"The Wink! Eves' Rip Off - Part 1" by Debra Courtney

“What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?” Psalm 8:4 AMP

I am amazed at the extent and tenacity of how badly the enemy wants to violate and destroy especially the female gender.  He has been planning and plotting our destruction sense the day we were born.  He has watched our every move, mood, and conversation with wanton eyes and straining ears.  

He has great passion and unlimited perseverance to each detail of mine and your life, so that he knows what buttons to push, buttons of anger, desire, betrayal, lies, contempt, and deception.  Satan lusts after us.  He uses others to fulfill his plans to deceive us and trap us to exploit us. 

Desire can be a tool used in the form of manipulation.  The power of suggestion is a very powerful manipulative force.  Suggestion has so many faces, such as desire, jealousy, and envy. 

I grew up seeing a woman trying to complete her husband.  A lot of us think that we need men to complete us; they cannot and never will.  Only God can complete us. 

God saw that Adam was incomplete.  He needed a help mate.  Woman was created to complete man’s purpose, not to complete his person.  Adam was already created as far as a man could be created.  When God finished forming the dust of the earth to form Adam, the creation of Adam was complete.  God was done with Adam.   

However, there is a special enmity, a special conflict between the woman and the enemy.  There is a special warfare.  The enemy is especially attracted to woman.  Every soul birthed comes through us.  We birth the very thing that is to bring Glory to God, and the enemy wants it with every fiber of his being.  He knows that we were designed to bring forth humanity that is God's special creation of all creation.  

If we understand how very, very important this is to God, then we especially need to be on guard against the enemies seeking whom he may desire.  Yes, it is man who plants the seed, but it is the woman who is designed to bring forth the seed, the baby, the human soul to praise and glorify God.  As we grow older through adolescence and teen years, the enemy cleverly watches us, being so “nosey” in everything we do and say. 

Discern your words.  They are a powerful force that calls forth your future!  Whether you know it or not, you are calling things that are not as though they were.  

Our eternal enemy patiently stalks us.  He is very patient.  We have to learn how to outlast the enemy.  How we do that is to be more patient than he is.  At the right time, he can subtly sabotage us to meet his vision instead of God's vision.  If we allow him to do that, we have a great problem. 

Jesus talked about the cares of this world in Matthew 13:22 says, “As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit."

Be a good fruit bearer!  Watch out for the wink!

Looking for God's Blessing - by @Lori_Kennedy

Photo by Amelia Grace Photography

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

I recently went to the poorest county in West Virginia on a mission trip with my church.  We were planning to work in the clothes closet and the food pantry.  We were also planning to have a women’s retreat, including dinner, while we were there.  Several of us were also scheduled to do some neighborhood visits with a local missionary.  There were fifteen of us, and most of the women were between ten and twenty years older than I am. 

Four of us headed out with the local missionary to the mountain hollers to visit some of the poorest families in the county.  As we drove the curvy roads up into the mountains, the surroundings looked familiar, and my stomach began to turn as old feelings of pain and shame invaded my heart.  My dad’s second wife was from the mountain hollers of Virginia.  We would visit her parents often and had spent many a holiday during my childhood years driving roads that looked eerily similar to these.  Memories of molestation by a step-uncle during the Christmas that I was eleven assaulted my brain and threw me into a melancholy mood. 

We arrived back at the camp, and I went to the dorm and just let the tears flow.  I truly didn’t realize I would be affected this way, but I also recognized that I needed to get this poison out.  I trusted God’s character and acknowledged that this was another layer of healing and that I would have to peel this layer back in order to reveal a new tender layer and move forward in my healing and relationship with God. 

Now here’s the amazing part.  Since I lived with my dad and more than one stepmother from the age of seven, and since my biological mother was not very present in my upbringing, I have always struggled with an empty “mommy love” place in my heart.  These precious women came around me.  They prayed with me; they loved me; they hugged on me; they treasured me; they celebrated me.  They allowed me the opportunity to heal in their safe and soothing presence.  It was a beautiful and precious picture of God’s love and redemption.  It was such a secure way to walk through those moments of grief that I was facing in order to take that big leap forward in healing. 

These precious moments reminded me that God’s plans for me are good and that God’s character is good….always.

Click here for a video of Kari Jobe's "Steady My Heart"

The Pressure is Off ~ by Debra Courtney

Creative Commons by wwarby

The Pressure Is Off

by Debra Courtney

"Cast your cares on the LORD..." Psalm 55:22

I have just taken on a new class, one that is so challenging.  I asked myself, "Girl, what have you gotten yourself into, by thinking you could do this?"  I felt and am pressured!  Has this ever happened to you? 

I am reminded about the time a family member and I went to Dublin, Ireland.  We decided we didn’t need to take an all-inclusive bus trip like the other boring tourists.  No, we would just tour Ireland on our own at our own pace and enjoy the trip so much more!  So we flew into Dublin’s airport and went to get the car at the car rental place there on the airport grounds.  I asked for a map of Dublin, and when I looked at it I could not believe what I saw.  I said to myself, “Girl, what have you gotten yourself into?”  Then when we get to the car, the steering wheel was on the left hand side, and I had to drive on the left hand side, I looked at the person with me and said, “Girl, what have we gotten ourselves into?!”  Needless to say we were pressured with what we had gotten ourselves into!  Back in the States before I booked the trip, I thought to myself, “I can handle this," but when it came time to handling it, I was extremely pressured.  My stomach was all in knots the whole trip while I was driving.  It was a pleasant trip when I was not driving.

Now I find myself in the same way, but this time I really prayed and asked for and got many counselors in order to obtain wisdom before even signing up for this class.  I am in my second week of this writing, and let me tell you I am experiencing the pressure.  This is a challenging class.  One-fourth of the class is on their 2nd or 3rd time of retaking the course.

I woke up early this morning thinking about this class.  I usually wake up in a spirit of prayer and worship, but not this morning.  I woke up in a spirit of pressure and thinking about this class.  Had I really missed it in my prayers?  Had I really missed it in listening to my many counselors that told me this class is a challenge?  I was at peace when I signed up for it.  I was at peace when I prayed about it way before the class started.  I had told the Lord, "If this class is not for me, shut the door.  If it is, open the door.  I am here to do your will, not my will.  The decision lies with you, Lord, not me." 

Have you ever had something happen in your life when you really thought you had to come through?  This was my thinking this morning.  After I had gotten up from my quiet time, I went and got a cup of coffee.  (I don’t like coffee that much).  I didn’t go to the new workout class I had just signed up for.  I was feeling the pressure of this other class.  Then it came to my spirit.  “Debra, why are you under pressure so much?  The pressure is mine.  It is my job to see you through this class.  Roll your pressure upon me.  You are to do your part and trust me to do my part.”  Talk about a revelation!

These things we know about giving our troubles to the Lord and laying them at His feet for He cares for us, we hear this preached and taught all the time, but I had gotten myself into such a state of panic and pressure that even my time alone with the Lord (my Quiet Time) was disrupted by thoughts of defeat.  It is not like me to be that way.  Nothing is to take first place in our lives.  First place belongs to God Almighty, then all the rest falls into its proper place! 

Now I have “NO PRESSURE!”  The “PRESSURE” is the Lord's; He is my provider.  He can handle it!  Girls, do I breathe better!  

• What in your life is causing you pressure?  
• How have you been handling it thus far?  
• What is the Father encouraging you to do even now to roll that pressure onto His capable shoulders?

Debra Courtney’s life goal is to inspire and motivate women globally to become all they have been created and designed to be by using the guiding principles of their Creator’s word in gaining wisdom, understanding their designed-given personality identities, and creating their independence!  

“I want women today to be transformed out of your lack of fulfillment, frustration, and pain through the benefits of coaching; to stand and run with the promises that have already been promised to you by your Creator; to be challenged and to be stirred up to go places that you have never dreamed of; to be motivated in wisdom where you can live a life above and beyond in the exploration and discovery found in the “who” of how you were created. 

Coaching is ideal for taking you through this process, for closing the gap between your “Here and Now” to “There”.  Coaching gives you the ability to explore and discover the life you were designed to live according to the values and priorities that affirm your purpose  and passion and define “who” you are!” 

Your words create an environment to enhance your living experiences in ways this world cannot.  Your words create an environment to enhance your journey in ways this world cannot. 

Click here to view Laura Story's video "I Can Just Be Me"

Laura Story - I Can Just Be Me (Official Live Video) from laura-story on GodTube.

Greatest Need by Melissa Haas @RestoreLifeUs

Photo by Melissa Haas

     

   Greatest Need

 by 

Melissa Haas

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3  

My greatest need is to know God and be known by Him. 

We were created from the very beginning for relationship. God put within us a desire to know and be known, and the goal of our relationship with Him is to grow in intimate connection with Him.  

Sometimes, however, we get knowing God confused with knowing about Him. As believers, we have learned all kinds of things about God—His character and His expectations. Much of what we have learned about God has stayed in our minds, though, and never made it to the part of our heart from which life comes.   

Too often when we open our Bibles or sit down to pray or enter His house to worship, it’s all about us.  He scarcely has time to say, “Hello, friend!” before we are asking Him for something or trying to find an answer to one of our problems. The reality of our relationship with Him right now may be that we don’t see Him as a friend. We see Him as a rich benefactor or as a parent or as our counselor or physician. Truly these are all aspects of who He is, but we don’t truly know Him. We are only in relationship with Him because of the things He gives us, and we’re not really interested in His heart, His needs, His desires, His feelings, and His life.   

We must move beyond the place where we only see God as a provider and disciplinarian. He longs for us to know Him. He wants us to be intimately acquainted with Him. He also wants to know us.   

But wait a minute, Melissa. God already knows me. He created me. He has numbered the hairs of my head. He knows when I come and go. He even knows my thoughts. How can I make myself any more known to Him than that? 

You’re right. He already knows everything about you, but He delights in you relating to Him.   

Think about it this way. Your daughter is very involved in gymnastics, and she’s good—really good.  You know she has a big meet this weekend, and you see how excited and anxious she is about it.  The day of the meet, you sit together with her at the breakfast table, eating pancakes together.  Your daughter has a grin on her face and a look of focused concentration.  You know that in her mind she is thinking about her routines and how she will dismount with a stepless, solid landing.  You venture a question, “What are you thinking about, Sweetie?” 

“Oh, just stuff,” she replies. “Got to go, Mom.  I’ve got a busy day ahead of me.  Love you.” 

As she leaves the table, you can’t help but feel rejected. She didn’t invite you to the meet. She didn’t even tell you about it. Thinking she must just be distracted, you resolve to be at the meet and watch your daughter perform her best gymnastic routines of the year, and you’re there on the front row of the bleachers when she misses her first vault. You’re there when she makes a near perfect score on the floor exercise, and you’re there when she almost falls off the balance beam.  You see the emotions etched in her face and can almost feel her desperation when she gets up to do her exercise on the uneven bars.  She mounts the bars. Your thoughts echo hers—keep moving, don’t miss the bar, get ready for the dismount, tuck, wait, wait, extend! She lands with both feet firmly planted, back arched beautifully, a beaming smile on her face. Jumping up, you clap and whistle and shout praises in her direction, but she never looks your way. She’s hugging her coach and the other players on her team and walking towards the awards stand where she will claim the gold medal as the overall winner of the meet. She acts like she doesn’t even know you are there.   

Disappointed and saddened, you leave the stands and head home. You wanted to share in her happiness, but she was totally unaware of your supporting presence or your desire to be a part of her life. “Maybe tonight,” you think, “she’ll tell me about the meet.”

That evening, sitting at the supper table, your daughter is smiling from ear to ear and off somewhere far away in her thoughts. You ask, “How was your day, Sweetheart?” 

“It was great, Mom! And you know, I’m so glad you let me take gymnastics. You’re a great mom, you know that?”

“Thanks, sweetie, and I’m proud of you.” 

“Well, I think I’ll hit the sack, Mom. I’m beat. Good-night. I love you.” Off she goes, still never sharing anything about her day or her heart with you. 

Does this sound like a crazy scenario? How many times have you ended the day, never sharing anything more of yourself with the Father than maybe a quick prayer of gratitude and love?   

He wants to know you. He wants you to tell Him about your feelings and your thoughts. He wants to be involved in your life. Yes, He sees and knows, but He wants to participate. Give Him that chance.

Melissa Haas currently serves as the Director of Restoration Groups for HopeQuest, a ministry group in Woodstock, Georgia, which helps people struggling with life-dominating issues.  Melissa began her service in ministry in 1993 as an international missionary to Kenya, East Africa, where she and her husband Troy worked as church planters among the Turkana people.  When a significant marital crisis ended their missionary service, Melissa and Troy began a journey of healing and restoration that now serves as the foundation of their ministry to others.  Passionate about spiritual community, healthy marriages, and intimacy with God, Melissa regularly facilitates small groups and teaches and speaks on these topics in order to help the Body of Christ grow relationally with God and each other.  Melissa and Troy and their three children reside in Woodstock, Georgia.

Click here or on the viewer below to see Meredith Andrews perform "Not For A Moment (After All)"

Something Stinks In There - A Guest Post by @SusanCNorris

Photo by Susan Norris

Something Stinks In There

By Susan Norris 

Do you have a sensitive nose? I do. I can smell when something’s off quickly. I opened the pantry and knew there was a problem.  The smell was of something rotting. Now I normally go right to where I keep the potatoes or onions, because they are the only produce in the pantry and I can usually solve the problem quickly, but the potatoes and onions I found in the baskets were fresh.  The smell was still there. Could it be in the trash? After taking the trash out, wiping the trashcan down and putting in a new trash bag, I knew it wasn’t the trash stinking up the pantry.  Through some investigation, I found it . . . a runaway sweet potato that had rolled to the back of the pantry, hidden behind other things. It was squishy to the touch (yuck), but once it was removed and disposed of, the stench in the pantry evaporated. 

We can be like the pantry. We can go through life with something hidden, we haven’t dealt with, we haven’t been able or willing to remove, and if left long enough it begins to stink.  It will impact every facet of our lives, whether we realize it or not.  It could be a sin we’ve committed or something that was done to us that wounded us badly.  Either way, if it isn’t removed, it will contaminate everything else in our lives.  We can only keep it hidden so long.  If we don’t discover it, the stench will make its presence known. 

Yesterday, I had the privilege of assisting a brave young lady take the first step in cleaning out her pantry of life.  She is a victim of human sex trafficking. Not only did she have many vile things happen to her, she was forced to do things she wouldn’t have chosen to do on her own.  The fact that she did them has covered her in shame and humiliation long enough.  She chose to trust the One who has pursued her with a pure love to help her find the rotting things that need to be removed from her life [Jeremiah 31:3] .   

Nothing is hidden from God [Hebrews 4:13]. Just as He told Jeremiah He would uncover Esau’s hiding place and remove him, He will uncover the hidden things in my young friend’s life and remove them as far as the east is from the west [Jeremiah 49:10, Psalm 103:12]. He is for her, and He is for us too [Romans 8:31-39]. He loves her and will gently help her find her way, warring for her when necessary, to bring her into complete freedom.  She may have entered a treatment center as a victim, but if she will allow the Lord to do the necessary work in her life, she will emerge a survivor!  Jesus will make sure of it.  He will do the same for anyone who will call upon His name [Psalm 50:15. Psalm 91:15, Jeremiah 29:12]. 

Photo by Susan Norris

What does your pantry of life smell like?  Is there something rotting in there that needs to be uncovered and removed?  You have a loving and gentle Father who desperately wants to clean it out of your life.  He doesn’t use harsh chemicals to do the job.  He uses love and His blood, which cleanses even the hardest stains [Psalm 51:1-7].  He’s more dependable than the Maids of Honor.  One call, that’s all!

Connect with Susan!
www.susannorris.org,
Twitter  @SusanCNorris,
Facebook  Susan Norris author.   

Click here to listen to "Just Surrender" by Starfield

"Just Surrender" by Starfield from starfield on GodTube.

Don't Fight Temptation. Just Give Up - "A Guest Post by @RobEagar"

Don't Fight Temptation - Just Give Up 

ByRob Eagar

Chuck fought the desire to lash out at his girlfriend, Leah. While shopping at the mall, they had bumped into her ex-boyfriend, Dan. A quick “hello” turned into a conversation that Leah seemed to enjoy. Chuck was a Christian and knew that he should be considerate. Nevertheless, the more he listened to Leah laugh with Dan, the more a jealous anger brewed within him.

The interaction made Chuck worry. “I thought that Leah liked me, but maybe she wants to date Dan again,” he said to himself. His fear and jealousy suddenly reached the boiling point. He grabbed Leah’s arm and announced, “Time’s up, Leah. Let’s go!” He pulled her away from Dan in a show of force, but it backfired.

“Let go of me, Chuck! How could you be so rude?” she exclaimed.

“We need to get going,” Chuck urged.

“Well, if you are in such a hurry, then leave,” Leah replied. “I’ll have Dan drive me home!”

Chuck couldn’t believe his stupid outburst. He wished he could crawl into a hole and disappear.

You would think that if Christian singles wanted to share God’s love together, then all of their relationships would be godly and loving. Yet, we all know that reality can be quite a different experience. Just because someone is a Christian doesn’t mean he or she acts wisely or exhibits perfect self-control.

For example, have you ever gone on a diet? What normally happens? Usually you discipline yourself to exercise and eat right. Over time, you achieve some success, but when you quit your diet, your body gains back some pounds. So, you dedicate yourself to losing weight again, falling into a frustrating cycle. Worse, no matter how hard you try to enhance your shape, your body remains in a constant state of decay, which means you cannot prevent the inevitable sags, wrinkles, and death.

Battling against fleshly urges of indwelling sin with your willpower is similar to dieting. You can try to defy temptation through self-effort, biblical principles, or accountability groups, but sin will never stop enticing you until you die. Your self-discipline may yield some temporary success, but eventually, stress, boredom, or fatigue will wear you down. The moment your self-effort gets weak, sin will pounce on you (1 Peter 5:8). God offers a better way to resist sin:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” (Titus 2:11–12).

These verses explain that the grace of God instructs you to live in a godly manner. It does not say that righteous behavior occurs through self-discipline, memorizing Scripture, or following principles. You cannot muster enough self-control to stop Satan. Instead, Paul writes that the goal of the Christian life is to “glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). He also says, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not” (Romans 7:18). How do you give up your pride and allow God’s grace to deliver you from temptation?

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20) 

This verse reveals one of the best blessings of being a Christian! Instead of fighting sin with all your might, allow Christ to do the fighting for you. He wants you to stop struggling, rest by faith in His love, and let Him take over.

As an example, let’s revisit Chuck’s dilemma at the beginning of this chapter. Remember how he got upset with his girlfriend, Leah, for talking to Dan? If Chuck had allowed Christ to live through him, he might have responded to his angry feelings by thinking, “Why am I feeling this way? I am holy, so obviously these angry and jealous thoughts are sin’s attempt to control me. However, Jesus freed me from sin’s power. Lord, please take over and live Your patience through me toward Leah right now.” Then, if Chuck had continued to trust in Christ, he could have remained calm while Leah talked to Dan.

No matter how you are tempted, sin can never offer anything superior to the unconditional love and acceptance that you already have in Christ. Therefore, by comparison alone, temptation is worthless. Sin can be very subtle, however, so Jesus advises you to let go of your discipline and appropriate His strength in dealing with fleshly enticements. He wants to help you discern the lies that sin presents and remind you of His passionate love.

Jesus conquered sin forever when He died on the cross. Furthermore, His resurrection enabled Him to live His victory through your life. Yet, Christ cannot disarm temptation until you stop trying to fight it by yourself.

Rob Eagar
WildFire Marketing
Phone: 1-800-267-2045
Web: www.StartaWildfire.com
Twitter: @RobEagar
Email: Rob@StartaWildFire.com
The expertise to help you sell books like wildfire!

Rob Eagar  Rob@startawildfire.com

For more information on this topic, check out Chapter 6 – The Impact of Sin on Your Dating Life in Rob’s book, Dating with Pure Passion. Need a copy? Click here.

Link to Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Dating-Pure-Passion-Courtship-Formula/dp/0736916709/