Tag: bible

We all have heard this, just rest in God. It’s almost like sitting in your father’s lap and He says everything will be OK. I am learning more and more what this truly means! It’s about learning to Let go of what you can’t control and finding rest and comfort in the arms of a loving father. I’ve never been one full of emotion. I definitely cry more than Ever before – I do feel emotions, just a bit different than most. I just want you to see what is possible with unwavering faith! My sister has been battling cancer for 5 years now. My brother-in-law just lost his battle. They were diagnosed 1 month apart in 2021.

Losing someone is awful no matter how you view the person, but watching a love one suffer so intensely is far worse in my opinion. With that I say, if you know God you’d fully understand what I mean about that. Oh heaven, when the pain is gone and you are physically in the presence of God – I Can Only Imagine!

My sister has been in ICU for the last 2 weeks – we are just praying she’ll make it home for Christmas! However, this is what I want you to see or know! I have been in the hospital with her almost everyday, but not one of these days was I scared or worried. Our family though was struggling. I could see the worry, I could feel their sorrow. My husband asked me ‘Why are you having no reaction, no worry? You are scaring me.’ I replied, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘you just got a call that they are rushing your sister to the hospital by ambulance and your reply was call me when you know something.’ Again I replied, ‘How do you think I should be acting?’ He said, ‘I dont know, but I feel like I’m worried to death. How can you not even be slightly concerned?’ I replied, ‘Im concerned, but that is not worry. My best answer is with my connection and faith in God. This makes me feel solid in my resolve that HE (God) said ‘I’ve got her.”

I didn’t jump up and rush to the hospital. I waited for the call and went to visit the next day. Through this all I have remained steady – even when she lost her hearing and her ability to speak for a few days. Everyone freaked out, but me. I remained calm and resolved that everyone was worrying for nothing. That is just how I really felt. I cannot control others’ emotions, but I can share why I am so calm. I simply said ‘God has her, do you trust that?’ My whole family is religious, so prayer is Huge, but resting in Him is completely different. That doesn’t need religion it requires real Faith. I’m learning most people don’t understand Real Faith.

Resting in God requires active Faith not just words or works. You have to learn to accept that faith is not something you learn, it is something you gain when you truly decide to follow Jesus. When you mediate on His words and His love, in time your relationship will grow, but your faith will grow too. You have to make the time to spend time with God. He should not only get the last few minutes of your day (in prayer), but you need to set aside deliberate time to get to know him personally. If you want a friendship – it’s a two-way street. You have to make time for that friend and that friend has to make time for you. God is really no different. He longs for a friendship with you, but you have to make the time! One thing that is really awesome about this is that God is waiting on YOU – no matter what time you call upon Him – He is waiting, ready to listen and grow with you.

Resting in God is the most peace I have ever felt this side of Heaven.

In my research, that you all know I love so much; I came across something very interesting. The mustard seed faith quote has even the most seasoned Christian still wondering exactly what it means. I’m seeing my mustard seed faith lead others to Christ because of the medical conditions I’m facing.

Now, what I mean by that is you must understand the mustard seed in itself. Yes, it is ‘just’ a miniscule dot, but its design is infectious. Let me explain. The Bible says in Matthew 17:20 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.” Another passage illustrates a comparison – Matthew 13:31-32 or Mark 4: 30-32 “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed….. Though it is the smallest of seeds; it grows into one of the largest of garden plants going on to become a tree. ” This just makes the mustard seed all that more interesting when it comes a biblical vocabulary.

I am not a farmer and just beginning to take up gardening. I had no idea how the science of each plant determines its entire life span. The right soil is one of the most important things to consider. I’m comparing that to your foundation and where you stand- is it solid, soft or permeable? Back to the science of the mustard seed – in the 1st century the mustard plant was invasive, growing rapidly and choking out other plants by dominating the nutrients. The mustard seeds could lay dormant yet viable in the soil for several years, this made eradication difficult if not impossible. Follow me here… Jesus and His parables (how he taught the lay people) make his logic of life so much more understandable. Except that mustard seed one… Never could figure that out, but now with science behind it (I think) I get it.

What God means is that He wants your faith no matter how small, to represent real true faith. Your faith and trust in God will be invasive to the hearts of others. We all start off in the tiny beginnings of Christianity, to be grown into the faith believers we are today. When faith of Christians becomes so strong it can withstand all the winds and stay planted in that faith knowing one day will be your day to sprout.

Faith the size of a mustard seed simply means to engage your faith, let it out – Be Invasive, Be of strong roots (faith in Christ is your root- not familial), stay steadfast. God wants you to understand it’s not the size of your faith – it’s the depth of that faith. God will grow true faith into immense proportions in every believer who spreads His gospel IN Faith.

God uses our broken pieces to build his masterpiece. Today I was looking for a new topic. I’ve been writing and thought for sure I had another ‘whole post’ written out. Well today God would not let me find it. All I could find were pieces written here and there not compiled yet into one location. As I read these little phrases or paragraphs, I began to notice a pattern. Not one laid out all nice and neat, but one that truly came together as I would flip from page to page, open notebooks and legal pads full of writings. The sentences that fit so well together created this post exactly as God intended it.

We leave pieces of ourselves everywhere we go. That was God’s intention when He created us. He wanted us to leave pieces behind (letting go of sin or planting seeds) so that we are being recreated or helping to build the future as God intended. He wants us to touch or be touched by someone or something as to be inspired to give away pieces. This post, however, is Powerful when the pieces come together.

Soon All will come to Light – Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand. Pay attention to the Godly teachings. The more you do this the more you will understand. To those that are open to the teachings more understanding will be given. To those who chose not to listen will lose what they have. Be Aware of the Humanist (Religion) and its teachings. (More to come on this)

God sees everything perfectly and will help you to see His Will for your life. No matter where you are in this life – think maybe you were born for just such a time as this. If you were ever to question, which generation will face the Tribulation – the prophecies are clear – for We are Near! He equips us with knowledge to share.

Here we stop the pieces, and I see a message so clear. A call for disciples. Learn what you can – spend your free time in the Word of God so you too can see a message so clear!

God calls us to ‘not withhold good.’ Proverbs 3:27 When God blesses you – not only should you give thanks, but you should also use that blessing to be a blessing to others. Sometimes we need to ask God to open our eyes; so we can be honest with ourselves and to others. The Holy Spirit will Always Do Good! When we are filled with the spirit we seek out ways to humbly serve God. It is within you to Give, but this is to be done by choice. The Free will we all live by allows us the option to give or not to give. To do what is right and good. We can All give something – Share your time, your energy, your money, your prayers and share your heart! The best test of your capabilities is to take something from your home (not something you’ve tucked away and forgotten about), this means you have to make a conscience effort to choose something that you like, you use – you enjoy. What can you part with that still has meaning to you? Take this item and put it in the car – ride it around with you until the opportunity arises for you to make a choice as to whether you will really give it away.

God enjoys testing our character. He loves to see us Choose HIM. He truly tested me last month as he told me to give My Bible away! Now, this Bible has been the same bible that helped save my life. I was sentimental about it and when He first suggested it, I hesitated and said Um, No! In my heart I was not sure I could part with it, but He doubled down and did not suggest again. He said, ‘as an act of obedience I didn’t ask you, I told you!’ I was hopefully (understandably) a little hurt (that He would take this treasure from me.) Well, I went yesterday to buy myself a new bible. Personally, my favorite go to version is the NLT – New Living Translation. It takes the other versions and puts them into words we most understand. I have taken time to check this I promise. So let me share for just a moment the very first thing I read as I open ‘My New Bible’

Beloved Daughter, you are precious to Me. I long to give you the desires of your heart, but I don’t want any of the blessings I give you to draw you away from Me….. All the gifts that I give to you come with a beautiful purpose. ….this is from Thrive Devotional Bible Day 58 ; Author Shari Rose Shepard

I may have never seen this passage written directly to my heart from God through someone like me. I love his confirmations of promises he’s given. What a blessing her writings are, in the pages, placed exactly where one might seek a better understanding of a certain passage. How grateful I am to have given my bible to someone God chose, which allowed me to step into yet another one of His beautiful blessings upon my life.

You shall hear his words even when you don’t see his face. If you search for Him with all your heart and soul – You will find Him!

Agreeing with God about Sin is the first step in the channel of communication between God, the Holy Spirit and oneself. You must confess your sin; acknowledge you are a sinner and fall short of the glory of God! Accept the Forgiveness God offers through confession. Step two is a bit harder. This calls for us to set ourselves apart to be holy. Once the sin is confessed and forgiveness accepted – One must learn God’s decrees (laws) and put them into practice (obeying all His commands.) This part can be hard for some, seem impossible to others and even easy for some. However, this brings forth a question – Am I doing this with/for my own free will or is it divine intervention? The answer is Both! You need both of these to work together to complete step two. Despite our best efforts, we will never make ourselves holy – Only God can offer that. The apostle Paul teaches in Romans (8:13) that ‘For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body – You will live!’ So, with your cooperation and the grace of Gods divine intervention – You are on track to hear God’s voice. The still small voice in your ear or the quiet whisper in the air. Learning to live out Gods truth rather than your own is Step 3. Once you’ve been set free from sin the remaining work is to continually remain in that truth. When temptation arises you have to stop and ask yourself – is this God’s will or a temptation of the flesh? We all are weak and are destined to fall, but consciously knowing these are decisions that can keep you from hearing God’s voice by being baptized of the Spirit- you must ask yourself if the temptation is worth it?! That is for you to decide.

Steps 4 and 5 are entirely up to you. You choose the path, and God stays with you as long as you let him. Step four is recognizing these fleshly desires and understanding these natural cravings are all a part of our sinful nature. You have the option to live according to the flesh or choosing to set aside those earthly desires to better align your conscious with the Will of God. The final step or obstacle as it may seem is to overcome those physical desires. In stepping away from them or not giving in – You can enjoy the deep sense of peace and satisfaction that Only God can provide. This can only be achieved by accepting who we are is whom God created us to be. Philippians 4:11-13 Teaches us to learn how to be content with our circumstances and understand we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. I hope and pray that every reader here, sets aside their earthly desires so that the Holy Spirit will come to reside in your heart, and you too will Hear God Speak.

Levels of faith are earned through Trust, Obedience and Action. Faith takes action to produce. You can’t manifest it through thought or good works. Faith is earned through trials and tribulation that require Trust and Obedience. We find it easy to say, ‘Just have faith’ or ‘take that leap of faith’, but the truth is – no one can have Faith without Trust. Trust, I have learned, is Earned – not given. God should automatically earn your trust – just by the Truth foretold in the Bible. Like history, those that don’t know it are doomed to repeat it. Just reading through the scriptures should give you pause. We are living events foretold and reliving parts of history documented in the Bible. Faith is hard, yet we are told it’s easy or at least an easy concept. When God said he who believes only need to have faith the size of a mustard seed. Many people truly believe that is easy because a mustard seed is tiny, just a minuscule dot. That just means it’s a seed that needs watering to grow into its true magnitude.

Mountain moving Faith takes years to achieve no one is born with this spiritual knowledge. It’s a limitation of all humankind. The best news is that Our Father is not limited and there are none of us outside His realm of reach. We only need one thing or one person to plant that seed of faith into us; so that God can use that moment of realization to align things to fall into place to open the spiritual world to us. Then through our own studies and the ‘push’ of God will we be able to grow by leaps and bounds. Sometimes God will put you in a waiting period. We all get frustrated when our prayers aren’t answered right away, or the dream seems delayed. It is in this down time that God is working, using people, places and ‘things’ to grow and teach you! God chooses the weak, the poor and the sinner- you know us ordinary people, to conform the Wise. We are born in His image so that through the human life we can grow more Christ like through our trials or become bitter and sinical from the life we have. Personally, once I turned away from my anger and bitterness of the life I had been ‘given’ I realized I could choose my future. Learning to Trust in God that every bad thing that happened was just a test to see how I would react. What would I do to contribute to the growth of my own faith? We each are given tests, how you choose to respond will determine the outcome of your situation. Personally, I took to the Word. I began reading, studying and praying to a God I didn’t really know, I trusted that I was meant for more and needed to figure out how to get there. It is true when it is said the word of God is the Armor of God. He gives you scriptures to fight back against the battles you face, if you are in a down period, lost in the valley, You can hold onto the Words that are True! I would use scripture to combat my demons – when the Devil told me I was weak, God said I am strong – When the world reminded me that I was alone, God said I am with you, I will never leave you. When the heartache of lost loved ones filled my mind, again God reminded me that your rewards await you in heaven. A reminder I will be with them again. He equips us, builds our character, through trials and tribulations to be able to do extraordinary things. If God has you in a Holding period- Embrace the wait! You’ll experience Gods love while you are there. You won’t recognize it because you are still growing, but at some point, you’ll be able to feel it! A feeling of being safe- content – maybe even a little anxious. This is where You can change things. First, we must understand that everything that happens to us is character testing. Your reaction is the epitome of who you are at your core. Next, how do you overcome the situation or circumstance? Was this circumstance of your own choices – is it something you can change, if so, do you even want to? Never give up because it feels too Hard. Life is Hard, the world we live in is Hard, responsibilities are Hard, Obedience is Hard (at times). Life isn’t fair, but God is! Understand that through it all – This is the time when God teaches you who you are. A time when you learn to have Faith! Mountain moving Faith is REAL, we may not physically be able to move a mountain, but each trial you face feels like your own mountain! Hold on! Trust in His truth and Discover – You are a faith shaking, mountain Mover, Child of God, the Father.