Growing in Grace

Sunday morning Gail ended with the challenge to fear not, but be courageous. She used Joshua chapter 2 to develop this talk. In this chapter, Joshua sent two spies to explore the land. They found refuge in the home of Rahab the prostitute. She hid them from the authorities and helped them to escape. Gail pointed out that it might have been a temptation for the spies to be in the home of Rahab, however, God knew what they could handle and they were able to resist any inappropriate actions. This serves as a reminder for us that God knows what we can handle. Whatever He calls us to do, He will also equip us to do. We will never be tempted beyond what we can bear. Rahab had heard about the Israelites and what God had done. She believed that God had given the land into their hands. Rahab asked if she and her family could be spared from the destruction that was to come. Because of her belief in God and her true friendship to the spies, God did spare her and her family. As a result, Rahab b...

On Saturday night, Gail continued her teaching from Joshua. She reminded us that fear is real; but if we allow fear to take over, it can be harmful and stunt our growth. Only the Lord and the Holy Spirit should control us. In Joshua chapter one, God reminded Joshua of the promise He had made to Moses - that He Photo Credit would give Joshua every place he set his foot and that no one would be able to stand against Joshua because God would be with him. He would never leave or forsake Joshua. (verses 3, 5) Sadly, the Israelites failed to take all that God had for them. When the spies went into the land of Canaan, the ten let their fear overtake them. They caused the people to be afraid to go in and take possession of what God had already given them. God then told all those who had refused to go that they would not enter the Promised Land. They had to continue wandering in the wilderness until the last of the generation had died. We too can forfeit ourselves when we don't s...

The second workshop I attended at the retreat was titled "More Faith - Less Fear". Our women's ministry leader led this workshop. What caught my eye was in the description it mentioned specifically the fear of not measuring up. That is me! Connie began by talking about how Satan desires to steal our joy. However, as believers, the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). She gave us four specific things to ponder. . . Photo Credit 1) Surrender your illusion of control by understanding God's love for you. Fear and anxiety come from trying to change the past and control the future. Paul said that he forgot what was behind him and strained toward what was ahead to press on toward the goal of heaven (Philippians 3:13-14). Our past is forgiven and over. Our future is in God's hands. Peter says in 1 Peter 5:6-7 that God will lift us up in due time so we should cast our anxiety on him because he cares for us. 2) Turn fears into prayers. Prayer consist...

Saturday afternoon of our retreat we had the opportunity to attend two workshops. Even though we had just attended the couple's conference the weekend before, I decided to go to the workshop on marriage. I was pleased to find out that a long-time friend, Laura, was leading it. I looked forward to being reminded specifically as a wife how I could do a better job in my role. Photo Credit Laura began by talking about how the kind of love we are to show is agape love - sacrificial love; which is further defined as thoughtful actions done without reward. A synonym for love could be service. Jesus demonstrated this for us in his life, death and resurrection. Wives were designed to be help mates for our husbands. We are the sous chef to their role as executive chef in the marriage relationship. So in order to set our husbands up for success we are to: S tay spirit filled: We do this by prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. U nity: This comes from being humble, g...

The speaker for our women's retreat was Gail Mays. She lost her husband Steve Mays in 2014. He was the pastor at Calvary Chapel South Bay. She has since moved to Murrieta. Gail began her teaching Saturday morning. She shared that Marie, our pastor's wife, had given her the book "Glory Days" by Max Lucado. The description for this book is: Link In  Glory Days , Max Lucado looks at the life of Joshua and the challenges Israel faced, showing how God spoke in the midst of their wilderness experience. Just like Israel, you can find the strength to thrive in the desert. You can close the distance between the person you are, and the person you want to be. These can become your best days. Glory days. So Gail's teaching was centered on the book of Joshua. She began by sharing that the book of Joshua is about enjoying all that God has for us and how to live well; it is about God's promises, plans, purposes, prosperity, promotion, preparation, pledge, people and...

I haven't attended a women's retreat for several years; but felt led to attend this year. The theme was "Fear Not". When I first heard the theme, I didn't really feel that it was applicable to me as I didn't feel that I was currently experiencing any fears. I have had fears and anxieties in the past. I was rather shy and quiet in my younger years. I remember being afraid of my uncle - never speaking when he was in the room. I made myself sick at the beginning of every school year because I was so nervous entering a new classroom with a new teacher and new kids. I didn't try many things because I was afraid I wouldn't be good at it. I went through a period of anxiety when Dennis went from being a public school teacher to a teacher at a Christian school. And there was definitely worry when he was diagnosed with colon cancer and went through a year of cancer treatment. And the high medical bills and debt we were faced with was very worrisome. But I felt...