WOMEN'S FOCUS MINISTRIES provides this collection of writings by talented women who participate on our WRITING STAFF. You will find that these blogs are not only beautifully written but also are inspiring and interesting. ENJOY!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST COMMENTS UNDER THE WRITINGS! All you need to do is to click on the word COMMENT. You will get a screen to write on. The easiest way to do it is to choose Name/ URL. It is not necessary to post an URL with it...just give your name. Thanks!
The coming of the year 2015 offers us hope for new beginnings in our lives. We want to move forward with goals and anticipated victories. However, as this fresh year dawns, let us remember the lessons to be learned from the book of Exodus. The trip from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land should have taken the Israelites only a matter of days. However, these sojourners believed the evil report of ten of the twelve spies that they would not be able to conquer the promised land. Because of their unbelief, grumbling, complaining, and disobedience to God's instructions, the Israelites were forced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. God denied them entrance to their Promised Land of milk and honey. Instead, only their children and the two faithful spies, Joshua and Caleb, reached the desired land of Canaan.
Our flesh nature quickly turns to fear, complaining, and to rationalizing our disobedience to the Lord. It takes discipline to keep our eyes focused on the Master in the midst of adversity. It takes humility and trust to believe God's Word and His promises for our personal journeys in this life.
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you.”
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJ)
As we daily renew our minds through reading the Bible, praising God, and praying we can make 2015 a year of triumph and achievement. When tempted to complain, lets discipline ourselves to thank and praise God for our blessings and through our trials.
“Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians (NLT)
When taunted by fear, lets quote God's Word concerning faith. And finally, when enticed to follow our own reasoning, let's instead follow the instructions of the Holy Spirit within us. We can make the New Year a season of peace and joy as we enter in with faithful, grateful, and obedient hearts.
I think one of the most
valuable lessons I have learned as a Christian is to trust in the Lord without
reservation. It is a lesson I have learned mostly through experience and
validated by the Word of God. As a new believer, trusting did not come easy for
me. I had a stable childhood with a very faithful and loving mother. However,
my dad died when I was three years old. Perhaps his absence made it more
difficult for me to feel that God would be there for me as an adult. At any
rate after years of God showing Himself strong on my behalf and coming through
for me in every possible circumstance, I can emphatically say that God is
indeed trustworthy! He shows up in every situation, orchestrating the details
of our lives with loving care and creativity. In our darkest trials He is
faithful to comfort us and work those miracles we need.
“Trust me in your time
of trouble,
and I will rescue you and you will give me glory.”
Psalm 50:15
(NLT)
I was pondering about
the birth of Jesus this season. It came to me that the Christmas Story began
with God asking the Saviour's earthly parents to trust in Him unconditionally.
Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel and was told that she, a virgin, was to
conceive the Saviour of the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. This
was an honor that truly required faith!
Similarly, Joseph was told by an angel
in a dream that his fiancee, Mary, had conceived the child in her womb
supernaturally. He was instructed to marry her and care for this Christ child.
Thus, the birthing of the King of Kings into this earth realm began as journey
of trust. To become a follower of Jesus, the first requirement seems to be that
of faith and trust.
When we believe in and
rely on Jesus we can begin to truly see His character and attributes. He is loving,
compassionate, merciful, forgiving, pure, holy, righteous, just, steadfast,
changeless, true, magnificent and “altogether lovely.” When we gaze upon the
Lord in worship and adoration we are changed into His image and likeness.
As we honor the Lord this
Christmas season let us pray for others to experience the joy of trusting
wholeheartedly in Him.
This morning, as I walked from the train station to my
office, I passed a couple headed in the opposite direction, sharing a
bike. He was in front, standing as he
pedaled and she sat on the seat, holding his waist and laughing. It was an endearing site, until the Mom in me
kicked in, and I wondered why they were not wearing helmets.
Of course, I never wore a helmet while riding my bike,
downhill, on a curve, with the handlebars coming loose halfway down. I survived, so I was hopeful they would as
well. I did offer up a prayer for them,
just in case. After all, I am where I am
because of the prayers of others, which lead me back to God and His grace.
The encounter got me thinking about some of the movies and TV
shows where the main character gets a bump on the head and is transported back
to a turning point in their lives, so they could change a key moment and alter
their future for the better. Of course,
I began the, “I wonder what would have happened if I’d…” game in my head –
again. I stopped myself quickly, as I
needed to focus on crossing the street and getting to work in one piece. And, unless I am planning to write about it,
there is no benefit in trying to replay my past. Except…if I review and acknowledge the many
times that the Holy Spirit has helped me change direction and saved me from my
own short-sighted selfishness.
The guilt from my past mistakes should be a memory too; as I
thank the Lord, for His mercy and grace.
Just imagine if we actually showed traces of each bad choice we ever
made on the part of our body that made it.
I would be missing most of my toes, at least one hand, one eye and not
have a mouth, for sure!
But thankfully, Our Father is so gracious and kind, not only
does he forgive us when we confess, but He truly forgets. And His Son bore the scars for all of our
wrongdoings, so we could appear wholly acceptable and deserving of heaven!
“Thank you, Father
God, for having my wrong choices erased by Your offering of love through the
sacrifice of Your son, Jesus Christ. I
pray that I remain aware and grateful for all of the scars I do not bear, as I
accept Your forgiveness, which I could never earn on my own. Please keep me humble and help me show the
world how wonderful it is to live in the glow of Your Divine and Perfect
Love. I pray this, in Jesus’ Name,
Amen.”
Brothers and sisters, think of what you
were when you were called. Not many were of noble birth. But
God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God
chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God
chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things
that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no
one may boast before him. It is because of him that you
are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our
righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore,
as it is written:
“Let the one who boasts boast in the
Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:26-31(NIV)
Written by
Lynda Kinnard – November 2014
Please be sure to read what the person is thinking zzzz
The Lord has been speaking to me lately about the importance of praising and worshiping Him through song and dance. First of all, God is so worthy of all of our praise. We could spend the rest of our lives thanking and extolling Him for sending His Son to die that we might be saved. God's goodness, power, strength, love, mercy, compassion, billance and beauty are just a few of His attributes which delight and amaze those who know Him.
The Word of God says that God inhabits the praises of His people. ( Psalm 22:3) When we praise Jesus we seem to die to self. We drop our own agendas, release our anxieties, and allow the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives and situations. Have you ever noticed how refreshed and envigorated you feel after singing praises to our Lord?
“And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you,
He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life
to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”
Romans 8:11 (NIV)“
As we concentrate on God 's greatness and glory, we realize that He can and will protect, provide for, heal, and bless us. Our faith is renewed and strengthened as we behold the sovereignity of our King.
I love the story of Paul and Silas. They were suffering in prison, bound with chains, and things for them were looking pretty glum. Yet, with pure hearts they chose to sing praises to God. Lo and behold they were set free as the prison doors flew open and all the prisoners chains fell off. What a marvelous example of how God will set us free from all kinds of negative circumstances as we lift Him up in worship.
I feel that we raise up a canopy of Divine protection as we glorify the Lord.
“I called to the Lord who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.”
2 Samuel 22 :4(NIV)
In these days of peril and uncertainty, lets push back the powers of darkness and fill the atmosphere with praises to our most deserving Lord and Saviour. Let's turn on our praise music, break out the tamborines, and sing and dance with our little children! They will be filled with joy and learn how to do battle with the enemy at the same time.
A time for scattering stones;
A time for gathering stones;
A time to hug; A time not to hug;
6
A time to find; A time to lose;
A time for keeping; A time for throwing away;
7
A time to tear; A time to repair;
A time to be quiet; A time to speak up;
8
A time for loving; A time for hating;
A time for war; A time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
Living Bible
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Fall
When
I was young, the new school year began in September—fall—a new beginning
bundled with excitement, anticipation, new experiences, seeing my friends and
meeting new ones.
Fall
was the time to look forward to new: notebooks, pencils, lunch box, and a few
clothes. I especially loved the new box
of underpants presented in a divided box for the seven days of the week; the
day was embroidered on the side of each pair greeting me in seven different
glorious colors.
When
I began my career as a teacher, I relived the excitement of a new school
year. I found enjoyment in purchasing a new, crisp,
clean, teacher’s plan book and, I treated myself to some new outfits and always
new underwear.
When
I became Dean of the Department, my life still revolved around the academic
year; only now August had become the beginning of the new school year.
As
a retired person, I still carry the image of fall offering up
new beginnings. I think of my mom
as I design and arrange my fall
centerpiece for my dining room table; I remember her taking delight in welcoming each new season and holiday with different table decorations. I love hanging the colorful dried leaves and
flowers put together in a wreath my granddaughter made when she was in
elementary school. I
find myself smiling a I set out new, tall, thin, tapers, the color of
exquisite burnt orange.
As
I write, this I realize the word “Ours” has now melted into “My.”
For 31 years Eddie and I loved
cooking Thanksgiving Dinner for our families—now there are no more Thanksgivings at my home. Last year I gave my daughter our beautiful
china platter, which held our turkeys for all those fun and wonderful years of
celebration; now it’s time for new traditions to be born.
I
welcome Fall with its pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bagels, my sister’s tasty pumpkin
bread, my daughters delicious pumpkin cookies, and I applaud and give
thanks for God’s gifts of colorful leaves and crisp fresh air
setting the scene for new experiences and discoveries for me to make about living
my life forward.
The
changes of the seasons reminds us that God’s love for us is everlasting and
always there for us each day of our lives.
I say “Thank You.”
Today I am welcoming a new writer to our Writing Staff. Terri Baker is a friend and an insightful person. She has five adult children and a granddaughter. Her son Daniel is a pastor at our church. Terri works in the youth program every week. In this writing she is being real. That is how she is. Her insights will be edifying to others as they read her post which will occur once a month. Welcome my friend. She is a loyal and loving friend who always says good by in her special way....."Mwaaaaaah!!" Thank you and back at you, Terri!
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Do you ever feel yourself falling deep into a dark pit, lost and alone? One minute life is grand. You feel so special, so happy, surrounded by love. Then there you are, out of the blue, just like that, on your own to sink or swim. You find yourself looking up grasping for all the hands you believe will be there, reaching in to save you. All of those people you know, your family, your friends, those who claim to love you? You ask yourself, where are they? It is getting darker and darker. Deeper and deeper you go. You wish for someone to come rescue you. Yet you ask no one. You are alone. You begin to believe that you are not worthy. You begin attacking yourself with questions. Where have I failed? What is wrong with me? You hide in your hiding place, hang your head and can no longer stop the tears. Depression can suck the life out of us. It hurts so bad.
For years I found myself there. That was until the year 2005.
This is what I learned since then. It is not just me but in fact we all come to a place like this in our lives. Some of us more often then others. Some go deeper than others. Sadly, some go so deep they can no longer see the light of day. There are so many things that can bring us to this spot. An overload of responsibility, unpaid bills, losing your home, needs for your family that you cannot afford, jobs we hate, worldly people that bring us down, kids that are rebellious or that we fear for because of their life choices, illness in ourselves or those we love. And then there is that ugly, painful past that keeps sneaking back up on you, piece by piece. So very many things.
Depression can suck the life out of us.
We often believe its the things in our lives that lead us to this place of darkness, and yes, they can. But more often then we realize, God Himself often brings us here. Not for punishment or to cause us pain but to begin our healing. When we least expect it He will plop it down, right there in front of us. A heap we see as a mountain too high, too painful to climb.
People fail us but God never fails. He knows everything about us.
I do have friends that always care, but He knows when I need them. He tells me when it is time for my one on one's with Him. He also blesses us with His warriers, our precious friends who pray for us. We are not alone. We need to look up, way up
He always meets us there! His out stretched hand not just reaching to grab us, but pulling us up on our feet. He blesses us with his people, those I like to call, Angels on earth that pray for us and who help to make His plans for us so clear to see when we cannot hear Him talking. He is always there making us stronger, making us wiser, giving us freedom and healing us from the inside out!
God does not want us to suffer, but allows us time to face the things that cause us pain. He gives us the heart to forgive who or what it was that caused that pain.
He built us to face and conquer our demons.
So, the next time you are feeling alone in a dark place, know... He is right beside you all the way. You are, in fact, in a very blessed place, able to spend one on one time with the very best friend you will ever have. He who has suffered for us. He enables us to stand taller and stronger than ever before, ready to fight the next battle., whether it be our own or someone else's. It is all in His perfect plan. Trust Him
He is a healing God. He loves us more than life!
Today, my life is far from perfect. I still suffer illness, depressing times and even subtle reminders of things from my past that begin burning what feels like holes in my heart. It is just so much easier now, knowing it is His plan and knowing…that Jesus is beside me holding my hand, through it all!
This month I wanted to share with you some information regarding the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem. It is coming up this Sunday October 5th. Israel is very dear to my heart, as I'm sure she is to all of you. It seems the closer we draw to the Lord, the more we cherish the Holy Land and her people. The Word of God commands us to pray for Israel and promises us a blessing when we obey.
Psalm 122:6 reads:
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.”
Genesis 12:3 speaks of Israel and states that
“I (the Lord) will bless those who bless you.”
“ On the first Sunday of every October, hundreds of millions of people around the world join together to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” To see how you can personally participate in this event go to: Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem – Official Site or to www.daytopray.com
I find it so exciting to be able to unite with others in such a powerful call to prayer. The Lord led me to discover a beautiful prayer for Jerusalem which I wanted to share:
Father, you are the God of Israel and they
are your people. .........................................................................Isaiah 45:3
Save them with an everlasting salvation....................................Isaiah 45:17
Raise them up in righteousness and direct all their ways..........Isaiah 45:13
Be a shelter for your people and the strength for the children of Israel...............................................................Joel 3:16
Bring health and healing to them and their land. Let Israel be to you a name of praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth.....................................................Jeremiah 33:9
Restore everything that has been removed from them...............Joel 2: 25
Seek out your sheep and deliver them from the peoples and countries where they were scattered and bring them to their own land...........................................................................Ezekiel 34:12-13
I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper that love you....................................................................Psalm 122:6
Lord, cause their enemies to cease from the land......................Ezekiel 34:25
Makethem and the places all around Jerusalem
a blessing and cause showers of blessing to come
down in their season...................................................................Ezekiel 34:26
Let your people dwell safely in their land......................................Ezekiel 34:27
Delivered from trouble from all the kingdoms
of the earth...................................................................Jeremiah 34:17
As we daily renew our minds through reading the Bible, praising God, and praying we can make 2015 a year of triumph and achievement. When tempted to complain, lets discipline ourselves to thank and praise God for our blessings and through our trials.
