Women's Ministry

Perseverance Takes Both Patience & Persistence

May 19, 2022May 16, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

As women, we’re good at accomplishing 4,923 tasks in a day. We know how to persevere, right?

I thought perseverance was this mentality to just keep going, keep hustling, keep working. Maybe it’s a West Texan thing, but it’s easy to get that mindset. I’ll just pull up my bootstraps and get this done.

I’ll feed one more baby. I’ll wash one more dish. I’ll fold one more onesie. I’ll make one more meal.

I’ll put one foot in front of the other, and I’ll just keep going.

That might be worldly perseverance, but it’s not biblical perseverance.

In our theme verse for this year, Peter tells us that we’ve been given God’s divine nature—and out of that divine nature, we should be increasing in several qualities, one of which is perseverance (2 Peter 1:3-8).

So what is Biblical perseverance? I believe perseverance takes both patience AND persistence. It can’t just be persistence. And patience isn’t something we muster up with our own strong will or our West Texas moxie.

Patience is a fruit we bear when we spend time with Jesus, when we ask the Holy Spirit to fill up our empty tanks, when we let our Father prune us so that we are branches that can be effective and fruitful.

So we receive patience from the Holy Spirit, but persistence is what we do—our action.

God’s divine nature is IN US. This means that the divine power to persevere is IN US.

So how do we do this?

We have to believe the truth of God’s word. We believe that God’s nature is in us. We receive this truth.

We have to be filled with the Spirit. If we’re not full of the Spirit, then we’re just hustling in our own strength, and it’s not going to get us very far. It might feel like we’re persevering, but our tank isn’t going to make it for the long haul.

We receive God’s patience when we receive the Holy Spirit, when we welcome him in our life, when we’re connected as the branches to the vine, and then this FRUIT deposits in us.

And when we’re full of patience, we can begin to persist, to endure, to take action again and again and again.

What are our actions? What are we actually doing? We’re praying! We’re asking, seeking, knocking. What do you want? What do you need today? Have you asked for it?

Did you give up asking somewhere along the way, when it got hard and God wasn’t moving? Maybe you need to keep asking, keep knocking on that door. If your desire is in line with God’s word, then He will do it.

We can’t do these things out of order. You can persist ‘til you’re blue in the face, but if you don’t agree with God’s word, and if you’re not full of the Holy Spirit, your prayers aren’t going to have any power—and, worse, you’re going to burn out. You’ll give up praying in the gap, that period we have to endure between when God says He will do it and when He does it.

Friends, don’t get stuck in the gap. Let’s be women who persevere!

We would like to thank Laura Brandenburg for writing this post

General

Pressing Past the Lies

May 12, 2022May 12, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

When asked to write a short blog on this month’s focus, perseverance, I almost wanted to say, “No, thank you.” I didn’t believe that I had really persevered through anything. I felt as though I had let the enemy knock me down and stayed down too many times to even be able to write enough about perseverance. But I reached out to a couple of ladies that pointed out many areas in my life, most I didn’t remember, where I persevered through adversity and stress.

As children, we are full of dreams and the freedom to believe that we can accomplish those dreams. We don’t have crippling fears. We don’t worry about disappointing anyone. But somewhere throughout life, as we grow and enter adulthood, we pick up lies about who we are and what we can do; A burden that God never wanted us to carry.

We carry fear for so long, it becomes “normal”, a constant presence to which we become numb and blind. It can become so heavy a burden that we isolate ourselves and don’t meet with our sisters in Christ. We may even want to stay in bed and give up on our day… every day, afraid to reach out and let someone know that we’re struggling.

But Jesus, and the vulnerability of our sisters, gives us strength and courage. Reminders on who we are and what we have lived through push us, renewing the fire and dreams within, giving us strength to persevere and pursue once more the joy and peace God promises. 1 Corinthians says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”. Jesus’ overwhelming love catapults us past lies and gives us courage to persevere through anything life throws at us. His love overcomes all fear and doubt.

Vulnerability moment: Lies have held me back my whole life. I found myself deep in depression, unwilling to get out of bed. And it was caused by fear. I believed the lie that I wasn’t good enough to maintain friendships. The fear of allowing others to see me in my mess overwhelmed me, because what if I’m too much and they decide my friendship isn’t worth the mess. What if I fall short of their hopes or expectations? What if I lash out in pain and hurt them?

God didn’t create us to live in isolation. We can’t allow fear to keep us from reaching out to our mentors and friends. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Did you know when you speak, out loud to your sisters in Christ, about the fears and struggles you face, the fight is less daunting? Admitting to our “great cloud of witnesses” the sin we must overcome allows us to lay down the weight we’ve been carrying, and run, with endurance, our race. That is perseverance.

In 2018, I came back from living away from my parents, the church and Jesus. I wasn’t actively running away, but I was a flower that was stuck in dry soil. I was afraid to reach out and make friends because I had been hurt and felt that I had nothing to offer. After a few months of being home, in church and loved on by my parents, God gave me the courage to reach out to a woman I admired. I was terrified to open up and be vulnerable. What if I was too messy? She shared with me that “too messy” is a lie. What if I hadn’t persevered and asked her to meet me for lunch? I would have gone many more months, possibly years stuck where I was. She poured into me, and I am forever grateful for her friendship.

What would happen if we remembered that we don’t need to “have it all together”? What if we laid down the heavy burden of fear? What could be possible if we persevered through the mess and stress? We would find women just like us, reaching for Jesus and bringing heaven to earth. Romans 12:12 encourages us by stating, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Let’s rejoice for the hope He gives us, persevere through trials, and fear, and call out to Jesus and our sisters in Christ. Let’s persevere and run this race!

We would like to thank Briana Villarreal for writing this post

General

Perseverance in the Waiting

May 5, 2022May 4, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Perseverance is defined as “persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.” When I think of perseverance, I tend to think about it as completing a difficult task. Sometimes it has been finishing a hard workout, my master’s degree, or the last trimester of pregnancy. You mamas know what I mean! What really sticks out to me in this definition is “delay in achieving success.” God has been teaching me that perseverance can feel more passive, it’s in the waiting for a promise to be fulfilled that we need to persevere.

Patience is not a character trait which comes easily to me. I like to jump in with both feet and figure things out as I go. Waiting is boring and passive. Or so I thought. What I have been learning is when we are waiting for our promises to be fulfilled, is when God is doing the hard work inside of us.

I have been listening to Waiting on God by Wayne Stiles and it’s the story of Joseph and how he had to wait on God for His promises to be fulfilled. When Joseph was 17, he had two dreams that his parents and brothers would one day bow to him. The brothers were jealous of their father’s love towards Joseph and of his dreams. They sold him into slavery, and he became a slave of Potiphar. For many years Joseph waited on God for his promise to be fulfilled. This was not an easy journey for Joseph and there were many trials. Hebrews 10:36 says, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Joseph persevered through his time as a slave and received God’s promise in the end. He interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and saved many lives because of it.

Sarah waited many, many years to have a baby. AT the age of 90 God told Abraham, “I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her.” (Genesis 17:16) What seemed impossible, God made possible. One thing Wayne Stiles discusses in his book is how the bible is filled with the action and not with the waiting. Sarah was a woman just like you and me. I imagine her feeling the same way I do when I’m waiting and questioning God. She probably questioned whether it was God’s will for her to have a baby and if it wasn’t, then why does she have such a desire to be a mom?

While God has had me wait, I’ve begun to lean on him more than ever before. I think this is why He has us wait. It causes us to ask Him questions and search for answers in His word. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” When the waiting gets too hard, I call on friends to pray for me and talk about what is going on. We weren’t created to persevere alone and in all honesty, we won’t make it if we try to.

Finally, Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” God has promised us a harvest when we persevere. God’s timing is always best. So, keep doing good in the waiting, keep learning on God, and ask Him questions.

We would like to thank Chelsea Criswell for writing this post

General

My Secret Place

April 28, 2022April 28, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Editor’s note: During 2022, we are focusing on the scriptures found in 2 Peter 1:3-11. These verses teach us about God’s divine nature. We pray that as we reflect on God’s nature, you will see all that He has created you to be! For the month of April, we are focusing on God’s characteristic of FORGIVENESS.

There are some things that happen throughout our lives that are beyond understandable. What right does a grown adult have to abuse this little girl of 5 years young with such a vile sexual act that destroyed my innocence to a point of hiding it away in a deep, dark hole for no one to ever find?

Did I ever forget what happened? Of course not. This deep, dark secret reared its ugly head throughout my growing up years into my young married life, and into my life as a divorcee with 3 young children.

I was saved when I was 11 years old at an area-wide crusade in Lockney, Texas with Dr. Wilfred Moore from First Baptist Church in Amarillo, Texas officiating. I can still hear his welcoming voice inviting those who needed Jesus to come forward…so I did. I couldn’t wait to tell my Mom and Pastor what had happened. I joined the church and was baptized that following Sunday. Not even then did I dare tell anyone of my deep, dark secret. I had just accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. All is Good!! Jesus loves me and I am on my way to Heaven!

I did remarry, my wonderful husband of 46 years, Tim. Between the 2 of us, we had five awesome kids, great friends and family, and a successful business. The most important thing we did NOT have was a place to worship our Heavenly Father or a church family. I knew in my heart that our priorities for our family were in dire need of Jesus in our lives. Through some difficult times in our marriage, we came to our senses and made the best decision for us by “Getting Back to God.” One afternoon a dear person in my life came to me with a devastating story of being abused as a child. Up popped my deep, dark secret that I had kept hidden for almost 30 years. The next Sunday at church I went racing to the altar not knowing if I needed forgiveness or if I needed to be forgiven. You see, the Holy Spirit prompted me for years to settle the matter. Even though I hated what happened to me, I didn’t want to see “him” go to hell for what he did to me. At times I had even prayed for him but never thought about forgiving him.

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

I knew I had to forgive this person but there was one problem, he had already passed on, but the need for me was still there. One morning as I was getting ready to leave the house, I saw Charles Stanley on the television talking about forgiving someone who is no longer here. I was captivated by his words. I listened intently and followed his instructions. I sat down across from an empty chair and forgave. God is so good, and it was that simple.

Colossians: 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

There is a beautiful song that describes the Love of Jesus and how he wants to abide in us and us in Him. I hope you relate to these words. I certainly did and do.

THE SECRET PLACE

My heart is like a house

One day I let the Savior in

There are many rooms

Where we would visit now and then

But then one day He saw that door

I knew the day had come too soon

I said, “Jesus, I’m not ready

For us to visit in that room

‘Cuz that’s a place in my heart

Where even I don’t go

I have some things hidden there

I don’t want no one to know”

But He handed me the key

With tears of love on His face

He said, “I want to make you clean

Let me go in your secret place.”

So I opened up the door

And as the two of us walked in

I was so ashamed

His light revealed my hidden sin

But when I think about that room now

I’m not afraid anymore

‘Cuz I know my hidden sin

No longer hides behind that door

That was a place in my heart

Where even I wouldn’t go

I had some things hidden there

I didn’t want no one to know

But He handed me the key

With tears of love on His face

And He made me clean

I let Him in my secret place

Is there a place in your heart

Where even you won’t go?

You have some things hidden there,

You don’t want no one to know.

Well, He’s handing you the key

With tears of love on his face.

He wants to make your free,

Let Him go in your secret place.

I read recently that there are 3 aspects of forgiveness. We are either granting forgiveness, receiving forgiveness, or seeking forgiveness. I’ve learned that Jesus is available to see us through all 3.

Ephesians: 4:31-32 “Lay aside bitter words, temper tantrums, revenge, profanity, and insults. But instead, be kind and affectionate toward one another. Has God graciously forgiven you? Then graciously forgive one another in the depths of Christ’s love.”

Sometimes I find myself asking Jesus, “Why me, Lord?” Then right after that thought comes His answer, “Love!” He let himself briefly become one of us to break the curse of sin and death forever. Even better, He allows access to this freedom by grace through faith. I believe He has forgiven me. In Luke 23:24 Jesus spoke these words from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” That’s Pure Love.

I’m so glad I let Him in my Secret Place!!

We would like to thank Sue Johnson for writing this post.

Forgiveness, General

Forgive like Jesus

April 21, 2022April 21, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Forgiveness. Does that word stir up anything in you when you hear it?

Anytime you mention forgiveness, your mind can immediately recall an offense that you’ve suffered.

So, what emotions follow the thoughts of forgiveness? Is it joy at the thought of a relationship restored?

Do you find yourself feeling a little sorrowful because a damaged relationship couldn’t be salvaged or restored? Does anger come rushing in and take you down a dark trail all the way back to the offense where you find yourself reliving and feeling the pain of the offense all over again?

We’ve all been hurt and abused in some fashion. These offenses, left to fester, can make us bitter, angry, and resentful. We’re robbed of our joy and peace, and eventually we can be physically affected!

So, how do we truly forgive? There are many scriptures in the Bible that address this issue. Let’s take a look at a story that you’ve read many times, and even felt some unforgiveness toward some of those in the story. It’s one of my favorite stories, because it shows the love and tenderness our Savior has toward and for us.

John 8:1-11- This is the story of the woman who was caught in adultery and brought out into public by the religious leaders. She’d been shamed, humiliated, and threatened with stoning. Now, their purpose was to trap Jesus, but it all backfired on them. In gentleness and love Jesus told each person that if they were without sin, to stone the women. They all ended up walking away. Wait for it… the one part of the story that I had never seen before, until I was faced with having to forgive, was that Jesus stayed with the woman. He asked her where her accusers were, she responded, “there are none”, and the One person who could’ve judged her, condemned her, and stoned her, forgave her! He said, “Neither do I, now go, and sin no more”! Jesus could’ve also embarrassed and humiliated the religious leaders by calling them by name and pointing out their faults instead of simply writing in the dirt, but He didn’t.

Jesus taught all who were there a valuable lesson that day, we ALL fall short, but there is forgiveness and love if we just choose to surrender.

You see Jesus addressed her sin, without condemnation, but He forgave her, and sent her on her way as if she’d never done anything wrong. That’s when I learned the true meaning of forgiveness. No, we don’t forget, only God can do that, but He has given us the ability to choose to give up our rights to hang on to offenses, and to treat others as if they’ve never done anything to us.

Luke 23:34 is another wonderful example. While on the cross, as Jesus was being crucified for our sins, He prayed and asked the Father, “ forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing”! Those are the sweetest words I’ve ever read. If Jesus, dying on a cross for sins I committed, can treat me as if I’d never done anything wrong, how can I hold unforgiveness in my heart?

It takes a strong relationship with Christ, and much prayer, and surrender to walk this out.

Allow God to help you set healthy boundaries for yourself while you continue to walk in the love of Christ toward others.

I lived a life of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse from my biological father and my stepfather.

My mother, too scared to know how to protect me, allowed it all. I was sent away to a children’s home to protect the reputation of my stepfather. My marriage suffered offenses that took a few years to work through, but by God’s grace we are stronger than we’ve ever been! I’ve been deeply hurt and betrayed by close friends. I’ve had to learn to let things go and surrender to Jesus so that I can be free to live in His grace and mercy, and to genuinely love others as He does. This is how those in our circle of influence are going to experience and see Jesus and be drawn to a relationship with Him. If we’re going to make disciples, we must follow the example that was set before us.

We would like to thank Janie Keller for writing this blog post.

godliness

Godliness Looks Like Love

March 31, 2022April 7, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

How fitting it is that our focus on godliness follows our focus on love. After all, godliness is seeking to become more like God, and God is love.

In what is known as the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew five, we are called to be perfect as God is perfect. This verse is preceded with a call to love-especially our enemies-and followed by a caution to not practice righteousness in order to be seen and praised. This calling doesn’t ask us to be perfect and then leave us hanging. Jesus instructs us how to practically walk out this calling. Yet if I turn my faith-based salvation into a works-based pursuit, I miss the mark!

How grateful I am that I can’t achieve this perfection on my own. It is so much easier to surrender to Jesus’ love and Lordship when I know that “the way in is the way on.” In other words, in the same way that I needed a Savior the day I chose to follow Jesus, my same Savior teaches me, refines me, and loves me-all through the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” (Romans 8:26-27) The Holy Spirit helps us bear the fruit of the Spirit as we stay connected to and abide in the vine (John 15:1-17 and Galatians 5:22-23). As we abide in God, we become the embodiment of love found in 1 Corinthians 13.

Another passage that speaks directly toward living a godly life is found in 2 Peter one. It begins with the assurance that to those who have received faith, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Praise God that we don’t have to muster up what we need in and of ourselves as that wouldn’t be possible! Yet neither are we called to be passive. Check out verse five through eight for qualities that will keep us “from being ineffective and unproductive in (our) knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So how do I balance the call to pursue godliness with the fact that Jesus already qualified me to walk with confidence into the presence of our righteous and holy God?

1 Timothy 4 says to “train yourself to be godly…(as it) has value for all things” And yet in our pursuit of godliness, we often leave the nourishing truths of the faith for “godless myths and old wives tales” with which we are called to have nothing to do. Today I often reference larger sections of scripture to embed the word of God in our hearts-not in isolation, but also in context. 1 Timothy 4 ends with the reminder that saving “yourself and your hearers” comes by persevering in your life and doctrine. Dear friends, let us pursue godliness without falling into traps and snares that lure us away from life and peace. May God through his Holy Spirit reveal his nature to us and may His nature become our own as we love God and love his people.

We would like to thank Mary Coleman for writing this blog post.

godliness

A Surrendered Heart

March 24, 2022March 24, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

I’ve got to start off by being completely vulnerable with you all that for years that word, Godliness, was very intimidating for me. You see it’s a bit scary because as an individual, I know who I am in the most inner part of my heart. I know what I struggle with in my mind and heart. I know the ins and outs of what I do or don’t do when people are or aren’t around. It’s easy to let those things, and even shame, dictate whether or not I feel that I’m capable of living a Godly life and leaving the old self behind.

Certainly, I’m not the only one out there that has felt that way.What do you think of when “living a Godly life” is mentioned?

I used to think of certain people in my life that love God and seem to have it all together. I would think of the women in our church that look like they had perfect marriages and families compared to me. I would see them walking into church looking like they had it all together. I just knew that they didn’t have any junk they were carrying around like me. But boy was I wrong!

A lot of this way of thinking came from my upbringing. My parents met at a revival and, shortly after, dated and got married. I’m the oldest child and pretty soon after birth, I attended church. The church we attended was a super strict religious church. The beliefs they taught were more about works-based righteousness. You worked very hard to be a good Christian, please God, and also please the people in the church. Your life was only supposed to be good and blessed because of Jesus and yet, if you messed up, God was mad and was going to punish you, maybe even kick you out of His kingdom. That way of life also transferred into our homelife and, to be quite honest, this instilled my belief of how I saw myself in God’s eyes.

The truth is, as people, we genuinely mess up. We have faults and shortcomings, none of us are without those things. Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned and we fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

I can look back at all the times in my life, where I walked as a defeated Christian and was very unsure if godliness was even something I possessed inside of myself.

All godliness means is the quality or practice of conforming to the laws and wishes of God. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like something we will continue to do throughout our whole lives as a Christian. It’s not just something we arrive at one day. It’s derived from the Greek word “Piety” in which the original translation comes from the word “Eusebes” (Yoo-Seb-Ace) which means a deep reverence devotion, the type of devotion in how a child is respectfully, devoted and loyal to their parents.

It’s so simple! All God is saying is that when we come to know Him, He wants us to live in such a way that our lives would reflect that we are respectfully, devoted and loyal to Him because He is our Father and we are His children.

2 Peter 1:4-8 tells us that by God’s divine power He has given us everything we need for a godly life and also that He has given us great and precious promises. Those promises enable us to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. Every promise listed in that scripture is who God says we are. If He says it, then friends, let’s start believing it!

What God has shown me is that I live out GODLINESS when my DEVOTION to him leads me to do the HARD work for Him.

So wherever you find yourself in this area of godliness in your life. I pray that you give yourself grace. God loves you and He is for you. He is our good Father who has our whole lifetime to perfect His work in us. All He wants is a heart surrendered and devoted to him.

Philippians 1:6 says “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

We would like to thank Brenda Martinez for writing this blog post.

God's Presence, godliness

The Essence of Godliness

March 10, 2022March 10, 2022by hcfwomen1 Comment

Editor’s note: During 2022, we are focusing on the scriptures found in 2 Peter 1:3-11. These verses teach us about God’s divine nature. We pray that as we reflect on God’s nature, you will see all that He has created you to be! For the month of February, we are focusing on God’s characteristic of GODLINESS.

The way my brain works, putting words on paper is not quite the same as speaking them out of my mouth. When it comes to writing, I seem to not have the words to say or the order in which I want them to come out; however, I would never pass up the opportunity to share a word God has laid on my heart.

Anyone who knows me knows I stay busy with my extra-large family and my work as a therapist. God has graced me with the ability to speak words that are needed in the moment even when I feel I’m not prepared enough. He somehow always fills my mouth with the words I need when I feel inadequate in my own strength.

When I think of Godliness, like most people, the first thought that comes to my mind is perfection. For many, it is often compared to doing everything right or making the right decisions.

As God’s creation and His child, the really cool thing is He does see me perfect, not because of what I do or have done, but because of the finished work of His son and our Lord Jesus Christ.

It makes you think if God can see me in this way, how should I see others? In my line of work, during countless therapy sessions, I have discovered that some of the most humble and gracious people I have encountered are homeless, addicted to substances, and society offenders. Some may know God, others may not, but some say they have an active relationship with Christ.

They say things like: they depend on God to survive. They rely on Him to live and they call on Him daily. My fleshly instinct may lead me to judge with thoughts like, if you’re a Christian how come you are not being more “Godly” or Christ-like?

Part of what God has shown me about Godliness is it is not necessarily about a devout religious practice but a reflection of Kingdom work. As much as I see strongholds, I see a work that is in progress that only God will complete. Scripture tells us in Philippians 1:6 that “He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I may see a person differently that society judges as unworthy or messed up if I have my Kingdom lens on. This is the message shared with us in 2^nd Peter 1:3-5. “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through or knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. God gives us the assurance that through Him, we can participate in His divine nature that enables us to look past the corruption or sin to see his signature on all creation including His children.”

The essence of Godliness is reflecting the nature of the Kingdom of God in the course of everyday life. In my world, it may mean being dressed in the character of God and look past judgment and shame and guilt to love or help those in need.

I see parallels in working with clients and patients. In the therapy world, we call it Unconditional Positive Regard. The Definition of Unconditional Positive Regard is when you show complete support and acceptance of a person no matter what the person says or does. This approach is very strength based and helps with empowerment motivation and confidence building.

I see Godliness as embracing a Kingdom reality of being able to look past human flaws, to long to see people set free from strongholds, to see people the way God sees them.

We would like to thank Katie Ssejjemba for writing this blog post.

General

Being Filled with Godliness

March 3, 2022March 3, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Editor’s note: During 2022, we are focusing on the scriptures found in 2 Peter 1:3-11. These verses teach us about God’s divine nature. We pray that as we reflect on God’s nature, you will see all that He has created you to be! For the month of February, we are focusing on God’s characteristic of GODLINESS

Godliness. What an inspiring word! I want to be filled with Godliness, overrun with passion and love, consumed by the presence of God, but I fall short every single day. Sometimes I feel so limited in my understanding of what that looks like, but our generous, unfailing Father sent his son, Jesus, to be the perfect example of how we, too, can aspire to be Christ-like.

So what does Godliness look like? Jesus; he prayed, washed the disciple’s feet, fed the hungry, loved people unconditionally, wept with the brokenhearted, healed, forgave, redeemed, and so much more. If I’m honest, this just doesn’t sound like me. But I want, more than anything, to be more like that. So in following Jesus, reading scripture, spending time in prayer, I feel closer, fuller, and more like Him as I immerse myself in His truth.

John 12:49 NIV Jesus said, “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.” Jesus himself sought to only live securely on the vine of God the Father. He was filled by spending time in prayer, and he sought only to live in a way that would make God proud. Jesus walked daily with purpose. He aspired to reach people with the good news of salvation, and as believers, we are called to do the same.

Are we speaking only what the Father instructed us to? Do we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind? Do we love our neighbor as ourselves the way that Matthew 22:37-40 instructs us? Probably not, but God has given us a road map to success. The creator of the universe has handwritten instructions that can guide our lives in the direction He wants us to go.

I remember as a child reaching up and grabbing a hot pot pie right out of the oven, and it landed on my legs. As my parents tried to wash it off my skin was coming off also. They took me to the ER because I had 3rd-degree burns. My mother had warned me not to touch the food because it was very hot, and my 4-year-old year old mind was hungry right then and did not want to wait. In my haste to eat, I wound up injuring myself. Our God instructs us in His word and through the example of Jesus, not to rule over or be domineering in our life, but for our safety. He knows that sin produces pain and emptiness. Godliness in our behavior is for our benefit. All God’s instruction is for our good.

1 Peter 5:8 NIV “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” There have been many times in my life that I have felt the enemy had set his sights on me. In these times, I would press into God to find solutions. He never failed to show me His path. Unfortunately, sometimes I choose my way, and just like the pot pie, I find myself in pain. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “for I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I seek his presence more every day. I want my life to be a reflection of God’s amazing love toward me. I want to live like Jesus, touching people’s lives and making a difference in the world around me. Even though I know I can never be Godly on my own, the Holy Spirit fills me, changes me, and I know God is present and evolving this broken vessel. I now can have hope for my future because of His character. Godliness is our opportunity to show the world His amazing grace and love toward us. So I ask God to give me the wisdom to study, and implement His word into my life and help me reflect His Godly nature.

We would like to thank Jo Rowell for writing this blog post.

Forgiveness, Love

My First Love

February 24, 2022February 24, 2022by hcfwomen1 Comment

Editor’s note: During 2022, we are focusing on the scriptures found in 2 Peter 1:3-11. These verses teach us about God’s divine nature. We pray that as we reflect on God’s nature, you will see all that He has created you to be! For the month of February, we are focusing on God’s characteristic of LOVE.

As a six year old little girl, my first memory was of fear and hate. My parents were alcoholics and Daddy was a mean drunk every weekend. Having an outhouse meant you used a coffee can after dark to relieve yourself. This was happening one night when my seven year old male cousin walked into the bedroom where I was. Daddy came in immediately after and whipped off his belt. He was so mad that I would “allow” a boy to come in while I was using the bathroom. The whipping didn’t stop until my shoes were filled with blood. That was when Daddy got worried that I would get an infection. He laid me on top of an ironing board and poured a bottle of rubbing alcohol on my back and legs. That was when I not only felt hatred toward me, but I felt hate toward another. This was how life continued until right before I turned fourteen.

I would spend most of the summer with my cousin in the country. We would hoe cotton to make money for school clothes. They were in the habit of going to church on Sunday mornings and I would go with them. One particular Sunday, there was a missionary conference and different missionaries would do the preaching. That Sunday evening the one preaching kept talking about how “Jesus loves you”. It seemed like I was the only person in the room.

Jesus loves me, this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong

They are weak, but He is strong.

Those words resonated through my soul. I accepted Jesus as my Savior that evening. For the first time in my life I truly felt love. I knew that those words were true. Jesus loves me!!! I didn’t even know what the word love meant until then. Jesus was truly my first love.

The weekend drunken tirades didn’t stop, but there was something different now. I knew Jesus was with me and would never forsake me. 1 Chronicles 28:20 says that, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” I felt his presence and knew that I had a loving Father that would never harm me. Daddy could beat my body, but my soul belonged to my heavenly Father.

My Father continued to work in my life and I could feel the Lord nudging me toward forgiving Daddy. I wasn’t easy to persuade, but God never gave up on me. I eventually succumbed to the gentle nudges and forgave not only Daddy, but Mama as well for not sticking up for us. I started praying for them both, knowing that they were in the same place I was before I found the Lord. They didn’t understand love either.

My mother accepted the Lord first, then when Daddy was ninety years old, he came to know Jesus as his Savior as well. We have such a loving, merciful Father! Love is a Person!

I don’t know how I would have survived my childhood without having Jesus’ presence with me and I know I don’t ever want to live a single day without my first LOVE.

We would like to thank Naomi Jones for writing this blog post.