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Starting a regular quiet time with God

Posted by Sara on Friday, April 13th, 2012 in Faith | Comments (2)

This is an exciting time at Wives of Faith. We are seeing an increase in members, as well as volunteers joining our leadership team. But what I am really excited about are the questions I’m seeing by military wives who are seeking God and who are eagerly looking to either start or grow their relationships with Him.

My hope and my prayer for you is that you are growing. That no matter what you’re going through today – whether you’re in the middle of a deployment or you’ve just PCS’d to a new duty station or you are smack dab in the middle of husband, family and friends and still feel an aching hole in your heart – that you’ll look to God to fill that hole. I accepted Christ when I was a small child, and rededicated my life when I was a teenager, but there is not a day that goes by when I don’t need Him. Because other people will disappoint us and circumstances will frustrate us, but His peace and His love never go away.

So, I have seen in emails and in our chat groups on FB, several questions being asked on how to best start a quiet time or how to read the Bible more effectively. One of the best pieces of advice on studying the Bible to really get a deeper understanding from it comes from Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer. I had an opportunity to go with my church’s women’s group last year to a Going Beyond event and during that weekend, Priscilla shared the steps she uses to really study and learn God’s Word. I took notes and I’ve been using this format ever since, and I love it. Maybe you will too.

Before I heard about her steps, I had quiet times but it was often just reading a few scriptures and praying, and it was not always very consistent. This is probably because there was no process, no steps to follow. (I’m one of those free spirit types who doesn’t like to be put in a box, much of the time, but even creative people need to have processes or routines to follow or nothing EVER gets done!) But I’m also a writer, and I like to write things out, so I love her concept and it has definitely helped change my quiet times for the better.

A quick word about choosing a translation: find a Bible translation you’re comfortable with. Go to the local Christian bookstore and browse around. Ask questions. Or check out this great Bible Selection Guide LifeWay offers. They give a good breakdown of the translations as well as the types of Bibles you may want to consider. For a long time, I read just the NIV, and a few years ago I switched over to the Message. Now I really like my HCSB Study Bible.

You may also want to find a good devotional. If you have a Women’s Devotional Bible, there will be devotions already included. I like to use devotionals with scripture references that I can look up which often helps lead me one from verse to another. My favorite devotional is Jesus Calling by Sarah Young but there are many good ones out there to choose from.

So here are the steps and I hope they help you as much as they’ve helped me. The best advice I can give you is not to give up. If you miss a day, pick it up the next day. If you miss a week, pick it up the next day. Our relationships with God are not measured by a check list but by a check of our hearts. As we seek a personal ongoing relationship with Him, we will find those blessings He has for us.

Before you begin, remember to start your quiet time with prayer, asking God to show you and help you glean what it is He wants you to know today.

Step 1 - Write down the verse or passage you’re studying. Don’t include too many verses. One or two at the most is enough. Priscilla writes down the reference; for me, I like to write down the entire verse in my notebook. It helps me really think about it.

Step 2 - Paraphrase that verse in your own words. Again, write down that verse but in your own words.

Step 3 - Look for the spiritual meaning in the verse you’re reading. What’s God trying to tell you in these verses? What does it mean?

Step 4 - Ask yourself the question. There’s a question that will come out of this verse of scripture for you. This sometimes means we have to take off whatever “I’m doing just fine” mask we sometimes insist on wearing, but it’s ok to do that. God already knows what you’re struggling with.

Step 5 - Obey. This is a statement of obedience that as you’ve been reading, as you’ve been praying while you’re studying this verse, God puts it on your heart and in your head of what you need to do with this verse, and it should relate to the question as well.

Example:

VERSE TO STUDY – Psalm 31:14 “But I trust in You, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

PARAPHRASE: Despite everything life may bring at me, my confidence and hope is in You. You are my Creator, my Sustainer, and my Redeemer.

SPIRITUAL MEANING: God enables me to trust Him and trusting Him enables me to keep going.

QUESTION: If I say, You are my God, shouldn’t I trust Him? And if I trust Him, can’t say without any doubt that He is my God? Am I trusting Him with everything?

OBEY: Trust God for the impossible. If you believe He is God, you can believe you can trust Him, and trust Him for everything.

Apply this type of study in your quiet time and watch God expand and bring fresh eyes for you to see His Word in a whole new way!)

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Have you surrendered?

Posted by Stacy on Friday, March 9th, 2012 in Devotionals | Comments (0)

Now that Rob is back from deployment, we are church hunting again. It’s always a challenging process, but this past Sunday we visited a church for the 2nd time and so far we really like it. Whether or not we’ll choose to become members there still remains to be seen, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that God spoke to me personally through that church on Sunday.

We sang an old hymn that I grew up singing and love dearly called “I Surrender All.” I couldn’t help but giggle with joy a bit when I heard the first few words because it was like God had sent me a special gift that morning in care of the church, delivered straight to me through the music leader.

I surrender all. That is God’s theme for me this year as I learn (and re-learn) how to truly surrender it ALL to Him. My cares, my worries, my dreams, my desires, my husband, my daughter….ALL of it.

My favorite verse in this song is this:

“All to Jesus I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.”

Am I living in His presence daily? Every day? When I am, I know it’s easier to surrender to Him. When I make myself get out of bed to have that quiet time with the Lord before starting my day; When I stop and pray during the day not only when I need help, but also just to praise Him for his glory – the closer I am to Him, the easier it is to trust Him (and his plans for me) completely.

Our lives are often busy and carving out time for “quiet time” can be challenging as military wives and moms, but it’s so important to find that time somewhere. Lately, I’m being challenged because we have a new puppy. My morning quiet time is being disturbed by taking the puppy out to potty, feeding him, making sure he’s playing with the right toys and running constant interference between him and the cat.

God is good and so very gracious! He wants to hear from us. Talk to Him while you drive, while you are doing the dishes or laundry, in the bathroom, or even in the shower. Seem weird? Well, God made you – He already knows what you look like naked! One of my greatest spiritual mentors has her quiet time every night in the bathtub.

He also wants to speak to us through His Word. Get an audio version and listen to it when you are in the car. Leave your Bible open on the kitchen counter and read it a little at a time throughout the day. I know a lady that keeps a Bible in the bathroom to read because it’s the only place she can get a little privacy with her kids running around. Do what you can, but make time for it!

What if you mess up? What if you just didn’t make the time today? The last few days? Then give yourself a break, remember God’s grace, and try again tomorrow. He loves you and desires to communicate with you.

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22-23)

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Define a Miracle, Would you Please?

Posted by Laurie Elmore Thompson on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 in Devotionals | Comments (0)

“For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37, NIV) Read More→

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No Fear

Posted by Kori Yates on Monday, January 30th, 2012 in Marriage | Comments (1)

Fear has been something God has laid on my heart lately. I know we all face it whether our marriages are struggling or spouses are deployed or whatever. Fear tries to creep in sometimes. As part of Wives of Faith, I want us all to be encouraged by the ever-present, all-powerful nature of our God and the peace He has to give.

In the Spring of 2002, I sat in my living room afraid. I had moments of fear before this, but it was on this day I learned that I was living in continual fear. My marriage at the time was in turmoil, to say the least. We had transitioned from active duty life to that of the reserves in order for him to attend school.

Our marriage had never been absolutely wonderful, but by this time, almost six years into it, the marriage had not gotten better. I remember the beginning of this fear. Starting only months into our marriage, he would get angry over seemingly small things and I started to worry about my actions or words triggering his anger. Thankfully, he never expressed that anger physically. When he left on his first deployment, I did not worry so much about the anger, but about other women in his life.

This fear continued when we transitioned to reserve life for a few years. He would head for reserve duty and I would feel the fear inside me as he would pull out of the driveway. I did not know who he would see or what he would be doing during these times. I had heard stories from him and others. By Sunday when he was supposed to come home, I would feel that fear again at having to face him not knowing what had happened in between.

The fear began to come every day when I would see his name on the caller ID at work or head home to meet him in the evenings. I also began to fear he might not be home or ever come home again. Fear became a normal part of life.

I knew Jesus. He and I had a relationship that was grounded over years of time together. As I struggled, I would talk to Him frequently asking to be rescued or for Him to heal a marriage I am not sure was ever functional.

The summer of that year brought me to my knees like no other time in my life. I came home one day to find that my husband had left and did not plan to ever come back. The nightmare I had envisioned was here. This moment changed me forever, though. My first husband left and sure enough never came home, but you know what? God still loved me and had amazing plans for my life.

I had lived in fear for nothing. God can handle anything. In that moment, I came to understand the peace that God can give. Whether my husband came home or not was a choice he would have to make, but my responsibility was to continue to follow Jesus.

I wish I would have gotten this fact before that moment. I had no reason to fear. I had Jesus the whole time. If I would have let Him, He would have simply wrapped His peace around me and reminded me that life is not about the circumstances that surround me. Life is about Jesus.

Granted, my heart was broken. I felt like a failure in the marriage category and I had no idea what God wanted me to do from that point forward, but God healed those wounds. He still had a plan for me.

I write this not simply to tell a story, but to speak to your heart. Are you living in that world of fear as well? Are you wondering if your husband will choose not to come home or ask for a divorce? Are you overwhelmed with fear that he may not come back from war or that he might not be the same man that left? Do you experience fear as you move from one location to another as you attempt to find a new place to fit or a new home in which to live?

Joshua knew all about such concerns. Moses had died; subsequently, Joshua was just put in charge of the entire Israelite nation and God had given Him the job of leading the people into the promised land. Talk about fear creeping in. God told Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

How was He supposed to carry such responsibility, be asked to do so much, and have no fear? He had given Joshua the answer just a few verses before: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.” God had already given Joshua instructions, just as He does us. He gives us His Word to study and follow. That is all he expects of us.

Fear is still fear – and God is still God. I beg you to read again the words of Jesus: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

I still struggle sometimes when fear wants to creep into my heart, but peace can be ours regardless of the circumstances around us because of the Savior. Trust His words to be true today and allow Him to restore your hope as well as your peace. That is my plan – No fear!

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Book Review: Words from the Other Woman

Posted by Holly Massie on Monday, January 30th, 2012 in Books | Comments (0)

Words from the Other Woman by Rebecca Halton is a slim, easy read in which she tells her account of being a “Redeemed Adulteress.”

This book was not what I was expecting. Rebecca’s testimony written in book form is a powerful reminder of God’s redemption for any of our mistakes even, or maybe especially, the ones society says are most unforgiveable. It’s an engaging and well written read, and her style is that of talking to you over a cup of coffee. I expected it to be more of a “help” book in the sense of what to avoid, or the things that she did that maybe the wife at home was not; instead it’s more of a warning to “good, Christian girls” to not think themselves above such behavior/sin.

My favorite quote was “God will not lead you into sin, just so He can glorify Himself by bringing you out of it” – to which I say Amen and applaud her willingness throughout to take responsibility for her actions.

I would have liked more on both fronts – details of what went on and what she would change. Not so much more sordid details about how, when, salaciousness, etc.; but more about her heart at the time and what lead up to her willingness to set aside her standards. I would have liked to read more about how God pursued her even in her sin leading to deliverance.

Although Rebecca grew up in a military household, this is only briefly mentioned in the first chapter. Nevertheless, as a military wife I found this book to be a good reminder of God’s redeeming grace in any situation and a warning/reminder that any of us are capable of sin beyond what we believe but there was nothing truly specific to our military life or the unique challenges of military marriage.

I would still recommend the book as a good read; and while it is not specifically a “military” book, I believe it has much to offer military wives.

_______

Rebecca Halton grew up as a military brat who writes a feature for Operation We Are Here: http://www.operationwearehere.com/bratchatwithrebecca.html).

In her book Words from the Other Woman, she tells her story of having been the adulteress in an extramarital affair, even as a Christian. Rebecca says, “I really think it would be valuable to military wives because two of the mistakes I made were lack of boundaries and not seeking worth, value, fulfillment in Christ. Both of which (in addition to some other things) made me more vulnerable, both of which I hear or see military wives struggle with, especially during deployments.”