Be Assured of His Love

"How can God love me? I've done so many wrong things, and I just don't deserve His love."

Is this something that you have thought or said? Well, maybe we all have at some time or another. Let me tell you right now that none of us deserves His love. God does not love us for who we are or for what we have done. He loves us because that is His nature. He is love. God loved us before we loved Him. He loves us now and will love us forever.

I have a deep desire to get to know this kind of love in a way that I have never known it before. Don't you? I want to be sure of God's love, and if that takes time and study and prayer, then I want to make that effort. We are going forward together, so please don't stop now. We are searching for a treasure more valuable than gold. Since God truly loves me like the Scripture says, then I want to know that love. I want to have no doubt.

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

Some Housekeeping
By now, you should have read to page 55 in the text book. After you have read, then answer the questions through Day 3 in the companion book. Bible study is Wednesday, so see you then! If you're not attending, don't forget to leave me a comment on some of your insights. They're so helpful. I hope your study time is inspirational!

Love, Karen

God is Loving

Never believe the lie that God does not love you!

Where does this lie come from? It comes from our natural tendencies to allow our emotions to rule us. In other words, we tend to believe an idea based on how we feel. It's true that, especially as women, we will look inward and nurse our poor hurt feelings and question the love of God for us. But what have we done? We have taken our eyes off the Father and focused them on ourselves.

The Truth is that God does love you and me. He loves us with a love incomprehensible! For the sake of our well-being and spiritual health, let us try to understand it right now.

Ephesians 3:14-19 -- For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height -- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Our spirits immediately lift as the truth of Scripture penetrates our being. Whether we've lived with this lie for years or for weeks, for months or for minutes, the very Word of God is able to set us free. Again, God loves you and me.

Romans 5:8 --But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:7-10 --Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might love through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

This, then is a matter of trust. We must set ourselves to trusting God and His Word and we must walk away from the temptation of thinking that we can trust our feelings. This may mean a change of lifestyle for many us, and we need the Lord to help us. It could have been a habit of several years, but with the Lord's strength, it is possible to change our wrong thinking.

You only have to ask Him. May you be strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man.

Love, Karen

The Goodness of God

Let's read Ephesians 1:3-14:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth -- in Him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

This passage is food for my soul; it fills me to overflowing with the information that God is good, and out of His goodness He blesses me! I think that we should all read it a couple more times. Notice how God uses Paul, the writer of this epistle, to reveal to us the work of the Trinity. He tells us that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because He wanted to and it pleased Him, blessed us using His possessions in Heaven. He decided to make us His daughters through His Son Jesus. He planned this from the beginning of time, and at just the right time, He executed His plan. Then, He sealed His plan by giving us the Holy Spirit, his special mark that proves we are recipients of His blessings. The Holy Spirit is also a sign of the promise, a guarantee, that we will receive in the future the foretold blessings.

Why did the Maker of the Universe do this? He did it because He is good, and because He loves us beyond measure.

So, meditate on these things over the weekend.

Love, Karen

Receiving the Word with All Readiness

"Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men." (Acts 17:10-12)

Number ten on page 22 in the companion book asks two questions:
What did the people in Berea do in order to discern the Truth? How can we avoid being deceived and become more discerning about the input we receive?

After Paul and Silas explained about Christ in the synagogue, the Bereans went to the Scripture that was available to them at the time. They eagerly studied daily to see for themselves whether these men had told them the Truth. When they saw for themselves that Paul and Silas preached according to the Word of God, they believed.

These things are written that they might be an example to us today. Our Bible is extremely valuable and contains a treasure that is worth our daily study. Doesn't it make sense that we could avoid being deceived by really getting to know the Truth by studying it? I think that's a wonderful idea! This week as we search out the gems in God's Word, let us thank the Lord for His unchanging, absolute Truth. Also, let us remember that God is good and everything He does is good.

Have a great week!

Love, Karen

Moving From Bondage to Freedom

Let's see what the Bible says about Truth in the following verses:

Psalm 33:4
For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth.

Psalm 51:6
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

John 8:32
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 17:17
Sanctify them by Your truth, Your word is truth.

2 Timothy 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Page 40-41
Our book lists three steps to keep in mind as we begin to deal more specifically with the lies that put us in bondage. Remember, these steps will lead us out of bondage. And where are we going? We are on our way to freedom!

1. Identify the area(s) of bondage or sinful behavior. It's so important to see these areas and call them what they are. What are the issues in your life where you are not living in freedom as a child of God?

2. Identify the lie(s) at the root of that bondage or behavior. This step is also important because it's the one that will "pull the bush out from the roots." But, we need the Lord to help us see which things we have been believing that are not true. In the weeks ahead, we'll examine forty lies that many Christian women have allowed to take root and produce in their lives.

3. Replace the lie(s) with the Truth. Satan is a powerful enemy, and his primary weapon is deception. Fortunately for us, God is more powerful, and there is no lie in Him. The light dawns as we saturate ourselves with the Truth of God. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." The lie (darkness) must flee when exposed to the Truth (light).

I'm so proud of you for hanging in there through the first chapter of our Bible study. I know this is intense, and maybe not a very happy subject for most of us. Let's remind ourselves once again that the Lord loves us. We are His daughters, and He wants each one of us to live joyously, and with a deep faith in Him. He'll lead us through these times of conviction, confession, and repentance. In other words, we will realize the lie we've been believing, give it a name and admit our condition, and then turn the opposite way and walk in Truth. As we go through these motions, may the Father of Heavenly Lights, with Whom there is no shifting sand, pour His grace out upon us and give us peace.

Love, Karen

The Progression from Deception to Bondage

Pages 37-40

1. Listen to a Lie
Do you think that Eve knew where those lies in the garden would lead her and her family? I don't think that she even stopped to think about it. Maybe it didn't seem dangerous to only listen to the devil's lies. Perhaps that's our situation today. It doesn't seem dangerous to listen to the world's philosophies. After all, we live in this world... But we must repeat the premise of our Bible study once again: There are no harmless lies.

2. Dwell on the Lie
Dwelling on the Lie is actually like sowing the seed of untruth into our minds and hearts. The Law of the Harvest is unchanging and was established by God at creation. The truth of it is that the seed that planted grows in the same likeness. If we sow to our flesh, and not to the Spirit, the harvest is destructive and not life-giving. "For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life," (Galatians 6:8).

3. Act on the Lie
Now the seed that has been sown, cultivated, and watered has taken root. It's growing, and like a blueberry bush, will produce fruit; but, this fruit is the fruit of deception. It's interesting to note that the fruit here is not just one "berry," it's an entire harvest.

But, We Have Hope...
We must not forget that we are in a struggle. And as the Scripture states, it is not against flesh and blood. If it was a "flesh and blood" struggle, then we could easily change our minds, think about something else, and walk away from a lie. But, the philosophies of the world appeal to our very souls. We're drawn in and enticed by these thoughts, because we are carnal. We are not naturally inclined to walk in the Spirit and to make Godly decisions based on the purity of our hearts. Sorry to say, that's not naturally us. But, the good news is we have an Advocate that goes to bat for us. The Lord Jesus saved us and made us new the minute we asked Him into our lives. We wear the robe of righteousness because of His sacrifice for our sins. We have victory in Christ. We also have the plumb line of God's Word, and when we meditate on it, then we walk in truth. Again, we reap what we sow, and the seed of the Word of Truth produces life.

More later -- Have a great weekend.

Love, Karen

Walking Away From a Faulty Pattern

Satan deceived Eve by causing her to make her decision based on what she could see and on what her emotions and her reason told her to be right, even when it was contrary to what God had already told the couple (page 31).

Genesis 3:6 states, "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it."

Eve made the one mistake that also causes every single one of her offspring to stumble: she made a decision based on what she could see, how she felt at the time, what seemed logical, and what she desired. As she lifted her hand to the fruit, she had already experienced temptation and deception. The result of her sin brought bondage. How did she get there in the first place? She had listened to a lie.

Turn to page 19 of your Companion Guide and let's read question number three together.

3. As long we live in this world, we cannot completely isolate ourselves so that we never hear any lies. What is the difference between "hearing" and "listening to" lies?

Please ponder this question for awhile. Read the question a couple of times and really think about it. And then read Philippians 4:8-9.

4. Why is it so important to be selective about the input we allow to come into our minds and to consciously choose to expose ourselves and listen to the Truth?

There are no harmless lies. We cannot expose ourselves to the world's false, deceptive way of thinking and come out unscathed (page 38).

So, we're learning that the pattern goes something like this: First, we expose ourselves to worldly thinking and philosophy, and then, when we're confronted with a decision, we choose according to what seems or feels right. What seems or feels right turns out to be exactly what we have been listening to. In other words, we make our decisions, and they seem oh so logical, based on the "lies" we've heard because somewhere along the line we started listening and being influenced by those lies.

Know Your Enemy

John 8:44 -- Your are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

2 Corinthians 4:4 -- ...whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

2 Corinthians 11:14 -- And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

Ephesians 6:11-12 -- Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

1 Peter 5:8 -- Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Think on these things:

1. Anytime we receive input that is not consistent with the Word of God, we can be sure that Satan is trying to deceive and destroy us.

2. There is power in truth, because it is the very essence of God. When we are deceived, we lose our power.

3. We will accept a lie because it appeals to our human reasoning. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12

4. We are in a battle and the battle is for our minds. Our enemy knows that if he can make us believe a lie, then it won't be very long before we act on that lie.

5. We have a choice of what to input into our minds. The strength to help us make the right choice is called "grace," and that comes from God.

May your Bible study time be especially blessed in these days.

Love, Karen

Realize, Reflect, and Respond

As I read the Prologue on pages 27 and 28, I found myself relating to Eve, the real person, in a way in which I have never related. God created her and she was the first of our gender. Doesn't it make sense that she would have thought and felt in her day similarly to how we think and feel today?

These "Dear Diary" entries begin each chapter of the book. We'll be discussing them during our Bible study time this Wednesday. For those of you without the book, go back once again to Genesis 3 and read carefully. Think about Eve's position before and then after her sin. Absolutely everything changed! For example, her peace changed to turmoil; her closeness to the Father digressed to separation. List for me some other "before" and "after" words as a comment to this post. I'll take your thoughts to the Bible study, and let you know how the discussion went.

Love, Karen

Let's Begin at the Beginning

Every lady at the Bible study receives the two books this Wednesday! We're going to spend some time previewing them so that we can know what is expected of us in the weeks ahead.

Last week, we took some time to read Genesis 3:1-13. Much like a river that begins as a mountain spring, this Scripture is the "source" from which we start our journey through "Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free." By the time we "spill out into the ocean," we will be full of truth and know assuredly how to recognize the lies, and how to utilize the weapons we own to combat them.

Let's look at the first verse now, and disect it a bit. "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And He said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" The very first time that Satan turns up in the Bible, and he does what he continues until this day to do best: He lies!

This verse is like all verses in the Bible: it is God-inspired. We learn from the first sentence of the devil's deceitful character, and this evidence is backed-up by his very own lying tongue in the second sentence. God did not instruct Adam and Eve not to eat from every tree of the garden. In fact, these are God's words according to Genesis 2:16-17, "...Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

As women, it's vital that we understand "the lie" that surrounds us everyday. If we believe it, we step into bondage. Bondage is the opposite of freedom. Jesus came to set us free, and if we're not experiencing that freedom right now, then we are not living the abudant life that the Lord died to give us.

If you've received your books, please flip through the pages and familiarize yourself with them. Read the Acknowledgments, Foreward, and pages 15-23. Take a few days to do this, because I want you to be pondering and praying about what you've read.

I'm praying for you as you begin this study. Satan will attempt to hinder you in some way because that's his mode of operation (MO), but keep steadfast. "We are more than conquerors through Christ..."

Love, Karen

The Blessing of Blindness

Elvira is a dear friend of mine who lives in Mexico. She's a single mother with one daughter who still lives at home. She used to make a very modest living for her family by crocheting fine lace on linens. Unfortunately, it's very difficult at the present time for her to make any kind of living at all. As she approached her fortieth birthday, Elvira discovered that she was losing her eyesight. She had always suspected that this might happen because it's a genetic condition, and she had watched a brother and a sister experience it.

Elvira hasn't always been a Christian. Today, she loves the Lord Jesus and serves Him only, but earlier in her life she worshipped idols and served tradition. She tells me now that that was when she was really blind. At first, when she learned that physical blindness was inevitable, she searched for spiritual help in her church. Elvira was looking for the light, but all she found was darkness. Then, she met Jesus, and the True Light shown. She says that now she can "see" clearer than she's ever seen before.

She walks on the dusty roads in a small village in Mexico with one hand on the shoulder of her daughter who walks in front of her. It's interesting to me that she cannot see in order to influence her daughter as to where she should go. Elvira must trust her little girl completely. She must listen to the child's soft voice as she speaks caution and encouragement, and she must follow in the girl's footsteps to get where she needs to be.

Have I mentioned Elvira's smile? Seldom have I seen such joy in a countenance.

Elvira is my hero and I want to be like her. She a living illustration of how it should be to walk with the Lord. I want to place my hand on the shoulder of the Lord, and I want to follow Him without question, and without suggestions from me on a better route. I desire the blessing of "blindness" that I might see the True Light.