Here it is the 20th of the month and I have yet to post my newest Siesta Sista' Memory Team mid-month verse. The participants are to post our verses on the first and 15th of each month and then spend the two weeks in between posts to memorize the verse. Finally, the Lord revealed my next verse to me. It is a few days late, but I believe it is His perfect timing. You will see why if you read on a bit........
The verse is: Matthew 26: 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Last month I attending a women's day retreat/conference with a couple of my friends and my mom. It was a great time of fellowship, sisterhood and connecting with the Lord. While there, the speaker challenged all of us to read only the Bible for 30 days. After prayer, my friends, my mom and I accepted the challenge.
Here is the other side of that commitment: You see, I am reading at any given time, never less than 2-3 books simultaneously. They are all written by Christian authors and offer much insight into daily living for Him and daily dying to self. In fact, one of the books I was in the middle of reading through at the time of accepting this challenge is a book written by a friend! Of course, I questioned God's timing on this.....and double checked my heart to make sure that this is what He wanted for me and not something that I was doing, just to be doing. "Commit to only reading the Bible at this time? Really, Lord, is this what You want?" The answer: "Yes!" Thus, I committed and began reading only my Bible each day during my devotional times.
It was pointed out to us at the conference, that one of the reasons for Eve being drawn into a conversation with the serpent (the true picture of the devil in disguise) and eventually deceived by him, was that she receive information from God really almost "second hand" through Adam. There is always danger when my main source of information comes from so-and-so who got it from the Bible. This is my Spiritual Food, after all! Would I likely go into a restaurant and begin eating off a partially eaten plate of food that someone else was finished with and had placed at the edge of the table....waiting there on the edge of the table to be taken away by the waitress? Not at all! It is when I go to the source, when I read His Word for myself that the greatest discoveries and greatest insights are available to me. As a Christians, I have direct access to God...no go- between, no translator, no "He said this....He meant that": just Him and me! Ah, bliss!
While hard not to read a "good book", I have found it greatly beneficial to take time to only get my food from The Good Book for this short season of time in my life....30 days. Recently, my 30 day challenge ended and I began to re-read the book my friend wrote. I have decided that when I have completed that book, I will recommit to reading only the Bible for 30 days before starting another book. It will be hard, since I have another friend who recently wrote her first book that I REALLY want to start reading. But really, 30 days....is that really a lot of time to set aside in dedication and focus on Him and His Word? For me, no.
It is with anticipation that I read His Word each day. Even though I am reading my friends book at this time, (it is His word that gives me the nourishment that I need to live. And really, what author would take offense to me getting greater pleasure, greater insight and greater understanding of God from reading His Book than from their book? Not likely!
With all of this said, it is time for me to get to bed, Bible in hand and reading The Good Book.....after all, it has a glorious beginning and a glorious end! Mwah!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Memory Verse #19
Psalm 73:26
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Confidence and assurance in Him for all that I need...in times of plenty and in times of want; in times of joy and times of sorrow; in times of comfort and times of struggle. Even though I may fail, He will not.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
One Big Happy Family
Recently, I was on a popular site for finding your family history when a wonderful thought came to me. You see, my family history is a little different (isn't everyone's). My dad was adopted by his "dad" (step-father) and he didn't meet his biological father until my dad was 21 years old. His fathers line cannot be traced past his father. My paternal grandmother was born in Canada and her family history can be traced back a total of about 6 generations. Now, my mom's side is a different story! Her father and mother were Mormon and so our family history on my grandfather's side can be traced back to 1406!! That was actually pretty cool. I discovered a lot about my family, but unlike the tv show that advertises the site, I did not find any hidden family secrets or a long lost famous family member. Nope, just a lot of hardworking people who came across the plains in handcarts or down from Canada in hopes of making a better life for themselves here in America.
Thinking about my personal family history I began to pray and thank God that even though my family is comprised of a diverse group of people, so to speak, my parents made a decision to follow the Lord. These decision for my parents came later in life, and at 18 years old, I too decided to follow Christ. I have raised my children in the ways of the Lord, and I have full hope and confidence in Him that one day my children, too, will follow after Him with their whole hearts. As I was praying and thanking God for the heart changes He has made in my family, ?he began to place a thought in my heart.
You see, when we begin to follow Him, we are grafted into His family. Therefore, my "relatives" become those spoken of in the Bible! If you are a Believer, you too have a rich family history of Christ followers! Think about it! One of your family members faced a den full of lions and lived to tell about it. A women in our family history once met Jesus at a well at a time in her life when she was so low and so depressed due to the sin in her life that she felt ashamed and unworthy to gather water with the other women in her community. Jesus picked up her broken heart, spoke life and truth into it and she was a changed woman! Wow! Then there is a family member who spent some time in a whale and ended up right where God wanted him to go! There are stories in my family of a woman giving birth to a child long after her child bearing years had come and gone; people in my lineage who walked and talked with Jesus; and even a man member of my family was brought back to life by Jesus; another was freed from a demon; one went from being a man willingly killing Christians at the very sight of one into a man who was a close, personal friend and witness to Christ who eventually died for His faith. WOW! These are amazing people, and they are related to me because of my adoption into the family of God. Cool!
Thinking about my personal family history I began to pray and thank God that even though my family is comprised of a diverse group of people, so to speak, my parents made a decision to follow the Lord. These decision for my parents came later in life, and at 18 years old, I too decided to follow Christ. I have raised my children in the ways of the Lord, and I have full hope and confidence in Him that one day my children, too, will follow after Him with their whole hearts. As I was praying and thanking God for the heart changes He has made in my family, ?he began to place a thought in my heart.
You see, when we begin to follow Him, we are grafted into His family. Therefore, my "relatives" become those spoken of in the Bible! If you are a Believer, you too have a rich family history of Christ followers! Think about it! One of your family members faced a den full of lions and lived to tell about it. A women in our family history once met Jesus at a well at a time in her life when she was so low and so depressed due to the sin in her life that she felt ashamed and unworthy to gather water with the other women in her community. Jesus picked up her broken heart, spoke life and truth into it and she was a changed woman! Wow! Then there is a family member who spent some time in a whale and ended up right where God wanted him to go! There are stories in my family of a woman giving birth to a child long after her child bearing years had come and gone; people in my lineage who walked and talked with Jesus; and even a man member of my family was brought back to life by Jesus; another was freed from a demon; one went from being a man willingly killing Christians at the very sight of one into a man who was a close, personal friend and witness to Christ who eventually died for His faith. WOW! These are amazing people, and they are related to me because of my adoption into the family of God. Cool!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Weapons and War
2 Corinthians 10:5
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Above is the second verse this month that I have chosen to memorize as part of my Beth Moore, Siesta Sister scripture memory team challenge. This verse has always spurred me on while at the same time challenging me. The notion of taking every thought captive is something that is only possible when I rely on Him for the strength to filter my mind. Throughout this season of memorizing Him word, it has been challenging to find the time needed to work on memorizing. Some of the previous verses were easy for me to commit to heart. Lately, I have been finding it harder and harder to memorize...something that usually comes very easily to me. Reason? Distraction! As the Lord revealed to me through a speaker at a day conference yesterday, the enemy is subtle in his attempt to distract. He places a small bit of doubt in my mind and if I "engage" with the enemy and try to face him on my own.....I have actually sided with him for a moment. Yes, actually sided with the enemy in this are of my life.
For example, I have had an issue with unforgiveness that I thought I had dealt with a while ago. In a split second, the enemy was able to slightly turn my thoughts to anger over the situation that caused the unforgiveness in the first place. See, when we put on our armor and head face first into the face of the enemy, we are to wield our sword, which is the Word of God. Imagine a warrior heading into war with a helmet, a breastplate, a belt, a shield and the appropriate footwear but no sword! How long do you think the warrior would survive the attack of his enemy? Not long at all!
It is through the reading and memorizing of the Word that I am able to wield the Sword (the Word) and defeat the enemy. Interestingly, in war the idea is to plunder the enemy! In other words, don't just defeat him in this particular attack, but actually take back dominion of the land he has overtaken in my heart and mind and then bring back what he has tried to take from me! Without my Sword, I am unable to stand against the attacks and ever so subtly, the enemy will sneak into my thoughts and try to take back what is now mine. For in war, it is just a matter of time before the enemy comes back to get what was taken from them. The attacks of the enemy in the weak areas of my life are going to continue until I go to be with Jesus. As in an war, my enemy will scheme and plot new ways to attack, sometimes (usually) in the very area that I have had victory in the past. Hmmm....not very fair is it? Who said that my enemy should be fair?! He is set on seeking, stealing from me and destroying me! His intentions are never polite and his attacks are never fair. Why would they be? We are at war here!
Below is this verse in context. I included The Message version as it gives a little different insight into the power of taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
2 Corinthians 10:5
The Message (MSG)
3-6The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
SSMT Verse 17
Psalm 119:133 NIV "'Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me."
Pretty much says it all.
Pretty much says it all.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Pressing on...
Philippians 3: 7-14 (NIV)
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
This verse has new meaning for me after today! God used a sweet sister in the Lord to remind me that my future is ahead and God is in control of my life (if I let Him be, that is). He has amazing plans for me (and for you too!) and who am I to hold on to past hurts and hinder His Kingdom work that He has predestined for me? After all, I am not getting any younger, time is ticking and He has work for me to do! Praying that He would do in me the things that are necessary within my heart, in order to get me to the place He wants me, in His time and in His way! I particularly like the message version of the following verses:
Philippians 3:12-14 (The Message version)
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
This verse has new meaning for me after today! God used a sweet sister in the Lord to remind me that my future is ahead and God is in control of my life (if I let Him be, that is). He has amazing plans for me (and for you too!) and who am I to hold on to past hurts and hinder His Kingdom work that He has predestined for me? After all, I am not getting any younger, time is ticking and He has work for me to do! Praying that He would do in me the things that are necessary within my heart, in order to get me to the place He wants me, in His time and in His way! I particularly like the message version of the following verses:
Philippians 3:12-14 (The Message version)
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
Looking forward and pressing on toward that which I have been called, through Christ Jesus!!
Monday, August 15, 2011
SSMT Verse 16
Isaiah 10:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
For those of you who don't read my blogs all that often, an explanation about this post (and others like it). I have committed (along with many other women for all over the country and perhaps the world) to memorizing 24 Scripture verses this year. We post on the 1st an 15th of the month and I have been sharing my verses here. This one is one I came across while listening to a sermon just yesterday. The gal giving the sermon asked different people to read passages as she gave them out to share. I was asked to read verses 6-7, but the Lord used these verses to minister to my heart on a personal level.
Sometimes, I forget that He sees the whole picture an this verse reminds me that His ways are not like mine and His thought are not like mine. His ways and thoughts are higher than mine and I need to constantly be in a place within my heart where I am seeking Him and His thoughts and ways. Wouldn't hurt if I reacted as He would either! LOL!
Easier said than done.....any way you look at it or think about it. .....
For those of you who don't read my blogs all that often, an explanation about this post (and others like it). I have committed (along with many other women for all over the country and perhaps the world) to memorizing 24 Scripture verses this year. We post on the 1st an 15th of the month and I have been sharing my verses here. This one is one I came across while listening to a sermon just yesterday. The gal giving the sermon asked different people to read passages as she gave them out to share. I was asked to read verses 6-7, but the Lord used these verses to minister to my heart on a personal level.
Sometimes, I forget that He sees the whole picture an this verse reminds me that His ways are not like mine and His thought are not like mine. His ways and thoughts are higher than mine and I need to constantly be in a place within my heart where I am seeking Him and His thoughts and ways. Wouldn't hurt if I reacted as He would either! LOL!
Easier said than done.....any way you look at it or think about it. .....
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