Posted in LGG Study

“Know Love”: Week 3-Monday

To encourage others and help us grow in our faith and understanding please be sure to read and/or share your comments about today’s passage in the reply bar at the bottom of the page.

Challenge: This week think of someone in your life with whom you can share the testimony of Jesus (1 John 5:11-12). Who in your life needs to hear this truth? Ask God to give you a clear opportunity this week to share your faith with this person and ask Him for boldness to share when the time arises.

NEW: Prayer Focus for this week – Spend time praying for your friends

Today’s Scripture: 1 John 4:12-19 (S.O.A.P 1 John 4:16)

12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because He first loved us.

Posted in LGG Study

Weekend Reflection (2)

Be sure to check by here tomorrow for our weekly video discussion.

  1. What does it mean to “remain in Him”? What does this look like in your daily life?
  2. Why is it important for us to be generous to other believers? How can you be generous with the resources God has given you to bless and care for others in the body of Christ?
  3. How can you test the teachings of others to know whether or not they are from God? Why is this an important practice?
  4. How did God display His love to us? How does He continue to display His love to us?
  5. How are we agents of revealing God’s love to the world?

To encourage others please be sure to read and/or share your answers in the reply bar at the bottom of the page.

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Posted in LGG Study

“Know Love” Week 2 – Friday

To encourage others and help us grow in our faith and understanding please be sure to read and/or share comments about today’s passage below.

Today’s Scripture: 1 John 4:7-11 (S.O.A.P 4:10)

Loving One Another

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Posted in LGG Study

“Know Love”: Week 2 – Thursday

To encourage others and help us grow in our faith and understanding please be sure to read and/or share comments about today’s passage below.

Today’s Scripture: 1 John 4:1-6 (S.O.A.P 1 John 4:4-5)

1Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a propheta acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

4But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.

Posted in LGG Study

“Know Love”: Week 2 – Wednesday

To encourage others and help us grow in our faith and understanding please be sure to post/share your comments about today’s passage in the reply bar at the bottom of the page.

Don’t forget this week’s CHALLENGE: Take extra time this week to observe and interpret 1 John 3:19-20. How does our conscience condemn us? What does Romans 8:1-4 say about this? How do these truths affect what you believe about grace?

Today’s Scripture: 1 John 3:18-24 (S.O.A.P 1 John3:19-20)

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.

23 And this is His commandment: We must believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with Him, and He with them. And we know He lives in us because the Spirit He gave us lives in us.

Posted in God is good

My Trust and Hope

Father, You are good. In You I have put my trust. Show me Your ways LORD, teach me Your ways for they are right and good like You. Guide me in Your truth and teach me for You are my God and Savior and Your Spirit lives in me for this reason 💙 My hope is in You all day long! Oh how I love and depend on You. (Psalm 25:1-5 and John 14:26)

Posted in God is good

My Everything

Father, You are good and You have taught me that when I keep my eyes on You – and remember You are with me – I will not be shaken.

I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

You are my Protector, my Defender, my Strength, my Comforter, Deliverer, Hope and Light and so much more. You are my Everything. Blessed be Your holy name and the Truth of Your promises. 💜

This morning’s prayer reminded me of an old hymn and that led me to chasing down some Scriptures. I’m sharing both (the song and the Scriptures) with the hope and prayer that they will bless your day as much as they have mine.

How Firm a Foundation (John Robbins 1787)

VERSE 1
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word
What more can He say than to you He hath said
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled (Matthew 7:24-27)

VERSE 2
Fear not, I am with thee; oh be not dismayed
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand (Isaiah 41:10)

VERSE 3
When through the deep waters I call thee to go
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress (Isaiah 43:2; Psalm 46:1; James 1:1-2)

VERSE 4
When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie
My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine (1 Peter 4:12-19; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Isaiah 48:10)

VERSE 5
The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to its foes
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake (Matthew 11:29; Proverbs 18:10; Psalm 16:8; Deuteronomy 31:6)

Posted in Uncategorized

Good Reminders

Do you ever wake to thoughts of the past that stir up regrets or to thoughts of the future that stir up fears? This morning was one of those mornings for me.

As I lay there, struggling with the ‘if onlys’ of the past and the ‘what ifs’ of the future – God, in His goodness, prodded me with His Spirit – reminding me (speaking words right into my very soul, it seemed) to fix my thoughts on Him. He was specific, reminding me that this is the day that the Lord has made and I should rejoice and be glad in it. He whispered, Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. I quickly rose in the strength of the reminders – knowing they were words of life and victory over the enemy’s attempt to steal and kill and destroy – but found myself still trying to shake off the regrets and fears that had been stirred up – unfortunately, they didn’t shake off like sand but stuck like caked-on dirt. He rescued me though with one final word – PEACE – reminding me that those who trust in Him and fix their thoughts on Him are kept in perfect peace. With that I was able to move forward free from the debris of fears and regrets and finding myself in worship and awe of God’s goodness. 

As I spent time in the wonder and worship of what had just transpired I looked up the reference He had whispered about Jesus being the author and finisher of my faith – curious as to why that one for this situation and I found these words preceding those: 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down (i.e. Fears and regrets) especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us fixing our eyes on Jesus … Hebrews 12:1-2

Familiar words for sure, hidden away but not thought of or quoted for a while now – but certainly putting into deeper perspective the beauty of how God uses His Spirit and His Word in our lives. 

the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26

My child pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to My words. Don’t lose sight of them, for they are life to those who find them and healing to their whole body. Proverbs 4:20-22

Prayer: Father, You are good and in Your goodness You have won the battle over the thoughts of regrets and fear that plagued my mind. When You are for us what can stand against us? So, it is in gladness I have risen up to meet this day and it is with thanksgiving that I fix my eyes on Christ, the author and finisher of my faith, and through whom I find forgiveness and renewed strength. It is with steadfast HOPE that I entrust – not just this day – but all the days of my future, whether here on earth or in heaven with You. Yes God, You are good and I praise You for Your Presence in my life and for the work of Your Spirit to remind me of everything You have said. You are a good good Father! It’s who You are and You are mine because of my faith in Jesus Christ. I know You are working all things together for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose – and in this TRUTH I find PEACE. Thank you for intimately knowing every detail of my life, for knowing the words I needed to hear this morning and for speaking them into me. Is it any wonder that I love and trust You? For surely I have tasted and seen that You are Good! 

Blessings – from the Inside Out 💕

Posted in Uncategorized

How Do We Choose?

I am currently doing the Love God Greatly study on Joshua. This morning’s scripture was from Joshua 13:1-8 and Isaiah 66:3-4 and lead me to these thoughts …

  • Our choices matter to Him
  • We put ourselves and our relationship with Him in great jeopardy when we choose our own ways over His
  • The same is true when we attempt to align His will with ours or come up with a combination of the two instead of fully aligning our will with His
  • When He calls He wants us to answer
  • When He speaks He wants us to listen

My child pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to My words. Don’t lose sight of them for they bring life to those who find them … Proverbs 4:20-22

In this world we will face situations everyday where we must choose our way or His. The question is how do we consistently make the right choice?

As children of God and joint-heirs with Christ we must be careful and intentional with our choices. We must strive to faithfully make God – His Word and Spirit – our guide and priority over what we see and feel and desire.

His will, His pleasure, His ways … should be our utmost criteria.

cri·te·ri·on

noun

plural noun: criteria – a principle or standard by which something may be judged or decided.

From the InsideOut 💕

Borderline Believers