We build online communities of evangelism and discipleship.
We’re rebooting The Mentor Center to increase the amount of time between sessions which will solve a few of the problems we have been experiencing. There are also some network issues that have been causing everyone grief that we are also trying to solve.
Feel free to comment below. We understand and are working to solve the problems.
Scripture
“You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” (Psalm
Prayer to action this in my life
Father God,
I thank You that You keep pursuing my heart. Thank You that You keep calling me into Your presence. Forgive me for setting aside the promptings You bring to my heart to stop and meet with You.
Today I ask that You would help me as I determine to pursue You and the pathway of joy that You call me to. I know it will not always be an easy journey. Yet I ask You to make Your presence known to me. I ask You to help me carve out the time to be still, to read Your Word and to connect with You. I know that as I face the challenges of my daily life that You will fortify me and strengthen me from those times when I draw near to You.
Thank You that You make known to me the pathway of life. I hear Your call upon my heart and I will come. Fill me with joy in Your presence.
In the strong name of Jesus I pray, amen.
Gail Rodgers
We weren’t sure we were on the right path. We had been directed to go this way yet the path was obscure in some places. In other places large trees had fallen leaving hurtles to overcome. We almost turned back. Yet we were sure we could hear the bubbling river is the distance. We persisted on our journey. Suddenly and unexpectedly we turned a corner and there in a clearing was the river. Rest and refreshment awaited us!
In a similar way on our journey through life we find our hearts longing for real joy. We constantly look for it. We find temporary happiness here and there yet we instinctively know real joy is something deeper than the pleasure of a new possession. We know it must go beyond the glamour of new clothes and hairstyles. We look for it in new relationships. We even try to quiet the desire for it in busy activities or mood altering substances. Yet our hearts crave the deep satisfaction and contentment of true joy.
There is pathway to true joy. God, our Creator, put the desire for it deep within our hearts. He is the One who gives us the map and tells us the way to go to find this joy. The pathway is not always easy. Sometimes it is obscured. Sometimes there are hurtles along the way. Yet as we pursue this journey God gives us stepping stones along the way. He gives us sure places to set our feet so we do not slip.
Journey down the pathway to find the true joy your Creator longs to lead you to. He will take you to the river of deep contentment. Your dissatisfaction with all the false promises of joy is your starting point. Lay them aside as the counterfeits they are and pursue the true joy offered to you by Jesus.
Stepping Stone # 1
God’s Word, the Bible, is the first stepping stone to put your foot on in your journey to finding true joy. If your Bible is gathering dust somewhere take it out and ask God to speak to your heart. His Word is living and powerful and is the light for your path.
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”( Psalm 119:105).
You will be amazed at the wisdom God has to bring to your life. The wisdom that comes from God dispels confusion and brings peace. (James 3:13-18)
Stepping Stone #2
Step into prayer. Prayer is not the means to an end. Though we are invited by God to bring our requests to Him… prayer is so much more than just asking. Prayer is what connects us to God. Connecting with God means coming into His presence. You have tasted His presence…
Take your prayer time beyond your request list and into His presence to connect with God and hear His voice back to your heart…
“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence…”( Psalm
The Bible and prayer are the two largest stepping stones on the pathway to joy. However if they are simply just actions to hurry through and check off on your “to do” list they will not propel you forward on this journey. To keep going you must place your foot firmly on the next stepping stone.
Stepping Stone # 3
This is the stepping stone of trust and it comes from your heart. This is the one stone He asks you to lay on this journey to joy. He will even give it to you if you ask Him for it. Yet it must come from your heart. Never doubt the goodness of God toward you. Trust fades fast along the pathway if you begin to doubt His love and care for you.
“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace… as you trust in Him… so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” ( Romans 15:13).
Some will tell you that true joy is not possible here on this earth amid the problems and challenges of life. Some say only in Heaven will we experience true joy. Yet God’s Word clearly tells us we can experience this joy as we purposefully place our feet on these stepping stones.
“If you obey my commands you will remain in my love…I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John
Pursue the pathway to joy. It is well worth the journey!
Gail Rodgers
We sat in my friend’s living room. The house was quiet. The beautiful view from her living room window added to the tranquility as the grassy landscape stretched toward the city. This was a place of solitude.
Solitude is hard to find in our cultures today. We hurry, we worry, and we keep our bodies and minds in constant motion. Sometimes we encounter silence. Yet silence is not solitude…silence can be icy or even hostile at times. It can be impatient and anxious.
But solitude is quietness. Solitude can lead us to tranquility. The place of solitude is the place where God’s whisper can be heard.
Perhaps you need to hear His voice in a fresh way today. Perhaps God has seemed silent as you hurry and worry, and you wish He would speak. Perhaps your constant motion drowns out His still, small voice.
After a busy day Jesus knew he and His followers needed rest. He gave them an invitation that is our invitation today too. He said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place…” (Mark 6:31).
Sometimes God leads us to a place of solitude when He has something to say to us. He may lead us to a place where we find ourselves all alone with Him. We can struggle and try to push aside the solitude and the circumstances that brought us there. Or we can inquire and ask God what it is He needs us to hear. He just may have an inner transformation for our soul; refreshment that we desperately need or direction that we so earnestly seek.
Carve out times of solitude in your life. Be purposeful in it. Don’t wait for it to be orchestrated for you. Make room for periods of time when you willingly accept His invitation to “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place.” And then listen.
God’s voice will come:
Whether your heart is tired and weary, dry and discouraged or hungry for His presence, be deliberate in carving out some regular times of solitude in your life. We make time for what is important to us. We choose. You will never know the richness of this experience if you don’t stop to move into a place of solitude.
When we choose to listen, He will speak. Be patient. Our hurried, worried bodies and minds need time to relax and be quieted. If your first attempts at solitude are restless times with random thoughts afloat in your mind, don’t be discouraged. Go again…and again.
Once you can quiet your heart and mind in His presence and ask Him to speak you will begin to hear His voice of direction or correction, of revelation or encouragement…and you will want to hurry back.
Don’t settle for less than His presence. Don’t settle for dry toast when He has a banquet waiting. Accept His invitation, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place.” RSVP.
~ Gail Rodgers has a passion for discovering and sharing how the Scriptures apply in very practical ways where we live and walk each day. She is a wife, mother of three, businesswoman and a pastor to women. She resides in Alberta, Canada with her family. Visit Gail’s website at www.gailrodgers.ca. Click to e-mail Gail.
Romans 10:17
“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.”
Father in Heaven,
I long to truly be a person of faith! I want to have greater faith at work in my life. I ask that You would increase my faith. Everywhere that unbelief seeks to weaken my faith, I ask that You would help me overcome my unbelief.
Your Word tells me that my faith will be increased as I increase my exposure to Your Word. Give me a greater desire to read Your Word. Give me greater understanding and a listening ear to what You are saying to me. Let Your Word settle deep into my heart and mind as it anchors my faith.
Thank you that You never leave me to do this on my own. You offer Your power and Your help. Thank you, Father!
I pray this In Jesus’ powerful name, amen.
Gail Rodgers
by Gail Rodgers
It has been said that true wisdom is discerning what is essential. Wisdom is more than acquired knowledge. It is also practical insight with spiritual implications.
It’s not hard to gather knowledge in this information age. We have more data at our fingertips than ever before in history. They say common sense really isn’t all that common anymore. Insight from God that gives discernment is often lacking as we see knowledge applied.
So how does one gain wisdom?
The Bible offers us some understanding in this area of true wisdom. God’s wisdom is different than the wisdom found in the world. In the Old Testament, before the time of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit, there are references to God imparting a spirit of wisdom to various individuals. Joshua was said to be ‘full of the spirit of wisdom.” (Deut 34:9) Solomon was granted “wisdom and discernment beyond what anyone had ever had or will have.” (1Kings
In the New Testament after the coming of the Holy Spirit who is the Christian’s divine helper, we see that wisdom is given as a spiritual gift. (1 Cor. 12:8) It is bestowed by the Holy Spirit to build up the community of believers in their need to make decisions or to choose proper courses of action. True wisdom is clearly given from God.
Is there a requirement to receive it?
Psalm 111:10 tells us, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. Proverbs
To receive this wisdom from God we are told we must ask…and we must ask with unwavering faith. Listen to the command and the promise…
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
But when he asks, he must BELIEVE and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
That one should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded person, unstable in all he does.” (James 1: 5, 6 & 7)
Receiving true wisdom from God is dependent upon asking for it and believing God will give it. It is really an issue of faith with the attitudes of your heart in check.
What does God’s wisdom look like?
We can know God’s wisdom when we see it. His Word is very clear about what it looks like. Not only does God tell us what true wisdom looks like but He also tells us what it is not. Listen to God’s description of wisdom from James 3:13 – 18…
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” (Note the heart condition).
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts do not boast about it or deny the truth.
Such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find confusion and every evil practice.
BUT the wisdom that comes from heaven is…
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”
Check out the wisdom in your life. The harvest from it will tell you where its source is. Is your life characterized by confusion, envy, selfishness and practices that do not honor God?
Or is your life characterized by peacefulness, a pure and sincere heart and good fruit or results in your life that do honor God?
You can ask the Lord for His wisdom which will be much better than any you could find in this world.
God will show you what is essential in any given situation. He will give practical insight that will have spiritual implications.
When you see tell tale evidence of ambition that is only for yourself…do a heart check.
Ask God to help you keep your ambition for His agenda and your heart open to Jesus’ ways. It is Christ who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24)
As we allow Jesus Christ to penetrate every area of our lives, His wisdom and His power will amaze us. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
Don’t settle for anything less than the wisdom that comes from God. It simply isn’t worth it!
It’s challenging to think about forgiving people who have hurt us, isn’t it? We don’t want to let go of the painful memories of abuse, put-downs, broken promises, harsh words, family or work offenses.
One outstanding example of forgiveness occurred when Corrie Ten Boom met a former Nazi officer who had abused her and her sister during imprisonment, assisting in the death of other prisoners. He told her he had become a Christian and proceeded to ask Corrie to forgive him. As he reached out his hand towards her, Corrie resisted. Then, in obedience to God, as she extended her hand towards him she felt the surge of the Holy Spirit pour through her in a supernatural act of forgiveness.
Chuck Colson tells the story about a Mrs. Washington who, during a graduation ceremony for inmates completing a Prison Fellowship program, swept to the stage to wrap her arms around a graduating inmate, declaring “this young man is my adopted son.” Everyone had tears in their eyes for they knew that this young man was behind bars for the murder of Mrs. Washington’s daughter.
Accounts like this are amazing! How could people like Corrie and Mrs.Washington endure such great injustices and then turn around to forgive the villains? Yet all they did was purely obey the command “forgive each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
Phillip Yancey wrote, “Forgiveness is another way of admitting, ‘I’m human, I make mistakes, I want to be granted that privilege and so I grant you that privilege.’ ”
Forgiveness cancels a debt someone owes us and restores relationship. It is the only solution in a world ridden with sin and evil to help us start over with people and with God.
We learn about real forgiveness at the foot of the cross where Jesus Christ shed His blood to pay for the sins of the whole world. That is God’s kind of forgiveness - free, sacrificial, at no cost on our part.
When we experience God’s forgiveness we want to obey Him like Corrie and Mrs. Washington, extending that forgiveness to others.
So, how do we practically forgive someone who has hurt us? Here are some steps to forgiveness. Applying these steps to our lives can help deliver us from bitterness and work towards forgiveness:
1. We need to know and experience Christ’s love and forgiveness deeply in our own lives(Colossians 3:13).
2. We can make the choice to forgive. When Corrie Ten Boom extended her hand to the former Nazi officer, she did it choosing to follow Christ versus her feelings. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
3. Christ can help us overcome negative thoughts and beliefs which block forgiveness. We can ask Him to soften our hearts and change our minds towards that person, granting us the power to forgive him/her (Philippians 4:8, 13).
4. We can recognize that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. This helps us empathize with those who have injured us. Mrs. Washington’s acceptance of her daughter’s killer was based on her realization that she was a sinner in need of grace as well. Paul writes in Romans 15:7-8, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
5. The Holy Spirit can empower us, when we surrender to Him daily, with the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control towards those who have hurt us (Galatians 5:22, 3).
6. When it’s still hard to forgive, we can place our trust in God who will someday judge all the wrongs in the world. We can leave revenge and justice up to Him. Proverbs 20:22 says, “Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the Lord, and He will deliver you.” And Paul writes in Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
7. When we are stuck in unforgiveness, we can ask to talk and pray with a confidante, a pastor or a counselor to help us deal with the resentment and hurt we feel towards the offender. This will provide a context for release of the painful feelings we are experiencing, provide support, and a better understanding of the person and situation.
When others hurt or abuse us, disrespect or humiliate us, we can forgive them as Corrie and Mrs. Washington did. God Himself is the power behind our ability to forgive. He can enable us to do the impossible: “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).
Perhaps the most powerful outcome of forgiveness is that it changes and enables us to become more like Christ, who said as He hung dying on the cross… “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
God’s love and grace is the power behind forgiveness, granting us supernatural power to forgive others, the power to overcome resentment, the power to redeem relationships and show God’s love to a hurting world.
© Copyright 2001 by Lynette J. Hoy, NCC, LCPC. Reprinted from The Godly Business Woman, Jan/Feb 2002.
Order the What’s Good About Anger? anger management certificate course. This book and program teaches you how to turn your anger into faith, assertiveness, problem-solving and forgiveness!
Lynette J. Hoy is a Marriage and Family Counselor in private practice in Oak Park, Illinois. Lynette regularly presents seminars on: women’s issues, assertiveness, “What’s Good About Anger?”, stress and conflict management, PREP’s “Fighting for Your Marriage,” grief and divorce recovery. Lynette is a National Certified Counselor and the Chairwoman of CBWC: Chicago-land’s Connecting Business Women to Christ. Contact her for seminars, articles or counseling needs at http://www.counselcareconnection.org/services.asp or 708-524-3333. See her web sites: www.hoyweb.com, www.counselcareconnection.org and www.cbwc.net
Get more ministry tips and encouragement from the Archives.
“How do you forgive someone?” Tears filled her eyes as she asked this question and told me how she had tried and tried to forgive, yet the pain just wouldn’t go away.
Forgiveness is not forgetting. It is a crisis of your will…..a choice you make. It is not something you do for the sake of the other person. You forgive for your own sake. It is not an issue between you and the offender; it is between you and God.
Yet many come back, as this dear lady did, to say, “I thought I forgave, but the hurt is still there.”
When you have truly let the person who hurt you off your hook, leaving them to God and you find the pain still remains, there is something you can do. It doesn’t mean your forgiveness has not been sincere.
Our emotions get damaged when we get hurt. Often in forgiving we fail to acknowledge the damage that has occurred in our emotions. God is the great Healer and our Redeemer who buys back the damaged goods and restores them.
Go to God and tell Him that you have forgiven your offender. Tell God how the offense made you feel. Ask Him to take the shame of the incident and resulting lies you began to believe about yourself that you were unwanted, unlovable, foolish, shameful, or unacceptable. Be honest.
Tell God you accept His love and the filling of the Holy Spirit and give al those damaged emotions to Him, asking Him to heal them. Unhealed emotions can become a filter through which we put the daily experiences of life and unhealed hurt can grow.
The Holy Spirit brings the oil of healing to your soul. Sometimes it happens immediately and sometimes it occurs over time as you acknowledge the lies you believed about yourself.
God tells us in His Word,
“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1
Be a prisoner no longer! Turn to the Healer of your heart.
Father God,
I thank you for Your wonderful forgiveness extended to me. I extend that same forgiveness to my offender. Now as I release my damaged emotions to You, I ask that Your grace will lavish my heart with Your healing. Thank you that You have shown me the lies I began to believer about myself. Thank you that You are my Great Redeemer who redeems my wounded spirit. In Jesus’ strong name I pray, amen.
Gail Rodgers
~ Gail Rodgers draws from her own life experience in her roles as wife, mother of three, business woman and as a pastor to women. She is a regular contributor to Christian Women Today’s daily devotions. To receive them click here. This devotional was used with permission from her book, Everything You Need.
If God called you today to an extraordinary task… would you step into it with exceptional faith?
God uses ordinary people on ordinary days to accomplish great things for Him.
We marvel at the “faith giants” we read about in the Bible. Yet we too can experience miracles today. We can have faith that moves mountains.
I’ve seen that kind of faith in the quiet strength of a grandmother as she waits in intensive care. The tiny heart of her grand daughter is not expected to continue beating through the night. Yet it does… and the doctors are amazed.
I see mountain moving faith in a friend who battles cancer and is a delight to be with. Her moment by moment faith yields real joy and she is an inspiration.
Faith through business struggles; faith in spite of long waiting; faith that sees relationships restored; faith that holds one steady through the challenges of the day.
The “faith giants” of yesterday inspire our faith today and equip us with growing faith for our tomorrow.
Faith giants are ordinary people.
It was an ordinary day. Moses was doing the same job he had done for years…when God called him. Moses stepped into his destiny as a “faith giant”. The miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea became his legacy (Exodus14:13-17).
Gideon stood threshing wheat when the Lord called him to lead a battle (Judges 6 & 7). His faith took him into an amazing victory with few men and no weapons.
Young David was delivering bread and cheese to his brothers on the battlefield on an ordinary afternoon… when his faith gave him opportunity to slay Goliath.
The “faith giants” of old were ordinary people, some even reluctant and hesitant. All were faced with a choice to either shrink back from the opportunity …or…to move ahead with God by their side.
If you face an extraordinary circumstance in your life today change your view of it. See it as an opportunity to exercise faith in our amazing God.
Faith giants believe God.
Faith opportunities aren’t always dressed up the way we think they might be. They often come in the garb of difficult circumstances and overwhelming challenges. The track record of God’s past faithfulness gave the old “faith giants” courage to say “yes” to new opportunities of faith.
Moses knew his heritage and the story of the faith of his mom. Her faith saved him from death as an infant when he was rescued from the river. He knew God’s power.
David pressed on in faith to fight the giant because he had already seen his faith at work when God helped him slay a lion and a bear. He faced Goliath in the name of the Lord God.
Faith believes God for amazing displays of His power.
God never tried to convince any of the old “faith giants” that they were qualified to do what He required. No, He simply spoke about His ability to give them the power they needed. “Go and I will be with you,” was enough for them.
Though weak in their own strength they believed their God was with them. They are placed in history with their courage held out to us… “who through faith conquered kingdoms; and whose weakness was turned to strength and who became powerful in battle” (Hebrews 11: 23 -35).
God’s agenda is to bring people to Himself through the demonstration of His power in answer to the faith of ordinary people.
The “faith giants” of the past modeled what it means to walk by faith and not by sight. They were just like us… yet their faith in God allowed them to see mountains moved and nations changed.
So march right up to your “Red Sea”; look your Goliath in the eye in the name of the Lord God. It is our faith that pleases Him. He credits faith as righteousness.
Believe God today. Believe He is there in your circumstance even if it looks entirely bleak. Believe He wants to make Himself known to you and to those around you. Depend on Him. Lean into Him for wisdom and strength and discernment today.
Believe God as you walk in your ordinary day. Ask Him to help you grow your faith. He wants to make Himself known to those in the world around you who so desperately need Him. Believe God in your circumstances today. Be a “faith giant” today!
Gail Rodgers has a passion for discovering and sharing how the Scriptures apply in very practical ways where we live and walk each day. She is a wife, mother of three, businesswoman and a pastor to women. She resides in Alberta, Canada with her family. Buy a copy of Gail’s new book today at http://www.gailrodgers.ca/orderBook.htm
“The fact that You, Lord, would allow the praises of Your people to be their own greatest blessing is something only an amazing God of love would do.”
“The Prayer That Changes Everything” by Stormie Omartian
The praise and worship we offer to our Heavenly Father is more than just an option of the Christian life. It is a critical aspect of our walk as a believer. It moves things in the spiritual realm and it changes us.
God tells us that He inhabits the praises of His people. He lives within the praises that flow from a heart amazed at who God is. As we grow in our knowledge of all God is, it begins to affect all we are.
Is your heart amazed at who God is? Does His praise flow out of your heart and mouth?
If God is feeling distant in your life, could it be that you have ceased to offer Him your praises? Has gratitude shriveled up within your soul? Have you forgotten all God is?
We can forget who God is when we let His Word slip from a place of importance.
We can forget who God is when our circumstances or relationships disappoint us and we blame Him for where we find ourselves. As we lose sight of all God is, we slip from expectation and faith to discouragement and fear.
As we come before the Lord we are reminded of all He is and our faith is strengthened.
As our faith is strengthened we are able to offer up all we are and have to Him. He offers to us all that He is.
Think of all He is:
He is Wisdom (1 Corinthians
He is Powerful (1 Corinthians
He is Love (1 John
He is my Restorer (Psalm 23:3) Allow Him to restore the broken places.
He is my Shield (Psalm 33:20) Rest in His protection.
He is the All-sufficient One (2 Cor. 12:9) Place your weaknesses in His care.
Understanding all God is and declaring your wonder and gratitude for Him is a powerful thing. As we come to know all He is and offer our worship, He comes near and we experience Him as never before.
Praise and worship is so much more than music or readings. It is understanding who God is and allowing that knowledge to inspire our faith as we look to Him with expectation and hope. It is celebrating all He is and declaring the truth of it. As we embrace God in all His radiance He amazingly illuminates our soul and lights our path.
Psalm 34:3 & 4
“Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt His nane together. I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame.”
Gail Rodgers has a passion for discovering and sharing how the Scriptures apply in very practical ways where we live and walk each day. She is a wife, mother of three, businesswoman and a pastor to women. She resides in Alberta, Canada with her family. Buy a copy of Gail’s new book today at http://www.gailrodgers.ca/orderBook.htm