Today, as a body of women, let’s meditate on and memorize God’s word. Not for our own glory or honor, but for the joy of our Father and the growth of His Truth in our hearts.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working”
James 5:16b, ESV
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22 thoughts on "weekly truth"
LaurenC-
I’m so glad you took that chance and have found hope, peace and WORTHINESS!! I love your sincere post to encourage Elizabeth, and you’ve encouraged me to bring some burdens forward into the light….for years I’ve carried the burden of shame and worthlessness. I don’t know how long before I’ll put it out there, but it’s a start by shining the light in those corners
Elizabeth, I’m praying for you too. We WILL get there- one day at a time! :)
Thanks Jesusgirl71 and LaurenC for your willingness to share and for giving God the glory! PTL!! ;)
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working”
James 5:16b, ESV
Lovin’ this verse. Also appreciate the different translations you shared, AmyKelly. Must hold fast to this truth as I’m praying for my husband lately.
Prayers for us all, sisters! Blessings!
Jesusgirl, YOU are AH-mazing and none of us think less of you, in fact, you are a hero. I pray you can figure out how to block that man, it's easy to do from your desktop or laptop. And we will ALL be praying for you and your husband, it sounds like you are doing quite well with God's help!
Elizabeth, God is so merciful and ready to forgive it is WE who sometimes cannot forgive ourselves. I wrote this article on my blog just a few weeks ago and it was obvious that there were MANY who had this struggle by the replies I received. I hope it helps you.
Just click on the link, it is a short read but will maybe help you understand that If God Forgives Me, Why Can't I Forgive Myself? http://hopeinthehealing.com/2013/04/05/if-god-for…
God bless you all today!!
Jesusgirl71, you are free! Like the other ladies said, he seems to want to stir up trouble and: you are doing everything in your power to honor your husband and your vows- we’re here to cheer you on, love you and not judge.
Have a wonderful day Sister!
Joy to all of you today!
Does another plan start tomorrow? Can’t do without SRT and my Sisters, lol! :)
Sisters, I am so moved by your honesty and transparency. I feel like I have been seeing this verse often lately, and the part about confessing our sins to one another speaks volumes to me. I can relate to you, believe me, and I have a past that I don't share with anyone. I would really like to though. It is a weight that I carried daily until finally, over the last several months, I was able to give it to God. Sometimes though, I can feel myself wanting to hang on to pieces of the load. I feel like surely if anyone knew these things about me, they would do nothing short of disown me. I also feel like those who knew me during my past could surely never believe that I have changed and will never be the person I was again.
You encourage me, sisters. Maybe I can get there someday.
Elizabeth, know that even though you haven't been able to talk freely about it, the Lord has already forgiven you. A few weeks back we covered a verse that has stuck with me…."then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. And you forgave the guilt of my sin." [Psalm 32:1-7]. What struck me from that verse is that God doesn't only forgive the actual sin, whatever is in your past, but He forgives the guilt of that sin. So, friend, that burden you continue to carry is in vain…He has already forgiven you! If the Lord is for you, who can be against you? No matter what is in your past, when you gave it up to God, He washed it away…a fresh start, a new you. Try and let go of it!
I hope you have a blessed day, sister =)
I'm praying for you Elizabeth. You are just as beautiful to God and worth of His love as if you had never even thought about living the kind of life you say you have. I know what you mean about hanging on to pieces of the load. I've basically lived the majority of my life that way and it just ate away at me. I've prayed that I could change this, but it was (and still is) so hard for me to take the steps to really do so. It really is a daily process, isn't it? I've gathered so much courage from the daily scriptures & prayer guided by our SRT reading plans and the community of women here. Last weekend I posted a long comment to the blog, coming boldly to the throne with specific prayers about specific circumstances, naming names, and confessing what I needed to change. I don't know if my life circumstances are similar in any way to what you refer to in your comment, but I don't think that really matters. I took a huge leap of faith & courage with that comment last weekend, putting my personal concerns "out there" in black and white for all to see. I am not a risk-taker, at all. Yes, there is a certain anonymity here even though I have attached a picture to my profile. But the act of typing out my confession & prayer, asking for our Lord's help, admitting my weakness without Him, seeing it written in front of me and clicking "submit" — it gave me such peace & freedom deep down in my bones. It made me feel so much stronger to the enemy's taunts & lies that I am not worthy. I have always, always felt unworthy, Elizabeth. But I am closing that book now, day by day, through my relationship with God and the act of sharing very personal details of my life & its pain was a big step. I'm not saying you have to take the same actions I did. What you confess, how you confess, and to whom is between you & God. I pray that you feel encouraged and supported here to break free of your load — in your own way at your own time. That you'll listen to God's nudges and take the chance He is offering. I can't adequately express how my life has changed in such a short time and I pray that you will feel confident that you will indeed get there someday.
Continued from previous comment… I have hesitated to confess this to you because I know a couple weeks ago many of you mentioned your husbands doing this very thing, and i was afraid you would all think less of me for doing what your husbands have done by hurting you. But I so need and covet your prayers today. my husband and I are closer than we ever had been, and suffice it to say, i am very much on my guard. i am also much closer to the Lord than i was then.
I'm definitely praying for you today. I am so glad that things worked out for you and your husband. And even if it seems like the ickiness hasn't gone away yet, it will. I don't think less of you, and neither does God. It's admirable of you to open up and share like that. So I'm praying for you, trusting that great things will happen.
I am praying for you, and just the fact that you are on your guard and not trying to hide his friend requests from your husband speaks volumes! Stay close to The Lord and it will work out.
Jesusgirl71,
God has given you the courage to share, to confess. He knows what a burden you have been carrying. Among us, including me, are those who have strayed from their marriage vows and those who have suffered the dissolution of their marriages because of one partner or the other straying. The Lord has already blessed you with a stronger relationship with your husband and with Him. Praise God!
I pray God's wall of protection around you and your family. I pray that the other person will cease to attempt interaction with you. I pray that you will witness to others about what happened not to earn forgiveness because you have that, but to emphasize the ease with which temptation can ensnare.
I am blessed by your testimony and know others will be also.
Remember: there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Live today and everyday as a freed woman.
Love you, Sister.
Wise words, as always!
Jesusgirl71, please know that I know where you are. I, too, had an online affair with a friend I had grown up with. Both of our spouses have been amazing and we have received grace and forgiveness that neither of us feel worthy of. I cannot imagine what I would do if I were having to fight off these advances. But I do encourage you to stand strong and ward off contact as much as possible. His intentions do not seem appropriate, no matter how innocent him may claim to be. The devil can use this to break down your confidence and your faith, so don't let him. You can block him, but I don't think that is something you can do easily from a smart device. I am praying for you. If you need an understanding ear, please feel free to contact me! [email protected]
Jesusgirl71, Praise God for His grace and forgiveness in your circumstances. I encourage you to remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the princes of darkness. Ephesians 6. I have a similar background. The only way I was able to break free was to have my pastor and his wife pray over me until the evil presence was gone which took much prayer. Since then whenever I am tempted I pray in Jesus name against these dark forces. God has graciously given me the ability to discern their presence. Satan wants to pull each of us back into our sins and kill our acceptance of and freedom gained in God's grace and forgiveness. Stay alert and pray continuously. Jesus is ever faithful. Cling to Him.
Jesusgirl,
Who am I to judge you? To think less of you? I may not have sinned in the same way you have shared with us, but I have sinned. And have needed forgiveness. I believe if God put it on your heart to admit what you did, to Him and to your husband, it is because God was standing there ready to give you His strength to go through whatever you will encounter as you distance yourself from this particular sin and the reasons why you chose it. As a side note: Facebook will respond very quickly to block this person from contacting you in the future if you will report him. Go into your account settings & search for a way to send a message to FB site admin. I'm not sure of the specific steps you will need to take through your screen reader. If that will not work, the next time this man sends you a friend request, have your husband log on to your FB account through another computer (that does not have screen reader enabled) and click "deny request" next to that person's name. FB then asks "do you know this person outside of FB?" (or something like that) If you click "no," FB will block him from ever contacting you again. Be strong, Jesusgirl. God uses everything for His good and this situation is no different. Praying for His peace to come into your heart so that you can move on. Take care!
thanks to everyone for your support. i love you all! i am glad to report that my husband did log into my FB for me and this man is now blocked. thanks for the words about clinging to god. i still feel some evil presence and still am feeling farhter than I'd like from God, but will continue to pray.
Wow! Taken by itself, this part of the verse really shines and speaks! must remember this!
sisters, please pray for me. I have to confess something and it is hard. My husband and I, about 10 years ago, were having issues and I started takling to another man who was also married. We made plans and had what yhou might call a cyber affair. Eventually, I realized my mistake. the affair ended, and I asked my husband's and god's forgiveness. this man claimed also to be a Christian. He has, ever since, kept asking my forgiveness and wanting to be my friend. I forgive him, of course, but I can't be his friend. I can't for the sake of my husband and his wishes and plus it isn't right. he has since left his wife and gone after many women. but this keeps rearing its ugly head. he has kept trying to add me to facebook, etc. this morning, I again saw a friend request from him. this is the second time. i declined him before, but I guess he won't get a clue. My husband is oging to try and figure out for me how to block him since I have trouble doing it with my screen reader.
Greetings my sister, we all make mistakes. God has forgiven u the momentt u uttered the request. Unfortunatelly there r always consequences. But we know that there is nothing to hard for God. It sounds like you are in complete disclosure with your husband as he is onboard in helping u with the internet issue.
Satin is keen on making you relieve this situation, but don’t you have been forgiven 70X70, u r free. I would begin to pray for this individual, he sounds lost, going from pillar to post. He needs the love and revelation of Jesus Christ. Begin to ask Jesus what glory does he want from this situation.
God bless u and your husband praying for peace
Praying for you!
The Lord woke me up at 4:30 this morning… So, I'm the first comment… again!! ;)
In case you didn't read my later post last night, thank you all for the prayers! God was indeed in the midst of my very busy day and I remained stress free and joyful through it!! Thank you!! Just one day left!
I love this verse!!! I especially like how it is worded in the NCV version:
When a believing person prays, great things happen.
You should make full use of the ability to change the translation easily on YouVersion. You will see how a believer's prayer is powerful and can help a lot (CEVUS06); is something powerful to be reckoned with (MSG); and is powerful and effective (NIV). If our conversations with The Lord mean that much, why wouldn't we talk to Him all day long??!