Jesus is Our Lord

When approaching Easter (amid Coronavirus uncertainties) may we focus on a single certainty. No church or denomination or any group of people saves. The One and Only Lord, God, Father, Creator -- JESUS -- redeems and keeps us. Here are a few scriptures to encourage you.

There is salvation through nothing else.  God has given no other name, under heaven, by which we may be saved.”  —Acts 4:12

“If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.”  “The Father and I are ONE.” (Jesus)  
—John 14:9; John 10:30

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.  I am able to give to them eternal life and they will never perish.  No one can snatch them away from ME.” (Jesus) —John 10: 27-28

“Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’  But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, ‘What is he saying?  This is blasphemy.  Only God can forgive sins!’” —Mark 2: 5-7

“The Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill Jesus.  For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father thereby making himself EQUAL to God.”  —John 5:18      

“In the beginning was the Word.  The Word was with God and the Word was God.  He existed in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him and nothing was created except by Him.  The Word gave life to everything that was created and HIS life brought light to everyone … The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  He made His home with us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness … No one has seen God at any time.  But the Chosen One, who is Himself God, is near to the Father’s heart.  This Chosen One has revealed God to us.”  —John 1: 1-4; 14; 16-18

“Nothing can separate us from the love of God which has been revealed in the flesh through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  —Romans 8:39

Prayer:
“Dear Lord, we thank you that during this season, we can be sure that you exist and that nothing can separate us from your love.  Help us to grow in faith and hope which is founded on you, Jesus.  We thank you that you have given us your word of truth.  Protect and encourage each of these dear women and lead them to life eternal.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You are loved,
Ladies of Grace Ministry Team

You Have God's Armor

During these unique days when we cannot be with you we want you to know that you are loved and missed very much.

Week 8 of our Crown of Beauty study gives us this key verse.

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9

During these days of uncertainty Satan wants to discourage us and make us doubt God’s love and care for us. How then do we resist the schemes and lies of Satan?

“Put on the full armor of God so you can stand against the schemes of the devil.” Ephesians 6:10

Let’s get dressed daily in our armor for battle!

• The belt of truth: This keeps us from being led astray

• The breastplate of righteousness: Our obedience to God

• The sandals of peace: Our restful trust in God

• The shield of faith: This shields us from the attacks of Satan

• The helmet of salvation: The protection of our mind

• The sword of the Spirit: The Word of God (the Bible)

Prayer:
Dear Lord, Thank you that you are stronger than the evil one that wants us to doubt your love for us. Help us to daily clothe ourselves and our family members in this battle armor so we can resist the arrows of Satan. Help us to stay grounded in your word of truth.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Ladies of Grace Ministry Team is praying for you and loving you from a physical distance but not a heart distance. We are reading the daily scripture calendar along with you and praying for each of you to take courage, fully dressed in the armor of God!

You are loved,
Ladies of Grace Ministry Team

You are God's Daughter

God loves you so much that He calls you His child. Did you know that? Psalm 27:10 tells us, “Although my father and my mother have abandoned me, Yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child]” (AMP).

You are God’s daughter (John 1:12). God is your Provider and Protector (Psalm 23; James 1:17; Philippians 4:19). Many of us have been hurt, disappointed, neglected or abandoned by our earthly fathers. Your dad was born with a sinful nature, just like the rest of us. Even if your earthly father hurt you in some way, God will always love you. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to redeem you for Himself. We must learn about God’s character and His everlasting love so that we can quickly dismiss the lies Satan whispers to us and turn instead toward our faith in God, that He will care for us through all things.

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called
children of God!” (1 John 3:1 NIV)

God loves you so much that He wants a personal relationship with you. He is waiting for you to give Him your burdens, ask Him for what you need, and trust in Him that He will care for you. Think about that! The Creator of the Universe, almighty God, wants you to draw near to Him (James 4:8). What a precious and amazing gift! Let’s think about this together …

1. How does your picture of God change as you reflect on 1 John 3:1?

2. What aspect of God’s character do you most need to rely on right now?  Will you believe in His great love?  Why or why not?

3. Pray and ask God to share the ways He wants to show you His love right now.

Prayer:
“Dear Lord, thank You for loving us unconditionally. Thank You for calling us Your daughters. Thank You that you want a personal relationship with each and every one of us. Help us remember to turn to You, trust in You, and receive Your love and forgiveness. Help us to get to know You more deeply and put our faith in Your undying love.”
In Jesus’s name. Amen.

You are loved,
Ladies of Grace Ministry Team

You are His Delight

You are remembered and loved even if we can’t be together in person. Ladies of Grace will send this weekly devotional letter to be posted in the facility as a way to stay connected. We will share excerpts from the Crown of Beauty study with you along with questions for application and a prayer that we are praying over you each week.  So, let’s get started!

You are God’s delight and no matter what names you’ve been called in the past, He has a new name for you because He delights in you!  Have you ever thought about that?  It is a fact!  You are the object of God’s joy.  He not only desires that we spend time with Him in prayer and reading His Word for our benefit but He is excited to be with us and He even sings over us! 

“The Lord your God is with you; He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

In the original Hebrew language, the phrase ”rejoice over” has two meanings or ideas 1) God is cheering for you in delight and 2) God is composing a love song that He chooses to sing over you. He sings it with your new name.  Some of the wonderful names he has for you are: His beloved; His chosen bride; the garden of His delight; His cherished vineyard and many more.  Let’s think about this together …

1. What picture to you get in your mind as you imagine the Lord loving you in the way spoken of in Zephaniah 3:17?

2. What beautiful name from the list above or others in scripture might God be trying to give you?  Will you accept it?  Why or why not?

3. Pray and ask God to share the name He has for you and is now singing over you.

Prayer:
“Dear Lord, we thank you for your presence with us and your desire to delight in us.  You love us so much and it is your loving kindness that leads us to repentance and a relationship with you through Jesus.  Thank you for giving us a new name.  Let your word and your truth sink deeply into our hearts and minds as we place our trust in you alone.”
In Jesus name Amen.

You are loved,
Ladies of Grace Ministry Team