Archive for the ‘Praise’ Category

Trust and Obey

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture, Worship on November 14, 2006| 1 Comment »

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 your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB)

Before we became Christians we were in rebellion to God and were powerless.  After we become Christians we are still powerless in ourselves.  In order to be victorious we need to yield ourselves to God so that He can live His life through us.  He wants us to be His servants here on this earth to lead others to a saving knowledge of Christ.

So many time I’ve heard messages about letting Christ live through us. But, how do we actually do that?   Is it following a bunch of rules?  No, that’s not it.  That is legalism.  Is it trying our best?  I’ve heard many people say, “Oh, she is doing her best.”  Or, “He is a hard worker and trying.”  No, that’s not the answer either.  How about this one? “I’m going to do better!  That’s not it either.  You can’t do better on your own.  We have to actually die to ourselves and let the Holy Spirit live through us. 

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (NIV)

You see it isn’t about us.  It is about what the Lord wants us to do.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

We are to present ourselves to God as living sacrifices.  God now owns us and we are his possession.  How wonderful it is to know that He even wants us. 

The answer then to the question of how do we live this Christian life in power is to obey Christ.  We must do what He says.  The only way we can know what will please Him is to read and study the Bible and pray.  Do you have a time each day that you spend with Him?  If you don’t why not give it a try.  You will find that somehow God gives that time back to you and you still get just as much done.  You will be truly blessed.  You will discover how God wants you to live as you communicate with Him. 

As we walk the Christian life we will sin.  Everyone does.  Sin is disobedience to God.  When this happens it breaks our fellowship with the Lord.  At that instance we are back walking in the flesh, even though we are still a Christian.  That is called being carnal.  Many people who you see in church every week are actually carnal Christians.  That means they are Christians and on their way to Heaven, but they are out of fellowship with the Lord.  They are powerless.  I don’t think most of them even know of their sad condition.  They are spiritually ill.  Oh they still are busy as beavers.  They sing in the choir, lead Bible studies, participate in the music ministry, and are even leaders in the church.  A person can by busy for the Lord and still out of fellowship with Him.  However, their ministry and life will not be productive.  And, if they stay out of fellowship with God they will be disciplined. 

God has a solution to this illness. It is found in  I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  (NIV)  We must agree with God that what we did was wrong and He will wash us clean again and restore our fellowship with Himself.  Then we will be walking in the Spirit again and have His power to serve Him effectively.  That is why communication with God is so important.  He will keep us on track and we will know when we sin.

One way to think about how walking with God in obedience and power works is to compare it to a lamp.  God would be the power source.  The lamp is plugged in and then it can be effective and give off light.  Suppose you turn off the switch on the lamp.  The light goes out.  Well, that is what happens when we sin.  It is like turning the off switch.

When we are saved we are  plugged into God our power source.  The power that flows out from God to us is the Holy Spirit power.  When we are in fellowship the power flows and we can give out light to the world.  However, when we sin, the power goes off.  It is like turning the off switch on the lamp.  We cannot please the Lord when we are out of fellowship and we lose our power. When we confess our sins God turns the power back on for us.  We never lose our salvation, but we do lose our power.

I remember an old Christian Hymn, “Trust and Obey.” that speaks to this truth.

When we walk with the Lord
In the Light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.

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How Has God Helped You?

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Panic Disorder Support, Praise, Scripture, Testimonies on October 25, 2006| 1 Comment »

For myself, I can give all the credit to the Lord for allowing me to get better. As I studied the Word and, most importantly, applied it to my life I found relief. There are lots of verses that are special to me. Here is one of my favorites:Isaiah 41:13 (KJV) “For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”

Isn’t that a great verse? God said he will hold my hand when I’m fearful and not only that but will also help me. I clung to that verse many, many times. I took it to the dentist with me as I had oral surgery. I took it to bed with me as I laid awake in fear. That verse went with me as I got back to driving a car again. So many times I’d make a fist out of my right hand like I was holding onto someone’s hand. I was, it was Gods. God did comfort me, and I learned to depend on Him and not others or myself.

Click on comments below this post and share how God has helped you.

Blessings, Bonnie

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God Gives Help in Our Thought Life

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Praise, Scripture on September 15, 2006| 5 Comments »

Sometimes as we read the Word we think, “this is impossible, sure it sounds good but how do I do it?” We are struggling just to make it through the day. What about all those “what if” thoughts that plague us. The thoughts come and race through our heads with all kinds of scary senareos. A panic attack lurks around every corner. But wait, is this how God wants us to live? Not really. He wants us to live at peace with ourselves.

Suppose that God would create a baby and just plop it down somewhere here on earth to fend for itself. How long do you think that baby would last? Not very long I’m sure. But, God doesn’t work that way, he creates babies and gives them to mothers to care for and nourish them. That way the baby can grow and mature into a healthy person.

God knew that we could not fend for ourselves either after we become a new person in Christ, so he sent the Holy Spirit to live in each of us to help nourish and care for us. If you have made Jesus Christ Lord of you life then you have the Holy Spirit living in you.

Joh 14:15 If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, Joh 14:17 even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you.

With the help of the Holy Spirit we can be overcomers! We can conquer our troubled thought lives and have the fruit of the spirit, self-control.

Here is a wonderful scripture that helped me.

2Co 10:5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; (ASV)

He says we can cast down imaginations. Do you realize that a lot of the things we worry about and fret over are just our imaginations? They are things that never come to pass. We have a tendency to blow things out of proportion and think “what if” this or that happens. These thoughts can effect us physically by making our blood pressure rise, our hearts race, and our hands to perspire. God says we can cast these thoughts down. Just throw them out!

Also, he says we can bring into captivity our thoughts to the obedience of Christ.
Wow! When you capture someone or something it means you have them in your possession and you are in control. Isn’t that great! You would have self-control not the other way around where your thoughts are controlling you. I love this verse. It tells me that God has made a way so that our thoughts don’t have to control us.

If you have been experiencing panic attacks for some time you have most likely developed some bad thought habits. Take time out today to think about what you think about. Are they worry thoughts? Are you consumed with how you feel? Is every symptom or feeling multiplied? We have to learn to replace our bad thinking with good thinking. This takes time, but with prayer and help from the Holy Spirit we can do it.

God in his wisdom has told us what he wants us to replace those bad thought habits with.

Phi 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Phi 4:9 The things which ye both learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

As you examine your thoughts today you can see if they line up with the above. Are they true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, full of praise? If we can learn to think according to God’s will we can have God’s peace. Did you notice the things mentioned above are really a picture of Christ?

Col 3:2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.

As we set our minds on the things above we will get our thoughts off ourselves and find we are much more peaceful.

Pray and ask God for the wisdom you need to get a healthy thought life.

Jam 1:5 But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him

I pray this message will bless you hearts and minds today, and I welcome your comments.

Blessings,
Bonnie

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