Most of my life, I’ve been the “good girl.” I always thought I didn’t have a testimony, or at least not a particularly interesting one. When I was younger and I would hear a testimony of someone who had been saved out a life of drug addiction, or immorality, or criminal acts, I would bemoan my uninteresting life. But God doesn’t have a ranking system of sins. In His eyes, my “good girl” behavior was the same as all the actions of those whose testimonies I kind of envied.

If there’s one thing I’ve battled most of my life, it’s my mouth. I am much too quick to say things I regret, to cut other people down with my tongue, to criticize, judge, insult…. You get the picture.

James 3:5-10 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

Ouch! I’d have a whole lot less confessing to do, and a whole lot less asking people’s forgiveness, if I could just get my mouth under control. My one encouragement is in knowing I’m not alone in the battle. Just do a word search on “the tongue” in Biblegateway.com and see how many verses show up. While many of them speak of using our tongues for praise, there are a great many warnings and rebukes for misuse of the tongue.

Psalm 39:1 I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.”

Psalm 141:3 (NKJV) Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
I like this one in the New Living Translation: Take control of what I say, O LORD, and guard my lips.

Oh, may I learn to let Him control what I say, and keep my tongue from sin!

Ruth S.

Digging Deeper
Psalm 95:7,8 & 9
7For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof,
though they had seen my work.

Back in January, Dave and I needed to plan our vacations and hand in our requests for the year. We planned out the weeks that we were able to take off and discussed what we would do with our vacation time. We have no set plans to travel but I came up with a nice “honey do list.” We have plans to clean out and get some projects accomplished. In November we will be married 25 years and we are already saving and making plans for a few days away next year to celebrate that milestone.

So many plans… so little time. Yesterday, I heard of a man who was celebrating a milestone in his life. He planned to take the day to spend with Jesus. I began to think of how often I plan my days and forget to include Jesus. I began to think about when the last time was that I planned an entire day alone with just my Bible and a desire to hear from the Lord. The closest I could come was 3 years ago when I went away with my two best friends and took an hour by myself. I am challenged to make a plan.

Most of us have our vacations scheduled. Our calendars reflect upcoming events and appointments, work related, church related and personal. You may even have time each day set aside for Jesus, but when have you ever spent a day with Jesus? An entire day to slow down, focus, and be still? It won’t happen if you and I don’t plan for it.

Before the year flies by, and you know that it will, review your calendar and see when you can take a day with Jesus. I took the first step – the date is set. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:2-3

Kathy Withers

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 95:5,6
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

I hope you continue to press in and persevere in our endeavor to dig deeper into God’s word. “Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart… How can a young (wo)man keep his (her) way pure? By guarding it according to your word…With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! … Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path….You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Psalm 119:2, 9, 10, 105, Jeremiah 29:13- parenthesis mine)

How earnestly do you seek after God? How deliberate and intentional are you about knowing your Creator? Your God? Your Savior? How serious are you about digging deeper into the Word exhaled from the mouth of the one that is the Lover of your soul? The One who knows you completely and loves you deeply? Are you seeking hard after Him? It’s not too late. Join us now on this journey of Scripture reading, meditation and memorization. We are sharing each week the verse/passage our staff has been challenged to memorize. It is tough sometimes as we press on. You don’t have to memorize the entire passage pick a verse or two each week that speak to you and memorize those 2. Every Scripture committed to memory becomes one more weapon in your personal arsenal.

This week’s verse.
Psalm 91:5-105 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,6nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.8You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. 9Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place- the Most High, who is my refuge-10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.

I would love to get some feedback from more of you that are taking this challenge with us. Email me and let me know and I will pass along your comments to all our writers. We love hearing from you. Diane

1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

In the shadow of the Almighty – a very real place of refuge:
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,
Psalm 36:7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.
Psalm 63:7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
Hosea 14:7 They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain;

2I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

He is a refuge and fortress worthy of our praise and trust. Can you say that today in all honestly? You trust Him? With every aspect and concern of life?

3For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.

God is your deliverer.
Exodus 14:13-14 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

4He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

This is a great Psalm of strength and protection. A great Psalm to commit to memory because throughout life, we run into snares and deadly pestilence, in a manner of speaking. God is our refuge and deliverer just as much today as when this Psalm was penned.

Diane

Just as our heart, which is a valuable organ and needs to be taken care of properly by daily exercise, correct eating and living properly, so our hearts for Christ also need to be taken care of.

Do we give our hearts for God the same attention we give our physical heart? Here are some tips for a healthy heart.

1. Have a personal relationship with Christ. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. “ Romans 10:9

2. Have a purpose for our heart in order to keep it pure and working properly. David was a man after God’s own heart. David looked to God and chose to keep his heart pure and working properly. Psalm 51

3. Have a servant’s heart. Serving Christ is one of the best exercises for our heart. It’s like doing a cardiovascular workout!

4. Have a song in our heart. What better medicine than singing. When we are joyful and rejoicing in the Lord in our hearts, it’s like giving our hearts a healthy dose of whole grain. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:19

5. Have a trusting heart. Nothing can help us breathe easier than trusting the Lord. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

6. Have love in our heart. There’s something about having love in our hearts that makes that blood pump through our veins a little better. God not only wants us to love Him but love others, too. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” Luke 10:27 When we don’t take care of our heart it can lead to health problems such as heart disease and congestive heart failure. The same is true in the Christian life.

Do you have a healthy heart?

PF
Woman of Character Graduate

Psalm 91:3,4
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

In a few weeks I will be attending a wedding. While waiting to meet my sisters for lunch, I went into a near by store. I found a really nice dress on sale. I scanned the tag and found it to be on sale lower then the price tag had reflected. I went to try the dress on only to find that the zipper was damaged. Since then I have been looking for another dress but my mind keeps going back to the “perfect” dress with the broken zipper.

Colossians 3:12-17 reminds me about the things I am to put on everyday, not just for special occasions. We are told to “put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven you, above all these things put on love, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, be thankful, let the word of God dwell in you richly, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father.”

Am I more disappointed in not having the perfect dress when my outer self does not reflect that I have put on what glorifies Jesus Christ? Like the dress that looked so right but had the broken zipper, I can be careful to look just right but end up in need of some repairs from the inside out.

Kathy Withers

PSALM 91
2I will say to the LORD,
“My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

Lev. 23:15-16 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the LORD. (NKJV)

Exodus 19:18-20 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. (NKJV)

Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (NKJV)

Those who know me know that I love to share what I have learned about the Hebrew calendar and feasts. It has opened a door of new understanding of the Word of God. It has impacted my prayer life.

The most recent Hebrew feast is Pentecost, began at sundown on May 18th.

Not too long ago I shared with you about Passover, a time to recognize that Jesus became our Passover Lamb. In fulfilling the feast of Passover, Jesus was crucified. Death must now pass over as we receive the gift of Jesus Christ as our Savior. Jesus is the way to the gift of salvation and is our peace beyond all understanding as we continue to live in our world with all of its challenges and trials.

Death did not hold Jesus (Rev. 1:18). He was resurrected as the first fruits from the dead and fifty days later on the Feast of Pentecost He sent Holy Spirit upon the disciples who were gathered to celebrate the Feast.

There are, in essence, three levels of significance for Pentecost, and each level represents a new expression of God’s blessing.

First: Pentecost is receiving and celebrating God’s blessing of provision. The Jewish people celebrate the harvest of wheat. They bake two loaves of bread and celebrate with praise and giving (Lev. 23:15-21).

Second: It is a celebration of God’s Word or Torah which means “the teaching of God.” It is at this time the Jewish people remember when the heavens opened and the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai in fire and called Moses to come up where He gave His law. Pentecost is a celebration of the release of God’s revelation (Ex. 19:16-20).

Third: For us it is a celebration of the Fire of His Glory. The fire came down upon His disciples as they gathered together in celebration of Pentecost. Jesus was resurrected as the first fruits from the dead and fifty days later on the Feast of Pentecost He sent Holy Spirit upon the disciples who were gathered to celebrate the Feast. Jesus had told them to wait for the baptism of Holy Spirit (Acts 1). They were gathered displaying their dependence upon God and at that very time came the outpouring of Holy Spirit. They were anointed with spiritual power for the purpose of making them effective in their witness to the lordship of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8, Acts 2:1-4).

Even though Pentecost is now past, eelebrate and give thanks for God’s provision. Celebrate and give thanks for the revelation of His Word. Celebrate and anticipate a fresh release of His Holy Spirit. Then take some time with your family or even by yourself to be with God. Give Him thanks, praise Him and read His Word. Ask for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit. You might spend time in Scriptures about Pentecost or meditate upon Psalm 103. God is so faithful, He will meet you as you seek Him. By His grace we, too, can receive power of God to overcome sin and live as effective witnesses to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

There are many websites to assist you in celebrating Pentecost. Books that I have used include the following: The Cycles of God by Robert Heidler; God’s Appointed Times by Barney Kasdan; Jesus in the Feasts of Israel by Richard Booker.

Patricia Wenzel
Women of Character graduate

PSALM 91
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Over the next 3 weeks we will be meditating and memorizing Psalm 91 in its entirety. If you haven’t joined us on our journey so far, now is a great time to jump in. I had the opportunity to meet with a lovely woman this week who is in her 80’s. She was gracious and enthusiastic about life. She shared with me that verses she memorized as a child still come back to her even now. I want that. I want to have stored up so much Scripture in my heart and mind that if my memory starts to go, I will have much truth to feast upon in my heart.

This week we start with the first 4 verses:
1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

Commentary:”This psalm describes God’s on-going sovereign protection of His people from the ever-present dangers and terrors which surround humanity. The original setting may be that of an army about to go to battle. Most of the terrors mentioned in this psalm are left undefined, no doubt intentionally, so that no kind of danger is omitted from application. Believers in every age can read this psalm to learn that nothing can harm a child of God unless the Lord permits it.” The MacArthur Bible Commentary by John MacArthur pg. 658.

DIGGING DEEPER PSALM 86:11-13
Points to Ponder

11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.

I like the NIV version of this verse:
Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.

“Give me an undivided heart.” I don’t know about you, but many things vie for my attention and honestly, they often get it. If I am going to have an undivided heart, a united heart, I need God to accomplish that in my life. I have proven I can’t do it apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I want to have an undivided heart. I truly do. How about you?

12I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.

Do we experience and express thankfulness and gratitude with our whole heart? Or are we half-hearted about it?

13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

I can’t help but notice several of our Scripture memory verses have referred to God’s steadfast love. His love holds on tight and never waxes or wanes. It doesn’t ebb and flow based on His mood or world events. His love for you is not affected by your successes or your failures. His love for you is not affected by your past or your present. His love for you is not affected by your mistakes or your sins. His love for you is steadfast. In a world that changes daily and is confusing and intimidating at times, His love is steadfast. You can stake your life on it. He did.

Diane

“God is good, all the time.” “All the time, God is good.” We repeat that so glibly when prompted, but do we really believe it? Do we live as though we believe it?

A few years ago, I started to sing a song with the same title as today’s Victory Call. The words of the chorus are:

Life is hard, the world is cold
We’re barely young and then we’re old
But every falling tear is always understood
Life is hard, but God is good 1

The older I get, the more I realize that life is not really intended to be easy. Sure, there may be times when things go well for awhile, but that isn’t the norm, and we need to not get too comfortable or expect that things will stay that way. The Bible is full of assurances that trials, challenges and difficulties are what we should expect in this world.

James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, WHENever you face trials of many kinds,” – notice it’s WHENever, not IF.

Isaiah 43:2 “WHEN you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and WHEN you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. WHEN you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Again, not IF but WHEN.

Lastly, Jesus Himself told us: “In this world you WILL have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b)

If you’re going through a time of peace and things going are well, rejoice, enjoy, and give thanks – but be prepared. The time WILL come when a trial, a challenge, a difficulty, a hardship will come your way. Know the One Who will stand by you; Who will not leave you or forsake you; Who will be your strength, your comfort, your peace; Who has already overcome the world. He is Good!

Ruth Schmidt

1 “Life is Hard, But God is Good” by Pam Thum

PSALM 86
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.