Brenda Rodgers

Category: Faith

  • Do You Need to Hear God’s Voice?

    Have you ever needed to make a decision about something – something that you wanted badly but weren’t sure if it was God’s will or not? So in your desperate attempts to hear His voice you start looking for Him everywhere. Maybe you even start manipulating circumstances so that it seems He’s speaking through them.

    Well, that’s been me, too, and today I’m at Encouragement Cafe sharing this story with you – “God Speaks Through License Plates” – and talking about how to not misinterpret God’s voice.

    Will you join me there? And even share with a friend?

    Stirring the Spirit one cup at a time

  • Is this Spiritual Warfare?

    I start off by telling you that I know very little about spiritual warfare. I am not a theologian or a pastor. I did do a Bible study on spiritual warfare about ten years ago, but I can’t say that I recall much about it. My goal is just to tell you a story and how I have learned for myself how to answer the question – Is this Spiritual Warfare?

    About three years ago my husband spent 43 days in the hospital undergoing a heart transplant. I have written about that experience often recently. I love telling God’s story. What I did not mention were the other events occurring simultaneously.

    During all but three weeks of that time I lived in a hotel right across the street from the hospital. Framed pictures of John and I and my niece and nephews decorated my room. There was a refrigerator full of drinks and leftover carry-out boxes of food and the largest suitcase I own full of clothes. Every morning I would get up, get dressed, strap my old Jansport backpack that I used in college to my back, and make the walk two blocks to the hospital.

    I can still remember the beeps from the crossing lights. They sounded just like the beeps coming from the box facilitating John’s IV medications. And I remember the hotdog man who stood on the corner selling hotdogs every afternoon. I imagined myself standing there handing out money for prayers. “Pay for Pray!” would be my slogan.

    Each day was like walking into a new battlefield. I never knew what the doctor’s would say next. In my Jansport was my artillery to fight whatever would come. My New Life Application Study Bible. My prayer journal. Cliff notes to the book of Job to help me understand “Why?”. My Utmost for His Highest devotional. And another journal to write down notes.

    Everyday I would go to that inner space with tall buildings of sick and dying people surrounding me on all sides. I would sit there in battle and fight. I would pray. I would read. I would look at the hurting faces around me. I would cry.

    Jesus was in that courtyard.

    I was closer to Him than I had ever been in my life and closer than I’ve ever been since. As twisted as it sounds, I still yearn for, crave that courtyard. My faith was rock solid. I was completely surrendered.

    But there’s more.

    The night John went into emergency surgery to be put on life support my mom was making her way to the emergency room herself. She was diagnosed with stage four lung and bone cancer. She died a month later.

    My dad’s brother committed suicide that same week.

    I witnessed a fight between two young men right outside my hotel room as I peered out the peep-hole. One pulled a gun on the other and fired it. I crawled on the floor to the other side of the room while calling 911.

    Is this Spiritual Warfare?

    As I laid there waiting for the police to arrive I said to myself, “I’m definitely in battle. Battle with Satan.” There was no doubt in my mind I was under attack.

    As I mentioned in a previous post, I became pretty adamant when John got sick that this time around I WOULD glorify God in my life no matter what the circumstances or outcome. I was completely surrendered so much so that I told the enemy that his death schemes may take my husband but they would not take my faith.

    But he tried anyway.

    Through that experience I have come to recognize spiritual warfare in my life. Again, I’m not saying that this is true for everyone, but here are just two characteristics I’ve observed:

    1. I am in a state of complete obedience and surrendered to God. I am close to Him, following Him, honoring Him, and doing His will.

    2. The circumstances I’m experiencing are outside of myself coming towards me. They are events I cannot control, and they are intense.

    So what did I do? Nothing. I kept meeting Jesus in the courtyard. Everyday. I opened my Jansport of artillery, and I went to war.

    Have you experienced spiritual warfare? How do you know if it’s warfare or not? 

     

  • Not an Everyday Yes Girl. But Wholly Committed.

    It’s week 3 of Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Online Bible Study and Lysa Terkeurst’s book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God. I’ve written about What’s Holding Me Back from God?, and I asked God, “SAYWHAT?” Now I’m being honest. I’m not an everyday Yes Girl, but I am wholly committed to becoming one. Here’s a real glimpse of me: Not an Everyday Yes Girl. But Wholly Committed..

    Last week I shared with you my #SAYWHAT moment with God. The time when God told me to let my husband go as he was in the hospital dying of heart failure. It’s a story I love to tell and secretly imagine myself standing on the rooftop of Duke University Hospital, right next to the life flight helicopter, screaming , “It’s real! God’s supernatural peace is real! Don’t believe otherwise! I know because I felt it!”

    And I did feel it. It was a triumphant God-moment for me. I never fully understood supernatural peace. I mean, for years as a resentful single woman I didn’t feel peace. God didn’t seem to give me peace then. So why now? What was different? And why at a time when death was staring me cold blood in the eyes? My circumstances were obviously a lot more dire than just another lonely Friday night.

    Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies

    All I know is that in the hospital I said yes to God.

    I said, “Yes, I believe in your miracles, and I have absolute faith that you can save John’s life.”

    I said, “Yes, I know you are sovereign. That all things work together for good. And so I surrender John to you.”

    It was saying yes to faith and surrender, and that relinquished Jesus’s supernatural peace. My heart was not hardened. I was at a place where He could work in my life.

    However, I must make a confession to you: That place is few and far between most days.

    In some twisted way, I’m a Yes Girl when the circumstances are knees hitting the floor and forehead buried in prayer. But catch me at the grocery store when people are banging into my buggy or when I open up Facebook and see another person doing something I want to do, and Yes Girl is long gone.

    I’m not an Everyday Yes Girl. And I don’t feel Jesus’s peace everyday either.

    After John’s heart transplant I started to wonder if supernatural peace is only available during supernatraul times – like when a miracle is needed. But I know that’s not the case. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. If the Holy Spirit is within me, then I always have access to Jesus’s peace.

    So how do I feel it like I did during that time in the hospital?

    “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

    I remain a Yes Girl. Everyday.

    Philippians 4 tells us exactly how to feel Jesus’s peace – peace that surpasses all understanding. First, rejoice in the Lord always. Be gentle to everyone. Do not be anxious. Pray about every situation with a thankful heart.

    Basically, be a Yes Girl all the time, not just in the big times.

    Recently God has been nudging my heart and showing me ways that He wants me to be wholly committed to Him – ways He wants me me to be a Yes Girl everyday.

    There are a few people I need to forgive. Forgiving them will be hard. First, it seems impossible. Second, they aren’t nice.

    He also wants me to stop watching some television shows I like. I don’t watch a lot of T.V. This is how I rationalize it. But I do like reality T.V. The kind that’s pretty much reality Jerry Springer. It’s so embarrassing even admitting that. But I’m just being honest.

    He wants me to learn to fast. Jesus fasted. I know fasting would bring me into a deeper relationship with Him. But I like food.

    And speaking of food, He wants me to stop using it for comfort. That’s not how I should be honoring God with a resource He’s blessed me so abundantly with.

    So, please don’t be impressed with the Yes Girl from last week. A lot of days I’m not a Yes Girl. A lot of days I don’t experience supernatural peace. But I know it’s there for me. And I want it. Because like Lysa said, “You never know how God will use you until you let Him. God must be Lord of all if He is our Lord at all.”

    Oh, how I want God to be my Lord of all! Today friends, let’s be wholly committed and wait expectantly to feel God’s supernatual peace!

    Do you feel like you are wholly committed to God? What is He showing you that He wants you to say “Yes” to?

     

    P31 OBS Blog Hop

  • SmartPhone Method for Memorizing Bible Verses

    So who doesn’t absolutely LOVE their SmartPhone? I know I do! It’s become even more important than my purse! In all honesty, it’s sometimes too important. I definitely have to bring in the addictive reins some days.

    But today I want to share with you a very positive use of your SmartPhone. Now I have an IPhone, and I really don’t know a lot about technology. I don’t even know which IPhone I have! So I’m guessing this will work with other SmartPhones, but I’m not sure. You’ll have to check.

    I have two plastic index card boxes that are stuffed full of Bible verses. I have used he “index card method” of writing down and memorizing Bible verses for years, and I still use this method sometimes. I tape them to my bathroom mirrors. I fold them so that they sit up on the kitchen table. I have even kept them in my purse.

    As time has gone on, however, I wanted a method that was a little easier to manage than carrying around an index card or a stack of index cards. Since my SmartPhone is always with me, I came up with a SmartPhone Method for Memorizing Bible verses. (more…)

  • Let My Husband Go? #SAYWHAT?

    So I’m continuing Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Online Bible Study. We’re reading Lysa Terkeurst’s book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God, and boy is it rocking my world!!  Last week we talked about just #SayYes! Well, saying yes is easy enough . . . if it’s something you want to say yes to!! But what about those requests that God makes that aren’t so comfortable and rosy? You know, those #SAYWHAT? moments when you might eventually go, but you’re for sure going kicking and screaming! Yep, I’ve had a few of those. Today I’m sharing one: Let My Husband Go? #SAYWHAT?

    Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies

    This you must know about me. I was single for a whole lot longer than I ever thought I would be. And I resented it. AND I was terrible at it! Every silly romantic comedy movie that you’ve seen and said to yourself, “Doesn’t she know what’s coming? How can she be such a stupid girl?” Well, that was me. I pined over boys, read “The Rules”, pretended to follow “The Rules”, talked about why “The Rules” don’t work weekend after weekend to any poor soul who would listen to me, and then buckled up and tried a little harder to follow “The Rules” next week. (more…)

  • What’s Holding Me Back from God?

    This past week I began a Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Online Bible Study. We’re reading Lysa Terkeurst’s book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God. I already had the Kindle version of the book but hadn’t read it yet, so this was the perfect opportunity to do so. I have never done a Proverbs 31 online Bible study or any online Bible study for that matter. So far it’s been very rewarding and a lot of fun. But most importantly it’s already stretching me to say “yes” to God starting with this question, “What’s holding me back from God?”

    "Proverbs

    If you’ve been around here some you may know that I have an intense desire – I call it conviction – to stay-at-home full-time with our new baby girl. My husband has come to realize that’s it’s important, also, but he still feels the stress of carrying all of the finances. So he’s asked me to find a part-time, work-from-home job.

    And I did. Actually I don’t even feel like I “found it”. I truly believe it was orchestrated by God.

    However, it is completely – and I mean completely – out of my comfort zone! I’m on a team of wonderful, Godly women (one of which I met at the She Speaks writing conference over a year ago. She’s my partner.), but I am an independent owner of a business. Me! A business owner! An entrepreneur! I have a few degrees in teaching kids how to read. I know NOTHING about business!

    So why would God bring me to a business where I have very little experience or knowledge? (more…)