Humility

Today the ladies continued on in our study of "pride in possessions" from 1 John 2:16 by introducing the "put on" of humility as the opposite of pride. The manifestations are taken from the book From Pride to Humility by Stuart Scott. 1) Recognizing and trusting God's character, 2) Seeing yourself as having no right to question an Almighty and Perfect God. As the ladies continue with this study over the next several days, we pray that you will ask God to help you cultivate these manifestations of humility in your life.

Pride, part 4

We welcomed Crystal to the program today and finished up the study of pride and it's manifestations. 26) Being jealous or envious, 27) Using others, 28) Being deceitful by covering up sins, 29) Using attention-getting tactics, 30) Not having close relationships. We pray that you have prayerfully asked the Lord to reveal to you any of these prideful manifestations that might be present in your life. Next time, the ladies will begin discussing the opposite of pride - humility.

Pride, part 3

Here are additional manifestations of pride that have been discussed in the last week and today: 7) perfectionism, 8) talking too much, 9) talking too much about yourself, 10) seeking independence or control, 11) being consumed with what others think, 12) being devastated by criticism, 13)being unteachable, 14) being sarcastic, 15) a lack of service, 16) a lack of compassion, 17) being defensive, 18) not admitting when you are wrong, 19) not asking for forgiveness, 20), a lack of biblical prayer, 21) resisting authority, 22) voicing opinions when not asked, 23) minimizing your own sin, 24) maximizing others' sin and 25) being impatient or irritable with others. Are there any on this list that are in your life? What have you done to change?

Pride, part 2

The ladies continued their discussion today on the topic of pride. As they discuss pride and humility over the next several weeks, they will be using the book From Pride to Humility by Stuart Scott as a guide in the discussion. They will be sharing some manifestations of pride. Here are some: 1) Complaining against God, 2) A lack of gratitude, 3) Anger 4) Seeing yourself better than others, 5) Having an inflated view of your importance, 6) Being focused on the lack of your gifts. Each day over the next several days, they will share more manifestations of pride and verses giving examples of each. We hope that as you listen you will prayerfully consider if any of these prideful manifestations are a part of your life. If you find they are, please remember that God desires for you to repent and turn away from your sin.

Pride

Over the next two weeks, Pam, Rebecca and Karen will be digging into verse 16, "pride in possessions." The ladies will be sharing a lot of verses. These verses are all listed on our online study notes, which can be found on the right side of our blog. Please use this study guide as you listen to help you follow along. Pride - a strong word to describe our desires and what we depend on. What we are proud about can be an idol. Am I a slave to my stuff? This is a good question to ponder as we begin thinking about if we have pride in our life. Please pray that God will reveal any area(s) in your life where you have pride in your possessions. Ask that God would help you to recognize these areas and then take the proper steps to repent and seek God's forgiveness.

A Personal Note

I just wanted to take this time to let our listeners know that I will be temporarily taking a break from this program. At the time of the recording of today's broadcast, I was put on bed rest due to the arrival of our 5th child. I had begun having pre-term labor and signs that I might deliver our little one early. Since this recording, our daughter was born 5 weeks pre-mature on October 1st and spent some time in the hospital after her birth. We are now home and our daughter is doing just fine. I will be taking a break from the program to care for our new baby and family. I am not sure how long I will be gone, but in the meantime you will hear some other women on the daily program who will help continue our study through 1 John. I am hoping to continue posting on the blog and updating the study notes as their study continues. Thank you for your prayers for our program. We truly desire it to be tool to help you in your spiritual growth. ~Sarah Stephens

Outward Beauty, continued....

Over the last couple of days we shared many verses regarding beauty. If you missed the program or would like the verses - the audio archives and study notes are located on the right of our blog. We discussed today some practical tips on how to be sure we are staying focused on God's beauty as well as modesty. Modesty is a difficult thing to teach to our daughters or other young women we have influence over, yet it is such an important principle to teach. We believe that the biblical principles we gave concerning beauty will help as well when discussing modesty with your daughter, granddaughter or other woman you are encouraging. What are some practical tips to help be sure you are modest? Please share your thoughts with us here by clicking on "comment" under this blog post.

Outward Beauty

Our last topic for discussion under the section of "desires of the eyes" in 1 John 2:16 is outward beauty. There are many principles in Scripture regarding beauty and what is beautiful in God's sight. We asked a question today - is there a Scripture verse that tells us what to physically wear? We couldn't find any, but we know that Scripture tells us to "wear" godly qualities. We hope that through the next couple of days that we can give you some good biblical principles to help you think biblically about your outward beauty.

Discontentment, continued...

We pray that the verses we have shared concerning this topic has helped you to think biblically about contentment. If you missed any of the references we shared, you can download the free study notes from the right of this blog. Use these notes as a guide to help you follow along in our discussion or simply to have the verses and questions we ask about our study. We hope that these notes and this blog are tools that you can use to help you in your quest to know God and His Word more. We mentioned some practical helps to identify areas of discontentment today on the program. Our contentment truly comes from God alone. So ask yourself - do you get upset when you don't get what you want? True contentment comes from a right standing with God. Are you in His Word and is pleasing God your greatest desire? Contentment is a mindset and we must purpose to be content with what we have. When you pray, do you say "I want" or do you pray "if the Lord wills"? These are all tough questions to ask, but we hope that you will ask yourself these questions to see if you are truly being content. Do you have any other practical questions or thoughts we could consider about this topic?

Discontentment

The second example we are using under our discussion of "desires of the eyes" in 1 John 2:16 is Discontentment. As we begin this study, please pray that God would help you see any area in your life where you are discontent. If we were truly honest with ourselves, I think we would find that we are discontent in at least one area of our life. Today we played the "if only" game. We mentioned things that we had thought of ourselves or have heard. For example "if only I had more money, I could ...." Sometimes we think that "if only" we had something that would bring us joy. If YOU played the "if only" game yourself, what would be on your list? We need to remember that our true joy comes through knowing and believing in Christ. In the days ahead we will be sharing more thoughts on how to be content.

Raising Children, continued...

As we complete our discussion on raising children, we see that we need to love our children with a "tender" love. We have to admit, we do love our children, but we do not always show our children tender love. In Titus 2:4, it tells us that the older women are to teach the younger women to "love their children." The love in this passage means a tender, affectionate, warm and caring love. Our kind words and tender affectionate actions towards our children go a long way to show our children we love them. Finally, we see that the ultimate goal of our raising children is that they might receive and accept the gospel. That is our focus! Our love, discipline and example to them ought to be so that we can share Christ with them - that they may be saved. What a calling we have! We challenge you to remember these truths as you seek to raise your children to honor the Lord. Remember that what God has called you to do, He will equip you to fulfill. Seek the Truth from God's Word and be confident in Him alone.

Raising Children, continued...

As we further explain Carolyn Mahaney's job description of a mother, we see that a mother is to provide an authentic example to her children. This means that when I sin against my child, then I must follow the biblical steps of repentance and confession. I must ask my child to forgive me for sinning against them. This teaches them that I am not perfect! An authentic example is not a "perfect" example, but rather an example that doesn't teach hypocrisy! In our biblical training of our children, we see that training and discipline must take place. Teach your children the Bible from a very young age and remind them of the truths of God's Word whenever you can (Deut. 6:6-7). Discipline is also involved in this training process. We shared some verses today regarding biblical discipline and want to encourage you to seek God's way in this. A resource that has been a benefit to us is Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Trip. You can find this from their website: http://www.shepherdpress.com/ . For discussion here: why is it hard to be an authentic example to your children? How can you do this better?

Raising Children

As we look to be specific in our study of 1 John 2:16, the study of raising our children is one that we have chosen. Because the eyes are a gateway into the mind, then what we read or observe from others in this area affect what we think, what we believe and what we do. There are many secular views of "how to" raise children, and we want to challenge you to search out what God's will is regarding this area. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, godparent, or have any influence over children at church - you can take these biblical principles and apply them to your situation. I appreciated what Carolyn Mahaney had to say regarding a biblical view of motherhood. What follows in our discussion over the next several days has been taken from her thoughts. You can find her complete message titled "A Mother's Responsibility" here. http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=A1175-01-51 It is a free MP3 download and I encourage you to listen to it. Carolyn Mahaney gives this biblical "job description" of a mother. "As a mother, I am called by God to provide for my children an authentic example and biblical training with a tender love, so they might receive and accept the gospel." As we discuss this topic of raising children, we will break down the parts of her job description. First, a mother is called by God. It was God's idea in the first place. This gives encouragement to us as mothers (or grandmothers, godmothers, teachers, etc...) that what God has called us to do, He will equip us to fulfill! Children are a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 127:3), and yet sometimes as parents we do not see them as blessings. Sometimes we are overwhelmed with the demands of motherhood that we do not remember to see our children as blessings. But God's Word reminds us that our children are blessings! Take to heart the truth that God will give you strength to fulfill your calling as 2 Corinthians 12:9 so clearly shares - "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Desires of the Eyes

1 John 2:16 goes on to say that the "desires of the eyes" are also from the world. Again in this discussion, we want to give three specific examples as they pertain to women. They are 1) Raising Children, 2) Discontentment and 3) Physical Beauty. What does the "desires of the eyes" mean in this verse? The eyes are the gateway into the mind. What we see affects what we think. Some biblical examples are Achan who saw the spoil he wasn't allowed to take, but took it anyway (Josh. 7); David, who saw Bathsheba and took her for his own and committed sin in the process (2 Sam. 11) and Eve who saw the tree was good for fruit and listened to Satan rather than God and ate of the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:6). It is good that we evaluate what we see by the lens of Scripture. If it doesn't match up to God's holy standard, then we must discard it and not fall prey to Satan's temptations.

Laziness

Laziness is defined in Scripture as indolent (love of ease), slothful, sluggish, not easily aroused to activity and an unwillingness to work. If you think about it too, laziness and selfishness are closely connected. Often because I'm selfish, I'm too lazy to take care of my responsibilities. We shared many verses about laziness - what are some others? As you evaluate this in your own life, are there areas where you could be more diligent with the right motivation?

Sexual Immorality, continued...

If you have sinned in this area, we want to offer you the hope that is found in Scripture. We studied in length 1 John 1:9 the promise of God's forgiveness. If you have sinned in this area and have not sought the Lord's forgiveness, do so! He promises to forgive! Recognize your sin, repent and confess and God will truly forgive. If you have been hurt by one who has committed this sin, Scripture gives us hope in Isaiah 41:10 - He will be with you, He will strengthen you, He will help you and uphold you! Be careful to take heed the warning in Hebrews 12:15 as well to not become bitter, but take the grace of God! Many have fallen into this sin and many have been hurt because of sexual immorality. Many need help to see the truth of God's Word. How can you encourage others in this area?

Sexual Immorality, continued...

How can we stop wrong thinking so that it goes on no further? This is a tough question and yet through the hope we find in God's Word we can see that we can be in control of our thought life. Yes, even our thoughts regarding those of the opposite sex can be sinful and God says in Matthew 5:27-29 - even thinking immoral thoughts is just as sinful as actually practicing the sin. It is important we control our thoughts. Philippians 4:8 is a good reminder of the things we ought to be thinking on. A favorite verse we share often is 2 Corinthians 10:5 - to take EVERY thought captive. Yes, it's possible to do this, but it takes work. Are you willing to work hard to remain pure?

Sexual Immorality

As we begin this discussion today, we want to remind you that sex was designed by God and is a beautiful thing in the context of marriage (Gen. 2:24). We do not have to sin in this area and yet many have perverted this gift that God has given. Once again, we are blessed to see that God's Word has much to say regarding even this and we need to pay attention to God's Word. All Christian women need to take heed to to the warnings and guidelines God gives. It is our prayer that through this study you will be challenged even more to live a pure life and to give you hope if you have sinned in this area.

Slander/Gossip continued...

We know that slander and gossip come from the heart (Matthew 15:19), so what is the solution? We need to 1) Follow the example of Christ (1 Peter 2:22-23), 2) Speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), 3) Edify others (Eph. 4:29) and 4) Have a soft answer in conflict (Prov. 15:1). What are some practical guidelines to help against slander and gossip? We shared some today, but would like to hear from you.

Slander/Gossip

Slander and gossip are two words which can give us the "shivers" as we know the destructiveness of them! The word for slander is the same word that is used to describe Satan who is the "father of lies" (John 8:44). To slander is to side with Satan to oppose the cause of God! Scripture tells us that God hates a lying tongue (Prov. 6:16,19), that false teachers and the unsaved are slanderers (1 Tim. 6:3-4, Rom. 1:28-30) and that we are commanded to keep our lips from evil (Psalm 34:13). We know the truth, but why do we have such a problem with slander and gossip? Why is it that our tongue gets us into so much trouble in this area?