Change of Plans | Fuel For The Weekend

Welcome back friends to another blog post to fill up your tank this weekend! Are you running on empty? Have you been feeling a little low on energy, a little discouraged or unsettled? Do not fear! God is with us and He is helping us and He is for us! We are going to talk about how our plans may change in big or small ways but God's Plan will always remain. His plan does not change and He knows every detail of every moment of every single day of your life. What an incredible God we serve! Amen?

My childhood friend lives far away and this week she is here in Indiana. We wanted to see each other so we planned to meet for supper one night and that did not work out, due to an illness in the family. We rescheduled for breakfast with just the two of us and that did not work out either, due to another illness in the family. As much as our plans said we wanted to see each other, if only for a quick hug, it just was not going to happen. And that's okay because we are still friends and that will never change. We communicate regularly, pray for one another and our families, and sometimes in life, our best laid plans just do not happen.

Here in southern Indiana, we had some cold weather, ice, a little snow, and a lot of rain. The temperatures are hovering around freezing, but it is not too bad. I decided to go get myself some breakfast this morning after I dropped my son off at school. I knew I had a lot to do today and I need to get some work done this afternoon for the company I work for, so I stopped at Starbucks.

I got a delicious breakfast sandwich, a chocolate croissant, and a mocha cookie crumble frappucino.

I will be working on my frappucino for a little while. As I eat breakfast and sip on my frappe I am just meditating on God's Word and how sometimes we plan good things, like a breakfast out with a friend, and it doesn't happen, or (and honestly this part is what I am thinking about this morning) how we plan our future, assume the job will work out, the finances will be there, and then when it doesn't happen, it is easy to become angry, frustrated, insecure, and then doubt sets in. I don't want to operate from a place of fear or insecurity so I have been talking to God about my current job situation and what my future will look like after mid-March!

God reminded me of Joshua. God gave Joshua a big job to do. Let's read it together:

DEUTERONOMY 31:23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel unto the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.

In the book of Numbers, we know that God told Moses to send men out to search the land of Canaan that He was giving to the children of Israel. So Moses did that and Joshua and Caleb were two of the men that went to spy out the land. We read this in Numbers 13:1-16. Joshua and Caleb were the only two men who had a good word to say about the land. The rest of the men were negative and complained.

NUMBERS 13:32-33 (32)And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. (33)And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers,  and so we were in their sight.

They had already decided it was too big of a job for them to take it on. They failed to remember the signs and wonders and miracles God had already performed for them. They were so upset that they wanted to go back to bondage, and be slaves once again in Egypt. Numbers 14:4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. Aaron and Moses fell on their faces. Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes. This was treason against God! They knew what He had done for them and when they are face to face with the promised land, 2 of the 10 men were excited and said, "Let's take it! It's ours!" And the other men were cowards and fearful, so they complained, "It's too big of a target to hit!" But Joshua and Caleb thought, "No! It's too big to miss! Let's take the land!"

NUMBERS 14:22-23 (22)Because all those men which have seen My glory, and My miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted Me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice; (23)Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked Me see it.

Moses was so sick of dealing with those stiff-necked, hard-hearted people. They never would surrender to God's Plan and just let God be God. Moses tells them the only ones who were going to the Promised Land were Caleb and Joshua and their children.

DEUTERONOMY 1:27-38 (27)And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. (28)Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there. (29)Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. (30)The LORD your God which goeth before you, He shall fight for you, according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes; (31)And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. (32)Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God, (33)Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day. (34)And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, (35)Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers. (36)Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD. (37)Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go thither. (38)But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.(34)And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, (35)Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers. (36)Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD. (37)Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go thither. (38)But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.(35)Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers. (36)Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD. (37)Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go thither. (38)But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.(37)Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go thither.(38)But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.(37)Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go thither.

So we see that Moses is stern with the people. He told them that all their murmuring and complaining cost them the Promised Land. Their fear and doubt and lack of faith cost them their inheritance. They wanted the past and the familiar. So now they were given a choice and they did not choose to believe God could deliver them out of the hand of the Amorites. After all God had done for them. God still has a plan to bless the children of Israel though. He is not blessing the complainers and the doubters. They will never walk into all God had promised them: a land flowing with milk and honey. Even Moses was not able to enter that Promised Land because of his disobedience to God.

NUMBERS 20:7-12 (7)And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (8)Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and it shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and beasts drink. (9)And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as He commanded him. (10)And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? (11)And Moses lifted us his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. (12)And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed Me not, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

We may remember how Aaron caved to peer pressure and made a golden calf for the people to worship while Moses was up on the mountain with God. And now God has instructed Moses to speak to the rock and instead he gives himself the credit for giving the people water and he hits the rock twice instead of speaking to it. So instead of demonstrating to the people that the water came from God and it was His provision yet again, Moses made it about himself and Aaron. "Must we fetch you water out of this rock?" They were not able to do anything apart from God. So God told the brothers they were to lead the people to the Promised Land but they weren't going in to possess it and neither were the complainers in the camp.

That means that time has to pass and years go by. Joshua is getting old but he remained strong. And God was with him. 

JOSHUA 14:10-12 (10)And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as He said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. (11)As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. (12)Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

 A score of years is 20 years, so fourscore and five years means Joshua was 85 years old. He said that at 85 years old he had the same strength he had when he was 45 years old. God preserved his strength. The Bible tells us clearly in Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Joshua is a living, breathing example of that. He has waited for all of these years to do what God told him he would do. He is ready. He has been waiting well. He has not gotten ahead of God's timing and look at it paying off.

I do not fully understand what all is happening right now in the spiritual realm in my life and with my job and everything God is doing to shift some things. I do have perfect peace and I am trusting God. In this time of waiting, I have been actively serving God and serving others. I am busy with God's call on my life and I do not have time to think long or ponder much about where God is taking me. I am walking by faith and not by sight and the further He takes me, the more I know I can trust Him.

You see the complainers had seen God's provision time and time again. God said they provoked Him 10 times! He was long-suffering with them. He was patient and did not destroy them the first, second, or even ninth time they yelled in His face that they were mad He freed them from slavery and delivered them to a land of promise. Imagine! He has been a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day to show them which way to go. He protected them from danger and look at the strength he preserved in Joshua, an 85 year old man, fully ready to go to war and take the land he had been promised.

Let's get our resolve back. Let's forget what things look like and sound like. Are we going to focus on the giants in the land and the high walls of the city? Or will we shift our eyes to the giant slayer! Great God Jehovah is on our side and there is no wall high enough to keep Him out. There is no giant big enough to stop our God Yahweh! Whose side are you on? Will you see yourself as a grasshopper and allow others to discount your worth too? Or will you be like Caleb and Joshua who said, "This is a sure win! God goes before us and we will get the victory!" Your life, your choice, choose well.

I am excited to know that things change, but God does not. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Our plans may change. Our days and weeks and months and years may not go as planned. We may have mapped out the perfect idea of how things should go, but when we ask the Lord to order our steps and lead us, we may find that we have to throw our itinerary in the garbage. Trust me, God's plans are ALWAYS better than our own!

This weekend, let this sink in. Think about these passages and dig a little deeper into what God was trying to teach the children of Israel in the wilderness. What is He trying to show you this weekend? I hope something I shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Thankful For Javan | Thankful Thursday

 

Welcome back to another weekly blog post where we count our blessings together. I may never stop counting my blessings for God allowing me to be a mother. I cherish both of my children. I want to give a big shout-out to my son, Javan. He is 14 years old and he has such a big heart for God! He wanted to create a blog and I said, "Okay!" I gave him a few tips on how to start a free blog using Blogger and he did the rest! I am so impressed. Yesterday was his first blog post and I love it. He uses the S.O.A.P. Bible study method and every blog post he will share is his SOAP Bible studies! I am so here for it!

PSALM 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

I love that both my children are saved and in a real relationship with Jesus Christ. They do not just believe because we want them to, or because we do, but they sought it out for themselves. Javan is a teenage boy and the first thing he wants to do with his blog is use it to share SOAP Bible studies with the world. I love that! Wow!

So, if you want to support Javan with this new adventure, please visit him HERE. He is going to post every Wednesday and Friday! I am so thankful!!! Hope you enjoy the SOAP Bible study and be sure to leave him a comment to encourage him to keep going!

What are you thankful for this week? I love when you share what you are thanking God for. Thanks for joining me. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 8 | Bible Study Wednesday

 

This year, 2022, God has been taking us through the Psalms each week. I have learned so much in the past 7 weeks. What a tremendous privilege it is to study with you all. Some of you have shared with me things you are learning and ways you are growing and it absolutely thrills my soul to hear it! To God be all the glory! If you have not done so, please take a moment to read through Psalm chapter eight. It is only 9 verses long and it is so encouraging!

Verse 1 David begins and ends this chapter with a proclamation of how great God's name is. He says, "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!" What a way to begin this passage. We need to acknowledge how excellent God is before we start listing our requests and before we ask Him for anything. Let's first just brag on how awesome our Great God Jehovah really is! What a wonderful God we serve. He is wonderful!

Verse 2 I really like how the New Living Translation says this: "You have taught children and infants to tell of Your strength, silencing Your enemies and all who oppose You." Isn't that so good? Even little children will speak of God's goodness. Remember what Jesus said about becoming like children? Matthew 18:3 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven." Jesus said we must be like little children to enter into heaven. Why? Because children are quick to believe what grown ups tell them. Their little minds are open and ready to receive what you tell them. They have faith. They are also quick to forgive and let go of petty arguments quickly. Have you ever watched children playing together? They start arguing over a toy and one is crying and the other is mad and then before you know it they are back in the sandbox playing and laughing like nothing ever happened. Little children like to brag on their parents, too. "My daddy is so strong. My mommy is so pretty." We need to brag on our Heavenly Father. "My Father is so awesome He makes stars and planets and all of creation! My Daddy loves me so much He has angels protecting me wherever I go." Let's get excited about sharing the goodness of our Heavenly Father!

Verses 3-8 David starts looking around at what all God made and He just has to proclaim how great our God is. He sees the stars and the sun and moon. He knows it was no accident. God ordered it to be so and it is so. And who are we as humanity that God should even pay attention to us? Yet, God in His great love for us has perfected every detail of our lives. It says he is crowned with glory and honor. Hebrews 2:6-10 says, "But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." 

We were created in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, Let us make man in Our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." And when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we become re-created. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

This is an encouraging word today! God has given us dominion and authority because He alone has all power and dominion over everything! Every evil spirit has to obey God and every wicked principality and power must be in subjection to Him. We can choose to join David in the first verse and again in Verse 9 in proclaiming, "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!"

Thank you for joining me this week to study this encouraging chapter. God is on the move. I had a few glitches trying to get this up, but God came through and reminded me of what He wanted me to share earlier today. I am so thankful I serve a God who can even help me fix my computer, amen?!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

The Flood: Cause, Warning, Provision | Fuel For The Weekend

Many Christians have heard about Noah and the Ark. We color pictures in Sunday school while we learn about a big flood filling the earth and Noah and the animals are saved. We often hear it so much when we are growing up that we never actually read the Bible for ourselves to see what happened in Genesis chapter six. Today we are going to look at the cause for the flood, the warning God gave, and the provision He made for Noah and his family and all of the animals.

The Cause

We know that God always wanted His people to marry within their culture. He was very clear in Deuteronomy 7:1-4 "When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly." We read in the first few verses of this chapter that they were intermingling with other nations, marrying and giving in marriage to pagan nations. It was causing them to do things that God was not pleased with. Genesis 6:5-6 "And God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD (the LORD was sorry) that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart." The cause of the flood was men's wickedness. It grieved God's heart that He ever made men and put them on the earth. From the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, it was chaos, confusion, and violence everywhere God looked. He had His hand upon the people and they kept rejecting Him and disobeying Him. Violence filled the earth and wickedness reigned supreme. It made God so sorry He made mankind that He decided to destroy His own creation. I cannot imagine how wicked things were to make God say that. I know He is long-suffering with our generation and how far removed society is from God and His ways now. It must have been difficult for Noah and his family to live in that kind of environment.

The Warning

God made a decision that He would destroy humanity. Genesis 6:7 "And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them." The Bible goes on to say that Noah was found blameless in his generations and walked with God. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. God looked at the earth filled with violence and corruption and it grieved Him. Genesis 6:13 "And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth." God has warned Noah because He loves Noah. Noah was found to be an upright man, doing good, and following after God. God is a loving and merciful Father and He does not desire for Noah and his family to die, so He makes provision for them.

The Provision

God gave Noah specific measurements and directions about how to build an ark of gopher wood. He even explained what He was going to do to destroy everything in the earth. He gave Noah a promise in Genesis 6:18 "But with thee will I establish My covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee." God and Noah were in covenant agreement now. They were partners in saving Noah and his wife, their sons and their wives and the animals God told Noah to bring with him. God told Noah what animals to bring and how many. He told him to bring food for himself, his family, and the animals. And in the last verse of this chapter we read what Noah did with God's instructions. Genesis 6:22 "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he."

What about you? What about me? Are we doing things according to all that God has commanded of us? Do we live life on our own terms and base decisions on what we think is best instead of trusting God to know what is best? Noah found grace in God's sight because he was willing to listen and obey God when He told him what to do. Are we getting alone with God to listen to what He is telling us? Are we reading the Bible daily so we know what to do and what not to do?

People on the earth in that day were doing whatever was popular. They followed each other instead of God. They served idols and false gods. They had no desire to live a disciplined life to please God, but Noah was different. He was a leader, not a follower, except when it came to following hard after God. We must be like Noah. We must not allow the culture we live in to dictate what we do. We must not let the fashion industry, the news, or social media tell us what to do and how to live. Instead, open up the pages of God's Word and let Him show you His will for your life. Things always turn out so much better when I yield to the Will of God. instead of trying to figure things out on my own.

This weekend as we head into a potential icy, winter storm situation again, here in southern Indiana, I am going to meditate on God's Word. I want to remember the cause for the Flood and the warning God had given, and the provision He made for Noah and his family and the animals. When God gives us specific instructions, trust and believe He will also make a way for you and me to do everything He told us to do. It seems so hard to wrap my mind around how Noah gathered all those animals into the Ark, but God helped Noah and gave him wisdom on how to get the animals to trust him and to follow him. God made the gopher wood available in the quantity Noah needed. The more we put our hand to the plow and keep working the row in front of us, God will continue to bless our efforts and provide everything we need.

I hope something I shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

7 Biblical Reasons To Be Thankful | Thankful Thursday

Has life been beating you up lately? Do you feel like you can't really catch a break? I understand how that feels. I get it! Life is hard sometimes. Sometimes it may feel like there are more problems than solutions and more hardships than good times. In these dry seasons it can be hard to count your blessings. After all, we have to really search for the good sometimes. When we lose a loved one, our job ends, the loan does not go through, or our spouse walks out on us, it can be really difficult to find something to be thankful for.

Research has shown that feeling thankful has positive effects on our health: both mental and physical. It can also improve our spiritual health. Choosing to focus on the positive things is not just about looking at the good in our life. When my dad died I did not immediately feel grateful that he was no longer with me. I did look back on the last couple of years of my dad's life and see God's hands all over it. I remembered the miracles and the relief, the breakthroughs that seemed to indicate Dad would not die. I thought about how I was grateful I had those days and months and two full years to spend with him and cherish those last moments together. My sister's birth father was tragically ripped from her life when a drunk driver hit and killed him. It was not easier to watch our dad slip away but there is a big blessing in the gift of that process.

When financial hard times come, it is not the first thing on our minds to write a list of things we are grateful for. We often begin to brainstorm ideas for how to find the ends in an effort to make them meet. We want solutions and when we are faced with a pile of bills and unmet needs, it can be so discouraging and painful. It is in those times that gratitude is so important. Holding on to God's faithfulness in the past, and any glimpses of God's goodness in the here and now only serve to strengthen our faith and reignite our hope that this too shall pass and we will be stronger for it.

Abandonment and rejection leave us feeling vulnerable and scared. Instead of choosing to see the bright side, it is far easier to see the negative effects. Divorce is unfortunately all too common, but the stigma is still there. The brokenness is still there. The unanswered questions of why this happened and how it could have been prevented leave us feeling isolated and alone. If we can somehow choose to see past that to what good there is left, it can help us not sink into despair and depression. There is hope!

How do we know an attitude of gratitude is powerful enough to plunge us out of the darkness back into a few rays of sunshine? We can look at research of course. We can read the studies of thousands of people who were observed and we can see how things changed in their lives. But, is that really helpful to us in the throws of life's lowest valleys? I don't know about you, but when it felt like I was in the pits I did not really care to read about how someone else turned things around by being thankful. I wanted to know what could help me?

The Bible has always been the one source of hope and strength for me. When others shared the Gospel with me it always encouraged me. It never failed to lift me up, if even for a moment. The more I would read the Word of God, the more I would begin to trust God. I learned of His character and His way of thinking. I saw Him as a source of strength and a refuge to hide in. I realized His love would carry me through the darkest of midnights. I did not have to feel forsaken. So, what does the Bible say about being thankful?

1. It is God's Will for us to be thankful. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." That does not mean to thank God for the divorce, or the death, or the financial hardship, but thank Him that He never abandoned you, He is victorious over death, and He will supply all your needs. This is His will for you because when you look for the good you will find it. When you choose to focus on the reasons you are blessed, you will find more reasons. What you continue to dwell on will get down on the inside of you and it will begin to flourish and grow and it will elevate you out of the dungeon.

2. It is to remember God's holiness. We read in Psalm 30:4 "Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness." When we start shifting our eyes from our problems onto the Solution, Christ Jesus, we start remembering His holiness. We remember His goodness. We remember He has never failed us. We remember He has always done nothing but good for us. It shifts the mindset to stop dwelling on the problem and the negative parts of the puzzle. We begin to get our courage back. We stop feeling fear. We begin to believe again. Our hearts start to mend.

3. It is a good thing. We read in Psalm 92:1-3 "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: To shew forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound." The Bible tells us it is a good thing to give thanks. When we begin to sing praises to God we stop feeling sadness. We no longer feel anxiety, worry, fear, doubt, or defeat. We begin to sing praises to God and something good starts to spring forth on the inside of us. We begin to feel that wellspring of life bubbling over. We feel joy take over and nothing can take it away when we have our mind completely on the goodness of God, day or night.

4. It gives us something to share with others. We read in Psalm 105:1 "O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people." The great things God has done for us is not just for our pleasure. It is not just for our enjoyment; but rather to be shared with others who are hurting. We may see others who are mourning, or discouraged, or feeling abandoned, and when we begin to share what God has done for us it edifies us both. We both gain strength from that. We both increase in faith when we hear an actual account of what God has done in times of great distress and pain. When we see His hand upon others and they tell us what God has done in their lives, it gives us hope that He will do the same thing for us.

5. It enables us to live in His presence. We read in Psalm 140:13 "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto Thy name: the upright shall dwell in Thy presence." When we meditate on the things God has done for us, it causes us to temporarily leave our current situation and we are fully in His presence. When we recall the times God fed us when we had no money and no food, we begin to feel the oil of gladness fill our souls. As we remember the times the money came out of nowhere just before we lost everything, it will spark hope in our hearts that He will come through again. And as we begin to bask in the love of God and all the many times He came through for us, it changes the chemicals in our bodies. Endorphins, a feel-good hormone, begins to be released throughout our bodies. We begin to feel more joy than stress, more peace than chaos, more love than rejection and our whole countenance lights up. Friends, we can choose to live that way.

6. It brings us victory. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:57 "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." We get our hopes up when we remember the times He came through before and when we are filled with faith and not doubt, God begins to work on our behalf. He begins to rearrange some things. He begins to change our circumstances. We begin to have victory over what once held us bound. That is worth praising God for. That is worth thanking Him for. We are victorious when we keep our eye on the prize and not get distracted by the tricks of the enemy.

7. It is what we will do in eternity. We read in Revelation 11:16-17 "And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give Thee thanks, O LORD GOD Almighty, Which art, and was, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned." When we come to eternity we will thank Him for what He did for us. We will be so thankful to have overcome every trial, every tribulation, every hardship, every battle that we faced. We will praise Him because He reigns. We will bow before Him like the 24 elders and we will proclaim that He is King and He is LORD and He is God. We will worship Him. He deserves it. He is worthy. It is His! Praise and thankfulness belong to God. We owe it to Him to tell Him how much we appreciate Him; how wonderful He is to us; and how much He means to us.

Friends, we have more than seven reasons to be thankful to God. Count your blessings today and every single day. Do not worry about the worries of this life, the problems and health concerns that arise. We have hope in Jesus Christ who promises us eternal life. We may not have it easy in this life, and bad things will continue to happen to us from time to time, but we have to remember Jesus Christ is King. He is worth every word of praise and adoration; every thankful and grateful sentiment; every appreciative statement we can think of to let Him know how much He means to us.

I am so thankful for Jesus loving me and never giving up on me. I have so much to praise God for. May you be found today with praise on your lips to King Jesus for all that He has done and is doing and will do in your life! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

 

Psalm 7 | Bible Study Wednesday

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible Study. We are moving through the book of Psalms this year and today we turn our attention to the book of Psalms, chapter seven. This is a Shiggaion of David. According to BibleStudyTools.com, using Easton's Bible Dictionary, shiggaion is, "The word denotes a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion; a song of impassioned imagination accompanied with suitable music; a dithyrambic ode." David composes this particular song under great distress and persecution. If you have not done so, please take a few minutes to read this chapter. It is only 17 verses. We will break down what is being said here and hopefully you will continue the study on your own to cross-reference verses or perhaps do word-mapping.

Verses 1-2 David has been cursed at, rocks flung at him, and ridiculed by a man from the tribe of Benjamin in 2 Samuel chapter 16. This was a time when his son was trying to take the throne away from him. He was in a lot of mental distress and he knew the One he could go to was God. He knew that God always helped him. David knew that even if God did not change David's circumstances, he would still feel better, comforted, and encouraged after going to God in prayer.

Here in the opening two verses, David proclaims he has full confidence and trust in what God can do. He remembers the lions that would like nothing more than to tear the flesh off the sheep he used to tend. He feels like one of the sheep and his enemies are the lions.

Verses 3-5 David is asking God to search him for sin. He asks God to allow his enemies to trample him into the dust if he has done wrong. If he has paid evil back to men that were at peace with him, and he even reminds God that he has shown mercy to those who hated him without a reason. This is David showing God that he wants to be found pleasing in His sight. He wants to be clean before God, but he is willing to suffer the consequences of what he has done.

Verses 6-11 In these verses, taking up a bulk of this chapter, David expresses how God is a just judge and angry with the wicked daily. He asks God to rise up in anger against those who have come against David in this time of stress and chaos. He says God will judge the people, and he even asks God to judge him. David wants God to check his integrity, check his motives, to check his heart. David says God will make the wicked come to an end, but the righteous God looks at people's hearts and intentions. David says he is defended by the God who saves those upright in heart. 

Verses 12-16 David describes what will happen to the wicked. He says they will fall into the very ditch they made to snare someone else. The pit they dug for someone else will be the very pit they fall into when God gets through with the wicked. David said the mischief they thought to do to someone else will come upon their own head. The violence they thought to do to others, David said will return to themselves. Whatever evil they imagined to do unto others will come right back to them.

Verse 17 David ends this psalm with praise. He has petitioned the LORD for what he needs. He has encouraged himself with remembering the character of God. He is satisfied with the way he knows God is going to handle the matter and now it is time to praise Him. Notice David says he will praise the LORD according to His righteousness. David's circumstances have not changed yet, but he is not allowing circumstances to dictate whether he is going to praise God or not. David knows God is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory because He is God and He is good and He is holy. David's last words in this passage is, "I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High."

You may feel surrounded by people who talk about you, lie on you, throw you under the bus, and watch for you to fail. You may feel overwhelmed and in mental distress like David. You may feel like you are outnumbered and alone, but God is on your side! He is fighting for you. He comes against the workers of iniquity and fights for you! He will take care of the matter. Ask Him to search you for sin and if He reveals to you anything at all, put it under the blood. If you have bitterness, ask Him to help you forgive. If you have hate in your heart, ask God to give you love for your enemies and those who wound you. He will do it. And once you have been cleansed by God then begin to praise God and stop thinking about the mess and the problems. Stop worrying about the things they did to you or said about you. It's over. God has taken care of it. He is on the scene working and you can carry on. He is for you and He loves you. That is something to praise God for.

I hope you have learned something new today. I certainly have learned a lot. I am taking away just as much, if not more, than what I am giving today. Trust God to handle these circumstances and do not give up. God is fighting for you and He will deliver you. I hope something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you.

~Bridgett Owens

 

Dangerous Judgment | Fuel For The Weekend

My sister and I were talking on the phone the other day. We live in two different states and we do not see one another very often. She was telling me how much she appreciated being able to pray with me. I was in agreement and told her what a privilege it is to join my faith with hers. It was just a sweet moment where we were just celebrating one another and being thankful to God for the gift of friendship we share as adult women, sisters, moms, and wives. I quoted Ram Dass and said, "We're all just walking each other Home."

Sometimes life is not so sweet. Sometimes we get lost in the mundane of day to day living. We can get caught up in the cares of this life and we do not remember to walk our sisters and brothers home. It might be easier to speak discouraging words or make unkind comments. But this is so dangerous. If we begin to judge one another and pick apart one another, we have lost sight of what God's purpose truly is for us. Romans 15:1 says, "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." Life is really not about you. Life is really not about me. We are pilgrims, passing through this world, and we are instructed to help each other and love each other.

The concept of Judgment Day is not popular. Most of the time pastors avoid talking about being accountable but we touched on this a little bit last week during Fuel For The Weekend. Remember about the Bloody Hands? God has not let me leave this topic yet and He wants me to share more about judgment as we journey through this life in hopes of making it into the next. 

Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought (despise) thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

That is pretty clear to me. Why do we judge one another? Why do we hate one another? Why are we jealous of one another? We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We will stand alone. We will not have a group of friends with us. We will not be standing in line with our family. We will not be in the congregation of our church. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Rich men and women will bow their knee and confess Jesus is Christ. Poor men and women will bow their knee and confess. Oh, they may not do that now in this life, but they will do it later. Every member of the human race will kneel before King Jesus. Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

When we die, we face judgment. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. This is something that is going to happen. We will all stand before God and give an account. Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. When we stand there we are going to answer for some things we have done. Will this be a day we can smile and look into the face of God knowing we lived a life to please Him? Will we be like Paul? 2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing. Or will we be carrying grudges with us, bitterness growing like a cancer, and grudgingly bow the knee and confess Jesus is Lord?

The Bible says we are to give an account of ourselves. We are not going to answer for one another. We cannot make excuses and say we did not have what we needed to serve God. He equips us. We cannot blame others for holding us back. If we must answer for our own words and deeds, then we have enough to keep us busy if we stay focused on our own heart and our own relationship with God. We have no time to tear others down around us. Let's build each other up.

Romans 4:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. Hear me well. We all have an adversary, the devil, who is going to try to block us, stop us, hurt us, and kill us. He is putting stumbling blocks all in the path God has set our feet on. We must not do the same thing to one another. In fact, instead of watching others trip and fall and celebrating their demise, let's stretch out our hand to help. Let's be watching out for one another. "Hey friend, there's a stumbling block, put your foot on it and watch it become a stepping stone. Go up higher brother. Go up higher sister." Let's begin to cheer each other on. Pray for one another. Love one another. We do not want to leave anyone behind.

Romans 4:17-19 For the Kingdom of God is not meat (food) and drink: but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. The Kingdom of God is not what we do, the things we have, the status we obtain. No, it is God's righteousness, the peace that passes all understanding, and the joy unspeakable and full of glory found in the precious Holy Ghost: the third person in the Holy Trinity. When we are going after the righteousness of God, living peaceable with one another, and walking in the joy that no circumstances or bad news can ever take away, we are serving Christ. We are then acceptable to God and approved of men. So we need to follow hard after these things. Let's build each other up.

Friends, it is too dangerous to sit in judgment. That is not our seat to sit in. The judgment seat belongs to Jesus Christ. He is the righteous judge and He has the power to cast judgment. You and I are under His grace. Any good we do is not because we are good, it's because of the power of God at work in our lives. Let's remember who we are and Who we belong to. Time is short and it will not be long before this world is passed away. Start helping everyone you can make it Home.

I hope you think of these things this weekend. Start some conversations with others and tell them what the Bible says about judgment. Judgment belongs to God. We are all in a race but we are competing against ourselves. We need to be better today than yesterday. We do not need to look at our brothers and sisters and compare ourselves to them and become jealous or mean-spirited. We are all in the race toward Home. Let's just celebrate one another and cheer each other on. You will never regret it!

I hope something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Healing Broken Hearts | Thankful Thursday

 

ISAIAH 63:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me: because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.

Jesus quoted this passage of scripture in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." What a beautiful description of who Jesus is. He was sent to heal the brokenhearted and I can tell you that He is still healing broken hearts today.

I had just come off a fast. I was weak in the flesh but strong in my spirit. I was prepared to give a Word of Knowledge that God had given me for a specific church. I felt as though my chest would burst if I did not get the word out. I was given the word during a time of fasting and consecration to God. But, unfortunately someone misspoke something about me before the service and so I was not allowed to give that message. I was told to wait until later. I cannot tell you how grieved I felt in my soul and how grieved I felt the Holy Spirit had been.

I was confused and hurt because no one asked me if the accusations were true. The person who twisted the information did not do that to hurt me. They did not want to cause strife and division. They apologized and I believe they were sorry it had happened. I forgave them of course, but I was crushed. I did not want to go back to their church. I was so wounded I wanted to just leave. God did not want that for me though. I just kept thinking that my integrity should have made them question what was being said. But God wanted to teach me something in this situation. God said for me not to try to justify myself because He would exonerate me. God loves me and He wants me to keep growing and to keep pushing past obstacles and adversity. I know that He is still healing broken hearts because He did that for me. I was crushed and upset but my dear friend that I cherish reminded me of this:

2 CORINTHIANS 4:7-10 (7)But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power be of God, and not of us. (8)We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; (9)Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (10)Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:16-18 (16)For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. (17)For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (18)While we look not at the things which are seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

My friend really encouraged me with these verses. We can be wounded by friends, family, or anyone. (Zechariah 13:6) So what can I do? God gave me a gift. He allowed me to be hurt so He could teach me some things. He is my helper. He is my healer. He is my source of joy. He is my dearest friend. He is always with me. That does not change! Someone may choose to believe the worst about me, but that is between them and God. Like the Bible says in 2 Corinthians, these light afflictions are working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Sometimes I get so caught up in wanting to please God that when I cannot do what He asked me to do, I feel like God is going to be upset with me. That is a lie from the enemy. The truth is He isn't upset with me. God knows I tried, but it was no use. God reminded me that it is not me they are rejecting, but it is Him. (1 Samuel 8:7)

I was able to pray for those who hurt me and ask God to bless them, encourage them, cause their ministry to grow, and for God's favor on their lives. I still care about them and want God to give them everything He promised them. You see it is not about me. Once I stopped feeling grieved because I could not give the message like God asked me to do, it did not hurt anymore. I know that God's words will not return void. God gave me the opportunity to read the message to my friend and then again to my husband and children, so the word went forth. I was still able to share the message, just not like I thought it would be. That is okay because God showed up in a big way for my friend after I shared that message. We had an opportunity to pray together and what an amazing experience that was to feel God's presence in the room.

If your heart has been broken, you feel sorrow instead of joy, and you feel wounded and rejected, take it to God. He will heal your broken heart. He will send others to you to minister to you. I have had so many words of encouragement spoken over me in the past few days. God is pouring the healing balm of Gilead into the deep recesses of my heart. (Jeremiah 8:22) He stopped the pain and lifted me up out of the pit. (Psalm 40:2) God will do the same for you. He loves His children and He is our Healer.

If you do not know Jesus, Friend, do not keep trying to do life on your own. It is so much better with Jesus. He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother according to Proverbs 18:24. If you believe Jesus is the Son of the Living God, you can call upon Him and be saved. Acts 2:21 says, "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Let this be the best day of your life. Ask Jesus to save you. Repent of your sins. When you recognize you need a Savior, all you have to do is call on Jesus and you will be saved. It is that simple. It takes child-like faith. If you do this, let someone know. Get into a good church with solid Biblical teaching. Read your Bible and if you do not have one, let me know and I will get one for you.

Life is so short. Let's not waste our days feeling sad and rejected. Jesus loves us all and He has not rejected us. We must focus on Jesus and not get caught up in what others say or do. Leave it all in the hands of the Master. God's Word will not return void. It will accomplish what He sent it forth to do. (Isaiah 55:11)

I hope that sharing my story will help someone else. It is hard for me to talk about my personal struggles because I am a private person and do not like to share things like that. I am doing so today to give God all of the praise, honor, and glory for picking me up, dusting me off, and healing my broken heart. This Thankful Thursday I have so much to thank God for. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 6 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible Study. This year we have started studying the book of Psalms. We are working our way through this delightful book in the center of the Bible. It is found in the Old Testament and in it we find psalms written by Moses, David, and Solomon. Chapter six in Psalms is a Psalm of David. It is the first of seven penitential psalms. These penitential psalms were recognized by the ancient church as dealing primarily with sin and forgiveness of sin. If you have not taken the time to read these 10 verses, please take the time to do so. Feel free to take notes, cross-reference verses and study this further on your own. Let's begin.

Verse 1 David opens the prayer up with a plea for mercy. He is requesting God not to reprimand him when the LORD is angry. It has been said that correcting a child when one is angry will cause that child to become bitter and angry, too. If one has an opportunity to cool off, then they can reason with the child and the child will then learn the lesson and hopefully not do it again. David is asking God not to correct him in God's hot displeasure. This is David acknowledging that he had sinned. He is not pleading innocent. He is not making excuses. He just wants God to be gentle with him right now.

The Bible tells us God corrects those He loves. Proverbs 3:12 "For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."

Verse 2 David asks God for mercy. He tells God, "I am weak." Now that David admits to sinning, he can see that he was operating in the flesh and our flesh is always weak. Do you remember when Jesus was talking to Peter? They were in the garden of Gethsemane and Jesus was going to be crucified. It was just a short time before Jesus was arrested. Peter wanted to die with Jesus but now Peter gives in to slumber in the garden when he should have been watching Jesus and praying with Him. In Matthew 26:41, Jesus said, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." We all know that Peter denied Christ three times right after Jesus was arrested. David recognizes his flesh is weak. 

David says his bones are "sore vexed" which literally means his "entire being" were vexed. Hebrews thought such suffering was connected directly with sin. This then would indicate David is begging for mercy because he is asking for forgiveness of sin.

Verse 3 Have you ever wondered how long you would suffer? Did you ever ask God, "How long?" David is sorrowful over the wrong he had done. He feels that separation from God because sin always separates us from our Holy Father. He longs to feel close to God again. It is not just a plea for God's pardon, but he longs to have that fellowship again. David wants God to mend their broken relationship. 

Verse 4 David asks God to return to him. David was a man of worship. He loved God and was devoted to God but that did not give him a pass on sin. He still had to confess it to God and allow God to cleanse him and set him back in right standing. David says "Save me for your loving kindnesses sake." He is calling out God's character now. David is saying in essence, "God I need you to save me. I know you are kind and loving and merciful. Please let me feel Your presence again."

Verse 5 This verse is interesting. David begins to talk about death and dying. Sin always leads to death. Remember in the garden of Eden when God told Adam not to eat the fruit of a specific tree? Genesis 2:15-17, "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." The reason they died the day they ate of it was it immediately separated them from God. Sin always creates a schism between us and God. They did not die immediately upon one bite of the fruit, but they did begin to die because of the separation of sin. Disobedience is a sin and they willfully disobeyed God. They heard what God said and knew what the instructions were, but when they heard another voice that sounded more appealing they went with the decision to do what they wanted to do. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

James 1:15 tells us when sin is finished it brings forth death. David is making a case for his forgiveness. He tells God that when we die we no longer remember God. We are not able to praise God in the grave. We can no longer thank God for what He has done and is doing when we die.  In Psalm 115:17 it reads, "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence." David is basically saying that he wants fellowship again with God, so he can praise and worship God like he had before.

Verse 6 David is not just sorry that he has sinned against God, he is sorrowful. He has been covering his bed with tears. He is exhausted from the groaning and grief he feels. He has been wrestling with this for a while. He is weary. He wants God to be merciful to him and deliver him. Can you feel the wrestling he is going through in the spirit? He wants to be reconnected with God.

Verse 7 David continues to speak of his grief and how it is affecting him. In another Psalm, David shares his heart about how he is feeling. Psalm 31:9 "Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul, and my belly (body)." This grief in verse seven is overtaking his whole being. He does not want to live without God's fellowship.

Verse 8 David begins to speak to the sinners around him. He is telling them to leave him alone. He no longer wants to be a part of what they are doing. Sometimes we have to cut ties with people. Sometimes we have to separate ourselves from workers of iniquity. If we continue to spend time with them and learn their ways, it will not be long before we find ourselves separated from God. 2 Corinthians 6:18-18, "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

Verse 9 David says, "God heard my prayer of repentance and He has forgiven me." He knows God received his prayer. He knows God is listening. He wants us all to be saved and repent from our sinful ways. God wants to save all of us from the destruction of doing whatever we want. Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Just because something is popular or it looks like a lot of people are doing it, does not mean it is Biblical or pleasing to God. We must pray and ask God to help us know what to do and how to do it. Many will find the wide gate and the broad way to hell. The straight gate and narrow path that leads to life is less crowded. Not as many people want to sacrifice anything for God. Not many are willing to stand out or be different in an effort to be closer to God.

Verse 10 Victory at last! David has received God's pardon. He is forgiven. He is cleansed. David prays all his enemies will be ashamed and greatly troubled. He says they will turn around and suddenly feel ashamed. We know the devil is our enemy. When God forgives us in His grace and loving kindness, we know the enemy is angry and has no choice but to turn around and run. He is no match for God and he never will be. James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

The Bible tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," according to 1 John 1:9. We are all imperfect human beings. No one goes through this life without sinning. We read in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." If you have sin in your life, please tell God. He already knows. Just tell Him what you have done and ask Him to forgive you. The Bible promises you will be forgiven and He will put you back in right standing with Him again. He longs to be in relationship with His children. Be like David, and admit you have sinned and ask God to forgive you, and just like God forgave David; He will also forgive you.

I hope you have enjoyed today's Bible study. It is such a blessing to dig deep into the Scriptures and break the Bread with you all. Share today's blog post with someone you think could benefit from today's lesson. Feel free to leave a comment below, or you can email me if you would rather do that. I appreciate all the feedback and kind words you all share with me. Have a blessed day!

~Bridgett Owens

Bloody Hands | Fuel For The Weekend

Your actions affect other people. Do you realize that? You may understand that concept, but do you also understand that your inaction affects other people as well? The Bible tells us that what we say and do will go before us into eternity. The same is true for the things we do not say and do not do; they go before us into eternity. We read in Revelation 20:12, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." 

EZEKIEL 3:17-21 (17)Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. (18)When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. (19)Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, not from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. (20)Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. (21)Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

This is a heavy passage, but we must look at it closely. This is a glimpse into eternity and it shows us that what we do, or don't do, for Christ will have eternal consequences. Let's unpack this a little bit. God is talking to Ezekiel in this passage. This is a message to him about God's plan for his life. He is calling Ezekiel to be a watchman over the people. When the people who do not serve God do evil things, Ezekiel must warn them that they are facing destruction and judgment from God. If that man or woman disregards Ezekiel's words, God says that his hands are clean. If Ezekiel chose not to tell the man or woman, God would require that person's blood at Ezekiel's hands. You see the life is in the blood, according to Leviticus 17:11. So in essence, Ezekiel will have to answer for why he chose to ignore that man's sin and refused to call it out.

In today's world, we are scared to call out sin in others' lives. In fact, we do not like to even discuss sin in most churches. It is offensive. People might not like it and they will stop paying tithes or giving offerings. They may even get so mad they might not come back. So instead of caring about their soul, we are concerned about the congregation numbers and the dollar signs. This is so dangerous. We are not called to be busybodies, like we see in 2 Thessalonians 3:11 and 1 Timothy 5:13. However; we are called to be our brother's keeper in regards to seeing sin in their lives and showing them a better way in Christ Jesus. It is our duty to help one another. We are all God's watchmen. We do not have to be a pastor, evangelist, teacher, or in leadership at all. We are all God's children and He expects His children to love one another and help each other make it Home.

God tells us in today's passage, if we warn those who are in sin, and they do not listen to us, and they continue down the perilous path they are on, we are no longer accountable. In verse 19, God tells Ezekiel that when that person dies in their sins after being warned and not heeding, Ezekiel will have delivered his soul. We read in 1 Timothy 4:16, "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." This is the harvest that is coming. When we are walking upright before God and we are encouraging others to do the same, we are saving them from destruction and God's judgment in the life to come. If they do not adhere to the warning, then we have washed our hands clean from their blood.

Jesus told them the same thing when He was here on the earth. In John 8:21, 24 Jesus said, "I go My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come." And, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins." That is plain language. If anyone does not believe that Jesus Christ is Messiah, Son of the Living God, then they will die in their sin and they will forever be separated from God. This is why it is so important that we tell everyone. It is not up to us if someone will believe us, or accept Jesus. It is up to us to tell them.

Many people are under the assumption, once saved, always saved. This is a dangerous theology. It says very clearly that when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, God will lay a stumbling block before them. He wants us to get tripped up in sin so we can look up to Him and request His love, grace, and mercy. He does not want us to be lost and go to hell. That is not and never has been God's desire for anyone. We know this when we read John 3:16. This verse goes on to say that the righteousness that person once had: the good that he did, the right choices he made, will be forgotten. If no one tells that person to turn back to the cross of Christ and repent, yet they see them in sin and are aware of what they are doing, God will hold them accountable. 

If we see our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they begin dabbling in things they ought not, and they start missing church, and then they stop coming altogether, we must not ignore that. Pick up the phone, go to their home, invite them for coffee or lunch, and share with them in a loving way that they need to make their way back to the Savior. If we do everything we can and we pray and intervene and it falls on deaf ears, and they die in that sinful state, God says we are clean. Nothing will be required at our hands when we face eternity.

Jude says this in verses 21-23, "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." We must wear the markings of Christ proudly and boldly. We cannot be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the Good News and we must share it with everyone. Romans 1:16 reads, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." It is powerful. We must be glad to share this message. Let's find the Holy boldness we need to share these hard truths with others who have gone astray.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul writes these words in chapter 6 verses 18-20, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perserverance and supplication for all saints: And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Pray and ask for the utterance to be given you to open your mouth boldly. It goes against the grain to speak boldly about the things of God; meanwhile, the world has their megaphone in our ears spewing lies and deceitful practices all day and night. We must begin to share the Truth of God's Word with believers and unbelievers and watch out for one another so we can help each other make it Home.

Here in Indiana it is a snowy day from the big snow storm that made it's away across this nation. We are unable to get into the vehicles, the roads are icy, and snow covered. We are not getting out today and we didn't get out yesterday. This weekend promises some fun for our children as they sled and play in the winter wonderland. I know that this message is heavy and important. I believe that is why God chose to give it to me for today's Fuel For The Weekend. Pray about this message. Read these scriptures for yourself. Study them and cross-reference them if you want. You will see the same theme in the Old Testament and the New Testament. We must sound the alarm and wake people up. The world is in a daze. They are sleep-walking into hell because no one is shaking them and telling them they are headed for destruction. It is up to the Church to wake up the world. Let's pray and think on these things this weekend. Ask God to give you opportunities to witness and share your faith with unbelievers and backsliders because God loves them and wants them to be saved.

I hope today's post has been helpful. It has given me a new resolve to speak up in love and gentleness to let others know that there is a better way and His name is Jesus. I hope that something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens