The Word of God

The Word of God

We all know the Word of God (the Bible) is important, right? But do we really? If we were truly convinced, we’d all be reading it each and every day—multiple times a day—and even memorizing it. Why is the Word of God so important?

• It lights our way. Proverbs 6:23

• It is alive and God-breathed. Hebrews 4:12

• It pierces our hearts. Hebrews 4:12

• It judges our innermost thoughts. Hebrews 4:12

• It teaches us. II Timothy 3:16

• It reproves (convicts) us. II Timothy 3:16

• It corrects us. II Timothy 3:16

• It instructs us in righteousness (like the training and teaching of children, cultivation of mind and morals). II Timothy 3:16

• It completes us (with special aptitude for given uses…or training for your special purpose so you finish well). II Timothy 3:17

• It directs our path. Psalm 119:105

• It is pure. Proverbs 30:5

• It stands forever. Isaiah 40:8

• It brings joy to your heart. Jeremiah 15:16

• It is life. Matthew 4:4

• It brings increase. Acts 6:7

• It produces faith. Romans 10:17

• It is the sword of the Spirit. Ephesians 6:17

• It sanctifies. I Timothy 4:5

• It is not bound. II Timothy 2:9

• It is truth. II Timothy 2:15

• It is powerful. Hebrews 4:12

• It created everything. Hebrews 11:3

• It births. I Peter 1:23

• It lives forever. I Peter 1:23

• It can abide in us. I John 2:14

• People die for the Word of God. Revelation 6:9

• It will be fulfilled.  Revelation 17:17

• It is Jesus. Revelation 19:13

• It upholds us. Job 4:4

• It keeps us from stumbling. Job 4:4

• It keeps us from the path of the destroyer. Psalm 17:4

• It cleanses us. Psalm 119;9

• It keeps us from sin. Psalm 119:11

• It strengthens me. Psalm 119:28

• It brings salvation. Psalm 119:41

• It brings hope. Psalm 119:49

• It brings life. Psalm 119:50

• It is settled (taken its stand) in heaven. Psalm 119:89

• It is sweet. Psalm 119:103

• It guides my steps. Psalm 119:105

• It revives me. Psalm 119:107

• It gives light. Psalm 119:130

• It endures forever. Psalm 119:160

• It is treasure. Psalm 119:162

• It is the gospel of salvation. Ephesians 1:13

• It brings freedom. John 8:32

All of this—and so much more!! God’s Word is still alive today. As you read it, it changes you. It literally transforms your life!  It will keep you focused and much less anxious. Don’t know where to go or what to do next?  Read the Word. He’s promised to guide you, light your path and whisper behind you, “Turn left or turn right.”  He’s promised to grow you, expand you, help you, correct you, and bring you into freedom. When we’re not in the Word, we will get off track, fall into sin, and lose our way. 

Read God’s Word daily. It is LIFE!

Heaven’s Currency

Recently, I’ve been praying this: “God, would you please send me heaven’s currency?” I want to see miracles!! I want to see how God provides. I want to be in awe of God.  

Let me tell you about my first miracle since praying this prayer. Andy wanted a garage door opener for our side of the garage.  The one dad had installed was shot.  During the early Amazon Prime Day sales and after much research, I ordered one…a nice one with battery back-up. After it got here, Andy didn’t think he could install it. Knowing an overhead door company would probably want to install their own brand, we decided to send it back. 

I started the process of return and ended up having to chat with an employee. She told me it was non-returnable…but she could issue a refund.  I was told to keep the opener. Free. 

My cousin, Pat, and her husband, David, came to stay on their way to vacation and Andy jokingly asked David if he knew how to install a garage door opener. He did and wanted to help! The guys were both exhausted that night (what a way to start a vacation!) but it was up.  Andy only had to connect the wiring.  

He connected it but the door would only go up about one foot.  He worked and worked on it.  I found a video that this company had put out and it involved a button that needed to be turned. Andy finally called the company and the technician walked him through fixing the problem.  (An issue not covered in the instructions). We now have a garage door opener that works!!

Is this a miracle?  Is it currency from heaven?  You bet it is!!!  A free garage door opener. A cousin willing to work on his vacation. A technician who could problem solve. A husband willing to follow through until a garage door opener worked!  

I love heaven’s currency! My heart is filled with laughter—and I am in awe of God!!

One Choice

One Choice

We are all only one choice away from going the wrong direction. God has established boundaries to protect us. Many people see those boundaries as restrictive and malicious established by a vindictive God. But God knows that the minute you cross his boundary of life, you are in enemy territory and wide open to his attacks which are constant. It’s the enemy’s malevolent plan to destroy you and take you to the pits of hell.  

God wants to protect you from all of that.  Over and over in Proverbs, God tells us that the fear of the Lord (making a choice to listen to and obey Him) is the beginning of wisdom, life, and a good plan. God wants to protect and preserve you. Also in His goodness, He gives each of us a choice to accept or reject His good plan. 

“It’s just one choice,” you might say, “It’s not a big deal!” One choice to go across that line may even seem laughable to you. But that choice leads to another and another. Those bad choices may eventually lead you to addiction, losing your family, losing your livelihood, destruction, and death. It can happen to any of us. 

God is jealous for your choices. He wants to bless you, love you, and give you life now and forever.  Our choices are important. Following Jesus is imperative. Satan is enticing and attacking like I’ve never seen in my 67 years of life.  He.is.relentless.  The only way to overcome is to BE IN THE WORD OF GOD and follow Him!!! His boundaries are full of goodness, love, and life!

We’re only one choice away.  

The Lord is Near

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.” Psalm 145:18

I read this verse yesterday and stopped. What does that even mean—to call on Him in truth? Can we call on Him untruthfully? Is it sincerity of heart? Can we call on Him with expectations in our hearts? Or is it laying everything down in humility?

I began researching and this is the Becky translation:

The Lord is intimate with those who cry out, those who read or recite, those who cry out using the name of God. The Lord is near and intimate with those who cry out to Him in truth—speaking and reciting the truth, ready to receive and give the truth. He’s near to those who come to Him humbly, truly seeking—someone who wants and is desperate for truth! To those…He is near. He is your Kinsman. 

Can you imagine this little sheep being in trouble and crying out? His shepherd is looking for him and comes running with that cry. If the lamb was willfully content and going his own way, he would never cry out. But at that cry, the shepherd comes running. That’s what happens when you cry out in truth. 

The Year of Miracles

 

Before we’d leave on a mission trip to China, Andy would have our team praying for specific things for that year. This particular year, we prayed for miracles. As it turned out, we had very little “ministry money” to take with us. Andy would always budget some ministry money which would allow us to help the people in whatever way was needed. I just remember everything was more expensive that year—airline tickets, the exchange rate, etc.  so our ministry budget was smaller.  

When we got to the airport, Andy told our team about the situation and we all began praying specifically that God would go before us and expand our ministry and our ministry money. We asked to see a real “loaves and fishes” experience where God would multiply our money or that it would never run out.

Andy was meticulous with our record keeping. Every night, after a hard day of ministry, out would come the money bag with our handmade receipts.  We were in a rural area of China and no one gave receipts. In fact, at that time, even large cities didn’t give receipts. Since our church required receipts, we would write down what we spent as our day progressed. And every night, we still had the same amount of money. 

I wish I could remember what all we did to help people that year. It seems like it was the year one of our young girls was in the hospital. And I use that term loosely. Just imagine what our hospitals were like in 1900. This fifteen-year-old girl shared a room with an old man and everyone who came to visit him was smoking in the room. The IV she had was rubber tubing attached to a glass bottle. Food wasn’t served to the patients.  They would remove their own IV and go across the street to get food and wait for a nurse to reattach the IV when they got back. It was shocking! So we would go and buy her food and take it to her. And when we couldn’t go, we would send a local person with the money to take care of her. We paid for her hospital stay which came to about $100.  

Over and over, every single night…Andy would pour the money on our bed and count it and compare it to the receipts…and it never measured up. We always had more money. We would have a team meeting every night and Andy would tell our team how God was supplying for every need.  We were in awe!

I remember on the way home, we encountered another need which required the remaining ministry money. We went home having spent every single penny we’d taken—but our records showed we’d spent about 7X what we’d taken! It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. 

I want to always remember…God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He still multiplies the loaves and fishes.  

Psalm 139

I memorized Psalm 139:23-24 years ago this way: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Here’s what I understood with my black & white thinking: Judge my heart and keep me out of sin.  

I looked up each word in the Blue Letter Bible (original Hebrew) as my sister, Sandra, and I discussed each word. This is the Becky Translation:

I open the door of my heart to you and invite you in for inspection. Examine my heart intimately. Use your power of observation and discern what is there.  Examine, scrutinize, and perceive my disquieting, anxious thoughts (my anxiety) which are troubling me. Consider my sorrow and pain (physical or mental). Take into account my idolatrous ways and the journeys I’ve taken with bad habits. Guide me to you. Forgive me. Restore me. Lead me into an intimate relationship with you which will last forever. 

This interpretation is of a loving father accepting his traumatized child’s invitation to rescue him and lead him into restoration, healing, grace, love, and redemption—and away from trauma, anxiety, pain, sorrow, bad habits, sin and the effects of sin! God exposes lies and reveals truth which brings freedom. The result is a beautiful life which knows no end. 

It will be worth it if you open your heart to God and let him examine it.  

The GOOD Shepherd

Let Him carry you tonight.  

Life is hard. Things are coming too fast. It’s exhausting and overwhelming. It creates anxiety, sadness, and even loneliness. 

But Jesus WANTS to carry you. He will anoint you with His oil to cover you and protect you. He IS peace and wants to fill your heart, mind, and soul with His peace. He wants to comfort you, hold you close, and sing over you. Listen.  Do you hear that song? It’s one of love and meant for your heart alone. He wants you to know He will never abandon you. In fact, he’s been chasing you down! He doesn’t want you doing this hard life alone. He will walk beside you, guiding you, and talking to you. He will also pick you up and carry you when things get too difficult. He wants you to know His voice so you won’t be deceived by the one who wants to destroy you. He is jealous for you! He will lovingly bring you through. Trust him. 

He is for you. He is the GOOD shepherd.