I have this group of girlfriends that I’ve come to know and love over the past year. The Lord brought them into my life when I needed life-giving friendships and encouragement more than ever before. These women represent the true heart of God. They are transparent, they are open, they are love, and they are full of joy. We laugh, we cry, and we have fun. And what is most unique about this group…every single woman WANTS to be there for the rest. When someone’s child is getting baptized, we’re there, yelling and clapping the loudest, taking video or taking pictures. When someone is going through a hard time, we’re there, praying and comforting and texting to check on them. When I’m struggling or having a hard time with something, they’re all there, not with judgment and condemnation, but with love and support and encouragement. These are the women that I want to walk beside and share life with.
Thank you, Lord, for bringing these women into my life with their beautiful souls, love, laughter and hearts of gold.
I didn’t want this Christmas season to pass or this year to end without expressing my deepest gratitude for the gift they are to me.
To Shana, thank you for welcoming me to your group, for leading our group with your insightfulness into God’s Word, and allowing me to be me (even the crazy note-taking part of me!).
To Kristel, thank you for opening your home each week to all of us and not only allowing us to be open and transparent, but also by checking on us throughout the week or even weeks later to see how things are going.
To Tanya, thank you for the amazing prayer warrior that you are. Your prayers are so full of the Spirit, it’s as if angels sing every time you pray!
To Stacia, thank you for your strength. I don’t even know your full story yet, but to hear how you encourage everyone in the group, despite what you may be going through yourself, your strength in the Lord amazes me all the time.
To Maddie, thank you for bringing youthfulness to our group. I love that our group spans many ages and seasons of life. You have wisdom beyond your years and I’m so happy to have you as a dear friend.
To Lacy, thank you for inviting me to the group. I know that meeting you when I was a youth leader was God-appointed and I’ll forever be thankful for you and the friendship we’ve developed over this past year.
To Mary Ann, thank you for your smile. I love being around you; you are always so happy and full of joy. There’s always laughter when you’re around and I love that about you so much!
To Natali, thank you for being genuine. You don’t ever hesitate to share the good or the bad, the struggles and the victories. I learn so much by listening to you, and I also love hearing what you’re reading about in the Bible. You help me to see being transparent is a good thing when you’re with the right group of women.
To Kristina, thank you for all you’ve done for me inside and outside of the group. I love watching you with your girls and your family. You have a beautiful spirit about you. Not only am I blessed to know you, but I know your family is as well.
To Jennifer, thank you for your words of encouragement. You have a way of offering just the right words when someone is struggling. You’re not ashamed to draw from your past to share God’s love with everyone around you.
To Patricia, thank you for sharing God’s Light to every person you meet. You have a unique business and gift and I love hearing about the women you encounter and how you help them and heal them.
I think God for each one of you. Thank you for your beautiful friendship!
Proverbs 27:9 (NLT), “The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.”
1 John 4:7 (NLT), “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”
Do you ever get down in a rut and feel like everything around you is just harder than normal? That’s where I am right now. Everything just feels hard…marriage is hard; being a mom is hard; even my easy-going work place is suddenly just hard. It feels like nothing is going right, my schedule is all out of whack, and I can’t do anything right. For instance, the other day I got home, turned off the alarm (or so I thought), went to get my dog & the alarm sounded off. Rather LOUDLY, I might add! I got it turned off, but then had to call my husband to figure out how to clear it out so I could set it again and leave the house. Then, as I was told later, I forgot to actually lock the door when I left! Geez! Everything just feels hard, and nothing is going according to my normal schedule. And to top it off, I tried to fast last week and EPICALLY FAILED at that! I mean, I can’t even be a good Christian right now!!
EVERYTHING.
IS.
HARD.
BUT GOD.
GOD IS GOOD.
HE IS SO, SO GOOD!!!
In all the hard mess, I forgot the ONE THING, the EASIEST thing…give it to God (I believe I did say I was failing at being a good Christian.).
I went to my weekly bible study group this week…to my group of transparent Christian women who love me and accept me for who I am. When I needed a place to land and some new friends, they welcomed me with open arms. When I walked in this week, I was carrying the weight of feeling like a failure at all the things; feeling like as soon as I opened my mouth, I would be a puddle on the floor. But that feeling quickly faded as we took turns sharing about our week. When it was my turn to share, I told them how I’d been feeling and all the failure qualities going on in my life. They didn’t judge me or condemn me…they loved on me, they encouraged me, and they reminded me of God’s grace and mercy and unconditional love.
After sharing about our week, we took some time talking about different songs that have affected us in some way. Songs that helped us through hard times, through tough situations, or that just brought back good memories. I’ve been soaking in some good worship music since we met, and I wanted to share some excerpts from the different songs shared in the group.
For Kristina(Oceans, by Hillsong UNITED)
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
For Jennifer(Praise You in This Storm, by Casting Crowns)
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
For Mary Ann(Lord, I Need You, by Matt Maher)
Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
For Maddie (Same God, by Elevation Worship)
O God, my God, I need you
O God, my God, I need You now
How I need You now
O Rock, O Rock of ages
I’m standing on Your faithfulness
On Your faithfulness
For Kristel (How Great Thou Art, version by Carrie Underwood)
Oh Lord, my God
When I, in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
For Stacia (In Jesus Name, by Katy Nichole)
I speak the name of Jesus over you
In your hurting, in your sorrow
I will ask my God to move
I speak the name ‘cause it’s all that I can do
In desperation, I’ll seek Heaven
And pray this for you
I pray for your healing
That circumstances would change
I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus name
I pray that a breakthrough would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus name, in Jesus name
For Shana (Great Are You Lord, by Casting Crowns)
You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope, You restore
Every heart that is broken
Great are You, Lord
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise
We pour out our praise
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour our praise to You only
For Natali (Show Me Your Glory, by Third Day)
Show me Your Glory
Send down Your presence
I want to see Your face
Show me Your Glory
Majesty shines about You
I can’t go on without You, Lord
For Lacy (The Gift, by Garth Brooks)
Then a voice spoke to her through the darkness
Maria, what brings you to me
If the bird in the cage is your offering
Open the door, let me see
Though she trembled, she did as he asked her
And out of the cage the bird flew
Soaring into the rafters
On a wing that had healed good as new
Just then the midnight bells rang out
And the little bird started to sing
A song that no words could recapture
Whose beauty was fit for a king
Now Maria felt blessed just to listen
To that cascade of notes sweet and long
As her offering was lifted to heaven
By the very first nightingale’s song
And Me (Trust in You, by Lauren Daigle)
Letting go of every single dream
I lay each one at Your feet
Every moment of my wandering
Never changes what You see
I’ve tried to win this war, I confess
My hands are weary, I need Your rest
Mighty warrior, King of the fight
No matter what I face, You’re by my side
When You don’t move the mountains
I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters
I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers
As I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You
And for anyone still reading this blog, I hope you heard the music as you read each song snippet and God spoke to you through the words. Sometimes just a small touch of God is all we need to get over the hump, to get through a rough patch, or to bring some joy into our day. Is there a song that you’ve clung to through a hard season or difficult time in your life? I’d love for you to share it with me.
Before I go, I want to leave you with one last song, the Goodness of God, by Elevation Worship. The day after my bible study, I listed to this on repeat and asked God to rain His goodness, His peace, His mercy and His grace over me. It’s already getting better. =)
Back in early October, the women’s ministry at my church hosted their annual Cherished Conference in Ruidoso, New Mexico. On Friday morning each year, different women are asked to teach breakout sessions about various topics. This year I was asked to teach one of the breakout sessions and the topic I was given was about God’s promises. This is a topic I’m very familiar with as it is something that I walked through for many years while I waited on God’s promise to me to be fulfilled.
I’d like to share my breakout session with you as a two-part blog. A few weeks ago I shared my personal testimony in Part 1. Today, I am sharing Part 2 of the session, which is offering encouragement and how to keep your faith strong during the waiting process.
Here is “Waiting on the Promise” Part 2…
God’s promises to us are different in so many ways yet are the same. There’s not a set time frame for one promise over another. The fulfilment of my promise took 17 years. Maybe yours take more; maybe it takes less. But when God gives you a promise, He will deliver it when He says it’s time.
Which brings me to the second part of the message: how to get through the waiting process. It’s not easy being patient and waiting on God to move. On our terms, He moves slower than a turtle stuck in molasses! But in God’s eyes, He’s not deliberately being slow because He sees everything! He sees the things that we cannot see. He could be saving us from greater heartache by delaying the promise until the timing is just perfect. We see the time as delayed, but He sees it as working all things together for our good. Our. Good.
I want to share with you some different ways to keep your faith strong during the waiting process.
There is no time limit or expiration date on the promise God has given you. If He says He’ll do something or give something to you, He will.
Hebrews 11:11 (NLT), “It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.” And He did.
I don’t know if you kept up with the math during my testimony, but I was 46 years old when I had my son back in November. That’s quite a bit past normal child-bearing years these days. But just like God kept His promise to Sarah, He kept his promise to me! And whatever promise you wrote in the blank on the piece of paper I mentioned last week, know that He will deliver that promise to you, too! He knows the desires of your heart and will give them to you! (Psalms 20:4 & 37:4)
2. Find an outlet (something to do or something else to think about) when you feel your faith is being tested beyond what you think you can handle.
James 1:3 (NLT), “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
For me, my outlet was writing. That’s the main reason I have this blog; so I can use it to write about my circumstances, feelings at certain times and general thoughts on the waiting process. For my husband, he found that serving God was a good outlet for him when times were difficult. Your outlet can be anything! Maybe you like to craft or exercise; maybe you like to cook or garden…maybe you just want to sit in God’s presence and listen to worship music. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit quietly in His presence.
Just remember that whatever you do to help pass your time, make sure it’s encouraging and positive!
3. Watch your words.
Proverbs 18:21 (MSG), “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.”
Romans 4:17-18 (TPT), “That’s what the Scripture means when it says: ‘I have made you the father of many nations.’ He (Abraham) is our example and father, for in God’s presence he believed that God can raise the dead and call into being things that don’t even exist yet. Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it…”
Speak only life to your dreams or what you’re waiting for. Don’t give in to negative speak or thoughts. I told you in my testimony when I didn’t do this very well. I let the negative thoughts take hold of me and they held me captive for quite a while. It’s okay to get angry and frustrated; we’re human and it’s going to happen. Just don’t live there! Be angry…for a time and then let it go! Find a friend that you trust to let you vent when you need to, but someone that can also encourage you and lift you up when you need it.
There was a time several years ago when I was very unhappy in my job. I worked for two men, one a VP and the other a COO. My VP boss was absolutely horrible! He would say the most hateful things to me and when he walked out, I would just cry at my desk. I couldn’t understand why God had me in such an awful place! I wanted to quit so bad! But I couldn’t because my husband had just lost his job, and this was our only source of income.
I was sharing my frustration with a friend, and she encouraged me to speak life into my job; to thank God for my job and to also thank Him for my next job. She even told me to speak that God would either move one or both of them or, move me. I have to say I didn’t truly believe that at first when I spoke it, but shortly after, the COO left the company! I couldn’t believe it! So, I really started speaking to it with purpose. Within the next six months, I had a call from a previous place I had interviewed with prior to taking the current job. It had been TWO YEARS since I interviewed with them, and they had an opening that needed to be filled quickly and they were curious if I was still interested. Y-E-S! Yes, I absolutely was still interested. I went in for another interview the next week, and two days after I was turning in my two-week resignation and started the new job. I just celebrated 10 years back in June.
Speak to your promise…God does hear you! And He does move!
4. Be content in your current circumstances.
Hebrews 10:35-36, “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great rewards it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”
It’s hard to be content in your circumstances when you desperately want them to change, when you want to start experiencing the next season of life. But when you embrace your current season, you give God room to move.
I had to embrace my pre-baby season and one of the ways was to host baby showers for friends. At times, it was nearly impossible to put on my happy face for my friends…they were living the life I desperately wanted. But even in those hard times, God was there with me.
And the last way to keep your faith strong during the waiting process,
5. Pray.
Prayer is a very powerful tool and it’s always with you. You can pray anytime and anywhere! It’s always good to pray freely, but sometimes it’s easier to write out specific prayers, too.
I’ve used several different ways to write out prayers using scripture.
A. One way is to search the Bible for specific prayers that speak to you and/or your situation. I have a few scriptures that I love and would always pray during my waiting period:
Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedinglyabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Same scripture in the Passion Translation: Ephesians 3:20-21 (TPT), “Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. Now we offer up to God all the glorious praise that rises from every church in every generation through Jesus Christ—and all that will yet be manifest through time and eternity. Amen!”
Another favorite of mine is Isaiah 40:31 (NLT), “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
And the last one I’ll write out: Hebrews 11:1-3, 6 (TPT), “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. This testimony of faith is what previous generationswere commended for. Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen.
(v6) And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek him.”
B. Matthew 5 contains The Beatitudes and they make a great & easy way to start praying scripture.
Matthew 5:3-12 (NLT), “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”
C. The book, Fervent, by Priscilla Shirer is a great option for specific prayer.
The subtext on the book cover even says, “A woman’s battle plan for serious, specific and strategic prayer.” Each chapter in the book talks about different areas and how to write out scripture prayers to pray for different things.
D. Friends.
I have a friend that is very good at writing scripture prayer. I had visited with her in late 2015 (after the dark period) and updated her on all that we had gone through and our current circumstances. She wrote out a prayer for me to pray for my babies. The prayer was loaded with scripture and self-declarations. And I remember I would stand in my living room and boldly recite that prayer almost every day! And then I took her prayer for me and I wrote a shorter, more specific pray to my unborn baby.
It doesn’t matter what your Promise is…God is always going to come through for you!!
As the song goes, God is the Waymaker. He is the Miracle Worker. He is the Promise Keeper. And He is the Light in the darkness.
There are days I feel every bit of 47! And as my husband noted about a month after our son was born, raising a baby is nothing like taking care of a dog!! Lol! (joke from Part 1)
It was never my plan to have a child this late in life, but it was my dream to have one. God chose the time.
He determined that my story would include a miracle baby at age 46.
He determined that my son would be born at this exact moment in time.
God plans everything to the finest detail. He is not wrong. He is not late.
Luke 1:37 says, “For the word of God will never fail.”
If He tells you He’ll do something, He will.
His timing is perfect. His plans are perfect. Your promise will be fulfilled at the exact time God has designed it to happen.
The fulfillment of your promise will be exceedingly abundantly BEYOND ALL you can ask or think because God will do exactly what He says he’ll do.
It will not return void and it will not expire.
Keep praying, speaking, and believing for the fulfillment of God’s promise to you.
Thank you for letting me share my breakout session with you about my personal journey of waiting on God’s promise to be fulfilled. I pray God spoke to you as you read Part 1 and Part 2. And I pray that if you are still waiting on the fulfilment of God’s promise to you, these words brought you hope and encouragement for your journey. If you would like a copy of the prayer my friend wrote for me, please message me or comment your email and I will gladly send it to you. If I can pray for you in any way, please let me know.
This past weekend had some ups and downs as a mom. Saturday was good because my baby was in a good mood, and we did a lot of playing. But then Sunday came, and he wasn’t having any of it. We think his molars are starting to break through so his little mouth has been really sore. We took Sunday as a teething day and just snuggled, which to me, is one of the best parts of motherhood…the snuggles!
As I was snuggling with him this weekend, I began to reminisce a bit about this time last year. This specific weekend last year, we were getting ready to go to the hospital for his delivery. Although I personally have no frame of reference, it wasn’t the easiest or quickest of deliveries!
On Saturday, one year ago, we were finishing the paint in his room. We had the furniture, although not put together yet. Lol! We were told not to worry about whether his nursery would be ready before his arrival because most babies don’t even sleep in their own room for the first year. And he hasn’t. At all. I remember we had picked a very light shade of gray; it’s so light it looks almost white. But we did it this way because all of his furniture is dark gray. We had actually finished painting the room the day before, but because the paint color was in different cans, it somehow showed up as two different colors on the walls. So, we took Saturday and repainted the whole room so in our eyes it would all match. We had been told by my doctor to check in at midnight, so we had all of Saturday to get ready. I hadn’t had any contractions or Braxton-Hicks; he was just patiently chilling in my cozy stomach, so it was a pleasant day. We packed our hospital bags, dropped our dog at our nephew’s house and headed to the hospital. It was exciting and scary all at the same time. I had gotten some cute “mom” socks to wear in the hospital so once we were settled in our room, I had my hubby take the picture for the social media update.
I was checked on every 3-4 hours once we were settled, so sleep was intermittent. Withholding the graphic speak, my doctor wanted to do some prep work on my body so the first day was mostly just waiting for things to occur. By10:15p on Sunday night, I was only dilated to a 1. Thanks to my social media post, most of my friends were anxiously awaiting my “welcome to the world baby boy” post, so they started texting when it never came. Early Monday morning things started to progress a little better. The doctor started the Pitocin, I got the epidural (I wasn’t about to let that window pass me by!!) and then the doctor broke my water about 6:15a that morning. After that, everything was on a roller coaster…I would progress more and then it would slow down, and I would progress more and then it would slow down. Finally, about 10:30p Monday night, I was 100% effaced and dilated to a 9-1/2. The doctor could feel his head but wanted him to drop a little more so I wouldn’t have to work so hard.
To pass the time, my husband and I started looking at famous people born on November 23 and 24. Not that we had any control over when he would actually arrive, it was fun to check and see who he would share his birthday with. Well, by the time they were ready for me to push, it was already November 24, so guess that would be his birthday. As a side note, I had had a sonogram the day before we reported to the hospital to check in and I had seen the size of his head. I told my husband I wasn’t looking forward to that part because his head had measured so big!
After pushing for 3-1/2 hours with hardly any progress, they determined his head wasn’t going to fit and it would be best to switch to a c-section. I was more than okay with that. I will say it’s amazing how quickly the doctors and nurses can have you ready for a c-section when time is of the essence! I had stopped pushing about 3:30 and baby boy was born at 4:01am. I was so excited he was finally here, but also so exhausted! I had been awake for more than 24 hours during that last day. And by the way, the crown of his head measured at 14” at birth!
So compared to this time last year, I would say the days were less eventful. Saturday was spent doing what most Americans do during the fall on the weekend…watch football. And hang Christmas lights! No last-minute preparations to do on the baby’s nursery this year. And to let you know, we almost have it fully decorated, even though he doesn’t sleep in there quite yet. Sunday was spent snuggling baby boy-almost toddler because of the next set of teeth trying to break their way through his gums. No laying around waiting for body parts to be ready for baby delivery. I’ll take the baby snuggles any day of the week! <heart>
The only preparations we’re doing now is getting everything ready for his first birthday! Although the labor and delivery were less than ideal, we wouldn’t trade the experience for anything if it still gives us YOU! We love you so much kiddo! And watching all your transformations over the past year, watching you grow into the cutest little human, watching you discover all the things and experiencing it with you, has been pure joy!
For the past few years, I have taken on the goal of reading my Bible through one of the one-year reading plans. Mostly, I’ve used the NLT One-Year Chronological Bible. I seem to prefer this particular one because it’s written as it happened, in chronological order. It’s interesting to me, when reading the Bible this way, how events in history transpired simultaneously through some of the different books and also the different order of the books from how the Bible is laid out.
Like I said, I read the One-Year Bible for several years using this particular version. But last year, 2019, I didn’t just want to read the Bible, I wanted to make sure I got something out of the daily reading. So, I decided I would find one verse or scripture passage that spoke the most to me during each day of Bible reading.
My goal was to read the Bible each day, highlight the specific verse or scripture passage that I found and then write it down to keep in a journal. I used a certain highlighter color so I could keep track of which verse I picked for the daily reading, versus other highlights already in there.
Then, late last year, I decided I wanted to do more with my daily verses, besides keeping them in a journal. I wanted to share them. So, for each month in 2020, I plan to post the scriptures I found for that month in 2019. Hope you enjoy the June scriptures.
My prayer for you is that as you read these scriptures that spoke to me last year, they will speak to you right here and now; either to something you’re searching for, an answer you need or just confirmation of what God has been speaking to you.
June 1—Proverbs 19:18
Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.
June 2—Proverbs 21:21
Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness and honor.
June 3—Proverbs 24:3-4
A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.
June 4—Song of Solomon 4:7
You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.
June 5—1 Kings 11:36
His son will have one tribe so that the descendants of David my servant will continue to reign, shining like a lamp in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be the place for my name.
June 6—Ecclesiastes 3:11
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
June 7—Ecclesiastes 8:15
So, I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.
June 8—Ecclesiastes 12:14
God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
June 9—2 Chronicles 13:12
So you see, God is with us. He is our leader. His priests blow their trumpets and lead us into battle against you. O people of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed!
June 10—2 Chronicles 16:9
The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.
June 11—1 Kings 17:14
For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”
June 12—1 Kings 21:3
But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.”
June 13—2 Chronicles 19:7
Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.
June 14—2 Chronicles 21:7
But the Lord did not want to destroy David’s dynasty, for he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would continue to rule, shining like a lamp forever.
June 15—2 Kings 4:16-17
“Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!” “No, my Lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me like that.” But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.
June 16—2 Kings 8:6
“Is this true?” the king asked her. And she told him the story. So he directed one of his officials to see that everything she had lost was restored to her, including the value of any crops that had been harvested during her absence.
June 17—2 Kings 10:30
Nonetheless the Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well in following my instructions to destroy the family of Ahab. Therefore, your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation.”
June 18—2 Chronicles 24:2
Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.
June 19—2 Chronicles 24:24
Although the Arameans attacked with only a small army, the Lord helped them conquer the much larger army of Judah. The people of Judah had abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so judgment was carried out against Joash.
June 20—Jonah 2:2
He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!”
June 21—Amos 4:13
For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds and reveals his thoughts to mankind. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads on the heights of the earth. The Lord God of Heavens Armies is his name!
June 22—Isaiah 6:3
They were calling to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
June 23—2 Chronicles 27:2
Jotham did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done, except that Jotham did not sin by entering the Temple of the Lord. But the people continued in their corrupt ways.
June 24—Isaiah 9:6
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
June 25—2 Kings 18:5
Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time.
June 26—Hosea 6:3
Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.
June 27—Hosea 14:2
Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises.”
June 28—2 Kings 17:39
You must worship only the Lord your God. He is the one who will rescue you from all your enemies.
June 29—Isaiah 4:2
But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel.
June 30—Isaiah 14:1
But the Lord will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. He will choose Israel as his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and unite with the people of Israel.
**All verses are written from the New Living Translation.
**The verses are taken from the NLT Chronological One-Year Bible from YouVersion
For the past few years, I have taken on the goal of reading my Bible through one of the one-year reading plans. Mostly, I’ve used the NLT One-Year Chronological Bible. I seem to prefer this particular one because it’s written as it happened, in chronological order. It’s interesting to me, when reading the Bible this way, how events in history transpired simultaneously through some of the different books and also the different order of the books from how the Bible is laid out.
Like I said, I read the One-Year Bible for several years using this particular version. But last year, 2019, I didn’t just want to read the Bible, I wanted to make sure I got something out of the daily reading. So I decided I would find one verse or scripture passage that spoke the most to me during each day of Bible reading.
My goal was to read the Bible each day, highlight the specific verse or scripture passage that I found and then write it down to keep in a journal. I used a certain highlighter color so I could keep track of which verse I picked for the daily reading, versus other highlights already in there.
Then, late last year, I decided I wanted to do more with my daily verses, besides keeping them in a journal. I wanted to share them. So for each month in 2020, I plan to post the scriptures I found for that month in 2019.
My prayer for you is that as you read these scriptures that spoke to me last year, they will speak to you right here and now; either to something you’re searching for, an answer you need or just confirmation of what God has been speaking to you.
May 1—Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
May 2—2 Samuel 24:24
But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.
May 3—1 Chronicles 23:1
When David was an old man, he appointed his son Solomon to be king over Israel.
May 4—1 Chronicles 27:32
Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a wise counselor to the king, a man of great insight, and a scribe. Jehiel the Hacmonite was responsible for tracking the king’s sons.
May 5—1 Chronicles 29:9
The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy.
May 6—Psalm 4:4
Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent.
May 7—Psalm 20:5
May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the Lord answer all your prayers.
May 8—Psalm 23:4
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
May 9—Psalm 31:24
So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!
May 10—Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
May 11—Psalm 40:16
But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
May 12—Psalm 66:19-20
But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love for me.
May 13—Psalm 86:15
But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
May 14—Psalm 103:12
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
May 15—Psalm 131:3
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—now and always.
May 16—Psalm 145:13
For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.
May 17—Psalm 73:26
My health may fail, and my spirit may group weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
May 18—Psalm 78:7
So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.
May 19—Psalm 82:3
“Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute…”
May 20—1 Kings 3:9
“give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”
May 21—1 Kings 3:28
When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice.
May 22—1 Kings 7:51
So King Solomon finished all his work on the Temple of the Lord. Then he brought all the gifts his father, David, had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the various articles—and he stored them in the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple.
May 23—1 Kings 8:23
…and he prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.”
May 24—2 Chronicles 7:14
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
May 25—1 Kings 10:9
Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.
May 26—Psalm 72:19
Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!
May 27—Proverbs 1:3
Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just and fair.
May 28—Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who shows discord in a family.
May 29—Proverbs 9:10
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
May 30—Proverbs 12:28
The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.
May 31—Proverbs 15:16
Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.
**All verses are written from the New Living Translation.
**The verses are taken from the NLT Chronological One-Year Bible from YouVersion.
For the past few years, I have taken on the goal of reading my Bible through one of the one-year reading plans. Mostly, I’ve used the NLT One-Year Chronological Bible. I seem to prefer this particular one because it’s written as it happened, in chronological order. It’s interesting to me, when reading the Bible this way, how events in history transpired simultaneously through some of the different books and also the different order of the books from how the Bible is laid out.
Like I said, I read the One-Year Bible for several years using this particular version. But last year, 2019, I didn’t just want to read the Bible, I wanted to make sure I got something out of the daily reading. So I decided I would find one verse or scripture passage that spoke the most to me during each day of Bible reading.
My goal was to read the Bible each day, highlight the specific verse or scripture passage that I found and then write it down to keep in a journal. I used a certain highlighter color so I could keep track of which verse I picked for the daily reading, versus other highlights already in there.
Then, late last year, I decided I wanted to do more with my daily verses, besides keeping them in a journal. I wanted to share them. So for each month in 2020, I plan to post the scriptures I found for that month in 2019. I fell behind again, so for May you’ll get the April scriptures (this post) and then the May scriptures (later post).
My prayer for you is that as you read these scriptures that spoke to me last year, they will speak to you right here and now; either to something you’re searching for, an answer you need or just confirmation of what God has been speaking to you.
April 1—Judges 6:14
Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
April 2—Judges 8:34
They forgot the Lord their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them.
April 3—Judges 11:27
Therefore, I have not sinned against you. Rather, you have wronged me by attacking me. Let the Lord, who is judge, decide today which of us is right—Israel or Ammon.
April 4—Judges 13:20
As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the angel of the Lord ascended in the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground.
April 5—Judges 16:28
Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.”
April 6—Judges 20:11
So all the Israelites were completely united, and they gathered together to attack the town.
April 7—Ruth 4:12
“…And may the Lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.”
April 8—Ruth 4:15
“…May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”
April 9—1 Samuel 2:21
And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
April 10—1 Samuel 7:15
Samuel continued as Israel’s judge for the rest of his life.
April 11—1 Samuel 10:1
Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession.”
April 12—1 Samuel 13:14
“…But now your kingdom must end for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
April 13—1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams…”
April 14—1 Samuel 17:50
So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword.
April 15—1 Samuel 20:42
At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.
April 16—Psalm 57:5
Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth.
April 17—1 Samuel 24:11
“…Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me…”
April 18—Psalm 56:3
But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
April 19—1 Samuel 30:23
But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us…”
April 20—2 Samuel 2:6
And now may the Lord show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing.
April 21—2 Samuel 3:18
“…Now then, do it! For the Lord has spoken of David saying, ‘By the hand of My Servant David, I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.’”
April 22—2 Samuel 5:3
So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel.
April 23—1 Chronicles 15:28
So all Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant with shouts of joy, the blowing of rams’ horns and trumpets, the crashing of cymbals, and loud playing on harps and lyres.
April 24—Psalm 60:12
With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.
April 25—2 Samuel 8:15
So David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people.
April 26—Psalm 51:7
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
April 27—2 Samuel 14:14
All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.
April 28—2 Samuel 15:30
David walked up the road to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and his feet were bare, as a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered their heads and wept as they climbed the hill.
April 29—Psalm 3:3
But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
April 30—Psalm 7:17
I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
**All verses are written from the New Living Translation.
**The verses are taken from the NLT Chronological One-Year Bible from YouVersion
First, I want to say how grateful and thankful I am to have a Dad like you! You’ve taught me so much throughout my life and as an adult I can see how truly blessed my life has been because of you.
You’ve always been there for every event, big or small, in my life! You have a love of sports and you wanted to share that with me, your oldest daughter, by putting me on teams when I was younger. You taught me how to play basketball and golf. Basketball didn’t work out too well for me, though, as I ducked for cover every time the ball came at me…so much for the tall working in my favor for that sport! 🙂 Then, you showed me a hurdle because you knew my long legs could leap over those in a race. But I just looked at you like you were crazy!!
As it turned out, music was more my speed, so you exchanged exciting basketball games for less exciting band concerts. But that never stopped you, because you were there for every single one…from junior high to high school and all the way to college. You were there at all the football games and all the concerts. You came to all of the Parents’ Days at Texas Tech and watched me march the halftime shows during the football games. You even traveled to watch me play my trumpet at church and in Christmas programs…you’ve been there for it all, Dad.
And you continue to support and encourage me in my adult years. A couple of years ago, you took all of us to the Texas State Fair in Dallas; something you’d wanted to do for so long. You come to Lubbock when you can to play in golf tournaments with me (mostly with Jim, but I play when I can); you get up early on your vacation to come watch me at my Crossfit class. And most recently, you went to watch me run a 5K at the Mayor’s Marathon and took me to breakfast to celebrate when I finished.
As I’ve gotten older, I know the true value of a dollar and what it means to work hard and those are things you taught me when I was growing up. You and Mom worked a lot to save for family vacations we took during the summers. And we didn’t just go camping; we loaded up and went to places like California and Montana. But they weren’t just trips to get to those places; it was the trips to those places. Because of those vacations, I’ve been to the 4 Corners, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park; I’ve even been to Canada and Disneyland.
When I was younger I wondered (and sometimes complained) about why we had to drive and not fly to all those places and why we always stopped at parks for picnic lunches instead eating in restaurants. But now I know it was to save money for all the good stuff…the fun stuff; not waste it on expensive restaurant food. Because of your good work ethic, I not only have great memories from those family vacations, but I also know how to work hard to provide for my family.
You’re always there Dad, for everything! You’ve taught me so much and I just wanted the opportunity to let you know that I noticed. Life is short so we need to make the most of the time we have. We need to make the time to tell those we love that we love them. And we need to tell our loved ones why they mean so much to us.
I thank you for my love of the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers. We weren’t just fans that watched on TV, we were fans that sat in the stands and cheered on our teams. And I know now that those tickets weren’t cheap, so I thank you for taking the time and the money to take us to fun games like those. Like the family vacations, those are priceless memories I will treasure forever
I know my husband thanks you for my love of football, playing golf and watching action movies! Thanks to you, he never has to go to sappy chick flicks; he gets to watch the good stuff because that’s what I always want to see…the good action movies! 🙂 But I thank you for taking the time for Daddy-Daughter dates, too, to dinner, the movies, to play Putt-Putt or whatever I wanted to do; I treasure those memories to this day.
Thank you, Dad for always working so hard to provide for our family! You gave us a happy childhood, good work ethic, memorable family vacations and a great role model to follow. Next to the word “Dad” in the dictionary, should be your picture because to me, you are everything a Dad stands for and was created by God to be.
You’ve been there for me from the beginning…I think there’s a picture of you sleeping in the waiting room when I was born. And you’ll keep being there for everything I do…as long as God allows. So until that time comes, we’ll make the most of every opportunity we have to make new memories.
Thanks for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, Dad! I love you so very much!!!
Last week we experienced the loss of our family pet, our sweet Daisy. We had Daisy more than 10 years and she was as much a member of our family as any human. I know some people don’t think of their pet as family, but we did!! When we went on trips, she usually went with us. When checking hotels, we always checked for pet-friendly.
There are so many things about Daisy that I’ll always remember. She hated cats with a passion! She always barked & tried to chase our neighbor’s cat when she saw him. Once, my husband found her after she had “found” the cat…she had the cat pinned to the ground underneath her paw. She wouldn’t hurt any animal, but she would bark at them like she meant business. When we first got Daisy, she would run like crazy around the house. She could go from 0 to 90 in a matter of seconds. She’d zoom around the living room, out the doggy door, run the fence while barking at the neighbor dog, zoom back into the house and soar over the side of the couch like it was six inches off the ground!
She also had a love of chocolate! Yes, we know dogs aren’t supposed to have chocolate, but this dog had a stomach of steel! She was known to get chocolate out of jackets (I have a hole in a pocket to prove that), off the kitchen table, from the bar behind the couch and then anywhere else you left it without remembering to place it up high. This one Christmas we had given my mother-in-law a coffee basket with chocolate truffles. These weren’t just any truffles, they were the kind you got from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory…they were huge and there were six of them. We had opened the gifts at my mother-in-law’s house that morning and then went to another family member’s house for the rest of the day. When we got back that evening, the basket was on the floor, some of the coffee ripped open and the white sack with the truffles…ripped to shreds…and EMPTY!! We checked on Daisy and her stomach was so full. She looked miserable and she didn’t eat anything else for a while, but she was just fine. That was several years ago and we still laugh about that every Christmas.
Another food item she loved was ice cream. Any time any of us had ice cream, she had to have some. We got to where we just fixed a bowl for her when we had it. There was a time I was scooping ice cream for the two of us. The ice cream was still pretty solid, so when I scooped it out, it popped off of my scoop and was headed to the floor…except that it never hit the floor. I looked down and Daisy had caught the very generously-sized scoop of ice cream in her mouth! 🙂
There are so many great memories of our sweet Daisy. I like to believe that she’s not alone in heaven…that she has a special little boy to play with. I like to believe that she and this little boy chase each other around and play all day and the he rubs her belly at night, just like my husband did every night before he went to sleep. I like to believe that these two will keep each other company until we see them both again one day.
Matthew 5:4 (MSG), “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”
Here are a few of our favorite pictures of Daisy…
We love you so much Daisy and we miss you like crazy!!! ❤
This past week, the women’s bible study that I’m a part of at my church started our new bible study for the spring semester. This semester, we are studying “The Bait of Satan” by John Bevere. I’ve read this book before and I’m looking forward to reading it again, but studying it deeper now than I did the first time.
I don’t know about you, but books like this are ones that I like to have the physical book so that I can mark up, underline, highlight and earmark all the pages and passages that speak to me while I’m reading them. We’ve only discussed the first two chapters in the book. But as I was reading through the next section in preparation for our class, several of the passages and statements, along with scriptures jumped right off of the page.
Some of these passages spoke so personally to me, that I wanted to share them with you. Most of these come from the first three chapters in the book and some of the scriptures from the first two chapters of the workbook. If any of you are dealing with offense in any way, I pray these speak to you as boldly as they did to me.
Luke 17:1
“…It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!”
Just because you were mistreated, you do not have permission to hold on to an offense.
Matthew 5:44
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
If we do not deal with an offense, it will produce more fruit of sin, such as bitterness, anger and resentment.
2 Timothy 2:24-26
“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”
Jesus said our ability to see correctly is another key to being freed from deception. Often when we are offended we see ourselves as victims and blame those who have hurt us. You will only repent when you stop blaming other people.
There are two Greek words for love: phileo and agape.
Phileo is a love among friends; it’s affectionate and conditional.
Agape is the love of God and is unconditional; it is a love that gives even when rejected.
Galatians 6:8-9
“Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
When you sow the love of God, you will reap the love of God.
We walk in a selfish love that is easily disappointed when our expectations are not met. If I have no expectations about someone, anything given is a blessing and not something owed. We set ourselves up for offense when we require certain behaviors from those with whom we have relationships. The more we expect, the greater the potential offense.
If we don’t risk being hurt, we cannot give unconditional love. Unconditional love gives others the right to hurt us.
To not be offended, we must freely receive and freely give.
Complaining is rebellion and a lack of fear of the Lord.
Philippians 2:14-15
“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,…”
If it is not dealt with, offense will eventually lead to death. But when you resist the temptation to be offended, God brings great victory.
James 4:7
“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Authority is given to serve, not to set you apart.
Often, we focus on the impossibility of our circumstances instead of the greatness of God.
1 Corinthians 10:13
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Absolutely no man, woman, child or devil can ever get you out of the will of God! No one but God holds your destiny! No mortal man or devil can supersede the plan of God for your life. But there is only one person who can get you out of the will of God and that is you!
If you stay free from offense you will stay in God’s will.
Remember that Satan fights you the hardest and brings his greatest attach again your harvest (God’s inheritance for you) just before your harvest manifests and becomes a reality.
Numbers 23:19
“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
God has already seen every adverse circumstance we will encounter—no matter how great or small—and He has the way planned for escaping it. Often the thing that looks like an abortion of God’s plan actually ends up being the road to its fulfillment if we stay in obedience and free from offense.
Stay submitted to God by not becoming offended; resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We resist the devil by not becoming offended.
God’s Word, His promise, will always come to pass as long as you don’t get offended.
1 Peter 5:10
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”
Please feel free to comment and share with me any of the passages, statements and/or scriptures that spoke to you or share with me some of your own…
living by faith 