Today, Julie Harwick shares about how God opened her eyes to her own failings while giving her His grace. Our God is always there when we need Him the most.

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Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, a Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God's grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world.

When my children were small and I was very engaged in teaching them the value of first-time obedience, God opened my eyes to my own failings in that area, but fortunately, His grace was there once again, when I needed it most.

I dropped off my four-year-old twins at preschool, and set out to do a little shopping and run some errands while I enjoyed a little extra freedom. I needed gas before I went too far, so I filled up at the nearby 7-11. The pay at the pump feature didn't work, so I had to go inside. As I approached the cash register, I met the gaze of an older man who appeared to be homeless, or at least down on his luck. I tried to break eye contact before he actually spoke to me because I was pretty sure I knew what he would say. I was half-way past him when I heard, "Excuse me, Miss, could you possibly buy me a hot dog?" Before the words were completely out of his mouth, I responded without even thinking with my usual, "Sorry, I can't." I paid at the register and got back in my van as quickly as possible. I always got very nervous when someone approached me asking for money. It felt heartless to ignore them or say no, but I also knew that 99% of the time, that money would go for drugs or alcohol, so I almost always said no. As I fastened my seatbelt, I replayed the exchange in my mind and it finally registered with me, "he didn't ask for money – he only asked me to buy him a hot dog." My heart sank as I was confronted with how truly thoughtless I had been. Of course I could have and should have bought him a hot dog. There was absolutely no reason not to. A hot dog couldn't possibly feed a drug or alcohol addiction. This would've been the perfect opportunity to help someone without questioning if it was the right thing to do. But based on previous experiences and appearance, I dismissed him without really even listening to what he was asking. I felt a deep sense of conviction and immediately headed back inside hoping that I could rectify my wrong by buying him a hotdog and any other food or drink he might like. When I entered the store, he was nowhere to be found. I asked the clerk if he had seen the homeless man who was here just a minute ago. He said a number of homeless people often came in, so much so that he frequently called the police. After checking every aisle and looking all around outside, I got back into my van. It seemed strange that he completely disappeared so quickly. I was reminded of Hebrews 13:2 which says "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Could he have been an angel sent by God to test my willingness to show hospitality to a stranger? If so, I had failed miserably.

I went on about my day, but the whole experience kept replaying in my mind and I couldn't shake the shame and disappointment I felt about the way I had handled it. When my girls were taking a nap that afternoon, I settled in for some time alone with God. I usually read scripture first and then spent some time in prayer. My bible fell open to Matthew 21:28-31. It said, "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, Sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?" As with all of Jesus' parables, there was a lot of meaning packed into this short story, but in this moment, I believed God was speaking directly to me about my failure earlier in the day. I was the first son who initially said no, but after some thought, realized there was a command I needed to obey and set about doing it. While it would've been better if I had obeyed instantly, the fact that after initially saying, "no," I actually followed through was all that really mattered. Jesus saw my repentant heart and used His own words to comfort and teach me. This became known as my "hot dog story," as I shared it with those closest to me. The way this parable specifically addressed the very thing I was struggling with reassured me that God wants to communicate with us directly and personally. It also showed me that He is eager to extend His grace to us when we pour out our hearts in repentance.

I wish I could say that this memorable experience got through to me in such a way that I never struggled with immediate obedience again. But of course, you know that's not the case.

One area where I frequently feel the Holy Spirit's conviction and correction is when I'm driving. I'm not an aggressive driver, but I tend to be very passionate about what is fair and correct on the road. If traffic is barely moving because two lanes are merging into one, God help you if you attempt to illegally drive down the shoulder and force your way back in and get further ahead. I'm the vehicle attempting to straddle the right lane and the shoulder to keep you from doing it, while making sure of course to stay out of the way of emergency vehicles. Circumstances like that get me all cranked up and very focused on protecting my rights. While there's no question that cutting in front of others is wrong, and driving on the shoulder is illegal, being obsessed with making sure my rights are not violated in something as inconsequential as traffic is also wrong. If Jesus willingly laid down His divine rights to put on human flesh, He probably wouldn't make a big deal out of a car cutting Him off. Jesus probably wouldn't straddle two lanes to keep someone from getting ahead. He would probably make room for them fulling realizing that the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. For some reason, getting behind the wheel prompts me to look at other drivers more as adversaries than people loved by God. What does it cost me to slow down and let someone move into the lane ahead of me? But that's not the way I think. In the same way I programmed myself to say, "Sorry, I can't," to the homeless man, I tend to go on autopilot behind the wheel – making sure no other drivers take advantage of me. For me, this is literally where the rubber meets the road. Do I drive the way Jesus would? Why not? If I'm honest, I have to admit it's because I'm selfish.

Human nature and selfishness go hand in hand, but God calls us to die to self and follow His example. Ephesians 4: 22-24 says, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Like so many scriptures, this makes complete sense and is simple, but in no way is it easy! God knows it isn't and in His grace, He works on me in small increments I can handle. So being made new in the attitude of my mind in areas like driving or dealing with homeless people asking for help may seem trivial compared to issues of much greater importance. But I have to believe that if I could put on the new self in such small everyday ways, I'd be more likely to get it right when a serious challenge comes along. I have no doubt that God is using these situations to convict me of my wrong attitudes and to refine me to become a little more like Jesus. He knows my weakness and reminds me that, "His grace is sufficient for me and that His power is perfected in my weakness." That kind of grace is exactly what I need and the only hope I have of fulfilling His ultimate purpose of conforming me to His image.

Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders . All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without written consent.

The Law requires strict adherence to attain perfect righteousness. Thankfully, it isn't up to us to fulfill the law. Learn from Jesus' words as we study Matthew 5:17-20.

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Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. And I'm so glad that you are joining us today.

It is September as I record this, and the days of Summer 2023 are behind us. It's hard to believe that soon we will be looking at a new year – 2024. This has been an exciting year for Women World Leaders. We are about to reach episode 500 of our podcast, the publication of Voice of Truth magazine will complete its 3rd year in December, and we have a NEW book launch THIS week! Keep your eyes open on social media and your email to get more information.

If you don't get our emails and would like to, please visit womenworldleaders.com and fill out our contact form so we can keep you up to date on all the happenings of the ministry. One of the happenings we are so excited about is that we are currently planning our fall event, Ignite Your Purpose—which will occur on October 14th in West Palm Beach, FL. This will be a morning of worship, prayer, biblical teaching, empowerment, and fellowship. We would love for you to join us – but be aware that tickets are going fast! So hop on the website, womenworldleaders.com, now to order yours.

Each Wednesday on this podcast we have the privilege of walking through the Word together. We are currently walking through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and, in this season, we are revisiting Jesus' teaching on the Sermon on the Mount. Today, we will be examining what Jesus said about the law in Matthew chapter five verses 17 through 20.

Before we begin let's pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, we love you so much. We honor praise and thank you today for who you are. You are a good father. You are love, joy, peace, wisdom and strength. God, you never give up on us sometimes teaching us again and again. What it is you long for us to know. God, I ask that you open our minds today to your teaching help us understand on a deeper level. These words that Your Son Jesus spoke so many years ago. I thank you for recording those words in the Bible, and allowing us to come back to them today. Guide us as we study. In Jesus name, I pray, amen.

As we begin, just a reminder of where we are, Jesus is primarily teaching his disciples. It's part of their personal training, if you will.

Matthew 5:1 tells us that Jesus sat as he taught, which indicates that this was intended as an intimate teaching, as they gathered on the side of the mountain. But we can surmise that there were others listening in as well.

Have you ever been asked to leave the room, maybe as a child, so your parents could discuss something among the grownups? Or maybe a boss has asked you to leave the room so other higher-ups could discuss your position. Or maybe you've entered a room, and the conversation just seemed to stop, indicating that you were not welcome. You are not welcome to know what the discussion had been.

It's not a good feeling to be left out, isolated, and wondering what you are missing. I want to tell you clearly, Jesus will never leave you out. He welcomes you for every discussion, conversation, activity, and even blessing. I remember arriving at our church one Sunday to be told that I couldn't sit near the front. Because that Sunday, the front rows were reserved for someone important. In God's eyes, there is no one more important than you. When we all bow down and worship God together in heaven, you will be in the front row. Don't ask me how this can be. Our humanity tells us that only some privileged people get sit in the front. I don't understand it. But God looks at each one of us. God looks at you, and sees his most precious child of all. You are the apple of his eye. Whenever you want to hear Him, you can go to Him. Whenever you want to ask him a question, you can ask. God will always have time for every one of your questions, concerns, needs, and even desires.

Jesus may have been teaching the disciples that day. But he was teaching anyone who wanted to listen. And that includes us right now, as Jesus spoke the words that I'm about to read from Matthew 5, verses 17 through 20. He had you on his mind. There is something here that he wanted you to know today.

From the New Living Translation, Matthew 517 Records Jesus is saying,

"Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose."

The Pharisees thought and taught that Jesus was attempting to destroy the teachings that had governed the Jewish people. The Law of Moses refers to the first five books of the Old Testament otherwise known as the Pentateuch. And the writings of the prophets includes the major and minor prophets as well as the historical books of the Old Testament.

In other words, the Pharisees believed and wanted everyone to believe that Jesus was speaking, teaching and living against the Hebrew Scriptures, in a sense, tearing them down and rendering them irrelevant. Jesus knows this and in this scripture, he addresses this fallacy head on saying, I have not come to abolish the Hebrew scriptures, but to accomplish their purpose, or as some translations say, to fulfill them.

Theologian Michael Wilkins describes the statement as "all of that the Old Testament intended to communicate about God's will and hopes for humanity, find their full meaning and accomplishment in Jesus teaching and ministry."

And Warren Wiersbe likens Jesus fulfillment of the Old Testament to an acorn. Jesus did not come to smash the acorn to smithereens, but he came to grow that acorn into a majestic oak tree that was meant that it was meant to become. Jesus purpose was to accomplish all that the Old Testament said would be. He was the Promised Messiah, whom the Law and the Prophets pointed to.

Jesus continues in verse 18, "I tell you the truth until heaven and earth disappear. Not even the smallest detail of God's law will disappear until its purpose is achieved."

Each part of the law and every prophecy given by God's chosen prophets had a purpose. And in Jesus, that purpose was fulfilled. Jesus was born and raised in the Jewish tradition, tending to every Jewish ritual. He fulfilled the law completely as no one else could before or since, living a sinless life. In his teaching, he taught the true meaning of God's Word, as God intended, not as the tainted version that the Pharisees spun.

And of course, though, unknown at the time of the speaking, Jesus fulfilled the law in his death, and resurrection. We still study the Old Testament, God's law and we should, but we should study it with the understanding that in Jesus, it is fulfilled. Scholars will tell you there are three categories of the Jewish law. The ceremonial law had to do specifically with how God instructed the Israelites to worship, through sacrifice and offering. Each part of the ceremonial law was specifically crafted by God, to point the worshipers to Jesus Himself. We are not held to this part of the law because, as Jesus stated, even the smallest detail has been fulfilled. Some versions call this detail the smallest stroke of the pen. The actual translation is the word tittle, ti t t le. A Jewish tittle is what you and I would call a serif, a small projection on the top or the bottom of a letter, which in Hebrew, differentiates one letter from another.

You could spend hours every day for years of your life studying the Old Testament, and never fully comprehend the depth of prophecy that the Jewish law held, as it pointed to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In fact, many have set out to disprove that Jesus was the Son of God by studying the prophetic law, only to come away knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was exactly who he said he was.

The second category of Jewish law was the civil law and this applied to daily living, because our world and culture are so different now, these no longer apply to us. But again, each tittle prepared the people for what was to come.

Finally, the third category of Jewish law is the moral law. These are the direct commands from God that teach us how to relate to God, and how to relate to each other. The Moral Law of God has not and will not change. This is the core of what God wants us to know, and how He yearns for us to respond to him and to other people.

It's important to note that Jesus obey the law completely as prescribed by God in each of these three areas, even if the Pharisees didn't see it that way. And then Jesus drew the line between himself and the Pharisees, saying in verses 19 and 20. "So if you ignore the least commandment, and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. But I warn you, unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of the religious law and of the Pharisees. You will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

The goal of the Pharisees was To be righteous, and hear Jesus calls them out, saying that the degree to which the Pharisees are righteous will never be enough to get them into the kingdom of heaven. This should speak to all of us. It should show us even today, that no amount of studying God's Word serving in God's Church giving to a ministry or even taking care of homeless orphans is good enough to receive our ticket to heaven. In fact, the righteousness that God demands of us before we can spend eternity with Him, is impossible for us to gain. We must be perfect.

That lipstick you stole from your mom's purse when you were six. that disqualifies you. That piece of chocolate you ate in the closet and then told your kids you don't know what happened to it, disqualifies you. The anger you felt at the car in front of you in car line that wouldn't turn when it was his turn after you waited for 25 minutes in the same spot, disqualifies you.

Okay, I should say those all disqualify me. Because those are my stories. But I'm sure you have your own. So how do we gain the right righteousness? How do we become right with God? Unblemished, pure and holy enough to stand beside God for eternity? There's only one way and his name is Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross for you. For me and my stolen lipstick, that we should have the opportunity to take on his righteousness.

Our righteousness will never cut it. But Jesus' righteousness is a shoo-in. And he offers it to each of us, no matter what shape our lives are him.

Remember that third category of the Jewish law, the moral law, the moral law concerns itself with relationship. And when you give yourself over to your relationship between you and God, when you willingly repent of your sins and ask God to show you which way to walk, by the way, his answer is always that he wants you to walk with Him—then you are cleansed, made pure, made righteous, and you are gifted the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus did not come to abolish the law. He came to fulfill the law to pay our penalty for sin that we no longer have to fear death, but can look forward to eternity with Him. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ, which Jesus ushered in as he fulfilled the law.

Let's pray.

Dear, most holy God, thank you for making a way for us to spend eternity with you. Thank you for teaching us by way of the law and then for showing us that You alone are everything we need. Jesus, I pray for anyone listening who has tried to do it on her own and has not surrendered her life to you. Put your loving arms around her reveal yourself to her today. Give her courage and strength to humbly bow before you call her to your side forever. God would give You all the praise and glory and while we do our best to walk with you every day. We look forward to the day when we are walking with you and simplicity and joy. Thank you for making that possible for each of us. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Thanks for listening to women world leaders podcast. Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at WWW dot women world leaders.com To submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event and support the ministry from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

Having persevered in the face of adversity, Alicia Roberts shares her story of heartbreak. Alicia has grown from heartbreak to empowering and equipping others who have suffered hurtful relationships, helping them find their personal power with God so they can live confidently. She has written a devotion shared on the You Version Bible app and, on today's Podcast interview, Alicia shares nuggets with us on how to overcome heartbreak.

Know the power of God's grace in the Feast of the Lord, as you learn how to prepare for God's inspection.

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Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, A Women World Leader's Podcast, I'm your host Robin Kirby-

Gatto.

Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God's grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world.

Today's Title: Inspection Time

35 "And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you and contend with you face to face. 36 As I entered into judgment and contended with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment and contend with you, says the Lord God. 37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod [as the shepherd does his sheep when he counts them, and I will count you as Mine and I will constrain you] and bring you into the covenant to which you are permanently bound. 38 And I will purge out and separate from among you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they temporarily dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord." Ezekiel 20:35-38 AMPC

We're in my favorite time of year, which is the time of the Fall Feasts for God's People. September 16th is the Feast of Trumpets, September 20th is the Day of Atonement, and September 30th is the beginning of the seven days of Feast of Tabernacles. The fall feasts are laid forth in Leviticus 23:24-37.

The Jews celebrate the New Year, Rosh Hashana, which is the first month of the Civil Year, beginning with the month of Tishrei, falling on the same day with the Feast of Trumpets. It's at this time that the Jewish people believe there is the passing of Judgment for the New Year, which can be likened to the sheep passing under the shepherd's rod.

The Feast of Trumpets is a foreshadowing of Jesus' second coming, where He will blow the trumpet as His people will be caught up with Him, and then tabernacle with Him eternally in heaven, as displayed in the Feast of Tabernacles.

Prescribed in Revelation 19:7-8, we're making ourselves ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, permitted to dress in fine linen that's dazzling white.

Like the preparation of a farmer gathering the harvest, there's a preparation for God's people to enter the fall feasts, which begins with one examining their own heart as they seek God, to see if there be any wicked way within them. (Psalm 139:23-24)

This past Friday, after I did a video on the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord, I received an email from the apartment management company that there would be an inspection, on what I thought read "Monday." I began cleaning the dining room on Friday, basically used for storing boxes of cookware that needed to be unpacked. Then, I determined that the rest of the house could be dealt with over the weekend, since my husband would be available to help.

When the weekend came, we not only cleaned the bathroom, but knew that a bigger project lay ahead of us, my youngest son's room. Now, I don't know how many mothers out there can relate to having a son, which I have two. I've gone through years of dealing with them on dirty rooms while growing up. In fact, my youngest can go for days with soda or drink cans, boxes of crackers or the like, and be completely fine with it. In fact, I think he could go for weeks if not months like that, and it does not affect him.

As a result, occasionally, in years past, I've cleaned my youngest son's room, as a birthday or holiday gift. However, things were different two years ago. I became too overwhelmed at the thought of even tackling his room. As I mentioned in my last podcast with my hormonal storm in August, where my estrogen tanked, I didn't realize how much the deficiency of it took a toll on regular activities.

Because my estrogen was getting lower, I wasn't motivated to clean anything and was pretty much overwhelmed by everything. Thank goodness, that the three weeks on Hormone Replacement Therapy, had renewed my youth. I never knew prior to this, that estrogen was known as "the fountain of youth," and now I understand why.

Thus, I had amazing energy and motivation at cleaning my youngest son's room, as I felt like a foreman on a construction site, giving assignments to my husband, in us tackling what seemed like the aftermath of a tornado. To mine and my husband's amazement, we finished in an hour and half, and it looked PHENOMENAL! I won't go into detail, but I had at least three bags of trash that Rich hauled out.

After our hard work, we were able to rest, feeling more relaxed, knowing that everything was prepared in advance for the inspection.

Inspect means to examine something or someone closely. It comes from two Latin words "in" meaning "in" and "specere," meaning, "look at." As we look at the Fall Feasts, beginning with Feast of Trumpets and get closer to the Day of Atonement, these two specific feasts are a token of God's message for us to prepare for the inspection of the Lord, symbolically preparing for Christ's return.

This can be seen in Ezekiel 20, with God preparing His sheep to pass under the shepherd's rod. Pass in Hebrew is ʻâbar pronounced aw-bar' meaning, "to cross over, to cover, carry over, escape, go beyond, go forth, sweet smelling, etc." [i] The Hebrew letters that compose pass, reveal much, as we look at the Old Hebrew symbols and their meaning. Ayin, Bet, and Resh are the Hebrew letters for pass. Ayin is the ancient symbol of an eye meaning, "to see know and experience." Bet is the ancient symbol of a tent meaning, "tent, house, household, and family." Finally, Resh is the ancient symbol of a man's face meaning, "head, highest, and person." Therefore, all three letters combined, create the word picture SEEING AND EXPERIENCING THE HOUSE OF THE MOST HIGH! Wow! This is us preparing for ETERNITY!

The English letters that spell the Hebrew word for pass are A.B.A.R. When I look at the English spelling of this Hebrew word, I cannot help but see the two words A BAR! You've heard the saying "raise the bar." The term "raise the bar" originated from athletic games referring to the pole vault and high jump. This can be likened to 2 Corinthians 3:18.

"And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18 AMPC

Our bar each year, as we approach the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, is to go from glory to glory, being transformed into the image of Christ. Glory comes from the Greek word doxa pronounced dox'-ah meaning, "glory, dignity, honor, worship, and praise." [ii] This comes from the Greek word dokéō pronounced dok-eh'-o meaning, "to think, seem good, pleasure, etc." What I can relate to with this primary Greek word for glory is that it means "TO THINK!" Immediately my mind goes to Jeremiah 29:11, where God's thoughts towards us are to give us a hope and a future. Thus, as we go from glory to glory in the Word of Truth being transformed into the image of Christ's character, WE THINK GOD'S THOUGHTS!

This is what the bar looks like in the individual Christian's life. We think more in align with God's heart, seeing through the eyes of Love, having mercy on others, without judgment, to believe and pray as the Father leads us. This is the power of love. This is what my husband and I did when we cleaned our son's room. We didn't point out all the grossness of the things we found, that made me want to put on a hazmat suit. We didn't think he was awful or horrible. Why? Because we love him! We see him through love's eyes. We saw his room already as being clean before we finished, because that's how we see him.

What is absolutely wild, is that I waited for the inspection on Monday, and it never happened. So as the day went on, I decided to look at the email again. I know for certain I saw the word "Monday," for the inspection, and thought they would come late. Low and behold, as I reread the email, it said the inspection would be THURSDAY! We cleaned up several days ahead, prepared and waited for the inspection. All I could do was give a sigh of relief, thanking God that I read it wrong. Otherwise, I would have done all the cleaning myself, not asking for help from my husband. With this relief, I just pondered on the Hebrews 4 rest of the Lord, the Seventh Day rest, represented in the seven-day celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Think of this, how we'll be blessed that we did what the Lord prescribed for us on earth, preparing for heaven.

The sheep passing under the bar as in Ezekiel, for eternity are those who will tabernacle with God. And for us on earth are those who can cross over into the New Year, becoming more like Christ.

I couldn't help but think how it would be if we treated everyday as though we were preparing for an inspection with God. We'd be a little kinder, more long suffering, forgiving others quickly, being slow to anger, and serving others with the love of Christ.

As we continue in the Fall Feasts, let's celebrate the fact that we will be caught up one day with the Lord and tabernacle with Him eternally. In this celebration let's rejoice that we're all going to be together, treating each other with respect and honor, to enter the place of God's approval, being a faithful servant of the Lord, to hear "well done, my good and faithful servant, enter the joy of the Lord!"

Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

[i] Strong's Concordance Hebrew word # 5674

[ii] Strong's Concordance Greek word # 1391

As we study and learn from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, we are reminded of our calling to be salt and light. Let's discover what that means together as we study Matthew 5:13-16; Mark 9:49-50, 4:21; and Luke 14:34-35, 8:16.

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Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World leaders Podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. Thank you for joining us as we walk through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John chronologically.

Our goal for these few minutes together is that we would take our eyes off ourselves in the busyness of our own lives, agendas to-do lists and responsibilities. I pray that as you take time out today to listen to God, He will speak to your heart and guide you as only he can. If you need prayer support in this busy season, please reach out to us at womenworldleaders.com and post a prayer request on our prayer wall. We're here to hold you up.

Before we begin our study, let's pause for prayer.

Most Holy God, thank you, thank you for being our all in all our Abba Father, our provider, sustainer healer, and our salvation. God, we come to you today from so many walks of life. And yet you intimately know where we each are in what we each need. God, we rest in your presence. And thank you in advance for the care, teaching, and guidance that you will provide for us. We give you these next few minutes, and we ask that you have your way with us and guide us into your truth. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Sit back and soak in God's Word while I read Matthew five verses 13 and 16. From the New Living Translation.

You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it's lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

We know from Matthew 5:2 that in this passage Jesus was teaching the disciples. He had told them about the kingdom of heaven and the attributes and rewards God offers to his children as they walk in obedience to Him. Now Jesus gives the disciples two descriptions of who they are. And he tells us by extension who we are. And we know that what God says about us is true. Sometimes we think less of ourselves than God does. And it is in those moments that we have to listen especially hard to what God says. Because he knows us better than we know ourselves. And what he says is true.

So, in today's reading, God calls you the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. Let's take this apart.

First you are the salt of the earth. What do you suppose is the meaning behind this? While you're likely familiar with salt as a preservative, this would have been top of mind in a society void of refrigeration. Salt keeps food fresh and edible for a longer period of time than it would be without it. Salt accomplishes this feat by inhibiting the growth of bacteria, which in other words means salt allows food to remain as God made it to be, and to be used as God created it to be used.

When God says that we are the salt of the earth, He is saying that we have a job to do: to preserve the world as God intended it. When God created the world, everything was perfect, peaceful, joyful, and meaningful. But sin entered into the world and sin was like a bacteria that began to grow and was infectious. God empowers us, his children, to stand against sin, and to inhibit sins growth, by our actions and reactions.

By allowing God's power to operate in us, we are salt preserving life, the way God intended it to be. You are the salt of the earth. You have a responsibility to live life on behalf of God.

Salt in the Bible was also a symbol of covenant. This also has to do with its attribute as a preservative. A covenant was not to be broken; God will never break his covenant with His children. Once we give our lives to Him, we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and we belong to God forever.

If you have given your life to Christ, you are the salt of the earth, carrying his covenant promises. Nothing and nobody can change that.

Salt in biblical times was a symbol of friendship and loyalty. Salt is salt, no matter what you do to it. You put it in your food and your food tastes salty. You put it in water and allow the water to evaporate, the salt remains behind. Our God is loyal. And as Christians we are called to carry on that loyalty. You are the salt of the earth. Though the world will test you, you have the power within to remain loyal to the one who saved you.

Salt is a necessary source of nourishment. It's an important element in a person's diet. And as such, salt is highly valuable. In the Old Testament when God required sacrifices, he required that the offering be seasoned with salt. It was necessary, and it was valuable.

You are the salt of the earth. You are necessary and you are valuable.

And let's face it, salt makes food worth eating. Who doesn't love a little salty sweet action and their taste buds. In my opinion, nothing beats chocolate chip cookies with a sprinkle of sea salt on top. Salt brings out the true flavor of the food and makes eating a joy and a pleasure. You are the salt of the earth You were created to bring joy and pleasure to God himself.

But Matthew records that Jesus continues, What good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again, it will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

Salt can lose its flavor. Bakers at the time used salt blocks to line their ovens. After a time, the high and prolonged heat of the oven caused the salt to crystallize and become useless. It had to be thrown out. Luke says in 14:35, flavorless salt is good neither for the soil, nor for the manure pile, it is thrown away.

The heat of the world is intense, more intense at times than that of a baker's oven. But as Jesus disciples, you and I are called to stay under God's protection and to keep our saltiness intact so that we can stand against the spread of sin. Live the life that God intended for us to live out our lives in covenant with him. claim our high value in a world filled with imposters and bring joy and pleasure to God.

Don't let the heat of the world claim the saltiness that God has gifted you. Mark 9:49 through 50 gives this guidance for every one will be tested with fire. Can I get an amen on that one? Salt is good for seasoning, but if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again, you must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.

The next thing that Jesus tells His disciples is not only are they the salt of the earth, but in Matthew 5:14. You are the light of the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

Have you ever flown into a city at night seeing the pinpoints of light from high above is one of my favorite sights. At night, the Earth is blanketed in darkness. But the lights of a city are unmistakable. There weren't airplanes in Jesus' day and the world didn't move quite as fast as it does today. A traveler who saw the lights of the city in the distance, would see safety and protection at the end of a long journey. Or, at the very least, lodging and food. In other words, rest and sustenance.

Jesus is indeed our lighthouse in a dark harbor. Our protection and safety, our rest and sustenance. And we, as his followers, reflect God's light into this dark world. And we too, are a light for others who are searching in the dark. Jesus says You are the light of the world and he continues, No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

The light we shine is to lead others to God to show them the way to get to the kingdom of heaven. God wants us to welcome everyone we know to his city. We can shine the light of God by sharing the gospel message with others and by encouraging others to walk in their God-given purposes. That is our goal at Women World Leaders to shine our lights that you might shine yours.

One of my main jobs at Women World Leaders is editing. I edit the Voice of Truth magazine and I edit the books put out by World Publishing and Productions. We are currently working on several books that are compilations of stories of victories and spiritual growth that individuals have walked through in their lives, and how they have allowed Jesus, even through their turmoil, to keep their lamps lit, so that they might hold them high to shine for His glory. These authors are truly the light of the world showcasing that even when we walk through the unthinkable — abuse, abandonment, shame, temptation—we can shine our light brightly. If you feel your light dimming, know that God is guiding you; you only to follow his light. And he will purposefully use everything that you are going through to strengthen you and give you the honor of bringing others to him.

Mark says in 4:22 For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open and every secret will be brought to light.

The Bible tells us that anything the devil meant for evil in your world, God can use for good. When we allow God to shine his light on us. He gives us the honor and privilege of shining that light to beckon others into the kingdom.

Luke concludes his account of this teaching in Luke 818. So pay attention to how you hear. to those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand, will be taken away from them.

You were created to be salt and light. There is no doubt about that. But what you do with your salt and light is up to you.

Jesus warns us to pay attention and not take his teaching lightly. The more we obediently walk in the wisdom that God guides us with, the more wisdom he will provide. Don't hold the Holy Spirit back in your life. Unleash His presence by your obedience and your light will shine brighter than you can possibly imagine.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for making us who we are and for giving us the experiences you have given us. God, I thank you for the privilege of being salt in this sinful world and light in this dark world. God, I ask that you empower us by your presence and strength to shine so brightly on your behalf, that the whole world will see your glory. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

Submission to Freedom is the message from Mary Kay Inglis. You will never forget this podcast! Mary Kay has a story for you and God saw to it that nothing would stop her message from getting out to the world, not even death. May God speak to your heart through this special message from a warrior with a purpose. To God be the glory.

Today's message discusses faith, the course in faith we take when we radically love and trust God. No matter what circumstances we are surrounded by, no matter what obstacles come our way, no matter what happens, we can CHOOSE to love, trust, and serve the founder and perfecter of our FAITH. We must believe in Him and know great faith is shown as we wait for the ultimate fulfillment of His promises.

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Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, a Women World Leader's Podcast. I am your host, Rusanne Carole, born in Louisiana, USA ,now living in Australia. This is a podcast that comes to you through a women's global ministry, Women World Leaders. The WWL ministry began 4 years ago with people gathering in a home studying and discussing the Word of God. As followers of Jesus Christ we are commissioned with the call to go out into all the world, and share the gospel to the entire human race! We may be called to GO and influence our friends, families, our children. We may be called to GO into our communities. And we may be called to GO into other nations. God's power and desire to reach the ends of the earth is evident in what He has done through the beautiful women of God who serve in WWL and the supporters who give, whether in donations, love gifts and prayer. We are privileged here at WWL that He has called us to be His army in sharing the love and grace message of our Lord Jesus Christ and we celebrate and are constantly amazed that He is allowing us to reach the globe. Thanks to all of you that listen and support us!

I hope you are well & blessed and enjoy this time we have together and if you believe this message will speak to someone you know and help support and encourage them we ask that you share it. We are called in the body of Christ to uplift and support our brothers and sisters. Each week we bring you podcasts where we share women's testimonies, have teaching in the Word and today in our segment of "Celebrating God's Grace" I'd like to speak to you about FAITH. A big subject and so much could delve into but for today I want to look at:

How we are never alone and we have supernatural support.

We must believe, even when we are walking through the most horrific trials.

I didn't say it's easy, but it is possible… WITH GOD!

Hebrews 11:6 (TPT) tells us that "without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek Him." Verse 7 says "faith opened Noah's heart to receive revelation and warnings from God about what was coming". Even things that hadn't been seen, for rain had not yet even come upon the earth. WOW! He worked diligently for several decades building what God had told him without really knowing what exactly for. How many people would have possibly ridiculed him or even made fun of him? "What in the world is this guy doing building this HUGE construction? What a waste of time and effort?"I'm sure he might have had moments he may of questioned, what am I doing? But he focused on God and was obedient to what God had asked of him. Will we be?

He was FAITHFUL. Genesis 6:22 says Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Sometimes it may be difficult to hear what God is telling us to do. This is where it is important to be in God's Word every day. He is always speaking to us. We must often take time to be still to hear and trust His timing to bring us what He wants to tell us.

The greatness of faith is not to be judged on how many of God's promises you receive or great wealth or health you experience. The greatness of faith is shown in proportion to how long you can wait for the fulfillment of a promise. Greatness of faith is not proven in what is received, but in how long a person can wait without wavering to receive.

Many things in our lives have not come to pass that our heart so desperately desires! It may be healing for a loved one or for ourselves, it may be a healing for a broken relationship or marriage, or seeing those we love and care about being saved and living a life for Christ.

Waiting…. Wanting… Wishing.. things would happen!

How do we still passionately seek Him?

How do we ride the COURSE OF FAITH, especially when "things" aren't going as we would desire and life's battles continue to come.

How do we remain faithful servants?

Faith seems to come easy when "things" are going well. It's when life gets tough and challenging and our faith is tested that can be really trying.

This year, 2022, it seems to me that for a lot of people I know things are "heavy". Many I talk to are dealing with quite difficult things in their life and the lives of their loved ones, including myself.

As you get older and experience life as a follower of Christ I believe you start to see it's about faith, yes, but it's really about remaining FAITHFUL NO MATTER WHAT THE WORLD THROWS AT YOU! Nothing in life remains the same and there are seasons of many highs and lows. It's about:

Keeping our eyes on the FOUNDER AND PERFECTOR of our faith.

It's a COURSE IN FAITH we take every day.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (TPT) tells us:

As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life's marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us. 2We look away from the natural realm and we focus our attention and expectation onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith's perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! 3So consider carefully how Jesus faced such intense opposition from sinners who opposed their own souls, so that you won't become worn down and cave in under life's pressures.

God will NEVER abandon YOU!

We are to be hopeful while waiting

We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses

I recently attended some biblical training, and the pastor/teacher (over 40 years in ministry) shared lots of stories. One story he shared has stuck with me and I continue to reflect on it.

He was in his office one early morning making last minute preparations to his notes for a wedding that he would perform later that day. A wedding, a glorious and happy celebration of two people very much in love. Not many things are more beautiful then celebrating the union of two people in love and embarking on life together!

The phone rang with the devasting news of the death of a young man, a member of the church he pastored. It was the young son of a dear friend. He was devasted but he knew he had to be the one to tell the family. He got in the car and drove to his friends' home. His friends' wife opened the door welcomed him in, "What are you doing here? You should be preparing your message? He smiled and received the invitation to take a seat and wait on her husband who would return any minute. When his friend walked in the door, he greeted the pastor, his friend, and said something similar that his wife said to him, "What are you doing here? You've got a wedding at the church tonight, right?"

He looked at him and said, "I have some very sad news, your son was in a car accident a few hours ago and died." What happened next the pastor said would stay with him forever. His friend, the father of the son who had unexpectantly died that day, dropped to his knees and said, 'You are a faithful God and I will choose to trust you and praise You through it all."

Prayer

Thank you for listening to WWL's podcast. Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God's extravagant love & your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are WWL. All content is copyrighted by WWL and cannot be used without written consent.

On today's podcast, host Julie Jenkins continues walking through the Beatitudes, taught by Jesus and recorded in Matthew and Luke. Jesus is always forthright with us – revealing the blessings or sorrows we will encounter based on our obedience. As you listen, ask God to open your heart to His teaching. (Matthew 5:1-12, Luke 6:20-26)

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Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. If this is your first time joining us, welcome. I encourage you to check out our previous podcasts as well as visit our website, www.womenworldleaders.com. Our goal at Women World Leaders is to empower you to walk in your God-given purpose. Some of the ways we do that are through teachings, devotions, prayer books, and the Voice of Truth magazine. But one of the best ways you can grow in your God-given purpose is to get involved. God has a place for you in this ministry. We often say that we are reaching over 60 countries but did you know that we also have leaders in our ministry from several different countries? The devil certainly knows how to use technology but so does God. COVID pushed us into a digital platform and what the devil meant for evil, God used for good. One example is that we meet the fourth Monday of every month for a zoom prayer call. We gather and pray for specific needs for those on the call as well as for the needs of the ministry. If you would like to be involved, no matter where you are, send us an email at info at womenworldleaders.com.

On this, the Wednesday edition of the podcast, we have the opportunity to walk through the Word of God together. And currently, we are walking through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Before we begin, let's pray.

Dear Most Holy God, as we dive into your teaching today, I ask that you be with us and show us clearly what it is that you want us to learn today. God Your Word is living and active and we know that it will meet us where we are and it is you Holy Spirit that allows us to hear your thoughts, direction, and love for us as we read Scripture. God cleanse us of all unrighteousness that we may hear your voice clearly. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Last week, we began our study of the Beatitudes, the blessings that Jesus presented to his disciples and others listening on that mountain so many years ago. We learned that God blesses those who with humility, put God first in their lives. And the blessing is that they will be granted eternity with God Himself. We learn that God blesses those who mourn. Jesus knew how hard this life was how heartbreaking things of this world can be. Yet he promised that he has overcome this world. And though we mourn, we will receive the comfort of God Himself.

We learned that God blesses those who are humble, who are gentle, who put others and their welfare above themselves. To me, this sounds a lot like a lot of parents out there. The reward he promises you who put others first, you will inherit the whole earth.

And we learned that God will bless those who hunger and thirst for justice. God promises that when we work for justice in his strength tirelessly and obediently, justice will come to pass.

So let's continue with our study and see what else Jesus has up his sleeve. Matthew five verses seven through 12. In the New Living Translation says, God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right and the kingdom for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers, be happy about it. Be very glad, for a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

In these verses, we continue to see God's rhythm those who walk in obedience to God's call on their lives, will receive a reward that only God can give. It's important to note that these rewards are not typically a treasure that would be cherished by worldly standards, but they are actually greater than anything that the world could offer. Remember the age old question, if you could have your three best wishes, what would they be, and you're not allowed to say all the wishes in the world.

As a child, you might wish for $100, a new bike and your brother to stop bothering you all the time. As an adult, maybe your wishes more along the lines of a million dollars, a new boat, and a trip of a lifetime that you could take your whole family on, including that formerly pesky brother.

Well, as we grow in Christ, we begin to get glimpses of even more mature dreams, dreams that God wants for us, that are exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we could ever hope or imagine, dreams of hope and joy and the deepest form of happiness ever, despite what is happening around us. Those rewards often come from a place of growth, and sometimes even a place of suffering. As we look at these attributes that God calls us to, it's important to note that Jesus exhibited each of these perfectly as he walked this earth in human form.

Let's continue examining each action that we are called to as Christians, and the reward that God promises to bless us with when we walk in obedience.

Verse seven, God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Mercy also means compassion. The only other time this specific word is used in the Bible is in Hebrews 217, which says, Therefore, it was necessary for him talking about Jesus to be made in every respect, like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful high priest before God, then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.

That is how Jesus exhibited perfect mercy, perfect compassion by giving his life for us. That is a compassion that is really difficult to wrap our heads around, it goes a bit beyond making a casserole for someone or giving up a prime a parking space. And yet, that is perfect compassion.

Don't get discouraged by this thinking, I could never be that merciful, and throw in the towel. God grows us degree by degree, and he is patient, and he will never stop encouraging or teaching us.

So Jesus, while the greatest example of Mercy also is an example of being the recipient of the greatest mercy, he was brutally killed, exhibiting the greatest mercy, and then he was mercifully resurrected and seated at the right hand of God the Father.

This is a lot to comprehend. And perhaps I should just confess here in now that God's ways are higher than I can understand or adequately explain. But I do know that I can live by faith, and that I can trust His promises. When I am wronged, I am instructed to show mercy and I can trust that God's mercy will return to me.

When I am in a position to show compassion, I must remember that God is asking me to show compassion, and I can trust His compassion on the other end, even when it feels like I am getting the raw end of the bargain.

Verse eight says God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

I've got to be honest, I have a love hate relationship with this beatitude it sounds beautiful. I want nothing more than to see God honestly, it's a great reward. But the criteria, well, that requires me to have a pure heart. The word pure means clean, blameless, innocent, free from corrupt desire, sin, and guilt. Well, that's not me.

And I'm guessing it isn't you either. But there is hope. One of the sub definitions of pure is purified by fire. Fire is cleansing. By it, a metal worker is able to clean the impurities out of the metal. But fire isn't fun. It burns and it hurts the flesh.

You and I alone can't make our heart pure. But if we ask, we can trust our God to do it for us. And remember, we serve a gentle God. If we take responsibility for our sin and gives give ourselves to Him for cleansing, he will make our hearts pure.

First, John 18:9 says if we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

If we ask, confess and submit, God will cleanse our hearts and make them pure. And then we get to reward we will see the face of God.

Verse nine, God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

We all recognize the benefits of peace. But what is interesting here is that Jesus notes that on this earth, peace requires work. Some translations say blessed are the peacemakers, the word peacemaker, also connotates action.

We have a picture of peace from the 1960s that calm disconnectedness or people can think of peace as you don't bother me, and I won't bother you. But true peace indicates a wholeness, a completeness. We are created to be one family of God together. And that takes work.

God will bless our work for peace.

Jesus closes this section according to Matthew with these words, God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right for the kingdom of heaven as their got theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it. Be very glad for a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Throughout history, and throughout the Bible, God's followers have been persecuted and mistreated. The truth is that the devil does not want God's name to be proclaimed. If you are in a position where you are being persecuted for the sake of the Gospel, know that God is wrapping his loving arms around you right now. And that he is holding a place of great honor for you in heaven. Stay strong, and cling to God, he will see you through.

Luke records a bit more as a warning to those who are relying only on what the world can offer. Beginning in Luke 624, what sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have only happiness now? What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now? For a time of awful hunger awaits you.

What sorrow awaits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn into mourning and sorrow. What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.

I think it is telling that we often focus on the blessings the What's In It For Me, but we forget about the sorrows that I just read.

I asked you today to pay attention to the sorrows. If your focus on monetary wealth in the here and now? If it is no that that is not God's will for you.

Do you turn away from the responsibility the that God has given you and focus your attention only on the pleasures of life? If you do, you're missing out on God's best for you.

Is your time spent lauding yourself at that others will see and remember your name? If so, will you pray about how you can shine Jesus name instead of your own?

The Beatitudes show us that God has blessings beyond her wildest imaginations, just waiting to rain down on us. But they also tell us that we are to carry out our end of the bargain, to be obedient to his calling. We are called to be humble, gentle, compassionate, merciful peacemakers, to work for justice, to allow God to purify our hearts, and to do right by God. Let's not give up the fight, stay strong, for your reward is great in heaven.

Dear most holy God, you are so gracious and giving to us. You only ask that we put you first and obediently follow your call.

God. empower us in Your strength to be obedient. Thank you for reminding us that the rewards you offer are greater than we could possibly ask or imagine and certainly better than the rewards of the world. Help us keep our eyes on the best prize of all eternity in your presence as we walk the path that you have called us. In Jesus name, I pray

Thanks for listening to women world leaders podcast. Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at WWW dot women world leaders.com To submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event and support the ministry from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

Part two of two. From a disastrous ATV accident and people who left Christian Mayberry in a ditch for dead, the miraculous happened. Christian met Jesus. Christian survived the tragic accident and 10 years later he lives to testify of Jesus and His love. Christian speaks across the nation with his mother, Kim Mayberry, who travels with him to assist with some of his disabilities. Together, they journey across the country to share their miracle story. May you be empowered with hope, inspiration, and Christ's love.

In today's podcast, Tawana Lowery provides transformational insights on the importance of Unstoppable Desire and the critical role it plays in planting a mustard seed of hope.

Listen as she encourages you to never throw away your desire; it is the key to receiving what you are hoping and believing for. Desire is where Faith begins.

We don't need a large shovel to plant a mustard seed. We can plant a Mustard Seed of Hope with just a Teaspoon of Desire!

Taken from "Miss Overcomer Empower Moments."

All content is Copyrighted by Tawana Lowery and Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

A few weeks ago, I was praying about some close relationships that never panned out the way I had

hoped. Although God has completely healed my heart from the pain that was created, I was still curious

about the choices others had made concerning me.

And so, I asked God, "Lord, what was their reason for NOT including me and NOT accepting me???

I wasn't lamenting or demanding and answer. I was simply trying to connect the dots on the rationale

behind it. He said… "They didn't Want to. They just didn't want to." Truthfully, I was a bit surprised at

the simplicity of God's response….

I guess I was expecting to hear some deep spiritual answer. But he just said… "They simply didn't want

to." And then he said, "What I told you is profound when you think about it. In fact, it's very

insightful… spiritually speaking".

 Want = Desire

 And Desire is where Faith begins!

 Conversely, the lack of desire is where Hardness of Heart begins… because it means we've given up

hope!

Immediately my mind went to the story of the Lame man at the Pool of Bethesda (as recorded in John

chapter 5). And I realized why Jesus chose the words he did when engaging the lame man.

By the time Jesus came on the scene, the Bible says this man had been in the same condition for 38

years. That's a lifetime when you think about it. But Jesus question was intended to expose the man's

heart and where he was in his ability to believe for a miracle.

Jesus said, "Do you WANT to be healed." He was basically asking the man… "After all this time… after

all the disappointment… after all the waiting… after watching others receive their miracle…

 Do you STILL WANT IT, or have you Given up?

 In other words, "Do you still have a Desire? Do you still have a little bit of want to?"

 "Because if you have just a teaspoon of desire… I can work with that!"

I also believe Jesus was showing us the Heavenly equation on Faith. He is saying that our Desire, even if

it's small, is where faith begins." I believe this perfectly aligns with what Rabbi Paul (or the apostle

Paul) admonishes in Hebrews 11:1.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

In other words:

 Desire produces Hope and Hope produces Faith!

 And although our Desires are not immediately visible, they can be made visible if we don't give up!

So, you could say… "Now Faith is the Substance of things Hoped for… the evidence of our Desires!"

I think we can also see this in the story about the Women with a Bleeding Disorder (Luke 8:43-48).

After years of suffering and tons of disappointing results, her self-talk is quite remarkable. And gives us

insight into the results she experienced from Jesus. She said, "If I can only…." WOW. Those are the

words of "Desire."

She was saying… In spite of it all, I still Want It! And her my desire fed her hope that provided the

strength to DRAG herself away from a place of hopelessness and onto the highway of life.

Jesus said to her, "Your FAITH has made you whole." But it started with her teaspoon of Desire! Her

teaspoon of DESIRE kept hope alive… And it positioned her to COME ALIVE with healing!!!

Let's look at one more example found in Luke 5:17-26. When we think about unstoppable Desire, this

story should get the POSTER award! You know it well. Four Men are trying to get their paralyzed friend

to Jesus in the HOPES that he will be healed.

And there are a lot of obstacles in the way… Lots of reasons to give up and go home! But, because of

their strong desire, it fueled their hope. The scriptures tell us that when Jesus saw THEIR Faith. When

he saw their unstoppable desire, their friend was made whole.

You know… sometimes I think we make our faith walk harder than it needs to be. Sometimes we think

it takes a whole lot of faith just to have faith! Sometimes we think it takes a giant shovel to plant a

Mustard Seed. But that's not true!

I believe these passages tell us that we can plant a Mustard Seed with a Teaspoon! I believe it is telling

us that our DESIRE (even if it's small) is the key to receiving.

But, let's go back and visit the first example about the man at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5. Because

his story is slightly different from the others. This man didn't pursue Jesus. Jesus came to him. But

WHY? I'm sure there were other infirmed people by the pool that day. So, why this man?

Well, I think we can learn something from the question Jesus asked him. Jesus already knew what his

answer would be. I think Jesus came to this man because Jesus knew there was still a teaspoon of Desire

in his heart. The problem was, he had been placing his HOPE in others.

His initial response was, "Lord, when the waters stir I have no one to help me!" This poor man had spent

all those years hoping in others. WOW! How many of us can relate to that?

And this is how the enemy tries to kill our Desire. He tries to kill it through Misplaced Hope. Because if

we take our desire FOR something, but put our hope IN something or someone other than God, we will

experience disappointment, heartache, etc.

And, if we do that long enough, we'll be tempted to GIVE UP. We'll be tempted to throw away our

Desire and our Want To! Possibly the other people around the pool had already given up and had given

themselves over to hardness or heart.

I also believe Jesus is showing us that Hardness of Heart is the real danger. And it happens when we

stop Desiring, when we throw away our Want To!

But what this also demonstrates is that we need to be Vigilant to Guard our Hearts from growing cold

and indifferent. We can bypass the hard heartedness if we commit our Desires to Jesus. If we place all

our Hope in him only.

 HE and HE alone is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith. The scriptures say… the Lord will

give you (Freely give you) the desires of your heart.

 He is the one who initiates the Desire and He is the one who brings it to completion.

Galatians 6:9 encourages us to, "Not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we don't

give up." In other words, when we seek God to keep our heart's desires, and if we ask him for continued

strength to forgive and to think on things above, we will reap a harvest from the mustard seed we have

planted (with our Teaspoon of Desire).

Proverbs 4:23 says, "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."

Sisters, we must resist the temptation to give up on our Desires, because it will determine our line of

thinking and believing and receiving!

So, you might be thinking, "What about people who gave up their desire and didn't realize the cost

involved? What if someone put their hope in others because the enemy seduced them into believing a

lie? What does the Bible have to say to those people?"

We're basically asking, "Will God redeem the unbelief?" In a word, YES! And the scriptures confirm

it!

Isaiah 1:18, the Lord invites us to talk with him about anything that separated us from him on any level

so we can be made new again! "Come now, let's reason together (lets talk about this thing that tripped

you up!) Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. (Even though the unbelief and

dooms day thinking left a stain on you heart and mind… give it to me and I will replace it with a

resurrected heart and mind!)"

1 John 3:20 reads, "If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he

knows everything." In other words, he is compassionate and understands our weakness and is always

there to bring us out!

Maybe you're feeling weary right now? Maybe you're feeling tempted to throw away your Desire?

 It could be because of your vocation…

 Or you might feel weary concerning a special relationship.

 Maybe you're disheartened because of a life interruption that you weren't prepared for.

Or maybe you still have a little desire, but you're growing weary because of Misplaced Hope.

 Possibly you put hope in the performance or acceptance of a spouse, a child, a friend, or even a

religious leader. It is a common snare. We've all made that mistake before!

Lastly, you might be the person thinking you need HUGE Faith just to have small faith.

 In other words, maybe you devalued your simple Desires… not realizing how much God can use it.

 Maybe you feel overwhelmed at the thought of Mustering up hope because you think it requires a

giant shovel to plant a mustard seed?

 That's okay… because our sense of lack is the perfect place to start. Just think about the miracle of

the Loaves and Fishes.

 Whether we use a shovel or a teaspoon, we must place it in God's hands if we're going to reap a

harvest.

If any of those scenarios apply to you, then with your permission, I'd like to lead you in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

I bring this weariness to the cross in the name of Jesus. You've told me to cast ALL my care upon

you… because you care for me.

And Lord, this weariness is more than I can bear. Forgive me for trying to carry it on my own.

And Lord, where I'm tempted to give up on the desires of my heart, forgive me… I know you don't

condemn me… In fact you are always ready to rescue me from any temptation that might separate

me from your perfect love.

And that includes feeling alone and isolated and hopeless.

Father, reveal to my heart any area where I have been tempted to put my hope in someone or

something other than you…

Forgive me for putting my hope in another person, or in myself or a certain outcome.

I bring the misplaced hope… this temptation to despair, the unbelief and giving up to the cross of

Jesus.

I asked that this part of my heart that's been wounded would be made dead on the cross, crucified

and buried… and the wine skin that's contained it all these years.

And any area of my heart that has exchanged the truth for a lie… I asked that it would be made dead

this very moment… on the cross of Jesus.

Father of glory… I ask to be Resurrect in Jesus with a NEW heart and a NEW mind and a NEW

wineskin.

Lord… fill me with new wine that I can live a brand-new life!!

In Jesus mighty and glorious name…. Amen.

Copyrighted by Tawana Lowery and Miss Overcomer Global

and cannot be used without express written consent.

July 2023