November 25, 2024

Winning Him Without Words: Daily Prayer Life / How Should We Pray?

October 11, 2012 by

This blog post is brought to you today

by Sarah Boyer

A Daily Prayer Life/How Should We Pray?

I can certainly relate to Lynn when she says she struggled with praying purposeful prayers.  I find that when I sit down in the evening and finally have some quiet time to myself, my mind wanders so easily. I start to pray for the people on my prayer list and I start to think of how that person is doing at that moment. Then my mind trails off to something totally unrelated. I try to get back on track, but I just can’t stay focused.

As I said in my post last week, I have changed the time of day I have my prayer time. I pray and read from the bible in the mornings now. I have found that by praying right away in the morning, my mind is free of the day’s worries because nothing has happened yet to worry or stress me out! Another benefit to praying in the morning is I am better prepared to handle anything that may come along to worry or stress me out!

Lynn also has a wonderful solution for staying focused. She suggests starting a prayer journal. She says that by writing her prayers out in long hand, it really brings her focus onto the paper and away from the distractions in the room. Another thing I think is neat is she is able to revisit her old prayers and look back on how God answered those prayers for her. Was it answered the way she wanted or did he have something else in mind for her? Usually we will find that God had his own plan to answer our prayers and it always turns out to be the best answer!

So how should we pray?

Matthew 6:6-8 reads: But when you pray, go into your private room, and closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open. 7) And when you pray, do not heap up phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking. 8) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

I am guilty of trying to impress God with my prayers by adding excessive words and repeating myself over and over, making sure I thoroughly covered everything. But God already knows my needs without all my extra words and phrases. Try to pray like Matthew 6 suggests and meet with God in a quiet, private place. Then follow this simple “formula”:

  • Give God thanks for all the blessings He has given you

  • Confess all your transgressions and ask for His forgiveness

  • Ask him for your needs in a clear and simple way (pray for your husband in secret and God will answer that prayer in the open!)

  • End your prayer in love for Him

If you are having trouble finding the right words, like I do, pray from your bible. I recently bought myself an amplified bible with the concordance in the back, plus a daily devotional prayer book. I use them both to help me find exactly the right scriptures for when I need God’s help but don’t really know how to ask. I read those scriptures in first person, so as to turn them into a personal prayer. I cannot TELL you how much this has helped my prayer time. It has purpose and structure and guess what?

Praying from the bible has brought about tremendous blessings in my marriage! My husband has even noticed a significant change in me. He is the first one to point out the blessings that have come to us ever since I have started praying this way. Even though my husband is a believer, he isn’t into praying together and things like that. I wish he was! I keep thinking our marriage could really benefit from prayer time together, but he isn’t there yet and I won’t push him. We learned from earlier in this chapter, your husband’s salvation is in God’s hands, not yours.

I do believe that God is using me as an example to my husband. As I get deeper into my relationship with God and become more at peace in our circumstances, my husband does notice and hopefully soon he will want to be right by my side, praying with me. What a joyous day that will be!

_________________

Let Us Pray:

Father God, please help us to have a more purposeful prayer time with you. Help us to be focused on your word and give us wisdom to understand what your word is telling us. Help us to keep our prayers simple and to the point. Continue to make us an example for our husbands and children to follow. In your precious name I pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

Below, share with us what you currently do or what you are going to do to have a more purposeful prayer time.

______________

For those who are reading this blog and would like to join the Bible study, we would love to invite you to join us! Click here and follow the instructions, (you can also click the SIGN-UP link in the menu bar above to be taken to the form). It’s that simple! We hope to see you soon!

Godspeed,

Sarah

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

A Daughter’s Worth – Week 2 / Day 4: Your Father Forgives You

October 11, 2012 by

 

Your blog today is brought to you by Memphis T and Mama T <3

Oh My!  This has been a tough topic for me to think about in my lifetime.  Growing up, my dad was, and still is a very hard worker.  He always worked his full time job, grew acres of vegetables on our farm and was active in our church.  My whole family worked around dad’s schedule.  It was rarely easy to keep up and do everything the way he needed it to be done.  When we messed up, and we did mess up, dad would go silent…until he blew up…and then he was silent for weeks at a time.  Sometimes we knew what was wrong, most of the time we didn’t though and that was hard to try to fix.

Girls have a basic need to please.  We especially need to please our fathers.  That is why it is so hard when we have messed up for us not to know how to make it better.  As a young teen I tried very hard to win my dad’s approval and to see him smile or say, “Thanks, gal”, or something.  I needed that from him.  As an older teen I began looking for approval from my uncles and wanted to have a boyfriend to care about me.  I have some really cool uncles.  I messed up a lot in the boyfriend area, but that’s another story for another day.  I have learned a lot and been so blessed with the men God placed in my life.  I got the laughs and hugs and teasing I needed in that way; but not from my dad.

This is by no means a sad story, because I love my dad very much and I know he loves me.  It could be that we are too much alike to express ourselves well, or maybe he didn’t have a good example of a relational father either.  The main thing I learned from my home life was what I wanted to do LIKE my parents raised me and the things I wanted to CHANGE when I had my own family.  Mostly I learned how to lean on my Heavenly Father when I needed that ABBA, daddy, role filled.  God never let me down.  When I messed up, I could ask Him to show me what had gone wrong, where I had gone wrong and to forgive me for my sins.  He was always faithful to forgive me; I had a harder time forgiving myself.

As I have learned to parent my daughters, I have always told them to be honest with me.  Even if it is hard to say what they have done, I would rather know what happened from them than to hear it from someone else or be surprised by the truth later.  I have made them a promise to be patient and slow to anger with my words so that they will trust me with their hearts.  I like to think that this is a lesson I learned from my Heavenly Father.

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me” (Mark 10:14), “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3) and in Matthew 19:13 we see that parents were bringing their children to Jesus so he could lay hands on them to pray for them and give them blessings.  I wanted to be that kind of mom someday.  I wanted to be the kind of mother that my kids could come to for comfort, talking, mutual respect and love and I wanted their friends to feel comfortable talking to me too.  It took breaking some bad learned parenting behaviors, but God has been faithful to bring me children and teens to love on.  He gave me a desire of my heart.

No matter what kind of earthly dad, or parents you were born with, God wants to be your FATHER.  With that comes love, guidance and, yes, discipline.  Discipline is not a bad word.  It means having self-control.  We don’t act on every whim and do what feels good, just because it feels good.  Our verse for today is:  Hebrews 10:22, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”  God wants us to come to him and tell him what is on our hearts and minds.  Take some time today to think back to those “secret” things you have stuffed down inside your heart and tell HIM about it.  He already knows, but HE wants to hear you say it so you know you are clean.  No more guilty conscience.  No more beating yourself up about something in your past.  Just you and HIM.  God sees you through the filter of His Son, Jesus.  You look pretty good, you know.  Embrace the Father’s love.  You deserve it!

<3 Mama T (Teresa)

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There is nothing so horrible or terrible that God cannot or will not forgive you for <3 God sent His one and only son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that we would have the opportunity to live in eternity with Him. How awesome is that?

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Have you ever did anything that you thought was so bad that you thought your parents would never forgive you for, and once you told them, they weren’t as mad as you thought they would be and things changed for the better? Well that is how God is J Satan would love to hold those old horrible things over your head, having you to think and believe that God will be angry with you for the rest of your life and never forgive you (while typing this, satan is trying to persuade me to not tell you all about what happened to me years ago because it was a very difficult time for me and my family, but it is part of who I am and it shows how God forgave me for something that I thought was so horrible at the time).  God is totally the opposite girls!! He is so loving and forgiving!!! He wants you to come to Him and repent (to tell Him that you are sorry and turn away from that thing that you were doing wrong) and live your life for Him. He is always waiting there with His big loving arms held open for you to run to Him. He desires to be there for you!

I can remember doing something that I thought was so bad. We are friends and we can be honest with each other here at GCH: Decaf. I was 20 years old, not married, working in ministry, and I got pregnant…yep, there it is…I said it, Ms. Tonya got pregnant. I felt like I had disappointed my mom and dad, my sisters, my boss, Pastor, friends…everybody, but most of all I felt like I had let God down!! I knew what God had said about getting pregnant before being married and I definitely was not married. Were the special, important people in my life disappointed in me? Yes they were. Did they ever stop loving me? No they did not!

It took me a while to heal from that time in my life. I had to really get to know who God was better than I thought I did. He wasn’t this mean old person who was going to point His finger at me and shake it and say, “Tonya, you make the biggest mistake ever and I am no longer keeping you as my daughter!” He was exactly the opposite. Our Heavenly Father loved on me! He sent people around me to comfort me, teach me more about His Word, and help me to get back on the right path of following and living a life for Him!

Remember this: When God forgives you. You are set free!!! You are free from being reminded of that thing that you did wrong and you are free to go to God whenever you need to!

When God forgives you, He forgives you and He remembers it NO More!! We are the ones who remember. God does not desire to torture us with reminding us of what we did wrong, He wants us to ask for forgiveness, turn away from that thing that were doing wrong, learn from it, and move forward. He is so forgiving!! Humans can hold grudges, God does NOT! Whatever it is that you think is so horrible that you think you cannot go to God about, think again, He wants you to come to Him! Try Him …Go to Him… Allow Him to show you who He really is! A loving Father who LOVES His daughters.. ALL of us 🙂

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for loving us for who we are. We are so grateful to be called your daughters. Thank you for being a loving, forgiving God and for reminding us that there is nothing so bad that You will not forgive us for. Please remind your daughters Lord that You are there for them, and that You still desire to have that Father daughter relationship with them. Let them know that You are waiting. In your Son’s Jesus name I pray. Amen.

<3 Memphis T (Tonya)

___________________________________________

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

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

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

Lady In Waiting: Diligence and the Ministry of Teaching, Encouragement, and Prayer

October 10, 2012 by

 

I was (and sometimes still am) an excuse maker.

“I’m too busy”

“I don’t know what to say”

“What difference will I make?’

“There are better qualified people”

Diligence in ministry is something that I was not, and honestly it is an area that God is still working on.

I did little things here and there at church. But a big lesson I learned was that it doesn’t stop at church. There were and continue to be so many opportunities in where I can be diligent in these areas; I actually saw more opportunities outside of my church than inside of it.

He calls us to do many things in his name; three of those are to teach, to encourage and to pray. My famous line was “I’m busy” or “I don’t have the time”; and yes, truth be told I am busy, but so is everyone else.

I had to stop making excuses.

Teach. Encourage. Pray.

The book asks a great question that can be applied to all three areas “Are we giving out as much as we take in?” I know that I take in a lot, whether it’s quiet study time with God, encouraging words (my love language is words of affirmation) or people praying for me.

I have to ask myself some questions. Am I teaching others, sharing the truths god has shown me? Am I encouraging others, whether it is my co-workers, or the frustrated mom in the store? Am I forming “duets” and lifting others up in prayer? Am I praying for others on my own?

Just yesterday I was in Wal-mart, a young mother was shopping with her little girl and the little girl was way beyond done with the shopping trip. The mom was frustrated which caused the little girl to express her dislike for Wal-mart even louder. I’ve been there. A smile to the mom and to the little girl, plus a reassuring word to the mother about not being alone in the world of toddler tempers tantrums and a prayer for the two; I feel that God had me go down that isle for a reason. It was an opportunity for be to give back.

I’m not always diligent in these areas. I talk myself out of opportunities (a lot); I make excuses (a lot). But He always gives me more chances (a lot). He gives us opportunities to teach, encourage
and to pray.

God doesn’t require us to be the most outgoing, the most eloquent, the most educated or resourceful women. He requires our time and our willingness and diligence.
God will provide us with the words, knowledge and tools to do the things he asks us to do.   I say that because I am not the most extroverted person out there and I was using my excuses to stay that way.

It’s funny, the more I explain to God why I can’t do these things the more opportunities He creates for them to be done. Yes, He is a God of humor. He does something else as well, He brings back the feelings I had when I had someone teach me, when I had someone lift me up and encourage me, when I knew that I was being prayed for.

I had to give back what I took in.

I have to give back what I take in.

Let’s Pray:
Lord, thank you for the teaching, encouraging and prayer that you have allowed us to receive, thank you for those who took in, and gave back out to us. Please open our eyes for such opportunities; for the chances for us to give out to others in need. Thank you for the time you have blessed us with, please let us see the time as a tool, and please let us to be sensitive to the words you give us and the urging you put on our hearts to do as you ask. Thank you for the opportunities to be diligent in teaching, in prayer and in encouragement.

Your Assignment:

Remember a time in which you were taught, encouraged or prayed for. How did it feel? Share some examples of situations in which you gave back what you took in. Reading examples of others may teach and encourage the rest of the group to step out and give back.

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If you would like to take part in this Online Bible Study, and join our Facebook Discussion Group, please click on the “Sign-Up Here” button located at the top of our website, in the Menu Bar.  Once we receive your request, we will add you to our group!

God bless,

Tonya

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

A Daughter’s Worth – Week 2 / Day 3: Your Father Protects You

October 10, 2012 by

Psalm 91:4-10

His huge outstretched arms protect you– under them you’re perfectly safe; His arms will fend off all harm.

Fear nothing… No harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched…

Yes, because God is your refuge, the High God your very own home,

Evil can’t get close to you; harm can’t get through the door.

I don’t know about you, but I have had some friendships and relationships in my life that have ended. I have had some things I was passionate about taken away. I have experienced loss. And each time, it hurt.

One day I was madly “in love” with a guy, and the next day I was bawling my eyes out because he dumped me. Or one day “Suzy” was my very best friend, and the next day she was ignoring me. One day I was obsessed with cheerleading, and the next day, I was injured and lost the nerve to try any more stunts or tumbling. And with each loss, I experienced heartache and pain.

I can honestly say, though, with every break up, with every weekend I spent at home, with the activities I gave up, I found the purpose. Not the day after. In some cases, it took months. Other cases, it took years. Each time I found that the Lord was protecting me. From what, you may be asking? Most of the time, I find that the Lord is protecting us from ourselves. Here’s what I mean by that… We often turn boyfriends, friends, sports, grades, etc. into idols. We place them as first in our hearts. We seek THEIR approval. Sometimes we make EVERY decision with them in mind…. from how we wear our hair that morning to where we want to go to college.

We are setting ourselves up for heartbreak by allowing a person or an activity to dictate our lives. Sometimes boys change their minds. Sometimes friends have bad days and take them out on you. Sometimes you fail a test. Sometimes you lose a soccer game. But God doesn’t change His mind about you. God doesn’t have bad days. God is faithful. He is constant. He is the same… yesterday, today, and forever.

I think it’s safe to say that He knows what is best for us. After all, He created our hearts. And even when something precious to us is taken away, we HAVE to trust that He is making all things work together for our good. So let’s put Him first. Let pleasing Him be the reason behind all of our decisions.

Let’s pray~

Lord, thank You for loving us enough to protect us. You know that You are the only one who is constant, and You love us enough to protect our hearts. Continue to teach us to guard our hearts. Lord, when we place things above You, give us strength and conviction to lay those things down. And after we lay those things down, God, we will run into Your arms, we will return to our First Love.

~Jordan

__________________________________

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

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

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

Lady in Waiting: Full Place Setting, Enviable Singleness and Unrelenting Pursuit

October 9, 2012 by

As I read the passages for today, two very distinct ideas came through for me. In trying to decide what to talk about, I felt I should share the full spectrum of my feelings while I read and re-read the passage, so I will try to talk about both without too much confusion!

In “Full Place Setting”, the authors talk about a friend who, at first, was saving her best for when she found her future husband and got married.  When she realized she didn’t need someone in her life to treat herself to the best she had to offer, it freed her.  She deserved china and crystal just as much as a single woman as she would as a married woman.  I agree with this 100%.  While I may not have china or some of the finer things in life, I do like to treat myself to things like manicures or a good haircut.  I like to use glasses and not plastic cups.  I like to wear pretty pajamas.  To do less implies that we are worth less without a husband and that is simply untrue.  So I am reading and thinking “Hey – I got this…no problem…finally something I don’t struggle with!”

Then I thought of it.  My mattress.  Yes, my mattress.  I moved out of my parent’s house when I was 26.  I had to buy all new furniture, and my new queen bed, finally graduating from the twin I had slept in all my life!  I am now 41.  This mattress is 15 years old.  It has rips, it sags, I constantly flip it, but it doesn’t take long before I need to do it all over again.  Now why am I telling you about my beat up mattress?  Guess what I say every time I wake up with a sore back, or I am changing the sheets and I see the rips or handles falling off?  “When I get married, I’ll get a new mattress set.  It will be a fresh beginning.”  My mattress is my “paper plates”!  Do I not deserve a good night sleep as a single woman?  To wake up without pain?  To feel like I am worth more than rips, tears and a big sag.  I don’t have to wait until I will be sharing my bed with a man to get a new mattress.  I am worth it all on my own!  (Now to find the money!  )

Now, in the rest of the passage I was called to look inward and see if I am doing all I can in service during my time as a single woman in Christ. I feel that I have fully embraced this time as a pursuit of Jesus and service.  My situation is a little different, because I am a single mom of a 5 year old boy.  Some may use this as a reason not to do as much at church, but have looked at the last 3+ years as a great way to include my son in the life of the church, so that he develops a love for it as much as I have.  I will not lie.  I have a lot on my plate, and I have been praying for guidance in whether God still wants me in all the places he has me.  That does not mean that I don’t enjoy everything I am involved in (or it wouldn’t be so hard to think about letting something go!), but admittedly it is a juggling act and sometimes I am very grateful for grace!

If you have not gotten involved at your church yet, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so.  Pray to see where God leads you, think about what you enjoy, and if you don’t like babies I wouldn’t suggest the nursery as your first volunteer experience!   God may surprise you.  When I was first saved, I felt the calling of God clearly in the areas of youth and music.  I got involved in youth group right away, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that it became my time to get involved in the Worship Team.  Be sensitive to the spirit.  One place I never thought I would be is the head of women’s ministries in the church, but the fruit I have seen from serving in this ministry is truly humbling.

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One of the best ways to combat feeling sorry for ourselves in our time alone is to serve others in need. So ladies, take some time to pray today.  Where does our Lord want you?  Where can you be of service to Him? In your church?  In the missions field?  In your local community?  My guess is that God knows exactly where you belong, and can’t wait to see you shine! And remember, use the fine china along the way!

Let’s Pray
Lord I know that you have amazing experiences in store for every woman reading these words right now.  Help them to see where they are needed.  If they already faithfully serve you, give them the strength to continue on their path.  All that we do is for Your glory.  At times it is easy to focus inward on ourselves, and our situation.  Jesus help us to be humble as we serve and be reminded that it’s not all about us.  We are needed, we are useful, and we deserve to give ourselves the best along the way.  In your Holy Name we pray.  Amen

Your Assignment
Please leave a comment below sharing your experiences with service.  Do you currently serve in your church or other organization?  If so, how does that help you?  Does it help you?
If you are not currently serving, what things are you interested in that could lead to service opportunities?  Have you prayed for guidance?  Talked to someone at your church?  What would you like to see come out of that experience?

Blessings,

Michelle

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

A Daughter’s Worth Week 2 / Day 2: Your Father Delights in Your Existence

October 9, 2012 by

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you; He is mighty to save. 

He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love;

He will rejoice over you with singing.

Delight is a word that isn’t used very often.  Delight is one of those words with deep meaning.  I looked it up so we could know more fully how God feels about us and this is what I found:

DELIGHT

1) A Feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction; JOY

2)  To please greatly

3)  Something or someone that provides a source of happiness.

Growing up I can’t say that ‘delight’ was in my vocabulary.  Aside from a few pictures, the emotion of ‘delight’ was foreign to me.  So the thought that my Heavenly Father took delight in my existence was a little hard to grasp.  I have always been a “thinker”.  When I have questions about random, everyday stuff I ‘google’ it.  My head is full of trivial information that I don’t even know where it came from.  When I have BIG questions I go to “The Source”.  I ask God, himself, to give me the answers to my hearts questions.  As a result, my heart is full of TRUTH and I DO know where I got it; My Father!  Check out Luke 11:9: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Not only does He want us to ask, He wants us to KEEP asking.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking, and you will find (what you are looking for).  Keep on Knocking and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives.  Everyone who seeks, finds and everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Did you catch that promise directly from your Father?  So when we have questions and need answers we are to ask him and He promises to give us whatever we have asked for.  So if that is true – why don’t we know everything and have everything we need?  In James 4:2-3, we find the answer to that question (you see how I did that?  I took you back to the Source).

James said, “…You have NOT because you ASKED NOT.”  As a mom, there is nothing that gives me more joy, more delight, than to give my daughters something I know they really, really, REALLY want.  Most of the time, what my daughters want is not monetary.  They desire my time, my touch, my ears to listen to their hearts.  Sometimes I can show them I have really listened to them by remembering to do something nice for them.  I want to be the one who provides this very basic need for my daughters.  If it makes me that happy to please my daughters, how much more happy, joyous, delighted – must God the Father be to know that He provides for us exactly what we want and need?  Because we are God’s daughters, he wants to provide for us.

In Psalms 37:4 it says, “Take delight in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  Because God created us, HE KNOWS US.  We may go through life feeling unloved, without friends, lonely, and well, UN-known.  But our heavenly father knows what we need and gives us a very specific example in the way He acknowledged Jesus on the day he was baptized.

Let’s look at that day in Jesus’ life.  He was about 30 years old, he knew what his purpose was on this earth and he knew it was time to begin the work.  I imagine the human side of Jesus was nervous to get started, anxious about what was in his future, and a bit overwhelmed at the sheer size of his job.  He had come TO SAVE THE WORLD! Where do you start?  Who do you start with?

Jesus started at the beginning.  He decided to do the job he came to this earth for.  The first public act of his obedience was to be baptized, so he went to see his cousin, John.  (You should really go read that story.  It’s awesomely cool)

Matthew 3:16-17 takes us to the next part of Jesus’ story.

16)  After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17) And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

God gave Jesus the 3 things everyone needs to hear:

1)       God claimed Jesus as His own son.  “This is my SON.”

2)      God proclaimed His love for Jesus.  “Whom I love.”

3)      God exclaimed His Joy, Delight, and Extreme Pleasure with his Son.  “I am very pleased with him.”

I imagine that Jesus needed to know who he belonged to; who loved him and who was pleased with him to be able to begin the job God sent him to do.  If Jesus needed it, so do we.  It’s OK to admit that we need to belong, be loved and be delighted in.

That’s how God made us!!!!!

“Realizing God’s delight in your existence is a wonderful ego booster.  Your Creator, the Father of everything, is always happy to hang out with you.”  (page 18, A Daughter’s Worth)  God delights in our delighting in Him.  God values our valuing Him.  Who can tell me where the verse is in the BIBLE where it says, “We love him because He first loved us”?  (Trivia Contest – Leave the answer in the comment section)  🙂

God already has claimed us as his daughters.  He has already proven he loves us.  He gives us the desires of our hearts because it brings Him joy and pleasure.  Now it’s up to us ….

Let Us Pray:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for being my dad, my papa, my ABBA.  Thank you for loving me, for telling the world that you love me and for providing everything that I need.  I am honored to be your daughter.  I accept the place you have reserved for me in your family.  My earthly family doesn’t always look or feel very loving and secure, but I know your love for me never fails. 

Father, continue to change my heart as I draw closer to you.  I love you daddy.  AMEN

<3 Teresa Bolme

VIDEO     Mighty To Save  sung by Laura Story (scripture taken from Zephaniah 3:17

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

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

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Winning Him Without Words: “It’s Safe to Relinquish Control”

October 9, 2012 by

Control.

Why do we desperately hold onto it? What are we afraid of? I will be the first to admit that I am a control freak. Since returning to Christ two years ago, God has repeatedly revealed my controlling tendencies and convicted me of them, especially in the realm of my marriage. It is not pretty. I am not sure how my husband lives with me, but I am thankful that the Lord is showing me a better way and that my husband has a measure of patience. When I took a good look in the mirror, I realized that I needed to focus on saving myself, not my husband.

So, I can relate to this whole chapter in a big way. But this section on control . . . I felt like Lynn was talking directly to me.

Even though God has been working on me, I do not have it all together. There is still that part of me that wonders… can I really, truly, 100%, no holds barred, relinquish this salvation-of-my-husband-thing to God? Some days I think I can. Other days I am not so sure. I will release it to God one day and the next day, I will take it back.

Why is it so hard?

As Lynn Donovan states on page 44:

  • I am the only believer my husband encounters on a regular basis
  • I am the one person who is actively praying for him
  • If I do not show my husband Jesus, who will?

And two of my own . . . the ones that lies in the deepest recesses of my heart. The ones that are hard to even type. What if I never get to see my husband come to faith? What if he does not get saved? If I do not become actively involved in my husband’s salvation, then who will?

Well, Lynn smacked me upside the head humbled me with her next statement:

All of this is true, yet you are underestimating the power of the Lord in your life.

Ouch!

Lord, I am so very sorry.

Why do I keep trying to BE God in my husband’s life? God is certainly capable of handling things just fine on His own, thankyouverymuch. I mean, He grabbed me without anyone bombarding me with open Bibles or Christian music. So, why am I trying to do it for someone else?

Lynn tells us that two things will happen when we finally let go of our foolish and unproductive efforts to save our men:

  1. We will discover new freedom – the pressure we feel to bring our spouse to Christ will lift. We can just enjoy our spouse for the man that he is.
  2. Our husbands’ will experience freedom – he will no longer need to feel uncomfortable or try to deflect our crazy attempts to bring him to faith. He can RELAX around us. Our faith will become LESS OF A THREAT in his eyes. It will free him to explore faith at his own pace, in his own time, at GOD’s leading.

Ladies, I am right there with you. I am scared. I can talk a good game and feel like I am living it sometimes, but other times I take it all back and try to do it on my own. It is hard to relinquish that control. But, God really does have this. He wants our husbands’ to know Him and to love Him even more than we do. Our God will never stop pursuing the lost and bringing them to Himself (read Luke 15:3-10). In fact, when we step in and try to take on God’s job, we just get in the way and make more work for God! Are you ready to put your husband’s salvation in God’s hands and truly let go and let God handle it?

*****

Let’s Pray:

Father God, in the name of our mighty Savior, Jesus Christ, I ask you to give each woman in this study a courageous strength to release their husband’s salvation into your capable hands. We know that you love our husbands’ even more than we do, Lord, and you want a deep and abiding relationship with each of them. Help us to get out of Your way and to let You do the work in our husbands’ hearts and lives. Please reveal anything in our own lives that we are doing that is causing angst or stress to our husbands’ and marriages and help us to repent of it. In your name we pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

Tell us why it is difficult to fully let go of your husband’s salvation and give it completely over to God.

Many blessings to you,

Jennifer

*****

Join the Winning Him Without Words Bible Study!

For those who are reading this blog and would like to join the Bible study, we would love to invite you to join us!  Click here and follow the instructions (you can also click the SIGN-UP link in the menu bar above to be taken to the form). It’s that simple!  We hope to see you soon!

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Lady in Waiting: Lady of Diligence, No Time to Waste and Free to Follow

October 8, 2012 by

LADY OF DILIGENCE – The perfect time to make the most of every opportunity is while you are single.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV)

Before I got married, I used to wonder why the young married ladies of our church stopped being active in church after they said I do.   We discussed this at one of Singles Ministry meetings because it puzzled us.  How come the gifted lead singer in the choir with a beautiful Soprano could no longer usher in the presence of the Lord during the worship service?  That beautiful voice was now seated quietly in the pew opposite her husband.

I got that answer when I got married.  I realized that my time was not mine alone.  I had to consider that my husband’s needs came before my own.  I could no longer just come home, change clothes and leave for an evening meeting.  There was dinner and other things to be prepared.  Most of ministry meetings took place in the evenings and since I was at work all day, I could not be out in the evening as well.

“God has called me to live now. He wants me to realize my full potential as a man right now, to be thankful about where I am, and to enjoy it to the fullest. I have a strange feeling that the single person who is always wishing he were married will probably get married, discover all that is involved, and wish he were single again! He will ask himself, ‘Why didn’t I use that time for the Lord when I didn’t have so many other obligations? Why didn’t I give myself totally to Him when I was single?’ ”

John Fischer could easily have written the above with me in mind because as a single woman, I was so zealous for the Lord.  I grabbed every opportunity that came my way to reach out to others.  I was out of the house on Monday for Youth Meeting, Tuesday for Bible Study, Wednesday was mid-week service, Thursdays, we had Singles Ministry meetings, Friday evenings and Saturday were mine to have girlfriends over for  slumber parties, watch movies and talk all night.   Housework was also thrown in the mix.  Sunday was a day spent at church starting with teaching Sunday school, ushering in church during the main service and in the evening, community outreach.  You must be rolling your eyes just by reading this schedule but I enjoyed doing this so much.  No out of boredom but because the time was just perfect for me.

Now, to adjust all this to married life and staying at home in the evening really took some doing.  It’s a topic on its own!  I asked my husband for at least two evenings.  But overtime even the two evenings were too much until I settled for just Sundays.

“The single woman can be involved in the Lord’s work on a level that a married woman cannot because of the distractions and responsibilities of being a wife and mother. Ironically, some single women can be so distressed by their single state that they become emotionally more distracted than a wife and mother of four children.  Page 26.

It’s so easy to judge when you are seating on the other side of the table.  But when you get there you tend to appreciate things more.  I always admire a mother with children who are under 5.  To get them prepared and be on time for any activity is really work.  While I only need 45 minutes to get ready, she needs at least 2 hours or more!

Let’s end today by thinking about what Jackie and Debbie asked us.

Are you busy serving Jesus during your free time, or do you waste hours trying to pursue and snag an available guy? Ruth was a widow, but she did not use her time sponsoring pity parties for all unhappy single women to gather and compare the misery of datelessness. When she and Naomi moved back to Bethlehem, Ruth did not waste a moment feeling sorry for herself. She went right to work. Instead of being drained by her discouraging circumstances, she took advantage of them and diligently embraced each day. Page 27.

I don’t know about you but I am challenged by Ruth not to waste time anymore.  You have all the freedom to follow Christ wherever He may lead you.  I still dream of visiting India one day for missionary work!

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LET’S PRAY

Father I thank you for challenging us through the life of Ruth who did not waste time feeling sorry for herself as a widow but she did her work diligently.  Lord help us to open our eyes and see that the harvest is plenty but the laborers are few.  May we seize the opportunities that come our way so that we may joyfully serve you.   In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Life is so full of traumatic situations.  Single ladies have their share of such situations.  In the comment below let’s discuss the following:

 

  1. Has someone disappointed you in the past that you feel like you cannot fully serve the Lord in any way?

  2. Have you put your life on hold and you are using this as an excuse for not serving Jesus?

 

If you would like to take part in our Online Bible Study and Facebook Discussion Group, please click on the “Sign-Up Here” button located at the top of our website, in the Menu Bar.  Once we receive your request, we will add you to our group!

 

Be Blessed,

Jackie

 

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A Daughter’s Worth Week 2 / Day 1: Your Father Wanted You To Be Born

October 8, 2012 by

Daddy’s Little Girl

This is for the girl whose heart aches to be “daddy’s little girl”.  This is for the girl who stands tall every day, as “daddy’s little girl”.  This is even for the girl who has been so hurt by her daddy that the thought of being “daddy’s little girl” angers her.   No matter which girl you wake up to be, I pray that you know in your heart the “daddy” that sees you as his little girl and loves you and WANTS you every day.  This would be your Abba (daddy) in Heaven.

Growing up, I was the girl whose heart ached to be daddy’s little girl.  I do have an amazing earthly father and I am blessed to have him because he fought for me, my mom, and my brothers and sisters every day.  He fought the battle of depression and unemployment every morning when he woke up in order to make sure we had the best life possible; the endless list of things we wanted and plenty of food on the table.  This took a toll on my dad that I didn’t understand.  His love was not perfect, neither was mine, but that was what I was looking for, love.  Today I know my dad loves me, but back then I went on a search for someone to love me.

Thankfully I have found that PERFECT LOVE in Jesus.  No matter what our earthly daddy’s are like, we all have access to the perfect love of our heavenly daddy!  The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:14 that we will all find our daddy in Heaven.  I remember the first day I found Him, it was the same day I felt wanted for the first time in my life.  I am very certain that God wanted me, because I read about how he fought for me.  He fought the enemy, and WON the same day He rose from the dead.  If God did not want us to be born, he would not have fought our battle for us.  Why did God fight for YOU?  Simply because He wanted you just as you are!  You did not need to be a certain way for Him to want you, all you ever have to be is the YOU he created.  He knows the plans that He has for you.  He wants to fulfill His plans in YOU.

It is hard sometimes to come to terms with God’s love, mainly because there are no terms to the love He always has and ever will have for us!  There are no conditions, excuses, imperfections, or manipulation in His love.  There is only hope, and grace, mercy, forgiveness, and complete joy in His love!  His love is better than an earthly father’s love for us, because it covers all of our hurts we go through in this life.  It even covers the hurts that have been caused by the father we have on Earth.  With God, we do not need to win Him or His love, He has already won us.  Even if we have the world’s best dad, there will be times that you just do not feel wanted or loved by him.  You never have to feel that way with God.  He wants you; He desires to hear from you, He aches for you to find Him.

Uncertainties will come your way, but when they do you can know without a shadow of doubt that you are God’s little girl.  Our Heavenly Father created YOU and chose YOU for good, (Isaiah 44:2) and has written YOUR life in His book, before YOU were even a thought in YOUR mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-16)!  That is love.  That is something worth getting excited about!

Let’s Pray:

Lord, I ask that as we start really getting into this study, that we accept that you want us every day, just where we are Lord.  I pray that we are able to find you just where we are, every day.  I thank you Lord that you have chosen each one of us for a specific purpose.  I thank you Lord that your perfect love showers us daily!  Thank you that as your “little girls” we are loved, taken care of, wanted, and chosen! 

Love,

Diane 🙂 

___________________________________________

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

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

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Winning Him Without Words: “Don’t save your husband – save yourself”

October 8, 2012 by

This is something I have run through my mind about so many times, thousands of times.  I have gotten up on Sunday mornings and wondered Lord will today be the day that my man will surrender everything to You? I look at him as he is lying in the bed and think well it could be Beverly!   I picture him getting up and saying honey I think I will go to church with you today (oh and by the way he did go with me yesterday)….I picture him going into the church service…I picture him headed to the pastor telling him “I want to surrender”…..oh what a day that will be!!!

But at this time after years of praying, waiting, and hoping, that is still what I am doing, praying, waiting and hoping.

My husband and I met 37 years and married 33 years ago. At first he attended church with me and then slowly stopped going  (which now makes me wonder did he go just for show back then)…until one day he stopped going all together except for special things.

God kept drawing me closer into a relationship with Him and yet my relationship with my husband was not growing the way “I” wanted because I now had something I wanted both of us to have but he was not at that point yet.  Oh, other aspects of our marriage were great but this was something that was a standing wall between us.

Yes I could have written the handbook on how NOT to win your spouse to Christ.

I was not a total “Jesus freak.” I would come home and make him sit and listen (I just thought he was listening) to things I was learning in God’s Word. I even packed gospel tracts in his lunch. Most of the time all of which he avoided.

There were times we would be at odds with each other. I would sometimes find that I would blame some of our marital problems on his unsaved status. After all, I thought if we were both Christians, life would be “happy-ever-after.” Or so I imagined. I would begin trying harder to ensure he was hearing God’s messages by playing my Christian music and scattering opened Bibles around the house. Every once and awhile he would go with me to church, but instead of enjoying him sitting next to me in church, I’d sit there chewing nervously on the end of my pen, praying madly that this would be “The Day”, and when it wasn’t, I would quiz him in the car on the way home, “What did you think of the sermon? Did you like the music?”

“It was okay,” he’d say. And his thoughts would turn to “What we gonna eat for lunch?”

The rest of the ride home, I’d sit and fight back tears or angry words. Why couldn’t he see his need for Christ I would ask myself.

One day I met this lady who had told me Beverly pray for him no matter how many years you have to and “DON’T GIVE UP”, so I made that commitment to pray either until I die or he surrenders. And I’m going to love him through every day. Period.

That was 33 years ago ladies—and I’m still praying and still loving. But I’m no longer pining away in self-absorbed isolation waiting desperately for my husband’s salvation to bring marital fulfillment. Instead, I’ve decided no matter how many years, I want those years to be as enjoyable as possible for the both of us, despite our spiritual differences.

God has a plan for each life. And no matter how hard I try, I cannot transform someone else’s heart. I can’t coerce, sweet-talk, or plead my husband into being a Christian. In fact, when I do try, it only drives him away.

I decided long ago to accept that it’s God’s job to change hearts. That decision frees me to pursue my relationship with God without the added burden of having to bring my husband to faith. All I have to do is love and enjoy him. That’s God’s plan for me, and he gives me all the grace I need to accomplish it.

That doesn’t mean I’m not lonely at times or that I do everything right.

Pray, pray, pray. Prayer is my link to God’s presence, power, wisdom, and comfort.

I will “Never” give up hope. God offers everyone the same gift of salvation and eternal life. Some choose to accept it, and others don’t. But all who accept the gift do so in God’s timing, not ours. God knows what he’s doing.

I don’t understand why God does what he does, but I will trust God while I wait.

The truth is, I might not ever see my husband walk a church aisle, and surrender his life but that’s okay. I have hope that I’ll see him walk through heavens gate. In the meantime, I will live my life as an godly example and leave it all with God and let Him do His work.

Let’s Pray

God help us to realize we have no control in changing our husbands, change comes from You so help us all to leave our sweet husbands in Your hands. In your name I pray Amen!

Your assignment:

Share with us one thing that you have done to try and get your husband to accept Christ as his Savior.

For those who are reading this blog and would like to join the Bible study, we would love to invite you to join us!  Click here and follow the instructions, (you can also click the SIGN-UP link in the menu bar above to be taken to the form). It’s that simple!  We hope to see you soon!

Blessings to all of you this week

Love, Beverly

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