Saturday Steps of Faith #13

What are you believing God for?

Do you trust God enough to take Him at His word?
Not only for your neighbor or friend..., but for you?

Saturday Steps of Faith is our opportunity to publicly claim His promises for our lives.
It is the place where we believe God for things great and small.

This week has been a good week. God's Word has been so alive to me. The more I study, the more I commit to memory, the more I am inclined to use it as the sword that God intends for it to be.

For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deuteronomy 20:4

Two specific times this week someone has spoken words to me that were a direct attack from the enemy. But by God's grace and at the urging of the Holy Spirit I was able to quickly identity who the attack was really from. God reminded me,

My salvation and my honor depend on God he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Psalm 62:7-8

no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD. Isaiah 54:17

Upon claiming His promises and choosing to re-focus my mind on God's Word instead of lies of the enemy, Satan had no choice but to flee.

I am so grateful to God for His written Word and for the victory that is ours when we believe!

How about you? Will you please join me? Leave a comment or write a post.

All you need to do is copy the button located on the left sidebar. Paste it into your post. Next write down the promise from the Word of God you are taking a step of faith and believing. Maybe it's one you have stood upon in the past. Last, come back here and link up with Mr. Linky. It's that easy.

What are you believing God for?

Thankful Thursday #17

It's Thankful Thursday and I am again joining Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey.

1. Thank You God for leading me to a Church where I feel like I belong. Thank You for the women who have made me feel welcome and truly part of the body.
2. Thank You God for the ladies Bible Study last night. It was a no frills Bible study where we dug deep into the Word, scripture after scripture, line after line, verse after verse. It's amazing how God can lead others to speak truth that ring true with what you are reading and learning in your own personal study - bearing witness.
3. Thank You God for Your Word. I can't over the Proverbs 30:5 which says, "Every Word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him." The more I meditate and study Your Word, the more this verse expresses my heart.
4. Thank You God for saving me at a young age. Thank You for walking with me all of these years and maturing me day by day. Thank you for the things you have protected me from that I don't even recognize.
5. Thank You for being the center of my family. In difficult days when many families are falling apart, because of You we remain strong. Thank You for being our "center", our "true North".

How about you? What are you thankful for?

In Any Church

I was in the local Lifeway bookstore a few days ago trying to find my workbook for the LPM Summer Study. As I was scanning the shelves looking for the red-covered book a gentleman came up and stood beside me. I smiled at him and we exchanged cordial greetings.

As he scanned the workbook filled shelves his eyes caught the title of a Beth Moore book that made him laugh out loud. He said, "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things - now that will preach!". Before I could stop myself I replied, "In any church!". His response was, "You got that right!".

We looked at each other and both kind of chuckled and smiled. He began to tell me about his rough day. One of his church members was cross with him over an email he sent out to his regular church mailing list. In it he was challenging each person to examine their lives and to surrender to a life of holy living. But somehow she took offense.

It wasn't long before she picked up the phone and began burning up the lines making calls. Later that day, the Pastor heard through the grapevine how she had been offended. He called her and tried to explain it wasn't directed to her individually. But no matter how hard he tried, his words seemed to be landing with a thud.

Now he was dealing with a family upset and threatening to leave the church as well as half-truths and un-truths that were spread among the fellowship. What was meant to build up encourage the body was instead being used to tear it apart.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20

Several years ago when teaching this passage God gave me this phrase, "We need to take it to the throne, before we ever take it to the phone". As I began to put this into practice, I found myself talking less and less on the phone. I no longer needed to run it by someone to ask if I was reading the situation right, if I heard them right, if I was doing the right thing.

for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say. Luke 12:12

Father, may I continue to learn from You. Teach me to be quick to listen and to let my words be few. Open my mouth when it is appropriate for me to speak and silence my tongue when it is not. Keep my anger in check at the urging of your sweet Spirit. Lord, continue to chisel away at my flesh as I desire to live a life of righteousness. For I know that a life of holiness is what you require of me and is your desire for me. In the name of Jesus my Savior I pray ~ Amen.

Complete, Fulfilled, Done, Finished

What is your mission in life? Is it to be a good wife, a good mother, a good friend, a good employee? What is it?

When Jesus came to this earth He had one mission and one mission only; to do the will of His Father. He left the glory and majesty of Heaven to be born of a virgin, despised and rejected by the religious crown, battered and beaten by cruel men and hung on a Roman cross to die.

Why? Because He had a mission to complete. You see, since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, sin has separated man from God. Only through the the sacrifice of an animal, a substitute, could the sins of the people be forgiven. But the people didn't stop sinning so they had to continue sacrificing - over and over again.

But when Jesus gave His life on the cross of Calvary, He became the ultimate and final sacrifice for sin. What were his last words from the cross?

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30

What was finished? The Greek word is "τελέω" which means to pay, to complete, to fulfil. What was finished? The full penalty for my sin and yours was paid. With His death, the complex sacrificial system was ended because the perfect, sinless Son of God took all sin - yours and mine - upon Himself so that we may go free.

You know what else? Satan was defeated at Calvary. FINISHED! Why do we so often live our lives like he has power over us? Why do we say things like, "the devil made me do it".

DEFEATED! That's what satan is! Defeated he will always be. It was FINISHED that day at Calvary when the Son of God laid down His life for fallen man!

I do not trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
Selah Psalm 44:6-8

What is your mission?

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus fulfilled His. How about you and me? We have the authority. Whatever whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. We have His complete Word - the Bible and are fully equipped for everything He asks us to do. What is stopping us?

If Jesus came back today, would we be able to say, "Mission Accomplished"?

Saturday Steps of Faith #12

What are you believing God for?

Do you trust God enough to take Him at His word? Not only for your neighbor or friend..., but for you?

Saturday Steps of Faith is our opportunity to publicly claim His promises for our lives. It is the place where we believe God for things great and small.

The promise I am believing this week is Psalm 3:5

Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

When I think of the word flawless, what comes to mind is a beautiful, sparkling, clear, diamond. A flawless diamond when sold at auction can be worth millions of dollars. And yet when compared to the value of the Word of God..., in my life - priceless.

Every word of God - flawless. There is no cloudiness, only clarity. There are no flaws, only perfection. It stands on its own merits. Nothing needs to be added or taken away. Flawless!

When I take the word of God and hide it deep within my heart, it becomes a shield of faith. I can believe it. I can stand upon it. It becomes my refuge from the fiery darts of the evil one. When Satan whispers in my ear that I am all alone, I respond with the Word of God,

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the
LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deut. 31:6

I praise you God for your flawless Word. I thank you that it has become my shield and refuge. It is sharper than a double edged sword and far more precious than diamonds or gold. You are my God in whom I trust. I choose to believe your Word, no matter what the circumstance, no matter what I may see with my eyes. I believe You God!

How about you? Will you please join me? Leave a comment or write a post.

All you need to do is copy the button located on the left sidebar. Paste it into your post. Next write down the promise from the Word of God you are taking a step of faith and believing. Maybe it's one you have stood upon in the past. Last, come back here and link up with Mr. Linky. It's that easy.

What are you believing God for?

Thankful Thursday #16

It's Thankful Thursday and I am again joining Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey.

1. Thank you God that when the storms of life come that You bring to my mind Your Word that has been sown deep into my soul and it bears fruit.
2. Thank You God for difficult conversations. Thank You for filling my mouth with words of grace and love that bring forth restoration, not separation.
3. Thank You God that the shouts of your love and compassion are greater than the whispers of the enemy in our ears.
4. Thank You God for friends who love as you love, not as the world loves; those who stick closer than a brother.
5. Thank You God for my husband and son. Thank you for a wake up call that has drawn us closer to You and closer to each other. You are our God and we love you.

   And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:27-28.

How about you? Going through a storm? Can you thank Him? Are things going well? Have you thanked Him? Thank You God!

Be Still and Sleep

Today I picked up my copy of a devotional book titled, "Streams in the Desert" by L.B. Cowman which was first published in 1925. As I read over the entry for June 1st, I thought it was so relevant for the times in which we live.

He said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and, "This is the place
of repose" - but they would not listen. (Isaiah 28:12)

How about you? Are you resting or are you weary from struggling, worrying or fretting? We call it by many different names.

Mrs. Cowman was a missionary aboard a great ship, in poor health, forced to return to the United States with her ailing husband. She wrote, "Why do you worry? What possible use does your worrying serve? You are aboard such a large ship that you would be unable to steer even if your Captain placed you at the helm. You would not even be able to adjust the sails, yet you worry as if you were the captain or the helmsman of the vessel. Be quiet, dear soul - God is the Master!"

Stop and think about that for just a second. Why do we spend so much time trying to control something that is so much bigger that we are equipped to handle? Why do we spend so much time trying to do in our own lives what only God can do? Is it any wonder that we worry? Isn't that exactly where the enemy wants us to be - overwhelmed, stressed out, discouraged, hopeless and in utter despair?

Listen to this poem (I guess you'll have to read it since I'm not there to read it for you).

Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
The storms are raging on God's deep -
God's deep, not yours; be still and sleep.

Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God's hands will still the Tempter's sweep -
God's hands, not yours; be still and sleep.

Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God's love is strong while night hours creep -
God's love, not yours; be still and sleep.

Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God's heaven will comfort those who weep -
God's heaven, not yours; be still and sleep.
- Charles H Spurgeon

God in all of His infinite wisdom, lovingly holds you in the palm of His hands. He is waiting to take all of your cares, all of your concerns from you. He is the Master of your ship, the Master of your life and He will guide you safely home. Will you give up the helm to Him? Or will you continue to aimless steer?

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the
righteous fall. Psalm 55:22

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

He is trustworthy. He is faithful. He is true to His Word. What are you waiting for?