Psalm 111:10 IBS

Wednesday July 30^th, 2014

Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”

            Fear. The immediate thought that most people have is being scared or not wanting to face that said fear. When it states “fear of the Lord” it really means to place trust in Him and know that He is God and that I am not. In verse five of this chapter it talks about fearing Him. It says, “He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant.” I don’t think the Lord would provide for us if we were scared of Him, but if we placed our trust in Him, then He’s got it covered. I just simply need to place my faith in Him.

            Job 28:28 says, “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.’” All of the Inductive Bible Studies for this week have tied in together, for me at least. God has just continually shown me something that I clearly need to grasp. I know all of these things, but doing IBS has brought a whole new perspective and understanding. God is good. Of course we have to ask for His wisdom, but we have to first fear the Lord. Placing our trust in Him is wise. He knows all and His plans are great.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give hope and a future.’”

            With searching for His trust first, seeking His commandments is important. The Bible is our sword and our protection. We learn a lot from diving into His word. God can give us so much wisdom in and through His word. Studying the Bible is the main way God speaks to us. Psalm 19:8-9 says, “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening to the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” His word is so powerful.

Application: What I see the Lord showing me through this is seeking Him and His word. To remember to extend my time with Him I will write “trust using the sword” on my hand. I can be sure to extend my personal time in the word and pray to grow my trust in Him.

Psalm 90:12 IBS

Tuesday July 29^th, 2014

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

            My life is just a snapshot in the files of the Lord. James 4:14-15 says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’” I do not know what will happen even in the next second. The fact of the matter is I need to live for Him 24/7. There is no break when it comes to living for the Lord, but it’s a joyous time. Even when I have “down time” and go watch T.V. (or as I did back at home), that is the Lord’s time.

I don’t even know if the people around me are angels. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” The thought that continually comes to my mind upon reading this is to be constantly serving the Lord. I never know who God puts before me and I know I am placed at certain places for a reason, I would hate to miss an opportunity to minister to someone. For example, in Acts chapter 8, when an Angel of the Lord told Phillip to go along a road, he went, not only went, but ran. I just need to take each opportunity in my days on earth to serve Him and bring others to Him.

            The second part of this verse talks about gaining a heart of wisdom. In order to do that I need to be serving the Lord all the time. I believe in spending all my time with God I will gain His wisdom. In the previous Inductive Bible Study, James 3:13-17, I discovered that I need to seek out His wisdom and His ways. If I am consistently searching for what God has I can ultimately gain a heart of wisdom. I will learn new things daily and gain knowledge in Him.

Application: To remind myself that my days are numbered and that I need to do be constantly seeking Him, I will write on my hand “look up” with the pound sign by it.

James 3:13-17 IBS

Monday July 28^th, 2014

James 3:13-17 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

            Wisdom is such an important thing in our walks as Christians. Having knowledge of God and His word is a major thing, but having it in boasting or just to show off is not from the Lord. The word that stands out to me in these verses is meekness. Meekness is humility. To me that is very important. We want to be humble through everything, for everything belongs to the Lord.

            Another thing that stands out to me is self-seeking. In everything we do, we have to do it unto the Lord as Colossians 3:23 says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men.” Just having a self-seeking desire is not from the Lord. This isn’t our world, its God’s. I tend to think the whole world revolves around me from time to time. I know it doesn’t obviously, but my flesh comes in and when something doesn’t go the way I thought it would, I tend to get annoyed. I know with my mind that the Lord’s plan is always better, it just takes some time for me to let it sink into my heart.

            That brings me to the point of not relying on what we know as humans. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall make your paths straight.” We don’t have to rely on our own understandings, we are blessed to place that on God. 1 Peter 5:7 says to, “cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.” His way is the best way. We should ask for His wisdom. His wisdom is pure, then peaceable, gentle willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

            This leads me to think of the fruits of the Spirit that we did last week on Galatians 5:22-23. God’s wisdom bears good fruits like love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This all ties in together, self-control will help with not self-seeking. I need to make sure I have a committed Spirit like Psalm 51:10, “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” And I need to ask for God’s wisdom, for God to allow me to see things the way He does and to have His mindset.

Application: In knowing that God’s mindset is greater than mine, I will write He is greater than I on my hand to remind myself to seek out His wisdom and not my own or of this world.

Matthew 6:30-34 IBS

Friday July 25^th, 2014

Matthew 6:30-34 “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ‘Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

            Anxiety is a common thing in all of us that is hard to get rid of, but with the Lord, it’s not. God knows exactly what we need and when we need it. I always like to tell myself its God’s time, not my time. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.” I tend to take situations and put it in my own hands first and that’s the problem. When everything went down with my family and I grew closer to God, I felt the need to take on all of their burdens and tell them to just seek the Lord. I later discovered that that wasn’t my place, I simply needed to pray, and that’s what I’ve been doing since. Even through that situation I sill struggle to give things to the Lord.

            For example, right now I still need to raise more money for the rest of this trip. I always tell myself to not worry because it’s in God’s hands and I don’t even know where I will be going for the six months yet and that can change things (money wise). Wherever God sends me, I know He will provide, it’s just a matter of reminding myself daily. I also worry about where I’m going to be going after this year is done. That brings up the ending of these verses, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” I have to remember to take things one day at a time and first seek God’s righteousness. Psalm 119:105 is my favorite verse and it says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” With certain oil lamps there is only enough oil for the day and the light only shines one step ahead of you. That’s always an illustration I like to remember. I need to allow myself not even have a second thought of what’s going to happen tomorrow, because I’m not guaranteed tomorrow. James 4:14 says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

            Application: I need to allow God to have control. He only gives me the light that shines one step ahead. Psalm 119:105, being my favorite verse I already have it memorized, so to keep the illustration in mind of the oil lamp I will draw a light bulb on my hand/arm. Yes a light bulb is not an oil lamp, but a light bulb is easier to draw! Hehe J

Acts 8:15-16 IBS

Thursday July 24^th, 2014

Acts 8:15-16 "who, when they has come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

            The Jews and Samaritans clash...a lot. John 4:9 says, “Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, ‘How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” Yet when the apostles heard that Samaria had received God, they sent Peter and John to pray for them. I think this is a good example on how we as Christians should respond when someone we don’t really get along with comes to know the Lord. Of course it’s how we should respond, but it’s a good reminder to not only rejoice when they do, but be in prayer for them. Specifically that the Holy Spirit will come upon them. Peter and John are a great example here as to how I would like to be. Before the Holy Spirit can come upon then, a baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus needs to happen.

Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change. You usually do that when you first come to the Lord or as you feel led to express that to the world. I believe you can be baptized more than once. Being baptized is between you and the Lord, I feel it’s a renewing of yourself. Before you can receive the Holy Spirit, you must first come to the Lord and renew yourself. You can then be baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is with us always, but only when you accept Christ is when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. What I see in this is that I need to continually renew myself in the Lord and then be filled with the Spirit. I feel repenting can be a huge aspect in renewing myself. I want to be like Jesus.

What is generally seen here is a baptism and then a filling of the Holy Spirit. What I see now in diving deeper is an example on how to humble myself to be able lift those up in prayer who I generally don’t get along with. Also, to renew myself in the Lord in repenting.

Application: There’s a few applications that can apply to this, but one is more for a daily use rather than when someone comes to know the Lord. I can allow myself to be renewed in Him in repenting like I stated earlier. Obviously, repentance should occur often, but I want to be broken when I don’t please Him. In reminding myself to be broken for Him I can write “Break my heart for what breaks Yours” on my hand. That way I can look down and see that I need to do a 180 for Him when I sin.

Galatians 5:22-23 IBS

Wednesday July 23, 2014

Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." 

            The fruit of the Spirit…we’re not talking literal fruit, we’re talking what the Holy Spirit can bring upon us. I tend to sometimes allow my flesh to get in the way of what the Holy Spirit can really do. Essentially it is the Lord of course, but He fills us with the Holy Spirit. When I say I let my flesh get in the way, I really mean it gets in the way; I am blinded. For example, in verse 20 of this chapter, it mentions jealousies. I tend to allow something as small as someone else’s clothes to make me jealous. In doing this, I am allowing my flesh to come upon me instead of the Holy Spirit.

            The Spirit can offer so much more to conquer my flesh. He offers love, an act of putting someone else before yourself. Joy, a sense of happiness (in the Lord). Peace, a calming reassurance. Longsuffering, an act of waiting for what the Lord has for you (patience). Kindness, a sense of compassion in acting towards others. Goodness, of what the Lord has to offer (His son). Faithfulness, in trusting in the Lord. Gentleness, a nice way to approach things. Self-control, being able to allow God to have the reins and not myself.

            Asking for each of these virtues to be a part of my life is one thing, but to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit that has those virtues is another. I need to put myself in a position to be committed to the Lord and not focused on the things of this world. Of course I have to be in the world to be a blessing, otherwise what would be the point of God putting me here, but I should not be of the world. Psalm 51:10 states, “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” A steadfast spirit is a committed spirit. I want to not only pray for the Spirit to fill me, but to be able instill love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control on other people. Having the Holy Spirit in me can shine the light of these aspects and essentially bless them. Only through their own prayers can the Lord allow the Holy Spirit to come upon them, but knowing that I can shine that light is incredible.

            Without each of these aspects of the Holy Spirit, there is no law, no order. All of these are a sense of how we should be living. How do we expect to live without a law and sense of peace? God is the law and our peace. Prayer is the key to let the Holy Spirit be within us and to have each piece shine through us, thanks to the Lord.

Application: Today I need to have a committed spirit. I want to be seeking Him continually so I can have each of those aspects in my life. I can do this by prayer of course and memorizing Psalm 51:10 and Galatians 5:22-23.

Hebrews 11:6 IBS

Tuesday July 22, 2014

Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a re-warder of those who diligently seek Him."

Faith. What is faith? It is believing in something that you cannot see. Faith is trust. All the things God calls us to do in our lives takes faith. Without that trust (faith) in the Lord where are you at? How can you do something without taking that step of faith? This word, faith can be used so lightly and it is better said than done, but knowing that you cannot please God without that faith is unbearable. I want my heart to break for what breaks His heart.

It’s crazy to think that all the people throughout the Bible went out and did incredible things just by faith in the Lord. Just the example of Noah blows me away! He listened to God and trusted that He would protect Him through the storm; literally. That makes me think of storms figuratively. All of us go through trials and tribulations, a lot of them are tests from the Lord, but that’s where we have to put our trust in Him. For me personally, experiencing my parents’ divorce was challenging, but by the grace of God and trusting in Him, I have such a stronger relationship with Him. He showed me to keep faith in Him and that He can turn ashes into beauty. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” God gave me that peace. It was a reminder of what Jesus has done for me and regardless of the bad things that happen, I am blessed and that I need to trust Him even though the situation may be rough.

With the faith in the Lord, we can conquer anything! Just like Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” As cliché as this verse is, it is true. Anything God places before you is accomplishable, with faith in Him. Taking the step to come to Guatemala and dedicate a year to God took a lot of faith, and I’m continuing to keep that faith in Him. I know that He will do great things in and through me. All glory goes to Him though, without Him showing me how much I can do in Him and without the faith, I would not be here.

In knowing that faith is a key thing, He rewards those who diligently seek Him. In order to have that trust in the Lord, seeking Him frequently is important. It’s not even the fact of receiving a reward, it’s just knowing God loves us so much that we simply have to put our faith in Him. Just seeing what He has revealed to me in this one verse makes me want to dive deeper into His word. Allow Him to show me things that I’ve never seen before.

Application: I know I have my faith in the Lord, but I would like to strengthen that. I would like to step out of my comfort zone even more and see what He can show me. More specifically though, I would like to seek the Lord more diligently. Just coming here I have done that so much more than at home, but I want to spend even more time with Him. I can do this by extending my personal devotion time and go deeper into His word and see what it is the Lord has to teach me!