Women need encouraging

Last Friday night we had our Ladies fellowship and bible study. What a wonderful time of chatting, laughing, food, God's word and prayer! I believe each one of us walked away encouraged. Encouraged in His word and with the words of each ladies hearts that was poured out. The topic at hand was thankfulness/peace. How they so undoubtedly go hand in hand.

       "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Peace is not had without thankfulness, and thankfulness is not had with out it accompanying peace. We discussed why it is so hard to have peace when thing are chaotic and life is not going the way you planned. We also talked about why it is so hard to be thankful when there are so many things going wrong. But what we must realize is Peace and Thankfulness is in CHRIST ALONE. Yes we can experience a sense of peace when life is "calm" and yes we can have a thankful heart when we have "all we need". But true peace and thankfulness is what we should have at all times (bad and good) because Christ saved us. We have a different end, the Kingdom! Be thankful for the peace of your salvation. And when things are not going perfect CALL UPON HIS NAME AND HE WILL GIVE YOU PEACE, THE PEACE WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING.

Women need encouraging. These words have been on my heart alot. I go through seasons in my life where I need to hear uplifting words more than ever. I recently went through a season of this and through prayer and bible study the Lord laid something very clearly on my heart. I need to be more encouraging than ever, to others! That turned a season of feeling inadequate and down to a season of a heart full of joy. What I realized is there is A LOT OF WOMEN going through these seasons. So my encouraging words are uplifting them and what do you know, me!

      "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as your are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

~ Andrea T.