Saved by Grace

Do you ever fear that your past mistakes or shortcomings will prohibit you from receiving an answer to your prayers? Do you hold a false belief that you are unworthy or undeserving of God’s promises to his children? Friend, if either of these lies holds space in your head, let me give you a giant dose of truth: God is a merciful Heavenly Father, who is abounding in grace and has good things in store for those whose hearts belong to Him.

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. (Psalm 37:23-24 NLT)

Whenever these negative or critical thoughts try to invade your mind and steal your joy, go to God’s Word and see what He says about the issue or concern at hand. There is historical evidence throughout the Bible that proves God does not allow a person’s failure to define them or disqualify them as useful in furthering His kingdom.  God doesn’t expect perfection from us. As our creator, He knows how weak we are; He remembers that we are only dust. (Psalm 103:14)

God is most concerned with the attitude of our hearts. (Proverbs 4:23) The person in whom God delights is one who:

• follows God

We all have weak places, fault lines in our lives. These places of instability are the very places the enemy searches for when He is looking for prey. (1 Peter 5:8) If we allow Him, God will expose and confront the cracks in our character and fill the gaps with the safety of His love. (Luke 7:47) It is through the whispering of His Spirit in our hearts that He alerts us to danger and exposes the fallibility of our self-efforts.

If we would like to have God direct our way, then we must seek His advice before we step out. As with any relationship, a personal relationship with God develops over time. The depth of the relationship is dependent upon the amount of time and effort we invest getting to know God and understand His character.  It is our faith in Christ as our Messiah and our love for the Son of God that, despite our obvious shortcomings, we have great potential to be used by God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

“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.”

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.” – Goethe.

As you might expect, the blog theme for November is thankfulness and gratitude.  While the topic is traditional, I am hopeful that the path I plan to lead you down will be fresh and new.

My foremost desire is for those I know and love to come to know and love Jesus personally.  The personal and intimate Jesus that shows up in the lives of those who earnestly seek, submit and surrender to Him.  I pray that God will give you a fresh revelation of His love for you as we set out on a quest to discover and appreciate the treasure of His presence in every part of our daily lives.

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none * of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. ~ Psalm 103:1-5

Psalm 103 is a beautiful soliloquy in which King David expresses heartfelt praise and sincere gratitude of the soul for the goodness of God.  The Hebrew word for “soul” in the first verse, nephesh, refers to the inner being of a man; the seat of emotions and passion; the activity of the mind and will.  From his opening words, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name,” David declares that he is “all in.”  He has personally experienced the goodness of God in every area of his life, and lip service just won’t do.

The focus of my gratitude this week is on change.  Specifically, I am thankful that God can transform our lives and change our circumstances yet, He never changes.  In Hebrews 6:16-19 we learn that it is impossible for God to lie, He is immutable.  God’s promises are unchanging and trustworthy because He is unchanging and trustworthy.  So, when the world around us begins to change, and the wind throws us into a storm that nearly turns us back into dust, we can rest assured that God is with us.  Our hope is secure when God and His Word is our anchor.  Because we know He works all things together for good to those, who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. ~ Romans 26-28 The Message

Like a thread in a tapestry, I can see this Trut

A happy and blessed woman is fearless in her pursuit of God and His will for her life.

Oh, how happy is the one who has tasted and seen the glory of God. (Psa. 34:8)   A blessed woman by all accounts because she has intimate knowledge of the Lord’s love for her. (Eph. 1:17) She knows her God will never lose sight of her; therefore, she has no reason to fear anything or anyone. (Deu. 31:6)  Her heart is rooted and established in God and grounded by His faithfulness; she is fearless! (Isa. 41:10)

Do you know this woman?  If not, take a moment and re-read her description and see if her identity comes to mind. Is it still a mystery to you? Okay, here is the big reveal: It’s you, it’s me, it’s who God created us to be!

To learn more about becoming a bold and fearless woman of God we turn to the 112 chapter of Psalms.  This psalm falls into the category of a Hallelujah psalm, an acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who choose to revere and glorify God by living a righteous life.

[1] Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. [2] Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. [3] Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. [4] Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. [5] Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. [6] Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. [7] They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. [8] Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. [9] They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor. [10] The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

The Hebrew word  used in place of “fear” in Psalm 112 is yare’ which means to stand in awe of God and have a constant reverence for His majesty.  Those who reverently fear the Lord and respect His commands find themselves in their “element.”  In other words, when we are walking in the Lord’s will, we are more satisfied and fulfilled in what we are doing than at any other time in our lives.  Serving the Lord and being obedient to what He calls us to do becomes an absolute

Fear is not an attribute of love.  This is true in any relationship but even more so, when we are referring to our relationship with the Lord.  What we believe about God determines our quality of life and whether or not we fulfill our divine purpose.  God is not a god of fear but a God of Love.  We have to know that He loves us so fear won’t control us.   

There is an aspect of fear towards God that perfect love wants to eliminate in our lives.  Because the type of agonizing fear that involves punishment steals our joy and robs us of our confidence before God.  God wants to crush this crippling fear with his unconditional and unchanging love.  The apostle John is very specific in describing this type of fear, in 1 John 4:18 he writes,

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” (NLT)

When we have a fear-based relationship with God, performance drives the relationship.  As a result, when we are good, we think God loves us, and when we don’t measure up, we doubt His love.  Because we are never confident in our standing with God, it’s often easier to turn away from Him completely.  Some of the most common fears that drive us away from God are fear of rejection, punishment, missing out, failure, judgment, lack, criticism, not being good enough, and being abandoned.

If we want to live a life deeply rooted in faith, we must have an accurate view of God.  A distorted view of God causes big problems because it affects every area of our lives:

The way we view God is heavily influenced by the relationship and experiences with our earthly fathers.  A negative and painful relationship with our earthly fathers tends to distort our views of God.

Was your father authoritarian?

Authoritarian fathers can inadvertently influence their children to rebel against God.

Was your father abusive?

Abusive fathers can inadvertently influence their children to have difficulties trusting God and relating to him emotionally.

Was your father distant or passive?

Distant or passive fathers can inadvertently influence their children to view God as uninvolved in their lives.

Was your father absent?

Absent fathers can inadvertently influence their children to believe that God is neglecting or has abandoned them

If we know how completely God loves us, we don’t need to fear. He will never allow anything to take place in our

I heard a story about a Master and His crew who decided to sail across a beautiful and tranquil lake to rest at the end of a long day. After pushing away from the shore, the Master fell asleep, entrusting His experienced crew with the task of navigating them to the other side of the lake.

Not long after, the men began to tremble with fear as the skies grew dark and the wind started to howl. A sudden storm emerged from the clouds, churning the waters sending violent waves crashing over the side of the small fishing vessel. Despite being experienced fisherman, their confidence gave way to panic.  Clenching onto anything they could find for stability, the crew began to doubt their sleeping Master’s commitment to their safety. In fear and frustration, they cried out to Him, “Save us, we are going to drown!”  The Master responded, “Why are you such cowards, such faint-hearts?” Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: “Silence!” The sea became smooth as glass. The men rubbed their eyes, astonished. “What’s going on here? Wind and sea come to heel at his command! (Matthew 8:26-27 MSG)

Tears fill my eyes as I imagine standing with the disciples as Jesus caught them in the act of unbelief. Being afraid of the storm was understandable, but their lack of trust in Jesus was not. Despite seeing Jesus perform miracles earlier that day, the disciples did not believe that His power applied to their situation.

Like the Sea of Galilee: Life on earth can be beautiful and tranquil at times, yet turbulent and frightening at others. Believers and non-believers alike are both susceptible to fear. Unless our strength and confidence are anchored in who we know God to be, we will fold like a cheap suit at the first sign of fear. When we trust God as we should trust Him, there is little room left for fear.

According to Biblegateway.com, there are 5,467 promises of God in the Bible.  Promises that are immutable, just like God’s character. The best way to defend ourselves against fear is to meditate and pray God’s promises back to Him. Using a concordance in your Bible, you can look up scriptures by topic and pick one that is relevant to your specific need. Isaiah 41:10 is a powerful scripture to cling to in any circumstance and has become one of my favorite anchor scriptures.

Isaiah 41:10 (NASB) ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

This verse is filled with directives followed by promises:

True faith is a by-product of a personal relationship with Jesus. An intimate, daily relationship rooted in His love for us and His glorious goodness.

In the book of Mark, we see Jesus on the move, performing miracles that demonstrate His authority over sin, sickness, death, demons, and nature. He performs miracles that reveal His heart of compassion toward those humble enough to admit their weakness and acknowledge His power and identity as the Messiah.

Being a Believer isn’t about having faith in religion, it’s about having a relationship with Jesus. ~ Kelly Kirby

In the 5th chapter of Mark, one of the miracles Jesus performs involves a local synagogue leader named Jairus and his gravely ill 12-year-old daughter. Mark 5:22-24a records the following:

“Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. (emphasis added) 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.’ So Jesus went with him…”

As leader of the local synagogue, we can safely assume Jairus had close ties to the Pharisees, a group of religious leaders known for their self-righteous religion and pride. The Pharisees put pressure on synagogue leaders not to support Jesus or his Messianic claims. They despised Jesus because His message of grace was in direct opposition to their legalistic teachings.

My heart races and my pulse quickens as I visualize this heroic demonstration of a father’s love for his dying daughter. I can almost hear the collective gasp of the crowd as Jairus defies the Pharisees and illustrates extreme faith by humbling himself before Jesus.

The story of Jairus is momentarily interrupted by another miracle of healing. While walking through the crowd toward Jairus’ home, a woman suffering from 12 years of bleeding reached out to touch Jesus’ robe. Jesus felt the healing power leave His body and asked who touched his robe. Trembling with fear, the woman came forward and fell to her knees in front of Jesus and admitted what she had done. Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” (Mark 5:34 NLT)

While Jesus was still speaking with the woman, messengers from Jairus’ home arrived with discouraging news. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” (Mark 5:35) At this point, Jairus’ situation was beyond hope in the natural. However, Jesus wanted it to be this way so He could illustrate His power over death. Jesus offers hope and promise to Jairus’ in his moment of crisis,

“But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synag

If we want to grow in our faith and become the mighty women of God He has called us to be; we are going to have to choose between fear and faith.  Fear is a barrier to receiving all the good things God has promised to His children.

Fear is that uneasy feeling, an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger, inadequacy or inability.  It is the number one thing that keeps us from succeeding in life.  Fear steals our joy, robs us of our peace of mind, and it snuffs out our passion and commitment to our divine callings.

More than any other command in the Bible, God urges His children to live without fear.  There are more than 340 admonitory scriptures on fear in the ESV.  Throughout the Bible, God encourages us to look past our present circumstances that may justify fear in the natural and focus on who He says He is and what He says He can and will do.  Many promises of God are unconditional, but His promise of abundance and sufficiency in all things at all times is not:

These promises are contingent on our devotion to Him, and steadfast faith and trust in Him.

“Promised Land theology becomes an earthbound reality only to those who cash in their fear and complacency for the one ticket out of their long-inhabited wilderness” ~ Beth Moore, excerpt from Believing God

The simple truth is, we can’t overcome fear on our own, and God knows that.  Jesus asks His disciples explicitly, “Why are you afraid?” in Matthew 8:26.  He created us to be dependent upon Him in every way.  As believers in Christ, we have an enemy who specializes in seduction and deceit and leverages our worst fears for his best threats.   Although Believers already stand in victory through Christ’s sacrifice, we must engage in the struggle and hold our ground until His return.  It is a supernatural war and we need the supernatural strength of Christ within us to fight it.

God calls us to “…throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)  Thus, the first step in replacing fear with faith is to identify exactly what causes us to be afraid.  Once we identify it, we take it to God in prayer and ask Him to help us with our unbelief.  Ask Him to give us courage and boldness of faith to believe that He wants more for us than what a li

Times of trial can be looked at as periods of refining, perfecting us into the person we were created to be.  That sounds great but how do we realistically live this statement out in our daily lives?

I am reading the book, Red Sea Rules by Robert J. Morgan. The purpose of the book is to provide Christians 10 biblically based strategies to help us get through times of trial in our lives. I am loving this book and have found it extremely helpful in navigating through the most painful and challenging season of life to date.

In today’s podcast, I share how Red Sea Rule #5: Stay calm and confident and give God time to work,” has provided strength when I needed it most. In following the steps outlined in this chapter, I have been able to take my eyes off my problem and instead, focus on My God, my problem solver. Making this intentional shift has allowed me to finally, move beyond the pain and disappointment of yesterday. Now, I am finding joy, excitement and anticipation in what lies ahead in the beautiful tapestry of my life that My God is weaving just for me.

Key points:

Faith raises the soul above the difficulty, straight to God Himself and enables one to stand still. We gain