Intimacy With God—First

Intimacy With God—First

Intomacy With God—First

By Luci Boudreaux/Spiritual Insights          

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Revelation. 3:20 “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” 

Today’s topic, on intimacy, is a continuation of our last teleconference meeting that left us with more to share and reveal. Before we get into the details of our topic, I want to give you a glimpse of my life so you have an idea of where I’ve come from. 

When I was 11, I was molested by older brothers, raped at age 12 by an older man I didn’t know, raped again at 14, and by 15, molested and victimized a few more times. I became sexually active at 14, because I felt I had to give myself away to get the love and attention I so desperately craved. I had been stripped of my self worth. 

These traumatic events perverted my understanding of what healthy intimacy is. I believed that my body was to be used for physical and emotional gain, and I learned to manipulate the men I wanted to attract. I thought if I gave myself physically to men, they would love and respect me. It was a twisted and evil version of what God intended for me as His beloved daughter. 

I began to see things differently when Jesus saved me! As I read the Bible, I could hardly believe my incredible fortune that THE perfect, all knowing God of creation, chose to love ME! I realized that I was redeemed for a higher purpose than to abuse my body and engage in unhealthy relationships. 

I spent most of my free time seeking out relationships with healthy role models who were godly women and men who were confident in themselves because of their commitment to Jesus. For so long, I put myself down, and now Jesus was elevating me to be called His Daughter! What a Savior! 

I too wanted to be confident and secure, so I focused mainly on my relationship with God, and as I did, He drew closer to me! But my self-perception was still distorted. 

I had to go back and process the abuse and pain from my past so I could move forward in my healing journey. I had to acknowledge that some of my behaviors were sinful toward myself, others, and especially my Lord. Over the years as I grew in my faith, I pursued counseling and mentors to get victory over my broken past. It was really hard work. But it was so worth it! 

Soon after accepting Jesus into my heart, I became obsessed with finding a godly husband and raising a family. It was constantly on my mind. You could say it was an idol to me. I was lonely and felt that I deserved to have my heart’s desire. I prayed often for the Lord  to answer this prayer. But I remained single.  

Many years passed before I realized that I had placed this desire over my relationship with the Lord. I had to repent and turn back to Him. This choice put things in proper perspective. God showed me that He must take priority in my life before I could give myself to another in a way that would glorify Him and bless my union. 

After many years of spiritual growth and emotional healing, at age 42, the lord brought an amazing man into my life who I have been married to for 24 years. We love God and live our lives to serve Him and each other. We are better together than we were apart. God knew that I needed to be whole and completely devoted to Him before I could be the godly wife David needed. 

Our intimacy and devotion to God will affect our human relationships and shape the way they develop. If you function under a false view of who you are (unworthy, insecure, broken, untrusting and so on), you will come across this way. Drifting into false beliefs about yourself will distort your connection with others, whether they be friends or a present or future spouse. 

Your mental, emotional, and spiritual journey is influenced by the things you feed your mind and what you believe about yourself. In order to see yourself in the correct way, you must diligently seek the Lord in prayer and receive His Word daily, not just read it. 

God sees you as His beautiful, precious daughter. You are complete in Christ. He loves you with a perfect and eternal love. And when you embrace these truths, you will develop self-respect and confidence and expect others to treat you in this way. If someone wants to be a part of your life, you should expect them to treat you as God’s beautiful and cherished and humble daughter, and to be reciprocal in loving and sacrificing for you as you do for them, according to God’s plan. 

Questions: 

Are you comfortable with the concept of intimacy with God?

Have you felt that you are reliving the same story, the same memories, the same thought processes? 

Are you stuck in habitual sin as you continue to see yourself as a victim or unworthy?

What are you feeding your mind and spirit? 

How can we pray for you?

I came to understand that God had ordered my days and He was going to bring beauty from the ashes. I glorify Him today in the hard and the easy times because I know He “works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.”  Ref. Romans 8:28

Feel free to reach out to me via email at:
overcomer982@icloud.com

Here for you,

Luci

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Speaking Life: The Power of Words

Speaking Life: The Power of Words

Speaking Life: The Power of Words

By Luci Boudreaux/Spiritual Insights

Scriptures:
Proverbs 16:24 “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Col. 4:6 “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Eph. 4:29 “Let no corrupting (unwholesome) talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Questions:

Have you experienced a pattern of destructive words spoken over you?

Are you able to speak life affirmation to others but not yourself?

What can you do to change this pattern in your life?

How can we pray for you today?

In order to love someone, or to love ourselves, we need to speak life into hearts and minds. And as we do this, the evil that has been corrupting our thinking will lose its hold on us and our relationships.

When I came to know Jesus at age 25, I had a family history of harsh and critical words spoken over me. I believed those lies, and over time, they became my identity. My heart was wounded to the point that I saw no hope for a different way. I was told that I was ugly, stupid, and wasn’t wanted.

I was deceived into thinking that all the world was dark and that my future was just an endless string of rejection and disappointment. After leaving home, I continued to tell those lies to myself and lived them out as if they were the truth.

That all began to change when I surrendered my life to Jesus, repented of my known sin and trusted Him as my Lord and Savior. I was made new that day! And I can remember feeling a sense of hope and freedom for the first time.

But my deeply rooted, negative thought pattern took time to change. I needed other healthy believers in Jesus, who had learned about speaking life affirming words, to show me what that looked like for me.

As I spent more time in the company of these people who were confident in who they were, I learned that the words I spoke to myself, and to others, had a powerful influence in the direction that my life was going in.

I experienced a positive change in how I saw myself. And I noticed that as I began to see myself through the eyes of Christ (beautiful, forgiven, beloved), others treated me differently, with dignity and respect. So, do you see the connection? As we respect and love ourselves according to who we are in Christ, others will see us this way.

My words were becoming more positive, more gracious. But in the beginning, I wouldn’t allow the good things to be spoken over me, nor did I build myself up; I resisted when people affirmed me in a life-giving way. I affirmed others but not myself. I believed myself to be unworthy. But God’s Word says otherwise, so I had to reconcile with this truth.

In order to speak life into ourselves and others, we need a source from within. That is Jesus and His Word! It nourishes us so we can be healthy enough to pour into others. He calls you by name, and as you listen, you will be fed “living water.” Jesus has the Living Water that flows from Him to you and then into others as you share His Words.

We often underestimate the influence that our words possess in our everyday lives. This is not just a call to say nice things; rather, it is a reminder that our speech can affect the hearts and minds of others.

From The Bible Repository:

“Speaking life is not just about saying nice things; it’s also about sharing the hope we have in Christ and standing in truth. We must encourage each other daily and maintain a spirit of positivity in our conversations. God’s word equips us with wisdom and strength, allowing us to be vessels of encouragement and love.”

“Every person we encounter is on their own journey, facing struggles we may never fully understand. With this in mind, we can choose to be a source of support and encouragement, actively uplifting those around us.”

I pray the Lord guides you in all you say and do; may He be glorified in our lives.

In Christ’s Love,

Luci

 

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The Importance of Community

The Importance of Community

The Importance of Community

By Luci Boudreaux
Spiritual Insights Blog

Scriptures: Romans 12:4-5, 15 and Colossians 3:16

 

Romans 12:4-5, 15
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”

Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing (counseling) one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Today we will be talking about community, in the sense that God calls us to be, and how it impacts us. Recently, I have experienced it in a powerful way. Two years ago, one of my beloved dogs became very ill with three life-threatening diseases, one after the other. It was not only heartbreaking to see my darling Chloe suffer, but it was stressful both emotionally and financially. The cancer she developed the last year finally took her from us. While caring for her, my dog Ranger’s IBD, which we had been coping with for many years, became chronic, which was also stressful and exhausting. Soon after we lost Chloe, our third dog (Jackson) was having stomach issues, but I was managing it until just after Chloe died. Then it quickly became a crisis.

While dealing with this, my husband cut his lower leg very deeply while working in the field, which put all the chores on me. While he was laid up, we had two major winter storms, which made it very difficult for me to manage. I mean, falling down on the ice kind of managing! While all this was happening, I was getting sharp pains in my abdomen, which eventually drove me to the ER. And the same day Jackson was diagnosed with a mass in his abdomen, I was diagnosed with GB issues. The doc said it needed to come out ASAP.

It took weeks to get through the storms, and we had to postpone all medical appointments. Once we were plowed out, I took Jackson to the vet for exploratory surgery, which led to having him euthanized over the phone, due to cancer. I was still so sad from saying goodbye to Chloe just a few weeks before! And I had surgery scheduled within a couple of weeks.

I know this is a lot of detail, but I wanted to give you a sense of what was going on when I reached out to my community of women prayer warriors and church members who were there for me, praying, sending heartfelt gifts and offering encouraging words to get me through! I received offers to help around the house, meals, prayer (most cherished) notes and texts of encouragement! It helped me to stay focused on the Lord and better days ahead. Without the support of my community, I would have been distraught and very alone in my pain. Instead, I felt supported, loved, and strengthened. God created us to flourish in community!

A previous blog from Toni:

“Why is community so important? You have all heard the saying, “There is safety in numbers.” That is true for your spiritual life also, not just your physical safety. When we stay connected in community, we are protected from the enemy’s fiery darts. His primary goal is to get Christian women isolated so he can lie and torment us. How many of you know what I am talking about? We have all experienced the loneliness and despair that overcomes us when we are isolated, especially women with abortions and abuse in their past; we are an easy target for the enemy. But after we join a safe group and stay accountable, we are now protected.

It’s not just being a part of a group that protects you. It’s being an active member of the group, serving and participating consistently, not just being an observer. We must invest in the group by sharing our hearts, our tears, our triumphs, and our prayer requests. By sharing with the group, you don’t know how your share may help encourage another woman.

I have noticed over the years that the women who stay connected and accountable in a safe community continue to grow spiritually, and they feel safe, deeply connected and loved. These women have huge victories in their lives because they are dedicated to following the Lord and living in community.

Each of us has been given a role in the body of Christ by God. We see in the Scriptures above that Christ is the Head, and each one of us is a part of the body. We are called to do a specific job in the body to keep the body functioning properly.”

“My hope and prayer for each of us is that:
Our faith will grow stronger.
Our relationships with one another will grow deeper.
We will be mature, strong, confident believers in Jesus.
We will not be tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine.
We will have a strong biblical worldview.
Christ dwells in our hearts through faith.
We will be rooted and grounded in love.
We will know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.
We will be filled with all the fullness of God.
Everything that we do is pleasing to God.
Our words will always speak life and encouragement to others.”
(Ref. Ephesians 4:14; 3:17,19)

 

“I pray you are encouraged to step up your game and make Jesus and sharing His love your priority in everything you do. I pray if you have not been regularly connecting in a deep and meaningful way that God will give you the courage to be open and vulnerable to share. God has so much for you as an individual and for us as a group to accomplish.
Will you pray and ask the Lord what your role in the Kingdom of God is and in this ministry?”

Questions to take to heart:

  1. Have you experienced the support of a Christ-centered community?
  2. If so, how has it improved and strengthened your spiritual and emotional growth?
  3. Why is it important to be connected in a Christ-centered community?
  4. How can we pray for you?

Please reach out if you want to be a part of a godly group of courageous women who trust God completely and want to see Him glorified through our lives. You can reach me at: overcomer982@icloud.com.

Your Friend,
Luci

 

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Forgiveness—God’s Way

Forgiveness—God’s Way

Forgiveness—God’s Way

By Luci Boudreaux/Spiritual Insights
Scriptures: Matthew 5:44 and Mark 11:25

Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”

Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

 

In my youth, I learned all about the impact of unforgiveness before I ever understood the incredible power and freedom of God’s plan; and that is forgiveness! That is what we will be talking about today.

I have a brother who is two years older and was incredibly mean to me from a very early age. I was an easy target since there was very little supervision in our home. He tormented, made fun of, beat up on and laughed at me regularly. As we grew older, he became more abusive in his behavior. And by age 11, he and another brother began to sexually molest me. I didn’t dare tell anyone because my greatest fear was that no one would believe me, and if they did, I would be blamed somehow. At 12, I was raped by a stranger in the neighborhood and was robbed of my virginity and whatever childhood innocence I had left. I escaped my abusive home environment at the age of 15. And I took my anger, confusion and bitterness with me into every relationship. Unfortunately, I experienced more violations and abuse from strangers out in the world.

The relationships that I did have were very toxic. I was promiscuous and emotionally unavailable. And when I look back on that season of my life, I also chose men who were unhealthy as well. At 24, I became pregnant by a man whose name I can’t remember, as we had just met that one day and I never saw him again. Unfortunately, I chose to abort my baby. And that was a devastating decision that broke me!

But, praise be to God that, approximately nine months later, the Lord revealed His Spirit, His truth, and I was born again! But there were layers of lies and wounds to process and release to the Lord. So, in my childlike obedience, I did the only thing I knew to do. I surrendered all these hurts and atrocities to Jesus, my Savior. I assumed that once I forgave as the Bible teaches, it was behind me. But I was wrong! The emotions of unforgiveness continued to rise up in my heart, as certain situations triggered them.

So I had a decision to make; I could try and bury the memories of the wrongs done to me and forget about them. But the problem with this is, it continues to surface along with the root of bitterness that continues growing inside.

As a follower of Christ, I worked on past wounds that were causing pain, and in that process, I specifically forgave my brother and have been praying for him for decades. But I recently found out that he has cancer and will need surgery. You would think that at once, I would pray for him, but what happened really surprised me! my immediate response was, “I don’t want to pray for him; he’s awful.”

When the thought came to me, I was convicted. So I took it to the Lord, and He began to help me sort through the unforgiveness, again. I realized there was still a remnant of unforgiveness in my heart against him. I had to deal with it!

I am learning that forgiveness is not only a one-time obedient act for the Lord, but it is also an ongoing process that needs to be revisited when it creeps into our hearts.

What I hadn’t been considering was that he came from the same dysfunctional home as me. My father was very harsh and cruel to him and my other brothers. Although he’s never expressed it, I believe he is burdened from past abuse. And from working through this for myself and for so many others, I’ve come to understand that those who have been abused are prone to hurt others in similar ways.

 

Questions to take to heart:

Are you holding onto unforgiveness toward anyone?

How are you working through the process of forgiveness?

Are you finding it hard to forgive some over others?

 

Pastor Bill Elliff shares his perspective:

“Forgiveness is my responsibility as a choice of my will, made possible

by God’s grace, to release a debt, by faith, for the glory of God.”

 

Let’s look at the breakdown of the above statement:

“My responsibility”:
Regardless of what others have done, I am responsible for the sin of my unforgiveness.

“As a choice of my will, made possible by God’s grace”: It is not an act of my emotions but a choice I can always make because of the sufficiency of Gods empowering grace.

“To release a debt”:
The reason I am holding this in the ledger book of my heart is to make others pay (in multiple ways). Forgiveness transfers this issue from my courtroom to God’s, believing that He is fully capable of taking care of others.

“For the glory of God”:
There is nothing that illustrates God more clearly and shows others the remarkable power of God to help us through the deepest hurts of life than forgiveness.

 

You are loved,
Luci

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A Spiritual Eye

A Spiritual Eye

A Spiritual Eye View

by Luci Boudreaux/Spiritual Insights

Scriptures: 2 Kings 6:15-17 and John 3:3

 

2 Kings 6:15-17
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The king of Syria was at war with Israel, and Elisha the prophet was being given divine insight from God about the battle plans. So, he informed the king of Israel when and where his enemy would strike, which made the Assyrian king angry. So, he went after Elisha with his army. But the Lord protected him and his servant by giving them spiritual eyes to see and delivering them!

John 3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus is saying here that those who haven’t submitted to the Lord Jesus are blind to the things that God is doing here on this earth.

Last week, I had to address a root canal that became infected. My heart sank as the dentist said, “You need to go back to the endodontist and deal with this. I dreaded it, remembering how hard it was the first time. It was long and difficult and led to extended complications from the antibiotics. I had an appointment for the next day, and they said that I may need surgery. Before rising that morning, I sought the Lord through devotion and prayer. There were no distractions or demands on me. It was just me and the Spirit of God in the quiet of the new day.

I got up and prepared for the long drive and potentially invasive surgery. Usually when I’m in the car, I listen to podcasts or praise music, but this day was different. I spent quiet time with the Lord and listened for His heart toward me as I drove down the peaceful mountain roads. It prepared me for His plans.

I started out feeling frustrated about having to divert my plans for the week. But then I asked Him to change my perspective on what I was to face. And He answered my prayer in a wonderful way.

Prior to leaving the house, I grabbed a letter I had just drafted for my brother who desperately needs Jesus. And in it, I shared my testimony, my heart for him to be saved and shared the gospel with him. I was going to look it over for editing while waiting on the doctor, but they called me in right away. As the assistant prepared me for the procedure, we began to talk about faith and matters of the heart. She wasn’t attending church at the time and said that reading the Bible was confusing. So, I encouraged her to ask the Lord to open her eyes to His truth before she started to read, and I pointed her to the Book of John. This Book of John provides a clear message of the gospel and the incredible love Jesus has for us!

While getting the dental work done, I prayed for her, the doctor, his family, and other loved ones that came to mind. The time was going too fast as I focused on eternal things. And as I prayed, the Holy Spirit prompted me to give this young lady the letter I wrote to my brother. At first, I thought it was odd, since it wasn’t written to her. But then I realized that this letter had my personal testimony and the salvation message laid out from the Scriptures. It was the perfect way to get the gospel to this precious woman. I was so excited and had no doubt that the Lord was guiding me. She was moved that I shared something so personal. And I pray it moves her to seek Jesus.

When I woke up this particular morning, I was focused on myself, the inconveniences of having my busy schedule altered, and the suffering I would endure. But when I refocused to see my day through the eyes of the Lord, I saw that the Spirit was doing an eternal working in my life and those around me!

First, you must be born again in order to see what God is doing beyond your mortal existence. Have you reached out to Jesus and surrendered your life to Him? He loves you and is waiting for you to seek Him and repent of your sins. He will show you how to walk with Him.

Then, it’s a daily asking, “Lord, help me see what You are doing in my life. Help me see the big picture that goes beyond myself, into Your eternal plan.

Clear spiritual sight is vital for believers, and it involves learning to see as the Lord sees. This requires a shift in our perspective.

Questions:

1. Are you asking God to open your eyes to eternal things?

2. Are you resisting what God wants to show you?

3. What has He revealed to you as you open up to Him?

4. How can we pray for you?

I hope this topic has been helpful to you. Please reach out if you need to talk or want to pray: overcomer982@icloud.com

His Servant,

Luci

 

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