Tag Archives: relationship with God

Scriptures About the Lord is My Helper

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Scriptures About the Lord is My Helper

The Bible declares that the Lord, God, is our helper. He is there to help us in times of need. That is a promise from scripture. It is part of who God is. It is one of his defining characteristics and traits. We are God’s children, and we have the one true and only God on our side to back us up and empower us. God loves us. He is for us, not against us, and he will help when we need it and when we call out to him. He is your helper and my helper!

There are times in our lives where we face trouble, when we need direction, or when we truly can’t do things on our own. We all need help from time to time. We will need help to do some of the things that God has called us to do. Sometimes that help can come from others, but other times we need help directly from God. It’s okay to ask for help, from others and from God! God will partner with us in the things that we face, big or small.

Therefore this week I’d like to share some scriptures to inform you and build your confidence in the fact that the Lord is your helper!

Scriptures about the Lord is my helper:

“By the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.” Genesis 49:25 (ESV)

“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song to God, and spoke, saying, Let us sing to the Lord, for he is very greatly glorified: horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. He was to me a helper and protector for salvation: this is my God and I will glorify him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” Exodus 15:1-2 (BST)

“There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor.” Deuteronomy 33:26 (NLT)

“Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.” Deuteronomy 33:29 (NIV)

“And the song was thus: O Lord, my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God; he shall be to me my guard, I will trust in him: he is my protector, and the horn of my salvation, my helper, and my sure refuge; thou shalt save me from the unjust man. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I shall be saved from my enemies.” 2 Samuel 22:2-4 (BST)

“But You, LORD, do not be far away; You who are my help, hurry to my assistance.” Psalm 22:19 (NASB)

“Do not turn your back on me. Do not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, O God of my salvation!” Psalm 27:9 (NLT)

“The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” Psalm 28:7 (NLT)

“We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield.” Psalm 33:20 (NLT) Continue reading →

These Were No Ordinary Shepherds

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These Were No Ordinary Shepherds

In the Christmas story we read that angels appeared to shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus. In the past, I had never really given much thought to the significance of shepherds at the birth of Jesus. I’ve lived in Oklahoma or Texas for the majority of my life, and my in-laws are ranchers so agricultural references don’t really strike me as odd or incomprehensible.

Then, when I have considered the representation of the shepherds, it’s only been in the context of their humble occupations and place in society. I’ve understood their presence to symbolize that Jesus came for the undesired, outcast, unwanted, or marginalized. I’ve even written about when I learned of the possibility that the shepherds might have even been women. However, I previously hadn’t really considered that there might be even more significance and impact to these shepherds.

So why shepherds? Why THESE shepherds? Was there some significance to this? There absolutely was! Many scholars and theologians believe that these were no ordinary shepherds. It is believed that there was great significance and symbolism to some of these elements of the nativity story and specifically to the details surrounding these shepherds. We’ll discuss what many believe to be the symbolism and meaning behind each of these and why they are so significant and important to the nativity story.

The Shepherds

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)

The significance of the location

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Be Thankful–Remember What God Has Done

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Be Thankful Remember What God Has Done

Be Thankful–Remember What God Has Done

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1 (ESV) 

Thanksgiving seems to be a good time to reflect on what God has done for us, positive memories, blessings, and just things in general for which we’re thankful (for us U.S. folks anyhow!).  When my kids were younger, I used try to find some type of Thanksgiving craft-like activity each year to do this with them.

Sometimes we’d write down things we we’re thankful for on construction paper feathers and then glue the feathers to a paper turkey.  Sometimes we’d do the same thing on paper leaves and post leaves around as decoration, and we’d even made paper link chains before where each link listed an item of thanks (this encouraged them to think of more than just a few items in order to have a chain long enough to hang!).  Previously, I also posted several ways to try to stay thankful like this year round.

Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on what God has done for us!

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Remember 3 things God has done

When I teach at Glory House I do an activity with them somewhat similar to these Thanksgiving activities (even when it’s not Thanksgiving time).  Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the idea though!  I think I first heard this tip from one of our pastors at church years ago.  I was taught to write down 3 things that God has brought me through, brought me to or delivered me from. They could be what God has done through victories, ways God has come through for me or has been faithful to me, answered prayers, etc.  I was then told to keep this list handy and reflect on it or refer back to it when I’m going through a rough time when things seem hopeless or bleak.

The ladies love when we do this activity.  They also usually come up with more than three, but three things are typically pretty easy to come up with and recall.  It’s just a good way to remember what God has done.  It helps us to think positively and gives us the mindset “He did it before.  He’ll do it again.” or “He helped me with that.  He’ll help me with this too.”

Remember what God has done by finding a symbol

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Spiritual Alignment

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Spiritual Alignment

I had to go to the chiropractor not long ago for some minor problems I was having with my back and neck. With a few adjustments the chiropractor was able to get my spine back into alignment, eliminating my symptoms of pain and numbness. It made me think about how we can get out of alignment spiritually as well.

We might not be exactly where we need to be in our relationship with God, or perhaps we aren’t completely lined up with his instructions or teachings. Sometimes we’ll seem to notice that things feel just a little bit off or not right (like my back and neck did). We may even notice that we have drifted away slightly or don’t feel as passionate as we used to. There might be a sense of dryness or just going through the motions. We may feel spiritually unproductive or unfruitful.

When we are spiritually misaligned we can become spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically depleted. These may all be symptoms of spiritual misalignment just as my pain and numbness were symptoms of physical misalignment.

Staying connected to Jesus to maintain spiritual alignment

Around that same time that I went to the chiropractor, I had spent some time reading John 15 and noticed how it shows us one way we can stay IN spiritual alignment by abiding or remaining in Jesus and his love and by God’s word abiding in us.

Pastor Tony Evans said, “John 15 says that if you will abide in Him and His Word, and He abides in you, you can do anything. You can overcome anything. Your prayers will be answered because your prayers will be aligned to Him. Jesus doesn’t want you to just learn about Him, study some stories, post some Scripture and throw up some prayers. He wants a relationship with YOU. That’s the kingdom encounter you need to pursue. It’s called: abiding.”[1]

“1I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

9“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 

16You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.” John 15:1-17 (NLT)

Another analogy: Tires

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Scriptures About the Lord is On My Side

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Scriptures About the Lord is On My Side

Do you know the power that you have on your side and behind you? So many people are unaware or forget that God is on their side. It’s easy to feel defeated and discouraged when we lose sight of this. Therefore this week I’d like to share some scriptures to inform you and build your confidence in the fact that the Lord is on your side!

I mentioned in the post about using our spiritual authority against the enemy that we need to know that we are God’s children, and that we have the one true and only God on our side to back us up and empower us. God loves us. He is for us, not against us. God is our biggest cheerleader. We can rest confident in Him.

A word of caution here…God is on the side of the righteous, those in right-standing with him because of accepting the sacrifice of Jesus. God is on the side of truth—His word is truth (John 17:17). God is on our side when we are on HIS side. Additionally, just because God is on our side does not mean that we are always guaranteed immediate success nor that we are spared hard times or trouble (John 16:33).

Scriptures about the Lord is on my side

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NLT)

“My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!” Psalm 56:9 (NLT)

“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.” Psalm 118:6-7 (ESV)

“What if the LORD had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat: What if the LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us?” Psalm 124:1-2 (NLT)

“For the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.” Proverbs 3:26 (NIV)

“See, the Sovereign LORD is on my side! Who will declare me guilty? All my enemies will be destroyed like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!” Isaiah 50:9 (NLT)

“Then my enemies will see that the LORD is on my side. They will be ashamed that they taunted me, saying, “So where is the LORD— that God of yours?” With my own eyes I will see their downfall; they will be trampled like mud in the streets.” Micah 7:10 (NLT)

“But the LORD stands beside me like a great warrior. Before him my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten.” Jeremiah 20:11 (NLT)

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 (NIV) Continue reading →

People Are Like Cheetos–They Rub Off On You!

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People are like cheetos...they rub off on you!

People Are Like Cheetos–They Rub Off On You!

Have you ever noticed how the more time you spend with someone, the more they rub off on you and the more you start to copy and mimic some of their behaviors?  I think this even happens sometimes unknowingly.  I’ve even heard it said that we even start looking like those we are around often.  Have you ever seen those “pets who look like their owners” pictures?  They’re hilarious!  Apparently, pets and owners can even rub off on each other.

I noticed once that I started saying a word all the time that my brother-in-law often used.  Actually, I think the process went from my brother-in-law to my sister to me and then even went to my husband and my son.  It’s the word “nice”.  I never used to say it so much, at least not in the same context.  Now it’s used with more of a sarcastic tone.

For example, when my daughter said, “Mom, the dog just threw up on the floor!”  My reply: “Nice.”  Or…my college students might advise me that our class Blackboard site has been up and down all week.  Me: “Nice.”  Or… when my iPhone crashed and lost all data, and then when I tried to restore it from a backup and got a message that said “Backup is corrupt” (And I later learned that when you create a backup, the previous backup is deleted and replaced with the new one, thus leaving the only backup I had as “corrupt” and unusable!  What’s wrong with this picture?!), my reply was “Nice!”

It’s just a word I picked up on from hearing them say it often, and then I started using it too.  Do you ever do this? Continue reading →

Overview of Christianity

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Overview of Christianity

I’ve recently put together a resource page for “New to Faith?” on my site, to which I will add this post. I sometimes fancy myself a curator of resources, and I wanted a landing place for people who might need a jumping off point as they start (or restart) their walk with God. As I meet new friends, I’m finding that there is also a need for some very basic biblical literacy information for those who are unfamiliar with Christianity and/or the Bible. Thus, the reason for this post. It’s a very, very abbreviated overview of Christianity (with an even more abbreviated video at the end of this post).

My hope and prayer is that this will serve as a helpful resource for those wishing to learn more as well as a resource for others to save and/or share.

Christianity: One true God, our separation from him, and a way back to him

In Christianity, we believe in only one true God, and that He exists as a Trinity: God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that God is the author and creator of all things and is all-powerful, all-knowing, completely loving, and eternal.

We believe that we are eternal beings and that our time on earth is only temporary. After death we will still exist eternally—either with God or forever separated from God. Sin separates us from God, yet none of us are without sin (Romans 3:23). We have ALL sinned. Sin is really just following our own path and doing things our own way instead of God’s way. It’s defining right and wrong on our own instead of relying on God’s definition.

So how then can we reconcile this sin that will eternally separate us from God? There is absolutely nothing that we can do in our own effort to earn this reconciliation or to make up for our sins because we are imperfect and will always mess up. In Christianity we believe that all humans are sinners in need of a Savior. The foundation and story of Christianity is just that…a world in need of rescue, and that rescue comes in the form of a savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the only way to be reconciled back to God (John 14:6).

We can see this story of our faith throughout the pages of scripture. We believe that the Bible is true and that it is God’s Word, inspired directly by him, written by holy men (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible is our guide to know about God and to live a life that is pleasing to him. In the Bible you can find the foundational truths of our faith.

The Story

The Bible Project: Biblical Story

Creation

In the beginning God created EVERYTHING, including humans. Everything God made was good (Genesis 1:31). In fact he made humans in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). The first humans were Adam and Eve. God then put humans in charge of the earth, or gave them “dominion”. However, he gave humans (Adam & Eve) some parameters: Eat from ANYTHING you want…EXCEPT this tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Notice that they had more freedoms than limits.

There was perfect harmony with God, with creation, and with each other. Perfection and peace didn’t last though.

Enter Satan

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Can I Really Live Like Jesus?

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Can I Really Live Like Jesus?

This week I was very inspired by our pastor’s message, “Can I Really Live Like Jesus?”. I’d like to share this sermon resource with you because it was just so good and so practical. I loved Pastor Whit’s stories, analogies, and visual/video clip examples that he used (funny, relatable, and some tear-jerkers). You know I love a good analogy! 😉 It reminded me of how Jesus would use parables to illustrate his teachings. I would love to encourage you to go watch or listen. I sometimes fancy myself a “curator of resources”, and this is a good one!

I’ll post the YouTube Video (message starts at 37:45), and below that I’ll include a message summary, adding some of my own notes and complementary scriptures that came to mind. BONUS: I’ve also added an instructional image straight from my brain at the bottom (Well…almost straight from my brain; I did my best!).

Message summary with some of my own notes and complementary scripture additions:

“The destiny of your life is to become like Jesus.”[1] The idea is…Yes, it is possible to live like Jesus! In fact, we are told to do so in several places in scripture. Jesus even says to numerous people, “Follow Me…”

“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans 8:29 (NLT)

“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6 (NLT)

“I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” John 13:15 (NLT)

“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21 (NLT)

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)

“Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.” John 12:26 (NLT)

God wouldn’t tell us to do something that’s impossible to do. If he tells you to do it (i.e. live like Jesus), then it’s completely achievable.

The word used to describe this is “discipleship”. A modern day equivalent could be “apprenticeship”, except a disciple takes learning a step further into becoming exactly like the person they are following or learning from.

“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40 (ESV)

“The call to follow Jesus is a call to follow the way of Jesus.”[2]

God wouldn’t tell us to do something that’s impossible to do. If he tells you to do it (i.e. live like Jesus), then it’s completely achievable.

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Take Some Practical Steps to Live Like Jesus:

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