They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them a singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. Jeremiah 32:38-41

We hear the word ‘covenant’ fairly often in the church, but don’t often understand the full ramifications of this word. First, we know that a covenant is a promise that is made between to people. The keeping of a covenant is generally dependent upon both parties keeping it – and if one should break it, the other is released from the conditions of the covenant. It’s an if-then promise. If you do these then I will do thus. That was the covenant of the law – if the Israelites kept the law, them God would offer them his hand of protection. We often hear this covenant referred to as the ‘old covenant’ – a conditional covenant.

In Jeremiah 32, God is making a new covenant with his people. It is an unconditional covenant – one that cannot be broken when God’s laws are broken. It is a loving covenant, a gracious covenant, one filled with mercy.

Oh – and by the way, it is a covenant for you. Every promise given to the people of Israel is a promise that is for you today because through Christ you are made one of God’s people. Listen to what 1 Peter 2:9 says about you: “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. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

So in light of this, let’s look at what God promises in his new covenant:

He promises so give us a singleness of heart and action. God places the desire to know him in you. As the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) he goes even further than that – he provides his Holy Spirit as a deposit – a way of securing his promise to us – and a means of knowing him more.

He promises – through that Holy Spirit – to create in us a fear of him so that we might never turn away. Now, remember two things. First, a fear of God is an awe and reverence of God – it is a fear that leads not to trembling, but to worship. It is this fear of God – in knowing how Holy and loving he is – that keeps us from turning from him. And secondly, Notice that in Isaiah 11:2 says that the Holy Spirit that rested on Christ was a Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord – and that Christ delighted in the fear of the Lord – it is a fear that creates delight.

He promises that the fear he creates in for our good and for the good of our children – and that he will never stop doing good for us. Here’s a question for you – anyone out there felt lately that what God was doing or allowing in your life was anything but good? It certainly can feel that way – often. But what he is doing is refining you – creating in you a faith that perseveres. We know that he MUST be doing good for us no matter what we feel because it is part of his covenant promise – and he says he works all things for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28). That persevering faith is an unshakable faith – James says that perseverance must finish its work so that we are mature and complete. What God is doing right now in your life has eternal consequences. It is here that God creates a singleness of heart for him. [I feel like I need to add a little side note here – what God is allowing into your life that might be painful right now might very well be the natural consequences of your own choices – God doesn’t promise to remove consequences of our choices or to remove pain – but he’ll use those also – just something to think about.]

Lastly, God promises to plant us in the land with all his heart and soul. Wow friends – a promise made by God when he says he will do it with all his heart and soul is a HUGE promise – because God has an amazingly huge, holy, and loving heart. So if he says he will do it – he will. What is this land? It is the land of restoration, it is the land of rest, it is a land of celebration, it is a land of promises fulfilled. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? Well, it is! But we don’t have to wait for heaven to experience God’s restoration, his rest, his promises, or to celebrate his faithfulness. The Kingdom of God came down to earth through Jesus Christ – and so while we wait and hold on to the ultimate promised land, watch and see what promises lands Christ will lead you to as you walk this earth.

My New Year's prayer for you is this – that God would continue to build you – that he would create singleness of heart and action for and towards Him. I pray that you will come to know God in a way that increases your fear of him so that you delight in fearing him so much that you will never turn away. I pray that you will share with your families and your children that same fear of God, and that he would create a singleness of heart and action in all those you love. I pray that you will know and trust that God is doing good for you – that his promises are not conditional and that you do not have to work to receive his good or to be planted in the land. I pray that you will accept his full measure of grace and mercy for you, walk in his ways, and experience the Kingdom of God while you walk the earth.

God’s blessings to you, my friends, in the coming year!

Today's blog was posted by Carol Bartels

Jesus is Praying for You!

Jesus prayed for you. He prayed for His disciples (John 17:6-19) and for all believers (John 17: 20-26). It is my hope that you count yourself as one of his disciples - that not only are you a believer, but you are one who feels called to spread the love and knowledge of the only true God to all those you come in contact with. I encourage you to read all of what Jesus prayed, but for now, let's focus in on our verse for the day:

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. - John 17:15-17

There are several things t0 point out here. First, Jesus knew that there was evil in the world, yet he says he wants his disciples to remain there. Why is that? It is because he has work for us in the world, and wants us to remain here until our work is done. Do you believe that God has a specific purpose for you - even for this day? He has someone today that he wants you to speak words of God to, or to whom you are to show his love. He might have someone to whom he wants you to speak a bold Gospel message.

So my first question is are you willing? Don't miss the opportunity - you will be blessed beyond measure. That is not to say that if you don't, he can't or won't find someone else who can - but there is a reason he is giving you the opportunity, so don't miss out - walk in faith, be obedient, receive blessing. Here's a good way to be certain you see and take the opportunity. Start with a prayer asking God to give you spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear what he has for you this day. Ask him to show him who you are to love for him today. Then keep you eyes and ears open. Be aware that certain people will be in your path today for a reason. Ask God for a Spirit of power and boldness and for the right words to speak - he will be faithful to lead your entire encounter with this person. And remember that you are a seed planter - you may not get to see the harvest, but be encouraged and confident that you have answer God's purpose for you in the world this day. And be ready, because he may have more for you to do - and he certainly will tomorrow. This is a prayer and process that can and should occur every day in the life of a disciple.

Now, the second thing we need to see is that God can and will protect you from the evil one - but there are safe guards you can pray into place. First, pray a shield of protection around yourself. Proverbs 2:7-8 says that "He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones." Approach the throne with confidence, knowing he will provide this in our time of need - because Christ also walked the earth - he has been tempted in every way, and will provide help in our time of need (Hebrews 4:15-17). And don't let the evil one convince you that you are not blameless or faithful and that you have no right to ask for the shield of protection - because he is the father of lies and he will try.

And because we live in the world with the father of lies, Christ also prayed that we would be sanctified with the truth - he knew we would need truth. The source, he says, is the word of God. Here is what I love - if you have been participating in our challenge this month to be in the word, then you are allowing God to fill you and sanctify you with the truth. We must have God's truth in front of us every day. If not, from where do we get truth? Be assured, that if it is not God's truth you are seeking and believing and planting every day, the worlds truth will find its way into your heart. Will you continue to allow God to sanctify you with truth? As him to honor your efforts to seek truth and to help you continue.

I pray that you will continue on with us into the New Year. Our challenge will be to read through the Bible together in the next year. Will you join us? I encourage you to begin praying about it today - ask God if he is leading you to this and if he would strengthen you to remain commited to this. I look forward to doing this in our community of believers where we can spur one another on, hold one another accountable, and pray for one another.

One last thought - not only do you have the power of your own prayers and the prayers of other believers as you remain in the world, but the Holy Spirit and Jesus himself are also interceding for you this day and every day (Romans 8:26--27; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). So amazing is the love and provision of our Holy God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

How can we intercede for you this day?

Today's blog was posted by Carol Bartels

No needs for this day

I posted this once - it didn't work. I had to rewrite it and try again, so if you get two posts with two different versions, that's what happened!

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. Matthew 6:33-34

I love The Message translation of this scripture - put into the language of today, it makes it so clear:

Steep your live in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You will find all your everyday human concerns will be met. "Give your entire attentions to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up over what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

The question that comes to mind is this -Are you measuring your God by your circumstances, or your circumstances by your God. See, God isn't limited by your circumstances - nor the extent of his work in your life contained only to what you can see. But so often we start looking at what is in front of us, we fail to look up, and the results are at best a day filled with worries about our life.

However, God's word to us is this - view your circumstances not by what you see in front of you right now, but through the lens of God reality - a God who is able to do more than we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). A God who is not a God of possibilities, but impossibilities. A God who made the heavens and the earth by his great power and outstretched are. Nothing is too hard for him (Jeremiah 32:17).

View your circumstances not through what you can do with your human hands, but what God can and already is doing - for our Father knows what we need before we ask him (Matt. 6:8) and is already working on your behalf. A God who already knows the plans he has for you (Jer. 29:11).

View your circumstances not through what you are able to provides, by through God-provision - who even clothes the lilies with splendor. A God who is faithful to all his promises and loving towards all he has made - who gives all their food at the proper time - who opens up his hands and satisifies the desires of every living thing (Psalm 145:13-16).

My friends, God loves to provide for you. He loves to enter into your circumstances in ways you would not expect and in ways that are beyond what we can imagine. He loves to give us all - from the most basic needs to luxurious blessings. He loves to do this for us when we step out in faith because it brings him glory.

But here's the thing - he wants us to believe he will do it. Sarah Young, author of the devotional, had this to say today - "What U an able to accomplish for and through you is directly proportional to how much you depend on Me." It is not that he can't when we don't depend, it's that often time we don't let him fix our circumstances because we are trying to do it ourselves. Or we don't pay attention to what God might be doing right now, so we miss that he is providing.

God not only wants to provide, but he wants us to know he has provided, praise him for the provision, and to give glory to his name. He doesn't want to do the work and have yourself pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Isaiah 42:8 says, "I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols." It is his great pleasure to provide and to receive the glory due his name.

I leave you with this last word - again from Sara Young - "God's plan is unfolding before you. Sometimes the road you are traveling seems blocked, or it opens up so painfully slowly that you must hold yourself back. Then, when the time is right, the way before you suddenly clears - through no effort of your own. What you have longed for and worked for I present to you freely, as pure gift. You will feel awed by the ease with which I operate in the world, and you glimpse My power and My glory."

Look around and see what God is doing - he will do something in your time that you would not believe - don't miss it! And share his glory with all those around you for the work that he has done. In fact, share some praise right now by telling us of a time when God clearly stepped into your circumstances.

Today's blog was posted by Carol Bartels

How Clean Is Your Temple?

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all from the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

It is interesting that this is the particular scripture for this day - because it is one I've been praying over the last week. I want to honor God with my body, and so I've been praying that he would show me the way. Let me share a little about why this is my prayer.

I struggle a lot with my body image and my weight - it has been a strong hold for me. There's a whole story behind it, and I'd be happy to share it if you asked, because God has worked amazing things in me and a whole lot of healing. But it is an area that I have to be careful in because Satan tries hard to work on me there.

Part of my healing came from several realizations - one being that nothing can fill me outside of God himself. So no matter what I eat, I will never be full. The second was that no one can make me feel significant no matter how I look outside of God himself. The third was that when my body is the way God designed it to be and when I am honoring God with it, I serve him better. I don't want my own battles with is in my mind to stop me from serving God to the fullest - and so I often times ask God to show me the way so that I am healthy and serving him fully.

As a Christian Counselor, I am a big believer in a body, mind, spirit connection. And so we must be careful - with the help of God - to make certain we are healthy in each area to experience total health. Perhaps the following examples will help you understand why.

Let's start by looking at the context of the verse above - Paul was specifically addressing those who were involved in sexual sin. So how does sexual sin affect spirit, mind, body? Goodness, there are so many ways. It is possible to actually become sin sick. Not to mention the related diseases. Spiritually, when one is walking in willful sin, it is impossible to be close to God and not feel the conviction - so the choice is to ingore God or run from him. In addition, depending on which you are - male or female, being invovled in sexual sin has the ability to occupy the mind with images and thoughts that certainly are not of God or lead to heart break at the end of the relationship. That's just the short list.

But Paul says whatever you do in your body, do it to honor God. For example, if you over-eat, you harm your self esteem, your health, your ability to have the energy to serve God in way he may be calling you to. The mind body connection is evident. I know many who hide behind their weight and many who hide because of their weight. Go the other direction, and your are causing the same affects, just in a different way - and your mind is filled with thoughts of things that are not of God or from God.

Even the way you rest affects the mind, body, spirit connection. We are called to rest - because our bodies were designed to do so. No rest equals no energy. No rest equals sickness. No rest equals a tired mind that is left unprotected from the thoughts Satan might plant there. I know for me, when I am most tired is when I am most easily attacked.

So there's just a brief look at the mind, body, spirit connection. It is for good reason that Paul tells us to honor God with our bodies. But how do we get there? Might I suggest to things? The first is to pray and ask God to reveal to you ways in which you are not honoring him. The second is then to pray and ask hime to show you the way to honor him. He will - I promise you that. See, he understands the difficulty. He is faithful to not allow us to be tempted beyond what we (with his help) can handle (1 Cor. 10:13). In addition, he knows because he has walked where we walk - literally. He has been tempted in every way, just as we are, and promises that when we ask for his help, he will help us (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Let me end with just one thought - because I know how easy it is to justify the choices we are making - when you participate in things that are not honoring God with your body, consider this. God is in you at that time if you have accepted him as your Savior. Your body is his temple. Just think for a minute how this God who sacrificed so much for you is dishonored when, while he is in you, you continue to participate in the things you are doing with your body. Eek - pretty convicting I would say. Makes one think twice. Bottom line - I want my temple clean, not defiled. How about you?

What commitments are you making to honor God with your body? Feel free to share - and we'd be happy to come beside you in this effort or pray for you.

High Places

Habakkuk 3:17-19
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
18 Yet I will exult in the LORD.
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds' feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.
For the choir director, on my stringed instruments

When Habakkuk prayed these verses in chapter 3, he was in the middle of some pretty scary times. The vision God gave to him was an ugly picture of the violent destruction of Jerusalem. A picture that caused Habakkuk’s inward parts to tremble (3:16).

Verse 17 clearly shows that the people of Jeruselem will suffer and that there will be desolation in the land – nothing will grow in the fields, no food, no cattle. I don’t know about you, but me…I’m flippin’ out if I have to skip breakfast (it is the most important meal of the day). But Habakkuk - his country’s entire food supply is about to be wiped out and in verse 18, he is jumping for joy. It says he rejoices in the God of his salvation. He doesn’t question God, he doesn’t get mad at God, he doesn’t begrudgingly accept God’s plan. He rejoices.

How can he do such a thing? He can rejoice because God has given him hinds’ feet. A hind is a female red deer that lives in the mountains. God, in his perfect and infinite wisdom, knew when he created the hind, that if it were going to survive in the treacherous terrain of the mountains, it would need to be sure footed. So God equipped the hind with the ability to place the rear feet in exactly the same location as that of where the front feet have just been. This allows the deer to run and jump from rock to rock, easily navigating the rough terrain of the mountains. Habakkuk was definitely living in a rough terrain, but in an amazing display of faith, he rejoices in the knowledge that the Lord is his strength and that the Lord has equipped him with hind’s feet to navigate the rough terrain of his high places.

Notice in verse 19, Habakkuk writes that God makes him walk on “my high places”. High places can be pretty scary for a lot of people. When I climbed Half Dome in Yosemite, it was a 12 hour, 16 mile hike round trip with about a 4800 feet elevation gain. The last 400 foot stretch of the hike is the most treacherous. It requires that you pull yourself up to the top using cables. Many hikers journey to the base of the half dome peak and turn around in fear. They miss out on the most amazing part of the hike – the highest place. The view from the top makes the grueling 16 mile hike all worth it. Snow topped peaks, green forests, roaring waterfalls - I could see the beauty of God’s creation for miles. It was definitely challenging and my heart was beating pretty fast in some of the more treacherous parts of the hike. But when I got to the top…Wow…I was awestruck.

Did you know that God has a “high place” for each and every one of us. The journey at times might be challenging and treacherous, but it’s also a place that we are fully equipped to navigate. It’s the place where you were created to live. It’s the place where you glorify the Lord and walk in obedience even when it gets tough. It’s the place where you fulfill the specific purpose for which God created you and what is more beautiful than fulfilling your individual purpose? And what is more beautiful than a life eternal with God our Father in heaven?

My prayer for all of us, is that as God leads us to our next high place, that we will not turn around in fear. That we will follow obediently and rejoice in the knowledge that He is our strength and that he has equipped us for the journey. That we will rejoice in our God who reigns and watch in awe as He fulfills His plan for our salvation

Has God recently led you to a “high place”? What was your response?

Todays post was submitted by Kelly Coxe

The Greatest Man of Faith

"The Sprit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord - and he will delight in the fear of the Lord." Isaiah 11:2

I am sharing this word with you because it has been on my heart for two days. I woke up thinking about it this morning, and about how the very same Spirit lives in us when we accept Christ. And then I read the verse for today - and was pretty certain there was a reason this was on my heart. The above scripture is from yesterday. When I put our calendar of scripture readings together, I didn't go about it very purposely when it came to the order because I was in a hurry (unfortunately) - I just used verses that had touched my life or faith in the past. And I said a little prayer and asked that Spirit would help me put it together in such a way that would accomplish his purpose and he was so faithful in that - he is, after all, the God who has faithfulness around the sash of his waist (Is. 11:5) - the one who is called faithful and true (Rev. 19:11).

See, yesterday's word speaks of the Spirit of God that rested on Christ. By God's plan, today's work speaks of the Spirit of God that is in us. Here it is:

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in youm he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to you mortal bodies through the Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 8:11

That is the word that was on my heart when I woke up this morning. Because here is what I've been thinking about. There are many people who come to mind when the question, "Who was the greatest man of faith that ever lived?" is asked. Perhaps you think of Moses or Abraham. For some of us Paul might come to mind. Or maybe St. Augustine, Martin Luther, or even Billy Graham. But I would argue this - I believe that the greatest man of faith was Jesus Christ.

Here's what I'm thinking - we often don't consider Christ to be a man of faith, perhaps, because how hard is it to have faith in God when you are God. However, most Biblical scholars and theologians would agree that while Christ was on the earth, he did not use his powers of God but rather relied upon and totally operated by the power he received from the Holy Spirit through constant communion and communication with the Father. It had to be that way, after all, for him to be fully man.

So by God's design, Christ became a man - but a man who operated on the powers of the Holy Spirit. His faith should be our guide, our model, our perfect example of what it means to live according to our faith. In fact, Hebrews 12:2 says that we should fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Read this verse carefully, because that doesn't mean that Jesus is responsible for the growth of our faith - although he loves to do that when we ask Him and participate. Rather, my study notes in my Bible say, and I whole-heartedly agree, that this scripture refers to Christ as the "one who went ahead of all believers in their faith and the supreme model for their faith." So let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the one who models for us what it means to walk with a faith that perservers.

What did Jesus' faith-walk look like? Here are what I believe to be the key parts of His faith that we can and should model:

An intimate knowledge of the Father
It starts here. Jesus Christ knew the Father well. He knew that he was a Holy God, a Father perfect in love, a Father with a perfect plan the was encouched in his Holiness and Love. A Father that had the power to carry out his plan. A Father that was faithful to his purposes and promise. And so he walked a faith of perseverance, knowing that God would work out, with love and holiness, his perfect plan. It was through his knowledge of the faither that he was able to walk in obedience to the cross - because he knew and trusted God's plan and promises. And we also, can have this knowledge of God. His word is the full revelation of who God is - but we have to know God's word and take him at it. I walk in faith, we must walk in the knowledge of God available in his word. Without it, we have nothing on which to build our faith and our trust.

Constant Communication with the Father

Jesus spent his entire ministry in communication with the Father. At the beginning of his ministry - at his baptism - he was praying when the heavens opened and we was annointed with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:21-22). We don't know what he prayed, but I'd be willing to bet he prayed for an annointed of the Holy Spirit. We also, can pray for that annointing. In fact, we can (I do) pray Isaiah 11:2 over ourselves every day. I don't know about you, but I don't want to go out into my day without the Spirit resting on me - because don't forget that according to Romans 8:11 we have that same Spirit in us!

Jesus got away and spent time alone in prayer with the Father - and so we should also. Check out Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Mark 6:46, and Luke 5:15 for examples. It is in this undisturbed quietness that are souls are best able to hear from God - because he often times will speak to us through a gentle whisper (1 Kings19:12).

Jesus prayed when making decisions. Before choosing his apostles, Jesus went to be alone and prayed through the night - Luke 6:12.

Jesus prayed for others. When he knew Peter would deny him he states that he prayed for him (Luke 22:32). He prayed for you - and all believers (John 17).

Jesus prayed with confidence. At the tomb of Lazarus Jesus looks up and thanks God for hearing him. He then adds that he knows that he always hears him but has said that for the benefit of those listening, so they might believe He was sent by God John 11:41-43). We also can pray with the same confidence when we pray in the name of Jesus (1 John 5:14)

Jesus prayed in obedience - with a heart submitted to the will of the Father.
In his greatest hour of need - when facing the toughest part of his purpose and ministry, Jesus was on his knees. He knew that God could stop him from having to suffer - but he also submitted to the will of the Father Matthew 26:36-46). He is a picture of unquestioning submission and perfect obedience - empowered by the Holy Spirit through communion with the Father to carry out the purposes of God. And so we can be also by following the example of Christ - we can pray that God would conform our will to his will and our desires to his desires.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit

This is the last element of Christ's faith that we can and should model. Romans 8:11 says that the same Spirit that Christ was annointed with is also in us. Do we operate according to that power? We should and we can! If we look to the example of Jesus and model our faith after him, we have access to that same power. We must know the Father, trust the Father, pray to the Father, and ask for him to pour out his Spirit into our lives, into our faith, into our work! Pursue it, my friends - ask God to build into you the faith of Jesus Christ. Ask God to pour out the same power that raise Christ from the dead into your lives. And you will have the indescribable, incomparable power promised for all who believe!

Today's blog was posted by Carol Bartels

A Perfect Gift

Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Ahhhh…Christmas time…the season of giving! In this season of giving, I have a confession to make. I watch the show The Big Bang Theory. It’s not my fault really. Somebody (who will remain unnamed) has been DVR-ing it and now I’m hooked. It might be a rerun, but on a recent episode, Penny shows up at her neighbors’ apartment with Christmas gifts for Sheldon and Leonard. Sheldon is annoyed to say the least. You see, according to Sheldon, the “foundation of gift giving is reciprocity”. “You haven’t given me a gift,” Sheldon says, “You’ve given me an obligation”. Although Penny insists that Sheldon doesn’t have to give her a gift, Sheldon feels obligated to purchase a “gift of commensurate value and representing the same perceived level of friendship as that represented by the gift you’ve given me”. Sheldon heads to the mall and struggles to find just the proper gift of appropriate size and value. Since he has no idea what Penny has gotten him, he buys many gifts of various values. The plan is to open her gift first and then reciprocate with a gift of similar value.

Luckily for us, when God gives us a gift, it isn’t on a foundation of reciprocity. It is on a foundation of love, forgiveness, and grace. Romans 6:23 says “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. This is the free gift Isaiah prophesied about almost 700 years before the birth of Christ - “To us a child is born, to us a son is given”…the most perfect and priceless gift. We could never reciprocate with a gift of similar value and our Lord does not expect us too. Ephesians 2:8 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast”. This gift Isaiah spoke of was given to us and all we must do is accept it. Romans 10:9-10 says “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved”. This precious and priceless gift of Jesus Christ - Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…we could never repay our Lord our God.

Back to our episode of The Big Bang Theory. You might be amazed at how Chuck Lorre captured the essence of Christmas in a sitcom entitled The Big Bang Theory. In the end, Penny gives Sheldon a gift that is priceless. Sheldon could never match the value of the gift even if he gives her all of the gifts he purchased. Instead, he does something extraordinary…something way outside of his comfort zone. He gives her a hug...he shows her love…which is exactly what God wants from us (Matthew 22:36-40). On this Christmas Eve, if you haven’t accepted this free gift, don’t let another day pass by. God is standing before you with his hand stretched out holding a gift that outshines the most beautifully wrapped box under ANY tree. It’s a gift of love and forgiveness and eternal life. If you have never accepted it, just pray this prayer…

Father God, I confess that I am a sinner, and I am sorry. I know that because of this sin, I need a Savior. I believe you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for me, to be my Savior. I believe He arose to live as my Lord. I desire to turn from my life of sin and give my life to you. I ask You, Lord Jesus, to forgive my sin and come into my heart as my Savior and my Lord. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

If you have already accepted that precious gift, take some time to celebrate His amazing and everlasting love for you! Merry Christmas to all my friends!

Today's post is submitted by Kelly Coxe

He's Got it

Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God”

He is a Mighty God isn’t He? But do you think we will ever really grasp just how Amazing, how Awesome, how Big our CREATOR really is? NOTHING is impossible with Him. I just can’t really fully wrap my head around it. In comparison, we are just these litty, bitty, teeny, tiny specks in this massive universe.

This video puts it into perspective a little bit: http://www.crazylovebook.com/videos_awe.html

He created all of that! But that’s just the beginning…not only is He our Creator, He is The Lord who provides, the Lord who Heals, The Lord our Banner on the battlefield, the Lord who sanctifies, the Lord our Peace, our Shepherd, our Judge, our Righteousness, the Lord of Hosts, the Mighty One, The God who sees, our Deliverer, our Redeemer, our Shield, our Strength, our Rock, our Wonderful Counselor, God of the Covenants, our King, our Father, our First and Last, the Highest, our Savior, The Branch, the Holy one, The Word, El Shaddai – God Almighty.

So, my point is…He created everything and He IS everything. Everything we need Him to be and more. Nothing is impossible with Him. So whatever it is that you are longing for as we approach the New Year. Whatever it is that ties your stomach up in knots of worry. Whatever it is that makes you go day after day in a fog of despair. Whatever it is that keeps you up at night, or makes you cry yourself to sleep. Whatever it is that makes you drink yourself silly so you can forget. Whatever it is that won’t let you sit quietly with yourself. Whatever it is that makes you fly off the handle. Whatever it is…He’s got it. One way or another, sooner or later, in His perfect way…He’s got it. He is orchestrating the details behind the scenes of your life. He’s working for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Leave it with Him as you enter the New Year. Nothing is impossible with Him. Rest in that knowledge.

Today's blog is posted by Kelly Coxe

A Foundation of Faith

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Pleasing God through our works is impossible. We could never do enough, be enough, or give enough to please God. Proverbs 3:3-4 says “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” Love and faithfulness – that is what pleases God. The Bible is full of examples of ordinary people who are obedient to God’s calling and they all have one thing in common - Faith. Obedience is the result of faith (Romans 1:5). Without faith we have no reason to be obedient. If we don’t believe that God is who He says He is, or that He will do what He says He will do (Beth Moore), why bother walking in obedience? 1 John 5:3 says “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome”. So in order to love God and obey his commands, we must first have faith in Him.

Consider Mary, who because of her faith and obedience was blessed with the honor of giving birth to our Savior. Consider Queen Esther, who in faith approached the king to plead for her people, even though doing so without permission could result in death. Her people were saved from annihilation. Consider Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who in faith, would not bow down to the gods of Nebuchadnezzar. They were rescued from the fiery furnace. Faith was their foundation. God rewarded each of them and He will reward you for yours as well.

Feeling a little weak in the faith? Take the example of the father who brought his son to Jesus for healing in Mark chapter 9:21-24: Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” In a moment of sheer and utter honesty, the father admits his doubt and begs for help in overcoming his unbelief. We to, can do the same. We can pray that God will build our faith that we might honor and glorify our Father and His Son. We can pray that God will help us overcome our unbelief so that God can perform in our lives like he performed in the lives of Esther, Mary and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. THIS is a prayer that He LOVES to answer.

Todays post was submitted by Kelly Coxe

What If?

Hebrews 10:35-36 "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised".

At the time the book of Hebrews was written, persecution was intense. Many Jewish believers had cast aside the ordinances of the law and had stepped out in faith to embrace the gospel. Imagine how scary that must have been. There must have been a lot of doubt…a lot of “What Ifs”...What if I’m wrong, what if Jesus isn’t the Messiah, what if I should be continuing to give blood sacrifice, what if I still need a priest to intercede for me, what if the old covenant wasn’t replaced by the new covenant? This doubt must have caused some to throw out their confidence in the new covenant. In our verses today, the Jewish believers were encouraged to hold on to their confidence. In the midst of this persecution, they could be confident that when they patiently endured in the will of God, they would enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb 10:19).

Whether it’s the doubt in the promise of the new covenant or doubt in our purpose & calling, Satan loves to use this weapon against believers. Like a candlesnuffer smothers a flame, so does doubt extinguish our light that reflects the Radiant One. Matthew 5:16 says “Let your Light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven”. If our light is extinguished, we do not fulfill our purpose, which is to glorify our Father. He has a specific plan as to how each of us will individually fulfill our purpose and Satan will do what he can to prevent us from doing so.

Doubt hinders our ability to do the will of God in countless ways, but we’ll look at three ways here today:

Doubt prevents us from seeking a relationship with God which prevents us from seeking the will of God. This type of doubt includes “how could God want a relationship with a sinner like me” Yes, Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, but Romans 5:8 says “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. He created a plan for redemption so that we could have a relationship with Him. And John 14:26 says “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. He sent the Holy Spirit so that we could have a relationship with Him.

Doubt plants fear in our ability to carry out God’s will. These doubts include “What if I’m not good, righteous smart, pretty, talented, rich, (insert adjective here); enough to do what God has planned”. But Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. And Corinthians 3:5-6 says “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant…” So whenever those doubts arise, we must remind ourselves that we are God’s masterpiece and that He has made us competent. How can we fail with competencies that come from God?

Doubt causes us to question our ability to discern the voice of God. These doubts include I’m not holy enough, wise enough, close enough, etc…to hear or understand the voice of God. Fortunately, we have the Word of God and any doubts we have about the voice of God can be filtered through what we learn about the character of God through the Word of God. Philippians 2:13 says it is "God who is at work in you both to will an dto work for His good pleasure". God will make sure that He reveals His will to us. He will let us know if we are stepping outside of His will. If we get to know God, we will get to know his voice and his will for us.

Satan uses doubt as a weapon with me all the time. In fact in writing these blog posts, I often struggle with doubt. It creeps in and next thing you know my finger is on the backspace key and I’m starting over. After many breaks for prayer and refocusing, by the grace of God, I get some words down. “Doubt” is why it’s this late and I’m just now posting this. But, I firmly believe that is why God has me here - to learn to snuff out doubt instead of letting it snuff out His light inside of me…to build an amazing confidence so that I might fulfill my individual purpose that will let His light shine through me in amazing ways!

So my friends, I ask you…in what ways does Satan use doubt with you? Does doubt lead you to make bad decisions that hinder your ability to let your light shine? Does it hinder your relationship with God? Does it cause you to heed ungodly counsel? Does it cause you to hide behind your insecurities? Are you working to build your confidence in His abilities and His promises through prayer and Bible Study?

Todays blog was posted by Kelly Coxe - sorry so late! :)

A Quiet Confidence

This is a two-for-one special again - because today's reading and tomorrow's reading fit so well together. Also - I would like to include an invitation for you to join us in prayer before class tomorrow. We will meet in the loby and WWV and then head back to the little classroom that is next to the old Bridge room - hope you will join us!

The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. - Isaiah 32:17

When we take on the righteousness of Christ, we receive much, much more than saving grace. Indeed, God intended the Christian life to be rich and abundant - not just an escape from fire. Isaiah tells us that peace should be a fruit of righteousness - and along with that peace, we be quiet and confident, knowing that our perfectly loving God offers us every promise in his word.
But we have to know our God, and we have to know his word in order to place our confidence firmly on God. If we don't know God well, we tend to feel as though our own actions are a little be more effective, and we miss out on the full implications of what Christ has come to offer us.

Hebrews says that we are able to approach the throne of grace with confidence. Matthew 6 has a lot to say about this - vs. 8 says that our father knows what we need before we ask; vs. 33 says that if we seek God's kingdom and his righteousness, we will have everything that we need - therefore do not worry. Matthew 7:10 promises that our father will give us good gifts. Proverbs 2:7-8 says he is our shield and a protection for the righteous. Psalm 145 says that he fulfills the desires of those he loves, that he hears their cry and rescues, that he watches over us.

That is just a very, very short beginning of a list of all God promises to us when we accept his righteousness. If you feel like you have not been walking in that peace - in the quietness and confidence of Christ, then Isaiah 30:15 gives us simple instructions of how we can begin today:

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength."

That's it - it is that simple. However, if we are to be honest with one another, when life get's a little uncertain, we often tend to do what vs. 16-17 describe. Instead of repenting and resting - being quiet before God and trusting that he will provide all we need to fight our battles, we act in desperation and we act on our own. We run away, or we run around trying to work things out in our own efforts. We worry, we become desperate, we become exhausted.

But God simple calls out to us and says repent, rest. Tell God that you haven't fully trusted him. Tell him that you desire to put full confidence in his unfailing love - and then ask him to help you and to show you the way. And my precious brothers and sisters, God is SO faithful to do just that. He absolutely is the God of perfect timing, perfect and loving compassion, strength and power. He is a God who is who he says he is and will do what he says he will do. Isaiah 30:18 says this about that God that we serve:

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait on him!

God is waiting - waiting for you to wait on him and allow him to be gracious and compassionate. In every way - in every day. Will you accept what he has to offer and live the life of quiet confidence?

For further study:

Check out the book of Daniel for good examples of quiet confidence. Daniel 3 tells the story of the fiery furnace and chapter 6 tells of Daniel in the Lions den. These men where absolutely confident that God would rescue them. How were they able to be so confident. What things did they do and or have in their lives that helping them rest in this way?

Good Advice

He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. – Isaiah 33:6

We live in a world that is filled with uncertainty – especially in these troubling economic times – things that we often put our reliance on have been found to be a shakable foundation. Many have lost jobs, lost investments, lost business…and given the past year, it is certainly difficult to predict what the coming year might bring.

I read an article in the Houston Chronicle back in August that reported many people were seeking the advice of psychics as they tried to plan their approach to their financial future. Hopefully most of us see the foolishness in advice-seeking of this sort. However, more often then I think we realize, we go to outside sources that we feel are reliable for all types of advice or wisdom. Perhaps the source is a parent, a friend, a mentor, an expert or specialist in a certain field, or even books. Now certainly seeking advice from these more reliable sources isn’t wrong, but we may be ignoring a better source.

That better source is the perfect in wisdom – he promises to lead us in the way we should go. That source, of course, is our Holy God – but unfortunately he is often our last resort rather than first refuge. Isaiah calls the coming Messiah a rich store of salvation, but also of wisdom and knowledge – and gives us a simple formula for accessing that rich store – the simple fear of the Lord.

What does it means to fear the Lord and why is it the key to the storehouse? I’m sure there are many definitions and opinions on what it means to fear the Lord. But, I’m going to throw out my own. I believe that fearing the Lord is honor, fear, reverence, worship and submission to a Holy God because of his power, perfection, and love. He is a God who is worthy – a ‘God of kept promises, unwavering protection, sustained life, and supreme justice. To every situation He administers perfect knowledge, counsel and remedy. He has never failed, He will never fail, He can never fail’ (John Duncan – Ligonier Ministries). And when we place ourselves in the proper position of fearing God, we allow him to pour all of those qualities into our lives.

Which will you seek? Good advice or God advice? I challenge you the next time you ‘just really need to talk to someone’ about whatever challenge or decision you are facing that you first seek God and allow His word and His Spirit to be your first source of wisdom and knowledge. You will be amazed at what he will show you.

If you want to join in the discussion, I’d love to hear stories of how you have seen evidence of God’s wisdom and knowledge in your life.

And….I have another incredible word of God that can be plagiarized into a prayer – it is one I say everyday – because God promises the same Spirit that rested on Christ is in us – and I want everything that Spirit has to offer! So I pray Isaiah 11:3 over myself – and I pray this word over you today:

I pray that the Spirit of the Lord will rest of you – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord – and that you will delight in the fear of the Lord.

Transformation

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this word, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will. – Romans 12:2

It is so easy to become conformed to the patterns of the word – after all, we live in it, interact with people from it, and have the messages of the world in front of us constantly. So it is not surprising how easily we live according to the standards of the world and think according to the wisdom of the world. Examples of areas where this is especially prevalent in the lives of Christians is in the area of money – so often we spend and save according to the world’s economy, and in the area of relationships – notice that the divorce rate among Christians is no different from that of the world.

So what do we do about it? We are commanded to not be conformed, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. There are a couple things points worth visiting here. First – the verb tense connected to “be transformed” indicates that it is an on-going process. Secondly, notice it does not say ‘transform yourself’, but rather ‘be transformed’. This would indicate that we are not responsible for the transformation ourselves. In addition, it says that we are transformed by ‘the renewing of your minds’. Again – it does not say ‘renew your minds’. This would indicate that our minds are being renewed by something beyond ourselves.

Reminds me of the Transformer toys – they have the ability to be transformed into something totally different – but the toys don’t have the power to do it on their own. It takes the power of something outside of them to transform.

So we are left with this question – how are we transformed and our minds renewed? What is our responsibility in the process? How do we get a world view that isn’t the ‘world view’? I believe the answer is by putting the truth of God in front of ourselves so that we have something outside of the world telling us to how to think, act, and believe. And the only way to put the truth in front of ourselves is to be in the world of God – every day – so that we are meditating on it – so that is becomes engraved upon our hearts. In this way, the power of God in his living and active word has the ability to transform our hearts and renew our minds.

If we don’t do that every day, then it is impossible to be transformed – if the world is in front of us always – all day long – and the word of God never is, then how can we be transformed?

Our gracious and merciful Father, however, gives us so much more than transformation and renewal when we allow him to speak to us through his word. He gives us a promise that through the process, we also will be able to discern his will.

I don’t know about you – but I think I’ve spent much of my life trying to figure out the will of God. I tried to do it outside of the word and outside of intimate relationship with God, however, and met with no success. See, the word of God says that no one knows the will of the father except the Spirit of the Father. So when we are in God’s word which is the revelation of God to us, and in step with the Spirit, then we are in position to hear from God. Not only are we in position to hear from God, but in the transformation process, the will of God becomes our will – His desires become our desires. He promises this in Psalm 37:4 when he tells us that when we “Delight ourselves in the Lord he will give (meaning create in us) the desires of our hearts”.

I heard a sermon recently where the pastor stated, “Why should God reveal new things to us when we are not listening to what he has revealed?” Are you seeking knowledge of and from God in what he reveals to us in His word? Are you allowing yourself to be transformed and renewed daily? Are you opening your mind for God to reveal to you his will for your life? You don’t have to do it on your own – ask God to help you, seek him, meditate on his word – be transformed by the power of the word and by the Spirit. God is faithful and He will do this.

For a little extra knowledge of the way the Spirit communicates the will of the God to you and the transformation process, check out John 16:13-15; Romans 8:5-11

Today's blog was posted by Carol Bartels

HS in the House!

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Sprit lives in you? 1 Cornithians 3:16-17

Paul mentions various times in his writing that the Spirit of God dwells within us and within the whole body of Christ. The questions that should accompany the reading of God’s word is – what does this mean for us, and how, then, shall we live? And so I ask you that very question – what does it mean for us – as the body and individually – that the Spirit dwells in us?

Here are some things to ponder as you search for the answer:

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible describes the Spirit dwelling in us as a spirit of regeneration, sanctification, faith, and adoption, and as the earnest and pledge of their future glory; in their ministers to fit and qualify them for their work, and carry them through it; and in the whole church, to bless the word and ordinances, for their growth, comfort, and establishment.

Are you living as though this spirit dwells in you?

Jesus Christ was fully man – who had the power of the Holy Spirit resting on him. Most theologians agree that everything Christ did on earth was done through the power of the Holy Spirit and prayer. Isaiah prophesied this about the Messiah:

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. – Isaiah 11:2

And here is what Paul says about that SAME Spirit and SAME power that Christ had access to – this is also my prayer for everyone who reads this:

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms….” - Ephesians 1:17-20.

We are promised that we have the same power in us that raised Christ from the dead. That’s a lot of power. We have the same spirit that Christ had in him in us. Are you operating on full power?

Here are some questions and challenges – feel free to post your responses, things you’ve learned, questions, insights, etc.

Do you have a story of when the power of the Spirit was evident in your life?

What does it look like when the power of the Holy Spirit is operating within a group of believers?

What type of supernatural work is the power of the Holy Spirit capable of?

I challenge you to do some research and/or a word study on power and on the Holy Spirit and share what you learn.

Lastly, if God dwells in you, what does that mean in terms of how you should honor him with your body, your words, and your choices?

What are you dragging around?

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke a slavery. – Galatians 5:1

Most of us don’t have much of a frame of reference when it comes to yokes – at least not in the practical sense. But if you can picture oxen yokes together – one must move in order for the other to move – if one isn’t moving, the other is held back – or they are dragging the other behind. That is what Paul is talking about here – the yoke of the law. Christ came to set us free from the burden of the law – yet the people of Galatians were allowing themselves to be taught and believe that they still must live under it.

I think if Paul wrote that today, he could have used an analogy from the movie Cold Mountain when one of the main characters – Inman, is changed to two other men when he is captured by the army. The short version of this scene is that the other two men end up dead – and yet Inman has escaped his captors, but is still changed to them. He has freedom, yet he is changed to dead men that he must drag along. This makes is freedom both precarious and burdensome.

And so it is when we live under the law. My study bible stays that the burden of the rigorous demands of the law as the means for gaining God’s favor are an intolerable burden for sinful humanity – a heavy weight to drag around.

We are set free in Christ, but often there is still something in our flesh that thinks or desires to make ourselves acceptable to God. Does that sound familiar? It does for me because I walked for years with the yoke of a performance-based, legalistic faith. Sure, I knew that I could in no way earn my own salvation, but I thought that if I was good enough, served enough, prayed enough, that I could somehow earn God’s favor and God’s blessings. It was like I was set free, and yet I was dragging my old, dead flesh around behind me.

In the book “Grace Walk” by Steve McVey, he says that “When a person builds his lifestyle around a long list of things he thinks he ought to do, he will eventually fell exhausted spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. Yet many keep pushing forward on a religious treadmill because it is what they believe God expects. They behave like prisoners of the law. They are bound to what they think they ought to do, mistakenly calling this “the Christian life”.

I had a conversation with a friend of mine the other night. In the conversation he expressed frustration about the way he accepted God’s grace in his life. He fully understood that grace is not earned, but yet he practices a performance-based faith. If he has had a good week – one in which he walked the way he knew God wanted him to, then he felt like he could go before God and ask for anything – for himself and his friends – and that God would hear him. But if he had a week where he fell short in his own performance evaluation, then he felt like he had no right pray at all – and he said it exhausted him. I’ve been there – and it exhausted me also. How about you? What are you dragging around?

As I prayed for the friend I mentioned above this morning, God reminded me of Hebrews 4:15-16 that reminds us that we are not expected to carry the burden of the law on our own. Here we are told that Jesus is able to sympathize with our needs and tells us – opposite of what my friend believed – that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence and receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. But we must admit the need, admit that we are not able to carry the burden ourselves, and let Christ – by his grace - remove the yoke.

It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free. I have never in my life felt so free as I did when God finally got me to the point of grasping this. I remember when I finally hit my breaking point that led me to this freedom – I doubt I’ll ever forget that feeling. After a fit of deep, soul wrenching sobs I finally cried to God, “I don’t know what else you want for me to do, because I have nothing left to give you.” It was on of those moments where I clearly heard God – almost in an audible voice – say to me, “Now, Carol, I have something to work with.” And at that moment is was as if an incredible light and peace absolutely flooded me as I realize that God did not want or expect anything from me – he just wanted me to accepts a full measure of his grace. I remember pacing around my house processing this – it was such an amazing truth and freedom and peace I was given that I didn’t know quite what to do with it. And I promise you this – I don’t ever want to be yoked again! Freedom is….well…absolutely freeing!

Today's blog was posted by Carol Bartels

Clinging to the Promise

Today you get a two-for-one special. We are a little behind, so this blog covers yesterdays and todays scripture passages.

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17

No question about it – nothing is too hard for God. These are the truths of God that we celebrate – it is a truth like this that gives oxygen to our faith. When Jeremiah was inspired by God to write those words, these are the things he and the people of Israel knew:

He created the world – with His outstretched arm and His powerful voice – nothing is too hard for Him.

He convinced a man to build a ship when rain had never fallen on the earth and then managed to flood the earth – nothing is too hard for Him.

He delivered the children of Israel with miraculous signs and wonders and convinced the Egyptians – the very people who held them captive - to send them off fully equipped for their journey – nothing is to hard for him.

He held back the Red Sea and created dry land for the people to cross – nothing is too hard for him.

He fed thousands of people in the desert with manna from heaven – nothing is too hard for him.
He gave his people possession of a land flowing with milk and honey – nothing is too hard for him.

And that’s just the short list!

But here’s the question that I know we often times ask ourselves. If nothing is too hard for God, then why doesn’t he ____________or why didn’t he stop _____________from happening (I’m certain we can all fill in our own blanks for our lives)?

See, there is nothing that is too hard for God, but there is one thing that is impossible for him - blasphemous as it may sound to say that. Here is the thing that is impossible for God – He cannot allow anything into our lives that he ultimately can’t and won’t work for our good. He is Holy, He is Sovereign, He is perfect in love and he will not allow us to have something or experience something that is not his best for us or go through something that is not workable for our good. To do this would go against the very nature of who God is. It goes against his word true and faithful word – read what he has promised:

“For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

What a promise that is! The reality, though, is that we can spend a long time waiting for God to reveal that plan. Some of us are perhaps feeling a little more harmed then prospered right now. Some are clinging to just a thread of hope for dreams and desires we’ve been waiting a long time to come true. And some are wondering how and or when God will finally reveal at least some portion of that plan he has.

And yet me must know and believe – that’s what faith is. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” In faith, we hang on – this is what Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses – all those who have waited for a promise – are commended by God for. Not their actions, not their service, not their own righteousness – but faith.

In a long journey, though, clinging to faith can be hard. I’m sure if you could speak to the patriarchs today, they would say the same. But they knew what it took to cling. And if you read further on in Jeremiah 29, God shows us the way.

His first instruction for clinging with a promise included says this (vs. 12):
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

So there it is – call upon God. Prayer is the oxygen of our faith. We call upon him with a humble heart and lay our dreams, our desires, our failures and our fears before him. And then we ask for his forgiveness, his help, his intervention, his action – and he steps in and meets us in our longing. I like the prayer that Daniel prayed – I think it is the best model of Jeremiah 29:12 put into practice. Here is his prayer from Daniel 9:17-19:

“Now, our God, hear the prayer and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and people bear your Name.”

By the way – it is okay to plagiarize prayers and I steal this one all the time and make it mine!

The second instruction and promise for helping us cling to our faith is in verse 13:
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Seek God daily – search his word, study it, meditate on it, write it – and let God write in on your heart. Seek him daily – and soon you will not have to look far to find him as he fills your heart, your thoughts, and your prayers as you walk through your day. He is easily found, my friend – seek him with all your heart, and his desires become your desires – and his desires for you are good – they are to prosper you and not to harm you!

In this Christmas season, remember that clinging to God as we wait in hope for his good and gracious promises gives us the opportunity to see him display his glory in our lives. And oh, my sweet friends – how stunning is the glory God shines in our lives when he enters in! Listen to the words of Isaiah as he describes the one who has allowed God’s glory to enter in:

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” – Isaiah 61:3

I pray that you would know, my friends, that you are an oak of righteousness!

Today's blog was posted by Carol Bartels

Thy Will Be Done

1 John 5:14-15: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.”

I love that movie Bruce Almighty. Bruce thinks he can do a better job than God, so God gives him His power and lets Bruce give it a try. Bruce realizes that the job is a lot harder than he imagined when the prayer inbox start loading up. His email is full of unanswered prayers, so he decides to take the easy way out. He hits “Reply All” and types the message “YES”. Everybody is happy, right? Wrong. What follows is chaos. Everybody who prayed to win the lottery suddenly wins, so they only get about $40 each. A riot breaks out because everyone thinks they got cheated and next thing you know, the city is on the verge of destruction.

God could easily just hit the “reply all” button and say yes to all of our prayers, but He doesn’t answer prayer that way. He answers it according to His plan for us and we should pray in submission to those plans. Jesus gives us a great example of how to pray. In Matthew 26, the time for crucifixion was near, and Jesus in His humanness was overwhelmed with sorrow. He went to Gethsemane to pray and three times He asked God - if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Each time He ended with a statement of submissive obedience – that God’s will be done.

When we pray, our petition should always be followed with a declaration of submission. If our prayer is according to his will, we will have it. God always answers prayer – sometimes with “yes”, sometimes with “no”, and sometimes with “wait”, but He always answers.

We have to prepare our hearts and be willing to walk forward in obedience to His will when we approach Him in prayer. God doesn’t answer prayer like a great puppet in the sky or a genie in a bottle. Prayer is for communication and relationship building with the Lord and often times we forget that. God wants us to honestly share our hearts with Him. Jesus didn’t just pray that God’s will be done, He shared his petition first – openly and honestly. Then He professed his desire to be obedient to God’s will.

Remember:
We truly can trust in the Lord instead of our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5)
Our God has plans for us to prosper (Jeremiah 29:11)
His thoughts are higher than our thoughts & His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9)
His wisdom is deep, His judgments are unsearchable and his paths are beyond tracing out. (Romans 11:33)

God wants us to share our petitions with Him, but we can’t forget to acknowledge our smallness at the same time. So pray that God will open you up to His will and build a heart of obedience in you. Remember to pray for His will in all things. Put your petitions in His hands and let Him take the reigns of your life. He knows what’s best for us and what’s best for all of mankind.

What petitions have you placed before the Lord lately? Have you asked Him to answer them according to His will?

Today's blog was posted by Bridge member Kelly Coxe

I Can Only Imagine

1 Corinthians 2:9: “However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.

Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”

We have a big God. The love He has for us and the plans He’s made for us are way greater than we could possibly imagine. Our hopes and longings both for this life and the next are tiny compared to what God can do.

Take for example, Elizabeth and Zechariah in Luke ch 1. “Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years” (v 6 & 7). This is a couple who loves the Lord and seeks Him. The power of the Lord is at work in their hearts. They are upright in the sight of the Lord and observe the Lord’s commandments, and we know that to love is to walk in obedience to his commands (2 John 1:16). When Zechariah was chosen by lot to enter the temple and burn incense, he was visited by the angel Gabriel. The angel told him that God has heard his prayers and that his wife, Elizabeth will bear a child. And not just any child, but a child who, “will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord” (Luke 1:14). That child of course, was John the Baptist, whose purpose was to prepare the way for the Jesus. When Elizabeth and Zechariah prayed for a child they couldn’t possibly have imagined that God would deliver in such an amazing way.

So, when God doesn’t bless you with exactly what you think you want, exactly when you want, you can rest in the knowledge that it might be because He’s got some bigger purpose in mind. Intentionally watch for the Holy Spirit moving in you and be obedient when he does. Throw out that “before I turn xyz age list” and the “my perfect mate list” and the “I must accomplish 1, 2, 3 at work list” and change your agenda to God’s agenda. Pray that you will allow yourself to be led by “his power that is at work” within you. If you do, you just might be amazed at the plans that God has for you!

Today blog was posted by Bridge member Kelly Coxe

Forever Faithful

Lamentations 3:22-25:
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

What wonderful words of comfort to God’s people! The Bible is full of promises from our Lord – for peace, prosperity, healing, forgiveness & joy. But the ultimate promise from God is His promise of salvation. These comforting words from Lamentations remind us that God is faithful in his promises. We don’t have to look anywhere else for our inheritance. He is our Deliverer. Rather than putting our hope in a career, a mate, our success, or any idol, we must put our hope in the Lord and seek Him. And in His perfect timing and in his perfect way, He will bless us – now and for eternity.

Two more verses that come to mind:
Hebrews 10:23: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith for He is faithful that promised."
Isaiah 33:18: "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him."

Remember, it is because of his GREAT LOVE. Instead of destroying a sinful world; instead of giving up on us; instead of calling it quits; his compassions NEVER fail.

Like the old hymn says…stand on His promises...

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
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.

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 on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

Today's post is submitted by Bridge member Kelly Coxe

What Not to Wear

Philippians 4:8: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I love that show What Not to Wear. Clinton and Stacy can take an unsuspecting fashion train wreck and transform her into a fashion triumph. It all begins when they empty all of the trashy, ill fitting, undesirable clothes from her closet. Then Clinton and Stacy give her a credit card and she replaces that trash with treasure. When the makeover is complete, the show ends with the “big reveal” where the former train wreck surprises her family and friends with her transformation. She is confident, joyful and beautiful.

Our minds are similar to those closets. We can’t fill ourselves up with trash, and expect to shine the joyful and beautiful light of Jesus to the world. The mind is the number one target of the enemy. He knows our insecurities, our fears, our weaknesses, and what we long for. Satan is the father of lies and if we let him, he will fill up our minds with deceit. Proverbs 23:7 says: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” If our minds are full of pride, or lust, or envy or anger or negativity, it will show in our words and our actions and we will fail to glorify our Lord and Satan has won his battle.

Take inventory of your thoughts. Are justifying a sin in your mind? Do you constantly berate yourself? Are you full of lust or pride? Do you covet or envy? Are your fears of failure or insecurity or pride keeping you from serving the Lord? Ask God to search your heart and reveal any areas where Satan is setting up strongholds. Consider giving up a “guilty pleasure” on TV or the radio and replace it with something that fills you with the spirit of righteousness. Start using the weapons we discussed yesterday (Prayer and the Word of God) to strike down these destructive thoughts. Pray that you will be “transformed by the renewal of your mind so that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). Replace those old thoughts with new thoughts – dress your mind with thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy and rejoice in the beauty that comes from your transformation!

Today's blog is posted by Bridge member Kelly Coxe

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Super Christian!

2 Corinthians 10:4-5:
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. "

What do Superman's superhuman strength, Batman's utility belt, Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth, Prayer and the Word of God have in common? They are all amazing and powerful weapons! But only two of these are real and have divine power!

In Ephesians chapter 6 that we are instructed to put on the armor of God. The two offensive weapons described are the Word of God and Prayer. Jesus gives a perfect example of the use of these weapons when he is tempted by Satan in the desert. Matthew chapter 4 says that after Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights the tempter came. Since fasting indicates a time of prayer and meditation, we know that Jesus was fully prayed up and filled with awareness of the Holy Spirit. Satan tried to tempt Jesus in three different ways and each time, Jesus used scripture as the weapon to reveal and demolish the lies. Satan even tried to twist scripture and use it against Jesus, but Jesus' knowledge of the Word was superior. When Satan is revealed as a liar, he loses his credibility and he loses his power.

We can use scripture in the same way as Jesus. Every temptation that enters our minds and every stronghold that takes over our hearts can be demolished if it is tested through Word of God. We too, can use prayer and the Word of God to "demolish strongholds" and to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God".

Walk in prayer daily. Pray while you're exercising or in the shower. Pray in the car or while cleaning. Pray ceaselessly! But make sure you carve out some quiet time to communicate (listen and speak) with the Lord as well. Also, find time to be in the Word. In order to use scripture, we need to learn it first. Keep some index cards with Bible verses in your car or in your purse or tape them to your mirror in the bathroom. Pray that they will be written on your heart and that the Holy Spirit will intervene when needed and bring them from your lips.

Today's blog was posted by Bridge member Kelly Coxe

Fear or Love

1 John 4:16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

In the movie sleeping with the enemy, Julia Roberts plays a victim of abuse. Her husband expects perfection and if he doesn't get it she is punished harshly. She walks in fear daily trying her best to please him. The tiniest mistake will cause him to spin into a fit of rage. In fear, she obeys his every command.

This is not the type of relationship the Lord our God wants with us. Our Heavenly Father is the God of love. This is something as Christians, that we know in our hearts and we rely upon in our daily walk. Yes, God is our Judge, but he is a fair Judge and he has provided a plan for redemption. He knows our nature is sin and that we will fall short of His glory, but He demonstrates His love for us by sending His son as an atoning sacrifice and thus providing a plan for redemption. Therefore, we need not fear the day of judgment.

Our obedience does not come from a fear of God’s wrath, but from love. His love fills us and we are able to let it shine through our lives. When we receive the Christ as our Savior, we become a new creation. A change begins to take place and the acts of sinful nature - sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, etc, are replaced with the fruits of the spirit - love, patience, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, & self control (Galatians 5). This isn’t a magical metamorphosis. It comes from a true knowledge of love that grows over time. It comes from conviction from the Holy Spirit and a desire to be obedient. If we delight in the Lord, His desires become our desires. (Psalm 37:4) and we begin to make choices that glorify God. We obey Him in love, not in fear – “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 1:6).

Should we fear the Lord? Yes, in the sense of having a strong respect and reverence for Him. Yes, we should have a personal awareness of the awesome and majestic sovereignty of God. But we shouldn’t live our lives afraid that every mistake we make is one step toward losing the love of God and thus our salvation. That type of fear would stifle a loving relationship. If God abides in us, and we in Him, we should know that He loves us and His plans for us are good (Jeremiah 29:11). We fear God in that we know He is my judge, but we also know that in love, He has given us an opportunity to be redeemed.

So I ask you…are you walking in fear or walking in love? Do others see that love shining through in your actions. Ask the Lord to continue to fill you up with His love and to show you how to pour it out to others. Thank Him for His demonstration of love at the cross.

Today's blog is posted by Bridge member Kelly Coxe

PS. If you are receiving this blog by email, please click the link below and join the discussion. Share your thoughts, comments, stories, prayers and praise, etc.

Testing, Testing

Of course with technology, there are alwasy difficulties. Please help me test the system by clicking the blue link below to go to the Bible Study blog. Feel free to leave a comment on one of the discussions.

I've Got the Power

2 Timothy 1:7; “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Romans 8:15: “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’.”

Satan has many weapons and one of his favorites is fear. Here’s what fear can cause us to do:

• Miss out on an opportunity to share the love of Jesus instead of boldly sharing our testimony
• Hide our gifts & talents instead of serving joyfully
• Ignore a chance to make a friend instead of loving as God loved us
• Disregard our mission instead of embracing our purpose
• Disobey the Lord instead of walking in obedience
• Remain in a dangerous relationship rather than trusting in the Lord for deliverance
• Hide in fear rather than taking pleasure in joyous occasion
• Neglect someone who needs help instead of taking care of others
• Fail to speak up or speak out instead of boldly pointing out injustice
• Pass up a blessing instead of receiving what the Lord has to offer
• Walk in despair rather than trusting in the Lord
• Veil our radiance instead of shining for Jesus
• Grumble in gloom rather than rejoicing and praising our Lord

Fear is like those pesky weeds that can strangle the growth of a beautiful flower. It chokes our desire to worship the Lord and spread joy to others. It hinders us from obeying the 2 greatest laws – to love the Lord our God and to love our neighbors (Matt 22:36-39). How can we do those things when we are walking in fear?

When we accept Christ as our Savior and repent, we are immediately indwelled with the Holy Spirit. We are freed from the bonds of fear and are given a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline. All we have to do is use it! Just like our laptop computers, cell phones, televisions and other electronics, we have to plug in to our power source – the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to plug in through prayer daily. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you and give you the power to overcome your fears so that you may live a life that shines for Jesus! Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you throughout each day, giving you courage to fulfill your purpose. Pray that He will open your eyes to his power and reveal to you the manner in which to use it. It’s what you are created for!

Remember, whatever fills you, controls you. What do you want to be filled with?

Today's blog was posted by Bridge member Kelly Coxe.

Thank God for the fleas!

Philippians 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do 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."

Sometimes it’s just hard to rejoice and pray and petition with thanksgiving. You might be going through a difficult season where you are petitioning God for change. Maybe you’re recently divorced, without a job, eternally single, or longing for children. A variety of circumstances can suck away our joy and make it hard to pray with thanksgiving.

In her book,The Hiding Place. Corrie ten Boom tells about an occasion that taught her to always be thankful. She and her sister, Betsy, had just been taken to one of the worst concentration camp in Germany in WWII—Ravensbruck. The barracks were cold, overcrowded and flea-infested. Early one morning, they read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which reminds Christians to always rejoice, pray, and be thankful. Betsy told Corrie to stop for a moment and give thanks to the Lord for all of their circumstances. At first Corrie refused, but Betsy insisted. As the months passed in the camp, they were a little surprised at how they could openly hold Bible studies in the barracks without guard interference. Finally, they learned why—the guards didn’t want to enter the barracks and interrupt the Bible Study because of the fleas! Praise God for the fleas!!!

I remember at one point walking through Home Depot in tears, mad at God because I didn’t have a husband to help me fix my house. I was 39 years old and TIRED of going at it alone. It didn’t take long for the Holy Spirit to kick my cry baby butt and remind me that the Lord is my Sustainer and Provider. I needed to stop looking for a mate to take care of me and start relying on the Lord. Now, I thank God for my single season. It has given me the gift of time. I have time to draw nearer to the Lord, to travel, to enjoy my friends, and to have time to myself. And not only that, God always provides a fix it man when I need him most. Last night, my roomies boyfriend so kindly came over and wrapped our pipes before the freeze.

So, I ask you, are there circumstances in your life that require prayer and thanksgiving? Whatever they are, take a minute to stop rejoice and pray with thanksgiving. Trust in God that you are where you are for a reason, thank Him for your season, relinquish control and allow Him to use your circumstances to bring you closer to Him. Then, watch your heart soften and enjoy the peace that will guard your heart.

This blog was posted by Bridge member Kelly Coxe