Tag: bible study

Girl Tribe

I have this group of girlfriends that I’ve come to know and love over the past year. The Lord brought them into my life when I needed life-giving friendships and encouragement more than ever before. These women represent the true heart of God. They are transparent, they are open, they are love, and they are full of joy. We laugh, we cry, and we have fun. And what is most unique about this group…every single woman WANTS to be there for the rest. When someone’s child is getting baptized, we’re there, yelling and clapping the loudest, taking video or taking pictures. When someone is going through a hard time, we’re there, praying and comforting and texting to check on them. When I’m struggling or having a hard time with something, they’re all there, not with judgment and condemnation, but with love and support and encouragement. These are the women that I want to walk beside and share life with.

Thank you, Lord, for bringing these women into my life with their beautiful souls, love, laughter and hearts of gold.

I didn’t want this Christmas season to pass or this year to end without expressing my deepest gratitude for the gift they are to me.

To Shana, thank you for welcoming me to your group, for leading our group with your insightfulness into God’s Word, and allowing me to be me (even the crazy note-taking part of me!).

To Kristel, thank you for opening your home each week to all of us and not only allowing us to be open and transparent, but also by checking on us throughout the week or even weeks later to see how things are going.

To Tanya, thank you for the amazing prayer warrior that you are. Your prayers are so full of the Spirit, it’s as if angels sing every time you pray!

To Stacia, thank you for your strength. I don’t even know your full story yet, but to hear how you encourage everyone in the group, despite what you may be going through yourself, your strength in the Lord amazes me all the time.

To Maddie, thank you for bringing youthfulness to our group. I love that our group spans many ages and seasons of life. You have wisdom beyond your years and I’m so happy to have you as a dear friend.

To Lacy, thank you for inviting me to the group. I know that meeting you when I was a youth leader was God-appointed and I’ll forever be thankful for you and the friendship we’ve developed over this past year.

To Mary Ann, thank you for your smile. I love being around you; you are always so happy and full of joy. There’s always laughter when you’re around and I love that about you so much!

To Natali, thank you for being genuine. You don’t ever hesitate to share the good or the bad, the struggles and the victories. I learn so much by listening to you, and I also love hearing what you’re reading about in the Bible. You help me to see being transparent is a good thing when you’re with the right group of women.

To Kristina, thank you for all you’ve done for me inside and outside of the group. I love watching you with your girls and your family. You have a beautiful spirit about you. Not only am I blessed to know you, but I know your family is as well.

To Jennifer, thank you for your words of encouragement. You have a way of offering just the right words when someone is struggling. You’re not ashamed to draw from your past to share God’s love with everyone around you.

To Patricia, thank you for sharing God’s Light to every person you meet. You have a unique business and gift and I love hearing about the women you encounter and how you help them and heal them.

I think God for each one of you. Thank you for your beautiful friendship!

Proverbs 27:9 (NLT), “The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.”

1 John 4:7 (NLT), “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”

I Am an Israelite

One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is the story of the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness. There’s so much of the story to tell of their 40-year journey that it stretches through FIVE books of the Bible (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy & Joshua).

I am always amazed every time I read through their story. Amazed at all the miracles God did for them and also amazed at how rebellious they were despite all the great things God was doing for them their entire journey! I mean, Moses raised his staff to a sea of water and it not only parted, but it allowed two million…T-W-O M-I-L-L-I-O-N people to walk across the sea, on dry ground to get to the other side! How on earth does someone forget such an amazing miracle like that!?! (Exodus 14)

And yet, we do the same thing. We pray to God for something to happen in our lives—a new job, a husband, children, a cure, financial blessing—whatever it is that we desperately want to see changed in our lives. We pray to God, we seek His face, we read our Bible, and we pray some more. And because of the “always-in-a-hurry-fast-paced” society we live in, we expect God to move at that pace, too. And when His timing isn’t the same as ours, we complain that He doesn’t hear us, He doesn’t see us, or He doesn’t love us anymore!

Who do we sound like now? The Israelites.

I’ve always heard pastors tell the story of the Israelites or speakers share about it at women’s conferences. They always say how we’re not any different than the Israelites. We complain to God just like they did, when things don’t go our way or when God is taking longer to fulfill promises than we would like. And I’ve always sat and listened to those messages and thought to myself, “I’m not like the Israelites! Those people were so selfish! They started complaining the moment they left Egypt:

‘Our journey is too long. We’re hungry!‘

‘We’ve been walking in this desert for three days and we’re thirsty!‘

‘Why did you take us out of Egypt? We were slaves, but at least we had food and water!‘

‘Why did you bring us to the desert to die?’

I mean, seriously?!? Talk about the most ungrateful group of people!” (Exodus 15, 16, 17)

Then last week, I was at bible study giving a friend an encouraging word about a job. She shared with us how she needed to find a job and had some great interviews, but no one offered up the job to her afterward. So, I shared with her one of my job experiences. At the time, I was bored with the job I had, so I applied for a new job.  It ended up being about a six-month process between resume submission, phone interviews, different tests I had to take and then the final interview. After the final interview, I received word that the employer had chosen to take a different path and that was that. I eventually moved on to a new job. Almost two years later, I was very unhappy in that job and was praying for God to move in my situation. He did. I got a call from the job I had previously interviewed with that had told me they “had chosen to take a different path.” They had an opening and needed to fill the spot quickly. They remembered me from when I was interviewed before and asked if I was still interested in the job. Needless to say, two weeks later I started my new job with them and I’m still there today. The point I was making to my bible study friend was that just because they’re not calling you now, doesn’t mean they won’t call you in the future. Hopefully for her sake, it doesn’t take two years, but an encouraging story nonetheless. So, after bible study I was driving home and thinking about that job story again. And I began to think through all the blessings God had given; the places where He met me in my weak moments, in my desperate moments, and in my tearful, heart-wrenching moments; God was there with me for every single one. And in every single one of those moments, I realized I had complained to God for not answering those prayers in MY TIME. I had received a blessing from Him, moved about my life, until the next time I began praying for something I wanted or a direction I wanted to take and when He didn’t answer me, I complained. I forgot all about the previous blessing and the miraculous power He used to make that “thing” I wanted a possibility. 

And then it hit me…I AM AN ISRAELITE!  I am just like them! Moaning and complaining when something isn’t going my way or I’m not getting what I want, when I want it and forgetting all about the things God has already done and given me in my life. Dang it! I am just like them!

God has blessed me over and over during different situations and hard seasons. How is it that I forget the amazing things He has done for me and my family? How do I let my faith sway and think He won’t bless me this time? God shows up each and every time I need Him or have something I want or need. He doesn’t fail me. He doesn’t forsake me. He doesn’t say, “Well, Kara, I gave you something last time you asked, you need to be satisfied with that and not ask for anything else. I need to bless other people also.” He doesn’t say that!  Ever! There may be some spaces in time between His blessings, but it doesn’t mean He won’t bless me again! He is always faithful.

God is the immovable, unshakable, everlasting, promise-keeping, uncompromising, miracle-working God.

His promises never return void.

His love never ends.

His blessings never cease.

He is our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer, and our Strength.

Our trustworthy companion.

Our Comfort and our Peace.

God gives healing, freedom, victory, forgiveness, and eternal life.

I am an Israelite and so are you! May we soak in that truth, but also remember that God is always moving in the background and is “able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20, NKJV)

Freedom from Offense

This past week, the women’s bible study that I’m a part of at my church started our new bible study for the spring semester.  This semester, we are studying “The Bait of Satan” by John Bevere.  I’ve read this book before and I’m looking forward to reading it again, but studying it deeper now than I did the first time.

I don’t know about you, but books like this are ones that I like to have the physical book so that I can mark up, underline, highlight and earmark all the pages and passages that speak to me while I’m reading them.  We’ve only discussed the first two chapters in the book.  But as I was reading through the next section in preparation for our class, several of the passages and statements, along with scriptures jumped right off of the page.

Some of these passages spoke so personally to me, that I wanted to share them with you.  Most of these come from the first three chapters in the book and some of the scriptures from the first two chapters of the workbook.  If any of you are dealing with offense in any way, I pray these speak to you as boldly as they did to me.

Luke 17:1

“…It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!”

Just because you were mistreated, you do not have permission to hold on to an offense.

Matthew 5:44

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

If we do not deal with an offense, it will produce more fruit of sin, such as bitterness, anger and resentment.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.  Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

Jesus said our ability to see correctly is another key to being freed from deception.  Often when we are offended we see ourselves as victims and blame those who have hurt us.  You will only repent when you stop blaming other people.

There are two Greek words for love: phileo and agape.

Phileo is a love among friends; it’s affectionate and conditional.

Agape is the love of God and is unconditional; it is a love that gives even when rejected.

Galatians 6:8-9

“Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.  But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.  So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

When you sow the love of God, you will reap the love of God.

We walk in a selfish love that is easily disappointed when our expectations are not met.  If I have no expectations about someone, anything given is a blessing and not something owed.  We set ourselves up for offense when we require certain behaviors from those with whom we have relationships.  The more we expect, the greater the potential offense.

If we don’t risk being hurt, we cannot give unconditional love.  Unconditional love gives others the right to hurt us.

To not be offended, we must freely receive and freely give.

Complaining is rebellion and a lack of fear of the Lord.

Philippians 2:14-15

“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,…”

If it is not dealt with, offense will eventually lead to death.  But when you resist the temptation to be offended, God brings great victory.

James 4:7

“So humble yourselves before God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Authority is given to serve, not to set you apart.

Often, we focus on the impossibility of our circumstances instead of the greatness of God.

1 Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Absolutely no man, woman, child or devil can ever get you out of the will of God!  No one but God holds your destiny!  No mortal man or devil can supersede the plan of God for your life.  But there is only one person who can get you out of the will of God and that is you!

If you stay free from offense you will stay in God’s will.

Remember that Satan fights you the hardest and brings his greatest attach again your harvest (God’s inheritance for you) just before your harvest manifests and becomes a reality.

Numbers 23:19

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.  Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

God has already seen every adverse circumstance we will encounter—no matter how great or small—and He has the way planned for escaping it.  Often the thing that looks like an abortion of God’s plan actually ends up being the road to its fulfillment if we stay in obedience and free from offense.

Stay submitted to God by not becoming offended; resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  We resist the devil by not becoming offended.

God’s Word, His promise, will always come to pass as long as you don’t get offended.

1 Peter 5:10

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

Please feel free to comment and share with me any of the passages, statements and/or scriptures that spoke to you or share with me some of your own…