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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 4 / Day 5 – Know Why You Work So Hard

October 26, 2012 by

 

How many of you have felt overwhelmed with all of your activities? I know I have. When I stop to think of all that I have to do it can be a daunting task. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” What does that look like for you?

Growing up, we lived behind the store my dad initially set up for my mom to run while he went to work in Memphis, TN. This meant my brother and I had to pitch in and help mom with chores around the house and the store. Seemed to me  that I got all of the hard stuff to do and, I have to admit, I rebelled. I did not see that I was helping my mom with some of her load when I was told I needed to help stock the shelves in the store, or when she asked me to clean the ‘house’ on Saturday morning. I was a selfish teenager that refused to do it well. Then, God convicted me, and showed me where I was a spoiled brat and not doing what I needed to do to honor my parents and help them. Have you ever felt that way? I started doing what I needed to do. Mom never said thank you, but I know she appreciated my help. I felt that I was doing what God knew I should be doing.

Ava asked us to indicate where we are doing our best. How many of these items did you select? How many do you want to achieve? Try to do them one by one. If you are doing them already, you will only have to add those you are not doing. If you need help, say with being organized, look for ways to organize your accessories. Start with something small and you will get a great deal of satisfaction when you step back and see your completed work! God only wants what is best for us.

Nothing is too hard for Him to take on if we just trust him with it. However, it does take action from us!

 

Colossians 3:17 says “and whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Give thanks for what you have, for what you will receive, and for what is going on in your life at this moment. I know that is hard when you are facing adversity. The last thing you think about is praising God for the situation, but when we do thank Him, it changes our perspective and we can know that God has us in His capable hands.

Our memory verse for this week is Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” I want to know that what I do is going to glorify my Father in heaven. I want to know that when people see what I do that they know something is different in me from what someone else will do. Our love for God should shine through no matter what the task is whether cleaning the bathroom or writing that term paper for that boring teacher or that boring class. Seek doing things that will ignite your passion to do your best!

 

Let’s Pray:

Father, I want to serve you with all that I have. Show me where I can grow, where I need to change my heart, and where I can be a help to others. Help me not be rebellious or stubborn, to not roll my eyes when asked to do something by my parents. Help me to do all things with Joy, knowing that I am practicing to serve you in the future.

~Tina

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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 megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 4 / Day 4 – Know Where to Direct Your Steps

October 25, 2012 by

Direct my steps by Your Word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me

Psalms 119: 133

Everywhere that you go, you are to give God honor and glory. My prayer has always been that when people look at me, I hope that they would see Jesus. It isn’t always about me. It is easy to get caught up in what we want in life, verses what God requires from us. The only way that we can direct our steps is to go to the One who has ordered them in the first place J It reminds me of one of my favorite songs when I was in Middle School. It is “Order My Steps” It goes a little something like this: Order my steps in your word dear Lord, lead me guide me every day.  I have attached the link to the song if you would like to listen to it.

http://youtu.be/A3FXgRHOXfE

Girls, we can’t go where God wants us to go if we don’t have a clue where it is that he desires for us to go. As I have said before, we don’t want to make an unnecessary trip, when we can go to God first and let Him direct and lead us!

There are so many things that God has for us to do. There are so many people’s lives that God wants us to touch. There are going to be times when God will ask us to go places to reach people, friends, family members in order for them to see who He really is. We can’t stay in our comfort zones and not step out into the deep. If we stay in our comfort zones, we will be allowing the enemy to win and we can’t afford that, now can we?

I can remember my very first job, working at a church in the downtown area of Memphis. My boss, the pastor of that particular church, believed in stepping out of your comfort zone! He had me follow him to one of the busiest corners in the neighborhood and he began to pass out pamphlets and began talking with some of the youth that were hanging out on that corner about Jesus and it was the beginning of an awesome relationship with them. They started coming to the center/church and they eventually found Christ, or shall I say Christ found them, and they are living their lives for Christ! I dare not think about what would have come of their lives if he had not stepped out of his comfort zone or let God direct his steps. God is awesome like that!

He taught me how to go where the people were that God wanted to reach as well, especially those places that had people who some were  afraid to minister to. For you girls, this may look like a skating rink, park, school cafeteria, neighborhood, library, etc… just to name a few places. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zones!!! Jesus will be right there with you! Stay in communication with God! He will direct your steps on where to go and who to reach out to! He won’t have you putting your lives in danger, but you MUST stay in complete communication with Him.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father, I thank You for each girl who is represented in GCH: Decaf. Each one is precious in your sight and you have so much in store for them, and so much for them to do. I thank you for directing their paths to GCH: Decaf and I pray that they will get from this ministry what they will need to go forth and do what you have called for them to do. I pray now in your Darling Son Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

<3 Tonya 🙂

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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 megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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

A Daughter’s Worth Week 4/ Day 3: Know What (And What Not) to Wear

October 24, 2012 by

When we first received our blog schedule before the study started, I went through it and wrote down the topics I was to write about. I immediately sent Megan a text telling her how excited I was to have this topic!

I don’t know when it happened, but I have developed a hobby of putting together modest outfits. I believe that as daughters of the King, we have a responsibility to dress in a way that is glorifying to God. This doesn’t mean we cannot wear clothes that make us feel or look good; it simply means we must be cautious with our wardrobe. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” Part of honoring God with our bodies is dressing modestly.

What a lot of women don’t realize is that the way you dress reflects your heart. If you are confident in who God has called you to be, you will protect and cover your body. If you do not know your worth in Jesus, you will most likely dress to draw attention to certain areas of your body. Living a life of worship and obedience is an attitude of the heart. So, next time you put on an outfit, look in the mirror and say, “what are my motives behind what I am wearing?”

Let’s Pray:
Jesus, my prayer is that these girls would know that everything You do is not to place restrictions on them, but to protect them! I pray that every girl reading this would know that following You isn’t about saying “no” to everything. It’s about saying “YES” to You and saying “yes” to everything You ask of us, living with an obedient heart that trusts that You know what’s best for us. Thank You for giving us role models who dress modestly! Give us conviction if our motives aren’t pure when putting on an outfit. Give us peace when our clothes glorify You. Give us hearts after You, God. Thank You for Your love! Amen

~Jordan

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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 megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 4 / Day 2 – Know How to Choose Your Words

October 23, 2012 by

The last two weeks have been very eventful in our home.  My husband and I went on a vacation and get this…we left all the kids at home.  Yeah.  We did.  I left my house to a bunch of young women, all busy, all strong and expected them to take care of themselves and not trash the place.  You know what happens when six young women from 23 to 14 years old are left to their own devices and their own communication skills?????  Wonderful stuff.  Did they disagree?  Yep.  Did they get on each other’s nerves?  Absolutely.  Did they say stuff they shouldn’t have? Uh huh.  Did they apologize and make it right?  Yes they did.  All that BEFORE I came home on Saturday night.

Has forgiveness worked its way all the way through their hearts yet?  Not yet, but it’s working. They all love each other and know that we are a family no matter what so they are letting their hearts heal.  I am so proud of my girls.  They stepped up and took care of each other the way the Bible says they should.  The Bible doesn’t say that once you are a Christ follower you will never sin again, or struggle with the words that come out of your mouth.  It says that we can learn to keep our tongues from saying things that will hurt other people.

How can a young person keep their way pure?

By living according to your Word.

Psalm 119:9

Have you noticed that sometimes you go along and it seems easy to keep control of your words and sometimes, usually when you are tired or hungry or sleepy, something hits you the wrong way and you snap.  Something comes out of your mouth you wish you could take back immediately…but it’s too late.  Once those words come out of your mouth, you can’t take them back.

That’s what happened last week in my house.  One of my daughters had played 6 soccer games in two weeks and was tired, sore and hurt.  On top of that, her team lost the championship game and she was disappointed.  One of my daughters is a fixer, a look on the bright side kind of girl.  Nothing wrong with either girl, but the two were on a collision course.  I had no longer gotten the words out of my mouth to my oldest daughter to keep the two of them apart (for their own good) than one hurt the other and the other hurt right back.  Hurting people, hurt people.  That has been a hard lesson for my girls this week, but I am so proud of them for trying to put their relationship back together.  It has affected the whole family.  Their words and actions didn’t only hurt them, it touched us all.

What if someone, say an unbeliever, heard what my daughters said to one another?  What would that have done to their witness?  What would that person think about the God that my girls serve?  In the book of James 1:26 the Bible says this,

“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”

Ouch!!!  That hurts just to read.  Our actions reflect on Jesus.  Our actions reflect on our Father.  My daughters had to tell their parents about the argument and harsh words.  Their words reflected on the way we have tried to raise them.  Their reaction to be quick to forgive and ask forgiveness was very much what we have tried to teach them.  The only way I know if they have learned their lesson is during times like these when they have to live out LOVE for themselves.  Yes, my girls hurt each other.  Yes, they knew what to do to begin fixing the hurt.  YES, they LOVE each other enough to try.  I’m a proud mom.

So how are we to talk the talk and walk the walk?  Micah 6:8 says this, “He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To ACT Justly and to LOVE Mercy and to WALK Humbly with your God.”

You may have heard songs using this verse.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

http://youtu.be/pkM-gDcmJeM                  Courageous by Casting Crowns

http://youtu.be/-Ja3O0VVCAM                 The Walk by Steven Curtis Chapman

So after all this, what really matters?  If you are gonna talk the talk you better be ready to walk the walk.  If you say you believe in Jesus and that you love one another, you had better be ready to put that love into action.  It’s not enough just to SAY it, we have to ACT it out.  Let the world catch you acting like Jesus.  That is the best role model you could ever show them.  Sure we are going to mess up.  We aren’t perfect. But in that imperfection, we show the world how to turn and ask for forgiveness, love each other the way Christ loved us and then they will want what we have…a WALK that truly shows the LOVE in our hearts.

Let’s Pray:  Dear Father, We come to you today to thank you for your example.  For being very clear about what it is you want for us and from us.  You have shown us what is good and what you require of us.  Lord, teach us to keep a tight rein on our tongues so we won’t hurt one another.  Help us to be sensitive when we mess up and do hurt someone.  Help us to make it right quickly, so the damage is not severe.  Lord, we thank you for your Word that teaches us how to live.  We want to live so that the world will want a WALK like we have.  Talk is cheap, but the proof of your love is in our walk.  We love you, Lord.     AMEN (z)

Choose today to let your tongue bring healing to those around you.  Choose LIFE with your words.  I love you.

Mama T

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: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 4 / Day1 – Protecting HIS Name

October 22, 2012 by

 

There is this sick feeling I get sometimes.  One that leaves me feeling, honestly, to be the worst person in the world.  This feeling happens just after I choose to NOT stand up for my God in Heaven or anything I say I stand for.  It is the feeling of defeat, disappointment.  These feelings I never want, but somehow I get stuck with them when I do not want to defend my Savior.

During my teenage years I struggled with this the most.  I did not like the fact that I stood out from the rest of my “friends” because I went to church, or grew up in a pretty strict home. I tried to fit into being a cool, carefree girl, not having any real opinion or beliefs on God-all I knew about Him at the time was that He was in my heart but I did not know what that meant. I did not stand up for God or try to shine His light; instead I blew it out every morning before school. I didn’t want anyone to think I was weird or different. I did not fully understand what a relationship with God was. I was not about to try to figure it out when I could just be a fun girl with lots of friends.

Lots of friends quickly turned into no friends.  I didn’t understand this at all, I was doing what I thought they wanted me to do, why did they not like me?  I honestly believe that God was protecting me by taking me away from all of these relationships.  These friendships were not positive ones.  They were not bringing glory to God, nor were they lifting me up or encouraging me in my walk with Christ.   To my complete surprise, even though my friends had all left me, there was one friend that stuck like glue.  It was Jesus.

When I started learning about this relationship with God, I started to get that sick feeling.  Knowing the comfort the Lord so graciously gave me during this time, left me feeling so sick about how I was acting when it came to God being a part of my life.  I was so mad at myself for being so ashamed of wanting to KNOW GOD MORE. I was so disappointed in myself for not sticking up for God, or being confident in HIM.  This is why I so desperately want to help every single teenage girl come to know the love of God that they must defend every moment of every day.

My teenage years did not go so well.  I am so thankful that YOURS do not have to be anything like mine!  You have the strength and courage of the Holy Spirit living inside of you.  That power can make you be a difference maker in your school, home, or church.  YOU have the responsibility of standing up for God in a world that wants to push Him down.  You have the ability to share what HE is to you with others.  If you are scared or nervous or afraid you will not be liked, remember this verse: 1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.  If the result of standing up for God causes you to be unliked (totally made that word up) by many or even friendless, DO NOT FEAR!  In fact, you can rejoice because God tells you, YOU WILL BE BLESSED for standing up for the name of Jesus Christ!

As you are put in many different situations each day, resist the sick feeling.  Desire to feel the best feeling ever (that replaces the sick feeling when you honor God by defending His holy name) …the love of Jesus Christ and the joy His heart bursts with when He sees and hears you living as He wants.

Let’s Pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for your love.  I thank you that we have YOUR power inside of us to protect, defend, and stand up for your name.  I ask that as we go through our days, we are able to have the courage to stand up for what is right.  Give us the right words to say to share YOU with everyone you bring along our path.  Thank you for being with us and replacing that once sick feeling, with your blessings.  I love you!!  I pray all of these things in your precious name, Amen.

MUCH LOVE,

Diane

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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 megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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

Lord Teach Us To Pray: Part 4

October 20, 2012 by

Today we continue a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray! Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus’ disciples did — ”Teach {me} to pray”?

Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray. I believe that, as we continue to look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who pray—who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father. This is my heart’s desire.

Jesus was asked this important question by His disciples. One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….” Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:

Pray, therefore, like this:

Our Father
Who is in heaven,
hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts,
and have given up resentment against) our debtors.
And lead (bring) us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13

The first week, in this series, we focused on the very first, and most important aspect, of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as “Our Father….” We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!

The second week, we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of importance—“Who is in heaven.” This attribute tells of the utmost importance of Who God is…He is in heaven. And we also were reminded of an awesome promise from God, that we will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and our Father, Who is in heaven.
Last week, as we followed Jesus’ instruction, we came to the third aspect referring to Almighty God— “hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.” We looked at one definition of holy: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness And we looked at five examples in the Scriptures where we saw the Almighty God, ascribed by the Psalmist as ‘You are holy’…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him ‘my Holy One’…that Isaiah saw in a vision God seated on His throne with the seraphim proclaiming ‘holy, holy, holy’…that Jesus our Lord prayed ‘Holy Father’…that one of the seven angels praise Almighty God saying ‘You Who are and were ‘O Holy One.’ There is no doubt Who each of these examples is speaking about—our Father. What a privilege that our Father…Who is in heaven…would allow us to come before Him and call Him ‘holy!’

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Now here we are, this fourth week, looking at the next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed important— ‘Your Kingdom come.’ We, of course, need to ask the question, “What is the Kingdom?” I believe it is represented in two distinct ways in the Scriptures. There are more than 125 references in the New Testament alone to “Kingdom.”

The first connotation that “Kingdom” has would be in reference to the eternal Kingdom, commonly understood as Heaven, where God and Jesus dwell. Jesus had already taught the disciples the proper and respectful attitude toward God Almighty when He brought attention to ‘our Father, Who is in heaven…’ Throughout the Bible much is spoken of (especially in the books of Isaiah and Revelations) about Heaven, or as we are discussing here, God’s Kingdom. This is one of the things I believe our Lord communicates in the Lord’s Prayer—to constantly have that attitude of heart as we pray to be yearning for that time when the Kingdom comes! And, oh, don’t we long to live for eternity in that heavenly Kingdom ?!!!

Which bring us to another understanding of “Kingdom.” There are a number of records in the Gospels that show us Jesus’ great desire to give us understanding about the Kingdom. (You can use a Bible search engine and do a short study to help you get a better grasp on this; I use <biblegateway.com>). We are going to focus today on just one time that Jesus was teaching about His Kingdom.

In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus spent the day, sitting on the shore and finally, because the crowds listening had grown so large, sitting off-shore a bit in a boat, teaching and sharing about the Kingdom. During this time, He spoke a parable to them about the Kingdom comparing it to a sower and his seed (verses 2-9). He spoke another parable to them about the Kingdom relating it to a grain of mustard seed and how it grows (verses 31, 32). He then told them another parable about the Kingdom comparing it to the leaven used in baking bread (verse 33). Finally, He withdrew along with His disciples and talked with them continuing to help them to understand the parables. However, while still with the crowds, Jesus began to answer privately their questions.

verses 10-13:
“Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables?
And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand.”

And He explained a parable, verses 18-23:

“Listen then to the [meaning of the] parable of the sower:
While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside.
As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy;
Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] and he falls away.
As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit.
As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty.”

Don’t you just love the heart and compassion and attention that our Lord gave to his disciples (and us!) as He explained. The subject over and over is the Kingdom. But He uses tangible examples to help them and us to understand the importance of having ‘the Kingdom’ established in our hearts. Our desire is for Jesus’ words to be at the center of our heart, the focus of our pure living, the impetus for our choosing His ways over the ways, the cares, the pleasures of the world. Further on He uses other examples through parables to explain about the Kingdom.

verses 44-51
The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field.
Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls,
Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet which was cast into the sea and gathered in fish of every sort.
When it was full, men dragged it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted out the good fish into baskets, but the worthless ones they threw away.
So it will be at the close and consummation of the age. The angels will go forth and separate the wicked from the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God)
And cast them [the wicked] into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth.
Have you understood all these things [parables] taken together? They said to Him, Yes, Lord.

verse 53: “When Jesus had finished these parables (these comparisons), He left there.”

The kingdom of heaven is of great and precious value; Jesus wanted them to know and realize this. Our Lord’s strong desire is for us to have Him, the King, ruling in our hearts and that a lifestyle of that will allow us entrance in the future to eternity, in the Kingdom, with Him and Almighty God.

Jesus, Who God has made to be King of our lives, wants us to thoroughly understand the TRUTH about the Kingdom…He wants you and me to be in that Kingdom along with Him… Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. < 3

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This week we have talked and talked about fully embracing how beautiful we ARE: because I am who God made me to be; believing the TRUTH not the lies; holding in our minds that truth and not allowing the world’s viewpoint to color our thinking; that who we are in Christ makes us SO beautiful; that our eternal VALUE–it makes us beautiful! As I have reconsidered the value of who God made me (and you!) to be, and I think on these truths, and I recognize that I am beautiful in light of this, it has reminded me that I have value and I am beautiful inside&out because Jesus IS my Lord, my King, and that I have His Kingdom NOW reigning in my heart. And YOU, my sister, too!

So let’s embrace this truth…ask yourself: How much worth, ______ (insert your name here), do I have if Jesus, as King, wants to reign in my heart? My heart…His home! Truly, how beautiful and valuable am I to my Lord and my God…I can only imagine! <3

“…Your Kingdom Come..”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_OB7d-B1Vw

Grace, mercy, and peace to you
from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ

with love,
coleen

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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 megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

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

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3/ Day 5: See Your Eternal Value

October 19, 2012 by

 

Girls, just like all of you, I want to look and feel good about myself. Like some of you I can spend hours upon hours in the mall. What can I say, I like clothes, shoes, bags, make-up, jewelry; did I leave anything out?

Over the past ten years I was able to travel to different countries and have seen some really amazing things and sites. But when I look back at the places I have been to and the stuff I have accumulated over the years, I have to ask myself if this is what life is all about?

 

Although I treasure the memories of standing under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, taking a water taxi in Venice and looking at awe at the Alps in Switzerland, I have to ask myself if this is what I value in life. Does this satisfy my deepest heart’s desire, is this something that will change my life for the better and more importantly, will I be able to impact someone else’s life?

Girls, I don’t know about you, but my deepest desire is to do something of eternal value. Something that will last forever and that I along with other people will hold dear. How can I do this you might ask, the answer is simple, it is in the little things we do for other people, it is in the attitude of our hearts. You know, when you do something good for someone, you automatically feel good about yourself, not that that should be your motivation.

Colossians 4:5 says: “…… make the most of every opportunity”. That can simply be paying someone a compliment, opening the door for someone, returning your grocery cart, giving someone a smile or helping out at a shelter. If we do these things, we are helping others find Jesus, and helping them find Jesus is the best gift we can give anyone.

Not all of us have the means or finances to support people in need, but all of us have the ability to go on our knees to pray for someone, to be kind, to do good, be faithful, gentle, have self-control, give love, spread joy, be patient and kind.

Girls, I don’t want to leave a bunch of photos and a closet full of clothes behind, but what I want to leave behind is a godly legacy.

 

Let us strive to see our eternal value. This is our lives; these are the moments that make up our lives. Let’s use them wisely.

Be blessed my dear girlfriends!

Let us pray:

Father, I thank you for each and every girl in GCH: decaf. Thank you Father, that each one of them are fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you that each one of us will do something of eternal value every day to give You all the glory. Amen.

Be blessed!

Love you,

Edwina

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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 megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3 / Day 4 – Concentrate on Inner Beauty

October 18, 2012 by

    
                

1 Peter 3:3-4

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment

such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle quiet spirit,

which is of great worth in God’s sight.

I have been more of a plain Jane when it came to dressing up my outer appearance. My mother used to always ask me why I didn’t dress up more like my two sisters always did. I was always comfortable wearing my jeans and t-shirts, and I still am. Now there are times when I love to get all dolled up and wear very nice evening gowns and heels and make up and getting my hair done in an updo (as some call it). I think that there are occasions where all of us like to dress up really nice and celebrate.

Peter tells us that our beauty should come from on the inside. Have you met someone and everything about them just lit up? Their smile, personality, who they were on the inside, just leaped out of their skin? Well I have, and that person drew me closer to them. It is all the more exciting when they are a Christian and the Jesus that is on the inside of them jumps out at you and draws you closer to them. I have always been told to look at who a person was on the inside and not pay as much attention to who they were on the outside. My mother always told me to never judge a book by its cover; that is so true! I have picked up a lot of books and put them right back down after looking at the pictures on the cover/outside and my sister or a friend would come along later and tell me that the same book that I put back and didn’t give a chance by reading it, was a phenomenal book…a GREAT read! Of course, I immediately went back and purchased the book or checked it out at the library, but you see, if I had given the book a chance, read the summary, or opened the book and read the first page or two, I would have been hooked!

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight.

Oh Lord my strength and my Redeemer

It is the same with people. We have to give people a chance. We need to stop looking at where they live, what color they are, where they go to school, who their parents are, or whether they have parents or not, what clothes they are wearing, hairstyles, etc… It is so important to give people a chance by looking at their inner beauty. Try and get to know someone this week that is not like you or may not live in your neighborhood and tell me what you find out about that person in the following weeks. I am sure that you will be surprised in a GREAT way! Give it a try!!

When you allow people to see who you are on the inside that is who they need to see. It is not fun to try and pretend to be someone that you are not. It takes up too much of your time to try and be someone else. Be yourself. Be who God intended for you to be!!!

 

Start with your heart and look within. Is God pleased with who you are? If you are not, ask Him to help you change into the young lady that He desires for you to be. God wants all of His daughters to shine from within! He loves you and so do we! GCH: Decaf thinks…no, we know, that you girls are something pretty awesome and we are going to continue to do our best to pour into you what God would have for us to give you.

Dear Lord,

Please help each girl in GCH: decaf to know that it is their inner beauty that is so attractive to people. It is what You use to bring people closer to You and it is Your way of allowing them to see You for who You are and who You desire for them to be. It is what is on the inside that matters most. Yes, they can look beautiful on the outside, and yes it is important to look your best, but it is who they are on the inside that You will use for Your Glory. Lord, I thank you for each girl and I pray that You speak to their hearts and give them the makeover of all times! Your makeover! It’s in Jesus’ name that I pray. Amen.

Love you bunches,

Tonya <3

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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 megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3 / Day 2 – Refute Satan’s Lies

October 16, 2012 by

 

TRUTH

Today, we are going to start with truth.  If we don’t know what TRUTH is, then we won’t know what a LIE is when we see it or hear it.  “Satan would love for us to believe the lie of “not good enough.” (A Daughter’s Worth, p. 32)  If Satan can distract us from the TRUTH of who God made us to be, then we feel like we are not good enough.  Feelings are deceptive, so we need to know what truth is before our feelings get involved.  Sometimes we need to tell our emotions what we KNOW is true so we don’t get distracted.

Look at 2 Corinthians 11:3:  I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.  Eve was created perfectly, by our perfect God.  She walked in the Garden and talked with God personally.  It was only when Satan began to mess with her head that she began to doubt who she was created to be.  We need to know who we are in Christ so that when doubt creeps in, we don’t believe the LIES that will destroy our hearts.  If Eve could be so easily deceived, we should not think that we can resist the devil when he wants to sneak those bad thoughts into our heads.  We have to know the truth about what and who He says we are.  We find out what God sees in us by getting to know him by reading his word and talking to him.

One of the neatest things about having eight daughters is that I have proof of how God can make us so individual, unique and BEAUTIFUL.  No two daughters are alike, but they are all the same.  God has gifted them in very different ways.  I don’t expect them to react the same way, be good at the same subjects in school, wear the same style of clothes, or reach the same kind of people as their sisters.  Wherever we go, we bring a party.  Some are planners, some are preparers, some are entertainment, but ALL of them are fun.  Sometimes one will be feeling down and we try to show her how blessed she is and how accepted she is.  We acknowledge her feelings, but emphasize the TRUTH of the matter.

When one of my girls says, “I’m not smart enough”, it usually means – I wish I was smarter or had made better choices.  Then we talk about how we can choose better next time.  When they say “I’m not pretty”, it usually means they are comparing themselves to someone else, or someone has made fun of some part of them that day.  Those days we talk about what makes them unique and how no other daughter on the face of the planet can be them.  When one of my girls thinks they have no talent or special gifts they are usually thinking about someone they admire who is gifted in a certain area and has not looked at the ways God has gifted them to serve.  We are all unique!!!!!  God made each of us special!  There could never be a more beautiful you than you are to your Heavenly Father.  When you feel those doubts creep in, and they will creep in, push them out with the TRUTH of God’s Word.

“Protect the Father’s truth with everything you have.  How?  When Satan tries to distract you, confront the lie with scripture, combat deceit with prayer, and ignore the negative messages that Satan suggests.  Thank God for His TRUTH.  Ask Him to HELP you, His precious daughter, to EMBRACE (believe) it.” (p. 33)

Let’s PRAY:

We thank you Father that you have called us daughters.  We thank you for sending your Son to us to enable us to refute the lies of the enemy of our souls.  Help us to recognize your voice.   We love you Father.  Help us to ACCEPT your love.      AMEN

“And because you are sons (DAUGHTERS), God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “ABBA! Father!”  Galatians 4:6

 

The TRUTH is…God Loves YOU!  I love you!  Your leaders love you!  Have a blessed day, girlfriends.

 

Mama T

 

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.

 

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3 – Embracing True Beauty

October 14, 2012 by

 

My dear sisters….

We’ve made it to week 3 and this week we get to dive into embracing our true beauty! This is something I struggled with so much as a teen and into my adult years as well. It wasn’t until very recently that I finally feel good in my own skin and have embraced me for who I am. I pray that the Lord shows you through our lessons this week how to embrace your divine true beauty and be confident in how God do wonderfully and perfectly created YOU!!!

Monday, Diane will be posting all about appreciating God’s handiwork. Teresa will be bringing a message about refuting Satan’s lies to you on Tuesday. On Wednesday, you will hear from Jordan about watching what you see. Tonya will be blogging on Thursday about concentrating on your inner beauty and on Friday, you will hear from Edwina about being able to see your eternal value. I also hope that you have been enjoying Coleen’s Saturday blogging series about prayer. What a blessing! She will be back with another installment this Saturday as well!

Let’s pray:

Lord, we come to you this week asking you to help us to appreciate how you divinely made us. We ask You to show us so clearly how You want us to combat the lies that satan fills our heads with and replace those lies with Your promises and truths. Help us to find our acceptance only through You, Father, and help us to concentrate on our inner beauty… the way you so divinely created each of us. Lord, we seek to find our eternal value in You and we thank you so much for all You will show us through this week’s lessons. It is in Your Son’s mighty name we pray, amen <3

Be a blessing,

<3 Megan

Jonny Diaz…. “A More Beautiful You”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ks3R2BwyO0

_________________________________________

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: , , , , , , , , , ,
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