Brought to Completeness..........Thursday

2/18/16š›

And when you come to Jesus, you are in Him. You are whole through your union with Christ and there is nothing lacking that needs to be added. You have been filled by Him with the fullness of life, God life, because just like Jesus, you too are filled with the the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and this is how you reach your full spiritual stature.

In Christ you have been brought to completeness. You stand fully grown in Christ, because you belong to Jesus. You are not a seedling that needs to grow in order to be wholly in Jesus. You are entirely in Christ now.

And Jesus is the head of all every angelic principality and heavenly power. He is in charge of every earthly ruler, every kingdom, every home and every heart.  His rule and authority extends over everything.

We are complete in Christ and Christ is over all things.

Colossians 2.10

Don't let any situation belittle who you are in Christ. Don’t let any circumstance depreciate the fullness of Christ in you.

In Him, we were chosen from the foundation of the world. In Him, we are more than conquerors. In Him we are blessed with ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly places. In Him we have access to His grace in which we stand. In Him we live and breathe and have our being.

So let nothing make you feel less than what He says you are. Stand on it. Be bold about it. And proclaim it wherever you go. 

Written by

Brother Thomas Ukwute

  via Jody Ward, Edit

     

"Do Not Grow Weary"..........Wednesday

1/17/16

I don't know about you, but many times in ministering for the Lord I get  very, very weary. There are times I just want to say, "Well Lord, maybe someone else can do this who is better qualified, and I am just too tired  to carry on." I am sure many of you understand and are tracking with me on that. After all,  we are all human and we have multiple responsibilities going on in our life. At times we are definitely going to get weary and  sometimes feel like walking away.

But the good news is that we know what we are doing is for Him, and He knows our hearts. He totally understands us and gently calls to us to just sit at His feet and rest. The Lord will refresh  us in times of weariness. The Lord will fill us up with His strength and give us all we need to continue for Him to complete His work.

 

His Word says...  

"And let us not grow weary
while doing good, 
for in due season we 
shall reap  if we do not
lose heart."

Galatians 6:9 

His Word is a direct promise to us that He will fulfill everything that He tells us in His Word that He will do. Our place is to persevere and stand strong and tenacious in the Lord, knowing with  great confidence we shall absolutely reap what we have set our hand to doing onto Him
.

Now that is Great  News and a Great Reminder to Not Grow Weary. The Lord Almighty will always come through and stay true  to His Word!

Not Growing Weary, 

Sandy Billingham

             

Tuesday Writing by Corinne Mustafa.......1/3/2017

^2/16/16

A few years ago I attended a retreat that had the theme, ‘Our Value to God.” There are many scripture verses that address this topic. The two scriptures in this devotional are not included in this list of scriptures. However, these two scriptures seem to give the most evidence of who we are to God.

But God demonstrates 

his own love for us in this: 

While we were still sinners, 

Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

We are so very important to God that He was willing to sacrifice the life of His Son, Jesus. He did not insist that we prove ourselves by acts of our paltry human power. Even though we are who and what we are God, values us so much. He sees us as he made us and not as we are. We are His children…His creation. He knows that we cannot earn salvation, but He wants to offer us eternal life in spite of our shortcomings. How amazing is that. He was willing to die for us while we were still sinners. He did not hold off for some human miracle by which we could make ourselves worthy by our own strength.

In evidence for this topic there is also the following scripture…

“I tell you the truth, 

those who listen to my message and believe

 in God who sent me have eternal life. 

They will never be condemned for their sins, 

but they have already passed from death into life.

John 5:24

This tells us that even though we have sinned we will not be judged because of our sin. If we believe in God we will have life eternally with Him, because we have already passed from death into life. I am blessed by this, because it tells me that I no longer am under the condemnation of my sin. I do believe that it calls for a certain striving from me to live a life that shows good will and love of God. However, if in my human weakness, I stumble He has already forgiven me for my shortcomings.

THANK YOU GOD!

Written by 

Corinne Mustafa

Roses for Sale..........Monday

2/15/16

Wandering through the garden section of the local store I see a sign, "Rose Bushes Only $4.99." The thin long bags of dirt have a few sticks poking out of the top . Could I grow a rose? I take 3 bushes home imagining the beauty and scent these mere sticks might have one day.

Two plants find nice homes in large garden pots. But what about the third rose bush? Discussing my predicament with my daughter she asks why I don't just dig a hole in the ground. As I admit my aversion to hole digging she offers to do it for me. That's how 3 rose 'sticks' made their home just outside my kitchen window.

Five years later 3 beautiful rose bushes, tall and green, blossom at intervals, releasing silk petals whenever the wind blows. Suddenly one summer, a disease killed one of the plants but the others stayed strong. Then a drought compelled us to water less and less. After 2 summers of reduced water, the remaining rose bush in a planter shriveled and died.

Only the rose with it's roots deep in the earth withstood the intense heat and lack of water. It didn't blossom but it survived. When the rains came again the plant burst forth in abundance as if it had been saving many seasons of flowers to grow and bloom at once.

When I find that I have become complacent, taking God for granted, forgetting to hold onto those truths that are food for my soul, I suddenly recognize I have been in a drought of my own making.

"For the word of God is living and active

and sharper than any two-edged sword,

and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit,

of both joints and marrow, and

able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 NIV 

Dear Lord, thank You for bringing my true condition to my attention that I may repent and receive Your forgiveness. Please help each of us to drink in Your truth even when we don't think we are thirsty or dry.  Thank You that Your Word will always prove true (see Proverbs 30:5). What a relief to know that I may fool others but I cannot fool You (see Hebrews 4:13). Thank You for not leaving us or forgetting us (see Deuteronomy 31:6). In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

Jordan Feliz performs "The River"

LOVE... Sunday

Happy Valentines Day 
from 

Women's Focus Ministries 

and 

all of the writers 

who write for 

this ministry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Devotional for 2/14/16

This is Valentine's Day, a day devoted to celebrating love.  We often think of it as a couples day, meant to celebrate romantic love.  However, there are many who are not involved in a romantic relationship.  But we are all involved in love relationships that have nothing to do with romance. 

The first love relationship everyone has is with God.  He created us and loved us while we were still in the womb.  Christ loved us while we were yet sinners, dead in our trespasses, unable to rescue ourselves.  His was a perfect love, sacrificing himself on the cross in our place, even though he had done absolutely nothing wrong.  It is the greatest love on earth, given freely to every person.  We are commanded to love him back in the first and greatest commandment, "Love the Lord, your God."  Sometimes we might become angry with God, but He still lovingly forgives us and helps us through those tough times.

The next love relationship is with ourselves.  Self-love sounds like the opposite of being humble.  Loving ourselves may make us think of the negative qualities of egotism and narcissism.  But there is a healthy meaning of self-love that includes supporting and caring for ourselves with compassion.  It does not mean that we believe ourselves to be perfect or better than others.  It means we accept our faults and imperfections but do not condemn ourselves for them, and are gentle and loving with ourselves in spite of our shortcomings.  Sometimes we find this difficult for various reasons, but we can ask God for help in this relationship with ourselves.   

The final love relationship we all experience is with the "neighbors" in our lives. We try to reflect God's love in our lives, first by loving and forgiving ourselves, then by loving and forgiving others just as we have been forgiven.  This can be extremely difficult, especially if someone has hurt us deeply.  But in forgiving them, we release ourselves from the emotional torment of holding a grudge. Praying to God for help in being willing to forgive can be a first step.  Loving our neighbor is the second greatest commandment according to Christ.

Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)  Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Dear Father in heaven, thank you for the greatest gift of love of all time in the whole world - that of your Son's sacrifice on the cross at Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.  Give us your Holy Spirit to grow our faith and to help us learn to love ourselves and our neighbors just as you love us.  Forgive us when we mess up in our relationships with you, ourselves and others, and show us that you still love us no matter what!  In Jesus' name, Amen.

written by Jan Andersen  

PLAN "A".................Saturday

 2/13/16 

"Then the word of the Lord came to him: 'This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.' He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars  -- if indeed you can count them.'  Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'"

                Genesis 15:4, 5

     Many of you will remember this story of Abraham.  He and Sarah were promised a son and then had to wait something like 20 years for the fulfillment.  Along the way, like many of us who get tired of waiting and become impatient, we try plan B.  Usually we figure we'll help God along.  Or maybe that He has forgotten us.

     Plan B was never designed to work as well as plan A.  The best thing to remember is that there are no limitations to God's ability to give us what we need.  We just have to trust Him and trust His timing as well.

     Can you count the stars?  I can't either!  That means God's resources are unlimited and His power greater than we can imagine. 

     Next time you are sure God has promised you something on Plan A, relax.  Trust -- wait -- be patient.  God's plan A is best!

Written  by

Carol Steficek

Barely Holding On.........Friday

February 12, 2016 

I am really struggling today with being positive about anything or even seeing God in the scope of my life.  It took the lyrics of a James Taylor song to give me even a little gleam of hope:

“Won't you look down upon me, Jesus, You've got to help me make a stand.

You've just got to see me through another day.

My body's aching and my time is at hand and I won't make it any other way.

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end.”

I truly don’t understand how putting my trust and faith in God has led me to this really ugly situation that I am in.  I don’t want to learn anything else, God!!  I have gotten myself out of an unpleasant work situation to what I thought was a great opportunity.  It really hurts to find out the trust of the situation.  It has been a roller coaster of two months, trying to do it all and then seeing the reality of it all, as a very unfortunate, devil controlled environment with an impossible person as my boss, motivated by a few of the seven deadly sins, and still getting away with it, as I have tried to bring it to light to the powers that be.

Here last week I was praising God for leading me to the opportunity, and this week it has become
very clear that I don’t understand any of God’s plans. I am really angry.  So, all I can do today to not lose it, is to beg Jesus to look down upon me, I hope He will see me through another day. My hopes are that the hurt and disappointment will be even a wee bit less tomorrow.

 Whatever you do, work heartily, 
as for the Lord and not for men, 

 knowing that from the Lord you will 
receive the inheritance as your reward. 

You are serving the Lord Christ.  
For the wrongdoer will be paid back

 for the wrong he has done, 
and there is no partiality.

Colossians 3:23-25

(ESV)

Written by

Kellie Dobyns

My song is not a Christian song, but, I thought it was perfect for my writing. 

I think that this song should be called out to God.
Kelly 

God says, "I love you, and I am there!"