Girlfriends in God

January 30, 2009
Sit Down, Soul!
Cindi Wood

I hope you are enjoying the Girlfriends in God daily devotions. We (Mary, Sharon, and Gwen) would like to introduce you to some of our special friends. From time-to-time, the Friday devotions will be written by one of our friends in ministry. We call them our "Friday Friends." So grab your Bible and a fresh cup of coffee and drink in the words from our "Friday Friend",
Cindi Wood.

Today's Truth
"Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6:31

Friend To Friend
Cooking...cleaning...refereeing...chauffeuring...filing...paying bills...making phone calls...going to work...do you ever feel like running away from being in charge of everybody and everything!?

Maybe, like me, you've realized that what causes the most stress in life seems to be the accumulation of those common daily hassles. Honestly, those daily things pile up and drive you nuts! According to research, I've read, women do pretty well dealing with those major life events -- but it's the daily conquering of our never-ending "To Do Lists" that sends us over the edge.

Girlfriend, God has a word for you! Yes, all of you who are teetering on the edge of Freak-Out and for those of you who already have plunged over that cliff! His word comes through the psalmist in Psalm 131:2. "But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother."

Oh, the simplicity of being still; sitting down and being quiet in the middle of chaos is the way to regain your composure and strengthen your heart.

How quiet is your soul? Your soul is your mind and emotions. And if you're like most women, your soul is running all over the place! Maybe you've mastered the art of sitting down physically and even appearing to be quiet. But on the inside, your soul is charging ahead -- making plans and thinking about everything that has to be done. Any sisters out there?

I liken it to the perpetual little Ms. Pac Man -- running all over the place trying to gobble up all those stress ghosts before they gobble you! I remember so well when my boys were young and I'd pull them away from the video games, sending them to "the quiet place" so they could calm down and unwind. Sometimes it took quite a while for them to recover a quiet demeanor after being jerked around with all the agitated stimuli on the computer.

How about you, dear friend? Are the stressors of life jerking you around, leaving you agitated and jumpy? Well, I invite you to take a stress break. Quiet your emotions. De-escalate your soul. "Be still and know that He is God." (Psalm 46:10)

Yes, be very still and really know that He is God!

Okay. So right now, I'm going to take a few moments to deep breathe. Instead of charging frantically ahead to the next stress-stop, I'm sprinting into the arms of my God. He's the only One who can quiet my spirit and settle my nerves.

Let's Pray
Lord, I'm catching my breath; I'm catching my breath in You. Instead of charging ahead with my plans, I'm rushing to You! Teach me how to be still and know You are God!

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Now It's Your Turn

Determine with your mind to be still.
Throughout the day, deep breathe the name of Jesus as you quiet yourself.
Thank Him regularly for calming your heart and being your strength.
More From The Girlfriends
Dear Frazzled Sister, I know being still is perhaps the most difficult thing you'll ever do. I encourage you to take time each day to be still in the arms of God. He will bless you in this determination to come before Him on a daily basis. Meditate on Scripture as you quietly soak in His Presence. You'll be surprised at the joy and peace you'll discover by being obedient to God in His calling to come away with Him, by yourself, to this quiet place.

+++ God's Letter for Married Women! +++
Dear women,
This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called
Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his
father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one
flesh. Genesis 2:23

Woman as the helper, life-giver, and nurturer Genesis 1:27; 1 Corinthians
11:8-12

I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give
birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule
over you. Genesis 3:16

But women will be saved through childbearing-if they continue in faith, love
and holiness with propriety. 1 Timothy 2:15

In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands, even
those who refuse to accept the Good News. Your godly lives will speak to
them better than any words. They will be won over Your beauty should not
come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold
jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the
unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in
God's sight . That is the way the holy women of old made themselves
beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands.
For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, when she called him her
master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what
your husbands might do. 1 Peter 3:1-6

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to
be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they
can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be
self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject
to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:3-5

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and
the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of
your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is
of great worth in God's sight. 1 Peter 3:3-5

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Colossians 3:18

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one
tears hers down. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who
fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is
like decay in his bones .Proverbs 12:4

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are
all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:8

But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world-how she can
please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you,
but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. 1
Corinthians 7:34

I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with
braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds,
appropriate for women who profess to worship God. 1 Timothy 2:9-10

A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for
the LORD your God detests anyone who does this. Deuteronomy 22:5

You will keep in perfect peace in him whose mind is steadfast, because he
trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each
woman is to have her own husband. 1 Corinthians 7:3-5

Train a child when young...old not depart .Prov 22:6

Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that
you may devote yourselves to prayer. 1 Corinthians 7:5

A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.
Proverbs 11:16

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is
willing, but the body is weak Matthew 26:41

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example
for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1
Timothy 4:12

In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and
be silent Psalm 4:4

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Psalm 34:13

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a
woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 1
Timothy 2:11-12

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will
not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and
will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world. Ephesians
6:12-13

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7.

He heals the Brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Love,

The Holy God

I'm not_______ enough.
Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV)

Friend To Friend
I'm not _____________ enough. You can fill that blank in with smart, talented, gifted, spiritual, or any number of positive attributes, but the root source of each one of those lies is "I'm not good enough." It is one of the enemy's favorite weapons and he uses it to keep God's children in bondage to feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy. The bottom line is that the enemy wants you to believe that you are "not enough." Period. But you are enough. You are enough and have been equipped and empowered to do everything that God has called you to do.

It seems the message of "I'm not good enough to earn my way to heaven on my own," has been transformed into I'm not good enough ... period. God created man and woman and said, "It is good." We are so valuable to God that He gave His only Son to restore our brokenness.

To be honest, I could have been the poster child for this lie. If feeling inadequate was an Olympic event, I would have been on the Wheaties box. It was the undercurrent of my entire existence until I finally realized who I was in Christ. Bible teacher Beth Moore said, "In the dead of the night when insecurities crawl on us like fleas, all of us have terrifying bouts of insecurity and panics of insignificance. Our human natures pitifully fall to the temptation to pull out the tape measure and gauge ourselves against people who seem more gifted and anointed by God." That was me.

Many women are living in silent defeat, comparing themselves to other women who are living in secret defeat. I'm not a good mother. I'm not a good wife. I'm not a good Christian. I'm not a good witness. I'm not a good housekeeper. I'm not a good decorator. I'm not a good cook. I'm not a good .... Women are caught in a cycle of the "I'm not good enoughs." One by one, the petals fall from the beautiful flower God created us to be. Like ticker tape, our fragmented pieces of confidence litter the streets like the Macy's parade passing by.

Unfortunately, I wasted many precious years held captive by the enemy's lies before I held up my chained hands to God and said, "I'm ready for you to set me free."

Consider this:

Jacob was a liar.

Moses was a stutterer.

Gideon was a coward.

David was an adulterer.

Rahab was a prostitute.

Esther was an orphan.

Balaam's donkey was ...well, a donkey.

Yet God used each one of them to impact His kingdom.

God doesn't call us because we are particularly gifted or talented. He uses us because we are obedient and dependent on Him. He doesn't call the qualified -- He qualifies the called.

The truth is, if you have experienced new birth in Christ, when God looks at you, He sees Jesus. And friend, Jesus is good enough.

Let's Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You today. Because of Jesus Christ and His work of redemption in me, I am deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing and totally accepted by You. Because of Jesus Christ in me, I am equipped and empowered to do all that You have called me to do. Now, LORD, help me act like it.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

Now It's Your Turn
Go back to that first sentence in today's devotion. What would you put in that blank?

Is that the truth?

What do you think God would say to you about what you have written in that blank?

More From The Girlfriends
Are you ready to begin walking in the truth rather than stumbling over the lies? Are you ready to begin seeing yourself as God sees you? Then you'll want to read Sharon's new book, I'm Not Good Enough...and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves. Visit her website to read an excerpt. But be warned. This book could change your life!

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

https://worldwidechristians.forumotion.com/creative-f3/salvation-video-prayer-and-statement-of-faith-t274.htm

Girlfriends in God