God has not forgotten you.

God really revealed to me to focus on Women of the Bible. I have 3 specific women that I believe God wants to deliver a supernatural revelation to you. He has something powerful, I even feel the word: ‘Miraculous’ He wants to get to you, something that will change your life. Remember, God reveals to redeem- He is about to redeem something for you…

The three women I have been ‘sent’ to talk about are Dorcas, Hannah and Ruth. I feel led to talk about Dorcas today…

CLICK HERE TO WATCH “WOMEN OF THE BIBLE PT1: DORCAS”

How do we get restored when we feel burned out?

How do we live a balanced life?

Let’s go to the Word…

Acts 9:36-41, “In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room…. When the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!” Peter went with them… then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he presented her to them alive.”

I believe that God just wants to bring life to you right now…

• if you’re weary,
• if you’re worn down,
• if you’re thinking how can I do this?
• a modern day woman,
• a person that’s got responsibilities,
• maybe you have work,
• school, kids, PTA,
• rough times,
• a culture that you’ve never been in,
• we’ve just come through a pandemic,
• you’ve got deadlines and dates…

I know I get it. All these things that weigh down on us, that make us just feel weary. And weariness is when you’ve lost the sense of pleasure.

The Bible says, “Peter, put them all forth and kneel down and prayed. And turning to the body. He said, Tabitha, (Dorcas) ARISE!, come into your being,”

I just declare over you right now that the Spirit of God is going to touch you while you read this. And that there is going to be a resurrection, there’s going to be life, there’s going to be an ARISING in you… You’ll come back to yourself in the name of Jesus.

Is anything too difficult for our God? As we look at this in our texts, we’re looking at a woman who has helped everyone but herself. And so often, especially as women, as nurturers, as mom’s and grandma’s, and aunties and everything else, we tend to do that. We tend to be there helping everyone, giving the best of ourselves until we have absolutely nothing to give ourselves.

Dorcas is loving. She’s kind. She’s charitable. She’s giving. She’s the kind of woman we all want to emulate, the kind of woman that we all want to be, to everyone and especially to God into His kingdom. She sought to do good, and she’s the person that people would go to in times of crisis. She was there for everyone.

They say, “This person is the cement to the family. She’s the glue that holds it all together.” When inwardly, they have no idea sometimes the struggles, the pain, the pressure we’re going through, the emotional weight… We love God, but the weight of that child who is wayward, the weight of those deadlines, the weight of wanting to please everyone, and especially God, not because we’re bad people, but we’re good people, good women and good men, who are in the habit of doing good.

James 2:15-18 declares, “If a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action (works), is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds (works), and I will show you my faith by my works.”

Here’s what we see is that when we have faith, we also have a call to action. Because we know we can do this by God in us. And people really don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. And so real ministry is not just a pulpit, is not just a title, real ministry is going to your neighbor and helping them out in their crisis. Real ministry is being there for your children, and nurturing your grandchildren, and your family. Real ministry is serving in nursery and all the other things that we do, going to the school and standing up for children who don’t have a voice, real ministry, helping others, taking care of people.

And the fact of ‘real ministry’ is it can weigh on all of us. You’re a minister, and I’m here to speak to you today, to speak life back to you, to give you that second wind, for the Holy Spirit to breathe upon you today because you are God’s chosen vessel!

Dorcas had given to others until she had broken herself down.

• Have you ever given courage to someone and you find yourself walking away discouraged?
• Have you ever given life to your own detriment?
• Have you ever wondered when someone would come and help you?
• Have you ever thought when is someone going to come and pour into you?

When you are always doing for others you’re a perceived leader, you’re perceived as one that has got it together, like ‘she makes it happen.’ When the reality is sometimes our gas tank gets so low, so empty, and I don’t know who I’m talking to who feels empty, but I’ve got a word for you. God has not forgotten you, God has not forsaken you.

If you’re like Dorcas, you find yourself helping others, even when helping them is hurting you. And while we have opportunities and inspirations, they’ve multiplied, and we have privileges afforded to us, unknown to previous generations. We also have weights of responsibility. And those weights of responsibility and pressures and expectations that are placed upon us, like an airplane, If you get too much baggage, if you get too much weight on you… You’re going to crash!

And I’m talking to someone right now:

• You don’t want to lose your family.
• You don’t want to lose your job.
• You don’t want to lose your ministry.
• You don’t want to lose life,
• …but you just feel like one more thing and I’m going to crash.

I’m going to help you understand how you can lift off the heavy burden and the weight that is just pressing you down. God loves you. And God never forsakes the one who has helped others.

Often the most difficult thing is for a helper to say, ‘i need help,’ for a giver to actually receive. It’s critical for us to learn limitations. For us to learn boundaries, and to know when to say ‘when’ to someone else, to know when to put on the brakes.

And we find ourselves with people that aren’t bad people. They aren’t intentionally draining us or trying to take the life out of us. It’s just everyone. When I say everyone, I mean everyone has needs. And if we don’t put those boundaries in, how can you give what you don’t have?

People will keep dumping on you until you speak up, until you say, “Stop. I can’t. I’m not going to be effective for you or for myself.” So what we must do is learn how to establish boundaries.

Now your skin is a boundary. It keeps the invaders out. It keeps the bad guys out so that your body can function and be good. And just like that we have to have emotional and spiritual and physical boundaries. And we have to learn to teach people in kind way how to respect those. If we don’t, then we’ll find ourselves like Dorcas dropping over dead. You might not physically die, but something in you will die emotionally, spiritually. And so let’s learn from this.

Galatians 6 says, “Brothers, if someone’s caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself or you may also be tempted, carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he has something when he has nothing, he deceives himself, each one should test his own actions, then it can take pride in himself without comparing himself for each one should carry his on load or his own burdens.”

So it gives us two things- were to carry other’s burdens, and were to carry our own burdens. But they’re two different words in the Greek there. And what it literally means here is that every single person has these lines in their life. It’s a knapsack, they all have their own knapsack, so everybody has a backpack. And it says that when a person goes under a life crushing issue, we should lift off that boulder, or lift off that weight from them, so that whatever the life crushing issue, they can stand back up.

Now what the Bible doesn’t say is when we set them back up, and this is important, because when Peter says Tabitha “Arise”, Peter doesn’t spend the rest of his days there making sure, “Dorcas did you get back up? Dorcas did you put in healthy boundaries? Dorcas did you do this right? Did I pay Dorcas’ rent? Did I make sure Dorcas had food on her table?”

In other words, were to help lift that boulder up for someone, then they stand up. And they’re responsible for their own actions, for their own decisions, for their spirituality, for their beliefs, for their needs, for their values. They’re responsible to make righteous or upright decisions to walk for.

• We’re responsible for our own burdens,
• We’re responsible for our own knapsack,
• We’re responsible for our own boundaries,
• You’re responsible for what you adopt as opinion,
• You’re responsible for what you adopt as belief,
• You’re responsible for what you take into your mind,
• You’re responsible for who you’re around,
• You’re responsible for what you learn with the knowledge that you have,
• You’re responsible for what you do with that learning,
• You’re responsible for your thought life,
• You’re responsible for what you do with your emotions,
• You’re responsible for your actions,
• You’re responsible for your value system,
• You’re responsible for how you respond to the needs around you,
• You’re responsible for what you put in your body,
• You’re responsible for what you do as an output,
• You’re responsible for how you worship God.

We’re waiting for someone to come just pour in us, we are to be lifted up when there’s a life crushing issue, and we’re to lift others up. But we’re not to prop them up the rest of their life.

When we take on a responsibility that is outside of a life crushing issue of standing someone up, then we’re attempting to take on their knapsack and we’re doing several things to the other people. We actually keep them from nurturing. We actually keep them from growing, we actually stop their spiritual development and their growth overall. They have to emotionally grow. They have to experience things in life. They have to have spiritual growth.

When we take on another person’s boundaries, or instead of just lifting the burden, and we we take on their knapsack, then we’re in danger of preventing others from fulfilling God’s plan for their life.

There is so much more you need to know about these 3 women… I only scratched the surface on Dorcas!

I can’t fit all the details in an email, but I have created something-

I have put together by The Holy Spirit some powerful tools to show you through these three Women of the Bible that God has you… that He has created a way to pull you up and pull you out- that you will prevail and you will succeed. He has a plan for you. You are not ‘disqualified’, you are designed by the Creator of the universe for greatness- because He created you!

There is so much more I go into depth on these three powerful women. I have a special 3-book collection “Women of the Bible” that is available right now for your ministry gift of $35 or more. 

With Dorcas I teach you how to establish healthy boundaries for living a balanced life. With Ruth I will show you how to redeem what you’ve lost and walk in the grace of God. And with Hannah I show you how to overcome pain to fulfill your purpose in life!

For your ministry gift of $75 or more, in addition, I will rush to you all 3 teachings on DVD and CD- a six disc set in all: Life lessons from 3 women of the bible relevant for you today!

I love you,

Pastor Paula

Click here to give your ministry gift of $35 or more now and receive the special 3-book collection “Women of the Bible” is available right now for your ministry gift of $35 or more. Featuring books on Ruth, Dorcas and Hannah.

Ministry Gift of $35 or More!

Click here to give your ministry gift of $75 or more now and receive the special brand-new 3 book collection “Women of the bible” featuring books on Ruth, Hannah and Dorcas, as well as the 6 disc teaching on these Women of the Bible.

Ministry Gift of $75 or More!