WHOSE VOICE ARE YOU LISTENING TO (PART 2)

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

We last talked about Jesus temptation in the wilderness Matthew 4: 1 -11. You may feel like you are being tempted or in a wilderness as well. The devil, our enemy, attacks when we are weak. He comes against our belief in God. He comes against who we are as children of God (our identity). Our enemy wants to plant doubt that our God cannot or will not deliver us. He wants us to believe there is no hope. We have to choose to speak life in the midst of the valley experience we are going through, just like Jesus did. He spoke only the Word of God. These verses present us with a play-by-play of how we are to fight. It is VERY easy to speak what we see around us or feel inside of us. But it is a choice to speak life and believe what the Words of God are saying. Especially, when other voices are speaking about our situation.

We are still talking about voices. Remember there are 4 voices:
1) Satan's voice: Speaks lies and twists the truth ALL the time

2) God's voice: Speaks truth at ALL times

3) Our voice: Can speak both truth and lies. It depends on which one of the above two you spend the majority of your time with. 

4) Other people's voice: Can speak both truth and lies. It depends on which one of the above two they spend the majority of their time with. 

God communicates with us individually. He will use people to communicate with us. He manifests Himself to us through the Holy Spirit. The enemy speaks to us individually and through others as well. This is why we must ask for help to distinguish who is speaking. 
  
Everyone seems to be going into something, through something, or out of something. What someone else has experienced does NOT necessarily have to be your experience even if is the exact same thing or similar. Many times your situation is different and no one can seem to give you the right answer. Our Father ALWAYS wants us to come to HIM first for our answers. But HE understands that many times we will try and deal with it on our own or go to another person before coming to HIM. God is usually our last resort when HE should ALWAYS be our first place of help. Whose voice are you listening to? If you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, you can ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and HE will.

Let me give a build up for my TESTIMONY. I am NOT an advocate for divorce and neither is God. I truly believe that My Father, God, could have restored my marriage. But I KNEW I was disobedient to HIM so I, Andrea, just wanted out of the BIGGEST mistake I had ever made. I am NOT by any means taking divorce lightly. I am sharing my experience. Your experience may be very different.

TESTIMONY: I am remarried now so this means I have been divorced. I was in a marriage of my choosing not God's. I was dying each and every day and I kept my pain hidden except from God, the devil, and me. All three of us had a voice. It was NEVER God's will for me to get married the first time. During the course of my separation and final divorce decree. I heard MANY, MANY voices speaking to me about how HARD it was going to be, how God does not like divorce, and it is like a ripping in the spirit. This was their experience or someone close to them. BUT it was NOT my experience. The funny part is I kept trying to brace myself for the pain, sadness, or something to hit me and it NEVER did. When we went to court it was like a traffic ticket for me. 

As I was typing that last sentence, the Holy Spirit reminded me of my root canal. I had a root canal about a year ago. My mouth was in some serious pain. I was completely miserable. If you have had one you can relate. When I went to the doctor, I was bracing myself to feel severe pain and the doctor said "you will feel no pain because the root is dead. We just have to remove the dead root and refill it." It was the best dentist experience I ever had past and present. In the context of my marriage, there was much pain during the duration. But the divorce had to be done to relieve the pain. My marriage was dead before I even walked down the aisle and the scary part is; I knew it but walked any way because of the voices of people and the devil.  

What are the dead things in your life that God is speaking to you about? What are the things that you should be taking to HIM about instead of your friends? Who is your counsel coming from? We have to remember that EVERYONE does not have our best interest at heart. Everybody has a voice and they are speaking to us: TV, news, social media, friends, family, God, and the enemy. Whose voice are you going to listen to?  

Prayer: Holy Spirit, open my spiritual ears to hear what You are saying to me. Teach me to distinguish between the voices I hear. Teach me how to speak life and not death in my own life. Show me that YOU REALLY are speaking to me in areas in my life. Give me the boldness to be obedient to act on YOUR directions.

QUESTION:

Are you listening to the small still voice of God or everyone else?

What are the things you need to let go and what are the things you need to hang onto for dear life?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or email me privately at

womenofvalour15@gmail.com

WHOSE VOICE ARE YOU LISTENING TO

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

I was sharing with a friend of mine this week about the AMAZING way God has been blessing me this week. In the process of sharing with her I made a statement: "There are 3 voices that talk to me. They are my voice, the voice of God, and the voice of the devil. I have to choose which one I am going to listen to." When I woke up that thought process about voices was my first thought. I had to add another voice which is "the voice of other people". As I thought about this and began to write I needed to be reminded: "Whose voice am I listening to in the areas of my own life?"

In my life journey, I have been more familiar with the voice of the enemy than the voice of God. You may have the same testimony. The Holy Spirit has changed my hearing so I can now recognize the voice of my Father and the voice of the devil. I am not 100% but I can distinguish between the two more now than before. If you are a child of God, then you have an enemy that is trying to take you out.

As I was studying, I came across Jesus temptation with the enemy. It is a perfect picture of God's voice and Devil's voice. In these verses, I see Jesus as an example of us. Read Matthew 4:1 - 11 (NLT) to get full context.

Satan's voice: Speaks lies and twists the truth ALL the time
Example: Matthew 4:3 (NLT)
During that time the devil came and said to Him (Jesus), If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread. 

God's voice: Speaks truth at ALL times.
Example: Matthew 4:4 (NLT)
But Jesus told him (the devil), "No! the Scriptures say, People don't live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Our voice: Can speak both truth and lies. It depends on which one of the above two you spend the majority of your time with. Our voices can mimic the voice of God and the voice of the devil. Jesus spoke what HE knew and believed. HIS voice was in agreement with the voice of God. Our voices SHOULD mimic the voice of God as well. I must admit sometimes my voice can mimic the voice of the enemy instead of God.

In the verses, Jesus shows us how to fight the enemy. It is not for us to tell the enemy what we think or how we feel. Jesus understood that the enemy can only be defeated with faith and the Word of God. As women we can be VERY emotional and also VERY analytical in situations we face. I am the same way in both areas. But when we are going through something we have a choice to make. Will you choose to listen to the voice of God through HIS Words? Or will you choose to listen to the voice of the enemy by listening to ourselves, other people, or the enemy?

God had to show me that many times God works through other people to answer questions, concerns or prayers. God had to further reveal to me that my enemy works through people as well. This includes family, friends, children, seniors, etc. It brought me comfort when I read Matthew 16: 21 -23

Other people's voice: Can speak both truth and lies. It depends on which one of the above two they spend the majority of your time with. Their voices can mimic the voice of God and the voice of the devil. You have to be able to tell the difference. Just because it is what you want to hear is not always the right answer.

Example: Matthew 16:22 (NLT)

But Peter took Jesus aside and began to reprimand Him (Jesus) for saying such things. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he (Peter) said. "This will never happen to you!"

You may already understand this concept and that is GREAT!!! But there may be someone who believes the negative voice/thoughts they hear are just theirs. You may not  understand the voices/thoughts you hear may be from another source.  Whichever category you find yourself, it is my prayer that something you have read today blessed you and brings you into a closer fellowship and walk with God.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, open my spiritual ears to hear what You are saying to me. Teach me to distinguish between the voices I hear. Teach me how to speak life and not death in my own life. Show me that YOU REALLY are speaking to me in areas in my life. Give me the boldness to be obedient to act on YOUR directions.

QUESTION:

Whose voice are you listening to and following ?

Does the voice you are listening to 
bring chaos or peace? Why?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or email me privately at

womenofvalour15@gmail.com

MY SAFETY IS ONLY IN THE LORD

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

Where are you safe? Are you safe at home? Are you safe at the movies? Are you safe on your job? Are you safe at church? Are you safe in your car? Are you safe at a concert? Are you safe at a restaurant? Are you safe at a sports event? If you watch the news, you know and understand that none of these places are SAFE. So, if these places are NOT safe according to our own or someone else's experiences...what do we do? Personally, I run to MY ROCK!!! I am a Child of God and proudly declare this fact. But I am not one who wants to stick my head in the sand and hope the bad things in the world would just go away.

TESTIMONY: As I watched the news last night and this morning it reminded me of 9/11 of the continuous footage being played and replayed over and over again. God reminded me that just as HIS MIGHTY HAND protected me when I was in the Pentagon. HIS MIGHTY HAND and Presence is the ONLY thing that can protect us today. It may seem like the enemy is allowed to run rampart these days BUT GOD is still in CONTROL. I went straight for God's Words and found two weapons that reminded me I do not have to fear.

Psalms 18:2 (NLT)

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock,

in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me,

and my place of safety.

Proverbs 18:10 (NLT) 

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;

the godly run to HIM and are safe.

I see the military presence has increased in many places. Has there been an increase of prayer warriors on the wall as well? The ONLY safe place is found in the LORD!!! Bad things happen to good people ALL the time. Bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people. But at the end of the day. You CANNOT protect "you" no matter how hard you try. The ONLY protection you and I have is found in the LORD JESUS CHRIST!!!

It is my prayer that God is using these events to turn the hearts of people to HIM or back to HIM. I used to say and hear all the time "ALL we can do is pray." I saw prayer as a last resort plan maybe you have to. But my husband so eloquently explained to me one day that: "Prayer is EVERYTHING we can do." A prime example of this was played out in the  movie "WAR ROOM." Prayer changes things!!! It always has and always will.

Link to Video:

https://youtu.be/mIl-XY9t_Lw 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, open my eyes to see what is really going on spiritually. Teach me how to pray strategically. Show me that YOU REALLY are my protection and I am safe in YOU.

QUESTION:

Do you feel safe where you are?

Where does your belief of safety come from?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or email me privately at

womenofvalour15@gmail.com

GOD HAS MADE PROMISES

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

Have your parents ever made you a promise? Have you ever made your child a promise? Did they keep their promise to you? Did you keep your promise to your child? God is our Ultimate Parent. HE ALWAYS keeps HIS promises to us. 

TESTIMONY: I was teaching vocabulary words to my class last week. They were learning what the word "promise" means. I asked them: Have your parents made you a promise that they kept? All of their answers were "yes" along with the specific promise their parents kept. As the children were sharing, a thought hit me that "God has made me a promise that HE is coming back for me". As I was thinking of the promises and looking up the exact address in God's Word. I found a "God's Promises Bible" App. Of course, I downloaded it and God's Promise for today is Proverbs 3:9-10. (Please check out the app.)

This past weekend, I continually pondered the thought and the promises God has made me through HIS Words. Here are 5 promises that I have specifically thought about this weekend.

1) God promised HE loves me. (Jeremiah 31:3, Deuteronomy 7:7-8, John 3:16)

2) God promised HE would give me eternal life. (John 3:16, John 17:3, I John 2:25)

3) God promised HE would give me freedom. (Isaiah 61:1, John 8:32-36, Luke 4:18-19)

4) God promised HE would provide for me. (Psalm 23:1, Proverbs 3:9-10, Psalm 34:8-10) 

5) God promised HE would give me peace. (Isaiah 26:3, John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7) 

I kept hearing this song this weekend. It blessed me so I am sharing it with you.

 Link to the Video:

https://youtu.be/ZRA0XkcO3SU

This song demonstrates the promises of God to each one of us. It was God's Master Plan to die for each of us in order to save us, clean us up, and set us free. God has done HIS part on the Cross through Jesus Christ. Today will you allow God to continue to clean you up so that you can be set free in EVERY area of your life. God KNOWS you are worth it and so do I. 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, open my eyes to see your promises to me. Make them REAL to me. Help me to experience your promises in my own life.

QUESTION:
Will you choose to believe God's promises 
about you?
What promises of God do you need to believe 
and  speak into your own life?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or email me privately at

womenofvalour15@gmail.com

WHO IS YOUR POWER SOURCE (Part 2)

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

How many times have you tried to use someone else's connection to God? How many times have you just given up because your "battery was too low spiritually"? How many times have you thought God just does NOT care? HE does but sometimes HE wants each one of us to come straight to HIM. Our answers are locked in God and HIS Words. Only HE can unlock them for you. But you have a part to play in getting the answers. You have to seek HIM. (Matthew 6:33) HE has the right answers you seek for the problems and issues you face. 

Let me give you the backdrop of my last post, Who is Your Power Source? I went out of town without the power source for my laptop because I was rushing. I needed to access my laptop but it was dead. I had others trying to come up with a solution. But, what I needed was locked inside of my laptop. It was not in the cloud. I had not emailed myself a copy. It was not on my Google drive. I just could not get access to the information needed. Why? My power source was missing so I could not access the power needed. Are you going to others to find the solution to your power source issue? God has given each of us access to HIMSELF. HE is our Creator and HIS desire is to become our one true Power Source. But it is a choice ONLY you can make. It cannot not be made by your mother, father, sister, brother, pastor, BFF, etc.  

TESTIMONY: You may say, I have prayed and read God's Words and nothing happened. Or you have tried to change but nothing happened. I know what it feels like to speak the words of life but still live like you are defeated, ashamed, depressed, condemned, unforgiven, unloved, etc. I was reading the Bible but it did not speak life to me. It did not speak life because of my hard heart and my messed up belief system. (Read my "Negative Viewpoint of God" post) When I tried to plug into the Power Source it was a chore like washing the car or taking an exercise class that I absolutely dreaded. I kept trying to change the behavior instead of allowing God's Words to transform my thinking and belief system about God, me, and the world around me. I chose to take one step at a time and one verse at a time. The Holy Spirit took 100 steps, I believe. HE showed me who I am in Christ not just a mirror reflection. I chose to start believing and day by day my thoughts started to change. (Read my "Positive View Point of God" post) 

Our minds have been programmed by our 5 senses, especially, what we see, hear, and feel which are processed by our minds. We grow up and we believe one way even if it is a lie. As we learn more and more about ourselves and the world around us our belief systems may change or become even more ingrained with us. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we start to read God's Words and promises to us. At this point, some beliefs may need to be changed while others become more ingrained.  

This is how the Holy Spirit explained it to me. My programming needed to changed. The lies/code we have believed have to be rewritten to believe the truth. This is where we have to apply Romans 12:2 like a medicine, allowing God's Word to change the way we think. If the way you are thinking and believing is working for you then please continue. BUT if it not working out for you, please do something different to get different results. Many times we do not even question our thoughts or feelings. It is just the way things are but start today to question the negative thoughts you have about yourself. Also question, where they came from? I was told to believe the truth but not to combat the lies I had already believed. In this battle, YOU have to fight for YOU along with the Holy Spirit. Jesus has already won the war!!!

Please bookmark the website below and study often with your actual Bible or mobile device. Here's some truth from God's Words about you:

https://www.ficm.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Truth-Statements1.pdf

Prayer: Holy Spirit, open my eyes to see my true power source and know and UNDERSTAND that God and HIS Words to me are real. Help me to experience Romans 12:1 - 2 in my own life.

QUESTION:
Do you have your own personal connection  
to the right power source?

Does your power source lead to freedom or prison? 

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or email me privately at

womenofvalour15@gmail.com