When was God born?  Who are God’s parents? How old is God?  Can you hear the questions of a child?  We as adults understand their questions though we chuckle to ourselves then gulp and try to explain that God has always been. How do we explain to a child something we cannot understand ourselves?

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting… 1 Chronicles 16:36

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. Ps 90:2,

As finite beings with finite brains we cannot grasp the eternal.  That used to cause me anxiety but now it causes my heart to praise.  When I get pushed into a corner and my mind will not stretch any further, I well up with a heart of gratitude – that I cannot comprehend God.  If I could, He would not be God.  It is a reminder that He is far greater than I am, and that He understands and knows all things, and I do not.

God is so great that we cannot begin to know him. No one can begin to understand eternity. Job 26:36 (TLB); How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. (NIV); Take a long, hard look. See how great he is—infinite, greater than anything you could ever imagine or figure out! (MSG)

The Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “God is Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.”

He is eternal in all His attributes.
God is eternal in His being.
God is eternal in His wisdom.
God is eternal in His power.
God is eternal in His holiness.
God is eternal in His justice.
God is eternal in His goodness.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.” Revelation 1:8

THE ALMIGHTY….
AMEN

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt
After serving 16 years full time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane 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 teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

We recently changed our internet and cable provider.  On the day of our appointment, I came home at the point where the tech asked us what we wanted the name of our network to be. I said “Waste of Time.” It was sort of a joke but then I really thought about it. We know that our TVs, phones and other devices can suck us into a time warp. We can binge watch for hours, surf the net, check our social media and not even realize the amount of time we have spent in front of one screen or another.

Are there better things we can do with our time? Of course! It is up to each of us to determine how our time is spent. When we have an eternal view of time we may be surprised that our time is not being spent wisely.  We may want to take the time to prioritize more carefully. If we are aware of our time and how much time we waste we may spend our time differently.

Here’s the thing about time:

Time is a precious commodity.

None of us know how much time we will have to do what matters most.

Once it is spent you can’t get it back.

Time flies way too fast.

What are you and I doing with our time? Maybe it’s time to make a change in how we spend our 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 the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Psalm 81:10

God has blessing upon blessing to pour out on us but I think so often we are not poised to receive.  Perhaps because we fail to recognize His blessings or we are so busy and distracted that we don’t take time to pause and consider His blessings.  At times we want to tell God what and how to bless us and, in a sense, refuse blessings that may not be what we asked for.  If we do not position ourselves to receive we will miss out on blessings God desires for us.

He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psalm 24:5

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5

…we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:11

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:12

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7

Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:10

As His child we are already blessed.  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3. Are your eyes open to see? Are your ears open to hear? Is your mouth open to receive? Have you, by faith, poised yourself to fully receive all the blessing God is pouring out on you?  Open your mouth wide and He will fill it.

Blessings, Diane
Diane Hunt

After serving 16 years full time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane 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.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:5-7

I watched with joy as many Olympic athletes praised God for their ability to win their various events. I especially liked hearing their stories prior to their win. In previous events they may have stumbled and failed. They continued in their training, becoming strong and enduring to reach their goal of being an Olympian.

You and I can also praise God that He is our strength. We are each on our own pilgrimage passing through times of drought and times of refreshment. We go on in strength of the Lord with the goal in mind – to finally appear before God.

John Mac Arthur notes that, “Anticipation of joyous worship of God in Jerusalem overcame the pilgrims’ natural weariness in their difficult journey.” Today may your strength be in our God, may your worship allow you to pass through a dry place to find joy and refreshment. May each of us go from strength to strength in Him.

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.

Lately I’ve been feeling a disconnect that I haven’t been able to put into words. As I read Psalm 77, I can relate to verse 3, “I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained and my soul was overwhelmed.”  I turned to Don Kelso’s The Psalms and read this:

“The psalmist tells of a past time of deep despair over which he has already had victory when he writes, “I…was troubled; I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed” (vs 3). He was distraught because of the six questions asked in verses 7-9. He couldn’t sleep – he couldn’t even talk! His root problem came from communing with his own heart instead of God.

I realized I had been asking some of those questions in vs 7-9 and found some of my thoughts and feelings were rooted in amnesia and discontent. Feelings are unreliable and my thoughts aren’t always aligned to truth. I was communing with my heart not the truth from the Word of God or the Holy Spirit.

I have had a past time of deep despair, I have the victory but I had become troubled and overwhelmed again. When Dave asked me to tell him my thoughts I had no words to explain it properly.  I wasn’t explaining it to the Lord either. I was only talking to my heart which is above all things deceitful.

Today are you talking to yourself or to the Lord? You won’t get the right advice, direction, answer, etc., from talking to your heart. Instead, talk from your heart to the One who knows your heart.

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.

Many years ago I spoke for a senior women’s group in a local church. My topic?  Don’t die before you’re dead. Oddly enough they never asked me back to speak.

I was genuinely making this point.  God isn’t done with us – that is working IN us or THROUGH us – until the moment we leave our earthly tents.  I don’t care if you are over 60, over 70 or even over 90, if you are still breathing – God is sustaining you for His purposes.

Too many people feel like they are on the downward slide to the end and they are just hanging on till that happens.  How sad.  The older we get the more life experience and the more spiritual maturity we have to influence others, whether it is our peers or the next generation or two. We never retire from our spiritual journey.

I have shared before my memorable experience with two elderly women (both in their 90’s at the time) that impacted my life. Anne and Sue. One reached 100, the other got very close.  One was bed-bound.  I stopped periodically to visit and encourage them but it was always the other way around – they encouraged and inspired me.  Both were prayer warriors.  They didn’t suddenly become prayer warriors at 90; they developed that powerful ministry over years.  Did they have reason to complain? To be depressed or discouraged? Probably – but never did I hear such things.  Instead their love for Jesus was evident in their countenance and on their lips.  I’m inspired all over again as I write this, recalling my interactions with them 20 years ago.

We all want to age gracefully, which usually means we hope our hair is a pretty shade of silver or white and that wrinkles and sagging skin don’t become our most dominant feature.  But the greater grace is the inner beauty that is nurtured and developed over years of walking closely with Jesus.  That kind of beauty shines through beyond the gray hair and wrinkles.  You know it’s true.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Psalm 92:12-15

But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right. Job 32:8-9

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Psalm 71:18

…even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. Isaiah 46:4

So now you understand my title… Don’t die before you’re dead.  No matter your age… you still have purpose; you still have much to offer. Every day the Father has chosen for you, live it to the full.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

Let’s shine today regardless of our age, our stature or our circumstances.  No matter what transpires today may our Father be glorified.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt
After serving 16 years full time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane 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 remember when I was a senior in High School, a friend of mine had lost his aunt and uncle in a car accident. The next day in our English class, we all decided to make cards for him. A girl in my class came up to me and asked: “What’s that Bible verse about God not giving you anything more than what you can handle? I want to write it on my card.” What was very interesting was that this girl wasn’t only an unbeliever, but she often made fun of me for my beliefs. I explained to her that the Bible verse she is referencing is actually about temptation, and then I offered her alternative Bible verses that were appropriate for people who are grieving. She picked one of them and then went on her way.

I haven’t forgotten that day, because it really made me think. The girl who made fun of me for being ‘The Christian’ in the school came to me to find peace in God’s Word. That actually happens a lot. How many times have you been on Facebook and seen an unbeliever asking for prayer for a sick family member? Or maybe you’ve experienced a time when an unbeliever lost a friend or family member and then said “At least we know (s)he’s in a better place.” Any other time, the unbelievers would dismiss prayer, heaven, and God as ineffective or fiction … until tragedy strikes.

1 Peter 3:15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.
When the girl from my class came up to me, I thought it was a bit discouraging that the only time she acknowledged God’s Word was when it was convenient for her. Then I thought about how great it is that she’s acknowledging God’s Word at all, and what a great witnessing opportunity situations like that are for believers. It shows that, to an extent, she believes that there is a God. We, as believers, can’t pass up these opportunities to fan the flame. When unbelievers ask for prayer or godly comfort, I’m sure that in most cases they are feeling a great sense of vulnerability and humility. Sometimes God uses the hardest of situations to draw others closer to Himself – and He commands us to witness. Will you allow yourself to be used by Him in these situations?

Erin
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. She is so excited that after 5 years on Summer Staff, she now has the opportunity to serve at Keswick year-round. Her favorite activities include reading her Bible, encouraging others with scripture, buying new dresses, and eating at the Cheesecake Factory… In that order!

“Olivia, where are you,” pretending not to see her standing behind the curtains. “Daddy, have you seen Olivia?”

“No! I don’t see her anywhere!” says my husband, playing along. I continue the game. I look in the closet. Under the bed. Then head over to the moving curtain with feet sticking out below, “Oh! There you are!!”

And as expected, Olivia stands there with chuckles and smiles ear to ear with a great big, “I hide you!” (Mama Translation: I was hiding from you!)

Like a child that hides from his or her parents, I started thinking about how often I hide from God. Whether emotionally or spiritually, I admittedly have moments when I pretend to believe that God can’t see my heart. How far from truth that is! And I know, as you read this, you have you no idea what I’m talking about. No, it’s those other women out there.

However, as I search the scripture, I realize I’m not alone. Adam and Eve hid. Moses hid. Elijah hid. David hid. The woman at the well hid. We all hide. It’s what we naturally do. It takes discipline and courage to stand and not just face others, but especially ourselves, what we are and what we are not.

Psalm 51:6 says, “Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part you shall make me to know wisdom.”

It is when we take off the masks, let down our guard, and come from out of the shadows of our weaknesses, failures, and frailties, that we begin to intimately connect with our one true God.

When God approached Adam and Eve, asking, “Where are you?” It wasn’t because He didn’t know they were hiding. He challenges us with such questions so we can acknowledge our own notions that we’re okay when we’re clearly not. And even when we deny it and are slow to respond, He graciously waits for us with patience and love to allow the truth of our circumstance and the promises in His word to go from head to heart.

Too bad our hiding isn’t always because we’re playing a rambunctious game of hide and seek with our glorious Father. But His response when we finally come out from our hiding place and own what’s in our heart is just the same. “Yes, there you are! I’m so glad I found you!”

Diera

Diera Shaw-Mendez is a minister and youth leader at New Beginnings Worship Center, Pennsauken, NJ, and works full-time for an educational nonprofit in Philadelphia. She is wife to Chaplain Juan Mendez and mama to Olivia Joy. She spends her “spare time” running an online invitation design shop on Etsy. Diera is a God-fearing, Starbucks loving, tech junkie (…in that order!) who simply wants to remind women of God’s unchanging, healing love.

pretty young woman looking surprised at her text message

I was texting on my phone the other day.  Trying to text “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”

After I typed “Trust in the …” the autofill option that came up was WORLD.  Trust in the world.
I was surprised that WORLD would come up, but why would I be?

Doesn’t the Bible warn us of the growing lure of the world?

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

“In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”  It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.  Jude 18-19

Even for believers, God warns His children not to be drawn away.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world… Romans 12:2; Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15

So the question is simple today.  What am I trusting in?  My bank balance?  My family?  My job?  My home?  My knowledge and abilities? My understanding?  My good works? My spiritual practices?  My service for the church?

Trusting in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ will in the end fail you.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt
After serving 16 years full-time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane 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.

During the summer conference season Keswick has wonderful speakers and teachers of the Word.  I recently was there for just a few days and both enjoyed and was challenged by the messages.

Pastor Harold Vaughan did a message on prayer that was outstanding and the next night gave another great message on forgiveness.

During one of Pastor’s messages he made this statement: “God is attracted to weakness.”

Does that bring comfort to your heart?  Do you ever feel weak?

When I consider times of weakness, I felt like I needed to put on a good face. That God was being “patient” with me until I was strong again.  But that idea that God is attracted to weakness is an idea that comforts my heart.  I know it’s true.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. Psalm 72:13

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6

God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 1 Corinthians 1:27

My weakness does not repel God. My weakness attracts God.  He pours out His grace, His comfort, His presence, His power, His mercy, His love, His kindness… He pours out Himself. In my weakness He is shown mighty.

So the next time you are feeling weak, instead of focusing on yourself and your weakness, turn your eyes away from you, lift them to gaze upon the Holy One and focus on all He is pouring out on your behalf.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt
After serving 16 years full-time on the staff of America’s Keswick, Diane 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 If you would like to hear the complete messages go to: http://www.americaskeswick.org and click on WATCH LIVE EVENTS near the top. All the messages are archived.  Victory Week 4 Tuesday PM is on prayer; Victory Week 4 Wednesday PM is on forgiveness.