November 22, 2024

CHRISTLife — By Prayer and Petition

February 1, 2014 by

saturdayprayersandpraiseslongDo not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6 and 7

Great and precious are the promises we have been given! They bring such comfort to our hearts!

“Do not be anxious about anything….”  This always reminds me of our Lord’s words in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6).  As He ministered to the vast crowd, He said to them:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the flowers of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Talk about being comforted and encouraged! But, y’know, Jesus’ words to them still apply to us…He is still encouraging us to ‘not worry about your life’ and asking the question of us ‘Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?’  His heart is still to guide us along to seeking first the Father’s Kingdom and His righteousness…and the ‘all these things’ that we need, and desire, and pray for…’will be given to YOU as well.’

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
Colossians 4:2

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife — Chapter 15: Knowing My Need

January 31, 2014 by

CLfridaygraphicBefore Christ, I was “spiritually dead, defiled, disobedient, and deceived.” I was “empty, enslaved, and self-willed.” Then at the age of six, I knelt at an altar of prayer, and those things were washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. Yes, it’s true, I was all those ugly things. Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Romans 3:10, “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one;” No matter at what age you got saved, I know you are saying with me, “Praise God, He saved me from all of that and so much more!”

However, I am still needy. How about you? In our flesh we are still prone toward “doing evil deeds” (Colossians 1:21, ESV). As humans we still have our limitations, and we still sin. So we must continually “acknowledge our deep need for God and cast away our self-centered pride.” God can only work in us when we admit that we are His child, and as a child we are dependent on Him to care for us and help us in our weaknesses. Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” Even though we have many wonderful qualities, we can’t take personal credit and think too highly of ourselves. Instead, we must see that it is not by our works but by His mercy that we do anything good.

He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.  He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5 NLT

If we never had any needs—emotionally, physically, psychologically, or spiritually—we would never realize just how needy we are for God. He created us for Himself. Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness….’”

Adam and Eve spent time in God’s presence. But as I think about them, I’m not sure they truly understood their need for Him until they had sinned and realized they weren’t “presentable” anymore.

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He (Adam) replied, “I heard You walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
Genesis 3:8-10 NLT

After God told Adam and Eve how their sin would affect their lives from then on, He forgave them and, through the sacrifice of animals (Genesis 3:21), He provided for their need. Life wasn’t easy (verses 22-24), but the good news is that it kept them humble and in relationship with Him.

For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise His own people.
Psalm 69:33 ESV

He stands beside the needy, ready to save them.
Psalm 109:31 NLT

The more we study God’s Word and spend time with Him, the more we will recognize our shortcomings and our great need for Him to reign in our lives. We will find our help is in the Lord, as God tells us in Isaiah 41:17-20, “When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.”

As pride is gotten under control, God doesn’t want us to think too lowly of ourselves either. David said (Psalm 40:17 NLT) that even though he was needy—God was thinking about him! Please meditate on this Scripture because it shows us just how significant we actually are to our Father God. He is thinking about you and me!

Yes, we are needy. I know I personally need more love, more patience, more self-control, more—you name it. As I grow in God’s Word, I will see how He is providing for me, protecting me, guiding and guarding me. I will see more clearly how much He loves me. How about you? Have you taken time to see your needs? Have you looked into God’s Word to see how much He wants to help you? Do you know today that God loves you, my friend, and He wants only His best for you? That’s His message to you right now. Our Lord is saying to you, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).

May these Scriptures be your heart cry today:

The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord.
The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 29:19 NLT

Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth!
Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You.
With all my heart I will praise You, O Lord my God.
I will give glory to Your name forever, for Your love for me is very great.
You have rescued me from the depths of death.
Psalms 86:11-13 NLT

Whom have I in Heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth.
Psalm 73:25 NLT

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Dear Lord and Savior of our souls, thank You for loving us beyond our comprehension. Thank You for loving us enough to save us. Thank You for continuing to show us Your love by revealing to us our areas of weakness so we will repent, be forgiven, and become more like You. We acknowledge our need for You. May we always hunger and thirst for You, Lord, for You promise to answer us and never abandon us. We love You, Lord. In Jesus’ Precious and Holy Name, Amen.

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife – Fourteen: Continuing the Adventure

January 30, 2014 by

Christlife Graphic wk3_4If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory.
Colossians 3:1-4

Y’know what I SO love about this little passage of the Scripture—all I have to do is set my mind (and keep it set!) to seek ‘things above!’ All the rest is God’s job!
• being raised with Christ
• having a new, real life
• being hidden in Christ
• Christ’s return
• appearing with Him

Here we are, friends,…we have now entered into Part 2: Your Life IS Christ!  As Mrs. Myers writes on page 61, “…as we let God lovingly invade our lives through our faith in Christ, He provides what is essentially a new album…we relate to God as our Father, He fills our new album with images that give unshakable support of our sense of identity.”  Images like these:

2014-01-30 01.18.30

Ok, show of hands here (actually, please leave a comment below or a ‘like’ in our study group!): who of you wants a new album filled with God’s images of our identity?  Oh…I do!  These images will reflect that ‘I AM who God says I am!’  No doubt!  One could fill journal after journal with these Truths.

Kim and I would love to encourage you to design your own inner identity album page today that does just that!  If God is showing us His images of us, we no longer should be finding our identity through status, or performance, or our physical appearance.

Oh!  Kim has something to share, AND her inner identity album page, too…
I love what Mrs. Meyers reminds us of on page 61.  That our status is important ONLY as it gives opportunity to glorify God and serve others…Our actions become a way of giving love rather than trying to earn an ego-building response from other people.  We no longer need to depend on how people respond to us and we escape from evaluating ourselves in the mirror of human approval.  Ladies, it isn’t about us…It is ALL about Him!  The enemy would love to render us ineffective by making us think we are not worthy.  But because of Jesus we have been redeemed, bought with a price—and that makes us royalty, princesses, daughters of the King!  I want to encourage each of you to do a page like this (below) as a reminder of just how much the Father loves you and who you are in HIM.  The key here is in Him.  Apart from Him we can do nothing!!!!

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of Him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

CLiiakimweek3

*  ~  * ~  * ~ * ~ *  

may we pray just a portion of Mrs. Meyers prayer over you?

“Father, I’m so glad for the beautiful portrait in Your Word of who I am in Christ. Thank You for revealing these Truths—Truths which we humans so desperately need. I celebrate the fact that I never again need to rely on my appearance, my performance, or my status to define who I am. I invite You to lovingly invade all my thinking about myself. Expose further ways in which I’m holding on to what is deceptive and inadequate, and encourage me to cling to the exciting Truths You have revealed—Truths that confirm who I really am in Your sight.”  We pray and ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife – Thirteen: Who I Am in the Flesh?

January 29, 2014 by

Christlife graphic wk3_3My name is Kim, I’m a ______. For many years I filled in the blank with a word.  I defined myself by what the world named me until one day God spoke loud and clear. He said, “You are Kim and you are My child.  You are a new creation, the old has gone and you are no longer defined by it!!”  Now that doesn’t mean I no longer sin, it just means that my old flesh is gone and I am no longer separated from God because of it.

How many times have you made up your mind to not give in to those same habits? I imagine that some of you are frustrated right now because you’ve gone back on that resolution you made some 28 days ago.  Good news!  It’s ok, you can start over with Jesus.  Galatians 5:6 says,”So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”  Weary soul, you are fighting your flesh in flesh and victory doesn’t last long, and the battle comes back with force as you try again to fight it. It’s like shoveling snow in a snow storm.  Darkness cannot fight darkness.  Put on His light and see what happens.  The darkness disappears.

I want to introduce you to King Jehu.  He’s one of the bloodiest kings to ever rule Israel.  2 Kings 10:28-31 introduces him to us as the king who singlehandedly destroyed Baal worship in Israel. There’s a  HOWEVER, though:  however, he didn’t turn away from the sins of Jereboam—the worship of the golden calves.  He may have been powerful and successful but he crashed spiritually.  He had a spiritual flaw in that he could run but he couldn’t walk very well.  He craved excitement more than he craved God.  Can you relate?  God gives us direction in what He expects of us in Micah 6:8,”He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” God wants us to walk with Him, in good times and bad. Your excitement should come from a relationship with Jesus. This is where we are transformed.

We all face limitations. But God promises that all these trials and hardships are temporary. Paul tells us that we will all have new bodies and when Jesus returns and the trumpet sounds, we will be transformed immediately. On earth, spiritually we have been transformed. 2 Corinthians 5:4 says,”While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God Himself has prepared us for this and as a guarantee He has given us His Holy Spirit.”  And 2 Corinthians 5:17 says,”This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”  You are brand new inside!  And we have been re-created, not rehabilitated. We don’t just turn over a new leaf but we actually begin a new life with Jesus. So the question is this: Is it noticeable to all who know you that you have changed?  That you have a brand new life? We are made perfect because of His perfect love.

I’m full of hope and I am ready to spread the good news to all who I come in contact with.  Are you?  Then let’s do it!!

Let us pray:  Dear God, we all have sinned and come short of Your glory. But because of Your perfect love, You sent Your perfect Son to die with all our sins on Him. He was separated from You so we are no longer separated from You. The veil was torn and we now can come directly to Your throne.  Thank You for giving us a new life, a new heart, totally recreated and totally filled with Your Spirit.  Help our lives to reflect this always.  And when we are tempted again to take our old, worldly name back, remind us that we are made in Your perfect image and we were bought at a price and we are Yours!!!  We love You and we praise You! In Your Son’s name we pray, amen.

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife – Eleven: A Self-Opinion Too Low

January 27, 2014 by

Christlife Graphic wk3_1

Need to begin with prayer today!

Dear Lord, thank You for all Your  encouraging and uplifting words that tell us of Your great love for us! It truly is amazing to me!  I come to you acknowledging my struggle to simply believe Your words.  I repent of this, Lord!  I so want it to be my constant confession that I am only AND completely what You have formed and made me to be.  Please cause your words to carve new patterns into my mind…patterns of joy and peace and quiet confidence that ‘I am who God says I am!’  Help me, Lord, to intentionally choose to speak these words of life over myself…knowing that You have already done so!  May my mind be renewed and transformed to line up with Your perfect will.  Thank You for all that You are working and bringing to pass in my life…and for my sisters, Lord, I pray the same. In Jesus’ powerful Name. Amen.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Oh, I am SO determined to get this Truth into my heart!!! (Anyone else choosing to do so?  Do I hear your ‘amen!’)  I was convicted, as I read this chapter (five times, don’t you know!)

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the Head…Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor….

Ephesians 4:15-25 excerpts

By God’s grace, (and His revelation to my heart through His Holy Spirit), I have never understood this beautiful section of the Book of Ephesians in the way I do now!  I now realize that I am to ‘speak the Truth in love’ and ‘speak the Truth with <my> neighbor TO M.Y.S.E.L.F.!!!  Truly what a revelation!  Perhaps you have already understood this…but to me and my little heart this is revolutionary!  And I am so thankful! I can ‘be renewed in the spirit of <my> mind…and put on <my> new self!’

So, will you make a stand along with me!  Together can we choose the Truth and be intentional in our trust and believing of God’s Word! “I am what God says I am” by God’s grace, and compassion, and lovingkindness towards me…I am getting it! (Thank You, Lord!!!!!)

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife – Week Three

January 26, 2014 by

christlife graphic 2

A recurring theme this upcoming week in our study CHRISTLife: Embracing Your True and Deepest Identity will be the incomparable, unconditional, amazing LOVE that God has for us! Our author reminds us over and over of God’s love for us!

In Jeremiah 31:3 we hear God tell us of His love.

I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore with lovingingkindness I have drawn you.

We also are reminded of God’s love in Psalm 36.

How precious is Your steadfast love, O God!
The children of men take refuge
and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

As well as in 1 John 4:9-10.

In this the love of God was made manifest among us,
that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Along with this, Mrs. Myers puts in front of us the Truth that, in spite of our actions at times, God is always faithful and keeps His promises. Whether we ever believe them or not. Think about the children of Israel. They knew of God’s promise to lead them, protect them, guide them, feed them, guard them. But they were often disobedient to His simple commands. As such, because of His love for them, God had to help them to learn…as He will with us, too.

You must carefully follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase, and may enter and take possession of the land the Lord swore to your fathers. Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands.

Deuteronomy 8:1 and 2

During this week, we also make the transition from ‘Part 1: Who You Really Are…At First’ TO ‘Part 2: Your Life IS Christ.’ Listen to the following statement Mrs. Myers makes.

“As we hear and believe all that God tells us—as we intentionally think these truths and begin to act accordingly—He unfolds the true personality He designed us to be” page 60. (Oh! Don’t you just love that!)

And so we learn more of the Truth as we begin to believe what God says about us. And as we trust Him and take Him at His Word, we will begin to be freed from lies and misconceptions we have held in our hearts.

As we continue our study, the fact remains that we need to be diligent in reminding ourselves constantly of these Truths. One would think that, with all the many many many examples and proofs that God so graciously shows us about how very much He loves us, we would be convinced. However God is equally as patient with us as He loves us. The negative images that we have allowed into our hearts can be replaced by the Truth of just “Who we ARE” in Christ. But it takes work and effort on our part. Thankfully, we are not left to do this on our own. God can and will help us through His Holy Spirit! Remember to pray, pray, pray!

Friends, I hope that the beautiful lyrics of this song can be a tool for you to use to pray and sing your heart out to God. Your heavenly Father has MUCH to say to you…MUCH to remind you of…MUCH healing and deliverance and blessing to give to you as you seek Him!

*  ~  * ~  * ~ * ~ *

Over time You’ve healed so much in me, and I am living proof
That although my darkest hour had come, Your light could still shine through
Though at times it’s just enough to cast a shadow on the wall
I am grateful that You’ve shined Your light on me at all

Who am I, that You would love me so gently?
Who am I, that You would recognize my name?
Who am I, that You would speak to me so softly?
Conversation with the Lord Most High…who am I?

Oh, “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see”
And the more I sing that sweet old song, the more I understand
That I do not comprehend this love that’s coming from Your hand.

Grace, grace; God’s grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace, grace; God’s great grace
Grace that is greater than all my sin

Lord, Who am I? Who am I?
Lord Who am I? Who am I?

 

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife – God Has Surely Listened

January 25, 2014 by

saturdayprayersandpraisesshort

Quite the journey this is turning out to be, wouldn’t you say?  This study of CHRISTLife: Embracing Your True and Deepest Identity is no light matter!  Our author, Mrs. Myers, has been challenging us to dig deeply as we consider some of the questions she has posed throughout our readings this week.

  • Right off the bat on Monday, we are reminded that we have the freedom to choose whether to focus on the images in our minds that pull us down or lift us up.  And she asks, “Are you fully using this…freedom for spiritual growth...?
  • Then later in the week, we are reminded that God made us for Himself…and that our love for Him should be with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).   And the question is asked, “Are there areas of life in which I’m holding <God> at arm’s length?”
  • And a little further into our reading this week, we read, “To be realistic in the way we view and accept ourselves—that’s the challenge.”  (Ummmm…yes, yes it IS!)  Do we view ourselves too highly…or perhaps too lowly?

These questions and the thoughts that have been wandering around in my head and heart have caused me to recognize anew how very much I must be running to my Father and seeking His help and guidance and answers through prayer!  How about you?

I have been so comforted through this as each day I have also been reading the Seeking Him daily devotionals blog here at Girlfriends Coffee Hour (do you ‘follow it?).  This week, our friends who write the devotionals have been sharing on Psalms 66:16-20.  Listen:

Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what He has done for me.
I cried out to Him with my mouth;
His praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!

Oh, how good God is!!!  Did you read that?  God ‘has surely listened and has heard my prayer.’  You know, God is not expecting anyone of us to live perfectly. Or expecting us to never have doubts, or worries, or be unsure of just how to change. Perfection will be reached—not by anything we will EVER do—but only through Jesus, our Lord, at His return.  We have been enabled in so many ways to grow to be holy and pure as our Lord, and to be able to renew our minds, and to take our thoughts captive to obey Him!  But it is a lifelong process begun when we are born anew!  For now, we do struggle. And we do falter…and we do fail at times.  And so we need to remain prayerFULL.  We must consistently be seeking God and His help as we endeavor to be our best for Him.

So as you think back on what you have considered and learned this week…and in your struggles to wholeheartedly address these issues that come up…remember to pray.  And as you pray, remember that “God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.”

*  ~  * ~  * ~ * ~ *

“Our whole being by its very nature is one vast need; incomplete, preparatory, empty yet cluttered, crying out for Him who can untie things that are now knotted together and tie up things that are still dangling loose.”
C. S. Lewis (quoted on page 44)

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife – Ten: A Self-Opinion Too High

January 24, 2014 by

Christlife graphic wk2 5

Have you ever said to yourself, either verbally or mentally:

In light of a problem:   “I’ve got this. I can handle it by myself.”

Or after an accomplishment:  “I did it myself with no help from anyone!”

Those statements may indicate a self-opinion that is too high. The truth is we can’t—don’t—do anything without the help of God. He is our breath and life.

God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!
Daniel 5:23 NLT

And He (God) is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything.
Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else…
For in Him we live and move and have our being.
Acts 17:25 and 28 NIV

The ‘puffed up’ attitude can become a habitual part of our lives. The way to counter a self-opinion that is too high is to compare ourselves with God as His Word describes Him, and us. The benefit to this for me (and hopefully for you) is that it reminds me (us) of how great God is and still how loving He is toward us. It is humbling to realize that:

All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.
I Peter 1:24,25

Let’s look at just a few other Scriptures that will help us balance our self-image with His Truth:

I am — “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
James 4:14 ESV

God is — “from everlasting to everlasting You are God.”
Psalm 90:2

–*–*–*–

I am accountable — “So then each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Romans 14:12

God is — “…the great God, the great King above all gods.”
Psalm 95:3

God is our Creator; we are His creation. Do you see in just these few verses what a vast difference there is? We can’t be God, but that is the lie which an inflated self-opinion would lead us to believe, whether we are aware of it or not. (Remember Satan’s fall as told in Isaiah 14:12-15.) Instead the truth is that we need God. We need His guidance. Without Him, our life and our accomplishments don’t amount “to a hill of beans” (a trifling value).

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.
Galatians 6:7

Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.
Jeremiah 10:23

An inflated self-image is a dangerous trap. Look at some of the verses from the end of the chapter that point this out:

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18

The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty…they will be humbled.
Isaiah 2:12

‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’
Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
James 4:6,7 ESV

Hmmm, if I’m correct, that last Scripture (in James chapter 4) is saying that pride, arrogance, too-high a self-image are each sin that we should run from. Ouch! Okay I get it. This is not just some little hiccup in our personality. This is a sin, a wedge that will separate us from God. I want to get rid of that, how about you!? This next Scripture is our guide to help us correct our self-image to line up with God’s image of and plan for us:

Come near to God, and He will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts…
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
James 4:8-10

Praise God, He loves us enough to point out the areas we need to change, and then shows us exactly how to do it.

We are, after all, fallen and flawed. We are like the sheep in Isaiah 53:6, we “…have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way….” But the Good News is that God is the Giver of life! (Psalm 36:9, NCV). Jesus knows His sheep, and as we humble ourselves more and more to Him we hear and know His voice and we follow Him.

The One who enters by the gate is the Shepherd of the sheep…
and the sheep listen to His voice.
He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out…
and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice.
John 10:2-4

So instead of being in the dangerous position of a self-opinion that is too high, and will surely cause us to wander “off the cliff of pride,” let’s humble ourselves before our God Almighty. Let’s continue to listen to His voice, to follow Him, and get rid of the high self-opinions He sees as sin. He is Our Good Shepherd who wants only the best for us, His sheep.

*  ~  * ~  * ~ * ~ *  

Dear Lord God Almighty, we humble ourselves before You today. We ask You, Lord, to show us any sin of a “self-opinion too high.” Thank You for Your Word that not only reveals our sins, but also reveals Who You are, who we are in Your sight, and just how much You love us. We want to repent of pride today and receive Your forgiveness. We want to know Your voice and follow You because You are our Good Shepherd Who loves us and wants only the best for us, Your sheep. Thank You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife – Nine: Too High or Too Low

January 23, 2014 by

Oh, how we suffer and struggle under the lies and misconceptions we struggle with in our hearts!  (I can almost see your beautiful heads nodding in agreement.)  We must find a way to “be realistic in the way we view and accept ourselves” (page 40).  As we continue along in CHRISTLife: Embracing Your True and Deepest Identity, Mrs. Myers lovingly and faithfully keeps bringing us back to the Truth of who we are in Christ.   Or, as we like to phrase it, ‘I AM who God says I am!’  There is a children’s song, originally sung by the Gaither Family back in the day 😉 that could be our new anthem. As you listen along, hopefully you will be renewed in your mind to sing along believing that you ARE a Promise (with a capital P)!

I am a promise…I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital “P”
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin’ to hear God’s voice
And I am tryin’ to make the right choice
I am a promise to be anything God wants me to be

  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *  

Kim shares another page with us from her ‘Inner Identity Album’ along with her encouragement for us today:iiakimiamapossibility
“I love this page because it serves as a reminder that even though there may be times in our walk with God that it doesn’t seem like He is working, or perhaps we are walking through circumstances and they are screaming loudly—these are the Truth’s that we can hang on to!

He loves you
He has good plans for you
He is working for your good
He hears you
You are His
He will never leave you or ever forsake you
HE IS FAITHFUL in ALL Things!!!

These reminders could not have come at a better time for me…God’s timing is always perfect!”

  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *  

So, sisters, Kim and I pray for you (and ourselves!) that

  • you will keep on listening to hear God’s voice (He has MUCH to tell you!)
  • keep on trying He’ll help you make the right choice (He never leaves nor forsakes you!)
  • ‘cause you’re a Promise to be anything He wants you to be (Jeremiah 29:11-14).
Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife — Seven: Who I Am As a Created Being

January 21, 2014 by

Christlife graphic 1045_n

Don’t you just love thinking ‘I AM who God says I am’…?  Now wait…before you start telling me ‘But, Coleen, I just don’t always believe it!’…just think about it. Meditate on it. Pray to God asking Him to help you understand who you are. As Jason Gray writes in the song, Remind Me Who I Am “Tell me once again who I am to you who I am to you. Tell me lest I forget who I am to you…that I belong to you.” God will answer that prayer! Saturate your mind and heart with the Truth of who you are ‘cause God says you are! And trust God to heal and deliver and mend up that little heart of yours (mine, too).

In reading Chapter 7 today, Mrs. Myers writes, “Knowing the Truth about our identity begins with a better grasp of who we are as created beings—a better understanding of the God-intended qualities each of us shares with all mankind…Simply because I am a human being created by God, I have capacities and potential abilities that can lead to a rich life…” (page 30).

In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:11 and 12

We ARE blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, forgiven

I am the apple of my Father’s eye ~ Psalm 17:8
I am blessed ~ Galatians 3:9
I am not alone ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13
I am joyful ~ Psalm 30:11
I am heard ~ Psalm 66:19
I am safe ~ Psalm 62:8
I am hopeful ~ Hebrews 10:23
I am able ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9
I am gifted ~ 1 Corinthians 12
I am not abandoned ~ Lamentations 3:31
I am fearfully and wonderfully made ~ Psalm 139:14
I am being changed into His image ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18
I am a new creation ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17
I am reconciled ~ Colossians 1:21-22
I am forgiven ~ Ephesians 1:7
I am redeemed from the curse of the Law ~ Galatians 3:13
I am elect ~ Colossians 3:12
I am set free ~ John 8:31
I am one in Christ ~ John 17:21
I am everything I need to be in Him ~ 2 Thessalonians 1:2
I am above and not beneath ~ Deuteronomy 28:13
I am rescued from my enemies ~ Luke 1:74
I am strengthened and helped ~ Isaiah 41:10
I am created for a purpose ~ Romans 9:11
I am called of God ~ 2 Timothy 1:9
I am saved by mercy ~ Titus 3:5
I am chosen ~ 1 Thessalonians 1:4
I am victorious ~ Revelations 12:11
I am an heir with Christ ~ Romans 8:17

(AND more!)  Please share something you KNOW God says that you ARE in the comments below…thanks!

  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~

Lord, I pray to You asking Your blessing for my sisters as Paul did, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Please bless them each with your grace and mercy as they continue to pursue keeping Your Truth in their hearts. Praying and asking in Jesus’ name.   Amen.

[aio_button align=”center” animation=”pulse” color=”green” size=”small” icon=”th-list” text=”Want to Read More ?” relationship=”dofollow” url=”http://girlfriendscoffeehour.com/archivescl/”]

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »