10 Confessions that Build Faith

March 26, 2009 in Spirituality with 0 Comments

Prayerfully & sincerely repeat these truths out loud & beleive them! Do it daily…if necessary.

  1. This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God!

  2. This loss will not destroy me. I cannot be destroyed. I am a child of God!

  3. I have eternal life. I will outlast this temporary setback!

  4. Jesus is my life. I was dead, but now I’m alive. I was lost, but now I’m found. I was blind, but now I see.

  5. I’m in Jesus & he’s in me & we are in the Father.

  6. My steps are ordered by the Lord…Yes, I am hard pressed, but not crushed. I am perplexed, but I’m not in despair. I am struck down, but not destroyed

  7. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

  8. Death, where is your victory? Sin, where is your sting? Satan, where is your power? Jesus has swallowed you up in victory!

  9. I know that God is working all things together for good because I love him.

  10. Since God is for me, tell me…who can be against me?

What do I do when God doesn’t make sense?

March 26, 2009 in Spirituality with 0 Comments

  1. Embrace the reality that God shouldn’t make sense all the time.

    NKJ Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

    NKJ Isaiah 55:8-9 “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

    I’m OK with a God who’s bigger than I am-who knows more than I do.

  2. Understand that the current trial does not mean that God doesn’t love you or he doesn’t care.

    Yes, if you are a child of God-you can be assured that God loves you BUT it’s not a fickle Junior High love…that simply gives you what you want. The love of God is a little more lasting, sincere & mature than that of a junior high girl!
    Just asks yourself if God loved Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Daniel, Stephen & even his own son, Jesus & yet, look what they went through.So, please be careful when interpreting the current mess you’re in as a sign of God’s disapproval. I’m sorry, but it’s probably a tad more deeper than that.

  3. Remember that God sees beyond the immediate circumstance & need.

    God is not driven by only what he sees. He sees the beginning, the end & over the current mountain that is blocking your higher perspective. In other words, he is not governing the affairs of our lives from a limited horizon. God has an unlimited higher vantage point & all things are moving toward a higher purpose-his glory, for there is nothing greater.

  4. Likewise, refuse to be driven by only what you see.

    If you focus only on what you see, just know that you have stopped walking in agreement with the Lord.
    NKJ 2 Corinthians 5:7 We walk by faith, not by sight.
    NKJ Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please God.

  5. Trust in God-there must be something bigger going on here.

    Even when you don’t understand hold on to God & his promises. Think-God is infinitely wiser, greater & infinitely more righteous than I am. Therefore, he must be up to something
    So, do you really trust him?
    NKJ Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding.

Understanding Why Trouble Comes

March 7, 2009 in Church, Spirituality with 1 Comment

Troubles come for many reasons. However, seeking to understand why can be a real growth point for Christians. So, when trouble comes (& it will), go to the Lord, search your heart & see if you can’t get some understanding.

3 Reasons Why Trouble Comes:

  1. Sin: Living in open or secret rebellion against God.

    This should be a no brainer. Sin kills. It puts us at odds with God-our relationship with him gets out of whack & it must be dealt with by the blood of Jesus. We sin daily, so we should go to Jesus daily. Don’t play with sin! Confess it to Jesus. Forsake it & keep coming to him for cleansing & strength.

    Question: Is there an area where you are walking in secret or flagrant disobedience against God?

  2. The world we live in is fallen.

    It was not this way at the beginning-in the Garden of Eden it was paradise.But we rebelled against God. Now, the entire world is experiencing the consequences of sin-complete selfishness, war, disease, hatred & on & on.

    Question: Is the challenge your facing simply a result of living in a world in alienation from God?

  3. Growth: God’s wanting to teach us, correct us, stretch us or grow us.

    Sometimes Oakley hasn’t done anything wrong…I’m just stretching him. For example, when we were teaching him to climb down the steps (he learned to go up no problem!) eventually I had to stop carrying him down. Boy, did he cry! I guess he felt rejected. How could I go down the steps without carrying ‘baby’ Oakley? Sure enough, he began to do what I had showed him over & over-turn around (a major accomplishment) & slide down the steps on his belly.

    Question: Is God teaching, correcting, stretching or growing you in an area of your life?

40 Day Challenge

March 2, 2009 in Spirituality with 0 Comments

Here we go again! 2 things…

  1. The men in our church are signing up to fast & pray 1 day over the next 40 days leading up to Easter (Tues Mar 3 – Sat Apr 11). With each man taking a day our men will put together 40 days of nonstop fasting & prayer. Lord, may you be pleased with our attempts to reach out to you. Don’t change, but please change us! If you want more information or would like to participate just email Bill at wirvin.forge@comcast.net & ask him about the 40 Days for 40 Men.
  2. Jill & I are also doing some personal fasting during these 40 days. Basically, we are cutting out “Pleasure Spending” & “Pleasure Eating.” Here’s what we mean…
  • No Pleasure Spending: We commit to cut out unnecessary purchases & to buy only essentials-groceries, gas & a few gifts for birthdays. (We didn’t want to show up at my brother’s birthday & say, “Sorry, we didn’t get you anything because we’re on a spending freeze!”) Otherwise unnecessary spending is on a 40 day freeze. For example, shopping, starbucks, eating out, etc. In this fast we are trying to pull down the idol of materialism.
  • No Pleasure Eating: We commit to eating what I never eat…soups & salads. This rule will be relaxed in situations when it would be rude or inappropriate to refuse what is offered. In this fast, we are trying to pull down the idol of our appetite.

Lord, help us. I am challenged to the max with your 1st commandment. I feel like a spiritual 1st grader. Help us to have no other gods before you.

PS. In case you’re wondering, the photo has nothing to do with this blog. We were just thrilled that it finally snowed! Oakley lasted 2 minutes before he came inside & cried for 15 (frozen fingers)!

Haircuts…Before & After

February 16, 2009 in Family with 1 Comment

Charlie (3 years old)

Charlie (3 years old)

Oakley (1 year old)

Oakley (1 year old)

Kate (5 years old...that's me in the mirror)

Kate (5 years old)

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