Inspire

Issue #23 SSSeeepppttteeemmmbbbeeerrr 2013

To Love Again Ministries

Content Following God 4 Don’t Untrain a Gentleman 6 Clean 8

Gracious Love 1 0

Credits

Writers Debra Lilly Kimberly Borst Beverly Huffman

Editing Alan Porter

Photography Cover by BigboyDenis (Photographers are named if available)

Design Kimberly Borst

Copyright © To Love Again

Ministries 2012, Photos © very

To Love Again

Ministries Pick of the month

This month we are highlighting a profetic word by

Johnny Enlow- A Voice of Hope ROSH HASHANAH 2012: The

Beginning of the Age of Restoration

This is a powerful and insightful word for the season we are in. It is a long word but is very relavent to the end. It realy afirmed what God has been telling me

for the last several years. Enjoy!

http://www.shalominthewilderness.com/2012/12/prophetic-word-from-johnny-enlow.html?m=1

Following God Debra Lilly

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Rom 8:28. We need to remember where we came from and what we were saved from! Those who were forgiven much, love much, but he who is forgiven little, loves little. (paraphrased from Luke 7:47) However, it’s the forward motion that matters most! “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:14. After my husband died, I felt like I was frozen in time – always looking back and holding on to what was. I knew I was healing from my grief and pain when I realized that I wanted to move forward. The day came when I wanted to move on and make a new life. The Lord spoke to me and said He had something new for me but I must let go of what I have in order to receive what He has for me. I understood that I was hanging on to the past, but I desperately wanted what God has for me! I didn’t really know how to let go of the past - I just knew it was gone but not forgotten. I simply asked Him to help me let go. By faith, I told Him my life belonged to Him and to move me on – forward. I began to see things in a different perspective; looking at life through the front windshield (big) and no longer looking in the rearview mirror (little). This was a work only God could do!

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:

forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,” Phil. 3:13

On a recent road trip, the Holy Spirit brought to my attention that the windshield I was looking through was big and I could see a large area in front of me, but only a small area in the rear view mirror. He began to speak to me about moving forward and letting go of the past. Life is meant to be lived in forward motion. We have eyes in the front of our head, not behind. Time marches on…forward, not backward. Hope is forward motion. We look to the future because we have a hope of what could be and what lies ahead. Heaven is our ultimate hope. “Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel,” Col. 1:5. We are not to forget where we came from (hence the rearview mirror), because it is important. After all, it was our life and we were shaped by it and we are the people we are because of our past (good or bad).

Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Whatever it is that we are hanging on to can be placed at His feet and left there. Jesus knows and understands everything we struggle with. Whether it’s the death of a loved one, a child leaving home for the first time, moving from a home you love, loosing a job, a pet or even a friend. Place those things in God’s capable hands and leave them there. He will enable you to move forward – with hope! The second half of the above scripture says He will do something ‘new’ – be aware of it! He’ll make streams in the desert where there were none before. When we are driving down the road (on our journey), the landscape is constantly changing. As we drive along - the scenery changes from plains, to hills, to mountains, to valleys. We see lakes, rivers and even the ocean. Nothing in life stays the same (only Jesus). Change is something that we must embrace in life. We do that by being flexible and open to what the Lord is doing in our lives. No one ever moves ahead by remaining the same. Change of heart, mind, soul and spirit are required to flow with God. How would you like it if your children never changed? What if they stayed 4 years old for the rest of their lives? We grow up – we change and mature into the adults we were meant to be. Just because we are

physically grown, does not mean we stop growing! We are on a journey, which prepares us for the destination. When we reach the desired destination there is always another journey. We don’t stop until we reach heaven! Ask God to give you another destination (vision) when you’ve completed the one that just ended. Our Hope is as important as our Faith. The Greek word for hope is Elpis (pronounced el-pece’) meaning to anticipate, expectation, confidence, faith. We put our hope in many things in this life but the Bible says we are to put our hope in God (1 Pet. 1:21b). As we do this, we will never be disappointed or ashamed. Psalm 119:116 says, “Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.” Today I feel like I can dance again. I have no other reason for this other than the Lord has put a new hope and a new destination in my heart. “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;” Psalm 30:11. Let this Joy be in you! Keep your eyes on Jesus - who is the road in front of us and who always leads us in triumph! (2 Cor. 2:14).

Ben Salter

Ladies, to all of you that are lucky

enough to be found by a gentleman, understand you are blessed. His mother and father probably spent many years cultivating a respect in him for women. God gave him an innate desire to protect and provide for you. Though he has been inundated by a culture that tells him to do differently, he has risen above it.

Even as a girl I was confused by

how a man opening a door for a woman was an insult. I felt honored and respected by the gesture. I think men are well aware that we can open a door. It’s not a statement of our inadequacy but of our value. Truly, overall we have devalued ourselves and emasculated our men, pushing them aside and saying, “I can do it all, I don’t need you or want you.”

DDoonn’’tt UUnnttrraaiinn aa GGeennttlleemmaann

KKiimmbbeerrllyy BBoorrsstt

So the next time a young man

wants to carry something heavy for us let’s just say thank you very much and let him. He is not saying we are weak; he is honoring us. And the next time a gentleman opens the door, let’s walk through it and thank him. When we have a flat tire and a gentleman stops to help, unless he seems to be a creeper, let him. My girls and I rocked out a tire change in less than 10 minutes. It’s not about ability it’s about accepting a courtesy. If we really want respect, then we need to give it. True value is given by God and no one can take that away. Women have value and men have value, and we need to treat each other as if that’s true. God said if we truly love Him we will love one another.

Genuine appreciation will go a

long way, girls. Thank God for that young man in your life that values and honors you. You might even give his mom a thank you too.

Respect &

honor

should be

cultivated

not

trampled

out!

Clean

Beverly Huffman

I sat in the booth, moving from

position to position. This little café was usually a pleasant place to be, but not today. Trying to focus on the book I was reading, I softly whispered each word aloud.

Two ladies a couple of booths away

seemed terribly disturbed. Their faces screamed expressions of unbelief. “What could possibly be going on,” I wondered. Flipping back a page, I attempted to collect my thoughts on what I had read three times.

Finally, I blankly stared at the

page and tuned in to hear what they were saying. “Are you kidding?” gasped the short, blonde-haired lady. “No! I couldn’t believe it myself, but,” shot back the tall gal. Slowly moving my head with a side glance, I noticed the intensity increased.

After a few minutes of eaves-

dropping, I regretted listening in. The woman who controlled the conversation had lost the race for a promotion. She was bitter! “Whoa,” I thought, “I can see why she didn’t get that management position. She would have wrecked the ship!”

Why did I do that? Why did I

listen into a matter that had nothing to do with me? I felt like stinky green slim from a scummy pond was dripping all over my emotions! Yuck!

iSlime

I closed the book, put it in my bag and left through the side door. “I will never do that again,” I promised myself again. I had made that promise before.

Once the cool breeze hit my face, I

began to feel better. Although I was not involved in the situation, I felt dirty while I was in the presence of gossip. After I physically separated myself from the temptation to barge in on their scene, I could think about the reason I had gone to the little café in the first place.

I was preparing for a Bible study.

We would be talking about Jesus and the way He cleans us up and gives us a new start. I didn’t mean to sink so deep into the mud, but this was a good lesson for me.

As I walked home, the fragrance of

flowers reminded me that it is possible to move myself into a better lifestyle. This time I won’t have to squirm so much!

John 15:3 NIV You are already clean because of the

word I have spoken to you.

iSlime

How much does God love? That is

the question that defines grace. It’s that all encompassing love that covers our indiscretions and sins and washes them away - grace. Jesus’ blood is the ultimate expression of grace. This kind of love draws us to repentance (turning from sin.) It makes us want to live a godly life.

How much do we love? Having

grace for other people in our lives is how God’s love overflows through us. It’s easy to judge, criticize, and condemn. But how often do we allow God’s love to be expressed through us to really love one another? When we are full of God’s love it’s easy to be heart-broken when people we love fall. We instinctively pray for them. If necessary, we lovingly go to them (for their benefit not for our self-righteousness sake) and offer our concern and help. We are all sinners in need of a savior.

I for one thrive having people in

my life who genuinely love and

GGGrrraaaccciiiooouuusss LLLooovvveee KKKiiimmmbbbeeerrrlllyyy BBBooorrrsssttt

support me. I need their grace. I fall vastly short of sinless, though I am being conformed to Christ’s image daily. It is very painful when those close to me hold judgments against me. The sting of gossip tears at the heart. What’s worse than to be betrayed by a friend? Are they even truly a friend? But then again maybe they just need our grace.

1 Peter 4:8 (NIV) says “Above all, love

each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Matthews 7:1, 2 (AMP) says “Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.”

We cannot truly love and walk in

grace if we don’t full receive God’s love and grace for ourselves. Grace is an extension of love. Grace is a powerful thing and we all desperately need it!

To Love Again

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