GirlfriendsInGod

THANKS to all of you who have checked in with us to see if we are okay. We are good, but many close are not. Samaritan’s Purse is on the ground in five different sites to assist with relief from Hurricane Helene. Here’s a link with details and a place to contribute towards the efforts:

Samaritan’s Purse Starts Five-Site Response to Hurricane Helene The storm left a path of devastation across the Southeast, from the beaches of Florida to the mountains of North Carolina.

I am so excited about my new book, Praying for Your Child from Head to Toe: A 30-Day Guide to Power and Effective Scripture-Based Prayer releasing... 📣 September 5th! 📣

All we need to do is listen to the nightly news to know that there is an all-out war for the souls of our children. Never in history have they been more under attack. What can we do?
Our mightiest weapon is prayer. 🙏🏼

I'm inviting you to be a part of the launch team for Praying for Your Child from Head to Toe.
You'll have some extra special perks too! Will you join me? Click here: https://buff.ly/3Dpqfcw

Girlfriends in God began in 1996 when Sharon Jaynes, Gwen Smith, and Mary Southerland locked arms to encourage women in their walk with Christ. The foundation of GiG was built on 1 Thessalonians 2:8: “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”
The three founders had a passion to cross generational, racial, and denominational boundaries to bring the Body of Christ together as believers. For seventeen years, they witness God work mightily to make that happen.

After much prayer, the team has decided to end this season of Girlfriends in God as of June 30, 2023. The team had the amazing opportunity to share life with millions of women all around the world. Founders, Sharon, Gwen, and Mary can’t wait to meet each one of you in heaven, where we will celebrate God’s presence for all eternity together!

While Girlfriends in God has come to an end, Sharon, Mary, and Gwen will still be sending out weekly devotions from their individual sites. While it may look different, the encouraging biblical content will be the same. Click the links to continue receiving devotions from:

Sharon Jaynes on Tuesdays: https://buff.ly/3MLFO2v
Mary Southerland on Wednesdays: https://buff.ly/3MmUh4F
Gwen Smith on Thursdays: https://buff.ly/3WxJgSD

We can’t wait to continue doing life with you!

My mom wore a two-carat diamond necklace that hung from a gold chain around her neck. My dad had given it to her for an anniversary. Before you say, “Good for her,” keep reading.

One day, when she was shopping in my little hometown, she walked through an alley separating two buildings. This spunky seventy-something-year-old held several packages and her purse looped over her wrist.

About midway through the alley, three teenage boys on bicycles circled her like buzzards over roadkill. One hopped off his bike and grabbed at her necklace. The others continued circling and keeping watch.

But rather than give the would-be-robber what he wanted, Mom dropped her packages and began hitting the boy over the head with her purse. I kid you not. Who knew people really did that?

She was so mad; she took a few swings at the other boys as well.

“You get out of here you little rascal!” she yelled. “Leave me alone! I’m going to get you, you little…” Truth be known, she probably yelled some words that I will not include in today’s devotion.

I think the guys were so startled that she fought back; they got on their bicycles and scurried away.

A few months later, Mom took the two-carat diamond into the jeweler for cleaning. After close inspection, he dropped his head and said, “Mrs. Edwards, I don’t know how to tell you this, but this diamond isn’t real. It’s a fake.”

We’re not sure what happened. We’re not sure if my dad had been tricked and thought it was real, or if he knew it was a fake all along. He was already in heaven, so we couldn’t ask. (I bet my mom did when she got there though.)

Here’s what I learned that day. What we believe to be true affects the way we act and react. Personally. Spiritually. Emotionally.

And friend, what we believe about the Bible affects the way we act and react. Personally. Spiritually. Emotionally.

Paul states, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV). The Greek word for “God-breathed” or as some translations say, “breathed out” is “theopneustos,” which means “inspired by God” or literally the very “breath of God.”

Some translations use the word, “inspired,” but it’s so much more! Inspired sounds like a creative impulse. God-breathed means that every word in the original text of the Bible originated in the heart of God and was breathed into the heart of man so that they could write down exactly what God wanted to communicate.

Billy Graham said it so well, “The Bible has stood the test of time because it is divinely inspired by Almighty God, written in ink that cannot be erased by any man, religion, or belief system.”

For seventeen years we have started the GiG devotions with “Today’s Truth.” That is because God’s Word is Truth. Cling to that with all your heart.

As we close this season of Girlfriends in God, I want us all to remember what God tells us in 2 Timothy 4:3: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

Never have I seen Scripture more distorted than I have in the last ten years. It breaks my heart that what the Bible clearly states as wrong is now considered right. And what the Bible clearly states as right is now considered wrong.
How it must break God’s heart when His people ignore parts of The Truth that don’t align with what they want to be true. Let that never be us…Girlfriends in God forever.

Oh sister, cling to God’s Word as the ultimate truth—infallible and inerrant. If there is one truth we want you to hang onto after our time together it is that. God’s Word is true.
https://buff.ly/2Eline4