Last weekend, Julie and I went to a women's conference in Louisville, KY called Deeper Still.
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We got great seats for both days. We were actually eight rows back and directly behind all of the speakers. It is much easier to get good seats when there are just two to find. Usually, I go with a larger group, but it didn't work out this time.
One of my favorite parts of going to events like this is for the music. I LOVE singing together with thousands of women and a few brave men lifting up praises to the Lord. I also love the freedom to worship, to be able to lift up your hands if you feel led, without fear of others around you thinking you are a total weirdo. In events like these, you will see many ways to worship, some very foreign to my conservative church☺ I also love Travis Cottrell's voice. He leads all of Beth Moore's events, and he is not only very talented, but he also leads us to truly worship.
The first teacher was Kay Arthur. I just love her. She is real and extremely knowledgeable in the word. I can't believe she is 77!
What I learned from her teaching...
Kay taught on many aspects of God's love. It was compelling and extremely convicting for me. She first told of how the Israelites in Malachi had the gall to ask God, "Tell us how You love us," even after all God provided for them. She asked us if we had ever done the same by doubting God's love when things don't work out exactly as we had planned and do the same thing to God.
The main text was from 1 John 3:1-16. There are two classes of people: those that belong to Christ, those who have moved from death to life, and children of the devil, those who are still dead in their trespasses of sin. In Romans 5:6, we learn that God came to save us when we were completely helpless and unable to be godly.
She shared some gruesome details of what Christ endured in His death not only on the cross. I have heard it before, but every time I do, it makes me want to fall on my face and thank Him for dying in my place and taking the punishment that I deserve. I can't even imaging the pain of just the scourging alone. She said the movie, The Passion of the Christ, was great, but it didn't go far enough. She also said something interesting about Jesus being nailed to the cross. When God created us, He knew we would sin and He created the bone structure in a specific way. She said that if you feel down your wrist you will feel a circle where there are no bones. She said it was like God created a place for Jesus to be nailed to the cross. I looked up an X-ray of a hand to check out what she said about this because I thought it was an interesting point.
Many pictures of Jesus on the cross show Him being nailed in the palm of His hand, but some say that being nailed there couldn't hold the weight of your body and would rip through the entire hand. No matter where He was nailed, palm or wrist, it is still excruciating to even imagine. I am a big baby when I have a splinter in my hand, much less the agony of being nailed.
In Romans 5:8, we are told that Christ died an unimaginable death, and while were sinners is the time Christ died for us. This is how God demonstrates His love toward us. We are helpless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies of God, but that is when He chose to die for us, not because of anything we do. You don't get saved because of the family you were born into, or because some willed you to get saved, or even because of a decision on our own. Ephesians 1:3-4 tells us that He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.
We know all of this because of studying His word. Kay asked how many books does God intend us to know? ALL 66! If He gave us 66, then we should know and study all of them. We are too entangled in the affairs of the world that we don't want to work and struggle through the scriptures. She said that through her study of His word it has allowed her not to doubt God because she believes the word of God.
The scripture tells us in 1 John 3:4, "everyone who practices sin also practices lawlesness; and sin is lawlessness." Practicing sin is present tense, to keep doing it over and over. If we truly believe in Jesus, we will not habitually sin. Jesus came to break the chain and power of sin, and if that power is not destroyed, then you are not born again. If your habit of life is sin, then you are a child of the devil. (1 John 3:7-8). This is a hard teaching to understand and want to believe, because we want to live the way we choose to live without consequences. If we sin habitually, then we should doubt our salvation. 1 John 3:9 is very clear on this..."no one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in Him, and he cannot sin because He is born of God."
She said this concept may go against everything that we have been taught, but do we want to believe a lie and be deceived?? Kay feels that there are many in the church who are not born again. We ought to behave and look differently, and that is not happening right now. If the church is more like the world, it is not true Christianity. If you can't stop sinning, then it should put a BIG question mark on your salvation. Do we want to be a slave to sin?
We need to have a biblical perspective on the love of God. In 1 John 3:10, the children of the devil are obvious...the ones who do not practice righteousness and the one who does not love his brother. A few verses later in 14-15, it says that he who does not love abides in death. Verse 16 says this is what shows whether you have been transformed by the love of God. If a person does not love Jesus, He does not love God. What are your goals and ambitions in life? To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strenght and your neighbor as yourself is to fulfil the law. If we do these things, then we wouldn't dream of adultry, coveting, murdering...
The source of love is God. If we are filled with bitterness, resentfulness, and hate, examine yourself. There is only one way. The one who does not love does not know God. If I know that God loves me, then I am not needy and require others to constantly tell me and reassure me of their love. I am able to be so filled with the love of God that I am able to meet the needs of others without being so concerned if people love me.
How can we be certain that God loves us? Everything that happens to us is filtered through the sovereign fingers of God through His love. He is loving, but He also allows bad things to happen to mold us into who we are supposed to be.
She closed with these two passages...
What then shall we say to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?
It is God who justifies.
Who is he who condemns?
It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen,
who is even at the right hand of God,
who also makes intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written:
“ For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors
“ For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors
through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither
death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers,
nor things present nor things to come,
nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints
what is the width and length and depth and height—
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19
Saturday morning, we had the privelege of listening to Priscilla Shirer teach a practical, yet also convicting lesson on enjoying the gifts God gives us without become enslaved. She is closes to my age and the stage of life that I am currently in.
Pricilla shared a story of the rarity of snow in Texas this winter, and how many reacted to the multiple snow days being shut in at home. She said that when there are a few inches of snow, the city practically shuts down because they aren't prepared to handle it. Many in the city were going stir crazy and ready to get back to their normal routines. She asked are we so addicted to stress, chaos, and commotion that we can't even enjoy a break, even when forced?
We can be free from the slaves of sin, but we can let good things spiral out of proportion. Things such as work, food, etc...have been given to us to enjoy, but we can become enslaved and in bondage. She asked us what are we over-doing in our lives currently? Some are enslaved to our homes by clutter. We're not just free from the curse of sin, but from the things He gave for us to enjoy appropriately.
I thought this was a great illustration about purpose of boundaries and how they are good for us. Fire is a great thing if confined to a fireplace or appropriately contained in its proper place. We can be enslaved to a gift that God has given us.
God gave the children of Israel manna and quail when they escaped the slavery of Egyptians and were headed to the Promised Land. However, His gifts had boundaries. They were to take a Sabbath day rest to allow for a little breathing room in their daily lives. They were to collect the manna and quail on the first six days and on the sixth day, they were given a double portion to have enough for the Sabbath day. That day is to remember who it is that provided everything.
She asked if there is anything in our lives that we have a hard time stopping, or saying no to. Perhaps, it is an indulgance, coffee, knick-knacks, collections, shopping...no ceasing point. It may have overrun your life. God gives margins as benefits even if it doesn't seen so. A boundary left to us, in our own flesh, will not be a true boundary. We will overdo too much, and this is why God puts them here so we can fully enjoy the freedom God has given us.
In Deuteronomy 5:14, they were told not to do any work. These people had a slave mentality and had never been told to stop working. Perhaps we have never been told pause and step into a God-margin. They were told to stop in saying no to what they have never told no. Is there any breathing room in your home or office? Why do we despise space or open dates on our calendars? Satan may be pushing so much into a gift to keep us from doing what we are called to do. We need to be able to say enough is enough. Resist the urge to continue.
She talked about her hangup...belts. She brought her collection of belts to show everyone the excessiveness caused her not to be able to enjoy them. It could be shoes, clothes, etc...but how many do we really need? Is it hampering us so much that we can't even enjoy what we have because it is too overwhelming? What is it for you that has become out of control. You can't enjoy because you have too much of everything.
Exodus 16:25-26 tells us that they were to gather the manna each morning, just enough for the day...don't hoard! God gave a double portion on day 6, if we go looking on day 7, it won't be there. She said when we seem to just be spinning our wheels on something and it just won't happen, perhaps God is whispering to you, "you're on the 7th day." Are we blocking the 6th day double portion that we can't trust in His provision?
They were told to remember what they used to be. They were slaves and had that mindset. Slaves hoard, free people give freely. In Exodus 16:19-20, we are told that like a slave would do, they overdid, and their excess became foul. When we have too much, it causes frustration and keeps us from fully enjoying the things that God gave is to enjoy...it becomes foul as well.
The Sabbath originated in Genesis during the creation. God gave Adam and Eve some control over the earth, but not enough to maintain what God has given us. The Sabbath is a sign to the world. We have made an idol of overexhaustion. This is not an excuse for laziness, but we aren't called to always be tired! She said that the Sabbath is 14% of the week. That is what we are given to rest. She concluded with a challenge to us all. Take 14 minutes everyday to rest, or to take 14 minutes a day to clear a space to free us up in our excess of gifts.
In the afternoon, we heard from Beth Moore.
The scripture she used made me laugh out loud. Every year for the last several years, we have a mother-daughter brunch at our church and this year, we had difficulty getting a date set for it. We scheduled it for this day, and I didn't have Deeper Still in my calendar. It just didn't work out, but we already had the theme planned for the event. I had been studying in 2 Timothy a few months back and this verse stuck out to me..."Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you" (2 Timothy 1:14). So, when she told us what passage she would be teaching from, I thought this is the message I need to hear for that day☺
Any generation can change the direction of the line-good or bad. Every generation has a responsibility! God is such a generational thinker that He can make you a promise and fulfil it in a grandchild. He sees you in conjunction with your life and can see a broader picture that we can. It was through Jacob that all the sons were given, as promised to Abraham. He didn't see the full promise through him physically, but it came right through his line.
God often characterizes generations, such as an adulterous, perverse, unbeliving, only seeking signs. He said is there no good generation? God is into remnants and can reverse a generation. If we are a faithful remnant in a warped and wicked generation, we can shine like stars in a world of darkness.
How long is a generation? A generation in the Old Testament was 100 years. Greeks thought there were three per 100 years, and some refer to forty years. In 2 Timothy, the generation is considered from the time it takes to have a parent and a child, around twenty years.
She got three different ladies on stage to represent each generation and asked them each some questions. The Timothy generation was ages 19-39, the Eunice generation was ages 40-60, and the Lois generation was from ages 61-81 (or older). Beth said it is great to get to know different generations in your bible studies!!
Meaning of names:
Lois-"desired" in Greek, I would like to think that you still want me. We are terrified of age.
Eunice-"victorious", it's a beautiful thing to start seeing a little bit of the harvest, getting to see a little
more of the victory.
Timothy-"honoring God"-You can stand up and honor God in a warped and crooked generation.
Which generation is threatened over the other? Don't ever get into a trap of competing with one another. Die to competition! We are sisters in generations that are linked together.
We sometimes ask God, "Can I trust You", but in 2 Timothy 1:14, He is asking if He can trust us with His treasure. She shared some ways in which we can be trusted to do what God has asked us to do:
1) Keep conscious clean. (2 Timothy 1:3). 1 Corinthians 4:4 tells us, "for I am conscious of nothing
against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord."
2) Let people in. In the Timothy generation, relationships are done electronically, but there is a deep
sense of isolation and loneliness. Beth said, even though we have over 400 friends on Facebook
and still be lonely. We have to let people in personally.
3) Esteem your blend. Appreciate your heritage and family no matter if it's broken.
4) Fan the flame. No one can besides you.
5) Embrace that change. The Lois generation is the "desired" generation.
6) Hold the standard!
At the end, each generation stood up and we repeated a blessing on each one, and we were also spoken over. It was so moving I cried. The first generation to be blessed was the Lois generation. We were to lay our hands on anyone around us in that generation, and the woman next to Julie was so sweet. You could tell she was touched hearing those powerful blessings spoken over her. I was reminded of all the women who have gone before us and have lived faithfully and have been examples of Christ in my church. It was something special! I am thankful for my generations...
Awesome blog, thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post....had no idea Kay Arthur was 77! I also kept noticing the PNC sign in the background of pictures. That is where I work!
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