His Princess!

I want my daughter to know that she is a princess!
Not just my princess.
Not just her daddy's princess.
A very special princess to a very special prince.
This past week we had prom preparations going on at our house. I have a son who has been to a prom before and a daughter who was going to her first prom. The preparations for my daughter were quite different then with my son. For my son we bought the ticket and rented the tux. The time total was less than 30 minutes! For my daughter we tried on dresses, shopped for shoes, went through 4 or 5 dress fittings, looked for jewelry, make-up and on and on. On the day of prom my daughter and I had a regimented plan of attack for getting ready that started well before the prom started! My son went fishing, came home, showered and dressed. AND don't get me started on the difference between dad's response to his daughter going to prom verses his son...let's just say she may not realize it, but she is his princess.
When it was all said and done my daughter looked lovely.
I wanted her to feel like a princess.
She looked like one to her mom. But she looked like one to me before she had her pale blue beaded dress on.

My heart was just touched at how lovely she looked, but as the night went on I had a prayer on my heart.
Lord, I pray she knows that she is your princess.
Everyday. All the time. To the One King. To Jesus.

Last year my daughter attended our annual women's conference with me. I was filled with joy to have her beside me singing, praying, taking in the Word. I spoke at the conference about beauty. The beauty that God sees in all of us. How we should use His Word as our mirror and not look into the world's warped mirror.

 

 "All beautiful you are, my darling. There is no flaw in you."~ Song of Solomon 4:7.  

 

I know my daughter heard the verse, knows the verse (because she reminds me when I am feeling less than beautiful) and now I want her to live the verse!

 

This year my daughter will attend our annual women's conference with me again. I am so thankful to have this time with her. This year I will speak about having an overflowing cup for Christ. A cup flowing with his love and his word. The more we sit with Jesus, the more we will realize that we are all a princess to Him.

We are loved.

We are cherished.

We are His.

His Princess!

Can I take a moment to encourage you to come and bring your princess with you also? It promises to be a special time. All the lovely ladies of the land should come! (For conference details look under the tab, This One's for the Girls, Yesterday and Today and Forever)

Blessings,

Jodie

Only A Moment

It only took a moment.

I stepped out on my porch this morning to feel the sunshine.
It only took a moment.
I heard the birds chirping.
I felt the warm sun on my face.
The sky was gleaming; the trees were budding.
It only took a moment to see that it was a glorious day out my front door.

That one moment made me think of other moments. We have many moments in life and we get a chance to decide how we spend them and what we will make of them. Have moments passed you by? Have you made a big mess in a moment? Have you triumphed in a moment? How many times have we said, wait...just a moment.

Moments. They come. They go.
There is so much that a moment can represent.
Our whole life can be changed in a moment.
It only takes a moment to say "I do" and you are married.
It only takes a moment to say "I'm sorry" and healing can begin.
It only takes a moment to smile. To laugh. To encourage someone.
It only takes a moment to knock someone down. To hurt. To rip apart.

Moments. What will you do with your moments today?
Walking outside a moment was a good choice today.
Yelling at my children was a bad moment.

One more moment of your time? If you knew that in just a moment you would breathe your last breath, where would your next moment be spent? In Heaven?
It takes only a moment to say, "Jesus, I accept your love, believing you are the son of God and trusting you to be my Savior." He will be yours in that moment!
Accepting the love of Christ is worth every moment!
If you have not accepting the love of Christ, please, take a moment!
Jodie

"It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed." 1 Corinthians 15:52

What's so "good" about Good Friday?

Last night, we had a special service at church to remember the night Jesus was crucified. We sat close to the front (not by my choice, but by the choice of my children who said they could not see from the back) right next to the rugged cross that we have had displayed in our sanctuary for the last several weeks.

And then, my husband, portraying Simon of Cyrene gave an account of what it may have been like that night being there when Jesus was sentenced to die. "Crucify Him...Crucify Him" the crowd cried out. "His eyes...covered in blood and sweat, with a harsh crown of thorns dug into His head"..eyes that cried out love, love for all who would accept it. And then, I got distracted...

Sara would not sit still, Cailee was staring off in space, and Austin was asleep. My finger was hurting because of a splinter that I had gotten earlier in the day. I had things that I needed to get done in order to visit with my parents this weekend, which made me think of my mom.... who has been having some medical issues this year. And then I am snatched back.."Were you there?"..."Were you there?"....."Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"

How many people were "present" when Jesus was crucified and got distracted..... not realizing that He was the Savior of the world? How many times have I been distracted by the flesh not admitting that it was my sin that caused Him to hang on that cross? How many times have I just "kept moving, stared off into space, or fallen asleep", when I need to remember what Christ did for me?

So why is Good Friday so good? Because even as terrible as it was, Jesus being beaten and dying a cruel death on a cross, it is through His suffering that we receive the Joy of Easter. The cross is where we see our sins and God's forgiveness collide. We have hope that a terrible day can be good...all because of Jesus. 

Hebrews 12: 2b 

"For the joy set before Him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

So today, this Good Friday, it is my prayer that we will all remember Jesus and His sacrifice for us on a rugged cross. That we will keep the Joy of His resurrection in our hearts but that we will not skip over His sacrifice. That we will admit that we were there..but that it will be Good because He was there for us to offer forgiveness..free and eternal.

Happy Good Friday! Looking forward to Sunday!

Donna

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures...." 1 Corinthians 15:3 

Finding Freedom Through Surrender by Michelle Adams

Finding Freedom Through Surrender

Last week I attended a ladies’ retreat where we were refreshed in the Lord!  We participated in a Priscilla Shirer simulcast which was amazing!  While there, God continued showing me how much He wants to bless us when we choose to surrender our “all” to Him.

How many times do we ask God to free us from chains that we have placed on ourselves?

God often calls us out of our bondage, but we choose to stay in the comfort of what we know even though we are hurting.  During her simulcast, Priscilla talked about just this… Emotions are not smart (just LOUD!). Do not let your emotions talk you out of obedience. We may hope that a speaker or pastor holds the answer. But no amount of approval from others will grant us freedom; no seminar or sermon (or devotion!) can unlock the chains we allow to hang on ourselves.

The key is only found in our own hands—that is, in surrendering completely to God.

 

How do we surrender and experience victory simultaneously? In our culture, surrender is equivalent with failure, right? Surrender is giving up. Surrender means we are not strong enough, not good enough, not “something” enough to complete the task at hand and come out on top. No, we are not anxious to wave our white flags of surrender. We clutch them tightly and keep them hidden behind our backs. We are not weak. Or at least we don’t want the enemy to think we are.

So then why, of all things, does God the almighty and victorious one call us to surrender?

He does it often. From the Old Testament when the Israelites were rebelling and refusing Babylonian captivity to the New Testament when Jesus upholds those who are meek and instructs us to “turn the other cheek.” God’s word urges his people to surrender from the battle within and from the battle around us. We often grow unaware of these battles, forgetting that our flesh is at constant war with our spirit and that good is at constant war with evil. These battles are too big and too important for us to fight on our own.

The battle occurring within each of us is too dangerous to forget about. Our flesh leads us down paths of destruction: bitterness, jealousy, anger. Our flesh tries hard to achieve our worldly desires and goals. We work hard to save money, get a promotion, not let others hurt us, not let others hurt the ones we love, fix people’s problems. It is exhausting work.  And lasts only until we hit a wall or rock bottom or completely fail, realizing we have nothing left to offer.

Rather than depending on ourselves until that point of defeat, God calls us to lay our weapons down at the start of battle, take a deep breath and resign to what we fear most—surrender. But God promises captivity is not what we will walk into if we raise our white flag. Actually, He promises the opposite will occur: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). When we choose Christ above our own ability, we find freedom from our struggle. In that sense, when we finally raise our white flag, we are actually raising up the cross.  And in the cross is more power than we could ever have.

Paul tells us that His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

When we are not able, He is able.

 Able to pick us up so we can stand again (Romans 14:4);

Able to bless us abundantly (2 Corinthians 9:8);

Able to make us wise (2 Timothy 3:15);

Able to help us while we are being tempted (Hebrews 2:18);

Able to save us completely through Christ (Hebrews 7:25);

Able to keep us from stumbling and able to bring us into God’s presence (Jude 1:24);
Able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine for our lives and for this world (Ephesians 3:20). 

Priscilla also talked about this particular verse… the Hebrew translation of this verse says God will go “beyond beyond”… meaning He will go beyond our wildest imagination for what we think is the absolute best for us.  If we think of the absolute BEST for us in our situation, He can go beyond that!!  Isn’t He good?!

He fought the battle a long time ago, on a cross, and “this is the victory that has overcome the world” (1 John 5:4).  Now He simply waits to see our white flags being raised one by one.

 As soon as we get out of the way and allow Christ to be our defender and victor, we are free and He in turn is enabled.

Once we surrender, we are free. Once we succumb to our weakness, we are strong in Christ. Explaining this sounds a little insane, but experiencing it makes more sense than anything else in our lives. And once we grasp this biblical concept of surrender, our white flags are no longer a symbol of weakness but, instead, a gift we exchange for freedom.

 

Prayer: Lord, today I give You my broken heart, my broken dreams, and my broken life… I give You my “all”. Make them into something beautiful for Your glory. Fill me with a growing passion for Your presence and Your Word. Thank You that as I seek You in a deeper way, I will draw closer to the victories and blessings that belong to me in Christ.

Michelle Adams

References:  January 28, 2014|By Lisa Bevere|Devotional; “White Flag” by Chris Tomlin: Devotional written by Andrea Lucado

PS: There is a song for that! I Surrender All!

 

There is a song for that!

There is a song for that!
I have a sweet friend that loves to sing. She is gifted with a beautiful voice and uses it often to share joy with others. Often I will be talking with her about the Bible and what I am studying and she will say, "there is a song for that"!
This morning as I was reading my Bible I said to myself..."there is a song for that"!
As I read Psalm 103 I began to sing.
Bless the Lord, oh my soul, ohhh my soul. Worship His holy name!

Just this week while I was studying the book of Hebrews I received an answer to a question about a song I love on the radio. It says, "Who am I that you are mindful of me? That you hear me, when I call"? I wondered...is there a VERSE for that? And there in Hebrews, Chapter 2, verse 6:

 "What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?"

And now I also know that it is found in the Psalms:

Psalm 8:4
"What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?"
Psalm 144:3
"LORD, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them?"

AND in Job:

Job 7:17
"What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention"

Songs have spoken to me for as long as I can remember. I love music! It is catchy and sometime you can't shake off a good song (you know that one that keeps you up at night while it plays over and over in your head). Well scripture can be the same way! And it's beautiful to see that you can use the two together as so many before us have already done!

The next time you read a sweet verse in your Bible, ask yourself, "Is there a song for that"?
The next time you hear a sweet song on the radio, ask yourself, "Is there a verse for that"?

Use this strategy to help you remember the One who "was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our sins". And yes, there is a song and a verse for that!

Let there be a song in your heart and a verse in your soul!
Jodie

If you are interested in learning more about songs and scripture please join us each week at Faithfully Fit where we study the Word and work out to songs that point us right back to the Word!

Freely Singing!

As I rode to class Monday morning there was a song on my heart...
I will sing, sing, sing. I will shout, shout, shout. I will sing. I will shout. Praise the Lord!

Often there is a song on my heart.
Since I was a little girl I have listened to music. I can still remember how to sing the theme song from "Picture Pages" with Bill Cosby,"picture pages, picture pages, open up your picture pages. Time to get your crayons and your pencils" and that Cookie Monster says, "cookie, cookie, cookie starts with C"! My love for music did not stop at a young age, it continued into my teen years as I would listen to the "Hot 9 at 9" and into adulthood as I would sing along to the radio (loudly!).

All kinds of music appeal to me. You name it. Country, Rock, Gospel, Classical, Top 40.
But during a women's ministry event led by Nancy Leigh DeMoss I felt convicted by the Lord to lay aside all the worldly music I was listening to and turn my ear to music that would direct my attention to the Lord. I wanted badly to listen to the Lord's call and one day as I was riding in my mini-van turning the dial on the radio listening for a new music choice I said, "Lord, I know you want me to do this. Please help me find a station that is pleasing to you". AND THERE IT WAS! His Radio was just becoming audible in our area, although still a little fuzzy. And it has been my radio station of choice ever since.

I truly believe that music speaks to our hearts and minds and that it can mold our thinking. God's Word instructs, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." (Phil 4:8) I know that is why God led me to change my choice of music. The things I listened to prior to changing the dial were of worldly ways and often sinful. When I tune into music that praises the Lord I find my heart and mind singing praises to the One who loves me. Inspired and encouraged. Now as I sing along to the radio I sing for Joy! And that Joy stays in my heart throughout the day!

"Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth." Psalm 96:1

This spring during our Faithfully Fit sessions we are FREE! We are continuing our tradition of free faith and fitness classes. We are celebrating women coming together freely to pray together, study

God's Word together and work out together without fear of judgment. We are also celebrating the freedom we have in Christ when we trust Him to break the chains of sin that otherwise bind us if we choose to live life without Jesus. We are studying songs of praise, songs of worship and praying that it leads us to be free of all that weighs us down from day to day.

This week I am sharing one of my favorite hymns.

It Is Well with My Soul

Come and join us to see why this hymn is so special to me. For those who are unable to join us I will share just this little bit. During a very difficult journey in my life as I was coming out of the valley and climbing the mountain again God placed this hymn on my heart and I knew God was with me always!

Sing with me, Jodie