Psalm 26 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday! This year God has pressed upon my heart to study the book of Psalms. Each Wednesday we take a closer look at a new chapter. Today we are going to chapter 26. If you have not done so, please take the time to read through these 12 verses. I will be sharing some thoughts about today's passage and break down this chapter below. Please pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to receive everything He has to teach you in today's passage. Let's begin!

Verse 1

David is asking for God's judgment. Do we feel confident enough in our walk with our Savior to ask Him to judge us? David did. He said he kept his integrity and has trusted God so he would not slide. The key to not slipping up in our walk with God is to hold on to our integrity and trust God. It is an easy principle but the practice is sometimes hard. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

Verse 2

Again, David asks God to examine his heart. We know out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. David is asking God to test him according to what is in his heart. He says, "Try my reins," which means "Test my mind." Romans 8:5-6 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things that are of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. If we have our mind on earthly things, carnal things, we are going to die spiritually. We must have our minds on the things of God and that gives us life and peace. This is how we can do a test to see the condition of our heart: what are we speaking and what are we seeking?

Verse 3

David said he kept God's mercy in front of his eyes and walked in God's truth. Two things here we must do. We have to keep God's Word in front of our face and the good things God is doing. Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He. Everything God does for us is perfect and right. He has no wickedness in Him so He is unable to do us wrong. Let's meditate on that truth today. How can we walk in God's truth? 1 Samuel 12:24 Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart: consider how great things He hath done for you. 

Verse 4

David has kept away from those who serve idols and are hypocrites. Today we are seeing a lot of distorted beliefs in the church. We are seeing a lot of people call themselves Christians and deny Christ by their lifestyle. We must be careful friends. Remember how the Psalms start out? Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in seat of the scornful. Jeremiah refused to have company with such people either. Jeremiah 15:17 I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of Thy hand: for Thou hast filled me with indignation.

Verse 5

David refused to be part of the popular crowd if it meant veering from God's Word. We must make the decision that we are not going to entertain the world either. David would not sit with them, or congregate together. We must draw our lines in the sand. Yes we can love and pray for them. We must do that! But we do not need to wallow in the filth and the mire with them. James 4:4 Ye adulterers, and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Friends, it does not get more plain than that. We must not join hands with the world, because the moment we do, we have turned our back on God. I did not write that. I did not come up with that. Ask the Author if you disagree.

Verses 6-7

David chooses to wash his hands clean of any wickedness. Instead of gathering in the tents of the wicked, he is choosing to congregate at the altar of God. He is proclaiming the Good News with thanksgiving in his heart of all the wonderful works of God. Psalm 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Can we agree that we will stay near the altar, communing with God in our hearts? The altar is not a physical location. This is referring to the solitary place of prayer we can go and find God. Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. Jesus gave us this example of how we should start our day. He got up before He started the day and He went alone to a deserted place. No audience, no followers, no distractions, no noise...just Jesus alone praying. What are we doing?

Verse 8

The key to getting up early to spend quiet time with God is loving His presence that much. Instead of seeking God's hands all the time, we must have times where we just love being in His presence. We need to seek hard after God's heart and to please Him. Next week we will read this, but it is a great place to showcase one of my favorite verses. Psalm 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His temple. David's desire was to be where the presence of God was.  This is why God said David is a man after His own heart. He was quick to praise, quick to worship, quick to repent, and quick to brag on God. Are we able to say one of our biggest desires is to be in His presence? If not, we need to check our hearts. What takes our time and attention? Social media? Politics? News? Sickness? Gossip? Busy work? Where are we spending most of our day?

I once heard it said if you want to check your heart, look at your bank statements. What do you spend the most money on? That is where your heart is. I do not know if that is true, but I can see their point. I think if you truly want to check your heart, look at your time. Where do you spend it? How much time do you spend facing a screen? How much time do you scroll mindlessly but are secretly interested in what everyone else is doing? What kind of time do you have invested on your knees in prayer? How much time do you spend reading the Bible, picking it up and choosing to read it on your own to learn more?

Verses 9-10

David is asking God to not count him with the wicked. He does not want to be numbered with those who have no part in God. They are doing sinister schemes and evil deeds. David wants nothing to do with that.

You would think the prophet Samuel, who anointed David as king, who heard the voice of God when he was a young child, a man of integrity and walked in God's truth, would have sons who patterned after him, but that is not so. 1 Samuel 8:1-3 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of the firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Friends, we have a choice to make. We can follow after God, our Heavenly Father, and obey Him, or we can do what we want to get ahead in this life and enjoy sin for a season, but the eternal punishment that follows will not be worth one second of that "pleasure."

Do you remember when Moses' father-in-law came to see him? Jethro saw that Moses was wearing himself out trying to judge the people and teach them what to do and what not to do. Jethro had a great suggestion. Exodus 18:19-22 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. It is good to have wise counsel. And as you can see, the criteria for being a good judge, is to fear God, walk in truth, and hate greediness/desiring other people's things.

Verse 11

David made a choice for himself. He chose to walk in integrity. We have the choice in front of us as well. What will we do? Will we choose to please others and compromise so we can get ahead in this life, unconcerned for the eternity that awaits us? Will we be like David and choose to walk in our integrity and to live according to the Truth of God's word? 1 Thessalonians 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth the hearts.

Verse 12

David ends this psalm with stating he is standing in a good place; an even place. His foot is secure. He has made up his mind to bless God in the congregations. 1 Timothy 6:16-19 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

I pray that this Bible study has been fruitful for you. I know I have been strengthened and encouraged by God's Word today. I never know where all He will take me and today we have had a lot of Old and New Testament verses which I love. I pray that something you have read on the blog today has been 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

Bloody Hands | Fuel For The Weekend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~Bridgett Owens

Abundance Movement Youth Group | Fuel For The Weekend

Come one, come all! What an exciting night tonight is going to be! I am speaking it out and declaring it to be a wonderful kickoff for Resurrection Life Ministries youth group: Abundance Movement! God has been showing up in all our church services and these young girls are going to the altar seeking the gifts God has for them and pouring their love out for the Master. I am expecting God to do amazing things for these youth!

My daughter is co-youth pastor with Jeremy, a young man I used to babysit when I was in high school. Our families have been connected in ministry for years and it is so awesome to see Kadesia take and CARRY the baton her father and I have passed to her. Paul and I were youth pastors for years and I was in kids ministry five years before I met him. That season of our lives have past, but it is so awesome and EXCITING to see both of them RUN with what God has put in their hearts and spirits for these youth!

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:12, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." And I know this verse meant a lot to Kadesia as I poured this into her as a teenager. I am so excited to see Javan go and be blessed as he learns more about who Jesus is and what He plans on doing for him as Javan attends youth group.

I am excited about every boy or girl ages 7-19 who show up at Resurrection Life Ministries in Mitchell, Indiana at 6:30 p.m. tonight, Friday, November 19, 2021. God is going to show up like He always does when His children gather and He is going to set these kids on fire for His glory. I pray their gathering will create a spiritual awakening in the community of Mitchell and set that town on fire for God's glory!

Youth group is fun and exciting when you do cool things and meet up with friends and eat good food. I am expecting FAR MORE than the usual fun youth group events. I am expecting REVIVAL and I am so excited to see the ABUNDANCE of GOD's MOVEMENT through these kids! Be praying for the big kick-off tonight. It is going to be so awesome! I am praying for God to show up and show out like only He can do!!!!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Siblings Pray Together Stay Together | Thankful Thursday

I walked into the kitchen as I was getting ready for work. I wanted to make sure my son got on the school bus with no issues. My daughter was just leaving for work. When I stepped in the kitchen I saw my children holding hands and Kadesia was praying for Javan. She was blessing him and praying for protection and a good first day and so many wonderful things. Javan was just receiving it and this momma's heart was elated!

The Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6) I taught both of my children how to pray when they were very small. This verse is so true because when someone is hurt or something doesn't go the way we expected it to, one of my kids will suggest for us to pray. They both know the power in prayer and they both pray out loud very well. It is an honor to raise them to love and respect God. I am so thankful they know they can call on His name anytime.

We read in 1 Timothy 2:8, "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." No matter where we are we should be in a position to pray and speak to God in faith. Kadesia shared a post yesterday about the situation she was in and today God took care of the entire problem. It was awesome to see Him working out every detail.

We are reminded in Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall be continually in my mouth." There are times that it feels so bad or hopeless and it seems impossible to praise God, but that is when we must push past our feelings and just do it anyway. If we can get past how we feel, and praise God for who He is and for how worthy He is to be praised, our whole situation will turn around. Praise breaks barriers. 

The walls came down when Joshua and the company with him shouted at Jericho.

Joshua 6:15, 16, 20, 27 (15)And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. (16)And it to came to pass on the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. (20)So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. (27)So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

Gideon and three companies of men shouted a praise and they won the victory without fighting!

Judges 7:19-21 (19)So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew their trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. (20)And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. (21)And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

Paul and Silas praised their way out of the prison cell and shackles!

Acts 16:24-26 (24)Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in their stocks. (25)And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. (26)And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

I don't know what situation you may find yourself in today. You could be looking for a victory and all you feel is defeated. You may look around and feel outnumbered and helpless, but God in heaven is capable to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3:20). God is on our side. He always wins! He is giving victory to every one of His children. If you are born again, that means you are victorious through Christ Jesus. His blood paid it all!

If you are not born again, you can ask Jesus to save you. Confess you are a sinner and in need of a Savior. Confess that you believe Jesus is the Son of God and died to save you. Ask Him to be the Lord of your life and watch Him do the impossible for you! He is a loving God and He wants you to be His son or daughter. Choose life! Choose Jesus.

This Thankful Thursday I am very thankful for the victory we win in Jesus. I am thankful for the gift of prayer. I am thankful God hears and answers prayer. I am thankful my children do not have to be told to pray, but they see an opportunity and they take it! God is so good! I am thankful that my children choose to honor God. We do not always know if what we are teaching them sinks in, but it's moments like this that make me smile and I know it is all glory to God. He takes the credit for this!

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

~Bridgett Owens

Use What You Have | Wednesday Bible Study

I am fired up for tonight's Bible study! It's an exciting time for Christians! God is on the move and I want to be part of whatever He does!! Let's jump into the New Testament between 2 Thessalonians and 2 Timothy. We are going to read a piece of the letter Paul wrote to Timothy. Timothy is a young pastor and faces a heavy burden of responsibility in the church to erase false doctrine, safeguard public worship, and develop mature leadership. Let's see what Paul has to say!

1 TIMOTHY 4:14-16 (14)Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. (15)Meditate upon these things: give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. (16)Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

These three verses are filled with advice for Timothy. He was young and it is hard to be a pastor. There are many responsibilities and requirements that can be daunting when just starting a ministry. I believe these instructions are advice for you and I today, too. 

First of all, Paul tells Timothy to use his gift. We all need to remember the gift we were given from God is not just for our pleasure and enjoyment. We must share the gift with others in our own unique way. Neglect not the gift within us! It is so important to not just shrug it off, but put it to use. It may be singing, writing, dancing, drawing, speaking, teaching..... but we must not save our gift for special occasions. We need to do something with that gift every single day!

Paul tells Timothy, and essentially us... to think about our gifts and callings. How can we use these things for God's glory? How can we minister to others with the gifts God gave us? We need to think of those things as more than a hobby or part-time ministry. We should devote ourselves completely to work in the area we are gifted in. We need to study it, and study others with the same gifts to see what they are doing and who they are reaching for Christ. Encourage others who are using their gifts in a way that honors God. And Paul shares a secret here in verse 15. He says that when we are consistent in these things, we are going to grow and develop the skills and abilities to do more, reach more, and bless more. Others will actually see the change and growth as we mature in the things God has called us to do.

It's great to do things God calls us to do. If He has called us to play the guitar, it's fun! It is a blessing to others, but even when we are alone, we can find great satisfaction in learning a new lick, or playing a song with ease we once struggled with. But there is so much more than pleasure and entertainment to be gained from using our gifts.

Paul warns Timothy in the letter to be mindful of how he conducts his life. There is a responsibility that comes with any gift or calling. We are told to pay attention to the testimony of our life, our silent witness, and to the message we are portraying to the rest of the world. What message are we sending to our family, friends, coworkers, classmates, employers, prayer partners, and acquaintances? The reason we want to think about this is so we can experience salvation and those who hear us and spend time with us will experience it too.

What is God asking us to do? What gifts did He give us? What is He calling us to do? How can we use the skills and abilities God gave us to bless others and share a message of love, hope, and forgiveness? God wants us to use the things He gave us so we can get better at it. As we develop more skills and abilities we can mentor others who are not as far along in their Christian journey and then when they grow and develop into a deeper level, they are able to take others under their wings. And so it goes. On and on, we can continue to lift others and encourage them to keep going and keep doing their best for God all the while we are moving and striving for the same. Let's just help each other make it Home!

God bless yoU!

~Bridgett Owens

How To Be Sure We Heard From God | Fuel For The Weekend

God told me to share my faith on Fridays and call it Fuel For The Weekend. It's my desire that the posts I put up on Fridays will give you something to think about, ponder, consider, and reflect on throughout the weekend.

I would like to talk about how we can be sure we heard God even when others doubt. God has a plan for our lives. He tells us that repeatedly in the Scriptures. He has a plan for everyone's life, including His only begotten Son, Jesus. Often we think of Jesus as a little baby in a manger. We find it hard to believe that a great and merciful God would plan for Jesus to die the cruel death of crucifixion. If we think in the natural, we can understand someone questioning that. Jesus was more than a good man. He was God's own Son and so we cannot think logically, we have to think about God's plan supernaturally. The Bible is very clear on what God's plan was for Jesus. Let's look:

ISAIAH 9:6-7 (6)For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (7)Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 

MATTHEW 1:21 And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins. 

ACTS 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 

ACTS 5:30-32 (30)The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. (31)Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. (32)And we are His witnesses of those things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him. 

2 CORINTHIANS 5:20-21 (20)Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead (behalf), be ye reconciled to God. (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. 

JOHN 1:1-4 (1)In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2)The same was in the beginning with God. (3)All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. (4)In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. 

JOHN 3:16-17 (16)For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (17)For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through Him might be saved. 

JOHN 17:3-5 (3)And this is life eternal that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent. (4)I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do. (5)And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. 

REVELATION 22:1-7 (1)And He shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2)In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (3)And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: (4)And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. (5)And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (6)And He said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the Holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. (7)Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of this book.

It is clear from today's reading that God's plan was to redeem fallen man by sending His pure and Holy Son Jesus to die for our sins. He has a place prepared for us and He is going to bring His people Home one day. Yes, the crucifixion was an unimaginable horrific sacrifice for you and for me, but it was needed. We would all be lost in sin and would be separated from God for all of eternity if Jesus didn't do that. All we have to do is believe that He did that. He did the very hard part.

The devil hates God and he hates God's people. He hates everyone! There is no love in him. He wants to confuse us of our purpose because he knows if he can get us distracted we can be tempted to go away from God's plan and step into his deception. Please understand it is important to know his tricks so we can be watching. He has no new tricks. He uses the "You sure?" tactic. He used it on Eve in the garden of Eden and he used it on Jesus in the wilderness. He still uses that tactic on us today because often it works. We get confused and discouraged and we give up. Let's look at what happened in Eden and again in the wilderness. We have to follow Jesus's example of how to handle the questions the devil plants in our minds.

GENESIS 2:16-17 (16)And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17)But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

GENESIS 3:1-6 (1)Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (2)And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3)But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (4)And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5)For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (6)And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her; and he did eat. 

GENESIS 3:21-24 (21)Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (22)And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (23)Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from when he was taken. (24)So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. 

MATTHEW 4:1-11 (1)Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (2)And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered. (3)And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (4)But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (5)Then the devil taketh Him up into the Holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple. (6)And saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. (7)Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (8)Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9)And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. (10)Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. (11)Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.

The devil questioned Eve in the garden. He twisted the words of God and asked if God really told her not to eat the fruit of any tree. God was very specific that they could eat of any tree in the garden as much as they desired except they could not eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. She listened to him and got confused and mixed up and then the deception began. He started to lure her in by promising she would have wisdom and be like God. He didn't mention that eating the fruit would be in disobedience to God which is sin which leads to death. He conveniently left that part out.

The devil questioned Jesus. He wanted to make Him question His identity. He kept saying "If you're really the Son of God..." He does the same thing to us. We are not exempt from this tactic. He wants to get in our minds and bind it up so we cannot think clearly. We forget what God told us as we listen to his lies and deceit we are tempted to stray from the path God put us on. We must not listen. Jesus fought the devil with the Word of God every single time. It is written. It is written. It is written. Do you hear the swish of the sword as He hit the devil again and again and again.

The devil will use people you care about to make you doubt. He will use your friends, your family, your pastor! He will use anyone he can to make you question if what you know you heard from God is really what God said. This happened to us when we were moving to Alabama. It sounded crazy to leave everything we knew and leave it behind. We left family and friends, a church we served faithfully in, and jobs we were promoted in. Our children left friends and family and schools. We went to a part of the country we never knew before. It was 16 months of God's plan unfolding before our eyes and He took us on a journey to change us. It's extraordinary what He did in that time frame. Yet, before we left we had people laughing at us, telling us we were crazy, that God doesn't talk to people anymore, and that we didn't hear God say that. They accused us of being irresponsible and selfish. Some even said they were praying against us that God would stop us from moving!

God will use people too. Even though we were fought hard, we knew God had told us to move, because it was definitely NOT our idea! God gave us great friends in the church and some of our family members who were encouraging, quick to pray for us and with us, and even blessed us financially and other ways to make the journey easier. I will never forget them and their kindness and I hold them dear in my heart.

We were questioned by some of those same people who didn't want us to go to Alabama when God lead us back to Indiana. He gave us a purpose of why we were to come back and what we must do. Just like the devil again tried to plant seeds of doubt in our mind through others who asked, "Are you sure you heard God? I thought God told you to go to Alabama. You better ask God what you did to deserve coming back here!" But God uses people, too, and He allowed us to have praying family and friends who were encouraging and kind and supportive; who gave us provision and prayers for the journey back and it was so amazing how much He has done for us since moving back, which was NOT our idea!

So now we know that God had a plan for His own Son, Jesus. We know He has a plan for us. We may even know some of the things God wants to do with our lives right now and maybe like Joseph we share those dreams and we are attacked. We are forsaken by our family and friends. They don't believe God talks to people anymore. They think you are a fanatic or have lost your mind. They question if you are sure you heard from God. So what can we do? How can we be sure we have heard from God?

There are those who desire to do something for God so much that they get ahead of His timing and His plan and then disaster happens! Then they question if God ever told them to do anything. The devil is quick to pour seeds of doubt and confusion into our minds and before long we give up and quit doing anything for God. Please know that there is a perfect time and season for everything. We must wait for God's direction.

We can be sure we heard from God when we read what the Bible says is God's plans and thoughts for us. We pray and ask God to show us what He wants us to do. Then we get quiet as we listen for His voice, read His Word, and obey what we have been told.

God doesn't want us left in the dark, wondering aimlessly through life with no sense of direction. We can find out God's plans and thoughts concerning us by searching the Scriptures.

PSALMS 139:17-18 (17)How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! (18)If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee.

JEREMIAH 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

When we pray to Him, He hears and answers us. He wants to talk to His children. He enjoys hearing from us and He has a lot to say to us, too. Prayer is powerful because it prevents us from being tempted by the enemy. We are to lift our hands in sweet surrender to our Lord and Savior. We have to let go of anger and doubt because it does not please God. Sometimes we have to wait when we pray but we know He listens and hears our prayers.

JEREMIAH 29:12-13 (12)Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. (13)And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.

LUKE 22:46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

1 TIMOTHY 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up Holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

PSALMS 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 

Let's ask God what He wants to do in us and through us. If we need wisdom, all we have to do is ask the giver of wisdom and He will generously give it to us. When we ask, we must have faith and not doubt because we won't get anything from God if we do not trust He will provide. We need to ask Him to check our hearts and motives. Are we lining up our will with God's or are we asking Him to change His plans for us and follow where we lead? It is best to surrender to His will and His plan because He sees the end from the beginning. He wants to bless us and give us good things. He is a wonderful Father and He only wants to give His best to His children. Have we poured His Word into our hearts? Does His Word abide within us? Are we abiding in the True Vine? Are we seeking God's approval, or are we wanting His permission to do our own will? We can ask what we want from God and will get it when we have God's Holy Word in our hearts and allow it to guide our decisions.

JAMES 1:5-7 (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. (6)But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (7)For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.

PSALMS 139:23-24 (23)Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: (24)And see if there by any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

MATTHEW 7:7-11 (7)Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8)For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and he that knocketh it shall be opened. (9)Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? (10)Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? (11)If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?

JOHN 15:7 If ye abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

We must listen for God to answer us. Do not believe the lie that God does not talk to His people anymore. Of course He does! He does not change. He communicates with His children and He is our good Shepherd. We know His voice and another we will not follow. He tells us to call upon His name and He will answer us. It is very plain to see that He wants to tell us things, answer our questions, and give us insight for the plans He has for our lives.

ISAIAH 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

JEREMIAH 33:3 Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

In the book of Ephesians we are told that our spiritual sword is the Word of God. If we want to sharpen our swords, we must study God's Word. We cannot let someone else read it for us, or tell us what it says, because they could get it wrong. We need to study ourselves and learn and grow in the Spirit by feasting on God's Word. We cannot survive on natural food in the Spiritual realm. We must feed our Spirit God's Word. Open the book and devour it yourself. It is so good!

JOHN 8:31-32 (31)Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; (32)And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

2 TIMOTHY 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.

MATTHEW 4:4 But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

JOSHUA 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 

We can be sure we heard from God when we recognize He has a plan for our lives. He thinks about us and plans things, experiences, and opportunities to help us grow and mature into the man or woman of God He designed us to be. And once we recognize that He has enabled us with gifts and talents that align with His purpose and plan for us, we can then pray and ask God to help us use those gifts in a way to honor Him. It isn't about getting the accolades and the high-fives of this world. We must look to God for His approval. When we become still we can hear His voice, as we remember what His Word says, and we start behaving in a way to obey Him, we will be blessed and walk in the fullness of our purpose.

ROMANS 12:1-2 (1)I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2)And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

PROVERBS 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

JAMES 1:22-25 (22)But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (23)For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: (24)For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. (25)But who looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Don't listen to anyone tell you that God has stopped talking to His people. It is a shame more of us are not seeking Him and listening for His still, small voice. As we put these things into daily practice we can be sure we heard God's voice and no one can tell us otherwise. No well-meaning friend or family member, no doubting spouse or significant other; and definitely not our enemy can discourage us from following after God if we remain faithful to our King Jesus. I pray that you are encouraged and strengthened as you seek out His purpose for your life. Trust and believe He has big and exciting plans for you and He wants to tell you about it!

I know this was a lot to unpack. I hope it is something you can take the time to study more on your own over the weekend. Take your time looking up these verses and others as Holy Spirit leads you. Do not get discouraged. You can know for sure that Your Heavenly Father is speaking life over you and to you! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens