Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Written by Ann Thiede, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas 

“Insecure” describes me from my childhood through my teenage years, wanting to fit in, becoming a people-pleaser which led to conflicts within and ungodly choices. I craved relationships—people with whom I could be close and share my heart. Unfortunately, many of my contemporaries during my high school and college days followed the crowd. But, praise God, a few helped me walk toward Christ.

Matthew, in his gospel, recorded these last words of Jesus:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

I’m forever grateful for God’s beautiful orchestration through four peers, drawing me to Him and teaching me what it looks like to follow Him. These are some discipleship steps I’ve learned.

The first step involves getting to know Jesus as you read the Gospels with a hungry, teachable heart, and the willingness to let go of preconceived ideas. In searching for what you believe, you will find Who you believe. I encourage you to read through John’s gospel first, taking note of all of the titles Jesus gives Himself. For example, in John 6:35 He says, “I am the bread of life,” and then “…sothe one who feeds on Me will live because of Me” (6:57b). Ask yourself: What would it look like to feed on Christ?

The writer of Hebrews says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb.

Remember my issue of people-pleasing, wanting approval? Jesus wants us to please Him above all others. His desire is to draw us toward His likeness, giving us the courage to talk as He talked, live and love as He lived and loved, and to reach out and share the Good News even as He did.“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). It is the heart of Christ that we who are disciples make disciples by sharing His Good News, studying the Word with those who don’t know Him, planting seeds of faith or watering what others have planted, and watching God bring the increase of souls into the Kingdom.

Discipleship means adhering to God’s Word first and foremost. Spirit-inspired words throughout the Bible embody truth. Luke records these insightful thoughts: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts

Following Christ as His disciple also means walking together in this life with other disciples; encouraging one another, praying with one another, and sharing joy and grief together. Surrendering to Him as Lord and Savior means becoming a part of His Body, the church. Jesus intends for disciples to function together in harmony. I encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31 and Romans 12:4-8, both beautiful passages about the church and what your part may be, according to the gifts God has given you. Many disciples over the years have enriched my life, encouraging me to be more like Jesus. These relationships go deep as we share life including our spiritual struggles and victories. The Holy Spirit has taught me the value of Paul’s admonition when he says, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). If you desire qualities you see in another person that are Christlike, start asking God!

As you’ve read, in what area of being a disciple of Jesus do you desire growth?

• Getting to know Jesus better through the Gospels
• Developing a consistent prayer life
• Allowing Him to make changes in your life
• Making disciples by sharing Christ with others
• Letting the Word be your guide for truth above all
• Deepening relationships with other disciples

Go to Jesus and share with a fellow disciple. And remember, Jesus has promised to be with you, always.

Written by Corina Díaz, volunteer with Ministerio Hermana Rosa de Hierro in Argentina

The book that bears the name Samuel is divided into two parts, 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. Originally in the Hebrew Bible it was a single book, and its author is the same Samuel, although not in its entirety. A wonderful thing about this book is that it is harmonious in all its essence, starting with its name שְׁמוּאֵל (Šəmûʼēl), which means, “God has heard.” So, from this book come wonderful stories about the way God listens to His people and how He calls them to listen.

We have three main characters, Samuel, Saul, and David, all connected to each other. All three with similar purposes in the kingdom of God, and they demonstrate the different natures of man before God’s questioning. I love the way that God manifests Himself through three different responses to their requests: Yes, no, and wait.

Samuel, was the answer to Hannah’s prayer, a woman who was willing to heed God's call (1 Sam. 1:9-11). She conceived her son Samuel, whom she consecrated to the temple and to God’s service (1 Sam. 2:11). Samuel was a complete instrument of God's plan, and an example of someone who had to wait on many occasions.

Saul, was the first king, and although he was chosen according to God's designs, his personal purpose was different. He is the perfect example of someone who does not want to listen to God, also of someone to whom God says no (1 Sam. 13).

Finally, we have David, a man after God's heart, who heard his call and recognized God's mercy in his life; a sinful person like you and me, who opened his heart and to whom God constantly responded with a Yes! at his requests (1 Sam. 20).

So, we clearly see that there are only three possible answers to the requests of our heart (yes, no, wait), all we need is to have the ability to hear that answer. These three men listened to God in different ways, and we see the results of their own actions. But what do we need to do to listen to God?

Think for a moment, how can you listen or understand the point of what someone wants to tell you? The best way is by knowing the person. The more you share and connect with a person, you can almost predict his/her movements and looks. Has it happened to you? You are in a group and suddenly you cross eyes with your friend, your husband or your child and you already know what is about to happen. That is how our relationship with God also works, the more we know Him and the more we spend time with Him, the more we can listen and understand His responses to our requests.

God's desire for us is to stay connected with Him, and He has a wonderful promise for us.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:31-32 MEV)

The more we know and listen to Him, the more we will know His will in our lives!

#IronRoseSister #HIStories #prayer #bookofSamuel #yesnowait #guestwriter

Written by Michelle J. Goff, Founder and Director of Iron Rose Sister Ministries 

My youngest sister used to decorate beautiful ceramic mugs for me, but she had to stop this practice because I broke every single one. The last one, she rescued before I could break it. I never broke them intentionally. I used them all the time until my clumsiness or a very hard floor caused them to break.

Thankfully, my relationship with my sister was not dependent on the lifespan of those ceramic mugs. After we have gone through a time of brokenness, our commitment to the relationship, the covenant we have made, has actually been strengthened through the brokenness. (See thevideo on Redefined Identity that we narrated together and that illustrates brokenness.)

Still, we cry when things break. Broken relationships are more painful and evoke many more tears than broken dishes.

When my ex called off the wedding and permanently ended our relationship two and a half months before we planned to walk down the aisle, I was devastated. Not only was the relationship broken, I was broken—shattered in a million pieces and disoriented beyond a simple state of confusion. Brokenness was my constant companion for more than three years.

When a relationship covenant is broken, there are a few things that inevitably happen.

1. We lose trust in people.
2. We lose trust in ourselves.
3. We doubt our trust in God.

Single-again women, especially the divorced or separated, I’m sorry for what you are going through and please know that no matter the stage of your healing process, you are not alone! Also, please hear that you are not going crazy! Broken covenants are messy! And they are not what God has designed.

If your spouse broke covenant with you, I grieve with you. Our God can redeem anything and bring about good, even in the midst of the bad (Rom. 8:28).

If you are the one who broke covenant, please know that God’s redemption and forgiveness are possible (Ps. 103:10-13; Eph. 1:7-8).

If the breaking of covenant was necessary for your safety or that of your children, I applaud your bravery and pray that there are others nearby who are able to walk with you and support you in tangible ways (Ps. 103:6; Is. 61:1-3, 7).

Relationships are at the core of who we are and what define us. We learn and teach through relationships—and not all the lessons are positive. Sometimes we are learning what not to do or attempting to teach something we are unfamiliar with because of our past.

Sisters, one thing that I learned is that no matter how much my trust wavers, God’s love for me does not.

Three key lessons I learned through my season of the broken covenant of relationship:

1. God is eternally faithful and unconditional in His covenant (Lam. 3:22-26; Heb. 13:20-21).
2. God allows people to have free will and I must accept that (Gen. 2:16-17; Rom. 7:15-24).
3. Redemption and healing are possible, but they do take time (1 Pet. 2:24; James 5:16).

As I mentioned, a broken promise in relationship is deeply painful and causes us to doubt whether we can trust the other person in the future. My deeper doubts were whether or not I could trust myself to know whether I was a good judge of character, since I chose to be with someone who later broke his promises.

On many levels, I still respected and loved my ex—to the point that when he made his decision clear, I didn’t fight him on it, nor try to convince him otherwise. In his free will, he had chosen to end the relationship. Thankfully for us, it was before we entered into the covenant of marriage. Yet the brokenness I felt was as if he had broken that level of relationship covenant.

In time, I forgave him, but it was not something I could forget. God accompanied me in my grief. He did so through supportive friends, their prayers, then later my own. God was patient with me while I had to sit in the balcony on the furthest row from the pulpit because my pain level was proportionate to my physical proximity during a Sunday morning service.

God loved me through my obedient worship, going through the motions and not yet “feeling it.” God spoke to me through Bible verses that would appear in my social feeds, in conversations, in Bible study, or in prayer.

Over time, God affirmed a quote a friend had shared early on: “Time doesn’t heal all wounds. Time reveals how God can heal all wounds.” Amen!

Part of my healing has been a deeper level of empathy for others who have faced similar pain. The comfort I have received, I have shared with others (2 Cor. 1:3-6).

It is my prayer that God reveal His eternal faithfulness to such a degree that it overshadows any broken covenant of relationship.

Do you believe? Lord, help us overcome our unbelief.

Written by Nilaurys Garcia, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Canada

Imitating people and accents has been easy for me for as long as I can remember, and I don’t mean it by making fun or laughing at them, but by speaking like them after spending some time in a specific place or with certain people. Even though it was an involuntary response, and I was not aware of it, it was common to hear comments like, “You spent two weeks there, and you already think you’re from there,” or “You have no identity”. Add that to learning a new language, changing cities and later, countries, and you get a very interesting outcome.

When I first moved to Chile, adopting their accent was not a conscious decision but a defense mechanism. I am one of many people from Latin America who have decided to migrate to another country looking for better opportunities. The word “foreigner” can be used in various contexts, and one of them is a person that does not belong to the place where they are currently, and I felt this very definition when I moved to a new country where everything was different. I did not fit in because I did not relate to their food, culture, words, or traditions. It was a country I felt was too cold because of the four seasons, and it simply was not home.

I sometimes wondered if that’s how the Israelites felt every time they had to move from one place to another as a nation; maybe they also missed home. But one thing I can say, my story did not end at that homesick and sad stage; it was when I met my wonderful spiritual family. A father and mother that opened not only their hearts but the doors to their home, sisters that went through my closet as if it was their own and whose hugs were always there when I needed them the most. And that was how, through love, I started to feel part of the new place and acquired their traditions. The conversations after lunch were never too long, and there were never too many get-togethers for a barbecue, just because.

At this point, it was so easy to blend in, not only because of my accent, but because I understood their dynamics so well that unless somebody knew my story, they would have never guessed I had been born and raised in Venezuela. However, this was not enough to feel like I belonged. Years later, I understand why; I was looking for things in the wrong place. Neither people nor the church nor society could provide what only God can, an identity.

The song “This World is Not My Home” always felt like my motto; I am just passing through. Good thing this “I-don’t-belong” feeling took me straight to the arms of the One who is my everything, who gave me a new name and who does not worry where I came from or how I talked, for He knew me before I was born. You might relate to changing your traditions, your food or words, or maybe you had to leave your country and have already adapted to the new place, but sometimes miss what used to be home. You might also miss your old traditions, the music or even smells. All of these are part of who you are and makes you the wonderful person you are today. I want to remind you that neither your nationality nor where you physically are at, define you in God’s eyes or how precious as a person you are. Although you might feel like a stranger in your own home, please remember who you are in God; you are His daughter, you are loved, and you are His instrument wherever you are.

A couple of years after feeling like a foreigner and my identity crisis happened, I now live in a totally different country, speak Spanish like a Chilean and have Venezuelan arepas for breakfast, but the most important part is I remember that my identity comes from the One who gave me a new name, rescued me. I am His, and have decided to follow Him wherever He leads me… “Don’t be afraid. I saved you. I named you. You are mine.” (Is. 43:1 ERV). Every time people ask me where I am from, my answer is I am from Chile, but was born in Venezuela. Whatever your answer is, would you like to help me serve The Lord no matter where we are?

 #IronRoseSister #HIStories #identityinChrist #foreigners #thisworldisnotmyhome #guestwriter #blog

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48b

The financial application of this verse is timely and relevant in light of #Giving2x2Tuesday and the encouragement to share end-of-year support with churches and nonprofit organizations. As a ministry, we are honored and humbled to be able to do what we do because of generous supporters like many of you. Thank you! And if you missed the #Giving2x2Tuesday opportunity, it is not too late to make a donation!

However, I have reflected upon other facets of the application of this verse—the spiritual ones. To extend a blessing to others is a declaration of our appreciation for the blessing we have received. What has been given to me I am called to give to others.

The forgiveness I give to others correlates to the Father’s forgiveness of me (Matt. 6:14-15). The grace with which we have been treated must be passed on to others (Matt. 18).
The compassion the Father has demonstrated by not treating me as my sins deserves inspires me to show compassion to others.

Yet if I neglect to recognize all that I have been given, I will be stingy in sharing it with others.

Who am I to judge who is deserving of blessings or not? Nevertheless, I identify with the older brother’s outrage and fall into the trap of thinking I deserve more (Luke 15:25-32). However, if it were dependent on merit or what we deserved... let’s just say I am so thankful it is not (Ps. 103:10-14)!

We are merely stewards of our blessings (Matt. 25:14-30) and when we share them with others, His light shines brighter (2 Cor. 4:5-7).

Why give?

We serve a God of abundance (2 Cor. 9:8-15). His blessings are limitless (Phil. 4:19). He gives generously to all (James 1:17). And we are blessed to be able to give from what we have been given, thus multiplying the blessings.