Friday, August 28, 2009
Ongoing Call August 2009
What a weekend we had! From the moment we checked into the Bed and Breakfast, we felt right at home. Thank you leadership team for going above and beyond last weekend.
The group of ladies that we had the honor of serving were there to meet with Jesus. They were ready and eager to worship and hear the Word He had for them. And boy oh boy what a word it was!
Jill amazes me. She so beautifully shares what God puts on her heart. It isn't always an easy thing, but you can be sure if she is teaching it she has lived it! Thank you Jill for sharing truth. I'm sure I speak for many others when I say God taught me something new this weekend. Thank you for being obedient to teach His word.
I so want to just type up my notes and share them with you, BUT....that would be A LOT of information. (Maybe we could come to your church and you could just experience it live and in person!!) I do want to share one thought that I have been chewing on since last weekend. Are you ready?
We need TRANSFORMATION by the Word of God NOT just INFORMATION from the Word of God. Oh ladies. I know what the power of God's word can do in your life! He has changed my life. If He can do it for me, He can do it for you! May we never get over that each and every time we open our Bible we are reading the WORD OF GOD. There is power in it! Heb.4:12 says it is alive and active and sharper than a two edged sword! I want to, as James 1 says receive the implanted word of God deep in my heart! Oh boy I could go on and on and on about this. :)
One of my favorite memories is the very end of the day Saturday. To watch each precious lady make the choice to get up, come to the altar and exchange her chain for the yolk of Christ was very emotional. As we shared communion I was once again overcome by the love our Heavenly Father.
Thank you Norma and your sweet team for hosting us. You all hold a very special place in our hearts.
May He who began a good work in you last weekend, be faithful to complete it! We look forward to hearing what God is doing in your community!!
Anticipating Him!
Stephanie
Sunday, August 23, 2009
I am able to do ALL things
Have you ever wondered how you were going to get through another day, hour, or minute? Are you so stressed out you feel you are on a merry go round spinning out of control? You want to cry out, but will anyone hear you? Does anyone care?
Well ladies that is my life right now. This summer has been one of the most stressful times in my life. Nothing bad has happened; there have just been huge changes for all 5 of us. As you know any kind of change always brings stress. It seems like everyday there is always something else to take care of or to do. This is my reality right now, but I have great news!
God hears all of our cries! Our cries of desperation, anger, fear, doubt, and sadness. He loves us so much and he doesn’t want us to be stressed out. He wants us to rest in Him. He is our Father and He wants us to give Him complete and total control of our lives. He wants us to surrender to Him.
I know God will give me the strength to surrender to Him. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It is only through Christ that we can face another minute, hour or day. It is only though Christ that you will get off your merry go round. He is right there waiting on you, will you surrender to Him?
I am surrendering to Him to take over because I can’t handle it. I was never suppose too. He already has a plan for my life and He knows exactly what to do. It is only when we totally surrender to Christ that we will have true freedom. I am a work in progress and I claim Phil. 4:13 daily. My prayer is that you will make Phil. 4 :13 a daily part of your life.
Love ya,
Amy
Amy lives in Lawrenceville with her husband Jerry and her 3 boys.
Well ladies that is my life right now. This summer has been one of the most stressful times in my life. Nothing bad has happened; there have just been huge changes for all 5 of us. As you know any kind of change always brings stress. It seems like everyday there is always something else to take care of or to do. This is my reality right now, but I have great news!
God hears all of our cries! Our cries of desperation, anger, fear, doubt, and sadness. He loves us so much and he doesn’t want us to be stressed out. He wants us to rest in Him. He is our Father and He wants us to give Him complete and total control of our lives. He wants us to surrender to Him.
I know God will give me the strength to surrender to Him. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It is only through Christ that we can face another minute, hour or day. It is only though Christ that you will get off your merry go round. He is right there waiting on you, will you surrender to Him?
I am surrendering to Him to take over because I can’t handle it. I was never suppose too. He already has a plan for my life and He knows exactly what to do. It is only when we totally surrender to Christ that we will have true freedom. I am a work in progress and I claim Phil. 4:13 daily. My prayer is that you will make Phil. 4 :13 a daily part of your life.
Love ya,
Amy
Amy lives in Lawrenceville with her husband Jerry and her 3 boys.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
I am a Daughter of the King
As we continue on this journey reflecting on Who We Are in Christ I hope you will find those quiet moments to do some reflecting yourself. I so often am totally transformed by that simple song, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of the world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. As I begin to utter those words, truly the things of the world WILL grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. We are bombarded daily with messages that say, You need this, You should look like this, act like this, hold positions like this, make money like this etc. And yet if you look around you we have a very dysfunctional society all looking to get their needs met anyway they can and still feel empty. As I have been seeking the Lord the message is so clear for me. It does not matter what day I read, or what I read, the message is consistent. My Daddy is saying, Come unto Me, Open your heart so that I can bring healing and restoration to your soul and spirit, Set your mind on things above, See from my heavenly perspective, Rejoice in knowing that I am with you in all things, Look and see beyond the flesh and worldly concerns. I will lead you and guide you and bring the wisdom of this age to you rmind. Purify your conscience. Set all things in order according to My Word.
As I began to think what to share with you concerning Who I am in Christ, the thing that would not leave my mind is I am a Daughter of the King. You may be saying, I know that. But do you? Do I? Do we really embrace that our Daddy owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the earth is His and all it contains, That nothing was made that was made apart from Him, that He puts rulers in positions and removes them and on and on. One of my favorite passages is when He was talking to Job. I remember the moment this was first put in perspective for me. I was sitting on the beach in Panama City very troubled with some things that had just happened to me. After I had shared my frustration with the Lord, I opened my Bible to the daily reading and actually began to laugh out loud. Verse 12, says, "Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, And caused the dawn to know its place....... Wow and Wow! The one WHO commands the morning is MY Daddy! It is going to be Okay!
But do we live like that? I was thinking of the movie Princess Diaries. This is a quick synopsis but hopefully will make the point. She was the daughter of a prince who had died and her grandmother was Queen of Genovia. She was living in America almost in poverty with her Mom. It becomes time for a new Queen - she is the likely candidate - Grandmother finds her - takes here there and she learns the ways of a Queen - Of course there is more to the story but for today's post think of the correlation. Alot of us are living in spiritual poverty and yet are daughters of the king. We know that is a reality but because of circumstances of life we live as if we are not. He sent His Son to show us the way and when He left He sent the H.S. to indwell us so we could live the life He meant for us. How are you living?
Are you living under the expectations of this world, people around you, the position you hold or are you experiencing the freedom of knowing you are a princess and your Daddy owns it all, and is able to provide what you need, when you need it, and how much you need at the time you need it? Are you living knowing that nothing escapes your Daddy's notice and He is able to accomplish what concerns you from the past, present and future? Are you living knowing that you are not a victim? That no one can thwart what your Daddy has put in motion for you?
Now lets go back to Princes Diaries one more time. When it came time for her to be queen there was one stipulation and that was she had to be married. The time was fleeting and if she was not married she could not be queen. She came to a point that she realized she could not get married just to be queen and came before the people and shared her dream to be their queen but also her view of marriage was much more and to get married for this reason would violate who she really was. She appealed to them to think of their own daugthers...........
Wow, to be a daughter of the King we must not allow ourselves to be victims, we must not allow the enemy to tell us He won't provide, we must not compromise our values to receive anything. For He truly owns it all.
I don't know where you are in your life today but I do know Your Daddy knows. Sit back in his lap. Accept His love, His counsel, His grace, His mercy, and on and on. You don't have to beg. You are His and He is Yours. His Banner over you is Love.
In closing, I must share what my Daddy did for me this week. Joel has been out of work for over 6 months. Our Daddy has been faithful. We have been blessed and stretched. Mid way into this we had the privilege of hosting a young missionary couple in our home for a month. We could not have asked for better house guests and we were blessed by them. As summer approached we knew we would not be vacationing and out of the blue they offered us their beach house in Fort Walton Beach for 10 days. My Daddy knew we did not have the resources but needed the rest so He provided a place through them. And our Daddy did not just provide a place but He provided a beautiful place. I am sitting here looking out at the bay and stand in awe of my Daddy. He is faithful. He is your Daddy. Go to Him! He is waiting! You are His daughter.
Blessings from another daughter of the King,
Jill Milligan
As I began to think what to share with you concerning Who I am in Christ, the thing that would not leave my mind is I am a Daughter of the King. You may be saying, I know that. But do you? Do I? Do we really embrace that our Daddy owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the earth is His and all it contains, That nothing was made that was made apart from Him, that He puts rulers in positions and removes them and on and on. One of my favorite passages is when He was talking to Job. I remember the moment this was first put in perspective for me. I was sitting on the beach in Panama City very troubled with some things that had just happened to me. After I had shared my frustration with the Lord, I opened my Bible to the daily reading and actually began to laugh out loud. Verse 12, says, "Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, And caused the dawn to know its place....... Wow and Wow! The one WHO commands the morning is MY Daddy! It is going to be Okay!
But do we live like that? I was thinking of the movie Princess Diaries. This is a quick synopsis but hopefully will make the point. She was the daughter of a prince who had died and her grandmother was Queen of Genovia. She was living in America almost in poverty with her Mom. It becomes time for a new Queen - she is the likely candidate - Grandmother finds her - takes here there and she learns the ways of a Queen - Of course there is more to the story but for today's post think of the correlation. Alot of us are living in spiritual poverty and yet are daughters of the king. We know that is a reality but because of circumstances of life we live as if we are not. He sent His Son to show us the way and when He left He sent the H.S. to indwell us so we could live the life He meant for us. How are you living?
Are you living under the expectations of this world, people around you, the position you hold or are you experiencing the freedom of knowing you are a princess and your Daddy owns it all, and is able to provide what you need, when you need it, and how much you need at the time you need it? Are you living knowing that nothing escapes your Daddy's notice and He is able to accomplish what concerns you from the past, present and future? Are you living knowing that you are not a victim? That no one can thwart what your Daddy has put in motion for you?
Now lets go back to Princes Diaries one more time. When it came time for her to be queen there was one stipulation and that was she had to be married. The time was fleeting and if she was not married she could not be queen. She came to a point that she realized she could not get married just to be queen and came before the people and shared her dream to be their queen but also her view of marriage was much more and to get married for this reason would violate who she really was. She appealed to them to think of their own daugthers...........
Wow, to be a daughter of the King we must not allow ourselves to be victims, we must not allow the enemy to tell us He won't provide, we must not compromise our values to receive anything. For He truly owns it all.
I don't know where you are in your life today but I do know Your Daddy knows. Sit back in his lap. Accept His love, His counsel, His grace, His mercy, and on and on. You don't have to beg. You are His and He is Yours. His Banner over you is Love.
In closing, I must share what my Daddy did for me this week. Joel has been out of work for over 6 months. Our Daddy has been faithful. We have been blessed and stretched. Mid way into this we had the privilege of hosting a young missionary couple in our home for a month. We could not have asked for better house guests and we were blessed by them. As summer approached we knew we would not be vacationing and out of the blue they offered us their beach house in Fort Walton Beach for 10 days. My Daddy knew we did not have the resources but needed the rest so He provided a place through them. And our Daddy did not just provide a place but He provided a beautiful place. I am sitting here looking out at the bay and stand in awe of my Daddy. He is faithful. He is your Daddy. Go to Him! He is waiting! You are His daughter.
Blessings from another daughter of the King,
Jill Milligan
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
A New Series
We have spent several months sharing different names and attributes of our Savior. It has been exciting to log on each week and read what God has been showing one of my sisters. He has used each one of these posts to remind me that He is very serious about being involved in every aspect of our life.
As personal and vulnerable as we have been sharing what God has been teaching us about Himself, we are embarking on a journey that will require us to be even more open with you.
As I sit to type this first post in the new series, I have a strong impression that yes it will be sweet, but there may be weeks when it is hard. God's word says in Deut. But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
We are going to seek Him and ask Him to show us something new. Would you pause now and ask Him to speak to you?
If I were to ask you face to face “Who does God say you are?” What would your answer be?
My guess is some of you would say things like forgiven, loved, or redeemed. A few may say daughter of the King, or Princess. All beautiful, and correct answers for a woman who has received Jesus Christ as her Savior! Girlfriend the Holy Spirit of God lives in you and you are Royalty an Heiress for goodness sake!
Since we aren’t face to face I want you to ask yourself “Who am I in Christ?"
I’ve been asking myself this question daily for a week and one word continues to come to the front of my mind.
SECURE.
God says I am secure. Regardless of everything going on around me, I am secure. My life verse is Deuteronomy 33:12 it says:
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in HIM, for HE shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders.”
God gave me a visual of this verse when my youngest daughter was around 2. She had the flu and was very clingy. It was nap time, but I knew she was not going to nap in her bed for very long. I was at that point where I needed a nap too so we just cuddled up on the couch.
Earlier in the day, I had read this verse in my Bible study homework. It had consumed my mind and my heart. I grabbed my Bible and my journal in hopes that Emma would sleep and I could write down my thoughts before I grabbed a quick power nap.
Emma was very congested so I had her sort of sitting up facing me with her head against my chest. She could breath easier this way and I could prop up and read. As I read that verse again, I felt the Lord speaking to my heart.
You see Emma had quickly gone to sleep and she was FINALLY resting. Her labored breathing had slowed down and had fallen into a pattern similar to mine.
She was resting between my shoulders. Close enough for her breathing to fall into sync with mine. Her head was close enough to feel my heartbeat. She felt safe, secure and free to rest.
God reminded me that He offers me the same thing each and every day. I have the freedom to crawl into His lap, put my head on His chest and let my breathing,my heart beat fall into sync with His.
It is a safe place. A secure place. A stable place.
Isaiah 33:6 tells us that God will be the stability or the sure foundation of our times.
Regardless of what is going on in my life I know that my God knows. He is my sure and stable foundation. Nothing can shake Him. If I am living as one who believes she is secure, I will not be shaken. Life may throw some hard things my way. It may feel overwhelming and like the fight of all fights! BUT, my Savior says in Deut. 33:12 He shields me all day long and I can rest secure.
I am a SECURE heiress of God! Is there a more secure place to be than between the shoulders of the One who gave His only Son's life for you and for me?
What kind of impact would we have if we really believed we are secure? I wonder what would happen in our communities, our churches and most importantly in our homes if we started living as a secure woman. I want to leave you with a quote from a favorite Bible teacher...
"My theology has not become my reality when I refuse to walk in the security of Christ and who I am in Him!"
Oh my sweet friends, lets press in a little closer and make the choice to believe we are who God says we are! Let's walk a little more secure knowing that we are HIS.
Anticipating Him!
stephanie
As personal and vulnerable as we have been sharing what God has been teaching us about Himself, we are embarking on a journey that will require us to be even more open with you.
As I sit to type this first post in the new series, I have a strong impression that yes it will be sweet, but there may be weeks when it is hard. God's word says in Deut. But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
We are going to seek Him and ask Him to show us something new. Would you pause now and ask Him to speak to you?
If I were to ask you face to face “Who does God say you are?” What would your answer be?
My guess is some of you would say things like forgiven, loved, or redeemed. A few may say daughter of the King, or Princess. All beautiful, and correct answers for a woman who has received Jesus Christ as her Savior! Girlfriend the Holy Spirit of God lives in you and you are Royalty an Heiress for goodness sake!
Since we aren’t face to face I want you to ask yourself “Who am I in Christ?"
I’ve been asking myself this question daily for a week and one word continues to come to the front of my mind.
SECURE.
God says I am secure. Regardless of everything going on around me, I am secure. My life verse is Deuteronomy 33:12 it says:
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in HIM, for HE shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders.”
God gave me a visual of this verse when my youngest daughter was around 2. She had the flu and was very clingy. It was nap time, but I knew she was not going to nap in her bed for very long. I was at that point where I needed a nap too so we just cuddled up on the couch.
Earlier in the day, I had read this verse in my Bible study homework. It had consumed my mind and my heart. I grabbed my Bible and my journal in hopes that Emma would sleep and I could write down my thoughts before I grabbed a quick power nap.
Emma was very congested so I had her sort of sitting up facing me with her head against my chest. She could breath easier this way and I could prop up and read. As I read that verse again, I felt the Lord speaking to my heart.
You see Emma had quickly gone to sleep and she was FINALLY resting. Her labored breathing had slowed down and had fallen into a pattern similar to mine.
She was resting between my shoulders. Close enough for her breathing to fall into sync with mine. Her head was close enough to feel my heartbeat. She felt safe, secure and free to rest.
God reminded me that He offers me the same thing each and every day. I have the freedom to crawl into His lap, put my head on His chest and let my breathing,my heart beat fall into sync with His.
It is a safe place. A secure place. A stable place.
Isaiah 33:6 tells us that God will be the stability or the sure foundation of our times.
Regardless of what is going on in my life I know that my God knows. He is my sure and stable foundation. Nothing can shake Him. If I am living as one who believes she is secure, I will not be shaken. Life may throw some hard things my way. It may feel overwhelming and like the fight of all fights! BUT, my Savior says in Deut. 33:12 He shields me all day long and I can rest secure.
I am a SECURE heiress of God! Is there a more secure place to be than between the shoulders of the One who gave His only Son's life for you and for me?
What kind of impact would we have if we really believed we are secure? I wonder what would happen in our communities, our churches and most importantly in our homes if we started living as a secure woman. I want to leave you with a quote from a favorite Bible teacher...
"My theology has not become my reality when I refuse to walk in the security of Christ and who I am in Him!"
Oh my sweet friends, lets press in a little closer and make the choice to believe we are who God says we are! Let's walk a little more secure knowing that we are HIS.
Anticipating Him!
stephanie
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