Resolution for Women Book Study ( February 2012)

The first session of the Resolution For Women book study was a blessing.

Here are  a few comments:

YES, Thank you sister Sandy... The letter you read was soooo very true. Praise God for friends who encourage! Thank you for sharing it. Your work is not in vain. Thank you also for sharing the song" Overwhelmed!"

Praise GOD HE is FAITHFUL!

It was a busy weekend for most of us we were able to participate in some thoroughly enjoyable life changing events and major milestones in the lives of some wonderful friends.

Now I am excited to get to know some NEW SISTERS in Christ. I see these lovely women on Sundays and just passing by I say hello....but now, because of this book study and the interaction we had yesterday we get to fellowship on a deeper level.  I was VERY encouraged!

I am also glad that Priscilla (the author) expressed her concern about how the New York Times article would be received by the public primarily because of her Christian viewpoints on our roles as women, wives, and yielded partners in this society.

I am looking forward to this study and the fellowship with my sisters in Christ..I really appreciate what one of them said yesterday!! She visited for a while before she decided to commit to membership. Now she wants to be involved. PRAISE GOD!!!

My prayer is that the HOLY SPIRIT will enable us to fully engage in HIM and with one another, that we will take the time to get alone with HIM read, study, and be prepared for our next meeting. Honestly the busyness of daily life tends to redirect my priorities and divert my focus.

So I pray for a steadfast, committed spirit to follow through as we study together and grow. "OVERWHELM US LORD" not as the world does, for YOU supply all of our need, Overwhelm us with PRAISE UNTO THEE!YES, !"

Elizabeth Clayton 

Resolution for Women Book Study

Join us today, February 19th @ 5:00 for the first session of our Book Study. We will use our Blog location to correspond daily, weekly or as often as needed.

In His Service,

Sandy Hunt

Obey His Commands indicating transformation!

According to John 14:15 -21: 

15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." 

W express love for Jesus by obeying His commands. To love Him wholeheartedly, we must develop a lifestyle of obedience. Let's look at four aspects of such a lifestyle.

1. Our trust in the Father grows. This confidence comes from bel

ieving that the Lord is who Scripture says He is. And God's Word tells us that He is good—as well as faithful to keep His promises (2 Cor. 1:20). Psalm 86:15 calls Him merciful, gracious, loving, and slow to anger. His character remains unchanged by difficult or hard-to-understand circumstances (Heb. 13:8).

2. We develop a deepening ability to wait on the Lord. Delays can be hard in our I-want-it-now culture. But we must resist temptation and wait on Him instead of running ahead.
3. We commit to obey God. Without such a resolve, we'll vacillate at decision time or allow fear to prevent us from choosing His way.
4. Our study of Scripture becomes consistent. The Bible reveals God's priorities, commands, and warnings. It acts as a light, illuminating His chosen path for us while revealing obstacles and dangers along the way (Ps.119:105). Without it, we are like a person who walks in the woods at night without a flashlight.

Becoming a Christian doesn't mean that obedience to the Lord is automatic. It's a lifelong process of growing in our trust and patiently waiting on Him before we act. This requires a steadfast commitment to obey so that we can say no to ungodly choices and yes to God

TWM

What cause transformation in our christian walk???

The Word of God - Galatians 1:11-17

11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus

After Paul's conversion, he disappeared into the desert for three years, during which time the Holy Spirit instructed him in the ways of God. He emerged, ready to communicate divine truth.

The Lord speaks to believers so that they will comprehend the truth, conform to the truth, and communicate the truth. These same steps form a roadmap to discipleship. What happened during Paul's desert years was only the beginning of a life-long process—God renewed his mind and transformed him into the image of Christ. For the apostle, that change began with connecting his rich biblical knowledge to the revelation that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.
Paul knew Scripture thoroughly, but the truth that Jesus was the promised Messiah made him reconsider the foundation he'd been trusting. Everything he knew about God had to be reevaluated in light of this new information. Paul had a history of wanting to please God, so the Holy Spirit no doubt found him a willing pupil.

The apostle's spirit had to be shaped according to the Father's will. And the Lord kept working on him long after Paul left the desert and began his ministry. Every person who reads his letters is a witness to the work of God in a submissive man.

The Lord's discipleship roadmap looks similar for every believer. Like Paul, you are the Holy Spirit's student, and the knowledge you reap from Scripture should be changing your life. Be like the apostle in this way to become a disciple maker by sharing what you learn with others. Lord we thankyou for not giving up on us. Continue to do a work i us, transforming us to be all that you have called us to be.

TWM

TWM sponsors the showing of Courageous the Movie 1/29/2012

Transformed Women's Ministry

Transformed Women’s Ministry will kick-off the Book Study “The Resolution for Women" with the showing of the movie Courageous. The movie will show January 29th at 5:00PM in the sanctuary.. ( No Cost). If you plan on participating in the book study, books will be available for purchase for 10:00. The first Study will be February 5th @ 5:00PM. It is a 6 week study ; however, we will only meet... for 3 weeks starting with February 5th. The following dates are February 19th and March 4th.

Plan on joining us!

The Resolution for Women inspires women with intentional, spirit-filled living from three unique angles. Section one, titled, "This Is Who I Am," helps a woman define herself as "authentically me, purposefully feminine, surprisingly satisfied, and faithfully His." Section two, "This Is What I Have," invites her to value "my best, my blessing, my honor, and my heart." And Section three, "This Is What Matters To Me," focuses on joyfully honoring God as a wife, mother, and family member while resolving to live with the grace that leaves a godly legacy. The Resolution for Women is designed to inspire a revolution.
______ Yes , I plan to attend the showing of Courageous , Sunday January 29th @ 5:00PM
_______Yes, I would like to purchase a book for the Study
_______ I cannot attend the showing of the movie, but plan to participant in the Study.
My name is ______________________________

Transform our minds! Lord hear our prayers!

The Mind of Christ

1 Corinthians 2:12-16
...
The best life you could possibly live is the one your Creator has designed for you. He has given believers everything they need to become more like Him and to achieve all He has planned for them. Since the way we think is vitally important in this process, the Lord has given us the mind of Christ. Now we have the capacity to think as He does and to see situations from His perspective.

This marvelous ability to align our thoughts with His is a gift that we receive from God at the moment of salvation. However, the practice of it is our responsibility. We all come to Christ with minds which are already “pre-programmed” to one degree or another. For example, a child who grows up hearing demeaning comments will probably incorporate them into his concept of who he is and what he can accomplish. Also, this world system is constantly attempting to fit us into its mold, and Satan tries to inject his lies into our thinking.

If we are to experience the abundant life the Lord wants us to have, old thoughts that do not agree with God’s Word must be replaced with truth. Then we need to screen the ideas that bombard us each day. As we cooperate with God in this ongoing process, our lives will be transformed.

Compare your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs with biblical teachings. If they don’t match, reject those patterns of thinking, and fill your mind with corresponding truths from Scripture instead. Since the Lord has empowered believers to think right, let’s cultivate the mind of Christ within us.

Be blessed on this day!

TWM

God's Appointed Time - Never early/Never late: So the righteous shall live by faith.

It has been a while since we have blogged.  But we are happy to be back with you.  This week I had the opportunity to spend some time with several ladies I love dearly.  God has given us the opportunity to share life together, build one another up and sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron.  Each of us have something we are going through in our lives, our marriages, our family life, with our children; you know the score.  Yet God is in control.  One sister shared the promise God has spoken into her life from Habakkuk.  Habakkuk 2:2-4  states...  

²And the LORD answered me:  "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.  ³For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie.  If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.  ⁴"Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.

As I thought about our sharing of all God was doing in us as women of God and through us in the lives of our husbands, children, family and friends, I began to thank God.  Not only is He in control but His plan is the right plan and its always on time.  Now the question becomes will I believe God and trust His plans for me?  Although we like to think we have options, we don't.  The alternative offers no hope.  If we belong to Him, we have one option - 'but the righteous shall live by faith.'

The following commentaries drive home the point that God is the one to be trusted with the very details, twists and turns of our lives, as we learn to walk by faith.  May the truth of this passage bless you as it has blessed me.

In God’s Time - Faith's Checkbook - C H Spurgeon
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but atthe end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry,wait for it; because it will surely come, it will nottarry.”—Habakkuk 2:3

MERCY may seem slow, but it is sure. The Lord in unfailing wisdom has appointed a time for the outgoings of His gracious power, and God’s time is the best time. We are in a hurry; the vision of the blessing excites our desire and hastens our longings; but the Lord will keep His appointments. He never is before His time; He never is behind.  God’s word is here spoken of as a living thing which will speak and will come. It is never a dead letter, as we are tempted to fear when we have long watched for its fulfillment. The living word is on the way from the living God, and though it may seem to linger, it is not in reality doing so. God’s train is not behind time. It is only a matter of patience, and we shall soon see for ourselves the faithfulness of the Lord. No promise of His shall fail; “it will not lie.” No promise of His will be lost in silence; “it shall speak.” What comfort it will speak to the believing ear! No promise of His shall need to be renewed like a bill which could not be paid on the day in which it fell due: “it will not tarry.”  Come, my soul, canst thou not wait for thy God? Rest in Him, and be still in unutterable peacefulness.

Living by Faith by Wil Pounds

Habakkuk 2:4 presents two different ways of living in strong contrast.  The way of the wicked is unbelief and defiant disobeying of God’s revelation.  The other is the faith in God and obedience to His Word.  One is submissive to God, and the other is arrogant unbelief.  One says, “I don’t need God.  I can take care of myself.”  The other says, “But the righteous will live by his faith.”  The prophet wrote:  “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). 

The “proud one” is puffed up, swollen with pride.  The Hebrew expression is figurative of pride and arrogant self-sufficiency. This is the strong contrast the prophet is drawing out in this chapter.  The wicked is puffed up and has no desire to do what is right in God’s sight.  “He is greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied” (v. 5, NIV).  Sheol or death is compared to a voracious appetite that can never be satisfied. 

The other choice is living by faith in the one who keeps us, not only from the moment we first trust in Him as our Savior, but in every moment of every day of our lives.  “But the righteous will live by faith.”

This verse in Habakkuk asks some important questions for Christians today.  Who is this righteous person?  How did he become right in God’s sight? What is the function of faith in the righteous person’s life? How do you live before a holy God? Habakkuk emphasizes, as does the rest of the Bible, that we are not righteous.  We are unrighteous.  We are sinners.  We cannot earn a righteous standing before God because we are dead in our sins and trespasses.  We cannot earn a right relationship with God through good religious works, prayers, charity, fasting, etc.  “But the just shall live by faith.” Since no one can attain perfect goodness, how then can we stand right before God and be acceptable to Him? The just person, or person right in the eyes of God, has ceased in his own efforts to attain this right standing before God.  He has turned to Jesus Christ instead for the righteousness that God freely gives.  It is God’s gift to the believing sinner in Jesus Christ.  A Christian is a person who is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for a right standing with God.  He or she is not someone trying to earn salvation by good works, but instead has received what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. The very foundation of our Christian life is not what we can do for God, but what He had done for us in Jesus Christ.  Our entrance into the Christian life is not by working but by a spiritual birth.  We receive God’s gift by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.  “The righteous person will live by faith” (Rom. 1:16-17).

To God be the glory,

Cece