During this podcast, host Tawana Lowery shares three important strategies that will help us overcome disappointment (regardless of the circumstances) AND … Keep our Joy!! And as the new year approaches, let these strategies arm you with a game plan to transcend the disappointment traps that might arise.       SCRIPT:   How to Overcome Disappointment and Keep Your Joy By Tawana Lowery (excerpts taken from her upcoming book)   1.     The Holiday Seasons is typically a time for celebrating with friends and loved ones.   2.     But it can also present the greatest opportunity to experience the pain of Disappointment…   ·        Though we might not want to readily admit it… ·        Disappointment is big part of life…   ·        Disappointment hurts and stings… ·        Especially when it involves relationships. ·        But most of all… disappointment steals our joy.     3.     During this Podcast, I want to review 3 Strategies that will help us Overcome Disappointment (regardless of the circumstances) AND … Keep our Joy!!   4.     And as the new year approaches, I believe these strategies will arm you with a game plan to Transcend the Disappointment Traps that might arise.       5.     Like you… I’ve had numerous disappointing experiences. ·        But one that stands out happened when I was only 8 years old. ·        And it happened during the holiday season.   6.     In those days we still called it a Christmas Party.   7.     Second only to the last day of school, it was the most anticipated day of the entire year.   8.     Each hallway and classroom was covered with beautiful decorations.   9.     And the tantalizing aroma of Christmas Cookies hung like a thick fog, consuming every corner of every room.   10. Weeks of anticipation followed by hours of celebration concluded with the most exciting part of the day.   ·        The Student Gift Exchange!   11. The ritual consisted of the teacher passing out each gift (in a very orderly fashion of course).   12. After what seemed a lifetime, she found the present with my name on it.   13. As she approached my desk, my exuberance quickly devolved into disappointment!     14.  Because my sweet teacher wasn’t holding a beautifully wrapped gift with a shiny bow…. It was nothing of the sort!   ·        Instead, she was carrying what appeared to be a ball of aluminum foil….   15. With an awkward wince of embarrassment, she placed the horrifying blob on my desk.     16. Well…. my initial reaction was total confusion. Surely my name was not on THAT.   17.  It wasn’t even a present…. Seriously… who in their right mind would give a ball of crumpled aluminum foil as a Christmas gift?   18. Fighting back the crocodile tears, I quickly snatched it off my desk and placed it in my lap… trying to remain expressionless.     19. As I clutched it tightly, in an effort to hide the evidence, I could feel that something was wrapped inside.   20. I thought… “Should I open it now or wait until I get home?”   21. The thoughts were racing back and forth. 22. But soon my 8 year old curiosity took control.   23. With eyes straight ahead and emotions at bay, I slowly pushed back the foil with my fingertips.   ·        That’s when embarrassment gave way to complete bewilderment.   24. Inside the crumpled ball of foil was a small Plastic Donkey.   ·        It was the kind of humble little grey burrow you might see in a Nativity Scene. ·        It had very sad eyes and a bowed head.   25. A donkey! A plastic donkey! What on earth can you do with a plastic donkey? ·        Just to add insult to injury, it wasn’t even new.   26. As I gazed at this unimaginable nightmare… My mind quickly recalled my shopping trip from the previous week.     27. I thought about the time I invested selecting the perfect gift for my classmate.   ·        It was wrapped with tender care, by yours truly. ·        Then finished to perfection with a lovely bow! ·        Yet despite my tireless efforts, this is what I get in return?   28. You know… that event happened more than 40 years ago, and yet the disappointment I experienced is branded in my memory.       So… here’s the point of the story? 29. Sometimes we give our very best to people and circumstances only to receive a Plastic Donkey in return.   30. Sometimes situations over which we have no control cause embarrassment and heartache, leaving us with a stomach full of disappointment and let-down.     31. But… What if we could overcome those deflated emotions and bounce back with a fervent determination to Keep our Joy?   ·        That’s what these 3 Principles will help you achieve. The first Principle is…. “Keep it in Perspective.” 1.     A few days after the Christmas party, my mother learned the details behind the gift I had received.   ·        My classmate, Teresa and her family were struggling.   ·        Her father had lost his job, and her mom was fighting a serious illness. ·        Teresa’s family had no money and no insurance for medical expenses. ·        In fact, the community was providing money for food and other basic needs. ·        No doubt, they were facing a very bleak holiday season.        2.     My mom also explained how that little plastic donkey was part of their family Nativity Scene.   ·        And it just so happened, the little sad burrow was Teresa’s favorite character piece.   ·        In actuality, Teresa gave me something very near and dear to her heart.   ·        She gave the best she had to offer. You might even say her gift was sacrificial… sort of like the offering of the Widows Mite in the Bible. 3.     Although my hurt from the disappointment was real, learning more about Teresa’s situation shed new light on the entire event.   ·        It helped me view it from a higher perspective. ·        As a result, my disappointed heart was transformed into a heart of compassion. ·        Keeping it in perspective gave me the emotional strength to keep my joy.     The second Principle for Keeping our Joy is… “Keep Giving Your Best.”   1.     When we returned to school after the holidays…  I decided to give Teresa what she had given me.   ·        She gave me her best. How could I do any less?   2.     For the remainder of the school year, I poured into her life as much as possible.   ·        I helped her with homework so she could make better grades. ·        We sat together at lunch so she wouldn’t be alone. ·        Because we were the same size, I gave her some of my clothes and shoes.   3.     Teresa and Tawana became best buds, and we both excelled because of it.   4.     She discovered there was a great student on the inside with the ability to learn and grow.   5.     I discovered leadership abilities that allowed me to inspire others to excel.    6.     Staying true to your core values in the midst of the pain, is vital for overcoming disappointment.   ·        That includes being intentional to give your best regardless of what other don’t give you.       7.     Think about it like this… ·        If you want to keep your joy, then be sure to engage in activities that set you up to achieve it.   8.     After all, it’s very difficult to give your best while experiencing sadness at the same time.     Let’s wrap this up with the third Principle for Keeping our Joy which is to… “Keep Looking for the Good.”   1.     On one of the coldest days of the year, I got caught in a huge traffic jam on the way to have my car heater repaired.   2.     The temperature was 35 degrees outside and only slightly warmer inside.   ·        Not exactly the best day to be stuck in traffic with no heat.   3.     But while I was sitting in my very frigid car, staring at a endless line of traffic, it brought to light another important truth about overcoming disappointment… ·        There’s a big difference between being cold and being left out in the cold.     ·        The first is simply an unpleasant circumstance of life. The second is a distressing place in life.     4.      In the same way, there’s a big difference in being disappointed with a temporary situation of life and being disappointed with life in general.   ·        Most disappointments we encounter are nothing more than temporary unpleasant interludes between other normal events.   ·        But problems arise when we allow the occasional let downs of life to create a fatalistic attitude towards life.     5.     I’ve discovered the most effective way to avoid this pitfall is to maintain a posture of gratitude while you’re in a disappointment.   6.     Shivering in the car that morning, my choices were very simple. Either complain and grumble or be thankful and humble.   ·        I chose to wrap my mind in a warm blanket of gratitude. ·        I decided to focus on the long list of things I was thankful for.     7.      Of course, I didn’t relish sitting in a cold car during a two hour traffic jam. ·        But, I couldn’t change it. ·        And, honestly, the situation could have been much worse.   8.     So I began to recite (out loud) all I was grateful for. ·        Things like warm clothes, warm socks and boots, ·        a full tank of gas, ·        a semi-hot cup of coffee, ·        good health, ·        money in the bank, ·        friends and family who loved me, ·        and so on and so on.    9.     As I focused more and more on the good, my stress began to dissipate. ·        I became less focused on what was trying to steal my joy and more centered on what would revive it.     10. I believe when we form the habit of looking for the good in the “not so good” we actually Teach our Minds to be Joyful.          Closing   1.    I’m not suggesting we should never admit or feel Disappointment.   2.    It’s part of life because ….   a.      We live in a fallen world full of fallen people doing fallen things.   3.    But I am suggesting that we use the Plastic Donkey’s of life as a reminder…   To Keep it in Perspective, To Keep Giving our Best and To Keep Looking for the Good.   4.    When we do so… we Keep our hearts and minds positioned to KEEP our JOY (during the holidays and throughout the year).       All content is copyrighted by Tawana Lowery and Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent

This Christmas, run to Jesus! He has come amid the craziness of this world to bring you His peace and joy. He is calling you just like He called the shepherds on that night long ago. Peace be with you, and all glory to God in the highest. (Luke 2:8-20)   *******   Welcome to Walking in the Word, the Biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. I’m your host, Julie Jenkins. I hope you are enjoying our walk through the gospels as we focus on putting the four pictures from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John into one comprehensive view. As I record this, it is Christmas week – the time when we celebrate Jesus’ birth on earth. Jesus, our Holy God, came to earth as a human so that He could die a sinner’s death and give all of humanity the opportunity to step into an eternity with Him. But our most powerful and majestic God also came to earth so that we could individually connect with Him and experience peace in our everyday lives. Have you ever met someone you deem “important” or “famous”? I have – and no matter how prepared I am – when I meet someone “out of my league,” I often feel a bit tongue-tied, or intimidated. My head swims a bit. Do you know the feeling? Although God is, undoubtedly, in higher standing than anyone we will ever meet, He wants to relate to us on common ground. God never wants us to feel tongue-tied around Him. So Jesus came to earth as a man. He was born in a stable. And He lived a common life. He was the extraordinary amid the ordinary who went to extremes to be relatable. So on Christmas, not only do we celebrate the MAJESTY of God, but we also celebrate His HUMILITY as He descended to earth out of sheer love for us, ushering in peace and joy. Let’s begin in prayer… Dear Heavenly Father – today we praise and glorify your name! We know we should do that every day, but today we intentionally remember the birth of Jesus as a helpless baby, praising the fact that you saw fit to come to earth so that you could save us from our sins AND connect with us in such a loving fashion. As we study your Word, God, I ask you to teach us what you want us to know. Guide us in wisdom and joy as we open our hearts to you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. In today’s scripture, we are going to take a few moments to peer into the lives of the shepherds. These men were perhaps the lowliest of the low. And yet, they were seen by God, who counted them as so important that they were visited by the angels and were the first to hear of Jesus’ birth. Let’s read Luke, chapter 2, verse 8-20 from the New Living Translation: 8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,     and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.   One of my favorite Christmas hymns, Silent Night, gives us an idyllic vision of what was happening the night of Jesus’ birth…but it seems from this text that there wasn’t much “silent” about that night.   Let’s start with the stable – the birthing room, as it was. I’ve had three children, and although each birth was beautiful, there simply wasn’t anything silent about the process. I think my husband remembers that more clearly than I do! And let’s not forget that the holy family was sharing their space with a stable full of animals. And I imagine the animals had their own chorus going on. But maybe it was a silent night in the fields where the shepherds were?...Let’s imagine… I envision a clear night, with the stars brighter than most of us are used to. After all, there was very little light pollution in those days. But scripture says the shepherds were guarding their flocks…and sheep are very loud animals who only sleep about 4 hours a night. Guarding sheep was a purposeful, 24-hour a day job – so much so that the shepherds had to take turns sleeping and standing guard against thieves and animals. I can picture the shepherds straining to be alert even in the darkness, listening for sounds of intrusion over and above the sound of the sheep. The truth is that the job of the shepherds was far from glamorous – it was constant and messy, certainly not silent and peaceful. It makes me think of being a parent. I can remember sitting up those late hours with each of my newborns, just praying for a moment of PEACE. You probably know what I’m talking about. It can be hard to push through those nights, knowing in your heart that what you are doing is important, but at times, feeling alone in the struggle…like the whole rest of the world is silent, and somehow you alone are fighting to do your job in your loud and messy corner. Some theologians speculate that these shepherds were tending the sheep that were to be used as a sacrifice for the temple services – now that would have been a stressful job! The perfect lamb had to be carefully protected, raised without blemish. Then that perfect lamb would be sacrificed, allowing the high priest to enter the holy of holies to receive a word from God for the whole nation. No pressure. And, to top it off, the shepherds themselves were not permitted to attend the temple because, due to their work, they were considered ceremonially unclean. These were honest men working hard in the trenches whose job was SO important, but they were considered lower class in every aspect. They were humble servants. Sometimes the world seems upside down, doesn’t it? Those who give the most sometimes receive the least recognition. Teachers spend their days shaping the future, pouring into our children, our most precious commodity…and yet their pay is often low and the honor that should be given them is dismissed. Healthcare workers serve long hours, handling messes and dealing with the emotions of patients and their loved ones. The list goes on – social workers, foster parents, firefighters, and police officers—all are humble servants who often work amid chaos, caring for others and putting themselves on the back burner. But in today’s scripture, we see an example of God’s love and acknowledgment for every person who puts themselves out there in service to another. The humble servants in Jesus’ day — the shepherds — had no idea as they did their job, valiantly guarding their sheep, that they were about to receive a personal greeting that would blow their socks off. Across the noisy field, a baby was being born who would change the world. That baby, God made flesh, would open the door, tearing the curtain to the holy sanctuary, allowing God’s presence to fill the earth. The God of all majesty and honor had sent His only begotten son Jesus to earth as a helpless baby to be born in a messy, smelly stable. And the shepherds, hard at work in the fields, would be the first to know. The angels were so excited to share this awesome news! In the book of Hebrews, the angels are called ministering spirits who are sent to care for God’s people. The angels had front row seats to not only the glory of God, which we in our humanity still can not quite comprehend, but also to the fact that God, the divine, the holy, was born among humans, as a human – this was quite the turn of events! This was quite the message – surely sharing this message was one of the angels most important missions ever! And the shepherds, the hardworking yet lowly servants, were the first to be invited to the party. Imagine the shepherds on that dark, clear night. First, they saw one angel, and then a “vast host” of angels…some versions say a “multitude of angels” – the original word is plethos (PLAY – thahs) – sounds like the English word plethora.  – meaning a large or excessive amount of. … all praising God…the angels NEEDED the shepherds to understand the magnitude of what was happening, this was urgent and exciting information. Entire armies of angels filled the sky. That moment must have been thrilling beyond our imaginations. The glory of the Lord had returned to the earth, and the angels could not contain their joy. Verse 9 says that “the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.” Of course, this site would have shocked the shepherds – it would shock you and me, that’s for sure! The first angel said, “Don’t be afraid!” and he explained himself… “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!   And that wasn’t all…the angel clearly wanted the shepherds to go and see for themselves. He told them WHERE to go and how to find the newborn savior of the world. And then the singing started! The armies of heaven started praising God. With something so miraculous happening, how could they NOT praise God? They simply weren’t about to miss the JOY and CELEBRATION of Christ’s birth. The angels sang, GLORY TO GOD, and peace to those with whom God is pleased! Jesus came to bring us that sometimes seemingly elusive peace! WE, like the shepherds, are meant to experience the peace of God in our daily lives! When we please God, He gives us His peace. So what is it that pleases God? Walking with God and trusting HIS care and protection, even as we care for and protect others, brings us peace beyond all understanding. As children of God, we do not need to fear – because our God is a god of love and protection and wisdom and PEACE. He is holding His umbrella out, waiting for you to take a step under it. Our God is a fierce protector, who, once you take a step toward Him in submission, will never let you go.   The shepherds were initially afraid on that crazy night, but they listened to the good news that the angels brought, and then they ran to Jesus themselves and experienced His peace. Do you remember when you first heard about Jesus and you ran to Him? If you have, you know the peace, the excitement, the joy, that the shepherds knew on that “not so silent” night. If you don’t know God’s peace, if you haven’t yet run to Him…consider this your message…and me your messenger! The Messiah has come! Your salvation is here! You never have to go it alone in this world again! God wants you to come to Him. Run to Him, just like the shepherds did. Jesus did the hard part. He humbled Himself, stepping down from His throne to become human. In His humanity, not only did Jesus make a way for our salvation, but by becoming one of us, He also opened a path for us to communicate with Him. You never need to be intimidated to go to Jesus. You never need to become tongue-tied around Him. You never need to be afraid. This Christmas, I pray you will run to Jesus, welcome Him into your every day, and experience His peace. Oh HOLY God! We praise you! Glory to YOU in the highest! We thank you for ushering in peace on earth! Father, I pray for each woman listening that she may experience your peace and joy today. I pray that she will RUN to your side, experience your forgiveness, rest under the umbrella of your love. Father, thank you for sending your son to us, to this very dirty, messy earthy…to save our very dirty, messy lives. We give our lives to you, O God, and ask you to lead us where you will…we will follow. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Mental Health and Wellness advocate, Author, and Speaker Elaine Septon shares her 2x suicide survival story with transparency in hopes of raising awareness and removing judgment of those who walk through rough moments in their life.   God will work out His plans for your life, Psalm 138:8. We just need to TRUST and surrender control.

Sometimes God calls us to do difficult, even seemingly impossible things, but what could’ve been more overwhelming than an unmarried teenage girl being tasked with raising the Savior of the World?  Just as God’s grace enabled her to receive, raise and release her first born son, His grace will carry us through life’s most formidable challenges. **** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leaders podcast. I’m your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God’s grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world. I love every aspect of Christmas. But what I love most is to contemplate the mysterious, wonderous way God chose to send His Son into the world and the woman He chose to be His mother. The Messiah that God’s people had been longing for over the centuries  finally arrived in a way no one would have ever predicted. There were only two witnesses to the moment when God set aside His divinity to put on human flesh as a completely helpless newborn baby. A frightened, inexperienced girl with her equally frightened and inexperienced new husband were the only humans aware that God had come to earth to rectify everything that had gone wrong. What probably seemed to Mary and Joseph, the worst possible timing was in fact, carefully planned. Had they not had to go to Bethlehem at exactly this time, Jesus would’ve been born in the ordinary way…in a bed, in a house with midwives and mothers reassuring Mary and taking charge.  There would have been no stable or manger, no shepherds hurrying to witness the miracle and no need for a star to light their way. It would’ve been just another birth in the city of Nazareth.  In her moments of fear and pain, Mary probably longed to have her mother, or any kind-hearted woman there to tell her what to do, reminding her of the joy that would soon be hers. But God very deliberately only allowed her two sources of comfort and direction, the very ones she would continue to depend on in the years to come…God Himself and her husband, Joseph. Luke 2 :18 tells us that Mary, “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  I have to believe that some of what she was pondering was how God orchestrated the time and place of His birth.  Mary seemed to have a better than average understanding of how highly God values humility. When her cousin, Elizabeth, blessed her for believing in the promise she was given, she immediately turned the praise to God. In what is known as “Mary’s Song,” in Luke 1:47-52 she tells Elizabeth, “How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For He took notice of His lowly servant girl, and from now on, all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and He has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear Him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.”  I wonder if those words came back to her as she surveyed her very humble surroundings while her labor pains intensified. No doubt she would have preferred a cleaner, less smelly, and more comfortable place to deliver the Son of God, but she seems like the sort of girl who would realize that the location was exactly what God intended. Mary’s natural humility may have also caused her to ponder the question, “Why me?” While she was clearly honored to have been chosen and recognized the importance of the role she was about to play, she would never have sought it for herself.  After all, it hadn’t been easy.  Joseph had found it impossible to believe her story about her encounter with the angel Gabriel – until he experienced a similar visit himself.  He had been prepared to divorce her quietly and send her away, believing that was the kindest and only option available to him. As a man of his day, he probably experienced the same snubs, whispers and social ostracization that Mary did. Both Mary and Joseph had already paid a costly price for their assignment when they prepared to deliver the King of Kings in a dusty, drafty stable.  Anyone who’s given birth to a child can tell you that the realization of the journey you’re about to begin is a cause for lots of pondering. What will this child be?  Do you have what it takes to give him everything he needs to become a well-adjusted human being?  Will she forgive the mistakes you make along the way? Would this child have been better off with someone stronger, smarter, more resourceful…better? Surely Mary had all of those thoughts as she held her newborn son, but there was a whole added dimension to consider.  How could it be that this baby, created in her and carried by her for the last nine months, had existed since before time began and had witnessed and carefully planned not only her creation, but every moment of her life? At the conclusion of the Christmas story in Luke 2, there’s an account of Joseph and Mary taking baby Jesus to the temple for His dedication as the law of Moses required. Here they encountered an old man named Simeon who had spent his lifetime watching for the coming Messiah. In a rare instance of the Holy Spirit speaking to men before Christ’s coming, he was assured that he would not see death before laying his eyes on the Promised One. When he encountered the new parents and their divine baby, he instantly knew that he had laid eyes on the Messiah and he began to prophesy. “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word,” he said.  Luke 2 doesn’t say this, but I imagine after a lifetime of waiting, he had tears in his eyes and that his voice faltered as he said,” For my eyes have seen Your salvation, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel.” Verse 33 says that Joseph and Mary were amazed at the things being said about Jesus.  Simeon blessed them and spoke directly to Mary, saying, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed. And a sword will pierce even your own soul.” How much more did Mary have to ponder after their encounter with Simeon? “A sign to be opposed?”  What could that mean?  It certainly didn’t sound good.  “And a sword would pierce her soul?”  Mary was told that her Son would save His people from their sins, but she wasn’t told how. Was her woman’s intuition filled with foreboding, knowing that somehow this child’s future would cause her soul to be pierced? She must have struggled with dark thoughts about this throughout His 33 years.  When the angel Gabriel told her that she was to give birth to the Messiah, her response was, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”  To say that when faced with the prospect of such an overwhelming assignment reveals a heart that trusts God…no matter what.  Undoubtedly, she had to remind herself that she could trust Him, again and again when the dark thoughts assaulted her. The only story of Jesus as a child in the bible occurs when He was 12-years-old. Scripture tells us that the entire family made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  Apparently they travelled as part of a large group, including other family members, friends and neighbors because Mary and Joseph had been on the road for a full day before they realized Jesus was nowhere to be found. They had assumed that He was walking with some of the other boys His age or a favorite relative or family friend. When they realized He was missing, they did the only thing they knew to do …return to where they had last seen Him… in Jerusalem.  If you've never experienced the unmatched panic of temporarily losing a child, I can tell you from personal experience, it is terrifying. We once lost our 4-year-old son on the very crowded lido deck of a cruise ship for about 3 minutes.  He was at the end of the line of our four children and then he was gone. I can’t even describe the relief I felt when the cruise director announced that a little boy was looking for his family within minutes of us realizing he had disappeared. Poor Mary and Joseph had to go for days, rather than minutes, not knowing if they would ever find their son. With each step, I wonder if Mary questioned if God could still think so highly of her now that she’d lost the long-awaited Messiah He had entrusted to her care? Her desperate panic gave way to incredible relief when she spotted Him in the temple, listening to the teachers, asking questions and discussing the scriptures. Like any mother, her first words to Him could be expressed in modern language as, “how could you do this to me?”  She said, “Your father and I have been looking for You, and the literal translation is , “in pain.” His response gave her still more to ponder. “Why were you searching for me,” He asked in genuine curiosity. “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” The next verse repeats the phrase we saw earlier in Luke 2.  Once again, Mary ponders these things in her heart. Did she note that Jesus referred to his Father’s house as the temple in Jerusalem, not their simple home in Nazareth? Was this an indication that her son knew exactly Who He was and what He must prepare to do? Perhaps when they had resumed living in Nazareth she had chosen to set aside thoughts of the future and simply enjoy the gift of a beloved son.  Did this newly evident maturity in her boy cause the dark thoughts to creep back into her mind? What did she think the day her 30-year-old son gave her a farewell embrace and headed away from Nazareth to begin His ministry? Did she wonder if she would ever see Him again? Did it cross her mind that His leaving could mean that the moment that would pierce her soul might be coming soon?  When she heard about His miracles and all the people who traveled so many miles to hear Him speak, she must’ve been filled with pride and wonder, but also questions of where it would lead.  She had a front row seat, the day He read from the Torah in their own temple, telling His former neighbors that the scripture predicting the coming Messiah had been fulfilled in their midst. The idea that the young man they’d known since He was a child could be their long-awaited Messiah, was incomprehensible to them and provoked what they considered holy outrage. Terror must have gripped her as they gathered around Him with stones in their hands, ready to carry out the sentence for blasphemy.  When He simply disappeared from view, no doubt she was simultaneously relieved and awe-struck. We can’t begin to imagine what she felt three years later as she sat at the foot of the cross with the image of His bloodied, lifeless body blurred by more tears than she thought she could contain. At last, she knew the meaning of Simeon’s prophecy that a sword would pierce her soul, even as it now pierced His side. Mary was called to do the impossible. She had to bear the shame of being considered an immoral woman, when in fact, it was evidence that she was favored by God. She bore the responsibility of protecting and preparing a child Who came to do the most extraordinary, necessary thing in the history of the world. And most impossible of all, she had to let go of her preconceived ideas of what the Messiah would do and trust her heavenly Father, Who was also her earthly Son, to bring about His intended purposes in spite of the utterly hopeless situation she saw before her. When she thought back to the many things she had heard Him say, was one of them, “With man, this is impossible.  But with God, all things are possible.” You may be facing your own impossible task right now. You, or a loved one may have just received a life-threatening diagnosis. You may be raising a child with special needs and you find that it takes far more energy than you have. Perhaps you’re facing financial or marital difficulties…or both. Maybe God has called you to start a business or ministry and you have no idea where or how to begin. You may have a wayward child that is lost with no desire to be found or your children may be thriving as they take their places in the world, but it’s left you feeling lost and without purpose. You may be questioning if you can survive this Christmas because it’s the first one you’ve had to endure without a loved one who was an integral part of every celebration.  Whatever impossible situation you are facing, God’s grace will sustain you, lead you, comfort you and enable you.  The most basic definition of grace is unmerited favor.  There’s that word favor again, which takes us back to Mary. Why was she chosen?  Because she found favor with God. Her trust in Him brought His favor, or better understood, His grace upon her enabling her to carry out the impossible tasks He set before her.  As you think back on that first Christmas, let her story remind you of all God can accomplish through you by His grace. Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast!  Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders .  All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.  

Sometimes we must do simply what we are called to do. Mary understood this. Joseph understood this. And Jesus understood this. This Christmas, trust the God who is in control! (Matt 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-7)

Sharing a shameful past takes courage. Amber McDaniel testifies of her story and the results of experiencing freedom through a personal relationship with Christ.   From dancing to cover pain to now dancing for Jesus, this precious woman shares her Relational Redemption Through Creativity.

As we celebrate Hanukkah this season, let's examine our hearts, in order to fully receive God's grace. Be blessed with the history of Hanukkah and its correlation with the book of Nehemiah. **** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, A Women World Leader’s Podcast, I’m your host Robin Kirby-Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God’s grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. Title: Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication. 1 “The words or story of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: Now in the month of Chislev in the twentieth year [of the Persian king], as I was in the castle of Shushan, 2 Hanani, one of my kinsmen, came with certain men from Judah, and I asked them about the surviving Jews who had escaped exile, and about Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 1:1-2 AMPC’’ Hanukkah is known as “the Feast of Dedication.” It is a time in which the Jewish people celebrate the rededication of the Second Temple, cleansing it from the things of the pagan culture that had crept in with a part of the priesthood, given over to the Hellenistic ways. Although, Nehemiah preceded those at the time of Hanukkah, there’s a correlation. God’s people were grieved at the worldly things that had happened against Jerusalem, infecting God’s Holy City. Hanukkah is on the 25th of the Jewish Month Chislev on the Hebrew Calendar, and commemorates the Maccabean Revolt in the 2nd Century B.C. The Maccabees revolted against the suppression of the practice of their faith, with a Syrian-Greek king. This revolt went on for 30 plus years, with the main phase being over a seven-year period, from 167-160 B.C. During that phase, in 164/165 B.C., the Maccabees captured Jerusalem, then the subsequent cleansing of the temple came on the 25th day of Chislev, where they found a small amount of pure oil, that was a day’s worth of supply, to light the menorah. It would take at least another eight days to make the purified anointment to light the menorah again. The supernatural occurrence of the one-day supply of oil kept the lamp burning for eight days, which is where we get Hanukkah. What does that mean for us? As we celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah, we look at it as a time for examining our hearts, to see if the things of the world, have gotten into our inner man, so that we can cleanse ourselves of it, by God’s grace. The Maccabean Revolt, not only dealt with the Jewish people being free to practice their faith, but it also dealt with cleansing God’s temple of the priests who were influenced with the practices of the pagan culture, mixing it into Judaism within the temple. I love Nehemiah 1, and looking at the first two verses, when it comes to the time of Hanukkah. I’ve written extensively on Nehemiah 1, in my book God’s Fire Wall Healing of the Soul, Session 1 The Light, showing how the soul fragments, where there’s unclean things within our members, and it causes us in the smallest wat to disassociate. Having worked as an outpatient psychotherapist with adults, the elderly, and children in long term foster care, I’ve had patients who had Dissociative Identity Disorder, or those who disassociated on some level. I get into small disassociations in my book Mindfulness, the Mind of Christ, in what is labeled “a mood, temperament, and evolves into our personality.” I experienced this after my ninth month marriage at 19 years old back in 1999, to a demonically oppressed man, who starved and beat me, kept me imprisoned, as well as constantly threatened me with guns pointed at me, or knives put to my throat. It was my first internship supervisor, who pointed out my abuse, which I had shut down and through disassociation, acted as though it had never happened. This is all in my book Session 1 The Light, showing how the fragmented soul is made whole. You’ve might not have anything drastic like this, but on some level, the influence of the fallen world, might have taken a toll on your soul, bringing in a mixture, into your Christian life. The point of the kingdom of the world, is to get us confused about God’s grace. I grew up loving the Lord, having had a supernatural encounter at the age of seven, and always attending church. It was in my last year of high school that I rebelled, because all the guys I ever dated, would break up with me, for keeping myself pure. I got angry with God, and rebelled, and then backslid. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus, God heals our backsliding. (Hosea 14:4) Like the revolt of the Maccabees, the power of Holy Spirit upon my soul, revolted against the pollution of the world, that had worked its way in, where I tolerated the oppression of the enemy. Looking at Nehemiah 1, we’re given a glimpse into this revolt with God’s people, as Nehemiah is stirred with jealousy and grief, to see Jerusalem rebuilt, as he would look over the repair of the wall. Maccabee means “hammer” in Aramaic and has the connotation “Who is like unto thee among the gods, Oh Lord!” God’s Word is a hammer within us, to show us HE IS GOD, HE IS GRACIOUS! “Is not My word like fire [that consumes all that cannot endure the test]? says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks in pieces the rock [of most stubborn resistance]?” Jeremiah 23:29 AMPC God’s Word pounds away the stubborn places of the heart that have been influenced by the world. In those places of our soul, He brings the Light of Truth, where His Name dwells. (Nehemiah 1:9) Nehemiah 1, verses 1 and 2, bring so much to illumination, as we see that Nehemiah has come to the Lord in the month of Chislev, which is the time of Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, preceding the event for nearly two-hundred years. However, we can see the reflection of what happened in Nehemiah’s time, compared to what happened in the time of the Maccabean Revolt. God’s people were oppressed, and the city profaned by the pagan culture, having its toll on Jerusalem and the temple. Nehemiah in Hebrew means “comforter,” indicating the foreshadowing of Holy Spirit. His father, Haciliah is mentioned in verse one, whose name means “Jah of Darkness,” where God will bring the Light to you, and enlighten you. Chislev means “thickening,” indicating the heavy rains. Moreover, the kinsmen mentioned in verse 2 is Hanani meaning, “gracious.” Names aren’t happenstance in God’s Word, and the 24 workbooks I’ve written on the book of Nehemiah, which three have been edited and revised into books, unpack EVERY SINGLE NAME in the book of Nehemiah. There are a lot of names in that book, to where you almost feel as though you’re reading the Chronicles. When we look at the name meanings in verses one and two, it shows us that The Comforter, Holy Spirit, will come into our Darkness, bringing enlightenment to our soul of God’s thick and weighty presence, revealing His grace. This is what happens to areas of our soul, in need of God’s grace. We have the beautiful presence of His love, mercy, and truth, that visits us in our darkness, to lift us into the place of wholeness. This reflects the occurrence of the Maccabean Revolt. The people hungered for the presence of God, and in the darkness of the influence of the world, God brought the Light, the supernatural supply of oil that lasted until they could get the pure oil made. This signifies being a Bond Servant of God! Have you gotten busy with things in life, that you might have slipped and allowed the influence of the world? Is there an area of your soul that’s influencing you with negative thoughts, and bad behaviors. As you’re hearing this podcast on the last day of Hanukkah, December 15th, 2023, commit yourself afresh and anew to God. Breathe a deep breath and acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

Our past does not define us. Today's guest, Peggy Sperling - certified human behavioral consultant, teacher, and missionary to China 41 times - encourages us with her story. Please join us today as Peggy shares the importance to rise above past circumstances that may hold us back from fulfilling what God has for our future.

On today's episode of Celebrating God's Grace, host Rusanne Carole speaks about how we can love and serve God as we "do" for Him out of a deep "being' with Him. We often speak of "being a Martha or a Mary." Jesus told us that Mary chose the better thing to do. To sit at our Saviour's feet allows us to serve Him from an overflow and be obedient to what He wants us to do.

What are we to do while we are waiting for the full dawning of the kingdom of God—for Jesus’ return? We learn the answer to this question straight from the mouth of Jesus in Luke 18:1-17. *** Welcome to Walking in the Word…the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders’ podcast. I’m your host, Julie Jenkins, and I am so happy you have joined us. As we enter into December, if you are a regular donor to Women World Leaders, the newest edition of our Voice of Truth magazine should be arriving in your mailbox. If you are new to the ministry, Voice of Truth is our quarterly magazine presented by an amazing team of women from around the globe who are on mission to share the love and message of Jesus Christ. If you’ve not yet been introduced to the magazine, you can check it out at womenworldleaders.com, where we have this issue as well as all our back issues available for free digitally. We do print a few extra copies of each edition, so if you want a physical copy for yourself or to share with someone, simply make a donation to the ministry on our website, and we will send you one, as long as our supplies last. Of course, Women World Leaders is a 501c3 non-profit, so all donations ARE tax deductible. What better way is there to get a year-end tax deduction than to allow your money to be used to spread the Word of God and empower women to walk in their God-given purpose? You can be part of this spectacular cause that we have embarked on at Women World Leaders, and we hope you will. Let’s get into our study, shall we? Today, as we open scripture, asking God what He wants us to know, we will be studying Luke 18:1-17. Before we begin, let’s pray… Dear Most Holy God, We come to you in faith, trusting that you will teach us today what we need to know. Sometimes, when we look at your Word, God, we don’t know where to start. But we do. We begin in faith, by opening to a study that you have, in fact, ordained for us. We have been walking through your gospels, and it never ceases to amaze me that you teach each of us bit by bit, filling us with what we need to know when we need to know it…and we praise you in advance that today is no exception. Be with us. Guide us. Teach us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. As we studied last week, we learned about the Kingdom of God – that, with Jesus’ human birth, it had already arrived, but no one knows the date of its full completion. Yet Jesus assured the disciples, and us, that when it does arrive in full force, no one will miss it. Today as we study, Jesus launches into two parables that teach exactly what we are to do while we are waiting for His return. Allow me to begin reading in Luke 18, verse 1 from the New Living Translation… One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’  The two characters in this story are as opposite as you can imagine. The judge had all the power in the world. He not only rendered judgment, but he also chose WHOSE case he would hear, which was often based on a bribe presented to his assistant. The widow, on the other hand, had been ill-treated and had NOTHING to offer the judge to hear her case. She had several things going against her. First of all, she was a woman. Secondly, she was widowed, so she had no male presence to represent her. And thirdly, she was poor. All the cards were stacked against her…all she had was her presence and her voice, which she used until she nearly drove the heartless judge crazy. Verse 4 continues… 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” 6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! The judge certainly did not offer justice quickly or even willingly, but under duress. We are not to compare the judge to God, but rather see their differences…unlike the uncaring judge, our God loves us each so much, and He will always be there to answer our prayers. And yet…sometimes it CAN feel like God is not there…like we are waiting for forever for an answer to prayer…or, for Him to return again, ushering in the completion of His Kingdom. So what are we to do while we wait? According to Jesus’ teachings, we are to tirelessly and persistently go to God in prayer. The woman was outside the tent…she wasn’t even allowed in where the proceedings were happening. Waiting for Jesus to return can feel like that…we know God is there, we know He can hear us, but we just can’t see Him clearly yet. God wants us to keep close to Him, to keep close to the tent, to keep crying out. Unlike with the judge in the parable, we don’t need to “wear God down,” but when we stay close to Him in prayer, we will always win, because we will always be close to Him! Still, many WILL get tired and wander away…that is why Jesus asks in the next sentence… But when the Son of Man[a] returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” Then Jesus shared another parable … again, about two people who were complete opposites…one man revered and praised God, the other man revered and praised himself – as a show to God. This parable was directly pointed at those listening who self-righteously putting themselves above others. Verse 9… 9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[b]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ Notice the I’s? This man walked into God’s house and proceeded to tell God how great he was, as if God should be privileged to be in this man’s presence. Verse 13… 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ What a stark difference. The first man, the Pharisee, strutted into the Temple as if it were HIS home. I’m guessing we all know people like that. Those who walk into the church, on holy ground, as if they are the star of the show. The tricky thing about humility is that it is oh so easy to lose. The devil is sneaky. We can begin going to church for all the right reasons, but become so infatuated with what WE are doing that we allow our focus to shift from the humility of honoring God to pride regarding our accomplishments FOR God. And then, in our brazenness, we look down on others who seemingly aren’t offering as much as we are. This is a slippery slope that none of us are immune to. Don’t you hate it when Jesus’ words sting? But when we allow Jesus’ words to infiltrate our spirit and make us uncomfortable, it is then that the Holy Spirit is giving us the power to grow. Jesus lays it out in verse 14…  14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Jesus has taught us, through these two parables, that we are to be persistent and humble in prayer as we wait for Him to return. And then Luke’s placement of this next teaching reminds us that God wants us to make a path for others to come to Him. Verse 13… 15 One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. Wow…can you imagine ever scolding ANYONE for coming to Jesus? It seems like that is a no-brainer of a question, yet, it would be wise to consider when and where we unknowingly put up stumbling blocks for others, keeping them from seeing Jesus. If you and I carry Jesus within us and we are His representatives, perhaps we should think about when we shoo people away from us. Perhaps when they don’t look like us? Or maybe when they don’t act like us? How about when they knowingly go against what the Bible says, choosing to live a lifestyle against our beliefs, and so we, consciously or unconsciously, put ourselves above them, not caring to associate with them or listen to their story? What if, as you and I were growing – as we each still are — what if people turned us away from Jesus because of the wrong choices we made? I can tell you, if that were the case, I would be heading down a lonely path in completely the wrong direction. I thank and praise God that all throughout my life there have been so many individuals who have put their own selves aside and encouraged me to step forward towards Jesus. Jesus consistently calls us to Himself. He calls EVERYONE to come to Him. And we should do WHATEVER we can to welcome others to walk beside Jesus, too. Remember, the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Take the back seat, let others move ahead of you, offer love, not judgment. Verse 16…   16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” The kingdom of God is here…in our hearts because we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. But we are still waiting for Jesus’ return and His full glory to be revealed. So what are we to do in the meantime? Persistently pray in humility, staying close to God and making a way for all others to get close to Him, too. Mark also tells the story of Jesus welcoming the children, but he ends it a bit differently, with a verse I love and hold close to my heart on those days when I am tired of being patient and fighting the good fight. Mark 10:16 states…Then Jesus took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. May God take you in his arms, place his hands on your head, and bless you. Let’s pray. Dear Heavenly Father…we are so not perfect…but you already knew that. We tend to go from humility and giving you the praise and honor to wanting to climb up on the pedestal ourselves. I don’t know what it is that makes us think that it is okay to look down on others. Please forgive us. And thank you for reminding us that it is an honor to put others first. You are a big God, able to hold us all in your hands. And more than that, you are willing and yearning to hold us all. Thank you! We give you all the praise and honor and glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Guest speaker Erin Jeffreys, marriage coach, fitness coach, and successful entrepreneur, shares her story of grace, restoration, and God's love.   Erin boldly shares about her young marriage in Bible college with two babies, which ended in divorce because of sin. Through eight years of wandering, Erin found God's beautiful path leading her back to restoration to reunite with the husband of her youth who forgave her. They now have a powerful Christ-centered family and minister together.   *******   Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. Ladies, we are so glad you are here today. I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs. I'm the founder of Women world leaders. And I am so happy to have our guests with us today. Erin Jefferys, Erin is from North Carolina. Welcome, Erin. Erin Jeffreys   Hey, Kimberly, I'm so excited to be here and just share a little bit of my heart and my story. I'm so glad that God connected us just a few weeks ago, I think it's been recent and so honored to be here. Yeah, Kimberly Hobbs   We're honored to have you and just the ladies her story. It's incredible what God has done in this woman's life. So we're talking about restoration today, and God's grace and His love. So we are super, super excited to share this with you today. Our hope ladies through these podcasts is that we are able to strengthen you and encourage you on your walk as you seek out Jesus every day of your life. And Ephesians 2:10 says that we are all a masterpiece we are God's masterpiece created anew in Christ Jesus, to do the very good things that he planned for us long ago. And we believe ladies that each and every one of you have a beautiful purpose. And it's our hope that through listening to these podcasts, that something inside of it is going to touch your heart deeply. And just allow you to act upon what you heard and find out that truth and purpose of what God has for your life. So I want to share a little bit about Erin before we get started. Erin is a world leader. And she helps others to pursue better health physically, spiritually, and relationally. Like she's very successful, and entrepreneurship and she holds certifications as a health coach, as a marriage coach and a former personal trainer. She's getting healthy in every area of her life. And she calls it her jam. Erin and her husband are the founders of family fit ministries, and they're highly requested speakers in the area of marriage, which you're going to hear about today a little about, she's going to bring you into her life a little bit. Aaron speaks boldly regarding the choices that she made to leave her marriage and the church in pursuit of the world. Can any of you relate to that? I know I can't in my life. Yeah, some of us make choices, not always the right choices. But eight years later, God would begin to write a different story in Aaron's life, one of forgiveness and restoration praise him for that. And Aaron is an inspiration to 1000s through her speaking and social media platforms. And we are so happy to have her here today to share what God has done in his grace, restoration in his love for Aaron. So many of us can relate to straying from that steadfast life of obedience, which we once lived. As I said, I, I can relate to that too. I was on the path and feeling like I was that great Christian person until I veered away. And when we talk about restoration, which we're going to talk about today, in God's word, it's synonymous with healing, and repairing or returning to a previous state of being. Psalm 5112 says, Restore to me the joy of my salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Aaron, you wandered far from God and your young life at Bible College and as a wife and mom of two sweet little girls who I know you love so much. So can you take us back to those college years when you were that young wife and young mom, what was going on?  Erin Jeffreys   Yeah, so back it up even a little bit further. I was raised in a wonderful home Christian home. I had great values around me. And so I just expected that's how my life would be. I went to Bible college, I met my husband as a lot of my friends were doing and we got married in the midst of college. And a couple years after that, we started a family we started ministry that was our desire. That was our heartbeat. And so it wasn't like this was a surprise is something we had prayed for. We knew God wanted us in essence, we started ministry together. And then shortly after we had two little girls and everything great, wonderful. You know, I was not at the time was not serving as heavily in the ministry with him, I was more at home. And so it was during that season, that I began to feel a little bit alone. He was here ministering and and I was just at home, I did not see my children as my ministry at that time. And when you're alone, and you're not in the Word, and you're not in prayer, Satan begins to come in. And he began to come into my life and into my heart, and say things that weren't true about my husband, that he doesn't love you. He's not paying enough attention to you, you know, and I will look for nitpicky things around the home that all of us are not perfect in, but I would look for and those things will began to fester. And Satan will say, we'll see he's not doing this. And he's not doing these things. And so he really doesn't love you. And so this anger, and this bitterness began to fester in my heart before anything else ever started or became an issue. It started within my own heart. And I didn't, you know, I didn't communicate those things to my husband, like, we weren't communicating. And so it's, that's where the breakdown started to happen. So if you're listening, the and communication with you with your husband or your spouse. And so that's where it started. bitterness and anger. And within that time, Satan brought someone that looks so much better than my husband, because he had all these wonderful qualities. So I stepped out of my marriage, I had an affair. And when my husband found out, he found out without me telling him I did not leave for the other person, I we just decided to end it, I figured I was done. Again, Satan feeding you lies within your heart in your mind that there's got to be something better than what is here right now. And so I did, I, I left my marriage looking for that thing, that thing that would make me feel good inside that the the, the Christian world that I was in the Bible, I just felt like was not offering me. So I'd be seven years. I was apart from my husband. And during that first half of those seven to eight years, I was seeking whatever the world could give to me in all different avenues. And it was, you know, you hear those things. Well, why did you do that Satan presents it as a fun time. And it was I, you know, you look back at those things, and it appeared fun, and I was enjoying that moment. But then after you have that guilt, and that shame, especially me stepping into those things, being a believer, I knew that's not what God had for me. And so we did we separated, then we finally divorced. And I just decided that, okay, we're apart, we're divorced, this is my life now, and I've got to gotta figure it out. And that's kind of where I just, I didn't even during that time, I even questioned whether God was real. You know, I grew up believing that and knowing that, but in this season, I thought, Is God even real? How is he real? If all of this is happening to me? And all these bad things are going on now? Like, how is God even real? Why did he allow me to even get married? Or? And I just began to question so I, you know, just decided that maybe God wasn't real, and that I would just have to figure life out on my own. So I, that's where I started. I said, Well, I'm getting divorced, final, and I'm just going to move forward and figure it out. And that's kind of where, where I started after that. About three and a half years of just, you know, Satan really taking his toll on my life, my mind and my heart. Kimberly Hobbs   Right, and you open that door to the devil having that rain in your life. And you soured against things of the Lord, because of the lies that you believed. And so you started into that prison, the of just being trapped into where the enemy wanted you to be trapped. And that's a scary place to be ladies, I'm sure you can relate to it. When are you just you fall into temptation? You know, you shouldn't be going there. And then the next thing you do is you wake up and you're in this this misery you're in that pit that you seem like you can't get out of and that's where Aaron was, I mean, she just started she was just so wandered so far. But God, when you belong to him, he is not going to let you wander far from him. He'll he'll let you go to a certain point but he's going to bring you back and Aaron He brought you back through people that did not judge you. They loved you. They wrap their arms around you, they showed you God's love, without judgment. And think about this, ladies, if you're in that place where you know somebody that's wandered away from, you know where they're supposed to be, and you know that you can condemn them all day long. They know what they're doing God's convicting them, but it takes a special person that can show the love of God, and the forgiveness to bring them back. So God softens your heart to come back to even step foot in a church again, and I want to share this verse. Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. That's Galatians six, one. Can you talk about how important that was to you, Erin, that people loved you back in? Erin Jeffreys   Yeah, that was really pivotal. And a key time in my life. I had really sworn off the church, like, I'm not going to church anymore. I felt like it. It felt like the church destroyed my life at that time. That was what I was blaming it on. And so I really wanted nothing to do with it. But God began to use people in my life. And they initially came to where I was, it wasn't like they were pulling me in their direction of where they were with God, they came and met me at my place. With love and without judgment. And just invited me would invite me to church not beating me over the head, or maybe just send me an encouraging word or a text or, Hey, look at this IRA. This is pretty cool. Or sometimes not even always about a Bible verse just loving me as a friend, because a lot of these people were my friends before. And so he continued to love me, in spite of what I knew was wrong, what they knew was wrong. And then God soften my heart enough. Someone asked me one day, just come, come and sit, come and sit with me. Come late, leave early. Just Just come with me. I want you to come in. And I mean, and so that's what I did. And God began, I just remember that service, God began to say, like, what are you doing? What are you doing with your life now? Didn't change in an instant. But that's where I remember God, just saying, like, what's going on? Who are you? At Did you for a purpose and a plan and you're not listening to me, and I'm not but why like what is going on. So God began to use that even in that moment, on that very first service that I stepped back, and it can happen outside of a service. So anybody listening, don't feel like you have to be in church to, to forgot to speak to you. But that's where... Kimberly Hobbs   And praise God for that friend that just loved you enough to love you to come back to church with her and offer that. And then God did the rest. Right? He did. And in just like urine said, ladies, he can reach us all in different ways. Whatever we're going through, it could be a person that reaches out to you, you might step foot in somewhere and see a sign. And that speaks to you. God's going to get your attention in ways that he will. And you're going to know it. You're going to if you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, he's not going to let you wander far. You're going to know it, and he's going to bring you back to the fold. And he did that with Aaron, praise God for that. And ladies, remember, again, you might be that person or that one that God's going to say he's going to use you in someone else's life to bring them back to him. We don't want to have judging spirits. We want to embrace them with love, just like our father does so beautifully for us. So Aaron, as you got stronger, things became very clear to you and God began and pressing things on your heart. I want to share another scripture because as we know there is power in the Word. And this Scripture has come. Let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us. He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. You learned a lot through those years. Aaron, when you were by yourself and you were in that prison. That's what was he a six one Aeron chair about David coming back into your thoughts how when you started to seek God out again, for your life. God started putting David back into your thoughts and your children. Were asking you pivotal questions at that time that got your attention. focus back on David. Can you bring nose up and share with us? Erin Jeffreys   Yeah. You know, initially, it wasn't David, when I began to really seek out God and get in alignment with his word. I said, I want to be married again, like, I want to have a husband, I want to have a good father for my I have to I had two young daughters at the time. And so that's what I began praying about. I began seeking that out praying for that. And during that time, towards the end of that season, as I was praying, I would receive text messages from David Orr. In reaching out, he was the one honestly in pursuit of me. And I remember oftentimes, like pushing that aside, and then saying, God, I'm praying for a husband like, why is he messaging me wise? I could feel him in pursuit of me. And then God said, it's David. And that's how Oh, no, it can't be like that's, that's over. That's done. There's too much past there's too much history that's not restorable. And at that point, and not bathe, and that could even be possible. But he, David stayed in constant pursuit. And he used him. And then he also use my children. We share this a lot that we don't know. I mean, God can do great things. But they were a pivotal piece and David and mines restoration, they would constantly ask questions like, What is it like to be in a house with with a mom and a dad because they were little like, my no one when we not even one when we separated. And so they didn't know that. And then you know, they would, later on, we would find out notes that they had written of where they had been praying for us to get back together this something that they gave us after things were restored. So God used them. And it also kept me in alignment with with him. He said, If you're going to be the mom that I want you to be, then you've got to do these things, Aaron, whether you're single, or whether you're restore your marriage. And so I didn't, when we began to pursue I still didn't know was God's going to restore. But that in the end, that necessarily didn't matter. It was about my relationship with God pursuing him being where I was the best at that moment. How was created in that moment in that season as a single mom, having the faith that he would restore, but But what if God chose something different? Would I be okay with that I'm really learning to understand, Okay, I'm going to be satisfied and pleased with what God what God's plan is for, for my life. So, Kimberly Hobbs   Wow, wow, wow, you had to really reunite with God again, you had to get that relationship with Him solidified. And then he can do the work and restore what the locusts have stolen. And oh, my goodness, you have this life together now with your husband, Aaron, after so many years, you were divorced for eight years. And God began showing you as a couple now many ways, which the enemy meant for harm, you guys were able to see that and see how God turned it around to restore to restore it. And now you're this power couple. And God restored. Also the shame and guilt because I know Aaron, you are here to sharing with me that you experience extreme shame and guilt when you were first re united with David, can you talk about that shame and guilt? Because I know others could probably really relate to this part. Erin Jeffreys   Yeah. Yeah. You know, you said, God can restore what the locust has eaten. And those were key verses that David and I claimed for our marriage when we got remarried on day one. And if you look at that, that those verses is actually Joel 225 through 32. And it talks about God restoring the years, which we had eight years of when it was taken away. But then it goes into if you read that whole passage, he talks about at the end, how you will be able to eat plenty you will be satisfied and about how your life can be abundant in Christ. And so that we claim those verses Amen. Me an easy road. And, you know, I was the one who stepped out. So for me, I was dealing with a lot more shame and guilt. And my husband was, he said, from day one, God is going to use this we have a ministry like, you know, we got back from our honeymoon. He's like, let's go. And I brought in a lot of shame and a lot of guilt. For so many years, I was able to almost set that aside because I wasn't with the person who I had offended. And so then when we were reunited it just came back full right in front of my face. Like I was with David. I woke up to him every day. And, you know, the devil would say, Look, you know, you did this to him. So, yeah, God restored our marriage. But then God said, Well, if I've restored our marriage, and she, this is reunited, I'm gonna work in the way that I can keep her defeated. And so it was with shame, and guilt. Wow. Yeah. And so it took me probably, I would say, about a year and a half to really, really let that go and let Christ take dominion over that in my life. It was through, you know, prayer scripture, I, I did counseling as well. I worked at it. It wasn't like it just automatically poof went away. God gave me the tools and I applied those tools to my life. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Amen. I have to share this verse. Because this is like so cool. Ladies, if you're listening in and you are feeling that shame and guilt in a situation because of your past sin, Okay, God, God doesn't want you trapped there and that shame and guilt, and Aaron can identify with you because she was waking up to that man, and she felt horrible about what she was doing to him, you know, and also God, so shame and guilt is real. But the Bible says, instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion and instead of disgrace, you will receive your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land and everlasting joy will be yours, Isaiah 61. Seven, how beautiful is that scripture about restoration, God will take away that that shame and that guilt, he's going to give you a double portion for keep looking to him when you're feeling those pings of shame and guilt, because they still come over all of us, they still come over me like God, how did I hurt you so bad in my life? I mean, it makes me want to vomit. You know, when I think about what I did, to God and others, you know, that love to me, but it's like, Oh, my goodness, the through His scriptures, there's healing it, just like I know, you feel that healing to Aaron. So now God's placed both of you, in a way to minister to the world as a beautiful restored couple. The Scripture says, for everyone born of God overcomes the world, that sin that enticed you, you were able to overcome it, because you had the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, Aaron. And then he says, this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. First John five, four. So God gave both of you and David restoration and your faith was restored back in, in the Lord. So how did he bring you back into a new way as a married couple to serve him together again? Erin Jeffreys   Yeah, so like I said, David had a vision from the very beginning. He he knew he's, he is a visionary, I will just say that. And so he sees things. And I said, Well, you know, I was at that time, I was dealing with the shame and the guilt, and Satan was using that. But even during that time, David was praying because he knew God didn't create, bring us back together and go through all that just to, here we are, we're married again. He knew God had a purpose for us. And as a married woman, I thought, you know, the first time I was married, I thought I was just to be a wife. Not that that's a bad thing that has a purpose, we're called to. But we're also an individual, God created us, each woman for a purpose. And so when I let go of that shame and guilt, and knew that Christ accepted me as I was, in that moment, no matter what I had done in my past, I was able to really love David, the way a wife should. And then we began to unite, I was able to let that shame and guilt go and we began to share our story publicly. And God has began to use that so mightily, in ways that I just never even thought thought were possible. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen, amen. And now, the two of you have come together as not only you know, physical coaches because you are coaching in in faith fit which Aaron's going to share with you her website, but spiritually as marriage coaches Now God has called you to this position in our world where you are able to help coach and direct other marriages that may be struggling. And God says He works things all together for Are his purpose to those who are called according to His purpose. And you both had a calling on your life, when you were in Bible college, God knew that. And you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. Now look at what he's doing, you went through all of that learning, and you are able to pour into others about what you went through what to share, not to do, but what to share restored you and that's so beautiful. And that's God's grace, and his love for each and every one of us. He's gonna give us the tools. And Aaron and her husband are beautiful marriage coaches, and that's the beauty and women world leaders as God has given us. Such beautiful women that could coach and counsel and things that we need here. So we encourage you definitely to utilize some of these women that are powerful in the Word of God. And so Aaron, what advice can you leave with the listeners who may be in a broken relationship, or a broken marriage, or the hurting woman who might be divorced already and think there's no hope for her? What? What advice can you give, I want to share one more verse, Because the Scripture says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. And the old has gone and the new is here. That's Second Corinthians 517. So as this new creation, Erin, speak to the woman that's hurting right now. Erin Jeffreys   So first of all, do not listen to the world, that will be my first piece of advice. If you are hurting, you can get exactly what you need from your unsaved friends from the world from you can get the advice you need to make a decision that you can feel comfortable with in your own self. That's what I did. And that's why one of the reasons why I divorced David, because everyone said that I was listening to this is what people do. This is what the world does. So don't listen to the world get alone with God. What is he telling me to do? What is he telling you to pray for? That's first second, don't lose hope. First Peter, one, three and four says in his great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So if you're a believer, you have that hope that he's given you. He's created you a new creature, you're going to be in Heaven with Him one day. But what about the hope for your marriage? Are you praying for that hope that restored marriage do you have hope that God can restore that, so pray for that. And then love, like God tells you to love and Colossians 312 And Ephesians 432 Love with a tender heart or forgiving spirit? That's hard to do if you've been hurt or offended. But that only comes from the Spirit of God. Through prayer, reading His word, I, when I was going through those periods of shame and guilt, I would say scripture out loud, letting my ears hear it, letting Satan hear it, claiming those over my life. That that is there's power there. And so many times As believers, we have that initial, you know, we become a believer, we're excited. And then we lose hope and faith in the things that we need for God to restore in our lives specifically, right now we're talking about marriage, but he can, he can do mighty things, and I've seen him do it in my life. So don't and don't listen to the world. Listen to what what what's God telling you to do? Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. And you know, on the other side of this, that was a good word, Aaron, hope and restoration and the power of the Word of God. The other side of it is you know, David, David forgave, he forgave you, you know, that's hard to do. Ladies, when you think about that, you know, she was she had an affair in her relationship. And those of you out there that are listening that can relate to being wounded. From something so devastating as an affair, David forgave and he continued to love her. For all those years that she was wandering in the wilderness, they were already divorced. But he remained faithful and true to the Lord. And he prayed and he just, he continued with what God was calling him to do. And wow, you know, think about that. I don't know what side of the fence you are on ladies that are listening. You could be the wounded one or you could be the one that offended but think about the forgiving heart that it takes to have the restoration. And because we have a forgiving God who forgives us, ladies, we have to forgive as well. It's all about forgiveness. If We can't forgive how do we expect God to forgive us when we mess up? So think about that. And thank God, thank God for this power couple that has been restored through the power of forgiveness. You know God's grace and love the love of others that didn't judge that welcomed Aaron back into the family of God and loved her back into the family of God there. There's so much in this whole podcast ladies of forgiveness, love restoration on all sides, all of us who are listening can learn from this. So thank you, Aaron, you are restored, you have been given grace by God and loved so much by him. And I am so grateful that you took the time to share with our listeners, can you tell them if they want to reach out to you as a marriage coach now with your husband? You're doing coaching all over the United States? Thank the Lord for zoom and, and also some other things with your fitness and how do they reach you? Erin Jeffreys   Yeah, so if you want to reach me, you can go to family fit ministries.com. Or you can find family fit ministries on Facebook, or you can search me out personally, Erin Jeffries on Facebook. So, yeah. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Thank you. Thank you. And so again, we just love having guests on ladies. And we just pray that if you have been touched by this podcast that you will share it that you will tell others about it. Hey, listen in, it's not gonna hurt to listen in, right. So as we close, I just want you to know that these powerful podcasts are available to you every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We have teaching through the word of God on Wednesdays with one of our teaching leaders, Julie Jenkins. And we also have celebrating God's grace every Friday. And we have different women in the ministry that share their gifts and talents to encourage you into the weekend. And then of course, every Monday we have the interviews that we do with different women from around the world that that God brings in with their stories, and you might have a story. Reach out to us if you do, you can reach out to me personally at Kimberly at women world leaders.com If you feel God prompting you to share your story on these podcasts, because women can relate when they hear other women share about stories. And this is a safe place. And God has given us this ability to speak to the world through these podcasts. So please reach out to us if you feel God prompting you to share your story. We'd love to hear from you. And one other thing I want to share with you is our voice of Truth magazine. Ladies, you can reach this honor. And and through our website anywhere around the world, it's available digitally. And if you're in the United States, it's available free. We just need your name, address and email address and that you can sign up through our website at women world leaders.com. So we would love you to have this amazing tool of voice of Truth magazine. It's beautiful, filled with Scripture and inspiration. And we're sure that this will touch your hearts ladies to amazing heights because it contains the power of the Word of God and that scripture throughout the ladies as we close from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders all content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without expressed written consent. God bless you all. Thank you again Aaron Jeffries for joining us and hopefully ladies you'll join us on Wednesday for our teaching podcast have a beautiful and blessed day.     

On today’s podcast, host Julie Harwick shares a Christmas allegory called Happy Jenna’s Birthday. As we celebrate this season, let us never overlook the focus of our celebration.

Jesus is always in our midst. If you feel as if you are waiting on Him, look around and realize that He is with you. Perhaps HE is waiting for YOU to recognize His presence. (Luke 17:20-37) **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am so happy you have joined us as we spend some time in God’s Word together. If you are new to the podcast, welcome! We have three weekly offerings for you. On Mondays, Kimberly Hobbs hosts Empowering Lives with Purpose – a 30-minute interview with a woman of faith whose story will encourage you to walk in your God-given purpose. On Fridays, we have a team of leaders who host Celebrating God’s Grace. I love our Friday eclectic offerings – as each host shares from her own experience and in her own voice. And today, Wednesdays, we open the Bible together and ask God to show us what He wants us each to learn. And do you know what – He never disappoints us! We are currently walking through the gospels together, and our study today comes from the book of Luke, chapter 17, verses 20-37. Before we begin, let’s pray… Dear Most Holy God, we offer you ourselves as we open your Word today. Our days are full as the world calls us in so many different directions, but we commit to pause for the next few minutes as we intentionally listen for your voice. Father, I ask you to keep out any distractions that may threaten our time with you. Please drown out the cares of the world with the magnificent sound of your voice. Immerse us in your presence. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. As Jesus continues to make his way to Jerusalem, He continues to teach and guide both those who are traveling with Him as well as those He encounters. I’m so glad so many of these teachings were written down for us to study, aren’t you? There is no doubt that as Luke recalled and wrote these words, He was following the call of the Holy Spirit. One of my favorite verses…and maybe yours, too… is Romans 8:28…And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. That verse has a kaleidoscope of meaning that is so deep and expansive. Regarding THIS topic, I am just amazed that Jesus taught the words we are about to study, Luke wrote them down through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and then they were preserved and protected and translated through God’s power and provision until they ended up here, today, in our hands and in our minds to study in reference to SOMETHING that is happening in your life today…something I am NOT EVEN AWARE OF as I speak. God does indeed work ALL things together for the good of those who love Him. Is that not the most miraculous things ever?? God loves YOU THAT much! Well…if He went to ALL that trouble, you’d better believe we ought to give Him our focus as we read His Word! Let’s begin in Luke 17:20 from the New Living Translation 20 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs.[a] 21 You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.[b]” Notice that this topic is initiated by a question from the Pharisees. The Jewish people had been priming themselves for a huge, dramatic event that would change the world. As a people, they had served God for a long time, and they had seen and heard stories of fire brought down from heaven, seas splitting, walls falling, and even a cloud and a pillar of fire that went ahead of the Israelites leading them through the desert to the Promised Land. And following suit, they expected the Kingdom of God to be ushered in a spectacular display, freeing them from the tyranny of earthly government and the shackles of humanity. Jesus had preached about the kingdom of God, so the Pharisees, unashamedly and perhaps even backhandedly, asked…Ok…when is this all going to go down? And because they didn’t believe that Jesus was who He said He was…the Son of the Living God…they likely scoffed at Jesus’ answer…The Kingdom of God is already among you. How often do we ask for a sign FROM God when what we really need to do is stand in God’s presence? This is something I have grown in, but am still guilty of. And while it’s not wrong to ask God to reveal Himself to you… the fact of the matter is, God is all around you at all times. If you don’t see Him, in the words of my pastor, that’s a you-problem. Jesus had been born into the world, ushering in a new era – offering the most astounding change the world had ever seen and WILL ever see until we all witness His second coming. Jesus brought God’s presence to earth to live continually. He was about to die for the sins of humanity, presenting a way for each of us to live with God for eternity. The Kingdom of God HAD arrived. And yet, because it didn’t look as the Pharisees expected, they strummed their fingers and looked at Jesus and said…We’re waiting… How often do you and I call out to God in distress, wondering why He isn’t answering when, in fact, He IS answering, but His answer doesn’t look like WE want it to? Faith is not just believing IN God, but it is believing God. It is believing that He is working for our good ALL – THE – TIME! It is responding to Him right where we are, doing exactly as the Holy Spirit instructs us, despite what we feel or the answers we think we want. The Pharisees had the answer to their own question standing right in front of them, but they refused to see it—to see HIM. So Jesus answered them shortly and succinctly, and then He turned and spoke to those who DID see Him and appreciated Him for who He was – His disciples. Jesus explained to them on a deeper level, saying that although He was there in their presence at that moment, things were about to change. They, by faith, accepted the basic elementary truth of Jesus’ identity, and now, they were ready for the more profound teaching of what was to come. Verse 22… 22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns,[c] but you won’t see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day[d] when the Son of Man comes. Jesus doesn’t ever hold back information that we NEED to know. If you are a Christ-follower, you can trust that when you listen to Him intently and follow His call, you WILL be prepared, with His strength, to face anything that comes at you. Jesus told His disciples they WOULD be waiting for His return one day. And He also told them, and us, that when He does come, we won’t miss it. Nobody will miss it. You will NEVER have to take someone else’s word that Jesus has returned – you WILL know. Jesus offers an interlude to prepare the disciples for the events in their near future…verse 25…  25 But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly[e] and be rejected by this generation. And then He resumes His teaching about His return… 26 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building— 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Each time I read Scripture, I ask God to show me with new eyes what He wants me to know, and as I read this today, I saw a broken-hearted Jesus. We hear the story of Noah and tend to think about those who were saved—Noah and his family and the animals – and that is glorious. But what about the thousands upon thousands who were destroyed by the deluge of rain that overtook their homes and their land? Water is so powerful and can be so scary – you know if you’ve ever spent time on or near the sea during a storm. I can’t imagine the cries and screams and devastation of those who were NOT on the boat with Noah. I think we protect our minds from those thoughts because they are so gruesome. And think about the destruction of Sodom…with fire and sulphur flying out of the sky burning everything down to nothing. The stench must have been suffocating, the heat excruciating, the screams deafening, and the pain tortuous. These are NOT fun scenes to think of, yet they pale in comparison to what will happen in the end days. Alongside the glory of Jesus’ return will be devastation, destruction, and death. These thoughts must have torn Jesus’ heart in two even as He said these words. To bring urgency, Jesus stressed that at the moment of separation and destruction, it will be too late for anyone to turn to Him for mercy and salvation. It will be too late for anyone to recognize that He was in the midst all along. Jesus continues as recorded in Luke 17:31…  31 On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. 32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. 34 That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.[f]” The disciples, listening, wanted to be further prepared, and asked… 37 “Where will this happen, Lord?”… Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.” In other words, we won’t know until we know. But when it happens, we will undoubtedly know, just as we can be assured there is a dead carcass nearby when we see vultures circling. How gracious God is NOT to give us a date for the end times. Can you even begin to imagine the stress if we knew it was tomorrow? We would all have heart attacks and be completely incapacitated. We can ALWAYS trust that when we follow God, He will give us ALL the information we need, even as He protects us from what He knows would be too much for us. Our job is recognize that Jesus IS in our midst, every moment of every day. And our job is to respond to Him in faith—because He IS in full control. We NEVER have to wait on God; in fact, He is waiting patiently for so many of US to acknowledge who He is and respond in obedience to Him. When we do, we can be assured that He will tell us what we need to know, show us where we need to go, and work all things together for our good. Let’s pray… Dear Most Holy God, we say yes to you. We acknowledge and appreciate your presence as we praise you. We trust everything you say. We wholeheartedly agree to act in response to your voice. Father, forgive us for the times we’ve looked for you and claimed we couldn’t find you. Thank you for your mercy when we don’t respond in obedience. Hold us accountable even as you hold us by your side. For all eternity. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.    

Special guest speaker Daniele Kathryn Hage, founder of "Dynamic Traits" Orange County, CA Summit, shares about the importance of our personality and character as a woman of God and relationships between men and women. Join us for this fun interview.   Please "like" and share these podcasts from Women World Leaders!

What is the true spirit behind Thanksgiving? We see this clearly in Christ Jesus as the First Pioneer of the faith, to bring many sons and daughters to God. *** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, A Women World Leader’s Podcast, I’m your host Robin Kirby-Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God’s grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. Today’s Title: Thanksgiving Eternal In seeking God on what to share today, He continually put on my heart to read the blog He had me write Thanksgiving Day of 2010. I pray this blesses you with the true spirit behind Thanksgiving. 9 “But we are able to see Jesus, Who was ranked lower than the angels for a little while, crowned with glory and honor because of His having suffered death, in order that by the grace (unmerited favor) of God [to us sinners] He might experience death for every individual person. 10For it was an act worthy [of God] and fitting [to the divine nature] that He, for Whose sake and by Whom all things have their existence, in bringing many sons into glory, should make the Pioneer of their salvation perfect [should bring to maturity the human experience necessary to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest] through suffering. 11For both He Who sanctifies [making men holy] and those who are sanctified all have one [Father]. For this reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren;” Hebrews 2:9-11 AMPC I woke up this morning, late of course, because we drove around 13-14 hours to get to my in-laws for Thanksgiving in Virginia.  Having stayed up late to fellowship and talk with my father and mother-in-law I went to bed exhausted and ready for a full rest.  I woke up this morning recouping from the long drive yesterday and the long day and night.  Grabbing a cup of coffee, greeting my husband and son with a Thanksgiving Day salutation, I then dove into The Word to eat my first Thanksgiving Meal!!! Jesus!!!! Holy Spirit led me to Hebrews, and I simply started with Chapter 1 of the book of Hebrews and continued to devour and sink into the rest of the book, compelled to throw myself at the feet of My Lover, the One who is altogether beautiful and worthy of my devotion, Jesus!! As I read Hebrews beginning with the establishment of the person of Jesus, and the sacrifice He came to make for man in order to bring forth God’s new covenant of redemption and cleansing of sin once and for all I could not help but to consider Thanksgiving and what the meaning of this Holiday entails. Thanksgiving has been a season for me to fellowship with people I love and enjoy a time of gathering from long distances in order to bring about a sweet fellowship where we share joys, trials, overcoming victories, hopes, dreams and God’s work in our lives.  It is a time to commune with our family and friends to edify and encourage each other, all the while thinking that it would be so nice if we had these meetings more often.  However, due to the great distance (13- 14 hours drive) between us, work, meetings, schedules and commitments coming together like that is not as frequent.  This year we have been blessed to visit my husband’s family four times.  In digesting all of these elements during the Thanksgiving Holiday and during my bible study this morning I felt as if I was sitting inside of the book of Hebrews, if that were possible. While reading scripture after scripture and seeing the beautiful transition of God closing out the old covenant only to bring in His New and Better Covenant with man, all I could see was the first Pioneer, who went before us to a heavenly Kingdom, one that we reach as a result of Christ.  And I could identify with the Thanksgiving we celebrate here in America and the one that we continually celebrate daily in our hearts and spirits for our heavenly home, our glorious home, where eternity has been placed in our heart. While thinking upon this I realize that through Jesus’ sacrifice each and every person has the opportunity to follow Him into the New Land, the Heavenly Kingdom, where Jesus and God are the Light, they are the Temple!   Seeing Jesus, being our High Priest, making intercession for us and entering the Most Holy place in heaven to offer His own blood as atonement for our sins I realize how that is truly Thanks Giving Eternal!!! Jesus only had to enter one time into the Most Holy place to atone for sins!!! Then He sat down at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool.  I stand amazed and overwhelmed at the simplicity of God’s Gospel, yet the depth to which it flows!!! It is Christ giving up everything!!! Giving up His throne even for a little while to be made even lower than the angels when He stepped upon this earth to carry out His duties, His oath to the Father!! It was God Himself, coming through Christ, to bring us forth into our land, our home, where we would be with God eternally!!! The simplicity of God’s Love that rings throughout the obedience of Christ Jesus’ sacrifice for mankind is easy to see.  It is LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God’s love that could not be without us, unconnected to His glorious jewels, His treasures that bring Him such satisfaction and pleasure! I’m reminded of the image the Holy Spirit gave me years ago regarding my own son, Matthew.  I have two sons, Christopher and Matthew Kirby.  During the time God gave me the image; Matthew was still young, only six years old.  He still depended a lot on me to help him with daily activities, such as preparing his meals, putting bandages on injuries, supplying much love and support, etc.   Then God asked me “how would you feel, if all of a sudden Matthew could not see you or hear you?”  Moreover, I would have to watch Matthew go through the torture of looking for me only to never find me and not ever being able to hold him and assure him of my love, a mother’s love.  I thought about the idea and pictured such an occurrence. It was frightful and disconcerting if not even tormenting to see the reality of such a thing.  I responded to God, that I couldn’t live like that because it would be utterly too painful to go through and watch.  God showed me how it was no different for Him.  God completely loves us and desires to be there to provide for us every step of the way.  He desires to wrap His loving arms around us and bring us to Himself!  Moreover, He longs for us to live with Him eternally! The image is such a picture of God’s love, His divine devotion and longing to have His children right there with Him!  As I see this in the picture of Jesus, who shows us the Father’s face, I see how the utter abandonment of His place in glory to come into earth as an infant, so dependent on care, completely helpless at a young age, having to be fed and clothed by Mary was a demonstration of the complete trust God has in His love in us, too! The Father could not be without us; neither could Jesus or Holy Spirit because from the beginning, man was made in the Image of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)!  He made us in His image and to be without us, He would be grieved, too.  Jesus, coming forth, in complete obedience to complete His Father’s will brought us back into communion with the Father.  The obedience of Christ unto salvation brought us into our land, into our position, into our home!! Jesus was the first Pioneer!!!! JESUS WAS THE FIRST PIONEER!!! THE PIONEER OF OUR SALVATION!!!! BRINGING MANY SONS TO GLORY!!!!! FOR THAT I HAVE THANKSGIVING ETERNAL!!! GIVING THANKS CONTINUALLY TO CHRIST JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH!!!!! Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

This Thanksgiving, may we give God all the thanks and praise, even as we sit in His lap and let His goodness and mercy cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ***** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am so happy you have joined us for this, the Wednesday edition of the podcast, when we take a few minutes to open the Bible together and ask God what He wants us to know today. If you are new to Women World Leaders, I’d encourage you to visit our website, www.womenworldleaders.com, and check out our offerings. One thing I want to highlight for you today is the opportunity we offer to share your God-story with the world. Have you ever really looked at a diamond? I can get mesmerized by the cut of a diamond, examining the beauty from every angle. The vast intricacies of God go far beyond those of a well-cut diamond. The way He works in each of our lives is astounding and offers us countless views of His glory, grace, mercy, and love. THAT is what I love about the books published by Women World Leaders! When we hear how God has worked in another person’s life, we can see yet another view of our miraculously intricate Father. Likewise, when we each reflect on what God has done for us, we begin to understand Him with a deeper appreciation. THAT is what our books are about! But it isn’t just about reading other people’s stories—although that is a blessing and can I just say, our books make great Christmas gifts—but God has a miracle to show you as you share YOUR story. Because what He has done in YOUR life is miraculous, and it can help someone else. If God is nudging you to share your story, please get in touch with us! You will hear in today’s teaching that sometimes we have to respond in faith before we can even visualize the outcome. So take a chance, email us at [email protected] and we will share how we can help you write your story. No pressure, no strings, and no obligations. Well, let’s get to the teaching, shall we? We are currently walking through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. If you’ve been listening regularly, you know that we just finished up our study of the Sermon on the Mount. Today, we are going to fast forward to Luke, chapter 17, verses 11-19, where we will continue learning directly from Jesus' teaching. Before we begin, let’s pray… Dear Most Holy and Precious God. We come to you today with our minds and hearts open, ready to hear your voice. We ask that you quiet us down. Release us from the cares of the day. Give us peace that the world can spin without us for a few moments while we sit and focus on you. God, hold our hands as we go through the section of scripture you have ordained for us to study today. We trust that you will show us what you want us to know. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. As we catch up with Jesus in Luke chapter 17, we find him walking along the border between Galilee and Samaria. Allow me to begin with verse 11 from the New Living Translation… 11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” We don’t know much about these ten men, except that they were together, and they were each infected with an illness – perhaps psoriasis, lupus, ringworm — we don’t know their exact ailments, but we do know they each had a skin disease that required them to be ostracized from society. They were banned from being with others. On first meeting, we don’t know even know where these ten men were banished from – whether Galilee or Samaria… remember, Jesus was on the border.  Allow me a sidebar…An amazing part of this story to me is that these men with, we find out, different backgrounds, had banded together. Although the Galileans and the Samaritans severely disliked each other, these men had formed a group. An alliance. Maybe even a friendship. Isn’t it amazing how an open heart, in this case brought about by a horrible circumstance, can erase the differences between us? It is so easy for us as humans to ostracize and even judge others who are not like us. The Galileans had nothing on us. How often have we gone out of our way to avoid certain areas of town? What about the judgments we hold because someone is not a native of our country? World Publishing and Productions just published a beautiful book called Heartbeat of a Survivor by Nita Tin. When she and her husband fled her politically distraught country 50 years ago and ended up in the United States, despite the fact that her husband was a gifted doctor, he experienced severe discrimination within his own field simply because of his background. He had, after all, not grown up in nor been educated in the United States. Eventually, through his hard work, dedication, and the open heart of another professional, Dr. Pe Tin was accepted into the medical profession in the US and made amazing contributions. There is no end to the work God can do when we open our hearts to others. Okay…side bar over… Apparently, the ten ill men had, together, somehow found faith that this man walking down the roadside could do something to help them, to heal them. Someone must have told them that if they would cry out to Jesus, He could help them. Now that’s a message I hope we are all comfortable sharing, for when we cry out to Jesus, He will never let us down…verse 14… 14 (Jesus) looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”[a] And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. I love the way this is written! Jesus told the men to go and show themselves to the priests, which they were only to do AFTER they were healed. I can’t imagine it was good to bother the priests without cause, so before these men even witnessed their own healing, it is clear that they BELIEVED they would actually BE healed. And the verse says…AS THEY WENT, they were cleansed. How often do you and I hear a word from God and act in faith BEFORE we see the outcome? Where is God calling YOU to go, perhaps even before you feel equipped or ready? When God gives instructions, He honors our obedience to Him. Verse 15 continues… 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Wow! Are you more astounded that the Samaritan, who was NOT one of God’s chosen ones, returned in praise and thanksgiving? Or that only ONE of the ten came back to say thank you? What were the other nine thinking?? I guess I can imagine…they hadn’t seen or touched their loved ones in a long time, maybe they were rushing to see them. Maybe they had work they had neglected and wanted to see if they could salvage their earnings? Or maybe they were just celebrating with a good meal or looking forward to sleeping under a solid roof? We don’t know. But I take this as a cautionary tale – how many times has God gifted me with the unimaginable and I’ve turned away from Him as I appreciated the gift instead of the Giver? Jesus asked the Samaritan the same questions… 17 …“Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.[b]” The Samaritan wanted to thank and know Jesus. He fell at Jesus’ feet, praising God. He wanted a personal relationship with the man who had given him his life back. As I write this, it is Thanksgiving week here in the United States. And if I’m being honest, I started the week feeling a bit sorry for myself instead of focusing on giving thanks and praise to God for the many, many gifts and blessings He has given me. Sometimes, I tend to focus on what I have or don’t have and miss the fact that I have EVERYTHING because I have Jesus. My earthly life, and your earthly life, is a blip on the timeline of eternity. And yet, when we have faith and call out to Jesus, we are promised more than we can possibly imagine far beyond that blip – forever into eternity, in fact. The ten men were healed. But, as healings go, I’m sure they each eventually encountered another sickness or problem or issue. What do you think happened to the nine who didn’t return to Jesus? Who did they turn to and trust? Jesus had healed them, confirming that He was God. Yet they dissed Jesus, going their merry way. And the result is that they had to deal with eternity alone. But the one Samaritan who returned to Jesus? Who took his hardship and blessing and turned it into a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus? That man gained the Savior. He forever was guaranteed a true reason to praise and worship for eternity. I want to be like THAT man! As we close today, I want to read Psalm 103 from the Passion Translation. As I read…will you praise God with me, giving Him just a bit of the praise He deserves? With my whole heart, with my whole life, and with my innermost being, I bow in wonder and love before you, the holy God! Yahweh, you are my soul’s celebration. How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness you’ve done for me? You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I’ve done.  You’ve healed me inside and out from every disease. You’ve rescued me from hell and saved my life. You’ve crowned me with love and mercy. You satisfy my every desire with good things.  You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again  like a flying eagle in the sky! You’re a God who makes things right, giving justice to the defenseless. You unveiled to Moses your plans and showed Israel’s sons what you could do. Lord, you’re so kind and tenderhearted  and so patient with people who fail you! Your love is like a flooding river overflowing its banks with kindness.  You don’t look at us only to find our faults,  just so that you can hold a grudge against us. You may discipline us for our many sins, but never as much as we really deserve. Nor do you get even with us for what we’ve done. Higher than the highest heavens— that’s how high your tender mercy extends! Greater than the grandeur of heaven above is the greatness of your loyal love, towering over all who fear you and bow down before you! Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset— that’s how far you’ve removed our guilt from us. The same way a loving father feels toward his children— that’s but a sample of your tender feelings toward us,  your beloved children, who live in awe of you. You know all about us, inside and out.  You are mindful that we’re made from dust. Our days are so few, and our momentary beauty  so swiftly fades away! Then all of a sudden we’re gone, like grass clippings blown away in a gust of wind, taken away to our appointment with death, leaving nothing to show that we were here.   But Lord, your endless love stretches from one eternity to the other, unbroken and unrelenting toward those who fear you and those who bow facedown in awe before you. Your faithfulness to keep every gracious promise you’ve made passes from parents, to children, to grandchildren, and beyond. You are faithful to all those who follow your ways and keep your word. Yahweh has established his throne in heaven; his kingdom rules the entire universe. So bless the Lord, all his messengers of power, for you are his mighty heroes who listen intently to the voice of his word to do it. Bless and praise the Lord, you mighty warriors, ministers who serve him well and fulfill his desires. I will bless and praise the Lord with my whole heart! Let all his works throughout the earth, wherever his dominion stretches— let everything bless the Lord!    Heavenly Father – we love you, and we thank you for the best gift ever—the gift af salvation through Jesus Christ. Thank you for healing us, now and for eternity. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.  

Human Trafficking is heartbreaking. God condemns it. Today's guest, Sandy Yozipovic, is on the front lines fighting this war. You are invited to listen and pray about what more could be done by being an active voice, helping in the rescue and recovery of millions of victims.

In this podcast, Tawana Lowery shares another empowering excerpt from her upcoming book and provides insightful teaching on “How to Get out of the No Way.” She reveals what No Way thinking looks like and how to exchange it for a victorious Yes Way mind that God desires for his daughters.   *****  Hello… and Welcome to Women World Leaders Podcast   I’m your Host… Tawana Lowery ·        Women’s Empowerment Coach ·        And Executive Director of Miss Overcomer Global   And I’m so excited you joined today… ·        As we explore what the Father wants us to know about himself ·        and who we are as Powerful Ambassadors… Let’s get started. 😊   1.     A few days ago, I was praying about a difficult situation and the complicated dynamics at play. 2.     Although my conscious mind was asking God for wisdom and guidance… ·        My subconscious mind was thinking, “there’s no way this is ever going to change!” ·        I believe that’s called Double mindedness…  😊 3.     But… thankfully… God chose to reply to my subconscious mind (where my true feelings were hiding).  4.     And… because he loves me too much to let me remain stuck in double mindedness…  ·        He spoke to the secret place where doubt and unbelief were wrestling for control.   5.     From his Throne of Mercy… he basically checked me! ·        He called me out (so to speak) by reminding me of the words from Psalm 14:1 that reads,  “The fool has said in (her) heart, there is no God.”  6.     But that is not what I heard God say…. ·        Rather he replied, “The fool has said in (her) heart… there is No Way!”  7.     I thought… WHAT- On- Earth! Did God just bop me in the nose 8.     Well obviously, he got my attention with that nose bob!! 9.      And as he continued speaking to my heart, I realized the BIG truth behind His Big message. ·        You see…. each time I said in my heart “there is no way,” ·        I was declaring, “there is no God.” ·        I was saying, “There is No God big enough to change it or heal it or retore. ·        I was saying, “There is No God big enough to provide for me. ·        There is No God that’s gone ahead of me. No God that has my back. ·        There’s No God intervening on my behalf!  10. The truth be told… I was factoring the power and love of God completely out of the equation.  ·        My thoughts and expectations were misaligned with his Kingdom. 11. Needless to say, repentance came quickly after that revelation.   12. I asked God to forgive my “No Way” foolish thoughts and replace them with his “Yes Way.”  ·        Or the YEShua way!  13. I asked for a greater ability to see the situation securely in his hands with the solution already complete… with an outcome greater than anything I could dream or imagine! ·        Hello Ephesians, 3:20 14. You know… I think we can observe this same “No Way” mindset throughout the Scriptures.   15. One example that comes to mind is found in Mark 16… ·        It’s the story of Mary of Magdala and the mother of Yeshua on their way to the tomb of Jesus. ·        The Bibles says they were walking towards the tomb of Jesus to anoint his body.  ·        Verse 3 gives insight about their thinking with regards to the “presumed impossible” that awaited them. ·        Verse 3 shares that, “they said among themselves, Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? ·        In other words, their subconscious mind was the same as mine…  “there is NO WAY we can move this obstacle. It’s just too much for us to handle.   ·        Thankfully, Verse 4 provides a great lesson for us…  ·        It reads, “But when they Looked Up, they saw the stone had been rolled away.” 16. I believe this passage is so insightful and provides a template we can follow.  ·        When we’re trapped in a “No Way” mindset…we are looking down.  ·        We’re focused on the Bigness of the obstacle rather than the Greatness of God. ·        That’s exactly what these 2 women were doing. ·        When they Looked Up… they saw the Yes Way!  ·        They saw the obstacle had already been taken care of.  o   The Stone was already Rolled Away while they were On the Way… living in their No Way! 17.  Okay.. Let’s look at another example ins found in Matthew 14. You know it well! 😊 ·        It’s the story of Jesus feeding the multitude. ·        When he instructed the disciples to feed the crowd, they responded from the natural realm and said…  o   There’s NO WAY we can make this happen. ·        But when they look unto Jesus and he Looked Up to heaven… The Problem was already solved. ·        They put their “No Way” into the Hands of the “Yes Way,”  ·        Into the hands of the “YESHUA Way! 18.  Okay… Let’s look at one final example found in 2 Kings, chapter 6. ·        We’ll begin in Verse 11.   ·        In summary… the King of Aram was upset that he continued to be out witted by the King of Israel because of Elisha’s guidance.   ·        Out of his enraged wounded ego, he dispatched a mighty army to surround the city where Elisha and his servant were staying.   ·        When the servant awoke the next morning, he had a full-blown panic attack after seeing the mighty chariots that surrounded them.   ·        In his heart he was thinking… There’s NO WAY we can get out of this crisis!   ·        But Elisha responded, “Don’t be afraid.” Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”   ·        Elisha already saw the “Yes Way” because he had a “Yes Way” mind.   ·        And prayed for the Lord to open the eyes of his servant so he could see it as well! ·        Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked again and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around.   ·        In other words, the divine solution was firmly in place before the problem arose.   19. There’s an important lesson in this story also… ·        We need to have “Yes Way” people in our circle. ·        I’m not referring to a robotic “Name it and Claim it” crowd. Much of that is born from fear and unbelief. ·        I’m talking about people who have a firm history with the miracle working power of God and enjoy helping others stand strong in it! ·        That’s who Elisha was to his servant.  ·        And that is the reason the servant was able to release his “No Way” thinking! 20.  So… I have a couple of questions for you: ·        What “No Way” statements are you making concerning a particular challenge? ·        Where have you subconsciously eliminated God’s power and love from the equation? 21.  There’s no judgment here at all! This is a common trick of the enemy. ·        However…. It’s imperative that we confess our unbelief in God’s love and grace so that we can receive truth and revelation…  ·        AND…  so that we have the courage to move forward in faith.    22. Maybe your “No Way” statements are related to…  ·        Your Career or Education pursuits ·        Maybe it’s regarding your Marriage ·        Or a close relationship. ·        Possibly you’re No Way thoughts are related to your finances ·        Or a personal challenge. ·        Maybe… God is calling you into a new opportunity that is outside your comfort zone or financial means! 23.  Whatever it’s called… we must see it from heavens perspective.  ·        We must cease from agreeing with the “No Way” subconscious thinking… Because we are saying what Psalm 14:1 says. ·        And we Do Not want to engage in Foolish Thinking! ·        Instead… we want to exchange it for the Mind of Christ… ·        We want the Yes Way mind… The Yeshua Way mind.  24.   I believe there’s no better time than this present moment!  So let’s jump in with a few simple steps! ·        First – Let’s confess our No Way thinking to God. ·        And… BTW… there’s No Way it’s going to surprise him.  ·        Next… if you’re comfortable with it… Just repeat after me.  Heavenly Father,  Forgive me for all the places where I am operating with a No Way attitude in my heart. Forgive me for my “No Way” subconscious thinking.   I now realize that I am basically proclaiming there is “No God.” Lord, forgive me. I didn’t know what I was doing. Thank you that you Never Condemn me. In fact… your love is always available to redeem and restore my heart and mind and thoughts!Lord, I cast this No Way thinking on the cross of Jesus to be crucified and made completely dead. And I bring to the cross any unbelief that was created by earthly experiences. Resurrect me Lord, with a new heart and mind in this area… Empower me by your Spirit to walk in the Yes Way…. In the Yeshua Way. Show me what the Yes Way looks like to you. Thank you for the assurance of your love and mercy to guide me each step of the way.   In the name above all names… Yeshua the King!  Amen.   All content is copyrighted by Tawana Lowery and Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

Jesus implores you to seek a relationship with Him. He is our strong foundation and offers the best ending to our story! Enjoy our study of Matthew 7:21-29 and Luke 6:46-49 and 13:23-30 as you come to know Him and His heart for you in a more profound way. *** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I'm honored to be your host. Our mission at Women World Leaders is to empower you to walk in your God-given purpose. We do that by encouraging and inspiring you with stories from women of faith who have triumphed through suffering and have courageously walked where God has called them by giving you an outlet to use your gifts from writing to fundraising and anywhere in between, all for God's glory alone. And, of course, by studying the Bible together, and receiving empowerment from the ultimate source of power, God Himself. On this, our Wednesday podcast, we take a moment to sit back and hear from God and soak in all that He wants us to learn. We are currently studying the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—hanging on every word and action of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as He walked on this earth. Before we begin, let me pray for us. Dear Heavenly Father, Holy Spirit and most precious Jesus, we come to you today in awe of who you are, and in thanksgiving, for all the teaching you continually share with us. We so want to know you, and we want to please you. Please guide this teaching may be pleasing to your ears, open our hearts that we may be willing to hear exactly what you want us to know. In Jesus name, I pray, amen. Well, today we are finishing up our study of the Sermon on the Mount. And while everything that Jesus says and does is important, today's teaching is the key to it all. It's all about knowing Jesus. Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. Relationships are difficult. No matter how you slice them. We have to learn how to give, how to accept that which someone else gives us, we have to listen, and we have to talk. Depending on your personality, one of those might be more difficult than the other. We have to offer grace and forgiveness and care and wisdom. But relationships can be fun, too. It's easy and tempting to put a guard around our hearts when we've been hurt to keep the pain out. But the problem is, when we work to keep the pain out. We often keep the joy out, too. The Israelites depended on God, but at times, they turned away from God in pain caused by their own sin. To ease that pain, they tried to control their relationship with God, putting up walls and making extenuating rules by which to guard their hearts and still be honoring to God, at least in their own eyes. In today's wrap-up of the Sermon on the Mount, however, we hear Jesus asking us to take those walls of protection down and to seek to truly know Him. He has so much more for us than rules and guardrails. He has the blessings and joy of an intimate relationship with Him that He is longing to shower on us. In his teaching so far, Jesus taught the Beatitudes that God blesses in a highly unexpected fashion, giving the most to those who hunger and thirst to know him. He taught that we as Christ followers are the light of the world and that He came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. We've learned that, in God's eyes, the attitude of our hearts is just as important as our actions. And that God wants us to love our enemies and even pray for them. We've learned that we can be generous because God will will always provide for us. And we must not judge others. But instead, be discerning as we go to God in prayer seeking His wisdom. And now Jesus underscores it all by teaching that a relationship with Him is the key, the foundation of all that we have been taught, and who God made us to be. Today's scripture is from Matthew chapter seven, verses 21 through 29. And from Luke chapter six, verses 46 through 49, and chapter 13, verses 23 through 30. Let's read from the New Living Translation beginning in Matthew 21. Not everyone who calls out to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On Judgment Day Many will say to me, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name. But I will reply, I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws. Jesus is prophesying here, telling his listeners what will be. Remember, God is sovereign and in control, so what he says will come to pass. Think of it as a movie trailer. We don't know or understand the whole story. But throughout the Bible, we get bits and pieces of that coming judgment day. The prophet Joel had already given some detail about what he calls the day of the Lord and Joel chapter two. Jesus listeners would have been very familiar with this picture that Joel painted of the earth and ruins as the Lord our God who is gracious and compassionate and abounding in love thunders at the head of his army. Despite the destruction, Joel wrote that on that day, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But if Joel's telling is like the short movie trailer that gets you hooked and leaves you with questions. Then Jesus' words add to the intrigue as he expands on Joel’s movie trailer with his own revelations, saying that not everyone who calls out Lord Lord will enter the kingdom instead, some will hear Jesus reply, I never knew you. The plot thickens. Jesus’ followers are learning for perhaps the first time that their eternal destination depends not on what they do, but on who they know. They must know Jesus, and Jesus must know them. They have to take those walls of protection that they have built up around their hearts and destroy them. Allowing Jesus in. Luke presents his version of the movie trailer as he writes, beginning in Luke 13:23. Someone asked him Lord will only a few be saved. He replied, work hard to enter the narrow door to God's kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. When the master of the house has locked the door. It will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading Lord opened the door for us. But he will reply, I don't know you are where you come from. Then you will say but we ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets. And he will reply, I tell you, I don't know you or where you come from? Get away from me, all you who do evil. The people must have been sitting on the edge of their seats by now as they listened to Jesus' words. Could it be possible that even when we think we know Jesus, He doesn't know us? And if those who don't know him can't get in the door, where does that leave them? Luke's movie trailer continues as the camera pans out backing away from the locked door, showing us what is on the outside. Luke 13:28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God. But you will be thrown out and people will come from all over the world from east and west and north and south to take their places in the kingdom of God. And note this, some who seemed the least important now will be the greatest then and some who are the greatest now will be the least important. Imagine the chaos and confusion. Have you ever been left out of a gathering? It’s painful. But this pain? We can't even imagine what it will feel like to be left behind weeping and gnashing our teeth. Knowing that we are too late And the scene cuts. The dark screen becomes filled with light as the beautiful music swells and the viewer's body relaxes. Luke transitions and chapter six verse 37. As Jesus says, I will show you what it's like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. Picking back up in Matthew 7:24. Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters raised and the wind beats against that house. It won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. Luke says it stands firm because it is well built. Despite the light and the beautiful black background music and the firm foundation for those who know Jesus, there will be wind and rain and floodwaters. But with Jesus as our bedrock, we will be able to withstand any storm that comes our way. Even the storms of destruction that may take away the people or the things we love. Even those deep floodwaters and the strong winds that come in those last days will not touch the children of God. But Matthew records, Anyone who hears my teaching, and doesn't obey it is foolish. Like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rain and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash. Luke says into a heap of ruins. Have you ever read one of those choose-your-own-ending books. Those were my favorite. When I was a kid, you get to the end of a page and be given a choice did she go through the red door or the blue door. If you choose the red door, you'd be instructed to turn to a certain page and if you choose the blue door, you'd be instructed to read a different page and the story would continue. Well, in the film of your life, you get to choose the ending. But there are only two options. You can choose to keep those walls up and go it alone. Or you can choose to have a relationship with Jesus. Choosing to keep those walls up around our heart, keeping Jesus out going it alone, and trying to earn our own salvation means that the path will get more and more difficult. Darkness and sin will envelop you until there is no light remaining. Fear and worry and pain will take over as the door is locked behind you, indicating the opportunity to turn back is no longer available. Or we can choose to follow Jesus to intentionally dismantle our walls and let Him into our hearts. Asking His forgiveness and doing our best to follow him in obedience with each and every step we take. This decision involves choosing a relationship with Jesus. And like any relationship on our end anyway, it will probably be messy. We will not be perfect. We will sin, and we will stray, we will hurt, and we will cause pain. But God is perfect. And he will always walk with us and guide us. Once we make that decision to go to Him and we have our full hearts open to him and to knowing Him, that same door will be shut behind us, and there will be no going back to where there is gnashing of teeth. The path will continue to get more and more beautiful as we walk away from sin until on that final day, there will be no more sun. God will bottle our tears, whisking them away from us. The music will swell, and joy will fill every cell of our bodies. Matthew finishes. When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, for he taught with real authority, quite unlike the teachers of religious law. Jesus is unlike any teachers of religious law because Well, Jesus is unlike anything, or anyone else we've ever known or ever will know. There aren't enough superlatives in the English language to describe the wonder of Jesus. He's sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. He's perfect love, joy and peace. And you can have all of that in your life or not. The movie is yours. You are the director. Choose well. Dear most holy God. If there's any person listening today who doesn't know you and wants to know you, I pray that you enter her heart today. At this moment, give her words to confess, confess her sin to you and give her guidance and an undeniable urge to walk in obedience to your call on her life. God, thank you for giving us the opportunity to share eternity with You. And to begin that eternity, that eternity now by having a relationship with you, that will never end as you lock the door behind us. Thank you for sending your son to make a way for us and to guide us into your loving arms. In Jesus name, I pray, amen. If you have any questions, we want to be there for you. And if you have just given your life to Christ, we would love to celebrate with you and walk with you on your journey. So please reach out to us at [email protected]. God bless you. See you next week. Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast. Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at WWW dot women world leaders.com To submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event and support the ministry from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without express writt

Life is certainly hectic these days, and busy times with "self-focused attitudes" are ever-encompassing in the lives of numerous people.   Michelle Hiatt, known as the "Nourishing Mompreneuer" believes the most important work you'll ever do is within the walls of your home.    Today, Michelle shares about the "Joy of Surrender" and how to bring joy into your life, your home, and your heart.

Who among us hasn’t dreamed of the perfect holiday with the perfect husband and perfect children? Sometimes, our unrealistic expectations can cause us to miss the joy we could have in experiences that are not perfect, but wonderful in spite of their imperfections. **** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leaders podcast. I’m your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God’s grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world. I recently finished watching all nine seasons of a sitcom called “The Middle.” Yes, I was late to the party.  It ran from 2009 to 2018, but it ranks high on my list of favorite shows because I found myself identifying with the mom constantly.  It tells the story of a very average, middle-class family of five living in the middle of the US in Indiana. There’s a mouthy, sarcastic teenage son, a hopelessly optimistic daughter two years younger and another son who’s brilliant but has a lot of social issues like repeating certain words or phrases in a stage whisper. Dad is the strong, silent type who loves his family, but is happiest sitting in front of the tv watching basketball. The mom, Frankie, desperately wants the best for her family, but she struggles with disorganization and a tendency to be a little lazy.  She also finds herself constantly comparing her own family to the Donahues who live across the street and seem just about perfect. I see myself in her especially in the Christmas episodes. Once the oldest son, Axl, goes away to college, Frankie pins a lot of importance on what the family will do when he comes home for Christmas break.  She envisions the whole family picking out the ideal Christmas tree, taking it home and decorating it together.  They’ll bake cookies together and drink hot cocoa while they cuddle up on the couch to watch “White Christmas.” What actually happens is that Axl walks through the door, throws his dirty laundry on a chair and immediately heads out to hang out with friends. She winds up having to negotiate with him to get him to participate in at least a few of her plans. The Christmas tree they select makes the daughter, Sue, violently allergic and has to be  taken to the curb and replaced by a tall houseplant with a string of lights on it. When Frankie finally manages to force her family to gather and watch her movie, they discover that the discount dvd she purchased has been dubbed in German. On another Christmas, she’s thrilled to have a solo in the choir’s Christmas Eve production, but the family falls asleep on the couch before the service and doesn’t make it to church until her final few notes. Even when she tries to be flexible, something always goes wrong. The year she tried to make sure the family got to church early enough to get good seats at the Christmas Eve service, she lost track of time and discovered it was two hours later than she thought. Rather than stress out over frantically trying to fight the crowds, she decides they can watch a service on TV. But during a commercial break, Sue downloads a photo to the family computer and discovers that somehow, every family photo taken in the last seven years has vanished. And it’s not just Christmases. Frankie has high hopes for Thanksgiving and Mother’s Day too, but she always ends up being disappointed whether it’s by a fire at the restaurant where they’re eating Thanksgiving dinner or by obviously last-minute Mother’s Day gifts that no one would want. But this is not a depressing show, because Frankie generally comes to the realization that the things she thought were important really weren’t and she finds herself appreciating what she does have. This is a lesson God has been teaching me and not just through a tv show, but through my own experiences. Holidays have become even more important to me since our nest has emptied. Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays are the only times we get to have the whole family together.  Since our son has been in the army, only Christmas has brought every one of them home.  Of course, I start dreaming about the best Christmas ever, months ahead of time. It requires lots of colorful lights, a Christmas tree of some sort in every room, a wide variety of home-made cookies and other traditional foods, beautifully wrapped gifts artfully arranged under the trees, the scent of pine and the sounds of Christmas music. Everyone is thrilled to see one another and equally excited to see their mother perform at the Christmas Eve service. When we’re not eating or opening gifts, we’ll enjoy reminiscencing while we watch hours of home videos taken when they were all very young and cute.  Here’s what actually happens: All decorating is done exclusively by me, so it’s limited to what I can produce with limited abilities and time. My daughter and I make too many cookies which are left here to tempt me well into January. My three cats pull the bows off those beautifully wrapped gifts and leave them all over the house. No one is particularly enthusiastic about the Christmas Eve service or my performance and they are even less interested, if that’s possible, in watching old videos. Our daughters who are married have to split their time between us and the in-laws, the one with a boyfriend also wants to spend time with him and his family and last year our son had a new girlfriend with whom he spent the bulk of his two-week leave. One year we even rented an 8-passenger van so that all of us could go places in a single vehicle, but that didn’t happen- not even once! Creating the perfect Christmas was stressful and time-consuming and it didn’t turn out at all the way I had expected. As I expressed my feelings to God, I heard Him saying, “why don’t you focus on what you do have, rather than what you think you’re missing.” As I began to change my focus, those negative feelings began to transform into appreciation and gratitude. The fact that we have four children who even want to come home and make it a priority is a blessing many families don’t have. They’re all healthy and thriving in solid relationships. After 37 years, we’re still happily married and don’t have to deal with the complications of stepchildren and ex’s. Both of my parents are able to be with us.  They’re active and mentally sharp and rather than being critical of our parenting and the kids’ choices, as many grandparents are, they offer nothing but love and praise. It may not look or sound like or include all the elements I had envisioned, but all in all, we had a pretty great Christmas. The holidays are ripe for the enemy to steal our joy through unrealistic expectations and comparing our experience to what we see on social media or the Hallmark channel.  But those issues aren’t limited to the holiday season. I think we all enter into marriage with certain expectations. Most of them have to do with what we expect our spouse to do for us, not about what we should do for them. Of course when we marry, we realize the other person isn’t perfect, but when we envision our future together it’s more likely to include relaxing on a beach, cuddling in front of the tv or enjoying romantic dinners, not picking up dirty clothes lying on the floor, disciplining a whiny toddler or budgeting a limited household income.  Having children is the same way.  We anticipate sweet smelling, peacefully sleeping infants not a colicky baby with yet another loaded diaper and a piercing wail. We imagine being parents of the high school football captain or the valedictorian, not a socially awkward, pimple-faced teen who struggles to make friends. As humans, it seems we’re hard-wired to want to avoid difficulties and live a life that rewards us with validation and pleasure. In His wisdom, God knows that such a life is not what’s best for us. In chapter one of James, we’re told that we should consider it a joy when we encounter various trials, because the testing of our faith produces endurance which will ultimately make us perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  James goes on to say that the brother or sister of humble circumstances should glory in his or her high position, reminding us that earthly riches will pass away as quickly as the grass under a scorching sun. Our expectations rarely involve what we would consider “humble circumstances,” but we’d be better off if they did. The reality is that we have very little control over how things turn out or what other people do. That’s why later in James, chapter four it says, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘if the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’”  I don’t believe it’s possible for us to eliminate expectations from our lives. But according to James, we need to evaluate them in light of God’s will.  How different might our experiences be if we learned to hold our expectations with an open hand, trusting God to work out everything for our  good as He promised to in Romans 8:28. It's easy to forget these truths in the midst of our everyday, hectic lives.  I find myself waking up in the morning with a full day open before me. I think of all the things I could accomplish and see myself with a clean house, a greatly reduced to-do list and no deadlines looming over me. Usually, I’m lucky to get one of the things on my list knocked off.  Something unexpected invariably comes up and sometimes I even wind up adding to my list, rather than taking anything off of it. It’s the same with the condition of my house.  It was built in the 80’s and we’ve been updating and improving it over the past 18 months that we’ve lived here. When we complete one project, I start imagining how quickly things could fall into place and my dream home seems almost within reach. But then other more pressing issues arise and we make zero progress, or even negative progress when you consider the new maintenance issues that now require our attention. As long as I have expectations of myself, others and even God, I will continue to be disappointed. Experience has taught me that things rarely turn out as expected. Does that mean I should stop setting goals or dreaming of what could be? The answer goes back to what James said in Chapter 4. That passage indicates there’s nothing wrong with making plans for the things we’d like to see happen, as long as we hold those plans in an open hand allowing God to determine what is best. The people of Israel had the opportunity to do that when Jesus walked the earth.  They had all grown up hearing the prophecies about the coming messiah.  His legendary figure loomed large in their minds.  He would be mighty, incredibly impressive and would deliver them from all their oppression.  Most of them expected a king, a man of great wealth, power and status.  What God sent instead was a helpless baby, made known only to his unremarkable parents of low status and a few shepherds considered among the lowest of Hebrew society. When Jesus began His ministry, he associated with fishermen, tax collectors and former prostitutes.  He had no social pedigree or religious standing, owned only the clothes on His back and refused to speak against Rome.  He was nothing like the messiah His people were expecting and because of that, most of them completely missed out on the abundant life He came to give them. For those who were able to let go of their preconceived ideas of what a messiah should be and simply listened to Him and watched Him, He was all they ever needed in a deliverer. He did nothing to free them from Rome’s heavy hand, but He delivered them from the sin that brought death and separation from God and they recognized that nothing beyond that really mattered. As we enter another holiday season, we have an opportunity to practice letting go of our unrealistic expectations and preconceived ideas about what is best.  As God has been speaking to me about this, I’ve been trying, but I’ve got to warn you that it isn’t easy. It’s important that we make the most of these holidays and create special memories for our loved ones. But in doing that, we have to be ready to let go and rather than focusing on the things that don’t turn out as expected, learn to appreciate other blessings He sends our way that might’ve gone unnoticed. As He extends His grace and we practice this new approach during the holidays, maybe we can extend it to the rest of the year. So, when the turkey isn’t ready on time or buried family tensions suddenly surface at the dinner table, be ready to look for God’s hand in every unexpected development. Our plans may fail, but His never do. Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast!  Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  Visit our website at womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders .  All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.  

How do we know what steps to take? And who to trust? Join us for today’s podcast with Julie Jenkins as we study Jesus’ teachings on how to exercise discernment in our study of Matthew 7:7-20, Luke 6:43-45 and 11:9-13.     Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and it is my honor and privilege to walk with you as we examine Scripture together weekly. I hope you are enjoying some cooler weather as we move through November. Here at Women World Leaders, November means that we are gearing up to print our last edition Voice of Truth for 2023, and its not too late to get on our mailing list and receive your own physical copy of this beautiful magazine. To ensure you don’t miss out, visit our website – www.womenworldleaders.com, and become a monthly donor. And, in case you missed it, we have released three books this year: Joy Unspeakable, Miracle Mindset, and Navigating Your Storm. And they all went to Amazon #1 best-seller upon their release. As you begin to gear up for Christmas, I encourage you to check these out – they make great gifts. If you're a regular listener to Walking in the Word, you know that we are currently walking through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as we examine the footsteps and the words of Jesus and ask Him to reveal what He wants us to know today. Today as we continue, we will be studying from Matthew chapter seven verses seven through 20. And Luke chapter six verses 43 through 45 and chapter 11, verses nine through 13. Allow me to pray before we begin. Dear loving and gracious Father, we come to you today expectant, expectant to learn from you, to hear your voice. God, I thank you for who you are and for meeting us where we are. Guide our hearts and our minds as we study these passages together, guide my words so that all I say will be what you intend. And open our spirits that we might truly experience your presence. In Jesus name, I pray, amen. Well, if you listened last week, hopefully you remember the lesson that Jesus taught us that God is the judge and our job is to love. But despite that teaching, I'm sure you recognize that part of walking through life is exercising discernment, that is, separating good and evil into their respective categories so that we don't step into a mess that the devil has served up for us. In our lives, we constantly need to make decisions about what is good for us and what is bad for us, about who we should seek to learn from, and what instances we should turn away from. In today's scripture, Jesus highlights for us how we can discern the path that God has for us at any given step. Let's begin in Matthew 7:7 from the New Living Translation. Jesus instructs us … keep on asking and you will receive what you asked for. Keep on seeking and you will find keep on knocking and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives everyone who seeks finds and everyone who knocks the door will be opened. This is Jesus answer to how do we discern How do we discern where we should walk what we should do, who we should listen to. I like the NLT, because it properly translates the verbs with keep on in front of them. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. As Christians, we are called to be in constant pursuit of God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we're taught to never stop praying. God wants to hear from us every minute of every day. He wants us to not just have conversations with Him, but to abide in Him. The more regularly we go to God, the more recognizable His voice will be to us, and the clearer we will hear what He has to say. It is possible to say constantly connected with God in prayer, because He is always with us. And if we keep going to Him, he will always guide us, showering us with His wisdom and discernment. Well, next, Jesus gives an illustration about God's response to us that has stood the test of time. verse nine, you parents, if your children asked for a loaf of bread? Do you give them a stone instead? Or if they asked for a fish? Do you give them a snake? Of course not. Luke says an 1112. Or reports that Jesus says. Or if they asked for an egg? Do you give them a scorpion? Yikes, Luke. So Luke went for the spiders. Back to Matthew verse 11. So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him? And Luke records and verse 13, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? If you are a parent, you know that you would move heaven and earth for your children, if you could. Well, God's love is pure. So he loves us with even greater affection than we love our own children. And not only would God move heaven and earth for you, but he actually can move heaven and earth for you. We can certainly trust, therefore, that if we ask Him for wisdom and discernment, he will give it to us. But even though God will give us his discernment, showing us where and how to walk, Jesus reminds us that we still aren't the judge. Remember, our job is to love. Matthew 7:12. Do to others, whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the Law and the Prophets. Most of us are familiar with this golden rule. But the origin of it is interesting. The rule was passed down through many religions and civilizations, but the Jewish people would have known it in its negative form. They had heard, What you hate, do not do to anyone, or what is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor. Like most things, Jesus took this teaching up a notch, not only are we to not do what is hateful, but we are to actively love others. God is love, and actively loving is what he does. Yes, even though He is the judge is able to do both. Because we are made in God's image we are able to love with his strength and his power. Oh, how we mess this up. But thank goodness, we have a God who is merciful and sees our heart's strivings. And he allows us to take this teaching one step at a time, one moment at a time. So I encourage you to ask yourself at this time, and many times throughout the day. What can I do right now to actively love the person I am with? When we abide in Christ, He will teach us to love with a discerning love, which means our love will look different to different people and on different occasions. Sometimes, we are to hold our brothers and sisters accountable, empowering them to grow even closer to God, and to experience His loving correction, and to be the kind of example that God wants the world to see. Sometimes loving well won't include correction, but instead we may be asked to give comfort and understanding. Only God knows the need of each individual at each moment. Which is why the golden rule must go hand in hand with prayer for discernment and submission to the Holy Spirit. And here's the reason we must ask God to help us love well, because our mission is to bring others to God. Matthew 7:13, you can enter God's kingdom only through the narrow gate. The Highway to Hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow, and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. I grew up the youngest of seven kids. And one of our sayings was when trying to decide something was the majority rules, which meant that if I wanted what most of my siblings wanted, life was good. But if I wanted something different, I was out of luck. That is how the world often works. Fashion becomes fashionable when many people wear it. Programs become popular when many people watch them. Businesses become profitable when many people depend on their products. We tend to get swept up with the flow of the current. But Jesus’ way, often goes against that current, the gate to Heaven is narrow, and the gate to hell is wide. When it comes to the spiritual, the popular way is not necessarily the way you want to go. It's more important that you discern the right way, God's way, and that you guide others in that same direction. In John 10, seven through nine, Jesus described himself as the gate, only one gate leads to God, the devil in the world tried to deceive us, teaching us that good deeds lead to heaven that if we tip the scale of good versus bad, having more good than we will have made it. Or some religions even teach that a suicide bombing is an ultimate sacrifice and it leads to eternal life. The Bible, however, teaches against those popular beliefs, the only way to heaven is through a relationship with Jesus. This seems odd, because it seems way too simple. And we want to be in control, it can feel good to earn something. But that just isn't the way God works. Because quite simply, we don't have what it takes to pay the high price for our sins. The payment for sin is death. If we pay it, we'd be dead. And then where would we be? But our sinless Jesus Christ paid that fee for us so that we don't have to experience spiritual death ever. All we have to do is enter into a relationship with Jesus and accept his payment for us. But the way is narrow and the road is difficult because our pride can be difficult to let go of. But to go through that narrow gate, we must release that pride and humble ourselves to accept this amazing gift. When I was growing up, I had a friend whose parents were quite wealthy, and they delighted in giving me gifts. For my graduation, they got me an expensive gift that there was no way I would be able to repay. They were being kind and generous and I was pridefully embarrassed. I'm sad to say that I allowed my pride to interfere and ruin that friendship. Friend, God will always outgive you. He is better, stronger and will love you more. Jesus gave His life that you might live that is a gift we can never repay. And He doesn't want us to. He only wants a relationship with you. He wants to be first in your life. He wants you to let go of the striving, the judging, and the condemnation of yourself and others. The Gateway is narrow and the road is difficult. But with God's discernment attained through prayer and humility, we will enter into his courts with praise. Although the road is narrow, God does not want us to walk alone. He made us for community. We long for fellowship and to share our lives with others. So, who do we walk with? Again, that's where discernment comes in. Jesus teaches in verse 15 Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really vicious wolves. Beware and be aware of those who say they're following the ways of Christ but simply are not. This is one of the devil's biggest tricks. The world is full of those who claim to teach the truth and promise to lead others into the truth. So we must pray for discernment that we can see who is under the mask. Remember those Scooby Doo episodes, when at the end, the villain is unmasked, and it is Dr. Jones, or another familiar and seemingly innocent character. It can be tempting to follow someone familiar or good-looking or popular or someone whose message is comfortable. But we must be discerning about who we are listening to, and learning from in order to hear the true message, the message of God Himself. Finally, Jesus tells us to discern who those vicious wolves are by examining their lives. Matthew 7:16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, fruit and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. And then Luke 645 says… A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart. and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. You can identify the imposters. Are you seeking a teacher for yourself or a husband or a leader? As you do, ask God to reveal any behavior that is inconsistent with his teaching. Is their teaching focused on God and His Word? Does he treat others with the grace and love of Jesus? Does she, in humility, live as she teaches? There is a plethora of imposters in the world. And I say this not to make you paranoid and distrustful of everyone you come into contact with. We all certainly mess up, and God wants us to show mercy and grace to others. But he also implores us to choose wisely when it comes to those with whom we will associate most closely. Be discerning how you spend your time and who you spend it with. Keep asking God for His discernment. Keep seeking his directions. Keep knocking on his door. You won't bother him. Your persistence will make him smile. Dear God, thank you for always being there for us for always pointing us in the direction of your calling for us. Give us the strength to swim upstream against the devil's schemes and the courage to grab ahold of the one beside us and bring her upstream with us to the narrow gate, to you. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.  

Developing a closer walk with God is a daily intentional choice. Singer/Songwriter Sara Sahm openly shares her story.   Sara authentically speaks about hearing God's voice through tragedy and how He guided her to a daily walk with Him and into living a surrendered life serving through music and song writing.

Are you troubled with the things of this world, being distracted from the purpose of God? Listen to hear the recipe Jesus gave to be set free from the things of this world. *** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, A Women World Leader’s Podcast, I’m your host Robin Kirby- Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God’s grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. Today’s Title: God’s grace in setting us free from the kingdom of the world. 19 “Do not gather and heap up and store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal. 20 But gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal; 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound, your entire body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the very light in you [your conscience] is darkened, how dense is that darkness!” Matthew 6:19-23 AMPC Matthew 6 is a core chapter for the saint, a premise laid out by Christ Jesus in order for us to be cleansed of the things of this world, this is God’s grace. Wherever our treasure is, there our heart will be, also. If our heart is full of the things of this world, through the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, our conscience will be darkened. The parable of the eye being the lamp of the body, represents the conscience. Light in scripture is a metaphor for truth. This is seen in the core parable after the sower of seed, in Mark 4:21-25, where Jesus teaches that when you bring a candlelight into the room, you don’t hide it under a peck measure or bed, but you put it on the lampstand to be seen. He then explains that things are hidden temporarily to be made known, and that whatever we give our attention to, will be added unto us. I get into detail at how our senses are the diet for the soul in my book Mindfulness, the Mind of Christ. It’s in this book that I explain the G Protein-Coupled Receptor, otherwise known as the GPCR, in which memories are stored throughout the body on all our cells. Moreover, scientists have proven that the GPCR is responsible for your perception and behavior, thereby revealing your conscience. Imagine going into an ice cream store, where there are hundreds of flavors. That’s the best way to look at the GPCR; half the flavors discovered thus far of the GPCR are up to 1,000 different flavors, with still more yet to be discovered. Like ice cream, it has the same type of receptor, which is folded seven-times, external to the cell, creating a domino effect, once triggered, to intracellular activity. Up to 480 plus flavors, of the 1,000 discovered to date, are for senses. You heard that right. You have senses inside of your body, all throughout your cells, and these senses even help regulate your organs. Even more incredible, the GPCR stores memories, and when a neuropeptide and/or frequency hits that receptor, memories start unpacking within our body, what you and I know of as emotion. I go into extensive detail in the book Mindfulness the Mind of Christ, how we are pruned as in John 15:2 at the receptor level of memories that are of the kingdom of the world. This is further evaluated and dissected in my upcoming book The Forbidden Fruit, the Spiritual Disease. I’ve experienced massive supernatural deliverances beginning in 2002 to 2005, and God had put it in me, to desire a hunger and thirst of His Word, to comprehend what went on inside of my body, while the mind was freaked out, clueless as to what was occurring, as the power of Holy Spirit drove oppressive spirits out. As a result, the culmination of a decade’s worth of writing workbooks and books on scripture and the sciences, culminated into the knowledge from God, unfolding the LIGHT OF TRUTH in the Word. “And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.” John 8:32 AMPC The Greek word for truth is alḗtheia pronounced al-ay'-thi-a meaning, “truth, true, truly, and verity.” [i] This comes from the two Greek words alpha meaning “beginning,” and lanthánō pronounced lan-than'-o meaning, “to lie hid, be ignorant, and unawares.” The unique thing about this combination of alpha and lanthánō, is that alpha at the beginning, negates the meaning of the word that follows. Thus, what has been hidden is no longer hidden, but revealed. I love this because Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the Beginning and the End. Jesus always brings us truth to what’s hidden in the heart. Therefore, the parable of bringing a light into the room, is a metaphor for the Light of Truth piercing the darkness, which is the Life of Jesus in John 1:4-5. In Him was life and that life is the light of men, and the light pierces the darkness, and the darkness cannot overtake it, put it out, and is unreceptive to the light. Therefore, JESUS the Light, is greater than the darkness of the world. When we come to Christ Jesus, we work out our salvation in fear and in trembling as in Philippians 2:12, being pruned of the influence of the kingdom of the world. This leads us back to the beginning of this podcast, to the scriptures from Matthew 6. Jesus is addressing the issue of the body, whether it is consecrated, by exposing that whatever it is you treasure in this life, is where your heart is, either making the conscience pure to reveal the Kingdom of God or darkening it with the kingdom of the world. This is where grace comes in. All the verses in Matthew 6:1-18, address Jesus’ instruction of how we can ensure that we’re free of this world. He starts out by telling us to give, where our left hand doesn’t know what our right hand is doing. In other words, it is the work of God in us, willing us to give to ministries and others. Next, Jesus instructs us on praying, and that we’re not to pray to get attention, but instead we’re to be humble and pray simply, the Lord’s prayer. Finally, Jesus instructs us to fast, whereby it frees us from the fleshly appetites of the world. I can tell you for certain with all my health and wellness clients that I coach, I can always tell who is fasting. Those that fast, have less problems, a deeper prayer life, understanding of the Word, and walk with the Lord. I also pick up quickly, with the Lord’s prompting, as I listen to people and the problems they might be dealing with, as well as the areas in which their body needs to be pruned at the receptor level of the kingdom of the world, that the person is missing out on one of the three instructions set forth by Jesus. They might say I’m fasting and praying, and I then ask, “are you giving? Do you give tithes? Do you give offerings?” When asked, the reply is generally no. At this time, I then go back to Matthew 6, and remind them of what Jesus, the Son of God, instructed us to do, to be free of the world. Understand, that before even getting to this point, I’ve addressed the issue of hormonal imbalance and physical health, to rule out any issue within their own body that might be hindering their ability to follow through. Even more, I know whether they’re doing the Bittersweet taste test as laid out in scripture that Jesus Christ and John the Baptist did, as well as God calling His people Israel to do, which I teach extensively in Chapters 6 and 9 of Mindfulness the Mind of Christ. It is that taste test that aids the body in being consecrated from the things of this world. God isn’t just a spiritual God, because He knows how fearful and wonderfully made, we are; He created us. In creating us, He also planned out a natural supplementation through His creation, to aid the body in the process of Romans 12:1-2, being consecrated so the mind can be transformed. Many people try to get deliverance from the head down to the body, when scripture clearly reveals that the conscience is inside of the heart. The Bittersweet taste test that God reveals in scripture happens to hit the GPCR taste bud in the body. JUST WOW! Moreover, He shows that we have eyes in our heart through the opsin GPCR, which is what Ephesians 1:18 is referring to, that the eyes of our heart be flooded with Light! This is freedom, this is deliverance! Where is it you need freedom? Are you struggling with the issue of judging others, addictions, or behaviors of the world, causing your conscience to be darkened? If so, read Matthew 6, and Jesus’ instructions on obtaining freedom, by giving, praying, and fasting. Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written c [i] Strong’s Concordance Greek word # 225 “truth”

Where is the line between discernment and judgment? How do we determine our own response in distressing situations? And how important is it to God that we treat others well? Join us as we explore Matthew 7:1-6, Mark 4:24-25, and Luke 6:37-42, focusing on the truth that God’s job is to judge, and our job is to love. **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I'm honored to be walking through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John with you as we ask God to teach us what He wants us to know today. Well, this has been a busy week at Women World Leaders. Before the pandemic hit, this ministry operated primarily in South Florida. We actually began meeting at our founder's home until we outgrew that, and then we met at a local church. When things changed across the world due to COVID, we sought God's heart for direction and, like many, moved to a more digital platform. What the devil meant for evil, God meant for good. Through the pandemic, God has put the world into Women World Leaders, we are now truly a global ministry reaching over 60 countries. When most of the world was slowing down, even taking a break, God had us moving at warp speed. This week alone, I have been on Zoom calls with authors, writers, prayer warriors, artists, photographers, actresses, speakers, educators, musicians, and financial and business experts from Florida to California to Virginia, to Australia to India. And it's only Wednesday. Although we are distant from each other, Women World Leaders is a personal ministry, and we want to personally invite you to join us. If God is calling you to share your gifts with a hungry world. Reach out to us at [email protected]. The more workers that come, the greater the harvest will be. Well let's jump into the Word of God, shall we? Women World Leaders are founded on the Word and prayer. We don't take that lightly. And we're so glad you've joined us today for our deep dive into Matthew 7:1-6. Mark 4:24-25, And Luke 6:37-42, as we study the Principles for Judgment. Let me pray before we begin. Dear Most Holy God. Thank you for giving us this time to come to you today. God, I don't know what each person listening is walking through today or what she needs to learn. But you do. Thank you for being with her and meeting her where she is. God, open our ears to hear your voice. Open our eyes to see your glory and open our hearts that we might be changed to look just a little more like you today. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen. Well, as I've studied this scripture, I had a difficult time titling it because the first verse we're looking at from Matthew seven says do not judge others. And yet that is not the end of the sentence nor the end of Jesus' teaching. We know or should know that God is the ultimate judge. But boy, do we often have judgy feelings? Am I wrong? I believe that being judgmental of others is probably one of my biggest sins. And one of my problems is that I often feel justified in being judgmental because the world is full of sin and I want to do my best to not step in that sin. Bear with me here on this analogy. I have two dogs, and as you can imagine, they use our backyard as a bathroom. When I walk through the backyard, I have to judge where I walk. So I don't end up with something I don't want on my shoe, or worse yet on my bare foot. In life, it's important for us to judge where we walk, what teaching we listen to, who we allow to speak into our lives, what activities we participate in. This requires us to make judgments for our own good, and yet we are to not be judgy of others. This can be a difficult line to draw because it seems like judging where we walk can lead to judging others. So as judgment and some form is necessary, I've titled this Principles for Judgment. And as we go through the text, we will see that Jesus teaches us three principles for judgment. We are to be conscientious, discerning, and full of grace. Walk with me as we begin reading from Matthew chapter seven, verse one in the New Living Translation, Do not judge others, and you will not be judged, for you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Only God has a say in our final judgment. So Jesus is talking about our daily sizing up of each other and he says, Don't do it. Essentially, don't check tear each other down. We must instead be conscientious of our own thoughts and actions. We need to examine ourselves and try to do what is right. This is so difficult, it takes processing. Oh, we can be pretty darn good about processing someone else's actions. But how much time do we take to process our own thoughts and actions? Let's pop over to Luke 6, verse 37, where it is recorded that Jesus takes this a step further. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. We are not to judge others, and we are certainly not to condemn them. God's job is to judge. But this doesn't mean that we are to put our heads in the sand and naively trust everyone. We are not to judge or condemn others, but we are to be discerning. God calls us to be aware and to use discernment as we partner with others in any relationship, from marriage to ministry or to simply who you spend your time with. But this scripture reminds us while we must be responsible with whom we trust and walk with, it is not our place to condemn anyone. That job is only the Lord's. Only the Lord knows each person's heart and motives. So what if someone is letting you down repeatedly? Only God knows what she's going through. Our job is to discern what God wants our involvement to be. And to always show grace through love as God leads. We get to love. God will judge. Jesus takes us a step further, not only must we not condemn others, but we must forgive them. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. This can be difficult, and how to forgive is a teaching unto itself. But for now, we must recognize that although we discern sin in another, even if God asks us to call that sin out in love, we must offer grace through forgiveness. We get to love. God will judge. Jesus goes on to say that this grace-filled love means we also get to share what we have with others. Our wisdom, gift,s time, and yes, grace and love. Luke 6:38 Give and you will receive your gift will return to you in full pressed down shaken together to make room for more running over and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. This visual would have been powerful for Jesus’ listeners who were used to purchasing grain that was measured out. Imagine purchasing green By the cup. Picture the merchant using a cup to scoop up the grain and pour it into another container. Some may fall out in the process, but it's still a legal cup. The generous merchant, however, would scoop the grain, put his hand over the top, and press it down. Then shake it a bit. So every space was filled. And then he would top it off so that it is actually running over. Is that how you and I give? Do we give the minimum out of duty? Or are we intentionally generous? When someone harms you, are you intentionally generous with grace and forgiveness? When you see a need, how do you conscientiously choose to fill the cup, just enough to call it legal or generously, pressed down, shaken together, and running over? Something to think about? Verse 39, Then Jesus gave the following illustration, can one blind person lead another? Won't they both fall into a ditch? Students are not greater than their teacher, but the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.  We are all becoming, and who we become is often a reflection of who we follow. We must carefully discern who God is asking us to follow and learn from and who we are to stay away from. We get to love, God will judge; but God gives us wisdom to discern who we will personally follow. Mark records that Jesus expands on this teaching and Mark 4 verses 24 and 25. Then he added, pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given and you will receive more to those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given to those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. We must conscientiously choose to listen to God and follow His teaching. We are all growing, and we are all learning. I've heard it explained that the Christian life is like an onion, we learn one layer at a time. Each time we read scripture, do a Bible study, hear a devotion, go to church and listen to a message. God helps us go a little bit deeper into his teachings. He doesn't expect us to get it all right away, or even in this lifetime. But he does expect us to pay close attention. The closer we listen, the better we will understand. But if we choose to not listen, our understanding will regress. We must look inward and examine our growth conscientiously, giving ourselves love and grace along the way even as we mess up. Next, Jesus gives a parable you no doubt heard from Matthew seven, verse three. And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye, when you can't see past the log in your own? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye then you will see well enough to deal with this back in your friends eye. this visual must have made the disciples giggle, picturing a man with a log in his eye. But here was Jesus' point. We must never be so worried about someone else's actions that we're not aware of our own. In other words, we must be conscientious not condemning. Our purpose on this earth is to help others back to the illustration. We cannot help others if we cannot see clearly. The eye is delicate. We would only trust a very careful surgeon to work on our eyes. I can remember getting LASIK surgery nearly 20 years ago. I can honestly say there aren't many times I've prayed as hard for someone as I prayed for that surgeon as I laid there awake with my eyes wide open as he was about to cut into my eye. I would not have begun to trust him if he had impaired vision himself, let alone a log in his eye. Flight Attendants tell us to, in case of an emergency, put on your own oxygen mask first, so that you will be clear-headed and able to help others. Likewise, we must conscientiously get the log out of our own eye before we, with grace, help someone else with a speck of dirt in theirs. Our job is to love God will judge. But we also must be discerning even as we help others. Verse six says Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don't throw your pearls to pigs. They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. We should witness to whoever God calls us to. But we must be discerning in how we spend our time. Our time is finite, we only have 24 hours in a day. And let's face it, there are people you can talk to until you are blue in the face and they still will not listen to what you have to say. Sometimes being discerning means we need to walk away from someone who has a hard heart. But we still love, which is our job. As we pray, and trust God, who knows far more than we do, how to handle the situation. He, after all, is the judge. God is the judge we are not. And as we go to him conscientiously seeking His wisdom for ourselves, he will give us discernment of where and how to walk. And just like he showers us with grace, He has given us permission to share grace as well. We don't have to judge. He's got it all under control. Dear heavenly Father, how amazingly gracious you are to us that you take the burden of judgment. God, I pray, especially right now, for anyone listening who is walking through a minefield God give her a discerning heart, that she might know where to stop and where not to stop, who to walk towards, and who to walk away from. Awake us each that we might conscientiously choose to follow your leading in every circumstance, as we stand for truth, showing grace and love to others by your power. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.  

Fear, trauma, and feelings of unworthiness are all ways the enemy tries to hold us back from our purpose. Ignite your purpose today as Stacy Jo Coffee-Thorne shares her story of overcoming adversity as she was growing up to now walking in a purpose designed by God. May God spark hope and energy into your ears as you listen to a passionate businesswoman called by God to empower women to serve God where they are.

The world is being shaken from every corner and in multiple ways. But it should not surprise the saints of God. Nevertheless, the importance of Standing Firm while the temporal foundations of this earth are being shaken is more important than ever. That is why today’s podcast is so important. Tawana shares three important strategies that will help ensure our Ability to Stand, while at the same time helping others do the same.

What is your most valuable treasure? What do you long to own or experience? Sometimes it can feel as if our dreams or desires are beyond us financially. Join Julie Jenkins as she uncovers truth from the Word that when we serve God with our whole hearts, we will begin to experience treasure beyond our wildest imagination.   ****   Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. It is October, 2023 as I record this, and we at Women World Leaders are as busy as ever as we follow the call God has put on our lives to empower YOU to walk in your God-given purpose. If you are new or newer to Women World Leaders, I don’t want you to miss out on Voice of Truth, our quarterly magazine full of inspiration, encouragement, and beautiful artwork. We began publishing Voice of Truth in January of 2021. During the height of the pandemic, God orchestrated an amazing team of women writers, editors, artists, and formatters from around the world who were all seeking to produce something that would make a difference in the world. Nearly three years and 13 editions later, by God’s grace, we are still going strong. The feedback we hear from our readers is beyond anything we could have ever hoped or imagined. I’d encourage you to check out our website, www.womenworldleaders.com, where you can view all our back issues digitally for free. And, as we are now preparing our last edition for 2023, which will go out in December, you can still get on the mailing list. Simply, become a monthly donor of any amount on our website, and we will, as a thank you, register you for a subscription to Voice of Truth. But let me encourage you to sign up today, as the subscription list will soon be in the hands of the printer. Women World Leaders is a 501c3 nonprofit, which means that all donations to the ministry are tax-deductible.   On this, our Wednesday edition of the Women World Leaders podcast, we are currently walking through the Gospels, gaining wisdom and knowledge with each and every step. We're currently studying the Sermon on the Mount. Today's teaching comes from Matthew chapter 6:19-34. And Luke 11:34-36. Luke 12:22-34 and Luke 16:13. Let's pray before we begin. Dear Most Gracious Father, thank You for this message that you are about to unfold before us today. God we just cherish this time that we set aside to spend with you on a weekly basis. And we want to never take for granted the fact that you allow us to hear from you through Your Word as we gather via technology. So we give you this time, and we ask you to speak clearly. And open our eyes and our hearts to hear you well. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen. Well, as we walk through the Gospels and take hold of Jesus' teaching to us, today's message probably won't be one you haven't heard before. Simply put, Jesus teaches us to not live our lives in service to money, but to live in service to God, trusting that the money and provision will follow. We know that we are to walk obediently to God and to trust Him for our provision. But let's be honest, that can be easier said than done. I grew up trusting in God's provision for me. So, this teaching really didn't come to life for me until after I became a parent. My husband and I both had great jobs, but then I quit mine to be a stay-at-home mom, cutting our income in half. We knew that we were doing what we were called to do, but financially, it just didn't look good on paper. I remember calling out to God, saying, "God, I am okay with eating cereal every night for dinner. But I want to provide well for my children." Wherever you are on your walk, new to Christianity or seasoned in the Word, and no matter what part of life you are in, building a career or retired. God wants to remind you today that He Himself, not money, is our true treasure. And He gives us sound reasons why If we should put our trust completely in Him, rather than in our own financial prosperity. Let's begin in Matthew chapter six verse 19. From the New Living Translation, Don't store up treasures here on Earth where moths eat them and rust destroys them and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. The first reason we should not put our trust in money or in our own ability to earn money is because we just can't count on material things. They mold, they wear out, they get whisked away, and hurricanes and floods and fires. And they simply don't bring any lasting value to our lives. On the contrary, when we set our focus on pleasing God and doing what He has asked us to do, we can be assured that He will take care of every need that we have. I love how Luke states this in chapter 12, verse 33, The purses of Heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe, no thief can steal it, and no moth can destroy it. So, the first reason Jesus teaches us we should not put our trust in money is because we can't count on money's lasting value. The second reason is that putting our trust in money makes us focus on things of the earth and takes our focus off God.  Matthew 6:21 says, Wherever your treasure is, there, the desires of your heart will also be. We live on this earth we have to eat and send our kids to school, and it's fun to have extra money to go on vacation. God doesn't want to deprive us of those things. But He does want us to trust His provision for them. When we work for the sole purpose of gaining the things of this earth, the things we gain will never be as valuable or enjoyable as when we work for God and trust His provision. I'm guessing you've heard the phrase, Don't put a square peg in a round hole. God has created a specific role for each of us to play in this world. When we listen to that calling, though our work may be difficult, the fit we feel will bring us peace and joy that no amount of money made in a way that God did not intend will ever satisfy. God made you on purpose for a purpose. The devil entices us to reach for the highest paycheck, which will never satisfy us. Let's face it, the more money we get, the more we want. Have you ever heard anyone say that they had enough money? Maybe you have, but that's a rare statement. God however, offers us the option to work where we are called to do what we are called to do. We are made to fit perfectly into our calling: a round peg in a round hole. And for our attention to His call, He promises treasures beyond what the world or the devil could ever supply. Matthew continues. Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is. The third reason why we should not put our trust in money is because when we do, we no longer clearly see what God wants for us and we no longer shine for him. Luke records it this way in chapter 11 verses 35 and 36. Make sure are that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant. As though a floodlight were filling you with light. The devil wants us to believe the lie that money is our God. Money will take care of us, get us out of trouble, and bless us with fancy clothes, trips, cars, and even activities and education for our children. That doesn't sound so far-fetched, does it? Money does seem to provide all those things. And yet, we can be assured that this is an illusion. For it is God that truly provides those things. Money is a tool in God's hands, nothing more. It's imperative that we strive to see this clearly. Meditate on it daily, if you must. God alone is our provider. When we look to money as our provider, we will sink into a pit of darkness. When we look to God as our provider, we will be filled with light, and our life will be radiant, and we will shine for truth. We must not serve money over God because money does not last. It makes us focus on the things of this earth, and it can plunge us into darkness. And Jesus continues. It is impossible to serve both money and God at the same time. Matthew 6:24… No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other. You will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. We must choose who our God will be. Who will you serve? When we serve God over money, Jesus teaches, all our worries will be washed away. Verse 25… That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life. Whether you have enough food or drink or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing. Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing. Yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for the wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? Then Jesus gives us the bottom line. Verse 31. So don't worry about these things saying What will we eat and what will we drink and what will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. But your heavenly Father already knows your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. Luke 12:32 records such a beautiful and simple verse, Jesus taught so don't be afraid, little flock, for it gives your father great happiness to give you the kingdom. After I became a parent, I cried out to God, “God, I can eat cereal for dinner but I want to provide well for my children.” God said to me, “Don't be afraid, little flock, for it gives your father great happiness to give you the kingdom.” You see, God has so much more for us than money has to offer. That can be so hard to recognize and understand. Trust me, I know, my husband and I left lucrative jobs and the business world to follow God's call on our lives into ministry. That was a very stark choice between God and money. Maybe your options don't seem so black and white. But don't be fooled. The devil often works in small ways to get us to turn away from the true blessings that God has to offer us. Let me be clear that money is not a bad thing. And wealth is not frowned upon by God. But as we go through life, we are to be on guard to never put the love of money above our love for and service to God. God is more worthy, and He will take care of us better than money ever could. Trust me. And if you don't trust me, trust God's Word. Money will not last, and it has the potential to take your mind off God and plunge you into a dark pit. On the contrary, we can trust that when we serve God as He calls each of us, He will provide for our needs and give us blessings in abundance that will last for eternity. And He will shine his light into our lives, allowing us to see him clearly. Let's pray. Dear God, I don't know what each listener is going through today. But simply due to the fact that money and its rewards are fleeting, it's easy to imagine that hardship and suffering is happening across the world on a physical level. Thank you for reminding us that your blessings are eternal. That we can trust you to always provide us with what we need and to care for us in an even more beautiful fashion than you care for the flowers of the field. How amazing it is to think that it brings you happiness to give us the kingdom. Father, forgive us for sometimes putting our faith in things other than you. And thank you for gently correcting us. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast. Join us each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at WWW dot a women world leaders.com To submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.  

Battling trauma, mindsets, and addictions, God intervened in Kirstin Leigh's life. He brought her the ability to break free from addictions and walk into His purpose for her life.   As she now helps others change their story, author, motivational speaker, and life coach encourager, Kirstin shares a faith-based, holistic approach to breaking free from what's breaking you. "With God all things are possible."

Today on Celebrating God's Grace, host Julie Harwick teaches of God's picture of the change and growth in our lives that He has ordained through the changing seasons of the year. *** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leaders podcast. I’m your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God’s grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world. Fall is finally here! It’s one of my favorite seasons of the year. Here in Florida, it means the temperatures drop down to the 80’s and sometimes even the 70’s! And believe it or not, we even have some leaves changing color and falling to the ground. It’s nothing like what I experienced as a child in Ohio, but there’s definitely a change in the air.   I’ve put out decorative pumpkins of every size and color: also my fall scented candles and quite a few other pieces of autumn décor. There’s a sign on my kitchen counter that says, “Fall is a reminder that change can be beautiful.” That got me thinking. Of course, it’s the changing fall leaves that immediately come to mind, but there’s a much deeper message in that sentence. The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, wrote about that very subject in Ecclesiastes chapter 3. It was so profound that the Beatles even recorded a song about it. “There is a time for everything, “ he says, in verse one, “ and a season for every activity under the heavens.” The next seven verses give examples such as “a time to be born and a time to die, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh,  a time to speak and a time to be silent.”  In verse 11 he summarizes, “God has made everything beautiful in its’ time.”  Maybe this scripture was the inspiration for my sign! It seems remarkable to me that an eternal being who is not limited by the constraints of time, recognizes its’ importance in our lives. Even before the Creator breathed life in Adam and Eve, He created the sun, moon and stars – not just to give us light and warmth, but to set up the foundations of time:  day and night, and in most parts of the world, four distinct seasons. It’s not hard to see the value of a period of darkness and a period of light. They coincide perfectly with our need for activity and rest. But the seasons…why did He feel the need for those? Could it be a reassuring pattern that also coincides with our lives? Spring brings to mind new baby lambs and chicks, colorful flowers pushing their way through the dirt and trees that previously looked dead exploding with vibrant blossoms and green leaves. It’s a new beginning, a time of tremendous growth and promise. Not at all unlike the beginnings of human life. Like the newborn lambs, we have so much to learn and we’re dependent on others to provide for us, care for us and help us become mature. It happens a lot faster for lambs, but in the spring of our lives we are full of potential, energy and wonder. As spring melds into summer, the seeds that were just beginning to emerge from the dirt grow tall and lush – this is a time for producing. Little seedlings have become what they were meant to be. It has become clearly visible that the seed is now a stalk of corn or wheat. The blossoms have turned into peaches or cherries that will continue to mature over the course of the summer. For us, adulthood is all about becoming what we were meant to be, finding our place and our purpose and beginning to produce – valuable work, greater skills, relationships and even children. Fall has long been associated with the harvest.  This is the time that the farmer reaps the rewards of the previous two seasons’ planting and nurturing. For us, that means being more sure of ourselves in our work and our personal lives, having a bit more time to savor our achievements and seeing all that we’ve invested in our children begin to show a return. As winter approaches, farmers finish gathering the harvest and settle in for a slower pace – a well deserved rest. It’s calmer and quieter and there’s lots of time for reflection and preparing for the next phase. In the winter of our lives, we set aside our work and instead do the things we choose to do. We enjoy the benefits of the relationships and families we have built, share our wisdom and experience and find ourselves thinking more often about the future. I see the seasons of life within my own family. My youngest child is about to cross from spring to summer.  He’s all grown up and has been serving in the army for the last three years, but when he’s discharged next year, he’ll begin college and figure out what he wants to do with his life. My other three daughters are in their summer: building careers, marriages and establishing themselves in the world. My oldest has recently given us our first grandchild – a sweet little boy who is, like the baby lamb, full of wonder and potential.  That puts me squarely in the midst of fall – harvesting the fruit of previous investments in all of their lives and focusing less on work and more on ministry. I am so fortunate to still have both of my parents.  They are in their 80’s and 90’s, the winter of their lives, and while I do see them slowing down, they are active and engaged with the world around them, daily fighting spiritual battles on their knees. They take great pleasure in seeing our family come full circle – knowing that none of it would exist without their investment and they look forward to eternity with all of us together in God’s presence. The various seasons of the year, and of our lives, can be beautiful.  But they can also be difficult and sometimes seem as if they may last forever. I clearly remember our last winter in Ohio. It absolutely confirmed the wisdom of moving further south. Throughout March and into April, we had a major snowstorm every other Friday, like clockwork. We’d have a day or two when the sun would come out and temperatures might reach 70 degrees, making us think spring had arrived at last. But then our hopes were quickly dashed by yet another snowstorm. By May of that year, our daytime highs had barely broken into the 50’s.  It was the winter that refused to end. Seasons are all about change  which can be beautiful, but it can also be extremely difficult. There are those who become easily bored and change their hairstyle with every appointment or rearrange the furniture every few months or move from city to city looking for the next big adventure. But I haven’t known too many people like that. I think most of us struggle with change – especially when it’s forced upon us. The bible is full of examples. Abraham was called by God to leave his home and relocate to a land no one knew anything about. Esther was pulled out of obscurity to become queen of the land so that she could risk her own life to save the lives of her people. Peter, Andrew, James and John were called from the only way of life they knew as fishermen to follow Jesus and become fishers of men. But when it comes to changes that lead to a very long and trying season of life, there is no one like Joseph. As the first and long-awaited son of the only woman his father ever really loved, Joseph was the favorite of all favorites. He was so favored that while his brothers were out tending the sheep, he was home being measured for a custom coat of many colors. Dad wanted everyone to know that Joseph was something special. Young Joseph was well aware of it and the dreams and visions God gave him only confirmed it. As a teenager, he was eager to share his dreams of his entire family bowing down to him with everyone who would listen, convincing his ten older brothers that his ego needed to be deflated. A very unwelcome change was about to come into Joseph’s life. Some of his brothers hated him so passionately, they plotted to kill him and hide his body in a cistern. Reuben, knowing what his death would do to their father, suggested they simply drop him into a cistern, knowing that he could return to rescue him later. When Reuben was away, a caravan of traders came upon them, and the brothers decided they could rid themselves of Joseph and earn a little extra cash. They sold him as a slave and tore and bloodied his beautiful robe, telling their father he had been eaten by a wild animal.  Joseph went from being the favored son in a wealthy household to being an entry level slave in Egypt. The bible doesn’t tell us how he felt about that, but it’s hard to imagine that he welcomed this change. We do know, however, that in some way, Joseph accepted the change and made the best of his situation. It wasn’t long before his master noticed his work ethic and put him in charge of the entire household. He was still a slave, but his position was now the best he could hope for. Unfortunately, his master wasn’t the only one who took notice of him. The lady of the house found him far more attractive than her husband and tried every method she knew to seduce him. Joseph spurned her advances pointing out that it would be a sin, not just against his master, but against God. Her desire for him soon turned to rage and like his brothers, she looked for a way to take him down. She made one last attempt to seduce him and when he refused, she tore his garment off of him and accused him of rape. As a wealthy Egyptian of high social status, her word was enough to send him to prison. Yet another change that was not to his benefit. Once again, Joseph seemed to accept the change and make the best of his new position as a prisoner. And it wasn’t long before the prison warden recognized what a great guy he was and put him in charge of running the prison. While he was there, two of his fellow prisoners who had served Pharoah had unusual dreams on the same night. Joseph told them that God could show them what the dreams meant. They told him their dreams, he gave them the interpretation that God revealed to him and both were soon released just as Joseph predicted. Joseph had asked them to remember him and do what they could to get him released, but one was soon executed, as Joseph predicted, and the other simply forgot him. Do you see a pattern here? Something terrible happens to Joseph. He accepts it and makes lemonade from the lemons.  Things start looking up for him and then something bad happens. And the cycle repeats.  It seems like Joseph is trapped in a never-ending season of winter destined to repeat the same awful Ground Hog Day over and over.  But he doesn’t stay in that season forever. Eventually Pharoah has some disturbing dreams and he doesn’t trust anyone to interpret them who can’t tell him what the dreams were. When no one in Pharoah’s court can do it, the ex-prisoner finally remembers his promise to Joseph. Joseph is not only able to tell Pharoah what he dreamed and what it meant, but he knows exactly what to do to prepare for the coming famine. Like Joseph’s master and the prison warden, Pharoah recognizes Joseph’s incredible potential and sets him up as ruler of Egypt, subject only to Pharoah himself. Finally!  A change for the better!  Joseph’s seemingly never-ending winter had finally passed! In his new season of life, Joseph’s story comes full circle. The famine he predicted is in full swing and his family back home is about to starve. Dad sends the brothers to Egypt to buy food. They don’t recognize Joseph because he now looks like an Egyptian and they last saw him when he was 17.  He’s 30 now. This could’ve been the ultimate “I told you so,” for Joseph.  The brothers are literally bowing down before him, just as they did in the dreams he had as a teenager. But instead of rubbing their faces in it, Joseph provides for them, invites the whole family to come live in Egypt with him and forgives them, telling them that what they had meant for evil, God had used for good. How many times does God take us through difficult seasons and allow things in our lives that seem evil? But as He did with Joseph, could He be using them for our ultimate good?  And maybe someone else’s too? Change is hard and most of us are hard-wired to resist it. But if we could accept it and make the best of it like Joseph, would we find the truth of what Solomon said?  That He makes all things beautiful in His time. Let’s allow the changing seasons of the year to serve as a reminder of this. And as difficult as change can be, it’s reassuring to know that there is one thing that never changes. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast!  Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders .  All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.  

What does it mean to be righteous in our giving, praying, and fasting? Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:1-18 and Luke 11:1-4. Join Julie Jenkins as we explore God’s Word together. **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. If you are new to our podcast, we have three different offerings for you each week. On Mondays, Kimberly Hobbs hosts Empowering Lives with Purpose, a 30-minute interview with a different woman each week who is walking out her God-given calling. If you need inspiration for your walk, this is the place to go. You know the Bible is full of stories of people just like you and me who had encounters with God. But sometimes, we forget that our God today is the same miracle-working God of the Bible. Listening to the stories of God's faithfulness as we share them with others reminds us how powerfully God is working in today's world. And on Friday’s we have a team of amazing women who host Celebrating God’s Grace, a short, inspirational podcast intended to launch you into your weekend. And today, our Wednesday podcast, we take some time to Walk in the Word together as we open our Bibles and ask God what He wants us to know today. We are currently walking through the Gospels chronologically. And even more precisely, we are walking through the Sermon on the Mount, which is primarily recorded in the book of Matthew. Today's teaching comes from Matthew chapter six verses one through 18. And from Luke chapter 11, verses one through four. Let's pray before we begin, Dear most holy and loving God, we thank you for who you are. And for meeting us today where we are. God when these words that we are studying today were penned so many years ago, you knew that we would be studying them today. That thought just blows my mind. Thank you for bringing us this passage today and for guiding us through it and for teaching us what it is that you want us to know. We give You all the praise and glory as we learn together from you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. Today's passage is grouped into three parts which can all be centered on the theme, being righteous before God. Jesus teaches His disciples and us to be righteous and giving in prayer and in fasting. Now the simple definition of righteousness is being right with God. This can be difficult to do when we want to look good to others. With the popularity of social media, this teaching may be even more relevant today than it was in Jesus’ day. We are pretty good at judging the Pharisees. They were rigid law-followers who operated based on show rather than on seeking the heart of God. But don't we fall into that trap as well? It's oh so tempting to want to look right to wear the right clothes at all costs. And even to have children who accelerate in sports, advanced classes or are even known in the church. It's tempting to want to showcase our power by the cars we drive, the neighborhoods we live in and yes, the posts we put up on social media for all the world to see. Jesus’ teaching today is meant to remind us to put our relationship with God above our status with others. Jesus wants us to live righteously, not to live as hypocrites. Today, we learn that he wants us to share what we have, not just broadcast how much we donate.  He wants us to spend time with Him, not just belong to the most prestigious church. And He wants us to feel his presence, not put our own sacrifice on display for all to see. Well, let's begin by reading Matthew chapter six verses one through four from the New Living Translation. This is Jesus talking, he says, Watch out. Don't do your good deeds publicly to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do, blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity, I tell you the truth they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father who sees everything will reward you. Now, in this teaching, Jesus is not instructing us to give or not to give, He presupposes that the disciples understood that generosity is the key ingredient in the life of the Jew, and for us today, the Christian life. Instead, this teaching is meant to remind us that as we do those things we are called to do, we must be certain to be God-centered, and not self-centered. One theologian says that we shouldn't follow Jesus’ teachings to make ourselves look good, but to make God look good. Have you ever been the answer to someone's prayer? I hope that I have been the answer to someone's prayer. But I can more easily recall when others were the answer to my prayers. Just recently, I was tired. We've been very busy here, Women World Leaders. And sometimes the week gets long and my energy gets drained. Although I don't question what I'm doing, because I know that God has called me I do get tired. And recently, I've had to rely on God a little more, to do all that He has called me to do. But as I pray for his strength and wisdom and power he continually delivers. Recently, in response to that prayer for strength and wisdom and power, God delivered flowers right to my house, to encourage me to keep going. I love flowers. And I cannot tell you how much of a God-wink that bouquet was. It sat on my desk as I worked at my computer. And each time I looked at it, I was reminded that God was pleased with my sacrifice to Him. Now, you and I both know that God did not call the florist and order those flowers. But He did ask someone else to, and she listened. And if we asked her, I bet she'd say that God provided her the funds. She was obedient. I got the blessing. And most importantly, God got the glory. When we are called to give, to share, to donate or to bless someone, it really isn't about us. It's about God. God knows what each person needs, and He will always provide and He often provides through us. Wow, what a privilege we have to give him God's name and to point the glory to Him. Jesus is teaching us that it isn't about what you give, leave that up to God and just respond in obedience. It's all His anyway. No, it isn't about what you give. It's about how you give. Be careful to never take God's glory. Jesus moves on to his teaching about prayer in verse five. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth. That is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father who sees everything will reward you. Prayer is about going to God and spending time with Him. Again, Jesus isn't teaching us to not pray in public, there are certainly times when that is warranted. But He is saying when you pray, your sole focus should be on God. Don't pray to teach someone, or to showcase that you are religious, or to make your problems known to the world. Don't pray as a form of gossip. Our sole purpose in prayer should be to connect with God. Jesus gives some practical tips on prayer beginning in verse seven. When you pray, Don't babble on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need, even before you ask him. Wow, God doesn't care that we use specific words. He wants to hear our heart. I've heard it said that prayer changes the pray-er even more than the situation. Our prayers are about bringing us into God's presence and allowing him into our hearts to do what he will. Well then Jesus shared what many of us know as the Lord's Prayer. Luke records that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray as John the Baptist taught his followers. That is a prayer in and of itself and one that I pray often, God I don't even know what to pray here, guide me. Do you know what? He always will? Jesus taught beginning in Matthew six, nine, Pray like this. Our Father in heaven, May your name be kept holy. May Your kingdom come soon, may or will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need and forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one. Jesus teaches that our prayer should first and foremost be filled with praise to God. Our God is personal. But He's majestic. So the prayer starts out Our father, Abba translated best as Daddy, our Father in heaven, he's reigning in heaven, He's holy. We should always put God first in our prayers praising him for who he is. Think of a love letter. You would never never start off saying, I need this from you, please now. No, you would tell your love what you appreciate about him, how he lights up the room when he walks in, and how much he has changed your life. Our God loves each of us more than any person ever will. And if we really understood that, our prayers would be saturated with our thanks and praise for him. Next, we meet God in agreement. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Above all, we want what you want, God. And yes, then we get to ask God for our personal needs as our provider, for his forgiveness as our Savior, and for his protection as our deliverer. Jesus continues the thought that God wants our hearts saying, beginning in verse 14, If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, Your Father will not forgive your sins. What He's saying is when we truly recognize the magnitude of forgiveness that God offers through his son Jesus, we will be empowered to grow in forgiveness toward others. Next, Jesus turns to fasting. Fasting was required by the Jews one day a year on the Day of Atonement. But fasting became a more frequent thing as individuals strive to hold on to God in the midst of dire circumstances, when they were taken from their home to a godless culture during the Babylonian exile. But in Jesus’ day, the Pharisees had taken what was meant as a strong reminder of God's provision and protection and turned it into a show, hypocritically turning the spotlight on themselves and their own sacrifice, rather than on the goodness and provision of God, as they publicly fasted two days a week. Jesus points the disciples back to God's intended blessing of the fast-verse 16. And when you fast, don't make it obvious as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled, so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast comb your hair and wash your face, that no one will notice you're fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything,  will reward you. Giving, praying and fasting are all blessings that God gives us for the purpose of bringing us closer to Him. God wants us to be so sold out to Him, that these three acts of Christianity are as essential to our souls as breathing is to our flesh. When we humbly submit in obedience to follow his call, our reward is great. We get to hang out with God, and we get the greatest job ever—shining the spotlight on Him. Let's pray. Dear most Gracious Father, it is such an honor to serve you and to know you. God led everything we do today be simply to honor you and shine the light on who you are. We thank you for guiding us into sacrificial giving, one on one prayer and fasting meant to bring us into greater communion with you. We give you this day and ask that you keep reminding each one of us of this teaching as we walk through today, that we may accomplish your will. In Your name I pray, Amen.  

"Even when I walk through the darkest valley,  I will not be afraid." (Psalm 23:4 NLT) Today's guest, Amanda Jackman, walked through one of the darkest valleys of a lifetime that anyone can face.    God's presence as she walked in the moments of death, fear, and fighting for life is why Amanda is now able to testify of victory in such a way that encourages others.   *******   Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. And I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs. I'm the founder of Women world leaders. Ladies, we are happy that you have joined with us today. And I would love to welcome our guests who is also joined with us. Amanda Jackman, from Michigan. Welcome, Amanda. Amanda Jackman   Hello, ladies. And Kimberly, thank you so much for having me. Kimberly Hobbs   I'm so happy that you decided to join with us today. And we're just excited with the content of today's podcast is going to be intense. But we pray that you feel God's presence in this podcast because that was one of the words that we prayed over today was presence, not not the presence that you're getting as a gift at Christmas, but the presence of our Lord. And Amanda's story is quite remarkable. And she has so willingly come on to share this miraculous story with you in hopes that it's going to help encourage you to add the words as they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb. And by the word of their testimony. That's revelation 1211. And home My goodness, by sharing the story in what God has done in Amanda's life through her story is a powerful God has worked exceedingly abundantly beyond I think what she has even ever imagined. So we are excited to share that with you ladies. And our hope and purpose is that through sharing these stories, that it helps you to overcome the enemy when you know other people are going through similar situations, trials, tragedies, that they need to overcome that you can relate that to your own life. And just understand that God never leaves us or forsakes us and He gives us each other so that we can encourage each other and empower each other to run after him during some of these times in our life that we just shouldn't be going through alone. So before I start into interviewing Amanda, I just want to tell you a little bit about this precious woman of God. She is a lifetime resident of a small town in MLA City, Michigan. Her and her husband have four children. And she is a proud mom of these four children. She is a paralegal and enjoys reading and writing. And today we're going to talk about God's presence, God's presence that he gave to Amanda at a time when she needed him the most. One of Amanda's favorite scriptures is Psalm 23. And that is even though it's Psalm 23, four, even though I walk through the darkest valleys, I will not be afraid of evil. You are always with me, your rod and staff, they comfort me. The scriptures means so much to you, Amanda and it is a reminder of God's presence when you needed him most. So today, I'm just going to ask if you can begin by sharing the tragedy that came upon you, yourself and the darkest valley of your life. Amanda Jackman   Well, thank you again, so much for allowing me to share. It was Labor Day weekend, this past Labor Day. So September 5 2021. We were at a family get together at my father in law's there were 10 children, including my four. And there were 11 adults. So there was a ton of people there. We had people inside the house outside the house. We had gone swimming, and then we stopped swimming. We ate dinner and had dessert together. And it was a really special day with our family. And I was inside with my my youngest, my baby and I was talking with my two sister in laws. And God told me to find Walter, my son. He said, Where's Walter? And I stood up mid conversation. And I walked outside and I looked at my husband I said babe, where's Walter? He's like, he's not in there with you. And I said, No, where is he? My my My Sorry, there was a scream. And everybody knew what that scream meant. My father in law's house has a pool. And so my son was at the bottom of the pool. My husband immediately dove in, pulled him out. And he, he was not there, and I will spare details. But he wasn't, he was no longer living at that point. Um, so my husband passed him off to Cindy. And she played them on the deck, and my brother and sister in law started CPR. And I'm CPR certified. But that was my baby. And I just stood there screaming, my husband said, You need to leave, walk away, please, please walk away. Don't, don't watch, just go. So I went to the end of the driveway, and I cried out and I prayed, I said, God, you can't do this. That's my baby like you, you don't get to take him from me. And I pray to the boldest prayer that I've ever prayed. And I said, Lord, You are bringing him back to me, you are restoring him fully, he will have no brain damage. And you're going to perform this miracle for us. And I'm going to tell the world about it, I'm going to get people to pray for him that have never prayed in their life, I'm going to get people to pray for him down on their knees, who haven't prayed in months or years. And I'm going to do that because you're bringing him back. And so it was it was totally unlike anything. I'm, I've been a Christian for many years. But this was very outside of the box, and very bold. And so the officer arrived, the paramedics arrived, and we loaded them up. My brother and sister in law had him breathing before the ambulance arrived, which was huge in his recovery. But then we were in the ambulance. And the paramedic, I asked him if there was anything I could do. And he said, No, Your presence is enough for your son. And I told them, I need to petition prayer, I need to call upon the people in my life who are going to pray fervently for my baby. And so that's that's what I did. I took a moment and I started texting people. And I said, I need you. This is what happened. And I I let go of the shame of the accident. And I just begged for prayer from people I knew were incredible Christ followers. Kimberly Hobbs   AMEN At that moment, and you said that you'd let go of the shame at that moment, which I think if you can just share with the listeners right away, because, again, you think about it, think about it. She's the mom, of course. So people are going to be like, Why weren't you watching your chick, your child? Why weren't you this way? You know, and there is shame involved. People might say What do you mean shame? Why did you have to let go of shame start telling people but can you describe that a little bit? Amanda Jackman   Yeah, absolutely. The the enemy likes to work against you. And I think he works the hardest with shame and guilt. And in the moment, he could tell me that I was a bad mom. And he could tell me Oh, my husband or Oh my family. And the reality of the situation is it was a tragic accident. There were a ton of people there. And when everybody's watching the pool, nobody's watching the pool. And it was just it was a lot of commotion. My son is a curious was a curious two year old and he he snuck over that side, he snuck over the side into the pool. I mean, it was not like the gate was open, it was very end even if it were it was an accident, there was no intention and and everybody experiences different trials and struggles and that was that was hard to to be the parent of a tragic accident like this that you feel like could have been prevented. And we you know, we it's not like we were negligent in the situation. We were all there and we were all very present but we all have lapses where we can't fully commit 100% of our time. We all have lapses and some kids right on the wall and and mine snuck into the pool. Kimberly Hobbs   Right? And that battle started right away with you Amanda because the enemy is telling you bad mom bad mom and you're hearing that but you're like, I need help. I need prayer I need people to and so you pushed through those voices in your head when you just described that shame and guilt and praise God you did because there's power in prayer there is power when people come in numbers and pray together. So remember that do not isolate the enemy wants to keep us isolated and alone when tragedy hits. And so he can poison our minds with lies in their lives from the pit of hell. So all my good so you push through and that ambulance and thank God you did Amanda and also some other things happened in that ambulance and on the way to the hospital and things that started showing you that God was there. His presence was with you. And I know you shared with me that the paramedic you know, you had gone to school with her. And she was comforting to you. She was putting her arms around you at a time when there was nobody else there to comfort you. God was showing you comfort in that moment. And ladies listening, when things are happening around us, we have to look for God in every situation. So Amanda has comfort she had comfort in the ER when she got to the hospital and I know the first hospital you went to, they intubated Walter there. And then they couldn't help him any further and they had to move him to another hospital or another transport. And more people were showing up that God put in your path that knew you that were substantial people in your life that all of a sudden they're they're helping you. And when your husband was Iraq and he was falling apart, you had some confidence because God wish had shown up there. So let's talk about right now, how you had that confidence. But then all of a sudden, something switched. You told me about that. Can you talk about those two weeks in the hospital? Amanda Jackman   Yes. So when we when we arrived to the hospital, actually, it was COVID. So you're only allowed mom and dad. And they actually made an exception and allowed our children's pastor who met us at the hospital because of praying and seeking out that. And he was able to lay his hands on Walter and he was able to pray for him when he was first intubated there, which was huge and so special. And it was a struggle at first the first 24 hours and they husband, he was a mess until they did an EEG I want to say is an EEG, and they determined he did not have any rain damage. And so my husband, okay, and because he felt he felt this huge burden of guilt because he was the one outside with Walter. And that released the guilt from him. And, and so we, we knew we were going to be there for a little while that he was going to be intubated. So he's sedated, fully sedated, there was nurse 24 hours in the room with him. So if we left it was okay. So I actually stopped home, to grab some fresh clothes, because we knew it was going to be a while and to say hi to my other children to let them know things were okay. And I just grabbed my mail, and I grabbed clothes, and I stopped up at the hospital. And we already had blessings pouring on us like gift cards for food, all of that just so I just brought everything with me to the hospital. And I sat down in the room, and I had my voice of Truth magazine. And my dear friend Jessica, she writes a column. She's actually the reason why I have the magazine. And so every day, I honor her every time I get the magazine, I honor her by opening up, and I look in the table of contents. And I find where she's at. And I read her first, because she's the reason that I have this magazine. So I honor her in that way. Kimberly Hobbs   And her her column is titled A Beautiful Mess in Voice of Truth in case anybody is wondering. Yeah, go ahead. Amanda Jackman   So Jessica's columns, she was her article, she was on the right side of the page. And when you look, we've trained our brains to read left to right. So I looked over to the left page, and there was this incredible drawing of a mama bear with her two cubs on her back. And it was titled carried. And underneath there was the verse that I had been leaning into for four days at that point, Isaiah 43 Two, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. And that's not your everyday Bible verse. It's a very specific verse. And I had been praying that when I was in the end of the driveway, I knew it and my heart was praying it like God, you are with him. He wasn't alone in the water. You were with him. And you're gonna be with us now you're going to be with us through this trial. And there was this picture it right there on the other side of justice column and it was like, Okay, God, I see you. I see you, I feel you're here. You're here with us. And it was cached. It was just such a special moment. And one other really, really powerful moment that we had we had gone outside for the first time. And it was beautiful. It was September it was beautiful day we stand on a picnic table. and all of our pastors were on a retreat together. And they all took turns praying over our son and an over us. And my dear friend, Pastor Steve, he is very into looking up the meaning of words. And Walter means commander of the army. And so he said, we're going to wave this as a banner over Walters life. And I believe that in that moment, I was so full of hope, and understanding that my little two year old boy, he was going to come in armies for Jesus through this. And that if if a baby can flood the gates of heaven, what a remarkable way to use this tragedy. And any dead we had people telling us that they hadn't prayed in months, they showed up and said, we've been on our knees praying and, and, and how special that this little boy in this tragic story could could touch somebody in that way. Kimberly Hobbs   Wow, that's so beautiful. That's so beautiful. And the beauty too, is the confirmations that God was giving you in that hospital stay through different ways. And he again was showing his presence, Amanda to you. And, again, ladies, as you listen to what Amanda was just sharing in your may be going through something, it's again, look for God's presence and how he's showing up in your trial and tragedy. And he's always going to let you know in little whispers that he's the hair. And this gave, like Amanda said, the confidence to her heart, she knew there was no coincidence that that scripture and voice of truth was firmly planted there by the Lord Himself. For that moment that Amanda was going to pick it up from the mail, gather her mail, go to the hospital and sit down and read it. He already knew that he already had it planned. And he already has something planned for you, ladies, whatever you're going through that is going to be significant enough to get your attention and let you know that he is there, he will always let us know because he never leaves us or forsakes. Us. So Amanda, we know, you know that God works miracles, Walter is going to Command armies God has told you that he has shown you that. And he has a quip us to know the ways that he moves. And you as a mom are going to be watching this. I know for sure and encouraging him in that way. God works miracles, and we read about so many miracles throughout his word. But do you ladies do you really believe that God wants to work a miracle for you? I know, the Bible tells us God is the same yesterday, today and forever. And Amanda, God started showing you that He is God, and He is important in your life. So please take this time and just pour into how the different ways that he showed the importance of himself his presence in your life? Amanda Jackman   Yeah, I think that one of the most important things is that we restore our minds daily. Even if you don't memorize scripture, if you don't sit down and you go word by word, you still have it in your heart. And sitting in a hospital with my husband. And my two year old boy, I knew enough scripture in my heart to combat anything that the enemy came against me with. You know, that verse in Isaiah that I shared with you. The enemy tried to tell me that, that nobody was there with my son in the water, that he was all alone and that he was waiting for me and that is a lie. Because in Isaiah 43 To the Lord says, When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. So my son had had Jesus's arms wrapped around him, and what better place for him to be? What better place for him to be right. And the Lord, he shows us in so many different scriptures, his presence, you know, Isaiah 53, by his stripes we are healed. That was one that I leaned into also that that the Lord has the capacity to heal us of anything that we just have to have the power to believe that he can you know cast your worries onto him first Peter five seven, Joshua one nine The Lord is with you wherever you go in that I think the first part of that versus the be strong courageous that everybody talks about. But the second part, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. If you're in the waters if you're in The valley if you're in the hospital, God didn't leave you. He's right there. The Lord is near to those who call on him Psalm 145 18, Psalm 3480, and the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, Psalm 23:4 Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Keep going, girl, this is beautiful! All this scripture. Amanda Jackman   It's all throughout Scripture, I don't know if there's a book you could open in the Bible that doesn't have God is with you. And his presence, he is for you. He, he will use anything that you go through for good, what the enemy meant for evil, he'll use it for good. And, and I just am blown away with his presence through every area of, of the tragedy that we had occur. And even afterwards, the the remarkable things that he's done in our son's lives and in our lives. Gosh, he still answers prayer, we just have to be bold enough to ask him, we just have to be bold enough to petition the throne, and just say, God, this is, this is your will. And I'm going to believe that it's your will. And even if it's not, you're still good. You know, I I remember sitting in the hospital saying, Lord, even if he doesn't come back, you're still good. Lord, even if he comes back and he has brain damage, you are still good, because he'd still be here. Who cares, you know? And then even if he restored and fully, he's still great. It didn't matter, the way that he worked in the situation for us, because we knew ultimately that he would it would be used for good. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Yeah. Beautiful. Oh, my gosh. And I just have to ask you, Amanda, you probably weren't knowing I was gonna say this. But just this morning, Amanda was texting back and forth with me and we were praying for each other and it was just so exciting what God was just filling with her but she had a huge prayer, prayer, praise report to share with me that blew me out of the water and brought me to tears. And I sat there reading it like God, you are so good. Even now even as we're preparing this podcast, you are showing your presence there with Amanda and as she steps out and obedience God you did this Amanda shear please with the ladies what he did just today. Amanda Jackman   So Walter, my son has been speech delayed for probably eight months prior to the accident was when we first started getting him help. COVID everybody wearing masks, it was hard for him to read lips. It was just a lot. He really struggled with developing speech. And so we've been trying, I've been trying, I should say, I've been trying to get him to say I love you. And I have been trying for a year and a half, maybe a year and three quarters of a year. Pretty much since we started giving him help. I've been going I love you every day, trying to get him to say it and he will not say it and he'll say sing Baa Baa Black Sheep, but he won't say I love you. And then this morning, I got out of the shower. And he looked at me and he said I love you. I love you. And I just stared at him. Like, did you just say that? Oh, yeah. It was amazing. Kimberly Hobbs   When you cried happy tears that you had said, you know, you said, God, if he ever tells me I love you, it will be the happiest day of my life. And so ladies, we get to share in this with Amanda today because God again. She kept saying God, I'm gonna serve you God, I'm gonna trust you, God, I'm gonna push through. And sometimes we know ladies, it's hard to serve the Lord. And they're, you know, it takes time to and then Amanda when I asked her would you be willing to do a podcast interview because she right away? She said she would write and voice of truth and share her testimony. That was like, right away. Yes. But so how would you feel about sharing a podcast about this? And she said, Yes, right away. And so again, an act of obedience. Until there's no coincidence today is Amanda stepped out in faith to share on this podcast with you today. She's never done a podcast before and it's like wow, you know, like she said, Yes, God, I'll do whatever you call me to do. And I just think that God is showing he's working. Look at the power of God at work. How long have you waited for your child to say I love you those three words that would be so easy to me. Buddy else right? But God waited for just the right time. Just the right time. That's so beautiful. Are you okay, Hon? Amanda Jackman   Yeah, I didn't I didn't prepare for you to say. So you're right. Kimberly Hobbs   Oh no, I know. And then when we rejoice with you, we So rejoice with you and how precious is that. And again, ladies, God knows what you're going through, look to Him in every situation, he's going to walk you through it, he's going to be right there with you. And he's giving you blessings along the way, as you honor him, and you are obedient to Him through life's challenges, because they're not easy. They're not easy. So in close, Amanda, you shared with me, a favorite scripture that God gave you, which is James 112, that says, Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. And wow, you persevered, honey, even when people were saying you were doing this wrong, or doing that wrong through walking through it, you persevered, and you looked to God for your guidance in what he told you to do. And so now God is using you, Amanda, to speak life and love into others. His presence is ever encompassing us constantly surrounding us, he surrounded you and your family. So please, right now, there's the woman listening, that is struggling, oh, my goodness. And she is going through trial and tragedy right now. And it may be somebody listening to this podcast knows of somebody struggling and in need to just know God's presence is with them. And we pray that you'll share these podcasts ladies, Amanda, can you speak a word of hope to that person? Amanda Jackman   I, I fully felt even on my heart this morning, that God allows suffering, to radically change our lives for him. That to realize that the comfortable Christianity, that we can't do it without him, we get comfortable, and we, you know, we make moves for our lives, but we really can't do it without him. I think we get comfortable and complacent in that. And, and wow, the valley is the place for you to reach up. And to allow for the most intimate moments for you to petition our Lord, for blessing for requests. In these moments, where you're in the valley, the world slows. And sometimes it stops for us. We were in a hospital for two weeks away from our other three wild children. And it stopped for us so we could just be in prayer with the Lord and petition him and feel the closeness in the presence of him. And I just hope to encourage you that if you just pause in the valley, and in your struggle to just reach up and to just pray and to just pray, the Lord's will be done in your life and and the valley is there for a reason. Even though we don't see it. We know he's working. Even though sometimes we don't feel it. We know that he's working and he's working on things for His glory and for His goodness. Kimberly Hobbs   Oh, that is such a good word, sweetheart, such a good word. And I have another scripture and I I just love sharing Scripture. God says ladies call on me when you are in trouble and I will rescue you. And you will give me glory. Psalm 50 Verse five, and wow, Amanda, God rescued you when you were in trouble. And he let you know his presence was ever surrounding you. And you are now giving him glory. And Walter's giving him glory, through his life through how you're raising your children, you and your husband. There's been so much learning through this time. And ladies, our prayers that you will just turn to God's word. It's filled filled with promises for you. There's over 3000 promises in His Word, His Word is truth and you can count on His Word and if he led you to a scripture in His Word, you better be sure that his promises are true. And that you can hold on to that. Okay, so we just encourage you go back to his word and we are just so grateful that you tuned in today and Amanda, I just want to thank you for sharing and encouraging Seeing the listener and thank you for just again, the story that you have been so willing to process and put together. And now I know that God is putting other things on your heart to do, such as writing, and, oh, we're just gonna keep praying that through that God continues to use your life, your testimony of him in your life, to help pour into others. And ladies, we pray that for you to God is working in you, giving you the desire. Do you understand that? That's a scripture verse, ladies, he's working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. That's Philippians 213. So ladies, that's exactly what we do here. We want to encourage you, that we will come alongside of you, to help you to help you help others in the name of Jesus. And that's what we are called to do. All right, we need to show love, we need to show encouragement to one another. We need to come together as women running after Jesus's heart. So if you feel glad we asked you and invite you into women or leaders into this ministry, to be a deeper part of it, and use your gifting where God has placed you. God's using Amanda right where she is in Michigan. He is using other of our leaders in different parts of the world in different countries. But we're all coming together in the name of Jesus in a ministry that we're able to help others. So ladies, one of the ways we do that, and as Amanda and this is how I met her was because she opened the page as a voice of truth. And there is a beautiful, beautiful amount of encouragement for you in this magazine that contains scriptures that contains so much in the way that you can get this you can read it if you're outside of the United States, you can read it digitally for free. And you can go to www dot women world leaders.com. And if you are inside the United States, you can get the beautiful printed version for free mailed to your home to sign up on our website for that. And ladies, we also have other tools of writing. We have books available. And one of the books I thought that might be helpful to you would that women are sharing their stories this one is courageous steps of faith with God, all things are possible. Ladies, take that step of faith read some of these other stories of women that stepped out of their uncomfortable zone. And they stepped into being bold and faithful. Just like Amanda's spoke and prayed those bold prayers. Ladies, we encourage you to do so too. And here's a tool, courageous steps of faith. It's available on Amazon but we would prefer you get it through our women world leaders website as well. So many tools available for you here. So in close again, thank you Amanda for being our guest today. Thank you ladies for joining us. You're welcome on and we hope you come back again. So remember to register Lord ladies up on women moral leaders for our events. So check our website out for daily devotions. And all content today is copyrighted and cannot be used without express written consent. So we say goodbye to each of you. God bless you and have a wonderful week. Bye everybody.

Things that happen in life can cause us to be overwhelmed in our race of faith. Obtain freedom from the issues of your heart, receiving God's power to strengthen you to run your race of faith with grace!     Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, A Women World Leader’s Podcast, I’m your host Robin Kirby- Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God’s grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. Today’s Title: God’s Grace for the Race! 1 “Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, 2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 AMPC While working out at the gym this morning, I noticed my husband’s company shirt, from the Breast Cancer Awareness walk we participated in spring of 2011. In front of the word “race,” was the breast cancer awareness pink ribbon, and I couldn’t help but see the word GRACE. The Lord spoke to my heart that when we have God, which is big “G,” in our race, we have GRACE! Recently, the Holy Spirit has brought much to light during the Feast of Tabernacles, known as Sukkot, which ends October 6th. Presently, while writing my podcast it is October 3rd. On October 2nd, God went deep into my heart with His Word of Truth, operating on it as in Hebrews 4:12, dividing between soul and spirit, revealing my intentions and motives. “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 AMPC Sometimes, we don’t know what we don’t know. Things are hidden deep within the subconscious, which I’m familiar with, having been a psychotherapist with the seriously mentally ill, and now doing health and wellness coaching for many years, which includes the psyche. It wasn’t until the time of these fall feasts that things “came to a head,” where the Holy Spirit revealed things hidden in my heart. I had gotten cluttered with thoughts of others and what they were saying about me, as well as the stress of my hormonal changes and getting balance with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), and in addition, a close loved one, who received a serious debilitating diagnosis earlier this year, that we’ve kept quiet. We are believing for full healing and are certain we’ve been given wisdom from God, for the path of my loved one’s healing. All these issues in life became the issues of my heart, crammed to the rim of my soul. However, this is the thing; I had no clue that anything had been within my heart, causing me to be stifled, so to speak. My husband says I’m the most forgiving person he knows, in our 22 years of marriage. He’s seen the personal hurts in my life, as well as known where I’ve been merciful and forgiving with him, especially in our early years of marriage. That’s why he’s so loyal to me. I would consider myself a seasoned saint, having ministered under the unction of the Holy Spirit as in Galatians 1:1, where I’ve not been sent by a church or a man, like the apostle Paul states, but I’ve been sent by God. I never wanted to be a minister and always saw myself as a high-powered attorney, with my Ann Taylor suits and shoes, going into court arguing my client’s case. I have a bachelor’s and master’s in social work, and a Juris Doctorate. It was in the first year of law school on Resurrection Day 2002, where Holy Spirit delivered me from alcoholism, the residue of me medicating my soul, while being a single mother, that blended over into the first year of our marriage. Shortly after that, Holy Spirit delivered me from rage, which by the way, I never knew I had, but God did. In the midst of the supernatural encounters with God in 2002, and Him bringing freedom and deliverance by the Spirit of the Lord, I was called to train and prepare for ministry. Initially, I wanted it, but then like Moses, I learned that it wasn’t till you didn’t want to do a thing, that you get to do it. God had to sift “Robin,” out of the way, so that all that could be seen was Christ. He then put me on the Isaiah 35:8 Highway of Holiness, redeemed the time in my life, and had me studying the word four hours a day, and praying an hour a day. I knew it to be Mach 1 into the call of God. Now many years later, after being in full-time ministry since February 24, 2011, where God has superabundantly supplied for all of our needs, as I left an incredible job making double the amount of my husband at the time. Even now, God humbles me, revealing my weakness, allowing the sifting of the satan, who has been given permission as with the prophet Job, and Peter in Luke 22:31-33. The whole purpose of the sifting is to get us out of the way, where we’ve become accustomed to running our own race without God, unaware we’ve allowed little mole hill to build up into mountain and hinder us. The way God has built me in my Christian faith, is to remain humble and transparent. Therefore, this week He had me publicly repenting to my Facebook and YouTube followers, of how unknowingly I’ve allowed things to become the issues of my heart, between other people’s discussions of me, my hormone imbalance, and my loved one’s illness. It was then, as in James 5:16, where I confessed my sins, that what had been hindering me from the issues of Robin trying to run her race, I was SET FREE! I was able with grace to turn to the people that I need to, and have conversations that were necessary, for me to become a better saint, being set apart for God, as well as bringing things to light, for peace to dwell in our midst. I had to take a hard look at my behaviors and heart, seeing the sifting within, to know that the purpose would not only be for making me better, but to strengthen the brethren. God began to show me, areas in which I was seeing others through my own hurt and hadn’t let go. Thank God; as much as we forgive others, is the degree that we’re forgiven. (Matthew 6:14) This is the thing; I didn’t know I had issues in my heart. I was so distracted and overcome with all that was going on in my life, that I didn’t realize a little at a time over the span of 4 months, I had ended in a place where the intents and motives of my heart were areas of woundedness, that left me running my race of faith by myself. Once I repented, and all was laid bare before God, He breathed into my weary soul, and lifted me up to His throne of Grace, to obtain mercy for my need! (Hebrews 4:16) The interesting thing is that yesterday when all of this happened, I had to go to a doctor appointment and get my estrogen bumped up, and on the way, I saw a personalized tag PRAY4US. God always talks to me through personalized car tags, and it is timely. Later, on my way back home from picking Rich up from work, I then saw the personalized tag ADVOCAT for advocate. I couldn’t help but think of How Jesus our Advocate and High Priest prays for us. “My little children, I write you these things so that you may not violate God’s law and sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father—[it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action].” 1 John 2:1 AMPC This blessed me so much, as the Father reminded me how Jesus has been praying for me and advocating for me, while I had been going through all the issues of life. He knew that I would be at this place in 2023, and His prayers effectively, got Robin out of her race and into God’s race, conforming me to God’s purpose in my thoughts and actions. He changed my stinking thinking and freed me of the issues of life that had weighed me down. We’re never above the place of needing God’s chastisement, on His beautiful Hebrews 4:12 surgical table where He does heart surgery. Our vulnerability proclaiming our infirmities, is the place where God is strong. Paul knew this well, as he proclaimed, if he were to boast about anything regarding himself, it would be his weaknesses. In our weakness, God is strong! (2 Corinthians 12:9) Paul knew that the secret to running the race of faith, was to cry out to God, where His grace would always be sufficient! Most people, when they think about Paul, consider him a super saint. However, in 1 Timothy 1:15, he proclaims himself, chief sinner. I love his monologue in 2 Corinthians 11, right before he cries out to God to remove the thorn, which was a messenger of satan, sent to buffet his flesh. He’s telling the church of Corinth like it is, as they put up with all the super false apostles, whom they give offerings to willingly, while he must work in a trade, while he is preaching there and get support from Macedonia. Paul is real. He’s sharing the issues of his own heart and displaying them in a vulnerable state publicly in front of the church. How many of you right now, would stand before the church and humble yourselves, if need be and confess your sin of unforgiveness or pride. We never want to think that is us. With the past revivals I have read about, one especially, the revival of Timor, in the book “Like a Mighty Wind,” by Mel Tari, people were real when the glory of God showed up. When the glory of God came upon the church in Timor like the book of Acts, they saw signs and wonders of the Kingdom of Heaven! Healings took place, souls were saved, and people were set free from all oppression, glory to God! And one of the leading trademarks, as with the revival in Shantung, China beginning in 1927, was that people confessed their sins publicly in church and got rid of all the issues of life that had hindered them. Where is it that you’re running your own race, and you need to step back, confess what’s on your heart, and get in God’s race, where you experience His Holy Grace. Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

God calls us to reflect His perfection. What does that mean and how can we possibly be perfect? Let’s learn together as we walk through Matthew 5:33-48 and Luke 6:27-36 on today’s episode of Walking in the Word. **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leader’s podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. And I'm so glad you've joined us. We at Women World Leaders seek to empower you to walk in your God-given purpose. We do this by listening to and obediently following God's call to action. We are thrilled that you're listening to our podcasts and pray that they are helping you grow in Christ. If you are seeking more, I invite you to visit our website, womenworldleaders.com, and discover all the amazing things that God is doing. There you can access our quarterly magazine – Voice of Truth – which you can read digitally for free or receive your own physical copy by becoming a monthly donor to the ministry. We also offer opportunities to write your story in one of our books, to share the gospel to those around you by using our Love Cards, and gather with us for monthly Zoom leadership connects and prayer calls. You are also invited to join our Facebook group, where we post daily devotions and inspirational messages from women around the globe. On this our Wednesday edition of the women world leaders podcast we have the opportunity to delve into God's Word. We are currently walking through the Gospels chronologically and trusting that God will illuminate his words for us as He guides us. This week, we continue to enjoy Jesus' teaching to His disciples, known as the Sermon on the Mount, as primarily written about in the Gospel of Matthew. Our scripture, today is Matthew five, verses 33 through 48, and Luke chapter six, verses 27 through 36. And it includes Jesus teaching to us to reflect the perfection of God. Allow me to pray before we begin… Dear most holy God. Today, we are reminded of your perfection, which is so impossible for us to grasp with our feeble minds. And yet we read that you call us to be perfect. God, we confess to you that we don't even completely understand perfection. So we fall before you and ask you to teach us, guide us, and open our hearts to understand what you want us to know today. Thank you for meeting us where we are and loving us purely and completely. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Well, let's begin at the end of our Scripture teaching for today. Matthew five verse 48. From the New Living Translation, it quotes Jesus words, But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. I begin here because this is the subject sentence, the climax of Jesus teaching to his disciples and to us. Everything Jesus says before, leads up to this one sentence. God our Father is perfect. He is holy, sinless, He does no wrong. Everything he does is praiseworthy, and as his children made in His image, we are to emulate and reflect that quality of perfection. We are made to be perfect as our Father is perfect. And that can only be accomplished by our ongoing willingness to submit to His will and to allow his power to work within us. To do this. We must put ourselves aside and trust God. And we must learn, continually learn, what it means to be perfect.   I'm assuming that you are listening today because you are seeking to follow God's will. If you are, here is his call to you. Be perfect. Simple, right? Simple, but not easy. Let's back up to Matthew 5:33, to begin to see what God's perfection looks like. Jesus teaches. You have also heard that our ancestors were told you must not break your vows. You must carry the vows you make to the Lord. This original law comes from Numbers 30 Verse 2 which says, A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it, he must do exactly what he said he would do. The word translated as a vow here is nadair, meaning a promise to God. The Bible tells us that when we vow to God, when we promise or commit to him, perfection requires that we fulfill that vow. But the Pharisees complicated this, they made loopholes in this biblical teaching. When making an oath that they were not serious about keeping, instead of sealing it with the Lord's name, they sealed it with something else, swearing by heaven, or Jerusalem, or even the Earth. None of those things were binding by God's teaching. But they sounded pretty good. They in essence, were making people read the fine print of their vow. I can remember as a kid on the playground learning that if I crossed my fingers behind my back, I could lie. And it wouldn't count as a lie. I have no idea where that came from. But I'm guessing the Pharisees might have approved of my playground law. Jesus, however, is pretty straightforward, and He is not at all about loopholes. So He continues in verse 34. But I say, do not make any vows do not say by heaven, because heaven is God's throne. And do not say by the Earth, because the Earth is his footstool. And do not say by Jerusalem for Jerusalem is the city of the great king. Do not even say by my head for you can't turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple yes, I will. or No I won't. Anything beyond this is from the evil one. Perfection is holding to your word. Your simple Yes. And your simple No. A deep study into God's Word reveals that God will always do what he says He will do. No ifs, ands, or buts. That is part of God's perfection. And as his followers, we are called to be perfect. We are called to keep our word. The practical side of this is that keeping our word builds trust within relationships and makes commitment possible. The reality is that keeping our word can be downright difficult. It can be tempting to go back on our commitments when the going gets tough to want to step away from the work of a situation and to not trust God's provision to help us finish well. Well, next Jesus teaches about the imperfection of revenge. Verse 38, you have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This teaching comes from several places in the Old Testament, including Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20 and Deuteronomy 19:21. Biblical scholars will tell you that this law was originally written in brutal times to protect the guilty. It kept people from forcing an offender to pay a price greater than the offense warranted from seeking Revenge. This was our merciful, perfect God, protecting even offenders from undue harm. This law was meant to be used by civil authorities and civil courts as a means of maintaining public order. And it was never intended for the rationalization of privately enforced judgment. Jesus speaks to the disciples in verse 39, He says, But I say do not resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. This statement was less about being physically injured by someone and more about being insulted as slapping someone in the face was considered an insult to one's honor. Jesus is saying, don't put yourself on so high of a pedestal that you turn and walk away when someone insults you. No. We are called to be the light of the world to show the love of Jesus. And we can't show someone anything. If we turn and walk away. Verse 40, if you are sued in court, and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat too. Today, most of us have a closet of clothes. If someone takes my shirt, I might be mad. But truthfully, I can just go grab another one. That wasn't necessarily the case in Jesus day. In fact, if someone gave their coat to someone as a pledge, by law, it had to be returned by sunset, as a coat often doubled as a person's only blanket. Jesus says if someone takes your shirt, likely your only shirt, give them your coat as well. likely your only coat. Okay, so now you are naked. But as a Christian, that's okay. Because we can trust that God will provide and care for us. He is perfect. And we have His Word. Verse 41. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. This was a normal occurrence. These people lived in the heart of oppression that many of us can't even begin to understand. We balk at being asked to wear a mask. They on a dime could be forced to carry a soldier's gear, deliver official correspondence, build a road or a public building, or like Simon of Cyrene carry across for a man sentenced to death who was too weak to carry it himself. Jesus says to the oppressed, go the extra mile. We've all heard of the phrase that actions speak louder than words or even kill them with kindness. I think Jesus would have liked these sayings. This leads us to verse 42. Give to those who ask and don't turn away from those who want to borrow. Perfection and generosity go hand in hand. That's a concept that doesn't need a lot of explanation. Jesus continues in verse 43. You have heard the law that says Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Okay, I note here, love your neighbor is a central teaching of the Old Testament, but nowhere does it say to hate your enemy. In fact, it says the opposite and Exodus 23 verses four and five, we read. If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that is straight away, take it back to its owner. If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load. Do not walk by instead, stop and help. Jesus here is giving us a perfect example of how man can warp God's teachings, reminding us that we must always go to Scripture ourselves to hear from God. The Bible is not a book intended only for preachers and teachers. It's intended for all of us. Well, Jesus sets the record straight. You have heard the law that says love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say, Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you. In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. And Jesus reminds us that our perfect God does not play favorites and neither should we. He says, For he gives sunlight to both the evil and the good. And he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much? If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that? Luke records the same teachings in chapter six but writes it this way. Even sinners love those who love them. Even sinners do good to those who do good to them. And even sinners, lend to other centers for a full return. Luke records a succinct directive beginning in Luke chapter six, verse 35. Love your enemies, do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid, then your reward from heaven will be very great and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. Ah Yes, I for 1am thankful that God is kind to those who are on thankful and wicked. Because otherwise, how would I have ever been drawn to him? How would any of us? We are made in God's image and as his children, we are called to reflect His attributes. Luke records You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate, And Matthew records, But you are to be perfect. even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Perfection isn't easy. Holding to your word and your commitment isn't easy. Standing strong and showing the love of Christ as you are disrespected is not easy. Trusting God for complete provision when you are left naked, is not easy. Being kind and going the extra mile when you're oppressed is not easy. Being generous and praying for your enemies is not easy. No one ever said being a Christian and swimming upstream against an evil world would be easy. But as you strive to reflect the perfection of God, you can be assured that God Himself will empower you, protect you, and guide you, and that your reward in heaven will be very great. Let's pray. God we want to please you. We want to reflect your love, compassion and grace to a hurting world. God thank you for reminding us today that our reward is not here on this earth but is waiting for us in heaven and is far greater than we can ask or imagine. God I asked you right now that you infused each listener with a shot of holy adrenaline as only you can empowering her to walk powerfully in the path that you have put her on to walk in your perfection and grace. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.   Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast. Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at WWW dot women world leaders.com To submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event and support the ministry from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

Special guest and national speaker, Jessica Prukner, who is also a sister writer in Women World Leader's Voice of Truth magazine, shares about being a super mom! As a homeschool boot camp leader, homeschooling mom, and successful business owner, Jessica talks about raising three "world changers" for Jesus and encourages moms and grandmoms to help find God's purpose for our young impressionable children through encouragement.❤

In today’s Podcast, Tawana shares another excerpt from her upcoming book and reveals three common Anxieties the enemy uses against us.  Tawana also gives us practical steps on how to identify the fears and overcome them so we can walk strong with Freedom in Jesus.     *** Content Taken from Tawana’s upcoming book.  Not authorized for reprint without consent from Tawana Lowery or Women World Leaders.   Hello… and Welcome to Women World Leaders Podcast  I’m your Host… Tawana Lowery ·       Women’s Empowerment Coach ·       And Global Ministry Leader   1.      And I’m VERY excited you joined today… ·         Because we’re going to explore what the Father wants us to know about himself and who we are as Powerful Ambassadors of his Powerful Kingdom…  ·         So let’s get started…  2.      If you’ve been a follower of Jesus for more than 10 minutes… then you’ve already discovered that the enemy does not want you to be an effective ambassador of the Fathers Kingdom!! 3.      That’s why he works triple overtime to stop us!!  4.      And his method of choice is FEAR…  a.       Fear is his stomping ground. b.      And he’s always inviting us to join in the drama!!! 5.      But what really fuels his fire (no pun intended) is when we are Clueless  about it!  6.      He loves to hide it in the form of something we might not recognize as Fear.  a.       That is especially true with regards to Anxiety.  b.      Many times, we don’t recognize the fear issues associated with our Anxiety because we’re so distracted by the Anxiety itself.  7.      Interestingly enough… the dictionary actually describes Anxiety as an abnormal or overwhelming sense of fear.  That can be triggered by a host of issues such as financial worry, relationship concerns, or just the perpetual uncertainty of life.  8.      But Rabbi Paul admonishes us in Philippians 4:6-7 to…  “NOT be anxious about anything! But instead, surrender the anxiety to the Father in prayer so we can receive his Shalom… His perfect peace!   9.      So… if you’ve been struggling lately with Anxiety in a particular area (or in a lot of areas) then get ready for breakthrough! Because in this Podcast I’m going to Expose 2 Common Anxieties that many of us deal with.    Plus, I’ll also share the practical steps we can take to Overcome it and walk strong in Freedom.  So, the first is called “Abandonment Anxiety.”   1.      For those of us who’ve experienced the pain of being abandoned (whether by a spouse, a parent, or others), the mere thought of a repeat episode can trigger Severe Anxiety or even panic attacks.   2.      I can totally empathize with this…  a.       I battled with overwhelming Abandonment Anxiety for several years because of my experiences from childhood into my 40s.   3.      But I am happy to report, I discovered the way of escape that set me totally free…  ·         I accomplished it by casting the imprint of my experiences onto the cross of Yeshua my Savior.  ·         Although what others did was hurtful and wrong, I had to own how those experiences were impacting me and the lies they tempted me to believe.  ·         I had to Confess how my abandonment encounters had prejudiced my heart towards the living God.  ·         In other words…. I was fearful that my heavenly Father would treat me in the same manner.  ·         Jesus died to destroy the manifest works of the Devil… And my past experiences with people were manifesting as debilitating fear… even towards God.   4.      After I crucified the fear and the experiences on the cross, it opened my heart to receive the free gift of Faith from the one who promised to Never Ever leave me or Abandon me. 5.      Maybe you’ve had a similar experience that’s created Abandonment Anxiety in your life.  6.      If so, you can experience the same freedom I did with these practical steps…  ·         First. ask God to expose the source of your Abandonment Anxiety. We serve the God who speaks and he will speak to you right now. ·         Then ask him to reveal how those experiences may have prejudiced your heart towards his promises and blocked you from the ability to rest in his unfailing love.  ·         Next, forgive those who abandoned you.  ·         Crucify the experiences and the fear on the cross of Jesus.  ·         And ask the Father to resurrect you as with a new heart and mind to receive Faith and assurance in his unfailing Love.   Okay… Let’s wrap up with another Common Anxiety. And this one is probably the least detected… but can have the greatest adverse impact on our faith walk and spiritual maturity… It’s called… “Assimilation Anxiety” 1.      As we know… God is continually calling us into new things that feel very unfamiliar… just as he did the saints before us.   2.      In order to keep in step with what God is calling us into… ·         We are frequently called to walk into the unknown and away from the familiar.  3.      As expected, it can produce a great deal of fear… ·         Many of us are afraid of the unknown.  4.      But maybe it’s not Fear of the unknown that hinders our walk. ·         Maybe it’s simply an idol for the familiar, for the comfortable and for the path of least resistance that creates the fear. ·         Maybe we’re simply afraid to release the idol because we’ve believed it has the power of life and death.    5.      The dangerous component is that our idol for the familiar creates a a stronghold that makes us resistance to Assimilate into the new things Gods has in store.  6.      This is the reason we are admonished throughout the scriptures to forget what lies behind, and to be aware of the new things that are springing up. 7.       Although God never changes… he strongly desires to change us from glory to glory, from faith to faith… from abounding to more abounding.  ·         His desire is that we keep in step with the spirit… ·         That we follow the Grace… ·         And that we do what we see the Father do. ·         This is the example Jesus gave us.   8.      And that means breaking free from Assimilation Anxiety. ·         That means confessing our fear of not having control. ·         That means allowing God to have control of our thoughts and imagination about the future.   9.      Often times when considering something new… our minds begin to rehearse all the things that could go wrong. ·         We start imagining failure. ·         Not realizing we’re aligning our imagination with the lies of the enemy!! ·         Then our emotions and decisions simply follow suit. ·         Next thing you know… we’re stuck… and can’t understand why.   10.  Sometimes it’s hard for us to imagine that God has something better than what we can produce for ourselves.   11.  But the truth is… God always has something better than what we are afraid to release.   12.  I was out walking one evening during a season of massive uncertainty. And while I was praying I heard the Lord say…  “Tawana… you’re Never going to have the life you dreamed of. But can you believe that I love you enough to give you something better?   13.  Wow… not exactly what you want to hear from God when you’re asking for assurance. ·         But… he was assuring me of something… ·         I just wasn’t something I had considered before.     14.  Although his statement was extremely unexpected… ·         He was trying to help me understand the importance of letting go of my idol for the Small Familiar so I could receive the Big New Future he had planned from the foundation of the world. ·         Truthfully…. I was unaware how the fear had developed into an idol until the spirit of truth spoke truth to my heart.   15.  Once the Fear was outta the bag… I had to repent of the idol for the familiar so I could receive the NEW THING that was about to spring up! ·         I had to release the Assimilation Anxiety that was stopping me.   16.  When you think about it… the Scriptures are overflowing with promise about the goodness of God that is always waiting for us. ·         Psalm 23 ·         Jeremiah 29:11 ·         And many, many more.     17.  However…. We can’t receive his restful assurance until we release the fear… and the idol for the familiar.   18.  Only then can our hearts and minds Assimilate into the good things… the new things… and the better things that await.   19.  Maybe you’re facing a call into the unknow and away from the familiar. Maybe your struggling with Assimilation Anxiety.   20.  If so… then we can use the same practical steps we reviewed with the other anxieties to break free and move forward.   ·          Step one… Confess or truth tell about the Idol and the fear. ·         Admit that you have it. ·         It’s not going to surprise God. ·         In fact… he rejoices when we walk in truth. He LOVES it. ·         Next, let’s ask the Lord to reveal how the idol was formed… ·         AND the lies it has tempted you to believe…. about him, about yourself, and about your future. ·          Now… we’ll ask forgiveness for believing the lies and for putting our trust in an idol for the familiar instead of faith in Jesus. ·         Next, take the lies and the idol to the cross to be crucified. ·         Lastly… we will ask to be resurrected in Christ Jesus so we can receive a new heart, a new mind and a brand-new life.    AMEN!!!   Well… It’s been an absolute pleasure spending time with you today. And I hope this simple message has helped shed light on common fear and anxieties that try to stop us…AND… how to overcome them by the Blood of the Lamb and the Power of the Cross.   Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! ·         Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  ·         Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  ·         From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders.  All content is copyrighted by Tawana Lowery and Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.  

As Jesus continues teaching the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:21-32, He gives us instructions on handling anger and dealing with relationship issues, calling us to look beyond the surface of the law to the heart of the law. **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. Thank you for joining us today as we walk through the Gospels together. Whenever and wherever you are listening, if you turned on the news today, I’m sure you heard something that made you shake your head in disgust. And it wouldn’t surprise me if you are, on some level, currently battling anger or frustration personally – because we all do at times. Due to the complexity of the issues we face, it can seem nearly impossible to look through all the muck and see how God is calling us to react. But God doesn’t want us to look only at the surface of His direction for us, He wants us to walk with Him and understand His heart. So whatever your frame of mind, I’m glad you’ve taken few minutes to pause and listen to this podcast – where we spend a few minutes together focusing on God’s Word and seeking to understand it fully. No matter what mountain we are climbing or beautiful hillside we are meandering through, Jesus is our best walking partner. As we walk with Him, we can trust that God, through His Word and Holy Spirit, will guide and lead us to what really matters. Before we open the Word together, let’s grab our climbing partner by the hand and ask Him to walk with us. Dear most holy God, We come to you right now seeking your presence. Be with each listener where she is, and teach her today what you want her to know. God we know that nothing surprises you and with you all things are possible. We ask you to guide us as we open Your Word today and that we would hear the words of Jesus. Open our hearts and allow us to understand what it is you want us to know as we spend time with you. In Jesus name, I pray, amen. Today we will be studying Matthew chapter 5, verses 21 through 32 out of the New Living Translation. A couple of weeks ago, we began our walk through the Sermon on the Mount. And last week, the final verse we looked at was Matthew 5:20, which says, But I warn you unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. This may have left the disciples and other listeners wondering, how can I possibly be more righteous than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who have dedicated their lives to knowing and following the law of Moses and the teaching of the scriptures? But as Jesus teaches, it becomes clear that while the Pharisees may be all about the letter of the law, Jesus is all about the heart of the law. Jesus begins by specifically referencing several of the teachings of the Pharisees, and as he does, he teaches a deeper truth to each, a truth that God intended us to know and learn from the beginning. Matthew 5:21 says, You have heard that our ancestors were told you must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment. If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. Matthew 5:21 begins You have heard that our ancestors are told… most translations say something like you have heard it said. Now in other places in the Bible, Jesus is recorded as saying it is written when he is quoting scripture. So the fact that he is now saying you have heard it said indicates that Jesus is addressing the laws as man taught them. And we know by now that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law often distorted those laws by adding their own man-made laws and rules that the people were to follow. Well, remember Jesus says earlier in this chapter that he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law, and that not a single stroke of the pen will disappear from the law until all is accomplished. So Jesus is not trying to change the meaning of the law as it is written, on the contrary, he is explaining to the disciples and to us the full meaning of the original law. That is, what God intended us to know, the heart of the law. Jesus wants us to understand the why. What was the purpose of the law in the first place? The law says in Exodus 20:13, you must not murder. Murder is an external act. And that external act in Jesus day was punishable by death in a human court of law. But God, our perfect judge does not judge us merely on external acts as humans. Instead, He judges us on the attitude of our hearts, in this case, anger. Why do you suppose that Jesus teaches that anger is as grievous as a sin as murder? Besides the fact that God is holy, and any sin causes unrighteousness, I would propose this teaching stems from the fact that sinful anger, ruins the relationships that God has gifted us. Anger hurts our human relationships, and it hurts our relationship with God. And God is all about relationship. In our anger, we are tempted to lash out at others, what do you think is the effect of calling someone an idiot or cursing them as Jesus references? Not good, right? It was even worse in Jesus day when a person's name was everything, a hallmark to who that person was. So to call someone, Rayana, which was the original word use, that means empty headed or translated here as idiot would have been an insult even greater than it is today. Anger such as that could in effect, murder, a God-ordained relationship. And Jesus goes on to teach that relationship is more important than any sacrifice, we could offer God saying in verse 23. So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the temple, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar, go and be reconciled to that person, then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Jesus then continues with some more practical advice, when you're on your way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won't be free again until you have paid the last penny. Anger puts you in a prison cell. It holds you captive from being who God truly made you to be. And it keeps you from doing what God has called you to do. Jesus says settle your differences quickly. Don't allow the chains of anger to keep you from the relationships that God intended for you. Next, Jesus teaches on the seventh commandment Exodus 20:14. You must not commit adultery. Going back to Matthew 5, verse 27 says, You have heard the commandment that says you must not commit adultery. But I say anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Jesus is again teaching the wisdom behind the law. I think about my when my kids were young, they didn't understand the why behind our family rules. It just didn't make sense to them that I had to know their friend's parents before they could spend the night with them. Their undeveloped and naive minds simply couldn't make the connection that a fun play date could turn out bad under the wrong circumstances. They didn't know the why. The Pharisees taught the letter of the law and were harsh with their punishments but they didn't understand the why. Jesus taught the wisdom of the law, the why behind the law, and it all hinged on his care and concern for us, for you. Just like when he was talking about murder and anger, Jesus is teaching here that the root of sin the sin of adultery, lies in the attitude of our hearts. Honoring and loving your spouse means in part making him or her the object of your sexual desire. When your mind begins to stray, the poison of sin begins to grow in your heart, and it quickly infects your relationship. But not only does committing adultery infect the relationship, but lust for another does as well. And God is all about relationships. Jesus goes on to tell how serious he is about this teaching. So if your eye even your good eye causes you to lust, gouge it out, throw it away, it is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand even your stronger hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body then for your whole body to be thrown into hell. While these things are true, that it's better to go to heaven with part of a body these statements are not to be taken literally, but they are a case of Jesus speaking in hyperbole, intentional exaggeration to make a point very common in this time and a Jewish culture. What Jesus is saying is when you are tempted, run away, Look away, then stay away from those things that can pollute your mind. And don't delay. Don't leave sin unchecked in your heart, but clear it out right away. If you are a gardener, you know how quickly weeds can take root and take over the good soil, crowding out the flowers and leaving them with no room to grow and no nutrients to sustain them. Being a Christian is not easy. The devil is always prowling, trying to infiltrate your heart. It isn't just about what you do, but about what you let in to your heart. What you let in can help your relationships or it can destroy them. As Jesus continues, he touches on divorce beginning in verse 31. You have heard the law that says a man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce. But I say that a man who divorces his wife unless she has been unfaithful causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. Again we see the You have heard it said statement only this time this teaching does not come from God but from society. We will expand on this more in the coming weeks but right now I will just share with you that the Jews have a big problem with divorce. Deuteronomy gives instructions regarding the treatment of a wife whom a husband finds displeasing Deuteronomy 21 says suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her he writes a document of divorce hands it to her and sends her away from his house. Like I said, we won't go into a full discussion on this right now. But the offshoot of this scripture was that the most well known Jewish rabbi teachers, Shamai and Hillel, both disagreed over what was deemed displeasing enough to warrant a notice of divorce. And as a result, divorce was allowed for basically anything. I guess that's where we get irreconcilable differences. So what does Jesus teach here? He teaches that divorce causes relationship problems. You might think, well, that's a no brainer, but it's deeper than the obvious. Divorce causes relationship problems going forward in each individual's life, and often in the lives of those around them. And God is all about relationships. Our God is all about relationships. I believe that God wants us to walk away from this teaching, realizing that he is all about relationships. There are trials in this world, some of us are facing devastating life changes as the effects of sin continue to ravage this world. And it's quite likely that things will get worse before they get better. But God is all about relationships. And when you honor your relationship with him, and walk close to him through any storm, he will be your strength, your protection, your wisdom and your joy. Yes, you can have joy even in trials. God gives us the law. But it's not about the letter of the law. It's about the why. God is the why. Every word of the Bible, every nugget of wisdom, we can glean from studying God's word is intended to point us to a perfect relationship with God, and to godly relationships with others. God will get us through the storms of life, he will walk us through the loss of loved ones devastation caused by natural disaster and heartache of all kinds. But we have to have a relationship with Him. And he asked that we keep our hearts connected to his and that we honor that relationship. That's what the law points to. That is the heart of the matter. Let's pray Dear most holy God, He loves us, and you are there for us. God, I thank you for reminding us today that you care about the relationships that we are building with each other, and most importantly, the relationship that we have with you. I thank you for reminding us that when things get difficult, and there are mountains in front of us to climb that you, Jesus, are our best climbing partner. That when we don't know where to turn God Your Word will always guide and lead us. And when we are in turmoil, you Holy Spirit, will comfort and sustain us and give us peace. God thank you for reminding us that you see our hearts and that you will always care for our hearts. We give them to you today. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.  

A Miracle Mindset is something we should all learn to master. Hear a message from Kelley Rene, co-author of the newly released book, Miracle Mindset: Finding Hope In The Chaos. How can we receive helpful tools that will assist us in harnessing a Miracle Mindset? Check out today's podcast and hear what we can learn about possessing a new way to think.

Today, Julie Harwick shares about how God opened her eyes to her own failings while giving her His grace. Our God is always there when we need Him the most. **** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leaders podcast. I’m your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God’s grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world. When my children were small and I was very engaged in teaching them the value of first-time obedience, God opened my eyes to my own failings in that area, but fortunately, His grace was there once again, when I needed it most. I dropped off my four-year-old twins at preschool, and set out to do a little shopping and run some errands while I enjoyed a little extra freedom.  I needed gas before I went too far, so I filled up at the nearby 7-11. The pay at the pump feature didn’t work, so I had to go inside. As I approached the cash register, I met the gaze of an older man who appeared to be homeless, or at least down on his luck. I tried to break eye contact before he actually spoke to me because I was pretty sure I knew what he would say. I was half-way past him when I heard, “Excuse me, Miss, could you possibly buy me a hot dog?” Before the words were completely out of his mouth, I responded without even thinking with my usual, “Sorry, I can’t.” I paid at the register and got back in my van as quickly as possible. I always got very nervous when someone approached me asking for money. It felt heartless to ignore them or say no, but I also knew that 99% of the time, that money would go for drugs or alcohol, so I almost always said no.  As I fastened my seatbelt, I replayed the exchange in my mind and it finally registered with me, “he didn’t ask for money – he only asked me to buy him a hot dog.” My heart sank as I was confronted with how truly thoughtless I had been. Of course I could have and should have bought him a hot dog.  There was absolutely no reason not to.  A hot dog couldn’t possibly feed a drug or alcohol addiction. This would’ve been the perfect opportunity to help someone without questioning if it was the right thing to do. But based on previous experiences and appearance, I dismissed him without really even listening to what he was asking. I felt a deep sense of conviction and immediately headed back inside hoping that I could rectify my wrong by buying him a hotdog and any other food or drink he might like.  When I entered the store, he was nowhere to be found. I asked the clerk if he had seen the homeless man who was here just a minute ago.  He said a number of homeless people often came in, so much so that he frequently called the police. After checking every aisle and looking all around outside, I got back into my van. It seemed strange that he completely disappeared so quickly.  I was reminded of Hebrews 13:2  which says “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Could he have been an angel sent by God to test my willingness to show hospitality to a stranger? If so, I had failed miserably. I went on about my day, but the whole experience kept replaying in my mind and I couldn’t shake the shame and disappointment I felt about the way I had handled it. When my girls were taking a nap that afternoon, I settled in for some time alone with God. I usually read scripture first and then spent some time in prayer. My bible fell open to Matthew 21:28-31.  It said, “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ’I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.  Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, Sir,’ but he did not go.  Which of the two did what his father wanted?” As with all of Jesus’ parables, there was a lot of meaning packed into this short story, but in this moment, I believed God was speaking directly to me about my failure earlier in the day. I was the first son who initially said no, but after some thought, realized there was a command I needed to obey and set about doing it. While it would’ve been better if I had obeyed instantly, the fact that after initially saying, “no,” I actually followed through was all that really mattered. Jesus saw my repentant heart and used His own words to comfort and teach me. This became known as my “hot dog story,” as I shared it with those closest to me. The way this parable specifically addressed the very thing I was struggling with reassured me that God wants to communicate with us directly and personally. It also showed me that He is eager to extend His grace to us when we pour out our hearts in repentance. I wish I could say that this memorable experience got through to me in such a way that I never struggled with immediate obedience again. But of course, you know that’s not the case. One area where I frequently feel the Holy Spirit’s conviction and correction is when I’m driving.  I’m not an aggressive driver, but I tend to be very passionate about what is fair and correct on the road.  If traffic is barely moving because two lanes are merging into one, God help you if you attempt to illegally drive down the shoulder and force your way back in and get further ahead. I’m the vehicle attempting to straddle the right lane and the shoulder to keep you from doing it, while making sure of course to stay out of the way of emergency vehicles. Circumstances like that get me all cranked up and very focused on protecting my rights. While there’s no question that cutting in front of others is wrong, and driving on the shoulder is illegal, being obsessed with making sure my rights are not violated in something as inconsequential as traffic is also wrong. If Jesus willingly laid down His divine rights to put on human flesh, He probably wouldn’t make a big deal out of a car cutting Him off. Jesus probably wouldn’t straddle two lanes to keep someone from getting ahead. He would probably make room for them fulling realizing that the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. For some reason, getting behind the wheel prompts me to look at other drivers more as adversaries than people loved by God. What does it cost me to slow down and let someone move into the lane ahead of me? But that’s not the way I think. In the same way I programmed myself to say, “Sorry, I can’t,” to the homeless man, I tend to go on autopilot behind the wheel – making sure no other drivers take advantage of me. For me, this is literally where the rubber meets the road. Do I drive the way Jesus would? Why not? If I’m honest, I have to admit it’s because I’m selfish. Human nature and selfishness go hand in hand, but God calls us to die to self and follow His example. Ephesians 4: 22-24 says, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Like so many scriptures, this makes complete sense and is simple, but in no way is it easy! God knows it isn’t and in His grace, He works on me in small increments I can handle. So being made new in the attitude of my mind in areas like driving or dealing with homeless people asking for help may seem trivial compared to issues of much greater importance. But I have to believe that if I could put on the new self in such small everyday ways, I’d be more likely to get it right when a serious challenge comes along. I have no doubt that God is using these situations to convict me of my wrong attitudes and to refine me to become a little more like Jesus. He knows my weakness and reminds me that, “His grace is sufficient for me and that His power is perfected in my weakness.” That kind of grace is exactly what I need and the only hope I have of fulfilling His ultimate purpose of conforming me to His image. Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast!  Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders .  All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without written consent.

The Law requires strict adherence to attain perfect righteousness. Thankfully, it isn’t up to us to fulfill the law. Learn from Jesus' words as we study Matthew 5:17-20. **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. And I'm so glad that you are joining us today. It is September as I record this, and the days of Summer 2023 are behind us. It’s hard to believe that soon we will be looking at a new year – 2024. This has been an exciting year for Women World Leaders. We are about to reach episode 500 of our podcast, the publication of Voice of Truth magazine will complete its 3rd year in December, and we have a NEW book launch THIS week! Keep your eyes open on social media and your email to get more information. If you don’t get our emails and would like to, please visit womenworldleaders.com and fill out our contact form so we can keep you up to date on all the happenings of the ministry. One of the happenings we are so excited about is that we are currently planning our fall event, Ignite Your Purpose—which will occur on October 14th in West Palm Beach, FL. This will be a morning of worship, prayer, biblical teaching, empowerment, and fellowship. We would love for you to join us – but be aware that tickets are going fast! So hop on the website, womenworldleaders.com, now to order yours. Each Wednesday on this podcast we have the privilege of walking through the Word together. We are currently walking through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and, in this season, we are revisiting Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount. Today, we will be examining what Jesus said about the law in Matthew chapter five verses 17 through 20. Before we begin let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we love you so much. We honor praise and thank you today for who you are. You are a good father. You are love, joy, peace, wisdom and strength. God, you never give up on us sometimes teaching us again and again. What it is you long for us to know. God, I ask that you open our minds today to your teaching help us understand on a deeper level. These words that Your Son Jesus spoke so many years ago. I thank you for recording those words in the Bible, and allowing us to come back to them today. Guide us as we study. In Jesus name, I pray, amen. As we begin, just a reminder of where we are, Jesus is primarily teaching his disciples. It's part of their personal training, if you will. Matthew 5:1 tells us that Jesus sat as he taught, which indicates that this was intended as an intimate teaching, as they gathered on the side of the mountain. But we can surmise that there were others listening in as well. Have you ever been asked to leave the room, maybe as a child, so your parents could discuss something among the grownups? Or maybe a boss has asked you to leave the room so other higher-ups could discuss your position. Or maybe you've entered a room, and the conversation just seemed to stop, indicating that you were not welcome. You are not welcome to know what the discussion had been. It's not a good feeling to be left out, isolated, and wondering what you are missing. I want to tell you clearly, Jesus will never leave you out. He welcomes you for every discussion, conversation, activity, and even blessing. I remember arriving at our church one Sunday to be told that I couldn't sit near the front. Because that Sunday, the front rows were reserved for someone important. In God's eyes, there is no one more important than you. When we all bow down and worship God together in heaven, you will be in the front row. Don't ask me how this can be. Our humanity tells us that only some privileged people get sit in the front. I don't understand it. But God looks at each one of us. God looks at you, and sees his most precious child of all. You are the apple of his eye. Whenever you want to hear Him, you can go to Him. Whenever you want to ask him a question, you can ask. God will always have time for every one of your questions, concerns, needs, and even desires. Jesus may have been teaching the disciples that day. But he was teaching anyone who wanted to listen. And that includes us right now, as Jesus spoke the words that I'm about to read from Matthew 5, verses 17 through 20. He had you on his mind. There is something here that he wanted you to know today. From the New Living Translation, Matthew 517 Records Jesus is saying, “Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.” The Pharisees thought and taught that Jesus was attempting to destroy the teachings that had governed the Jewish people. The Law of Moses refers to the first five books of the Old Testament otherwise known as the Pentateuch. And the writings of the prophets includes the major and minor prophets as well as the historical books of the Old Testament. In other words, the Pharisees believed and wanted everyone to believe that Jesus was speaking, teaching and living against the Hebrew Scriptures, in a sense, tearing them down and rendering them irrelevant. Jesus knows this and in this scripture, he addresses this fallacy head on saying, I have not come to abolish the Hebrew scriptures, but to accomplish their purpose, or as some translations say, to fulfill them. Theologian Michael Wilkins describes the statement as “all of that the Old Testament intended to communicate about God's will and hopes for humanity, find their full meaning and accomplishment in Jesus teaching and ministry.” And Warren Wiersbe likens Jesus fulfillment of the Old Testament to an acorn. Jesus did not come to smash the acorn to smithereens, but he came to grow that acorn into a majestic oak tree that was meant that it was meant to become. Jesus purpose was to accomplish all that the Old Testament said would be. He was the Promised Messiah, whom the Law and the Prophets pointed to. Jesus continues in verse 18, “I tell you the truth until heaven and earth disappear. Not even the smallest detail of God's law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.” Each part of the law and every prophecy given by God's chosen prophets had a purpose. And in Jesus, that purpose was fulfilled. Jesus was born and raised in the Jewish tradition, tending to every Jewish ritual. He fulfilled the law completely as no one else could before or since, living a sinless life. In his teaching, he taught the true meaning of God's Word, as God intended, not as the tainted version that the Pharisees spun. And of course, though, unknown at the time of the speaking, Jesus fulfilled the law in his death, and resurrection. We still study the Old Testament, God's law and we should, but we should study it with the understanding that in Jesus, it is fulfilled. Scholars will tell you there are three categories of the Jewish law. The ceremonial law had to do specifically with how God instructed the Israelites to worship, through sacrifice and offering. Each part of the ceremonial law was specifically crafted by God, to point the worshipers to Jesus Himself. We are not held to this part of the law because, as Jesus stated, even the smallest detail has been fulfilled. Some versions call this detail the smallest stroke of the pen. The actual translation is the word tittle, ti t t le. A Jewish tittle is what you and I would call a serif, a small projection on the top or the bottom of a letter, which in Hebrew, differentiates one letter from another. You could spend hours every day for years of your life studying the Old Testament, and never fully comprehend the depth of prophecy that the Jewish law held, as it pointed to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In fact, many have set out to disprove that Jesus was the Son of God by studying the prophetic law, only to come away knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was exactly who he said he was. The second category of Jewish law was the civil law and this applied to daily living, because our world and culture are so different now, these no longer apply to us. But again, each tittle prepared the people for what was to come. Finally, the third category of Jewish law is the moral law. These are the direct commands from God that teach us how to relate to God, and how to relate to each other. The Moral Law of God has not and will not change. This is the core of what God wants us to know, and how He yearns for us to respond to him and to other people. It's important to note that Jesus obey the law completely as prescribed by God in each of these three areas, even if the Pharisees didn't see it that way. And then Jesus drew the line between himself and the Pharisees, saying in verses 19 and 20. “So if you ignore the least commandment, and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. But I warn you, unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of the religious law and of the Pharisees. You will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” The goal of the Pharisees was To be righteous, and hear Jesus calls them out, saying that the degree to which the Pharisees are righteous will never be enough to get them into the kingdom of heaven. This should speak to all of us. It should show us even today, that no amount of studying God's Word serving in God's Church giving to a ministry or even taking care of homeless orphans is good enough to receive our ticket to heaven. In fact, the righteousness that God demands of us before we can spend eternity with Him, is impossible for us to gain. We must be perfect. That lipstick you stole from your mom's purse when you were six. that disqualifies you. That piece of chocolate you ate in the closet and then told your kids you don't know what happened to it, disqualifies you. The anger you felt at the car in front of you in car line that wouldn't turn when it was his turn after you waited for 25 minutes in the same spot, disqualifies you. Okay, I should say those all disqualify me. Because those are my stories. But I'm sure you have your own. So how do we gain the right righteousness? How do we become right with God? Unblemished, pure and holy enough to stand beside God for eternity? There's only one way and his name is Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross for you. For me and my stolen lipstick, that we should have the opportunity to take on his righteousness. Our righteousness will never cut it. But Jesus’ righteousness is a shoo-in. And he offers it to each of us, no matter what shape our lives are him. Remember that third category of the Jewish law, the moral law, the moral law concerns itself with relationship. And when you give yourself over to your relationship between you and God, when you willingly repent of your sins and ask God to show you which way to walk, by the way, his answer is always that he wants you to walk with Him—then you are cleansed, made pure, made righteous, and you are gifted the kingdom of heaven. Jesus did not come to abolish the law. He came to fulfill the law to pay our penalty for sin that we no longer have to fear death, but can look forward to eternity with Him. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ, which Jesus ushered in as he fulfilled the law. Let's pray. Dear, most holy God, thank you for making a way for us to spend eternity with you. Thank you for teaching us by way of the law and then for showing us that You alone are everything we need. Jesus, I pray for anyone listening who has tried to do it on her own and has not surrendered her life to you. Put your loving arms around her reveal yourself to her today. Give her courage and strength to humbly bow before you call her to your side forever. God would give You all the praise and glory and while we do our best to walk with you every day. We look forward to the day when we are walking with you and simplicity and joy. Thank you for making that possible for each of us. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to women world leaders podcast. Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at WWW dot women world leaders.com To submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event and support the ministry from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

Having persevered in the face of adversity, Alicia Roberts shares her story of heartbreak.   Alicia has grown from heartbreak to empowering and equipping others who have suffered hurtful relationships, helping them find their personal power with God so they can live confidently. She has written a devotion shared on the You Version Bible app and, on today's Podcast interview, Alicia shares nuggets with us on how to overcome heartbreak.

Know the power of God's grace in the Feast of the Lord, as you learn how to prepare for God's inspection. **** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, A Women World Leader’s Podcast, I’m your host Robin Kirby- Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God’s grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. Today’s Title: Inspection Time 35 “And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you and contend with you face to face. 36 As I entered into judgment and contended with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment and contend with you, says the Lord God. 37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod [as the shepherd does his sheep when he counts them, and I will count you as Mine and I will constrain you] and bring you into the covenant to which you are permanently bound. 38 And I will purge out and separate from among you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they temporarily dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 20:35-38 AMPC We’re in my favorite time of year, which is the time of the Fall Feasts for God’s People. September 16th is the Feast of Trumpets, September 20th is the Day of Atonement, and September 30th is the beginning of the seven days of Feast of Tabernacles. The fall feasts are laid forth in Leviticus 23:24-37. The Jews celebrate the New Year, Rosh Hashana, which is the first month of the Civil Year, beginning with the month of Tishrei, falling on the same day with the Feast of Trumpets. It’s at this time that the Jewish people believe there is the passing of Judgment for the New Year, which can be likened to the sheep passing under the shepherd’s rod. The Feast of Trumpets is a foreshadowing of Jesus’ second coming, where He will blow the trumpet as His people will be caught up with Him, and then tabernacle with Him eternally in heaven, as displayed in the Feast of Tabernacles. Prescribed in Revelation 19:7-8, we’re making ourselves ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, permitted to dress in fine linen that’s dazzling white. Like the preparation of a farmer gathering the harvest, there’s a preparation for God’s people to enter the fall feasts, which begins with one examining their own heart as they seek God, to see if there be any wicked way within them. (Psalm 139:23-24) This past Friday, after I did a video on the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord, I received an email from the apartment management company that there would be an inspection, on what I thought read “Monday.” I began cleaning the dining room on Friday, basically used for storing boxes of cookware that needed to be unpacked. Then, I determined that the rest of the house could be dealt with over the weekend, since my husband would be available to help. When the weekend came, we not only cleaned the bathroom, but knew that a bigger project lay ahead of us, my youngest son’s room. Now, I don’t know how many mothers out there can relate to having a son, which I have two. I’ve gone through years of dealing with them on dirty rooms while growing up. In fact, my youngest can go for days with soda or drink cans, boxes of crackers or the like, and be completely fine with it. In fact, I think he could go for weeks if not months like that, and it does not affect him. As a result, occasionally, in years past, I’ve cleaned my youngest son’s room, as a birthday or holiday gift. However, things were different two years ago. I became too overwhelmed at the thought of even tackling his room. As I mentioned in my last podcast with my hormonal storm in August, where my estrogen tanked, I didn’t realize how much the deficiency of it took a toll on regular activities. Because my estrogen was getting lower, I wasn’t motivated to clean anything and was pretty much overwhelmed by everything. Thank goodness, that the three weeks on Hormone Replacement Therapy, had renewed my youth. I never knew prior to this, that estrogen was known as “the fountain of youth,” and now I understand why. Thus, I had amazing energy and motivation at cleaning my youngest son’s room, as I felt like a foreman on a construction site, giving assignments to my husband, in us tackling what seemed like the aftermath of a tornado. To mine and my husband’s amazement, we finished in an hour and half, and it looked PHENOMENAL! I won’t go into detail, but I had at least three bags of trash that Rich hauled out. After our hard work, we were able to rest, feeling more relaxed, knowing that everything was prepared in advance for the inspection. Inspect means to examine something or someone closely. It comes from two Latin words “in” meaning “in” and “specere,” meaning, “look at.” As we look at the Fall Feasts, beginning with Feast of Trumpets and get closer to the Day of Atonement, these two specific feasts are a token of God’s message for us to prepare for the inspection of the Lord, symbolically preparing for Christ’s return. This can be seen in Ezekiel 20, with God preparing His sheep to pass under the shepherd’s rod. Pass in Hebrew is ʻâbar pronounced aw-bar' meaning, “to cross over, to cover, carry over, escape, go beyond, go forth, sweet smelling, etc.” [i] The Hebrew letters that compose pass, reveal much, as we look at the Old Hebrew symbols and their meaning. Ayin, Bet, and Resh are the Hebrew letters for pass. Ayin is the ancient symbol of an eye meaning, “to see know and experience.” Bet is the ancient symbol of a tent meaning, “tent, house, household, and family.” Finally, Resh is the ancient symbol of a man’s face meaning, “head, highest, and person.” Therefore, all three letters combined, create the word picture SEEING AND EXPERIENCING THE HOUSE OF THE MOST HIGH! Wow! This is us preparing for ETERNITY! The English letters that spell the Hebrew word for pass are A.B.A.R. When I look at the English spelling of this Hebrew word, I cannot help but see the two words A BAR! You’ve heard the saying “raise the bar.” The term “raise the bar” originated from athletic games referring to the pole vault and high jump. This can be likened to 2 Corinthians 3:18. “And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 AMPC Our bar each year, as we approach the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, is to go from glory to glory, being transformed into the image of Christ. Glory comes from the Greek word doxa pronounced dox'-ah meaning, “glory, dignity, honor, worship, and praise.” [ii] This comes from the Greek word dokéō pronounced dok-eh'-o meaning, “to think, seem good, pleasure, etc.” What I can relate to with this primary Greek word for glory is that it means “TO THINK!” Immediately my mind goes to Jeremiah 29:11, where God’s thoughts towards us are to give us a hope and a future. Thus, as we go from glory to glory in the Word of Truth being transformed into the image of Christ’s character, WE THINK GOD’S THOUGHTS! This is what the bar looks like in the individual Christian’s life. We think more in align with God’s heart, seeing through the eyes of Love, having mercy on others, without judgment, to believe and pray as the Father leads us. This is the power of love. This is what my husband and I did when we cleaned our son’s room. We didn’t point out all the grossness of the things we found, that made me want to put on a hazmat suit. We didn’t think he was awful or horrible. Why? Because we love him! We see him through love’s eyes. We saw his room already as being clean before we finished, because that’s how we see him. What is absolutely wild, is that I waited for the inspection on Monday, and it never happened. So as the day went on, I decided to look at the email again. I know for certain I saw the word “Monday,” for the inspection, and thought they would come late. Low and behold, as I reread the email, it said the inspection would be THURSDAY! We cleaned up several days ahead, prepared and waited for the inspection. All I could do was give a sigh of relief, thanking God that I read it wrong. Otherwise, I would have done all the cleaning myself, not asking for help from my husband. With this relief, I just pondered on the Hebrews 4 rest of the Lord, the Seventh Day rest, represented in the seven-day celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Think of this, how we’ll be blessed that we did what the Lord prescribed for us on earth, preparing for heaven. The sheep passing under the bar as in Ezekiel, for eternity are those who will tabernacle with God. And for us on earth are those who can cross over into the New Year, becoming more like Christ. I couldn’t help but think how it would be if we treated everyday as though we were preparing for an inspection with God. We’d be a little kinder, more long suffering, forgiving others quickly, being slow to anger, and serving others with the love of Christ. As we continue in the Fall Feasts, let’s celebrate the fact that we will be caught up one day with the Lord and tabernacle with Him eternally. In this celebration let’s rejoice that we’re all going to be together, treating each other with respect and honor, to enter the place of God’s approval, being a faithful servant of the Lord, to hear “well done, my good and faithful servant, enter the joy of the Lord!” Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.             [i] Strong’s Concordance Hebrew word # 5674 [ii] Strong’s Concordance Greek word # 1391

As we study and learn from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we are reminded of our calling to be salt and light. Let’s discover what that means together as we study Matthew 5:13-16; Mark 9:49-50, 4:21; and Luke 14:34-35, 8:16. **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World leaders Podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. Thank you for joining us as we walk through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John chronologically. Our goal for these few minutes together is that we would take our eyes off ourselves in the busyness of our own lives, agendas to-do lists and responsibilities. I pray that as you take time out today to listen to God, He will speak to your heart and guide you as only he can. If you need prayer support in this busy season, please reach out to us at womenworldleaders.com and post a prayer request on our prayer wall. We're here to hold you up. Before we begin our study, let's pause for prayer. Most Holy God, thank you, thank you for being our all in all our Abba Father, our provider, sustainer healer, and our salvation. God, we come to you today from so many walks of life. And yet you intimately know where we each are in what we each need. God, we rest in your presence. And thank you in advance for the care, teaching, and guidance that you will provide for us. We give you these next few minutes, and we ask that you have your way with us and guide us into your truth. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen. Sit back and soak in God’s Word while I read Matthew five verses 13 and 16. From the New Living Translation. You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it's lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. We know from Matthew 5:2 that in this passage Jesus was teaching the disciples. He had told them about the kingdom of heaven and the attributes and rewards God offers to his children as they walk in obedience to Him. Now Jesus gives the disciples two descriptions of who they are. And he tells us by extension who we are. And we know that what God says about us is true. Sometimes we think less of ourselves than God does. And it is in those moments that we have to listen especially hard to what God says. Because he knows us better than we know ourselves. And what he says is true. So, in today's reading, God calls you the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. Let's take this apart. First you are the salt of the earth. What do you suppose is the meaning behind this? While you're likely familiar with salt as a preservative, this would have been top of mind in a society void of refrigeration. Salt keeps food fresh and edible for a longer period of time than it would be without it. Salt accomplishes this feat by inhibiting the growth of bacteria, which in other words means salt allows food to remain as God made it to be, and to be used as God created it to be used. When God says that we are the salt of the earth, He is saying that we have a job to do:  to preserve the world as God intended it. When God created the world, everything was perfect, peaceful, joyful, and meaningful. But sin entered into the world and sin was like a bacteria that began to grow and was infectious. God empowers us, his children, to stand against sin, and to inhibit sins growth, by our actions and reactions. By allowing God's power to operate in us, we are salt preserving life, the way God intended it to be. You are the salt of the earth. You have a responsibility to live life on behalf of God. Salt in the Bible was also a symbol of covenant. This also has to do with its attribute as a preservative. A covenant was not to be broken; God will never break his covenant with His children. Once we give our lives to Him, we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and we belong to God forever. If you have given your life to Christ, you are the salt of the earth, carrying his covenant promises. Nothing and nobody can change that. Salt in biblical times was a symbol of friendship and loyalty. Salt is salt, no matter what you do to it. You put it in your food and your food tastes salty. You put it in water and allow the water to evaporate, the salt remains behind. Our God is loyal. And as Christians we are called to carry on that loyalty. You are the salt of the earth. Though the world will test you, you have the power within to remain loyal to the one who saved you. Salt is a necessary source of nourishment. It's an important element in a person's diet. And as such, salt is highly valuable. In the Old Testament when God required sacrifices, he required that the offering be seasoned with salt. It was necessary, and it was valuable. You are the salt of the earth. You are necessary and you are valuable. And let's face it, salt makes food worth eating. Who doesn't love a little salty sweet action and their taste buds. In my opinion, nothing beats chocolate chip cookies with a sprinkle of sea salt on top. Salt brings out the true flavor of the food and makes eating a joy and a pleasure. You are the salt of the earth You were created to bring joy and pleasure to God himself. But Matthew records that Jesus continues, What good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again, it will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. Salt can lose its flavor. Bakers at the time used salt blocks to line their ovens. After a time, the high and prolonged heat of the oven caused the salt to crystallize and become useless. It had to be thrown out. Luke says in 14:35, flavorless salt is good neither for the soil, nor for the manure pile, it is thrown away. The heat of the world is intense, more intense at times than that of a baker's oven. But as Jesus disciples, you and I are called to stay under God's protection and to keep our saltiness intact so that we can stand against the spread of sin. Live the life that God intended for us to live out our lives in covenant with him. claim our high value in a world filled with imposters and bring joy and pleasure to God. Don't let the heat of the world claim the saltiness that God has gifted you. Mark 9:49 through 50 gives this guidance for every one will be tested with fire. Can I get an amen on that one? Salt is good for seasoning, but if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again, you must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.   The next thing that Jesus tells His disciples is not only are they the salt of the earth, but in Matthew 5:14. You are the light of the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. Have you ever flown into a city at night seeing the pinpoints of light from high above is one of my favorite sights. At night, the Earth is blanketed in darkness. But the lights of a city are unmistakable. There weren't airplanes in Jesus’ day and the world didn't move quite as fast as it does today. A traveler who saw the lights of the city in the distance, would see safety and protection at the end of a long journey. Or, at the very least, lodging and food. In other words, rest and sustenance. Jesus is indeed our lighthouse in a dark harbor. Our protection and safety, our rest and sustenance. And we, as his followers, reflect God's light into this dark world. And we too, are a light for others who are searching in the dark. Jesus says You are the light of the world and he continues, No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. The light we shine is to lead others to God to show them the way to get to the kingdom of heaven. God wants us to welcome everyone we know to his city. We can shine the light of God by sharing the gospel message with others and by encouraging others to walk in their God-given purposes. That is our goal at Women World Leaders to shine our lights that you might shine yours. One of my main jobs at Women World Leaders is editing. I edit the Voice of Truth magazine and I edit the books put out by World Publishing and Productions. We are currently working on several books that are compilations of stories of victories and spiritual growth that individuals have walked through in their lives, and how they have allowed Jesus, even through their turmoil, to keep their lamps lit, so that they might hold them high to shine for His glory. These authors are truly the light of the world showcasing that even when we walk through the unthinkable — abuse, abandonment, shame, temptation—we can shine our light brightly. If you feel your light dimming, know that God is guiding you; you only to follow his light. And he will purposefully use everything that you are going through to strengthen you and give you the honor of bringing others to him. Mark says in 4:22 For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open and every secret will be brought to light. The Bible tells us that anything the devil meant for evil in your world, God can use for good. When we allow God to shine his light on us. He gives us the honor and privilege of shining that light to beckon others into the kingdom. Luke concludes his account of this teaching in Luke 818. So pay attention to how you hear. to those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand, will be taken away from them. You were created to be salt and light. There is no doubt about that. But what you do with your salt and light is up to you. Jesus warns us to pay attention and not take his teaching lightly. The more we obediently walk in the wisdom that God guides us with, the more wisdom he will provide. Don't hold the Holy Spirit back in your life. Unleash His presence by your obedience and your light will shine brighter than you can possibly imagine. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for making us who we are and for giving us the experiences you have given us. God, I thank you for the privilege of being salt in this sinful world and light in this dark world. God, I ask that you empower us by your presence and strength to shine so brightly on your behalf, that the whole world will see your glory. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

Submission to Freedom is the message from Mary Kay Inglis. You will never forget this podcast!   Mary Kay has a story for you and God saw to it that nothing would stop her message from getting out to the world, not even death. May God speak to your heart through this special message from a warrior with a purpose. To God be the glory.

Today’s message discusses faith, the course in faith we take when we radically love and trust God. No matter what circumstances we are surrounded by, no matter what obstacles come our way, no matter what happens, we can CHOOSE to love, trust, and serve the founder and perfecter of our FAITH. We must believe in Him and know great faith is shown as we wait for the ultimate fulfillment of His promises. ***** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leader’s Podcast. I am your host, Rusanne Carole, born in Louisiana, USA ,now living in Australia. This is a podcast that comes to you through a women’s global ministry, Women World Leaders. The WWL ministry began 4 years ago with people gathering in a home studying and discussing the Word of God. As followers of Jesus Christ we are commissioned with the call to go out into all the world, and share the gospel to the entire human race! We may be called to GO and influence our friends, families, our children. We may be called to GO into our communities. And we may be called to GO into other nations. God’s power and desire to reach the ends of the earth is evident in what He has done through the beautiful women of God who serve in WWL and the supporters who give, whether in donations, love gifts and prayer. We are privileged here at WWL that He has called us to be His army in sharing the love and grace message of our Lord Jesus Christ and we celebrate and are constantly amazed that He is allowing us to reach the globe. Thanks to all of you that listen and support us! I hope you are well & blessed and enjoy this time we have together and if you believe this message will speak to someone you know and help support and encourage them we ask that you share it. We are called in the body of Christ to uplift and support our brothers and sisters. Each week we bring you podcasts where we share women’s testimonies, have teaching in the Word and today in our segment of “Celebrating God’s Grace” I’d like to speak to you about FAITH. A big subject and so much could delve into but for today I want to look at: How we are never alone and we have supernatural support. We must believe, even when we are walking through the most horrific trials. I didn’t say it’s easy, but it is possible… WITH GOD! Hebrews 11:6 (TPT) tells us that “without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek Him.” Verse 7 says “faith opened Noah’s heart to receive revelation and warnings from God about what was coming”. Even things that hadn’t been seen, for rain had not yet even come upon the earth. WOW! He worked diligently for several decades building what God had told him without really knowing what exactly for. How many people would have possibly ridiculed him or even made fun of him? “What in the world is this guy doing building this HUGE construction? What a waste of time and effort?”I’m sure he might have had moments he may of questioned, what am I doing? But he focused on God and was obedient to what God had asked of him. Will we be? He was FAITHFUL. Genesis 6:22 says Noah did everything just as God commanded him. Sometimes it may be difficult to hear what God is telling us to do. This is where it is important to be in God’s Word every day. He is always speaking to us. We must often take time to be still to hear and trust His timing to bring us what He wants to tell us.  The greatness of faith is not to be judged on how many of God’s promises you receive or great wealth or health you experience. The greatness of faith is shown in proportion to how long you can wait for the fulfillment of a promise. Greatness of faith is not proven in what is received, but in how long a person can wait without wavering to receive. Many things in our lives have not come to pass that our heart so desperately desires! It may be healing for a loved one or for ourselves, it may be a healing for a broken relationship or marriage, or seeing those we love and care about being saved and living a life for Christ.   Waiting…. Wanting… Wishing.. things would happen! How do we still passionately seek Him? How do we ride the COURSE OF FAITH, especially when “things” aren’t going as we would desire and life’s battles continue to come. How do we remain faithful servants? Faith seems to come easy when “things” are going well. It’s when life gets tough and challenging and our faith is tested that can be really trying.  This year, 2022, it seems to me that for a lot of people I know things are “heavy”. Many I talk to are dealing with quite difficult things in their life and the lives of their loved ones, including myself. As you get older and experience life as a follower of Christ I believe you start to see it’s about faith, yes, but it’s really about remaining FAITHFUL NO MATTER WHAT THE WORLD THROWS AT YOU! Nothing in life remains the same and there are seasons of many highs and lows. It’s about:  Keeping our eyes on the FOUNDER AND PERFECTOR of our faith. It’s a COURSE IN FAITH we take every day. Hebrews 12:1-3  (TPT) tells us:  As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us. 2We look away from the natural realm and we focus our attention and expectation  onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! 3So consider carefully how Jesus faced such intense opposition from sinners who opposed their own souls, so that you won’t become worn down and cave in under life’s pressures.    God will NEVER abandon YOU! We are to be hopeful while waiting We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses   I recently attended some biblical training, and the pastor/teacher (over 40 years in ministry) shared lots of stories. One story he shared has stuck with me and I continue to reflect on it. He was in his office one early morning making last minute preparations to his notes for a wedding that he would perform later that day. A wedding, a glorious and happy celebration of two people very much in love. Not many things are more beautiful then celebrating the union of two people in love and embarking on life together! The phone rang with the devasting news of the death of a young man, a member of the church he pastored. It was the young son of a dear friend. He was devasted but he knew he had to be the one to tell the family. He got in the car and drove to his friends’ home. His friends’ wife opened the door welcomed him in, “What are you doing here? You should be preparing your message? He smiled and received the invitation to take a seat and wait on her husband who would return any minute. When his friend walked in the door, he greeted the pastor, his friend, and said something similar that his wife said to him, “What are you doing here? You’ve got a wedding at the church tonight, right?” He looked at him and said, “I have some very sad news, your son was in a car accident a few hours ago and died.” What happened next the pastor said would stay with him forever. His friend, the father of the son who had unexpectantly died that day, dropped to his knees and said, ‘You are a faithful God and I will choose to trust you and praise You through it all.” Prayer Thank you for listening to WWL’s podcast. Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love & your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are WWL. All content is copyrighted by WWL and cannot be used without written consent.

On today’s podcast, host Julie Jenkins continues walking through the Beatitudes, taught by Jesus and recorded in Matthew and Luke. Jesus is always forthright with us – revealing the blessings or sorrows we will encounter based on our obedience. As you listen, ask God to open your heart to His teaching. (Matthew 5:1-12, Luke 6:20-26) **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. If this is your first time joining us, welcome. I encourage you to check out our previous podcasts as well as visit our website, www.womenworldleaders.com. Our goal at Women World Leaders is to empower you to walk in your God-given purpose. Some of the ways we do that are through teachings, devotions, prayer books, and the Voice of Truth magazine. But one of the best ways you can grow in your God-given purpose is to get involved. God has a place for you in this ministry. We often say that we are reaching over 60 countries but did you know that we also have leaders in our ministry from several different countries? The devil certainly knows how to use technology but so does God. COVID pushed us into a digital platform and what the devil meant for evil, God used for good. One example is that we meet the fourth Monday of every month for a zoom prayer call. We gather and pray for specific needs for those on the call as well as for the needs of the ministry. If you would like to be involved, no matter where you are, send us an email at info at womenworldleaders.com. On this, the Wednesday edition of the podcast, we have the opportunity to walk through the Word of God together. And currently, we are walking through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Before we begin, let's pray. Dear Most Holy God, as we dive into your teaching today, I ask that you be with us and show us clearly what it is that you want us to learn today. God Your Word is living and active and we know that it will meet us where we are and it is you Holy Spirit that allows us to hear your thoughts, direction, and love for us as we read Scripture. God cleanse us of all unrighteousness that we may hear your voice clearly. In Jesus name I pray, amen. Last week, we began our study of the Beatitudes, the blessings that Jesus presented to his disciples and others listening on that mountain so many years ago. We learned that God blesses those who with humility, put God first in their lives. And the blessing is that they will be granted eternity with God Himself. We learn that God blesses those who mourn. Jesus knew how hard this life was how heartbreaking things of this world can be. Yet he promised that he has overcome this world. And though we mourn, we will receive the comfort of God Himself. We learned that God blesses those who are humble, who are gentle, who put others and their welfare above themselves. To me, this sounds a lot like a lot of parents out there. The reward he promises you who put others first, you will inherit the whole earth. And we learned that God will bless those who hunger and thirst for justice. God promises that when we work for justice in his strength tirelessly and obediently, justice will come to pass. So let's continue with our study and see what else Jesus has up his sleeve. Matthew five verses seven through 12. In the New Living Translation says, God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right and the kingdom for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers, be happy about it. Be very glad, for a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. In these verses, we continue to see God's rhythm those who walk in obedience to God's call on their lives, will receive a reward that only God can give. It's important to note that these rewards are not typically a treasure that would be cherished by worldly standards, but they are actually greater than anything that the world could offer. Remember the age old question, if you could have your three best wishes, what would they be, and you're not allowed to say all the wishes in the world. As a child, you might wish for $100, a new bike and your brother to stop bothering you all the time. As an adult, maybe your wishes more along the lines of a million dollars, a new boat, and a trip of a lifetime that you could take your whole family on, including that formerly pesky brother. Well, as we grow in Christ, we begin to get glimpses of even more mature dreams, dreams that God wants for us, that are exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we could ever hope or imagine, dreams of hope and joy and the deepest form of happiness ever, despite what is happening around us. Those rewards often come from a place of growth, and sometimes even a place of suffering. As we look at these attributes that God calls us to, it's important to note that Jesus exhibited each of these perfectly as he walked this earth in human form. Let's continue examining each action that we are called to as Christians, and the reward that God promises to bless us with when we walk in obedience. Verse seven, God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Mercy also means compassion. The only other time this specific word is used in the Bible is in Hebrews 217, which says, Therefore, it was necessary for him talking about Jesus to be made in every respect, like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful high priest before God, then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. That is how Jesus exhibited perfect mercy, perfect compassion by giving his life for us. That is a compassion that is really difficult to wrap our heads around, it goes a bit beyond making a casserole for someone or giving up a prime a parking space. And yet, that is perfect compassion. Don't get discouraged by this thinking, I could never be that merciful, and throw in the towel. God grows us degree by degree, and he is patient, and he will never stop encouraging or teaching us. So Jesus, while the greatest example of Mercy also is an example of being the recipient of the greatest mercy, he was brutally killed, exhibiting the greatest mercy, and then he was mercifully resurrected and seated at the right hand of God the Father. This is a lot to comprehend. And perhaps I should just confess here in now that God's ways are higher than I can understand or adequately explain. But I do know that I can live by faith, and that I can trust His promises. When I am wronged, I am instructed to show mercy and I can trust that God's mercy will return to me. When I am in a position to show compassion, I must remember that God is asking me to show compassion, and I can trust His compassion on the other end, even when it feels like I am getting the raw end of the bargain. Verse eight says God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. I've got to be honest, I have a love hate relationship with this beatitude it sounds beautiful. I want nothing more than to see God honestly, it's a great reward. But the criteria, well, that requires me to have a pure heart. The word pure means clean, blameless, innocent, free from corrupt desire, sin, and guilt. Well, that's not me. And I'm guessing it isn't you either. But there is hope. One of the sub definitions of pure is purified by fire. Fire is cleansing. By it, a metal worker is able to clean the impurities out of the metal. But fire isn't fun. It burns and it hurts the flesh. You and I alone can't make our heart pure. But if we ask, we can trust our God to do it for us. And remember, we serve a gentle God. If we take responsibility for our sin and gives give ourselves to Him for cleansing, he will make our hearts pure. First, John 18:9 says if we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we ask, confess and submit, God will cleanse our hearts and make them pure. And then we get to reward we will see the face of God. Verse nine, God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. We all recognize the benefits of peace. But what is interesting here is that Jesus notes that on this earth, peace requires work. Some translations say blessed are the peacemakers, the word peacemaker, also connotates action. We have a picture of peace from the 1960s that calm disconnectedness or people can think of peace as you don't bother me, and I won't bother you. But true peace indicates a wholeness, a completeness. We are created to be one family of God together. And that takes work. God will bless our work for peace. Jesus closes this section according to Matthew with these words, God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right for the kingdom of heaven as their got theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it. Be very glad for a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. Throughout history, and throughout the Bible, God's followers have been persecuted and mistreated. The truth is that the devil does not want God's name to be proclaimed. If you are in a position where you are being persecuted for the sake of the Gospel, know that God is wrapping his loving arms around you right now. And that he is holding a place of great honor for you in heaven. Stay strong, and cling to God, he will see you through. Luke records a bit more as a warning to those who are relying only on what the world can offer. Beginning in Luke 624, what sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have only happiness now? What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now? For a time of awful hunger awaits you. What sorrow awaits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn into mourning and sorrow. What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets. I think it is telling that we often focus on the blessings the What's In It For Me, but we forget about the sorrows that I just read. I asked you today to pay attention to the sorrows. If your focus on monetary wealth in the here and now? If it is no that that is not God's will for you. Do you turn away from the responsibility the that God has given you and focus your attention only on the pleasures of life? If you do, you're missing out on God's best for you. Is your time spent lauding yourself at that others will see and remember your name? If so, will you pray about how you can shine Jesus name instead of your own? The Beatitudes show us that God has blessings beyond her wildest imaginations, just waiting to rain down on us. But they also tell us that we are to carry out our end of the bargain, to be obedient to his calling. We are called to be humble, gentle, compassionate, merciful peacemakers, to work for justice, to allow God to purify our hearts, and to do right by God. Let's not give up the fight, stay strong, for your reward is great in heaven. Dear most holy God, you are so gracious and giving to us. You only ask that we put you first and obediently follow your call. God. empower us in Your strength to be obedient. Thank you for reminding us that the rewards you offer are greater than we could possibly ask or imagine and certainly better than the rewards of the world. Help us keep our eyes on the best prize of all eternity in your presence as we walk the path that you have called us. In Jesus name, I pray Thanks for listening to women world leaders podcast. Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at WWW dot women world leaders.com To submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event and support the ministry from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.  

Part two of two. From a disastrous ATV accident and people who left Christian Mayberry in a ditch for dead, the miraculous happened. Christian met Jesus.   Christian survived the tragic accident and 10 years later he lives to testify of Jesus and His love. Christian speaks across the nation with his mother, Kim Mayberry, who travels with him to assist with some of his disabilities. Together, they journey across the country to share their miracle story.  May you be empowered with hope, inspiration, and Christ's love. 

In today’s podcast, Tawana Lowery provides transformational insights on the importance of Unstoppable Desire and the critical role it plays in planting a mustard seed of hope. Listen as she encourages you to never throw away your desire; it is the key to receiving what you are hoping and believing for. Desire is where Faith begins.  We don’t need a large shovel to plant a mustard seed. We can plant a Mustard Seed of Hope with just a Teaspoon of Desire!      Taken from “Miss Overcomer Empower Moments.” All content is Copyrighted by Tawana Lowery and Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.   A few weeks ago, I was praying about some close relationships that never panned out the way I had hoped. Although God has completely healed my heart from the pain that was created, I was still curious about the choices others had made concerning me. And so, I asked God, “Lord, what was their reason for NOT including me and NOT accepting me??? I wasn’t lamenting or demanding and answer. I was simply trying to connect the dots on the rationale behind it. He said… “They didn’t Want to. They just didn’t want to.” Truthfully, I was a bit surprised at the simplicity of God’s response….   I guess I was expecting to hear some deep spiritual answer. But he just said… “They simply didn’t want to.” And then he said, “What I told you is profound when you think about it. In fact, it’s very insightful… spiritually speaking”.  Want = Desire  And Desire is where Faith begins!  Conversely, the lack of desire is where Hardness of Heart begins… because it means we’ve given up hope! Immediately my mind went to the story of the Lame man at the Pool of Bethesda (as recorded in John chapter 5). And I realized why Jesus chose the words he did when engaging the lame man.   By the time Jesus came on the scene, the Bible says this man had been in the same condition for 38 years. That’s a lifetime when you think about it. But Jesus question was intended to expose the man’s heart and where he was in his ability to believe for a miracle.   Jesus said, “Do you WANT to be healed.” He was basically asking the man… “After all this time… after all the disappointment… after all the waiting… after watching others receive their miracle…  Do you STILL WANT IT, or have you Given up?  In other words, “Do you still have a Desire? Do you still have a little bit of want to?”  “Because if you have just a teaspoon of desire… I can work with that!”   I also believe Jesus was showing us the Heavenly equation on Faith. He is saying that our Desire, even if it’s small, is where faith begins.” I believe this perfectly aligns with what Rabbi Paul (or the apostle Paul) admonishes in Hebrews 11:1.   “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”   In other words:  Desire produces Hope and Hope produces Faith!  And although our Desires are not immediately visible, they can be made visible if we don’t give up!   So, you could say… “Now Faith is the Substance of things Hoped for… the evidence of our Desires!”   I think we can also see this in the story about the Women with a Bleeding Disorder (Luke 8:43-48). After years of suffering and tons of disappointing results, her self-talk is quite remarkable. And gives us insight into the results she experienced from Jesus. She said, “If I can only….” WOW. Those are the words of “Desire.” She was saying… In spite of it all, I still Want It! And her my desire fed her hope that provided the strength to DRAG herself away from a place of hopelessness and onto the highway of life. Jesus said to her, “Your FAITH has made you whole.” But it started with her teaspoon of Desire! Her teaspoon of DESIRE kept hope alive… And it positioned her to COME ALIVE with healing!!!   Let’s look at one more example found in Luke 5:17-26. When we think about unstoppable Desire, this story should get the POSTER award! You know it well. Four Men are trying to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus in the HOPES that he will be healed.   And there are a lot of obstacles in the way… Lots of reasons to give up and go home! But, because of their strong desire, it fueled their hope. The scriptures tell us that when Jesus saw THEIR Faith. When he saw their unstoppable desire, their friend was made whole.   You know… sometimes I think we make our faith walk harder than it needs to be. Sometimes we think it takes a whole lot of faith just to have faith! Sometimes we think it takes a giant shovel to plant a Mustard Seed. But that’s not true!   I believe these passages tell us that we can plant a Mustard Seed with a Teaspoon! I believe it is telling us that our DESIRE (even if it’s small) is the key to receiving.   But, let’s go back and visit the first example about the man at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5. Because his story is slightly different from the others. This man didn’t pursue Jesus. Jesus came to him. But WHY? I’m sure there were other infirmed people by the pool that day. So, why this man?   Well, I think we can learn something from the question Jesus asked him. Jesus already knew what his answer would be. I think Jesus came to this man because Jesus knew there was still a teaspoon of Desire in his heart. The problem was, he had been placing his HOPE in others.   His initial response was, “Lord, when the waters stir I have no one to help me!” This poor man had spent all those years hoping in others. WOW! How many of us can relate to that?   And this is how the enemy tries to kill our Desire. He tries to kill it through Misplaced Hope. Because if we take our desire FOR something, but put our hope IN something or someone other than God, we will experience disappointment, heartache, etc.   And, if we do that long enough, we’ll be tempted to GIVE UP. We’ll be tempted to throw away our Desire and our Want To! Possibly the other people around the pool had already given up and had given themselves over to hardness or heart. I also believe Jesus is showing us that Hardness of Heart is the real danger. And it happens when we stop Desiring, when we throw away our Want To!   But what this also demonstrates is that we need to be Vigilant to Guard our Hearts from growing cold and indifferent. We can bypass the hard heartedness if we commit our Desires to Jesus. If we place all our Hope in him only.    HE and HE alone is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith. The scriptures say… the Lord will give you (Freely give you) the desires of your heart.  He is the one who initiates the Desire and He is the one who brings it to completion.   Galatians 6:9 encourages us to, “Not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we don’t give up.” In other words, when we seek God to keep our heart’s desires, and if we ask him for continued strength to forgive and to think on things above, we will reap a harvest from the mustard seed we have planted (with our Teaspoon of Desire). Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Sisters, we must resist the temptation to give up on our Desires, because it will determine our line of thinking and believing and receiving!   So, you might be thinking, “What about people who gave up their desire and didn’t realize the cost involved? What if someone put their hope in others because the enemy seduced them into believing a lie? What does the Bible have to say to those people?” We’re basically asking, “Will God redeem the unbelief?” In a word, YES! And the scriptures confirm it! Isaiah 1:18, the Lord invites us to talk with him about anything that separated us from him on any level so we can be made new again! “Come now, let’s reason together (lets talk about this thing that tripped you up!) Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. (Even though the unbelief and dooms day thinking left a stain on you heart and mind… give it to me and I will replace it with a resurrected heart and mind!)”   1 John 3:20 reads, “If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” In other words, he is compassionate and understands our weakness and is always there to bring us out! Maybe you’re feeling weary right now? Maybe you’re feeling tempted to throw away your Desire?  It could be because of your vocation…  Or you might feel weary concerning a special relationship.  Maybe you’re disheartened because of a life interruption that you weren’t prepared for.   Or maybe you still have a little desire, but you’re growing weary because of Misplaced Hope.  Possibly you put hope in the performance or acceptance of a spouse, a child, a friend, or even a religious leader. It is a common snare. We’ve all made that mistake before!   Lastly, you might be the person thinking you need HUGE Faith just to have small faith.  In other words, maybe you devalued your simple Desires… not realizing how much God can use it.  Maybe you feel overwhelmed at the thought of Mustering up hope because you think it requires a giant shovel to plant a mustard seed?  That’s okay… because our sense of lack is the perfect place to start. Just think about the miracle of the Loaves and Fishes.  Whether we use a shovel or a teaspoon, we must place it in God’s hands if we’re going to reap a harvest. If any of those scenarios apply to you, then with your permission, I’d like to lead you in prayer. Heavenly Father, I bring this weariness to the cross in the name of Jesus. You’ve told me to cast ALL my care upon you… because you care for me. And Lord, this weariness is more than I can bear. Forgive me for trying to carry it on my own. And Lord, where I’m tempted to give up on the desires of my heart, forgive me… I know you don’t condemn me… In fact you are always ready to rescue me from any temptation that might separate me from your perfect love. And that includes feeling alone and isolated and hopeless. Father, reveal to my heart any area where I have been tempted to put my hope in someone or something other than you… Forgive me for putting my hope in another person, or in myself or a certain outcome.   I bring the misplaced hope… this temptation to despair, the unbelief and giving up to the cross of Jesus. I asked that this part of my heart that’s been wounded would be made dead on the cross, crucified and buried… and the wine skin that’s contained it all these years. And any area of my heart that has exchanged the truth for a lie… I asked that it would be made dead this very moment… on the cross of Jesus. Father of glory… I ask to be Resurrect in Jesus with a NEW heart and a NEW mind and a NEW wineskin. Lord… fill me with new wine that I can live a brand-new life!! In Jesus mighty and glorious name…. Amen.   Copyrighted by Tawana Lowery and Miss Overcomer Global and cannot be used without express written consent.   July 2023