The Work Of Faith~chapter 9~Becoming a Woman of Faith

Life is so busy, I'd like to propose changing the saying that describes "moving fast" from "the speed of light" to "the speed of life"!! Can I get an amen?


We have finally finalized wedding plans this week. (still getting used to the idea!) Well, when I say finalized, I mean we fixed the date and the location. I know...we are late, late, late! We had many things to hash out and research!! Mostly location because of Kayla wanting to have an outdoor wedding at home, and we weren't so sure...but now we are. Whew! Sept 4th, 2009. Please pray with us for beautiful weather. Thank you very much!

Now onto our study summary for this week!

This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Titus 3:8 NKJV

This chapter addresses the need for good works to flow from faith, and that good works actually authenticate faith. James says, "faith without works is dead".

C.S. Lewis says, "To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in trusting a person if you wouldn't take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him."

In contrasting those who say they have faith, but have not fruit in their lives~with those who show their faith by the fruit in their lives, we see that only good works that glorify God come from true and genuine faith. Once again I love how God uses contrasts in scripture to show truth.


Genuine? or Impostor? Scripture tells us how to distinguish:

Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Clearly salvation is not earned by our own goodness, it is a gift of faith by the grace (goodness, mercy, and enablement of God) and "good works" are the outflow of our faith.


We looked at scripture to help us in distinguishing between dead faith and genuine faith, and found the following:

Genuine faith:

• Obeys. (Luke 6:46-49)
• Hears God's word and puts it into practice.(James 1:22-25)
• Has love behind all it's works. (1 Cor 13:1-3)Loves from a pure heart, a good concience, and sincere faith. (1 Tim 1:3-5)

In James 2:14-16, he insists that good works reflect a living faith; a genuine faith that is active.

• Through steps into unknown places. (Think: Abraham, Noah, Gideon, etc)
• Through acts of obedience. (Think about any story in the Bible!)
• Through waiting. (I think of Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth)

Merely professing faith does not mean one has living faith. Faith that is not accompanied by works of righteousness & acts of obedience is not faith at all. James calls it "dead".

Galatians 5:6 The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

In our own strength, we cannot produce good works. We need to remain in the vine. If we are abiding in Jesus, we will bear fruit. It is not any striving in ourselves. Our confidence and competence comes from God. (John 15)

• Some of the good works that we are instructed to do: (Mt 5: 14-17;
• Let your light shine before men to bring glory to God.
• Say "no" to ungodliness and worldly passions.
• Live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.
• Abstain from sinful desires.
• Live good lives to glorify God.

Again, if there is anything good that comes from us it's from Jesus. All our righteous acts are like filthy rags, but the Spirit of God living in us enables us to do lasting works in Jesus' name!

Cosmo & Purity

Darkness & Light.
Foolishness & Wisdom.
Lies & Truth.
Hell & Heaven.

Yes, all are OPPOSITES. I could hardly bring myself to put the two words together in the title!

We are doing a series with our youth on sexual purity and Biblical dating. It is something we should be addressing on a regular basis. I volunteered to take the girls when we separate them for teaching. Our first one took place last night and was entitled "What You Take In". I was asked to get hold of a Cosmo magazine and teen magazines to look into the content...for greater understanding of the battle.

When I was looking at the cover of the magazine, my heart was so grieved, I felt nauseated. I decided I could not spend $5 on a magazine with such disturbing headlines on the cover. As always God honors our commitment to stay true to Him. I mentioned my dilemma to my Bible study girls, and it so happened that one of them had received a copy in the mail for no apparent reason, so she gave it to me. Yay God!

Ladies, the magazine's mission can only be for making money! Why else would they encourage women to become pieces of meat? THEY LITERALLY DO! They hold nothing back in making girls out to be "prey" and men to be animals! It was actually stated in an article in the March '09 issue entitled, "The New Attitude That Drives Men Wild". It was a half page article that ended in encouraging girls not to hold back too long or the guy would leave. ARGHHHH! I thought, "Who is this author and what does she think she is doing?" Does she know that one day she will have to give an account to God for what she has written! Lord, have mercy on her!!

Molly Fahner, if you read this, please know that God will forgive you for this if you repent! You are being used to bring girls into sin and deep places of pain and grief! Stop! Turn around and go the other way!! Before it is too late! I pray you will come to know the dignity that God designed for you and it is never too late to be restored. If you are living a lifestyle like what you are encouraging with your writing, no doubt your heart is hurting~you are deeply wounded. Jesus can heal it! He can and He will. Just ask Him and His other girls! Open arms await the repentant heart...

The battle for the souls of young girls and boys is increasing strength with the availability of picture texts and internet access on their phones. Believe it or not, middle school girls are involved in taking inappropriate photos of themselves to send through their phones. Boys caught looking @ p*rn. Mama's!! Be alert! Watch what is going on! Even if you are a homeschool mom, please be aware of the needs of the peers of your children~the cultural perversion. The behavior of their peers affects their future. We must be in prayer for our country & our youth.

God created girls with a deep desire to be cherished and beautiful. He means for them to be fulfilled within the boundaries He has given us in His word. The allurements of the culture only bring us into deeper despair. What our culture encourages is outside the safety of the laws of God who created us! The results being depression, cutting, suicide, anxiety, alcoholism, anger, violence, drug use and abuse, etc.

Oh that people would know the Love of God, the goodness of God, who gave His Word for our well~being. To find refuge, fulfillment and love in His arms!

Where is the fulfillment we long for? Jesus.

Where is the Joy, Peace, Love? Jesus.

Our fulfillment is in His love, and care, and the very life He gave for us to be restored to Him.

One man + One woman = One beautiful plan! Follow the instructions in The Book, and you will find fulfillment The Creator's way!!

Faith and Prayer~Chapter 8

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Matthew 21:22

We see that belief and prayer are chained together in many passages of scripture. In many of Jesus' healing miracles, he would commend the faith of the recipient of healing.

For instance, in Matt 9:20-22 we read of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' robe and was healed. Jesus said, "your faith has healed you." & "According to your faith it will be done for you." Matt 9:31

Jesus placed certain conditions on answered prayer... in Mt 21:18-22. "if you have faith you can move a mountain"; "if you believe, you will recieve whatever you ask for in prayer.

Get a look closer at this one: Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing...even greater things..."

We are admonished to "ask and not doubt."
"obey and do what pleases Him."
"have confidence before God."
Continually keeping in mind that we have to take the whole counsel of God into account whenever we read about believing and recieving. If you remember Paul's thorn in the flesh, God chose not to take it away, because it served His purposes. His will was that Paul endure the thorn and thus bring God more glory.

We need to be familiar with God's promises. It is according to His will that He answers. By spending time in His presence, with His word, and bowing in reverence, we come to know His will. If we know His will, when we pray then we have confidence in His answering. "Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven".

An example from my life is praying for friends in financial crisis. Knowing that God promises to provide for all their needs. That He supplies streams in the desert. I pray with confidence that God will come through for them. It is His will~it is in His word.

Faith filled prayers often were for spiritual needs. In Eph 4, Paul prays for the Christians to be :

• strengthened w/ power,
• for Christ to dwell in their hearts by faith,
• for them to be rooted and established in His love,
• for them to have power to grasp the magnitude of the love of Christ,
• for them to be filled to the full w/God.

And in Eph 6:18-20

• that whenever (Paul) opens his mouth words would be given,
• that he would fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
• that he would declare it fearlessly as he should.

I really had to meditate on this verse, because it showed me that the one who wrote most of the NT, and started many churches, endured trials that I don't even want to think about, was praying for freedom from fear in his ministry. (!!!!) How much more do I need the prayers of the my sisters for the things the Lord calls me to do.

And in Col 1:9-12

• fill you w/ the knowledge of his will,
• live a life worthy of the Lord,
• please Him in every way
• bearing fruit in every good work.

Couldn't we all use prayers for those things? I am challenged to make sure I use these in praying for my friends and my family. Will you pray for me?

Quotes:

• "To venture to pray requires our trust in the goodness of God. For He is trustworthy, all-wise, all-knowing, full of grace and mercy."

• "It is not the amount of my faith that matters, but where my faith is placed-in God who makes no mistakes, who is always working for the hightest and best for His children."

• "It is faith in His power, knowing that if what we request is in conformity with His purpose and will, He is altogether able to supply it."

Spring Snow in Wisconsin

Here is a peek at my back yard on March 20th...yes, just this past Friday, we were having a winter wonderland. The flakes were so large and the "covering" we were getting so beautiful, I just had to share. Saturday then, it all melted very nicely....which is why I enjoyed the snow so much...I knew it would go away fast! Enjoy the beauty w/ me...it's short, and a little clumsy...and I didn't intentionally add the music, it was just playing in the background, but it works well with the

white snow covering!!

The Testing of Faith~Becoming a Woman of Faith, ch. 7

We are through our 7th week in the study. I lead Monday morning and again Monday night. I want to tell you that if once is good, twice is better. It has been such an enriching experience for me to go through this study with different groups because of the different perspective each one brings. Even the different mixes of people bring different facets of experience and understanding to the study.

Faith.
It is foundational to all other aspects of our walk w/ Jesus. Without it, we are wandering on our own in dangerous territory. Because of this, our enemy seeks to destroy it more than any other piece of armor. The shield has the mobility to "cover" every other piece of armor. If the enemy disables it, he has much greater access to our salvation, righteousness, and peace...

I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 2 Tim 4:7 NLT

Testing of faith is an ongoing daily experience in the life of every believer. We can expect opposition at every turn. Sometimes in the form of Goliaths, and other times smaller annoyances, but always our faith is tested to produce a stronger faith. How would it grow if it wasn't tested.

We discover in scripture that the righteous will have many troubles, but the Lord will deliver him from them all. (Ps 34:19; John 16:33; 2 Tim 3:10-12; and 1 Peter 4:12-13)

Jesus also taught that tribulation is part of living in the world, but we are to "take heart" or be encouraged, and on top of that, to rejoice because He has overcome the world. In other words, we are promised victory in every battle as long as we trust Him.

We rejoice that the testing is producing perseverance, character, hope, rewards in heaven, salvation, completeness, praise, glory and honor!! (Rom 5:1-5; Hebrews 10:32-39; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:3-9)

Faith and gold are contrasted because they both have to go through the same method of purification, (heating and stirring~and I know you all "get that"!) but faith lasts eternally and gold perishes. So how much more valuable to pursue faith! How God proves His love for us in taking the time to stand over us and watch over the process until we reflect His likeness!

Wonderful are the assurances in the Word of God for our victory~ it is promised that He is able to restore us, and make us strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10,11; Hebrews 2:14-18)

If we look @ Abraham offering Isaac on the altar, Jesus' temptation in the wilderness for 40 days, and Peter being "sifted by Satan", we see how Abraham and Jesus were faithful and rewarded, and how when Peter's faith failed, he "wept bitterly" but Jesus had prayef for him and true to His promises, He restored him when He returned. The promise is for victory!!

We can rejoice that whatever Satan means to use to "take us down", God uses for our strengthing and establishment in His family!

Another cause for joy in the midst of trial is that as part of the family of God, whenever we face trials and temptations we have our Great High Priest, Jesus who interceeds for us. We have armor, Scripture, promises of victory, power to overcome, and a choice to count it all joy...No weapon formed against us will prosper when the King of Kings is on our side!

And then~ we receive the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls, and a crown when we will one day appear with Jesus in His glory!

Alas another song pops in my head. This one by Steve Green... The chorus: Heaven is my passion and prize, the goal on which I firmly fix my eyes... reward of the faithful, desire of the wise...heaven is my passion and prize.

Let us be longing for His appearance and our reward for faithfulness~all glory to God!

How deep the Father's love for us

I would like to dedicate this song to our JOYful bloggy sister who is being "held"...Ponder in His Presence beautiful sister.

Women Judging Women

Last weekend when I met Lysa's friend Holly, I mentioned to her a comment "to commit" that I had made on Lysa's post about us ladies judging each other...She asked me "what did you write?" I felt a little ashamed that I could not remember.

When I wrote it, I felt inspired by the Lord and wrote what was in my heart about the topic. I truly mean it. But I had to go back and copy what I had written in my journal in order to go over it and remind myself. I decided to post it here because I will be accountable, and also I feel it is God's heart for His girls. Let's practice lovin' on each other with sweet words, but also forgiveness when we have been hurt! Forgiving ourselves when we accidentally hurt others...

Kathy S. said...

Lysa, this is a great call to test ourselves. We are all in the same camp as women. We have all said things we regret, and had things said about us that sting. Fortunately God uses those times to refine us and make us more Christlike.

As iron sharpens iron...

I commit, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in me to being a blessing with my heart and mouth, and to give *grace *grace *grace to those who judge me. I commit to believe the best about everyone, and see the potential God has in making changes in my heart and everyone Else's'.

I also commit to not give power over women who are judging me or others by allowing their words to shred my heart or enter my heart, and deter me from walking in the truth of who I am and who others are in Christ. (this one is hard!)

I also commit to not label anyone "judgemental" if they judge, because Jesus is still workin on them, and I cannot judge His servant. Some of us lean on the side of grace (that part is easier for them to see and accept) and others lean on the side of obedience (that is easier for them than receiving grace) but God is the author and perfecter of us all.

Amen, and by the grace of God go I.

Becoming a Woman of Faith~chapter 6

Before I start, I remembered I promised to reveal the mystery from my last post, as I was having a "vintage moment"; my friend Holly had to refresh my memory. Usually I am a note taker, but Lysa must have captivated me so that I never took out my notebook...

• First thing: Go to God daily...He is our portion, like manna, we need everyday~our daily bread.
• Next thing: Do the logical thing...read His word (Ps 119) Like pulling up a chair to the table.
• The most important thing: acknowledge Him in all your ways...(see previous post)
• Last thing: Every evening THANK GOD for all His wonderful blessings of the day.

A sweet reminder...keep the Main Thing the main thing :) And now onto the study...

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This week's chapter was entitled, "The Shield of Faith". It became very apparent that the shield of faith is essential in protecting every area, even the other armor. If you think of the armor listed in Ephesians 6, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the boots of the gospel of peace. All of those cover, but the shield covers them. We also notice there is no armor for the back, so we need to have other believers around us to guard our backs so-to-speak, to be victorious. We need their shield of faith along with our own.

As long as a Christian has faith, he is secure.

The soldier's shield that Paul had in mind when he wrote this verse was aprox. 2.5'x4', made of leather, and often wet down to quench the fiery arrows. We decided it was a quarter of a piece of plywood, and would be really heavy and cumbersome (for us girlfriends). But what effort it would take to keep holding this shield as well as keeping watch for the enemy.

Walking by faith is no "walk in the park"!

Walking by faith is essential to standing against our enemy who continually seeks to defeat us, and includes:

• Standing in the armor.
• Taking up the shield, helmet and sword.(Eph 6)
• Being self-controlled and alert
• Resisting the devil.(1 Pet 5:8,9)
• The victory that overcomes the world is our faith. (1 Jn 5:4,5)

Taking a look at the story of David and Goliath in 1 Sam 17:45-51, we see small, young David conquering the giant with confident faith. He never wavered in his confidence that God would defeat the one who was defying Him. He PROCLAIMED the truth with his mouth.

We draw a parallel to the story of David and Goliath. We believers are David, the world is Goliath. Don't you feel like that sometimes? You hear about the darkness that is enticing our kids, our teens, and feel like "WHEN IS IT GOING TO STOP?" or our own battles with temptations...

This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith... Let's have confident expectation that God is Almighty and can conquer every enemy!

In looking at a few passages from Psalms, we discover that many of the Psalmists expressed their faith by crying out loud, proclaiming or declaring, and recalling God's promises and past works. A stake was placed in the ground with the declarations of what they believed. We need to do this too! We need to boldly proclaim the TRUTH over our circumstances, and stand there!!

The voice of Truth tells me a different story...we will not be defeated by our testings and trials when we focus on that voice~the very real promises of God.

In 2 Chr 16:1-10 we read of Asa in fear of Israel calling on the King of Aram and making a treaty with him, rather than trusting in God for his help as he had done before. As a result he was defeated. If we turn to other-than-God methods of handling battles, we will grovel and grope for hope and victory until we once again call out to Him.

So what type of fiery darts do you deal with and how do you quench them? Do you struggle with fear of rejection? God is your refuge and strength (Ps 46). Do you struggle with controlling your tongue? Eph 4:29...How about discouragement? Josh 1:6,7.

Paul , in talking about the shield of faith, is speaking of a protection which will defend the innermost life from foul and destructive invasion...He did not seek a shield to ward off ill circumstances, but he sought a shield to keep ill circumstances from doing him harm. His shield was a vital faith in Jesus.

Let's rest completely in God and His commitment to protect us...

You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow,Say this: "God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe!" That's right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you're perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing~ Psalm 91:1-3 Message

Set Apart

Well, He did it again, God blew my mind! Can you believe it? I know you can! My girlfriends and I and my mama went to our local woman's getaway @ Northwestern College in Roseville, MN. It used to be called "A Day Set Apart" and I guess since it is two days, they changed the name to "Set Apart".

What is so amazing about the confrence is that the refuelling of my spiritual life is so intense. The challenges, the inspiration, the encouragement all fuel the passion of walking with and serving Jesus. Truly there is no greater investment than saying "Yes" to God! Not surprising is that part of the inspiration was from our beloved bloggy sister, Lysa from Proverbs 31 ministries, who challenged us to "acknowledge Him in all our ways", and to do the first thing, the next thing, the most important thing and the last thing. To say "Yes to God", to lean in and listen and step out in faith and obedience.

For those who can't stand a mystery, I'll reveal what those "things" are...in my next post (first, next, most important, and last), I am having a "vintage moment" as my friends and I coined the phrase last Thursday when all of us (not the least being me...) were having moments of brain~blanks. Does anyone out there know what I mean???

Carol Kent was our other keynote speaker, if you are not familiar with her story, please go get a box of kleenex and watch it~her trust in God will inspire you, and her story tug at your heart at the deepest level. If the glory of God isn't resting on her when she speaks of Him with such joy in the midst of such heartache, I don't know where it is!

I cannot fail to menion another of my favorite speakers, Susie Larson. The first time I heard her speak, I thought to myself, "I want to have what she has." Actually, I also thought, "I want her to be my friend"! Since I knew that was probably not possible, I purchased several of her cd's to listen to, so I could "hang out with her" kinda like Elisha got a double portion of the spirit of Elijah from "hangin out with him". So now I am afraid she may think I am stalking her (lol) because I know so many of her stories, but the truth is~she loves Jesus and walks in confidence and I have grown alot from our times together. And Susie, if you ever happen to read this...pray for me, I am prone to "grab the twinkie" (only she and her other listeners will know what that means!) And I love you sister! I am currently reading through her book, "The Uncommon Woman" which you can check out on her site. I am loving it!!

There were five other workshops we went to, all of which built on the theme of the confrence which was "Restored"! Including topics like, contentment, beauty (inner & outer), resting in God's Presence and so on.

Finally, I have to share a highlight with you. Last June when I went to "She Speaks" I briefly met up with Lysa, and mentioned that she was coming to "my confrence" this March. She told me to be sure to come and chat with her. I also thought it significant that both our closest friends have the same name, so Lysa's friend Holly was at her book table, I introduced myself to her, and then told her about "my Holly"...Long story short:

Lysa, Holly, Me, Holly

May God grant us fruitful lives like these extraordinary women of God. And may I say a hearty "thank you" to them for serving Him with their gifts, so that the Body may be built up and grow in maturity!

Lifehouse's Everything Skit

Our youth are doing this skit on Easter Sunday. Ethan will be part of it...you will be moved...

In the beginning God......in the end God.

This morning in corporate prayer, one said she was reading through the book of Jeremiah, and noticed how often God was exalted as Creator. Another said "In the beginning God..." Then one said that His Creation (as a verb) is the foundation of all things. I thought, "No wonder the devil inspired Darwin with the theory of evolution, he wanted to strike at the foundation!"

Strategy~we are not unaware of his schemes. The flaw of the theory is that it has no foundation. (see the movie "Expelled") It always comes back to the question, "what is the origin of life?" to which there is only One answer: In the beginning God...nothing else makes any understandable, logical sense. Nothing. It takes a greater stretch by far to believe such intricate details such as the functioning of the human body came from a cosmic explosion than to believe there is a God who loves us....He is so real!

When I got home I was reading in Numbers 2, 3 where God is numbering the clans and telling them where to set up camp. He strategically placed them North, South, East, & West. It was always significant who was on the East facing the rising sun. (That is the way the tabernacle faced) I began to think about how we live in the "West". Since the world is round, why are we "west"? Well, Israel of course! It is the epicenter. Just as our time and calendar are centered on Christ, so is our direction. How amazing is our God to establish unchangeable things pointing us to Him!

He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. It's all about God.

• In the beginning...my Creator...Foundation.
• In the mean time...my Sustainer...Impartation & Sanctification
• In the end...my Redeemer...Salvation & Redemption

Becoming a Woman of Faith~Chapter 5

We live by faith, not by sight. 1 Corinthians 5:7

How's that for an easy memory verse? If only it was that easy to do. Since we are natural, it is much easier to look at things with our natural eyes. To walk by faith takes an intentional effort to shift from the earthly mindset to the heavenly mindset.

Matthew Henry says that faith is for this world, and sight is reserved for the other world...

Cynthia Heald (the author) states "While we are here, we must excercise our faith and live for the eternal~the reality we cannot see now." (emphasis mine)

When we recieve Jesus into our hearts, our lives are transformed/ changed/ made new. Here are a few points that we drew out of scripture describing the changes Jesus has made in our lives:

2 Cor 5:12-21

• we take pride in what Jesus did on the inside rather than on the outward appearance.
• everything in our lives is for God.
• Christ's love compells us to live for Him.
• We regard no one from a worldly point of view.
• We have a message to carry; we are ambassadors of Christ.

Galatians 2:20

• We are crucified with Christ, we no longer live, it is Christ who lives in us, we live by faith in Him.

Galatians 6:14

• We never boast except in the cross of Christ through which
• the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

Ephesians 2:19-22

• I am a citizen with God's people, members of His household.
• In Him I am being built withother believers into His dwelling where He lives by His Spirit.

Here are examples of how Paul lived his life by faith:

• He boasts in his weaknesses; delights in weaknesses, insults, persecutions, hardships, difficulties, for Christ's sake. 2 Cor. 12:7-10
• He became a servant of the gospel by the gift of God's grace & does the will of God. Phil 3:1-14
• He was poured out as a drink offering; fought the fight, finished the race, kept the faith. 2 Tim 4:6-8

As I look even now at these 3 points, I can see that Paul absolutely believed that God was in control in all things. He was willing to give his all for the Lord. He no longer lived for himself, but for the Lord's will. He fulfilled his calling by trusting in the "grace of God" or the Spirit at work within him.

Next we look at the importance of living for eternity:

• We are God's fellow workers; we are builders of God's house. It is important that we build with valuable materials because all of the things we do will be tested with fire. We will be rewarded according to the things we do while we are here. 1 Cor 3:9-15.
• We are able to endure light and momentary troubles knowing they are producing something of value within us for eternity. 2 Cor 4:16-18
• We set our minds and hearts on things above; we have died to this life, and will appear in glory in eternity. Colossians 3:1-4

In order to live for eternity, we need to understand the dangers of worldly entanglements:

• Worldly entanglements (worries, wealth, desires for other things) choke the word of God & hinder fruitfulness. Mark 4:18-19
• The world and it's desires pass away (or will pull us away) but the one who does he will of the Father endures forever. 1 John 2:15-16

Application question: What tends to pull you away from keeping an eternal perspective? Is it worries? Is it wealth? Is it desires for other things?

For a peek into the unseen world we looked at 2 Kings 6: 8-21. I love this story! To have the spirit of Elisha! Here we find him standing in total peace and confidence in the face of a mighty army because he saw the invisible chariots of fire standing between him and the army. We can have such confidence if we trust in the Lord...walk by faith.

The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.Psalm 34:7

Psalm 18: 1-3
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

Heavenly Father, help us to fix our eyes on what is unseen rather than what is seen for what is seen is temporaty, but what is unseen is eternal. Help us to walk by faith and not by sight. To live totally and radically sold out for you! In Jesus' Name. Amen.