When "Princess" Is an Insult ~ by @ShelleyHendrix

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"What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are." 

I John 3:1a 

The Message

I don't know about you, but for most of my life I resisted the term "Princess" when used as a label or description of me as a person.  To me, "Princess" was connotative to:

• Spoiled
• Entitled
• Lazy
• Weak
• Arrogant
• Out of touch with real people with real issues

So of course I didn't want to be thought of as Princess Shelley. 

Yuck!

I gravitated much more to warriors - people who knew that life is a battle and that bad things happen to even the best people.  I connected more with survivors - those who had experienced the worst things life could throw at them and still take another step and breathe in and out for another day.  It might surprise you to know that I also detested the color pink. 

With this said, I hope that if you too have been (or still are) resistant to being called a "Princess" (or "Prince" for the guys) you'll give me just another minute to share with you what Scripture is actually describing when referring to us in this way.

God's Children are Royalty

As children of God, deeply loved by our Heavenly Father, our adoption/new birth into His family also brings with it all the benefits of being in such a family as His. 

"For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we really are God’s children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too." -Romans 8:16-17a TLB

As the King James Bible says, we are now "joint heirs with Christ".  What belongs to the Son of God belongs to the Daughters of God as well. 

God's Children are Equipped

You have been given everything you need today to do what God has called you to do today. 

Think about that:  Everything you need to please God you have right now as you trust God.  He doesn't call or require of us anything that He is not willing to also do in and through us. 

"Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become his children.  And the Holy Spirit has been at work in your hearts, cleansing you with the blood of Jesus Christ and making you to please him.  May God bless you richly and grant you increasing freedom from all anxiety and fear.  All honor to God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for it is his boundless mercy that has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God’s own family." - I Peter 3:2-3a TLB

"For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [[a]full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue)." - II Peter 1:3 AMP

God's Children are Overcomers

You do not become an overcomer by overcoming.  In other words, God is not waiting impatiently (or even patiently waiting) for you to finally get victory over some stronghold in your life.  He is patiently waiting for you to believe He has already made you an overcomer when He placed His Spirit within you.  This same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, y'all, now resides within every single person who has embraced Christ by placing his/her trust in Him.  It's simple, but it gets so confusing, doesn't it?  Bottom line is this:  You're an overcomer, and as you trust that this is true of your new nature, you'll find yourself overcoming. 

"Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome... because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world." - I John 4:4 AMP

"My dear children, you come from God and belong to God.  You have already won a big victory ... for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world." (Same verse, The Message)

•  Spoiled?  No, but well-loved and cared for by God, my Father.
• Entitled?  Yes.  Entitled to live out of my new nature of royalty with humility.
• Lazy?  No.  Intentional.  Focused.  Free to prioritize as God leads and not as pressure demands.
• Weak?  Left to myself?  Totally, but His strength within me is rock solid and secure!
• Arrogant?  Hardly.  Humble people simply know who they are without trying to pretend to be anything more...or less!
• Out of touch with real people with real issues? ~ More in touch than ever before because of Christ in me.  Able to engage with people where they are without pressuring them to be anything other than who they are.  Able to trust the Spirit of Christ to lead me in ministering to others in their real issues as I am learning to trust Him in my own. 

With Great Love,Princess Shelley

God's Timing

Photo by Lori Kennedy

God’s Timing

By Lori Kennedy

. . . Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it .”  (John 11:4 NIV)

Have you ever wondered where God is and why He hasn’t answered your prayers? Have you ever felt abandoned by God? Have you felt that He's left you or doesn’t love you? 

Have you had a prayer answered in a different way than you hoped or expected?

I always think of that Garth Brooks song, “Unanswered Prayers”.  As the song goes, when Garth was in high school, he used to pray that God would allow him to marry the girl he was currently dating. Many years later at a class reunion he reflects back on his life.  Then thinking about his current bride, he thanks God for not answering that high school prayer. 

I wonder if Mary and Martha felt that their prayers had gone unanswered when Lazarus died before Jesus arrived.  John 11:5-6 says that Jesus loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus, yet He made the decision to stay where He was two days after He heard that Lazarus was ill.  He arrived four days after Lazarus had been buried.  Martha accuses Jesus in verse 21 of chapter 11 of being too late.  She states, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  In verses 32 of chapter 11, Mary makes this exact same accusation. 

Why do you think Jesus did this?  Why do you think He allowed Mary and Martha to suffer this loss?  Do you think that they felt that He had abandoned them, did not love them and had not answered their prayers?  We know He was burdened for them in their grief as stated in 11:33.  Verse 35 says that Jesus wept. 

Mary and Martha had seen Jesus heal people before as had the Disciples.  Yes, healing was a miracle, but the miracle of healing had already been witnessed.  In fact, that is exactly why Mary and Martha had called on Jesus, healing was the anticipated result of requesting His presence.  However, the scripture states in 11:4 that this particular miracle was to be for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.  Verse 15 of chapter 11 says that it was so the disciples may believe.  Verse 40 further discloses His purpose by stating, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”  Maybe, just maybe, God wanted to reveal more of himself to His faithful followers than had been previously shown to them.

I had a friend tell me that our being able to see God working in our life is like the Macy’s Day Parade on Thanksgiving Day.  We are just someone in the crowd, only able to see what is exactly in front of us at that moment.  God, on the other hand, is hovering over the whole parade and can see beginning, middle, and end.  God knows what’s best for our lives as declared in Romans 8:28 (NIV), “God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” and in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), “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.”  It is truly daunting to try to see the Hand of God in the midst of difficult circumstances or to feel His love during an especially silent time.  If you are going through a tough time, I challenge you to keep your perspective eternal using the backdrop of the cross as your filter.  If you are feeling abandoned and not hearing from God, I laugh and tell you to hold on tight, because He might be about to reveal His glory in mighty and powerful ways to you!

C4C Brand New Writing Team REVEALED!! (Part One)

We are so super duper excited to add a new element to this ministry as we seek to help as many women live with purpose (without the pressure that typically accompanies this kind of lifestyle) as possible. With this in mind, Team C4C has added a powerful dynamic to what we can offer you on a regular and on-going basis. It is our hope, our prayer, our desire and our expectation that this is going to become a great resource for your personal growth in grace within the context of you relationship with God, yourself and others.

And, now, without further ado...it's time to meet the Writing Team!!

Shelley (in the center)
 with  her daughters

Meet C4C's Founder, Shelley Hendrix. Shelley is a wife and mom who also gets to host a Christian Talk Show on Atlanta's WATC 57, write books for Harvest House Publishers, and share the message of grace and new identity with folks all over the US and abroad through conferences, media appearances and more.

Shelley's third book. "Why Can't We Just Get Along?" releases globally on March 1, but you can pre~order yours and get a sneak peek here!

Connect with Shelley on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and at www.ShelleyHendrix.com

Deborah Lenderman is currently serving as the Director of Operations for Church 4 Chicks.   Deborah served as a Partner and Executive Vice President of a successful international recycling company for 15 years.  She attends Tapestry Community Church in Roswell, Georgia  and serves as one of the worship leaders in the music ministry.  She is married to Ron, they have three children, one “son-in-love” and soon to be blessed with the first of hopefully many grandchildren!

Connect with Deborah on Facebook

Lucille Zimmerman is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with a private practice in Littleton, CO. An affiliate faculty member at Colorado Christian University, Lucille is also a member of the Columbine High School community and was thrust into a bed of hurting people after the shootings in April of 1999. Before earning her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, Lucille was part of a team of counselors providing aid at Ground Zero following the events of 9/11. And under the umbrella of Billy Graham’s Prayer Center, she ministered to the uniformed officers in New York City. Lucille lives in Colorado with her husband and two adult children.

Her first book, Renewed: Finding Your Inner Happy in an Overwhelmed World 
is available for preorder here

Find her workshops, resources and more at www.LucilleZimmerman.com and connect with her on Facebook

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