Proverbs 18: 14 (NKJV) says, “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit (a wounded spirit)?”  Our natural spirit can withstand much pressure and stress, but when our heart/spirit gets wounded, crushed, shattered or bruised, we have a difficult time recovering and moving forward. 

Our spirit is hurt when it is wounded. It is like trying to walk when our leg is broken. We are trying to live and overcome challenges, but part of our being is injured or festering with hurt.

Psalm 38: 1-22 (NKJV) really exemplifies this whole situation well.

• O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
• For Your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down.
• There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin.
• For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
• My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.
• I am troub
...

Many years ago I found myself sitting in a women’s Bible study listening to ladies share their hearts regarding hurtful situations. Just as the time of sharing was closing, one of the women said to me, “Sharon, why don’t you lead worship at our next meeting?”  I was absolutely stunned and then proceeded to tell her all the reasons why I could never do that – because I could not sing! After I finished my tirade of excuses she simply responded to me, “You CAN sing. I’ve heard you.”

I tried to reinforce my statements about my singing inabilities but she just kept countering every argument with, “Yes, yes you can!”  Finally she said, “Who told you that you couldn’t sing?” 

I then explained to her about a time long ago when I was asked to prepare a singing lesson for an elementary education class I was taking in college. The requirements for the course included getting up in front of our class and leading all the students in a song. When my turn came, I mustered up all the strength and co...

Today we conclude by looking at the final two pages of our Faith Album. I pray that this series of blogs on the topic of faith has been a blessing to all our Mothers of Nations! 

WORLD-OVERCOMING FAITH

Maybe you as a Mother of Nations have the type of faith on our next album page. “World-overcoming faith” is for everyone born of God.

I John 5: 1-5 (NKJV) tells us, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 

World-overcoming faith sounds so powerful and so large, doesn’t it? But in truth, it is the ...

Mothers of Nations, we have two more weeks of blog entries regarding our Faith Album topic.  Today let's look at two more examples of faith as shown in the Word of God.

RICH IN FAITH

This next page shows us examples of being “rich in faith.”  Being rich in faith means that you have an abundance of faith. Your faith is significant and noticeable to others, even though you may be poor in material goods.

So many of our missionaries are rich in faith, yet poor in material possessions. In India I have met countless numbers of Christians who own nothing, live with little, and yet they have and are extremely rich in faith. 

Some people are rich in faith in particular areas of the gospel. I myself have grown rich in faith to believe God for certain things because of experiences I have encountered while speaking the Word. For example, as a minister of the Gospel, I can exercise faith for salvation whenever I am doing an overseas crusade. Something just empowers me to believe for souls and g...

Mothers of Nations, I pray you are enjoying this journey through the pages of our Faith Album! This is our fourth entry regarding several types of faith. If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to read the past three weeks of blog entries to be reminded about all the types of faith that are discussed in God’s Word.

SHIPWRECKED FAITH

This next page in our album is all about “shipwrecked faith.”  If you have ever been on a boat during a turbulent storm, you have some idea of what it would be like to have your ship battered against the sea. The sea is a powerful force that no man can stand against on his own.

Once we went on a cruise in the Caribbean and ended up in a storm. My head was so dizzy I could not walk, sleep, eat, or do anything. The ship rolled and swayed even after they put the levelers out. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for Paul on a boat that had to be abandoned to get to shore!

Sometimes the pressures of living can feel like we are at sea, tossing a...

Mothers of Nations, are you enjoying and even being challenged by this series of blogs about faith? Are you recognizing yourself in some of the photos as you turn the pages in this Faith Album? Today let’s turn a few more pages to discover two other types of faith that the Word of God describes.

FULL OF FAITH

The first is demonstrated by the Bible character Stephen. He was chosen to serve in ministry because he was known as a man “full of faith.” 

In Stephen’s day, the number of disciples was rapidly multiplying. As a result, problems within the church were beginning to occur due to the number of people requesting help and assistance with their daily living needs. 

The Grecian (Hellenist) Jews complained about the Hebraic (Palestinian) Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. Those in charge of the distribution were the Palestinian Jews. Because of these complaints and conflicts between the two groups, the twelve disciples gathered to find ...

Last week we started a series of blog entries regarding various kinds of faith and talked specifically about “great faith.”  I encourage you to go back to our previous entry if you have not yet read it so that you do not miss even one page of our Faith Album! Today let’s look at three other types of faith:  Little Faith, Weak Faith, and Strong Faith.

LITTLE FAITH 

As we now turn the page in our album of faith, we find the next type depicted: “little faith.”  Little faith is the opposite of great faith, as it is a faith led and controlled by circumstances and our senses. Little faith gives in quickly to fear. The word “little” implies the meaning of small, stunted, microscopic, miniature, or pocket-sized. 

Little faith is restricted by limitations. It does not hold when circumstances change. Peter the disciple thought he had tremendous faith until he faced danger, and then all his faith was gone. Brave enough to try walking on water, Peter stepped out of the boat to meet Jesus. He ev...

Many of us like to pull out our old family photo albums and reminisce as we look at all the pictures. Each snapshot brings back a memory, a time of special joy, or a moment in family history. As a Christmas gift several years ago, my sister gave me a photo album filled with our family pictures from over a fifty-year span. As we paged through the book, it was such a blessing to recall those days gone by -- the people, the times, and the feelings we shared.

Sometimes we look at a picture only to be reminded of how we used to wear our hair or how thin we were back then! The photo album really tells our life story, where we came from, what we did, and who we influenced. One thing is for certain. There is always recognizable change, development, and growth from one stage to another as demonstrated by the documentation of the photos. 

Faith is something we can measure as well. We all received a measure of faith from God when we came to the knowledge of the Lord. Ephesians 2:8 says that fai...

As women leaders and Mothers of Nations, for this coming year of 2022 let’s remember that God has chosen us and equipped us for this specific time in history. We are His contemporary Esthers! Ladies, be bold and go before the people and pave the way for the new ideas God has prepared for this year. Be innovative and creative, operating in faith and love.

John the Baptist knew where he came from and what his assignment on earth was in his day. Do we know our assignments?

First of all, we live to honor God in all we do and say. Secondly, we were born to be a vessel for the Master’s use. Thirdly, as a woman we are to yield to God’s will every step of the way. We are a witness of His love and are destined to make a difference in our community and all our relationships. Finally, we are God’s messengers of hope to our confused and lost world. 

Remember that John the Baptist lived in obscurity until his time came. And now WE are entering OUR time in 2022! Let’s take our territory for the K...

Jesus said in John 15: 8:  "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."  As we come into the Christmas season, we start to think about gifts. What could we buy for our kids, grandkids, relatives, spouse, and special friends. For me, this process seems to have become more complicated as the kids get older. Tastes change. Color preferences change. Interests change.  I have found myself looking at the shelves in the stores and thinking, “Should I get this? Should I get that?”  And yet the process is enjoyable and gift-giving is a blessing.

But . . . I do believe that there are “gifts” we can give not only at Christmas, but all year round that have no questions or wonderings around them!  

The Word of God tells us to “bear fruit” . . .  and lots of it. We can do this daily by bringing people to Christ, touching the lives of others with encouragement, meeting needs, and remaining in the Vine. All of this type of giving is part of “bearing fruit....