5 Lessons from Wynter

By: Jenifer Metzger

Today is the final day to sign up for our Summer Blessing Giveaway, be sure to enter! Click HERE.

Wednesday morning of last week I woke up and checked Facebook. The first post in my newsfeed was an update that dear Wynter Pitts, author of She Is Yours and God's Girl Says Yes, unexpectedly passed away the night before of a massive heart attack. It hit me hard.

Wynter's family, Dr. Tony Evans and family, is very dear to my heart for each of their ministries and how they live their lives. Coming from an extremely close family myself, I can't fathom the pain this extremely close family is facing. I was on launch teams with Wynter for her books which helped me to get to know her and be a small part of her amazing ministry. She was a wife in a loving marriage. She was the mother of four young girls. She was 38 years old.

I spent the next 48 hours in an emotional state. It hurt. Knowing her family, especially her young girls, were grieving and hurting breaks my heart into a million pieces. Knowing she was only 38 years old, my very age, and was seemingly healthy scared me.

I kept checking social media. I wanted to know how her family was doing. I kept praying. I wanted God to hold them close.

Six months ago my family unexpectedly lost my mother-in-law. Losing someone hurts so badly. I know this, I am still in the grieving process. When you don't get those moments to say goodbye, it leaves not only a void, but a feeling of things being incomplete.

I've spent the past few days thinking over Wynter's ministry and legacy. I want to share five things I've learned from this precious woman.

Live intentionally

Wynter lived intentionally. When she couldn't find Biblical resources for her daughters, she started a ministry on her own. She was committed to teaching her girls to live for God. When she was with her family, she was with her family. We need to live with intention.

Turn your family over to God

Wynter loved her daughters, but she knew she had to turn them over to God. Her book She Is Yours, co-written with her husband Jonathan, taught us that while our children are ours to raise and teach, they are God's first. We must turn them over fully to God.

Change your perspective

At the beginning of motherhood, Wynter struggled. She says, "I cannot recall an exact moment, but thankfully something changed! Not my situation but my perspective." We need to change our perspectives and see things like Jesus does.

Pray about it

During the going home service, Wynter's cousin, Chrystal Evans Hurst, shared that Wynter often said, "I am going to pray about it." Everything she was faced with, big or small, she took it to God in prayer. We need to being praying more.

Be a yes girl

Wynter often shared that when God asked her to do something, she said yes. Would it be hard? Maybe. Does it sound crazy? Possibly. But God honors obedience. We need to be yes girls.

Wynter lived a beautiful life and left an incredible legacy. Let's take these five lessons and live them out.


Wednesday evening, only 24 hours after losing Wynter, The Evans family shared openly at their church about faith and loss. If you are hurting, afraid, unsure, angry, this video is for you. It is lengthy, but well worth the time.

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation...

by Elizabeth Stewart

The Lord is my Light-(my Dawn, my Daylight, my Sunshine, the Light of my Life)

and my Salvation-(my Deliverance, my Safety, my Rescue, my Victory)-

whom shall I fear or dread?

The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold-(Defense, Fortress, Helmet, Protection)

of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?

We don't have to live very long before we realize that life on planet earth is unpredictable. All of us have been in the middle of an ordinary day when, suddenly, we are faced with a test, trial or difficult circumstance that we didn't see coming.  After a while, it can make a body gun-shy, causing us to live in dread and evil foreboding of what might happen. We can actually stop really living life today because of fear, worry and anxiety about tomorrow. Instead of continually wrestling with imaginary hypothetical scenarios, maybe we should shift our focus onto what is for sure. The Lord has always been and always will be there for us to run to. He will always be there to bring light into our darkest times. He will always be there ready and willing to help us, rescue us, save us and deliver us. He will always be there as our defense and protection. Looking back, God has never failed me even in my darkest times. We can count on it that He will never fail us in the future, whatever may come our way.  I love this quote by Corrie Ten Boom, "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength." Let's live strong by living in the Stronghold of God's love, care and protection instead of in fear or dread.

still following,

www.justfollowingjesus.com

3 Ways to Help Your Children Handle Their Anger

By: Sarah Geringer

People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs. Prov. 19:11 NLT 

Do you let your anger explode or do you turn it inward?

I’ve learned that neither method is wise.

Let anger explode, and you wound others. Turn it inward, and you wound yourself.

As a mom, you play a powerful role in teaching your children how to handle their anger. Even if you didn’t learn it well growing up, you can learn how to handle anger with God’s help.

My husband’s family was explosive—mine was more the simmering kind. When we were first married, we thought our own ways were right. He saw nothing wrong with yelling; I saw nothing wrong with stonewalling. Did we ever have lessons to learn, especially when our children were born!

As a young mom, I entered counseling for my past hurts. I started learning how turning my anger inward led to seasons of depression. I never learned how to safely and appropriately release my anger as a child, and neither had my husband. Due to our dysfunctional backgrounds, we weren’t set up to teach our children how to handle their anger.

I wanted our children to learn how to handle their anger in appropriate ways. So, I turned to the Bible and asked God to teach me about handling anger. These are the three key lessons I learned, which I started passing on to our children.

1. Anger is not a sin.

God gave us anger as a warning signal. Popular Christian radio host June Hunt says that there are four roots to anger: hurt, fear, frustration, and injustice. Anger is a signal to deal with those root problems. Ephesians 4:26 says “In your anger do not sin…”—note it doesn’t say “Don’t ever get angry.”

When Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple, Jesus displayed righteous anger over injustice. He wasn’t sinning because he was holy, so his anger was appropriate. There are times when our anger has a valid reason. It can motivate us to confront the negative source. We need to ask ourselves if our anger is righteous and we need to deal with the root issue right away without exploding or stuffing.

When my child yells, screams insults, stomps, or slams doors in anger, I confront. I say, “It’s OK to be angry, but it’s not OK to handle your anger like that. What’s the best way to handle your anger?” They have learned to say, “Talk it out.” As a family, we are learning to calmly and respectfully handle our anger and sort out when it’s appropriate and when it’s not.

2. God is slow to get angry.

Since I began reading my One Year Bible in 2002, I’ve read through the whole Bible many times. I am always surprised at how many times God’s people disobeyed him in the Old Testament, yet he waited a long, long time to get angry enough to punish them.

He let them test his patience many times when they wandered in the wilderness before they entered the Promised Land. He let king after king disobey him and lead people into idol worship before finally exiling the Israelites to Babylon.

If God, who is without sin, can wait so long to get angry with his own people, what right do I have to get angry at the smallest infraction? I no longer snap at my children for every little thing, because I want to be slow to anger like God is.

When my children are bickering, I constantly ask them, “Is this really worth getting upset about?” They are learning that very few infractions are worth their anger. They are gradually learning to overlook a myriad of wrongs (and so am I).

3. We can handle our anger with the power of the Holy Spirit.

God wants us to learn to control our anger. As the verse states, we must learn to restrain it. We can’t do this on our own, but the Holy Spirit will help us exercise the fruit of self-control when we are angry.

In our home, I’ve taught our children to take these steps when they feel angry:

·         Take deep breaths to calm down.

·         Literally “bite” your tongue by holding it gently between your teeth so you can’t speak.

·         Count to ten before speaking.

·         If you feel like you’re going to explode, leave the room.

·         Take a walk to burn off negative energy.

·         Say, “I’m at my limit.”

·         Punch your pillow or scream into it. (My counselor recommended this one!)

·         Don’t use “You are” statements when discussing your anger. State how you feel instead.

These are practical ways to gain control over anger. We can also ask daily that the Holy Spirit will help us practice self-control when angry and send up arrow prayers for help in heated moments.

I want to be a mom who earns esteem with God by appropriately handling my anger, and I’m sure you are too. Put these tips into play this week and watch how God helps you handle your anger in new ways. Teach them to your children to start a peace-filled revolution in the next generation.

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Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings and God's peace to you,

Sarah Geringer
Finding Peace in God's Word

Photo from Canva.com

Reflection questions:

1. What was the anger style in the home where you were raised?

2. What tip will you use to teach your children how to handle their anger?

Turquoise water, shells, dolphins and family time...

by Debi Baker

It feels good to be back home.  My family and I were on vacation last week.  We love the beach and went to a new place this year, Destin, Florida.  This was the first time we rented a house (13 of our 22 family members went this time) and I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed this new adventure.

Photo Credit

The ocean (the Gulf of Mexico) in this area of Florida is absolutely gorgeous!  The water is a beautiful turquoise color and clear as day!  We got to go shelling several days.  I love hunting for shells!!  This was the first time we were able to 'snorkel' to find them.  In fact, I found more shells this year than any other year we've ever gone to the beach!  I am planning to make a lamp using all my shells!!

Photo Credit

One of God's most beautiful creatures is the Dolphin.  It is my most favorite animal of all.  We saw several dolphins on our trip.  Seeing those amazing creatures made my heart all giddy with excitement.  And as we watched for more to breach the ocean's surface, I could feel all stress just melt away.

For whatever reason, this vacation found me feeling particularly close to the Lord.  I am always amazed at God's creation.  I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or what, but I felt more in awe of my Lord's creation this year as we enjoyed family time.  I never want to forget that God created this great big world for US to enjoy!!  

Ultimately, this vacation has made me want to be even more in tune with my God.  It has brought me closer to Him than I ever thought possible.  I long to know Him more and more.  Time on this earth is short and I don't want to lose one opportunity to worship God or be close to Him.  I want Him to push me out of myself so I can do more for Him.  I just want ... MORE of Him!!!

What is it that makes you feel even closer to God than normal?  I'd love to hear from you!!

Have a blessed day!!!

Nehemiah 9:6 NLT

"6 You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you."

Men, Women, and Biblical Equality

By:

Emily Miller


Believe it or not, men and women were designed to be equal in a biblical perspective.

Before the fall, we were supposed to live together in harmony.

For starters, marriage is designed to represent a holy union to God. Secondly, men and women both have strengths and weaknesses that were designed to complement each other, not to tear each other down.

Yet, put sin into the equation and things become a different story.

Genesis 3:12

 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

In the above scripture, Adam immediately tries to shift the blame to the woman. God had told them that they would die if they ate the forbidden fruit, so the act of shifting the blame was essentially like Adam saying, "if someone must die, let it be her". This essentially destroyed any harmonious idea that men were supposed to love and protect their wives right by their side, as we came from the side of men.

Genesis 3:16

To the woman, he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain, you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” 

This verse shows the full reality of what sin did to destroy the male/female dynamic. Men now lorded over their wives while women became devious and scheming. All in all, it basically cumulates into exactly the opposite of what God intended for this relationship to be.

Yet, not all hope was lost after the fall. In this day and age, we as Christians should want nothing more than to strive to be more Christlike. One way to do this is by working to achieve some of that harmony that God originally intended in our relationships. 

Ladies, instead of challenging and tearing the men down in your lives by following ideals such as feminism, I want to invite you to look at them in a different way. See them as people where you can use your God-given skill set to complement theirs.

You may discover that harmony is overall a little less stressful way to live all around.

Blessings,

Emily

It is time for the Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesday Link Up. We desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories in their comments.

Use hashtag #w2wwordfilledwednesday

Three rules to this link up:
1. Must be a {Christian} faith post.
2. Link back to W2W somewhere in your post. (Feel free to use our button if you want!)
3. Visit and comment on at least one other blog in the link up.

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Summer Blessing Giveaway

By: Jenifer Metzger

We love blessing people! So we are thrilled to have partnered with fourteen other bloggers to bring you the 4th annual Summer Blessing Giveaway!

This year, we will have not only an incredible grand prize, but we will also have a second place prize! The blessing giveaway is:
   - First place
      ○ $350 Paypal Cash
      ○ Purposeful Planner
      ○ Cultivate What Matters Write the Word Journal – Cultivate Prayer
      ○ Living Out Titus 2 by Woman to Woman Ministries
      ○ 45 Days of Prayer by Lindsey Renee
   - Second place
      ○ Purposeful Planner
      ○ Cultivate What Matters Write the Word Journal – Cultivate Prayer
      ○ Living Out Titus 2 by Woman to Woman Ministries
      ○ 45 Days of Prayer by Lindsey Renee

Learn more about the fabulous prizes here:

Purposeful Planner
Corie Clark's Purposeful Planner is just the tool you need to stay organized. The Purposeful Planner offers a monthly view, monthly master task list, monthly dreams and goals, monthly budget, monthly menu plan, and then your daily view. Each day of the year has its own page where you can list three goals for the day, an hourly planner, a health goal or plan, keep track of your water intake, prayer requests and praise reports, a brain dump area, and your menu for the day. This planner has it all!

Cultivate What Matters Write the Word Journal
Write the Word journals are the perfect tool to help you get focused and organized in having time with God. Write the Word journals were created as a place to write out the Word of God and thoughts and prayers to help you cultivate your faith. Each journal comes with preselected scripture specific to the topic of the journal so you can cultivate what matters to you, right where you are.

Living out Titus 2 by Woman to Woman Ministries
God didn't mean for us to do this life alone. Splattered all over His Word are bits of encouragement teaching us to connect with other believers. We need to have women in our lives that we look up to and turn to. Then on the flip side, we need to invest in the lives of others. Living Out Titus 2 teaches what it means to have a mentor and to be a mentor. You will find encouragement for mentorship in marriage, parenting, homemaking, the kitchen, your walk with God, and more. Learn what it means to truly be a Titus 2 woman.

45 Days of Prayer by Lindsey Renee
In 45 Days of Prayer Lindsey gives intentional prompts to lead us in intentional prayer. Each day has the daily prompt, Scripture, a prayer, and a journal space to journal your own prayer or something on your heart. The prayer prompts will lead you in praying for your year, missions, your leadership, family, friends, community, yourself, and praise and thanksgiving.

This Blessing Giveaway was brought to you by these incredible bloggers:

-Woman to Woman Ministries
-Jenifer Metzger
-Coupons and Freebies Mom
-Phyllis Sather, Write the Vision
-Deborah Flora, A Delightful Glow
-Rachael Gilbert
-Emily Miller, Creative Scribbles of a History Detective
-Bible Journaling Ministries Free Classes
-I Choose Joy!
-Lesa Dale
-Awe Filled Homemaker
-Learning Grace Thru Motherhood
-Skill Trek: Field Guide for Life
-Mama’s Coffee Shop Blog
-Your Modern Family

Giveaway Rules:
No purchase necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited by law. **Open to US/Canada residents only. ** This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or associated by Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. By entering this giveaway, you agree to release Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Woman to Woman Ministries, and all participating bloggers of all liability. Contest ends at 12:01am EST on July 31, 2018. Winning entry will be verified. Winner is randomly chosen by Rafflecopter and will be emailed.

To enter to win the Summer Blessing Giveaway, complete each task in the rafflectopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

God's amazing love...

by Elizabeth Stewart

Last Sunday my extended family suffered a tragic loss of a loved one.  I don't have a lot of words today. But, that's okay. One word from God's Word is more powerful than anything I have to say.

This verse has been comforting me this week. When it says that death cannot separate us from the love of God the definition of the Greek word for death adds some insight. It, of course, means physical death, but this word also comprises all the miseries arising from sin. All I could think of when I read that definition is that God's love and grace is so much more amazing than we can imagine.  I hope the truth of these verses comforts you, whatever your need is, as much as it did me.

still following,

What to Do When a Friend Deeply Hurts You

By: Sarah Geringer

There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.  

Prov. 18:24 NLT

Have you ever been deeply hurt by someone you believed to be a friend?

Several faces come to mind when I consider this question.

They have the same theme in common: I was dropped from the friendship like a hot potato, suddenly, without any warning.

These are friends with whom I shared my heart. Friends with whom I traveled, laughed, and enjoyed meals. Friends I invited to important events, and they invited me to theirs. Friends I thought would weather life’s changes with me and stick around.

Not every friend is meant to last forever. Sometimes you have school- or work-related friendships that last only while you are at that location. If you move or change churches, it’s easy to lose touch over time.

But that’s not what I’m talking about today. I’m talking about friends that knew you very well but rejected you anyway.

Let’s admit the truth: Mean girls don’t stay inside middle schools or high schools. They’re still alive and well in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond, seemingly unaffected by their bad behavior.

If you’ve been hurt by a friend, you need God’s help. Here are my suggestions for how to handle your feelings after being hurt:

1. Take your hurts to God.

In 1 Peter 5:7 we read, “Cast all your cares on him, because he cares for you.” God cares about your hurt feelings. If you are hurting, cry it out before God. Let him comfort you with his constant, loving presence. Allow him to sift through your feelings and give you insight you can’t find yourself.

2. Consider whether you’ve ever hurt someone else.

I was once one of those mean girls. In junior high, I rejected my best friend for the “cool” crowd. It hurt her badly and I felt terrible about it for a long time. But I’m happy to say we reunited in high school and we’re still friends after 30 years. She has stuck with me literally closer than my sisters at times.

Since I’ve been a mean girl, I tend to look at the friends who have hurt me with greater compassion. I was hurting or striving for unworthy things when I was a mean girl, and I know what it’s like to make mistakes. You can use your past experiences to show empathy toward your offender.

3. Forgive.

No one likes to hear this advice, but it’s the only way to heal from a bad friendship. Every time you think of her, release her to the Lord. Pray blessings on her rather than cursing her. This will be hard at first, but it will get easier with practice. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience.

4. Turn to godly women for new friendships.

My closest friends who stick super close to me in both bad and good times are all godly, committed Christian women. They know my praiseworthy side and my sinful side. They were there for me when I endured a marriage separation and other times when I needed serious prayer. I consider them my real friends.

I’m not saying that Christian women can’t hurt you. Priscilla Shirer shares a story in the book Fervent of a close church friend who was jealous of Priscilla’s success when everyone else was supportive. Priscilla confronted the woman under the Lord’s guidance and learned that the woman was carrying her own pain at the time, which unfairly blocked their friendship. They reunited as friends after the confrontation, which may (or may not) be possible for you.

You have a better chance of finding a friendship that lasts with a godly woman than a woman whose heart pursues the world. It might take several tries, but a godly friend is a treasure worth pursuing.

5. Be vulnerable.

Friendships can be messy, just like all other relationships. To go deep with a friend, you must be vulnerable, and you truly risk being hurt.

I can honestly say that none of my closer-than-a-sister friendships happened without deep vulnerability on both sides. I know the pain of friendships that destroy, but I also know the abiding joy of friendships that last.

Be the kind of friend who sticks closer than a sister. You can’t control how people react to you. You can’t even control whether they will someday drop you like a hot potato. But you can control the kind of woman you are. You can be someone’s good friend, and God will help you have the courage to risk vulnerability in a friendship.

In our lonely world, many women are desperately searching for lasting friendships. Who do you know that needs your friendship today?

If you enjoyed this article, please share on Twitter now:

5 Things You Can Do When a Friend Deeply Hurts You

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Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings and God's peace to you,

Sarah Geringer
Finding Peace in God's Word

Photo from Canva.com

Reflection questions:

1. What is your first memory of being hurt by a friend?

2. What can you do to be a good friend to someone this week?

Be Still

By:

Emily Miller

It is time for the Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesday Link Up. We desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories in their comments.

Use hashtag #w2wwordfilledwednesday

Three rules to this link up:
1. Must be a {Christian} faith post.
2. Link back to W2W somewhere in your post. (Feel free to use our button if you want!)
3. Visit and comment on at least one other blog in the link up.

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<a href="http://www.w2wministries.org/" rel="nofollow" title="Woman to Woman Ministries"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/yGjKwPd.png" alt="Woman to Woman Ministries" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Slow Fade

By: Melissa Baker

There is an old children's song that says "be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down in love, oh be careful little eyes what you see." The song goes on to say little ears, little hands, little feet, etc. It may sound silly, but we as adults, need to listen to that song often, as a reminder that we need to be careful what we let in. The world is constantly trying to get into our mind, heart and spirit. If we are not careful, little by little, the world will make its way in completely and consume our whole being. We will slowly fade into what the world wants us to be instead of what God wants us to be. We will slowly be filled up with worldly things instead of Godly things. We will slowly be filled with hate, anger, resentment, and bitterness. It will be a slow fade.

But as we look back at our lives, we will see how this slow fade took place, little by little. For instance, you get busy so you skip your daily Bible reading. You wake up late and forget to pray before starting your day. You go throughout your day, not even thinking of God, let alone thanking him for your blessings. Before you know it, you will realize just how much you have been missing out on your time with God. Putting busy schedules, activities, sleep and other things before spending time with God, is a disaster waiting to happen. It's easy to skip a day here or there, but before you know it, you haven't read your Bible all week. Then that becomes all month. It's a slow fade.

Or how about our bad habits or not so great choices, that lead to addiction. You tell yourself, it will be ok, I'll just do it once. Then that one time turns into a couple times. Then it becomes a full blown addiction and you didn't even realize it. The enemy now has a hold on you. And you are stuck! That one bad choice, that one look, that one drink, led to the biggest mistake of your life that may cost you everything. Everytime you partake in this addiction, you don't realize how much of your life it consumes. It's a slow fade.

Casting Crowns has a song called "Slow Fade". It is mostly dealing with marriage issues, but it really paints the picture of how a christian can easily fade away into the world. If we are not careful, we will not only live IN the world, but we will become OF the world. We will drown ourselves in our own sin! We have to be intentional about protecting what comes in our minds, hearts and bodies. Our bodies are the Lord's temple, and we should treat it as such. The Holy Spirit has to have a pleasant and Godly place to live inside of us. So I encourage you, take a look at your life. Take a look at your activities, hobbies, etc. and be aware of what or who you let in, to prevent another slow fade.

Ten Ways to Be Kind

By: Jenifer Metzger

In Ephesians Paul doesn't suggest that we are kind. He doesn't tell us it's a good idea or nice thing to do. He just says to do it. Be kind. A simple command. A command that is also a fruit of the Spirit, something we need to cultivate to be Christ-like.

How can we be kind? How can we show compassion? Here are ten ways to be kind:

• Respond with patience when your husband or child is having a rough day
• Respond with gentleness when a stranger is rude
• Respond with self control when tempted to judge someone
• Forgive easily
• Invite someone to your home for coffee or dinner
• Offer to babysit, for free, for a single parent or parent battling health issues, just to give them a break
• Cook a meal for a working mom, then tell her to swing by after work to pick it up or deliver it
• That person at work or church who seems a loner, invite them to lunch or out for coffee
• That lady at church or in your neighborhood who seems stressed, buy/make her a coffee and drop it at her door with a kind note
• Go out of your way to say hi to someone you don't normally talk to

What are other ways you can go above and beyond and show kindness? Share in the comments.

Wondrous things...

by Elizabeth Stewart

This week, as I was reading the book of Galatians in my morning devotions, I came across a verse that I'm sure I've read many times, but never really seen. It made me pause and also made me wonder what it really meant. The verse was Galatians 3:19 and it mentions that angels were a part of the giving of the law to Moses.  My mind instantly went "what???" because I always thought, and in every Sunday School photo I'd ever seen, the giving of the law happened on Mt Sinai in an encounter between Moses and God alone.

If you've ever done an inductive type of Bible study, you are taught that the best way to understand the Bible is to let the Bible interpret itself. Yes, there is a place for commentaries and other helpful Bible study tools. However, first priority should be given to researching where else and what else the Bible has to say on a given topic. My curiosity about Galatians 3:19 led me to Deuteronomy 33:2 which made me think, "How did I not know this before?" It then led me to Psalm 68:17, Acts 7:53, and Hebrews 2:2.  There are five clear mentions in Scripture of the fact that angels were a part of the giving of the law to Moses, and yet I had never noticed it in all of my years of Bible reading and Bible study. I'd never heard it mentioned by anyone else either. My point in all this? God desires to open up His Word to us and show us wondrous things. But, we have a part to play in making that happen.

1) Read and study your Bible.
God is not and can not show you wondrous things from His Word while it's sitting on a shelf gathering dust. You have to make the choice to make time in the Bible a priority. If you are struggling to do so ask God for His help. Ask Him to give you a greater hunger to spend time in His Word. Ask Him to give you understanding and revelation as you read it. Ask Him to help you to love His Word. Then open it up with expectation that God wants to speak to you through it. If you find it difficult to understand, get a simpler translation. I've even recommended to some people who were really struggling to understand God's Word that they read The Jesus Bible Storybook as a beginning point to show them how all of God's Word points to Jesus. (It may take humility to read a children's Bible, but  look at what James 4:6 has to say about humility. "God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace, continually, to the lowly, those who are humble enough to receive it." If you are hungry enough to humble yourself and do whatever it takes in order to understand God's Word better, I truly believe God is going to pour out His grace on you and meet you in a powerful way.)

2) Don't judge your success in your Bible reading by the quantity of what you read but by the quality of the revelation and understanding you are getting while you read. In other words, really concentrate and focus on smaller portions rather than trying to read for volume. Take time to cross reference other scriptures that speak about the same topic when you have question, (as I did with that verse in Galatians). Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you as your read the Bible. That's why God gave us the Holy Spirit!

3) Don't quit when you go through dry times. Everyone goes through times when they read the Bible and it feels like they are getting nothing out of it. The Bible is a supernatural book. I recommend that you take the time to read through Psalm 119 and mark all of the spiritual and even physical benefits that result from reading and loving God's Word. Even when you go through dry times remember that invisible impact is being made in your innermost being as you take in God's Word. You are feeding your spirit and making it stronger. A person with a strong spirit is less likely to be led astray by their own thoughts or their emotions, be caught up in deception, or be overcome by life's trials.

4) Be a curious student. The Bible is a book of patterns. It is consistent from Genesis through Revelation. For example, the spotless lamb is a theme from Genesis through Revelation. The whole Bible points to the truth that Jesus is the once and for all spotless sacrificial lamb Who died for us. When you are reading your Bible and you come to something that sparks your curiosity, look for other places it is referenced in the Bible. One year my word for the year was endurance. When I began to look up all the references to endurance, and its kindred word steadfastness, I was shocked at how many there were. I fed spiritually on those scriptures all year long and I still refer back to them often. This past week, when I noticed that angels were a part of the giving of the law, I was then reminded of these verses that mention the angelic troops of heaven who accompanied the birth of the Son of God, the One Who purchased our freedom from the curse of the law.  It seems that both the Old Covenant, the law, and the New Covenant, salvation through Jesus, were a busy time for the heavenly host! See what I mean when I say that the Bible is a book of consistent patterns. Discovering these kinds of things fills my heart with joy and confirms to me that the Bible is no ordinary book. It is full of wondrous things that God is eager to show you and me!

still following,

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