GOD IS OUR PILLAR OF STRENGTH

 

The purpose of God is to make you stronger! you can truly live in God’s strength. God wants you to have a deep assurance that His plan is to strengthen you, no matter what the circumstances. In these days it is a great secret to know the strength of the Lord! 

 
This strength comes to those who desire to follow after Christ. This makes it so important to walk in faith, and forsake the things that would block God’s presence in your life. By confessing and turning away from any sin, the door opens for God’s cleansing grace to wash through you, restoring the strength of God in your life

 
Strength, power for living, is needed by everyone in these challenging times. And God wants to give you His strength, in an abundant supply. But God’s ways are higher than man’s ways, and God’s thoughts are higher than man’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9). This is undoubtedly true, when it comes to the strength of the Lord. God’s ways of strengthening you are different than man’s ways.

 
God’s purpose is to make you strong. In fact, “He is the One who gives power and strength to his people.” (Psalm 68:35). God’s purpose is to strengthen you, and to give you power in His ways. You are even commanded, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might!” (Ephesians 6:10). God wants you to be strong. Strong in Him, strong in love, strong because you are filled with the Holy Spirit. You must have an unshakable confidence, that God’s purpose is to make you strong in Him. When you face situations which you don’t understand, or when you encounter obstacles, difficulties, or painful situations which you were not expecting, it is easy for you to lose sight of God’s purposes.

 
God’s thoughts are not like our thoughts. Our thoughts can become thoughts of fear or discouragement, anger or frustration. Thoughts like: “I’ll never be able to get through this,” or, “God must be punishing me for something I’ve done,” or, “The Lord is against me,” can become a part of our thinking.

But God’s thought is to make you strong! His will is to make you stronger, not to tear you down. You must become strong in the ways of the Lord. “The way of the Lord is strength to the upright.” (Prov.10:29 ) God says to you, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10. The strength of the Lord is more than enough, to meet every obstacle.

 
God’s Word says, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim.2: 1). The Word says, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” (Rom.8:37 ). The Word says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil.4:13), and, “The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1 ). God’s promise is, “In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15). Yes, God wants you to be strong!

The WORD OF GOD strengthens your faith, and builds you up. The Word of God can be relied upon, with confidence. “Strengthen me, according to Thy Word.” (Psalm 119:28 ). Meditate on, and rely upon, the Word of God. Saturate your mind and your spirit with the Word, and the promises of the Word, for your strengthening. As you do these things, God will impart His strength to you. You will be strengthened to walk in victory, and walk in faith. God will show himself strong on your behalf’

 

Being strong as a follower of Christ does not mean pushing other people around, dominating other people, or being otherwise obnoxious. Strength from the Lord makes you strong enough to love people, strong enough to be gentle with difficult people, strong enough to do the right things at the right times, with the peace of God in your heart. It is awesome, to have the strength of His love!

WOMAN WISE UP !

Wisdom Defined

In the Biblical sense, wisdom is the “ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding” (Lockyer p. 1103). The Wisdom teachings of the Bible follow from the two great themes of the Ten Commandments and  : reverence to God, our Creator, and respect for all persons, everywhere

A set of commandments or rules can give us important examples of wisdom, but they are only examples. No set of rules can cover all situations, and it is up to us to generalize the commandments to all cases. Many times, as in this passage from Matthew, Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of those religious leaders who observed the law in its strict, literal sense, but violated its spirit:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. (NAS, Matthew 23:23)

Wisdom means always acting according to the spirit of the Commandments and not looking for an ambiguity or omission which we can use to evade their true intent. Wisdom means understanding the consequences of our actions and words before we act or speak. Wisdom means having the knowledge and understanding to recognize the right course of action and having the will and courage to follow it.

Following the ways of Wisdom helps bring us in harmony with God because these ways are in accordance with His will, as revealed in the Bible, and are pleasing to Him.

The ways of Wisdom also bring us in harmony with other persons because respect for others is the very essence of the Commandments. The wisdom teachings of the Bible are much more than an arbitrarily dictated moral code; they form a prescription for living in peace with the people we interact with daily.

Finally, acting with Wisdom brings us in harmony with ourselves, giving us a sense of self-worth and inner peace. This inner peace is achieved because we are acting in accordance with our consciences and avoiding the shame and guilt of following our baser instincts.

How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. For its profit is better than the profit of silver, and its gain than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast. (NAS, Proverbs 3:13-18)

We often fail in our daily struggle to act with wisdom -it does not come easily or naturally. Although it is easier to follow our less-than-wise impulses, the reward for acting with wisdom is great. When we give it our best effort, the payoff in self-esteem and inner peace will compensate us many times over.

why is it so important? We have already seen that all men seek happiness, and that this is not bad but good. Now the reason that getting wisdom is important is that it is the practical knowledge by which we gain this true and lasting happiness. Proverbs 3:13 says, “Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gets understanding.” Proverbs 24:13–14 says, “My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”

In other words, by means of wisdom you can make your way into a hope-filled future. It is the key to lasting happiness. Proverbs 19:8 says, “He who gets wisdom loves himself.” In other words, do yourself a favor: Get wisdom! Get wisdom!Proverbs 8:32–36 sums it all up beautifully. Here wisdom herself is speaking and she says, “And now, my sons, listen to me: happy are those who keep my ways . . .Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord; but he who misses me injures himself; all who hate me love death.” If we do not make it our aim to “get wisdom,” we will suffer injury and finally death. Therefore, the command, “Get wisdom; get insight,” is very important. As Proverbs 16:16 puts it, “To get wisdom is better than gold; to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” It is a matter of life and death. The ultimate, eternal happiness that all people long for will only be found by those who first “get wisdom.”

Followers

“What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer! “

My Lord, My Friend

Most people are followers, and we are called to be followers, but much more than followers, because of the way we walk. Followers of Christ Jesus, but leaders in a dark and lonely world.

Matthew 16 verse 24 to 26:

V24: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come with Me, he {or she} must deny himself {or herself}, take up his {or her} cross, and follow me”.

V25: “For whoever wants to save his {or her} life will lose it, but whoever loses his {or her} life because of Me will find it”.

V26: “What will it benefit a man {or woman} if he {or she} gains the whole world yet loses his {or her} life”.

There is a cost to following, whether worldly after people, or following The King of Kings and Lord of Lord.

Step out with real purpose in mind comes at a…

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FORGIVENESS

Wounds can fester into infections if left untreated. That’s exactly how unforgiveness works. Whatever was done to us pierced our skin, but if we keep prying it open and looking at the wound, it won’t be able to heal… instead, because it is continually exposed to the dirty air, it becomes infected. That infection in the spiritual realm is welcoming to unclean spirits, which fester the wound even more. If something isn’t done, the person ends up facing demonic harassment and torture, and becomes a very bitter and unhappy person.

I have an idea of what you may be saying right now, “This person has NO clue what they’ve done to me! They don’t deserve anything at all! Much less MY forgiveness!!” They certainly don’t deserve your forgiveness, much less God’s… but none of us deserve what Jesus did for us either. Those who killed Jesus didn’t deserve anything at all, but look at what He said just before He died, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” Look at the deep and rich mercy and love that Jesus has towards us… none of us deserve it! But He loves us for who we are, not because of what we’ve done. He wanted a relationship with us so much that He gave His life for it! When we grasp what Jesus has done for us, it makes it a lot easier to pass that grace along to others. We aren’t letting them off God’s hook, we are merely releasing our souls from bondage that un-forgiveness brings us under. You aren’t forgiving them for their benefit, but for your own good! Your soul, not theirs, is what is being held in bondage because of the feelings you’ve allowed yourself to harbor inside. Why should you allow what they’ve done to continue to bring you under bondage? I wouldn’t! I would let that poison out of my heart… give it to the Lord and seek Him to heal the wounds they have caused.

Forgiving others is sometimes very hard, but it is essential if you want to break out of the bondage that it’s brought you under. Forgiving others opens you up for the Lord to begin healing your soul (inner healing). Since unforgiveness blocks us from receiving God’s forgiveness of our sins (Matthew 6:15), it puts up a wall between us and the source of our healing.

Unforgiveness is actually a form of hate against another person. If a person hates somebody, it is a sign that the person is lacking love in their heart. Why? They are not firmly rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, and Christ’s love is not flowing through them. As simple as that sounds, that’s how it works.

What somebody may have done against us is one thing, but if you take Satan’s bait of unforgiveness to heart, it will do much more harm than they did. Do you want to continue to allow their mess to trouble you even more? Have they not done enough damage? Allowing yourself to hang onto hard feelings and become bitter is only causing your wound to become even more infected spiritually. Honestly tell yourself, what good is it doing you to hold onto the hurt and bitterness that the enemy has tried to plant within you? It is doing nothing but harm, and is holding you in bondage spiritually. The only reason you are holding onto those feelings is because it feels good inside. Don’t let this fool you, bitterness is known in the Bible as spiritual poison:

Acts 8:23, “For I perceive that thou art in the gall (poison) of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”

The reason Satan wants you to hold onto that bitterness is because it is poison to your soul. Jesus said that the devil came to steal, kill and destroy. Satan wants to do just that to you. Know wonder Satan makes unforgiveness ‘feel good’… he wants your soul to be poisoned!

Don’t let him do this to you… stop him dead in his tracks! Release yourself from those hurt feelings, and let them go… stop holding onto those feelings, and let that poison out of your soul!

Unforgiveness is actually taking something that belongs to God, and taking matters into our own hands. God’s Word tells us clearly that we should allow God to bring His wrath upon that person, and let Him have the room to repay those who wrong us:

Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

Those who have wronged us will reap what they sow. If you chose to forgive somebody, they may be off your hook, but that doesn’t mean they are off God’s. God’s Word tells us clearly that what we sow, we shall reap:

Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

A JOYFUL HEART

A few things in life are absolutely tragic. Some are mysteriously strange. Many, however, are just plain funny.

There isn’t a day that passes in which I fail to see, hear, or read something that makes me smile. And because laughter is such effective therapy, I’m grateful that God dispenses this divine medication so frequently

I’m suggesting that we become more lighthearted, relishing life more as our confidence in the sovereign Lord grows. After all, He gave us humor to enjoy and genuine smiles when we take pleasure in His gift.Let’s lighten up rather than surrender to intensity and worry. A truly cheerful face radiates from a relaxed, joyful heart.

1. Joy is the fruit of God’s Spirit.
   More than a great attitude , joy comes from God (Galatians 5:22). Our joy increases in direct proportion to our intimacy with Christ. And when sin keeps us from that relationship, it also robs us of our joy (Psalm 51:8, 12).
2. Joy doesn’t depend on circumstances.
   Paul wrote Philippians—often called “the book of joy”—from a jail cell. He was criticized, tired, and misunderstood. But instead of allowing his horrible circumstances to choke out God’s Word and God’s Spirit (as Mark 4:19 describes they often can), Paul chose to concentrate on the joy of knowing Christ (Philippians 2:17).
3. Joy is a choice.
   “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials” (James 1:2). Here’s the reality—read it carefully. Life’s painful trials are not joyous in themselves, but when we walk through them, we should be filled with joy. Why? Because of the good God is developing in us and in the situation. We can know real joy while in the scariest storm when we fill our minds and hearts with truth about God.

Joy becomes a transaction between you and God that others can’t help but notice. It’s God’s life spilling over the brim of your life and into others’ lives. When you trust Christ with the details of your life, you experience His life in wonderful excess, and it can’t help but give you a reason to smile.

Rejoice in the Lord always; Again I will say, rejoice! PHILIPPIANS 4:4

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Spiritual growth is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. When we place our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins the process of making us more like Him, conforming us to His image. Spiritual growth is perhaps best described in2 Peter 1:3-8, which tells us that by God’s power we have “everything we need” to live lives of godliness, which is the goal of spiritual growth. Notice that what we need comes “through our knowledge of Him,” which is the key to obtaining everything we need. Our knowledge of Him comes from the Word, given to us for our edification and growth.

There are two lists inGalatians 5:19-23. Verses 19-21 list the “acts of the flesh.” These are the things that identified our lives before we came to Christ for salvation. The acts of the flesh are the activities we are to confess, repent of, and, with God’s help, overcome. As we experience spiritual growth, fewer and fewer of the “acts of the flesh” will be evident in our lives. The second list is the “fruit of the Spirit” (verses 22-23). These are what should characterize our lives now that we have experienced salvation in Jesus Christ. Spiritual growth is identified by the fruit of the Spirit becoming increasingly evident in a believer’s life.

When the transformation of salvation takes place, spiritual growth begins. The Holy Spirit indwells us (John 14:16-17). We are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old, sinful nature begins to give way to the new, Christlike nature (Romans 6-7). Spiritual growth is a lifelong process that depends on our study and application of God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and our walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26). As we seek spiritual growth, we should pray to God and ask for wisdom concerning the areas He desires us to grow in. We can ask God to increase our faith and knowledge of Him. God desires for us to grow spiritually, and He has given us all we need to experience spiritual growth. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can overcome sin and steadily become more like our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual growth is a life-long process of manifesting the acts of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) less and less and producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) more and more. Notice that it is the Holy Spirit who produces the fruit in us. Yes, we must submit ourselves to the Spirit’s leading, but it is the Spirit who produces the fruit of spiritual growth in our lives. What does spiritual growth look like?Galatians 5:22-23 has the answer, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” If you are becoming more loving, more joyful, more kind, more self-controlled, etc., then you can rest assured that spiritual growth is genuinely occurring in your life.

God works in different people in different ways. Some people grow rapidly, while others grow slowly, but steadily. Our focus should not be on comparing ourselves with others, but on comparing ourselves with God’s Word. The Scriptures are the mirror to show us what we are like spiritually and to shine light on the areas that need to experience and learn spiritual growth. James 1:23-25 declares, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.”

GROW MORE IN CHRIST BY READING THE WORD AND PRAYING ON A DAILY BASIS.

Glory and Wrath

SPREAD THE GLORY OF GOD

ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up just as you doing it -Thessalonians 5:11. The words instructs us as Christians to encourage one another and motivate each other . Your brother and sister is not one who is of your blood only . Encourage each other by sharing words of comfort from the word with each other,pray for one another on a daily basis. As Christian woman we should empower one another ,put on a good example for other women out there.

We are :

Brothers And Sisters In Christ ,therefore lets us encourage one another to dream,hope and be all we can be and to love ourselves for who we are ,way Our Father in Heaven love us ,spread this love among each other.

How it makes our God happy to see His children being doers of his word and using it to build each other ,to strengthen each other,and to comfort each other,for one who does what the word says will be showered with endless blessings in their life . It may seem like nothing when your friend approaches and asks for assistance ,,whilst the only thing you can do is hold their hands and say It will be okay in Gods name ,stay faithful in his name ,trust in him for he will never forsake and Pray about it will fade away , for God will fight whatever battle you having ,lift of those burdens off your shoulders. That is true encouragement coming from a Godly woman.

INSPIRE,STRENGTHEN,ENCOURAGE,PRAY,BRIGHTEN,EMBOLDEN,MOTIVATE AND SUPPORT.

AS WOMEN OF FAITH WE SHOULD BE THE KIND OF WOMEN ,WHO OTHER WOMEN WILL LOOK UP TO.WE READ THE WORD,LET US PUT INTO ACTION AND SHARE  IT WITH OTHER WOMEN ,SO THEY TOO CAN BE INSPIRED TO BE LIKE US.

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

• You are not moved by the world ,for your God is with you and before you ,do not because you are His.
• You are a princess ,because Your father is a king and he is God
• You are God Fearing
• You are steadfast in the love of God
• You are worth it
• You are worth more than rubies
• you are worth more than make-up and clothes
• you are loved
• you are joyful
• you are dignified
• You are free
• You are redeemed
• You are victorious
• You are highly favored
• you are beautiful
• you were born to be queen
• you are not known by the crown you wear ,but by the message you bear.You are a daughter of royal birth.
• you are cherished

WOMAN YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL

As a woman you are a beautiful masterpiece designed by God,for he has made everything beautiful in its time-Ecclesiastes 3 ,honor that and let that be your reason to be confident ,for a confident woman is a beautiful woman . Do not let anyone make you feel less beautiful,because your beauty is not of the fancy hair , gold jewelry or the fine clothes that you wear . Your beauty comes from the inside of you,the beauty of a gentle spirit and a quiet spirit that is worth very much to God

True emanates from a woman who knows who she is in Christ ,that makes your beauty stand out from the rest. Someone may tell you that oh no you are far from being beautiful and all sorts of negative words about you appearance ,hold your head up high because their words are futile ,for you are all kinds of beautiful in Gods eyes . The beauty you possess is unfading,make-up can be wiped off ,beautiful clothes get  worn out but not the beauty of a Godly woman.

The beauty of a Christian woman isn’t  just flawless it shines even through your flaws. Learn to love yourself ,accept yourself ,be confident in your own skin.BE YOUR OWN KIND OF BEAUTIFUL ,THAT BEAUTY COMES FROM YOUR GODLY HEART AND SOUL AND THAT BEAUTY WILL STAY SHINING FOREVER . YOU ARE WHAT GOD SAYS YOU ARE AND HE SAYS WOMAN YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!