Category: Confidence

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Sorry – Wrong Account

Well, that was a surprising email!

Dave and I are waiting to be reimbursed for some warranty work. I received an email requesting our summer address and was given a date of when the reimbursement should be arriving.

I replied asking if that would be for both invoices and received another email verifying two invoices but the wrong amounts. This was quickly followed by another email, “Sorry, wrong account” and then listed the correct amounts for reimbursement.

Good.

Things like that happen every day, hundreds of times. People being improperly charged and then there are emails, phone calls (sometimes very heated calls) and finally correction and resolution.

Do you know things like that happen in our spiritual lives as well? We’ll be going along just as carefree and happy as you please when a thought, a condemning thought, comes to mind. It’s called our conscience, a guilty conscience, reminding us of something in our past that we are ashamed of, and we plummet into self-pity and unworthiness.

Stamp that memory with the words “Wrong Account” and return to the sender, who is the devil.

“But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. This is why his blood is much more powerful and makes our consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death.

15 Christ died to rescue those who had sinned and broken the old agreement. Now he brings his chosen ones a new agreement with its guarantee of God’s eternal blessings!” Hebrews 9:14-15 CEV

Christ took our sins, all of them, and paid the price for our forgiveness. They were charged to His account and that account has been marked paid in full. Through His sacrifice we can live with a clear conscience.

“He destroyed the record of the debt we owed, with its requirements that worked against us. He canceled it by nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:14 CEB

The debt has been removed by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Our account, our conscience, has been cleansed!

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I Do It Myself

It’s not uncommon to hear little kids say, “I do it myself”. They are growing and learning and many times don’t want to accept help. They want to be independent. What we, who are older and wiser, know is that most of the time that attitude leads to a mess.

But before we are too critical of the little ones we need to look at our own statements of independence and there consequences. Hating to admit we need help is an expression of pride. I hesitate to ask Dave to open a jar of pickles – I can do it myself. Our cabinets are tall and he will volunteer to put things up for me and sometimes I find myself saying, “no that’s fine, I’ve got it”.

Why? That’s just silly but I do it all the same. We offer our time and our help as a gift, not as a criticism or an assertion of inability.

The Lord offers to help us in every circumstance of life but many times we’re like that small child standing with our hands on our hips and declaring I’ll do it myself. Through the years I’ve gotten more comfortable receiving from the Lord.

I heard one teacher contrast the difference between receiving and getting.

Getting implies working hard, striving, manipulating, using your effort to obtain. Receiving, on the other hand, is opening yourself to accept what someone else can do. You receive a gift with gratitude. Receiving from the Lord is accepting what Jesus has already done – that’s faith!

We don’t “work” to “get” from the Lord we walk by faith and accept His gifts of grace.

“You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. 7 Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.” Colossians 2:6-7 CEV

Here is our truth to live by today.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 KJV

…to break it out further, here is the Amplified version

“I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]” AMP

Self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency – I can’t do it myself but when He helps all things are possible!

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Rooted In Him

Have you ever thought about the difference between “with” and “in”?

If you have a glass of water and you take it to the table, it is “with” you. But you can leave that room and leave the water behind.

However, if you drink the water, it is “in” you. It gives life to your cells and nourishes your body.

The Old Testament tells us that God was “with” his people. When Jesus came, one of his names was Emmanuel, God “with” us. Jesus was and is the presence of God. After we accept Jesus as our Saviour the Scriptures says that we are “in” Him.

“Just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so go on living in him—in simple faith. Grow out of him as a plant grows out of the soil it is planted in, becoming more and more sure of the faith as you were taught it, and your lives will overflow with joy and thankfulness…9-10 Yet it is in him that God gives a full and complete expression of himself (within the physical limits that he set himself in Christ). Moreover, your own completeness is only realised in him, who is the authority over all authorities, and the supreme power over all powers.” Colossians 2:6-10 Phillips

His fullness fills us with His life, His love, His character.

Wherever we go, Christ goes in us. We bring His nature, His life to every circumstance and person we come in contact with.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. 6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.” Ephesians 1:3-6 ERV

There is no need to beg God to be “with us”. We need to be aware, vitally aware, He is always “in us”.

“This message is the secret truth that was hidden since the beginning of time. It was hidden from everyone for ages, but now it has been made known to God’s holy people. 27 God decided to let his people know just how rich and glorious that truth is. That secret truth, which is for all people, is that Christ lives in you, his people. He is our hope for glory. 28 So we continue to tell people about Christ. We use all wisdom to counsel every person and teach every person. We are trying to bring everyone before God as people who have grown to be spiritually mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:26-28 ERV

Christ lives “in” us so that we can take Him to the world! May the Lord shine through us today.

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Make It Stronger

A few days back Dave asked me to make the coffee stronger. I have used the same number of scoops for years, so his request intrigued me.

We always use the same brand and both of us drink our coffee black. I’m wondering if the coffee company has changed their processing. Maybe it’s just our taste buds. But I complied with his request, and we are enjoying it more.

Make it stronger…as I was drinking my first cup this morning and enjoying the fuller flavor I was reminded of a couple of Scriptures.

When we are young Christians, the Apostle Peter, says we grow by experiencing the milk of Scripture.

“Like newborn babies hungry for milk, you should want the pure teaching that feeds your spirit. With it you can grow up and be saved.” I Peter 2:2 ERV

The writer of Hebrews points out that as we grow, we need a stronger diet of more solid foods.

“But solid food is for people who have grown up. From their experience they have learned to see the difference between good and evil.” Hebrews 5:14 ERV

That is why I love Paul’s writings in the book of Colossians.

There are so many wonderful nuggets of God’s wisdom and provision contained in that small book. I wish we had time to sit and discuss it verse by verse. This book is filled with hope, strength, forgiveness, instruction for daily living. It starts by reminding us of how deeply the Father loves us.

“At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, because the evil you did was against him. 22 But now he has made you his friends again. He did this by the death Christ suffered while he was in his body. He did it so that he could present you to himself as people who are holy, blameless, and without anything that would make you guilty before him. 23 And that is what will happen if you continue to believe in the Good News you heard. You must remain strong and sure in your faith. You must not let anything cause you to give up the hope that became yours when you heard the Good News. That same Good News has been told to everyone on earth, and that’s the work that I, Paul, was given to do.” Colossians 1:21-23 ERV

At one time we were enemies of God the Father. But through Jesus’ sacrifice we have been brought into a right relationship with Him. The Father loves us and sees us as holy, faultless and without blame. All of our sins were placed on Jesus when He died for us.

Christ lives in us and is our power source, our strength and our victory.

In our homes we have electricity. That electricity will light a bulb of 25, 60, or 100 watts. The size of the bulb may change but the power source is the same.

Christ is the same in all our lives and as we grow stronger in Him we learn to appropriate more of what He has provided.

Make us stronger Lord for your glory!

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Encourage the Brave

I found this saying attributed to Alexander the Great and thought it was worth sharing. “An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep”.

God has placed within us all a spirit of boldness; sometimes we just need someone to encourage us.

Let’s look at three words. Courage, En courage, Dis courage.

Courage: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to push through it.

En-courage: to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident.

In the Bible the words strength or encourage are used interchangeably.

Discourage. to make (someone) less determined, hopeful, or confident.

When we become discouraged, we lose the ability to persevere and withstand difficulty. I want to encourage you in who you are today in Christ. Don’t let the enemy or the circumstances you are facing discourage you.

“You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. 7 Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful. 8 Don’t let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ. 9 God lives fully in Christ. 10 And you are fully grown because you belong to Christ, who is over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:6-10 CEV

Be strong, be grateful. Don’t listen to senseless arguments that discredit God. The power of God rests in Christ and since we are in Christ. As believers God makes His power available to us. He has made us free!

“You were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self. But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave all our sins. 14 Because we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross. 15 He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see.” Colossians 2:13-15 ERV

Christ won the victory for us! Be encouraged with that today.

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Heavenly Father Watches Over Me

Do you know that our Father loves us dearly and watches over us carefully?

Have you seen a new mother watching over her baby? She responds to every squirm and squeak. Then as the child grows, she tries to shield it from scratches or scrapes, germs or harmful things. That nurturing heart comes from Father God. This little child is part of its mother and she is committed to its welfare.

Do you think the Father cares any less for us than we do for our own children? Even when we disappoint Him, our Father is there for us. He does not and will not abandon us! As the scripture in Matthew 6 reminds us, if he sees the sparrow and the lily and cares for them how much more does He watch over and provide for us.

Where are we going today? Where have we been?

There’s no place we can go or are now that He doesn’t go with us. He has promised to never leave us or forsake, (I love that word) us. We can rest in the Father’s love. Trust Him on the freeway, at our job, in the grocery store. Trust Him with our broken heart and our weary body. Trust Him with our finances, with our spouse and children. He is faithful!

“You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. 2 You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. 3 You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. 4 Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, 5 and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side. 6 I can’t understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me. 7 Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight? 8 If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there. 9 Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. 10 Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me. 11 Or suppose I said, ‘I’ll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over.’ 12 But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you. 13 You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, 14 and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt. 15 Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, 16 but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do. 17 Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine. 18 I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach. And when I awake, I will find you nearby.” Psalm 139:1-18 CEV

We are not alone – our Father is always watching over us with care!

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Words, Words, Words

Yesterday morning Dave and I took an early morning flight to visit our son and his girlfriend. The people in the airport were so happy to have the choice of wearing or not wearing a mask. (I promise I won’t get political) Even the flight attendants were remarking that it was so good to see people’s faces.

Anyone who has flown knows that every flight starts with the safety instructions before the plane leaves the terminal.

Honestly, how many of us listen to their instructions? After a few flights, the things they are saying just become words, words, words. Only half of the passengers are even looking up to see their demonstration. However, the intent is for us to be as safe as possible should an emergency arise.

I think that’s how some people feel about sermons or reading the Bible. It just becomes words, words, words. After a while, they tune them out.

This morning I want to change our thinking just a little. Consider this, the Bible is a love letter. It was written by the Father to His children. His intent is to convey His love and all the wonderful blessings He has for us to inherit.

The Father is taking time to reveal the depth of His heart.

When God speaks He doesn’t waste words. Each word is filled with life changing meaning. Each story is packed with power. Each thought is a gift from God’s heart to our lives. It’s not just instruction for “in case of an emergency” but it is loving provision for every day of our lives.

“Praise the Lord! He is good.
    God’s love never fails.
2 Praise the God of all gods.
    God’s love never fails.
3 Praise the Lord of lords.
    God’s love never fails.

4 Only God works great miracles.
    God’s love never fails.
5 With wisdom he made the sky.
    God’s love never fails.
6 The Lord stretched the earth
over the ocean.
    God’s love never fails.
7 He made the bright lights
in the sky.
    God’s love never fails.
8 He lets the sun rule each day.
    God’s love never fails.
9 He lets the moon and the stars
rule each night.
    God’s love never fails.” Psalm 136:1-9, 232-26 ERV

Everything God does is to show us His love – the sea, the stars, the sun, the land, provision, health, protection – they are all indicators of God’s amazing love! And that love never fails!

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Complete Trust

As I sat down with my coffee this morning, I picked up my journal and wrote, “I don’t know what today has in store, but You do and I trust You. Thank You for being completely trustworthy”.

And then I began to meditate on two words – completely trustworthy.

Can someone be trustworthy without being completely trustworthy? No, I don’t think that’s possible. The word “trustworthy” means one thing – worthy of trust. If there is ever a situation when someone or something can’t be trusted, then they stop being trustworthy.

Knowing God’s character, knowing His heart, we know that He is always worthy of our trust. He does not lie; He does not change, He is always the same.

“That is, the Lord passed in front of Moses and said, ‘Yahweh, the Lord, is a kind and merciful God. He is slow to become angry. He is full of great love. He can be trusted.'” Exodus 34:6 ERV

The Lord said that about Himself. There is no one greater to give testimony of God’s faithfulness.

“God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change.
If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.” Numbers 23:19 ERV

Completely trustworthy.

When God gives us His promise, He keeps it. Many times, placing our trust in Him bypasses our understanding. We are limited in our scope of knowledge but His is infinite. He knows the beginning from the end. He knows our future and the path we should be taking.

“Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV

As all of this was filling my heart and mind, the words of a song came rushing in. It was written by Rita Springer, Josh Baldwin, Ethan Gregory Hulse, and Marcus R Harris. This song has become my anthem when worry and fear try to captivate me, “Stand in Your Love”.

“When darkness tries to roll over my bones
When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own
When brokenness and pain is all I know
Oh, I won’t be shaken, no, I won’t be shaken

My fear doesn’t stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
My fear doesn’t stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
My fear doesn’t stand a chance
When I stand in Your love!”

Fears, and we will have them, dissipate when I focus on the love of the Father. He has promised to never leave me or abandon me. He has promised to be my protector and my provider. He has promised to forgive all my sins and He has promised to adopt me as His own. He has promised that His love with never fail.

Fear doesn’t stand a chance when I focus on His love. He is completely trustworthy!

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Imperfect & Usable

After reading yesterday morning’s blog were you consciously aware of the many opportunities you had to be humble?

I was.

One of the things I find most humbling is God’s desire and ability to use us in our imperfection.

He used Adam in spite of his disobedience. Abraham was a man used mightily by God but he had times that he lied to protect his own life instead of trusting God to defend him. David served the Lord faithfully for many years and then committed adultery and murder. Samson was used by God to destroy the Philistines but had anger issues.

Peter denied the Lord and Paul persecuted the Christian believers. Each of these men had issues with humility, however, they repented and were forgiven.

How many times have thoughts from our past side-lined us from doing what we felt God wanted us to do?

Thoughts of failure, fear, unworthiness and shame.

“Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses were Pharisees, and they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors. So they asked his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’

17 Jesus heard them and answered, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.'” Mark 2:16-17 CEV

Jesus didn’t come to the religious elite; He came to those who knew they needed a Savior. He came to people like you and me.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. It’s a day that commemorates Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The people who had heard Jesus teach, been healed by his touch and seen the miracles that he performed were lining the streets, awaiting His arrival.

“The disciples led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back, and Jesus got on. 8 Many people spread clothes on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields. 9  In front of Jesus and behind him, people went along shouting,

“Hooray!
God bless the one who comes
    in the name of the Lord!
10 God bless the coming kingdom
    of our ancestor David.
Hooray for God
    in heaven above!” Mark 11:7-10 CEV

Now it’s our turn to praise Him!

We have been made new, by His grace. Our imperfections don’t disqualify us. In fact, it is those very things that make us recipients of His grace.

“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV

Fully aware of our imperfections, Father, we say thank you for your grace. Thank you for making us new and giving us a life filled with good things. Amen!

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Knowledge Is the Key

Yesterday we began to unpack the wealth of knowledge in II Peter 1, but we only scratched the surface. In the King James Version of the Bible, Peter uses the word knowledge five times in the first eight verses of this book.

His letter to us is short and to the point. This fisherman, who followed Christ, is doing exactly what Jesus commissioned him to do. He has become a fisher of men.

We left off at the end of verse three yesterday and so we’ll pick up with verse four.

“God made great and marvelous promises, so his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.” II Peter 1:4 CEV

Read that again. I don’t want you to miss it.

Many believe that the Bible is just a list of rules; things we can do and things we can’t. If that’s the only concept we have, we are severely lacking in our knowledge of God. His word is filled with great and precious promises, each one given to empower us to be victorious in this life. Each promise is part of our inheritance as God’s children, transforming us by His divine nature, (His DNA).

“Through His shining-greatness and perfect life, He has given us promises. These promises are of great worth and no amount of money can buy them. Through these promises you can have God’s own life in you now that you have gotten away from the sinful things of the world which came from wrong desires of the flesh.” II Peter 1:4 NLV

Honestly, these verses were life-changing for me. Realizing that every promise in the Bible is mine revolutionized my thinking about God’s love and acceptance of me. My Father wasn’t wanting me to fail, on the contrary, He has given me His promises for my success. This was new knowledge.

“ Do your best to improve your faith by adding goodness, understanding, 6 self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7 concern for others, and love. 8 If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. 9 But if you don’t grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.” II Peter 1:5-9 CEV

The word “understanding” can also be translated knowledge. Knowledge is understanding God’s amazing plan for our future, a plan for our success.

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13  You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” Jeremiah 29:11-13 CEV

My hope is that these morning blogs build a desire in you to know more of God’s word; to experience more of His promises and to discover all the Father has for each and everyone of you.

“You are holding firmly to the truth you were given. But I am still going to remind you of these things.” II Peter 1:12 CEV

I will continue to remind you of the Father’s promises because knowledge of Him empowers each of us to be who He created us to be!

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