December 25, 2024

A Step At A Time

September 25, 2015 by

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In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:6

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I am about to celebrate a birthday and I’ve probably lived half of my life now. I have had so many blessings and precious moments…God is so good!  The one thing that bothers me is that I have wasted so much time wondering what my purpose is.  Wondering what is it that He really wants me to do?  Maybe you, too, need clarity for your journey…know that you aren’t alone, friend.

I have prayed for clarity and God keeps asking me to trust Him.  Maybe even take a few risks.  And I can say that, at times, it’s been painful.  It would have been so much easier if He could have just spelled it out for me on a sheet of paper.  But that isn’t what faith is.  And as we take a step at a time, we are getting to taste and see a bit more of Him. I still don’t know what my future looks like (or yours).  But I do know that if we trust fully in His promises and if we commit all our ways to Him, He will make our paths straight.  And, for me, this has meant just taking the next step and learning to trust Him in spite of the darkness that I am in.

Restlessness isn’t always a bad thing to feel.  I believe that it comes from wanting even more of our God. It might just be the catalyst to nudge us forward to live the epic lives that He designed for us even before the Earth was created.  Friends, there is a revolution coming and God is working out the details.  There is a big change coming and He is gathering a force.  If we are honest with ourselves, this might cause a little fear.  Maybe He has given you a glimpse of His vision for you.  If so, journal it and share it! And let’s band even closer together. We cannot go through this big journey alone—we, His children, are better together!

We do need to understand ourselves and the empty places around us.  But mostly we just need faith in a real, yet unseen, God.  And together, if we stop comparing ourselves to others and just follow Jesus, then you know that something is going to happen.  This generation of women have been quietly reading and longing and dreaming and falling in love with God and we are about to wake up!  We are about to let God run wild, through us.

Friends, we only have this one life that He has given us.  Then we get to meet the God Who created this world and planned it all.  We want to live lives that matter and make a difference for the Kingdom.  We want to be a generation who follows God with reckless abandon, a God Who is real to us!  So let’s go for it!

 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

This is a verse we hear often and sometimes we don’t really appreciate the meaning.  It says that God knows the plans that He has for us and that those plans are meant for good, not to harm us.  The very thing that you are wishing wasn’t in your life just might be the very thing that God uses to enhance your life….

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let us pray: Dear God, You are so amazing and awesome.  You are the planner of it all and we are so grateful that You had our best interest at heart. How we praise You for loving us that much.  Please keep revealing to us the steps You want us to take to better the Kingdom.  Help us to stay focused on the main goal and not to get distracted with the things that disappoint us.  We love You and we pray for those that are lost today.  May they come to know You, too.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Girls with Swords: Chapter 9 Weekly Review – “Sword of the Harvest”

May 24, 2013 by

Welcome to Campground USA

Log Cabins, Nature Trails, Canoes,

Paddle Boats, Bikes, Fishing

Picture this scene:  You are sitting around the pool at the campground, soaking up some warm sunshine with other women from our group studying Girls With Swords.  Ah, how relaxing! 

I was sitting there with you.  As the sun beamed down upon my face, tears of conviction rolled down my cheeks.  You see, I was reading over the handout sheet Teresa, Jennifer, Tonya, and Diane gave us for Chapter 8 in regards to WORDS—words that I had spoken unkindly to others, words others had used to persecute me, and words that I had omitted speaking as a witness for Jesus.  It was a time of judging myself, and asking forgiveness of the times I had grieved the heart of God.  It was also a time of blessing others who had persecuted me.

Though I didn’t realize it at the time, God was untangling me from some of the weeds I had allowed to grow in my heart that had gotten me off the path of holiness that we would be discussing further in Chapter 9.   Oh yes, those tears actually felt good.  Not only did they seem to serve as a cleansing stream, but cleared a path to go forward.

Before I knew it, it was time to head on down to the campfire to hear what my friends had to say about Sword of Harvest.  Come, go with me.

Teresa: 

Lisa points to the fact that there is only one native North American, all-purpose sword—the machete.  It is made to be used for hard work…clearing a path to walk on, insuring safety, as a tool for many purposes, and even food preparation.

Our sWord is much like a machete—it clears our path and ensures our safety.  For example:

  • Deuteronomy 5:33   Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow.  THEN you will live long and prosper in the land you are to enter and occupy.
  • Psalms 1:6   The Lord watches over the path of the godly, the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
  • 2 Samuel 22:29   God, your light floods my path; God drives out the darkness.
  • Proverbs 3:6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.
  • 1 Kings 2:3  Do what God tells you.  Walk in the paths He shows you. 

At some point in your life, you will find yourself with a choice.  Which path will you take…the one that ascends to light and life, or the one that descends to darkness and death?  There is no middle way.

I urge you to get to know the Leader and follow His path. Let Him carry the machete and clear your path.  He has a plan that is best for you.  

 

Jennifer:

According to Jeremiah, God’s people have wandered off the path of holiness (Jeremiah 18:15).

Lisa tells us how to get back on the path:

  •  Just as a machete clears paths in the wild, the sword of God’s Word has the power to sever what entangles us.  
  • Through the power of His Word, He makes a way where there seems to be no way.
  •  Sometimes you need to make a radical environmental change – turn off your television, get off the Internet, and hang up the phone. When all these voices are silenced, you have a chance to quiet yourself as well. This isn’t an invitation to meditate on a deeper revelation of YOU but to experience a deeper revelation of HIM.
  • To avoid a hostile re-invasion from the enemy, you mustfirmly establish a new lifestyle and environment 

What changes do you need to make today in order to return to the ancient path…to be a trailblazer like Jesus?  God does not really want us to be comfortable. He wants us on a mission, to reach the lost and hopeless, to be trailblazers for His Kingdom.

 

Tonya

Lisa examined the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist.  (John was the herald and Jesus was the heralded.)

Herald means:  an official crier or messenger, one that precedes or foreshadows, one that conveys news or proclaims, one who actively promotes or advocates—messenger, crier, foreshadows, proclaims, conveys news, promotes, advocates.

Quoting Lisa: 

  •  ” In times of harvest, paths must be cleared and maintained so the harvesters can get to the fields”
  •  “John was a forerunner who understood his season and purpose; like him, we should herald the One to come.”

We have been assigned many titles—woman, wife, mother, daughter, friend, employee, girls with swords, warriors—and now we are also heralds. 

Are we clearing the paths or are we adding more barriers for those trying to reach Him?

 

Diane

Genesis 3:15 says:  Satan will strike His heels (referring to Jesus), but He (Jesus) will crush Satan’s head. 

When we are on God’s path for us, we will encounter Satan, the snake, in many forms. The snake wants us on his path. He will pull out all of his tricks to discourage us on our path for God.

Lisa said:  “Even if the snake is not positioned to strike, it must be removed. Snakes are a threat, but not to God. When we are living our life for Christ, snakes lose their threat to us.”

We have all power and all authority of God behind us, ready to take on that snake! Philippians 3:21 The Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.

We have God’s mighty power behind us, the work has already been done, Satan is already dead, we must continue on God’s path and be prepared princess warriors with the machete of God’s word in our hands and on our tongues at all times!

************   

After Diane spoke, I sat quietly while Praise and Worship began.  I was letting all the words that each lady had spoken sink in. But, tonight God was driving home to me something Diane said about the snake slithering around trying to have us.

It brought me back to a time a few years ago when I was unloading several bags of groceries out of the trunk of my car onto the driveway.  I was going through a hard situation at the time, and I was singing to the top of my voice as I unloaded the groceries:  “The Lord is my light and my salvation.  In whom shall I fear, in whom shall I fear.”

About the third bag I picked up to carry into the house, a tiny lizard jumped out of the bag.  I threw the bag up in the air.  When it met the ground, jars of mayonnaise, pickles, and grape jelly, splattered all over my driveway. 

The Lord spoke ever so gently to me:  “Satan is no more than that tiny little lizard, but yet you allowed it to scare the living daylights out of you.” 

As I recalled that memory, suddenly I began to laugh and laugh and laugh.  My laughter caught on with the other ladies, and suddenly Holy Laughter began to spread all around that bonfire. 

I believe we all were set free and our eyes were opened to see the fields that surround our lives that are white and ready for harvest.

*****

Let’s Pray: 

Father God, how I thank You for Your Word.  It is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.  As Lisa said:  I want to use Your Word to create environments that encourage others to flourish.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.  

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Girls with Swords: Chapter 9 – “Sword of Harvest” (pgs 139-141)

May 20, 2013 by

 

Lisa opens this chapter with the fact that there is only one native, North American, all-purpose sword.  The machete is widely used for very practical purposes.  It isn’t pretty, or delicate.  It is made to be used for hard work, for clearing a path to walk on, to insure safety, as a tool for many purposes, and even food preparation.

With this sword in mind, it made me think of our sWord.  It isn’t pretty or delicate.  It takes hard work to apply the truth inside to our lives.  It will put us on a clear path, insure our safety and serves many purposes.  Did you know there are even food preparation instructions in our sWord?

As I began preparing for this lesson, I began thinking about my childhood, growing up in the country in East Tennessee.  We lived on a gravel/dirt road.  We lived on a hill in the middle of other bigger hills and the woods were our playground.  The flatland was farmed for vegetables or hay.  We looked for paths to guide us through the woods, up safe places in the banks to get home (shortcuts), to see where other people had walked before us.  We found all kinds of treasure along the way.

Some of the paths we cleared ourselves, mostly we followed the path other people had mashed down before us.  The path led to an adventure others had walked before us.  Sometimes we encountered snakes and critters, but always plants and berries and flowers…and bugs.  These paths were meant to be walked on and enjoyed.

If we did not walk those paths often, they became overgrown and we would have to clear them again.  We would have to break the intrusive branches and beat down the growth blocking our path.  Sometimes trees fell across our path and we would have to get very creative to clear it, or jump over.  That tree became a signpost at that point.  Even the fallen trees can be used as something good in the woods.

The paths in the hay fields led me to another thought.  These paths often had tractors or trucks on them to help haul the baled hay out of the field.  We walked on the path, the machines drove on our paths.  These paths ended up with deep ruts in them.  Ruts will cause you to stumble and fall.  They will keep you in the groove of the tire track much longer than you would like to be.  It is much harder to get out of a rut than walk a smooth path or even forge your own new path.

If we ever went on these deeply rutted paths, we were there for a specific purpose.  We were headed out for work and we planned appropriately.  We put on sturdy shoes, wore long sleeves and pants, took water jugs and food,  gloves for our hands, hats for our heads and knew we were about to encounter some hard work.  We were there to harvest the hay.    We had to take care of ourselves and make good choices or we would end up scratched up, hurt, and dehydrated.

Much like these work days from my youth, I have to prepare for special days when I know I am going to have to negotiate the “ruts” in my life.  There are especially hard “work days” when it is time to cultivate, plant, tend, or harvest areas of my life.  If I truly want a harvest, I have to do the hard work first.  Lazy bones do not lead to a bountiful harvest.

This week in our reading, we are going to address finding our paths, staying on our paths, re-opening old, neglected paths, changing our environments, and managing a harvest.  There will even be talk about identifying and managing the dangers that pop up in our lives.  The Word of God addresses these very things for us.  If we choose God’s path for our lives, He will lead us to a journey of adventure like no other.

I can’t start the week off without Scripture, so here are a few of the “path” references I found:

Deuteronomy 5:33            Stay on the path … (Then a promise from God)

Psalms 1:6                          The Lord watches over the path of the godly, the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

2 Samuel 22:29                 God, your light floods my path, God drives out the darkness

Proverbs 3:6                        In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths

1 Kings 2:1-4 MSG            Do what God tells you.  Walk in the paths He shows you. 

There are many other instances in the Bible where the writers talk of their path and God’s path.  Please take some time to look them up and really think about them.  God provided a dry path for the Israelite’s to cross an active river, Job talked about his path a LOT, the Psalms are full of guidance about being on the right path (especially Psalm 32).

Lisa tells us, “According to Psalms and Proverbs, there are ultimately only two paths in this course of life:  one that ascends to light and life, and another that descends to darkness and death.  There is no middle way.  The choice seems obvious…choose God’s way to light and life.  But there are seasons in life when we need some extra light in order to choose the right path” (page 142).

At some point in your life, you will find yourself with a choice.  Which path will you take?  I urge you to get to know the Leader, follow His path, and enjoy the journey.  Everything you experience may not be easy, but when you reach your destination, you will be amazed at what the Father has brought you through.  Some of us were on the right path and wandered off into the rough.  Don’t give up!  Find your way back to the path God laid out for you and continue walking.  Maybe you were never on a godly path.  Stop now and ask God to put you on His path, and direct you in the direction He wants you to go.

At this stage in my life, I am appreciating additional light when I need to read small print.  God’s Word says He will shine a light for us to see.   Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” John 8:12.  Jesus is the best Leader you will ever follow.  Let Him carry the machete and clear your path.  He has a plan that is best for you.  Ask Jesus to prove Himself.  He wants to LOVE you.

http://youtu.be/WsM5lt9tCFo

Let’s Pray:

Father God,  You know the plans You have for us.  You know the path for me.  I am submitting my will to Yours.  Place my feet on that path and teach me to walk in Your ways.  As I learn to live for You, may my light shine brightly for all to see and lead them to You, Lord.  Thank You for the Light of the World.  We no longer have to walk in darkness.  You promised us the Light that leads to LIFE.  Thank You for the women walking this path with me.  Let me ever be an encourager to a friend, a stranger, or a fellow human who needs help up out of the rut.  We are following the LEADER.  AMEN.

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If you would like to join us for the “Girls with Swords” Online Bible/Book study, click HERE to be taken to our sign-up page.  Once you complete the enrollment process, we will email you further details.  We hope you will join us!

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Life’s Healing Choices: The Commitment Choice

January 20, 2013 by

Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Matthew 5:5 (TEV/NIV)

During our second week of the Life’s Healing Choices study, I was confronted in several areas of my life where I must have control.  When I don’t feel like I have the desired level of control, the world spins around me and anxiety reigns in an ugly way.  Conflicts arise in my relationships with my kids & my husband, and the anxiety just grows and grows.  And, gaining my perceived level of control doesn’t make anything better because those around me are already irritated and annoyed with my actions.  So when I read the first page of Chapter 3, I knew this week is going be even more hard-hitting for me.

John Baker writes, “We take desperate measures, trying to keep our life’s hurts, hang-ups, and habits up in the air so they don’t come crashing down around us.  We try so hard to keep up a good front- pretending that everything is okay – when in reality, we’re struggling with real pain and real issues that we desperately try to ignore.”  He continues, “we start feeling guilty about our behavior … I should be able to change.”   Yep, once again, I admit … that’s me.  Juggling everything for everybody, hoping nothing comes crashing down, yet I’m crawling inside with anxiety, worry, and fear that my lack of control will be found out.  I should be able to do it all!  I should be able to change the world around me!  I should … I should … I should.

Ah, but there’s where the problem lies.  I was never designed to do it all, or be all.  Especially not in my own power, strength, and energy.  We saw last week how we must plug in to God’s power to overcome our past experiences, and daily strive to become closer to Him.  This week’s lesson will be on letting go. 

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Choice 3: Consciously choosing to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.

We will learn the things that keep us from making this choice, how to move forward & toward Him more, and how God will be with us every step of the way.

Remember, God never told us that life would be easy.  But He did promise that our load would be lighter and easier to bear if we allowed Him to walk alongside us.  Matthew 11:28-30 reminds us…

Matthew11_28thru30

When I read that verse, I think of my idea in 2011 to participate in the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati.  I’m not a runner, but I can walk.  I walk every day … from the parking lot to my office building.  I walk with the family … at fairs, festivals and activities on weekends.  I can handle walking for 13.2 miles … without formal training … because I walk every day!  Pretty crazy, isn’t it?  Well, that was my thinking at the time.  But I showed up, and started walking before dawn that gray, rainy May day.  I saw friends at the 3 mile mark that had come to cheer for our group of walkers.  By the time I saw mile 6, I was near tears.  I did not expect the hills and inclines during the walk, and started doubting my ability to finish.  I condemned myself … “What were you thinking?  Whatever made you think you could do this?  You’ll never finish!”

So, what did I do?  I called a girlfriend in Virginia who had participated in long walking events and cried.  She encouraged me, told me she was proud of me for trying, and said to keep going.  I sent text messages to my mom, and received periodic messages asking where I was in the walk.   I reached out to those who could help me move forward, and 4 hours 7 minutes after I started, I actually finished the half-marathon.  I had blisters on one foot, pain in my hip & ankle from shifting my gait to avoid more blisters, but I finished.  My sister, who had completed the route as a runner, met me at the finish line and told me she was proud of me. While my Encourager’s may not have been with me physically, they helped bear my burden of doubt, provided encouragement, and kept me moving forward … one step at a time.

God may not be physically visible & touchable in our lives.  But He is still there giving us the encouragement, the strength, and the “YOU CAN DO IT” that we need.  Will you turn to Him for whatever challenges you face this week?

 

 Reading Assignment for Week 3: Chapter 3 of Life’s Healing Choices
Monday: Laurie will discuss Principle 2: The Commitment Choice
Tuesday: Leslie will discuss Beginning to Move Forward
Wednesday: Kim will discuss Stepping Across the Line
Thursday: Amy will discuss Make The Choice & Action Steps
Friday: Laurie will bring it all back home with a recap of our week

 

Let’s Pray:

Lord, we have all tried to manage our lives on our own, and we’ve failed to do it in ways that fully honor You.  Show us through the week’s study how we can fully turn over all areas of our lives to You.  Your Word promises that we have already been given ALL blessings, so help us recognize daily where You have shown mercy on us.  You will give us the power, strength and desire to do all that’s before us, but we need to surrender to You first.  Thank you for loving us with a love that knows no end.  Amen.

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Power Verses for Chapter 3:

Romans 10:9

Matthew 17:20

Matthew 11:28-30

Psalm 37:5

Psalm 25:5

2 Corinthians 1:9

Psalm 143:10

Proverbs 3:6

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If you are interested in joining us for the amazing online Bible study, and would like to join our private Facebook Discussion Group, click HERE to sign up.  Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

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

 

 

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