The Way I See

I have been participating in a bible study "Faithful Abundant True" Going Deeper Still and I wanted to share some insite into a verse that I have known practically ALL my life. I know some of you are thinking "That's a LONG time". HaHa! The verse I am talking about is Ephensians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." Yeah, yeah, God's a powerful God. BUT - do you really see what this is saying??? I know through the years I have used this verse to try to encourage other believers about what they were praying for but I suddenly relized that I do not use this verse for me.

Let's reread it and apply it to me "Now to him who is able to do (for ME)immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within ME". WOW - new perspcetive. God intended for me to automatically place the "for me" in that promise. I am God's child and therefore so important to him. Romans 8:32 says "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

Let's not just read the words of the bible daily - but let's see the truths that God has made available to us and lay claim to those truths. I'm tired of seeing me through my eyes. I want to see me through God's eyes and see just how truly loved and important I am to him. He made each and every one of us and knew us before we were born. He loves each one and wants daily to "give us all things" as we grow daily in him.

Ask God to transform your vision and your mindset toward God's word and His promises. I know That is now my prayer.

~Debbie~

Merry Christmas!!

Let me be one of the first to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas!!

I hope you have all you wish for during this holiday season. Quality time with family, time to celebrate with good friends, and a calm sense of peace that only comes from keeping this time of year in perspective. Remember while the gifts are nice to give and receive it will mean more to your loved ones for you to enjoy being with them.

Please take time this December to remember why we are celebrating and it doesn't really envolve anyone in a red suit who is in much need of a good shave. The real reason is remembering that God's love was shown to us with the birth of his one and only son. Given to us so that we could be restored to God through his sacrifice.

Merry Christmas!

~Debbie~

Living a Life of Purity

How do we live a life of purity? It begins with a choice. You have to choose to walk in purity after you surrender your life to Christ. Notice I said SURRENDER. Too many people today want to live for Christ but want to live like the world at the same time. You must make a choice to surrender your life, your desires, your dreams and live your life in Christ by following His desires for you and fulfilling His dreams for your life. That includes living a life of purity, which is a life free of sin or disobedience toward God.

Romans 8:7 says, “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” (NIV) This sounds like there is no way for us to succeed in living a life of purity. BUT - Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—THINK about such things.” (NIV) It takes an effort and a choice daily on our part to live this way. The reward is great. It is peace of mind, living without guilt and it IS attainable. God himself will even help us if we turn to Him and lean on His understanding. Galatians 5:16 says, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (NIV)

Let’s choose to live a life of purity.

~Debbie~

Forgotten Virtue ~ Purity

Purity ~ freedom from sin or guilt

I love so much the freedom we have been given by the work that our Savior did on the cross. No longer do we have to carry the weight and burden sin leaves behind. Guilt we lay down and freedom we pick up.

Due to the price He paid and the value of the gift He has given, we should be highly motivated to live a life of purity. We should fight for and cherish every ounce of purity we have received. When we surrender our lives, ask our Father to come in and take over, we are set apart. Our lives are now worth so much more than just the sum of ourselves. We become a part of Him and His cause…which was to save that which was lost. Now, if some kind of change did not happen on our part, if we didn’t turn from our sin and turn toward our God then what was His sacrifice for? We are to example the beauty of His work in our lives. When we don’t turn to the things of this world to bring fulfillment, when we have peace in the midst of a storm, when our lives are running on all cylinders…people take notice. There is a natural pull toward you and people wonder what’s different? Then you have the perfect opportunity to share the love, grace and mercy of our King.

See the importance of holding your purity captive…to place high importance on preserving every ounce? Fight, resist, flee from sin and run ever so fast toward our God.

~ Terica

Living a Life of Integrity

How many times is it easier in life to compromise instead of standing strong and keeping your integrity intact?

I think it is impossible to maintain your integrity without God’s help. According to Psalm 41:12, even King David knew that he needed God’s help to uphold his integrity. “In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.”

God accompanied David throughout his life. David recognized that on his own he was not worthy but with God’s mercy he lived a life of victory over his enemies. In Psalm 25:11, David prays “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.” Realize today that on your own you will never be able to live that life of integrity and pray the same prayer that David prayed in Psalm 25. Rest assured that God will “uphold you and set you in His presence forever”(Psalm 41:12).

~Debbie~

INTEGRITY

In looking for examples of INTEGRITY we can go to the book of Job and read what God says about him in Job 2:3 “Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

Job is where we will read this week. Take a look at Job’s response to all the people in his life as they “try to help him”.

Proverb 11:3 says “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”

Proverbs 13:6 says “Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.”

Integrity is when your behavior (the way you live) matches your beliefs (or what you say you believe). It is time we stand up and become women of INTEGRITY!!!

Loyalty In Relationships

It is amazing when you think about it how many relationships we go through in our lifetime. Acquaintances we make through school, work, our children’s activities, church become friends and for a while are important in our lives. While we have a common thread we are loyal to these relationships. But as you think about it, those people come and go in and out of our live. Why is that? I feel it is the common thread that holds us together for a season and then fades away. Years later we may run into them again and old feelings are stirred up within and we wonder why we lost touch. If you begin to break it down it is the common thread.

What are the common threads in your relationships today? Are they lasting or only fleeting? Do we keep them as long as we feel good about them? In today’s society everything screams for us to be happy and satisfied, so when our feelings waiver so do our relationships. I don’t think that this is good – nor can it continue and have a healthy society. God wants us to be happy but we are not to base that happiness on people or circumstances around us. We are to base that happiness and fulfillment on our relationship with God Himself. He is the common thread that our relationships can be built on. I love how the relationship between Jonathan and David was built on their pact before the Lord. Their love for each other was built on their love of the Lord. They could go for long stretches of time without seeing each other but when they came together it was to help each other, to encourage each other, to set aside circumstances and family to be loyal to each other.

Ruth is another example of loyalty in her relationship with Naomi, her Mother-in-law. All Naomi’s family was gone but two daughter-in-laws and one left to stay with her family, while Ruth remained loyal to Naomi and traveled away from her family and all that was familiar to her to support and take care of her Mother-in-law. Without knowing what the outcome would be, she remained true. Isn’t it amazing that through that loyalty to her Mother-in-law, God gave her a new wealthy husband and also sent His son, the Messiah, through her lineage.

Let us be so in tune with God that we allow relationships to be born through our Heavenly Father and not of our own selfishness. God will surround you with people that love him as much as you love Him if you build your relationship strong with God, Himself.

~Debbie~