National Day of Prayer | Thankful Thursday

Hello friends. Today is National Day of Prayer. It is a time of fasting and prayer for many of us. Some may have prayed in a group before work or school; others may have a special ceremony at church or elsewhere. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. That is very possible to do. It is to have a direct line of communication with our Heavenly Father who will meet our every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus according to Philippians 4:19.

In our world today, we have so much to pray about. There are issues in our cities, states, our country, our government leaders, and in our world. We have personal issues we are dealing with as well. There is no shortage of things to pray about.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus. Whatever we are facing, we can, and should, take it to God in prayer, asking our Heavenly Father, with gratitude. We are promised that when we take our problems to God and spend time with Him in prayer, we will receive the peace of God to keep our hearts and minds through Jesus. What kind of peace is it? It is the peace that does not make sense. It is peace that will cause others to look at you and wonder, "How can you go through all that and still have peace?" It is only peace that comes from God. Jesus said in John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. We may be facing some scary situations and we begin to allow fear to take up residence in our hearts, but Jesus is telling us not be worried or afraid because He gives us His peace.

We can confidently go to our Lord Jesus and ask anything we need and we know that He is listening to us and will help us in our time of need. 1 John 5:14-15 reads, And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, we know that we have the petitions that we desired Him. The key to this verse is that we ask according to the will of God. We cannot ask for selfish requests so we can be popular, have more money to spend on vain things, or to promote ourselves. We are here to carry out God's plan for the world and if more money or material possessions will cause us to stray or glorify self then we already know we are not going to receive those things. We must be in line with God's will.

A very popular verse, one that many of us have heard and/or quoted many times is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. I feel that it is so important to include in today's blog post. It says, If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. It is no secret our land needs healed. If we take the confidence we just read about and humble ourselves, pray, seeking God's face and not His hands, and repent of the evil and wickedness then God in heaven will hear us and forgive us and heal our land. America is a very sin-sick nation. It is time we return to our Savior Jesus Christ and repent of the wicked ways we have done and allowed in this nation. It is time to honor and bless God as a country. We must become humble again. We need to seek the face of God, not to get more blessings and things from Him, but to spend time with Him and honor Him and love Him.

I am so thankful there is a day set aside to pray and fast, for those of us who will do that. I am going to spend time praying and seeking God about some big needs in my life and in this world. I know He will hear and answer me. I have confidence that He cares about us and the things we care about. I hope that you will be praying, too.

There is nothing like praying to God and Him answering prayers. I love to prayer journal because there are so many things that we can look back on and see God's fingerprints all over. We see how we struggled and how God answered and how we grew. Many of you know that we, at Blue's Blessings, have three prayer journals available on Amazon now. You can see the Men's Prayer Journals here. We have a Women's Prayer Journal here. And we have Youth Prayer Journals which is an interactive workbook with devotionals, prayer prompts, memory verses, SOAP Bible study pages and room for note taking, plus so much more. It is a wonderful gift for graduations, Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, or anytime.

This Thankful Thursday I am thankful for the gift of prayer. I know God hears and answers the prayers of His children. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Fuel Up For Free | Fuel For The Weekend

Happy Friday, friends. We have made it to the one day of the week most of us long for. I am working today and will be busy but I wanted to hop on here and share a little Fuel For The Weekend. Do you

have plans this weekend? Our family has a very important meeting scheduled tomorrow and it's exciting and scary all at the same time. We are looking forward to church on Sunday, too. Whatever you are doing and however you spend your weekend, I pray that it is a blessed time and productive in advancing God's Kingdom on the earth!

Have you ever been in a situation where you know you did something you shouldn't have, or said something that you should have just been silent about? Was someone upset with you? It does not feel good to have someone angry with me and especially when I have done something I knew I should not have done. The relationship changes a little and distance creeps in. The same is true when we sin and God is upset about the intentional sin we have committed and we start to feel distance in our relationship. It feels like God is not as close. Why? There is now something between us and God...it is the sin that we have in our lives.

Now going back to the original question where a friend or family member or coworker is upset with us for what we have said or done in error; doesn't it just feel so good to apologize to that person and get back in right standing with them? When I am willing to humble myself, acknowledge I messed up, and vow to do my best to not repeat that same mistake, the other person often softens, too. The wall comes down and we are able to fellowship again. How much more wonderful is it when our Heavenly Father hears our repentant prayer, accepts our apology, cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and we are now free to commune with God intimately that we were unable to before? I am so thankful that He is so loving, kind, and forgiving.

I want to give you some fuel for the weekend. There is a really short chapter in the book of Isaiah and it really speaks to me about the benefits that follow reconciling with God. I do not know if you have ever read this before but it is so beautiful and I want to share it here today.

ISAIAH 12:1-6 (1)And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise Thee: though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me. (2)Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. (3)Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (4)And in that day ye shall say, Praise the LORD, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted. (5)Sing unto the LORD; for He hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. (6)Cry out and shout, Thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

I absolutely love this passage. "I will praise You God, and though You were angry with me before, now Your anger has turned away from me and You comfort me!" This is such a beautiful illustration of the way our Heavenly Father lovingly holds us and comforts us after a time of separation. He longs to be in fellowship with us, too. He misses the closeness we once shared when I strayed from Him. The same is true with how He feels about you.

I will trust You God and not be afraid. No matter what my situation looks like, no matter how bleak things may appear, I am trusting You God and I will not let fear have a place in my heart. JEHOVAH is my salvation, my strength, and my song. Psalm 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.

With joy we shall draw water out of the wells of salvation. We will gladly go to the Living Water and enjoy times of refreshing. Amen? What an exciting idea that we can freely receive a cup of fresh life anytime we desire! This life can leave us dry, depleted, and disappointed but we have the opportunity to come anytime and draw water from the wells of salvation. When we come with joy we can receive the thirst-quenching, life-renewing water that will never run dry. We have an unlimited resource in our Heavenly Father! Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Let's praise Him today. Let's tell others what He is doing in our lives. Let's be encouragers to those around us and make mention that His name is to be exalted. We must decrease so that He can increase. John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease. All the praise, honor, and glory are due Him. He is worthy of it all! He is great and greatly to be praised. Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. I magnify His great name and honor my King Jesus. He is daily working on our behalf, working all things together for our good and blessing us in ways we cannot even imagine. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Ephesians 3:20-21 Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Whether you can sing well or not, it does not matter. Lift your voice and start thanking God for all the wonderful things in your life. Thank You Jesus for waking me up this morning, clothing me in my right mind. Thank You Jesus for refreshing me at the wells of Your salvation. Thank You for the breath in my lungs and that I can use my arms and legs without assistance. I thank You that my body is no longer racked with pain. I thank You Jesus for giving me joy down in my soul bubbling over and the peace that does not even make sense with the things I am facing and going through. You have done excellent things my King and it is known in all the earth! I adore You Jesus! Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

We are to be loud about it! That may be out of some people's comfort zones but it is okay to be excited about our relationship with Jesus. The scriptures say, "Cry out and shout!" Why? For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of where? In the midst of thee! He is in our midst. He is in our presence. He is going through the fire with us. He is in the lion's den with us. He is in the court room, the board room, the class room, the bedroom, the vehicle....wherever we are, He is there! He is Holy. He is Righteous. He is to be glorified and praised. Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.

No matter what plans you have this weekend, and no matter if they happen or not, let's not get caught up in the trivial matters of this life. Let's choose to magnify the good and not the bad. Let's choose to honor our King Jesus with our time and efforts and actions this weekend. Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. Let's use these six verses to navigate the upcoming weekend. Fill your tank up for free! Gas prices here in southern Indiana where I live are $4.25 and it seems that they increase toward the weekends. This fuel is FREE! It has been paid for by the precious blood of Jesus and it was PAID IN FULL. So, come to the wells of salvation and take your fill. Get satisfied. Let it quench your thirst. John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

I pray something you have read today has given you 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

 

Time For Healing | Fuel For The Weekend

 

Time for healing?

It is no secret that our nation is suffering. The whole world is suffering. There is a major sickness traveling the globe and causing many to suffer and it is called sin. The one thing most people avoid talking about in our culture is holiness unto God. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." We are in a global pandemic and it started back in the Garden of Eden when Eve and Adam sinned first. Yes, we need a physical healing in this nation and internationally as well, but the need is so great for a spiritual healing, too.

3 JOHN 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things (pray that in all things) that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

John said he was praying that in every area of our lives we would be successful, have all our needs met, and have health, in relation to our soul prospering. You see, there are many anorexic Christians. Many Christians are snacking on God's Word, breaking off a piece here and there as it suits them, but never getting satiated on the meat! Churches are full of members who have been faithful in giving of their time and money, but they are still on the milk. You would not give an infant a steak dinner because it would strangle on something it is not ready to consume. What do you do? You give the baby milk and you control how often you give them a bottle, or nurse them. As they grow stronger, they can try baby food which has a little more consistency than milk but it is still gentle enough the baby will not choke. As the fine motor skills develop, the child can pick up finger foods and often these are biscuits that turn to mush in the mouth. Again, it is taking one step closer to the meat and potatoes, but not forcing things too fast. One day you will look across the table at your child who may be taller than you, stronger than you, and they effortlessly chew up vegetables, fruits, and meats. We must continue to feed our inner man spiritual food. We must consume the Gospel and as we learn and grow, we can understand more and take in more and then we are sharing our "lunch" with others as we share the Good News.

John's prayer was not that all who follow Jesus would be wealthy, possess material goods, and be popular. John's prayer was that he wants all Christians to prosper and be healthy just like he wants the same thing for our souls.

PSALM 107:20 He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Do you remember what the Centurion told Jesus? He impressed Jesus with his great faith. He asked Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus said, "I will come and heal him." (Matthew8:7) The centurion said he was not worthy for Jesus to come to his house. He respected Jesus. He had been observing the things Jesus did and how he had power over sickness, mental illness, and physical infirmities. He tells Jesus in Matthew 8:8 & 9, "Lord I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it."

The centurion understood more than all the religious leaders of that time. He had great faith and he fully understood that Jesus's words were able to speak healing to his servant, though they were not in the same area together, and he would be made whole. It was exactly what Jesus did. He sent the word and the servant was healed. Do we fully understand that concept? We have been trained to believe that if we are good enough, or do enough good things, then God will be happy with us and give us what we want, but if we don't measure up then God is not going to bless us. That is a lie from the enemy. Our own righteousness is not in this equation. God is a healer and when we ask in the name of Jesus for it to be done, it will be done according to our faith. What happens is we often do not have faith. We have a wait and see kind of mindset and then wonder why God is not moving on our behalf. Where is our faith? Where is our confidence in what God can do?

2 CHRONICLES 7:14 If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

We have some things to do if we want God to forgive our sin and heal our land. What are we supposed to do? First of all we need to humble ourselves. James 4:10 says, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." We must remember we are not the Creator, we are His creation. We need to step off the pedestal others may have placed us on, or the high places we have lifted ourselves to, and remember who we are. We are nothing without God. He gives us hope, joy, purpose, love, and peace. We have to become humble servants. We are not teachable if we think more of ourselves than we should. We are not able to be molded and shaped into the image of Christ if we think we are good enough on our own.

We have to pray. James 5:16 tells us the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. If we want to get things done, strongholds to break, unsaved loved ones to be converted, and healing our physical bodies and our nation from our sins, we have to pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) We must be in communication with God. He tells us to pray and ask Him for things and to have faith that He will do it. Do not think it could happen, or it might happen. Know that it will happen if you have the faith to believe it.

Finally, we are to seek His face. We often seek God's hands. We want Him to give us more money, give us a better job, give us a spouse, give, give, give... but that kind of relationship is one-sided and it is not fair to God who is our faithful partner. We are not faithful. We fail Him every single day. That may not be what you want to hear, and you may think you don't, but we do. We are flawed human beings and that is why in His great love and mercy, He extends grace to cover us. He wants us to desire His face. He wants us to seek His presence and to be with Him, near Him, intimately acquainted with Him. He wants us to look into His eyes and see the love and mercy of a wonderful Heavenly Father. He wants us to see His expression as He smiles at us. He loves us so much. He has accepted us as we are and then loves us way too much to leave us like He found us. Jeremiah 29:12 & 13 says, "Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart." Does He have your whole heart? He does not want parts and pieces; He wants the whole thing. 

God is so patient with us. He was patient with the children of Israel, even when they were disobedient and hard-headed. He still fed them, gave them a pillar of fire for protection, was in the cloud to lead them, and always watching over them. In Psalm 78:40 & 41 it says, "How oft did they provoke Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel." When we follow our own path, and seek out our own desires for our future, and want to be adored by the masses, we are provoking Him and grieving Him. We are limiting God on what He can do for us. Let's take God out of the box we put Him in, and let Him be God like only He can do! He is a BIG God and He desires to give us good things, perfect gifts, and grace. We have to turn from evil thinking and idolatry. 

If we do these things, He promises to forgive our sins and heal our land. We need God now more than ever before. Things are getting worse in the world instead of better, but we knew that it would. These are just signs for the Christians. Jesus told us what to watch for. These are the days of healing and restoration if we will let Him. Are we standing in His way? Have we been treating God like a spiritual Santa Claus? We have our lists and we want Him to check all the boxes and then we run off to do whatever we want with little to no gratitude for the things we are blessed with. Our Heavenly Father wants regular visits with His children. He wants your time, your focus, your passion. He wants you to love Him and serve Him. He is a wonderful Father and He has promised us amazing things if we will follow Him and allow Him to lead us.

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend. Some of you may be working, and others may be about to enjoy a three day weekend with Martin Luther King, Jr Day on Monday. Spend some time with God this weekend. Give Him the firstfruits of your day. Give Him your very best and watch what He will do. I hope that something I have shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

He Did Not Give Up On Me | Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful that God has never given up on me. I do not always do what I am supposed to do. Sometimes I get angry and quickly act when I should pray and ask God to help me. Sometimes I want to justify myself when I am wrongly accused, instead of praying for those who despitefully use me. I admit to volunteering to do things I know I am good at, because it will require little effort on my part and others will notice. I admit that I still need Jesus's love, grace, and mercy every single moment of my life. I need His forgiveness, His goodness, and His truth to make me free. I need to get closer to Him, listen better, and act quicker than I do.

But, instead of rehearsing these things over and over, my faults and failures and flaws... the way the enemy would like for me to do, I am choosing surrender. I surrender fully to the power of Christ to free me from the bondage of sin, to untangle me from the cares of this life, and to burn my pride to the ground. I want to decrease so He can increase in my life. I want people to mention my name far less than they mention His. I want to shine the light God gave me for the world to see Jesus shining bright, not Bridgett. I want to use my talents and gifts to please God instead of man. I am a work in progress. He is still working on me. He is still challenging me to go deeper in His Word. He is still asking me to deny myself and daily take up my cross to follow Him. He is still in pursuit of me and He has never given up on me.

PSALM 55:22 "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18 "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

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."

What are you thanking God for this week? There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. I am so thankful that God loves us so much that He keeps working with these vessels of clay until we become vessels of honor. Isn't He wonderful?

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens 

 

 

Thankful For My BFF | Thankful Thursday

Meet my beautiful blue eyed, brown haired best friend for ever and always! Her name is Heather Rose and she is my very closest friend. She knows way too much! Today is her birthday and I hope it is the most fantastic day ever. I thank God for her mother Cindy choosing life for this amazing woman of God. She is a threat to the enemy and she is the apple of God's eye.

Heather and I have been friends since we were kids. We grew up together. We went to Youth Group together. We studied the Bible together. We worked together. We went to Taco Bell together.... a lot! We enjoyed pie together....lots of delicious pie. It's our thing.

I love Heather's laugh. It is contagious and it seriously brings me joy even if she is laughing at me!! We laugh until we can hardly understand each other and then we laugh harder at that and when we see others staring at us, well it gets real. Tears are flowing and it is the best belly laughter ever. She makes me want to be better.

Heather has amazing handwriting. We wrote lots of letters back and forth. She sends me cards and she sends me SnapChat messages. We always have so much to share and why we think SnapChat is the best way to do that is beyond me, but we like it and it works, so who cares if we send tons of snaps at one time. There really needs to be longer allowances for what we have to share.

Heather gets me. She knows what has broken my heart, what has disappointed me. She has been there when my relatives died and she still prays for me when I tell her that I miss my dad. I wish she had a good dad to miss. Her mom is an amazing mother and father because she had to be both as a single momma and she rocked it! Her sister is so funny and I love their little family like I am another sister.

Proverbs 27:9 says Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. She is like sweet perfume to my soul. She gives me sound advice. We have had similar struggles in marriage, parenting, life, as Christians... and it is so good to hear her share Bible verses as she lovingly points me back to the cross. She is a great prayer warrior and she loves Jesus so I trust what she tells me and she gives me the encouragement I need to keep going. She takes 1 Thessalonians 5:11 seriously when we are told Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. She lives that out loud!

Psalms 133:1 says Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. It's true. She and I seldom argued. Even if we disagreed we heard each other out and we never let things come between us. She is miles and miles and states away from me but I can call or text her anytime and she is there for me and the distance never matters.

Heather is a hearer of the word and a doer. Romans 12:10 says Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. I love Heather to pieces and I know she loves me. We do want to show honor for each other. We cherish our friendship. Others come and go in our lives for a reason or a season but I am so glad God gave me Heather for a lifetime!

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. I love doing life with Heather. She is the best friend anyone can have. I can share her with others a little but remember she is my friend first. Maybe I need to work on not being greedy....

I hope you all have a friend like Heather. In Galatians 6:2 it says Carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. I know that we don't do this perfectly, but I know that God has blessed me with a friend who helps me carry my burdens. Sometimes in the hardest seasons of our lives we were not able to be there in person for each other. God told me it was so we wouldn't make idols out of one another. He was training us to lean on Him and He allows us to help each other, too. 

Heather, I appreciate you so much. You are a treasure and I adore you. Happy birthday!!!! Love you bunches girlfriend. And many more......

Love,

Bridgett 

Washi Page Marker | Thankful Thursday

Welcome back to another Thankful Thursday tutorial.Today we are going to make a washi page marker for your Bible,planner,favorite book,or whatever you want to put it in.

The materials you need include:

*cardstock in the size you choose

*scissors

*washi of your choice

I created a video tutorial to show you how to create this very simple project. It does not take much time or resources. These are great to make for yourself or others. It is a fun project for kid's ministry as well. Washi can be purchased inexpensively at Dollar Tree, Walmart, Target, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, or JoAnn. I hope you enjoy the tutorial as we creatively journal our faith.

The scripture I reference is 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. I am definitely thankful for prayer. Prayer is talking to God and then listening for Him to answer. I am so grateful for the open communication I have with my Heavenly Father. I pray every day, numerous times throughout the day, and am thankful to live in a free country where I am still able to do so.

Have a terrific Thursday! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Obadiah God's Judgment | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to another Bible study Wednesday! Today I would like to study the book of Obadiah. It is one of the minor prophets in the Old Testament. It is one chapter with only 21 verses. It takes up a page and small part of another page in my compact Bible. I would love for you to join me as we look at this book together. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we come before You now asking for You to impart to us Godly wisdom. We do not know everything and when it comes to the Holy text we can only know what You reveal to us with Holy Spirit. Please open our spiritual ears and spiritual eyes to hear and see what great mysteries You want to open up to us. Please prepare our hearts to receive this message and the goodness that is only found in Your Word. Help us to apply this wisdom to our lives. God transform us with this message today and help us share it with others.Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen

Obadiah is the tiny book after Amos and just before Jonah. Sandwiched between these small books is a message for us that we need today. So, as usual, I would like to share what my Bible has to say about the book of Obadiah.

The Book of OBADIAH: A struggle that began in the womb between twin brothers, Esau and Jacob, eventuates in a struggle between their respective descendants, the Edomites and the Israelites. For the Edomites' stubborn refusal to aid Israel, first during the time of wilderness wandering (Numbers 20:14-21) and later during a time of invasion, they are roundly condemned by Obadiah. This little-known prophet describes their crimes, tries their case, and pronounces their judgment: total destruction. The Hebrew name Obadyah means "Worshiper of Yahweh" or "Servant of Yahweh." The Greek title in the Septuagint is Obdiou, and the Latin title in the Vulgate is Abdias.

Obadiah is a prophet we know little about. He has one job: to announce the war God has waged against the Edomite people, the descendants of Esau, because of the wicked way they dealt with the nation of Israel, the descendants of Jacob. Before we discuss the message Obadiah has for the Edomites, let's first get a background on who we are talking about and what has happened to cause God to become so angry.

Jacob and Esau were twin brothers born to Isaac and Rebekah. The sibling rivalry began before they were born. Rebekah felt the struggle within her womb. Let's pick the story up in Genesis 25:22-26.

GENESIS 25:22-26 (22)And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. (23)And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. (24)And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold. there were twins in her womb. (25)And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. (26)And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel: and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

The boys grew up and Esau was a skilled hunter and the outdoorsy type. Jacob was a quiet type, preferring to stay indoors. As God had said these boys were twins but the brothers were very different with unique personalities. The nations that would come from these two men would be like them. The sibling rivalry began in the womb but continued long after the brothers died. 

The birthright was very important because it was a sign of leadership. Once Isaac had passed away, the one who had the birthright would be the head of the house, a spiritual leader. This was a privilege to be prized but Esau did not care about his birthright. He sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob for red pottage. After he got his strength back from the food his younger brother fixed him, he despised his birthright. He was not sad. He did not mourn it. He was angry that he let Jacob have it, but it meant nothing of importance to him. It was very significant to Jacob. No doubt Rebekah told Jacob, (her favorite son), that God said Esau would serve Jacob.

You may recall Rebekah convinced Jacob to claim Esau's blessing. While Esau was out hunting the game that his father requested Rebekah conspired a plan that would cause the younger to claim the elder's blessing. This blessing was prophetic in that it would dictate their futures. Once Esau and his father learned they had been deceived, Esau threatened to kill Jacob. The whole catastrophe ended with Rebekah sending Jacob to her brother, Laban's house so Esau would not kill him. Years would pass before the brothers reconnected, and although Jacob and Esau forgave one another in time, they never fully buried the hatchet, and the rivalry continued in the two nations of their descendants.

MALACHI 1:1-4 (1)The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. (2)I have love you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein has Thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I have loved Jacob, (3)And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. (4)Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down: and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.

We read in Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament before God is silent for 400 years, that God loved Jacob but hated Esau. We may think that sounds unfair and harsh. Why would God favor Jacob and not love them both? Isn't God loving? Yes, God is loving. He hates Esau, and his descendants, the nation of Edom, because of the way they treated the Israelites. One of many instances was in Numbers 20:14-21. Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom saying, Hey brother, you know the hardships we have had, how our fathers went down to Egypt and we were in slavery a long time, and the vexation was so great we cried to the LORD and He heard us and sent an angel to bring us out of there. Now, we are trying to get past you guys in our travels, but we don't want anything from you. We just want permission to take the King's Highway to go across your property. And Edom said, Absolutely not unless you want to fight! They said, If you just let us go through, we will pay for any water our cattle drink, but we just need to get through on foot. The answer came again, they were not allowed to go through and the king even decided to flex some muscle, and brought out the military they were so proud of. Edom refused to give Israel passage  through his border and so Israel turned around and left.

You might wonder why they didn't fight Edom. Why didn't they let God show them who was boss? God would not let them. Let's go to Deuteronomy 2:1-8. Moses recounts that after going around Mount Seir many days, God told him to switch direction and go north. When God leads us in a specific direction He often gives us instructions. This time was no different. He told Moses to command the people to pass through the territory of their family, Esau's children's land. "They live in Seir and they will be afraid of you, so be careful. Don't meddle with them because I gave Esau the land of Mt. Seir to possess it. You will pay money for anything you eat or drink. Because the LORD God has blessed you and in 40 years God has been with you and you didn't want for anything." So they did not quarrel with the king of Edom and they did not fight. God told them not to and they obeyed. The decision of Edom to prevent the children of Israel from passing is not going unnoticed by God. The response of the children of Israel is noted as well. God will pay Edom back for this and much more as we read through Obadiah together. As we can see, something has angered God very much, to the point He is going to destroy the Edomites from off the face of the earth.

JEREMIAH 49:7-10 (7)Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts: Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished? (8)Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him. (9)If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough. (10)But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.

Verse 1

God declares war on the nation of Esau. Can we just sit here in this verse for a moment? The nation of Edom has the same attitude and characteristics of their forefather, Esau. They are arrogant, self-absorbed, prideful, and haughty. They care not for the things of God or His people. God says, "This means war!" That should put fear in the hearts of anyone on the other end of that statement!

Verse 2

He tells the nation of Edom that He made them small and greatly despised among the nations; just the opposite of how they perceived themselves. This is a huge insult. They had a lofty spirit. They were proud and puffed up.

Verse 3

It is time to pay for what had been done. But why? What would cause God to be so angry with Edom? What was the great sin that stirred God so much He declared war? It was pride. A prideful heart was one strike against this nation that thought nothing was going to bring them down. Their city matched their inflated ego. They built the capitol city up in the clefts of the rocks; up high where eagles fly and nest. They had the audacity to say no one could bring them down! This nation believed defeat was for their opponents because they couldn't lose!

JAMES 4:5-7 (5)Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? (6)But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (7)Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Verse 4

God says even though they have exalted themselves up with eagles and settled in among the stars, they had a false sense of security. They are arrogant and think they are not vulnerable to attack. The next strike against them is they relied on themselves and their own security instead of leaning on God. He said He would pull them down from the safe perch they were on and bring them down to the ground. 

Whoa! That is a scary statement! I want us to really check our hearts here. Are there things in our lives that cause us to have a false sense of security? A new job? Our bank account? Our friendships? Our ministries? We need to check ourselves and make sure we don't start building nests with the eagles and among stars. We shouldn't be so high-minded that we think that we are untouchable. God is the only one to be elevated in our lives! What are we leaning on? Is it the Rock of Jesus Christ?

ROMANS 12:3 "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

MATTHEW 22:36-40 (36)Master, which is the great commandment in the law? (37)Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38)This is the first and great commandment. (39)And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (40)On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

We read that the Edomite nation did not love God with all their heart, all their soul, and all their mind, and they completely disregarded the second commandment to love their neighbors. Israel was their relatives! It was not just a nation they knew about. Jacob and Esau grew up together. They were not just brothers, they were twin brothers, but the animosity that grew between these two men from the womb, continued generations later and the way the Edomites treated God's children set God's anger ablaze!

Verse 5 & 6

Obadiah says that if thieves came to steal, they would plunder until they had all they wanted, but there might be something left. If the ones that gather grapes came, they would not take every single grape. But, the implication here is that the judgment of God would leave them with nothing remaining and to this day there is no remnant of Esau left on the earth. God's judgments are right and true.

In the Contemporary English Version, verse six reads, "Everything you treasure most will be taken from you." This is God ripping out of the hands of Esau everything He ever gave him. Edom trusted in their riches and wealth instead of trusting in God.

What treasures has God promised to give us, and generously blessed us with, that could be snatched out of our grasp when we worship the gift more than the Giver? Friends, let's examine our hearts today. Are we storing up our treasures in heaven like God says to do, or are we idolizing the very blessings God gave us to enjoy?

Verses 7

The Edomites have not only trusted in their own security and their own wealth, but they have trusted more in their allies than they have trusted in God. All the people they trusted, counted on, and thought were at peace with them has deceived them and prevailed against them. The ones they counted on to always have their back in trouble had taken Edom to the edge of their border. Their friends they ate bread with laid a trap beneath them and Edom never saw it coming! God says in one day He would destroy all the wise men of Edom and all the understanding of the mount of Esau. And He kept His promise!

We are told in Proverbs 3:3-6 to keep mercy and truth around our necks, and write them on the tablets of our hearts so we can find good understanding in God's eyes and with men. We are told to trust in the LORD with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding. We are not to use our own logic or what others perceive things to be. We are to acknowledge God in every thing we do and He will make our paths smooth and straight. Edom did not do any of those things. They used their wealth as a security blanket and their allies as a safety net. Those allies did not care about securing Edom and making sure they were okay all the time. They worried about themselves and securing their own countries and cities. We have to be so careful about who we put our trust in.

Who are we trusting to help us? Who do we think is always going to be there for us? Is it a spouse? A friend? A relative? A neighbor? A co-worker? We must put our trust in God. Yes, He will send us help when we need it, but if we are leaning so heavily on another person to help us, we are replacing God with them in our lives. They become an idol. We must be careful not to do this.

Verse 8

In one day God was going to destroy the wise and understanding men of Esau. Those experts were not consulting God on how to help Edom. They were not looking to the Scriptures for advice and wisdom. This is dangerous to have leaders in government that are not seeking Truth when looking to lead a group of people. Psalm 1:1-6 tells us that we are blessed when we don't walk in the way of the ungodly or participate with sinners and the scornful. When our delight is in the law of the Lord and we are meditating on Scripture day and night, we are like the trees planted by the river, constantly being watered by that stream. We are going to bring forth good fruit when the time is right and whatever we do will prosper. However, it speaks of what happens to those who choose not to obey. They are like chaff blown away with the wind. The way of the ungodly shall perish. This is exactly what happened to Edom. They did not look to the ways of God. Esau's grandfather was Abraham. His father, Isaac was a miracle baby! God was a huge part of Esau's story but he just couldn't be bothered. His entire lineage is gone but Jacob served God and the nation of Israel is still a country to this day!

You know everyone seems to be an expert anymore. When I was growing up we used to question the integrity of a commercial. People would use words like, "False advertisement." They would get upset if they felt like they were being lied to on tv. They felt that if they saw it on television it must be true and so they were skeptical. Now you have gurus on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media platform giving advice and often it contradicts the Word of God. The reports on the news are not even reliable most of the time. Friends, we have to lean on God's counsel and seek men and women who are asking God and getting their wisdom from Him. If we don't we may find ourselves in Esau's shoes. Let's pray for our leaders to turn to God to lead our country and for the things God values to be important values for the rulers of this nation.

Verse 9

Esau's nation had another nail in their coffin because they trusted in their military power. They had skilled men in battle and often defeated many of their foes. They grew in arrogance as they won battle after battle. Having the advantage of the bird's eye view on the enemies coming at them from the valley, they were no match for many of their opponents. But they forgot to honor God. He was not a part of their victory celebration. They trusted in their weapons and artillery more than in God's powerful hand!

As we self-reflect today, what are some things we have rested in that is the counterfeit of God's power? Are we trusting in our government, our military, our own gun power or strength? Friends, God is all powerful. He told us in Exodus 14:14 He fights for us. We do not need to worry about the status of the world at any point because our hope and security is in Jesus Christ if He has saved us. We have nothing to fear or dread. 

Edom treated Israel horrible more than once. They were wicked and violent and God had enough. 1 Thessalonians 1:6 "Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you:" tells us that God is not going to allow His children to be steam-rolled by anyone who tries to stop us from worshiping God and living our lives in a way that pleases Him.

Verses 10-14

These verses share the reasons God is so angry with Edom. The first reason is for the violence against his brother Jacob. Genesis 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. God knew what was in Esau's heart and He saw the hatred grew for Jacob. He did not love his brother. He was greedy and jealous. Ezekiel 25:13-14 (13)Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out Mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. (14)And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.

The second reason is they stood against the children of Israel when the strangers carried away forces in captivity, and foreigners came through the gates and cast lots on Jerusalem. The Edomites were with them! Psalm 83:5-8 (5)For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: (6)The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes'; (7)Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; (8)Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. God took names! He said yeah you were with your friends and you could have stopped them but you didn't! You pursued after them and participated by standing by watching and doing nothing to stop the attacks. Think of their uncle Ishmael. Of course the descendants from him would want to destroy anything that Isaac was a part of. Another sibling rivalry.

The third reason God is angry with them is for the way Edomites looked down on Israel in the day of their trouble. When they were being destroyed, Esau's descendants rejoiced. They were cheering for the ones destroying Israel. They could have stood in allegiance with Israel but instead they were encouraging the destruction. When they were in great distress, the Edomites started speaking proudly. There is pride again! It is always prevalent in the heart of the arrogant.

PROVERBS 24:17-18 (17)Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: (18)Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.

PROVERBS 6:16-19 (16)These six things doth the LORD hate; yea, seven are an   abomination unto him. (17)A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. (18)An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19)A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

This passage in Proverbs sounds like the resume for the Edomites. Proud, liars, shed innocent blood, thinks up wicked things to do, and quickly run to mischief. Look at the last one, sows discord among brothers. These things are so serious. Lying will take us to hell. Do we want bad things to happen to others? Before we answer that, let's think about the people we are happy to see "get what's coming to them." How about the child molester who gets arrested? What about the police officer that kills an innocent person because they are trigger happy? Friends, we have to be careful. We need to pray for their souls. If the sin they are caught in isn't a big enough sign they need Jesus, what is? We must be quick to hit our knees and pray for the victims, of course, and their families, but also the criminals, the guilty, the ones who are running quickly to do bad things. God draw us all closer to You so we look at and love others the way You do!

MARK 7:20-23 (20)And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. (21)For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, (22)Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: (23)All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Obadiah is a book about a heart problem. Esau's heart was far from God and all his children and grandchildren and every generation on was just as wicked as Esau. Emotional, temperamental, quickly angered, violent, quick to kill, it was the thrill of the hunt for him. Friends, we must be checking our hearts daily and asking God to help us do the same thing. If we find something amiss, we must repent and surrender that area of our life to God. He must have full control of every area of our life. He wants our whole heart so we can remain true and faithful to Him, the only true and faithful one!

The next reason God waged war on Edom is because they marched through the gates of the city while Israel was in trouble, and did not to come to their aid. They saw the affliction of the Israelites and began looting their homes. It was bad enough they came to see the disaster and be nosy, but now they were stealing from their own family! But it gets worse!

The last reason God is angry with them is they helped the enemy! Edomites were stationed at the crossway so that when any of the Israelites fled, Edomites told the enemy where they were hiding. Some didn't even tell on the Israelites, they just killed them for fun. Any fugitives escaping for their life were soon caught by the Edomites hiding and lurking in wait to utterly destroy the people of Israel. They said they would help them but they lied and when Israel tried to go another route, Edom prevented that, too. God had enough!

God made Abram a promise that He would bless them that blessed Abram and would curse those who cursed him. He kept that promise generations later when He saw the way Edom had betrayed Israel. As they slaughtered God's children, the descendants of Abraham, God kept the promise He gave in Genesis chapter 12.

GENESIS 12:1-3 (1)Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (2)And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (3)And I will bless them that bless thee, and I will curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall families of the earth be blessed.

Verses 15-21

These last few verses are God's response to the sin of Edom. In verse 15 we see that God is going to pay them back using their own wicked measuring stick to judge them. Matthew 7:1-2 (1)Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2)For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. The principle you reap what you sow is played out in this verse. God says what you did to them is coming right back to you! Because they chose to celebrate on God's Holy mountain the demise of the Israelites, God said the Edomites will be poured out like water onto the ground, slowly slipping away and vanishing. But God is going to bless Jacob on Mount Zion. Everything God said was Israel's they will one day get. The house of Jacob is going to be fire and the house of Esau stubble. The house of Joseph will be a flame. The flame and fire is going to burn up the stubble and it will be no more. Obadiah 1:18 says, "And there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it." He kept His Word, like He always does, and to this day there is no remnant of Esau.

The rest of the verses declare the ownership of God's territories and the mountain He gave to Esau will be the LORD's Kingdom. Deliverers will go to Mount Zion to judge Esau's mountain. Israel will get to claim all the things God promised them, the things that they once possessed, but were stolen, will all be back in their hands. God will restore His children.

Friends, I know this is was a lengthy study for such a short book in the Bible. There is much history to consider and the big picture to be viewed before thinking God is unfair or unkind. Many times Edom had the opportunity to bless Israel, to do good to them, offer them protection, but they would not do it. Israel remained peaceable with the Edomites, but God sees all. He knows when we are being abused and mistreated by the world. He will not always strive with man. He hates wickedness. The Bible says God is angry with the wicked every day! Time is ticking and the sand in the hour glass is swiftly funneling to the bottom. We must remain faithful to God and pray for our enemies. Jesus said to pray for those who despitefully use us. 

Right now, my fellow Americans and I are in a free country. This is the land of opportunity the say. Home of the free because of the brave. Yet, I have seen in my 42 years of living on this planet, things swiftly changing into something scary and awful. Christian liberties are being taken one by one. The Church has been lulled to sleep by the wicked lullabies of the world. My videos on YouTube have been censored and not shared like some of my older videos were. They are tightening down on what is allowed to be said and what isn't. This is why I encourage everyone to get in their Bibles and study God's Word for yourself. Do not wait on a pastor or a teacher to tell you what the Bible says. They may get it wrong. Search it out for yourself and commit verses to memory. It is our spiritual sword and the only weapon we can use on the enemy. Don't think that just because we have free access to any Bible we want right now, that it will always be like that here. We have brothers and sisters all over the world with no Bibles and no freedom to serve God. Many places just saying the name of Jesus will get you thrown into jail. Let's wake up and stir the gifts within us, so we can go light our world. Let's share about Jesus as much as we can to tell the whole world about His goodness, love, mercy, and forgiveness.

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

~Bridgett Owens

Happy Birthday Paul | Bible Study

Today my family and I celebrate and honor (my husband), (their father) Paul on his birthday! I have had the privilege to celebrate 20 times with this amazing man. Known by many as a gentle giant (6’ 4”), allow me to share who my husband really is.

Paul is a wonderful man. He goes out of his way to help others. If there is a need, he is quick to jump in. He is compassionate, favors the underdog, and always quick to encourage someone who feels down.

Paul is a loving father and devoted husband. He prays and then has faith to wait on God to work things out. He leads our family as God leads him. He teaches us the Scriptures and shows us how to rely on God.

Paul may seem like the perfect man from the way I describe him. He is human; and he has flaws but I choose to look beyond that to the many strengths he has. He helps at church with parking cars and does so with as much enthusiasm and excitement as he had when teaching youth. We have been in youth ministry and Kids’ Min. for two decades!!! He has served as greeter, even though he is shy. He has been an usher and collected the offering. He has been in security for more than one church. He has helped me teach little bitty kids up through teenagers and he always has a soft spot for kids and babies! 

Please help me celebrate this wonderful man of God. Wish him a happy birthday!!! I hope it begins and ends with blessings and joy!

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, to "Rejoice evermore." It says, "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, Happy is he." Proverbs 16:20 "When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." Proverbs 16:7 "I have found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go." Song of Solomon 3:4

God blessed me so much with a wonderful man to do life with. He is my very best friend. He is my leader, the priest of our household, and the one my soul loves. Thank You Jesus for giving him to me! Happy birthday Paul! I love you big ole stinkin’ bunches!

~Bridgett.... (Your Blue)

Happy Thanksgiving | Thankful Thursday

The LORD impressed on my heart to carve out a section of my blog to share what I am thankful for. I started it on a Thursday and decided to call it "Thankful Thursday." Each week I share what I am thankful for. Come back each week so we can count our blessings together.

Friends, my heart is FULL of gratitude this Thanksgiving. Imagine Thanksgiving 2020 in the midst of a Pandemic, God is still moving, He is still working, and He is still blessing. He is still GOOD! 

This Thanksgiving looks so different for me and my family. God has given me new perspective on those who are alone during the holidays. My heart has always gone out to those who have no one to celebrate with. This year I get to see firsthand how lonely and hard it really is, and even in my situation I am not totally alone.

My children are in Indiana, celebrating Thanksgiving with their grandparents, and visiting family and friends. My heart is full of gratitude that they were given this opportunity. I'm thankful for my family who is still with us this year and I am thankful for all the memories I have of those who are not. Since our children are in Indiana, Paul and I planned to spend Thanksgiving with my mother and my aunt in Florida. I am very grateful to still have my mother and it's not as far to their home in Florida than it was to my mother's home in Indiana. I am also extremely thankful that I am able to celebrate with my husband, Paul. It's our 20th Thanksgiving together.

I was exposed to Covid at my new job. Four days later I developed symptoms like Covid and two days ago I lost my sense of smell and taste. I am unable to get tested but I have self-quarantined and thus I am not able to go visit my family because I don't want to spread this to anyone else. My husband stays in another room and thankfully there is a bathroom here in our bedroom, so I don't venture out of this room much. It is lonely and honestly it feels more lonely when Paul is home from work, because we talk from down the hall or sometimes he calls me on the phone! But I am not wallowing in self-pity. I am not the only one affected by this crazy illness and many are far worse than I am. I am very blessed and thankful for all the things I do have.

Today we unexpectedly got an early paycheck. That was such a blessing! Paul went to get us a nice lunch since we did not buy anything for a Thanksgiving feast as we planned to be out of town. I am thankful for the workers at Golden Corral who provided a delicious - I'm guessing - meal for my husband and I. We ate in different rooms but I am grateful for a hot meal and a big cup of sweet tea!

So even though I am banished to my bedroom and it's not the same traditions we have had in the past, I am so thankful for a home, a meal, and the love of those who care about me and are praying for me. (Please ignore the way I look. Real life people! LOL)

PHILIPPIANS 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

EPHESIANS 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

COLOSSIANS 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

PSALMS 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

PSALMS 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:

No, this Thanksgiving may not be like we imagined it to be, or wanted it to be, or even prayed it would be. There may be empty chairs around the table from relatives who are no longer with us, those who cannot come because of sickness or shelter-in-place regulations, maybe distance has kept others away, and maybe it is relationship-strain, or whatever the case may be. Please know I am praying for those who are lonely and isolated and feel forgotten or abandoned or ignored. I am praying for God to cover you all with His grace and mercy and love and remind you that you are loved and never forgotten!

To the ones reading this and you may be in a house full of people or a crowded gathering but still feel alone. You may have a beautiful home, a delicious meal, and all the appearances of good things but something is still missing. Is Jesus your Lord and Savior? If He isn't, please accept His free gift of salvation today. Material possessions and experiences can never replace the emptiness we feel when we are separated from God. He is a good, good Father. Regardless of how your earthly father has treated you, God is a wonderful, loving, kind, and generous Father. He adores you and sent His only Son Jesus to die for your sins. What a great time to open your heart to the love of the Father!

I am rejoicing in spite of the situation this year. God woke me up and gave me JOY and it's down in my soul bubbling up. I know this too shall pass and things will change again in the future but if we cling to the unchanging hand of God, we can experience Thanksgiving every day of the year! So from my children: Kadesia and Javan in Indiana...

...and from Paul and me in Alabama...

...we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens