Written by: Lois Turley

Does God allow us to see the future?  Sometimes!  I remember this story so well. I was about 10 years old when mom had an odd dream one night.  Little did we know that just a few days later, that dream would save all of our lives!  This story below is based on a true story that happened to mom and me, my brother and several of our friends in 1984.  

~Denise

Labels: Blog, Motherhood, True Stories

Written By: Lois Turley

GOD ALWAYS SAYS, “YES,” BUT HIS “YES” IS MORE THAN WE CAN COMPREHEND. WE SEE THE MOMENT, BUT GOD BIDS US WAIT IN EXPTECTATION OF HIS “YES” THAT COVERS THE WHOLE OF US.

“in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation” (Psalm 5:3).

God’s Answer is “Yes”

But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
–2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Jesus is “Yes.” He is not “No.” The confusion comes when we ask with wrong motives. “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3).

There can be wrong motive even in something so noble as wanting to put a marriage back together. Motives of personal fulfillment, companionship, or security can overshadow the motive of living for Christ in whatever circumstance we are in. Living by God’s principles is not a foolproof insurance policy for marriage. The ultimate goal is not even a wholesome marriage, but rather to be obedient to Christ. When we are obedient to Christ we can find peace no matter what happens.

Labels: Bible Studies, Blog, Hope For Women, Women

EXPERIENCE FAITH, LIVE IN FAITH, AND REJOICE IN THE RESULTS OF FAITH. GOD IS THE SOURCE AND GIVER OF FAITH THAT PERMEATES OUR LIVES AND BRINGS RESULTS THAT ONLY GOD CAN DO.

We cannot create faith. Through God, we can experience it.

‘Believe and receive’ is not ‘name it and claim it.’

“Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop” {Mark 11:23-25, Amplified Bible).

Just believe and you have it? Name it and claim it? No, that is not what this Scripture teaches. The type of faith Christ is talking about was taught in the Old Testament also, long before Christ taught it in the New Testament. Of course Christ, through the Holy Spirit who inspired the Old as well as the New Testaments, is the Author of the the following passage from Proverbs as also.

Labels: Bible Studies, Blog, Hope For Women, Women

A COMMITMENT TO CHARITY AND GOD’S AGAPE LOVE TO REACH OUR MATE AND MARRIAGE. TEARING DOWN WALLS OF PROTECTION AND BECOMING VULNERABLE IN SERVICE, FLEXIBILITY, COURAGE, FORGIVENESS.

from 1 Corinthians 13, the “Love Chapter.” The Greek word “agape” is translated “love.”

In times like these

I’ve heard that after the wedding bells stop ringing, marriage partners begin to reduce each other to fit their own molds. Ah, but that could never happen to us! Or so I said before we got married.

But now I’m beginning to feel uncomfortably reduced! I thought we knew each other well, but sometimes now I feel I hardly know you at all.

It seems you’re trying to squeeze me into your mold, yet at the same time you’ve smashed all the boundaries which held my cast of an ideal mate.

In times like these, my love can no longer afford to be merely an emotion. In times like these, my love must mature into a ministry, because…

Labels: Bible Studies, Blog, Hope For Women, Women

Written by: Lois Turley

OUR CHOICE: RUN TO TARSHISH, TAKING OUR HOMES INTO THE STORM, BY REFUSING TO FOLLOW GOD’S PLAN FOR WIVES IN THE HOME; OR GO TO THE NINEVEH OF SUBMISSION IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD.

“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs” Jonah 2:8

Running in the wrong direction

Do you ever turn and run the opposite direction from which God tells you to go? Years ago the prophet Jonah ran from God’s direction too:

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
–Jonah 1:1-3

Selfish motives

God instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh. Why did he not want to go there? Jonah answers this question in chapter 4:

But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:1-2)

Jonah didn’t want to go because he knew that the people of Nineveh didn’t deserve God to forgive them. He knew if he preached to them they would repent and be forgiven.

This seems to be the ultimate of selfish excuses. Yet every time we run from God, we are doing it with selfish motives. Like Jonah, many times we are standing in the way of others coming to know Christ, and we may not even realize it.

Labels: Bible Studies, Blog, Hope For Women, Women

Written By: Lois Turley

DEALING WITH MARRIAGE AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS, MEASURING OUR LIVES BY VERSES OF THE GREAT LOVE CHAPTER OF THE BIBLE, CHANGING SELFISHNESS TO GOD’S LOVE, CHALLENGE TO SERVE FREELY.

Studies from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Lord, recreate me in your love

It’s just not fair: one brown sock peeking out from under the recliner (and who knows where the other one is?); a brown and beige striped sport shirt crumpled under the stereo; and, slumped over the corner of the dresser, a pair of brown slacks spilling out a ring of keys and thirty-two cents.

“Love is patient…”

Here comes Diane again. Since she and her family moved next door last month, she has appeared at my door at least three times a week to “borrow a cup of sugar,” or “see if you have a recipe for banana pudding.” Once inside she’ll follow me into the kitchen and ramble for two hours about her sister’s wedding, or her gall-bladder surgery (I’ve heard that four times already), or what a great pitcher little Joey is. Maybe I’ll tell her I don’t have any — no sugar, no recipes, no time.

Labels: Bible Studies, Blog, Hope For Women, Women

NAOMI MAY HAVE GRIEVED TO LEAVE GOD’S PROMISED LAND, BUT SHE FOLLOWED HER HUSBAND TO THE HEATHEN MOAB. AS A RESULT, SHE BECAME GREAT-GRANDMOTHER OF KING DAVID, AN ANCESTOR OF CHRIST.

“The women living there said, ‘Naomi has a son’.” Ruth 4:17

God’s Plan for Women

Today many women are finding themselves alone, rejected and vulnerable. The Women’s Libbers of the 1960′s will tell you that we’ve made great progress in correcting this. But Women’s Lib has done more to destroy the true liberation of women than anything else in history. God says:

“Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Corinthians 11:3

God’s desire is for women to be very important members of society. He has provided an especially protected position for us. God desires that women be productive, but also esteemed highly by their husbands, fathers, and other male kinsmen/protectors:

Labels: Bible Studies, Blog, Hope For Women, Women

Time alone with God will change your life like no other.

Three most important priorities in your life

Do you ever get frustrated with all the demands placed upon you? Our world demands more and more all the time. We need to take time to determine what is really important.

I was asked an interesting question in a job interview once: “If you had to nail it down, what would you consider the three most important things in your life?” My perspective employer told me to think about it before answering, because he felt it was one of the most important questions in the interview. How would you respond to that question?

I told him I would not need to think about the first two. I explained that God must be first in everything, and that my family is the most important part of my life after God. I thought a moment about the third response. Several things vied for that position, but I decided that the thing that means most to me after God and family is my church. That was in 1990 and, as I update this in 2009, my priorities remain the same. These three things top the list for me.

However, for this study, I am going to list the priorities in our immediate family in the proper order. The top three things, then, will look like this:

Labels: Bible Studies, Blog, Hope For Women, Women

Written By: Lois Turley 

FORGIVENESS IS VULNERABLE. IT DOESN’T JUST SAY, “I FORGIVE,” IT TURNS THE OTHER CHEEK. WHEN I PARKED MY MIND ON THE SHORTCOMINGS OF ANOTHER, I NEEDED FORGIVENESS AS MUCH AS MY OFFENDER.

We are on equal footing with those who have wronged us at the foot of the cross.

I parked my mind on the offense of another

There is a sick pleasure in mentally rehearsing the indignities of another toward us. We enjoy it because it paints us as being altogether good in contrast to the offender who becomes increasingly evil in our judgment as we elaborate on the offense. However, Jesus said there is only One who is altogether good. Even Jesus himself refused to attribute goodness to his own humanity. He pointed toward God as the source of all goodness.

Labels: Blog, Forgiveness, Love Like Jesus, Podcast

 Written by: Lois Turley

UNTIL WE HAVE RECEIVED DIVINE FORGIVENESS, MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE CROSS, WE CAN’T REALLY OFFER HUMAN FORGIVENESS. FORGIVENESS IS OFFERED TO ALL, BUT UNTIL IT IS RECEIVED, IT CAN’T BE APPLIED.

“‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’” (Luke 23:34)

Finding forgiveness

Imagine with me that you are in the midst of a large group of people. You observe a victim being beaten until his face is marred beyond recognition. The crowd jeers and shouts insults at him. You want to tell the crowd to stop, but you are afraid to. You are afraid to get involved, for fear that they will turn on you too. You callous yourself in an effort to justify your refusal to intervene. He must have done something terribly wrong to be treated this way, you decide.

Labels: Blog, Forgiveness, Love Like Jesus, Podcast

Labels: Bible Studies, Blog, Foundations Of Faith

HIS STORY

 "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...' Genesis 1:26

"Let us make man in our image," suggested the Son.

"Yes, let us, but first let us look at his future," replied the Father.

"O, yes. I can see it. Adam and Eve are walking hand in hand in our presence. Joy overflows, Father."

"The two are happy," the Father beamed. "I enjoy being with them."

"Yes, Father. They are my delight. But Father, look, the serpent..."

Labels: Bible Studies, Blog, Foundations Of Faith

Labels: Blog, Forgiveness, Love Like Jesus, Podcast

Labels: Blog, Forgiveness, Love Like Jesus, Podcast