“I sought the Lord, and HE answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”
“When I needed the Lord, I looked for Him; I called out to Him, and He heard me and responded. He came and rescued me from everything that made me so afraid. Look to Him and shine, so shame will never contort your faces.”
"Lord, even when Your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for You already have! You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way. Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of Your LOVE takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for You are near."
My Dearest Daughter,
Many of our ministers have experienced and come through shameful, heartbreaking, and unspeakable experiences but whose faces now are RADIANT with His love! This can and will happen for you too—NO, not when you're older—but NOW.
And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but WITH GOD all things are possible."
Looking at them, Jesus said, "With people, it is impossible, but not WITH GOD; for all things are possible with God."
"For nothing will be impossible WITH GOD."
But He said, "The things that are impossible with people are possible WITH GOD."
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
"Take great joy in the Eternal! His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires!"
Free, Clean, and at Peace
We believe the desire of your heart is to feel free, clean, and at peace. This can happen!
"So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word" Ephesians 5:25-26
"He gave Himself up completely to make her His own, washing her clean of all her impurity with water and the powerful presence of His Word." Ephesians 5:25-26 Voice
"His Words evoke her beauty. Everything He does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness." Ephesians 5:25-26 MSG
"To make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God." Ephesians 5:25-26 TPT
"He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s Word." Ephesians 5:25-26 NLT
When your purity has been violated, you feel dirty, unclean but the water from your bath and shower cannot cleanse your heart and soul and spirit—only HIS water, HIS Word has the power to do that! Each time you read His Word, His promises not only help to renew your mind and thoughts with His truth—each time you read and/or listen to His Word you are becoming whole and healed and washed and cleansed!
Want more? Visit Read through the Bible to have a level of spiritual strength and supernatural prosperity unknown to most of the world.
Gentle and Quiet Spirit
Whether you've coped with your pain and shame by becoming unusually quiet or have fought back by becoming more outspoken, curt, or angry. It's time for you to let Him battle for you and set you free.
“Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today..." Exodus 14:13
"You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf . . . Do not fear or be dismayed . . . the Lord is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17
And while you are standing by (no longer fighting or believing you just have to endure your pain) you also never need to discuss or talk about what's happened to you. Counselors urge us to talk about what's happened to us, which means reliving the horror over and over and over and over again. This is contrary or the opposite of what GOD says. He says, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace shall be with you." Philippians 4:5-10 How can you think of pure and lovely things when what you talk about is what you think about?!?
God said that He is the “Wonderful and Mighty Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6). You deserve the BEST. A Counselor who knows the future, Who knows the past (not asking you to talk about it because HE KNOWS!). Who is able to wash you so you feel clean and radiant. There is only One who can lead you in the right direction, guide you every step of the way. Don't trust us or anyone else. Trust Him and Him alone! No one but God knows what you have gone through, what you have endured, how you really and truly feel.
True, others who have experienced something similar can make you feel you're not alone. But you FEEL alone. That needs to end today!
Who but GOD, your Prince of Peace could possibly understand?
Want to learn more? Read A Gentle and Quiet Spirit from A Wise Woman
SHAME
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. —Psalm 23: 1-3
HERE are some of the best resources to tap into— a few of our most popular Living Lessons that have helped so many older women and can help you as a younger woman.
LL4 “Convicted” ★★★★★
Be sure to Journal
LL5 “Cover Up” ★★★★★
Be sure to Journal
LL6 “Accuser” ★★★★★
Be sure to Journal
LL7 “Shackled and Yoked” ★★★★★
Be sure to Journal
LL8 “Temptations” ★★★★★
Be sure to Journal
♡ LOVE
Love covers a multitude of sins.
“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8
Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:8
There's only One who was innocent but hung naked on the cross and He cried out, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34.
Imprisoned
You may have locked yourself away emotionally in order to protect yourself—yet you never feel safe. It's time to unlock the prison door and there's only one way—through forgiveness. Vengeance is His. Punishment belongs to God. Stand by and watch as He wraps you in His loving, protective, and understanding arms.
Give it ALL —GIVE everything to Him.
"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of all their distresses” Psalm 107:11–13
Think on Him.
Rest in Him.
Forgive and Be Set Free
Q. Why should I forgive?
In order to be set free from the prison you're locked in.
Q. But shouldn’t the offender be sorry if I’m to forgive?
"Father, forgive them." Those who crucified Jesus did not ask Him for forgiveness, nor were they sorry for what they were doing or what they had done. If we are Christians, we are followers of Christ; therefore we are to follow His example. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
When Stephen was being stoned he cried out just before he died, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7:60). Could we do any less?!
Q. But how often does God expect me to forgive?
Seventy times seven. Many women exclaim, “But my husband has done this to me before, throughout our entire marriage!” When Peter asked how often he was to forgive, Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” Matthew 18:22. That’s 490 times for the same offense!
- REMEMBER not forgiving means YOU, not your offender, is imprisoned suffering shame and pain and torment.
Q. Does forgiveness really mean that I forget what that person did to me?
“For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:34.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12.
“Not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:9.
You deserve His love. His protection. His recompense.
Have every memory wiped from your memory and replace it by counting your blessings.
“Though they intend evil against Thee, and devise a plot, they will not succeed. When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before Thee. Thou hast blotted out their name forever and ever. The very memory of them has perished. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more. And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble [the broken] will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” From Psalm 21.
Properly Introduced
May I introduce the Prince of Peace who leads the Angelic Army, Lord of Hosts? He has been chosen as your Bridegroom. You are His spotless bride.
"So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word" Ephesians 5:25-26
"He gave Himself up completely to make her His own, washing her clean of all her impurity with water and the powerful presence of His Word." Ephesians 5:25-26 Voice
"His Words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness." Ephesians 5:25-26 MSG
"to make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God." Ephesians 5:25-26 TPT
"He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word." Ephesians 5:25-26 NLT
"The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:9
"Fear not; you will no longer live in shame.
Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you.
You will no longer remember the shame of your youth
For your Creator will be your Husband;
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
the God of all the earth.
For the Lord has called YOU back from your grief—
as though you were a young bride abandoned by her husband,”
says your God.
—Isaiah 54:4-6
"Instead of shame and dishonor,
you will enjoy a double share of honor.
You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
“For I, the Lord, love justice.
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Everyone will realize that they are who
the Lord has blessed.”
And you will say, once you've experienced this...
"I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."—Isaiah 61:10
To prepare for your wedding as the Princess you were born to be—He wants to wash you with the water of the Word. His Word is also filled with His love letters to you, His promises. Listening, reading, and meditating day and night on His promises will assure that in "all you do you will prosper." Able to forget what was behind, press forward to save many alive. Give life back living for and with Him. Free from fear. Free from shame. All who see remark Many Nobel you excel them all.
Soon you will say...
“My Beloved is mine, and I am His” “For I am lovesick.” Song of Solomon 2:16, 5:8
“They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed” Psalm 34:5.
Take His hand and never let go!
Why? Why did this happen to me?
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for GOOD to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
As His Princess Bride, we hope it is just beginning to make more sense...
“And who knows whether you have not attained royalty [as His Princess] for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
Rescuing one broken heart at a time He guides you...
"Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. [Some may] say, “See, we did not know this, ”Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts?" Proverbs 24:11-12
You have lived with a weighed heart—it's time to lift the heart of just one.
"For nothing will be impossible WITH GOD." Luke 1:37
Wise Woman Encourage and Teach
No matter how you found your way here, it's not by chance, nor is it by coincidence— God has heard your cry for help, and He has personally led you to us and our ministry that began by believing one PROMISE! This IS your Divine appointment.
Your life is about to change—forever!!
If you are not being supported in the way we've outlined here—we would LOVE to invite you to join our Fellowship and be paired with an older woman.
“But HER hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under [her], and [s]he sat on it; and Aaron [Erin] and Hur [her] supported [her] hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus [her] hands were steady until the sunset.” Exodus 17:12
The way we know and can contact you (if you're interested in joining us in our Fellowship) is by journaling any one of the Living Lessons above.
Bless you, my daughter!
The
“Wedding Clothes”
An Allegory
By Erin Thiele
One beautiful bright sunny morning, an adorable baby boy was born. His parents were overjoyed. The very day he was born, his parents wrapped up a special gift for him “for he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” It would be a gift not really for him, but for his wife whom he would meet and marry many years later.
When he was just a little boy his mother and father told him that this special gift needed to be protected, to be kept safe for his wedding day. So they were very careful whom he associated with during his years as a youth. “Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals.”
Time passed very quickly as the little boy grew to become a handsome young man. One spring day this young man was introduced to the girl of his dreams. “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!”
Both he and his parents believed her to be a good Christian and they had no indication that she would be anything less than what she appeared to be. The young man, so in love, promptly asked her father for her hand in marriage and the plans for the wedding began.
The handsome young man beamed with excitement as he thought of the priceless gift that would soon be given to his adorable bride. For years he had carefully hidden his special and costly gift away. No matter how others had tried, no one had ever seen his gift, so carefully was it hidden from everyone.
The special day finally arrived. The wedding was beautiful. Excitement was in the air. The flowers, the cake, and the beautiful wedding attire—everything was perfect.
Soon the big event was over, but for this young man, anticipation was still increasing. The moment he had been waiting for, dreaming about, was about to take place. The young married couple registered at the front desk of an expensive hotel and they were escorted to their room.
The groom smiled at his beautiful young wife as she sat on the end of their wedding bed. All his thoughts were on the gift that he would soon present to his very special lover, his wife.
Yet strangely, his new wife’s expression was odd, she seemed distracted, concerned. But nothing could spoil this moment for them, or so he thought. With excitement ready to burst forth, he told his nervous wife to sit and wait there while he went to get his gift.
Very soon he walked toward her holding the most beautiful and magnificently wrapped gift. The paper was more beautiful than the day it had been wrapped. It was gold and white with sparkles of bright, glittery silver that shone like stars.
Gingerly, carefully, with trembling hands, she began to open the gift. But instead of joy, her face showed a heavy heart. As she folded back the delicate tissue paper, she saw the most gorgeous evening gown she had ever seen. It was perfectly fitted for her small frame: the fabric, pearl buttons, sequins, every detail was lovelier than anything she had ever seen. As she looked into the face of her dear young husband, she saw tears of joy running down his handsome cheeks. For he had been faithful to his beloved wife before his wedding day, and now, his heart overflowed with ecstasy.
As was the custom, it was now her turn to present her gift to him. So excited was this young husband about giving his gift that he had almost forgotten that he, too, would receive a wedding gift. Yet, his young wife seemed to be uneasy, her eyes fixed, staring at nothing, yet purposely her eyes never meeting his. Undaunted, he took her delicate hands in his, and with only his eyes and a smile, he encouraged her to bring her wedding gift for him.
Slowly and deliberately, she proceeded to the closet and emerged with a box. When he first saw it, he was so stunned that the smile stayed fixed on his glowing face. Then reality struck, and his innocent face took on a painful despondent appearance. Without her eyes meeting his, she placed her gift on the bed next to him: she was so ashamed, she could not place it in his hands.
Together they sat in silence until he had the faith to accept the fate that lay before him. He picked up the gift, managing a small and painful smile. The wrapping paper was torn and stained, barely covering the box. The ribbon, too, was frayed, tattered, and ragged. It required very little effort to unwrap the gift; the paper simply fell onto the floor, exposing a very battered and worn box.
As he opened the box there was no longer tissue paper covering the contents. For there, lying alone at the bottom of the box was a very damaged tuxedo. He could tell that at one time it had been a flawless pure white, but now it was yellowed, stained, torn. The buttons made of costly jewels were now missing or were hanging by only a thread.
Tears clouded his vision. Shaking, he picked up the worn-out garment and, without a word to his wife, he made his way to the next room to change into his tattered and worn tuxedo, leaving her alone with her priceless, perfect gown.
Within only a very few painful minutes, he and his new bride were walking down the hotel corridor, arm-in-arm, on their way to their special wedding dance. As they stood in the elevator, his eyes fixed to the floor, he could hear the people snickering behind his back.
As they walked into the ballroom, the guests stood in silence—there before them stood the newlyweds. As the music began, horror appeared on his parents’ faces. As he took his wife’s hand and turned, they could see his entire garment. As he moved, his tuxedo began to come apart, and a button fell to the dance floor to everyone’s horror or amusement.
Many of the young men were laughing, pointing, and whispering to one another, telling each other about when they had worn this very tuxedo. They gathered in the corner to share their stories, glancing often to catch the eye of the shamed groom. The young bride, too, wore a face of shame and humiliation. Her gown was magnificent, yet because of her impurity, she could not enjoy wearing it. She knew she had no right to wear such a gorgeous dress, while her wonderful and faithful young husband wore rags. She could feel the eyes of his parents as they burned on the back of her neck. She could sense the utter disgust and shock that they must be feeling as they looked at the girl who had deceived them all.
Oh, how she wished she could go back. Go back to the time when she first had entertained thoughts of giving her gift to her first “real” boyfriend. As soon as it was opened the first time, the once priceless gift was much easier to give away a second and third time. Now, years later, she honestly could not even remember how many had opened that gift and worn her husband’s tuxedo that she now wished she had saved for him.
Her face burned red in shame; her guilt pierced her heart and caused her to feel sick in the pit of her stomach. There was no doubt that her young groom had always been the one for her, but she had not waited. She had lived “for today” … and now tomorrow had finally come.
Soon her shame turned to horror as she thought of all she had lost: the love and respect she once had from her young husband who had adored her, her in-laws, even her own parents who were now sharing the shame of their daughter who had not waited until her wedding night. There she was, wearing a white gown deceitfully, which should have represented her purity.
There will be no turning back… and so, for the next few months, and then years, life moved along terribly.
Without warning, her sin of unfaithfulness, which had begun years before she had met her beloved husband, incredibly began to resurface—a stronghold. Discontented at home, with her husband, basically unhappy with life, she returned to her old ways. Once again she was giving away what truly belonged to her husband. She no longer knew right from wrong; “wiping her mouth, she said she wasn’t doing anything wrong.” When she spoke to her husband, she was “bitter and sharp as a two-edged sword.”
One dark day, her sin of unfaithfulness was discovered. When she came home from shopping, her young husband had taken their two young children and was gone. Where? She didn’t know. He had left her “without a word.”
With a broken heart and a life destroyed, she sat weeping uncontrollably on the end of their bed. Hours later, she still sat there stunned, wondering how this nightmare had begun. The pain was unbearable. What could she do to get them back?
As you can see, my darling, dating is not the way to find a good husband. It is actually at the source of girls giving away what they should save for the man they are going to marry. Don’t you agree? But if dating isn’t the answer, then should you try “courtship”? After being asked about my opinion on courtship, I have to honestly say that I do not encourage courtship since there is nowhere in the Bible that suggests this method. This is the solution that Christian parents created to counteract dating, but it also has many drawbacks and pitfalls. Though the couple guards their physical intimacy, courtship does not protect a couple's emotional intimacy, which is also very important in marriage. If you want to follow the Bible to the letter, then parents would have to be the ones to select wives for their sons.
Well then, how do you find the right man if you choose not to date? I encourage young women who want a godly man to trust God, their Heavenly Father to choose for them. Then I guarantee the right man for you who will pursue you at the appointed time!
Unfortunately, if you pursue or run after someone to love you now, rather than waiting for the Lord, I also guarantee you will have to keep running after him. After heading up a ministry for women for many, many years, I know the heartache of women who ran after and caught the wrong man. Marriage should last more than 50 years, so it IS worth the wait to find the right man by pursuing the Lord, not just anyone! I am sure you would agree. And while you are waiting and pursuing the Lord, trusting your Heavenly Father at the appointed time, He will begin to create you to be a woman of virtue who finds true love.
The End
or
The Beginning?
Defiled, Violated
This allegory and its warning may have come too late because of unforeseen circumstances that have left you defiled and violated. Maybe it happened when you were very young, someone you trusted robbed you of your innocence and it left you confused, frightened, and unworthy of the love you deserve.
You may feel there’s no hope, and due to this, why hope things could be different?
Maybe it happened later, maybe a boyfriend you trusted, or maybe a guy you didn’t know well who robbed you of what you wanted to save for your wedding day.
Maybe you gave in due to lies he said when he confessed his never-ending love for you. No matter how you got to this hopeless state, there IS hope.
His Word can wash you, cleanse you, and His love can heal every wound—making you feel whole and clean and worthy of the love of a prince once again.
It begins with being loved by the Prince of Peace.
This has been an audio recording of the “Wedding Clothes” read by Yvonne in South Africa. NarrowRoad publishing hopes you will share this with each of your friends and PLEASE visit our website for other languages of this book AND OTHER His Princess books to share.
His Princess audiobooks are Free—in order to encourage you to share with everyone. We do, however, provide the opportunity to give a donation which will be used to distribute books to countries in need of encouragement.
On behalf of NRP, thank you for listening!!