Unshakable Peace

Thought you might like this from Girlfriends in God...

October 27, 2009 Gwen Smith

Today's Truth "I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." (Psalm 16:8, NIV)

Friend To Friend Susan lived "the good life." One filled with prosperity and love. For years, she and her husband owned a thriving business that allowed them and their children to be surrounded with beautiful material things. They had a glorious lake home, a lavish boat, and luxury cars. Everything the world counts as gain. In spite of their earthly wealth, when faced with the truth of the Gospel, Susan and her husband realized that they were spiritually bankrupt and in desperate need of a Savior. Within months of each other, Susan and her husband both accepted Christ and began to thrive in newly found faith.

A few years into faith, Susan was squeezed by difficult circumstances. The family business took a turn for the worse and had to close its doors - leaving many friends and families jobless. Then the IRS audited her husband. Scary legal ramifications threatened to crush them if large amounts of money were not paid to accommodate accounting debt. Financially ruined and emotionally stunned, Susan and her husband were forced to sell all that they owned.

Two years later, they're still wading through the deep waters of financial strain. Their debts are far from being forgiven and the economy has grown progressively dim.

Through the turmoil Susan has chosen to trust in God as her Provider. As she does, God faithfully fills her with supernatural peace, strength, and joy. She has experienced God's provision through His Word, through His presence, and through her friends. When her pantry has been empty, God knew. He sent friends to her home with bags of groceries and gift cards. When her soul has been discouraged, God knew. He sent reminders of His promises and love through Scripture and through the encouragement of godly women. Despite the fact that her bank account is still bare and every day is still hard, Susan considers herself to be wealthier now than ever.

No matter what you go through, you can experience unshakable peace, and declare, "I will not be shaken!" as the psalmist did in Psalm 16:8. God knows what you are going through. God's Word promises peace to the believer through Jesus Christ.

Part of our unsettled nature is that we try to cling to the things of earth - the "American way" of living and the here and now. When we put our trust in things of this world, we give anxiety, fear, jealously, discontentment, greed, and insecurity open access to our lives. Instead of finding ways to hold on to what you have, be encouraged today to let go! Let go of what doesn't matter!

"So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:31-34, NIV).

Seek God first, above and before any earthly thing. God wants us to store up treasures where moth and rust will not destroy. When we do, He promises that we can live with an unshakable peace that passes understanding.

Let's Pray Dear Lord, I need your unshakable peace! Please forgive me for placing my trust and hope in things of this earth. As the psalmist David said, "Apart from You, I have no good thing." Lead my soul to find rest in You and in Your perfect plan for my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Read Psalm 16. Underline your favorite verses and consider committing them to memory.
What are you putting your faith in?

Is it possible that you are in a difficult position of your own making? Ask God to search your heart and reveal to you any ways that are contrary to His.

More From The Girlfriends One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 105:4. ""Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always." No matter what challenges you or your loved ones are facing today, this verse will direct you to the strength of the Lord - our source for unshakable faith. Go in His strength today, friend.

Gwen's book Broken Into Beautiful features a compelling personal story coupled with relevant biblical teaching and application. Readers will meet women wounded by infidelity, abortion, widowhood, abuse, and other tragic events, only to discover the joy of being restored by a loving heavenly Father. The book reminds women of all ages of God's willingness to eternally forgive and forget and of His heart to transform broken lives. Readers will be empowered to believe truth, to remember grace, and to live for God's greater purposes. Broken into Beautiful is ultimately about a beautiful Savior who became broken for us so that all who are broken can be transformed to reflect His beauty.

Download Gwen's live worship CD, Unsearchable, from iTunes, or order the CD from the store on her website. If you don't have the resources to invest in your worship library right now, listen to Gwen's music FREE on her MUSIC FACEBOOK PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/GwenSmithMusic.

Like saving money? Check out the SPECIALS on Gwen's website! When you order more than one CD, you save!! :-)

Devotion from Proverbs 31 Ministries

I thought you might enjoy this.

October 22, 2009

The Most Important Time of My Day
Lysa TerKeurst

"'... Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4 (NIV)

Devotion:
Is it really that important to have a quiet time with the Lord everyday? I mean the Lord knows how busy my life is, so if I just toss up a few prayers and listen to a Christian song on the radio while rushing into my day, that should suffice. Right?

It's easy to let the busyness of life crowd out time for prayer, Bible reading, and sitting with the Lord. There are a million things on all of our to-do lists, time is tight, and quiet moments seem few and far between. But I've learned that if I make the choice to be with the Lord first thing in the morning, my outlook on life that day and my ability to handle things seems to go so much smoother.

Also, I've had to change my mindset on having a quiet time. Spending time with the Lord in the morning doesn't end when I say "amen" and put my Bible back on the shelf. I've just invited the King of kings to participate in my day. So, I get up from spending time with the Lord in the morning and start eagerly looking for His hand of activity in my life.

I think about the Bible verses I read that morning and look for ways to apply them to my life that very day. I watch the circumstances that come my way hour by hour and ask the Lord to constantly give me wisdom to process life in the way that would be most honoring to Him. My mindset is healthier, my attitude more positive, and my ability to extend grace to those who rub me the wrong way is increased just by setting aside some time to be with the Lord.

If you are struggling with having quiet time with the Lord each day, try these helpful ideas:

Be honest with God and admit your struggle. Ask God to give you the desire to set aside time to be with Him.

Start with just a small amount of time. Even if it is just 5 minutes at first, give this 5 minutes solely to the Lord without any other distractions. Over the next weeks and months, your desire for more time with Him will increase.

Use a version of the Bible that lends itself to study. I use the NIV Life Application Study Bible and I love it. It helps me understand the context each book was written in and gives me commentaries to understand specific verses.

Ask God for understanding as you read the Bible. When I first started reading the Bible I had a hard time. So, I started praying that God would open my spiritual eyes to see the truths in a life changing way for me.

Write some of the verses that seem most applicable to your life on 3x5 cards and use them in your prayers. For example, Matthew 6:19-20 says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." So, I could use this verse in my prayer time by praying, "God, help me to know how to store up treasures in Heaven. Help me to relinquish my tight hold on my earthly possessions so I can use them to build Your kingdom now. Show me how to best use that which You have blessed me with. Give me Your mindset for the money I have."

Get involved in a Bible Study with friends. This will help hold you accountable to getting your study time done and will open up great discussions to deepen everyone's understanding of applying God's truths to everyday life.

I've found a daily quiet time with the Lord is very important and very doable as well.

Dear Lord, I want a more vibrant relationship with You and I know having a daily quiet time is an important part of that. Help me make this my most important priority each day, no matter how busy life is. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
Lysa wrote her new book, Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl, specifically to help women learn to more effectively understand the Bible and apply truth to their life. If you are tired of going through the Christian motions, this is the book you've been looking for. Click here to order.

Visit Lysa's blog today for some more suggestions on having great quiet times with God

What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst

Application Steps:
If you don't know which book of the Bible to start with, I'd suggest either Matthew or Philippians. These are two of my favorite books that are rich with life application opportunities. You may also want to read a chapter from the book of Proverbs. There are 31 chapters, one for each day of the month.

Reflections:
The fall months seem to be a time where schedules pick up, time gets tight, and some things have to fall by the wayside. But, we have to be careful to never take a break from having time with the Lord. How can we safeguard this time and make it a priority each day?

Power Verses:
Matthew 6:11, "Give us today our daily bread." (NIV)

Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (NIV)


Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
http://www.crosswalkmail.com/pqvcqdhlcfcbhvlsbytkrbwrhdbvjttvfmhrqqshjhllmcy_nrrdqjffqyjp.html

November Updates

Ladies, here are some updates for you. So, mark your calendars!

November 6, the Ladies will meet at the church at 6:00 pm (ET) to pack the Operation Christmas Child Boxes.

November 21 the Sisterhood will have a booth at the Lee County Flea Market where they will be selling baked goods and cookbooks. We need donations of baked goods if anyone would like to contribute. They can contact Debra Sellers. If anyone wants to come out and help, they are also welcome.

At 2:00 on the 21st, the Sisterhood will be going to Candlelight Vigil in Warm Springs. Good evening for Christmas shopping.

Anger to Aroma

I thought you might enjoy this devotion by Sharon Jaynes from GirlfriendsinGod.com!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Today's Truth "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because our anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires" (James 1:19 TNIV).

Friend To Friend Anger - we all know what it looks and sounds like. The kids track mud through the house again, a husband forgets an anniversary, a car pulls out in front of us and putters down the road at twenty miles per hour, the oven decides to stop working one hour before dinner guests are scheduled to arrive. How do we react? Anger!

The Greek word for anger is orge and means "any natural impulse, or desire, or disposition," and came to be known as anger - the strongest of all passions. While the culture says that anger is healthy, the Bible tells us to "rid ourselves of it" (Colossians 3:8).

I was with a friend who was being treated very unfairly. Someone had approached her about co-authoring a book. Plans were made, contracts were discussed, and content was already forming in her mind. But then she received a phone call from the spouse of the co-author. "I do not want my husband to co-author this book with you. He does not need a female to dumb-down his work."

Several people were in earshot of this conversation. I was furious that my friend was being treated in such a manner! However, rather than react in anger or defend herself, my friend graciously and with the love of Christ spoke words of kindness. Rather than becoming angry, she exuded the fragrance of Christ, and it permeated the entire office.

That is the choice we have. When we choose not to react in anger, but extend grace, the aroma of Christ is released. "My dear brothers and sisters," Paul writes, "take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because our anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires" (James 1:19 TNIV). Thomas Jefferson once said, "If angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, one hundred."

Where does anger come from anyway? Well, it is a reaction to irritating people and circumstances, you might say. But I believe the root cause of anger is self-centeredness. We live in a world that tells us, "It's all about me!" And when something doesn't suit the center of my universe - me - then anger erupts. That's difficult to admit, isn't it? Here's a little test: Each time you become angry over the next few days, ask yourself this question, "Am I angry because I didn't get what I wanted when I wanted it?"

Wow! That makes the little kids throwing a temper tantrum in the toy store have a striking resemblance to the woman we see in the mirror each day!
Rather than using our words in anger, we can use our words to be the fragrance of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15). Have you ever walked out of a convenience store smelling like cigarette smoke for the rest of the day? Have you ever hugged someone and ended up wearing her perfume? We will leave a fragrance, so to speak, by the words we speak.

Let's Pray Dear Heavenly Father, help me be quick to hear and slow to speak. You gave us one mouth and two ears for a reason. Another thing, Lord, help me to listen to You today. I pray that I will sense Your gentle nudges and tender tugs. I love You so much!
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Now It's Your Turn How are your listening skills?

Here are some ideas from my book, Being a Great Mom, Raising Great Kids on ways to improve our listening skills.
Don't complete someone's sentences for them.
Don't interrupt.
Don't glance at your watch when someone is talking to you.
Don't cross your arms as if to say you are close-minded.
Do make eye contact.
Do lean forward if you are seated.
Do ask good follow-up questions.
Do put down the newspaper or turn off the television to give focused attention.

To comment on today's devotion, visit www.sharonjaynes.com/blog
More From The Girlfriends Today's devotion is taken from Sharon's book, The Power of a Woman's Words. In this book, 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, you will begin to use words to speak life to those around you. It also has a companion Bible Study guide. Get one for yourself, or gather a group of girlfriends to learn and grow together. Also, Sharon has two great resources to help with listening skills in the areas of motherhood and marriage: Being a Great Mom, Raising Great Kids and Becoming the Woman of His Dreams.

For more information contact: Girlfriends in God, P.O. Box 725 Matthews,NC 28106 info@girlfriendsingod.com http://www.girlfriendsingod.com/