“Those who know your nameΒ trust in you,
Β Β Β Β for you,Β Lord, have never forsakenΒ those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10 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 Β
Photo byΒ Jaka Ε krlepΒ onΒ Unsplash
“The Lord says, βI will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.β
“Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.” Psalm 32:8-10 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?
realchristianwomen.blog Β
Photo byΒ Ansgar ScheffoldΒ onΒ Unsplash
Do you know someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus? Maybe it’s someone you love very much. You may have prayed for this person for a long time. Maybe it’s your husband.
Someone I love very much calls himself an atheist. I want to share with you some of the letters I have written him in response to his explanations of why he doesn’t believe in God. I pray that they may help you in some way.
Dear J, You claim to be an atheist, but I don’t believe it. I think that deep down you know the truth. I’ve been through a time of doubt myself, and I think everyone has to go through doubt before faith becomes genuine.
I am so sorry that you are going through such a difficult time. Just like you, I have also had serious problems connected to work and making a living. The only way I have been able to make it through my tough times was (and is) through my relationship with Christ.
It is knowing that God loves me, even though I don’t deserve it, that I find comfort and strength to endure the difficult times. Whenever I turn to Him, He never fails to comfort and encourage me.
During one particular crisis, I happened upon a radio station, seemingly by accident. I began to listen every morning as this minister taught about the struggles of Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery (Genesis 37). It was amazing how this pastor encouraged me through his lessons day after day! These lessons were exactly what I needed to face my arduous situation each day.
God didn’t answer my prayers the way I hoped (and thought) He would. No, He didn’t stop the injustice. In fact, my situation ended up worse than I even imagined! But He made His love and faithfulness known to me in an awesome way. I knew in my heart and soul that He was along side of me.
Since then, I am trusting God in a way I never have before. Iβm going to write down a couple of Scriptures that have given me peace. (There are many more.) I hope they will encourage you, too. I love you and I will keep praying for you.
Love, C
Psalm 56:3 βWhen I am afraid, I will trust in you.β
Philippians 4:6 βDo 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.β
PS: My heart has been broken many times, but the Lord has always helped me through. That is the truth.
Letter 2:
Dear J, You said you would like to have the comfort of knowing what I know and believing what I believe. You can. It is a choice to believe in Jesus, not a feeling. Anyone can know the love of God. The Bible says, βIf you seek Him, He will be found by you.β 1 Chronicles 28:9
Everyone who seeks God will find Him, but if we donβt keep in the Word of God, we wonβt do very well in our walk. The Word of God is what strengthens us and it is how God encourages us. There have been many times when I prayed that God would help me believe and strengthen my faith…
I wish I could scoop you up out of your pain, but I canβt. Please start seeking God. You donβt have to be perfect. He loves you and me the way we are.
Maybe you think my life has been perfect. I can assure you it has not. God has not kept bad things from happening to me, but every time I turn to Him, I find Him. He is waiting for you to seek Him. This is what you must do.
I love you, C
Letter 3:
Dear J, I would like to have an intellectual discussion with you concerning your comment that the peace of God does not exist for you. You say you’re not an atheist by choice. Does that mean you didn’t choose to be an atheist? How is that possible? Have you made a decision that even if Christianity is truth, you don’t want any part of it? Or, have you sought God with all your heart but did not find Him? Or, did you make a decision that God does not exist based on your intellect? Or is there another reason?
I love you, C
Letter 4:
Dear J, So, my question for you is: Aren’t you curious as to why millions of people are Christians? Isn’t it at least possible they know something you don’t? You said, “I just don’t see any compelling evidence that God exists.”
You can’t determine if God exists based on the actions of “Christians”, the history of the church, the Roman Empire, Constantine, or any other historical facts and/or statistics. Knowing God is a matter of the heart. Do not be afraid to soften your heart toward God.
Love, C
Letter 5:
Dear J, I donβt know how anyone survives hard times without a relationship with Christ. (Donβt you dare stop reading this!) You keep telling me of all the misfortune and injustice in your life. I have had many experiences that were devastating at the time, but my relationship with God is what carried me through. You donβt even know about them and you donβt want to. Every time I was at one of these lowest points, God encouraged me in such a way that I knew, without a doubt, that God was there and I was not alone. Minute by minute, God knows every detail of what is going on in my life. It is God who holds my future.
Itβs being able to see the blessings in my life, in spite of the negative circumstances, that enables me to endure the tough times. Later, I always realize that I have become a stronger woman because of them.
I chose to believe Him. I chose to take Him at His word. Following Jesus is not a feeling that comes over you, it is a choice. Once you make the decision to believe in Him and follow Him, then you will be able to see the compelling evidence you seek. Then you can have the comfort of knowing what I know and believing what I believe.
I love you and pray for you. C
I hope you will be encouraged to keep praying for the unbeliever you love.
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
“Look at the birds! They donβt worry about what to eatβthey donβt need to sow or reap or store up foodβfor your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are.Β Β Will all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Matthew 6:26 TLB
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 Β
Photo byΒ Andrea LightfootΒ onΒ Unsplash
I have discovered that the Lord will give me the biggest confirmations after I obey Him, not before. I’ve always wanted the Lord to give me confirmation before I follow His leading, and maybe sometimes He does that. But recently, confirmation has come following obedience. And it has been overwhelming.
This morning, I was reading in Exodus about Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt. In obedience to God, Moses marched two million people to the edge of the Red Sea. Then the sea parted. Now that’s what I call a confirmation!
One of the reasons we do not have more divine guidance is that we have not followed the instruction God has already given us in His Word.”
David Jeremiah
On February 15, 2020, I wrote a blog “Soften My Heart, Lord”. I explained that someone close to me recently told me she was selling everything she owns and moving to a 3rd World country to help orphaned and abandoned children. I was shocked and speechless. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. (Your moving where?)
I kept looking for confirmation that my friend’s decision was really God’s will. My friend had received confirmation, but I just didn’t know for sure. God was asking me to trust Him, that He was able to keep her safe. He was testing my faith in Him.
After my friend actually took off in the plane, we started seeing major confirmations. I will share one of them.
I was selling a car and had posted a For Sale sign on the window and parked it on a busy street. One day, soon after her plane left the US, the phone rang. A woman was inquiring about the car. She said she would have to pray about it first. I thought, “Oh good! I’ll tell her about my friend’s move.”
As soon as I started telling her story, I began to sob. I was so choked up, I could hardly speak. The woman on the phone preached me a little “sermon” on the goodness of God and why I should trust Him. Then she prayed for me. Everything she prayed was confirmation.
She said, “You’re not crying because you’re sad. You’re crying because God is there with you. Through my tears, all I could manage to get out was, “Yes”. I felt God’s loving presence and I knew it was no accident that this woman had called me.
She told me to call her anytime if I needed prayer again. She said she stayed up all night praying for people sometimes.
I never heard from her again. I don’t know if she was real or if an angel called me, but I can tell you this: It was overwhelming. It was not an ordinary experience. I knew God had really called my friend to leave all she had and follow Him.
“In God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 56:11 NIV
βWhich of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:9 NIV
So the next time you’re looking for confirmation, maybe God is looking for faith first. Step out in obedience. If it’s something big, the confirmation will be big, too. Remember Moses and the parting of the Red Sea.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 NIV
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” Psalm 40:4 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
Photo by Kevin Hackert on Unsplash
“For the eyesΒ of theΒ LordΒ range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9a 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
“TheΒ LordΒ is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalm 18:2 KJV
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 Β
Photo byΒ Denys NevozhaiΒ onΒ Unsplash
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peaceΒ as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 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 Β
Photo byΒ Mateus Campos FelipeΒ onΒ Unsplash
I proclaim that I trust God. I urge others to trust Him, too. But what if God asks me to do something I don’t want to do, something really difficult? Is God testing my faith? Will I pass the test?
Charles Stanley said, “The only way to know how much faith you have is to have it tested.”
But suddenly, doubt shows its ugly head and you think, “Is this really God’s will? I need an angelic visit to know for sure.”
But will God send an angel? Probably not. So can we trust the witness of the Holy Spirit within us?
Jesus said,
β … I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you foreverβthe Spirit of truth … you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17
Questions of doubt will wreak havoc in your mind if you let them. Instead, we must depend on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to strengthen our spirit.
The key word in faith is focus.
Dr. Charles Stanley
Where is our focus? Are we focused on God? Or, are we focused on what brings more doubt? When the disciples were in the storm, what was their focus? Was it on Jesus or was it on circumstances? Jesus had just healed all the sick when they set out in a boat. When a storm arose, the disciples woke Jesus and said, “Lord save us! We’re going to drown!”
Jesus replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then He rebuked the wind and the waves and it was completely calm.” (Matthew 8:24-26)
They had been focused on the winds and waves, not on Jesus who was right there with them.
Abraham may have had similar doubts when God told him to sacrifice Isaac on the altar. But,
“(Abraham) said to his servants, βStay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.β Genesis 22:5 NIV
Abraham believed that God would provide the sacrifice and He and Issac would both return. And they did.
Is your faith being tested? Is God asking you to trust Him? Will you trust Him to guide you? To protect you? Do you have faith in His faithfulness?
“And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.” Hebrews 11:11 NIV
“Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
as enduring as the earth you created.” Psalm 119:90 NLT
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9 NIV
“A manβs mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.” Proverbs 16:9 AMPC
“He guides me along the right paths for his nameβs sake.” Psalm 23:3 NIV
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8 NIV
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
He promises to guide us. Will we believe that promise even when it’s difficult? Jesus said,
” … when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?β Luke 18:8 NIV
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 NIV
“The LORD will work out his plans for my lifeβ for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Donβt abandon me, for you made me.” Psalm 138:8 NLT
“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.‘β Hebrews 13:5-6 NIV
“By faith Mosesβ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid …” Hebrews 11:23 NIV
“By faith (Moses) left Egypt, not fearing the King’s anger …” Hebrews 11:27 NIV
“For the Holy Spirit, Godβs gift, does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them.” 2 Timothy 1:7 TLB
My Prayer
Your love, O God,
Will hold us near.
It shields us from
our darkest fears.
In times of darkness
Where I can't see,
Your loving eye
Will watch for me.
When I can't see
What lies ahead,
I'll trust you, Lord,
And what You've said.
Your promises
Are my delight.
They guide my way.
They are my light.
With my whole heart
I trust in you.
Your loving hands
Will see us through.
Your faithful love
Forever watches
Your precious child
In all Earth's places.
My Song πΆ Your Love, Oh God
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more:Β WHO IS JESUS?
1st Photo by Alex Radelich on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
Do you ever feel like God isn’t there? When we can’t seem to hear His voice or sense His leading, that’s when it’s time for faith to take charge!
God is always speaking to us in the sense that His Word is alive and all we have to do is open our Bible to hear God’s Word. Today, as I sought the Lord regarding what to write about, I realized that He is always leading me, even when I can’t “feel” it.
How do I know? Because He has promised me He would. If I look to His Word, He speaks. Psalm 119 is about God’s Word, but it also promises that those who love His Word will be rewarded with counsel, wisdom, insight, guidance, and peace.
“Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.” Psalm 119:24
“Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.” Psalm 119:98-99
“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105
“Great peace have those who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119:165
“Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
and your servant loves them.” Psalm 119:140
I will trust Him to lead me because I have surrendered to His will for my life and I love the Word of God. So during times when all I hear is silence, I will trust that He is still leading me through the darkness. I believe His promises are true.
“For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” Isaiah 14:27
“In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9
“From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned, that I will do.” Isaiah 46:11
“He guides me along the right paths
for his nameβs sake.” Psalm 23:3
“He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.” Isaiah 49:10b
“The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.” Isaiah 58:11a
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalm 32:8
“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
Your Watchful Eye Will Lead Me
Your watchful eye will lead me.
You never look away.
I turn to you for guidance
Every single day.
Because I love your Word,
And seek to know it well,
I trust your hand to guide me,
For in my heart Christ dwells.
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
All Scripture references are from the NIV.
Photo by Allen Taylor on Unsplash
