God Is Always There For You!

"In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old."  Isaiah 63:9 NASB

God knows your affliction.  He feels your pain.  The Lord promises to carry you through!  You are either in the middle of pain, coming out of pain, or about to experience pain...pain and affliction are a part of life until we see Jesus face to face! 

Someone Needs HOPE!  Often people turn to the Lord in the middle of a crisis of pain and affliction.  God Cares!  God is always there for you and those that He has strategically placed in your life that are experiencing situations where they need the Hope that comes from Him!

What are some simple ways you can share HOPE?

H - Share examples from your life when you received Hope from the Lord that helped you through your pain or afflictions?  Share Him & the Hope He has given you!  Jeremiah 29:11-13 says it best! "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (NASB)

O - Share examples from your life when you Opened your life up to the Lord and asked Him to save you!  Share some examples of how He has helped you with your pain or afflictions?  Share Your Testimony With Others!  John 3:16 says it best! “For God so loved the world, that He gave His [a]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (NASB)

P - Share examples from your life about how the Lord has answered your Prayers & Pray for those that are experiencing pain or afflictions!  Romans 10:9-10, 13 says it best!  "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed....for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (NASB)

E - Share examples from your life that will Encourage someone that is experiencing pain or afflictions with the encouragement God has given you?  Share God's Promises with those that are hurting!  Here are several promises from God's Word that say it best!; Isaiah 35:3 "Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble." - Romans 15:5 "Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus" - 1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:14 "We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone." & 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20cor%201:3-7&version=NASB (NASB)

Also, when we share songs that are full of Hope, God often uses His Praise & Worship to minister to those that are experiencing pain or afflictions!  He inhabits the Praise of His People = God Is Always There For You!! 

Here is an example of one of those songs of encouragement that is based on the Poem "Footprints in the Sand" & goes so beautifully with Isaiah 63:9 NASB  "In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBLkbBEfjcc  (Footprints in the Sand - Leona Lewis)

We pray they seek God

"But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:29, New American Standard Bible).

"That they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27, NASB).

Even in exile, God told His people if you seek me, then you will find me. God has been faithful to keep His covenant of extending mercy over time. This is great news for us, since we desperately need Him.

In Deuteronomy, the Lord kept His promise in giving grace to Israel. He helped the Israelites believe, repent, and return to Him (Romans 11:25-36). In Acts, Paul and Barnabas explained how God revealed Himself even in nature and by providing food for them. God addressed the idols in these peoples' lives. Even today, He seeks to bring light to His grace and glory that is worthy to be celebrated.

Is there something you honor more than God? Do you put someone or something as more important than Him? Let us pray for ourselves and for others, that we may seek to put God first. It is amazing, God's love, because the relationship He wishes to have with us is not based on what we have done. Instead, it is based on who God is and the forgiveness He offers.

Lord, we pray for an unbeliever on our mind today. Help them seek You with all their heart. Give them the desire to learn more about You and to put You first in their life, so one day they may be a part of Your covenant of grace.

"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13, NASB).

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999)
Photo of opera glasses from www.opticsplanet.com

What is the book of John about?

"So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep...I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep'" (John 10:7, 11, New American Standard Bible).

The book of John has revolutionary truths about who Christ is, how He lived on earth and how God saved us through His sacrifice. A couple months ago, a video tool was released by BibleStudyTools.com and www.godtube.com of Jaye Martin describing concepts we can learn about Jesus in the book of John. We recommend checking out more videos released continuing the study of the same subject. You can find these videos by going to www.godtube.com and searching "Jaye Martin," or you can follow this link: Video Tools - "What is the book of John about?".

Photo above of a shepherd in Ireland found on vancouversun.com.

We pray that minds be opened

"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45, New American Standard Bible).

The look of worn out pages, the smell of years of storage, the way a story draws you in and won't let you go until the end - there is something I love about books. Yet, it is the story that sticks with me most. It can open my mind to another world, to another perspective I haven't seen, or to a truth I haven't remembered in a while. The beauty of the Bible is that it is God's story on how He came to save us, and it speaks truth to us about who God is.

A great story comes before the verse mentioned above, Luke 24:45, in Luke 24:13-35. Not long after Christ had been crucified on the cross, two men were traveling on foot to Emmaus. They were discussing the news they had heard, that Christ rose from the dead after His death and burial (vv. 14-24). On their journey, Jesus came alongside them and started to talk with them. I assume they were probably baffled as Jesus started explaining how the prophecies from the Old Testament were fulfilled in Christ to prove that He was the Messiah (vv. 25-27, 31-32).

Today, let us pray for someone on our mind who does not yet see the truth in God's Word and what it says about Christ. We pray God brings clarity to an unbeliever so they can understand and have a relationship with our Savior King.

Lord, this person on our mind, please open their mind so they understand your Word. Help them see Christ as true, and help them hear Your call to be a part of Your salvation story.

"And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20, NASB).

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999)
Photo of Trinity Library in Dublin, Ireland from fromeuropewithlove.tumblr.com

Christianity is a Team Sport!

"Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body.


The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”  On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."  1 Corinthians 12:15-26 NIV

As a first-generation Christian, I was not raised in a Christian home or ever heard the name of Jesus until I was 22 years old.  But at the age of 22, Praise the Lord, someone shared John 3:16 with me and I RAN TO JESUS and gave Him my LIFE and accepted ETERNAL LIFE!♥  My life has NEVER been the same since that day 7/21/85! 

Before I gave my life to Jesus, there were little gods in my life, lost people look like lost people and they fill the voids of their lives up with whatever they can to find temporary fulfillment.  One of my gods, growing up as a lost person, was sports.  I searched for fulfillment & purpose through the involvement in sports.  I saturated my life in one sport after another, therefore I clearly remember the process of becoming a part of a team.  I remember how teammates were picked, usually the most popular or strongest athlete was chosen first and then the process would continue until all the people going out for that specific team sport was placed on a team.  The saddest thing to me was the people that remained unchosen or unpicked until the very end of the team building process.  I remember how I felt about the process of choosing a team.  Those that were left out until the end were often looking down, with an ashamed downcast look on their face.  I felt sorry for those left out.

Today, as a growing Christian that is striving to know God, share Him, and lead others to do the same, God has brought many women to cross my path that have shared with me their feelings of being left out, looked over, or are still waiting to be chosen to be a part of a team at church/the body of Christ/Christianity.  This should never be!  There should be a plan in place so that everyone has the opportunity to be a part of God's Team because as we read above from 1 Corinthians 12:15-26, there is not one member of the body of Christ that we can say to them, "you are not needed"! 

Being a Christian is a Team Sport, everyone is needed, and there is no "I" in the word TEAM.  Being a Christian is a Team Sport and there should not be a spirit of competition between Teammates.  Today's encouragement is to remind us all that everyone is a special, unique, and important part of the body of Christ!  When anyone is left out or looked over, the body of Christ, is not complete and there will be dysfunction because God has a special plan and purpose for every believer!  When the same people are chosen over and over it sends the wrong message to those that are hoping to be included!

• Look for those that are Left Out!  Open your circle to new members! 
• Look out to those that are Left Out!  Come alongside of those that need to be included!
• Look for ways to include those that are Left Out!  Create a plan of action to do away with rejection!
• Look for opportunities to serve the Lord on a growing Team so that no one is Left Out! 

There are many people all around us that need the Lord.  They are seaching for belonging, purpose, and a team/family that is forever.  As Christians, we have the answer to what they are searching for, and His name is Jesus!  What a joy and privilege it is to share Jesus with those that need Him, it is the passion and purpose of my life!  HeartCall and Gifted2Go are some of the powerful evangelistic tools that have been created to help us share Jesus with those that need Him!  As His evangelistic leaders, we are here to encourage you and equip you as you share Jesus with others.  Please always feel free to message us or e-mail us with any questions you may have or encouragement you may need as you follow God's Plan for your life.  As Christians, we are all on His Team and everyone is needed!
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAWeHo8E70E  (If We Are The Body-Casting Crowns)

Gifted2Go Opportunities 2 Pray 4!

God is doing amazing things in the lives of women all across our nation!!  You can attend this awesome conference by saying yes to the opportunity to PRAY!!  You are Gifted2Go Pray for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's Women's Conference & Gifted2Go creator leader Jaye Martin!!

What’s the buzz about the NOBTS Women’s Conference?

The Gifted 2 Go NOBTS Women’s Conference, to be held in the Cafeteria, begins this Friday, October 5 at 6:30 p.m. and continues Saturday, October 6 at 8:30 a.m. We’ll wrap up by noon. Tickets are on sale through 10/3/12 for $5 in the Dean of Students office (Hardin Student Center) from 8 to 5 daily. You may also reserve a spot by emailing HYPERLINK "mailto:nobtswomen@nobts.edu" nobtswomen@nobts.edu. This is for NOBTS Women: students, wives, staff, faculty, and anyone else they want to bring with them. We don’t turn anyone away. Expect a time of instruction from the Word, connection with your peers, and inspiration to press on.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:8 (ESV)

http://www.nobtsgatekeeper.com/p/announcements.html#!/p/nobts-womens-ministry.html

We pray hearts turn to God

"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you..." (Acts 3:19-20, New American Standard Bible).

"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent" (Acts 17:30, New American Standard Bible).

Have you been inside a tunnel before? I remember riding in a car through a tunnel on vacation in Alaska with my parents and a friend. As we approached it, I noticed this tunnel went through a mountain, and I wondered how long it would last. It was cold outside, a sort of biting cold, even though the sun was shining. Once we were inside, it was dark and felt hollow, although there were lights along the sides as guides. It was an interesting experience, but I was relieved to be on the other side in the open air and sunlight again.

Similar to the darkness of the tunnel, sin can make us feel trapped. When we see the damages that come from our sin, we may wonder if there is a way out. The Holy Spirit can help us see sin in our life and see that the way out of it is to turn to God for help. When we turn to God, it is like God is reaching out to pull us into His light.

God sent Jesus to rescue us from sin (Romans 5:19), and He asks us today to repent and return to Him (Acts 3:19). This is a message to all people in all nations (Luke 24:47, Acts 26:19-20). When we believe in Jesus and ask for forgiveness from our sins, He will be faithful to forgive us and will give us the Holy Spirit to help us to walk with Him (Acts 13:38-39). Times of refreshing come from the Lord, as our sins are wiped out and forgiven (Acts 3:20, 26).

Do you know someone who is caught up in sin today? Maybe it is ourselves. Let us pray that others, especially unbelievers, may turn from their sin, too, so they can have a restored relationship with God.

Lord, lead us away from sin. For that person on our mind, the one who does not know you, help them to turn from sin, too, so their sins are forgiven and so they can experience new life with You. Amen.

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999)
Photo from http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/