I’ll never take for granted the blessing of never having been divorced, never having to split my children between two households and never having to battle with an unbelieving husband or ex-husband. But I know that there are many of you out there, and I applaud the stand that you take. Since this is a women’s ministry, I thought I would share an incident my friend experienced. Here’s the letter I wrote to her after she shared it with me…
Stand, my friend! Stand!
Picture it…all 300 pounds, flesh and bone, heaving in his anger. Squinting eyes burning holes into your heart, degrading smirk showing his power against you. All standing right there before you, your son’s father. He once had some sense…a fractional sum of decency…minute consideration for others…a slight idea of right and wrong. What has happened over the years? You’ve never known anyone so sick, so depraved, so confused. How did he get this bad, and how do you stand before him holding your ground? How do you shield yourself from his arrows? Better yet, how do you shield your son? You might as well be speaking to a foreigner, or worse, an alien for that matter. He receives nothing you have to say. You realize as you come to this conclusion that he feels the same about you. Everything he does is evil, yet he glorifies it. Every attempt you make to combat his evil seems useless. You’re nothing but a measly little soldier up against a Philistine giant. You stand there listening to him curse God and at the same time hear a thousand other voices in your head telling you what to do. Probing your way through the forest of choices in your head of what to say and how to respond, trying to figure out which one to grab hold of, your heart races with adrenaline, as his belly laugh echoes in slow motion drowning out any voice of reason. You’ve failed to find words that would quiet this vulgar monster.
“How can it be true? How am I supposed to release my child into the custody of this degenerate,” you ask yourself. You know exactly how dangerous he is. You look over at your 16 year old fruit of your womb lying on the couch, leg up in a cast, and you flash in your mind to only days before when you were rushing to the hospital begging God to let him be O.K. You remember the feeling of a giant rock, no a boulder sinking down into your gut when questions were asked by the doctor about his home life because his blood alcohol level was legally drunk when he smashed into the SUV while riding his skateboard. And where did he get this alcohol? From this man standing in your living room screaming at you to let the boy do what he wants to do and for you to stop talking about God. You’re forced by the law to let this man, who you were once married to, take your son into his lion’s den weekend after weekend, brainwashing him, intoxicating him, abusing him. Will he be protected as Daniel was in the midst of the lions? That boy doesn’t even remember who Daniel was, nor would he ever believe that his dad’s home is a lair of roaring lions waiting to devour him. In fact, in the middle of all the thought processes involved in those few moments of standing face to face with what feels to you like your worst enemy, you yourself forget that God is more powerful than you’re ex-husband or the puppeteer that’s using him to torment you and your family. But that’s just it, it’s the puppeteer who’s your worst enemy.
You muster up enough strength to flash a courageous smile on your face and tell your son that you love him. You remind him of all of the doctors’ orders, and tell him you’ll see him on Sunday. Your choice to listen to the voice of truth that your child will be in God’s hands and that nothing can separate him from God’s love is a leap of faith. And so you’re rewarded with barely enough peace to get through the weekend. Your faith shielded you from the powerful punches of your foe. Now that the blows have whizzed past you leaving you amazingly unharmed, you peak around the corner of your shield to get a good look at this man through God’s eyes and you see him for who he truly is. Lost! He’s so lost and full of so much shame that he cannot even feel it anymore. He’s become numb to it. His surmounting misery is beyond belief. Beyond comprehension for someone such as yourself who knows the Lord, who knows grace, who knows redemption.
You’re no longer standing in fear, but filled with pity as you truly see his pathetic life. Yes, that’s how to do it. That’s how to stand before a Goliath. Keep on asking God to show you who this man really is. Pray for exposure, secrets to be revealed and justice to be served. Pray for God to give you compassion, not bitterness. Pray for your son to see the contrast between his parents –a desolate man wasting away in his sinful life, sad and pitiful –a woman growing wiser all the time as she stands firm in her faith day after day in the strength of the Spirit of God. Pray that he sees his dad as an example to avoid. Pray that he instead turns to his heavenly Father, following the example of you. Pray that God will give him the grace to never wallow in his own self-pity over who his dad turned out to be. Pray that he will always focus on the blessings God has given him, his siblings, his grandparents, his mom! And pray for God to have His way in your ex-husband, and for, if it is His will, God will use all of the circumstances in this man’s life to awaken his heart to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. But, in the meantime, do not stop standing in the battle. Put on the full armor of God. If God is with you, who can be against you? He just doesn’t stand a chance as long as you stand with the Lord by your side. Stand!
Written by Amie Spruiell
..........WOMEN'S FOCUS MINISTRIES..
7/31/10
7/30/10
"I Know That You See Me, Lord"
“He drew me up out of a horrible pit (a pit of tumult and of destruction), out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings.”
Psalm 40:2 (amplified bible)
I know that You see me, Lord... trudging through life… walking in the mud and the muck. You can see that with each step I am becoming more and more encumbered. You see that I am bringing my loved ones and those around me with me. You know that I am only bringing them this way because I don’t know any other way!
I can’t clean the mud and the muck off by myself. But I know that You can, Lord. (1 John 1:7). I trust You. I know that You don’t mind “getting dirty” in order to cleanse me, or those around me. I feel so safe as You sit down next to me and begin to raise first my one foot, and then the other. You love me so much that You don’t just cleanse me, but You begin to show me the things that I’ve been trying so hard to walk in. You know what I’ve been taught, but You want to teach me a better way. You want to give me new way of understanding. You begin to talk to me about the shame that has held not only me back, but also those whom I love. You see that it has caused me to become hindered in my spiritual, emotional and relational progress.
I know that You, Lord, love me… and You speak truthfully to Me as You cleanse me. At first I feel ashamed for You to touch me… and I want to pull away. But as I look into Your eyes and feel the love in Your hands, I begin to trust You, along with work that You are doing in me. You are very gentle… and very kind. (Matthew 11:29)
You are also very thorough (Phil 1:6) and I love that You came to set me free. (Romans 6:22) I know that Your purpose is to teach me how to walk like You walk. I know that You don’t want to leave me behind, because You love me too much. I know that You want me to walk beside You, unencumbered… and unashamed. You want me to walk in the joy of my salvation and to bring others with me so that You can teach them how to walk unencumbered also.
You touch me so intimately and so lovingly, in the very place in which I walk out my life. You are so wise and so kind, Lord. You remind me that You will stay beside me and perhaps even more astounding is the fact that You actually take delight in me (Habbakuk 3:19). I know that You are very proud of the physical and spiritual progress that You see me making (II Sam 22:20). Your presence brings me the courage that I so desperately need, Lord and it helps me to be still and to know that You alone are God (Psalm 46:10).
You are mine, Lord… and I am yours. (SS 2:16) Now I know… once again that there is no other place that I’d rather be than right here with You (Psalm 26:8). I love You, Lord.
Written by Beverley A. Napier
7/28/10
Summer Seeker
Dear Lord, I am in summer seeking you. It is so very hot and I am so very dry. With all of my being I cry out for water. My throat is parched and I can not speak. I have no words to express my heart’s cry of yearning.
Jesus in you is life. You are the living water. In you I quench my thirst. I would drink of you. I would soak in your presence. Lord Jesus, rain down on me and saturate me, fill me. You bring healing to me and refresh my very being. In you I will find answers. In you I will find peace.
It is in the air. I smell it. It is a sweet fragrance. My spirit quickens and I start to run. Into the arms of Jesus I run. He holds me tight and whispers to me, “ It is beginning to rain”.
Written by Susan Bower
Jesus in you is life. You are the living water. In you I quench my thirst. I would drink of you. I would soak in your presence. Lord Jesus, rain down on me and saturate me, fill me. You bring healing to me and refresh my very being. In you I will find answers. In you I will find peace.
It is in the air. I smell it. It is a sweet fragrance. My spirit quickens and I start to run. Into the arms of Jesus I run. He holds me tight and whispers to me, “ It is beginning to rain”.
Written by Susan Bower
7/27/10
My Abba Father; My Refuge
I know that I am secure in the arms of Jesus. In Psalms 46:1 it says, God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Regardless of the storms that may come my way, I find my strength and help in the Lord. I have no reason to fear, for the Lord has proven to me over and over that He is a reliable stronghold for me.
I find great comfort each day knowing that I can rely on God to be there for me. God tells me in His word that He will Hide me in the secret place of His presence. There is no better place that I want to be than in His presence, hidden away in the secret place!
David calls out to God in Psalm 17:8, "Hide me under the shadow of your wings." God's heart for His people is to keep us securely surrounded by His protective care.
It brings me great peace and security knowing that He is my Abba Father in whom is my refuge all the days of my life.
Written by Sandy
I find great comfort each day knowing that I can rely on God to be there for me. God tells me in His word that He will Hide me in the secret place of His presence. There is no better place that I want to be than in His presence, hidden away in the secret place!
David calls out to God in Psalm 17:8, "Hide me under the shadow of your wings." God's heart for His people is to keep us securely surrounded by His protective care.
It brings me great peace and security knowing that He is my Abba Father in whom is my refuge all the days of my life.
Written by Sandy
Letting God's Truth Set Me Free
Max Lucado is a storyteller. Not just any teller of stories. He preaches, teaches, and wraps the truths of God in warm fuzzy blankets that comfort and reassure us that God’s love is greater than all of our shortcomings, failures and sins combined. Let me assure you, my own pile of regrets is very large, so I appreciate the words of encouragement.
I recently read Max’s Fearless. Each chapter dealing with a different struggle, such as ‘fear of the worst’, ‘fear of failure’ and the ‘fear of disappointing God’. As I mulled that last one, I realized that for me, it went hand in hand with ‘I’ve already disappointed God, too much!’
Do you know what a gnat is? That’s right, a teeny bug that is soft to the touch. It’s so small I can squish it or flick it and not be at all squeamish. Now before you congratulate me on overcoming my ‘bug fear’, let me say that a fly is another matter altogether. I will not kill a fly of any size with my bare hands. To me, a fly is annoying, persistent and disgusting. When a fly has made me its target – I need a tool. I will settle for a newspaper, magazine, even a flip-flop. But since a fly has kaleidoscope-like vision, a swift and silent flyswatter is the ideal weapon. Yet, even with this, it can still take a surprising amount of time and effort to actually corner and remove this pest.
The spiritual gnats in my life are the memories of past failures, pesky but small reminders of things done wrong. But a quick mental flick and I remember that I have repented and been forgiven of all my sins.
The spiritual flies in my life are a bigger deal. Especially when I’m distracted by life; I might just try to swat one of these past failures away (such as a verse quickly spoken) but before I know it – I am sinking fast into the remorse, regret and humiliation of a past sin. Then I recognize that I am in deep; wrestling with the grief, reliving the shame; I am drowning one moment and resisting the power of the past the next.
I am in an empty well of shadows. These shadows are very real to me. Painful reminders of mistakes made, wrong paths chosen, and selfish motives. I have tried many types of ladders to get out of this pit, but the only ladder strong enough is not meant for climbing: it’s made for holding on to.
This ladder is repeating scripture and praying. When I stop looking at the past and start repeating His truth, I change my focus from me (and the shadows around me) to the One who loves me and forgives me of my past failures. I wish I could say that getting out of the pit was like hunting down that pesky fly. A few minutes of concerted effort and the result is me 1, fly 0.
But the reality is, when I am struggling to overcome focusing on my sinfulness – it may take minutes, hours or days. But I don’t give up, because I know that God wants to deliver me, so I keep on repeating scripture, reminding myself out loud that God is with me and for me. I hold on, trusting His word and His promises. When I have a firm grip on the ladder of God’s truth, He lifts me up out of the pit. No climbing required.
Romans 8 is a perfect example of the kind of rope, I should say hope, that is available to us.
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8: 35-39 (NIV)
For more info about the book Fearless and the author: www.maxlucado.com
Written by Mary Wilkins July 25, 2010
I recently read Max’s Fearless. Each chapter dealing with a different struggle, such as ‘fear of the worst’, ‘fear of failure’ and the ‘fear of disappointing God’. As I mulled that last one, I realized that for me, it went hand in hand with ‘I’ve already disappointed God, too much!’
Do you know what a gnat is? That’s right, a teeny bug that is soft to the touch. It’s so small I can squish it or flick it and not be at all squeamish. Now before you congratulate me on overcoming my ‘bug fear’, let me say that a fly is another matter altogether. I will not kill a fly of any size with my bare hands. To me, a fly is annoying, persistent and disgusting. When a fly has made me its target – I need a tool. I will settle for a newspaper, magazine, even a flip-flop. But since a fly has kaleidoscope-like vision, a swift and silent flyswatter is the ideal weapon. Yet, even with this, it can still take a surprising amount of time and effort to actually corner and remove this pest.
The spiritual gnats in my life are the memories of past failures, pesky but small reminders of things done wrong. But a quick mental flick and I remember that I have repented and been forgiven of all my sins.
The spiritual flies in my life are a bigger deal. Especially when I’m distracted by life; I might just try to swat one of these past failures away (such as a verse quickly spoken) but before I know it – I am sinking fast into the remorse, regret and humiliation of a past sin. Then I recognize that I am in deep; wrestling with the grief, reliving the shame; I am drowning one moment and resisting the power of the past the next.
I am in an empty well of shadows. These shadows are very real to me. Painful reminders of mistakes made, wrong paths chosen, and selfish motives. I have tried many types of ladders to get out of this pit, but the only ladder strong enough is not meant for climbing: it’s made for holding on to.
This ladder is repeating scripture and praying. When I stop looking at the past and start repeating His truth, I change my focus from me (and the shadows around me) to the One who loves me and forgives me of my past failures. I wish I could say that getting out of the pit was like hunting down that pesky fly. A few minutes of concerted effort and the result is me 1, fly 0.
But the reality is, when I am struggling to overcome focusing on my sinfulness – it may take minutes, hours or days. But I don’t give up, because I know that God wants to deliver me, so I keep on repeating scripture, reminding myself out loud that God is with me and for me. I hold on, trusting His word and His promises. When I have a firm grip on the ladder of God’s truth, He lifts me up out of the pit. No climbing required.
Romans 8 is a perfect example of the kind of rope, I should say hope, that is available to us.
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8: 35-39 (NIV)
For more info about the book Fearless and the author: www.maxlucado.com
Written by Mary Wilkins July 25, 2010
7/26/10
ANSWERED PRAYER
I came to Him in my distress.
I let Him know my plea.
I asked Him for a great request.
I came on bended knee.
His Word assures us of His love, His willingness to bless.
Why then did I stand so amazed,
When He quickly answered me?
The Word of God is filled with promises that the Lord hears our petitions and that He is more than willing to meet our needs and even give us the desires of our hearts. As we ask in faith according to His will, Scripture and even our past experiences confirm that the Lord can and will come to our aid.
Let us then remember then to be immeasurably thankful yet not so surprised when the Lord rescues us and works on our behalf through answered prayer.
Written by CF
I let Him know my plea.
I asked Him for a great request.
I came on bended knee.
His Word assures us of His love, His willingness to bless.
Why then did I stand so amazed,
When He quickly answered me?
The Word of God is filled with promises that the Lord hears our petitions and that He is more than willing to meet our needs and even give us the desires of our hearts. As we ask in faith according to His will, Scripture and even our past experiences confirm that the Lord can and will come to our aid.
Let us then remember then to be immeasurably thankful yet not so surprised when the Lord rescues us and works on our behalf through answered prayer.
Written by CF
7/25/10
Love
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
These verses speak of a perfect kind of love that we strive to have for other people. This is a tall order. There is so much here in these verses! We can try to be loving to all people by doing these things - being kind, not envious, not boastful, etc. But how well can we do everything on this list? And it can often be difficult to treat all people with love, especially if there are people who don't reciprocate, or may have hurt us in some way, etc. However, Jesus tells us even to love our enemies, and pray for them (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27 & 35).
We strive to love one another in order to reflect God's love to the world, the love He has shown us first when He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sins. God gives us the power to be able to be loving to others. We can come to him in prayer, asking for help when we have difficulty with loving. But we can never love perfectly. Only God is perfect. And thankfully, when we fail to love others or to love perfectly, He is forgives us because of what Jesus has done.
In 1 John 4:8 we are told that God is Love. In fact, He is perfect love. So we could also use the 1 Corinthians verses to describe God by replacing the word "Love" with "God":
"God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. GOD NEVER FAILS!"
May we remember to be grateful for God's perfect love as we go into the world and share that love with others with his help.
Written by Jan A.
These verses speak of a perfect kind of love that we strive to have for other people. This is a tall order. There is so much here in these verses! We can try to be loving to all people by doing these things - being kind, not envious, not boastful, etc. But how well can we do everything on this list? And it can often be difficult to treat all people with love, especially if there are people who don't reciprocate, or may have hurt us in some way, etc. However, Jesus tells us even to love our enemies, and pray for them (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27 & 35).
We strive to love one another in order to reflect God's love to the world, the love He has shown us first when He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sins. God gives us the power to be able to be loving to others. We can come to him in prayer, asking for help when we have difficulty with loving. But we can never love perfectly. Only God is perfect. And thankfully, when we fail to love others or to love perfectly, He is forgives us because of what Jesus has done.
In 1 John 4:8 we are told that God is Love. In fact, He is perfect love. So we could also use the 1 Corinthians verses to describe God by replacing the word "Love" with "God":
"God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. GOD NEVER FAILS!"
May we remember to be grateful for God's perfect love as we go into the world and share that love with others with his help.
Written by Jan A.
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