Women World Leaders' Podcast

Worship is so much more than a 90-minute experience on Sunday mornings. And while it's good to recount all the wonderful things God has done on our behalf and express our gratitude, we should never forget to praise Him simply for Who He is. Join Julie Harwick for this beautiful teaching.

Seeking to put Christ first in friendships and relationships can be quite the challenge. It's not always easy to navigate.  Join Tewannah Aman as she shares how the truth of God's Word enabled her to do relationships His Way.

Redemption and restoration are two words that describe Jeanne Roberson's story. After a very conflicted childhood, being a trafficked teen, and living a life of stripping, alcoholism, and turmoil, God redeemed her. Today, Jeanne is a speaker, a TV, film, and theater actress, an author, and a human trafficking advocate who speaks out and shares her story openly of how God can restore what the locusts have eaten. She shares that redemption was a key component of God never letting go of her.

The concept of thankfulness can be found nearly 200 times throughout the Bible. The Apostle Paul brought it up more than 40 times in his letters alone. Join Julie Harwich as she considers how having an “attitude of gratitude” effectively battles disappointment, envy, depression, and negative thinking. This is a powerful and important teaching!

Do you ever wonder why you are where you are at this very moment in time? Do you ever think your life is not happenstance, but you still feel so unprepared for some of the things you encounter? Well, guess what? God is not an incidental God. He is the God who positions and postures us for the collision of purpose and destiny. Be encouraged to know that wherever you are in this season of your life, God has intentionally Positioned and Postured you because you are the woman for the job. You paid a cost to be here...embrace your position!

Many  have struggled with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy, wondering if God could redeem what they have gone through.  Join Tewannah Aman as she encourages us to look to Jesus for our confidence so that He can do great and mighty things in and through us. 

Learn with host Robin Kirby-Gatto how your mountains can be flattened as you grow strong in spirit. The grace of God is made known within the soul as you face your obstacles and take hold of leadership opportunities.

After her son was thrown from the 3rd-floor balcony at the famous Mall of America, Kari Hoffmann went right to her only source of perfect help—GOD!   Hear this gripping, inspirational survival story and be awed by the beautiful peace God showered down during this tragic event. God was with Kari as she screamed to Him for help, and He was with her son, Landen, through the entire journey, bringing His healing. Be inspired as you are reminded of God's nearness to and love for His children as you listen to Kari tell about their Miracle at the Mall. 

Join Dr. Jia Richardson as she unpacks the power of prayer. What does your prayer life look like? Is it one of prayer power or preying power? The power of prayer is not a cliche. Praying, instead of preying, is ammunition for transformation.

What does it take to leave a mark on the world that will impact the people we encounter for eternity? How should we live today to ensure that in the end we will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant?” Join Julie Harwick as she gives tribute to two beautiful women of God and challenges us to live well for Jesus.

It's not always easy to love people like Jesus does. Join Tewannah Aman as she tells how God transformed her heart and mind, enabling her to see others through the eyes of Jesus, bringing healing and restoration to a number of relationships.

God's promises are true and unfailing. In a world where there is truth and deception, good and evil, nothing is impossible for God.   In today's podcast interview, Dustina Abbott shares her story of learning to wait for God's faithfulness and promise. Although the toil and trials of her life set in hard, and she became angry at God, He pursued her. His promises and faithful love to her carried her safely to a newfound peace on the other side of doubt, discouragement, and resentment.    God's promises are for each of us.

Guess what? Dr. Jia Richardson has good news for you today! The dress rehearsal is over, the script has been read, and you know the lines. You have mastered this part all of your life, and now “It's Your Turn!” God is calling forth His daughters to rise now. There is no more wading in the waiting, your time is now. Would God's daughters please come forth? “It's Your Turn!”

As humans, we struggle to understand and comprehend God's grace and its meaning in our lives. An obscure biblical character has a lot to teach us about the subject and how we are to receive and live in God's grace. Grow in grace as Julie Harwick presents this beautiful teaching.

Walk with Tewannah Aman as she shares the negative influences that created a shame-based identity in her life.  See how God's Word brought healing and restoration to her soul, enabling her to embrace her true identity in Christ.

Healing from past wounds can sometimes take a lifetime. Today's guest, Lori Nolan, author of The Balanced Life Method. shares her story of past trauma and her process of an inner healing journey with God.   Rooted in a commitment to faith, Lori inspires people to reclaim their health through healing with God in order to bring about a renewed sense of purpose for their life.

We've seen that body image can easily become an idol in our lives and breaking free from diet culture and wrong thinking doesn't come naturally.  In Julie Harwick's final podcast on the topic of body image, we'll explore how to view our bodies and our health from God's perspective and allow Him to lead us to the balance and peace we long for.  

There are so many things around us that appear to be God and His nature. Yet, The One True God is distinct and unmatched. He is a promise keeper and waymaker. It is important that we never forget the nature of The One True God and how He shows up for us and in us. Once you know, YOU KNOW! Go on and rejoice now!! The One True God!

We all have areas in our lives that need to be refined. That will sometimes require us to lovingly correct an individual or to face being corrected. Join Tewannah Aman as she shares what God's Word says about the importance of sharpening each other so we become more like Christ.  

We say we believe God's Word, but when it conflicts with the culture around us, we don't always act like true believers. In the second podcast of Julie Harwicks's series on body image, we examine the lies we have believed and the struggle that can result from replacing them with God's truth.  *** Welcome to Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God's grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world.  Whether we're scrolling through Facebook, YouTube or Instagram, we can always count on being offered a video, based on science of course, that will reveal the magic solution to lasting weight loss, a flat stomach, sag-free arms or a total facelift without surgery.  This person has struggled with the very same issues and it motivated him or her to pour everything into finding the answer. And now, they want nothing more than to share it with you and it's unlike anything you've seen before.  For the next 20-25 minutes, this innovator will describe in detail the problem and everything you've done in an attempt to fix it.  Sadly, none of it has worked.  You're almost shouting at the screen, “Yes! Yes!  That's exactly me!  This guy (or lady) really gets me!” There are charts and studies showing how this product or system has ingredients in a precise combination no one ever thought to try before.  Before you know it, you realize that at least 20 minutes have passed, but you still don't really know what the solution is.  By now, you've invested so much time, you'd hate to have it be for nothing, so you click on the link to learn more.  But rather than getting answers to your questions, you are offered a subscription plan that will save you a lot of money and have you looking and feeling your best in no time. I have wasted countless hours on this whole process.  And when I come to my senses, I always get a mental image of Wayne and Garth of SNL's Wayne's World making fish lips and mocking me with their “fished in” bit. I feel like a fool and yet it doesn't keep me from falling for it again and again.  I know there is no magic bullet and yet I so desperately want one. What is it that makes us so susceptible to these lies? I say “us,” because I know I'm not alone in this weakness.  Consumers spend approximately 70 billion dollars each year on diets, exercise programs and the associated products.  In fact, it's estimated that on average, each of us will spend more than $112,000 on it during our lifetimes.  What is euphemistically referred to as “health and fitness” is actually an industry…an industry based on an even more pervasive culture. Diet culture is the term used to describe the overall system of beliefs that equates thinness to health and moral virtue. It demonizes certain ways of eating and elevates others.  And I, along with millions just like me, have embraced it without question.  I don't know who originally coined this phrase, but it has been my mantra for years.  “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.” Let me say it again in case you missed it.  “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.”  That elusive “feeling” of thinness is a powerful motivator.  I've experienced it at times and I have to admit, it feels good.  Really good!  At least, my flesh tells me it does.  My head tells me it's another lie of Satan, but my heart still struggles to accept and internalize what I know God is saying. I have literally spent decades fully immersed in diet culture.  As I shared with you last time, I went on my first diet and exercise program at 13.  No one specifically told me to do it, but after looking through a teen magazine and noticing that I wasn't as slim as the girls I saw on the pages, I knew I had to do something.  For me, diet culture made sense and it made me feel like I was in control and could hold my head up high as long as I was doing the right things.  To be honest, the moral virtue part of that culture motivated me as much as the control aspect.  I was capable of denying myself…for my own good.  Of course it took self-control to limit my intake of the foods I really loved.  And sometimes I had to force myself to eat what I wasn't so crazy about because it was the better choice.  When I was out of breath and sweaty, I could push myself to do one more lap.  I was master of my body and it would submit to my will.  In my teens, twenties and thirties that's what it took to stay in control of my weight and I was proud of myself for the achievement.  When I attended my 20th high school reunion just four months after giving birth, I felt pretty good about how I looked. I secretly judged some of my former classmates who clearly hadn't practiced the same discipline.  In my mind, most of the people who didn't look as good as they had in high school, probably just didn't care enough to put in the effort and sacrifice.  I patted myself on the back and vowed to never “let myself go.”  My hubris caught up with me though as I entered my forties and basic self-discipline no longer gave me the results I was looking for.  But rather than acknowledging that maybe body shape wasn't a true measure of self-discipline and character - and that perhaps I had believed a lie, I just dug in harder.  Diet culture was full of experts advising women over 40 or 50 or 60 what special changes they had to make in order to stay young and thin. Getting older just meant you had to work a little harder and smarter. So I did what it took.  And it took a lot more than what I had been doing.  It took 5 days a week of serious workouts: weight training, step aerobics, kickboxing, spin classes that I hated, boot camps, high-intensity interval training, Pilates and barre. It required measuring or weighing my portions and tracking every calorie, carb, fat and protein that I consumed. No one said I was crazy for going to these extremes, they were impressed by my level of commitment and complimented my appearance.  Even though all the things I was doing to keep my body looking like I thought it should look took so much time and energy, I never considered that I was exhibiting all the hallmarks of obsession.  Based on what I saw in the women working out with me, my friends and acquaintances, everything I saw on TV or read on social media, this was completely normal. ...

Even if we walk away from God and His Word, He rescues us as His children and brings us back to Himself. Today's interview is about TRUST.   Mel Mason shares Her "trust" story of how God restored her life when it was in shambles. God led her to a new beginning and a new life in Christ by releasing her "control" to God and trusting Him to take over.

In a world where we compete to "BE" for everything and "everyone," sometimes we need to be reminded as God's daughters, that we are HIS CHOICE! Join Dr. Jia for this empowering and inspirational message.

As women we face tremendous pressure from society to look a certain way. Our culture compels us to go all in, pursuing youth, beauty and fitness with everything that we have.  But isn't that the kind of single-minded focus that should be reserved for God alone? Join host Julie Harwick as she explores this important topic. **** Welcome to Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God's grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world. They say confession is good for the soul.  And the Bible tells us in the book of James that we should confess our sins one to another.  God has been convicting me heavily in recent weeks and months, so I'll come clean and make my confession.  I have been worshipping an idol, not of wood or stone, but an image, just the same…the image I see in the mirror. I have devoted innumerable hours to grooming and looking at that image, thinking about how I could make it look better, thinner, younger, reading anything that might help me in that pursuit, altering what I eat, when I eat, how I exercise and how I dress.  I've sacrificed financially to pay for diet plans, gym memberships and beauty products that claim to eliminate wrinkles or just make me look better. I tried to convince myself that these efforts were directed at caring for the temple that God gave me.  After all, He says in 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you.”  But the truth is that such justification would be taking the verse out of context and ignoring the remainder of it, which says, “You are not your own. For you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body.” All the thoughts I was dwelling on, the actions I was taking, the money I was spending…it wasn't to glorify God.  It was to glorify me. I seriously doubt that there's a woman alive, and not a whole lot of men either, who can't identify at all with what I'm talking about.  But just in case you don't recognize anything like this in yourself, let me explain how I got here.  I had loving, supportive parents, no childhood traumas; and yet, I began thinking about how my appearance compared to other girls my age in elementary school.  I remember getting a pamphlet in gym class about health and nutrition and it showed how much a girl should weigh according to her height.  I dug it out and referred to it time and again over the years to see if I was where I should be.  I went through a “chubby stage” when I was about 10 and had the misfortune of having a naturally slender cousin exactly my age.  At family gatherings, people who hadn't seen us for a while noticed the differences.  One uncle actually gave us the nicknames of “Chubby” and “Slim.”  When puberty hit at age 11, the chubbiness disappeared without any effort on my part.  While I was thrilled with my thinner frame, I had a whole new set of concerns. Once again, I wasn't like the other girls my age.  I needed a bra and deodorant and when my friends found out, they teased me about it. I spent all of fifth grade desperately trying to hide my developing figure and hoping that it would begin to happen to the girls around me…and soon!    The summer before 8th grade, something made me think that I could stand to lose some weight. It's entirely possible that I came to that conclusion after thumbing through my older sister's teen magazine, “Seventeen “ which was full of articles and tips on diet and exercise.  As much as I hated running, I forced myself to run around our circular driveway 13 times each day – the equivalent of a mile.  When I got hungry between meals, I ate raw cucumbers, a whole cucumber at a time, right out of our garden.  I managed to maintain the appropriate weight, according to that pamphlet I got in elementary school, all through high school, but I was still self-conscious about having heavier legs.  When I was wearing shorts and sitting next to my boyfriend at age 16, I remember noticing that his legs were thinner than mine.  That began a lifelong quest to somehow make them smaller. Each new life change offered a new challenge to keep my body looking the way I wanted it to look.  When I went away to college, cafeteria food caused me to put on a few pounds, so I added more exercise and a diet.  When I got married, I unconsciously began eating just as much as my husband, who was twice my size, and once again the number on the scale went up.  I started counting calories and intensifying my workouts.  When I got pregnant with twins I didn't allow myself to eat for three and I walked for exercise every day without fail.  Because of my work situation, I didn't want my boss to know I was pregnant and I took great pride in being able to hide the pregnancy for the first five months.  But my pride balloon popped in my eighth month when I became so big, I couldn't even fit into my husband's  large-sized t-shirts.   I was so relieved when my girls were born and I dropped 30 lbs. in one day.  But those good feelings were dashed when on the very day I left the hospital someone asked when I was due. I was constantly comparing myself to other women and scrutinizing my image in the mirror. When my weight was up, I would sometimes try on three different outfits  before I could find one that I thought was acceptable.  When I was losing weight, I could spend an hour trying on clothes that had been too tight – just to see how well I was doing.  The smaller the size, the more of a high I experienced. My self-esteem was directly related to how my clothes fit. As I moved into my forties, the methods that had always enabled me to control my body size stopped working as well as they used to. I had to work harder at it.  I got a gym membership and started lifting heavier.  I tried diet after diet looking for the one that would finally get me to a weight that would make me pleased with what I saw in the mirror. With a medically supervised diet, I was able to make it a pound or two below my goal, and for a while, I was really happy with myself.  It was impossible to maintain though and over a period of years, I gradually put back all that I had lost. By this point in my story, you're either really identifying with what I've experienced or you're thinking I'm crazy.  I suspect most of you can relate though because according to some studies, approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting in an attempt to achieve their ideal body shape.  Studies also show that only 5% of women naturally possess the body shape that matches the ideal we see portrayed in the media.  It's interesting to note that even  within that lucky 5%, there are many who are struggling right along with the rest of us. Frontiers in Psychiatry released a study of international fashion models which revealed that body image disorder-like symptoms were expressed by 63% of them.  It seems even among the most sought-after body types, many have bought into the lie that you can never be too thin. And that study confirms a deeper truth that we need to come to terms with.  If you're looking at a number on the scale or measuring tape to make you feel at peace with your appearance, you'll never get there.  If you manage to reach the self-imposed finish line, you'll find that it's been extended…just beyond your reach. It's a moving target that many of us spend a lifetime trying to hit with no real success. External improvements never seem to truly satisfy. Just ask the myriads of cosmetic surgery veterans who are going back under the knife for “just a little more work.” Although I've been describing my efforts to lose weight or maintain the perfect weight, that was only one aspect of my idolatry. Being thin wasn't enough.  I also had to be put together at all times, with perfect hair, manicured nails and full makeup.  I wouldn't be seen in public any other way.  Even with three small children and a fourth on the way, I wouldn't be caught dead at the bus stop each morning without being fully dressed and looking my best. As the years progressed, a whole new concern began to demand my attention.  How was I going to maintain my youthful appearance?  I wasn't satisfied to look my current age  – I needed to look at least 10 years younger. How could I keep the wrinkles at bay?  Was my wardrobe current with the latest trends, or did it make me look frumpy and out of date?  Because I had children later in life, people often assumed I was younger because of my children's age.  I was happy to let them think that and rarely disclosed my true age. These concerns about my appearance have dominated my thoughts and actions for decades.  They've kept me from enjoying a lot of delicious food, from getting my hair wet at the beach or the pool, from just throwing on a t-shirt and jeans at the last minute so I can respond quickly to joining in what my family wants to do…from being vulnerable and real with my sisters in Christ who may be struggling with their own self-esteem.  In fact, my attitudes have propagated the notion that women are defined by their size and outward appearance and that we are all engaged in a life-long beauty pageant where winning means leaving your competitors feeling utterly defeated. And what's more, I have unwittingly set a very poor example for my three daughters.  I grew up in a time when we were becoming aware of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, so I was very careful to avoid criticizing my girls' weight or body shape or suggesting that they diet or exercise to lose weight.  But what I didn't realize was that they were learning about body image by watching me and listening to what I said about myself.  Though none of it was directed at them, they watched me try diet after diet, talk with my friends about needing to lose weight, and refuse to eat certain things because they were bad, or fattening.  They heard me talk about my fat legs and what would happen to me if I ate a whole bowl of pasta and that I needed to lose weight before we went on vacation so that I could enjoy myself.  There's a term for the kind of example I set.  It's called “the ripple effect,” because although each incident seems so small and insignificant, just like dropping a stone in a body of water, those comments or behaviors leave an impact that reaches so much farther – just like the ripples that result from the stone.  Studies have shown that girls as young as 5 understand what dieting is and can talk about it knowledgeably because of what they've heard from their mothers. They also confirm that girls who hear their moms talk negatively about their own bodies or label foods as good or bad, or observe them engaging in excessive exercise can develop body image issues themselves. That's not to say that if your daughter develops body image issues it's all your fault.  They get plenty of negative input from their peers, our culture in general and especially social media.  It's extremely difficult to protect them from the terrible messages about their value in society, but at least we have the opportunity to avoid contributing to it and could possibly demonstrate a more balanced approach. Even though the people around me may have been unaware of my extreme focus on my outward appearance, it has affected my family, my friends, the women I've interacted with and my own self-image.  But the most devastating impact has been on my relationship with God.  I have known and walked with Him personally through all of it, but I never saw it as the idol it was.  I would never have said that I valued my outward appearance above my walk with God, but my behavior and thought life indicated something else. Not only did I devote more time and energy to maintaining and improving my exterior than I did my interior, but I didn't act in accordance with what I claimed to believe about Him.  I said He was the most important thing in my life, but I spent a lot more time worrying about impressing the people around me, than I did about impressing Him.  I said I believed every word in the Bible was true and I would base my life on it, but when He said I was “wonderfully made,” I said I had fat thighs, cankles and was too short.   Even though Proverbs 31 says, “ Charm can be deceptive and beauty doesn't last, but a woman who reverences God shall be greatly praised,” my actions showed that I actually valued fading beauty over reverence for God.   I was familiar with 1 Peter 3 which warned, “Your adornment must not be merely external – braiding the hair and wearing gold jewelry or putting on dresses, but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”  And yet, I continued to focus on all the externals more than developing my inner spirit – something that God would view as “precious.”  Like the Pharisees that Jesus spoke of so harshly, I worried about the outside of the cup, making sure it was clean and shiny, while the inside, which is what really matters, was hardly as well cared for. These realizations have taken some time and a lot of self-reflection. I've confessed my failures and asked His forgiveness, but making the necessary changes is a daunting prospect.  How do I change the way I've been thinking and talking about myself for decades?  How do I find the balance between being healthy and being obsessed?  How do I present myself to the world in a way that will bring glory to God instead of me?  It will take much more time to answer these questions and to learn new ways of thinking and acting.  Such deeply ingrained habits will not change overnight, but I'm committed to beginning the journey and allowing God to transform me in these areas as He sees fit. If you see yourself in any of this, I challenge you to consider beginning this journey too.  By simply googling Christian body image blogs or podcasts, you'll find a wealth of helpful information, spiritual guidance and support.  And I would like to continue to share what God is teaching me through this process in future podcasts. God made it clear when He gave the Law to Moses that we should place nothing above Him.  Most of us have no issues with being tempted to worship another god, but good and necessary things like taking care of ourselves, our children or loved ones or building a career can easily find their way to the thrones of our hearts where only He belongs. Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast!  Join us each week as we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders .  All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without written consent.

Are you self-conscious of who you are and where you came from? Join Tewannah Aman as she reminds us that, In Christ,  we are daughters of the King. You have been chosen by God to do great things!

Please join us as Crista Albritton Meadows shares her restoration story.    As an RN case director for 25 years, teacher of Inner Healing, minister, and a woman who empowers others to walk with Jesus, Crista vulnerably shares how her shattered marriage crippled her with a broken heart and how God miraculously brought her to full restoration.   God restored Crista in a way we would not expect. The teaching through Crista's story sheds light on how we can each be restored through God's power.

Sometimes life can make us feel as if we are on the outside of our very own lives, EXILED, trying to get to the EXODUS. Yet, the word of God encourages us to know that He is a known God and is always ready to shift us from the place of EXILE INTO OUR EXODUS. God is the God that delivers, and we just have to be positioned and postured for His deliverance. Be encouraged to know that God is waiting for us to enter into the EXODUS of His love, grace, and mercy! 

We all come into this world with a very strong sense of self: "Feed me!" "Change me!" "Hold me!" We are unaware that the people around us have any concerns beyond meeting our demands. As we grow, we begin to learn that everything doesn't revolve around us and our needs and wants.  But a part of us, deep within, will always struggle to accept that truth. Join Julie Harwick for today's teaching.

We have all struggled with wanting to make people happy. Many of us have not done a good job of drawing healthy boundary lines. Join Tewannah Aman as she shares what Scripture says about dealing with these challenging and difficult situations. We don't have to accept unhealthy and toxic behavior. The goal is to  make sure our relationships please and honor our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Join Janet Harllee, host of Faith in an Ever-Changing World, as she hosts Dana Cryer, Kimberly Hobbs, and Julie Jenkins about their best-selling book, Who Is Able? The Dana Louise Cryer Story.  Learn the back-story of how God orchestrated the writing of this book, which shares Dana's true story of being kidnapped at the tender age of five. The book can be purchased on Amazon or at World Publishing and Productions.  

The world sees the devil as a red cartoon character with horns and a pitchfork encouraging people to do the wrong, but very appealing thing. The Bible describes a being far more sinister and destructive. We must know the enemy of our souls if we are to resist his plan to steal, kill, and destroy. *** Welcome to Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God's grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world. Last month, in the flurry of new Christmas movies, one in particular caught my attention.  “Dear Santa,” starring Jack Black, featured a clever premise of a dyslexic middle schooler intending to send a letter to Santa, but mixing up the letters and instead sending his Christmas wish list to Satan.  While I can see the humor in mixing up the letters in the names of two polar opposite characters, that's where the humor ends for me.   Leave it to the Prince of Darkness to use the celebration of Jesus' birth as an occasion to sell the deception that he's a harmless, fun-loving prankster who can ensure you have a great life here and now…if not in the hereafter.  I didn't watch the movie, but I read about it enough to learn that Jack Black's character is only masquerading as Satan, and is instead a failed demon, trying to regain Lucifer's favor by getting the 6th grader to sell his soul in exchange for three granted wishes.  According to plot descriptions, the movie portrays Satan himself in an unfavorable light, but apparently Jack Black's demon is compassionate, funny, and a good guy at heart.  It's not hard to see where the inspiration for this movie came from – the father of lies himself. A Gallup poll from 2023 revealed that of five spiritual entities: God, angels, heaven, hell, and the devil, the fewest believed in Satan. Only 58% of those polled said they believe he actually exists. It's likely that when they were questioned, their minds conjured up the red, pitchfork-wielding, horned character usually seen at Halloween parties and on cans of deviled ham.  I can understand why people don't believe in that, and Satan has worked hard to associate that image with his name.  Who's afraid, or even concerned about a fantastical being who's half human and half goat with a spear-like tail and villainous facial hair? In that old trope of an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil on the other, the devil is always the most appealing of the two.  Using shame or fear, the angel reminds us of what we should do, while the cute little devil on the other shoulder encourages us to indulge and have a good time. The Bible has a lot to say about Satan and paints a far different picture from the images most people are familiar with.  So, who is Satan and where did he come from?  From passages in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 we learn that he was a being created by God to be a perfect reflection of His glory. His original name was Lucifer, meaning one who brings light. Ezekiel refers to him as a guardian cherub and says he was blameless from the day he was created until unrighteousness was found in him.  Verse 17 of Ezekiel 28 explains, “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.”  Isaiah gives even more insight in chapter 14, saying, “ How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth. You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will make myself like the Most High.” Here is where sin began.  And as it has always been and always will be, it is rooted in pride…the desire to be God.  I think this occasion was also the root of the saying, “misery loves company.”  Once Satan realized his plan to be equal with God had failed and consequences would follow, he sought to bring others down with him.  Revelation makes reference to this event adding that Satan managed to take a third of the angels in heaven with him, condemned to become fallen angels or demons who would share his mission to deceive as many souls as possible into believing that they too could be God. Not satisfied with only demonic companions, he disguised himself as a serpent and persuaded Eve to become the first human victim of his diabolical plot. So, now that we know Lucifer became Satan because he wanted to be God, how does he compare to God? While God is self-existent, that's what the name Jehovah means, with no beginning and no end, Satan clearly had a beginning and will also have an end. Another of God's characteristics is that He is omniscient, or all-knowing.  Many people have mistakenly believed that Satan also has that ability, but he does not.  He is, however, an excellent student of human behavior and he's had thousands of years to perfect his ability to recognize and capitalize on their weaknesses and vulnerabilities. He's so skilled at it, he can seem as if he's reading our minds, but he can't.  God also has the power to be everywhere all at once, or omnipresent.  That's a hard concept to wrap our human minds around, but I'm very glad He has that ability. Satan, on the other hand, does not.  Because of his well-organized demonic forces, it can seem like he's active everywhere all at once, but he himself, does not have that ability.  God has given Satan tremendous latitude to operate with his demons on planet earth. Jesus Himself referred to Satan as the ruler of this world and Paul called him “the god of this age and the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” He is a supernatural being with supernatural powers, but he is still subject to God's authority.  The first chapter of Job makes this clear.  God has taken the opportunity to point out what a great guy Job is while Satan is within earshot.  Also known as the accuser, Satan loses no time in suggesting that Job only lives to please God because he's been given everything a man could want.  He insists that some suffering and loss would take him down and make him as unconcerned with the things of God as any other man.  God demonstrates His confidence in Job by allowing Satan to do whatever he likes to Job apart from taking his life.  The devil could only do what God allowed and had to remain within the limits He set. The rest of the book details all of the horrible ways Satan tried to get Job to curse God, but instead, his faith remained firm, and he came to a much deeper knowledge of his creator.  Satan's plan backfired and in the end, Job was rewarded with even more than he had in the first place. As we consider all the things Satan can and cannot do, we would be wise to examine how Jesus dealt with him.  It's interesting to note that once Jesus had publicly been acknowledged as the Son of God and was about to begin His earthly ministry, He went into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by Satan.  Scripture tells us that there is no temptation we face that Jesus has not already faced and overcome.  The account of His temptation in the wilderness serves as a template we can use in dealing with our greatest enemy.  Satan has a limited bag of tricks to work with, but he's quite adept at recognizing and taking advantage of our individual weaknesses.  Since Jesus was fasting during His forty days in the desert, Satan first thought to appeal to His hunger and entice Him to meet His own physical needs by using His divine power to turn stones into bread. When that failed to move Him, the devil appealed to His emotional needs to know that God loved Him and have His divinity confirmed in a visible way.  He suggested that Jesus throw Himself from a great height to the ground and test the scriptural promise that God would send angels to prevent Him from being hurt. In a last-ditch effort, Satan offered to give up his authority over all earthly realms and make Jesus ruler of the world if only He would bow down and worship him.  In every temptation, Jesus didn't debate or negotiate with Satan, He simply quoted the scripture that addressed the root of the temptation.  Ironically, Satan used scripture as well. Naturally, it was out of context and somewhat twisted to serve his purpose.  Because Jesus knew the scriptures thoroughly, He was able to see through Satan's deception and have the perfect response to every temptation. The devil's entire identity is rooted in deception.  In John 8, Jesus described him as “a murderer from the beginning who does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” In modern-day vernacular, you might say, “you'll know he's lying if his lips are moving.”  If deception is Satan's primary weapon, then truth is our best defense and the account of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness shows us that the truth that will defend us comes only from the Word of God. Ephesians 6 describes the spiritual armor God has provided for us as believers.  We have a helmet of salvation, a breastplate of righteousness, a belt of truth, feet shod with the gospel of peace and a shield of faith.  These are all meant to protect us from Satan's attacks, but we have only one offensive weapon to drive him away because it's all we need: the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And like any good soldier, we must have our swords ready at all times so we're always prepared for a fight.  We can't wait until we're under attack to go looking for our sword.  That means we need to be constantly in God's word, studying and memorizing so that the truths we need to defeat the devil will be at our disposal when we need them most.   If you don't feel you know God's word very well, a good place to start would be to look up verses that are relevant to your particular areas of struggle.  Do you find yourself questioning your salvation and whether or not God could really love you?  Meditate on and memorize John 10:28 which says, “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hands.”  Are you plagued by anxiety and negative thinking?   Philippians 4: 4-8 will remind you of the steps to overcome anxiety and thoughts you should be dwelling on.   When fear threatens to overwhelm you or you're being asked to do something you feel is beyond your capability remember how God enabled David to face a giant no professional soldier was willing to fight, with just a sling and a stone.  Everything you need to resist temptation and send Satan packing is in God's word. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”  Peter chose the lion metaphor for multiple reasons.  There are many big cats that prey on other wildlife, but no other is known for its' terrifying roar.  Lions rely on their roar to intimidate and panic their prey, making them more vulnerable. Satan also finds a way of making his voice loud and forceful in our minds, making us question every truth. Sometimes a lion's roar is only that.  Experts say running from a lion is the worst thing you can do.  Your chances are better to stand firm, face it and roar or shout back.  Lions also use the tactic of going after the weak, the young, those who are injured or have been separated from the safety of the herd.  Similarly, Satan delights in attacking immature believers, those who are going through painful trials and any who have separated themselves from the support and accountability of fellow believers.  A wounded lion is even more dangerous because his pain drives him to lash out and inflict as much or more pain on his victim.  Satan is a wounded lion who received a mortal injury when the stone was rolled away from the tomb that first Easter morning.  Jesus' triumph over death and sin sealed Satan's fate and marked the beginning of his end.  Colossians 2: 13-15 says, “When you were dead in your sins, God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave us all our sins, having canceled our legal indebtedness which condemned us. He has taken it away and nailed it to the cross.  Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”  Imagine…the debt of sin that served as our death warrant has been pardoned and nailed to the cross for all to see.  Satan is a powerful adversary who should be taken seriously.  But the only real power he ever had over us was the power of sin which has been nullified by Christ's triumph over sin and death.  When we walk in that truth and brandish the sword of the Spirit which is God's word,  that roaring lion becomes nothing more than a frightened alley cat.   Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast!  Join us each week as we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders .  All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without written consent.    

Growth is found when we practice protecting our time, heart, study and relationships—especially our relationship with God. If we want to grow, we must protect that which is valuable and life-giving. As believers we must develop and execute a commitment to spiritual disciples that grow us towards becoming who God says we are and knowing who God is. Join Dr. Jia Richardson for today's study.

Join Tewannah Aman as she shares the bullying she experienced in her younger years and how God swooped in and rescued her, using a precious group of girls to connect her to Jesus. Sit back and allow her experiences to encourage you to be a light that directs people to Christ.  

As we prepare to enter a new year, know that God is in control! However you are feeling today - energized and excited or a bit more trepidatious - Jesus has a message for you: Don't worry! I've got this! Join host Julie Jenkins today for a study of Luke 12:22-34.

When tragedy hits, we trust. There are different ways to exercise this word. Michelle Tascoe, a Christ follower, successful business woman, wife and mother shares her recent heart-wrenching story—her journey with baby Leo's birth and what trust looks like through the trial.

With all you are going through in life, do you ever wonder if God sees you? Do you ever just feel like you need to escape but don't want to miss God in the midst of the escape because He just might be planning something better? What if God is the escape, but we have to be willing to be still and lose ourselves in the love and faithfulness of El Roi~The God Who Sees. God sees His daughters, and He is not slack in what He is doing, even in the midst of what may seem like the longest and greatest battle of your life! 

One of the things that is most evident about a toddler is that they don't know very much.  Being so new to the world, they still have a lot to learn.  But there's a lot we can learn from them as well. ***** Welcome to Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God's grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world. My first, and only grandchild, Sam, is now 16 months old.  He lives 2 hours away from us, so I don't get to spend as much time with him as I'd like to, but we recently went on a cruise together, which gave me seven whole days.  There are those who might question the wisdom of taking a toddler on a cruise and there have been moments when his parents have questioned it too, but he's had a great time and I believe God is using his natural toddler behavior to teach me a thing or two. One of the first things you notice about a child this age is that they want what they want when they want it.  While the rest of us may be on the second course of a very nice dinner, he may not be hungry and just wants to get down and run around. He doesn't consider that enjoying nice meals is a big part of what makes the adults want to go on a cruise, or that the wait staff is busily moving around the dining room, doing their best to satisfy our every need, nor does he remember that the people around us are also anticipating a calm, relaxing environment where they can enjoy their meals. There's only one thought on his mind.  I'm bored and I want to check this place out on foot.  Obviously, he needs to be taught to consider the people around him and their needs.  He's going to have to learn to be patient.  He's only 16 months old.  So, what's my excuse?  I wonder if God doesn't look at our behavior and sigh, thinking, “they just want what they want, when they want it.”  How often do we fall into praying prayers that seem more like a list of demands.  When they aren't answered according to our timetable, we complain and sometimes question if He cares or is even listening.  We may even go so far as to take matters into our own hands.  A great biblical example of this is Sarah, Abraham's wife.  She lived at a time when people lived much longer  - well over 100 years.  When she was in her 80's, it was more like someone being around 50 today. As she was approaching that age, she had never had the privilege of becoming a mother.  In her culture, that was a woman's highest achievement.  Even though God had promised Abraham that he would have a biological heir, Sarah was convinced that she was running out of time.  She thought her best chance to be a mother was to use a surrogate, her maid, Hagar.  She convinced Abraham that this was how they could have the child they longed for, now.   The result was Ishmael, who became the father of the Arab nation.  Within a dozen years, God delivered on His promise, allowing Sarah to conceive Issac at the ripe old age of 90.  She had little interest in Abraham's son, Ishmael, now that she had given birth to her own son.  This set in motion a conflict between the brothers and their descendants that continues today.  Because she wanted a son on her timetable, Sarah went around God's plan, instituting her own and creating a disaster. In contrast, another woman in the bible faced a similar circumstance, but she was able to overcome the “toddler way” of thinking.  Hannah was one of two wives of Elimilech.  That's hard for us to wrap our heads around, but it was common in her culture.  Her sister wife had multiple children and delighted in rubbing Hannah's face in her lack of offspring.  Every year when the family went to the temple to make their annual pilgrimage, Hannah would beg God for a child.  Year after year passed with no answer, but she kept asking.  It wasn't easy to keep the faith as the years passed and she shed so many tears and experienced such pain as she prayed, that the priest accused her of being drunk in the temple.  When she explained her situation, he blessed her and prophesied that she would come to the temple with a child of her own the following year.  According to God's timetable, she did give birth to Samuel, whom my grandson is named for, within the year.  Because she waited for God's timing, he grew up to be a faithful priest and one of Israel's greatest leaders. Another thing little Sam has reminded me of is that there's a big difference between what we want, and what we need.  Sometimes we're no better at recognizing that than he is.  On a cruise, every type of food imaginable is widely available. It is theoretically possible to eat healthy on a cruise, but I've never really met anyone who was able to pull it off.  There are a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and lean meats, but that's not what I see people piling on their plates and it's not what Sam wants to eat.  He would happily subsist on nothing but French fries. He's willing to forgo the fries for various types of bread, especially with peanut butter, or, better yet, cookies or ice cream. Since we're on vacation, the rules have been relaxed, but his parents don't want him eating a steady diet of the things he prefers.  They know that he wouldn't be getting the nutrients he needs and the food he loves most could create long-term health problems if he ate too much of it.  In the same way, don't we seek out what we like whether it's good for us or not?  My favorite foods certainly fit into that category as well as how I entertain myself and how I often choose to spend my time.  On the other hand, God knows exactly what I need and there are times when that includes pain and suffering.  I avoid those things as much as I possibly can, but He knows that they will build my faith and make me more like Him.  Even though I recognize that He knows what's best for me and I desperately want that, it's easy to lose sight of it and focus on my wants instead. Scripture reminds us that when we recognize our own weaknesses, that' s when His strength is poured out in us.  I like the way the Message puts 2 Corinthians 12:10. “Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size – abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks.  I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.” The cruise ship has been a wonderland to Sam.  His vocabulary is limited right now, but one word we heard again and again was, “Wow.” The flashing lights and accompanying musical sounds of the casino seem like one giant baby toy to him.  There's a darkened corridor filled with rock-sized sculptures, mirrors and a star-studded ceiling. It makes you feel like you're walking through an asteroid field in space. He has loved every musical performance from acoustic guitar ballads to Motown.  The nightly production shows are his favorite though with flashy costumes, dancers, aerialists, exciting music and incredible special effects.  It's so much to take in for someone who's never seen anything like it, and he doesn't want to miss a minute of it. My husband and I tried to give our daughter and son-in-law a break from parenting in the evenings, so we would push Sam around in his stroller and take him to shows.  We walked the deck more times than I can count and even when he looks like he can barely keep his eyes open, he will fight to stay awake.  He doesn't want to miss a thing!  Many of the staff would recognize us and our efforts to get him to sleep and joke that he would probably outlast us.  He was often up until after 10:00 which is pretty late for a toddler, and the effects were quite visible the next day by late morning.  When toddlers are tired, they get very cranky and they are definitely not on their best behavior.  Adults can be that way too.  So many exciting things demand our attention.  Online shopping and social media can easily suck me in and cause me to stay up way too late.  Others have a hard time saying no to activities and projects that they don't really have time for.  Whether we feel like we're letting someone down or missing out on something we'd really enjoy, we struggle to recognize our limitations.  When we exceed healthy boundaries, we get short-tempered, stressed and sometimes even physically ill.  What we really need, just like Sam, is rest.  Obviously, God places tremendous importance on the value of rest because He set a whole day aside for it and led by example.  I can't imagine that any of us have ever tackled as large a project as creating the universe.  God went at it hard for six days and then He rested.  As a completely omnipotent, divine being, did He really need to, or was He demonstrating the importance of rest?  He felt so strongly about it, that He made it one of the commandments that He handed down to Moses on His holy mountain.  Once Sam is home again, a regular nap and bedtime will be part of his routine because his parents will enforce it.  There are times when our heavenly Father enforces rest on us through illness, job loss or a natural disaster.  But those are pretty extreme measures that most of us would prefer to avoid.  Sometimes a nap can make all the difference. Sam's only been walking for about a month now and he's doing really well, but occasionally he still looks a little like a drunken sailor.  Sometimes his momentum gets ahead of his legs and he does a face plant.  Rarely does he make a big deal out of it. He usually just gets up again and keeps going.  Sometimes, he can fall two or three times in a row, but he'll just keep his eyes facing forward, get up, and keep going.  He doesn't look around to see if anyone saw him fall or berate himself for being clumsy.  He has a destination in mind and that's all that matters.  I think there's a lesson in that. As we walk through this life, we often trip over hidden obstacles  or lose our balance.  We fall, or maybe more aptly, fail to reach our intended destination or become the person we really want to be.  But rather than just pick ourselves up and keep going, we look around to see who may have witnessed our failure and even if there's no one to mock or criticize what just happened, we take on that role ourselves.  We are our own worst critics, but it's something we can learn to overcome if we choose to.  I think this is exactly what the Apostle Paul was talking about in Phillipians 3 when he said, “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press onward toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  Paul certainly had a past that could've kept him locked in self-recrimination and shame.  Everyone knew that he had been the chief persecutor of the followers of Jesus.  We know that he was responsible for Stephen's death, and likely there were many others.  After his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus, he had to prove himself as a trustworthy and genuine believer.  There were probably some who couldn't forget the atrocities he had committed and never really trusted him.  But he didn't let that stop him.  He recognized that the moment he encountered Jesus, he had become a new man and his previous sins no longer defined him.  As he stated in  2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone.  New life has begun.”  Paul is all the evidence we need that we can overcome any failure.  It's not a question of if we fall, but when.  And when it happens, the best thing to do is just get up and keep moving toward that prize. Sam is learning new words and skills every day and it's exciting to see that.  There are some very special things that we're enjoying during his toddler-hood, but we don't want him to stay a toddler forever.  We realize that it will take many years for him to mature into a full adult, but that's our ultimate goal for him. As much as we love holding him when he's sleepy and laughing at his antics, we are eager to see him grow and learn even more. I think God feels the same way about us.  He understands that growth takes time and He loves us at every stage of our journey.  He delights at every new skill we master and every obstacle we overcome.  He loves us right where we are now, but He wants so much more for us. Colossians 1:28 sums up exactly what He calls His servants to do.  “He is the One we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”   Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast!  Join us each week as we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders .  All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without written consent.  

Join Tewannah Aman as she shares how God rescued her from a cycle of unhealthy relationships and led her into ministry. Even though she went through a lot of pain and brokenness in her life, God brought healing and restoration so she could bring a message of hope and encouragement to others. He is a God of redemption. No matter what we have gone through, God can make all things new.

So many people suffer from past shame and guilt. God wants us to be free.   Today, Amanda Martel shares her story of being shackled from a childhood and teenage trauma. Her life was riddled with hurt, shame and guilt from her past. But God reached in to rescue her, and now she travels the world in missions, reaching young lives for His glory.

God's Word consistently reminds us that we are strangers and aliens to this world, but have we done such a good job of assimilating that no one can tell that we don't belong here?   ****   Welcome to Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God's grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world. One of my favorite sitcoms from the 90's was Third Rock From the Sun.  The premise was that four aliens were given human bodies and instructed to observe life on earth and report back to their home planet everything they learned.  Of course, no one could know their true identity, but it was often difficult to hide.  They knew nothing of gender roles, relationships, how families worked or human emotions.  Trying to fit in and remain undetected was very challenging and always resulted in hilarious situations.  Near the end of the show's five-year run, they had learned much about human behavior, but they had become so entrenched in their lives on earth, some even falling in love for the first time, they couldn't bear the thought of returning to their home planet. In addition to providing great entertainment, the show also has a lot of parallels to the spiritual world. Hebrews chapter 11 gives us a list of people who came before us and pleased God because of their faith.  God asked many of them to do hard things that involved risk and blind obedience.  Certainly, that's what the aliens of 3rd Rock were asked to do.  They were instructed to go to a planet they had no knowledge of and carry out their orders without question.  It was much like Abraham, who was called by God to leave his family and his people and travel to an unknown land where God would give him a whole new life.  Verse nine says, “By faith, he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Issac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.  For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11 goes on to mention other heroes of faith like Able, Enoch and Noah.  Verse 13 says, “All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.”  Verse 16 explains why they held such attitudes. “They were longing for a better country – a heavenly one.”  We have that same heavenly country to long for and what's more, we have a better idea of what it will be like than they did.  They had no written word of God to read and study – only the knowledge of God that had been passed from one generation to the next.  We have Old and New Testament prophecies as well as the words of Jesus that describe in some detail what is awaiting us in that “better country.”  And yet, we often live as if we've forgotten that it even exists. Our comfortable lifestyles make it particularly easy to forget about that “better country.”  I have to admit that I find life here pretty good.  I have plenty to eat, a home I love, a happy, healthy family, fulfilling work to do and plenty of leisure time as well. I'm most likely to start thinking about and longing for “that better country” when things here start to go wrong.  When I feel the pain of an unstable economy, or I witness injustice, government corruption and rising crime or if someone I love is facing a serious illness…those are the times I long for a kingdom that is not of this world and remember that it's where I truly belong. It's easy to fall into the trap of viewing heaven as an escape from the troubles of this world.  But I think we've got it backwards when we think that way.  God intended it to be the true home of every human being and our time on earth is designed to make that a reality for everyone who will receive the gift. Our time on earth is meant to be a time of preparation for ourselves and everyone we can possibly influence. Jesus recognized our proclivity to focus on all the wrong things – apparently it wasn't a problem unique to the time and place we live, because He addressed it with His followers.  Luke 12: 32-34 says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Is Jesus saying we should all sell our homes, cars and   clothing?  He may call some of us to do that, but I believe what He's really getting at is what we value.  Are we looking to material possessions to make us feel secure and good about ourselves? If so, that's what we treasure.  And as He pointed out, those things can be stolen from us or destroyed because they only have earthly value.  If we understand that He is our Good Shepherd and that the Father has already given us the kingdom, we have all we need and it has eternal value.  Our security and our contentment should come from that knowledge. The Apostle Paul built on that idea in his letter to Timothy, saying, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”  What kind of life are we taking hold of?  The life that is of this world is about pleasure, building a name for ourselves, gaining more material comforts, being admired and respected.  According to Paul, and Jesus, that isn't even truly life, just a sad, worldly copy of the real thing. On the other hand, living the life that is truly life requires sacrifice, being focused on the needs of others and living in a way that may seem foreign to the people around us.  There will be times when, like the aliens of 3rd Rock, we don't fit in and there's no hiding it. God may call us to do hard things as He did with Abraham.  We may have to take risks and step into the unknown, but, as Abraham discovered, the blessings outweigh the cost. Sometimes we choose the world's version of life, not because we're unwilling or afraid to do the hard things God asks of us, but because we get distracted.  I remember hearing a Haitian pastor speak about what life was like in the community where he pastored. His people were desperately poor, having to subsist on what they could grow in their little gardens or found growing wild…maybe some eggs from a chicken or two.  They had no electricity and very simple homes that barely provided shelter from the sun and rain. Their children didn't go to college and build better lives with each successive generation.  They faced tremendous opposition from powerful witchdoctors who were used to controlling everything that happened in the village.  But these people loved Jesus, with a love that was pure and unwavering.  They knew that He alone was their provider and protector.  When they gathered for services they had no electricity for air conditioning, a worship team or slick video productions, but they sang together and worshipped with all their hearts.  Before they went to bed, they read scripture and prayed by candlelight, knowing that God would provide for them tomorrow just as He had today.  And they had witnessed miracles!  The witchdoctor had threatened to put a curse on the pastor if he didn't stop preaching the gospel, assuring him that he would be dead within three days.  In spite of having seen the witchdoctor accomplish things they couldn't explain, the church prayed for their pastor and stood firmly on God's word.  Three days later, the witchdoctor was dead, but their pastor was alive and well. As I listened to these stories, I found myself envying them.  They were so focused on the true life that Paul spoke of.  They lived in total dependence on God to provide food, shelter and protection.  Their faith was simple and genuine.  They didn't waste time on social media, shopping online or watching TV.  Those things weren't available to them and they were better off for it. Of course, I always have the option of eliminating those things from my life or even using them more wisely. Maybe I could love Jesus simply and whole-heartedly just as they do if I keep my focus where it belongs and live the life that is truly life. I recently learned something new about the Phillipians that Paul wrote to in the New Testament.  The city of Phillipi was unique in that its' residents were not only citizens of their home city, but of Rome as well.  At that time, Roman citizenship offered protections, rewards and responsibilities.  Rome didn't want the people of Phillipi to move to Rome.  They were expected to remain in Phillipi, representing the values and culture of Rome while furthering the interests of the Roman Empire.  It's no coincidence that Paul used the word ”citizenship” to describe how the Christians of Phillipi should live their lives of faith. Phillipians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Philippians would've understood that he meant they should participate in daily life where they were living, but be mindful of Who they represent and where they ultimately belong.  And we can do the same.  Rather than bemoaning the fact that God has placed us in this very imperfect world, we should make it our goal to represent Him and the life that is truly life.  And if that causes us to seem a little out of step with what everyone around us is doing, that's a sign that we're getting it right.  Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast!  Join ,us each week as we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders .  All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without written consent.

What's the sound of Living Out Loud for Jesus? What would life look like for you if you made the decision to allow your life to be a living horn for Jesus? As followers of Jesus, the sound we make as a proclamation of whose we are and who Jesus is, must be louder than the sound we made when we were lost. Let's Live Out Loud for Jesus! He's listening!

We've all had many hurtful things happen in our lives that have left deep wounds to the soul. Join Tewannah as she shares how God revealed the roots of her unforgiveness and took her on a journey that enabled her to forgive those who had caused pain in her life. Through that healing, she was able to learn to love unconditionally and have a heart like Jesus.

True holiness is a matter of the heart.  Although we can fool ourselves and others by presenting a squeaky clean image, God calls us to concern ourselves with what's going on inside, rather than what we look like on the outside.  Enjoy this important teaching from Julie Harwick.   **** Welcome to Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God's grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world. They say you can't judge a book by its' cover. I always thought that it was a pretty valid statement, but the truth of that statement proved itself on a much deeper level when I observed the unmasking of someone I thought I knew very well.   My husband and I had recently re-connected with a friend we hadn't seen since our wedding.  He was about to get married himself, so we had the opportunity to get to know his new wife from the start of their marriage.  She seemed incredibly sweet and appeared to worship the ground he walked on.  She was open about the fact that her past had included drug addiction and a failed marriage to another addict, but she seemed as far removed from that life as anyone could be.  She brought three daughters to the marriage and though they were older than our kids, the youngest got along really well with our girls.  We vacationed together. They stayed with our kids when we went on a cruise for our 20th anniversary.  They joined our church, and she enthusiastically jumped in and began to develop a women's ministry.  She had her first child at a very young age and was already a grandmother.  I was so impressed to hear her talk about selecting the perfect bible study that she could do with her grandson when he was in her care.  She seemed like a spiritual giant who was constantly pouring herself into her family, friends and anyone in need.  After many years of such stellar behavior, there were some surprising developments.  She was abruptly asked to step down from her leadership role in women's ministry.  Initially, that action really disturbed me, but I was about to discover the reason why.  Her husband began to confide in mine that she was not so sweet and supportive of him when no one else was around. Anytime they experienced conflict, she became verbally abusive and unreasonable.  She accused him of being a narcissist, so he volunteered to go to marriage counseling.  The counselor sensed much deeper problems and advised them to both be evaluated for any mental illnesses.  He was given a clean bill of health, while she was diagnosed with multiple illnesses and prescribed numerous medications .  Things improved for a while, but she soon decided that she didn't need the medications and tried again to convince him that he was the problem.  She had always been generous with family and friends, buying them gifts and helping out with expenses, but soon she began spending unbelievable amounts of money on a daily basis. She ran up large credit card balances and every time he tried to close one out, she simply opened another.  She had no explanation for purchasing a hundred dollars' worth of Starbucks gift cards day after day. He wanted to fight for their marriage, but she seemed set on destroying him financially and became more and more adversarial toward him with each passing day.  They ended up in divorce court and she took as much as she possibly could from him, leaving him in deep debt.  Although she left the marriage with a settlement that would've taken care of her for decades, the money was all gone within two years.  Not long afterward, we discovered that she had been arrested for writing bad checks. As the story unfolded, each revelation of who she really was came like a punch to the gut.  I thought I knew this woman.  I trusted her with my children.  I looked up to her as someone I'd like to emulate.  I thought she was far better to her husband than I was to mine, but the reality was just the opposite.  I had never been so wrong in my evaluation of someone. She played the character she wished to portray better than any award-winning actress and I completely bought into the deception. 1 Samuel 16:7 says “The Lord doesn't look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  God was speaking to Samuel about who he was to anoint to replace King Saul. Once he arrived in Bethlehem and was directed to Jesse's family, Samuel was introduced to all but one of Jesse's sons.  When he laid eyes on Eliab, who was tall, well-built and exuded confidence, he thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord.” But God's response was clear and direct.  “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.”  Jesse continued to bring his sons one by one before Samuel, but in each case, God rejected them.  After the Lord rejected seven of Jesse's impressive sons, Samuel asked if there were any more.  As an afterthought, Jesse said there was one more, his youngest, who was tending to the sheep. Much to the surprise and dismay of his seven brothers, when David stood before Samuel, God pronounced, “Rise and anoint him.  This is the one.”  While David was not a perfect king, he ruled Israel well for decades.  He had a close relationship with the Lord and earned the enviable title of “a man after God's own heart.” Although we don't always have the ability to know someone's heart, God certainly does and it is of tantamount importance to Him. His word is full of references to the heart; 725 to be exact.  When Jesus was asked, what is the greatest commandment, He answered without hesitation with Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” When King Solomon, David's son, prayed for his nation, he acknowledged that God alone knew every human heart and he prayed that his people's hearts would be fully committed to the Lord. God explains why the condition of the heart is so critical. He inspired Jeremiah to warn, “ the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?”   God revealed this much to Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, he wrote in Proverbs, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” So many of the Old Testament prophets were instructed to warn the people, not just about their behavior, but about the condition of their hearts, which was the source of their sin.  Joel cautioned, “Let your remorse tear at your heart and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful.” Isaiah gave the Israelites an insightful, but convicting message from the Lord when he said, “ The Lord says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”  Jesus quoted that very scripture to describe the condition of the Pharisees, who were considered among the holiest people of His day. These respected men were experts when it came to interpreting and applying the Law.  They were very careful to follow it to the letter, even going so far as to tithe the proper amounts of the herbs they grew in their gardens.  They took great pride in their devotion to fulfilling even the smallest requirements of the Law.  Jesus, however, was not impressed.  He called them out for fussing over minor details while they created exceptions in the Law that would allow them to abandon responsibility for their own parents in their old age.  He criticized them for turning His Father's House, the temple, into a den of thieves and accused them of being like whitewashed tombs – clean looking on the outside, but filled with dead men's bones and decaying flesh. No one but Jesus would have ever dared to speak that way about the Pharisees.  Aside from the High Priest, no one had more power or influence with Rome.  The Pharisees, along with the Sadducees and chief priests, comprised the Sanhedrin which was the ruling, elite class of Jesus' day.  The wealth, power and respect that came with the title led the Pharisees to believe that they were, “just a little bit superior” to everyone else.  Jesus pointed it out when He told the story of two men who went to the temple to pray.  The tax collector cried out for God's mercy because he recognized that he was a sinful man, but the Pharisee thanked God that he was not like the tax collector beside him or other sinful people, because he fasted twice a week and tithed a tenth of everything he had.  Jesus said only one of them went away forgiven, and it wasn't the Pharisee. That probably came as a surprise to His audience, because they were used to thinking of Pharisees as the holiest people around.  From their outward appearance, they looked pretty righteous, but no one could miss the disdain they showed for everyone else.  Jesus dared to point out their hypocrisy because He recognized exactly where their superiority complex came from – hearts that were far from God.  They studied the prophets ad nauseam but failed to recognize that Ezekiel's words in chapter 11 were meant for them when he said, “ I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”  Jesus called them out again and again, in an effort to make them see their hearts' true condition.  In Matthew 13:15 He said, “For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes.  Otherwise, they might see with eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” Having an authentic relationship with Jesus is impossible without a heart that is wholly His.  Just like the Pharisees and my deceptive friend, we can follow all the rules and present a very convincingly righteous outward appearance, but if our hearts are full of ourselves instead of Jesus, we are frauds.  And though we may be able to fool the people around us and even ourselves,  God knows exactly who and what we are.  In Luke 16:15, Jesus said, “ You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of people, but God knows your hearts; because that which is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the sight of God.”  Ultimately, no one can fool the maker of the Universe and the only opinion that really matters is His.  And yet, we often devote so much of our effort toward doing things that will make us look good on the outside while we neglect to open our hearts to the Lord and ask Him to make them more like His.  Creating an impressive exterior only requires self-control and determination.  Developing a heart for God requires humility, sacrifice, introspection and time.  Is it any wonder that our natural inclination is to focus on the outward appearance?  But what comes naturally is always inferior to what comes supernaturally.  In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave us a pretty good reason to pursue having a heart for Him.  “Blessed are the pure in heart,” He said, “ for they shall see God.”  The more we allow Him to purify our hearts, emptying them of ourselves and filling them with Himself, the more we will see, know and experience His glory. I'd like to close with this benediction, from 1 Thessalonians 3:13.  “May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.”  Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast!  Join us each week as we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders .  All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without written consent.

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