GirlfriendsInGod

09/30/2024

THANKS to all of you who have checked in with us to see if we are okay. We are good, but many close are not. Samaritan’s Purse is on the ground in five different sites to assist with relief from Hurricane Helene. Here’s a link with details and a place to contribute towards the efforts:

The storm left a path of devastation across the Southeast, from the beaches of Florida to the mountains of North Carolina.

07/25/2023

I am so excited about my new book, Praying for Your Child from Head to Toe: A 30-Day Guide to Power and Effective Scripture-Based Prayer releasing... 📣 September 5th! 📣

All we need to do is listen to the nightly news to know that there is an all-out war for the souls of our children. Never in history have they been more under attack. What can we do?
Our mightiest weapon is prayer. 🙏🏼

I'm inviting you to be a part of the launch team for Praying for Your Child from Head to Toe.
You'll have some extra special perks too! Will you join me? Click here: https://buff.ly/3Dpqfcw

06/30/2023

Girlfriends in God began in 1996 when Sharon Jaynes, Gwen Smith, and Mary Southerland locked arms to encourage women in their walk with Christ. The foundation of GiG was built on 1 Thessalonians 2:8: “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”
The three founders had a passion to cross generational, racial, and denominational boundaries to bring the Body of Christ together as believers. For seventeen years, they witness God work mightily to make that happen.

After much prayer, the team has decided to end this season of Girlfriends in God as of June 30, 2023. The team had the amazing opportunity to share life with millions of women all around the world. Founders, Sharon, Gwen, and Mary can’t wait to meet each one of you in heaven, where we will celebrate God’s presence for all eternity together!

While Girlfriends in God has come to an end, Sharon, Mary, and Gwen will still be sending out weekly devotions from their individual sites. While it may look different, the encouraging biblical content will be the same. Click the links to continue receiving devotions from:

Sharon Jaynes on Tuesdays: https://buff.ly/3MLFO2v
Mary Southerland on Wednesdays: https://buff.ly/3MmUh4F
Gwen Smith on Thursdays: https://buff.ly/3WxJgSD

We can’t wait to continue doing life with you!

06/30/2023

My mom wore a two-carat diamond necklace that hung from a gold chain around her neck. My dad had given it to her for an anniversary. Before you say, “Good for her,” keep reading.

One day, when she was shopping in my little hometown, she walked through an alley separating two buildings. This spunky seventy-something-year-old held several packages and her purse looped over her wrist.

About midway through the alley, three teenage boys on bicycles circled her like buzzards over roadkill. One hopped off his bike and grabbed at her necklace. The others continued circling and keeping watch.

But rather than give the would-be-robber what he wanted, Mom dropped her packages and began hitting the boy over the head with her purse. I kid you not. Who knew people really did that?

She was so mad; she took a few swings at the other boys as well.

“You get out of here you little rascal!” she yelled. “Leave me alone! I’m going to get you, you little…” Truth be known, she probably yelled some words that I will not include in today’s devotion.

I think the guys were so startled that she fought back; they got on their bicycles and scurried away.

A few months later, Mom took the two-carat diamond into the jeweler for cleaning. After close inspection, he dropped his head and said, “Mrs. Edwards, I don’t know how to tell you this, but this diamond isn’t real. It’s a fake.”

We’re not sure what happened. We’re not sure if my dad had been tricked and thought it was real, or if he knew it was a fake all along. He was already in heaven, so we couldn’t ask. (I bet my mom did when she got there though.)

Here’s what I learned that day. What we believe to be true affects the way we act and react. Personally. Spiritually. Emotionally.

And friend, what we believe about the Bible affects the way we act and react. Personally. Spiritually. Emotionally.

Paul states, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV). The Greek word for “God-breathed” or as some translations say, “breathed out” is “theopneustos,” which means “inspired by God” or literally the very “breath of God.”

Some translations use the word, “inspired,” but it’s so much more! Inspired sounds like a creative impulse. God-breathed means that every word in the original text of the Bible originated in the heart of God and was breathed into the heart of man so that they could write down exactly what God wanted to communicate.

Billy Graham said it so well, “The Bible has stood the test of time because it is divinely inspired by Almighty God, written in ink that cannot be erased by any man, religion, or belief system.”

For seventeen years we have started the GiG devotions with “Today’s Truth.” That is because God’s Word is Truth. Cling to that with all your heart.

As we close this season of Girlfriends in God, I want us all to remember what God tells us in 2 Timothy 4:3: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

Never have I seen Scripture more distorted than I have in the last ten years. It breaks my heart that what the Bible clearly states as wrong is now considered right. And what the Bible clearly states as right is now considered wrong.
How it must break God’s heart when His people ignore parts of The Truth that don’t align with what they want to be true. Let that never be us…Girlfriends in God forever.

Oh sister, cling to God’s Word as the ultimate truth—infallible and inerrant. If there is one truth we want you to hang onto after our time together it is that. God’s Word is true.
https://buff.ly/2Eline4

06/30/2023

Heavenly Father, thank You for these wonderful women we call Girlfriends in God. I pray You will continue to bless them exceedingly, abundantly, more than they can ever ask or think, just as You promise in Ephesians 3:20. We love each and every one of them. You love them more. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
https://buff.ly/2Eline4

06/29/2023

I have discovered some wonderful advantages of growing older. Honestly, I can get away with so much more than I could when I was younger – and I love it!

Like many of you, I have paid some heavy life dues. I am enjoying a refreshing freedom in what I say and do – as long as I say and do it in love and with integrity before God.

I am flat-out amazed by the fact that people value my advice. They actually think I know what I am doing. Hilarious! I know!

But I am thrilled to share some of the God-truths I have learned along the way. I’m also free to occasionally respond with a hearty “I don’t have a clue what you should do.” No guilt. No shame. Just being real.

Yes, I have aches and pains that I really could do without, but that is why God has gifted doctors and counselors – because He knew we would need them. We live in broken bodies. Our world is broken. But until Jesus returns, I know He wants my feet to hit the floor each morning, ready to face and delight in the fullness of the life God created me to live.

Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness” (John 10:10 TLB).

One of my current personal life goals is to royally tick off Satan whenever I can. Some days, his feeble tactics make me laugh and I respond with, “Seriously, that’s it? That’s all you’ve got?”

On other days, I am on my face before God asking for strength to withstand the demonic attacks of hell itself. Either way, I win. I have read the whole Book, and we win!

My audience for this race of life has certainly changed over the years. I no longer give credence to those people who delight in leering at me through the fishbowl, waiting and watching for me to fall and fail so they can feel better about their own faults and failures.

Those people are not my audience. God is my audience – and He is crazy about me, cheering me on. Angels dance simply because I exist. I am God’s creation – and so are you.

We have choices to make with every passing season of life.

We can hang on to past accomplishments, using them as an excuse to sit and sour, or we can seek God, asking Him to use us in His Kingdom work.

We can rise each day to dance with joy simply because we know Him and He knows us, or we can focus on what is wrong in our lives and be miserable.

We can sing at the top of our lungs that God is more than enough for whatever comes our way, or we can sing the blues.

We can choose to give Him praise – even when it seems like there is nothing for which to praise Him, or we can sit down and let fear trample us in the dust of Satan’s hissings.

We can grow old in body, mind, and spirit, or we can serve Him with passion and purpose until we take our last breath.

What about you? Are you living each day to the fullest? Jesus is all about living an abundant life in the here and now … no matter how young or old you are. Eternity began the moment you submitted your life to Him.

Someone once said that life is not measured by the number of breaths that we take but by the moments that take our breath away. Let’s do this thing called life and let’s do it right!
https://buff.ly/2Eline4

06/29/2023

Father, I do not want to stop living the life of purpose You created me to live. I choose to ignore those who would tell me to give up. I stand against the enemy who seduces me to quit the race when the obstacles seem impossible to overcome. No! I turn to You, Lord! I depend on You! I celebrate You, God! Until You come, I am Yours, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
https://buff.ly/2Eline4

06/28/2023

I was 16 years old and about 100 pounds soaking wet.
My friend’s dad, Mr. Evans, gathered up a few of us teenagers and drove us to a church just outside my hometown. We were going to give our testimonies at a Saturday night gathering of strangers. I’d never stood behind a podium, spoken into a mic, or stared at a sea of faces thinking I had something to say.

When my name was called, I walked up the stage steps, took a deep breath, and told all those staring eyes about how Jesus plucked me out of a home filled with alcohol abuse and violence, and about parents who fought all the time, and about hiding in the closet. I also told them about the woman who introduced me to Jesus and how I accepted Him as my Savior when I was fourteen. I told them how Jesus was making me not so afraid anymore, and how I was praying for my parents to know Jesus too.

Was I eloquent? No. Did I quote Scripture? No. Were there tears? Yes. Was it impactful? Yes.

There wasn’t much room left at the front of the sanctuary when Mr. Evans gave the altar call that night.

And so it began…me learning just how important stories are.

I didn’t know this verse then, but I know it now: “Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me” (Psalm 66:16 NLT).

Every redemptive story, like a raw seed, cannot realize its potential until it is planted in the heart of another human being. And a plant born of a seed will become a plant that bears more seeds. Make no mistake about it. Your story matters. Don’t be afraid to tell it!

Know this: The devil doesn’t want you to tell your story of what God has done in your life. He wants you to keep it bottled up and hidden away in the back of the pantry where no one can find it. He doesn’t want you to tell how you traded in your anger and resentment for God’s grace and forgiveness. How you traded in your feelings of condemnation and self-loathing for freedom and a new beginning. How you traded in your broken pieces for a beautiful masterpiece.

Don’t do it, he whispers. They won’t like you. They’ll think badly of you. They’ll reject you. Don’t do it. You’ll regret it. Once it’s out there, it’s out there. As long as nobody knows, you’ll be accepted.

But here’s the truth: If you listen to the wrong voice, you will make the wrong choice. The devil will do everything he can to keep you silent. He knows that your willingness to place your story in God’s holy hands will lead to full redemption, where, in the words of Beth Moore, “the pain is treated and turned around so thoroughly that it not only loses its power to do you harm but also gains the power to do some good.”

When I first felt God calling me to share with others how He had redeemed my past, I argued just a bit. “But God,” I cried, “There are some things about my life I don’t want to tell.” And then I sensed Him saying, Would you rather people think well of you, or of Me?

At that point, I had a decision to make, and I’ve never regretted the transparency He’s called me to. It could very well be that my mess could be the message that ushers in the miracle in someone else’s life. If I refuse to speak up, God will choose someone else who will, and I will miss the blessing.

So, don’t hide your story. Own it! Tell it! Rejoice in it! Realize that no matter what has happened in your life, your lows, your disappointments, and your struggles can be the most compelling parts of your story. People will rally around you, and you will find love and connection in the process. If you are willing, your wounds can become the source of your greatest strengths.

God may not be calling you to tell your story in an auditorium full of strangers, but He is calling you to tell your story to someone. Look for that person you can trust with your heart—someone with whom you can feel totally exposed and completely loved at the same time. Then take the first step and tell your story.
https://buff.ly/2Eline4

06/28/2023

Father, thank You for giving me a new ending to my story. I pray You will give me opportunities to tell others what You’ve done for me, and that I won’t hold anything back. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
https://buff.ly/2Eline4

06/27/2023

A friend of ours has struggled with heart problems for years. He’s gone through seasons of wellness and seasons of strain. Recently, his health challenges moved from the back burner to the front when his doctors recognized the need to operate.

He didn’t just need a simple procedure. He needed open heart surgery to the max. I mean we’re talking valve replacements, ablations, hole repairs, and more.

In the wee hours of the morning before his surgery, my friend’s heart decided to cause problems that led them to the Emergency Room instead of the Operating Room. Thankfully, his surgeon rushed to the scene and took him right into surgery.

Hours later his heart was repaired. In the days that followed, scary setbacks came and went. Each one was dealt with head-on. I asked his wife how I could pray for him. Was there anything specific? Her answer surprised me. “Just pray that he will have the will to press on through the healing process because it is going to be a long, hard haul.”

When I hung up from our conversation, I paused and reflected on her request.

In essence, I will be praying for him to have the heart (the strength, the guts, the determination) to fight for his heart to heal fully.

Wow. I know that struggle well.

Week after week, loved one after loved one, struggle after struggle … this is one of the biggest challenges we face. Having a heart fixed on healing. To press through to a place of wellness and strength: spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically. To not back down from the resistance before us in light of the rewards that await us. To run the race of faith well!

I’ve asked God for forgiveness, but I just don’t know how to forgive myself.

I know the Bible says God loves me, but I feel invisible. I don’t FEEL loved and adored.

I believe that God has a plan for my life, but I’m so tired of waiting for it to develop.

I want restoration in my relationship, but I’m not making the first move.

I know my eating patterns are unhealthy and they undermine my wellness, but God loves me just the way I am!

I worry all the time and struggle with anxiety. I really want to trust God, but often fail.

After we go through initial heart repairs with Jesus, many of us find ourselves as wounded believers. Close to whole, but still broken. We want healing but won’t or don’t know how to move forward in the direction of the Healer toward the complete wholeness He has for us.

This is hard stuff. I know. I struggle too. We all do.

Ultimately: every one of us is a work in progress. Our challenges and failures are real and should be acknowledged and confessed. But our faith that God can and will tend to our wounds must be greater.

So, I join in prayer as our friend faces months of therapy, doctors’ appointments, medicine changes, emotional exhaustion, and unseen struggles.

And I’m grateful we pray to the one, true God who loves, sees, hears, purifies, answers, comforts, protects, forgives, and heals those who cry out to Him. He is the great Surgeon who rushes to us in our emergency rooms and takes us to the operating room of His presence.

The One who knows how to care for each wound, burden, and bruise.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31).

So, when your heart needs healing, pray and press through barriers in the strength and grace of Jesus. His plan is good. His faithfulness is unwavering. His presence is always accessible.

Move in God’s direction and give Him the burdens of your heart.
https://buff.ly/2Eline4

06/27/2023

Dear Lord, This is hard! Thank You for allowing me to be honest about the challenges that tangle me up. Please move in my heart and in my circumstances today so that I can move forward in faith as I hold tight to the hope I have in Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
https://buff.ly/2Eline4

06/26/2023

The doorbell rang, but I had absolutely no desire to answer it. I was desperately trying to withdraw from my world. It was too dark and too painful. I just wanted to be left alone.

Clinical depression was sucking the life out of me. I was seeing a counselor. I was also under the care of a psychiatrist who discovered I had a chemical imbalance that required medication. But it would be a long, hard road.

The doorbell rang again. I pulled the covers over my head, determined to outlast whoever was trying to work their way into my pain. It was easier to just surrender to the darkness than it was to struggle my way to the light.

The doorbell stopped ringing. Whew! I was so glad I had dodged that bullet.

Nope.

A loud knocking ensued … followed by the voice of Michelle, my best friend, declaring, “Mary, I know you are in there. I am coming in to clean your house, and I have groceries for you in my car. I don’t care what you or your house look like, but I am coming in one way or another.”

If it had been anyone else, I might have had a chance. But Michelle Johnson would bulldoze her way through the front door if necessary to get to me.

Love shows up.

Over the years Michelle has been “God with skin on” in my life so many times and in so many ways. She never waited until I asked for help … she just showed up to meet whatever need I have had in my life.

During the two worst years of my battle with clinical depression, Michelle did the things I could not do. She bought groceries, picked up cleaning, lined up meals, took our kids to buy soccer cleats, and just listened as I poured out my pain. Sometimes she called and invited me to walk the half-block down the street to her house. But some days that half-block might as well have been a thousand miles, so she came to me. Her friendship is a priceless gift.

Now that I think about it, some of my best friends are people who saw a need in my life and met it. In fact, the most precious friend I have saw my greatest need and met it in an amazing way!

Jesus looked through my sin and shame and saw my need. And oh, how He showed up!

God’s love compelled Jesus Christ to willingly exchange a throne for a manger, divinity for humanity, and Heaven for Earth – all for me. And all for you!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).

God’s love showed up.

God’s love showed up when David met Goliath (1 Samuel 17).

God’s love showed up when Jesus went out of His way to meet the woman at the well (John 4:1-42).

God’s love showed up when the Good Samaritan rescued a wounded man, a Jew, on the side of the road (Luke 10:25-37).

God’s love showed up when the woman who had been doubled over in pain for 18 years met Jesus and was healed (Luke 13:10-13).

God’s love changes everything and everyone who receives it. God’s love protects and breathes life and purpose into every minute of every day. God’s love is a gift beyond measure that surrounds us and covers us when life falls apart and even when life is good.

“Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:26 NIV).

Do not believe the lies of the enemy when he tells you that your God has forsaken you. God is with you – Emmanuel. He endured the cross, completely, and alone because He loves you.

No one can take your place in the Father’s heart. God knows your pain and He understands. God created you and paid for your sin for one reason alone – He loves you. And true love always shows up.
https://buff.ly/2Eline4