Part 4 ~ Chapter 28

And, then, I turn the page to find "the big word"... again...

OBEDIENCE

I tell ya, God is just not letting up! : )

I'm not sure if I've shared this already, but there are 3 words that keep coming up over and over for me. During the past 2 years, faith, trust, and obedience have been "buzz words" for me.

It's kind of hard to explain, but the gist here is that every time I turn around (it seems) one or all 3 of those words is staring back at me. Think God is trying to tell me something? ; )

James 1:22-25 is a beautiful reminder.

Little girls often dream of fairy-tales, and it's no surprise (or secret) that we're still expecting the stuff of which dreams are made, even as adults. Beth Moore says it like is on page 167:

"We want God to somehow wave a wand over us and magically remove every hindrance without requiring anything of us."

Was anybody else convicted there... or was it just me?

Beth goes on to point out that we would never learn anything if all our problems were solved for us with a wave of a magic wand.

After hearing those 3 buzz words over and over (faith, trust, obedience), I have often just pleaded with God to "fix me." I find myself saying things like, "You're God and you can fix me. Just do it, God, please!"

And, that's just it. If God fixes me without my cooperation and obedience, I'll never learn. I've got to have faith and trust that He knows best! The Father always does, right? ; )

Maybe I need to glean from Psalm 81. Maybe you do, too?

Stop, Drop and Pray

Part 4 ~ Chapter 27

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

When I began reading Chapter 27, these are the two verses from Scripture that came to mind. I believe that we often limit God and therefore miss out on what these verses are talking about. If we don't allow God to work in our lives, gently and effectively, we may never know the true reality of these promises.

I think one of the main keys for experiencing Jeremiah 29:11 and Ephesians 3:20-21 is that we have to look past the circumstances we are in and still find it in our hearts to trust that God will do what He says He's gonna do.

We also have to obey Him. Then...

"However, as it is written:

"No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him."

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)

Stop, Drop and Pray

Shelly Says ~ "The Votes are In!"

Based on the votes received via web poll and e-mail, I constructed a schedule for June that reflects a compromise of all the votes received.

I hope it works well for you as we wrap up our study this month and

BREAK FREE!!!

Here's the plan:

I will still post a message on the blog every day, but I will try to shorten the length of my writings this month for those of you who want to do all of your reading for the week and then check in and read the blog every once in a while. This way, you can read the parts of the blog that pertain to the reading you've done.

The blog posts, starting after this one, will be labeled with Part and Chapter numbers so you can decipher which posts you want/need to read.

By Friday, June 11, I will have postings up that cover the remaining Chapters of Part 4 (through Chapter 32).

Also, on June 11 I will begin posting one chapter per day through June 25 (the official end of our study). So, June 11th's post will be for Chapter 33 and June 25th's post will be for Chapter 47.

You can use the green, shaded box on the right-hand side of the blog to see all the posts and then you just click on the ones you want to read.

Please feel free to comment and/or ask questions at any time. I am enjoying our conversations, and I love to hear from you!

Shelly Says ~ "Are You Ready?"

My hope for you is that during this study you, of course, will break free from any bondage and places of captivity. I also pray that this study helps you to deepen your relationship with God.

For the longest time (like most of my life), I thought that following all the rules made me a "good person." I also thought the #1 way God spoke to me was through the 10 Commandments (Thou shalt not...).

Please don't get me wrong: The 10 Commandments are from God, and I believe He wants me to obey them. My point here is that the tablet with 10 commands are in place to guide me through life... help me experience the abundant life God has planned for me. What I have learned over the past 2 1/2 years is that the #1 way He speaks to me is through His entire Word... the Holy Bible.

His Word is a much broader scope of His intentions for me and they do include the 10 Commandments ; ) . His Word also shows me how humans have fallen into temptation and the harm they've brought upon themselves. There is not enough time in this day for me to explain all I have learned, but the main point today...

God already loves me and accepts me. I don't have to follow God's 10 Commandments for Him to love me and accept me. I try to follow God's Commandments and Christ's example to experience the good life... to live life more abundantly! I try to listen to the Holy Spirit because the Spirit is my guide... sent to live in my heart... the very essence of the Father and Son alive in me.

Why am I telling you all of this today? Well, I don't know ; ) . I actually intended to write about establishing some sacred, quiet time with God every day. Okay... so let me see if I can tie this all together...

I hope you can break free from anything that hinders your relationship with God. You can study Breaking Free, the Holy Bible, or any other Holy material and keep every rule perfectly... but never truly experience God. Why? Because keeping a set of rules is legalism. Establishing a true relationship with God is freedom!

Okay... I hope my "sermon" makes more sense now... : ) in the context of this entire study and the context of our reading over the weekend. If it does not, please don't hesitate to ask questions.

Chapters 23-26 usher us into the "reconstruction era" of our time together. Praise God!

Sweet peace and freedom come after a big ole "ugly cry" when you can release some emotions. I've had a few of those over the past 3 weeks. What about you? Were you able to release your grip on those ancient ruins and feel your soul, spirit and body healing? I pray you were.

Now, let's walk past those ruins with respect (not continued attachment) and look forward to sweet dreams and a life walking in obedience, ie, Part 4 of our study.

What stood out to you the most in the reading?

How did you answer some of the study questions?

Here are a couple in which I'd love to hear your answer...

Chapter 25, Question 1: Why do you think people are so insecure about their appearance?

Chapter 26, Question 3: How can you invest yourself in rearing spiritual children?

One of the best takeaways for me is in Chapter 24:

"We cannot make ourselves ready the moment we see Christ anymore than a woman can be prepared to meet her groom

at the altar with three minutes' notice."

Whooooo! Preach it, sister! People get ready! Jesus is coming!

Stop, Drop and Pray

Shelly Says ~ "Moving Along"

We are now moving on to Part 4 of our journey!

If you are still wrestling with Part 3, I understand. You can always leave comments on the blog and continue to let God work things out. There are people coming along behind you on this journey and some of them may even meet you there. Feel free to stay as long as needed. Feel free to keep e-mailing me and/or using the comments section of the blog to share your feelings about Part 3. Talking in a safe place is often a great medicine for what ails you.

For all of us, I think it will be good to revisit that section from time to time. There are some great tools and information for dealing with the continuous strongholds that make their way into our lives.

When you're ready to move on, I recommend saying a prayer about your journey in Part 3 and thanking God for what He has done. Let Him know you're ready and open to begin the "reconstruction era!"

If you need help with wording, try this prayer:

Father God, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made! Please forgive me of my sins and the nastiness I held in my heart all that time. You have searched me and revealed my anxious thoughts... my worries... thank You. You have made me aware of things I had no idea existed. I was blind to the lies satan was feeding me, but now I see... and the light of Your glory and grace fills me. Thank You! Please help me to move on past the hurting places and allow You to reconstruct the ruins.

~Amen

Great!... Now... moving along...

I am listening to you and agree that we need to regroup.

This weekend, let's stay parked on Chapters 23-26. If you have not read these chapters, please take some time to do so this weekend (they're short). Then, come back on Monday and join in the discussion. If there is something you're ready to discuss... go ahead and leave comments. The blog is still open (and hopefully active with conversation) all weekend.

For those of you on the e-mail list, I'll be sending a revised schedule on Monday since we spent extra time on Part 3. If you have any comments on how the schedule would work best for you... please e-mail them to me by 2pm on Sunday.

Stop, Drop and Pray

Shelly Says ~ "My heart was mended by truth!"

The last 3 chapters of Part 3 in our study deal with the heart. My heart has been broken by betrayal and loss, but PRAISE GOD it has also been mended by truth!

Today, I want to share a story with you. The whole thing spans the length of my existence here on Earth, so I will not be able to type out the whole story (nor do I imagine you'd like to be sitting at your computer for days on end ;).

I would like to share the short version though, but before I do, it's important for me that you understand a few things:

I do not blame anyone besides satan. There is no one person or group of people responsible for what happened to me. I truly believe satan was behind it all along. He would have loved to see me miss my calling.

I mean no harm or disrespect to any religion, denomination, set of beliefs or morals when I tell you this story. This is simply about what I'm learning by reading the Bible myself and allowing God to speak to me, personally.

I tell you this story because I want you to see how God is working in my life, and I want to praise Him for all He has done!

I tell you this story because that's one reason we're on this journey together... to share in the learning, triumphs and sadness of it all.

I tell you this story because the truth set me free!

I grew up in an environment where women were not allowed to speak with authority in the church. They were expected to "keep silent" in part due to what 1 Timothy 2:11-12 says: A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.

I grew up believing that women should not teach or preach in front of the church as a whole. While I don't remember a sermon on 1 Timothy, I do remember hearing the words, "Women are to be silent in the church."

Now, fast forward to the present. For some time now (about a year and a half), I have been feeling like God has a plan for me. To make a long story short, I have been feeling a call to vocational ministry.

This is something that I began to talk to my pastors about. I also began praying earnestly that God would reveal His will.

There was a big problem: While I felt the call, something was holding me back. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was never moving forward with the call. I was always standing still and rehashing the same information over and over: God was calling me to vocational ministry and I knew how to pursue it. I just didn't move forward.

Looking at the circumstances, I was "doing the right thing." I felt like God was speaking to me and I sought wise counsel to help discern this call. I found out the steps to take when discerning a call.

Something was holding me back, though.

It wasn't until Tuesday, May 18th that I realized the problem. As I toured the ancient ruins during our week unplugged, I found a key that unlocked the deepest, darkest places of my soul. There, behind cobwebs and loads of dust, I found the reason I couldn't answer my call: Women aren't supposed to do what I've been called by God to do. That was my belief system... tucked snugly away in the depths of my being. I was operating under a belief system that I didn't even realize I had. Does that make any sense?

So, I began to challenge "my beliefs" only to realize they weren't my beliefs at all. These "beliefs" were thoughts that were fed to me early on in life... passed down generation to generation. I believe that because they were a part of me (in my soul - mind), I was afraid to answer the call to vocational ministry.

As I pondered why I felt this way about the role of a woman in the Body of Christ, I opened my Bible to search for Scripture that might help me understand these things I had heard as a child.

Please believe me when I say that I opened my Bible directly to 1 Timothy (not knowing that's where the "women keep silent" stuff is). There on the pages of my Bible were the exact set of verses I needed to read. Chapter 2 stared back at me.

Now, again... you can see that this is a long story... I do apologize... but to try and wrap it up...

This is what I believe after reading the entire context of those Scriptures and researching the time frame/context: 1 Timothy is a letter from Paul who is speaking about uneducated women. Women were not allowed to learn back in that time, so it is understandable why they would not be allowed to teach or preach. No one should just start teaching and preaching something when they don't know what they're talking about.

Okay, again, long story and a whole lot involved here... but, when God opened my eyes to the truths in Scripture, it set me free from the stronghold that was keeping me from moving forward and answering the call.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28

When the veil was torn, the liberty bell rang!

And as of Wednesday, May 19th, I was free to explore my call to vocational ministry!!! Sweet Mercy!!!

The stronghold was released!!! I cannot even begin to describe the FREEDOM I felt because you might be here for another hour reading

; )

It was an AWESOME feeling(s)! I felt very educated, for one ; )

I realize that a lot of people will not agree with my revelation, and I also realize that this is a touchy subject for many. Please understand that I do not mean any disrespect to what anyone believes. This is only my opinion and experience.

Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you.

I had no intentions at the beginning of this blog to include this next part, but I am feeling like I should.

There is a way you can partner with me to help me run towards this call with all that I have and all that I am. I am feeling led to attend an equipping conference called "She Speaks." I cannot do it alone. I need your help through prayer and/or monetary donations. Even $5 would help me advance toward the call to vocational ministry. I promise, you will be blessed because of it. I am convinced that God is calling me to this, and I know He blesses His work and those involved in it. He promised it and He does it.

Prayer is the most important part. Please pray for me.

Below, I will provide links so that you can read more. If you feel led to pray and/or give, please know that I cherish your support. If you are not feeling led to help at this time, I still thank God for you and I am thankful that you are reading my blog.

Stop, Drop and Pray for our Breaking Free journey and the women who have concerns.

Tomorrow, we are moving on to Part 4 or what I'd like to call "Reconstruction!" I'm as excited as ever to continue on this journey with you!!!

Blog entries with more details:

http://shellysc.blogspot.com/2010_03_12_archive.html

http://shellysc.blogspot.com/2010/03/shelly-says-he-speaks-will-she-speak.html

http://shellysc.blogspot.com/2010/03/shelly-says-will-you-send-me.html

Website for the conference:

http://www.shespeaksconference.com/

Shelly Says ~ "Be Broken and Beautiful"

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?

Who told the ocean you can only come this far?

Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening?

Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

The very same God that spins things in orbit,

He runs to the weary, the worn and the weak.

And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken

They conquered death to bring me victory!

Well I know my Redeemer lives.

I know my Redeemer lives.

All of creation testify.

This life within me cries.

I know my Redeemer lives!

Lyrics from one of my very favorite songs:

Redeemer ~ Nicole C. Mullen

That song always makes me tear up. I don't know if I can put my finger on exactly why, but when I really let those words sink into my spirit I realize the power and glory of the Lord. I guess that's enough to bring the tears! : )

The part that really stands out to me today is the 2nd verse which talks about how God, who keeps Creation in orbit, also runs to the brokenhearted to bind up their wounds with His hands. Those very same hands are also the ones that sent His only Son to redeem a fallen world.

If you're able, just take a few moments and let all that sink into your soul.

In Chapter 17, what really touched my heart was reading that God is in the reconstruction business. We know that Christ on Earth was in the construction business. We also know that God the Father and God the Son are one in the same. To me, that means that we're totally covered when it comes to the construction of our being and the reconstruction when things fall apart. 24/7/365 an extreme makeover is available to us. All we have to do is say, "Here I am!" Just be the clay and the Master Potter will create a masterpiece from your brokenness.

As I typed that last line, I was reminded of a beautiful "picture" that is etched in my mind. A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of worshipping with some new friends. When we approached the altar to take part in Communion, I noticed that it was decorated beautifully.

An ornate, hand carved, wooden cross was the centerpiece. Around the cross were interwoven grape vines and a peaceful tabletop fountain. Then it caught my eye. There at the foot of the cross was a beautiful little clay pot. At closer inspection, I found out that this was not your usual, decorative clay pot. This one was broken. Now, when I say it was broken, I don't mean that it lay in shattered pieces. Someone had taken the broken vessel and had but it back together to reflect its original form.

You could still see all the cracks where it was once broken, but now it was put back together again. It was whole. That was me at the foot of that cross. Wonderfully created, broken, then put back together.

It was a powerful image.

We all want to be worthy of love and beautiful, but are we willing to let the Master Potter mold us and make us after His will?

Chapter 18 describes Christ as the Redeemer of our broken hearts. I love the image of Christ applying pressure to our broken heart in order to stop the bleeding. What a beautiful picture of grace and mercy.

Like the little clay pot on the alter, take your broken heart to God and lay it at the foot of the cross. Let Him heal you. Let Him put you back together again. Trade in your bondage for a bandage that only He can apply. (*bondage for a bandage is adapted from Beth Moore's words on page 114).

Chapter 19 addresses our childhood hurts, but I think I've done enough talking for one day. ; ) Tomorrow, I will share one of my childhood hurts: One that almost kept me from accepting the call into vocational ministry.

Your sharing does not have to be just from Chapters 17-19. Please feel free to share any personal insight, story, revelation, etc... from Part 3 of our study... or any part for that matter.

I am praising and thanking God for all the wonderful things He has done for you. Break free, child!!! And, don't forget to stop, drop and pray!

Shelly Says ~ "Put On the Full Armor"

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV)

Therefore...

"...Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

The things that create strongholds in your life and hold you captive don't always come from negative or painful experiences. Take a look at your everyday thoughts.

What do you think about? What thought(s) always causes you to become anxious or depressed? What do you find yourself thinking about the most? Does this person, place, thing or idea take up so much of your time that you don't have time left for God?

He should be your first priority. Even above your family, God should be 1st in your life. Don't let anything come between you and God.

While it may seem that I've gotten off on a little bit of a tangent today, I want you to keep these things in mind as you are "Surveying the Ancient Ruins" in your life.

I encourage you to put on the Full Armor of God every day, but be especially mindful of the importance as you are tackling the topic of ancient ruins.

Please also keep in mind that touring and surveying ancient ruins is often an on-going process in life. Just like the clutter in your home, the more often you tend to it... the easier it is to deal with.

Now, back to our book ; ) ... Breaking Free...

Chapter 16 reminds me of an archaeological dig. The preceding chapters have pointed us to the location/source: Now we must dig and survey the land.

I really like the step by step process Beth Moore describes on pages 101-103. I am excited to see a simple, easy to read/digest "system." It reminds me that God's way is simple and easy. No hard-to-understand messages. No tricks. Just truths.

I also like that she reminds us (on pg. 100) that "you may come from an unusually healthy family and relate very little from personal experience. Perhaps this lesson will help you understand a friend." I point this out to note that not everyone has ancient ruins to explore right now. They may already be dealt with and/or non-existent.

I pray that the message of this study meets you where you are.

I believe God has called you to this study for a reason.

Keep the conversation going. Without belittling or disrespecting anyone, please share what this part of the study has meant to you. Perhaps, you feel led to share some ancient ruins. Perhaps, you have uncovered items that shed light on your past. Perhaps, God is healing your heart and creating a river in the desert. Do share!

To share about my experience on our journey, I'm going to have to muster up a little courage and also figure out how to tell a really long story without taking up too much of your time. I also want to be careful not to tell the story in a way that would shed negativity on any dear soul in my life.

God has created a river in the desert, and I am drinking deeply from the Living Water. I promise to share sometime over the next 2 days... before we move on to the next phase of our journey. For now...

Stop, Drop and Pray

Shelly Says ~ "Take a Break"

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

Due to the responses I've received via e-mail and comments, it is becoming more and more evident that many of us need some more time with Part 3 of our study.

It is usually a difficult thing to look back at your past and survey the places of deep frustration, hurt, and mistakes. It is very important, though, that we do this in a nonjudgmental way so that we may invite forgiveness and healing into our lives. It is also important to recognize the things that keep us in bondage so that we may be set free.

As scheduled, we will take a break from May 28 - May 31. On Tuesday June 1st, we will resume our study; and, June 1 - June 3 will be our final discussion of Chapters 13-22 before continuing on our journey.

Please take time between now and June 3rd to read or reread any portions from Chapters 13-22, answer the study questions, and take a good look at your life.

If you stumble upon a little resistance or frustration, try to push through the pain. If, however, you are meeting extreme resistance and frustration... you may want to seek the help of wise counsel and/or a spiritual director to help you work through the rough spot.

Sometimes, just writing about the problem will help you sort out the pain. Feel free to post anonymous comments to this blog and/or to contact me via e-mail if you just need to let off some steam.

I am praying for you as you continue to survey your past and learn from it. This is usually not an easy thing to, but the rewards are well worth it.

Stop, Drop and Pray for your fellow companions and for yourself. God makes this process so much easier if we depend on Him for help. I suggest prayer as your first line of help.

See you Tuesday!