Applied Science

“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:20, 21

Some years ago, my soul grew very agitated. Without a doubt I knew I was saved but I never experienced peace. Our consciences have a self-condemning and a self-absolving power. God designed us that way and there are specific solvents that mask the truth and eventually cause perpetual denial.

There IS moral accountability and there ARE demands from the Word of God.

We are so influenced by the spirit of this age that many have learned to flee moral responsibility at any cost! Women live in perpetual denial, blaming their spouse, their siblings, and their friends for their own sins and never facing the fact of a personal guilt before a Holy God.

Yes, our sins are under the blood however, we ARE accountable for fruitlessness. When Christ returns we will all be exposed for how we lived and how we harvested! As Christian women, this should cultivate circumspect standards. Are you careful and prudent in all your ways or would you describe your dreams and decisions as reckless?

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10

A most alarming fact as I counsel Christian women is their consciences hardening as they drift away from the only path to peace and freedom.

Sadly, those who heed the accusations of an awakened conscience often hear an “easy” gospel from today’s evangelical pulpits. The “Jesus” they meet in many churches is little more than a well-mannered sage or life-coach – someone who will help!

Until we reach a plain in our Christianity of consistent righteous and holy living we will rarely or never take spiritual inventory.

Our lives as Christian women ought to consist of specific, traceable growth patterns. Unfortunately, the further we wonder away from the Lord the greater mess we find ourselves in. This confusion we eventually address is precisely the pile of rubble our Father finds most useful. Our character is carved with the wood of our lives that has matured through weathering the storms. Our trials are carefully designed and orchestrated for multiple reasons; foremost - the Father’s glory; a classroom for developing trust.

Has it ever occurred to you that the bad in our life (personal, people, or problems), is ALL ‘Father-Filtered?’

Without a doubt, I have reached a sweet place in my walk with God that has come with great heartache and loss. With a heart full of gratitude I truly do thank Him for all that it took to get me to where I am now – and He’s not finished with me yet! Praise God that our past does not equal our future!

If your children are breaking your heart through horrible decision-making that has consequential effects – persevere in prayer! God has not finished with them yet. Their life isn’t over and His plan is far greater than the chaos you perceive their lives to be in. Wet your prayer closet with tears of faithful anticipation. The hurt does not have to go away; focus on the Word of God not the words of other women who live with empty regrets. God doesn’t work with doubts, He works with do’s.

I DO pray for my children in their journey of living life. I DO pray for my family who are fractured through their proud hearts and unforgiving spirits. I DO pray for loved family members that without Salvation are headed for hell. I DO pray for the uncertainty of many areas of my life. I’m a doer not a doubter! So much of our lives is wasted with fear and regret.

There are several factors that build confidence and give incredible assurance.

• Our Salvation - God is in me “of a truth” Corinthians 14:25 When I go to church, it is still often the case that I think our preacher knows my life and is laying it bare during the preaching, when it is my own conscience that is stirred up. Face to face God knows our life and pricks our hearts to confession.
• Our Assurance - He is well acquainted with my sins; “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.” Psalm 19:12 As we become acquainted with the Bible and the more we compare our hearts and lives with its requirements; the greater our conviction of the number and aggravations of our sins and our desperate need of grace, mercy, and strength.
• Our Prayers – Knock on the mercy door with a bold, believing, unrestrained knocking. Wait on Him as you pray without ceasing. We don’t like waiting for anything. There’s plenty of whining but little is our willingness to tough it out. “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27:14

I waited almost five years before God brought the opportunity and the means for me to have a vehicle. We arrived in America in March 2005. The Queen of Quintessential; living in Hillbilly-ville (it really is beautiful here), miles from anything of remote interest to me and without a car. There is no public transport and the Amish live too far away for me to hire a buggy. Not one time did I throw my arms up or grumble about my circumstances. Well aware of my pride-nature I simple rolled up my sleeves and embraced the hardship as my school of obedience and discipline.

How foolish of me if I’d missed the opportunity God gave for me to grow in grace and wisdom. How narrow minded would I have been to brush it off as a miserable existence or a nightmare. The toughness of being isolated and unable to fix it any time soon was God’s dream of me becoming everything He designed me to be. Praise God I waited! He is my perfecter and I am intimately closer to Him now than I was five years ago.

I learned to love the trial I was in; as I embraced it entirely and held it close to my heart each day, what could have been my demise became my crown of glory.

The tears flowed daily. As I laid my head on my pillow each night, I would whisper, "Thank you God that today is over." I would then go to sleep and forget for a night what I had to face in the morning - myself!

Five years of what seemed to be hard work and survival became my sweet song of the mercy and love of a Saviour. He has faithfully led me through the most difficult valley of my life and I have come through victoriously. With so many invisible threads that I am yet to understand, are woven the lessons of extreme living. There are too many miracles to mention but I am living proof of a God who is bigger than my problems, greater than my misery, and higher than my hardships. He is all I need!

• Our Bible Reading – the Bible teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
  
  “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” Job 28:28

There is a two-fold wisdom; one hid in God, which is secret and belongs not to us; the other made known by Him and revealed to man. The treasures of wisdom are hid in Christ, revealed by His Word, and received by faith through the Holy Ghost. Wisdom teaches and encourages us to fear the Lord and to depart from evil through the exercise of repentance and faith. Our focus changes when our perspective is aligned with Gods.

Moving forward in our Christian life is a no brainer and is a step we can all take today. God’s principles work – if you use them! You can have peace and joy without desiring to solve all difficulties about the events of your life.

• Our Power-Packed Position - He who is in me is far greater than he who is in the world.

The sin that I loved the most has now become the sin that I hate the most. Because of grace, the strength of the sin no longer has power. As my hatred for sin grows stronger and stronger, sin becomes weaker and weaker.

Mr. Godly fear is never satisfied till every street, lane, and alley, yes, and every house and every corner of the town of man’s soul is clean rid of the diablo Ionians who lurk within.

To know God, so as to walk the correct way before Him, is the greatest of all the applied sciences. Obedience to God proves that our judgment is sound. Why should He not be obeyed? Does not reason itself claim obedience for the Lord of all? Only a man void of understanding will ever justify rebellion against Holy God. Practical godliness is the test of wisdom. We may know and be very Christian-like, we may talk and be very eloquent, we may speculate and be very profound; but the best proof of our intelligence must be found in us actually doing the will of the Lord.

I now live my life as a student of the Book. Peace filters through my mind and penetrates my heart every day. You won't have peace when you step away from God and handle the hurts on your own.

Not getting along with others equates to not getting along with God. Unfortunately, we are the ones most hurt. Moving closer to God when we hurt the most means moving closer to perfect love. He hurt the most and He loves the most. It is in this light that we are able to love others despite the hurt and the conflicts in our life can be handled with grace and mercy.

I love you and I believe in you - Deborah

Dynamic Achiever

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

Being productive drives me at core level. My husband describes me as dynamic in the home; schedule and discipline lay the foundation for accomplishing a whole lot during my day.

Today I was reminded and assured of being affectionate toward God and demonstrating my love to Him in practical ways. By walking according to the rule of the Gospel (which is emphatically styled in truth), I must strive to be sincere in God’s eyes. Reading my Bible each day and educating myself on what makes the Father happy is an assuring testimony to my conscience.

Showing practical love and affection to my husband is one of the greatest ways I can show God I love Him. How I love my sweetheart reflects how I feel about God.

As a Christian woman I want my affection for God to spring into action. Anyone can say they love God; nevertheless sincerity comes through living and walking according to the Word of God. Being fruitless in our Christianity is as meaningless as our words resting on the end of our tongues and never reaching our fingertips.

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

Sincere love is fruitful; true affection will put forth itself into action. Am I sincere in the sight of God? What I do for my husband is a litmus test. Truth manifests itself through our actions at home.

This is my love-not to you Father. Thank you for assuring me of my purpose. What I do demonstrates love and truth. What I do for my marriage validates my words clearly and convincingly.

I love you – Deborah

My Marriage - My Ministry

“…behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.” Genesis 20:16

This morning, before we prepared ourselves for church, I read a verse that caught my attention. I did not understand the specific wording and the context of the verse. What surfaced from my desire to learn was so precious and this knowledge became my love-note to God for today. I pray it will be a blessing in your day.

God wants us to run to Him first. As you read your Bible each day, write a verse in your journal that has triggered a deeper level of thinking and spend chunks of time in prayers of gratitude. He loves that!

The Hebrew language is beautiful; it was not until I studied Hebrew along side of my Bible reading each day, that I understood the importance of nuance throughout the Old Testament.

Every word God spoke was precisely and perfectly planned for us to embrace and apply to our own lives.

“…behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.” Genesis 20:16

As a Christian woman aiming toward higher ground, I remain faithful and transparent with my husband.

The pureness of marriage is the core of our relationship with God and must mirror and manifest our love for Him. Being reminded of this was a great spiritual super-food for my morning. It is so sweet to dwell on the spiritual plain of God’s beautiful Bible and to apply His wisdom for a happy marriage.

We must toil for our marriages; our past is under the blood. The present is precisely our responsibility. None of us can gaze into the starry sky and utter complaints because of the hardness of our toil. Jesus Christ had every reason to grumble - had He chosen to do so! The difficulty of His trials procured our Salvation. We are His bride!

This is my love-note to you this morning – I can’t wait to be with you again Father.

Your Daughter - Deborah

Ask God to provide a hedge of protection around your marriage and against the wiles of the devil, the influences of the world, and all that grabs for your attention. Our marriages are our ministry and the highs and lows within our marriage-relationship are our classroom.

I Love You and I believe in you!

Deborah

Love Note to God

“O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.” Lamentations 3:58

Now that my son is at school, I have entered the work-place after a six year break. For such a time as this, I am supplementing the household income.

My daily walk with God is the most important start to my day and one I maintain faultlessly. Beginning work did not equate to ending my Bible and prayer time. There is no priority greater than our walk with God.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

If you were reminded of what a good Christian lady must do each day, I encourage you to start writing love-notes to God. Choose a verse that has tugged on your heart strings and then write your thoughts into a journal you can take with you to work, school, shopping, or in the home.

This exercise will enable you to memorize Scripture, cultivate truth, and teach and train the next generation. This foundation is fundamental and will equate to success in the Christian woman's life - regardless of the pit holes we fall into.

Love-Note to God

"The delight of my soul is a grateful spirit and the soil of appreciation is nurtured on a regular basis. Cultivating gratitude is the crowning virtue on a woman’s head. We must shake off those doubts and fears and reclaim His promise.

Father, this morning I was reminded of an attitude you love; when I pass through the trials of life you love to hear my songs of deliverance. There are no disputes when it comes to our Saviour; “I hope, I trust, I sometimes think,” that God has pleaded the causes of my soul?

Being reminded that I must always speak as a matter of fact, with a clear melodious voice of full assurance – the Comforter HAS pleaded the causes of my soul and the soul of every Believer.

Your Daughter"

I love you and I believe in you!

Deborah

Wax or Wonder?

"For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light." Psalm 36:9

God is the uncreated source of light. Nothing comforts us more than the light of His Word. We form habits throughout our life and nothing removes and replaces with good, other than the light of His truth in our lives.

Each morning we wake at 3:45am. The coffee is made and the pages of our Bibles begin to rustle. My husband can read under the light of a lamp. I need the main light on to be able to see the words in my Bible. There have been times when I have lit a candle and held it over the Scriptures. Unfortunately, the wax dripped and I was left with a mess. A candle works better than no candle however, the poorer your vision the more light you require.

Light is the glory of life! Our life can be in the dark of misery and at times we would rather death than life. The Lord alone gives natural, intellectual, and spiritual life. He alone can make our life bright and lustrous and I pray His light will penetrate your heart today and you will experience His sacred beam.

The Bible tells us that the Word of God illuminates the truth. The truth about Christ. The truth about our life and purpose. The truth about the untruthful world’s philosophies. The truth about our mind and our heart. The truth about every aspect of living.

“I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.” Psalm 119:30

My lips will never tell the love of Christ to your heart. You can read my words but the light of understanding must come on. Jesus Himself speaks within us. Christ must be His own mirror!

Daily I ask God to grow my faith and give me the ability to understand His Word -“Just one ray from your throne Lord God. That would be better than the midday splendor of any one person’s wisdom! Please Lord - I need this.”

We can never see Him through the light of self. We ought to thank Him daily for the fullness of meaning in His wonderful Words. As we seek Him through our Bible reading and prayer, He will shine His light in our heaven of happiness and strengthen and comfort us. Are you feeling weak and weary? Ask Him to strengthen and confirm your eyes of understanding.

There have been countless times through prayer and supplication, that I have pleaded with God to shine His light onto my heavy spirit and bring me comfort.

"None can see my face and live..." we read this in Exodus but we ought to aspire to see this kind of glory in our own lives.

The light of nature is like a spark.
The light of the Gospel a lamp.
The light of grace a star – but…
The light of glory is Sun itself.

Light is the true knowledge of God. If you ever want to truly know God it must be through the medium of His Word. His Word is the grand standard by which we can obtain a true and saving knowledge of God. Fine-tune your opinion of life and view everything in God's light. Any other way of living is surviving under partial light.

There are those who will delight in the wax candles of superstition and the phosphorescence of corrupt philosophy but our faith needs to stand in the power of God. He is beauty for our eyes, music for our ears, honey for our taste, and full content and satisfaction for our desires - and all for Himself!

God is all in all in this world. "...with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light;" Not in the light of the sunshine. Not in the light of a candle but "in thy light," - the light of God Himself.

How sweet my happiness is when I derive my trust, hope, and strength from His living, breathing Word.

Our life - natural, mental, and spiritual - proceeds from God. It is sustained, restored, purified, and perfected by Him alone. In HIM our life dwells with permanency and from it our life flows freely with freshness, abundance and purity. Our lives must be offered each day as a living sacrifice.

I pray this prayer each morning, "Lord, today I offer my life to you as a living sacrifice. Everything I say and do; what my eyes look upon, what my ears listen to, what my hands touch, and the people I spend time with. Everything Lord - I offer everything! Please keep me consciously aware of the snares of the devil and place a hedge of protection around my sacrifice. Prick my soul when I loose focus and pull me back-on-track by your invisible threads. Shine a light on your glorious pathway to holy living. I adore you and I need you!” Amen

Weekly, God brings conviction in my heart and the spirit to change the things I can. Just this week I felt the rod of correction on my back and the staff of comfort in the chambers of my heart.

When we have a daily walk with God our lives never stay the same. His light reveals the truth and simultaneously illuminates our weaknesses and besetting sins. I love how His Word is activated by obedience. As we apply our hearts to knowledge; as we elevate His wisdom above our own and the worlds; as we diligently seek Him with a heart full of gratitude, then our lives become the sum total of our walk with God! Our lives mirror what captures our heart’s attention.

Through a daily walk with God I maintain a mind-set of allowing nothing to consume my day more than my walk with God and a growing knowledge of Him. Tomorrow, I will repeat this process and then the next day! Reading our Bibles and praying each day is in accordance to what the Scriptures teach. It aligns with Christ’s pattern of living and it highlights the Father’s will for our lives.

His Word is not patented for living - it’s proved for living the Christian life.

The root of my joy and my excellent spirit are directly linked to my relationship with God. We are not in this world merely to accomplish a certain amount of work but to be fashioned into strength and beauty of character. We would not be perplexed so often by the mysteries of our lives if we would embrace and apply this in our hearts.

Do you want to know what your purpose is? You are a mirror for His image.

When our backs go out of alignment, we pay a visit to the Chiropractor or Physical Therapist. Pain brings about change! Until we reach Heaven our lives will, from time to time, be out of Christian cadence. Don't wait for great pain in your life before you make wise choices.

May I remind you that a smart woman learns from her mistakes however, a wise woman learns from the mistakes of other women. After trying everything else under the sun, the most important ingredients in my life and a mix that maintains my Christianity and a healthy mind are as follows:

1. Prayer and Bible - every day.
2. Bible believing Church - every time the doors are open.
3. Create a schedule - that runs your life.
4. Be a blessing to others - every opportunity.

I love you,
Deborah

Stay In The Boat!

“And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.” Genesis 7:5

My closest friend is in Week 10 of withdrawing from a 15-year drug dependency. I’m so proud of her and I believe in her. For almost two decades she has swallowed a lie and relied on a chemical to balance her chemicals. I hate what has happened to her but I love what God is doing in her life.

The world has multiple options available to the seeking woman. There are numerous books to read, programs to join, and conferences to attend. During the course of my life I have read, joined, and attended multiple self-improvement seminars. No one thing I tried gave me lasting joy or peace. No combination of what I did gave me a testimony of self-worth and satisfaction. Nothing I read, listened to, or tried provided the solution to joy and fulfillment in my life – nothing!

Can you honesty answer this question? Who has the answers - to life, to happiness, and to your future?

Have you ever considered; what the world has to offer us in the way of furthering our knowledge and meaningful existence, will eventually give rise to doubt and disappointment? The world does not have the answers!

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." John 6:35

God is Creator and it is He who has the answers to life and a meaningful, fruitful existence.

My preacher made this statement - “Smart people learn from their mistakes.” That’s good isn’t it? Then he went on to say, “Wise people learn from the mistakes of others.” That great isn’t it? Dumb, dumb Deborah just got a whole lot wiser.

I desire to transfer knowledge that I have learned through the mistakes I have made. Don’t wait for smart. Get wise and listen to older women who have lived the talk and walked the talk. God and God alone is all knowledge, all power, and altogether perfect. Nothing you try in this world is perfect so why would you choose something less-than-perfect? Wow…dumb just got dumber!

As a woman who has tried much, had much, and experienced much, I would like to roll the blinds up on your deluded minds and say “Wake Up!” You can have joy and your future is guaranteed.

I am passionate about my walk with God. With the wisdom God has taught me I am reaching out to women from all walks of life who are taking anti-depressants as a solution for happiness. The pain in our lives will not go away with a pill! Whatever your Doctor or Psychiatrist recommends is not the solution and will be addictive! The pill they prescribe will open your mind to far worse than you expect.

It’s my experience that the root causes of specific problems are insurmountably worsened on anti-depressants. In addition, there are multiple side effects from these drugs.

Joy comes through living right.

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Romans 14:17

This verse refers to the personal happiness produced in the mind by the influence of the Gospel. You will experience joy; one-step-at-a-time, get your life back on track and choose what is right by God’s yardstick! Peace and joy follow righteousness.

Get off the drugs and stay in the boat!

The 1st Step - Salvation

If you are recovering from a dependency on anti-depressants, I encourage you to secure your Salvation. When you were married, there was an exchange of words and you took the ring. Your specific wedding day was documented and celebrated. Your marriage is a day you will never forget! Our Salvation is a day we should never forget! We surrendered our life to Jesus Christ; we focused on the cross; we confessed we were a sinner in need of a Saviour; we acknowledged there was a penalty on our sin; we affirmed that Christ paid this penalty by nailing our sins to the cross; we made a decision to trust Christ as our Saviour. There is no room for doubt in our Salvation and I am 100% sure that when I die I will go to Heaven - are you?

Perhaps you need reminding of this or you doubt you were ever saved. The first step in turning our life around is securing our Salvation. Everything else will follow after this Eternal step.

The 2nd Step – Security

• Good Reflex - run to God first and allow Him to be your life-coach. Don’t be Mrs. Lot and keep looking over your shoulder of regret.
• Good Christian Character - develop and maintain a daily walk with God; how we treat our husbands, our children, and others is important to God. Do right!
• Good Reading – primarily use Scripture to sustain and strengthen. There will always be a “you should read this” book. Reading our Bibles and praying each day are the greatest combination for personal development. As you learn, be teaching and training your children and the younger women you have influence on; marriage, child rearing, and creating a home.
• Good Mind-Keeping - being honest, sincere, and merciful. Whatever tempts us the most - we must stop making excuses to do wrong. Say "No" to wrong!
• Good Sense – trusting in the promises of God. If you use His wisdom learned through reading your Bible each day, listening to the spiritual leader of your home, and embracing good preaching - you will overcome the strongholds in your life.

We develop an emotional hammer in our pattern of thinking. We contradict our faith by the way we live and then we beat ourselves up afterwards. Every time you fail you hit yourself over the head with your emotional hammer. Don’t justify behavior you know offends! We disrespect in the way we behave and this manifests itself into self-condemnation. This complicated mix of emotion becomes a heaping pile of blame. Everyone else is the problem and the problem is me!

Draw a circle around yourself and do business with God. I'm so busy doing business with God I don't have time to point fingers.

A Christian woman is righteous; our characteristic is to lead a holy life; our great aim is to do the will of God; our purpose is to discharge with fidelity all our duties to God and man. It is then we are renewed. The devil loves our lack of understanding and our foolishness. He uses it to convince us that everyone else is the reason we are sad and no one understands! That’s a lie from hell!

Trauma, tragedy, and turmoil have all played their scene on the stage of my theatre. There have been many times I have jumped the ship and paid the consequences of such a decision. Sin has consequences! I did everything else but place my trust in Christ. I sought comfort from other women whose lives were imbalanced and backsliding. Our tendency is to foster flesh not faith.

If you are struggling, choose wise friends who have a strong walk with God. Being smart about whom we hang around with will make all the difference between deepening the distresses in our lives and addressing the problems with wisdom, courage, and good Christianity.

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Proverbs 13:20

Age has everything to do with maturing in the Christian life. Noah was 600-years old when he boarded the boat with his family. The older I get the more encouraged I feel. I am very useful and usable at 50 and you are most useful and usable to God.

“…as God had commanded…” became Noah’s mission statement. He listened to instruction and then acted in obedience. If he had cut himself slack and made any excuse he would have become a flood casualty. Instead, Noah lived to make it to shore and to shine the light of hope onto those of us shut up in an ark.

Noah never mouthed-off, complained, or insistently talked about his problems. He was given a job, he got to work, and he built his vessel. Not a day was wasted on regret…he listened to God and he followed instructions to the finish.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” 2 Timothy 4:7

This verse typifies my life. Fight a good fight my friend and don’t give up! Transfer all the energy you use through worrying - and aim for the goal. Tough it out – you can do it! We must finish what we start. If you gave your hand in marriage---keep going. Don’t be a casualty and spend years making up time.

The 3rd Step – Vision

When we jump off the boat in our Christian life it takes multiple years to recover and get back to where we were. There’s not enough time! Stay in the boat and listen to God. Keep your faith and don’t doubt God’s promises. Every day is an opportunity to get closer to God. Embrace your Salvation and live a life renewed and refreshed today.

"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." 2 Corinthians 1:20 - God never vacillates, He is not fickle, and He never abandons His gracious intention.

Have you lost the freshness of your faith? Does your life truly magnify Christ? To draw from Christian doctrine in our lives is regarded as fanaticism today. The early church was all about testifying that Jesus Christ is the only way and is the truth. Unfortunately, most women live a life that clearly and convincingly demonstrates the world not the Bible.

The 4th Step – Victory

Build your boat and stay in it. Your ark may represent your marriage; it may represent your mind, and possibly your health. If the flood waters are rising in your own life – stay in the boat and start claiming victory.

Every time you think of a past hurt, write in on a piece of paper and bury it in your yard. It’s over! Our past does not equate to our future. Past hurts are just that – past history. When you bury the hurt, don’t let the devil dig it up again. If your mind rehashes it, affirm this aloud – “It’s buried Satan."

The 5th Step – Heavenly not Humanistic Thinking

“Dear Father…your Word tells me that "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." I need to understand this now Lord...please will you allow me to? Your Word teaches me to "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Oh, how I need rest from my tumultuous soul!

I ask for grace today...in my life and in the lives of all my friends. Please teach me how to take your yolk upon my life and help my friends to duplicate this. There are times I am truly lowly in heart and spirit...you promise I will find rest in my soul. I'm claiming your promise as I lift my burden and place it at your feet. As I take this step of obedience may I experience a peace that surpasses all understanding?

Bless my obedience as I seek to understand you more. Please give me the necessary grace to accept the things I cannot change in my life. May your mercy be evident as you transfer your knowledge and develop the courage for me to continue on the right path. I need your strength to move forward even when I don’t understand.

Place a hedge around my home today and bind Satan. Secure my Salvation once and for all. Refresh and renew my spirit today. I need you!

Please continue to shine truth on and throughout my life. For too long I have justified my wrong thoughts. I have swallowed the devil’s lies – please forgive me? Develop a desire for me to plead for the souls of my loved ones who are lost and headed for hell. Open my eyes and give me a vision of a greater purpose for living than just for self.

I give you all my requests now and I love you.” Amen

Christian lady – these are good steps to start with. As you change the way you do things and move toward a path of trust and obedience, you are one step closer to the finish line and one step away from a dead-end.

I love you and I believe in you,

Deborah

The Devil's Advocate

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

The Christian woman's life can be summarized by these 3-statements:

1. The beginning of a trial
2. The middle of a trial
3. The end of a trial

One truth that God has brought to the surface of my dirty heart is His estimate of sin in my own life vs. my estimate of sin in my life.

During my visit to the nail salon, a lady sitting opposite me began to talk about children in general. She made this statement - "Parents rarely say NO!" As a mother her remark caught my attention and I said - "Less and less." After the exchange of several one-liners I finished the conversation with this - "Under the veil of knowledge our condition has worsened!" This statement really caught her off guard. She looked up at me and said - "What do you mean?" To which I said - "Women think they know it all - me included; in their marriage, their child-rearing, their pursuit of happiness, their health, and their perspective of their own sense of wrong doing in all of the above."

The more I seek God through reading His word the greater my awareness of sin - particularly in my own life. For too long I have made provision for my flesh and labelled "sin" in my life as a chemical or hormone imbalance. A lack of self-denial and an over indulgent spirit started in the garden with Eve. It's because of our fallen nature that we rarely deny our own flesh and the flesh of our children. What we do in moderation our children will do in excess. If we don't say "No" to ourselves then most likely our children will overindulge in every area of their future lives.

Hormone and chemical imbalance get far too much attention. Do you realize that without a 30-day testing (every day you go to a clinic and have your hormones tested through the salivary glands) - you will not have an accurate hormone balance prognosis. In addition, if saliva were the most accurate fluid for hormone testing then why don't we have saliva pregnancy tests?

We have testing for pregnancy, for drugs of abuse, to predict ovulation cycle, to examine our level of cholesterol, blood glucose, or an evidence of colon or rectal cancer. In fact, a snippet of a child's hair can now confirm the use of illicit drugs (hair drug test) and all within the four-walls of your home.

I'm not discounting the necessity for testing but it does not give us an accurate picture of what really lies beneath the surface of our bodies. God knows!

As a woman who has used the excuse of hormone imbalance; as a 50-year old menopausal mother of a 5-year old - I've misused every excuse under the sun for what the Bible defines as SIN!

Most recently I asked a prominent Psychiatrist this question; "When women come to you with depression, do you send them for specific chemical testing before you prescribe more chemicals?" She said - "No!" I then asked - "What defines a chemical imbalance and is this diagnosis an absolute?" She responded - "We use urine and cerebrospinal fluid testing but they cannot accurately detect neurotransmitter imbalances or chemical imbalances." I said - "Duh!"

Enough said! Whilst I acknowledge there are some sick puppies out there, ask yourself this question; "Did my marriage problem arise prior to my chemical imbalance? Does my hormone imbalance excuse me for being loud-mouthed, inappropriate and consistently unkind with my words toward my husband?"

I think Mrs. Common Sense steps in here now (if she still exists in our imbalanced life) - WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE!

Broad shoulders and a merciful spirit are my middle names. Over the past 20-years God has brought lady after lady across my learning path who suffers from depression and who do not seem to be able to get through this hopeless barrier of despair. I listen to them and then I run to Scripture for wisdom and understanding.

We are all unique in the eyes of the Lord however, there are common threads which bond these women:

• Their homes are a mess


• They are self-absorbed and have no goals


• Their hurt is other's fault


• There is an unwillingness to accept any blame


• They lack discipline in most areas of their life - eating, sleeping, house-keeping, schedule


• They have little or no daily walk with God


• They rarely or never give practical help to others


• Fun-filled activities are scarce


• There is no daily physical exercise


• They don't eat good healthy meals throughout the day

I want to encourage your heart and shine a light of hope into your darkened world...you are not alone. There is a brighter future and you can have a wonderful marriage. Your depression is your classroom and with God's wisdom and guidance you will not just learn to overcome your depression but with specific steps you can safe-guard your mind in the future.

We will all reach a fork in the road of our lives where we are going to experience a heavy-spirit; the death of a loved one, the loss of our identity due to trauma...and many other extremes in life. Despair ought to be a minority not the depressed woman's majority - and depressed women are the majority these days!

Through my own trials and personal struggles I have learned that my joy comes from the Lord and my life's purpose is Jesus, Others, Yourself!

J.O.Y comes from making this list a priority in your life -

Jesus...Others...Yourself

Has it ever occurred to you that depression is worsened by our own sin? If we don't get intelligent about our own sin how will be be wise to the simple areas of our lives?

Pride is at the root of all our marriage problems - not Prozac! The heart is the rudder of the soul and until the Lord takes it in hand we steer in a false and foolish way.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9

With earnest prayer I ask God to show me what is in my heart. As I daily seek His wisdom I pray that He keeps me from being deluded and destroyed by my own foolishness. The closer I get to God the deeper a sense I have of my own habitual distrust.

Do you realize that our flesh and blood are in the way of our marriage every day? We need to allow our personal weaknesses to be an argument to make us pray earnestly to God for help. Remember David? When he felt himself to be powerless he did not fold his arms or close his lips but he hastened to the mercy-seat with these words - "renew a right spirit within me."

Is God's Spirit cold in you? Do you feel the joy of your own Salvation?

For the Christian woman our home is a daily spiritual exercise. The very classrooms of our faith are the four-walls we dwell in. How we use this tool will decide how we are to succeed in the Christian life. Something as simple as our home is the structural design for stability. Keeping our homes in order is maintaining our minds and sustaining strength throughout our lives.

Depressed women rarely have goals. Set yourself a goal to be a woman of virtue. Set yourself a goal my friend! God gives us knowledge through His Word and preaching and now we must exercise this knowledge in our homes. Fill your home with this renewed spirit. Don’t leave room for fear and doubt. Developing your faith by reading His Word and praying each day will exercise your faith and fill your home with freshness – an irresistible charm!

Our homes ought to be irresistible – to our husbands, our children, and our friends. Our homes are a haven not a rubbish-dump.

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10 That means we are hard to find!

During my years as a young woman I had a fascination in outward accomplishments. It is my experience that this lifestyle was united with idleness, prodigality, and a selfish contentious spirit. This kind of behavior created instability in my home. Pursuit of happiness outside the home is not the answer to your problem!

Praise the Lord that by His grace I now have a fascination with the things of God. My desire is wrapped in a resolve to develop virtuousness; in industry, good management, and authority over the affairs of my home. My life is in order when my home is in order! It's that simple ladies. In the spirit of love and kindness I reach out to my husband and my children - that's good Christianity and an act of obedience.

We are the heartbeat of our homes and order in our home equates to order in our lives. We were designed to develop character in our children through the simple daily spiritual exercises in our homes. Spiritual exercises are not restricted to reading Bible verses, praying, and merely listening to the preaching. Spiritual exercising is exercising what we learn from our Bible reading, our praying, and the preaching. We are not a sea-sponge...our Christianity is living and in need of being exercised every day of our lives.

It is an awareness of my weaknesses that drive me to my daily goal. Don’t cut yourself slack by giving excuse to return to old habits. The old ways of being disorganized are a thing of the past.

One day at a time. Don’t look inside the brown paper bag of your life and expect to put the thousands of crushed potato chips back together – toss the bag away! When you wake up in the morning resolve yourself to change the coarse of your depression and with the same resolve - stick to a schedule! The average person functions well on a schedule. Depressed women need a schedule to function at all and to use as their anti-depressant!

I love Pringle potato chips. They represent my life as I create a haven in my home; everything in order and an order to everything!

Our hope is in knowing that God is in control of our lives. Ask Him to give you a renewed spirit in your home. Draft a schedule as your first step and let this run your life. This will create stability before strength catches on through keeping your home in order – I promise!

Steps for Overcoming Depression

1. Draw up a schedule for this next week - Wake up the same time every day and go to bed the same time every night. Eat meals on time. Introduce light exercise in your day. Keep a journal filled with your favorite Bible verse as you read God's Word daily. Write 1-blessing you are aware of each day and 1-thing you love about your husband each day...1-thing you love about each individual child...1-thing you love about yourself.


2. What room concerns you the most? Begin with this. Get a large garbage bag and begin to throw everything into the bag that you have not used in the last twelve months. As you toss the garbage in your room of choice, thank God that He has shown you the garbage in your own life and now you are eliminating it forever.

You would be amazed at how you spiritually exercise your mind as you bring order in your home. Get rid of the bag!

This exercise creates synergy

A clean home - a clean heart

A right home - a right spirit

"Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14:40

Life is all about balance. As a Christian woman, this needs to be conducted in a Christ-like manner while balancing priorities, the greater purpose, and the cost to our families through all the decisions we make. God commands us to be an example in our lives and in our homes. We will be accountable at the judgement seat of Christ!

"For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." John 13:15

Do you want to be a great woman one day? I do! The secret to being a great woman is in serving. We must serve our families and others in the spirit of humility and self-sacrifice.

I pray this has been a blessing and has given you a goal to reach for. You no longer have to live in fear. Our fear is a lack of faith. Create a plan! If your heart feels crushed - don't despair. With God, a heart crushed is a fragrant heart.

I love you,
Deborah

Tears In A Bottle

“Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” Psalm 56:8

As a Christian woman who has suffered from depression, I write to encourage you; depression can visit us but it must never stay! The Bible teaches, "For such a time as this..." but never forever! Depression comes and then it must leave.

The following article was written and sent to the American Congress from a lady suffering from depression. She questioned the agenda of Psychiatrists and Pharmaceutical company's (and there is an agenda). This typifies the hopelessness of what the world has to offer;

"Once upon a time I was the best Mother, friend, sister, and daughter anyone could possibly want or have. I was kind, I was patient, and I would do anything for anyone. I was even told by many that I was the funniest person they had ever known. Then severe anxiety and depression struck. I have been battling with it on and off for the past thirteen years. I can’t count the number of antidepressants I have been on and they would all work for a while and then they seemed to loose there affect so I would be put on another one and this has gone on over and over again. While they worked to a certain degree, they never truly bring you back to the real you, not to mention the many side effects. Depending on the antidepressant, you may get worse before you get better, you may become suicidal within the first couple of weeks of taking them. You have weight gain or they take your appetite away completely. Some make you angry and almost hostile. You loose your memory and can’t concentrate either from the medication or just depression itself. Most of them take away your emotions and your sex drive as does depression itself. So you may ask, why are you taking them? Well my doctor or psychiatrist told me to and who do you trust the most when you have an illness, who do you turn to for help? I have been hospitalized twice, had ECT and that did not help either. After ECT, I had to use Map quest to get to my dentist office; it takes your short term memory away and it takes a long time for it to come back. I have been to the Mood disorder clinic in Hamilton and seen a specialist in London at the psychiatric ward. Any suggestions or help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Much Appreciate...Cindy."

I am praying for this lady's address and I will write to her as an Ambassador of Christ!

Depression in women is the No.1 method Satan will use to capture the mind and bring long-term instability. If he succeeds in this, generational victory can be almost guaranteed.

Do you want your children and grand babies to suffer from the tangled web of depression?

As a 'Generational Warrior' I have declared war on the world’s philosophy of depression in women. Our hope only comes from knowing who is in control. Embrace this as your daily mission statement and you will begin the pathway to peace. No longer will you be entrapped with fear and anxiety. Gone are the days when your past equates to your future. God has all your answers!

There are specific mental exercises which the Bible outlines for stability.

Necessary Supplements for Depression

1. Prayer - He is the Creator of our brain. He numbers and knows intimately our thoughts; the garbage we believe about failure and hopelessness is documented by the Creator of our mind. “Thou tellest my wanderings…”

He places our prayers like rose-petals, between the pages of His book of remembrance. “…are they not in thy book?” Yes they are! When the volume is open at last, there will be a precious fragrance springing up from it. Your prayers are precious to Him!

Prayers are instantly noticed in Heaven.

Tears are the diamonds of Heaven. All your tears are the sparkle in His eyes.

As your tears fall He catches them. “…put thou my tears into thy bottle…” Do you remember the times you knelt down to your little one; crocodile tears flowing, tissue-in-hand, and you patted their eyes dry, wrapped them up in your arms, and you gently spoke these words - “There, there…it’s all right. Mummy is here!”

He loves us more. He kneels down beside us, His bottle is in His hand…as He catches your tears He wraps you up in His loving arms and says - “Everything’s alright. The Comforter has come!” Oh, blessed assurance, Jesus is mine…

God hears our prayers but also loves to hear them. “He forgetteth not the cry of the humble.” Psalm 9:12

Prayer is a haven to the shipwrecked woman; an anchor to us when we are sinking in the waves; a staff to the limbs as we totter; a mine of jewels when we are poor. He is a healer of diseases and our guardian of health. Prayer at once secures the continuance of our blessings and dissipates the clouds of our calamities.

He has no regard when we are self-sufficient and pride-filled. He regards a heart full of sorrow, he takes notice of quivering lips with agony, and our deep groans…His heart is open to these specific ingredients.

He answers from the throne of grace!

A great Christian woman is merely a good Christian woman daily; she daily allows her schedule to create structure and security. She daily reads her Bible and she daily prays to God.

Yesterday I cried a whole bunch of tears for all the women I know gripped by depression. I realized something; if my heart-strings are pulled for wanting joy in the lives of other women, how much more does Jesus plead with our Heavenly Father on your behalf? He's crazy about you!

You don't have to wait for the hurt to go away! We can have victory in the midst of our pain and be an overcomer of depression. As we resolve ourselves to follow the simple steps of a Christian woman's life, day-after-day...you will be restored!

Dear Father

Forgive me for ignoring your wisdom for so long. Help my unbelief and shine your light of truth into my heart. Give me your wisdom. You promise me that you not just hear my cries but that you catch my tears. Thank you for loving me so much. Step-by-step as I read your Word today, increase my knowledge of the mind and bless me with clear direction in my life. Please de-fragment the garbage in my brain and refresh my spirit with your knowledge and truth. Place a hedge-of-protection around my thoughts and my home this day. I pray for strength as I take one day at a time. As an act of obedience, I now offer my life as a living sacrifice to you; everything I allow myself to believe, to watch on television, to listen to through the radio or Internet, and the music that destroys purity in my soul. Give me the grace to be a good Christian lady and to overcome the torment that my thoughts create. Father forgive me for placing my trust in everything else but you. As I seek you daily, refresh and renew my spirit and fill my life with your promises. Bind Satan and remind him that my thinking will be your thinking. I need you and I love you God.” Amen.

You are precious to God and I believe in you!

I love you,

Deborah