Ever feel like you are completely alone? Like no one understand what your going through...they have no clue what your facing?
I having definitely felt that way a time or two in my life. The future looked so bleak that you wonder if God himself even has any clue just how bad things have gotten.
If that is how your feeling this morning, my sisters, I have a scripture for you.
I read it for the first time this morning and I have not been able to get it off my mind:
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up to it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
Let's take it a piece at a time.
1) "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man" You are not alone!!! It says right there that nothing you are going through it new under the sun. Other people have made it through and so can you.
2) "God is faithful!" (I added the exclamation point because it needed it!) PRAISE GOD!! He is faithful. One of the definitions of faithful is "firm in adherence to promises." God has made promises and he will be faithful in keeping them.
3) "he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." We've all heard "he will never give you more than you can handle." But how many time in the midst of our storms to we forget that God made us and he knows us better than we know ourselves? He knows what you are capable of, even if you don't.
4) "But when you are tempted..." (you will be tempted) "...he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." So, you will be tempted, but God always provides a way out or a way to stand within the storm and not perish.
Now, if you are like me, when I see the word "tempted," my mind automatically goes to the temptation of sin, which this scripture can also be related to, but it doesn't always mean sinning.
Maybe you're tempted to write off a wayward child. Maybe you're tempted to watch your favorite TV show instead of picking up your Bible at the end of the day. Maybe your temptation is that yummy box of chocolates you have hidden in your cabinet. Or maybe you're just tempted to give up on life in general because the storm is just too hard or it has just gone on for too long.
None of these are "sins," but they are still temptations that God has promised that you have the POWER to overcome.
God is proud of and faithful to reward the little steps we take each day our of the storm, as long as those steps lead us closer to him.
You CAN be victorious...according to 1 Corinthians 10:13 it is already within you to do so.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Real Women Newsletter-October 25, 2010
Good Morning Everyone!!!
It's been a while hasn't it? :0)
I hope your week is shaping up to be excellent.
Real Women's Ministry is back in full swing! Here is what you can look forward to for the rest of the year:
Upcoming Events/Things You Should Know:
1) Women's Small Group is meeting on Monday nights, 6:30 at the church office. It is never too late to join the discussion and the fellowship! We are currently going through the video series "One in a Million" by Priscilla Shirer.
2) Our next Real Women Outing will be the afternoon of Saturday, November 6th. We will be going to see "Like Dandelion Dust" at the Rogers Malco Theater. This moving is based on the book by the best selling Christian author Karen Kingsbury. The exact time will follow, but it will be in the 4:00-hour so that we can still get matinee pricing! :0)
3) The next Date Night will be....well..not at night. Saturday, December 4th, from 9:00am-2:00pm we will be offering you a chance to get that Christmas shopping done...without kids! More information will be coming, but I am looking for volunteers! You would not be working the full 5 hours. Instead I would like 2 couples from 9:00am-11:30am and 2 couple from 11:30am-2:00pm. If you are interested in participating or volunteering, please let me know! (A sign-up sheet will be available at the information center in a few weeks.)
4) Scrapbook Day! I am so exciting about this! We have not set the date yet, but we will be hosting an all day crop at the church office sometime before the end of the year. Even if you don't scrapbook yet, it is a great time to learn or just to come and fellowship. It will be open to the church and open to friends you would like to invite. It will be free to attend; however, we'll ask everyone to bring snacks to share and be responsible for your own lunch/dinner.
5) As always, the Real Women NWA Blog, is updated weekly. Check out our "Monday Morning Minute" (or "Tuesday Tidbit" if I don't get it posted on Mondays! LOL!) for some uplifting, quick devotionals. Copies of our newsletters are available there as well. http://realwomennwa.blogspot.com/
6) On the subject of the BLOG, do you have a story to share? I would love to share your story with our readers. Email it to me and I will do my best to share it with the ladies that read our blog.
Hopefully this wasn't too long for you to read. There's so many great things going on and with the crazy holiday seasons just around the corner I wanted to give everyone a heads up!
Have a blessed week and I will see you all soon.
It's been a while hasn't it? :0)
I hope your week is shaping up to be excellent.
Real Women's Ministry is back in full swing! Here is what you can look forward to for the rest of the year:
Upcoming Events/Things You Should Know:
1) Women's Small Group is meeting on Monday nights, 6:30 at the church office. It is never too late to join the discussion and the fellowship! We are currently going through the video series "One in a Million" by Priscilla Shirer.
2) Our next Real Women Outing will be the afternoon of Saturday, November 6th. We will be going to see "Like Dandelion Dust" at the Rogers Malco Theater. This moving is based on the book by the best selling Christian author Karen Kingsbury. The exact time will follow, but it will be in the 4:00-hour so that we can still get matinee pricing! :0)
3) The next Date Night will be....well..not at night. Saturday, December 4th, from 9:00am-2:00pm we will be offering you a chance to get that Christmas shopping done...without kids! More information will be coming, but I am looking for volunteers! You would not be working the full 5 hours. Instead I would like 2 couples from 9:00am-11:30am and 2 couple from 11:30am-2:00pm. If you are interested in participating or volunteering, please let me know! (A sign-up sheet will be available at the information center in a few weeks.)
4) Scrapbook Day! I am so exciting about this! We have not set the date yet, but we will be hosting an all day crop at the church office sometime before the end of the year. Even if you don't scrapbook yet, it is a great time to learn or just to come and fellowship. It will be open to the church and open to friends you would like to invite. It will be free to attend; however, we'll ask everyone to bring snacks to share and be responsible for your own lunch/dinner.
5) As always, the Real Women NWA Blog, is updated weekly. Check out our "Monday Morning Minute" (or "Tuesday Tidbit" if I don't get it posted on Mondays! LOL!) for some uplifting, quick devotionals. Copies of our newsletters are available there as well. http://realwomennwa.blogspot.com/
6) On the subject of the BLOG, do you have a story to share? I would love to share your story with our readers. Email it to me and I will do my best to share it with the ladies that read our blog.
Hopefully this wasn't too long for you to read. There's so many great things going on and with the crazy holiday seasons just around the corner I wanted to give everyone a heads up!
Have a blessed week and I will see you all soon.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Monday Morning Minute-October 11, 2010
I am in LOVE with the series we are doing for our Monday night Women's Bible Study.
It's Priscilla Shirer's Series "One in a Million." It's all about finding your promise land and taking that promise from the pew to the pavement.
On Day one of the personal Bible Study, Priscilla tells the story of when she and her sons visited the circus. As they were leaving the big top, they saw an elephant munching in a fenced-in area behind the circus tent. Seeing the elephant through the un-jaded eyes of a child, her three year old asked a very simple question: Why doesn't the elephant just break through the fence?
After watching the elephant for a few minutes, Priscilla noticed something that was not easily noticed upon first glance: this huge elephant was tied to the ground by a small iron shackle around it's left ankle.
It was held captive by something so small that he could have easily snapped it and do you know why?
That massive elephant was held in slavery because he didn't know that he ALREADY HAD the inner strength to break free from it. Circus elephants are trained from a young age. As a young elephant, they are placed in a shackle and because they are not strong enough, they can't break free. And after a while of being unsuccessful, they just stop trying.
Through out each of our lives we have things that have tried to keep us captive. It could be a situation, like the children of Israel being physically held captive by the Egyptians or it could be emotional, like the Israelites fear of what would happen should they choose to try to break free of their bondage.
It doesn't matter what the bondage is...you already have the strength to break free.
Psalms 18:32 says "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."
From the moment you gave your heart to Christ, you have been ARMED with the strength to break free.
Choose to walk in that strength.
God Bless and Talk to you next week.
It's Priscilla Shirer's Series "One in a Million." It's all about finding your promise land and taking that promise from the pew to the pavement.
On Day one of the personal Bible Study, Priscilla tells the story of when she and her sons visited the circus. As they were leaving the big top, they saw an elephant munching in a fenced-in area behind the circus tent. Seeing the elephant through the un-jaded eyes of a child, her three year old asked a very simple question: Why doesn't the elephant just break through the fence?
After watching the elephant for a few minutes, Priscilla noticed something that was not easily noticed upon first glance: this huge elephant was tied to the ground by a small iron shackle around it's left ankle.
It was held captive by something so small that he could have easily snapped it and do you know why?
That massive elephant was held in slavery because he didn't know that he ALREADY HAD the inner strength to break free from it. Circus elephants are trained from a young age. As a young elephant, they are placed in a shackle and because they are not strong enough, they can't break free. And after a while of being unsuccessful, they just stop trying.
Through out each of our lives we have things that have tried to keep us captive. It could be a situation, like the children of Israel being physically held captive by the Egyptians or it could be emotional, like the Israelites fear of what would happen should they choose to try to break free of their bondage.
It doesn't matter what the bondage is...you already have the strength to break free.
Psalms 18:32 says "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."
From the moment you gave your heart to Christ, you have been ARMED with the strength to break free.
Choose to walk in that strength.
God Bless and Talk to you next week.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday Morning Minute-October 4, 2010
Today’s Monday Morning minute is not something I came up with, but rather a story that the well-known speaker, Priscilla Shirer, uses to open the first session of the bible study, One in a Million.
She says….that every Christmas her mother plans a “girls only” brunch at a restaurant called The Zodiac in Dallas, TX. The restaurant has a large Christmas Breakfast brunch, complete with beautiful crystal and dainty china, but to start with, each person is given a small cup of broth.
Now, this broth isn’t anything special. Priscilla says that it’s good tasting and is meant to cleanse the pallet, to prepare the drinker for the food that is to come.
She goes on to say that last year, while they were sitting there sipping their broths and chatting, she thought to herself that she was glad that when they were done with this little cup that the waitress didn’t bring them their bill and send them on their way.
That little cup was just there to prepare them for something bigger, better, more delicious and more exciting that is to come.
She parallels that with how many Christians have become content on a little “Christian broth.” We sit in church and listen to the word each Sunday and leave…thinking that what we’ve just received was the full meal, when in reality…it’s just the broth.
It’s just there to prepare us for the bigger, better, more delicious and more exciting things that are to come.
I can admit that there are seasons when my only sustenance comes from the word of God that I hear on Sundays and then I actually wonder why I have rough weeks in between Sunday. It’s because I was spiritually starving myself during the week.
My body could not live on a small cup of broth every seven days…what makes me think my spirit could live on it?
What are you living on?
She says….that every Christmas her mother plans a “girls only” brunch at a restaurant called The Zodiac in Dallas, TX. The restaurant has a large Christmas Breakfast brunch, complete with beautiful crystal and dainty china, but to start with, each person is given a small cup of broth.
Now, this broth isn’t anything special. Priscilla says that it’s good tasting and is meant to cleanse the pallet, to prepare the drinker for the food that is to come.
She goes on to say that last year, while they were sitting there sipping their broths and chatting, she thought to herself that she was glad that when they were done with this little cup that the waitress didn’t bring them their bill and send them on their way.
That little cup was just there to prepare them for something bigger, better, more delicious and more exciting that is to come.
She parallels that with how many Christians have become content on a little “Christian broth.” We sit in church and listen to the word each Sunday and leave…thinking that what we’ve just received was the full meal, when in reality…it’s just the broth.
It’s just there to prepare us for the bigger, better, more delicious and more exciting things that are to come.
I can admit that there are seasons when my only sustenance comes from the word of God that I hear on Sundays and then I actually wonder why I have rough weeks in between Sunday. It’s because I was spiritually starving myself during the week.
My body could not live on a small cup of broth every seven days…what makes me think my spirit could live on it?
What are you living on?
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