“…but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory. ‘this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place…” 2 Peter 1:16-19

The holy mountain Peter is referring to?

[And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. Matthew 17:1-8]

Peter literally had a mountaintop EXPERIENCE with the Lord Jesus. Yet look at what he tells his readers: “…we have something MORE SURE, the prophetic word…” What is Peter saying? I believe it is this… mountaintop experiences are great and wonderful but even better is the solid word of God – the prophetic word. Many Christians live by an emotional faith based on their experience. The problem with only that is that our emotions ebb and flow. Peter is saying we have something even better – the prophetic word which is even more sure.

If your journey of faith is void of regular, consistent time in the Word of God you are missing out on what’s MORE SURE.

“you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.”

Blessings,
Diane

Diane Hunt is a Biblical Counselor, Women’s conference and retreat speaker and author. She serves as the Director of Partner Care and Director of Women’s Ministries at America’s Keswick. She and her husband John have two married children and four grandchildren. She loves reveling in warm sunny climates and playing with her grandchildren.

I’m was sitting at my desk when I happened to look up and see through my office window a little girl of perhaps 10 or 12 years old making her way down the sidewalk to my building. This isn’t rare as people are often walking the grounds of America’s Keswick and will venture down the path to see what’s here. However, the majority don’t open the door and come in. They usually continue their stroll down the walkway which winds around the building and heads off into another direction.

That was not the case with this precious one. She came straight up to the door and opened it. Upon hearing it open I called out a friendly hello, thinking surely she’s entering by mistake. I wanted her to know that someone was, in fact, in the building. I waited a few seconds — no response. So, I got up to go greet her but the door had closed and she was gone.

My curiosity led me to open it to see what, if anything, she was up to. I called out to her. She took a few more steps in the direction she was heading, then stopped, turned around and with a cute grin on her face said to me, “I was just adventuring.” With that she turned away and continued her journey.

All I could do was smile. I couldn’t help but notice that she’d had a bag hanging from her shoulder. As I went back to my desk I wondered about the adventure she was on and the discoveries she’d make as she meandered her way around the grounds of this beautiful place. What sort of treasures might wind up in her bag?

It made me think, “When was the last time I went “adventuring”?

Truth be told, I was probably her age. I used to love walking in the woods alone, discovering all the wonderful things hidden under rocks at the edge of the creek or near the ocean. From the woods in Rhode Island where I discovered baby frogs, to the woods in Naples, Italy that led to a sandy beach on the Mediterranean, where I discovered many interesting people whose language I didn’t speak.

Seeing her sparked a desire in me to go out and enjoy the beauty of the grounds I am surrounded by, to revisit the simple joy and pleasure of discovering or “adventuring.”

How about you, dear sisters? When’s the last time you took a walk or did something for no other reason than to take a chance, to participate in what wouldn’t have a certain predetermined outcome? You know what I mean. Risk a moment of your day doing an activity that wasn’t planned?

Your challenge today—should you choose to accept it—is to do something unscripted, unplanned and ask Abba to meet you there for some adventuring that’s just between you and Him.

Stephanie Dale

Stephanie D. Paul serves as part of the Addiction Recovery Team at America’s Keswick as Director of Women of Character. She has been married for over 30 years to Sesky Paul who is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. They have two grown children.
Her single focus in ministry at Keswick is to image Christ in grace and truth to wounded and hurting women, encouraging them to make Jesus the truest Lover of their soul and the One in whom all hope lies.

“Perhaps you can see why it is astonishing to me that so many people try to define true Christianity in terms of decisions and not affections. Not that decisions are unessential. The problem is that they require so little transformation. Mere decisions are no sure evidence of a true work of grace in the heart. People can make ‘decisions’ about the truth of God while their hearts are far from Him.” [John Piper]

We all have seen and met people that have made “decisions” for Jesus Christ yet show no evidence in their life of actually loving the Savior. They make a “decision” to follow Jesus but they don’t actually fall in love with Him. Some may love the law, but not the Lawgiver.

This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me…Mt. 15:8

What is in the decision if it is not followed by transformation? Receiving Christ, asking Jesus into your heart, getting saved, being born-again, making a decision for Christ… ALL look like something. All of these things come to naught if they are not intricately interwoven with the life-changing, life-transforming, regeneration of the spirit by the power of the One True God in one’s life. If there IS a life-changing, life-transforming, regeneration of the spirit in a person there WILL BE an overflow of growing affection for the Savior, flourishing and blossoming over the lifetime of that person. It looks like and feels like something. Affection. Warm affection.

I was challenged (AGAIN!) as I read this Piper quote as I thought back to the many times I have presented the gospel – I can’t think of a time when I included love of the Savior as part of what it means to make a decision for Jesus. Shame on me.

I hope as I move forward that my affection for Jesus will be evident in my attitude, my manner, my conversation and my Gospel-sharing.

Oh, what a beautiful thing to have a deepening affection for our Lord Jesus. May it never cease to grow. Affection. Warm affection.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt is a Biblical Counselor, Women’s conference and retreat speaker and author. She serves as the Director of Partner Care and Director of Women’s Ministries at America’s Keswick. She and her husband John have two married children and four grandchildren. She loves reveling in warm sunny climates and playing with her grandchildren.

Sometime ago I read an article in my local paper about “faking courage” which brought to mind an area in my life where I lacked courage most of the time, and that is, I am afraid of the dark. I don’t like it. Period.

The Lord knows I wish I wasn’t, and yet, I am. I can go way back to childhood memories and pinpoint specific occurrences: such as scary stories about the bogeyman, etc. All of which cultivated a deep fear of what could be in the dark that could hurt me.

One of the statements the writer made in the article was:
“To this day, I’m uncomfortable in basements and dislike sitting with my back to windows at night.”

I can so relate to that. In fact I could add a whole bunch of other things to that list. She goes on to say: “I know people whose fear of bridges or heights has stopped them from traveling. Several close relatives were so terrified of cats they got goosebumps if they saw one. And what fears are more daunting than those of failure or success, which keeps us silent and immobile in the face of opportunity or change…everything we do out of our comfort zone is scary.”

All of this brings my thoughts back to the myriad conversations I’ve had with my friend-boss, over the years about stepping out of my “comfort zones”. Personally, I like my comfort zones. Why? Well, because they’re comfortable. And yet as true as it is, I am not okay with settling for less than I was created for because:
“He whom the Son sets free is free indeed.”

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND mind.”

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

If, in fact, I am free, then I must require more of myself. I can and must choose to get up and walk in power with the sound mind the LORD has given me and walk forward doing life in LOVE instead of fear.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you.
Yes, I will help you.
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

I could tell you untold stories of my failures to walk in faith. But this Victory Call is not about all that I sometimes permit to overwhelm. It’s about Him and the fact that IN moments of great fear and distress, His perfect love casts that fear out.

In Psalm 56:11 the psalmist writes, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

This is an awesome testimony to the power of trusting in God. Regardless of what happens, the psalmist will trust in God because he knows and understands the power of God. The key to overcoming fear is total and complete trust in God. Trusting God is a refusal to give in to fear. It is a turning to God even in the darkest times and trusting Him to make things right. This trust comes from knowing God and knowing that He is good. As Job said when he was experiencing some of the most difficult trials recorded in the Bible, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15 NKJV).

Stephanie Dale

Stephanie D. Paul serves as part of the Addiction Recovery Team at America’s Keswick as Director of Women of Character. She has been married for over 30 years to Sesky Paul who is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. They have two grown children.
Her single focus in ministry at Keswick is to image Christ in grace and truth to wounded and hurting women, encouraging them to make Jesus the truest Lover of their soul and the One in whom all hope lies.

1 Bobbi Seidel: Second Thoughts “Faking Courage..” Observer Reporter 1/27/2011
2 ibid

I’ve been reading through Proverbs and came across a few verses that kind of “stuck out” to me.

“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” Proverbs 21:9 & 25:24

“Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.” Proverbs 21:19

“A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.” Proverbs 27:15-16

Yikes! Those are some pretty harsh words. I certainly hope my husband never has times when he would rather be living on a corner of our roof or in a desert. I don’t know about you, but it can be easy for me to resort to being “quarrelsome”, or an even harsher word – “nagging”, if I feel that I am not being heard. But, contrary to what our natural instincts may tell us, repeating ourselves again and again does not necessarily mean we will be heard; in fact, we are probably heard less.

“Quarrelsome nagging, a steady stream of unwanted advice, is a form of torture. People nag because they think they’re not getting through, but nagging hinders communication more than it helps. When tempted to engage in this destructive habit, stop and examine your motives. Are you more concerned about yourself – getting your way, being right – than about the person you are pretending to help? If you are truly concerned about other people, think of a more effective way to get through to them. Surprise them with words of patience and love, and see what happens.”

Proverbs 10:19 says, “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.”

Too many words can get us into trouble. Sometimes, it is better to say less, or maybe even nothing at all, but rather bring the matter before the Lord in prayer, and leave the results with Him.

In order to know what to say, when to say it, how much to say, and when not to say anything, we need to be in tune with His Spirit. I often remember the phrase that I was taught by DeEtta, my counselor in the Woman of Character program —”pause and pray.”

Take a moment to stop and pray and ask the Lord for wisdom before we speak. And, may we strive by God’s grace, to be like the Proverbs 31 woman about whom verse 26 says, “speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”

Stacey Poplawski
WOC Graduate

I was recently rereading the John Piper book, “The Dangerous Duty of Delight” when I came across this paragraph and it hit me, POW! Let me share it with you.

“The name and depth of human pride are illuminated by comparing boasting to self-pity. Both are manifestations of pride. Boasting is the response of pride to success. Self-pity is the response of pride to suffering. Boasting says, ‘I deserve admiration because I have achieved so much.’ Self-pity says, ‘I deserve admiration because I have suffered so much.’ Boasting is the voice of pride in the heart of the strong. Self-pity is the voice of pride in the heart of the weak. Boasting sounds self-sufficient. Self-pity sounds self-sacrificing.”

As you give serious consideration to your own heart and life, do you see yourself tipping the scales in either direction or both? I know I have sinned on both ends of this continuum. This is serious food for thought today.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt is a Biblical Counselor, Women’s conference and retreat speaker and author. She serves as the Director of Partner Care and Director of Women’s Ministries at America’s Keswick. She and her husband John have two married children and four grandchildren. She loves reveling in warm sunny climates and playing with her grandchildren.

John Piper, The Dangerous Duty of Delight, pg. 34.

“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1

Christ’s payment- the propitiation for our sins – happened IN THE FLESH. He became sin for us – and then to pay the penalty for that sin, He suffered IN THE FLESH. [For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh – Romans 8:3; without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins– Hebrews 9:22]

Because of that, we will never have to pay the penalty for our sins. In fact, because of Christ’s sacrifice – death, burial and resurrection – we have been set free from the power of sin.

To live out the reality of those two truths – doing battle with sin will require suffering IN THE FLESH – so that our human passions do not rule us but rather our pursuit of the will of God.
Because of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross we are free to be obedient. We no longer are slaves to our flesh. I need to stop and think about that for a moment. I know I am no longer a slave to my flesh – it’s time I stop living as if I am.

[“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” – Romans 6:16; “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” – 1 Peter 2:11]

Instead –
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” 1 Peter 1:14-15

In other words, if this hasn’t made sense yet, here is my point: Christ suffered and died IN THE FLESH to pay the penalty for our sin- therefore we wrestle against sin IN THE FLESH to live out the reality of the cross in our own life. To live victoriously over sin will require suffering in our flesh. We have to stop being such wimps. I have to stop being such a wimp.

[“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” Hebrews 12:4]

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt is a Biblical Counselor, women’s conference and retreat speaker and author. She serves as the Director of Partner Care and Director of Women’s Ministries at America’s Keswick. She and her husband John have two married children and four grandchildren. She loves reveling in warm sunny climates and playing with her grandchildren.

Do you concern yourself with the lost like He does?

“Honey, where’s Olivia?”

“Excuse me. Have you seen Olivia?”

“Did you see Olivia?”

My heart began to race. My breathing got shallow. I froze dead in my tracks. I started crying out, “But I only went to the bathroom!”

For those minutes she went missing at church, I felt a piece of me leave. I was hurt. I was in shock. I was so concerned.

I later realized perhaps that’s how God feels when we get lost.

You see, Olivia, aka Miss Independent, is a wanderer with little fear and concern for consequences. Does that sound familiar?

In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus beautifully lays out for us how diligently and persistently the shepherd seeks out and pursues his lost flock. It is his care and concern for it that drives him to keep looking until his sheep is found. The sheep is invaluable to him so he will do an all-out search and rescue. His pursuit of it is steadfast and relentless until it is found.

Jesus does the same for each one of us. There is never a time when He is not looking for a deeper connection with us. If you are an unbeliever, He’s seeking a relationship with you. If you are a believer, He wants more of you for Himself!

How grieved He must feel!

To take it further, do we concern ourselves the same with reaching lost souls for the Kingdom or even for missing worshippers from the fellowship? Are we also burdened with the same care and concern for our fellow man to know and thrive in Christ? Do we feel an emptiness when we realize our loved ones aren’t yet walking in truth?

So, of course, we found Olivia. She turned up on the second floor of the building playing with some toys. What relief I felt when I saw her!

God pursues us not because of who we are, but because of who He is. He is the one steadfast in love and faithfulness.

For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord. – Psalm 117:2

Diera Mendez

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 and write occasionally for her personal blog, With Style, By Grace. Diera is a God-fearing, Starbucks loving, tech junkie (…in that order!) who simply wants to inspire women to invest in THE beauty that never fades!

In the last devotional I shared with you that during my devotional time I was pondering the question as to how to start this new school year off right. I work on a Child Study Team in a public High School. I am guessing all of us who are anticipating a new school year want very much to make it a good one.

In addition to Psalm 23, which we considered in part 1, the Lord had me considering Psalm 24. Here it is-
The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the waters.
Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face. Selah
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah (NKJV)

I would invite you to be still and meditate upon this Psalm. The Holy Spirit may have a very special message for you personally within the verses. For me, the Lord is calling me to submit my mind to Him each and every day. The thoughts of my mind are a mix of all kinds of things – good, bad, encouraging, discouraging, brave, fearful – what a mess it can be. But if each day I lift up my head, confess my sin and invite the King of Glory to come in…..well, I believe the thoughts of my mind will be far more fruitful.

Ladies, we are in the Hebrew month of Elul. I especially love this month, as it is the month that the Jewish people remember as the month “the King is in the field”. You see, because it was harvest time, the King came to his people. Dear ones, it is always a good month to approach the King of Kings. It is a good month to repent of sin and receive the mercy, grace and forgiveness of our amazing God. Allow His countenance to shine on you. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and invite the King of glory, the Lord of hosts, to come in.

Blessings,
Patricia L. Wenzel
WOC Graduate

Here we go, another school year is upon us – well, at least for those who go to school, have children in school or work in schools. That would involve a major portion of the population. So how do we get started with a positive mindset? How do we start off with an expectation of learning, growing, serving and keeping the Lord, lord of our lives?

This morning during my devotional I pondered that question. The Lord brought me to two chapters in Psalms, Ps. 23 and Ps. 24. For now let us take a look at Ps. 23.

The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever. (NKJV)

The great news is that our Shepherd, the Lord God Almighty, goes with us to school. If we give Him freedom to be Lord, He will faithfully lead us, comfort us, anoint us and be an ever-present blessing even in the presence of those who may come to harm us. He will even restore us after a tough day. Now this is VERY good news.

When times get tough during this school year, let us remember to be faithful to continually allow the Lord to be our Shepherd. For surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our
lives with the Lord as our Shepherd.

Have a GREAT school year.

Blessings,
Patricia L. Wenzel
WOC Graduate