Thursday, June 28, 2012

Attributes of a Confident Woman

I put this list together over the course of a few days. Hope you enjoy ... 

  1. A confident woman places her trust in God believing that He is in control of all things and does not waste her time questioning God.

  1. A confident woman knows that she is deeply loved and valuable because she was created by a holy God.

  1. A confident woman knows that she was created with purpose by a holy God.

  1. A confident woman puts her faith in God and not in man.

  1. A confident woman knows that her strength comes from the LORD.  

  1. A confident woman loves deeply and loves radically.

  1. A confident woman is positive.

  1. A confident woman believes in the promises of God.

  1. A confident woman does not live in the past and lives with freedom expecting God’s best.   

  1. A confident woman refuses to live her life governed by fear.

  1. A confident woman does not fall apart at the seams when adversity strikes.

  1. A confident woman does not waste her time arguing with others who do not understand her, instead she prays with quiet compassion for those who attempt to cause her harm because she recognizes that hurt people hurt people.

  1. A confident woman knows how to forgive because she recognizes that she has been forgiven for much by a holy and righteous God.

  1. A confident woman knows her limits and knows how to set boundaries.

  1. A confident woman is a woman after God’s own heart who recognizes that she is courageous and dangerous and that no weapon formed against will ever prosper.

  1. A confident woman keeps her eyes on the prize and lives for an audience of One.

  1. A confident woman is dangerous, dangerous indeed and in the best possible way.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

If I had my life to live over

1.     I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.


  1. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.


  1. I would have talked less and listened more.


  1. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.


  1. I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.


  1. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.


  1. I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.


  1. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.


  1. I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.


  1. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.


  1. I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.


  1. Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle..


  1. When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later... Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would have been more 'I love you's, more 'I'm sorry's.'



  1. But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute; look at it and really see it; live it and never give it back.

The above words were written by Erma Bombeck after learning she had terminal cancer. May these words serve as a reminder that tomorrow is never promised and to enjoy every delicious minute we have today because to be alive is a gift. Too often we find ourselves fretting over things we shouldn’t. Let’s remember that God is in control of all things and let’s try to live life to the fullest relishing His blessings and resting in Him when life gets a little difficult. Let’s say I love you as much as possible and really love the people in our lives and let’s stop fighting and wounding each other. We were created by love, with love, for love, and to love. So let’s live and love to the fullest. 

Is there someone you need to say I love you to?

Is there someone you need to forgive?

Is there someone you need to apologize to?

Let’s seize the day.

Let’s chose love.
.
Let’s choose forgiveness because it honors God and because it promotes peace.


Blessings to you and yours …


Until next time,

xx, Ruthie


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Baby Love




OMG ... Isn't this a breath-taking photo? Does it melt your heart like it does mine? Does it make you sigh in awe and want to have a baby? I couldn't resist sharing this beautiful photo with you. It's too beautiful not to share. I can't imagine anyone not loving this photo. It's just so, so beautiful.

I found this picture on Pinterest the other day and fell in love immediately. It captured my heart and commanded my attention when I first saw it and it still does every time I look at it. I can not tell a lie, this photo does something to me on the inside. It makes me feel warm and soft inside and taps into that nurturing side of me that craves to hold and cuddle and love a baby or two or three. Looking at this picture taps into that part of me that thinks I would love to have another baby or two but sadly I can't anymore so instead, I will look and admire and thank God for creating such beauty and for already blessing me with the gift of motherhood.

I get my baby fix these days by holding and loving my friends' babies and their grand children. I do this because I super love babies and love pondering how we are created. We were created by love [because God is love], with love and for love by a perfect and holy God who loves us unconditionally. We have the capacity to love because He first loved us is what the Bible tells us. So true. So true. Every good thing comes from God because as the Bible states, God is good.

I don't know these babies but I think I love them for their sheer beauty and because these babies were created by a holy God. And if I can fall in love with babies I have never met, I can only imagine how much God loves them, and how much He loves us. Sometimes when I think about His radical and unconditional love for us, it's too grand to comprehend. Nobody could ever love us like He loves us. That kind of love is full of grace and compassion and mercy. And nothing we could ever do could ever separate us from His love. That's a promise and it's written in the book of Romans.

What I know for sure is that God is BIG, so BIG and full of goodness and amazing grace who's mercies are new every single day. He's an amazing Artist and an amazing Creator who is mad about us. He loves us so-o much! That's what I know for sure.

Until next time,

xx, Ruthie

Thursday, June 7, 2012

What I know for sure

When you come to believe that you are a child of the living God you know who you are. You begin to live victoriously trusting and believing that God is for real and for you and with you and His Spirit resides in you and guides you when you invite the Holy Spirit to take up residence in you. You begin to live your life based on God's promises and not what you feel day to day ignoring the nay sayers and the awfulizers of this world. You learn to discern His voice over the voice of this world. You learn that you are the righteousness of God because of what Jesus did for you at Calvary and because of and through your confession to God when you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." When you accept Christ into your life, God see's righteousness and nothing less. When you are born again, you are saved from condemnation and nothing can take your salvation away. Nothing. Nothing you could ever do or say can ever make God stop loving you. He is never mad at you but mad about you. So mad that He sent His Son Jesus to pay your sin debt so you could have eternal life in paradise. God knew in advance that after salvation you would continue to sin but He also knew that it is His love and His kindness that will cause you to do good and that goodness is what causes you to sin less, to confess and to repent. Christianity is not perfection nor is it a sin less life. It’s a life based on a relationship with the living God and exercising faith muscles trusting and believing in God’s love for you and trusting and believing His promises for your life. It's also a life based on continuous growth and bringing glory to the One deserves it. He who started a good work in you will continue until He calls you home. He continues to work in you and with you and through you never ceasing. Romans 3:23 tells us that we sin and we all fall short of the glory of God. This means that no one person is perfect and that on this side of heaven; we will make mistakes and experience short comings. Do you think this surprises God? It doesn't my friend. He knows everything about you, past, present and future. God does not expect perfection but He does expect obedience. He wants your heart. He cares about your heart and He cares about your intentions. He pays attention to your motives and cares if your motives are based on unconditional love, grace, mercy and compassion. This is what honors God. He desires humility in us and not haughtiness and self exaltation. And when we let God down, I've learned that God always places people in your life to help you grow and to correct you gently with love when you need it and not through fear nor intimidation or condemnation. The Holy Spirits job is to convict you when you have strayed but never will it feel like shame or condemnation. Shame and condemnation is the work of the enemy, the evil spirit that comes to rob you of your peace and your joy. Shame and condemnation are of this world and not of God. That is never the voice of God and it’s important to be able to discern God’s voice from the voice of the evil spirit that roams this earth and speaks through people.

If you're a believer, you must never forget who you are in Christ. Colossians 3:1-4 says: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” 

Beloved, always remember that you are the head and not the tail. You are above and not beneath. When you believe this you will begin to think and live and talk and roar like a lion with confidence and boldness, victoriously and with courage. Remember that greater is He who is in you than he who is in this world. 1 John 4:4-6 says: You belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.  Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them.  But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.”

So if God is for you, who can be against you dear one? Isaiah 54:17 reminds us that no weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that rises up against you in judgement shall be condemned. Remember always that you are victorious. You are a victor and not a victim, never a victim. You are loved, so loved by a perfect God who loves you endlessly and perfectly, a God who is full of compassion, grace and mercy. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:1 that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Never live feeling condemned because feelings of condemnation are never from God but from this world. Additionally, the Bible tells us in John 10:10 that the thief’s [Satan's] purpose is to steal and kill and destroy, to steal your joy, to kill your spirit and to destroy your relationships. The only power the enemy has over you is the power you give him. You are in control. Luke 10:19 says: "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Dark spirits must have a vessel to work through; therefore these dark spirits look for those who do not have the Word of God in the their hearts or those who are weak in their faith. This is where the enemy gets his power. Satan uses people to hurt other people. He has absolutely no power unless it is given to him by human beings. The thief’s purpose is contrary to love because God is love. God's word says that perfect love casts out fear. So fear not because the God of this universe who created the heavens and the earth is perfect love and loves you perfectly and will always be with you and will always love you.  2 Timothy 1:7 says: “God did not and does give us a spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of sound mind.” So find joy in this truth and rest in His promises and His love for you and fear not beloved because God is for you. He's crazy about you and He wants to have a relationship with you. 

Blessings to you and your on this magnificent day ….

Until next time,

xx, Ruthie


Salvation Prayer:

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.

Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved.

Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.

Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.
Amen.

If you just said this prayer and meant it with all your heart, this means you just got saved and are born again. Your next step is to begin attending a bible-based church and to begin hearing and reading God’s Word. Blessings …