Week 8

This weeks post in told by my wonderful and amazing Mother - in - Law Carol Clouse. Enjoy!

As I was reading the assignment of week 8, the Holy Spirit continually gave me the message of Give God the Glory! When we try to do anything in our own power, in our own unworthiness we will come up short every time but when we set out to give God the Glory, we will always have the victory. We are only equipped by God when we are a child of God, we are only empowered by the Holy Spirit when we have laid down our sins at the cross and confessed our sin and asked for the forgiveness that only Christ can offer. 

On day 2 we watch the wrestling match and see how her focus switched from trying to win to try not to lose. We see this quite often in the lives of Christians that feel like the world is beating them up so they retreat and do not take an active role in the community. Stop going to church and let Satan get a foothold in their lives. We need to fit our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. This word peace is an action word, the battle is mine says the Lord! 

When reading day 3 my heart felt so sad when I read the words we shoot our wounded and leave the lying in the dirt to find help on their own. We are so afraid of getting into the mess of broken lives, that we find a reason to stay out of it. As Christians we also put a price on forgiveness, I will forgive you if you do this...this is not how Christ asks us to forgive. We are to live as Christ and Christ went to the cross with no expectations our stipulations of Him dying for us. He just knew He needed to for God to forgive us for our sins. Pray earnestly that God will reveal to you those that are hurting, those that you need to carry the cross for. 

Day 4 finds us looking into the eyes of the giant Goliath. What is your giant? What do you worry so much about that you have sleepless nights? Have you made that your giant? The Lord says to cast your cares on Him, to trust Him, do you have power over your panic?  

In day 5 we see the verse Romans 8:31, "if God is for us, who can be against us?" This sums up the whole weeks reading by telling us that nothing is too difficult for God, when you and 

I face the storms in our life, and we will, let us not be led as sheep to the slaughter but stand firm in our faith knowing that we have a all powerful God that nothing is impossible for Him. Be strong my friend, have faith, pursue peace and stay in your Word!

God Bless,

Carol Clouse

Week 7

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart 

and do not lean on your own understanding. 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, 

and He will make your paths straight"

Proverbs 3:5-6

"He is my Father who knows what is best for me" (p.145). 

"You don't have to understand God to trust Him" (p.142).

I start off with these two, because it stuck out as soon as I read them. How very true are these two statements and especially for someone who is unsure of their faith or their faith is not as strong as they want it to be. These whole reading for week 7 was pretty intense. I did a lot of underlining and reflecting of my own. Lets just get right into it and as we do keep in mind the two statements above.

When suffering and trying to weather the storms of life sometimes you wonder is God even there!?!?! Think about when Jesus was crucified how do you think God felt? He knew that would happen, but watching would be worse then the actual act of what Jesus went through. The storms we endure today are what tests our faith and spiritual healing. He is always right by our side and when we are going throughout painful times He allows it so it will work for our ultimate good.

When God says NO! He has a reason for it. I think after awhile we feel that God and the Holy Spirit have abandoned us, but in actuality we are granted grace in the perfect moments, times, days, and also for each stubble we go through. It is all about weather or not you accept the grace that is being offered. the Lord gives me grace that strengthens me when I am weak. This goes hand in hand with a strong faith!!! If he says no it does not mean He does not love us, because He knows what is best for us!

In this series the key take away is FAITH and TRUST. In our reading it says "faith is an anchor of hope for the believer. Trusting God is a core essential" (p.148). It is ALL about choosing to trust Him and not doubting Him. ALL meaning your life and lifestyle and how you live your life as a follower of Christ. Psalm 34:18 says "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (p.147.). Know that your faith and trust in God are the things that you need in order to fulfill Gods objectives and live a God-centered life! If you cannot do that and are only doing the bare minimum as a Christian how do you think others view you are a believer? Not just that, but what kind of "power" do you think you will have in Gods kingdom? That is what it is all about my friends, it is about what you will do once in the House of the Lord!!!

Lastly, I don't know about you, but do you pray often for things other then your own struggles? i know I look at my own life and feel that my struggles are nothing compared to those that are REAL! The Lord know what is going on every min of every day and is in total control. Your struggles are also real do not forget that, but take time to pray for those things that tug are your heart, because that is the Holy Spirit working in you! Psalm 59:16 from the reading says "But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble" (p.154).

Lets Pray:
Lord Jesus, thank you for allowing me to spread your word and to those who read and receive it thank you for leading them here. I know at times your answer is No to our prayers, help us to better trust in you because you know what is best for us. We come to you in times of pain and helplessness. I need your strength and power of grace to strengthen me when I am weak. When I am weakest your are strongest, and I know then that you are shaping and molding me into the person I am supposed to be in honor of You! Help me to live what I believe in and spread your word with more courage tomorrow and the days to follow all in Your glorious name. In Jesus' sweet an holy name I pray, Amen

God bless,

~Vickie

Week 6

This weeks reading has really gotten to me more then most, due to the fact that I found an amazing church that has opened my heart to the Lord even more then ever before!!! Believing is something is greater then believing in NOTHING at all. Renewing your faith in times where it is extremely hard and to have any faith at all is huge Isaiah 40:29-31 stuck out hard during the reading….

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint". 

What is the first thing you do in the morning? Coffee? Shower? Read Facebook, emails, news? What if your first is put on hold for 15 minutes so that you can glorify God. I mean whats 15 minutes? Make the excuse in your head right now!!! ANNNNNDDD forget it and just do it. Start with just 5 days straight and see how you feel. If the mornings are not your thing then do the evenings before bed time! Start somewhere and do not make an excuse of it.

Ok so back to the reading for this week. Getting away for time with just God helps to renew your faith as it says in Romans 10:17 "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ". If you are not willing to listen how do you expect to even hear God? 

I watched Son of God twice this past week and have gain so many questions (thirst of more knowledge about Jesus), this lead me to read different passages in the bible. For instance when Jesus raises from the dead and comes to his disciples John 20:28-29 says And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." As a believer or even someone unsure of where you are in your faith, does this passage not make you want to read more about Jesus Christ!?!?!

From the book Mary Southerland wrote "We often fear the outcome or don't understand the step God has asked us to take, so we hesitate. We are afraid to fail and are more concerned about our reputation as a Christian than we are about being obedient to God."  That being said she also says "If we don't live it, we don't really believe it." Change your life and fulfill God's purpose for His Kingdom. 

Here are some tips in helping with preparing your heart and mind for whatever trials lie ahead for you:
1. Make time each day to be alone with God
2. Pour out your dreams and desperation to Him.
3. Invest fifteen minutes in solitude each day, allowing your soul to "catch-up."

I leave you with two things; when David remembered his past victories, his God-confidence was off the charts! We can gain God-confidence the same way. What battles has God brought you through?

And Corrie ten Boom put it, "Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible."

Lets Pray
Thank you Lord for giving me the words to write to all these people reading this post. Help us to be more faithful and keep us from leaning on our own understanding. Help us trust that He is in control and that He will renew our strength threw all adversities. 

God Bles each and every one of you

~ Victoria

Life-Changing Faith in Jesus

Up until probably a year ago I was not very open about my faith. I was never ashamed or doubtful just never knew what to say about it. I mean I believe, but it was hard to explain to someone when I didn't know the bible very well! I must admit even today I would be terrified to talk to someone about my faith yet I notice myself doing it more and more. I'm currently reading (yes on top of reading Trusting God) I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp. It's such a great book and I am only a quarter of the way through it!!! In the book Jeremy says: "Truly experiencing a life-changing faith in Jesus means taking His Words off the pages of the Bible and allowing it to sink into our hearts so that it directs our actions." I keep thinking I haven't felt this before. But I'll tell you what I have been so compailed by my daughters love, my husbands heart, and the pulling toward something else in life. I know it will come when that life-changing faith will knock me down and lift me right back up at the same time.

I think faith is something you don't see unless you search for it. How can you have faith when you do not have anything to have faith toward. No one would believe a miracle unless you had faith in something bigger then yourself. By chance you say??? I say by Gods grace!!! If faith is something that is still hard for you to explain then think of it like this: (this is how it was explained to me) can you see the wind? NO! So how do you know the wind is there? Because you can feel and sometimes see the effects from the wind! You can see the effects it has all around you weather it's just a breeze or a storm there is some sort of reaction. Same with your faith weather it be in a miracle or Gods love. Warning: it may not be what you want or when you want it. It is all in His time and His will!!! 

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

With the way God is working in my heart and life, I cannot wait to see where He leads me. Putting my faith in him, gives me a less stressed life. I am bored and he is starting to challenge me. I have to have the passion in order to enjoy what God has in store for me. I'm getting there I can feel it!!!!

God Bless,

~ Victoria

Week 3

Good Evening Friends!!! This weeks reading really hit me! I'm going through a lot in my personal life (which has a lot to do with my professional life) and struggling with when and how to trust in God. This should be a no brainer don't you think. I guess for me its hard because I feel like God gives us freedom of choice as you will. He gives us situation's to make decisions for ourselves or does he?!?!? I mean if God is all knowing then he already knows the decisions I will make correct? He is not surprised by anything that is going on in our lives.

With that said even if you did not read this weeks reading or have the book the premise is all about no matter what do you love and trust in God? 

~ Have you ever thought that sometimes you are the unluckiest person in the world? Those times come and go and honestly are inevitable (as stated in the book), but while they hurt it is such an AMAZING feeling when you get past it. It feels like the painful part was so irrelevant to the pleasure you feel now! In the book it says that "scripture assures us that even when we are faithless, God remains faithful". Isn't this the perfect time for us to remain committed to God and Jesus? 

~ How about the song 'Jesus love me this I know…' ok stop singing :)!!! Do you love him back as he loves you? A lot of people feel unworthy of love or feel they do not deserve it. How about feeling deserted by God? Now thats a tough one to even fathom or think about. In the reading it states that the disciples were the ones who felt deserted by God. I imagine in your lifetime you have felt deserted as well, but would you give your life for Him?

~ Remember Jesus in the boat with his disciples and the storm on the Sea of Galilee? Could this not be the perfect way to trust in Jesus? He blatantly asks them to have faith in him and yet they still do not. Do you have faith in him in all you do no matter what, even when the situation does not turn out to your liking?

~ Ok so lastly, think of people you surround yourself with. Do these people show the same if not more faith in the Lord then you? If not how do you think your strength in the Lord is growing if those you surround yourself with have little or no faith? Just a thought to living a more gracious, meaningful life if you struggle with our faith because of those around you!

I could not decide on which verses I liked the most to end this week on so I decided to add both of these:

* Why are you afraid? Do you still have to faith? (Mark 4:40)

*Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today…. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. (Exodus 14:13-14)

God Bless,

Vickie