He Will Fullfill Your Needs

When you have little ones or babies, you see how they depend on you. When they are hungry, they let YOU know by crying or showing signs that you know. When they are hurt your the one to comfort them. They need you, they couldn't survive without you and they have a very special bond with you that they don't have with anyone else. No one can take your place. They need you. As a parent it is an important role and feeling. Likewise we are God's children. He wants us to have that dependency on him. He wants you to completely rely on him for everything!! If you need anything at all he wants you to be his baby and come to him first. He spiritual feeds you, heals you, fills you up, takes your broken self and makes you whole.

Baby's Needs:                                                                          Mom's Responses:
hungry ----------------------------------------------------------->feeds
hurt ------------------------------------------------------------> comforts
tired ------------------------------------------------------------>console
dirty ----------------------------------------------------------->clean
upset ---------------------------------------------------------->show love/affection

in the same way baby's look for their mom's to fulfill, Jesus wants us to look to him to fulfill our needs

My Needs:                                                                           Jesus' Responses:

weary ------------------------------------------------------------> rest (Matthew 11:28)

broken ----------------------------------------------------------> restore Psalm 51:12)

empty ------------------------------------------------------------> fill up (Colossians 2:10)

incomplete ------------------------------------------------------> completes (Isaiah 58:11)

sick ---------------------------------------------------------------> heals (Jeremiah 30:17)

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. FOr my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Colossians 2:10
...and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is head over every power and authority.

Isaiah 58:11
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

Jeremiah 30:17
But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds...

What I have learned from this is in every aspect of my life go before God. It brings him so much joy.

prayer:
Lord help us to rely on you completely. Let us come to you daily to fill us up. Help us to submit to the fact that you are the complete answer to all our needs. In your name we pray
Amen.

Baptism with my husband!!!!

This past Sunday was one of the best days for me and a big milestone in my walk of faith. It was even better that I got to share this act with my husband.

I personally got baptized because I believe that is what Jesus was calling me to do. I got to make this decision as a saved individual. I wanted to be fully submerge because that is how Jesus did it.

Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.


This scripture shows that when we are "buried" into the water it symbolizes the death and burial of our past. Coming up out of the water is the resurrection to new life in Christ. This gives us a perspective that our sinful life is buried.  Those desires and temptations are dead and now we have new life in Christ.

Colossians 2:12
...having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

1 Corinthians 12:13
For we were baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

This verse shares that we are all different and share different hobbies, interests, backgrounds, but God says we have one thing in common and that is our faith in Christ. When we receive Christ we receive the Holy Spirit.

Luke 3:21-22
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was being baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven:"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Just thought I would show you some scripture references on baptism if it is new to you or you didn't understand the meaning.

Here is the video I made to share with others that couldn't be there, hope this is an encouragement for you to make your next step of faith whatever it may be.

Training Up

God has a special, unique calling for you if you have children. One of your top priorities as a follower of God is to set an example before your children. I have heard the saying the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree and when you look at a child or even an adult you most likely see their parents. It is part of the way God created generations. Our job is to lead our current generation with integrity and obedience to Christ. In 1 Chronicles 22:7-10 David's was obedient to God listening to him and setting up a legacy for his son.

1 Chronicles 22:7-10
David said to Solomon:" My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God. But this word of the Lord came to me: 'You have shed much blood and fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, ad I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'

David was listening to God and making preparations for Solomon to carry out the tasks God had for his son. It is our job to listen to God and set up a legacy for our children to follow the request of God and fulfill his purpose in our lives and our children's. Your parents may be leaving you a Godly legacy or they may not at all. You can change the generations to come by stepping up to what God calls you to.

Provers 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old and he will not depart from it.

I believe when showing the way of the Lord for you children, smother them with love and grace, this doesn't mean they don't need discipline, but when we lash out of anger that they aren't following the right ways, they retract. Jesus tells us how to raise our children in this verse.

Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, Do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instructions of the Lord.

All we can do is guide our children, they will ultimately pick their own path in life, but when we correctly show them the love and instructions of God we can have the confidence that they have that as a foundation in their lives.

Keep my eyes above the waves

God wants us to be steadfast. Being steadfast means firmly fixed in place; not changing; loyal; faithful; committed; unmovable; unshakeable. That is our goal. When we study and read the bible we can fully understand the meaning and interpretation God intended for us. When we aren't steadfast in God and his word we can be easily persuaded with what other people say.

Psalm 5:10
Create in me a pure heart O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

This is a great scripture to pray and memorize.

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

We are able to put our full trust in the Lord because he is completely trustworthy. Never failing. When we have that complete trust in the Lord and are unwavering in our faith, it gives you peace.

1 Peter 5:10
And the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, steadfast, and firm.

We all go through periods where we suffer, but it teaches us and grows us to respond to these situations with strength in Christ. I saw a quote the other day sometime God doesn't change the circumstance because he wants to change your heart. I am personally going through some things where I know God wants to grow me and work on my heart. We may be learning to be steadfast in God.

Ephesians 4:14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

This verse is saying we won't be infants anymore we will be mature Christians when we learn how to respond to the work of the enemy. Many times the enemy can use other people to deceive us with the misuse of even the bible. I've seen a lot of times of facebook posts people use the bible verses to deceive and misuse scripture out of the way God intended it. It is important that we know this and know our father so that when people try to shake us, we are unshakable in Christ. The stronger you grow as a Christian the more confident you become in Christ and can speak his words or life. I always admire people who are steadfast and confident. I also think of the song Oceans by Hillsong. "Keep my eyes above the waves when oceans roar my soul will rest in your embrace" When the waves of the world are crashing around me, I know you hold me, that I am always in your presence and that with you, you will keep my eyes above the waves.

prayer:
Lord create in me a pure heart, renew your steadfast spirit inside me. Help me to be unshakeable in you. Having complete confidence in your power. Set me apart from this world Lord, so I can be more like you. In your name we pray
Amen.

The Marathon of Your Faith

Hey I'm back, wish I could have posted more last week, but my family is just now getting over some yuckiness, so I've been taking care of all my babies!!

So, think about running a marathon. How painful and uncomfortable is must be at some point, feeling every muscle work so hard just to put one foot in front of the other, making you possibly want to give up. Then at others your endorphins kick in and your on a role you got this. Now think about your journey as a Christian. When you take off, and your new in your faith you feel like okay I got this. Your on a high for Jesus! What happens when you have your first obstacle, feel your 1st pain as a believer. Following the Lord takes effort and persistence. The bible warns us it will not be easy, but it also promises us the reward will be great. If you fight through a marathon and get a metal you are glad you fought through the pain, but my friends if you cross the finish line and have fought for Jesus the reward in heaven will be much greater than we can imagine.

2 Corinthians 4:15-18
All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Part of this verse says we are renewed day by day, and the only way that is happening is by God, so don't forget to ask for him to constantly be renewing you to keep you strong inwardly.

Galatians 6:9
Let us not being weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

These are more promises from his word to keep in our hearts.

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Just realized even scriptures compares our life to a race!! How cool! What should give us more motivation is to look at what Christ endured THE CROSS. So continue to press into him and do not grow weary and lose heart, he died for you, so live for him!

He died for you, so live for HIM!

Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

The Lord sees your work, and it is precious to him. Ask to be renewed daily so you can not grow tired and weary when living for the Lord. No one said it was gonna be easy, but I'm telling you its gonna be worth it.

prayer:
Lord we come before you today, completely humbled by you. We ask that you give us perseverance to live for you. When the world becomes heavy on us and causes us pain, carry our burden and fill us up with strength.
Amen.

Learning to Listen

1 Kings 19:11-13
The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the find. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

When we look at this verse Elijah knew the whisper was God's voice. This shows that he doesn't always show up with a big KABAM. He can be quiet and we don't want to miss that. In a world where people use being busy as glamorous thing, we can miss the quiet voice of the Lord.  Pausing to spend quiet time with him, you can hear him, learn his ways, and follow him.

Hear- We hear to absorb info about God. We can hear in many ways from our pastor, bible, ect.

Learn- Understanding its meaning. When we hear from God or his word, we need to learn what it means.

Follow- It is when we put what we've learned into action. It is one thing to hear from God, but another to follow what he is telling you.

Hebrews 2:1-3
For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard

James 1:19-21
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the world planted in you, which can save you.

This verse is saying to listen more than we talk. When we are constantly talking we don't have time to listen to others or God. God has spoken to me a lot during quiet times, that doesn't mean he hasn't spoken to me at other times, but when I am quiet I am more open and focused on hearing from him. Some of you may never feel like you've heard from him. Set aside time in his word. Also ask for him to speak to you, he loves it when we are asking him for what we need, in constant communication with him. He can speak to you in many different ways, conviction of the holy spirit, direct voice, through his word, through others, many ways so be open and not just looking in one place.

prayer:
Lord we ask you to speak to us. We want to be always in touch with you. Let us be open to how you will speak to us and set apart time to just be still and listen. Protect us from the lies the enemy feeds us. We want to hear and know you Lord. In your heavenly name we pray
Amen.

Power

Our God is so powerful! He created the universe, he made you! He holds so much power, and he wants to use his power in your life!

Ephesians 3:20 

By his mighty power at work within is, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. 

He wants you to have hope because his power is capable of it! 

2 Chronicles 20:6

O Lord, God of our fathers are you not the God who is in heaven? Power and mighy are in your hand, no one can withstand you.

Psalm 147:5

Great is our Lord and might in power, his understanding has no limit, the Lord sustains the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground.

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighy hand of God so at the proper time he may exalt you.

All these verses show how much power God has at his fingertips, but what word do some of these verses have in common, being humble. God wants his power to be revealed through you. He wants you to be humble so it is evident. How do you show power while still remaining humble? By remembering it is power through Christ, that is in you. I watch UFC with my husband (it's wrestling and boxing all mixed together) they always get interviewed after the fight. I love it when they first thank the Lord. They are humbling themselves before those people. Showing that they have physical power, but the power that is fueling them is through Him alone!! You also see a lot of interviews where they are the opposite of humble lol. God is able to accomplish sooooo much more than we can imagine, only by him and his power. Pray for him to fill you up with his power, so you can be a powerful person. I am reading this book called Keep Your Love On by Danny Silk. This book talks about how to be a powerful person and not a powerless person. It explains that a lot of us think that being powerful is bad, but we only may think that because of the bad examples of power we see displayed in this world. God wants you to be powerful and display his power in a humble way.

prayer:
God humble us before you. Let us know we can only have power and strength in you alone. Work in our lives in ways we wouldn't dare to ask or hope, so we can display your kingdom here on earth. We love you!!
Amen.