Nourish Your Heart

A woman is important. She gives and nurtures life. She shows God’s beauty. She spreads God’s glory to all who meet her. Her smile brings healing to weary souls.

A redeemed woman of God has a tender, merciful heart. She has a backbone of steel forged by the Spirit of God. Her hands have been trained for battle and are strengthened by God. A woman of God is fierce for those for whom she cares.

Women sometimes feel abandoned. They fear they will be left alone. Many men fear that they are not enough and they won’t have what it takes to help the women in their lives.

Many fathers, brothers, and cousins are the first men who pull away from their women fearing they cannot help them, that they are not brave enough or skilled enough. They don’t understand that being there and not leaving or retreating emotionally is most of what we women need.

Because of this, men and women both feel lonely and trapped, fearful to speak up and ask because they fear it will lead to them being abandoned by their friends, spouses, or relatives.

But God has not given us a spirit of fear. He has given us a spirit of power and love and self-discipline. So we have the ability to resist the fear and speak up.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

How do we speak up? We offer to pray and say what God has given us to say. We live in the freedom of God’s love. We invite others to rest. We help those in our lives to see the heart of God. We respond to the heart of God. And we put on the full armor of God daily. We take our stand against the powers of darkness.

I loved how the woman prayed that was outlined in the book.

I now put on with thanks the armor that You have provided for me – girding myself with the belt of truth: binding up all that is vulnerable of my femininity; first my need to be pursued and fought for. Thank You for daily pursuing me and fighting for me as well.

I also gird up my desire to be irreplaceable in a grand scheme of Yours. You have placed this desire within me and I wrap Your truth around it, in hope of what You will do. Grant me eyes to see each day in light of your activity, to live in the big-ness of your story.

I gird up my desire to offer life through my gifting, the beauty You have bestowed on me. I ask You to continue to reveal and confirm what You desire to do through me all you have given to me. I trust that you have called me by name and have given me a love, a beauty, a gift to pour out on my family, my friends, and those you bring to me. May this day be an offering of love poured out before you on the altar of my life.

Last weekend I listened to a beautiful rendition of Third Day’s song “Cry Out to Jesus.” The song really struck me.

I thought about my mom and my dad and how they are getting older. It seems like there is not enough time to earn the money so that I can see them more often. They have become precious to me and for the first time in my life I understand how much I love my mom and my dad.

There are many hurting people in today’s world who seem to have no hope or no way out of their predicament. We all need saving. Lord we need your help.

We are broken. We are disappointed. We are filled with shame and regret. We desire to live for you but we do not know how to live for you from this place of sin.

We are filled with panic and we cannot see an end to our suffering. We are exhausted both physically and spiritually. We cannot hold out hope much longer. We need to see that you are here with us in our torment.

Thank you Jesus that you came here to heal us. You came to give us hope. You came to heal our broken hearts and our broken lives. Thank you for your forgiveness and your peace that you give us. Thank you for restoring to us the joy of our salvation.

Luke 4:18-19 God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”

Cry Out to Jesus by Third Day

To everyone who’s lost someone they love Long before it was their time You feel like the days you had were not enough when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains Keeping you back from your life You believe that there’s nothing and there is no one Who can make it right

Chorus

There is hope for the helpless Rest for the weary Love for the broken heart There is grace and forgiveness Mercy and healing He’ll meet you wherever you are Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that’s struggling just to hang on They lost all of their faith and love They’ve done all they can to make it right again Still it’s not enough

For the ones who can’t break the addictions and chains You try to give up but you come back again Just remember that you’re not alone in your shame And your suffering

Chorus

When your lonely (when you’re lonely) And it feels like the whole world is falling on you You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus Cry to Jesus

To the widow who suffers from being alone Wiping the tears from her eyes

For the children around the world without a home Say a prayer tonight

Chorus

Jesus came to earth to fulfill a mission. At the beginning of his earthly ministry he quoted from Isaiah 61.

His mission was to bring good news to the poor. God the Father sent him to comfort the brokenhearted. He was sent to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He is to tell those who mourn that the time for God’s favor has come.

He has started an exchange program. For those who mourn he has given a crown of beauty and a joyous blessing. He has given festive praise instead of despair. For those who accept it, they will be like great oaks planted by God and they will bring glory to God.

Jesus has set me free to be myself. He has set me free to be the person I am in Christ Jesus. I can be that person God meant me to be.

He meant for me to trust and depend on him only. He asked me to lean on him with all my heart and my entire mind. He wants me to seek him to fulfill the ache and empty parts of my soul.

Every day I must choose to lay down my defensiveness and allow the healing balm of Jesus to heal my wound. I need to allow him to be my God, my Strength, and my Defender.

Every day I hear him knock at my heart’s door and I open my heart to him. When I experience a betrayal, a rejection, a word spoken against me, or a relationship lost, he is there waiting to heal me. He loves me. And I invite him into my heart.

I don’t want there to be any obstacle, any proud or rebellious thought to keep me from knowing God. I want him in my life and in my heart. I want him to guide me through every minute of every day.

He has said to me that I am his. He said I am beloved by him and he cherishes me. He was despised and rejected in my place. He understands me and he cares for me.

I can lean on him. He will allow me to feel every emotion and he will understand me. He will help me to forgive others. He will help me understand the hurts I have. He will make sure I know that I matter to God. He lets me give him my hurts and he heals me.

He wants to protect me. He asks me to give up my belief in the lies. He protects me and brings me into a wide free place of security and love.

He fathers me. He gives me love, his tender strong love. He showers me with praise and gives me beauty in many things in this world. His love sustains me and allows me to face others with grace and mercy. His joy glows brightly within me so that I can share his love with others.

He calls me beautiful. He says I am his delight. He gives me grace and he gives me love. He is the Father God and my bridegroom Christ Jesus. He is the Spirit within me. He surrounds me and gives me what I need for this day.

Thank you, God.