Battle are Distractions

 

 

This was something floating around Facebook this week.

When I read it - I thought, "how very true.".

We are told in Ex. 14:14 That God will fight for us and we shall hold our peace. When we try to fight all our battles we are self-sufficient, not depending on our Heavenly Father to take care of us. And that can be a very dangerous place to be.
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So wouldn't you know it- once I had written up this post and had it as a draft - waiting to when would post it- that is when this test hit me yet again.

Well the situation with the truck brought a lot of stress to me - because I was thinking that I needed to fight the battle on my own. And it was so neat that shortly after I decided to claim Ex 14:14 ( I had actually totally forgotten about this post that I had done earlier in the week) that God stepped in and took care of the situation. Now if only I could get to the point of trusting God that I do not get into the emotional stress that comes when I am not keeping in mind that God is in control.

 

Bible Marking 2nd series

 

Bible Marking Guide

 by:

John Earnhardt

 

Born Again - BA

"A person must be spiritually born again, thus changing from his or her old ways and living a clean life reflecting the principles and teachings of Christ. Such an experience comes only through the working of the Holy Spirit upon the heart."

 

1. "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9

 

2. "Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."      John 3:3

 

3. "Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."       John 3:5

 

4. "and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."    Matthew 18:3

 

5. "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,"    Acts 3:19

 

6. "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."    John 3:8

 

7. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Romans 8:6

 

8. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit." Psalms 51:10-12

 

9. "knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."    Romans 6:6

 

10. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. " 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

11.       " If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God."    Colossians 3:1

 

 

Sermon on the Mount... series..Blessed are Those Who Mourn....

The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch

The Beatitudes

Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

 

On the surface this beatitude looks as if Jesus is simply saying that those that are sad will be comforted, but there is so much more to this verse than that.

 

This verse takes us to a deeper spiritual level, that the cause of this mourning is sin.

 

"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." 

John 12:32

 

(posted in red because these are the words of Jesus)

 

As we are drawn to Jesus and into a personal relationship with Him- we will more clearly see our sinful condition.

 

"Such mourning "shall be comforted." God reveals to us our guilt that we may flee to Christ, and through Him be set free from the bondage of sin, and rejoice in the liberty of the sons of God. In true contrition we may come to the foot of the cross, and there leave our burdens."

Thoughts From the Mount of Blessings pg. 10

 

 "The trials of life are God's workmen, to remove the impurities and roughness from our character. Their hewing, squaring, and chiseling, their burnishing and polishing, is a painful process; it is hard to be pressed down to the grinding wheel. But the stone is brought forth prepared to fill its place in the heavenly temple. Upon no useless material does the Master bestow such careful, thorough work. Only His precious stones are polished after the similitude of a palace."

Thoughts From the Mount of Blessings pg. 10  

 

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"   

Lamentations 3:22-24

 

 To comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."   

Isaiah 61:2b-3

 

 

What a Promise

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart,

 All you who hope in the Lord.

Psalms 31:24

 

Hope in the Lord~ Literally "wait for the Lord."

Hoping and waiting go hand and hand along the Christian way.

 Hope is a tonic to Christian experience.

SDA Commentary

 

 

Body Image Issues

(second post of the day - don't miss the other one)

I am a plus sized woman and being so means that some styles just do not look good on me. So in some cases I decided I did not like a certain think and would not wear it- stripes around and capris are two of those things.

But this line of thinking began long ago. Way back to when I was in about the 1st grade. I had some how gotten the idea that sweat shirts were just to hot for me to wear. So or a long time I would not wear them. Then my Mom found a really cute sweat shirt and since we lived in South Dakota at the time and it was cold - I wore it. And I like it. After that I had more of an open mind when it came to sweat shirts.

Then later when I was late teen- early 20's - I had decided that capris were just not flattering for me - so for the longest time I would not wear them. Then one day about 10 years ago, while shopping with my sister, I tried a pair one and liked them and decided to give them a chance. Now when the weather is warm - I will probably be in capris. I do not feel that shorts are modest and so unless shorts come to about my knees - I just don't wear them. So capris are my go to choice when it is warm. So glad I finally gave them a chance.

Well recently I have chanced my mind again. This summer I found a cute summer top that had stripes around- yep- I got it and I liked it. I have since found a short sleeved top and a 3/4 sleeved top- that have stripes around. So now what I do is try to go more by how much I like the top - and if I think it is cute and looks nice on me - I will get it.

So what is this whole post about- when it comes to what you wear - try it- you might like it. And if you don't then you know that you are making an informed decision. Don't let your size totally dictate what you wear or don't wear.

“Even the models we see in magazines wish they could look like their own images.”
~Cheri K. Erdman

 

“One day I had to sit down with myself and decide that I loved myself no matter what my body looked like and what other people thought about my body. I got tired of hating myself.”
~Gabourey Sidibe

 

“Everybody has a part of her body that she doesn’t like, but I’ve stopped complaining about mine because I don’t want to critique nature’s handiwork … My job is simply to allow the light to shine out of the masterpiece.”
~Alfre Woodard

 

“There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty.”
―  Steve Maraboli

Prayer and Studying the Word of God

Yesterday I shared a devotion from last week that spoke of spending quiet time in prayer. Well I just wanted to spend a little more time on this because I feel it is very important.

In our technological savvy world - there seems to always be something going on. Something to distract us from spending time with God. It seems like we always have the radio, TV or computer going-  all these things have some good qualities about them(as well as some bad but we won't go there today.) But when they are going all the time and there is no quiet time for us to spend in developing a relationship with our Saviour, there is something seriously wrong.

We need more than just some time in prayer- we need some serious time in the Bible, our love letter from God. It is only through this quiet time of prayer and study do we truly open ourselves up to hearing God speak to us. Yes, He can speak to us when we just spend quiet time I prayer, but we are missing out on a true blessing when we do not spend time in the scriptures.

If you don't already, I would like to challenge you to devote some time every day to spend in prayer and Bible study. First thing in the morning when it is quiet and not very many interruptions seems to be the best time for me. God is always there waiting to meet with us.

Alone Time With God

Last week while reading in my devotion- "Streams in the Desert" - I read one that stood out to me and I really felt that this message was an important one. So I am sharing it today.

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"And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place" 

 Luke 9:10

In order to grow in grace, we must be much alone. It is not in society that the soul grows most vigorously. In one single quiet hour of prayer it will often make more progress than in days of company with others. It is in the desert that the dew falls freshest and the air is purest.
--Andrew Bonar

"Come ye yourselves apart and rest awhile,
Weary, I know it, of the press and throng,
Wipe from your brow the sweat and dust of toil,
And in My quiet strength again be strong.

"Come ye aside from all the world holds dear,
For converse which the world has never known,
Alone with Me, and with My Father here,
With Me and with My Father not alone.

"Come, tell Me all that ye have said and done,
Your victories and failures, hopes and fears.
I know how hardly souls are wooed and won:
My choicest wreaths are always wet with tears.

"Come ye and rest; the journey is too great,
And ye will faint beside the way and sink;
The bread of life is here for you to eat,
And here for you the wine of love to drink.

"Then fresh from converse with your Lord return,
And work till, daylight softens into even:
The brief hours are not lost in which ye learn
More of your Master and His rest in Heaven."