Revive Us Again

Merry Christmas, Prayer Warriors!

Will You not Yourself revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Psalm 85:6

Do you ever ask God a question? You’ve probably asked a few whys, how come, how long? I know I have. As I read the verse above, I love how the psalmist petitions God “revive us”! Many a day as I sojourn on this earth, going through the valleys of Baca (tears), going through days of unfulfilled expectations, perhaps seeing dark clouds surrounding me and feeling depleted of strength, I have cried out “Revive Me”. Don’t get me wrong, I have had many cup runneth over days of pure joy

too! But as a regular gal, we can many times hover over those dark times. But reading the whole verse, I love how the psalmist says “that Your people may rejoice in You”. See how he brings us back to the purpose of asking to be revived? So we can rejoice in our God! So we can bring glory to Him, remember all He has done for us and praise Him. The reviving isn’t just to make ME feel better, no, it’s about Him. Revive me so I have strength and joy to worship You. Don’t revive me just to change my circumstance, but revive me so my focus can switch from woe is me, to You are my King.

Our pilgrimage, our time on this earth, is to be about God. That is what the scriptures remind us over and over again. It’s not about me-what can I accomplish, how perfect my life can be, how much can I accumulate, how much fun I can experience. No, it’s to be about honoring, revering, praising, worshipping and living according to His will for my life. As we step into Christmas, let’s remember this season is about Him. Let’s unwrap His presence, His glory, His majesty, His love, His forgiveness.

Come and join us on December 16th at 8:30 a.m. for a time of Christmas Joy at our Women’s Christmas Brunch. We guarantee you will leave that morning filled with a new perspective of His Presence!

Holiday Blessings, sharon 

Name Above All Names

Dear Sisters In The Lord:

Don’t you agree that we have become such a casual society?  All we have to do is watch TV to see the extent of our

casualness.  We lack respect and reverence for others.  Our children call adults by their first names as if we are all their

peers.  There’s no more Mr. or Mrs. used and mainly because my generation doesn’t want to be called that as it makes us feel old.  I once heard a mother say “don’t call me Mrs. as it makes me feel like my mother!”.  How silly!  We call our 

President by his last name.  Rarely do we hear Mr. President or President Trump.  Even children are saying it too.  We call police cops and adultery “affairs”.  Just to mention a few.  So casual, so flippant.  But the worst is how we refer to God.  We call Him “the man upstairs”, “he’s my homeboy”,  “the big G”, or “the guy in the sky”.  Just to type those words bring chills to me! We have raised and allowed a generation to treat our Holy Holy God so casually.

But God doesn’t accept our casualness when it comes to His name.  In the 3rd Commandment He adamantly tells us not to take His name in vain.  The word vain has much more meaning than using it in a profane way.  It means honoring God’s name according to His true value.  How do you praise Him, thank Him, pray to Him?

The Hebrew word for vain used in Exodus 20:7 means evil, empty or false.  Therefore to take the Lord’s name in vain means totreat His name in an empty, thoughtless manner. It means to consider His name as nothing, no value.  To use God’s name in vain is not only to use it in profanity or to mock but to treat Him as nothing, worthless.  Using casual remarks like “oh Lord, dear Lord, or Jesus Christ, when we’re excited or frustrated is using His name in vain.  We hear these a great deal in our world today and according to God we have broken the 3rd Commandment and God says He will not leave us unpunished.  Yikes!!

It is time to take seriously our devotion and obedience to our God.  God takes seriously His relationship with us and we need to step it up and remember who He is and what He requires of the people He loves.

We are entering a new season, Fall.  Let us take this new season to develop new habits.  Let’s get rid of the casual way we think and speak of our God.  Remember who He says He is.  Remember all the names He is called in the Bible.  Speak of Him with holiness, honor, reverence and praise.  Remind others of His holiness.  He is our God and there is none like Him.

HE is our God!
Sharon

The Joy Of Serving And Using Your Spiritual Gifts

Dear Women who are praying,

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10

I have been reflecting back upon all the Lord has done in my life and I’m so grateful that He called me to live here in Hawaii back in 1975. It seems like such along time ago, (and it really is)! I realize that if I knew back then that He was going to call me into a leadership role, with being a pastor’s wife… I think I may have pulled a Jonah move and ran! But I’m so glad that I stayed and I didn’t run! He has used NSCF and the body of Christ to cause me to grow and get out of my comfort zone like never before. 

I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you in this hearts to pray devotion, how much I love serving and being involved in ministry with you at our church. Our church isn’t a building where we meet on Sunday mornings. Our church is made up with people and that includes you, the body of Christ. As I consider the women at NSCF…. I can see that we are women of many different ages, strengths, spiritual gifting, interests, backgrounds, relational styles, vocational skills, and life experiences. We have many differences and that’s a good thing; yet we share in common the love of Jesus J Amen!

I want to shout out a big Mahalo… thanks for being in this prayer ministry. Your prayers are making a difference. And BTW, don’t fret when you forget to pray on some days. The HS nudges me occasionally and reminds me to pick it up! So I just follow thru then and just do it. I appreciate you and am very thankful that you’re involved here in this prayer ministry.
I’d also like to invite you to come and participate further in our women’s community by attending our upcoming new fall study we are calling ‘God’s Divine Design.’ Come grow with us! Get EQUIPPED and connected better with God and other women. Be ENCOURAGED in your faith and experience the joy and support of fellowship. Get ENGAGED at NSCF by discovering your spiritual gifts and plugging into ministry where you can grow and flourish. Get ENGAGED in our community and abroad by reaching out with the love of Jesus through evangelism and community outreach.

That’s the Heart of NSCF’s Women’s Ministry: Equip + Encourage + Engage. And I’m SO excited about the engaging aspect of women’s ministry. We want to help women engage in fruitful and fulfilling service to our Lord, believing that every Woman is gifted by God and should have the opportunity to discover and develop her special gift. That’s exactly the goal of our new fall Bible study. It begins Tuesday evening, September 19th at 6:30pm (time change). Location is my house in Haleiwa. The class is only 6-weeks and finishes on October 24th.

**Please let me know if you would like to join us so that I can make the proper plans to order you a book; cost 14$.

Hey – whether you can make it to the class or not, have a great month praying!

God Bless you! Karen

Have You Lost That Sense Of Awe?

Dear Women Who Pray:

“Everyone kept feeling a sense of AWE; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles” Acts 2:43

My husband and I have been trying to make it, as often as possible, to the Wednesday night prayer meeting.  God has shown us the importance of gathering together to pray for one another.  We have experienced God answering our prayers and have seen change occurring in our relationship with the Father.  Plus God commands us to pray!  With all that, some times I trudge in to the prayer meeting tired and grumpy, feeling I’d rather be home in my PJs getting ready to jump into my comfy bed.

Such was the case a few weeks ago.  Before we ever left the house, I was telling my husband to reconsider going.  “Wouldn’t it be nice to just sit at home and veg out?” It’s starting to rain, let’s just get cozy, cuddle and watch a movie!”  Thankfully my husband didn’t listen to me.  He probably was thinking “get behind me Satan”!  So we go to the prayer meeting and I walk in telling the group I was tired, I'm weary, etc.  Complain, complain, complain.  Even though I had a poor attitude, God in His mercy ministered to me. I repented and God gave me a wonderful prayer time.

The next day, I was listening to a teaching on the book of Acts.  Acts describes to us the church after Jesus’ crucifixion and how the church is to operate today.  The above scripture says the believers kept feeling a sense of AWE as they were continually (vs. 42) devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  I realized I didn’t have that sense of awe, or reverence as I entered the prayer meeting.  I wasn’t entering the prayer meeting with expectations of intimately worshipping my God.  I got to thinking of how God’s Word said the people were continually devoting themselves to gathering together.  Whether it was for a church service, a Bible study or a prayer meeting, they were devoted to meeting together.  

I began reflecting on the type of attitudes I experience when I am going to a prayer meeting, Bible study or Sunday service.  We all laugh and say how crazy it is to get to church on Sundays; but perhaps that is a good time to call upon the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us to empower us to develop and nurture a sense of AWE every time we gather together.  When attitudes of weariness, grumbling, complaining or despair enter into our minds, we should immediately take those thoughts captive and repent of them.  We are to always remember that whether it’s walking into church, a Bible study or a prayer meeting, our attitudes are to be filled with reverence (AWE). We are worshipping God Almighty - Elohim our Creator.

So when you begin experiencing those yucky feelings, repent and call upon the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember it is an act of worship to the King of Kings each time HE allows you to be a part of a church service, prayer meeting or Bible study group.  When you are able to partake in fellowship with other believers, it is a gift, not drudgery.

Awe struck,
sharon

A Makeover Please

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he (she) is a new creation, the old is gone, and the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

I can barely remember my ‘once upon a time’… it was such a long time ago. I used to play dress up and wedding day when I was a little girl. I know I did it, most girls do! But I do remember vividly the dress up days with my Granddaughters, Aria and Kavenna. They would sneak in my closet and pull my clothes off the hangers and toss onto the ground. Piles and piles of clothes lying on the floor everywhere! They were trying to figure out how to make those big clothes fit. And they were so ingenious! A twist of a rubber band in back to tuck it in, a hair clip to pull it back, whatever it took to keep the clothes on! They wanted to look beautiful. The artwork cleverly smeared on their face was living proof they were gorgeous. Rose quartz blush blotched on the cheeks, velvet blue eye shadow dabbed spontaneously on the eyes, and then those plump hot pink lips! We can’t forget the princess dresses. You were guaranteed to look and feel stunningly beautiful once you stepped into your princess gown.

We all know the story of Cinderella. How her mean Mother and stepsisters pushed her around and convinced her daily that she was unattractive and ugly. She never had time for herself. She wore rag clothes that needed mending and her hair was usually in knots. Her image of herself was very poor. Until one day, in a moment of time, her rags were replaced with a beautiful evening gown laced with jewels. Her hair sparkled with brilliance and you could clearly see the glowing confidence she displayed on her face. Cinderella’s self image had been drastically changed. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she looked in the mirror and saw a miraculous transformation had taken place. She even had glass slippers adorning her feet, making her the most beautiful girl of the Kingdom. And the most remarkable change occurred in her thought life. Before she use to think - “I’ll never go to the Ball, I’m not that kind of a girl, I’m not dressed for it, I’m ugly, and I belong in rags…” Yet NOW she viewed herself differently, because her fairy godmother gave her a brand new identity…  

One of the greatest blessings of becoming a Christian is your brand “new” identity in Christ. I was 24 years old when I experienced the ultimate spiritual makeover, by making Jesus Christ the Lord of my life. Besides my new identity (a child of God), I gained eternal youth LOL (eternal life), a daily cleansing and rejuvenation treatment (Holy Spirit), complete with a new wardrobe (the righteousness of Christ) plus SO much more! God has been at work inside of me changing me from the inside out, shaping me and molding my life to look like Jesus. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, (she) is a new creation, the old is gone, and the new has come!” ~2 Corinthians 5:17

I’m all about the old passing and becoming brand new!

This is the topic + theme of our NSCF 4-part Summer Series in July: The Ultimate Makeover… God’s Beauty Tips.

You are invited! Begins Monday evening, July 10th, at 6:30pm. You can find out more details and register on-line at www.nscf.church/women

We hope to see you there!

Aloha, Karen

The One Who Sustains

Dear Faithful Friends:

I love the Psalms. When I read and meditate on them, I can hear and feel some sorrow, regret, anger and despair.  But, there’s also much peace, hope and rejoicing! The psalmists know who sustains them. 

Psalm 40 is about God sustaining those He loves. Get your Bible out and go there. It starts with David crying out to the Lord, then waiting patiently for His answer (vs.1).  We see Gods faithfulness to His people when David tells us God listened to his cries.  Then He brings David out of the “pit of destruction”. Some times we can be so hurt, or so deep in sin that we go deeper into the pit of destruction.  We forget God is so ready and available to rescue us, but we want to remain in the miry clay (vs. 2).  We may dig in our heels and refuse to take His hand to get up and out, to rejoice and receive forgiveness.  After God takes David out of that pit He showed him a way out by setting his feet upon a rock (vs. 2).  Where are you setting your feet?  When failed relationships or temptation to sin, or just everyday problems bring you to the pit, where do you go or what do you do?  What is the rock you can firmly plant your feet upon? Who can turn your cries into a new song, a song of praise?  Verse 3 tells us that is just what God did for David.

Do you realize we just went through 3 verses of scripture and gleaned so much?  It took only 23 seconds.  23 seconds to learn that a man went from despair to rejoicing.  That his God was there for him and all David had to do was cry out and take His hand, and God would fill him with newness.

Let’s continue on in Psalm 40.  “I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.” (verse 10) David shares what God has done for him.  That is the beauty of turning over our lives to Jesus.  He sustains, restores, rescues, and picks us up and dusts us off.  We in turn get to go out and share what He did for us with others.

It took me 2 minutes to read all 17 verses of Psalm 40.  Two minutes to fill my mind with God’s Word.  Two minutes to fill me with hope.  Two minutes to let go of sinful thoughts.  Two minutes to realize He is the only one who can sustain me.  Will you take a few minutes each day to receive a multitude of wisdom and then go out and share that wisdom?  As you pray this month for the women on this page, be sure to pray that you will go out and tell others of what God has done for you.

Your Sister In The Lord,
sharon

A Sacrifice Of Praise

“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God and keep your vows you made to the Most High. Then call upon Me when you are in trouble and I will rescue you and you will give Me glory.” Psalm 50: 14-15

Have you ever seen this verse before on being thankful? I recently read it during my morning devotions and it was highlighted on my heart. Did you know that your thankful attitude could be offered as a spiritual sacrifice to God? Sacrifice is surrendering something to God as an offering to Him. It’s a ‘thank offering’ that pleases His heart when it’s done from the heart with the right kind of attitude. Sacrifice is the loss of something you give up, usually for the sake of a better cause. I am presently sacrificing my time, my freedom, and my weekdays for the next two months by choosing to watch my grandson, Steel. His mother is filling in as a substitute teacher at Waialua Elementary until the end of the school year. And I want you to know that not all sacrifices we make are hard ones! Although I do feel the pain… It’s no problem to lay down my agenda with Steel, because I gain something better! I gain the benefit of getting to know my grandson better and to bond with him. He is definitely keeping me young and tired! I love it tremendously, even though some days it’s hard!

Because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice of laying His own life down, we are no longer required (like in Old Testament times) to offer sacrifices of the blood of animals for the forgiveness of sins. As a Christian, your sins are paid in full when you ask Jesus to be Lord of your life! But according to the Bible, the days of sacrifice aren’t over! You and I are being called to a different kind of sacrifice. And this sacrifice is supposed to be…Daily. Occurring. Every. Single. Day! We’re told to “present our bodies a living sacrifice” - Romans 12:1. And our sacrifices are pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:16 - “do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Sacrifice comes thru thanksgiving. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of our lips that openly profess His name,” Heb. 13:15.

A sacrifice of praise is what I saw in my daughter, Venessa, just last week. It happened while we were at the beach playing with the kids. We were having so much fun throwing a small ball back and forth in the ocean. Somehow Venessa’s two beloved wedding rings were pulled off her finger and flew into the wave-tossed waters! They vanished in mere seconds! It happened so fast! Panic! Disbelief! Heart wrenching pain! Tears! Sadness! Time to move fast! Prayer! More Prayer! Boom!

We were graciously given 2 snorkeling masks from the people sitting next to us. The long search began. Aria + Kavenna were key seekers trying to find 2 tiny silver rings hidden beneath the layers of shifting sand in the bottom of the ocean! It was an impossible task ahead. But the heart felt desire; to find those hidden rings, was so much stronger than the obstacle before us. We were reminded that nothing’s impossible with God. After diligently searching for her rings, sifting and combing through the grains of sand looking for something that sparkles and shines, the rings were still not found. It was such a disappointment, but in the midst of the trouble and sadness, I witnessed my daughter’s determination to keep on trusting God and not lose heart; to not allow the enemy opportunity to rob her of her faith and joy and thankfulness to God.

In times of trouble, it definitely takes a sacrifice to thank God, doesn’t it? What is your attitude when things don’t go the way you’ve planned? Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God. You can choose to ‘lay down’ and ‘sacrifice’ your negative attitude, your disappointment, your fears, your doubts, and your ‘why me’ questions that may not get answered.

In God’s perfect timing, He graciously answered our prayers (on this day of trouble) as one by one both treasured wedding rings were found. They were discovered in completely different locations from where she had originally been tossing the ball AND the rings weren’t even close to each other! It was a HUGE miracle! God chose to rescue by delivering the rings. And He received all the glory! The lesson for me: Thank God in all things. Pray to God at all times. Honor God in all you do.

“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors Me,” Psalm 50:23.

God bless you, Karen

Isaiah 53:3

Dear Women Who Pray:

“He was despised and rejected a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.  We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way.  He was despised, and we did not care”.  Isaiah 53:3

No one likes rejection.  Whether it’s rejection from a parent, your children, a job, a relationship - - rejection hurts.  It causes us to form a crusty covering over our hearts.  Then we in turn reject someone else, or even reject God.

I recently heard a Pastor say, “our society today is riddled with the Approval Addiction”.  We seek ardently after the approval of others.  Rejection therefore, cuts deep into our hearts.  Life would be simpler, more content if we followed after Jesus.  Although He was rejected and despised, He still sought God’s approval and served others.  You see, He knew where He came from and He knew where He was going.  He was confident in the One He was seeking after - God the Father.

Are you chasing the approval of others?  Are you looking at your friends to say “good job”, “you’re doing great”.  Are you always needing and seeking the people around you to affirm that you count for something? Can you identify with the scripture above?  Feeling rejected, despised, filled with grief, a woman of many sorrows?  

Remember Jesus felt all those feelings, yet He did not turn away from us, but He embraced us by dying on the cross for us.  Perhaps you’re rejecting Jesus by questioning Him.  Those times we say “But” when He calls us to something we are not comfortable with, asking us to forgive when we don’t feel we should.  Those times we are rejecting HIM.

So how can we not buy into the Approval Addiction Syndrome?  We start by looking intimately into ourselves and having intimacy with Christ.  An intimate relationship with Christ will cause us to look inward.  Think of the word intimacy as “in-to-me-see”.  Look deep inside and desire change.  

Seeking the world’s approval brings rejection.  God’s approval means never being rejected.  John 6:37 says “Those the Father has given me will come to me and I will NEVER reject them”.  

Pray through all of April that these women will never be Approval Addicts!  May you know how much Christ loves you!

I am a child of God,
Sharon

The Lord Is Good

“The Lord is good. A strength and stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge and trust in Him,” Nahum 1:7

Aloha!

I just returned from a 10-day getaway to Arizona with my husband. The Lord is good! I was looking forward to some times of refreshing. The Lord is good! We would get to see our son, Toby, as well as go to the wedding of a young man who grew up at NSCF. The Lord is good! My husband got a free upgrade on our car rental in AZ. – a new black Chevy Camaro. This was the car of his dreams – the Lord is good!

It’s so natural for us to say the phrase “The Lord is good” when life is going well isn’t it? But it’s also equally true that when troubling times come our way – the Lord is still good. He is always good. His unchanging nature is good… all the time. Psalm 145:9 tells us that, “The Lord is good” to all people, in all places, in all situations, and at all times.

In spite of how things look, feel, or appear - God is good! I was reminded of this unchanging truth about the character of God while driving for miles and miles in the AZ desert. There was nothing but sand and tumbleweeds all around. Everywhere you looked the land was dry, dusty and dingy brown. It definitely didn’t appear to look good to me! I missed seeing the lush, vivid green plants we have here in the islands. The only green living thing was the saguaro cactus! In case you don’t know, the saguaro cactus is very slow growing. It can take 8-10 years for one of these cacti to grow an inch! Imagine that! It will typically take 50 years before it grows its first arm. They can live up to 200 years, and grow to be 40 to 60 feet tall.  We saw literally 100’s upon 100’s of saguaro cactus! These special cacti were scattered about the landscape with a distinct beauty of their own. Their arms extended upward toward the heavens standing high and appearing to exalt the Lord. In the midst of miles and miles of desert and sand, those cacti were saying to me, the Lord is good.

BTW, Saguaros have an intricate root system. A single taproot grows straight down about 5 feet to access water that’s stored deep underground. That’s how they’re able to survive the seasons of drought. In the same way, we need to grow deep roots in God’s Word, obeying and abiding in His truth that sustains.

Plus, many cacti provide an “apartment” in the desert to a number of desert birds! What a haven and refuge!  God is good!

OK, you get it! The Lord is good – in good times, dry times, lush times, desert times – no matter what “time” you’re going through – the Lord is good! God bless you as you pray for others this month!

Pressin’ on ~ Karen

Love One Another

Dear Women Who Pray:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  ~John 13:34-35

With all the chaos and ugliness these past few months in our country and around the world, I have found it hard to concentrate on the things of God.  I know, just like you, that I am to go to God’s Word for everything, but it only takes a click on the remote and my mind gets filled with whatever the media wants me to believe.  It is easy to get side-tracked.  Once I begin giving in to listening to the world, instead of my God, I become distracted, disturbed and disenfranchised.  I begin looking at God’s creation - people, in a negative way.  I become anxious and negative in my thoughts.  Even a simple bump in the road can send my mind where it shouldn’t.

I am putting the above scripture on my bathroom mirrors, above my kitchen sink, on the case of my iPhone, etc.  

Everywhere my eyes have much contact with there is this scripture.  It brings me back to what is important in the eyes of God.  He tells me this is the path He wants me to take.  Love others.  He doesn’t say love if they are nice to you or think the same way on issues as you do.  No, He says love so that the world can see HIM.  So the world can experience His love.  So that our neighbors, family, friends, and even those unknown to us can see the light through all the darkness.

Before I check or post on Facebook, I read this scripture.  It only takes a click to post something unkind and it only takes a click to show God’s love.  Before you tweet, or write that letter or utter those words, remember we are called to love one another as Christ loves us.  Shoot up an “arrow” prayer to Him.  Let’s ask Him to guide each word from our mouths, each word we text, tweet or post, each thought we let linger in our minds.

As we celebrate love this month on Valentines Day, let’s not just look at our spouses, or boyfriends to share our love.  Let’s look at all creation.  The next time you’re standing in any line waiting for service, pray for the person in front or in back of you.  Remember to smile to the cashiers; or to smile when someone cuts you off in traffic.  Think of the difference it would make in many lives if we purposed each day to share God’s love.  Remember you are where you are because God so ordained it.  Make the most of each moment you have on earth to bring glory to His kingdom.

Pray this month that the women you have been assigned will show His love.

Love, Sharon