Are You Afraid To Walk Through This Door?

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The Room of Grace is a safe place.  It's the place you go to take off all your masks and be yourself. As you walk through this door you know everyone accepts you even if you have visible sin and if you are hiding invisible sin you're free to confess it. As a matter of fact the people there encourage you to confess it. Then as you release your 'stuff' more masks fall away.

This Room of Grace holds the key to your true identity. Jesus lives here. He's always been here loving and forgiving, holding out His nail scarred hands to all who will take them. His light shines brightly in the room and yours does too because as His child you feel free with Him. You aren't perfect and He knows it but His love is never affected by your imperfections. You never have to hide in shame from God or the people in the Room of Grace.

There is another room the Room of Good Intentions. In this room you are encouraged to wear a mask every day. If you even think of divulging your sin you know you will be judged by the people here.  In your imagination you think God will condemn you too. So a "perfect" person submerges. Perfect on the outside but suffering of guilt, shame, loss of identity, pain, and hurt on the inside. You have to "pretend" a lot when you live in this room. You can never be who you were created to be because it's all about performing for everyone. Performing for your husband, kids, church family, co-workers, friends, and all the time being someone you don't really want to be.

Maybe you have some fear about opening the door to the Room of Grace. Don’t be afraid just go on in, there’s at least one friend waiting there. Yes there’s probably someone you know already in that room. She/he is ready and waiting to help you along. Waiting to listen, to love and to accept you right where you are right now at this time and place in your life.  Its Jesus extended through flesh and blood.

Maybe what you're reading right now has struck a chord and you realize you are living in the Room of Good Intentions. Isn't it time to be YOU, the new creation you are in Christ? The Christian life lived by working, trying, striving and earning is just too hard and it was never meant to be lived that way.

Which room do you live in The Room of Grace or The Room of Good Intentions? If you aren't able to live as YOU then you are in the wrong room.

Romans 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

1 Corinthians 15:12 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Check out GraceFull Women today for a great post by my friend Jennifer. Read her Rescue Story.

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Has Your Ship Sailed?

It crossed my mind as my son and I talked about his college education…. how can I expect him to know what he wants to do with the rest of his life NOW when I have just found what I want to do with mine at the age of 47? Strange how our expectations of our young people are so rigid isn’t it? But it’s always been that way.

At the age of 46 I was given the opportunity to do something I had forgotten I loved to do. Turned out I can’t stop now and I’m attempting to make some sort of a living at it. I have found my calling, my gift, my talent in the middle of life.

Guess what? My ship hasn’t sailed without me. I wondered if it had because I couldn’t find my ship for so long.

It’s here! I’m on it, sailing out to sea. Sometimes it’s a rough ride, the waves toss me about. But I’m on for the ride of a lifetime.

Do you feel your ship has sailed without you? Wrong! There it is! See it over there in the harbor? Yes, that’s yours. Get on board and begin your new adventure.

You know… the one you’ve wanted to begin for a while now but you just haven’t taken the time, effort or money to try.

Maybe you just don’t have enough faith to push off and get in the water. Is that it?

Here’s the deal. You’ve been created to do it, called by your Creator to give the world around you your gift. Will you keep your light hid or will you let it shine bright? It’s your choice.

I’m sailing away. See me over there on that sailboat? Yeah, that one! Look for the Light and shine yours.

She Remains

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I didn’t know what to expect that first time I walked in her home. As I walked through her purposefully decorated living room to the kitchen I felt a little uncomfortable. My home was usually in disarray because I was raising small children and my housekeeping skills had not been perfected. So I was a little out of place when I stepped into a Better Homes and Garden magazine.

She was neatly dressed in jeans, a button up shirt and her hair perfectly set. Where was I, in a Leave It To Beaver episode?

I was escorted to her kitchen table which was already set with “real" plates, silverware, goblets, and cloth napkins. Did she keep it like this all the time or was this for me? I have to admit I felt special and she meant for me to feel that way.  Over at my house we used paper plates, cups and napkins. The easier the better. I later found out she had always used her good dishes even when her children were small. This lady was classy and refined and I wanted to learn what I could from
her.

As a young woman I was impulsive and said and did things on a whim. She taught me what it meant to think before I spoke and later I understood that I should do the same before acting too. My mentor gently and wisely taught me how to be teachable.

I have watched her world almost fall apart and yet she remains. She remains in Him just as Christ tells us to do in John 15.

 Because she remains I have a godly woman to follow.

Because she remains her family stays strong.

Because she remains many others see Jesus every day.

And because she remains her legacy will go on.

We have been in ministry together for many, many years and I’ve grown because of my encourager. There is so much I could say but there is not enough space here or anywhere to contain all she’s taught me. The love I’ve received and had the privilege to give in this relationship has been one of the most special gifts the Lord has given to me.

I am blessed to have her on my side and I consider this woman my friend, mentor and partner in the greatest call we have on our lives, loving others to Jesus. Thank you N.

This was written in response to a prompt from The Red Dress Club. Write about a mentor, someone who guided or inspired you. How did your mentor impact your life?

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Be Set Free From Your Prison

She paced the floor of the small space of the prison cell. Back and forth, wringing her hands, her heart felt as though it would come right out of her chest. It seemed more like a dream than reality. Would they really set her free today?

Lina had been incarcerated for two years on drug charges. The time she had spent behind these bars were hard, so hard in fact there were some days she didn't want to live. Lina wasn't like some of the women who came in claiming their ground and making a name for themselves. She was the one who tried to avoid them all just to stay alive.

Many nights Lina lay on her bunk thinking about freedom. Remembering life with her kids in their small rental home. At the time it didn't seem like much but oh what she wouldn't give to be back in her own full size bed with Ben and Lacey on each side of her.  These bars that held her prisoner, that held her captive gave her the feeling of being stuck in a type of hell.

Lina's story can be related to our own story before we find freedom in Christ. We are held captive by sin and death actually sentenced to hell. But when FREEDOM comes He breaks open those prison cell doors and we are free to walk right out living a life of love, no longer chained to the sin that destroys our lives.

Unfortunately many of us don't walk out of the prison cell doors, we continue to sit on the bunk and live in our old hell. Although we are free to go and live an abundant life as Jesus tells us in John 10:10 some of us continue in defeat. We are more than conquerors, saints  not sinners, righteous no longer unrighteous but we don't have a clue.

Life as a Captive Christian is miserable. When Jesus set us free, He set us free from the chains of any sin that tries to hold us. He gives us the power to escape temptation, His Holy Spirit gives us everything we need to live a godly life. ( References below)

As Lina walked out of  prison a free woman that afternoon she realized a new life was about to begin as she ran into the arms of her two children.

As you walk out of the prison you have already been freed from realize you have a new life waiting so run into the arms of the Father and live abundantly in Him.

Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Romans 1:7, Galatians 5:1, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Peter 1:3

Don't forget to check out Grace Full Women for more encouragement and inspiration from an imperfect woman who just wants to share God's love.

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From Such A Hell To Such A Time As This

This is a repost from February. Since it's July 4th I thought it would be fitting to post again.





I spoke with an 89 year old man this week. His life has been inspiring to others and quite an experience for him. He and his wife have been married 67 years and have lived through decades of difficult times as well as times of joy.

The story that has stuck in my mind is the one about his time in WWII. I’ve never met a POW until now and I have to say I have a new respect, a new pain for the men and women of our military.

A was drafted in the U.S. Army in 1944. He was in Belgium with his infantry unit during the most famous battle in WWII the Battle of the Bulge. The German soldiers began directing fire to his unit so his infantry unit tried to return to their camp. This is when A was wounded by enemy fire and captured by Nazi soldiers. He was taken to a prison camp where he and many other prisoners of war were held until they were liberated by General Montgomery and his British soldiers. During the time he was a prisoner from Dec. 1944 to April 1945, he lost 98 lbs. due to malnutrition and lack of proper medical treatment to his wound.

I am trying to reconcile my feeling of such despise for soldiers who treated A in such a horrible way and knowing I shouldn’t despise others. Maybe I should just feel sorry for them. I know forgiveness is in order and perhaps that is how A has managed to get through such horrible circumstances.

Imagining how hungry I get going 6 or 7 hours without food it is hard to think of A being so hungry for so long that he lost 98 lbs. How hungry would you be, how horrible, how painful, how could one human do that to another?
I have seen the pictures of the POW camps, watched the horrific documentaries but to know someone who was tortured by these barbaric men brings it on home. To know there really are human beings in existence that have so little value for life is beyond belief yet it is true.

What would it take to cause a human being to be willing to go to the extremes these men went to in order to destroy other people? In my own heart I wonder is there anything that could cause me to turn on my fellow man in such a way. I have heard the Nazi soldiers were afraid that Hitler would kill them and their families had they not done his bidding. Would that be enough to push me to the far side of hell? I pray to God that I could stand in His strength should ever a persecution come to the U.S.

I am thankful that I have been given the opportunity to meet this man, this man who has lived a full life despite what could have been a life shattering experience. There are no coincidences and A was kept alive and rescued for reasons known only to God Himself. Somehow I suspect A’s two sons, five grandchildren and eight great grandchildren could tell me why they think he’s here.

I do not know where he stands in faith but I do know God brought him home from such a hell for such a time as this. Esther 4:14. I’m so glad I was here at this time to meet him.

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Can You Lose Your Salvation?

A question has arisen several times lately so I have decided it's time to discuss it.
Question: Can I lose my salvation?
Answer:A true believer, meaning someone who is one with Christ, who has accepted Christ as Savior in faith,  can not lose salvation.

Establishing that one is a true believer is important to understand because if not then of course loss of salvation does not apply one way or the other because it has not been obtained yet. These Scripture verses helped me nail down my own salvation: The whole book of 1 John is pretty clear about who is a believer and who is not and John 10 gives a good picture of Jesus as Shepherd and believers as His sheep.

Understand in 1 John when he speaks of "the one who believes does not continue to sin" he means sinning as a way of life, meaning this is the pattern. Of course we cannot judge the motives of another's heart and we do not know why someone may be sucked in by addictions and such, so read these verses in examination of your own salvation. Search your own heart and motives.

Proof from Scripture that we cannot lose our salvation: 1 John 5:18-20, John 10:25-30. Both of these passages are clear about what true salvation is and that we are secure in salvation once we receive it.

Romans 8:38-39 promises us that nothing can cause God to stop loving us once we are His children. Nothing!

Some say if we hold to the doctrine of eternal security we will be prone to "have a license to sin." However I disagree with this belief because it is obvious to me that anyone who lives under the belief that God's grace and salvation is given as a gift and is permanent, knows that we live for Him out of our love for Him. We love because He first loved us. The understanding of God's great love for me draws me  into an intimate, close relationship of trust with Him. Out of this relationship flows a love that causes me to WANT to live for God, not sin because I can. It is exactly the opposite of what the followers of the doctrine that one can lose salvation describes it to be. Even the Apostle Paul had something to say about this in Romans 6:2-6. Read it.

I hope this has answered some of your questions. Please feel free to post comments or ask questions. Email me anytime at julieemoore@bellsouth.net.

Is There A Stairway To Heaven?

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I was thinking about the song Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin yesterday. So I pulled up the words on Google and read back over them, they really didn’t make much sense to me except when he said, “and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.” It makes me think of the times in my life that I thought I could buy my way on up that stairway.

For years into my Christian life I followed the Savior pretty steady by my standards. I made my way up the stairway just fine without much looking back. I put one foot in front of the other and marched up each step by living according to the rules, having my children in church every Sunday, living as the submissive wife (well outwardly), and serving in the capacity anyone asked me to at the church. Personal time with the Lord was hard to come by but I was “doing” everything I was supposed to be doing. I just kept dragging myself up that stairway so I could hear the words “Well done good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:23

Eventually there came that time when I could no longer climb those stairs and I stumbled and fell to the bottom. As I lay there crumpled up in a heap, I felt completely defeated. Now I would not hear those words I had so longed to hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Where were all those “rules”, “obligations”, and “works” now that I needed them most? The truth is they were dead….they had always been dead, I just didn’t know it.

For some reason salvation for me included working to make God proud of me, working to keep up appearances for other Christians, and striving to serve and prove my love for God. But after lying in a pit of deep despair and sin for a while, I finally gave up and came to the end of myself.

Flash forward to a new day, today! What have I learned about that Stairway to Heaven? There’s not a stairway to heaven, there’s no drudgery, working, striving, pleasing to get to the top to hear those words I so wanted to hear. Amazingly enough the Father is pleased with me as I am because when I became His child He created me new, complete, whole, beautiful, and precious in His sight. God’s Holy Spirit lives in me giving me a “want to” to want to be like Jesus. I don’t have to work at it to make it happen. However, I do have to rest in Him and let it happen. Surrendering to be a Spirit-controlled woman is the best thing that I’ve ever done. It has freed me to be the woman of God I was created to be. I can take off the masks that I’ve been hiding behind for so many years and when I listen to the Spirit I naturally or should I say supernaturally do what He’s calling me to do. My love for Him is the motivation for serving Him now, and oh how I love Him because He first loved me. 1 John 4:9

I Don't Want To Hurt God Anymore.

I taught a class today and we discussed how and why to make right choices. I asked the question, "What helps us make the right choice?" Various answers were given such as prayer, Bible study, knowing God's Word, and relying on the Holy Spirit for guidance. Then one of the women spoke in a small voice," I don't want to hurt God anymore." I'll never forget that childlike, sincere answer to that question. I'll always remember the way she sat there looking down at the table while she made a simple but profound statement. A statement that warmed my heart and spirit. I couldn't help but smile and I knew just what she meant because I felt that way too. This sweet soul just knew how to put it into words.

While the rest of us had all the "grown-up" answers, answers that were true nonetheless, she had the one answer that made the most sense to me. Make the right choice because we love Jesus. A love that is rooted in the love He first gave to us. Make the right choice because we don't want to hurt Him anymore. Simple but perfect and true.

Still Hungry or Satisfied?

My English Bulldog Lola thinks about three things all day and night, when she’s not sleeping. Food, food, and food. It seems she can never be satisfied. Her belly cannot be filled. No matter what I am eating she will eat it too. I know I am bad for giving her table food but have you seen her face? She’ll eat lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, onions, toast, ice, and dirt. Of course Lola loves all kinds of meat like chicken, steak, pork chops, hamburgers, and especially hotdogs. (The more I write the more I realize I have got to put this dog on a diet.)

The point is she is always hungry when she’s awake. I began comparing this to my own spiritual life, and wondered what if…. What if I was always hungry for God’s Word? What if I couldn’t get enough of His presence? What if I could not be satisfied with mediocrity? What if I were bursting at the seams with the power of the Holy Spirit?

If the what ifs were true of me then wouldn’t you see Jesus in me all the time? Wouldn’t He be glorified in everything I say and do? Isn’t this the place every believer wants and needs to be? Wouldn't I have three things on my mind day and night, Jesus, Jesus and Jesus?

I want to be desperate for Jesus, for His fullness, sooo hungry for His presence in my life…. The thing is that this is the woman I really am, who God made me to be. So if I'm not hungry it's because I'm getting fed by someone or something other than Jesus. The question is: Are you hungry?

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

Depression: The Secret Suffering

This is my weekend link up for The Red Dress Club. It's one of my favorites about depression.

Statistics show 1 in 8 women develop depression sometime in life for various reasons like stress, life experiences, hormones, and believe it or not there are women who actually have a real chemical imbalance because they have very little serotonin surging through the brain... like me.

Those of us who suffer from depression seem to carry with us a stigma that we are weak minded , that our faith is weak, that somehow, some where we have failed and we just “need to suck it up” and get right. It’s much like telling a person with high blood pressure that it’s his/her fault for having the illness.

I have adopted the belief that if I haven’t walked in someone’s shoes I try not to assume I know what they are going through. I just want the same consideration from others. Instead of assuming I have brought depression on by feeling 'sorry for myself' try to be understanding. Instead of telling us that depression is sin, try doing a little internet research and find out for yourself that depression happens to some because of a chemical imbalance. Saying this makes some of us feel embarrassed, ashamed or angry. Even if we do sometimes get depressed because of life experiences, hormones, stress, etc. try giving some love and just listen to how we feel without making us feel like we need to keep our suffering a secret. I dare to say if this hasn't happened to you it will one day.

Yes, there are many times counseling, medication, and exercise and help us move into a more enjoyable life but there are also times we need prayer and a shoulder to lean on instead of judgment.

Depression can improve or go away all together, thank you God, but in the event that it last longer than you think it should, be an encourager for your loved one or friend. Be willing to walk beside her until the dark cloud passes, urge her to get the help she needs instead of suggesting she put on a smile and be thankful for everything she’s got. If looking around at everything she had would cure her she would have done that by now. When someone is truly clinically depressed it doesn’t matter how wonderful life seems on the outside, there’s something on the inside that keeps holding her down. She can’t explain why she feels the way she feels, it’s just dark, gloom, nonfunctioning, barely existing, life.

God intends for me to serve Him and in a full state of depression I can’t do that in a way that is worthy of Him. However, if medication helps me function with a full life of peace and joy I’m thinking He’s okay with it. One day I look forward to going ahead in life without meds. but until then or "if" maybe it doesn't even happen I will live this life to the fullest. And I'll do it with a little help and understanding from my friends and family and a lot of love from my great big God.

It’s time for the secret of depression to come out of the closet. What do you think?

Does God Expect Me To Be Perfect?

Grace comes in many shapes, sizes,colors, times, places, and people. God’s grace fills the room with compassion for the one nobody else will talk to. His grace walks through the door straight over to the woman who feels judged by other women in the church. His grace will never shun the one everybody turns away from with a quick glance or two. His grace accepts people right where they are without expecting them to change before He will befriend them. His grace holds out His hand and brings the lonely, depressed, and hurting to the seat next to Him.

If I in His grace don’t give the world His love how will they ever know such a love as His? Many have such a huge misunderstanding of Him because of the judgement Christians lay on them. Jesus was living grace in action, read the book of John and see the people He sought to be with. It was the “every man”, “every woman”. It wasn’t the self-righteous Pharisees He called hypocrites, those who judged others by their own expectations.

He never expected us to be perfect and we should not expect perfection of ourselves or each other. Does this mean we need to set our standards low? No. But it does mean that because we are not perfect no matter how high we try to set the standard it will eventually fail. It is Christ who will set the standard as He works in and through us. It means we need Him and each other, and we need encouragement from one another to move on in this world. His grace is the power within us that enables us to love one another, to love Him, and to follow Him.

It is the one thing I have as a grace full woman that empowers me to reach out and go for that dream God Himself has placed in my heart. It is His grace that equips me to live for Jesus, for without it I would be living for myself. Still I have to admit there are days, that I depend on myself instead of His grace within me. Those days are defeated, unfruitful, blah days.

Thank goodness I am crucified with Christ therefore I no longer live but it is Christ who lives within me. Galatians 2:20. This is grace brought to life in me. This is the reason I can live as a Grace Full Woman.

You can too. Grace is a free gift, there’s no cost to you but the freedom you receive is worth more than you could ever imagine. Want to talk? Make a comment, ask a question or contact me at julieemoore@bellsouth.net.

© Copyright Julie E. Moore
www.juliemooreonlife.com