The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. Exodus 14:9-10

When Israel left Egypt they did so defiantly, (Ex 14:8) laden with plunder (Ex 12:36). But very soon after their exodus from Egypt – Pharaoh pursued them with fervor:

What the Israelites saw/heard:

• The thunderous sound of hundreds of horses racing towards them.
• The cloud of dust that rose from their hooves pounding the earth drawing ever closer.
• My guess is there was some screaming and children crying. Fear pressed in on every side.

Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?  Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: “Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians”? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. Ex 14:11-12

They seem convinced that death was the only possible outcome.

What God knew and purposed:

And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. Ex 14:17-18

God knew that although Pharaoh would release Israel, he would soon pursue them.  In fact, Scripture said that God would harden Pharaoh’s and the Egyptian’s hearts.  And God also said, in the end, the Egyptians would know He was the LORD and that He would get the glory.

It’s easy and natural for us to be gripped by what our senses tell us – what we can see, what we can hear, what we can smell, what we can feel and taste.  In life circumstances, we can too quickly be inclined to focus on our circumstances.  Above our circumstances there is a Mighty, Powerful, Loving God Who is accomplishing His plan and His purpose for His glory and our good.

Moses wrote of the God who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Deut 8:15-16

My point?  My point is this… In the midst of your trials, suffering and difficulties…don’t be fooled by your five senses. In the midst of your circumstances, lift your eyes beyond what you can see and know with certainty that God is working His plan and purpose in your life despite and through your circumstances.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2

There is always a bigger picture.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt serves part time on the staff of America’s Keswick providing ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a Biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

 

“Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; 
Lord Sabaoth, his name, from age to age the same, and he must win the battle.” A Mighty Fortress is Our God, 2^nd stanza 

I’ve built a wall that the Lord needs to tear down. A wall I built to protect my heart.  The Lord used a message on a recent radio program to convict me of what I have built. The wall I constructed was for my own protection, or so I thought.  The Lord used this message to show me truth. Rather than building a wall to guard my heart, it has become a wall of pride and self-preservation. This structure has been controlling who and what comes within my wall. It needs to come down, but it is frightening to me.

By building this wall I have allowed myself to rule my world. I have attempted to keep control. I have taken a role that is not mine to have – a role only Jesus can fill. My wall went up brick by brick and now it’s time to have the courage to allow Him to take it down. It wasn’t built in a day and it isn’t going to come down any faster, but the process needs to begin.

Perhaps you’re finding yourself behind a wall of pride. Maybe you’re constructing one or needing to tear it down.  Walls may be great for cities, but not for our hearts. Walls don’t belong if you desire intimacy with Jesus or others. Walls make you the king of your castle but they don’t allow Jesus to be King over your life.

You and I know that when Jesus is in His rightful place there is no need for walls of protection, control, or fear.  He is our fortress and our guard. Today I challenge myself and you to let Him reign victorious and allow the Lord to free you from the walls you have built…. one brick at a time.

Blessings, Kathy

Kathy Withers is on staff at America’s Keswick and serves as Director of Partner Care. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 30 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local church and teaches a Bible study for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.

 

 

I am currently reading a great book by Mike Wilkerson, Redemption[i], in preparation for a seminar/class I am taking soon.  I came across this quote that was so good I just had to pass it along.

“The Puritan preacher Thomas Chalmers, in his sermon The Expulsive Power of a New Affection,[ii] said that desires for God and desires for sin cannot coexist in the human heart. They are two opposing ‘affections’–one will always push out the other. So, he said, ‘the only way to dispossess [the heart] of an old affection, is by the expulsive power of a new one’ (see Gal. 5:16-17). You can’t just ‘stop it,’ because the it is always more than behavior. It is always rooted in your affections, in what you love—what you worship. Chalmers points the way forward: we worshipped our way into this mess, and by God’s grace we’ll worship our way out.”

I don’t know about you, but this pierced my heart.  Are you battling sin?  Does a besetting sin or perhaps multiple besetting sins have you feeling bound in chains and irons?  Or perhaps you have long since given up the battle and just succumbed to the temptation so many times that you don’t even recognize it any more, or if you do you have ceased to put up any fight at all.

It all comes down to worship.  We have been created worshipful beings. We will worship something.  We never stop worshipping.  What is your object of worship? Not just Sunday mornings surrounded by smiling faces, hugs, a congregation lifting their voices in unison to the One True God; No, I’m asking what are you worshipping the rest of the week?  Every choice, every decision, every action reveals our true affections.

Have you ever tried to overcome a sinful pattern by trying to just stop it?  You may even successfully stop that pattern of sin, but unless the root affections are repented of, it will find satisfaction in some other way.  You will have succeeded in changing the object of worship from one idol to another.

Our affections will find their way to be satisfied.  Unless our grandest affections are rooted in Jesus Christ, we will bounce from lesser thing to lesser thing, bound in the worship of idols.

I have been profoundly impacted by the paragraph I quoted.  I love the depth of truth in the statement: “We worshipped our way into this mess, and by God’s grace we’ll worship our way out.”  That statement has come to my mind over and over again.

We need to recognize that regardless of what we think or say, to truly worship the One True God we must forgo all other gods (that which fuels our affections – those things that tempt us most to sin).  It is not the temptation itself but rather the temptations that we are most inclined to succumb to – and sin.

What is it for you?  What vies for your affections?  It is this misplaced worship that has paved the way to our besetting sins or bondage.  The ONLY way out – by God’s grace – is to LOVE JESUS MOMENT BY MOMENT MORE –THAN ANYTHING ELSE – MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE.

Oh, Lord.  I want that to be true in my life.  I pray for myself and my sisters that we will be true worshippers of YOU and YOU alone.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt serves part time on the staff of America’s Keswick providing ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a Biblical Counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

[i] Mike Wilkerson, Redemption[i]: Freed by Jesus from the idols we worship and the wounds we carry.”

[ii] https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/Chalmers,%20Thomas%20-%20The%20Exlpulsive%20Power%20of%20a%20New%20Af.pdf

 

But love covers all sins.  Proverbs 10:12b

Did Peter think of himself as “that” guy?  He dropped his nets and followed Jesus from the first time he met Him. He was in the inner circle with John and James, privy to Jesus’ thoughts and teachings. He loved Him. He emphatically told the Lord that the night of the last supper. Jesus had just said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’” (Matthew 26:31). Peter’s response sounds true to form: “Even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.”

I wonder how he sounded when he said those words to Jesus. Did he sound proud? Speak softly? Raise his voice so the other guys could be certain to hear him? All in all, it appears that he felt pretty sure of his love for Jesus. We know some of his character by what we read in Scripture. Not a shy guy, it seems. So, we wouldn’t be surprised to know that when he said those words, he may have spoken them with confidence… but with confidence in whom?

We know what happened next. Jesus tells Peter that he will deny Him. I can see Peter’s hurt/astonished countenance. “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” Sounds passionate. I can feel what Peter is saying. I can grab onto his emotion. I can even relate.

But here’s the thing: how did Peter later feel when he realized Jesus’ words came to fore and his words did not? “That” guy just changed. He was crushed by his selfishness. He was devastated by his own cowardice.  He was broken in anguish. As he cried in penitence, did he think he’d ever hear His Lord’s voice again, speaking to him in the tones of love he had come to know?

Jump over to Mark 16:7. There is an angel sitting at the empty tomb. He says to the women, “go tell the disciples…and PETER.” Peter is specifically mentioned, singled out. When word got back to him, the truth of Who Jesus is must have conquered Peter’s fearful spirit. Acceptance, encouragement, and unconditional, true love, were wrapped up in those 2 words… “and Peter.” His now contrite heart experienced the assurance of Jesus’ forgiveness, friendship, hope, and TRUE LOVE. We see that as we then watch Peter…affectionate, loyal, bold, impulsive Peter…become the rock and shepherd that Jesus foretold him he would become.

Trust had been restored in the most important relationship Peter would ever have.

It’s the same most important relationship we will ever have. That same account is as true for us as it was for our brother, Peter. We can put our name in the place of the one that betrayed Him, yet fell on His mercy. No matter how far we’ve gone, how low we’ve sunk, to ever think we could be accepted again by our Creator, there is always room in His heart for love…true love.

What a God! What a Savior!

Carol

Carol Tirondola is on staff with the Partner Care team at America’s Keswick. She and her best friend, Mario, have been married for 35 years. They have 2 sons and 2 daughters-in-law that they call their “BFFs”. They also have 7 precious gems called grandchildren. Her family has savored many memories of the heart made at Keswick over the last 35+ years and she is thrilled to now be serving on staff!

 

This question has been rolling around in my brain for several days, kind of like that song that gets stuck in your head.  “Who are you without trying?” The question is not original with me, I heard it at a women’s group I attended recently.  I immediately had a sunken feeling.  Ugh – I hate to think of who I am without trying.

Who am I without trying?

1. I am selfish
2. I am proud
3. I am self-centered
4. I like to be in control
5. I think my way is best
6. I think my opinion is right
7. I often feed my flesh, literally.

And the list could go on and on…. A bleak picture.

But then I got to thinking….

Who did I used to be without trying?

1. I was fearful
2. I was a worrier
3. I was anxious
4. I was quick to speak

By God’s grace these are things that I no longer am without trying… most of the time.  This is evidence of God’s grace of sanctification.

Then I’m back to: who am I without trying?

Because of the efforts of Jesus Christ and His redeeming work on the cross, without my trying …

1. I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb– Gal 3:13
2. My spirit has been regenerated –Eph 2:13
3. I am saved –Eph 2:8-9
4. I am precious in His sight– Is 43:4
5. I am justified– Romans 5:1
6. I am being sanctified –1 Cor 6:11
7. I am a child of the One True God John — 1:12
8. I am a joint heir with Jesus Christ–Romans 8:17
9. I am forgiven — Eph 1:7
10. I am delighted in — Psalm 16:3
11. My name is written in the Lamb’s book of life –Rev 21:17
12. I am destined for heaven –Heb 11:16
13. I have new life –Gal 2:20
14. I am adopted –Eph 1:5
15. I am chosen– Eph 1:4
16. I am loved– 1 Thess 1:4
17. I am filled with the Holy Spirit– Romans 8:11
18. I have grace poured out on me– John 1:16
19. I am a work in progress– Phil 1:6

THAT IS WHO I AM WITHOUT TRYING. ALL BECAUSE OF HIM.

Blessings, Diane

Diane serves part time on the staff of America’s Keswick providing ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a Biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

“Each of us may be sure that if God sends us over rocky paths, He will provide us with sturdy shoes. He will never send us on any journey without equipping us well.”  Alexander Maclaren

While on vacation, Dave and I decided to take an… excursion. We didn’t plan ahead, so by the time we made our decision there were limited options. Out of two available choices, we thought hiking in the  rain forest would be a great way to spend a few hours. I have hiked before in state parks. The rain forest is a bit different! The bus dropped our group and our guide off on a paved road.  Before long, we were in the rain forest and soon the path became narrow and muddy. We slipped in mud and on rocks. Soon I began to think this was not a very good idea. (Especially when I peeked over the right side and saw how far the drop down was.) Eventually we came to a rock wall where we had to “swing” over to the other side. Our guide assisted us and carefully instructed us to place one foot here, swing over and place the other foot on the other side.  I knew, but had to ask, “Are we going back the way we came?” The answer was, “There is no turning back.” Almost two hours later we were tired and before us was a steep set of man-made steps.  We got word that the bus was parked up top. If I could just make it up the stairs this would all be over!

I am sure you can see the spiritual point to this activity. We all are led into places we have never ventured before. We all have felt the ground turn to mud and things get slippery beneath our feet. We all have been challenged to do scary things. The reminder for today is we do not go alone. The Lord is our guide, telling us exactly where to place our feet. He is there to tell us not to look back but to keep moving forward. He is there to walk with us even when He is silent. He is there to see us emerge back into the light of day.

Wherever the Lord is leading you today, He is with you!

He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.  Psalm 18:33

Blessings,

Kathy

Kathy Withers is on staff at America’s Keswick and serves as Director of Partner Care. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 30 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local church and teaches a Bible study for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.

I recently attended a counseling training seminar on ministering the love and grace of God to those who consider themselves transgender.  It was an eye opening seminar and gave me a different perspective on their battle.

As I thought about the information I received, it occurred to me that the transition our culture has made regarding not just transgender people but the lesbian/gay agenda and all the other populations that have now joined their ranks with letter designations of their own.

What I am going to share is not new. We live in a culture that has made a gradual shift from a worldview where God is the Authority to a world view where self is the authority.

We see this in many ways:

We see it in the self-focused perspective of entitlement.

We see it in the idea that truth is relative, that there is no such thing as absolute truth.

We see it in the statement, “That may be your truth but it’s not my truth.”

We see it in the upswing of the occurrence and severity of bullying.

And I heard it when I went to the seminar.

When our Authority is no longer God, no longer outside of self, the natural progression is exactly what we are seeing in our culture. Each individual is basically their own god. So to challenge a person’s beliefs or life choices makes no sense to them because their authority (self) has made their choices, decisions and beliefs okay and good.  They believe in right and wrong but the authority of right and wrong is themselves.

The enemy is making progress in the hearts and minds of our culture.  The idea that God is actually the Authority over not just the lives of believers but every life, all of creation and the totality of the universe in every single aspect, bar none, is absolutely foreign to many.  It is sheer foolishness.

“…by their unrighteousness suppress the truth….For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Romans 1:18, 20-23

It seems a futile battle – except it’s not OUR battle.  Since the creation of the world God has made Himself known – in numerous ways—nothing and no one will be able to hinder God from making Himself known.  God can penetrate the darkest heart. He can open the blindest eyes. He can whisper truth into the deafest ears.

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

Ultimately, every single person, without exception, will acknowledge Father God Almighty is THE true AUTHORITY.  That’s Who is in charge here!!

Blessings,

Diane

Diane serves part time on the staff of America’s Keswick providing ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a Biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

 

I am sure you pray for your children each and every day.  Over this last week I have seen the news showing behavior that I cannot even imagine my children would be involved in – from foul language, to setting fires, to making unacceptable gestures with their bodies.

I have also witnessed amazing young people excited to praise the Lord, willing to stand firm for the principles that are dear to God and speak the truth boldly but with love.  It made me ask the Lord, “How do I pray for young adults and the next generation?” He brought me to Psalm 1.  Let me share it with you:

Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
     Nor stands in the path of sinners,
     Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
²  But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
     And in His law he meditates day and night.
³ He shall be like a tree
     Planted by the rivers of water,
     That brings forth its fruit in its season,
     Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
⁴ The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
⁵ Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
⁶ For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the ungodly shall perish. (NKJV)

I invite you to read, meditate upon, and then join me as we pray these verses for the young people of our nation and the next generation.  By His grace we will see the behaviors that delight the enemy will wither and die.  Young people will find that true liberty is delighting in the law of the Lord and meditating upon HIS Word day and night.

Blessings,
Patricia Wenzel
Women of Character Graduate

Patricia Wenzel Rev. Patricia Wenzel is the founder and director of a state-wide prayer ministry, PRAY New Jersey Inc., since 2002.  The ministry is committed to praying for and blessing those serving in authority positions in our state, particularly in government.  The ministry is also committed to equipping the saints to pray for those serving in government.  The vision and ministry is guided by the Word of God, in particular, 1 Tim. 2:1-4 and Is. 61:11.  Pat is thankful for the ministry of America’s Keswick.  She graduated from Women of Character in July 2008.

This past Sunday, my best friend texted me and woke me up earlier than intended, and I had gone to bed late the night before, so I was too tired to get up – that was excuse number 1. I also knew that I was driving down south to my parents later, and I didn’t really want to do that much driving, especially since it was a rainy day – that was excuse number 2. After a while of lying in bed, I thought, “Well, by the time I get up and shower, I won’t have much time to get ready for church. Maybe I’ll skip today” – and there we go folks, excuse number 3.

I had made the decision in my mind I wasn’t going to get up and go to church this past Sunday. Instead, I grabbed my iPhone and opened my Twitter app to look at the trending hashtags. I wanted to see if there was anything big happening in the world that people were talking about (Yes, yes, I know… what a millennial thing for me to do when I could just turn on the news, right?)

The top trending hashtag was #ImNotGoingToChurchBecause. It was basically a bunch of people criticizing the idea of going to church. People wrote things like “#ImNotGoingToChurchBecause they’re all hypocrites” or “#ImNotGoingToChurchBecause Christians won’t accept me so I won’t accept them.” As I was reading through these posts from perfect strangers, I was getting more and more angry. “This is awful! People are using this hashtag just to insult Christians who go to church! Don’t they have anything better to do?”

And that’s when I felt conviction. The Lord presented me with a simple question: “Why aren’t YOU going to church?”

“Well… these people are just using this hashtag to bash church! I think it’s horrible that they have all of these crazy reasons for not going, they’re really just trying to insult Christians.” Again, the Lord impressed upon me that question. It was almost as if He were saying, “I didn’t ask you what your opinions about them not going to church were. Why aren’t YOU going to church?” I realized that I was being pretty hypocritical and also getting dangerously close to the attitude the Pharisee had in Luke 18:11 when he said, “God, I thank you that I’m not like those people.” I thought about it for a minute –  why wasn’t I going to church? If I had used that hashtag on Twitter, what would the end of my post say?#ImNotGoingToChurchBecause I’m tired? I don’t want to drive? It’s rainy? I won’t have that much time to do my hair and my makeup?

Come on!

I was so angry at all of these strangers because they were giving their reasons for not going to church, but my excuses sounded much more pathetic.

Hebrews 10:25 states: [Do not forsake] the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

GotQuestions.org writes –

Church is the place where believers can love one another (1 John 4:12), encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13), “spur” one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24), serve one another (Galatians 5:13), instruct one another (Romans 15:14), honor one another (Romans 12:10), and be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32).

I got my lazy self out of bed and started to get ready for church, apologizing and repenting about my bad and judgmental attitude the entire time. And guess what? The message at church was something I really needed to hear. Isn’t it cool how God knows when we’re in a funk and cares enough to not let us stay there for long, but instead continuously teaches and guides us? Gotta love Him!

Erin Culleny serves as a Marketing Assistant and Staff Writer. She loves encouraging women through her Victory Calls and finds such joy in praying for her sisters in Christ. Her favorite activities include reading her Bible, encouraging others with scripture, buying new dresses, and eating at the Cheesecake Factory… In that order!

You’d think I’d be overjoyed by the notion of carrying another little blessing from God in my womb. But I wasn’t. I was afraid… panic-stricken actually.

I wanted to be pregnant again. But my fear of loss haunted me for weeks to come.

My husband and I told only three people at first. We waited silently, praying with every morning that brought us closer to our first ultrasound that we wouldn’t be faced with the dreaded words again, “I’m sorry Mrs. Mendez, but we don’t detect a heartbeat.”

My absolute favorite quote about fear actually isn’t from the Bible. (…gasp… I know, I’m a heathen.) But seriously, it comes from the movie, “After Earth” with Will Smith. Smith’s character offers this counsel to his son, who is on a mission to save humankind:

“The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice.”

Man, does this resonate!

Keeping my little secret, mostly out of fear of reliving the agony of sharing my joy only to publicly recant it days later, left me buckled over in depression and feeling isolated. Even my husband struggled with this. We sat in fear of our thoughts of what might be. We were paralyzed by the product of our imaginations. We were anxious about something we absolutely could not control. We were insane. Yes, early pregnancy is risky. But we serve a God who is sovereign and always has our best interest at hand.

Isaiah 42:10 says, So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

These two sentences offer three promises that brought me such comfort. First, He is with me. Not just some of the time, but all the time. Second, He promises to strengthen and help me no matter what I go through. And third, He holds me with His steady and faithful hand.

Today, I write, as I’m exactly 25 weeks pregnant with my second baby girl. To say I’m thrilled and overcome with joy by the faithfulness of the Lord would be an understatement. But if there are any experiences that will teach a woman about the sovereignty of God, pregnancy is one.

I’ve learned great humility and trust. I know that I’m carrying a life and everything I do to my body has an impact, yet I have no control over whether she will breathe her first breath or not. To God be the glory for He is able to far beyond what I could ever ask or think.

Diera Shaw-Mendez is thrilled to be part of the team Barbara’s Place, and also serves as worship leader and youth leader at New Beginnings Worship Center, Pennsauken, NJ. She is wife to Chaplain Juan Mendez and mama to Olivia Joy. She enjoys graphic design, event planning, and cooking. Diera is a God-fearing, Starbucks loving, tech junkie (…in that order!) who simply wants to remind women of God’s unchanging, healing love.