Psalm 30 | Bible Study Wednesday

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 30. 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!

It occurred to me that last week I jumped ahead to Psalm 40. I do not know why I did that. I remember thinking that it could not possibly be the 40th week of the year, but I was doing multiple things and ignored the Holy Spirit trying to tell me I was not in the correct Psalm for that week. So, today and each week moving forward I will do my best to stay on track and then we will skip Psalm 40 and move to Psalm 41 through Psalm 52 to finish the year. God works all things together for good to them who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I truly believe that the timing is correct for this particular psalm in my life and I am thankful to be studying it today.

Verse 1

Psalm 30 was a song at the dedication of the house of David. To extol means to enthusiastically praise. This particular psalm is David's excitement and great delight for many things God is doing. In this specific verse David is thankful for the victory God gave him over his enemies. What can we see in our own lives right now that looking back we see God's hands delivering us and uplifting us to victorious places? Can we, like David, extol God?

Verse 2

This verse is underlined in my Bible. As someone who suffers with a chronic illness, it has been a beautiful reminder that God is healing me and helping me with all that I am going through. When we call upon our Heavenly Father, He will hear us and heal us. He is the Great Physician. He is the God who heals us.

EXODUS 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

Today if you need healing in your body, or you know someone that does, listen to God's voice and do what is right in His sight, obey His Laws and Commandments and this promise is for you to claim! He is the God that heals you!

Verse 3

David was critically ill and God healed his body. He was facing death and maybe you have had a bad diagnosis or you may have suffered to the point you thought you might die; trust God to heal you and He will do it! David is enthusiastically praising God because he was facing a life-threatening condition and God healed him. He was about to die and be buried and God healed him and gave him a fresh lease on life.

Verse 4

David wants the saints to join him in thanking God and remembering the times the LORD moved on our behalf before. How many prayers has He answered? How many big and mighty things has our great God Jehovah done for us? Can we recall how God is Holy and is not changed by what is going on in our world today? He sits high and lifted up on His throne and He is Sovereign. He is Holy. He is Mighty and Great in power! Yes, let's pause this Bible study to worship who He is and thank Him for all that He has done on our behalf. He is still working out details and putting plans together. It is incredible and we are blessed to have a Holy and Righteous Heavenly Father that loves us so much He continues to bless us.

PSALM 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation, Selah.

Verse 5

This is a familiar verse, and also underlined in my Bible. This is a character reference of God. He does get angry. He is a Holy God and when we are not living according to His holy Laws and Commands, we make Him angry. He expects us to live in holiness. But His anger does not last a long time. David says it only lasts a moment. He favors His children with love and life and even though we may cry all night and mourn in the dark seasons of life, we are promised a morning of joy. There will be a breakthrough of praise and overflowing joy in our lives as we overcome the hardships and trials in life.

Verses 6-7

This passage reminds me of the proverb about pride coming before the fall. When we are puffed up and think we have it made, we may have our head up so high we fail to see the stumbling block in our path and down we go!

PROVERBS 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

I like the way the Message translation says these two verses, "When things were going great I crowed, "I've got it made. I'm GOD's favorite. He made me king of the mountain." Then You looked the other way and I fell to pieces."

What have we been asking God and believing that He will do something big and mighty for us? What has He done for us that we had no way of ever being able to do for ourselves? Have we taken the credit? Have we had prideful thoughts and like David thought we had it made? It's all smooth sailing from here? Be careful because God does not want us to get puffed up about our blessings. We are to be thankful and grateful but hold them with loose grips. We are loaned these things but they are not ours to keep forever. Vehicles break down. Homes need maintenance. Relationships require effort on your part to continue to flourish. Careers can end. Bodies can become weak or ill. Let's thank God for what we are blessed with but never get puffed up because of where God puts us. He can as easily bring us down low as He can exalt us in due time.

Verses 8-10

David recognizes his mistake. He goes to God, and he cries out in supplication. Remember supplication is humbly and earnestly begging for something. David's plea is for God to redeem him. He asks what good is it if he dies? Can the dust praise God? Will the dust share God's truth? David begs for mercy and asks God sincerely for His help. You see, friends, we are nothing apart from God. He is our Creator. He is our Heavenly Father. He is our friend. He sent us our Redeemer. Jesus loves us so much that He has redeemed us with His precious blood.

If you find yourself puffed up and proud when you should be meek and humble and grateful, turn to God. Repent of the sin of pride and open your heart to His love and mercy and grace. Ask for His help and trust that He will not leave you in the condition you are in. He is too merciful and too loving to do that to His children who truly are sorry.

Verses 11-12

When our change comes, when the times of refreshing wash over our souls, may we be like David. We can say, after He cleanses us, that God has turned my mourning into dancing. I am no longer sad about what I lost because I am back in His presence, dancing before the Lord. Instead of sackcloth and ashes and fasting, God has given me a garment of praise and gladness, so that I may praise You God and not be silent. I will thank You forever!

ISAIAH 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called the trees of Righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.

Today's Bible study was so precious to me. I hope that you all have a wonderful day. I pray that something shared on my blog today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Other People's Judgment | Thankful Thursday

Today is Thankful Thursday. Time to count our blessings. I am back in my Traveler's Notebook today studying "Famous Last Words" devotional from By The Well 4 God.

This is today's Bible journaling entry. I learned about king Agag's last words.

I remember reading what happened to Saul when he did not kill king Agag and all the livestock and destroy the Amalekites. I did not remember what Agag's last words were, but it is found in 1 Samuel 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately (cautiously). And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. It reminds me of the warning in Proverbs 16:19 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

God wanted the king of the Amalekites dead. King Saul was supposed to do it and he disobeyed God. So, king Agag thought he was getting another chance to do battle again. He was thinking he had escaped death but the prophet Samuel did what God wanted done and in verse 33, Samuel cut him to pieces before God.

I am thankful we have these true accounts of history so we can be learn from what others have done. I am sure we have all justified sin in our lives at one time or another. We may have had prideful hearts and thought we had escaped the wrath of God, but I want to be like the prophet Samuel in this situation and do what would please God. King Saul was removed from the kingdom. King Agag was violently murdered in Gilgal. We do not want to be like these wicked men. We want to be like the prophet Samuel who did the will of the LORD.

Thankfully today we do not have physical enemies to slay. We know the devil is our adversary and we can suit up in the full armor of God to defeat him. We must do the harder right than the easier wrong. I thank God for the warning of God's Word. What are you thankful for?

Thank you for joining me today. I hope you count your blessings all day. God is worthy of all praise and honor. Be sure to thank Him for the great things He is doing in your lives. I will do the same. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Marco Polo Bible Study | Thankful Thursday

Welcome to another Thankful Thursday! It is so crazy to think tomorrow is the first day of July. This year has been whizzing by! This morning, my best friend and I had Bible study. We live in two different states, hundreds of miles apart, but through an app called Marco Polo, we have been able to have an awesome, interactive Bible study.

Heather is an amazing woman of God. She is my encourager and supporter. She cheers me on and tells me the truth in love, and she shares her love of Jesus and her life experiences to help not only me, but so many others around her. What a gift she is!!

I have studied the Bible with lots of other people. I always learn something, but with Heather, it's different. She picks up on details and loves to unravel them to see how everything is connected. I love joining her. It is richer and deeper when we can truly see beyond the words on the page and transport ourselves back into another culture, another time, and yet we see so many similarities in our world today. We are studying Obadiah and I am loving every single minute of it!!

Do you have a friend you can study with? It is such a treasure to study with others. Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. I thank God for my friend and Bible study partner.

I hope you will join me today in counting my blessings. I am so thankful for the many blessings He has given to me. He is a good, good Father and I love Him so much! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

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

Summer Bucket List | Thankful Thursday

Javan has to have a modified summer vacation in that he cannot go swimming in a pool, lake, or ocean. He is healing all through these summer months and we are praying he will be healed in time to go back to school. He was sad thinking about all of the things he loves to do in the summer but unfortunately this summer are off limits. So, I decided we should make a Summer Bucket List of fun things he CAN do and even if we do not get to all of them, he should be able to do some of them! What is on your Summer Bucket List?

This Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for the opportunity to stay home and take care of Javan. I am glad that I can change his dressings multiple times each day and watch the healing process. I am grateful that he is not in pain, though he does have moments of discomfort. I am thankful that we can plan how our summer will be, even though it most likely won't turn out anything like we plan!

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

PROVERBS 16:9 A man's heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

PROVERBS 19:21 There are many devices (plans) in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

PSALM 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.

PSALM 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and He delighteth in his way.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.

We can make our plans and it is fun to do so. We must not forget, however; to seek God's counsel on if they are good plans or not. They may not be bad things to do, but it may not be the direction He wants us to go. We need to cast all our care and worry upon the Master because He cares for us. We know that in life we are told to never sweat the small stuff. We are also told it is all small stuff. So, decide today to put your hand in the hand of the Father and walk with Him, even if it means not doing everything you planned on doing.

I hope you are having a wonderful start to your summer. It is hard to believe that the year is half over! Time marches on friend. While time will march on even after our clock stops ticking, we must be cognizant of the fact Jesus is coming soon. If you do not live to see the great second coming of King Jesus, you still must prepare your hearts to see Him. Are you ready? Do you know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord? If not, ask Him to save you and forgive you of your sins and He will do it! That is one plan that He wants to make happen for you!

What are you thankful for this Thankful Thursday? There is always something to be thankful for! God bless you friends!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 25 | 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 25. If you have not done so, please take the time to read through these 22 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!

This is another psalm composed by David. This particular psalm is like a prayer that we might pray when we face difficult circumstances and obstacles in our way. Have you ever been there? I know that I am facing some tough situations that have left me shaken to my core. I am fighting with every fiber in my being to just get back to the closeness I once felt with God. I have not turned my back on God and He absolutely will never forsake nor abandon me. But sometimes when He is the closest we may feel Him the least. Did you catch that? Sometimes when He is the absolute closest to us, we may feel His presence the least. He is teaching us to wait and to trust, instead of to fear and run.

Verse 1

I want to sit with verse one for a minute. I do not want to glaze past this key verse. If you want to have a close relationship with God, you can take a literal page from David's book and watch how he speaks to God. Watch how he composes his thoughts and how he makes his requests known. First and foremost David does not go to God with a list of a bunch of complaints. He does not lead with that, in fact, we will watch how he communicates with God, but the key to all of this is to first acknowledge God.

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 steps.

David says in verse one, "Unto Thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul." David goes straight to God and he says, "God, I lift my soul to You. This is bigger than me. This is smaller than you. You can handle this, God, but I cannot. I lift my soul to You." Have we done that? Believe me when I say that this particular study is more for me, Bridgett, than for you, the reader. I hope you get some revelation and clarity and encouragement from this, but I desperately need this right now.

Jesus said, in Matthew 6:9, "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name." His name is to be revered, respected, hallowed. We are to come to God with humble reverence knowing He is Sovereign. He is God. He is Holy. He is Righteous. He is All Powerful. We must not approach Him the way we speak to our fellow man. He is to be reverenced and respected. David said, "I lift up my soul to You, LORD." He is Jehovah. He is first and He is exalted. We must not forget that. Society tells us Jesus is our personal Savior and then we start putting God in a personal size box. Please do not do that! Yes it requires a personal relationship but it is not to diminish who He is.

Verse 2

Do you trust God? Do you really trust Him to take care of the things going left in your life? You try to do things upright with integrity, but are you allowing Jesus to take the wheel and be in full control of the destiny? Are you trying to manipulate the situation to go in the direction you think it should go? Remember what happened when Sarai gave Abram her handmaid to conceive children with? Sarai grew tired of waiting on God to open her womb so she took matters into her own hands, but it was not what God wanted.

Genesis 16:1 and 3: Now Sarai, Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

God promised to bless Abraham and Sarah with a son in Genesis 17:15-16. Abraham laughed and questioned how a child could be born of him who is 99 years old and Sarah that is 90? He said, "O that Ishmael might live before Thee God." But God said the blessing would not come through Ishmael, but through Isaac that Sarah would bear. Sometimes we get our hands in the mix and muddy the waters. God is trying to do something spectacular and they are not able to comprehend it, so they do not wait well. Could this be our story?

David says in the second verse, I trust You God. Don't let me be ashamed. In other words, he is putting his confidence and steadfast, unwavering faith in God. He is praying that God will not allow David to be put to shame in front of those who are watching him. He is asking for victory over his enemies. The devil is our enemy and he wants us to run in fear and cower when he threatens us. He is a liar and we must run to the shelter, the High Tower, and be saved!

Verse 3-7

These are David's requests:

*Do not let anyone who waits on You, God be ashamed.

*Let the ones who deal treacherously and sin without a reason be ashamed.

*Show me Your ways, O LORD.
*Teach me Your paths.

*Lead me in Your truth.

*Teach me.

*Remember Your mercies and loving kindnesses.

*Forget my sins from my youth.

*Forget my transgressions.

*According to Your mercy, remember me for Your goodness' sake.

He declares:

*You are the God of my salvation.

*I will wait on You all day.

*Your mercies and loving kindnesses are from eternity.

What does your list look like? David is asking for forgiveness and mercy. He wants to be pardoned and redeemed. He wants to be remembered by God. He wants God to teach him and lead him in God's ways. He knows he cannot do anything on his own. What are we saying to God? What declarations are we making? Are we willing to wait all day on God? Do we long for His salvation, His mercy, and His loving kindness?

Verses 8-10

David goes right into the characteristics of God.

+Good

+Upright

+He teaches sinners the right way to go.

+He guides the humble in justice.

+He teaches the humble the right way to go.

+The paths of the LORD are mercy.

+The truth is for those who keep His covenant.

+The truth is for those who keep His testimonies.

Are you living your life in a way that reflects the righteousness of God? He teaches sinners and the humble. He is not just showing a few people the right way to walk, He teaches everyone. It is up to us individually if we say yes to His ways or yes to our own.

Verses 11

David repents of his sins. He asks God to pardon him for God's name sake. David knows he is not worthy of forgiveness: none of us are. God chooses to forgive us because He loves us that much! Do you have unconfessed sin in your life? Take the time now and ask God to blot it out. Ask Him to cleanse you from all filthiness of the flesh and all unrighteousness.

Verses 12-14

David says that the man who fears God will be taught what way to go. His soul will live at ease and his children shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." The LORD God will share intimately with those that fear Him. He shares secrets others cannot know and He will show them what He has promised them. Are we living in a way that this verse is about us? If not, we can repent like David did, and ask for that connection and partnership that God longs to have with us.

Verses 15-22

David has his eyes on God. If we keep our eyes on Jesus we will not fail. Remember Peter walked on the water with Jesus but the moment he stopped looking at Jesus and looked at his circumstances surrounding him, he began to sink. Matthew 14:29-31 And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Are you like David with your eyes steadfast on God? Or are you more like Peter and you start out locked on the Master and then you feel the waves and violent wind and you know that it does not make sense for you to be able to walk on water and yet you are, and now confusion and doubt sweeps through your mind? Are you of little faith like Peter who started out well but then began to sense the trouble surrounding him? If you are more like Peter and less like David in this particular instance, just ask for Him to save you and He will immediately pick you up out of your miry clay and will set you in the safety of the boat. He will not leave you stranded. What if Peter did not ask for Jesus to save him? He would have struggled and possibly drowned in the horrible storm. Jesus did not let that happen, but Peter had to ask for His help. Are we still trying to prove that we are tough, or are we willing to stretch our hand out and ask the Master to save us?

Again in verse 20, David asks God to keep his soul because "I put my trust in Thee." He again asks that God not let him be put to shame for trusting in Him. He prays, "Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on Thee." In the waiting we must maintain our integrity and honesty. Though the promise seems to be delayed and we cannot see what God said He would give us, we cannot lose our faith and hope in the only Trustworthy God. We cannot give up in the waiting, but we must continue to trust Him. David ends with, "Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles." Are we asking Him the same thing?

God is a good, good Father. He is going to hear and answer our prayers. We can have confidence of this. 1 JOHN 5:14-15 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, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of Him.

I pray that today's Bible study has been a blessing to you. It has been encouraging to me and I really hope it has been the same for you. It is good to find a place in the Bible where someone else was in similar situations and we see their prayers and questions and how God blessed them and answered them. We know we have confidence to ask for things from God that He wants us to have and we will have them. We may have to wait a lot longer than we anticipated and it can feel like we should just give up and walk away, but God is going to come through for us and it will be better than we ever could have imagined it to be.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Graduation Milestone | Thankful Thursday

What a wonderful, blessed day! My baby boy graduated from 8th grade and this is a wonderful milestone in his life. He has been in a really great school environment for the past two years and we are truly blessed. It has been the stability and consistency Javan has needed. We have moved so much in his little life span and when God called us to move back up here, in Indiana, stability was one thing I prayed for and God granted it.

Javan received an AB Honor Roll award and a Citizenship award. His teacher chose a boy and a girl from each class and Javan was honored. Such a proud Mom moment. I do not think it is because of me, but I do know it is all because of Jesus. Javan loves Jesus with all of his heart and he makes decisions based on what would honor God. I am grateful because we can pour things into our children and hope it sticks, but we cannot always predict if they will take hold of those things. We must train them up in the way they should go because the Bible tells us when they get older it will not leave them. They will remember the mother or father who prayed, who encouraged with Scripture, and who read the Word of God to them.

PROVERBS 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

EPHESIANS 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Javan is in a great youth group, learning a lot, and has only missed a few times, mostly due to sports schedule conflicts. He does S.O.A.P. Bible studies and even shares them here on his blog. He has been studying the Bible like this since he was 6 or 7 years old.

We had a special breakfast for the 8th graders today. They had scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, biscuits and gravy, doughnuts, and fresh fruit. They had chocolate milk, white milk, orange juice and bottled water to drink. They all enjoyed it!

I am so thankful that God worked things out for me to be at his graduation today. Paul and Kadesia had to work and could not be there. I was able to share photos and videos with them though and they sent messages to him of how proud of him they are. My sister, niece, and nephew came and that meant a lot to him. They took us to eat at a local Chinese restaurant and that was so nice to get to talk to them and spend some time laughing and sharing together.

God worked it out so I could help serve breakfast to him and his classmates. Some of the sweet boys from the track team he was on said hello to me and that was special. One of Javan's teachers wrote a touching letter to the students and gave it to them in their envelopes. She read it aloud to them and it definitely had me choking back tears.

Here he is, so grown up! He is 14 years old, but will be 15 in August. He is a sweet boy, a kind and compassionate person. He came out of his shell a little and one of the guys on his track team took him under his wing and taught him about Shot Put and Discus. It helped Javan much more than his friend realizes. We watched Javan bloom where God planted him and that is so awesome. This evening that same friend had Javan over and they went fishing. Javan said he caught six fish!

Please say a prayer for Javan. While kids are swimming, running, playing, doing all the things this summer, Javan will have a different experience. He is scheduled for surgery May 27 and he will spend his summer recovering. We have prayed and trust God to help Javan through this tough transition. We know we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Amen?

PHILIPPIANS 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

As you can see, there is so much we are thanking God for. What about you? Have you counted your blessings today? If you want to share what God is doing in your life, feel free to leave a comment below. We would love to count our blessings with you! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Heart Construction | Fuel For The Weekend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~Bridgett Owens

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

Thankful For Wisdom | Thankful Thursday

Hello friends! Today is Thursday and it is time to count our blessings. Do you keep a gratitude log? Sometimes I make a list in my gratitude journal, sometimes I write in a gratitude journal my friend sent me, and other times I simply reflect on things I am grateful for in my prayer time with God. It is so important to take time to remember the goodness of God. It not only encourages us in the moment, but when we have a rough day, we can go back and see how faithful God has been to us when we read through those lists of things the LORD has done.

This week I want to thank God for wisdom. I do not always understand how to do certain things God is calling me to do. I know how to write, but getting all the pieces to fit in the puzzle in regards to publishing my book is sometimes a challenge. I know that God promised to give us wisdom if we ask Him. JEREMIAH 33:3 Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. We must ask God, He promises to answer us, and to reveal great and mighty things we do not know. I am so glad He does that.

Sometimes He sends help through a friend, a book, an acquaintance, a video, or other various forms. What are you needing God to show you? All we must do is ask. JAMES 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. God promises to give us wisdom generously if we will ask Him. He upbraideth not, which means He is not going to rebuke us or severely scold us. He wants us to have wisdom because the end of that verse says that when we ask, wisdom SHALL be given to us! What is something God has recently taught you to do?

In DANIEL 6:3 it tells us something about Daniel's character: Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.  Why did Daniel have an excellent spirit? He communed with God. He sought God. He prayed and fasted and had a relationship with God. That translated into everything He did. You and I are to do the same thing. 1 CORINTHIANS 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. MATTHEW 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Daniel was not born with this knowledge; he did not study to get this great wisdom; rather he asked God to give him wisdom and God did so. He will do the same thing for us.

Do you remember reading in the second chapter of the book of Daniel, how that the king had a dream and could not recall what he dreamed? It troubled him so much that even though he could not remember the dream, he knew it was significant. So he asks the impossible! DANIEL 2:3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. He asks for the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to come and tell him what he dreamed but they could not do it. They had no power to tell anyone what they dreamed. God alone can do that! He did not call on God first. We must be careful where we seek our wisdom from. The world cannot help us. Social media cannot help us. The government cannot help us. There is no other source to turn to for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding but God. 

PROVERBS 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

PROVERBS 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

PROVERBS 16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

PROVERBS 19:8 He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.

Throughout the book of Proverbs we see the importance of obtaining wisdom.

The king was upset that the magicians and soothsayers could not tell him what he dreamed. He was so angry that he decided he would destroy them all. This dream was so disturbing in his spirit that he was not even willing to think reasonably beyond wanting something no one had ever asked of another human being before. They answered the king, "If you tell us your dream, we will give you the interpretation of it."

DANIEL 2:5,6 (5)The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. (6)But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

The king told them he cannot remember the dream. He wants them to either tell him what he dreamed and what it meant, or he will cut them in pieces and destroy their households. That is a desperate king! They answer the same way they did before, asking for him to tell them the dream so they could interpret it. He tells them they are just stalling for time and he will kill them if they will not do what he says. They are shocked and perplexed. This does not seem fair to them and they tell him that he is asking something impossible; something no other ruler would dare ask.

DANIEL 2:12, 13 (12)For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. (13)And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. That escalated pretty quickly! Now the king decides to annihilate all the wise men because those who used witchcraft were unable to do what he asked. Now they are coming for God's chosen man, Daniel and his fellows. Arioch, the king's captain told Daniel why he was in such a hurry to execute all the wise men, so Daniel went to the king and asked for some time and then he would give the interpretation. That is great faith that God will do this. Daniel knew this was something only God could do. The king granted him the time to seek the answer.

Daniel went to other wise and faithful men unto God: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, or as we know them: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It is important to seek out others with integrity and a heart for God when looking for wisdom and knowledge about a matter. These four men begin to pray and ask God to do the impossible and He showed up in a big way!

DANIEL 2:20-23 (20)Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are His: (21)And He changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: (22)He revealeth the deep and secret things: He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him. (23)I thank Thee, and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of Thee: for Thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.

What Daniel did not do was brag about how he figured it out. He did not tell others what God revealed to himself. He asked for wisdom and prayed with other believers and God came through. It is so important that we never take the credit for something God did. He alone gets the honor and glory! Look how Daniel handled the situation.

DANIEL 2:27-30 (27)Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; (28)But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; (29)As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. (30)But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

Daniel revealed the king's dream and then gave the meaning of the dreams. He gave God all the glory. God gives us wisdom to do things and be successful in life. We must not take credit for things He has done. It is vain and foolish for us to take credit for something only God can do.

I am so thankful for wisdom. I am grateful that I serve a God who cares so much about His children that He wants to help them succeed and do well in life. He wants us to come and ask Him for this wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

I hope you have been reflecting on how good God has been to you. We are living in a season of uncertainty with so many conflicts around the globe, so much persecution, wars, rumors of wars, and sickness, but God is in control. He is on the throne and He is not upset, nervous, or scared about what He sees taking place. Run to Him and ask Him to give you wisdom if you lack it and He promises to give it to you generously.

Thank you for joining me on this Thankful Thursday to count my blessings with me! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens