NO GIANTS!

How many times do we allow our fears to take hold of us and not let us be all that He wants us to be??!!  Or the times that we believe the lies that satan tells us, to keep us from what we know is ours!

  

I love this illustration of David and Goliath...  In God's presence... we should have NO GIANTS!

David, the youngest in a family of eight boys could not believe the scene before him. Tossing the giant's threats and obvious advantage aside, David refused to accept what he saw.  Instead, he chose to believe what he knew in his heart; this giant was going down!  With simple but certain faith and unreserved confidence in God, David stepped through the fear, ushering in the mighty presence and power of God.  Goliath not only met David that day, He met the Lord of Heaven and Earth.  And the giant fell!  Giants always fall in the presence of God! (Mary Southerland)

Stepping Out In Faith!

Focusing on obstacles distorts our vision. Problems seem to loom so large that we can't see to take the next step in faith. In reality, if God has called us to do something, the only hindrance is between our temples! He has already planned a way around, over, or through any barriers that might lie on the path to fulfilling His purpose.And when we, like the Israelites, give in to fear and refuse to move forward, we miss out on the great reward found in doing God's will.
(Charles Stanley)

WALK BY FAITH

We cannot do it on our own... but when we have faith in him... WOW!

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV) "We live by faith, not by sight."

Friend To Friend 
Miracles should be a daily occurrence. "God things" should be the norm if we truly know and abide in Christ. Men and women leave ministry every day, their lives shattered against a measurable faith by the hammering blows of life.  Life lived in human power is consuming and futile but life lived in God's power is powerful and purpose driven. 

As a wife, mother, friend, family member ... in any relationship, we cannot lead where we have not been, we cannot share what we do not possess and we cannot convey a message of power from a powerless life.  God stands ready to pour His power in and through us to a world filled with hurting, wounded and hopeless people.  All of His power is at our disposal yet we are satisfied to live our days filled with results that can be understood and easily explained in human terms.  I desperately want to live in such a way that one day I can look back in wonder at all of the "God things" He did in and through my life.  I pray that those who come behind me will celebrate an ordinary life that was lived in extraordinary ways and is explainable only through a power man can neither produce nor comprehend -- God's power. 

The power of God is unleashed through faith.  Faith is a personal issue.  Just as we cannot inherit or borrow faith, neither can we rely on the faith of anyone else.  We must have our own personal faith. 

As a freshman in college, I began dating a young man whose faith was very different from my own. Normally, I would never have considered dating anyone whose beliefs were in such stark contrast to mine, but we had so many other things in common and so enjoyed being together that we decided to take the risk and just date for fun.  Big mistake!  Neither one of us was prepared for the fact that our relationship quickly escalated into a serious one but we both realized that unless we resolved the faith issue, we would never have a future together.

I had attended church from birth and simply assumed that my beliefs were right because they were all I knew -- until someone I really cared about questioned the authenticity of my commitment to God.  I began to examine my faith and ended up making it my own. While a human relationship ended, I will be forever grateful that God used that young man to affirm my belief system, test my faith and deepen my eternal relationship with God. 

"A man wrapped up in himself makes a pretty small package.  But a man, or woman, wrapped up in God is an amazing sight to behold."  (Unknown)

Paul had great confidence. The prefix, "con" means "with" and the root "fid" means faith."  Therefore, a confident person is one who walks in faith.  We walk in faith that we are holy, chosen, redeemed, dearly loved children of God who are empowered by the Holy Spirit, equipped by our Maker, and enveloped by Jesus Christ.  Now that's an unshakable confidence.  

(Sharon Jaynes)

"Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant" 

(2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV). 

Words

“Words can destroy.  What we call each other ultimately becomes what we think of each other, and it matters.”
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick

“Words and eggs must be handled with care. Once broken they are impossible things to repair.”
Anne Sexton

"A word is dead when it is said, some say.  I say it just begins to live that day.”
Emily Dickinson

“Father, make me quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
James 1: 19

I was studying my Bible study today... Discerning the Voice of God.  This week is titled God's Voice Reveals His Plan.  It's amazing how God works.  We were supposed to start the study back on 01/05 but due to several women not being able to be there, it was put off a week.  

The first week it was just good to be back and enjoying the fellowship with everyone in the study. The second week is where all of these thoughts really come from.  God KNEW that I was going to need this particular study at this particular time in my life, but He especially knew that we should wait that extra week.  It's amazing how God has a plan for even the smallest (or so we think) things in our lives.

I know I have posted on here before how thankful I am for God placing us at Fleming.  I know it was His perfect plan for us!!!  I am so thankful for all the wonderful friends God has given me and my family through this church family... this is why today's study really spoke to me.  Here's just a small piece of what Priscilla Shirer had to say about a church family:

The church is the family of God and a mechanism through which He speaks to His children.  No Christian can accomplish God's complete purpose without being a member of a local church.  You were not born again into a family without siblings.  The church is God's family, set apart to have direct access to God, it is a very necessary part of hearing, understanding, and participating in the will of God.  Every member of the church has been specifically placed and gifted to accomplish those purposes in the world.  You are not a believer and a part of the family of God in this generation by chance.  God allowed you to be a part of a local group of believers so He can accomplish His tasks on earth.

"Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10: 24-25)

No matter what happens, God will prove himself the most loving father and best friend anyone could have. He IS enough! (Virelle Kidder)

Why do we forget this? It's not like He leaves us and says this is yours, you have to handle this one on your own. He NEVER tells us that, instead He says, "Do not fear, for I am with You; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with MY righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

Thank You Lord... not much more I can say.