#5 Practicing Devotion to God-Knowing your Identity

February 7, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

As we grow and mature in life we go through a process of learning to know who we are. We struggle with self-esteem, motivation and self-discovery. As a Christian, we also go through this as we learn who we are in Christ, and how much we are loved by God. I personally did not really learn to love and appreciate myself until I got a grasp on how much God loved me, and how important I am to Him. This knowledge gave me worth in His eyes and was more powerful in shaping me than anyone or anything.

God tells us who we are to Him in His Word. Psalm 139 is filled with His love for us. Here are a few verses: 1-6, 14-15

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
²You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
³You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
⁵You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it….. ¹³For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.

Isaiah also gives us a picture of God’s love for us in Isaiah 43:1-2, 4,7

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.

4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,

7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

God loves us beyond measure and we were created for His glory. His love was ultimately shown when He sent Christ to die for our sins and restore us to relationship with Him that was broken by sin. Galatians 2:20 gives Paul’s testimony of who He is in Christ. Let it be ours too. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

I pray that as you meditate on these verses you will catch of glimpse of how much God loves you and desires a relationship with you. You are important to Him! Know that you were loved even before you were created and you are held precious in His eyes. That is true worth, to know and understand you are loved by God. Let your life be governed by His love and let your identity be in and with Christ.

Linda

#4- Practicing Devotion to God-Meditate on God’s Word

February 4, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Unlike the ancient believers we have the whole Bible to rely upon, refer to and reference for any and all circumstances, needs, encouragement, hope and reflection. What about God’s Word makes it special? Hebrews 4:12 tell us “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God’s Word can touch us at the very heart of our being and is living and active in us and in our lives. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” God’s Word is inspired and breathed by God so that in using and applying it to our lives we can be ready to do the work and live the life that God has for us. Can you imagine the power it took for God to create the universe? That same power is available to us in His Word, He spoke the world into existence and we have His Word before us in the Bible.

Isaiah 55:10-11 tell us the intentionality of God’s Word in the world.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”  Sovereign God knows where His Word is going and what it will accomplish. We can count on its success as God never fails or is defeated. “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:2

Knowing the power of God’s Word and how God will use His Word in our lives should give us hope and confidence as we study and learn from His Word. Psalm 119:15-16 gives us what our attitude and actions towards God’s Word should be so that we can be used of God and bearing fruit in our life for Him.

“I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
¹⁶I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.

May you be mightily blessed as you open God’s Word and let your heart meditate and soak in the truths about God and what He has for you to do. Let the living Word of God live within you today!

Linda

#3 Practicing Devotion to God- Pray

January 31, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

The third practical way to experience love and commitment to God is to PRAY. The Bible is filled with people talking, communing, listening and responding to God in prayer. Isaac prayed for his wife Rebekah to conceive as she was barren, Hannah prayed rejoicing as God gave her a son to love, David prayed for protection and guidance as he fled from Saul, Solomon prayed for wisdom to rule the people, Nehemiah prayed for the restoration of Jerusalem, Jonah prayed from the belly of the fish, Jesus prayed many times to commune with His father while here on Earth, the Apostles prayed for guidance in presenting the gospel and encouraged all believer to pray constantly. These are just a few examples of the who, when and why people prayed.

We often think of prayer as me talking and God listening. All of the above knew that God was accessible in prayer and that He would answer with guidance, hope, love and compassion. In Psalm 16: verses 7, 11 David reveals how he feels about prayer. “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.” ” You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” David received God’s guidance and counsel as God laid on his heart what he should do. God revealed the right pathway in life to him.

Jesus instructed us on prayer in Matthew 6: 5-13. He told us what not to do in verse 5,7-8 and then what to do in verses 6, 9-13. Do Not “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ” ⁷“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Do “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us this day our daily bread,
¹²and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

Prayer is personal as you alone can speak with Almighty God and lay your concerns, hopes, dreams and desires before Him. As you learn to trust Him, He will reveal His will and desires to you. Psalm 37:3,4 are some of my favorite verses and I pray and claim them often. “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.⁴Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Talk with God, trust Him with the desires of your heart, keep on doing good and be safe in His arms.

Linda

#2 Practicing Devotion to God-REMEMBER!

January 28, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

The first way to practice devotion to God was to meditate on God’s great character. The second way is to Remember His Great Works! If you like someone you think about the times you’ve been together and the things you’ve done. You probably remember some of the things they have said to you and how you reacted to their love and friendship.

Moses warned the children of Israel over and over to Remember what the Lord has done. If we do not remember, we will trivialize or marginalize the place of importance God has in our lives and what marvelous things He has done. In Deuteronomy 7:18 Moses is reminding the Israelites of God’s favor towards them because they would soon be going into the Promised Land and would be facing certain opposition. “you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,” Remembering what God did to miraculously lead them out of Egypt would give them the courage they needed to face tomorrow.

David was pursued by Saul for over 10 years and fled for his life. In 2 Samuel 22:1-4 David remembers what God did for him: “And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. ²He said,

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
³    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
    my stronghold and my refuge,
    my savior; you save me from violence.
⁴I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.”

Mary’s Song of praise to God for what He had done for her is recorded in Luke 1:46-55. Here are a few of the verses: 49 “for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.” 51-54 “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;⁵²he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; ⁵³he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. ⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,”

Remembering what God has done helps us to praise Him for the involvement He has had in our lives, to remember that He is always with us, to remember that He has plans for us and all things will be good for us and bring Him glory. If you don’t take time to remember, you forget and think ‘God doesn’t care about me’, ‘God will not help me’. These thoughts are from Satan and he desires that we do not walk with God. Satan knows that not remembering will lead us away from God.

So when you have those doubts, Remember what God has done for you in the past and what He is doing for you, in your life right now! Practicing the habit of remembering what God has done enriches our lives and strengthens our faith especially in hard times. Be like the children of Israel, David and Mary- Remember God’s goodness and mercy towards you with praise today!

Linda

A practical idea is to have a praise journal that you can record amazing things God has done in your life. Then when you have doubts or just want to remember- you can look back and see God loves you and truly cares for you. He is faithful and will continue to do so in the future.

Let’s be Practical about Faith- #1 to Practice Devotion to God!

January 24, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

How can I be or show more devotion and love for God? I came across a list of 9 practical ways for God’s people to experience love and commitment to God. I want to pursue each way with you as I know I need my faith to be real and practical. God desires that I know and seek Him each day.

Our first practical step in showing devotion and love for God is to recount His attributes. There are many examples for us to follow in scripture of praise given to God for who He is. 1 Samuel 2:1-10 is a prayer of praise given by Hannah because of her love and devotion to God who gave her the desire of her heart, a son named Samuel. Here is verse 1-2 ““My heart rejoices in the Lord!
    The Lord has made me strong.
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
    I rejoice because you rescued me.
²No one is holy like the Lord!
    There is no one besides you;
    there is no Rock like our God. Hannah praises God in her heart and knows He alone is holy, steady and all powerful.

David praises the Lord in 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 as God has provided all the materials they will need to build the temple. See here in verses 11-12 how David praises God for his greatness, power, glory and majesty. He realizes that God owns, creates and is sovereign ruler of all things. “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. ¹²Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.”

Psalms is another good source for finding praise for who God is and what He alone can do. Psalm 93 is short but packed with praises for who God is.

The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty.
Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world stands firm
and cannot be shaken.

²Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial.
    You yourself are from the everlasting past.
³The floods have risen up, O Lord.
    The floods have roared like thunder;
    the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
⁴But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
    mightier than the breakers on the shore—
    the Lord above is mightier than these!
⁵Your royal laws cannot be changed.
    Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever. The psalmist sees God as eternal, all powerful, reigning king over all creation, unchanging and majestic beyond measure.

How do you see God? Can you praise God for His attributes because you have personally experienced them in your life? Join Hannah, David and the psalmist in praising God for those ways He has impacted your life with His marvelous character. God has shown me His mercy, comfort, love, grace, hope, compassion, guidance, power, accessibility, and each day the list lengthens as God is unchanging and eternally present in my life. Thank you Lord.

God-Attributes — Recount His Attributes today!

Have a blessed day as you meditate on the ways God has personally ministered to you because of who He is not because of who you are. Praise Him today!

Linda

Plans, Dreams Realized in Walking with God. Thanks Dr. King for your example.

January 20, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

i-have-a-dream-mlk Today is deemed Martin Luther King Day in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who stood for rightness in the fight for freedom and equality for all men. He was very eloquent in speech and inspired many with his life and his fight against oppression. He challenges the generations to dream of equality and reach for it. Where do you have unrealized dreams today? Are you actively pursuing them, keeping them in focus and grabbing onto opportunities to make them happen?

This year my word is HOPE and like Dr. King I need to put my faith and trust in God and walk in Hope. What about you? Have you chosen patience as your word- do you need to purse patience in moving towards the goals God has for you? Have you chosen structure- do you need to form a plan or have a pattern for your daily success? Have you chosen peace- do you need to develop an attitude of peace in your heart and towards those around you this year? Like Dr. King, we want our dreams and goals to be accomplished and we want to glorify God in the process. I came across this verse today that fits in and encouraged me. Proverbs 16:3 in the Message translation. “Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.” Keep God in your focus, in your heart, in your prayer life and He will bring you to it and through it this year for your good and His glory!

As we remember Dr. King today and honor his achievements for mankind. think how much God has for you to accomplish and what wonderful purposes He has for you. We know for certain that He has a plan and a purpose for each of us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 Put God in charge of your plans and He will align them with His will to accomplish His purposes. His are the best plans of all. Let go this year and let God be in charge. But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26.

Linda

Total Hope, where do you find it?

January 17, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

These first few weeks of 2020 I have been looking into HOPE as it is my chosen word for the year. I saw survival hope in Psalm 71:14 “But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.”, Hope in God’s Word, Psalm 119:114 “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.”, Hope in God’s steadfast Love, Psalm 33:18 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,”, Hope in the future, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” and daily Hope for living, Lamentations 3:21-23 ” But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Today’s verse helps me to see that God is my Total Hope, Psalm 62:5-7 “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
⁶He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
⁷On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”

I love the truth of these words written by the psalmist David so long ago. They are truths confirmed throughout scripture. My hope comes from God alone. He is the one who stands by me and holds me in times of distress and trouble Psalm 107:13 “they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” God is so strong and mighty, so sure and complete that He cannot be shaken, Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. He gave me salvation through faith in Jesus, Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”. God alone is working in my life to mold and shape me into the person He desires me to be and shares His glorious attributes with me, Romans 5:3-5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” He is the holder of my salvation and sent the Holy Spirit as my guarantee, 2 Corinthians 1:22 “and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

Do these truths about God alone give you Hope for surviving, loving, learning and leaning on the truth of His Word, for looking into the future and for daily living? God is my total Hope and that Hope is in Him alone. He is and has all the hope I need. “Thank you Jesus for bringing God’s Hope to me.”

May you grab hold of His Hope today and be uplifted and strengthened.

Linda

Faithful God inspires HOPE for Living

January 14, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

A portion of scripture I always visit in the New Year is Lamentations 3:21-26 as it is filled with hope for life, living and reminds me of the importance of dependence upon God.

But this I call to mind, (I just need to remember to receive HOPE.)
and therefore I have hope:

²²The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; (God’s love and mercy are
    his mercies never come to an end; unending.)
²³they are new every morning; (Each day I can begin anew with God.)
    great is your faithfulness. (I can depend upon His faithfulness.)
²⁴“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.” (My hope is in God alone.)

²⁵The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him. (The Lord blesses me as I seek Him.)

These verses inspire, refresh, assure, and lead me to God. He alone is the one I can depend upon because I know He is faithful, merciful, keeps His promises and delights when I seek Him. He loves me with an eternal love that is steadfast and true and therefore I can place my hope in Him.

Join me as we begin this New Year by placing your Hope in God and walk expecting good from God as He is good to those who wait upon Him and place their hope in Him.

Let these words of hope and encouragement guide you today. God is faithful and you can depend upon His love and mercy so you can begin each day with new hope.

Linda

Where are you placing your future? Is it done with Hope and Assurance?

January 10, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Do you have verses that are yours? One of my life verses is Jeremiah 29:11. I first connected with this verse when I was asked to choose a verse for my grandson at his baby dedication. God led me to Jeremiah 29:11 and I began to cling to the promises it holds. The connection for today and every day is the hope contained with God’s Words. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This verse tells me God knows me and my future and He has good planned for me. Those things He has planned are designed to give me hope and a positive future. I am convinced that God loves me and wants the very best for me. I am convinced that God is good, desiring the best for me- for my good and His glory. How can I not have hope?

Does this mean that everything will always be good, happy and fulfilling? No. It means that whatever happens in my life, God can use it for my good. Romans 8:28 confirms this, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Since I know and love Jesus, I am assured that He can and does use all things in my life for good. In the hard times, it is difficult to be assured of this, but looking back or looking at others suffering we can often get a glimpse of this truth. This calls for our faith and trust in Him.

I cling to the truths of Jeremiah 29:11 when hard times come, when I see amazing things happen, when I look and plan for the future and seek to know what He would have me do. I ask for His help and guidance as His will is perfect His direction is true. Let Psalm 25:4-5 be your prayer as it is mine. “Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
⁵Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.

Linda

Got Hope in 2020? Anchor it in God’s Steadfast Love.

January 7, 2020 nofearlinda2 Comments

As we look at hope in scripture we see survival hope, hope in His Word and today I see hope in His steadfast love. God’s love is an anchor for our soul and His love surrounds us 24/7. Knowing God loves us- gives us Hope, knowing God is trustworthy and faithful gives us Hope that is secure in that love. John 3:16 reminds us that God’s love is what motivated Him to come after us, free us and send Jesus to suffer and die to redeem us for all eternity. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. This love, eternal and sacrificial is ours so that we may have Hope.

In the Psalms David captures this love hope and puts it into words we can cling to: Psalm 33:18 “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,” Psalm 33:22 ” May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 147:11 “The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” We see in these verses hope comes from knowing God’s unfailing love because we revere, worship and adore Him. Hope comes when we put our trust in God, and God is pleased or delighted by our reverence and fear. We know that God is love, and the proof of His love is His sending Jesus to save us. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”1 John 4:10

Meditate on God’s steadfast love today and consider how that love gives you HOPE: 1 Chronicles 16:34 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 13:5 “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” Psalm 33:22 “Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.