INTRODUCTION
Real Women meets weekly during the year, but we give all our amazing leaders and volunteers a respite for the summer. We want to stay connected and thought a newsletter from our Real Women Team would help. We will send this out monthly with tips, encouragement, a song playlist, book resources, testimonies of how God is working in our midst, and fun ideas to get away from our busy lives for a “minute” to practice the Sabbath.
Are you experiencing freedom in your life? Freedom from addiction, condemnation, stress, debt, sin, or wounds? Freedom to love, serve, learn, rest, be honest, and choose joy? Our July REAL Connection newsletter will focus on FREEDOM as we also celebrate freedom and independence as a nation this month. Let’s take a Biblical look and determine how it affects our lives practically
We pray you all continue to enjoy your time in God’s Word, prayer, and memories with your families and friends this summer! We are praying for you and are excited to hear testimonies when we return in the Fall for our weekly Wednesday groups, beginning Sept. 18 at 9:30am and 6:30pm. If you attended the final semester of Real Women and took a prayer card for another sister in Christ, please be in prayer for her as you anticipate God’s faithfulness in her life!
ABOUTUS
Real Women is a ministry of Trinity Church that seeks to encourage women in their pursuit of healthy relationships with Jesus first, then others. If you don’t know Jesus, we’d love to tell you about Him (see Gospel section; pg. 11)! The Bible tells us in John 15:4 that when we abide or remain IN Him, we will produce fruit in our lives, but if we don’t stay connected to Him we won’t be fruitful. He will guide us, comfort us, and protect us! This is encouraging because it gives us a foundation and direction for all of our other relationships.
As we all pursue Jesus, we come to Him as we are (REAL women) and leave changed by Him! Only God can heal our brokenness, calm our anxiety, forgive our sins, love us unconditionally, be a perfect Father, guide us in personal holiness, and SO much more! No time spent with Him is wasted. He already knows us inside and out, every hair on our head, every desire of our heart, every pain and joy we experience. Like any other relationship, the more time we spend listening and talking to Jesus, the more intimately we get to know Him and His plan for our lives. We encourage you to be REAL with Him. He cares more than you can imagine and will never stop!
TESTIMONY SPOTLIGHT
We closed out the RW Spring semester with prayer and worship, while handing out prayer cards for each woman to take and commit to pray for over the summer. We’ve already had some testimonies come through, and we wanted to share one with you.
Freedom is never free, except when Jesus gives it to us as a gift. He paid the price for our freedom when He died and rose from death for our sins. I didn’t understand this and was trying to pay the cost of my own sins by giving up my own dignity and selfworth. I couldn’t even recognize myself in the mirror anymore because I was mirroring the Enemy’s identity for me instead of God’s. I thought the consequences of my freedom to make wrong decisions was just a phase of being young and innocent that would stop sooner or later on its own. Yet I kept digging a hole until it was too deep for me to crawl out of on my own. I went from being a cocaine-addicted party girl to a 90-pound meth addict, living in fornication with my boyfriend. The freedom to sin wasn’t freedom at all, it was bondage that was leading to destruction. It wasn’t until I discovered I was pregnant that I found myself crawling back to the Lord as He was drawing me to Himself. He wanted to give me freedom through forgiveness and a new plan for my life!
Prior to the pregnancy, God was strongly tugging on me, and opened my heart to conviction. I suddenly knew I had gone too far in drugs and I needed to turn back. The Lord knew the only way to save my life was to give me someone to be responsible for…my sweet daughter (who is now 10 months)! He used my pregnancy to draw me back home to my mom who had been on her knees praying day and night for me.
As an addict, I was selfish and didn’t even consider the feelings of God or my family members, but now my eyes were open!
“This is the first time I’ve truly felt free, and it’s only because of the grace and mercy of my Father.”
God has shown me true freedom ever since I rededicated my life to Him in December of 2022. It was the same month I found out I was pregnant and stopped drugs, alcohol, and nicotine, and I haven’t touched any of them since! This is the first time I’ve ever felt truly free, and it's only because of the grace and mercy of my Father. He saved me, He purified me, He changed me, and He made me a brand new woman and mom! I know I’m meant to be here, and God saved me from having my life taken away plenty of times.
When people ask me how I am who I am today, I have no other explanation but Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. He pulled me out of the fire and gave me another chance because He is a good and patient God. I’m free in Christ and will never go back to those destructive sins. Being a single mom has taught me not to be selfish anymore and to forgive because He forgave me.
*Testimony is from a courageous woman that we will leave anonymous (not pictured)
Has the Lord done something amazing in your life?
We’d love to hear about it!
Email us at realwomen@trinitychurch.com
ARE YOU LIVING IN FREEDOM?
For many, the summer officially begins with the July 4th celebration of freedom. It is also a time when we experience some additional “freedom” from the daily grind of life by going on vacation, gettingmoretimeoutdoors(generallybygoingawayfromtheheatofArizona),enjoyingfriendsand familyaswegrillourfavorites,andslowingdowntocatchourbreath.
Freedomisaninterestingwordthatcanholddifferentmeaningsfordifferentpeopledependingon whattheyareusingasafoundation.Ifwelookattheworld’sview,itisthepowerorrighttospeak, think,oractasapersonwantswithoutbeingrestrainedorhindered,anattitudeof“I’lldothingsmy way without any thought of consequences.” If we look at it from a Biblical perspective, it’s actually almosttheopposite.Galatians5:13says:
“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfyyoursinfulnature.Instead,useyourfreedomtoserveoneanotherinlove. ”
According to the Scriptures, freedom is two-sided. First, we are free from something holding us back. Second, we are free to move forward in new ways. The world’s view focuses on being selfish and doing what we want,whiletheBiblical encouragementisthattruefreedom isfound when we servesomeoneelsewithaheartoflovetowardthem.That’sVERYdifferent!
Have you had seasons in your life when you were dissatisfied and found you were pursuing selfish desires? Compare that to times when you’ve intentionally served other people. Did that bring a sense of freedom in how you cared for them and saw them experience freedom as well? If you keepreadingGal5,itclarifieswhathappenswhenselfishnessisourfoundation:
“Forthewholelawcanbesummedupinthisonecommand:‘Loveyourneighbor asyourself.’”Butifyouarealwaysbitinganddevouringoneanother,watchout! Bewareofdestroyingoneanother”(v.14,15)
In other words, being selfish is the opposite of freedom and leads to destruction! This is such an easy way for the Enemy to deceive us. We all want freedom, but we often don’t know where or how to find it. If I think about the times when I was doing only what I wanted (counterfeit freedom) rather than what God wanted and looking out for the needs of others, I did damage to my life and relationships For example, when I first got married I selfishly didn’t want to change how I spent my time and wanted to plan my own social calendar without his input, but that caused appropriate jealousy and hurt my marriage relationship.
I was not single, and adjustments needed to be made so we could enjoy date nights and continue to build our friendship I had unhealed past wounds that I was trying to protect, which made it easier to hang out with friends who wouldn’t talk about those things rather than with my husband, who actually loved me and wanted to help me heal It felt like “freedom” when I was regularly with girlfriends, but I was actually neglecting my husband and delaying the healing process from my past. Repenting and looking at our schedule together led to true freedom and a healthy marriage. God cares about our relationships, but if our hearts aren’t healed, we are in bondage, which limits our freedom.
Another place where I lacked freedom was in being a people-pleaser. While it seems unselfish to do all the things people want and try to please them constantly, it’s actually being bound to their desires over God’s desires for us It left me vulnerable to being used by others, but God has healed that in my life, and I experience freedom when I’m able to serve freely in ways He leads me to.
How do we experience freedom? It comes when we receive His unfailing love for us as His daughters, and we ask Him what His “good and pleasing and perfect” will (Romans 12:2) is for our lives, and we daily seek wisdom for the steps to get there. There is nothing like the freedom that comes with a relationship with Jesus! As we walk with Him, He takes away guilt, condemnation, lies, fear, and anxiety and replaces them with forgiveness, grace, truth, freedom, and the Holy Spirit’s power, which the final section of Gal 5 implores us to live by:
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit give us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. ” (v. 16, 17)
It's helpful to be aware of the battle we are in for freedom. While brave soldiers fought for our personal, political, and religious freedoms in bloody battles, Jesus shed His blood on the cross to pay our sin debt so that we could experience a relationship with Him that gives even deeper freedom for eternity! Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. ” Thankfully, the Holy Spirit has power over any other spirits, and as Christians, we can live by that power What does that look like? Many of us know the section of Gal 5 (v 22, 23) that gives us the answer but might not realize that it leads to freedom! I encourage you to read and memorize this to help you know when you are living by the power of the Holy Spirit or not:
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol. There is no law against these things!”
I’m incredibly thankful that God didn’t just tell us about freedom, but He gave us the Source and opportunity to receive it! As we celebrate this month, let’s pursue God’s freedom daily in our lives
Are there areas in your life where you’re not living in freedom? Ask the Holy Spirit to break those bonds, and take steps forward to walk in freedom!
We asked some of our leaders what living in freedom means to them and these were their answers:
Living in freedom means knowing that my identity, acceptance, security, and purpose come from God. Freedom is knowing that I don't need to rely on or look to others to fulfill these deepest needs. By keeping God as the priority, abiding in His Word, and trusting in Him, I have the freedom to live as His daughter under His grace I can live free from the bondage of sin that can so easily take my mind and thoughts captive, and the Heavenly Father sets me free to live out His will and purpose for my life!
❤
���� Vicki P
What does it mean to live in freedom?
In John 8:32, Jesus told those who believed in Him, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Living in freedom is healing from past wounds, forgiving those who have hurt us, and taking thoughts captive by rejecting the deception and lies of the Enemy. Reading the Bible and obeying what it says strengthens us in believing the truth of whom Jesus says we are (forgiven, chosen, saved by grace), thereby setting us free from bondage.
❤ Denise
We put together a Summer Playlist for you. Scan the QR code to check it out!
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,” Luke 4:18 NLT
I don’t want to be like a bird in a cage with the door open yet stays in the cage. I want to be led by the Spirit and see that the door is open and be set free to do all the Father wants me to do by sharing this freedom with others by the Word of God.
�� Trish
For me, freedom and wisdom connect. When thinking of wisdom, adversity also comes to my mind. Not what most people would say, but adversity has walked alongside me for much of my life. A wise person said to me during a very stressful time that one of the keys to walking through trials was to pick a scripture, and every time the circumstances came to my mind, to repeat that Scripture. It sounded silly, but being desperate, the Scripture that spoke to me was Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.” Now, some will ask, how does that equal freedom? My reply would be that peace {freedom not to be consumed by anxiety} guided me through breast cancer surgery and treatments, work-related issues, the death of a child, and current health issues. Some say denial; I say freedom. So, ask, thank, and receive peace that surpasses all understanding What scripture speaks to your circumstances?
�� Emilie
We’d love to hear from you! What does living in freedom mean to you?
BOOKSPOTLIGHT
One of the books that our Real Women Leaders are digging into this summer is “Intimacy with the Almighty” by Charles Swindoll. We encourage you to find something to “dig deeper in” or learn more about and study that topic during the summer. The attributes of God are also a good topic to dig deeper into, and they go along with the current sermon series, Real God.
Other resources to consider are:
2024 Primary Election AZ Voter Guide at azvoterguide.com (we need to apply our freedom to vote and be informed when we choose candidates that will continue to enforce our religious and God-given freedoms)
Win Your War by Mark & Grace Driscoll
Steps to Freedom in Christ & Bondage Breaker by Neil T Anderson Spirit-FIlled Jesus by Mark Driscoll
When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People by Gary Thomas Building Bounce by Marcus Warner
When People are Big and God is Small by Ed Welch
Healing the Scars of Addiction by Gregory Jantz
Scan the QR code for additional resources
THEGOSPEL
In a world filled with bad news, it is so refreshing to get some good news There's a special word in the Bible that means "good news,” and that word is Gospel. It’s simple to do, yet deep and humbling to receive and live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ! God created us to be part of His family, but when sin entered the world through our first parents, Adam and Eve, it separated us from Him. Because God is holy and perfect, the only way to bring us back into His family was to send His son Jesus to live a perfect, sinless life and to die on the cross for our sins and resurrect (defeat death). It was the greatest act of love and grace possible…our sin for Jesus’ life! That’s how much He loves us, but it requires us to believe this Gospel truth and trust in Him as we answer God’s prompting to be in a relationship with Him. If you don’t know Jesus, He already knows you, so you can start talking to Him through prayer
Tell Him about the burdens you carry, the sins you feel ashamed about, the pain you want to heal from, and that you want to surrender these things to have Him be your perfect Heavenly Father Tell Him you believe He is God, that He sent Jesus to rescue you, and that you want to be in a relationship with Him. Listen to Him as you pray and read His words to you (Bible). If you need a Bible, let us know via email so we can give you a Bible. We’d love to celebrate you as a new sister in Christ! Keep praying, read the Bible, and join us at church so you can get to know other Christians who are learning along with you.
THANK YOU
Thank you for making the Spring 2024 semester amazing! We’re looking forward to what the Lord has for us this Fall!
If the Lord has answered any of your prayers, as you read earlier, we’d love to hear about it! You can email us at realwomen@trinitychurch.com, and we will keep it anonymous if we use it in a Real Connection Newsletter. Thank you!
I don’t memorize things easily, but I’ve noticed that memorizing scripture is so much easier when I ask the Holy Spirit to help me and I actually put the verses into practice!
I memorized this as a childhood song, and am daily reminded that I have a choice to live by the power of the Holy Spirit and exhibit the fruit He gives.
Love, Grace
MEMORY VERSE:
“BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT PRODUCES THIS KIND OF FRUIT IN OUR LIVES: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELFCONTROL. THERE IS NO LAW AGAINST THESE THINGS!”
- GALATIANS 5:22-23