Journey of Truth – week 31

God’s Truth

John 14:6, 16-17

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” …And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Attitude Adjustment

What is the truth? We’ve been looking at it throughout this series and hopefully have come to a place of understanding the only truth the really matters: Jesus and the Word. Just as this Scripture from John 14 describes, Jesus declares that He alone is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.

There may be many truths. There may be many ways. There may be many lives. But if we want the one that is eternal, we must accept the one that provides it. Jesus is not merely a person that walked this planet years ago. He is the Son of God, that died on the cross for the forgiveness of all our sins, so that we may be forgiven and made right with God. Through faith in Jesus we receive our eternal dwelling place.

Many of us have heard this repeatedly, but do we really believe it? Do we really, truly act up the fact that the only way, truth, and life is through Jesus Christ? It is never a waste of time to revisit the foundational truths of our faith. Now that this series has come to a close is a perfect time to begin something new. Grab your Bible, open to the book of John, and meet your Savior anew.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this amazing Journey of Truth. Your word is life to us. I pray that as we live and grow in you, you will equip up to continue to share these Scripture truths with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

(Used with permission from Extravagant Grace )
You can read more from Elise on her website Extravgant Grace

Sunday Worship

I am going to be taking a break from blogging for a few weeks.  There is so much going on in my life that I just can’t get into but there seems to be less & less time for blogging.

I am heading to Calgary this week for the GMA awards and for a talent competition!  This is really unknown territory for me so your prayers would be appreciated.  This next week I am looking forward to meeting some movers & shakers in the Music industry and to see if God has a plan for me in the music industry.  It’s scary and exciting all in one package!  I know that I will learn so much from this week but there are also allot of unknowns for me too so that is what I am a little nervous about.  Just pray that whatever happens I will trust God’s plan in all of it.

Thank you for stopping by & I pray that all of you will have a blessed Sunday!

Rest for the Weary Soul!

Today I have to say I am weary!  I feel like life has beaten me this week and that I have so far to go in the battle to be who God wants me to be.  My character has been questioned, my faith has been tested, and my confidence is gone and all I can do is turn my eyes to heaven and hold on to this verse.

From Matthew 11(NLT)

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Today this verse was placed as a song in my heart.  I know I have so far to go in being transformed & I know more than ever that I have no idea how to truly follow Christ and the sacrifice that following Him will require.  Romans 7:21-25 says it so much better than I can

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

I know that my only rest can come from HIM & my only comfort is knowing that I don’t have to walk this road alone!

As a side note Pastor Gary & Gord from my church have set up an awesome interactive blog and I think all of you need to check it out.  This is a quote from his last post “Prayer is all about transformation not about things.  Prayer is about character not about desires. Prayer is about being not doing.”

Thanks so much for stopping by!

In Spirit & In Truth

Every Month when we get to In Spirit & In Truth I seem to struggle with what to write.  It’s not like I don’t have lots of stuff to write about but I always wonder what you guys would like to see happen on this day, so today is your chance.  Please feel free to leave comments below on what kind of things you would like to see happen on “In Spirit & In Truth” Sunday.

Hebrews 10:23-25

23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Are you a regular reader?  What would encourage you and “spur you on”?  I’d love to hear from you!  Blessings

Journey of Truth – week 30

God’s Truth

2 Corinthians 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Attitude Adjustment

This entire Journey of Truth has been about adjusting our attitudes and allowing God to transform our understanding to His truth. I can think of no better verse to hang our hat on as we near the end of this series. We all need a fight song, and this verse provides just that for our faith.

Say it out loud, sisters. Say it with meaning. Picture your best right hook flying straight into the devil as you “demolish” every argument, pretension, thought that sets up in your mind to destroy you. You take the first swing. You put on your armor. You win the battle, in your mind, as you take every single thought and make it captive unto Christ.

Do you truly understand what this verse means? It translates so powerfully but simply: Every time you find yourself thinking or believing that you’re no good, you turn to the Scriptures and find out what God has to say about you. Instead of believing your own thoughts, or awful things spoken to you, you believe Christ.

Even in the case of sin, you can be obedient unto Christ in your thoughts. Admit it. Confess it. Repent. By God’s mighty grace and mercy, you will be forgiven. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), so any berating is not allowed.

Put this into practice, ladies! I can testify that I’ve seen the power of God’s truth at work on my soul. If need be, write it out. In one column, write down the thoughts in your head. In the second column, write down the Scripture truth. I’ll let you peak into my heart and head, to give you an example, but be sure to handle gently…

I’m not good enough; I need to do it better à His power is made perfect in my weakness!

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

I’d love to give you more examples, but this isn’t about me — it is about the power of Jesus and His truth. Take those thoughts and turn them toward Scripture truths. Try it!

Heavenly Father, we are so incredibly grateful for you Word and the power of the Holy Spirit to use it to change our lives. Help us, Lord, turn to you and not to ourselves for comfort or understanding. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

(Used with permission from Extravagant Grace )
You can read more from Elise on her website Extravgant Grace

Worship the Creator!

There are so many things in my life that I consider blessed by…for me my dogs are high on that list!  This is my littlest 4 legged family member. Abby brings so much joy to my life I cannot even explain it to you.

I believe God created animals for our pleasure and for our companionship.  He knew how hard our lives would be on this earth, He created them to help make our lives bearable when life just doesn’t seem bearable.  I know that there are people out there who do not get this and think that I am a little insane, after all I have 3 dogs, and I would have more if I could have more.

When life get’s rough for me my animals help me cope,  they sense when I am stressed or when I am sick and I can always count on them to provide some comic relief or they will just snuggle up to me as if to say “I’m here for you”!  Many of you have animals and know exactly what I am talking about.  There is something calming about snuggling up to my dogs (when I had cats it was the same).  I know that God created them for my pleasure.

So what part of creation brings you joy & causes you to Worship your creator?

Genesis 1

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

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

28 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.”

29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

Thanks for joining me this week!

Blessings

Cool book!

I just wanted to show you all a really neat book i got some time ago as a gift. It’s called “The cake decorator’s motif bible” . Inside this book is little fondant ideas with templates, for just about every occasion!  The templates can be copied and enlarged if needed, plus, they have great recipes and techniques in the front of the book, and letter templates in the back! A very useful book from page one.  best of all, it’s compact in size and has coil binding under the hard cover so it’s pages are east to turn and keep in place.

Have fun reading, and playing   And don’t forget to pop by my blog to enter to win some cupcake toppers you don’t have to make! Enter here

Journey of Truth – week 29

God’s Truth

Psalm 86:11 NLT

“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

Attitude Adjustment

Living in the truth–taking a journey of truth–is something our culture would consider a great accomplishment. Yet that opinion is be based on the belief that truth is subjective. To each his own. To believe what is good for me is good for me, and good for you is good for you.

As Christians, however, our journey of truth should be anything but subjective. If we proclaim that Jesus is our Savior, redeeming us from our sins, then we must exchange a subjective view of life for a submissive one. We must come under Christ’s authority, which means turning away from our own personal desires and declarations of truth and look toward His truth, alone!

In this verse, the Lord promises to teach us His way, which is the way of truth. He reminds us that we must have an undivided heart. We can’t both love our own selfish needs and perspectives, while also claiming to be following His way. My, oh my, what a challenge! But the Lord gives us the method for applying His teaching and accepting His truth. It is fear, not in the sense of frightened, but in the ability to revere the Lord–to have a total, awe-filling reverence for God and His ways. It is the place in our hearts where our will is bent toward His, our knees fall to the ground bruised by the speed in which we bow, as we look upon the Light of the Lord before us.

If we don’t know how to follow the Lord’s teaching, maybe it is because we don’t fear Him? Maybe it is because we think He is a big God of the universe, or a love bear of sorts, but not truly a God of judgment and mercy as well. Who is the God we say we know and love? There is only one way to find out. The Word. Open your Bible today and begin reading the Scriptures. Begin. Anywhere.

Though no one can go back and make

A brand new start, my friend,

Quite anyone can start from now

And make a brand new end.

~ source unknown ~

Lord Jesus, you are the giver of life, of truth, and of hope. Bend our souls to your ways and teach us to fear you alone. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

(Used with permission from Extravagant Grace )
You can read more from Elise on her website Extravgant Grace

And I will still worship…

If you are anything like me I’m sure you could list several obstacles or difficulties in your life that seem to be keeping you for what you really what from your life.  The reality is that it’s easy to complain about our lives rather than be thankful for what we do have.  Something I really have been challenged by lately is something I heard from my favorite movie “Facing the Giants”.  When faced with the reality that they may never have children the husband asks his wife a vital question…”If God never gives us children, will you still love Him?”

It really comes down to do we trust God with the outcome of our lives even though we do not like the process?  That is really tough for me, I like control & knowing the path I am taking but lately my path seems unknown and I feel like I am flying blind.  I am learning to say “Yes Lord, I will worship you, I will love you, I will trust you…even though my path seems unknown to me I will trust you with the direction my life is going.  Even though I don’t like the process, I know that what is happening to me is to teach me something valuable.  Is it easy to release control?  NO but it’s getting easier as I continue to hand control over to the Author & Finisher of my faith.

So let me ask you the tough question…what trials are you facing?  If He doesn’t give you what you are praying for, will you still love Him…worship Him?

Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose.”

I hope you have a blessed Sunday

Journey of Truth – week 28

God’s Truth

Philippians 2:17 NLT

“But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God.”

Attitude Adjustment

Picture a clear pitcher, filled with lemonade on a hot sunny day. Desperately you grab a glass and begin to pour forth thirst-quenching refreshment. Your mouth feels even drier as you anticipate the relief. Quickly, you gulp down the home-squeezed lemonade. Ahhh, you’ve been refreshed, renewed, restored.

Now, picture your life before God. You are the lemonade, but He makes it. He places it in the right container in order to be able to pour it forth. Not only is He is the lemonade maker, but He is also the pitcher owner and the pourer. Yet, in God’s economy, the pouring forth equates to an offering by you unto the Lord. The act of being willing to be made into something–being obedient to being poured out–is our act of sacrifice that is considered an offering to the Lord.

Let me ask you, do you know the hands that have made you? Are you letting them mold you and shape you? Are you saying “yes” to the pouring forth?

Heavenly Father, pour us forth, for your glory and as an offering unto you! Show us how this is truly the way to rejoice in you! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

(Used with permission from Extravagant Grace )
You can read more from Elise on her website Extravgant Grace