Abram.
In Genesis 12 the Lord makes a promise to Abram.

“…I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing….” 12:2; “…To your offspring I will give this land…” 12:7

God promised Abram that He would give his descendants land, make them a great nation, be blessed and be a blessing.

Fast forward a couple of chapters to Genesis 15.

Abram inquires of the Lord as to how He will fulfill His promise since He remained childless and the heir of his house was to be a member of his household.  God showed him the stars and basically said – as the stars are too many to count so shall your offspring be too many to count.

And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Gen 15:6

In verse 7 God reiterates His promise to Abram for land.  Then Abram asks a curious question, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”(15:8).

How interesting. Abram sounds just like us.  In one moment he is believing God for the impossible, for innumerable descendants when he has yet to father a single one and his wife is barren. The next moment he is wondering how he can know that he will possess the land.
God had Abram bring animals, cutting them in two.  As darkness fell Abram fell into a deep sleep.  God said, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” 15:13-14

I love that first phrase. “Know for certain…”

When we read God’s promises in His word we may be tempted to ask “How am I to know that He will keep His promise?” God would say to you and me, “You may know for certain.” We can know for certain because God keeps His Word, every one of them.

What a great reminder to my heart this morning. I hope yours too.

Blessings,
Diane

After serving 16 years full-time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane Hunt and her husband moved to North Carolina where she continues to serve part-time as a contributing writer and Partner Care Consultant.  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.

So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Matthew 27:41-43

The chief priests, scribes and elders mocked Him. They said they would believe if He came down off that cross. They didn’t know what they were asking.  They were asking Him to abandon His mission.

Perhaps it was true that if Jesus came down from the cross maybe they would have believed. But then what?  Sin would not have been conquered. Salvation would not have been won. And we would ALL still be under the power of sin and the wrath of God.

Despite the FACT that He did and does save others, the FACT that He is the King of Israel, the FACT that He trusts God, the FACT that the Father does desire Him, the FACT that He is the Son of God, Jesus had nothing to prove to these men.  He chose the long view by staying on the cross.  Perhaps the few standing around Him never believed because He didn’t come down off the cross, but His decision of obedience and love brought salvation to the world.

…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

The same principle works effectively in our own battle against sin. Rather than the short-term pleasure of sin, the long view of the blessing of obedience, the joy of fellowship with Christ and the Father’s glory, will embolden us to say no to temptation.

Please Lord, will you give me the long view to look beyond the immediate to see the glory beyond.

Blessings,
Diane

After serving 16 years full-time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane Hunt and her husband moved to North Carolina where she continues to serve part-time as a contributing writer and Partner Care Consultant.  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.

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He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.  Psalm 147:3

“Life can’t be about being good enough, but instead believing there is God enough—God enough for whatever our own humanity needs grace for.” *

Many of you have read Victory Calls in which I have shared my heart in regards to prodigals. Like many moms of prodigal children we look forward to their return but are continuing to wait.

While reading Ann Voskamp’s   book “The Broken Way” she says, “Parenting is logically complicated, theologically enlightening, and sometimes a bit psychologically destroying.”** Like me, you may have felt a measure of destruction in your heart and mind when it comes to our kids. We are broken over mistakes, choices, words said and left unsaid. Most recently I had a mom share with me the guilt she felt in how she raised her children and now it is too late. I reminded her that God is bigger than our mistakes. We are all broken to begin with. God knows that and yet He uses us and, yes, we make mistakes along the way.  If you are looking at your hurts and the mistakes you made in the past, may I encourage you to look to your Lord who is BIGGER and able to work regardless of how much you think things are beyond repair.

Maybe it’s not prodigal children for you, but something looms over your broken heart today. Whatever the cause of your hurting heart God sees your brokenness. Today will you and I believe that God is enough?  He is able to work, heal and return wholeness to the pieces of our hearts?

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.

“The Broken Way” by Ann Voskamp
*pg 134
** pg 135

“How isolated we can feel when we endure pain. We can feel detached from even our closest friends. Worse, our prayers and conversations with God may fall flat. At these times we can draw on our experiences of how God proved His love for us in the past. If you have kept a journal of your relationship with God, now is the time to read it. If God has given you faith to walk with Him through previous obstacles, now is the time to apply faith again: “Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings” Hebrews 10:32. If songs or scripture verses have lifted your heart in the past, return to them. God wants us to remember how real He was to us before and know that He is the same caring God today, even if He seems hidden.”

Reading this in my study book hit me like a ton of bricks! I realized I was forgetful and drifting. Suffering can easily consume us. It seemed so subtle but here I was. It was time to make a deliberate decision to remember and return.

How easily we can lose our way in the midst of suffering. When our eyes turn to our wounds and losses we will eventually have amnesia. Have you forgotten? Are you far from where you were?

Take some time today to remember ALL that God has done. Praise Him, return to Him once again.

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.

Psalm 118: 8- It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

When God instructed His prophet, Samuel, to notify Saul that his kingship was being transferred to another, Samuel obeyed. Yet, he seemed to mourn for Saul in a prolonged and excessive manner (1 Samuel 15:35; 16:1). Transition is challenging and change is often unwelcome – even for otherwise mature, submitted believers. Why is that so? What does the Lord have to say about it?

One could offer comprehensive explanations, but I think the crux of the matter lies in where one is truly putting her confidence. When first transitioning into my position here at America’s Keswick as the Women of Character Coordinator, I was approached by a gracious, seasoned sister in Christ who told me that she was worried about the program when she heard that my predecessor was moving on, but felt alleviated after hearing about my story and heart for this ministry. I walked away from that interaction feeling…..conflicted and convicted!

Now by no means am I picking on this sister, but she honestly got me to thinking because her response is not only representative of many believers in times of leadership transition, but also of MINE often times – truth be told! It is God’s prerogative as to who leads and when, and in the case of Christians – it is He Who enables one’s ministry (2 Cor. 3:5). Ahh, but it so easy for us to experience slow, unnoticeable drift to the degree that we find ourselves excluding God from our vision as we walk by sight – not faith.

Be it a leadership position in a ministry setting, in a business, or in a country – promotion comes from the Lord (Proverbs 75:6-7). I am writing this before our presidential election, but am assuming this won’t be published until afterwards. As our recent ladies retreat speaker so lucidly reminded us, let us walk by faith not sight as we trust God with whatever leadership changes are on our horizons nationally, in the work place, and in Christian ministry as He alone is our true hope and confidence!

Melissa
Melissa Smith is the Women of Character Coordinator at America’s Keswick. She has the privilege and honor of ministering to the colony men’s wives and girlfriends, the Barbara’s Place women, and some women from the community who God brings to America’s Keswick for help or care. She and Bill, her husband of 18 years, have four adopted children ages 17 to 24. Her fervent desire is to point women to Christ and His sufficiency, provision, and promises.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve faced two choices, two paths.  The path of walking by faith and the path of walking by sight.

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” – But he serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman SAW that the tree was good for food, and that it was a DELIGHT TO THE EYES, and that the TREE WAS TO BE DESIRED to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Gen 2:16-17

Adam and Eve had two choices.  Trust God will fulfill their needs without the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden – walking by faith believing that He alone is enough – OR to believe their eyes that what they SAW was BETTER than what God promised.  Their choice to walk by sight led to the fall of mankind and set in motion long-term consequences that affect every human being that ever lived or will ever live.

In the book of Joshua, God clearly instructs Israel to not take any plunder for themselves when He gives Jericho into their hands.  But Achan did not obey.  When Joshua confronted him he said, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I SAW among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them.” Joshua 7:20-21.

As a result, Achan, the silver, the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all he had were destroyed.  See Joshua 7: 23-25

There are many biblical examples of people walking by sight and there were always consequences.

These two choices are still the same two paths we have today in the 21st century. Will you walk by faith? Or will you walk by sight?

Blessings,
Diane

After serving 16 years full-time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane Hunt and her husband moved to North Carolina where she continues to serve part-time as a contributing writer and Partner Care Consultant.  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.

Why are you downcast, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God Psalm 42:5-6, 11

While studying the Book of Job over the past weeks, I have looked again on the subject of suffering, loss and God’s sovereignty. I began to read and found myself relating to Job in a number of ways. Everything was good in this man’s life and then it was one hardship after another. I was reminded of a period of time in my recent past once again.

Part of the study book I was using has a section called “Personalize this Lesson.” While reading this particular section a sentence grabbed my attention. “While God may not restore exactly what we have lost, He can bring new sources of joy to us.” You and I can often dwell on our losses and the fact that things will never be the same. But I was challenged and I would like to challenge you to look for new sources of joy. It may take a good amount of time but if we will look for them we will find them.

I quoted this sentence recently with a widow and she was excited to think how God had brought her a husband after her first husband died suddenly.  He is now her new source of joy.

Today you may need to know in your sorrow that joy will come again. You may need to be open to see the new sources of joy the Lord is giving you. Maybe it is time to allow yourself to enter into a new season of joy. Trust God to restore your losses in His timing. He can bring new sources of joy to you!

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.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land o Flanagan, which I am giving the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel… Numbers 13:1-3

You probably have heard the story of the 12 spies that Moses sent into Canaan as the people of Israel came into Kadesh-Barnea. I learned something recently that I thought I would pass along.  When I thought about this event I didn’t consider some of the practical realities of their excursion. Did you know…?

•    12 men – all leaders, all chiefs (Since all 12 men were leaders, I wonder if there were ever power struggles on their mission)

•    They traveled from the Negeb (in the south) to Rehob (in the north).

•    Round trip

•    In round numbers they traveled about 500 miles!!!!

•    In 40 days

•    That averages 12-13 miles a day for 40 days

This was no small task.  They didn’t have automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles or hover boards in those days.

It is details like this that often give us a better understanding of what life was like for people in Biblical times.  It takes the people off the 2-D page and adds clarity in 3-D. So instead of just being 12 spies, they were real men who probably got blisters and calluses on their feet and maybe sunburn and more than a few bug bites along the way.

Oh yeah, we forget things like that when we read the Bible simply as history rather than the living, breathing Word of God.  Do you ever find yourself reading the Bible as a nice story but forgetting the people really lived and the events really happened?

Guilty as charged.
Blessings, Diane

After serving 16 years full-time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane Hunt and her husband moved to North Carolina where she continues to serve part-time as a contributing writer and Partner Care Consultant.  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.

As Jesus spoke to the crowds on the mountainside – the specific location is uncertain but irrelevant to the import of His message.  Commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught about Kingdom living.  In Matthew 6 Jesus spoke of 3 “secret” components of a believer’s life.  The secret of giving, the secret of prayer and the secret of fasting.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:3-4

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:17-18

There is much in our relationship with Jesus Christ that is inward – personal – between us and Jesus. And there are parts of our relationship with Christ that are evident to those around us, being the overflow of our inward relationship.

In all 3 of these examples that Jesus shared on the mountainside – He ends with “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” I don’t know what that reward is but don’t miss that YOUR FATHER SEES YOU!!  Your private prayers, fasting and giving are seen and rewarded.  How rich a blessing is that?

SHHHHH…..Don’t tell.

Diane

After serving 16 years full-time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane Hunt and her husband moved to North Carolina where she continues to serve part-time as a contributing writer and Partner Care Consultant.  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 have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

As a new believer, a few moons ago, I remember memorizing Scripture because it was the thing to do.  I knew as a good Christian I was to memorize the Word. Plus I was walking through a difficult time in my life and thought that it would surely help.

I remember reviewing and rehearsing the words over and over again as I sought to commit them to memory.  As I read the verse over and over – there was little connection with my heart.  I knew it was the Word of God – no doubt — but in some way they were words on a page.  Being new in the faith, I didn’t have many life experiences with the Lord yet so there were few hooks to hang the words on.

Recently I have been thinking about my own pursuit of Scripture memorization over the years – sometimes avid but mostly weak and puny—and the impact the Scripture has had in my walk, progressive growth and maturity.

Memorizing the words is valuable – don’t get me wrong – but the real explosive power is not committing God word to memory – but committing His Word to our hearts.  If all we do is memorize the words so we can repeat them back – an intellectual pursuit – we have missed the true value of Scripture memorization.

When I call to mind a verse I have committed to memory but not to my heart – it may have glancing impact on me; but when I call to mind a verse hidden in my heart – it changes me.

That’s the power of the Word – not just knowing it but actually believing it.  God’s Word changes me when I apply it with faith, trusting and believing the Author.

Oh, how I love the Word of God.  It is powerful, life-changing, healing and beautiful.  Embrace the Word and don’t let it collect dust on your end table. Open your heart and let the Word reside there. You’ll be thankful you did.

Blessings, Diane

After serving 16 years full-time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane Hunt and her husband moved to North Carolina where she continues to serve part-time as a contributing writer and Partner Care Consultant.  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.