4th Night Notes

Last week in the video she talked about strongholds, the things in our lives that keep us from fully experiencing God or things that build a wall between us and God.

We have all have had or still have strongholds in our lives that keep us in bondage, that keep us from true worship, that keep us from being all God wants us to be.

Strongholds are satan’s way of keeping us in a cage so that we wont be able to realize our full potential in Christ. They are lies the enemy whispers in our ear to tell us that we aren’t good enough to worship God, that we are hypocrites, that our sins are too many for God to forgive, that the things we have done in the past disqualify us from God’s grace.

The devil’s job is to do whatever is necessary to make sure that we do not clearly hear the voice of God through the Holy Spirit.

Last week, I asked that everyone write down at least one verse that can be used against satan in regard to our personal strongholds. I will compile everyone’s verses under headings and pass them out next week.

So, I guess you have noticed that the majority of this study has to do with the Holy Spirit.

We all have some sort of image of God in our minds and we all have a picture of what we think Jesus looks like (he has brown shoulder length hair, blue eyes and a beard, right? - wrong). But we tend to forget about the Holy Spirit because of His name…..the word spirit makes it hard to picture so we kind of just forget that part of the Trinity.

Day 1 talks about the persistence of God in trying to get our attention.

In 1 Samuel 3:1-10 God called Samuel 4 times before Samuel finally recognized His voice and even then it was Eli who alerted him that it was God speaking.

As a side note, I think it is important to point out that in this case god didn’t speak to Eli - he spoke to Samuel - a boy

1 Samuel 3:1 says, “The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions“.

That should encourage us in that God spoke to a mere boy. He didn’t speak to the priest as you would think, but a normal, everyday boy who chose to worship Him. When we choose to worship Him and stay ‘about His business’, He will speak to us as well.

When Samuel finally recognized that it was God speaking, verses 3:19, 21 tell us that the Lord was with Samuel and revealed Himself to Samuel.

I think when we shut out all the other voices in our heads and acknowledge that the Lord is speaking, He will reveal Himself to us as well.

In John 4:7-26 the Lord spoke to the Samaritan woman 7times - she said in vs. 25 “I know that Messiah is coming”, so that tells us at first she didn’t know that she was actually speaking to the Messiah then finally the Lord says to her “I who speak to you am He”.

Don’t you wonder what she thought at first or wouldn’t it be funny to be able to go back in time and see her expression when she really ‘got it’ that she was talking to the One she had been expecting all her life?

Neither Samuel or the woman at the well recognized Who was speaking to them at first.

How are we like the woman at the well?

We are sinful and sometimes don’t recognize when the Lord is revealing our sins to us - sometimes it takes many tries for God to get through to us.

Read Job 33:15-22

How did God choose to speak in these verses?

Do you believe God still speaks through dreams and visions?

Do you believe God disciplines people with sickness or pain today?

I believe God will go to any lengths to get our attention and turn our hearts back to him - I also believe just like Pastor Arden said on Sunday that there are people who are saved but have turned so far away from God that He takes them to heaven early.

Day 2 on page 50 talks about how God speaks to us personally and individually.

Isaiah 45:3 says “And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord,the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”

He knows our name and calls us by it - can you imagine what it will be like when we are standing face to face with Jesus and He calls us by name? On that day, all our attention will be on Him. There will be no “I’ve got something else to do” or “Can you wait a minute?“ - all of our attention will be His. It is awesome to think about seeing Jesus in person and hearing Him say our name, but the fact is that He calls us by name right here on earth and much of the time we are too distracted and busy to listen.

James 4:17 says “To one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

That is a pretty sobering verse. How many times have we known something was the right thing to do and just simply not done it?

On page 50 and 51 she talks about how God commands specific obedience from all of us on some things, but there are other things that He speaks to us individually about . For example, there are people who would say that all secular music is evil, but still others who say it is okay to listen to some secular music - both people may be saved and on their way to heaven, but just disagree because of how the Lord has spoken to them personally.

We sometimes want to impose our personal beliefs on others in a legalistic way - a good example of that is interpretation of scripture.

Many denominations interpret scripture in a different way than we Southern Baptists do. The differences may not make a difference in whether we go to heaven or hell, but we all want to be right so we try to impress our interpretation on them.

Does anyone have an example of how another believer has tried to hold you in bondage to THEIR conviction?

Do you think you judge others based on your personal convictions?

Have someone read Romans 14:12-21

Verse 13 says to stop passing judgement on one another.

Name some things Christians judge other Christians for.

Name some things we judge non-Christians for.

1 Corinthians 8:12 says “And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ“.

On page 51, she talks about the Christian church in Rome and how some of the believers were Jews and some were Gentiles. Their different cultural upbringings caused each group to have differing views on whether certain foods should be eaten or not. Can you think of an example in today’s terms?

Paul tells us that we are not to do something that would cause a brother or sister to stumble. What is something we could do innocently that might cause our brother to stumble?

On page 57, she talks about how we can verify the voice of the Holy Spirit.

We all know the verse in Hebrews that says “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart“. (4:12)

Do you believe the Word of God is living and active?

The Word of God (from the Holy Spirit or from the Bible) is just as relevant for us today as it was for Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, etc.etc - the Word comes to us in a different form than what they experienced, but it is just as powerful.

The writer of Hebrews said that the Word of God is living and active. Hebrews was written after Jesus ascension (Hebrews 1:3 says “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven“) and before the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.
John 1:1 says “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word WAS God”……..so, this verse being written after Jesus was in heaven shows that the Hebrew writer knew that the Word was living and active even though the Word (Jesus) was in heaven.

Why is the Word living and active? The Holy Spirit

At the top of page 58, she talks about how we sometimes try to steal God’s glory and draw attention to ourselves.

She asks, “How do you feel when you see another woman who obviously seeks attention for herself?” I answered repulsed.

I have to be honest when I read this question, one person immediately came to my mind - someone I see every week - someone who I believe thinks a little too highly of herself. As I was thinking of this person, the Lord brought another person to my mind who fits that description - someone I see everyday when I look in the mirror.

We have been learning how God will not tell us to do anything that contradicts the scripture. No matter how we try to justify what we ‘think’ the Lord is telling us - if it doesn’t align with His Word - we are mistaking what He is saying.

God is never going to tell us to do something that He has clearly forbidden in His Word - and He will not bless disobedience.

If you are dating an unbeliever and you feel like the Lord is giving you the ‘go ahead’ to marry that person - you are dead wrong - it is a sin for you to even be dating an unbeliever much less marry one.

On page 60, how did everyone do on the little ranking quiz?

How many of us listed reading God’s Word as #1?

I think it is pretty telling when you look at how the majority of our time is spent.

On the bottom of page 61 and over on 62, she talks about how Jesus spoke with authority.

Luke 24:32 says “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us…..?”

In Matthew 7:28-29 Jesus spoke and the people were amazed……they were amazed because He taught with Authority!

Can you think of a time when God spoke to you personally with authority?

When I sat down to study this lesson, I had been rushing around and doing this and that. I had taken out the trash and my hands were dirty and need to be washed. When I opened my Bible, God spoke to my spirit and said “you don’t need to handle my Word until you have clean hands and a clean heart” I needed to ‘do business’ with God before He could ‘do business’ with me…..It wasn’t just my hands that needed washing - I had unconfused sin that needed to be brought out and forgiven before He could show me what I needed to learn from His Word.

I wonder.......

I wonder if it is possible for a person's head to actually explode from sinus pressure (it is like my eyes are in danger of actually popping out of their sockets at any minute).......

I wonder why all airflow is cut off to my body when I lay down (you know those dolls that close their eyes when you lay them down? same thing with my nose)............

I wonder how I have a stopped up nose that still runs - isnt that a contradiction in terms?.......

I wonder why I cant hear very well, but the sound of my 4 yr old screeching like a car coming to a stop makes my head swim (it is like a sound that only a dog or a dolphin can hear).......

I wonder why when I turn my head it takes at least 2 minutes for it to actually get there ( I am in a fog, people)..........

I wonder where all this junk in my head has come from (satan I bet).............

I wonder if anyone has ever died from a sinus infection.... I might be the first (If I never post on this blog again, you will know why)

I also wonder why it is that you cannot pour hot chocolate mix into boiling water without it bubbling over like a chemistry experiment, but you can pour boiling water over the hot chocolate mix and nothing happens (I also wonder why I can never remember which is the correct way to do it and why I always end up having to clean up a huge chocolate mess)...

I would love to post something worthy of your reading time, but my head is so full of snot I am too dizzy to think (well, I cant think of anything but summer and the days when I was well).

What I would really love to do is lay down on my couch with my big quilt and go to sleep (for about 6 hours), but that is apparently not a possibility when you have small children (and a husband).

So, when I can think clearly, I will post something that you would actually care to read (unlike this post - sorry for wasting your time).......... :-)

3rd Night Notes

Here are the notes I have prepared for Wednesday night. Ignore the little 'notes to self' - that is how I keep my place. Also, remember there is a lot of dialogue between each statement. These notes are made up of the things that occurred to me as I was doing my 'homeowrk' (dont you hate people who use quotes all the time? I promise I dont do "air quotes" when I talk to people in person). I use these notes to keep me on track so that I dont end up making and hour and a half class into a three hour class. Anyway, I hope they are easy to understand (I wrote them so they are pretty simple ;-).
________________________________________
This week's study was all about the Miracle of the Holy Spirit

Do we see the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a miracle today?

I don’t think we do.

Maybe its because our culture has a sense of entitlement - maybe we think the Holy Spirit is the least God can do for all the trouble we have to go through here on earth. Maybe its because we don’t understand enough about the Holy Spirit to really grasp the ‘concept’ of being indwelt by the Spirit of God OR maybe, (and this is my personal opinion) we don’t really BELIEVE in the power of the Holy Spirit, so the Holy Spirit is just ‘church talk’ to many of us

The truth is that the miracle of our receiving the Holy Spirit at salvation today is no more of a miracle than when the people we read about in the book of Acts received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

We are at a disadvantage today in that we have so many miraculous inventions and distractions (ie TV, Internet) that we are too busy to notice the Holy Spirit that lives within us. Those people were hungry for a sign from God - our lives are so filled with outside influences that we don’t even have (or take) time to tap into the power God has given us.

Over and over in the Old Testament we read about God speaking to people. Abraham, Moses, etc. etc. all audibly heard God speak to them - there was no question about what God wanted them to do - He told them plainly what to do (dosnt mean they always obeyed, but they knew what to do)

Today God still speaks to us - not audibly but through the Holy Spirit.

Even though we don’t have an audible voice to hear today (we have the still small voice of the Holy Spirit), we are still held just as accountable as Moses, Abraham and other OT believers for how we obey.

In the Old Testament God spoke to His people using His own voice or sometimes angels. In the New Testament He spoke through Jesus and today He speaks through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is how He has chosen to communicate with us today and we are to obey that voice just as the people in the OT were to obey the direct voice of God.

The manner in which He speaks today is different, but His ultimate purpose is the same - for us to listen to Him and obey what He says.

On page 30, the book talks about how sometimes the Lord confirms His voice to us through others or His word
Does anyone have an example of the Lord speaking to you in a sensational way?

John 16:7 says, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”
Old Testament believers had to go through the priests and make sacrifices to get to God - we get to go directly to God and never have to worry about sacrifices because Jesus took care of that on the cross - He is our sacrifice. We think of the people in the OT as being closer to God, but in reality, we have an advantage in coming to the Lord because of the Holy Spirit.

On page 32, day 2, the title is The Conscience and The Holy Spirit
I think a lot of people confuse their conscience and the Holy Spirit - she makes a good point that even non-Christians can have a moral conscience - we all know unsaved people who live basically moral lives (ie. don’t steal, don’t cheat, etc). The difference is non-Christians do not have the Holy Spirit

Page 35, day 3, starts the section titled The Guidance of the Holy Spirit
I think day 2 and day 3 go together in that the Holy Spirit transforms our conscience to align with the desires of Christ -
The Holy Spirit is not your conscience, but the Holy Spirit is working in and through your conscience to accomplish God’s plan for your life
1 Thessalonians 5:23 says “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ“.
Notice that spirit and soul are mentioned before body.

Most of the time we are more interested in our physical bodies than our spirit and soul

Name some things we do to take care of our physical body

Name some things we do to take care of our spirit/soul


Day 4, page 38 talks about being transformed by the Holy Spirit
Romans 7:14-19 says “For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am made out of flesh, sold into sin's power. For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.”

On page 38, what did you say was the biggest battle between flesh and spirit?
From the time we are saved (even before) the Holy Spirit is working to make us like Jesus - we/ourselves are the roadblock - we don’t allow the Spirit to perfect us - a lot of the time our problem is that we have too much of the world in us to enjoy Jesus and too much of Jesus in us to enjoy the world.

On page 39, how many of you answered that you struggle most to present your mouth as a living sacrifice ?
Day 5 - Led By the Holy Spirit
When we are saved, the Holy Spirit begins to change our hearts and minds so that what we may have done before we no longer want to do -The Holy Spirit is kind of like a marriage counselor - Jesus is the Bridegroom and we are the bride - the Holy Spirit helps keep us tuned into our Bridegroom - the Spirit helps us remain faithful to our Bridegroom

The problem is that we are fickle - even though we have the Spirit - we don’t always listen and are not always faithful in our relationship with God - thankfully He is faithful when we are not

Have you ever thought of your love of the world, things, etc as committing adultery?

If your husband came to you and said, “Honey, I love you, but I also love a few other women and I like to spend time with them and spend money on them just as much as I like to do those things for you”

Wouldn’t you say that is adultery?

Same thing with our relationship with God - when we (the bride) make the things of this world as important as our relationship with God, we are committing adultery

On page 42, What is the difference between seeking God’s will and seeking Him?

Dash **Updated**

Dash had his birthday party on Saturday night - thought you might want to see some pics. He was surprised that we all dressed up. Everything went well with one exception : He threw up everything he ate (cake and all - not pretty) that night when he went to bed. Don't worry, he isn't sick, he just has a cough. Occasionally Dash starts coughing and makes himself throw up. (And yes, Jennifer, I cleaned it up all by myself - my husband would actually die before he cleaned up vomit). I would also like to thank Jennifer Partin and Janel for the awards they sent me! I am undeserving, but very appreciative -- see my sidebar for details! :-) Even though I am a MOSH (mother of a superhero), I dont get many awards, so thank you. The rewards of being a mother to a superhero are many, but it is always nice to be recognized - thank you both!

Pulling Our Weight

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the Day approaching.

Church membership is a hot topic today. If you want to make people mad, then tell them they need to be a member of a local church (by local, I mean not the 'global' church). I recently had a conversation with a woman who said that she worships at home by herself. She said that she found the people in the church to be hypocrites, socialites, and liars. I agree that churches are full of those types. We all know people who come to church for the wrong reasons (admit it - you are thinking of some examples as you read this, arent you?). There will always be people who come to church for social reasons or to 'be seen' by the community. There will always be people who come to church only on Easter and Christmas Eve. There will always be people who gripe about everything that happens (good or bad) in the church. There is no such thing as a perfect church or perfect church family on this earth.

The church is known as the 'body' of Christ. When we are saved, we become part of that body. Each part of the body (each member) has a gift or talent -- something they are called to do. When a member of the body (a saved person) cuts themself off from the body by "forsaking the assembling", they become disconnected and cause the body not to function properly. When we receive salvation, we also receive responsibility in the body of Christ. Like the heart, lungs, liver, etc, we each have a job to do and when we lay down on the job, the body of Christ does not function at 100%. In other words, we cannot accomplish God's purpose by sitting on our couch watching Joel Osteen (see funny by Jennifer).

People get so frustrated when they try to do or be something in the church that they were not created to do. We also get frustrated with others who do not do what they are supposed to. When we don't do what God called us to in the church, we are a drain on the body of Christ. When we don't pull our weight in the body, we put a strain on the other members (our brothers and sisters) and we cause the body to be unhealthy. I think it is better to find your gift and place in the body and work well in that area. Rather than trying to do a thousand things "half-way", it is better to do what you are called to do well.

We were born-again into a family with billions of siblings, yet that does not mean that the responsibility of God's purpose does not fall on us. We are called to participate in fulfilling God's purposes. God has allowed us to be a part of a local group of believers so that together we can accomplish tasks for His Kingdom. There are believers who live in remote areas of the world who may be forced to worship alone, but for most of us we are blessed to be near a local church where we can worship and serve God with our brothers and sisters in Christ. God never called us to be loner-Christians, so sitting on the couch just wont do.

My Baby Is 4

At 9:14 am on January 15th, 2004, we welcomed our baby Kaden into the world. He was a month early and only weighed around 5 lbs. I know I am a little (actually a lot) biased, but he was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen - I think it was because he was so small he looked like a doll I had when I was little (only that doll was named Debbie like all my other dolls - remember Debbie Boone? Loved her). It is so hard for me to believe that he is already 4 years old. He has a personality that draws people (especially other children) to him and the best word I can use to describe him is "fun". He lives to play and loves his brother madly - they are fun to watch together - when they grow up they are gonna have some hilarious stories to tell their children. It is not unusual for me to be working around the house and feel Kaden hug my leg and kiss my hand. I hear 'I love you, Mommy" several times a day. He has the sweetest voice and I love to hear him recite his AWANAS Bible verses. He catches onto most any concept or activity very quickly - maybe because he is a second child, maybe because he is unusually bright or maybe because I am biased (see above). He is quirky in a funny way - he hates the sight of dryer lint and he thinks he is Dash off the Incredibles movie and gets mad if we call him anything other than "Dash". He cracks us up with the things he says - there is never a day that we don't laugh hysterically at his antics. He and his brother are pure joy and I love them desperately.

Shortly after Kaden was born, I came down with/got/contracted (not sure what the correct term is) Bell's Palsy (the whole right side of my face was paralyzed and drooping). His birth (my second emergency c-section) was much easier than the birth of my first son, so I wasn't in as much pain and I had no 'baby blues'. I woke up the morning of March 8th to feed my new little bundle of joy and I thought my face felt strange - I couldn't feel the right side at all. I just assumed I had slept hard and laid on that side for too long. I fed the baby and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and quickly realized something was terribly wrong. I went to where my husband was still in bed and I showed him my face. He sat up in bed and looked at me - I knew he saw the problem. When I talked, the right side of my mouth never moved which caused my speech to be somewhat slurred. I remember crying like a baby and my husband saying, "I think I know what is wrong. A guy I used to work with got this and it only lasted 2 weeks." We called his parents to watch the boys and we went straight to the E.R.

When we got to the E.R., they took me straight back to a room, because they suspected I had a stroke (I was terrified - remember Grandma on the Waltons?). After several tests, the doctor came back and said it was Bell's Palsy and it would probably be better in a few weeks. Then the doctor, Dr. Runnels said something I will never forget. He said, "Would you mind if I prayed for you right now?". I was shocked - I never had a doctor ask to pray for me before. Of course I said yes as I cried - I cried because I looked like a stroke victim AND because this doctor wanted to pray for me. I went home with the hope that this crazy palsy would be gone very soon. To make a long story short, after several visits to neurologists and specialists, I was told that stress, hormones, and lack of sleep may have caused this problem and I may never recover from it fully. I spent a year going to physical therapy where they shocked my face constantly for 20 minutes at a time - very painful.

What I was told would probably be a two week affliction turned into one year of looking like a stoke patient. During this time, God dealt with me on so many issues. He showed me how vain and proud I was and how independent of Him I was. I cannot tell you how many days I couldn't wait until my husband would leave for work so I could lay in the floor and just cry. I would put the boys down for their nap and cry and pray and ask God 'why me?'. You see, Bell's Palsy isn't a life threatening thing - it is a vanity threatening thing. When you look in the mirror and see someone else, it shakes up every area of your life. It is hard to explain unless you have been there, but your face is 'you' and when you see someone other than the 'you' you have always known, it is very disconcerting. The fact that there is nothing you can do about it adds insult to injury. Let's face it, we women are not happy when something is not right on our face!

I will never forget taking a trip to Cincinnati to see the Reds play. We went with some friends and I thought I was much better (not sure if I was just used to seeing my face or if I had quit looking at it). We had awesome seats - in the 'businessman's section'. Our friend who lives there has season passes and we got the royal treatment. We were sitting in front of some business men and I kept hearing them laugh - they were drinking beer (the smell of which makes me nauseous). I was enjoying the game even though it was so hot that day. I remember looking up at the Jumbo-tron (that big screen where they show the screaming fans) and seeing my family on that huge screen. In an instant I noticed that the face that I thought was better, was really not better at all. And to make matters worse, the men behind me were making fun of me. Those men laughed and snickered and said awful things about ME- I was so embarrassed for me and for my husband. You see, I have never been a beauty queen, but I have never known anyone to make fun of the way I look before. If I could have crawled under that seat I would have. It was all I could do to keep from breaking out into the 'ugly cry' (you know the one where your shoulders go up and down and you have black makeup streaks all over your face). I held back the tears - I would have rather died than to have those men see me cry because of them ---more pride.

That experience caused me to be much more sensitive to people who are 'different' or handicapped in some way. Not that I ever made fun of them, but now I sympathize - I have 'been there' in a small way. When I first got the Bell's Palsy and realized that it wasn't going to be over quickly, I was mad that God would let this happen. I mean, I should be enjoying my new baby and didn't I have enough to worry about without this?

God soon showed me that He was using that palsy to refine me in ways I can't even describe to this day. He showed me that I am dependent upon Him for everything -- whether I like to admit it or not, I can do nothing apart from Him. He showed me that my worth has nothing to do with how I look. He showed me that my purpose is to serve and trust Him even when I don't understand what He is doing. He taught me that He works on His timetable and not mine. He showed me from the beginning that I had to 'keep on keeping on' for my kids even though I wanted to stay home until I was better. He helped me stop focusing on me and start focusing on Him. I have since had the opportunity to encourage several other women I know who have had to deal with Bell's Palsy. After about a year of struggling with Bell's Palsy, the Lord saw fit to heal me (not completely, but probably about 95%). I still have residual effects, but the lessons I learned are worth that 5% that I am left to deal with.

So, the birth of my sweet Kaden brought about lots of joy, but lots of hard lessons as well. I wouldn't trade those lessons for any amount of money and I DEFINITELY wouldn't trade my sweet baby K for anything in the world. I pray that I never, ever have to go through that embarrassment and pain (did I mention that I was dizzy and in terrible pain that whole year?) again, but I am thankful that the Lord was so sweet to heal me and so loving in His discipline. I pray that I never forget those lessons He taught me in the desert and I pray that I can share what He has taught me with others.

Let Peace Rule

Colossians 3:15 says, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful". I have not done a great job of letting peace rule in my heart over the past few days. Some circumstances have caused me to let worry rule in my heart. Why is it that sometimes I let my circumstances seem bigger than my God? I have spent three days worrying over something that I have no control over. I know that God does have control, but I have spent this time fretting instead of trusting. I am not normally one to get so flustered and let worry take over, but this time I have done a poor job of letting peace rule.

I have always thought that peace is the key to discerning whether someone is walking with the Lord or if they are a 'carnal Christian' (I hate that term, but I am having a problem coming up with another one right now). I know people who claim to be saved, yet chaos rules every area of their life - some of them even thrive on chaos. I am not saying a Christian's life will always be peaceful, perfect and stress-free, but someone who trusts the Lord and 'leans not to his/her own understanding' will not live their life in a constant state of alarm, turmoil, and panic. Do you know anyone who professes to be a Christian, yet shows no sign of peace in their heart because they let circumstances rule their life? I know several, but I never want to be that type of person.

I know a person who claims to know the Lord. She left her husband for someone else. They have a blended family where there is always trouble with kids and exes. There is never a time when there isn't some sort of traumatic thing going on in that family. This person thrives on turmoil and chaos. We all know people like that. People who say they are Christians, but have no peace. Am I the only one who wonders if those people are actually saved? (I know I am not the judge, but I am called to witness to the lost - can't witness to the lost if I can't discern who the lost are).

I have not mentioned my recent worries to anyone other than my mother and husband, but I wonder if people can sense my worry . Maybe I have been distant or not attentive - maybe other people have sensed that I am not at peace. Maybe I have appeared to others as one of those people who claim Jesus, but have no inner peace that passes understanding. I doubt that is the case, but inward worry could certainly lead to outward signs and lead others to believe that I do not know Jesus. It occurred to me this morning that worry leads to more worry and when we worry we create chaos in our own lives which is seen and sensed by others. (I know that was a long, run-on sentence,but I am struggling today - give me a break ;-). Which leads me to the question: Do others see peace ruling in my heart or do they see chaos and turmoil ruling?
We all know people who are so concerned and troubled that they can't seem to concentrate on anything. Their inward worry has manifested itself outwardly and everyone can see that there is conflict in that person's life.

There are so many verses in the Bible that tell us 'do not worry'. God knew that we would be a bunch of worry-warts so He made sure to tell us over and over to stop worrying. He also knew that our unbelief would lead to worry and worry would lead to us being a poor witness to His power. Not only is worrying a sin, but it makes us a terrible witness to others. The Lord has been dealing with me on this for the past couple of days--just thought I would share with you what He has been saying to me. I have had a terrible time keeping my thoughts straight this morning and as you can see I have also had a terrible time putting them into writing. Sorry for the rambling randomness. Here are a few 'worry' verses. Maybe you need to read them today or maybe you need to share them with someone else.


Matthew 6:34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Luke 12:22[ Do Not Worry ] Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.
Matthew 6:25[ Do Not Worry ] "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Luke 12:26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Luke 21:14But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.
Matthew 6:28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
Luke 12:29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it
Luke 12:11"When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,
Matthew 10:19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say,
Matthew 6:31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
Matthew 6:27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?
Luke 12:25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?