April 26, 2024

Eternal or Temporary

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Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door

I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

“I AM the Bread of Life,” Jesus told them.
“No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry,
and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.”
John 6:35 HCSB

(context)

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Wouldn’t that be amazing? To never be physically hungry or thirsty again? I struggle to keep myself at a healthy weight. It gets harder as the years roll by. Both 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 1 Corinthians 10:23 tell me that while everything is permissible, not everything is beneficial. As I grow older, more and more things are less and less beneficial. While I will continue to deal with physical hunger and thirst, the same does not have to be true spiritually.

As I was reading this passage, three key points struck me:

  1. The Bread of Life never perishes (John 6:27) whereas material things perish and earthly food spoils.
  2. The Bread of Life is given by God and comes down from Heaven (John 6:32-33). It is a gift freely given whereas we must work to provide food for ourselves. Our food comes from farms and companies that don’t always have our health or best interests at heart. The Divine Bread always gives us the very best.
  3. The Bread of Life gives life to the world. It is spiritual sustenance for our souls. Physical food supports our earthly bodies temporarily. The Bread of Life provides for us eternally.

If only I desired the Bread of Life as much as I desire my favorite foods! Matthew 6:33 (NLT) says we are to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” The Greek word in this verse for ‘seek’ is zeteo (dzay-teh-o). One of the meanings for this word is ‘to crave’. We are made to crave God. When we do, He provides everything we need.

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Lord, thank You so much for being the Bread of Life. Help me crave You more than anything else. Remind me to focus on the eternal rather than the temporary. In Your Holy Name, Amen – It Is So!

In The Light

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I wanna be in the Light
As You are in the Light
I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord be my Light and be my Salvation
‘Cause all I want is to be in the Light

There is no other place that I’d rather be
No other place that’s right for me
Than in Your Light…in Your Light

Singer / Songwriter: Toby McKeehan

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What does it mean to be in the light ??

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light,
then we have fellowship with each other,
and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:7 NLT

So, what does it mean to be in the light?  It means to have close fellowship with God.  I love this excerpt from Taste Heaven Now:

“If we are to walk in the Light as He is in the Light, we need to ask an important question. How is He in the Light? We need to know this because we are to walk in the Light in the same way as He is in the Light.
…Since we are to “walk in the Light as He is in the Light” and we know that He “wraps Himself” with Light, we should do the same.
When you live your life continually wrapping yourself in His Light you have fellowship with God and He continually cleanses you from all sin (1 John 1:7).”

quoted from the Taste Heaven Now website
(click link to read entire article.)

I love that— ‘continually wrapping yourself in HIS light.’  We must make a conscious effort each and every day to put God first.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,
and He will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:33 NLT

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Heavenly Father, thank You for the ability to walk in the light so we may be free of the disease of self and seek You first in all things.  In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!!

2014 – Seeking The Lord Where He Is Found

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Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33

When we came to the 31st December 2013 and as we were going into 2014, the Word of God that was very vivid to me was Matthew 6:33.  I studied it and meditated on it…and, yes, I got revelation.  Since then the year 2014 has been a year where “all things were added to me” and I am so thankful to my God for everything in the year 2014.

God has been so faithful, loving, and kind to me and my family, friends, and relatives. Indeed in every family or clan God raises someone to stand as a pillar for all.  I can testify today that I am one of the pillars God created in our family; and, yes, it is good to stand in awe of God.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your steadfast love in the morning,
and Your faithfulness by night,
Psalms 92:1-2

Throughout the year while reading the devotions that my GCH sisters have written as well as other men and women of God I interact with and also the Word of God spoken through my Pastors it has always encouraged me. And shown me that only by seeking the Kingdom of God that all things shall be added unto me.

And I choose to study the Word more and meditate on it and let the Word speak to me first before preaching to others.  I have seen the hand of God and I can testify that despite the hardships/adversary I faced this past year in one area or another, God remains Almighty God to me, and His lovingkindness and faithfulness never ceases.

There was a time I was at zero in faith when I failed my exams in June, and some other hard times in my social life.  Yet God still spoke to me through your devotions, my sisters, and through a few friends in my own country.  My faith was lifted up again! What a wonderful group of women and men of God I am connected to!  God handled everything in His perfect ways and He is able to do what He says He will do.  God is awesome.

He’s Able ~ Deitrick Haddon
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Lord, I thank You for Your lovingkindness and your faithfulness at all times. Be praised and glorified for taking me through the ups and downs of this life for Your names’ sake. I am what I am today because of Your love. Thanks for the precious gift of Jesus to my life. He saved me and my loved ones and my friends. I am called Your child, Lord, for I accepted Jesus as my Lord and my Savior. Be glorified and exalted in all the earth, Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Show Me Your Glory

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I see the cloud, I step in
I want to see Your glory as Moses did
Flashes of light and rolls of thunder
I’m not afraid
I’m not afraid
Show me Your glory, show me Your glory, my God…
Show me Your glory, show me Your glory
I’m marked by Your beauty, lost in Your eyes
I want to walk in Your presence like Jesus did
Your glory surrounds me and I’m overwhelmed
I’m not afraid
I’m not afraid
Show me Your glory, show me Your glory, my God…
Show me Your glory, show me Your glory, yeah!
I long to look on the face of the One that I love
Long to stay in Your presence, it’s where I belong
Oh how we love You, oh how we love You
Oh how we love You, Jesus

 Performed by Jesus Culture Music

Songwriters: Kathy Frizzell, Nate Ward II and Kim Walker-Smith

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Yes, Father! ‘I want to see Your glory as Moses did….”  I so love that and it is my hearts’ desire to see God’s glory.

In Exodus 33:17-19, Moses asks God to see His glory.

The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”…

There is so much of God to experience here and now on earth before we get to heaven. I want to experience ALL that God has for me here before I get there. What about you??

“Scripture makes clear that it’s possible for every true follower of Jesus to see and understand the glory of God. Indeed, our Lord reveals His glory to all who ask and seek for it diligently. Moreover, I believe the revelation of God’s glory will equip His people for the perilous days ahead. Paul states that this revelation “…is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). God allowed Moses to see His glory so that he might be changed by the sight of it! And the same is true for us today. God reveals His glory to us so that, by seeing it, we might be changed into His very own image! ”

a  quote from David Wilkerson, Time Square Church

It is so important in today’s day and age to stay in relationship with God and communication with Him so we are prepared for what is to come.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33 KJV

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Heavenly Father, show me Your glory. I want to be lost in Your eyes and walk in the very presence of You…just like Jesus did!  ‘I long to look on the face of the One that I love…long to stay in Your presence, it’s where I belong.’ In Jesus’ Name.  AMEN!!!

Meekness…Not Easy but Desired by Christ

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We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5

Lately my children have been talking about some situations at school—injustices, bullies, teachers—that they feel have treated them unfairly.  We have encountered people in the world who are not as nice as we would like them to be…the secretary at the school, the cashier, the server at the restaurant.  And I feel like they are always looking at me to gauge my response and to see how I handle the not-so-cordial behavior of others.  And to be quite honest, a lot of the time, meek is not the word that initially comes to mind.

I’ve read several definitions of the word meek, “…gentle, self-control, tender, and free from pride” are a few that I have come across (like I said, most times this is not me).  So I find myself in a battle when I’m facing these situations and I have little eyes on me. And, no, this is not the first Scripture that comes to mind; but as I was reading through it, I realized that my meekness, or the lack thereof, is constantly on display.

After a disagreement with her teacher, my daughter asked what we were going to do about it.  My response was that there are times in life where you don’t do anything…you don’t fight or argue…and you give it to God and move forward.  Though she doesn’t fully understand this right now, someday she will.  When the Scripture says that ‘the meek…shall inherit the earth’ I like to think of it in the moment.   When I refrain from telling the person who upset me what my flesh wants to say, I’m inheriting the earth, not literally, but for that moment. I’m showing that, even though I could say something, I’m not going to.  I’m going to love them through the situation and move on.  I’m going to ‘Let go and let God’.

But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

For most, meekness does not come naturally. Seek first the Kingdom of God. In situations where your flesh is battling to share your thoughts with those who have wronged you, seek Him first.  Pray…go to God…and breathe.

Meekness isn’t easy; but it is desirable by Christ, and that makes it desirable to us.

Let’s Pray:  Lord, to be honest when I think of me being meek, I don’t see it.  I don’t see it in a lot of people these days, but I know it’s possible.  I know that we can operate in self-control, in submission, and in tenderness.  Lord, help us to remember to seek You first when our meekness feels threatened, and that this is another way in which we can display Your light to others.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Seek Him First

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Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me
and I will listen to you.
You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:12-13

Strategic timing is often involved in the fulfilment of Gods promises. God fulfils His Word and His promises both in relation to the fullness of His redemptive purpose and in response to His faithful peoples’ earnest prayers.

Jeremiah prophesied that at the end of the seventy year captivity a new ‘fullness of time’ would occur. God would then move within a holy remnant so that they would seek Him in prayer with all their hearts. And there God would listen, answer from heaven, and fulfill His promises of restoration.

Note two principles:

  • When God desires to do great things for His people, He moves His people to great praying; and,
  • The timing of God’s answers to their prayers is often linked to God’s purposes for His people as a whole

 The lions may grow weak and hungry
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Psalm 34:10

Note that the promises in this psalm are conditional and reserved only for those who seek the Lord. God promises to deliver us from fear, save us from trouble, send angels to encamp around us, supply our needs, give us abundant life, hear our prayers, comfort us with His presence and redeem us – but only if we seek the Lord.

Ask and it will be given unto you,
seek and you will find
knock and the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7

When we are seeking, it implies earnest petitioning along with obedience to God’s Will. See that doors and gates are opening for those that are seeking the Lord diligently. I therefore request you, my sisters, to seek the Lord at all times. For it also says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteous and all the things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).  It is only when we seek the Lord that all things shall be added unto us. The doors to prosperity, to good health, to divine protection, etc. will be added unto us. All the prophetic messages we heard on New Years Day concerning 2014 will be fulfilled when we diligently seek the Lord.  Let us seek the Lord not in vain. Let us seek Him with all our hearts.

I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’
I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right.
Isaiah 45:19

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Father, we come before You for we know there is no one who is like unto Thee and You alone we seek for we know we can’t go wrong and all these things will be added unto us. Create in us a steadfast spirit, Lord, in Jesus’ name we have prayed. Amen.

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Interested in joining us for our next Online Bible Study that starts on January 13, 2014?   Click HERE for more details!

Jesus Christ our Rock

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Unto Thee will I cry O Lord my Rock, be not silent to me,
lest if Thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
Psalm 28:1

There is a song that we sing; one verse of the words are “Rock of Ages, cleft for me; Let me hide myself in Thee! Let the water and the blood from Thy wounded side which flowed; Be of sin the double cure… save from wrath and make me pure.”

The composer of this song had a revelation that, on our own, we cannot hide from anything except that Christ Jesus is involved.   For us to be covered from all unrighteousness we need Christ to cover us up for He arose on the third day for our righteousness. When faced with challenges of this world let us not focus on the problem; rather be focused on Christ Who is our ever-present help in time of need.

We need to understand the following: the power—the rule—the principle of prioritization.

We need to understand the above types of prioritization.  Since without understanding them we will perish for we will walk without direction. Exodus 33:15 says “…and he said unto Him, if Thy Presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”

Moses understood the power/rule/principle of prioritizing. What is it that we prioritize in this day to day life? The Bible says “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all the things shall be added unto you.” This is part of prioritizing. Since Christ is our Rock, let us not make Him redundant or declare Him redundant when we lose focus ourselves.  We are not seeking His face so that all things should be added to us.  We need to invite Him into  all aspects of our lives. Be it at our workplace, be it at school, etc.  If we focus on Him as a Rock where we can hide ourselves, we will excel in this life since He will not remain silent when we cry to Him.  He will hear and open the flood gates of heaven.  He will open the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing that we will have not enough room to contain it.

Christ in us is the Hope of glory; hence He is the Rock of Ages.

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Father, we thank You for You are our Rock where You hide us when we call.  All our attitudes are hidden in You, our unrighteousness is hidden in You just because of Your love which is unconditional.  May Your name be glorified and be magnified!   In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen!!

Hunger and Thirst for God

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O God, thou art my God early will I seek Thee, my soul thirsteth for Thee,
My flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.
To see Thy power and Thy glory so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.
Psalms 63:1-2

This psalm is describing a man’s deep longing in his heart for God.  Every believer should pray as David did in this psalm.

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?
Psalms 42:2

As water is essential for physical life, so God and His presence are essential for satisfaction and wholeness of life.  True believers will hunger and thirst for God and His grace, blessings, and supernatural activity in their lives.  To stop thirsting for God is to die spiritually; thus we must not allow anything to diminish our intense desire for the things of God.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).  The Lord we serve will supply our needs according to His riches in His glory.  When we show ourselves to have a willing heart to interact with Him, we need to seek Him where He may be found.

Do we know God?  Have we come to a point of being passionate for Him?  Those who profess to know God must examine themselves by asking themselves the following: “Do I really possess a strong desire for God and His Presence in my life? Or do I go through life largely consumed with secular pursuits and worldly entertainment, while prayer, bible reading, and a deep hunger and thirst for God and His righteousness have little place?”

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matthew 5:6

The foundational requirement for all godly living is to hunger and thirst for righteousness.  The spiritual condition of a Christian all throughout their lives will depend on their hunger and thirst for the Presence of God…the Word of God…communion with Christ…fellowship of the Spirit.

It is essential that we be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s convicting work in our lives.

Righteousness—our righteousness—is Christ Jesus Himself living in our hearts. Through this indwelling we might become “…the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  We must hunger and thirst for the things of God and not of this world.

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Father, we come before You giving You all the praise and honor for this good day that You have given unto us.  May You reign over our lives so that we can reign with Christ Jesus.  May You increase our thirst to study Your Word and know You more than now.  Let us embrace the gift of righteousness with gladness!  In Jesus’ name I have prayed.

Amen!!

Broken Hearts

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The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;
and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Psalm 34:18

When your heart is broken, you have a debate before you…. Should you leave the pieces of your heart there and start over or should you pick up the pieces and mend them together again.   Actually, God is the only Potter mentioned in the Word.  He is the only one that can take our spiritual lives, break them, and put them all back together again.  But what about natural things, like our feelings being hurt, or close relationships going sour?  Should we try to mend those things and put them back together?  Well, this is where we as believers sometimes miss the mark.

We want to put things back together all the time and make things work, even when it may not be God’s will for us to do so.  That is why He told us to “cast our cares upon Him” (1 Peter 5:7) and “seek ye first the Kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).  His Word is telling us that, when we are broken by natural things and hurt in the flesh, we should cast these things to the feet of Jesus so that we can find out His will for it.  No matter how much it hurts, you must give it to God.  Of course, hurting is no fun and being hurt by people that are close to you is even more painful; but God sees all and knows all and, if you take the time to give it to Him, He can ease the pain.

God never told us to mend/heal our hurt hearts (like many popular preachers are saying today—”claim it”).  Perhaps we go to these spiritual rallies feeling like we can fix it all because the speaker said some general stuff that happens everywhere, and then you are charged a financial fee before it will happen!  We must remember that our cares, our concerns, our hurts, should be given to God so that HE can sort it out and properly “direct our path” (Proverbs 3:6).  Don’t listen to a generalized, motivational message about your personal turmoil or trial.  Only God knows the purpose, the plan, and the outcome of it.  Seek HIM first and you will find the answers and the direction to proceed.  Endure the pain…trust in Him…and know that it will stop hurting.  Remember:

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;
Psalm 34:18

The thing we run from is the thing that draws God…troubles are inevitable in life…the joy is that God wants to deliver us from them all!

Consider these Scriptures: Psalms 51:17, Proverbs 3:5 and 6, Hebrews 4:15.

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Lord, we thank You for Your goodness and mercy on us.  We give You all the glory and honor for You are the great I AM.  You are Omnipresent—present everywhere; Omniscient—all knowing; and Omnipotent—all powerful!   Be close to us, Lord, and direct our path to the glory of Your name.  Amen.

Captivating: Chapter 9 – “Loving Fallen Men” – “Good Men That Do Not Belong To You” (pp 161-167)

Wow, ladies…I have to say, this section of the chapter really hit close to home in many ways.  And to be honest, part of me started to balk as I was reading this.  “I can’t write about that!  I can’t talk about that!”  or  “I don’t know what to say!”  Of course, I know this is a ploy of the enemy to try to get me to shy away from a difficult topic, so here I humbly sit writing this post for me, as much as every reader out there.  I pray you are blessed.

You Will Find Me

Seek me with all your heart.  How many of us long to have a man who is willing to do just that?  Exactly what does that look like?  And how do we cultivate that in our relationships? This is no easy question.  I believe that we have to walk a delicate line when we are attracted to a man.  In the book John and Stasi state, “Don’t offer everything, but don’t offer nothing.”  How do we know what is too much…not enough?  This is something we cannot do on our own.  This is when we must lean into the arms of Jesus and seek His guidance. Fervently pray for discernment and wisdom when entering into any relationship.

We also need to remember that “don’t offer everything” not only includes the physical, but also the emotional.  I have had some trials in my life, like most of us, and in the past I have found myself spewing forth every detail of my past to someone who, in reality, I barely knew. We have to realize that this isn’t necessary; as with anything else, the reveal should be slow and based on increased intimacy with a man.  When we find ourselves sharing so much so soon, we also have to look at our motivations for doing it.  Are we longing for intimacy so much that we are forcing the issue?  Are we sharing every skeleton in our closet to scare any potential mate away?  Or are we just not using good judgement?

We deserve to be valued, and not every man deserves all of us ladies.  Guard your treasures—physical, emotional, and spiritual—to share with the man the Lord provides.  We cannot avoid this challenge in our journey but, when we trust in our Lord and seek His guidance completely and fully,  the results will all be worth it.  Remember the words in Matthew 6:33 (NLT) – “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

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LET’S PRAY:

Father, I ask You to guide us.  You know this journey isn’t an easy one.  It can be so hard to know how much is too much when we delve into the world of dating.  We pray that we always keep You first, because then all that follows will be pure.  Guard our hearts, mind our tongues, and keep us close as we learn to discern Your voice in the chaos.  Thank You for loving us with a love like no other.  In Your Heavenly Name we pray.  Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

In which aspect do you find it hardest to find the balance between “not enough” and “too much?”  Is it spiritual?  Physical?  Emotional?  In what ways do you turn to God for guidance?

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GWS

Our next online Bible study begins March 24th!

Click on the picture to sign up TODAY!! 

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 If you would like to send Michelle a private email in regards to this blog post, you may email her at:  Michelle@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com