The Spiritual Development of Children
Ó2004 Kimberly Hartfield, B.S.
Most parents could tell stories of their children’s spiritual awareness. It is from the spirit that a child’s imaginations arise. Children use their imagination to wander far beyond anything our adult minds might comprehend. They often sense the presence of good and evil spirits, sometimes seeing angels and ghosts, in spite of parental unbelief, much like the popular movie “The Sixth Sense”. Children need to find a way of expressing what their spirits sense. Parents need not suppress a child’s imagination as something unreal or unimportant, or they will effectively teach their children not to trust their primal intuition and imaginative gifts. As parents, we need to treasure their imaginations as valuable assets, which will eventually teach them to sort between the seen and unseen world. With imagination being one of the most valuable gifts God has given to humanity, Christian parent’s need to learn to shepherd their children’s imaginations more than any other capability. Parent’s who believe it is their responsibility to stifle their children’s imagination and intuition often hinder their children’s future response to a visionary prayer life. Yet the Holy Spirit wonderfully restores to the children of God the creativity of the spiritual realm of the imagination.
In Mathew18: 3-5 Jesus said, I say unto you, except you be changed and become as little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever is humbled as a child will be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And whoever receives such a child in my name receives me This verse illustrates the importance of maintaining our spiritual inheritance in child-like ways, that is, in unwavering acceptance of God’s truth.
When children are young, they may not understand the theological implications of faith. They don’t reflect on the theoretical intricacies involved, but they do associate a word with an experience. Spiritual words that are experienced in a consistent spiritual context advance the atmosphere for the spiritual development of children. If they experience repetitious inconsistency between what they hear and what they see, the confusion they experience will ultimately be spiritually wounding to their souls. If children hear words about love and truth, but live with parents or others who contradict these, they will be spiritually disadvantaged. Children need a consistent environment to be able to associate the words of the gospel with a clear and positive experience. As they become older, children go beyond basic associations of experience into an experience of belonging to a faith-based community. When children feel they belong to a community of faith, they see that being a Christian isn’t just an idea in the mind, but that it’s a change of heart and a way of life.
God holds adults responsible for presenting our children with an environment in which their souls may spiritually thrive. That environment should be one with Biblical guidelines. Some appropriate verses are: Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother for this is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. Fathers do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:1-4. Suffer the little children to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew19: 14)
Spiritual maturity comes to children sooner than some people want to believe. At a young age, they can understand about themselves and God, and they have a consciousness of sin. As they mature spiritually they will understand that they have a choice in their sin. The concept of repentance then follows. They have to understand that they have chosen to sin and genuinely feel regret that they did it. They must have this appropriate guilt and not just be sorry they were found out. At this point children can understand the concrete concept of Jesus’ redemption for us on the cross, that is, that He took our punishment in our stead in order to give us eternal life with the Father.
Another important passage describes a biblical scene, where a friend goes to a neighbor requesting food to set before a traveling friend who has come in the night. Don’t trouble me: the door is shut now and my children are in bed with me. I can’t get up and give you anything. Luke 11:7 During this period of time, children often slept along side their parents, and the time before going to sleep was a respected time for sharing God’s truth with children. It was deemed inappropriate to interrupt this special time. And yet Christ said that because of the friendship, he should rise up and give him whatever he needs. Yet too often, we sacrifice our children’s time with us for causes that seem more worthy. We need to be careful about neglecting their time with us for spiritual growth, even though we must sometimes do other worthy things.
Parent’s must build their own relationship with God, and then nurture their children’s relationship with God; or their children will inevitably feel the absence in every area of their lives, especially where spiritual growth is concerned. When peers test children’s concept of who they are, sometimes compelling them to have loyalties which often conflict with the spirituality they have been taught at home, those children need parents who have both understanding to know that their children must become their own persons, but who will also discipline consistently and firmly, so that they know while they are free to make their own mistakes; they are not free to escape the consequences of those mistakes. Discipline must have as its foundation our responsibility before God to build morality and spirituality. Both fathers and mothers must be strong in the discipline of the Lord. An inability to be pleasing and acceptable to others can be far more wounding to children than what we believe. They need the security of their parent’s discipline and love openly and consistently expressed.
Learning the demands of social life is the first step in the development of the conscience. Positive emotions when parenting and parental reliance on negotiation rather than direct control have also been connected with the development of children’s consciences. When parents find themselves refereeing between sibling rivalries or quarrelsome playtime exchanges, they must know when and where to enforce rules, but not fight their children’s battles for them, taking from them the lessons of the struggle. Parental love should not endeavor to take from a child the growth skills needed to live peaceably with others.
When parents want to teach the spiritual values of the sexual relationship they need to become the primary instructors in sex education. When parents answer questions openly and honestly, without embarrassment or anxiety, sexual being and functions will be communicated as a natural and healthy part of everyday life. Warnings and restrictions can be presented in that context without being interpreted by them as forbidden fruit to be partaken of outside of a spiritual union. If parents want children to know the facts of life within a Christian context before they have been significantly influenced by misinformation of peers and before being wounded by immoral media influences, they need to teach accurate and sensitively communicated information on sex before the child reaches puberty.
Continuing the line of thought in Mathew chapter 18, verse 6 goes on to say: But whoever offends one of these little ones, which believes in me, it would be better for him that a stone was hung around his neck and he was drowned in the depths of the sea. Current statistics show that one out of every three girls is molested or raped before the age of eighteen, many times by a father or father figure, or other close male-relative. Any kind of sexual abuse usually has a negative effect in a girl’s spiritual development, because of the reflection that relationship has on building trust in a Godhead that is primarily understood as masculine, though God in actuality is neither male nor female. Young girls have a great need to feel they are a pleasure to their father. A girl’s inner hope from her life with her father may either prevent or enable future relationships, including her spiritual relationship with God. A father’s most important duty is to create a sense of value and beauty in his daughters. His hugs and kisses need to be given generously in an implicit father-role with absolutely no sexual connotations for the spiritual growth of his daughters to develop in a healthy pattern.

For Further Reading:
*Restoring the Christian Family by Paula and John Sanford
*Parent’s Guide to the Spiritual Growth of Children: Helping Your Child Develop a Personal Faith Ed by John Trent, Rick Osborn and Kurt Bruner
Awake!
Awake and do rightful acts, for some of us do not have an understanding of God. I tell you this to your shame! (I Corinthians 15:34) Awake, you who sleep, arise from the deadness of sin, and Christ will enlighten your spirit. See that you walk carefully, not foolishly, but wisely, buying the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:14-16). It is high time to awake out of sleep: for now our salvation is nearer than when we once believed it was. The night is almost over and the day is at hand: let us throw off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in sensuality and loose living, not in strife and envying, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for physical desires gratifying its lusts (Romans 13:11-14).
Available 2004 Tracts Titles:
1. Abuse in the Marital Relationship
2. Adolescence
3. Anger and the Golden Rule
4. The behavioral Change of People
5. The Breast or the Bottle Issue
6. Childhood Sexual Abuse
7. Contraception and Birth-control
8. Discipline
9. Incest, Family, and the Church
10. Obedience and Submission of Women
11. Precepts and Principles concerning Women
12. Exploring Sexuality
13. Sexuality and Pornography
14. Understanding and Resolving Anger and Depression
15. Working Mothers
16. A Co-sleeping Arrangement: Sharing the Family Bed
17. A Woman’s Role in the Church
18. The Roman Road El Camino de Romanos
19. Marriage: Heaven on Earth or Hell in Disguise
20. On Divorce and Remarriage
21. A New Millennium of Faithful Women
22. Go Fish Ministries/ Go Fish Books
23. Joshua Mikel Memorial Fund for Victims of Sexual Violence
24. Go Fish Safe Haven for Victims of Sexual Violence
25. Wonderful Counselor Comforting: A Therapeutic Experience for Victims of Sexual and Domestic Violence
$1.00 Donation per tract appreciated. Single Tracts may be reproduced in its entirety including copyright and authorship information with permission of author. Make Checks payable to: Go Fish Books.
About the Author
Kimberly Marie Hartfield is a mother of eight children and a Masters Level student at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, MS. She received her B.S. degree in 2004. She has studied primarily in the areas of Psychology, with minors in Religion and English. Kim has personally experienced the healing hand of God in facing many of the issues discussed in this series of tracts. God has brought her through diverse tribulations during the course of her lifetime, including being a victim of sexual, physical, emotional abuse, a drunk driving accident, spousal pornography addiction, adultery, divorce, remarriage, incarceration, and having experienced two miscarriages and various other trials. Through God’s merciful forgiveness of her own sins and His grace given to her to forgive those who have been her stumbling block, she has overcome these adversities. She believes that God has blessed her with the ability to confront and relate these issues to the Christian community in the writing of these tracts. Kim has been called to the homeland mission field of North America and hopes to be able to use these tracts as a tool for the ministry of witnessing to the grace of God and comforting His people with the truth of His mercy. She claims II Corinthians 3 & 4 as her calling, which states: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” As she herself has received the gift of God’s healing, she hopes to be able to bring the peace beyond understanding to others in God’s Kingdom with the message of His mercy and grace. Kim’s love for the Lord, along with her passion for writing has drawn her to explore these commonly experienced crisis issues from the perspective of her own experience in the hope that she may bring an empathetic and compassionate insight to God’s people. The views expressed in this series of tracts are strictly her own insights acquired from personal experience and diligent study of the related topics and God’s word concerning them. Though she is an ordained minister, her views should not be considered authoritative. She believes that the Christian community’s ultimate authority is the guidance of the human heart by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
A
Christian Perspective
On
The Spiritual Development of Children
©2004

For Ordering information call or contact:

Office 601-296-7331
Action #601-270-7405

go fish@jesuslovesu2.every1.net

Or mail inquiries to:
Go Fish Books 4 Jesus
1707H Lincoln Road
Hattiesburg, MS 39402

Go Fish Books

Gifts Of
Faith and Inspiration
Second Hand Books
- posted by Unknown @ 6:33 PM

 
A Christian Perspective on
What Makes a Personality
Ó2004 Kimberly Hartfield
It is generally agreed by most people today that a person’s personality is made up out of some combination of innate qualities and environmental influences. From a Christian perspective, we understand that man is made in the image of God, and yet that image is believed to be a fallen one. How much man has retained of the image of God cannot be ascertained, but we do seem to have a limited ability to possess some of God’s own attributes. We can love, though our love is not uniquely unconditional as is God’s love for mankind. We have the capacity for compassion for our fellowman, the ability to make choices that affect ourselves and our fellowman, the knowledge of good and evil to make those choices real, and finally the perseverance to overcome the choices that mankind makes. We believe that God is compassionate, knowledgeable, makes decisions and is longsuffering toward mankind, though we believe, as well, that God is just, ultimately judging us by the life choices we make.
We, as Christians, believe that mankind has a fallen image, or self, that cannot be restored fully in this life. Mankind seems to have an evil disposition, one of selfishness that is believed by most Christians to have begun in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve coveted the knowledge of good and evil in order to become like God. This innate selfishness is ingrained in the personality of man, and only when man learns love for God and love for others can he truly be free from this innate evil. But even when man is freed from the bondage of selfishness, its strong pull on the personality lingers. Rarely can one find the total unselfishness to live for others that Christ Jesus exampled for us. Even when we do good things, our motives are contaminated by our own desires for self-worship and other-worship.
Mankind’s struggle for balance in the personality between the unselfish image of God within him and the selfish reflection of Satan, who was the first to covet God’s likeness, has been an ongoing battle of spiritual warfare since the fall of man in Genesis. The innate image of God, which is the spirit of man, is at war with the environmental effects of evil, the presence of Satanic influences in the world. Only through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, can man overcome the world. The Scripture says that in the world we will have troubles, but to take heart, because He has overcome the world. When we put our faith in Him, we can overcome the self-serving, self-centered world of evil.
God’s image in man (the nature element) or Satan’s influence on him (the nurture element) can influence many components of man’s personality. The elements of our mental processes such as love, compassion, knowledge, wisdom(our ability to use knowledge for good), cunning(our ability to use knowledge for evil), and even our sexuality, which is for the most part a mental process, and which God created for good but man has perverted for evil, can all be influenced for good or for evil. When our cognitive processes are focused on God in us, rather than on ourselves in the world, then we allow God’s spirit to control us rather than our own selfishness, which is easily influenced by our environment.
If we focus instead on our environment, we tend to see what we personally lack, rather than what we have, just as Adam and Eve did. They claimed the right to the tree of knowledge of good and evil, disregarding the limits that God had put on them. They ignored the beautiful garden God had freely given them to enjoy, while taking the fruit of knowledge without the consent of the Giver of all good things. When they crossed God’s original boundaries for mankind, and mankind’s selfish unconcern for His authority was revealed, the consequences for man’s sin entered the world. The evil influence of Satanic forces, along with the consequences of suffering man brings on himself by his own impulsive selfishness defines the boundaries of God’s image in mankind.
We have the capacity and potential for much of God’s image to reflect in our personalities, but if we focus continually on ourselves and what our environment seems to deny us, then God’s image is squelched in our souls. Without this spiritual stimulus then man is more susceptible to the presence of evil within his environment, which in turn limits God’s presence in our lives, for God will not abide in the presence of evil. He chooses to limit His association with those who are inclined toward evil continually, though for those who are repentant He makes concessions.
When we do not seek God, nor seek to maintain His image within ourselves, then God necessarily gives us over to our reprobate minds. Only when we repent of the evil we choose to let rule over us, will God’s Spirit abide in our spirit. When man’s locus of control is inwardly self-driven but God-controlled, his personality will reflect a secure confidence in God’s love for him with a lack of selfishness and the need to do for others within the limits he has defined for himself and that God has defined for him, as well. When man’s locus of control is externally motivated by his world rather than by God, then he will generally reflect an innate selfishness and self-defeating attitude that often results in disrespect and blame for others, without accepting responsibility for his own failures.
Our thankfulness to God for his goodness, rather than our covetousness for what does not rightfully belong to us, is the litmus test of our personality. If we are generally optimistic and grateful to God then we reflect more of His image in ourselves. If we are more often pessimistic seeing only what we seem to lack and lean toward the selfish desire of attaining those things, then we reflect the image of Satan. Greed and covetousness are characteristic of Satan’s influence in the lives of mankind. These dominant personality traits in mankind divide the sheep from the wolves in God’s Kingdom.
Awake!
Awake and do rightful acts, for some of us do not have an understanding of God. I tell you this to your shame! (I Corinthians 15:34) Awake, you who sleep, arise from the deadness of sin, and Christ will enlighten your spirit. See that you walk carefully, not foolishly, but wisely, buying the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:14-16). It is high time to awake out of sleep: for now our salvation is nearer than when we once believed it was. The night is almost over and the day is at hand: let us throw off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in sensuality and loose living, not in strife and envying, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for physical desires gratifying its lusts (Romans 13:11-14).
Available 2004 Tracts Titles:
1. Abuse in the Marital Relationship
2. Adolescence
3. Anger and the Golden Rule
4. The behavioral Change of People
5. The Breast or the Bottle Issue
6. Childhood Sexual Abuse
7. Contraception and Birth-control
8. Discipline
9. Incest, Family, and the Church
10. Obedience and Submission of Women
11. Precepts and Principles concerning Women
12. Exploring Sexuality
13. Sexuality and Pornography
14. Understanding and Resolving Anger and Depression
15. Working Mothers
16. A Co-sleeping Arrangement: Sharing the Family Bed
17. A Woman’s Role in the Church
18. The Roman Road El Camino de Romanos
19. Marriage: Heaven on Earth or Hell in Disguise
20. On Divorce and Remarriage
21. A New Millennium of Faithful Women
22. Go Fish Ministries/ Go Fish Books
23. Joshua Mikel Memorial Fund for Victims of Sexual Violence
24. Go Fish Safe Haven for Victims of Sexual Violence
25. Wonderful Counselor Comforting: A Therapeutic Experience for Victims of Sexual and Domestic Violence
$1.00 Donation per tract appreciated. Single Tracts may be reproduced in its entirety including copyright and authorship information with permission of author. Make Checks payable to: Go Fish Books.
About the Author
Kimberly Marie Hartfield is a mother of eight children and a Masters Level student at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, MS. She received her B.S. degree in 2004. She has studied primarily in the areas of Psychology, with minors in Religion and English. Kim has personally experienced the healing hand of God in facing many of the issues discussed in this series of tracts. God has brought her through diverse tribulations during the course of her lifetime, including being a victim of sexual, physical, emotional abuse, a drunk driving accident, spousal pornography addiction, adultery, divorce, remarriage, incarceration, and having experienced two miscarriages and various other trials. Through God’s merciful forgiveness of her own sins and His grace given to her to forgive those who have been her stumbling block, she has overcome these adversities. She believes that God has blessed her with the ability to confront and relate these issues to the Christian community in the writing of these tracts. Kim has been called to the homeland mission field of North America and hopes to be able to use these tracts as a tool for the ministry of witnessing to the grace of God and comforting His people with the truth of His mercy. She claims II Corinthians 3 & 4 as her calling, which states: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” As she herself has received the gift of God’s healing, she hopes to be able to bring the peace beyond understanding to others in God’s Kingdom with the message of His mercy and grace. Kim’s love for the Lord, along with her passion for writing has drawn her to explore these commonly experienced crisis issues from the perspective of her own experience in the hope that she may bring an empathetic and compassionate insight to God’s people. The views expressed in this series of tracts are strictly her own insights acquired from personal experience and diligent study of the related topics and God’s word concerning them. Though she is an ordained minister, her views should not be considered authoritative. She believes that the Christian community’s ultimate authority is the guidance of the human heart by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
A
Christian Perspective
on
What Makes a
Personality

©2004

For Ordering information call or contact:

Office 601-296-7331
Action #601-270-7405

go fish@jesuslovesu2.every1.net

Or mail inquiries to:
Go Fish Books 4 Jesus
1707H Lincoln Road
Hattiesburg, MS 39402

Go Fish Books

Gifts Of
Faith and Inspiration
Second Hand Books
- posted by Unknown @ 6:32 PM

 
Go Fish
Gift of Faith & Inspiration Safe Haven

Kimberly Hartfield ©2003

Gift of Faith & Inspiration Safe Haven is a program designed for helping women and children who need assistance getting out of abusive relationships. The Go FISH program seeks to help women and children stay out of the abusive relationship by raising self esteem through education, inspiration, and modification of physical circumstances. We will attempt to educate women to the options and possibilities of seeking a higher education, or resume preparation for those who do not choose to go further in their education and need to reenter the work force. We will attempt to inspire women with godly principles of faith and lifestyle examples. We will modify physical circumstances by encouraging the victim to remove herself from the abusive relationship in order to stop enabling the abuser to continue the abusive behavior. If available, rooms will be provided for women and their children in a non-disclosed location for temporary shelter until other arrangements can be made when there is imminent danger or at the discretion of the founders. Women will be required to keep locations secret from friends and family, or any other person not directly involved with the program. Physical circumstances will also be modified by providing food, clothing, and self-esteem building makeovers when necessary or requested. Donations of time, money, food, shelter, and clothing will be solicited for these purposes.
Reputable reading material will be made available for self-counsel, while recommendations will be made for those wishing to seek professional psychological help or legal counsel. We will provide loans of various self-help educational and inspirational books and we offer a series of life focused tracts written from a Christian perspective, which will be made available to women in the program free of charge. We will also offer a support group consisting of women who are seeking to remove themselves from abusive relationships and mentors who have successfully removed themselves from abusive relationships.
Most abused women, along with their children, are caught up in or have been in a codependent cycle of abuse that enables the abuser to continue in the abusive behavior patterns. These women usually make several attempts to leave the relationship before they are successfully freed from the strongholds of the codependent rhythms. One reason for this is that these women have unusually low self-esteems often stemming from earlier abuses such as child abuse, childhood sexual abuse, rape, or other traumatic events. Another reason is that the men in their lives exhibit such a powerful psychological influence on them due to various forms of abuse such as mental, physical, or sexual abuse. One more reason women choose to remain in abusive relationships is a strong religious background which seemingly discourages or prohibits divorce, even under intolerable circumstances.
Mental abuse includes intimidation tactics such as hitting or kicking the air or surfaces near the victim, and any threat of harm to the victim, or the victims’ loved ones, personal belongings, pets, etc. Physical abuse includes behaviors that often, but not always, leave marks and bruises like slapping, hitting, biting, pinching, kicking, burning, pressure holds, etc. Sexual abuse includes any sexual behavior that coerces or forces the victim to do or be exposed to unwanted sexual conduct or materials used for sexual stimuli such as pornography and sex toys. While pornography is used to lower the inhibitions of women to uncommon and devious sex acts, they are coerced or forced to perform these deviant acts against their will by their abusive partners. Loving relationships do not seek to control or manipulate, but is mutually satisfying to both partners.
For Salvation in Christ
Romans
1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto Salvation to every one that believes . . .
3:24-25 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of past sins, through the forbearance of God. 6:4-5 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like Christ was raised up from the dead, by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection . . . 10:9-10 If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Available 2002 Tracts Titles:
1. Abuse in the Marital Relationship
2. Adolescence
3. Anger and the Golden Rule
4. The Behavioral Change of People
5. The Breast or Bottle Issue
6. Childhood Sexual Abuse
7. Contraception and Birth-control
8. Discipline
9. Incest, the Family, and the Church
10. Obedience and Submission of Women
11. Precepts and Principles Concerning Women
12. Exploring Sexuality
13. Sexuality and Pornography
14. Understanding and Resolving Anger and Depression
15. Working Mothers
16. A Co-sleeping Arrangement: Sharing the Family Bed
17. A Woman’s Role in the Church
18. The Roman Road El Camino de Romanos

$1.00 donation per tract, 10 for $5, 25 for $10, 50 for $15, or 100 for $25 Single tracts may be reproduced in its entirety including copyright and authorship information with permission of author and any donation. $1 per $10 will be donated to the Joshua Mikel Memorial Fund for victims of childhood sexual abuse or violent sexual assault. Make Checks Payable to: Go Fish. Books 4 Jesus


About the Author
Kimberly Marie Hartfield is a 39-year-old mother of eight children and a full time senior student at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, MS. She expects to receive her first degree within the year 2004. She has studied primarily in the areas of Religion and Psychology, dedicating her talents to the Lord Jesus Christ. Kim has personally experienced the healing hand of God in facing many of the issues discussed in this series of tracts. God has brought her through diverse tribulations during the course of her lifetime, including being a victim of sexual, physical, and mental abuse, a drunk driving accident, pornography addiction, adultery, divorce, remarriage, incarceration, and having experienced two miscarriages and various other trials. Through God’s merciful forgiveness of her own sins and His grace given to her to forgive those who have been her stumbling block, she has overcome these adversities. She believes that God has blessed her with the ability to confront and relate these issues to the Christian community in the writing of these tracts. Kim has been called to the homeland mission field of North America and hopes to be able to use these tracts as a tool for the ministry of witnessing to the grace of God and comforting His people with the truth of His mercy. She claims II Corinthians 3 & 4 as her calling, which states: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” As she herself has received the gift of God’s healing, she hopes to be able to bring the peace beyond understanding to others in God’s Kingdom with the message of His mercy and grace. Kim’s love for the Lord, along with her passion for writing has drawn her to explore these commonly experienced crisis issues from the perspective of her own experience in the hope that she may bring an empathetic and compassionate insight to God’s people. The views expressed in this series of tracts are strictly her own insights acquired from personal experience and diligent study of the related topics and God’s word concerning them. Her views should not under any circumstance be considered authoritative. She believes that the Christian community’s ultimate authority is the guidance of the human heart by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Go Fish

Gift of
Faith & Inspiration
Safe Haven

©2003
For Ordering information contact:
Jesuslvsukhrtfld@cs.com
Or
gofishbooks@jesus
lovesu2.every1.net

Or mail inquiries to:
Go Fish Books 4 Jesus
76 Mims Rd
Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Gifts Of
Faith and Inspiration
Second Hand Books


God Bless You!
Get Hooked and Go Fish!
- posted by Unknown @ 6:30 PM

 

- posted by Unknown @ 6:25 PM

 
A New Millennium of Faithful Women
©2004 Rev. Kimberly Hartfield, B.S.

The new millennium has brought with it a new generation of young women. On the surface they are liberated from the strongholds of a patriarchal society of past centuries and most cultures. But in reality young women today are not much different than our mothers and grandmothers. We want all the same things they did, including a husband who truly loves us for who we are, a family that respects the efforts we make to craft better lives for them, and a self that nurtures our innermost needs in a way that does not forget who we are. Unfortunately, these things seem to evade us in this fast-paced world we live in. We grow up with these ideals, only to be faced with the realities of a husband who only loves us if, children who are disrespectful to us despite our efforts to maintain homes, jobs, school, etc., and finally a self that forgets who we really are when confronted by the harsh realities that we are not who the world would like us to be. We are faithful, even when life hits us dead in the face; we are strong, even when the world would like us to be weak; we are courageous, even when the world would like us to cower to its whims of change.
Even with these evidences of might, many women today are still living in the past ages of self-defeat, catering their lives to serving the temporal realms of sensuality, rather than serving the spiritual realms of the godly. We are servants in this world; either we will be servants of sin and live in defeat, or we will be servants of God and live victorious lives through His Son Jesus, who, by the way, treated women with utmost respect and love. When we seek love in the sensual realm without seeking it equally in the spiritual realm, ultimately we will not find what we are looking for. More than likely, we will find lust, rather than love. For man is human with physical needs; just as women are human with physical needs. When women let themselves be taken in by the lustful desires of man, without the aid of the spiritual commitment of love and marriage, then we will ultimately find ourselves lost in a world with little hope. But not entirely without hope, because even if we have found ourselves in these very circumstances, then we can awaken our spiritual eyes in wedded bliss to the husband that Christ longs to be for us. A Man who truly loves us and wants what is best for us; A God who knows the most intimate details of our being and who loves us anyway. When we place all our hopes and dreams in a physical union, and not in the union of our hearts toward God, then I am afraid we will be severely disappointed.
Many young women today, just as in past centuries live the early part of their lives building up a storehouse of hopes and dreams about love and marriage, and when they finally have it, find that it is still not enough. There is something missing. Earthly love is just not fulfilling. Often we wind up in divorce courts, DHS offices, homeless shelters, or poverty stricken homes with two, three or four kids, no husband, no job, no money, and seemingly no way out. Our previous husbands oftentimes live a more liberated and financially stable lifestyle after the divorce, while we women live struggling from day to day, dependant on government benefits just to make ends meet. Where is the liberation that the world has promised us? Where is the liberation that time has promised us? Where is the liberation of the new millennium?
Today, I tell you as a woman, we women will not find our liberation in the love or the lust of a man, in the respect of a job title, in the independence of the divorce courts, or in any other worldly thing which promises us freedom. Our freedom is found in serving a risen Lord and Savior, who is the only prince who will ever come riding up on a white horse to save us. And He will carry with Him a sword of truth! It will either pierce us through or cut our ropes of bondage. If we spend our temporal lives seeking love in all the wrong places, while forgetting His unconditional love for us, which would redeem us from all sin, then that truth will pierce our hearts when we see Him in His glory. But if we seek His undying love for us with our whole hearts, renouncing the temporal lives we once lived, then He will cut the ropes of sin and bondage and truly liberate us. Yet, we must seek Him in faith and truth! We must know that His shed blood on the cross of Calvary was the result of a love for us that He felt was worth dying for. He knew that mankind and womankind would only be liberated from sin through love. While we were yet sinners, He died for us!
He knew that through the love that He showed for us, we would come to love Him. He loved us first, and through the eyes of faith, we love Him back. He loves us not with a temporal love, but with an ethereal love, which frees us from the judgment of sin for all eternity. The liberty we have in His love first teaches us to love Him, and then teaches us to love ourselves, and in turn to love mankind. The love we have for ourselves is not that gratification of physical needs, but the gratification of a loving spiritual relationship with God and His Son Jesus. And that love for mankind is not a sensual love that gratifies man’s physical desires, but a spiritual love that gratifies His need for a spiritual relationship with God and His Son Jesus as well. And yet when we have this spiritual relation with God, He provides for our physical needs as well. So I challenge this new millennium of faithful women to live as servants to the Lord, not seeking temporal love, which may or may not last this lifetime, but to seek an ethereal love which will follow us through to eternity. If we seek God first, and ask Him to be our Spiritual Husband, then we will not be so quick to fall for the first physical man who comes along and tries to sweep us off our feet. For, only a godly man can come close to loving us as Christ does, indeed. And even then, he is human, and we will have disappointments. But when the disappointments come, we will not be devastated, for we will know there is a greater love in Heaven who will never fail us, nor leave us.
Awake!
Awake and do rightful acts, for some of us do not have an understanding of God. I tell you this to your shame! (I Corinthians 15:34) Awake, you who sleep, arise from the deadness of sin, and Christ will enlighten your spirit. See that you walk carefully, not foolishly, but wisely, buying the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:14-16). It is high time to awake out of sleep: for now our salvation is nearer than when we once believed it was. The night is almost over and the day is at hand: let us throw off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in sensuality and loose living, not in strife and envying, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for physical desires gratifying its lusts (Romans 13:11-14).
- posted by Unknown @ 6:22 PM

 
An Essay on

Motherhood
©2002 Kimberly Hartfield

Motherhood means seeing each my children as individuals, loving them as equals, respecting them as little people. It means not seeing their imperfections as permanent flaws, but as opportunities to learn more about themselves. It means showing them my own imperfections, while trusting that they can also learn from me and become better than I ever hoped to be.
Motherhood means giving life to a life unlived, it means dreaming of things yet undreamed, and sustaining hope in a hopeless world. It means untiring prayer in exhausting circumstances; it means choosing to love them when my children are unlovable, and leading them through a wilderness of sin when all they can see is a godless generation before them. It means showing them God in that godless world, and remaining faithful to Him when my own and their faith is failing.
Motherhood entails an absolute acceptance of who each of my children are, a firm spiritual guidance in an evil and ungodly world, and an unconditional love and forgiveness when I am disappointed in their words or actions. It confirms to me that life is not without hope, that the future is in God’s hands, and that my life will continue when I have gone on to be with Him.
Motherhood is the greatest gift God gave to womankind, to know that we are instruments in His Creation, to know that we participated in His purpose and plan. Motherhood is life, and hopes, and dreams; it is failures and disappointments, repentance and forgiveness. It is perseverance in parenting a new people for Jesus, overcoming life’s trials through Him who overcame the world, and showing the next generation how to overcome the world by the word of their testimony and by the Lamb of God. It means sharing the truth of Christ’s redemptive plan to a new generation that they may go unto all the world. . . .






About the Author
Kimberly Marie Hartfield is a 38-year-old mother of eight children and a full time student at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, MS. She expects to receive her first degree within the year 2003. She has studied primarily in the areas of Religion, English, and Psychology. She began writing at a young age, both journalizing and poetry, and has continued to enjoy writing throughout her adulthood. She has dedicated her talents to the Lord Jesus Christ and believes that she can be used of God if she is willing and faithful, even in her flawed human condition.
Kim has personally experienced the healing hand of God in facing many of the issues discussed in this series of tracts. God has brought her through many trials during the course of her lifetime, including being a victim of sexual, physical, and mental abuse, a drunk driving accident, pornography addiction, adultery, divorce, remarriage, being jailed, and having experienced two miscarriages and various other trials. Through God’s merciful forgiveness of her own sins and His grace given to her to forgive those who have been her stumbling block, she has overcome these adversities. God has blessed her with the ability to confront and relate these issues to the Christian community in the writing of these tracts.
Kim has been called to the homeland mission field of North America and hopes to be able to use these tracts as a tool for the ministry of witnessing to the grace of God and comforting His people with the truth of His mercy. She claims II Corinthians 3 & 4 as her calling, which states: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” As she herself has received the gift of God’s healing in mind, body, soul, and spirit, she hopes to be able to bring the peace beyond understanding to others in God’s Kingdom with the message of His healing mercy and grace.
Kim’s love for the Lord, along with her passion for writing has drawn her to explore these commonly experienced crisis issues from the perspective of her own experience in the hope that she may bring an empathetic and compassionate insight to God’s people. The views expressed in this series of tracts are strictly her own insights acquired from personal experience and diligent study of the related topics and God’s word concerning them. Her views should not under any circumstance be considered authoritative. She believes that the Christian community’s ultimate authority is the guidance of the human heart by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in the texts of the Holy Scripture.
For Salvation in Christ
Romans
1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto Salvation to every one that believes . . .
3:24-25 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of past sins, through the forbearance of God.
5:10 For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
6:4-5 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like Christ was raised up from the dead, by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection . . .
10:8-10 . . . The word is nigh thee, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Available 2002 Tracts Titles:
1. A Christian Woman’s Perspective on Working Mothers
2. An Essay on Motherhood
3. A Christian Perspective on Discipline
4. A Christian Woman’s Perspective on Contraception and Birth-control
5. A Christian Woman’s Response to The Breast or Bottle Issue
6. A Christian Perspective on Adolescence
7. A Christian Response to Childhood Sexual Abuse
8. A Christian Woman’s Response to Abuse in the Marital Relationship
9. One Christian’s Response to Sexuality and Pornography
10. One Christian’s Perspective on Sexuality

($1.00 per tract, 10 for $5, 25 for $10, 50 for $15, or 100 for $25) Single tracts may be reproduced in its entirety including copyright and authorship information with permission of author and a fee of $50 for unlimited reproduction.

An
Essay
on Motherhood

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- posted by Unknown @ 4:35 PM