Have you ever said "NO" to God? I have.

Sensing that God was leading me to invite women into my home for group Bible Study, my first and immediate response was “NO!”

Suddenly, my warm and cozy devotional time with God grew cold, dark and lonely. Like someone had flipped a switch, His presence was gone and our conversations were shut down.

I was sure God didn’t understand my concerns and that after hearing my reasons He would definitely change His mind about using me for this task.

You see, I have never been a contender for the women/female/group thing. I am the youngest of 9 girls and though my childhood and up bringing was filled with fun and family, it was also filled with drama—more drama than I could ever get used to.

Due to my family experiences, I connected women groups to drama-filled encounters—and I don’t do drama! Surely God knew that. He must have made a mistake.

For weeks, my personal devotions continued to be cold and lonely—I was present, God was not.

While sharing my concerns with my husband over breakfast, I also admitted that I felt like I didn't have anything to say to women.

Ten minutes later, a phone call from an acquaintance invited me to be a speaker for a church prayer breakfast. The Women’s Ministry was sponsoring the breakfast and here was the kicker…the caller said (and I quote) “I think you have a lot to say to women”.

That's when I realized...God Got Jokes!

I didn’t even have to pray about this one. I knew this was the hand of God and I accepted the invitation on the spot. I also accepted God's invitation to host women's Bible Study in my home.

My next devotional time was warm and cozy. I was present and so was the spirit of God.