chapter 6 – When You’re in Love (pgs 109-111)

February 14, 2013 by

Back when we were married for just a few years, my husband had to change jobs. It was a good move, but in the first month we were strapped for cash.

The bills came in and we were able to pay all of them but one. It was a daunting $100 (back then that was a lot of money to us)!  We didn’t have it.

So we prayed and told God that we wanted to be good stewards of our money, but we just couldn’t pay that one. We went to church that week and told God that we couldn’t do it without Him.  We made a plan to make up for it in the coming weeks, but the bill would be late.

It was hardest on my husband as he was never late with his bills. While we were discussing how we were going to pay this bill in the future, I kid you not, there was a knock on our door.

It was one of the deacons from our church. He handed us an envelope and said someone was told by God to give this to us anonymously. He said the person wanted nothing in return except that, when we could afford to, we would bless someone else who needed it! We were stunned!! I mean we never told anyone about our need! How did they know?

This was a good lesson on how faithful God is to His children. We prayed and thanked God for His provision for us in that time. We have also  been able to do this a few times since and know the joy that person must have felt when they gave it to us. You can’t out-give God! We’ve learned that over the 35 years that we have been married.

YouCantOutGiveGod

The seasons that we go through in life are a testament to  God’s faithfulness. We can be real and cry out to him and hold nothing back.  He already knows our needs and what we feel anyway.

What does God need from us? Absolutely nothing!! He has everything He could ever need; after all, He created it! Including us!!  So what can we give that means anything to Him?

We can give Him ourselves…that’s what He truly wants! Our heart, given to Him willingly, open, and truly waiting for God to fill it. Wanting God is the thing He wants from us, and we need Him too.

In Christ,

Donna

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Let’s Pray: I like the prayer at the end of the chapter that Francis Chan writes so let’s pray that prayer:

“Jesus, I need to give myself up. I am not strong enough to love You and walk with You on my own. I can’t do it—I need You. I need You deeply and desperately. I believe You are worth it and that You are better than anything else I could have in this life or the next. I want you, and when I don’t, I want to want You. Be all in me. Take all of me. Have Your way with me.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

What holds you back today from giving your all to God? He wants you and you need Him. If you can, list those things; and let’s pray for one another to let go of them and live full on for God.

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If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Donna in regards to this blog, please email her at: Donna@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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Captivating: Chapter 6 – Will You Let Him? (pp 92-98)

February 12, 2013 by

“Will you let me come for you?”

Yesterday we talked about letting God into our painful places to bring healing. The miraculous movements that He will make in our life, the beauty that He will bring in place of the ugly pain and hurt that has piled up for so long; if only we let him. Yesterday we said “if you let Him,” today it’s a question: “Will you let Him come in?”

For so long we have done things on our own…for so long we have trusted our own system, our own way of dealing with the pain…for so long we have been doing it wrong. To borrow from the quote that John and Stasi included in this section, “The trouble with steeling yourself against the harshness of reality is the same steel that secures your life against being destroyed secures your life against being opened up and transformed.”   The walls I built—the walls we built—were an attempt to protect what remaining parts of my heart I felt I had left and I think that goes for a lot of women. We want to hold on to what we feel we have left, but in doing this we shut out the one person who can heal those damaged parts, the one who can make our hearts whole again.

God promises to be tender, to care for our hearts in a manner that would never bring pain.

Hosea 2:14

Therefore I am now going to allure her

I will lead her into the desert

And speak tenderly to her.

Another version I read said that He would “speak comfort to her.”  Imagine the healing and comfort and peace we can have if we say ‘yes!’  If we open our hearts to God and let His hands repair what years of pain has broken down. He is knocking on our hearts. Knocking and waiting. Knocking and waiting. He knocks and we hold more tightly to that key; he knocks and we fear that opening the door will bring more pain.  We fear that it will make us more vulnerable than we already are. But, lovely ladies, it is very opposite from that. Opening the door to Him will heal that hurt, He will strengthen us through His love, and He will remind us that ours are hearts of beauty and wholeness.

 

Psalm61_1thru3

Ladies, God is knocking and asking us to turn the key over to Him.  He is asking us to unlock the door and let Him in to begin the healing work He wants to do. He is asking us to stop believing the lies of our hurts and to remember the healing message in His truths.

I have worked as a hospice bereavement counselor for three years,  One of the main pieces of information I give to patients and their families is to allow themselves to feel the emotions they are having. Not to stuff and ignore…but to allow the emotions to flow.  To cry, to be scared, to be mad, that it is okay to feel in response to their situation. To “let it out.” We have to let ourselves feel again, ladies; to feel without fear of opening ourselves up too much, to feel without fear of being wrong in our feelings. To feel with the knowledge that God has our heart in His hands, to feel and give those feelings to God, the fear, the anger, the hurt.

He is knocking. He is waiting at the door to our hearts. He wants us to cry out to Him…to give Him the key.  He wants us to let Him in to heal our hurts.  To make our hearts the complete masterpiece He designed them to be.

With Love,

Tonya

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, thank You for not leaving us.  Thank You for knocking and waiting. Thank You for not giving up on the women you created us to be. Thank You for Your love and compassion, for Your healing touch. I bind the spirit of fear in Jesus name, it has no control over our lives, it has no say in our emotions. Our hearts belong to You, Lord.  In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Your Assignment:

There is a prayer on page 101 (I’m not sure what page it is in the electronic version, but it is at the end of the “Renounce The Agreements You’ve Made” section. It is a prayer for the spirit of truth, it is a prayer to renounce the lies we have believed over the years.

If you journal, this would be a great place to write this prayer.  If you feel comfortable, you can pay it in our private Facebook group, as well.

Also, please stop in and share your thoughts from these sections. Your insights may bless another.

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If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.

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

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

 

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