Thursday, March 28, 2013

What is Truth?

The Bible can tear you up or it can heal you. It all depends on your relationship to the Lord. It's not head knowledge that counts--it's heart knowledge. When you become a friend of Jesus, when you make Him Lord of your life, then the Word becomes alive in you, and the Bible confirms what you already know in your heart--God is real, Jesus is alive, and God's Word is true. Healing begins. Having the Spirit of Jesus Christ as your moment-by-moment Counselor, Friend, Shepherd, Sustainer, Helper, Healer is worth giving up your own self-made belief system which will destroy you in the end and rob you of the Greater Glory--Christ living in you.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Truth that Defeats The Lies I've Told Myself


All Scripture in NIV unless otherwise noted.
 

LIE—I am all alone with no one to help me.

TRUTH

Hebrews 13:5-6 “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’”

 Deuteronomy 31:8 “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Joshua 1:5 “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”

Matthew 28:20  “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

John 14:15-17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

Psalm 9:10 “Those who know your Name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

LIE—I am going to lose my mind.

TRUTH

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (NKJV)

Romans 8:6b “The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

1 Corinthians 14:15 “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”

(See also, 1 Corinthians 2:16; Romans 8:27;)

LIE—I am not safe! There is no place where I can be safe!

TRUTH

Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. (NLT)

 Deuteronomy 33:12 “The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the day long; And he shall dwell between His shoulders.” (NKJV)

 Psalm 4:8 “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (NKJV)

 Psalm 12:5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” (NKJV)

 Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (NKJV)

 (See also Psalm 91; 121; 139)

 LIE—I will never be at peace again.

TRUTH

Psalm 85:8  “I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints— but let them not return to folly.”

 Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 32:17 “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.”

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

(See also, Psalm 29:11; 34:14; 1 Peter 3:11; John 20:19, 21, 26; Ephesians 2:14)

LIE—I’ll never change; I’ll always be afraid.

TRUTH

Isaiah 43:1-2;4  "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you.”

Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

 Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Ephesians 6:10-11;14-18 “Be strong in the LORD and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit….”

(See also, Isaiah 35:4; 41:10; 41:13; Joshua 1:5-7; Jeremiah 30:10)


 

 

Friday, March 1, 2013

An Unexpected Guest

The other morning I was having my quiet time when my chihuahua walked in. She knows I won't pick her up until I'm finished with my prayer time, but sometimes she likes to test me. When I ignored her paws on my pajama leg, I assumed she'd leave;  however, she began sniffing around the room. She stopped in front of my chest-of-drawers and began to growl. It was low, menacing, and long (when you're sitting in a room by yourself and it's early morning and really quiet, you don't want to hear a growl like that).

I glanced over and she was staring underneath the chest-of-drawers. Not really wanting to, I carefully rose praying it wasn't a snake or something. Then I had to bend down, which I did slowly. After a quick sweep with my eyes, I saw the shadowy head of a lizard raise up from the floor. Yikes! I ran to the kitchen for an empty coffee can. When I came back, the lizard had moved out from under the chest-of-drawers and was hanging onto the floor molding. Thankfully, I was able to capture it and toss it outside. I felt quite proud of myself. My little dog got an extra hug and treat after that. :)