Monthly Archives: February 2014

Godly Girlfriends On Break

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

blog

Godly Girlfriends is taking a break. God is at work in my heart and in my life. Right now I need to seek God’s voice and follow his leading with a focus on Him; being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

Thank you for your faithful following. Please don’t unfollow during this time of my personal growth and restoration. After all, we need our Godly Girlfriends, right? What can you do?  Prayer for myself and my family would be greatly appreciated.

I guess you could say it’s one of those seasons of pruning. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesso that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:2)

So I guess you could say the best is yet to come.

A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Thank you for your loyalty, faithfulness and prayers. ~Sarah Schneider

God On Your Side

Posted in Daily Devotions: Chapter by Chapter by

Champions

Today’s Devotion: Deuteronomy 20

If you’re going to be in a battle of some sort, of course you would want God to be on your side. I heard that the Seattle Seahawks prayed before the Super Bowl. According to The Gospel Herald, Pastor Mark Driscoll met with several players on the Seahawks team who are Christian. Among them is Rocky Seto who says, “Without knowing Jesus we are damned.” Something tells me these boys had God on that football field that memorable night. No matter how tough that other team was, they are no match for a team whose hearts, minds and bodies showed up to a game with God with them.

I have always appreciated when big, muscular, manly athletes revere to God in their lives, but what about us? Do we revere to God and show up to life everyday with Him in our lives?  We should. Stuff comes at us all day; our lives are a battlefield. I love verse 4, “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Whether you’re a Super Bowl Champion or grocery gettin’ Mom , it is essential that we are not in it alone.

Deuteronomy chapter 20 is primarily the rules about war, but verse 4 set the pace for my takeaway of the day and I think it is a very practical verse and one to put to memory. A great reminder of who you have on your side and what that means in the bigger picture of life. The enemy [the devil] is relentless in trying to defeat us, yet he is no match for God.

Mark Driscoll asked Seto to define the Gospel, and Seto did so without hesitation – “Jesus saves. We all need Jesus – without Jesus, we are damned,” he says, stating that it is essential for people to understand their dire need for the Lord. “Jesus is everything … Jesus owns me, Jesus died for me – Jesus paid the debt that I couldn’t pay which is eternal death, and then ultimately He gives me everything I need … He’s the best King that I could ever hope to be under,” he says. – See more at: http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/50308/20140201/super-bowl-2014-life-on-and-off-the-field-with-jesus-%E2%80%93-pastor-mark-driscoll-interviews-seattle-seahawks-chris-maragos-clint-gresham-coach-rocky-seto.htm#sthash.iXxhtkD7.dpuf
Pastor Mark Driscoll sat down with several of the Seattle Seahawks players in January and asked them about how knowing Jesus Christ has affected their life – both on and off the field. – See more at: http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/50308/20140201/super-bowl-2014-life-on-and-off-the-field-with-jesus-%E2%80%93-pastor-mark-driscoll-interviews-seattle-seahawks-chris-maragos-clint-gresham-coach-rocky-seto.htm#sthash.iXxhtkD7.dpuf
Pastor Mark Driscoll sat down with several of the Seattle Seahawks players in January and asked them about how knowing Jesus Christ has affected their life – both on and off the field. – See more at: http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/50308/20140201/super-bowl-2014-life-on-and-off-the-field-with-jesus-%E2%80%93-pastor-mark-driscoll-interviews-seattle-seahawks-chris-maragos-clint-gresham-coach-rocky-seto.htm#sthash.iXxhtkD7.dpuf
Pastor Mark Driscoll sat down with several of the Seattle Seahawks players in January and asked them about how knowing Jesus Christ has affected their life – both on and off the field. – See more at: http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/50308/20140201/super-bowl-2014-life-on-and-off-the-field-with-jesus-%E2%80%93-pastor-mark-driscoll-interviews-seattle-seahawks-chris-maragos-clint-gresham-coach-rocky-seto.htm#sthash.iXxhtkD7.dpuf
Super Bowl 2014 Life On and Off the Field with Jesus: Driscoll Interviews Seahawks’ Chris Maragos, Clint Gresham, Coach Rocky Seto – See more at: http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/50308/20140201/super-bowl-2014-life-on-and-off-the-field-with-jesus-%E2%80%93-pastor-mark-driscoll-interviews-seattle-seahawks-chris-maragos-clint-gresham-coach-rocky-seto.htm#sthash.iXxhtkD7.4 For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

Sinned By Accident

Posted in Daily Devotions: Chapter by Chapter by

Talking With Hands

Today’s Devotional: Deuteronomy 19

Have you ever hurt someone by accident? I have. I’m a very animated speaker and when I’m really into my story my hands are busy trying to bring added emphasis to each word that I’m trying to convey. This [habit] has gotten me into trouble from time to time. You could say that I’m dangerous to be around if you are a waitress carrying a tray of red wine glasses or a heavy tray of dishes. I can (figuratively speaking) poke out an eye if you are an innocent passerby and I remember having to apologize for inadvertently slapping someone with a quick lash from the back of my hand because of the passion in which I was speaking.

Deuteronomy 19 brings to our minds a scenario in verse 5, “For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.” First, I’m impressed that God’s Word uses such a comprehensible example of accidental death and secondly, it’s something that could really happen. If it would… What do you you? If you kill someone, even if its an accident, isn’t that still murder?

God gives this example to let us know that accidents do happen, even ones that may result in sin. I don’t know about you, but I find relief in that. Surely my spilled red wine and minor backhanding doesn’t compare to accidentally killing someone, but what if, right? The bible helps us prepare for those moments of uncertainty and I’m thankful that God has ever possible scenario covered and will protect us.

Since we are prone to sin and God knows it, it is also a relief to know that ALL of our sins are forgiven. God’s grace is so unbelievable that even in the sins we commit by accident, He proves a way out. That way out is Jesus and how blessed we are to know our lives are saved.

Testing For Imposters

Posted in Daily Devotions: Chapter by Chapter by

Crystal Ball

Today’s Devotion: Deuteronomy 18

Palm readers, horoscopes and Tera cards don’t pass the test. The last verse in chapter 18 tells you how to know what is truly from God and what is false. Deuteronomy 18:21-22, “You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD ?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.”

Now what about today? This test would disqualify everyone on the contemporary scene who claims to be a “prophet” by predicting the future. I have heard of instances where someone has hit the nail right on the head, but more often they’ve miss the nail altogether. We never hear of their misses; we only hear of their accurate guesses and I admit – some are freaky accurate.

One very common prediction are the people predicting the end of the world on a certain date, the rapture of the church on a certain date, calamities that will come to a particular section of the country on a specific date, and a myriad of other such theories. My husband and I were married on December 31, 1999, which was supposed to be the eve of the end of the world. As soon as the calendar turned to 01-01-00 it would be the end of the world as we know it; that makes me think of the song by REM. Needless to say, the world didn’t end and we just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.

If we applied God’s test to these self-acclaimed prophets, they would be out of business in short order. A true prophet must be accurate in every detail every time. But do you know that there are no warnings about false prophets for the church today? Why? Because there is no more prophecy to be revealed. Everything has been revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ and in His Word. Our warning today is not against false prophets; our warning is against false teachers. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you …” (2 Pet. 2:1). The warning to us is to listen very carefully today, because there are many sweet, soothing voices that sound very pious, but are not teaching the Word of God. Oh, how important it is for us to beware of false teachers!

McGee, J. Vernon (1984-01-06). Thru the Bible Commentary, Volumes 1-5: Genesis through Revelation (Thru the Bible 5 Volume Set) (Kindle Locations 21921-21931). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

The Key to Success

Posted in Daily Devotions: Chapter by Chapter by

Secret to Success

Today’s Devotional: Deuteronomy 17

A valuable chapter which deals with the regulations that would control a king. I do have a verse that jumped out at me and inspired this blog today. It’s verse 19, “It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.”

It is written to instruct a king, but I see application for us. What if we made it personal and read it as, “God’s WORD is to be with YOU, and YOU are to read it all the days of YOUR life so that YOU may learn to revere the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of His law and these decrees?”

God may have been giving advice to prepare a king for his role as a leader, but I also know that the bible is our source for preparation in our daily lives. When I imagine the roles and responsibilities of a king I think of all the decisions he has to make, the people who are depending on him to lead them and the great responsibility on his shoulders not only in his household, but in his kingdom.

How is that different from our lives? We have decisions to make, we have people who are depending on us to lead them and we have great responsibility on our shoulders in our households and our workplaces, neighborhoods and communities. Should we need God’s Word less than any king of any land?

I think verse 19 has a very important instruction for us and I’m blogging this to help us remain firm in whatever life is throwing at us right now. You’ll find what you need in His Word and He is all we need. That may sound cliche, but I’m not intending it to be. Read, pray, meditate on his word daily. God sums it up perfectly in Joshua 1:8, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Come, With Joy

Posted in Daily Devotions: Chapter by Chapter by

Joy

Today’s Devotion: Deuteronomy 16

Today’s Theme is about Three main feasts: Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles. Exodus 12 gave us the real details of the Passover. The Feast of Passover was instituted as a memorial to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and their adoption as Jehovah’s nation. The Passover is a festival that laid the foundation of the nation, Israel’s birth into a new relationship with God.

In verses 9-11, it says that they were to number seven weeks after Passover, which would be forty-nine; then the next day would be the Sabbath, the fiftieth day. Because the Greek word for “fifty” is pentecoste, this Feast of Weeks is known as Pentecost. It is also called the Feast of Harvest or the Day of First Fruits. It celebrated the first or earliest fruits of the harvest.

Verses 16-17 expand on the tabernacles. These are the three feasts which were to be celebrated in Jerusalem, which all males were required to attend. Three times a year they were to travel to Jerusalem to keep these feasts. It was to be a time of rejoicing and they were to come before the Lord with joy.

How often do we come to the LORD with a laundry list of wants and we through it all on Him. I’m guilty of that. I have burdens for people and events. I try to be sincere when I ask God about the things on my prayer list, but do I always come to Him with joy? Unfortunately, no.

This is a great perspective for us to keep in mind as we enter into prayer with Him. He does say “cast your burdens on Him and He will care for you” (1 Peter 5:7) and I’m certain God can handle it, but what if someone saw you, walked up to you and just started hammering you with a list of “I wants?” You would be confused. No sincerity, no compassion, not even a half-hearted, “How are you doing?” If we had people like that in our lives, we may avoid that person in the future.

I know God doesn’t avoid us, but I do believe as we approach the God of the Universe, we could (and should) be respectful, communicative, appreciative and joy-filled. This is a perspective that is a good reminder to us, especially me, that God is not my dumping zone of worries and woes. He is God and we are so blessed to be able to go directly to Him, in fellowship, with our lives.