by Harriet Hairston
http://harriet-canshesaythat.blogspot.com

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary has several definitions for the word “crown:”

1. A reward of victory or mark of honor;
2. A royal or imperial headdress or cap of sovereignty;
3. A wreath, band, or circular ornament for the head, and my favorite:
4. Something that imparts splendor, honor, or finish.

So my question for the ladies is which of the above definitions apply to you? Truthfully, #3 applies to us all.  As wives or future wives, we were created to be crowns to our husbands.  We are going to be a crown whether we like it or not.

The key, though, is what kind of crown ARE you?  A wise person once sat me down during a particularly turbulent time I was having with my husband.  He told me something that stuck with me, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.  He said, “As a wife, you’re going to be a crown to your husband.  Whether a crown of glory or a crown of thorns is strictly up to you.”

A crown of glory:

• Understands that she was taken from a man’s side to protect his most vital organ…his heart.  As such, she ensures her speech and demeanor with him does not take advantage of that area of vulnerability.
• Realizes that her responsibility is to INFLUENCE the vision for her family and steer it in the direction God assigned for it.

A crown of thorns, on the other hand:

• Capitalizes on her husband’s vulnerabilities and belittles him every time she gets a chance to.
• Would prefer to have double vision (division) as opposed to influence.  Would rather LEAD than influence the vision for her family, thus steering it apart instead of together.

Do you impart splendor, honor or proof of finish to your husband’s life?  Or do you belittle, embarrass, crucify and damn your husband every time you get a chance?  Remember always that a worthy wife is the crown of glory.  Choose today which you will be for the rest of your life.

God bless!

“A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones,” Proverbs 12:4 (New Living Translation)

by Harriet Hairston
http://harriet-canshesaythat.blogspot.com

“How big is your imagination?  How much do you dream?  Have you ever had a vision that seemed so far to reach?”

These words reached out and grabbed me over seven years ago as I was listening to Yolanda Adams’ latest album in my car on my way to work.  I can answer them for myself now, but for a time in my marriage, I couldn’t tell you the answers my husband would have to these questions.  He is a visionary, but in many ways, I didn’t know how to tap in to the melody of his heart to encourage him to pursue those visions.  My attitude was very “business as usual,” and although it didn’t have a detrimental effect on our marriage, a change in that area could have revolutionized it long ago.

“Well, I ain’t trying to preach to you, but I’m really concerned about the road you choose.  Where are you going? What are you doing? What are you choosing?”

Are you concerned about the road your spouse chooses beyond just paying bills and taking care of business?  So many people these days are content to die at age 25, and then wait to get buried at age 90.  What about your spouse’s wildest dreams?  How can you aid in making them a reality?  Beyond what goes on in the bedroom, what is your spouse passionate about?  How can you create a symphony that will move your spouse to dance towards his or her destiny?

“Let the melody you hear whisper softly in your ear, telling you that you can do anything if you believe.”

What kind of composition have you created to help get your spouse to his or her purpose?  Here are some questions I asked my husband to ascertain what his dreams were:

• Baby, what are you passionate about?
• What kinds of dreams did you have about you future when you were a child?
• Did you give up on those dreams?  If so, why?
• Did you fulfill your dreams?  If not, how can I help?
• Have there been times when you have wanted to set your dreams in motion, but my attitude stifled your desire?  Please forgive me if that’s ever been the case.

“We should be willing to become the biggest fan of our spouses.  We have the unique opportunity to join them in dance in the unique melody of encouragement that cannot be composed by anyone other than us.”Look, God is all-powerful.  Who is a teacher like Him? No one can tell Him what to do, or say to Him, ‘You have done wrong.’ Instead, glorify His mighty works, singing songs of praise,”  Job 36:22-24 (New Living Translation)

by Wanza Leftwich
http://www.thegospelwriter.blogspot.com

I’ve never been so disappointed in my life. I thought once I married all would be well. But that didn’t last long. Just about two days to be exact. We had our first argument waiting for the plane to go on our honeymoon. Marital bliss? What is that? Does it even exist?

By the time we hit the five year mark, we were well into the woes of marriage: rent, bills, childcare and a sex life that was not something to talk about at the high school reunion. It was a marriage, but what kind of marriage was it I kept asking myself. Was it supposed to like that? Was I supposed to cry myself to sleep at night?

Could this be all that God intended for the marriage I thought was mine? Didn’t God tell me to marry this man? Who was he anyway?

He’s certainly not the man I thought I married. The man I dated brought flowers, perfume and cards for every occasion or non occasion. It didn’t matter the day, he always gave me kisses and hugs. Or was that my imagination? Did I miss something? Was I kissing myself? Did I ask him to bring the perfume and flowers because it was Valentine’s Day? Did I date myself for two years and not know it?

He firmly declares that I proposed to him? I don’t remember it that way. I remember bringing up the topic of marriage, but I didn’t get on my knees with the ring and say, “Will you marry me?”

Did I force him?

Did I?

So what does a girl do when she believes her marriage is failing and her resources have run out? How do I escape this Monday kind of love and get to the weekend where love flows free?

I decide to pray and read God’s Word, The Bible, for instructions.

Then I moved by faith. I couldn’t continue to walk around in a fog and let my marriage die. I was miserable. He was miserable. Things had to change. What I didn’t realize it that things needed to change on the inside of me.

I had a list of problems I felt my husband added to the relationship. Then, the more I prayed the more I read the Bible, I realized that I was the problem. I needed to improve who I was – I needed to love myself unconditionally before I could love him.

The problems I saw in him were actually the things I hated about myself. I called him selfish, yet I was the one that always wanted things my way. I called him faithless, but I was the one who didn’t believe what we had would survive. I called him non-sensitive but I was the one that didn’t value who he was, what he did or who God was making him to be.

I was stuck on Monday in our marriage.

Then it hit me. So he doesn’t bring home the flowers any more? Maybe I should go out and buy him a DVD of one of his favorite movies? There is something that I can do to make this relationship work. Whether I coerced myself into this marriage or not, I am here and I’m not leaving.

I was ready to work. I needed to see Tuesday in my marriage and get through the week. My husband became my priority and 24 hour commitment to love him better by faith. I couldn’t change the past but I promised myself that the future would not be the same.

We’re headed toward seven years of marriage this June. No longer do I settle for a Monday’s kind of love…we’re steadily headed toward Saturday!

“If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love,” 1 Corinthians 13:7 (The Message)

Have you ever wanted to help save a marriage or keep a family together? Perhaps you’ve wished that you could stop the agony a child feels when they have to choose whether or not they’ll spend Thanksgiving with Mom or Dad’s family when all they really want is for them to stay together?

Did you know that learning how to communicate with each other effectively and utilizing positive communication skills can nudge some couples who were “thinking” divorce to remove the “D word” from the equation altogether and set them on the path to repair their family? Singles haven’t managed to avoid “broken relationship syndrome” either. That is why wise men and women have begun utilizing the tools in our retreats and the information on our websites to have better and more fulfilling relationships.

That’s what the Love Better Camp, Inc. is all about and YOU CAN HELP US KEEP HELPING OTHERS!

Donate a product or service that we will make available through our ONLINE AUCTION.

Your donation will assist us with saving the nation one marriage, family, single man, woman or child at a time.

NEED SUGGESTIONS? We’d love to auction off Prom Dresses, Vintage Jewelry, Marriage Counseling Sessions, Photo Shoots, Gift Cards, Hand Bags, Dinner for 2, Website Designs, Book Cover Designs and more. We are also putting together beauty boxes. If you are a manufacturer of beauty products send them and we’ll stuff the boxes until they’re full and then auction them off!

We’ve already gotten generous donations from: Alexia Admor, Creative Ankh, Fave Media, 1721 Media and we know that more are on the way! However, we can’t do it without YOU.

The Auction will begin March 1, 2010 and end October 1, 2010

The mission of the Love Better Camp, Inc. is to serve the community by providing self-esteem building outings, activities, seminars, conferences and interactive retreats for singles, couples and their families to strengthen not only the marital unit, but the individual self-worth and the family bond. Our viable online communities have collectively empowered over 400 individuals daily by equipping them with the tools that enable them to become better communicators, choose safer relationships, revive fledgling relationships and lessen the chances of divorce by increasing the ratio of happy marriages and keeping families together. The goal whether single, married or divorced is for the Love Better Camp, Inc. to assist individuals with halting self-sabotaging behavior before it starts and teach them ways to choose and form more wholesome relationships.

Love Better Camp, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our tax ID number is 26-4085897. Your gift is tax deductible to the full extent provided by law.

In closing, I want to thank you in advance for your support. Please email us if you have any questions or comments about the Love Better Camp.

Sincerely,

The Love Better Camp Team

by Rachel Renee Griggs
http://www.RachelReneeGriggs.com

My friend’s cellphone was stolen recently. The thief was not satisfied with gaining a new phone, he also took it upon himself to send me an email with an outrageous proposition. The good thing is that even though I was unaware that my friend’s phone had been stolen, I knew immediately that the email was not intended for me. I doubted that my friend was even the author of the message,which had been sent from his corporate email account.

The whole thing was so strange that I tried to get in contact with my friend to warn him because I believed his email account had been hacked. When he later called me and told me he lost his phone, I told him what happened which confirmed his suspicion that the phone was stolen. Thankfully, he had turned off his wireless account as soon as he realized it was missing.

This whole incident is such a violation and reminds me of what we are up against every day. The enemy of our souls is constantly trying to steal something from us, constantly trying to get his foot in the door of our lives, constantly trying to impersonate a friend or a voice to be trusted.

We must guard our hearts and be watchful. We must tune our ears to the voice of God so that we are not tempted by the propositions of the enemy. When we know God’s character we cannot be fooled by anyone who does not come by the Spirit of the Lord. The thief can come to steal, kill and destroy, however he will not get very far with his plan when we keep our spiritual eyes and ears open.

Lord I pray that I might increasingly know You more intimately so that I might never be fooled by the voice of another. I pray that Your Word is deeply rooted in me so that imposters are immediately exposed by the light of Your Truth.

^“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one,” John 10:27-30 (NIV)

by Michelle Cameron
http://blogs.myspace.com/shellylove2002

As I prepare for the next phase of my life, I realize that many wounds still exist from previous personal experiences. The past has an uncanny knack of showing up at the most inopportune moments – like when you are trying to focus on something very important (like work, for example), or while praying (that’s important too), or even when you’re trying to relax. Old memories that seem like they occurred only yesterday impose their presence with little warning.

Then the feelings flood; what you thought was a done deal resurrects itself in your bosom. Why did I think that comment no longer bothered me? When will I stop feeling this way? I don’t want to cry now – why are my eyes stinging and burning NOW?

I usually surrender to the feelings/memories, but only briefly. I remind myself (sometimes out loud) that it is time to move on, and that God has already fixed it. I will murmur to myself – “When are you gonna get past that?” I may even whisper a prayer on behalf of the person (or on my behalf) and invoke God’s wisdom, healing and deliverance. I will also ask Him if there is something else I need to do or say to liberate my spirit.

Getting past the hurt, disappointments, injustices and pain may take a very long time. Forgiveness is definitely a progressive work. I may be able to forgive A (i.e. a person or a situation) today, but it may take another 3 months for me to forgive B. As much as our very spiritual friends may try to tell us otherwise, God is walking with us through this journey from bondage to true liberty. He will not abandon us as we face our daily giants and, like David of old, pick up our smooth stones and swing our slings to kill them and gain new freedom.

As we rid ourselves of these obstacles, our healing begins to take place. We can genuinely face some of these individuals, smile at them and hold a decent conversation without it becoming a tongue-lashing session or breaking out into a fist fight. We can chat with them freely without dreaming of slashed throats or imagining ourselves behind bars. REAL TALK!

Sometimes we are given the impression that forgiveness and healing means we can resume life “as usual” before the breach in our friendship/relationship with that individual. Nothing could be further from the truth. If that person has not sought help or it is not safe to resume “business as usual” then you can love them from a distance. What matters is within our hearts there is no place for hate, arrogance or vengeance on the matter. We have voluntarily placed our hearts in the blessed hands of God and we are allowing Him to mend the broken pieces back together. Rage begins to melt away, and we may even realize we had a part to play in the mess – or we are 100% innocent and cannot take on any guilt or blame legitimately.

Healing must come before we can be completely free. Deliverance can be had in stages or all at once, but it never happens without our conscious efforts and deliberate actions. To say to that person “I forgive you” or ask “Will you please forgive me?” is part of your deliverance. To let him or her know you were hurt but you chose to forgive and move on is an act of freedom. No longer can that situation or that person hold you hostage. They cannot “rent space” in your heart or mind anymore – after all, you should be in control of your thoughts and feelings, correct?

Are you ready for complete deliverance? Are you looking with longing at what lies over on the other side of your current situation? Take my hand, friend; let us walk together through this difficult, thorny path to healing and freedom, one step and one situation at a time. It will be well worth it in the end.

Let’s GO!!!

“O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me,” Psalm 30:2 (NIV)

by Lakisha Latham
http://wordsoflifeandwisdom.blogspot.com

Why is it so hard to love ourselves? Is it because society has painted a image of the perfect woman/man or is it because we hate ourselves because of things we have done it the past that we felt sealed our fate for the future?

There could be many reasons for the way you feel. For me personally it was the world. I would see magazines upon magazines of skinny women with piles of make up, wearing the latest fashions telling me “this is how you are suppose to look.” Well coming from a single parent household didn’t leave much for me to work with, but my mother did her best by us and for that I’m grateful. I didn’t like myself after the age of 14. Back then my mom had control of my diet and I had an “awesome” figure and though even then I had “guy” issues I thought it would get better as time went by. To my sadness and utter humiliation things got worse.

I got a job and decided to take over my own health buying whatever junk food I wanted. I didn’t know it, but back then I was using food to cover up a deeper problem–I didn’t like myself. As time went by I got fatter and before I knew it I was a chunky female! Now I still saw these women in magazines, but I just figured that I would be liked for who I was. High School was the worst. If the kids didn’t like you, that was it, no questions asked. I began to hate myself more and more each day drowning my problems in food and books. I often hid in the library or skipped class to get away from everyone. The last straw was when my “then” boyfriend took another girl to prom because he thought she was prettier! That blew my world. I knew at that point I was nothing. At this time I didn’t have God in my life, so, I was looking to people and things to fill the loneliness and rejection I “FELT”

I put that in quotations because at the time I didn’t know the devil was planting lies in my head!

After the humiliation of high school I dropped out at 17 years old. I figured I could make it working at White Castle. I started running through man after man, calling date lines and even messing around with coworkers. I figured that I could get a man that way or that I could feel loved and be a Princess. See after all, I was still innocent in so many ways. I believed in Prince Charming and all that fairy tale mess. I even started living in that world to escape my present situation. The men came and went and I became less and less of the bright girl I once was. The devil had me fully believing that I wasn’t worth anything and that I was going to die a lonely person. So I ate more and more and at this point I’m beyond depressed and I’m aching to be loved.

I turned to dark music to get by. To me it expressed what I was feeling but, I didn’t know how to get it out. Soon after I began to be tormented at night. Nightmares of hell and Satan himself filled my nights. I started drinking and smoking weed not only to fit in but to escape my life. None of it worked I was still an outcast. Women were my final straw. I figured if I became a lesbian I would be loved and fit in with the crowd, but it just made everything worse. It took my hair dresser to get me to church and when I finally accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior the chains fell off and the years of abuse and pain came out in uncontrollable tears! I was free, or so I thought.

Since 2001 it has been a struggle. I came in and out of God trying to fight my own demons not submitting to God. See, I thought I was so hideous that not even He could love me! Then I read Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Know that whatever the devil has allowed you to believe is false ask the Lord to show you His divine path for you life! Psalm 71:6 By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You. He knew what you would go through but he also knew you would find your way to Him! Trust your FATHER cry out to Him release those years of frustration and pain and watch Him heal deliver and set you free! He has for me in so many ways!

In conclusion Jesus is my boyfriend and He will be until God sends me the right one! I still battle my weight and even now He is still healing me but, I’m with women and men of God who love me. I’m even going deeper into worship and my love for Him. He is awesome! Find a awesome local church where u can get the support you need it’s never too late to turn to God, Amen.

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well,” Psalm 139:14 (KJV)

NOW COMING IN PAPERBACK!

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The Plural Thing: Spiritually Preparing for Your Soul Mate is unadulterated, hard-hitting, tough-loving, no-nonsense truth. With Biblical principles, keen insight, self-disclosure and candidness Grosvenor provides guidance to those struggling with sexual soul ties, an adulterous relationship, low self-esteem and have resigned themselves to settling for second-best or are just in love with being in love and finally want the freedom to receive God’s blessings for their lives. The Plural Thing: Spiritually Preparing for Your Soul Mate set advanced readers on FIRE and has eagerly been made recommended reading by church groups and singles ministries across the United States. This inspirational book for singles will foster energetic discussion and is appropriate for Christians of all ages.

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A Copy of The Plural Thing: Spiritually Preparing for Your Soul Mate

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Read an Excerpt of The Plural Thing: Spiritually Preparing for Your Soul Mate here.

RULES:

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4. On March 24, 2010 a WINNER will be chosen at random using Random.org and notified via the email provided. (ENTRY PERIOD EXTENDED!!!!!)

Note: Each book purchased via the link above enters you into the drawing one time. Example purchase 3 books and you are entered 3 times into the drawing. Buy a copy for yourself and for a couple of friends! A winner will be chosen at random from all entries received. You MUST be subscribed to the mailing list with the “same” email address used to purchase your books to be entered to win. Winner has 48 hours to claim prize. Hardcover purchases do not qualify for gift card drawing. Void where prohibited by law.

[READ AN EXCERPT HERE]

by Linda Dominique Grosvenor
http://www.LindaDominiqueGrosvenor.com

My husband and I are moving towards one day building our dream home. We’d like to have an ample amount of acreage to preserve our privacy. We both grew up with neighbors in the apartment on top of us and next door to us and seek the solace of it just being us two as we enjoy our lives together. Of course aside from the actual housing structure we desire open space. It is for this reason that some people opt to fence in their property, but I have always been more fond of hedges. They are a variation of tree, foliage, plant, but protection nonetheless. What I’ve found, however, is that even though you put up hedges around your house, just like in life and in relationships, it doesn’t keep everybody out. Some people will see your hedges and respect them, some will part them and try to get a closer look, some will walk right around them and pretend that they’re not even there and then there are some who will conveniently believe that the hedges (boundaries) don’t apply to them. In this instance I’m talking about the married man, single woman dilemma. Let’s take a moment to realize that everything we do in male/female friendships may not please everybody involved or God either for that matter. Therefore we have to learn to be more open to feedback and govern ourselves in a way that doesn’t hinder our own love lives. Here are some things to consider when you find yourself “close” friends with a married man:

First and foremost, make sure his wife doesn’t have a problem with your friendship. Don’t just take his word for it–he may want the friendship and enjoy talking to you as much as you do him and doesn’t want to risk losing the friendship by telling you the truth. Whenever you are friends with a married man, however, you need to understand it is a package deal. You should be able to engage the man as well as his wife and you should “want” to do it. If you are only engaging the husband and totally excluding his wife, your dealings and communication with him are in complete error. This means you need to be “actively” fostering a growing relationship with the wife as well as maintaining what you have with her husband and if you’re not doing this, seek God and evaluate why. Remember we’re not talking acquaintances here, we’re talking about friendships and there’s an all or none rule when it comes to friendships with married people. Your relationship needs to be with BOTH of them or none of them. Most importantly if you communicate with his wife and she expresses concerns about the friendship–if you are intent on living right and pleasing God–you need to pull back, because while you may view him separately–they are one flesh (Genesis 2:24).

Realize that his marriage covenant is a covenant that is held up before God and that his relationship with his wife trumps the five, ten or fifteen years you’ve been friends (Matthew 19:6). No matter what personal and private things he’s shared with you in the past, his wife’s feelings have to be respected above all else and as a single friend you have to take a moment to process the fact that the friendship with the now married man will be much different than it was when he was single and not obligated to a spouse. God has entrusted his wife to him and he can’t do anything to damage that relationship or make it shaky–not even engaging you. If you can’t deal with the change in the marital status and the new way in which you’ll have to engage the married man in friendship, then chances are (deep down whether you’ll admit it openly or not) the friendship was more than just a friendship to you. Maybe there is an emotional attachment that you feel towards the man or enjoy the attention that he offers through conversation and other interaction a little too much. If you sense that this is the case with you, first realize that his affection isn’t yours and that his job isn’t to make you feel better about yourself and secondly, realize that as a woman who is friends with a married man there may need to be a separation between you two that may even need to be permanent, because you could be getting too close to crossing the line, even if it’s only in your own mind.

Understand that it is HIGHLY inappropriate for a married man to nurture a single woman emotionally or allow a single woman to nurture him emotionally. When he takes a wife it is his responsibility to nurture his wife and his wife’s responsibility is to nurture him. It doesn’t mean that married people can’t talk to or listen to other people or encourage them, but a man cannot become “emotionally invested” in a woman who isn’t his significant other. Neither the husband or wife should be getting emotional needs met from outside of the marital covenant and personal and private issues should never be shared by the married man to outside parties either. Likewise the single woman has to make certain she isn’t drawing the married man into illicit conversations with talk about her sex life, breast surgery and other inappropriate things. A married man’s mind has no business going there with you and if you take him there God holds you personally accountable for the end result. As a single woman  you also cannot repeatedly tug on a married man’s time via telephone, emails or in person under the guise that you have nobody else to talk to either. A married man cannot be your best friend no matter how you slice it. A married man’s best friend is his wife and you must realize that God is not pleased with the disruption of any marriage by outside parties. Praying for spiritually-grounded single friends to come into your life would be most helpful to you so that this married man doesn’t become your lifeline. We also cannot believe that God will tie a single woman to a married man spiritually and leave the wife completely out. That never happens by God’s doing. If you feel as if you have some kind of connection to a married man, that is an ungodly soul tie that needs to be broken because it can be used as a door to have constant communication with this man under the guise of “spirituality” when in fact God wants to be the spiritual comfort for that single woman and He wants the husband to be the spiritual comfort for his wife without interference from any other woman, single or not (Proverbs 5:15-19).

Finally, many relationships start out as friendships, so it should come as no surprise that friendships that cross the line can end up as secret affairs if they aren’t kept in check. We like to blame the boundaries and guidelines put up to safeguard marriages an “insecurity” issue on the part of the wife (or husband), however, it’s more an issue of inappropriateness on the part of the friend who wants things to be like it was when the married man was single or in the event that they met when he was married–wishing he was single, so that they can behave in the void of rules. Do your friendships with the married man you know cross any of these lines? Ask yourself, is he always one of the last 5 people you call or email every single day or every single week? Are every one of those calls and emails to him God-led and necessary? Remember you don’t have to commit adultery for your actions and behavior to be adulterous in nature (Matthew 5:28). Adultery isn’t just sex, it’s anything that can take away or draw either spouse away from the covenant God united them in and your constant contact with the married man can keep you on his mind–even when you shouldn’t be–and some of you know that. But for the sake of your soul, don’t hinder the blessings that God has for you because you’re intent on being inappropriate with a married friend, co-worker, church member or family member. If someone ignored your hedges and came barging up to your front door how would you feel? Stand back and take a good look at yourself and how you interact with your married friends and make certain that you aren’t peeping over someone else’s hedges. Marriage is difficult enough without adding unnecessary fuel to the fire.

“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered,” 1 Peter 3:7 (KJV).

by Cortnee Zirpel
http://unhub.com/cortnee4christ

I woke up this morning to my son bringing me his toddler Bible. He said he wanted to read me something. When he opened it up he said “Jesus died on the cross…and rose again.” And looked at me and smiled. It was the cutest, most precious thing I have ever seen.

Well, onto my thoughts this morning. Since I was so struck yesterday with Hebrews 4, I decided to continue there. I went on to read the last few verses in the chapter. This is what they said:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:15,16.

So here it is. The final piece to yesterday’s story. Not only are we to find rest in the Lord, but before we do, we are told to bring our cares and concerns to Jesus. Not casually, or carelessly, but with confidence! We are to come bold to the throne! That means we let Jesus know exactly what is going on with us. It means we can cry, laugh, mourn, hurt, be frustrated, confused, exhausted with Him. We can let our hair down and relax our thoughts and emotions at the feet of our intercessor.

The most interesting and wonderful part of these verses, for me, was about receiving mercy and finding grace to help us in our time of need. Ok, let me break it down for you. First we can receive mercy. This is great, this means it’s something we can accept. It’s something that Jesus can give us just for coming to Him. Wow, if we don’t come to Him, we can’t receive anything! Next what we are receiving is mercy. Mercy is compassion. Don’t we all need compassion? I don’t know about you but this world is jaded, my family is jaded, and my friends are too! A bible commentary I read this morning states: “(literally, fellow feeling from community of suffering).” You know what that means right? It means that since we are approaching the throne, Jesus, He knows what we are going through because he has suffered as if in a community tragedy. Jesus understands what you are going through because HE HIMSELF went through it too! Wow.

So here we are, at the feet of Jesus, our intercessor, our High Priest, who not only KNOWS what we went through because He went through it too, but is able to intercede on our behalf with God the Father. Wow. It’s like having a lawyer defend you for a crime you didn’t commit, and the lawyer, personally having gone through the tragedy himself, defends you! Let that soak in a minute. I have someone on my side that knows PERSONALLY what I am going through. Don’t you think when they are talking to the judge they will be passionate about your case? Don’t you think that they will fight tooth and nail for you? Or nail and cross for you? So what we learn is: “Mercy especially refers to the remission and removal of sins.” So the lawyer, Jesus, goes in front of the judge, God the Father, and says: “Lord, Lord, this person is innocent! I declare this person clean and holy! Nothing can touch them!” Wow – Jesus is so cool!

Here’s where it gets better. The next thing we find at the Throne of Grace is grace itself. Again, in the Bible commentary it says: grace to the saving bestowal of spiritual gifts.” Ok – so picture it with me again, Jesus in court, in front of the Judge and says: “And not only that Lord, but I request that this person be given back everything you have given them. I request that their life be restored spiritually.” Amazing. So we get our sins taken away, washed clean BECAUSE of Christ, and then He says, that’s not enough, give them back their gifts, their spiritual fervor for you! So amazing!

Ok – we are almost done. And this is my FAVORITE part – the part that struck me right where I was all last week. Right in the middle of my pain and suffering…”to help us in our time of need.” Ok – so this is the part I like because it isn’t conditional. This part says WHENEVER you need it! Whenever your life sucks, whenever your hurt makes you want to hurt, whenever you feel hopeless, frustrated, angry, disappointed! The Bible commentary says about help in our time of need: “Before we are overwhelmed by the temptation; when we most need it, in temptations and persecutions; such as is suitable to the time, persons. A supply of grace is in store for believers against all exigencies; but they are only supplied with it according as the need arises…that is, to-day, while it is yet open to us. He is able to succor them that are tempted.”
Succor…

NOUN:

1. Assistance in time of distress; relief.
2. One that affords assistance or relief.

Selah…pause and think of that!

Wow – so again, back at the courtroom…Jesus continues: “And Lord, as it pleases You, I would like to add that this person be able to come to the court at ANY time. Any time they need assistance in a time of distress, anytime they need RELIEF! I request that they be able to come to the court, with me, and address their needs and concerns, and ask for assistance and relief! Wow!! If you don’t get it, I will be praying for you!

In case you need more, I will recap…We have an open throne, a way to get to that throne of grace where God can restore our faith, remove our sins, and relieve our distresses…TODAY, as the need arises, while it is open for us, because He used His Son to take on your sins and hurts and pain, so that He now knows what you are going through, and can have compassion on you! But guess what? It all depends on you! It all depends on whether you are willing to humble yourself, go to the feet of Jesus, ask and RECEIVE!

WOW! I hope this becomes a revelation in your life! I know it has in mine. I love that Jesus understands me and wants the BEST for me. I love that God is so creative that He knew exactly what we needed in our sinful flesh, and allows us to come to Him anytime, through Christ, because of His community suffering!!

I love you and I hope you have a fabulous weekend! Spend some time thanking Jesus for what He died for you! It will turn your mourning into Joy, and your disappointments into Thanksgiving!

Praise be to you Lord, my God, my Refuge and my Strength. Thank you for your awesomeness and power! Thank you for your Words that speak to our hearts.

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)