No More Fear

Out of Charles H. Spurgeon's book, Morning By Morning, he writes,

"God has said"

Heb. 13:5

If we can grasp these words by faith, we have an all-conquering weapon in our hand.  All doubts will be slain by this two-edged sword.  Fear will be pierced with a fatal wound by this arrow from the bow of God's covenant.  The distresses of life and the pangs of death, the corruptions within and the snares without, the trials from above and the temptations from below, will all seem like light afflictions when we stand by faith in the strength of "God has said."  Whether for delight in our tranquility, or for strength in our conflict, "He has said" must be our daily resort.  This may teach us the extreme value of searching the Scriptures.  There may be a promise in the Word that would exactly fit your case, but you may not know of it, and therefore you miss its comfort.  There may be a potent medicine in the great pharmacy of Scripture, and yet you may remain sick unless you examine and search the Scriptures to discover what "God has said."  Besides reading the Bible, shouldn't you store in your memory the rich promises of God?  If you can recall the sayings of great people, and quote the words of popular songs, shouldn't your knowledge of the words of God be extensive, so that you can quote them readily when you need to solve a difficulty or overthrow a doubt?  Since "God has said" is the source of all wisdom and the fountain of all comfort, let it dwell in you richly, as "a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

My daughter, Jenny's, favorite verse is, "In the beginning God," from Genesis 1:1.  Now, to read "God has said" puts another whole meaning to life.  This is where it all starts, "In the beginning God" and then to add "God has said."  Wow!  Sometimes that is what I need.  Nothing else needs said, because He already did.

When fear takes hold, let us remember, "God has said."  Here are other words of His to remind us He is in control.  He will hold us in His arms, and carry us through.

"Say to those with anxious heart,

'Take courage, fear not.'"

Isaiah 35:4a

"Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

"Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest,

any one of you may seem to have come short of it.

Heb. 4:1

We know there is nothing to fear IN God, because "He has said," and that is all we need.  

I pray, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."  John 15:27

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Motherhood and Respect

Respect

1. To feel or show honor or esteem for. 

2. To show consideration for..

"...the wife must see to it that she respects her husband."

Ephesians 5:33b

Moms, wives, do you respect your husbands?  Do your children see you respecting or disrespecting their dad?  Whether or not your children respect their father and others around them will hinge on how you treat the man you chose to marry, the man God has given you as a husband, the man you are called to respect, no matter what.

Ladies, there are no ifs, ands, or buts, there are no conditions, God's glorious Word simply says for wives to respect their husbands.  Many good things come from respecting your husband.  One, it makes him feel like a man, a real man, when his wife respects him.  Really treat him well and see if he doesn't stand just a bit taller.  Don't talk about him in front of him, or when you are with other ladies.  When with others, allow him to hear you say positive things.


One thing women do when they get together is bash their husbands, and not necessarily knowingly.  If bash is too strong, maybe you just "talk about," or have a "prayer request" for him.  It is still hurtful.  This is one reason I stopped attending many women's meetings, or get-togethers.    It only takes one woman making a negative remark towards her husband and then, we chime in with the rest saying, how he doesn't do this, or I wish mine would do this, or say this; it is very damaging to our husbands, as well as ourselves.  What many women do not realize is they may not mean for it to sound bad; it could only be teasing or jesting somehow, but it is the same; it hurts them and us.  It is extremely demeaning and humiliating to that man, and though he may not be there, somehow he will know how you have talked about him.


But, if you will always build him up, find something, anything, good to say, it may not change everything you wish was different about him, but it will change your heart toward your husband.  Remember, although God isn't always going to change what we want Him to, He always gives us what we need, and when we are obedient to Him, He will change our hearts in the process, and that is what He is most concerned with.  Our hearts are in His hands to mold and make us after His will.

Ok, so we know to show him honor and esteem him, and we do this through our conversation and our actions, and you may say, what does this have to do with parenting?  Well, it has everything to do with parenting.  Showing consideration to him in all we do, especially in front of the children is of utmost importance.  If you are not obedient to the One who gave us the command to respect our husband, then all else will be in vain.  You will become the person in charge, the leader, the one in control, and God's Word clearly tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:3, "But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ."  To get any of these out of order is to go against God's design and would be equally rebellious. 

If you are leading, then you are not respecting, and your children will not either.  Now, does this mean you are not to do ANYTHING without your husband standing over you?  No.  You are his help meet, you are his helper, you do everything that will help him be the man God created him to be.  This will be different for each family.  Just be sure your ways always line up with God's Word because blessings always flow from our obedience to Him.


Another good thing which comes from respecting your husband is, you are teaching your children how to respect others.  Your husband, as head of the household, can command his children to respect him, but I will tell you, it is your job to see that they do.  They will watch you, their mother, to see how you listen to him, how you speak to him, how you love him, how you treat him, to know how to truly respect him.


There are men, from our earthly, worldly perspective, who simply do not deserve to be respected, but that cannot hinder us from obeying God's Word.  If you married one of these men, in obedience, you must give him respect, and be there for him.  Go where he goes, do what he asks, be there for him.  The only reason you should not be with him is if something he does is illegal and goes against God's Word.  Otherwise, treat him as "the man."  When your children are grown they will know the "real" person their father was and is, but they will have much more respect for you as their mother, and others, by seeing how you respected him in those most difficult times.


If you teach them to respect their father, they will respect others with whom they come in contact with.  If they are not respectful to others, your disrespectfulness will shine through.  I have seen this too many times, respectfulness of children will depend on their mother.  If you are not helping to fulfill this quality of respect, their respect for you will not be near what it should be.  They may respect their father, but only because they have to.  You have the power to instill respect as a good quality, not one out of duty.


Do you have a "gentle and quiet spirit?"  Not all do.  Naturally, I do NOT.  Supernaturally, with God's help, I am continually, daily, working on this.  

"But let it be the hidden person of the heart, 

with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, 

which is precious in the sight of God."  1 Peter 3:4

Did you see?  A gentle and quiet spirit is precious in the sight of God!  Precious.  Wow!  I believe that should be something we truly strive for as women of God.  Go here, to my daughters' blog to read more on this precious quality.
Everyone's personality is different and that is what makes us unique, but we cannot think for one moment that, "this is how God made me, so deal with it."  We were born with a sin nature, and if we have been made new, alive in Christ, then we are to "die to self" every day.  We are new creatures.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;

the old things passed away;

behold, new things have come."

2 Cor. 5:17

A difference should be seen and heard.  Striving to be Christlike, to have more of Him, than more of us, should be a daily prayer.  Oh, to be like Christ, to have more of Christ in me.  That should be our desire.

Respect is one of the greatest foundational blocks for parenting, and much more could be said, but for now, think about how you treat others and particularly your husband.  If you treat others better than your husband, you need to ask yourself "why?"  Respecting your husband will set the tone in having respectful children.

"Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ 

with incorruptible love.

Eph. 6:24

Always Experiencing Him, 
Jody

Overcoming Fear

Some days are filled with fear.  It may be by our own making, it may be Satan toying with us, but whatever the reason, fear can take hold and change the way God desires for us to live.  We must fight back with God's Word.  I had been writing some Scriptures down dealing with fear, when I read out of The Quotable Oswald Chambers.  He said, 

"The truth is we have nothing to fear and nothing to overcome because He is all in all and we are more than conquerors through Him.  The recognition of this truth is not flattering to the worker's sense of heroics, but it is amazingly glorifying to the work of Christ." (from Approved Unto God)

His next quote was the one I had to read over and over, and I am continually going back to it and then to God's Word.  He spoke from Psalm 128:1, "Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in His ways."  Mr. Chambers said,

"The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.  'Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord;'  the writer to the Hebrews tells us to fear, lest haply there should be any promise of God's of which we come short (Hebrews 4:1).  (from The Highest Good-The Pilgrim's Song Book)

Fear took on a different meaning when I read this.  I like to think I have a "fear of the Lord," a healthy, reverent fear.  I know God loves, and He expects my surrendering to His will, my obedient heart, and yet I hold back...again. 

"The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;"

Psalm 19:9

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; 

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; 

His praise endures forever."

Psalm 111:10

"The fear of man brings a snare,

But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted."

Prov. 29:25

"There is no fear in love;

but perfect love casts out fear,

because fear involves punishment,

and the one who fears is not perfected in love."

1 John 4:18

"The fear of the Lord prolongs life."

Prov. 10:27

"The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the defense of my life;

Whom shall I dread?"

Psalm 27:1

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,

But a woman who fears the Lord,

she shall be praised."

Prov. 31:30

Slow down and meditate on His Word, God's wonderful love letter to us, and be blessed in fearing God and not man or what man can do.  Have a joyful day in the Lord!

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Blessed Mothers

Be blessed in what you do.

Take joy in this most important time, "season," of your lives.

Go here to gracefullmama, 

Joy, a missionary mother of 5, living in Indonesia, 

to be encouraged.

She also has a post at thebettermom with another great read.

We may need to re-evaluate our lives to give of our best to God.

There are lots of "good" things we may do,

but let us give God and our family the "best."

There will be other seasons in our lives to do the "good" things, 

and then, it may be the "best".

Now, take a little time, wherever that may be, with a little one on your lap, 

in the bathroom, or during naptime, and,

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him"

Psalms 37:7a

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody

Sing to the Lord

Sing to the Lord, You People of God

Sing to the Lord, you people of God.

Join in the chorus salvation brings.

Jesus, the radiance of God's glory;

Through Him the universe was made.

Hallelujah, Hallelu!

O sing to the Lord, Jesus reigns!

Praise the Lord from the highest heavens.

Praise him, you angels and heavenly hosts.

Praise Him sun, moon, and shining stars.

You were created by God's powerful word.

Hallelujah, Hallelu!

When you were created the Word was there.

Taken from the Lift Your Eyes CD, Hebrews 1:2-3, Psalms 148.  (Only a short portion of the song here)

Be Blessed today, this Lord's Day!


Always Experiencing Him,
Jody

Lift Your Eyes

This weekend, Lift Your Eyes, and look to the One who saves.

"Lift your eyes and look to the heavens

The Lord created all of these.

He marked out the great horizon.

He set the boundaries of the seas."

"I want the world to know my Savior

That He gave up His life for me.

He died on the cross, but in three days He rose.

I live in His victory.

He died on the cross, in three days He rose.

We live in His victory."

Blessings this gloriously cold weekend.

Go here, to AIG, for the Lift Your Eyes CD, Songs of Prayer and Praise.

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Encouragement for Moms

Moms, are you seeking help?  Encouragement?  Hope?  Someone to help guide you, someone who has been there before you?  I have had different people ask us for help and "what did we do?,"  and, "how did they turn out so well?"  Well, we are not completely on the other side, but with three graduates and our son having only one more year before he graduates and continues on, we are getting closer all the time.  I want to give you the encouragement I did not have, and searched for, went through depression for, and in the end, God and God alone brought me through.  Those years we leaned on Him for what to do, how to teach, how to disciple, how to discipline, how to love, how to encourage, and He brought us through and being the Ever Faithful God, He did as He promised, but only as we did as He commanded.

Our desire has been to glorify God, live for Him, obey what He asks of us and I will say, His blessings have overflowed in every area of our lives.  God's grace, as we were willing to listen and obey, has carried us into a relationship with Him and with each other, we would never have had otherwise.  He is good!  He is God!  My desire is to encourage you in this blessed endeavor of motherhood.

My guidance will be only what God has given me on this wonderful journey.  I pray you will join me in being faithful to the One who called us into the joyous time of motherhood.  Tell others and join us in this adventure.

Some topics we will discuss are respect, consistency, sarcasm, modesty, a gentle and quiet spirit, and purity.  I am looking forward to using what God has given me to help others.  I pray for each one who has the desire to be the godly mother our Father would have you to be.

Blessings to your family, and we will talk very soon.

My desire is Titus 2:3-5,
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored."  

I do not want to dishonor my Heavenly Father, so I take these commands very seriously, I pray you will too.

Our family last fall!  Loverly!  This is pretty funny, we never line up in order on purpose, but in most pictures, the kids are always in order of birth.  Just a tidbit of our family knowledge. *grin*

The super proud Mom and Dad!!!

My parents with the kids, well not really "kids;" it's just the easiest to say. 
Yes, lined up in order again!  Too funny!

My parents from whom I learned lots by example, (and they didn't have all the good books and resources we have available).  

So thankful to have you on this journey.  

"For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am."

Philippians 4:11

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Give Thanks

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

Take the time today, to-day, 

to be grateful for everything;

for those God has put in your life, 

the trials you may be facing

that are making you stronger than ever;

for your cup that overflows,

for life and breath,

Him who gives Salvation,

who IS Salvation.

I bow my head in silence;

My glad heart hums a tune;

I give God back His morning-

He hands me afternoon.  

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody

The Day of Love

The "Day of Love" is coming soon, otherwise known as 

"Valentine's Day." 

If you read the story, it is a bit sad, but you can make it a great day!

We Love all day, every day; 

Love a little extra on this day!

It's Fun!

(courtesy of DebbyS)

I LOVE hearts, and bright pink hearts are gorgeous!

Go prepare something a bit special!

Do something for the family, with the children,

THEN,

plan another special time for that special husband of yours!

Show that "respect" they so desire,

and Love that man!

If it is you and God, let us know what you did for another to show them HIS love!

Drop me a line and let me know what you plan to do to celebrate!

Some of us less creative people might like some special ideas!

You have 1 week and 1 day to plan!

Start now and make it special for those you love!

Go to Dayspring and check out their products to help with ideas of your own.

Some of ours are going out of town on that day, so we will be celebrating as a family BEFORE the 14th, but maybe the hubby and I will reread Song of Solomon...

"I found the one my heart loves."

Song of Solomon 3:4

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody

Daddy & Daughters

Daddy Daughter Dance

Ready!  

Don't they look nice?

Their Dad took them to the Outback Steakhouse Restaurant before the dance.  

Ummmmm ummmm!

It's always a special night for them to spend this time together.

The girls had been asked to guest post on a friends' blog about physical and emotional purity.  So, go over to Ashlin's and her sisters' blog to check it out.  Tell them we sent you, and say "Hi!"

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

It Was Good

"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth'; and it was so.  God made the two

 great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.  God placed them in the expanse of the the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.  There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day."

Genesis 1:14-19

These pictures were taken on a very bright and sunshiny day!

The "greater light" on this particular day came after some very gloomy, dreary days.

"...and God saw that it was good."

We needed to see this great light.  Sitting on the front porch, looking out at the farm, inhaling the fresh "farm" air, was what we needed!  

We love clouds, but the dreariness almost had us down.

We said, as God did, "it was good."

I know the pictures do NOT do the sun justice, but imagine sitting and taking in all the vitamin D it had to offer.  Feel the warmth!  Squint your eyes!  It was simply joyous!  Much to be grateful for!

I couldn't help but take a snapshot directly of the sun.  I couldn't even look at it, it was so bright.  But, I had to try and capture that moment of the warmth on my skin, the joy in my heart, and the reminder of warm weather to come.  God gives us His best, in the cold, in the cloudy, rainy days, and teaches us to always look forward to more of Him.

Always looking for more of Him!

#1299-1320

daughters going to AZ

daughters helping families

46 degrees but sun is shining!

smelling fresh air - the farm

sitting on front porch

Wilson's new baby and home

husband home

son w/new license driving me

dad better after surgery

4 of the best kids!

cookies and cream ice cream

Dayspring products

Sarah feeding 8 round bales

Jamin going with cousin to get calves

fixing food for neighbors

cousin helping treat our horse

feeding while dad recovers

all kids have licenses - WOW!

me not making all trips to town

hair appts.

Daddy/Daughter Dance

Dad's Dr. appt. after surgery

girls with sniffles

home with girls

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody