Thankful Like Ezra | Thankful Thursday

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

I have so much to be thankful for. I am sick right now, but I am getting much better every single day. I was exposed to someone with Covid on a Monday and that Thursday I started having symptoms, Friday I had even more symptoms and by the next Tuesday I lost my sensation of taste and smell. I have had trouble breathing, have been confused and just major brain fog, and I have been miserable, BUT I did not have to be hospitalized; I did not die; and I am recovering well. I have SO much to be thankful for.

I am thankful for a praying husband who will pray the prayer of faith over me, even when I did not know it. I am thankful for praying children who include me in their talk time with the Father. I am thankful for my praying mother, sisters, brother, and their families, and my friends who have covered me and held me up. I am thankful for Amy who is more than a sister in Christ...she has taken my cause to the Father countless times, battled in the heavenlies as the enemy enjoys attacking us, and has been an encourager and builder of my faith!

The Old Testament is probably my favorite part of the Bible. I love it all and I enjoy reading it cover to cover, but there is something so special and comforting about reading the Old Testament. My grandfather would teach me for hours and hours about the Bible and expound on the Scriptures and I would hang on his every word. Reading through the pages of the Old Testament is like visiting a friend. I enjoy reading their stories and triumphs. Life was not always easy and following God's plan did not mean a free pass. Yet God has proven Himself faithful time and time again; not only in the pages of the Bible but in my life as well!

My son chose the verse for today's blog post and I love it! It is found in the book of Ezra and it's a wonderful account of how God keeps His promise to the children of Israel to get them back to the Land of Promise after they have been in exile for 70 years!!! That's a lifetime! The sad part is this second Exodus is not as massive as it could have been because so many people refused to go! I cannot imagine God promising them a future and they're like, "Nay! I'm good!" But it happened! The passage we are reading today is after they rebuild the temple and there's a mixture of people there: some who see the temple for the first time and it's new and beautiful and they celebrate; others are there weeping at the new temple because they remember the way things were before...the beauty and splendor. Maybe they were sad that it did not look the same, maybe they were sad that man strayed so far from the loving God that led them to the Promised Land the first time! A mixture of emotion and experience takes place, let's look:

EZRA 3:8-13 (8)Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD. (9)Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. (10)And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. (11) And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. (12) But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice: and many shouted aloud for joy: (13)So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Can you imagine being far away and all of a sudden you hear this noise...shouting and weeping?...and I am sure it made those who heard it curious. Have you ever been wanting something so bad, praying so hard, working diligently to make a thing happen and then when it comes to fruition you just want to shout and dance and tell everybody? Imagine if there was never any sickness, disease, pain, death, hurt, loneliness, fatigue.... oh, wait there is! It is in heaven and can you imagine the jubilee in the hearts of the saints! We are going to rejoice! We are to shout! We are going to praise our God and our King Jesus who made it all happen for us! We will be dancing on the golden street!

We don't have to wait for heaven to celebrate. We don't have to wait until something miraculous and BIG happens to rejoice. If we start counting our blessings and looking at what God has done, we will begin to thank Him and praise Him and rejoice. We will have a spring in our step. People will take notice. They will wonder what is WRONG with us that we can have financial hardship and still smile... we can have sickness or death in our family and still say BUT GOD IS GOOD! ....we can lose our job or have to relocate and not have all the details and still say, "Thank You LORD because YOU are good, your mercy endures FOREVER!" Take a page out of Ezra's book and be thankful. God is doing so many amazing things.

The news headlines want to point out the dark, the evil, the hard, the sad, the depressing events and put them in our face. The world is discouraging, cold, hard-hearted, and angry. You will not rejoice in the news of this world. Turn your eyes to the Savior. Look full into His wonderful face. Watch Him do the powerful, the miraculous, the ordinary in an extraordinary way and be thankful. Encourage yourself by remembering all God has done for you. Take a sheet of paper and I dare you to start with right now and count back as far as you can to what God has done for you. Can you breathe without a machine? Are you able to walk, talk, see, hear, or taste? Can you feel things with your hands? Are you able to read the Bible anytime you want? It's free online to read the Bible if you don't have a Bible. Do you have a home? Electricity? Running water? Is there food for you to eat? Are you able to bathe and brush your teeth with clean water? Do you have a church? Are you able to work? Do you have a vehicle? Look at all the blessings those are, not to mention the way God works out your problems, helps you stay safe on the road, free from danger when you are out and about. How about this, are you saved by His mercy and grace? That is the biggest blessing of all!

Tell someone what God has done for you and then ask them if you can pray for them specifically about a need or trial they are facing. We are in a pandemic and we have to social distance but we can still reach out to a friend in need. We can still pray. We don't have to distance ourselves from God. The Bible promises that as we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. What are you thankful for today?

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

EXTRAordinary | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome to the first Wednesday Bible Study for the month of December! The end is in sight for those who are eager to put this year behind us. I am not so sure next month won't be filled with some surprises, too, and not necessarily good ones. With the world on edge, tired and weary of Corona Virus, sick of the debates on whether to send children to school in person or not, racial tension, wearing masks...or not, or improperly.....we all could use some good news! So today we are forgetting those things which are behind us and we are putting our eyes on the prize, amen?!!

Today I want to encourage those of us that have dreams inside our hearts right beside some self-doubt, or reservations that we could actually do the big thing we have been pondering. If God has put something in your heart: a dream, an idea, a thought.... and it seems too big for you to do by yourself, my friend you are dreaming in the right size. God gives us desires to do things that seem impossible and in the natural it very well could be. We know how God works, though. He uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things for Him to further the Kingdom. I have three perfect examples of this in today's lesson.

LUKE 2:15-20 (15)And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. (16)And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (17)And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. (18)And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. (19)But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. (20)And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Just imagine how those shepherds must have felt. It was incredible that they witnessed the heavens open and angels heralding the blessed birth of Jesus! The Savior! Messiah! Jesus was born and all of heaven wanted to let the world know. With great fanfare the angels lit up the sky and sang a chorus unmatched in joy and exuberance. And who was the audience? Not the king and his royal cohorts. Not the high priest and religious leaders of the day. Not to the government, law makers, the wealthy, the advantaged. No! God Himself declared the birth of His only begotten Son to lowly shepherds, hired hands out working in the field. The common, ordinary working class people! The ones others looked down their noses at. The ones that were made fun of for smelling like the sheep they cared for. The outcasts who did the hard work others avoided. They heard it first! The Wise Men who came to seek Jesus were not even the first to hear about His birth. No, it was the humble shepherds.

What great message is trumpeting in the halls of your heart? What is God longing to have you be a part of that no one else is being asked to do? What incredible, miraculous, big, bold, awesome anointing is He wanting to place on your life to do great exploits for the King of kings and Lord of lords. Friends, don't second-guess yourselves. If it is a little scary and a little exciting at the same time, jump in! Take a leap of FAITH and say, "I'm all in God! I don't know how! I don't know when! I don't know the details but count me in!"

The shepherds aren't the only ordinary people God uses in this epic story of God's love and grace as He gives the world the greatest gift! Joseph is the stepdad to Jesus. He is not the biological father of Jesus. Imagine his dreams to marry the young girl he loves. He must have had plans to have a happy life. He was a carpenter so maybe he was going to build them a home. Joseph is an honorable man. When he finds out Mary, his fiancee, is pregnant he must have been crushed. He knew the child wasn't his because he had never been with her intimately. He could have been so hurt that he tells his family and friends that Mary had been unfaithful and put her to a public shame, but he didn't. God sends an angel to tell Joseph to not be afraid to take Mary for his wife. He explained that Mary was having no ordinary child. The mix of emotions must have been overwhelming. Can you imagine the relief? The honor to be a part of Jesus' story. The gravity of what it would mean to father the Son of God? God did not choose a rich man. He did not pick the strongest, most handsome, and wisest man in the land. He chose a man of honor and integrity to be Mary's life partner and a strong father-figure to Jesus. He was to be in Jesus' life, not in the shadows like we hear so often. We don't know what happened in the years Jesus was a child and teenager. We do know that God chose Joseph specifically. It was no accident. He chooses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.

What big responsibility is God giving you? Is it scary? Is it exciting? Are you humbled He chose you but yet in wonder and awe of the magnitude of what He is calling you to do? Will you step out on in faith? Will you trust and believe even when it looks like your plans were going one way and God has stepped in and rearranged everything? You may feel crushing pain as you think your dreams are dashed, but take heart! Like Joseph, God is going to reveal His wonderful plan to you and you will get a better set of dreams and plans and it will be with greater reward!

Our final example of God taking an ordinary person and using them for extraordinary purposes is Mary. She is a very young girl. Some scholars say she was only 13 years old when she was pregnant with Jesus. I do not know but it seems with the culture and this time in history that it may be more accurate than we think. Can you even imagine being a teenager and an angel appears in your room to give you news that you will be the mother of the Son of God? What questions she must have had. She did not doubt it. She asked how it could be possible and the angel told her. Her response is acceptance and said let it be like you told me. She started praising God and she even went to visit Elizabeth and share her great news! God chooses you and me to do big and amazing things for His purposes.

What has God revealed to you? What part of His plan for your life has He removed the curtain and allowed you a glimpse of ? How did you react? Were you surprised? Do you have questions? Did you humbly accept it and begin to rejoice? What is God asking of you?

Friends, we may feel like there is nothing special about us. We may not feel like God has a giant billboard with lights flashing telling us the particulars of our destiny. He may be dealing with us in a big way, but even if He is not, there are things that must be done to further His Kingdom. We have to tell our family and our friends why we believe in Jesus and why He is the hope that anchors our soul. We must get busy working for Him. It does not matter whether it seems like a small thing or not, just do it and watch God make it grow, flourish, and spread like wildfire.

God put it in my heart years ago to have a Bible study in my home. I did that faithfully and sometimes I had one friend, other times I had 2-3 friends. We broke the Bread together and we dug deep into Scripture. We prayed and fellowshipped together. It was wonderful and after a while the seasons of my life changed. I no longer had those studies in my home. A couple of years ago God put the desire in my heart to do that again. A friend and I tried to do it over the phone since she now lived out of state but it was difficult to make it work. I tried again a few more times and then this year, a couple of months ago, I started having a Bible study with my daughter and a friend of ours. My friend in Indiana found out that we were doing that and asked if she could join us via Zoom and I said yes, of course! The first night we had 8 for the Bible study! And it continues to be a wonderful time to grow in faith as we share together. I didn't know when I asked one friend to have a Bible study in my home what God was going to do and how fast He would make it grow. I still have no idea how far He will take it. He wants to use you and me to do extraordinary things for Him. Say yes to the call and watch Him work!

I hope this has been encouraging today. I always want to speak life to you and these blog posts help me more than anyone else! My prayer is that something I said today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

The Power Of Faith (Guest Blogger) | 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.

Today I have a special guest. Amy Napier is my dear friend, prayer partner, and sister in Christ. She definitely knows a thing or two about faith. When she prays all of heaven pays attention and God moves on her behalf. I know this will bless you like it has me. Be sure to let her know that you appreciate her message in the comments below. 

As Christians, we have learned about faith and what faith is for years. Some of us may be new Christians and some may be more versed and truly have seen the works of faith. But whether you are a young Christian or a seasoned Christian, where is your faith today?

Faith is so much more than believing in God. Faith is how we build and grow a relationship with God our Father. It strengthens us and draws us nearer to the Father. God wants us to trust Him with everything in our lives. The big and the small. It was true in the Biblical times and it remains true today. If we put our trust and faith in Him, there is nothing that is impossible with God. (Matthew 19:26)

So many times when we face troubles and hardships we want to take control of the situation. Years ago when I had a problem or an issue that would come up, the first thing I would do is call my mom or a friend for advice on what to do or how to solve the problem. The bigger the problem the more people I would tag in searching frantically for answers. I was missing the mark, forgetting who created me, who was waiting patiently for me to run to Him and not to everyone else on my phone list.

When my son was in high school there was a really rough time for us as a family. There were many issues he was facing. Some of them were issues he had brought on himself. But one in particular I knew in my heart could take a very bad turn and could impact his life and ours. The choices he had made and the crowd he was with had quickly taken him down what seemed a road of no return. I couldn't reach him! No matter what I did or said or how long he was grounded things were getting worse. I was in a hopeless battle.

I can remember coming home from work so upset as I had been praying about this situation day and night. I grabbed his picture in the frame from my fire mantle and hit my knees and just prayed over him and the trouble that surrounded the problem. I was pacing the floor and pleading with God that He would open his eyes and bring a solution to us before things spiraled out of control and it was too late.

I walked out on my back porch and just shut my eyes and looked toward the heavens. God spoke to me and said, "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalms 46:10) I opened my eyes and and He spoke to me again, "Be still and know that I am God!"

I had a peace that came over me and in that moment I knew that He was going to take care of this for me and for my son. I continued to pray and repeated in faith, I trust You God, I trust You God. I spoke it out loud and thanked Him for giving me the peace I needed though I did not know how He was going to work through this situation.

The next day at work, a co-worker walked into my office and brought me a wooden cross. She said while she was shopping, she had an overwhelming urge to buy this for me and bring it to me that day. The cross was beautifully painted and had little dainty flowers painted on it. As I looked at it and my eyes went toward the bottom of the cross, the scripture Psalm 46:10 was written on it, "Be still and know that I am God."

God had impressed upon my co-worker to get this for me because He wanted me to know in that moment who He is, what He was going to do, and to lay it down and trust in Him. I didn't know how or when He was going to help me, but I can tell you I knew He was going to do what He said.

It was about two weeks later when the problem that seemed like a mountain that was going to wreck my son's future, his goals and dreams, literally dissolved like snow in front of my eyes. God came in like a lion and tore up what was happening in my son's life. He removed people from his life, took things away from him that he didn't need, and got his life back on track for Him.

God wants us to trust Him. Not with the big things but with all things. Trusting Him is being obedient to Him when we can't see the outcomes, the plans, and the future. He willing to direct us and lead us in ALL things if we just lay it down and trust in who He is. I had to trust Him. I had to give it to Him totally. I didn't call my best friends and try to figure out what to do next. I didn't call my mother for advice on what she thought I should do. I went to my Father day and night in prayer, in a battle for my son's life and future.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to Him, and He will direct your path."

I could tell you many stories of how I have trusted God and He came swooping in and saved the day for me. I can tell you Bible stories of how He did it for His people throughout the Old and New Testaments. But I want to ask you the question today, Are you trusting God for everything? Are you laying it at His feet today and trusting whatever you have going on big or small? He is going to intervene on your behalf.

God loves us so much! He is a loving and patient God. He wants to give you peace today in your situation and take the stress of life, family, work and today away from you and replace it with His joy! He wants to lead you in His ways and change outcomes for your good. He wants to show up and show out and prove to you He is who He says He is.

Luke 18:27 "What is impossible with man is possible with God."

I pray today that you seek God with all of your heart, get alone with Him and open up to Him. He doesn't care about the etiquette of your prayer. He wants you to tell Him today your troubles, pains, fears, and unbelief and lay them at His feet. He desires your faith in Him that He is the God of hope and the only God that makes all things new. Our faith is strengthened when we truly believe Him for who He is. Will you trust Him when everyone else says, "It's over! Forget about it!"? God is saying, "Come to Me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." (Matthew 28:11)

He will make a way where there seems to be no way. Isaiah 43:19, "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth, shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." Let go and let God! Let Him overtake your thoughts. Let Him show you today who He wants to be in your life. Have faith and trust Him and see what God can do!!

God bless you!!

~Amy Napier 

Happy Thanksgiving | Thankful Thursday

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

Friends, my heart is FULL of gratitude this Thanksgiving. Imagine Thanksgiving 2020 in the midst of a Pandemic, God is still moving, He is still working, and He is still blessing. He is still GOOD! 

This Thanksgiving looks so different for me and my family. God has given me new perspective on those who are alone during the holidays. My heart has always gone out to those who have no one to celebrate with. This year I get to see firsthand how lonely and hard it really is, and even in my situation I am not totally alone.

My children are in Indiana, celebrating Thanksgiving with their grandparents, and visiting family and friends. My heart is full of gratitude that they were given this opportunity. I'm thankful for my family who is still with us this year and I am thankful for all the memories I have of those who are not. Since our children are in Indiana, Paul and I planned to spend Thanksgiving with my mother and my aunt in Florida. I am very grateful to still have my mother and it's not as far to their home in Florida than it was to my mother's home in Indiana. I am also extremely thankful that I am able to celebrate with my husband, Paul. It's our 20th Thanksgiving together.

I was exposed to Covid at my new job. Four days later I developed symptoms like Covid and two days ago I lost my sense of smell and taste. I am unable to get tested but I have self-quarantined and thus I am not able to go visit my family because I don't want to spread this to anyone else. My husband stays in another room and thankfully there is a bathroom here in our bedroom, so I don't venture out of this room much. It is lonely and honestly it feels more lonely when Paul is home from work, because we talk from down the hall or sometimes he calls me on the phone! But I am not wallowing in self-pity. I am not the only one affected by this crazy illness and many are far worse than I am. I am very blessed and thankful for all the things I do have.

Today we unexpectedly got an early paycheck. That was such a blessing! Paul went to get us a nice lunch since we did not buy anything for a Thanksgiving feast as we planned to be out of town. I am thankful for the workers at Golden Corral who provided a delicious - I'm guessing - meal for my husband and I. We ate in different rooms but I am grateful for a hot meal and a big cup of sweet tea!

So even though I am banished to my bedroom and it's not the same traditions we have had in the past, I am so thankful for a home, a meal, and the love of those who care about me and are praying for me. (Please ignore the way I look. Real life people! LOL)

PHILIPPIANS 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

EPHESIANS 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

COLOSSIANS 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

PSALMS 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

PSALMS 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:

No, this Thanksgiving may not be like we imagined it to be, or wanted it to be, or even prayed it would be. There may be empty chairs around the table from relatives who are no longer with us, those who cannot come because of sickness or shelter-in-place regulations, maybe distance has kept others away, and maybe it is relationship-strain, or whatever the case may be. Please know I am praying for those who are lonely and isolated and feel forgotten or abandoned or ignored. I am praying for God to cover you all with His grace and mercy and love and remind you that you are loved and never forgotten!

To the ones reading this and you may be in a house full of people or a crowded gathering but still feel alone. You may have a beautiful home, a delicious meal, and all the appearances of good things but something is still missing. Is Jesus your Lord and Savior? If He isn't, please accept His free gift of salvation today. Material possessions and experiences can never replace the emptiness we feel when we are separated from God. He is a good, good Father. Regardless of how your earthly father has treated you, God is a wonderful, loving, kind, and generous Father. He adores you and sent His only Son Jesus to die for your sins. What a great time to open your heart to the love of the Father!

I am rejoicing in spite of the situation this year. God woke me up and gave me JOY and it's down in my soul bubbling up. I know this too shall pass and things will change again in the future but if we cling to the unchanging hand of God, we can experience Thanksgiving every day of the year! So from my children: Kadesia and Javan in Indiana...

...and from Paul and me in Alabama...

...we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Hurry! | Bible Study

There has been a shift in the church in recent years, but not a good one. Many compromise and water down the message; offering entertainment and pleasures while removing altars and canceling prayer meetings. I remember growing up and there were people lining the walls and back of the church standing just to hear the Word of God and the power of God would fall: people would be healed, delivered, and set free. It was not long ago that at the altars people would be three or four deep and testimonies would go forth the next week of cancer being healed, inoperable tumors shrinking, and financial miracles that only God could do. Fast-forward to today's churches. Tell someone that God spoke to you and gave you instructions and see what happens. They will think you belong in a psychiatric facility. Doubt and unbelief fill the hearts of many in leadership. It crept in the door behind compromise and tolerance of sin.

I need every single person who is reading this message right now to hear me well. Please take a moment right now and pray; ask God to give you ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Ask God to give you wisdom and knowledge and believe that He will. I have an important announcement to make and if it wakes up just one snoozing believer then I will be thankful that I could help even one. Jude verses 22-23 says, "And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh."

Do you hate sin? Do you really hate sin? I am tired of the wickedness going on in this world and timid Christians are too scared to speak up! What if it were you dying and going to hell? Wouldn't you want someone to tell you? If I see you sitting on your couch through your window and there are flames coming out of the house, should I politely walk away? Should I be more concerned about your right to privacy, or should I alert you to the danger coming for you? I am going to tell you to run, to get out of there and not look back! If we see our brothers, sisters, neighbors, friends, family, coworkers, or anyone doing things that will cause them to go to hell, we better speak up! If we don't we will have to give an account for that.

God has been shaking me! He has been telling me to cry out for the people in my city and my own family members who are lost. I have been doing that. I am praying that God would wake the people up before it is too late. We have a real enemy and the Bible tells us in Revelation that he is an accuser of the brethren. He goes to God day and night tattling on the people who are trying to live as Holy as they can. He is reminding God of something from the past, an unkind thought they had that he planted, or some mistake they made. He is constantly complaining about us to God. He was in a fight with Michael and his angels. The devil and his goons lost big time and were kicked out of heaven! The Bible says woe to us that live on the earth! Why? The devil is deceiving the whole world and they don't realize he has lulled them to sleep with his fairy tales and twisted scriptures. Those in heaven who have made it can rejoice, but those on the earth woe to us! He is so angry and he is attacking the people of God every single time he gets an opportunity because he knows that he does not have much time left.

REVELATION 12:7-12 (7)And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, (8)And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. (9)And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (10)And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (11)And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (12)Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

God is coming back for people who have prepared themselves, gotten ready, and waiting for Him to return. Ask someone if they believe Jesus is coming back soon and let me know how many people think so. I am sounding the alarm so all can hear that Jesus is on His way back. Believe me or not but God told me a couple of years ago that Jesus is standing at the door with His hand on the doorknob and the door is ajar! If that was true when He told me then imagine how quickly that door is going to swing open wide and whooosh! His bride is swept away!

Are you ready? When you look at your five year plan and ten year plan, where are you? Are you closer to God, winning souls, learning how to be more like Jesus? There's nothing wrong with having goals and plans to be successful and do something with your life, but the main thing needs to the MAIN THING! We have forgotten the relationship. We would rather have the religion like the Pharisees. We would rather have the rituals and the routines. We want the order and form of godliness and deny the power thereof. We need to get back to the Bible. We need the basics. We need to know that God has a plan for our lives and we need to find out what that plan is so ours can conform to His and not the other way around.

I know that time is short on this earth. God is wrapping things up. He has done signs and wonders in my life this year and some of which I have shared on this blog; many others I have pondered in my heart. Please do not wait until later. Do not put off until later drawing closer to God. We can watch for Black Friday sales and we can check off our wish lists and we can put our nose to the grind and hustle to earn money and save it up, but what good is it if you gain the whole world and lose your soul? Please understand that time is short. If the devil knows the time is short, we need to know it, too!

Saints of God, suit up! Stay in prayer for your wayward children, your lost loved ones, and those who deny God. Stay in your prayer closets. Be vigilant. Get on the battlefield for our LORD and fight the good fight of faith. Look in Ephesians for the whole armor of God and suit up. The fight is on! The war is waging and the battle is hot. God is leading the fight and we are winning! We are on the winning side. 

My daughter sent me this picture and I think it needs to be the top of our goal. Let's make heaven crowded with our family members, our coworkers, our neighbors, our friends, and those we sit by at church. Let's take everybody we can! Get laser-focused on winning souls. The Bible says that is what the wise do.

Time is ticking! Let's get busy. I am praying for you and please pray for me. Let's help each other make it Home! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Oven vs God | Fuel For The Weekend

God told me to share my faith on Fridays and call it Fuel For The Weekend. I wanted to do it. I thought about it. I tried coming up with ideas on my own, but I just came up short, so I put the idea toward the back of my mind, but the Holy Spirit continued to nudge me in this direction. I am going for it and it's my desire that the posts I put up on Fridays will give you something to think about, ponder, consider, and reflect on throughout the weekend.

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

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

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

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

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

JAMES 1:6-8 (6)But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (8) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

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

My mom sings a song at church that says:

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

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

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

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

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

~Bridgett Owens

Kadesia Shae | Thankful Thursday

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

I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis, poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, and was told that due to some anatomy issues and scar tissue around my Fallopian tubes I would never be able to conceive, and if I somehow was able to get pregnant, I would never be able to carry the child. I was devastated.

Often when I was upset I would walk next door to our church, sit down at the piano, worship and sing my way through whatever had me feeling down and when I was done I would feel so happy and so free. I tried to do that this time but I just felt so lost and disconnected from God. I was in a toxic relationship with someone who was pulling me further away from God and with this news it was more than I could take. My dad found me in the church. Mother had just told him what the doctor said. He and I stood in front of the altar, he took my hands and prayed over me. I could not pray, only cry and hope!

I had an abdominal surgery to remove the endometriosis and it was all over everything. In time I healed and they gave me a 2 year window to get pregnant but did not offer me much hope. In January 2000 my toxic relationship ended and it seemed as though all hope was gone for me to ever be a mother. God had other plans though. He brought me and my husband together in March 2000 and we were inseparable. Paul is my very best friend. He proposed to me in April 2000 and I gladly said yes! In May I knew I had to tell him that I might not be able to have children. I knew he could decide to leave me but I had to let him know. I was so scared he would break off the engagement in hopes of finding someone else but he didn't. He said even if I could never give him a child he still wanted to marry me. We were married September 23, 2000 and April 2001  we conceived! We were overjoyed. The 2 year window they gave me would be closed May 2001 and God gave us such a beautiful gift. My angel girl was born December 27, 2001 and I thank God for her!

Kadesia Shae is my beautiful baby girl. She will be 19 years old next month. I thank God for her and for the way she blesses my life. If you know her, you love her. She has a heart that is as big as Texas. She has a smile that lights up the room. She is loving and generous and kind and she will pray with you, cry with you, laugh with you, and do all three! She is a girl after God's own heart. She worships Him. She sings to Him. She prays to Him. She trusts Him. He named her Kadesia which means Sanctified and Radiant. She definitely shines! My life is so much better because she is in it.

For my Thankful Thursday post I honor my daughter and thank God for her!

PSALMS 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

If you desire to be a mother and for whatever reason it seems all hope is gone, please let me know. You can email me or leave a request in the comments and I will pray for you. I know that God can do anything and nothing is too hard for Him! He is an on-time God!

My prayer is that something I shared today has given you strength for journey and light for your way! God bless you.

~Bridgett Owens