Challenge #2 - Scripture Blitz

Scripture is invaluable to us as christians! God gives us his word not just to teach us more about his character, but to protect us from harm that sin can bring into our lives and hearts. He desires us to walk in the freedom and safety that his righteousness brings.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

Much like a blessing blitz, a scripture blitz can take on several different forms. For our uses this month we are going to simply memorize scripture!

Choose at least one scripture per week for the month of July to commit to memory. So hopefully by the end of the month we should be able to quote at least four verses without any help. Feel free to do more if you would like, but I know for some of us, like myself, who have difficulty memorizing things, four might just be plenty. And truly any amount of the word that we can hide in our hearts will go a long way to help us out in this journey of faith we are on.

I typically gravitate toward verses that I can pull out in times of trouble, ones that encourage me when the going gets tough. You choose whatever four verses speak to your heart. It does not matter what verses you choose. The point of this challenge is to simply write the word of God on our hearts!

Like every challenge I will post, I am fully committed to memorizing scriptures right along with you. I pray that as we commit to memory the precious word of God that we find encouragement and blessing along the way. Lord, help us to be diligent about memorizing your word and writing it on the tablets of our hearts.

Consistency In Parenting

Consistentancy in parenting is so very important. When we ask something of our children they need to know we are not going to be wishy washy. In other words, what we expect of them today we must also expect of them tomorrow, and the next day and so on. Our children are gamblers by nature. They will take a chance on us being tired, or that we are having an off day in hopes of getting what they want. They know when the "best" times are to ask for something that normally they could not get away with. They will watch for these times and like a heat seeking missal, they will lock in. 

Let me give you a prime example of this. Have you ever noticed that when you are on the phone the kids decide to pick a fight or get into things they should not get into? They know very well that mom is distracted and is not able to deal with them that very second, so they see how far they can take it. Or is this just my children? Like I said, they are gamblers by nature. They will take the chance that they can get away with it in hopes that mom or dad will not follow through.

Children can also be some of the best escape artists known to man!  They will find a way to weasel their way out of just about anything. It is our duity as parents to train them to take responsibility. As we step up to the plate and bring consistency to our parenting, our children will follow our lead and learn to take responsibility. This is not automatic. This takes time to establish in the hearts of our children. So don't be in a rush and assume they are going to get the clue after the first 15 times, because for some children it takes much longer than that!

We can bring much insecurity to our children when we don't have consistency in our parenting. They never know what to expect from us when we lay down the law one day and the next day pretend that the rules don't even exist. On the flip side of that, when we are consistent in our expectations and in following through, it builds security in our children. They know they can count on us to be stable, unwavering and strong for them. Please don't misunderstand me, I am not talking about parenting with an iron fist here, I am simply emphasizing the fact that consistency in parenting is so very important on so many different levels.  

"But let your yes be yes and your no, no, for whatever is more than these is from the evil one." Matthew 5:37 

I pray that as you enter this next week that if you have not been consistent in your parenting that the Lord gives you much wisdom in this area. I pray that the Lord helps you to let your yes be yes and your no be no. This can be a rough transition if there has not been consistency in the home and then all of the sudden you are establishing consistency. I pray that as you make this transition the Lord will give you strength to make it through the rocky road and on to one with less turmoil. I pray that the Lord fills you with the courage to stick with it when your children directly challenge the changes that you are making. I pray that the Lord fills you with courage as you make changes to your expectations.

Being On Guard Duty

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

“The thief comes to rob, and kill and destroy…” John 10:10

Satan has one agenda in mind, and it is to wipe out all those who even so much as show the slightest interest in being a follower of Christ. He will use any means necessary to try to knock us off the path of righteousness. He is not trying to turn us into little devils, but he is trying to distract us enough to keep from fulfilling the call of God on our lives. This often times comes in the most subtle of ways. More often than not he starts his sly attacks in our minds with a judgmental or harsh thought, which can be directed toward others, or even toward ourselves. He doesn’t care how he draws us away from thinking about the things of the Lord and he doesn’t care who or what we are thinking about just so long as those thoughts do not line up with Christ. We can be our own worst enemy in satan’s ploy to draw us away from walking in righteousness by giving into his attacks on our thoughts.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

It is our responsibility to take captive the thoughts that do not line up with God’s word. More than likely God is not going to reach down and do brain surgery on us and remove every thought that is not of Him. He expects us to put in the effort it takes to keep our thoughts righteous. So what exactly does God’s word say we should be thinking about? What thoughts line up with God’s word?

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

When we are uncertain if a particular thought is of Christ or not, then we need to run the Philippians 4:8 test. Ask is this thought true? Is it noble? Is this thought right? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it admirable? Is it excellent or praiseworthy? If at anytime we find ourselves having to answer “no” to any of these questions, then we should change our thinking because it does not line up with Christ. The sooner we can redirect our thoughts the less likely they are to take root in our hearts. Once our “stinkin thinkin” takes root in our hearts it is only a matter of time till it comes out of our mouth. And just like when we squeeze too much toothpaste out of the tube, we can’t take back our words.

“...For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 13:34

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23

It really is almost scary how something as small as a thought when left unattended to can grow into something that can be hurtful toward others. This is not something that happens overnight, but keep in mind satan is willing to play the waiting game in hopes that we let our guard down long enough that he can take root in our hearts. Speaking from personal experience it is a whole lot less painful to take captive a thought and make it obedient to Christ then it is to have to seek forgiveness for allowing the unattended thoughts take root and spew out of the mouth!

Lord, I pray that we learn what it means to be on guard duty with our thoughts. I pray that you help us to run the Philippians 4:8 test and identify when our thoughts are not of you. Help us not only to identify our unrighteous thoughts, but to line them up with your word as quickly as possible so satan has no leverage into our hearts. Lord, help us to think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. We desire for our thoughts to be pleasing to you.

His Mercy Is New Every Morning

I am so thankful that God's mercy is new for each and every morning. I do not have to live with the guilt of my past mistakes. I can live under his forgiveness each day. God does not drag our old skeletons out from the closet of forgiveness just to remind us of what we have done. As long as I have asked forgiveness for that particular skeleton, then His mercy is new for me today and every day! THANK YOU, LORD! I know that I would be drowning in a sea of sin if it wasn't for the mercy of God coming to my rescue. I am so thankful I serve a God who comes to my rescue with a life preserver in hand to save me from my own sin. He provides a way out for me.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19 (New King James Version)

You may have heard the phrase  “the sea of God’s forgetfulness.” This phrase stems from Micah 7:19. God does not keep a record book of our confessed sins. They are wiped out and forgotten about when you put them under the blood of Jesus Christ. The sad part about this beautiful thing the Lord does for me is this, I am one who tends to drag them up from the bottom of the ocean, only to find myself drowning from sin I have already confessed. I cling to them and live in guilt over them. I attended a Beth Moore conference a while back and she made the comparison of these sins being like ankle weights. As we try to swim, the ankle weights are fine for a little while, but eventually, they tire us out. And if we hold on to those sins long enough they will pull us under. I find it hard at times to simply let go of the sins that so easily entangle me. I somehow convince myself that if I hang onto them, they will bring me security. However, this is a false sense of security. God is calling us to true security, a security that can only be found by letting go of the past sins, by cutting off the ankle weights that will inevitably drown us.

I don’t know about you, but I have to constantly be reminding myself that I can move on because I am forgiven and free from a particular confessed sin. Confessing our sins is only the first step in staying free. It is so important that we don’t strap on the ankle weights of yesterday’s sins. Think about how much lighter our steps can be when we never put the ankle weights on. What a wonderful God we serve! God grants us freedom from our sins and past mistakes, but it is our responsibility to stay free from them. Now, that does not mean the Lord will not help us when we find ourselves stumbling over the sins of yesterday. But it does mean He expects us to take on some responsibility and do our part to stay free.

Lord, I pray that this week we do as you have done, and throw our confessed sins into the sea. I pray that we keep them there and not go after them. I pray that we live in freedom and not guilt or condemnation over the things we have done. I am so thankful that we serve a God who doesn't drag out old sins. Lord, help us to live in your freedom of forgiveness today, this week, and every day.

Believe And Not Doubt

Every single word in the word of God is true!!! The problem is not on God’s ability to deliver on his word. The problem is on my ability to believe that He is going to deliver. So often I am what scripture calls double minded. I make the scripture powerless in my life by my doubt and unbelief.

"But When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double minded and unstable in all they do." James 1:6-8

There are so many places in the word of God that tell us just how much He loves us. Yet I know for myself, I often doubt God’s love for me, when I should be simply using God’s word to fight off those feelings of doubt. I am learning that love is not a feeling. I don’t have to feel love to be loved. God loves me whether or not I “feel” like I am being loved. While there can be times that we feel God’s love, a feeling is not a requirement of God’s love for us. We can not walk around saying “I don’t feel loved,” by doing so, we are walking in the sin of unbelief. Believing that God loves us is a choice. It is choosing to believe what God’s word says. It says that He loves me and He loves you! In spite of our emotions, we can choose to believe that God’s word is true.

When we come across places in scripture where it says God loves us, it is true! We should not convince ourselves otherwise! I know for me, that far too often I read the word of God and talk myself right out of it’s truths, the sin of unbelief falls on me and I find myself convinced that God can’t possibly love me. So, I go about my daily life in disbelief. When really what I should be doing is read it, believe it and then go about my daily life in belief! Think about how much better off we would all be if we just believed what God’s word says about us. If we truly believed it, we would be walking around with our heads held high in victory, proud as a peacock! When we are infused with the spirit of belief first thing in the morning, then the rest of the day can be infused with belief, but when we infuse the spirit of disbelief and doubt first thing in the morning, then the rest of the day is filled with unbelief and doubt. So when we approach the next morning's reading of the word, we are already in unbelief and doubt that what it says can’t possible be true for us. We are poisoning the word when we walk around all day with the spirit of  unbelief and doubt. Oh how guilty I am of this. It is a hard cycle to break, but with God, not an impossible cycle to break.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

"Jesus looked at them and said, with men, this is impossible, but with God all things
are possible." Matthew 19:26

In order to believe that God loves us wholly, unconditionally, unadulterated, and limitless, we must first believe Him at his word! If we can’t believe God at His own word, then we can never expect the power of God’s word to act on our behalf in times of true need.

My prayer for you as well as myself this week is that we lay hold of the truth of God’s word. That we believe God at His word and not doubt the things that his word tells us. I pray that we are able to walk each day infused with a heavy dose of belief. I pray that we are able to share that truth with others that we meet along life’s path. May we lay hold of the truths found in God’s word and not let go.