Tag: hope

Do the Ways of Jeroboam Matter? Spoiler Alert: Yes!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Welcome, friend, to Forward Friday, A Patch of Hope. Feel free to forward this email to a friend that might enjoy occasional Friday devotionals. 

If you’re reading your Bible chronologically, like I am, then you’ve recently entered the Divided Kingdom era. It gets wild, let me tell ya! 

Jeroboam has become king of the Northern kingdom, Israel, consisting of 10 tribes. And Rehoboam, Solomon’s son holds the Southern Kingdom, Judah, with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

The split in kingdoms doesn’t exempt the Northern kingdom from the convent and Jeroboam begins to think (1 Kings 12:26-27): “Jeroboam thought to himself, “Unless I am careful, the kingdom will return to the dynasty of David. When these people go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Temple of the Lord, they will again give their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and make him their king instead.”

But is this true? The thought is pretty standard human thinking. How will this affect ME? But are his thoughts TRUE? 

No.

Why?

Back up the bus to when God sent the prophet to Jeroboam to tell him he would be king.

1 Kings 11:28-38 (I’m only including verse 37-38 but you can read it all for yourself)

37 And I will place you on the throne of Israel, and you will rule over all that your heart desires. 38 If you listen to what I tell you and follow my ways and do whatever I consider to be right, and if you obey my decrees and commands, as my servant David did, then I will always be with you. I will establish an enduring dynasty for you as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you.

God told him he would be with him and establish him. IF (conditional promise) he would follow him. So had he consulted God and obeyed, God would have worked out the assumed problem from Jeroboam. We are often like this. Thinking God can’t handle the situation and so we have to figure it out ourselves. And that never goes well, does it?

The ways of Jeroboam matter because every single king of the north followed in them. And we too follow in them if we aren’t careful. What are the ways?

 

SELF.

Jeroboam appealed to his SELF. What is in it for me? What do I want? His issue wasn’t that he built shrines for pagan gods; not it wasn’t idol worship. 

It was a heart condition. A kingdom devised by what was in his own selfish heart.

Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Can we trust our hearts? Should we follow our hearts? What else does the Bible say about our hearts?

  • Jeremiah 17: 9-10 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

No. We can’t trust our own hearts. What about our own understanding?

  • Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Jeroboam relied on his SELF and not God. So one of the ways we follow in the way of Jeroboam is when we divide plans according to our own heart’s selfish desires and rely on our own limited understanding without consulting God.

The Second Way of Jeroboam is the Way of Convenience.

Jeroboam appealed to convenience. And let’s be honest, any time we can take the easy way, that’s the way we’re going to choose.

He said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem. Look, Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!” 29 He placed these calf idols in Bethel and in Dan—at either end of his kingdom. 30 But this became a great sin, for the people worshiped the idols, traveling as far north as Dan to worship the one there.”

Yeah, it has been a hard week and do we really want to travel all that way for just a few hours? It’s not very convenient so let’s go with the easier way. 

But was the easy way God’s way?

No.

God set the times of festivals, the prescribed way to worship, the priest who could minister (levites) and the place of worship. But Jeroboam instituted new festivals, new places of worship, golden calves and new priests from any ole average Joe.

Charles Spurgeon said, ““Men are willing to worship God if they are allowed to have a ritual and symbols which they have themselves devised.”

In other words, I will worship God if he meets my lifestyle (sinful habits)  but not if I have to change my lifestyle to meet his holy standards. That’s not convenient for ME.

The levitical priests and godly people then left the Northern kingdom when Jeroboam rejected God’s ways and commands. And the northern kingdom became a free-for-all. The word was no longer taught. And they did evil in the sight of the Lord.

When it comes to self and convenience over living out God’s truth in every aspect of the Word, we are following the ways of Jeroboam. Many false teachers who claim to be Christians say you can have God YOUR way. You can come without any change. Basically, just be a good humanitarian. 

But they’re wrong. Don’t fall into these traps, lies. 

Separate yourself from false teaching like the godly people and priests did.

2 Peter 2:1-3  “But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. 3 In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.”

Acts 20:28-30 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood[a]—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.[b] 29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30 Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.”

 1 Timothy 4:1-3 “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.”

 Jude 2-4 “Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4 I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Read your Bible for yourself. Learn to rightly divide the word and know what is lies. Follow Jesus. Look to Him. 

Hope Is Never Out of Reach

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Welcome back to another Forward Friday. We’re moving forward every day in our personal relationship with Jesus. 

Today, I want to quickly look at Hagar. A woman who was a servant to Abraham and Sarah. In a circumstance she couldn’t control. When two people had to wait a very long time for a son of promise, things got scary. Uncertain. And like just like us, they took matters into their own hands to scheme to bring God’s promise to fulfillment.

But here’s the rub, friends. When we aren’t ones giving the promise, we can’t bring it to pass. God gives us steps sometimes, sure. Often it’s WAIT. Wait on Him. This produces trust and faith and dependance on Him.

They didn’t. Sarah decides she’ll give Hagar to Abraham as a surrogate wife which was custom and acceptable practice in that culture. But Abraham was to be set apart from the culture and customs of that day. Are you disobeying God because a practice in culture is acceptable and says you can? 

Once Hagar was pregnant, pride reared its ugly head and she treated Sarah with contempt. Sarah then went to Abraham and blamed him for everything. Sounds about right. We’re more prone to blame others for our mistakes than own up to them. He stays out of it and says do what seems best. She’s your servant. And Sarah treats her like trash. So bad she runs away.

The Angel of the Lord comes to her. He sees her distress and tells her to go back. To submit. To basically repent and humble yourself. This was his protection no doubt. Imagine a young pregnant woman with no protector or provision in the wilderness? And he gives her a promise too. 

She goes back. She submits. We read nothing more about mistreatment but when Sarah’s son Isaac–the son of promise–is made fun of by Ishmael, Hagar and Abraham’s son, it’s time to go (Genesis 21). She leaves and they run out of water. Has she forgotten the God who hears her, who sees her, who has made her a promise to make her son a nation? Maybe. Often in our suffering, doubts and fears we forget who God is, what he’s done and what he’s promised us.

He opens her eyes to see what was likely there all along…a well of water. Life. Salvation. Rescue! She gives the water to her son and they live. 

Hope was there all along. She just couldn’t see it through her fear, panic, dread, anxiety, suffering and uncertainty. 

Jesus is and always will be our hope. Sometimes we don’t see him for all the reasons Hagar didn’t see the water. He’s our living water. Our life. Our salvation. Our rescue. 

Forward Reflection: How do I respond in uncontrollable circumstances? Do I build my hope in nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness? Do I remember that my ground is solid? Do I need to repent? Do I need God to open my eyes to hope? 

 

*I know during these accounts it’s Abram/Sarai but it’s just easier to say Abraham/Sarah.

 

Fuel Your Faith Not Your Fear!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Hey gang!

I’m writing a new book for a proposal I’ve sent to Love Inspired Suspense. I guess writing it is a step of faith. 🙂 Since we’re talking about faith–my heroine has faith but she struggles with a lot of fear about the future and all kinds of things that can happen in this world. So many bad things have already happened. I put together a playlist of worship songs that I think Georgia Maxwell needs to hear–songs that tell her story and would fuel her faith and to help her battle fear.

 

 

And it happens to be a timely message. We are still living in uncertain times. There’s a lot of fear and anxiety. While concern is legit, I don’t think paralyzing fear is! 

I thought I’d share the Spotify playlist I’ve been listening to for weeks while I work through this story.

Since I’m the author I already know she’s going to overcome it and rise up stronger than ever. God is our Author and Finisher of our faith and He knows how our story ends as well…in victory in Christ. We’re coming out of this stronger than before! 

If you listen to the playlist (or follow it if you’re on Spotify) I’d love to hear which song meant the most to you. Answer in the comments or find me on Facebook and let me know! 

Warmly,

Jess

Forward Friday: From Rascal to Regardful.

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

When I was seventeen, I was a brat. There. I said it. My deepest, darkest secret. Okay, it’s not. But it is true. Most seventeen year olds are brats. They have it all figured out. Know everything. Hey, if you weren’t, I said most not all. 

One of my favorite people in the Bible is Joseph. He’s great to study for character growth (writers, did you hear that?). At seventeen he’s a spoiled brat. Oh, yes. He is.

Genesis 37:3-4 MSG: Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was the child of his old age. And he made him an elaborately embroidered coat. When his brothers realized that their father loved him more than them, they grew to hate him—they wouldn’t even speak to him.

He was daddy’s fave and Daddy made no bones about it. He made this amazing coat of prestige and honor and Joseph wore it proudly. Didn’t seem to mind the fact that it hurt his brothers deeply or that being the fave caused hatred in their hearts. 

These brothers couldn’t even speak peaceably to him. Now, I don’t know about you but when someone is unhappy with me, I know it. I can see it on their faces and feel it when I enter a room. That’s just someone unhappy! Not hatred.

But Jospeh didn’t care. He didn’t bother to see. Instead he chose to tell them his dream about how they’d bow to him. Yeah, that’s what you do when you’re hated. You lord a dream over them. Not once. But twice! Nice work, Jo.

And one day, Daddy sends Joseph out to check on his brothers. Why wasn’t he out there helping in the first place? Oh yeah, he’s spoiled. He’s a rascal. Dons the coat, oh yes, he does. Because that’s what you do when you’re about to approach your own brothers. Rub it in their faces that you’re loved most. I kinda feel bad for the brothers. 

While Joseph was in the distance, the brothers plotted to kill Joseph.

Not just give him the business, but murder him. They’ve murdered before…remember poor Dinah and the revenge on the entire town for the act of one.

But they end up selling him as a slave.

I wish we had time to pick all this apart. But we don’t. Joseph ends up a slave and then imprisoned and what we learn is that Joseph grows and matures over this period of time. Because how can a rascal like Jospeh rule a nation humbly? He can’t. Not unless he’s been humbled and molded into the kind of man God would need to rule and lead.

There are many glimpses of Joseph’s maturity and humbling process, but this one is one of my favorites. In Genesis 40, the chief butler (cup bearer) and the chief baker are thrown into the prison for offending the Pharaoh. Joseph is put in charge of them. Day in. Day out. 

Verse 3-7 MSG: “After they had been in custody for a while, the king’s cupbearer and baker, while being held in the jail, both had a dream on the same night, each dream having its own meaning. When Joseph arrived in the morning, he noticed that they were feeling low. So he asked them, the two officials of Pharaoh who had been thrown into jail with him, “What’s wrong? Why the long faces?”

The NKJV says, “He saw they were sad.” 

At seventeen, he was oblivious. He ignored the hateful glares, the snarled lips. The disdain in their words. Maybe he saw the looks of sadness when he wore that coat the first time. But he didn’t think to spare them the pain by not wearing it. By not having some kind of conversation with them or Jacob. 

But now.

Now, he’s seeing. “You’re sad. What’s wrong?” Not only does he see, but he speaks. He inquires. “Why are you upset?”

Joseph was now hoping for the future, but living in the present.

I wonder if he’d regarded his brothers’ countenances and inquired if maybe things would have been different. Maybe. Maybe God would have gotten him to Egypt to fulfill his destiny and God-given dreams another way. I don’t know.

I do know this: Joseph had been more preoccupied with being the favorite and his future dreams than he was about the present. And he missed A LOT! 

Our God-given dreams require planning and preparation on our part.  I had to actually write and do the work to be published. And I admit, that for a time I became so focused on the gift that I neglected the present. I wasn’t awake to the “now.” I wasn’t paying attention to what God might doing right then in me, through me. 

Maybe that’s you. Don’t be so consumed with the dreams and the future that you neglect what’s right in front of you.  Wake up! Wake up and be present in the moment. See the people around you. Notice the hurt, the pain. Notice you might need a conversation with someone you love. Humble yourself now! Don’t go through a pit and a prison to do it. 

Don’t miss the moments. 

Don’t wait dozens of years to wake up. 

Yes, God has dreams for you in the future. But He also has dreams for you to walk into today! 

Forward Challenge: Be awake today. Remove the apps from your phone. Step away from working toward your dream for one hour, two, a day and be present in the moment. Who looks sad and needs encouragement from you? 

Forward Scripture: “…Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day’s work.” Proverbs 8:34 MSG

Forward Prayer: God, who made the day, awake me to present in it and responsive to Your will as You start Your day’s work. Thank you for Your good plans that include me. Open my ears to hear You and my eyes to see You and where You are at work. Help me to take notice of those around me and recognize when they need a word of hope, of encouragement and give me ,through Your Holy Spirit, the words to say. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

What do you need to do today in order to be AWAKE and present?

Forward Friday: One Word 2018

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

December has been a whirlwind, y’all! A good whirlwind, though. I spent less time on social media and more time with friends and family face-to-face. How about you? In fact, lately, I’ve been thinking about the time I spend. Time on social media. Time with my laptop. Time with family. Friends. Time with Jesus. 

Some days I feel the quantity but not the quality. 

I’ve been praying a lot about what God might have me place my focus on this year. It’s going to be another whirlwind–it’s true that the older you become, the faster time seems to pass. I have three books and one (maybe two) novellas releasing this new year. My daughter will be home for one summer before she truly will live somewhere else. My son is entering high school. Things are stirring in other personal areas, in my church. So, Lord, what should my focus be?

I learned several years ago, that resolutions don’t work for me. I give up. Of course, I set goals. I think it’s important to do that. But the ONE WORD or PHRASE for the year keeps me focused.

These past few months, the Lord has really pressed a word on my heart. It whispers through my lips in prayer. A friend ordered me a book and journal with the word and topic for Christmas, not knowing this word has been burning through me. 

AWAKE. I have to admit there are areas where I’ve been asleep, spiritually sluggish. Exhausted to the point of not being able to rouse myself. And the Lord in His tenderness has brought this to my attention and given me a good shake.

What exactly does AWAKE mean? What will this look like in my life? 

I want to be awake mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically. I want to SEE all that God has for me and be growing daily. I want to heed what the Lord says and be on guard for distraction and temptation so I can bypass it! I want to be observant like Joseph when he noticed the countenance of the butler and the baker and saw they were upset (you know at one time he wouldn’t have noticed that). 

I want to be AWAKENED. Breathing in God and breathing Him out. 

So each week I’m going to unpack some verses that will help us all awaken, help us all grow and meditate on His word and what it means. I hope you’ll join me, share with your friends, and this year, be awake with me! 

What say you? Are you in?

Forward Challenge: Be awake in all things. Be present. Be observant for what God is doing. Be heedful and obey. 

Forward Scripture: “The angel of God came back, shook him awake again, and said, “Get up…—you’ve got a long journey ahead of you.” 1 Kings 19:7 MSG

Forward Prayer: Awaken us, Lord. In every area where we’ve been dozing or full-on snoozing. Waken us to Your heartbeat. Your calling. Your Word. Breathe into us and make us live again. No more dry bones. Only life and life more abundantly, in Jesus name. Amen.

Do you have a New Year’s resolution, goal, one word or phrase, or a particular scripture for the new year? I’d love to hear it. 

Happy New Year, Friends!

Forward Friday: Full Steam Ahead

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

“They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name. And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other.  In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes. Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.” Matthew 24:10-15 MSG

I think it’s safe to say these verses describe our present times. We can’t control the vicious gnashing of teeth, especially on social media sites. In fact, there isn’t much we can control. We gape in horror and mutter, “Lord Jesus, come.”

It’s frightening. Shocking.  But what grips me most isn’t what the world will be like (is like) it’s what happens to Christians in these times. That’s the horror show. 

The KJV version says, “…the love of many shall wax cold.”

The phrase ” shall wax cold” in the Greek is psychō. Now, I know it seems fitting. Yes, people are going psycho! It’s true. But that word doesn’t mean what we think it does. Kinda like in The Princess Bride. “I do not think that words means what you think it does.”

It actually means, “to breathe, blow, cool by blowing, to breathe–voluntarily but gently, reduction in temperature by evaporation to chill.” Wax. Cold.

Psychō differs from the word Pneo–which means to breathe hard, blow.

I see two pictures in my mind. One is of a wax museum. We visited the Ripley’s Believe it or Not and it’s crazy how real-to-life those wax figures are.  But they don’t breathe.

Our hearts wax cold…all that movement forward ceases. We become like wax figures. No life left.  It’s a gentle reduction in temperature. Gradual. Quiet even. Like those last dying breaths. Shallow. Stretching out in between the next one until none remains. Lifeless. Gone. Cold.

Maybe you aren’t deceived by lying preachers. But isn’t the evil abounding overwhelming? The political climate is ripe with tension. Infighting. Add one natural disaster after another and it’s enough to make one want to crawl in a hole and never come out.  

I’ve seen a few posts lately that say, “Just because it isn’t happening to you doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.” Why do we need this kind of statement? Because our hearts grow cold, we shut down. We turn off the TV and live in our bubbles. Why? Many reasons. One of them is because it feels so big and we feel helpless. So we shut it all out. It’s too much. Too fast. Our hearts grow weary before they grow cold. We stop doing good. Harvests can’t be reaped.

We lose our passion. But Jesus says to stay with it to the end. Keep on keeping on. How? For one, there is hope in the next words. All during this time, the Good News will go out. Lives will be eternally saved. God hasn’t given up on us. Or forgotten. He’s working. Moving.

The second picture I see is a steam engine. A steam engine in an interesting thing. In their cycle, water is heated which turns to steam to propel these engines forward. Slow at first, then faster…faster…gaining momentum. The higher the heat, the more steam. Until it’s full steam ahead!

But it takes water to heat it up! “…just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.” Ephesians 5:25-26 NLT

It’s going to take continued washing in the water of God’s word to heat us up. Passion = heat! You’ve heard the phrase, “on fire for God.” Passionate about God. About the things of God. The word ignites our faith. fuels our strength. Gives us direction. And increases our momentum to keep us going forward. To stay it out until the end. 

I don’t want someone looking at me and wondering if I’m alive or not. I want people to be inspired and motivated by my love for Jesus, by my passion for Him. What about you?

Forward Challenge: Make it a priority to get into the Word. Find one verse and study it. Memorize it. Chew on it. Get it in the marrow of your bones and live it. Watch God ignite a new fire in you!

Forward Scripture and Prayer: 

 

Eyes Wide Shut

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

It’s easy to do go about your daily life and settle into the fact that what you see is what you get. We say we walk by faith and not by sight but if we don’t daily remind ourselves of that, we forget. And what you see is what you get. 

This passage of scripture really stood out to me this past week. 

“Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.
 “Throw it down on the ground,” theLord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.
 Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.” Exodus 4:2-4 NLT
All Moses saw in his hand was a shepherd’s staff, a rod…a piece of carved wood. A dead stick if you will. 
But was it? 
The minute he obeyed God and threw it down it became a snake. I’m not so sure Moses didn’t jump back like a flash of lightning over the fact it was a snake as the fact he was shocked out of his gourd. He wasn’t expecting a petrified piece of wood to become a living, moving thing.
What you see isn’t always what you get. Not when God is in the mix. 
You may think you’re holding onto to something that can’t move, breathe, live, or become something else. You may be discouraged, disappointed, and depressed over it. 
But what you see…well…it isn’t what you always get. Walk by faith. Trust God to take what you think is dead and turn it into something that will blow your mind! 
How’s your walk by faith going today? 

Guess Where I Am?

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Hey everyone! Today, I’m over at Jill Kemerer’s blog. Jill is my good friend and critique partner. Join me as I talk about this scripture in relation to my Christmas novella! 

“Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.” James 2:13 MSG

 Hope Under Mistletoe, is a FREE and exclusive gift to you for simply signing up for the Patched In–my newsletter! (top right corner)

A
rowdy bar owner. A widowed pastor’s wife. And Christmas Hope that brings them
together.
After widower Eden
Snow’s church almost burns to the ground, she’s compelled to find a temporary
place to hold services and Christmas cantata practices.
Has-been hockey player,
Knox Everhart, has a reputation for being fast on the ice and with women.
Except Eden. She’s always been a fascinating mystery to him, which is why he
agrees to let her use the back room of his bar—with one rule: No converting his
customers.

But when Eden brings
the church to the bar, it offers something the bottle can’t. Hope. And he finds
himself falling in love with a woman and a Savior he feels unworthy to pursue. 





See you at Jill’s! 

Never Go Against A Sicilian!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
Hey everyone, thanks for coming back for part 4 of The
Princess Bride series. If you’ve missed the first three, you can catch up:
Is This A Kissing Book?
Never Need to Doubt
Through the Fire Swamp
Let’s watch the clip first!

Quite an interesting scene here isn’t it? Vizzini is adamant
he’s not a fool. He prides himself on his brains, his wits.

“First pride, then the crash— the bigger the ego, the
harder the fall.” Proverbs 16:18 MSG
I love Westley’s reaction, “Truly, you have a dizzying
intellect.” Sarcastic amusement. Vizzini goes on and on. Thinking about who he
believes Westley is. Deduction. Man’s logic, and in the end…trickery.
The battle of wits to decide who is right and who is dead.

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all.” Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG
I think many times we can pull a Vizzini. We base our view
of who God is on our limited knowledge, human reasoning and deduction and not
on the actual Word of God, thereby failing miserably.

We try
to figure out tough situations out on our own.  We take matters into our hands, leaning on our
own understanding.
Vizzini was at a crossroads of sorts. He had to figure out a
tough decision. Now for the sake of this clip, we know he’s the villain. We
know that Westley is the hero and needs to take him out. I’m not comparing
Westley to God in the sense that God gives us no way out situations. He doesn’t.

But we
all have hard decisions to make. And going on our own understanding always
leads to dire consequences.
We may not understand everything about God. We don’t. We
never will. But we don’t have to understand Him to trust in His wisdom and His
goodness. To trust in His promises that 
He will never leave us, never forsake
us, that He’ll always guide us, give us wisdom and help us navigate through
tough times and even tougher choices.
Because God…yeah, He always surprises us! Vizzini NEVER
expected poison in both cups. WE never expected it! And God answers our prayers
and guides us in ways we’d never expect either.
By putting the poison in both cups, Westley removed
Buttercup’s immediate threat and freed her from an enemy.
You never know how He’s going to do what needs to be done
for you either. But the surprise is always worth it!
“With God are wisdom and
power; counsel and understanding are his.” Job 12:13 NET

Which
character from The Princess Bride can you relate to most? Why?

Do you
ever struggle with trusting God? How do you get through it?


Join me next Monday for Hello, My Name is Inigo Montoya.

The Power of “With”

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
 

 

 
It’s good
to be back after a long week of vacation. We took the kids to Branson for the
week and had a wonderful time. Experienced God’s beauty 174 feet below the
ground in an amazing cave. Marveled at the beauty of his mountains and lakes as
we drove and traveled by boat. And we were moved at His love for each one of us
as we enjoyed the Sight and Sound Theater’s performance of Jonah. Incredible.
The early mornings on the screened-in porch where I sipped coffee and spent
time in the Word breathed fresh life back into me. It was a vacation full of
precious memories.
 
 

 

 

This
morning during my study, I happened to glance down at two passages and they
spoke volumes to me.
 
Paul is
speaking in a letter to his young protégé Timothy. He says in 2 Timothy
4:17-18, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the
message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might
hear. Also, I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will
deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for the His heavenly
kingdom…”
 
But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.
 
If you
know me well, you know that a simple phrase or word will strike up a song
inside me. A good friend calls me walking iTunes. It’s the running joke. So
naturally, I started humming, Stand by Me by Ben E. King.
 
When the
night has come
And the
land is dark
And the
moon is the only light we’ll see
No I won’t
be afraid
Oh, I
won’t be afraid
Just as
long as you stand, stand by me
 
Then it
hit me, the scripture didn’t say that Jesus
stood by Paul. It said, with.
 
The
phrase, “with me” in the Greek is moi. It’s a possessive pronoun of
mine in the first person. It states that which I have; what I possess
 
By isn’t
so bad. In Acts 23:11 Paul says, “…the Lord stood by me and said, ‘Be of
good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must
also bear witness in Rome.'” The Greek word for “by” is
ephistemi and it means to be present, to be at hand. Jesus was there to
encourage Paul when he needed it.
 
And yet…
 
With me says, “Because I am
with you, all that I possess. All that I
have is yours.” That includes His strength.
 
“But
the Lord stood with me and strengthened me…” Because what is His, is
yours when He is with you.
 
Look at
the verses above in 2 Timothy. Paul says in verses 9-15 that several left him
including Demas, Crescens, Titus. Only Luke was left. Alexander the coppersmith
did him much harm.
 
“At
my first defense, no one stood with me, but all forsook me.” (v. 16)
 
But the
Lord…!!!!
 
Whatever
you may be going through. No matter how abandoned you may feel. The Lord is not
only by you to encourage you, He is with you. All that belongs to Him is yours.
Including His strength.
 
Friends,
there is comfort in that!
 
“To
Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” (v.18)
 
Knowing that all Jesus has is yours, how will that change what you do
today or how you think?
 
 

 

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