Believing God
I am so blessed to have the privilege of leading a Beth Moore Bible study at church. It’s called Believing God and although the group has met only twice, I can see the Lord’s hand in it. To know that He chose these 25 women and put us all together for such a time as this, is incredible. I believe He is going to do amazing things in each one of our lives through this Bible study.
As I reflected on last weeks lesson, I was truly encouraged and wanted to blog some of the things we went over. We know what we are ‘supposed’ to do but when it comes down to it, I think we all need to be reminded.
Here is what the first week’s lesson encompassed:
How to Believe God
- Faith is a quality of the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:33.
- Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. Romans 10:17.
- We can ask Christ to increase our faith. Luke 17:1-6
- Confess our unbelief to Christ and ask His help to overcome it. Mark 9:14-25
- We can grow in faith. Romans 4:20
This is the five pledge statement of faith we are all memorizing and believing God to do!
- God is who He says He is.
- God can do what He says He can do
- I am who God says I am
- I can do all things through Christ
- God’s Word is alive and active in me
My new favorite thing!
Well, after debating whether or not to buy a new car, I finally took the plunge! I was so excited because I thought that by trading in my old car, I would just about break even but they paid it off and gave me an additional $2,000! My payment stays pretty much the same which is what I prayed about.
Here is a picture of it. I will post a new one with me in it when I get a chance.
Isn’t it sassy? It’s almost identical in the interior to my old one, so I know where everything is! It does have a few cooler things. I have onstar and I will have to listen to a cd and read the book to figure out what that’s all about. There is an emergency button in the car that if I push, the authorities will come right away, pretty cool. It also has a built in phone and the car will call me when I need my oil changed and if there is anything wrong with it. How freaky is that? Can you imagine, you are driving to work and your car calls you and says, look Rachel, I know you are busy but I really need to get an oil change today. Haha. The best part about my new car is that I get free oil changes and all the maintenance stuff free forever! They also changed the engine a little and I have more torque. Just what I need!
Be careful what you pray for, cause you may get it!
My 3 favorite things!
Ok, so I worked hard all day and then I come home and get cranking on homework…joy…
The Lord’s Plans
I was reading Proverbs 19 yesterday and was meditating on verse 21, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” In Psalm 33:11 it says, “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.”
I am a natural planner, I like things organized and I want them to fall into their rightful, structured place. I realize that try as I may to make my own plans, the Lord has seen every one of my days and already has a plan for each of them. With or without me, His plans and His purposes will always prevail, granted He likes it when I follow along with Him.
Last week in our staff devotion time, one of my coworkers and friend shared a Scripture from Esther that drives this point as well. I have read the book of Esther several times and I have never focused on what my friend shared so I thought I would add it to this since it falls along the same lines.
If you know the story in Esther (or watched the movie) you realize that the fate of Esther and all Jews were in her hands. Since she is the Queen, it would appear that she should just go talk to her husband, the king, and explain the situation. But, to approach the king without being summoned could lead to her death. Here is where the story picks up:
Esther 4:12-17, “When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.”
If you are like me, you were focused on the infamous line, “who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this…”
What my friend shared about was Mordecai’s response that even if Esther remained silent, deliverance of the Jews would come from another place. Mordecai’s trust was in God and God alone. He knew the Word of God and he knew that God had promised deliverance of the Jews. He knew that with or without Esther-God’s plans that He ordained before one of them came to be-would come to fruition.
I don’t know about you, but I feel like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders today. Maybe tomorrow, I will once again attempt to control and plan my life but for today, I will let Jesus lead me and I will follow. Who better to follow than the lover of my soul?
Snow
I was driving to work yesterday and I drive by several farms and fields and I was amazed at how beautiful the snow looked. It was so pristine and pure. It reminded me of how the Lord takes us and makes us pure again.
In Isaiah 1:18 it says, “Come now let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow…” In Psalm 51:7 it says, “Wash me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.”
I looked at the snow at the side of the road, brown and dingy and dirty and that represented me amd my past sins. I could almost picture the scarlet red creeping over the pure snow, standing out for all the world to see. One glance at the snow in the fields and everything was clean and untouched. This is how the Lord sees me now, pure and untouched. It’s almost too much to comprehend. To think that I am once again clean, that I have been cleansed by the very blood of Christ; healer of the sick, raiser of the dead and Savior of the world. I am the luckiest girl in the world!
Living My Faith Out Loud 