As Believers and certainly as Mothers of Nations, Christmas is more than just a holiday for us. It is a time to reflect on many things that God wants us to remember and to honor. Today let’s briefly look at seven things that we should always be aware of in relation to celebrating Christmas.

First, God loves us. John 3: 16 reminds us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son for the salvation of mankind. This verse is sometimes called “the gospel in a nutshell.”  Jesus came to set mankind free from the power of sin and death.

Second, God’s love is magnificently manifested in the birth of His Son Jesus who grew to become a man. This man demonstrated the Father’s love for us in all that He said and did. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." (1 John 3: 1 NKJV)

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Today we will conclude our discussion of integrity by examining several of the blessings and fruits of walking with integrity in both our personal lives as believers and in our ministry endeavors in the kingdom of God.

First, our integrity releases God to divinely intervene on our behalf. We see this blessing or principle revealed in Genesis 20: 1-6 in the life of King Abimelech as he interacted with Abraham and Sarah.

1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. 2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.”  And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”  4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord will You slay a righteous nation also? 5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister?' And she,...

Let’s continue in today's entry with a few more scriptural examples of integrity in the lives of men and women in God’s Word. I love how these “real life” examples bring home the importance that God places on integrity in the lives of His people.

The unnamed prophet that visits King Jeroboam:  We find his story in 1 Kings 13: 1-26 where we read that this prophet was sent to deliver a high-level Word of the Lord to the king. The word: Three hundred years in the future, Josiah (named in the prophecy) would destroy this altar in Israel where the king was now offering sacrifice. (v. 2)

The prophet was instructed by God to deliver the Word and return by the same way that he came, not eating or drinking with anyone. (v. 8-9) He refused to eat or drink with the king and went on his way. But he met another man who lied to him, saying he was a prophet and that an angel had told him to bring the prophet to his home to eat and drink.

While eating and drinking,...

As we continue our discussion of the challenges and blessing of integrity, let’s now consider why integrity of character is important. First of all, God deems integrity of heart as a highly valued character quality. The Word talks a lot about integrity and most certainly it is part of becoming Christ-like. 

Our integrity as Mothers of Nations reveals His character of integrity to the rest of the world. It’s a witness! Integrity "speaks!"  Secondly, integrity of ministry and leadership causes people to be more receptive to the Gospel. Finally, integrity of lifestyle validates the power of God to change one’s life from darkness to light empowered to live in victory, holiness, and righteousness. Bottom line, does Jesus make a difference or not? 

There are so many scriptural examples of integrity in the lives of men and women in God’s Word. Shall we take a look at several of those now?

King Solomon:  God’s covenant with Solomon was based...

As Mothers of Nations we represent Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God everywhere we go and in everything we say. Most certainly we should consider and value the character quality of integrity in our daily lifestyle as well as in ministry. Over the next four weeks, let’s dig into this topic of “integrity” and consider both the challenges and blessings, especially as it relates to the world we live in today.

What is integrity? The dictionary indicates three facets of integrity. First, it is the quality or state of being complete, unbroken, whole, and entire. Secondly, it is the quality or state of being unimpaired, in perfect condition and soundness. The final definition offered is the quality or state of being of sound moral principle, uprightness, honesty and sincerity. It is this third definition that we will focus on these next several weeks.

How is this character quality of integrity developed? Character is formed by both the world and by the Word. The Word...

Psalm 103: 1-5 (NLT)

1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy Name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

1 Thessalonians 5: 18 (NLT)

18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

This coming week here in the United States we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. In today’s entry let’s take some time to think about the topic of thankfulness and gratitude. Mothers of Nations, we have MUCH to thank the Lord for as we count our blessings.

Briefly looking at the history of the founding of our nation, we know that because of disagreements between the English Separatists and the Dutch, they left their homes for a new land, a...

Today we will finish our discussion of the wounded spirit.  I have asked the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and minister healing to any “wounded residue” He finds as we complete our study. 

I think we all know what happens with a wound that is never allowed to heal. Over time it goes deeper and deeper into our heart of hearts until it can actually affect the health of our physical heart or other organs. We have all heard of people who experience sickness, disease, and other life torments as a result of the poison spread through the wounding process. Jesus said that He came to bring life and life more abundantly. He came to heal our wounds and help us overcome pain in our life’s journey.

Jesus said in Luke 4: 18 that He came to heal the brokenhearted. Psalm 34: 18 says that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 147: 3 tells us that God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Maybe you have...

Several years ago I heard a man share about the loss of his teenage son due to a drunken driver. As he spoke I could sense that his wound was still there in his spirit. Counseling classes had encouraged him, advocates had assisted him, and organizations helped him cope to some degree. But the wound to his spirit was still evident and will remain until he allows Jesus to completely heal it. Jesus is the healing balm that covers and heals the deep, deep pain of a wounded spirit. 

So many things can create wounds to our spirit. Unforgiveness, false accusations, divorce, wrong words spoken at a time of crisis, abuse, loss of vocation, guilt, sorrow, and false prophecies are just a few. Divorce alone wounds the couple, the family, the friends, the children, the church, and only God knows how many others. I believe that is one of the reasons that the Word says that God hates divorce. Divorce wounds everyone it touches. It does not matter how we do it, word it, cover it or try to fix...

As we continue our study of the wounded spirit, let’s acknowledge the effect of sexual promiscuity on our hearts and lives.  In truth, sexual promiscuity will wound our spirits. Using our bodies in ungodly ways, rape, incest, molestation, and personal violations can wound as well as deeply damage us. There are so many people today that are victims of sexual abuse. It is truly an epidemic of evil inflicted on the innocent.

This sexual misconduct creates a barrier to emotional growth in an individual’s life. A person can literally get “stuck” emotionally at the age the offense occurs. This results in forty-year-old women with eleven-year-old emotional growth. The little girl is still inside that adult body waiting for healing from those traumatic moments in her earlier life.

Rejection is another major contributor to wounded spirits.  Rejection from family, friends, parents, leaders, ministers, or anyone causes wounds. Can you imagine growing up in a...

As we continue with this study of the wounded spirit, let me share two relatable examples from my own life.

My younger brother got polio when he was just a small toddler. Because of this he had to wear a leg brace and use crutches during his grade school years. The children in school would call him “Captain Peg Leg.”  That cruel name not only wounded him emotionally, but it also really bothered me as his older sister and brought hurt to my heart as well.

I still vividly remember when he joined the basketball team at a later age. They would let him play in the games once in a while. There he was running with a crippled leg, trying to bounce the ball and shoot a basket. It was extremely hard work for him as he tried to participate. It was also extremely painful for me to watch, yet I admired his courage and his willingness to try to overcome his physical disabilities.

After I married and had children, we went through a time when my daughter was a victim of gossip...