December 25, 2024

“I AM” Chapter 7 – Day 2: Alpha and Omega

August 20, 2013 by

2Chron7_14_IAMAlpha and Omega

These are two very powerful words; they are strong and demand attention.
But for me these words also bring comfort.  Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega; the Beginning and the End. There is so much in between those two words, in between those two names.

Alpha (Friend. Redeemed. Forgiven. Free. Confident. Assured.) Omega

This is who I am in the great I AM.  This is who you are in the great I AM.
When I look at this title, and what the Alpha and Omega truly means, it reassures me that I will never be left alone.  Christ has been with me from my start and He will be with me through my finish. He will be with me when I need a friend; when I need redemption; when I need to be forgiven; when I am seeking freedom; when I need confidence and when I need assurance.

By having a relationship with Christ we can feel these things, we can develop a relationship in which we will always know our Beginning and we will always know our End. To quote Teresa from this book, “Jesus wants to be your best friend.” He wants us to have all of these things in abundance. He wants to be there in our Beginning and in our End.

 ____________________________

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for showing us our beginning and our end. Thank You for being there in our lives for both, and through all the in-between. Lord, You offer us friendship and redemption.  You offer us things we do not deserve; Your love always remains. Your gift of friendship always remains. Lord, help us to walk in the power of Your promises and in Your covering.  Most importantly, help us to be an example to others of what it means to be a friend of the I AM.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

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“I AM” Chapter 6 – Day 2: I AM…A Branch

August 13, 2013 by

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.  

Galatians 5:22-23

You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.   Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

 John 15:3-5

 

I am a branch; this is a title that I willingly accept in my life.

When I think of a branch the first thing that comes to mind is the extension of a tree; simple, right?  A branch is a part of something much bigger than itself but plays a very important role in the success of the tree as a whole.  A branch at any time may be full of fresh green leaves, fruit, flowers even, but at other times the branch may be bare.  It is still alive and still connected to the tree but it is in a season of waiting—a season of needing to be content until it is time to bear fruit again. There are also those times when a branch may be broken, when the gardener needs to reattach it to the tree in a way only he can…to allow the branch to become reconnected to the tree.

I love how the relationship between God and man is illustrated.  I love how He can take something as simple and beautiful as a tree and give us a visual concept that applies to our everyday life.

Like Teresa said in today’s reading, bearing fruit means more than winning souls to Christ (although that is a task we are assigned with).  Remember, being a branch means that we are an extension; we are to display the characteristics of Christ.

Love – Joy – Peace – Longsuffering – Kindness – 

Goodness – Faithfulness – Gentleness – Self-control

Displaying these characteristics is part of being a branch.  “We can only bear this fruit by the work of the Holy Spirit in our life.”

What is listed above is a lot of fruit—a lot of characteristics that we are commanded to display. This can be very intimidating.  Yes, I pray that I can display all of these fruits of the Spirit.  But I understand that I am a maturing Christian, I am a maturing woman.  There may be times when I don’t display any of them, and times where I only display one or two.

God’s grace reminds me that His love for me surpasses my lack of bearing all the fruit at once. His grace also reminds me that I may be called to bear different fruits in different circumstances.

God has already “pruned and purified us.”  He has already accepted us and appointed us. Ladies, let us daily remain in Christ so that we can bear His fruit and so we can be examples to others of the joy that comes from being branches of the I AM.

Don’t forget this week’s Memory Verse!

Eph2_10

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us these fruits of the spirit.  Thank You for making plain what is expected of us.  Lord, please place on our hearts what fruit we need to display at what time.  Lord, remind us that we need to stay rooted in You, through prayer and through studying Your word in order to bear fruit.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.

AMEN

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“I AM” Chapter 5 – Day 2: I AM Family

August 6, 2013 by

GFCHmemverse3

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. 

Ephesians 1:11

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Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Colossians 3:12 

Chose. That word says so much. Here are a couple of definitions that I found for this word; looking at the definition helps me to better understand the full impact of the meaning of a word.

  • To want; desire.
  • Make a deliberate decision: to make a deliberate decision to do something

We can’t choose our earthly family, we are gifted (doesn’t always feel like it but yes) with them by God; they are genetically ours.  We love them for their good characteristics and pray them through their bad; as my son says “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.”   This principle can be easily applied to our earthly families because, like Teresa said, these relationships are tangible, we can see the connections and they are sometimes easier to grasp than the concept of a spiritual family, whose connections we cannot see with our eyes.

Our spiritual family is different. It’s a family chosen by God; we’re related by blood,—but not flesh and blood like siblings are related—but by the blood of the Lamb.

We don’t choose our family in this life, but God chose us.  He picked each and every one of us.  If nothing else this gives us reassurance that we are part of the I AM’s family; take confidence that He wanted us!  He knew our past, present, and futures and still chose us.

He desires to have a relationship with us.  He made a deliberate decision to call us into His family.

There’s something that Teresa wrote that truly touched my heart: “When it comes to our spiritual family, we like to pick and choose.”  We walk around life looking at those around us, questioning why we have to accept them, and questioning why God chose them.  They may have hurt us, we may know things about their past, and we may wonder why we have to accept them.  I know I have been guilty of this.

Look at Colossians 3:12 again…and see how we are to interact and love our spiritual family:

Tenderhearted – Merciful – Kind – Walking in Humility – Gentle – Patient

 Why?

Because He chose you.   Because He chose me.
Because we are the family of The Great I AM.

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for choosing me despite my past, despite my present, and despite what my future holds that does not live up to Your word.  Lord, please give us the hearts to accept our spiritual family as You have accepted and chosen us.  Lord, please guide us and give us the opportunities to walk with a tender heart, with mercy, in kindness, with humility, gently, and with patience. Help us to embrace that we are a part of Your family.  Thank You, Father.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen

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“I AM” Chapter 4 – Day 2: Jesus is The DOOR

July 30, 2013 by

 

Memory Verse

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you

and that your joy may be complete.

 John 15:11

_______________________

We walk through doors each day.  We go into the store, into work, and into our homes.  If we think about it, we are constantly walking GFCH-Doorthrough an entryway of some sort.  Those are physical doors with frames we can touch.  I have never thought of the Great I AM as a door.  I have never fully read the Scriptures that were listed today either.  I have to ask myself, ‘When I wake up what door do I enter?  Am I entering through a door of safety, of security and peace?  Am I entering into THE DOOR?  Or am I entering into the door of the world—the door of frustration, fear, strife, or of anything else that may be waiting to steal, kill, and destroy?

 John 10:1-19

 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

Three times. That’s how many times Jesus had to remind us of who He is to us.  That’s how many times He has to remind us that we need Him to guide and direct our lives.  And this was just in this chapter!!   I had to ask myself how many times in my life has He had to remind me of this?  How many times have I been reminded after I tried other ways, false doors, and wrong turns?

I am a sheep.

I am helpless without Christ.

I walk with my head down and don’t know where I’m going most of the time; I get lost.

I have almost walked off of many cliffs.   God’s grace saved me.

I am an easy target.

I am fearful and defenseless.

Without the I AM, I am without a door.  I am without access to the life I was meant to live.  I am susceptible to harm.  Without a door, the thief that comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy has an open invitation to my life.

As I was reading today’s lesson these words touched my heart:

“Jesus is The DOOR.  We need to learn how to enter through The Door.”

 So often in life we ask, ‘Which way do I turn?  What do I do?  Who do I turn to?’  So often in life we look past The Door that is right in front of us…we try every other door other than The Door.

Teresa asks us this question:

 What does it mean to you that Jesus is The DOOR?

Truly think about this during the day.  What does this mean to you?

 _______________________________

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

So many times we search for a way through life.  So many times we look and look for the direction we are to go in.  Thank You, Father, for being our Door.  Thank You for opening the way to salvation, safety, love…to the path that You have created for us. Please forgive us for trying other doors, for trying to make our own way. You are our Door!  You are our Shepard.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen.

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“I AM” Week 3 – Day 2: Check Your Attitude

July 23, 2013 by

Memory Verse

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.

Habakkuk 3:19

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I find myself telling my kids to check their attitude; how to do things we’re asked to do is just as important, if not more important, than actually doing it. If Girlfrineds Coffee Hourwe do things with a negative attitude we may as well not do it at all. The other day I asked my older son to help his little brother tie his shoes. After some huffing, puffing, and stomping over to the other side of the room the task was being completed, but no one was happy about it!  The older son was bugged about having to do it, and the younger son could tell that his brother did not want to help him.

I have to ask myself though, how many times God has asked me to do something and I have had a bad attitude about it!  How many times has my boss asked me to do something and I grumbled and complained. How many times I have looked at the daily tasks of being a wife and mother and have completed them with less than a positive attitude.

I don’t think God expects us to be unrealistically happy about everything, everyday. We’re a “why” people. Thankfully, we have a patient God who answers our why’s without punishing us, or saying, “Because I said so.”   As Teresa showed us, instead of being upset with Habakkuk for asking why, for questioning God’s motives and reasons, God took the time to show Habakkuk the beauty behind what He was doing.  He showed him the goal that He was accomplishing.

“God is patient to let us ask our questions, process the answers and apply the knowledge to our lives.”  Having questions isn’t a bad thing when we come to God honestly, and with sincerity.

Habakkuk 1:2-4 (NKJV)

O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear?
     Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.
Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble?
     For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife,
     and contention arises.
 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth.
     For the wicked surround the righteous;
     Therefore perverse judgment proceeds

Habakkuk 3:2 (MSG)

God, I’ve heard what our ancestors say about you, and I’m stopped in my tracks,
down on my knees.  Do among us what you did among them.  Work among us as you worked among them.   And as you bring judgment, as you surely must, remember mercy.

Look at the conversation between Habakkuk and God; look at the openness and look at the relationship between the two. Compare this to the words of Jonah:

Jonah 4:2-3 (NKJV)

So he prayed to the Lord, and said,
“Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still
in my country?  Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish;
for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness,
One who relents from doing harm.
Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me,
for it is better for me to die than to live!”

“It is better for me to die than live!”—those are strong words.

When we’re asked to do something we have two choices.  We can either say “Yes, Lord.” knowing that sometimes that yes may come along with questions. Our patient Father is more than willing to answer our questions. Or we can turn the other way and spend time in the belly of a fish, not literally, but in our own way.

We are responsible for our attitude, and our attitude can change our outlook of the tasks we are given through life. I’m going to write this verse down and keep it with me; it will remind me that whatever happens God will make a way, He will provide for me. My job is to have a good attitude about the path He has placed me on.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV)

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls –
  Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

We are asked on a daily basis to complete tasks and do things in life that we may be less than happy about.  Lord, please remind us that instead of grumbling and running from the task, You will provide and make a way for the task to be accomplished, even when we can’t see that way. Thank You for Your patience.  Thank You for answering our questions. Lord, thank You for Your grace and for second chances when we run and complain like Jonah.  I pray when we’re asked to complete a task that we take the time to step back and pray, and check our attitude to make sure it lines up with You and Your word.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

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“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

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“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

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