In The Shadow of Thine Wings

The hardest times in our lives are when we're put through trials. We all know we're tested, pushed to our limits. Sometimes it seems that we might not make it through. It seems too hard, too much to handle.
It is in these times that we need to reach out to God for help. We typically go to everyone else for support before we think of going to God. We should go to him first, for he will help us and guide us. But that can be hard to do. We feel as if the world is coming down on us, everything is upside down. How will we ever make it through?

"The Lord looks down from heaven, he sees all the children of man, from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the heart of them all and observes all their deeds... Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may DELIVER their soul from death and keep the alive in famine... For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you." Psalms 33:13-15, 21-22.

"Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord." Psalms 32:10

"When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of their troubles. The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalms 34:17-18

"In my distress I called upon the Lord, to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears... He rode on a cherub and flew, he came swiftly on the wings of the wind." Psalms 18:6,10

"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful for my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by." Psalms 57:1-2

If we trust in him, he will take care of us. Never lose hope, for there is always light in the darkness.

We've All Sinned

I'm back! It took a long time coming. Back in May my boyfriend broke up with me, and when I was hurting instead of turning to God for help I just turned away. While I still attended service and went through the motions, my heart wasn't in it. But today, for the first time in three months I picked up my Bible again and began to read. The passage hit me and I realized it was exactly what I needed to see.

"Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what was evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgement...Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart...Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore me to the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit." Psalms 51:3-4, 6, and 10-12.

We've all sinned, and God knows that. He gave us a way to get back on the road to righteousness. Depending on yourself is no fun or easy task, and we shouldn't have to! Christ is there for us, calling and imploring me come to him. It's a tricky world out there, why encounter it alone?

Standing Strong in the Armor of God

Standing strong...this phrase reminds me of little David. He was the youngest of the family and a mere shepherd. He was even too small to wear the King's armor for protection. The giants laughed, the army shook their heads in disapproval. What was a kid doing on the battle field? This was a man's place, not a little shepherds. David, dispite everything, killed Goliath, with a single stone. David had to stand strong, a tremble in his hand could have resulted in the stone flying horribly off target. He kept his eyes on the goal, pulled back the slingshot, and a few seconds later the giant lay dead while Israel celebrated.

Was David scared? Probably. But what did he have that the giant didn't? David had God by his side. He stood strong and Israel won a victory because of it. We are fighting a similar battle against giants 10x bigger then we are. We are fighting loss, envy, disapointment, anger, and many other giants that seem too big for us. Even with God by our side how are we supposed to fight such big giants?

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:10

Armor of God? If you look at Ephesians 6:14-17. Fasten the belt of truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, put on the shoes of readiness to spread the gospel of peace, arm yourself with the shield of faith, place the helmet of salvation, and wield the sword of the spirit. Once you're ready to arm yourself you can "...extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one..." (vs. 16)

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:13

Stand strong, suit up, prepare to meet your adversaries on the battlefield, and trust Him always to stand by your side.

"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." 1 Cor. 16:13

Pressing on to the Goal

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." -Phil. 3:14

Have you ever had a goal? Something you wanted and worked hard to get? Maybe you're like me and organize your life into To-Do lists with lots of daily goals. At one time or another we've all had something we wanted so badly that we would do everything in our power to get it. Maybe a vacation? Car? College? Computer? Lose 10 pounds?

While having earthly goals is a great way to stay on track (it's actually recommended!), do we have goals to get us to heaven? Little (maybe big!) things or changes we can do in our daily life to help us, and those we love, get to heaven? For some it might be easy, for others it could be hard. We all have our own problems to overcome. And we will stray from the path, more times then not we will stray many times.

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one- to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." -Isaiah 53:6

"For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." 1 Pet. 2:25

Anyone can stray, but not all people turn back to Christ. Anyone can endure hard times, but the people who learn something and walk away a better person are the people who we need to be like. We need to seek God in our hard times, we're all going to have them, so why not prepare? Seek him, get back on the straight and narrow, stick to your goals, press on.

"But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." -Deut. 4:29

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Cor. 4:8-9

If you keep your eyes on the goal, you will not stray from it. If you keep your eyes on Christ, you may stumble, but you will never fall. Don't get discouraged at a bump in the road, focus on the road winding ahead and where it leads. With Christ by your side, you can do anything.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." -Phil. 4:13

Today write out your goals, stick them on a mirror or in your bible. Seeing your goal and what you want to accomplish will help you stay on track. Remember, I can do all things through Christ and keep your eyes on the goal.

How to Study the Bible

Study the Bible? Sounds hard. And it is. Like anything in life you have to work hard for it. In a sermon I heard on the coast once the preacher said, "Of course the Bible is hard to study! Studying is hard!" We do it in school and college and think we're done with the reading and note taking. But we're never done. Shouldn't we study God's word as diligently as we would as if for a upcoming test? Ezra did.

"For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and at teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." -Ezra 7:10

"I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens." -Ecc. 1:13

The great men of old knew how important it is to study the word of God. We need to read our B.I.B.L.E. (basic instructions before leaving earth). How can we know God's plan or his rules for our life? Can you teach a chemistry class without ever picking up the textbook?

"The greater one's faith the more diligent will be his search for understanding of the divine message." -Jimmy Thomas

"The works of the Lord are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered" -Psalms 111:2-4

David praises the words of the Lord here, shouldn't we feel the same? Sometimes it is hard to know what to do or where to read. For me, as long as I have a highlighter, I'm good to go. But here's a couple tips from a Truth Tract by Jimmy Thomas with lots of good points and tips. It definitely helped me!

1. Accept the Bible as the Word of God.

2. Expect to understand the Bible. It's not a hard, complicated book. It was written by fishermen for the comman person so that all would understand!

3. Love the truth. " That which one loves, he seeks and, if he can obtains. If he hungers and thirsts after righteousness he shall be filled." -Matt. 5:6

4. Desire to do God's will.

5. Have an open mind.

6. Study for the right reasons.

7. Study diligently. "This book of the law shall not depart out of my mouth, but thou shalt meditate there on day and night, that thou mayest observe to di according to all that is written." Josh. 1:8. "Oh how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day." Psalms 119:97

8. Study methodically. Have a study plan and stick to it. You can find them online and sometimes in the back of your bible.

9. Regard the divisions of the Bible. New and Old, book by book, chapter by chapter.

10. Consider the context. Who is speaking? Who is being adressed? Whats being discussed?

11. Accept all that is given on each subject. Form an opinion on not once verse, but all on the subject.

12. Take the Bible for what it says.

You will reap from the benefits of bible study. You will grow in knowledge, wisdom, and your relationship with Christ.

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." -2 Cor. 4:16

Try it out, start a bible plan. Once you dive in it's not as hard as it seems. You will reap the benefits for the rest of your life.

The Lord Hears

Our prayers are never in vain. Though sometimes it feels that way. All of us, at one time or another, have prayed and wondered whether God heard. In a society with immediate answers and information it's harder and harder to wait. Why be patient? Why can't God answer immediatly? And He does, but not always the way we want it.

A couple months ago gospel evangelist, at our church, said something that really caught my attention. "God always answers," He said, "He answers yes, no, and wait." I love this. And it is so true. Most of the time we don't want to hear "wait" we want to hear "yes, is there anything else I can do?" Especially during hard and trying times. We just want to be delivered out of the trials and tribulations. We want our spiritual lifeguard to save us, a drowining christian in a sea of troubles.

"When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." -Psalms 35:17-18

The Lord isn't going to deliver you out of your problems immediatly, but he will help you. He wants to guide and direct, not be the overprotective parent. We are on earth to learn, and grow, and trust in Him and His word.

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." -1 Cor. 10:13

This means we are stronger than we think. We can endure hard times, with him. And he hears us and answers our cries of help. He would never let us drown. We can't lose hope, even if He tells us to wait. Keep praying through your hard times, God will deliver you.

My Strong Tower

"You are my strong tower
Shelter over me
Beautiful and mighty
Everlasting King
You are my strong tower
Fortress when I'm weak
Your name is true and holy
And Your face is all I seek" ~KUTLESS

This is a beautiful song, especially since it's particularily inspiring. Do you have a special place you go to seek refuge? Maybe a quiet spot by the river where you like to take a favorite book? Or an overstuffed sofa with a view of the rolling fields? God knows a place for us to go. He incourages us, to trust him and seek shelter in him, where he would protect us.

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings." Psalms 36:7

God offers safety and comfort "in the shadow of his wings". This reminds me of childhood and being held by my parents when I was scared, letting them protect me and guide on what to do next. If you take refuge in God, he will protect you, everytime.

"The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him." Psalms 37:39-40

God is asking for us to do our part, too. Seek him, diligently, with all your heart and he will protect you. He will be your strong tower. Brokenhearted? Seek him. Oppressed? Seek him. Depressed, scared, worried, unsure of what to do? Seek him.

"The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in time of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you." Psalms 8:9-10

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." -Matthew 6:33

For in darkness, you will see the light. Let God take your burdens for you, let him take you into his wings and become your strong tower. There is no darkness so black, or pit so deep that God cannot help you. While it may seem hard, just to give up your burdens, it is possible. But who will take care of it? God will. Just give yourself, your WHOLE self to him.

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him." 2 Chronicles 16:9