The Struggle is Real / Mrs Mandy Winkle

Mandy Winkle

Pastor's Wife

Bible Baptist Church of Rendon

Fort Worth, TX

 

The Struggle is Real

My mother-in-law had a quadruple bypass in December. Sitting in the waiting room during her surgery we kept hearing this phrase from my 23 year old niece: “The struggle is real.”  My husband asked, “What is that? ‘The struggle is real.’” It annoyed him, so of course we teased him the rest of the day with it. ;-) 

Since then, the phrase has caught on around our house.  It has come to represent what my husband and I call “non-problems.” For example, right now as I am typing on my laptop, I keep hitting the sensitive mouse pad with my wrists and it’s sending my cursor all over the place. I’m trying not to lay my hands all the way down to prevent it. It’s really a “non-problem” but hey, the struggle is real.

Some other more real struggles I face:

- Sharing one bathroom with my family of 7.  Our house needs some expensive plumbing repairs we are currently saving up for.  Maybe that doesn’t seem to be a big problem for you, but hey did I mention I have two sons and a husband in that mix?! That struggle IS real, ladies!

- Keeping the laundry caught up! (Can I get a witness?!)

- Keeping balance in my life by keeping Christ at the center.

No matter what your struggle is, there is God.  My struggle may be real, but so is my God.

Struggles can come from many different sources. Let’s take a look at a few people in the Bible and how they handled their struggles. 

These first four ladies all had the same struggle. Sara, Rachel, Hannah and Elisabeth – can you guess their struggle? 1,000 points if you guessed: a barren womb. God had closed each of their wombs.  Sara and Rachel both took matters into their own hands by giving their husbands a handmaiden to wife (Genesis ch.16 & 30) Each handmaiden conceived a son on behalf of them, but not without serious consequence. Both of these women's solutions have caused heartache and grief for literally CENTURIES. Isaac vs. Ishmael – Israel vs. Palestine – Muslims vs. the world. It’s never wise to take matters into your own hands.

I Samuel 1 tells us about Hannah’s struggle with a barren womb and the provoking from an adversary she endured over it. Hannah’s response to her struggle? She took it to the Lord in prayer. She was so fervent in her prayer at the temple, the priest, Eli, thought she was intoxicated. Eli gave her the assurance that God would give her petition. Verse 19 has some of the sweetest words “…and the LORD remembered her.”  But of course we can see that

Hannah had remembered the LORD first! She took her struggle to the ONE who loved her like no other. 

The Bible does not recount Elisabeth’s struggle with childlessness. We can only gather her heartbreak of being barren. Luke 1:7 tells us that she and her husband were “well stricken in years.” Can you imagine Elisabeth’s shock and joy of finding out she was with child in her old age? Elisabeth solution to her struggle was to wait on God’s timing. She may have just given up on the dream altogether, we don’t know. But we do know that God didn’t give up. He had a special plan for her little boy. “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” (John 1:6) God’s timing is always perfect timing. 

Some other struggles noted are:

SAMSON:  Struggle: his flesh   Solution: to indulge

PETER: Struggle: his mouth   Solution: repeated repentance

JACOB: Struggle: deceitfulness to his brother  Solution: sought forgiveness

MOSES: Struggle: his own perceived limitations  Solution: stepped out on faith

DEMAS: Struggle: his love of the world  Solution: left the Lord’s service

Each situation was handled differently and each with different results. There are some definite examples to follow and some to not! Don’t miss this ladies: No matter what your struggle is, there is God.  Your struggle may be real, but so is your God.  The one thing we can do for any struggle we face is to GIVE IT TO GOD. 

I Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him for he careth for you.

If you’ve ever been fishing you know the thrill of hurling your lure and watching it sail across the water.  That’s how we are to give our cares to the Lord. Cast it on over – granny launch it if you have to!  Give him ALL YOUR CARE too, don’t hold back.  Hey the sparrows don’t have to struggle for food each day, do they? Our Heavenly Father cares enough to feed them – how much more does he love you?

I taught this lesson to my own ladies earlier this month, and I passed out those little Chinese finger traps to each of them. You know, the little woven tubes that you place your fingers in and try to escape from?  The more you struggle to remove yourself, the more of a struggle it becomes. You have to stop pulling, relax and your fingers come right out. Did you catch that? Stop pulling. Relax. Give it to God. You’ll come out of it. 

The struggle is real, but so is your God.

Mrs Jennie Walter

 

Mrs Jennie Walter

Pastor's Wife

Victory Baptist Church

Winthrop, Maine

 

 

It is a joy and an honor to be the wife of a man of God. I love everything about the ministry. I love how involved we get to be with the many details in serving God's people. I love that we get to be at church early and stay after church late. I enjoy the many facets of ministry I get to be a part of each week. I love watching my children learn to love people.
But sometimes I get tired!
In Luke chapter 9 we find Jesus giving His disciples some instructions. He commissions them to go out and preach and heal in His name. He gives them instructions about their supplies and then sends them on their way. I do not know how long they are gone, but from the directions Jesus gave them I believe it was a few weeks at least.
Later in the chapter they return from their trip. Now keep in mind that this was not a vacation, but a work trip. They had traveled. They had preached. They had healed. They had cast out devils. They had filled the needs of people everywhere they went.
They had traveled to multiple cities. They had stayed each night in someone else's home. I imagine that by the time they returned to Jesus they were tired from their work and from their journey. It was a good tired. It had been a fulfilling and rewarding time, but exhausting nonetheless.
Then we read in verses 10-11, "And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. And the people, when they knew it, followed him:"
Jesus was going to spend some time alone with His disciples, but the people followed. They had needs and Jesus chose to meet those needs. There were so many needs that soon the day was gone. The disciples were tired and asked to send everyone home, but Jesus asked them to care for the people and the famous feeding of the five thousand takes place.
It is interesting to me that Jesus asked His disciples to pull off this dinner. Can you imagine coming back from a lengthy business trip and on the day of your return you are asked to find food for five thousand men, plus women and children? Then you are asked to arrange their seating chart. Not only that, but you are asked to serve them all. And by the way, can you gather the leftovers and do the clean up?
So many times I feel like I have given my all. I am tired and feel I have done "enough." So often on a Sunday evening after church I am exhausted from the many areas of ministry that have literally taken up every moment of my day. I have been guilty of trying to make a quick exit after the last music practice on Sunday night. I am tired. I want supper and my favorite chair at home, but sometimes Jesus has more for me to do.
The disciples asked to send the people away. It wasn't because the disciples were heartless. They were tired and ready to rest, yet Jesus said, "Give ye them to eat." I need to slow down more and be sure that Jesus doesn't have more for me to do. Instead of rushing to the next thing on my list.....instead of hurrying to get home.....I need to look around and ask Jesus what He would have me do. Is there a lady who needs a listening ear? A teen with a burden who needs an encouraging word and some prayer? Some weary young mother who needs a hug and a pat on the back? "...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:" (Luke 12:48) God has blessed each of us abundantly and He wants us to turn around and help others. God wants to use us and often it is in ways that we cannot imagine!
The disciples rose to the occasion. They did all that Jesus asked and they were part of one of the most amazing miracles.

Enjoy God's Journey! / Mrs Eileen Abberger

 

Mrs Eileen Abberger

Pastor's Wife

Lakeview Baptist Church

Lakeview, MI

 

I love to sing.  I enjoy singing with God's people.  I love to laugh.  I enjoy laughing with God's people.  During a Sunday evening church service we were singing the chorus, "It's Been A Long Journey."  As we began, I sang, "It's been a long journey and I am so  'STRESSED'".    I didn't realize how loudly I was singing until I heard several people around me chuckling.  I chuckled along with them and then I was a good girl and sang the rest of the song correctly.

The Lord has a journey for us all.  It is a walk with God meant to be lived by faith.  Jesus came to bring us life -- but not just life; He came to give us an abundant life.  He came to give us an abundant life.  It is a joy-filled life the Lord wants us to live.

John 10:10  The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

Satan wants to leave us without strength for the journey.  He knows that if we lose our joy, we will lose our strength.  That gives him an advantage over us.  Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.  True joy cannot be manufactured in the flesh.  But the good news is that we have the sweet Holy Spirit that comforts and helps us.

I'm not going to lie.  We have been through a long season of manifold trials. Psalm 40 describes exactly how I felt.  I was in a miry pit of clay.  Have you ever tried to climb a miry pit of clay?  I have!  You climb up, you slide back down!  You climb up, you slide back down!!    I have discovered that when I am in a 'pit', the best thing I can do is to dig a well and draw water from the wells of my salvation.  The Lord offers us grace and strength and joy in the midst of our difficulties.

Isaiah 12:2-3  Behold God is my salvation:  I will trust and not be afraid:  for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

                        Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Psalm 84:5-6  Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee:  in whose heart are the ways of them. 

                        Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well:  the rain also filleth the pools.

Strength and joy are closely connected.  If you want to make it our of the pit you must have strength.  If you want to have strength you need the joy of the Lord. 

Nehemiah 8:10b ...for the joy of the Lord is your strength

The following are suggestions I would recommend to find strength (JOY) for the journey.

1.  Abiding In Christ

The word abide means to remain attached.  We remain attached to Christ through His Word.  John 15 tells us how to abide in Christ.  The result is joy.  Verse 11 says, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."  Jeremiah 15:16 describes it best:  Thy words were found, and I did eat them:   and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart:  for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

*read the Bible daily

*memorize the Bible

*meditate on the Bible

*obey the Bible

2.  Magnify God - Not Your Problems

I am not going to lie, the only way we can praise and magnify God when your heart is broken is to do it intentionally.  It is important to remember God's purpose for our trials.  It is what helps us to find peace.  Trials help us grow in our faith.  They purify us.  As we allow God to work in our hearts during difficulty, the more we reflect our Lord and the better we see Him. 

Psalm 34 and Psalm 103 are my "go to" magnify God Psalms.  I have memorized Psalm 103 and much of Psalm 34.  I quote them to God.  I pour out my praise and gratitude to Him.  It brings great comfort to my soul. 

3.  Praise God

Keep a praise journal.  Each day record the blessings the Lord has given you.  When I am discouraged I go back and read them.  It gives me hope that God wants to continue to bless me.  Isaiah 61:3 tells us to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

Our home recently caught fire.  My husband's dad had just gone to heaven.  His mom went to heaven six weeks later to the day and hour.  He was helping his brother take care of business.  I was getting ready to go to bed.  At midnight I received a phone call from someone needing some encouragement.  As we were talking I looked up and my woodstove pipe was totally on fire.  The fire reached two stories high.  It looked like the 4th of July in a scary way!!  After a few desperately frightening hours, I had to praise the Lord for that phone call.  Had I gone to sleep I, no doubt, would have perished in the fire.  The woodstove pipe ran right outside our bedroom wall.  I can live with melted siding, broken windows and the smell of smoke in my home.

4.   Prayer

Psalm 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life:  in thy presence is fullness of joy.

I love to turn Scripture into prayer.  I am sure it pleases the Lord when we love His Word enough to pour it out to Him in our hearts.  Psalm 63:1-8 is a wonderful prayer to cry out to God.  It is a privilege that the God of Heaven, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings wants to spend time with us. 

5.  Patience

As I was standing on a ladder the day after my house was on fire taking down the smoke filled curtains to wash them, I became frustrated.  I had just made the curtains the day before.  A confession.......when the fire started, mu first thought was, "Oh man!!!  I've only had my curtains hanging up for three hours and my house is going to burn down."  Crazy, right????  But, I did work on them for ten hours! (hahaha)  As I was taking down the curtains,  Romans 12:12  kept running through my mind; "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer."  I took down the curtains and went outside in the rain/snow!!!  I leaned up against the house and confessed my loss of hope and lack of patience.  You see, this trial was only one trial of many more serious trials that had recently come our way, and God had VERY GRACIOUSLY proven His lovingkindness.  The Lord had just just spared our daughter in law and our grandson's lives  a month earlier. 

Psalm 62:1-8 is a precious Psalm we can pray to God when we are in a need for patience.

6.  Be A Light 

When we focus on the Lord and we receive joy, we become a beautiful reflection of Christ.  We become a light for others who are in trouble.  We will all pass through valleys.  We will all face difficulty.  It is important to remember that we are loved, we are not alone, and we have been given the opportunity to be more like our Savior.

 I Peter 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed. ye may be glad with exceeding joy.

7.  Rest

I have OCD, ADD, ABCDEFG!!!!!!  In the past I tended toward being a "go til you crash and burn" kind of person.  In my desire to do a good job at whatever I attempted.  I overcomplicated everything.  I ended up becoming very sick.  I now have an auto-immune illness because I seldom let myself rest.  Resting is more than stopping to smell the roses.  Jesus rested to spiritually refuel in the garden.  He was alone with His Father.  Rest is refueling; physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.  We have all heard the expression, "we need to come apart before we come apart."   Everyone is different; and each of us find different ways to refuel.  The important thing is to allow our body, our mind and our spirit to rest.

Ecclesiastes 3:1  To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Rest is a gift from God!

Ecclesiastes 3:13  And also that every man should eat and drink, AND ENJOY THE GOOD OF ALL HIS LABOUR, IT IS A GIFT OF GOD.

The devil would try to make us feel guilty for resting.  God rested on the seventh day of creation.  God meant for us to enjoy our lives.  We cannot enjoy our lives if we are continually exhausted and emotionally spent. 

Matthew 11:28-30  Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:  and ye shall find rest unto your souls.   For my yoke 

                                is easy, and my burden is light.

I love the story of Ruth in the Bible.  It is a beautiful picture of the Sovereignty of God.  His hand was on Ruth's life.  He knew her heart, He guided her steps; He led her and blessed her and allowed her to be a blessing to each person with whom she came in contact.  What a testimony of grace.  What a loving God we have to serve.  May I challenge you to read the book of Ruth when you have lost your way on your journey..  Our God is an awesome God!



The Treasure Box / Mrs Donna Yannizi

 

Mrs Donna Yannizi

Pastor's Wife

Bible Baptist Church

Bradenton, FL

 

The Treasure Box

 

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy Heart with all diligence; for out it are the issues of life.

It has been said that the Heart is the seat of the mind...Jesus said, Mt. 15:18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart."

The Heart is the center of our Being ....  It's our Mind, Will, and Emotions.

That being said, we store a lot of things in Our Mind, It's an Attic were we are consistently storing boxes.(The events of our lives)

Some of the boxes that we choose to open when we make a trip to the Attic.( our mind and heart)

The Box of Worries------ this is the box that we open often!! It's our concerns..  Our Children, Finances, A Struggling marriage, Our Needs. Philippians 4:6

Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God. What should  we do when we open this up?? Pray!!! And close the lid!!!

The Box of Hurts------- this is the box of past failures, heartache, disappointments,   rejection... Psalms 147:3 He Healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds. What should we do when we open this up?

Run to Jesus!!! ( His Word) and get the Balm of Gilead!!!  Rub it on your wounds..Jer.46:11  And close the lid!!!!

The Box of Secrets (Guilt)-------This is the box that only you and God Know about... It's the things we have done in our past that we wished never Happened and

we can't change it.. It's past history!! 1st John 3:20-22 For If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.  1st John 1:9

If we confess our sin,  He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Psalms 90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in light of thy countenance.

Quite often as women, we open the lid to our past and we have a difficult time forgiving ourselves for the things we've done. maybe, a past inappropriateness,

an abuse, rejection etc.  What should we do when we open this up??? Remember the Word of God and the many verses on forgiveness of sin!!!! And close the lid!!!!!

The Treasure Box-----Or the Heart Box ...This is the box of The Good memories!!!!  The Special occasions/ Events, the people and places in our lives!! 

Our childhood, wedding day, the birth of a child, our Salvation Story, the many Blessings and miracles from the Lord!!! What should we do when we open this up???? 

Keep it Open and keep storing the good stuff!! Never stop!! Proverbs 10:7 The memory of the just is Blessed:

Mt.6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  Don't close the lid!!! Keep it open!!!

Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.  (Stop and Think about it)

When we visit the Attic of our mind and heart, let's remember to keep the worries, the hurts, the secrets and the guilt storage boxes closed and maybe even move them into the JUNK TRUNK and FORGET about them!!!!! Let them Go!!!! Only, remember the Good One!! The Treasure Box!!