by Sherry Lightner

Do you find yourself lacking confidence, as I do, in carrying out the daily routines of military life? Whether you have just married into the military, you are a seasoned military wife enduring yet another deployment, or you are about to embark on a new adventure as the mother of a military son or daughter, Wives of the Warriors; Living Confidently in Christ, by Ronda Sturgill, is calling your name.

To be honest with you, my initial thoughts of this ten–week Bible Study was, “Oh no, not a Bible study. Lord, I’m not ready for another Bible study. I’ve done so many over the years and my husband is gone and…” Do you think God is ever surprised by our thoughts and actions? No. He knows us… He perceives our thoughts from afar. (Psalm 139: 1-4) He responds to us with compassion and understanding. Over the following weeks, the Lord ministered to my heart through His word and other books written by seasoned military wives, which prepared me for this spiritual journey He was about to take me on. A journey that would virtually impact every area of my life.

Wives of the Warriors; Living Confidently in Christ is a ten-week Bible study that applies biblical principles to the following circumstances: moving frequently, deployments, single parenting, yet happily married, loneliness, anger, and frustration.

The main principle this book centers around is “We are complete in Christ.”

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ.” Colossians 2:9,10

Ronda gives us ten biblical principles covering the following topics:

• God’s grace and how it works in our lives
• God’s plan for moving His people from place to place
• How God works through our weakness
• Forgiving by faith and not by feelings
• Running our race with perseverance
• The biblical perspective of suffering
• The protection of the believer in spiritual warfare
• Unity in diversity
• Experiencing God’s power

The fuel of this study is found within the five-day interactive format where we personally learn how to apply the scriptures to our lives on a moment by moment basis. Each week we start out interacting with Scripture, which guides us into a time of praise and worship. The second day, we are introduced to a biblical principle along with its Scriptural background verse. The third and fourth day, we are given proof of the principle as we study scriptures that expound upon the principle. We see how God used it in the lives of His people to accomplish His purposes. On the last day, as we, continually, interact with Scripture, we begin to consider how to apply this principle to our lives.

As I began to unfold the biblical principles and delve into the Scriptures, the Lord captivated my heart. Ronda’s personal insights as a military wife along side her solid biblical focus of the Scriptures brought a fresh perspective for me as I walked through this study. I found myself examining every principle in great detail, highlighting information that stirred my heartstrings. I then later typed the highlighted sections into a word document for future reference. You might say, I devoured this study.

As the Lord encourages you to pursue this in depth study, may the Lord reveal the foundational truth. You can live confidently in Christ, as you enter into a relationship with Jesus and remain in His word. Prepare to be transformed! The fact, I am complete in Christ, has become the anchor to which I cling to for each and every challenge I endure. I look forward to hearing of how the Lord has used this study to impact your life and the lives of those around you.

Ronda Sturgill is a wife of a United states Air Force Chaplain. She has been a paraplegic as a result of a horseback riding accident since the age of 18. Ronda is most passionate about leading women to discover a deeper hope in God by looking into His Word, learning what it means, and living it out in everyday life. She has written three Bible studies, all targeted to women who are spouses of US military personnel. They are: Wives of the Warriors; Living Confidently in Christ; Desperate Housecries; Discovering a Genuine Hope in God; and Extreme Makeover: Heart Edition. She, also has written several devotions which are included in the book Faith Deployed, as well as two stories in the God Allows U-Turns series.

About The Author
Sherry Lightner is the spouse of an Army National Guard Warrant Officer. They have been married for 19 years and currently reside in Upstate NY. She and her husband have four children, ages 18, 16, 12 and 8. She enjoys camping, hiking, running and evening walks through out the neighborhood with her family.