I’d like to welcome Nan Jones to the blog today! Nan and I met last summer at the Christian Communicators Conference in North Carolina, and let me tell you, she is a firecracker for Jesus! I just love Nan and her heart for ministry. She and I, though COMPLETE strangers when we arrived, had the privilege of rooming together during the conference. We spent close to a week in the same room, along with two other amazing ladies, so needless to say, we got to know one another real well which was a delight!

Her book, Perils of a Pastor’s Wife, has just released, and so I wanted to take a moment to introduce you all to her. I pray you are blessed!

If God be For Me, Who Can be Against Me?

Written by Nan Jones


I tossed and turned; restlessness governed my sleep. All of my dreams seemed to lead me to the edge of a cliff where I would suddenly jerk and wake up before plummeting to my death. My spirit quaked beneath the burdens of my heart.

About four o’clock in the morning, I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to get up and pray. I called on the Name of Jesus. Nothing more. I was so worn out from the struggle, I no longer had the words to pray. Our merciful and gracious Lord led me to Isaiah 50:



”The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught … Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God” (Isaiah 50:4, 10 NIV).

Isaiah refers to God as the Sovereign Lord. Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus lists the following synonyms for sovereign: authority, absolute, commanding, effectual, guiding, highest, majestic, reigning, ruling, and supreme. God wanted to teach me something about His character. He instructed me to add some of these words as adjectives in front of His Name; Absolute Lord, Effectual Lord, Guiding Lord, Supreme Lord, Reigning Lord.

Okay, Lord, You have my attention.



Next I looked up Isaiah 50:10 in The Amplified Bible;



”Who is among you who [reverently] fears the Lord, who obeys the voice of His Servant, yet who walks in darkness and deep trouble and has no shining splendor [in his heart]? Let him rely on, trust in, and be confident in the name of the Lord, and let him lean upon and be supported by his God.”

The Lord said, Nan, don’t listen to the deceiver. He wants you to throw your hands up in defeat. I am the Sovereign Lord. I am absolute. Effectual. Guiding. Supreme. Nothing is too difficult for Me.

I found myself holding that proverbial box again – the box we put God in from time to time. But once again, the Lord wanted to show me His magnificence. He wanted me to take Him out of the box. I realized that I was the one Isaiah was referring to. I love the Lord, I do my best to walk in obedience to Him, and yet I find myself walking in darkness at times, living with a very dim heart. God, through Isaiah, exhorted me to rely upon His Name – that which speaks to the very essence of who He is. He is my Deliverer. My Redeemer. Savior. Mighty God. Counselor. Prince of Peace.

And if He is for me, then who can be against me?

…

* This is an excerpt from The Perils of a Pastor’s Wife, taken from Chapter Eleven titled, “If God Be For Me”.

Nan Jones is an author/speaker who uses the words of her heart to assist fellow Christians in discovering the Presence of God in their darkest hour. Her devotional blog, Morning Glory, has become a place of community for Christians to find encouragement in God’s Word and comfort in His Presence. She has been published in several anthologies as well as the online inspirational sites Christian Devotions, and Inspire a Fire. Nan has also had the honor of being featured as a guest blogger on several sites.

She is thrilled to announce her debut book, The Perils of a Pastor’s Wife released June 30, 2015 by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. When Nan is not writing, she enjoys leading prayer retreats, bible studies or sharing God’s love as keynote speaker for special events. She is becoming known by her brand: “Even so, I walk in the Presence of the Lord” as she teaches her audience to go beyond the veil to find God’s Presence. You may visit Nan at her website: www.NanJones.com or her blog, Morning Glory: http://morningglorylights.blogspot.com/. Nan has also created a facebook community page, Seeing Beyond The Veil, to provide a place for folks to go and get away from the chaos for a few moments and focus on Jesus through scripture, worship, testimony, and inspirational quotes. For personal communication you may email Nan at nan@jubilantlight.com.

The Perils of a Pastor’s Wife is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.