ChristianMilitaryWives

When you feel like your strength has run out and you are running on empty, take a look at these verses from God’s Word. There are many, many more verses about strength in the Bible, but these are some of my favorites. I have been so encouraged just putting this list together for you today, and I hope your spirits will be lifted by this as well!

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

“Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always” (1 Chronicles 16:11).

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9a).

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song” (Psalm 28:7).

“The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11).

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage” (Psalm 84:5).

“The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation” (Psalm 118:14).

“My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word” (Psalm 119:28).

“but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

“He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:8).

“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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16-19).

“I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).

If you had asked me when I was younger, what my favorite day of the week was, without fail it was Friday. I loved Fridays & the anticipation it brought as the weekend drew near. There were friends to see, places to be, sleep to be had & if I was lucky very little homework to be crammed in. Now that I’m a mom the stark reality is there are no days off, just days of less work. Hopefully. Sometimes. Now I love Mondays. The anticipation of a new week. The week that I’m going to get it all together. Then Friday rolls around, I’m behind & exhausted & decide I really do like Sundays better. It’s my husbands only day off, a day spent together as a family. We enjoy church, family naps & lots of playing & laughter to get us ready for the new week.

Celebrating this Easter season though, Sundays took on a whole new meaning to me. With the children being older, Easter was incredily meaningful this year. On Good Friday we spent the morning reading out of the children’s Bible, the story of redemption from the cross to the resurrection. I watched the sobering moment my 5 year old had, as she looked at the pictures of Christ on the cross (a far cry from the true reality but enough to catch her attention) and realized that it was her sin he died for. And mine. And yours. We dyed easter eggs on Saturday & later in the evening re-told the story as we made Resurrection cookies together, to be enjoyed on Sunday morning.

All day Saturday a thought kept crossing my mind, one that made me re-evaluate the way I’ve been looking at things. Then on Sunday morning when our pastor touched on it during his message, I knew it was a truth I had better hold on to. So I share with you the same question the Lord asked me.

Do you live your life as if it is Good Friday or Resurrection Sunday?

You see while the message of the cross is what our faith is based on, the story doesn’t stop there. While we celebrate the cross & Christ gift for us all, do we live our lives in the victory of that miraculous resurrection?

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:56

When we face challenges or tough situations do we live as if we truly know Christ rose from the grave? When we send our husbands off to battle, when we face months of lonliness, when we bury a parent, friend or even a child, when there are more bills to pay than money in the bank, when the doctors grim face matches the grim report, when outsourcing leads to another round of layoffs, or when we just don’t get our way, do we still believe in the resurrected Christ & his victory?

” Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

Because over 2000 years ago a stone was rolled away, we now can stand, with our feet firmly planted beneath us & say “I will not be moved!”

Last weekend began our Active Duty military career.  To say I was ready for it and anxiously waiting for it to begin is a total understatement.  I had been waiting for that day since my husband graduated from ROTC and got his commission into the Army.
Growing up in the military as an Army Brat, I knew that one day I would probably be a Military Wife like my mom.   I held that position in such high esteem and regard . . . and to be honest, I kind of put military wives up on a pedestal. When I dated, I looked for guys to had the military in mind as a career. Being the wife to a Hero like my dad was what I dreamed of when I imagined what my life would be like years down the road.  It wasn't until I met my husband, who at the time had no interest of joining the military did I really have to surrender this big "dream" to God.  It might sound silly to some, but it was the life I grew up in and grew up loving, I couldn't imagine any other life.  What I had to come to terms with was that no matter who I married, I would be a ''wife'' first and foremost no matter what his career would be. I had to choose the man and not the career, because no matter what he does for a living, it could change in an instant. A year into dating my boyfriend at the time, now husband, calls me up during our sophomore summer break and tells me that he is considering joining the military and asks me what I thought.  I was STUNNED!  I had finally said, "Ok God, being a military wife, may not be the life you have for me . . . I'm ok with that. You know best." To cut this story short . . . I think the lesson I was meant to learn from that was that God's timing IS perfect.  Sometime's it's a matter of me surrendering my will to His and saying, "You know best."  God always knew the desires of my heart.
My husband joined the Reserves and ROTC. It was almost eight months after my husband received his commission this past July that he went active duty.  It hass been a long eight months.  We have both been anxiously waiting for  this time to come, and now that it is here . . . we both would like to put on the brakes and slow down just a bit.  That being said, I believe God has something for both of us to learn during this time. 
Right now my husband is training about an hour away from where our house is (I can see him periodically), and he will be for about the next five months.  At the end of that five month period we will be moving to our first duty station (we've been told Ft. Lewis) and we've been told that shortly after we arrive he will be deploying.
Today I realized that I wasted a lot of time the past eight months making my own plans and telling God how I thought things should work out.  I was getting ahead of myself and ahead of my heavenly Father. Fortunately, I can still take advantage of this time we have before we move into the next stage of our military journey.  Now is a time to allow God to prepare us spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally for the coming year. I am so guilty of getting caught up in the "what if's" and the questions that are really minimal when looking at the big picture. 
I hope that I never forget the importance and value of waiting for God and waiting for His always perfect timing.  I'm an Army Wife now, and I am not sure I was as prepared and ready for it as I thought I would be.  I'm nervous about the road ahead and uncertain that I have what it takes to be a great wife and military spouse.  I rest assured in knowing that over time, God will enable, equip and empower me . . . If I would just listen to His voice and wait for Him to lead me.

Being military spouses, we hear the word hero thrown around often.  We are referred to as hero's wives or as heroic families.  In many ways, it's flattering.  I love walking through an airport or other crowded place with my husband while he is in uniform, provided he's not boarding a plane to leave again.  I can't help but smile when people stop him to shake his hand and tell him how thankful they are for what he is doing with his life.  I feel that little surge of pride just like other wives in my position do.  However, as wonderful as i think my husband is and as proud of him as I am, he's just a man.  Peter said in Acts 26 "I'm a man and only a man, no different from you."  He was so right.  My husband , and yours, is just a man.  I think mine is fantastic, but I won't be washing his dirty feet and drying them with my hair any time soon.  Nor will I be sitting at those feet hanging on every word he says.  There is only one set of feet I want to be sitting at and paying that much attention to, Jesus.   He is our only hero.  It's so easy in this day and age to "worship" other "hero's" and celebrities.  We buy their movies, go to their games, watch them on tv, flip out when we meet them.  (if we are so fortunate) We put these mere mortals on pedastals.  In Hebrews 3, God reminds us that Jesus is greater than any man.  He was sent here as a man on this earth to live a perfect flawless life and then to die a horrendous death for US.  He counts us as his children, part of his house, the house that HE built.  He reminds us that while we are PART of his house, we are not the BUILDER of his house.  HE is the builder.  We are to worship HIM and only him.  The next time I am with my husband and I feel that surge of pride when he is called a hero, I'm going to do my best to remind myself that he's only a man, and God is the ONLY hero.   

We all know that Lent is the beginning of the Easter season.  Lent is the 40 day period of preparation for Easter and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Ash Wednesday starts the season of Lent. During Lent many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline.  Not all Christians observe Lent the same way.  I felt this year a great need to revisit Lent and what it means to me.  In past years I have gone through the motions, not really observing a period of anything. 

Let’s start with some soul searching reflection.  I was raised Catholic.  This meant that Lent was a big big deal, full of ritual in my parental home.  We always attended mass on Ash Wednesday to receive our ashes and wore them as a tattoo on our foreheads the rest of the day, often getting some in our eyes, when scratching our foreheads, forgetting the ashes were there.  Every Friday we abstained from eating any meat, this often meant having pizza because my mother was allergic to fish.  We were also expected to give up something for the season of lent.  Many of us went to the old stand-bys of not swearing, or giving up candy or getting along with our siblings and not disrespecting or talking back to our parents. 

Now, I really need to be honest, while growing up I truly believed in God and knew that he was there for me, but, the rituals of the Catholic Church were just things that I said and did, I didn’t really “feel” it.  As a teenager, after making my confirmation, I rebelled against the Church.  I still believed in God, but…well that’s a whole other subject to get into.  To make a long story short, after meeting my husband I began attending his church, which was Methodist, and finally felt like I was “home.”  The services were familiar enough to me, but also different enough for me to feel the freedom of my relationship with God.  However, the church we were attending did not have a strong Lenten season.  Now, by this I mean, they did not openly talk about abstaining and fasting in the way that I grew up hearing and seeing.  This did not make it wrong, but for my new relationship with God, I ended up ignoring that fasting and abstaining, when in reality I really needed it.  I don’t know how I figured this out, but recently it struck me that I need to go back to my “roots” in some ways to strengthen my relationship with God.  One of those ways is to more fully embrace the Lenten Season, to appreciate what was given up for me, the sacrifices made for me, and the love that is constantly there for me from God.

There are several instances in the Bible that tell us that fasting is a way to worship God.  There are also instances in the Bible that tell us to do something that glorifies God.  Matthew 3: 8 says, “Do something to show that you have really given up your sins.”  This can mean abstaining, fasting, tithing, whatever you feel is necessary and right to glorify God and show that you have given up your sins.  We are challenged today by God, as people have always been, to substitute empty religion for true spirituality.  This is something that we should be constantly working on and growing in.  Attendance at church, reading your Bible, praying and sharing our faith need to be joined with a way of life that consists of integrity and Christ-like character, otherwise, they are just empty rituals that can lead us down the wrong path, away from God.

The days leading up to Jesus being crucified were painful days for him.  He was forsaken by His disciples, He was taunted by non-believers, He was beaten and mocked, and crucified.  During Lent, isn’t it wise for us to show Him how thankful we are that He died for us?  To save us?  Romans 8: 16-17 says; “God’s Spirit makes us sure that we are His children.  His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised.  We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with Him.” 

Our suffering is nothing compared to what Jesus suffered for us, but can’t we fast on occasion to glorify him, or abstain from our worldly obsessions and dalliances?  In the scope of things, 40 days is not a long period of time, but we can use these days to show God that we are repentant for our sins, and that we are thankful for Him giving us His son to suffer for all of our sins.  The Christians of the world were saved from our sins when Jesus died for us, it was a new beginning for us. 

This Lenten season, I am going to abstain and fast so that I can begin the “new year”, free from my sins, glorifying God for the gift that was given to us when Jesus was crucified, died and was resurrected. I am looking forward to becoming closer to God in my walk, and I am looking forward to using Lent to show God how thankful I am for the sacrifices that were made for me, and how sorry I am for my sins. 

I urge you to take sometime and reflect on what the Lenten Season means to you.  Are you glorifying God?  Are you showing Him that you are truly repentant for your sins?  Did His only Son die in vain, or are you thankful for the sacrifice that was made for you so that you may also rise to Heaven?  Lent begins on February 17^th, what can Lent do for you?  Will you rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus and cleanse your sins to begin anew?

    Recently I heard a sermon about how we are to give thanks in all things. Yes, all things.  The key is ''in'' all things, not ''for'' all things.
   When our car breaks down, our Dr. tells us we have cancer, or a close friend dies, We are not expected to jump up and down and praise God for that particular situation.  What God does want is for us to find something ''in'' that situation to be thankful for.
    One of the most recent examples I saw of having thankfulness ''in'' all things, I saw by watching my older sister.  She was 12 weeks along in her pregnancy; and  she was going in for her first checkup.  She had been anticipating this appointment for some time.  What she did not anticipate was that there would be no heart beat coming from the little one inside her.  Her baby had passed away before it was born.
    How devastating!  This is what she had wanted... to get pregnant!  She had so badly wanted this baby inside of her, to hold this baby in her arms.  That however, was not to be.
    Thankfully, my sister is a Christian.  She is also close to the Lord.  So, while this was painful;and she is still grieving, her response was, ''The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. '' Blessed be the name of the Lord!''  
     That was her conclusion regarding her miscarriage.  How did she get to that conclusion?  Did that kind of response just come naturally?   No, it came from a thankful heart, and one that trusted God.  She found things ''in'' the situation to be thankful for.
    First of all, she was thankful her baby would not have to live in a sinful world and endure pain.  She realized and trusted that God knew what was best for her baby.   She also was thankful that God had already blessed her with one living son.  She was very comforted with the fact that Jesus was the first face her baby got to see.  Now that is pretty amazing!  
In spite of her loss, pain and grief, She was thankful!
     God loves and hears a grateful heart!  When we are thankful, God will bless us.
    So, your car breaks down.  Hey, you have a car.  You can be thankful that God has given you that car. I know people who don't even own a car!
Also, you can be thankful in advance for how God is going to work the situation out.
     You have been told you have cancer.  Be thankful for the life God has given you.  Thankful that you have a God who will never leave or forsake you.  Thankful that through this, you may be brought closer to him.
    Though you feel loss when a friend dies; if they were a believer you will see them again one day.  You can be thankful that you had that person in your life, thankful for all the wonderful memories.  You can be thankful you have a God who understands and will be your comfort.
    Are you beginning to understand thankfulness ''in'' all situations?  The more you practice being thankful, the easier it will become!
     The last example  I have is one we all know well,when your spouse is deployed.  True it is easy to find much to grumble about, but don't miss the opportunity to be thankful!  Be thankful you have a husband who is providing for you, that he even has a job.  Be thankful that you now have more time to draw closer to God and study on how to be a better wife!  Be thankful that your faith is about to increase!  Be thankful that you have a God who you can turn to for everything.  Yes, everything!  No problem you face will be too hard for your God to handle.   God has so many lessons to teach you at this time.  Are you willing to learn?  Can you show gratitude to God, even in this?
    Are you willing to be thankful ''in'' all things, in every situation?  I urge you to do just that.  See how the Lord will bless you as you continue to come before God with a grateful heart!    
   

 Making a Difference this Holiday Season

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

1 John 3:17-18

Charitable giving fell last year by the largest percentage in five decades, according to a new study by the Giving USA Foundation.

Now I am aware that most of us can’t spare hundreds of dollars, but there are “cheap” or free ways to make a difference. I think it is very important for us as parents to teach our children to show kindness and grow a charitable heart. Also, we need to teach our children that charity and kindness should be done privately without the want to be recognized or praised, that contradicts the act of charity.

 

“Do all the good  you can and make as little as fuss about it as possible.”  Charles Dickens

 

 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:1-4

 

 I think it is wrong to force children to do charitable work, instead find something that the whole family can enjoy and feel proud of.

 

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  

2 Corinthians 9:7

 

Sit together with your family and discuss ways to make a difference this Holiday Season, make a list, print and put on the fridge,

I will post several tips over the next few weeks.

Many Blessings,

Melanie

I am in a strange place that I have never been in before.  I am in a place where I am not exactly sure what the Lord has in mind for me to do.

Do? you ask...

Yes, DO.  All of us have things the Lord wants us to DO.  He does not want us to become stagnet.

I have always known pretty quickly what God has wanted me to do and when He has wanted me to do it.  It doesn't mean that I have always done exactly what the Lord has told me to.  I think we all have our "Jonah" days where we question what God tells us to do. 

But now, I can honestly say... I sit, and I wait upon the Lord to speak.

I ask myself, "what should I do while I wait?"

Well, I know I need to continue to do Gods will.  His will for me is to continue to teach others about Christ.  To spread His word, to mentor and to help others.

I have a few different ideas on what I think God has planned next... and I'm praying about these things, along with my husband and our children.

Are you making plans for your life as you want them, or as God wants them?

If you are in the same position I am now in, I urge you to dive into the Bible - pray without ceasing and seek Godly council.

Also my sisters, let us remember to ... be still and know that I am God.  Ps 46:10

It is so easy to let every day life take control of the wheel, give it over to God and listen to see what Christ has planned for your life.

I just recently began a Bible Study called, “What Happens When Women Walk In Faith”, written by Lysa Terkeurst. As I read through the introduction and first chapter of the book, I found myself saying, “That’s me!” I felt elated, yet unsure, as I continued to read, trying to process everything I was taking in. Things that were a “secret” part of me; things I had not even talked to God about were right there in front of me in black and white, jumping off the page, and there was God, telling me “It’s time to confront this. It’s time to stop pretending. It’s time to step up and start living for Me. It’s time for you to start carrying out the plans I have for you.”

That feeling of elation kicked in again, along with that of excitement, followed closely by fear. I have pulled away from God for so long; not intentionally, but through various choices I had made, actions I had taken, bad habits and harmful temptations I had allowed myself to fall into. It had been a long, dark, winding road to the place I found myself currently in, and I had no idea how to find my way back… But, then, there was God. I’d thought for sure I had wandered too far from Him. They always say that if you feel like you’re far from God, He’s never the one who moved, and you can always find Him right where you left Him, but I figured out today that that statement isn’t entirely true. Yes, I was the one who moved, but God didn’t stay where I’d left Him, allowing me to walk away and get lost. Instead, He stayed right there with me… He was there through it all… All the bad choices, the temptations, the hurts, the anger, the sadness… He was there, arms wide open, just waiting for me to LET Him catch me every time I fell. But I, unfortunately, kept choosing to let myself just fall to the ground. I kept dodging His outstretched arms, choosing not to see – choosing to not acknowledge His presence. Out of guilt, out of shame… I knew I was the one who had walked away. I knew I was the one who stopped allowing Him to be a part of my life. But He never left. He spent all this time waiting quietly on the sidelines for me to grab hold of His hand and say “get in the game! I want You on my team!”

Why has it taken me so long to say that? Why did I allow myself to be fooled into believing that I had done too many things wrong; made too many wrong choices; walked too far away; etc… for Him to still want me and love me? Why did I fool myself into thinking that I was too far gone for Him to ever be able to use me? I’d convinced myself that I was a failure, so I’d better just keep going to try to make the best of the mess I’d made of my life. But, God said “No. I want better for you. I have better for you, and I want to show you that I am sufficient; I can pull you through – I can lift you out of this darkness and I can use you to glorify Me, if you will only take My hand and say, ‘Yes, Lord’. I have been waiting for you for too long. It’s time.”

There is a song called, “From Nowhere To Now – Here” by The Kin. It’s not a Christian song, but I happened to hear it playing softly in the background as I was reading through my Bible study and I heard God’s voice in the lyrics of the chorus…

“Take this love
Calls your name
No need to walk alone
From nowhere to now here
Change has come
Well come in
No need to walk alone
From nowhere to now here”

I listened to those words over and over again. I kept replaying the song, and I realized that it described my relationship with God. God is offering His love to me – still. I got Saved over 9 years ago, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am His, but as I explained previously, somewhere along the way, I got lost and pulled away, distancing myself from Him – or so I thought. But here He is, right beside me, offering His unconditional love, despite all I have done, and all I have not done. He is calling my name, and telling me He is with me, willing to walk with me from this place – my “nowhere” – to get me to His “now here”.  He wants to take me to where He wants me to be. He wants to walk with me and pull me out of this dark void, the middle of nowhere, and show me the specific “here” where He wants me to be; the place I can be nourished by Him, by His Word and grow. The place He can use me for His glory.

So, here I am, Lord. I am ready to take Your hand. I am ready for You to lead me out of this place I find myself. Ready for you to guide me forward – not back. I am ready to walk with you. Guide me, Lord. Nourish my heart, my mind… Teach me what I need to know, so that you may use me to honor You. Hold me tightly, Lord, so that I may not wander from You again. I need You, Father, because in all my wandering I have learned that I cannot make it alone….. Thank You for not letting me go… In Jesus’ name… In Jesus’ name… yes, Lord…

 

Tonight as I finished watching Pride and Prejudice something deep within my heart was awakened -- a full consuming hunger to be romanticized. My heart is overwhelmed, not by a sadness as most women as well as myself in the past would see it when thinking of romance and the lack thereof. But with a full burning desire of love -- no, passion. I believe we too often search for this romance or love within a man, when in fact this is short lived. This is not to the discredit of our men and the wonderful strides they make to please us. This is not what I am talking about at all. I believe if they tried with all their might, there would still be this longing for more. I'm not saying they should stop, because I do love the effort of my husband very much.

This longing is more than a worldly passion; it is a hunger I believe that was placed within our feminine hearts to draw us ever closer to our Lord -- the lover of our soul. I believe He created this spot just for Himself and He address this area in Scripture, Isaiah 43. If you looked in my Bible, you would see that I’ve drawn hearts all around several of the Scripture verses in Isaiah 43, much like a school girl infatuated with her first love. These verses reach deep into a hidden place that I so often try to keep buried, in an effort to protect my heart from hurt, which in fact still hurts. God draws me to Himself within these Scriptures as if He is holding me close to Himself, whispering sweet nothings in my ear… “Because you are precious in my eyes and honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4). Wow! I love this; it is exciting to know that my God loved me (and you) enough that He spoke these words of endearment.

I encourage you to go and read Isaiah 43; let the Lord romance your heart once more. Open you heart to love again whether you are disappointed, hurt, weary, lonely, anxious, or just scared. There is a God who longs to love you in a way no man could ever fulfill. He waits for you, His love, so open your heart to be loved again.

Completely and Utterly His,

Carmen