I attend a number of business breakfasts and have met some great women whose career is to be a life coach. I like what they do. They come alongside, lead, guide and hold their clients accountable. Life coaches grow and stretch their clients to achieve more then they realize they can do. They inspire, cheer on and encourage. They teach from their own experiences, share what has made them successful and what has not. They get to say the hard things to get you where you need to be. They also charge a lot of money per hour.

Here is what scripture teaches us:

3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Titus 2:3-5

I find it sad that, as believers and women, we are not taking seriously our role as a life coach to other sisters in Christ. This is something I find lacking in our day. If, as sisters in Christ, we want to do what Scripture says, the response can be devastating. Speaking the truth in love to a sister is getting into her business or you are told you better back off. Suddenly you are the bad guy. Oh, we like to be encouraged, but let’s not get too close. When taking the risk to say something that is difficult the response can be “Don’t tell me to do the hard things; you have no right to tell me what to do”. Looking for a life coach? In the past I have actually asked godly women to mentor me. I was surprised when they looked scared and shocked. Once I was told that they would pray for me but they really couldn’t do more than that. What ends up happening is we go and pay someone to do what the body of Christ should already be doing.

What do we need to do if we need a life coach? Be teachable; be willing to take godly advice; be willing to be humble; prayerfully seek out a godly woman to mentor you. Be patient, it might take awhile.

What do we need to do to be a life coach? Be teachable; be humble; be willing to share and give of our time. Understand that we have valuable life experience to share with someone else. Seek out a woman who you can come alongside. Lastly, we need to stop thinking we have to be perfect or know it all before we can do any of this.

My paraphrased biblical definition of a life coach is “disciples who have spent time with Jesus who are willing to go, be like Christ and make more disciples”. Everybody needs a life coach. We shouldn’t have to pay for it.

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.

Some people are called to give up everything, move to a third world country, and take part in full-time missions work. Some people are called to become internationally-known Christian speakers who millions of people listen to. Others are called to live pretty ‘normal’ lives – get a 9-5 job, marry, and have children. No matter what scenario you find yourself in – you are in a mission field.

Some people get caught up in the lie that, because they feel like they aren’t doing something ‘radical’ for Jesus, their work for the Lord isn’t as important or they aren’t reaching their fullest potential for Him. They feel that they should be doing something more. While that’s true for some people, and that feeling of not being at peace can be a prompting by the Holy Spirit, the mission field for most of us is our communities, churches, homes, and workplaces.

There is a quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon that I heard the other day that says “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.” … I really, really liked that quote. We are instructed by our Lord to continuously live out our testimony, share the gospel with everyone, and really become full-time missionaries. We know that not every Christian is called overseas, so we can’t discount the fact that we are missionaries for God right where we are. If you have a coworker who isn’t saved, a child or grandchild that needs to be brought up in the way of the Lord, a ‘difficult’ neighbor, or a fellow church-goer who is struggling – that’s who God wants you to minister to. He wants us to share The Word with everybody (Mark 16:15, Psalms 96:3, Matthew 28:19-20). He wants to use us.

So get involved, pray with people, share the Word, give out Bibles, be a home town missionary. Even when we feel like we are doing ‘small’ things, we are making a big difference. Our work for the Lord at home is just as important as the work of overseas missionaries or famous Christian speakers. The enemy doesn’t want us to believe our work for the Lord is making a difference, but it is! So let’s roll up our sleeves, ladies! We have a job to do.

Erin
Erin Culleny serves as a Marketing Assistant and Staff Writer. She had served on Summer Staff since 2011, and this past summer had the unique opportunity of co-directing Children’s Ministry with one of her best friends. She is very excited to continue to build relationships with the guests and be very involved in the ministry.

NO. We don’t like to hear it.
NO. It’s a simple word really but its implications are powerful.
NO. The power of NO.
NO. Sometimes we just have to say NO.
NO. Sometimes we just have to say NO… to ourselves. NO.
NO. Seriously, when was the last time you said NO to yourself?

NO.  Isn’t that what Jesus said would be required to follow Him?  “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’” Matthew 16:24

NO. Sometimes we have to say NO more than once before we actually get the message.
Our flesh wants what it wants. To deny our self we must say NO to our self.  Paul said, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:27

There is power in NO.

I recently heard this quote, I do not know who said it but it fits here:

“The things you choose to say NO to strengthen the things you say YES to.”  We have said YES to Jesus that we will be His child. We will follow and obey Him.  Every time we say NO to self, we say YES to Jesus.

By faith we must chose to believe that saying NO to our self will yield YES to far greater things.  In reality we are saying NO to death and YES to life.

“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:11

It is not easy. We may have to fight for the NO. But there is power in NO.

Celebrate the victory of NO.

Blessings,
Diane

Diane Hunt served for 16 years on the staff of America’s Keswick until recently when she and her husband relocated to North Carolina. She now continues serving as a contributing writer and Partner Care consultant. Diane is also a Biblical Counselor, speaker, teacher, and author. She delights in the opportunities she has as a women’s conference and retreat speaker to share from God’s word.  Many of her illustrations are drawn from her relational experiences as a wife, mother, and mema. They are the very relationships that bring her the greatest joy and the most fun!

I know I have been sharing often of the journey of the Israelites from their exodus from Egypt to the entrance into the Promised Land. It seems each time I read Scriptures relating to this journey, I see something new.  It has always been there, of course, but it is as if I am seeing with fresh eyes.

I re-read Numbers 13-14 which records the telling of the 12 spies going up to Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 13:1-2). They were comparable to scouts or an advance team. I have written of this Scripture previously in recent weeks so I won’t go into details again but if you want to read it in its entirety see Numbers 13 – 14.  Let me just summarize:

1.    The Lord commands and Moses sends 12 spies into Kadesh-Barnea. (Numbers 13:1-2)
2.    Twelve men – one leader from each tribe – spied out the land for 40 days.
3.    They found fertile land and much abundance. (Numbers 13:27)
4.    They also found “giants” in the land (Numbers 13:28-29)
5.    They returned and gave a report to Moses and the people. Ten spoke with fear of the giants and inhabitants of the land. (Numbers 13:31-33)  Two spoke with faith, assured that God would keep His word to deliver the land into their hands. (Numbers 13:30; 14:6-9)
6.    The Israelites, influenced by the 10, refused to go. (Numbers 14:3-4)
7.    The Lord was angered by their rebellion and handed down a death sentence. “The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.” Numbers 14:29 They were also to wander in the wilderness 40 years (one year for each day they spied out the land).
8.    The ten men that brought back an evil report were struck down by plague before the Lord.  (Numbers 14:36-37)

When Moses told these things to the people they mourned.  And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!” Numbers 14:40

On second thought, it was when they saw the consequences of their rebellion that they decided to go to the top of the mountain and admit their sin.  “And Moses said, ‘Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.’” Numbers 14:41-43 and although Moses warned them they went anyway and suffered defeat. “Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.” Numbers 14:45

The Lord God is long-suffering but there comes a time when He allows the consequences of our actions to bear down on us.  Is there any area of your life where you assume that since God has not yet brought consequences that He will never bring consequences?

Let us not be so foolish as to think that God will turn a blind eye to our on-going sin. Sometimes, if we wait too long, the consequences of our sins are permanent. We will be forgiven but the consequences remain.  Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily mean consequences are removed.

Let’s take a lesson from our ancestors and repent and not presume upon the mercy and long-suffering of God.

Blessings,
Diane

Diane Hunt served for 16 years on the staff of America’s Keswick until recently when she and her husband relocated to North Carolina. She now continues serving as a contributing writer and Partner Care consultant. Diane is also a Biblical Counselor, speaker, teacher, and author. She delights in the opportunities she has as a women’s conference and retreat speaker to share from God’s word.  Many of her illustrations are drawn from her relational experiences as a wife, mother, and mema. They are the very relationships that bring her the greatest joy and the most fun!

 

Over and over in Scripture – there is a warning – do not harden your heart, do not harden your heart.

“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,” Psalm 95:8; Hebrews 3:8

The rebellion of which the author writes is the rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea when Moses sent 12 spies into the land. Ten returned telling of all the hurdles and hindrances and 2 returned with faith trusting God to be true to His word to give them the land.  The people responded with fear and did not enter the Promised Land for 38 more years.  They chose to believe what could be seen rather than believe the Word of God, which resulted in unbelief and disobedience – rebellion.

We don’t often think of ourselves as having hardened hearts but pause a moment and consider if there may be areas in your life where you have consistently chosen your way over God’s way.  You have been following that way so long you don’t even notice any more that you are disobeying.  I’m sure there are those of you out there that don’t know what I am talking about (you get a pass today), but there are those of you who know exactly what I’m talking about.  You are the ones I am speaking to today.

Perhaps you have slid into a passive walk. Today’s walk looks just like yesterday’s and will look just like tomorrow’s.  Coasting.  Decisions of faith are rare or non-existent.  This form of rebellion is oh, so much more subtle and more difficult to spot because, from the outside, things look fine.  But truth be told, the heart has grown ever-so-gradually hard.

Does this describe you?  It does me in some areas of my life.  I am not proud to admit that, but I want you to know I am much the same as many of you.  I struggle with sin. Too often I want my own way.  I too have to ask myself the hard questions. Have I hardened my heart in any area?
If you can identify with that of which I speak, there is hope because Jesus came that we may have hope.  Our wandering in the wilderness can be terminated by choosing to walk in faith, persevering every single day to believe.

“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end…” Hebrews 3:12-14

Will you trust Him today?
Diane

Diane Hunt served for 16 years on the staff of America’s Keswick until recently when she and her husband relocated to North Carolina. She now continues serving as a contributing writer and Partner Care consultant. Diane is also a Biblical Counselor, speaker, teacher, and author. She delights in the opportunities she has as a women’s conference and retreat speaker to share from God’s word.  Many of her illustrations are drawn from her relational experiences as a wife, mother, and mema. They are the very relationships that bring her the greatest joy and the most fun!

There was a time I was confused about the Canaan of Abraham and the Promised Land into which Joshua led God’s people. I wondered how they “lost” it in the first place.

“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:7-8

God made a promise to give Abraham’s descendants the land of Canaan. Two generations later, Jacob still dwelt in the land (Genesis 37:1). You recall that Jacob’s second youngest son, Joseph, was in Egypt –unbeknownst to any of his family– until the famine when some of his brothers came to Egypt to get food for their families (Genesis 42:3).

They returned to Canaan to report to their father Jacob that Joseph was still alive and governor in Egypt.  “Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” Genesis 45:25-28

So Israel (Jacob) took the journey with all that he had… (Genesis 46:1) and arrived in Egypt.  When they took audience with Pharaoh, he asked them “What is your occupation?” “And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.” And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” Genesis 47:3-4

They took up residence in Egypt. “So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.” Genesis 47:27

Seventeen years later, Jacob died. (Genesis 47:28; 49:33) Joseph and his brothers continued to live in Egypt. “Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household.” (Genesis 50:22) At the very end of Genesis, it is recorded that Joseph died. “So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old…” (Genesis 50:26)

Now the Israelites live in Egypt and Jacob is dead and Joseph is dead.  They continued to prosper and be blessed by God.  “And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation.  But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.” (Exodus 1:6-7)

Then everything changed.

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor. Exodus 1:8-14

So just to recap.
1.    Abraham left his home and journeyed to Canaan – a land flowing with milk and honey- a land of promise given to him by God for him and his descendants forever.
2.    Jacob – Abraham’s grandson dwelt in Canaan until the famine.
3.    Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to get food for their families.  There in Egypt they discover that Joseph, their brother, was still alive and governor in Egypt.
4.    Joseph sends for his father who journeyed from Canaan to Egypt with his entire family and all they owned.
5.    They took up residence in Egypt and become very fruitful and profitable.
6.    Jacob died.  Joseph died.
7.    A new king came to power that did not know Joseph nor about the importance of his family.
8.    The new king and the Egyptian people were threatened by the bounty of the Israelites and set them in bondage.

You notice there was not one single decision or action that removed the Israelites from the land of promise in which they resided.  It didn’t happen overnight that they ended up in bondage.  It was a gradual journey from the Promised Land to bondage.  As each individual made choices they would not have guessed that is where they were headed or they would have chosen differently.  These series of decisions made over generations ended up in 400 years of bondage.
I know this is a very long Victory Call, not my typical writing, so I hope you have made it this far.  But let me make these observations.  Your life, your choices, your decisions do not affect just you.  Seemingly inconsequential decisions can lead you away from God’s best for you and generations to follow you.

I think a good question to ask ourselves with each choice, each decision, is this: Am I living by God’s promises (walking by faith) or am I living by the inclinations of my own flesh (walking by sight)?  The best way to ensure we don’t end up in Egypt is to never leave the Promised Land.

I hope you have persevered through this lengthy exposition and been as blessed as I have in meditating on it as I wrote.

Blessings,
Diane

Diane Hunt served for 16 years on the staff of America’s Keswick until recently when she and her husband relocated to North Carolina. She now continues serving as a contributing writer and Partner Care consultant. Diane is also a Biblical Counselor, speaker, teacher, and author. She delights in the opportunities she has as a women’s conference and retreat speaker to share from God’s word.  Many of her illustrations are drawn from her relational experiences as a wife, mother, and mema. They are the very relationships that bring her the greatest joy and the most fun!

“I have a right to be happy.”  How many times have we heard that?!

This one seemingly simple statement can cause mountains of grief and heartache.

If we believe that we have a fundamental right to be happy, we will make all kinds of poor choices and fall headlong into sin.

First of all, any time we believe we have a right, any right, we are going to demand it, fight for it and live in such a way to claim it – after all we deserve it, it’s our right!

The problem is this heart attitude leads to a me-first, self-centered approach to life.  When what we believe to be our right is thwarted we are prone to grumbling, ungratefulness, discontentment and anger.

On the other side, when we believe we have a right we are inclined to orchestrate life in ways as to fulfill that right.  Case in point.  If we believe we have a right to be happy we will be inclined to make choices and decisions that make us happy.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard someone justify a sinful relationship by advocating that they or another person involved has a right to be happy.  The belief that they have a right to be happy supersedes their call to godliness and holiness. Akin to the claim of the right to be happy, many believe that God wants them to be happy, therefore if “such and such” makes them happy it must be okay with God.

I have seen this over and over, sadly enough in older people because somehow they seemed to think that when a person reaches a certain age they can do whatever pleases them, whatever makes them happy regardless of what God’s Word says.  So although they would frown upon a young couple living together before marriage because it is sinful, somehow it’s all right for two elderly people to live together to spare losing one’s Social Security benefits because, after all, “They have a right to be happy.”

You can see how this seemingly simple statement can cause mountains of grief and heartache. Believing this lie is a heart issue that will manifest itself in all kinds of different ways in life. Yes, it can certainly lead to sin when personal happiness is of greater importance than following Jesus.
Happiness in and of itself is not sinful, in fact it is delightful, but when it is the driving motivation of the heart it can and will lead us into sin.

God does speak of happiness in His Word:

Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. …Happy are the people whose God is the LORD! … Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding …He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he… He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.  (i)

Want happiness?  Be happy with a relationship with the Lord and the glory, beauty and joy that it brings.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt served for 16 years on the staff of America’s Keswick until recently when she and her husband relocated to North Carolina. She now continues serving as a contributing writer and Partner Care consultant. Diane is also a Biblical Counselor, speaker, teacher, and author. She delights in the opportunities she has as a women’s conference and retreat speaker to share from God’s word.  Many of her illustrations are drawn from her relational experiences as a wife, mother, and mema. They are the very relationships that bring her the greatest joy and the most fun!

iJob 5:17; Psalm 144:15; Psalm 146:5; Proverbs 3:13; Proverbs 14:21

“Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me- they have no regard for you. But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me because I serve you just as my mother did.” Psalm 86: 14-17

I’m sure we all have had critics. Someone may have come to you to tell you something you “needed” to be aware of. There may have been someone who knew better than you and shared their parenting, marriage or work advice. Someone kindly told you your choice of outfit is unflattering, or your new haircut makes you look older. How do you take criticism? It isn’t easy to hear, especially when it cuts to the quick. Who would tell you such things? Your friends? A stranger? A family member? What about an enemy? I would prefer to be criticized by anyone than an enemy. It is easiest to dismiss the words of an enemy and look at them wondering why they can’t see their own faults. How easy it is to determine that the criticism of your enemy has no basis.

Timothy Keller comments on Psalm 86:14-17 observing how David handled criticism:
“Instead of invoking God’s justice and calling for his enemies’ destruction, he turns the spotlight on himself. He appeals to God’s mercy, grateful for his patience with him. David is open to correction, willing to examine himself to see if, despite his enemies’ evil motivations, there might be something in him that warrants rebuke and needs to change.”

Taking time to reflect and to respond rather than reacting is not easy but it is not impossible either. Often it is not necessary to even respond until you have brought this critique to the Lord and asked Him to search your heart. Even when the criticism is difficult to hear, with a humble heart we can seek the Lord’s perspective. Is there a grain of truth in what was said?

Timothy Keller continues, “If someone is criticizing you and the criticism is mostly mistaken, identify the 20 percent of the indictment that IS fair. Without excuse be willing to take it to heart. The strongest Christians are the ones most willing to repent.”

I agree. Listen, identify, take it to heart and repent. God has often used enemies for His good purposes. If an enemy shows you your wrongs, repent.

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.

There are so many cool things to learn in life and from people.  I recently was watching one of my favorite people on You-Tube and I was reminded of a great life lesson.  Now I know that I am “preaching to the choir”….so this might not have ever entered into your mind….but it is in regards to criticism, judging, and looking in your neighbor’s backyard, I think you get the picture.

Many of us joke from time to time and say to “get a life,” or that “they live in a small world.”  This can apply to each one of us in some part of our life.  The woman that I refer to is a homemaker, mother of three, a crafter, extreme couponer and a great bargain hunter.  She shares her gifts on this channel and I love to watch how to save money, and to be inspired to create new things.  I also love her passion for her husband and children.  All in all, she is by far a favorite of mine!

In one of her recordings she went on to share how she is judged for having too many things, crafts, her stash from coupons, etc….After she mentioned it I too realized that she has way more than I do or would want to, but then again I don’t live her life.  She went on to say how much criticism and judging people were doing about her and what she shares about her life and family.  She then went on that what is in her home makes it “her” home and not your home; her life reflects how she takes care of her family and not your family.  She offers so many wonderful things for us to learn from yet she is judged for this by people who really don’t even know her personally.

Her final thoughts were that “is your life so small” that you need to critique her life and the way she does things.  One great point she made was that she is always working on finishing a project and then the next one is there waiting for her to start it…..but that you probably haven’t even started your first project yet.  If this is the case then you certainly have the time to look in your neighbor’s yard and criticize, judge, etc….but is that right and what we should be doing?

Let’s bring this around to our “Christian Life and Testimony”…how many of us sit in judgment of each other’s homes, husbands, kids, service in church, or lack of, and so on.  There are days that I am running around doing three or four things for church or in my home and someone will stop me with questions over the silliest thing and pass judgment on how or why I am doing what I am doing.  This person probably has no idea of who I am, why I do what I do and most of the time, I would think that they don’t even have one thing going on in their own life.

The verse comes to mind in Proverbs 16:27 (TLB)…..” Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece”.

I once heard that if you are always digging in your own dirt and planning new things….you will never need to see the dirt on someone else.  Between the lessons I learned from my friend on You-Tube, this quote and a good hard look at this verse today…it has me thinking.  If you know me….you know how busy I am and yet even with all that I can sit in judgment as to “why” does he do that….”how can” they do that etc….

Today I share a piece of my heart, my thoughts and my life with you.  I pray today that my hands and life are busy for the Lord and that they do not become hands of the devil’s workshop.  I pray that since I have enough dirt in my own life to dig into…that I can have grace and compassion and a Christ-like attitude for others instead of sitting in judgment or criticism of them.

Take up the challenge with me today….will you dig in your own dirt?

Lynn Wilson

Lynn is a wife and a mother of two. Currently on Staff at America’s Keswick for the past 20 years. She has been involved in her local church in women’s ministries as well as speaking for other churches and retreats. Her mission statement would be to…touch one life so in turn they can touch a life for eternity. Her greatest joy is to go home at the end of her work day and spend time with her family and enjoy her first ministry which is being a wife and mother.

“Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in…” Deuteronomy 6:23

This verse comes from a section in Deuteronomy in which Moses is instructing the people to be sure to pass on to their children and grandchildren the mighty works of God from their history.

“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.” Deuteronomy 6:20-23

God didn’t deliver His people from Egypt just so they could wander around the desert. God delivered His people from the bondage of Egypt so that He could deliver them into the land He promised to Abraham and his descendants.

Has there been an area in your life, an area of bondage or besetting sin that God has delivered you from so that He could lead you to a land of promise and freedom?

Perhaps you have not yet come out from there so that you have not yet been brought in…still struggling with sin and bondage that continues to have a strangle-hold in your life. Have you lost hope of ever finding freedom and victory?

Or maybe your “Egypt” is much more subtle. No one else would ever suspect the inward battle of your heart. Maybe you battle anger, bitterness or unforgiveness, covetousness or lust.   God wants to bring us out from here too.  God’s deliverance is not just FROM but also TO.

“God brings us out that He might bring us in (Deut. 6:23), and He brings us in that we might overcome and claim our inheritance in Jesus Christ. Because God’s people are identified with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6; Gal. 2:20), they have ‘overcoming power,’ and the world (6:14), the flesh (5:24), or the Devil (John 12:31) need not defeat them. In Jesus Christ, we are overcomers (1 John 5:4).” (i)

Sister, can you, by faith, set your eyes on God’s promises (where He is taking you TO), and trust Him to deliver you FROM whatever hinders you from walking in freedom and victory?

God wants to deliver you FROM so He can deliver you TO.

You are blessed today.
Diane

Diane Hunt served for 16 years on the staff of America’s Keswick until recently when she and her husband relocated to North Carolina. She now continues serving as a contributing writer and Partner Care consultant. Diane is also a Biblical Counselor, speaker, teacher, and author. She delights in the opportunities she has as a women’s conference and retreat speaker to share from God’s word.  Many of her illustrations are drawn from her relational experiences as a wife, mother, and mema. They are the very relationships that bring her the greatest joy and the most fun!

i Warren W. Wiersbe, “Be Strong” OT Commentary: Joshua. 1993.  Pg. 67