Walk in Victory: A Guest Post and a Give-Away
When I first met my friend and Proverbs 31 teammate, Wendy Blight, I remember thinking, “I want to know my Savior like she does!” Wendy is a passionate pursuer of Jesus. An inspiring lover of His Word and a beautiful teacher of His truth. And the more I’ve gotten to know Wendy, the more I’ve realized that Wendy doesn’t just know Jesus; she loves Him with her whole heart. And she makes me want to love Him more, too.
Today it’s my great privilege to welcome Wendy to the Overflow to share from her new Bible study on 1 John, I Am Loved: Walking in the Fullness of God’s Love. Plus she’s giving away a copy to one of my readers below! So, keep reading and be sure to enter for a chance to win before you go.
My husband and I began our marriage in a difficult place. Eleven months before we walked down the aisle, I was the victim of a horrific crime. For years, I lived in a prison of fear. It consumed my every waking moment. I avoided being alone at all costs.
Monty became my safe place. Being home alone terrified me. So, I never wanted him to leave me. When he chose to play basketball, or go to dinner with friends, I pouted, whining and complaining that he wasn’t putting me first.
This fractured our marriage. Days were hard and nights were long. Soon I began to imagine Monty looking elsewhere for the companionship he lacked with me. I demanded to know when and where he was at all times. When I couldn’t get a hold of him, I panicked.
Jealousy infiltrated my heart.
I knew these feelings were wrong. Even destructive.
But I didn’t know how to overcome them.
As jealous thoughts took root, they became a mental obsession that fed me lies.
I felt my marriage, and my husband, slipping away. Completely at a loss to know what to do, I dropped to my knees and begged God to help me.
Thankfully, God made a way to release jealousy’s grip on me – and it was through loving Him. As I came to know God more intimately, my jealousy subsided.
God opened my eyes to see Christ in a new way … as my Savior and my “first love.” Until that time, I had found that love and security in my husband. I had confused love and need. I needed Monty so desperately that he became my savior. He was my defender and my protector from the evil in the world. I needed him more than anything else. If I was with him, I felt safe.
Monty sat on the throne of my heart; not God.
This, sister, is the perfect recipe for an unhealthy, destructive relationship. We should never “need” our husbands, our children, or anyone else more than Christ.
We should have only one Savior, and His name is Jesus.
We should have only one first love, and His name is Jesus.
This knowledge put my marriage in perspective. Jesus replaced Monty as my “first love.” Jesus is now my Defender, my Refuge and my Strong Tower. It was in Him and Him alone that I overcame all my fears.
And, Monty became the gift God had given me on this earth to reveal His perfect love to me. As God took His rightful place on the throne of my heart, Monty took his rightful place too.
God’s love left an indelible mark on my heart. His is a distinctive love that, when allowed to blossom and mature, becomes a driving force that nothing can contain.
Through it, God equips us to live distinctively different lives. First, by eradicating our old self through Jesus’ death on the cross. Second, by bestowing upon us a new self through His resurrection.
We express our appreciation for God’s abundant blessings most beautifully when we love others and live a life marked by love.
Some may be loveable people … those are the easy ones to love.
Some may be difficult people … those are the challenging ones to love.
Some may be invisible people … those are the uncomfortable ones to love. Who are the invisible? The disenfranchised. The voiceless. The forgotten. The rejected. The unpopular.
Friend, as you seek to live out the love God has implanted in you, remember these truths:
You have been born of God.
God loves you.
You love God.
You are a child of God.
In Christ, you have blood-bought brothers and sisters in Christ.
Knowing and believing these truths equips you to live loved and spill that love into this dark world.
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I Am Loved: Walking in the Fullness of God’s Love is for every woman who craves to truly understand, walk confidently in, and live out God’s unconditional, extravagant, lavish love because His love truly changes everything. Watch a sneak peek of the Bible study and download a sample week’s lesson for free here: http://wendyblight.com/i-am-loved/.
The Giveaway
To enter for your chance to win a copy of Wendy’s I Am Loved Bible study book and teaching DVD, just leave us a comment and tell us one way Jesus has shown His love for you lately. (U.S. Addresses only please). On Friday, February 1 we will choose one reader to win Wendy’s beautiful new study.
Online Bible Study
Want to join an online Bible study of I Am Loved? Proverbs 31 Ministries just kicked theirs off on January 22. It’s not too late to join in as all the study posts are on the blog here. https://proverbs31.org/study/online-bible-studies/i-am-loved#blog
Wendy Blight is a wife, mother, author, Bible teacher, attorney, and writer for Proverbs 31 Ministry’s First 5 app. Her desire is to help every woman know with confidence she can tackle any problem life presents through God’s Word. Wendy is the author of I Am Loved, I Know His Name, and Living So That Bible studies, and Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner. She lives with her husband, Monty, in Charlotte, North Carolina and loves most when her two children, Lauren (24) and Bo (19), come home to visit and fill their home with lots of love and laughter!
I’ve struggled with depression my whole life. My marriage is suffering & it’s made my depression worse again. I know God loves me because he helps me to get out of bed every morning but it is a struggle & I just really need peace & hope.
Shay, I love the way you are choosing to praise God even in this HARD season you’re in right now. His strength in your weakness is a stunning display of His faithfulness and your faith. We are praying for you–asking Jesus to do a mighty work of restoration in your marriage and to anchor your heart firmly to His promises. May His Word, His presence and His peace give you hope.
Lord show me love daily by giving me breathe in my lungs and a place to live
Yes and AMEN:)
I went through a very traumatic situation a few months ago. I felt hopeless and helpless, but I prayed and prayed. The situation was resolved the next day. I feel that He walks with me by answering my prayers….not that they are always answered in a way that I want. But in this very desperate situation, the answer was there. I praise Him for this.
Oh, Sherri, I love the way God listens to our cries and answers our prayers. Thanks for sharing a tiny piece of your testimony here. It spurs me on to keep praying!
He sent a good friend to reconnect and knock some sense into me. She has struggled with breast cancer and maintains the most positive attitude that I have ever seen. I feel that Jesus was telling me that my own little problems are just that small in comparison and that I might need to work on my attitude with more gratitude.
Praise God for those good friends who can speak truth and love into our lives:)
Hmmmm…..HE walks with me always, so it it hard to quantify “recent”, but I’ll try. This morning, as I was walking to work, I was in a grumpy mood and not a big fan of humanity. (This is not a good attitude to have as I work directly with the public.) Anyway, as I was running early, I decided to pop into Walgreens to kill time. Jesus led me over to the book section, and I was amazed to discover that they had an extensive Christian book selection! Merely by reading a few blurbs here and there on the inside flaps, my mood was changed and I left Walgreens with a smile on my face. My whole day was better because Jesus asked me to open my eyes and to get outside of myself, and to stop walking the self-pity walk.
This makes me smile…. I’ll have to look for the book section in Walgreens next time. Love how God can flip our hearts to rejoice even on those grumpy days. Thanks for sharing this honest and beautiful tale of “ordinary life” with our extraordinary Savior.
I have prayed forever to feel closer to God & feel loved. I have such anxiety & fear and feel this book,study and DVD would help me overcome these burdens. If I don’t win can’t download on kindle would like to save to buy package. Can only see how to buybook and download study which I cannot do. Would appreciate help.
After a miraculous delivery out of an abusive marriage, God showed me His love by sending my dear husband and step-son in to my life. He has also shown me that HE is the Source of all love and released my husband to be a blessing and a gift and NOT a savior, which no man should be placed in the position of.
Your study sounds awesome!
Jenn, Just this small sliver of your story speaks of so many miracles.. your delivery out of an abusive marriage, the gift of your husband and step son, and your discovering the only reliable source of True Love. I’ll never forget the time early in my own marriage when my husband looked at me and said, “I love to be your husband,Alicia, but I can never be your Savior. So please let Jesus do that!” Thanks for sharing your testimony of God’s goodness here.
One way Jesus has shown His love to me is through my friends. I am blessed to have friends who love me while also holding me accountable every day. We cry together, celebrate together and praise God in every moment.
I can see when I look back over my life how God has and continues to show His love to me. I’ve always believed in God but not until I was older did I have a relationship and started walking with Him, learning who is really is, and reading His word have I really discovered how much He protected me and seeks me and most of all the intensity of His love for us all. It is not something I can fully comprehend but I hunger to know Him better. I just want to share that one day I was having a really hard time and seeking Gods wisdom to a question I had. I was leaning on the side of taking someone’s name as a beneficiary and putting someone else on as they were doing some hurtful things to me. I was walking outside on a rainy summer day and as I was nearing the end of my walk, on the rainy sidewalk, in front of a church, there was a perfect heart shaped dry spot! I had to stop and look at it closely and ended up taking a picture with my phone so I can always remember that God wants me to respond in love. It was such an amazing thing! God speaks in so many ways. Proverbs 31 Ministries has been a blessing to help me connect with God more deeply. Alicia and Wendy – every time I read something from you it speaks deeply to my heart – thank you so much. I am doing your current study Wendy and have done others with you. thank you for pouring out to help us understand how much God loves us and making it easier to understand God’s word and how to live. God gave me the word “belovedness” to be my word for this year – to study, learn how to live in His love, and learn to love others as He does. Even though I walk through hard times, I know my God is with me. Sometimes it’s hard to remember but I want to continue to walk with Him every day.
God showed me love when he was with me in the doctors office. I was nervous about my appointment to the point of being in tears with the doctor. I had let a place on my leg go too long due to taking care of my mom and I was so nervous and scared that I had let it go too long (I was envisioning cancer, infection in blood stream, etc.). I was a hot mess but God calmed me with the doctor and nurse having so much compassion and concern and it was a bad bacterial infection that was able to be treated. Thank you for the offering the give away.
Thank you for your honest and beautiful words, they bare helping me to see how far I have come. They let me take stock in where I am and who I am today. I am a survivor of domestic violence, I am learning to follow and trust Jesus, and I am setting my heart to love and put Him first. This last year and a half has been incredible tough, but I have made it and learned about the Faithfulness of God and his promises to us and The love Jesus has for me as imperfect as I am. I have been so greatly blessed and have learned to walk in peace and love. Thank you for your honest sharing with us, it re,in dis us that it is ok if we don’t always have all the answers, just trust God and it will all work out and be ok ❤️ May God bless you greatly for all of the good you do for,our families ❤️
How wonderful that in the midst of one of your hardest times, God has shown up in such a real way. Ministering to you and speaking your value and work into your heart! You are His child, and He loves you so much. He has given you a story … gave you a test to have a testimony of His provision and faithfulness. I’m praying God will open doors for you that only He can open and give you every word you are to share. You are so wise to ask for HIS timing because then you will be fully prepared. 🙂
Blessings,
Wendy
God has shown His enduring love especially in the past 2 years since an auto accident that caused physical & emotional injuries and scarring. He has shown that I still have worth & do have a bright future. He has given me the thoughts to somehow enter women’s ministry by sharing my story. I’m not sure what the next step is; but I know He will make it clear on HIS timing!
God shows His love daily in holding me together. Life has been a challenge the last 4 years, but through every step, He has provided and ensured that every need was met. He has opened doors to things I was told were impossible. I have often been told God loves me, but only recently am I truly able to believe that.
Oh, this is a huge praise. It’s wonderful to hear stories of God doing the impossible!! Keeping His promise that with Him, NOTHING is impossible. He does love you, sweet friend, and it seems He is showing you over and over again! Thank you for sharing a bit of your story here.
Wendy
First let me say this post was food for my soul, Gods timing is everything! I am discovering what takes in a place being in the shadow of the most high, a place where only He can tend to the needs of our hearts. For so long I too looked to people for help while getting hurt because my expectations were not met. God was waiting for me to surrender, so as I’m surrendering can I just be honest and say, it would be so wonderful if I had prayer. I’m truly at a scary place, the unknown, I’m sure we all have been there and overcome it. I’m trying to surrender so God can help me be brave in His shadow today, relying on His cup and not my own. Thank you for your words they have literally lifted me!
Danyel, first I love how you spell your name. So pretty. Second, I’m praising God for knowing what is on your heart and drawing you here. He always goes before us! Thanks for sharing from your heart. I’m praying Joshua 1:9 for you … that you will be strong and courageous. You will hide God’s Word in your heart and trust Him to honor His truths and His promises as you venture into the unknown. He will be faithful.
Blessings,
Wendy
I have so enjoyed spending time with God each morning through the First5 app. Wendy, you and the other ladies at Proverbs 31 Ministry have been such a blessing to me; helping me grow in and learn from God’s Word. It’s amazing how you can read a passage over and over and get a fresh outlook from it all the time. And, of course, having women who have studied far more than I have telling what God has revealed to them is very helpful. I have always been a very independent person and have trouble turning my independence into dependence on Him and Him alone but I’m learning more and more each day to allow Him to be in control. Thank you also, Alicia, for sharing your words of wisdom and life stories with us.
Nancy, thank you for your kind words about our First 5 app teachers and our P31 writers. It means so much to us. We love coming alongside women to study God’s Word, but we don’t often get to connect. So, this a sweet blessing. And, me too! I struggle with depending fully on God. I want to take the wheel quite often. Nice to know I’m not alone. 🙂
Blessings,
Wendy
My husband travels to go fishing for a week or more at a time and I have always felt so lonely and even to the point of trying to make him feel guilty for going. But I have been digging into the Word of God and it has become my comfort, my place to go when I feel a lone or needing a friend to hold me. His Word ALWAYS makes me feel safe and secure. I just want to learn more and more about him. I want to learn to love like Jesus loved. To be astounded by his unfailing love for me, to be carried to new heights with treasures I have found in His Word. I thought I knew what was in the Bible but each time I read it something new pops right off the page into my heart and mind.
Betty, it blesses me to read your comment. I can feel your passion and enthusiasm for God’s Word and how it has ministered to you in those lonely times. It truly is a gift to have a book like the Bible that is living and active and speaks into our lives fresh each time we open it!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Alicia, first, thank you for your kind words. I’ve always felt a kindred spirit with you when it comes to a passion for God’s Word. And, thank you for sharing “I Am Loved” with your friends. I always love the opportunity to invite women into God’s Word and pondering His amazing love for us. Can’t wait to hear how God is showing His love to these women.
Love you,
Wendy
Megan, so beautiful to hear you are learning to run to Jesus. So many times we run to friends, husbands, shopping, drinking … really everywhere but God. But, when you went to Him, He did as He promised. He comforted you and took away your anxiety and gave you His peace. Praise God!!
I’m so thankful you are joining us for the OBS and that you love it. That means so much to me. 🙂
Blessings,
Wendy
I was not feeling well and really scared the other night and I cried out to Jesus for comfort. He was there and took away my anxiety so I could rest. I’m slowly learning that I need to run to Jesus first, not to others. Sometimes that’s harder than it should be, but I want to make Him Lord of my life and little by little He is showing me how. Thank you for this devotional. I’m doing the Bible study of it through Proverbs 31 and am loving it. Its really wonderful Wendy!
Megan,I’m reading your comment &going,WOW ! There’s someone who is learning the same as I.Wish I could share a cup of coffee with you
One way Jesus has been showing His love to me personally is by speaking to me through His Word day after day. Even after forty years of walking with my Savior, I still can’t believe He bends low to speak to my heart at exactly the right time. He knows I’m a “word girl” and so often, He woos me with a verse that speaks exactly what I need to hear in the moment I need to hear it. Oh, how I love Him!
Oh, Alicia, this amazes me as well. He still speaks fresh words to me. He still teaches me after all these years. It really is a living and active Word.
Love you,
Wendy