Show Transcript:

You are listening to the Blooming Inspired Podcast on the Blooming Inspired Podcast Network. We exist to empower the voices of women who live their lives #BloomingAlive through Podcast Community. Now, here is your host.

Blooming Inspired Podcast equipping and empowering the voices of women who live their lives Blooming Alive.

This week Michelle continues her very personal series about Mirror Moments with God where she found the courage to receive His forgiveness, trust His love and walk in who He created and redeemed her to be.

Introduction

Greetings to God’s Beautiful Wildflowers! This is Michelle Bentham, host of Blooming Inspired Podcast. Last week I began sharing my mirror moments testimony here on the podcast.

As I shared last week, Embracing Identity is a core value here at Blooming Inspired Network. In my own experiences I’ve found spiritual identity is not at all about discovering who YOU are in Christ, but rather settling your heart in intimacy to know Him - just Him - discovering who He is and how He wants to express Himself through you.

Last week I shared the messier parts of my testimony and how God used these practical mirror moments to reveal not only His heart for me, but also to help me embrace my identity and who He says I am. Today I’ll share a final mirror moment in the context of the story of a biblical woman. As I share with you today, I want to encourage you to put yourself in today’s passage as we look at the adulterous woman who was cast at Jesus feet for judgment and found herself receiving mercy instead.

Let’s Pray, Father God, I ask that You would give each person within the sound of my voice eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to know you more. I pray that we would be able to step into the story and find you there, meeting with us and speaking to our hearts personally - up close. I ask Lord for you to allow us to encounter you and realize the truths revealed for ourselves today! Show us Your Glory Lord! I ask these things in Jesus’ Holy Name, AMEN.

Would you allow your heart to engage with Jesus and settle on Him today?

Last week I shared that somehow in leading women’s Bible study I missed the idea of God taking my confession of sin and cleansing me of all unrighteousness. So as we begin today I want to turn to a familiar passage of scripture and begin with an encounter activation today.

Rather than turn in your Bible’s I want to encourage you to do something completely different. Today, I want you to get in a comfortable position sitting in a comfy chair or your couch. If you can do so safely of course… Please don’t do this next part if you are driving in your car… But, now I’d encourage you - let your shoulders drop back, close your eyes and let whatever cares you are holding onto go. Now, take a few deep breaths (in through your nose, out through your mouth), and as you do I want you to think about the place in your body you are most aware of the presence of God when He shows up. Once you have settled on where you are most aware of GOd’s presence, I want you to focus from that place of awareness on who you know Jesus to be from Scripture. What do you know about Him to be true? And when you have that place of awareness, I’ll call it your heart, when you have your heart set on Jesus then join me in the reading.

Lord, come and meet with your children today. We ask you to come and introduce yourself to us in real and tangible ways. Thank you Lord, for your goodness and grace today.

If you remember, last week I shared that I had a moment when God woke me from my sleep and had me recall all of the unconfessed sins I had committed. And as I confessed them to Him, grieved over what they had cost Him… He gave me His perspective of me in exchange - “Look what a mess you made out of the beauty I created.”

I feel sure some of you need to encounter the Lord’s goodness much the same way I did that night. If, at any time during the reading God begins to speak to you, stay with Him. Otherwise, join me as we place ourselves into this story found in the Gospel of John.

Today’s reading is in John 8:1-11 and I’ll be reading from The Passion Translation:

Let me set the stage for you - women in Jesus’ time where considered more property than precious gift. Men often married them when they were very young and the women had taken to sewing their valuables into their garments and braiding their jewelry into their hair so that if their husband came home one day and said, “I divorce you. I divorce you. I divorce you.” they would not be found destitute.

A woman in this situation without means could not return to her family, for she is disgraced. An adulteress by law since she is now divorced. She has no choice in order to survive she would have to do one of two things, 1) choose to live with a man unmarried, or 2) prostitute herself to make a living.

The law found in the Deuteronomic Code prescribed that both a woman and a man caught in adultery should be stoned to death. But, in this narrative we find that the pharisees only brought the woman to Jesus.

Now, Let’s Begin:

Verse 1-3: Jesus walked up the Mount of Olives near the city where he spent the night. Then at dawn Jesus appeared in the temple courts again, and soon all the people gathered around to listen to his words, so he sat down and taught them. Then in the middle of his teaching, the religious scholars and the Pharisees broke through the crowd and brought a woman who had been caught in the act of committing adultery and made her stand in the middle of everyone.

Can you picture this woman with me for a moment? She was likely in some state of undress - perhaps even naked. She may be crying, trembling and fearful of the men who are dragging her through the street. Her tears mingling with the dirt being stirred as she is escorted to the temple steps where this angry, pious group of men cast her down at Jesus’ feet. Can you see her?

Defeated.

Broken.

Ashamed.

Fearful.

Weeping.

Crying out, perhaps.

Cowering at the feet of Jesus.

Not even daring to look up.

Now that you see her, could you be her? Could you be the woman caught in a trap of sin - suddenly exposed, found out and cast at the feet of Jesus?

How are you feeling?

What are you thinking?

Maybe your sin isn’t adultery, but the wages of sin is death - and we all have sinned.

Verse 4-6 Then they said to Jesus, “Teacher, we caught this woman in the very act of adultery. Doesn’t Moses’ law command us to stone to death a woman like this? Tell us, what do you say we should do with her?” They were only testing Jesus because they hoped to trap him with his own words and accuse him of breaking the laws of Moses. But Jesus didn’t answer them. Instead he simply bent down and wrote in the dust with his finger.

Can you hear their voices? Accusing you. Shaming you. Demanding judgment and an answer. You know what’s coming - first one, then another - they’ll soon begin casting their stones of judgment beyond these words. Caught in the act - they said. The Punishment is Death. What have I done? Oh Lord… Please. Help me. Your thoughts must be racing, pounding out a rhythm of panic with each beat of your heart.

Suddenly you sense His presence, low to the ground. What is He doing? He’s writing something with His finger in the dirt. I could throw myself at His feet and beg for mercy… But, that won’t do any good. I deserve this. I was caught in the act. Two or three witnesses - I heard him say it.

Verses 7-8: Angry, they kept insisting that he answer their question, so Jesus stood up and looked at them and said, “Let’s have the man who has never had a sinful desire throw the first stone at her.” And then he bent over again and wrote some more words in the dust.

Can you hear His voice speaking to the men who accuse you?

Did He just give them permission to stone me? They are the Pharisees. Surely none of them even thinks about sinning… Well, except that one who comes to see me a few times a week…

Suddenly you hear it… and with each sound you cry out and flinch again and again - weeping uncontrollably as they fall - THUD. THUD. THUD…. One by one the rocks begin to fall.

Verses : Upon hearing that, her accusers slowly left the crowd one at a time, beginning with the oldest to the youngest, with a convicted conscience.

Suddenly, you realize that the rocks are not hitting you at all, but wait… What is happening? Can you enter into this moment with this woman? Can you be her? Can you see her? Can you experience this with her?

Verse 10: Until finally, Jesus was left alone with the woman still standing there in front of him. So he stood back up and said to her, “Dear woman, where are your accusers? Is there no one here to condemn you?”

Can you see her? She is still cowering, sobbing, weeping as she realizes she is not going to die today. They didn’t stone me! What is happening? Why did they leave… You lift your head and see that the men who accused you have all left. The rocks haphazardly creating a circle surrounding you and this man, Jesus. So many follow Him… You finally lift your head fully and…

Verse 11: Looking around, she replied, “I see no one, Lord.”

NO ONE LORD! NO ONE! NO ONE ACCUSES ME! Then you feel it the relief bubbling up and turning to joy. Now you’re laughing through your tears. He offers you His hand, He pulls you up to stand. He takes off His robe and wraps it around your naked body, covering your shame. You slip your arms into its swallowing sleeves. You pull it tight around you. And that is when He places his hand on each side of your face and pulls your eyes up to meet His own. What do you see in His eyes?

Jesus said, “Then I certainly don’t condemn you either. Go, and from now on, be free from a life of sin.”

At this point can you see Him there holding your face in His hands as the lifter of your head and encouraging you to go and live your life free of this sin that so easily entangled you. Can you see her? Can you be her? Redeemed, Forgiven and Released.

I shared about that moment when I walked into the bathroom and I felt that He told me I was beautiful. Today, I want to share a bit more of my mirror moments story from a time when I had to forgive betrayal and learn to let God tend my heart.

Last week I spent time bragging on my husband, #TheFisherman, and how precious he is to me. And boy, is he. But we’ve been through it. And though most of our relationship I’ve been making messes and he’s been there to help me clean up afterwards… There was a time about 11 years ago that he hurt me, and I had to walk on the other side of this conversation. During our recovery I asked my husband for permission to share our story if it could help others who may find themselves in a similar situation. He gave me his permission.

In 2008, right after Christmas, I learned my husband had become involved in an emotional affair with a woman he met playing an online video game. My heart was broken, but my resolve to save my marriage strong, and if I am honest - I had neglected him in those three years before after my son passed away and we walked out unimaginable pain as a family.

And that affair hit me right in the love languages - if you catch what I am saying. Meaning my top two love languages are quality time and words of affirmation. He had been giving exactly what I need to another woman, a virtual stranger, for six months while my needs for emotional intimacy and quality time went unmet.

It was not easy to overcome that kind of betrayal for me - and beside my child dying this would have been my #2 confessed fear - my husband choosing someone else over me.

As we both determined to focus on our marriage and begin to date again while figuring out how to overcome the wounds we both carried from our first decade of marriage - I found myself home alone during the day and processing the pain I felt with God throughout the day.

Our lead pastor at church had shared in a series one time that in the morning we should worship God in our quiet time, and if you are not quite sure what to sing, just sing the song that is playing in your heart.

One particular morning a few weeks after discovering the affair, I was cleaning my bathroom and found myself standing in front of the bathroom mirror humming a familiar tune from my younger days. The song playing in stereo in my head.

The greatest love of all is happening to me, learning to love yourself - it is the greatest love of all… Whitney Houston’s exquisite voice singing the song in the recesses of my mind.

After several minutes of singing the song while I cleaned the large plate glass mirror above our double sink vanity, I finally stopped and dropped the paper towels on the cabinet. “God! Why is that the song in my heart today?”

He waited a beat or two and then I heard what I have come to know as His voice in my thoughts as He said, “Because I am the greatest love of all, and when my perfect love happens to you - you learn to love yourself.”

You see, Jesus said in the Gospels that the first commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and the second is like it - it is learning to love your neighbor as yourself.

As I stood staring at my face in that mirror, the tears began to fall again as I realized God had once again brought me to His truth in the sweetest way.

1 John 3 & 4 tells us that God not only loves us, but He is love. Perfect Love. And that love casts out fear - including worries, anxieties and insecurities. For me, the journey of learning to love myself would take me a decade. And as I have learned to love myself, I have learned to see myself from His perspective and to recognize I was created by love, made in the image of love so that I may be a full expression of His Love to the world around me. He is so good.

Next week I will conclude this message series with a final testimony of how I came to realize that though I had found myself in Love, I still had not fully embraced my identity in Christ. Tune in to here more of the story next Friday as we continue to embrace identity, encourage passion, equip purpose and empower calling at Blooming Inspired Podcast.

Closing Remarks

That’s all the time we have for today! Thank you for tuning in with us. I pray the Lord met you through these words today. That His grace and love permeated your heart and mind in such a way that you were changed by an encounter of His presence through His Word.

#TheGospels #VerseByVerse Bible Study focusing on the Book Of John begins November 14, 2020 right here in Granbury, TX. This season we will spend around 20 weeks reading verse by verse through the Gospel of John asking ourselves the question, “What would I believe about God, Myself, Others and What is Possible if I only had the Scriptures to inform my faith?” We will be meeting each Saturday morning from 10am to 12 pm (CT) at the Five Crowns International Ministries Offices at 2201 Commercial Lane in Granbury. For more information or to register for this season of Bible study please visit bloominginspirednetwork.com/calendar and select the 11/14 link for Bible study. Cannot wait to read through the last of our four Gospels with you Verse By Verse!

If you’d like to be a guest on this show or get more information about hosting your own podcast on the Blooming Inspired Podcast Network - please reach out to me by visiting bloominginspirednetwork.com and click the podcast link at the top of the page or [email protected]. I’d love the opportunity to connect with you and figure out how we can share your voice with the world around us.

If you need encouragement of any kind, prayer or would just like to stay connected with us here at Blooming Inspired Network, please reach out by visiting us on Facebook, @BloomingInspired or bloominginspirednetwork.com and click the Direct Message or Contact link at the top of the page. We’d love to join hands with you in this season and lift you up.

We’d love to partner with you in sharing messages that encourage and inspire other women to live their lives blooming alive! If you’d like to get this podcast delivered to your smart device, we're available on both Apple and Google Podcasts - take a moment to Subscribe and leave a review today!

Speaking of partnering… Blooming Inspired Network is working with an up and coming ministry called Women of Verve. I began a little more than a year ago to walk with my friend, Melissa, as she birthed this idea of doing a community based outreach to women through retreats and Bible studies. In June we hosted 24 women and 4 leaders for a life-changing weekend away at MO Ranch in Hunt, TX. As we did the community of women we served has rallied! We are meeting in early November for a Brunch and time of fellowship with some light teaching. Be Sure to Follow @WomenOfVerve on Facebook or you can learn more by looking us up at facebook.com/WomenOfVerve and if you’d like to join us for our 2021 retreat July 23-25th you may visit womenofverve.com for more information and to reserve your spot! Space is limited so sign up today!

Mark Your Calendars

Be sure to tune into our Network’s weekly shows featuring these women who are living their lives Blooming Alive!

Wednesdays | Jennifer Eikenhorst is bringing hope and building community with Accidental Hope Podcast. You can learn more about Jennifer and Accidental Hope by visiting facebook.com/accidentalhope.

Thursdays | Beverly Flanagan is helping us age wisely and live well as mature women of God on In All Seasons Podcast. You can find Beverly’s latest episode at facebook.com/BloomingInspired or by visiting bloominginspirednetwork.com and click the podcast link at the top of the page.

And, Of Course, I continue to serve you each Friday by empowering the voices of women who live their lives blooming alive right here on the Blooming Inspired Podcast.

Thank you for listening to the Blooming Inspired Podcast on the Blooming Inspired Podcast Network. This show airs weekly on Fridays. Please take a moment to like, share and subscribe to this podcast. To learn more about this podcast and it’s network, or the ministries of Blooming Inspired Network please visit BloomingInspiredNetwork.com and click the podcast link at the top of the page.

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