JOY NUGGET: In the Little Things...

Sometimes it's those little moments that we can find our joy. We can get so caught up in our to do lists that we often overlook the greatness and blessings in our lives right in front of us! What would happen if each day we paused and looked around at the beauty in our lives? From people, nature, things, we are loved by our God and there is evidence literally all around us. We must choose to see it, we must also choose to look for it. Living with joy is about making God our hearts desire, then we can truly appreciate and notice the blessings around us, even in the midst of a busy life, crazy circumstances, and even difficult times. God is still good and we are always loved! -darby

THE GODLY WIFE: 100% Guilty

Just the other day, my husband got home from work and we were eating supper and he looks at me with tears in his eyes and says..." I realized that I haven't been as good of a husband lately that I should be...and I'm going to try harder to be better". 

I love moments like these because they help me realize just how blessed I am to have a Godly husband who "wants" to be all that God is calling him to be.  I also love moments like these because they remind me that God is Faithful. Things have not always been easy in our marriage and things got pretty bad early in our marriage and I really didn't know if we were going to make it...(that's a story I may share sometime) but In the darkest of dark, as I lay face down before God begging Him to help save our marriage and help my husband become a better man...God told me to Trust Him and that my husband WOULD become a better man in the future if I would just hold on to faith. 
 
I don't share this to make it sound like my husband was so terrible but I share this because : If We will PRAY for our Husbands to Love Jesus More than anything...God is Faithful.  I am SO blessed to be married to this man because he is a better man now than the dream of the man I had when I married him. He has already exceeded my expectations and I am blessed to call him mine.

With all that being said... it's wonderful that my husband wants to improve the kind of man he is in our marriage...it poses the question..what do I need to improve as the godly wife God is calling me to be?  

This answer was pretty simple because the Holy Spirit has been convicting me alot recently about an underlying layer of selfishness I have had with my husband. Believe me, I am trying HARD to keep myself in check with this, It is so easy to focus on the things that I need done and when I need them done, that I can quickly overlook how exhausted and physically spent my husband is after a long hard day of work. It's going the extra mile to make his evening more relaxed when he gets home, to serve him better and allow God to use me to encourage and love on my husband. 

Marriage is not 50/50 it's 100/100. If either one of us is not giving 100% all of the time...then our marriage will suffer. maybe a little, maybe a lot but regardless...it's true.  Is it hard to give 100% all of the time? ABSOLUTELY. But, is it impossible? I believe with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. God wants us to give 100% so I fully believe that we CAN achieve this humongous goal if we FIX our eyes on Jesus first. 

I am not at 100% YET...but  know that I am determined to aim for it! I hope you will join in the journey.  

* Some of you may be thinking " But I don't have a Godly husband or one that wants to be better, how can I give 100%?"  This is a good question and the answer is this: You can only control your 100%...his 100% is up to him, and sometimes that means that you will be giving 100% for a long time before he gets on board but you don't answer to God for his 100%, you only answer for yours. So do it with everything you have, hold nothing back, and you will never have regrets that you could've done it better. 
    And the Most Important thing to remember is this: PRAY PRAY PRAY for your husband. God is a God of miracles. God is the ONLY one who can change him into the man He's created him to be... so give your husband to God. He loves him more than you do anyways. Be strong friend. You can do this! -darby

JOY NUGGET: What's YOUR Story?

      So many times we may feel inadequate or overwhelmed when it comes to sharing the "Good News" with someone like we all know we are supposed to do right? Jesus tells us to "go into all the world and preach the gospel"...so why do we get so ...scared? Is it because we think that we have to know all the answers to every question that they might ask? Is it because we are afraid that they might get angry with us and reject the things we are sharing with them? Are we ashamed of what we know????  By not sharing the gospel...does that mean that we are being disobedient to God?
        These may be tough thoughts to make ourselves really think about what we are doing or not doing, but these are crucial questions that according to scripture...we probably need to be thinking about pretty seriously. Maybe the BIG truth about sharing the gospel is that it is really SUPER SIMPLE: We ARE the Gospel. Now, don't take that and run with it just yet... What I'm saying is that...God doesn't say that when you start telling someone about Him that you have to start in Genesis and work your way chronologically quoting the Bible to them and answering every question they might have about creation, and the flood, and the dinosaurs, and why the Israelites had to roam the desert for 40 years, and why people lived to be hundreds of years old, and....the point is...God simply wants you to tell your story about who He is to you and how He is changing your life.
       Now.... We are the Gospel because our lives should BE a reflection of the Gospel. We should be growing and changing and falling more in love with Jesus all the time because He is LIVING in us. If our lives are NOT a reflection of Jesus then maybe we should stop and think before we go representing Him to someone who might get the wrong idea of the Gospel. Because Jesus said to go into all the world and MAKE DISCIPLES.... and Jesus follows up with a list of what that should look like... Jesus didn't just say "okay guys, go and tell people about me" and that's it...no, He said go and make disciples. That means there is WAY more to sharing the Gospel than just telling people about Jesus..it's about making them disciples OF Jesus. We have to BE Disciples first before we can make disciples.  
       So don't take sharing the Gospel lightly, take it seriously. Take it so seriously that you live it out in front of people; That when you share your story of how Jesus has changed your life...the person you are talking to can see it AND believe the Gospel they are hearing. See, when we take Jesus seriously in our lives...sharing the Gospel will become the EASIEST thing we have ever done...because it is simply who we are. Sharing the Gospel is easy, it's getting to the place where we love Him more than everything else in this world that is the part that will test our true heart condition. We are on a journey, every day is one step closer to meeting Jesus face to face. He loves us and His heart rejoices every time we grow closer to Him. He loves those that cross our path every day and His will is that NONE should perish but that doesn't mean that they won't. It's a choice we all must make, and it's a choice we all must live out loud.  We've all heard the quote : "You might be the only BIBLE other people may read"... make sure they are reading the RIGHT Representation of Jesus Christ. Live Him Well and Share Him Well.  ;) -darby

SINGLE LADIES: Loved by God

Out of a father's love, the gift of a beautiful, colorful coat came to be.  It had to be something special, different from everything else.  Jacob gave that coat to one of his sons, to Joseph.  Now to Jacob, it signified a love so deep, so intense that it pushed everything else out of the way.  But to Joseph, a single young man, it was the beginning of an incredible, but bumpy journey!  Joseph was stripped of his beautiful coat by those who should have loved him most, he was cast into a pit and sold to the highest bidder! 

​I would love to say that his journey was unique, but unfortunately I have met to many whose stories parallel his.  If you happen to be one who relates to his story closely, I want you to know that I am so sorry that others have hurt you so deeply.  And know this  too, God's heart was broken for you because he created you beautiful and colorful.  He clothed you with something special.  He loves you intensely. 

​Check out this passage from Romans chapter 8: 35-39, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:  “For your sake we face death all day long;  we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I pray you find great peace and courage in knowing just how loved you are.

​Loving you in this journey,
​Deb

JOY NUGGET: My Shepherd

"The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul." Psalm 23: 1-2

We discussed recently in our Bible Study how the 23 Psalm is an amazing passage of Scripture but some parts speak to us more deeply than others. This was a part out of that passage that speaks to my heart quite frequently. In this world of chaos and often times of confusion, God offers us a place of refuge. A place where we can escape from the turmoil occurring all around us. Granted, we cannot escape from reality of this world or live inside of a bubble, but we can experience something in the midst all of the chaos. We can experience His peace. Something that ONLY can come from God. It doesn't matter if it seems like our entire world around us is crashing down, we can breathe within His peace. We can have clarity because of His peace. His peace will keep us exactly where we need to be. His peace is the bumpers that keep us on the path He has chosen for us. If we get off of the path, we will not have His peace. It keeps us in line with His will. When we cannot see clearly through the darkness all around us...we can still walk confidently in His peace and know that though we may not see the full picture...we know we are right where we need to be. Laying down in the green pastures, walking beside still waters, and allowing Him to restore our souls. God is good and He offers us peace. What an amazing gift from a loving God. 
-darby

JOY NUGGET: Knowing What's Real...

     

     God's word is so VITAL to our walk as Christians. Why? Because His Word is LIVING. The Word is relevant to our lives daily. He speaks to us through His Word. He leads, guides, directs, corrects, encourages, strengthens, teaches, empowers, equips, and loves us through His Word. We have to make time each day to dive into His Word and spend time with Him. Yes praying to Him is essential as well but we cannot neglect to spend time in His Word.

      If you don't like to read, that's okay...The Bible is on audio cd's as well. The important thing is that you make it a part of your life.  God says that we need to "study to show ourselves approved."  That means that we cannot rely on someone else knowing the scriptures for us, but that WE need to know the scriptures for ourselves. We will all stand before God one day and we will answer to God for everything that is in the BIble...did we live our lives according to His Word? And we won't get by with "Sorry God, I didn't know that..." because He has given us all the answers, it's up to us to read it and know it.  When you take a test in school you don't just x out the parts you didn't study and the teacher says "oh that's okay, i guess if you didn't know that section I'll just go ahead and pass you anyway.." NO way..you fail. It's really the same way with God.

      It's our responsibility to really know Him. We don't get a "do over". He tells us over and over again in His Word that we are to Know Him. It's simply our fault if we don't. God desires for us to know Him. He is not hiding from us. We have to do our part in the relationship to reach out and know Him.  The more you know the TRUE God, the less likely you are to be deceived by what may "sound" like God but really is just a trick of the devil who is seeking to destroy you...not by killing you but by tricking you into following a false Jesus because you don't know what's God and what's not. Just because something "sounds" godly...doesn't mean that it is. God will NEVER contradict His Word...but you have to know His Word in order to know the contradiction in false belief.  

      God loves us more than we can ever comprehend and He has given us EVERYTHING we need to know within the scriptures. All we have to do is simply read it and ask Him for understanding. Are you ready to be amazed???? :) -darby

GODLY WIFE: Trying to Love Him More...

 So my husband and I both had a FAIL the other day. We both had things on our minds, a little stress, and very little filter to our emotions or our words. We both had moments where we hurt the other. It was painful. We love each other, we've been through alot together, and yet we still have those days where we just wish the other one were perfect.     
  

 It's so easy in a marriage to forget that even though we are not children anymore, words can still hurt, actions can still hurt, and you can never love enough.  As I sat waiting for my husband to come out of the store it hit me. I was being unkind to my husband. I was not doing everything I could to honor him and love him. I wasn't thinking about the things that he was going through, I was only thinking about the things that I was going through.  As my heart began to hurt over the pain I had caused my husband, I asked God to forgive me and help me to become better at loving my husband. After apologies on both sides, we had a much better evening and week.  

   The thing is ladies, even though it is hard at times to see past our own pain, we need to keep our selfishness and pride in check. We can't expect our husbands to be perfect all the time and they can't expect us to be perfect all the time, but God does want us to continually strive to be the absolute best we can be. Aim for perfection! That means that we do our absolute best DAILY to love our husbands. Try to go beyond the basic wife stuff as often and as much as you can. why? Because that's what love is right? Sacrificing ourselves for another. Let's do our best to glorify God in our marriages by becoming the absolute best we can at really loving our husbands. -darby

YOUNG WOMAN: Making a Difference

  ​Wanting to Make a Difference?
​  

 ​Everyone can make a difference. Whether it be in the world or just in the little part of it in which they live. Making a difference doesn't always mean doing something grandiose. It can mean just taking the time to show a kindness to someone else, such as a giving a smile, buying someone a cup of coffee or saying a kind word. Don't think,"I'm just one person. I can't make a difference." That's not true. One person can make a difference, even if it is making a difference to one person at a time. Jesus was one man, but He changed the whole world. Who knows? the one time you try to make a difference in someone's life, may just mean that you have set them on a path that leads them to the way to make a difference to the whole world. Don't underestimate your power. -michelle

JOY NUGGET: Desire

         What is your deepest heart's desire? Is it a better job?  A better house? More time with your family?  Are you dreaming of having children?  Are you hoping to get married soon? Do you want a nicer car? A luxurious vacation? To be debt free? To become rich? To be absolutely drop dead gorgeous with the perfect hair and body????? And the list can go on and on right? There are so many things that can occupy our minds and our hearts as women. 
         We are multi-taskers by nature and sometimes I think that just might intensify the issue. We can get so busy so easy in this world and before we know it..our days have turned into years and we might still find ourselves doing the exact same things and daydreaming about the exact same things we were years ago. Truth is...we probably do not have the time to get through all our bucket lists of dreams in our lifetimes. And most of us are probably really okay with that. Because when it comes right down to it...we'd rather focus in on the important things of everyday life and let the "I wants" take a backseat. 
        Life is all about priorities, without them...life is chaos. But in the midst of all our prioritizing and scheduling and doing...let's not forget to make room DAILY for THE MOST IMPORTANT part of our sanity: Jesus. He's the only one ladies that can help keep us from falling apart or falling out of His will for our lives. Too many distractions that at most times ALL seem important, but only God can lead and guide us in the right direction. Don't forget to trust Him with your day but most importantly don't forget to listen for your direction. Long for Him daily because only He can make your paths straight. -darby

SINGLE LADIES: Dreams and Desires

 

You might say that no one knows you better than you!  But that would not be true.  There is no one who knows you better than your Heavenly Father.  He knew you before you were born and he knows every thought you have ever had, every fall you have taken, every victory you have won!  He knows your dreams and desires, your deepest fears and secrets. 

But did you know that He desires to be the author of your dreams and desires? You might have a very vivid imagination and think you are doing quite well in the dream department, but can you imagine how fantastic God's dream and desire for you would be?

 Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."  We would like to think that this is God saying He will give us whatever our little ol' heart desires, but we would be wrong!  He gives us the desires.  He places within our hearts the things to desire.  He changes us from the inside out!!!  That is truly amazing!  You see if we delight in Jesus then He guides us and protects our hearts all the way!

​Singleness can be a challenge.  We dream and desire love and family and romance.  After all that is the world we see and live in.  And where as God ordained love, and family and romance, He loves us more and He knows that to protect us from this world we must delight in Him so that we really know what to desire.  After all, wouldn't you rather have the very best in the love, family and romance department?

God wants us to grow up in him.  There comes a time that we let go of the false dreams, the insufficient dreams of our youth and reach toward the very best God has to offer us! 2 Timothy 2:22 says, "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

​"Along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."  Surround yourself with Godly women.  Women who pursue Him first.  Women who are strong in faith.  Women who strive to serve Him.  Surround yourself with women of faith, women of hope, women of love, women of joy, women of God!

Being a single woman, isn't a failure.  It doesn't even equate to being alone.  Being single minded, focused on God, is a blessing.  Trust me, if you focus on God with your whole being, He will give you the desires of your heart! -deb

THE GODLY WIFE: Time to Let it Go...

   

I was looking at some pictures the other day of my husband and I when we first started dating..so cute, always having fun, so...smiley, my husband was so clean cut and I could almost smell his awesome cologne right through the picture, and my skin....my skin looked so young! .... WHAT HAPPENED?
   
   Well that's easy... life happened. It's been a few years since we dated and got married. We've grown older, we've been through stuff, we've now lived with each other's strengths and weaknesses every day. And unfortunately...i've had a few too many tacos since then and those jeans I was wearing in the photos, don't fit anymore!  BUT this is where I've learned that we can't stay in the past of our relationship. We are not the same. And we will never be the same as we are right now. 

          But...That's the Beautiful thing about it! We are constantly changing and we can never competely know our spouse because new things are happening all the time! Interests change, hobbies can change, even little things like favorite foods, or movies. It's never ending. And the MOST IMPORTANT THING that we should stay on top of the most with our husband is...what new things is he experiencing with God. And what new things are you experiencing with God. It doesn't matter how many things are different now than when you first started dating your husband, but keeping the most important thing as the focal point of your marriage, you can never go wrong. Because if Jesus is in the very CENTER of your marriage...then all other things will work out to His glory.  

 One of my favorite quotes on marriage is : " Couples that pray together, stay together".  Have you prayed with your husband lately? -darby

JOY NUGGET/YOUNG WOMAN: Purpose

   

What is Your Purpose?
   ​Have you found your purpose in life? Have you even thought about it? This is the perfect time to take the time a think about what do you want your purpose to be about. So, do you want it to be about helping others, bringing awareness to issues that are important to you or changing how the world sees itself. Your purpose does not have to be big, just your desire to make a difference. When you have the determination and passion to follow your purpose, you will find others that share your purpose. When a purpose becomes a passion it becomes a way of life. - michelle

JOY NUGGET: A Soft Heart

    I find it incredibly overwhelming whenever I stop and just start thinking about who God really is and how much He really does love us. The God who created the entire UNIVERSE takes the time to pay attention to us and everything that goes on in our lives. He lays out a very specific plan for our lives based on each one of our physical genetics and spiritual giftings.  He develops us and grows us all throughout our lives as He continually is trying to get our attention. The most amazing part is that He never forces us to recognize Him, to hear Him, to see Him, or to Love Him...the choice is ALWAYS ours. Even though His deepest desire is that we KNOW Him and Live for Him...He will continually risk our rejection because He is that in love with us. I know when I have hurt my Jesus and yet He has never made me feel unworthy of His love. THAT shakes me to my core. He deserves our love. He deserves our lives. We need to desperately fight against the things that are warring against us to try to take His place. God loves us, oh how He loves us...can we love Him back with the same passion? -darby

JOY NUGGET: Who Are You Really?

One of the greatest gifts that God has given each one of us is the opportunity to be bold and confident daughters of the King. He desires for us to know Him so well that we can walk with our heads held high because we trust Him with our lives and we are in-tune enough with His Spirit that we can take each step confidently. Knowing that we are walking in the TRUTH and pleasing our Heavenly Father.   Why is this so important? Because we live in a world that is CONSTANTLY trying to rip away and distort everything that God has for us and who He has created us to be.
     We especially as women are constantly bombarded with images of what we should look like, how we should dress, what profession we should be in, how ruthless we can be, how we don't need men, how we are the same as men, and even how we are less than men. The truth is, there are mixed messages out there about everything... and it is so easy to let the truth get skewed as we try to process exactly who we should be. The bottom line is...REAL confidence can ONLY be found in Christ. It can only be learned by asking God to show you who you are. It can only stand the test(s) of time by Choosing to place the center of who you are in God's hands. No one will ever love you more than He does. No one will ever care as much about your life than He does. No one will ever understand where you come from or where you are going more than He does. No one can ever be as Faithful to you as He will. Become the woman that God is calling you to be...Confident and completely whole. Be His Child because No One can help you fulfill your PURPOSE in life faster than He can. - darby 

Who We Are: The Women Behind the Ministry

We are a local group of women in the community of North Platte, Nebraska, who started meeting almost 4 years ago. We are so thankful that God has blessed this ministry and continues to grow this ministry and draw us all closer to Him and to each other. We have started this blog basically as a way to keep articles and posts of encouragement from our website and also to make them available to all of you ladies looking for encouragement on your journey of faith. We pray that as you browse our page, God stirs your heart and draws you closer to Him. He loves you so much! Please feel free to interact with our posts and ask questions anytime, we would love to be a part of your journey and welcome you to be a part of ours! If you are interested in connecting with us, you can find us on facebook or our website joy4women.weebly.com.

*there are so many women that make JOY4 so great and hopefully we can share some of their hearts on here as well, but the majority of the blogs on this page will be written by these 3 women. :) Get to know us!

DARBY: It has been my joy and pleasure to serve as a leader of JOY4Women since the beginning. I have seen God do amazing things in the lives of the women who have come occasionally and to the women who come every week. God is working great things in JOY4Women and I am so glad that He has chosen me to be a part of it. I have personally grown so much in my walk with the Lord and look forward to every week when I get to sit with extraordinary women from different backgrounds and walks of life right here in North Platte, and grow in my faith and understanding of who God is.  I am so thankful to be a part of such a diverse group of women who come together every week with the same heart....to know HIM more. Best thing ever! ​

FUN THINGS ABOUT ME...

       I am married to a wonderful man. I am a singer, music teacher, worship leader, book lover, animal lover, business owner, women's leader, and ministry worker. My deepest desire in ministry is in building strong leaders. I have worked in many areas of ministry for many years and have witnessed God's beautiful mercy and his amazing grace..over and over again.  I also enjoy working on my blog :)

DEB: Early in my journey with Jesus I made the commitment to trust and obey. As I began to grow spiritually, every time I felt Him prompting me towards one task I practiced saying "Yes Lord". I also began asking Him to grow me deeper like the tree planted by the water and that is a request God will never refuse. He began putting me in situations that required more trust, more obey and more living water. I have never regretted my request because when God fills us up it spills out on others. I only want to help others develop the same heart for God. Leadership is what happens when you give God permission to grow you and use you. I feel totally blessed and honored that God would choose to use me. ​

FUN THINGS ABOUT ME...

     I am the Chaplain at Linden Court Nursing Home. I am a radio announcer at KJLT.  I love to work in my garden and yard. I just bout my house! (and I'm Single!) Love stock car races. I like cats and dogs. I love love love my family. I love small businesses and I have had 3 of my own. I am a crafter. I love Jesus above all else!

     

 MICHELLE: I want to be a part of JOY4Women because it is a place where I can share Jesus with other women and have fellowship while sharing and learning God's Word.  It's so comforting and exhilarating to be with other women who share my faith and grow as God directs my path.


FUN THINGS ABOUT ME...

       I am a Preschool Teacher at a Head Start program in my community.
In November I decided to go back to college at Kaplan University, majoring in Gerentology. My hope is to work as a life quality coordinator in Hospice. When I find the time, I love to read, write poetry and short stories, and draw.
       The things that mean the most to me and bring great joy to my life are my relationship with God and the love of my family.