Category: Confidence

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Growing Stronger

Those words jumped off the page to me – “grow strong in faith”. Faith: complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

Faith according to the writer of Hebrews is “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].” Hebrews 11:1 AMP

The title deed. Over the past several months I have helped a number of people through the process of transferring title. Once that is done, the property is legally and officially theirs. Faith is our title deed – it is our assurance that God has transferred His promises to us.

“And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory.” Romans 8:17 AMP

A large portion of my early life was spent struggling, worrying, facing the insecurity of my failures and unworthiness. But then I began hearing messages on faith, not in my abilities but in God’s. My spiritual life began to grow stronger, like a plant in the garden that had received an infusion of fertilizer.

“But I am like a green olive tree growing in God’s Temple. I will trust God’s faithful love forever and ever. 9 God, I praise you forever for what you have done. I will speak your name before your followers because it is so good!” Psalm 52:8-9 ERV

How many millions of Christians are like I was wanting to believe God but struggling to trust?

“ So encourage each other and help each other grow stronger in faith, just as you are already doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11 ERV

That’s my goal each day; to help others grow stronger in their faith. The Apostle Paul said in Romans that faith comes by hearing and by hearing the WORD of God. That’s why it’s so important for me to fill these morning devotions with God’s word. My opinion and experiences won’t build faith, they can be examples, but faith comes by trusting in God’s word and His faithfulness.

“Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.” II Peter 1:3-4 ERV

It is my desire to see each of you grow in faith, as you grow in the knowledge of what your relationship with Christ has given you. You have received a marvelous inheritance, the title deed to God’s promises for living the life God has provided.

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What’s It Worth?

I’m wanting to stay on topic from yesterday’s blog.

Did you copy the verses I gave you? Are they in your phone or on your computer so that you can read them again and again? Well, if not, here you go again.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.” Ephesians 1:3-5 ERV

Yesterday friends came to visit and in conversation they mentioned a movie they had seen, Worth. If you haven’t seen it, it deals with compensation for those families who lost loved ones on 9-11. Their biggest struggle was in determining how to compensate families fairly.

This morning, I woke thinking about my worth or value and the verses above came back to mind. My second thought was these verses from the Psalms.

“I look at the heavens you made with your hands.
    I see the moon and the stars you created.
4 And I wonder, “Why are people so important to you?
    Why do you even think about them?
Why do you care so much about humans?
    Why do you even notice them?”

5 But you made them almost like gods
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You put them in charge of everything you made.
    You put everything under their control.
7 People rule over the sheep and cattle and all the wild animals.
8 They rule over the birds in the sky
    and the fish that swim in the sea.
9 Lord our Lord, your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:3-9 ERV

God made man, us (male & female), in His image. He saw us as having value and worth. Remember the first set of verses this morning, from before the foundation of the world He decided to make us His children.

Our worth and value to God the Father is so great that He sent Jesus to die for us.

“ Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ERV

If you think I’m trying to make a point, you’re right! I want you to see yourself as God sees you. You are priceless, no expense was too great to purchase our redemption.

“Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because of God’s gift of undeserved grace to us. God has great wisdom and understanding,” Ephesians 1:7-8 CEV

I need us to go back to the story of the prodigal son again. Look at the son’s mindset.

“ I will go to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer good enough to be called your son. Treat me like one of your workers.’ ” Luke 15:18-19 CEV

That phrase in other versions says, “No longer worthy”. Sin causes us to look at our unworthiness but love, the Father’s love, shows us our value.

“…when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him… ‘Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and celebrate. 24 This son of mine was dead, but has now come back to life. He was lost and has now been found.” Luke 15:20-24 CEV

God determined our value before the world began. He established our worth and determined we are priceless!

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Thanks Dad!

Mother’s Day is behind us and we will celebrate Father’s Day in a couple of weeks. As I was praying this morning I found myself saying, “Thanks Dad. I’m so glad you chose me to be your daughter. I couldn’t have anyone better to trust in and rely on than You”!

That was so humbling to me.

When I think of all the great men who have ever lived, all the mighty men, the wise men, the loving and gracious men, even my own earthly dad, no one could make the impact on my life that my loving heavenly Father has.

There’s no one I would rather have for a Father than my heavenly Father!

“ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.” Ephesians 1:3-5 ERV

If you’ve ever dealt with low self-esteem you should memorize these verses or at the very least put them in the notes section of your phone and read them every hour.

Our heavenly Father chose us before He made the world. He chose us not out of obligation or merit but we were chosen because of His great love for us. He wanted to do it – He wanted to make us His own!

“The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. 15 The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, Father.” 16 And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:14-16 ERV

That word Abba means daddy! Our term of endearment, a term used because of love and confidence in the One who holds our hearts.

God has always wanted a relationship with us. He never intended for us to be estranged from Him. He also gave us a free will. He didn’t want our relationship to be one of servitude or obligation. If we had no freewill we would be puppets or robots, serving Him because we were programmed to do it.

In the example that Jesus gave of the prodigal son we see the heart of the Father. His son wanted to experience a life different from what his father had planned. The father released his youngest son, even though his heart was breaking, to go do his own thing.

When life didn’t turn out the way the son expected it, he returned to his father’s home with the intent of living the life of a servant but the father’s plan was different.

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and good sandals on his feet. 23 And bring our best calf and kill it so that we can celebrate with plenty to eat. 24 My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to have a party.” Luke 15:22-24 ERV

We’ve all been the prodigal at one time or another. Coming home is the best.

Thank You Father for always welcoming us with loving arms!

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Don’t Be Discouraged!

I realized yesterday when I talked about hardships that some of those reading this blog may be discouraged by that thought. So, let’s continue on.

As I pointed out the Apostle Paul had many opportunities to become discouraged because his hardships were many. However, he never accepted defeat. Instead of going from battle to battle, he went from victory to victory. He had his mind set, like concrete, in the truth of God’s word.

“Do not act like the sinful people of the world. Let God change your life. First of all, let Him give you a new mind. Then you will know what God wants you to do. And the things you do will be good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLV

When we come to Christ and begin to study God’s word there is a transformation that begins to take place in our minds. Instead of seeing limitations we see God’s intervention and His power.

“ It is true, we live in a body of flesh. But we do not fight like people of the world. 4 We do not use those things to fight with that the world uses. We use the things God gives to fight with and they have power. Those things God gives to fight with destroy the strong-places of the devil. 5 We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 NLV

The people Paul was writing to were used to seeing soldiers invading their lands; fighting men ready to conquer a weaker or diminished force. He pointed out that ours was a different kind of battle. Ours is a battle of faith – trusting and believing God to do what He has promised. Breaking down every thought that tries to diminish the power of God in our lives.

“This is the last thing I want to say: Be strong with the Lord’s strength. 11 Put on the things God gives you to fight with. Then you will not fall into the traps of the devil. 12 Our fight is not with people. It is against the leaders and the powers and the spirits of darkness in this world. It is against the demon world that works in the heavens. 13 Because of this, put on all the things God gives you to fight with. Then you will be able to stand in that sinful day. When it is all over, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:10-13 NLV

Still standing! Going from victory to victory.

“Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. 5 No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:4-5 CEV

“But we thank God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” I Corinthians 15:57 ERV

Hardships, yes. Victory? Absolutely, through Christ we always triumph!

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What About Hardship?

Everyone that is alive has faced struggles; some are physical while others are emotional or financial or relational. That is part of living in a fallen world and it is also in part to the spiritual enemies we face.

I think we would all like a lot less hardship and more ease but frankly, that’s unrealistic.

Before you stop reading and think that this morning’s words are too depressing to read, read this.

“We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don’t know what to do, but we don’t give up. 9 We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed…16 That is why we never give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. 17 We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles. 18 So we think about what we cannot see, not what we see. What we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever.” II Corinthians 4:8-18 ERV

These words were written by the Apostle Paul. Other than Christ, I don’t think there was anyone in the Bible who experienced more hardship than him. He was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead. He was maligned in nearly every town he preached in. And he calls all of that “small troubles”.

How can that be? His answer: God does not leave us, we look at the eternal, ever present Spirit of God who will never leave us our abandon us.

“But the Lord said, ‘My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.‘ So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me. 10 Yes, I am glad to have weaknesses if they are for Christ. I am glad to be insulted and have hard times. I am glad when I am persecuted and have problems, because it is when I am weak that I am really strong.” II Corinthians 12:9-11 ERV

When Daniel faced the lions, his strength was no match for theirs. David faced a Goliath of a giant, he was outmatched. The Hebrew children should have been toast in the fiery furnace. Joseph, who was accused of rape and spent years in an Egyptian prison, rose to be second in command.

Not one of them was abandoned or deserted by God. They were aware of the unseen power of God and they trusted Him.

“The Lord can be trusted in all that he says.  He is loyal in all that he does. 14 The Lord lifts up people who have fallen. He helps those who are in trouble.” Psalm 145:13-14 ERV

So, when we face hardship, and we will, we can trust God to give us the strength we need. He will be our deliverer.

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Each Morning

Thank you for joining me each morning. It is my heartfelt prayer that the Word of God speaks to you in a personal way through the words of this blog.

This morning, I have been spending time with one verse. Just one verse has the power to change our day, our entire lives.

“Each morning let me learn
more about your love
    because I trust you.
I come to you in prayer,
    asking for your guidance.” Psalm 143:8 CEV

Each morning let me learn more about your love!

Dwell on that.

Stop and recall those experiences you’ve had in the past where God showed you His amazing love in a personal way. Make a list of them and put them in your phone’s “notes”. Write them in your journal – special times of just you and the Lord, heart-to-heart communication.

We will never explore the depths of God’s love, it’s unfathomable, but we can experience more of His love today than we did yesterday. He offers that to us freely and without hesitation.

“ God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” John 3:16 CEV

Now, I will end these thoughts for today by asking you to do this one thing. Take the verse above and do what it says. Pray for guidance, open your heart to what the Lord is leading you to do. He will show you His love. He can be trusted!

“Each morning let me learn
more about your love
    because I trust you.
I come to you in prayer,
    asking for your guidance.” Psalm 143:8

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My Whole Portion

I’m going to share a couple of things with you this morning that I know I have shared in times past, but they bear repeating.

My dad loved life. The things he did, he did with his whole heart. And he loved to eat my mom’s cooking. Everyone like eating at my house – Mom was a great cook. Anyway, daddy had a saying that there was only one way to ruin pie and that was to cut it. His meaning was clear, he didn’t want to share but he wanted to eat the whole thing. That pie was his “portion”.

That analogy has stuck with me for years. And when I found this verse in Psalm 119, the verse took on a greater meaning.

“Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.” Psalm 119:57 KJV

“The Lord is my share. I have promised to obey Your Word.” Psalm 119:57 NLV

King David saw the Lord as his portion. He didn’t just want part of God and His word, he wanted to consume all that God was and did. Another verse in Acts makes this testimony of David.

“ When God took Saul as king from them, He made David to be their king. He said, ‘David, Jesse’s son, will please My heart. He will do all I want done.’” Acts 13:22 NLV

Not only had David chosen God as his portion but the Lord found in David a man he could trust to do the right thing – to seek Him and follow his leading.

Was David perfect? No! but he was quick to repent. So now I need to ask you and myself as well, is the Lord my portion or do I have other things that would distract and steal my affection?

About 45 years ago there was a song in Christian circles by an artist Twilla Parris. It was entitled, “Secret Place”. The words of this song still minister to me today. It asks, will you let Him in your secret place?

What’s the thing that is keeping us from making the Lord our portion, that little sliver that we hold back? We need to let it go and let the Lord fill that secret place with Himself.

Following the Lord doesn’t mean that we won’t face obstacles, battles or persecution but it does mean that the Lord will walk with us through the storms, give us strength and peace and bring us out to a place of victory.

“I am your servant, Lord, and you have kept your promise to treat me with kindness. 66 Give me wisdom and good sense. I trust your commands.67 Once you corrected me for not obeying you, but now I do obey. 68 You are kindhearted, and you do good things, so teach me your laws. 69 My reputation is being ruined by conceited liars, but with all my heart I follow your teachings. 70 Those liars have no sense, but I find happiness in your Law. 71 When you corrected me, it did me good because it taught me to study your laws.72 I would rather obey you than to have a thousand pieces of silver and gold.” Psalm 119:65-72 ERV

Lord, I want You to be my portion – my whole portion. Reveal to me any “secret” places that I have kept back from You and give me the courage to let You shine the light of Your love into that darkness and bring me out into the warmth of Your healing. Amen!

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Just Call

How many times each day do we wonder about something? We try to figure out the best way of doing things. We need answers and although friends and colleagues may try to help their assistance is often limited.

That’s why my morning quiet times are so important to me. I talk to the Father about things I know will occur throughout the day, plans I am making for the future and the daily unseen events that interrupt and cause me to make course corrections.

When I’m needing answers to some questions that are past my knowledge I don’t want to be held back because of my ignorance. I get up seeking the Father and His wisdom.

One thing that has been proven over the years, not just in my lifetime but of time itself, is God is faithful and His word is true. He tells us to ask for wisdom and He will give it liberally. When He says ask and it will be given, seek and we will find, knock and the door will open, we can be confident that He will be true to His word!

When we call – He answers!

“Moreover, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard, saying, 2 Thus says the Lord Who made [the earth], the Lord Who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name: 3 ‘Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).’” Jeremiah 33:1-3 AMP

When it seems like we are in prison, the prison of our circumstances or the one caused by our limited knowledge or even an actual physical prison, He reminds us of who He is, His power and His willingness to help.

Call on Me and I WILL answer and I will show you the things that were hidden, the things that you don’t recognize or understand. CALL!

And after we call “Be still and know that I am God.”

“Our God says, ‘Calm down, and learn that I am God! All nations on earth will honor me.’ 11 The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:10-11 CEV

The wonderful work of the Holy Spirit is to teach us.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:26-27 NKJV

The by-product of God’s wisdom is peace. The Old Testament tells us that we should be led by peace. If we ask for wisdom and it appears we get an answer, but it comes with turmoil and worry that isn’t an answer from God.

“Are any of you wise or sensible? Then show it by living right and by being humble and wise in everything you do…17 But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. 18 When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.” James 3:13,17-18 CEV

You have walked with me as I have asked for wisdom this morning but now, I must take my leave and be still and listen. I encourage you to call – He will answer!

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Faithfulness & Hope

I hope you found yourself praising God yesterday with boldness – lifting your hands and feeling Him lifting your spirits and your joy.

If you listened while you were singing you may have heard another voice joining in.

“The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love.” Zephaniah 3:17 CEV

Before I read those words this morning my heart was already singing. “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with ten thousand beside”. Those are words from a wonderful old hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness, but more of that in a minute.

King David a psalm that is often quoted because it talks about the miracle of intra womb development. “You formed me in my mother’s womb”. That’s where I normally go when I read this Psalm but this morning I stopped after having read only the first few verses.

“You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. 2 You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts.3 You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. 4 Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say,
5 and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side. 6 I can’t understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me.” Psalm 139:1-6 CEV

Our heavenly Father knows all about us! Everything we say, everywhere we go, and He loves us! His thoughts toward us are innumerable.

“I will never give up hope or stop praising you. 15 All day long I will tell the wonderful things you do to save your people. But you have done much more than I could possibly know.” Psalm 71:14-15 CEV

God’s faithfulness toward us hard to imagine. He never leaves us alone or abandons us!

“ I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.” Romans 15:13 CEV

Now back to the song. Great is Thy Faithfulness by Thomas Chisolm

“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!…

3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow:
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! [Refrain]”

Every morning the Lord blesses us with new mercy – we have been pardoned from our sins, His peace fills our hearts and gives us strength. Yes, His faithfulness gives us hope!

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Don’t Be Shy

I knew the moment I opened my eyes this was going to be a day of praise! You may ask, how did you know?

The lyrics of a song we were singing Sunday were energizing my soul!

“I’ve got one response
I’ve got just one move
With my arms stretched wide
I will worship You

So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a
Hallelujah, hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing
Hallelujah, hallelujah

So come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song, ’cause you’ve got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord
Oh, come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song, ’cause you’ve got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord
Come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song, ’cause you’ve got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord” Gratitude by Brandon Lake

I can remember one of the first times I was in a worship service when people around me were lifting their hands in worship. I was so uncomfortable; we didn’t do things like that in the church I was raised in. If the message was exceptional, you might hear one or two Amens but that was it.

But then one day when I was home with our toddlers, I started singing an old hymn and our oldest came in and lifted up her hands to me. She wanted to be picked up. As I lifted her up, with tears in my eyes, I realized why those people were lifting their hands in praise.

They weren’t shy about their gratitude and their lifted hands was a way of being picked up by the Father and embracing His presence!

With the song above on my heart, I raised my hands all by myself in my quiet living room and praised God for his faithfulness and love. “I’ll praise You again and again with a hallelujah”.

“Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to the God of heaven.” Lamentations 3:41 ERV

Don’t be shy! When we lift up our hands to the Father, He bends down and lifts us up to where we are close to His heart.

“Lord, I praise you with all my heart. I sing songs of praise to you before the gods. 2 I bow down toward your holy Temple, and I praise your name for your love and loyalty. You are famous, and doing what you promised will make you even more famous! 3 When I called to you for help, you answered me and gave me strength.” Psalm 138:1-3 CEV

“Everyone who serves the Lord, come and offer praises. Everyone who has gathered in his temple tonight, 2 lift your hands in prayer toward his holy place and praise the Lord.” Psalm 134:1-2 CEV

It might seem a bit strange at first but don’t be shy; lift up your hands and praise the Lord!

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