Thursdays in the Truth: Fill Me!

I was driving on the freeway the other day and as I rounded the corner, I saw a police officer in the median with his radar detector out.  You know my first thought because I’m sure you’ve had the same moment.  Not so nice words filled my head (thankfully none came out of my mouth) and I lifted my foot off the accelerator.  Then I looked in my rear view mirror to see if he caught me.  When I got far enough that I felt safe, I started breathing again.  Only then did I actually look at my speedometer to see what my speed was.  Believe it or not, I was not speeding.  Seriously!  I couldn’t believe it.  I tend to have a lead foot. It was a very adrenaline packed 10 seconds!

As the adrenaline slowed, I felt convicted.  I might not have been speeding this time but I certainly push the boundaries of the law.  In what other areas of my life do I push the boundaries?  Then it hit me.  I push the boundaries with God.  I know that He is my savior and Lord of all.  I know that He knows everything; even my deepest darkest thoughts.  Yet, I pretend that He doesn’t see the sin in my life.  I’m like the little kid playing hide and seek.  You know the kid.  They hide their face behind something but the rest of their body is exposed and they don’t think you can see them.  It’s really hilarious when it’s a kid playing hide and seek, not so much when it’s a sane adult pretending her God can’t see her.

So I set about to find a verse to pray over, a verse I can memorize to help remind me to keep God at the forefront of my thoughts.  Not to keep me from speeding but to help me stay righteous in everything I do.  I flipped through my bible blindly.  Nothing.  I searched my old standby: Pinterest.  Saw some great verses but nothing that seemed to really speak to my heart.  I prayed and waited.  I didn’t wait patiently.  I kept searching, filling my head with extra that only served to frustrate me.  Then in a moment of exhaustion, I sat and looked around.  It was then that I saw God’s answer.  I am not one with His Word.  

I have made a new commitment to really dig into His Word.  I have already begun Beth Moore’s scripture memory challenge for 2015.  I am part of an awesome Bible study.  I have a new purpose to reading my bible.  This is the history and record of my Lord.  I will read it, thirsty for the truth in it.  I will look at all of the examples of flawed people who God was able to do great things with.  Basically, I’m going to start filling my head and heart with God’s word.  Have you had one of these moments?  What do you do to keep yourself immersed in His Word?

Thursday's in the Truth ~ A Note From the Father

 

 

A Note from the Father:

                                                  

My dearest child, There is not a second that passes where I do not gaze endlessly in awe upon you. I watch, I wait, and I yearn to be a part of everything you do.

I know the exact number of hairs that lay within your head. I have sent my only Son to you. And I have promised that through Him, you shall never remain with the dead.

Why do you doubt? Why do question? Can you not see……that ONLY through Him is where you will truly find me!

The riches that I offer are worth more than all of the world’s gold. My Scriptures remind you of the prophecies written and told; those already fulfilled, and those still yet, to fully unfold.

My love for you is too vast to comprehend, but never forget I am with you always, and through me, guarantees no end.

Your life is priceless, your debt has been paid. You have been formed by a process through which only my eyes have laid. All that I ask is through all that you do, you do it to accomplish one thing…..to glorify me as my angels will sing.

I am bigger than anything this world can send your way. I look forward to the hour your face is before mine. Make no mistake, your soul will be forever changed on that glorious day.

I created you for a purpose, no two are the same. Not a single person can take credit for this, mine is the only One True name.

I will fight for you, you only need to remain still. My plans for you are to prosper. Remember, it is in my complete will.

I am your shepherd, you are my sheep. I do not promise a life free from trials, but rest assured, with you I do weep.

Through my prophets, and by your King, I have given to you a very special gift……a royal ring. Wear it with confidence and praise, as when my Son returns, I have guaranteed the end of the days.

Nothing can separate this love that I bare, do not keep this for your own, I desire you to please, make it a point to share.

I am your Father now and for always. My dearest child how I love you so. Remember, I am with you, wherever you may go!


Love,
Your Father

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday's in the Truth: Personal Disciple-Making Plan

I have never been a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions.  I don’t know why, but I just never took the time to do them and when I did, it usually lasted all of about 2 days.  This year, however, was different.  I had just finished reading a book called Follow Me by David Platt (if you want to rock your world, read it, it will challenge you).  Anyways, at the end of the book, there is a Personal Disciple-Making Plan that you are encouraged to fill out.  I just so happened sit down and spend some time doing this right before the first of the year.  It challenges certain areas of your life and how you are going to make this year different. 

So, I encourage you to take the challenge.  Grab a cup of coffee or soda, and sit down with a journal and really spend some time thinking about each of these areas.  Make a plan for 2015.  How is this year going to be different?  What are you going to do this year to be a disciple?  What are you going to do this year to grow and move.

Personal Disciple-Making Plan:

1.  How will I fill my mind with truth?

            a.  How will I read God’s Word?

            b.  How will I memorize God’s Word?

            c.  How will I learn God’s Word from others?

2.  How will I fuel my affections for God?

            a.  How will I worship?

            b.  How will I pray?

            c.  How will I fast?

            d.  How will I give?

3.  How will I share God’s love as a witness in the world?

            a.  Who?

            b. How?

            c.  When?

4.  How will I show God’s love as a member of a church?

            a.  Where?

            b.  What?

5.  How will I spread God’s glory among all peoples?

            a.  How will I pray for the nations?

            b.  How will I give to the nations?

            c.  How will I go to the nations?

6.  How will I make disciple makers among a few people?

            a.  How will I bring them in?

            b.  How will I teach them to obey?

            c.  How will I model obedience?

            d.  How will I send them out?

Don’t let this list overwhelm you.  Once you go through it, you will find some of the areas overlap, and some of the things you list you are already doing.  Some of the things I was challenged on and am committed to doing in 2015 are memorizing 24 verse over the course of the year, praying daily for a dear friend who is a missionary in Africa, and sponsoring a girl from Africa.  I also had a few things on my list that I am already doing such as pouring into someone and have someone pouring into me (discipleship/mentoring relationships).

So what is on your list?

Thursday's in the Truth: GO!

Often times, the assumption is made that ministry is in essence, merely a line of work. We truly fail to understand this term not defined within a title, but as believers, a way of life. In the Gospel of Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus’s earthly ministry has come to an end, and He delivers to the disciples His last words which are known as “The Great Commission.” Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Please understand something here. Jesus does NOT say you are required to be of a certain age or height, there is NO final exam to pass, and here’s the kicker…..you are NOT even expected to have all of the answers either. Christ instructed the disciples with one simple action….. GO!

Up until this point, the mission of the twelve had been restricted by Jesus mainly to the Jews. However, their message following, was to become worldwide. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior through baptism, discipleship is not something you acquire by learning an equation, but by living life through a covenant commitment with God’s people. The very significance of a covenant revolves around a relationship. Jesus explains the Parable of the Lost Coin in previous scripture reference, yet closes with “In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” (Luke 15:10) Friends, the angels of God rejoice when ONE person comes to know Christ. Imagine all of the un-tapped joy to be found in churches and in communities if more people actually shared the love and concern for the lost, NOT just the righteous!

I caution you to avoid only exposing yourself with others whom are already saved, and I challenge you to higher levels of obedience. Who is it that He has placed upon your heart? Is there a co-worker at the office, a member of the PTA, a neighbor down the street, or someone within your own family? I urge you to shut down the whispers from the enemy that tell you you’re not good enough, or intelligent enough, or equip enough to disciple anyone. I am saying to you today that Jesus IS enough. Stop making excuses for all of the reasons why you “can’t” and in His love, GO!

 

~Stef

Thursday's In the Truth: Prayer

I was thinking about prayer today and how often we under value prayer.  We go to God and ask Him for something, but don’t believe He will actually answer our prayers.  Or maybe we don’t even ask, thinking it is too big or too small.  How often do we tell someone we will pray for them when they are going through a hard time, but never feel like it is enough?  We underestimate prayer. 

 In Acts 12, Peter is imprisoned.  As soon as Peter was placed in prison, the church earnestly prayed to God for him to be released.  While they were praying late into the night, an angel appeared to Peter and walked him right out of prison, opening all the doors needed to leave.  He walked straight to the house where people were praying.  “Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door.  When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”  “You’re out of your mind,” they told her.  When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”  But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.”  Acts 12:13-16

I laughed when I read this, but then I realized I do the same thing all the time.  I pray, asking God to answer my requests, and then don’t believe it when it happens.  These people were praying into the night, earnestly, yet they really didn’t believe there prayers would be answered.  If they had, they would have all run to the door when they heard Peter was standing there.  Or maybe, they believed it was possible, but it wasn’t answered the way they had thought it was going to be, so they didn’t believe it was really Peter at the door.  How often do we do the same thing?  We pray for an answer, but we expect it to happen exactly the way we want and when it doesn’t, we assume it has not been answered.  Or, we pray, but we don’t really believe God is going to answer our request.

Through out Scripture, we see all sorts of verses on prayer:

Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”  John 15:7

Jesus said, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”  Matthew 21:22

Jesus said, “Everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Matthew 7:8

God wants to be in communication with You.  He LOVES you and wants to bless you.  That does not mean He is going to give you everything you ask, but He will answer your requests, and it will always be in your best interest.  For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11

Ask Him! 

So what do you need to take to God today?  What conversation do you need to have?  What request do you need to lay at his feet?  Don’t take prayer lightly.  God is longing to hear from you.

Thursday's in the Truth: Beth Moore is my BFF

I just finished an amazing Beth Moore bible study a few weeks ago and I’m sad.  I miss it.  It was a truly amazing study.  If you ever get the chance to bring some of your favorite sisters-in-Christ together for a study, get “The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.”  We learned so much and felt so many feelings.  It was a special 11 weeks that I won’t soon forget.  I changed so much and really grew during this study like no other.  I miss those ladies too.  As a busy mom, I looked forward to my one night a week with other my friends.  And when I say friends, I’m also including Beth.  You may want to stop reading now; this is going to get weird.

I think Beth Moore loves me.  She is always so nice to me.  She calls me “Beloved” and “Dear One.” She always smiles at me and looks right at me.  She prays for me.  She tells me funny stories about herself and her family.  And truth be told, I think I love her too.  I’m not a stalker.  It feels good to hear those things.  She has a way of making you feel special even though the video was filmed almost 10 years before I watched it.  Plus she knows the Bible like nobody’s business.  I miss seeing her big hair and sweet smile and hearing her twangy, southern accent.  (How many of you respond back to her with a twangy, southern accent in your head?  Just me? )

Well, now that my study is over.  I miss her.  I also miss her teaching.  You know I devoted quite a bit of time to her throughout those weeks.  Her studies are time consuming.  But I missed studying the Bible too.  So I immediately jumped into a SOAP study (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer).  I love the ladies in my group (mwah-you know who you are).  The problem is I feel a little scared.  How am I supposed to study the Bible?  I have never been to Bible College and I don’t speak Greek or Aramaic or Hebrew.  You know what, I just so happened to find a book that I am devouring.  It is The Modern Girls Guide to Studying the Bible by Jen Hatmaker. By the way, I’m pretty sure it was not coincidence that I found this book when I did.  In this book, Jen (I call her Jen because she is also a new friend) is totally transparent about how difficult it can be to start studying the Bible without the help of friends like Beth.  Jen shared a verse that really stuck out to me, Psalm 119:10 “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.”  I can’t follow all of His commands by prayer only.  I need to immerse myself in His Word.  How do we do that? What does that look like?  Glad you asked.  Here are some tips I have compiled in all my wisdom, which really means I’ve seen them on blogs of other wiser women:

1. Don’t be random.  God was never random in his teachings or plans for us.  Be intentional when you open your bible.  Give yourself an “assignment” and read it.  It’s ok to start small but be ready to go big.
2. Find a sister-in-Christ who will keep you accountable.  And I don’t mean Beth.  Pick someone who is going to push you like a workout buddy.
3. Interact with the Bible.  Get a group together to talk about your reading.  Journal about your reading.  Heck, you can even do art journaling in your bible.  It’s a thing. Google it.  I’m totally obsessed with it and by obsessed I mean that I like to look at the beauty other people create because I can’t doodle to save my life.
4. Don’t give up.  God has great plans for you and He’s put everything we need into those 66 books that make up the Bible.  If you haven’t felt your blessings from reading the Bible, you need to read more.  As a great friend once said, if you aren’t sore from a workout, you didn’t really workout.
5. Pray.  Pray about your reading. All the time.  When you are in tune with God, it’s so much easier to see and hear His teachings in your life.

Listen, Beloveds, God put so many great stories in the Bible.  Way better than any soap opera.  They are scandalous, heartbreaking, and heartwarming.  And they were written for you. (and me too!)  As much as I like to think of people like Beth and Jen as friends, God truly is your friend and has so much to teach you. (and me too!)  Once you start reading the Bible without limiting yourself, you’ll desire to spend more time with God. He might even become your new BFF. J

Thanksgiving Week Special Edition: Are YOU Listening?

I recently had the opportunity and the privilege to speak during a recent valley Women’s retreat. I challenged the women who sat before me with one simple question……Are you listening? The title of the workshop I taught was Encounter, and we explored the three C’s of an Encounter with Christ. We first looked at the Challenge, (what gets in our way) the Conversation, (what does that look like) and the Conversion (how does it change you). Each day brings about many opportunities to see and hear from Christ but understand, you need to be intentional about seeking them out.

Ultimately, our greatest duty as believers is to know Him so we can make Him known.

Over the years I have met with, mentored, and sat in counsel with fellow women and one statement in particular has been stressed by the masses……”I just cannot hear Him Stef. How do I fix this?” My answer remains the same each and every time I respond. When do you take the time to listen?

It is imperative that in order to SEE Him, you make an intentional effort to SEEK Him.

 

 Hebrews 6:1-3 tells us “So let us stop going over the basics of Christianity again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start all over again with the importance of turning away from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”

 

Certain elementary teachings are essential for all believers to understand. However, we are not designed to remain in a place of first encounter, we are required to dig deeper and move beyond these basics and into a more mature understanding of the faith. In turn, this allows for your personal relationship with Christ to remain nurtured and flourish.

Each one of us travels an individual road at an individual speed, but I ask you this…..Are you the same person of faith currently than what you were a year ago, or even six months ago? Do you desire to explore the road God has planned for your relationship with Him, or do you find yourself constantly getting in the car but never igniting the engine? No matter what your current level may be, it is so important that you intentionally seek out time with the Father on a daily basis. Make it a point to surround yourself with people more mature in the faith where you can draw from their Spirit filled well, and also people you can turn around and pour His waters into. Only then can the full circle of Christ be revealed, deepened and solidified. If you are reading this today and Christ has filled you with conviction, I want to encourage you to act upon that. Convictions Carry with them Change, and when you understand that your relationship with Christ is the most rewarding relationship you will EVER have, your life will NEVER be the same!

In Revelation 3:20-21 Jesus is preaching to the church in Laodicea and says “Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends. I will invite everyone who is victorious to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.”

The Laodicean church had become complacent, so “busy” relishing in what the world had to offer they had missed many opportunities to see and experience Christ. It comes down to this friends, if you find yourself feeling indifferent to church, God, or even to His Word you have begun to shut Him out of your life. Only by leaving the door of your heart open to Him, can you guarantee that your own actions do not drown out His voice.  

So, what’s it going to be? Are YOU ready to listen? He’s knocking, are you answering the door?

~Stef

                                                      http://youtu.be/zBUQqLp6N24