Posted in From the Insideout

Things I Learned from My Dad

I was my daddy’s daughter, forever his little girl so when he passed from earth to heaven a part of me went with him. However, a part of him stayed here with me. You see, so early on in my childhood years that I don’t remember when – my daddy imparted his faith to me in every word and deed. He was not a perfect man – nor am I a perfect woman – but he had trusted in the Perfect Lamb and led me to do the same. Through all the years of his life I heard Him praise God in the good times and watched Him lean on God through the hard times – and he taught me to do the same. While I grieve, I do not grieve as one without hope because he taught me that Jesus died and was raised to life again, (1 Thessalonians 4:14) so that in joy or in sorrow I can truly say, “It is well with my soul”, a line from His favorite hymn by the same name.

The song was written by Horatio Spafford in 1873 and is still popular today. I have shared it below – borrowed from an online anonymous blogger who gives not only the song’s lyrics but the accompanying Scriptures. They are a perfect example and reference for the Faith that he passed on to me.

Verse 1:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

Isaiah 66:12 For thus says the LORD, “Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; And you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and fondled on the knees.

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Psalm 42:7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 2:
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

Romans 5:6-8 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

1 Peter 1:18-19  knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

Verse 3:
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

Colossians 2:13-14 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Hebrew 13:15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

Verse 4:
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face ; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

Mark 14:62 And Jesus said, “I am ; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Even so, it is well with my soul.

1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout

Pursuing Joy through Prayer

The link shared below is something I found both encouraging and helpful. I wanted to share it with the hope that it will also encourage you to spend some quality time with God. I will preface it with this … prayer can also be spontaneous which Scripture supports in Colossians 4:2, where it tells us to pray continually or devote yourselves to prayer as some translations say, painting a picture, not of praying once a day, but praying throughout the day.

However, as Pastor John teaches in this devotional, Plan for Prayer, prayer is also meant to be a time planned or set aside to spend purposefully with God – for the specific purpose of praying. I will also add – we should set aside time to spend in His Word – the two can be combined but neither should be neglected or we cheat ourselves out of one of the greatest privileges of our salvation – a personal relationship 💗 with the True and Living God💜 . This includes entering into His presence boldly and with confidence both to talk to and to hear from God (Ephesians 3:12 and Hebrews 4:16 [14-16]), knowing that we have been brought near through the blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:13 [11-18]), and believing He wants us to understand His Word and know His will for us (Luke 24:45, Romans 12:2, and 2 Timothy 2:15) – May this add strength and encouragement to your day and blessings to your weekend 😊

This is a segment of “Solid Joys” from Desiring God, a site I follow by John Piper

Plan for Prayer

Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

Truth Over Lies: Week3

LIES ABOUT YOU (PART 1) DAY 1

THE LIE: YOU ARE NOT ENOUGH

READ: Exodus 3:1-14 and 4:1-11; 1 Peter 2:9; Philippians 4:13, Ephesians 2:10; SOAP: Exodus 4:11

THE TRUTH: The Lord said to him, “Who gave a mouth to man, or who makes a person mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

Exodus 4:11

A lie we often believe about ourselves is that we are not enough. You are not_______ enough. Immediately, a little lie probably crept into your mind. Inadequacy, incompetency, insufficiency.  

Read the full LGG devotional here – you won’t want to miss it!

It’s a lie meant to keep us from stepping forward in faith in the things God has called and created us to do.

Read the rest of the devotional here:

What do you think?

  • How can we overcome feelings of inadequacy?
Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

TRUTH OVER LIES: Week3

“LIES ABOUT YOU” (PART 1), DAY 5.

THE LIE: You’re Too Old/Young to be Used by God.

READ: Job 12:12; Psalm 92:12-14; 1 Timothy 4:12 and SOAP: Psalm 92:12-14; 1 Timothy 4:12

THE TRUTH: The godly grow like a palm tree; they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the Lord’s house, they grow in the courts of our God. They bear fruit even when they are old; they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.

Psalm 92:12-14

THE TRUTH: Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity. 1 Timothy 4:12What do you think?

  • Does your age make you feel inferior?
  • How can God use the young and the old?

Have you ever put an age limit on God’s plans for your life? We often feel that our age restricts us from accomplishing our goals or dreams. Like the height restriction at a rollercoaster, we stand stretching to see if God will let us on the ride. 

Read the full devotional

The devil will tell us over and over again that we are too old or too young to serve Him. He will make you doubt your ability, your capacity, and your skills.

Today’s blog gives us better insight – 
Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

TRUTH OVER LIES: Week3

“LIES ABOUT YOU” (PART 1), DAY 4.

THE LIE:YOU NEED TO RELY ON YOUR OWN STRENGTH

READ: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 40:28-31; Jeremiah 17:5-8 and SOAP: Proverbs 3:5-6

THE TRUTH: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, don’t depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do and He will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

We live in a world that values individualism. Asking for help appears weak.  

Want to read the solution?

What do you think?

  • What is the danger of relying on your own strength?
  • How do we rest in God’s strength?
Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

Truth Over Lies: Week 3

“LIES ABOUT YOU” (PART 1) DAY 2

THE LIE: “You Can’t Change”

Read: Hebrews 13:20-21; Philippians 4:13 and SOAP: Hebrews 13:20-21

THE TRUTH: Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

Sometimes we experience something that grasps hold of us and we can’t seem to shake. We begin to believe the lie that we cannot change. We will always be a victim. We will always struggle with the addiction. Yet, God’s Word powerfully refutes these lies.  

Check out the full devotional

What do you think?

  • Why does relying on ourselves not produce lasting change?
  • How does relying on Jesus bring about true change?
Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

Truth Over Lies: Wk 2, Day 3

Truth or Lie? GOD PUTS SHAME AND GUILT ON YOU AS PUNISHMENT

Read: Isaiah 54:4-5; Romans 8:1 – SOAP: Roman 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

What did you learn?

  • Who received our shame and guilt?
  • How does that change things for you?

We could all be found guilty for a multitude of sins and without hope, but …  

read the full devotional here

A lie that we all to often believe is that this shame and guilt is a form of punishment from God.  

Today’s full blog
Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

Truth Over Lies: week 3

“LIES ABOUT YOU” (PART 1), DAY 3.

THE LIE: YOU AREN’T LOVED.

READ: Romans 8:37-39 and SOAP: Romans 5:8

THE TRUTH: But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

One of the most isolating lies we can believe about ourselves is that we are not loved.

Read the why this is so dangerous

“If you are waiting for me to tell you I love you, you’ll be waiting forever.” What a horrible thing to say, right?

Read the rest of the blog to see how it turned out …

What Do You Think?

  • How do you know we are loved by God?
Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

In Jesus I Am … A Conqueror

Week 4, Day 5
READ AND SOAP: 1 JOHN 4:4

But 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.

1 John 4:4 NLT

Reflection Questions:

  • How are you empowered to fight against the enemy’s schemes every day?
  • How can you overcome the enemy through the power of Christ?

Through our time together in this study on identity, we have learned that who we are is not about anything we have done, but who God is and what He has done for us.

Today’s full devotional LGG can be found here

Visit https://lovegodgreatly.com/lgg-blog/ for today’s blog.

Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

In Jesus I Am … Empowered

Week 4, Day 4

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-11, 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9; SOAP: PHILIPPIANS 4:13

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13 NLT

Reflection Questions:

  • What does it mean that we are able to do all things through Christ?
  • How can you find peace in your weakness or in difficult circumstances knowing He is always working, even in your weakness?

In God’s kingdom, we are at our strongest when we are weak, and we are our most independent when we are dependent on God. Our verse today does not mean that we should do all things, but that we can find joy as we rely on God to empower and equip us to do the work He calls us to do.

Read today’s full Love God Greatly devotional here