Girlfriends in God

[Judy Harder]

January 16, 2014
Be My Portion, Part 1
Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." (Lamentations 3:24, ESV)

Friend to Friend

I am a lot of things, but low maintenance is not necessarily one of them. Straight up, I am a girl with some constant cravings. Though I do try to savor life moments with gratitude, I fail all the time. Many days, I find myself looking beyond my now to my next, longing in discontent. I seek God's blessings instead of seeking God. I seek His hand instead of His heart. This frazzles my peace and messes with my joy. It tangles my heart in knots until I begin to dance through my days to the tune of, "I can't get no satisfaction!"           

Why do we desire God's presents in our lives more than His presence? Does God need us to tell Him how to be God? Isn't that what we do when we stomp our feet before His throne and whine about all of the things that need fixing instead of praising Him for the strength He graciously gives us to get through? While we're certainly encouraged by Scripture to make our requests known to the Father (Philippians 4:6), the highest calling on our lives is to love God with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds (Matthew 22:37). We can do both, but we are commanded to seek God first: to look to Him as our Ultimate. Our Portion.         

Asaph wrote Psalm 73 with a lot on his mind. He was flustered about all the bad people around him. He wondered why God wasn't smacking them around for being so wretched and was struggling to keep his eyes on his own life. Sound familiar?

Then his woes turned to worship as he entered into the sanctuary of God (v17). His heart began to untangle as he remembered God's sovereignty. In Psalm 73:26, he finally landed in a good place. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.           

He took a deep breath and found his God-confidence.

Oh, how I can relate to that!       

The Bible shows us time and time again that when we prioritize God – when we look to Him to be our Portion – we are supernaturally equipped to rest in Him. Do you remember that old hymn His Eye Is On The Sparrow? Girlfriend, God doesn't miss a trick. He knows what's going on.

"And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

"So don't worry about these things, saying, 'what will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today(Matthew 6:30-34, NLT).       

If divine eyes rest on tiny sparrows and flowers of the fields, how much more are the needs and desires of God's children known to Him?

Let's Pray

Dear Lord, Would You be my Portion today? Help me to trust Your plan and rest in Your grace – beyond what I see or feel. In Jesus's name, amen.

Now It's Your Turn

How has God met your needs in the past? Do you trust that He is able to meet them today? Let's take the conversation deeper. Click here to tell me what that might look like for you.

More from the Girlfriends

Are you struggling to trust that God can actually be your Portion? Think His promises are for everyone but you? Learn how God wants to bring you beyond your past heart-wounds and your present challenges to His wholeness, strength and beauty. Broken into Beautiful is a book filled with stories – real stories ... gritty and honest, not cleaned up and phony. It's also filled with Scripture that will inspire you toward the life-changing grace of Jesus. To order the book, go to Amazon or, for a signed copy click here.

Gwen's website is filled with videos, posts, songs and resources that will be a deep well of encouragement to you. Click here to visit her site. (Get a FREE song download when you sign up for her newsletter!)

[Judy Harder]

January 17, 2014
Be My Portion, Part 2
Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him" (Lamentations 3:24, ESV).

Friend to Friend

I sometimes run to God as if He's a celestial Wal-Mart purposed to satisfy my every want. Change my family. Fix my job problem, God. Do it my way! Instead of leaning in to hear the whispered will of the Lord, I selfishly shout my will, my desires and my demands. Lord, give me relief from life-pressures instead of giving me strength to endure them. When I'm desperate to fill my mega-sized heart-cart with things that I want, I rob myself of what really matters: the pursuit of God and the blessings found in Him alone.           

The truth is that even those of us who are Jesus-girls, you know... good Christian women who strive each day to live for Christ... continually sin and wallow in the shallow, unsatisfying waters of discontentment. We tell God what we'd like Him to do for us so we can be happy and then expect Him to intervene in ways that suit us. We blur the lines between our wants and our needs – between our plans and God's plans.         

In part one of this devotion, we were reminded to rest in God. We looked at His care of the sparrows, considered that God loves us even more than he does the birds of the air, and were challenged not to worry. Today, we focus on prioritizing God above all else. Matthew 6:33 instructs us to seek God first: to look to Him as our Ultimate. Our Portion. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33, ESV)           

David modeled this beautifully when he called out to God in the midst of trouble and recognized Him as being enough. I cry to you, O Lord; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living" (Psalm 142:5). In Psalm 119, the psalmist recognizes God as his portion and takes the moment of surrender a step further by tethering his satisfaction with obedience. You are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to obey your words. I have soughtyour face with all my heart; be gracious to meaccording to your promise (Psalm 119:57-58).         

Life is unpredictable. There will always be days that we want to yell, C'mon, God! Throw me a bone here! I could use a little help, please! It is not a bad thing to call to God in the midst of our struggles. In fact, we should! We must! The big game changer, however, is not God's presents – but His presence. Refuge from our circumstances and contentment in the midst of them is found in the center of our surrender.

So what's the connection point between our longings and His provision? Perhaps the better question is not what but who? The late pastor and theologian Charles Spurgeon said it this way, "It is not 'The Lord is partly my portion,' nor 'The Lord is in my portion'; but He Himself makes up the sum total of my soul's inheritance. Within the circumference of that circle lies all that we possess or desire. The Lord is my portion. Not His grace merely, nor His love, nor His covenant, but Yahweh himself."         

Once again, Spurgeon hits the nail on the head. We are distracted cravers when we expect our people, places and things to fill our hearts as only God can. God loves us so much. Why do we forget this all the time? His plan is perfect and we can trust Him. He knows our needs and desires. When we seek Him as the answer instead of for the answer, God enables us to rest in confidence that He's working on our behalf and in our best interest, to bring glory to Himself through our lives.         

Set your list of wants aside today and seek God. Go before Him with a heart of worship and adoration. Get lost in His presence. Remember His mercy. Relish His grace. Love Him. Seek Him. Choose Him as your Portion.

Let's Pray

Dear Lord, Please be my Portion. Forgive me for the times when I seek Your blessings before I seek Your heart. You are all I need. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Read and consider these verses: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." (Psalm 42:1-2a)

Spend a moment in prayer asking the LORD to increase your thirst for Him.

[Judy Harder]

Today's Truth

Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering (Mark 5:34, NIV).

Friend to Friend

"Gone. All gone."         

For twelve long years, she had been bleeding. Over 4,380 days. Lydia had gone from doctor to doctor to try and stop the flow, but as the years progressed she only worsened. Each day was a reminder of the emptiness she felt as her very life ebbed from her body.

"I've lost my family, my friends, my energy and now all my money. My very womanhood, the ability to conceive and suckle a child at my breast flows out of my body and leaves me a barren wasteland. And the pain? The constant cramping feels as though my womb is being squeezed by an invisible hand.

"'Unclean.' That's what the priests say I am. No one is supposed to even touch me unless they are willing to go through a cleansing process afterwards. The house I live in, the chair I sit in, the utensils I cook with—all ceremonially unclean. Oh how I long for a human touch. A hug. A kiss. A pat on the back. A baby's cheek against my own.

"Oh, God," Lydia prayed. "There is nothing else for me to do. I've tried everything. Only a miracle will set me free from this life of isolation."

God smiled down at his daughter of Abraham and noticed her name on Jesus' celestial day-timer. Today was the day.

Sitting all alone in a darkened room, she heard a ruckus outside her window.

"It's Jesus!" someone shouted. "Jesus is coming!"

"Jesus,"she whispered to herself. "Maybe he could heal me. I know I'm not supposed to go out in public. Certainly I cannot speak to this man or any man on the street. What can I do?"

Quickly, she devised a plan. She wrapped a veil around her face with only enough of an opening for her eyes to peer out. She snuck out of her home and merged with the throng of people trying to catch a glimpse of the much-acclaimed healer and teacher. Gathering all the courage she could muster, she pushed her way through the crowd in hopes of getting close enough just to touch the hem of his robe.

"Jesus!" a man called from the crowd. Like the parting of the sea, the multitude gave way for the synagogue ruler to pass. Everyone knew Jarius. He was important.

Jesus turned as Jarius fell at his feet and begged. "My little daughter is dying," he began. "Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live."

The woman looked on as Jesus extended his hand to this distraught father, compassionately helped him to his feet, and apparently changed course to go with him. It was then she made her move.

Shoring up courage and confidence, Lydia began muttering to herself, "If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed. I know it. I just know it. I can't let this opportunity slip away." While unsure of herself, she was confident in Him. Her faith overcame her fear and she pressed forward.

Like a runner stretching for the finish line, the woman reached through the crowd and brushed her fingers against the hem of his garment. Just as her faith reached out to touch Jesus, God's healing power reached down to touch her. Immediately, she felt a surge of power flow through her body and the flow of blood come to a halt.

She knew it. She felt it. The flow stopped...and then Jesus stopped.

"Who just touched my clothes?" he asked.

The woman kept her eyes fixed to the ground as a jumble of thoughts scrambled through her mind. I'm unclean and not supposed to be out in public. I'm not supposed to touch anyone. What am I going to do? If I remove my veil people wil recognize me. I'm not supposed to talk to a man in public. She wanted to run, but her feet were suddenly rooted to the ground.

"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'"

Jesus ignored the disciples' comments and continued to pan the crowd in search of the person who had purposely touched his robe. He felt the power flow from his body like a current. He knew what had happened. Jesus can always sense the difference between the press of the curious and the touch of the faithful.

Silence hung like a cloud. No one said a word.

Finally, Lydia couldn't hold it in any longer. She turned to Jesus and fell at his feet. With trembling voice, a geyser of gratitude and confession gushed forth.

"Master, I have had an issue of blood for over twelve years. I have gone from doctor to doctor and no one has been able to help me. I've lost my family, my friends and my finances. But when I heard that you were passing through, I just knew that you, O Lord, you could heal me. I know I'm not supposed to touch anyone. I know that I am unclean in all regards. Please forgive me for the intrusion. But Jesus, what I have to tell you is this! I am healed! As soon as I touched the hem of your robe, the blood ceased to flow! Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus."

While others began to back away from her "uncleanness," Jesus reached forward and embraced her faith.

"Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

Let's Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when I feel alone and forgotten, You see me. Thank you for sending Jesus my way. Even though others may desert me, You always draw me near.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Today's devotion is a retelling of Jesus healing the woman with the twelve year bleeding in Mark 5:21-34. I encourage you to go back and read it from the Bible.

How do you think you would you feel if you had been bleeding for twelve years?

Have you ever felt forgotten?

How would you feel if Jesus stopped right in the middle of what He was doing to speak to you and take care of your needs?

Sister...He has. Do you believe it? If so, click over to my Facebook page and say, Jesus has stopped for me.

More from the Girlfriends

Today's devotion was taken from my book, What God Really Thinks about Women: Finding Your Significance through the Women Jesus Encountered. We tend to read the Gospels with our twenty-first-century eyes. But when we understand how oppressive the culture Jesus stepped into was against women, we begin to understand just how radical Jesus' ministry, messages, and miracles were at setting women free. He risked His reputation to save theirs...and yours. To order this life-changing book, visit www.sharonjaynes.com. You'll fall in love with Jesus all over again.

[Judy Harder]

January 21, 2014
Do Wrinkles Make You Die?
Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

My dear brothers and sisters take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19, NIV).

Friend to Friend

It had been a very long and extremely hard day. My husband's grandmother had died, and we had just returned from her funeral. Trying to establish a sense of normality for our two young children, I unpacked suitcases, started the laundry, and spent some time playing with Jered and Danna. After a dinner during which Dan and I tried to lighten the atmosphere with silly bantering, we got the kids ready for bed.

Dan and Danna headed to her room for one last game of "Pretty, Pretty Princess" before bed. (And let me just say that you have not lived until you have seen Dan Southerland in a tiara and pink plastic earrings!) Jered and I settled in his bedroom to read books, play with his Hot Wheels, and just talk. We prayed together and Jered climbed into bed. I gave him a kiss and a hug and tucked him into a blanket, a nightly ritual of creating a "Jered-ito."

As I turned on his nightlight and started out of the room, Jered's question stopped me in my tracks. "Mama, do wrinkles make you die?" he asked. Ordinarily, I would have dismissed his question as a childish ploy to delay bedtime, but in a rare moment of wisdom as a mom, I sat on the edge of our son's bed, took his hand and asked, "Son, what do you mean?"

Jered smiled and replied, "Well, Grandmother died and she had sooooooo many wrinkles." Dan's grandmother battled pernicious anemia for many years. The illness itself and the medications she had to take for that condition had left her skin damaged and very wrinkled. "Yes, honey, Grandmother was sick and had a lot of wrinkles. I still don't understand your question." After a moment of silence, Jered said, "Well, at dinner tonight you and daddy were joking about who had the most wrinkles, and I just need to know if wrinkles make you die."

Wow! Over the years, I have thanked God so many times for the Holy Spirit who prompted me to stop and really listen to our son. We talked for a long time about the fact that wrinkles don't make you die, but we also talked about the fact that Grandmother Lois was in Heaven and did not have any more wrinkles. And that she was well and no longer in pain. It was one of the most meaningful conversations Jered and I have ever had about life and death and the fact that when we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will go to heaven where Grandmother Lois will be waiting for us.

I have had to learn how to listen – really listen. For years, I used the time someone was speaking to formulate a clever response. Oh, I looked into their eyes but I didn't really see them. I heard their words, but I did not really listen. I failed to hear what was behind the words – the hurt and pain or the confusion and questioning heart.

I now work hard to realize that every person God sends my way is really seeking His listening heart at work in and through me.

I try to look for the pain hidden in each word.

I pray for wisdom to respond in a way that will promote restoration and encourage healing.

I have a long way to go, but I want to be "God with skin on" when it comes to learning how to listen.

Listeningby definition means "attention, with the intention to understand." James says we should be "quick to listen and slow to speak" (James 1:19). Talking is sharing, but listening is caring.

Take a tip from creation. Ears aren't made to shut, but the mouth is. Put away your sermon, save your advice, and just listen. Sometimes the best gift we can give is a listening ear.

A little girl was eating breakfast with her Daddy. They were on a date - spending some special time together. He was telling her how wonderful she was and how proud he was of her. After he had done what he thought was a sufficient job, he picked up his fork and began to eat. His daughter put her hand on his arm and stopped him with these words, "Longer, Daddy, longer." He didn't eat much food that day, but a little girl's hungry heart was fed because her father was willing to listen.

Are there any hungry hearts in your life that long for nothing more than your listening heart?

I am convinced Jesus was an amazing listener. Children loved him and longed to spend time with Him. Hurting people were drawn to Him. People from every walk of life sought Him out. He always made time to listen to those in need. We need to do the same.

Let's Pray

Father, I am sorry for the times when I have failed to really listen to the people in my life who need my love and undivided attention. Help me to become a better listener. Teach me to encourage others by the way I listen to them.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

How would you rate yourself in the listening department? Do any of the following characteristics apply to you? If so, what steps do you need to take to become a better listener?

_____ Too busy

_____ Preoccupied

_____ Failure to focus

_____ A judgmental attitude

_____ Don't care enough

More from the Girlfriends

Friendship can often be complicated and always requires hard work on our part. We can learn to be a better friend and have more genuine friendships when we apply God's relationship principles in our lives. Mary's CD, I Need a Friend, will help you discover those principles and teach you how to apply them. Check it out.

Freebies! Don't miss the FREE RESOURCES on Mary's website! Book excerpts, articles, MP3s ... and more are waiting for you.

Looking for a Bible Study?Check out Mary's weekly online Bible Study, Light for the Journey. Don't miss the new study, How to Tame the Tongue. And be sure to connect with Mary on Facebook or through email.

[Judy Harder]

January 23, 2014
That "Little" Sin
Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:3, NIV).

Friend to Friend

My husband, Dan, was a church pastor in South Florida for several years. One of our favorite traditions at that church was the Thanksgiving Day breakfast. Even our kids got in on the action. We woke while it was still dark and headed to the church to help dozens of volunteers mix and cook mountains of pancakes, stacks of bacon, and, as they say in the south, a heap of eggs and biscuits ... in short, a scrumptious Thanksgiving breakfast. Following the breakfast, we had a time of worship, and Dan shared a brief message after which families headed home to enjoy the rest of their holiday.

Then the cleanup began. We all shifted into high gear, breaking down tables, washing dishes and getting the buildings ready for the weekend services. The kids quickly completed their assigned tasks and promptly disappeared to play until it was time to head home.

I was finishing up in the kitchen when our daughter came running in, crying and holding a paper towel over her eye. "What happened, honey?" I asked. "I don't know, Mom. We were playing and something flew in my eye and it really hurts!" she cried. I looked at our son and his friends for a translation. "We were having a mulch war and Danna got some in her eye." Since I wear contacts, I always carry saline solution and thought that would take care of the problem. I couldn't see anything in Danna's eye, but after washing it out she said it felt better and we headed home. However, as the day wore on, it was obvious that something was in her eye as the pain increased and the eye began to swell. We called a friend who is an optometrist. Since he lived close by, he sweetly agreed to drop by and take a look at Danna's eye. After a quick exam, he said, "She does have something in her eye but I will need to see her in my office to remove it." He applied numbing drops, an eye patch, and said he would meet us at his office in the morning. Even though I still couldn't see anything in our daughter's eye, I knew it was there.

When we arrived at the doctor's office, he went to work and within seconds handed me a tiny speck of mulch nestled on a tissue. I could barely see it. But Danna blinked a couple of times and grinned. "It doesn't hurt any more, Mom." I remember wondering how something so small could cause so much pain.

Sin is like that. We may view it as nothing more than a little lie or an insignificant transgression, but it was enough to send Jesus to the cross. If we refuse to deal with sin, it will surely cause pain and damage in our lives.1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done." This verse was written to believers as an encouragement to deal with sin and as a promise that when we do so, God is faithful to forgive us and to clean up the mess that sin has caused.

We are not perfect – just forgiven. To experience that forgiveness fully, we need to keep short books on sin. That means being sensitive to sin and immediately choosing to do something about it. God is serious about sin. We need to be as well.

1. We must confess sin continually. "Confess" means to agree with and is a present tense verb meaning that we must confess sin frequently, without stopping.

2. We must confess sin completely.We commit sins one at a time. We need to confess them one-by-one as well.

3. We must confess our sin confidently.Once we confess and repent of our sin, we can put it behind us. God is just and fair – seeking only one payment for sin. Jesus has already made full and complete payment with His death on the cross.

One of Satan's favorite tactics is to resurrect buried sin. Wrapping that confessed transgression in his vain taunts and useless accusations, the enemy hauls it back into focus, hoping that guilt will paralyze and imprison a soul set free. Satan can hold us prisoner if we let him. But how often do we believe his empty lies – and by doing so, grant him access to that which he has no right? To break the hold of sin, we can and must stand against the enemy. We cannot trust our feelings, but we can trust God's Word, which is unchanging and crystal clear – when we confess sin, God forgives it.

Let's Pray

Father, do not let me ever forget the price You paid for my sin. Thank You for the forgiveness and freedom You purchased with Your death on the cross. Bring swift awareness and conviction when I sin. Give me the strength and power to deal with and turn from the sin in my life.

For Your glory and in Your name I pray,

Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Set aside time each day to pray and study His Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of every sin that stands between you and God. Confess that sin. Choose against it and walk on in His power and forgiveness. Ask yourself the following questions:

What sin do I need to confess right now?

Why have I held on to this sin?

What effect has this sin had on my life?

What changes do I need to make in order to "turn" from my sin?

Do I really believe that God can and will forgive this sin? Why? Why not?

More from the Girlfriends

Learning to deal with sin is an important spiritual discipline. Mary's CD set, Getting Past Your Past/The Power of Forgiveness, will help you learn how to cultivate that habit and experience victory over sin.

Freebies! Don't miss the FREE RESOURCES on Mary's website! Book excerpts, articles, MP3s, and more are waiting for you.

Looking for a Bible Study?Check out Mary's weekly online Bible Study, Light for the Journey. Don't miss the new study, How to Tame the Tongue. And be sure to connect with Mary on Facebook or through email.

[Judy Harder]

January 24, 2014
Releasing Secrets, Restoring Hope
Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.(Psalm 34:5, NIV)

Friend to Friend

For years my abortion story went untold. It was a secret held tightly by a locked heart - my worst nightmare and darkest memory. Not something I wanted to talk about. Certainly not a story that I thought could be used for good.

Conversationally, it was unapproachable... simply impossible to discuss. On the rare occasion when I allowed my mind to go there, I wished I had a different story: one of life, not death – of joy, not pain. A story of a time when I'd made the best choice, not the worst choice.

But that's not my story.

And because it's not, for years I was convinced that my mistakes demanded silence. That because of what I'd done and where I'd been, I was bound to be quiet whenever the sacred topic of life arose. Certainly, I had no right to speak... or so I believed. Shame buttoned my lips.

Then I came to know a deeper grace. A grace found in the testimony of redemption. God's grace. A grace that testifies of hope, healing and restoration. A grace found in the sharing and releasing of my broken heart-places. Amazing grace that boasts in the truth that all things can work together for good to those who love God and who are bound to His will and purpose (Romans 8:28).

By the grace of Jesus Christ, I now understand that – knowing what I know and having been where I've been – I am actually uniquely qualified to speak and encourage others toward life... forgiveness... and hope.

A few years ago, the Lord led me to participate in a post-abortive Bible study and a weekend retreat that allowed my heart to experience healing in places that I didn't even know were wounded. I was given the opportunity to sift through my grief, to name my child, and to honor her tragic, unlived life in a beautiful memorial service. My story is now one of healing – and I will tell it until I take my last breath and meet my precious baby in heaven.

HEALING

For those of you who share my broken story, I encourage you toward this sacred healing – toward deeper grace. Death's grip is suffocating and scary... but it's not more powerful than the forgiveness and love found in Jesus. Don't allow fear and shame to keep you from the restoration that God longs for you to experience. Call your local pregnancy care center and ask about their post-abortive Bible studies and retreats.

COURAGE

For those of you who are pregnant and afraid, I encourage you to choose life. I know the fears you are facing and the doubts that are screaming relentlessly to your heart. Silence them with the hope found in the center of grace. Whatever this looks like for you – whether it's parenting or adoption – I implore you, from the deepest recesses of my heart, to allow your baby a chance to breathe, love, laugh and live. It will be one of the best choices you will ever make.

SUPPORT

For those of you who don't share my story, but who support the efforts of life-affirming ministries on the front lines of this battle, I encourage you toward generous giving. I applaud you for your participation. Because of you, lives are being saved... and diapers are being changed... and dreams are being dreamed... and God is being honored. Because of your support, sacred hearts are beating. Thank you. A thousand times: thank you.

But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20b-21)

Let's Pray

Dear God, with a trembling heart, I approach Your throne of grace today in reverence and humility, fully aware that You are holy and I am not. Speak, Lord. Show me the plans You have for me. Bind me to Your Word and to Your strength so I will have the courage to obey, to forgive and to accept forgiveness. May my brokenness be restored for the beauty of Your glory. Please help me to trust your plan and grace. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Okay ... take a deep breath with me! Some of you may feel disturbed that a locked door in your heart has been nudged open. I also know that 30-40% of you that are reading this devotion share my experience of abortion. There is healing and forgiveness for you, too. Through the help of my local Pregnancy Care Center, I went through a post-abortive Bible study that helped me to know complete healing. If you have not taken that step toward healing, I encourage you to contact the Abortion Recovery CARE line at 1-866-4-My-Recovery (1-866-469-7326) visit www.AbortionRecovery.org - or call your local Pregnancy Care Center today to sign up for a post-abortive Bible study or retreat.

Is there someone you know who needs to read this message? Forward this email. Post it on your social media sites. Share the hope of healing.

More from the Girlfriends

Welcome to my personal pulse. This type of transparency is always risky. My pulse races each time I expose the broken places of my past and my present – but GOD is always faithful to use it in some beautiful way. Some of you may feel this devotion was written specifically for you. Don't ignore that. Explore it. Click here to listen to a song that I co-wrote and recorded called Broken into Beautiful, and leave a comment sharing your heart with me. We will pray over each of you!

My full testimony is featured the book, Broken into Beautiful, along with Scriptural truths and stories of how God has brought restoration the hearts of many other women who had painful life wounds. God delights to transform lives ... including your own. Experience God's healing and hope in your life today as you read Broken Into Beautiful! To order the book, go to Amazon or for a signed copy, click here.

[Judy Harder]

January 27, 2014
When the Soul Bleeds
Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth

Do you want to get well? (John 5:6b NIV).

Friend to Friend

I just can't leave this woman with the issue of blood quite yet. My last two devotions have been about her, but let's visit her one more time. She deserves it, don't you think?

When we read the story of Jesus healing the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, it is hard for us twenty-first-century women to imagine such a condition lasting for so long. Medical science has progressed far beyond the rudimentary knowledge of Jesus' day. It is simply unthinkable today.

But I suggest there are still many women with chronic bleeding of a different sort. We bleed from the heart.

From the time Sarah was six-years-old, her father crept into her bedroom in the dark of night and violated her little body. Now, as an adult, her heart bleeds.

When Beth was walking to her dorm room from the college library, a lurker jumped from behind the bushes, drug her to a nearby shed and raped her at knife-point. Now, ten years later, her heart bleeds.

After twenty years of marriage, Lucy accidentally stumbled upon an in-town hotel receipt in her husband's wallet. Suspecting the worse, she uncovered past e-mails, supposed meetings that never occurred and a trail of deceit. When presented with the evidence, her husband admitted having a three-year-long affair. And her heart bleeds.

Margaret's routine physical reveals that she has AIDS. She had been with only one man her entire life...her husband. And her heart bleeds.         

Laura was laid off from her job and her mother's words re-emerge like sewage leakage from an underground septic tank. "You're no good. You'll never amount to anything. You're a loser just like your father." And because of the lies, her heart bleeds.

Melissa holds her newborn little girl in her arms and coos her to sleep. Interrupting the sweetness of the wee hours of the morning, she hears her aborted child crying from the grave. Guilt presses down as the ever-present weight deflates her joy. And her heart bleeds.

Women—hoping the pain will go away. Awakening each day with a memory that cuts a fresh wound. Women—longing to hear the words "Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

The woman with the issue of blood was no different from you and me. While her apparent illness was physical, her inward suffering ruled her life. But in one radical moment, one momentous decision, she reached out to Jesus and grabbed hold of her healing.

He wants to set us free from our suffering, but he will not push us out of the cell. He unlocks the jail cell, but we must walk out the door. We can choose to bleed. We can choose to remain in our suffering and pick at the scabs of the past. But hear me dear friend, it is a choice. Jesus said, "I have come that they might have life and have it to the full" (John 10:10). That's what he wants for each of us. But we have to embrace the truth and, like the woman with the twelve-year bleeding, reach for our healing.

In John, chapter five, Jesus encounters a lame man sitting by a pool of water where the paralyzed, blind, and afflicted gathered. They believed that when the waters were stirred by supposed angels, the first one in the pool would be healed. For thirty-eight years this man sat in his sickness.

Then Jesus walked up to him and asked a strange question, "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6b).

Perhaps it was not such a strange question after all. Many times we get used to being sick and wear it like a shroud. Emotionally we are the walking wounded—victims who pick at scabs—not allowing them to heal.

Jesus said to the woman, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." That is the same healing he offers to you and to me.

Let's Pray

Dear God, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I reach forward today, touch the hem of Your garment, and receive my healing. Yes, I want to get well. Give me the faith to walk in freedom and victory.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Is there pain in your life that you have refused to let go of?

Do you want to get well?

That is a risky question. It took a lot for the man to get up off of that pallet. He had to learn how to walk, get a job, and learn to live like a healthy person. That's a big change after thirty-eight years. But you can do it! You can let go of the past and begin to live in victory and freedom! Let's start today!

How has this devotion ministered to you? Let's chat. Visit www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes and share your comments with your Girlfriends in God all around the world.

More from the Girlfriends

Want to learn more about how to be free from your past suffering and walk in victory? How to stop the bleeding of your soul and use your past pain for present purpose? Then you'll want to read my book Your Scars are Beautiful to God.

Also, today's devotion was taken from my book, What God Really Thinks about Women: Finding Your Significance through the Women Jesus Encountered. We tend to read the Gospels with our twenty-first-century eyes. But when we understand how oppressive the culture Jesus stepped into was against women, we begin to understand just how radical Jesus' ministry, messages, and miracles were at setting women free. He risked His reputation to save theirs...and yours.

[Judy Harder]

January 28, 2014
Fresh Hope for the Journey
Part 1
Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God (Psalm 40:1-3).     

Friend to Friend

I had almost forgotten what it felt like to wake up at the bottom of that deep, ugly pit called clinical depression. The darkness has been an all too familiar companion for most of my life. Over the years, I tried just about everything to soothe the pain in my heart and mind – things like success in ministry, the approval of others, perfectionism, doing good things, and food – to name a few.

In 1995, the bottom fell out of my life, and I spent two long years climbing out of that pit of darkness. I even wrote a book entitled "Hope in the Midst of Depression" that describes the painful but healing journey that totally and completely changed who I was and what I would become in the years ahead. God absolutely re-defined me and gave me a new song to sing as He opened doors for me speak to women across the world about how to find hope in the midst of depression. I have often said, "I would go through that pit experience again tomorrow because of what God has done in my life through it." I really meant those words. I just didn't think that "tomorrow" would really come. But it did. What was I supposed to do then?

I went back to the place where it all began – to the place of complete brokenness - and remembered. Evidently, the Father had some new truths for me to learn. And I had forgotten some of truths God taught me in the darkness. I had somehow begun to follow the wrong plan and allowed my heart to seek man's approval instead of God's favor.

Depression may not be the problem you are facing, but the hard times will come, and the darkness will find each one of us. At some point in life, we all will face some kind of pit. It may be a pit that we have dug with our own hands of wrong choices, or it could be a pit that has been uniquely designed for us by the enemy. But a pit is a pit – a place of paralyzing fear and numbing doubt that is constantly fed by our human frailty and desperate attempts to escape the darkness.

Over the next two days, we will explore four steps we can take in order to find fresh hope and new freedom from the darkness. Let's get started!

Step 1:  Identify the purpose of the pit.

I recently underwent what I thought was going to be a simple medical procedure, but when I woke up in recovery, I knew I was in trouble. According to the doctor, the surgery went great, but she had not expected to find so much scar tissue and repair work to do, and I certainly had not expected to experience the level of pain, soreness and inability to function that overwhelmed me. I was basically helpless. And I do not like to be helpless. I had given myself a whole ten days to recuperate, but it was brutally obvious that recuperation was going to be a long time coming. In fact, those ten days I had so generously carved out of my schedule turned into ten months of extremely painful and slow recovery. I could feel myself sliding into that familiar pit of darkness. Honestly, I just wanted to stay in that darkness. It seemed easier than trying to climb out of that pit again. I remembered how hard it had been the first time. I wasn't sure I could do it again. I wasn't sure I wanted to do it again.

I have a problem with pride. It has always been extremely hard for me to accept help. I was raised to be strong and independent. When anyone asked what he or she could do to help out during my recovery, I automatically responded with, "I am fine. I will let you know if I need anything." Fortunately, my family and friends ignored that absurd assertion and stepped right over my pride as they brought meals, cleaned house, did laundry, assumed my teaching and speaking responsibilities, and kept our infant grandson while our daughter attended school three days a week. I could not even get out of bed or go downstairs without help – and I did not like it one bit! In fact, I was absolutely furious – with the doctor, with my own human frailty, and I was definitely angry with God! 

Just like a tiny flame can turn into a raging fire, unresolved anger can turn into depression. As I began to work through my own anger and frustration, one purpose of this particular pit quickly emerged as God reminded me of a truth I often share but fail to practice. We were created to need God and to need each other. It is so easy to slide into a pattern of thinking much like the prideful toddler who announces, "I do it myself!"

We can't! And the good news is that we don't have to! Lay down your pride, girlfriend, and let fresh hope fill your life.

Let's Pray

Father, I cannot deal with the darkness and climb out of this pit in my own strength. I recognize my human frailty. I am desperate without You and I choose to trust You and rest in Your sufficiency. Make me more like Jesus and teach me the truths You have for me in this pit.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Pits can bring life to a screeching halt, demanding that we change our perspective of living and examine our priorities in light of that new perspective. Read 1 Peter 1:6. Compare your perspective to the one described in this verse.

Pits make us face and admit our weaknesses and come to the conclusion that we cannot live life in our own strength. Read 2 Corinthians 12:10. Make a list of your weaknesses and struggles, and thank God for each one. Celebrate the power of God's grace in your life.

Pits can strengthen our faith if we allow them to. Read 2 Corinthians 12:9. How has God's power helped you face and deal with the darkness?

More from the Girlfriends

One of the reasons that "Girlfriends in God" exists is because Sharon, Gwen and I recognize our desperate need for God and for the friendships of other women who are seeking Him as well. We really do want to be "God with skin on" in your life.

Need help learning how to study the Bible?Check out Mary's E-Book Bible Studies that you can download for your personal use and/or for a small group study.

Mary's weekly online Bible study, Light for the Journey, is a great Bible study tool as well. Check it out! The current topic is How to Tame Your Tongue. Be sure to connect with Mary on Facebook or through email.

[Judy Harder]

January 29, 2014
Then Neither do I Condemn You
Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth

'Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. 'Go now and leave your life of sin'(John 8:11 NIV).

Friend to Friend

Remember the story of the woman caught in adultery recorded in John 8:1-11? If you aren't familiar with it, stop right now and read it for yourself. The Pharisees had brought this half-dressed woman to Jesus right in the middle of his teaching and tried to snare him in a trap. Should she be stoned or set free?

As this woman listened to the Pharisees question Jesus, she understood his dilemma. If he set her free, the Pharisees would accuse him of ignoring the Law of Moses and deem him a heretic.  If he sentenced her to death by stoning, then his teachings of grace and forgiveness would be negated.

The religious leaders already held the stones in their clenched fists, anticipating his reply. Their hearts were as hard as the rocks they held in their hands. But rather than give a quick answer, Jesus moved his gaze from the trembling woman and stooped to the ground.  With his finger, the very hand of God-made-man, he began writing in the dirt.

A frigid chill swept through the Pharisees pious robes. Suddenly they felt the rawness of naked exposure as Jesus' eyes looked up at each of them and without a word, uncloaked their sinful thoughts and desires. With one look from Jesus, they stood soul bare and more exposed than the half-clad woman before them.

Everyone held their breath The silence was deafening. The tension was palpable. Finally, Jesus rose and delivered the verdict.

"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Then Jesus squatted once again and continued to write.

One by one the Pharisees unclenched their fists, dropped the stones, and filtered through the crowd. The older men who had accumulated a longer list of sins turned to leave first, with the younger ones not far behind.

After the last of the Pharisees cleared the scene, Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," she replied.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Now, let's bring this story home. Imagine yourself standing before God on your day of judgment.  You know all that you have done. Satan is pacing back and forth reading your long list of sins.  But then Jesus steps forward and takes the list from the accuser. Looking over the accusations he begins: "I paid for this one, and this one, and this one, and this one...."

Finally, reaching the end of Satan's meticulously penned and amazingly accurate enumeration of all your shortcomings, Jesus begins to tear the paper into shreds. He cups the pieces of the destroyed list of failures in his nail-scarred hands and then, with the breath of grace, blows them as far as the east is from the west. Wiping his hands together as if completing a work, he glances back over to the Judge. "All gone," he says with a smile.

Satan grumbles under his sulfurous breath, and slinks back to his darkened cave—foiled again.         

God looks up and asks you, "Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," you reply.

"Then enter my eternal kingdom and find rest."

Friend, if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and if you are still feeling condemned, know this—the condemnation is not coming from God. Our enemy, the devil or Satan, is called the "accuser of the brothers," and he is the accuser of the sisters too. The Bible tells us that he marches before God accusing believers night and day (Revelation 12:11).  "She did this and that and that and this and that," he hisses.

And God' replies "Really? I don't remember. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Then He looks at you with a welcoming smile.

Let's Pray

Dear God, thank You for forgiving me of my sins. Thank You for washing me clean. Thank You that when the enemy accuses me before You, Jesus steps forward to announce He's paid my debt and set me free.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Do you truly believe that God has forgiven you of your sins? If you're not sure, read 1 John 1:9.

Notice the last thing Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery. What was it?

Jesus wasn't saying that what she did was OK. He called sin a sin. Could it be that He is saying the same to you in a particular area of your life today? (Sorry. I just had to go and make it personal, didn't I?  But that's what girlfriends are for!)

Did God speak to you in today's devotion? Do you know without a shadow of doubt that ALL your sins are forgiven? If so, click over to my Facebook page and say, "Praise God ALL my sins are forgiven!"

More from the Girlfriends

Today's devotion was taken from my book, What God Really Thinks about Women: Finding Your Significance through the Women Jesus Encountered. We tend to read the Gospels with our twenty-first-century eyes.  But when we understand how oppressive the culture Jesus stepped into was against women, we begin to understand just how radical Jesus' ministry, messages, and miracles were at setting women free. 

[Judy Harder]

January 30, 2014
Fresh Hope for the Journey
Part 2
Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God (Psalm 40:1-3, NIV).       

Friend to Friend

Hard times will come and the darkness will find each one of us. At some point in life, we all will face some kind of pit. It may be a pit that we have dug with our own hands of wrong choices or it could be a pit that has been uniquely designed for us by the enemy. What can we do to find hope in the midst of the darkness? 

Step 1: Identify the purpose of the pit.

Step 2: Choose a response to the pit. 

We have several choices about how to deal with the pain and darkness in life. We can become bitter and blame God or someone else for the pain, or we can give up and wallow in the mire and mud of that slimy pit. I am guilty of plastering a smile on my face, gritting my teeth and denying that the pit even exists. However, the choice we should make is to trust God, knowing He will deliver us. He may deliver us from the pit or He may deliver us in it. We have to come to the place of being willing to accept His plan for deliverance – not ours. The Apostle Paul was an expert when it came to squeezing a seed of victory and truth out of every tough circumstance. 

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 "So that I would not become too proud of the wonderful things that were shown to me, a painful physical problem was given to me. I begged the Lord three times to take this problem away from me.But he said to me, 'My grace is enough for you.'"

Paul was not sinning by asking God to remove his affliction. Paul may not have understood what God was doing, but he chose to accept it because he knew God's heart. Paul may not have understood or even liked God's process, but he trusted God.

Step 3: Embrace the power of the pit.

2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, 'My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.' So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ's power can live in me."

God was sending Paul a message of hope. It is important to note the tense of the verb in this verse. "But he said to me" can be translated "He (God) has once-for-all said to me." It is an eternal promise.

The story is told of a businessman who was selling warehouse property that had been empty for months. Since vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and left garbage, the building needed expensive repairs. As the owner showed a prospective buyer the property, he was quick to explain that he would make any repairs needed. The buyer said, "Forget the repairs. When I buy this place, I'm going to build something completely different. I don't want the building – just the site."

God's grace turns defeat into victory, tragedy into triumph, and weakness into strength by providing real power over circumstances. People without Christ can muster up enough courage and human strength to get through a trial. God will not only enable us to survive the hard times, He wants us to thrive in and because of each trial we will ever face. Paul used his pain and chose to make that pit work for him – and God's power was unleashed in Paul's life.

Step 4: Find joy in the pit.

2 Corinthians 12:9 "I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ's power can live in me."

Joy is not an earthly treasure. Joy is a heavenly gift from our loving Father. God created us to be vessels that contain His joy. I am convinced God entrusts the greatest trials to those who will respond to them in the right way. Some of the most joyful people I know have suffered the most because they have learned to live by sheer faith in the promises of God instead of demanding that God explain the reason for the pain.

I love the story of the little girl who misquoted her favorite Bible verse, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have ever-laughing life." Jesus wants to give us a life of joy, pits and all. Part of the problem is that we do not understand what real joy is. Joy is the deeply rooted confidence that God is in control – no matter what the circumstances may be – no matter what our feelings are – no matter what! Our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outer circumstances. We can find joy - even in the pit.

The Nazis in World War II imprisoned Dr. Viktor Frankl because he was a Jew. His wife, children and parents were killed in the Holocaust. As the Gestapo stripped away his clothes and cut off his wedding band, Victor said to himself, "You can take away my family and destroy everything I possess, but there is one thing that no person can ever take from me - my freedom to choose how I react to what happens to me."

The longer I walk with Christ, the more I realize just how important the word "choice" is when it comes to finding victory over the darkness. I don't know what you are facing today, but God does. And you can choose joy and hope because God is with you.

Let's Pray

Father, thank You that You are my strength and my joy at a time when I feel so weak and so trapped in a pit of despair. By faith, I turn to You and seek Your forgiveness for the pride that blinds me to the hope I can find in You. Please help me see Your hand at work in my life, and even when I can't, give me the power to walk by faith and not by sight.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Read and memorize Psalm 40:1-3.

Record these verses in your journal.

When the darkness comes, remember each promise and count on God's grace. 

More from the Girlfriends

I really hope and pray that these devotions have met a need in your life. We are living in difficult and dark times for so many people. If you are one of them, we want you to realize that you are not alone. Maybe God wants to use you to encourage someone else battling the darkness. Know that we are praying for you and walking with you – over every mountain – through every valley – girlfriends in God. Blessings.

Need help learning how to study the Bible?Check out Mary's E-Book Bible Studies that you can download for your personal use and/or for a small group study. Are you or someone you love battling the darkness? Get Mary's book, Hope in the Midst of Depression, and discover how God delivered her from the pit of depression.

Mary's weekly online Biblestudy, Light for the Journey, is a great Bible study tool as well. Check it out! The current topic is How to Tame Your Tongue. And be sure to connect with Mary on Facebook or through email.

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