We sometimes think that God is pleased with us when we experience success. We underestimate the ordinary days…the days when we choose to continue to follow Him…to trust Him and to serve Him. These are the days when we are still believing, serving and preparing to see the Harvest. We may not feel very effective or see the fruit, but we are sowing the seeds and continuing to put one foot in front of the other. I don’t think that we really believe that God notices us on these days…yet His Word says that He will delight in us with shouts of joy! Tonight our dear friends brought over their precious little baby to our home. Every one of us talked to that sweet little one, wanted to hold her, squealed with delight, and rejoiced over her. She did not do one thing to cause us to love her or to express our joy and excitement over her. We rejoiced because her parents are our dear friends and we have prayed for them and for her. We entered into what God was doing in their lives and we rejoice over how God has brought her into their lives and how precious she is. I think it is a tiny picture of how God feels about us. He delights in us with shouts of joy…not just when we are on the mountain tops…but when we are just in His presence…trusting Him… loving Him…and believing in His goodness. “Dear Lord, please help our friends in ministry to believe Your Word… “The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.” We thank You that You love us with an everlasting love… and that means on the good days, on bad days and on the ordinary days. May we receive Your love and rest in Your presence believing that You delight in us.”

Cindy Lyons: Founder of Friends In Ministry & Serves at High Street Baptist Church

Sometimes, we can look at how we are gifted, how we are serving and wonder if we are making a difference. We have said “Yes” to God and have been willing to enter into the journey of ministry with Him. We have not all felt qualified, but we continue to do what it takes to learn, to prepare ourselves and to step into the opportunities that God has given us. This summer, I found this verse that really got my attention. “The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng.” This reminded me that God is calling out in each generation a mighty throng of women who will proclaim His Word. We are among that mighty throng. We may never have a national platform, but God wants to use thousands of faithful women all over the world who are committed to Him and to His Word… that will proclaim His Word with our children, in Bible Studies, in Sunday School, in one-on-one counseling and in the churches that we are all apart of. He wants us to proclaim the Word not just for a few weeks…but for years…then decades. The world needs to see women who so love Jesus…that share His gospel over a lifetime. I am thankful for the women that God has used to teach us that write the Bible Studies, who speak in large conferences. They are a gift to the body of Christ…but I believe that He calls out many more women to be that mighty throng of women who proclaim His Word in our local churches. Let us be thankful to be part of this mighty throng and ask God to continue to use us. “Dear Lord, We thank You that You have called us and are equipping us to serve You. We pray that You will continue to make us strong, faith-filled women who can proclaim what You have announced. May we not minimize what You have started in us and may we believe You… to do the work in the hearts of the people that You have called us to. May we join hands with those in that mighty throng, and realize that we are not alone. May we encourage and support one another as we join You in Your Kingdom agenda!”

Cindy Lyons: Founder of Friends In Ministry & Serves at High Street Baptist Church

As leaders and women who minister to others, we can actually get so worn out and disappointed, that we can lose hope. We can sometimes stop believing that God is all-powerful and that He has a good plan for us. We may love God, but we can settle into a place of resignation…that yes, God is good, but we see evil winning all over the place. Or, we have prayers that have not yet been answered, and we stop praying believing that God is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. One of the evil one’s strategies~maybe his most used strategy is to try to discourage us and to cause us to lose hope…to stop believing. We believe God for our salvation, but we don’t believe that God can help us now. It takes the wind out of our sails. It steals our courage, faith, strength, and joy…and leaves us feeling hopeless. We know that we will be fine when we get to Heaven, but we wonder if we will ever have a sense of well-being and strength in the years we have left on this earth. I don’t believe that God wants us to live this way. His Word says “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” We must wake up and remember that we are in a battle! We are, however, not alone. We do not have to live defeated. Today, God wants to strengthen and encourage each of us!
Psalm 27:13 “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.”
Luke 18:1 “Men(and women) ought always to pray, and not to faint (or lose heart).”
Romans 4: (Excerpts about Abraham) “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations…Yet he did not waver in unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. This is why it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Romans 5: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”
“Lord, You see each of us…your servants, and we ask You to encourage and strengthen each of us. May we not believe the enemy’s lies, but may we hold onto Hope- for You are forever faithful! We look back at Abraham and others in the Bible who kept on believing- against all odds, who did not waver in unbelief… and we ask You to help us to be women who are like Abraham- women who are fully persuaded that You have the power to do what You have promised. We ask You to help us to rejoice even in our sufferings and produce the good things that only You are able to bring forth. In the meantime, we choose to come to You and pray… and not to lose heart. Please strengthen and encourage us for the work that You have called us to. May we see the goodness of God in the land of the living.”

Cindy Lyons: Founder of Friends In Ministry & Serves at High Street Baptist Church

As we come together in this online community, we are all in different seasons of our life and ministry. Some are just starting out, full of dreams for the future. Some have been on this journey a while and have many years to go. Some have served the Lord for a very long time. Some are going through seasons of fruitfulness and some through seasons of heartache…Some are seeing their dreams come true and some are facing the death of a vision. When we look at our days, we can discount what God is doing and lose hope. We can actually believe that the time that we have invested in people, in ministries and in service is actually wasted…Sometimes we keep going on in the routine, but have lost our sense of purpose and feel that we are just drifting. Lately, God has been reminding me to number my days…to make the most of every single day. I have been thinking about this…I don’t want to miss one single moment that God has planned for me…because of disappointment or grief that we go through in ministry…or because of difficult people. If we believe in the providence and sovereignty of God, we can trust that He is at work. My job is to align myself with God…to cooperate with Him and to ask Him to do the work He wants to do in my heart. Then in faith, believe that His hand is on me and look for those moments where we see God at work. I don’t want to get to Heaven and find out that I missed out on some amazing things because I was not in line with what He was doing…or that I gave up. I don’t want to miss out on anything because I am bitter or jaded…I don’t want to miss out on one single thing that God has planned for me from the beginning. “Dear Lord, Please teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Help us to be mindful of how good You are and how You are at work in our lives even when we do not see it. Help us not to miss your presence and purpose. May we be so in tune with you, that You can give us a new measure of wisdom, confidence, power and peace. May we recognize your presence every single day. May we look back on these days and count it as such a privilege to serve You.”

Cindy Lyons: Founder of Friends In Ministry & Serves at High Street Baptist Church

As we have prayed for direction for our women’s ministry this year, we have felt that we need to help women to pursue their purpose in a greater way. We know that we need to help women to find Christ, to get healing from the Lord and to break free from the chains that hold them back. We will always be there to help women do that. However, the Lord has been putting this thought on my heart…”We don’t get free just to be free… We are set free to fulfill the purposes that God created us for.” What does that mean for us in our ministry? One of those purposes that God has planned for us is to share Christ with others. On a personal level and as a ministry leader, I am asking the Lord to help me to share the gospel with more women this year than ever before. I also feel that we need to inspire and equip our women to go into their worlds and to be courageous and brave to share their stories. Could it be that this year, God could bring about a harvest of souls… of lives changed… an army of women who are praying for revival and harvest that will start to see God fulfill His purpose in each of their lives. Whatever role we play, however God has gifted us…If we have said “yes” to God…We are stakeholders in the Great Commission!

“Dear Lord, As we begin this new year, May we see the world the way You see it and see people the way You see them. May we get free and completely healed so that we can serve You wholeheartedly. May the things that have disheartened us fade into the distant past because of the new thing that You are doing in our lives. May the chains that have held us down be broken so that we can run with abandon to fulfill the purpose that You have called us to. May we not get distracted by people who have critical spirits. They will always be there…But we are on Your team and we rejoice that we are running in Your race! Please strengthen and encourage our friends in ministry to believe that You have great things planned for them and will fulfill Your purpose for each of us!”

Cindy Lyons: Founder of Friends In Ministry Women’s Ministry & Senior Pastor’s Wife at High Street Baptist Church

There are times in life and ministry that we know we are in need of something… but we don’t even know what we need. We just know our hearts are hurting or broken and we need something. Our hearts are unsettled. During times of loss or transition, I have cried out to the Lord saying “Lord I don’t even know what I need… but You know what I need even more than I know what I need.” Wherever we find ourselves in our lives, God invites us to call to Him and He promises to answer us and to show us great and mighty things that we don’t know…things we cannot even imagine.

“Dear Lord, Above all, we need You! We are calling to You…Please be with each of our friends in ministry as they walk through this day. As we call to You, we believe that You will meet the needs of our hearts and show us great and mighty things that we do not know. Lord, we are thankful that we can trust You to do the work in our hearts that only You can do. Please bring healing to the hearts of those who have losses…Please heal those who are sick…Please give consolation to those who are in difficult situation. Please give a new hope and new vision to those who are in transition. We thank You that You are in charge of Your plan to reach the world and that we are not. We submit ourselves to You and Your plan, knowing that You are a great and mighty God.”

Cindy Lyons: Founder of Friends In Ministry Women’s Ministry & Senior Pastor’s Wife at High Street Baptist Church

There are days that we just need to be reminded that we are not doing the ministry alone and in our own strength. We were called by the Lord of Heaven’s armies to join Him in His plan to reach the world. When prophets in the Old Testament gave the Lord’s prophecies, they were not always received with great appreciation. People even turned on the prophet who delivered the message. It was not a happy job, being a prophet in those days. This week I read once again of a time when Haggai gave the people the messages from the Lord. In this story, they actually responded with obedience and they feared the Lord. Then Haggai gave the people this message… “I am with you, says the Lord!” Then the Lord did something that always gives me hope. The Lord “sparked the enthusiasm” or zeal of Zerubbabel , Jeshua, and the whole remnant of of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! Then He assured them with this: “Now the Lord says: Be strong…and now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s armies. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. Do not be afraid…I will fill this place with glory…The future glory of this Temple will be greater than it’s past glory. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies have spoken.”

“Dear Lord, we ask You to continue to speak to us, to strengthen us, to give us vision and hope as we serve you. We pray that You will spark enthusiasm and zeal into our hearts and into the hearts of the people that You have called us to. Help us not to be afraid of those who reject Your Word and Your presence…but to choose faith and courage knowing that we are serving You, the Lord of Heaven’s armies. Prepare our hearts to believe You for the future glory that You will bring about in our churches. May we see You do great and mighty things that we cannot even imagine.”

Cindy Lyons: Founder of Friends In Ministry Women’s Ministry & Senior Pastor’s Wife at High Street Baptist Church

We can rejoice today…because what God has started in us, He will finish…He will perfect. The good work that He began in us at salvation and as He called us into ministry is not yet done. He is still developing us as women of God, as leaders, and in our relationships. He is still at work drawing men and women to salvation and we can trust that He will continue to perform His work through us until the day of Christ Jesus. So when we feel inadequate, depleted, overwhelmed or disappointed, we can stop and thank God… that He does not leave us alone to accomplish His plan… He will continue to work through us.

“Dear Lord, We thank You for Your salvation and for inviting us to join You in Your plan to reach the world. We pray that You will renew us and continue to use us. We pray that we will rest in the confidence that You will continue to work through us until You call us home. We pray for souls to be saved, for people to turn to You, for harvest and revival. May we witness a mighty move of Your Spirit in our time, O Lord.”

Cindy Lyons: Founder of Friends In Ministry Women’s Ministry & Senior Pastor’s Wife at High Street Baptist Church

“These are the things I will do”… from Isaiah 42:16

“And I will lead the blind

in a way that they do not know,

in paths that they have not known

I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground.

These are the things I do,

and I do not forsake them.”

There are times in life and in ministry that God leads us down a path that is uncertain…Down a path that is unknown and scary. A path that is dark and that has rough terrain. I don’t really like those paths. I like to feel safe, secure and I like to know what to expect. However, our journeys don’t always look like that. There are unexpected dips and blocks in our road…Sometimes God moves us to a new path that we have not known…a new place of service or a new kind of ministry and we find ourselves dealing with transition…having to start all over. Sometimes, we find ourselves walking down a path of sickness with a scary diagnosis. There are times when we find ourselves on a path walking through a very difficult circumstance- one that we never thought we would have to deal with. Whatever road you are walking on today…God is with you. He has gone before you, and He will continue to lead you and guide you, turning darkness into light and leveling rough places. In times of uncertainty, I claim this verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:24… “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” I cannot control every circumstance of my life, but I can choose to trust our God who holds it all together. He is the one who has saved me, called me, who loves me and who is writing my story. He is holding my hand as I walk down this path. I’ve been on scary paths before… and He has never left me and has never forsaken me.

“Dear Lord, Please be with our friends in ministry that are walking on some very uncertain paths. Please strengthen them and assure them of your mighty power to guide them through. We thank You for being our leader, our guide, and the one who commands our destiny. We refuse the fear and choose to trust in You. We refuse the stress and anxiety and choose to rest in Your presence. We refuse to let the uncertain and the bumpy path determine our sense of well-being and we choose to live in Your peace…knowing that You do all things well. We give You thanks and praise even when things get rocky. We place our trust in You as we take hold of Your hand to guide us through…Make us the women that You have designed us to be on the paths that You have ordained for us.”

Cindy Lyons: Founder of Friends In Ministry Women’s Ministry & Senior Pastor’s Wife at High Street Baptist Church