Beat Up or Built Up?

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NIV)

One morning I woke up feeling beat up by discouragement. My mind was being bullied by thoughts of doubt: I can’t do it all! I am not cut out to be a wife, a mom, a daughter, a speaker, a writer and all the other things God has called me to.

My thoughts were against me, and my feelings were too.

As I lay in bed feeling completely inadequate, my radio alarm came on. Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by Twila Paris singing to me. With confident assurance, she spoke truth to my soul, telling me this was no time for fear, but a time for faith and determination. She challenged me not to lose my vision or be carried away by my emotions, but to hold on to all that I had hidden in my heart, and all I believed to be true. Then she reminded me of the most important truth of all: God is in control. [1]

As I heard these words, my thoughts aligned with God’s truth. It changed my whole perspective. I went from feeling afraid to feeling determined and from feeling out of control to knowing God is in control.

We have the choice either to let doubt beat us up or to let God’s truth build us up.

If we have Christ in us, we have full access to God’s power and His promises to live with a confident heart. But it won’t just happen because it’s possible. We have to take action.

When my alarm came on that morning, I was so glad I’d set my radio to that station the night before, so I would wake up hearing encouraging music and truth. Just like I tuned into that station, we need to get intentional about tuning our thoughts into God’s thoughts toward us, every day.

In the same way a radio has AM and FM frequencies, so do our thoughts. They are either AM (against me) or FM (for me) thoughts. The truth is, we are often our worst critics and have a lot of AM thoughts.

And if our thoughts are against us, our feelings will be too.

So, the next time you get those feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt, stop and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you are thinking that is making you feel that way. Then compare your thoughts about that situation to God’s thoughts, which are reflected in Scripture. Do they match? If not, find a promise in God’s Word to replace the lie that has filled your heart with doubt. Here are few to get your started:

• When doubt comes against me, saying I’m weak and all alone, I will focus on the truth that God is for me! I can be strong and courageous because the Lord my God is with me. He will never leave me nor forsake me. (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV)

• When doubt comes against me, saying I’m not good enough for a certain role or position, I will remember that God is for me! He says I am His masterpiece, created to be new in Christ so that I could do good things He planned long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)

By: Renee Swope

Ministry Killers

In his book 5 Ministry Killers, Charles Stone tells the story of a pastor named Jonathan, who spent 23 years as a pastor in New England. He "faced everything from power struggles to salary controversies to questions about his leadership. Once, he confronted some boys in the church after they had taunted several young girls with suggestive comments. His handling of the situation outraged the boys' parents and fueled their resistance toward him.

"Another issue swirled around his visitation policy. He knew his greatest primary gifts were preaching and teaching rather than traditional pastoral ones. So in contrast to what was considered customary, he chose to make a visit only when an emergency arose. However, many members began to fault him for 'not loving the people,' which further increased church dissatisfaction...

"One final matter became the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. The previous pastor had loosely allowed unbelievers to become members, and Jonathan later became aware that several of those members had flagrantly sinned. In their small community, these sins had become quite public, and because he believed that only believers who evidenced a changed life should join the church, he began to change the policy.

"A firestorm erupted, and Jonathan knew that were he to stand firm on his convictions, he could lose his pastorate. However, he stood his ground, and the inevitable occurred. They fired him; and at age 46, he found himself unemployed. The rejection became so intense that the agricultural town forbad him to use common grazing land for his farm animals...

"Ten years later, because Jonathan had so graciously responded to his critics and his dismissal, one of his main detractors admitted that pride, self-sufficiency, ambition and vanity had caused the contention. The pastor's handling of his ministry crisis left such an impression that eventually the church publicly repented of their actions, exactly 150 years after they sent him packing."

In case you haven't figured it out yet, that pastor who was so maligned and misused was Jonathan Edwards, one of the pivotal figures in the First Great Awakening, and likely America's greatest theologian. Preaching under pressure is not new, and it is not unique to you and your church. So hang in there, trust the Lord you preach, and stay faithful to the call He placed on your life.



Michael Duduit, Editor
Peaching Now

Mercy Me Concert & Ranger Game

Hillcrest is Going to the Ballpark!
Mercy Me Concert & Ranger Game


Saturday, Aug. 27
Gates open at 4:30
Concert begins at 5:00pm
Game time: 7:05pm

Tickets $12 pay by Aug. 14
Texas Rangers vs. Anaheim

August Calendar

August 6 - Women in Ministry Brunch hosted by Methodist Charlton Hospital 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM. There is no charge but you must RSVP to Barbara Parker ASAP

August 7 - Craft Night Planning Team meeting at 5:00 PM in room B-127

August 8 - Cafe Connection 6:30 -8:30 PM in the Student Building Cafe! Grab your girlfriends and join us! (FREE!)

August 11 - Long Range Planning Meeting - WM Leadership Team 6:30 - 9:30 PM Room B-128

August 12 - CRAFT NIGHT!! 7:00 PM to Midnight in Student Building. Cost $10.00

August 14 - Small Groups Leaders Meeting - 5:00 -6:00 PM in Room B-127

August 21 - WM Leadership Monthly Meeting 5:00 -6:00 PM in Room B-127

August 28 - Retreat Planning Meeting - All interested women invited! 5:00 PM Room B-128

Small Groups Every Tuesday
First Place 4 Health - 7:00 PM Room E-130 Contact Kelly Pate k.pate@sbcglobal.net
Returning to Holiness - 7:00 PM Room E-132 Contact Barbara Parker bjparker@aol.com
Jonah: A Life Interrupted - 7:00 PM Room E-133 Contact Pam Gray plgtx@att.net

Small Group Every Thursday
Women's Mentoring 101 - 7:00 PM Room B-127 Contact Marty Hale martylhale@aol.com,

Coming Events
September 27 -For Women Only Bible study begins! Sign up at women's table in foyer
October 15 - Connecting with Purpose Retreat - featured speakers Dr. Sue Edwards and Dr. Joye Baker. Student Building. Cost $20.00 includes lunch.

Service Opportunity

We are needing women that would like to help with our retreat on October 15th!

Our speakers this year are Dr.'s Sue Edwards and Joye Baker. Both women are on faculty at Dallas Theological Seminary and teach in the area of women's studies. We will be meeting in the Hillcrest student building and will be providing lunch in the MPR.

We will need greeters, small group leaders, and women to take care of the breaks and lunch. There are other areas of service opportunity as well. We are in immediate need of women that will begin to pray for this retreat and the women that will attend. If you would like to help or want more information please email Barbara Parker at bjparker@aol.com or call 214-235-6827!

Columbine

Two years ago a lone Columbine stood by itself. At the end of spring, it literally burst into nothing, sending forth a lot of seeds. It took the next spring to see how many new seedlings had propagated and this past spring my front yard underneath the pecan trees were blooming with this beautiful, delicate flower.

As I looked at it, I was reminded of the words of Jesus in Matthew,

“Unless a kernel or grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone: but if it dies ,it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life will find it”.

My lone Columbine is now surrounded by many others because it died! I pray that, as you and I seek the Lord and hear his voice, we will humbly submit to whatever He is calling us to die to and then look forward to an abundant “bumper crop” of joy, peace and contentment and whatever gifts the Lord wants to bestow upon us !!

~Gail Harlin~

Ramadan

As Ramadan begins, pray for approx. 1.5 billion Muslims around the world to know a seeking Father's love.

Promotional Trailer 1 from Loving Muslims on Vimeo.