Attention, women seeking spiritual nourishment and transformation! We here at Women in the Word personally invite you to join us this fall for an exciting new study called ACT. (Absorb, Contemplate, and Transform) A 16 week life changing adventure designed to deepen your faith, provide spiritual encouragement, and ignite a passion for Christ within you. On Monday through Thursday we’ll be studying the Bible together. Friday will be left open for prayer, and Saturday the reading schedule for the upcoming week will be published. Each day our writers will post their thoughts on the daily scripture. And we encourage you to join in on the discussion, and complete the worksheet which will be made available. So grab your Bibles, tell your friends, and together let us absorb, contemplate, and transform as we embark on this beautiful journey of spiritual growth and discovery. And be sure to head over to Facebook and join the WitW group to study along. Just click on the link https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2

Scripture Reading : Psalm 47, Isaiah 2:1-5 & Ephesians 2:19-22 

But, I don't want you to miss the reason for this praise: “For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared.” (v.2) Does that seem to you like a strange reason to shout and clap with excitement—the fear of God?

 This psalm is a song of praise of God’s sovereign rule over all the earth. Notice with me, 

• He “chose” us
• He “subdued” peoples under us (v.3)
• We have received an inheritance (v.4)
• He is “our King,” 
• He is “the King of all the earth,” (v.7)
• He “reigns over the nations,” (v.8) 
• The “shields of the earth (His tokens of victory from battle) belong to God.”
• All the earth belongs to Him

But also note that our praise does not add to His majesty; it is not for His sake that we are called to praise Him, but our own.

Did you know that praise, joy and enthusiasm is contagious?  Our praise completes our enjoyment of God’s kingship as people in His kingdom. Our praise rises from a grateful heart! 

We cannot help but to praise Him, and in so doing, we share our joy with others, which only adds to our joy and others. 

Beloved, this is the great experience of authentic biblical worship; we together praise God, for He is to be feared as our is our King.

So, let me ask you: 

_ Does praise come easily to your lips? 

_ Does it flow from a grateful heart that cannot help, but praise God?

_ If not, why do you think that it? Unforgiveness? Anger? 

 As I mentioned before praise becomes contagious. Therefore, I'd like to encourage you today to read this psalm to yourself again. Read it out loud. Play your favorite Christian artists as you meditate on these verses. Speak/shout the truths I've listed above --  "He is the King!", "He chose me!", "He reigns over all!" "And has given me an inheritance with His beloved!" ... Shout and give Him praise, for “He is highly exalted”!

And then come on over to WitW and join us in worshiping Him this morning!!

Let's pray:

O Father, I want to worship You this morning, for You are worthy of ALL our praise and worship today and for all eternity. Therefore, I bow before you in reverence. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. You have dominion over everything in the heavens and on earth. Yet you still care about even the smallest details of my life. That’s why I want to rejoice in you each day. You are worthy!

All glory belongs to you. I come to you in prayer to glorify your name - You are my Abba Father. Your unconditional love for me stretches to the highest mountain peaks and reaches to the depths of the seas. It is beyond anything I can fathom. Your love never ends, and great is Your faithfulness!  I love you with all my heart, soul, and mind! Thank you for your faithfulness that endures forever. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Blessings, 

Today’s reading - Psalm 6, Hebrews 10:19-22  

One of the things I love most about the Psalms is the way they convey the hurts, joys, hopes, and sorrows of every Christian. And in Psalm 6, the pain David feels resonates deep inside my heart. Because I too know the anguish of sinning against God. The brokenness of realizing what a mess I’ve made, and the despair of the consequences that are sure to follow.

Like David, I have felt the wretchedness that comes from disobedience to God. How the shame literally manifests into physical pain, from deep in my heart to deep in my bones. And the bottomless groaning of exhaustion that comes from crying too many tears to count. For me there is no greater pain then being out of fellowship with God. To be separated, if only temporary, from His presence is agony for my soul. 

But also like David, I trust in the mercy, promises, and love of God. I know that even though I’m not, God is good all of the time. The Lord knows my heart. And when I come bowed before Him in humility, He sees my sorrow. And in my repentance, He graciously welcomes me back to a place I don’t deserve; into His loving arms. Restoring me with all joy and peace, and abounding me in hope! (Rom. 15:13)

Pause and Reflect - Are in you in a place of being separated from God? Have you come before Him in humility and honesty? There’s nothing more that God loves than a repentant and humble heart. And when we acknowledge our wrongs before Him, God is faithful to forgive and restore. (1 John 1:9)

During periods of fear and despair, do you believe in your heart that God will come to your rescue? Hebrews 11:1 tells us that true faith is assurance of things hoped for. No matter the circumstance, are you filled with assurance of God’s delivery? 

Finally, let’s pray together, 

Today's Reading - Psalm 1, Matthew 5:3-11

When I was little I loved going to church with my Grandma. I so enjoyed seeing all the women with their pretty dresses, nodding along with the Pastor, singing the hymns, and greeting everyone with a loving, “Good morning.” To me they were the perfect picture of the Christian woman. And oh how I wanted to be like them. So imagine my disappointment when I later found these same women gathered together around cups of coffee gossiping and criticizing others. 

We all want to be blessed by God. God wants that too. But that won’t happen if we’re rooted in the wickedness of the world, being fed by the sins of the flesh, and producing worthless, worldly fruit. The way we live our lives, not the words we speak, are the true testimonies of our hearts. And every eye is watching; especially God’s. So to receive His very best, we need to be women after God’s own heart. 

This means uprooting ourselves from the sinful soil of this earth, being replanted on the riverbank of God’s living water. There we can be nourished day and night with His goodness and love. Our leaves will forever be lush and beautiful. And never will our tree be barren, but always produce sweet, bountiful fruit pleasing to the Lord. 

That day at church those women didn’t know it, but far from showing the heart of God they exposed the roots of a heart fostered by flesh and rooted in barren soil. And the fruit they produced tasted bitter to a young girl watching, along with the Lord, the watcher of the godly. 

Pause and Reflect - The Psalmist tells us that a blessed woman thinks about God’s Law day and night. We can only do this if we know what the Bible says. How much time daily are you spending in His Word?

God warns us that walking beside the wrong crowd leads to standing with them, sitting with them, and finally taking on their lifestyle. Who is influencing you? Who are you influencing? Is the influence for good or evil?

Finally, let’s prayer together,

“Heavenly Father, thank You for the beautiful description of the woman who is like a tree firmly planted by streams of living water, producing the fruit of righteousness and being blessed by Your never-failing provision. I pray that I will not walk in the wickedness of the world nor compromise my Christian faith. Instead may I be a woman after Your own heart, rooted deeply in Your truth, and providing a loving testimony of Your kindness, mercy, and glory.  In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen.”

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and I pray your day overflows with love and blessings.

 Lisa

C. S. Lewis once said, “The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God which made David dance.” Are you ready to dance? Are you ready to have a heart that chases after God’s? Then join us starting Monday, August 29th, when we’ll begin, “Becoming a Woman After God’s Own Heart - A Journey through The Psalms.” Monday through Friday we’ll be writing a daily devotional. On the weekend, Sandra will be posting an exercise helping us wrap up the week. So mark your calendars, grab your Bible, and tell your friends. And come with us on a life and heart changing journey! Be sure to head over to https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2 to join in on the discussion. And check out our public Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083156569388 and give us a like! 

The Lord reminded me recently that He had me open up this blog and Facebook group tens years ago so that women from all over the world could come and study God's Word together!

Ten years of studying together and I now have met sisters on every continent! Some of my very best friends I may never be able to hug until we reach heaven! The Lord absolutely amazes me!! Only He could have done all this!! Only Him!

We are about to begin a new study that will take us all the way to June of 2023, and I believe this journey will be the sweetest one yet, for we are on a journey to become women after God's own heart! I know the Lord is so very pleased, and I cannot wait to begin! 

Would you all join me in praying this prayer with me before we begin? 

Abba, Holy Father, 

 Please take Your precious daughters right up next to Your heart this year. Keep us and make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us, we pray. (Num 6:24-25). Shower us and the women on WitW with an outpouring of Your blessing, Your presence, the assurance of Your favor, and Your enabling grace.

You have written our days in Your book. You knew us by name before we were born and how we would bring You glory! (Ps 139:15-18). Your thoughts of us are too numerous to count. We are constantly on Your mind and heart. Hallelujah, thank You, Lord.

 This is a big challenge for us this year and we pray You’ll continue to assure us that Your presence goes with us and you will bless our efforts with Your wisdom and all the abilities we’ll need to do our job WELL! Father it is our desire to grow more deeply and intimately in love with You and we study to know You better.

Please Father, don’t let us go where You do not bless (Exo 33:12-16). Teach us Your ways and make us sensitive to Your hand on our lives. Let us know Your faithful direction at all times. Go before us to open the way where there seems to be no way. Please place before us an open door that no one can shut, according to Your sovereign will (Rev 3:7-8), and shut all doors outside Your will for us.

Please make a way for all those You desire to do this study to join us and bless each woman's efforts. Yes, bless us indeed and enlarge our territory in all areas in our lives! Let Your hand be with us constantly to strengthen us and keep us from harm (1 Chron. 4:10).

Establish Your appointed work through our hands with Your favor (Ps 90:17). Great are Your purposes, and mighty are Your deeds. Your eyes are open to all our ways (Jer 32:19). Smile upon us today and throughout this study this year with Your compassion and Your full blessing, as we seek You continually. (Isa 30:18). And may we finish STRONG, Father! In Your precious Son's name we ask these things.  Amen.

Blessings, 

Did you know in Hebrew, the book of Psalms came to be known as “Sepher Tehillim”, the book of praises. It’s called this because almost every Psalm contains some note of praise to God. Praise is a vital part of a life surrendered to God, because it gives credit where credit is due, to the Lord alone. That’s why here at WITW we are excited for our new fall study. Starting August 29th, we’ll begin, “Becoming a Woman After God’s Own Heart - A Journey through The Psalms.” Monday through Friday we’ll be writing a daily devotional. On the weekend, Sandra will be posting an exercise helping us wrap up the week. So get ready to get your praise on as we through one of the most cherished books in the Bible, and be blessed by the fellowship, worship, and study! So head over to our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2and join in on the discussion! 

The book of Psalms is filled with songs from believing hearts in every imaginable situation. It’s is a collection of lyrics that can help Christians deal with anger and depression, joy and hope, fear and doubt, life and death, hatred and love. And a common chorus to many of the psalms is, "I asked the Lord for help, and he saved me from all my fears" (Psalm 34.4) Are you ready to cry out to the Lord for help? Then join us here at WITW for our new fall study. Starting August 29th, we’ll begin, “Becoming a Woman After God’s Own Heart - A Journey through The Psalms.” Monday through Friday we’ll be writing a daily devotional. On the weekend, Sandra will be posting an exercise helping us wrap up the week. So get ready to go through one of the most cherished books in the Bible, and be blessed by the fellowship, worship, and study! Head on over to our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2 to join the discussion!

We here at WITW are excited to announce our new fall study. Starting August 29th, we’ll begin, “Becoming a Woman After God’s Own Heart - A Journey through The Psalms.” Monday through Friday we’ll be writing a daily devotional. Then on the weekend, Sandra will be posting an exercise helping us wrap up the week. In the book of Psalms, David cried out to God over and over during his difficult times and God answered his cries. And in this study, we’ll learn how we too can trust God in the difficult times. So grab your Bibles, and tell your friends. And join us as we go through the Psalms and develop a deeper connection with God, our Creator, Father, and Friend!