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EVENTS
Jan 30
January 30, 2021
BEYOND – A WOMEN’S GATHERING
Online
With: Mary Southerland
Mar 20
March 20, 2021
Beale Memorial Baptist Women’s Conference
Tappahannock, VA
With: Sharon Jaynes
Apr 9
April 9-11, 2021
Girlfriends In God Conference
Asheville, NC
With: Sharon Jaynes, Gwen Smith
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I have a confession to make. When I was in high school, I never read the books we were supposed to have read in English class. I read the Cliffs Notes study guides and got by. But a decade later, I decided to go back and get that high school reading list and actually read the books! Great Expectations was one of my favorites. It showed me just what can happen with a heart that stays stuck on a solitary disappointment.![]()
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In the story, Miss Havisham is an elderly recluse who lives in a dilapidated mansion. When the main character, a young boy named Pip, is taken to her Gothic estate, he sees a dismal old brick structure with partially boarded-up windows, rusted iron gates, and an overgrown garden. But more startling than the rundown appearance of the outside of the house is what he finds inside.![]()
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Miss Havisham, the lady of the manor known as Satis House, sits in a tattered and yellowed wedding gown that hangs over her skeletal frame. Paper-thin skin wraps itself around her claw-like hands. A rotting veil rests upon her gray wispy hair. One shoe sits on a side table, as if waiting to be placed on her foot with the other. Bridal flowers, now long dead, adorn her head. To add to the oddities, Pip notices that every clock in the room has stopped at twenty minutes till nine. In fact, every clock in the house ticked its last at twenty minutes till nine.![]()
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Pip later learns that many years before, Miss Havisham had been dressing for her wedding day when she received the heart-rending news that her fiancé had run off with another woman. He would not be marrying her after all. From that moment on, life stopped for Miss Havisham. Every room was left as it was. Miss Havisham patted her heart, looked at Pip, and said, “Broken.” She had sacrificed her future on the altar of her past, refusing to let it go.![]()
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The apostle Paul wrote, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31). The Greek word translated bitterness is pikria, which means bitterness or harshness. ![]()
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As Paul uses the word, it conveys an embittered or resentful spirit. The root word pik sounds like what it means: pick, prick, or cut. It can refer to a sharp or pointed object or a bitter, sharp taste. Used figuratively, it describes “that angry and resentful state of mind that can develop when we undergo troubles.” ![]()
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When we keep picking at the scab of past pain, refusing to allow the wound to heal, we will become bitter. And bitterness spawns other undesirable emotions and actions. Look at the words Paul tethers to bitterness: rage, anger, brawling, slander, malice. A bitter root will produce bitter fruit. It has no choice. ![]()
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This is what happens when we, like Miss Havisham, hold our fingers on the hands of the clock to stop life from moving on and thus invite bitterness to take root. Of course, life forges ahead, clock or no clock. It is only the ticking clock of the heart that stays stuck as the world continues to spin.![]()
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So how do we break free of bitterness. Paul goes on to tell us in verse 32. “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."![]()
In the end, Miss Havisham set about to make everybody around her just as miserable as she was. And when it comes down to it, that’s what a bitter heart does…and I don’t want to be that person.![]()
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Heavenly Father, show me any roots of bitterness toward anyone that I have growing in my heart. Help me unearth the tap root so that it will be destroyed completely. And help me to move past the hurt and forward with healing. ![]()
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.![]()
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When I was a little girl, one of the highlights of every summer was going to our family reunion at White Oak Park. I loved reunions because there was always a seven-layer salad and lots of desserts. All of us kids played fun games that filled us with joy and drenched us in sweat. Then after the kid games were done, some adults would join us for a final competition: the tug-of-war.![]()
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When it came to tug-of-war, I had a strategy: wherever my dad went, I went. Because in my little-girl mind, he was superhuman strong. (I was ever the rational one.) Dad always positioned himself at the far end of the rope as our anchor, and his strength usually helped our team gain traction and, ultimately, win the game. ![]()
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Every day you and I live out a faith adventure that takes us to a different type of tug-of-war: a battle we fight against the invisible. ![]()
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Let’s break down the competitors:![]()
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TEAM DEFEAT: On the enemy’s side of the battle rope, the opponents are lined up and ready to take us down. They want to shove us into a dark, stinky pit. ![]()
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These opponents aren’t visible, but they're very real. We know them: fear, doubt, guilt, insecurity, pride, comparison, inadequacy, indifference, and lies. ![]()
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Power zappers, all of them!![]()
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TEAM VICTORY: On the faith side of the battle rope, the Holy Spirit is right beside us. He is the anchor that helps us gain traction. He leads with the help that enables us to stand firm and be ready to fight. He teaches us how to be confident, compassionate, forgiving, humble, wise, and content. He reminds us of who we are in Christ and defends us against the thugs on the other side of the rope.![]()
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Each morning when I wake up, a tug-of-war begins again. ![]()
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Every. Single. Day.![]()
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The Enemy we face is real—the Bible tells us so—and our lives give us all the evidence we need to believe it.![]()
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Here’s the way I look at it: ![]()
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The Word is truth, and Jesus is the Word (John 1:14). ![]()
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Jesus is the truth and can speak only truth (John 14:6). ![]()
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If Jesus said that His followers would be better off without Him (John 16:7) and would do even greater things because of the One He would send in place of Him (John 14:12)—then who are we to pretend that the Holy Spirit is inconsequential?![]()
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Since Jesus made it clear my life will be better with the Spirit of truth, I want all of the Holy Spirit. I want every vibrant connection possible between God and my life. I want every ounce of guidance, teaching, comfort, help, and reminder He will give me. Bring it on! This happens when—and only when—I live yielded to the Holy Spirit. (When I grab the rope on the faith side of the battle.)![]()
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I wish I could write from a place of perfection, but I can’t. The battle between walking in the flesh and walking by faith is as fresh as my morning mug of dark roast. And the pathetic thing is I know what I need to do even when I don’t choose it. I know I need the Spirit of God to fill and fuel my day with fresh power, which comes as He leads me in the perspective, peace, conviction, and truth of Jesus.![]()
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I need help from the Spirit of God because the battles are fierce. ![]()
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Are you whispering “Amen”? ![]()
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We simply cannot go into a gunfight with plastic knives in our hands. If I want to live with all the power that the Lord has for me, then I have to invite the Holy Spirit to lead. ![]()
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Every. Single. Day. ![]()
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We Jesus lovers need to be fully engaged and alert. ![]()
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You don’t have to wear camo, but you need a battle plan. It begins with acknowledging that there is, in fact, a spiritual battle raging all around you, and it requires you decide which team you’re fighting for and against.![]()
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