A Transformed Heart is filled with commitment

August 7, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Commitment seems to be something that scares people in our day and age. They seem afraid to step out and say they will be there at a certain time, place or with you in a project. Are there so many choices in our lives that people cannot decide? Have they had experiences where they felt trapped by agreements they’ve made? Whatever the root of their fears, to love and serve Jesus we have to go beyond them, step above or over them and persevere. 1 Peter 3:15 appears in a portion of scripture where Peter is encouraging believers to persevere in their faith and not to fear doing good. He tells believers to hold fast to their faith in Christ regardless of where they find themselves. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” In addition to honoring Christ as Lord, we need to be able and willing to tell others about what Christ has done for us. The hope we have in living, the hope we have in eternity, the hope we have in being forgiven and cleansed, and the hope we have in His always being with us. We need to be prepared to tell others about Jesus. Being committed to Jesus with your heart demands that we are ready to speak about Him. This is not to be an argumentative discourse but words that speak of the Hope we have in Jesus with gentleness and respect that come from a heart of love and commitment to Jesus.

I love this verse in 1 Peter because it holds me accountable and tells me where my commitment needs to be. God wants us committed to Him, loving and acting in our world with words of Hope for unbelievers and words of encouragement in that Hope for fellow believers. Who will you tell today about the HOPE you have in Jesus?

May the Lord bring people to cross your path today that are in need of those words of hope and encouragement.

Linda

Seeking Heart relief from God

July 13, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Two heart verses spoke to me this morning. Knowing our hearts are deceitful and driven by original sin, God promises to do a work in our hearts that is amazing. Proverbs 3:5-6 is a well quoted verse that speaks of God’s power to lead and guide if we will trust and acknowledge Him in our lives. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.  ⁶Seek his will in all you do,  and he will show you which path to take.” God is the one with the transforming power in our lives if we will seek to know and trust Him. My second verse is found in   psalm 34 18 Psalm 34:18 “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
    He rescues them from all their troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” David wrote these words during a very difficult time in his life. He knew God. He knew He would hear his cries for help. He knew God would and could rescue him. He knew from experience that God was near to him when his heart was broken and his spirit crushed. David knew God and had experienced His love and care during times of great need.

God knows our hearts and sees what we need even before we ask for help. God knows our desire for guidance and He alone has the power to mend our broken hearts and crushed spirit. Seek Him like David did and lay your sorrows, hurts and needs before Him. He promises that those who seek Him will find Him. Moses told the children of Israel just before they entered the Promised Land, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29 God promises to be found if we seek with and open heart. Seek Him today and tell Him about your broken heart, your crushed spirit or your desire to be guided by Him. God can and will answer your prayers, just as He promised.

Seeking His comfort and jclinging to His promise as I walk with Him daily,

Linda

God’s Character Proclaimed, can you?

June 15, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

The psalmist reveals how he knows and sees God in this Qoph portion of Psalm 119:145-152. He is struggling with persecution and fears for his life, but he stands on the truth of God’s Word and character. Read this section from the Message and let it speak to you. ^145-152I call out at the top of my lungs,
    “God! Answer! I’ll do whatever you say.” The psalmist knew God is Accessible.
I called to you, “Save me
    so I can carry out all your instructions.” He knew God is a Savior.
I was up before sunrise,
    crying for help, hoping for a word from you.
I stayed awake all night,
    prayerfully pondering your promise. He knew God was with him 24/7.
In your love, listen to me;
    in your justice, God, keep me alive. He knew God listens.
As those out to get me come closer and closer,
    they go farther and farther from the truth you reveal; He knew God
But you’re the closest of all to me, God,   knew his enemies.
    and all your judgments true.
I’ve known all along from the evidence of your words God and His Word are
    that you meant them to last forever. eternal and trustworthy.

Do your words reflect what you know and believe about God? Is He Accessible to you 24/7? Do you feel that you can call upon Him to save you and preserve you in the difficulties of life? Do you know that God is omniscient and knows what you face each day? Do you stand on His Word with confidence and believe that His Word is eternal and will last throughout the generations?

god-always-has-something-for-you The psalmist was confident God would answer as he laid his heart open before Him? Will you present your difficulties and fears before God today and call upon Him for help? He will answer and bring you peace and comfort as you cling to the truth of who God is and what He can do. God is totally trustworthy and keeps His promises.

Blessings today as you cling to God.

Linda

Why the tears?

June 8, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Psalm 119:129-136 opens with praise and awe over the amazing depth of God’s Word.  Your laws are wonderful.
    No wonder I obey them!
¹³⁰The teaching of your word gives light,
    so even the simple can understand. So many times I have heard people say that the Bible is too hard to understand. Here the psalmist is declares that even the young or less trained can understand. How is that possible? Understanding comes from God, so with prayer, meditation, the right translation and through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit believers can read and understand that which God has for them in His Word.
¹³¹I pant with expectation,
    longing for your commands.
¹³²Come and show me your mercy,
    as you do for all who love your name. The psalmist looks with great expectation into God’s Word. He is looking for mercy and love. These are tangible confirmations of faith for him. When you read God’s Word, do you read with expectation? Do you look for His mercy and love? Think back, when you read the Bible do you find that you are filled with peace, understanding and hope? Have you ever opened its pages seeking advice or help or comfort? The psalmist has faith that God will answer his needs and then provide him with direction.
¹³³Guide my steps by your word,
    so I will not be overcome by evil.
¹³⁴Ransom me from the oppression of evil people;
    then I can obey your commandments. He trusts in the guidance of God and knows titus 2 14 that the Word will lead him to victory. He claims God as his guide and redeemer! He refers to being ransomed or bought back from evil. This is what Christ did for us. In Paul’s letter to Titus he puts it this way, “He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” Titus 2:14
¹³⁵Look upon me with love;
    teach me your decrees. The psalmist trusts God to look upon him with love. He knows that God is immutable and will always be loving, slow to anger and filled with compassion. He looks for teaching from God as he trusts God.
¹³⁶Rivers of tears gush from my eyes
    because people disobey your instructions. The last lines of this section of Psalm 119 really spoke to me. The psalmist is proclaiming to God that he is distressed to the point of tears over those who disobey and reject God’s Word. I asked myself, does the rejection of the truth of God’s Word and His ways bring me to tears? Do I sorry for those that do not believe or those that profess to believe and do not live by the standards God desires? If I am brought to tears, then my response should be one of love and restoration not condemnation. Pray, pray, pray for the light of God to be made known to them. God has ways of reaching those who we consider unreachable. Look what He did to confront Saul, the chief persecutor of early Christians. He brought him to his knees and to faith in Jesus. Read his miraculous story in Acts 9. Lift your tears up to God and ask Him to work on the person who you are concerned about, to bring them to faith and change their life. Many times I have heard stories of people praying for individuals for years and years before they came to faith. God calls us to be persistent and filled with hope at their redemption.

God’s Word fills us with expectation, hope, love, and guidance as He points us to His truths that are eternal and filled with redemption.

Linda

What is your resolve in hard times?

June 5, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

As I meditate upon Psalm 119:121-128, I am reminded of how often we get ‘stuck’ in a place in life and feel it will never end. When we pass through that time and look back it does not seem that it was that long. Yet, while we are in the midst of the struggle it seems forever. In these verses the psalmist is struggling with oppressors that are closing in upon him and pleads with God “do not leave me to my oppressors.” He asks for help, “Ensure your servant’s well-being and let not the arrogant oppress me.” He feels that apart from the salvation of the Lord, “My eyes fail, looking for your salvation , looking for your righteous promise.” But he rallies and asks God to show him love. “Deal with me according to your love.” He then asks for understanding and discernment so he can understand God’s plan. “I am your servant give me discernment that I may understand your statues.” He concludes with his own resolve about God, “Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong.”

How do you recover your resolve when you struggle with hard people, difficult circumstances or your own unbelief? The psalmist resolved to trust God and stand on His Word. Even when we do not understand we can make up our minds to believe God for who He is and what He says. This will give us hope and bring us through those hard times. Resolve today to stand with God and believe His Word. He always proves Himself faithful.

Endeavoring to walk in Trust,

Linda

Standing in awe or doubt?

June 1, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

In Psalm 119:113-120 there are a couple of key verses I want to focus on in today’s blog. The psalmist contrasts those that oppose God and the resource of God’s Word for those that believe.

113 I hate double-minded people,
    but I love your law.
¹¹⁴You are my refuge and my shield;
    I have put my hope in your word.
¹¹⁵Away from me, you evildoers,
    that I may keep the commands of my God!

He first points out the presence of double-minded people that waver in their commitment to God as being a distraction to the believer. James 1:6,8 describes this type of individual. “⁶But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” A double-minded person is trying to be guided by and committed to the world and does not have a solid faith in God. The effect of such thinking and actions is instability in conduct and thought. The next group the psalmist reveals as opposing the believer are evildoers. The Bible speaks often about evildoers or those that work against God and his followers. 1 Peter 2:12 puts it this way, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” Evildoers seek to bring us down with their accusations and ruin our witness in the world.

The psalmist seeks to contrast the effects of the double-minded and evildoers with the consistency and reliability of God’s Word. He speaks of God’s Word as a refuge that shields us and gives us hope (114). He concludes this section with a profound statement about God’s Word. In verse 120 he says, “My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.” He has such great reverence for God that he describes himself as trembling and his faith in God results in profound adoration and awe for God’s Word. Praise God for the power of His Word!

The psalmist’s response to God’s Word challenges us today. Do you hold to God’s Word when assaulted by evildoers and double-minded people? Is God’s Word your hope and shield? Do you see the power and might of God revealed in His Word? The psalmist assures us that we will find hope, strength, love, peace and direction when we stand in awe of God’s Word and cling to it. His Word will keep us from being double-minded, firmly rooted and grounded in faith and able to withstand the waves of doubt we encounter each day.

restoring the awe Standing in awe of the power of God’s Word,

Linda

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm.

March 28, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because I believe Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead, I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. The concept of believers being with Christ in heaven and reigning with Him is a privilege of faith and God’s grace to us. Since we are adopted into God’s family and are heirs with Jesus, we will be in seated in heaven with Him. Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. God did this for us, placed us in a place of privilege and honor because of His grace, mercy and love. He made us alive in Christ when we were dead in our sins. Believing in Christ changed our position from rejected sinner to one of honor. 2 Timothy 2:11-12a give a similar picture, “If we have died with him, we will also live with him; ¹²if we endure, we will also reign with him;” Faith in Christ is the determining factor in whether we live and reign with Him or face eternal death. God cannot look on sin so we have to find some way to deal with our sin or we are rejected from God’s sight forever. In His infinite mercy and grace, He sent Jesus to provide a way for us to be restored, cleansed and elevated to a position of honor and purity. Praises to Jesus for what grace-and-mercy He did for us at the cross.

What about you? Are you thanking Jesus for His grace and mercy? As we gaze on the cross in a few days, think about what He has done for you and what you have because of His sacrifice.

Humbled in His sight,

Linda

I am assured that all things are working together for good.

March 24, 2018March 24, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because I believe that Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead, I am assured that all things work together for good. This powerful promise is given in Romans 8:28. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” There are many powerful truths packed into this verse that we can claim for our life. First, there is no circumstance beyond God’s control. God is sovereign and He can bring good things out of bad situations. In 2 Chronicles 20:6 King Jehoshaphat affirms God’s sovereignty, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!” There is nothing in heaven or earth that is outside of God’s control. Second, God is good and intends only good things for me. Look at these powerful verses about God’s intent. “The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.” Lamentations 3:25 and “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 These verses show God’s heart and intent is good towards us, as believers. Third, God has a purpose to which he has called us. 2 Timothy 1:9 tells us that through Jesus, “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” Lastly, God’s ways are not our ways. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 Many times I do not understand the events, the suffering, the senseless violence and evil that happens in our sin-filled world. Sin taints and destroys indiscriminately. We simply must trust in our good, sovereign God to work everything to good in His time and in His way just as He promised. Trusting God in the face of adversity, trusting God that He is good, trusting God that He loves us and has good things planned for us and trusting God to avenge wrongs and vindicate believers calls for mighty faith.

So what about you? Do you have this kind of faith in our loving, merciful, holy God? Believing in God’s character and trusting that He will do as He has promised will cause you to rest in the assurance that faith in Jesus brings to a world in chaos. Since Lent is a time of reflection and prayer, consider God’s mercy and care for you. Remember how He has guided and comforted you in times of great need. As you put your trust in Him, He will show himself faithful and work all things together for good in your life so that rom 8 28 you can accomplish the purpose to which He has called you.

Trusting in Jesus is empowering,

Linda

I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

March 23, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because I believe Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me. This powerful truth is given in 1 John 5:18. I like the Amplified Bible for this verse as it makes the truths very clear “¹⁸We know [with confidence] that anyone born of God does not habitually sin; but He (Jesus) who was born of God [carefully] keeps and protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” Being born of God means we are believers, born of His Holy Spirit through our faith in Jesus. Jesus spoke of this new birth in John 3:3-5 when He was talking one night with Nicodemus. ³Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Once we believe in Jesus and are reborn in His Spirit, we are protected from Satan. Evidence of this protection would be our desire to not commit the same sins over and over that were our usual habits before our rebirth. We will sin since we live in a sin-filled world but habitual sin should be left in our former life. Another important aspect of this protection is the safety of our eternal soul. Once we belong to Jesus no one or nothing can take that away. In John 10:28 Jesus gives us this promise, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” This rebirth should have a permanent effect on our lives. Peter describes this new life in Christ in 1 Peter 1:23 “since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” Satan is not able to touch our eternal life in Christ as it is protected by God. He can lead us into sin and cause us all kinds of grief in life but he cannot touch our eternal soul. Our life with Christ is protected by God. Remember that you are sealed by the Holy Spirit and that keeps you secure. As we grow in Christ our desire to sin lessens and His power within us increases. Knowing Christ is an amazing insurance plan that will never expire or have a payment come due. His plan is in Jesus capable hands that help us to weather all things through faith in Him.

What about you? Are you born of God and sealed by His Holy Spirit? If not, talk to Jesus about this today. If you ask and earnestly seek Him, He will be found. (Matthew 7:7) Are you feeling secure and protected by God? Take a look at Psalm 91. A brother in Christ told me he considers this his 911 call to God and he used it when he was going on missions during WWII. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
²I will say  to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.” and it continues in verses 14-15   ¹⁴“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
    I will protect him, because he knows my name.
¹⁵When he calls to me, I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble;
    I will rescue him and honor him. Seek the Lord today and call on Him for protection.

Feeling secure in God is a good place to be,

Linda

I am sealed by the Holy Spirit.

March 20, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am sealed by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13-14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. This amazing Biblical truth gives me assurance of my salvation and hope for today and a future with Christ. It also assures me of where and to whom I belong through my faith in Jesus. Paul also spoke of this guaranteeing seal in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 5:5 “Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” What does a seal do? A seal protects the contents (us) from harmful things getting in and it marks it as authentic. By being sealed with God’s Holy Spirit we are insulated or protected from the power of Satan over us and His Spirit marks us as belonging to Him, we are His- authentic believers in Christ. His seal gives me assurance that I belong to Him for eternity and is evidence that He is working within me. What a wonderful promise to claim in Christ!

What about you? Do you feel His Spirit within you? Do you listen when He speaks and leads you away from wrong choices? Scripture says in Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” God will give you assurance and hope that you belong to Him through His indwelling Holy Spirit. Believe it, embrace it, and romans 8 16 cling to it today. As a believer, you belong to God and are sealed by His Holy Spirit and NOTHING can change that! His Holy Spirit gives us an eternal promise with hope for now and into eternity. Thank you Jesus!