"Boy, am I good!"

Pastor Johnny has been preaching an incredible series on spiritual warfare for the last several weeks. It is amazing to me to think of all the ways I am attacked on a daily basis. From the moment I wake up, and probably even while I sleep, Satan is poking at all the weak spots in my armor. He knows exactly where my buttons are; what sets me off; what ticks me off; what causes anger or depression or grief or regret in my life. The taller I stand, the better target I am.

And therein lies the key. The taller I stand, the better target I am. Psalm 3 says "O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill." When we lift our heads above His shield, we are an easy target for the arrows and traps of Satan. But when we hide behind the shield of our heavenly Father and Warrior, we are protected. He then lifts our head when the time is right and we are adequately protected.

It is easy to become prideful. It is easy to think that we are smart, or talented, or gifted, or beautiful, or likeable. We have days when we look around at what we have accomplished and say, "I did that! Yay me! "Boy, am I good!" Of course, we all also have days where we are too critical. "I am too fat, too lazy, too stupid, too ugly, too untalented." However, Jeremiah 1:5 says "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." We were created by Him, of Him, and for Him. He is the giver of all we have and all we are. We can do nothing without Him, and all we have is a gift from Him. This means two things - you are not as good as you sometimes believe you are, and you are usually better than you think you are. We are precious in His sight - and that is all that matters.

Satan can use both pride and degradation to defeat us. Don't let him! Know your value in Christ and cling to that. If you are hiding behind His shield, nothing Satan flings at you will stick or sting! Let your Father hold your hand and your head high!

Love you ladies!
Melanie

Summer is Calling!

Some days are so long. You ever had one of those days that you felt like went on for 3 weeks! Well it has felt like this last month of school has gone on for a year! I know that I'm supposed to be in school and I do love it for the most part but I feel this urge in me to do nothing but relax. Ever since I smelled the first signs of spring I have wanted to do nothing but sit by the pool, read and hang out with David and friends. Its like that switch in my brain that motivates me to be productive has been shut off. Luckily I spend most of each day hanging out with friends, some 5 years old and some over fifty but none the less it makes the days a lot easier. Yet, the sweet smell of flowers, pool and sunshine are calling my name. Anyone up for a pool party soon?!?!

Tara

Tara has had an accident. She fell down the stairs in her house today and broke a wrist and an ankle/foot. Please pray for her!!!

Better day

Good afternoon Ladies!

Well, today has been better. I hope your week has been going well. We made it through hump day! Hooray!

Good news - the books for our new study finally came in! Guess when they arrived - bright and early Monday morning. Monday, the day after Sunday. How ironic! Hopefully you all have the copies of the first chapter (I passed them out at the party) and will be well prepared for the lesson on Sunday! It should be a great discussion. I am definitely looking forward to it. I will be better prepared for Sunday, I promise. I feel bad for my distraction and lack of preparation. Please forgive me.

I was reading Genesis chapter one this morning as I was preparing for work. It is amazing to me that out of nothing, God created beauty and order and all that we see around us. He was so systematic in the way He did this. Step by step; in a logical and patterned manner. He didn't create fish before there was an ocean to swim in. He didn't create plants before there was sun to help them grow and land nutrients to feed them. And humans were not placed on the earth until everything they need to survive was ready and available. How amazing is that?

That speaks volumes about how God knows exactly what is needed, and when, and how. When you look around at your world right now and see chaos (as I do quite frequently), know that chaos is not from or of Him. We create our own chaos. The demons who are attacking us on a daily basis create that chaos. He is the only solid foundation, the only lighthouse, the only unmoveable object available to which we can cling when the rest of the world is swirling about us. You may feel like you have been praying for the same thing over and over for days, months, or years. You may believe that an answer to that prayer is never going to come. Rest assured though, that the answer, the plan, the revelation will come at the exact moment that fulfills its exact purpose in His plan for your life. He didn't create you before He had food to feed you, sunlight to warm you, and land to sustain you. He won't place you in a situation that you aren't ready to handle; and He won't give you opportunities that will take you down a path you aren't supposed to travel. Have faith and have patience! His will, His timing, His purpose - all are perfect - just like His creation!

Have a wonderful evening ladies!
Melanie

Rough days

Good morning ladies!
Have you ever had one of those days where you just want to go in a dark room somewhere and cry? It feels like the whole world is against you; like nothing you do is right; and like no one really cares about how you feel. I had one of those days yesterday. I know it is all in my head, because my family was very concerned about me and wanted me to talk - but I just didn't have the words to express how I was feeling.

If you know how that feels, I'm sorry. If you don't - be grateful.

I just thank God that His mercies are new every morning. That each new day is a chance to start over; to make things right; to try again, hopefully without failing or falling. I thank God that He "knows the plans He has for me; plans to prosper me and not to harm me; plans to give me hope and a future." (Jeremiah 35:11) Even when I can't see what He could possibly be trying to do to me or in me, He knows. That is where our faith comes in. We have to rest in Him, knowing that He is waiting there in the dark room to hold us while we cry. We have to rest in Him, knowing that the new day will come and that He will wipe out tears away, shove us out the door, and say "Go and Live, because I have set you free!"

I hope you ladies will live today as a new day. That you will wipe your tears away and hold your head high, knowing that you have the God of the universe backing you up!

Pray for me today. Pray for each other. Pray for yourself.
Have a good day!

Melanie

From Stephanie

Here is a cut and paste of Stephanie's last e-mail, along with Tara's response to her.


Hello ladies,
Thank you for the time today. I am sort of glad I came. It was fun even though I didn't stay very long. You guys did make me feel alittle bit better for the time being. Got my mind off of not having a job/ NO MONEY. Anyways you gotta know something about me. I think Melanie knows alittle. I don't like telling people but I will say some of it. I was not ugly as a child but for some reason I had a low self esteem. Now that I'm older I still have it but its worse because I gained so much weight and etc. I also have always been so shy. That is kind of some of the reason why I didn't want to come. The shyness and self esteem. I do know or I heard that people do not like people that have low self esteem so I am always thinking people don't like me even when they act like they do. Now the shyness thing, I am so shy about getting up in front of people even if I know everyone and doing Taboo and the game we played today. I am just not good at games like that. Never have been. Maybe most of the reason is because I am just shy and that's why I can't do it. I'm afraid if I play these games and do so badly then nobody will want to be on my team. I know that sounds kind of childish but its true. I do admit that I need to get out of this shell. Maybe that's why I'm here or you guys are here to help me get out of this shell. One more thing my mom has put me down all of my life, she still does. She wont admit it, but she does. My sister even thinks so. That's another problem. She treats me like I am so stupid. So I think I am. She thinks I cant do anything, but that's all another story. Anyway I thought I would let you know alittle about myself and some how I feel. If you have any question, Ask I don't care. I think I can trust you guys.. Theres more problems but this e-mail is already too long. About the shyness, that's why I am writing this all in e-mail. I am too shy to say it all in class.
-Stephanie-



Steph...That was very brave sharing your story with all of us and I am very happy you came. It was nice to see that you conquered your shynessness for us and played the game with us anyways. Thank you.

All of you...thank you for sharing your time this afternoon...it was fun!

Tara

The beginning...

Here we are ladies! At our very own blogspot. How exciting! I think this will be a little bit better than sending reply to all e-mails back and forth all day. Hopefully all of you can access this from wherever you are, all day long.

Feel free to share whatever you want here. I will post some things once or twice a week. We can talk about lessons, sermons, hair, shoes, our day, money, guys, whatever you want!

Enjoy! I love you ladies all very much!