Tag: #devotions

The Joy of Light

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Today I’m breaking
it down. Verse seven of Psalm 19 that is. But go ahead and beat-box if you
choose. It’s not like I’ll feel the spray of spittle from here. Just sayin’.
On Monday, we looked
at the whole Psalm 19 in the Message translation. 
Today, I want to
look at it more in detail (just a portion) in the NKJV. I’m a fan of the NKJV and that’s what I use to study
with each morning, but again, it’s important and beneficial to study your Bible
by looking at many translations. An easy way to do this is by pulling up Biblegateway each morning, or evening when you
have study time, and yes…you should be having daily study time!
We’re focusing on
verse 7 today.
“The law of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul;
The
testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;” Psalm 19:7 NKJV
Here it
is in the Message translation:
“The
revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.
The
signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.”
The
meanings are the same but it’s said in a way that gives you a little different
word picture.
God’s
word is perfect. Whole.
The NIV
translation says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the
soul.”
I don’t
know about you, but I could stand to be refreshed. The way for that to happen
is by studying the law of the LORD. His Word. Um…yep, the Bible. Not just
skimming it out of obligation. Reading it to meet a yearly goal. But to digest
it, letting it run like oxygen through the blood stream, bringing life to every
organ and limb of your body and then applying what you’ve studied to your every
day life. If you never do that, it’s pointless. It’s just some  head knowledge. Big deal.
*A helpful hint: Use your cross-reference if you have
one in your Bible, to study. If not, use the online cross-reference at BibleGateway or
Biblos!
This
verse leads us to Psalm 119:130 “The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.” NKJV
I don’t
know about you, but I qualify here. I’m the simple. And I could use some
understanding. Am I the only one? Really? That’s what I thought! Then hang
tight with me a few more paragraphs and let’s bring this joker home!
The key
word here is light. The entrance of  light i.e. reading God’s Word, taking it in
and digesting gives light. It gives understanding. I get that. I know what
understanding and entrance mean, but what exactly does the word light mean. Am
I going to implode like a firework? Will I glow like those Fisherprice worms?
Where
better to get a grip on light but the first time it appears in scripture. At
the beginning. Like we are at the beginning of the year. At the beginning of
the Bible. Genesis. Chapter 1. The beginning.
“Then God said, “Let there be light”; and
there was light.” Gen. 1:3 NKJV
God always wanted light. From the beginning. It was the first thing He brought
about. And it’s been a steady topic all throughout the Bible.
photocredit: freedigitalphotos/thawats
He
brought light out to the darkness and separated the two, because light and dark can’t co-exist. They just can’t.
If you bring even the tiniest light to a dark place, it can be seen and it’s
not blinding dark anymore.
But
before He did that, in verse two, something was happening.
“And
the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Why?
“The
earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the
deep.”
photo credit: freedigitalphotos/VictorHabbick
But
light was about to come. For the first time.
We have
to ask some questions (that’s what good students do!). What exactly does w/o
form, void and dark really mean?
Without form in the Hebrew is “tohuw”
and it means, “confusion, unreality, emptiness, wasteland, a place of
chaos.”
Void in the Hebrew is “bohuw”
(similar) and it means emptiness, waste
And the
word darkness in Hebrew is
“choshek” and it means, obscurity–which means a state of being
unknown or unimportant.
But with
one word from The Word (John 1:1-3) it all changed. The Spirit was hovering
over the chaos, that which seemed unimportant, a wasteland, that which seemed
empty. But He saw order. He saw something beautiful and He brought light. (and
He kept on going)
Do you feel unimportant? Empty? Like your life is a chaotic
wasteland?
The
Spirit is hovering, waiting on the Word to go forth to bring order. Peace. A
purpose to your life. Just say the word and THE WORD will give the command.
Let the
entrance of His words give you understanding. And light. Light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ shines from us inside out. And
it takes the work of the Spirit (sanctification) to do it. It also takes
discipline to crack the book open.
2
Corinthians 4:6 says, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out
of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
NKJV
The
Message says it like this:
 “Remember, our Message is not about
ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is
messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light
up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood
God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.”
Want to
light up the darkness around us?  We can.
The entrance of God’s Words bring order to chaos. Peace to anxiety and fear.
Confidence to doubt. Purpose to a wasteland. Fulfillment to emptiness.
And you
know what a person has when they have peace, confidence, purpose and
fulfillment?
JOY
 The joy of the Lord is our strength. Nehemiah 8:10
Therefore
with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3
“…But
the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water
springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14 This was Jesus talking to
the woman at the well. A woman who had been married five times and was now
living with a man. I see chaos. Lack of purpose. Emptiness. But the Word was at
the well that day.
photo credit: freedigitalphotos/Adamr
Ephesians 5:8 (MSG) says,”You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer.
You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So
no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these
are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please
Christ, and then do it.”
“Awake
you who sleep! Arise from the dead and Christ will give you light.’ Ephesians
5:14
We’re
cleansed and transformed by the washing of the water of the Word. (Eph. 5:26)
It brings light from darkness (new life from death) and it keeps giving us
light to keep shining in a dark/dead world.
Which
brings us back to Psalm 119:130 and ultimately our verse we began with today.
Psalm 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”
Feel
wiser? I do!
Practical application: Study your Bible just
like we did now. Choose one verse. Reflect on it. Then act on it and journal it
at the end of the day.
What one thing comes to mind right now that you can do
to shine light today? Share it in the comments and use it as accountability to
do 
that one thing!
Join me
at Living By Grace. I encourage you to leave a verse about light in the
comments on the FACEBOOK PAGE! Let’s see if we can light it up! 
*Genesis Bible photocredit: freedigitalphotos/JanakaDharmasen

God is Better Than…

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

My one word this
year is Joy. You can read about it HERE.
The verses for me
this year are Psalm 19:7-15. I decided to look it up in other translations. I
encourage you do the same–with any verse or passages in the Bible. It helps
you really get the entire meaning and looking at the same thing with new words
can open your eyes to new personal revelation and application for you life!
My verses in the
Message version jumped out.  And as I
read and took them in, I thought why not take them in with you! Mondays you
and I can meditate together. I’ll call them Meditation Mondays. No, I’m not going
all “ohm” on you. Meditation simply means to reflect, contemplate or
to think on.
 Wednesday, I’ll be tackling  the latter half of verse 7. (It will be more
of a devotion/teaching day.) I hope you’ll come and discover the joy in
something as simple yet deep as light.
The
revelation of God is whole
    and
pulls our lives together.
The
signposts of God are clear
    and
point out the right road.
The
life-maps of God are right,
    showing
the way to joy.
The
directions of God are plain
    and
easy on the eyes.
God’s
reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
    with
a lifetime guarantee.
The
decisions of God are accurate
    down
to the nth degree.
God’s
Word is better than a diamond,
    better
than a diamond set between emeralds.
You’ll
like it better than strawberries in spring,
    better
than red, ripe strawberries.
 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of
danger
    and
directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise
how will we find our way?
    Or
know when we play the fool?
Clean
the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
    Keep
me from stupid sins,
    from
thinking I can take over your work;
Then I
can start this day sun-washed,
    scrubbed
clean of the grime of sin.
These
are the words in my mouth;
    these
are what I chew on and pray.
Accept
them when I place them
    on
the morning altar,
O God,
my Altar-Rock,
    God,
Priest-of-My-Altar.
This is a big chunk,
so let’s pick out verse 7 to meditate on today, since it’s the verse we’ll look
at more closely on Wednesday. (*Note: I’m not rigid, if a another verse struck
you, by all means hide it in your heart and keep it close to you today!)
Today’s
meditation:
The
revelation of God is whole and
pulls our lives together.
The
signposts of God are clear and
point out the right road.
Hints to help: How is this verse true in your life? What are some signposts God gave you to point you to the right road? Reflect on how this verse has been true in your life. Ask God to give you the desire to spend more time in his word, to make you whole and to pull areas of your life that need wholeness together.
Today’s question: Verse 10 says, God’s word is better than
strawberries in spring, better than red, ripe strawberries. What is God’s Word (and God in general) better
than to you?
Here’s mine: God and His Word is
better than a dark chocolate Hershey bar with almonds complimented with a
Cinnamon Dolce latte from Starbucks! (And that’s pretty stinkin good!)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,O Lord, my strength and my
Redeemer.
*roadsign photocredit: freedigitalphotosbyFrameAngel
*strawberries photocredit: freedigitalphotosbyCarlosPorto

Casey Herringshaw: Are You Willing to Wait?

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

If ever there was a young woman who inspires me, who I would model my daughter to grow up like, it would be the sweetest-ever, Casey Herringshaw. I’m honored to have her here today sharing about being a single woman in today’s life and living for God–which shines boldly and beautifully through her life. Casey, you amaze me.
Everyone, welcome Casey!
It ain’t easy being me.
(and no, not
because I’m simply gor-geous
*snicker*)
Twenty-one. Single. Not dating. Yeah.
It seems when you hit a certain age it’s expected that
you’ll date. Or at least by the time you’ve hit your twenties, you’ve had at
least one boyfriend.  The boyfriend world
has never been for me and I’ve never been on a date and really put myself “out
there” as available. It can prompt some interesting conversations from those
who are curious about why I’m still unattached.
I won’t sit and pretend it’s been an easy road to stumble
down. Stumble being the operative
word. I’m certainly not at a hopeless age for never marrying, it can seem like
my fusses are nothing but a futile compliant tossed to the winds. But sometimes
nothing is harder than to see those who have surrounded you during your growing
up years, your classmates and friends, all tying the knot.
Since I hit my twenties I have probably seen half the young
women I grew up with get married and start the next chapter of their lives. And
every time I see the announcements on Facebook or hear about it from a friend,
the tiny part of my heart that longs to fall in love hitches. It’s not to say
I’m not thrilled for them. But it often doesn’t make it any easier to realize
they are leaving me behind.
It’s in these moments, I have to acknowledge the state of my
heart. I have to admit that I’m struggling. But then I have to admit it’s time
to move on. The only thing that comes of being obsessive or impatient is
heartache.
I have to be honest with myself in these cases and have a
sit-down with God. I can’t see my future. I don’t know where He’s taking me. I
don’t know what He still wants to teach me. All I do know, is He’s saying no right now. He’s asking me to walk by faith
and in trust. I don’t want the one thing I’d love more than anything to be the
one thing that shouldn’t happen right now because I’m not ready.
Satan uses everything around us against us if we grant him permission. Oftentimes,
it’s my siblings ragging me about “finding a man” or the pictures of those from
my graduating class in their wedding finery. The downer “it will never happen
to me” that defeats my solidarity of where God has me. In those moments, Satan
has won the hand and I’m questioning God’s sovereignty, exactly the power he wants.
It’s not always easy to be single. Especially when it feels
as though there is no light at the end of the hopeless tunnel.
But I’d rather be single, growing and loving in Christ, then
married to the man He doesn’t want for me. It can seem easy to settle when
we’re hopeless in our present. But the present doesn’t last. Our future does.
And what we do in our present affects everything about our future. It’s praying
for wisdom. Smiling at the people that are always asking about your “love life”
and telling them: God’s got this.


Casey
Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school.
She lives in rural Eastern Oregon in a town more populated with cows than
people. Taking the words and stories God has placed on her heart and
putting them on paper is one of her highest passions in life. Casey is a member
of ACFW and an assistant to the
ACFW Carol Awards. You can connect with her through her personal
blog, Writing
for Christ and her writing related group blog, The Writer’s Alley

*photocredit: freedigitalphotos

Susan Tuttle: Smear It Like Peanut Butter!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Susan’s Sunday morning breakfast!
These are the kinds of texts she sends.
🙂 

I can’t say enough how awesome Susan Tuttle is! That’s right. You heard me. Susan is an amazing prayer partner and writer whom I treasure. She writes a wonderful blog called Steps! And you’re nuts if you don’t head over there and follow her. Just sayin. Thank you for guest posting today, Susan!

So
I had a revelation the other day as I made my breakfast. It was early, so roll
with me here.  See, I LOVE peanut butter.
It is one of the most delicious things on this earth. If you don’t like it,
well, there’s something wrong with you, and I’ll add you to my prayer list.
Anyway,
every morning I toast an English muffin and when it pops up I spread my
creamy-goodness over it. Peanut butter has a heavenly fragrance to it. It is
unmistakable. You don’t open a jar of peanut butter and have someone ask you if
you just cut up an onion. No. You know peanut butter by its smell. Oh, and when
you spread it over your warm English muffin??? It drips into every nook and
cranny and makes every bite oh-so-delectable!
As
I made my breakfast last week I literally stopped mid-spread. I looked at my
English muffin. And then I said to God, “Know what, Lord? I want you to be just
like this peanut butter in my life. Smear yourself over me, get every nook and
cranny, until every bit of me is covered with you, and your fragrance rolls off
of me.”
Told
you it was early. Hadn’t even had my coffee yet.

But that didn’t make my words any less true of a statement.
Because
you know what I want most in my life? Him. In every particle of my being. I
want to look like Him. Smell like Him. My words to taste like Him—the words I
speak AND the words I write. Because when people interact with me, I want them
to have an encounter with the Living God.
He’s
in the business of changing lives. And as much as I love peanut butter, I love
that even more.
Susan Tuttle is a homeschooling mom of three who
is crazy about coffee, dark chocolate, and words—both reading and writing them.
Combine that love of words with her passion for leading women to a
life-changing encounter with Christ, and you’ll find her crafting Inspirational
Contemporary Romance stories laced with humor, love, and healing
transformations. When not cheering on her Ironman hubby, chasing the family dog,
or tackling complex math problems to teach her kids (yes, even the second
grader), you can catch Susan at her blog, Steps.

Tell me, are you PB
lovers too? If not, what do you pair with jelly? 

Come by our online
facebook community where you
can be inspired daily with
devotions! Click “like”
in the sidebar.

Cracked Out: It Can Happen to Anyone

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

My husband and I
love to hold hands. We have a certain way we fit as our fingers lace together.
Walking in a parking lot, a store, even in bed while watching TV. We’re hand
holders.
Sometimes, his hands
feel overly rough, especially in the valleys of his fingers. He uses lotion
each night to smooth them.
We
have a running joke; when his hands are rough I’ll say, “You’ve been
unfaithful.”
“I have.”
We’ll laugh about
it.
But I can tell. He
can’t hide it. Not for long. It builds. Worsens.
And that is exactly
what can happen in your spiritual life. It starts when you’re in a valley. At
your lowest point. In Winter. When things seem upside down, uncertainty is your
middle name. You lay off the lotion–the Word of
God. You ignore the healing balm to heal wounds.
“From
the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds
and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.” Isaiah
1:6
Unfaithful to
prayer.
Unfaithful to the
Word.
Unfaithful to
actions becoming a bride of Christ.
It happens over time. A slow fade–like Casting
Crowns sing about.
And sometimes, it
happens when things are wonderful. When you’re soaring over accomplishments,
when you’re ministry is growing and thriving, your family is pulling it
together, prayers are being answered in a tangible way.
You sleep in a
little later, because God’s got it all under control. You celebrate by focusing
on your goal and leaving the One who gave it to You on the coffee table, the
night stand, the kitchen counter. After all, you need to push through–push
harder–get things done so you can soar over the  next mountainous goal.
Tiny cracks form in
your skin. Barely noticeable as you make plans and plunge toward the next step
in your life–in your purpose. The one God gave you.
The cracks widen,
harden, build up. And one day you’re exhausted. Worn slap out. You’ve opened up
opportunity for the enemy to slip in with temptations you’d been guarding in
the valleys–but hey–you were on the mountain! Nothing bad happens on the mountain
tops. You can skip early morning with God alone, because He’s in what you’ve
woken up early to do. He’s given you this ministry you’re working on. That
counts, right?
It doesn’t.
Doing
something for God’s glory doesn’t
replace spending time in God’s glory.
“…the priests could not continue ministering because
of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.”
2 Chronicles 5:14
Sometimes, you need to stop ministering and let His
glory fill your temple.
Dried up skin bleeds
when it’s cracked. It stings. It opens up areas of disease to seep in.
Inflammation and sickness can form before you’re even aware.
And all you needed was a daily dose of lotion to
lather on and stay smooth. Even. Healthy.
It’s not too late to
slather the lotion on. It’s not too late to ask forgiveness for putting other
things before God, for dropping the ball, for ignoring His whispers. It’s not
too late to reorganize, reprioritize, and hit the start button again.
“If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1
John 1:9
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot
deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13
How are you at taking care of spiritual cracks? And what’s your favorite lotion? I’m a fan of Vaseline’s Cocoa Butter.

Come by our facebook
community and let’s
chat! 


*photocredit: freedigitalphotos

Patty Wysong: As Beautiful as Hephzibah

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Today, I’m honored to host the amazing, Patty Wysong who is sharing about beauty. Thank you, Patty for being here today!

As women, we have a natural bent for beauty. We love it and long for it. As Christian women we are very aware of the two kinds of beauty–physical beauty and inner beauty. How many times have we seen a beautiful woman and admired her beauty—until she took off her sunglasses or opened her mouth? And other times we’ve met a woman whose inner beauty shined so brightly that it far surpassed her outer beauty. 

Those women made an impression on us and we remembered their inner beauty much longer than their lack of physical beauty.

What makes a woman beautiful even when her hair is snarly and she’s wearing a plaid polyester pantsuit? A heart that’s full of her Savior and Lord. A heart that’s glowing for God. A heart that’s overflowing with praise. 

The Bible tells us what is beautiful:

Praise is becoming to the upright. ~Psalm 33:1b
Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
~Psalm 147:1

Praise! It’s something everyone can do. It’s a matter of making the choice to praise rather than complain. Praising God takes our eyes off ourselves and puts them on the One we are praising. Self-absorbed people are not happy people, they’re miserable. God-absorbed people are able to praise even when life stinks. It gives them a measure of joy even during the unhappy times.

We work hard at beauty–our own beauty and the beauty that surrounds us, whether it’s our home or work place. But do we put as much time and thought and effort into our inner beauty? Sometimes that inner beauty is as simple as choosing to praise God—whether we feel like it or not. That praise shines through us and God rejoices.

And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so your God will rejoice over you. ~Isaiah 62:5b

God rejoices in us, His bride, and He has a special name for us: Hephzibah. It’s found in Isaiah 62:4. But you will be called, “My delight is in her,” and the margin note says Hephzibah. My baby name book agrees with the margin note, too. Proverbs assures us that a good name Proverbs 22:1 is more desirable than great wealth. “My delight is in her.” Sounds to me like a pretty cool name to be called! Hephzibah. It has quite a ring to it.

Let’s be sure to beautify our lives with praise for our great God so we can live up to the name He has given us.


Hephzibah

My delight is in her.

Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. ~Psalm 22:3



Since Patty quit running from God’s call on
her life and surrendered her pen to Him, she’s been happy. Life is never dull
as she juggles being a wife, a homeschooling mom of five, a Bible study
facilitator, an online blogging class teacher, a blog designer, a website
manager, and a writer. As long as she’s obeying God’s leading, she figures that
sanity is a novelty and not a necessity. Patty clings to the promise that God
will enable her to do what He asks of her, otherwise you would find her living
with the scaredy cats at the Funny Farm and not just occasionally visiting.

She would love to visit with you online on her blog, Patterings, Facebook, and Twitter.

Name one thing you find 
beautiful in a woman?

I’m hosting at
Living By Grace and
I’d love for you to come by
and chat!

Patience’s Perfect Work

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 “My brethren, count it all joy when
you fall into various trials, knowing
that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect
work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1: 2-4.

 I read this over the weekend and verse 3 and 4
stood out. “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But
let patience have it’s perfect work…”
The
tests have come. Some days it seems like more than I can handle (seems is the
key word). I’ve held on to faith in what I know is true. But have I been
letting patience have its perfect work? Am I truly being changed? I’m still pondering that one.
What
about you? 
What does this verse mean to you?

*Photo credit: Freedigitalphotos

Why Your Dream Hasn’t Come True…Yet

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 

 

Joseph. One of my
favorite people in the Bible. I taught on him last week in class. I can never
make it through without crying.

 
God gave Joseph a
dream. A big dream. Most times, when God gives us a dream it’ll be bigger than
us so we don’t get the glory.
 
But Joseph was only
17. He was immature, bratty, spoiled, and a tattle tale. He wasn’t ready for his
dream.
 
And that’s why God
allowed tough circumstances to enter his life. He was sold by his brothers and
taken to Egypt as a slave. He was purchased by the captain of the guard. Yet,
Joseph was successful in everything because the Lord was with him. Even in tough
times, Joseph clung to his faith. He abided in God. When the master’s wife came
at him day after day, he refused until he had to literally run lest he sinned against God.
 
Doing the right thing landed him
in prison.
 
Joseph let himself get comfortable. Hey, the Captain’s house wasn’t home, but it wasn’t the pit his
brothers had tossed him in and it could be worse. He had freedom to come and go.
He had his master’s household under his authority. No more iron neck collars or
fetters.
 
But God didn’t allow
him to go into captivity to be comfortable as a slave. He still had a dream to
fulfill. So He took him out of his comfort zone and placed Joseph in another
set of grim circumstances.
 
In prison, Joseph
was a success. God was with him. And he was given all authority over everyone
there. He’d been faithful with little. Now, he was faithful over a little more.
 
He matured. Life
wasn’t about him alone anymore. He’d taken an interest in others. That’s how he
could tell something was wrong with the baker and the butler. He was becoming
more of the man God knew he was to be. He was getting closer to his dream.
 
And then the Pharaoh
had a dream. Joseph interpreted it. And he became ruler over much. Over the
nation of Egypt in fact. He was 30.
 
When his brothers
came and bowed down to him, fulfilling the dream he had. He was at least 37.
 
Dreams take time. Your dreams aren’t even all about you. God was working behind the scenes, not only for Joseph–to bless him, but for His people He’d made covenant with. A famine was coming and God was making plans to take care of them. He was working on uniting a dysfunctional family. His brothers hated him. His father favored him over the rest. And He was working on showing a nation, who considered Pharaoh a god amongst the other 1000 gods they worship, His glory. Giving them a chance to see a true living God. 

Yes, dreams take time.

 
 God needs time to mold us into what we need to be in
order to handle them when they come true.
 
 Joseph understood this when he said, “For
God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Genesis
41:52
 
It’s in the
disastrous times, tough times, frightening times, uncertain times, painful
times, lonely times that God can cut off the things in our lives that don’t
belong and produce a fruit (a beneficial, wonderful product) that will last.
It’s in those times if we abide in Christ, we will become more Christ-like.
 
I’m sure Joseph
questioned his circumstances. But at the end of the day, I think he may have
said exactly what this song says he did. I love this video clip from Joseph,
King of Dreams. It’s a favorite movie of mine. Take a minute and let the words
seep into your heart.
 
And remember when you wonder and ask, “Why?”
 
You God, know better
than I. 


Have you found that God is near in the tough times?  Why or why not?

 
*The Name that Sailboat contest is still going on! Enter for a chance to win a $10 Starbucks or Amazon card (winner choice). Just head over to my facebook page! 

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and chat about abiding in
the tough times!

 

#1 Key to Succeeding at Great Things

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 

 

Everyone wants to
succeed and do great things. We’re wired to for it. Remember those commercials
about drugs. “No one said they wanted to grow up to be a junkie.” I
would agree with that.

 
Last week, I taught
on Daniel. A wonderful model for us to live lives of worship, praise, and
prayer. A boy taken captive from his homeland. Full of uncertainty. Possible
doubt about where God was in the circumstances that he found himself in, and
surely some fear and anxiety. That’s a lot of miles to walk to Babylon with
nothing but your mind to keep you company. I know what my mind does when I’m in
uncertain times or feel imprisoned.
 
But Daniel held fast
to his faith, even when others directly targeted it. He didn’t compromise, not
when offered the king’s food that was offered to false gods and not when an
unchangeable decree went out that he couldn’t pray or petition any god or man,
but the king, for thirty days. That’s what sealed him in the lion’s den.
 
Instead he prayed.
He lived a lifestyle of worship. Everything he did was offered to God. And when
we live of worship, we’ll excel. But even that’s not the #1 thing you need to
know.
 
Daniel was faithful
with little things. He was made ruler over much. (Matthew 25:21) God gave him
abilities and gifts, and he used them for God’s glory. But even that isn’t the
#1 thing you need to know. And don’t think Daniel was perfect.
 
Daniel wasn’t a
perfect man. “While I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sins…” Daniel 9:20 But he honored God with
whatever was put before him. His job. His responsibilities. Even his friends
and his people. “…confessing my sins and the sins of my people, and
presenting my supplications before the LORD my God…”
 
So what is the #1
thing we need to know to be successful and to actually accomplish all of those
wildly big dreams God plants in our heart?
 
How did Daniel start
out? A scholar? Rich beyond our imagination? Was he famous with a huge
platform, an outstanding twitter tribe, and facebook following? Did he have a
few books under his belt that he self-published first? Did he put an amazing
YouTube out that went viral?
 
He started out in
captivity. He started out far away from what he’d ever known. He started out
half-naked (vulnerable). He started out walking…one step after another…in the
heat.
 
Daniel worshipped,
praised God (even in the uncertain times when he could have grown bitter and
cold), he prayed every day–3 times a day looking out toward home,  with the window open, he studied the word (in
scroll form but had he not, he wouldn’t have realized a prophecy was about to
be fulfilled), he interceded for others, he asked God for some things (probably
to get them out of captivity). And he never took for granted the favor God gave
him with those who could have made life difficult–the gatekeepers, if you
will, to his life or death.
 
Daniel, over the
course of his years, learned something that we all need to learn. When the
enemy lies to us, plants seeds of doubt in our mind, taunts us with roars of
fear, brings us face to face with uncertainty, tries to cut our knees out from
under us…all things he did to Daniel…he discovered this:
 
“The
people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
Daniel 11:32
 
That’s it. That’s
all.
 
Should we study and
learn? Should we be knowledgeable about the things we want to accomplish? Yes.
Am I telling you not to go to college or get your Master’s Degree, or read
craft books, or to practice at what it is you want to do? No.
 
“Study and be
eager…correctly analyzing and accurately dividing rightly  handling and skillfully teaching) the Word of
Truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 God expects us to learn, grow, mature and be
knowledgeable about many things. We have a partnership. “Carry out”
that lets us know, He’s not going to do it all. “know their God” that
takes effort. We have to actually spend time with Him to know Him!
 
What I am saying is it really is about Who you know. The #1 thing you need to know is Daniel 11:32.
 
How does this verse change 
the way you may feel about
success and doing great things?

Glory Due Your Name

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Glorious God, you
are holy, mighty, beautiful. There is no name besides Yours that can save us.
You do wonderful works, so many we cannot count them; we do not even know them
all.

We sing praises to
your name. We lift your name up and stand in awe of who You are. You, our rock,
shelter, strong tower. Our safe place–under the shadow of Your Wings we find
rest. In Your presence, we become changed.
The thoughts you
think about us are so many they can’t be numbered and all are good. There is
not one that is less than stellar. It’s beyond our imagination but we humbly
accept Your gifts of grace and mercy.
When we are
unfaithful, Lord, You are still faithful. Your call is irrevocable. Your
covenant everlasting. Our hope–secured.
“Give unto the
LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”
Psalm 29:2
What
is one thing you can give God glory for today? 

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community and chat
about giving God glory!