Unafflicted

My current Bible Study I'm doing is Beth Moore's Children of the Day. It's a study through 1 & 2 Thessalonians with Paul on his missionary journey. I'm only 1/3 of the way through, but it is a great lesson! I love doing Bible studies to learn more about the Bible. Digging deeper into God's word so I can learn more about Him! I've done several along with Beth Moore & Priscilla Shirer at this point and I've done some on my own. Unfortunately, time constraints don't allow me to do as many on my own these days as I wish. This season of my life is a bit hectic and that's okay. I love that God gives me these women to do studies with alongside the other women in my bible study group!

I must share that one of my favorite things about studying the Bible is seeing God's work all come together. A moment when you can see His abundance weaving through each part of the tapestry in His word! My lesson this morning interweaved with 2 past studies and I must share! It's a great word!

1 Thessalonians 3:1-4

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker1 in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.

the HCSB version says (in v. 3) 3 so that no one will be shaken by these persecutions. 

Affliction in the greek translates to Thlìpsis - figuratively to oppress with evil, afflict, distress. (Zodhiates, Dictionary, s.v.). 

Afflictions come from satan. They are meant to torment us, oppress us, and bring harm to us. 

Verse 4 says, however, the people had been warned beforehand that they would suffer. Knowing that they were told of such things gave them the opportunity to plant their feet. Be on guard. To stand firmly against any strikes the enemy might throw at us.

Ephesians 6:13-14  Reminds us to stand firmly against the enemy while putting on God's armor. We don't have to fight. We just have to put on God's armor. I actually did a blogpost earlier this year on standing firm with the armor of God - here.

Exodus 14:13  commands us to stand firm and see the Lord's salvation. Verse 14 goes on to remind us once we stand firm, then the Lord will fight for us!

So we can remember we don't have to fight against the oppression, affliction, and distress that satan tries to afflict us with! The LORD will fight for us!! All we have to do is stand firm. Be prepared.. with our armor! Then, when the Author of Lies tries to afflict us we won't be shaken!

It's a choice, really. Satan will attempt to afflict us. We have been warned of such in the Bible. I am warning you now. He *will* attempt to afflict you! We can choose to be afflicted or to stand firm. We can choose to be shaken or to stand still. 

What will you do? Will you let the Lord fight for you? 

The Beautiful Woman

Life has been a bit crazy lately, so I apologize for just now getting back to finishing up our Proverbs 31 study! This study has been such a blessing to my life and I hope and pray it's blessed you too!

Proverbs 31:30-31

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

The Hebrew word for fleeting here means “breath” or “vapor”. We can truly understand how fleeting beauty is when we know that the meaning of it is just a breath or just a vapor of time.

Lately I’ve been seeing Hollywood actors portrayed in online articles about botched plastic surgery or who went too far in their surgery attempts, etc. I read through these and truthfully.. it breaks my heart. These actors aren’t allowed to age in their profession. They’re not allowed to be real people with real faces and real bodies. I’m not against plastic surgery, honestly. I don’t have a problem with it and I don’t think it’s sinful or wrong. However, I think the heart behind it can be sinful. I think when we become obsessed to be something we aren’t, then there’s a sin issue. I think when we look at ourselves and pick ourselves apart because we aren’t beautiful enough and yet, we are made in the image of God, then I think there’s a sin issue. It’s my opinion that when enough is never enough… Just one more surgery, just a few more pounds lost or gained, just a few more things, etc. When we are never satisfied with who we are, what we have, and what we’ve been given.. then there is a sin issue. A heart issue. An issue that we need to take to the cross of Jesus and lay at His feet to find healing and restoration from Him. To find redemption in who He created us to be! 

photo credit www.enchantingquotes.com

As the Proverbs reveal to us... charm is deceiving. Beauty is fleeting… it's just a vapor. It comes and then it can just as easily go. But a woman who fears the Lord… she will be praised. She will be blessed. Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you.” One of the most beautiful things we can understand about the Excellent Wife is that above all things regarding her appearance, she fears the Lord! She is concerned about what God thinks about her more than what others think about her. Her priorities are according to what God has called her to do.. not the expectation of others. She fears the Lord and because of this, 

then she is praised, admired, and honored by her family. Because of her fear of the Lord.. He rises up and His beauty shines upon her!

She is woman who is honored at the city gate. Women weren’t often recognized at the city gate, but an extraordinary woman definitely deserved extraordinary recognition. We can find so many wonderful assets & virtues about this woman and we can all hope that through prayer and growing closer to the Lord that we, too, can be an Excellent Wife (or for the unmarried... an Excellent Woman!)

What was your favorite part of learning about the Excellent Wife?

The Willing Woman

People depend on this Excellent Wife.... she is willing to serve her family! The Hebrew meaning of verse 17 here literally means that she girds her loins with strength and vigor. 

Proverbs 31:17-18(HCSB)

17 

She draws on her strength[a]

and reveals that her arms are strong.

18 

She sees that her profits are good,

and her lamp never goes out at night.

Photo credit: www.talkshoe.com

A discussion of Jewish clothing is helpful to fully understand what this means. The essential garment for the Jew was the tunic. Because the tunic was so basic, it was identical for men and women except that the man’s tunic was often shorter (knee length) and more colorful whereas the women’s was often longer (ankle length) and blue. The tunic was normally a long flowing and full cut robe. The girdle was often made of leather or cloth and was used to hold the tunic to the waist. When men needed freedom to work, run or fight, they would tuck the hem of the tunic into the girdle to gain greater freedom and movement. This action was called “girding up the loins” and the phrase became a metaphor for preparedness. The women would often lift the hem of their tunics to help carry heavier or numerous objects. A common expression in America has been the need “to roll up your sleeves” when hard and unhindered work is necessary to accomplish the task. This modern expression finds it counterpart in the biblical expression of “girding up the loins.”[1]

She has a healthy attitude towards hard work.  She doesn’t just sit & do idle work. She isn’t afraid to work hard. In today’s time, how can we apply this? We aren’t just delegating work out or sitting around lazily. We aren’t just playing through life. We work hard for our families and our households. We work diligently in our work places. We give of ourselves within the church.  Vigor means to work using our physical strength within the boundaries of good health and with energy, effort, and enthusiasm.

This woman is truly intelligent, strong, loves her family, and is willing to give of herself in every way possible in order to bring blessings to her home. We see that not only does this woman do all of these things for her family, but she does it willingly and with a good heart.  

We also know this woman likes to look for good deals and is a bargain hunter. The fact that verse 18 tells us that her lamp doesn’t go out may mean to say that she is a hard worker with eyes looking towards her future. Proverbs 24:20 says, “for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.” There are several locations in the Bible that tell us that misfortune is near for those whose lamp goes out.

I suggest for you to read the parable of the five virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.

I can’t read these passages and not point out the parallels to the lampstand in Revelation1:12-13 and 2:5. The lampstand in these verses refers to the Holy Spirit. For us personally, the lampstand symbolizes that we are the light within the darkness of this world. We must be vigilant to let our lights shine. To keep oil in our lamps. We need to be examples of holiness. Examples of showing others that the Holy Spirit lives within us by loving others. That is our mission as believers! We must be prepared… “Therefore, be ready. Not only that, walk in the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, depend upon the Spirit of God, be filled with the Spirit” (Smith) Feed your Spirit! That is the idea of keeping oil in our lamps.

Please understand that losing the lampstand is not losing salvation and the part of losing the Holy Spirit is only speaking of the church. However, we can learn from that and note that by not metaphorically being prepared with oil for our own lamps then we are squelching the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we squelch the Holy Spirit then we can lose the light of our lamps and therefore we are no longer walking in the light of Jesus. When we aren’t walking in the light of Jesus then we are allowing the enemy to sneak in on us which guarantees destruction will be before us. Misfortune will be near. Heartache will be plenty. We should be prepared with oil for our lamps. As women after God’s own heart, then we must be diligent to not let our lamp go out at night.

Likewise, allowing our lamp to stay lit symbolizes long life and prosperity.

photo credit: www.ucg.org

What about you? Are you a hard working woman who is doing her work with the right heart or are you grumbling as you serve your family & home? It's important to remember that she isn't focused on "doing" but rather, she is focused on "serving".

Likewise, Are you feeding your spirit? Are you keeping oil in your lamp? What are ways that you choose to keep your spirit fed?

Study the Excellent Wife

from the beginning: Proverbs 31:10

The Helpful Woman

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[1] Maranatha Baptist Seminary - http://www.mbu.edu/seminary/sunesis/gird-up-your-loins/

The Investing Woman

Proverbs 31:16 

 She goes to inspect a field and buys it;

with her earnings she plants a vineyard.

Photo credit: www.shecapital.com

Now, let's talk about the Investing Woman!

One commentator explains that the wife’s considering and buying a field have caused some to question the validity of this poem because women, it is argued, were not permitted to do that in those days. However, in this wealthy household she apparently had money to invest. Then out of her earnings from various investments (cf. “trading,” v. 18, and “sells,” v. 24) she plants a vineyard. She has a business mind and she works hard.[1]

She is industrious, for sure! This doesn’t mean that all women need to go into sales or real estate or even farming. However, it does mean that she is using her gifts & talents to help her family. She uses her mind and thinks logically about her decisions. She weighs her choices & chooses wisely what to do with her earnings. She is thinking long term when she buys a field and with that field chooses to plant a vineyard. We don’t know if her vineyard will be for selling produce, making/selling wine, or maybe it will be to help provide more food for her family. We don’t have to know what she’s going to do with the vineyard. However, we can know that she was wise enough to have her own earnings and re-invest those earnings into something that would be of further blessing & benefit to her family, in some way.

I think it’s necessary to note that she is royalty, so any earnings she has is extra. Maybe in your home the earnings aren’t extra so therefore you couldn’t necessarily save up to buy something as large as a vineyard to help provide for your family. 

In today's world and practically within our tightly budgeted homes of today here are some ways that I think we can invest into our homes and family life:

Prayer is one way we can invest into our families. Prayer changes lives! We strive to do a family prayer time together each night. Our children look forward to praying together. We thank God for our blessings. We pray for each other and others in our community.

Cooking meals and doing family meal time. This invests into the hearts and minds of our children. It feeds them spiritually and emotionally as well as physically.

I took my kids to get library cards as soon as they were old enough, because I want to invest into them a love for reading. This has been a real benefit to them academically!

Going to church together is investing in the spiritual health of your children while also investing into the family unit. It shows our children the importance of serving & being with fellow believers. It strengthens marriages and creates a family bond.

I think something as simple as investing in a few good pieces of clothing. It may cost more on the front end, but if it lasts 10 years then it was a good investment for your budget and your wardrobe. I must admit, I am the Queen of clearance racks at high end stores! You can find designer shirts for as low as $5 on clearance racks sometimes! Therefore, you’re also saving money & investing back into your budget.

For men, having basic tools can be an investment, and those tools can sometimes be passed down for generations. My husband has some tools that belonged to his grandfather. Not only are they helpful, but they're sentimental to him too!

These are just a few examples at how making wise choices can be an investment and a blessing into our family. It doesn’t have to be a piece of real estate. It can be many different things that we devote ourselves to in order to be a benefit and blessing to our household.

What are some beneficial ways you choose to invest into the heritage of your family?

Study these verses 

from the beginning: Proverbs 31:10

The Helpful Woman

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^[1] Walvoord, J. F., & Zuck, R. B., Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 972). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

My Bible & Me

I am not a very sentimental person. I have a few cards that my husband gave me especially when we were dating and first married, but aside from that I am not a card keeper. I like to read them and I may hang on to them for a few days, but eventually they make their way into the trash can. I also don't keep all of my children's artwork. *gasp.* I have a few things from each of them that is special, but normally I will take a picture of it and in the trash it goes. With the exception of pictures, I am sort of obsessed with pictures, I am just not very sentimental... and that's okay!

However, I have to tell you one thing I am very sentimental about. My bible. It has been well used and well loved. We got my bible the same month we were married. So it is 12 years old. I got it in commemoration of my new name as a married woman. I was so excited to have my new married name engraved on the front! It has been underlined, highlighted, noted throughout, and cried on. It has been used well for the last 13 years. I have even put it in my will to my daughter, because that's how much I cherish it. Here shows you just how well it's been used.

I literally have notes from nearly every sermon I've heard over the last 13 years. Most pages are marked up like the ones you see here. The back of my bible is literally falling apart. Pages are slipping out, the binding is broken, and you can see threads where pages were once sewn. So yes, not even duct tape could fix this! 

I planned to get it rebound and resewn. However, the thought of being without it for 6-8 weeks was quite a long time for me. I kept telling my husband I didn't know how I would go without it for that long. I have another bible I like to read from for leisure read and I have a bible app on my phone, but it just wasn't the same. 

When I searched online and priced how much it was going to be to have this done, then I had some definite sticker shock! The cheapest I found was $130. Yikes! With tears in my eyes I told my sweet man that I couldn't spend that much when I knew I could get a new bible for so much less than that. He was kind to me and told me I have the option of always keeping this bible to refer back to my notes and highlights. Which, as silly as it sounds... I hadn't even thought of that as being an option. 

So, I decided I would get a new bible. When I was previously going to have my other bible rebound, then I had decided I would get it rebound in purple leather, because purple is my favorite color. So, on the way to the bookstore I had my mind made up for a purple leather women's study bible in NIV translation. My previous bible was a women's bible and I really liked that! 

We got to the bookstore. I went straight to the bibles and looked for every purple bible I could find. Color is of utmost importance, don't you think? I pulled out 7 bibles and was nearly on the verge of dropping them when I found a table. I called for the Hubs to come over (he is somewhat of a bible scholar) and I said, "I found all these bibles in purple or teal. I'll settle for teal. Now, I did decide to check some other translations though. Which one is best for me?" He laughed at my decision making according to color, immediately picked out 2 (incase you're wondering... one was purple and one was teal) and said, "Go with one of these."  I asked him, " Don't you atleast need to thumb through all of these? Check out all of my options and help me weigh the pros and cons of each?" He said, "Nope. I can tell you right now these two are what you want and what you need. So it's your choice." Okay... hmm... Well, I am not so great at deciding things like this. So I put up the other 5 bibles and gathered up the two he recommended and I sat down and began comparing passages, notes, study references, and the pros and cons of what I liked or didn't like about each bible.

The choices he gave me weren't women's bibles and neither of them were NIV. They were both HCBS study bibles. I am teaching two groups of women now. One in our community and another group of women in our church. The more I dig into God's word, then the more I long for it and the more I read, then the more I savor it. He really suggested a study bible for me. I have been getting more and more into reading commentaries and comparing scriptures and passages, so I knew he was right that I would enjoy a study bible. I decided on the biggest one, but not too big. It needed to fit into my purse! Don't worry, I have a big purse!  I got the purple one too! 

I do have my name engraved, but blurred it out for the picture

I am excited for the new studies this will help me with. I love the colorful maps, the timelines for each book of the bible, the references, the commentary, and the ease of reading that HCBS translation offers me. As I've begun a new chapter of teaching and studying God's word even more diligently over the last year, then I think this is a perfect time to get a new bible. A new season for me. This one is leather too, so it will hopefully hold up better than the bonded leather I had in my previous bible!

My new HCBS Study Bible

Yes, this bible wasn't cheap either, but it wasn't as much as the binding, sewing, and s&h would've been for my previous bible. The best blessing for me was I shared with the lady at the bookstore that I hadn't bought a new bible in 13 years. I told her how my other one was torn and falling apart so I had to buy a new one, but I was sad about that. I told her that even new bibles are more expensive than I expected. She was so kind and gave me 20% off of my new bible. (I love a good deal, and this thrilled me to death!)

Anyways, I just want to share with you my new bible buying experience. My other bible walked with me through lots of hardships and heartaches. Family matters, ended friendships, marital conflicts, and difficult parenting days. I think this bible is my new redemption bible. I look forward to what it will walk with me through. I am hopeful that it will be my bible that walks with me through the new journey of teaching the Lord has me on. Only God knows and wherever He leads, then I am ready to follow... new bible in tow!

Time of New Beginnings

We moved to Northwestern Kentucky at the beginning of January from East Tennessee. I had a thriving Pampered Chef business that I had built over the last 3 years. I loved my business, my customers, and the self-worth I felt in what the Lord had given me the wisdom to build.

Growing up in a home where I experienced gaslighting (click on gaslighting to get more information on what gaslighting is) on a consistent basis I felt like I was in a constant state of confusion. Anytime I questioned my mom (as a child or an adult), stood up for myself against accusations, shared my viewpoints, etc. then I was repeatedly told, "That's not what happened and you know it." or "It's because you're so sensitive." or "That's not true." So I was left trying to figure out if what I thought was true was really true. Could it be that I was wrong about what I thought was true? I felt a little crazy.. most of the time! I would spend *days* going over conversations in my mind and trying to sort out the details so I could understand what the "truth" was. It was mentally exhausting.

Due to my "constant state of confusion" I felt truly unintelligent. I didn't feel bright at all. So for me to have built a good business from the ground up made me feel clever! It made me feel like I was capable of great things! After my shows, customers would sit around a table, eat my delicious creations, and praise my accomplishments for a great, entertaining show. They relished the food I prepared for them. I was shocked! I didn't think I could be good at anything!!

So you see, when we moved away from my thriving business I mourned the loss of what I would no longer have. I had the possibility of re-starting my business, but every time I prayed about starting a Pampered Chef business here I just didn't have any sort of peace about it. I even had shows lined up and after much, much prayer I realized the Lord didn't want me to continue on with the business I loved. Despite the fact I didn't understand this call, I obeyed.


So now, fast forward from my resignation to now, exactly 4 months. The Lord has opened up so many doors for me to be in teaching positions here! Unfortunately, none of these are paid, but it's my prayer that I am helping women grow in their relationships with Jesus and that's worth so much more than a paycheck!  I am now teaching 11 Kindergarten & 1st grade students in our homeschool co-op! This is a brand new concept for me, but I'm having so much fun with these sweet kiddos! I have been teaching a bible study with Beth Moore for about 3 months now and the blessings of this bible study has nourished my dry & weary soul in a splendid way!! Lastly, the Lord just recently opened up the opportunity for me to start a women's Sunday School class on Sunday mornings at our church! Whew.. 3 classes! I would've laughed if you told me this a year ago! It takes much time and preparation, but I am reveling in it! I am passionate about supporting women in their journey of truth about Jesus! What a blessing and an honor as He has bestowed these classes upon me!

It's interesting that when we give up the things we love... when the Lord calls us to do so... then He brings us bigger blessings more than we could expect! I look back now and all I can think is, "Okay Lord! I get it now! There's no way I could run my business, homeschool 2 kids + a toddler, be a pastor's wife, and teach 3 classes!" The latter 3 keep me busy enough!! God is good and His faithfulness endures forever!!

Isaiah 52:1-3 

"Awake, awake, O Zion, 

clothe yourself with strength. 

Put on your garments of splendor...

Shake off your dust; 

rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem, 

Free yourself from the chains on your 

neck, 

O Captive Daughter of Zion. 

For this is what the Lord says: 

'You were sold for you nothing, 

and without money you will be 

redeemed.'" 

Hallelujah and AMEN!