Who Does God Say I Am? – Once I Am Saved

August 29, 2020Leave a comment

I Am Loved (Before & After Salvation)

I honestly believe that we truly underestimate the love that God has for us. He is a good good father. There is nothing that can ever separate you from His love. God loved you while you were in your sin and He loves you when you come out of it. He’s loved you from the beginning of time and before you were even a thought to your parents. If you believe that no one loves you, I want to let you know that God does and His love for you never changes, it never waivers, it is indefinite, and you can take that to the bank.

John 3:16 NLT

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

I Am His (Before & After Salvation)

You are called a child of God once you accept your place as His child and His heir. Among many other things, once we are saved we are now children of God. We are co-heirs with Jesus Christ. When God the Father looks at us He sees God the son. He sees us without spot, without wrinkle and without blemish. God sees you as His. You are His child and this title shows the great love He has lavished over you.

1 John 3:1 NLT

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.

Psalm 24:1 NLT

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.

Romans 8:17 NLT

And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Ephesians 5:27 NLT

He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

I Am Worthy (Before & After Salvation)

God rejoices over you with singing! He loves you dearly. You are His beloved. He calls you worthy. He calls you righteous, you belong to Him. God takes great delight in you. He is the Lord your God and He is with you.

Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Isaiah 43:1 NLT

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.

I Am Purposed (Before & After Salvation)

Before God formed you in your mothers womb, He knew you. He ordained you to be all that He planned for you to be. God knows you and He has a purpose for your life. The Bible tells us that God has numbered the hairs on our heads. Now tell me, if God would find purpose in each and every hair on your head as to give each of them their own number, how much more intentional is He about what He has designed and purposed you for? He loves you with and everlasting love, believe it!

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Luke 12:7 NLT

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Who Does God Say I Am Once I Have Accepted Jesus Christ As My Lord & Savior ?

You are now IN CHRIST !

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

1 John 3:14-15 NLT

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

I took the portion of “ Who Am I, In Christ?” from Joyce Meyers’ Website because I felt like it summed things up so beautifully! I’d like to add that I’m so glad for the work that was done by those that came before me in the faith. It has been such an honor to watch their faith in action and glean at the things they have accomplished all for His glory!

Who Am I, In Christ?

Taken from:

https://joycemeyer.org/everydayanswers/ea-teachings/knowing-who-i-am-in-christ

I am complete in Him Who is the head over all rule and authority—of every angelic and earthly power (Colossians 2:10).

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

I am far from oppression, and will not live in fear (Isaiah 54:14).

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18).

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16).

I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).

I have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

The Spirit of God, who is greater than the enemy in the world, lives in me (1 John 4:4).

I have received abundant grace and the gift of righteousness and reign in life through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

I have received the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my heart enlightened, so that I know the hope of having life in Christ (Ephesians 1:17-18).

I have received the power of the Holy Spirit and He can do miraculous things through me.I have authority and power over the enemy in this world (Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:17-19).

I am renewed in the knowledge of God and no longer want to live in my old ways or nature before I accepted Christ (Colossians 3:9-10).

I am merciful, I do not judge others, and I forgive quickly. As I do this by God’s grace, He blesses my life (Luke 6:36-38).

God supplies all of my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

In all circumstances I live by faith in God and extinguish all the flaming darts (attacks) of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16).

I can do whatever I need to do in life through Christ Jesus who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).

I am chosen by God who called me out of the darkness of sin and into the light and life of Christ so I can proclaim the excellence and greatness of who He is (1 Peter 2:9).

I am born again—spiritually transformed, renewed and set apart for God’s purpose—through the living and everlasting word of God (1 Peter 1:23).

I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ to do good works that He has prepared for me to do (Ephesians 2:10).

I am a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In Christ, I am dead to sin—my relationship to it is broken—and alive to God—living in unbroken fellowship with Him (Romans 6:11).

The light of God’s truth has shone in my heart and given me knowledge of salvation through Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

As I hear God’s Word, I do what it says and I am blessed in my actions (James 1:22, 25).

I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17). I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me (Romans 8:37).

I overcome the enemy of my soul by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11).

I have everything I need to live a godly life and am equipped to live in His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).

I am an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (1 Peter 2:9).

I am the righteousness of God—I have right standing with Him—in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit; I belong to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19).

I am the head and not the tail, and I only go up and not down in life as I trust and obey God (Deuteronomy 28:13).

I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

I am chosen by God, forgiven and justified through Christ. I have a compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness and patience (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12).

I am redeemed—forgiven of all my sins and made clean—through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 1:7).

I have been rescued from the domain and the power of darkness and brought into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Galatians 3:13).

My life is rooted in my faith in Christ and I overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done for me (Colossians 2:7).

I am called to live a holy life by the grace of God and to declare His praise in the world (Psalm 66:8; 2 Timothy 1:9).

I am healed and whole in Jesus (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).

I am saved by God’s grace, raised up with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 2:12).

I am greatly loved by God (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4).

I am strengthened with all power according to His glorious might (Colossians 1:11).

I humbly submit myself to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7).

I press on each day to fulfill God’s plan for my life because I live to please Him (Philippians 3:14).

I am not ruled by fear because the Holy Spirit lives in me and gives me His power, love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).

Christ lives in me, and I live by faith in Him and His love for me (Galatians 2:20).

Who Does God Say I Am As A Child Of God?

Think about any decent parent. They don’t have to be extraordinary. They don’t have to be mighty. They don’t even have to be exceptional. Think about any parent and their thoughts towards their own children. They have great thoughts towards their children and great plans for them too! Any parent would think like this. They don’t have to be the best parent in the world. If you observe a parents heart towards their children you’ll, most times than none, observe that what they truly want for their child is more than what they themselves had. They want their child to receive more out of life than they did.

Now, imagine the heart of the perfect, extraordinary, mighty, exceptional God we serve. He is better than us in every meaning of the word. So imagine God as a father. He is the most amazing and best father that we could ever imagine. We probably couldn’t even fully be able to imagine the type of Father He actually is. You are His child and you belong to Him! He loves you with an everlasting love. His love for you never runs out. Now, when describing God I always go back to the word love, because that’s who He is. He created us out of love, and love is a motivating factor regarding His thoughts towards us.

I Am Blood Bought

Galatians 3:13-15 NLV

Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from the Law. In that way, the Law could not punish us. Christ did this by carrying the load and by being punished instead of us. It is written, “Anyone who hangs on a cross is hated and punished.” Because of the price Christ Jesus paid, the good things that came to Abraham might come to the people who are not Jews. And by putting our trust in Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit He has promised. Christian brothers, let me show you what this means. If two men agree to something and sign their names on a paper promising to stay true to what they agree, it cannot be changed.

I Am Chosen

John 15:16 NLT

You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

I Am Royalty – Holy Priesthood

1 Peter 2:9 NLT

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

I Am Set Apart

1 Peter 2:10 NLT

“Once you had no identity as a people;now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

Romans 12:1-2 NLT

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

I Am Christ Bride

Revelations 19:7 NLT

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

I Am His Beloved

John 15:9 NLT

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.

1 Peter 1:22-23

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God (emphasis mine).

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Who Does God Say I Am? – All of Humanity

August 10, 2020August 23, 2020Leave a comment

Have you ever wondered what God thinks about all of humanity?

This blog is written to tell you just that. What are the thoughts of God regarding all of humanity?

This information shouldn’t be hidden or kept a secret from any of us. The thoughts that God thinks towards all of humanity is very important, He is our creator and created us for a specific purpose.

Human Race:

Genesis 4:14 NLT

You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wander. Anyone who finds me will kill me.

At this point, the Bible only mentions 4 people; Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel. Cain had just killed his brother and was worried about being killed because of the punishment God had given Him because of what he’d done. His words indicate that there were more people alive on the earth than just the four that were mentioned.

God gave Adam and Eve instructions to fill the earth. They had numerous children.

Although only four people on the earth had been mentioned in the Bible thus far, there were still more present.

Genesis 1:28 NLT

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground. “

God always intended for humanity to rule over the earth and reign over every living thing. Along with this, He also always intended for us to be responsible in doing so. He gave us instructions with the thought that we could accomplish the things He designed us to. God has complete authority over the earth but has also delegated his authority to the human race. I just want to pause and say that I honestly believe that this is such an honor. To know that the creator of all the universe would entrust the earth, it’s animals and it’s maintenance into the hands of humanity.

This says to me that God trust us to be responsible. He trusts us to handle this planet and the animals on it with care. If you look around you and pay attention while you are doing it, you’ll see all that God has created and how detailed He truly is. Look at the ridges of the trees, look at your fingerprints, there are no two people with the same fingerprints. Look at the sand and the sea. Can you count the grains of sand? Can you tell where the sea ends? Do you know the names of each star? (Psalm 147:4, Proverbs 8:29)

God is intentional and all that He has intended for you and I is no different. God saw that all He created was excellent in every way. God made you for a good reason; you are extremely valuable to Him. (Genesis 1:31 NLT)

Both man and woman is the greatest of all of God’s creation.

Genesis 1:27 NLT

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God created man and woman in His image; neither man nor woman is created more in the image of God than the other.

Human Nature:

Romans 6:5-6 NLT

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

Human nature wasn’t always sinful, but due to the fall of mankind (Genesis 3) it became sinful. In my opinion, the word “sin” has actually become a “sin” to use around all people, even believers. What I mean by this is that, speaking about sin has become extremely offensive to others, to the point that if a person does speak about sin they are looked at as though they are condemning others. I hope that this notion will be altered by this blog after your reading of it. Since the fall of mankind, sin has become human nature, something that we just do as humans. If you think about it, even toddlers naturally do wrong, many times they have to be taught to do what is right (Proverbs 22:6). It is not abnormal to be a sinner but it is also not good to remain a sinner.

The biblical definition of sin:

(n) moral evil, transgression of or rebellion against God’s laws

Jesus Christ:

Son of God; also became human.

If you ever want to know what God intended humanity to look like you can look at the life of Jesus Christ. He is the perfect model human. He is our example; the way all of humanity should think, look and be is embodied and displayed through the life of Christ. Reading about His life is extremely liberating to me.

Matthew 1: 21-23 NLT

And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet. “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.’ ”

Jesus Christ life is that of the perfect teacher, the perfect example and the perfect sacrifice. He is completely God and completely human and because of this that makes Him completely perfect.

The Perfect Teacher:

Jesus’ life shows us how God thinks as well as the way that we should also think.

Philippians 2:5-11 NLT

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

The Perfect Example:

Jesus’ life is the example of how we should live and His life is also what gives us the power to live in the way that we should.

1 Peter 2:21 NLT

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

The Perfect Sacrifice:

Jesus came as a sacrifice for all sins and his death was the only thing that could meet God’s approval for the removal of sin.

Colossians 1:15-23 NLT

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

John 1:14 NLT

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Jesus is God’s one and only Son, He is unique and one of a kind, different from everyone belonging to God. His life was the ultimate sacrifice given for our sins and is currently the ultimate example to our lives. May we follow in his footsteps and learn to live a life of unfailing love and faithfulness.

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God’s Love For You

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020Leave a comment

So whenever God gives me a specific topic to study I go straight to the back of my Bible to find every scripture pertaining to that topic.

With the topic of “God’s Love For You” my approach was no different.

I found 58 scriptures that had the word LOVE in it from the NLT Version of the Bible.

In the book Song of Songs love is described as a fire and possesses the quality of passion (the word used is jealousy). It says that love is the brightest kind of flame and that many waters cannot quench love.

Song of Songs 8:6-7 NLT

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.

1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Love last forever. It is something that never goes out of style and is something that can never be used up.

1 Corinthians 13:8 NLT

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

1 Corinthians 14:1 instructs us to make love our highest goal. According to God, love is the greatest of all human qualities. God will never instruct us to do something that He wouldn’t do Himself, and loving is no different.

Love is an attribute of God.

1 John 4:8 NLT

But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Love has and always will be an action word. We show our love by what we do. Love is and always will be unselfish.

1 John 3:16 NLT

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Jesus gave.

Action. Love is action.

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. The greatest act of love is the giving of oneself for others. God did that. There is a scripture that is famous to the world and it goes like this:

John 3:16 NLT

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

For God so loved the world, so much, that He gave.

God not only loves but He “so loves”. He so loves you. He so loves me and this love is eternal. It can never run out. It never runs dry. It is constant and it is consistent. It is forever.

There is nothing that you could ever do (and when I say ever I mean EVER) do that could separate you from the LOVE of God. He is perfect and so is His love for you. You are the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8), valuable, precious and honorable in His sight (Isaiah 43:4).

Romans 8:38-39 NLT

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In The Beginning

The Account of Creation Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God chose to create. God did not need to create anything. He didn’t have to create the universe, the stars, the moon or even you and I. The reason He did is because, God is love. As mentioned before, love is expressed through action. Since God IS love, He created you and I, and this world as an expression of His love. Love is best expressed towards something or someone. We are the someone’s that God has chosen to express His love to. God chose to create us so that He could love us. How big and beautiful is that thought?

God Is Patient

Read the story called Abraham Intercedes for Sodom. It is found in Genesis 18:16-33 NLT.

I look at this story as just another love story that tells about God’s great love for us. He desperately wants for us to do what is right and is extremely patient with us, given our human frailty. In this story, Abraham is found pleading with God not to destroy a city if He were to find only 10 righteous people in the ENTIRE city. Think about the city of New York alone. As of July 1, 2019 there were approximately 8,336,817 people in NYC. I’m sure that we could easily find 10 righteous people, probably on one block (if we were on the right block). God was willing to to spare an entire city and its surrounding villages if he could only find 10 people living right. The city ended up being destroyed because He didn’t find 10. It just reminds me of a scripture that says that God does not desire for any of us to perish (2 Peter 3:9 NLT). He created us in order to show His love towards us. He loves you and I more than we’ll ever know.

Genesis 19:24 NLT

Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah.

God is patient with you and I. He allows us time to get things right. He walks us through our faults and shortcomings. God reasons with us and doesn’t rule (although He can if He wanted to) over us with an iron fist. He is always enduring and the Bible teaches us that His anger is only for a moment.

Psalm 30:5 NLT

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NLT

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged

The enemy wants you to believe that God doesn’t love you the way the way that the Bible teaches He does, so that he can trick you into believing a boat load of his other lies. Don’t take the bait. Cling to and run into the loving arms of Jesus again and again. No matter how hard you’ve fallen God is always standing with His arms opened wide waiting for your return. He loves you with an everlasting love. Receive it!

Keep reading…

There Is A Difference – PT 2

June 28, 2020June 28, 2020Leave a comment

There is a difference between being a good person and being a people pleaser.

It is my honest belief that people pleasing breads from the grounds of selfishness.

Yes I said it. From one ex- people pleaser to another. I also believe that one can be a little bit of both; but in my opinion, being a people pleaser will always trump being a good person if we are in fact, a little bit of both.

It is my honest belief that people pleasing breeds from the grounds of selfishness.

Being a good person does not.

When you are a good person, you just are. You do it because something inside of you won’t allow you to treat others the way they treat you. You do it because you have learned to do good. You do it because you know that you should never repay evil for evil but that you should always repay it with good. You know that the good that you do is a seed planted 🌱 and will, in due season, reap a harvest.

The Bible says a lot about living right or being a good person. I wanted to firstly say that we are only made right through and by faith in Jesus Christ. We can do what is right but that is not what makes us right. All of humanity can only be made right through the sacrifice that was made on a cross for us, over 2,000 years ago, by Jesus Christ shed blood and through Him and Him alone.

Romans 3:10-12, 23

As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Being a good person has to do with pleasing God, loving Him and loving others. It is better to place our trust in Christ righteousness than the righteousness found in our own personal works. This doesn’t exempt us from doing good and what is right, but helps us to do what is good and what is right.

I know that my own righteousness is but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). I also know that God makes me righteous, He has washed my filthy rags and has made them white as snow. He works everything together for the good of those that love Him and those called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). God has called you and I to do good and what is right. On my own, I cannot accomplish this but with the confidence of knowing that I am already made right, I can now walk in righteousness through the calling and equipping of God; not in my own strength or out of confidence in my own works. We can walk in good deeds and righteousness, just like we can walk in the other purposes and plans God has for us (like preaching, teaching, being an inventor or doctor etc.).

Philippians 4:13 ESV

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

(Including doing what is good and right. This too can fit in the “all things” category.)

Faith in Christ makes us right!

Genesis 15:6 NIV

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Here are some scriptures about being a good person:

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Luke 6:45 ESV

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Matthew 5:16 ESV

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Isaiah 1:17 NIV

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Matthew 7:16 NIV

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

When we are people pleasers our motives are all wrong. We do good things because of the way it will make us look and for our image rather than because it’s just the right thing to do. This is why it is so hard for us to say “no”, we wonder what the individual will think about us if we say “no”. What they’ll say about us. How they’ll treat us. We prefer the praise of another person and fear their disapproval of us. We are selfish for the praise of others and because of the need for praise, a people pleaser will abandon doing what is right for the praise of others.

I had to learn the hard way that by doing this I become displeasing to God and that this was something that He does not approve of.

In my experience I lost complete direction of where I was going. Lost the ability to pin point who I was and had to relearn myself and the purpose God had for me all because I made pleasing people my mission. I was literally in Christ, but completely lost because I didn’t make loving God and truly living by His word my focus. I made what others thought of me my purpose and in turn began to lose what God had for me.

Galatians 1:10 ESV

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

I think we learn a great deal when we study the Bible for ourselves and seek for what God is actually trying to speak to our hearts, through it.

Here are some scriptures that talk about wanting the approval of people:

1 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV

But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

Proverbs 29:25 ESV

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Even to this day there are times where I am sure that God co-sign’s my message but I will be hesitant to share it because of what I think others will think about me if I do. At the end of the day, I know Who lives in me and am confident of Whose voice I obey.

Most times, what is spoken of in the Bible is out of the norm for a lot of us. Sometimes following Christ causes major issues in our relationship with others. Not because we want them to or because we are confrontational, but because we are choosing to stand for things that don’t sit well with everybody. We are choosing to stand with and for Christ even when others (even Christ followers) don’t understand.

Jesus says:

In Luke 12:49-53 ESV

“I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.

‘Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’”

This passage is entitled ‘Jesus Causes Division’

Division: (n) act or process of dividing, separating, distributing; a portion, part, grouping, or distinction

Jesus Christ demands a response from each of us and our response to Him can at times result in conflict. Division can be caused when some choose to follow Christ and others refuse to do so. Jesus doesn’t allow a middle ground. He demands loyalty and commitment, sometimes to the point of severing other relationships. Disapproval may come when we choose to follow the Lord. This disapproval should be a risk that we a willing to take.

I want Gods approval over others approval. I believe that His approval outweighs any other. It is important that we are prepared for His coming, that we are found fulfilling our God given purpose, watching for Jesus, working diligently and obeying His commands. This is what we should be focused on.

The feeling that comes with pleasing others is great but it doesn’t lead us down the road that accepting and following Christ does. May we choose Christ. Always and forever.

Keep Reading…

There Is A Difference – PT 1

June 21, 2020June 29, 2020Leave a comment

There is a difference between sharing information about an individual with another because you genuinely care about what is going on with them and want to help and sharing information about an individual because you want to; 1. Butcher their character 2. Make yourself look better than them 3. Discuss the matter to make them look bad or questionable.

The scripture that comes to mind is one that you may be familiar with in one-way or another. It goes like this:

1 Samuel 16: 7 NLT

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Samuel was going to anoint a person who God told him to anoint to be king. He didn’t know who the person was but God would tell him when he arrived at the place to anoint the person. Samuel was a judge and prophet of God and had assumed, based on the appearance of one of the men that he was the man that God wanted to anoint. God told Samuel that He does not see things the way that Samuel sees them.

This is a key statement. The fact that God does not see things the way that we see them is a big deal. We may look at information about an individual as something that would disqualify them or make them look questionable and God may see that thing in a completely different way than we do. For this reason, I believe that it is extremely important that we are mindful about what we share or how we speak of others to another individual. We have to be mindful of the assumptions we make. We have to know that in the mist of being anointed, gifted, talented and knowledgeable we can still be wrong. We have to lean on God for understanding and not our own thoughts.

The Bible teaches us to lean not on our own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

Yes, we should also acknowledge God when we open our mouths to speak or share something regarding another individual. We have to understand that once those words exit our mouths they cannot return back to where they came from, but their harvest can.

Our words, when we use them to speak about others, says more about our hearts than it could ever say about the individual we are speaking of. Just as God doesn’t look at the outward appearance but looks at the heart in matters of blessing, He looks at the heart and its intentions when we speak. He knows our motives even when others don’t and in the end we will have to give an account for the idle words we have spoken through out our lifetime.

Matthew 12: 36 NLT

And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.

Are the words that we are speaking of others idle? Are they of no reward? Are they of no value?

Are we careless with our words? Are our words empty? Who do they lift up? Who do they encourage? Who do they tear down? Who do they destroy? What are the motives behind them? These are the questions we must ask ourselves, the WHY matters to God. The result of our words matter to God and because of this they should matter to us also.

This may be a shocker to some but I am a pretty quiet person. I speak when I need to, but I am mostly silent throughout the day asking God to speak to my heart, show me my heart and the heart of those around me. I ask him to show me what I am missing, what I am not getting in this life. So most days, I’ll speak to those that I HAVE TO have communication with and commune with God for the bulk of it. I believe with all my heart that if you are quiet enough you can hear the heart of others. You can hear what a person is not saying by what they are saying and you can tell a lot about a person by just listening to them speak. I also believe that if we ask God to reveal ourselves to ourselves, He will. We may not always like what He reveals. I don’t know about you, but I rather honesty over a lie, any day. I rather know that my heart is filthy than walk around believing that I am the greatest thing since sliced bread and in actuality my heart is really in a disgusting state.

Ephesians 5:19 NLT

singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.

In the Bible there is a story told that displays the heart of two individuals through their personal prayers. This is what I mean by being able to tell a lot about a person by the way they speak and what they say.

There were two men that prayed to God in the Bible,

One knew his condition and prayed according to it and another assumed the condition of his heart and left the same way he arrived. I never want to assume my heart is good before God and others; I want it to be tried and tested until I am pure gold. There is an image of Christ bride, the bride He is coming back for that is without spot, without wrinkle and without blemish. I want to be that bride. The only way that I can do this is by truly allowing God’s word to take root in me.

Ephesians 5:27 NLT

He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

Luke 18:10-14 NLT

“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m acertainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

May we know the condition of our OWN hearts, turn from our wicked ways and humble ourselves under the direction and guidance of God.

Matthew 12:34 NLT

…For whatever is in your heart determines what you say

The Bible tells us that our words should be seasoned with salt.

Colossians 4:6 NIV

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Colossians 4:6 NLT

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Salt is often used in the Bible as a word to describe the believer. It is a word that is used to represent the attractiveness that a believer should possess. This attractiveness is represented by our speech in Colossians 4:6. It is important that our speech is attractive, which means that it should be gracious, courteous, genuine and respectful. Salt adds good flavor to food. In the same way our words should add good flavor to the image of others and should attest to what God sees in them.

When we measure our words to the standard that the Word of God raises, we will know the difference.

Keep reading…

Respect Is Simply Honor

May 20, 2020May 20, 2020Leave a comment

In my opinion the word respect is another word that gets treated with much resistance and is regarded among the body of Christ as well as the world, much like the word “submission” is. It is an icky word to most because we, as a people have lost that heart of God for the act of respect. It is also another one of my beliefs that as people of God, we often times conform to the worlds way of doing things or handling situations according to the way the world handles them without even knowing it.

I believe that this happens naturally because culture can easily be incorporated into our Christian worldview and take precedence in certain areas. Rather than us, the born again believer, renewing our mind in all areas we simply pick and choose where we’d like to do this and ultimately what areas of our life we’d like to honor God in. The funny thing about mixing God’s way of doing things with the worlds way of doing things is that this can be done unconsciously, subconsciously and consciously. The important part to note of all of this is that, this morphing of beliefs really does happen and is something that we, as born again believers, can possibly see nothing wrong with, because we have simply failed to renew our minds.

The biblical definition of respect is:

Respect (n)

a high or special regard; esteem

(see also Awe, Reverence)

Respect, Respected (v) to consider worthy of high regard, to esteem

High: (adj)

rising or extending upward a great distance : taller than average, usual, or expected

situated or passing above the normal level, surface, base of measurement, or elevation

Worthy: (adj)

having worth or value : ESTIMABLE

HONORABLE, MERITORIOUS

having sufficient worth or importance

Esteem: (n)

the regard in which one is heldespecially : high regard

Esteem: (v)

to set a high value on : regard highly and prize accordingly

Honor: (n)

a showing of usually merited respect

one whose worth brings respect or fame

Wow! I don’t know about you, but these definitions convict my open heart, and they’re supposed to. I think convictions have become something that is also despised rather than something that is celebrated and taken into consideration and used for the encouragement of the application of the word of God.

Romans 8:1 NLT

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

We are no longer condemned, hallelujah! God has removed the pest of guilt from us so that we can freely accept our shortcomings and seek God as well as more of the presence of the Holy Spirit for our desired change.

To be honest, I believe that this is why we don’t heed conviction like we should anymore. We feel guilty about it because of our own self-condemnation, and because of this we avoid the conviction all together, which then makes it harder for us to change. God corrects those he loves. Conviction can be seen as correction and correction is a good thing.

Proverbs 3:12 NLT

For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Hebrews 12:6-8 NLT

For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.

Just as correction is a good thing so is submission, and so is respect. We may have a distorted or perverted view of these words but I believe that now more than ever is a perfect time to change that. What does God say about respect? What is his heart towards the act of respect? These are questions we can ask ourselves and most importantly, ask God.

I wanted to share my personal experience with this word.

So sometimes when I am preparing Eli’s meals in a rush, I am tempted or attempt to serve him in a little plastic container. Almost instantly God convicts me and says to me: “Would you want someone to serve you a snack in that bowl?” “Stop being lazy, he has bowls for this specific purpose.” “Would you serve someone you respected or someone whose perception of you, you valued like that?” My answer to these questions will always be “No.” Even though I know God is going to ask me these questions I still think about serving him in the incorrect bowl sometimes. I want to say that this is the reason I take such pride in plating Eli’s food. I believe that the point God is trying to get across to me is that; the way I treat or respect Eli will be the way he’ll treat and respect others. Not only will this be the way Eli treats others it will also be the way he treats hisself as well as shape the treatment that he will accept and expect from others. I have a huge responsibility in shaping his providential relationships in the future because by default, I am his very first providential relationship. Can we see how, we as humans can be messed up because of the relationships we’ve had in our past, starting from childhood? Can we also see how important respect is to God? He requires that we cultivate a culture of honor among one another. If this is his heart towards Eli, can you imagine how he expects us to treat one another?

This is why it is so important for a believer to renew their mind with the word of God.

Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Ephesians 5:26

to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.

The world views respect as something that is earned. Your position, title, name, hard work has earned respect, therefore I’ll respect you. These thoughts have found themselves among the body of Christ. I remember someone who was in a position over me telling me one time that respect is earned, they may of possibly used the wrong word but those words stuck with me and they weren’t necessarily biblical. Respect is given, favor is earned (Ref. Story of Cain and Abel, Genesis 4:1-16) and even this truth can be debatable in some areas because of the shed blood🩸of Jesus Christ. I would love to dabble more into favor being earned a little more in a future blog, but I’ll stop here for now in this one.

Here are some scriptures that reference respect in the Bible:

An example of showing respect for God –

Exodus 3:5-6 NLT

“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

An example of commanding respect –

Judges 4:9 NLT

“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.

An example of David’s great respect for Saul –

1 Samuel 24: 5-6 NLT

But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.”

2 Samuel 1: 15 – 16 NLT

Then David said to one of his men, “Kill him!” So the man thrust his sword into the Amalekite and killed him. “You have condemned yourself,” David said, “for you yourself confessed that you killed the Lord’s anointed one.”

An example of respect for those in authority over us –

1 Samuel 24:5-6 NLT

1 Chronicles 10:11-12 NLT

These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

An example of showing respect to all people equally –

1 Samuel 30: 11-15 NLT

Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night. Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.” When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!” “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded. “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”

Don’t confuse respectability with right living –

Luke 5:30-32 NLT

But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

Read the life of Daniel as a study reference of the topic.

Places in the New Living Translation Version Bible that the word respect is mentioned:

(Proverbs 11:6 shows that there are levels to respect)

Proverbs 11:16 NLT

A gracious woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.

Malachi 1:6 NLT

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’

(I think it’s important to note that although an older man may not live this way (Titus 2:2), that this is not cause or grounds for us to be able to disrespect him. I pray that we grasp the heart of God through these scriptures and understand that disrespect in any form to another individual is not tolerated nor accepted by God. I’d also like to note that there is a difference between being offended and the act of disrespect which I can discuss in another blog.)

Titus 2:2 NLT

Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.

Ephesians 5:33 NLT

So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

1 Timothy 3:4 NLT

He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him.

1 Timothy 3:8 NLT

In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money.

1 Timothy 3:11 NLT

In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.

1 Timothy 5:17 NLT

Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.

1 Peter 2:17 NLT

Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.

May the body of Christ get back to the heart of David. Gosh! You are an example if we ever did see one. My God! I honor that mans legacy, his name and his heart for God! May we possess these things as we all are now spiritually, by faith from his seed! God, my plea is that this same spirit that was in Jesus and his lineage will be in us also! Lord have Your way!

Can I also note that David, too was a man of imperfections and major failures, but he was also a man of great repentance.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 NLT

“For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this will be his name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.

Everything we need, all of the guidance, all of the instruction and all of the wisdom is in the word of God. We just have to put in the work.

Keep reading…

VS.

February 10, 2020February 10, 2020Leave a comment

So last night I read a page from a Fancy Nancy story and it made me think about a prayer 🙏🏽 I prayed.

Before I tell this story I want to let you know that it is the job of believers to pray for people (in general) as well as to pray for one another (other believers)

James 5:16 NLT

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Matthew 5:44 NLT

But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

Ephesians 6:18 NLT

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

True Story:

(Don’t judge me! 😆)

Stupid vs. Blind

I was upset with the actions of an individual and prayed that God would remove the spirit of stupid from them because the things they were doing were just that, STUPID! I had no other words regarding praying🧎‍♀️for them and could only pray these words about the situation. It sounds soo hilarious 🤣 to me now but I was so serious when I prayed these words. In my eyes 👀 I couldn’t see how the person could actually think that what they were doing was sensible, they just couldn’t.

When I pray sincerely and whole heartedly for an individual following the prayer God will always either give me peace in my heart about this individual or speak words/confessions of faith over their life to my heart that I then repeat as a declaration for them.

When I prayed this particular prayer God didn’t do this.

I left the situation alone for a while and one day while walking to the bus stop 🚏 with Eli, God put in my heart the words that I needed to pray for the person. He said that they are blind in this area, they don’t have experience, an example nor do they seek my instructions on how this is supposed to go. My heart was immediately softened towards that person and I was able to pray compassionately (even with tears)and sincerely for them regarding this. The peace of God came over my heart proceeding this prayer.

You see, these words in this story remind me of my prayer and it reminds me of so much more.

When you think about it Fancy Nancy didn’t like jellyfish because she had been stung by one before. She didn’t think to consider all of the things they did not have (a heart, eyes, bones, ears etc) as to why they would sting her. The jellyfish stung Fancy Nancy as a way to defend itself. When she realized that jellyfish just don’t know any better she was able to be more open to liking/accepting them.

The same concept goes for us. We as humans would quicker help a blind person than someone that we think is just irresponsible or unwise in an area. The reason behind this is pretty simple, we have more grace for the person that is blind than the one who is just, smh 🤦🏽‍♀️🙄. Isn’t this true? We don’t consider all the factors that may play a role in an individuals thinking (like their upbringing, history/past, level of maturity etc.). We’d rather completely ignore them than pray for them because they are just, 🤦🏽‍♀️🙄😤🤯! …👀

But God wants us to have compassion and give grace to everyone, including those that just don’t know any better!

Jesus is our go-to person when we want to refer to someone’s example on how we should respond regarding any topic.

Here’s how he responded during the time of his crucifixion (While under trial He was sentenced to a death by crucifixion which were both credited to the demands of a crowd):

Luke 23:26-34

The Crucifixion

As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

Here Are A Few Things to Note:

Some of our prayers may not be answered by God because of our heart posture towards the situation or person involved.

Prayers 🙏🏽 should be prayed with sincerity and compassion for others.

The truth is that we are all blind in one area or another, and we are all in need of prayer in order to change these areas.

2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

When My Kid Ask About : Prayer – How Do I Pray To God?

December 22, 2019December 22, 2019Leave a comment

So this is another one of those questions that I believe all children will ask at some point in their life.

What is Prayer and how do I explain it to my child?

I would start with this simple but true statement.

“Prayer is simply the way we communicate with God”

Prayer is the way we access God. There are some details that I would personally make know to my little one when explaining prayer to them.

1. Prayers Should Come From Your Heart – There are no specific words that have to be said in order for your prayer to mean something to God. Prayer is a conversation between you and God. The most genuine prayer is between just you and God. Genuine means sincere or truly what something is supposed to be; authentic and real. God wants our prayers to truly be ours and for us to come to Him privately. Matthew 6:6 NLT says But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

2. Praying God’s Word is An Effective Way To Pray – God’s Word is God’s will! When Jesus spoke on how we should pray He included these words in His sample prayer in Matthew 6 “…May your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s Word is His will, He has given us His Word as a guide and when our prayers are based on the Word of God we can be assured that those prayers are in fact God’s will. This is why it is very important for parents as well as our little ones to learn God’s Word.

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

1 John 5:14

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.

3. Jesus Modeled Prayer For Us In – Matthew 6:9-13 “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” It is my belief that this prayer is a model of what the heart of our prayer should look like. The intentions of these words are essential, of great importance, and should be the center of our personal prayers. This prayer is also something that can lead us back to the heart of God if we ever get sidetracked regarding the purpose of prayer.

4. Prayer Is Not A Substitute For Work And God Is Not A Genie – Prayer is not something that can replace the steps we have to take in order to accomplish what we are looking to accomplish. Prayer can strengthen us for the things we must do and help lead us to wisdom, but our prayers are not a substitute for the work we have to do. Jesus is a perfect example of this. He came to this earth for a purpose and that purpose wasn’t completely ideal for Him to experience but it had to be done. Jesus prayed to God asking for this “cup”, which symbolized what Jesus had to do to pass Him by but Jesus had to drink from it. In order for most things to be accomplished or done in our life, some action is required on our part. God cannot grant our prayers if the action that has to be done on our part is not completed. Read Matthew 26:36-56 NLT for more of the story I am referring to.

5. The Reason We Pray “In Jesus’ Name, Amen” – The Bible teaches us that no one can get to God the Father except through Jesus.

John 14:6

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

When we pray we are praying to God our Father. Because Jesus is the gateway to God the Father we ask and pray our prayers in His name. Jesus goes on to say in John 14:13-14 “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”

I also want to mention that Jesus’ name holds weight with God. Because of how Jesus lived on this earth God has not only elevated him to the place of highest honor but He has also given Jesus the name that is above every name.

Philippians 2:8-11 NLT

he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

6. Prayer Is A Necessity And Not An Option In The Life Of Every Christian – Jesus is the ultimate example of Christian Living. Not only is He the example of what Christians should be like but He is also the example of what God is like. It is noted in the Bible that Jesus, being our example goes off to pray numerous times. Luke 5:16 NLT says “But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” There is also a parable (a story that is used to teach a lesson) that Jesus told to His disciples in Luke 18 and the purpose of this parable was to show that they should always pray and never give up.

7. Prayer Keeps You Close To God – Just think about the people you communicate with daily or even hourly. How much closer are you to someone you are always talking to, always with and always sharing things with than someone you never see and never talk to? There is a big difference, which makes perfect sense. The same thing goes for God. If prayer is the way we talk to Him than the more we pray and communicate with Him, the closer we get to Him. The Bible says in James 4:8 NLT “Come close to God, and God will come close to you…”

Here are some of my favorite simple books including prayer, for kids!

Prayers for Little Hearts by Carolyn Larsen

When I Pray for You Matthew Paul Turner Illustrated by Kimberly Barnes

What Happens When I Talk to God – The Power of Prayer for Boys and Girls Stormiest Omartian Artwork by Shari Warren

Note: The various details and scriptural references are for parents use in order to better explain the topic of PRAYER.

Keep Reading…

How Do You Know That God Is Real? – Explaining God To Kids

November 30, 2019November 30, 20191 Comment

I wanted to begin this post with a phrase I’ve heard someone say over and over again. When writing this blog, this phrase was the first thought that came to my mind “I’d rather live my life hoping there is a God and die to find out that there was never a God, than to live as if there is no God and die to find out that God really does exist”.

Here’s another thing I recently read in a text book of mine but I’d heard the phrase before:

“It takes more faith to believe in the Big Bang Theory than it does to believe in the way The Holy Bible describes the beginning of creation”.

The following words are cited from The Beginning of Wisdom: An Introduction to Christian Thought and Life on Worldviews:

“It is important to note that one’s view of the world is never merely intellectual. A worldview is a product of the heart as much as the mind, and it is shaped profoundly by one’s interaction with the physical world and other human beings. In other words, one’s deepest convictions are formed through a combination of experience, action, and reflection.”

“Worldview: A foundational set of assumptions to which one commits that serves as a framework for understanding and interpreting reality and deeply shapes one’s behavior.”

focusonthefamily.com describes the Christian Worldview or Biblical Worldview here:

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/whats-a-christian-worldview/

“A biblical worldview is based on the infallible Word of God. When you believe the Bible is entirely true, then you allow it to be the foundation of everything you say and do. That means, for instance, you take seriously the mandate in Romans 13 to honor the governing authorities by researching the candidates and issues, making voting a priority.”

Watch this video from biblestudytools.com on Biblical Worldview :

https://www.biblestudytools.com/video/what-is-a-biblical-worldview.html

So, now to explain this to your little ones:

The way I would explain how we know that God is real is like this:

I would explain the answer in two parts.

Explaining Faith (Believe/Belief) –

I believe that knowing that God is real takes examining the FACTS presented to us about God but it also takes FAITH, belief and trust in God.

We who currently live on this earth have never met Jesus face to face (human to human), just like we’ve never met or seen Abraham Lincoln face to face. We know of them through literature and facts provided to us about them. I can speak personally about Jesus and say that I also know Him because I have invited Him to live in my heart forever. God the Father in heaven has revealed Him to me. So, I believe in all that the Bible says He is and in all that He came to do and all that He will return to do.

Matthew 16:15-17 NLT

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.

There is a story in the Bible where Jesus is talking to one of His followers and He tells them that they see Him so they are able to believe in Him, but then He goes on to say blessed are those that haven’t seen Him and still believe.

This statement refers to us, we are THOSE that haven’t seen Jesus but still believe.

We haven’t physically seen Jesus but we believe in Him and therefore we know He exist.

John 20:29

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

(Read all of John 20 for more information.)

This scripture speaks of the faith that we need in order to believe in God, and those of us that do believe know that our faith in God is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:14)

Information Provided For Parents Use:

Faith (n) resilience, loyalty, or complete trust in God; a system of religious beliefs

Believe (v) to trust in; to hold a firm conviction about: to accept as true genuine or real

Trust (v) to place confidence or depend; to commit or place in one’s care or keeping; to rely on the truthfulness or accuracy of

It takes faith to believe, it takes belief to trust and it takes trust to hope.

Hebrews 11:1 NLT

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Tip:

Read Hebrews 11 to your child. It is a chapter in the Bible that talks about Great Examples of Faith. It references the forefathers of our faith.

Explaining Facts –

Fact (n) a thing that is known or proven to be true.

I spoke to my cousin about this because she asked me the question the blog is about. I followed her questions with a question.

I asked her : How do you know that dinosaurs 🦕 are real? She mentioned the bones 🦴 that we see in museums etc. I let her know that this was called EVIDENCE OR PROOF. I also let her know that the same way there is evidence of the existence of those dinosaurs there is evidence and proof that God is real and proof of His existence.

We can poke holes 🕳 at the information given to us about dinosaurs just at much as we can poke holes about every and any other topic.

It really comes down to what WE CHOOSE to believe.

I visited Israel 🇮🇱 about 3 years ago and for me, it was like the Bible came to life. I learned so much about the history of the Bible and visited places mentioned in the Bible that actually still exist. Like the Sea of Galilee, this is where I am sitting in the picture attached to this blog. This is literally the place where Jesus performed a number of miracles. (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25, Mark 6:45-53, John: 6:16-21, Matthew 14:22-33 and more)

Or, I actually walked into the tomb where Jesus’ body laid dead and where He resurrected from the dead, INSANE RIGHT?! I love it, I’m so glad and so happy that there is factual evidence to prove the existence of my God. It’s so amazing to me. The proof of God’s existence is extensive and it’s way more detailed than I have listed. There are people that have committed themselves to proving this truth and their research and findings truly is astounding.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 NLT

Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters,of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.

Blessed are those who don’t see and still believe!

Resource:

Movies:

Great movies to watch with older little ones about the topic is God’s Not Dead and The Case for Christ, they are both great for explaining the topic.

Books:

How Do We Know God is Really There? by Melissa Cain Travis

How Do We Know God is Really There?

Talking with Your Kids About God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have By Natasha Crain

Talking with Your Kids About God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have

The Case for Christ for Kids, Updated & Expanded by Lee Strobel

The Case for Christ for Kids, Updated and Expanded

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. I hope it has been helpful.

Keep reading…

Who is God? – Explaining God To Kids

November 23, 2019November 23, 2019Leave a comment

Our Little One: Mom, Who is God?

So when beginning this blog I thought that I was going to give my readers a step by step guide to telling your little one who God is after they’ve asked you that famous question and you’ve realized it left you a little stumped. The truth is that there is no one-way to explain God to your child. Don’t stop reading because of my statement; keep reading so that I can explain myself further. God is a big god, He is vast, He is high and He is wide. There is no one word that can describe Him nor is there one phrase that can encompass all that He is.

In this blog I will attempt to provide you with beginner or starter ways to explain to your child who God is. Ultimately, our ability to explain God comes down to the connection we have with Him or our level of understanding of Him. The best way that you can explain God to your little one is by getting to know Him for yourself as well as reciting and memorizing your findings of whom He is. We can better explain anything when we have a clear understanding for ourselves of that thing. Along with this explanation I will provide a few resources for you to reference regarding your little ones knowledge of God.

One way to explain who God is to your little one is by explaining who He’s been since and before the beginning of time.

God is the Creator of all things.

Colossians 1:16-17 NLT

for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see – such as thrones, kingdoms, rules, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

Ultimately knowing who God is as an individual comes down to believing in what is written about Him.

If I were to explain to Eli who God is I would start with Genesis 1. I would read it to him using an easy to read Children’s Bible (or International Children’s Bible), the New Living Translation Bible or The Message Version Bible.

For informational purposes I want to explain the reason for different versions of the Bible. The Bible’s original text is written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. In order for people like you and I to understand its words, the Bible needed to be translated as accurately as possible for modern or present-day readers. This is it, the answer to that question, “Well, why is the Bible translated into so many different versions?” It’s not only translated in different versions but also different languages, for the same purpose, for us to understand more clearly the original text and message of the Bible and it’s ancient times.

Back to explaining God…

Genesis 1 explains how everything was created and how we all came into existence. Not only does it explain this to us but it also emphasizes facts about God and about humans that I believe to be important.

Genesis 1 ICB

The Beginning of the World

In the beginning God created the sky and the earth. The earth was empty and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit was moving over the water.

Then God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. God saw that the light was good. So he divided the light from the darkness. God named the light “day” and the darkness “night.” Evening passed, and morning came. This was the first day.

Fact #1 About God:

One fact that our little ones should know about God is that He is the Creator and that nothing created Him. He was always here and is unmistakably different from His creation.

Then God said, “Let there be something to divide the water in two!” ⁷So God made the air to divide the water in two. Some of the water was above the air, and some of the water was below it. God named the air “sky.” Evening passed, and morning came. This was the second day.

Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered together so the dry land will appear.” And it happened. God named the dry land “earth.” He named the water that was gathered together “seas.” God saw that this was good.

Then God said, “Let the earth produce plants. Some plants will make grain for seeds. Others will make fruit with seeds in it. Every seed will produce more of its own kind of plant.” And it happened. The earth produced plants. Some plants had grain for seeds. The trees made fruit with seeds in it. Each seed grew its own kind of plant. God saw that all this was good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the third day.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from night. These lights will be used for signs, seasons, days and years. They will be in the sky to give light to the earth.” And it happened.

So God made the two large lights. He made the brighter light to rule the day. He made the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars. God put all these in the sky to shine on the earth. They are to rule over the day and over the night. He put them there to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that all these things were good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fourth day.

Fact #2 About God:

God is creative. Creative by definition means
having the quality or power of creating.

resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative:creative writing.

originative; productive (usually followed by of).

I am noting these little facts as well as giving alternative words so that we can better articulate to our little ones more information on who God is. I believe that its not always that we don’t know something or don’t know of God, it’s that we don’t know how to say or simplify what we mean, know and understand. So, I am adding definitions and synonyms as help in doing this.

I also mentioned above that memorizing what we do know is important as well, not that we will be tested about it, but so that we can always have an answer to whoever may ask.

1 Peter 3:15

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

Then God said, “Let the water be filled with living things. And let birds fly in the air above the earth.”

So God created the large sea animals. He created every living thing that moves in the sea. The sea is filled with these living things. Each one produces more of its own kind. God also made every bird that flies. And each bird produces more of its own kind. God saw that this was good. God blessed them and said, “Have many young ones and grow in number. Fill the water of the seas, and let the birds grow in number on the earth.” Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fifth day.

Then God said, “Let the earth be filled with animals. And let each produce more of its own kind. Let there be tame animals and small crawling animals and wild animals. And let each produce more of its kind.” And it happened.

So God made the wild animals, the tame animals and all the small crawling animals to produce more of their own kind. God saw that this was good.

Fact #3 About God:

God is eternal, other words that mean the same thing is, everlasting, never-ending, indestructible, permanent and timeless. He is the one who is in control of the world. The world and everything that has been created is subject to God.

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky. Let them rule over the tame animals, over all the earth and over all the small crawling animals on the earth.”So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female. God blessed them and said, “Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God said, “Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds. And I have given you all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you. I have given all the green plants to all the animals to eat. They will be food for every wild animal, every bird of the air and every small crawling animal.” And it happened. ³¹God looked at everything he had made, and it was very good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the sixth day.

Fact #1 About Us:

God created us and we are important to God. We are valuable to God and are more important than any other living thing (animals etc). God created us as an expression of His love. God is love and God loves us.

Genesis 2 :1-4 ICB

The Seventh Day—Rest

So the sky, the earth and all that filled them were finished.By the seventh day God finished the work he had been doing. So on the seventh day he rested from all his work.God blessed the seventh day and made it a holy day. He made it holy because on that day he rested. He rested from all the work he had done in creating the world.

The First People

This is the story of the creation of the sky and the earth.

You can also continue reading for more information on what proceeded after God created everything, more about Adam and Eve and to learn about the Bible.

Here are some sites that can better help you with explaining God to your little one:
https://childrensministry.com/questions-about-god/

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/helping-children-understand-god/

http://inspiredtoaction.com/2013/07/how-to-teach-children-about-god/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/ministry-to-children.com/bible-lesson-from-acts-17-who-is-god/amp/

Here are some Best Seller Christian Children’s Books on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Childrens-Christian/zgbs/books/172820/ref=zg_bs_pg_1?_encoding=UTF8&pg=1

Some of my favorite books are on the Amazon Best Sellers List! I love God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Resource:

A child of God:
http://www.dltk-bible.com/jesus/child_of_god-index.htm

Look out for more blogs like this. Keep reading…

TrulyArielleA

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How Do You Know That God Is Real? – Explaining God To Kids

Who is God? – Explaining God To Kids