The Wells of Salvation!

Good afternoon everyone. I pray that today you are walking with the Spirit; joyful and letting your light shine for others to see. It is important that we not draw back from sharing the truth with others out of fear of what the world may think or how they may see you. After all, you know what Jesus says about denying him in front of others. 

But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:33, NIV)

Your salvation rests in Christ alone. Have you accepted Him as your LORD and savior? Have you fully grasped the concept of forgiveness so that the enemy is unable to guilt you into being a slave again even though through Christ you are Free?

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

(Acts 4:12, NLT)

Many people will say oh you will be saved as long as you believe in God or you do more good than bad or what ever it is that they come up with. It's right there in God's word that the only way you can be saved is through Jesus Christ. 

I would encourage you that if this topic is a struggle for you that you seriously give Jesus a true look. I encourage you to pray for wisdom on the matter and read the gospels. Follow the gospel of Luke for the first one you read. You will realize all four gospels share the life of Jesus from a slightly different angel for they are writing to different sects of society. Many of the things the four share are almost word for word. 

What makes the gospel of Luke the best to follow for the first one you read is that he is the only one that writes it all in chronological order. As you read it, you will come to understand that Jesus fulfilled messianic miracles prophesied about in the Old Testament and your belief level in who He is will grow. For a mere human to complete just 8 would be phenomenal. However Jesus completed many more than that. 

To save me a little time, I cheated and found what I think is the best written article of facts regarding this. Feel free to check it out for yourself. http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/a/Prophecies-Jesus.htm

It is my prayer that you recognize the truth and become a follower of Christ yourself.

Father, today I pray that the evil one is bound from those in search of the truth. May his lies be kept silent from the ears of all who are searching for salvation. May they come to know your son, our Messiah, Jesus Christ. May they too begin to follow Him and share the good news with others. May the workers grow, may the fields be harvested. May we work as the body of Christ as you intended us to. I want to thank you for all you have done when it comes to strengthening my faith and all my many blessings. You are so kind and loving and your grace amazes me daily, hourly, minute by minute. I am so blessed to have the relationship I do with you. I never want to be disconnected from you again. Thank you for clearly laying out the armor I will need every day to protect myself from the dangers of this world. Thank you for the wisdom you have shared. Thank you for the freedom I have. To be able to openly read your word where ever I am. So many of my brothers and sisters do not have such freedom. Go to them Father and lift them in your loving arms. Shine your light so that doubters are changed into believers. May the truth be so clear even the blind are given perfect sight. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, girl who walks with God, Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2020

You Looking at Me?

It's Tremendously Thankful Thoroughly Thoughtful Thursday! Today I am thankful that I truly have all I need in life.

A couple of years ago, as my children boarded the bus, another boy that rode the bus with them glanced at my feet, smiled at me and said, “I like your shoes.” I laughed; they were the mix match of my two favorite slippers you see in the picture. I used to have their mates. That is no longer the case, however, I am thankful that I lost the right of one and the left of the other. After all, I could be completely without!

As I giggled to myself over this memory and about my slippers and the way others must have viewed me, I found myself quickly caught up in a conversation with God. As I pondered on things, I began laughing even harder as I thought about taking the picture you see today. While I may not have everything I want today, one thing is certain, I have all I need.

Many in today’s world are focused on the wrong things. They judge others by the world’s point of view, forgetting the instructions of God on such matters. That truth brings me to a sign I saw today which highlights the truth about judging others and the fact that we are not called to do such things. It simply said, “Never look down on anyone, unless you are admiring their shoes!” Now that is great advice!

Today I invite you to see things through God’s eyes; may your hearts be softened in order to do so. In Jesus name I pray. Amen!

Your Sister in Christ, Wendy

© Wendy Glidden 2020

Don't Worry ~ Be Joyous!

Good morning everyone! Today is Wild Wacky Wonderful Whimsical Wednesday . . . I pray my post today helps someone somewhere <3

Recently, I had a fellow student write to me and ask how on earth I manage to get everything done that needs to be done in a day. When I read it, I was honestly in the midst of my own panic attack concerning my lack of enough time in the day and thinking to myself, “Get everything done?!?” That is truly humorous because there is never a day that goes by that I manage to check off every single item on my to do list!

The truth of the matter is, when it comes to making it through each day, I have a checklist of must do’s, need to do’s, and want to do’s. I also apply self discipline telling myself each day that I can play once all my work is done. Some days I don’t play at all!

I will be honest in saying that even though I have a plan in place, I still find myself swimming in the midst of anxiety at various moments; especially as the end of the day approaches while tasks on my must do list are still looming ahead!

I have found when it comes to chaos, anxiety, fear, panic, waves of overwhelmingness, it is God’s promises that calm my heart and settle me down. It has taken me years to learn that I am truly not in control of much! The rest I must give to God. So let me share what I tell my friends when they are in the midst of their own individual “Turmoil Tornado”.

(1) I ask them if they know what Jesus had to say when it came to the subject of worry?

I usually get a blank stare if this is the first time we have talked about it. I then smile and say something like, ‘He actually asked what one of us could do something as simple (SIMPLE!) as adding an hour to our own lives! Like adding an hour to your life is simple! He basically asked us why do we worry over anything when our own limitations to perform the tiniest of miracles are so blatantly obvious.

“And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?” ~ Luke 12:25-26 (NASB)

I also go on to share with them that God’s mercy and grace are sufficient each day. I remind them that we need to live in the here and now not in yesterday or tomorrow. That is a trick of the evil one to keep us tied up in our inner turmoil; shaming us with the guilt of yesterday and worrying us about the events of tomorrow. God’s word advises us to live each day accordingly.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ Matthew 6:34 (NASB)

Even with me being a student of the Word, even with me seeking His input daily, I find myself in various spiritual battles. Some so intense I often pull out a devotional or turn up the music on K-Love. As revealed in a chapter out of my latest book, sometimes I even use chocolate as part of my defense!

I don’t think one of us out there has the perfect life full of perfect days. We all face various trials and tribulations. It is the weaponry that we use that differentiates how the battle ends!

Hopefully this has helped someone somewhere with their own anxiety and worry. If you are not a student of the Word, I highly suggest you open up the book of John and learn about Christ. It is my prayer that your eyes are opened to the Truth, The Way and the Life in such a way that you dive fully into the River of Living Water and find yourself refreshed each and every day! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!

Wendy, Mom of Many, walks with God

© Wendy Glidden 2020

Do You Trust God?

I took this picture on the side of the interstate during one of the biggest “Live by Faith, not by sight” moments in my life.

After having spent the previous 13 years of my life with a certain someone whom I also happened to share 6 children with, God signaled me it was time to move and by move I mean to leave the father of my children and hit the road. At the time our family was living in Colorado in an RV and the Limo you see above was my car. He had a jeep.

To shorten the story, the Limo had not been taken care of for almost a year and she was driving rough. When God called me out in faith, I had a mere $400 in my back pocket and a car that I wasn’t sure would make it down the road let alone out of the state! As you can see by the picture, it was a rough time indeed. However, I have come to learn and even appreciate the truth that often it is during the hardest times in our lives that God gets to show off just how amazing He is in all He does for His children.

I’ll never forget hitting the road thinking I was coming back to Indiana when God informed me otherwise. He instructed me to drive to Mackinac Island where my grandmother was staying in her summer cottage. While I thought that was the craziest idea I had ever heard, I obeyed and plugged the location into my phone. What should have only taken a couple of days at the most, took me a full ten days!

The miracles that took place along our trip are something the children still talk about to this day. It was beyond crazy which is how you know God is involved! When we left Colorado, we saw a double rainbow end to end with such vibrant colors I wept over it. The same thing happened when we arrived at the docking station to ride the ferry in Michigan. We ended up only staying there for 10 days before heading on to Indiana.  The beauty in all of it was amazing. God sent me to Michigan to heal, rest, soak in his love and to be there for my grandma who just happened to have no visitors during that time which NEVER happens.

I still don’t know what all God has in store for me. He nudges me here and there. Like this job I have at the church. I knew it was supposed to be mine. I knew it so deeply I told some that I was just going to keep waiting for God to move the mountains that seemed to be blocking my path out of the way and lo and behold, He did. I love this job. I love praying over the church and all our members. I love creating the pictures to post on Instagram and these little shares. It all is a blessing to me and none of it would be my reality today if I did not learn to live by faith!

As members of Westfield Friends Church I can only pray that we continue to pray for one another. That we pray for lost souls and that we unite in our efforts to serve this little community that this church was blessed to be the founders of! Until tomorrow my fellow followers of Christ, Be blessed, but more importantly, be a blessing!

Your sister in Christ,

Wendy

We Are Mandated By God to Share Our Talents!

I apologize for my late post on Facebook today. I had to give myself a lunch break today as waves of nausea struck and struck hard! Today I am so very thankful for peppermint tea! Whoever purchased it and placed it in the kitchen here, I think you saved my life!

Thank you to Tracey Rogers who came into the church banging a few cups around in the kitchen. LORD only knows how long I may have stayed on that couch had he not woke me up! One thing is certain though, I prayed my heart out for relief prior to dozing off and whatever the cause was it has lifted completely.

That brings me to the topic of praying. This past Wednesday evening, we held our first of seven consecutive monthly Wednesday night prayer meetings. We didn’t give much notice out and due to that; we only had four people show up. However, answers to our prayers are already taking place <3.

Which brings me to today. When I finally managed to sit upright at my desk again, I logged back into Facebook and one of the ladies we had prayed over had just posted offering to use one of her talents in order to earn some side money. This got me thinking. . . .

Here is this beautiful girl, seeking God and giving her all to stand on her own two feet after a heart wrenching divorce that left her struggling financially to be able to make ends meet. For the last month she has been staying with friends or sadly, sleeping in her car. She has been approved to move into an apartment close to the private school she teaches at, but she does not have the needed funds for the initial deposit along with the required first and last month’s rent. Instead of giving up, she has chosen to reach out to others offering to use her talent in exchange for money. I count that admirable.

Her talent happens to be massage therapy. She is certified and travels with her own massage table. I have already asked her to put me down for an appointment after church this Sunday.

This is where my head started spinning (in a good way). We are the hands and feet of Christ. We all have been given at least one talent. As members, shouldn’t we be sharing those talents to help one another in all the ways that we can? The short and simple answer to that is yes.

I need to put my thoughts into an actual idea and have it approved by Ministry and Oversight, but in the meantime, please pray over ways that we as members of this church can benefit one another in greater ways. Also, should you be thinking of treating yourself to a massage this month, consider hiring a fellow attendee of our church. I haven’t gotten permission to name names at this point, so if interested, see me on Sunday and I’ll introduce you to her.

For now, I ask that we lift one another up in prayer every day.

Father so many of us in this little church are facing battles that not all of us are aware of. How I dream of the days when we behave as you direct us 100% of the time! I thank you for all your many blessings; you are amazing in all that you provide. I ask that you continue to soften our hearts so that we see what you see and that we are moved as you are moved. Please bless us with greater wisdom, knowledge and bigger, softer hearts Father. Help us focus on you, on your will for us. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

It is in Your Best Interest to Forgive Others No Matter What!

Fantastically Fun Filled Friends and Family Friday . . .

Today with friendship in mind, I was reflecting on relationships in general and it was pressed upon me that all relationships have their ups and downs; moments that could be deal breakers even. Sadly, more often than not, deal breakers take place between husband and wives, best friends, and families, including church families. This made me reflect on the statement Jesus made in Matthew, Mark and Luke:

"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. (Matthew 10:21, NIV & Mark)

From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luke 12:52-53)

Now in all honesty, if one were to trace back things to just before the division occurs, you can almost always find the moment where one person finds offense by the actions or words of another. Rather than talk things out, a fire is ignited, walls are put up, and too often, wood is thrown back and forth causing the fire to grow.

Why is it that followers of Christ get hung up in the area of forgiveness? I mean honestly, even the disciples took issue with how many times they were required by God to forgive their fellow brother:

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! (Matthew 18:21-22, NIV)

So watch yourselves. "If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them." (Luke 17:3-4, NIV)

In life I have learned that holding grudges only hurts me and others I love in the long run. Taking offense is easy, being the bigger person, walking the walk, is more difficult for falling to the flesh is our nature. It takes both prayer and discipline to remain obedient to the word of God.

There is a real thing as “Church Hurt” going on in our nation; honestly it has been going on for a long long time. It has been known to divide churches and the true enemy behind all of this is Satan.

If you find yourself unable to forgive another, the enemy will use that to manipulate you into taking action on that grudge. It could be something as innocent as gossiping about another to as big as slandering another behind their back. This type of behavior only leads to more division among members, whether they are family by blood or family by Christ.

It is the statement that Christ makes about “watching ourselves” that always gives me pause. It is almost as if He is urging us to reflect upon the conversation God had with Cain in regard to his emotions:

So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:5-7, NIV)

So, you may be wondering what God meant by doing what is right in the instance of Cain. In that story, Cain was the one in the wrong and what he needed to do was come to grips with his actions and repent with a godly sorrow.

It is when you don’t face facts about your wrong doings, but instead justify them, that the enemy is able to move you like a puppet against your brother. Hopefully your story doesn’t end as tragically as Cain’s did.

For the person who is offended, should your friend, family member or even fellow church member not repent and ask for forgiveness, it is still in your best interest to forgive them and then immediately begin to pray for the one who has offended you. Take that hurt to God. Don’t stew in it or you too may find yourself victim to sin!

In the end, when we follow Christ, we need to follow his lead in all ways. With that being said, one of my favorite passages in the Bible is the one where Christ gives his disciples the right to dust off their feet should they come to a crossroad with another, having done their due diligence in sharing the gospel of peace to no avail:

If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. (Matthew 10:14, NIV)

I pray should you find yourself struggling in the area of forgiveness today that God’s word speaks to you, helping to heal your wounds, allowing you to see the bigger picture. In Jesus name I pray. Amen!

Wendy, Mom of many, girl who walks with God

Are You Ready for the Real Battle?

Wild Wacky Wonderful Wednesday! What wonders will you waft my way?

Over the last 30 days, I have been working out and taking much much better care of myself. I know when I make it home all the ailments of this human body will no longer haunt me, but while I am here I have felt this sudden urge to get fit in all ways. With that being said, I thought I would share this truth with my fitness friends in hopes to inspire them to get fit not only physically but spiritually!

"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come."
~ 1 Timothy 4:8, NLT

While it is true we do not live under the law (Thank you Jesus) life is less chaotic when you learn to listen to the voice of righteousness and correct your walk quicker than when you can't distinguish between The LORD, yourself and the father of lies. The only way to get good at that is to dive into the word of God so that you KNOW when He is speaking to you for you have taken the time to get to know him and how he communicates. This also helps you decipher your voice from the father of lies.

Allow me to share a recent truth with you. Here I was on Sunday, January 5th, facing day 7 of my commitment to working out for a second consecutive 21 days. The day had been long and busy; Church, lunch, clean up, errands and racing back to the church to meet up with others for youth invasion. That night part of the fun was chasing and attempting to shoot the kids with foam arrows during a scavenger hunt. Should your arrow hit, they had to go back to the start line. Being a part of the adult team, I had a mini workout. However, did it really count towards my commitment? After all I did build up a sweat . . . and wasn't the old school of thought to take a moment to rest between workouts? This was the very argument I was having in my head when suddenly I heard this, "Yea, even God rested on the 7th day."

It has been so long since Satan has come at me directly so I instantly knew it was him. One, I wouldn't have said that to myself. Two, Satan often attempts to trick us with truths about God.

In recognizing the source of trickery, I instantly was fueled with a desire to put him in his place and I marched right back upstairs and worked out for almost 2 hours straight!

My point is, you need to be prepared at all times for spiritual warfare. One of my favorite things in my work out video is when Billy Blanks states that he uses his workout as a storm so that he can see himself through it. . . this helps him in the real storms of life knowing that with God at his side, he can face the trials and tribulations and come out the other side triumphant. So today, no matter where you are on the spectrum of wellness, I urge you to get fully dressed in your full suit of armor. Be prepared for when Satan comes directly at you as well as when he engages others to come against you. We need to be able to trust in the LORD to see us through the storm. Getting physically fit simply helps remind us of how important it is to remain strong in the LORD.

I hope and pray my share has inspired you in multiple ways today. For now my friends, I pray for blessings and protection around all of you. Let your light shine ~ invite a friend to church this week ~ do a kind deed for a stranger ~ smile, be a blessing to others!

Wendy, your sister in Christ and a servant to the Most High God!