December 23, 2024

A Daughter’s Worth: Our Final Day! PLUS, we have a BIG announcement! Don’t Miss It!!

December 21, 2012 by

Today as you and I look forward to Heaven with God, can you describe what thought or image comes to you? When I think of heaven I think of angels everywhere, singing with the ethereal voices of praises to God our Father. I think of mansions that we have built for ourselves and streets paved with gold and that we have no more sorrow or tears. I, like Ava, can most times cry at the drop of a hat. I think God likes that I have a heart for Him and his children.

When you arrive in heaven, are there women you would want to ask questions? My thoughts turned to Florence Nightingale, Joan of Arc, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. I would love to find out from Florence what sacrifices she had to make in a predominately male society to care for the sick and injured. For Joan of Arc, how God was there when she knew he was speaking to her and no one else accepted it. Then I would love to ask Mary what she thought about as Jesus grew older, and how her heart would swell with joy, knowing that God blessed her with His son.

Philippians 3:20-21 (ESV) says 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. To me that is so exciting! Jesus cares enough about you and me to give us the hope of Eternal Joy and a hope that he will one day come to take us home with him. When life seems to get tough, and it will, we have the peace of knowing that God sent his son Jesus to redeem us, to save us and to help us.  With the assistance of the Holy Spirit you and I can share and spread the good news of hope, love, peace, rest and joy we have since we have accepted Jesus in our heart and consistently pursue Him.

Do you know Jesus personally? 2 Peter 3:13 says In keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new Heaven and a new earth, the of righteousness. The only way to get there is to ask Jesus into your heart, tell Him all of your sins, ask Him to forgive you and begin seeking Him by reading your Bible. Then, please let us know that you have made this decision to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. And if you have decided to rededicate your life to Him, we would love to know that as well. We all have strayed a bit or a lot. But God is faithful and His GRACE is enough to accept us when we truly repent and turn away from our life of sin. He loves us so very much.

Let’s Pray:

Father, I love You and I thank You for this Bible Study. I want to seek You and do my best for You and Your kingdom. Reveal to me where I can further Your kingdom right where I am. Forgive me for when I have strayed from my walk with You and I ask that Your Holy Spirit never depart from me. I ask that the Holy Spirit be my guide and assist me to keep my feet on Your path. Thank You for sending Jesus Your son to die on that cross for my sins so I can become a Daughter of the Most High.  Amen!!!!

In His Love,

Tina

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Now a word from the AMAZING GCH:decaf Founder, Megan Smidt!  (She has a BIG announcement below!!)

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Worthy Daughters of the King,

WOW!!!!! We did it! The past 12 weeks have been one incredible journey and it has been an honor to take it with you! Congratulations on being a part of GCH:decaf’s very first online Bible study!!! I have learned so much with you along the way and I hope you all enjoyed this study as much as I did.

What was YOUR biggest take-away from the past 12 weeks? For me, it is that God does NOT call us to compromise in any area of our lives. As worthy daughters, He calls us to use our strong voices to stand firm for His Kingdom and He will always equip us with all we need, in every season, to fulfill His purposes on earth. How AWESOME is that!

The lessons of the past 12 weeks have laid the perfect foundation for the NEW study we will beginning in February! Are you ready to hear what it is!?!??! I have been SO very excited to announce this to YOU!!!

GCH:decaf will be starting our new online Bible study for Not a Fan: Teen Edition February 4, 2013! This will be a 6 week study and you will need the red book and companion journal for it. You can order your copy online or pick it up at your local Lifeway store. Ask for it for Christmas and read it in January to be ready to dig in February 4th!

Not a Fan - Teen Edition

Not a Fan – Teen Edition

Not a Fan - Journal

Not a Fan – Journal

Mama T, our other leaders and I want you to recruit your friends to do this study along with us! There will be a contest coming in January for friend referrals when we start sign-ups for this new study…. Be on the look-out for that!

We have one more announcement going into the new year. We will be breaking up GCH:decaf into two age groups…. “Venti” will be our group for young college-aged women ages 18-24, and our “Grande” group will be for our friends who are ages 12-18!

Sign up for this awesome study will start soon!  So stay tuned!!

Thank you for all you do to help make GCH:decaf such a fun and safe place to hang with your friends all over the world and grow in your walk with Jesus! God has big plans for you in 2013 and it is an honor to walk this season with you.

Make today and every day AMAZING,

Megan

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A Lady In Waiting: A Reflection

December 14, 2012 by

Here is a little fun fact about me…up until two years ago I have NEVER finished reading a book.  Sometimes I would only get two chapters in, other times I got to almost the end but never made it to the last page of the book.  The first book I have ever finished reading completely was A Lady In Waiting! I remember thinking to myself this must have been a really good book because I actually read the entire thing!  That thought was confirmed when I decided to read it a second time with all of you ladies!  One thing that foolishly kept me reading, the first time around, was thinking if I made it to the last page once I flipped it over I would be guaranteed a husband.  In a way that was such a false thought, but in another way I found out what this book did guarantee for me and it proved to be way better than a husband!

For a girl who really struggled with everything that goes along with men, this book was just what I needed-a Godsend if you will.  When I read the title alone I knew I needed it.  I felt God saying to me, buy this book now!  So I did, and from that moment on I went on a journey with God.  One in which He showed me that my love story is not about just any man I may meet one day, it is about ME and GOD.

The first night I started reading the book I could not stop reading.  I highlighted so many words and sentences, I took notes feverishly; you would have thought someone would be quizzing me the next day on what I was reading.  I honestly could not get enough of GOD’S truth that I was reading on each page.  God used this book to draw me closer to Him.  It was through this book that I learned being single is not about me finding my husband, it is about me finding my God.  After the first night I started reading I decided to really find out all I possibly could about who God was to me.

When I first read this book, I was just fine waiting on my husband.  In fact, I still had such a sour taste in my mouth about all men; I was perfectly fine waiting forever.  The second time around that was not the case.  Two years later I found myself completely healed from past hurts with men (thank you Jesus).  Honestly, my heart was ready for a relationship and simply got tired of waiting.  This book has helped me learn what I am supposed to be doing while I wait.  Patience is not all about waiting; it is about our attitude as we wait.  Are we sulking in self-pity because we are alone or are we enjoying and making the most of the time we have alone with God?  This book is filled with the joys of singleness-having time with God.  I have found that when serving God that is when I am closest to Him.  I have decided to serve Him every chance I get and not missing out on those chances because of feeling like I am missing out on my husband.

A Lady In Waiting is overflowing with Godly advice on waiting for a relationship, being in a relationship, and the man you will be in that relationship with.  That is the main reason why I sort of kind of believed that I would finally have a ring on my finger after reading.  The fact of the matter is this book is not our life story.  It does not even come close.  God has written a perfectly thought out and breath-taking story for each and every one of us!  He knows our hearts, thoughts, souls, and desires.  He knows what is best for us and wants us to feel His love every moment of every day.  Singleness may be just a season for some and it may be a lifetime here on Earth for some; but thankfully a relationship with God is not just a season and it lasts longer than a lifetime here on Earth.  Our relationship with God takes us into eternity to be with our Bridegroom in Heaven forever and always!  That is where our joy is found, in a right relationship with God.

Being single does not accurately define us ladies in waiting.  In fact we are not single at all we are in a relationship with God.  With that truth shining so bright I am almost embarrassed of what a worldly demand I had when I first sat down to read this book-to have a ring on my finger afterwards.  What a unfulfilling desire to work towards.  The second time I read A Lady In Waiting with all of you I think I finally got “it”.  This book was not created to guarantee a ring on our finger after completion of the last word on the last page of the book.  Quite the contrary, this book was created to guarantee a stronger, closer, more personal relationship with our God!  It is not about the accessory of a shiny ring, it is about the accessory of the love of Jesus.  Rings will not last forever but HIS love will! 

I pray that after completion of this book, you accept and show off the most beautiful part of your story, JESUS’ LOVE.  I pray this book has guaranteed the same for you as it has for me, a closer more personal relationship with the complete love of your soul: Jesus Christ!

Let’s Pray: 

Lord, thank you for the study of A Lady In Waiting that you have brought into each of our lives.  I pray that each woman in this study leaves this study with a closer, stronger relationship with you.  I thank you for your many blessings you pour out on us daily.  Help us to remember the beautiful accessory you are in our lives each and every day.  Thank you for the story you have created for us and we trust you to write every page just the way you want!  We love you so incredibly much, Amen.

Your Assignment: 

Spend time reflecting on this study.  Has this study brought you closer to God?  Do you find fulfillment in the accessory of Jesus’ love or are you still waiting for that ring?  Let us know how we can be praying for you!

Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldredge

Begins January 6, 2013

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady in Waiting: Take the Radical Route

December 13, 2012 by

 

“Does it seem too unrealistic for today’s woman to set her sights on a knight in shining armor?…A single friend (a modern Ruth) wrote a letter in which she admitted that her high ideals often made her feel like the “Lone Ranger.” She said, “So often I meet women who don’t want to go the deeper, more radical route of separation from our culture in seeking after God’s standards.” Do we lower our standards because we seem out of step with all our peers? Does the woman in Proverbs 31 seem obsolete? Maybe for the “cosmopolitan” woman she is obsolete, but not for the Lady of Conviction. God has the best in hand for those who seek Him.

Ruth’s choice to wait for God’s best resulted in her union with a Boaz rather than a Bozo. Ruth not only married a man who was a “pillar of strength” (Boaz), but she also was blessed by the privilege of bearing a son (Obed) who would be part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. Ruth’s wise choices resulted in her experiencing God’s overwhelming goodness.

During this study, we have talked a lot about our convictions, setting standards that honor both God and our princess status, as well as sticking to those standards despite the condition of the world around us. If we live radically in our convictions, then we should expect opposition. Have you experienced any opposition from friends or family so far? What have they said? More importantly, how have you responded?

Let’s Pray

Father, we thank You for instilling Your Spirit in us, the One who convicts our hearts and draws us closer to Yours. Lord, You promise to uphold us as we follow You. So, Father, we want to hold You to Your promise and ask that You give us the strength to stand firm in our convictions when criticism, doubt, and peer pressure arise. Father, we can do nothing apart from You. Be with us always. We love You, Jesus. In your precious name we pray, Amen.

Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldredge 

begins January 6, 2013

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady in Waiting: Meditations: You Must Move In, Hannah Whitall Smith

December 12, 2012 by
John 15: 9-10

John 15: 9-10

Life can feel so complicated and complex at times, answers can feel so far away and four words “abide in my love” can seem unrealistic and unattainable. How do I abide in His love? How do I find that place that Hannah Whitall Smith describes as a place without the fear of “supposes”? Well, her words tell us to simply move in. John 15: 9-10 does not tell us that we have to be single or married, young or old, whether we have children or not doesn’t matter either. What matters is that we are all children of God and He is our dwelling place, He is our safe place, our place without the worry of fear.

Throughout this study we have had to look deep into ourselves, we have had to ask ourselves questions that may have been difficult, our hearts may have changed, and our way of thinking may have been evaluated; but, in the end it brought us closer to God, closer to our safe place.

I’ve said from the beginning that our relationship is the number one priority, not our status in life. We can abide in His love because He says we can. While you are a lady in waiting, after you are married, and every place in between, abide in His love.

“God is your dwelling place, and you must see to it that you take up your abode there. You must move in.”

 

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for a safe place from the fear of the “supposes”.  Thank You for loving us, loving us enough to open Your heart and Your arms to us, regardless of our status. Thank You for using this study to teach us, for using it to help us grow closer to You.  Please help us to continue to grow and learn, please encourage us to abide in You despite the complications of life.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Assignment:

What does abiding in God’s love mean to you?

 

Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldredge

Begins January 6, 2013

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady in Waiting: Meditation: Reality Vs. Fantasy

December 11, 2012 by
2 Corinthians 10:5

2 Corinthians 10:5

Meditation from page 292 of “Lady in Waiting”.

“An important method of limiting your own self-defrauding is through daily discipline over “prenuptial fantasies.”  Such fantasies may provide you an escape from monotonous reality, but these moments are dangerous.  They will aggravate your struggle for contentment because they are not innocent daydreams, but an attack on your godly contentment.  You may be so used to daily fantasies that you might not even realize when you begin daydreaming again about your prince.”

“Often single women’s struggle with contentment can be traced back to her fantasies more than to her frustrating circumstances.  Just think for a moment about three words from 2 Corinthians 10:5: Casting down imaginations.  Fantasizing about a future with a guy you have been watching in Sunday school or at work is nothing more than your very active imagination.  What should you do when you start daydreaming about a guy you’ve never dated or even formally met?  You must take your thoughts to Jesus and leave them in His capable hands.  This daily discipline of taking your fantasies to Jesus is the foundation for your future as a contented woman, whether you are married or single.”

LET’S PRAY
Father God, we treasure our time with You. So many times we talk incessantly about our needs, our wants, our hopes and dreams. We know that You love hearing our cares, but we also know You love to speak to us also. Help us to slow down in our prayer and devotional time so that we can hear from You. It is You who guide us, and without taking the time to listen to the guidance we will become lost. Thank you Jesus for Your patience and love as we continue the process of drawing close to You.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Please share your thoughts on today’s meditation, either in full or in part, below as well as in our Facebook group. Our hope is that you take the time to journal these meditations so that you have them to look back on and use them to help you grow.

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Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldredge

Begins January 6, 2013

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady In Waiting: Meditation: My True Community – Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997)

December 10, 2012 by

 

“Accept whatever He gives— and give whatever He takes with a big smile. You belong to Him.”

Beloved girlfriends, it has been an honor being with you each week throughout our study of the book, Lady in Waiting.  The journey has been amazing and we have learned so many truths together.

This is our last week together and we will be going through some of the meditations that each one of us bloggers has chosen.  However, there are seventeen meditations that you can do throughout the Christmas season as we wait for the next study to begin.  I trust that you have already signed up or are prayerfully thinking of signing up!

Our meditation today is based on a special woman of God, Mother Teresa.  A woman who dedicated her life to serving the poorest of the poor in India.  Mother Teresa is one example of what a single woman who took advantage of her single status to serve the Lord diligently.  Her decision to serve the Lord in this way impacted many lives and many more women have joined her cause.

A Lady in Waiting must also be a Lady of Diligence.  Remember what we covered in the topic of diligence in Chapter 2 of our Bible Study?  We were given so many examples of how as single women we can serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

This statement from chapter 2 still stands out to me today “Singleness is an enviable condition. An unmarried woman has something that a married woman gives up on her wedding day: extra time for Jesus. Too many young women waste valuable years as they wait for life to begin—after marriage. They rarely realize the priceless free time they waste, until it is gone. Have you neglected some mission or ministry opportunities because you feared prolonging your unmarried state?

Being single is enviable because one is free to serve the Lord in whatever way you can.  As we meditate today, lets us allow the Holy Spirit to help us to see in what ways we can minister to others.  You don’t have to be a nun like Mother Teresa to do what she did.  Our Lord Jesus Christ was full of ministry to others; He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and had compassion on all those who were suffering to mention but a few.  As we are in the Christmas season, let us bring Christ to everyone around us by reaching out and serving others.  This is what the Gospel of Matthew verse 4:23-25 says about our beloved Lord. “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.   News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.  Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,  Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”

This is a great quote from our meditation today which is worth remembering.

“Keep giving Jesus to your people not by words, but by your example, by your being in love with Jesus, by radiating his holiness and spreading His fragrance of love everywhere you go. Just keep the joy of Jesus as your strength. Be happy and at peace. Accept whatever He gives— and give whatever He takes with a big smile. You belong to Him. My true community is the poor— their security is my security, their health is my health. My home is among the poor, and not only the poor, but the poorest of them: the people no one will go near because they are filthy and suffering from contagious diseases, full of germs and vermin— infested; the people who can’t go to church because they can’t go out naked; the people who can no longer eat because they haven’t the strength; the people who lie down in the street, knowing they are going to die, while others look away and pass them by; the people who no longer cry because their tears have run dry! The Lord wants me exactly where I am— He will provide the answers.”

LET’S PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You for being with us each and every week as we studied the Lady in Waiting.  Lord, thank You for teaching us through Your life and the life of Mother Teresa the importance of service.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us and lead us to the place where we can be of service to others who are hurting and need our support.  I pray that we will not be comfortable with just receive but we will give of ourselves in Jesus Name.  Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Look around your community, there are hospitals, schools and many other places that you can go to and minister to others.  Let us discuss ways in which we are going to reach out throughout the Christmas Holiday.  Which ministry is the Lord asking you to serve Him but up until now you have not responded to?  He is waiting for you to answer the call!

Be Blessed

Jackie

Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldredge

Begins January 6, 2013

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady In Waiting: Introduction to Meditations

December 7, 2012 by

Diane

Just like anything else, if you keep God out of meditation there is absolutely no point in doing it.  Meditation is defined as a written or spoken discourse expressing considered thoughts on a subject.  I find it HIGHLY important that discourse is defined as written or spoken communication or debate.  Meditation is not about feeling relaxed or a place where you can be calm.  Meditation is an opportunity for YOU to communicate with GOD about any subject you or He would like to discuss.  It is easy to think it is about us: our calmness, relaxation, peace from our craziness.  When in reality, it is all about being with and sharing with our Divine Lover, Jesus!

When you sit down for quiet time what does it look like?  Is your cell phone right next to you just in case your future husband decides to call you while you are trying to hear from God?  Are you alone or in a crowded coffee shop because even this is an opportunity to be seen by God’s man for you?  More importantly though, can I ask you what your heart looks like?  Is your heart open for what the Lord wants to share with you?  Are you willing to be patient and not leave your quiet time until you hear from God?  Does your heart desire to soak in all that God has for you in this moment?  We must empty of “ourselves” and fill up with the Spirit of the Lord!

This week we have been talking about patience.  I was looking forward to this week because this is where I most struggle.  Can I be honest with you ladies; I have not read one blog post this week so far.  Despite feeling the need to read what these women have openly prepared for us to read, I want to wait until I am ready to open my heart for the words God speaks through each and every one of their fingertips.  My heart wasn’t ready for what may be revealed in those posts.  I struggle with the waiting part of being single.  I do not so much struggle with actually being single, just with thinking I will be single forever.  I believe that as much as we are to be patient with God, He is always willing to be patient for us.  He is waiting for me to open my heart to the hearts of the ladies that have shared this week in our study.  He is waiting and His Spirit is praying for me that I will talk with Him about my struggles with patience.

I truly believe the best meditation with God is when we have the ambition to be beyond honest with ourselves and with God, trusting that no matter what the true state of our hearts are at that moment, it is safe to say God will surely transform them into more like His heart when we commune with Him.  He rejoices in the moment we turn to Him for communication.  Just like our Father in Heaven waits patiently for our hearts, so we wait patiently for the heart of the man He is preparing perfectly for us.

I plan to spend quiet time with God, when I know I am ready to get rid of all hindrances, reading the blog posts from this week.  Praying that God will bring out the important truths that I need to let sink into my heart.

Throughout this study of A Lady In Waiting, I just know each one of us struggled with something more than another.  That something more for you, please go back to this weekend or whenever your heart is ready to.  Go back to the chapter; go back to the blog posts for that week.  Most importantly go to God in meditation.  Seek His face in your time alone with Him.  Find out what is in the way of your heart being controlled completely by the perfectness of God and give it over to Him once and for all.  You will find in your moments of complete surrender God’s loving presence.

I pray that we take advantage of the opportunities in the back of the book for meditation with God.  As you work through each meditation, open your heart but also open your ears that you might hear what the Lord has been patiently waiting to whisper in your ear.  I promise it will be just what you need and it will sustain you in the struggles of singleness.

Let’s Pray:

Father God, I thank You so much that we have the privilege of talking to You every moment of every day.  I ask that You prepare the hearts of each and every one of these ladies for the words You want to speak to them.  I ask that they can clearly hear from You.  Lord, Your faithfulness and patience truly take my breath away!  Your love for us is incomprehensible.  I pray that inside of all of us is a desire to spend time with You, growing closer to You, and feeling Your presence in our lives making You more and more real to us.  Bring to light the area we struggle most with and help us to have the courage to spend time talking with You about this area.  I pray all of these things in Your precious name, Amen.

You’re Assignment: 

Look back on your journey through this study.  What are you struggling with still?  What area of your life is God not present in?  Go back to that chapter or topic, and spend a lot of quiet time with God being honest with Him about these struggles.  Ask God to make your heart ready to hear from Him.  Let His presence fill where that struggle once was.

____________________________

Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldredge

Begins January 6, 2013

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady in Waiting: Developing Patience

December 6, 2012 by


Have you ever heard the phrase “Patience is a virtue”?  Well, curious-little-me decided to look up where that saying came from.  As it turns out, there is an entire list of 7 heavenly virtues (to counter the 7 deadly sins).  This list is derived from the Psychomachia (“Contest of the Soul”), an epic poem written by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (c. AD 410). These 7 virtues include: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility.

Aurelius made a pretty good list, but I think he plagiarized or perhaps he drew some inspiration from Galatians 5:22-23:  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness self-control; against such things there is no law.”

So how can we develop these virtues?  How can we develop the virtue of patience?

I believe that if we ask the Lord to help us develop the fruits of the Spirit (patience being one of them) then He will give us situations and opportunities in which we can develop our requests.  It’d be nice if He would just zap us down some “instant patience,” but that’s not how He works.  And what a blessing! He’s given each of us that opportunity RIGHT NOW! We can practice and develop our patience now in our singleness so we may glorify Him wherever He may lead us in the future.

I want to draw your attention to three points made by our authors:

  • Marriage is not a need.
  • Marriage is not a right.
  • Marriage does not complete a person.

As I write to you, I cannot tell you that I will ever get married.  To be honest, God may not have that in His plans for my life.  And I must be okay with that possibility.  Ask yourself if you are truly okay with that possibility.  Have you turned your desire for marriage and a spouse completely over to God?  This is a daily submission for me.  “Lord, go before me today, and carry me through.  I want to do Your will today; I want to live the life You’ve planned and be the person You’ve created me to be.”

God put a verse on my heart this week to share with you, dear Ladies in Waiting.  Romans 8:37-39:  “Now, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present (singleness) nor things to come (either more singleness or marriage), nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

WHAT A PROMISE!  Jesus is our Husband and absolutely nothing can separate us from His love!  Not even ourselves, our impatience, our earthly desires, or our temptations can separate us.  As we wait, let us focus on our love relationship with Him.  His love is never-failing and never-ending!


In love,

Carissa

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

Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, we know and trust that Your ways are higher than ours.  Help us to trust in Your plans and Your timing for the desires of our hearts.  Lord, make our desires to be Your desires.  Father, grant us a spirit of patience as we wait upon You.  Father, thank you for Your perfectly constant and completely fulfilling love.  We love you, too, Father.  In your precious Name, Amen.


Your Assignment:

I have two questions for you.  Answer whichever you prefer – or both!  

  • Do you consider marriage a “goal” for your life, and do you think it should be? As a Lady in Waiting, what should be our goal?
  • How are you developing a patient heart? Share your experiences and strategies with us!

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Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldredge

Begins January 6, 2013

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!
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Lady in Waiting: Consequences of Impatience

December 5, 2012 by

Ten years ago, I found myself single and pregnant. With fear strapped to my leg like a chain, all I could think of was a future as an unwed mother. My daughter’s father, my boyfriend at the time, proposed marriage and I accepted. Throughout the next few months I felt something nagging at my spirit. Something just didn’t feel right. I ignored it for a while longer. At one point I could no longer pretend that the feeling wasn’t there, and I had to face the truth. I was being impatient, I was grasping at the life I felt I should have rather than waiting to see what God wanted for me in this situation. I needed to check my motives, I needed to step back and pray about the situation, and I needed to trust God.

The marriage didn’t happen. We went our separate ways, and although my daughter doesn’t have a relationship with her biological father, I feel in my heart that the impatient decision I was about to make would have had much more dire consequences than living as a single mom. Thinking about what could have been scares me.

When you’re facing the possibility of making an impatient decision do you take the time to step back and look at the possible consequences. Do you seek God and inquire of what He wants for your life? I didn’t until it was almost too late. The bible is very clear in saying that our decision will affect our family generations to come.

Exodus 34:7

…that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Is this a chance we’re willing to take?

Even if children are never involved, is the possibility of not being able to share your love of Christ with your spouse a life you desire? In order for a man to truly know our heart he must first know God, if he doesn’t know God, he will never truly know you.  An impatient decision can jeopardize the blessings God has planned for our lives.

 Deuteronomy 28:2

And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

Deuteronomy 28:15

“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.

When a decision arises that needs to be made, take the time to seek God, listen for His voice and for His direction. And always remember that He protects our heart, He only wants the best for us, including our future husband.  Don’t take the risk, and wait for his blessing.

With Love,

Tonya Ellison

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 Lets Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, your words are clear, your warnings and your promises are plainly written. When we are facing a decision that we are going to make with an impatient heart, please Lord touch our hearts and minds so that we are not able to ignore your urging  Remind us that your promises and blessings are meant for our benefit. And that our impatient decisions will have consequences, consequences that not only affect us but those around us, consequences that will affect our futures. Instead I pray that we seek your will, and that we trust your plans. Thank you for planning our futures, thank you for protecting our hearts.  In Jesus’ name I pray amen.

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Your Assignment:

I refer to scripture a lot. I feel that the answer to every question, problem and possible impatient decision is held in that wonderful book. So, what scriptures do you go to when you are faced with a decision, when you’re unsure of what to do?

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Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldgredge

Begins January 6, 2013

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

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Lady in Waiting: Lady of Patience – Why Is Waiting So Hard?

December 4, 2012 by

Ps31_14

Have you ever made decisions in life because they seem right at the time but when you look back you realize that it wasn’t the right thing to do?  Well, I have and there are many times when I ask myself why I didn’t wait before making such drastic decisions.  Why did I allow my emotions to get ahead of me?  Why did I let the temporary feelings to determine my future? Why didn’t I seek the face of God before doing this?  Why didn’t I wait?

Waiting for anything is hard, it’s even harder when you are single and you feel like you have limited options available to you.  Some of us have made life altering decisions because we were tired of waiting for what seemed like forever.  Loneliness crept in and we allowed FEAR get to the best of us.

We were afraid of being the odd ones out, the only one who is always the bridesmaid and never the bride, how many bouquets have we caught and believed the myth that the one who catches the bouquet is the next in line to get married?  But year in and year out, we continue the journey as a single lady.

We were afraid to attend family functions where everyone has a partner by their side and a quiver full of kids.  We don’t want to sit next to the nosy cousins who can’t help but taunt us at the dinner table with the following remarks: “this year we were looking forward to being introduced to the man in your life!” or “your nieces are worried that they are growing taller so they will no longer qualify as flowers girls at your wedding.”

As years passed by you asked yourself “when is it going to happen for me? Is Prince Charming going to notice me before the clock strikes 12? Sadly you didn’t have the answer to this question and the more you thought about it the fearful you became.

Fear has been defined as False Evidence Appearing Real.  Fear can cause us to take matters into our own hands and forget God’s promises and fear can make us to accept the proposal of the first guy who comes along without taking into consideration if He is the right man.

You see, the right man won’t rush you to the altar.  He will get to know you first and allow you to get to know him in the process.  He will want to become your friend first before becoming your lover.

Girlfriend, I urge you, do not allow fear to control your decisions, give God back the control of your plans and future.  He knows the desires of your heart.  He loves you with an everlasting love and He is saying “Be still and know that I am God.” “I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Isaiah 40:31 tells us:

“But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.”

Have patience, beloved.  Waiting may be hard but it is worth it in the end. This week let us be willing to learn how to boldly soar like the Eagle as we wait patiently upon the Lord regardless of our circumstances be it the ticking of the biological clock, the number of bridesmaids dresses in our closets, the statistics that are so depressing or what our beloved family thinks of us.  Let us put everything in the capable hands of our Precious Father, “Our Daddy’s got this!”

LET’S PRAY

Precious Father, we come before you this week empty and waiting for you to fill us with your Holy Spirit.  As we learn how to be Ladies of Patience, we ask you to help us because waiting is not easy; we admit that this is a struggle for most of us.  However, we don’t want to hurry and go ahead of you because that is worse than waiting up you.  Father, you know what is best for us; we are not single because you don’t love us but because you want what’s best for us.  Teach us to content and wait upon you.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

 YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Write out the things that make you lose patience. Which of these cause your Sovereign God concern? Give these concerns to Him and ask Him to help you trust while you wait. “I will trust while I wait, for my God is never late” is a good motto.

Be Blessed

Jackie

Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldgredge

Begins January 6, 2013

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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