SPRING 2016
ISSUE NO. 1
ASPIRING TO BE MAGAZINE
STAYING CONNECTED TO GOD
GOD IS DOING A NEW THING JESUS: LORD & SAVIOR
HOPE VS. HOPE DEFERRED
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A2B table of con tents 02 Letter From the Editor 03 Staying Connected to God 06 God is Doing a New Thing!
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09 Hope VS. Hope Deferred 12 Jesus: Lord and Savior
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, Our goal for this magazine is to help encourage each of you in your daily walk with the Father. Each of the writers working on this project comes from a different background and has a passion to reach people in all walks of life. All of us are wives and mothers. But each of us is unique in our passions, walk and skills. We are all in different stages of life. From the mom of little ones to the emptynester. Because of that you will find something here for everyone. We all have one goal in common. That is, to reach people for Christ. We hope that you will use this magazine as a tool to help your grow, be encouraged, and help you to be ALL that God has created you to be. We desire to equip you to be able to reach the world around you; whether you are the stayathome mom or a single woman. We pray that this new tool will be used to glorify God in everything we write and do. As we grow, this magazine will grow. Columns will change and grow. New things will be added. New writers will come on board. We look forward to walking out our faith walks with you and we hope you enjoy it too. God Bless, Dianna
Dianna Auton is a Homeschooling mom to 3 girls and wife to her best friend for over 17 years. She is a blogger, author, reviewer and a coffee drinker. She enjoys reading, writing, hiking, photography and shopping. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Christian Education from Calvary Bible Institute. Her passion is encouraging women of all walks of life to be all that God has created them to be.
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STAYING CONNECTED TO GOD BY TRISTAN BROCK
I believe God is calling us into a closer relationship and a closer walk with him, where we walk in his presence and draw life from Him daily. Jesus likens our relationship to God as a branch that is connected to the vine. John 15:1-8 says “I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman. Every branch that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit…” Jesus is telling us, as branches, to abide in the vine. The word “abide” means to stay,
to live somewhere, to continue in, and to remain stable and fixed. God wants us to live in fellowship with him where we can hear from him and get direction for our lives. His presence is the place where we should abide. We need to stay connected to the vine daily and we will experience his life flowing through us. So here are a few questions we should ask ourselves. How is my relationship with God? Have I taken time to be still and spend quality time with Him today? Am I staying connected and walking in close fellowship with Him? Does it seem like something is missing or is there an incompleteness in my relationship with him? Do my relationships, church, work, or life seem dry and lifeless? Maybe you don’t feel as passionate about your relationship with God as you once did. I think many Christians have felt this way at some time in their walk with the Lord. In fact, I have heard people talk about times that they were closer to the Lord and other times they were not. This is like a yo-yo, which goes up and down. This is not how God desires for us to be. I never thought it
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could happen to me, but it did. After I got saved, God supernaturally delivered me from anxiety and fear. I had been having panic attacks daily and the moment I got born again I could feel God’s presence. I felt the heaviness of fear being lifted from me. Then, I began seeking the Lord and hearing from him daily. I desperately needed him in my life and desperation sometimes helps. As a new Christian I had so much that needed changed. What a journey it was to walk with him daily. However, after some time of seeing and experiencing the blessings of God, my relationship with him began to grow distant. I had begun to put other things before him and it happened so gradually that I didn’t even realize it. I noticed if I would try to spend time in prayer or in the Word, I didn’t have the same motive as before. It seemed I was doing it out of habit. I wasn’t able to hear from God like before or get revelation as I once had. It seemed I was disconnected from Him. As John 15 says, if a branch is disconnected from the vine, it begins to wither. To wither means to become dry and to lose freshness. All to often this happens to many Christians, they become dry and lose freshness. How do we become disconnected? One way the bible says we become disconnected is found in Mark 4:19 Amp “The cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Our world that we live in today is full of distractions and other things that can hold our attention. With the way technology is growing, our cell phones will allow us to be in many places at one time. The Lord began to show me this was one reason I was having a hard time connecting with him. I would be praying to Him but thinking about
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something else. I was unable to keep my focus on spiritual things. The Lord showed me to do one thing at a time in the small things such as putting my phone away while at work and turning my phone off when I was at home with my family. Mark 10:41-42 when Jesus was talking to Martha and Mary, he said, “Martha, Martha, you are troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary had chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” In life, it is easy to get busy with many things and become good at multi-tasking, but God wants us to do one thing at a time and be single minded. There are many things in this life that can suffocate the Word. These things may not be bad things, but they require too much of our attention. Another way we can become disconnected is by putting ourselves back under the law or by hearing false teaching. Galatians 5:4-5 says “If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the law, you are brought to nothing and so separated from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (Gods unmerited favor and blessing). For we [not relying on the Law but] through the Holy Spirit’s help, by faith anticipate and wait for the blessing and good for which our righteous and right standing with God causes us to hope.” If you are not fellowshipping with Him daily and staying connected to Him, it is easy to get back under the law. We have to renew our minds to who we are in Christ and realize that it is through Jesus that we are made righteous. Trying to do “right” things or doing things in our own strength in order to earn God’s favor or to put ourselves in right standing with God places us back under the law. This happened to me. I thought if I could pray enough or study the Word enough, then I would be made right with God. A bible scholar Kenneth Wuest said there are two types of Christian living: “One is… dependence upon the Holy Spirit for
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STAYING CONNECTED TO GOD the supply of both the desire and the power to do the will of God. This method results in a life [in which] the fruit of the spirit [is] evident. The other method is that of putting one’s self under law, and by self effort attempting to obey the law. This results in a defeated life.” Satan would love to keep us defeated and disconnected, but with the Holy Spirit’s help we can re-connect with our loving father. So what are some things we can do to re-connect with God? Revelation 2:4-5 says “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from where thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.” So, we can return to our first love. We just need to do what we did to begin with when we first began a relationship with Him. We can seek Him and make time with Him our number one priority. We can repent, which means to change our minds. We need to change our thinking and get our minds into agreement with what His Word says. We can ask God to show us things that we can put aside that have distracted us. Gloria Copeland said “It doesn’t matter how disinterested you may have grown about the things of God, if you will turn your attention toward him, your heart will follow. Our hearts follow our attention.” If you have had your attention on other things for a while it will take some effort to get focused, but it can be done. And after a while, our hearts will desire Gods presence and His Word again. Proverbs 4:20-22 says “My son attend to my words, incline thine ear to my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” If you have become dry and lifeless, attending to His Word will bring life to you again. That is wonderful!
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Once we reconnect with Him, it is important that we remain in Him and continually abide in Him. As it says in John 15, without Him we can do nothing, but if we abide in Him and His Words abide in us, we can ask what we will and it shall be done unto us. Abiding in Him gives us His enabling power to walk in the Spirit daily and fulfill His will in our lives. I believe we will experience greater life as we walk with Him daily. We will have an abundance of peace and joy. God desires for His children to walk like Him and He is victorious. He is Joyful. He is full of power, strength and love. All we have to do is relax like a branch and draw from His life giving, abundant power and we will be able to bear much good fruit in our lives!
Tristan Brock has been married 9 years and has 2 kids, girl and boy. She began working as a therapist in 2006 and met a girl who shared the gospel with her, for 2 years she poured into her life. She received Jesus as her Lord and was completely delivered from fear and anxiety during that time. She has continued to seek him and allow his word to change her life. She currently serves and teach in the children's ministry at her church. Her heart is to continue ministering to children, women and married couples to see them find and fulfill Gods plan for their lives!
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GOD IS DOING A NEW THING! BY RACHEL STORMS
Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will make even a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. The people I formed for Myself; that they may set forth My praise [and they shall do it]. (Isaiah 43:18-21 AMP) I am a lover of all seasons. Each one has something unique and beautiful to offer us whether its summer beaches, autumn foliage, or winter wonderlands. As we enter into spring we begin to anticipate an awakening of nature. Everything is fresh and new. It doesn’t take long for us to forget how cold and bare everything was just a short time before. This passage in Isaiah puts
me in mind of a spiritual spring where God is calling us to awaken, forget what’s behind, and look forward to this new thing that God is doing. Let’s look a little closer at what He is saying. Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. First, God tells them not to remember or look to their past. The Message translation says, “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history.” Why do you think it was important to forget? After giving a list of past accomplishments (yes, accomplishments), Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” He is saying that even though he had done all these things which are honorable in the eyes of men, he
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isn’t even going to think about them any longer. He knew that there was more to do and that as long as his focus was on what was behind him, he could not proceed to the better things that were still ahead. You simply cannot move forward while looking back. Now, perhaps your past isn’t so glorious to look at. Maybe all that lies behind you are thoughts of pain and regret. Well, I have great news! According to Jeremiah 29:11, God has a good plan for your future. However, the only way you will be able to grab hold of it is by letting go of what’s behind you. That includes all the pain and torment of your past. You may think it’s too hard, but in our weakness, God becomes our strength. If you’ll ask Him, He will help you let go of those things that are holding you back. Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? The next thing God says is that He is doing something new. One of the definitions of new is something that was not used by anyone previously. To me, this means that God is doing something different from anything He has ever done before. How many times have we heard people say, “If only we could get back to the way we used to do things, we will see God move again?” What we need to understand is that what worked before will not necessarily work now. Habakkuk 2:3 tells us that there is an appointed time for visions. The only way we are going to produce any lasting results is by getting in the presence of God, obtaining His plan to accomplish His purpose, and to do so through the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot depend on what worked yesterday. We must get direction for today.
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I will make even a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. In John 14:6, Jesus refers to Himself as the way. It is through Him that we have been restored to right standing with God. It is by Him that a way has been made for us to enter into the very presence of God. It is in His presence that we find refreshing for our souls. These rivers of refreshing are the Spirit of God flowing from His presence. On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39 NKJV) The beasts of the field honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. The people I formed for Myself; that they may set forth My praise [and they shall do it]. Notice that when the rivers of refreshing are released for the sake of God’s people, creation enjoys the benefits of it. If you want to see a positive change in our country (government, schools, entertainment, natural resources, etc…) the only way it is going to happen is by the power of the Spirit. These rivers of refreshing bring healing to the land (see Ezekiel 47:1-12). Wherever it flows it brings blessing. All that are touched by it break forth in praise to God. That is our very purpose! To bring glory and honor to Him.
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This is the hour of refreshing. An awakening is taking place. As we get in alignment with God and His plan and purpose for this time, healing will be released and increase will come to the kingdom. It is a new season. Old things have passed away. All things are being made new. Get ready for it! The time is upon us now.
Rachel Storms is a happily married mother of three girls. As the youngest daughter of a minister, she has been brought up under the instruction of the Bible. Having traveled with her family often, she has been exposed to various denominations and concluded that the basis of faith is and always will be founded upon the truth of God’s Word. Rachel is passionate about teaching others. Her greatest desire is to reach out to the lost and the broken with the compassion of Jesus Christ.
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HOPE VS. HOPE DEFERRED BY CHRISTY HENDERSON
This verse came to mind when I was praying about a subject to write about Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.' NKJV
God cannot lie (Heb 6:18; Num 23:19). The Christian has a hope that is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). It is a hope that is like faith…a faith that cannot be moved by circumstances or what the eyes see because an unseen God is seen in His faithfulness.
When I looked up the word “hope” I found it very interesting that the word “trust” is part of the root meaning. I kept going until I had looked at eight biblical and modern online dictionaries. In every case trust is part of the meaning. Hope Defined: merriam-webster.com: Hope, verb: 2: to expect with confidence: trust: to hope without any basis for expectation fulfillment, desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment. A Christian’s Definition of Hope patheos.com: A Christian’s definition of hope is far superior to that of the world. Instead of wishing or hoping for something to happen, a believer knows that their hope is solid, concrete evidence because it is grounded in the Word of God and we know that
Definition of Hope Bible.org: In Scripture hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” In modern terms, hope is similar to trust and a confident expectation. Trust is a root word of hope. By its very nature, hope stresses future. It deals with things we can’t see or haven’t received yet. We cannot see salvation, Jesus or the Holy Spirit when we get saved but through faith and hope we know they are there. Hope is the confident assurance that everything God has promised is ours. This is hope being activated which requires trust. We have to trust in an unseen God that all of this is real. Romans 8:24-25 We were saved with this hope in mind. If we hope for something we already see, it’s not really hope. Who hopes for what can be seen?
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25But if we hope for what we don’t see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. GWT Hope has power. When we activate our hope it changes the way we see things. It changes our perspective of how we view the future. All things are possible when we put our hope in Jesus. It makes us heavenly minded not earthly minded. Mark 10:27 …“With men it is impossible, but not with God, for with God all things are possible.” NKJV Early this year I experienced what it felt like to walk in peace. I was being torn apart by circumstances that were out of my control. The only way I got through it was to stay in peace. The hope we have in our God fills us with this peace. Fact is God is the source of hope and He is the only one that can give it to us. The only thing we have to do is just ask and believe and it is ours. Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” NKJV Hope comes from knowing the Word of God and resting in Him. Reading and applying the Word to your life will change it one step at a time. It will become less complicated as you grow in the knowledge of Him. Fill your mind with His Word so you can stand against the devil when he comes to snatch your hope from you. 1 Peter 1:13 “Therefore, your minds must be clear and ready for action. Place your confidence completely in what God’s kindness will bring you when Jesus Christ appears again.” GWT But there is something called hope deferred. Pray now for your strength and faith to be strong enough that you do not allow it to creep into your line of thinking.
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What a scary thought. You spend all your Christian life putting your hope in the One that can do it all. Then at your deepest darkest hour when you think there is no light at the end of the tunnel you decide to stop hoping. All that energy and pain wasted. How many times have we stopped just before our answer is made visible to us? Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” ESV Definition of Hope deferred: Benson Commentary: Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick -- The delay of that which a man eagerly desires and expects is such an affliction, that it differs little from a lingering disease; but when the desire cometh — When the good desired and expected is obtained. It is a tree of life — That is, most sweet, satisfactory, and reviving to the soul. BibleHub.com Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible: Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, that is, the object hoped for; if it is not enjoyed as soon as expected the mind becomes uneasy, the heart sinks and fails, and the man is dispirited and ready to despond, and give up all hope of enjoying the desired blessing; whether it be deliverance from any evil, or the possession of any good. But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life; when that which is hoped and wished for, and has been long expected and desired, it is as grateful to him as the tree of life was in Eden's garden; it gives him an unspeakable pleasure and delight. BibleHub.com Hope in the Bible, is more than wishful thinking. Hope is a confident expectation of something to happen in the future. Not knowing the time it will manifest is what defers the hope, especially when your positive turns into imposable. The heart grows sick when you think it is defiantly out of your reach.
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Solomon simply states what is true of the human condition. Even those of us with the first fruits of the Spirit who have been reborn by the grace of God and who have become new creations in Christ still groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for what we hope for to become a reality (see Romans 8.18-25). But what do we do with the sick heart? How do we overcome this darkness, this weariness from crying out? How do we keep our eyes from growing dim with waiting on God to bring into reality that for which we hope? fbcbenbrook.wordpress.com Hope deferred makes the heart sick, yes, but how do we get rid of deferred hope? The psalmist gives an answer. He simply states that the only way out of a sick heart is to hope. You may think it just can’t be that simple. In reality, it is. We have a choice to choose the one we want to dominate our lives. When you are so very tired of waiting simply renew your hope. Make yourself look for something positive to focus on. Hope is a powerful tool, keep it activated and strong by trusting in the one who can make anything possible. Our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Christy Henderson has been married for 25 years and has two beautiful girls. They are both married and she is looking forward to grandbabies. She is thankful for two special friends who remind her that she has a solid rock in Jesus Christ when life gets crazy. One thing she loves to do is minister to the hurting.
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JESUS: LORD AND SAVIOR. THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE. BY ASHLEY CHAMBERS
Allow me to reach into my memory bank and go back in time several years. It was midAugust. I was riding in my papaw’s pickup truck up a winding mountain side road. We were headed to Indian Bluff Baptist Church. I'm talking switchback curves and a long gravel road to a tiny country church with reddish carpet and hard wooden pews. There was revival. I was twelve and I was snuggled up to my Great Aunt Alice's side. I don't remember the exact sermon or words spoken that night, but I will always remember how I felt and the feeling of the Holy Spirit calling me to the altar. I went into a supernatural trance. My heart started pounding and I felt led to get up and go receive salvation. The pull in my inner being was so strong that I could not resist it. I was scared. The battle raging inside of me was one of fear and shyness. As a child I was made of fun of often and those memories contributed further to the battle I was fighting inside. I overcame the
fear and whispered to Aunt Alice "I want to go up there and be saved." I walked up to the altar with Aunt Alice holding my hand. I knelt down and confessed my need for Jesus as my savior. I immediately had an overwhelming peace, comfort and pure love and acceptance like I had never experienced before. I knew instantly that God had heard my prayer and had accepted me. I lived for the Lord from that point on. It was easy as I grew up in a small community of church going folks and it was an easy town to be a Christian. I was very sheltered and there wasn't much opportunity to get involved in intentional sins of the flesh. Following high school graduation my home life deteriorated. Divorce, separation, and division became my reality. I had zero leads as to what I was doing with my life. I decided since I was 18 I no longer had to listen to my dad, I thought I knew more than he did, and I became a lover of selffulfillment. I went to the nearest big city and got a job at a restaurant serving tables. I had always told
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myself I would be a city girl and I dreamed big. That was the beginning of the darkest years of my life. I was eighteen and stepping into a world that I had been protected from. I was introduced to the world's view of living and I ended up married, and pregnant, divorced, alone, broke, and hopeless. I moved back in with my grandmother and got a different job at a spa where I sank deeper into the world. I became a fan of dance clubs. Thursday through Sunday I could be found at the dance clubs trying to drown out my life. My walk with Jesus was gone. I had given up on Him and turned to the world in my time of desperation. How could a person who was so excited to serve God find it so easy to throw it all away or something that left me feeling empty? Discipleship. You see there is a huge importance associated with discipleship. I had never been taught once you accept Jesus as savior you make Him Lord also. I was not taught how to walk that out. I forgot that Jesus lived in me and I was quickly running away from the very person that could and would help me find my way. I was longing for love, self-worth and searching for the very thing I already had living inside me. False hope and the way in which I was choosing to fill the void only left me empty. The grace and kindness of God and how He drew me to repentance came as I was on my way to a country dance club to drink and dance the night away. The night was no different than all the other nights except while riding in the car on this trip I felt a spiritual heaviness that drove me to tears. I felt such love and compassion and the need to repent and denounce the lifestyle I had been choosing. Immediately I vowed to turn away from that lifestyle and I chose to not only allow Jesus to be my savior, but I made him The Lord of my life.
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Fast forward years later and Jesus is Lord of my life. I now am full of Joy and Hope and I am bold in my faith. I am a Spirit-filled woman of God who lives to Encourage Believers to fight the good fight, Believe God and I’m passionate about discipleship! All next to winning souls for the Kingdom. If you are searching, Jesus is the way.
Ashley Chambers is a deep thinker and big dreamer who casts those thoughts and visions onto paper. Her purpose is to inspire others to see their potential and choose to be bold and courageous as they journey through this foreign land we call Earth. She runs the Facebook page Count it ALL Joy Where she encourages others in their Faith and challenges them to be intentional about their walk
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