Isaiah 62:3 and a Video

Last night we all went to the fair, meeting my sister, her husband, and their little girl, and my parents. We had a blast laughing at those little girls! Reagan is fearless and will ride anything we let her ride. Gracen is not so fearless, but she did open up and ride some things as the night progressed. I hope to post a few pictures at some point during the week, but between bedtime and this morning, I just haven't had time to upload them yet. We didn't get home until 10:00. After giving the girls their baths, it was quite late when we settled into bed. Again, I'm tired, which seems to be a theme lately, and I am praying that those little precious angels will sleep late this morning.

Reagan is out of school one more day and we are either going to Pump It Up or the zoo. At bedtime last night, she said that couldn't decide and she would let us know in the morning.

My Bible verse for the day is a simple one... Isaiah 62:3
"You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God."

Isn't that a beautiful truth from God's Word? He loves us so much and thinks so highly of each one of His children. Most days, I don't feel beautiful and I don't feel like a treasure. That is because I have an enemy who is constantly saying..."Your not good enough. You will never amount to anything. You will never change. Your not pretty enough. Your are worthless. " Feel free to add your own worst thought to the list.

But then our God steps in and He says...."No, no, no my child....You are a crown of beauty to me. You are a royal diadem in my hand." As we talked about Sunday night, we have to choose what we are going to think about. We can focus on the lie that Satan wants us to believe or we can find beautiful truths in our Bible and focus on those. On those days that we feel ugly, Isaiah 62:3 is an awesome truth to put on a note card to carry around with you, and then read throughout the day.

This study is really opening my eyes to the fact that Scripture has to become my life. I can't just read a little 5 minute devotional and expect to be radically changed. I can't just go to church once a week and that be the only teaching I receive for the week. To rise above anxiety, fear, discontentment, negative thinking, etc., I have to stay in God's Word. Regardless of whatever "funk" I might be in, God has a counter truth that I have to rehearse, and rehearse, and rehearse until HIS TRUTH becomes my truth.

Emily Price and I were talking the other night at church and she told me about this beautiful video that was on the blog "Kelly's Korner". The song is "I Am" by Nichole Nordeman from the year 2005, but it is so powerful and so appropriate for our study. It follows a girl's life from the time she was in her mother's womb all the way to the grave, pointing out that during every phase of her life and every need that she has....God says, "I AM". Take 5 more minutes and listen to the words of this song. God is always with us. He loves us so much. No matter what you are walking through, God is your "I AM".

Isaiah 54:4-6

Well, it is a brand new week! Reagan is out of school today and tomorrow. To kick off her holiday, she asked to have a family movie night last night. As tired as Gene and I were from a long, but good, Sunday, we agreed. We pulled out the air mattress, popped popcorn, and poured the Sprite. Sprite is a treat for the girls. I haven't let them drink any other kind of soda due to the sugar and the caffeine, but they know when we pop popcorn that get a Sprite. Even little Gracen brought me her cup that had water in it from church and said, "No water, Momma, Sprite!" Of course she said the word Sprite without the "r". Too cute! We got out lots of pillows and blankets and watched Monsters, Inc., Reagan's choice.

Both girls usually go to sleep around 8:00pm and they were up until 10:00, so I praying that they sleep until 10:00am this morning...wishful thinking, I know! When they get up, we are going to the Millbrook Park, if it doesn't rain and then on to the fair late this afternoon. Hopefully, it will be a fun day.

For my Bible study group, our verse for the day is Isaiah 54:4-6
"Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced. But you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit; Even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected, says your God."

This was a long one but a good one!

The author of the study, Renee Swope, shared a story in her book of being heartbroken because she was dumped during two different engagements. During those times, she believed Satan's lies that she was not good enough, not worthy enough for any man's love. As a Christian, she knew that was not true, but she found it very hard to move beyond her feelings in light of her current circumstances. She found these verses and wrote them down on a note card, carrying it with her every where, reading it throughout her day. She inserted her name in the verse to make it personal.

And you can do the same thing which makes this section of Scripture read like a love letter from our God. Fill in your name as you read the verses again.....
Fear not _________, for you will not be put to shame: And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced. ________, you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your husband is your Maker, ___________, Whose name is the Lord of Hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you __________, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit; Even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected, says your God.

Didn't that feel like God was talking directly to you...and He is, you know. We have to start reading the Bible as a personal love letter to us, because it is. God loves us so very much and He will never reject us! He wants us to know that and live like that is true. The Bible is so beautiful when we learn to see it for what it truly is!

Maybe you have been put to shame, humiliated, or disgraced in your past. God says that you can move beyond those feelings and remember them no more. He is your Maker. He is your husband. He is your Redeemer who has called you by name. He will never abandon you or reject you. We have to learn to rest in those truths.

Until next time...

Romans 8:37-39

Oh man, am I tired this morning. I simply could not get out of the bed! Gene is off every Friday so Thursday has become our at home date night after the girls go to sleep. We stayed up until around 11:30 and this is about 2 hours past my normal bed time. I am a girl who likes her sleep....and if it isn't a full 7-8 hours it doesn't really count as sleep for me. Today is going to be long and will include another pot of coffee at some point after lunch.

Anyway, on to today's verses...Romans 8:37-39
"But in all these things we OVERWHELMING CONQUER THROUGH HIM who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, not height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be about to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Oh, goodness...such a powerful truth. My Life Application Bible says that these verses contain the most comforting promise in all of Scripture...and I must say, I agree. Verse 37 begins by saying that in all these things....we are conquerors... in what things you might ask....go back to vs. 35...tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword...which pretty much covers everything that could possibly happen to us. And what I love about the NASB version is that is says that we are not only conquerors but we will OVERWHELMINGLY conquer all the things that we face in this life and even death itself THROUGH HIM. We won't just squeak by....we will conquer with power!

Unfortunately, I don't have much time to elaborate this morning, but this verse tells me that I have nothing to fear in this life or the life to come. He loves me more than I can fathom, He never leaves my side, and nothing can separate me from His presence or His love....nothing that I have done, will do, or might be done to me. This is a truth that we need to bury deep into the recesses of our hearts and minds. I think I will carry this one around today. And if you are in the Confident Heart Bible study, I hope you will do the same. This one is a keeper!

Until next time...

Deuteronomy 20:4

Deuteronomy 20:4
"For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you."

What a simple verse this morning but a powerful reminder of the fact that our God is always present. He is with us. He is actively fighting for us. He will save us.

For the purpose of my Bible study, this verse speaks of spiritual warfare. We have a real enemy. The enemy of our soul is Satan and there is a constant battle raging, whether we believe that or not. Our biggest battlefield is in our own mind. Satan is constantly fighting against us with lies that sound just like truth to us. He is the father of lies so this is an activity that he has perfected. The lies include thoughts of self-doubt, low self-esteem, fear, discontentment, negativity, depression, worthlessness, lack of confidence, etc. As believers, we have to learn to refute Satan's lies with the truth of God's Word. This means that we have to be in God's Word...reading it, meditating on particular verses that speak to our issues, and memorizing the truth so it is in our heads and down in our hearts. This is the only way to replace the lies with truth. When we actively do this, we invite God into our battles. As the verse says, "God goes with you...He will fight against your enemy....He will save you."

And as our pastor says...that verse will preach!!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday. I am on a cleaning fit at my house. It is currently 9:15a.m. and I have already completed 2 loads of laundry, cleaned all our hardwood floors, picked up a ridiculous amount of clutter, made beds, made breakfast for 4 different people which equally 3 different meals, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned my bathroom, and.....now I am about tackle cleaning out summer clothes, making way for the fall clothing.

Next week, I will have pictures to share. We will be going to the fair, the park, and the zoo over the next couple of days. I just love enjoying the nice fall weather outside!!! Fall is my favorite season.

Until next time...

Romans 8 :5-6

It is hump day and I hope and pray that everyone is staying strong in their personal pursuit of daily Bible study. God's Word will change your life, but you have to be in it for it to have that effect.

Today's selection is Romans 8:5-6
"For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace."

The context of this verse is the unsaved man, who sets his mind on the things of the flesh, versus the saved man, who sets his mind on the things of the Spirit. One way will bring death while the other way brings life and peace.

For our study, A Confident Heart, this is a call to always set our minds on what God says to be true. As a saved person, it is very easy to set our minds on the things of the flesh, also known as the things of this world. Too easily we become focused on our weaknesses, our own negative thoughts, what others think about us, what we don't have, our past sins, etc. All of these thoughts rob us of the peace and joy that God offers His children. To change our focus and to set our minds on the things of the Spirit, we have to stay connected to God. As we read His Word and we pray to Him every single day, throughout the day, asking Him for His perspective, our minds stay focused on His truth about ourselves and about our circumstances. When our minds are focused on the things of the Spirit and we constantly take our "fleshly", or worldly, thoughts captive, only then will our lives be characterized by JOY and PEACE. And isn't that what we all want. I know I do! In the midst of my crazy days, my soul longs for joy and peace. I have a choice of how I will find that peace...the world's way, which could include things like overeating or shopping, or the Spirit's way, which is simply resting in His truth. The world's way will never satisfy, but God will satisfy me every time.

Today, I will set my mind on thethings of the Spirit. How about you?

Until next time...

1 Peter 2:9

1 Peter 2:9
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

What a powerful verse this morning! We have so many things to be confident about in our relationship with Jesus Christ...so many privileges that belong to us as believers. I desperately want to wrap my mind around theses truths in this verse.

I am part of a CHOSEN race. God chose me before the foundation of the world to belong to Him (Ephesians 1:4) It was nothing that I did or deserved!

I am part of a royal priesthood, meaning that I can go directly to God in prayer, in praise, in worship, in confession, etc. I have direct access to my Father anytime of the day or night because of my relationship with Jesus. This was not the case back in Old Testament times. The people had to go through a priest to make their sacrifices to God and to be cleansed of their sins. Today, I can have an intimate relationship with my Father.

As a believer, I am part of a holy nation. Just as Israel was God's chosen people to live in holiness and to be a light to the nations around them, I am called to live a life of holiness today. There should be something different about my life, the way I live, the way I talk, what I watch on television, how I spend my money, etc. Holiness should be a distinguishing factor in everything. I have a long way to go in consistently modeling holiness.

I am God's own possession. I belong to him in a special way, and I am of great value to Him. This should change the way that I see myself.

Because I believe all of these things, I should proclaim out loud the excellencies of my God. I should constantly tell others how He brought me out of darkness into His marvelous light.

May my life shout His praises!!! He is worthy!

"Father God, most Holy one...help me to start to understand all I am in You and how much You love me. Because of my belief in You, I should live so differently...full of confidence...proclaiming to those around me Your goodness and Your love. Help me to live in the Light...in Your Marvelous Light...all of my days!"

Until next time...

A Confident Heart

I am loving the new Bible study, A Confident Heart, that I am teaching at my church. What a fabulous group of ladies who are truly hungry to learn about God. This past Sunday night our lesson was about painful experiences in our past and how those experiences can change the way that we view God. When we are in the midst of a difficult situation it can be very hard to view God as loving or view His plans as good. I shared my testimony with the group regarding the 10 year period of infertility that we went through. I experienced some really hard years, especially in the middle of the journey, where I was mad at God for "withholding" a child from me. I deeply regret that I didn't just trust God's timetable for my life and rest in the fact that He DOES love me unconditionally and that He did have my ultimate good in mind. I wish I could go back and just enjoy those years...enjoy my time with Gene...rather than being so focused on the one thing that I didn't have. As you know, time is something that we can't get back.

I have already had many ladies share some really hard things with me...past abortions, multiple miscarriages, sexually abuse during childhood, being abandoned by a parent, multiple divorces, etc. I am praying for these ladies as they dig into God's Word this week and possibly make a timeline of their lives (an optional homework assignment), asking God to help them process the painful times in their lives through the lens of the Holy Spirit. I want every woman to know that God uses every single thing in our lives for His sovereign plan. He will redeem every thing that touches our lives for His ultimate glory. We cannot go back and change our past, but we can definately surrender all of our hurt feelings, our regret, our confusion, and our questions to a Holy God. As we do that, He begins to change us from the inside out, making us a "firm planting" (Isaiah 61:3) for the Lord that displays His glory to a lost world.

Over the past week, I have also had several ladies say that they are having trouble with their daily SOAP Bible study and that they would like some help understanding how the daily verses apply to our study....so I am going to try to blog as often as I can, sharing the daily verse and the applications that I see. I am hesitant to do this because God can use the verse differently in each person's life. If you are a part of the Bible study group, don't wait on my response to the verse...try to do it on your own, praying for God to show you something very personal...then, let's compare notes. Hopefully this will help those of you who might be having some trouble.

Today's verse was John 8:12
"Then Jesus spoke again to them saying, 'I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.' "

The world is full of sin or darkness but Jesus is the light that illuminates our path. He brings light to mankind. His light allows me to see myself as I really am...a sinner in need of a Savior. Because of Jesus I can avoid walking blindly and falling into sin. He lights my path so I can see how to live. He guides me each and every day...step by step...moment by moment.

I am so thankful that I get to live in this marvelous light and that I get to spend my life pointing others to the light as well! Serving in ministry is such a privilege.

Until next time...