Ask God to "Establish" You.

Life is hard. Some days are just more difficult than others. Whether it is a prayer you are waiting on God to answer, or wisdom to know how to handle a situation that threatens your peace, 2 Thessalonians 2:17 is a verse you can pray with confidence, knowing God will hear and answer: "Lord, comfort my heart, and establish me in every good word and work."

The word establish means to set something in place. Ask God to "establish" you today: He will establish you as you speak, giving you just the right words at the right time, and He will establish you as you work for His glory and in whatever you do in His name.

God wants you to succeed in living your life for His purpose and for His glory. He will "set you in place," He will "establish" you to do just that. 

2 Thessalonians 3:2; But the Lord is faithful, Who shall "establish" you, and keep you from evil.

What Are You Afraid of?

 As Jesus slept soundly in the boat, His head resting comfortably on a pillow, the storm raged, and His disciples were afraid. After many fearful moments they went below deck, woke Jesus and said, "Master, don't You even care that we are about to die?" Jesus immediately rebuked the wind, told the sea to be peaceful and calm, turned to the disciples and said, "Why are you so afraid? Why do you have no faith? (Mark 4:35-41)

When I allow my fear to dictate my faith, I have lost sight of the power of God to deliver me from the storm I am going through. But here's the good news! Even when I allow fear to overshadow my faith, God is still there to bring my circumstances together with His power to build me up again and give me His grace to overcome the fear. Isn't He awesome? He gave me the faith to be saved, then throughout my life He increases my faith to sustain me through every fear.

What are you afraid of today? Tell Jesus all about it, don't leave out a single detail, He will speak to your storm, and bring peace and calm to your fearful heart. I know He will do it for you; He has done it for me. I love Him so much.

Penny

He Is My Redeemer

I don't know about you, but past hurts and memories can often flood my mind and bring on stress, low self-esteem, and even depression that can plague me for hours and sadly, even days. Recently I was reading Psalm 44, and I read in verse 26 something I have read many times before, but it spoke to me in a new way. 

Psalm 44:26; Arise for our help and redeem us for Your mercies' sake.

To redeem means to "regain possession of something in exchange for payment." When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary He redeemed or regained possession of what the enemy had stolen. He defeated Satan. He redeemed my soul, but He also redeemed every part of me: my sin, my failure, past hurts, bad memories, He bought back all of it. He will redeem every part of you, too. 

Whatever is causing you emotional pain today, ask God to redeem it. Pray, "Lord, redeem this hurt, (name the hurt) and redeem it for Your mercies' sake." He will. He is my Redeemer.

Redeem Lord every hurt, redeem every shame.

All my fear, all my dread, redeem in Jesus' name. 

When my thoughts overflow, when my mind just won't cease,

Take back the enemies' hold, give me peace, sweet peace.

Thank You Lord that You are my Redeemer.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Penny                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Lord, "Establish" Me Today

 Life is so hard. And some days are just harder than others. Whether it is a prayer you are waiting for God to answer, or wisdom to know how to handle a situation that threatens your peace, 2 Thessalonians 2:17 is a verse you can pray with confidence, knowing God will hear and answer: "Lord, comfort my heart, and establish me in every good word and work."

Ask God to "establish" you today: He will. He will establish you as you speak, giving you just the right words at the right time. He will establish you as you work for His glory and in whatever you do in His name.

2 Thessalonians 3:2; "But the Lord is faithful Who will "establish" you and keep you from evil."

God delights in His word, and He delights in our prayers. When we put the 2 together, we have supernatural power in prayer and the enemy cannot stand in the supernatural power of God. Ask Him to establish you today.

Penny

Kind, Tenderhearted, and Forgiving

Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32.

I recently was walking into a restaurant and there in the landscaping, right beside the door was a rock, painted blue, and in big white letters were the words, Be Kind. Maybe you've seen painted rocks with words like Compassion, Love, Hope, Joy, and just those one or two words made you smile, made you want to do better at being a kinder, gentler, more forgiving person.

In Ephesians 4 the apostle Paul told the church at Ephesus that it is important how believers treat each other. And in verse four he shared three very simple, yet powerful words that can change any relationship from tense and stressed, to calm and sweet. (yes, sweet)

Kind. Just be kind. It costs us nothing to smile, it takes hardly anytime at all to open a door for someone, pick up something that has fallen from an older ladies' cart in WalMart, or allow someone  who has 2 items at Kroger to go ahead of your loaded down cart. Just be kind.

Tenderhearted. Tenderhearted is defined as having a kind, gentle, sentimental nature. It may take some cultivating on our part, but I believe anyone can develop a tender heart toward those who are sad and hurting. To be tenderhearted means to have empathy and compassion toward someone in need. All it takes is to imagine yourself in the other person's shoes and treating them the way you would want to be treated.

Forgiving. I must confess, I can sure hold onto old hurts. And the more I "entertain" those old memories, the bigger they get and if I'm not careful, they will consume me and manage to invade every part of my day. Paul wrote in Colossians 3 that we are to forgive as Jesus forgives (immediately) and not to wait until we "feel like it." Forgiveness is the mark of a maturing Christian.

I have found that my day goes better when I am kind, when my heart stays tender, not judging, and when I forgive the person who hurts me. Kindness, responding tenderly to those who are hurting, and forgiving others will start the healing process in them, but it really starts the healing in me.

Have a good, Good Friday. I hope you will attend church this Easter Sunday. 

 

Fellowship With Christ Today

 I hate to remind you of this, I know you already know it, but here goes: in this life there will always be trials and troubles. There will be disappointments, hurt feelings, fear, betrayal, jealousy, loneliness, and sadness, you can count on it. But we have this promise that God will always keep:

God is faithful, by Whom we are called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1: 9.

When our emotions run away with us (and they will), when we are overwhelmed with the troubles of this life (and we will be), we have a "fellowship" with Jesus that will sustain us no matter what we face today.

Fellowship is defined as "an associations with someone who shares our interest." As a believer, we can have fellowship with Christ because He is interested in me, and I am interested in Him.

When the sadness hits you in the face, and fear, jealousy, disappointments and everything else this world can throw at you threatens your peace and joy, spend some time with Christ and His Word. Do some one on one "fellowshipping" with Him today. You will feel and be so much better. Fellowshipping with Christ always brings back the peace and joy. He promised.

  

  

The Two Most Important Things.

 The most important decision you will ever make in this life is to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and to save your soul. The second most important decision you will make is who you marry. Those two decisions will impact your life more than where you live, your education, your vocation in life, or any other decisions you will make. 

If you are reading this and you are lost, if you have never asked Christ into your heart, please, please, ask Him now. If you are reading this and you are married, or if you are reading this and trusting God to give you a godly husband, home, and family, here are three scripture verses that you can read and pray today that will help prepare your heart for marriage and strengthen your home and marriage today. God is always faithful to His word.

Proverbs 31:11; The heart of her husband safely trusts in her. Verse 12: She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Today, ask God to guide you and help you be the wife that your husband needs. Look for ways to be good to your husband and be a safe place where he can share his heart. Let him know today that his heart is safe with you.

Psalm 121:1: I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from where comes my help. My help comes from the Lord Who made heaven and earth.

Each morning, ask God to bless your marriage. Ask Him to guide you and your husband as you build and develop that "three cord strand that cannot be easily broken." (Eph.4:12) He will. He wants your marriage to succeed and prosper more than you do!

Ephesians 4:2; Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ' sake has forgiven you.

Ruth Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham once said this: "A successful marriage is made up of two good forgivers." Today, ask God to give you a forgiving heart. Don't focus on your husband's faults, we all have plenty of those, but instead, set your heart on seeing all the good things about him, all the good things he does for you. Choose your focus.

No marriage can succeed and be a marriage that brings glory to God without two tenderhearted, forgiving people who "esteem each other more than themselves." (Phil.2:3,4)

God's intent for marriage is one man, one woman, for one lifetime. And since that is His intent, He will help you and your husband accomplish those two most important things that are so precious to Him: your eternal soul, and your marriage.

Penny

Nobody Else Can be You!

President Theodore Roosevelt said this: "Comparison is the thief of joy." Yet, as women we just can't help it: we look at another mom and think, "I'm not doing as good a job with my kids as she is doing with hers." Or maybe we look at her house or her clothes or her husband makes more money, and before you know it, we're doom and gloom for the day.

Well, here's some really great news: God doesn't compare you to anybody. You are one of a kind, His unique creation, His love, joy, and delight. And I can prove it!

1. You are one of a kind. Psalm 139:14; I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Before you were born "God covered you in your mother's womb." (v13). 

As we developed safely in our mother's womb God had all authority, He "possessed" me from the very beginning. (v13) You are you by God's own design and He has plans for your happiness and success in life. Embrace who you are, always look for areas that need growth and maturing and let God's word develop you. Read His Word every day, keep a journal and write down what the Holy Spirit speaks to you from the Word. You are God's possession, His unique creation.

2. God delights in you. Psalm 18:19; God delivered me because He delighted in me.

The Hebrew word for delight means to incline toward someone or something. God demonstrates His delight in us through His grace, His forgiveness, and the joy He takes in our obedience. You are definitely His delight.

Please don't allow yourself to get caught up in the comparison game. You are you, God's unique creation, His love, joy and delight. Comparing ourselves to someone else is really just a waste of time because nobody could ever be you no matter how hard she tried.  

Have a great, no comparison day!

Penny

 

Trust and Obey. There Really is No Other Way

 You've heard it said, "It's easy to trust God when the bills are paid, the kids are doing well in school, and our health is good." In fact, I think it's easier to say, "I trust You God" than to actually trust Him. 

We can never know the depths of our trust when we're in the good times: it takes those "back against the wall" experiences to reveal, "Am I trusting God, or am I just saying I trust Him?"

One of my favorite hymns that we sang in church when I was growing up is Trust and Obey. The chorus says this: Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Nahum 1:7 tell us this: The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble: and He knows those who trust in Him.

I might say, "I trust You, Lord," but God knows my heart, He knows if I am really trusting Him, or just saying I do.

Do you trust God, really trust Him? I have found in my own life that if I am having a hard time trusting God to answer my prayer and then trusting Him no matter the answer, I have an obedience problem that needs my attention. When I get the obeying part right, trust comes naturally. It really is that simple.

Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Mark or hi-lite Nahum 1:7 in your Bible and let that verse keep a check on your heart. Then, check out the hymn Trust and Obey. I know the words will speak to you as they speak to me. Any questions or comments? Just ask and we'll do our best to answer.

Penny

Just Be Still

 When I was a senior in high school my English Lit class saw the movie, The Hiding Place. The movie is a true-life adaptation of the Ten Boom family who were Christians and lived in the Netherland's during World War 2. Corrie, her sister Betsie, and their father Casper lived in a house above their watch shop and it was in that house that they hid Jews and others from the Nazi's. As many as 5 or 6 people were known to be hidden at one time in their home and some of them Corrie hid in a secret room in her bedroom.

Corrie and her family lived a "scary life." They were continually on high alert, always fearful, but her faith was so strong, her devotion so deep, that what she was doing for God and His people was stronger than any other fear or worry she endured each day.

I enjoy reading about her and her devotion to Christ, and one of my favorite quotes of Corrie Ten Boom's is this:

Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.

Maybe today you are worried about things you can't control. Maybe thoughts of your future or fear for your loved ones is a continuing "cycle of inefficient thoughts" and they are preventing you from trusting God. Worry often makes us feel restless, creates negative emotions, and can paralyze us with fear.

Psalm 46:10 tells us the answer for "inefficient thoughts."

Be still and know that I am God.

When life overwhelms you, be still. Get to a place where you can sit quietly, pray (out loud if possible) and say, "You are God. I know You are God." God will work in the quiet of your stillness to deepen your faith and develop your trust. No matter what you may face  today rest assured: He is all you need. Just be still.

Penny

A New Daily Devotional is Coming to woman2womanministries

 Whatever concerns you, rest assured that some woman, in some part of the world, is dealing with the very same thing you are dealing with right now. You see, as women, we all share the same inherent DNA that causes us to experience love, joy, and hope, but also fears for our family, worry, anxiety, fear of the unknown, and everything else we are concerned about daily.

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing a daily devotional here on the blog to help and encourage women of all ages to learn from God's Word how to handle what life can throw at us. We will learn how the men and women of the Bible responded when they were afraid: how they handled the bullies that threatened their faith: the things they learned about God's faithfulness in the most trying of situations: and most importantly, God loves you, He will never forsake you, you are valuable to Him, He has a plan for you.

Guest writers will be joining us from time to time. I hope you will become a member of the blog and you will receive a notice when a new post is added. But most importantly, pray that through our efforts women and girls will be reached with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Only He can redeem every emotion, every hurt, every fear, and turn every circumstance and situation into something our finite minds could never imagine. Remember: He can do "exceeding, abundantly above what we could ask or think." Ephesians 3:20.

I hope you'll join us, and I look forward to reading your comments.

God Hears You

 

God Hears You

Everyone needs to feel we are heard. Children need to know Mom and Dad hear them, that they listen when they speak. Husbands need to feel heard by their wives and wives need to know that their husband really hears them, he really listens. As God's child I need to know that God hears me, too, and He does!

In 1 Samuel 23, David and his men are on the run from King Saul. Verse 14 says that "Saul sought him every day." Saul was consumed with David. He thought about him continually and I think he probably dreamed about him at night and talked about him all day. 

I can't even imagine what it must have been like to begin each day fearful. To try to sleep at night fearful for his very life and the lives of his family and friends, but he did. David was afraid.

There have been times I have been afraid. Very afraid. But did you know that God has a purpose for our fear? He does. He had a purpose for David's fear and in Psalm 54 David wrote about his need to be heard by God. In verse 2 David said, "Hear my prayer O God, give ear to the words of my mouth."

Fear prompts me to recognize my dependence upon God. What is your fear today? Your health, your marriage, your children, your job? Fear is a common denominator in each of us, we all experience it, often daily. But fear will turn into praise when I confess, "Lord, I am depending on You, I trust You to hear me and to listen to my prayer. I know You will." 

I encourage you to read the rest of Psalm 54: David's fear turned into hope, trust, faith, and a dependence on God he had never experienced before. 

In verse 4 David said, "God is my Helper."

Verse 6: "I will praise Your name O Lord, for it is good."

Verse 7: "For God has delivered me out of all trouble."

Depend upon God today. Trust Him, believe Him, God hears you.

Penny