Tag: word of God

Boldly Defeat Your Giants

“This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17: 47)

Hi Beloved! I hope you are having a blessed week! We are in the thick of winter and over here we are cold and covered in snow. I have to say, I used to loathe cold weather, but now I actually enjoy it! I don’t know when or how that change occurred, but since I live where it gets quite cold, I’ll take it!

Today, I wanted to write about one of my absolute favorite Bible stories! You might know it well. It is such an incredible story and provides us with such a great example of how to boldly defeat our own giants. You may already know where I’m going with this, it’s the story of David and Goliath! Let’s look at the entire fight scene in 1 Samuel 17.

“He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 

Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 

Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.” (1 Samuel 17: 40-51).

Whoa! Every time I read this story, I get so fired up and filled with faith! I just love how God uses the weak to confound the mighty. Goliath was a tall, strong, and mighty warrior. He was protected by thick armor and had a shield bearer with him. David on the other hand, was a young teen boy, with a bag of stones, sling, and a staff.

Don’t you just love David’s faith? The Bible says, once Goliath moved in to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. He was bold because he knew the battle was the Lord’s and that no matter how big this giant was, he would be victorious.

Today, we don’t face physical giants, but we might face giant health issues, financial issues, and relationship issues. Let’s have faith so great that we have no fear and we boldly run toward our giants armed with the name of the Lord and His promises.

Even when our giants come out yelling and boasting, when they are big, mighty, and covered in armor, even when we’ve seen others fall by their sword, remember that the battle is the Lord’s and you will triumph!

One of my favorite verses in this story is when David tells Goliath that the Lord will conquer him and then all the world will know that there is a God in Israel. Our victories will be a testimony to others that the Lord rescues His people. I pray that we will so bodly face and overcome any attack of the enemy that people will hear about the strength and power of our God and want to know more. We can be a remarkable example to the world in these times of ever-increasing giants.

Beloved, if you are facing a giant that seems impossible to defeat, meditate on this story, meditate on God’s word. The Lord is with you as He was with David. He is still protecting His people! If you want me to pray with you or for you, please reach out! May you be bold and empowered in the coming weeks. May the Lord bless you and keep you and your families! Amen!

Jesus Loves You,

Alexis

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. There are no greater commandments than these.'” (Matthew 22:36-40)

Hi Beloved! I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving. Now here we go, full steam ahead toward Christmas! During this busy time of year, let’s remember the true reason for the season. I know I get so caught up in Christmas preparations that I hardly take time to reflect on the birth of our precious Savior, but this year, I’m committed to making a conscious effort. And as the year comes to a close, I just want to share a message that has been on my heart.

We can probably all agree that 2020 has been a year of tremendous change. As Christians, we sometimes wonder how to respond to political, social, or economic upheaval. This year, we’ve been confronted with many serious issues and the solutions are not always clear. Disagreements and opposing opinions abound. Whether it’s regarding the pandemic, politics, or other current issues, it’s sometimes difficult to have a civilized conversation with someone that has a different opinion because everyone is so passionate about their position. It can be hard to understand why some people think or feel the way they do and we won’t all agree or understand each other at times. Nevertheless, the Lord wants us to remember His two greatest commandments. Above all, love Him and love others. Our response as followers of Christ should be love.

I want to focus on the second commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself, as that is typically the most difficult of the two. In Matthew 22:36-40, (see above) there are no stipulations. He didn’t say, love your neighbor as yourself, if they agree with you politically. Or love your neighbor as yourself, if they have the same beliefs, hobbies, or interests. Just love your neighbor as yourself. That doesn’t mean we have to love their ideas, words, or actions, but we should love the people.

Now, let’s look at what the bible says about how to love others. Romans 12:10 says, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Though it’s easier said than done, what would the world be like if we all put those principles into practice? Can you imagine? What an amazing place it would be! It may seem far-fetched, but we can do our part. Though we can’t control others, we can control our own actions and honor God by keeping His commandments. It won’t be perfect, we will stumble and make mistakes, but let’s pray for His perfect love to abound in our hearts. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7).

Beloved, as you reflect on the events of 2020 and look ahead to next year, be encouraged and filled with hope, even in these times of uncertainty. Let’s love and care for each other and remember that the Lord is our constant. Love Him and trust Him. He is still on the throne and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Jesus Loves You,

Alexis

The Word of The Lord is Life!

Bible

 “My child, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” (Proverbs 4:20-22)

Hi Beloved! I hope that you are having a blessed week! Things are getting a bit cooler in my neck of the woods, so it’s time to swap out the A/C for the heater and bring out the sweaters and boots! The crisp air also drives folks to the fireplace with a cup of coffee (or tea) and a good book. So, I thought I would write about the importance of reading “The Good Book”, as the bible is called. 🙂

Beloved, how much of the bible would you say you’ve read? It can definitely take time to read. It has 1,189 chapters and it is an amazing story! I think this is an area where most Christians greatly differ. Some have read the bible cover to cover (perhaps even twice, I know people who have done it!). Others have read only the New Testament or only the Old Testament. Others have followed along with their church study group, read a random chapter here and there, or gave up after selecting the King James version and getting a headache after reading a verse like, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) Pardon? Can you please repeat that one?

I fall somewhere in the middle. I haven’t read the entire bible. I have read the entire New Testament and am working on the Old Testament. Currently, I am reading 1 Samuel. Years ago, when I first started reading the bible, I started with Genesis 1:1. That works for some, but it didn’t work for me. I started to lose steam after a few chapters and stopped reading for a while. When I decided to get back to reading, I prayed about it first. I said, “Lord, I desperately want to read your word, but it can be so overwhelming! I don’t know where to start and sometimes it is hard for me to understand. Please give me wisdom and an open, hearing heart.”

When I prayed this prayer, I got the message to “see Jesus”. So, that is what I did. I went to the New Testament and I started reading all the chapters that had text in red. In most versions, the words of Jesus are in red. Reading about His grace and His miracles really motivated me. I started reading more and more and then I read the whole New Testament. I even started to truly understand and this kept me going!

Why is reading the bible so important? What are the benefits? Reading the word of God gives us hope, wisdom, strengthens our faith, improves our physical health and can be used as a weapon against the enemy.

Gives us hope: Romans 15:4 says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” The word has many beautiful promises from God for both this life and after. When we read the word, our hope is renewed as we remember how much he loves us, that he will never leave us or forsake us, and that he is always on our side.

Gives us wisdom: 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” The word of God teaches us and trains us in the way we should go. It gives us knowledge and wisdom to see and understand things differently than the world.

Strengthens our faith: Romans 10:17 says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” When we keep hearing the word of the Lord, we are encouraged by stories of David, Elijah, Elisha, and the Apostles. We remember that we can accomplish all things through Christ who strengthens us!

For our physical health: Matthew 4:3 says, “The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Food alone cannot sustain us. The word of God is nourishment to our bodies. It’s life and health to our spirits and our flesh.

As a weapon: Esphesians 6:17 says, “..and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When we know the promises of God, we can stand firm against the enemy’s attacks. He is the Father of Lies, but with the word of the Lord in our arsenal, we have the power to speak life and completely shut him down.

Beloved, I encourage you to increase your bible reading for the rest of this year. Make a commitment, through the end of 2019, to read more. If you aren’t reading it at all, start by reading ten minutes per day. If you are already reading 30 minutes, increase to 45. If you are reading an hour, increase by 15 minutes. If we focus on the word, I believe we will see miraculous things happen in our lives. Our long-awaited prayers will be answered, we will see healing, and any mountains in our lives, will become mole hills.

I’m going to challenge myself as well. I have been falling behind lately. I have a reminder on my phone that says, “Read Your Bible” everyday at 9:00 pm. Usually, I snooze it because I am “busy” and promise to get to it later. Sometimes, later never comes. Then the next morning, I think, “Well, I just didn’t have enough time yesterday”. But then I remember the 45 minutes I spent on YouTube…..oops. The truth is that there is always time! We can wake up a little earlier, spend a little less time on social media, or go to bed just a little bit later. Spending extra time with the Lord in prayer or in His word, is never time wasted and something you will never regret. If you don’t have a bible, download a free app. If you don’t know where to start, pray for wisdom. If you can’t quite understand the language, switch to a more modern version. So, are you with me!? Let’s do this!

Beloved, I am always here to pray with you, for you, or even just to chat! Please feel free to reach out at any time. Remember, you are deeply loved, richly blessed, and highly favored.

Jesus Loves You,

Alexis