Monthly Archives: February 2012

Devotional Studies Through the Bible, Proven Path Ministries

Leave Nothing Until Morning

 

The blood shall be a sign for you

on the houses where you live;

and when I see the blood I will pass over you,

and no plague will befall you to destroy you

when I strike the land of Egypt.  

Exodus 12:13

 

In Genesis 3:21 we read that “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.”  These garments were made after the fall of man. To make garments of skin an animal must die. This animal’s blood was shed to cover the sin of Adam and Eve.

When Cain slew Abel in Genesis 4 God said, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.“ Blood has a voice to our God.

In Genesis 9:4 when Noah and his family finally stepped out of the ark, God gave them permission to eat meat. However He said,”Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” Blood had a voice to our God because the blood is the life. Our Creator has always placed a very high value on blood.

When the children of Israel receive the commandments and precepts of God He tells them in Leviticus 3:17, “It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall not eat any fat or any blood.” Blood was not to be consumed as some common piece of fruit. It was not to enter inside the filth of our digestive system to be broken down and then exit with our excrement. Blood was life and life is precious.  

Now here in Exodus God institutes the Passover. In this Passover the children of Israel were to take for themselves an unblemished lamb and they were to slay it. They were to take the blood of the slain lamb and place it over the lintel and the doorpost of their house. God declared that when He saw the blood the death angel would pass over their home. It was only by the blood that they could be saved. They were not saved by consuming the blood, but by being covered with the blood.

The Passover was to be a memorial to the children of Israel for them to observe every year, from generation to generation. They were never to forget how the LORD had redeemed them from their slavery in Egypt. They were to tell their children and their children’s children and in their telling they would also be reminding themselves of this great deliverance.

They were to observe this rite, because this memory of redemption by the blood of the lamb, would point them to the One of whom John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

There was one day to be a Lamb slain, that would be the final lamb. The blood of this Lamb would not cover the lintel and doorpost of man-made dwellings, but this Lamb’s blood would cover the lintel and doorpost of the God-made human heart, and it would be placed there by God Himself.

This Passover Lamb was to be slain, the blood placed on the door of the home, and it was to be eaten that same night. It was to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. None of it was to be left until morning. Whatever they were unable to eat was to be burned with fire.

In Romans 12:1 Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, writes, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Jesus became a sacrifice for us. He was the lamb who was slain for our sins. His blood, is the precious blood, that covers the door of our heart. He was sinless, innocent, had done no wrong, yet He took our punishment, our sin upon Himself. He went through much suffering, endured much bitterness and hatred, yet never became bitter Himself. He gave all of Himself, He left nothing until morning.

Oh precious one, does He not deserve the same from us.

Have you presented your body as a living sacrifice to him? 

Are you willing to suffer for His sake as He suffered for yours?

For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake,

not only to believe in Him,

but also to suffer for His sake,

Philippians 1:29

Is death working in you so that life might be brought to others (2 Corinthians 4:12)?

Is your life filled with old leaven, with sin, that you are still consuming?        

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?

Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump,

just as you are in fact unleavened.

For Christ our Passover also has been sanctified.

Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven,

nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness,

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

1 Corinthians 5:6-8

Are you ready my friend, to take this Lamb of God that has been sacrificed for your redemption, for your deliverance and eat all of Him. You must eat Him with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth and the bitter herbs of suffering for His sake. You must take all of Him and leave none of Him until morning. You can’t pick and choose which parts of Christ to consume, you must consume all of Him at one time.

Now you shall eat it in this manner:

with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet,

and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste-

it is the LORD’s Passover.

Exodus 12:11

My friend, does the precious blood of Christ cover the door of your heart?

When the day of the great judgment, the final plague, came upon Egypt it was only those who had the blood of the lamb on their door that were spared. When the great day of the wrath of God comes upon the whole earth it will only be those who are covered in the blood of the Lamb of God that are spared (1 Thessalonians 1:10). I believe this is one of the main reasons why blood has always been so very precious to our Creator.        

Oh Father,

I count it all joy to be able to call You Father. My Jesus, thank You for the blood You shed to give me life. Thank You for the hope that I have in You. I offer my body to You as a living sacrifice. Make me acceptable to You. Take whatever is in me that cannot be used and burn it with Your consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). I desire for nothing to be left over until morning. I desire to give You my all. My loins are girded, sandles are on my feet, and my staff is my hand. I am ready to go (Matthew 28:19-20) as You have commanded. Use me, my God, all of me. Make me ready, for the glory of my Christ and His kingdom. 

My Jesus, it’s in Your name I pray,

Amen

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries, Thirty-three Day Challenge

Throw Out Your Best Porno Mag

PPM-3.jpg

We will begin our Thirty-three Day Challenge by throwing out the trash…

Day one trash take-out:

Go through the house. If you have Glamour’s, Cosmo’s, Redbook’s, and yes I even mean the Teen Beats and Pop Stars pre-teen magazines that are designed to get your young girls addicted to gossip and the idolization of mere man instead of the God-Man, if you have these in your house throw them out.

When you go shopping for the next thirty-three days and you are standing there in line to check out… don’t pick up that magazine to flip through it as you wait. Don’t even look at the cover or read the cover page article headings…  If you are at the doctor or any other place where you have to wait and there are magazines scattered about… don’t do it.

Go prepared. Bring your Bible… what are you studying in church, in Sunday school, what did the pastor preach on last Sunday, what was that question you had that you were afraid to ask about… research it in the Scriptures… or just make conversation with the person beside you… give them your smile and invest some of your time in their lives… you just might make a difference in their eternity.

Get rid of every single magazine that tries to tells you “how to be a woman” and “how to look as a woman” outside of God’s Word… any magazine that is centered on pulling you toward the mindset of the world instead of the Word. Throw it out today.

Don’t wait.

Do it now.

Don’t save one for later.  Don’t stick them in a closet. Put them in the trash and dump the coffee grounds and the kids leftover oatmeal on top of them.

I don’t care if it’s a new issue that you haven’t read yet and it has a great article in it that you think you must read. Trust me… what ever advice they think they have is pointless and insignificant compared to what God wants to tell you today in and through His Word.

If you are married or plan to be married one day these magazines can be just as damaging to your marriage as men’s pornographic magazine’s. These magazine’s usually attempt to teach you how to manipulate a man and yourself in order to get a man or please a man… manipulation is the work of Satan. It’s his tactic, not a woman of God’s. Whose actions do you want to learn to imitate?

And here’s some more information to help you throw out today’s trash…

Thin, sexualised and digitally enhanced images of women are linked with women’s experiences of poor body image, depression and anxiety and eating disorders. The images contribute to self-harming behaviours and not performing well academically.

Women’s attitudes toward their own bodies are worse after looking at thin media images.

In young teenage girls, looking at pictures of thin, idealised models is likely to cause lowered satisfaction with their body and a high state of depression. Reading fashion and beauty magazines is associated with wanting to lose weight and initiating diets.

A five-year study found that reading dieting advice in magazines was associated with skipping meals, smoking, vomiting and using laxatives in teenage girls.

The American Psychological Association recently found that sexually objectifying material contributes to significant harm to young women.

“..there is evidence that sexualisation contributed to impaired cognitive performance in college-aged women, and related research suggests that viewing material that is sexually objectifying can contribute to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, low self-esteem, depressive affect, and even physical health problems in high-school-aged girls and in young women.

“In addition to leading to feelings of shame and anxiety, sexualising treatment and self-objectification can generate feelings of disgust toward one’s physical self. Girls may feel they are “ugly” and “gross” or untouchable. …strong empirical evidence indicates that exposure to ideals of sexual attractiveness in the media is associated with greater body dissatisfaction among girls and young women.”
Girls are told early their bodies aren’t good enough – they need continual upgrade and enhancement.

~ Melinda Tankard Reist, from her article “Chasing an illusion: young women and magazines

 

Spend today meditating on Psalm 139.
When a lie comes to your mind about your worth, your beauty, your value… repeat

I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
wonderful are Your works
and my soul knows it very well…
Psalm 139:14

 

When the Scripture says your soul knows it very well let me share with you what the Hebrew translation and definition is of this word soul…

The word is nephesh and it means soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion, that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, the man himself, self, person or individual, the activity of mind, will, and character…

Read through Psalm 139 again and take a deep breathe when you read Psalm 139:14.

Take this deep breath and feel this breathe of  air inhale deep within you. Close your eyes and picture this breath as these words of God pass through your nose, and you can feel this air rise up into your mind, and you can feel it being pulled down through your neck, into the very depths of your inner being. You can feel it circling your heart and tightening within your chest as you breathe in this truth of God, breath it in as a true breath of fresh air. Take this breath in deep and purposeful. Take it into your heart and then slowly feel it exhale out of your very core…

Can you feel it?

Can you feel Him?

That is what it means when God says your soul knows it very well that His works are wonderful and if you are His work… then you, precious and beautiful one, are wonderful too. Breathe in wonderful one… breathe in His Word of truth.

All day today… when you look in the mirror and are tempted to go, ugh! Stop and remember Psalm 139 and take a deep breath and breath in Psalm 139:14…

Day Two: O Romeo Romeo
Devotional Studies Through the Bible, Proven Path Ministries

Fit To Be Tied

 

Now the LORD said to Moses,

‘One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt;

after that he will let you go from here.

When he lets you go,

he will surely drive you out from here completely.  

Exodus 11:1

 

The climax is here. The tenth plague upon Pharaoh and the land of Egypt has been pronounced. The death of the firstborn son. This plague will be an attack on Pharaoh himself. The people of Egypt believed that their Pharaoh and his firstborn son was an incarnate god. He was believed to be a god-king. He was worshiped, as was his firstborn son. In all the land of Egypt the firstborn was often worshiped, the firstborn of man and beast.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the thin line of the thread of truth that can be found in all false religions. This proves to me the accounts of Scripture because all these thin threads when followed come to the Word of God. All roads point to the Word of God and the Word of God point to the one road of Jesus Christ. There is only one “firstborn” who is worthy of our worship.

He is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn of all creation.

For by Him all things were created,

both in the heavens and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-

all things have been created through Him and for Him.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

He is also head of the body, the church;

and He is the beginning,

the firstborn from the dead,

so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.  

Colossians 1:15-18

In Exodus 4:22-23 we read “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”  The word firstborn in Hebrew is bekor. This word does not just mean first from the womb, it also denotes preeminence. This preeminence means having the responsibilities, rights, and privileges of a firstborn.

Jesus is called the firstborn not because He is a created being, but because He is preeminent in power in all things. He holds the right of the firstborn in everything. He was the firstborn from Mary’s womb. He was the firstborn and only begotten Son of God. He is the firstborn among the dead as He is the first to die and rise to never die again. However at the peek of it all He holds the responsibilities, rights, and privileges of the firstborn because He was God the Son before He even entered Mary’s womb. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things.     

Although Israel was not the first nation to exist, it is this nation that God says is His firstborn. He claims them and calls them His son. The people of Egypt believed that Pharaoh and his firstborn son were incarnate gods, but the True God is declaring that Israel is His son. Moses is to deliver this message to Pharoah after God has performed all His signs and wonders in Pharaoh’s sight. God knew before Moses started that it would come to this death.

God does not hide the pronouncement of this plague from Pharaoh. Moses explains to him that at midnight God will go through the land of Egypt and all the firstborn will die, from the very son of Pharaoh to the son of the slave, as well as the firstborn of the cattle. However, not one son of Israel will die, so that Pharaoh would understand how God makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel (Exodus 11:7). God began setting apart the land of Goshen with His fourth plague and the children of Israel have been protected from every plague since.

Moses is so very frustrated with Pharaoh. He knows that God has given Pharaoh opportunity after opportunity to let the Hebrew slaves go, yet he has refused. Pharaoh has continued to harden his heart. The judgments of God and the mercies of God have only angered Pharaoh.

In his stubbornness he has had absolutely no regard for the people of his nation. No concern for the plagues he has brought upon them because of his disobedience. Now Moses stands before him announcing this plague of death and still Pharoah refuses to bow, “With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor…” (Proverbs 10:9)

We read in Exodus 11:8 that Moses “went out from him in hot anger.” Moses was angry and God did not rebuke him for this anger. Moses was angry because Pharaoh continued to push God. He was angry because he had seen the torment that Pharaoh was bringing on his own nation because of pride. His refusal to repent and his refusal to do what was right for his people was beyond the understanding of Moses.

Oh precious one have you been there?

Have you watched friends and family continue to live in disobedience to their Creator even after they have experienced His judgments and His mercy?

Have you experienced the frustration of knowing that they have clearly seen the hand of God in their lives yet they still refuse to submit to His authority?

Have you sat by and had to watch the destruction they brought into the lives of others because of their disobedience?

Know precious one that it is okay for us to be angry. But also know that you must not act out in anger, but go out from them, and let God do what God has to do.        

 

Oh Father,

How easily we can be deceived by the deceitfulness of sin. The serpent of old is quite crafty and he knows us well. He is a master at perverting Your truth and there is no other who knows how to appeal to our pride as he. Oh Father may You open our eyes to Your thread of truth and may we follow it as a lifeline to Your Word. May Your Word then cut us to the quick and judge our thoughts and the intentions of our heart (Hebrews 4:12). My God, help me to walk in humility so that my pride would not be used by the evil one to destroy another.

 

My Jesus, it’s in Your name that I pray,

Amen

Proven Path Ministries

Goodbye Whitney

Whitney Houston… gone. (http://gma.yahoo.com/whitney-houston-iconic-pop-star-dies-48-014318782–abc-news.html)

I hope that she truly rests in peace. I pray that as she she sank deeper and deeper in the pits of the lies of this world that by the mercy and grace of God she breathed her last breath in peace having called on Him… 

My hope comes in that a part of me believes she knew Him and was swept away by the glitz and false glamour, and was never able to get back, but He says He doesn’t lose one of us, not one that is His, and if He has to go and get them He will. He will allow our flesh to be devoured that our souls might be saved. It hurt to watch her these past many years…

I read this story of her passing and my mind went to this verse

 For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world,

and loses or forfeits himself?

Luke 9:25

Whitney had gained fame and fortune… but she lost her peace… she lost herself in the process. I don’t know how many lives we have to watch be destroyed before it hits us that this idea of fame and being a star is not the “golden ticket”. We see star after star fall in flames and disgrace and yet we still fight, bite, scratch, claw, scream, cry, and dream of being one of those stars…

Yes I read of her passing and I wonder where she rests… my hope is that she finally has found her place with the stars that never fell and never will fall… the stars that held fast their love to Him and willingly submitted to His authority and chose to be His messengers instead of going their own way.

  Whitney sings “I Love the Lord” 

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piSZRKQubUU&feature=share)

As we ourselves are working 9-2-5 in whatever dreams we have in our hearts… may we not forget the proven truth of Luke 9:25, what is any man or woman profited if they gain this whole world but lose themselves in the process… 

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

The In’s and Out’s

Well ladies it is five days until the 33 day challenge is scheduled to begin… are you ready… whose in with me?

One of the quotes of Shannon Ethridge that I read in her book Every Woman’s Battle was this: “who I really am isn’t the Shannon the world sees, but the person my family sees.”

Don’t we all have a tendency to put on a smile and be all polite when there are those around we want to think highly of us… then we come home and we just let the frustrations fly… they fly all over our spouse, they fly all over our kids, they fly all over our parents, and possibly even other extended family.

I used to have those moments alot… I would be totally worn out from trying to keep up a good face and front with those outside of my home so no one would notice that I was struggling… then come home and hear Momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, just one too many times and then boom, SNAP!, over someone needing help tying a shoe… or something else simple like that.  Or you might find me blowed up and pouting, as I slammed dishes in the dishwasher, loudly closed cabinet doors, and hid in the bedroom for several hours folding clothes or cleaning the bathroom as I worked out a good mad at my husband for doing or saying something that hurt my feelings and ticked me off.

It has taken me almost thirteen years of  marriage and my youngest baby being seven, to finally understand that my family deserves the best of me as much as (and even more than) the rest of the world. I signed up for this wife and momma gig… I can’t stomp around like a wild madwoman when I actually have to push myself to carry out this great commission of womanhood.  

Now granted my family is going to see the worst of me. I mean they see all of me, all the time, and it ain’t all always so good. But my point being they don’t deserve to see only the worst of me simply because I know they are going to love me anyway… they deserve as much of the best of me as I can give them, simply because they are willing to love me at the worst when others would have already walked away.

Who I am is who I am at home, behind my closed doors, with those who are trapped here with me.

That is the In’s.

Now the Out’s.

Just as who I really am is who I am in my home who I also really am is who I am out of my church. You know the one that goes to Target. The one that calls AT&T on the phone with a DSL modem not working. The one that goes to work during the week (or to school), or the one that’s been sitting in the doctor’s office for my appointment that was two hours ago… that’s who I really am.

I mean really, anyone can pull off saint-hood for a couple of hours on Sunday morning when only surrounded by other people who are also all on their best behavior… 

So as you look at the in’s and out’s… who are you really. Is this the person you want to be? 

Here is one of the awesome things about God… He never changes. He is who is no matter where He is. As we are being conformed into the image of Christ, by growing in the grace and knowledge of God and by being sanctified by His Word… then we too should be becoming women and men who do not change. We should be who we be no matter where we are. We should represent the name Christian with integrity.

May the Lord never stop growing me, us, into the image of His Son.

Devotional Studies Through the Bible, Proven Path Ministries

Look To The Light

 

Then the LORD said to Moses,

‘Stretch out your hand toward the sky,

that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt,

even a darkness which may be felt.’ 

Exodus 10:21 

 

Have you ever been in a place that was so dark that you lost your sence of stability? A place so dark that you could not even make out the shadow of your hand? A darkness so thick that for a sudden moment it felt as though you were suspended in time and air, without a body and form? This darkness that can even be felt I have experienced both physically and emotionally.

Darkness that can be felt is a heavy thing. The weight of emotional darkness can quickly become unbearable. It can feel as though Satan himself as laid himself upon you, suffocating you with his presence. It’s a place where you can find yourself in the fetal position in the middle of a floor with your ears covered and your eyes closed and your heart gripped in a fear that you cannot even explain.

Darkness is a powerful thing and something about it stills even the most courageous heart. In 1 John 1:5 the Word declares, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” How thankful I am for the absolute truth of this verse.

Now, here in this ninth plague God is on the brink of reaching His climax with Pharoah.

This plague of darkness is an attack on the Egyptian god known as Ra. Ra was known as the sun god. He was believed to be the father of all Pharoahs. He was the most universally worshiped god in Egypt and was represented in both upper and lower Egypt. He was worshiped as the father of creation. In this ninth plague the True Creator is going to make Himself clearly known.

The true Creator, Eliohim, had been watching over Egypt from the beginning. It was He always who had taken care of the nation of Egypt, yet they gave their worship to false gods. “However at that time, when you did not know God, or rather to be known by God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.” (Galatians 4:8) The nation of Egypt, the people of Egypt, did not understand that they were sharers in demons, “they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.” (1 Corinthians 10:20). Their true Creator is trying to set them free. One plague at a time, He is destroying their faith in these false gods that hold them in chains.

God is Light and in Him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5). When this thick darkness fell upon the land of Egypt, light still shone upon the land of Goshen. For three days the darkness was so thick upon the Egyptians that they could not see one another, and no one even rose from their place (Exodus 10:23). I believe that where ever they were when the darkness fell is where they stayed. Yet Israel had light.

The Egyptians would know that it was not their sun god, Ra, who provided light for them. It was not this demonic hawk headed figment of man who created the earth and caused the sun to shine. It was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was the God of Moses and his Hebrew brethren. It was the “I AM”

I don’t think that God had to send darkness upon the nation of Egypt, I believe God simply made them aware by opening their eyes to the darkness they were already in “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may recieve forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:18) God desired to rescue them from this domain of darkness and transfer them into His kingdom (Colossians 1:13). He wanted them to become children of Light (Ephesians 5:8).

Oh precious one, are you walking in the Light? “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

God is Light and in Him there is no darkness.

Dear friend, if you have found yourself in darkness, look to the Light.

Do not remian huddled in a ball of fear. Do not believe that you are without form. Do not remain in the domain of darkness. If you have discovered yourself to be blind, to be in a darkness so thick that you cannot see, then cry out to Christ for sight (John 10:39-41). There may be darkness in Egypt, but there is light in Goshen!

 Oh Father,

 There was light in the land of Goshen. Goshen in Hebrew means “drawing near.” Oh Father may I never forget that light is found in drawing near to You, for You are Light and in You there is no darkness. Thank You for rescuing me. Thank You for making me aware of the darkness that I was in so that I could see the light.        

My Jesus, it’s in Your name I pray,

Amen

 

Proven Path Ministries

>Moving to a New Place

>I am just letting everyone know that I am moving my blog. You will now be able to find me at Proven Path Ministries. I have loved my Blogger… the move is to a personally owned site as I step forward in this ministry and to whatever God has called me to do in each day.

Also, being an approval addict, this new site does not have “followers” or “stats” so it will save me from the heart dropping condemnation I experience when I see no new followers or worse… when I see that I have been “unfollowed”. It also will keep me from constantly stopping by the computer just to see if anyone is reading my posts and what countries they are from.

I don’t write for the glory of me, but for the glory of God and the building up of His church. I have to be reminded of that constantly… as I catch myself too easily seeking approval and validation from those who are not my Lord and Savior.

Devotional Studies Through The Bible will continue.
Confessions of a Christian Housewife will continue.
Proven Path Ministries will encompass these as well as eventually will make available several Bible studies I have written as I have taught and studied.

I hope you will continue to join me and share in this ministry with me.
I pray that I will be able to continue to encourage you…

Many blessings in Christ to you all!

Book Reviews, Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

>Every Woman’s Battle Review

>I received Every Woman’s Battle through the Blogging for Books program. I poured over this book. I have had a passion for purity since the day I was wholly surrendered to Christ. I was a complete failure in this area and I reaped the consequences. My heart’s desire has been since to do all that I can to give others the info and encouragement they need to not go through what I went through and to help them realize that there is hope if they are where I was.

What I love about this book is that she brings sexual integrity back to where it begins… the mind. Most women think that if they have not crossed whatever line they have written in the sand then they are living a pure life… but then they wonder why they struggle if they haven’t “done anything”. Sexual purity and integrity is so much more than physical sex… physical sex (outside of marriage) is not where the battle begins… that is where it is lost.

I have often wondered how I ended up traveling the path I did when I had such a wonderful father… and then I read this:

“I recognized that I was looking for love, approval, and acceptance from every authority figure in my life except my real father and my heavenly Father.” ~ Shannon Ethridge

When I read this quote it took my mind to the book of Isaiah.

Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils;
For why should he be esteemed?
Isaiah 2:22
 
I realized that I had stopped looking for approval in my father’s eyes… and my Heavenly Father’s eyes and began looking for approval from mere man. This is when my life went of course in a major way. I know now that this is when it began. How thankful I am for the grace and unconditional love I have in both my earthly father and my Heavenly Father… and yes today, my husband. 
 
Every Woman’s Battle is a must read for every woman, it really is.
If you feel you are alone in a struggle… after reading this you will realize that you are not alone.
 
The last thing you want to do is keep your struggle in the dark. We are to expose what is hidden in the dark and the love of the Light of Christ will heal us… always. When David cried out to God in the psalms he cried out for God to go deep and dig out whatever was hiding in the darkness of his heart.
 
 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way. 
Psalm 139:23-24
 
This book, along with another that I read right before it, has inspired me to do a thirty-three day challenge with any one who would like to join me. I will be using the study that comes with this book combined with the other that I read, What Are You Waiting For by Dannah Gresh.
 
In this challenge I hope that we will allow God to go deep and dig into our hearts and expose all our anxious thoughts and hurtful ways so that we might turn to Him and be healed. 
Feel free to join me 🙂
 
*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Devotional Studies Through the Bible

>No Bargains

>

So Moses and Aaron
were brought back to Pharaoh,
and he said to them,
‘Go, serve the LORD your God!
Who are the ones that are going?’
Exodus 10:8
 
Moses and Aaron come before Pharaoh after the seventh plague and they once again request that the Hebrews be allowed to go and worship their God. The eighth plague that shall come with Pharaoh’s refusal is a swarm of locusts upon the land of Egypt, a swarm that will fill the land and houses in such a way that has never been seen before or ever will be seen again.
 
This eighth plague is an attack upon the Egyptian god known as Anubis. He was the god of the fields, including cemeteries. It also was another attack upon the god Isis who was supposed to protect Egypt from the locusts and also the god Seth, who was known as the protector of the crops.
 
As we read this tenth chapter of the book of Exodus we can see that these plagues are beginning to have an impact upon even the servants of Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s servants come to him and ask him to let the Hebrews go.
 
So Pharaoh calls Moses and Aaron back in and tells them to go and worship their God, yet he puts his own stipulations upon them. Pharaoh wants to tell them who will be allowed to go. He plans to maintain the reigns on these people by keeping their women and children and flocks and herds under his control. Oh my friend, God doesn’t play games with us and He is not in the business of bargaining.
 
How many come to Christ, and they look up at His cross, at His outstretched arms and they say, “Jesus, I want to have Your heaven and in exchange I’ll give you A, B, and C but I’m keeping D through Z.”
 
In Luke 18:18-27 we read of a conversation between Jesus and a ruler who asked Him about eternal life. This ruler wanted to know what he must do to enter the kingdom of God. The ruler had kept the Law from his youth yet Jesus said to him “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Luke 18:22) Unfortunately when the ruler heard this, he walked away sad. He had given God A, B, and C but he was not willing to give God D through Z.
 
God does not bargain with us. We have no right to come to Him with stipulations for our obedience. We have nothing to bargain with, as 1 Timothy 6:7 says “For we have brought nothing into the world.” We own nothing and we have control of nothing. God declares in Psalm 50:12, “For the world is Mine, and all it contains.”
 
Pharaoh did not own these Hebrew slaves as he so thought. Pharaoh was not the god he claimed himself to be. Pharaoh still has yet to realize that he sits on his throne only by the power and authority of this God he is fighting so hard against.
 
But how can a man be in the right before God?
If one wished to dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
Wise in heart and mighty in strength,
Who has defied Him without harm?
Job 9:2-4
 
Oh precious one, we have not a leg to stand on if we think we can stand before God. There is no one more righteous. There is no god more great. We have no one to appeal to on our behalf. We have no argument that can hold up in court. We have no grip tight enough to hold on to what we are so desperate to control.
 
Pharaoh’s stubborn hardening heart is leading him and the nation of Egypt straight into destruction. The locusts shall come and leave devastation in their wake. Pharaoh will cry out for mercy once again, yet as before, when mercy is received, humility it will not bring.
 
Pharaoh is a man who is hardened by the mercy of God, convinced in his own mind that he is somehow able to manipulate this God of the Hebrews as he has been able to manipulate everyone else in his life. However, this God, is not a man nor a figment of man’s imagination, that He might be manipulated and controlled by anyone. This is the Living God, Elohim, Creator of heaven and earth.      
 
 
Oh Father,
 
Forgive me for the times that I have attempted to bargain with You. Forgive me for the times that I have tried to maintain control of a situation instead of just letting go and submitting to Your authority. You are wise in heart and mighty in strength and all the world is Yours and in the midst of all that You are, there is this love that You have for me. You are God, and yet You are mindful of me. This alone should be all the reason I need to humble myself before You. Oh Father I do not desire to fight against You, but to submit to You in all things, in all areas of my life. You alone are in control.     
 
My Jesus, it is in Your name I pray,
Amen
Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

One Flesh

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In the intensive care unit of Marshalltown’s hospital, nurses knew not to separate Gordon and Norma.
“They brought them in the same room in intensive care and put them together — and they were holding hands in ICU. They were not really responsive,” said Dennis Yeager.
Gordon died at 3:38 p.m. holding hands with his wife as the family they built surrounded them.
“It was really strange, they were holding hands, and dad stopped breathing but I couldn’t figure out what was going on because the heart monitor was still going,” said Dennis Yeager. “But we were like, he isn’t breathing. How does he still have a heart beat? The nurse checked and said that’s because they were holding hands and it’s going through them. Her heart was beating through him and picking it up.”
“They were still getting her heartbeat through him,” said Donna Sheets.
At 4:48 p.m., exactly one hour after Gordon died, Norma passed too.

Read more: Couple Married 72 yrs Dies Holding Hands

 
 
The man said,
   “This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother,
and be joined to his wife;
and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:23-24