The following devotionals are written with every woman in mind.
You may be married or single.
You may be a working mom or a stay-at-home mom.
You may be a business professional or a pastor’s wife.
However, there is one thing that we all have in common.
We all need encouragement,
a deeper understanding of the Bible and
a more intimate relationship with Christ.

This simple forum is designed so you can connect with women of like precious faith,
be encouraged as you hear testimonies of God’s great grace, experience a renewed
hunger for the Bible and enjoy a few moments in the presence of the King.

We welcome your questions and comments as we join our hearts together for a time of devotion.

Janice Scott
General Director of Women’s Ministries

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Devotional
Week of June 20-27, 2009
By Reverend Karren Farley, Capital District Women’s Ministries Director

"Resist Satan and Be Steadfast in Faith"

Reverend Karren Farley loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all her heart. She was saved at the tender age of 11. Today she serves as the Women’s Ministry Director for the Capital District and the worship leader at her church, the Martinsburg Christian Center where she is an Associate Pastor. Her husband, Dr. Rick Farley, is the Bishop of the Capital District. She has her Master of Ministry degree and is an ordained minister with the Pentecostal Church of God. She has been married to Bishop Farley for 39 years and still madly in love with him. They have four grown children and six grandchildren. She has one grandchild that is in Jesus’ loving care. On June 29, 2008, Karren’s oldest son, Jason, died in a motorcycle accident at 29. She is learning to walk in God’s grace daily since his acccident.

She believes we need to be the light to this world and we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord as David did. No matter what is going on in our life, Jesus Christ is Lord and His love will carry us through and give us the strength we need to face tomorrow.

“Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world,” 1 Peter 5:9 (NKJV).

We are instructed to resist Satan. To resist means saying “no” to temptations we are fighting. It means saying “no” to fighting with somebody and it also means refusing to give in to something. As we fill our hearts with the Word, spend time in prayer, attend a good Bible-believing church, we will learn what God’s standard is for us. We know walking the Christian path can be hard at times, but what a blessing it is to have the power of God in our lives as Bible-believing women!

We must learn to resist the plans of Satan for our life. God’s plan is for us to have eternal life. Yes, as Christians we face obstacles, adversities, temptations, and health crises. However we have a mighty weapon to use--prayer to our Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent God!

1 Peter 5:9 says “. . . knowing that the same sufferings, are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” The trials we go through and what others go through can make or break us. It can draw us closer to God, to each other and to our church, OR it can tear us away from them. Look at all the examples in the Bible. Think about Moses, David, and Peter, then consider Deborah, Abigail, Esther, Hannah, and Mary, the mother of Jesus.

What made them great was the trials they went through. Sometimes they didn’t follow what God would have liked for them; however, they repented, turned back to Jehovah God and went on to be great women and men of God. That is why we are still talking about them today! You will be a blessing to others when you share how God brought you through a difficult situation. It may be a simple remark to someone in the grocery store, to a mom in the doctor’s office, or to the mom in court whose husband or child is facing charges.

I was in Joplin, MO in June 1996 when my husband was admitted to a hospital with chest pain. We found out he had nine blockages.  I was alone and 1,200 miles from home. I was crying and very scared as I remembered that my father in-law, Rev. G. M. Farley, had died after cardiac bypass surgery.

As I was calling my daughter, Felicia, from a pay phone to tell her that her father was to have heart surgery, someone came up behind me and touched me on the right shoulder. I turned around and a nice-looking gentleman in a suit told me that my husband would be OK and immediately walked away. I have no idea who he was, but I had peace from that moment forward. Personally, I feel it was an angel that God sent to strengthen me and give me peace. This was in 1996; that touch and that word still comforts me to this day! Yes, my husband was OK. That word of encouragement gave me strength to face that whole ordeal. We truly serve an infinite God!

My husband, as he was leaving to go to work this morning, said that “I was his sunshine in the storm.” We have been each others’ strength since we were married in 1970. No matter what we have faced, Jesus Christ our Lord, has been the One that has brought us through the storms of life. My prayer for you is that you will allow God to strengthen you to become a powerful, anointed women of God. When the storms of life come at you in full force, fight back with God’s Word! Cast all your cares on Him and you will be able to resist the Devil.