November 25, 2024

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

October 8, 2012 by

Daddy’s Little Girl

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s Pray:

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

Love,

Diane 🙂 

___________________________________________

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

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

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

Lord, Teach Us To Pray: Part 2

October 6, 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….” They had observed Him going off to pray many times.  In the Gospels it is spoken of numerous times that He “arose early,” “went off to pray,” “withdrew…to pray.” Jesus PRAYED; He spoke with His Father. And His disciples wanted to be like Him!  When asked, Jesus very simply taught His disciples how to pray to God.

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

Last week we focused on the very first and most important aspect of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as: “Our Father….” We looked at verses from the Scriptures which taught us about the level of relationship that God (the Creator, the Almighty, El-Shaddai) wants to have with us.  We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!  We learned that ‘Abba!’ (today we would say ‘Daddy!’ or ‘Papa!’) is used when talking about “a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person.”

This week we are looking at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of importance—“Who is in heaven.”  Jesus’ first attribute relating to God showed the depth of relationship we have with God.  This next attribute also pertains to relationship but tells of the utmost importance of Who God is.  He is in heaven.  To me this relates to His being The Creator…’heaven’ always has been.  It is where God IS, where He exists (though certainly without any limitations).

In Genesis chapter 1, we read “And God saw everything that He had made…” (v25).  Think for a moment…if God was observing what “He had made,” it couldn’t include where He was at.  So, where was that?  By exclusion, it must have been beyond everything that He had made.  God, His existence, is beyond time and space and any limitation within our scope.   After all, He is ELOHIM, The Creator.  Everything belongs to Him.

Deuteronomy 10:14

Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens

belong to the Lord your God,

the earth also, with all that is in it and on it.

Many times throughout the Scriptures, our Father is spoken of as “the Lord, the God of heaven”… “the God of heaven and earth” … “He Who sits in the heavens” … “Who speaks from heaven” … “Possessor of heaven and earth” and in similar other ways.  The heavens are His.

When Solomon finished building the Temple, in His prayer to Almighty God he voiced,

But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth?

Behold, the heavens and heaven of heavens

[in its most extended compass] cannot contain You;

how much less this house that I have built?

1 Kings 8:27

Solomon, the wisest man on the earth (by God’s blessing) knew that surely a building couldn’t contain the glory of the Lord…the Lord’s presence…if the ‘heaven of heavens’ was not able to!  He knew God was above all.

And that brings me to one of the most awesome promises contained in the Scriptures.  A promise from Almighty God, Elohim, our Father to you and to me:

 

Ephesians 2:4-8

But God, who is rich in mercy,

because of His great love that He had for us,

made us alive with the Messiah

even though we were dead in trespasses.

You are saved by grace!

Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up

and seated us in the heavens, so that

in the coming ages He might display

the immeasurable riches of His grace

through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For you are saved by grace through faith….

Sit there, please, for one minute and meditate on this promise: in the coming ages, you and I WILL be seated together with Jesus in the heavens.

In the coming ages, we WILL be seated together with Jesus in the heavens.

We will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and Almighty God “Who is in heaven.”  Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. <3

—————————————————————–

This week in our blogs we have talked about recognizing our worth.  We have looked at it from various aspects: how we feel about ourselves; within our relationships—family, friends, boyfriends, school; our hopes, dreams, plans for the future.

I put before you this thought:

How much worth,  ______ (insert your name here), do I have if God Almighty has promised
that I will sit with Jesus in the heavens? <3

 

“Our Father, Who is in heaven…”

~Coleen

___________________________________________

***This is a special Saturday series for GCH:decaf.

For our Bible Study, A Daughter’s Worth, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. We will begin the devotional part of this study next week, so really, you have until THIS MONDAY to get your book! You can even order it right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

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

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

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Handling Stress at School

October 5, 2012 by

 

Growing up I had a pretty easy, happy childhood for the most part. My only stress at the time was my friends. They used to tease me endlessly about my long legs and small frame; I became ‘daddy long legs’ to them, which hurt me terribly. I used to hate going to school, at one point I requested to change classes, but that did not happen, I just could not handle the name calling anymore. Until my late 20’s I was under-weight, I remember wanting to donate blood, but couldn’t because of my weight. That however was my only stress at the time.

As a teacher, I see many students under different types of stress. As educational requirements get more stringent in all levels of education, students everywhere experience considerable school stress. You have to make good grades to attend good schools after high school. You have to make honor roll in order to participate in extra-curricular activities, to get that iPod touch, new phone, dress, watch, etc. Your teachers, parents, coaches, youth leaders, they all seem to expect so much of you! Sometimes you just want to yell,” Give me a break you guys, I’m only a kid!”

Now academics are not the only stress you have to deal with. Extra-curricular activities can also become extremely daunting, especially when one of your parents excelled in a certain sport and they want you to follow in their footsteps. The other stressor that is becoming quit alarming is that of bullying. Bullies come in different forms and they are all pretty harmful. You might be hurt by your so-called friends who bad mouthed you just to get some type of recognition; enduring the teasing by the popular click at your school for not wearing the latest fashion, wearing your hair in a certain style, playing in the school band or just being real clever. Whatever it might be, there will always be someone who find fault with what it is you are doing, how you do it. The Bible tells us in Psalms 139:14 that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

At times when you might feel like everything is coming undone, remember that you don’t have to suffer alone; you can talk to your parents, youth pastor, a trusted friend or a teacher. If you need extra help with your school work, you can ask a teacher to assist you before or after school, you can also work out a study plan that will help you understand and remember facts and formulae’s. You might even get a study buddy who is stronger in a specific subject and can help you.

Remember that changing your wardrobe, wearing your hair in a different style might not be the answer. Surround yourself with people who like you for who you are, people who love God. All the world’s potatoes were not going to fatten up my skinny legs, I had to accept myself for who I was, skinny, long legs and all.

It might seem that as a teenager a lot is expected of you, but believe me,” You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you”!

Let us pray:

Father, thank you for every girl represented in these groups. Thank you that we can give You our stress and that You will deal with it accordingly. Thank you for Your promise that no weapons formed against us shall prosper. You are in control in our lives and we love You very much. Amen.

Be blessed my friends!

Edwina

___________________________________________

For this Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. We will begin the devotional part of this study next week, so really, you have until NEXT MONDAY to get your book! You can even order it right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

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

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

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Making Plans for the Future

October 4, 2012 by

 

I can remember so vividly in high school being asked the question repeatedly, “what are your plans for the future?” What do you want to be when you graduate? Are you going to go to college, go to the military, get a job, etc…I had so many questions! If you were like me, those questions could be a little overwhelming at times! Someone suggested to me that I should pray and ask the Lord what He had for my life. You definitely don’t want to leave God out of your plans for the future.

 

 Jeremiah 29:11

He is the same One who said that He has plans for us to prosper us, not harm us..

 

Well, I didn’t seek His direction for my life and it sent me on what some would say…A wild goose chase, for what I wanted to do with my life…which was really God’s life. It was His life after all, right, if I gave it to Him?

 

I wanted to get married and have a family, I wanted to be a nurse, I wanted to move away and go to college. Most of those plans didn’t succeed and I spent a lot of my earlier years of my life going in circles. If I had only took the advice that was so freely given to me, I possibly wouldn’t have made the unnecessary decisions that I made and I wouldn’t have wasted a lot of time trying to figure out what I wanted. I started off going to college to be a nurse. I went two whole years before I realized that I was not great in math and with that profession, you definitely need to be “on it” when it comes to figuring out how much medication to give, how often to give it, etc… So, no that was not the profession for me, although I loved serving others and taking care of others, that just was not the career for me.

 

I then changed my major to teaching. Oh how I love to teach, but I sort of wanted to combine teaching and ministry together, but wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. I detoured from the idea of teaching after almost finishing my degree and changed it to Human Services. Let me tell you girls something: If I had only went to God first, I would have been finished by now, but I know that this is the path that He wanted me to travel, because I have learned so much in my life up to now!

I am now a Young Women’s Coordinator that works with young girls everyday where I get to teach education and Biblical studies!!! You can’t get better than that!! I LOVE what I do!! After I began to seek His direction and Commit my plans to Him, it was then that He began to orchestrate things and turn it all around and place me on the path that He always had laid out for me J I am oh so much happier than I could have ever been doing what I do now. I am truly walking and working in His will!!

If you don’t take anything from this blog post today, I ask that you take at least this one thing: Commit to the Lord WHATEVER you do and your plans WILL succeed!!

He WANTS to be involved in your plans for the future! He WANTS to be involved in your life!!

 

Let’s pray: 

Dear Lord, I would like to ask You to help our precious girls to see You for who You are and who You desire for them to see You as, in their lives. Help them to see that You are so in love with them that You desire to see them happy and on the right path. You have such GREAT, AWESOME plans for their lives and help them to see, know, and feel that. I just ask that You help them to place their futures in Your hands because You created them, each one by one, individually and you have such great plans for their lives! You KNOW what their futures hold and I just ask that You continue to place people in their lives to help them along the way. I ask this in Your Darling Son’s Jesus name. Amen <3

________________________________________________

For this Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. We will begin the devotional part of this study next week, so really, you have until NEXT MONDAY to get your book! You can even order it right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

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

 

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

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Getting Along with Family

October 3, 2012 by

Relationship over Being Right

When I first saw that this was my topic I thought, “I am not qualified to talk about this.” For those of you who don’t know me or my story, right now I am still living at home. I am supposed to be in my second year of college, but because of financial reasons, I have not been able to go yet. Let me tell you, being twenty and living at home is not easy. I have always been an obedient child, for the most part. I have never “tested the waters” or really acted out any form of rebellion against authority. But I do have 3 younger siblings, and as many of you know, it isn’t always easy to turn the other cheek.

Teenage years are difficult. You’re dealing with friends, boyfriends, school work, and family. Your home is supposed to be a place where you can escape from the worries that every other area of your life demands. However, that’s not always the case. You must keep in mind that your parents and your siblings also deal with other relationships and other obligations. Too often, we think that OUR problems are the worst. I am SO guilty of this! Because of the season I am in right now, I sometimes think that the things my family members are walking through are not NEARLY as hard or nearly as painful as what I’m walking through. Then I am reminded that their problems are big to them, and I should care that they’re hurting. I should show them compassion and sympathy, because that’s what I would want if I were walking through something difficult.

Let’s talk about parents… Your parents, if they are walking with Jesus, strive to make every decision to benefit you. I don’t mean that they make decisions to make you happy. They make decisions to protect you from straying from the path that leads to Heaven. “Children, honor your father and mother.” Yes, this means to obey. It also means to respect them, and to trust that they are doing these things because they love you.

Family members are human. That means that one day or another, one of them will be sad, angry, frustrated, upset, or all of these things at once. We are called, as children of God, to LOVE them. But what happens when your sister borrows your shirt without asking? Or what about when your mom won’t let you spend the night out? Or when your brother reads your journal? In that case, we’re excused from loving them, we’re excused from giving them grace. Right?

WRONG.

Matthew 5:38-39

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth.’

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.

If anyone slaps you on the right cheek,  turn to them the other cheek also.

Regardless of what they’ve done, regardless of who is right or who is wrong, you are called to love them. Anytime my siblings and I are arguing about something my mom ALWAYS says, “You should value your relationship more than you value being right.” We should forgive when we’ve been wronged. We should extend grace when we’ve been disrespected.

Jesus calls us to love our neighbor, and your neighbor is most definitely your family member. Pray today that the Lord would give you patience. Ask Him to reveal to you the ways you need to change your heart toward your family members. He will begin to convict you, and He will begin to change your thoughts, your words, and your actions if you let Him.

Let’s pray…

Lord, thank You for my family! My prayer, Lord, is that I would reflect You in the way I interact with them. Lord, give me patience, and give me Your heart and Your eyes to see them and love them as you do. Thank You for grace, Lord. Thank You for forgiving me when I don’t react to their wrongs in the way that is pleasing to You.

~Jordan

_______________________________________

For this Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. We will begin the devotional part of this study next week, so really, you have until NEXT MONDAY to get your book! You can even order it right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

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

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

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Friends and Boyfriends

October 2, 2012 by

AHH, Love.

Everybody wants it.  Everybody needs it.  How do you get it?  Where do you get it?  Is it really OK to ADMIT that you need it?

The Bible says in Proverbs 18:24,

“A man(or woman) that has friends must show him(or her)self to be friendly and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”

Proverbs is a book of Wisdom written by Solomon almost 3,000 years ago.  I don’t think very much has changed in that time.  If we want friends we have to act friendly.  God gave Solomon wisdom because Solomon asked for it, then he shared his wisdom with us all these years later.

How do we show ourselves friendly?  We put a smile on our face, introduce ourselves, do something nice for someone, consider someone else’s feelings above our own…the possibilities are endless.  We have to be open to friendship.

As long as we are afraid to be friendly, we will not be making any friends.  No one wants to be lonely.  Movies are more fun with a friend, restaurants are more fun with a friend, games are… you get it – FRIENDS are a good thing.

Be the one who reaches out first.  You don’t know what that other person is going through.  God could be using you to fill a need in their life.  Be willing to be a friend.

What about the second half of that verse, “There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother”?  Can we have friends that are closer to our hearts than our own family?  I think so.  We don’t get to pick our family members (and sometimes we are too much alike to get along well).  Friends come along and fill in those places in your heart that time and distance cannot separate.  Through fellowship with this group of women and teens at Girlfriends Coffee Hour I hope you see how easy it is to love friends in different states and countries.  I hope you find a “soul sister” that you can open your heart to.

I pray that all the friendships we are building here bring out the best in us.  We should challenge each other to be better people.  Having good friends boosts our self-esteem.  We have a more well-rounded life.

Someday…..

What happens when friendships turn into something more?  As teens, you begin thinking about that special someone.  As Christ followers we should be thinking about that someone who God has prepared just for us.  Sometimes it’s hard to be patient for Mr. Right when we want a boyfriend RIGHT NOW.

I’ve heard some Christian teens say they won’t have a boyfriend or date until they find the person they are to marry.  Yet others enjoy having friends to hang out with and get to know in each life stage.   Which theory is right?  Can they both be right?  There are so many ways to think about dating and friendship.  Both schools of thought are ok.  The Bible even addresses the issue.  Because people are different, they have different needs – some need many friends while others need 1 or 2 really close friends.

Some girls need to have a boyfriend to feel happy, while others don’t want to be bothered with stinky old boys.  Either way your relationships should bring out the best in you – your attitudes, your behaviors, your SMILE and should bring glory to God.  Christ-centered friendships are AWESOME!  God made us this way and He wants what is best for us.

BONUS:

I interviewed a very nice young man for this blog, so I could pass some good information on to you young ladies.

Question: What do you find attractive in a girl?

Answer: I find attractive a girl who has a good head on her shoulders.  A girl who wants to try to be successful in her life.  A girl who has good values.  Who follows God, and tries her best to be close to family and really close friends.  A girl who values having a good time and having good memories, but not through drinking or drugs or bad behaviors.  A girl who is smart and funny and means well in her intents, but also will stand up for herself and what she believes in and the people she cares about.

Question: How do you know if a girl is real or fake?

Answer: There’s no real way to tell, you just have to trust them with how they act and see how it goes.  And I guess you could kinda tell if they put forth a lot of effort into the things they do and the passions they have and the people they care about to show they really do care and are genuine and aren’t fake.  And also I believe if she has a lot of faith in her relationship with God then that’s another way, too.

____________________________________

I can’t wait to see you young ladies grow spiritually and closer to each member of your study groups.  Branch out and fellowship with the people in the :decaf Fellowship group.  God has brought together some very special Daughters of the King.  Open your hearts as we dive into the study,  A Daughter’s Worth, and see just how special we all are to our Heavenly Father.

PRAY WITH ME:

Heavenly Father, We thank you for this opportunity to make new friends.  You know our hearts and that we love you.  If we could speak all the languages in the world, but didn’t love others, we would be just a bunch of noise.  If we could understand all of God’s secrets and had all the knowledge in the world, but we didn’t love others, we would be NOTHING.  If we gave everything to the poor and sacrificed our bodies and felt really good about ourselves, but if we didn’t love others, we would have gained NOTHING.

We read in your word that Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.  We thank you for your example of LOVE to us.  We love you Father and we pray that our hearts will be open to experiencing our WORTH in your eyes.  AMEN

Love,

Teresa Bolme (Mama T)

_______________________________________

For this Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. We will begin the devotional part of this study next week, so really, you have until NEXT MONDAY to get your book! You can even order it right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

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

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

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Finding A Lasting Joy

October 1, 2012 by

Finding A Lasting Joy

 

This is it!  The first official blog post starting the first official day of our Bible Study, A Daughter’s Worth.  I am so excited, are you?  There is so much I want you to hear, so much that God has laid on my heart to share with you.  It is my prayer that you find one thing in this post that will stick with you, that will make you think, and that will encourage you.  Ok, let’s officially get started!

When I was in high school I worked at an assisted living facility, as a server.  It was my favorite job to this date.  One of the things I liked best about this job was getting to know a lady named Mary Jane.  Anytime I was feeling bad about myself, God brought her along my path.  Her words made me smile.  She repeated them over and over again, only because she lost her short term memory, so she had no idea she was saying the same thing over and over again.  I still, to this day, remember those sweet words that brought so much joy to my heart, “Wow, look at you, you are so pretty, dear, you really are so beautiful, look at your face, look at your smile, look at you, oh you are so special.”  It was some sort of magic, those words alone had the power to take my feeling badly about myself and turn it into me feeling really good about who I was.  Her words had never been said to me before or about me before.  I always kind of thought I was pretty or special, but without ever having validation from anyone else in my life, I just did not believe those thoughts.  Mary Jane was one of the only people who had ever told me that before and there was something about her way of telling me that made me really believe she meant every word.  I think it has to do with the repetitiveness, which is something that she did totally on accident.

Who is speaking truth into your heart?  Do you have a Mary Jane in life?  Do you believe the truth of who you really are?  Looking back, I learned why Mary Jane’s role in my life was so important.  When I was no longer hearing her powerful words in my life, I craved them from someone else, anyone else.  After trying every remedy imaginable; the right outfit, the right hand of a man in mine, just to name a few, I finally realized the only lasting remedy we can ever turn to is God alone.  I learned the only thing that will ever satisfy my heart for good, the only thing that will bring me lasting joy are the words that God speaks to my heart through his Word each and every day.  This is when I started embracing the truth about who I am in Christ.

God’s way is the only lasting way to make you feel better about whom you are!

WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS SPEAKING TRUTH TO YOU, YOU MUST SPEAK IT TO YOURSELF.  No matter what your current remedy may be for making yourself feel better; you must get rid of it and start repeating what God says about you.  You must replay what God says about you over and over and over again until you believe it, until you know God is being honest with you always!

Whenever you feel down and out about YOU, please remember who you really are.  You are a precious child of God.  You are His princess.  You are cherished, loved, forgiven, beautiful, chosen, and the list goes on and on.  I encourage you to learn the truths that make up who you are in Christ.  Repeat these truths until you have them memorized in your heart!

I had to do this; I have an entire list of truths that have become my identity.  I used to have to repeat them over and over and over again with my words.  Now that I am confident in Christ, when I repeat them over and over again it is not only in my words but it is now in my actions.  Those truths are so much a part of me that I do not need to go seeking for anyone else to comfort my soul.  Knowing who I am in Christ, makes me feel the best feeling in the world, it is indescribable.  Do you desire that feeling?  Let your heart ache for Jesus’ truths.  If you want to feel good about you, learn who you really are, not to this world, but to God.

Below is a list of truths followed by verses in the Bible that support that truth.  These verses describe who you are!  When you are feeling badly about yourself, go to this list!   I encourage you to memorize the ones that you do not so strongly believe in.  Live by these truths.  Never let anyone convince you of anything else.  Speak these truths over and over again.

  • Who is your Mary Jane?
  • Which verses below are your favorites?
  • Which verses are you thinking you need to be memorizing and repeating over and over again?

Let’s Pray:  Lord, I thank you so much for this opportunity to learn and grow from each other.  I thank you for bringing us all together.  I pray as we start this study that we come to love who we are in Christ.  I pray that when we start to feel badly about whom we are, that you help us to wipe away those thoughts instantly and replace them with the truth of who we are in you!  Thank you for loving us, thank you that we can always count on you.  Amen. 

_______________________________________________

Who I am in Christ:

I am able

Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through CHRIST who STRENGTHENS ME.

I am beautiful

Psalm 149:4 For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory

I belong to God

John 17:9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours

I am born again

1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

I am cared for

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I am a child of God

John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

I am chosen

1 Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

I am complete in Christ

Colossians 2:10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

I am confident He will never leave me

Hebrews 13:5-6 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me?”[

I am dead to sin

Romans 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

I am desired

Psalm 45:11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.

I am filled with joy

John 17:13  I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

I have the power of God behind me

Philippians 3:21  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.

Love,

Diane <3

_______________________________________

For this Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. We will begin the devotional part of this study next week, so really, you have until NEXT MONDAY to get your book! You can even order it right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

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

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

Lord, Teach Us To Pray: Part 1

September 29, 2012 by
Today we begin a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray!  Do you ever cry out with that same concern–“Teach {me} to pray”?  Oh, I do! 
Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray.  My heart’s desire is that, as we take an in-depth 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.
Now we know that Jesus was asked this very 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….”  His disciples SO desired to be like their Master!  They had observed Him going off to pray many times, I am sure.  In the Gospels, it is spoken of numerous times, that He “arose early,” “went off to pray,” “withdrew…to pray.”  Jesus PRAYED; He spoke with His Father.  And when asked, Jesus very simply taught His disciples the foundational basics of how to pray to God.  Listen to the full instruction that He gave 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 very first thing that He instructed them in was to address God as “our Father…”  Father God. What do you think when you hear “Father” relating to God Almighty? 
In the book of Isaiah, the prophet proclaims of God “Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).
Paul writes in the New Testament:
“Yet for us there is [only] one God, the Father, Who is the Source of all things and for Whom we [have life]…” (1 Corinthians 8:6)
Think about the word Father in this context. When I read these verses, the words “Father…Potter…work of Your hand” as well as “one God, the Father, Who is the Source” all stick out.   
In addition, we get an even bigger picture of Who God is…our Father…in Galatians 4:6:
“And because you [really] are [His] sons {daughters!}, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father!” 
Through the Holy Spirit, we can have the same relationship with God the Father as Jesus His Son did!  Imagine that!!!  Really, pause here, for one moment…maybe three…and think on that truth. <3  The word, “Abba” in the vernacular of our day & time would be communicated as “Papa” or “Daddy.”  It speaks of a very close relationship, one that is tender and intimate. Here is a good definition: “a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person.”  That is the level of relationship that God (the Creator, the Almighty, El-Shaddai) wants with you. And with me. He wants to be our Father, our Abba Father!
Jesus shared a relationship with His Father that was close, tender, intimate.  So, of course, He desires for us to enjoy the same.  Therefore, when asked about praying, the very first thing of importance to Jesus was to show His disciples that a Father/beloved child relationship with God comes first. Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. <3
—————————————————————————————–
This week in our blogs we have considered the question, ‘Are you God’s daughter?’  Together we have looked at various aspects of our lives that show, or prove, that we ARE God’s daughters. we have focused on 1) obedience 2) submission to your parents and how we ALL must submit to authorities in our lives 3) having a pure heart–and how that begins in our thoughts; how having God’s Word ‘hidden’in our hearts keeps us from sinning 4) attitude–having the right attitude; 5) beginning anew.  Let’s allow all of those considerations to bring us back to the foundation of our question this week: ‘Are you God’s daughter?’ 
I would like you to answer a question based on the premise that ‘YES! I am God’s daughter!’ Ready?  I promise, this is easy!  Fill in the blank: Since you are God’s daughter, then He is your __ __ __ __ __ __.  Right!  He is your Father!  Imagine that! Your heavenly Father.  Who loves you so much!  Who has provided for all your needs.  Who saved you, and redeemed you, and made a way to Himself through the perfect provision of His Son, Jesus Christ. <3
 

~Coleen

_______________________________________________
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 A Daughter’s Worth starts October 1st! Please email teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.
Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Beginning

September 28, 2012 by

Hi, everyone, my name is Tina Marin. I am a mother to a son, Brandon, age 22, a daughter Nikki, 25, and a wife to John for 17 years. I live in Murfreesboro, TN where I attend World Outreach Church and serve in a couple of different areas.

I have known Megan for a little over a year while serving with High School Infinity, but more intentionally through an online Bible study. I must say, I have found it easier to have a relationship with other women as I mature than when I was younger. Partly a trust issue I suppose. I haven’t been much of a role model in that area and I never saw it modeled very well.

However, through it all God has his hand in my life. My aunt and uncle adopted me, while both of my parents were still alive and I always seemed to know I did not belong to them. We lived in Memphis, TN for a while and moved to North Mississippi until I was around 22 when I moved to Memphis to live with my half-sister. That was an adventure. Anyway, God always had made my heart soft and pliable, not able to hold a grudge after I worked through the anger, hurt and forgiveness necessary.

God had his hand in my life, it was not until I received deliverance that I knew I was a daughter of the King, forgiven and redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus. I felt His loving embrace, encouraging me to become the woman I strive every day to be for Him.

You see, even though I did not have my original family, God knew what family I did need.  He knew what I would go through as a child. I love my parents, both sets, and I know my Aunt (Mom) did the best she could with what was going on. Even though I was mistreated, I still had to honor them for who they were to me and I had to release them from the anger, guilt, and shame I had. It was up to me to release it, not them to say they were sorry, because God would take care of that for me. I had to take care of my part in everything that happened and forgive myself. Once I was able to do that, I could move on. Did that happen overnight, in two months, two years? No, I had to work on some of it for a while.

God had his hand in my life, it was not until I received deliverance that I knew I was a daughter of the King, forgiven and redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus. I felt His loving embrace, encouraging me to become the woman I strive every day to be for Him.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for revealing the truth, that I am a child of the King! I know the precious blood of Christ your son redeems me and that you have adopted me, yet again, into your Family! How great and wonderful is that. I love you Father and pray your grace and comfort to those who read this today. In Jesus’ precious name, AMEN!

____________________________________________________________

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 A Daughter’s Worth starts October 1st! Please email teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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

Attitude…. Does It Really Make A Difference?

September 27, 2012 by

What does the word attitude mean? The dictionary states it as meaning: a manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind: a negative attitude; or a position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.: a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude.

When you hear the word attitude, what are some words that come to mind? Do you think of words like angry, bold, sassy, mean, and bossy? Have you ever looked at the word attitude in a positive way? Attitude makes all of the difference in the world! My mom used to say that your attitude will either break you or make you. I always wondered what she meant by that saying. I found out what it all meant once I got older. Look at it like this; if you look at something with a positive attitude, it will make you…you will see things in a more upbeat light. People will love to interact with you and will see you as a happy person, and most importantly, they will WANT to be around you. If you have a negative attitude towards things, people will NOT want to be around you and will avoid you at all cost. People with negative attitudes always look at the down side of everything and will have everyone around them talking and acting in a negative, bad way. Your attitude will dictate to others who you really are. Your attitude is like people seeing who you are on the inside.

          I can remember when I was younger, going through my teen years, my mother and I didn’t seem to see eye to eye on anything…I’m being honest. Whatever she said, I would say the opposite. If she said go left, I would go right. I don’t know if any of you can relate to that… I had a smart mouth, can you believe that?! I always had to get the last word and my attitude stunk, if you know what I mean. I needed what my mom called an “attitude adjustment,” and quick!

Well, that didn’t happen until I started getting a little Jesus way deep down on the inside of me. I couldn’t share a space in my heart with Jesus, that space that seemed to be so grim and bleak and nasty on the inside. I had to allow God to slowly come in and give me the attitude adjustment that I so very much-needed. I had to change the way that I viewed life. I was angry because of what happened with my dad and his drinking. I was frustrated with having to move. I was angry with my mom because I somehow thought that she could have helped my dad. I was young and scared and didn’t know how to process it all, so I took on a negative attitude towards a lot of things. Things such as life, people who were allowed to continue their lives on the Military base, my friends who got to continue to live that lifestyle, the lifestyle that I always knew. I was just plain ole Tonya with the ugly attitude that needed changing.

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me

            Well, once I started attending Young Life, the ministry that was picking up at my school in the afternoons, God used my Young Life leader, Rita, to help me with that process. I began talking more and not holding things in, I started reading the Word, I started spending more and more time with My precious Jesus and He began to create a new heart and attitude within me. I was being made into a new creation…God’s ultimate daughter! Jesus started taking up that negative space in my heart and mind and I began to change! The new me was and is so much greater and better than the old me! I just had to start looking at the positive side of things, which helped me to change my attitude. God is so awesome like that!! He can do the same thing for YOU!!! Why don’t you give Him a chance to show you? 🙂

Precious Jesus,

I ask that you please forgive us of the things that we have done that were not pleasing to you and we ask that you come into our hearts and start moving those negative things around and help us to move them out, so that we can have room in hearts for all of the positive things that you desire for us. Things like love, peace, joy and true happiness. Lord we know that you are able to do this and so much more. We are going to thank you now, in advance for what you are about to do. We thank you now in your Darling Son’s Jesus name we pray. Amen

______________________________________________

Our secret fellowship group on Facebook  is OPEN, so join us to make some new friends who love the Lord!!!! :)

AND…. all of our SECRET FB Bible study groups are opening TODAY!!!!!

Please “like” our Facebook Community page here to stay up-to-date on all we are doing for teens over here at GCH: decaf: https://www.facebook.com/GCHdecaf.

Be sure to email our lead barista, Megan, if you have any questions about the study or this ministry. She would love to hear from you!  Megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

Our first study will start October 1st! We will be studying A Daughter’s Worth by Ava Sturgeon.

Join by clicking HERE !!!

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »