Author: vicklea

I love to read! I’m a retired teacher with a spouse of 45 years, three amazing children and nine wonderful grandchildren. I am blessed!

It Takes a Lifetime: Power, Love, Self-Discipline

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

I confess that as a new Christian, I was one of those people who expected God to change me instantly into who He wanted me to be. But life with God is a journey, a daily experience wherein we make choices and continue to grow and mature. We may stumble and fall, but we pick ourselves up and keep going. It takes a lifetime of depending on God’s power, leaning into His love and practicing self-discipline in order to ultimately arrive at our final and glorious destination.

Power, Love, and Discipline

One of the miracles of salvation is that when we have faith in Christ, God not only saves us—He also gives us the power to live according to His will for us. Your life in Christ is one that is empowered by the Holy Spirit living within you.

This is a great gift, but a big shift. It often takes time to change how we think and act. We may have bad habits that take hard work to correct, or patterns of thought that are challenging to break.

Thankfully, God promises to be with us and to empower us to make these changes in our life. When Paul is writing to his mentee Timothy, he encourages him to continue to develop the gift that God has given to him. While we are saved in an instant, it takes a lifetime to develop and work out what God is doing inside of us.

In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul reminds Timothy that God’s Spirit does not give us fear or cowardice. Those things are tools of the devil who is trying to keep us from God. But the Spirit of God empowers us with confidence in Him. He gives us the power to live out the purposes of God in our life. This power is one that we need to continually remember as we face challenges.

The Spirit of God also empowers us to love others. It can be difficult to love people, especially those who may have hurt us. But God promises to give us His power and love so that we can be a light to everyone around us.

God’s Spirit also empowers us with self-discipline. We won’t experience spiritual change and growth if we don’t train and practice—but that takes time, dedication, and endurance. We need to be consistent in doing the things that God asks us to do, including reading God’s Word and talking to Him. Thankfully, when we belong to God, He helps us. He gives us the strength, stamina, and soundness of mind to build habits that help us become more like Him.

Today, take some time to talk with God. Ask Him to empower you by His Spirit towards power, love, and self-discipline. Consider how God is leading you to change the way you live. As you do that, remember that God doesn’t give us fear. He fills us with love because He wants us to experience a confident relationship with Him.

Cling to Hope

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App6 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/46391/day/3

When all seems lost and you feel abandoned, cling to hope. Your hope is in eternity with God, not having everything you want here on earth. Bad things will happen because they happen to everyone. Just cling to hope.

I got to my sister’s apartment yesterday afternoon and settled in to visit. Unfortunately, I ended up in urgent care for almost four hours (waiting to be seen) because of a urinary tract infection that was causing bleeding. So, back on antibiotics I go, but I never stopped clinging to hope.

Follow God Past Your Understanding

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/46391/day/2

With our finite minds, it is hard for us to understand when hard times come and God seems silent. He isn’t silent ever; rather, I think He is waiting for us to quiet our own hearts and minds so that we can hear His voice directing us. There is so much more to what is going on in our lives than what we can see. But our spiritual eyes have to be opened to appreciate God’s working things out for us. Thus begins the journey of faith and trust.

The Four Titles of Jesus

On By vickleaIn Scripture, worship1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13952/day/16

How can one read the prophecy in Isaiah and not worship Jesus as King? It boggles my mind that so many read this important passage once a year, usually at Christmas, and quickly pass over it to read the story of His birth in Luke 2. The prophecy that reminds us of His position on earth and in heaven is an important part of His story and thus an plays an important part in our salvation. Worship springs from a heart grateful for all He was, all He is and all He will be!

Downsize the Enemy and Right-Size God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13952/day/15

God is faithful and bigger than any problem we could ever face. But when we face challenges head on, we tend to look directly at the problem instead of seeking God and His answers. Defeat comes easily when we take our eyes off God, followed by discouragement and a falling away from our faith. Don’t be the one who makes a Goliath out of every challenge. See the problems for what they are are then remember how great God is in the midst of everything.

Now, a brief health report. My husband Harry got an abscessed tooth when we were in Maryland. He got antibiotics from our dentist to tide him over until we could get home and saw the dentist the following morning after our return. He has to go back on the tenth of July to get the cap taken off the tooth so the dentist can see whether there is any part of his tooth left that can be saved. He also has a referral to an endodontist and an oral surgeon. As far as my health goes, my legs are swelling significantly, so that is not a good sign, but it could just be the hot weather. I am wearing my compression stockings, paying attention to what I eat and ready to get the second kidney test done, which is on the twelfth. I also have to see the pulmonologist on the twenty-second because I am still suffering side effects from my reaction to Trelegy. Shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing a lot…the usual for asthma but it has been over a month with these symptoms. Finally, I have to see a vocal specialist as soon as I can get the referral through and get an appointment. Apparently, coughing for over a month has affected how I speak and I need speech therapy. Who knew? Anyway, all of these issues together look like one big whopping giant…but my God is bigger and able, and I am trusting Him to lead us both through this valley.

Meanwhile, can you please pray for a friend who has oral cancer that has now spread to her lungs and lymph nodes? She is a sweet, dear Christian who has suffered a lot with this horrible disease and is not facing chemo treatments. Another giant…but God will be there for her and see her through. God knows what she needs and I am praying that He will be close beside her through it all.

That is all for now…I am working on right-sizing God and I hope that you are, too!

Declaration of Trust and Dependence on God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

I am so thankful that the Lord is indeed my shepherd, and He does provide for all of my needs. When I am discouraged, He provides hope. When I am tired deep in my soul, He provides rest. When I am thirsty, He provides for me to be filled with living water from His Word. And when I am feeling lost on a pathway that seems to lead to nowhere, God shows us and shows me the right way to go. In knowing the Lord as my shepherd, I can be content, resting in the knowledge that He is in control and is truly taking care of me, even when life gets scary or challenging.

A Shepherd and His Flock

The 23rd Psalm is a powerful declaration of trust and dependence on God. Today, we’ll look at how the first few words reveal a core belief that to accept God as our shepherd, we acknowledge that He is the One who provides for our every need. He is the ultimate source of comfort, guidance, and protection. 

Just as a shepherd cares for his flock, tending to their every need and leading them to safe pastures, God also cares for us, His children.

The psalmist goes on to describe how God cares for His sheep. He makes us “lie down in green pastures,” a metaphor for providing rest and security. He leads us “beside quiet waters,” quenching our thirst and offering us peace. He “refreshes our soul,” restoring our inner strength and well-being.

One of the most comforting promises in Psalm 23 is that God “guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” Even when you are unsure of the way, you can trust that God will lead you in the right way (John 14:6). He will not allow you to wander into harm’s way, for His name’s sake.

How can knowing the Lord as your shepherd provide you with contentment when facing challenges? Repeat these words until they sink deep into your soul: The Lord is my shepherd, He will never leave me or forsake me. He will always provide for my needs and guide me on the right path.

Don’t Forget to Trust God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13952/day/13

I have been guilty of self-reliance, of making a plan and rushing like crazy to carry it out, only to find out that it was the wrong plan and at the wrong time. When we put our trust in God, we can be certain that any plans we make WITH Him will come to fruition. It’s when we make plans and leave God out that we get into trouble. Sometimes I think we make a plan and ask God to bless it instead of asking God to help us make a plan that He will be able to truly bless because He is in the center of it. Trusting God is paramount to making plans and to seeing them fulfilled.