Heart Construction | Fuel For The Weekend

We have reached the end of the week and almost the end of this month. What a quick month this has been. It is hard to believe that school will soon be out and my son will be looking at high school in the fall. How is that possible?

I am not sure what you might have going on this weekend, but I wanted to share some scriptures with you to give you something to think about, ponder, and maybe start some conversations with those in your circle of influence this weekend.

Today I was driving to pick up my son from school because he had a doctor's appointment. I saw some construction signs on the sides of the road talking about fines for speeding in a work zone and things of that nature but there were no signs of anyone working. It was not clear to me which lane to be in, so I continued in the left lane, the slow lane, here in America. As I continued driving, there was nothing to indicate road work would be ahead. None of the other cars appeared to be bothered by the signs. Finally, after some distance, I saw signs that said right lane closed ahead. I did not see anyone else pulling out of the right lane, but I decided I would go ahead, just in case there really was some work being done up ahead. The signs were out but the trucks were just arriving as I breezed by on the way to pick up my son. No work had been started, they were literally just pulling their work trucks to the side of the road.

In life, sometimes we get these warning signs that we need to slow down, change lanes, or watch for construction ahead. We may think everything is fine, but if Holy Spirit is nudging our hearts to exercise caution, it is best to heed the warning. The Bible says, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25) Sometimes we think we are just fine on our own, doing our own thing, and how can it hurt anyone else? It's my life! Well, if we have sin in our life God wants us to deal with it so we can get on the path that leads to everlasting life.

It does not feel good to be corrected. It just kind of stings a little. It hurts our pride. We do not want others to point out our flaws or when we have messed up, but it is a loving thing for our Heavenly Father to do. Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. So, it does not feel good in the moment, and it may be hard to take but after the correction has come, and we can sit and look at what God is telling us to do or change, we see that His ways are best and when we switch lanes, slow down, and make the necessary changes we will find the peaceable fruit of righteousness in our lives. It is for a reason. It is not just to be mean or to make us feel bad. It is giving us an opportunity to grow and mature in our faith.

Stay pliable in the Potter's hands as He continues to mold us and shape us into the image of Himself. We are to be like Christ. Let's spend some time this weekend sitting with the Holy Spirit and doing some self-reflection to see where we may be missing the mark in some areas of our lives. Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.

I hope you have a blessed weekend and I hope to share another Psalm for our Bible study next Wednesday. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Thankful For Grace and Famous Last Words | Thankful Thursday

 

This is the last Thankful Thursday of April 2022. I decided today I would creatively journal my faith in my traveler's notebook. I am using a devotional from By The Well 4 God. They have an incredible devotional kit each month full of stickers and stamps, stencils, bow clips, all of the things, but the best part is their incredible devotionals. Each booklet has about 14 lessons in it, which is to be studied and worked on throughout the month. I take my time and since I have several devotionals, I do not stay in this particular one each day. Today, however, I decided to work on an entry in the Famous Last Words devotional.

Inside this pink striped traveler's notebook insert I have created pages as a sort of scrapbook or portfolio of the people in the Bible and their "famous last words." So, today was all about Judas, the betrayer of Jesus.

I created a little card on left with a picture I took from a magazine. I glued it on and then I added the name of the person, a title or description of them, the scripture reference of their "famous last words" and then the name of the kit I am working through. On the right page I decided to write out the scripture reference and a few thoughts of my own.

I wrote from Matthew 27:3-5 in the KJV. It reads, "Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned, repented (felt remorse) himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? See thou to that. And he cast down (threw down) the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. My comment was: What a shame he did not seek forgiveness. He knew Jesus and yet he never believed because he chose suicide instead of redemption.

We read that Peter denied Jesus THREE times! That is awful and yet Judas's betrayal was far worse and not because of what he had done, but how he responded when he realized his error. Peter wept bitterly but he did not reject Jesus entirely. Remember when Jesus lovingly restored Peter and asked him, Peter do you love Me? He asked THREE times and each time Peter said Yes, I love You Jesus. Judas ran to destruction and in grief over who he had become was still selfish in his death, only thinking of how he could escape the situation. We can choose grace instead of disgrace friends.

The devotional ends with Titus 2:11-12 but I want to share Titus 2:11-15 with you all. It is so precious.

Titus 2:11-15 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

This Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for grace and redemption and the sacrifice Jesus made on my behalf. I am thankful that I have forgiveness from my sin and eternal life is promised to me. I am thankful for devotionals that cause me to pause, ponder, and think. I am reflecting on the goodness of God today. How about you? What are you thankful for?

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 17 | Bible Study Wednesday

Hello friends. We are continuing right along through the book of Psalms this year in our Bible study each Wednesday. If you have not done so, please take a few moments to pray and ask Holy Spirit to teach you what He wants you to know about today's passage. Read through chapter 17 and reflect on what Holy Spirit is showing you. There are 15 verses and we will look at those together.

This particular psalm is a prayer of David. We can tell from these first handful of psalms that David enjoys communicating with God. He often sings praises to God, our Creator but He also runs to Him as a safe refuge in time of trouble. David is also a prayer warrior. He knows how to get God's attention and get the answer He needs to His prayer. Before battles, David would ask, "Should I go up to the battle?" God would tell him yes, or no, and David would follow God's command. That is why David was so successful because he allowed God to use him to bring about victory over the enemy and not just on a physical battlefield. Let's pause for a moment to reflect on what we do in times of hardship and despair? Do we grumble and complain and get calloused toward God? Do we run to Him in prayer knowing He has all the answers we will ever need in life? What is your response when push comes to shove and you feel your back is against the wall?

Let's turn our attention now to the seventeenth psalm. This is David's plea to God for protection.

Verse 1

David starts out asking God to listen to him. He is crying out. He is not being deceitful; instead he is proclaiming his innocence. He is struggling and he needs God to move on his behalf. Are you there? Can you relate? What are you facing right now and you just need God to bow down His Holy ear and listen to your heart's cry?

Verse 2

David wants to be sentenced in God's presence because He alone can vindicate David. Why? Because God sees what is right. Sometimes we are so broken and injured from the lies of satan and it is so important that we run to the Righteous Judge and allow Him to speak our pardon! We are slaves no longer. We have freedom and liberty in the presence of God. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. What do you need God to vindicate you in? He can do it! He wants to do it!

Verse 3

David says to God, "You have proved my heart, visited me in the night, tried me and found me innocent. So I am determined not to let my mouth sin." What an incredible statement! Psalm 66:10 For Thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. The hell and torment we are going through today, friends, is the fire that is refining us. We cannot get refined without the fire. Let's open our hearts and ask for visitation from God in the night, in the dark, in the hard times, and ask Him to find us innocent.

Verse 4

Because of God's Word, His plan, His promises, David declares this is the reason he has not danced with the devil. He is not walking hand in hand with the enemy into the flames of hell. God's wonderful Word will keep us from the paths of the destroyer. Are you reading His Word? Are you living it out? Do you believe every Word of God? Has His wisdom filled your mind so you make better choices?

Verse 5

Look at this request. David wants God to hold up his goings in God's paths so that his footsteps would not slip. He does not want to mess up, to slip into sin, or to go off course. He is asking God to help him walk the straight and narrow. I just see the hand of God on David, helping him to walk steady the path in front of him. God does the same thing for you and me.

Verse 6

Why is David going to God with these requests? In David's words, "For You will hear me, O God." That's confidence. God is not too busy to listen to our heart's cry. He is not too busy to take time to sit with us and hear what we have to say. Have you called on God? Do you believe He will hear you? Psalm 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee: for Thou wilt answer me. If we know that in our trouble we can call upon Him, and He WILL answer us, then we should pray and talk to Him. Psalm 116:2 Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live. Will you declare what David says here? I will call upon God as long as I live because He hears me and listens to me and makes a way for me!

Verse 7

David tells God, Show Your marvelous loving kindness as You deliver them with Your right hand, those who put their trust in You, to save them from those who rise up against them. It is in God's loving mercy that He stretches His hand out toward us and delivers us from the enemy. His kindness and goodness is so marvelous that it surrounds us and protects us from those who want to hurt us and destroy us. Have you seen God's mercy show up like that in your life?

Verse 8

The apple of the eye is to say to God, "Lord allow me to be seen as precious in your sight." He asks to be hid beneath the shadow of His wings. Do you know God wants to do that for us? He does see us as precious. Matthew 10:29-31 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. Friends we matter to God. He loves us and He wants to shield us beneath His wings.

Verse 9

Have you ever felt surrounded with worry and guilt and shame? Have you felt like the world was against you? David says in this verse that He wants God to be a fence about Him to protect him from those who surround him and want to harm him. We can run to our Father and He will protect us.

Verse 10

They are proud. God hates pride! It is a sin. It is what caused satan to rebel against God. Psalm 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. They are not running to God because they do not trust Him. They do not even think about God. They think about themselves. 1 Samuel 2:3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. Do you remember that pride is listed in the New Testament as something that defiles the person? Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Verses 11-12

David feels like his enemies are surrounding him, caught up with him, and desire to throw him to the ground. Like a lion, ready to pounce on the prey, we often feel like the enemy is ready to attack us. Jumping out of the hidden places, it attacks at just the right moment. We have felt that before if we are serving God. The enemy does not want us to live our faith out loud. When we serve God and surrender to His will for our lives, we will be fought by the enemy but the good news is he is no match for God. 1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Verses 13-14

David asks God to confront the enemy and deliver his soul with God's powerful sword. He will deliver us when we ask. David says the men in this world are full of wickedness. They pass down the hidden treasures to their children but they have no hope of eternal life in God. We know we have hope of eternal life. If this life is all there is then we would have no hope. 1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 

Verse 15

David ends this prayer with a bold statement. He said, "As for me, I will look into the face of Your righteousness. I will be satisfied, when I wake up, with Your likeness." David was not going to be content with riches on the earth. He was not going to be happy with just knowing God in this life alone. He is saying when He wakes up in heaven after sleeping in death, He will behold the face of God and see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. Psalms 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

David used prayer as a means to tell God what he wanted. He explained his circumstances, described his enemy and what they were doing to him, and then requested God's help and deliverance. In the end, David holds to hope that after all of this suffering and pain in this life, He will one day wake up in heaven to see the face of God, his Redeemer. What a beautiful prayer. I hope that you will spend some time with your Heavenly Father today to let Him know what you are facing. Tell Him all about it and then get your hopes up again. God is in control and He loves each one of His children. He will hear and answer our prayers.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Carrot Cake | Fuel For The Weekend

Welcome to the weekend friends. It is my desire that today's post will give you something to think about, ponder, consider, and reflect on throughout the weekend. Just as we fuel up for the weekend in our automobiles, let's fuel up in the spirit.

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday. I am making a carrot cake from scratch for her. She loves it and it makes me feel good to make a birthday cake for her. Have you thought about the ingredients though? The finished cake is delicious, but how would you feel if I served you a bowl of flour? What about a cup of oil? Some ingredients by themselves are not too bad, like cream cheese, butter, or powdered sugar. But I would not want to swallow a spoonful of baking soda, would you?

Sometimes life is like that, isn't it? Some moments are like a sweet taste of powdered sugar. Sometimes life is as awful as a spoonful of flour. The ingredients are important and each one must be measured precisely to give you a delicious dessert. God knows how much sweet and how much savory to give us in our lives to create the best outcome for our character and our inner being. If we only get sweet things and nothing of real substance, we will soon see decay in our lives, like the cavities we get on our teeth. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Similarly, too much salt can give us hypertension which is bad for our heart.

Friends, we can trust God to know how much of sorrow, grief, pain, loss, or disappointment we need. It may not be a welcomed feeling, but when we suffer with Christ we know that it comes with promise. 1 Peter 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. In other words, if you suffer for the wrong you do, there is no celebration. You should patiently take the punishment for wrong-doing. The real test of character comes from doing good things and suffering for that. If you take that with patience, it pleases God. 1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. We can rejoice in our suffering that is part of Christ's suffering because when His glory is revealed, imagine the joy we will feel in our hearts knowing we are part of that. The world hates us because it hated Him first. We bear His image and so we will not always have a bed of roses as our lot in life. We know that. It is the bitter and the sweet coming together.

We may feel like the temptations we face in life are unbearable, but God has always made a way out for us. Just like we know that eating too much cake or frosting is going to make us sick and we should not do it, facing these temptations is not good for us either. We can choose to have portion control with the cake and enjoy it but not over do it. We also can ask God to help us overcome these issues we face in life. 1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. The things we are tempted with are things everyone faces in life at some point or another. The issue then is how much temptation can you endure? God makes a way for you to say no, to avoid the person/environment, so that you can escape the temptation. God does not tempt us but we do face situations where we can choose to indulge our flesh and sin, or walk away with God's help and stay in right standing with God.

What about that time you ate too much cake and felt bad about it later? Maybe you felt sick or your stomach hurt? That does happen. It tastes so good that we think, "Just one more bite, or one more slice." Sometimes we do things we know we shouldn't do and we think, "It won't hurt just this once." And then later we feel the pain and the regret that comes from giving our flesh what it wanted. We have all been there. Romans 3:21-26 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

I am going to share the Carrot Cake recipe I am using today. If you choose to make the cake, I hope you enjoy it. As we celebrate my mother-in-law on her birthday I hope she finds it delicious! Enjoy the sweet things in life in moderation friends and when the bitterness comes, remember if it is mixed with other ingredients, it will all turn out just fine. Allow God to orchestrate the events of your life and it will end up perfectly! Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.

I hope you enjoy your weekend. My prayer is that something you have read today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Watch My Mouth | Thankful Thursday

For today's Thankful Thursday post, I wanted to creatively journal my faith. I chose a book I have been using from PrintPressions. I grabbed my Bible, a sticker sheet I recently received from a friend in some happy mail (thank you Ta'Kesha), and a Happy Planner sticker book I have had for a long time. My goal was to use what I have and make a pretty page while studying God's Word.

I used the bottom rectangle labels to fill in each section of the page.

I am using the S.O.A.P. Bible study method, so I wrote Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer on each label.

The next thing I did was choose a scripture. This can be done any number of ways and it really is not that important how you find your verse or passage. I went to Instagram and decided the first scripture verse I found in the stories I would use for my S.O.A.P. Bible study. I found Psalm 141:3 from Wilma Hollis. This is a great verse and she is doing a wonderful study on IG, you should check it out. So I went to my Bible, underlined the verse and wrote it out.

I used lip stickers that I had found in the Happy Planner sticker book. These are a great visual representation of what this verse is talking about: the mouth and the lips. The next section is Observation. What am I seeing in this verse? What is the theme or main points?

I used more lip stickers as bullet points to touch on the three things I gleaned from this particular verse. Words are powerful. We know that what we say can have a big impact on others, either good or bad.

God is the only One who can truly guard our mouths. We need His help and His conviction to help us know what to say and how to say it.

We must be careful to speak truth and life.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

The Application section is where we apply what we observed in the scripture to our life. Some practical tips for how to do what the verse says is to pray and ask God to help me not speak anything that is cruel or untrue. I must choose my words carefully because we know how powerful words are.

The last part of S.O.A.P. studying is prayer. This is a critical piece of the study. We cannot really complete this type of studying without it. I prayed a prayer from my heart asking God to help me live out what I just learned. It is not enough to know what the Bible says. We must live out what we know is true. We cannot obey God's Word apart from the help of Holy Spirit so it is imperative to pray and ask for the help we need.

This is the completed page. It only took a few minutes out of my entire day and that includes decorating. You can use any notebook you want to do a S.O.A.P. Bible study. My husband and son did a S.O.A.P. Bible study together from a passage in the book of Acts the other day while my daughter and I had a Bible study where we were just reading in Job and talking about what we were reading.

I did not come up with the S.O.A.P. Bible study method. I have used it for many, many years. My son started doing Bible studies using this method around 5-6 years old. He is 14, going on 15 and he continues to do these types of Bible studies. He has even taught others how to do it.

One friend of mine told me she tried it and was amazed at how much she learned from just focusing on one verse or passage of scripture. Just choose any verse you want. Pray and ask Holy Spirit to teach you what the verse is saying. Write down the things you observe. Then come up with some practical ways you can live this verse out in your life. Write that down under Application. Recognize you cannot do any of this without God and write out a heartfelt prayer under the Prayer section and you have just completed a S.O.A.P. Bible study.

Decorations, stickers, washi, colored ink pens, stamping, etc. are all extras. It helps my brain engage with the message. I remember it more when I have added some decorations to the page. If you do not want to do that, or do not have the things to make colorful pages, then do not worry about it. It is not necessary. The most important part is getting alone in God's Word and allowing Holy Spirit to teach you and then pray to Jesus and ask for help. He will never tell you no if you are asking to live for Him!

I hope this was a fun change for you all who like to creatively journal your faith. I hope that something I shared has encouraged you and helped you. God bless you!

Oh, and if you do a S.O.A.P. Bible study page, let me know. You can send me a picture in an email at bridgettowens78@gmail.com or tag me on Instagram. I am @bridgettowens78 and I would love to see what you are doing for your Bible studies, Bible journaling, and creatively being thankful for the blessings in your life. I am thankful for these studies and for God keeping the guard over my mouth and teaching me to watch what I say. 

Proverbs 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

1 Timothy 6:3-5 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strife of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 16 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible study. We are in the book of Psalms this year. Today we are looking at the sixteenth Psalm. If you have not already done so, I hope that you will take the time to read the eleven verses found in this chapter. Pray and ask Holy Spirit to teach you what He wants you to know about this passage and He will do it. Ask for fresh revelation of God's Word so you can hear and obey what the Scriptures say. Leave your Bibles open and grab something to take notes if you want. I will be sharing what God has given me today.

Psalm 16, Psalm 56, Psalm 57, Psalm 58, Psalm 59, and Psalm 60 are all classified as Michtam. What is a Michtam? I looked at the website Got Questions to learn more. Here is a part of what they shared on their website.

Some scholars see the word michtam as meaning “golden,” a definition that would similarly assign great value to a song so labeled. A michtam could be “a psalm as precious as stamped gold”; if so, today’s top-selling songs that are “certified gold” could be considered “michtams” of a sort.

Sounds like these are very special psalms. We are going to examine each of the eleven verses in today's passage.

Verse 1

David establishes relationship in this first verse. He can ask God to preserve, save, protect, or guard him because he is in relationship with Him. He knows the nature of God is to protect and shield those He loves. David is asking for this security now.

Do you need a safeguard today from what you are facing? Are you in relationship with God? Simply pray this verse back to God and watch Him work in your life.

Verses 2-3

David continues this prayer. My Bible translates the phrase "extendeth not to Thee" as meaning "is nothing apart from Thee." So David is actually saying, "O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness is nothing apart from Thee. David recognizes that God is good and apart from Him there is no good in us.

Verse three is connected to verse two. David is saying the people of God, (the saints), in the earth bring him joy. He is delighted in the excellent people. There are so many people compromising in today's society and it is a welcome change to hear about people who are sold out because of God's love and mercy evident in their lives.

Verse 4

David says that pain and suffering will be multiplied to those who run after idols that have no power. They offer drink offerings of innocent blood shed to these false gods. David takes a stance against this counterfeit worship and says he will not offer these sacrifices up and he refuses to even mention the names of these false deities.

How do you respond to those who chase after fortune, fame, power, popularity, and bow at the altar of sacrilege? Will you say it is their life, let them live it? Will you separate yourself from the detestable practices and only serve the One and True God, Yahweh?

Verse 5

God is David's part of his inheritance. God is the substance in David's cup. Blessings pour into his life because his eyes are on God, the Creator. It says, "Thou maintainest my lot" which literally means God upholds his abundance. Do we think of God like this?

Verse 6

David is bragging on God. He says that his boundaries are in pleasant places. He has a wonderful inheritance. We, who are children of the Most High God, can say the very same things. He has put your soul in a pleasant place and you inherit eternal life. What a beautiful picture of God's love and provision.

Verse 7

David blesses the LORD GOD for wise counsel, sound advice, and sage wisdom, even in the nighttime, to instruct him on what to do and where to go. Do you need God's wisdom? Ask God and He will give it to you according to James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally , and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Ask Him right now and He will give it to you. 

Verse 8

This verse may be the biggest key to this whole chapter. Have you continually put the LORD before you? Is He always on your mind? Are you praying and communicating with God throughout your day? Or is He only on your mind at church? We must make room for Him in our day at the start of the day and then throughout the day. When we have pockets of time to think we must have our minds stayed upon God.

David says God is at his right hand. That is a powerful place to be. Is God your right hand Man? Is He your Advisor, Mentor, Counselor, Redeemer, Protector, Helper, and Healer? God should be so close to us that we can sense Him regardless if we are happy or sad, mad or glad, discouraged or encouraged. 

Because David keeps God in the forefront of His mind, and He's so close to Him that it feels like He is right beside him, David proclaims, "I shall not be moved." David lost a wife, his son (because of his own sin), had heartache over his children who acted all kinds of crazy, and was betrayed by friends. He is saying because of the relationship he had with God it caused him to not be shaken when his world was falling apart. Remember he was drawing closer to God while shepherding sheep. It was before he was known as a giant slayer, a battle warrior, a king of Israel. Will you draw close to God even if it means not getting more likes, follows, or comments? Will you seek God when no one is watching and you won't get a pat on the back? These times of being isolated and hidden is the best time to grow deep roots into God and let Him grow you into the man or woman of God He wants you to be.

Verse 9

Because David has stability in God when the world around is sinking sand, he has a reason to be excited. He says this is the reason my heart feels such joy and gladness. He says his innermost being rejoices in God who has redeemed him. He says his entire body will rest in hope. Can you say that you are stable in God's provision and grace? Or, would you say you are shaken when the winds and storms come? Does your vessel get wrecked by the crashing waves of unforeseen circumstances? Or do you run to the refuge of God and allow Him to protect and preserve you?

Verse 10

David says to God, "You won't leave me in the place of death. You will not suffer the Holy One to see corruption." You see God did not leave Jesus in the tomb. If David could look down the corridors of time to see that, it had to be a great source of encouragement to him. Today we know how the story ends and we know that God did exactly that, resurrected Jesus from the dead, and He promises we won't die either if we trust in Him. 

Acts 2:29-36 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with him an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, Until I make Thy foes Thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Verse 11

Last verse, David acknowledges God as guiding him through this life. (Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.) In the presence of God is joy full and complete. You will never ever feel more joy in anything else. There is freedom and love and joy and one hundred percent absence of fear in the presence of God. He ends with declaring that pleasures forevermore, no end to the blessings, is at God's right hand. Have you experienced that kind of joy and fulfillment? It was not just for David. That is not just an Old Testament thing. It is a beautiful glimpse into the relationship David had with God.

If you have a real relationship with God aside from church events and services, you will experience these things in your life too. You can add a big, "ME, TOO!!" to this psalm. It is absolutely possible to have these things in the year 2022 (or whenever you read this). God is the same. He does not change (Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to day, and for ever.) and He wants to offer us the same blessings and benefits. Have you taken Him up on the offer? If not, let today be your day. If you have, then you know exactly what I am talking about.

I hope you have been encouraged with today's study. It has been so beneficial to me. I love the way the LORD teaches me right along with all of you. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Good Friday | Fuel For The Weekend

What a blessed time of year! We get to celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. We get to rejoice that our Savior is not still in the tomb. He IS risen indeed! He is alive forevermore. I am so thankful for the free gift of salvation that was given to whosoever will.

If we turn the clock back a couple thousand years or so we would not be rejoicing in this moment. This would be a time of great sorrow and mourning over the death of Jesus, only 33 1/2 years old. His mother would have witnessed such horror and grief like we cannot even imagine. It says in Matthew 27:55-56 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto Him: Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. The Bible tells us of some of the emotion that was felt in the book of Luke. Luke 23:27 And there followed Him a great company (multitude) of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him. I know I cannot read the story of the crucifixion without crying... a LOT! I wasn't even there. Can you imagine the distress and feelings of helplessness as they watched the Son of God be nailed to a cross through His hands and His feet and wearing a crown of thorns on His head? He had been beaten and whipped, slapped and spat on. What suffering and pain!

Why is today called Good Friday? What's good about it? I have heard those questions so much. The good is that Jesus obeyed the Father all the way to death on the cross. Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. The good is that Jesus did not use the cross as a display of His power by jumping down and striking everyone dead that stood and mocked Him. The good is that He said yes to this horrific ordeal so you and I could go free. The good is that everything the enemy has stolen, killed, and destroyed was redeemed with the blood of Jesus Christ. He came to give us abundant life through His resurrection! John 10:10 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. Jesus never sinned but He became sin for us to pay the ransom for our sins. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. What a beautiful gift to us.

Why would God do that? Why would Jesus have to die for our sins? Why not let us suffer? There is only one answer. LOVE. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God loved His creation so much that He gave us His Son Jesus. Who did He give Jesus to? Whosoever believes in Him. Why? So that they would not be eternally separated from God but would live with Him forever and never die.

Who is Jesus to you? Is He a good man? Maybe He is your Savior but He is not the Lord of your life. You wanted to be spared hell but you want to live life the way that pleases you. Friends, it does not work like that. When Jesus saves us, something happens on the inside of us and we want to serve Him. We have a desire to live like Him. He puts a desire inside our hearts to want to please Him. Our appetite for the things of this world diminishes and He continues to work in our hearts and lives until He returns. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. If you haven't surrendered your life to Him, now is the time!

Dear Jesus,
I thank You for the sacrifice You made for me. I thank You for the pardon You paid with the shedding of Your blood on Mount Calvary. I am so grateful that You have redeemed me. Lord I am praying today for every person who is reading this blog today and any day in the future. Please help them Lord to know you more clearly. Open their spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear what Your Holy Spirit wants to reveal to them. Cultivate the fertile soil of our hearts Lord to receive this message with Your love. God You have made a way for all of us to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. If the person reading this blog post is saved, God encourage them and strengthen them for their journey. Equip them to be strong ambassadors for You Jesus and share the Good News with everyone they meet! If they are lost and need a Savior, speak to them, draw them with Your sweet Spirit Jesus and let them come to You with faith believing. I rejoice with all of heaven as they make a confession of faith in You Jesus. What a blessed Homecoming we shall have. I love You Jesus and it is in Your precious Holy name, the name that is above every other name, that I pray. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Thankful For Salvation in Jesus | Thankful Thursday

John the Baptist had a special connection with Jesus. While in their mothers' wombs they had an encounter and John leaped inside his mother according to Luke 1:41 and Luke 1:44. Now John is a man and has been paving the way for Jesus, the Messiah, and as his eyes lock on Jesus this is what he said. John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Can you imagine standing there with John and hearing him say this? Finally the man he has been preaching about and teaching about and baptizing people who have repented and believed on this man! Jesus is here in the flesh! What an introduction!! I do not know what I would have done.

When Jesus was doing miracles, the crowds loved Him. When He fed the multitudes they followed Him. On what we now celebrate as Palm Sunday, Jesus is riding a donkey descending the mount of Olives and look at what the Scripture says. Luke 19:37-38 And when He was come nigh (near), even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. They rejoiced for all the wonderful things He had done. Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, caused the lame to walk again, and saved multitudes. He cast out demons. He challenged humanity to think about religion in a whole new way: and He desired for those who listened to Him to have a relationship with His Heavenly Father Yahweh.

Fast forward toward the end of the week. Now Judas has betrayed Jesus. Jesus is arrested and alone. The disciples are hiding. Peter denied He knew Jesus THREE TIMES just as Jesus told him he would do. Every man, woman, and child that ate the loaves and fishes were gone! The blind that can now see turned their eyes away from Him. The deaf that can now hear, were no where to be found. What about the demon possessed and those who heard Him preaching daily in the temple? Where were those who supported Jesus just a few days ago?

Mark 15:6-25 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired (requested). And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for (because of) envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said unto them again, What will ye then that I shall do unto Him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify Him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath He done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify Him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified. And the soldiers led Him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band (cohort). And they clothed Him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about His head. And began to salute Him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote Him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon Him, and bowing their knees worshipped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took off the purple from Him, and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross. And they bring Him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but He received it not. And when they had crucified Him, they parted His garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

Do you want to know what I am thankful for this Thankful Thursday? Friends, I am so thankful that Jesus loves us so much that He did that for us. He went through torture and pain and suffering like we will never know. The crowds that wanted Him to heal them, save them, help them, and feed them were the very ones crying out CRUCIFY HIM! And not one person could ever say why they wanted it done. No one could give an accurate account of anything wrong Jesus had done. He was sinless! He was the Supreme Sacrifice for our sins. We could never pay for it. I am so thankful that He loved me so much that He looked beyond my sin and shame and thought I was worth saving.

My precious Jesus took the nails in His hands and in His feet for me! He wore the crown of thorns that were driven deep into His head with a heavy reed for me! He bled and died to pay for MY sins! That makes me sick to think about. My selfishness, my greed, my sins, my unforgiveness, my bitterness, my shame was all laid upon His shoulders along with yours and the whole world and He SUFFERED for it! He willingly laid down His life for us! The Shepherd laying down His very life for the sheep. That breaks my heart! My God!!! What a love that no one else can give!

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We did not deserve it. We were not good enough. We did NOTHING to earn this! Jesus loved us so much He did it willingly. God loves us that much that He sacrificed His only Son for us! John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Sin is the worst thing we can do because it separates us from the very God who loves us! Forgiveness is free and no strings attached. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much He sent Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son to die for us in the cruelest death in history. Sin cost Jesus His life's blood. Sin DOES hurt other people. It hurt Jesus so much and you know what He said? He looked out at the angry mob who wanted Him to hang on the cross and this is what He said: Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted His raiment, and cast lots.

No one will ever care for you as much as Jesus; not your mother, not your father, not your grandparents, not your spouse, NOBODY! You are loved unconditionally! Is Jesus your Savior? If He is not, please make Him the Lord and Savior of your life right now. Today! Just tell Him that you believe that He is the Son of God. You recognize you are a sinner and need a Savior. Repent of your sins and ask Him to forgive you and He will do it! Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It is that simple and that easy. It is a free gift from God.

I pray that you have been born again. If you have not, let today be your day of salvation. Jesus is the best friend you will ever have. He is all you need to guide you and govern your life. Trust Him. He is so worthy of love, trust, majesty, and honor.

I am thankful that Jesus Christ saved my soul and He is with me every single day. Jesus is alive. He rose from the dead and is alive forever more. He is seated at the right hand of the Father and one day He is coming back for you and me and all those that love His appearing. What a day that will be!

God bless you friends!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 15 | Bible Study Wednesday

 

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible study. Today we are in the book of Psalm chapter 15. This is a psalm of David. David asks a question in verse one and then answers that question in the subsequent verses. It is only 5 verses in length. If you have not done so, I encourage you to take a moment to pray and ask Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you through this passage. Ask Him to open up your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear what He wants to teach you today. Read through these few verses and then we will study God's Word together.

Verse 1

David asks a question, "LORD, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? In other words, what kind of person, what qualities do they possess, who is able to stay in your holy place? Not just any person can do that. There are some requirements for remaining in the tabernacle of God in His holy hill. God has standards and regulations for whom He allows to live within His presence. What are they? Do you and I qualify? What does it look like to measure up to God's standard? Let's find out.

Let's look at Psalm 24:3-5. This is a sneak peek into this chapter that we will be visiting again in June. It says, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation." According to this passage, the requirements are clean hands, pure heart, humble, and honest. Do we meet those requirements? Do we always have pure motives? Are we always humble and honest? Do we always do the things that are right and pleasing in His sight?

David is saying that when we seek to honor God with our life, when we choose to sacrifice praise, to honor God with our choices, and to live a life of integrity, aiming to please God we have the invitation to dwell and abide in God's holy tabernacle in His holy hill. Just so we get the full picture David is going to go in detail about what that really looks like.

Verse 2

David says the first thing is to be a person of integrity, good moral character. Walk uprightly means to deliberately, correctly, and faithfully move forward in the paths that God has already carved out for us. What does it mean to work righteousness? It means we do the right thing. What would God want us to do in the situation we find ourselves in? Are we choosing integrity over popularity? Are we conforming to this world or are we being transformed by the renewing of our mind as we read God's Word?

Ephesians 4:20-25 "But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another." This passage tells us that we have to die to our old nature and old habits. The things we did before we came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is not the same things we ought to be doing now. We once served self and now we serve King Jesus and we should act in accordance with His ways and His laws.

Verse 3

What else must we do to be worthy of inhabiting God's holy tabernacle in His holy hill? In this verse, David addresses how we treat our neighbor. Our neighbor is not just the person who lives next door. Remember when Jesus talks about the Good Samaritan? That story was told by Jesus in answer to the question of the lawyer, "Who is my neighbor?" So Jesus said a certain man went from Jerusalem to Jericho and was mugged. They robbed him, stripped him of his clothes, violently beat him and left him for dead. After some time a priest came by and saw the man laying in this terrible condition and he passed by him on the other side of the road. Another time a Levite came up to him and looked at him but he passed by him on the other side of the road. Then a certain Samaritan saw the man and had compassion on him. He went to the injured man, cleansed and bandaged his wounds, put him on his animal to transport him to the inn and took care of him. The next day the Samaritan had to leave but he took some money and gave it to the innkeeper with instructions to continue to care for the unnamed injured man. He said if the innkeeper spent more than what was given to care for this man he would return and pay the rest of the money owed. Jesus asks, "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among thieves?" The lawyer answered, "The one who showed mercy." Jesus said, "Go, and do thou likewise." (Luke 10:25-37)

Anyone in our life is a neighbor: the store clerk, the receptionist, the police officer, the teacher, the CEO, the children, the pastor, the one who lives next door, the friend, the spouse, the stranger. All are our neighbors. David says to abide in God's holy tabernacle we cannot backbite or gossip, nor do evil to our neighbor, or be cruel to them. You may say that is easy, I do not treat people with cruelty or do evil deeds. Gossip is one of the most hurtful things you can do. The wounds that gossip inflicts run so deep and penetrate the heart to the core. It is extremely cruel and evil. 

Leviticus 19:16-18 "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood (life) of thy neighbour: I am the LORD. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD." God made Himself very clear. Do not go from house to house, or from phone conversation to phone conversation, person to person discussing other people. It can be tempting to just talk about it to pray for the need, but that is a slippery slope and it can lead to gossip and we must be very careful. God takes this so seriously because it has wounded the hearts of many and caused a great number of people to be led astray. Let's pray daily for God to guard our mouths. Psalm 141:3 Set a watch (guard), O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. God will answer that prayer and we will not be a talebearer any longer. 

Exodus 23:1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.This happens time and time again in the churches all across America. I have seen it in big churches and small. Someone takes sides and shares their feelings and thoughts instead of actual facts and before long they are an unrighteous witness raising false reports. The enemy wants division and strife in the church because then he can isolate us and make us feel like we are all alone and forsaken. That is lie and we must not fall for it. Do not be part of the reason anyone is lied on. If we pray that prayer in Psalm 141:3 we will not do these things.

Verse 4

The KJV is not the easiest to read at times. What is verse four saying? The Message Bible says it like this, "Don't hurt your friend, don't blame your neighbour; despise the despicable." That is easier for me to comprehend. Remember when Mordecai would not give reverance to Haman in the book of Esther? Esther 3:2 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. Haman was an Amalekite and enemy of the Jews. Mordecai did not give reverence to him. When we know someone is in direct violation of God's Word we should not revere them. It is not okay to just go along with the crowd because everyone else says so, or even because a government official says so. God's Word trumps the world's authority. 

Leviticus 5:4-5 NIV "or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt --- when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what they have sinned." So no matter if you are promising to do something good or something bad, if you have sinned in that without realizing it, God will use Holy Spirit to start convicting you of that wrong doing. And when you realize that you sinned, you must confess what you have done to God and ask for forgiveness. We all mess up but we must be able to admit the wrong we have done and repent, or turn away from that behavior. Jesus will forgive us if we ask Him to.

Let's be careful to not hurt our friends or falsely accuse someone when we do not have all the information. Let's choose to honor others and respect them. We will have a much better world if all would just do those two simple things.

Verse 5

David ends the chapter with one final thought about who will be able to stand in God's holy place. This verse is dealing with finances. If you say you will do something, then do it, even if it cost you money, even if it means you have to do without some things. Do not take incentives, bonuses, kickbacks, if you have to hurt others to get it. Lend to the less fortunate and do not ask for interest on the loan. Be generous and be kind. In Second Peter it tells us to add to our faith virtue and to virtue add knowledge and then to knowledge add temperance which means abstinence or self-control, and to temperance add patience and to patience add godliness and to godliness add brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness add love. Peter said that if we have these things it makes us useful in God's Kingdom. 2 Peter 1:8-11 "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall never be barren (useless) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and that forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (stumble): For so an entrance shall be ministered (supplied) unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

David ends with "He that doeth these things shall never be moved." What an incredible promise. How loving of the Savior to allow us to know these truths today? We can read this, hear this, understand this, and if we obey this, we will never be moved. We will have a place in God's Kingdom. When the Psalmist asks, "God, who will live with You in Your holy tabernacle in Your holy hill?" God will answer with your name if you do these things.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 14 | Wednesday Bible Study

We are in the first week of April. As we begin this second quarter of the year, let's reflect on the things we have learned in the Psalms up to this point. In Psalm Chapter One, we learned to be successful we must stay connected to the Source of Living Water. In Psalm Chapter Two, we discovered Jesus Christ is the anchor we need to cling to in these evil days. In Psalm Chapter Three, we studied how David got his courage back when he was fleeing from his son Absalom. In Psalm Chapter Four, David finds the solution to insomnia. Psalm Chapter Five gives us a wonderful formula for how to pray boldly and effectively. Psalm Chapter Six is the first of seven penitential psalms dealing primarily with sin and forgiveness of sin. Psalm Chapter Seven is a shiggaion, which is a lyrical poem composed under great distress and persecution, but he still ends this song in praise. Psalm Chapter Eight, David begins and ends with proclaiming, "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!" Psalm Chapter Nine, David ends this psalm with an awesome statement. Do you remember what he said? "Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah." What a sobering thought, huh? In Psalm Chapter Ten, we see the psalmist asking where is God. We often hear that same question in our world today, but the good news is we discover that God is always near to us, especially in times of grief, loss, and pain. Psalm Chapter Eleven, encourages us that when we go through the valley, it can be hard and feel lonely, but God will keep His promise to never leave or abandon us. Psalm Chapter Twelve, begins with lamenting and sorrow, and ends with hope and promise. And finally in Psalm Chapter Thirteen, we read David bearing his heart before God, upset and distraught, but then he begins to draw strength from God and ends the psalm saying that he is full of answered prayers! The see-saw motion of these psalms remind me of life today. We go to God upset and in tears over problems too big for us to handle, and then we begin to praise God and thank Him for what He has already done, and before we are done praying we have our joy back and we are strengthened. We end the prayer in praise because God has proven Himself faithful time and time again. Let's see what today's Bible study has in store.

If you have not already done so, please take a few moments to pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear what the Spirit is saying to us today. Read the seven verses in today's passage. This is a psalm of David to the chief Musician. I love that! God is the chief Musician. Let's look at today's passage.

Verse 1

My study Bible says this, "The foolish individual (Heb. nabal) lacks spiritual discernment, not intelligence, denying the existence of God, and living as if God did not exist. The opposite of folly or foolishness in the OT is not intelligence but rather steadfast devotion to the Lord. Paul's use of Psalm 14 emphasizes that we are all foolish as long as we choose to separate ourselves from the wisdom of God found in the gospel of Christ (1 Cor. 1:18-25; compare Ps. 14 with Ps. 53).

In the Enduring Word Bible Commentary it says this: "The God-denying man is a fool because:

• He denies what is plainly evident.
• He believes in tremendous effect with no cause.
• He denies a moral authority in the universe.
• He believes only what can be proven by the scientific method.
• He takes a dramatic, losing chance on his supposition that there is no God.
• He refuses to be persuaded by the many powerful arguments for the existence of God."

The issue David points out is that the foolish one who says there is no God, is not only thinking that there is no God, but refuses to make room for God in his heart. The problem is not an intellectual issue only then, but a matter of the heart as well. To be an effective witness for Christ and His love for all of mankind, we must not just appeal to a person's thinking but also to the seat of their emotions, which is the heart.

The question then is raised, can one profess there is a God with their mind and yet deny Him in their heart? The answer is yes! There are many people today who attend church services, pay tithes, give generously, know when to sit and when to stand, when to clap, and when to be silent. They will do all the fundamental things a "Christian" should do in the church, but then walk out the doors of the church and deny Him by their lifestyle. The enormous task then is to reach the heart of that man or woman who only gives God a little time during one service a week, but completely closes Him out of their lives the rest of the day and the upcoming week and thinks they are doing well.

Verse 2

David paints us a picture in the second verse of this chapter. He says God looked down from heaven to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. What if God was to look down on planet earth today to see if any understood and sought God? What do you think He would find? This world is so corrupt. The evil laws passed in this country, state by state, and the wickedness in the hearts of many of our leaders is not missed by God. He sees the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Verse 3

David says there is not even one person who does good. We cannot say that every believer in Christ Jesus lives a perfect, sinless life; and every unbeliever is living wickedly. We do know that those who put their trust in Christ and choose to obey God's commands often make better choices than those who do not even acknowledge God's existence at all. There is a moral compass we abide by that those who are not followers of Christ Jesus do not necessarily agree with. Even doing good things and trying to do what is right, we are still in the category of none doing good. Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Verse 4

The Psalmist continues the question of sinners not having knowledge. It is not that there is not enough evidence to convince them that there is a God; and it is not that they lack intelligence, but rather they choose to deny God. They abuse God's people. The statement is they eat up God's people like they eat bread without giving thanks.

Verse 5

They will eventually come face to face with the undeniable reality of God. They can continue to reject Him but this verse says God is in the generation of the righteous. He is going to look out for His people who are making strides to live a life to please Him.

Verse 6

Here David reminds us that God is our refuge. We can run to Him and we are safe. Sure we may be ridiculed and mocked for our faith in God. We may be looked down upon because we put our hope and trust in Jesus Christ. Let them laugh. Let them scorn. They hated Jesus so that is why we are hated. Jesus said this, Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. They hate us because we are children of God. But God is our refuge so we do not have to be upset or worried about their reaction to us.

Verse 7

The celebration will happen when sin is abolished forever. We read about that great day in Revelation 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon Him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Friends, one day God is going to give the signal to say He has had enough. I believe it will not be long before Jesus returns in the clouds. He will not be meek and mild when He comes back. When I read that His eyes were like a flame of fire I know He is all business. He is triumphant and He wins! In the end, God will set all wrongs right and He will deliver His people. I do not know when He is coming but I know that He IS coming! Let's keep living for God. Let's continue to walk in His paths and lean not on our own understanding. Let's do all we can for Him while we are on this earth and when it seems like the world is so corrupt and undone, we can take refuge in our Savior and soon-coming King Jesus.

I hope you learned something new in today's Bible study. It was very good to study this. I read from my regular Bible, my Women's Study Bible, and two different commentaries online. I hope that something I shared on my blog today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens