Tag Archives: faithwriters

Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals, Friends, Relationships, Salvation

Name Dropping

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Ever involved in name dropping?

Some believe it is not what you know but who you know.

Do you know the LORD God?

“It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, ‘A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar’ (which is En Gedi). And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said: ‘O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save (2 Chronicles 20:1-9 NKJV).”

Abraham knew the LORD. They were friends.

Knowing God, it is of utmost importance.  

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals, Relationships

Written in Stone

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Remember the popular ‘Que Sera, Sera’ (Whatever will be, will be) by Doris Day?

The classic is a favorite by one of my favorite female singers.

Que Sera, Sera…

Is that the attitude of a fatalist?

Is destiny set in stone?

A strained relationship between King Saul and David unfolds in a dramatic scene. 

The jealous and paranoid King was relentless in his attempts to kill David.

Given the perfect opportunity, to take the life of the mortal enemy, David declines. He would not be victor by vengeance.

Though in a crisis, David was not a fatalist; he was a man of deep faith.

Yet, some things are written in stone. King Saul, in a lucid moment, foretold the reign of David.

Que Sera, Sera.

“So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, ‘Is this your voice, my son David?’ And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David: ‘You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me.  For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Therefore swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.’

So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold (1 Samuel 24:16-22 NKJV).”

 

 

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals, The Church

Abounding in Hope

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In a letter to the church in Rome, Apostle Paul shared words of challenge and encouragement.

“Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.  Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:

‘For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles,
And sing to Your name.’

And again he says:

‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!’

And again:

‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!’

And again, Isaiah says:

‘There shall be a root of Jesse;
And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,
In Him the Gentiles shall hope.’

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:7-13 NKJV).”

Parting words…

Do they fall on deaf ears or sink into receptive hearts?

“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen (Romans 16:25-27 NKJV).”

 

 

 

 

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Christian Growth, Devotionals

Strength & Power

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It goes against logic.

In the natural realm, we deplete our strength.

Our muscles ache after a long day.

When God is our source, we go from strength-to-strength!

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion (Psalm 84:5-7 NKJV).”

I can access His strength and power.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).”

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Spiritually Blind & Bewildered

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Can you see Me now?

I get the message.

Sometimes I am blind to God’s presence and purpose in my life.

LORD, open our eyes.

The self–righteous are blind and bewildered.

“All a man’s ways seem right to him,
but the LORD evaluates the motives (Proverbs 16:2 HCSB).”

What motivates you & me? Is it love for Him and His commandments?

“There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death (Proverbs 16:25 HCSB).”

Will we see Him as sovereign? Why continue blindly down the same dead-end street?

“Hear this,
you foolish and senseless people.
They have eyes, but they don’t see.
They have ears, but they don’t hear (Jeremiah 5:21 HSCB).”

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals, Grief

Big Boys Do Cry

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‘Big boys don’t cry!’

Who told you that?

Big boys and full grown men do cry…

“Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God (1 Samuel 30:1-6 NKJV).”

David, fearless before the giant Goliath shamelessly wept before his men.

His army, often fearless when outnumbered by their enemies wept before their leader.

Mourning turned to rejoicing…

“So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all (1 Samuel 30:18-19 NKJV).”

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Christian Growth, Devotionals

The Rains Fell

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Unless you are a castaway on a deserted island, you are well aware of the devastating flooding damage in my State of Louisiana. I do not make light of the tragedy. Those of us living north of the flooded area have been spared the great loss. Yet, we too have had rain nearly every day during this month of August. Our farmers have been unable to get in fields to harvest their crops.

We have had a different problem.

Our roof had leaks before the raining event. Suddenly, the problems worsened at a rapid rate. As I write, my husband is up on the roof making repairs. We need a trustworthy covering over our heads.

We can trust Jesus to meet our needs of security. He often spoke in parables. The following relates to humanity’s need to build our lives upon a firm foundation. Jesus is the Rock.

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great (Matthew 7:24-27 HCSB)!”

Houses and lives are apt to fall apart in storms. I might add that our roof came close to falling in.

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Christian Growth, Devotionals, Grief, Prayer

Sometimes…

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Sometimes…

We just need His shoulder to cry on.

“My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word (Psalm 119:25-28 NKJV).”

Sometimes…

We just need Him to listen.

“I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul (Psalm 116:1-4 NKJV)!”

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals, Salvation

Grassroots Evangelism

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In this election year, America is called to action.

We are at the proverbial fork in the road. Do we veer to the left, to the right or try to straddle a fence in the median?

Grassroots activists rush to crowded malls; they canvas their precincts and operate telephone banks in efforts to get out the vote. Volunteers are fervent and faithful because they believe in their candidate and hope to persuade you to become a supporter too.

They seek firm commitments with a sense of urgency.

While adults do most of the foot-work, children frequently join them at busy intersections with campaign signs. Teens and young adults distribute pamphlets and share the importance of voter registration. The process works in all levels of government: local, state, and national elections.

It takes money to run a campaign; yet, grassroots action is at the core of our Republic’s government election process. It is tried and true.

Followers of Jesus Christ proclaim Him as the way, the truth and the life. He has commissioned believers to carry His message to every people group… in the midst of sprawling neighborhoods, cities of all sizes, states, and nations.

We can fulfill His Great Commission through grassroots evangelism.

“Then Jesus came near and said to them, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20 HCSB).”

Sheep entrust their well-being into their shepherd’s hands. As followers of Christ, we know we can trust Him to provide consistently and protect persistently. He is blameless in character and worthy to lead.

Jesus is building a kingdom. His church has the privilege and responsibility of recruiting followers (making disciples).

Love is at the root of outreach.

“[I pray that] you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and width, height and depth, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:17b-19 HCSB).”

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Moses Trembled

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He is known for his bold demands; in obedience, he carried God’s message to Pharaoh.

“Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go (Exodus 5:1-2 NKJV).”

Moses knew and revered the LORD that Pharaoh had mocked. Before he met Pharaoh in Egypt, he met with God at a burning bush.

“So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.’ Moreover He said, ‘I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God (Exodus 3:4-6 NKJV).”

In the New Testament, Stephen (before being martyred) told of Moses encounter with God.

“And Moses trembled and dared not look (Acts 7:32b NKJV).”

We worship Holy God. 

Compelled through Moses example, we will approach the LORD reverently.

 

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