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THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN
A RECIPE
STEP #8
WELCOME BACK
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Today's
Virtuous
Vitamin
is
~FAITH~
belief |
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Proverbs
31 ...
Verse 16
She
considereth
a field, and
buyeth it:
with the
fruit of her
hands she
planteth a
vineyard.
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I'm so excited to be
with you today to share
more TRUTH as women
seeking the virtuous
life!
If you invest your time
into something, you can
make it prosper. But
what is the primary
reason for the success
of something you invest
your time in? FAITH.
With your eyes you see a
field, but with your
imagination, you see a
vineyard. Take a leap of
FAITH when the
Holy Spirit guides you
to. Most people think
that a leap of faith is
doing something that has
a moderate risk, hoping
that they'll profit for
themselves. But what
actually is a leap of
FAITH? It's really
about doing something
that is so improbable,
that failure is
practically certain ...
Without GOD'S
hand.
If your leap of faith is
something that glorifies
God, you can bet that
His hand will be helping
you.
Remember the story about
Peter walking on water
with the Lord? What
happened as soon as he
started to lose faith?
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Matthew
14:26-31
And when
the
disciples
saw Him
walking on
the sea,
they were
troubled,
saying, It
is a spirit;
and they
cried out
for fear.
But
straightway
Jesus spake
unto them,
saying,
Be of good
cheer; it is
I; be not
afraid.
And Peter
answered Him
and said,
Lord, if it
be thou, bid
me come unto
thee on the
water. And
He said,
Come.
And when
Peter was
come down
out of the
ship, he
walked on
the water,
to go to
Jesus. But
when he saw
the wind
boisterous,
he was
afraid; and
beginning to
sink, he
cried,
saying,
Lord, save
me. And
immediately
Jesus
stretched
forth His
hand, and
caught him,
and said
unto him,
O thou of
little
faith,
wherefore
didst thou
doubt? |
You can do whatever
you set your mind
to, if you have
faith. Jesus
promised
... Believe and
you shall
receive!
|
Matthew
21:22
And all
things,
whatsoever
ye shall
ask in
prayer,
believing,
ye shall
receive. |
BEWARE OF YOUR COMFORT
ZONE?
Life can be pretty
tricky sometimes.
Sometimes when you're
just coasting along
through life and things
are uneventful ... That
is, peaceful, and
seemingly secure ... You
may feel like you've got
it made. But all too
often, as long as things
are going well in
peoples' lives, and they
feel like THEY
have control, they get
very confident, and
forget their need for
God.
Let's put that little
theory to the test,
shall we? As long as
you're in your "comfort
zone" and everything
happening in your life
is pretty typical, how
close do you stay in
communication with God?
Okay, now, when there's
a crisis ... Even a
minor one ... Doesn't
your prayer time
increase? Isn't your
desire for God's
presence more intense at
those times? Do you not
only pray harder and
longer, but whisper more
mini-messages to Him
throughout the day and
night? Why? Because you
have FAITH that
He will intervene to
help. If you didn't
really believe
He would help, you
simply wouldn't pray.
God's purpose was not
for us to do it all
alone. His purpose was
for us to do things
FOR Him and WITH
Him. As adults, we're
taught to be independent
and SELF
sufficient. This "rule"
does not apply when
FAITH in your Lord is
the issue. You must be
as a child. Your Father
EXPECTS you to
depend on Him. He waits
and longs for you to ask
Him for His hand to help
you.
|
Matthew
18:3-4
Verily I say
unto you,
Except ye be
converted,
and become
as little
children, ye
shall not
enter into
the Kingdom
of Heaven.
Whosoever
therefore
shall humble
himself as
this little
child, the
same is
greatest in
the Kingdom
of Heaven. |
When you find yourself
relying solely on your
own strength to
accomplish something,
you are denying the
power of God to work
through you. That
doesn't mean however
that you shouldn't have
determination, it means
that you trust in His
plans and guidance and
will.
|
2
Corinthians
12:9
... My grace
is
sufficient
for thee:
for my
strength is
made perfect
in weakness. |
Aha!
Yet another GREAT reason
to become as that little
girl you used to be ...
That inner child ... Of
God!
The last part of Verse
16 says:
|
... with the
fruit of her
hands she
planteth a
vineyard. |
This verse reminds me of
John, Chapter 15.
JESUS
THE TRUE VINE
|
John 15:1-2
I am the
true vine,
and my
Father is
the
husbandman.
Every branch
in me that
beareth not
fruit He
taketh away:
and every
branch that
beareth
fruit, He
purgeth it,
that it may
bring forth
more fruit.
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Jesus is the true vine
and God is the vineyard
owner.
We are the branches. If
we don't bear fruit ...
In other words, if we
don't glorify God by
living virtuously, we
are taken away.
If we bear some fruit,
God will prune us, or in
other words, He will
remove whatever it is
that is keeping us from
being fruitful in our
lives. If this is
happening to you and you
don't realize why, you
could get very confused
and think you're being
punished, but once you
realize the TRUTH of it,
it becomes very clear
that God just wants you
to be all you can be ...
For Him. The analogy of
the grapevine is such a
good one because if you
don't prune it very
drastically, you'll get
a whole bunch of
beautiful leaves, but
not many grapes at all.
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John 15:4-5
Abide in
me, and I in
you. As
the branch
cannot bear
fruit of
itself,
except it
abide in the
vine; no
more can ye,
except ye
abide in me.
I am the
vine, ye are
the
branches: He
that abideth
in me, and I
in him, the
same
bringeth
forth much
fruit: for
without me
ye can do
nothing. |
If you cut a branch off
the vine, it's
impossible for it to
bear fruit. Without the
Lord, you cannot be
fruitful. You
must depend
on Him. He is your
lifeline, your savior,
your betrothed, your
strength.
Abide in me, and I in
you.
Abide means remain or
stay ... Jesus is
saying, Stay with me.
When you're betrothed to
someone, you can't bear
to be apart. You become
part of each other,
united, as one. Whenever
you feel like you're
drifting away from
Jesus, just imagine Him
whispering to you, Stay
with me.
Now, look at how it all
ties together and is
confirmed:
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John 15:6-8
If a man
abide not in
me, he is
cast forth
as a branch,
and is
withered;
and men
gather them,
and cast
them into
the fire,
and they are
burned. If
ye abide in
me, and my
words abide
in you, ye
shall ask
what ye
will, and it
shall be
done unto
you. Herein
is my Father
glorified,
that ye bear
much fruit;
so shall ye
be my
disciples.
|
Stay with Jesus and you
will bear fruit.
Ask what you will, and
it shall be done unto
you ... Believe to
receive!
When you bear much
fruit, you glorify God.
Read God’s Word, pray
and watch God’s increase
of the fruit in your
life grow to an
abundance you never
imagined.
|
1
Corinthians
2:9
But as it is
written, Eye
hath not
seen, nor
ear heard,
neither have
entered into
the heart of
man, the
things which
God hath
prepared for
them that
love Him. |
Don't risk losing the
opportunity to be
fruitful for the Lord.
Once TRUTH is instilled
in your heart, you will
learn to recognize the
things that produce good
fruit in your life and
the things that do not.
People know you by your
fruits:
|
Luke 6:43-45
For a good
tree
bringeth not
forth
corrupt
fruit;
neither doth
a corrupt
tree bring
forth good
fruit. For
every tree
is known by
his own
fruit. For
of thorns
men do not
gather figs,
nor of a
bramble bush
gather they
grapes. A
good man out
of the good
treasure of
his heart
bringeth
forth that
which is
good; and an
evil man out
of the evil
treasure of
his heart
bringeth
forth that
which is
evil: for of
the
abundance of
the heart
his mouth
speaketh. |
I like that last part
... For of the abundance
of the heart his mouth
speaketh. What does that
mean? It means that
whatever is really in
your heart is gonna show
up in your deeds. No
fooling. Something that
is evil, but tries to be
appealing, will be
revealed, sooner or
later. You must be
watchful to protect your
virtue. Things can look
awfully pretty, and be
useless ... Even
harmful. Satan would
love to coerce you into
eating (and producing)
poisonous fruit. He
doesn't use apples
anymore. He knows that
everyone is wise to that
trick now. If you become
aware of bad fruit in
your life, remove it.
One bad apple will spoil
the whole bushel.
Have you noticed that
we've been proving a lot
of old wives tales, and
old sayings? That's
because a lot of people
believe that they're
all true.
Don't take it for
granted that something
is true just because it
is well known ... You
never know ... Always
reflect on it and prove
it for TRUTH.
When wolves come to you
in sheep's clothing,
don't let them pull the
wool over your eyes. Be
alert. Be aware. Be
prepared. If you allow
them to lead you astray,
you will become
fruitless.
|
Matthew
21:18-19
Now in the
morning as
He (Jesus)
returned
into the
city, He
hungered.
And when He
saw a fig
tree in the
way, He came
to it, and
found
nothing
thereon, but
leaves only,
and said
unto it,
Let no fruit
grow on thee
henceforward
for ever.
And
presently
the fig tree
withered
away. |
The
Lord is counting on you
to be fruitful. Choose
things in your life that
will amount to a bowl of
fruit brimming with
promise for you and your
family.
FRUITFUL OR FRUITLESS
Have you ever seen an
impressionist painting
of a bowl of fruit?
Okay, now, have you ever
seen a painting of a big
bowl of rotting fruit?
Probably not, but the
visual of it is pretty
disgusting, isn't it?
You know, from your own
kitchen, that if there
is a bad potato in the
bag, the potatoes around
it all have a tendency
to start rotting, and
the smell of rotten
potatoes is just about
as disgusting as it
gets, aside from spoiled
chicken ... And spoiled
milk "ranks" right up in
there too, huh?
It doesn't take much ...
Like mold and mildew ...
To get things rolling in
the "rot" department.
You may have a tomato
that has a soft spot,
and you know it's
starting the process of
decomposition, so what
do you do? Throw the
whole thing away because
you can't see with the
eye alone if the
spoilage has spread
inside to the rest of
the tomato, and it just
hasn't turned color yet.
Now, what about in
life's basket of fruit?
If you eat just a little
bit of salmonella is it
okay? Won't your stomach
detect the slightest
bit? When there is
something that is a
threat to your virtue,
take the utmost caution,
be over protective, and
remind yourself that
just a little bit of
poison is enough to
cause major damage.
Fruit flies. Odor.
Stain. Progression.
Illness. UGH!
Keep a close eye on
things that can poison
your soul and ruin your
life, and the lives of
your loved ones. Things
that are bad have a
tendency to grow ...
Fast!
The sooner you get rid
of them, the sooner you
put them out with the
trash, the sooner your
bowl of fruit will be
fresh and crisp and
healthy and good
again!
BACK TO FAITH
Let's get back to the
topic of faith. At the
beginning of the
program, it was pointed
out that many women fail
in the virtue department
because they believe
that they don't have
enough faith to be
consistent in a life of
virtue, so they simply
give up.
That's just the enemy
talking. Faith is a
powerful virtue, and
throughout history,
faith has carried the
most unlikely prospects
through to salvation.
Moses thought he wasn't
good enough to lead
God's people to the
promised land because he
wasn't an eloquent
speaker, yet can you
think of anyone who
could have done a better
job? And it was because
of his faith that he
endured forty years ...
Forty YEARS
... Of leading 600,000
backsliding,
stiff-necked, murmuring
people to the land that
God promised them. Love
and Faith ... They're
amazing virtues that a
sincere Christian just
can not do without. You
can do miracles too,
like Moses did, if you
just put your faith in
God above everything
else.
But ... But ... But ...
I have such a jaded past
...
|
1
Corinthians
1:26-29
For ye see
your
calling,
brethren,
how that not
many wise
men after
the flesh,
not many
mighty, not
many noble,
are called:
But God hath
chosen the
foolish
things of
the world to
confound the
wise; and
God hath
chosen the
weak things
of the world
to confound
the things
which are
mighty; And
base things
of the
world, and
things which
are
despised,
hath God
chosen, yea,
and things
which are
not, to
bring to
nought
things that
are: That no
flesh should
glory in His
presence. |
And have you forgotten
about the Grace of your
Heavenly Father, that
surpasses all mercy that
an earthly human can
perceive?
YOU can do infinitely
more than you know ...
With the Holy Spirit of
God working through YOU!
Reflect on God's Grace,
it can change your whole
life ... If you let go
and let God.
|
STEP #8
Meditate on:
FAITH
Related
Study:
Music
Selection:
Don't forget
to write in
your
Personal
Journal!
Go back over
each Step
often to be
sure you
have not
missed
anything.
|
If you have any
questions about the
program, contact one of
the FEMALE CHRISTIAN
TEAM LEADERS in the
Christianity Oasis Chat
Room.
Or you can contact us
at:
VirtuousWoman@ChristianityOasis.com
To
continue our program,
select:
STEP #9
I’ll meet you there!
Take
care and have a SON-sational
day.
|
If you have any
questions about the program, contact one of the FEMALE CHRISTIAN TEAM
LEADERS in the Christianity Oasis Chat Room.
Or you can contact us at:
VirtuousWoman@ChristianityOasis.com
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