Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Anchored in Truth

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

Yesterday and today have been hard days for me. We had planned a long weekend trip to MD to see our son and his family, but last night, our son texted me that our DIL has strep, so we need to postpone our trip. At first I was in the doldrums about it. We had already missed having Christmas with them because the toddler was sick. We waited until my medical appointments for after Christmas were done and were all ready to head to MD…but, change of plans. If I were not anchored in the truth of God’s love for me, this whole scenario would have sent me spinning into depression. Those days are gone though. Now, when bad news comes, I take it to the Lord and ask Him to help me to handle it properly and to have a good attitude even in the midst of my disappointment. I want to be so close to God that when the storm rages around me, I don’t even feel the raindrops falling. My prayer is that you are anchored in the Only One who can hold you up when all around you is topsy turvy. God bless you!

Anchored

If you’ve spent any time on a boat in the ocean, you know what it feels like to look up from the water, and suddenly realize you’ve drifted off course.

Without an anchor, there’s nothing to hold you in place.

Likewise, the ever-shifting waves of the world’s opinions can feel just as fluid and unsteady as the sea. When a storm rages, it can feel impossible to discern what’s up from what’s down—much less recognize God’s will.

In his letter to believers in Rome, where cultural trends were just as wobbly as ours are today, the apostle Paul wrote this:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So how can you renew your mind with the right stuff? How can you test and approve God’s will? Here are a few ideas:

Keep listening. You can know the story of God and understand the heart of God by reading or listening to His Word. You’re more susceptible to lies when you do not know the truth. But when you’re anchored to Truth, lies lose their power.

Keep talking. As honest and raw as possible, keep talking to God throughout your day. Ask Him your hard questions, come to Him with your burdens, and worship Him for His goodness, as well as the goodness you see around you. Communication with your Creator keeps you anchored to your Creator.

Keep learning. You can stay curious while also filtering what kind of information you put into your mind. You can pay attention to what you’re watching, what you’re listening to, and who you’re allowing to speak into your life.

You can resist drifting by anchoring yourself to the Truth—the words that come from God Himself.

Talk to God about Everything

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

I am really enjoying my daily time with God and I do try to talk to Him about everything. Sometimes, I tell Him how joyful and thankful I am. Sometimes, I tell Him all about my anxiety and problems. And other times, I just vent and tell Him that I am frustrated at how long He is taking to answer a prayer. I used to think that I had to always hide my true feelings before God, just being totally respectful and quietly asking for my prayers to be answered. Then, the more I read God’s Word, the more I saw that great men in the Bible like David just told God exactly how they were feeling. And God did not immediately destroy them for their honesty. He understood. I know that He understands me, too, when I am feeling overwhelmed with one health issue after another or when I am disappointed that plans to visit family did not work out. God is a big and loving God who knows us intimately and loves us. So the next time you spend time with God, tell Him everything that’s on your heart…He will listen compassionately and give you peace and comfort in the situation, no matter what it may be.

What does God want you to do with your life?

The only way to know God’s will is by getting to know Him. It’s through drawing near to God that His guidance becomes evident. There isn’t one correct way to do that, but there are steps we can take that will help.

Seek God through Prayer.
Think about a close friend. If you’ve known them for a while, you know what they like and dislike without asking. The closer you are to someone, the more you understand them. The same goes for our relationship with God. Knowing God’s will comes from having honest conversations with Him. That’s why we need to get into the habit of talking to Him regularly, about everything.

Search the Scriptures.
God’s will for your life will never contradict what is written in Scripture. So as you get to know God through prayer, familiarize yourself with His Word. The more you study the Bible, the more your desires will begin to reflect God’s will. And when this happens, you can confidently ask God anything—and He will hear you.

Listen to the Holy Spirit.
Listening for the Holy Spirit often requires silencing the noise around you. When you get rid of distractions and stop fixating on fear, you start to notice God’s peaceful presence in your present circumstances. So as you pray and search the Scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, and allow God to silence any distractions. (And if you want to practice intentionally seeking the Holy Spirit, try the YouVersion Guided Prayer feature.)

Look for confirmation from wise people.
Consider inviting people who are further ahead in their faith journey to be your “wise counsel.” Ask them to seek God’s will for your life with you. This step must be done alongside the previous ones. Seeking wise advice should confirm what you sense God is already telling you to do—it should not take the place of talking directly to God.

You may not always get it right, but the more you try to understand God’s will, the easier it becomes. When your desires align with God’s desires, He can trust you to do what is right. Applying these steps will help you, but discovering God’s will is a lifelong commitment that requires seeking God every day.

Store Up God’s Word in Your Heart

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App3 Comments

When I was in college and dating my future husband, we got to know each other through letters. I know that hardly anyone writes letters these days, but Harry and I would write to each other at least twice a week. I looked forward to getting the letters from him, the news that told me what he was doing and how things were going for him on his navy ship. We also talked to each other several times a week, in an era when there were no cell phones and every long distance call had a cost attached to it. Why were we so dedicated to this communication? Because we wanted to know each other better.

That is why I cannot emphasize enough the importance of reading God’s Word and spending time talking to Him in prayer. God will always be a stranger to you if you don’t take the step to get to know Him. His Word is His love letter to us. Prayer is our long distance call to Him. Getting to know more about God and His character, His purpose for you and your life, the reason His sent Jesus…all are found between the pages of the Holy Bible. I hope that this is the year you become better acquainted with God. It doesn’t matter how many times I have read the Bible all the way through. Each time I read it again, I learn something new because His Spirit gives me new insight into God and His great love for me as well as into actions that I need to take to be the person He wants me to be. So, if you make resolutions, resolve to read the Bible daily. After all, it’s hard to love someone that you aren’t spending time getting to know.

Loving God’s Word

When we want to learn a new skill, we take care to learn everything we can about that subject.

Artists try different supplies and techniques to enhance their art. Musicians practice their music measure by measure, note by note, in order to memorize and perfect the song they are learning. Architects and engineers memorize and practice advanced math in order to design and build safe structures.

We give our time and minds to things so that we can use them well.

King David wanted to know God. He knew in order to know God, he would need to know God’s Word, because he knew that Scripture would keep him from sinning against God. He even wrote:

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”
Psalm 119:15 ESV

This is a valuable lesson for us to learn as well: if we want to know God, to know Jesus, then we need to know God’s Word.

Just as we give our minds to the study of history or math, or we practice an instrument in order to play it well, we must also give our minds and time to knowing God’s Word. We should meditate on Scripture and fix our eyes on what Jesus has taught us. When we do this, we store up His wonderful Word in our hearts and it keeps us from sinning against Him.

We can know exactly what God wants and desires for us by reading Scripture.

His Word gives us boundaries, guidance, and direction. His Word shows His purposes and character. His Word reveals to us who He is, and we get to respond with joy and obedience. So today, what will you give your time to? In what ways will you store up God’s Word in your heart?

Joyful

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

In this season of celebration and joy, it seems that we should ponder the reason for our joy-filled hearts. The Scripture gives the answer.

When we fear the Lord, showing Him the reverence He deserves as our Creator and the One who sustains us, we are joyful. When we follow His ways, we are joyful. How do we know His ways? We read His Word and spend time talking to Him in prayer. You cannot get to know someone when you never communicate with them.

So, instead of a season of joy that lasts a few days or a few weeks, let’s be joyful every day because we know the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and we are following Him, all the way to eternity!

My Strength Forever

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

I say “Yes and Amen, Lord” to this scripture verse. It is one to hold on to when your body seems to be going the wrong way. I laughed the other day when my husband told me that once you turn seventy, your “check engine” light comes on and doesn’t go off. Funny analogy, right? I prefer to think that as I age, the pains remind me that I am closer to my eternal home where there will be no more pain, no more doctors’ visits and no more tears of frustration over yet another medical condition. We cannot hold on to this life, but we can hold on to God and His promises in His Word!

Trusting God through Pain

Have you ever experienced deep pain? Maybe you or someone you know received a painful diagnosis. Or perhaps you or someone you know is living with lifelong pain.

All of us experience pain, sickness, and suffering in our life. It’s part of our human experience because of the effects of sin on creation. Every single person will experience death, pain, and sickness.

However, in the midst of those things, God promises to be with us. The Psalmist gives us an incredible promise in Psalm 73:26. Even though our flesh and heart will fail, God promises to be our strength and portion forever.

That means God is working in our life to strengthen us. Scripture tells us that one day, God will make everything new (Revelation 21:5). The world will be like He intended it to be–free of pain, suffering, and death. God will restore all things.

So, while we experience pain and suffering in this life, we can have hope and look forward to the restoration of all things–especially the resurrection of our bodies. The God who created us from the inside out and knows everything about us will restore our bodies to perfection when we join Him in heaven.

Take a moment to reflect on the frailty of your earthly body. Give thanks to God for creating you and giving you life. Just like the Psalmist, ask Him to be your strength and your portion forever. Remember that He cares for you and loves you. Take hope that one day, He will restore all things, including our pain and suffering.

Representative of Christ

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

I don’t know about you but I am a little fed up with people who say that they represent me in Congress or in the state legislature, but infrequently have they actually asked me how I feel about things and voted the way that I would vote. Maybe it’s because they don’t really know me?

As Christians, we are called to be representatives of Christ to a lost world. We can do that because we know Him through His Word and He knows us because we are His. If we are truly Christians, He communicates with us daily and we should be communicating with Him all day long. Then, we go out into the world and open our mouths and our representation of Christ may not be so obvious. In today’s world of technology, we can just sit at home and represent Christ, or not represent Him well, as the case may be.

Look at this verse carefully. It doesn’t say, “and when you know the Father is listening” or “when you are around other believers.” It says whatever you do or say. That means in person and online. I used to post a lot of things on Facebook that would offend some people because that particular meme or graphic represented my beliefs. Now, I post scripture and about books and family. Not politics to a random audience online who only sees what I post and judges me by what I am posting. I ask myself now before I speak (online or in person) if what I am saying is a good representation of Christ or if I should just keep my mouth shut. More often than not, the Spirit tells me to clam up and keep my personal opinions to myself because they are not edifying Christ.

How about you? Are you ready to make a commitment to be a good representative of Christ wherever you are and whatever you say or do? A new year is coming and it would be a great resolution to make, and one you could actually keep with the help and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We are called to be good representatives of Christ, not the ones whom He will one day turn His back on and say He never knew us.

God’s Covenant Is Forever

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture1 Comment

If you are reading this and think that you don’t know what a covenant is, I am almost sure that you do, but you may not have used that exact word. A covenant is another word for a binding agreement, a contract or a promise. Anyone who is married has entered into a covenant relationship with their spouse, for example. God entered into a covenant with Abraham when He promised that his seed would be as numerous as the sand. He entered into a covenant with David when He promised that someone from his lineage would be on the throne forever. And He entered into a covenant with us when He sent Jesus to die for our sins; our part of that agreement was to accept the sacrifice. God does not make promises lightly because he always keeps them. Always and in all ways!

God has promised us unfailing love…we cannot escape this promise if we just hold on to it. We have to listen to find life. To what do we listen? To God speaking to us in His Word. Within the cover of the Holy Bible is where all of His promises and His covenant agreements with us can be found. You cannot know what they are unless you read and study His Word. What if you suddenly discovered that you owned valuable property but had never been shown the contract so you were unaware of it? That is what it’s like to never claim the promises of God’s Word. They are meant for each of us, His children, but we have to know them and know that God’s love has provided them for us.

God is faithful. We look around at mankind and see few examples of faithfulness. Most people who call themselves public servants are actually just serving themselves and their own desire for glory, fame and riches. God doesn’t need our worship. We need Him because He is the One we can count on to always be faithful and to always keep His covenant. God is still working out His purpose in our lives every day. We need to help Him fulfill the best for our lives by getting in step with His plan, not insisting that He bless the plan that we have come up with ourselves. God is a faithful, covenant-keeping God and for that I am eternally grateful.

Hosanna!

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song2 Comments

All the World Awaits (Hosanna)-Chris Tomlin

I am so happy that today I finally feel well enough to put up and decorate our Christmas tree! The lights on the tree represent the lights that shone in the Heavens when the angels announced the birth of our Savior. The angel on top represents the heavenly host that came to earth to proclaim His birth. The ornaments represent the gifts that were given to baby Jesus. And the green tree…that is the best of all! It represents never dying, eternal life is now possible because the Messiah was born and came to save us from our sins. Hosanna in the Highest!