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Women's Ministry Opportunities Women's Growth Cell/Bible Studies- Becky Harding
For more detailed information about the various growth cells, please call Becky Harding at 320-2709 or Becky Yoder at 998-2989.
A Word From CCCS Women
God Needs us to Pray
Trust Me
A Flower in the Field
Pondering Vs Praying
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What is Your Choice? I have been reading in Hosea these last two weeks, and two particular verses just jumped out and compelled me to memorize them. “Ephraim had allowed himself to get mixed up with the nations. Ephraim is unturned bread baked on a griddle. Foreigners consume his strength and he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray and he does not notice.” (Hosea 7:8,9 -Christian Standard Bible) I meditated on this for quite a while. I asked God to examine my own heart in this matter, and then I looked around at our town, our county, our church, and our homes and just knew that God’s spokesman had a message as much for today as he did in his own time. Look around. Are we guilty of being “half-baked” Christians? It has the same idea as walking the middle of the road. I will serve God a little, but I also will get on the other side when my desires and self want to. I think that borders on idolatry. Oh, those idols may not be able to be seen by others, but in our hearts they are no less idols. How sad that the scripture says “…..he did not notice….” Before he knew it, he was old. Why do we wait so long to walk the walk? Is it God’s fault? Is the world too hard to live in? As we’ve been hearing during the last couple of weeks in our own church, the answer is NO! Why? It’s because we have the Holy Spirit. What I must go through here on earth, God has equipped me so that I can have victory. I can be sold out for Christ. I don’t have to compromise. However, I have to intentionally have my mind set on Him. Ephraim came to a sad end. “When Ephraim spoke, men trembled; he was exalted in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.” Ephraim had been a great tribe in Israel (Gen. 48:10–20) now it would become like the clouds, the dew, the chaff, and the smoke—nothing. (See: Hosea 13:1-3) Have you ever found yourself in a compromising situation and the world consumed your strength. That’s what begins to happen inch by inch until we’re beat. God’s fault? I hardly think so. Look how our Hosea scripture starts out. “Ephraim has allowed………………” I think I grabbed hold of the rendering of this particular version mostly because of the word “allowed.” It is always my choice. I am reading a new book that was sent to me, and there was a thought in there about choice. The word choice means the ability to choose for ourselves, and it also means “the best”. God is the “choice” choice! What will your choice be? Grace and Peace Becky Faith and Triumph Recently I have been engrossed with the book of Habakkuk. The girls in my Bible Studies will probably tire of hearing this one more time, but it is an amazing part of God’s Word. I would not normally choose a book such as this to just flip to and read. I’m guilty of choosing Psalms or Proverbs or………..Shame on me! However, in looking for something totally unconnected it seemed, I was referenced to it. It was a giant morsel of food for me. It just made me stop and think about what each of us is going through as a nation and in our own individual situations. In either case, our trials and tragedies do not come upon us for naught. It is true that in judgment and punishment innocent people will suffer, but God is a God of blessing and cursing and I think we don’t believe it. I think we think that God makes mistakes many times. I think it sounds like Habakkuk didn’t understand it either in chapter 1:12. As you read the whole book, you will see that he works through his anxiety and comes to what he already knows. Read chapter 3:16-19. In a nutshell what he already knows is “….yet I will triumph in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!” I am quoting the Holman Standard Bible. I am careful not to always be nit-picking about words because of the various translations however, in context of that whole section, I believe in this case there is reason for using two different words (triumph and rejoice.) I particularly love the idea of ‘triumphing’ in the Lord. That triumph is stated well in chapter 3:19b “…He enables me to walk on mountain heights!” In the Old Testament, men were constantly told to tear down the ‘high places’ where the centers of pagan worship took place. That’s exactly what we do, I believe, when we walk in faith in God who we trust. Will I give in to fear because I don’t understand or will I draw from what I do know in order to get to my high place? I read in a book that I need to be like a spiritual mountain goat that walks surefooted up the mountain without fear of falling. Our God supplies just like He provides the way for the mountain goat to get past all those obstacles. If I do that, I will find myself right on top of my high place. It’s easy to talk about our joy, but does my faith take me to triumph? Thanks for allowing me to nit-pick a few words. Grace and Peace Hi Ladies, As I was reading God’s Word today, I came on the scripture from Ephesians 5:14b which says “Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you.” There is a similar scripture in 1 Thessalonians. 5:6 which says, “so then we must not sleep, like the rest, but we must stay awake and be sober” (HCS). As I was waiting on the Lord about these verses for myself, I sensed that perhaps some of you have fallen asleep for whatever reason known only to you. This of course is speaking concerning our spiritual condition. Are there some of you who have fallen into a spiritual stupor? If so, God is saying “wake up!” When He speaks of not being like the “rest,” He speaks of the unbeliever who is spiritually insensitive to the light. So, to fulfill our purpose, we must not only wake up ourselves, but we must wake up in order to be light to the “rest” who are in darkness. Whew! That was a sentence, huh? I say all this to say, “do you need a wake-up call?” If so, consider a few things. 1. Bible Study - Tuesday at 6:45 P.M.
(Exodus) Church 4. Beth Moore Simulcast at Christ Wesleyan Church in Milton, Pennsylvania August 1 (7:30 - 10:00 P.M.) & August 2 (9:30 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.). If you are interested, please pick up a registration card on the Women’s Ministry bulletin board and return it by July 6 with $30. Also, we are not taking a bus, so you will need to get together with friends and carpool. You are on your own as far as transportation goes. You may choose to stay overnight or come home and go back on Saturday morning. I would suggest that if you decide to stay over, you may want to arrange your accommodations early. I think this is a great opportunity to fellowship with other sisters in the Lord and, or course, to hear the Word of God. Let’s not be sleepers. The choice is up to you. There are plenty of tools to awaken you. Don’t be lazy. Let Christ shine on you that you may shine on the world. Grace and Peace, Becky Yoder 2 Tim. 1:12b “…But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able…….” Do you know in whom you have believed? Are you ashamed of whom you believe? Will you stand on whom you have believed? I’m sure you are saying, “Of course I know; and no, I’m not ashamed; and, of course, I’ll stand.” But do you really? Are you bold? Will you be a witness to the end? Or, are you persuaded by a non-believer, or even one who just doesn’t understand your same confidence, to doubt what you know? You may say, “Why all these questions?” Here’s why. Yesterday in Bible study one of my sisters was sharing how God is working in her life. We always begin our studies with the opportunity to testify of God’s transforming power in our lives for the week. My friend said that as she reflected on her week, there was an incident that looked to others as a hindrance, but because she is totally convinced of God’s goodness to her and His foresight, she was sure that God’s protection was in place in the incident. One of her comrades made opposite remarks that excluded God from the whole situation. She felt no need to teach or argue at this point. But to confirm her conviction that God’s Word revealed this to her, and that no opportunity of the devil was going to persuade her differently, she spoke in her spirit, “You’re not going to ruin this moment for me.” Praise the Lord! How many times have you known a truth and tried to share it just to have them try to explain it away? From this lesson I’ve learned that the important thing is not that others understand God’s message to me, but that I don’t waver in it. Grace and Peace Purpose:Women's Ministry exists that CCCS women would experience this life with such a passion so as to impact women in their "sphere of influence." Plan:
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