God In Charge | Thankful Thursday

God in charge?

I have been intentionally giving God my day. I start out reading my devotional and have some quiet time with God. I pray and ask Him to take charge over the day ahead of me. I want Him to order my steps, lead me and guide me. He never fails to show up for me. He always takes over and the difference is huge compared to days I take life on by myself. I am so thankful He is in charge of my day.

Things do not always go easy, or smooth, when I place my day in His capable hands, but the stress level is diminished to nearly nothing. If I get worked up when things don't go my way, Holy Spirit reminds me that God is working all things for my good and it brings calm to the chaos and I feel relieved. Have you ever tried that? Have you asked God to take over your day?

It's Biblical to do this. I have four scriptures to share with you that not only encourage us to do this, but gives us a promise. Check it out:

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

The steps of a good man are what? Ordered by the LORD. That sounds like God is in charge. It delights Him when we walk in the way of holiness, in the way that God has outlined in His Word. This particular verse reminds us that if we give God our day, He will set us on the path He wants us to walk in and it will make God happy!

PSALM 119:133 Order my steps in Thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

I have to be honest. I do not remember reading this verse. I know Psalm 119 is a long chapter, but what a gold nugget nestled in this lengthy portion of Scripture. The common denominator in this concept of giving God our day is that we are walking in the ways of God. We are living what we read. Remember we are called to be a hearer of the Word and a DOER! (James 1:22) If we are walking according to God's plans and purposes for our lives then sin will not have dominion over us. We will not be overpowered by sin, even though temptation is all around.

JAMES 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Usually this passage is quoted when we go through trials to encourage us. It can also be used when talking about giving God our day. We can be in the perfect will of God and still be tempted. We are human. We live in a fallen world and the enemy wants to tempt us at every turn. But if we hold fast to faith we will be grow in patience. Our spiritual fruit will grow and become evident in other areas of our life.

PROVERBS 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

If we admit God is who He says He is in every area of our life, we will be directed by Him through this life. Is He Jehovah Jireh, God our provider in our finances when the bills are due and the money is gone? Is God Jehovah Shalom, God our peace when we feel anxiety or depression? Is God Jehovah Rophe, God our healer when the doctors give up hope and have no more answers? Is God Jehovah Nissi, God our battle fighter? We do not have to fight these battles, God fights for us and He always causes us to triumph according to 2 Corinthians 2:14.

Friends, it is not only a good idea to give God our day, it is vital for our spiritual survival. The times I rush ahead and go about my day without God leading me has been hard and frustrating and I always think to myself, What is this, Pick-On-Bridgett-Day? But the then the Spirit of Truth reminds me that I have not handed the day over to God. The good news it is not too late. When I realize what I have done, I can quickly ask God to forgive me for not making time for Him and ask Him to help me. You know what He does? He doesn't pout, scold me, ignore me, or abandon me. He lovingly comes alongside me, scoots me back on the path He wants me to walk on and leads me gently on. He will do the same for you.

This Thankful Thursday I am thankful God is in charge. He knows what is best for each one of us. He sees the beginning, middle, and ending. He knows what roads we need to travel to build our character, draw us closer to Him, and increase our endurance. I hope this has been encouraging for you. I hope that something I shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Encouragement From God | Thankful Thursday

We are edging our way to the weekend. I don't know about you but this has been a crazy week for me. I have not had a normal day since Sunday! But I am so thankful that even in the crazy times God will meet us where we are and get us back in a good spot. Amen?

Many of you know that I have been in a season of waiting and expectancy since Thanksgiving 2020. I mentioned it here on my blog before and in some videos, but I was really battling the past couple of days and so this morning I took some time to be still and opened my prayer journal. I just asked Him to speak as I was listening. I didn't know what else to say that I had not already said. He blessed me so much and I am excited to share with you the scriptures He gave to me!

I will share the scriptures below. If you need more encouragement, feel free to watch the video I will include at the bottom of this blog post.

PSALM 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

MATTHEW 28:29 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

2 CORINTHIANS 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.

DEUTERONOMY 31:8 And the LORD, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

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.

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

PSALM 56:4 In God I will praise His Word, in God I have put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

JOHN 10:27-28 (27)My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: (28)And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. 

PSALM 1:2-3 (2)But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law doth he meditate day and night. (3)And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall propser.

JEREMIAH 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14 (13)Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14)I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

EPHESIANS 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

In this video, I spent some time sharing about my spiritual journey, explaining where I am, and in the middle of recording this video I received a text message and wow! God is turning things back around. He is helping me to not only go forward, it felt like I was launched forward a lot! I am so excited about what He is doing in my life and I am hoping that something I share in this blog post or in that video will be strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Ezra Chapter Five | Wednesday Bible Study

Hello friends. Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible study. We are continuing our study in the book of Ezra. Let's turn our attention to the 17 verses in chapter five. If you have not read through this chapter yet, please take a few moments to do so. I will be breaking the chapter up into three sections and giving a brief synopsis of each. I highly encourage you to take your time when reading through the Bible and as you read my blog post, pray and ask Holy Spirit to minister and teach you what you need to know. I will be doing the same. I pray that this Bible study will be a blessing to you!

Verses 1 & 2: Work on the Temple Resumed

Haggai 1:9 "Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of Mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house." Haggai and Zechariah were prophets sent to the Jews in Judah from God. Zerubbabel and Jeshua began working on the house of God in Jerusalem and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah joined them. After the work had been ordered by force to stop, the Jews lost interest in God's house and instead turned their attention to building and improving their own dwellings. This was not God's plan and He was not pleased. Look at Haggai at what the LORD said. God allowed a drought to come to the land. The corn, wine, and oil did not do well. The land, mountains, and cattle suffered. There was nothing good coming from the work of their hands because they were busy doing something other than what God assigned them to do.

Friends, we must be so careful to keep our mission in front of us. What has God called us to do? Are we doing it? Are we distracted with other things that are keeping us busy? We must be about our Father's business. We have to get Kingdom minded and think of eternity, not just the here and now.

Verses 3-5 Attempt Made To Stop Work

Again we see the enemy is upset with the children of Israel for obeying God. So trouble is stirred up but we will see a different outcome this time. The governor of Tatnai questioned, "Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?" Verse five says, "But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius." God was fighting for them and even the governor was powerless to stop the rebuilding of the temple.

Sometimes people stand in our way. They see the good we are doing. They see the hard work and the faithfulness to God, but they want to halt our efforts. When God gives us an assignment to do, He will stand with us and for us and no enemy will stop us from completing the task God gives us.

Verses 5:6-17 A Letter To Darius

The governor of Tatnai was over the area west of the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea, which included Judah and Samaria. During the reign of Darius I, it became a province of its own. This governor sent a letter to king Darius and started off peaceably. He stated that all were hard at work, making rapid progress. He goes on to say that he investigated who authorized to build the temple again and he took names of the men involved. In verse 11 it reads, "And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up." It goes on to talk about how the children of Israel rebelled against God and in His wrath, they were carried away into bondage to Babylon. The letter continues with reiterating how the Babylonian king Cyrus decreed to build the temple, and all the vessels of gold and silver Nebuchadnezzar took from the house of God was to be returned. The governor explained about the foundation being laid by Sheshbazzar and that the work continued since that time but was not finished. He requested king Darius search the treasure house at Babylon for a decree made by king Cyrus to build God's house in Jerusalem. Then they wait for the king's reply.

It may seem like the governor was just doing his due diligence to ensure everything was in order. To a degree, I suppose he was. We know the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy according to John 10:10. He does not want the house of God rebuilt. He does not want people to worship God. He does not want holiness to be a way of life for the children of Israel. He is causing delays and hardships every time he can, but God is in ultimate control. He will reign and be victorious. His plans will succeed. His Word will not return void according to Isaiah 55:11. If God has told you something: given you a promise, be very sure it will happen. It may not be when we think it will happen, but it will come to pass. We will see it with our own eyes just as He promised. Stay encouraged!

That's all of chapter five. Ezra is a quick study chapter-by-chapter. I enjoy reading through it and it certainly has given me encouragement today. We have been waiting on a promise from God since Thanksgiving 2020. It is hard to wait. It is hard to see the days turn to weeks.. then months and it's frustrating but we know God has a plan for us. I know He has a plan for your life as well. Stay strong. Stay encouraged. Keep going! God is in control and He will never fail!

I hope something I have shared in this study today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Guilt, Grief, Bitterness, Loneliness | Thankful Thursday

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

As I look around at all the things we have to pack up again, I am taking inventory of just what all we actually need. Paul is at work while the kids and I are filling up boxes. As we sift through our belongings, it is much easier now to let go of things that have served their purpose. That is how my mom always said it. If I struggled with the decision of what to part with, she would simply say, "It's served it's purpose. It's time to get rid of it." I like that saying because it give me permission to let things go that I am only keeping out of guilt. Someone gave me something and I feel like it's disrespectful to part with the item, and yet the person that gave it to me may no longer be in my life for a myriad of reasons. Why do we hold so tight to material possessions when we should simply let go? I am thankful for my mother and for her sage advice to let things go after they have served their purpose in my life.

In the natural it may be easier to let go of the excess than it is in the spiritual. For some reason, guilt, grief, bitterness, loneliness .... those things seem harder to purge from our system. I know for me it is far easier to let go of a card or sentimental item than it is to forgive myself for something I have said or done wrong. It is sometimes easier to stay in my grief than to process it. It is even, dare I say, comfortable to endure the loneliness than risk putting myself out there and being rejected. I am thankful that I don't have to keep these bad feelings anymore.

ROMANS 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

MATTHEW 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

ISAIAH 38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back.

PROVERBS 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Isn't it great that we don't have to stay stuck in the guilt, grief, bitterness, or loneliness. No matter what you may be struggling with today, give it to God. Take your burdens to the Lord and He will help you. He will remove the heavy load and He will give you His burdens which are light. He will give you the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. You can be free in Jesus' name!

I have people reading my blog all around the globe and I want to tell you all that Jesus Christ loves you so much! He gave His very life for you because He loves you and wants you to live with Him in eternity! There is nothing in this world worth missing heaven for. I am going and I hope you are, too! If you are not sure, just invite Him into your heart; confess you believe Jesus is the Son of God; repent of your sins and ask Him to lead and guide you with the Holy Spirit, and if you believe it you will receive the free gift of salvation. You can never go too far that He can't find you; sin so bad that His blood cannot cover it. That is GOOD NEWS! 

I am thankful that He saved a wretch like me. I am so thankful that He never gave up on me. I read back through my prayer journals and see the same theme over and over for months and then finally I get it and He works on another area of my life. I shake my head and think, "What took me so long?" And then I quickly praise God for being a merciful, long-suffering, loving Heavenly Father who patiently waits for His child to follow as He leads.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

 

 

 

Oven vs God | 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.

The theme this week is patience. We studied patience together Wednesday in James for the Bible study here on this blog. Then I talked about how I waited on God to give me a child in my Thankful Thursday post. God continued to deal with me on this same topic but gave me a whole new perspective on it and I am going to share that today for the Oven vs God Fuel For The Weekend post. I hope you are as blessed by this as I was when He gave it to me.

How many people have you watched bake a cake? Maybe you are the cake baker and can relate to what I am about to share. I took a Wilton cake decorating class and prior to that I used to bake cakes and cupcakes all the time. It was a quick treat and most people enjoy eating a piece of cake. Usually it does not take long to whip up the ingredients for the batter, mix in a bowl and pour into a prepared pan, and place in the oven. Once inside does anyone start yelling at the oven? "Hurry up! You're working too slow! I want to eat my cake right now and you are taking too long. It's like you don't want me to enjoy my cake. Why are you making me wait so long?"

The oven is working. It is baking the cake inside. If we turn up the heat, continue to adjust the temperature, or fan the door to see if it is done yet we will ruin the cake. It won't finish baking all the way through. No one wants to bite into raw cake batter. Why do we rush the Master with our prayer requests? We beg and plead and cry. We complain the results we want are taking too long. We get impatient and we cry and beg and plead again. We don't truly believe God will give us what we desire. Instead of preparing our requests according to scripture and presenting them to God then walking away trusting He will do the job, we stand around and attempt to rush Him and fan the door to check on the progress. This is not faith.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

This verse tells us not to be anxious for anything but in every situation and for every request we are to pray and plead to the point of almost begging with a thankful heart and grateful attitude present our petitions to God. He is our Heavenly Father. He wants to give us good gifts and the desires of our heart. But there is a formula for this. We know that if we do not have faith the Bible says it is impossible to please God. It tells us that He does not work when people are doubting and full of unbelief. If we say things like, "It's never going to happen. I don't think God will do this for me. He probably is too busy to care about my concerns. I am not important enough to bother God with my problems," then we will not get God to move on our behalf.

JAMES 1:6-8 (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 he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (8) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

We have to first ask in faith and not waver. We can't go back and forth between trust and fear. If we ask God to do something for us and He doesn't do it, there is a good reason for it. God is not up in heaven waiting on requests to say NO! He has a plan for our lives and if the request aligns with His purpose and His plan for our lives He will do it. If getting what we ask means straying from God or compromising our integrity, like any good father, God is not going to grant our request. Going back and forth in our minds about whether we are worthy or not, whether God wants to do it or not, and whether He will do it or not is like the waves rising and crashing in the ocean. The Bible tells us that no one who thinks like that should expect anything from God. And it further states that a person who thinks like that is unstable in all that they do.

My mom sings a song at church that says:

You can't hurry God. You'll just have to wait. Trust Him and give Him time. No matter how long it takes. He's the God that you can't hurry. He'll be there don't you worry. He may not come when you want Him but He's right on time.

I love that song and it's so true! You can't hurry God. His time is not our time. His ways are not our ways. He has a big picture in His mind of how things need to go for us. He wants to give us the things we ask for when we pray but we have to trust Him. We have to wait. Just like we trust our oven to bake the cake and we wait on the timer before we start checking on the progress and fanning the door. We know that we put batter into the oven but we trust that we are pulling out a cake. We may give God our mixed up messes but we hope to get back a beautiful blessing.

Let's put all of our hope and trust and faith in the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is faithful. He is true. He is lovely. He wants to bless us with the fruits of the Spirit and if we are working on patience this week, then Holy Spirit complete the work! Forgive us for being impatient and teach us Lord to wait well upon You!

Be encouraged friends. God is going to take care of His children. He always has and He always will. He will not abandon us. He will not forget us. He will not ignore us. He is working on our behalf even when we cannot see it. He is working all things for our good and we just have to learn to lean and depend on Jesus. Like the old song says, "I'm learning how to lean and depend on Jesus. I found out if I trust Him He will provide." No matter what you're going through, trust God, our Heavenly Father, and watch Him do great things!

I hope something I have said today encourages you. I hope it's been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Be Patient | Bible Study

Patience is something not many people brag about having much of. Often I hear people say, "I am not a patient person." "I don't have much patience." "I need more patience." My mother used to always tell me, "Patience, Bridgett. Just be patient." I, too, have struggled with this fruit of the Spirit. I simply do not like to wait.

In our society, we are conditioned to hurry. We rush in and out of the stores. We are in a mad dash down the road. We enter a meeting with papers in a whirl as we try to get there on time knowing we have ten more things to do before the meeting gets started. We multi-task and juggle and struggle and in the end, is it even worth it?

I grew up in rural southern Indiana. One day I was in my house and I heard a knock at the door. I had not heard any vehicles drive up so I was not sure who it could be. I opened the door and there stood a sweet little Amish woman. She and her children had stopped by to see if I would like to purchase her handmade jams and jellies. We talked for a little bit and then off they went in their horse and buggy. No rush to get to the next place. No hurried sales pitch to peddle her wares. It was so nice and left me smiling and happy. I admire the way of life of the Amish, though it seems strange to me to not have electricity and other amenities that my family and I enjoy.

What's our rush? Why can't we slow down as a society? My dad used to get frustrated when I would say, "Can I ask you something real quick?" He would always ask me, "What's your hurry? You don't have to ask real quick." He was not being silly. He meant it. He genuinely did not like to rush conversation and there was no reason he could think of that I would need to say anything in a hurry. The book of James touches on patience, so even in Bible days this was an issue for many.

JAMES 5:7-11 (7) Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and the latter rain. (8) Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (9) Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. (10) Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. (11) Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

James encouraged the oppressed people to be patient. James tells them to strengthen their hearts with the hope of Christ's coming. With the focus on hope it creates patience even under oppressive conditions. We could take that same message to apply it to our lives. James reminds them just like the farmer waits for the crop and is patient, we are to also have the same endurance. We must wait on God to give us all that He promised would be fruitful in our lives. It takes time to get the things we desire, but we must work towards it and not give up. We have to remember the prophets who were under extreme persecution and yet we talk about how happy they were to make it through to the end. We know Job had patience but we do not want to suffer as long or as much as he did to get the blessings he got in the end. The Lord is compassionate and merciful.

I like how The Message Bible reads James 5:11 "Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You've heard, of course, of Job's staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That's because God cares, cares right down to the last detail." Friends, He really does care right down to the last detail. I have heard it said, "The devil is in the details." I am here to tell you that God is in the details! God does not form elaborate plans and amazing stories for our lives and leave out the details. He knows every single thing about the trials and tests we must endure. He leaves nothing out!

James tells us in chapter one that trials make patience. He said in chapter one, verses three and four: "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." In other words, trials make our faith stronger. We need to endure the trail because when patience has been perfected in us we are complete. We can face bigger trials because we have overcome the smaller obstacles. Our faith is like a spiritual muscle that gets larger with use. 

I know it's been a crazy year. It has been a struggle with the ups and downs of Covid-19, lockdown, masks, no masks, sometimes masks, eating in restaurants, not eating in restaurants, going to church, not going to church in person but meeting online, and on and on and on. The election, race riots, hurricanes, tornadoes, natural disasters, and so much more has caused many to get discouraged, to give up, to quit, and to turn away from the Word of God. Please grab your Bibles and read about the hardships that men and women had to face. Read in Hebrews chapter 11 of the men and women of faith. There are so many witnesses in the Bible who have endured hardship like a good soldier, endured until the end, and came forth like fine gold. Do not despise the trials; they only serve to make you stronger.

Be patient. It is hard to wait. It is not much fun to wait. It is frustrating to wait. Wait on the Lord and Isaiah says, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31) There is a promise for those who endure until the end. Do not give up. Do not quit. Do not walk away. Do not run from your gifts and callings. Do not think it's over. God is not done with you yet. Watch Him do the impossible in your life! He is able!

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

~Bridgett Owens