The Israelites and Us

 

The Israelites and Us

Psalm 109 praises God for His forgiveness and steadfastness. Many times, repeatedly, the Israelites stirred up the anger of God, but every time God forgave them and brought them back to His loving arms. Their sins, however, did not go unpunished. He sent plagues, famines and even allowed them to be carried off to Babylon to become slaves.

We are not so different from the Israelites. Romans 3:23 “We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We, even though we are Christians complain when things don’t go our own way. We try to take matters into our own hands, knowing full well that God is in charge. We wait until things get bad, when we think there is no way out, then we fall on our knees and call out for God’s help. Most of our troubles, if you think about it is brought on by our own doing. Even still, God is always faithful and provides a way out. We praise God for a short time, then we forget what He has done for us and once again, we find ourselves back into either the same sin or a new sin more enticing.

How can we counteract this roller coaster ride? Do we look at it as a way of life, or do we strive to work harder at being more like Jesus? When Christ came to earth, he taught us how to love one another and how to strive toward perfection. We have more than Moses’ law for the Israelites, we have a New Testament full of Christ’s words and examples. We must never forget that God sent His son to die for us so that our sins can be forgiven. We may be sinners, but we are saved by the grace of God. Praise God daily for this and love one another. Forgive as you have been forgiven.

Please read the scriptures listed, study them, apply them to your life and grow in the saving relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior.

For more posts like this, go to: https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

Who is God?

 

Who Is God?

The Lord God Almighty

The Creator

Omnipotent, Eternal, immutable

Omniscient, Invisible and visible through creation

Unsearchable and searchable through God’s Word

Incomprehensible, Holy

Knowledge, wisdom and power

Merciful, Goodness and Love

Disposer of events

Judge of all, Lawgiver, Redeemer, Defender, Protector

Jealous

Searcher of hearts

Sanctuary and refuge

Savior, Jehovah, Father of Lights

God of heaven and earth

Comforter

Miracle Worker

Teacher, Friend

And much more and everything!

God is Awesome! What astounds me most of all in all this is that He LOVES ME!

“My Savior loves, My Savior lives, My Savior is always there for me. My God He was, My God He is, My God is always gonna be!”

For more posts like this, go to: https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Overwhelming Battles

 

Overwhelming Battles

This blog is taken from a letter by Dr. Charles Stanley.

Have you ever experienced a battle so overwhelming that it felt as if everything in your life were against you? God tells us that “if you want to win this battle, you fight it on your knees alone with Me.” If you want to overcome any difficulty, the best way is by spending time alone with God. Only He can give you victory. Here are the steps Dr. Stanley advised:

1.     You set time alone with the Father. Psalm 103:19

2.     Listen quietly to the Father and expect Him to speak to you. Ecc. 5:1-2

3.     If the Lord reveals any sinfulness in your life, repent of it immediately. God’s primary goal is to have a relationship with you. Sin will hinder Him from having full access to your life.

4.     Remember there can only be one general in this battle, and that’s the Lord. He is in control and knows the path better than you do.

5.     See everything that happens to you as coming from God. If the Father allows trial or challenge in your life. It is ultimately for your good and His glory. Romans 8:28

When you fight your battles on your knees and faithfully obey Him, you invite God to be your Redeemer, Defender, General and Protector. That’s not only the best way to win, it’s the most wonderful, eternal path to triumph every single time.

Please read the scriptures listed, study them, apply them to your life and grow in the saving relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior.

For more posts like this, go to: https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

The Lord Shall Fight for You

 

The Lord Shall Fight for You

Exodus 14:14

“The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” How many times have we prayed to God to fix a problem for us, just to take it back and try to solve the problem our self. It’s easy to give it to the Lord, but it’s hard to not to try to hold on to a little bit of the problem. God promises to fight our fight for us. He in return expects us to be quiet and let Him handle it the way He sees fit. I truly believe that God always has our best interest at heart and especially for those of our loved ones. God is all-knowing, He sees how the problem started, why it happened and already knows the ending. We needn’t worry about how things are going to turn out when we hand over our problems to God. He promises that all things turn out to the good for those who love the Lord. God is faithful and is merciful and His truth is everlasting. We must trust God to guide our way and that of our children and grandchildren to truth and understanding and in the end to everlasting life. God not only fights for us, but His fight is endless.

Please read the scriptures listed, study them, apply them to your life and grow in the saving relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior.

For more posts like this, go to: https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nehemiah Prayed

 

Nehemiah Prayed

Nehemiah 1:5

“I pray, Lord God of heaven; O great and awesome God, you who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love you.” Nehemiah 1:5.

Nehemiah had the right attitude. He prayed to God from the bottom of his heart. He knew God would listen and he knew God would answer his prayers. He knew God was powerful and was full of mercy and grace. He knew how to pray. We must never allow the word of God to leave us. We must know His promises as in Joshua 1:8 “For then you will make your way prosperous, then you will have good success.” Nehemiah prayed for the people and asked for them to be forgiven. He prayed for their broken-down ways in Jerusalem and God answered his prayers and made him prosperous. Prayer is our source of happiness. It relieves anxiety and brings peace. We are never alone when God is in our hearts and minds daily. Pray, my brothers and sisters. Pray without ceasing.

“…And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as I tarry there, none other has ever known.”

Please read the scriptures listed, study them, apply them to your life and grow in the saving relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior.

For more posts like this, go to: https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Abusing the Gift God Gave You

 

Abusing the Gift God Gave You

Joshua 16:3 “And Samson lay low till midnight, then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and took the two gate posts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. These gates were high and were covered with steel plates to keep them from being burned down. Then the gate had a steel bar across the top and the side posts had to have been buried really deep. The gates alone probably weighed a ton, the size of a truck. While looking at the maps in our Bibles, we surmise that Samson carried this gate nearly 30 miles to the top of the hill. This strength that God blessed him with was held in his hair. If you don't remember the story of how his hair was cut and his strength lost, then please read Judges 16. So why did Samson do this? Samson may have known that there were men lying in wait for him until morning. Maybe he did this out of revenge or maybe he was just plain mischievous. God gave Samson this strength to get rid of the philistines. He was a good man in the eyes of God, but did Samson use his gift the way God intended? In verse 2 of this chapter, it says Samson went into a prostitute and stayed there until midnight. Then when he left, he did not leave quietly but probably woke the whole city with the lifting of this heavy gate and carrying it up the hill. Is this is what God intended Samson to use his gift of strength for? Which brings me to us, is there a gift that God has given us that we are using that is not based on God's intentions? So ,what might our gifts be? Do we have the gift to teach? If so, are we teaching God's word or everything but? Do we have the gift of compassion and is it limited to family and friends only or are we reaching out to others we barely know and care about? Do we have the gift of giving? Do we give to those who we think deserve it, or are we giving to those whom God has put on a heart to give to whether they deserve it or not? Maybe we have the gift of prayer. There are many prayer warriors in our world, and we are blessed to have them, but as a prayer warrior, do we pray only for those we encounter and maybe only once, or do we pray for those struggling and suffering outside our reach, daily. My prayer is that we all have the gift of love, and we use it the same as God's love for us. Love covers many gifts, and we cannot go wrong if we love others as God loves us.

For more posts like this, go to: https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

We are children of God

 

We are Children of God

Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Have you considered that not all people are children of God? Yes, people are God’s creation, but not all people are God’s children. Romans 8:14 “For as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” So, then we believe that not all people are led by the Spirit of God. “For if we live by the flesh, we shall die in the flesh.” “But if through the Spirit and do the deeds of the body, we live.” So how is it we live by the flesh and cannot live by the Spirit and by the flesh. Whether we live for God and do as He leads us to do, or we live by the flesh and do what earthly desires lead us to do. Our earthly desires come from our own selfish wants and needs put there by satan himself. So, if we live by the flesh, then we follow satan. Then we are children of satan. We cannot serve both satan and God as our father so we choose this day as to whom we follow. Do we go about coveting our neighbor, lusting after the opposite sex, gossip, cheat, lie and do all the things that will make satan smile or do we live in peace, patience and understanding of our Lord, do we rejoice in truth? The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control, against such there is no law. Therefore, we want to live by the Spirit and as children of God. The most beautiful saying in the Bible is “Jesus Love Me.” If we have a relationship with Jesus, then we have a relationship with God and there is no open door for satan.

Please read the scriptures listed, study them, apply them to your life and grow in the saving relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior.

For more posts like this, go to: https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.