A Woman's Walk

[Judy Harder]

A Woman's Walk - Week of February 8


Week of February 8, 2009

Job Security 

When God calls us into new assignments, insecurity and fear often try to rise up in an attempt to prevent us from stepping into our mission, let alone completing the assignment.  The Bible has no shortage of characters who struggled with fear. 

Consider Joshua, David, Gideon, Elisha and Abraham, who desperately needed God's help to carry out divinely-appointed missions that were bigger than they.

Job assignments are no different.

After six weeks of praying, seeking and receiving prayer from others, God blessed me with a new job.  I was hired on the spot at a level above what I expected and at a company that is literally bursting at their physical seams with exponential growth.  Yes, even amid the currently U.S. economic crisis, God sees the job openings and can direct us to them if we ask.  Thank you, Jesus!

At first, I found myself overwhelmed with new material.  But I knew God had assigned me there.  After all, He had given me several confirmations.  So I had to stand upon His truth and trust Him to know that He had prepared me for such a time as this and that He would continue to equip me as I journeyed.

I soon realized that the company God had brought me to was indeed a Kingdom company, in that the owners are Christian, they operate their business according to Kingdom principles and they invite employees to openly pray and share Jesus.

By the end of my first week, I had made a new friend, who shares my love for Jesus.  And she agreed to come in early with me and intercede for our training class, our instructors and the company.  I found the presence of God in our classroom to be uniquely powerful in a way I had never experienced.

God also impressed upon my heart to stand before my class of men and women and invite them to submit specific prayer requests.  And so I did.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the room shifted.  People's hearts were touched.  A few women sighed and smiled.  And within minutes, little notes with handwritten prayer requests were passed forward.

No matter what our circumstances, we can trust God with job security if we ask and seek.  He has wonderful blessings and promotions in store for us.  And we will always need Him when we step into them, not only for ourselves but for others who await His love and blessing.

What do you need today?
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Margaret D. Mitchell is the founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ. Check out the new God's Love at Work Businesswomen Select program and the Women's Fellowship gatherings.

[Catwoman]

Courage is not the absence of fear...Rather, it is the determination that you will keep on moving through and in spite of that very fear.  I have known many courageous women and men in my lifetime...My mother and father being two of them.   

[Judy Harder]

Week of February 15, 2009
Kingdom Love

"Love never fails."  ~ I Corinthians 13:8

In order for something to never fail, it must be strong.  It mustn't wear out--ever.  It must endure through every test, every trial, every season of time, every hill, every valley, every personality.  Only God is this kind of love (I John. 4:.

Kingdom love begins with an outpouring from God to us, then through us to others.  In this way, the process of love is cyclical and is the foundation and motivation upon which and through which every Godly thing is built.

I am amazed at what God can do with a clean slate--a desperate and surrendered heart.

Have you ever noticed that when God gives us a directive, the first thing that comes is fear? This is because the directive or mandate He is giving us is bigger than we, our knowledge bank, our previous experience, our vision and the current capacity of our hearts.  It's bigger than anything we know at that moment.

Indeed, we serve a very big God who has very big plans.  And the enemy tries to use fear to thwart those plans on earth so that he can reign. 

When we turn to God with a willing heart, He showers His love upon us and restores us.  It is from His infilling of revelation, instruction and joyful power that we accomplish new things for God.

When fear comes to arrest us, we must choose which master we will serve.

God has rescued me many times from irrational fears and has taken me to heights that I could not imagine on my own by simply giving me a willing heart and a resounding "Yes" in my spirit.

When He first called me to begin to minister to people in my workplace, I felt terrified.  Sharing the love of God was the most frightening thing He could've asked me to do at that time because I had such a bad case of fear of man.   

But God was about to break that bondage in my life and restore me to love.  He opened my eyes to see that the reverential fear of God He placed within me was greater than the fear of man within me.  This overwhelming reverential fear rose up and catapulted me into the new move God had for me.

As I journeyed through this new calling and saw this new level of God's amazing love consistently, I also saw that fear of man become extinct within me.  In time, I came to understand the process of Kingdom love.

How about you?  Have you noticed that just when you feel accomplished in any particular area, like in your career or certain relationships, God soon raises the bar?  When God calls us out of our comfort zones, the familiar areas that reside within us--whether good or bad--it's not for the purpose of harming us.  It's to prosper us and others and Him.

When we step up to God's divine callings, laying down all encumbrances, including self, and thereby receive more of Him, He gives us increased opportunities to sow and receive more love.  The more we get from Him, the more we can give to others.  And the more we give, the more we get.  God's abundant love never runs out. 

In this way, Kingdom love is not selfish.  It is a generous and perpetual process of sowing and reaping and multiplying, of nourishing and replenishing for the purpose of building God's Kingdom on earth. 

Kingdom love pivots our hearts, fills our lives and elevates our spiritual walk.  May we choose a resounding yes to trusting God in this journey so that His love will captivate us and enable us to build His Kingdom on earth (Mt. 6:10).

[Judy Harder]

Week of February 22, 2009
Strength

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  ~ Isaiah 40:31             

Eagles can soar above storms.  They can ascend to heights that other fowl cannot.  And they represent what we can do through the Lord as our strength.             

Strength is a reward and a byproduct of obedience.  Joshua 1:7 says, "Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go."  God reiterates "be strong" in verse 9.             

Remember when Sampson revealed the secret of his strength to Delilah who deceived and betrayed him (Jud. 16:17)?  Sin weakened him.  But afterwards, amid horrible consequences, when he prayed, God still accomplished His purpose by taking down the enemy.  Even if we lose our strength, God's power is made perfect in our weakness to accomplish His purposes (2 Cor. 12:9).             

1 Chronicles 16:11 says to "look to the Lord and His strength."  That's what Sampson did (Jud. 16:28).             

Strength is empowered by love.  The Sampson and Delilah story is the flesh or sin representation of this.  Conversely, God speaks of His loving relationship with us in Deuteronomy 6:5 and His strength, presence, love, deliverance and inheritance for the Israelites in Deuteronomy 4:37-38 where He went before them to drive out strong nations to set the captives free.               

Strength is activated by faith.  Hebrews 11:32-34 tells of great conquerers, like Gideon, David, Samuel and the prophets, and how their weaknesses turned to strength by calling on the Lord.             

Strength is expanded by wisdom.  Proverbs 24:5 tells us that "a man of knowledge increases his strength."  Knowledge is ammunition.  It is a tool that God can use through us.  Remember, there's nothing holy about ignorance.  Proverbs 21:22 tells us that a wise man can pull down strongholds in a mighty city.             

Our greatest source of our strength comes from above.  1 Corinthians 1:25 says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."               

It was the Father's strength that raised Jesus from the dead and placed Him above all things at His right side (Eph. 19:21). 

The Apostle Paul understood this kind of strength when he said, "I can do everything [that pleases God] through [Christ] who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:13).             

Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength.  Science now understands that when we are joyful, chemicals are released in our brain which gives us increased vigor, focus and motivation.               

What particular kind of strength do you need in your workplace?  Endurance, patience, confidence, knowledge?  Perhaps it's even physical strength.  Whatever we need, the Lord our God, our Strong Tower, is faithful to provide for the asking.   

Let us remember Isaiah 41:10, which says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

[Judy Harder]

A Woman's Walk - Week of March 1


Week of March 1, 2009
The Mercy Heart of Jesus

"For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did."  Matthew 21:32

Last summer, I had the pleasure of enjoying tea with a group of former prostitutes as part of a women's ministry.

Those of us who live in the southern part of the U.S. tend to think of tea as being an event that is reserved for high society at fundraisers and swank hotels or for intimate gatherings with our closest friends and family at cozy tea cottages.

So, not surprisingly, God renewed my mind and deeply touched my heart to comprehend His heart even more.

Isn't it interesting how we set out to minister to others, and we get ministered to?

Nonetheless, as I sat in the fellowship hall of this tiny and beloved country church, a tableful of cleaned-up prostitutes to my left, God reminded me that this is His purpose for the church – to reach out to the lonely, lost and broken.

Fast forward . . .

Just a week ago, I had the great pleasure to minister to another small group of homeless women who had been plucked from the street to live in a downtown church complex, which had been renovated to accommodate about 50 beds.

It was a brisk evening, the front doors open to anyone who might desire to wander in, and God's presence was in the air.

One by one, the women came from their rooms into the sanctuary.  To my surprise, they were comfortably dressed in their bathrobes and fuzzy slippers.  God reminded me of His heart, that He is a God of comfort, that it is His desire to minister to the most humble among us.  I found myself thinking, "Wow, how I'd love to go to church looking like that sometime."

To them, enjoying the music and participating in worship dressed like this wasn't an event, it was the norm.   Their style of worship – weeping and dancing and reaching up to God with their arms in earnest – brought our intimate setting to life, and this proved to be the most joyful 'pajama party' I had ever attended.

As I reflect upon it now, I realize even more that there are often areas of our lives or parts of our hearts that feel like or look like these women, our sisters-in-great-need and that if we will just reach up with an earnest and humble heart, our Heavenly Father will give us His finest blessing.

He awaits us.  Are you ready?  Do you need His mercy?

[Judy Harder]

Week of March 8
Walking in Miracles

"You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples."  ~ Psalm 77:14 

Every time the Lord performs miracles in my workplace, I feel like a small child standing along a roadside watching the biggest parade ever, my eyes and mouth open in total awe.   

And just like the people who stood at the city gate of Nain in Luke 7:16, where Jesus raised the dead son of a widow, I see Jesus' heart reach out to help His people in whatever area they need.  I watch Him heal people's bodies, removing all symptoms of pain and give them all kinds of breakthroughs.   I never know what Jesus will do or whom He would touch on a particular workday.  I only know He wants to use me to pray for the desperate.  And to me, there is no greater calling or purpose to my work.

What a joyous surrender it is to have the God of the universe guiding our every step in His perfect will to reach the hurting and the lost.  What better way to demonstrate to an unbeliever that Jesus is the Messiah than through miraculous acts of love?  What better way to convince a stray sheep that Jesus still holds them dear in His heart?  What better way to build a believer's faith? 

Miracles are the heart of God manifested from heaven to earth.  Is this not what we are commissioned to do as Christians, the will of God on earth?  Jesus and the Holy Spirit are our links, our empowerment.   

Most of the miracles in the New Testament were performed in the marketplace, as Jesus journeyed and as His disciples went forth.  I believe the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is a model for all Christians, not just "missionaries."  It is a daily walk, a journey until eternity. 

Won't you invite the Holy Spirit to use you in this way?  Then ask the Lord what's on His heart today, who needs prayer in His marketplace and to give you divine appointments.  Then step forth in faith, expecting God to show up and perform miracles.  His love will amaze you.

[Judy Harder]

Week of March 15, 2009
Tenacity

"Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well."  ~ Mark 6:56 (NKJV)

Tenacity means to cling to a belief without doubting.  It is a set kind of faith, a determination that doesn't waver.  It takes a lot of tenacity to believe for a healing touch when we are sick, when our physical bodies suggest hopelessness, when we have waited a long time.   

But our Father made divine healing a commodity through Jesus.  In the marketplaces--the center of business--divine healings were common and useful for building people's faith and winning souls, for setting people free from the bondage of disease, for restoring them to productivity and for the purpose of spreading the good news.  Miraculous wonders of healing were evidence that Jesus was who He said He was.

Hebrews 13:8 enlightens us that "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  Indeed, He heals today.  His power hasn't changed since He walked through marketplaces full of sick people on earth.  Still, all we need is one touch from Him. 

Tenacious faith is exhibited profoundly in the testimony of the woman with the issue of blood (Matt. 9:20).  The Bible tells us that she was sick for 12 years.  We don't know at what rate blood drained out of her body, but we do know that blood is life.  Surely, her faith was tested as she felt the very life drain out of her. 

But, according to the Amplified Bible, she kept saying to herself, "If I only touch His garment, I shall be restored to health" (Matt. 9:21).  Her declarations of divine truth built her faith and determination above her natural circumstances, which kept her going to the point of receiving complete healing.  Touching the hem of Jesus' garment brings perfect restoration to people (Matt. 14:36).  But we must journey forth, reach out and connect.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 tells us that when we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him.  And in His presence, His hem is available to us.

To be sure, Jesus heals in many ways, and, I believe, in His appointed time.  Like salvation, healing is a faith journey extended from the very heart of God's love, grace and mercy.  But do we have the tenacity to see it through?  How deep and how far are we willing to journey in our commitment to the kind of faith that brings life and restoration?

Surely, God has called us to tenacious faith.  Do we humbly present or "lay" people from our assigned workplaces before Jesus?  Do we desperately beseech Him for a healing touch?  Do we have a heart for others to be healed, a heart for doing the work of Jesus?

So often, the Lord has shown me that when I step out in faith and pray for the restoration of others, He rewards me by caring for my needs.  Tenacity is about selflessness.  It is about choosing to believe the truth of God's divine precepts over natural circumstances.  And it's about taking courage to journey forth with Jesus no matter what.

Regarding divine healing, tenacity allows us to confront and overcome all root causes of diseases, such as unforgiveness and other unconfessed sin.  It keeps us going to completion.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6).  Won't you bring life to someone in your workplace through a tenacious heart for Jesus?

[Judy Harder]

Week of March 22, 2009
Temperance

"But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet."  ~ I Thessalonians 5:8

Temperance is restraint in the face of temptation.  It is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23 KJV).  The root word "temper" originally meant "mixture" in Latin.  As Christians, we are an amalgam of body, soul and spirit.  And it is God in us who gives us harmony, who guides us and enables us to live temperate lives.  To Him, we must yield.

If we look at the Old Testament, unleavened cakes and wafers were "tempered with oil" and "anointed with oil" (Ex. 29:2).  In these simple passages lives so much meaning.  Just as the wheat and the oil were combined to complete a substance that would sustain life, the bread of life (Jesus) and the anointing oil (the Holy Spirit) sustains us in times of trouble, in the dry desert journeys, in the face of the tempter, Satan.

Although God is always in control, He allows us to journey through difficult circumstances to temper us, to cause us to reach for Him and depend upon Him with a great urgency and intensity for help.  God's firing or tempering process prepares us for the next promotion.  It challenges us to reach the next glory and obtain a higher level of purity and holiness (Ex. 30:35-37).  Yielding to the Holy Spirit brings us into greater composure, which positions us for action (I Peter 1:13) in an upcoming season. 

I recall an occasion when a friend of mind received a major breakthrough in her career.  She had been under the authority of a boss from whom she felt great heaviness and oppression on a daily basis.  Yes, she was being tempered.  I watched her at church each week as she journeyed through this dry place.  I saw tears of desperation fall from her cheeks.  I saw her heart cry out to God for relief.  And I saw her offer sacrifices of praise to the Lord while in the midst of emotional pressure and pain.

Many interceded for her, including myself.  And on the day that she was offered a new job, which was unbeknownst to me at the time, the Lord showed me that because she sought His heart with all of her heart, and because she was faithful to stay the course and exhibit love in the process, He shielded her from undue harm and was promoting her to be in authority over others.

Indeed, God must temper us to be leaders (2 Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:7).  We cannot do it alone, only through His grace (Titus 2:12). 

Inasmuch, God recently sent me back out into the job market.  After seven weeks of intense training, during which I had to lean into the Lord for His grace, my boss turned to me and quickly said, "You're going to be mastered by fire."  I knew just what she meant.

Consider Proverbs 25:28 (NIV): "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control."  My friend, in her flesh alone, surely felt like retaliating towards her boss.  And without the Holy Spirit's strength and guidance, she would have been defenseless and disgraced, like a city without walls.  But because she persevered by leaning to God, she finished the journey rewarded by promotion and surrounded by His glory.

Proverbs 16:32 (NLT) says, "It is better to be patient than powerful; it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city."  My friend chose to be patient in the suffering.  She believed that God's power was more than enough to defeat the enemy who attacked her.  And she waited upon God until He brought her to complete victory.  Such character development readied her to carry out her next divine assignment.

If you are being tempered, know that the process will not continue longer than God apportions.  Take courage and know that He is fighting your battles for you and that you will reign victorious if you persevere to the finish.

[Judy Harder]

Week of April 5, 2009
Humility 

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."  ~Col. 3:12

Very recently, God sent me back into the workforce.  One of many things He said to me beforehand was "Humility."  What I sensed that meant for me was that He purposed this job assignment to do a work of humility in me and that humility would be a key for survival.  Whoa, was He right!

Divine humility is the opposite of pride.  It is confidence in God, not self.  It is unpretentiousness at its finest.  It was the walk of Jesus, and it can be ours if we choose it or, as in my case, thrust into it.

Contrary to some beliefs, true humility is not passive, pathetic or weak.  Rather, it is divinely powerful.  It does not pause at or placate to foolishness.  Rather, it ushers in unity.  It does not damage us or grieve the Holy Spirit.  Rather, it honors God, and God, in turn, honors us when we exercise it according to His plan (Prov. 15:33).  Like truth, humility is a swift and divine weapon of righteousness, unity, love and wisdom that we can choose to wield.

Many of us understand that we are to humble ourselves before the Lord.  But what about choosing humility in the face of false accusers, persecutors, people who intend to harm us?  People who compete with us?  People who react out of fear and insecurity?  The ones the enemy uses to separate believers and thwart divine plans.  The ones God uses to test us?  Jesus chose humility.  His example was an important demonstration for us, a divine strategy, an assignment from The Father.

Surely, as He painfully hung on the cross with undeserved insults hurled at Him, His flesh and His heart ached for relief.  But He knew He was on a high mission to save a world of people for generations.  He knew His role of obedience and love, of priority, of divine purpose.  He knew divine truth in the face of ignorance.  He knew His Father and the humbling power of His love and mercy, and He was obedient to the call, even though it opposed man's limited understanding.

Jesus did not fall to the enemy's devices.  He needed no man's approval, only His Father's.  He trusted in His Father's plan.  He understood that humbling Himself unto the Father also meant responding with humility to man (Titus 3:2).  He knew that God's grace would sufficiently carry Him through the mission and that His divine purpose would be fulfilled regardless of man's actions.  Indeed, God was in control.

It is difficult to provoke a truly humble person into a dispute because they will lean into God's powerful love, peace and mercy when attacked, just like Jesus.  Simply put: Humble people do not react to other people's issues.  They are not controlled by them.  They respond in the Spirit because they do not feel the need to prove their worth to others.  They know their security and identity rests in Christ, even if others do not.  They are committed to the Lord's ways, and they are purposed.  They are too dedicated in seeking the Lord's righteousness and humility to give way to futile, self-exalting spats.  They hold onto God's power like a lifeline, and they are not willing to foolishly let it go.

You will know humble people by the fruit they bear and the mercy, peace and sincerity they exhibit (James 3:13-18).  This is because God can work His virtues through a humble person, whereas, with a prideful person, this cannot be.  Rather, selfishness rules, leaving little space for God to operate.  When we choose selfishness, we get what we choose: Our limitations.

Conversely, the humble journey is a true adventure.  There is great freedom and excitement in soaring with our trustworthy God.  Yielded to Him, He will take us higher than we can venture on our own or even imagine.  Yielded to Him, we receive His supernatural power, favor, rewards, strength, provision, love, grace, mercy and strategies to complete divinely-appointed assignments that are larger than we.  Is there any greater thrill?

Who among us couldn't use more divine humility?  I am challenged daily to respond to circumstances like Jesus, in His strength, His power and His love.  It is a process, a lifestyle, a series of moment-by-moment choices, a walk.  If you would like to break out of the prison of limitation, repent and take hold of the Lord's hand.  Choose to trust Him.  Soar with Him.  And prepare to be awed like never before!

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Margaret D. Mitchell is the founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ. Check out the new God's Love at Work Businesswomen Select program and the Women's Fellowship gatherings.

[Judy Harder]

Week of April 12
Keep Your Eyes Fixed on Him

Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]!  Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!  - Isaiah 60:1 (Amplified Bible)

Have you ever allowed your workplace circumstances to cause you to grow weary?  Perhaps life's circumstances have brought a heaviness upon you and weighed you down to the point that you found your workdays to be a great chore.  Perhaps depression has even come upon you.  Where did the joy go?

The dictionary defines circumstances as "factors beyond willful control."  In other words, if we had a choice, we wouldn't choose them.  We simply wouldn't want to deal with them.

All of us journey through winter seasons in our lives and in our careers.  I recall one such season not so long ago.  Although I was moving forward in God's plan, it seemed that each step was like plowing hard ground.  And although I still had the joy of the Lord within me, I could feel my patience being stretched daily, wondering, "When will this season end?  Why does everything feel so difficult?"

Then something amazing happened.  God woke me up very early one morning, about 3 a.m.  I rose from my bed and felt led to stand in front of our dining room window.  My heart felt heavy.  Even so, I put on a praise CD, and I began to quietly sing praises unto God.  Then I asked Him what He wanted to show me.

As I looked out onto our backyard, I saw an expanse of tall weeds near the perimeter.  Oh how I hated those ugly weeds!  The sight of them caused me to weep out of frustration because they were a reminder of the heavy circumstances in my life that seemed to not disappear. 

Seeking refuge, I gazed up at the star-lit sky for a moment.  But I was quickly distracted by those weeds.  My eyes lowered once again to see them before returning back up to the stars.  This time, I made up my mind that I wasn't going to look out at those weeds anymore.

As I focused on the heavens above me, I could feel my desire to reach up to God increase.  After about 20 minutes of singing praises and seeking Him, I pressed my cheek flat against a window pane so that I could see more sky overhead.  When I did this, I saw the brightest star of all.  It was straight overhead, and I would've missed it if I hadn't pressed in and set my eyes vertically. 

In that moment, God spoke to me in a revelation.  I gasped in awe, and I began to weep again.  Then just as I cupped my hands over my mouth, a falling star shot down from that perfect early morning sky, right into the weed patch.  In this moment, God spoke to me again saying, "I'm singeing your weeds."  I dropped to my knees in total, humble awe, and my spirit rejoiced in the Lord.

What's more, the CD that I had been listening to was Nicole Nordeman's Woven & Spun.  The song that played when God showed me the brightest star and the falling star was "My Offering."  The chorus that played the moment my eyes first saw the brightest star was, "Open up the heavens, open up the skies . . . "  And the moment the other star fell, the song neared its end with a crescendo playing, "and the stars every evening are all standing by to light the sky . . . " 

Indeed, the God who placed the stars in the sky and knows them by name, the God who cares about every detail of our lives, chose a creative way to remind me to keep my eyes on Him and not look to circumstances, no matter how difficult they seem.  Indeed, His word is true: Nothing is more powerful than the God who created the universe.  There is joy in the morning, and our circumstances must bow to the name of Jesus.

What circumstances in your life or your workplace are causing you heaviness?  Ask the Father in heaven to help you keep your eyes fixed on Him.  Then cast them into the sea, and rejoice.