LADIES, DO YOU KNOW? It will be Mother's Day tomorrow and just thinking about the
celebration of the moms in our lives emanates a wide span of emotions! Bear with me here … this is not going to be
the normal sweet, syrupy bouquet of blushing accolades for the perfect
mom. I will leave that to the Hallmark
writers so you can hopefully find the card that says exactly what you want to
say – without having to read through dozens to find the one isolated card in
hiding that expresses the love you feel – and yet “fits” the mom you are
wanting to honor!
LADIES, DO YOU KNOW? You
might already have a wish list for your family who loves you and asks what you
“want” for Mother’s Day – because you already know! Or perhaps you are not a mom, but you are
attempting to put together a gift list of ideas for your own mom or someone who
is like a “second mom” to you. How’s
that going? :-) Or possibly, you are
feeling like you are totally unworthy and you just want the holiday to go away
so you wouldn’t have to think one more minute about all the failures you feel
like you’ve made trying so very hard to be the best mom ever. Or maybe you just gave up a long time ago.
LADIES, DO YOU KNOW? It
breaks my heart when I talk to women who feel like they have no hope. No future.
No where to go other than stuck in the life that has them trapped – and
they see no way out. Hopelessness is
most likely the worst emotion any of us has ever had to face. It cuts the cord to reality. It chokes out the last remaining bit of hope
and dries up the soul.
LADIES, DO YOU KNOW? I
feel as if I am to be speaking to all of you today … not just mothers, but of
course they can relate to the mega-millions of emotions that all of us feel
from time to time, as well. I frequently
talk with lots of women of all ages, and in recent weeks and months I am
getting not just a tiny glimpse of how they feel … but a magnified, telescopic
view of what’s been pushed down in their hearts for far too long! Sadness, hurt, anger, bitterness, despair. Hopelessness – yes, there is that
“treacherous place” again. I could go on
– but that is more than enough to let you see the state of mind and heart that
they are experiencing. Maybe, just maybe
~ you are one of them. You are not
alone! Ladies … girls - this is NO place
to live!! Life is too precious to have
it stolen right out from under us because we are so bent over with the weight
of whatever is consuming us. So what’s a
girl to do?
LADIES, DO YOU KNOW? Do
you know that God has SO much more in His hands that He is just longing to give
to you?! You are probably spitting out
the words: “well why doesn’t He just
give it all to me then, instead of waiting so long?” You know something? He could.
But He wants you to be involved so that what He gives you will be lasting,
instead of wasted. First of all, He
needs you to quit listening to all the other voices, and just listen to His. He wants you to know that you HAVE TO STOP
listening to the lies of the enemy!
There is not one iota of truth in what he tells you about yourself. No wonder you feel unworthy and
hopeless. Satan strips you of your
God-given worth and value, and then blinds you so that you cannot see reality
and truth with clarity and belief.
Doesn’t that make you angry – in a righteous way? Who do we think our enemy is, that we have to
settle for the life he’s painted for us?
I want to TELL YOU that he does NOT have a say about our life. Period.
WE have the authority OVER him, through the shed blood of Jesus, and
don’t you ever forget that, ladies!!!
EVER, EVER!
LADIES, DO YOU KNOW? Do
you realize that you get to be coached by the Life-Planner that CREATED your
life? He knit you together in your
mother’s womb, so He sure knows how to give you a plan and a purpose and put
you back on the track that He had in mind before you were even born! It doesn’t matter how FAR you’ve strayed off
the path of His plan … the loving voice of His Spirit will guide you right back
to that perfect path – and He will be walking right beside you to make sure you
keep your eyes focused on the heavenly prize!
(Much better than any Mother’s Day gift, I might add!)
LADIES, DO YOU KNOW?
There is no perfect age for us to be redeemed, renewed, and
restored! My own mom has just turned 93
years old … and I have a brand new mom!
I am not sure I could even tell you what all took place. What I do know is that she was getting so
weak she wondered if she was going to live – or die. But God stepped in and did something so much
more amazing than just pouring His healing and strength into her tired, sick
body. Oh, she already knew Jesus
personally … she has for decades and decades!
But believe me, when whatever happened – happened … everything she had
hung on to for years that seemed to keep her from being totally free, fell
OFF! My 93 year old mom is truly free in
Christ! When I traveled to see her, what
I witnessed was nothing short of a supernatural miracle! The old is gone – the new has walked in to
stay. Her personality, her demeanor, her
words, her tone of voice … have all taken on the attributes of Jesus. Before, yes, she knew Jesus and knew what His
Word said. She was a prayer warrior,
arising at 5:00 every morning to pray for all of her children, including me,
plus a long list of others she loved praying for. But something was missing. God’s truth as she knew it had been so skewed
by the enemy over the years, and he had kept her bound by worry and fear and
bondage. All of this is another story –
for another time, though.
LADIES, DO YOU KNOW? I
have to tell you this: I knew that when
God would call my mom Home to heaven someday, she would finally be fully
free! But I longed so deeply for Mom to
experience that freedom while she was still here on earth – before she ever
gets to heaven! That’s why Jesus came,
yes – to save us, but also to free us!
From whatever is binding us and holding us back! So ladies, I asked … and God gave me the desire of my heart to
see my mom set free while she is still here!
He answered my heart’s cry ~ and more!
Every evening when I hear her voice on the phone and I get to pray with
her, I hear the voice of my new mom! I
witness what it sounds like to hear her speak in freedom, and in love, joy, and
peace! In the midst of her struggles
fighting off some physical issues and pain, there is not one complaint … all I
hear is her sound, unshakable trust in her loving Lord. Now living in a skilled nursing facility so
she can receive the care she needs 24/7, she has found contentment and states
that God must have her there so she can be a blessing to others! Amazing, dear ladies, this is nothing short
of AMAZING! And believe me, God IS using
her in her new surroundings, for HIS glory!
LADIES, DO YOU KNOW? The
very same can happen to you! Then I can
write YOUR story, because it will be uniquely YOURS, and equally as
powerful! Especially, when we know the
beginning to the ending and see God turning things in our lives around! And it is in the moments of being transparent
with those around us that God can use every hurt, every sorrow, every moment of
engulfing hopelessness that we’ve experienced – to help someone else!! Please, I beg you … KNOW that the Lord God is
YOURS! He is on YOUR side! He is fighting FOR YOU! He PROMISES to be WITH YOU and to STAY with
you! Whatever you are going through,
dear moms and ladies and girls, there is NOTHING too hard for our God – for
your God! You just need to be sure that
He IS your God, your Lord and personal Savior!
Then, as His child … everything He has is YOURS for the asking!! So, if you have not yet asked, just invite
Jesus into your heart right now! Ask Him
to forgive your sins and wash you clean, to set you free, and give you the hope
of Heaven forever with Him! Now THAT is
a cure for hopelessness! And if we
already know Him, then we need to keep our GAZE on Him so that our circumstances
that loom so largely in front of us will shrink and disappear in the view of
Who He is! Ladies, every morning, God’s
mercies are ours, and they are fresh and new!
Let’s walk in them, live in them, and dance in them! May there be SO much of Jesus IN us that the
world cannot help but see Who Jesus is when they look at us! ALL for Jesus ~ that’s who we are and why we
live! Ladies, NOW do you know?! God celebrates YOU ... and so do we!
Remember
. . .
“See how very much our Father loves us, for He
calls us His children, and that is what we are!”
I John
3:1
“We KNOW and rely on the love God has for us.”
(emphasis mine)
I John
4:16
Joyfully Serving Christ . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
