When God Shows Up

When God Shows Up

2 Chronicles 5:11-14

Amplified Bible (AMP)

11 And when the priests had come out of the Holy Place—for all the priests present had sanctified themselves, separating themselves from everything that defiles, without regard to their divisions;

12 And all the Levites who were singers—all of those of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, with their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, having cymbals, harps, and lyres—stood at the east end of the altar, and with them 120 priests blowing trumpets;

13 And when the trumpeters and singers were joined in unison, making one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments for song and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever, then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud,

14 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

 Here is the story leading up to these verses.. After years of working to build the temple, it was finally finished.  The temple was made of the finest craftsmanship, hand carved, and covered in gold. Everything was finally ready, so they brought in all of the articles made of gold, silver and bronze and the Levites took up the Ark of the Covenant to place it in the inner sanctuary, the most Holy Place.   

Then we come to verse 11 -14  and we find the Levite singers, musicians, and 120 trumpeters, all praising God in unity, singing, "

For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever" 

and then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud of God's presence, so strong that the singers and musicians could not continue to stand and praise God...they were literally knocked off their feet, by the presence of God.

Sounds quite a bit like Acts chapter 2:1-4 - the day of Pentecost, when the 120 disciples in the upper room were filled with the Holy Spirit.  They were all praising God in unity, and then the presence of God comes in, in a powerful way, changing lives, and empowering the disciples to go out and spread the gospel with a new boldness. 

What an amazing experience, both the Israelites in the days of King Solomon and the Disciples in the New Testament had.  

Here are a few things I see as I look at these stories:

1. The people were in Unity - They were all of one mind, all praising God together without any divisions.

2. Their hearts were set to Praise God...they weren't concerned with their appearances, how others viewed them or how others thought about them.  They were just there to give glory and honor and praise to God. 

3. God loves it when we come together in unity, praising and loving on Him.  When we do this, God shows up. He comes in and knocks us off our feet with His outrageous love and power. It is here, in His glorious presence, that we find ourselves resting and leaning on Him.  When His power and glory are so real and present in our lives, it becomes easy to trust and rely on Him as He works out His great and mighty plan in our lives.  

Life is not always easy, and we don't always have all the answers, or understand all the reasons for everything that happens.  Storms blow in and try to knock us down, and that is when we must dig our roots down into the flow of God's love and mercy, and allow Him to be our source and strength.  

Stop in the middle of your circumstances, whatever they are, and praise God... For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever!!

Good Morning Holy Spirit Chapter 10

Good Morning Holy Spirit

Chapter 10: "Only a Breath Away"

1. What action must you take to receive comfort, peace, and direction from the Holy Spirit?

All we have to do is ask and trust Him to answer.

2. How does the Holy Spirit respond to people who willfully sin?

He convicts them, and withdraws His power from their life.

3. Define the separate roles of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God the Father is the giver of all good gifts, it is through Jesus that we receive the gifts from the Father, and it is our walk with the Holy Spirit, living in the Spirit, that enables us to receive.

5. When you ask the Spirit of God to come into your heart, what are you doing?

You are making a covenant with God!  Asking Him to forgive you, cleanse you, and give you eternal life...and committing and promising that in return you will love, honor, obey, serve, and glorify Him in you life, in everything you do.

6. It takes only five words to invite the Holy Spirit into your life. What are they?

"Holy Spirit, please help me!"

Good Morning Holy Spirit - Chapter 6

Good Morning Holy Spirit

Chapter 6: Spirit, Soul, and Body

1. Complete this sentence: "I want to walk with the Holy Spirit, but I can't because I..."

There are many different ways I can think of to end this sentence...but thankfully I know that I can walk with the Holy Spirit, He is with me each and everyday. :o) 

2. How does your church view the Holy Spirit? As an active or passive influence in our lives? Either way, what is the scriptural proof for that belief?

My Church views the Holy Spirit as an essential and powerful part of everyday life.  Our services are often filled with people praying in the Spirit, we regularly hear words of knowledge, and messages in tongues with their interpretations. Our Pastor encourages the congregation to be in the Word, studying and growing in their spiritual walk, and that is only possible by listening to the Spirit as He teaches you what the Word of God is saying, what it means, and how it applies to your life.

  

There are many scriptures that talk about the Holy Spirit being an active part of the lives of the believers in the new testament.  Here are just some of them...

For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Luke 12:11-13

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:3-5

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Acts 4:30-32

And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Acts 5:31-33

who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:14-16

So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,

Acts 15:7-9

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:

Acts 15:27-29 

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:12-14

3. Of what form or substance is God?

According to what I have read in God's Word, God has many of the same physical attributes as us.  In the Word He is described with hands, a face, eyes, a mouth, a back, feet, etc.  Also, We are created in God's image, so I imagine that He look similar to what we as humans look like, with the exception of the fact that He is perfect, holy, glorious and more beautiful than words can describe. 

4. Explain what the author means when he says the Holy Spirit has a mind of His own.

When Benny Hinn says that the Holy Spirit has a mind of His own, He is talking about the fact that the Holy Spirit searches out the mind of God and then reveals/teaches what He finds to us.  The Holy Spirit though He is one with the Father and the Son, has His own mind and will.  Just as I am one person made up of a  body, soul and spirit...My body may be telling me I need food, while my spirit, which is supposed to be lead by the Holy Spirit, may be telling me to fast, and it is up to my soul to decide which one I am going to listen to. The difference is that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all work together, completely united, they are one, where the Spirit is... the Father and Son are, where the Son is... the Father and Spirit are, and where the Father is... the Spirit and Son are.  Together the three personalities or parts make up the one and only God!

5. What is the temple of God as described by Paul in the New Testament?

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit! Heaven is God's throne and Earth is His footstool, but God through the Holy Spirit resides inside of each and every believer.

6. Should the Holy Spirit be worshiped? Why, or why not?

This is one of those questions that really makes you think.  Even though I was raised in church, taught that the Holy Spirit is equal to God the Father and the Son, and that He is a part of the Godhead, I do not remember ever being taught to pray to or worship the Holy Spirit.  It was always taught that the Holy Spirit living in us would help us as we prayed or worshiped, that He was there with us, but not the one we were worshiping.  So as I study this out, and think about all I've been taught, all I believe regarding the Holy Spirit, I have to say that, yes, we should pray to and worship Him.  As I sit here contemplating this I realize that we always have prayed to Him and worshiped Him.  We pray asking Him to come fill us and to lead and guide us, we sing songs about Him, but for some reason, we don't discuss it as much as we do worshiping God the Father and God the Son. I guess we just need to start talking about it and realize that it is just as important as praying to the Father or to Jesus.

7. What does it mean to vex the Spirit? How would we do that? How might we avoid doing it?

I looked up the definition to the verb VEX -- "Distress, bother"  Synonyms include "Aggravate, agitate, disturb, embarrass, exasperate, get under one's skin, pester, harass, upset, and torment."  These words give us a pretty clear picture of what vexing the holy Spirit does to Him.  When we vex Him, we cause Him grief, and pain.  He is gentle and quiet, He will not force us to follow His leading, so when we hear what He is telling us, and we choose to do the opposite, we vex Him.  We can avoid hurting Him in this way by working to always listen to His voice, to being open to His leading and being thoughtful of what is pleasing to Him and what is not, He is your friend, so treat Him with respect, work to always honor and protect Him...The things we do and say are not the only things that can vex Him,  the things we allow to go on around us, the things we put up with that just should not be...those things can effect your relationship with the Holy Spirit too.  

Good Morning Holy Spirit - Chapter 5

Good Morning Holy Spirit

Chapter 5: Whose Voice Do You Hear?

1. How are you led by the Spirit?

Everyday, as I go through my day - changing diapers, playing dress-up with my girls, cleaning toilets, washing dishes, reading Facebook status updates, or blogging, whatever it is my day holds, I am constantly having a private conversation with the Holy Spirit.  He speaks to me quietly through the scriptures, and there are times when I just know that I need to send a message to someone or to call and share something specific with a friend or loved one.  It is hard to explain, but it is just a quiet nudge, and suddenly I just know I'm supposed to do or say or write something.  It is an amazing, exciting and comforting experience...because I know that He is with me, in everything, He is walking with me, leading me, guiding me, and protecting me.

2. How early in the Bible does the Holy Spirit first appear?

In the very beginning...it was the Holy Spirit that hovered over the face of the deep, before God spoke anything into existence!

3. Define the breath of life that flowed through Adam's body?

The breath of life that flowed through Adam, making him alive, not just a body with flesh and blood, but with a spirit...that breath was the very breath of God...God the Holy Spirit blew over and into Adam, bringing him to life, and into communion with Himself.

4. What do we have in common with Adam, spiritually speaking?

Adam walked and talked with God everyday (since the scriptures say that no one has seen the Father, and that every time the father spoke it was like thunder, I think it safe to assume that when the bible says Adam walked and talked with God, it means God the Holy Spirit) and we have the same ability.  We can walk and talk to God just as Adam did, because the Holy Spirit is God and He is here with us everyday. Once Adam sinned, man could no longer could commune with God in this way, But Jesus paid the price, so that the Holy Spirit could once again commune with us daily.

5. Do you agree or disagree with the statement that "the Holy Spirit is God"? Explain your answer.

Absolutely! The Holy Spirit was there in the beginning, He lead the Prophets, Judges, and Kings of Israel all the way through the Old Testament, and He was there when the virgin Mary conceived the Son of God, and He is the comforter and teacher who leads us today...God the Father and God the Son, both work with and speak through the Holy Spirit.  Just as we are made of body, soul, and spirit, three distinct parts, but all in one person, God is also, three distinct personalities, but all one God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - We were made in God's image!!

6. What is the scriptural proof that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one?

In Genesis, God didn't say let me make man in my image, no He said let us (plural because God has three distinct parts) make man in our (once again it is plural) image (singular because the three are one). We are made in the image of all three distinct personalities of God...they worked together to create the heavens and the earth and though they are three distinct parts, they are comprised into one God.  

7. Worldly people haven't a clue about things of the Spirit. Why is that?

Because until you are born of the Spirit the things of the Spirit seem foolish to you.  It is only when you have accepted Christ as your Savior and have the Holy Spirit as your teacher that the things of the Spirit start making sense.  It is like listening in an unknown language...without and interpreter, you have no idea what is being said, but once you find someone who knows the language and they translate the words for you, then you can clearly understand and know what is said.

8. Reread the seven kinds of communion with the Holy Spirit. What steps can you take to activate them in your life?

Start spending time with the Lord.  Through prayer, bible reading, singing praise and worship songs, etc. The more time you spend with Him and in His presence the more ways you will start communing with Him.  When we commune with Him, we learn more about Him, and the more we know Him, the more we love Him, and when you love someone you want to spend time with them.  So the cycle will start and someday you will look back over time, and see just how much you have grown in your friendship and relationship with God. He wants to be your best friend, and in all reality He is, even if you have not recognized it, or returned the feelings, His love for you always has and always will be the same.  He loves you and me more than you or I could ever understand!

Unshakable Faith - Day 44:Departing From The Lord

Unshakable Faith

Day 44:Departing From The Lord

1. Have there been times when you did not heed the Lord, and it resulted in your falling even further into sin?

I remember as a small child, I was jealous that my older sister who was already in school, got to take money to school to buy a new book from the book fair. I thought I should be able to go to school, and I thought I should be able to get a new book too.  So I came up with a plan, I stole my sister's money, and I hid it! I thought for sure she would miss out on the book fair and of course it would make everything better! But not only did my jealousy lead to stealing, I then had to lie about it, and next thing I know, my perfect plan didn't seem so perfect anymore.  My sister was in tears, and I hated to see anyone cry.  My mom was very upset, which also really bothered me.  And I felt this horrible sense of guilt.  The story ends with my telling the truth, crying a lot, and getting in big trouble! 

See even as little kids we have a God given gift called a conscience.  I may have only been 4 years old, but I knew my actions were wrong and I chose to do them anyway.  And those choices led to feelings of guilt, especially knowing that my actions didn't make Jesus happy, . As adults we tend to act the same way.  You would think we would grow up a little and realize that it's not a good idea.  But alas, we fail over and over again.  When we do make mistakes the best thing we can do is, repent and start making good choices...do not let one bad choice cause you to make many many more bad choices to try to cover it up.  This strategy never works, two bad choices never make a good! 

2. Have you ever felt "out from the presence of the Lord"?

There have been times when I knew I was not as close to the Lord as I should have been, but I have never felt as if I was completely out of His presence...He has always been faithful to continually stay by me and guide me, even when I was not being perfectly obedient.

3. Why does it seem so much easier to blame someone else and attack them instead of dealing with your own problems?

Our sinful nature causes us to be prideful, we love to see other's faults, and hate to see our own, so we do everything in our power to avoid it...blaming others is the easiest way.  If we were righteous like God, as we were created to be, we wouldn't fall into the blame game as often.  But since the fall of man, sin has caused a separation of man from God, and we tend to be evil, and more like satan than like Jesus.  This is why we must spend time studying God's Word and spend time in God's presence everyday, it is the only way we will become more like Jesus! 

Unshakable Faith - Day 42:Jealousy And Murder

Unshakable Faith

Day 42:Jealousy And Murder

1. Have you had bouts of jealousy?

Yes, there have been times when I've found myself feeling jealous of another person.  It always seems to stem from an area of insecurity I have, that someone else seems to excel in. Whenever I find myself feeling this type of emotion, I pray and ask God to forgive me, and I ask Him to help me see things from His perspective.  We all have areas we excel in and we all have areas that need some work...God loves us just as we are, it is not a competition...there is no need to allow jealousy to cause division because of our own insecurities...We just need to be who God created us to be!

2. Do you agree that it was "inevitable for man to become a murderer"?

Man was made in God's image, we were meant to be just like God.  When Adam chose to disobey God, and listen to and obey the devil, man no longer naturally is like God, but naturally is like the devil.  The devil is the father of lies, and is a murderer, so yeah, once sin entered the picture, it was just a matter of time. 

3. Will you be standing among those in the Church who are standing together in unity because they love one another?

Yes, I know how easy it is to allow small simple things to divide us, and I pray daily that God would help me to see sin for what it is and help me to not allow it in my life.  I want to grow daily to be more like Jesus, and I want His love to fill my heart and life, flowing out to touch the lives of those around me.  

Unshakable Faith - Day 36: The Curse On The Woman

Unshakable Faith

Day 36: The Curse On The Woman

1. What do you think about the "women's lib" movement?

I think there were some valid reasons for the women's liberation movement, but I believe it has been taken too far.  Women weren't made to be treated as lesser people, but they also have a God given position that is subjected and submitted to their husbands.  This doesn't mean all women are to submit to all men, just that a wife should follow her husbands leading as the head of the house.  Today many women try to take the leading role, they feel like they shouldn't have to submit to anyone.  This kind of attitude come directly from listening to the lies satan feeds us.  We need to realize that there is a reason for the way God set things up...men need to step us and start leading their families, in a loving and compassionate way, just as Christ loves the church...that means laying down their lives for their wife and children! And women, we need to honor and respect our husbands, encourage them and be the best helpmate we can be.  When our husbands lead in the way God designed, and we submit to their leadership, our marriages will be the best relationship possible between two people.

2. Do you believe that men and women have equal but different authority in a marriage?

I believe that God made men and women equally, but designated the man as the leader, to be a covering of protection, over the family.  When men fulfill there God given role and women fulfill their God given role, the two work hand in hand...it creates a wonderful -he takes care of her and she takes care of him - relationship, where everyone's needs are met and everyone puts the other before themselves.  It becomes a harmonious beautiful relationship!

3. Does your family truly reflect the relationship between Christ and His Church?

I can't say that we have it perfectly worked out...It is in our fleshly human nature to want to go against the way God designed it.  But my husband and I both recognize this, and work to stay in the roles God designed for us.  There are times when we make mistakes, get selfish, or step out of bounds  and God helps us through them.  But there are also times when JC leads and loves as he should, and I submit and love him as I should, and it is those times that are the best times of our lives.  Those are the times that we can work together in harmony, and truly be one!!

Unshakable Faith - Day 23: Marriage

Unshakable Faith

Day 23: Marriage

1. Have you experienced a spiritual sensuality that is released through the love and union of the spirit and soul that physical sensuality can never compare with?


It is a beautiful thing when a husband and wife have a connection of the spirit and soul...The physical connection is beautiful too, but it is meaningless when the other two are missing.  God created marriage,  and He created man and woman to need not just the physical, but more importantly the spiritual and soul connections with each other.  


2. Can you attest that it is the devil's strategy to turn your strengths into weaknesses and use them against you?


Satan is crafty, and sly, if he can take something God has given us for good, and make us use it in a bad way, he will do his best to try it.  We need to be careful to recognize Satan's schemes and to also recognize what our strengths are and how God intended us to use them.


3. Do you understand that the perversion of you nature is Satan's tactic to keep you from unity?


From the very beginning when Satan deceived Eve into eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, his goal has been to separate us from our heavenly Father.  Misery loves company, and Satan is miserable because of the choices he made, that caused God kick him out of heaven. So now his goal is to keep as many people as possible from getting to enjoy Heaven, when he knows it is not an option for himself.  The discord he sows is all a part of that goal, and when we come together in unity and serve God as God intended us to do, it makes Satan's skin crawl...it puts fear in him, because the power of the Body of Christ is directly correlated with the unity of the Body of Christ.  That is why unity is one of the things Satan tries to defeat first... without unity we are lot easier to defeat in other areas.

Unshakable Faith - Day 19: God and Man

Unshakable Faith

Day 19: God and Man

1. If your spiritual hunger for the supernatural is not filled with a relationship with God, the void will be filled with spiritism and the demonic supernatural.  Have you witnessed this experience in yourself or others?


Through out my life I have seen many people who, lacking a relationship with God, tried to fill the void, and when one thing didn't work they would move on to another, and another. Generally speaking, the things they try progressively get worse and worse, until they are doing things they never thought they'd ever do.  It is so sad to see a life destroyed, when the answer they are looking for is right in front of them.  You see God made us all to have a God shaped hole in us, so that we would long for and desire to be with Him.  But He also, made it easy for us to be with Him...We don't have to get cleaned up first, He loves us just as we are. His love will help us and direct us if there are things we need to change.  But we will only be able to know what needs to change, and have the ability to change them when we are walking with God.  God is right there waiting for us to turn to Him, He is not some far off God we have to go dig out of some hidden cave. He is right here! All we need to do is call out to Him, and He will answer!


2. Have you learned that it is better to loose everything than to lose your relationship with Him?


Yes, There is nothing in this world that compares with Him.  It is through Him, and for Him that I live.  If God were not, none of us would be either! 


3. Christ fully functioning through you is confirmed when all of the gifts are functioning through you.

1 Corinthians 12
The Gifts of the Spirit
1 "Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 

2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.

3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 

5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 

6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 

8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 

9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 

10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 

13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 

14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 

16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 

18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 

19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 

20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 

23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 

24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 

25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 

26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 

28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 

29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 

30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 

31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way."

Unshakable Faith: Day 17 - The Commission

Unshakable Faith

Day 17 - The Commission

1. Do you think people are filling the earth, subduing it and ruling over it, just as God originally planned?


Yes and No! Yes, the human race is filling the earth, subduing it and ruling over it.  But No, we are not doing it just as God originally planned.  When man fell, and sin came in to bring death and destruction, it changed everything.  We have much to learn about how to fill the earth, subdue it and rule over it in the right manner...as we draw closer to God and become more like Him, He will teach us and help us to fill, subdue and rule as He desires.


2. How does reading Isaiah 11:6-9 make you feel about the present and the future?


Isaiah 11:6-9
6 "The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea."

It almost seems impossible! It is hard to imagine a world where there is complete and total peace...even the animals are at peace with each other, and with mankind too!  Amazing!!! The cool thing about this scripture is that it clearly shows us just how far we have fallen and the effect our fall has had on all creation.  So when Jesus paid the price for our restoration, He also made a way for all creation to be restored to this beautiful, peaceful and completely enjoyable state.  

3. Is His Bride close to proving Herself worthy of great authority before the angels and principalities and powers in the heavenly places?


I believe with all of my heart that the Bride of Christ is still a work in progress.  The Bible talks about the Bride being beautiful without a spot or wrinkle.  The church as a whole today has many spots and wrinkles.  Divisions between the churches and denominations. People who claim to be Christians, but live defeated and sinful lives, and more...  I'm not saying we should be perfect, that is not even possible, that is the reason we need a Savior! But I do believe that as the body of Christ we should be striving to grow more like Him daily, and as we do, it will have a great effect on our daily lives and on the church as a whole. 

Unshakable Faith: Day 16 - Unity

Unshakable Faith

Day 16 - Unity

1. Do you agree that women have strengths and perspectives that men do not have, and men have strengths and perspectives that women do not have?


Yes! I believe that God created men and women with different strengths and perspectives, so that when they work together they compliment each other...where one is weak the other is strong and where one might view the situation one way the other can view it differently to help get a better view when they work together.  God did not make any mistakes when He created us, we just need to learn to appreciate our differences and learn to work together, instead of trying to change each other.  


2. How have the roles of men and women been severely challenged in this time?


The roles men and women have today are much different than they were even 200 years ago.  Some of the changes are good, and others are not so good.  Since the focus of this blog is on helping women grow in their daily walk with Christ, I am going to focus on us girls for a moment.   Today it is not uncommon for women to act as the leader in the home, however, God created us to submit to our husbands...this doesn't mean that we are not as important as our husbands or slaves to our husbands.  What it means is that the husband should be the leader, making choices and decisions for the family based on what is good for everyone involved.  And then we, as the submitting wives, come naturally under the protection of our husbands.  God set it up this way, to protect us.  When we stop doing things God's way, and try it our own way, we end up with huge problems.  I encourage you today to start allowing your husband lead, God wouldn't have set it up the way He did for no reason, so trust God and submit to your husband, and just see how the Lord blesses you both!


3. Have you witnessed or heard about great churches and movements that have died with the death of their founder(s)?


It is sad when someone spends their life working and building something they hope will make a difference for many years to come, and then as soon as their gone, it slowly dies and soon it is just a long lost memory.  I think many times this happens when the church members expect the leader to feed them, and they never grow up to feed themselves.  God did not give us pastors, prophets, and teachers, to hand feed us all of our days.  God gave them to us as leaders to help us as we read and study and grow on our own.  If you depend on your Pastor to feed you each Sunday and hope that it is enough to get you through till the following Sunday, you have missed the point.  Just as our bodies need physical food each day, our spirits need spiritual food each day...once a week is not enough!!  We need to make sure we are taking responsibility for our own spiritual growth and not constantly depending on our Pastors, teachers and leaders!

Unshakable Faith - Day 13: Diversity

Unshakable Faith 

Day 13: Diversity

1. What are your thoughts about evolution?

Well, I learned a little about evolution in school, and I've had some conversations with people who believe it as a fact.  But nothing I've seen, heard or read has ever made me question my firm belief in a Creator who lovingly and thoughtfully created everything that lives and breathes, every rock and stone, every drop of water, every molecule and atom, all in just six days.  

2. Do you agree that the mingling of races brings forth new revelations of His creativity within the bounds He has set?

Yes, I think each and everyone of us, whether or not both parents were of the same race, have been made special, unique and beautifully.  God never makes a mistake, no one is created better or higher than another person, we are all equal, we are all loved by God.

3. Do you harbor religious racism? Have you been a victim of religious racism?

No, I don't harbor religious racism.  We are all a part of the body of Christ...does an elbow have any right to think it is better than the knee...they are two different parts of the same body, and they both have their purpose.  We may be different, or believe differently about this or that, but as long as we are trusting in Jesus for our salvation, we are a part of the same body.  We need to learn to love each other and come together in unity. We need to learn to focus on the things that we have in common.

I can't say that I've been a victim of religious racism, but I have seen it and the effect it has had on people.  I believe this is something that breaks God's heart...God wants us to love one another, not tear each other down because of some petty differences.  

Unshakable Faith - Day 10: The Lights

Unshakable Faith

Day 10: The Lights

1. Just as the sun is the source of your physical life, so Jesus is the source of all life.  Is He your source of life?

Yes, Jesus is everything, without Him I would be so lost and messed up.  Jesus has saved me from not just the sins I have committed, but He has walked with me helping me to make better choices and decisions, saving me from making huge mistakes.  Jesus is the reason I am who I am, and He is continually working on me to make me more like Him. 

2. The Church has been a great influence on events in past ages and this age.  Is there more the Church could be doing?

Yes! God created us in His own image, for one purpose, to be like Him, to be a reflection of Jesus.  

When others around us look at us, they should see Jesus...and when God looks at us He should see the reflection of His Son.  

If the only thing I am reflecting is Kayla, then I am not fulfilling my God given purpose, I hope that when others see me, they see something more.  I hope they see Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Hope, Life, Faith, - JESUS! I want others to see Jesus in me. And that is what God wants from the Church as a whole as well.  

When God looks at the Bride of Christ, we should all be a reflection of Jesus, without a spot or wrinkle (the only way we can be without a spot or wrinkle is through the blood of Jesus, When we fully reflect Jesus, then God will see Jesus' righteousness in us, instead of all our own mistakes and failures).  We as the Church need to strive and work to reflect Jesus in all we do, everyday!

3. Are you always seeking to walk in the greater light of Christ?

Yes, walking in the Light of Christ is the only true way to live.

Unshakable Faith - Day 8: The Nations

Unshakable Faith

Day 8: The Nations

1. God created the nations, the different cultures and peoples, and they each have a specific and glorious purpose in Him.  Have you considered seriously the gift of different cultures and people regarding the corporate Church?

The different cultures and the diversity they bring help to round us out.  The Bible talks about the church as the Bride of Christ, and that we are one body, just different parts or members.  I'm from America, born and raised... someone who was born and raised in Africa is going to see things differently...their experiences and hardships are different from mine, and so they will notice things, maybe appreciate things that I might over look and vise-a-versa.  When we connect and share the things we are learning from God's Word, we will each teach the other something...Our differences are a good thing!!

2. You were not saved just so you can sit in the heavens, but so you can go forth with the glorious message of the cross.  Will you start today?

God wants the whole world to know the good news...it is up to us to share it, spread it, to teach it.  I am committed to do my part, Are you?

  

3. You have unique gifts that reflect God's own nature. Our differences are meant to complement one another.  Can you think of examples when this has happened?

I am currently on a women's ministries team at my church.  In this group of six ladies, we have much in common, but we all have our differences too. Different opinions, likes, dislikes, family situations, etc.  But God has brought us together, and is using each one of us in a special way.  What one of us lacks, another one has, and when you put together our strengths, it is amazing to see how God has orchestrated it, so that we complement each other, and are able to do things as a team that we'd not be able to do on our own.  

Unshakable Faith - Day 4 -The Light

Unshakable Faith 

Day 4 - The Light

1. In Everything that was created, the Father looks for the reflection of His Son.  Does He see His reflection in you?

My hearts desire is to reflect Jesus, I want others to see Him in me.  I'm not sure that, that is always the case, in fact I'm sure it's not, but that's okay because... 

"He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be.

It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars,

The sun and earth and Jupiter and Mars.

Oh, how patient He must be, He's still working on me."

2. The Lord created His Church so people would need one another.  No one will get to their destination in Christ alone.  Write what this means to you.

When we are in Christ and walking in His truth/light, we cannot help but become connected to the body of Christ and walk with them on this narrow path...so if you separate yourself from the body of Christ you also move away from the light and start walking in darkness.  God created a need in all of us for fellowship not only with Him, but also with other believers...when we fall they help us up, they encourage us in hard times and rejoice with us in the good times. and we do the same for them...without these vital relationships being filled by other believers we start connecting to the things of the world and looking for support in the wrong places.

3. To have fellowship, you must start by looking for things to agree about rather than disagree.  Think of the last time you disagreed with another Christian.  Could it have been avoided?

Sometimes we need to agree to disagree and then move on to find some common ground.  When two people disagree, it is not a reason to break relationship, it actually can be used to help the relationship to grow and become stronger. Once when I worked at a local church I had some ideas of how things should go, and other people in the office had ideas that were completely contrary to mine, and eventually it started to come between us, our friendship went through a rough patch as neither of us would budge on what I considered an integrity issue.  In this situation, I maybe could have tried to go about things a little different, but I strongly feel that no matter how I handled it, one thing was clear, I had to take a stand on what was right and what was wrong.  I dearly love these friends and it was hard to watch us grow apart, but since that time the relation has mended, and though we aren't as close, we all love each other and still keep in touch.

Unshakable Faith - Day 3 -The Spirit Moves

Unshakable Faith

Day 3 - The Spirit Moves

1. The nature of the Christian life is to be moving and going somewhere.  Are you moving forward, or are you too comfortable where you are?

When I think about my walk with Jesus and all the things He is doing in my life and all the amazing things around me...I just can't help the overwhelming flood of emotions that fill my entire being...sometimes it makes me want to cry, laugh, smile, jump up and down, or become more prayerful and reverent...but always I just want to praise Him.  I know that it is all to easy to stop moving forward, and sometimes that happens without us even realizing it...but I am so thankful that Jesus loves us enough, that He never stops nudging us to get back in the flow when we've strayed, and He is always faithful to lead and guide us, so that we are able to keep on, keeping on once we have got our spiritual feet moving in the right direction.


2. If your spiritual life is not getting better day by day and increasing in power and faith, then you may have missed a turn.  Take time to think back to where that might have been and correct your course.

I don't know what the road your walking on looks like, or what roads have lead you to where you currently are...but if you look around and realize that you have made a wrong turn, do not worry, do not fret...you may have turned away from Jesus, but be assured He has not turned from you.  Simply look to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, and He will help you, guide you and heal your wounds, to get you back on the right road, headed in the right direction, with the power and strength to make it to the end. 

3. Have petty differences with others separated you from those whose destiny is joined to your own?


We are the Bride of Christ, that is how we, the church are described, in scripture.  Each believer is a part with a very real purpose. Now imagine with me for a moment a bride whose left foot had an issue with it's big toe?  I picture a beautiful young woman walking down the isle, and BAM that foot purposefully slams that big toe into a chair leg, what a picture it would make and what a chaotic wedding, when every body part was fighting or not working with another...that poor bride, and that poor groom!  Well, when we let little disagreements come between us and another believer, that is what we are doing to the beautiful bride, that is the church.  Let us love one another, and work in unity, so that we can be the beautiful Bride of Christ without a spot or wrinkle!