Little Things Can Be Big Problems

I’m in spiritual warfare right now. I’m fasting and praying for a specific need today. God has spoken to me through Joshua chapter 10 and I am strengthened. I know God is equipping me to press on. The battle is the Lord's (1 Samuel 17:47) (2 Chronicles 20:15) (2 Chronicles 32:8) and He will bring me the victory.

Psalm 24:8

Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

Isaiah 54:17

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD.

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.

Zechariah 4:6

Then He answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

We are trying to get things organized and I needed a few things from the Dollar Tree. I got in the car with my husband and our son, my husband turned the key and the car started but quickly died. He tried again but this time it didn’t turn over at all. No response. A quick check under the hood revealed the problem: a blown fuse.

It blew more than one fuse, but I want to talk about just one of these fuses. My car is not a large vehicle but it’s giant-sized compared to this fuse. The tiny part in my hand below malfunctioned and in doing so stopped this giant! This might be a great message for faith, or a fantastic illustration of David and Goliath, but I'm not going to talk about those things. Instead I want to warn everyone about the little things in our life that can make a big impact, especially in a negative way. 

Look at how tiny this fuse is in my hand. Yet it is capable of rendering my car useless when it malfunctions. Small things can have big impacts.

James 3:4

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

The Bible tells us that though a ship is very large, a tiny helm is what controls where the ship goes. There is a verse in Song of Solomon, chapter 2 verse 15 that says the little foxes spoil the vine. These little things in our lives can have big impacts later on.

What is going on in your life right now? Take a moment to search your heart and search your mind. What little things are you holding on to that can steal your joy? What little squabbles have you had that left you holding a big grudge? What short phrase that came flowing out of someone's mouth caused you to feel some type of way?

We have to be careful of the little things we do every day, the compromises, the "little white lies," sins of omission... friends we are allowing little things to wreck us! Do not let the enemy come to you in subtlety and destroy the work God is doing in your life.

Did someone cut you off in traffic? Did you pray about it or get angry and then arrive to work upset and allow that one incident to set your day up for frustration? What if that person did not see you and it was simply an accident? What if they were in a hurry because they are rushing to the side of a sick or injured loved one? I am not excusing the behavior, I am simply stating that there might be a cause. There may be a reason for what happened. Take yourself out of the equation and remember the enemy is fighting you, not the person driving the car.

Have you been in a store and the worker was rude to you? Maybe you are the worker and the customer was unkind. Regardless of which side of the counter you are on, be kind. Smile. Give the best you have to everyone. Do not let someone deposit negative thoughts and ideas inside your spirit. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

To transform means to make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character of. We cannot do this ourselves. This is the work the Holy Spirit does on every believer that has surrendered their heart, life, and will to God by accepting the free gift of salvation from Jesus. How do we renew our minds? Renew means give fresh life or strength to. We do this by reading God's Word and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He leads us and guides us into all truth.

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

If we find ourselves acting like the world, reacting like the world, responding like the world, then we are conforming to the world. We are told not to do that. We should not have the same opinions that others have. We should not believe that those who are doing things contrary to the Word of God are right and the Bible is wrong. We have to allow God to wash us clean and renew our minds. He gives us fresh life and strength. He changes us in a dramatic way so the old version of ourselves is unrecognizable.

If you are holding a grudge, comparing yourself, getting angry easily, and lacking compassion, go back to the foot of the cross, and ask Jesus to help you! He will change you! He will renew your mind. You will become a new person. These little things that we ignore can show up in stress, anxiety, fear, broken relationships, poor health, and ultimately death. Choose life!

Choose to respond to this message knowing that if you blow a fuse, you will be stranded. You won't excel at the things you want to do. You won't be accomplishing your hopes and dreams. The goals you set will be dormant. Go to the Creator of the universe and ask God to work on you. Spend some time getting repaired and realigned so you can get back in the race and win! God is on your side, so you cannot fail! Give the control to God and watch Him do the impossible and the miraculous in your life and in your situation. He can do it! He has done it before and won't He do it again?

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

~Bridgett Owens

Happy Thanksgiving | Thankful Thursday

Welcome to my Thankful Thursday blog post! The LORD was impressing on my heart to carve out a section on my blog to share what I am thankful for. I call this my Thankful Thursday blog posts. I think it is fitting, since here in the USA we celebrate Thanksgiving today. I will continue to share what I am thankful for, each week, so be sure to come back to my blog and we can count our blessings together.

Praying you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

You are all as sweet as pumpkin pie to me!

Praying you are surrounded with family and friends you love!

I am thankful for God's goodness and mercy that never ends! Thank You, Jesus!

Everyone needs a little sparkle in their holidays!

My niece sent me this cute little turkey!

Friends, my heart is so full of thanksgiving and gratitude. God has blessed me and my family with so many wonderful things! He has sustained us for these three months without jobs. He has given us a wonderful home that we love. We have our health and even though my children are fighting sinus issues and viral stomach bugs, we are grateful that we have overall good health. I am thankful for the job the LORD has given to me! I start next Monday! I am thankful for the job my husband is getting soon. They are calling him Monday to talk about it! I am thankful for provision and protection as we traveled to and from Indiana to see our families. I am thankful for two Thanksgiving feasts there. I am thankful for time spent laughing and talking with them. I am thankful that God called our family to live here in Mobile, Alabama! We are so blessed to have this wonderful opportunity to live and work for the LORD together here. I am thankful for all the kindness that we have been shown, the new friends we have made, the money given to us, the bills paid on our behalf, and the peace in our hearts.

I received word this morning from my dear friend that God is answering a BIG prayer we have been praying and believing God to move on for a LONG, LONG time! God is so faithful! Never give up! God is working and His time is never ours. We don't always like to hear that, but when we realize it's true, we will have an easier time waiting patiently for our blessings.

I am thankful that Jesus was born, lived on this earth that I now live on, and walked among us. He came to love, heal, and forgive. He gave His life's blood as the supreme sacrifice, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He died once for all and His blood paid the price for my sins, so I can go free! Isn't God so wonderful to have sent His only Son? I am so thankful! I am thankful Jesus was willing to obey His Father and do this extremely generous act of love for all mankind. I am thankful Jesus is my LORD and Savior! He has redeemed me and I am His! He is my King and my heart rejoices in knowing so many of you are His children, too!

Whether you live in the United States of America, or are abroad, I want to wish you a wonderful day, a season of being thankful and grateful for the many blessings we have, and I pray this is a joyous time for you. If you are not with family, friends, or loved ones, I pray a special blessing on you and that you might meet up with others who are alone during the holidays as well. I pray for all those sweet men and women in the nursing homes and shut in their homes. I pray they will feel God's love and experience joy in their hearts today. I pray for those in the hospitals, institutions, jails, and prisons. I pray for all of those working in the healthcare industry, fire and rescue, police, military, and service workers to keep the roads clean and nice. I pray you all have a wonderful day. Remember there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for! 

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Malachi Chapter Four Bible Study

We are in our third consecutive month of weekly Bible studies. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I have. Ruth was exciting to watch the love story unfold between Ruth and Boaz, as we watched the hand of God provide for Ruth and Naomi during hardship, grief, and loss. First John was a great book to study on the heels of Ruth because First John was all about demonstrating God as love, light, and life. We were warned about sin, discord, and idolatry. I enjoyed seeing the multi-facets of God's love, grace, mercy, and goodness.

This month, I want to study the book of Malachi. This is the very last book in the Old Testament. Once God stops speaking four short chapters later, He is silent for 400 years! I want to dig into God's Word and find out what God wanted to say in the final chapters of the Old Testament, gain insight on what made God stop talking to His people, and hopefully gain a better understanding of the scriptures. Whether you do this study alone, or with a small group, please let me know in the comments below, or via email if this is something you enjoy on my blog. If you have a particular request of a book or topic to study, please let me know and I will prayerfully consider including it.

As with other studies, I like to include the introduction my Bible has for the book we are studying. Here is the introduction to The Book of Malachi:

MALACHI, a prophet in the days of Nehemiah, directs his message of judgment to a people plagued with corrupt priests, wicked practices, and a false sense of security in their privileged relationship with God. Using the question-and-answer method, Malachi probes deeply into their problems of hypocrisy, infidelity, mixed marriages, divorce, false worship, and arrogance. So sinful has the the nation become that God's words to the people no longer have any impact. For four hundred years after Malachi's ringing condemnation s, God remains silent. Only with the coming of John the Baptists (prophesied in 3:1) does God again communicate to His people through a prophet's voice.

The meaning of the name Mal'aki ("My Messenger") is probably a shortened form of Mal'akya, "Messenger of Yahweh," and it is appropriate to the book which speaks of the coming of the "messenger of the covenant" )"messenger is mentioned three times in 2:7; 3:1). The Septuagint used the title Malachias even though it also translated it "by the hand of the messenger." The Latin title is Maleachi.

Read through the fourth and final chapter of Malachi. It is only 6 verses. Grab a notebook or journal, pen or pencil, and keep your Bible open as we break the bread together. I will be asking questions throughout today's study. Record your answers in your book. If you are participating in this study with friends or a small group, use the questions for talking points. The purpose of this study is to dig deeper into the Word of God and to apply the lessons to our own lives. Feel free to leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!

To conclude our study of Malachi, I will break down each of the six verses so we can focus on each. Let's begin in verse one.

Verse 1

The fourth chapter begins with a warning. Dooms day is coming! The Bible says that the day is approaching when every single person who is proud, or arrogant, and doing wicked things will be burned like stubble. Have you seen someone start a fire with some sticks and newspaper clippings and things? It will burn quickly and completely. This is the fate of those who do not wish to serve the LORD Jehovah. The proud and arrogant are self-reliant. They believe they make their own way. The Bible says that God resists the proud (James 4:6). They are not relying on Him or trusting Him to meet their needs, and they have a foolish idea that somehow they are making their own success. It is God that gives us what we need. 

Joshua 1:8

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

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

If we believe the scriptures are true, then we cannot read these two verses and still believe we make our success, we make our own destiny, we make good things happen. It is God and God alone that does these things!

Verse one concludes with the scary truth of what will happen when these people are burned up. The Bible says there will not be left any root or branch. No future generations will follow these people. They are cut off from the earth forever. The seed is gone. This should get our attention as we study the Word of God. This is a serious warning and we all must take heed that we do not do those things that are wicked in God's eyes and we must not think we can do anything in life without God (John 5:30).

Romans 12:3

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

1 Corinthians 8:2

And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

Friends, let's do a heart check and make sure we are measuring up to what God expects from us. His Word is very clear and He does not leave us to our own devices. He helps us and if we reject His help and rebel against His law, we will find ourselves on the burn pile and we will be consumed and destroyed.

Questions: What do you think of when you read verse one? How do you reconcile a loving God with this picture of a God of judgment? What can you do to help someone you know that is not living according to the scriptures, so they can escape the punishment described here?  What changes can you make in your thought process about how you become successful? How can you keep God in the center of your life when it is so counter-cultural to believe that God is responsible for the good in your life?

Verse 2

What about the people who are living for God? Verse one does not apply to them, but verse two does. What a beautiful promise for those who strive to live in a way that pleases God. This verse is for that remnant God always has for Himself. This is for those who heed His warning, tremble with fear, revere His name, and walk humbly with God. The Sun of righteousness is Jesus! He is the One with healing in His wings. He is our sun and our shield. He gives the church warmth/heat and light. He has healing virtue for every believer that obeys His Word. By His stripes we are healed! (Isaiah 53)

1 Peter 2:24

Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed.

The promise is that the people who obey God and follow close to Him, will grow up as calves of the stall. We know that those calves are well cared for, fed, protected, and provided for. God is promising these things to those who walk upright before Him. We see evidence of this as we experience peace the world does not have, the calm state of your mind when the world's thoughts are racing, when you feel the love of God in your heart as you commune with Him; a love the world cannot know and does not understand; and the evidence of hope of salvation from these judgments. The world has no hope. We have hope when we have Jesus!

Questions: What do you think of when you read verse two? How does this picture of a loving God contrast with the God of judgment in verse one? What can you do to encourage other believers, who are getting weary in this sinful world, to hold on their faith and claim this promise for themselves? What can you do to hold on to your faith tighter and encourage yourself with this verse of hope and healing and redemption?

Verse 3

Verse three continues with the blessing of God for those who love Him. He said that they would tread over their enemies. In this time we live in, it seems that evil is every where and getting worse. People of God are stripped of their rights of religious freedom, and in countries where that is not a thing, they are persecuted heavily; locked up in prison, tortured, and killed all for the name of Jesus Christ which they bear. God says the day is coming when they will be under the feet of the believers and they will overcome their enemies.

Psalm 110:1

The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.

Father God said to Lord Jesus to sit at His right hand until Father God made King Jesus' enemies to become His footstool. This is so important to remember: God did not say sit there until He hoped to make the enemies a footstool, or if He could make the enemies a footstool. God said, "Wait right here and I AM going to do this thing!" Be encouraged, God is in control! God has all the power over the enemy and God wins! We win when we are in Christ Jesus!

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.

Questions: What do you think of when you read verse three? Does this give you hope? What kind of anticipation or expectation do you have after reading this passage? What feelings does it give you to think that one day you will not have to fight against evil, suffer in pain or sickness, nor struggle through trials and temptations?

Verse 4

Do you remember Moses? He was the servant of the LORD who was given the law to take back to the people. God wrote the Ten Commandments on two tablets, not once, but twice, and gave them to Moses. Do you remember the law? There were rules and consequences with those laws. This verse is asking us to remember them. To think back and remember that God has always given us instructions on how we are to live our lives. We do not have to guess what He might like, and walk on egg shells thinking we are going to mess up because we are confused about what He might want. No, God gives us clear direction and instruction. 

Exodus 19:9

And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.

Deuteronomy 4:10

Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather Me the people together, and I will make them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

There will be no prophets to come, no messengers to bring God's Word, and no speaker on the LORD's behalf until the forerunner of Jesus Christ comes, which we know is John the Baptist. God's going to give the world the ultimate silent treatment!

Questions: What do you think of when you read verse four? What do you think it would feel like to not have a message from God for a long period of time? How do you think the people who loved God, and was that remnant He spoke of, felt about those who brought so much pain and dishonor to God? Are you glad you have the written Word of God to reflect on and refer to?

Verse 5

This verse says that Elijah the prophet will be sent before Jesus the Messiah is revealed. Many Jews are still waiting for Elijah to come and they do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah. In the book of Matthew, John the Baptist is in prison, and he sent his disciples to Jesus to question if He was the Messiah or should they look for someone else. Jesus answered them and when they left, Jesus told the people about John the Baptist and look at what He said.

Matthew 11:7-10

7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee.

If Jesus said John the Baptist is the one Malachi prophesied would come before Messiah, then we know Jesus is the Messiah. Remember what John the Baptist said about Jesus?

John 1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

This tells me that Jesus is the Messiah and I have my trust in Him for my salvation. I worked with a Jewish girl and she told me she believed Jesus was a good man and maybe a prophet, but not the Messiah. It makes me sad because Jesus is more than a good man. He is the Son of the Living God.

Questions: What do you think of when you read verse five? Have you ever questioned that Jesus is the Messiah, the Redeemer of the world? Do you know of others in your life that have questioned this? What can you say to help others know Jesus is the Messiah and John the Baptist is the Messenger referred to in Malachi?

Verse 6

Verse six is not a stand alone verse, it actually goes with verse five. This is a continuation of the previous verse about the Messenger, John the Baptist. It says that he shall turn the hearts of the father and his children to one another, so that God does not curse the earth. Let's look at what the angel said to Zacharias, John's father, before her son gave birth.

Luke 1:13-17

13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son.

14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

16 And many of the children of Israel shall he return to the Lord their God.

17 And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

We know that John the Baptist did that. He was a great messenger of God and heralded Jesus as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. His life was cut short because he was beheaded. His life was spent proclaiming the truth of God's Word and calling sinners to repentance.

Questions: What do you think of when you read verse six? Aren't you glad that God did not put a curse on the earth? What do you think Zacharias thought about having a special son be born to him and his wife? Aren't you glad that when the Jews rejected Jesus, He offered salvation to the Gentiles?

I am thankful that Gentiles were offered salvation because I am a Gentile. I am a Jew by adoption, grafted in, and by circumcision of the heart. This is a special book we have studied this month. It is the precursor to the New Testament. We see John the Baptist is born and Jesus is, too. Both Elizabeth and Mary were given the news by angels that they would have such special sons. I am so glad we looked closer at Malachi this month.

Thank you for joining me this month. I am going to do a special Bible study for December. I am looking forward to it and I hope you will join me once again. I am thankful for all of you that study the scriptures with me and I appreciate the emails and comments that I receive.

May God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

When Life Interrupts | 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.

I woke up in the early morning hours to hear my 12 year old son getting sick in the bathroom. I went to check on him and do whatever I could for him. He stands at 5' 8.5" tall and yet in that moment he was just my baby boy and I was going to do whatever I had to do. As a mother, I hate it when my kids are sick or hurt. I don't want them to ever have pain, disappointments, sickness, or rejection. My heart hurts for them and if I could have switched places with him and took the sickness so he could be well, I would have.

I thought about how many times our Heavenly Father stands over us in love and compassion as we go through a trial, a heartache, an illness, or tragedy. He stands beside us, loving us, pouring His healing salve into the wounds in our souls. He is a loving and wonderful Father who not only hated the state we had got ourselves into, but actually sent His only Son Jesus to switch places with us. The perfect, spotless Lamb of God, became the supreme sacrifice for our sins and we did not have to pay the penalty for our sins. It was paid for with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

My son was weak throughout the day. The child who cannot sit still long, is hopping and running and bouncing through the house and off of furniture, talking a mile a minute, just spoke few words and laid still on the bed. The waves of nausea overtook him and any sudden movements did not end well. He wanted to get up and play and do the things he always did but he did not have the strength. He was forced to lay still and rest.

Sometimes we get upset when we have to go through hard times. I know we have gone through so many challenges this year that I often did not know what to do. I felt stuck. I felt too weak to push through the tough trials and I would find myself so weak and only able to rest in Jesus. I could only rest in what I knew about Him and the things He said. I was unable to move quickly, take action, or even build my faith in a big way. God was there. He understood. He knew what I was facing. He knew it was hard. He knew it was the biggest challenge of my life and He was with me, encouraging me with His Word and with remembrance of times He had proved Himself faithful.

Javan's little pale face was marked with petechiae, those little circles under the skin around his eyes from forcefully vomiting. He felt so bad and I prayed for him and kissed his sweet little face and told him that I was there and I was going to help him.

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and He was praying just before the men came to take Him away, Jesus was praying and seeking God to see if there was some other way. He said, "Not My will be done, but Thine." He wanted to do His Father's will because He knew His Father was loving and good and would never ask Him to do something He did not need to do. There was no other way! Luke 22:44 says, "And being in agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground. The suffering He was going through as He knew what He was about to face caused Him to have such a violent reaction, the strain broke blood vessels under the skin, and drops of His precious blood fell to the ground.

I am so thankful my son is going to get over this sickness. He is going to be healed in Jesus' name and he is going to run and play again. He is going to have a great Thanksgiving and he is going to enjoy time with loved ones soon. I am grateful that by Jesus' stripes Javan is healed! Jesus paid for that healing. He already made sure Javan could be healed today.

I am so thankful for the suffering Jesus endured for me. It should have been my payment. It should have been my death sentence. It was my penalty and Jesus paid it all! I am so thankful and I dare not live my life in a way that takes any of the work of the cross for granted. I must be intentional about living my life in a way to please the Father so I do not hurt Jesus again.

It is painful to see a lost and dying world reject the Savior. Jesus hurts when others turn away from Him. He wants to love, heal, and forgive. He wants to set free, restore, and renew. There is nothing but beauty and love and new life waiting in the arms of the Savior. Do not reject Him. Don't run from the only one that ever loved you enough to lay down their life for yours. Please don't continue to rebel and do things your own way because you don't want to let Jesus be the Lord of your life. You want saved from hell, but not someone to guide your footsteps. Let go of the wheel, turn it over to Jesus, and let Him steer you into the right paths for His name's sake.

No matter what you are going through, I promise you, Jesus will be enough. He will pay the bills, heal the disease, repair the relationship, mend the brokenhearted, make a way where there seems to be none, and open doors you never knew could be opened. He is a God of miracles and power and love. He has great and wonderful things waiting on the other side of your obedience. Trust Him. He is so faithful! You will never find another friend so true.

This month is a time to reflect, remember, and offer thanksgiving for the blessings in our lives. May we open our hearts to receive God's love and mercy and grace. Let Him change your heart and your outlook on life. You will never be the same and I guarantee you won't want to be! He is a life-changing God. This is the experience of a lifetime and you don't want to miss it for the world!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 95 | Thankful Thursday

Welcome to my Thankful Thursday blog post! The LORD was impressing on my heart to carve out a section on my blog to share what I am thankful for. I have started it and will call this my Thankful Thursday blog posts. I think it is fitting, since here in the USA we celebrate Thanksgiving this month. I will continue to share what I am thankful for, each week, so be sure to come back to my blog and we can count our blessings together.

O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.

Psalm 95:1-2 KJV

I am enjoying this psalm! O come, let us sing unto the LORD. That is so inviting. Let's make a group effort to come together with singing as we praise our King of kings and LORD of lords. Can you just imagine, gathering together and the voices blending in perfect harmony as the melody floats up toward the throne of God?

Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. He is not just worthy of our songs, but all joyful noise as we lift our voices and celebrate our great God Jehovah! He is not sinking sand, shifting sand, or quick sand. He is the ROCK of our salvation. He won't move. He won't break. He won't fall apart with all of our concerns, worries, problems, and prayers. He is steady and strong and holds us up.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving. May our hearts overflow with thankfulness as we begin to praise Him for the things He has done. God we magnify You now for the miracles You have performed in our lives. We thank You for the breath we breathe. We thank You for the healing touch. We thank You for the joy You give so freely. We thank You for food to eat, clothing to wear, shelter to keep us dry and safe and warm. God we glorify Your great name, the name of Jesus, the name that is above every other name, the only name given among men whereby we might be saved. I thank You for the way you make when there seems to be none. I thank You for reversing the bad report we were given. I thank You for opening doors no man can close, and closing doors no man can open. I thank You for Your great love and tender mercy that is new every morning. Thank You for all the wonderful ways You have blessed my life. Thank You for this blog and for every reader that stumbles upon it, God, as they did not come here by accident.

Friends, let's make a joyful noise to Him with psalms. Let's lift our voices high and magnify our great God and King. Let's tell Him how much He means to us. Let's not be ashamed. We tell others how much we appreciate them. We compliment total strangers on their outward appearance. We are not ashamed to lift our voice and speak our minds about many things, so let us use our voice for good. Let's glorify our God now. Let's use this time on this Thankful Thursday to make a joyful noise as we celebrate the marvelous God who loves us so much and has done so much on our behalf.

If He has done anything at all, ever answered a prayer, ever wiped away a tear, ever fed you when you were hungry, comforted you when you were lonely, been a friend and a Father to you, lift up your voice and thank Him. Tell Him how much you love Him. Tell Him how worthy He is to be praised. There is no God like Jehovah! There is NO GOD like JEHOVAH!!! There is none like Him!

I am thankful I know who He is and I am so thankful that He knows me, too. He knows my name. He knows the very number of hairs on my head. He knows me inside and out. He has great plans for me. He has plans and dreams and hopes for me that are for good and perfect gifts with my name on it, straight from His throne. He gives me mercy, grace, peace, love, forgiveness, joy unspeakable and full of glory. I would not trade anything on this earth for my relationship with Him. Do you love Him, too? Let Him know. He deserves to be told. He needs to hear from you today. No matter how good or bad the day started, just thank Him and praise Him for all He is and all He has been and all He will ever be because He is the God that does not change! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is righteous and true! He is worthy of praise!

I exalt You God. I lift nothing above You. I place nothing in Your place God. I lift You high and magnify Your great name. You are my Abba Father. You are my Jehovah Rapha. You are my Jehovah Jireh. You are my Jehovah Shalom. You are my all in all. You are the lifter of my head. You lift me up and set my feet on the high places. You raise me higher and higher in You and I desire to be where You are. I want to sit near You, at Your feet, and just thank You that You would even find me worthy to love me and care for me like You do. You pursue me. You love me. You never leave me. You are always there.

Oh God I love You so much! I thank You for being You! I thank You and love You. I cannot tell You enough.

Just keep praising Him, friends. He is worthy. If we can hoop and holler and shout for our favorite ball team or singer or whatever else we scream about, we can surely give our highest and best praise to the One and Only Almighty God!

~Bridgett Owens

Malachi Chapter Three Bible Study

We are in our third consecutive month of weekly Bible studies. I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have. Ruth was exciting to watch the love story unfold between Ruth and Boaz, as we watch the hand of God provide for Ruth and Naomi, as they face hardship, grief, and loss. First John was a great book to study on the heels of Ruth because First John was all about demonstrating God as love, light, and life. We were warned about sin, discord, and idolatry. I enjoyed seeing the multi-facets of God's love, grace, mercy, and goodness.

This month, I want to study the book of Malachi. This is the very last book in the Old Testament. Once God stops speaking four short chapters later, He is silent for 400 years! I want to dig into God's Word and find out what God wanted to say in the final chapters of the Old Testament, gain insight on what made God stop talking to His people, and hopefully gain a better understanding of the scriptures. Whether you do this study alone, or with a small group, please let me know in the comments below, or via email if this is something you enjoy on my blog. If you have a particular request of a book or topic to study, please let me know and I will prayerfully consider including it.

As with other studies, I like to include the introduction my Bible has for the book we are studying. Here is the introduction to The Book of Malachi:

MALACHI, a prophet in the days of Nehemiah, directs his message of judgment to a people plagued with corrupt priests, wicked practices, and a false sense of security in their privileged relationship with God. Using the question-and-answer method, Malachi probes deeply into their problems of hypocrisy, infidelity, mixed marriages, divorce, false worship, and arrogance. So sinful has the the nation become that God's words to the people no longer have any impact. For four hundred years after Malachi's ringing condemnation s, God remains silent. Only with the coming of John the Baptists (prophesied in 3:1) does God again communicate to His people through a prophet's voice.

The meaning of the name Mal'aki ("My Messenger") is probably a shortened form of Mal'akya, "Messenger of Yahweh," and it is appropriate to the book which speaks of the coming of the "messenger of the covenant" )"messenger is mentioned three times in 2:7; 3:1). The Septuagint used the title Malachias even though it also translated it "by the hand of the messenger." The Latin title is Maleachi.

Read through the third chapter of Malachi. It is only 18 verses. Grab a notebook or journal, pen or pencil, and keep your Bible open as we break the bread together. I will be asking questions throughout today's study. Record your answers in your book. If you are participating in this study with friends or a small group, use the questions for talking points. The purpose of this study is to dig deeper into the Word of God and to apply the lessons to our own lives. Feel free to leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!

Let's begin!

Verses 1-6 The Messenger of the Covenant
Malachi begins the third chapter of this short book introducing the one who would prepare the way before the LORD. We know the one who prepared the way is John the Baptist. Let's read the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 11:10-15.

MATTHEW 11:10-15

10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send a messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

The Old Testament prophet, Malachi, the last to contribute to that great section of the Bible, has proclaimed the day when the messenger would come and prepare the way before Jesus. This happened. This is prophesy fulfilled a few pages over in Matthew. Jesus, Himself, declares it to be. The messenger was to herald the ministry of the Messiah.

In verses two and three, it talks about the refiner's fire and the fullers' soap to refine and purify. There needed to be a refining process. There had to be some cleaning up and purification take place before they could offer an offering to the LORD in righteousness. Then, verse four says, the offering will be pleasant unto the LORD, like in the old days and former time. It will be the way He said it should be.

Verse five spells out the things God's judgment is coming against. The book of Nehemiah mirrors this sentiment. Often God would put forth His commands, the children of Israel would disobey and harden their hearts, punishment would come, then the same command would come forth, and after much hardship and tribulation, they would soften their hearts to obey. Why not just obey the first time? Let's compare Nehemiah to Malachi in verse five.

• Perversion of the priesthood. Malachi 1:6 through Malachi 2:9
• Perversion of the priesthood. Nehemiah 13:4-9
• Mixed marriages. Malachi 2:11-16
• Mixed marriages. Nehemiah 13:23-27
• Problems in society. Malachi 3:5
• Problems in society. Nehemiah 5:1-13
• Disobedience of principles governing giving. Malachi 3:8-11
• Disobedience of principles governing giving. Nehemiah 13:10-14

Verse six sums it all up. God does not change. He does not say one thing and do another. He does not set a standard and then lower it if we do not meet it. He does not change! He says what He means and He means what He says. God is full of love and mercy and that is why the sons of Jacob are not consumed. Their existence rested upon the covenant promises of the unchangeable God.

Questions: Aren't you glad God does not change? Aren't you glad our sins were forgiven and we did not have to pay the penalty? What does it mean to you that God does not change? How is that a comfort to you? In a world of changes, how can God remain the same? Do we see some of the same problems listed in verse four in our world today? How so? What do you struggle with from that list?

Verses 7-18 Robbing God of His Offerings
In verse seven, God said that they had strayed away from His laws since the time their fathers were alive. This was a continual, habitual behavior of not obeying God's laws. Return to Me, said God, and I will return to you. That sounds like a beautiful promise. Their response was How shall we return? God tells them exactly how they can return to Him and it is by doing what He told them to do in the first place!

Verses eight through twelve are God's explanation of what exactly they were doing wrong and He throws down a challenge for them to prove Him, if He won't bless them so much they cannot even imagine if they would obey His Word. He had already provided specific directions about how to handle the tithes and offerings. 

Numbers 18:21-24

21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. 
24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

The tithes were animals and produce and were used to support the Levites and their families who were the ministers under the covenant. They were robbing God because the tithes they were bringing were of such poor quality it reflected a poor attitude on their behalf. By robbing God they were actually robbing themselves. 

In verses 10-12, God tells them to prove Him because they questioned His integrity and character. If they would go back to the original ordinance and follow it exactly the way it was written they would experience the blessing in their obedience. He would restore their crops, bless the work of their hands, cause other nations to observe the favor of God over their nation, and they would please God. 

In verses 13-15, God's people had come to believe that the wicked and proud were blessed and excelled and even were exempt from God's punishment they no longer saw the value in serving God. 

God always has a remnant, we see in verse 16 there were people who feared the Lord and listened to Malachi's warning. God was not far away and distant but we see from this verse that He was so close He overheard them talking and kept a book of remembrance for them that thought upon His name. In verse 17 God declared these people his special jewels.

The chapter ends by telling them there is a difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and don't. It may not always be clear that the wicked are going to be punished and the righteous will be blessed but we cannot look at things the way they are perceived in the natural. 

Questions: Based on what we've learned today, do you think this passage is a requirement to tithe today? Do you give a tithe to God, why or why not? Do you see similarities in our society and churches today where we are calling evil good and good evil? What do you think the solution is to getting back to holiness? What can you do personally? 

"We cannot expect the Church to exhibit more godliness than its leaders."

-Mary Lou Whitlock

I know this was a lot to think about but I feel like it's important to dig deep into these few short chapters to understand the meaning behind 400 years of silence from God. May we have open hearts and open minds as we dive into the word together. Next week, we will finish the book of Malachi and it is my prayer that we will all have a richer understanding of what God expects from each of us. May something shared today be strength for your journey and light for your way.

God bless you! 

~Bridgett Owens

Reminisce | Fuel for the Weekend

God has been telling 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 to come 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. 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.

Have you ever planned on things to happen in a certain way, and when you get down the road a little bit, you start to see the plan unraveling? That is sort of how my life is right now. I had imagined that my husband and I would be in a much different season of life by now. Our children are growing up so fast, and Kadesia turns 18 next month. I really thought our lives would be so different. My life now is nothing I ever imagined or asked for, and yet I am living it as I ask God to direct my steps, so I know this is His plan for my life. I just don't always understand everything.

Once I gave my heart to Christ, I did my best to live in a way that would please Him. I was so thankful for everything He had done for me, saved me from, and brought me through. I just wanted to honor God with my life and even though I failed so many times, I kept trying, and God's grace kept covering me. He helped me grow in my faith, in my spiritual being, and in all areas of my life. He never gave up on me.

I have a really big project that I am working on. I had always wanted to have a lot of scrapbooks for Kadesia at her graduation party, so she could reminisce about different milestones, events, and situations that occurred through the years. I started scrapbooking when Paul and I were dating and that has been 19 years ago now. I taught a lot of scrapbooking and faithbooking classes and have helped so many people complete their albums. I used to go with the same two friends to a scrapbooking retreat every year and I loved it. We had the best time and I got a lot of layouts completed over the course of those few days.

As I look at the calendar, it's mid-November, and my daughter graduates in early May. I do not have a lot of time. I have pictures in three big Rubbermaid totes, pictures on discs, pictures on my computer, pictures on my phone, pictures on flash drives, an external hard drive, and ..... you get the idea! So how can I accomplish such a big goal in such a short time? I have a plan!

The first thing I thought I would do is go through all of my planners. I have a large stack of planners and they are every size and color you can think of. I have color-coded some, decorated some with washi and stickers, used kits on some...just had a fun time with it. The problem is that each of those planners represents one year, so I have a lot to go through. I love to journal in my scrapbooks so when I am gone or not around to explain who the people are in the photos, my children can enjoy the pictures and remember the stories. So I am going through these planners and journals to write down important things I want to remember and capture in my scrapbook journaling.

I told you that this is a big project!! So, I started with a journal and a few planners. I started writing in a brand new notebook. It was so neat to remember things that I had truly forgotten about. I am so glad I kept notes about some of the little moments because they are precious. I read it and I am transported back in time to that moment and it is neat to relive it. This part of the process is probably going to take the longest time, but I want to do it because I desire to preserve those memories.

This post is not going to be how I break down each step of the scrapbooking process. I can do that for anyone interested another day, but for now I want to just encourage you to look back! Look back on your life. Do you have an old journal or calendar? If not, do you have a friend or family member you can talk about old times with? It's fun! I know we should not look back at the past in a way to want to live there, go back to old behaviors, or relive bad memories, but it is nice and therapeutic to have a really nice memory to visit again.

The biggest take-away from today's post, is that it is good to plan for the future. It is wise to look ahead and be prepared for what might come up. The Bible tells us to watch the ants store up, without anyone telling them to do it, making sure they do it, or watching over them as they do it.

Proverbs 6:6-8

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no guide, overseer or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

God knows that we plan our life according to the season we are in. We may think we will do certain things, have a specific amount of money to retire on, travel to various locations, but if it is not going to fulfill God's perfect plan for your life, you may find your plans are derailed!

Proverbs 16:9

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

You may wonder what good it is to plan ahead. We have to look at the scripture from a different angle. It isn't that planning ahead is bad, but whose will are we seeking? Are we planning things we want to do for our own pleasure and happiness, or are we truly making plans that glorify God in everything we do? Remember last week's scripture?

You see, God knows the end from the beginning. Our lives are such a short dot on the span of time that it's all we know. God sees way behind us, all our forefathers and the things they have done and not done to further the Kingdom of God. God sees far beyond us, long after we are gone and no one knows our names. He has a plan for the short time we occupy the planet. I have some good ideas, but to be honest, when some of the plans didn't turn out how I hoped, it's not been that bad, and sometimes it was a really good thing my plans failed. Other plans, I still don't understand, but I trust Him, so I know it will be okay. We just need to seek Him to find out His perfect will for us and live like He says to live.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

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.

12 Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you.

13 And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.

I won't tell you that once you find out God's plan for your life that everything is perfect and you never have any fears, doubts, or trouble. I am telling you life will still be hard, life will still be unfair, and life will still be peppered with trouble and hardships, but knowing you are in the capable hands of the Master that orders your steps, will give you a peace that passes all understanding. You won't be able to explain it. You will just look ahead and say, "God I don't see it, but I am so glad You can! Lead me and I will follow. I trust You!"

I hope this weekend, you will take some time to reflect on past good times. It seems to help me, especially in the times things don't always line up to my way of thinking, or when I just simply do not understand what God is doing in the moment. Look back and remind yourself of all the times He has come through before and remember if He did it before, He'll do it again!

May you find strength for your journey and light for your way this weekend! God bless you, friends!

~Bridgett Owens