Women of Promise

  Genesis 16:13 “Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the- God-Who-Sees: “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” NKJV Throughout the Bible there are many women, named and unnamed, who can impact our lives  today – Sarah, Abraham’s wife who although she doubted, rejoiced over Isaac, the promised  child; Mary, the young woman chosen to be our Savior’s mother; Deborah, a wise and just judge  over Israel; and the unnamed Proverbs 31 woman – our ultimate example. These ladies are all  worthy of emulation, and while not perfect, imitation. There are two Old Testament women that  have come to mean a great deal to me over the years since my salvation in 1991. The first is  Hagar, a maidservant and the second is Hannah, a beloved wife. Let’s look at Hagar first. Hagar was the maidservant that Sarah used to “help God” give Abraham a son. She was a  pawn in a scheme to “hurry” God along by bearing the son that Sarah couldn’t. Hagar...

            One recent weight-loss method that has gained a lot of attention recently is "intermittent fasting."  Some medical professionals are saying that when done on a regular basis this practice has significant health benefits.     Did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about feasting and fasting? Did you know that these practices are spiritual in context? The very first sin involved food. Revelation talks about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in chapter 19. In between these two events the law prescribes times of feasting and of restraint. We are given examples from Moses, Elijah, Ezra, Esther, David, Daniel, Anna, Jesus and Paul who fasted for specific times of prayer.      Often we talk about times of fasting from things (social media or sugar, for example). Anything that is done for the purpose of bringing our focus more fully on God's Word is beneficial. It is also good to note that fasting is not a prescrib...

    Recently I was thinking of a song my dad loved to sing.  Dad loved the Psalms and had a dream to see all 150 of them put to music in a form that anyone could sing.  He wrote music to five of them himself.  The lyrics to this particular song is a paraphrase of Psalm 23, written by Isaac Watts who wrote many hymns in the 1800s.  It was put to an old Southern folk hymn melody and is a simple, beautiful melody that runs through your mind for a long time once you hear it.  If you would like to listen to it, here is one  version of it:   My Shepherd Will Supply My Need .  Here are the lyrics:  My Shepherd will supply my need: Jehovah is His Name; In pastures fresh He makes me feed, Beside the living stream. He brings my wandering spirit back When I forsake His ways, And leads me, for His mercy's sake, In paths of truth and grace. When I walk through the shades of death His presence is my stay; One word of His supporting grace Dri...

       Ephesians 5:25 is the passage that most women get excited to hear taught. Their thoughts go something like this: "Yes!! This is how my husband should be. He NEEDS to hear this!! Preach it, Pastor!"    Today I wanted to share something from this passage that was convicting for me, as a woman.  I want to look at the last part of verse 25. just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her     Yes, this verse is directed at instructing the men to love their brides as Jesus loves, but I was led to think for a bit on the magnitude of how much Christ loved the church.  It was so much that He gave His life for her! He LOVES the church! The church is His Bride. There are many more evidences of this in Scripture.      Thinking about another verse brought me to my knees again. Romans 8:29 tells us that God called us to be "conformed into the image of His Son."  In other words, if we are born again, we should be ...