Vaughn Forest Ladies' Fellowship

Tuesday December 2

6:00 pm

At the home of Ann Shoemaker

137 Glynlakes Drive

Bring a salad, a soup, or a sweet and please bring a friend! This will be a fun time of fellowship and FOOD with a quick message from Ann Allen about "de-stressing Christmas"!
We'd love to see you all there!!

We will be emailing directions to Ann's house next week for those who need them.

Call to Fast and Pray for the elections on Tuesday!

Ladies,


I am certain that I don't need to remind you of what is at stake in the elections on Tuesday! Our nation is at a major crossroads. There is no doubt that we need to be on our knees seeking the Lord's mercy on our country!

Last week in Ann Allen's class, we learned about the the power of fasting in breaking strongholds in our lives!! We heard examples of how effective fasting can be and we were challenged to pray and fast for our nation concerning the upcoming elections.

I'm copying a prayer guide with this post that I'm hoping will help guide you (and me!) to fast and pray at some point between now and the elections on Tuesday! It is an edited version of a prayer guide for the nation that I received this week and may even be available in its entirety in the church prayer room.

I'd love to hear back from those who choose to participate to share how God blessed you!

Also, don't forget to sign up (if there is any spots left) to pray at the church for the 9 days of prayer for our nation!



Love,

M

How do we pray?
"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. "1 Tim. 2:1-4
It is not only biblical to pray for our nation and our leaders, it is commanded. Paul instructs the early church, pray first of all for kings and all those in authority. The context of this prayer is to pray with thanksgiving. The purpose is so that our lives will be lived in tranquility and that men be saved through the free spread of the Gospel. This is the ultimate will of the Father – that men might be saved. When we pray, we are tapping into the power that supersedes the influence of any other force, including the media, fraud, greed and demonic powers arrayed against God’s people, His church. Proverbs 19:21 tells us, “There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the LORD’s counsel—that will stand.” There is a greater reality and greater influence to which we have access in our prayers to the Father than any of the plans of man. So we pray in these elections from the president down to our local leaders that we may live in freedom, peace and that the Gospel be spread.
I believe the Spirit of God is encouraging us to continue to pray and vote:

God delights in the prayer of the upright:
"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight". Prov. 15:8
God responds when we call:
"The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them." Ps. 145:18-19
Come Boldly to the throne of Grace:
"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need". Hebrew 4:16
Angels come in answer to prayer:
"And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling." Daniel 10:11
Confidence that He hears and answers:
"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him". 1 John 5:14-15
What God has Blessed, No Man can Curse:
"Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand." Josh. 24:9-10
God will be victorious:
"Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." Is. 9:7

We see the power of prayer in the story of King Jehoshaphat. A vast army had come up to destroy God’s people. Things did not look very hopeful. In terms of the natural circumstances, certain defeat was staring them in the face (2 Chron. 20). And yet, we see that God certainly intervened on behalf of His people, turning defeat into victory. As God’s people assumed their rightful position, in intercession “seated with Christ in heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6), God caused them to triumph. We must exercise united faith in an AWESOME God, persevering in praise and worship, proclaiming His promise. He makes His people victorious.
In this hour, on behalf of our children and our nation, let us turn more than ever to seek God as Jehoshaphat did. Let us rely on the power and ability of our great God to turn things around. We declare the Kingdom will become His throne, and He shall reign forever and ever. We declare the Lordship of Christ over our great and blessed land – God bless the U.S.A.
Prayer Focus for Elections:
1. Jesus is Lord: Make the Lord awesome and mighty. Declare His rulership. Magnify the Lord and His power over the elections.

2. Pour Out Your Spirit: Ask the Holy Spirit to be poured out in the voting booths, touching the hearts and minds of Americans as they go to the polls to vote.

3. Pull the Lever: Pull the lever for God’s choice for President, Vice President, both Houses of Congress and local leaders and local referendums.

4. Release Angels: Release Holy Angels to guard the destiny and call of God over America. Loose Angels over every precinct and every voting booth in America.

5. Bind Fraud: Bind Fraud and loose the Spirit of Truth into every aspect of the election.

6. Break Enchantment: Break the spirit of manipulation and enchantment, bind the spirits of witchcraft and antichrist as we make a choice for the Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces.

7. Protect the Unborn: The next president will determine the next justices for the Supreme Court. Pray that America will choose leaders who will nominate and confirm justices who will be strict constitutionalists, protecting the unborn.

8. Bless Israel: May God use these elections to be a blessing and strength to Israel.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance. Psalm 33:12
“Lord give us leaders such that it will be for your glory to give us the victory through them.”

"Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night". Nehemiah 4:9
"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt 18:19-20).

Balancing Your Life - Lesson #9

“Hank, Bro and the Garbage Can”
It would have been simple enough if I had put one of those child restraint devices on my kitchen cabinet years ago. But oh no it seems as if God wanted me to learn some valuable principles with repeated garbage can incidences. When I say that this has been a battle for many years I am not exaggerating. Today the lesson in it all finally clicked so I’ll be heading to the baby department at Wal-Mart as soon as I finish writing this little story about my Hank, my Brother, and yes our white plastic kitchen garbage can. To catch you up if you don’t know them Hank is my “substandard” apricot colored Poodle-looking mutt and Bro is my aging weenie-dog (he’s a Dachshund for you non-doggie people). Hank has had a fetish for garbage every since he started living with us. He was one of those rescues from work. I, not unlike most vets seldom own “pre-planned” animals. We tend to collect a variety of the world’s rejects and life with them is always challenging initially as they learn to trust a new master versus their usual previous life of abuse of one form or another. Having said all of that please cut Hank some slack about loving garbage. I’ve rationalized that it’s just because of his rough initial upbringing. All I know is that he was found wandering down the Troy Highway with his tail tucked between his legs. There’s a whole other story how he got from the Troy Highway into my garbage can but we’ll save that for another day. I have learned to put the small kitchen stool in front of the cabinet to stop him from opening it and dragging the garbage can out and eating Lord only knows whatever leftovers and miscellaneous junk the Salter’s have accumulated in the past 24-48 hours. Back to what just happened-this is sort of like live-TV; it’s almost live-writing. Only having left the house for two hours I return this morning to a kitchen floor over-flowing with garbage. I apparently forgot to put the stool up when I left. All was quiet. It was just me and the garbage. Taylor, my youngest son, is still at football practice and Will, my oldest son, is till snoozing the morning away. Normally Hank and Bro would have noisily greeted me at the door as soon as they heard my car pull into the drive way. When I walked into the house their absence spoke volumes. I knew what I was about to see. The garbage-laden kitchen was no surprise. This same scenario has been repeated over and over in our house. I realize at that moment what a real slow learner Hank, Bro and of course, I really am. I stared at the familiar scene and also realized how thankful I was that I had not thrown the coffee filter out that morning. It’s easier to get ground-in grass stains from football pants than clean up coffee grinds tracked all over the kitchen floor. Leaving the scene with that bit of a thankful heart I walked upstairs in search of the criminals. The house was eerily quiet as I went from room to room. Then suddenly I spotted Hank and Bro in the back corner of Taylor’s room. I was staring at their back ends. They were motionless, heads facing the wall of a room they normally would never go through much less lie down in. Taylor’s room is not conducive for anything other than the male-teenage species. Only if you’ve had teenage boys living in your home would you understand this. So there they lay afraid to even turn around and acknowledge my presence. My husband, a much more Biblical disciplinarian of Hank and Bro than me, has substituted the garbage can for the rod on more than one occasion. It is at this juncture in our little story that I stop and pray that there are not PETA readers on board. Rusty isn’t abusive at all; he just taps them with the plastic can and in that stern masculine voice says, “Hank, what is this? “ They are so smart they know it’s the garbage can; they obviously have connected the garbage dots, and they haul tail to the back door to escape what they think will be more of Rusty’s wrath. Hank always appears more petrified than Brother because of his past abuse. We know Brother wasn’t the instigator because of his size but he becomes equally guilty for jumping in on Hank’s garbage. One time they got into barbeque chicken bones and they were sick for days. There has always been a bad consequence for them physically or emotionally every single time it happens. You would think that they would figure it out and stop repeating the same mistake. You would think I would figure it out and go take the time to buy and install the $2.00 restraint device. How many times do we all have to go around the same mountain before we finally “get it”?
I would never make it to Wal-Mart today if I wrote down all of the spiritual analogies apparent in this story of Hank, Bro, and the garbage. I’ll share what the Lord is speaking to me. Ask Him to give you insight as you begin to examine your garbage story. What hit me today like no time previously was that when we blow it (get into the same garbage again) we have a tendency to run from our Master. We can’t face Him with any trace of garbage in us. Because He is holy we couldn’t be in His presence dirty even if we wanted. Our garbage keeps us from Him; from greeting Him in the morning; from enjoying His presence; from hearing His voice. We become like Hank and Bro cowering in the corner of Taylor’s room feeling ashamed but not knowing what to do to remedy it. It has become a vicious cycle. We keep going back and repeating the same ole stupid mistake; getting ourselves onto the same nasty garbage. When we do it we know we are wrong but we just stand at the door wanting out. We fear that God is really going to punish us this time. We feel dirtier each time we sin…the battle is our mind… the enemy begins to speak lie after lie; after all he is the “father of all lies” (John 8:44) . The lies are sent to cause doubt, discouragement, despair-you name it-anything opposite of the Holy Spirit’s work in your life. So when you find yourself in a “garbage mess” all over again what’s the solution? It is a simple all-powerful two word answer- the cross. Go immediately. You won’t “feel” like it-you’ll want to run and hide away like Hank and Bro and then you’ll surely sink into frustration, guilt, disappointment, discouragement-anything the opposite of the peace that comes from His sweet forgiveness. Run to that mercy seat as fast as you can. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Since this is a “repeat garbage incident” which makes you a “repeat offender” shouldn’t you spend some time there asking Him what the root of the problem really is. Be still and listen. The axe must be taken to the root for long term victory. God is so creative in His ways of delivering you from each and every sin. Remember all of the spiritual weapons at your disposal- Praise, Prayer and Fasting, the Word, and let’s add ‘Personal Touch.’ God still uses others through the laying on of hands as conduits of His delivering power (Hebrews 6:1-2) . The Holy Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). If you’ve been unsuccessfully fighting your same battle let go of your pride and ask a seasoned intercessor for help. I wouldn’t be writing this if I had not asked for help on more than one occasion. Jesus died not only for you to have eternal life but an abundant life (overflowing with love, joy, peace and freedom) in Him. Get out of your garbage and get into His fullness. He is more than enough!!

Ann Allen Salter
August 2008

Balancing Your Life - Lesson #8

"You've Gone Shopping"

Dear Fellow Shoppers,
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of shopping in Satan’s store of “stinkin’ thinkin’.” Let’s face it, most women love to go shopping but it’s time we recognize how harmful it is. This lesson is but a small sample of the countless dangerous thoughts which our minds can entertain. If entertained for too long, you can be assured that the enemy will be selling you the “giant economy size” which takes a lot longer to deal with. Never underestimate the battle that takes place in your mind. It is the battlefield and you must learn to fight with your spiritual weapons – praise, prayer and the Word. If you’ve been shopping for years, as I have been, it will take time to break the strongholds of wrong thinking. You can start by refusing to buy the giant economy size. Long-term victory starts one step at a time so refuse to get discouraged.
I pray that you will quickly choose to substitute the truth of God’s Word for any “stinkin’ thinkin’” and in time will be consistently walking in the abundant peace, joy and freedom that Jesus died for you to embrace.

In His love,
Ann Allen Salter

“…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)



1. WORRY ----------> ANXIETY, PANIC, DESPAIR
Quickly replace worry with TRUST and WAIT. Many Christians (women especially) act as if worry is a spiritual gift when in reality it is a well-used tool of the enemy. Worry says “I don’t trust God.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
Philippians 4:6-8
Matthew 6:25-27
1Peter 5:7
Psalm 55:22
Psalm 37

2. DOUBT----------> UNBELIEF
Doubt is the opposite of faith so quickly replace it with TRUST/FAITH-believing that God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do. You must be certain of “the certains” – His sovereignty. Faith lives in the realm of the spirit not the mind. Your mind will lie to you. You must quit listening to yourself an the lies of the enemy. You must choose not to doubt but to trust.
Mark 9:24
2Corinthians 5:7
Hebrews 11:1

3. FEAR----------> PANIC, DESPAIR
Quickly replace fear with TRUST in the one who is in you and will never leave you. “I will not be afraid!” Let His sovereignty silence your thoughts. Choose to praise, pray and speak the Word not to dwell in the enemy’s camp of fear.
2 Timothy 1:7
Hebrews 13:6
Psalm 27:1-3
Deuteronomy 31:8

4. ANGER----------> BITTERNESS, UNFORGIVENESS, RAGE, HATE
Quickly replace this with SELF-CONTROL through the power of the Holy Spirit. Your flesh will not want to do this. Vent your anger to God – tattle to Him first. Choose to be quiet although your tongue will be posed and ready to strike. Uncontrolled anger will get you burned every time. Resist the temptation of the enemy to strike back – choose the supernatural forgiveness that Christ died for you to have. Praise, pray and speak the Word. Thank Him for using the circumstance to grow you more into His image.
Psalm 37:8
Proverbs 19:11
Ephesians 4:27; 31-32
James 1:19-20
Psalm 4:4
Psalm 142:2

5. GUILT & SHAME----------> CONDEMNATION, UNWORTHINESS, LOW SELF- ESTEEM
God will never bring up your past to make you feel guilty. His way is to always lift you up not push you down. Guilt will always push you down and you can be assured that it arises from you “flesh” (sinful nature) or from Satan. Remember that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy but when you schoose to replace his lies with the truths of God’s Word the enemy has no power over you. The moment a guilty thought occurs replace it with the truth that “there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” His blood has covered all your sins – past, present, and future. Now you must choose to forgive yourself otherwise you are saying that His blood is not enough. Confess any unforgiveness and praise and thank Him that you are not condemned but “are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.” Believe you are what He says you are – fully forgiven, loved unconditionally, a precious child of your Father. Claim your inheritance now!!
1 John 1:9
Romans 8:1
2 Corinthians 5:21

6. REASONING----------> CONFUSION
A mind that reasons, wonders, wanders, ponders, etc…is on dangeroud ground. You are headed to “spiritual paralysis by analysis.” You must quickly replace these relentless thoughts with the truths of God’s Word. You must choose to think with the mind of the Spirit instead of the mind of the flesh (sense and reason without the Holy Spirit). You must acknowledge that you will never understand God’s ways. Quit “rewinding the tape” in your mind and choose to TRUST and OBEY.
Colossians 3:2
Romans 8:6
Isaiah 26:3
Isaiah 55:9
Romans 11:33

7. HURT & WOUNDED---------> BITTERNESS, UNFORGIVENESS, RAGE, HATE
Quickly choose forgiveness. This tool of the enemy is used on all believers because he wants to destroy relationships. Satan can’t steal your salvation but he can keep you from fulfilling your life’s purpose because you are busy nursing your wounds. Many Christians wear their wounds as badges of honor but in reality they are only honoring Satan and saying that Jesus is not enough to heal their hurts. “But you don’t understand”…….that’s right, nobody really understands your situation except God and He is capable of healing you everywhere you hurt if you allow Him. Quit replaying the offense in your mind and replace it with praise, prayer and the Word. Choose to get over it.
Matthew 6:14
Psalm 147:3
John 14:18


8. JEALOUSY & ENVY--------> COVETOUSNESS, LOVE OF THE WORLD, LACK OF
CONTENTMENT
Quickly replace any jealous thoughts with the truth that Christ is all sufficient. He is all that we need. You can’t love the world and the things of the world and still have a heart wholly devoted to Him. Boldly exclaim “I am content in Him” and praise and thank Him for all the blessings He has given you. Don’t allow the enemy to sew seeds of discontentment. Remember that true contentment only stems from being in the center of God’s will for you life. When envious or jealous thoughts arise, ask him to show you why. Be still and listen.
Philippians 4:11-13
Hebrews 13:5
1 john 2:15-17

9. DISCOURAGEMENT----------> DEPRESSION
You must quickly choose not to stay discouraged. Satan uses this tool on all believers – it is his mission to make you ineffective. Through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you and act of your will, you must choose to encourage yourself in the Lord. Praise, prayer and the Word are the weapons which drive discouragement away. Entertaining discouragement for any length of time is so dangerous because the “giant economy size” is depression and it’s effects on you and your family can be catastrophic. Choose to get up while you still can and put your hope in God’s Word and promises! Remember that your feelings will lie to you. Rain in your feelings! Trust in the Lord!!
Psalm 42 and 143
Lamentations 3:19-26
Joshua 7:10

Balancing Your Life - Lesson #6

“What Are You Stuffing Yourself With?”
Our family was getting ready to leave for the lake just after lunch on the 4th of July but we got a little distracted because of the annual hot dog eating contest on ESPN. Some families might keep background Christian music playing while they are in their homes; we tend to have Sports Center on autopilot at 1707 Wentworth. Just a little confession to feel cleaner. Anyway, I was trying to put my makeup on but couldn’t help but get in on the drama of the moment. Rusty and Will, my husband and oldest son, were glued to the tube (the youngest son was watching in the privacy of the attic) as the two top contestants were neck and neck stuffing themselves with hotdogs. As they stuffed another dog into their mouths a person behind them would change the number on the marker they were holding like the men at football games changing the down marker after each play. The intensity grew as they approached the final tick of the ten-minute giant digital clock. A crowd of thousands at Nathan’s on Coney Island cheered wildly as they frantically crammed more dogs and buns in washing them down as needed with water. It was not a pleasant sight to say the least. I was thankful that we would be served Boston Butt and ribs at the Epperson’s lake house not hot dogs. The six-time champion Takera Kobayashi was two dogs up on the defending champion Joey Chesnut with about a minute to go. It really seemed almost over for the American. When I say he looked pitiful I mean it. It looked like he was about to throw up but fighting through the apparent discomfort he continued to cram those dogs in one after another. The Japanese fellow looked refreshed as he doubled over his dogs and shoved them down his throat. It looked like he would retain the mustard-colored champions belt when at the last second the American tied up the score-59 hotdogs and buns in a mere 10 minutes. Yes history was made that moment on Coney Island. Never before in the 93 year history of the contest had there ever been a tie. Sudden death was to follow. Whoever got 5 extra dogs in the fastest would be declared the 2008 winner. The crowd was obviously pulling for the American-after all; it was the 4th of July. With the unbridled enthusiasm of an SEC crowd the New Yorkers cheered Chesnut to victory. The American was literally stuffed like a prize trophy; he was the champion of the day. Headlines in papers all across the land declared him a great American. You have to laugh to keep from weeping. If we’ve ever needed for God to bless America it’s now. It pains me to even record this “historical” event but I see some powerful spiritual analogies. I pride myself in saying that I would NEVER participate in such a ridiculous contest. Before the contest started ESPN’s Sports Center broadcasted for at least an hour with more details than you could ever imagine. Like discussing competing horses in the Kentucky Derby the pedigree of each dog eater was discussed ad nauseum. Some of the contestants looked entirely normal. One fellow was a spinal surgeon by profession. All of them had gone through extensive training to get on the stage of Nathan’s that day. There had been preliminary eat-offs in various other locals during the year. They purposed to be right where they were that hot July day. But they didn’t purpose to be there after they ate their first dog ever. At some point between 1 and 59 things got terribly out-of-balance. What about you? What are you “stuffing” your life with? “Did you start with the Spirit and are now trying to attain things by human effort? “ (Galatians 1:10) Could you be putting in so many other things that there’s little room for Him? Is intimacy with your heavenly Father something for just a select few? Is the world crowding out the Word in your life? Are you in competition with others to “get ahead “ in the world by cramming in all it has to tempt and offer to you? Are you striving each day to do more and more in less and less time? As I remember those two dog eaters cramming in more and more in the shortest time possible I can only think of people trapped by the world. They are moving faster and faster minute after minute for zero eternal significance. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
As I got in on the suspenseful final minutes of that silly contest with those men literally stuffing animal by-products into their mouths the Holy Spirit highlighted a sentence I had read in John Piper’s book ‘Hunger for God’ and it is as follows: “Your soul is stuffed with small things.” I will end this “hotdog eating” story with paragraphs taken directly from that book. Be still and listen for the Holy Spirit as He will convict the majority of us who live in America. My prayer is that you will do what He says.
“Desires for other things (the enemy) enter in and choke the Word (Mark 4:19)-the only weapon is a deeper hunger for God. The weakness in our hunger is not because He is unsavory but because we have kept ourselves stuffed with “other things.” What we hunger for most we worship. The birthplace of Christian fasting is homesickness for God. The greatest adversary of love to God is not His enemies but His gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God Himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable and almost incurable. The “pleasures of this life” and the desires for other things –these are not evil in themselves, these are gifts from God. They are your basic meat and potatoes and coffee and gardening and reading and decorating and traveling and investing and TV watching and internet surfing and shopping and exercising and collecting and talking. And all of these can become deadly substitutes for God. When you take your stand on the finished work of God in Christ, and begin to drink at the River of Life and eat the bread of heaven, and know that you have found the end of all your longings you only get hungrier for God. The more satisfaction you experience from God, while still in this world, the greater your desire for the next. C.S. Lewis said, ‘Our best havings are wantings.’ The more deeply you walk with Christ, the hungrier you get for Christ… the more homesick you get for heaven. If you don’t feel strong desires for the manifestations of the glory of God, it is not because you drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things.”
Ann Allen Salter
July 7, 2008

Balancing Your Life - Lesson #5

“A Storm is Coming….What Will You Do?”

1. Storms are inevitable.

2. Storms vary in duration and intensity.

3. Storms are impossible to accurately predict. (Luke 8:22-24)

“There is nothing about a storm we are in control of except how we prepare for it and then how we choose to react to it.”

“We don’t have a clue!” verses:

Romans 11:33_____________________________________
1 Corinthians 13:12 _________________________________
Isaiah 55:8-8______________________________________

*2 Questions that are real faith-killers in a storm: WHY GOD WHY?/ WHEN GOD WHEN?

*You are whistling for the enemy if you choose to repeatedly engage and entertain these questions.

WHY DO STORMS EXIST?

1. To shape us : 2 Cor. 3: 18, Romans 5:3-5

2. To strengthen us : 2 Cor. 12:9-10, Habakkuk 3:17-19

3. To test our faith : James 1:2-4, 1 Cor. 10:13

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

1. Prepare ahead of time: Psalm 119:11,105 & 1 Peter 4:12-18

2. Seek shelter immediately: Psalm 32:7 & Psalm 91

“You can fellowship with the storm or God but not both.”

3. Wait for it to end: Psalm 37:7.34, John 14:27 & Psalm 107:28-30

“How you wait depends upon how much you trust your shelter?”

Ann Allen Salter

"Balancing Your Life" Class Lesson #4

“James and the Demo Cell Phone…Listening for His Father’s Voice”

Although I never saw the movie I do remember a title of a movie from years ago called “James and the Giant Peach.” Sounds like a silly movie but the title obviously stuck in my mind and so with that memory the title for this story quickly came to mind . Let me explain. Last Wednesday night when leaving church I was standing outside of the children’s wing talking with friends and watching some of their children play. The funniest site was watching the intensity of the youngest Treadwell child. James Treadwell is only 18 months old and he was running back and forth in the grass with his head up looking straight ahead while the entire time keeping a cell phone held tightly up to his right ear with his right hand. It looked like the arm and phone were super glued up there. He was intently listening not saying a word as he went about his 18-month old business. Since his mom and two brothers were right there I suppose that James was listening for the voice of his Daddy. I mean this went on for the entire time we were out there. We were trying to decide who was going to eat and where while all the time James was running around obviously very attached to his new piece of technology. I was startled when I first saw him because I feared he had taken his mom’s phone. Kelly informed me that at Costco a few days before the salesman had given all three of her boys demo cell phones. Thomas and Samuel liked theirs as well but with James the demo cell phone had literally stuck. I realized at that moment as I talked to Kelly that another “story” was being written. Oh I want to be like young James Treadwell listening intently all the time for the voice of my Father. Not just during my priority time first thing in the morning but all throughout the day and night. Constant communication with the Father is crucial because it’s how we get to know Him more and the only way to know his perfect direction and will for our life. Without His direction we are destined for one problem after another; or we’ll settle for the good versus the best. His ways are so much higher than ours. Could hearing God’s voice be as simple as holding a cell phone up to your ear all day long like baby James? Listening for God’s voice is as simple as A, B, C- A) Ask Him to speak- “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know(Jeremiah 3:33) B) Be still and listen. You must stop what you are doing and thinking and focus on hearing God. God’s voice is still and quiet and gets crowded out by a hurried body or mind. C) Come unto Him. Learning to listen for His voice will be one of the most valuable lessons you will ever learn in life. Invest much time and discipline in learning to listen. A wonderful book on the subject is Dr. Charles Stanley’s “How to Listen to God.” He points out 5 ways He can speak to you and greatly simplified they are as follows: 1) The Word- this is His primary way to speak to you. Meditating on the Word is one of the best ways you can hear His voice for divine guidance. “Meditate on it day and night so that you will be careful to do everything in it.” (Joshua 1:8) 2) The Holy Spirit (Promptings…speaks to your Spirit) –alive in you, the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth if you will choose to obey. 3) Prayer -this is your relationship to Jesus-your lifeline to the Father. We all need to practice more time listening in prayer than speaking. Remember that hurry is the death of prayer. 4) Praise- God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3); it silences the enemy therefore allowing you to hear the Father’s voice and 5) People and circumstances -we need to camp out on this one for a minute. Please be careful with category #5. You better know the Word, have a powerful prayer life, and be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit or you could be easily deceived. The voice of God will never include anything contrary to principles of scripture. Remember that the Holy Spirit is your #1 counselor not any person. A much used scheme of Satan is to masquerade as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy your ability to hear and obey God’s counsel. Be very careful who you choose to listen to. Having warned you about this, please don’t be so paranoid that you fail to take seriously when God does speak to you through His servants who bring you confirmation or a prophetic word from the heart of God. Remember that the Holy Spirit is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8), and He will speak words of wisdom and knowledge through clean vessels as His Spirit leads.
Hearing God’s voice is as simple as A.B.C. Simply ask Him to speak, be still, and come unto Him continually just like baby James with the cell phone stuck to his ear. Your heavenly Father is madly in love with you. He created you for the primary purpose of relationship with Him. He is always whispering in His still small voice words of love, encouragement, healing, and deliverance. Shut out the world, keep your ears open to His voice and promptly obey when He speaks. Then and only then will you fall in love with Jesus, come to the end of every other longing, and fulfill your destiny. He is speaking….are you ready to listen? You’re in for the time of your life.
Ann Allen Salter
June 2008

"My Utmost for His Highest" Daily Devotional

We've added the link to the website for Oswald Chambers devotional "My Utmost for His Highest" to the links list on the right side of this blog site. (When I just re-read the title of this post, I had mis-typed "hightest" instead of "highest" - I bet Ann Allen could make a lesson out of that) The link will take you to the home page of the website where you can click on "Today's Reading" to get the devotion for that day. If you are looking for something to kick start your quiet times each day, this is one option. I hope you find it a blessing!
Melissa

"Balancing Your Life" Class Lesson #3

“How Do You Greet Your Master?”

I still miss Sister. All 5 pounds of her have been gone for almost two years but she’s still missed. Only real dog lovers understand how you can miss the individual peculiarities of those special family members. If you’ve just had “dogs” you might not get it but if you’ve ever had a Sister you know what I mean. Her signature mark was that she could turn complete 360’s with her body multiple times in a row-I mean four to six at a time. She would do this when I first saw her each morning. She was crazy about me and she greeted me by spinning her little body around wildly in excitement. As she aged and her little knees became arthritic she flipped around with equal enthusiasm just less rotations. There is no way she could have been any more excited to greet me each morning. As her heart began to fail she couldn’t make even a 180 degree turn but her eyes never lost the excitement and thrill of meeting her master first thing in the morning. She was smarter than the average dog. Sister knew that I was going to turn on that coffee pot before feeding her so she sat on the kitchen floor waiting patiently for me to take that turn toward the hall where she knew her food was stored. While I filled up her little paw printed black and white ceramic bowl with tiny kibble she stared me down, every muscle of her body tensed with excitement. Now the show was about to start for me. As I stood up Sister would begin to turn 360’s as she ran down the hall, with me following behind with her food. As I placed it before her she always acted as if she had never seen food before. Enthusiasm doesn’t even describe was she was for her morning meal. Whatever I gave her she would eat it and be as happy as she could possibly be. This same routine happened again each morning and evening over and over and over for eleven years. If I left the house for a few hours or went to work for the day she would greet me with the enthusiastic 360’s. I never tired of her showing how excited she was to see me. Even when I wasn’t giving her something she was equally happy to see me. I would imagine that you caught on to the spiritual analogy, the pet parable so to speak, the moment I used the word master. Am I that excited to meet my Master each morning? Am I that thankful for His provisions day after day after day? Am I that excited even when He’s not “giving” me what I want? My praise to Him first thing in the morning and quite frankly all day long is put to shame by a 5 pound Boston Terrier. Listen to Zephaniah 3:17, “ The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy.He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” This speaks of how excited He is to be with us. At a concert I once heard the talented musician Dennis Jernigan speak of this verse. He said that while we are sleeping at night that the LORD dances wildly over us just waiting for us to wake in the morning and have communion with him. We are suppose to have Sister 360 enthusiasm and all too often I fear so many believers slap off the alarm and bemoan the dawning of His new day. If we really realized the raw power of praise, the penetrating power of getting in and staying in His presence I know we’d dance around like Sister spiritually and yes even physically. I’ve barely scratched the surface of what it means to really praise Him but I’ll tell you that praise is life-changing because it puts you into His presence and that is where you are changed. Psalm 22:3 says that “God inhabits the praises of His people.” Have His children in today’s busy world forgotten this? Our spirits will literally soar with His Holy Spirit when we learn the lifestyle of praise. You are refreshed, you are healed, you are delivered, you are recharged, you fall in love with Him more and more…praise is the warfare…praise literally silences and drives the enemy out. Demons have to flee in the light of praise to our LORD. A friend recently told me that real worship is really “warship.” As we begin our day let us remember that it is a war out there. The enemy is prowling around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8) so we better have our armor on (Ephesians 6:10-19) and be “praised up” and ready. Your Master is waiting to meet you in the morning, ready to give you everything you need to survive the day and oh so much more. I’m learning to turn 360’s. How about you?

Ann Allen Salter
July 30, 2008

"Balancing Your Life" Class Lesson #2

“LORD, Will You Order My Steps?”

Have you ever been driving then suddenly realized you were going down the wrong way of a one-way street? If you’ve been driving long enough I bet it has happened to you at least once or twice. It’s a terrible feeling isn’t it? If you could push a button causing your car to suddenly reverse directions and simultaneously get a pair of eyes in the back of your head you would. When you aren’t paying a lot of attention to where you are going; when you don’t slow down long enough to read the road signs it’s almost easy to go in a wrong direction. Interestingly enough, the same thing can happen to you as you travel down the road of life. As I was attempting to organize lessons for an upcoming discipleship semester at church I was at a standstill on how to put them in order. I had no leading at all. I’ve learned after many years of messing up that when this happens it’s better to stop everything you are doing and just be still. I can’t say that I was consciously praying but I do remember lying down on the sofa and just being still-doing nothing. Within minutes as clear as anything across my mind came the following phrase in this exact order: “Slow ‘em down, clean ‘em up, fill ‘em up, and send ‘em out.” There was no effort on my part to receive this except that I got still and then wrote it down. As I looked at what I had written I realized just how crucial order and direction is to our every move. To do what He has called each of us to do requires all four steps in the exact order. I’m sure that I’m not the only one who has hauled off driving down a road I thought I was being called to when suddenly I hear Him say “Reverse, reverse, reverse!” Let’s put some meat (scripture) on the four steps He calls each of us to follow.
1) Slow us down=Be still=Prayer
Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”
2) Clean us up=Confession/Repentance/Deliverance from evil
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
3) Fill us up= Holy Spirit’s power
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
4) Send us out=Service=Great Commission (Inside and outside our homes)
Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Can you see clearly that #4 can’t be #1? The Father is saying “Reverse, reverse, reverse!” but oh so many of His children are just continuing to drive down a street the wrong way. This NEVER happens when you slow down and get still long enough to hear His voice. You must hear YOUR marching orders. If you don’t hear anything YOU STAY PUT. You learn to wait. Yes He has probably placed His vision in your heart but you must learn to wait on His timing before you start driving. What about the perfect formula for burn-out? That would be 1,2,4. That’s doing it in your own strength (flesh) not the power of the Holy Spirit. Zechariah summarizes #3 perfectly, “Not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord.” You must acknowledge that “Apart from Him you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
It would be easier if we could go through these 4 steps just one time and then that was it for the rest of our lives but it doesn’t work that way. His manna is only for today. Our marching orders are often moment by moment vs. day to day. And then there’s the staying clean part to be able to hear. Because we get dirty so quickly we have to have that spiritual bath daily (or maybe hourly on many of my days!) Because of His great mercy and forgiveness we can fall back into His loving arms and start over again and again. Begin to think about the direction you are currently going, the steps you are taking moment by moment. Are they ordered by the LORD or are they “planned” by you? Psalm 119:133 tells us the perfect way to walk, “Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” The LORD is in the foot business. He knows where to place them. He knows how to keep them moving forward. He knows how to stop them and yes, even reverse them. Psalm 37:23-24 says “If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.” I’ll close with George Mueller’s summary (and addition) to these verses, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD…and the stops also!” Won’t you ask Him to order your steps today? You’re in for the time of your life.
Ann Allen Salter
July 18, 2008

"Balancing Your Life" Class Lesson #1

“Very Busy Barbie, Chatty Cathy and Thumbelina…Are You a Doll or a Disciple?”
Did you grow you playing with a lot of different dolls? I wasn’t much of a “doll girl” as I preferred rougher outdoor activities but there are a few dolls I can still vividly remember. As I look back on these various dolls a flood of memories come back-some very pleasant but some painful. The good memories include the anticipation of the giant Barbie Doll house on Christmas Eve at my Mama’s house. Painful memories include the realization in Jr. High that your body resembles Ken more than Barbie!
As a middle-aged woman of two sons I am decades removed from playing with dolls but I can’t help but notice the “doll-like” tendencies that I and many women can fall prey to. My personal favorite is “Very Busy Barbie” who I introduced to our Wednesday night Bible study class a few months ago. I was in a local flea market when I ran across a ‘Little Golden Book’ entitled “Very Busy Barbie”. It made for a great lesson on the spiritually lethal effects of busyness. When our Father repeatedly in His Word warns us to “be still” (Psalm 46:10) you can bet that the enemy of our soul will repeatedly in his world urge us to “be busy.” Busyness kills a life of faith and it sucks the majority of well-meaning Christian women right in. It’s like a slow steady undertow and one is sucked out into the world before she ever notices it. The only remedy is the Word of truth but she’s too busy to get in it or too busy to really stay in it. Oh yes, it may be a legalistic 5-15 minute devotional to appease her conscience but it’s far from intimacy with the Almighty. Busyness is a drug, a charm, it demands more and more. She has even begun to brag about it to all her friends. She mistakenly thinks it makes her a better mom but nothing could be further from the truth. Very Busy Barbie is raising very busy children in a very busy family in a very busy world. Jesus stands ready to rescue those willing to get off the treadmill of busyness. “Come unto me, all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 26:28-30)
The next doll I remember from childhood belonged to Kittie, my older and only sister. “Chatty Cathy” was the coolest doll a girl could get for Christmas that year. She had a flesh-colored plastic ring coming out of the back of her neck. When you pulled it a 12-inch string extended and when released slowly recoiled back into Cathy’s neck causing her to of course chat one of several preprogrammed sentences. Yes, she was a chatty Cathy and that is just all that she could do to entertain. Her clothes weren’t changeable. Her limbs didn’t change positions. She didn’t have anything else going for her except that mouth. She was fun enough initially but by New Years Eve I’d heard about as much of her predictable chatting that I could stand. My weapon of choice was the sharpest kitchen knife and yes she never spoke in the New Year. I’m not sure that my sister and I have ever recovered. Spiritually “Chatty Cathy” is sister to “Very Busy Barbie.” You see they have the same demonic Daddy. Cathy might not be physically very busy but the effects are the same because she is always busy in her mind-busy talking out loud or busy talking to herself. Cathy’s mind is not “still”. Since her mind is not still there is no way she can “fix her thoughts on Jesus”(Hebrews 3:1). She doesn’t have a clue what her heavenly Father’s voice sounds like. She goes through life hanging out with Barbies or other Cathys and although she wouldn’t admit it because she’s not programmed for honesty and transparency, she actually is constantly comparing herself to the Barbies and other Cathys. Sadly she compares her spouse and children as well but moves right along chatting appropriate preprogrammed messages. Chatty Cathy looks and talks like a sweet Christian doll but her heart is not full of the only thing that will ever completely satisfy her-that still Spirit in perfect union with The Father. Her Father just wants her mind and mouth to be still so he can tell her how much He loves her. He sent His Son to die for her and to leave His parting gift, the person of the Holy Spirit to live in and through her (John 14:16). He wants to use her mind and her mouth for His glory alone but she won’t be still long enough to be in filled with His Spirit and presence. What He wants of Cathy is the same that He wants of Barbie-a totally surrendered heart. The perfect heart is a heart that is surrendered to His will not a heart with perfect actions. When Cathy gives Him her heart completely He will change her chatty behavior. Only He can open her up and totally transform her into His image. That’s His job. She just trusts Him and stays still before Him.
The last doll I ever remember having was actually my doll. This was the first and the last baby doll I ever received. Her name was Baby Thumbelina. She was a plump infant in appearance and you could take her thumb and stick it into the small hole in her mouth. She had a wind up knob on her back and when turned and then released her little head would move. She did nothing else. She didn’t cry. She didn’t talk. She was limp except for the head movement when wound up. She looked better with her thumb stuck in her mouth so the hole wouldn’t show. You couldn’t change her clothes either. She stayed the same. I would take the “magic milk bottle” and replace it for her thumb. I know you remember the “magic milk bottle”-turned upside down it would appear that the baby was really drinking the milk. I loved those bottles; the orange juice was my personal favorite. Baby Thumbelina arrived on Christmas morning one year and I was completely bored with her by the 28th. As you could predict I headed for the kitchen to retrieve the sharpest knife to start the exploratory surgery on Thumbelina’s back. She never moved again. The spiritual analogy with this baby must be apparent and understood as one of the greatest dangers facing many believers. Baby Christians must grow up and change. Milk is for a season only and then they must feed themselves meat to survive (Hebrews 5:13-14). When the baby was not drinking milk she was sucking her thumb. This represents us literally sucking, being preoccupied and pacified with self. A true believer and follower of Christ Jesus must drink in the milk of His forgiveness, love, and eternal life but then must eat the meat of the crucified life-the “John 3:30 life” – “He must increase; but I must decrease.” The thumb must be replaced with the meat of the Word and fullness of the Holy Spirit to empower one to live the sold out life, not a life consumed with pacifying self. We must be about the business of making disciples inside and outside of our homes not the busyness of a self-serving life.
The remembrance and analogies represented by these three dolls are a wakeup call for me. How quickly I can turn into one of them. If I miss eating my meat for even a day I’m at risk to become Very Busy Barbie or Chatty Cathy. If I miss eating the meat for days in a row I revert back to a Baby Thumbelina-wanting someone else to feed me my bottle or just content to suck on my thumb. Father God loves us and has called us all to be His disciples not His dolls. Are we willing to give up our childish doll ways and follow Him with our whole hearts? Ask Him to do an exploratory surgery on your heart. I promise that you won’t miss those dolls for a second. You’re in for the time of your life.
Ann Allen Salter
May 4, 2008

Beth Moore Simulcast Challenge

Ladies,
I am so encouraged by Joannie's desire to post her notes from the simulcast! I have to admit this might be the first time I've ever reviewed my own notes from a conference! I loved and tried to soak up every statement, scripture reference and personal input that Beth provided! I thought it was life-changing and want to keep the WORDS that I felt I received protected in my heart and I want for each of you to do the same! So here is what I'm challenging you to do......... leave a "comment" after this blog entry and let us know what was your favorite part of Beth's message from the simulcast. I had so many, but what keeps jumping out at me was Beth's comment during her "expect the test" point was that we should let God turn the "dirt" that the Enemy has on us into "soil"! That just spoke volumes to me because it just reminds me that at any time, God can use even my bad choices to bring about a harvest in my life. I always recall a bible study I've done (something Beth Moore) where she talked about how we have not fully allowed God to do use our circumstances in life for His purposes until we are using that situation to further HIS kindgom and against the Enemy!! (i.e. Beth using her childhood abuse to help others open up about and overcome it!) Does that make sense?
That's just one of the many things I loved that she said. Also, this week, I've tried to look at the scripture I read in the morning in a different way because as she pointed out using Isaiah 55:11, EVERY time I expose myself to God's word, He has a purpose for that specific scripture in my life at that time!!
I could go on for days............but I won't. I've got hungry children (there are 6 of them with us at the beach this week!!) who need to eat!!
So, my friends..................leave us a comment so we can learn more about your simulcast experience! I appreciated Brother Lawrence's challenge (thank you, Jonathan and the tech team for getting our services on the web so fast!!) for the women to not "blow it"! Let's not, girls!! Let "do the thing!" like Beth always says - well, actually she says it more like "thaang", which we can all relate to!
I'm typing fast, so forgive any typos! :)
Love,
M

Beth Moore simulcast notes

Beth Moore Simulcast Notes- Aug. 1-2

Travis Cottrell started the conference with saying new beginnings.
We get one shot at this life so LIVE IT but not for self but to God.
Walk and surrender
God can set any captive FREE!!!
He can restore us, repair us, and build us up again.

Beth spoke from Luke 8:1-15 ( I challenge you to read it!)

Think about WHAT God has sown into you.
We are a woman of means, substance, and resources.
We are not superficial!

Verse 3: women who provided for Him (JESUS) from their substance.

Our life was meant to be lived out in a relationship with God.
We increase our competence and confidence in the WORD of God.

Verse 8:8 one hundred-fold harvest
She said we should have MAXIMUM IMPACT in our lives with God’s word. Learn how to let the Word crop a 100fold

Genesis 26:12 “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed Him.”
So, check this verse out in Gal. 3:29
“And you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

WE ladies are a seed of Abraham!!!! Praise God

She said that anything we lose for God’s sake He will return 100 fold!

Surrender our life to MAXIMUM IMPACT.

Did you know that Jesus disciplied twelve young men. He was sowing a seed in their lives so then they could sow into other lives including their families.

DO NOT lose God’s hope in hearing HIS voice, his promises, and HIS miracles.
DO NOT allow the enemy to tell you lies
When God speaks to you don’t allow the enemy to make you doubt it.
DO NOT let the enemy tell you that you didn’t hear God’s voice because of the sin in your life and your past. I realize that sin is different for all of us.
NEWS FLASH….when we confess our sin God forgives us…my words

Hos. 10:12 Now is the time to seek the Lord and plow up the hard ground of your heart.

“Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.”

Ok, she gave us 7 Truths

1. Treasure the wonder- the BIBLE
2 Tim. 3:16
Gen 2:7
God will thoroughly equip us!
She said as woman we are competently competent!!!

2. Protect your heart- hide God’s word in your heart
Luke 8:12 Ladies this verse is so good. How many have you gotten excited about God’s word then WHAT happened? Did you memorize it, retain it, study it…was it deep rooted in your heart or did you allow the enemy to snatch it. Did you allow the enemy to steal your seed because you didn’t spend time watering it?

Do you realize what Satan’s agenda really is? His entire agenda is to make sure YOU do not become healed, restored, repaired, liberated in Christ. To make sure we don’t live out our purpose and fulfill our destiny. Is that something to get mad about??? Nothing is more important to satan than to steal God’s word from you and make sure we are ill equipped to do WHAT God called us to do. He cannot steal our salvation so he will try to steal everything else good in our lives.

John 10:10 more abundant life
Psalm 119:10-11
I loved this…when God gives you a word then we must put our hand over our heart to protect it. So, stop what you are doing and think God for a word He has given you and gently place your hand over your heart and tell the enemy this WORD is not for you but for ME. You cannot steal God’s Word from me. I love doing this; it just gives me much comfort. J

FAITH and FREEDOM- inseparable
Because of our faith we have freedom.
We can be delivered from addictions and the sin in our life.

Ask yourself this question? WHAT DO I BELIEVE GOD IS CAPABLE OF DOING IN MY LIFE...not anothers but your life

I can be a WOMAN of spiritual means!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was all on Friday night and it was good and encouraging.
I know this is a lot of notes especially on God’s Word but you know what without God’s Word what do we have. When I left there Friday night I just felt so encouraged and free as a WOMAN. We should hold our head up high because Christ dwells in you and me. If you don’t know Jesus then you won’t have this freedom. It takes a relationship with Jesus Christ and accepting him as your savior and Lord. It takes confessing your sin and admitting that we are sinners and we can’t do this life thing on our own.
God has forgiven us of our sins so WHY haven’t we. We all have our dark past and dark secrets but there is NOTHING that will separate you from the love of Jesus. I want to share a beautiful verse with you that gives me HOPE. Romans 8:37-39 I actually painted this on a canvas and have it hanging in my home because I need that reminder that NOTHING can take God’s love away from me. Ladies that is comforting and powerful. I have no idea who will be reading this so I have to share my heart with you. I can’t imagine living in this life with out GOD. I have asked God to give me the exact things to share with you. I know I told some of you that I would type notes for you and some of you are probably a little overwhelmed. That is ok, just print the notes and take it at your own speed. I just could not keep all this to myself. If you find these notes and you don’t have a relationship with Jesus then I beg you to call a friend, family member, anyone to help you or call me Joannie 356-9164. Your life will never ever be the same!!!

Ok, so let’s press on with day 2. God will restore in your life what the enemy has stolen! Take a step of victory. Let me just share with you that victory was a word God gave me several months. You better believe I put my hand over my heart and I said VICTORY is mine in CHRIST.
So, I remember the verse God gave me. “Victory comes from you, O Lord, may your blessings rest on your people.” Psalm 3:8

When I am having hard times and I am being persecuted and my family is going through trials then guess WHAT I have a word…my WORD. Victory is MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, I wrote that verse on an index card and I meditated on it all day so it would be deep rooted in my heart. That is just an example for you. I hope that helps you.

She said that Life is tough but we will rejoice!

She read Luke 8:8-15 from The Message

The time to move on a Word is NOW!

When we sow God’s word in our heart then our life begins to change.

Isaiah. 55 10-12

When the season of testing exceeds the season of believing, we are headed towards a season of falling. I had to read this over and over to get it. We have to have our faith and believe especially during hard times.

3. Expect the test.
Testing – peirasmos (greek word)
Trials- God - to make stand Temptations- satan- to make fall

The Word of God is meant to be applied in our toughest times.
1 Cor. 10:13 God is faithful and will make a way of escape

Psalm 126:5-6

She said we can’t bull God! He knows our heart so tell him your issues!

Psalm 105:17-22
Until God’s word comes to pass it is refining us, pruning us, proving us true

God will burn out the fake in us. When we pretend then God will humble us. I am sure we can all think of a time when this happened. It isn’t always fun either so just be transparent with God, yourself, and others. I have been on this journey and it is freeing. Be what you seem.

4. Dig the roots- God’s love, he has not forgotten you
Eph 3:17 being rooted and grounded in love

Do you remember the song, “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so”? Parents start teaching this to your children. This will carry you through a death, lost job, illness, critical spouse etc….

2 King 19:29-30

5. Stop the choke- Anxiety chokes God’s Word out of us
Luke 8:14-15

Whatever we are worrying about chokes the word right out of you.

Phil 4:6 the root of worry is losing control

Ladies, we all deal with worry. I want to share with you what I have been doing first thing in the morning that helps so much. I simply ask God to order my day, order my work, my relationships, my phone calls, my time whatever it is you may stress about.

Oh, I loved this too. We are called to be WARRIORS not worriers!!!

Anxiety shows that we aren’t trusting God.

Life is hard and we aren’t going to feel good all the time. Our temptation is to make our self-feel good with pleasures. This was very freeing for my personal life. Have you just felt down and felt bad about being down or in a funk and you couldn’t figure out what was going on with you?

God will birth passion from our pain and that is WHY Beth is so passionate about God’s word because she will tell you God brought her from the pit!

1 Cor. 1: 5-7 we are enriched in everything

Everyone of our lives has purpose! We need to e competently competent in Christ, we will have a 100fold harvest.

Salvation has nothing to do with our denomination but with a relationship with Christ. Have you spent time with God today?

Romans 10:9 confess with your mouth

My faithfulness….your faithfulness can affect 1000 generations to come!!!! Did you get that, one thousand.

Beth shared that she came from a background of sexual abuse at the age of 3-4 yrs olds. She doesn’t remember the first time but she remembers at this age having shame and as a teenager not knowing the word NO. She didn’t say who caused the abuse but she said it was an authority in her life whom she should have trusted. Ladies, I am so sorry if you too went through abuse. I know I did and it does something to your self image and your self confidence. You don’t feel worthy of anyone’s love. There is HOPE ladies in God’s love and His grace. So, we come from a background of victimilization and then we victimize ourselves. God is a God of healing.

Psalm 107:20 God healed them with his word

God will put His word in your life to heal you and set you free!

She talked about her daughter’s strong will. She cried when she was young many times. I can relate to that with my Josie Hope. J Now, her daughter is married to a minister and pouring into the lives of broken people. So, we have to get out of God’s way and let him work in our children’s lives.

Luke 8:15 noble and good

Noble- beautiful (greek word kalos) good- benefical (greek word agathos)
A beautiful and benefical heart

WE are left here on Earth to be a benefit (help) to others.

Phil 2:17 help others

God allowed what happened to us to minister, heal, and help others.
What God brought us through is about others and helping them.
Beth said that a lot of people come up to her and say why did God allow all of that to happen to you…she says to birth my passion to set others free.
So, ask yourself what has God brought you from, healed you from.

Oh, I totally loved this…Let’s make the enemy sorry that he messed with you and your life!!! Our only defense and weapon is the WORD…God’s word. Satan can not make us lose our salvation. He wants us to lose our effectiveness because he is mad.

Ecc. 11:6 sow our seed first thing in the morning because we need out seed all day

Isaiah 50:4 God will give us knowledge in the morning

We should all have our PHD - Pure hearted disciple

Isaiah 50:10 walking in light

God CAN change our life not just our day.
PMS- please more spirit (she is silly too)

6. Retain the Word
Greek word retain is kateche- to hold in an a vice grip, to posses, to own
Meditate on your word all day. God will give you a daily word and a life word like my word VICTORY…that is my life word. So, listen to God speak to you. Oh, listening to God simply means opening your Bible and reading his word. God is reading to you and you are listening. Some days I don’t want to get out of bed and I don’t feel like doing my quiet time with God so I just get my Bible and start reading. My attitude usually changes and I get some truth. Some days are awesome and others and good but the bottom line is I am obeying God and staying committed to giving him my first.

7. Press forth to your 100 fold- persevere
Just like I am doing with these notes, I am finishing them for you guys.
Sometimes we will start something and then we don’t finish. She said that anytime we get in the middle of doing something for God- we want to quit!
This is when we have to press on…press forth
I am tired of typing but it isn’t about me or my comfort.
A harvest doesn’t come quickly, it takes time….if we quit then we won’t see the 100 fold, our harvest won’t come.

Believe God for the finished work!!!!!!!!!

Revelation 10:7 the mystery of God would be finished
All questions will be answered

WE ARE WOMAN OF SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE AND MEANS WHO HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE!!!

Hey Ladies,
I hope you got something ONE THING from all of the notes. I know I just couldn’t allow all the TRUTH that Beth sowed in my heart be snatched and forgotten. I hope this blesses you and encourages you to STAND UP for Jesus and live for HIM and HIM alone. He will teach us how to love others; our spouse, friends, parents, children EVERYONE.

Blessings to all of you and share this with others.
If you have any questions or comments please email me or call me.
If you need prayer and encouragement then I am here for you.

Sweet blessings,
Joannie

God gave me this verse on Aug. 4th

“Then he said to the woman, Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Luke 7:50

You know what, I have been praying for peace in my life for years.
God was refining me as I waited, he didn’t forget my prayer.

God loves you

30 Day Challenge

Who is up for a challenge??? me me me

OK, I listened to 89.1 on Friday and Nancy Lee DeMoss was talking about marriages. She gave all the listeners a challenge and I want to share it with you. Have you ever imagined looking at your relationship with your husband like your relationship with Christ? I can say I have not so I got a nice reality check. How could I not share this with all of you. I just really feel like I don't always stop and think about what I say to Tim. I know he loves me and I think I get comfortable with that love and I don't always show the respect to him as I would to Jesus. So, imagine with me for a moment the impact we women could make if we would encourage the important men in our lives. Here is the challenge. Don't say one negative thing about your husband to him or about him to anyone else. Then make a special effort to say ONE positive thing to him every day for 30 days. I know this isn't going to be easy but I know you can do it. I need accountability as much as you do so please feel free to call me or email me. I would love to hear how things are going with you. :)

Col. 3:18


Blessings to you all,
Oh, feel free to share this with others.

Love,
Joannie

Greetings from the Beach!

Hey Ladies,

For those of you who may be keeping up with this blog -
This is an email that I received today from a guest of the Beth Moore Simulcast this weekend and since it applies to all of you, I thought I would pass it along.


"Please tell everyone at your church a big THANK YOU for hosting the Beth Moore simulcast. It was a wonderful experience. I really needed Beth's message this weekend in many ways. Thank you to all the ladies who covered us in prayers before the simulcast even began. Y'all have surely ministered 100 fold."


Y'all are awesome! Thanks to all who helped make the Simulcast such a special event for all involved! I am truly humbled to be a part of something that special!!
And aren't we all excited to see Ann Allen blogging???

Love,
Melissa

Thanks for the Simulcast

Thanks to all who worked to make the Simulcast at VF possible. What a blessing. Let's not stop praying as we have a tendency to do after a "big event." Ours prayers must be even more intentional for the Word to take root before the enemy snatches it as Beth so passionately taught. Lets pray for those who were on the frontlines in planning this thing to be refreshed and just enjoy their families as so many begin to think about the dreaded S word (school). I am so excited about our Women's Ministry at VF. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard,no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." (Isa.64:4) (thanks again Melissa)

Feeding the good dog,
Ann Allen

Welcome!

I am so excited about this opportunity that I believe God has put on my heart! Not a "blogger" myself, I have had the opportunity to visit the blogs of friends and other groups that interest me. I just keep thinking that this has got to be a way to reach more women at Vaughn Forest and around our community (and thanks to the internet, the world)! I don't know where God will take this simple blog, but I know it's something that will bring us closer to Him if we use it for His glory! The uses of this blog in my opinion, are endless. I want this to be a place where women can be encouraged through God's word in a devotional, bible study or maybe from another sister in Christ who shares that she is facing a challenge similar to yours. I'd love to see women find common interests and form a discipleship or an accountability relationship. Cooking advice, parenting help......whatever the need is, I'm praying that this website will be a source of help and support to women in the body of Christ!


One common thread that I see in most of the blogs that I've visited is that the reader is interested in what the "blogger" has to say. I know that is NOT going to be the case here. I want to know what YOU have to say, especially now. I want to know what you'd like to see this website used for. I've got my ideas about things I'd like to do, but I'm interested in what you'd like to see. I can't promise that we'll get to do everything, but I'd love to get some creative ideas.

There will be many upcoming posts over the next few weeks - maybe some contributions from some Vaughn Forest women that you know and love - so keep checking back. I can't wait to see what God will do with this! I'm already blown away by something He worked out PERFECTLY just yesterday involving this blog! (You 'll have to wait to find out!) Until then, I hope to hear from you on this site!

Love, Melissa

Beth Moore Simulcast August 1st & 2nd!!

I just wanted to invite all ladies to Vaughn Forest Church for a wonderful time of sound biblical teaching, worship and fellowship! VFC is hosting the 100th Living Proof Live event wth Beth Moore that will be LIVE via satellite from Louisville, KY! Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through the church office during the week or during worship hours on Sundays and Wednesdays. The event will be from 6:30 to 9:00 on Friday night (doors to open at 5:30) and from 8:30 to 12:00 noon on Saturday (doors to open at 7:30)! Tickets will also be available at the door during the event. Visit the Vaughn Forest website to see a pomotional video from Lifeway about Living Proof Live events. You will NOT want to miss this!