DESTINED FOR GREATNESS!

Look who I found at my favorite thrift store recently!

Mentoring Woman: ACHIN LIKE ACHAN!

Mentoring Woman: ACHIN LIKE ACHAN!: You ever notice how sometimes a person's name in the Bible fits them like a glove?  Take Achan for instance,  I was reading this week in...

ACHIN LIKE ACHAN!

You ever notice how sometimes a person's name in the Bible fits them like a glove?  Take Achan for instance,  I was reading this week in Joshua 7. The Israelites had just destroyed the city of Jericho, just as the Lord had told them to, but this man Achan thought that rather than put the things he had discovered (robe, gold, and silver) into the treasury of the Lord's house, (Josh. 6:24) he would keep them for himself and so he hid them in the ground in his tent.
This caused God's anger to fall on Israel and so Joshua had to find out who the culprit was and confronted Achan with his sin.  The end result was Achan,all his family, and animals were stoned for their disobedience.  OUCH, HE WAS REALLY ACHIN! (couldn't resist)

Instead of Achan seeing what he did have, he wanted what he did not have.  Kind of reminds me of the Garden of Eden and even though Adam and Eve could eat of all the trees, they wanted the fruit from the one they could not have.

God had promised the Israelites:
            1.  Every place where they stepped their foot would be theirs. (Josh. 1:3)
            2.  Safety from their enemies. (Josh. 1:3)
            3.  His presence and undivided attention. (Josh. 1:5)
            4.  Success if they obeyed His law. (Josh. 1:7)

One of the laws they were to obey was in Deuteronomy 7:25-26 (NIV)  "The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire.  Do not covet the silver or gold on them, and do not take it for themselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God.  Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.  Utterly abhor and detest it for it is set apart for destruction."  Achan would have heard and known this law, but he chose to disobey it. He did it for a few pieces of earthly riches, just as Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver.

Achan had been warned, the Israelites had been warned, we have been warned.  The punishment seems rather harsh doesn't it?  But Achan clearly knew what he was doing!  Why else did he feel the need to hide it in the ground in his tent?  He even admits in Joshua 7:20-21 "I have sinned against the Lord, I saw, I coveted, I took, and I hid."  This seems to be the natural progression to our sin as well. We see, we want, we take it, and then we try to hide it from God!

But because of Christ's great sacrifice, we see the extension of God's grace to us.  Isaiah 53:6 says "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him (Christ) the iniquity (sin) of us all."

There is hope for conquering this monster called "sin"!  The whole Book of Romans speaks to this.  Romans 6:14 says:  "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." and Romans 9:16 says:  "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy."  This can only bring us to our knees and say "Thank You Lord for paying the debt that I owed, but could not pay."

The interesting thing about Achan, if he had only remained faithful and obedient, he would have been free to keep some of the spoils from Ai, the next town they were to destroy. (Josh. 8:2).  He only needed to wait.  A great lesson that our greatest blessing might be around the bend, we just need to be obedient to His word, and remain faithful dear sisters!

Mentoring Woman: "HEAVENLY MINDED"

Mentoring Woman: "HEAVENLY MINDED": You ever just wonder what Heaven will be like?  I just watched "Heaven Is For Real" for the second time and although it isn...

"HEAVENLY MINDED"

You ever just wonder what Heaven will be like?  I just watched "Heaven Is For Real" for the second time and although it isn't a movie to base theology on (Scripture only!) it got me to thinking about Heaven this week.

Jesus says in John 14:1, "Do not let your hearts be troubled," Trust in God, trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."  (NIV) So one of the reasons we are not to be troubled, is because we know that something wonderful in Heaven awaits us!

Right after Paul explains how our new resurrected bodies will be in Heaven, (I Corinthians 15:50-57) he tells the believers this: "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Corinthians 15:58, NIV  How can we stand firm in this life?   By knowing this is not our home and Heaven awaits us!

I think it is good sometimes to think about what it will be like in Heaven, but as the saying goes, "you can't keep your head so far in the clouds, that you do no earthly good!" So until that day when Christ either calls us home or returns, we need to keep pressing on doing the things that God has prepared for us to do!  "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 3:13-14, NIV)

As promised, here is a poem I wrote when I was thinking about our topic of soaring last week:

When trials rise to threaten us,

And life's burdens weight seems more.

I pray that we could rise with You,

And You'll teach us, Lord, to soar.

For from Your view, You see it all,

Not one thing escapes Your care.

For You see both when a sparrow falls,

And know the numbers of our hair!

Still there are times when we forget,

And rely on our own strength.

We think we have the answers,

and we struggle at great length!

But You promise that You'll carry us,

No need to ask for more.

Under the shadow of Your wings,

Teach us Lord to soar!

Written by Becky Swymeler, 2015

Mentoring Woman: AND I WILL SOAR WITH YOU!

Mentoring Woman: AND I WILL SOAR WITH YOU!: I am thinking of flying this morning and in particular soaring.  It is probably due to the fact that my mother is flying out for a visit nex...

AND I WILL SOAR WITH YOU!

I am thinking of flying this morning and in particular soaring.  It is probably due to the fact that my mother is flying out for a visit next week.

Webster defines the word soaring as:  "to fly or glide high in the air with little effort or visible motion.  To rise or aspire to a higher or more exalted level.  To rise or ascend to a height, as a mountain."  Sounds a lot like what God does for us, doesn't it?

There is a chorus that we used to sing with these words.

LORD I come to YOU
Let my heart be changed. renewed
Flowing from the grace
That I found in You.
And Lord I've come to know
The weaknesses I see in me
Will be stripped away
By the power of Your love.

Hold me close
Let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side.
And as I wait
I'll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
In the Power of Your love.



Isaiah 40:31 says:  "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."  NIV

I picture in this verse, God helping us rise above each obstacle and carrying us, not under our own power, but by His.  I think I feel a poem coming on about this, and if so, I will share it with you next week.  Have a great weekend everyone and may you soar with God!