Author: Editor

Welcome to The Sisterhood Hub! The Hub is where I share insights, resources, and reflections that have deepened my faith and strengthened my Christian walk. My hope is that you find encouragement and inspiration, be uplifted and challenged as you navigate your own journey. The Hub is dedicated to empowering women to embrace their God-given identity, rooted in the love, grace, mercy, truth and sacrifice of our Lord, Saviour, and soon-coming King, Jesus Christ. May this be a source of strength and renewal, fostering your self-worth and guiding you to live out your faith authentically. Together, let us walk confidently in our callings, trusting God every step of the way. May our lives reflect humility, integrity, and reverence for Him, as the Holy Spirit leads us to live fruitfully for His glory. The mission is to parade God’s love by sharing the gospel, writing, engaging in outreach and missionary work, distributing Christian resources, and serving communities both locally and internationally—as a pro-life advocate, committed to the sanctity of life from the womb to the tomb and beyond the grave, in both the physical and spiritual realms, as every life matters. Blessings, Lori 💕

Trusting God to Heal the Scars of Sexual Abuse

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“You need to learn to trust men again.”

When she said this just moments after I admitted I had been sexually abused as a child by a man I trusted, I got mad . . . really mad! She didn’t understand the depth of my fear, disgust, anger, and helplessness. She didn’t even acknowledge my emotional scars.  

As with many women, my scars of abuse felt unique. I was confused about what was normal and used a variety of defense mechanisms to get through life.

If you’ve been sexually abused, you may be coping in one or more of the following ways. You hide or keep people at extreme distances, afraid of being hurt again. You remain numb through adulthood. If married, you find it difficult to respond sexually. You fear biblical submission—afraid of losing control.

You may feel damaged, see yourself as a sex object, flaunt your sexuality, and descend into promiscuity and other sexual sins. Or like me, you pour yourself into being “good” or embrace ministry. You may not understand the power of the gospel and focus instead on pleasing God to gain His favor.

You might respond to your abuse with anxiety, depression, self-loathing, self-harming actions, fear of intimacy, homosexuality, indecisiveness, perfectionism, a need to control, eating disorders, or addictions.

Satan doesn’t care how we react to the sinfulness of sexual abuse . . . as long as we don’t turn to Jesus. The enemy knows that when we find our identity, security, and dignity in Christ, we can live in victory.

Twisted Thinking

It took me awhile to get there, though. For years, I felt the need to protect my abuser and not hurt others who loved him. It was twisted thinking, but the enemy delights in warping thoughts. In high school, I had poor interpersonal skills. By college, I felt suicidal and alone. Abuse distorted my image of God and affected my ability to seek and trust Him. My confidence was shattered.

After college, I joined Life Action Ministries and began a journey with God that changed my heart and life. One day as I was singing “Do You Know My Jesus?” on stage with the team, I suddenly realized I knew all about Jesus, but I didn’t know Him. I left the microphone, went to the prayer room, and placed my life in Jesus’ hands.

The most astounding changes came as I learned to trust Him with my past hurts.

Lessons I Learned

  • God loves me. Deeply and completely. The enemy loves it when I feel shame, condemnation, and self-loathing, but God’s Word says I am precious in God’s sight—accepted and valued (Isa. 43:4).
  • God saw my abuse and did not condone it. Neither should I. I do not have to stay silent or bury the pain and trauma. The Lord hates all wickedness, including my abuser’s sinful actions (Ps. 11:5).
  • I can pray for wisdom and entrust true justice to the righteous heart of God. He always has the last word—He brings justice to the unrepentant and great mercy to the repentant (Ps. 103:6).
  • I know I can forgive others because I have been so greatly forgiven. Bitterness will only make my pain worse and continue to wound others (Heb. 12:15).
  • I can pray for my abuser’s change of heart and repentance—that my abuser will seek the Lord, turn from wickedness, and learn to live a godly life so God will be glorified (Luke 6:28).
  • I do not have to live in fear like a victim. Peace and victory come as I study and rest in who I am in Christ (Eph. 1:3–8).
  • As I run to the Lord who sees, heals, and comforts, I can use what the enemy meant for evil to bring glory and praise to God (Gen. 50:20).
  • I can learn how to communicate clear, pure boundaries in all relationships and speak truth in love (Eph. 4:15).
  • I must be aware of the enemy’s schemes to control my responses and defeat me. I must saturate my life with Scripture and remember God’s grace is greater than the condemnation I feel (1 John 3:20).
  • Knowing my thoughts will control my actions and responses, I must allow God to transform my thinking so I can make daily choices to please Him (Rom. 12:2).
  • I will grow and heal as I rub shoulders with godly women who model how to respond with the pure love of Christ and trust the Lord to help me stand in dignity and strength (1 Peter 3:3–5).
  • I can, as a member of the Body of Christ, be a part of holding abusers accountable—especially within the church (Matt. 18:15–17).
  • I can also encourage those who still struggle toward freedom from the pain and insecurities that arise out of sexual abuse (Gal. 6:2).

Set Free and Healing

Second Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” I’ve discovered everything I need to move forward in grace and strength comes from abiding in God’s presence and the Word of God.

The path to thriving begins with God-focus, not self-focus. If we continue to gaze inward, we will always see our scars, but when we gaze on Jesus, we see His scars and remember He died to make us whole again. We can trust this One who loved us so completely.

I’ve grown in Christ, but it hasn’t always been easy. I’ve had many questions, and my heart screamed for answers. Satan wants us to believe God is not good and does not care, but our Father God is never blind to the sins that hurt His people. He grieves over all sin and hates it. Sometimes the Lord deals directly with others’ sinful behavior against us; other times, it’s just not time yet. In mercy, God gives even the most evil among us opportunities to turn to Him and repent.

My great comfort is that Jesus understands abuse. He suffered great abuse and even death to give us life (see Isa. 53). He brings hope for today and tomorrow and, most certainly, hope for dealing in victory with hurtful past circumstances.

I am free to love others sincerely and allow the Lord to work in my life and my abuser’s life now that I have been set free from the bondage that chained me for so many years,

Although Jesus said He came to give me abundant life (John 10:10), sometimes I resort to survival mode when I allow myself to feel ashamed. In those moments, I forget who I am—or rather, whose I am. Jesus bore my shame on the cross; I don’t need to bear it for one moment.

Though scars remain, God gives healing grace.

Father God, I ask You to bring victory and healing to those who suffer. Surround them with Your presence, help them see You as You really are, and show them the overcoming power in Your Word. Amen.

If you are struggling, you might also want to watch this video about a young woman who was sexually abused.

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*** By Dawn Wilson © 2001–2023 Revive Our Hearts, an outreach of Life Action Ministries.ECFA Member

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Forgiving Others as God Has Forgiven Us

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But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses. ~ Matthew 6:15

God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4). The very first characteristic of the Divine nature that every one of us encountered when we were converted was His mercy. That should also be the very first impression that others have when they encounter us, if indeed we have partaken of the Divine nature.

There is no mercy found in hell and no mercy found in our flesh either. Our flesh is naturally hard towards others and it is easy to deceive ourselves that such hardness is part of the Divine severity. Such is the deceitfulness of sin.

If we could look into Heaven right now, we would find that God is constantly forgiving others. From every part of this world, believers and unbelievers are constantly crying out to Him asking for forgiveness for their sins and their failures. And He is always forgiving them – 24 hours of every day. Some may be asking for forgiveness for a sin that they have committed for the 1000 th time. He still forgives, for that is His nature. Jesus said that we were to forgive others in exactly the same way (Matthew 18:35)

Jesus also said that we were to forgive our brothers seven times in a single day (Luke 17:4). A day was reckoned as 12 hours. This meant that if your brother sinned against you at 6 a.m. one morning, and asked for your forgiveness at 7 a.m. you were to forgive him. If he committed the same sin against you at 8 a.m. and asked for your forgiveness at 9 a.m. you were to forgive him again. Then at 10 a.m. he does the same thing a third time, and asks for your forgiveness at 11 a.m. You are to forgive him. He repeats exactly the same sin at 12 noon and at 2 p.m. and at 4 p.m. and comes back each time, an hour later and asks for forgiveness. Each time, you are to forgive him, without keeping any record of the number of times you have forgiven him already, the same day. Some who are legalistically minded may say that Jesus did tell us to keep a record up to seven times. That is exactly what Peter once said to Jesus, and he was told that he was to forgive his brother 490 times (Matthew 18:21,22)

That is what God’s nature is like. And the good news of the new covenant is that we can partake of His nature. It is easier to speak about this than to actually partake of it. We all know that from experience. But “the kingdom of God is not in words but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20)

The glory of Christ is radiated through us, not by our mouthing so many wonderful “truths” and doctrines, but by our manifesting the love of God to others.

***Prayer for forgiving others

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***Copyright – Zac Poonen. No changes whatsoever are to be made to the content of the article without written permission from the author at CFC India.com. / Photo at Pexels

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It is Not about Doctrine but Life

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Paul speaks about “the holiness which is no illusion” (Ephesians 4:24 – J.B. Philips translation). This does not come through understanding doctrine but through Jesus Himself living His life through us. The secret of godliness mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:16 is not the doctrine of Jesus having come in our flesh, but Jesus Himself Who came in our flesh. It is by looking unto Jesus and not at any doctrine that we are going to be transformed into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18). Remember this all your life.“Church is like a hospital, where the worst cases are welcome. They can all be cured. No-one need feel that he or she is too wretched to be helped.”

Every doctrine can lead you astray: (1) if you don’t keep your eyes on the Lord Himself, and (2) if you do not love all who love Him, whichever group they are in, and whatever doctrine they may hold. Jesus Himself is the Head of the church which is His Body. But if a doctrine becomes the Head, then people will become Pharisees – and the purer the doctrine, the greater the Pharisees that will be produced! Remember the words of the hymn: “Once it was the blessing, now it is the Lord”.

The image we present as a church must be consistent with the image Jesus presented of the Father – especially what we see in John 8:1-12, where He was on the side of the repentant adulteress against the religious Pharisees. Jesus preached the highest standard of holiness ever preached on earth, and yet He mingled with the worst of sinners (e.g., Mary Magdalene, who was given the privilege to be the first to see the risen Lord). He never once criticised such sinners or reminded them about their past. This is our calling as a church too – to preach the same standard of holiness that Jesus preached, and yet to be warm to the worst of sinners and backsliders, to draw them to Him.

Our church is like a hospital, where the worst cases are welcome. They can all be cured. No-one need feel that he or she is too wretched to be helped. Some churches are like clubs where the rich and the self-satisfied meet together. But we want to be a hospital for the worst of sinners.

Seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first at all times (Matthew 6:33). Then you will prosper in everything you do, and God will work on your behalf like a Mighty Champion (Jeremiah 20:11). This is what I have experienced all through my life.

Seeking God’s kingdom does not refer primarily to evangelism or missionary work. It means to make God the Ruler of your life, to live at all times under God’s authority, and to allow His heavenly values to take precedence over the pull of money, earthly pleasures, and man’s honour.

To seek God’s righteousness first means to long for His nature to be manifested in your inner life and in every part of your external behaviour.

May this truth grip you all your days! And when you have children, you must teach your children also this truth, so that they too can find the same result in their lives. Thus, generation after generation the Lord will have a witness on earth until He returns.

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**By Zac Poonen © Copyright – Zac Poonen. No changes whatsoever are to be made to the content of the article without written permission from the author. https://www.cfcindia.com/ / Photo by pexels

Longing after God

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Live before God’s face in the secret place and let there be a constant cry in your heart after Him. Christianity becomes a dry, empty religion when this longing after God is gone. So, preserve that longing after God at any cost. That is the most important part of your faith. We must constantly long after God like the thirsty deer pants for water (Psalm 42:1).

“Our testimony as Christians must be far above the standard of the world.”
God’s education for us includes many things that the world calls “disappointments”. But these are “His-appointments” for something better for us. If we don’t face such disappointments, we will never be able to counsel others. Life’s education includes failing as well, for failure is necessary if we are to help others in a world in which 99.9% of people are failures. Two purposes of failure are (1) to humble us (break us) and (2) to make us compassionate towards others.

Your spiritual battles are also part of your education. If you work so hard for temporal earthly degrees, how much harder you must be willing to battle for an eternal, heavenly one. The time is short, and the days are evil. We must keep the eternal perspective in mind, in all our earthly pursuits. Live in a constant judgment of yourself and in a pure inner walk with the Lord at all times.

Paul told Timothy, “Guard through the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (2 Tim.1:14). God has given us our bodies as a sacred treasure that we must preserve for Him during our earthly journey. We are to present these to Him every day so that they can be cleansed of all sin and preserved in holiness, until one day we complete life’s journey.

To use an illustration: It is like a company having given us five million rupees to carry safely from one place to another. But we have wasted some of it and lost the rest of it along the way. Now we repent and come back to the Lord in failure. What does He do? He does not reject us. Instead, He forgives us and gives us another five million rupees and tells us to carry that safely till the end of our lives. How good God is.

Our testimony as Christians must be far above the standard of the world. We must not do anything that has even the appearance of evil. It is better when in doubt to err on the side of caution and discretion rather than on the opposite side.

** By Zac Poonen © Copyright – Zac Poonen. No changes whatsoever are to be made to the content of the article without written permission from the author. https://www.cfcindia.com/

The Judge – Upholding what is right comes at a cost

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There’s a story about a judge whose own son was brought before him for a crime he had committed. The judge felt a deep grief that his son would violate the laws upon which he based his entire life. Tears welled in his eyes and he listened painfully as the evidence against his son was presented. The courtroom sat in silence wondering how the judge would rule. Would he just give him a reprimand in an act of mercy? Would he give him the minimum penalty for the offense? Much to their surprise, he handed down the maximum fine, upholding the law to its fullest degree. The son was in shock, for he knew that he couldn’t pay the fine and was anguished at the thought of imprisonment. He looked up at him in disbelief.

But then something happened that nobody expected. He stepped down from the bench, took off his judge’s robe, told his son how much he loved him and then paid, out of his own pocket, the fine he had just handed down. Not everyone understood what he had done. As a judge, he showed his commitment to honor the law to its fullest, but he then stepped down from that seat of honor and showed his love for his child. His son never understood the depth of his father’s commitment to the law until that moment, and, until that moment, he never knew the depth of his father’s love for him. He felt deep sorrow for the pain he had caused him and for those he had hurt by his act of crime. With his head bowed, and his tears flowing freely, he asked for his forgiveness, which he willingly and freely gave to him.

This story is actually an allegory for God’s relationship to us. Our crimes are our willful departure from the laws given us by God for the way we are to live. When we break those laws, God is grieved and pained. Inevitably there are natural consequences of our failings that hurt others, sometimes affecting lives for generations to come. This is why God’s laws say that the penalty for sin is death. His holy nature demands that He not just let us off the hook or go easy on us. So what did He do? He came down from heaven to us in Jesus Christ to help us to understand His laws, to show us the depth of His love for us and to pay the price of our sin with His own life. This never made sense to me until I understood how I fell short of God’s standards for life and how deeply that had hurt those who depended on me the most. But once I knew the love and forgiveness of God, I turned away in disgust from my deepest sins and understood, in a way I never had before, how to love and forgive others.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:36-37)

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If you don’t know the love of Christ yet and how He came to save us from our sins and restore our relationship unto the Father, I say to you today: Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes unto the Father but by Him. If you haven’t welcomed Jesus into your heart and into your life, now is the time. Do it before it’s to late, for today is the day of salvation! Ask for the forgiveness of your sins (the wrong things you have done), repent (turn from them) and leave your old ways behind, and begin a new life trusting in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour and soon coming King!

7 things to do after getting saved copy copyDownload

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*** By Snapshotsofgod.com