Category: Studying the Bible

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Immovable – Unbreakable

I have been blessed to live most of my life in Arizona. Yes, it has been a blessing!

People who haven’t been to our state think of the blistering hot desert, landscaped with cactus and desert sand. However, the terrain is diverse. Farmlands and sand dunes to the south, mountains and forests to the north. “

One thing it has is a wide variety of mountains. They capture my attention and bring a depth of meaning to some of my favorite verses from the book of Psalms.

“I love you, Lord God, and you make me strong. 2 You are my mighty rock, my fortress, my protector, the rock where I am safe, my shield, my powerful weapon, and my place of shelter.” Psalm 18:1-2 CEV

“Only God can save me, and I calmly wait for him. 2 God alone is the mighty rock that keeps me safe and the fortress where I am secure.” Psalm 62:1-2 CEV

“Let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to you, Lord, because you are my mighty rock and my protector.” Psalm 19:4 CEV

“Be my mighty rock, the place where I can always run for protection. Save me by your command! You are my mighty rock and my fortress.” Psalm 71:3 CEV

You get the picture, right?

Some of the rock formations of the Chiricahua mountains in eastern Arizona are nearly impossible to climb. This was a land where Geronimo and Cochise keep their people safe from their enemies. I imagine that David, when writing the Psalms, was thinking about some similar mountain tops in Israel as he wrote the words above.

God, our Father, is our mighty rock. Our place of refuge when we are under attack and facing imminent danger.

Jesus told us that God’s word is our firm foundation. It’s like building our house on a solid rock – immovable and God’s word is unbreakable. It is eternal!

“ Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. 25 Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it was built on solid rock, and so it did not fall.” Matthew 7:24-25 CEV

When I read those verses over again this morning an old hymn came to mind.

“Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
  Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
  I’m standing on the promises of God.”

Maybe you are experiencing something that is causing you to feel shaky. Doubts and fears are swirling around like a fierce wind; run for shelter. Our Father is a mighty rock; dig down to your firm foundation.

God’s word is immovable, unshakable and will not break!

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Let God’s Word Speak

This morning, I sat here for quite a while waiting for the words to come. In the quiet I listened and I read.

When our hearts are open to the Lord, when we genuinely desire to hear from Him, He speaks. Not in some big religious lights-in-the-sky way but in a quiet way that touches our hearts with a life-altering message.

“You, Lord, are all I want! You are my choice, and you keep me safe. 6 You make my life pleasant, and my future is bright. 7 I praise you, Lord, for being my guide. Even in the darkest night, your teachings fill my mind. 8 I will always look to you, as you stand beside me and protect me from fear. 9 With all my heart, I will celebrate, and I can safely rest.

10 I am your chosen one. You won’t leave me in the grave or let my body decay. 11 You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful.” Psalm 16:5-11 CEV

All I want – reminds me of another of David’s Psalms. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I don’t want for anything”. A bright future, guidance, protection, and safety.

Here it is again, we are chosen (before the foundation of the world), we have been given life. God is always near to us and in His presence is a place of joy!

Before I started to read, the lyrics from a MercyMe song were my morning prayer. Word of God Speak:

“I’m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it’s okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You’re in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I’m finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice…”

I don’t know what specific word God wants to speak to you this morning however, I do know if you are still while you are reading the Word of God will speak to your heart.

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Flip the Coin

I often hear folks say, “I wish I had more faith, or I wish my faith was bigger or stronger”. This morning, I would like to share a couple of thoughts on “Faith” and “Unbelief”.

Imagine you are holding a coin in your hand right now. One side of the coin is faith, and one side is unbelief. The outcome in the situations of our life is directly affected by the side of the coin that we are looking at.

There are many Scriptures when Jesus addressed “Unbelief” in the hearts and minds of those that he was ministering too.

In Matthew 13 it says that Jesus couldn’t do any mighty works in his own hometown because of their unbelief. In Mark 9 the man who had a demon possessed son brought him to Jesus for healing. Jesus answered if you can believe all things are possible to him and the father responded Lord, I believe – help my unbelief. After Jesus set the boy free, his disciples came and ask:

Then the followers came to Jesus alone. They said, “We tried to force the demon out of the boy, but we could not. Why were we not able to make the demon go out?”

“So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-20 NKJV

Jesus didn’t say that it was because of their “little” faith or even lack of faith but because of unbelief. He then goes on to say that with faith as little as a grain of mustard seed, nothing would be impossible to them. And as a side note when Jesus said “this kind” goes not out but by prayer and fasting, He was talking about the unbelief.

Faith, simply put, is our belief that God not only can do, but will do, those things that He has promised. Abraham is our walking example of this. He had a lifetime of evidence to support his unbelief in being able to have a child. Barrenness for both he and Sarah. If they had gone to the fertility clinic, everyone would have laughed at them and sent them home. But thank God, Abraham didn’t listen to all the unbelief (his own or that of others) he was strong in faith.

“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Romans 4:19-21

When we give our life to Christ and are born again, we are given faith as a part of our new nature. Romans 12 says that God has given all of us “the” measure of faith and then in Galatians 5, Paul tells us again that faith is a fruit of the Spirit.

We can all agree it takes faith to get saved. “For by grace are ye saved through faith”. Faith, believing that God will do what He says He will do, and grace, God giving us what we don’t deserve and can’t earn on our own. This was the time in our life that our faith in God was the smallest and yet it was enough to create the greatest miracle – salvation.

So now, what situation has you focused on unbelief. Go to God’s word, find His answer, feed your faith (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God) and it will cause your unbelief to shrink.

It’s like putting weights on a scale – when the scale is balanced you simply decrease the unbelief because you know that “mustard seed” faith is more than enough to move mountains.

Flip the coin. Faith, we win. Unbelief, we lose. In God we trust!

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Smoky Glass

One of the things I have done over the past couple of days is clean the mirrors and windows. There was a light coating of construction dust on everything.

It wasn’t a priority the first couple of days, but it really began to annoy me. I could even write my name in the dust on the mirrors surface. Time for a cleaning!

This morning, I was reminded of a collection of vintage oil lamps I used to have. I loved using them; the ambiance of the flickering flame was so soothing; they gave good light but the glass chimneys had to be cleaned on a regular basis or the light they put off was diminished.

Just like life, isn’t it?

We are called to let our light shine so those around us can see the Father and His promises but sometimes our chimneys get smoke covered and our true image is distorted by the dust.

“The Lord’s instruction is right; it makes our hearts glad. His commands shine brightly, and they give us light.” Psalm 19:8 CEV

We start out excited about God’s word. It makes a powerful impact in our lives and then we get busy, we forget God’s promises, worry puts a sooty film on things and we need to be cleaned.

” No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a clay pot. A lamp is put on a lampstand, so everyone who comes into the house can see the light. 34 Your eyes are the lamp for your body. When your eyes are good, you have all the light you need. But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark. 35 So be sure your light isn’t darkness. 36 If you have light, and nothing is dark, then light will be everywhere, as when a lamp shines brightly on you.” Luke 11:33-36 CEV

God’s word is the lamp that lights our path.

“Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.” Psalm 119:105 CEV

The light doesn’t change. God’s word doesn’t change; it’s our perspective that often times get clouded by our circumstances and opinions around us.

“The Scriptures say, ‘God commanded light to shine in the dark.’ Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ. 7 We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 CEV

May I encourage you to do a “white glove” test on the chimney of your life. Is it cloudy, does it have a little dust? Maybe it’s gotten covered with soot and it’s time for a cleaning.

“You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the light 9 and make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful” Ephesians 5:8-9 CEV

“Christ did this so He could set the church apart for Himself. He made it clean by the washing of water with the Word.” Ephesians 5:26 NLV

Let God do some good old fashioned cleaning so that our lights shine brightly in this world.

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Are You Hungry?

Last night we were invited to a neighbor’s for dinner. She is an excellent cook, and I ate more than I normally do but you know what? This morning, I will be hungry again. That’s how it is with these physical bodies – we need nourishment daily.

That’s also how it is with our spiritual bodies. We need to eat regularly, or we become weak, diseased and malnourished.

“The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah 58:11 NKJV

There are so many references throughout the Bible of food and how God provides.

When the children of Israel were in the desert after leaving Egypt the Lord provided manna for them, and He gave them water from a rock. This was a sign of God’s power and also of His love.

Jesus used these miracles as teaching tools in His ministry. Let’s look at His teaching on bread.

“They replied, ‘What miracle will you work, so that we can have faith in you? What will you do? 31  For example, when our ancestors were in the desert, they were given manna to eat. It happened just as the Scriptures say, ‘God gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32 Jesus then told them, ‘I tell you for certain that Moses wasn’t the one who gave you bread from heaven. My Father is the one who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 And the bread that God gives is the one who came down from heaven to give life to the world.”

34 The people said, ‘Sir, give us this bread and don’t ever stop!’

35 Jesus replied: I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty. 36 I have told you already that you have seen me and still do not have faith in me. 37 Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won’t turn any of them away…48 I am the bread that gives life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, and later they died. 50 But the bread from heaven has come down, so that no one who eats it will ever die. 51 I am that bread from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread I give to the people of this world.” John 6:30-51 CEV

Jesus is our bread, the living bread who gives life.

Do you remember what Jesus did when He ate the Passover dinner with His disciples the night He was arrested?

“…And it came from the Lord himself. He took some bread in his hands. 24 Then after he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this and remember me.'” I Corinthians 11:23-24 CEV

He broke the bread and distributed to it all who were sitting at the table. His sacrifice is for all of us!

We are able to be nourished by living bread when we read and study God’s word.

“ Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him. 67 Jesus then asked his twelve disciples if they also were going to leave him. 68  Simon Peter answered, “Lord, there is no one else that we can go to! Your words give eternal life. 69 We have faith in you, and we are sure that you are God’s Holy One.” John 6:66-69 CEV

So, I will ask you again, are you hungry? Read the Word, it gives us life!

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Adversity on the Road

Jesus is just about to start His public ministry; He has been baptized.

“ While everyone else was being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. Then as he prayed, the sky opened up, 22  and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.” Luke 3:21-22 CEV

The very next thing that happens is Jesus goes alone into the desert on a 40 day fast.

“When Jesus returned from the Jordan River, the power of the Holy Spirit was with him, and the Spirit led him into the desert. 2 For 40 days Jesus was tested by the devil, and during that time he went without eating. When it was all over, he was hungry.

3 The devil said to Jesus, “If you are God’s Son, tell this stone to turn into bread.”

4  Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say, ‘No one can live only on food.’ ” Luke 4:1-4 CEV

What I’ve read and what I’ve been told it this. Within about 3 days the hunger pains go away but when they return it is a sign that the body is depleted, and it will begin to break down vital tissue to stay alive.

Jesus was hungry. He was at his weakest and that’s when the devil intensified the temptation.

“If” you are God’s Son! The temptation was to get Jesus to doubt who He was. If. How many times have we been faced with the temptation to wonder if we are called, if we were good enough, if God loves us.

If.

But listen to Jesus’ response. It is written. The Scriptures say. When we are attacked with life’s ifs, we need to know what the Scripture says.

First the devil attacked His identity, then he attacked Jesus’ humility and finally he attacked His divinity.

“Then the devil led Jesus up to a high place and quickly showed him all the nations on earth. 6 The devil said, “I will give all this power and glory to you. It has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 Just worship me, and you can have it all.”

8  Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’ ” Luke 4:5-8 CEV

This was the temptation that the devil himself couldn’t resist. The Bible tells us that satan said he would place his throne above God’s.

“ For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:” Isaiah 14:13 KJV

Surely, he thought Jesus would fall into the same pit he did, the pit of pride. Not being successful there he pulled out one more temptation that he figured would trip Jesus up. The devil used the very thing Jesus was drawing on for strength, the Scriptures.

“Finally, the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem and had him stand on top of the temple. The devil said, “If you are God’s Son, jump off. 10-11  The Scriptures say:

‘God will tell his angels to take care of you. They will catch you in their arms, and you will not even hurt your feet on the stones.’ ”

12  Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Don’t try to test the Lord your God!’ ”

13 After the devil had finished testing Jesus in every way possible, he left him for a while.” Luke 4:9-13 CEV

Two things insured Jesus’ success against the attacks and temptations of the devil. The Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. God has also given these to us; empowering us to be victorious over all the works of the enemy.

Watch out for the pitfalls on the road. Because of the cross we are victorious!

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THANK YOU!

Thank you for reading faithfully and giving me the opportunity to share God’s word with you each day.

“Whoever can be trusted with small things can also be trusted with big things.” Luke 16:10 ERV

Yesterday marked a milestone!

100,037 reads

45,888 visitors

2,418 posts

408 FB followers

143 blog subscribers

7.5 years of daily postings

Untold number of new friends made, and prayers prayed.

Thank you for deep within my heart.

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Growing A Garden

About this time every year I begin to think about gardening. Where we live now I am unable to plant the gardens I used to. It makes me kind of sad; I so enjoyed watching the plants grow and tending to my flowers.

However, after my Bible reading yesterday I am encouraged to start planting again.

” I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow. 7 What matters isn’t those who planted or watered, but God who made the plants grow. 8 The one who plants is just as important as the one who waters. And each one will be paid for what they do. 9 Apollos and I work together for God, and you are God’s garden and God’s building.” I Corinthians 3:6-9 CEV

This is a different kind of planting. The plants that grow are not the temporal kind that die off each year – no, this is a garden with eternal beauty.

“But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news…28 We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so all of Christ’s followers will grow and become mature.” Colossians 1:23 & 28 CEV

When I was doing a search for an image to use this morning, I found two types of beautiful gardens. The first were images like the beautiful Butchart Gardens in Canada; well-manicured paths, bushes meticulously trimmed, flowers planted in beds of coordinated colors. The second images were more natural, free-flowing, unstructured gardens.

Oh boy, does that ever remind me of the body of Christ.

Some Christians and the churches they attend are formal, their worship is structured and their messages have three points and last no longer than 30 minutes. Then there are others, more free flowing with contemporary worship songs and the Bible teaching is more interactive with those attending. Neither is right or wrong; both serve a purpose in pointing people to Christ.

I imagine that Peter was more like a free-flowing garden, willful and less structured while I see John as the more structured and reserved. Both taught the importance of growing in Christ.

“ Let the gift of undeserved grace and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:18 CEV

“ I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him Who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have power over the devil. I have written to you, young boys and girls, because you have learned to know the Father. ” I John 2:13 CEV

Over the next few days, we will plant seeds in this garden we are called to be. Some of us will be a little more spontaneous in our growth and others will be more deliberate but we will all grow in Christ, bringing glory and honor to Him.

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A Gift of Words

How many words do you think you speak each day? Now, how many words do you think you hear? More importantly, how many words do you think make a significant difference in your life?

There are conversations, dialogue in the movies, weather forecasts, news reports, songs on the radio – words of encouragement, words that are distressing. Words filled with faith and words that create fear.

The Word we have been given at Christmas comes as a gift.

“The Word (Christ) was in the beginning. The Word was with God. The Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 He made all things. Nothing was made without Him making it. 4 Life began by Him. His Life was the Light for men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness. The darkness has never been able to put out the Light.” John 1:1-5 NLV

Christ is the Word that arrived and brought light to our souls. The prophet Isaiah said that His name was Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Immanuel or God with Us.

When the angel came to Mary and told her she had been chosen by God to birth the Messiah this was her response:

“Then Mary said, ‘I am willing to be used of the Lord. Let it happen to me as you have said.’ Then the angel went away from her.” Luke 1:38 NLV

Mary accepted the “Word” that came from God and then became the vessel that God used to bring the “Word” into the world. Not only did God’s word transform Mary’s life, that Word changed the world.

Words are important! God’s words are important but so are ours.

Words are filled with power – power to create or power to destroy. The writer of Proverbs penned it this way:

“A man’s stomach will be filled with the fruit of his mouth. He will be filled with what his lips speak. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:20-21 NLV

When we put our trust in God’s words, it will change our conversation. Mary believed God’s word and the impossible became possible. The lame man who had been let down through the roof of the house believed God’s word and he “took up his bed and walked”.

Jesus said the Word of God is a firm foundation in time of storm. When we build our lives on God’s word, we will stand steadfast, not moved by fear.

Thank you Father that Your Word became flesh and changed our lives. May our words reflect our hope, faith and trust in You!

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Love Letters

Today is rarely, if ever, associated with love. However, I refuse to give away even one day and not focus on the love of God.

Through the years my confidence in God’s word has grown. What was once a hope in the truth of the Scriptures has become a steadfast faith in the infallibility and eternal truth that is only found in God’s word.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35 NLV

God’s word will never fail; love never fails. God’s word is the written expression of His love. He has chosen to share His heart with us in the pages of His word.

Have you ever received a love letter?

I bet you read it more than once. It’s possible that you read it so many times that you nearly had it memorized before the next one came. I don’t think love letters have quite the impact they did years ago. Letter writing was the communication of the day. Not very fast but treasured.

God loves us so much that He took the time to write the most amazing love letter! Reading it over and over again we find new things that we didn’t see the first time and reading it long enough we are impacted by His great love.

“1 I will confess and praise You [O God] with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!
3 In the day when I called, You answered me; and You strengthened me with strength (might and inflexibility to temptation) in my inner self. 4 All the kings of the land shall give You credit and praise You, O Lord, for they have heard of the promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled]…6 For though the Lord is high, yet has He respect to the lowly [bringing them into fellowship with Him]; but the proud and haughty He knows and recognizes [only] at a distance. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, endure forever—forsake not the works of Your own hands.” Psalm 138 AMP

The name of the Lord is to be lifted higher than any other name. The name of God the Father and His Son Jesus are to be honored – that’s why it’s considered “profane” when their names are used in cursing and damning. God is not the damn-er but the blesser.

In verse 2 of this chapter, it also says that God has magnified His Word more than His name. That’s the value that God puts on His Word. In Psalm 107 we read that He sent His word and healed them.

In verse 8, God promises to perfect that “which concerns me”. As a loving father reaches out to help His child, my heavenly Father reaches out to “treat me with kindness”, as one translation says.

Put down the texting, FB and other means of electronic communication today and read the love letter that was written to you! It will warm your heart and change your life.

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