3 Ships | Fuel For The Weekend

Sometimes God gives me a word, a phrase, or a concept and I will write it down, but then it may be a while before God gives me the full download. On May 4, 2022, God gave me three words: Relationship, Friendship, Kinship. Today, I want to share three SHIPS God wants us to join Him in, what can hinder us from being in each SHIP, and what our responsibility is if we say yes.

RELATIONSHIP -the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected; the state of being connected by blood or marriage; the way in which two or more people or groups regard and behave toward each other.

God wants a relationship with us. We are connected to God by His Son Jesus. It is through the blood of Jesus that we are redeemed to God, and it paid for the sins that separated us from God. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We have all sinned and so we are all separated from God until we are cleansed in His blood. Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 

If we will not choose Jesus to be our Lord, and if we refuse to admit our sins or turn from them, then we will not be in relationship with God. John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. Jesus is the only Way to get to God. If we try to get to God any other way than a real relationship with Jesus Christ, we will not make it to heaven. That will hinder us from joining Jesus in the ship.

What is our responsibility to have a relationship with Jesus? Matthew 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven. We must confess Jesus Christ is Lord and admit we have sinned. He will forgive us and cleanse us. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  When we do these things we will have a relationship with Jesus.

FRIENDSHIP -the emotions or conduct of friends; the state of being friends; a relationship between friends; a state of mutual trust and support between allied nations.

Jesus showed us what it is to be a friend. He said this in John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Jesus loved us so much that He laid down His life for all of us, His friends and His foes. Abraham was the friend of God. What did he do to get that title? James 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

It sounds great to be called the Friend of God, doesn't it? So what are some things that hinder us from being His friend? James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adultresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. In today's culture, that is some strong statements, isn't it? To be a friend of the world is to be the enemy of God. What is friendship with the world? What does that look like? It looks like living for yourself, pleasing others, looking for fulfillment apart from God; in a career or relationship or being famous. Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? What good is it to be rich and famous in this life and have the entire world applaud you but in the life to come you are tormented for eternity because you never made room for God? You never put Him first. How can we prevent being friends with the world and instead be the Friend of God? 1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Our responsibility to have a friendship with God is found in the book of John. John 15:14-15 Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you. We are to do what Jesus commands. We are to love one another. We are to love our enemies. We are to love God. We must keep His commandments and they are not hard. 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous. When we choose to obey Christ and follow Him instead of dancing to the piper of this world, we will have friendship with God.

KINSHIP -blood relationship; a sharing of characteristics or origins.

God granted our pardon through the blood of Jesus. 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. Our relationship with God is secured by the blood of Jesus Christ.

We were without salvation before we had a relationship with Jesus Christ. Now we are family of God when we are born again. Ephesians 2:11-13 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at the time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. The blood of Jesus washed us clean and it allows us to draw near to Him. In Revelation chapter one, verse five it says that Jesus loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. That is such a perfect picture of how He cleansed us.

What can hinder this kind of kinship with Jesus? John 3:16-21 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. To hinder kinship with Jesus is to reject Him. To hear the truth of God's Word and refuse to believe it. To want the darkness and evil deeds more than to walk in the light and revelation of Jesus Christ. This will not only keep you out of the family of God, but it will give you permanent residence in hell for all of eternity.

It is through the love of Jesus that we are free and in kinship with Him. We are in His family. 1 John 3:1-2 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. How do we become the children of God? We must accept Jesus Christ. John 1:11-13 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Our responsibility in being in the family of God is to accept Jesus Christ, be washed in His blood, have our sins forgiven, and live our lives to please Him. And the greatest responsibility is to tell others about Jesus so they can be in the family of God, too. Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 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. 

I hope that you will be in relationship with God, enjoy friendship with God, and become a family member in kinship with God. You have the choice right now. If you are a part of God's family, have you invited your family and friends to be a part of God's family, too? Remember the Great Commission Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:18-20. We must tell them all. This weekend, as you encounter friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers, be sure to invite them to join Jesus in these three ships today! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

God Heals | Thankful Thursday

My son had surgery on Friday. I was unable to get a blog post up and I missed yesterday's post, too, so I went ahead today and shared my Bible study post that should have been shared yesterday. Here are some pictures from Friday. The first picture is Javan on the way to the hospital, and then waiting on surgery, and then going home after surgery. 

Big smiles, but he was a little nervous. He was eager to get it over with, he said.

We were thankful to get to spend a lot of time with Javan before he had surgery.

He said the IV was the part he dreaded the most, hurt the worst, and the thing he was glad to get rid of the most.

Javan was pain free when we left the hospital. I am so thankful everything went well. He felt great all evening and the next day he was able to attend his uncle and aunt's family function with lots of singing and food and yummy desserts.

There were many prayers going up for his surgery and recovery. The Bible says, in James 5:14-15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Javan is blessed with a wonderful youth pastor and his wife who prayed over Javan and encouraged him about the surgery. 

In Exodus 15:26, God said He is the the LORD that heals us. David says in Psalm 30:2 O LORD my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me. I was concerned for Javan. Tears rolled down my face after they wheeled him back to surgery. I was reminded of the scripture, Psalm 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. It was comforting to know Javan was safe in the hands of Jesus, the Great Physician. God wants us to trust Him. Psalm 148:11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy.

So this week, I am thankful that Javan continues to heal, has had minimal discomfort, and has had an opportunity to rest often. I am also thankful that I am off work during this time and can take care of him. It has been a blessing. What are you thankful for today?

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 22 | Wednesday Bible Study

We are in the book of Psalms all this year. I have learned so much from studying each psalm in depth with you all. Today we will look at Psalm 22. This particular psalm of David has 31 verses. We will break the verses down and study them collectively. If you have not read today’s passage, please take the time to do so. Pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear what He wants to teach you.

Overview

This is considered the great messianic psalm. Jesus Christ fulfilled this psalm on the cross of Calvary. The first 21 verses depict the suffering, and the last verses in this text refer to the triumph of faith. Jesus is recorded quoting Psalm 22:1 in the New Testament.

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?

Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?

Verses 1-2

We are familiar with the first part of verse one. We remember these words of Jesus as He was on the cross paying the penalty for our sins. I cannot relate to that, but I can relate to the second half of verse one. When David says, "God You are so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring." Have you ever been there? Have you ever been crying out to God and begging Him to turn things around, and in desperation you seem to be roaring to God and He seems so far away? I know I have.

In verse two, it is relatable also, in that David is saying, "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear me. In the night season, I am not silent." He is being raw and honest with God. In essence he is declaring, "God where are You? I am crying out. Nothing is changing. Nothing is getting better. Are You listening to me at all? Day and night I feel so far from You!" I have been there and it is tough.

Verses 3-5

David knows the key to getting God's attention. Yes, God knows our needs, and He hears our cries, but that does not move God. The Bible clearly tells us in order to please God we must have faith, and walk in the Spirit.

Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

We need to remember what God has already done in our lives. Let's focus on what good and perfect gifts He has already given to us. David says, "But You are Holy." He starts to recall God's character. "You dwell in the praises of Your people." Israel is God's chosen people. He lives in those praises. He is in the middle of the praise and worship. He delights in our rejoicing in Him. 

David thinks about the forefathers that trusted in God and were helped. Maybe he was thinking about the miraculous story where God redeemed his great-grandmother Ruth. She was a pagan and abandoned that lifestyle to follow God. She found His favor in the field of Boaz, David's great-grandfather. Maybe he was thinking about Abraham, Moses, and Joshua. "They trusted You, God, and You delivered them." He is building his faith up because he is rehearsing the victories God had brought those that believed in Him. David says, "They cried to You, and were delivered. They trusted in You and were not confused."

Have you ever been confused about what to do? Are you praying for clarity and direction right now? 

James 1:5 If any you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

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

Verses 6-8

David feels like he is lower than the earth. He says he is a worm, not a man. He feels like everyone is laughing at him and mocking him. They are ridiculing him, saying, "You trusted in God to deliver you, let Him deliver you, since you love Him so much." Maybe you feel like others are laughing at you. I remember when we moved back up to Indiana from Alabama, others mocked us, too. They said things like, "I thought God told you to move to Alabama. What did you do to deserve to come back here?" They had other mean things to say, too, about God not providing for us and doing things for us. Those words and comments hurt, especially when they were from people we loved and once had fellowship with. Yet, Jesus experienced the same ridicule on the cross. The same mockery. If God is Your Father, let Him save You. What a rude awakening they are in for!

Matthew 27:43 He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I am the Son of God.

Luke 23:35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with Him derided Him, saying, He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He be Christ, the Chosen of God.

The enemy never uses new techniques. These people were being used by Satan to hurl the same insults he used on Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew chapter four. "If He is who He says He is." This is how the devil tries to throw us off, too. He questions our salvation, our relationship with Jesus, and our commitment to Christ. Know Who you belong to and do not let the devil gain a foothold in your mind.

Verses 9-10

David once again turns his attention to God’s goodness. He says, “You are the God from my mother’s womb. You delivered me from the womb and gave me hope as an infant.” David recalls God’s hand always upon his life. God says this beautiful promise in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 46:3-5 Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by Me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: And even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar (gray) hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be like?

God says He will carry us even after our hair is gray! What a sweet promise. There is no God like our God! No other idol, person, career, amount of money, or anything will ever be able to compare with our great God Jehovah!

Verses 11-18

David requests God to help him. He says, “I have no one to help me.” He goes on to describe the enemy coming against him. The enemy surrounds him, trying to devour him, to destroy him, and his physical strength to fight is gone. He feels like he is nearly dead. David says his enemies pierced his hands and feet. This is a comparison for David, but Jesus actually endured that. After He died and rose from the dead, Jesus said, this:

Luke 24:39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have.

Matthew 27:35 And they crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots. 

David felt vulnerable and like everyone was staring at him. Jesus experienced multitudes staring at Him, too, as He hung on the cross. David foretold what Jesus would experience at Golgotha. 

Luke 23:27 And there followed Him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him.

Mark 15:24 And when they had crucified Him, they parted His garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.

John 19:24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted My raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

Verses 19-21

David again asks God to be with him. He needs strength and he asks God to hurry to help. He is begging God to save his precious life from the adversary. I have been guilty of praying similar prayers. "God please hurry. Give us what You said we can have. We want it now. We need it now." Habakkuk wanted to know why God was not quick to punish the wicked for their evil acts. He starts in chapter one and asks God some hard questions. It seems brave to ask such pointed questions to God Almighty. In chapter two he says he will sit and wait for God to answer him. So God does and this what He said.

Habakkuk 2:2-4 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Many people take verse two out of context. They say it means to make vision boards and basically tell God what our plans are for our life so He can make it happen for us. That is absolutely not what the Bible says to do here at all. The vision is coming to pass at a later time. The vision Habakkuk is to write is coming but it will not come when Habakkuk wants it to. God said, "Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come." God ends this particular section of Scripture saying, "The just shall live by faith." That means we have to believe God is working things out. We have trust that even when nothing changes in the natural, things are being rearranged and moved around in the spiritual realm. God is working on our behalf to fulfill His plan for us in the earth. We must not be concerned more about what we want God to do for us, but rather what we can do for God while we are here on the earth.

Verses 22-31

David ends this psalm praising God. In verse 24 he says that God has heard the cries of the afflicted. We have hope that He hears us. In Hebrews it says this:

Hebrews 5:5-10 So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an high priest; but He that said unto Him, Thou art My Son, to day have I begotten Thee. As He saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec. Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He  feared; Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedec.

David says in verse 27, “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD.” In verse 28, he says, “For the Kingdom is the LORD’s: and He is the governor among the nations.” We know that God is in control and one day we all will bow the knee and confess Jesus is LORD! In closing he adds, “They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this.” We are the people that shall be born and now we have an obligation to share with our children and their children and their children’s children about the goodness and Sovereignty of God!

I hope you have been blessed today. I know it’s actually Thursday when I am sharing this. I was under the weather and unable to post. But today you get two posts! I will share my Thankful Thursday post today as well. 

No matter how bad things seem to be right now, encourage yourself and build your faith on remembering how good God is. He will take you through these rough days and better times are coming. God bless you friend.

~Bridgett Owens

Gift of Sight | Thankful Thursday

 

Today I took my son to pick up his brand new eyeglasses. He tried them on and everything fit well. It was a very rainy day, so he put the glasses in his hoodie front pocket. When he was inside the vehicle, he slipped his new glasses on and said, "Oh wow! I can see!! There's the sign for the mall.... and there's the sign for Chick-Fil-A!" 

I asked him, "Have you not been able to see those signs before?"

He answered, "No," and then kind of laughed in disbelief.

I told him, "You didn't know how much you couldn't see, until you could actually see, huh?" 

Of course that reminds me of our walk with Christ. He reveals His Word to us and we learn more about His character and His goodness the more we spend time with Him. We see how much we know about Him is really not that much in comparison to how great and magnificent we know Him to be!

Having good vision is a blessing. I had Lasic eye surgery a couple of years ago. I now have 20/20 vision. I can see far away with no problem. When it rains, I no longer have to hide my glasses in my pocket and squint into the horizon. I no longer have to wear prescription sunglasses. I can wear any sunglasses I want. No more having to take off my Rx sunglasses and put on my Rx glasses to go into a store or the house. It is the little things that I am so thankful for and what I was looking forward to the most with having this surgery. What I did not expect was to have crisp vision and to see so far! It was a blessing! It still is, and I thought about how much of a gift sight really is.

I cannot imagine being born blind. I have nothing to compare it to. Once when my siblings and I were younger, my mom told us to close our eyes and try to get around the house. Well I bumped into all kinds of things. I knew where the furniture was because I was born seeing and so I had already seen it with my own eyes, but in the darkness, no vision, I miscalculated steps and nearly fell. It gave me a tiny glimpse of what it might feel like. I felt scared and helpless and nervous. Do you remember the man in the Bible who asked Jesus to heal him? You may say, which one? Good question! We are going to look at two encounters, two different men, and two different methods of healing that took place.

It is a private miracle.

Mark 8:22-26

And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that He put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And He sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

Jesus gets into town and as soon as he gets there, they bring this man to Him. They urgently and fervently asked Jesus to heal him. Who is the man? The Bible does not say in this text. We only know that a lot of people cared about him because they took the man to Jesus. The faith in Jesus to cause the man to see again was so great that they were waiting on Him to arrive.

We do not know why Jesus did not heal this man in public. I find it significant that he took the man by the hand and led him outside of town. Maybe it was not far, but Jesus took him by the hand and led him away. See the love there? He did not ask someone to go with them. This was personal. This was private. He took the man so they could be together apart from the crowd's prying eyes, and those who wanted to be entertained with a miracle.

Jesus could have spoken the Word and healed him. He could have made a clay mask like He did for another blind man. He could have used any method He wanted. Jesus spit in the man's eyes. We can all agree that is an unusual way to heal someone. Yet, the man is never recorded as getting upset or questioning Jesus's method. Jesus put His hands on the man and asked if he saw anything. The man's vision has returned. It is not perfectly clear, but he recognizes shapes and things. This lets us know he had sight before because he recognizes people and trees.

Jesus did not leave the man in that condition. He did not say, "Well at least you can see a little better now." Jesus loves this man so much, He wants him to have perfect vision. He put his hands on the man's eyes and made him look up, and the man was restored and saw clearly. Then Jesus gave him strict instructions to not return to that town and not tell anyone in that town what Jesus had done. It was a private miracle.

Maybe the man was wounded in his eyes by someone in the town. Maybe they had been making fun of him. We have no idea but Jesus clearly did not want him to go back to that town. He told him to go home and stay away from that town and the people there. Not everything Jesus heals us and delivers us from needs to be made public. Some things are private miracles and God will still get the glory in those times.

New identity.

Mark 10:46-52

And they came to Jericho: and as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; He calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

I find it interesting that Mark identifies this man as "blind Bartimaeus." Often we read things like the man who was blind, or the woman with the issue of blood. This is indicative that Bartimaeus was born like this. He had a special cloak that he wore to let others know he was blind and he was begging because he could not work for money. He was doing what he could do with his life's circumstances, but Bartimaeus did not want to remain blind. He wanted a new identity.

Bartimaeus sat near a busy road. His hearing was sharp, and from what we know about the human body, it was probably a little sharper with his sense of vision gone. He undoubtedly heard people talking about the miracles of Jesus along the road. He must have had some knowledge of the Scriptures because he connects Jesus as the Son of David. When Bartimaeus finds out that Jesus is going to be walking right past him, hope came alive in his heart, like it never had before. He was desperate for a touch from God.

He has no idea where Jesus is in relation to where he is sitting, so he lifts his voice as loud as he can, and he starts begging Jesus for mercy. He is getting on the nerves of everyone around him. They start saying things like, "Blind Bartimaeus, be quiet!" They keep labeling him what he does not want to be. He refuses to hold his peace. This is his chance, his opportunity, and he is not going to miss it. He refuses to be hushed by those around him.

Jesus stops. Sometimes we can cry out with great faith and need and it will stop Jesus in His tracks. He tells them to call the blind man to Him. Now the annoyed people who once were shouting at him to shut up are the very ones who are comforting him. "Be of good comfort. Rise because Jesus is calling for you." They don't call him blind Bartimaeus now. He has the attention of the Master so they are starting to look at him differently.

Bartimaeus immediately shed his identity as a blind beggar. He removed what told the onlookers that he was a blind man. He threw that robe from his shoulders in eager anticipation to see. He stood up, no longer in a posture of begging. He was about to get an answer to his prayer. He came to Jesus. Can you imagine the intensity of this moment? He is in the final moments of being without sight.

Jesus knew Bartimaeus was blind. It was no secret. He saw him at the side of the highway begging. He knew the man's need but Jesus asked Bartimaeus, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And this is finally the moment he had been waiting on. "Lord, that I might receive my sight." What is your need that Jesus knows you have? He is asking you, "What do you want Me to do for you?" This is your moment. Ask him for what you need.

Jesus does not use any of the other methods of healing blind eyes. He says to Bartimaeus, "Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole." Bartimaeus did not have to wait for the healing to come. He immediately received his sight and followed Jesus in the way. He was made whole and another translation says he was saved. He followed Jesus. What will you do when Jesus gives you what you have been praying for? Will you follow Jesus in the Way?

I am so thankful for the gift of sight. I am grateful for glasses so my son can see clear, sharp images and words. I am thankful that not only can I see in the natural but I can see in the spiritual. My eyes are open to the truth of God's Word. I once was blind, but now I see. What an awesome God we serve!

What are some things you are thanking God for today? I pray something I shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 21 | Wednesday Bible Study

School is officially out for the summer here and the weather did not get the memo. I am not complaining because it is still spring for another month and I do not particularly care for heat and humidity. It has been in the 60's and very rainy! The bad part about so much rain is that I have heard many of the farmers have not planted crops yet!!! It has been too wet. What is the weather like where you are?

I hope you are ready for another Wednesday Bible study session. We are jumping right in to the twenty-first psalm today. There are only 13 verses in this psalm of David. As usual, if you have not read the text, please do so. Remember to take some time in prayer to ask Holy Spirit for insight, wisdom, and understanding. If you want to take notes, grab a notebook and something to write with. I encourage you to keep your Bible open during our study. Feel free to leave me a comment below sharing your thoughts on today's lesson!

Verses 1-2

This is a psalm of rejoicing. David is taking great joy and pleasure in God's strength and salvation. He is happy that God has given him the desires of his heart and not withheld anything from him that he spoke. 

Psalm 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

To fully understand the joy that he feels, we must turn back a few books in 2 Samuel chapter seven. David wants to build God a house of cedar and God said, "Shalt thou build Me an house for Me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying, Why build ye not Me an house of cedar?"

David is in a good place. His enemies are at peace with him and he is in a place of rest. God tells David He took him from shepherding sheep to ruling His people. He says, "I was with you wherever you went, destroyed your enemies, and made you a great name, like other great men known in the earth." He gives David a vision of what He will do for His people, the children of Israel, and even a promise of what is to come after David dies. God said this of David's son, Solomon, "He shall build an house for My name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever." That's a lot to shout about! 

2 Samuel 7:26-29 And let Thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of Thy servant David be established before Thee. For Thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to Thy servant, saying, I will build Thee an house: therefore hath Thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto Thee. And now, O Lord GOD, Thou art that God, and Thy words be true, and Thou hast promised this goodness unto Thy servant: Therefore now let it please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue for ever before Thee: for Thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with Thy blessing let the house of Thy servant be blessed for ever.

Verses 3-7

David is elated and in these next few verses he is honoring God with his praise. He says God met him with the goodness of His blessings and put a gold crown on his head. He asked for life and it was granted him. God established the kingdom of David forever! In verse seven he says, "For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved." My Bible says the word MOVED means SHAKEN. So, David is saying through God Almighty's mercy nothing will shake David! He is immovable! Can we say that today? Yes!! We can say the world can come against us, surround us and make us feel afraid, but we have a strong and high tower to run into and we are saved. Jesus is our refuge and through His mercy and grace we are unshakable!

Verses 8-12

These verses leading up to the chapter wrap-up is all about God's ability to find, destroy, and annihilate David's enemies. We have an enemy, too. His name is Satan and God is much stronger. He knows where the enemy is and when we call upon God we are helped, saved, and victorious over our foes!

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

These verses are encouraging to us, because like David, we are fighting an enemy of God, and we know God will bring us the victory! 2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, Who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him. (Amplified Bible) Isn't that a beautiful picture of what God does for us?

Verse 12

David ends this psalm magnifying God like he does so often in this book. "Be Thou exalted, LORD, in Thine own strength; so will we sing and praise Thy power." Yes, let's exalt the name of Jesus. Let's magnify Him and lift Him up. Let's end this Bible study in praise and worship adoring our King Jesus and all His goodness and love.

I am sure this song pleased God so much. What are we singing to God? Are we lifting our voice in praise and adoration? Will we remember the blessings God has given us and rejoice with David today? We have so much to be thankful for. It's not Thankful Thursday, but we should be counting our blessings every single day. God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-24), and He has daily loaded us with benefits (Psalm 68:9), so His praise needs to be continually in our mouths (Psalm 34:1) (Luke 1:64)!

I hope you enjoyed today's Bible study. I enjoy sharing what I have learned and each week I am gleaning new hope, new inspiration, new joy, and new strength as we study together. I hope something you learned today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

An Abundance of Great Rain | Fuel For The Weekend

Here in southern Indiana, where I live, it has been raining a lot! I was thinking about how much I love rain and thunderstorms. To me, it makes perfect napping or sleeping weather. I love the relaxing sound of the rain falling and I like to watch as the buckets of rain pour over the vehicles and soak into the ground. We can get encouraged about the rain! Remember when Elijah had caused it to not rain on the earth for 3 1/2 years? JAMES 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. Imagine how much the people on the earth at that time wanted rain! Their crops could not grow, water holes dried up, and just think of the impact of a three and a half year drought.

When there was no rain in sight, ground dry and dusty, Elijah said he heard the abundance of rain. In his spirit, he could sense the rain was coming. 1 KINGS 18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. Elijah is a prophet and Ahab is a wicked king. He knew what God had done through Elijah and so he obeyed. He got up to eat and drink. Elijah went to the top of Mount Caramel and he prayed. Just like it took earnest prayer to stop the rain, it was going to take a fervent prayer to bring the rain!

JAMES 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

He told his servant to look toward the sea and the servant said, "Nothing is there." He told him, "Go, look again!" seven times. Six times there was no sign of a cloud in the sky, a drop of rain in the air, or even the darkening of the sky. Elijah knew what he heard and he did not give up.

1 KINGS 18:44-46 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, and say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

The seventh time the servant saw a cloud so tiny coming from the horizon. It looked like the size of a man's hand. That was all it took. Elijah said, "Go tell the king to prepare his chariot and get out because the rains are coming." Elijah was not expecting a sprinkle or tiny rain shower. He was expecting abundant rain! Once the man of God spoke it out of his mouth, then it was materializing in the natural. All of a sudden the sky turned dark with clouds and the wind started to pick up, and the Bible says there was a great rain! Not a little rain storm, not just enough to wet the ground, but a great rain! And God was with Elijah so much that he literally outran the chariot taking Ahab to Jezreel. This is the king's ride. It would have been pulled by the fastest horses they could find. Yet, God has His hand on Elijah and he outruns the king's best attempt to get back to the city before the rains washed out roads and made travel impossible.

What are you praying for? What are you expecting God to do for you? Do not ask for a rain shower, ask for the abundance of rain. Speak it out of your mouth that it is coming and the abundance of rain is here! Even when the circumstances do not seem like it. Six times the servant came back with a negative report. "There is nothing!" Sometimes we look at our situation and we say, "There is nothing there!" But we must not give up or lose heart. Let's remember the God we serve is more than enough to meet any need we have! He can answer any prayer we pray. We must believe it and speak it out. If friends say they don't see a change and begin doubting, just say to them, "Go look again!" God is up to something and He wants to move for those who will not stop believing even when it looks like there is still a drought, remember the abundance of rain is on the way! In fact, it is here! Let's start speaking it into the here and now. The great rain is here and soon friends, we will see it to be so!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Graduation Milestone | Thankful Thursday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~Bridgett Owens