Category Archives: Bible Engagement

Laying Hold of Victory – Living a life of Faith (Prayer 1)

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Victory over Fear, Unbelief, Anxiety, Worry, People Pleasing

(Originally Written October 4, 2023 for WOW — Women on Wednesdays Ministry)

Father,

I come to you as your beloved daughter that you have adopted into Your family knowing that by Your Spirit, I can call out to you as my “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:14-15) I know I can trust You because I know that You love me, and there is nothing that can separate me from that love.  There is no fear of death or fear in life because I know you are always with me.  There is no spiritual power- no angel, or demon that can tear me apart from You and Your love.  Nothing in the present or the future can divide me away from You.  No powers, no height or depth, or anything in all of creation can isolate me away from Your love, God, that is in Jesus Christ my Lord. (Romans 8:37-39) I can rest in this confidence!

I am assured that God is working in all things that I face now or in the future. God is working for my good and His glory because I love Him and am called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

It is Your precious and perfect love for me, Your will to good for me, that casts out all fear that comes against me. (1 John 4:18) I am not subject to anxiety or worry because I know you are my Rock, my Fortress, and My Deliverer! You are the God I take refuge in. (Psalm 18:2)   When the enemy comes in like a flood you raise up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19) He will not win!  You are victorious! And You have given me victory over fear, unbelief, anxiety, worry, and people pleasing because I love you and I keep your commands.  I am born of God, and I overcome the world. You have given me faith.  I believe in You, Jesus the Son of God. (1 John 5:3-5)

When fear tries to attack my mind, I call out to you God because you are my Help! (Psalm 18:6) When anxiety and worry try to drown me in their torrent, You reach down from on high and pull me out! (Psalm 18:16) When unbelief speaks lies in my ears, I will praise You alone my God because you establish a stronghold against my enemies and you silence the voice of my foe, the liar, Satan! You alone will I serve and worship with my whole heart and you alone will I long to serve, fear of man, people pleasing, has no hold on me!  (Luke 4:8)

I fix my mind and my eyes on you alone God.  I will not follow any voice of torment because I know Your voice, God, and follow You alone! You are my Good Shepherd.  You take care of me and love me greatly!  I am trusting that though the thief wants to steal, kill, and destroy, You have come to give me abundant and full life! (John 10:4-5, 10) I submit myself to You alone! I depend on You alone! I obey You alone! I am assured that I can rest in Your care and Your love! (Psalm 23)

In the precious name of Jesus, I pray!

Amen

Verse to commit to memory:

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”

Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV

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The Romans Challenge: Established!

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“Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past…to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭25,27‬ ‭NIV‬‬
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Life can feel like a whirlwind. Spiritual, emotional and even physical storms blow and shake us. They try to cause our lives to fall into shambles.

BUT there is one who establishes us, Jesus! As we come to Him and dwell connected to Him, we do not need to fear the storms! Jesus is the Rock upon which we build our lives. He is our Firm Foundation.

Paul finishes his letter to the Romans giving glory to the One who establishes us. 

“to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s wisdom, His perfectly applied knowledge, in our lives keeps us secure. His Word will establish us, strengthening us. He will give us victory in our daily struggles!

Praise Him and give Him glory! He is all that we need to live secure and established!

The Romans Challenge: Wise About What is Good

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“Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be wise is to be learned, cultivated, and skilled…(Webster’s 1828)

Paul commended the Roman believers for their obedience, or their heartfelt submission to the teachings of Jesus. Obedience is very important to our lives as followers of Jesus. What He says we need to listen to / take to heart, and do. Jesus told us that if we love Him we will obey Him. AND our obedience is always for our own good! Because everything that God commands us to do is good.

This is why it is so important to “be wise about what is good” We need to learn about what is good, cultivate it, and be skilled in it. Everything God says is good! Let’s be students of what He says in His Word!

As we study God’s Word and truly take it to heart, we will come to know God better. We will love Him more. We will act according to His Word. Sin will be defeated in our lives. This is what it means to be “innocent about what is evil.” Or another word for innocent is “blameless.”

God has given us everything we need to live as He wants us to. As we obey Him, study His Word so we can be wise about what is good, and live blamelessly when it comes to evil, we will live lives of freedom. 

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Romans Challenge: Watch Out!

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“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is easy to be deceived. Especially if we are not fully aware of the truth. We need to “watch out!”

There are many philosophies, doctrines, and thought patterns in our world. It is popular to say, “discover your truth” or “that may be true for you, but it is not true for me.” Tolerance of and embracing others views is encouraged. Truth is relevant in our society.

This was true in Paul’s time. One of the favorite pass times of the Roman world was to debate philosophy. This was in an effort to discover what the “real truth” was. The followers of Jesus had the Truth — Jesus Himself. The early church had a problem. There were those who wanted to mix Jesus’s teachings with the thought of that day. This caused division. It was an obstacle that kept people from truly knowing Jesus. Paul said to “Keep away from them.”

Our world is no different than Paul’s. We are to be VERY careful about what we accept as truth. There are many who want to take today’s modern thought and combine it with Scripture. Twisting God’s Word to say what they want it to say. This is called Christian syncretism. It simply will not work. Truth cannot be combined with lies to create “new truths” for us to believe. “My truth” and “your truth” and anyone else’s truth cannot exist. There is only ONE Truth… Jesus! His Word is truth! It stands alone.

If people want us to accept anything short of the pure and unchanging Word of God, we are to “watch out!” We are to “Keep away from them.”

How do we know? How do we “watch out?” We must be students of the Word of God — The Bible. The best way to be on guard against deception is to know the TRUTH! Daily time studying the Word of God will help us! Paul said that he urged the Roman Christians to “watch out.” They were to compare what they heard to the “teaching {they} had learned.” May that be said of us as well.

Let’s get into the Word, our Bibles, and know the Truth. So we are able to guard our hearts from the deceptive lies of our enemy!

The Romans Challenge: Brothers and Sisters, Co-workers, and Friends — The Church

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“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Romans 16:1-16 has a list of greetings that Paul sends to the ones his letter will reach. Over and over again, Paul talks about the various people in his life, who were a part of the Church of his time. Phoebe was dear to him, a sister, deaconess — servant leader. Priscilla and Aquila were “co-workers in Christ.” They opened their home for the church to meet. Some of the people listed Paul speaks of as working hard for the people in the Church and for the Lord. The early Church had a family relationship and a mission. They desired to know God and make Him known!

When we receive Jesus, we become a part of God’s family His church. His church is no different today than it was back in Paul’s time. It is where we experience relationships with each other. We are brothers and sisters, coworkers in our effort to make God known, and we are friends. It is a wonderful thing to live in relationship with one another.

Each of us has a role to play as we focus on our mission. Together we encourage each other to know God better and to make Him known!

Paul took the time to greet the ones who were dear to him in the early church. He appreciated the gift each of them was to his life. He was thankful for them.

Let’s take the time to appreciate those God has placed around us to “do life with.” God has given us the gift of family with the believers He has given us relationship with. Together, we share our laughter, our heartache, our needs and our abundance. What a gift He has given us to be a part of His family— His Church!

The Romans Challenge: Prayer

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“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“All we can do now is pray…” I don’t know how many times I have heard this said. What a sad reflection of the unbelief in a person’s heart. It’s as if we say, “I’ve tried everything on my own to fix it… now I’ll ask God to help.” How we undervalue our greatest privilege! How we doubt the God who not only listens to us when we pray, but answers us!

Paul was fighting a spiritual battle. He urged the Romans to join him in his battle. He didn’t ask them to battle by talking to each other about how big the problems were. He didn’t ask them to send positive thoughts towards him. He URGED them to join him in his struggle by praying!

Prayer is not our “all we can do now…” options. Prayer is our “we get to” option. WE GET TO talk to the God who holds all power, is in control, has our best interest in His heart towards us, complete in love, complete in wisdom, etc… the list goes on and on. We get to come to Him and tell Him about the struggle and the battle. We get to ask Him to help us in time of need. We get to ask Him to provide our every need. We get to do that for ourselves. We get to pray for each other.

Do you and I value our connection to God in prayer? It is my prayer that we do! The truth is we cannot do anything on our own. Our very breath is a gift from God. Why would we think that we should turn to Him only at a moment of desperate need? We need Him every moment of every day!

The people God has surrounded us with, who we are doing life with need us to join them in their battles with our prayer! God hears us when we pray to Him. He loves to answer us when we pray!

“Join me in my struggle by praying to God for me!”

The Romans Challenge: Overflow!

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We were not created to dwell in anxiety, fear, and depression!

Long ago, in the Garden of Eden, mankind was created to dwell connected to God. We were made to be His image bearers, reflecting all that He is to our world. When sin entered, that connection was broken and that image was shattered. However, Jesus came!

Jesus came to set us free from sin and to enable us to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes into our lives the moment we receive the New Life Jesus came to give us! The Holy Spirit empowers us to live according to our original design as “image bearers” of God.

Our God is a God of Peace. Our God is a God of joy. Our God is a God of hope! By the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives within us, we can be filled to overflowing with His peace, joy, and hope! Yet so many of us do not live our lives this way…

I know this from experience. For years, I lived as a Christian full of anxiety, fear, and depression… I tried in my own power, using man’s ways, to fix the way I felt. All of these attempts ended in failure. Until, I determined that I needed to truly surrender EVERY area of my life to God. I decided that I would pursue Him above all things, and live my life focused on Him!

How is this even possible? By the power of the Holy Spirit! By faith in God and His Word, i.e. trusting in Him!

I was living my life focused on me. I was very me-centered! God made us to live our lives focused on Him. Our thoughts are to be focused on Him and His Word. Our speech is to reflect that focus — speaking His truth and His life regarding ourselves, our circumstances, our families, etc. Our actions will fall into line as our focus is laser focused on God and His Word!

Here is the truth of what we all need… We need to live our lives with this motto: Less of me…More of Him! When we overflow with the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will experience what we were created to be all along: People who dwell with hope— a confident expectation of good; People who trust Him — believe that God said it, I believe it, that settles it; People who live with joy, — an emotion that is excited by the expectation of good; People who live with peace — freedom from disturbance or agitation.

Holy Spirit we ask You to fill us up til we overflow with You!

The Romans Challenge: That We Might Have Hope

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“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God is good! Everything He does is good! Hope is the confident expectation of His goodness towards us. When we have hope we are expecting that God is at work in every situation in our lives to bring about the greatest good in our lives. Hope helps us to trust God, believe God, and look to God for everything we need.

On the other hand, life is hard. We live in a world that is corrupted by sin. Death, darkness, and destruction abound in our world. How do we endure in these circumstances? How do we remain encouraged to keep looking towards our HOPE of the goodness of God? The answer to this is the Scripture. God has given us His Word to teach us about Himself. What He teaches us in His Word teaches us to endure. His Word helps us to remain steadfast. It gives us stability in the storms of life. His Word encourages us. It makes us confident that God is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. This is our Hope!

Do you find yourself living in despair? Are you shaken by the circumstances that surround you? God assures us that He has given us everything we need to live a godly life. His Scripture/ His Word is exactly what we need. A daily practice of engaging with His Word will enable us to live in hope. Reading His Word increases our understanding of just how good He is. The more we study it and read it for ourselves, the more we will experience Him. We can be encouraged and enabled to endure. The key is the Scripture that gives us Hope for our lives.

Father, I ask You to fill us with desire for Your Word so that we may live lives filled with Your Hope. Help us to see You better as we pick up Your Word and engage with it. We know that as we do, we will know You are good. We will have a confident expectation of Your goodness i.e. HOPE! I thank You for Your Word that enables us to live in Hope. In Jesus name I pray.

The Romans Challenge: Bear With The Failings of the Weak

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“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself…”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We need to be patient with the people that God has placed around us. This is not easy. Especially when we know we are right in an area, and that they are wrong. I know I want people to get into line and see it my way. The truth is, my way might not be as correct as I think it is… BUT even if it truly is, I need to “bear with the failings of the weak.”

Our sinful nature always wants what it wants, when and how it wants it. It is very selfish. It is always thinking about itself… It wants to please itself. But we are to “please our neighbors for their good…” To please in the Greek means “willingly serve.” Jesus displayed this to us. “For even Christ did not please himself…” Jesus is patient with us. He bears with our failings. He is always working in all things for our good. He builds us up. We are to love like He does. To love like Jesus is to benefit and prosper those around us not asking anything in return.

Simply put… We are to be like Jesus!

This is not something that we do easily on our own. The Holy Spirit will help us if we ask Him to.

Holy Spirit, we ask You to fill us with Your Love. So we can willing serve those around us and patiently bear with their failings and weakness. We know as we serve the least of these, we are serving You! In Jesus Name!

The Romans Challenge: Peace and Mutual Edification

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“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God places a high value on unity. His desire is for us to be connected to each other and Him. Selfishness and sin is what separates us. Unfortunately, this what we are all the most familiar with. Humanity has been experiencing disunity, separation, and discord since the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the garden.

Jesus came to restore us to God’s original design. Jesus prayed this prayer for us:

““My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be united and live as one, we must lay down our own ways. We need to “make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” This will require us to put to death our “me-centered” life. It will require us to think of others before ourselves. It will require us to be like Jesus — laying down our lives for each other:

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Mutual edification” is a reciprocal relationship. Where we all give of ourselves for each other. Making “every effort to do what leads to peace” is being determined in our actions to live united and in harmony. This is not easy. But it is God’s will for us. Whatever God desires for us to do He will empower us to do through the Holy Spirit. We must depend on Him! He will help us!