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This is Lori Arriaga with this weeks edition of Words for the Week Christian Podcast brought to you by Encouraging Audiobooks.

I publicly want to thank Penny for being so very patient and gracious with me while teaching me how to get things done and putting up with my rather disappointing “hiccup” last week.

While we are still meeting on Fridays for the Christian Women’s Gathering and everyone is still welcome to join us in the audio conference room, we won’t be recording them to post up on Words for the Week any more. I will instead be sharing with you short devotional thoughts God has put on my heart each week.

This weeks message is on confidence. I believe it is a timely message I myself need to address because of how my lack of confidence has surfaced lately.

This past week God sent encouragement to me on the very subject first from my sister who sent me a book by Joyce Meyer called “The Confident Woman” and then the very next day I received a CD from singer and songwriter with a song titled “I’m walking in God’s total confidence”

It has been something I struggle with, not so much in my spiritual walk with the Lord or encouraging others spiritually but more so when it comes to the business aspect of my website ministry. I tend to get intimidated easily by those who are known as experts in their field and those who seem to have it all together. I put very high expectation on myself and find it hard to see myself as knowing much because I know just how much more I still need to learn or how much I need to improve.

I believe we all struggle with not having confidence in one area or another making this a message we all can relate to. This past week I started reading The Confident Woman by Joyce Meyer and will share a few things that really helped me in regards to my lack of confidence.

First, I realized my lack of confidence was due to concentrating too much on my weaknesses lately rather then my strengths. Confident people concentrate on their strengths while delegating those things that are their weaknesses.

Next, I learned that even while I feel like I’m in over my head sometimes while trying new things or taking a risk I can still feel confident because I am secure in who God made me.

Last, I realized that when I am not confident in who I am, I am actually rejecting myself and how God has made me. I’ve always thought I accepted myself and who God has made me but I realize now I don’t when I start comparing myself or being envious of others wishing I had the gifts and talents they have.

Our confidence in who God has made us to be is what gives us permission to be different and unique and to keep getting up and moving forward even after we fail.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. - Jeremiah 17:7

Before we end with a song I invite you to attend our upcoming online Virtuous Women’s Retreat October 24^th-25th where you will receive lots of inspiration, fellowship and fun. Visit the website at: www.christianwomensresources.com for more information. Have a wonderful week full of God’s blessings.

Listen to “I’m walking in God’s total confidence” by Jacquelene Dyles Peters.

This is Lori Arriaga signing off now of this edition of Words for the Week, sponsored by Encouraging Audio Books.

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Since we've had a hiccup in this week's Christian Podcast audio recording, I'm putting up a special recording of scriptures mixed with music to help encourage you.

Please share it with whoever you think can be encouraged. There is no advertising, no promoting - it doesn't even say who created it. It's my way of sowing into the lives of those who are hurting, as I and many others have hurt before.

Be blessed and have a great week!

Penny Haynes

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This is Penny Haynes and Lori Arriaga with this weeks Words for the Week, a Christian podcast. Bringing you our Christian Women’s Gathering, a place where women can come together in fellowship and be transparent with one another, sharing our trials and victories, sharing the Word and lifting each other up in prayer in order to give hope and encouragement to one another. There is something so wonderful about hearing how God is working in another person’s life and knowing that we are not alone in our struggles, giving us the strength we sometimes need to go on and become the virtuous women God has called us to be.

Today I talked about the need for more worship in my life with music which was inspired by our last gathering when Penny forwarded her ministry music to me she used to do.

Although I consider my prayer life to be a form of worship in my life, I feel a need to have some worship in my life that isn’t so controlled as it is in prayer where I lay out my requests to God for what I desire. With music you are more apt to let go and allow God and the Holy Spirit to move in your heart however he wishes.

Penny agreed saying worship with music is a time where we can forget about ourselves. She was reminded of when she attended Max Lucado’s church where he said something she would never forget. That worship is an act of recalibrating our spirits. Most of the time, we are in the center of our world and we are on the throne. Worship takes us off the throne and puts God back on the throne, the way it should be with God in the center.

I believe God put it on my heart because of my reserved nature. I worry about what I sound and look like around others when it comes to worship with music. Not allowing God to be the one on the throne even though I feel like everything inside of me wants to let go.

Unlike me, worship comes very easy and natural for Penny. She reminded me how worship is not really music or singing but is an act of service or giving yourself up to God acknowledging His power and presence. I agreed in what she was saying and believe many things I do is an act of worship but I really would love to be able to worship God through music and song. There is just something different about that form of worship.

Penny stated the emotional factor associated with music tends to release our emotions and is more socially acceptable but If your not used to expressing yourself through your emotions with moving around, raising your hands or dancing, or you attend a more reserved congregation, then those kinds of external pressures will indeed squash the leadings of the holy spirit and your body and soul moving to the music.

She suggested the best thing for me to do to put on some praise and worship music is when there is nobody else around and to just let myself go in the presence of the Lord. Then once I get comfortable with myself, it will become easier to be comfortable around others in praise and worship.

Worship also has nothing to do with talent and not even the music because you can have absolutely no musical talent and still be worshiping God with every fiber of your being.

There is two ways to worship, with familiar and with unfamiliar music.

Worshiping to familiar music allows you to not focus on the words but to just enter into Gods presence of God to release your spirit and communicate to God.

Unfamiliar original music is also very good to listen to. Sometimes the words to a new song can catch you off guard where it will grasp your heart and break down your barriers in such a way that sometimes you could just drop to your knees right then and there. This can make a great impression on your heart and be a catalyst in your life for change.

This week Penny needed to rest while because she was sick but felt a great sense of peace that she hadn’t felt for a while when it came to her business. Even though she had much work to do and would miss out on a paycheck from not working she felt at peace. Normally this would have freaked her out but she totally believes she is in the center of Gods will and that what she is doing in her business is making enough money to cover things. God showed Penny she can stop and relax when needed.

The Fall always is the best time of year for her because it brings back great memories of when her and her husband co-pastored the singles together which also helped to heal her broken spirit.

Another thing God did for Penny this past week was give her a resolve about the direction to go with her business which she felt great anguish about before. She was given a resolve with who she is trying to reach and what it is she is trying to do. No longer feeling the need to do things she doesn’t have the desire to do even if others expect it of her or think less of her in her industry.

Her counselor confirmed what she has been feeling when he shared how people used to tell him “why don’t you write books or do speaking engagements”. He basically said the real joy for him was in helping his patients, not in getting recognition from his colleagues. It was a huge thing for Penny to be able to let go of other peoples expectations of her and let her be about what God has called her to be and about her business.

God has since blessed Penny even more on a project she is doing pre-sales on and has received fabulous responses and connected with another woman who may have opened a huge door for her business. We then discussed how this peace she has felt this past week didn’t come without intense anguish first. But at this moment she is very content with her life, although things aren’t perfect. She can rest in the sure knowledge that God is leading and in control. It makes up for all the garbage you have to go through sometimes.

The Fall on the other hand for me, causes me to struggle in many ways. I like the Fall in one sense of getting on a schedule for the school year but the colder, darker and shorter days makes it harder for me to get moving in the mornings and evenings in order to accomplish anything.

The lack of sunshine and our environment can and does affect people to the point of even getting very depressed. There are certain vitamins we receive from the sun and when we don’t get as much sunshine we lack these vitamins, causing us to not function as well during this time of the year. Christians don’t always feel great and aren’t always “happy-clappy” as Penny put it. The difference is that Christians have a lot more help from the outside and inside.

A scripture that encouraged me this past week was John 14:12-13 – I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father, and I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

In the old testament and when Jesus walked this earth, his spirit was with us but once He went to be with the Father, His spirit now lives in us, giving us great power to do even greater things then he did when done in his power, according to his word and in his name because there are so many more vessels he can work through.

God wants us to do and experience great things in our lives but even after a mountain top experience where we have done something we feel good about and worked within our gifts, we still can have down times just as Elijah did right after God rained down fire for him on the prophets of Baal. It is something we need to continually work towards is finding that place of trust and peace in God in all areas of our lives. Just because we have it in one area it isn’t necessarily going to reflect in other areas of our lives.

It is also very encouraging to know that we are not alone and we are all a part of something so much bigger then ourselves. We all have different gifts to enjoy and appreciate. Which is all part of the bigger plan we are a part of.

It’s always encouraging to remember we are not alone in our struggles and we hope that our Christian Women’s Gathering is an encouraging place where women can come together and help one another by sharing our struggles and our victories with another, giving a Word from the Lord and lifting each other up in prayer.

Before ending in prayer, Penny requested we pray a specific prayer for her family and a friend of her son. Last year her son mentioned a friend of his who is alienated from his family and classmates in school had said he became a Wicken. He dismissed it thinking it was just a way for him to try to connect with others.

This year he started wearing black and drawing all over his arms. When he came over to their house Penny’s husband mentioned to the friend that the pentagram on his arm was Satanic but the boy said no it’s Wicken and people get that confused. Her husband was pretty agitated and went into his room. He turned on the TV and there was a special on Discovery about death metal music, Wickens and pentagrams.

Penny thought that was strange enough but what she and her son were not aware of until later was what her husband encountered during the day. They have rental houses and the previous two boys who rented the place trashed the place. When her husband was showing the place to a woman interested in the grounds, the woman said the previous renters were Wicken because she found a stone with a pentagram painted on it and they found knives were thrown at the walls and property. Before they left they prayed over the property.

So when he came home and saw his son’s friends arm with a pentagram on it and then turned on the TV with the TV special about Wickens and pentagrams, he became even more agitated. Penny and her family are taking it very seriously now and believe that God is really very concerned for this boy and not to dismiss it. She requests that prayers be lifted up for guidance on how to handle this and reach this friend of their son without lecturing him.

We invite anyone who is interested in joining our Christian women’s gathering to go to the audio conference room held each Friday’s at 9:00 am CST / 10:00 am EST. We look forward to meeting you and encouraging one another in the Lord.

This is Penny Haynes and Lori Arriaga wishing you a wonderful week full of God’s blessings.

Sponsored by Encouraging Audio Books and Christian Women’s Resources.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Penny Haynes and Lori Arriaga share with you in this weeks Words for the Week, the Christian Podcast what we call our Christian Women’s Gathering where we can be transparent with one another by sharing our struggles and our victories in order to encourage, share a word from the Lord and pray for one another and to inspire us to be the virtuous women God calls us to be.

We talked last week about how God impressed on my heart to be more intense and persevering in my prayers which weighed heavily on my heart especially when it came to my husband with the loss of his brother. This week I was more diligent and persevering in my prayers and even though this was a very busy week being the first week of home schooling, He lightened my spirit. It’s amazing how praying to God helps us to rely on Him and when we do He lightens up our spirit within us. Since He lightened up my spirit, I was then able to pray believing that He will answer my prayers on behalf of my husband and others. God is so good, He has already begun to answer my prayers and work in my husband’s heart to lighten up his spirit also in regards to his brother’s death.

Penny on the other hand struggles more in believing the prayers for herself will be answered because of an incorrect view of God which she shared in last weeks Words for the Week. She was inspired to find a Word from the scriptures to help her change her view of God and He gave her a couple scriptures of His character that she has placed on her computer and PDA as reminders of his love for her.. One of the scriptures that provided her comfort was Isaiah 49:15 NIV - “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

I shared one of my favorite scriptures that also reflects Gods nature and has always helped me through the trials in my life since becoming a Christian. It is Psalm 62:5-8 - “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

After hearing the scripture I shared, Penny began to wonder if somehow the Lord is trying to tell her to get back into music and ministry because she had put that exact scripture to music some ten years ago and then a pastor had also reminded her of her music ministry some ten years ago and how she did it not for the title or recognition but because she loved to do it and has gotten away from it since leaving the church where she was hurt by those in authority. Penny has asked that I go ahead and add the Psalm she put to music and if anyone is interested in being encouraged by her music, she will post a link where she has saved around 90 minutes of music and ministry.

Along with God working on my heart about being more diligent and persevering in my prayers, He has also helped me to make it more of a lifestyle rather then sitting down for an extended period of time to pray, although that is good also. Since I struggle with keeping my mind focused while praying, it helps for me to send up prayers all day long while in the midst of my day. Another thing that has really helped my prayer life and which I love to do is pray the scriptures because it gives me confidence my prayers will be answered since I know I am praying for the will of God in my life. I would also meditate on scriptures and some for months at a time in order to change my views on things and see things as God does. Not until God changed my view would I begin to meditate on another scripture. As I meditated on the scriptures, it then made it much easier for me to memorize them, which helped me to plant the Word of God in my heart.

Penny would like to get back to memorizing scripture herself and feeding her spirit man in order to replace all the bad tapes playing in her mind. She was encouraged at what I was saying because it reminded her that when she feels at a loss, all she needs to do is find a scripture that deals with the subject that she is struggling with or thinking about and pray and meditate on that so she doesn’t have to force or fake feelings or emotions. Being more assured and confident of His listening since she is praying His Word. She asked for some accountability which we all need it at times in order to help her get back to feeding her spiritual man like she used to. One good thing in her spiritual walk is that God has given her a song for the first time in a long time and is thinking this might be the beginning of her healing.

I have agreed to send her a word for the week from the scriptures that will help her get a correct view of who God is and how much he cares for and loves her. She hopes that by taking these baby steps she will begin to focus on just one scripture at a time to meditate on the whole week so the Lord can minister to her through the Word of God.

We ended in prayer and I added Penny’s beautiful music she did some ten years ago based on Psalm 62 about God being our refuge.

Again, if anyone is interested in joining us, we’d love to have you and so we invite you to go to www.audioconferenceroom.com every Friday at 9:00 am CST /10:00 am EST to give and receive encouragement to one another as women.

This is Lori Arriaga and Penny Haynes with this weeks Words for the Week wishing you a wonderful week full of God’s blessings.

Sponsored by Christian Women’s Resources and Encouraging Audio Books.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Penny and I at Words for the Week, the Christian Podcast started the Virtuous Women's Gathering as a way for us to take a break and meet and discuss real issues that we have come across at one time or another in hopes of building a great friendship in the Lord. We also hope to inspire one another to a deeper walk with God by being real and sharing our struggles, victories, a word of encouragement from the scriptures and our experiences, and to pray for one another.

We'd like to share our first meeting with Words for the Week about some real issues we have had in the past and currently some that we still struggle with. We ended with a time to lift each other and our families in prayer and a word of encouragement: Mark 11:24 "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours".

Do you struggle with a wrong view of yourself and have a hard time seeing yourself as God does, as the precious child of God who loves you unconditionally?

Have you been hurt by the church, those in authority and/or another fellow Christian?

Do you struggle with having the discipline to pray and read the Word of God?

Do you struggle with doubt and believing God will answer your prayers?

Do you have a victory story to share with others about a struggle in your roles as a wife, mother, homemaker and work at home mom in order to give hope and encouragement to others?

Do you feel God calling you to more intense, perservering prayer in your life? Is He calling you to intercessory prayer?

Let's gather together in order to give hope and encouragement to one another and let our experiences be used for God's glory.

If any of you listening to Words for the Week can relate to any of the above struggles we shared or if you have other trials or victories to share and would like to give or receive hope and encouragement for your walk with God, and want to pray for one another, we offer you an open ivitation to join us for our Virtuous Women's Gathering that we have each Friday at 10:00 am EST, 9:00 am CST at http://www.AudioConferenceRoom.com.

Until next week, this is Lori Arriaga of Christian Womens Resources and the Virtuous Women's Retreat.

For more inspirational and faith building audios, go to http://www.EncouragingAudiobooks.com.

Hi, my name is Lori Arriaga of Christian Women's Resources. I will be hosting Words for the Week for Penny from here on out and hope to bring you lots of inspiration as well. I wanted to start by sharing with you a little bit about myself and what has been the greatest thing I have learned since becoming a Christian.

For more inspirational and faith building audios, go to http://www.EncouragingAudiobooks.com.