When the Lights Flicker

It never fails. If there is time, I try my best to properly prepare.

I make every effort to stay abreast of the latest forecasts. And at the thought of an impending storm, I go through my house to make sure certain things, especially those regarding the possible absence of power, are in place.

I plug in my computer, phones, tablets, and portable chargers in the event of an extended power outage.

Nobody likes to be without the things they depend on for day-to-day functioning. When disruptions occur with no ability to plug in, we can feel incapacitated and at a loss. We often don’t realize how important our power source is until it’s no longer available.

Thankfully, there is one power source we can always plug into. We can connect, without interruption, to the Word of God. And whenever we feel at a loss in life, unsure of which way to go, God’s Word will always be there to supply the illumination we need.

Even if you do not understand all that you are reading, we are invited to ask God in faith for wisdom, and He will happily supply (James 1:5-6).

Many circumstances can cause our lights to flicker, but we never have to be without light or the power source that supplies it: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Power lines can get severed by winds and branches falling on them, but God’s Word will never fall or be disconnected. It will always be relevant and the “right-now” source to turn to at all times, for all things.

“Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word,” (Psalm 119:114).

If you enjoyed this morsel of motivation, feel free to click on the articles below for more inspiration.

Many blessings to you~

Where you plug in, where you get your resources and information, your inspiration for life, matters more than most people realize. Fill your life and thoughts with useless fillers, and you remain empty. But if you get connected to true power, you can run this race and fulfill the destiny God has ordered for you. Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). In God’s Word, there is truth, revelation, and power! Get connected!

If there was ever a time when we needed to drown out the world’s noise and build ourselves even more in the Word of God, that time is now! When fear tries to speak, make God’s Word louder! Magnify what the Lord says in your life and declare His truth.

God’s Word will illuminate your life. God’s Word is the answer to all. Every question, every choice, every pondering of the spirit finds an answer covered in the “inspiration of God.”

In many dark times, the Word is what shines a light brighter than any sun.  In the Word, we find comfort, solace, and peace no matter the prisons that try to hold us.

Top Text Free Image by DasKIAS from Pixabay

The Promise of New

Friend, is your heart leaping in anticipation? Do you get butterflies tingling in your tummy with the heartbeat racing at the idea of something new? New is exciting. New comes with expectation. Some days, when our eyes open in the morning, it is easy to see the freshness and beauty. But other days may not seem so glorious as bad news spreads, world upsets are made prominent, and the disease of sin runs rampant. On days like this, one can almost hear the unpleasant groaning of creation (Rom. 8:22), and you can almost hear the cry for restored order and healing. And it will come. Any ugliness and dreariness of sin and decay today will all give way to the promise of the new that is to come. We are encouraged that things will not remain as they are now, with the Word encouraging us, saying, “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'” (Revelation 21:5, ESV). We will, without a doubt, see the promise of the new.

~ Word for Life Says

“God’s Voice Over All!”

Faith has never been about or worked by seeing what it is believing for first. Faith works independently of the visible. What true faith does is it grabs hold of and grounds itself with confidence that says, if God said it, that’s what I choose to believe. If His Word promotes something as true, then it must be true. End of discussion.

And yet, a discussion is often what we deal with. It comes through voices and ideas that speak contrary to what faith was hoping for. It speaks against what faith was believing for.

Today, refuse to enter those discussions. If “faith is the substance of things hoped for” then we must be mindful of what conversations are feeding our faith.  Communications with others, or even within one’s own self that speak doubt will sow seeds of discord against what God’s Word has already spoken to be true.

Refuse their arguments and hold on to that pull of God, that drawing of His voice that says, to just trust Him.  Trust what He says. Trust that His conversation, written in His Holy Book, is the one we need to draw an attentive ear to.  

If they could, many conversations of this world would pull you from His conversation of truth. But, hold on to what God says, dear friend, as if it is your life preserver in these tumultuous waves. Because it is.

If you keep your heart steadfastly focused on Him you will not soon be moved. Just as sure as He is, so are the beautiful things His Word promises us.

Where have you placed your confidence today? From upon what have you built your foundation of faith? Whose conversation is your ear giving more time to? And, whose words are feeding and supporting all that you believe?

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for.” Conversations contrary to that supporting faith – turn a deaf ear to, for they are not nourishing you where you need to be nourished. Those words are not building you where you need to be built.

Refuse their invitation to get involved with them, because when you are a child of God, what the Father speaks is what I need to hear the most. The best support system one can find, who is truly trying to live a life of faith, is going to be found in what God affirms as true in His Word. Get into agreement with Him.  Get into agreement with what He declares for your life and over your life, and avoid all other toxic discussions, for they will not profit you or your spiritual journey. 

Draw near to what God says.  Take every bit of it to heart and build your faith upon it.  In His Word resides the confirmation of everything you need. In His speaking, your faith will be made strong.   

~Blessings!

Please Note: Ads below or referenced on this site are prefabricated and mass-produced (of which I currently have no control over) and DO NOT necessarily represent the views and/or beliefs of this site and its admin.

Wisdom’s Ways | Words to Live By

They say 10,000 steps a day helps to promote a healthier you. How healthier would our inner man be if our daily steps, our daily living, were marked by wisdom’s ways?

“My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦’𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤; 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐮𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞.” Proverbs 4:10-12, NLT

Beware of the Questioning

 

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1

Beware of the questioning. Though it may not seem like a very big deal in the beginning, it can lead to pondering, pondering to more questioning along with human analyzing, doubt, and then disobedience and sin. Deception has always been the enemy’s calling card, but adhering to and following the truth of what God says will keep you: “His [God’s] truth shall be thy shield and buckler,” (Psalm 91:4). It will protect you, hold you, and guard you against the minefield of ungodly questioning and its consequences:

“Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life,” Genesis 3:23-24.

Guard your heart with truth so that you will be able to partake of the Tree of Life:

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7

“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:14

Following the way of truth will keep your heart secure in the Word of God and His promises.

Truth Bible Verses:

Psalm 25:5 – “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”

Psalm 119:160 – “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”

John 8:32 – “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 16:13 – “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

Ephesians 6:14 – “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

“Your Truth is My Shield”

“A Truth You Must Know”

“Stand for Truth”

Make God’s Word Louder!

 

With arms loaded with bags, I walk toward my car in the grocery store parking lot.  I have been jumping about from store to store all day and the exhaustion is wearing on me.  Daily tasks, daily chores, and daily work – we all have them.  Life does not allow us to be sedentary.  So, off we go on the adventure and calling of the day’s demands.

Carrying my bags, I approached the car when a gentle reminder of God’s presence appeared to me.  There, bouncing about underneath, a little sparrow getting on with his day reminds me of the sovereign and omniscient hand of the Lord in my life.  The thought of Him that knows the life of that little sparrow knows me also, even to the point that all the hairs on my head are numbered, fills me with encouragement.

Jesus, Himself, tells us, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31). 

Yet, many awake to experience news that shatters and devastates their day.  And in the middle of it all, fear tries to have a voice.  Through uncertain and unsettling times, fear tries to magnify itself. 

But I want to encourage you today, no matter how many bags of stuff you are carrying and no matter how hard the work of life before you may be, make God’s Word louder!  If there was ever a time when we needed to drown out the world’s noise and build ourselves even more in the Word of God, that time is now!

God’s Word contains the perfect recipe for a well-ordered life, with its challenges and successes.  Our response and reaction to the times we live in are found in the perfect truth written in those pages.  It is always right and always true, not only for the days in which it was physically written but for today as well.  God’s Word never goes out of style.  The psalmist said, “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever” (Psalm 119:160). 

What that means for us is it is never faulty (Psalm 33:4) and it will never fail (Joshua 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56). 

So, Jesus speaks comfort in the Word against the chaos around, and He speaks faith and strength against fear.  His word can build you up (Acts 20:32), encourage you, and save you if you let it (James 1:21).  Paul taught, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Colossians 3:16).  Fill yourself with more of Him.  The more we are filled with the Word, the less room we have in our being for junk.  A healthy Christian fills his/her appetite with the good, nourishing power of the Word of God: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16). 

Friend, make God’s Word louder in your life.  One surefire way to do that is to get it into your heart richly, overflowing His joy, truth, peace, and comfort in your life. 

Here are some promises of assurance to store in your heart and turn up the volume of your faith today to make God’s Word louder against all the other noise you hear:

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” – Isaiah 41:10

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:” – Isaiah 26:3, 4

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” – Proverbs 3:5-8

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31

Who indeed?  Friend, there are so many written promises God has deposited and inspired in His Word that I cannot possibly write them all here.  But if you desire more, and I hope that you do, just read the Word, for the whole of His Holy Book speaks of Him and His promises both now and forever.

His Word is speaking louder against the troubles we see.  It is saying, that He is with us and that we don’t have to be afraid: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Believe it.

Christ is Our Life

 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:4

Presence is powerful and so is present. He whose presence is presently with you is our powerful force to lean upon through life’s challenges and adversities.

When I hear the word “is,” I see it as a fact, and I see it as present, whatever is being referred to.  Reading in the first part of Colossians 3:4, the words, “Christ, who is our life…” stuck out to me, begging me to do a further investigation because “Christ is our life”, is #1, a fact, and #2, the reality of it is very true right now.

Often, the threatening tides that arise from storms in this life have a way of overwhelming people.  But when people are secure in truth, how much better they will be when riding through the uncertainties of life?

Because situations and circumstances may entertain thoughts of uncertainty, there is one thing we can be rock solid sure of, and that is if you are a believer in Christ, and your life is hidden with Him (Colossians 3:3), then He is fact and presently your life today.  There is no variance in this truth.  There are no ifs and buts.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6).  He is our life!

This is so important for us to get into our hearts.  We will not escape this life without being challenged by hurts, pain, disappointments, and trials.  Jesus assured us they will come (John 16:33; see also 1 Peter 4:12).  It is what we decide to do with them that matters.  It is the filter we use to process them that will make all the difference.

I must confess, I am an avid coffee drinker.  Through my years of enjoying this simple pleasure, I have had incidents with certain filters that tried to ruin the experience of my morning cup.  These filters didn’t strain the coffee in the way I was accustomed to.  Which is but one of the reasons I normally don’t order coffee out.  I, 99% of the time (give or take), will make my own because I am very specific about how I want my cup to taste (admittedly, I do pack a coffee machine and coffee in my luggage when I travel because I want to make it myself, the way I like it).

For our lives and the challenges we face, we need to be even more specific.  Our filter of choice matters because it will help you to clear out what is not true so that you can enjoy the pureness of what is.  Knowing that Christ is our life, allowing that truth to separate fact from fiction, will help us to endure challenging times because it is not only again, fact, but it also assures us it is our present truth.

In the middle of hardships, both things are difficult to see and remember.  Troubles can be like walking through thick fog where it’s challenging to see clearly, so you become disoriented about the truth of your position.  But again, Jesus speaks, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”

He is our life.  That’s our position now that we are in Him.  Everything we hope for today and tomorrow in the believer’s life is founded and based upon the truth that Jesus Christ is our Lord.  He is the filter through which we must process every experience, every high and low.  The Apostle Paul verified this by saying, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). 

Because of what Christ has done on the cross.  Because of this life of faith that we now are secured in – everything, every challenge, every adversity, has Christ as our filter because He is our life.  Whatever speaks against that ultimate truth is a lie.

If you have had the experience of being saved and making Jesus Christ Lord of your life, then yes, you may still face difficult days, but what those days appear like will not always be how it is.  The Bible tells us, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). 

We can stand boldly today because we know upon Whom we stand: Jesus, the Savior of our life and our soul.  Let Him be the light you look to, and the hope you rest upon every day. 

“For in him we live, and move, and have our being…” (Acts 17:28).  “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9, 10). 

Jesus is the answer for our salvation, our help, our healing, our worries, and our woes (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew 4:23-24; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 5:7; John 14:1; Matthew 11:28-30).  He is our life and the unshakable hope upon which we stand.  That is a right now fact.

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” – 1 John 5:11

“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:17

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” – John 1:4

“Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” – John 14:19

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10

“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” – 1 John 5:12

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” – John 20:31

“Your Truth is My Shield!”

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“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:4

Lies swirl in all directions like tornados set on a rampage. Cities, countries, and people are ripped apart due to their devastating results. But it is truth that steps in and says, “Not so.”

Not so, because God’s Word, God’s truth says something more than the destruction seen. Truth declares the truth, and nothing else. What He, the Father, has spoken, is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Lies have been in the enemy’s playbook since the beginning, but truth beckons us to lean into what it says, apply it to our lives, and let it be our shield and guard.

When we open the pages of truth, we see in it something beautiful and fantastic. We see as it was always meant to be. Where lies seemed to have destroyed, truth steps in to reveal more: more love, more right, more restoration.

Lies produce ugly results, whereas truth will introduce peace, joy, love, happiness, and all those other beautiful fruits the Spirit ushers into our lives.

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” Colossians 3:2. Set your heart on His unfailing truths that will never falter, or fail, or fade. It will always stand the test of time and the testing of anything we will ever face.

This world, and all the lies it fosters, will all be as nothing. Truth stands read today to take its place in your life so that you can have the best life possible, right now, in Him. Let His truth be your shield today and combat all the lies that are around.

“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” Proverbs 30:5

Psalm 25:5 – Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”

Psalm 119:160 – “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”

John 8:32 – “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 16:13 – “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

Ephesians 6:14 – “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

Articles Worth Reading:

“Stand for the Truth!”

“Study Him!”

“We Who Know God”

“Walking Through the Gate”

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com articles/lessons/worksheets may not be copied or redistributed without the express written permission of WordforLifeSays.com.  Please see the COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.  Blessings to you.

Please Note: Ads below or referenced on this site are prefabricated and mass-produced (of which I currently have no control over) and DO NOT necessarily represent the views and/or beliefs of this site and its admin.

The Treasure of Years

“With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.” Job 12:12

Culture bulks at the idea of aging.  Instead of embracing and welcoming the wisdom of years, it’s fought against from the outside in.

I must ask, how much do we value those who have had many years that have walked the paths of this earth before us?  Previously, I wrote:

“Elderly wisdom is a treasure unlike the words we read in books.  It’s a life of experience that takes time to sit with you and care for you just to invest in your future.  Elderly wisdom has seen it all and has been through it all and can show you the paths to walk that they have already tested ahead of you.

Their words are not to be shunned or taken lightly with a roll of the eyes.  With a life well lived, they have nothing to lose by telling you the truth of how it is and how it should be.  Deaf ears be wary of missing their words for it may be the sentence where you find hope, healing, and direction to stay on the right path.” (Elderly Wisdom)

One thing I really dislike is when people out and out disrespect the senior members of our society.  If we were able to view the whole of their past lives, oh what a story they could tell us.  Many today think they live on the edge of adventure, and have more, and know more, but I reckon we don’t have anything on those who have gone before us.  They are our pioneers if you will, and although we may have the technology and all the amenities these modern marvels bring us, this precious group has so much more.  There is a treasure in the years they carry and if we will allow ourselves to listen, they could instill some very beautiful nuggets of truth and wisdom in our lives.

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com articles/lessons/worksheets may not be copied or redistributed without the express written permission of WordforLifeSays.com.  Please see the COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.  Blessings to you.