“I never saw a fruit-bearing Christian who was not a student of the Bible.”
D.L. Moody
With Love, Cindy
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Quote of the Week, 2/24/21
Tag: Bible
3 Steps to Eliminate Stress
1. Pray
“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.” Philippians 4: 6 & 7
2. Memorize God’s Word
Psalm 91: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” (verses 1 & 2)
If you make the Most High your dwelling … then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (verses 9-12)
‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.’ (verse 14)
3. Praise God
Today, we are blessed to have access to so many beautiful songs of praise to our God. I play Christian music through Pandora every day. It puts my focus on the Lord and gives me peace. Try some of these stations on Pandora:
The Hymn (O What Mercy) Radio
Bill and Gloria Gaither
Christian Contemporary Radio
Hillsong United Radio
Hymns 4 Worship Radio
Laura Story Radio
Phillips Craig & Dean
Praise & Worship Medley Radio
Sandy Patty Radio
Selah Radio
Today’s Christian Hits Radio
Kari Jobe Radio
Laura Story Radio
Hymns on Piano Radio
Country Hymns Radio
With Love,
Cindy
My Journey Unscripted
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
So You’re Angry
One morning, God stopped me in the middle of something (I thought) was very important and gave me a lesson in discipline. This is what happened:
I was studying my Bible to prepare a lesson for the Women’s Bible Study when the phone rang. The church secretary informed me that the room I had reserved for the Bible Study would not be available because someone else needed it.
I thought: What?! Are you kidding me? So what?
(Little did I know, the Lord was getting ready to take me down a completely different path than the one I was on.)
It was hard to continue preparing my Bible lesson when I was so angry. I thought: They can’t just take my room! This is ridiculous! Who do they think they are? That’s not fair!
I knew my attitude was wrong, but I couldn’t help it. I felt justified.
Then a Scripture came to my mind.
“Above all else, guard your heart,” came the still small voice. (Proverbs 4:23)
Honestly, I didn’t really want to, but I listened. Then another Scripture came to my mind. “Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought.” (Romans 12:3) and “Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:10)
Then, God said to me, “Forgive”.
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
As an act of my will, I forgave. But I still felt really annoyed. Then the Lord brought another Scripture to my mind. “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up.” Hebrews 12:15
To forgive is a decision, but I knew that if I kept rehearsing this over and over in my mind, bitterness would take root. I needed God’s grace.
Thank God we can “Come boldly to the throne of grace … and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
What is our time of need? It is when we are too weak to do something in our own strength. The Lord told Paul, “My grace is sufficient, …. for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
Hebrews 13:9 says, “It is good to be strengthened by God’s grace.”
Oh how we need to rely on God’s grace to serve Him!
“Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Hebrews 12:28 KJV
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
God was teaching me that I can easily justify a selfish attitude. But if I want others to see the love of God through me, I must walk in His ways.
It wasn’t the circumstances in question that were important. The real issue was – would I guard my heart? He taught me to rely on Him because His grace is sufficient.
If you need God’s grace today, go boldly to the Throne of Grace.
With Love,
Cindy
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Photo by Ryan Franco on Unsplash
All Scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.
Friday’s Verse, 12/25/20
“Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word. I am but a pilgrim here on earth: how I need a map—and your commands are my chart and guide. I long for your instructions more than I can tell.” Psalm 119:18-20 TLB
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Alex Grodkiewicz on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
What Kind of Worshiper Am I?
Those bad Pharisees! I can’t believe how stubborn they were! I’m glad I’m not like one of them!
We tend to see the faults in others before we see our own. Isn’t that true? I’m pretty sure that’s called pride. So as we examine what the Bible says about worship, let us look inward, at our hearts.
Jesus talked about two kinds of worshippers – “true worshipers” and those who “worship me in vain.” Do we really understand the difference? Let Jesus explain.
To the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said,
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23-24 NIV
But when Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, He said,
“You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;” Matthew 15:6-9
The Greek word translated “worship” in the first passage is proskuneo. It means to prostrate oneself in worship, to reverence, to adore. To lie prostrate implies total surrender.
The Pharisees put on a show of reverence, but were not totally surrendered to God. It is interesting to note that Jesus did not use the same word for worship in Matthew 15:9. He used the word sebomai, which means to revere. There is a big difference. The Pharisees honored God, but they were not surrendered to His will. Their hearts were somewhere else.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans 12:1 NLT
Let us examine our hearts. What kind of worshipper am I? Is my worship pleasing to God? Am I surrendered to His will? Or, do I worship Him in vain? Do I give Him reverence, but cling stubbornly to my own will? Do I worry more about how I appear on the outside, or the condition of my heart?
Am I totally surrendered to Jesus?
“If we will only surrender ourselves utterly to the Lord, and will trust Him perfectly, we shall find our souls “mounting up with wings as eagles” to the “heavenly places” in Christ Jesus, where earthly annoyances or sorrows have no power to disturb us.”
– Hannah Whitall Smith
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
1st Photo by NATHAN MULLET on Unsplash
2nd Photo by Rachel Pfuetzner on Unsplash
Quote of the Week, 10/21/20
“You are the only Bible some unbelievers will ever read.”
– John MacArthur
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
GPS to the Small Door
Imagine you are sitting in church, listening to your pastor’s message, and he says,
“By the way, a lot of people around here aren’t going to Heaven!” (Everybody perks up and starts to pay attention.)
He continues, “The door to heaven is pretty small. So, many people are going to go through the wrong door. In fact, only a few people will find the right door, only a few.”
The people are thinking, “What? Is that really true?”
He continues, “You better make sure you are studying your Bible or you won’t find the small door. Instead, you’ll follow the crowd through the big door. Some of you tend to do what sounds good, instead of carefully studying your Bible.” (People start to fidget because they don’t have time to read their Bibles. They’re really busy!)
The pastor exclaims, “Now that big door is not only the wrong door, it is the door that, once opened, will take you down a big, wide road that looks like a good road, but it isn’t! It leads to devastation and disaster!” (This isn’t what the people want to hear. They think he is too negative.)
He ends by saying, “Make sure you find the small door. Like I said, study your Bible. It is the GPS to the small door.”
Will the people start studying their Bibles, or will they dismiss the pastor’s warning?
Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
That is an intriguing statement, made by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus and the Apostles gave us many warnings in the New Testament. We would do well to know what they are. We mustn’t only read and study the promises. We must read and study all of God’s Word.
Do you know what God’s warnings are? Several are listed in my post, Don’t Follow the Crowd. https://realchristianwomen.blog/2019/02/18/dont-follow-the-crowd/
With Love,
Cindy
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
All Scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted.
Photo by Arno Smit on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
Sunday’s Memory Verse, 10/4/20
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
Sunday’s Verse, 8/2/20
“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5 NIV
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Prayer Power!
Jesus quoted the Word of God to the devil in the wilderness. It was powerful then and it’s powerful now. Satan will flee.
After fasting forty days and forty nights, he (Jesus) was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4: 2-4 NIV
I like to copy the Scriptures I pray into my journal. These verses strengthen my faith. I will list some of those verses, but you can add verses that are specific to your prayer needs. Keep them handy (or better yet, memorize them!)
“Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:17 NIV
Verses for Prayer
FIRST FORGIVE:
“I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NIV
GOD’S PROMISE:
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:7-8a NIV
GOD’S PEACE:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.” Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
IN FAITH:
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us …” Ephesians 3:20 NIV
FOR SAFETY:
“I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2 NIV
FOR STRENGTH:
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26 NIV
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 NIV
IN TIMES OF TROUBLE:
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Ephesians 8:28 NASB
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3 NIV
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16 NIV
FOR GUIDANCE:
“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105
“The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.” Isaiah 58:11a
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
FOR ANOTHER’S SALVATION:
” … if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil …” 2 Timothy 2:25-26 NASB
“One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Acts 16:14 NIV
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1 NIV
Prayer is our declaration of dependence on God.”
Dr. David Jeremiah
See how many Scriptures you can add to your prayer journal. Your faith will soar!
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
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