So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
Romans 10:17
After we receive the Good News by faith we recieve all other things from God by faith.
We receive His strength by faith
Healing by faith
His word by faith
His miracles by faith
As we continue this faith walk be encouraged! He is for YOU and not against you! (Romans 8:31)
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
defeat is not an option, only VICTORY..
[Victory is...]
a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war
I heard this phrase in a song yesterday, "defeat is no longer an option ONLY victory"
...and God hasn't let it leave my mind since.
This morning I decided to look up the word victory in the Bible and this is what I found:
{Romans 8:37}
No, despite all these things,
overwhelming victory is ours through Christ,
who loved us.
NLT
{Romans 8:37}
overwhelming victory is ours through Christ,
who loved us.
NLT
{Romans 8:37}
Yet in all these things we are
more than conquerors
through Him who loved us
He gives us victory over sin and death
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
{1 John 5:4}
For every child of God defeats this evil world,
and we achieve this victory
through our faith.
As a child of God we no longer have the option of defeat, we are VICTORIOUS through our faith. Remember...
John 16:33
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." -Jesus
As the Christmas season is in full swing all around us, remember King Jesus is the reason for the Season...but in the hustle and bustle of all of the things we have in our mind that "WE HAVE TO GET DONE!" before Christmas, remember...
Jesus came so that we can be MORE THAN CONQUERORS through HIM -- defeat for believers is not an option, only victory!
Monday, December 10, 2012
teach me to do Your Will, for You are my God. teach me to do Your Will, for You are my God.
Psalm 143
A psalm of David.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
listen to my plea!
Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.
2 Don’t put your servant on trial,
for no one is innocent before you.
3 My enemy has chased me.
He has knocked me to the ground
and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.
4 I am losing all hope;
I am paralyzed with fear.
5 I remember the days of old.
I ponder all your great works
and think about what you have done.
6 I lift my hands to you in prayer.
I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Interlude
listen to my plea!
Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.
2 Don’t put your servant on trial,
for no one is innocent before you.
3 My enemy has chased me.
He has knocked me to the ground
and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.
4 I am losing all hope;
I am paralyzed with fear.
5 I remember the days of old.
I ponder all your great works
and think about what you have done.
6 I lift my hands to you in prayer.
I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Interlude
7 Come quickly, Lord, and answer me,
for my depression deepens.
Don’t turn away from me,
or I will die.
8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I run to you to hide me.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing.
11 For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life.
Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.
12 In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies
and destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.
for my depression deepens.
Don’t turn away from me,
or I will die.
8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I run to you to hide me.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing.
11 For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life.
Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.
12 In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies
and destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.
teach me to do Your Will, for You are my God.
I love what David does in this Psalm. It's evident that he is going through something that has put him into some sort of depression, but listen to the first thing he says.
He calls out the unchanging attributes of God...
He calls out the unchanging attributes of God...
"...Answer me because you are faithful and righteous..."
He then reminds God that he is still His servant.
"...Don’t put your servant on trial..."
He focuses first on God and who He is, that he is still God's servant and then he points out what the enemy has done. What the enemy has done to David is what happens to so many of us. Knocks us to the ground, forces us to live in darkness, blinds us to hope, and paralyzes us with fear.
What David does next is key to his victory. He remembers all of the things that God has done for him. There is so much power in the testimony of our lives and remembering all that God has done for us. He then, despite what he was feeling, raised his hands in prayer and tells God that He is what will satisfy him.
His prayer intensifies as he tells the LORD to come quick to him.
If the enemy has come at you with unexpected finances, an unexpected doctor's report, anything that has "knocked you to the ground," let's take advice from David.
Call out to God because He remains faithful, righteous and in His unfailing love He responds as we cry out in faith.
Heavenly Father,
I pray that the life of your servant David would encourage us today.
Father when we come against opposition may we always remain faithful to call out to your faithfulness. You are our provider to every need that we may have. I love you my Lord.
In Jesus' Name
Amen
Sunday, December 9, 2012
"But I have this {one charge to make} against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first {you have deserted Me, your first love}. Remember then from what heights you have fallen. Repent {change the inner man to meet God's Will} and do the works you did previously {when you first knew the Lord}, or else I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent."
Revelations 2:4-5
How does losing sight of your first love happen anyway? As believers we get in the Word, pray to our Savior, worship and praise Him...but after a while if we aren't careful He can lose the spot as "first love".
For me, it started earlier this year. It seemed as though every minute was consumed with wedding details. Making arrangements to meet with the caterer, making appointments with the venue, contacting and setting details with the photographers, premarital counseling, picking out the right dress, groomsmen attire, John's attire, decorations, the list goes on and on...all the while doing my best to stay focused at work, selling my house, spending as much family time as possible knowing that I would be moving in a short 4 months and trying remain sane ;). I would still manage to spend time with the Lord, but it was evident to me that those mornings where I would get lost in His Word in the secret place were replaced with hitting the snooze and trying to make it through the daily stresses of life. I thought after the wedding it would definitely get back to normal, but it didn't. Before I knew it I was waking up in a life that didn't feel like my own. New last name, new state, new church...everything in my life that I knew as my constant wasn't anymore. I was so sad and then felt guilty about feeling sad. Surely God was disappointed in me for not being appreciative to the latest blessings He had brought to my life. After a month or so of not having a teaching job, I got a call for an interview and got a new teaching position. The busyness of life overhhelmed me again. Not to mention being consumed with the social networks that without even knowing it robbed me of quality time with those that were actually sitting in front of me and stole my peace of my mind a lot of the time.
Now one thing I know to be a constant in my life is that I am a "Daddy's Girl" to my core. Some of my favorite memories as a girl would be waiting for my Dad to pick me up from my Granny's house and running as fast as my little legs would take me to be caught up in his arms. I love my Dad with a love unlike any other and I believe God has given me that as a gift. When he hurts, I hurt. When he smiles, I smile (which is a lot, because he's the biggest goof there is!) I love just to be in his presence. I soak in and cherish our time together.
As God showed me Revelations 2:4-5 this morning I realized that not out of duty, but out of a love for my Heavenly Father I need to return to my first love and do the "works I did previously."
Oh Heavenly Father, I repent for letting earthly things that will eventually fade away get in the way of an intensely intimate relationship with You. My Father, empower me to live according to Your Will and not be distracted by the enemy and his tactics. May I be a shining light for You, for Your glory, for Your Kingdom. I pray Lord that Your Will be done as it is in Heaven through my life. You are my God, You are my King, You are my Daddy. May I hurt when you hurt and smile when you smile. May I soak in and cherish every moment we share together. Lord I pray I would run into your arms and be caught in Your grace daily. Thank you for always drawing me back to You. You are so gracious and I love with You with every ounce of who I am. I thank You for my earthly father that ultimately illustrates how intimate our relationship can be. With all my love...
In Jesus' Name
Amen
For me, it started earlier this year. It seemed as though every minute was consumed with wedding details. Making arrangements to meet with the caterer, making appointments with the venue, contacting and setting details with the photographers, premarital counseling, picking out the right dress, groomsmen attire, John's attire, decorations, the list goes on and on...all the while doing my best to stay focused at work, selling my house, spending as much family time as possible knowing that I would be moving in a short 4 months and trying remain sane ;). I would still manage to spend time with the Lord, but it was evident to me that those mornings where I would get lost in His Word in the secret place were replaced with hitting the snooze and trying to make it through the daily stresses of life. I thought after the wedding it would definitely get back to normal, but it didn't. Before I knew it I was waking up in a life that didn't feel like my own. New last name, new state, new church...everything in my life that I knew as my constant wasn't anymore. I was so sad and then felt guilty about feeling sad. Surely God was disappointed in me for not being appreciative to the latest blessings He had brought to my life. After a month or so of not having a teaching job, I got a call for an interview and got a new teaching position. The busyness of life overhhelmed me again. Not to mention being consumed with the social networks that without even knowing it robbed me of quality time with those that were actually sitting in front of me and stole my peace of my mind a lot of the time.
Now one thing I know to be a constant in my life is that I am a "Daddy's Girl" to my core. Some of my favorite memories as a girl would be waiting for my Dad to pick me up from my Granny's house and running as fast as my little legs would take me to be caught up in his arms. I love my Dad with a love unlike any other and I believe God has given me that as a gift. When he hurts, I hurt. When he smiles, I smile (which is a lot, because he's the biggest goof there is!) I love just to be in his presence. I soak in and cherish our time together.
As God showed me Revelations 2:4-5 this morning I realized that not out of duty, but out of a love for my Heavenly Father I need to return to my first love and do the "works I did previously."
Oh Heavenly Father, I repent for letting earthly things that will eventually fade away get in the way of an intensely intimate relationship with You. My Father, empower me to live according to Your Will and not be distracted by the enemy and his tactics. May I be a shining light for You, for Your glory, for Your Kingdom. I pray Lord that Your Will be done as it is in Heaven through my life. You are my God, You are my King, You are my Daddy. May I hurt when you hurt and smile when you smile. May I soak in and cherish every moment we share together. Lord I pray I would run into your arms and be caught in Your grace daily. Thank you for always drawing me back to You. You are so gracious and I love with You with every ounce of who I am. I thank You for my earthly father that ultimately illustrates how intimate our relationship can be. With all my love...
In Jesus' Name
Amen
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