A source of refreshment for women and children.

What I Believe

I believe in the One, Triune God (Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 8:6) who is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1:1-31, John 1:3), who gives mankind free will to choose for or against Him (Genesis 2:16). His creation chose self over Him (Genesis 3:6) with the result that sin and death entered the once perfect world (Romans 5:12). God is just and impartial (Romans 2:11) and so man’s debt for his sin had to be paid if there was to be reconciliation. Life blood is the required payment for sin (Hebrews 9:22) and not just from any life, but from one without “spot or blemish” (Leviticus 1:3). Since all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and none are a suitable sacrifice, God created an astounding solution; God the Son became a man, Jesus Christ, who lived, was judged for our sins, died (Philippians 2:5-8), and then was resurrected in order to defeat death, itself (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). God draws to Himself His people in humble repentance (John 6:44) and provides the necessary faith to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ- His birth, life, death, and resurrection- so we may have life eternal with Him (John 3:16). Believers in Christ are then called to live as He lived, suffer as He suffered, partaking in His joy, to the glory of God (1 Peter 4:13)! Thanks be to God for His Indescribable Gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)!

Why this ministry?

Jacob said in Genesis 47:9 “few and unpleasant have been the years of my life”. I can relate to Jacob on this. Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of pleasant memories and I am, by no means, unhappy. In fact, I marvel at the joy and peace I now experience after my challenging 46 years! My life has been a difficult one, filled with the pain which results from unrighteous decisions, both mine and those made by others. With that said, I would not change a thing because then I would not be “me” and I would not be here with you “By His Well”.

I am overwhelmed by His grace in using me as a vessel of His righteousness; blessing me with the opportunity to touch the lives of women and children searching for the peace which comes only from Christ Jesus, our Lord. I do hope that this place will be used by Him to augment your studies and provide some encouragement from another woman of God who has “been there, done that” and learned that He is the only Way to true peace and contentment. Let’s stand together in gratitude before the Lord, Jesus Christ, for all of the many gifts He has given, especially the inexpressible gift of eternal life in Him. How wondrous is the mystery of His love and His sacrifice that has enabled us to spend eternity with Him. Praise be to the Perfect One, forever and ever, amen!

About Me

I live with my pretty kitty, Mulligan, in Swansea, Massachusetts, where I work as a physical therapist in skilled nursing facilities and am blessed to serve as both secretary and prep school leader/teacher for my church, North Christian Church, located in North Dighton, Ma. The most interesting thing about me is that I am a sinner, saved by grace, seeking to serve the One who set me free. Less importantly, I love pizza, chocolate, and a home cooked meal prepared by anyone other than me! I enjoy walks, riding my Peloton, as well as napping on my recliner. Mostly, though, I enjoy reading my Bible, listening to my Pastor teach the Word of God, and having conversations both with and about my Best Friend, Jesus Christ.


Monica Marie Ledford

Doctrinal Statement

The Bible consists of 66 books, which comprise the completed canon of scripture. The canon is the inspired Word of God and is infallible (Psa 119:89; Pro 30:5-6; Joh 10:35; 2Ti 3:16; 2Pe 1:20-21)
There is only one God. He is triune, which means that He exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Although each Person of the Godhead exhibits functional differences, all are equal in essence, making them coequal and coterminous. (Deu 6:4; 2Co 13:14).
Man is created in the image of God. As a result of Adam's original sin in the Garden of Eden, the human race is spiritually dead at birth. Each human receives a sin nature at birth as a result of Adam's transgression. This sin nature keeps mankind separate from God until the moment of salvation. There is nothing man can do himself to improve his inherent condition at birth. He needs restoration from a power source that is not his. (Gen 11:26-27; Rom 3:22-23, 5:12; Eph 2:12).
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the unique One, the God-man, the Hypostatic Union, which means that He is 100% deity and 100% man simultaneously, indivisibly. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary to reveal God, redeem man, and resolve the angelic conflict at the Cross. Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His substitutionary sacrificial death on the Cross. This single act propitiated God the Father's justice and provide man with an unlimited atonement for all sin. Our faith is illustratively validated by His physical resurrection from the dead (Rom 4:24-25; 1Co 15:1-4; Heb 13:20; 1Pe 1:3-5).

Jesus Christ is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in the third Heaven, continuing His ministry as our High Priest, interceding for us always, as our great Advocate. He is indeed the head of the Church, His bride, the Body of Christ. He will return physically to wage war on all of His enemies and claim ultimate victory (Rom 8:34; Eph 1:19-23; Heb 7:25-27; 1Jo 1:1-2).
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He convicts the world of the sin of unbelief, restrains evil from its ultimate manifestation, and glorifies Jesus Christ while guiding believers into all truth (Joh 16:7-14). At salvation, the Holy Spirit baptizes each believer into union with Jesus Christ. This union is eternal and cannot be broken. He permanently indwells, seals, and regenerates each believer. We believers are commanded to walk by means of the Spirit and neither quench nor grieve Him (Rom 8:9; 1Co 12:12-13; Gal 3:26-29, 5:16; Eph 1:12-14, 4:30, 5:18; Tit 3:5-6).
We are all born depraved. Salvation is a gracious gift from God. It is the result of the Gospel calling, which is: Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, humbled Himself to die on our behalf. Thus He became the sinless sacrifice to pay the penalty of our guilt. He rose from the dead to declare with power that He is Lord over all, and He offers eternal life freely to sinners who will surrender to Him in humble, repentant faith. (Joh 3:15-16, 5:24, 6:40, 6:47, 20:31; Act 16:31, Rom 3:24-25, 5:11, 5:16; 2Co 5:18-21; Eph 2:8-9). See Are You Saved?
Once saved, all believers remain saved for all of eternity without any possibility of losing their salvation. All believers have the right to personal assurance of their eternal security (Joh 10:27-30; Rom 8:1, 38-39; 1Co 1:4-8; 1Th 5:23-24; Heb 10:14).
The Church is a spiritual organism that is unique to the church-age dispensation (current age). It is called the body of Christ in scripture and is comprised of all church-age believers only. We, the body, are in union with Christ now and for eternity. This designation is distinctly different from a christian denomination (1Co 12:12-14; Eph 1:22).
Satan is one of many titles given to the primary adversary of God and man. He is openly declared as such in the Bible (Job 1:6-7; Isa 14:12-17; 1Pe 5:8). God, in His sovereignty, has given Satan rulership of this present world, which will terminate at Christ's second advent (Eph 2:2; 2Co 4:4; Joh 12:31, 14:30; 16:11).
A dispensation is a period of human history explained in terms of divine revelation. History is defined as a series of administrations or eras. Each dispensation reflects the unfolding of God's plan for mankind and constitutes divine viewpoint of history. Understanding dispensations is a means by which believers during a specific time can orient to God's will, plan, and purpose for their lives (Eph 1:7-11, 3:16; Rom 16:25-26; Col 1:26; Joh 1:16-17).
The next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air, also dubbed the rapture or translation of the church, where he will receive to Himself believers who have died and believers who are alive on earth. This event will occur prior to the Tribulation. (1Co 15:51-57; 1Th 4:13-18; Tit 2:11-14).
The rapture of the Church will be followed by the fulfillment of Israel's seventieth week. The latter half of this seven-year period is the time of Jacob's trouble, the Great Tribulation (Jer 30:7; Dan 9:27; Mat 24:15-21; Rev 6:19).
Jesus Christ will physically step foot on earth at His second advent at the end of the Great Tribulation and before His millennial reign. He will remove Satan from power and set up His kingdom literally on earth (Zec 14:4-11; Mat 24:15-25; 2Th 1:7-10; Rev 20:6).
The soul and the human spirit of those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation immediately pass into His presence at the moment of physical death. The soul and the human spirit remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming. At this time, soul, human spirit and body reunite, and shall forever be associated with His glory. The souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the millennium. At this time, the soul and body reunited shall be cast into the eternal Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to be salted with everlasting destruction and banished from the presence of the Lord forever (Luk 16:19-26, 23:43; 2Co 5:8; Phi 1:23; 2Th 1:7-9; Jud 6:7; Rev 20:11-15).
Salvation is just the beginning. It is God's desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1Ti 2:4). This implies that we believers must continually learn His Word on a daily basis in order to fulfill God's purpose, plan, and will. Executing His plan for our lives is what ultimately will bring glory to the Lord (Rom 12:1-2; 2Co 13:9; 1Ti 4:6; 1Pe 2:2; 2Pe 3:18).
The Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord's Supper to be observed until His return (1Co 11:23-36).
In Jesus’ great commission, He explicitly states that we go out and baptize those who believe (Mat 28:19-20). In the early Church, there is much evidence that water baptisms were carried out faithfully as a public display of faith (Acts 10:47-48).
God, existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is sovereign. He exercises supreme and absolute rule over all creation as a part of, and consistent with, the essence and attributes of deity (1Ch 29:11-12, Dan 4:35, Psa 24:1, Eph 1:11, 1Ti 6:15).

However, God in His sovereignty will not violate the free will of man. The free will of man and the sovereignty of God coexist by divine decree (1Ti 2:4-6, Rom 5:8-10, 32-33, 16:24-25; Joh 3:16,36).
Man's inherent sin nature is antagonistic to the Holy Spirit’s ministry in the believer (Gal 5:17). Believers are commanded to walk by means of the Spirit and be filled with the Spirit in order that they may abide in God’s will (Gal 5:16; Eph 4:30, 5:18; 1Th 5:19).
God the Holy Spirit, in grace and apart from human merits, administers a spiritual gift to believers in this dispensation. Permanent spiritual gifts in existence today include pastor/teachers, evangelists, administrators, and others. The temporary spiritual gifts ceased with the completion of the canon of scripture. These temporary gifts were apostleship, prophecy, speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues, healing, and working of miracles (1Co 12:13, Eph 4:7-12, Rom 12:4-8). Though spiritual gifts of miracles and healing have ceased, God may, and does, heal and miraculously intervene by His direct action (Isa 46:10, Mat 28:18, Jam 5:16).

My Favorite Sites

North Christian Church (my church)
www.nccdighton.org

Christ Saves Ministries
www.christsavesministries.org

The Bible Project
www.thebibleproject.com

All Aboard God’s Train
www.allaboardgodstrain.org

What’s In the Bible
www.whatsinthebible.com

By His Well Ministries

Hello!
I am so pleased that you have
joined me “By His Well”. I hope you find the encouragement which you are seeking; always remembering
that His Word is the ultimate Well of Refreshment!

Enjoy!
The Gospel
Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, humbled Himself to die on our behalf. Thus He became the sinless sacrifice to pay the penalty of our guilt. He rose from the dead to declare with power that He is Lord over all, and He offers eternal life freely to sinners who will surrender to Him in humble, repentant faith.

Monica Marie Ledford

By His Well Ministries


Swansea, MA 02777

EMAIL
byhiswellmail@gmail.com