Seeing Father 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 have had an incredible time with God this morning. He has given sweet peace to me. I am full of His love and His Word and His joy! What a beautiful way to end the work week and start on the weekend: in His presence!

In my quiet time the LORD directed me to today's verse. I read it, then read it again, and underlined it. It is so beautiful and this one verse is packed full of insight, encouragement, and hope. If you need any of those things, then I invite you to sit at the table with me as we break the Bread together!

ZEPHANIAH 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty: He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.

Isn't that a beautiful verse? God is in the midst of us. In the middle of our struggles, in the middle of our pain, in the middle of our loss, in the middle of our sickness, God is in the middle of it and He is mighty! He is powerful. He is not weak. He is not scared. He is not concerned. He is not frantically searching for answers on how to handle our problems. He is in control. He is mighty! He is the solution to every problem we face. He knows what to do! Sit in that knowledge for just a moment.

What are you facing right now? What hardship are you going through? You may be struggling with difficulties and maybe you thought this year would be better. It may have started off worse than last year started. There is hope! If you are a child of God, He is with you in the middle of the suffering and He is mighty! He is powerful! He is extraordinary!

He will save. Are you saved? Are your loved ones? Your friends? Your coworkers? I have a list of people I am asking God to save. It breaks my heart when I think they may leave this world without the Blessed Hope of God in Christ Jesus. So many people think if they are good people and do nice things that they don't have to have a relationship with Jesus and they are still going to heaven. That is a lie! The Bible tells us that if we try to go in any other way than through the door of Jesus Christ we are a thief and a robber. (John 10:1) God wants to save you and your loved ones, your friends, your coworkers...and the whole world. He sent Jesus for that purpose. (John 3:16)

I love this next part. He will rejoice over you with joy. When we line up our thoughts and our lives to reflect His ways He rejoices over us with joy. There is great happiness inside God that wells up and He rejoices over His children when they are walking upright before Him. I have an image in my mind of God, our loving Heavenly Father, sitting on the edge of His throne, looking down below, and seeing the ones who struggle and strive but never lose hope, never lose faith in Him and He begins to rejoice. He is happy! It pleases the Father when we obey and do His will. It makes Him glad to see us walking fully in our purpose. He loves us so much and He rejoices over us with joy! He takes great pleasure in us. Isn't that precious? I am holding this scripture so close to my heart this morning.

He will rest in His love. Some translations say He will quiet you with His love. Just as a parent soothes their child with hushed tones and gentle hands, our loving Heavenly Father rushes to us to quiet us with His love. He soothes us. The pain, the torment, the aggravation, the loss... it melts away when we are enveloped in His love. We are soothed and quieted. The storm that rages around us is not as scary in His arms!

Another translation says He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins]. And one other translation says In His love He will no longer rebuke you. Isn't that another beautiful illustration? He loves us so much He will not bring up the things we have done wrong in our past. The things He has already forgiven us for, He forgets. He does not drag up past deeds and sling them in our face. He does not condemn us. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1) He loves us so much He would never condemn us for things He has already forgiven us for.

He will joy over us with singing. So many times God brings a song back to my remembrance and Holy Spirit will sing just a few lines from the song to my heart. It comforts me. It blesses me. It encourages me. I have sang over my children silly little songs when they were young and they would giggle. I can imagine God, our Heavenly Father, leaning into His children, getting so close to our faces, and with great happiness and pleasure singing over us. What a beautiful promise!

I don't know what you're going through. I know life is tough and things get tougher by the minute sometimes. I don't know what big obstacles stand in your way, what giants are hovering over you today, but I hope you will read this verse and find hope and strength. I hope you will breathe in this amazing promise God has given us and rest in it today. Let it lift you up. Let it speak to you. May you read this passage today and see our Heavenly Father in a whole new way.

As you get ready for the weekend, take heart! Be encouraged! I hope that something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

A New Refrigerator | Fuel For The Weekend

God told me to share my faith on Fridays and call it Fuel For The Weekend. I wanted to do it. I thought about it. I tried coming up with ideas on my own, but I just came up short, so I put the idea toward the back of my mind, but the Holy Spirit continued to nudge me in this direction. I am going for it and 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.

When God told us to move to Mobile, Alabama from Mitchell, Indiana I had no idea what His big plans for our family would be. We have been down here for over a year now and we have seen the hand of God every time we turned around. I want to share what God has done this time!

Recently our refrigerator died. We had to use our daughter’s mini fridge from college! We made do the best we could but we really needed a fridge. So my faithful prayer partner and I prayed for God to provide us a fridge! He showed up in a BIG way! We were given a brand new refrigerator and $100 gift card for groceries!!! We are so thankful!!!

What is a big need you have? What are you asking God for? Have you asked God to work it out for you? The Bible says that God cares about the things that matter to us. His Word tells us He will supply our every need according to HIS riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He does not consult our budget, our personal finances, or our situation in order to bless us. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and even the hills the cattle is standing on! Expect BIG things from God because if you have a real need, He is a real God that has a real solution to your real problem! Trust Him! There is NOTHING my God cannot do!

PSALMS 139:1-3 (1) O LORD, Thou hast searched me, and known me. (2) Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off. (3) Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

PHILIPPIANS 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

ISAIAH 45:6 "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the Lord, and there is none else."

PSALMS 50:10 "For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."

LUKE 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible."

I did not know how God was going to provide us a refrigerator. We didn't have the finances right now to do it, but we had a great need! We wanted a fridge but we actually needed a refrigerator, too. Not everything we want is something we truly need. But God will meet all your needs. He will give us the desires of our heart when we delight in Him, but He wants the glory in all He does.

Friends, do not be discouraged. Times are hard, things are different, and it does not always seem like everything is going to work out but for those who have put their faith in Jesus, we have hope and He has a great plan for our lives. Look to God for your help and He will never let you down!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

 

 

 

 

 

The Time is Now | Fuel For the Weekend

God  told me to share my faith on Fridays and call it Fuel For The Weekend. I wanted to do it. I thought about it. I tried coming up with ideas on my own, but I just came up short, so I put the idea toward the back of my mind, but the Holy Spirit continued to nudge me in this direction. I am going for it and 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.

Can you remember any of your goals that you set in January this year? I struggle to think back 9 months ago or even 8 months ago in February. Corona Virus has made the past 7 months feel like decades.

The good news is God was not sideswiped by Covid-19. He was not caught off guard or shaken. His plans are still moving forward. He still has an eternal purpose to fulfill through you and me. What is He doing right now in our community, our workplace, our homes, and inside our hearts? Can we align our goals and dreams to mirror His plan for us?

Today I am picking up things I set aside until “the right time.” I am pushing past procrastination to write this simple message of hope to you and as a reminder to myself that God is still working and we must get busy, too.

So many things are out of our control, but how we choose to respond to God’s call on our lives is something we can control. We can allow our circumstances to tie our hands and feet and keep us stuck in despair, or we can look to God the author and finisher of our faith to sustain us as we lean into Him and work where we can while we can. 

Hebrews 12:2

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This verse in Hebrews reminds us that Jesus endured the cross for us. We may feel life is spinning out of control and get depressed about the restrictions pressed on us, but even the tough times we face are nothing compared to the torture and cruelty of the cross Jesus endured. This verse says we are to look to Jesus who starts and finishes our faith. He looked at the joy on the other side of the cross and was able to face the darkness head on. He despised the shame. It was nothing He wanted to do. He was obedient to His death and now He is at the right hand of the throne of God. He is exalted in heavenly places.

We can get through this year stronger than when we started. We can meet and exceed our goals from the beginning of the year. We can face every situation, every trial, every disappointment with purpose and grace as we remember why we are here. We must glorify our Father in heaven while we are on the earth. We need to pick up those things we sat aside until "later." Now is the time to work. We have a lot to do before Jesus comes back and there are still a few more days left in this month, and a couple more months left in this year.

Get your joy back! Saturate your spirit in the good news of God's Word. Tell someone about the goodness of God and what He is doing in your life, your job, your finances, your marriage, your parenting, and your church. If there is an area of your life you are not seeing good fruit, ask God to help you grow. He will do it! He is in control and He is doing great things! The Bible tells us He never slumbers or sleeps. He is fully engaged with the matters of our hearts and He knows what is happening around the globe. Take heart and be of good cheer. Jesus overcame the whole world and He daily loads us with benefits according to Psalms 68:19.

Be encouraged brothers and sisters. Jesus is coming back very soon to get His Bride. I want to be looking for Him, working for Him, and expecting His return. Don't miss heaven for the world. You have time now to work, let's be busy working for our Father.

God bless you,

Bridgett