Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 5, 2017

Guarding Our Gaze

“When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister.  So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die.”  Genesis 30:1 (NIV)


Quite the ultimatum, Rachel lost sight of her desire for motherhood and exchanged it for a competitive race with her sister Leah.   The two were married to one man, Jacob – how’s that for marital bliss. Jacob loved Rachel; however, Leah was the mega baby producing wife.  She had no problem getting pregnant, so Leah attempted to use her fertility to gain the love of Jacob.  Rachel was barren, and her fixed gaze on Leah led her into a pit of discontentment.

Manipulating handmaids as surrogate mothers, these two sisters desperately tried to out do the other as the seeds of jealousy grew in abundance.  And when God opened Rachel’s womb, her words reflected the discontent in her heart:  “God has taken away my disgrace. May the Lord add to me another son.”  The infant nestled in her arms wasn’t enough to satisfy the raging battle within her soul.

How many times have we fixed our gaze on God’s blessings in someone’s life and nursed discontent in our own?  Like Rachel, we can become obsessed with our own idea of fulfillment and miss the hand of God’s blessing upon our lives.  That constant looking and reframing of one’s life to another’s never serves us well.  Discontent will overflow.  Bitterness will settle in.  Coveting – wanting what someone else has – will consume us.  And its all because our eyes are looking in the wrong place.

By fixing our gaze on God, and not people, we can avoid the drama of a soul eaten up with jealousy. A grateful heart will see the blessings designed uniquely for us.  A loving heart will rejoice and celebrate with others.  A surrendered heart will accept God’s plan, trust in His timing and continuously praise His name.  And that my friend is how we turn our eyes away from us and onto God – the sweetest spot of contentment ever.

 

“Father, Help our words to reflect a heart that is truly satisfied in You and Your unfailing love.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Attitude, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 4, 2017

Daddy’s Tab

“I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy.” Psalm 116:1 (NIV)

When I was 10 years old, my parents headed out of state for a Rotary International conference.  Somehow, I managed to bargain my way into that week-long trip by offering to babysit my 6-month-old sister, Kantia. Mom and Dad were busy with the conference sessions, special meals and spas.  I was delighting myself with the special services provided by the fancy hotel for my baby sister and me, by the mere mention of room service, aka “my daddy’s tab.”

I never did see the bill for the things I was given the liberty to charge on that tab, but after an entire week at that expensive Grand Hotel in Araxá, Minas Gerais, Brazil, I am pretty sure the price was not cheap. Yet, my daddy never did mention it to me.

The grace of God is just like that Grand Hotel tab back in my childhood; it is extended by God to us even if we do not deserve it; even if we test His patience. I undoubtedly tested the patience of a few hotel maids who consistently returned to our hotel room to bring more nicely pressed, soft white linens and towels, because this girl would leave her baby sister without a diaper, simply because it would mean less diaper changes!

As you can probably imagine, things would get pretty messy at times. Sweet friends, isn’t this the nature of humankind? I mean, so often we are given opportunities to experience something good and, either by naiveté, or stupidity, or even for lack of thinking things through, we make a big, ole mess of things, and then we need to rush and put a call in to the One who can fix it all: Our Heavenly Daddy. If you are in the midst of a messy episode, do not give up and do not give in. Jesus can redeem you from it. He fixes the mess, puts the pieces of the broken hearts together, and dries the tears. And the best part is, He will never rub the cost of it in your face.

 

“Dear Jesus: We are faulty and we are totally dependent upon Your grace. Thank you for redeeming us from our mess to Yourself.”

For His Glory

Luska Suzano
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Love, Mercy

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 3, 2017

For His Glory

I (Jesus) do not accept glory from human beings.”  John 5:41 (NIV)

Crowds cheered.  Winners were announced.  Trophies were handed out.  CD’s topped the charts.  Fans applauded.  Who wouldn’t want to be in the spotlight?  Celebrities, athletes, politicians, evangelists, speakers, etc., taste the praise of adoring fans, constituents and followers.  And unfortunately many fall prey to the accolades of the voices singing their greatness.

Feasting on words like “you’re great” or “no one can do it like you,” leaves one hungry for more.  It’s a tantalizing temptation to bask in the limelight allowing our hearts to believe we are “great.”  Pride slips in like a tiny splinter in the top of our finger, and the longer it stays there the more infected our souls become.

So how do we graciously accept a compliment without allowing it to creep in and color our perception of who we are?  How do we keep our focus healthy and balanced – three simple words:  “For His Glory.”  When we chisel those words on our hearts, they serve to remind us that all we have and all we achieve is For His Glory.  Everything we accomplish, the gifts He entrusts to us and the successes we enjoy all come from God.  Apart from Him, we can do nothing and if we entertain the thought that “we can do it all” then pride has slipped in.  So the next time a compliment or praise comes our way let’s choose to ponder the thought, accept it with grace and give God the glory!

“Father, when the sweet sound of praise echoes in our ears remind us that You alone are worthy of our praise.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 2, 2017

When Wait Is The Answer

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 (NLT)

Smart phones, fax machines and email make for living in a high-speed society. Handheld gadgets and gizmos allow for no waiting; and with this technology we’ve conformed to little or no patience.

Admittedly, patience was never my virtue. Going anywhere had to be pronto. Tasks were done presto. For years my Christmas shopping was complete and wrapped by July 31st. Wait was not in my vocabulary.

However, about seven years ago, I became a reformed “fastaholic” transforming from a jackrabbit to a sloth. Seriously, I can linger for hours never in a hurry. Tasks can lie in wait. Christmas shopping usually takes place around December 23rd. My arch nemesis patience has become “well with my soul.”

So what changed? Why the drastic reformation? Literally, God taught me patience! I would pray and then wait for God to answer. We have “right now” prayers when we need God’s intervention immediately. He is well aware of the severity and time sensitiveness to our prayers, which He answers accordingly. Then there’s the prayers God may answer in a day, week, month or year(s). Those are the prayers God used to teach me patience. God has a special way of making sure there is no way of escape by human efforts. Our rescue will come by His answer and in His timing…period. It’s during these waiting periods, I realized God’s lessons were strengthening my trust, belief and stretching my faith by building “faith muscle.”

We glean encouragement and inspiration from the Bible stories of Joseph, David, Anna, Hannah and Sarah etc. They experienced having no other choice but to wait on the Lord. Also, the events of friends and family; their testimonies of God’s faithfulness. Funny, as we wait on the Lord to answer, when the response comes it’s usually quick and ironically unexpected. It catches us off guard. What took years intentionally to answer comes sudden and instant. Changing the course of our lives in ways we could only dream of.

“Father, with patient hearts, we pray to be brave and courageous as we wait for replies to prayers that seem to linger knowing there is purpose in the expectancy. You’ve heard our cries and haven’t forgotten! Your responses may not be one minute early, but You’ll never be one minute late. Thank you, Your answers are perfect and always on time.”

For His Glory,

Kim Lacey Schock (www.KimLaceySchock.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Prayer, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 1, 2017

Unveiling Truth

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” I John 1:8 (NIV)

Funny, how quickly we claim innocence when things go wrong.  Have you ever been there?

As a child, I remember my mother drilling us kids to determine which one of us was at fault in the latest escapade.  Often, I would attempt to cast blame on my sisters or brother; however, the truth prevailed and mom was able to uncover the guilty one.

As an adult navigating life, we too can be drawn to our own innocence even when the truth unveils another side of the story.  It’s so easy to point the finger at someone else then to re-examine our own actions and motives.  When things go wrong, we justify and excuse ourselves without a second glance.  Sometimes we will even relish in our victim role convincing others of the injustice and unfairness.

Found myself in that role a few weeks ago.  Difficult circumstances left me vulnerable to someone else’s actions.  The effects sent me to the Father proclaiming I was an innocent bystander who was reeling from consequences beyond my control.  My mind was cluttered with blame pointing rather than self examination.  The event played over and over in my mind without a thought to what I could have done.  Finally, God grew weary of my drama and gently lifted the blinders off my eyes.  While I indirectly hadn’t caused my consequences, God revealed an area of disobedience that may have impacted the results.  Seeing right through my self-proclaimed innocence, God peeled away the layers exposing the truth.  Humbled I made my confession, accepted His grace and lowered my pointing finger.

Perceived innocence ran right into unveiled truth.  Hard to swallow sometimes when we know we are not the “perfect one” who was wronged.  But accepting the truth led to repentance which resulted in a non- victim mentality.  Drama finally released.  Mind focused on restoration rather than rights.  Glory shining through – rather than darkness hovering over.  Accepting the blame that was clearly mine never felt better.

“Father, Your grace is enough  – help us to come boldly before Your throne admitting we are desperate for Your truth to saturate our lives.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Attitude, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 28, 2017

Filled By His Grace

“Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble.” Romans 11:20 (TNIV)

 A friend recently shared that she had been feeling down and unhappy.  She was totally unaware of why she felt the way she did. Gently, God reminded her that she was allowing her family and friends to fill her instead of God. End result, she was drained from the emptiness she had allowed.

I sat back in awe as I too had felt that way many times, as I’m sure many women feel.  Why is it so hard to spend time in the Word, in prayer and let God overflow us?  Why do we tend to let our spouses, children and friends be the center of our lives?  Disobedience on our part is why.  I’m reminded daily  – God is God and I am not!  If I don’t place Him at the center of my morning, day, afternoon and evening, I slip into depression.  I get weak, lonely and feel out of sorts.

Perhaps you’ve felt that way too, but we are never alone on this journey – God is our hope. We need to stand in faith and run to Him for fulfillment.  We need not be arrogant but tremble at His feet as we realize He alone can fill us, overflow us, and give us what those around us are unable to give.  Let’s together fall back down at His feet and fill back up so that we too can overflow with His grace.

“Father, thank You for girlfriends and for life lessons.  Prune us in Your image and overflow us with Your grace and mercy.”

For His Glory,

Debbie Struble
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 27, 2017

Pursuing Freedom Through Christ

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”  Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

The speaker at the women’s conference I attended last weekend used “freedom” as her theme. She was a girl after my own heart, as she had analogies for mostly everything she talked about during the retreat, and I was right there with her.

One of the analogies she used really stuck with me. She was talking about how sin enslaves us, humans, and how we need Christ to free us. For that, she used the analogy of a slave who has been in slavery all his life and one day is set free, but does not know how to be free because slavery is all he has known. I sat there, analyzing my own life, and thinking of how hard it was for me to free myself from the burden of guilt I lived with during my marriage, even after my spouse had been gone for some time. I blamed myself for his actions, for deserting me. For years, I was living without his help and emotional support.  Yet, I could not see myself apart from him legally, because I had made a promise to stay married until death set us apart. After several years, however, there came a time when I could no longer live as I was living and I filed for divorce; the divorce he had been wanting for some time. Yet, I was not free. I did not know how to be free, as marriage was the identity that had been embedded in my mind and on my heart for the past 31 years. The struggle tormented me.

 

Just as a slave who must be taught, nurtured with and encouraged to pursue freedom, I, too, had to search for ways to find my own freedom. I prayed continually, and through my church, I enrolled in Freedom Ministries to attend Divorce Care, counseling, and other resources. Faith is a strong weapon. And when faith is coupled with prayer and good church friends for accountability, giving up is not an option. Through faith in Christ, I found my freedom and you can, too.

 

“Lord, thank You for giving us true freedom.”

 

For His Glory

Luska Suzano
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Freedom, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 26, 2017

Lightening Our Load

“They will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.” Ezekiel 34:27b (NIV)

Dragging my suitcase through the hotel lobby, I wondered how I could have packed so much for such a short trip.  Did I really need all this stuff?  Perhaps the real reason was my reluctance to leave some things behind.  Regardless it was quite a load, and when I returned home there were more things to hang back up than what landed in the laundry.  One thing I did learn – heavy baggage has a way of slowing us down and wearing us out.  True in traveling and true in life.

How often do we drag around the heaviness of hurt, pain, unhealthy relationships or self-defeating talk? Reluctant to let go of things that need to be left behind, we gladly carry our “cross” rather than walk in the freedom Christ desires.   Why?   We often find comfort in the familiar wounds of our past.  Holding on tightly, we claim unresolved emotional baggage as our own rather than embracing God’s healing.   Unsure who to trust, what to believe or where to turn, we often end up relying on our track record of just stuff it down and pack deep instead of face it, work through it and let it go.

Wouldn’t we love to lighten our load and unpack stuff we don’t really need to carry?  Maybe it’s time we reach out for help and experience the freedom God desires.   Releasing what we’re clinging to, dragging behind us and weighing us down never felt better.  Recognizing the reality of how our “stuff” has hindered our joy, peace and growth positions us for transformation. Working through is hard work but trusting God with our past always serves us well.

“Father, we waste so much time hiding behind and dragging along those things that hinder the grace filled abundant life.  Help us to embrace the healing transformation found when we surrender our lives to You.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Faith, Freedom, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 25, 2017

Seasons Change

“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.” – Psalm 52:8

“Though the seasons change, your love remains.”  As the worship band repeated this refrain, God used these words to remind me how He had loved us from one season to the next.   Not just in the good times, but through some really difficult seasons.  Through the fall… when our hopes and dreams fell like leaves from the trees, and were blown away by the wind.  His love remained.  Through the winter…when prayers seemed to go unanswered, and the world felt cold and desolate.  His love remained.  In the spring…when the snow melted and beauty sprang from the ground.  His love remained.  In the summer…when change was inevitable, and we were filled with apprehension.  His love remained.

Slowly, these truths are penetrating my heart…the dreams that died and were blown away by the wind, were never God’s dreams for us.  The time of seemingly unanswered prayers taught us to patiently rest in Him.  Although we couldn’t see what God was doing, He was working behind the scenes. The blessings that bloomed in the spring, were planted by Him even before the cold winter began.  The plans He has for us, although sometimes scary and difficult, are always good. Good plans, wrapped in His love.  His love remains.

When you find yourself in a difficult season, trust His love.  When you can’t see what He is doing, trust that He is at work.  For your good, and His glory.  In every season, know that He loves you…He sees you…and, He has a plan for you.  His love remains.

“Lord, help us to trust in your unfailing love in all good times and hard times.  You are always at work behind the scenes. You promise never to leave us or forsake us.”

 

For His Glory,

Ann Skalaski
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Prayer, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 24, 2017

Facing Our Weakest Link

“By this I know that You are well pleased with me, because my enemy does not triumph over me. “Psalm 41:11 (NKJV)

Regardless of what happens in our day, God is pleased with us if I don’t let the enemy win. So each day, we have to be strategic in doing some preventative planning to extinguish the enemy’s plan. Because he knows we’re trying hard, he is always ready to strike. For each of us that attack occurs in different ways: it may be caving into fear, neglecting the Word, excusing His voice, resisting His will, depression, worry,  sabotaging His agenda, etc. Unfortunately, we usually know what our weakest link is – but we often feel like we can handle it – that’s where we always go wrong.

Anytime we feel we can handle the enemy, we are headed for sure defeat. Only when we seek God’s help, cling to His words and breathe prayers in His direction do we really win. We can plan all we want, but our strength to defeat the enemy is based on our sheer dependence on God. Without that intimate connection, we’re just another twitter hashtaging a lot of hot air  – giving the enemy ample space to rule.

Our Heavenly Father has given us the weapons, the words, the instruction to be victorious and He is ready to empower us to defeat the enemy in His strength.  Claiming His promises, singing His praises and praying God’s word sends the enemy cowering for cover.  Love these words -let’s commit to praying them together:  “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you (Luke 10:19).

“Father, You have promised to help us stand against all the enemy wants to steal from our lives. Show us where the enemy is striking and help us to gain victory. Reveal our weaknesses and lead us to walk in the Spirit not the flesh. Thank You for extinguishing what the enemy has sought to devour.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Freedom, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

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