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Category Archives: Characteristics of God

Jill Richard’s Musings on the Characteristics of God based on verses in the Bible

My God is…fighting for me Psalm 35:1-3

24 Jun

Psalm 35:1-3 – Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;My God is fighting for me
fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers;
say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me

Definition of CONTEND

intransitive verb
1: to strive or vie in contest or rivalry or against difficulties :struggle
2: to strive in debate : argue
transitive verb
1: maintain, assert <contended that he was right>
2: to struggle for : contest

What are you contending with? What are you fighting against? Is it something worth fighting for? In our lives we fight over a lot of things. We have a lot of things to contend with on a daily basis. Sometimes we feel like we’re contending with traffic, spouses, children, work and so much more. Sometimes we create the drama and contention ourselves. We see others as against us and everything becomes a battle. That’s not what God wants for us. He fought the battle against sin and won.

fight against those who fight against me

What if you didn’t fight? What if you took a step back and didn’t feel the need to prove that you were right or to fight for your way? What would happen? What if you trusted the Lord to fight your battles for you? I wonder if you’re thinking right now, but what if He doesn’t help me? When we give things over to God, we get a bit impatient. We want to see results quickly. We want the other person to admit that we were right and they were wrong. We want them to suffer for the unkind way they treated us. God’s way may not look like that. He may work in different ways. He may make them learn a lesson, but it might not be that you’re smarter, right or cuter than them. He may want them to learn humility, kindness or patience. Maybe He’s teaching that to you as well.

This weekend, my son was in a baseball tournament. They won their first game, but as they were about to start the second game, the coaches realized there were kids from a higher league on the other team. They asked the coaches from the other team about it and they denied that they were upper league players, but one of the kids admitted it. My son’s team began the game under protest. My son (a right fighter of sorts) was very upset that they were cheating. I told him to let his coaches fight this battle. Well, toward the end of the game, the manager of the tournament came over and had the other team forfeit because they had played using inappropriate players for this tournament. The coaches had fought the fight for their players. God does the same thing for us. At first it didn’t look like their “protest” was going to get the team anywhere. You couldn’t tell that it was being sorted out. But it was. The game was played as normal, but the outcome was anything but normal. Our team lost, but they won. Our lives are not always as clear-cut as we would like them to be. People try to cheat and steal to get ahead. They’re willing to tear you down to build themselves up.

say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

But our salvation, our saving grace is not from us, it is from our Lord. He can sort out all of our problems, and when we allow Him to take the lead in our battles, they often get over more quickly and turn out better than we could have expected. So back to that question, what would it look like if you didn’t fight battles, but instead handed them over to God? Would you get walked all over, or would the Lord take up the battle for you and allow you to have victory over the evil in your life? I believe that if you give your troubles to Him, He will be your salvation. He will be trustworthy. The beauty is that when God fights your battles, He’s not worried about your pride. When I get into a fight or an argument, usually it is because I am beating a dead horse trying to prove that I am right. My pride gets in the way of progress. I am willing to bleed to death if I could just get the other person to say, “You’re right Jill”. But to be honest, usually when I’m in a fight, I’m not right. I’m fighting because I’m embarrassed I made a mistake. Or I might be fighting because I felt slighted (another pride and entitlement issue). But it is not because I’m trying to protect others, provide for others or correct some other injustice. I am more selfish than that. So if I stopped fighting and hand my frustration over to God, I can promise you it would come out better than me taking care of it on my own.

What do you have to contend with?

 
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Posted by on June 24, 2013 in My God is fighting for me, Psalm

 

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My God is…caring for you 1 Peter 5:7

19 Jun

1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.????????

Ok, I think for this one we’re going to break down this verse by definitions of the words.

Cast

The definition for cast was so long, we’re just going to look at the first definition as it’s the one that pertains to this verse.
Definition of CAST

transitive verb
1a : to cause to move or send forth by throwing <cast a fishing lure> <cast dice>
 b : direct <cast a glance>
 c (1) : to put forth <the fire casts a warm glow> <cast light on the subject> (2) : to place as if by throwing <cast doubt on their reliability>
 d : to deposit (a ballot) formally
 e (1) : to throw off or away <the horse cast a shoe> (2) : to get rid of : discard <cast off all restraint> (3) : shed, molt(4) : to bring forth; especially : to give birth to prematurely
 f : to throw to the ground especially in wrestling
 g : to build by throwing up earth

I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word cast, I think of fishing (not because I fish, I don’t really). Imagine yourself grabbing hold of all your anxiety and pulling back with your anxieties over your shoulder. Then with a strong thrust you throw off your anxieties. You cast them off like a fisherman casts his line. Or maybe you cast it like I picture Samson, holding a big boulder over your head (trying to be as strong as Samson) and then you throw it as hard as you can (maybe aimed at the devil). Or maybe even shot putting it as far away from you as you can. Imagine it. Really Imagine it. For me just thinking about it relieves some of the anxiety.

Anxiety

Definition of ANXIETY

1a : painful or apprehensive uneasiness of mind usually over an impending or anticipated ill
 b : fearful concern or interest
 c : a cause of anxiety
2: an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it

When we’re anxious, often it feels like no one has ever felt the way we felt. Especially if we have major anxiety that has all the physical manifestations along with it. No one seems to understand. No one knows how you feel. And here on earth that might be true, but Jesus understands. In Mark 14, He shows us that He understands, ” And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” He was so upset He could die. He understands. I love that the scriptures has the word anxiety in it, because it shows us that God is aware of our plight. He understands what’s going on in our lives, hearts and minds. He wants to address it with you.

On Him

Remember when I said to imagine yourself casting off all your anxiety? Do it again and imagine casting it off to the One who can actually take care of it. Right now I’m picturing myself casting off my anxiety, sins and frustrations to God who happens to have a box like the Ghostbusters used to capture ghosts. I cast them off to Him. He’s safely collecting them from me so that He can dispose of them properly.

Because He cares for you

Definition of CARE

1: suffering of mind : grief
2a : a disquieted state of mixed uncertainty, apprehension, and responsibility
 b : a cause for such anxiety
3a : painstaking or watchful attention
 b : maintenance <floor-care products>
4: regard coming from desire or esteem
5: charge, supervision <under a doctor’s care>
6: a person or thing that is an object of attention, anxiety, or solicitude

Ok, to be honest, this definition just blew my mind. Maybe I’m the only one, but I didn’t know the strong correlation between anxiety and care. I think this definition makes this verse so much more powerful. Read through that definition again. He thinks about you. He mourns your losses. He feels your pain. He is watching over you with painstaking attention. He keeps you going and working properly. He regards you. He is in charge of you and supervising you. You are the object of His attention. This concept brings tears to my eyes. I see myself coming to Jesus, crying because I feel like things are out of control. Like a good father He holds me and says, I’ll take care of it. If you’re a parent, maybe you can relate. If you child comes to you, practically falling to your feet because they are so overwhelmed, you too would do whatever you could (and God can do anything) do for your child. You want to make things better. God wants to make things better for you. Trust Him, He can do this for you.

Who cares for you?
 
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Posted by on June 19, 2013 in 1 Peter, My God is Caring

 

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My God is…Multiplying his wondrous deeds Psalm 40:5

10 Jun

Psalm 40:5 – You have multiplied, O Lord my God, glass-of-water-sky
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted.

You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us

Sometimes people tell me that they haven’t really had anything bad happen to them in their lives. They haven’t suffered a tragedy, loss of a loved one or loss of a job. Some might say their lives are truly blessed, but I always think “watch out”!!!! Why? Because I think that as we go through life, the Lord allows us to have troubles and trials so that we might grow in Him. The verse above was written by David after a victory in battle. I find that when I have come through something that looks insurmountable, I have feelings very similar to what David is expressing here. If I have just had a problem resolved or heard about one resolved for a friend, I might say, “God is good.” God is good all the time, but when we’ve been going through something, we see more clearly how much we rely on Him and His Goodness.

Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
    they would be more than can be counted.

Have you ever been dehydrated? Have you ever felt like you were just going to die if you didn’t get something to drink soon. I think that’s how it sometimes feels while we’re going through trials. We may not feel like the Lord is around, or that we’re in dire need of a drink of the Lord. We’re dehydrated in our faith. We’ve got nothing left to give. But God does. He’s got what you need to be nourished and sustain you. He’s got the refreshing life-giving water that will rejuvenate you. Then when you get that dose of the Holy Spirit (through scripture, worship, praise music, revelation, prayer etc) you’re amazed at how good it tastes. How good the Lord is. You had momentarily forgotten, but now you must sing His praises at every turn. He is more real to you now than ever before. Like an ice-cold glass of water when you’re feeling dehydrated. You are soothed, comforted and amazed. You’re sure someone has given you special water. It tastes better than any other drink you’ve ever had. When we come out of a trial we are also often more aware of the blessings we had all along. The goodness and mercy of our Lord. His favor for His children. We are blessed beyond compare.

Are you dehydrated?

 
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Posted by on June 10, 2013 in My God is multiplying his wondrous deeds, Psalm

 

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My God is…Blessing Psalm 24:4-6

07 Jun

Psalm 24:4-6 – Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, blessing
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Definition of BLESS

1: to hallow or consecrate by religious rite or word
2: to hallow with the sign of the cross
3: to invoke divine care for <bless your heart> —used in the phrase bless you to wish good health especially to one who has just sneezed
4 a : praise, glorify <bless his holy name>
   b : to speak well of : approve
5: to confer prosperity or happiness upon
6 archaic : protect, preserve
7: endow, favor <blessed with athletic ability>

Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.

Ok, let’s clarify something from the get go, this is an Old Testament verse. Since it is from the Old Testament it may seem a bit heavy on law. You’ll see that it is telling us what seems like a list of things we must do to get salvation. It is not for our salvation, but rather because of our salvation through Jesus Christ that we can have clean hands, a pure heart, are not distracted by other gods and idols, and do not swear deceitfully. I think we can all agree these are good things to work towards doing (or not doing).

They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation

This verse is Old Testament, but speaks of the grace we find in Jesus Christ, the God of our salvation. I want you to take a look at the definitions of bless above.

1: to hallow or consecrate by religious rite or word
2: to hallow with the sign of the cross

When God blesses us, it is a call to live like the first part of the word. He is setting us apart for holy work. Not Holy with a capital “H”, but holy that means we do everything in our life with God in mind. God wants to be at the center of our life, with our eyes focused on Him. He doesn’t want us to turn our minds toward someone or something else to bring us our happiness. When we were baptized, the pastor makes a cross across your forehead and your heart. He is blessing you, marking you as part of God’s family.

3: to invoke divine care for <bless your heart> —used in the phrase bless you to wish good health especially to one who has just sneezed

We are also blessed by God that He cares for our needs. In Matthew 6:25-34 we read about the Lord’s provision for us, and a reminder that because we are set apart and blessed, we don’t need to worry.
Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?“

5: to confer prosperity or happiness upon

6 archaic : protect, preserve
7: endow, favor <blessed with athletic ability>

God can also bless us in our earthly lives. Beyond supplying us with our needs, He works good things in our lives. He even takes situations that look like they have no hope, and give us hope. He promises to work all things for our good in Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” We are blessed by being set apart as His family. We are blessed to be set apart to do His work here on earth. We are blessed that in all things God is working for our best interests. We are blessed that though we are sinful, we have a God who provided a way out of death through His Son Jesus Christ. We are blessed to know we will spend eternity in Heaven with Him.

Do you feel blessed?
 
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Posted by on June 7, 2013 in Matthew, My God is blessing, Psalm

 

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My God is…Holding my hand Isaiah 41:13

22 May

Isaiah 41:13 – 

For I, the Lord your God,holding-hands
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Do not fear,
I will help you.”

I wanna hold your hand

Holding hands is a pretty intimate thing. Who do you hold hands with? Your spouse? Your boyfriend? Your friend? Your child? We don’t walk up to complete strangers and just start holding their hand. That would be creepy and awkward. Holding someone’s hand is something you do because those people mean something to you.

I saw you holding hands with a high school boy!

When I was teaching school in Idaho, where my husband and I first met, one of my students said to me, “I saw you holding hands with a high school boy yesterday.” I couldn’t think what she was talking about, but then realized I had been out walking with my boyfriend, now husband. He’s actually 7 1/2 years older than me, but he did look pretty young. That little girl knew that holding hands meant something was going on. I was in some sort of relationship with that young man. She was right.

I hold your right hand

In our verse for this week, God says He holds our right hand. He also says, “Do not fear, I will help you.” That is the kind of hand holding we find ourselves needing when we’re feeling insecure, frustrated or pushed to the side. God is there for us. He takes up our hand and leads us through the troubles. But He doesn’t let go. He keeps holding on in the good times as well. It’s not awkward when God holds our hand, because we know Him, and He knows us. We have a relationship with Him.

Holding your child’s hand

Many of us hold the hands of our children (my boys are pretty grown up now, so I don’t get to do this as often.). We may take their hand when they’re crossing the street. We want to make sure they are safe. God takes our hand and makes sure we’re safe as well. Safely in our relationship with Him, that saving relationship of faith in Jesus as our redeemer. We also take our child’s hand when we want to help them feel secure. And best of all we take our child’s hand to show them that we love them. It doesn’t really matter what they’ve done, we still love them. Sometimes we even take our child’s hand in discipline. We pull them back from the bad behavior in which they’re engaging. But we do this, like God does with us, because we have a relationship with our children. A close relationship. We wouldn’t want someone who doesn’t know them well taking them by the hand. It makes us uncomfortable. The better we know God, the more comfortable we are when He’s got our hand leading us through life.

Holding your boyfriend’s hand

I remember the butterflies I had when a boy I liked finally made the move to hold my hand. It assured me that he had feelings for me, more than being a friend. He wanted to get to know me better. I was special. I was His. God too holds our hand this way. He claims us as His. We’re with Him. We’re with God.

Holding hands in prayer

When I was growing up we didn’t hold hands while we prayed. As an adult Christian, many of the people I know hold hands during the blessing around a table. Some also hold hands as they pray among two or three friends. Sometimes even larger groups will join hands in prayer. Why do we do that? I think it is to create a feeling of unity. Even if we don’t know the person well that we’re standing next too, we know that they’re holding hands with the Savior too, and we’re all unified at that moment.

Holding hands in comfort

Sometimes we don’t know what to say. Sometimes holding hands may be the only way we know how to convey our care for someone. I remember visiting my grandmother in the hospital a few months before she died. She was really unwell and very old. She wasn’t 100% clear on who I was. There wasn’t a lot I could say to her that she would be able to respond to correctly. So for much of the visit I held her hand. That was so wonderful to me, because in holding my hand, I could feel her loving squeeze. Holding my hand said what she couldn’t get the words to say anymore. (Was I comforting her, or was she comforting me? Hard to tell).

God’s holding your hand

No matter how God is holding your hand, the point is, He’s holding it. We don’t have to be afraid. God’s with us. He’s got our back and is going to see us through the good times and the bad. God, I wanna hold your hand!

Whose hand are you holding?

 
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Posted by on May 22, 2013 in Isaiah, My God is holding my hand

 

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My God is…inclined to me Psalm 40:1-3

01 May

Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the Lord;Jesushuggingcryinggirl
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the desolate pit,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.

I waited patiently for the Lord

I’m not very patient really. If I ask my husband for help, and he doesn’t do it (that minute), I get frustrated. Then usually I’ll do it with a scowl on my face and a bad attitude. He’ll retort that he was going to get to it, just not that second. That reasonable, right. Of course it is, but that doesn’t stop me from justifying my impatience by telling him if I didn’t need his help NOW, I wouldn’t have asked NOW. I think that’s how I am with God sometimes as well. I don’t ask God to walk with me in the beginning of a project or activity. I wait until I’m sure I can’t do it on my own, and then I ask God for help. I don’t want any of that, “In God’s time” stuff. I want it now. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want it now. Perhaps if I had included God from the beginning it wouldn’t have gone the way it went, and I wouldn’t be so desperate, or maybe it isn’t all about me, and God’s timing has bigger plans, plans I may never see, but that He uses to His glory anyway. Patience is a virtue. I need to work on waiting patiently for the Lord.

He inclined to me and heard my cry

Now I find this part of our verse (the part with the theme of the blog in it) very comforting for so many reasons.

  • My Cry – Why does the part about crying out make me feel comforted? Because it shows that I don’t have to have my emotions in order. I can cry or cry out of frustration, pain, anger or suffering. It’s not wrong to have emotions. It’s not wrong to cry out to the Lord and be true to what you’re feeling. I like that freedom.
  • He heard my cry – Another wonderful part of this section of our passage from Psalms is that God hears my cry. He hears me. He isn’t tuning me out. He doesn’t have Skull Candy ear buds in that make it possible to ignore everything that’s going on around Him (like my boys like to do when I need them to help around the house). He hears my cry.
  • He inclined to me: God leaned in to hear my cry better. He has a disposition and a tendency to helping and hearing me. He is inclined to move in my direction. He comes close to me. He comforts me. He leans in. Have you ever noticed that when things are going wrong, some people lean in and some lean out? I have. It’s really interesting who will come to your side or be inclined to you when you’re in trouble. When someone is really listening to you, they often are inclined to you. They lean in and show you with their body language that they’re paying attention. God is inclined to you. He’s paying attention.

Definition of INCLINED

1: having inclination, disposition, or tendency
2 a : having a leaning or slope
  b : making an angle with a line or plane
He drew me up from the desolate pit,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
When reading this I was reminded of my Stephen’s Ministry training (a Christian peer counseling program), I was taught that we had to be careful not to get in the pit of troubles that our care receivers were currently experiencing. We had to remain attached to the Lord so we could reach in and help, but not fall in our selves. They explained that the truth is God is who draws us out of the desolate pit and sets us back upon a rock and helps us get our secure footing back. God is inclined to us, leaning over and reaching into the pit and pulling us out.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
So many times people ask why they’re going through what they’re going through, and it’s never easy to answer without sounding trite or inconsiderate, but the truth is going through those tough times allows us to grow and become stronger. To know that our true strength comes from the Lord. If you ask most strong and confident people about their story, you will almost always hear some talk about some of the struggles that led them to this point. There isn’t a truly easy road in this sinful earth for any of us. Every hardship is an opportunity to grow in our faith, our perseverance and to give glory to God. After you have come through something painful, and you can see it behind you without feeling the full pain, you feel the feeling of victory. The feeling of overcoming the impossible, knowing that without God it could not have been done. We can put our trust in God and rely on Him to see us through.
What are you inclined to? 
 
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Posted by on May 1, 2013 in My God is inclined to me, Psalm

 

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My God is…a consuming fire Hebrews 12:28-29

26 Apr

Hebrews 12:28-29 – Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and Flames so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken

What a blessing it is to know that the kingdom of God will endure. We don’t have to worry that it won’t be there when we die, or that someday it will cease to exist. God is eternal, and his kingdom cannot be shaken. Nothing, not one thing, in all of time will be able to destroy the Kingdom of God. The devil for a time will try, but we know he has lost the war. God is almighty and has overcome the devil.

Let us be thankful

When someone does something nice for you, do you thank them? I’m not always as good at this as I would like. To be honest, I’m kind of ashamed of it. Who takes the brunt of that? Maybe my boys who are so kind to me and never refuse bringing me popcorn or tea. They’re not argumentative or defiant. They’re agreeable young men. I sometimes take their kindnesses for granted. I don’t always use the good manners my mother gave me. They deserve my thanks. If I am capable of forgetting to thank my sons who daily do amazing sacraficial things for me, how much more awful is it that I sometimes forget to thank my Lord and savior Jesus for his true sacrifice for my eternal life. Not only do I not say it often enough, I also don’t act grateful. I become selfish, unkind, impatient with Him. I don’t always act as He would call me to act. I don’t always treat others better than myself, and I don’t always put Him at the center of my life. Let us be thankful. Let us cast off our old ways and focus on the Lord!

Worship God acceptably with reverence and awe

Why do we have the traditions we do in our church? I think most of them are to help with this action, so that we might worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. I want to get better at this and not get too comfortable. I want things to not become rote or commonplace, but that I remember why I am worshiping, and more importantly Who I am worshiping. I want to show my Lord reverence and awe. I want to do that by putting Him first in my life. Lord help me do this, please.

God is a consuming fire

When we allow the Lord to be the center of our lives, He is an all consuming fire. He burns out the old cobwebs. He adds excitement and change that we would otherwise not embrace. God is amazing and has so much planned for us. In a Bible study I’m doing, (The Calling: Living a life of significance) it mentioned that sometimes we ask for silver when God wants to give us gold. When we put God at the center of our lives, as He is an all consuming fire and fills every nook and cranny of our heart, we will find the excitement of having God in charge. Having Him burn away the junk that gets in the way of our relationship with Him so that new life might grow in our hearts. When there is a fire in the wilderness, it can be devastating  It can look as if everything that was good is gone, but after some time, new life grows, stronger and healthier than before. May I be refined by the all consuming fire of God.

 

 
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Posted by on April 26, 2013 in Hebrews, My God is an all consuming fire

 

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My God is…Greater 1 John 4:1-6

22 Apr

1 John 4:1-6 – Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, Listening-on-phonebecause many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist  which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Don’t believe everything you hear. How many of you heard that from your parents at one time or another? I know I did as a child. Sometimes I need to be reminded of that as an adult. The other day I mentioned to my sister that I had read that those who chew gum are more likely to have more wrinkles. This basically made me think I should probably stop chewing gum. My sister instantly retorted that she didn’t think that was true. She said that probably those who smoke make up a large group of those who chew gum, and it’s more likely smoking that makes someone more wrinkly than chewing gum. I don’t know if she’s right (she probably is – I always think she’s right!), but I did think it was a good reminder not to believe everything I hear. It’s important as residents on this earth to be discerning about what we hear. It especially important when we’re talking about spiritual things. There are so many theories out there. So many ways people say you can be your best you, live your full life and be all that you can be. Some of the information can be useful, but some can lead you away from the Lord, putting your faith in things that have no truth and pull your attention away from Jesus.

But test the spirits to see whether they are from God

It is important that we test the things we hear against what we know is true in scripture. We can sometimes learn something from the self-help books, studies and gurus of this world, but the verse above tells us exactly how to test these spirits and ideas, “Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” Any theory or idea that doesn’t acknowledge Jesus came as a man, but is also God is a pitfall for leading us astray. Even if they do have good pieces in them, they can be more damaging to us than they are edifying. Don’t believe everything you hear!

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

We have overcome these false spirits, because we have the truth. We have God’s word which does tell us about Jesus as man and God. God has given us His Holy Spirit, and His Holy Spirit is greater than those spirits of the world. Our God is greater. He has the true answers. Not answers for the temporary things of this world, but for our life now and on into eternity. So many of the theories of this world have come and gone, some persist, but unless they jive with the word of God, they are meaningless.

They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

Don’t be surprised when those you care about use these theories of the world, these gurus and philosophies to try to help you. They’re probably well-meaning, but these theories only work in the temporary, the here and now. They’re only about you. They’re not about others. It’s self-help for a reason – it’s all about you. The world loves that, because it is our human nature to think our problems are more important than anyone else’s problems. My husband’s arm hurting? He’s a wimp. My legs are sore, I’m practically dying. What’s the difference? One is about me and one is about him. I don’t care as much about his as I do my own pain (selfish I know, I got a lot of work to do). We’re all a bit like that. When we allow ourselves to think how the world thinks, we can’t see past ourselves. We think it’s OK to do whatever we want, because “I had to do what was right for me.” We need to be careful people. When something like that comes out of our mouths, it may very well not be from God. He tells us to love others as ourselves, and that flies in the face of that statement.

We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. 

Listening-on-phone

Don’t believe everything you hear!

Just because our truth is from the Lord, don’t expect people to accept it that way. Those who know God will likely listen and be able to apply any wisdom that is based on God’s word, but those who are still living according to the world probably won’t. They may hear us, but more than likely they’ll pass off our ideas and scriptural references as strange, kooky Christian talk. They won’t be able to take it seriously, because they don’t know the Lord. Does that means we stop believing what we believe, or stop professing what we believe? No, but it does help us to have realistic expectations of what is likely to happen. It’s not going to be all rainbows and butterflies.

This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Our God is greater. Even though we might have doubts or struggle with a Biblical truth, we’ve got God, and our God is greater than all of the gibberish our world. Even the information that is helpful for this world is a far cry from what our Lord has told us and has planned for us. Our God is greater.

Don’t believe everything you hear – test it against God’s word.

 
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Posted by on April 22, 2013 in 1 John, My God is Great, My God is Greater

 

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My God is…exalted Psalm 138:6-7

17 Apr

Psalm 138:6-7 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;


though lofty, he sees them from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.

Definition of EXALT

transitive verb
1: to raise in rank, power, or character
2: to elevate by praise or in estimation : glorify
3obsolete : elate
4: to raise high : elevate
5: to enhance the activity of
What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:4
God is exalted. He is of the highest rank, power and character. There is no reason in our earthly minds why our God should be mindful of us. Our perfect amazing Lord deserves to be exalted. He is perfect, kind, patient and so much more (as you can see from my blog). He is deserving of our praise and to be elevated in our estimation. Our Bible verse above reads, “he looks kindly on the lowly”. That’s you and me folks. We’re the lowly. I’m not trying to make you feel bad about yourself, but in relationship to the greatness of God, we’re not much.
Though lofty, he sees them from afar
Even though God is highly exalted, He sees us. It doesn’t says He strains to see us, it says He sees us (plain and simple). He knows everything about us, and sees us more clearly than we see ourselves. And guess what? He loves us anyway!
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
Even though God is…God, He is still mindful of us. When we’re in trouble we can expect Him to show up in unusual and amazing ways. In fact He already has. I bet that if you think about it, you’ll be able to think of a time when something was fixed or resolved in an amazing way you weren’t expecting. The biggest example of this is how the Lord saved us from our sins. There was no way we were going to earn our way to heaven. Each of us is a sinner, and if it were only by what we do that we could be saved, our bad would easily outweigh our good. But God came up with a plan. A plan that no human would have thought possible. God sacrificed His Son so that we might live. So that we might live with Him in heaven. That we might have eternal life.
How about right here and now? You can expect God to show up in unusual ways right now. Turn over your troubles to the Lord and watch Him (trust Him) to do what He says He’s going to do. He’ll sustain you through your pain, give you and escape from temptation and provide for all your needs. He loves you and will see you through your trouble. He will preserve your life for now and into eternity.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
    with your right hand you save me.
For some reason the way I picture this part of the verse gives me great comfort. I picture some one running to attack me, and God pushes them away with His left hand and with His right He pulls me behind Him. He shields me from the danger. He saves me from the fate I deserve. I love the thought of My God being between me and my enemy. Like a father protecting his child from any sort of threat, our God stands in the gap for us. Protecting us and saving us with His right hand.
What do you exalt?
 
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Posted by on April 17, 2013 in My God is Exalted, Psalm

 

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My God is…for us Romans 8:31

08 Apr

Romans 8:31-39 – What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against balloon-head-about-to-explodeus?

Do you ever feel like you’re facing giants?

Some days are worse than others. Yesterday was a very bad day for me. Who’s fault. Mine. All mine. I let a troubling email get me down before going to church. I was distracted during the sermon, thinking about said email. Then after church I was extremely hungry (it was now 2 pm , and I’m not such a fun person when I haven’t had anything to eat. I come in the house from running and errand, my husband was busy making a gourmet lunch for him and the boys (OK, it was just Mac & Cheese), so I decided to make myself some soup (all with a very bad attitude). I decided I was really hungry, so I made a quesadilla as well. During the making of the quesadilla, I spilled salsa and had to clean that up. My soup was now boiling. I turned it down, and put the quesadilla in the microwave (for too long). When I took it out, there was cheese melted over onto the microwave. I grabbed the Clorox wipes, pulled one out to clean the microwave, and proceeded to drop it in my soup. UGHHHH! The day didn’t get better from there, until way later. But I’ll spare you the rest of my self-imposed drama.

I felt like everything was against me

No matter what I did yesterday, it seemed like it was all going to Hell in a hand basket. Even when things started looking up, they came back to bite me. It was a rough one for sure. But while I was out on my afternoon walk, I prayed. I prayed and prayed. It was during this walk that I could feel my heart shifting from anxiousness to peace, from anger to kindness and patience. Unfortunately I had already made many other people’s day worse in the mean time. Have you ever felt like no matter what you do, everything is falling apart around you?

If God is for us

And God is for us. He is on our side. Later in the chapter our verse was taken from, we are encouraged with these words: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What can separate us from the love of God? 

Nothing. Not even:

  • death
  • life
  • angels
  • demons
  • present
  • future
  • any powers
  • height
  • depth

Nor anything else. Nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from God’s love. Even when things are hitting the fan and we feel overwhelmed by even the simplest things, His love is there. We can turn to Him, pray and know that if God is for us, who can be against us. He is for us. He is for you and for me. He promises to be there for us, and we can trust Him to live up to His word. Put your trust in Him and let Him help you out of the trouble you’re in. Cling to Him that you might know freedom from the pains you’re feeling. All things are in His power and control. Turn your junk over to God. Truly give it to Him to take care of and expect Him to show up in amazing and unusual ways. God is good.

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

 

 
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Posted by on April 8, 2013 in My God is for us

 

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