Fulfilled Longings

Proverbs 13:12 – “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (NIV)

One thing that makes for an unhappy person is an unfulfilled longing.  We have desires and longings in our hearts that we yearn to have fulfilled.  What longings do you have that are not fulfilled?  Could I challenge us all to consider that God is the only One who can give us the fulfillment we really need and desire?  All those things we think we “need” to be fulfilled really aren’t the height of fulfillment at all.  Sure we may feel good for a time when a "need" seems fulfilled.  But if God is not the Source of our fulfillment, then we will continue to find ourselves striving to satisfy need after need in an effort to experience that soul-satisfying fulfillment.  Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”  God’s fulfillment truly is a tree of life in our dissatisfied souls.  God loves us tremendously and gives good gifts.  He does fulfill some of our desires that He knows will be good for us.  (Psalm 37:4)  Yet, we cannot make our focus be chasing after things to satisfy longings in our hearts that need to be fulfilled by God.  Instead, we need to fix our eyes on Christ who is the “…author and perfecter of faith…” (Hebrews 12:2) and rely on God as our only Source of true fulfillment.

©2008 KRL The T.A.G. Blog  http://www.homesteadblogger.com/tagblog

Discussion on Assignment #14

We have reached the end of our study.  Can you believe it?  We've made it through to the end and are hopefully the better for it!  I know I have been challenged to consider my thinking on some issues and have also been confronted with some things that I need to work on.  In this final chapter, the author gives a review of 22 of the Truths we've covered in this book.  As we conclude our study, I'd like to share a quote from our final reading assignment.

"Because God is good and loves us perfectly, we can be confident that he longs for us to experience all the joy in life He designed us to know.  He knows we will only find this true and lasting joy and fulfillment in Him.  He loves us so much, He insists we come to Him, where alone we can be fully satisfied."  (pg. 254)

God is good no matter what we think -- no matter how we feel.  He is good - period.  He can be trusted.  And He desires us to be fulfilled and have joy.  But in order to truly be fulfilled and to have inner peace and joy, we must surrender to Him.  We must walk in His Truth.  Remember, Christ came to give us freedom.  Let's walk on in freedom, sisters, by walking in God's Truth and not giving in to the enemy's lies!

May God bless each and every one of us as we continue to strive to walk in God's Truth!

Our Memory Work

"'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
                           - John 8:32 (NIV)

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free..."
                           - Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Quotes from the book are taken from Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss published by Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL  ©2001.

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Discussion on Assignment #13

We are quickly coming to the end of our study.  We have finished all the chapters that deal with lies women believe.  Our final two chapters are a fitting closing for the book.  There are a few portions that stood out to me in our reading for this past week.

"True freedom is found in a vital, growing relationship with the Lord Jesus...If we want to know Him, if we want to know the Truth, we must devote ourselves to the reading, study, and meditation of His Word.  There is no substitute and there are no shortcuts.  The Enemy is constantly confronting us with his lies.  In order to combat his deception, our minds and hearts must be filled with the Lord Jesus and saturated with his Word.  But it is not enough to know the Truth.  We must also surrender to the Truth.  That means we must be willing to change our thinking or our lifestyle in any areas where they do not square with the Word of God."  (pgs. 250-251)

I am realizing just how important it is to saturate yourself with God's Word.  The enemy does not give up easily.  He will continue to try to keep chipping away at us with his lies in hopes that we will eventually believe his lies and give in to the deception.  Hiding God's Word in our hearts is so important.  It's one way of saturating yourself with Scripture.  And in doing so, we are putting the Truth in our hearts and minds so we will be better able to not only recognize the enemy's lies but also counter them with God's Truth.  Of course, another way is by reading the Scripture.  It's not always easy to spend a lot of time in God's Word, especially when you have young children.  I am realizing this.  Having an infant requires a lot of my time and energy.  Our little Sugarplum is indeed a blessing from God.  I spend a lot of time with her.  And I find that it's not easy to find lengthy blocks of time to sit and read the Bible.  But I think God understands that.  Right now, when Sugarplum wakes up in the morning it's usually just her and I that are up and about in the house.  So during that early morning feeding, I usually sit with my index cards and work on my Bible memorizations while I feed her.  I am able to work on hiding God's Word in my heart at the beginning of my day.  Then sometime throughout the morning time, I try to do some Bible reading at one of Sugarplum's nap times.  While I may not get a lot in during the course of the day, I am getting some.  There are different seasons in our lives and I think God understands that in some seasons we're able to spend much more time in His Word and in other seasons we may not be able to spend a lot. 

"We cannot assume a particular viewpoint is true just because everyone else thinks that way - or because it is what we have always believed, or because a well-known Christian author promotes that position, or because a well-meaning friend or counselor says it is right.  Everything we believe and everything we do must be evaluated in the light of God's Word.  That is our only absolute authority."  (pg. 251)

There are people who simply believe something because the minister preached it or a Bible teacher taught it.  They don't go back and check it themselves in God's Word.  Scripture tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 "But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil."   It is our own responsibility to take what we hear and test it to God's Word.  We can't always just assume something is right just because a well-known Bible teacher or preacher says it's right.  Humans are fallible.  We are not right all the time.  We have to read and study God's Word ourselves.

"As deception has inundated our culture, many believers have become hesitant to stand for the Truth, for fear of being labeled as intolerant or narrow-minded."  (pg. 252)

"We must learn the Truth, believe it, surrender to it, and live it out - even when it flies in the face of our culture.  Then we must proclaim the Truth with boldness, conviction, and compassion, seeking to turn sinners from the error of their way and to restore those who have wandered from the Truth."  (pg. 252)

Our Memory Work

"'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
                           - John 8:32 (NIV)

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free..."
                           - Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Assignment

Reading
Read chapter eleven - pages 253-265.

Text:  Numbers 13:1-14:45

God dislikes grumbling and complaining.  When the spies went to check out Canaan, there were ten of them that came back and gave both positive and negative reports.  True, they said the land was flowing with milk and honey.  They even showed some grapes they brought back.  But on the other hand, they talked about how big the people were in that land and were negative about the Israelites conquering the land.  They felt that they would not be able to win.  Because of this report, the people began grumbling and complaining.  The report of those spies had a very big impact on the Israelites.

Never underestimate the power of your words.  What you say can have a profound influence on those around you.  What the ten spies said about not being able to win against the inhabitants of that land influenced the Israelites greatly.  As a result of that report, the Israelites grumbled and complained.  And that very act of grumbling and complaining finally cost them their promised land.

In addition, grumbling and complaining gets you no where.  All of the Israelites that grumbled and complained that day lost the privilege of entering the promised land.  The promised land was a blessing.  And the Israelites lost that blessing.  A few words carried a high cost.  In the same way, a few simple words can carry a high cost with us as well.  Philippians 2:14 tells us to “Do everything without complaining or arguing”.  (NIV)  It is clear in both the Old and the New Testaments that God does not like complaining.  Think about your words before you speak.  Would you want something you say to cost you a blessing?  Let me say it again - our words are very powerful.  God instructs us to do everything without arguing and complaining so that we can “become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe”.  (NIV)  Could it be that the very way we speak could be one of the things that sets us apart from the world?  I believe so. Let’s endeavor to be mindful of how we speak.  Let’s try to be people who don’t complain when things don’t go as we think they should.  Instead, let’s praise the Lord and give thanks for our God is good and He knows what He is doing.

©2008 KRL The T.A.G. Blog  www.homesteadblogger.com/tagblog

Ladies, Beth Moore begins a new series today on Life Today.  I've already watched the show today and let me just say that it is good.  She talks about the importance of what we say.  On the show today, Beth says, "We are going to most believe what we most rehearse."  She explains how we can take our complaints to God.  But then we need to turn our complaints to praise.  Too many people underestimate the power of the tongue.  I encourage you to check out the link below to view her teaching session online or check your local television listings to watch it on TV.

http://www.lifetoday.org/site/PageServer?pagename=tel_home

Discussion on Assignment #12

I missed your posts last week!  I hope everyone is doing well.  I look forward to reading your posts for our discussion this week.

Let's review this weeks chapter.  The author says that the following are lies women believe concerning circumstances:

   - "If my circumstances were different, I would be different."  (p. 218)

- "I shouldn't have to suffer." (p. 221)

- "My circumstances will never change.  This will go on forever."  (p. 224)

- "I just can't take any more."  (p. 226)

- "It's all about me."  (p. 228)

Let's now put those lies with Truth:

Lie:  "If my circumstances were different, I would be different." (p. 218)
TRUTH:  "The Truth is, our circumstances do not make us what we are.  They merely reveal what we are."  (p. 219)
TRUTH:  "We may not be able to control our circumstances, but our circumstances don't have to control us."  (p. 221)
TRUTH:  "Joy, peace, and stability come from believing that every circumstance that touches our lives has first been filtered through His fingers of love and is part of a great, eternal plan that He is working out in this world and in our lives."  (p. 221)

Lie:  "I shouldn't have to suffer." (p. 221)
TRUTH:  "The Truth is, it is impossible to be holy apart from suffering."  (p. 223)
TRUTH:  "The Truth is, God is far more interested in our holiness than in our immediate, temporal happiness - He knows that apart from being holy, we can never be truly happy."  (p. 223)
TRUTH:  "True joy is not the absence of pain but the sanctifying, sustaining presence of the Lord Jesus in the midst of the pain."  (p. 223)  
TRUTH:  James 1:2-4 tells us, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (NASB)
TRUTH:  Romans 5:3-5 tells us, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  (NASB)

Lie:  "My circumstances will never change.  This will go on forever."  (p. 224)
TRUTH:  II Corinthians 4:16-18 tells us, "Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  (NIV)
TRUTH:  "The Truth is, your pain - be it physical affliction, memories of abuse, a troubled marriage, or a heart broken by a wayward child - may go on for a long time.  But it will not last forever.  It may go on for all of your life down here on this earth.  But even a lifetime is not forever."  (p. 224)
TRUTH:  "The Truth is, a moment or two from now (in the light of eternity), when we are in the presence of the Lord, everything that has taken place in this life will be just a breath - a comma."  (p. 224)

Lie:  "I just can't take any more."  (p. 226)
TRUTH:  "...your heavenly Father will never lead you anywhere that His grace will not sustain you.  He will never place more upon you than He will give you grace to bear."  (p. 228)
TRUTH:  "However, whether I choose to believe it or not, if I am His child, the Truth is that 'His grace is sufficient for me.'  (This is assuming, of course, that I haven't taken on myself responsibilities He never intended me to carry.  If the burden is God-given, I can go on by His grace.)"  (p. 227)

Lie:  "It's all about me."  (p. 228)
TRUTH:  "The Truth is, it's not about you.  It's not about me.  It's all about Him."  (p. 235)
TRUTH:  "God is the beginning and ending and center of all things.  All things were created by Him and for Him.  It's all about Him!  Acts 20:24; Colossians 1:16-18"  (p. 237)

Someone gave the author a framed piece that had the following words on it:

"CORAM DEO
Living all of life
in the presence of God
under the authority of God
and to the glory of God."
(p. 231)

May we all endeavor to live our lives as reflected in those words above!

Our Memory Work

"'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
                           - John 8:32 (NIV)

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free..."
                           - Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Assignment

Reading
Read chapter ten - pages 243-252.

For more Thankful Thursdays posts, visit Iris by clicking here.

Yesterday morning as I was sitting down to do my Bible reading, I decided to not do my chronological reading.  Instead, I flipped to the Psalms to read there.  Amongst what I read that morning was the following two portions:

“God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.”

            - Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV)

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.’

-          Psalm 91:1-2 (NIV)

If you make the Most High your dwelling –

even the LORD, who is my refuge –

then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 

‘Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

            - Psalm 91:9-16 (NIV)

Later that morning, a situation arose that brought about fear in me.  My thoughts ran wild with “what-ifs” and I felt the surge of fear go through me more than once.  Then the thought occurred to me that I needed to go back and read again what I had read earlier that morning in the Bible.  I just happened to have read the above portions in Psalms that talk about trusting God and not fearing and God’s protection.  Of course, I don’t believe it was happenstance.  I believe God knew I’d need to read those portions later in that day when that situation would arise. 

As I spoke with my dear best friend about the whole thing and as I pondered on the issue of fear and peace, it occurred to me that many times we feel we have peace as a result of things we’ve done.  We took all the necessary precautions.  We did this.  We didn’t do that.  We, we, we……We take comfort in knowing we did what we needed to do.  But is that really where our major source of comfort should come from? 

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.” (NASB)

Did you notice the two titles given to God in this passage?  The Father of mercies and God of all comfort.  You see, instead of finding our comfort in the things we do, we need to find our comfort in God.  Instead of taking comfort in knowing WE did this or that - we need to take comfort in knowing that God is in total control and we can trust Him with EVERYTHING that concerns us.  Now, that's not to say that there may be things we need to do in a given situation.  However, our main source of comfort and peace needs to be God not us.  We can go to God and pour out our fears and concerns and know that He is in control of it all and has our best interests at heart.  I Peter 4:6-7 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  (NIV)  When we present our requests to God, with thanksgiving, His peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  This is a promise.  We can claim this promise.  In addition, we can also tell the spirit of fear to leave.  James 4:7 tells us to “Submit therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  (NIV)  When we lay our concerns at God’s feet, give them to Him, and relinquish our control, we are submitting to God.  This Scripture tells us first to submit to God.  Next we see that when we resist the devil, he has no other choice but to leave.  In addition, 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind.  This is another passage with a promise that we can claim.  We can resist the spirit of fear and command that spirit of fear to leave in Jesus’ name.  We can remind the enemy that he has no choice but to leave.   We can let the enemy know that we know that God’s Word tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear.  So that spirit of fear must go.  And we can claim the sound mind that God’s Word says we have in Christ.  I did just that yesterday.  And you know what?  I had peace and a sound mind.  Praise the Lord!

©2008 KRL The T.A.G. Blog www.homesteadblogger.com/tagblog

"Walking consistently does not mean walking perfectly.  It means we may stumble, but we will not fall."

- From Beth Moore in Praying God's Word Day by Day

"A man's steps are directed by the LORD.  How then can anyone understand his own way?" 
Proverbs 20:24 (NIV)

I read this passage this morning.  It is a reminder that God is ALWAYS in control.  Even in the little things.  I am so thankful for that!

Discussion on Assignment #10

I'm sorry I haven't been around to visit and make comments.  We have not gotten internet at our home as of yet.  So being able to get online is a little more challenging right now.  We will hopefully have our internet set up at home this week.  Yay!   There are several of you that haven't been a part of our discussions the last couple of weeks.  I hope all is okay.  I hope you will be back with us in our discussions soon.

This has been an excellent chapter, yet one that is filled with debated issues.  The first issue tackled in our reading this week was that of influences on our children.  Oh how timely this is.  This is such a widely debated issue.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.  I have always been pretty particular about the kinds of influences our children are exposed to - from TV, to music, to friends and more.  And I feel this is such an important issue.  I want to highlight a few portions from our text that I think are so important.  The author points out:

"The Truth is, our task is not to rear children who can 'fit in' or merely 'survive' in this world.  The challenge of every Christian parent is to bring up children who love God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength; who have a vibrant, personal relationship with the Lord Jesus; and whose lives will be bright and shining lights, penetrating the darkness around them.  Christian parents ought to be seeking to raise up not just 'good' children, but children who enthusiastically embrace the Truth, children who love righteousness and hate evil, children who will be used by God to change the world." (pg. 173)

"If we allow our children to listen to music, attend movies, read books and magazines, and hang out with friends that promote profanity, negative attitudes, illicit sex, rebellion, and violence, we should not be surprised when they adopt the world's philosophies."  (pg. 175)

"We are not to be molded by the culture, as so many believers are today but, rather, are to be so filled with the Spirit and the Word of God that our lives will penetrate and convict the culture around us.  That is the challenge facing Christian parents - to raise up a generation of young people who are not conformers but transformers."  (pg. 176)

Transformers - NOT conformers.  Powerful!  Will we, as parents, rise to the challenge of raising our children to be transformers? 

Our Memory Work

"'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
                           - John 8:32 (NIV)

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free..."
                           - Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Assignment

Reading
Read chapter eight - pages 193-213.

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Discussion on Assignment #9

Okay ladies.  I am looking forward to reading your posts on this week's reading.  For now, I am holding off on my comments.  I want to read through your posts first before making any comments myself.  So.....I look forward to seeing your thoughts on this issue.

Our Memory Work

"'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
                           - John 8:32 (NIV)

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free..."
                           - Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Assignment

Reading
Read the remainder of chapter seven - pages 173-191.

Questions
Please share your thoughts on the reading assignment in your post next week.

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If you'd like to participate in this book study, please read the book study information by clicking here.  After reading the information, you can join in with us each Monday. 

 “Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying, ‘Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD’S contribution:  gold, silver, and bronze, and blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goats’ hair, and rams’ skins dyed red, and porpoise skins, and acacia wood, and oil for lighting, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense, and onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.’”  Exodus 35:4-9 (NASB, Underlined emphasis mine)

When preparing to construct the tabernacle in the wilderness, God asked the Israelites to bring an offering to Him to go towards the construction of the tabernacle but He asked for those who were willing.  God wanted willingness.   And the same is true now.  Our faith is about choice.  God gives us a choice whether to follow Him or not.  He wants us to willingly choose to follow Him.  He wants us to have hearts willing to do what He asks.  His desire is not forced drudgery with bad attitudes and wrong motives.  He wants willing hearts that He can fill with joy and peace and contentment. 

As a stay-at-home wife and mom, running a household may not be fun.  Having to submit to my husband, especially when I don’t agree, is hard.  Giving of myself to serve my family can be difficult at times.  But willingness is the key.  If I am willing to do what God asks of me, even though it may be hard at times, God can help me do it.  He can fill me with peace and yes – even joy – when having to do yet another sink of dirty dishes!

In addition to a willing  heart, we need to understand in those moments of frustration that it’s not about us…it’s not about our husbands or our families and whether they appreciate what we do or not.  Sure, that’s wonderful and it’s great to see their appreciation.  It’s even okay to want to please your spouse and family.  However, if we are doing those things solely to get affirmation from them to boost our self-worth and to feel appreciated, not only are we looking in the wrong place but we’re also doing those things for the wrong reasons.  Instead, we need to be looking to God for our affirmation and self-worth.  We need to do what we are doing ultimately for Him.

Our roles as wives and mothers can give and bring God glory.  Let’s go to God with a willing heart and say “Yes, Lord, I am willing.  Guide me, strengthen me, and fill me with Your joy.”

©2008 The T.A.G. Blog www.homesteadblogger.com/tagblog

Discussion on Assignment #8

Ouch!  What a chapter!  I don't know about you but I found myself underlining a lot in this chapter and even having a couple of toes stepped on.  I was a willing listener to what I needed to hear.  And I pray I can make the needed changes.  This chapter dealt with lies women believe about marriage.  One of the huge issues tackled was that of submission.  There was so much in this chapter, that I am going to share some of the things that stood out to me and/or that I thought was really good.

"The Truth is that contentment is not found in having everything we think we want but in choosing to be satisfied with what God has already provided.  The Truth is that those who insist on having their own way often end up with unnecessary heartache, while those who wait on the Lord always get His best." (pg. 140)
Wow - how true that is!  When we continue to push our own way, God may very well let us have it OUR way.  But then He very well may also let us have the consequences that go along with OUR way.  Had we chosen God's way, we would've avoided those consequences and been better off because God's way is ALWAYS best no matter how hard it may seem.

"The Truth is that God did not make the man to be a 'helper' to the woman.  He made the woman to be a 'helper' to the man."  (pg.  142)
I have to be completely honest here.  This is one that stepped on my toes.  Not because I didn't want to hear it.  But because I know that I haven't always helped my husband as much as I could have.  In fact, there was a time when, if a person looked at my husband and I, they would see my husband being more the helper than me.  Not that it was intentional on my part.  And not that I was trying to be selfish.  I just didn't realize how much my husband was trying to suit me more than me suiting my husband.  The author is so right here.  I was created to be my husband's helper.  Whatever I can do to help him, I need to try to do (realistically speaking here).  I am trying so much more now to be more of a help to him.  I want him to be freed up to do the things he needs to do and wants to do. 

"Blessing and joy are the fruit of seeking to be a giver rather than a taker and of looking for ways to bless, serve, and minister to the needs of our families." (pg. 143)

"...In the climate of the 60s, where women were encouraged to pursue independence, careers, personal recognition, and self-satisfaction, my mother modeled a differed role - one in which a woman adapts to the heart and calling of her husband.  Rather than expecting her husband's life to revolve around her needs and interests, her lifestyle revolved around her husband's..." (pg. 144)

"Satan knows that if we could see the Truth about biblical submission - one of the most liberating principles in all of God's Word - we would joyfully embrace it.  He cannot afford to let us choose the pathway of submission, for when we do, he is stripped of his authority and rendered powerless in our lives and in the lives of those we love." (pg. 146)

"God created the woman to be a 'helper suitable' to her husband.  That means he needs her help.  He needs the input and insight she is able to bring to various situations.  It also means that once a wife has graciously and humbly expressed her heart on a matter, if her husband chooses to act contrary to her counsel, she must be willing to back off and trust God with the consequences of her husband's decision." (pg. 147)
I appreciated how she stated the above.  She was able to clearly point out that our husbands need us.  We are to be a helper that is suitable to our husbands.  Our husbands need our input.  However, once we've given that input, we must be willing to let it be and put it in God's hands.  This is especially hard when our husbands don't agree with our viewpoint.  I know for me, it is so easy to try to push my thoughts and my way of seeing something onto my husband.  I want him to agree with my viewpoint.  But let's face it - no two people always agree all the time.  And we need to not only have the freedom to disagree but to extend that freedom to our husbands as well.  Yet while we have the freedom to disagree, as wives, once we have shared our opinion, we need to leave it in God's hands and allow our husbands to fulfill their role and make the decision.  The author goes on to point out that the bottom line is that ultimately our trust must be in God.  We can trust God even when our husbands go against what we feel is best.  Here's what the author has to say about trusting God and submitting to our husbands:

"I have discovered that the fundamental issue in relation to submission really comes down to my willingness to trust God and to place myself under His authority." (pg. 149)

"Our willingness to place ourselves under God-ordained authority is the greatest evidence of how big we believe God really is." (pg. 149)

"Submission is simply a demonstration of her confidence in the sovereign power of the Lord God." (pg. 151)

"You must be willing to let him fail - believing that ultimately, your security is not in your husband but in a sovereign God who is not going to fail you." (pg. 154) 

Our Memory Work

"'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
                           - John 8:32 (NIV)

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free..."
                           - Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Assignment

Reading
Read section one of chapter seven - pages 167-172.

Questions
We are only reading one section of our chapter this week.  I have chosen to do this because this very first section is a very sensitive subject that can bring about a LOT of feelings.  Take your time with this assignment.  I am offering the following questions for thought:

(1) What is your current view of determining the size of your family?  Is this the same view you held in the past or is it different?  Explain.

(2) Think about how you view the issue of birth control.  Does your view line up with God's view of birth control?  Give Scriptures to show God's view.

These questions are pretty personal.  You do not have to share your answers  on your blog. 

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If you'd like to participate in this book study, please read the book study information by clicking here.  After reading the information, you can join in with us each Monday. 

Hello ladies!  What a couple of weeks it has been!  Yet through all of the transitions in these last couple of weeks, we have seen God's mighty hand in it all.  I want to say thank you to Marsha at Marsha's Musing for hosting our last book discussion.  Our assignment reading dealt with priorities.  How timely this chapter has been for me.  I'm still working on my priorities.  I think priorities are one of those things we have to periodically analyze and make adjustments when needed.  Marsha gave us some questions to answer for this chapter.  You can review those questions here.

Discussion on Assignment #7

Our Memory Work

"'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
                           - John 8:32 (NIV)

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free..."
                           - Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Assignment 8

Reading
Read Chapter Six.  Read pages 135-165.

Questions
I have decided not to give any discussion questions this week.  My time is still quite filled up with things to do and I haven't had time to put together questions for this chapter.  This chapter is lengthy.  For your posts next week, share what is on your heart at that time for Chapter Six. 

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If you'd like to participate in this book study, please read the book study information by clicking here.  After reading the information, you can join in with us each Monday. 

We will not be having our book study discussion for Lies Women Believe tomorrow since it is Memorial Day.  We will resume our study next Monday.

I also have awesome news.  We signed a lease for an apartment yesterday!!!  Woohoo - we have a place to live now.  Things moved very quickly.  We've been here just a little over one week and my hubby got a good job and we got housing!  Praise the Lord!  I give God all the credit for I know He is continuing to provide for us.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day.

Just wanted to stop in and update everyone.  We moved a week ago today to another state - no job, no housing.  If you're not familiar with our situation, we were renting a place.  Our landlord lost the property we were renting to foreclosure.  Two weekends ago we received a letter informing us (the occupants) we had 5 days to move out.  We tried to find a place to move to in the area and surrounding areas where we were living at but NOTHING was opening up for what we could afford.  In addition, my husband was having a very hard time finding good employment there as well.  He had a part-time job but we needed more.  Long story short, we decided that what we needed to do was make this move to the town my parent's live in.  My parent's have been wonderful in this situation.  This past Tuesday, my husband went to a job fair.  The next day he was called for a second interview.  He went for his second interview yesterday.  He was then called yesterday not too long after his interview for another interview.  He went for that one at 4:00p.m. and at that interview they offered him the job!  Two days after he initially applied - he got the job!  He searched almost a year for a good job where we were living and we move here and he gets a job in two days!  Praise the Lord!  And this is a good job.  It pays more than what he was making at his other job plus benefits and the ability to get in overtime.  I am so thankful! 

We also may potentially have an apartment to move into.  We should know tomorrow.  If we are able to get that apartment, we will most likely be able to move in over the weekend!  That would be so wonderful!  Once we get moved into an apartment and get settled, I hope to be able to do more regular posting on my blog once again.  I so look forward to getting settled and getting back to a routine.