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We are forgetful by nature. God knows how forgetful we are and throughout the centuries has provided us with reminders of His faithfulness, His sovereignty, and His love.
As we remember the power of the truth in God’s Word, may we not forget: Truth is powerful because God is truth. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father, except through me” (John 14:6).
God has always set up ways for us to remember. What practice did He establish for the Israelites to remember how He rescued them from slavery in Egypt? See Deuteronomy 16:1, Exodus 12:24-28. (For the full story, read all of Ex. 12.)
What was the reminder of redemption established in the book of Esther 9:23-28?
Moving to the New Testament, what is the reminder that Jesus, Himself, established that we should do in remembrance of Him and His sacrifice (1 Cor. 11:23-26; Matt. 26:26-30)?
What is the significance of remembering Jesus’ sacrifice on a regular basis?
I have lived in many places and visited churches across the world. One of the most beautiful things is that on a Sunday morning, no matter where I have worshipped, no matter whether or not I understood the language, there was a shared understanding when we ate the bread and drank the cup together.
The Lord’s Supper is one of my mom’s favorite parts of worship because she can close her eyes and picture each of the other members of the family taking it, in whatever city or country we find ourselves that day.
It is a time that is set aside to reflect and remember. More than 70 times in the Bible, God calls us to “remember.” He knows that we are forgetful and that even if we know something, we need to be reminded of it. Peter says in 2 Peter 1:12-13 that He will not cease to remind us of the things we already know, because we are forgetful.
God not only gave us the Holy Spirit as a helper and one who walks by our side, but He also gave us His church.
The challenge is: Satan wants to do all he can to hinder us from tapping into the resources that God provides.
He tells us that we are a failure if we ask for help, just like he did with Josephine, whose story I share below (chapter 8, Who Has the Last Word?).
Josephine drove her Camaro from California, halfway across the country to attend college. The university setting, away from family and friends, was a stressful transition.
“I began to withdraw socially. At first, it was an unconscious decision. I avoided the cafeteria, telling myself I had no time for lunch or dinner because I needed to study or practice my music. Overwhelmed with the new homework load and feeling quite out of my comfort zone, I found excuses not to socialize or eat.
“Eventually, it became difficult to eat in public. No red flags went off in my mind. If days had gone by and I was physically weak, I would tell myself that I didn’t have time for a sit-down meal and would drive through somewhere quickly, constantly checking the rearview mirror, afraid that someone might catch me eating. Still no red flags.”
One Monday afternoon, on a segment of Oprah about eating disorders, a woman walked through her “normal” day. Josephine said, “It was like looking in a mirror. That was the moment I realized I had a problem, but I was already so conditioned in my thought patterns and behaviors, I didn’t know how to get out of it.”
Asking for help was a new concept since life had been somewhat idyllic up to that point. She now felt out of control and drowning in loneliness. “I was moody (not eating will do that to you), and kept busy studying in order to avoid the real problem.
“I could have asked for help. People cared. An acquaintance from back home went to school with me there. He was my only friend, really, and having seen the dramatic change from high school to college, he tried to intervene. He would call me most nights after curfew and invite me to lunch the next day. Every night, I would accept, but when the time came for me to eat a meal with him, I would become insecure about whether he was judging my portion sizes or calculating my calorie intake—men, by the way, don’t think that deeply.
“I often initiated an argument with my only friend and walked away angry for the sake of not having to eat in public. Every night, he would call and check up on me, I would apologize, and he’d say, “Want to try again tomorrow?” He was a friend when I didn’t deserve one.”
Josephine spent the entire year starving herself, isolating, and living under the lie that she had everything under control. She never let anyone know what life was really like.
“Admitting I needed help, in my mind at the time, meant failure.”
“My future was unknown territory. I had spent my whole life with a plan and that plan was unraveling. My anxiety got the best of me, and my mind transformed into needing to control the only thing I could: my diet.”
Josephine’s vocal coach was the one that forced her hand. The coach noticed weakness, stress in her voice, and a change in behavior. Counseling was a difficult, but necessary step if she wanted to stay in school. The counselor encouraged her to talk with her parents, in spite of her fear of disappointing or worrying them.
Fast-forward two healthy years later. Josephine was traveling the world, getting involved in mission trips, and using her second language for God’s kingdom. She loved her life, but it was a battle won, not the war.
“Satan never gives up the fight. When my schedule got too busy, or when some guy dumped me, I would have trouble with my old behaviors and damaging thoughts. It caused me, at times, to be either very shy or too forward with men. I regret that too. I was looking for approval when I already had God’s.
“Satan lied when he tried to convince me that I must have all the answers now. He lied when he sent me the message that I was a failure if I asked for help—that’s what a church family is for! He lied when he tried to tell me I was not good enough. I am perfectly and wonderfully made!
“Nowadays, I let my good Christian friends know when I need prayers. I seek out professional help from time to time when I need it. Satan never stops fighting and neither will I, but I no longer fight alone. The verse that has always been there and helped me to remember who is in the driver’s seat is Psalm 4:8. It’s a simple verse, but for someone like me to give it over to God every night and lie down in peace, knowing that He makes me to dwell in safety, it is a huge one.”
“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps. 4:8).
This month, we are highlighting various portions of the book Who Has the Last Word? Cutting through Satan’s Lies with the Truth of God’s Word. We invite you to gather a group of women this fall and walk together to Recognize the Lies, Replace the Lies with Truth and Remember the Truth through specific scriptures.
#IronRoseSister #WhoHastheLastWord #truth&lies #WLW
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What happens when we are focused on the lie? Allow me to provide an illustration: It’s the New Year and you have decided to join your friend at the gym and in a diet that eliminates all sugar for the first thirty days. No problem, right? Yeah, right! It’s now January 8th and your sister has a birthday. All you can think about is her favorite chocolate cake that will be at the party. You become consumed by the chocolate cake. All your thoughts are focused on the chocolate cake. The party is tomorrow and your ability to maintain your resolve for the diet with your friend is wavering. I mean, it’s chocolate cake!
So, you decide that you can conquer this temptation. “I am not going to think about the chocolate cake. I’m not going to think about the chocolate cake. I am NOT going to think about the chocolate cake.” What is the only thing you are thinking about? Yep. The chocolate cake.
You have to replace the thoughts about chocolate cake with something else: “I’m going to bring a sugar-free chocolate bar with me and focus on the blessing of time with family.” Problem solved? Not for all eternity, but maybe for the birthday party and today’s temptation.
Lacey’s Story (from chapter 6, Who Has the Last Word?)
Lacey needed to be reminded that she was not alone. Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, in a whirlwind of doctor’s appointments, x-rays, whispered conversations, concerned looks, and consultations, Lacey was sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. An osteosarcoma tumor had broken through the bone in her left leg about an inch and a half under her kneecap.
Lacey and her mom were not close before, but when she was yanked out of her junior year of high school so she could move out of state to fight the aggressive cancer, she developed a new appreciation and respect for her mom. Lacey’s mom gave encouragement and a never-ending supply of Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink™ through chemo and multiple surgeries, including the removal of the left leg bone and calf muscle.
Lacey’s mom was a rock for her daughter, but Lacey still felt very alone. Before leaving for Memphis, she felt as though she wasn’t the most popular teenager in the youth group, and was
unsure how many people in her home church in Baton Rouge even knew her. Now, she was three states away and all alone.
But as she was bombarded with texts, cards, calls, and notes that told her how much she was loved, that she was prayed for, and that she was not alone, the message began to sink in. To this day, an encouragement pillow signed by dozens of members of the church is a treasured possession as it reminds Lacey of the constant prayers and support of her church family.
When I asked Lacey if I could share her story and the way that God and the church helped her battle the lie that she was alone, she responded, “I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE FOR YOU TO USE MY STORY! I believe that I went through all that I did for a reason, and that reason is to help others who feel hopeless or who are going through what I went through. I'm proof that cancer is survivable, and if I didn't share my story to help others, even though it's really hard sometimes, everything I went through would have been for nothing!”
She continued, “James 5:11 is my favorite verse because Job is my favorite story in the Bible. Satan tried to tell me that because I was going through a hard time far away from home that I wasn't going to make it because I was alone. But God showed me that I had a church family that stood behind me more than I ever thought they would because I mattered more to God than I thought I did.” Amen! I applaud Lacey for sharing her story and for giving God the last word.
Have you ever had a time when you realized that you mattered more to God than you thought you did? Describe how He revealed his love to you and reminded you that you weren’t alone. (Be sure to include a verse that can, in the future, help you remember that truth again.)
This month, we are highlighting various portions of the book Who Has the Last Word? Cutting through Satan’s Lies with the Truth of God’s Word. We invite you to gather a group of women this fall and walk together to Recognize the Lies, Replace the Lies with Truth and Remember the Truth through specific scriptures.
#IronRoseSister #WhoHastheLastWord #WLW #truth