JOY

Everyone wants joy… and they are looking everywhere to find it. What people don’t seem to understand is that Joy is a choice...you make the decision whether or not you will be joyful each and every day.

You may say "But what if I have a bad day, or something bad happens? How do I be joyful then?"

THAT is the problem right there, because you are looking at Joy in the wrong way, thinking that Joy is dependent on what is happening to you RIGHT NOW, but it’s not.

As proof, let us consider the Apostle Paul...a man who was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, snake bit, imprisoned, etc...

2 Corinthians 7:4 says "Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorifying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation"

*exceeding joyful in all our tribulation* Wow....

Now, If you read on in verse 5 he tells us "For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest; but we were troubled on every side; without we're fightings, within were fears"

Sounds pretty rough...but look at verse 6 "Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us..." And it goes on through the next couple verses.

How was it that Paul was joyful through everything? First, Paul realized that Joy comes from God. Galatians 5:22 says "But the fruit of the spirit is love, JOY..." & 1 Thessalonians 1:6 says "And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with JOY of the Holy Ghost" Second, Paul had joy through faith. Romans 15:13 says "Now the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace in believing..." & Philippians 1:25 says "And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you for your furtherance and JOY of faith."  Third, Paul knew that it was a command in the Bible to be Joyful. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 tells us "Rejoice evermore" and Philippians 3:1 says "...Rejoice in the Lord..." Fourth, joy comes from belonging to the kingdom of God. Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost"

As a side note, let’s consider that phrase, the kingdom of God, for a moment. People often think that this is referring to Salvation, but it is not. "The kingdom of God…” is a  phrase that is used 68 times in the NT, and I believe by its usage it refers to Christianity as a doctrine— We become Christians by believing in Christ, but the actual actions we do… the pure and undefiled actions… i.e. “true religion” is not simply partaking in/or in some case NOT partaking in, certain meat and drink, or any ceremonial observances whatever—it is a product of our righteousness; the righteousness of submission, sanctification and service to each other and Christ… WHICH IN TURN gives us peace and JOY through the Spirit!

Next, let's talk about some of the many reasons we have to be joyful! Here are just a couple...

•Joy in Salvation

If you can't find joy in ANYTHING else, be joyful in salvation! That precious sacrifice that Jesus made for YOU! You don't have to spend eternity in Hell. That right there is enough to make me joyful!

•Joy in serving God

You can be joyful in doing what God has called you to do! Going to church, soul winning, etc...

•Joy in Family

Whether it's blood family or spiritual family, you can joyful in, and grateful for them!

So, now that we've talked about joy being a choice you make...let’s plan to wake up every day purposing to be joyful!

-Elizabeth

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~Serving the Lord~

What is it like growing up on the mission field? Well, I've always thought it was pretty awesome! The Lord allowed me the special privilege of being born into a missionary family. My parents have been missionaries to Brazil, South America for over 30 years. Many people when they hear the word “missionary”  think, “poor people, they have to go and tell people about the Lord in strange countries.” But I don’t think of it has a “I have to go”,  I think of it more as a “I get the opportunity to go”.  Missionary life is not as bad as some people think! It’s pretty amazing! I mean, we get to go to different countries, learn different languages and customs, meet different people, make friendships with people around the word, travel to places most ordinary people will never be a able to go to, and still bring people to Jesus and get rewards in heaven!!! Now, don’t get me wrong, missionary life is not just a bed of roses. We have our hard times just like everyone else, and sometimes even worse then most people just because we are missionaries! But it’s at those times where we get to see the Lord come through for us and help us in ways that others don’t get to! If you feel the Lord calling you into his service, be it a pastors wife, or a missionary’s wife, or even a single missionary, don’t be worried or scared!!! Believe me you will have so many stories to tell about how God came through for you and your family at the last minute, or how God did the impossible, or how God was working and YOU were able to see tons of people get saved!!!  I know one thing, the most exciting stories that I have to tell people are ones just like that! And It also helps to strengthen our faith in the Lord! When you have no one else to run to, and God is all you have, you will find that He is all you need!! 

Another reason why you shouldn’t be scared or worried about taking this step of faith and letting God use your life as He will, is that there are so many souls out there dying and going to hell. And every minute you sit thinking and wondering if its worth getting up out of your comfortable chair, and leaving your air-conditioned house, and all of the comforts and conveniences you have, to go to another country, or even to just step our of your house and tell someone about Jesus; people are dying and going to hell! And their last thought is, “I wish I had someone to tell me what is going to happen after this life!” .  

Carnival in Brazil is a very wicked time!  It’s basically a week long party were they do everything immoral that they want, it’s kind of like Mardi Gras. After that time of wickedness,  basically the whole country pays a penance, kind of trying to “pay” for the sins they committed during carnival. For forty days they abstain from anything that they enjoy or that would bring them happiness. This week is called “Semana Santa” or “Holy week” , and many people don’t eat any meat this week. Some people will go up a very large mountain on their knees to pay for their sins!!! They have processions all through town trying to get forgiveness from God and Mary. Last Sunday (Palm Sunday) they went through town throwing down palm leaves in front of a cart that had a statue of Jesus on it, in remembrance of when Jesus went into Jerusalem on the donkey. Next Sunday (Easter Sunday) they will have a man dress up like Jesus, and they will “crucify”  him (he does not actually die, they take him down afterwards). They do all of this trying to get acceptance from God, and they think that this will make Him happy!! They are so blind!!  I’ve seen this happen year after year!!  These are the type of people that we have come to share the gospel with, and this is the type of people that maybe the Lord is calling you to share the gospel with!!! You may think, “Well, I’m not good enough” or “I don’t know if I can take it” . Well first of all, none of us are “good enough” . But if we allow God to use us, great things will happen! Not because of us, but because of Him in us!  And second, God is never going to call you into something or ask you to do something that you can’t take! He will capacitate you!!  So this week try getting out of your comfort zone! Try handing a tract out to some one! Only eternity will show how many lives you impacted with one simple gospel tract! 

Matthew 9:37 “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

Romans 10: 14-15 “ 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” 

Let the Lord you use you in a great way this week! I hope this was a blessing to someone! May God bless you and give you a good rest of the week! 

~Anna~

{*Modesty*}

There is a conflict in the minds of many young women today; they are torn between wanting to dress modestly and Godly, and fitting in with the people around them. The problem is that they don't want to be different from the world. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:" It's ok to be different! A wise woman once told us to think of it like Kate Middleton/Princess Kate. Kate doesn't dress like a commoner. She's a princess. Is a princess different than a commoner? Yes! Is Kate dressing like a commoner just so she won't stand out and be different? No! Why? Because she has a higher calling. In the same manner, we as Christians have a higher calling. We are the daughters of the King! So why should we lower our standards just to be like the unsaved people? Ok, so you may ask, “‘Standards’, ‘higher calling’, ‘being different from the world...' what does all of that even mean?” Well, what many people don’t know is that the Bible talks a lot about how we should dress. The Bible gives us specific guidelines to follow concerning dress. In Deuteronomy 22:5 it clearly states that a woman should not wear the clothes that pertain to a man, and the man should not wear that which pertains to a woman. I know that many Christians buck at that and they don’t think that it's wrong for a woman to wear pants. They say, “Well, that's Old Testament stuff”. But in 1 Timothy 2:9 the Bible talks about adorning ourselves in modest apparel. Could you honestly tell me that pants on women are modest? When you see a women wearing pants that shows off her body do you think, “Wow, that woman must really love God! She has to be a Christian!” No! Nowadays it’s hard to tell who’s a Christian and who isn’t just by judging the way someone dresses. I think what it all comes down to is this simple question; Who are you trying to draw attention to? Yourself? Or God? When you are thinking about what to wear, you should ask yourself this question; “Would God be honored and glorified by my manner of dress?”  So you say, “Ok, fine. But there are some really immodest skirts out there too. So how short is too short?” Well, can you believe the Bible even talks about how long our skirts should be? It speaks about how the prostitutes uncover their thighs in Isaiah 47:2. The thigh is referring to your whole thigh bone, going from your hip to your knee. To show your naked leg is a shame. Nakedness in the Bible is always spoken of as shameful. You may be thinking, “What’s even the big deal about if I wear pants or not? Or if I dress modestly or not?” Well, there are two things you should know. First, at the end of that verse in Deuteronomy 22:5 it says, “All who do so are abomination to the Lord thy God.” So it's not that pants are an abomination. The person who wears them is an abomination to the Lord! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be an abomination to the Lord. And second of all, I go back to what we said at the start of this devotional. We are a chosen generation! A royal priesthood! Why dress like a commoner, when we could dress like a princess and bring honor to our King?! 

We've posted a couple pictures of modest outfit ideas down below :) If you have any questions feel free to comment below. We've set it so anyone can comment even if you don't have an account :) God Bless! 

{*Anna & Elizabeth*}

Forgiveness

Today I would like to talk about something that everyone has been faced with in their lives… the matter of forgiveness.

First of all, let’s talk about what forgiveness really is.

What is forgiveness? Many would say that forgiveness is simply excusing a mistake.

Understand, when I use the word mistake, I am using it loosely. Most of the time when people say they made a mistake, what they are really saying is, “…this wouldn’t be a problem if you hadn’t noticed, but since you did I need to look like I’m sorry…” In other words, it is a word they throw out in an attempt to minimize their guilt.

Fact 1: If it was done on purpose, it is NOT a mistake.

Fact 2: Whether it was on purpose or not has NO impact on your need to forgive.

Most people have an understandable need for the other person to be truly repentant before offering forgiveness, but instead of what we think, let’s look at Scripture. “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” (Matthew 18:21)

Nowhere in this passage does Jesus tell the Disciples to judge whether or not the offender was “really sorry.” Nowhere does He tell them, “If he is not really, really sorry, then hold a grudge.”

Many times when we are faced with the command to forgive, we attempt to negotiate based on the other person’s actions or attitude; “They aren’t sorry, they are just sorry they got caught.” Is a common judgment we levy against people who have offended us.

When it comes to forgiveness, God has an expectation of behavior for us that He expects us to meet. He does not give us an option when it comes to forgiving someone who has offended or otherwise wronged us. While there is no “Thou shalt forgive…” in Scripture, (which is what most of us look for) the commandments regarding this topic are clear and unarguable.

First of all, we are told to “…love the brethren…” (I John 3:14) “…love thy neighbour as thyself…” (Leviticus 19:18) It is hard to love people and not forgive them; but He continues… We are not given the luxury of holding a grudge, (James 5:9) being bitter, (Ephesians 4:31) being angry without cause, (Matthew 5:22) or overnight (Ephesians 4:26) the list could go on and on. The fact is, we cannot argue about it.
We get ourselves in trouble, because not only are we clearly told to forgive; but there are stipulations if we refuse. Scripture even teaches us that God won’t listen to our Prayers if we refuse to forgive, (Mark 11:25) but also God will not accept an offering from us if we are refusing to forgive a brother. (Matthew 5:23)

Simply put, God has ordered us to forgive, because He has ordained us “…to be conformed to the image of his Son…” (Romans 8:29) Meaning that we should strive to be like Jesus.

So, what is forgiveness? Forgiveness is us trying to be more like Christ.

As a Christian we should try to be like Christ, using Him as an example. The question is, what was His example?

He was mocked, beaten, stripped, scourged and crucified, and after all of that, while hanging from the cross, said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Jesus was being forgiving even though THEY NEVER ASKED FOR FORGIVENESS. Their asking was NOT a prerequisite for His forgiveness.

I pray this was a blessing to you in some way! 

~Elizabeth~

Savor Your Time With God

  These past weeks I have been thinking a lot about prayer and my time with the Lord. Prayer is the means that God has created for us to communicate with Him. Not only that, but we get our strength and power from the time that we spend with God in prayer and in reading our Bible. That is why the devil fights so much to try to keep us from praying and spending time with the Lord. As long as he can keep us busy and occupied to where we don’t have time to spend with God, then we will remain defeated. The devil also knows that while we have God fighting for us, he can not prevail.  That is why it is so important to develop your time with God! Don’t let a day go by with out spending time with the Lord. And for us ladies that are still single, it is a great opportunity to really cultivate our walk with the Lord. If you don’t have a strong walk with the Lord before you are married, it most likely will be harder to have a strong walk after marriage. Use this time of singleness to get to know the Lord better. 

1 Corinthians 7:34b “ The unmarried women careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”

James 5:16b “ The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” 

God bless each one of you as you seek to cultivate a healthy walk with God!  

~Anna~

While we are on this subject, I would like to mention that Elizabeth and I will be making a poll this week and will be placing it on the right side of the screen. We would really enjoy it if you would take the time to put down your opinion. Thank you!

NEW BLOGGER

Hey everyone!! Elizabeth here :) I just realized I never introduced and announced the new Blogger. As many of you probably already know, Anna is our new blogger for "Simply Seeking Him" She has done a couple blog posts already, and I encourage you to read them! Also, you can on over and read about her on our "About Us" section on the right hand side of the Web Version of the blog! 

I am so thrilled that she is able to do this with me, and we are both so looking forward to seeing what the Lord will do in 2016!! :) Thank you, and God Bless! 

{<Elizabeth>}