God’s Presence – Page 5 – Women's Ministry

Faith, God's Presence, Marriage, Parenting

The Birth of Peace

June 5, 2017May 30, 2017by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Five years ago, after three years of trying, we became pregnant with our sweet miracle Jude. From the very beginning we had complications with the pregnancy. I was always in a constant state of fear. We waited so long for this baby and our hearts ached for him.

At 34 weeks, my placenta ruptured. I found myself in the middle of the floor, and Bret called 911. I started to replay my night. Did I feel him move last night? Fear crept in. I started to doubt, thinking, Did we make it all this way, and we are going to lose this baby?

The ambulance arrived within minutes. I was put under anesthesia and rushed for an emergency C-section. When I woke up I had an empty belly and a 6″ incision. As I waited to see Jude, anxiety and fear overwhelmed me, crippling me into multiple anxiety attacks. That anxiety and fear basically became a part of me and ruled the next year. I would be so distraught with Bret leaving the house or simple day-to-day tasks. It took many months of constantly calling that fear out before I felt “normal” again. There was no way I was going to have another baby. Why would I knowingly put myself or my family through all of those emotions of another pregnancy?

Fast forward to almost a year ago. I said that the only way I was going to get pregnant was if we had a “Mary” kind of moment, where she wasn’t planning on having a baby but God had better plans. There was still so much fear that surrounded being pregnant, anxiousness for whether we would have the same pregnancy with bed rest, or if we would have an early baby, or an awful post-partum that included emotional and physical stress in our marriage.

At the beginning of January, I was in such denial that I could be pregnant that it took a friend coming over with a test and a Starbucks to actually confirm I was pregnant. I took the test(s) and… No fear, no stress, no anxiety. Peace. God gave me this immediate and overwhelming peace over the pregnancy.

At 32 weeks Bret and I hit our knees in prayer about home birth. In my mind, I thought I was crazy for even pondering the idea of giving birth at home, but it was around this time I had a dream. The dream took place in our home with worship music in the background, and during each contraction I was on my knees with my hands lifted high, giving glory to God. It was after that dream that each time I thought of having Scarlett at home, I thought of that God-given word… peace.

The night that Scarlett came the lights were dimmed. Worship music was blaring in the background. As each contraction passed Bret would pray and proclaim over the labor, me, and Scarlett. We sang worship songs through contractions, words like “It’s your breath in our lungs.”

Not an ounce of fear ever swept in. That spirit of fear was replaced with boldness and peace. Scarlett made such a fast appearance it was unreal. This baby girl took her first breath in the most peaceful, spirit-filled way I could have imagined. The Holy Spirit was undeniably there. He transformed a birth that was surrounded by fear and anxiousness into a birth of peace and boldness.

I pray that by sharing our story, it can bring someone hope during the trials. God is eagerly ready to release us from whatever it is, fear, anxiety, or shame. He hears our prayers and truly wants to give us our heart’s desire by giving us power through His Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 41:10 –

So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Romans 15:13 –

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This post was written by Kendra Huey. To read more about her, click here.

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Faith, God's Presence

In a Moment’s Time

March 27, 2017February 20, 2017by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

father-daughter Moments are what truly make up the fabric of my time these days. With a toddler in tow, anything and everything can change in a moments time. Peace can turn to chaos, to-do lists float out the window to the sweet land of “Mañana” (Where nothing ever really gets done ‘Tomorrow’), and a moment to myself translates into little fingers creeping under the bathroom door. So for me, it is easy to let moments tic-tock right out of my memory and go by unnoticed while the next moment of my day begins.

However, I did have a moment with God that did take up residence. My husband and I have been on a financial roller coaster these past couple of years, and God has provided more abundantly than I could have thought possible. In January, God even provided my husband with a new job. I thought that with this transition my heart would brim over with joy. Instead, I went into complete task mode. All of my focus and attention went into our budget: Shoring up the last year and trying to “get ahead.” I found myself getting stressed and worried on how to get it all accomplished.

It was then that God took a moment with me and revealed that I had applied a cultural norm from our society onto him and his kingdom. Traditionally, and in some ways even biblically, when a person either turns a certain age, gets a “big person job” or even gets married, they are to leave their parents’ home, authority and provision. The parents, in essence, have given their child the tools needed to fully provide for themselves. I had believed that since God blessed Derek with this job, that it was fully up to us to provide for all our needs. God had given Derek a big boy job and we were on our own. It was then that God spoke:

“Your age, marital status or income doesn’t determine my character and how I relate to you. You will always be my daughter, and I will always relate to you as your Father. Nothing can remove you from my Kingdom, you are forever in my home and under my provision.”

So I leave you with this passage from Matthew 6:30-33 (MSG)

What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Love you all!

Abbie

This post was written by Abbie Kellum. To read more about her, click here.

Faith, God's Presence

Re: Awareness of His Presence

January 30, 2017December 24, 2016by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

During the month of January, we will be reposting some of the top posts from 2016. We hope these will encourage you and connect to your heart. Stay tuned for all new posts coming in February 2017!

When I was in my early 20’s, I attended a Walk to Emmaus. During one of the talks, a woman told us how she spent her quiet time with the Lord every day. She had a cozy chair, in a specific spot in her house. She had a CD player that continually played worship music. She had a journal that she faithfully wrote in every single day. She read a chapter in the Old Testament, a Psalm, and a chapter in the New Testament. She used different colored highlighters to mark certain topics in her Bible. She seemed like she had it all together! So I took out my paper and made a checklist of all of these things. I figured that if I did everything she did, my personal time with the Lord would be….…EPIC!

Unfortunately, keeping up with her checklist for myself left me frustrated, feeling inadequate and like a failure. Can anybody relate to this?

I had to learn this truth: I will never experience abundance or fulfillment in my personal time with the Lord if I am fixated on the process itself. It’s not God’s intention for us to just feel good about ourselves, because we read our Bible today. Psalm 86:11 says, “Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.” He wants us to know Him, and He wants to reveal Himself to us. This takes practice, patience, perseverance, living in your truth, having an undivided heart, being aware of His Presence, and being vulnerable and obedient to His Spirit.

This looks different at different seasons in our lives. Currently, all four of my kids are in four different schools. I’m also a preschool teacher to fifteen 4-year-olds. I’m a pastor’s wife, a worship leader, and a life group host. I have thousands of loads of laundry to do. Somebody has to feed all of these people in my house. Then there’s the “driving everybody to all of their stuff” everyday! Life is pretty overwhelming right now in this season. BUT, my Father has things to reveal to me. And I want to know Him more every day. So I wake up very early, and I spend time with Him. I pray. I worship. I read His Word. And I listen.

But that’s not all!!! I have friends who speak life to me. I have a church family that surrounds me in prayer and love. God even reveals Himself to me in the 4-year-olds that I teach. You see, He is everywhere all the time. The time you spend with the Lord doesn’t have to be confined to your comfy chair in your special place in your house, with your vast assortment of highlighters, and all the right worship music. It is living life, being aware of His presence, and responding to His love by bearing good fruit to all He puts in our lives. Jesus says in John 15:16,

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.

You, Beloved, have been chosen by the Father. He has great things in store for you! Make the choice to commune with Him today and see what He reveals!

This post was written by Allison House. To read more about her, click here.

Books, Fruitfulness, God's Presence, Holy Spirit

Kitchen Sinks and Quiet Moments

September 26, 2016September 24, 2016by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Where do you most feel the presence of God? I could give you my Sunday school answers such as: in my quiet time, during a worship service, or while deep in prayer. While all of these may be true (I am one girl moved by worship!) I have a definite time and place I can feel His presence most.

Ladies, to be honest, I most feel the presence of God at my kitchen sink. Something about scrubbing caked-on casserole pans and muddling through dishes that would suggest I fed a small army all day opens my heart in a way to feel God’s presence.

Maybe it is the fact that I am finally alone—no toddler demanding all of my attention. Maybe its because I am worn and weary from a day of serving my family. Or maybe it is simply the fact that I am not rushing about—I am still and fully present.

Here, in His presence, I have received promises of His love and provision. I have received grace to finish the day. I have received comfort for my tears (Please tell me someone else cries while washing dishes!). I have received words of hope and direction.

The fact that I stand in His presence elbow-deep in dirty water suggests to me that He is waiting for me always. I don’t have to wait for Him until my next quiet time or, heaven forbid, until the next time I walk into church. What great news!

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens you are there;
If I make my bed in the depths you are there.

Psalm 139:7-8

Are you fighting to get into God’s presence when you are already there? Has your connection with God been stolen by religious practices? I believe it is possible to miss out on real, true relationship in the pursuit of a religious experience. Sisters, you don’t have to stand on your head while reading the Bible cover-to-cover to get to Him.

I encourage each of you this week to let go of your pre-conceived ideas about being in God’s presence and simply wait for Him in those quiet moments. Your “kitchen sink” might be while you are driving, while tending to your flowers, or in the still of the morning.

Wherever you are, lean your thoughts and your heart to Him, and feel Him embrace you with his presence—because ladies, He is already there.

This post was written by Makenzi Wethington. To read more about her, click here.

God's Presence, Prayer

It’s Not About Rules

September 12, 2016September 5, 2016by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

There seem to be so many rules about spending time with God: You should pray first thing in the morning. But, also pray throughout the day. You need to pray about J(esus) O(thers) Y(ourself). Praying for 30 minutes is a minimum. Pray the Word. Be quiet and listen. Pray in a prayer closet. Pray with others. Pray by yourself. Pray for your children (for sure before bed!).

Nothing seems to be wrong with any of these guidelines. We WANT to pray effectively. We WANT to be taught how. We will do anything in our power to get it right…And that’s where it seemed to break down for me. I realized I am dependent upon God, even for—especially for—prayer.

I recognize that I have rules/guidelines for interacting with my friends and family, but that is not what I am most thinking about when I have fellowship with them. My awesome heavenly Father captures my attention so much more, and woos me into a love relationship with Him. I just want to be with Him. I want to be led by Him as I grow in my relationship with Him in prayer.

Not that my relationship with God has to have parallels with my human relationships, but I think it does bring up some things to think about. Just as I don’t interact with my husband in the exact same pattern every day, I realized it is the same with my heavenly Father.

Sometimes I can sit quietly in His presence and be refreshed. Sometimes it looks more like a great interceding for a matter that He has placed on my heart. Sometimes I sing a love song to Him (although not as often as I would wish, and certainly not with a microphone). Sometimes I pray for those matters that it says specifically in His word that we should pray for (like our leaders and for Israel).

Right now, I have a desire to grow in these things. I also don’t want my life to be so segregated, but to fellowship with God throughout the entire day.

I love having a sweet reminder of His presence when I see the sunrise. I love when I sense His leading as I seek Him silently in the middle of a difficult conversation. I love when He brings a Scripture to my mind. Walking with Him and abiding in Him all day long is my desire. But it is only in His strength. Thank you, Lord, that your strength is all I need.

I love Philippians 2:13 that says,

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

It’s all in Him. He gives me the desire to have greater fellowship with Him, and then He doesn’t leave me hanging—He gives me the power to do it. I’m grateful.

This post was written by Karen Earhart. To read more about her, click here.

Faith, God's Presence

Awareness of His Presence

September 5, 2016August 30, 2016by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Unfortunately, keeping up with her checklist for myself left me frustrated, feeling inadequate and like a failure. Can anybody relate to this?

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.

You, Beloved, have been chosen by the Father. He has great things in store for you! Make the choice to commune with Him today and see what He reveals!

This post was written by Allison House. To read more about her, click here.

Fruitfulness, God's Presence, Prayer, Scripture

How to Pray BEFORE the Meltdown

May 2, 2016April 23, 2016by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but taking care of sick kids wears on me after a while. My girls took turns being sick for two weeks and not long afterward my eldest ran fever for 7 days straight. Too sick to go to school but not sick enough to stay in bed. Irritable kids. Irritable mom. Flesh struggling against flesh patterns. Lots of triggered pain. You get the picture.

But my heart is my responsibility.

How do I work through this, especially after I’ve completely lost my composure?Declarative Prayer.

We steer where we stare. Declarative prayer gives me a vehicle with which I can shift my focus back on God and what He says is true. Declarative prayers aren’t speaking magic incantations or denying the difficulties I face.

They help me recognizing that even in the midst of this circumstance, God gets the last word.

Let’s go back to my quasi-meltdown. Afterward, I settled down and thought. Once I verbally processed what I was feeling, I identified the lie I believed: abandonment. It went something like this, “I am alone. No one wants to help me and it’s up to me to make everything come together. Of course, I will fail and it’ll all be my fault.”

Cheerful, huh?

Once I said it out loud I could see the ridiculousness of it all. This lie was in direct opposition to a promise God spoke to my heart a few years back. He said, “Jodi, I’m going to help you.”

That’s it. When I thought about His promise, it wasn’t difficult to enter into declarative prayer. Here’s an example:

“Lord, thank You for helping me through this tough time. You are able to keep me from falling and present me without fault (Jude 24). I’ve had a hard time, but You have not given me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). Because of the finished work of the cross I have peace with God (Colossians 1:20) and I can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). So instead of relying on my old coping mechanisms to get me through today, I am going to lean into who I am in Christ and trust You. I am not responsible for making everything work today. Instead of pre-judging others, I will ask for help from the appropriate people and move forward from there. Thank You for helping me walk in reality instead of vain imaginations.”

Bam.

I’ve never spent time praying this way when His peace didn’t give me clarity to take the next step. And friends, honestly that’s what most of us need. We couldn’t handle detailed marching orders for the rest of our life. He’s going to show us the next step. Then we get to choose whether or not we’re going to obey.

When you realize you’re rapidly approaching a pain cycle, I want you to remember that you are not powerless. You can use declarative prayer to release the power of God into your heart, your mind and your response. Go for it!

This post was written by Jodi LaFrance. To read more about her, click here.

Fruitfulness, God's Presence

Oobleck…and Our Hearts

January 8, 2016January 8, 2016by hcfwomen2 Comments

Have you ever done the kid’s science experiment with “Oobleck”? It is a blend of cornstarch and water that defies all explanation. If you squeeze it or punch it, it acts like a solid (think clay or play dough, sort of). But if you release your fist, it immediately melts like a liquid. It may sound strange, but God recently reminded me of this interesting object to describe my heart.

To be honest, the start of this year has been rough for me. I wanted God to join me in my own pity party, but He didn’t. He reminded me that He’s here with me. Then He gently convicted me that I needed to repent of my own selfishness and bitterness, and He allowed me to push the “reset” button on my heart. He brought me to James 4:5-8.

“Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

The word for grace here is charis – God’s “influence upon the heart, and it’s reflection in the life, including gratitude” (Strong’s Concordance). I love this. To me, that means His grace is when He reaches in and gently touches and molds my heart.

I keep imagining this back and forth motion between our hearts and God…
He yearns for my heart to be completely His. So He gently reaches in and touches my heart; He starts to mold my heart and turn it towards Him. If I resist, my heart gets hard, but if I receive, my heart melts…

God wants my heart to melt for him.

Ezekiel 36:26
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

If you are afraid of what it would be like to truly experience the all-encompassing love of God, maybe it’s time to repent. This is not meant as a punishment…Repentance is a gift. It’s letting go of ourselves and choosing to align our hearts with God, agreeing with how He sees things.

As I read about “submitting” in the James passage, I actually get a picture more like, “Present yourselves therefore to God.” Like Esther before the king. Come and present ourselves with an open heart to Him…Come near, and He always draws us in. His heart for us is good.

When I choose to repent, submit, and trust that His heart towards me is good, I see His heart of love for me in a way I never have before, and His love overtakes me, and my heart melts.

This post was written by Heather Dillard. To read more about her, click here.

God's Presence, Holidays

God With Us

December 1, 2014July 6, 2015by hcfwomen1 Comment

Christmas. What comes to mind when you think of…Christmas? I seem to go through some sort of emotional metamorphosis every year during this season. It starts on November 1^st, when I run into Walmart to grab a few things (including the leftover Halloween candy that I’m hoping is on sale, because my kids have already put a restraining order on me to stay away from theirs), and THERE. IT. IS………….an explosion of red and green, tinsel, garland, lights, and trees. In a panic, I run home, plop myself on the couch, turn on the television, and eat my discounted Halloween candy. But it’s even on the television. It’s ESPECIALLY on the television; endless commercials with jingle bell-type songs with all kinds of Christmas gift ideas we all need but don’t really need. It is overwhelming, and frankly, it puts me in a bad mood. This is frustrating. Because I love Christmas. I really, really love Christmas.

At the very basic level, Christmas is about God’s love. We all know this: “For God so LOVED the world that He sent His one and only Son…” He sent Him—to US. You and me. God saw us from the very beginning and said, “THEM….I will send my Son for THEM!” And eventually, even in the midst of the chaos and hysteria our culture creates during this season (even as early as November 1^st), I am reminded of the Christ Child, the fulfillment of the promise made by our loving God.

I have a very vivid memory of Christmas when I was about 4. We had just come home from our church’s Christmas Eve service. I was in our living room. All the lights were off, except the Christmas lights. I remember Christmas music playing in the background. I was looking at the nativity scene my mom had placed around the mantel of the fireplace. I had this feeling, or maybe just the realization, that I wasn’t alone…that I was very loved…that I was safe and secure. There was a great anticipation inside of me. It was more than just believing in a large, old man bringing me gifts through our chimney. As an adult and believer, I know exactly why I felt the way I felt in that moment. I truly believe God introduced His Spirit to me that evening. He pursued my heart, even at 4 years old, and made Himself known to me.

There is a great mystery that surrounds the Christmas story. I have always been fascinated with the thought of the Christ Child…fully God, fully man…coming to earth as a baby from His throne in heaven. The angels understood the significance of this event. This was the coming of Immanuel…“God with us.” All of creation had been waiting for this moment since the beginning of time: God reconciling Himself to His beloved. You can hear the anticipation in Gabriel’s words to Mary: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Friend, can I just encourage you today? You are highly favored, and the Lord is with YOU! This is the true gift of Christmas: the gift of God’s presence. There’s nothing we have to do or say to invoke the presence of God. He is here, just as He promised to His disciples. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The question is: do we live our lives as if we are standing in His presence in every moment, or do we convince ourselves that we are alone? Or even worse: “I can do this on my own.” Isn’t this what our culture tries to tell us to do during this season? And for that matter…EVERY season? No wonder we are so stressed out!!

The Scriptures paint a picture of Mary of being humble, trusting, and pretty much NOT STRESSED OUT. Although there’s a good chance she had a well-deserved freak out session at some point between Gabriel’s appearance and the birth of the Savior, her response speaks volumes: “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?! Remembering, pondering, treasuring up all the things God has done for us?

My goal this Christmas is 3-fold: Anticipate the promise, accept the gift of His Presence, and ponder these things in my heart.

“O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant.
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels.
O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him…Christ the Lord.”

This post was written by Allison House. To read more about her, click here.

Category: God’s Presence

The Birth of Peace

In a Moment’s Time

Re: Awareness of His Presence

Recommended Reading: Experiencing the Spirit

Kitchen Sinks and Quiet Moments

It’s Not About Rules

Awareness of His Presence

How to Pray BEFORE the Meltdown

Oobleck…and Our Hearts

God With Us