(2008 WM Spiritual Retreat Speaker)
- Strengthforthesoul.com
The following devotional is from Cindi's new book, "Women on the Edge". Many of you answered questionaires for Cindi during our 2008 WM Spiritual Retreat that ultimately became her book material. Your honesty and transparency helped her write a very real and effective book to encourage women in their walk with the Lord. Way to go YaYa's!
Please read the following devotional/excerpt from "Women on the Edge"
Five Areas of a Woman's Life That Need God's Touch...
1. Our Hearts – So They Can Be “Set On Things Above”
Women often stress over the temporal – bills that must be paid, whether or not a man
will come into our lives, if we’ll be able to have a child, what someone is saying about us, how
our body looks, and so on. At times we are more concerned about what the scales say than what
God says. Our heart is closely attuned to our bank balance, rather than our life’s balance. Yet
God instructs us in Colossians 3:1-2: “set your hearts on things above.” If our priorities were in
heaven, not on this earth, we would not only be happier and healthier, but less financially drained
and emotionally spent. Matthew 6:19-21 tells us not to “store up treasures here on earth where
moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures
in heaven ….For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” It takes God’s touch to
clear our hearts of what this world says is important and focus it on the things above.
2. Our Minds – So They Are Transformed and Renewed
It’s amazing how many women profess to know God and follow Him, yet their thinking
patterns are just like those of anyone else in the world. Scripture commands us: “Don’t copy the
behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the
way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and
pleasing and perfect his will really is” (Romans 12:2, NLT). Furthermore, God’s Word instructs:
“fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure
and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise…and the
God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9, NLT). What mental anguish we would spare
ourselves from if we would let God transform our mind and renew our thoughts to think as He
would.
3. Our Mouths – To Be Wholesome and Pleasing to God
Because women tend to be communicators, we can cause much damage with our mouths
if we do not bring them under God’s control. Whether it is gossip, criticism or unkind remarks,
our mouths can be instruments of righteousness or unrighteousness. In Ephesians 4:29 we are
told to “not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for
building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” God’s touch on
our lives can make us women whose words heal and encourage, rather than distract and destroy.
4. Our Bodies – To Be Pure and Holy for Him
Are you one to worry and stress about what the scale says, how many calories you took
in, and whether or not you can still fit into a certain size? God’s command to us is “Give your
bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will accept. When you think
of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?” (Romans 12:1, NLT). It is important that
we keep our bodies healthy and in good shape (as we are His temple), but God says our most
prevalent concern should be that we keep them holy. In fact, God calls keeping our bodies holy
our “spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1, NIV). One of the ways we can keep our bodies holy
is how we dress. People can tell much about us, and whom we love, by how we dress. Do we call
attention to ourselves or the God who made us? If the way we dress says “Look at me!” we may
want to rethink how we dress so that others can see Christ through us. Can others see Christ in
you or are you getting in the way?
5. Our Emotions – To Be Calmed with the Peace of God
There are days when, hormonally or just circumstantially, we need God’s touch to
calm our frazzled emotions and level out our lives. Philippians 4:6-7 says “Don’t’ worry about
anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and request to
God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can
completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.” (CEV) A woman
who is controlled by God’s peace is not on the edge, but in the spacious place of His embrace.
I truly believe if we sought God’s touch in those five areas of our lives we would rarely have
reason to feel we are going over the edge. For instance, when you get frustrated in a relationship,
go back to the principle of letting God transform and renew your mind to only think on whatever
is pure, right, lovely and good and so on. And when you are about to lose it over finances or
something that takes you by surprise, remember to not be anxious about anything, but to pray
about everything…keeping a heart of thanksgiving for what you’ve been given. And when your
heart begins to desire something that you cannot attain, remember to set your heart on things
above.
Excerpted from Cindi McMenamin’s book, Women on the Edge, © 2010 by Harvest House
Publishers. To order the book, visit www. StrengthForTheSoul.com.
Cindi McMenamin - Strengthforthesoul.com
- Strengthforthesoul.com
The following devotional is from Cindi's new book, "Women on the Edge". Many of you answered questionaires for Cindi during our 2008 WM Spiritual Retreat that ultimately became her book material. Your honesty and transparency helped her write a very real and effective book to encourage women in their walk with the Lord. Way to go YaYa's!
Please read the following devotional/excerpt from "Women on the Edge"
Five Areas of a Woman's Life That Need God's Touch...
1. Our Hearts – So They Can Be “Set On Things Above”
Women often stress over the temporal – bills that must be paid, whether or not a man
will come into our lives, if we’ll be able to have a child, what someone is saying about us, how
our body looks, and so on. At times we are more concerned about what the scales say than what
God says. Our heart is closely attuned to our bank balance, rather than our life’s balance. Yet
God instructs us in Colossians 3:1-2: “set your hearts on things above.” If our priorities were in
heaven, not on this earth, we would not only be happier and healthier, but less financially drained
and emotionally spent. Matthew 6:19-21 tells us not to “store up treasures here on earth where
moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures
in heaven ….For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” It takes God’s touch to
clear our hearts of what this world says is important and focus it on the things above.
2. Our Minds – So They Are Transformed and Renewed
It’s amazing how many women profess to know God and follow Him, yet their thinking
patterns are just like those of anyone else in the world. Scripture commands us: “Don’t copy the
behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the
way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and
pleasing and perfect his will really is” (Romans 12:2, NLT). Furthermore, God’s Word instructs:
“fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure
and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise…and the
God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9, NLT). What mental anguish we would spare
ourselves from if we would let God transform our mind and renew our thoughts to think as He
would.
3. Our Mouths – To Be Wholesome and Pleasing to God
Because women tend to be communicators, we can cause much damage with our mouths
if we do not bring them under God’s control. Whether it is gossip, criticism or unkind remarks,
our mouths can be instruments of righteousness or unrighteousness. In Ephesians 4:29 we are
told to “not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for
building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” God’s touch on
our lives can make us women whose words heal and encourage, rather than distract and destroy.
4. Our Bodies – To Be Pure and Holy for Him
Are you one to worry and stress about what the scale says, how many calories you took
in, and whether or not you can still fit into a certain size? God’s command to us is “Give your
bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will accept. When you think
of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?” (Romans 12:1, NLT). It is important that
we keep our bodies healthy and in good shape (as we are His temple), but God says our most
prevalent concern should be that we keep them holy. In fact, God calls keeping our bodies holy
our “spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1, NIV). One of the ways we can keep our bodies holy
is how we dress. People can tell much about us, and whom we love, by how we dress. Do we call
attention to ourselves or the God who made us? If the way we dress says “Look at me!” we may
want to rethink how we dress so that others can see Christ through us. Can others see Christ in
you or are you getting in the way?
5. Our Emotions – To Be Calmed with the Peace of God
There are days when, hormonally or just circumstantially, we need God’s touch to
calm our frazzled emotions and level out our lives. Philippians 4:6-7 says “Don’t’ worry about
anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and request to
God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can
completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.” (CEV) A woman
who is controlled by God’s peace is not on the edge, but in the spacious place of His embrace.
I truly believe if we sought God’s touch in those five areas of our lives we would rarely have
reason to feel we are going over the edge. For instance, when you get frustrated in a relationship,
go back to the principle of letting God transform and renew your mind to only think on whatever
is pure, right, lovely and good and so on. And when you are about to lose it over finances or
something that takes you by surprise, remember to not be anxious about anything, but to pray
about everything…keeping a heart of thanksgiving for what you’ve been given. And when your
heart begins to desire something that you cannot attain, remember to set your heart on things
above.
Excerpted from Cindi McMenamin’s book, Women on the Edge, © 2010 by Harvest House
Publishers. To order the book, visit www. StrengthForTheSoul.com.
Cindi McMenamin - Strengthforthesoul.com
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