"I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing." - John 15:5
You will not be afraid...Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness. Psalm 91:5-6a
Webster's Dictionary defines Pestilence as a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating;" I think all of us deal with some form of pestilence in our life--if not in our own body, in that of a loved one.
In today's world there are so many different forms of pestilence... Cancer, Heart disease, Flu viruses, HIV/AIDS, the list could go on and on...when we think about dealing with these horrible illnesses and the effects they have on so many lives it is easy to start worrying about the what if's. But God, knowing that all of these diseases and illnesses would be rampant, gave us a promise, that we will all benefit from it, if we just have the faith to believe it. God wants to take care of us, and God wants to work in our lives and the lives of those around us. This promise is for you and every believer. God does not want you to fear the disease, He wants you to trust Him and then He will take care of the situation, making the best of it for everyone involved.
I have some dear friends whose 2 year old little boy was diagnosed with Leukemia this last summer. Now, it would have been very easy for them to get angry at God for allowing this thing to happen...but I am happy to say they chose to put their faith in Jesus. And God in His great love and mercy has made every treatment and every situation work out better than the doctors expected. It took less than 30 days of treatment for the doctors to declare Lincoln cancer free, and even though the road is long and the treatments aren't over yet...God has had His hand on their lives and has brought about great miracles- because of their faith and trust in Him.
What ever your situation, whatever the diagnosis is...Trust God!
"1IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.2And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody). 3Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing. 4Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. 5It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. 6It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. 7Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. 8Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth]. 9For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect). 10But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded). 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside. 12For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God]. 13And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love."
"We Live By Faith, We Love By Faith!" - Beth Moore
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BELIEVING GOD EVER AFTER
There is one thing that stood out to me from this chapter; the idea that even though the faith chapter Hebrews 11 ends with verse 40, we can know that God is writing our testimony of faith and we can live our lives so full of faith and believing God, that we might just be able to imagine what verse 41 would be..."By Faith (your name)..." Can you imagine that. How awesome it would be to arrive in heaven to find out that you did it, you lived by faith, you made the faith hall of fame! I want to, oh, how I want my life to be a life of faith and believing, even when things look impossible, I pray that I will have faith believing in the very one who made the heaven and the earth. I want to make the faith hall of fame: What an honor it would be to be a part of the Faith Chapter - Hebrews 11:41 By faith...Kayla Conley ...
Oh Lord, may we all be women of faith living life in such a way, that when we arrive at your throne in heaven we will hear "Well done, My good and faithful daughter!" Amen.
You may be going through a time in your life where it feels like you are walking around in a circle over and over again and you can't seem to get out of the cycle. The Israelites were in just that type of situation. I mean think about it, they walked, or I should say wandered, around the desert for forty years. Beth makes the point that it was not their failure that kept them stuck in the cycle, it was their prevailing unbelief. So if prevailing unbelief keeps us in the cycle; then the opposite, is our answer to getting out of the cycle. We need to have prevailing belief! Beth points out that this does not mean we won't have times of doubt, but God looks at whether we let those moments of doubt be our deciding factor, or if we choose to have faith, and make decisions based on faith. What stood out to me is the fact that God is not looking for perfection, we are not even able to be perfect, only God is perfect. God is just looking for us to believe Him. When we choose to believe Him, He sets our feet on the right path and He gets us out of the cycle and into Gilgal, our promise land, the place where God renews His covenant with us, and our reproach is removed. So let us be women, who live our lives believing God and when we are tested may God find us to be women who had faith and a prevailing belief in Him.
I feel like God is saying that someone reading this blog is living life with a stigma, or a sign of reproach. As Beth said, you walk around with the letter of your approach on your chest and you feel like you can't get rid of it. God is saying to you, that He is your answer. You need to believe in Him, trust Him to lead you and guide you into your promise land. God is waiting for you to exercise your faith, and to walk in it. Trust God, He knows your past, present, and future.
This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." Jeremiah 29:10-14 NIV
Notice God promises to bring you back, or full circle - which is the meaning of Gilgal, and He declares (declare means to make known clearly or officially, to claim as a possession), that He knows the plans He has for you. In other words He has the plans for your life in His possession, trust Him to fulfill this promise!
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BELIEVING GOD WHEN ROUTINE FOLLOWS REVELATION
In this chapter Beth talks about what we need to do after a mountain top experience. For those of you who may not know what I mean by this, I am talking about a time in your life when things just can't get better. Spiritually speaking it may be that you feel closer to God than you have ever felt before, or a huge prayer was answered in an amazing way, you just attended an awesome conference, etc. Many times we go through life expecting God to keep us up on the mountain top, and when we find ourselves down in the valley, in the mundane ins and outs of everyday life, we wonder what went wrong. The answer most of the time is nothing. We may look for those mountain top experiences, but God is looking for us to be faithful in the everyday life, in the darkness of the valley, in the mundane, He is looking for us to keep on keeping on. Attending church, reading God's Word, praying, worshiping Him in every area of our lives. This is what we need to do...Believe God When Routine Follows Revelation!
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BELIEVING GOD WHEN VICTORY DEMANDS YOUR ALL
A number of years ago, I had the privilege to travel to Slovakia with a Group called AIM (Ambassadors In Missions). This trip was a life changing experience to say the least. On this trip we saw God move in a very powerful way. I can't say that I have experienced anything that would compare to it. After we arrived, while we were settling in, our leader and a small group of about five people, went to a prayer meeting at the church. At this time the Leaders of the church told them that they had been fighting a spiritual battle for months, and even with multiple other groups like ours coming to minister in their city that summer they had not seen a break through. They were depressed and some of them were dealing with demonic forces in their homes and loved ones. Our leader came back to the hotel that night, and told all of us that we were in for a battle and we needed to make sure we were ready. Talk about a prayer meeting, we had one right there and then, and let me tell you God showed up in the two weeks that followed. We saw a city that was like a fortress of the devils, crumble under him, and God moved in and we claimed that land for the Lord. The church when we arrived was running about 20 people including children and when we left there was standing room only and people outside the windows trying to hear the good news. I feel like God said to us the same thing He told the Israelites; that they would have victory, but they were going to have to give their all, in order to get it. We walked circles around the neighborhoods and that city praying for God to move. As we set up rally's and presented the gospel we had to have a group in prayer constantly. If we stopped praying, something would happen to hinder what God was doing. I remember one time, we had a group praying during a service, and they stopped praying when there was a transition in the program. When that happened our sound system went on the fritz and only when we started praying again did the system start working right. If we stopped for a minute it would mess up again. I know that this may sound crazy to some of you. But let me just say, we have a big God and even the sun will stand still to accomplish His will. We just have to be willing to give our all when God ask it of us. When God presents us with the opportunity to work with Him, we will see Him do miraculous things in our midst, if we are ready and willing to give our all. I pray that we will be ready to stand with our Shield of Faith held high and that we will wield the Sword of the Spirit with all of our strength.
There is an old song we used to sing as teenagers that says so much in just a few simple words. I wish I had this song available for you to listen to, but for now here are the lyrics... read them and think about what it really means.
"There is nothing in this world that He won't provide, there is nothing in this world that He won't supply; if I believe, if I believe. There is nothing in this world that He won't provide, there is nothing in this world that He won't supply; if I believe, if I believe. So I'll say to the mountain, move. So I'll say to the mountain get out of my way. So I'll say to the mountain, move. So I'll say to the mountain get out of my way. Yes, I believe! Yes, I believe!"
Do you believe? Do you ask believing that God will move your mountain? Or do you ask for things that do not require the mountain to move; just in case, God doesn't move it? Then you won't feel like an idiot for asking, or like God is not listening. Do you doubt that God will answer? I know that in my life there have been times when it is really hard to look at the situation and see any good coming from it. There are times when there is just no way for our human minds to conceive of a good out come. But God sees a different picture and there is nothing impossible with God. Beth Moore makes some points that we would do good to remember and apply to situations just like this and even to simple easy situations as well. When we pray we need to remember that God gave us His Word, not just to teach and guide us, but as a powerful weapon. It is called the Sword of the Spirit for a reason. So when we come to God in prayer it is so important to use the Word of God and let the Scriptures do the work for you. If, when you pray, you quote God's Word in your prayers, you will be effectively wielding the Sword of the Spirit, so that it can perform the work that God intends it to do. Really, we should do this every time we ask anything, because not only does it make our prayers more powerful, but it helps us make sure that we are praying for God's will, not ours. As we do this we have to have faith believing that God is who He says He is and that God will do what He say's He will do! This chapter has made me realize how important it is to read, memorize, and meditate on God's Word. So that when the time of need comes, the Scriptures can be brought forth by the Holy Spirit into our mind, and we can quote them, and pray asking God to accomplish His Word and His will, in our lives and situations.
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BELIEVING GOD CAN SANCTIFY YOUR MOUTH
In the world we live in, it is so easy to let ourselves be desensitized, by the things we watch on TV, or listen to in music, or even just the conversations around us. But God makes it very clear in His Word that we are to be transformed, by the renewing of our minds and I believe this means that we need to be careful that we don't let ourselves become so desensitized that the line between right and wrong becomes blurred. When the line gets blurred our mouths probably are not sanctified! Lets take a look at what James 3:3-6 says about our tongues.
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:3-6 NIV
And in Proverbs 18:21 it says: The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. These are just a few scriptures that show us why it is so important to sanctify our mouths. It has the power to effect every area of our lives and the lives of those around us.
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BELIEVING GOD WAS FAITHFUL IN YOUR PAST
Just as Joshua and the Israelites needed the memorial to help them remember what God did for them that day at the Jordan River; we also need to remember what God has done for us! As I made up a time-line as Beth suggested as the end of this chapter, it was amazing to realize and remember all that God has brought me through and done in my life and in my families. Here is the story of how my christian heritage was started.
When my mother was just a young child, my Grandma had a friend who had invited her to a revival meeting at a church in the town, now at this time, neither of my grandparents were Christians, and neither one really thought there was much that God could do for them. However, Grandma agreed to go just to see if people really did swing from the chandeliers. The afternoon of the meeting, my mother fell and hit her face on the hot wood stove causing a major burn across the right side of her face. Grandma trying in desperation to help, poured a near by cup of what she thought was cold water on it, however, it was not water, but bleach she had poured for the laundry. The bleach as you could imagine made the situation much worse and my mother was in terrible pain. Not long after this incident the friend came by to pick up grandma to go to the meeting. Grandma tried to use my moms burn as an excuse not to go, saying that a small child in pain would only disrupt the service. But the friend disagreed and said that if she was really in that much pain this meeting was exactly where she needed to be. So grandma was talked into going, but did not want to be there. When the preacher arrived, he announced that God told him to pray for every person in the building. Upon Hearing this Grandma decided she should leave. Only to notice that my mom had fallen asleep, so she decided to stay so that my mom would not be disturbed. As soon as the preacher prayed for my mom, the burnt skin on her face started to heal, and by the end of the service my mom's face was completely healed. My Grandma accepted Christ that day, and my grandpa accepted Christ a few year later. Grandma has been one of the greatest prayer warriors I have ever met. And now there are over four generations who have been taught about Jesus, because of my Grandparents faith. God moved in my family years ago and is still working today. PTL!
Who does God say you are? Do you know? Or do you just have an idea of who you are based on what people around you say, or on past and present circumstances? I think many times we as Christians know that we are redeemed, forgiven, loved, adopted into God's family, chosen, blessed, favored, and much more. But we don't believe it. We know that God's Word says it, but we don't really believe it applies to us, or we just don't believe He was talking about us. We tend to think, "Yeah, sure ... some people are all those things, but not me." I loved how Beth illustrated the difference between being a this (what God says you are) and still feeling and acting like a that (the person you believe yourself to be). God will help us to start believing that we are a this and not a that if we will just start asking Him to show us how He sees us. As we read and chew on God's Word, I believe that God is willing, and even excitedly waiting to show us the truth about ourselves. Because whether we realize it or not, we are loved, blessed, chosen, redeemed, adopted, and forgiven. We are children of God, and He is our Abba (daddy) Father. I'd like for you to imagine with me for a moment what it would be like to sit in God's lap as He strokes your hair, and tells you how much He loves you. When you cry He bends down on one knee and tilts up your chin, to wipe away your tears. Then God's loving arms surround you in a hug that is warm, comforting, gentle, and compassionate. Can you picture it? I can, and let me tell you that there is no other love like God's love. We don't all have this kind of a loving Father here on earth, but we all have a loving Father in God, and He is waiting for us to start searching His Word so that He can show us how much He loves us, and how He views us through His eyes. We truly are the way God see's us. Now we just have to believe it!
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BELIEVING YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST
I have had Phil. 4:13 memorized for more than half of my life, but have I truly believed it, expected it, or seen it played out in my life? The answer is no. I mean there have been a few occasions when I thought I had a grasp of it. But in general, I tend to worry, fear, and doubt my way through situations. I know God never intended me to worry, fear or doubt, because He was/is with me and in control every second of every minute. I need the knowledge to become a deep rooted belief. Here is a little practice I decided to do to help myself believe. I speak the scripture out loud as it is written in the Bible. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Then I take the key point that I need to apply to myself and make it personal. - "I can love the unlovable through Christ who gives me strength." Speaking scriptures out loud has a powerful effect. The words of our mouths are a powerful weapon. Let's remember to use them as we battle against worry, doubts and fear. Do not allow yourself to meditate on the lies of the enemy, but speak the truth of God's Word over every situation and watch and see what amazing things God does in your life.
~*~ BELIEVING GOD'S WORD IS ALIVE AND POWERFUL IN YOU
God's Word is alive, active, operative, energizing, effective, and powerful in our lives. I love the way Beth breaks this statement down. I encourage you to reread pg 125 and think about what it means to have the Word of God working in your life in such a way. The Holy Spirit and God's Word, together they make a dynamic duo that is so powerful we cannot comprehend it. I've heard it said that many Christians make the mistake of reading too much too fast. It is said that we should read just one scripture or passage and meditate on it, for a day, a week or as much time is needed, we need to look at what the scripture says, what it means, and whether we really believe what it is saying. If we do this with a prayerful heart asking the Holy Spirit to teach us and lead us, we will be changed. It is so exciting! Just to know that God's Word is working in my life, on my behalf, to bring about God's perfect plan for my life.
Thank you Father for giving us your Son to die in our place, the Holy Spirit to comfort us, and your Holy Word to teach and guide us through all of life's issues. Amen
EL SHADDAI: God Almighty, or God all Sufficient ADONAI: Lord, or Master JEHOVAH: LORD - Yahweh: God's covenant name JEHOVAH-JIREH: The Lord will Provide. JEHOVAH-ROPHE: The Lord Who Heals JEHOVAH-NISSI: The Lord Our Banner. JEHOVAH-M'KADDESH: The Lord Who Sanctifies JEHOVAH-SHALOM: The Lord Our Peace JEHOVAH ELOHIM: LORD God JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU: The Lord Our Righteousness JEHOVAH-ROHI: The Lord Our Shepherd JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH: The Lord is There JEHOVAH-SABAOTH: The Lord of Hosts EL ELYON: Most High ABIR: Mighty One
KADOSH: Holy One SHAPHAT: Judge EL ROI: God of Seeing
KANNA: Jealous (zealous) PALET: Deliverer YESHUA: Savior GAOL: Redeemer MAGEN: Shield EYALUTH:Strength TSADDIQ: Righteous One EL-OLAM: Everlasting God EL-BERITH: God of the Covenant EL-GIBHOR: Mighty God TSUR: God our Rock MELEKH: King IMMANUEL, or EMMANUEL, or IMANUEL: God with us HUPSISTOS: Highest SOTER:Savior JESUS: JEHOVAH IS SALVATION.
This is my God, and He is everything He says He is.
This list of names only scratchs the surface of all God is.
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BELIEVINGGOD CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO
This chapter has so much in it. I had to read it twice. I would encourage you to read it again and really think about what Beth is saying.
If we believe that God can do what He says He can do, then why do we doubt that He has the answers to all of lives questions and problems. When troubles arise, we need to go to the One who can and will work everything out for our good, if we will be obedient and trust and believe in Him. Beth made a statement that we need to remember - "If you dare to believe and you don't get your miracle, God has a greater one planned. Stay tuned."
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BELIEVING GOD FOR HIS BEST
We have all prayed and begged God for something at one point in our life, only to end up wondering what we did wrong, or why God did not give us the answer we so desired. Beth looks at these trying times from a perspective we would all benefit from. God is all knowing and all powerful, and He knows what is best for us not only for the present but for the future. So we need to realize that God answers our prayers based on not only today's circumstances, but also from what He knows will be in the future. And God's number one priority is that we grow in our walk with Him, so that our lives give Glory and Honor to Him. If we receive the healing, or provision, or answer we wanted, but God does not receive the Glory and in the future it ends up being a hindrance to us, then the answer we wanted was the wrong one and what good did it accomplish. God knows all these things and works everything out for our good. Sometimes God tells us no, because the future holds a bigger and better yes!
Beth Moore asks us if we would be willing to commit for a time to practice three faith actions. I would suggest that you pray about this before making a commitment. We should never go into a commitment with God without stopping to think it through and make sure we are truly committed to do it. If you would like to join me, I am going to commit to these faith practices for the duration of this study.
1. Practice raising my shield of faith.
God's Word tells us that we are to put on the full armor of God, and the shield of faith is one of the most important pieces we need. The shield of faith is used to extinguish all of the fiery darts the enemy throws at us. Here are five simple but powerful statements Beth gives us to help us as hold that shield up and keep it up.
God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God's word is alive and active in me.
2. Increase my personal level of sanctification.
Beth gives some examples of ways to do this, and once again I hope that you will prayerfully consider what God would have you do to increase your level of sanctification. I am committing to spending more time in God's Word and not just reading it, but chewing on it and really digesting what it is saying.
3. Journal Godstops.
Godstops - when we see God at work in our life and sensing God's presence on a daily basis. I know for sure that God is working in our lives constantly, but we do not always take the time to notice. So this month I am committing to look for God at work in every situation, and I know that God wants to show us the amazing things He is doing, all we need to do is just stop and look for it.
As we continue through this study, I know that God has amazing things for each one of us. I am so excited!!
