I am beginning this post in prayer.  I am asking that you open the eyes of each person who reads this to the love from You that went into writing it.   This was not difficult to write, because the words came from You…it is difficult to share because I am only human and sometimes I worry that I am going to make someone mad or hurt someone’s feelings.  And maybe Lord, they will stop liking me.  I am moving forward and I am sharing this because You have asked me to be obedient and not worry about what the world might think.  I am laying this at Your altar and walking in obedience to Your will and to Your call on my life.  This is about honoring You.  This is about glorifying You.  This is about worshiping You.  This is about putting You first.  This is about pointing people to You, always!  Thank You for loving me.  Thank You for speaking into my life everyday and Lord, I just have to say…I love you.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

I always know when it is time to share something because God just won’t let it go and He starts bringing it to me in various avenues, almost, everywhere I look.  He will not let me alone until I finally sit down and put my fingers on the keyboard and start typing.  These words were on my mind and on my heart all morning.  He set up camp in my brain this morning.   He was writing this as I walked this morning, He shared more with me as I took my shower, He wanted my full and complete attention as I got dressed and ate my breakfast…He pursued me relentlessly with this message today.

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.” (Romans 1:25)

My name is not prominently displayed on my blog or within the facebook page for Many Strands of One Accord for God’s reasons.  God brought a good reminder for me yesterday, as to why He made this decision for me through the above verse and a conversation with a friend.

He did not want others to start looking at me as the source of their answers instead of going to Him and asking Him what His plans are for their life.  He also did not want me to believe that I am anyone’s answer.  My job is to be real about my struggles and how He answers me, and to point others to Him, first, foremost and always.

Many Strands is God’s page for my truths from Him.  This blog page is another source for me to share truths that He has brought to me for my life.  Sometimes it might be something you need to hear from Him too, but it is still an answer that He has provided to me through my own time with Him.  What I share is NOT to take the place of your time with God.

I am sharing this today because I know that there are many women/men/children who are all looking to ministry leader’s to bring them their answers instead of going to God.  They are depending on others to bring them truth.  They are depending on people rather than on God.

Your answers and my answers can only be found in one place…God!  It is a ministry leader’s job to make sure that you know that you go to God, FIRST!  He might give me a truth to share with you, but it will only be a piece of the puzzle…to put all the pieces together properly…you have to find your Peace through Him.

I do not want to add to anyone’s confusion or chaos.  I do not want to be anyone’s stumbling block to God.  I am not God.

We have to be patient in waiting for God’s timing in all of our trials and difficulties.  We need to believe that when something is important there is probably not going to be any quick fixes with God.  If you don’t have an answer yet…or, in some situations, maybe you do have an answer, but you don’t like the answer you received…don’t take your problem to someone else and solely depend on their advice for direction in your life

Because it might not be God’s answer for you.

Your pastor will share Biblical truths with you during a worship service…but your pastor is NOT your answer.

Joyce Meyer might tweet a message that speaks to your heart…but Joyce Meyer is NOT your answer.

Lysa TerKeurst will write a book that contains some good advice for you…but Lysa TerKeurst is NOT your answer.

Ann Voskamp will share a beautifully written devotion and the words will sound like poetry and you might even think they should be set to music…but Ann Voskamp is NOT your answer.

A friend tells you that you have to listen to the message from the pastor at her church and she shares a link to your page, you click the link and you listen to some words that give you hope…but that pastor is NOT your answer.

God has the only answer to every question that you might have in this life.

I am not saying that there is no truth in the words that these people are sharing with you nor am I saying that you should not listen to or read what other people have to share with you.

I am saying that you CANNOT depend on other people as your sole and only pipeline to God. If you are looking for others to bring you direction and guidance, you are going to be disappointed and live a life that is misguided.  Pastors are not always right…authors are not always right…ministry leaders are not always right…your friends are not always right, but God IS always right and He is always right there with you.

(Psalms 118:8) “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

As I shared with a friend yesterday, “I can tell you what I think and others can also tell you what they think…it is not definitive and it might not be exactly what God wants you to do. What we share with you is only our opinion of the situation and if we don’t take the time to filter what we are sharing through God or take the time to pray over it before we share, it could all be wrong for you and your situation.”

“God’s timing is perfect in all things and you need to trust the process…no matter what it is or where it takes you.”

“You don’t understand because God does not think like we do and your confusion is coming from the voice in your head, satan and the other voices that are all trying to give you advice. What I am sharing with you here may not be what you want to hear either, but I believe you need to hear it. People can support you and encourage you and love you…but people cannot fix this for you. Only God can fix this for you.”

“I don’t know your entire story, no one knows your entire story…only God knows it and He has the answer, because He wrote your story. You have to take that leap…you need to fall into His arms and TRUST Him to supply all that you need. I care about you and want you to start depending on God for your answers. You will know His voice, you are one of His sheep and He has promised that you will recognize Him when He speaks to you. You just need to Be still and listen for that still, small voice inside of you and know that He is God!”

It is not good for us to believe that we can only hear God through other people, this means we are not trusting God with our life or His timing in our life.  As a ministry leader I cannot fall into the trap of believing that I am the source of your answers.  I might have some godly advice to offer, but ultimately God is the answer to each one of our prayers.  I can shine some light on a situation, but I am not the source of that light.  I am only a vessel that He might occasionally use.   Ultimately, God is the source of all good things and the best advice that I can give you is…

“Take it to God in prayer.  Spend quality time with God.  Take your problems to the Problem Solver.  He will make His will known in your life IF, you stop focusing on the problem and start focusing on the ONLY One who can solve the problem.  Jesus tore the veil, my friends.  You have direct access to Him.  Don’t waste another moment looking for your answers anywhere but through HIM!”

Today’s Truth:

But I trust in You, Lord; I say, “You are my God”…Let Your face shine on your servant; save me in Your unfailing Love.  Psalm 31:14, 16

Girlfriend to Girlfriend:

Both the GIG devotional today and these devotions from Jesus Calling spoke to me about a situation in my own life last night.  I was so focused on the problem, that I took my focus off of God…never a good idea in any situation.  But then, we already know that…we just forget it sometimes.

Jesus Calling for Kids – August 26th

Messy Days

The world around you is a mess. Crime, wars, drugs – there’s bad new every time you turn on the television. And sometimes that mess invades your day. A friend betrays you, something is stolen out of your locker, or someone you know is hurt. But what is happening around you doesn’t have to shake you up. 

Trust Me – even in the midst of a messy day. When you start to feel stressed, stop focusing on the problems. Instead, reach out to Me. Let Me show you things from My point of view. Remember that My Peace -the Peace that I give you- isn’t affected by the mess of this world. 

Don’t be afraid and don’t be troubled. Seek My Face, and I will lift you up above the mess.

John 14:27 – “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 

John 16:33 – “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” 

Psalm 105:4 – Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. 

Jesus Calling – August 26th 

TRUST ME in the midst of a messy day. Your inner calm – Your Peace in My Presence- need not be shaken by what is going on around you. Though you live in this temporal world, your innermost being is rooted and grounded in eternity. When you start to feel stressed, detach yourself from the disturbances around you. Instead of desperately striving to maintain order and control in your little world, relax and remember that circumstances cannot touch My Peace. 

Seek My Face, and I will share My mind with you, opening your eyes to see things from My perspective. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid. The Peace I give is sufficient for you.

My Reflections:

Welcome to my messy world. My evening was pretty messy last night AND in all places…church. Peter, Josh and I went to church last night…yes; praise the Lord, Joshua was able to attend church last night. His prayers and your prayers lifted to God healed him and we went to church. The evening started out good…and progressively went downhill.

We started off by dropping Josh off to his service and the first thing Joshua did was share his story with the teachers. It was such a blessing to watch him tell them, “I was sick this morning, but now I am better. I am better because I said a prayer to Jesus and He healed me.” The teachers were so thrilled with his testimony and their enthusiasm provided positive incentive for him to continue to take “all things” to God in prayer.

Too bad I did not take that incentive into my own worship time…can anyone say messy church moment? Peter and I went into the sanctuary and sat down. He decided to tell me what he thought was a funny story; at the expense of my mom and I, and I just did not find it as funny as he did. He told me that he had helped my mom in with her groceries earlier in the day and my dad said, “Peter, don’t spoil her. She is going to expect me to help her carry them in now.”

Peter’s answer to my dad, “Don’t worry Frank, I don’t do it at my house.  Only here.” He then shared with me how much he and my dad laughed together over their little joke. Why I became offended by all of this…I truly do not know. I could offer you excuses and justifications…but I have promised not to do that, I can only offer you this, I was offended. VERY OFFENDED! I wish that it had ended there but, no, I then had to say, “Well, you continue to laugh over not helping your wife and my dad needs to continue to laugh over not helping his wife and the two of you make sure that you do continue to be nice to women that you are not married to.” WOW! Where did that come from? Oh, yeah….My unguarded tongue! (I should have focused on the fact that he helped my mom with her groceries AND that he and my dad were enjoying each others company).

Peter decided to become offended by my words. Very offended and he gifted me with some words from his unguarded tongue and, at this point, I decided my tongue needed a time out. I apologized for what I said and then for the majority of the worship time tried to make my heart right with God.

It was not an easy thing for me to do. I did not write down the songs that we sang…because I was not really singing them, but they were appropriate to the circumstance; trust me. I was pretty much a mess and my heart was very troubled. I was crying out to God and asking Him to give me His Peace. The other unfortunate part in all of this…I did not have any tissue in my purse.

These devotionals today are speaking to me about what happened last night…I was not focusing on God or His point of view. I was not seeking His Peace or His face. My mind, my tongue and my heart were NOT aligned with God…I was wrong. I needed to be more like Joshua and remember that Jesus is the healer of “all things.” I needed to filter, filter, filter and go to HIM first before I react. I need to TRUST GOD with every part of my life. He will see me through.

I’m not gonna fuss

I’m not gonna whine

I gonna trust

That Jesus will see me through! Amen

I am a God who heals. I heal hurt bodies, troubled minds, aching hearts, messed-up lives, and difficult relationships.

When you come into My Presence, the healing begins. Whether you ask for it or not, My Spirit goes to work in your life. But when you come to Me in prayer and ask for My healing, amazing things can happen. Remember that I am a God who can do awesome things! Nothing it too difficult for Me.

I don’t heal all the hurts and troubles in a person’s life. Why? Because it is those very problems that keep you close to Me. They are the things that help you grow – teaching you to depend on Me more and more. Even My servant Paul was told, “My grace is enough for you,” when he asked to be healed.

While I may not take away every hurt, I will always give you what you need to live joyfully – in spite of the hurts. Just ask.

Psalm 103:3 – He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.

James 4:2 – You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 – even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Matthew 7:7 – “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

Jesus Calling – August 20th

I AM A GOOD WHO HEALS. I heal broken bodies, broken minds, broken hearts, broken lives and broken relationships. My very Presence has immense healing powers. You cannot live close to Me without experiencing some degree of healing. However, it is also true that you have not because you ask not. You receive the healing that flows naturally from My Presence, whether you seek it or not. but there is more – much more – available to those who ask.

The first step in receiving healing is to live ever so close to Me. The benefits of this practice are too numerous to list. As you grow more and more intimate with Me, I reveal My will to you more directly. When the time is right, I prompt you to sak for healing of some brokenness in you or in another person. The healing my be instantaneous, or it may be a process. That is up to Me. Your part is to trust Me fully and to than Me for the restoration that has begun.

I rarely heal all the brokenness in a person’s life. Even My servant Paul was told, “My grace is sufficient for you,” when he sought healing for the thorn in his flesh. Nonetheless, much healing is available to those whose lives are intimately interwoven with Mine. Ask, and you will receive. 

My Reflections:
I know that many of you are hurting right now. You have been sharing your struggles either publicly or privately with me and my heart is hurting for each one of you. I wish that I could fix all that is wrong in your life, but I am not God. I am only able to offer you prayer and point you to the healer.

We all have brokenness in us and I think we need to understand that we will always have the one area of brokenness. It is supposed to be considered a gift from God to keep us close to Him. We are supposed to praise Him from out of that difficult place. We are supposed to thank Him for it and boast about it…God’s power can work through us in our weakness.

I believe that this is one way that others can see the power of Christ in our lives. When we are open and honest about our difficulties and we praise God in the midst of them…don’t you agree that this will be a witness and testimony to others of how great God is? Let’s praise Him in the storms and let His light shine through us to point other’s to God. Amen?

We may be the hurt…but we know the HEALER!

http://auntbunbun.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/trusting-god/

I was given the opportunity to read what she was going to share prior to our call and I was amazed at how the words she shared lined up with the direction God had been taking me over the past several days.  God led me to the sermon of a pastor named, Matt Chandler, and the words I have been listening to and reading from this man of God, directly relate to our ability to trust God with our life.

One thing in particular that I read has to do with our experiences.  I have scriptural knowledge, but my problem is that in a crisis my default reaction is to panic, when in reality my default reaction should be trust in God.  I should look at every struggle as an opportunity for God to impact my soul; molding me and prodding me in His direction.

God used Matt Chandler to bring me three questions to ask myself before I go into panic mode…

1. What truth do I fail to believe about God?
2. What truth do I fail to believe about myself?
3. What truth do I fail to believe about this circumstance?

Each difficult situation we find ourselves in, offers us the opportunity to make a decision about God…about ourselves, and…about the struggle.  This is when it might be a good idea to recognize whose voice you are hearing…the voice of the liar or the voice of the Truth.  This would also be a good time to look at 2 Corinthians 10:5 for guidance….“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 

Paul is telling us to think about what we are thinking about.  We need to be intentional in knowing how our mind works in the flesh…what thoughts we allow to dictate our reactions during a crisis situation.   Instead of thinking, “I must handle this on my own,” or “I am all alone,” or “God is not trustworthy.”  We have to take these thoughts captive and only allow the truth in God’s word take over our thoughts.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

Psalm 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. 

John 16:32-33

“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

Psalm 50:15

“…and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” 

Hebrews 13:5b (AMP)

be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down relax My hold on you)! [[g]Assuredly not! 

When we stop operating out of our flesh and start operating through the power of the spirit inside of us…we allow God to shrink that panic inside of us to nothing.  He will fill us with His truth, His love, His support, His strength and we can keep moving forward clinging to His right hand for all that we need.

I began the call by sharing how I met Wilma…

I met Wilma in November of 2011. I had just been promoted to an admin position within the on-line group I had joined in September of 2011 that was studying “A Confident Heart,” by Renee Swope. The admins for the prayer groups had their own group on facebook and I meet Wilma the first night I was added to that group.

She welcomed me and made me feel comfortable, right away. It might just have been the fact that she is a pretty funny lady and can dish it out, as well as take it! The first night I met her…we were on-line for hours; joking back and forth. I felt like I had found a true sister in Christ.

We finished “A Confident Heart” and decided that we wanted to co-lead a group of women through the book “Trusting God” written by the GIG’s. Co-leading this group cemented our friendship, as we learned more about each other and I saw a woman who loves the Lord, and has a testimony to share from the tests she has been through in her life.

I was thrilled when she agreed to share some of her story with all of you and I know that she is going to bless you; as you listen to her speak the words that God has given her to share with all of us. Before she begins; let’s bow our heads and I will lift up a prayer inviting God into our call and over the message Wilma is going to share.

Heavenly Father, first we want to thank you for this opportunity to come together in fellowship.  Before we go any further in this call we ask that you cleanse us of any unrighteousness and forgive us for any sin; known or unknown in our life.  We come to you tonight asking for your guidance, wisdom, and support as we come together on this call. Help us to engage in meaningful discussion; allow us to grow closer as a group and nurture the bonds of community. Fill us with your grace, Lord God, as we listen to the words that you have placed on Wilma’s heart to share with us.  And continue to remind us that all that we do here today, all that we accomplish, is for the pursuit of truth for the greater glory of You. We ask these things in your name, Amen. 

If you click on the link below it will take you to Wilma’s blog and the words God gave her to speak into our life last night.  Come back here after you have read her post for the Girl’s Night Out Challenge.

Trusting God

GIRLS NIGHT OUT CHALLENGE:

All that we have is His and is from Him and if we are able to be a blessing to someone, it is because He has blessed us.  Over the last several weeks God has been speaking into my life about the people I bless and who bless me.  It is so easy for me to offer blessings and encouragement to the people who I am interacting with through the Many Strands page.  It does not take much effort on my part to speak into your lives because for the most part…we are all in agreement.  It is much more difficult to speak into the life of someone who I am not in agreement with…I have to rely more on God to bless the difficult people in my life.  Which leads me to the Challenge…

God is wanting us to offer encouragement, in any form you choose, to someone in your life. You could encourage them by sending them a note, a book, a CD of worship music, an invitation to your church, a gift card for dinner or a movie, make them something with your own hands…however you feel moved by God to encourage this person. You decide who you think God wants you to bless and then you bless them in the way that God moves you to. DO NOT SIGN YOUR NAME OR IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM LET THEM KNOW THIS GIFT IS FROM YOU, because truthfully, it is not.  If you agree with the first sentence of this challenge then you know that this is true! This gift is from the Lord and it should be done to His glory and not to our own, and that is why I am asking you not to sign your name.  God is the true giver of all good gifts and He deserves all the honor and glory anyway.

(The person you bless, I would even prefer that it not be anyone from any of our groups…UNLESS you truly feel the Lord moving you to do so).

One more little rule about this challenge, you may not share who you encouraged or how you encouraged them. That is between you and God!!! You may however share what you feel God is teaching you through this challenge. Ready…..Set…..Go….be a blessing!!!

Thanks to Helena for providing links to these two songs that speak to this challenge and to Wilma’s message.  First song is just a tad hard rock, which I love…not everyone feels the same.  But listen anyway…lyrics are posted to song video and they are meaningful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNEC735juI4&feature=share

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7_8IOvd25E&feature=share

I am so blessed that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did not feel indifference to me.  I am so thankful that when I turned my back on Him…He still showed me His love and fought to make a difference of my life.

He relentlessly pursued me and when I was at my lowest point, crying out that I was all alone…He proved me wrong.  He wrapped me in His love and changed the course of my life and the life of my family through His love.

If I am going to be Jesus with skin on to this world, then indifference and hate cannot be a part of my vocabulary.  He made a difference in my life and I have to use His Love to make a difference in someone else’s life.  I cannot offer less to others than what He offered to me.

We have to stop offering each other excuses and justifications for turning our backs on people.  The world is hard, we need to be soft.  The world is hate: we need to be love.  The world is sad; we need to spread joy.  The world is dark; we need to point people to the One who can turn on the light.  The world conforms; we need to be transformed.

This past two weeks I have been on a journey…not quite the journey I thought I would be on, but I have felt a change come over my life.  I thought I would be counting every word that came out of my mouth for two weeks…I thought wrong.  It was not about the number of words I spoke it was about making those words count.

It was about allowing God to speak transforming words into my life and it was about the words I speak to my family and friends, am I speaking with a godly mentality or am I speaking with a mob mentality.  I want my words to point others to the cross, not make them question if my faith is real.

I think long and hard before I ever post a status to my page…I want people to read God into every word I share.  I was not thinking nearly as long or as hard about every word I spoke and the same rule needs to apply in both areas.  Whatever I speak and whatever I share should be true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think, speak and share about such things (Philippians 4:8). 

God gave me a tool that I am using before I speak, post, text or email…I ask myself this question…”Are my words conforming or are they transforming?”  If I am conforming to this world…then I need to keep my mouth shut until what I have to share will help me or someone else to transform into the person God wants us to be.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”  Romans 12:2 (NLT) 

Dear Lord,

I do not want to be indifferent in an indifferent world.  I want to make a difference in this indifferent world.   I pray that all I think, that all I speak and that all I share is transforming and not conforming to the ways of this world.  Help me to be all that You have created me to be.  Because I am NOT who I used to be, I am redeemed.  In the name of Jesus it is true, Amen

The saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” Just simply isn’t true. Words can cut deeper than a knife. And the wounds they leave behind may never heal.

The world praises people who say “clever” things – even if they embarrass and hurt others. But that is not the kind of person I want you to be. Your words are powerful tools. I want you to use them to build up those around you, not tear them down.

I know you get angry and frustrated at times, but don’t say the first thing that pops into your mind. Pray first! Before you pick up the phone, pray. Before you answer someone else’s angry words, pray. Before you say anything, pray! A simple, split-second prayer – Help me, Jesus” – is all it takes to put your words under My control.

Ephesians 4:29 (ICB) When you talk, do not say harmful things. But say what people need – words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will help those who listen to you. 

Proverbs 12:18 – The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

James 1:19 – My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

Jesus Calling – August 3rd

WATCH YOUR WORDS DILIGENTLY. Words have such great power to bless or to wound. When you speak carelessly or negatively, you damage others as well as yourself. This ability to verbalize is an awesome privilege, granted only to those I created in my image. You need help in wielding this mighty power responsibly. 

Though the world applauds quick-witted retorts, My instructions about communication are quite different: Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Ask My Spirit to help you whenever you speak. I have trained you to pray – “Help me, Holy Spirit” – before answering the phone, and you have seen the benefits of this discipline. Simply apply the same discipline to communicating with people around you. If they are talking, pray before responding. These are split-second prayers, but they put you in touch with My Presence. In this way, your speaking comes under the control of My Spirit. As positive speech patterns replace your negative ones, the increase in your Joy will amaze you.

My Reflections:

I am sure that I do not have to tell you what it meant to me to read the words in both of these devotions tonight. I promise you that, even though I have read through Jesus Calling before…it was 2 years ago and I did not remember this particular devotion. There is only one way that this could have even happened..that God would bring “The Power of a Woman’s Silence – One Woman’s Challenge” to me one day and the next bring me the words in these devotions. “Help me, Holy Spirit! I just want to follow your leading in my life.”

And did you all see that this goes along with the “patience” Bible study too. James 1:19 just so happens to be one of the verses we discussed today and Helena even shared this very verse as a picture on Many Strands. I know that I say this quite a bit, but when He shows up continually for us like this…I just gotta say it, can you say CONFIRMATION!!! For both me and for all of you!!!

“Help us, Holy Spirit! We just want to follow your leading in our life.”

This is it!  This is the new challenge for the Many Strands page.  Reading the Bible in 90 Days cover to cover!!  I saw a quote the other day that I loved, “The Bible is the only book whose Author is with you while you read it.”  As you read and you have a question, He is right there to answer it for you.

I would like for us to follow the Bible reading plan below and it is entirely up to each one of you how you complete each days assignment.  I believe that I will read one passage in the morning, the second referenced passage at mid-day and then at night, right before bed, read the New Testament assignment.

This challenge goes along with helping us to survive spiritually; whenever we are faced with trials of any kind.  It specifically relates back to my blog post at the beginning of the week; “Are You Prepared?”  The more we know the Bible the more prepared we will be to put on the full armor of God and march against our enemy, the devil.

This Challenge will begin on Monday, August 6^th and will continue through November 5^th; technically it should end on the 3^rd of November, but I am giving you grace days to complete the assignments.

I will post this document as a note and will share each day’s assignment on the Many Strands page with their corresponding link to Bible gateway.  You may read any version of the Bible you like and I hope that as we read each day…you will share verses or words that spoke to your heart on the Many Strands page.  I am so excited to begin this challenge with all of you and I am looking forward to what God is going to do for us and those that we love through this challenge.

Before you begin each day’s reading say a prayer; like the one below inviting God into your reading time.

Lord, inspire us to read your Scriptures and to meditate upon them day and night.  We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need, that we in turn may put its precepts into practice.  Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless, unless rooted in your graceful love.  So we ask that the words of Scripture may also be not just signs on a page, but channels of grace into our hearts. In Jesus name, Amen 

And then after you finish reading the passages share a prayer with Him like this one…

Lord, I thank you for your special presence to me during this time.  I thank you for the opportunity to know you and your ways better.  Open my heart, Lord, that I may put into practice that which you have revealed to me.  I thank you Lord, for the gift and love of your sacred Word. In Jesus Name, Amen. 

So….are we ready to read the Bible in 90 days????

Many Strands of One Accord On-line Bible Study

Dear Family and Friends:

I have made an important decision today.  I am going to be limiting the number of words that I allow myself to speak each day.  You are receiving this letter because at one time or another you were a recipient of my words.  You may have been on the receiving end of positive words from me or I may have deposited some negative, hurtful words into your account.  And sometimes…although my motives may have been right, my words caused problems for you and your relationship with someone else.  For all those times that I did not share words that encouraged, built you up, supported you or poured life into you…I apologize, most sincerely.

I am going to be thinking about how many words per day I am going to be allowed to say over the next few days and on Monday, I will begin this personal challenge.  I will be writing down each sentence I voice, text, post as a comment or email starting tomorrow and I will tally them all, and divide by 4 to come up with an average.  That average will be my allotment of words each day.  I will start with a 2-week challenge and will extend it if I feel that I am not making progress with the lesson I feel God wants me to learn.

I am sharing this with you for several reasons.  First of all and most importantly, I need you to keep me accountable.  I need you to let me know each and every time the words I say or share are not edifying and supportive.  Secondly, you may ask me a question or share something with me, and it might be received with silence.  This is going to mean that I am either being very careful about the words I want to reply to you with or I have used up all my words for the day, and it is time for me to zip my lip.  When I have used up all my words I will use the universally accepted sign for locking my lips and throwing away the key.

For those of you who only communicate with me via social media or over the phone…I will be only limiting the words I post on my personal page and my comments on your personal pages.  I am not going to count the words that I share as a facilitator for any of the groups or for the Many Strands 52 Week Word Challenge or for the daily prayer that I share on Many Strands.

On Sunday I will share with each of you my word allotment.  I would like for you to hold me accountable for what I share too, please.  Also know that your encouragement, support and prayers will be appreciated by me.  I am going to find a picture to place on my personal page that will let each of you know when I have reached my limit each day.  This will let you know that I am being still and letting God’s truth fill me.

This is not the challenge that I was talking about on the Many Strands page today.  There is another challenge that God brought to me yesterday and I am still working on the details…Look for more information tomorrow.  If any of you are interested in joining me on this personal challenge, let me know!

Love to you all,

Patti

Dear Lord:

You know how much I need to meet this challenge.  You are aware of all the things that have been weighing on me and my mind since I started the study of “The Power of a Woman’s Words.  Today you brought the truth home to me very strongly; that there are times when silence is the only answer.  Lord, it is true…just because I have the knowledge does not mean that I need to share it.  It is also true, Lord that a relationship between two people, even if they are my children, is between the two people.  They must navigate and come to terms with how it looks, not me.  I pray that you hold me accountable for my words too.  Convict me when my speech is less than edifying.  Convict me when I interfere  and try to influence other people’s relationships.  Convict me when I am not doing exactly what You have called me to do with my words.  I know that it is only through Your love for me that I will be able to meet this challenge.  I pray that at the end of these 14 days I will be living in sweet victory over my words.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

“My eagle project will consist of many elements pertaining to surviving a natural disaster.  It is my intention to hold seminars at the Robinwood West Community Improvement District (RWCID) Community Center, with residents, to show them what they need to do to be prepared in case of a disaster.  I will also help establish a natural disaster team for my neighborhood.”

Keith shared how to put together a “Disaster Survival Kit” and provided pamphlets, DVD’s, phone numbers, web-sites and good information about how to be prepared in a disaster, for those people who came to the seminars.  There were many people within our 478 home subdivision that did not come to get the information.  Why? They just didn’t think that they needed to be prepared for a disaster.  They did not think anything was going to happen that would require them to put together a survival kit and so they were not prepared when less than 6 months later…we lost electricity for almost 3 days in our subdivision.  The people who did not attend the seminar were caught unprepared; even though the information was made available to them long before disaster struck, they just didn’t think they needed it…until they needed it.

Why am I sharing this with you?  Because this morning during a car ride, God placed the idea into my head that none of us are truly prepared for what is coming in the future; quite possibly in our lifetime.

We have it relatively easy, here in the United States.  We are pretty much free to worship, speak, work and play as we want and when we want.  No one is putting a lock on the doors of our churches or destroying our Bibles…as far as I know, no one is being imprisoned for preaching the word of God.  But, are we prepared for what the world is going to look like…are we preparing our children and grandchildren for the “disaster” this country and the world is moving toward in the future.

If you are not prepared…you need to be and you need to prepare your children and your grandchildren for what is coming.  Please do not think that this does not apply to you, if you are a Christian…it applies to you.  Let’s start putting our spiritual disaster kits together.

First and foremost I am going to tell you that you need to memorize as many Bible verses as you can.  You need to know what the Bible says and write the words on your heart and in your mind.  They may be able to take away our Bibles, but they cannot erase the words from our hearts.  Knowing the Bible will be your armor of protection from the dark forces that will be roaming freely in our land.

Spend time in prayer with God; talk to Him, confess your sins to Him, thank Him for the grace, mercy and the blessings that He pours into your life, every day.  Then be still and listen to that still small voice inside of you.  He has promised you protection when you recognize His voice and follow His direction.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”  John 10:27-30 

Speak to the truths you find in the Bible.  Verbally proclaim the blood of the lamb over your life and remind the devil about what Jesus did on the cross.  Make sure that you remind yourself and the enemy that he is a defeated foe.  Speak those scriptures out loud about Christ’s death, about it being finished, about how one died so that all might be saved.

And then share your testimony with a mixture of scriptures.  Speak these words to encourage yourself and as a reminder of who Christ is so you can focus on who how big your God is and not on the size of the disaster.

Revelation 12 - 

10 “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him because of the Blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

12 For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

This is just the first part of what I feel God is calling me to share with all of you.  He has placed this heavy on my heart and I believe that it is part of the reason for our 52 week word study, the 31 days of praying for our children, the “Today’s Prayer” He brings to our page each day and the emphasis He insists that we put to the verses and songs we share on the Many Strands Page.

In the next week we are going to find ourselves at the end of the 31 Day Prayer Challenge for our Children, and while the challenge is ending we all know that the prayers must continue.  God has been forming a new challenge to begin in August and it is all about preparing ourselves, our children, our grandchildren…our loved ones; spiritually, for future disasters.

I am going to ask that each of you be in prayer as we try to follow God’s direction for the next Challenge He has for us…it may not start exactly on August 1^st, but at some point in August we will begin a new challenge from God.  If you feel that God is sharing some insight with you about His direction, please feel free to share it with us…we are going to need each strand to help us stay in one accord with God.

Dear Lord,

We know we should never embark on God’s work without first praying for Your guidance. Through prayer, we know we will find Your will for us and what You want us to accomplish on this mission. Through prayer, You equip us with the necessary skills, attitude, demeanor, and willingness to be out of our comfort zone and yet show the love of Jesus to all we come in contact with and help at this time. We know that Daily fellowship with the You is essential to our very survival; spiritually and physically.  We ask that You walk alongside of us and guide us as we seek to do Your will in our lives and in the lives of those we touch.  We love You Lord and we ask that You use us in any way you see fit.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Listen…

One Saturday morning as I was making sausage bread (Stromboli) for our son and his wife, I turned on the radio and one of the first words I heard was listen. I had been praying about my God Word and that word just seemed to ring in my ear…The next radio program that came on was based on listening, and my interest was piqued again…and I asked myself, “Could God be telling me this is my Word for 2012?” Later that evening when we returned home, I did a word search inwww.biblegateway.com on the word listen and started reading through several of the Bible verses, and Proverbs 8:32-34 really spoke to my heart.

Proverbs 8:32-34 (NASB) ³² “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed are they who keep my ways. ³³ “ Heed instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it. ³⁴ “ Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.

As I continued to pray, I decided to read through the article 7 Steps to Develop One Word and step #3 read, “Evaluate your roles.” Then I started thinking: As a child of God, I must listen to His voice; as a nurse, I must listen to my patients; as a wife, I must listen to my husband; as a mother, I must listen to my children; as a daughter, I must listen to my parents…. I LOVE this Word and it is apparent now that it is God’s Word for me for 2012! I giggled as I realized that God has probably been trying to get me to “listen” for a long time; after all, he did give me two ears and only one mouth!

Dear Lord, thank You for impressing upon my heart the importance of listening and help me to listen more first of all to You and then to everyone around me!

I wrote this quite a few months ago, but I still see how God selected the word LISTEN for me. Over the last few months, I have had to listen to several things that have not been pleasant..however, one day when I was praying about what had been going on in my life that I was “confused and unhappy” about, God laid this song on my heart. The way I remembered it was honestly the way it is below with the word listen inserted where “Trust You” belonged. I am sure it is obvious why

So, again, Lord, help me to continue to listen to You leading me and help me to say, “Yes, Lord, yes to Your will and to Your way…”

Here is one of my favorite choruses, with the words changed slightly:

Yes, Lord, Yes 

Verse:

Lord I give You all the glory for all You’ve given me

You have filled my life until I overflow

All I have is Yours to use, just anyway You choose

You are Lord of all, so how can I say no. So I say…..

Chorus:

Yes, Lord, yes, to Your will and to Your way

Yes, Lord, yes, I will LISTEN and obey (original words were trust You)

When Your Spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I’ll agree

And my answer will be yes, Lord, yes!

Verse:

If I never knew the fullness of living in Your will

You see, I would never know how rich my life could be

Lord, my willingness to serve, is the least that You deserve

For all the blessings you have showered over me. And I say…..

 Repeat Chorus:

Yes, Lord, yes, to Your will and to Your way

Yes, Lord, yes, I will LISTEN and obey (original words were trust You)

When Your Spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I’ll agree

And my answer will be yes, Lord, yes!

Dawn,

I love that God gave you a new version to this song.  He has done that for me before with a song and to me it then becomes my own personal prayer to Him.  What a blessing!!!  Thanks for sharing your heart with us.

Love,

Patti

Search for Me

Do you hear Me?  I am calling to you all the time.  I speak to you through sights, sounds, thoughts, impressions, Bible verses.  There is no limit to the ways that I can speak to you.  But you must listen for Me. 

When you set your heart on searching for Me, you will always find Me.  This world is alive with My Presence.  I am there in the beauty of My creation and the songs of birds.  I am there in the smiles and laughter of My children.  But I am also there in the tough times – in teary faces filled with sadness.  I can take the deepest sorrows and make something good come from them. 

Search for Me with all your heart today.  I promise that you will find Me. 

Jeremiah 29:13 (ICB) – You will search for Me.  And when you search for Me with all your heart, you will find Me! 

John 10:27 – My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 

Romans 8:28 (AMP) – We are assured and know that [[a]God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.

Jesus Calling – July 25^th

AS YOU LISTEN TO birds calling to one another, hear also My love-call to you.  I speak to you continually; through sights, sounds, thoughts, impressions, scriptures.  There is no limit to the variety of ways I can communicate with you.  Your part is to be attentive to My messages, in whatever form they come.  When you set out to find Me in a day, you discover that the world is vibrantly alive with My Presence.  You can find Me not only in beauty and birdcalls, but also in tragedy and faces filled with grief.  I can take the deepest sorrow and weave it into a pattern for good. 

Search for Me and My messages, as you go through this day.  You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with your whole being.

My reflections:

I have to share with you all that when I felt God moving me to do a weekly word study on the Many Strands page…I literally picked the words randomly.  When a word popped into my mind; I placed it in the document I had created to keep track of the words and the week they would be used during the 52 week study.  What amazes me is that although I feel that these words were chosen randomly, there is nothing random when it comes to God.

He has proven this to me over and over again in so many different ways as He draws me closer to walking His path for me.  The word for this week on the Many Strands page is “listen” and several of the on-line study groups are touching on this very word, this week.

We are reviewing the first 3 chapters in “The Power of a Woman’s Words” and you have to be a good listener to share the right words with your family, friends, other believer’s and God; all things that we learned about during this study.  To speak life to other’s you need to listen for the still small voice of the spirit inside of you.

I even feel that “listen” is a part of the “Trusting God” group this week…”One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God…” Psalm 62:11; this was the verse used for the first devotion this week.  In the second devotion this was one of the verses shared, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9.  Both of these verses share that God has spoken something into our life and we need to listen to what He has to say to us.

Obviously, “listen” is a part of the Jesus Calling group…the very group this reflection is being written for, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me”.  Today has been a day of many of the different ways God speaks to me.  He spoke to me through a good friend who blessed me with some wise words.  He spoke to me through some messiness in my family; reminding me of what is truly important and what no longer matters.  He spoke to me through some happy times today, but the words that stuck the most are the words He spoke to me through some pain I was feeling.  “No matter what you have done or what you have not done…I will always love you!  Just like the way you feel about your children…that is how I feel about you and more.”

I can only pray that I always do my best to listen to His voice and that I partner with Him to work through Me, His purpose and His plan for My Life!  Thank you Lord, that You love me despite my messiness and that You use my weaknesses to further Your Kingdom.

I have to add a note…my good friend who helped me today; God just had her speak into my life again.  She sent me this prayer and I am now going to pass it on to all of you… “Thank You for friends that come alongside me and cheer me on when I feel like I’m about to go under. Most of all, thank You for always being with me and cheering me on in the great race of life. I love You!” ~ Sharon Jaynes

Let My thoughts burst freely upon your consciousness, stimulating abundant Life.  I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  As you follow Me, I lead you along paths of newness: ways you have never imagined.  Don’t worry about what is on the road up ahead.  I want you to find your security in knowing Me, the One who died to set you free. 

John 8:32 – “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

Philippians 2:13 – “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” 

John 14:6 – “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus Calling For Kids – June 30^th

I Know the Way

I am the Truth – the One who came to set you free.  As you learn to let My Spirit control your mind and actions, you become free in Me – you become more and more the one I created you to be. 

I do my best work in you when you sit quietly in My Presence, focusing your thoughts on Me.  Open yourself to Me, letting My thoughts flow freely into your mind.  I will help you see things as I see them.  And I will lead you along paths of adventure. 

Don’t worry about what is on the road up ahead.  I know the way for Your life, because I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  Trust that you are safe with Me – the One who died to set you free.

I can hear my own words to my own children in these words from God.  The truth of the matter is…God really does know the way for my life and I would just be guessing as to the right thing for them.  I know that I can trust Him to lead me in the right direction and I know that I will do my best to listen and obey.  I also know that He will lead my children in the right direction, the problem…I do not trust that they will always do their best to listen and obey.

I need God to do His best work through my children and I know you feel like me, and you have a hunger for God to do His best work through your children too.  In order for God to work in the life of my family and your family…we need to present our requests to Him and our faith and belief in Him will move Him on our behalf.

Would you like to join me in praying for our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and the other children/adult children in our lives that we love and want to be all that God has called them to be?  If so, join me on the Many Strands page starting tomorrow as we start a new challenge to pray specifically for our children for the next 31 days.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15

Here is what we will be praying for each day during the month of July.  I am sharing the list with you ahead of time so that you can be prepared with your own prayers each day to share with the other parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, pastors, family friends…etc, who I hope will be joining us in agreement.

July 1. Salvation—”Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10)

July 2. Growth in Grace—”I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 3:18)

July 3. Love—”Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them.” (Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:2)

July 4. Honesty and Integrity—”May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection.” (Ps. 25:21)

July 5. Self-Control—”Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do.” (1 Thess. 5:6)

July 6. Love for God’s Word—”May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb.” (Ps. 19:10)

July 7. Justice—”God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do.” (Ps. 11:7; Mic. 6:8)

July 8. Mercy—”May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)

July 9. Respect (for self, others, and authority)—”Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands.” (1 Pet. 2:17)

July 10. Biblical Self-Esteem—”Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:10)

July 11. Faithfulness—”Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts.” (Prov. 3:3)

July 12. Courage—”May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions.” (Deut. 31:6)

July 13. Purity—”Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions.” (Ps. 51:10)

July 14. Kindness—”Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” (1 Thes. 5:15)

July 15. Generosity—”Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay-up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.” (1 Tim. 6:18-19)

July 16. Peace-Loving—”Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace.” (Rom. 14:19)

July 17. Joy—”May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Thes. 1:6)

July 18. Perseverance—”Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them.” (Heb. 12:1)

July 19. Humility—”God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all.” (Titus 3:2)

July 20. Compassion—”Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion.” (Col. 3:12)

July 21. Responsibility—”Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load.” (Gal. 6:5)

July 22. Contentment—”Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength.” (Phil. 4:12-13)

July 23. Faith—”I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them.” (Luke 17:5-6; Heb. 11:1-40)

July 24. A Servant’s Heart—”God, please help my children develop servant’s hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men.” (Eph. 6:7)

July 25. Hope—”May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13)

July 26. Patience – God, strengthen my children with all power, so that they may have great endurance and patience.  (Gal. 5:22)

July 27. Passion for God—”Lord, please instill in my children a soul that ‘followeth hard after thee,’ one that clings passionately to You.” (Ps. 63:8)

July 28. Wisdom—” Father, I pray my children would ask and that you would generously give wisdom to them as you promise. (James 1:5)

July 29. Prayerfulness—”Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers.” (1 Thess. 5:17)

July 30. Gratitude—”Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 5:20; Col. 2:7)

July 31. Boldness— “I pray that my children would fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel of Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 6:19)

Dear Lord,

As we embark on this “31 Days of Praying for our Children”, I ask that you bless the words from our hearts that we will be praying for our children.  You know the depth of our love for each of these children in our lives and You know just what each one them need from You.  We will trust You Lord to move in their lives, we turn them over to You, Lord, to lift up to be just who You have planned for them to be.  You love them more than we love them and You want only the best for their lives.  The honor and glory for all that they are will be given to You.  Jesus, please use our children to further Kingdom purposes.  In Your name, Amen.

Please watch the 2 videos below before you begin your 31 Day Prayer journey for your children.  We all need the four principles discussed by Fern Nichols prior to praying for our children.

Isaiah 12:2 – “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

Romans 8:6 – The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Jesus Calling For Kids
June 11th
Never Alone

“There is a battle being fought for the control of your mind. The devil is using every weapon he can think of to win. He’ll distract you – with fun, with busyness, and with noise. He’ll plaque you with fears, worries, and guilt over past mistakes. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep your thoughts centered on yourself and away from Me.

But you are not alone in this battle. I am on your side, and I will fight with you. Your job is to call on My Spirit for help. Ask My Spirit to take control of your mind and keep your thoughts focused on Me. Then I will strengthen you so that you can withstand the devil’s attacks. And I will fill your mind with Peace.”

Many Strands has three groups who are working on-line using a book as a guide for what they are learning. One of the groups is this one…as you all know we are using “Jesus Calling” as our manual for learning. What is amazing me right now, though, about the devotion for today is the fact it can relate back to the other two study groups, as well. The one scripture referenced is speaking to a mind governed by the Spirit as one that brings us life and peace, which totally relates directly to “The Power of a Woman’s Words” study. We are learning how to hold our thoughts captive, so that we can put a rein on our tongue.

The other verse referenced in this devotion has our word, “trust” in it and it is no stretch to see how this would apply to the new study, “Trusting God.” There is indeed a battle being fought for control of our mind and we need to study His word and memorize His word and learn how to apply His word to our everyday life. We need to write His word on our hearts and be able to pull it out as a weapon to fight our own flesh AND to fight the darkness that is invading this world.

I don’t know about you all, but I feel this is direct confirmation from God that all three of these groups are working under His guidance and direction. May we all continue to follow His lead and direction for each of our lives and may we always give Him the honor and glory for all that we do.

http://www.facebook.com/ManyStrandsOfOneAccordOnLineBibleStudies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjDojEOiMcE

I wanted to share some things with you about the leadership team on Many Strands of One Accord.  This page was founded in March of this year through many hours of prayer and meditation with God.  He is the founder and foundation for everything done on this page. God always comes first and we are all about His plans for the women He brings to us.

My name is Patti Taylor-Muzik and I am so blessed by God to facilitate this page for Him.  I am 54 years old and I have been a Christian since I was 6 years old.  I accepted Christ during a revival at the First Baptist Church of St. Johns in my home town of St. Louis, MO.  I apparently preached my first sermon, within hours of accepting Christ, to my brother, David.  I do not remember this part of my salvation…although I do remember, vividly, the moment I believed, my profession of faith before the church and my baptism.

I was a faithful church goer from the cradle through the early years of my marriage.  I unfortunately allowed myself a detour, early in my marriage, and for many years only attended church sporadically.  A little over three years ago through some struggles within our family I was brought to my knees and I have been faithfully attending Faith Church St. Louis with my husband, Peter, ever since.

Peter and I have been married for 33 years and we were blessed with 2 children.  Sara is 30 years old and the mother of our 4 adorable grandchildren.  Keith just turned 21 and is a college student and just recently moved back home after spending 2 years in Springfield, Mo.

After many years of working full-time I retired back in 2003 to spend more time at home with our son and to help our daughter, who was working at the time, as a baby-sitter for her children.  For the past year and a half she has been blessed by her husband to become a stay-at-home Mom and even though I thought my babysitting days were over…God decided differently.  He has brought two little ones to me to care for and nurture, while their parents work during the day.

All of this leads me to where I am today and I bet are interested in knowing how I got involved in these on-line studies and how God birthed the idea for Many Strands inside of me.  It was all in a name.  One of my nephews got married, just about a year ago, to the sweetest young lady, Mellissa Hulsey.  My family’s last name is Taylor and so Mellissa Hulsey became Mellissa Taylor.  I had been following P31’s devotions for quite some time and one day I received an email message from them about a new on-line study offered by Melissa Taylor for a book called “A Confident Heart”.  I will freely admit that I joined the on-line study solely on the name Melissa Taylor…LOL!!!

I am glad I did because God brought a wonderful group of women into my life who partnered with me, in a small group setting, on-line.  These women have been a God send in my life and I am so thankful for the Women of Victory.  The WOV group had some growing pains in the beginning and we went through a few facilitators’ and then one day my phone rang and I was asked to become the group’s administrator.  I agreed to take it on a trial basis and God led me to my calling through the work I did in this group under His leadership and guidance.

While I loved the books that I was studying with-in this small group setting, there were many more authors, outside of P31 that I wanted to study and share with my new friends.  So the idea for Many Strands of One Accord was born within me.  We have a variety of resources that we are offering to women on our page.  We have four small groups going currently here on-line.  Three of the groups are working on a specific “book” study; “The Power of a Woman’s Words” by Sharon Jaynes, “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young, and June 10^th we begin the book “Trusting God” by the GIG’s.

Many Strands is also offering the women that come to our page a “word” study.  It just started on June 4^th.  Each week we will post a word and offer scripture, songs, pictures, prayers and questions to help us come to a better understanding of just how we should apply that word to our walk with the Lord.  Helena Fulmer has agreed to partner with me on this journey and I can’t tell you how happy I was when she said she would become a member of the Many Strands team.  Helena is putting together a biography about herself for us and as soon as I receive it, I will be sharing it with each of you.  I can tell you that she is an awesome woman of God and is rumored to sing like an angel.  I am still hoping for an opportunity to hear her sing…maybe I can get her to lead us in worship during one of our conference calls.  That would be awesome, don’t you agree???

Along with the current “word of the week” study, we also offer you monthly challenges within our page…just recently we completed a 31-day study that was offered by S.W.A.P. Ministries on the word “peace”.  You will find the verses we studied during the 30 days of May in a note on our page.  Our June challenge is a 30 Day study to deepen our faith through prayer.  We have also been using the NIV devotions “One Day at a Time” to read through the Bible…it was a 30 Day challenge in the beginning, but they are continuing to send me the emails and so I am happily still sharing them with all of you.

We are also going to start offering conference calls twice a month.  Talking, praying and hopefully, Helena, singing together!!!

As I stated in the beginning of this post…God is the founder and the foundation for all that we do on this page.  We want to serve Him first and foremost, and hopefully by following His call on each of our lives, we can help each of you.

Please hold us accountable!  Please let us know if something you see brings confusion or bothers you, in any way.  If we are truly Daughters of the King, accountability is a must in all of our lives.  We are not perfect and we will make mistakes and we will not always get it right, but when we do get it wrong…we need to know.  We need to apologize, admit our mistakes and ask for forgiveness.  And then move forward.

We also would like to know when we get it right and we are speaking to your hearts through all that we share with you.  We also want you to share with us.  Bring things to the table of Many Strands and let us feast on the bounty of what you have found, together.  Thank you for liking this page and if you ever have any questions or suggestions, please let us know.

One more thing…Many Strands is looking for other women to link arms with us in various other areas that we see a need.  We just need a little more help to do all that I feel God has called us to do.  So, if are feeling like God has been calling you to be a part of a ministry…let Helena or I know.  We would love to discuss the possibilities with you.

Do you find yourself blocking the message because of the messenger?  I admit that I have found myself doing this lately, even though I know it’s a message He wants me to hear.  I want nothing to do with the message because His emissary has disappointed me and hurt my feelings, because she fell short of my expectations.

I have a friend who shared with me a story recently about a disappointing mentoring experience she had and how careful we need to be with who we allow to feed us God’s truth and who we allow to hold us accountable.  I am looking at her situation with new eyes today because I have recently been disappointed by someone who I thought was supposed to be a Godly role model for me to follow.  The problem with this situation is, it was strictly implied on my part and I really am not even sure that she realized she was being viewed by me in this capacity.

Time after time I watched this woman make commitments and then, in my mind, break those commitments.  I was observing this happening in all areas of her life and in my mind it seemed to be a very easy thing for her to do.  It did not seem to bother her or cause her distress and sometimes when she broke a commitment it fell upon others to complete what she had committed to doing.

I was and I am having a difficult time reconciling the new image I have of this woman with the role I felt she was to play in my life.  I learned some valuable lessons from God through this and I want to share them with you.  One of the first things I learned through this is not to place unwarranted expectations unto others.  There was never an understanding or agreement reached between the two of us that she was going to fill this role in my life.  It was a conclusion I reached on my own and I never really communicated these thoughts with her.  Always make sure your mentor(s) are aware that you are looking to them for guidance…it will save you both heartache in the end.

Jesus and the life He led here on earth is the ultimate example for all of us to follow.  His life was sin-free and there are plenty of examples in the Bible to go to for direction.  At times of confusion…look to Jesus, He will not steer you wrong.  People will usually disappoint you and reality check here people…you will find yourself disappointing others too.

People are always watching you especially when you are putting yourself out there in any form of ministry.  I truly believe that if I commit to something, if anything happens that changes that commitment; I need to offer an explanation and an apology to anyone that is affected by my decision.  I should always do my best to see my commitments through to completion and only commit to those things that God has brought me to.  If He brought me to it, He will equip me through it…to its conclusion.

I think that maybe the most important lesson God is trying to teach me through this is that I don’t have to understand why other people do the things they do.  They do not owe me anything…everything they do, in a ministry capacity or in any capacity, is for His honor and glory.  I do not walk their journey and they do not walk mine…we walk our own according to His will for each of our lives.  So maybe I need to filter the message not the messenger through God and if it lines up with His word; then accept His message through whatever means He finds acceptable.  He has the Last Word…in all things.

“Church” 

“I heard that book they have you read has a wild ending.” 

Prayer is the conduit through which power from heaven is brought to earth – O. Hallesby

I got up this morning and was going to spend my quiet time with God.  I gathered all of my materials together and I felt Him urging me to pick up the book, “The Power of a Woman’s Words” and read the current chapter, “The Power of a Woman’s Words to God.”  As I read the words in this chapter, I felt the tears begin to flow.  You see, I am like the mother of the young woman in the beginning of this chapter.  I am fervently praying for the Lord to touch my son and bring Him back into the fold.

The opening conversation I shared with you above is actually a text message conversation between my son and me, last night.  “I heard that book they have you read had a wild ending.”  He knows the ending of the Bible because he has read it.  Only I also found out last night that he has a wrong perception of the ending.  During a conversation we had face to face, this is how he sees that ending…”Everyone dies.”

“No, Keith, those who believe…LIVE!”  The power of my praying words to God is working through Keith’s life.  You might not see it through what I am sharing with you here, but as Keith’s momma, who knows his heart, I can see and feel the power of God working in his life.  I must not give up or give in…I must put on the armor of God every day and go into battle against the forces of darkness.  Because as Billy Sunday is quoted as saying in our current chapter, “All hell cannot tear a boy or girl away from a praying mother.”

And you want to know what is stronger than one praying mother…an army of praying women linking arms together in intercession for the needs of others.  The devil cannot win against an army of Godly women praying together…”there is no more powerful way we can use our words than petitioning Almighty God to work on their behalf.”

As I looked back up at the text message from my son…God revealed to me something else about those words.  When Jesus comes back there are going to be many people standing here on earth asking that same question; “Where’d y’all go?”  I don’t want it to be a member of my family or yours left behind asking that question.  Let’s purpose together to intercede on behalf of those loved ones that need the Lord.

Dear Lord: 

Thank You for the hope you provided me this morning.  Thank You, also, for the sisters in Christ that You have provided me through these various studies.  I know that You will not leave me forsaken or forgotten.  You hear the cry of this momma and my prayers will be answered.  Jesus, I TRUST in You.  In Your name I pray, Amen

The most powerful words we can speak to our spouse, our children, our family and our friends are the words we speak to God in prayer for them. The words of life that we speak in prayer asking for God’s intercession are the very words that move God to action on their behalf. The most important words we can speak on behalf of all people in our life are our petitions to God to work in their life. Default to prayer at all times, in all circumstances before sharing thoughts with anyone. If you offer advice immediately…it is your advice not Gods. We are not God and we need His input to weigh and balance our “life infusions” properly.

Which leads us to the second most important words we speak in the lives of our loved ones; “life infusions.” We need to be intentional with what words come from our mouth or even from our fingers. If we are not careful our words can wound, even unintentionally. I know that I have wounded people intentionally and unintentionally with my words. I believe that unintentionally I did this several times in the past week. I need to remember to taste those words and taste them again before speaking them, AND I need to read and taste what I have written…several times before I hit that send button. This will allow me to edit my words and make them more palatable to the recipient.

This all leads me to a prayer called “Learning to Speak Life” from a book written by Stormie Omartian…The Power of a Praying Parent, Book of Prayers. I think we could all say this one for each other, for our spouses, our children and grandchildren.

Lord, I pray that I will choose to use speech that glorifies You. Fill my heart with Your Spirit and Your truth so that what overflows from my mouth will be words of life and not death. Put a monitor over my mouth so that every temptation to use profane, negative, cruel, hurtful, uncaring, unloving, or compassion-less language would pierce my spirit and make me feel uncomfortable.

I pray that obscene or foul language be so foreign to me that if words like that ever do find their way through my lips, they will be like gravel in my mouth and I will be repulsed by them.  In Jesus holy name, Amen

Help me to hear myself so that words don’t come our carelessly or thoughtlessly. I pray that by my words I will be justified.

Many Strands of One Accord had its first conference call last night and IF I was going to concentrate on the number of women on the call…I would believe that I was a failure.  I am not focusing on that number; I am looking towards God and what He brought through this call.  And He brought many blessings and so I say, this call was a Success!!!

1. I was not alone on the call.  God brought two other women to join me on the call to offer support, encouragement and prayer.
2. I was able to share the message God gave me to speak.
3. The call was recorded.  This means that others will be able to listen to His message and the prayers that were said on their behalf.
4. God showed up during this call and the proof of that has been through the words I have heard from Tricia and Christi (they were on the call with me), the other women who have been able to listen to the call since last night and the feeling of peace that I have been experiencing since the call ended.
5. God refined and clarified His direction, during the call, for the Many Strands of One Accord page.

There may have only been three women on this call last night, but God is going to use this call to impact other women.  Many Strands is going to continue to offer on-line Bible studies groups and prayer groups; we may continue with just 3 groups or that number may expand.  This is totally up to God and the number of women He brings to the page.

If you have listened to the call you will know that at the end of it I discussed a new idea that God has planted in me for how this page can help women connect with each other.  There are many Bible studies offered; both on-line, in your homes and in our churches.  I am seeing Many Strands as a point of connection to let the women in different parts of the country know what Bible Studies are offered in their area and on-line.

Many Strands wants to support and encourage women to meet in community to support and encourage each other in our daily walk with the Lord.  Many Strands already is offering studies from different ministries whose main focus are women; Girlfriend’s in God, Jesus Calling devotion, S.W.A.P ministries and P31.  We want to support your ministry for women too, however God is leading you.  If you are leading a group of women in a study and would like to have this information shared with other believers please send me your information to plmuzik@sbcglobal.net and I will be happy to post it to the Many Strands page.

I am going to ask you to do 2 things please pray for all the women in every group that Many Strands supports and please share the Many Strands page with your family and your friends.  It is only through word of mouth that Many Strands can reach the women whose lives God wants us to reach.  This ministry is not just mine…it is yours too!  You help make those many strands become one accord.

Lord, we come to You today acknowledging that we sometimes forget to seek You during our day.  I know that there are times when our faith is weak and we need to come to you and ask in faith and believe that You will intercede on our behalf.  Lord, we are running to your arms to be renewed and healed.  We are running to your arms so we can be the child that You have called us to be.  We want to walk hand in hand with You every day.  We want a relationship with You.  We invite you into our lives, we invite you into our marriages, we invite you into our families, we invite you into our relationships, we invite you into our study groups, we invite you into our work place, we invite the power of your Spirit into every area of our lives.  We will arise from this place  with confidence and assurance that You are working within us and You are touching us mind, body and soul with your healing hand.  We will turn our ears to hear Your words, our eyes will continually seek Your face for all that You want us to see.  We are continually being nurtured by You and we thank You and Praise You for the opportunity to come together to worship You.  We give all the honor and the glory to You for whatever blessings we receive from being a part of the conference call.  Thank You for Your Love, Thank You for Your Grace, Thank You for Your Mercies and Thank You for a group of women to build community with through You.  In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

If you have not liked the Many Strands page on facebook, please click on the link below and I hope you will like it!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/ManyStrandsOfOneAccordOnLineBibleStudies

When you are with other people, you often lose sight of My Presence. Your fear of displeasing people puts you in bondage to them, and they become your primary focus. When you realize this has happened, whisper My Name; this tiny act of trust brings Me to the forefront of your consciousness, where I belong. As you bask in the blessing of My nearness, My life can flow through you to others. This is abundant life!”

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
—Proverbs 29:25

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
—John 10:10

I lost sight of His Presence last night and I need to confess this today. I was with other people and instead of shining His light and rising above the situation I ALLOWED myself to become a part of it all.

I was not Christ-like at the baseball game last night. I allowed the women that were sitting behind us aggravate me. More than aggravate me…they infuriated me. I was hit in the head by them more than once and then they started putting their feet on the back of our seats. I did not handle the situation correctly. I was not rude to them…but, I allowed my anger to show in front of my daughter and her husband.

I complained about these women and expressed my disapproval. I was not His example on earth. In January when I started the MTC study one of my mandates to change was that I could not excuse or justify my behavior based on the actions of others and I am still under this mandate. So there is no excuse for Patti losing sight of Jesus. I have to seek Him at all times, not just when it is easy to do so. I must seek Him at the first sign of trouble. He must be my DEFAULT at all times. I should have confronted the women in kindness and been an example to my family of loving people in even difficult situations.

I cannot allow the thief to steal, kill and destroy what God has promised me, a full life where I am kept safe because my trust is in the Lord.

Lord, I blew it last night. I was not an example for anyone to follow. I ask that you forgive me for getting it all wrong. I want You to be first in my life and I want You to be what people see in me. I am sorry and I am so thankful too. I am so thankful that you love me enough to convict me when I get it wrong and that today is a new day for me to get it right. Thank You for Your grace and Your mercy! In Jesus name, Amen

Forever Reign-Hillsong-A Beautiful Exchange

www.youtube.com

God has offered us His truly Amazing Grace and it is fresh and, it is new each day.  What God offers to us we need to offer to others, through the strength and love He supplies to us each day.  We need to write these words within our heart and use God’s example to share grace with the ones we love.

First it is important to remember God gives us choices.  He is not a God of control, He is a God who leads.  There are many examples of His leading in His word and we need to follow His teachings in our dealings with others.  We need to lead them, not control them.

Secondly, when God looks at us…He does not look at what is wrong with us.  God looks at what is right and good inside each one of us.  We need to follow in His footsteps by seeing what is right in our loved ones and stop focusing on what is wrong.  Play to their strengths.

Thirdly, there is a dream inside each one of us and I believe God has given us that aspiration.  We need to speak to that dream inside of our loved one.  We need to encourage them…even when we don’t understand or agree with them, we need to build them up and help them to be all that He is asking them to be.

The last item I would like to speak to is an idea which was introduced to me during the sermon I heard last night.  Jesus has set up an account with each of our names on it and in this account is His grace.  Jesus advanced us His grace and we are allowed unlimited withdrawals from our account on a daily basis.  We need to respond to His grace in order to be recipients of His grace.   So, the next time you need grace for yourself or you are having a difficult time of finding grace within…go to your account of His infinite grace and make a withdrawal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsX-a6lux3k

Maybe we need to look at what needs to change before we start talking solutions.  Let’s take a little test and don’t worry no one needs to see your answers.  But, I am going to ask you to be honest about your answers though…with yourself and with God.

1. Have you ever used words to negatively characterize your child?
2. Have you ever negatively characterized your spouse in front of your child?
3. Have you ever negatively characterized a person or race in front of your child?
4. Have you ever told your child, “You are just like ___________?”  And your child knows you do not like how ______________ acts?
5. Have you ever said, “Do what I say not what I do?”
6. Are you harder on your child when you are in a bad mood or tired?
7. Do you lecture your child when you are trying to get a point across?

I am going to just lay it all out there for you; I know that, at least one time in the lives of both of my children, I have committed every one of these crimes.  I would have to answer yes times 2.  I also would have to say that each of these crimes were committed against me…which leads me to the first thing I believe we need to do to move forward and break this curse in our life.

1. Forgive your parents.  Forget the words or the times when they did not get the parenting right and move on.  You need to let it go and forgive them.  If you can’t forgive them…your children will not forgive you.  We are all guilty in this generational curse, none are innocent.
2. Tell your children you are sorry for the times when you got it wrong.  Ask them to forgive you and be specific with them.  Do not give a generalized apology to them, you are teaching them through this apology how to humble themselves to others and to God.
3. Take all of this to God and ask for His forgiveness too.  Ask Him to forgive you for harboring any unforgiveness against your parents inside of you and ask for His forgiveness for those times when you acted outside of His will toward your children.

Now that we have forgiven and asked for forgiveness, we need to make some changes, that stick…from the inside out.  We need to transform our thinking and our hearts, and do our best to lead our children to God.  Here are just a few tips to help us with our transformation, along with some Biblical truths.

1. Accept your child for who he (she) is.  Love them in all of their strengths and weaknesses…just as your Father in heaven loves you.  Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—“
2. Always show respect to your spouse, especially in front of your children.  Although males and females are equal in relationship to Christ, the Scriptures give specific roles to each in marriage. The husband is to assume leadership in the home (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:23). This leadership should not be dictatorial, condescending, or patronizing to the wife, but should be in accordance with the example of Christ leading the church. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:25-26). Christ loved the church (His people) with compassion, mercy, forgiveness, respect, and selflessness. In this same way husbands are to love their wives.
3. Separate the behavior from the child.  Show your children unconditional love, at all times.  1 John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
4. Put yourself in your children’s shoes.  Picture yourself at that age while you are dealing with what they are going through.  Be empathetic to their situation.  Then use the knowledge that you have gained through age and wisdom to help them learn.  “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, …” Proverbs 1
5. Set a Godly example.  Be the parent who God created you to be and lead by example.  Walk your talk and talk your walk.  The eyes of your children are on you, at all times.  They will do what you do and they will say what you say…at least until they decide you’re not longer cool enough to imitate.  Deuteronomy 6:6-9 “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

I thank You God for these words and for Your plan, which is working within my life right now.  To You God I give all the honor and all the glory.  I pray that these words touch the hearts of parents and make them think before they speak.  I pray that it makes them taste, smell, touch, feel and see how their words and their actions can affect their children.  May they only want to use them to point their children to You.  In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

God has fashioned a mountain just for you.  It is a mountain He is asking you to climb.  The view from the top of your mountain was created by His hands and He made it specifically for you.  God will equip you for the climb.

I wrote these words last night thinking I was going to be writing one thing to share with all of you and here I find that God had something totally different to discuss.  All week-long I had an idea germinating for the study I am facilitating called, “The Power of a Woman’s Words.”  There was an exercise that needed to be assigned to the women in the group, and it just did not seem to fit to me.  I looked at this idea from every possible angle and worked it, and reworked it for days.

Finally, Friday night I decided that I could not postpone the assignment any longer.  I just needed to start typing it up to place on the page for the group.  Here is what I knew about the assignment as I was typing it up.  The women in the group needed to speak life infusions to someone over the weekend and at the last-minute God asked me to add that it needed to be someone who they did not know.

The assignment was made clear to me as soon as I read Chapter 3 of the book.  This morning on my way to Springfield to visit Keith…I read chapter 3 and at the end of the chapter the author tells a story which gave clear meaning for the reason behind God’s assignment.  She shares a story about a phone call between 2 strangers.  At first glance it would appear that this call was to the wrong number…but God never gets it wrong and He knew just the right person to speak “life infusions” into the heart of the man who answered that phone.  The lady who dialed the wrong number got it right and God supplied the words for her to speak.

If I fix my eyes on Him and follow where He is leading me…I will make it to the top of my mountain gifted to me by God.  He will equip me with all I need for the climb and I need to remember to help others as I walk the path He has set for me.  I may not always know where He is leading me or understand the assignments He gives me…I just have to keep moving forward under His direction and thank Him for both the known and the unknown, and the seen and the unseen.

I am keeping my eyes on the prize and moving forward to the top of the mountain…I hear the view is phenomenal.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this study.  Thank you for the opportunity it is giving me to place my words under a microscope.  I have never been more aware of words and there power than right now in at this time in my life.  You have a reason that each one of us has decided to be a part of this study.   I believe that this study is a part of our mountain and to get to the next level we need to learn the power of our words.

I have witnessed many things these last few days which is bringing these lessons into clear view for me.  Thank you for all.  You have convicted me about many things through this study this weekend and I thank you for the love you have for me.  I thank you that you allowed me to use what I have learned to coach my husband in how he chooses his words today. 

The most important lesson I believe I learned this weekend is that this group of women was brought together under your direction and by your power.  They are Yours and their needs are varied and only You truly know their hearts and what they need.  You are the leader and I am to walk by your guidance.  This page is Yours and it is by Your direction that we all operate.  You are to be front and center and it is Your love that should shine from each of us.  Thank you Lord for all that you are doing for us through this study.

In Jesus name, Amen

“…love will last forever,” as long as I learn to control my tongue.  I am fully convicted now of the fact that I need to do this next on-line  study, “The Power of a Woman’s Words!!!  Here is the story of why I need to work on using my words to bring “life”…to my marriage.

My husband came into the house tonight after walking the dog, he was on his cell phone talking to someone and I heard him say the word, “snake.”   Now, I am a city girl with a little bit of country in me…I used to spend my summers on my grandparents 80 acre farm.  So, I have seen my share of snakes but…that does not mean that I like them or want to be around them.

When he got off of the phone I asked Peter who he had been talking to and he told me our son-in-law, Tim.  Well my mind started adding up the situation like this…Tim + Sara + grandchildren + snake = a panicked grandma.  I calmly asked him why I heard the word snake during his conversation.  He told me that Tim found a small Copperhead at the back of their property line.  I gasped at his answer and said something, not sure anymore what I said about the snake but, I know that he immediately started mocking me, like this “snake” was no big deal.  My reaction to his action…anger!!!!

I felt total and immediate anger at him for making fun of my fear over a Copperhead being in close proximity to my grandchildren’s play area.  And, I did not waste a single second letting him know how upset he was making me.  “How dare you mock me?”  I have already been reading the first few chapters of “The Power of a Woman’s Words” and I felt he needed to hear a lesson or 2 from the book.  “Don’t you know that your words have power?  Do you think that you are speaking “life” to me by making fun of me and making me feel stupid because I am concerned about this snake?”

You have to imagine these words coming out of my mouth in an angry and frustrated tone with a little bit of volume.  I am sure you get the picture and while I know that he should not have teased me…I should have counted to fifty, at least, before I tore into him.  My mom always told me that two wrongs don’t make anyone right and neither one of us was right tonight.

I had no business going all “holier than thou” on him and he should not have ridiculed my fear.  He left the house to go clean the Community Center in our subdivision and I picked up my laptop to work on my Bible Study groups and pages.  I found some free resources to post in the “Power of a Woman’s Words” group that list “words your husband longs to hear from you and “words to avoid saying to your husband.”  And, even though my words to Peter are not found on the list to avoid saying to your husband, they certainly will not be found on the list of words he is longing to hear from me either.  When he came home we both used a phrase from the words he longs to hear list…”I’m sorry!”  Now that’s more like it!

I have now found two areas of my life where I need help in using the power of words in a way that is more pleasing to God…through my electronic communications and in my discussions with my husband.  I know there are more areas where I need to be more careful with my choice of words.  The list is already forming in my mind…I will save it for another day, though…time to get some sleep.

Lord: 

I want to use my words carefully.  Please forgive me for those times, like tonight, when I speak in haste and waste the opportunity to be more like you.  I want to take my time before speaking and make sure that what I say is just what You want me to say.  I want every word that I speak to be sealed with Your approval…I want to speak my words using Your voice.  Thank you for your forgiveness and for being the God of many chances.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen

I think this verse illustrates the importance we need to place on the power of our words.  This is especially true with how we interact and communicate with each other these days.  It is very important to pick and choose your words wisely as you attempt to share what God has laid upon your heart in our text messages, emails and in the social media sites that we are a part of.

I think that we all know how easy it is for people to read something into the words that we write; there is no facial expression or body language or tone to help decipher the meaning behind our words.  And because of this people put their own interpretation on the words you have written…and not always in the way that you intended them to take your words.

This is one of the reasons that I have decided to lead a group of women on facebook in a study of a book, “The Power of a Woman’s Words” by Sharon Jaynes.  As I have researched information on this book and what to expect from the study I found this description…a pretty strong example of how powerfully motivating the written word can be.

“Words—one of the most significant forces in the universe—can be used for good or evil. Your words can change the course of a day…the course of a life. Popular speaker Sharon Jaynes will help you use your words in positive, powerful ways, so that you can… 

• instill confidence into a child’s heart

• encourage a husband to accomplish his dreams

• fan the dying embers of a friend’s smoldering hope

• draw someone to the love of Christ

• open the door to powerful prayer 

As a woman, you can explore the power you possess, the people you impact, the potential for change, and the profound possibilities as you harness this mighty force and use it to speak life to those around you.” 

Personally, I use the written word to communicate the love of God on a daily basis on facebook via posts on my personal page, on my blog and within the on-line groups I am leading.  I am hoping that this study will empower me to the next level in my walk with God and help me to wisely choose my words, both written and spoken, to bring “life” to my family and my friends.

Do you think that you could benefit from this Bible Study too?  Would you like to join this on-line study?  You only need to purchase the book, “The Power of a Woman’s Words” by Sharon Jaynes…there is a workbook/study guide that goes along with the book.  There is no requirement to purchase the workbook…I will post the assignments to the group page from the study guide every day for those of you who just want to purchase the book.

The study will start on April 1, 2012 and we will work through one chapter a week, for the next 14 weeks.  I hope you will join me on this journey of learning to choose our words wisely and in understanding just how powerful those words can be to the people we interact with on a daily basis.  Check out the short video that was put together to introduce us to “The Power of a Woman’s Words”.

Dear Lord:

Our prayer is simple yet ever so necessary and daily: grant us a greater gospel-stewardship of our words. As you speak to us, please speak through us, Lord Jesus. We are painfully aware that our words can bring great harm and death (Prov. 18:21). Indeed, if we’re not careful, our words can pillage the soft tissues of the heart like gangrene (Eph. 4:29). Forgive us, Lord Jesus, even as recent conversations come to mind in which we have brought unnecessary harm.  Give us the words that will bring life and love to the people that we communicate with on daily basis.  In the name of Your precious Son I pray, Amen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfp13XiZcNg