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My God is…Awesome Psalm 68:35

Psalm 68:35

You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!

Our God is an awesome God

I don’t know if you’re like me, but when I hear someone say our God is an awesome God, my brain instantly goes to the song of the same name.

AWESOME GOD LYRICS – MICHAEL W. SMITH

You can listen to it here http://youtu.be/38V8jnN1Kpw (just got chills rewatching it).

When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain’t just puttin’ on the Ritz
(our God is an awesome God)
There is thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fist
(our God is an awesome God)
Well, the Lord wasn’t joking
When He kicked ’em out of Eden
It wasn’t for no reason that He shed his blood
His return is very close and so you better be believing
that our God is an awesome God

REFRAIN
Our God(our God) is an awesome God
He reigns(He reigns) from heaven above
With wisdom(with wisdom) pow’r and love
our God is an awesome God

And when the sky was starless in the void of the night
(our God is an awesome God)
He spoke into the darkness and created the light
(our God is an awesome God)
Judgment and wrath he poured out on Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not too quickly forgotten that
our God is an awesome God

Refrain x3

Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
(Our God is an awesome God)
(Our God is an awesome God)

The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

That is an amazing song, and through out the song we see so many ways that our God is awesome. But it is the scripture selected for today that has the message I want highlighted. He is awesome and gives power and strength to His people. I have quite a few friends who are going through some big things in their lives right now. Turmoil in their families, pain and suffering because of ailments and injuries, stress and discord at work, or even lack of money to sustain themselves and their family. But the God of Israel provides us with power and strength to persevere and run the good race.

Press on!

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Letting go of the hurts of the past, is not easy, as it’s described as straining in these verses. We have to strain forward, battling through the painful things that are going on now while forgetting what lies behind. In our Tuesday night Bible study, It said that forgetting in this verse didn’t mean, not remembering exactly. Instead it meant “not letting it have an effect”. In the same way that God remembers our sins no more, we are to forget or not let our past have an ill effect on us any longer. That’s not easy, and it often does come with strain. For me that meant going to a counselor and baring my soul (not to say that I’m in great shape now – long way to go yet). That was a strain. It’s not easy to confess all that has been bringing you pain, whether your fault or someone else’s, it’s not easy to forget (or forgive). But God gives us all that we need to attain this goal, starting with His example. May we strive to be more like Him.

Where do you get your power and strength?

My God is…empowering 2 Timothy 1:6-7

13 Dec

God did not make us timid

2 Timothy 1:6-7 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

When are you timid?

Maybe you’re not. I don’t think most people consider me timid, but when I enter a room, I can be quite shy. I’ll be looking around for anyone who makes eye contact that I can comfortably go hang by (sometimes for the rest of the night). I’m not very brave in social situations. Not at all timid once you get to know me, but those first meetings (especially if I can’t remember your name) are hard for me. I’m a bit insecure sometimes.

Why are we sometimes timid?

I think the reason we’re sometimes timid is because we’re looking for our self-worth in the wrong places. We’re looking at getting our self-worth through other people, our work, our money or position. But in the verse above it seems to be related to the gifts God has given us, and we’re to use those gifts for God’s glory.

Power

What do you think of when you think of power? A super hero? Your boss? Your father? I think in reality power for me is security. Feeling comfortable in my own skin and not being affected (as much) by the negativity around me. The definition of power a few places is to be able to produce an effect. Here it is telling us that by the Holy Spirit we are given the ability to produce an effect. We can be effective for Christ.

Love

I’m sure most of us know that the commandments Jesus talked about were about love: Mark 12: 29-31, “Jesus answered, “Here is the most important one. Moses said, ‘Israel, listen to me. The Lord is our God. The Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Deuteronomy 6:4,5) And here is the second one. ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18) There is no commandment more important than these.”” Giving us through the Holy Spirit the ability to love, God is giving us the ability to fulfill His commandments (ok – not perfectly, but without Him, we’re incapable of true love – loving those who don’t deserve it – as Christ loves us).

Self Discipline

Ok – if you’re anything like me being given the gift of self-discipline is like getting socks at Christmas. Useful, but not very exciting. At least it used to be. I’m finding that as I grow up (yes I’m still working at that) I find being self disciplined helps me avoid a lot of self loathing, a lot of over eating, snapping at my family, being selfish (or at least recognizing it) and loads of other sins I would rather not reveal this morning. Being able to have self-discipline also allows me to focus and keep my eyes fixed on the Lord. Still not perfect at it, but learning to daily seek God is a self-discipline.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God

Practice, practice, practice. Everything we want to be truly good at takes practice, or doing something over an over again. Have you ever fanned anything into flames? I truly try to avoid open fires for the most part, so this hasn’t happened to me very often, but I do watch Survivor (don’t hold that against me) and it’s really hard work for them to get a fire going. After they finally get a spark, they have to fan it into flames to get a fire worth using started. Our faith is the same way. If we leave it alone and don’t tend to it, it will diminish, or even peter out. But if we fan it into flames, by reading the word of God and renewing our mind we will be transformed. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

What are you fanning into flames?

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Posted by Jill Richard on December 13, 2012 in 2 Timothy, My God is empowering

Tags: empowering, fanning into flames, gift of god, god, God's glory, Jesus, love, Power, practice, renewing of your mind, romans 12:2, spirit, transformed

My God is…Powerful Joshua 4:23-24

07 Nov

Joshua 4:23-24 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your

Things are out of control!

God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

Everything is out of control

It’s that horrible realization you have when you can’t change what’s coming. Things might seem to be falling apart around you. The people in your life might not have your best interest at heart. Your job might be bogging you down or your boss could be unkind and make working there painful and like a punishment. We’ve all had moments when we’ve felt out of control. For the most part we don’t like to be out of control.

She’s got it all together

It’s amazing how hard we are on ourselves. We look at others and compare ourselves to them. We see the well dressed mom taking her three adorable well-behaved, well dressed children to Whole Foods, and think, why can’t I be like that? Why am I using coupons at Safeway while my toddlers scream at each other and I just noticed spit up stains on my shirt. Why do some people seem so in control when my life can seem so out of control.

Don’t play the comparison game

In our John Bible Study, the leader reminded us not to play the comparison game. We don’t really know what’s going on in other persons life. She might have money and good clothes, but she might not have the love of her husband or a good self-esteem. God has given gifts to each of us that are unique, and he provides our opportunities and promises that He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us.

God is Powerful

In our reading above, we hear about how God parted the Jordan, just as He had parted the Red Sea. What I like is that it even tells us God’s motivation. We find out why God parted the Jordan. He parted it so that we would know that “the hand of the Lord is powerful” and “so that you might always fear the Lord your God”. Now this isn’t the kind of fear that is being scared, but the kind of fear that acknowledges the power that is there. God is able to do whatever He wants, and while we fear Him in awe and revel in His power, we aren’t afraid of Him, because we know that He is good. His ways are good.

We don’t need to feel out of control

Ok, maybe we do. We aren’t in control, but one who is more powerful, more knowledgeable and more kind is in control. We can trust that there is never going to be anything that will change the goodness of the Lord, or keep Him from fulfilling His plans for us. We can trust that whatever occurs in our life the Lord can use for our good. So when things seem out of control around you, cling to the one who parted the seas and thinks about you and your well-being. Trust His power and curl up in His arms.

My God is …the God of Power and Might II Chronicles 20:6

19 Jan

2 Chronicles 20:6

LORD, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.

The God of our ancestors

This is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. The blessing of having ancestors who have gone before me in this Christian walk. My Grandparents, on both sides, were strong Christian people. They raised my parents keeping Christ at the center of all they did. My parents raised us similarly, and I pray that my children, future grandchildren and great-grandchildren will also follow Christ.

Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon

So this verse is sort of plucked out of a chapter that is about the fight between Jehoshaphat and the Moabites and the Ammonites. In this verse they’re crying out to God for his power and might, hoping that God will help them to defeat these nations. Later in the chapter, God tells them not to worry it’s His battle not theirs. Then he goes on to tell them how he’s going to help them defeat these people.

Flattery, wishful thinking or the truth

When my boys are talking to me and asking me for something, sometimes they butter me up. Saying things like I love the way you cook or you’re the best mom ever. Some of the things that they’re saying in this verse sound almost like they’re trying to butter God up. Or maybe it’s wishful thinking, maybe they’re desperate and calling out not sure if God will answer. Hoping, with a bit of doubt. But I think it’s more that they knew, had heard and seen the power and might of God before, so they knew the truth. They knew He was the God of Power and Might, and that there wasn’t anything He couldn’t do.

Do you trust the God of Power and Might?

The entire town came to the temple to call out to God. They all came together asking for help from the Lord. Their prayer was clearly answered when their enemies were defeated. If God can defeat armies, doesn’t it make sense then that his Power and Might would be enough to help you conqueror the much smaller battles we face each day. Sometimes I act like being married, raising kids and getting along with others is such a hard thing to do that I’m not sure God could help me do it. I’m pretty sure it’s easier than beating an army. But it doesn’t matter easy or hard. God can do all things. He can be our strength, power and might.

Are you mighty powerful?