November 23, 2024

“I Am” Chapter 2 – Day 2: Seeing God in the Tough Times

July 16, 2013 by

We see God in the good times.  We see the blessings He gives us.  We see the provisions He makes for us, and we see all He does for us. He doesn’t have to reveal Himself in the good times, we see Him in abundance. But those bad times, the bad days, during the stormy seasons, He is not as visible. Not because He isn’t there, but because we allow the circumstances to block our view of God. We allow the situation to overshadow His promises. We try to fix our problems.

When I face tough times, I feel far away from God. I’m not implying that God has abandoned me or that He is leaving me to figure out my problems for myself, but I don’t feel as close or connected as I normally do. When I face tough times I have to intentionally seek out my Heavenly Father. In those tough times I need Him to reveal Himself to me. I need to see Him.

 “God  wants  us  to  rely  on  Him  and  only  Him  to  make  it  through our days”

This sentence stood out to me and made me look at how I handle my life in tough times. I will be the first to admit that when the tough times roll my way I do not always lean on God; sometimes my initial reaction is to lean on myself.  I try to figure a way out of the situation I’m in.   But thankfully, like with the Israelites, God does not get tired of repeating Himself.   He doesn’t lose His patience.  He doesn’t give up on me when I keep repeating the cycle over and over. He loves me through my good and my bad. My good behavior and my bad behavior.  My good times and my bad times.

God does not make bad things happen to us, but He does allow us to go through trials.  These trials bring us back to Him.  They cause us to seek Him for guidance and support. These times cause us to intentionally look for Him.  They remind us that we can not do it alone.  He uses these times to remind us that He is there and that we need to lean on Him.

 Ezekiel 20:7 

Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before His eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’

Ezekiel 20:42

Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers.

Ezekiel 20:19

I am the Lord your God: walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them.

I love this following reminder:

“If we look at the character of God in the Old Testament, we see a God who wants a personal relationship with us.” When we, when I, don’t give Him my good and bad times, I am limiting His power in my life; I am not trusting that He can handle the easy and tough seasons I will go through.

I want to make this one of my go-to verses:

 Psalm 34:8

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him.

We need to be intentional about trusting God in my tough times. We need to be intentional about seeing God in our tough times.

___________________________________

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for not tiring of reminding us of Your love.  Thank You for not losing Your patience with us when we don’t seek You in our tough times. “You are the Lord our God.”  You desire a personal relationship with us. You desire for us to seek You when life is good and when life isn’t so good. Lord please help us to stand on Your word.  You are good, and we will be blessed when we seek refuge in You, in good times and in bad times.  Thank You for Your love.  In Jesus’ Name we pray.

Amen

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“I AM” Chapter 2 – Day 1: The Great I AM in the Book of Ezekiel

July 15, 2013 by

Have you ever watched someone worship and wonder, “How do they do that?”  I have.  I think I have “worship envy.”  Maybe it was my upbringing in a conservative church environment, maybe I care too much what people think, maybe I have never totally surrendered myself to worship.  The reality probably lies somewhere in between.

As I read the Book of Ezekiel, I found myself in awe again of someone so sold out for God that he was willing to do whatever to get God’s message across.  Ezekiel was “All In.”

If God said lay in the street on your left side for 390 days and then on your right side for 40 days…Ezekiel did it (to teach a history lesson).  If God said shave your head and divide your hair into three piles to explain a prophecy…Ezekiel did it.  If God asked Ezekiel to NOT mourn the passing of his beloved wife as an example to the Jews…he managed to do it.

God said, “Teach” and Ezekiel had the responsibility to teach the captive Jews discipline to follow their God.  Discipline doesn’t always have a positive feel to it, so I looked it up for us.

Discipline

1)       Training to insure proper behavior;

           the practice or methods of teaching and enforcing acceptable patterns of behavior.

2)      Training that corrects, molds or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.

The Israelites found themselves in captivity…again.  Sometimes we think God isn’t paying attention to our lives when times get hard.  I think it is just the opposite.  Those hard times are to drive us toward Him.  How do people survive without God?  We were created to need Him.  If we leave Him out then we deny a very important part of ourselves.

God sent Ezekiel to help the Jews adjust to their captivity.  He gave them hope to carry on and a way to return to a right relationship with God.  “God never forgets those who are faithful to Him” (pg 25).   He won’t forget you either.

Do YOU know Ezekiel’s God?  Ezekiel 16:62 says,

 “I will establish my covenant with you, and YOU shall know that I AM the LORD.”

God’s promise to establish His covenant was for anyone who would obey Him and follow His commands.  That’s what the name LORD means.

As we see in Ezekiel’s story, there is not one sedate and reverent way to worship God.  Neither is there always craziness associated with worship of the LORD.  Worship happens as we seek His face.  As we offer our lives to Him, He chooses how to express His love to us.  Give your life to the ONE TRUE GOD and be part of the Body of Christ.

If you search for the I AM, you will find Him…He wants to be found.

Let’s PRAY:

We come into Your presence to acknowledge that YOU are LORD.  You are Sovereign and You know what is best for us.  Thank You for loving us enough to reveal Your character to us.  Ezekiel has shown us that You can breathe new life into our dry, dead lives if we only have faith in YOU.  Change our hearts so that we can more fully submit to YOUR will and not ours.  We want to worship you in freedom.  Lord, teach us!  We love you, LORD.

AMEN

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“I AM” Chapter 1 – Day 5 The Great I AM’s Character

July 12, 2013 by

Who I am—Coleen—can be described by many names: wife, mom, gramma, daughter, sister, friend, worshipper, singer, baker, writer, pray-er, crafter, lover, listener, etc.  The Great I AM has described Himself throughout the Scriptures with many names—Yahweh (YHWH), ELohim, Adonai, LORD, Jehovah, JAH, EL Shaddai….  I believe He has used these (and additional) names to graciously help us to understand more of His character.  The Great I AM makes Himself known to us through the words of His Word, as well as through His Creation, through His Spirit, through His Son our Lord Jesus Christ, through the words of the prophets—in oh so many ways!

One of my most favorite characteristics of I AM is that He IS God Almighty…El Shaddai.  Hearing this name brings comfort and peace to my heart!  The fact and truth that Almighty God/El Shaddai loves me (and you, too!) and perfectly provides His care, provision, protection, supply of my (your!) needs is so thrilling my soul!  The most common understanding of the title El Shaddai is “God Who is Almighty.”  There are 48 times in the Scriptures where God calls Himself by the name El Shaddai.  Let’s look at just a couple of these records.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I AM the Almighty God <El Shaddai>; walk and live habitually before Me and be perfect.

Genesis 17:1

This is the very first record in the Scriptures where I AM identifies Himself in this way.  God Almighty/El Shaddai was about to reveal to Abram a part of the covenant He was making with him.  And this is where He promises the 99 year old Abram that he and his 90 year old wife, Sarai, would be having a son!!!  This is such a beautiful record!  (You can read the complete record here.)  Only El Shaddai could have made such an eternal covenant.  Only El Shaddai could have made a deadened womb to nurture life and bring forth a baby.  Only El Shaddai…God Almighty!

Another example where the Great I AM is called by the title El Shaddai is in Psalm 91.  The psalmist declares,

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty <El Shaddai>.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my Refuge and my Fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 91: 1-2

Perhaps you, too, rejoice in your heart of hearts that El Shaddai, Who is the Great I AM, loves and cares for you in the very same ways He has always cared for His people.  He is God and does not change. 

Would you share here in the comments about this or a different characteristic of the Great I AM that is important to you?  I would love to hear about it! 

El Shaddai, El Shaddai, El-Elyon na Adonai,
Age to age You’re still the same, by the power of the Name.
El Shaddai, El Shaddai, Erkamka na Adonai,
I will praise you ’till I die, El Shaddai.

Erkamka na, Adonai! …translated… I love You, Lord!

 

Praying for each of you!

♥  coleen

Let’s Pray:

Almighty God,  our El Shaddai, we praise You and thank You and love You with our whole hearts!   You always show Yourself mighty on behalf of Your children!  You are our Refuge and our Fortress—our God in Whom we trust!   May we always be cognizant of Who You are…the Great I AM.  May we be excited to read of and to remember Your awesome acts and works that are recorded in the Scriptures.  May they encourage us to never doubt You, El Shaddai,  and the fact that You never change!  ‘Erkamka na, Adonai!’  Praying in Your Son, Jesus’ name. 

Amen. 

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“I AM” Chapter 1 – Day 4: Look for the LORD

July 11, 2013 by

“O storm battered city, troubled and desolate. I will rebuild you on a firm foundation of sapphires and make the walls of your houses from precious jewels. I will make your towers of sparkling rubies and your gates and walls of shiny gems”

Isaiah 54:11-12

This is the verse I have clung to over the past few years, the restoring God, the God of hope when I had none.  As Teresa mentioned in the beginning of this study, the Great I AM will speak to you in the manner that you need.  He will be what you need Him to be.  Have you begun to see this for yourself? As I looked up each verse, I was overwhelmed by just how much He loves each one of us, so much that He does not want to leave us in the state we are in.

Today we have the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, a gentle nudge from the Dove, a Gift left to us by Jesus when He departed into Heaven.  But in the Old Testament, God sent prophets to do just that…to give His people His messages.  These messages weren’t always what they wanted to hear. Can you just imagine? I mean who wants to be told that you are not walking in His will and you are about to be punished? I know that being on the receiving end of “constructive criticism” is not easy (especially when I know I’m wrong) but, as Jesus followers, it is our duty to hold each other accountable and to do this in a loving, godly manner.  Praise God that He loves us enough to send messengers our way to redirect our path.  He is relentless when it comes to His children, right?

Just as Isaiah’s message to the people was “return, repent and be renewed,” so should ours be. “Fear not, you will no longer walk in shame. He is your Redeemer!” Isaiah 54:4-5

He is my _________________ (fill in the blank). For example: do you need Hope?  He is your HOPE.  “From eternity to eternity, I AM your God.  No one can oppose what I do, no one can reverse My actions.”  Isaiah 43:13

Do you need Forgiveness?  He is your FORGIVER.  “I,  yes I alone, AM the One Who blots out your sins for My Own sake and will never think of them again.”  Isaiah 43:25

Do you need Rest?  He is your REST.   “I will be your God throughout your lifetime, until your hair is white with age.  I made you and I will care for you, I will carry you along and save you.” Isaiah 46:4

Do you need Comfort?  He is your COMFORTER.  “I, even I, am the One Who comforts you, so why are you afraid of mere humans who wither like grass and disappear?”  Isaiah 51:12

Friend, His message to us is one of hope, forgiveness, rest, and comfort; but we must return, repent, and be renewed in Him to receive all that He has planned to give us, blessing upon blessing, and we must not be timid with His message.  He wants us to be bold!  Isn’t this what we were created to do?

There is a song that has been playing in my mind the entire time I have been writing. It is by the Sidewalk Prophets and goes like this: “If there’s a road I should walk, let me find it. If I need to be still, give me peace for the moment. Whatever your will.  Whatever Your will, can You help me find it?”

He will rebuild us and continue to work in, and through us, until His grand finale’ — the Coming of Jesus!!

How is He speaking to you today?  As you wrote out each verse from today’s section, which of His names really spoke to you? Would you tell us about it?

I love each one of you and I’m praying for you.

Blessings!!

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, Daddy, the Great I AM, You are so many names to us in the midst of whatever we are going through at the moment.  You become what we need.  You are the Redeemer, Deliverer, Comforter, our Resting Place, Beginning and End.  We praise You for satisfying our every need.  We thank You for Your unfailing love and Your Presence that never leaves us.  You give us Your words of wisdom so that we know what to say to all weary souls. Thank You for giving us an understanding of Your will. May we have the strength to boldly carry it out for all to see so that You alone are glorified…for it is in Your Son’s precious Name we pray.

Amen.

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“I Am” Chapter 1 – Day 3: Suffering Savior

July 10, 2013 by

David is a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). Although he made many mistakes and suffered the consequences, he had a real, intimate relationship with His Lord. His writings in the Psalms are raw and beautiful. They have, and will continue to, spoken to the hearts of those who read them. The Psalms reveal the humanness that we all feel – the pain, anguish, defeat, weariness, longing, sorrow and fear. They also show that despite those negative emotions, David continued to give thanks and praise to His God. He found joy in the Lord, in following the path set before him. I actually look to David as someone to model in this regard. Yes, he made some terrible, regrettable mistakes (me, too!), but his heartfelt prayers to His Lord are sincere and genuine. He laid all of his emotions at the feet of God, baring his heart and soul. Do you notice that many of his Psalms begin with anguish but end with praise and thanksgiving toward the Almighty? Through the process of praying and telling God his needs, his attitude is transformed from sorrowful to thankful. I think that is pretty incredible.

David anguished over being scorned and despised, poor and needy, insulted and lonely. He suffered and was in pain. Do you think any of those apply to Jesus? He was mocked, ridiculed, unfairly judged, harshly criticized, and unjustly punished. And this is the Savior of the World! His own people did not believe He was the promised Messiah!

As we read through the Psalms, we find prophecy of our suffering Savior, our Messiah, Jesus Christ. These messianic psalms were written hundreds of years prior to Jesus’ birth! The Great I AM knew that His begotten Son would be the Savior of the world. Every detail throughout the entire Old Testament all leads up to the revelation of Jesus and the fulfilled prophecies in the New Testament. Can you find examples of prophecy in the Psalms and corresponding fulfillment in the New Testament?

Savior_OpenArms

Sometimes we may have a difficult time relating to Jesus. We may have an inaccurate view of who He is based on our past or on preconceived ideas. We may see Him as this thundercloud waiting to strike us down if we do something wrong. Girlfriends, I just want you to know one very important thing as we begin this study – Jesus is and always will be LOVE. Satan will do anything in his evil power to make you think negative things about Jesus. That is the enemy’s job. Jesus loves every single one of us with an all-consuming love. That is why He came to earth as a human, suffered and died a sinner’s death. It was out of LOVE for us. He wants to know you. He wants to walk through life with you. There is not one situation in your life that He does not know about and want to help you with. He may not change your circumstance, but He just might change YOU.

Our suffering Savior is waiting for you with open arms. Are you ready to take the journey with Him?

God Bless You!

Jennifer

*****

Let’s Pray

Father God, thank You for the Psalms. They are filled with so much raw emotion that we can relate to on a very deep level. They help us through so many circumstances that we face in our lives, giving us hope and comfort and peace to take one more step forward when we just want to give up. We know, Lord, that You divinely orchestrated this entire world and every single one of us that live in it. Reveal Your power and love to each one of us today, Father. Give us the strength we need to fight off the enemy’s attacks. In Your Son’s Name we pray.

Amen

 

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“I Am” Chapter 1 – Day 2: Old Testament God

July 9, 2013 by

To be honest the concept of the Old Testament God is somewhat intimidating to me…it always has been when it comes to my personal studies and even when listening to sermons in church. I always ask myself how I can apply the Old Testament lessons and the Old Testament God to my life today.

 Malachi 3:6 (NKJV)

For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. 

 

Well, there it is!   There’s the answer to my question. He does not change. The Old Testament God is the same as the New Testament God who is the same as the God of today.

That’s easy enough to understand but sometimes (well, a LOT of times) I need to be reminded who the I Am is, and I need to be reminded that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  I need to be reminded of this not because there is a lack of His beautiful creations around me, and not because I don’t see His blessings every time I look into the eyes of my children.  I am grateful for these reminders because it is so easy to become caught up in the goings-on of the day, and in the busyness of the day that I begin to lean on myself rather than rely on God. Days when He seems far away.

IAM.

When I looked at the verses listed today I saw where I can use them each day.  I was reminded who the I Am of the Old Testament is.  I love how there is a starting point to go back to when it seems as if He is so far away.  The statements listed below are only a few of the reminders He gives us:

  • I Am the Lord your God, I do not change.

Never

  • I Am who I Am.

God is God and always will be

  • I Am the Lord in the midst of the land.

Our lands, homes, work, even the grocery store

  • I Am the Lord who heals you.

Headaches, sore throats, emotional pain, our loved ones. Anything and everything.

  • I the Lord your God am a jealous God.

He wants to be Number 1

  • I Am gracious.

His grace and mercies are new each day

  • I Am the Lord who sanctifies you.

Forgiveness and redemption

“Because God is creative, organized and thorough, He has given us markers and clues as we read His Word.”  These markers and clues are reminders of who He is, reminders of how much He loves us, reminders of who we are within who He is.

This week my personal goal—a goal that I invite everyone to join me in—is to pay attention to the I Am statements within the Old Testament. Let’s highlight, underline, write on note cards the I Am statements that we find, and then begin to better understand who He is. I want to go back to the beginning and be reminded of the I Am of the Old Testament.

*****

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for reminding us of who You are.  Like a parent who reminds their child throughout the day, You remind us of who You are and of Your love for us. As You said in the Book of Malachi, “I do not change.”  Lord, through this study, please open our hearts and allow us to remember who You are.  Allow us to draw into our hearts the beauty and truth of Your words.

In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“I AM” Chapter 1 – Day 1: Introductions

July 8, 2013 by

 

“Hi, my name is Teresa and I AM ____hmmmmm_____.”  I AM one of those people who would rather not be in the spotlight.  It makes me uncomfortable.  I look at those people who can talk to strangers, speak in public, and smile during awkward moments—and I AM in awe.  Literally.

To me, those people are butterflies.  I am a moth.

  • They are comfortable.                                   I AM self-conscious.
  • They are graceful.                                           I AM clumsy.
  • They are special.                                             I AM…me.

THEY are butterflies; I AM a moth.

And then…God showed me something very special.  He created the butterfly and the moth with care.  Neither winged creature is lacking anything for its existence.  Did you notice this?  Did you also notice that there are MANY more moths than butterflies?  Somehow that fact made me feel better.  Maybe I notice those butterflies because there are fewer of them, not because they are better or more needed than me.  After all, God did create more moths than butterflies.  Didn’t He?

“Our differences make us beautiful and unique. 

We have the same Creator God who wants to show us who He is.”

I was envious of those butterflies until I saw myself the way Jesus did.  This Bible we have and the world we live in are God’s introduction to us.  He invites us to get to know Him.  He is God, “The Great I AM.”  The identity of God in the Scriptures is truth.  Any question or doubt I have can be answered in the Word.  When I doubt my purpose or position in this world, all I have to do is look to Him.

He is the True Light that draws this moth to Him.  Butterflies flit around in the day being all graceful and pretty.  The sun is their friend.  We could stop and watch them for hours.  Moths are also visible in the day, but are most noticeable at night when they are seeking a light source.  We all need the Light source.

Both creatures crave the light.  One is not better than the other.  Butterflies make me think of sunshine while moths make me think of electric bug zappers.  You know bug zappers, don’t you?  In the southern U.S. they are very common.  (Electric bug zappers control flying pests by drawing them to the light and then frying them.)   As I expressed this thought to a friend, she reminded me of a very important truth.   “Bug zappers are FALSE light…you, my moth-y friend, are drawn to the TRUE Light.”

I AM a moth with a purpose.  I want to be known for seeking the Light.  Recently one of my friends shared a picture of a moth she found in her garage.  I saw myself in that moth.  Look at it and see if you see yourself in it, too.

Clymene Moth compliments of Jane Dixon, Photographer

Clymene Moth
compliments of Jane Dixon, Photographer

 

We bear the mark of the One we serve.  Who has placed their mark on you?  Do you know the “I AM?”  Come with us as we seek the TRUE LIGHT together.  This journey is for moths and butterflies alike.  Our world would not be the same without either of these winged creatures and it will not be the same without you and me.  Let’s discover who we are and Who we belong to.

We all have a purpose in the Kingdom of God.  I AM honored to walk this path with you.  As God began to reveal the truth to me about Who I AM, I realized a few things.

I AM…  

A moth

A mother

A child

A child of God

A dearly loved child of God

Hi, my name is Teresa and I AM Beloved by God!!!

PRAY:

Father God,

I thank You for these friends You have given me to walk this path with.  Thank You for revealing Yourself to us so we may know You.  You are our TRUE LIGHT and we seek You only.

Thank You for Your love and for the purpose You have placed in our lives.  We want to seek the TRUE light and live.  Keep us away from the false light of the worldly “zappers.”

Be with us as we learn about Your character as You reveal Yourself through Scripture.  Tell us once again who we are to You.  We belong to You.  We love You.

AMEN

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I AM Free to Run … (Part 3 of 3)

July 5, 2013 by

 

The Lord Is

So far, in this mini-series, we’ve talked about falling into temptation; worshipping idols; and what things in our life is taking precedence over the priority list.  Today, I want to talk about how to get back on track when we have fallen into the temptation of worshipping the idols in our lives, and allowing things to take the place of our priorities instead of God.

How do we get back on track and stay there?

  1. Identify what is causing you to get off track.

Have you sat down and made a list of the things that are getting in the way of you having your quiet time each morning, or quality time with your family, or building a better marriage or relationship with your kids?  If not, I would highly encourage you to do so.  Be real with yourself.  Be honest.

Identify the areas that are showing up over and over again.  Is it too much time on Facebook?  Is it spending money frivolously?  Is work taking up so much of your time you have nothing to give your family?  What about television?  Is it taking up so much of your time that there is no room for communication in your home anymore?

These are all areas that I had to take a good hard look at in my own life!  I know you can probably relate to some of these things yourself.

As I said in #1 above, we have to identify what is causing us to get off track first.

After we have discovered the “what”, it’s time to discover the why.

2. Identify the “why.”

Let’s take television as an example.   Ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Why am I watching television?
    1. Is it for entertainment?
    2. Is it because I am bored?
    3. Is it because there is nothing else to do?
    4. Is it because I just need some down time?

For myself, I work at home.  Until we started taking children into our home from Safe Families for Children, I was home alone most of the daytime hours when my husband would work days.  When he worked nights, I was home most of the time alone, because he was either sleeping or working.  So I found myself trying to drown out the silence!  I needed the noise because otherwise, it was just too quiet!  (Now that we have kids in the house, trust me, the silence is no longer an issue!)  🙂

But again, I have to go back to why the silence was bothering me.  The only thing I could come up with is that the silence represented me being alone.  I don’t like to be alone.  Yes, there are days where being alone is nice, but when it happens a lot, I don’t like it.  I would start to find myself getting bored, or lonely, so I would turn on the television for “company”.  Sounds weird, huh?  To put it in deeper context:  I was trying to fill a void in my life.

3.  Identify the “how.”

What happens when we try to fill a void with something other than Jesus?  What happens when we cave into our fleshly desires?  What happens when we don’t listen to the Holy Spirit prodding us to read the Word, or take a walk, or call a friend, or or or….???  We take our eyes off of Jesus, and we begin to sink, like Peter did in Matthew 14:28-30:

“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be you, bid me come to you on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” 

When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, and began to look at the storm around him, fear crept in, and he began to sink.  That’s what happens with us, too, when we take our eyes off of Jesus; the boredom, loneliness, worry, stress, fear, all begin to creep in, along with many other things!  As we talked about in Tuesday and Wednesday’s blogs, we have to keep our eyes focused on JESUS at all times, or we will fall into temptation!

Now that we have identified the triggers, let’s talk about HOW to get out of temptation.  We’ve already indentified one way: Keep our eyes focused on JESUS.  We are guaranteed a way out of temptation if we keep our eyes on Jesus.  Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 10:13, and see what God promises us here:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 

First we see that there is NO temptation that is able to take us over.  Why? Because God promises that He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear.  He didn’t say we would never be tempted, or that we would never have fleshly desires, but He did say that He would provide a way out of these temptations when they did come!  Praise God!!  That is a promise that God has made to us!  Amen!

So the first thing we need to do is ASK the Lord for a way out of this temptation.  Asking means we need to communicate our weakness (John 15:5) to Him first, and then ask (2 Timothy 2:22) for His help.  Then since we already know that we are unable to get away from this temptation in our own power, we need to depend on GOD and His power!  Our flesh is weak!  But God is able to do anything, even the things that we think are simply impossible!

His way is always the best escape, or exit door, we can find!!  John 10:9:  “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved…”   God will rescue us, if we trust Him!  (2 Peter 2:9)

We also need to remember that we cannot do this in our own strength!  Our flesh will always fail!  (Colossians 2:21-23) It is only inHis strength that we are able to do ALL things!

Escaping temptation is our duty as a Christian.  We have to start by identifying the “what,” followed by the “why,” then proceeding with the “how.”  We have to trust that God will always provide a way out of our temptation…no matter what it is, and no matter how strong it is!  We need to keep our eyes focused on Him.  Cling to Him.  Surrender to Him.  Run to Him.  Never trust the flesh.  Always trust the Holy Spirit.

This concludes my series on “I AM Free to Run.”  I hope you have enjoyed it.  I hope you were able to gain something from this series.

My prayer for you is that you will always seek God, in the good times and bad; in the easy times and tough!  He is always there for you, no matter what your circumstances are, or how big they are!

Always remember, there is NOTHING impossible for God!

Always In His Love,

Christi

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy 4th of July!!!

July 4, 2013 by

God Bless America

Words and music by Irving Berlin
© Copyright 1938, 1939 by Irving Berlin
© Copyright Renewed 1965, 1966 by Irving Berlin
© Copyright Assigned to the Trustees of the God Bless America Fund
International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.
Used by Permission

“While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. “

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

____________________________________

Take time out today to enjoy the freedoms
that we have been given as a
Citizen of the United States of America.

 

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

I AM Free to Run … (Part 2 of 3)

July 3, 2013 by
1 Corinthians 10: 6-7, 13-14

These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.  The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.  So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.

Last night was another breakthrough in my media fast.  I went back to 1 Corinthians to review some of the Scriptures my pastor used in his sermon Sunday.  I want to talk about two things that kept revealing itself to me in the Scriptures above:

 

Idolatry – What is it? 

Idols – What are they?

 

Let’s start with idolatry first.

What is idolatry? 

The dictionary defines idolatry as:

    : the worship of a physical object as a god 

    : immoderate attachment or devotion to something

God instructs us in of 1 Corinthians 10:7 to not be idolaters, correct?   If so, we then need to ask ourselves if there are any idols in our life.  We need to start first by finding out what the word IDOL means.

The dictionary defines the word IDOL as:

idol

 noun \ˈī-dəl\

: a representation or symbol of an object of worship

 : a false god

I want to focus on the definition of “an object of worship”.  What does that mean to you?  The word worship means to praise something or someone; to honor; to put above.

In today’s world, there are many things that we worship, or idolize, that we may not even be aware of.  I’m talking about the things in our lives that we are “attached” to, can’t live without, we have to have every day, and so on.  These are things that if someone were to take them away from us we would not be happy at all!  These are things that we have become so attached to that they have become a part of our daily life without us even realizing it.  They are things that we think so highly of that sometimes nothing else matters and we get angry if anything comes in the way of us enjoying these things. Does anything come to mind when I say that?

Let’s take a look at some of the things that I am talking about and see if you recognize any of them:

  • Television
  • Money
  • Soap Operas
  • Romance Novels
  • Video / Computer Games
  • Drugs
  • Alcohol

And let’s not forget the ever popular Social Media:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Do any of these things mentioned above take a high priority in your life?  Ask yourself this question:  “If someone were to take any of these things out of my life, would it make me happy?”  If you answered NO to that question, then most likely this thing(s) are an idol in your life.

For me, I can see several things on that list:  Television, Money, Social Media, Games.  During this media fast that I am currently doing, I found out that taking away my Facebook or Pinterest is really a hard thing!  I really never realized how much I am on Facebook, and/or the reasons WHY I am on Facebook, until this fast!

Some of the reasons I like Facebook:

  • A way of connecting with family & friends (not a bad thing)
  • It’s a way to kill time
  • It’s a way to fill the void in my life
  • It’s a way to beat the loneliness

I have had to seriously look at the reasons why I was spending so much time on Facebook.  Was what I was doing on Facebook productive?  Most times, not.  It was just a way of killing time, or beating the boredom, or filling the loneliness.  Yes, I head up a Women’s Ministry where most of what I do is on Facebook, but I’m talking about the things outside of what I do in this ministry.  I was using Facebook to fill those voids in my life, when I actually should have been turning to the Lord!  Yes, I could hear God’s voice in the background asking for time with Him, but did I give it to Him?  Not always.  In fact, if I am going to be honest about all this, not a lot of the time!  I hate admitting that, but it’s the truth!  I was putting Facebook above God.  I was worshipping an idol…a false God was getting my worship instead of where my worship should have been going!

Can you see yourself in any of this?  I know I am not the only one.  If I were to come to your home and tell you that I was going to remove all of your televisions in your home for 30 days, how would you, and your family, react?  Would you panic?  Would you begin to get nervous?  Would you fight me to keep your televisions?  If so, your televisions are an idol in your home, and in your own life!

If I were to come to your home and tell you that I was only going to give you just enough money to pay your bills, buy groceries and gas, and a $25/week allowance, how would you feel?  Would you begin to panic?  Would you freak out wondering how you were going to buy all of those other things that you so desperately wanted, and just had to have?  I see another idol in your life!   Believe me, I am preaching to the choir here, too, Sister!!  I’m seeing these things in my own life, as well!  But I want to show you what the Lord has been teaching me about this, so that YOU can walk away from the idols, as well.

I’m not saying I am an expert in this area because this is all brand new to me, sort of.  I’ve known about all this stuff for many years, but to be honest, I’ve never really put them into practice.  I’ve just begun to realize how much of an idol certain things are in my life!  So I’m walking this journey along with you!  I just want to share what the Lord has laid on my heart, so you can begin to meditate on these things, too!

Matt6_24

I looked up the word mammon to get its true meaning.  It means: riches or material wealth.  But, I also looked at some synonyms of the word mammon.  This is what I found:

  • Possessions
  • Money
  • Gold
  • Almighty Dollar
  • Graven image
  • Idol

There’s that word again!!  Did you see it?  IDOL …  We just can’t get away from it, can we?

In verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 10, we are told that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able; that He will provide a way out.

Then in verse 14, we are told to flee idolatry.

If God is telling us to flee idolatry, and that He will provide a way out, we need to take Him at His word, and realize that it CAN be done! He isn’t going to tell us to do something if there isn’t a way to do it!  When I finally come to the decision that I am ready to remove the idols in my life, He will provide a way for me to handle the voids in my life!.  I need to trust that when I am struggling, all I need to do is pray and He will provide a way out.

I can choose to walk by the flesh and cave into these cravings for the idols in my life; or I can choose to walk by the Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to guide me.  The choice really is mine!

Ask yourself the same questions I’ve had to ask myself:  Is God really a priority in my life?  

I’ll be back Friday to finish up this quick series.  Until then, enjoy your 4th of July Holiday!

In His Love,

Christi

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »