The Perfect Storm - Chapter 6

Forgiveness can be tough. I've experienced the struggle to forgive in my own life. What I discovered was that I had to walk in forgiveness even though the emotion of forgiveness was not there. As I was relating to the offender, and I felt the rise of bitterness or anger over what they had done swell up in me, I literally said to myself, "No, I choose to forgive. I am not going to hold onto this anger." It took a long time of living it out, but eventually my emotions followed suit, and I felt forgiveness toward them.

Question 2, Complete this sentence: "If I let go of the demand that this person pay for what they did, then______." This reminded me of something I heard a speaker at a retreat say. Some would say, "If I forgive this person, then isn't that letting them off the hook?" The speaker's response was, "When we forgive, we let the person off of our hook and put them on God's hook."

Wow! Think about that! I think God can do a far better job of holding someone to account for their offense than I can. And if I keep them on my hook, then I have to drag them around everywhere. It doesn't bother them if I tote them all over the place. They are perfectly content to go along for the ride, but then I bear the weight of their offense. That is bondage my friend, and Christ has paid too big of a price for use to live in bondage. So, the challenge for us this week is to take the offenders in our lives off of our hooks and put them on God's.

Letting everyone off the hook will help to empty your heart of resentment and teach you what it is to grow up in Jesus.        - Patsy Clairmont

Trouble Posting Comments

A friend who follows this blog told me that she's having trouble getting comments to post. She has posted before with no problem, but over the past few days, the comments don't seem to be working for her. I did look into this with Blogspot and it seems that there are problems with comments all over the place and they are working on it. In the meantime, if you are having trouble, you might want to try posting comments under the Google Account option. If you don't have a Google account, you can sign up for one very easily. It doesn't cost anything. Just be sure to write your password down, because you'll need it. When you click on the Google Account option and don't have an account, it should direct you to the place where you can sign up for one. If you try this and it's not working, let us know. You can email me by clicking on my icon under followers. Thanks, Lisha

The Angel in the Stone - Chapter 5

Michelangelo's David

I'm digging deep here, well, maybe not deep but desperately. But consider this, these are works made by the hands of men.  We are capable of taking stone, wood, ice and many other materials and crafting them into admirable objects of art.  Gen. 2:7 tells us that the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground.... "He formed us", fashioned us, after He had created everything else He formed us....but read carefully and slowly to grasp the reality "and breathed into, the breath of life" and man became a living being.

He spoke all of creation into being, but us He breathed into life. And we were created in His image.  An image that He so desires would be clothed in His righteousness.

Didn't really want to post a picture of circumcision here, I'll leave that to your imagination.  I thought Kelly did a good depiction of the spiritual circumcision we undergo as we trust in Him in a daily practical life of salvation.  "Spiritual circumcision is an internal process that affects the heart by cutting away the whole "body of sins".

I'll take question #4:

Putting to death the habits of my old self?  As I replace the old and fill my life with the new that Christ offers me I can truly become a new creature in Christ. 

Father Loves You - Chapter 4

I agree with Kelly that we have overused the word love and lack understanding about it's true meaning. We say we love chocolate, love our spouse, love our friend, and love a sunny day. How can these all be equal? Love from God has to be more.

Bear with me here as I delve into a little bit of a word study. The word love in Colossians 3:12 is the same word that's used in John 3:35. "The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands." It's also the same word used in John 13:1. "It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." Think about this. Do you know what Jesus did next? He washed the disciples feet. That's the kind of love that God has for us. In his final hours, he knelt before his disciples, the ones he loved, and became a servant, washing their feet.

I found a beautiful video that may help us to grasp how dearly loved we are. There is an advertisment after the video is over. Women of the Word is not endorsing the ad so feel free to disregard it. I do hope you will take the time to watch the video and ponder God's love for you. Then, choose an answer to one of the questions from chapter 4 (page 195) to share with us. May you rest in his love today.

Blessed Easter to each of you.

I hope you have had a wonderful Easter Sunday.

I want to welcome our newest blogger, Jeanette.  She became mother-in-law three times last year and has a new one coming this year yet.  That could keep a woman busy.
And welcome to Katrina, a new mom this year.  And for those of you who do stop by we are glad you join us even in the background.  We pray this study will bless and encourage you in the Word and in the Lord.

This week we start off by reading Chapter 4 "Father Loves You" on Monday with comments on Tuesday.  Remember there are questions for each chapter, located in the back of your books.  We welcome all your comments and suggest choosing a question for each chapter.

Pointy Sticks and Behavior Management - Chapter 3



Ok, so this was a long read and as I'm searching for comments I'm drawn back to the beginning of the chapter and Kelly's visit with Shelly.  It would be interesting if we could sit in a circle and play out this scenerio, how to talk "gospel" to the unsaved in a language they could grasp. 

I'm thinking here, if I were to begin to explain to you some horse training terms, would you know what I meant when I said "wait for the yield, you're in the wrong lead, ask him to join up, release the pressure, use your seat?"  Those phrases make perfect sense to me and my students would soon learn them, but it would all be "greek" in the beginning.  So it is with the unsaved, unchurched people we come in contact with.

I remember Lisha, as a young person,  told someone that she had "conviction" about something and their response, "What you mean conviction, you been in jail?"  So you see, we become comfortable with "theology" and we need to come back to a simple gospel for  a people who possibly have never been inside a church.  Our world is full of  those who have never heard "Jesus" outside of a swearing comment.

"On being Holy"

I'm taking question #1 ( page 194) .

I grew up with little church experience but that "little" left me believing,

"You don't drink, you don't chew and you don't run with those who do"

Christians don't go to movies and girls should dress modestly.

Holiness is not necessarily an outward appearance but an inward working of the Holy Spirit in us bearing witness of "whose" we are.  Our witness should not have to be the "Jesus" bumper stickers, religious t-shirts or the big cross we wear, but the "Jesus" in us, flowing out that whosoever we come in contact with might say "There's something different about you".



Pick Me, Pick Me - Chapter 2

"Least-chosenness"  - Love Kelly's humor and wit, but seriously I think we could all identify with being "least-chosen".  In the real world it happens, all the more why we need to see that He has chosen Us.

I hope you have taken the time to read and literally "dwell" in Psalm 139.  Stroll and linger in it, absorb it, inhale it, whatever.....please make it personal and refresh yourself in His love for you and your very "chosenness" in Him.

Lisha had shared with me a revelation about Psalm 23, one I'm sure we are all familiar with. Unfortunately it's the familiar ones where we seem to miss some of the best nuggets of truth.  Take verse 6 in your Bible, underline "follow" and in red above it write "pursue"  Read it again and understand that He is pursuing you, not following, but pursuing you.  That changes the concept for me and helps me to understand that He has always sought me out.  Jer 1:5 tells us again that "before I formed you in the womb I knew you"

Turn to page 193 in your books, there are 5 questions for chapter 2.  Would you choose one and comment today?

Where Are They When You Need Them? - Chapter 1

Welcome to The Fitting Room. We’re glad you’ve joined us. If you haven’t introduced yourself yet, please do so by commenting on this post or the one below it.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12

I love the analogy that Kelly uses of clothing our spiritual being with Christian virtues and I can totally relate to the statement on page 21: “I think I have plenty of each [Christian virtues] when I don’t need them. It is only when I am in the situation that I discover that the one I need is the one that I am short of.” When someone runs their fingers down the chalkboard of my life, I see that my closet is full of black short-tempered garments and greatly lacking the color and vibrancy of patience and gentleness.

How about you, can you relate to this struggle? Have you also found yourself lacking in one or more of the virtues from Colossian 3:12? Let’s remember to start where Kelly suggested, at the beginning, as God’s chosen people. You are chosen dear sister! God picked you to be on his team. He loves you and welcomes you with open arms, even when you find yourself falling far short of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, or patience.

The question for today’s discussion: What spoke to you most in Chapter 1? Please share your comments by clicking on the comments link related to this post. If you have a prayer request, you may indicate this by clicking on the prayer request box below the post. We might not know what your request is or who clicked the box, but God does, and he will be faithful to meet your need as we lift it to him in prayer.

The Fitting Room Starting Monday, April 18th!

We will be starting The Fitting Room by Kelly Minter on Monday, April 18th. We invite you to join us. On or before then, please read the first chapter which is an introduction to the study. There will be a post with a few thoughts on the introduction and an invitation for comments. We highly encourage you to make comments. This is how the interaction part of the group will work, and through our sharing we will be able to glean from one another.

We'll read chapters on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Posts to the blog will be made for each chapter on Tuesdays,Thursdays, and Fridays which you can comment on. This will give you two days to read each chapter and think through the questions, which can be found at the back of the book (pg. 193). There are 5 questions per chapter. Each blog post will focus on one or two questions. Please feel free to comment on any question from the book or to share other insights or thoughts that you have. We do not want any one to feel pressure so please know that you are not obligated to answer any question that feels too personal. Since we're not meeting face to face, the comments will be important in creating group interaction.

We are excited to go on this journey with you! If you are joining us, please introduce yourself through commenting on this post. Give us your first name, your favorite candy bar, and one other fun fact about yourself. Have fun with it and let's start getting to know each other!

I Am Chosen

As I was reading thru chapter one this morning in anticipation of our upcoming bible study, I always peek forward.  The one clear point that came to me.  "I am chosen"
He has chosen me!!  We need to get a grasp on that one thing, He has chosen us.

Might I suggest as you read Chapter One take a red pen and everywhere it mention's God's chosen, we have been chosen, write in red "I am chosen"....park on that, dwell on that, get that soooo into your spirit.

Read Psalm 139 and apply it to you personally.

I can hardly wait to get started next week.

Stay tuned here as we will be posting some guidelines for our study.

I'm so anxious to meet our new participants and dwell in His Word with you.

Virtues?

The light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration, as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, ''I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see,.. I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, so naturally... I assumed you had stolen the car.''

Live as an Overcomer - Chapter 19

We could do a "drum roll" here.....We have made it!  To the end!
Although we have finished the book, I pray the book hasn't "finished" us.  Lysa has penned some great truths and principles for us and I pray you will find yourself returning and revisiting your book.  Be encouraged and strengthened in Him.

Psalm 107:17-19 can be our encouragement.

They cried (called out) to the Lord and in their trouble and He saved them from their distress.  He sent forth His word and healed them, He rescued them from their destructions (pit)

God so desires to rescue us, deliver us, heal us.  Our part - to cry out, acknowledge our need for Him, allow Him to be our rescuer. 

We need not walk alone.

Chapter 18 - Things Lost, Better Things Gained

"Standing in the place of repentance"

This truth/teaching has been lost in many of our evangelical churches today.  It has been replaced with a "soft" gospel and "step" systems to work out your problems. 
There is much healing to be had in true repentance, turning away from and heading into the new that Christ affords us with His death. 

"His chiseling is full of truth that sets me free."

I prefer the translation that says "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32 KJV)  Being made free is much more a process than being "set" free and I believe wholeheartedly that He that began a good work in you (Phil 1:6) will continue a good work in you as you surrender to Him.  A process that works in us daily.



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Chapter 17 - The Very Next Choice We Make

"Unsettle Me"

I do think this could have been the title for this chapter. 

We can get too "settled" into our daily lives.  We let the "routine" of life take over our days, nights, time off, etc.  But let something break into that routine and we began to wince, sigh, moan, ok.......complain, stomp our feet, throw up our hands.....and then, maybe then, we cry out to God.

Don't get me wrong here.  I too like to be comfortable.  I enjoy a day that flows in peace, children that obey, husband that conforms (smiling here), dogs that are truly housebroke, budget that works, etc....you get the picture.  But in all reality, it's when those things get out of sync I realize my need to move closer to Him.  It's when your cup gets "unsettled"  that you can really see what's in that cup.

My prayer for you today is that you will read and re-read Lysa's prayer and add to it where you know He needs to unsettle you.

Why Diets Don't Work - Chapter 16

I'm not on a diet. I'm on a journey with Jesus to learn the fine art of self-discipline for the purpose of holiness. - Lysa TerKeurst

I think we'd all agree that diets can work, but not over the long haul. Yes, we'll lose weight if all we eat is bananas and cabbage, but can we really stick with that for the rest of our lives? I know I can't. If you've been like me, you've tried a few things and lost weight with each one, but as soon as you quit drinking the liquid shake or counting those points, the weight creeps back on.

What we're striving for is a long-term journey with Christ to take control away from food and put it into the hands of Christ. I don't think it's easy, but I do think we will reap rewards if we prevail. It's back to perseverance. As scripture says in the book of James verses 3 and 4. ...because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. And in verse 12 of that same chapter James says, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised those who love him.

Chapter 15 - The Demon in the Chip Poster

"If no one sees you, then the calories don't count"

Have you fallen for this one, or should I say, how often do we fall for this thought.  Surely the candy bar we eat on the way home from the store won't matter that much.  Guilty! I'm guilty of this one.  Not so much now, but this can be a real "thief in the night" moment.  Secret sins.  Maybe it's not food for you, but other vices that we know are not pleasing to Him. 

"This isn't just a battle in the physical and mental realm.

This battle is spiritual as well.

Satan wants us to sneak things in secret."

This study has opened my eyes to more than just the "food" battle in my life, but other areas that I need to trust God in.  I pulled out the statement "Cravings that consume us when we are at our weakest points" , the key word here "weakest" or "off guard".

Satan lies in wait to catch us at our weak, off guard moments.  More so the need to be in the Word daily and filling our minds with His promises and provision. 

One of the suggestions I like to make for someone who isn't quite sure where to start in daily Bible reading, Proverbs.  This book has 31 chapters.  I suggest reading the chapter that coincides with the day of the month, so today you would read chapter 4, tomorrow chapter 5 and so on....Now if you miss a day you can choose to make it up or pick up on the day of the month again.   Proverbs has a lot of wisdom on dealing with people and life in general.  Proverbs 1:2 (The purpose) To know wisdom and instruction. To perceive the words of understanding,..... read on it's very good.

I pray you are encouraged today and the "demon"of temptation will be chased away as you apply what you have learned in our study together.

FREE BOOK!!!

Ok ladies, here's your opportunity to get a free copy of this book for our upcoming Bible Study, scheduled to to start April 18th............

All you have to do is go to "Comments" and post your first name, city and state and tell us what your favorite bible study has been or will this be your first bible study.

Winner will be chosen from a random drawing and announced on Wed. so we have time to get it mailed out to you.

We'll be looking for you.

Emotional Emptiness - Chapter 14

Could you even read this chapter without a box of kleenex?  Did it "trigger" a memory or two for you? 

"Everyone has hurts from their past." - Lysa

My heart was touched as Lysa bared her heart feelings about her dad leaving.  For some of us we have heartwrenching stories about a dad that stayed physically but had no idea of the needs of his children.  We have stories of parents that pulled us back and forth across the country fighting over who had custody. This list could go on and on.

 I was talking with a dear sweet pastor's wife.  In the course of our conversation I told her I had recently lost my son.  With genuine compassion she replied, "We all have stories, don't we?"  That has stuck in my mind as I realize we all have something that we have struggled to deal with, get through and "see God's hand in".  How we choose to "let go and let God" do the healing and restoration  will affect us daily.

"To think on hard things keeps us in hard spots and only serves to deepen our feelings of emotional emptiness" - Lysa

Personal Reflections  #3
A mosaic is a work of art made up of hundreds or thousands of tiny, broken pieces of glass or ceramic tile. Lysa describes how God is making a mosaic of restoration and healing in her heart, gathering up her broken pieces and making them into something beautiful.  Can you imagine God doing something like this in your heart? 

If God used the broken pieces of your life to make a

beautiful image,

what do you hope it would look like?