My friend Debbie Wilson’s latest book/Bible study, Little Women BIG GOD, releases Tuesday, March 8th! I was fortunate to receive an advance copy. You will love it! Debbie gives you a deeper understanding into the lives of the women in Jesus’ genealogy. Some of the women were a hot mess. Others led scandalous lives.
Yet at the end of the day, when they came to know the true God of the Universe, their past didn’t matter. All that mattered was their new life in Christ. The same is true today.
I’ve invited her to share. Enjoy!
(BTW: Debbie will be sharing at the March luncheon. Details below. Also, details below on how to get a free copy of Little Women BIG GOD)
Larry and I married at 4:00 p.m. on a blustery November afternoon in Savannah, Georgia. We pledged our love with heartfelt promises. Two hours later, we left for our honeymoon and had our first argument.
What happened?
Sadly, good intentions—and even love—are not enough to check insecurity and selfishness. Today, we battle the same enemy David and Bathsheba faced—our flesh. Seminars and support groups promise techniques to manage our weaknesses:
- Anger management.
- Addiction support.
- Assertiveness training.
- Communication techniques.
- Marriage and parenting skills.
While these may help, techniques alone can’t provide the desire, motivation, or power to be a better person. We may be able to bite our tongues around the boss, but are we still seething inside? How do we break free from the limitations of our temperaments, family backgrounds, and insecurities?
Some believers, confused by ugly thoughts and desires, question their salvation. David loved God and yet sinned in a way that is hard to fathom. Bathsheba faced her own struggles. Let’s look at the help God provides.
The Resources Within
God gave animals instincts. He gave humans himself. God created us to walk with him. If your Christian life has become boring or impotent, you may be missing out on the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Every Christian has the Holy Spirit. We receive him the moment we come to Christ. “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ” (Rom. 8:9). But there is a difference between being indwelt by the Holy Spirit and being filled with him.
To illustrate the difference, picture making a glass of chocolate milk. When you add chocolate syrup to plain milk, the syrup settles in the bottom of the glass. The milk is indwelt with chocolate. If you took a sip before stirring it, you would taste plain milk. Stir the milk, and the syrup disperses throughout the glass.
The milk is filled with chocolate. Now, every sip is chocolaty. Christians can look and act like unbelievers even though we have the Holy Spirit. But when we are filled with the Spirit, we begin to look and taste like Christ! His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control disperse into every aspect of our lives (Gal. 5:22–23).
We don’t wait until our lives are sparkling clean to invite his filling. We ask him to help us forsake the things that grieve God, and he knows just what to do. But don’t be surprised if he focuses on a different area of your life than the one that bothers you!
Are you ready to experience God’s strength? Here is a suggested prayer to get you started:
Dear Father,
Thank you for your great love for me. Thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit. Please search me and point out any area that I need to confess and forsake. Thank you for your cleansing. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Take leadership over every area of my life: my thoughts, my will, my emotions, my words. Thank you for filling me.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(excerpted from Little Women, Big God: It’s not the size of your problems, but the size of your God.)
Debbie Wilson wants to celebrate the release of her new book Little Women, Big God: It’s not the size of your problems, but the size of your God with you. Please leave a comment to enter to win a free copy. If you’re in a hurry, simply say, “I’m leaning on my big God!”
About Debbie:
Debbie W. Wilson is an ordinary woman who has experienced an extraordinary God. Drawing from her personal walk with Christ, twenty-four years as a Christian counselor, and decades as a Bible teacher, Debbie speaks and writes to help women discover relevant faith. She and her husband, Larry, founded Lighthouse Ministries in 1991. They, along with their two grown children and two standard poodles, enjoy calling North Carolina home. Share her journey to refreshing faith at her blog.
www.Lighthouseministriesnc.org, (
www.debbiewwilson.com)
http://debbiewwilson.com/little-women-big-god/
Don’t miss Debbie at March’s Luncheon! Click here for details and to register!
Don’t forget to leave a comment – so you can be entered for a random drawing for a copy of Little Women BIG GOD!