IBS Week 16

Nick:

Ephesians 1:14 The spirit is Gods guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Father thank you for this morning in your word. Thank you for sending your son Jesus as the propitiation for our sins that we can be restored back to you and that we could be in your presence.

So that we can have peace and rest. Jesus thank for coming down and leaving all of your divine privileges to come down and save us from the power of sin and ourselves. Thank you for being obedient until the point death on the cross so that the promised spirit from long ago would be poured out on us. And spirit thank you for making your home within us and teaching us about the father. Without you spirit, I would be able to grasp and understand the things of God.

Julie:

Colossians 2:8 – “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ”

I used to ride the fence with what I believed about God.  I used to love learning different theories on who God was or where He came from.  But all that those questions do is drive me away from Him and make me doubt Him.  What I do know to be concrete in my heart is that the answers to the questions I have are too wonderful for my head to fathom.  They are too great for ANY human to comprehend.  Most of the questions we hear and repeat are just questions lacking faith.  They are questions that have been asked for centuries with no answers in sight.  (Ex. If God can make a rock too big to move, how does He move it?)  I do believe in questioning things and learning on our own, but God is something I cannot dissect and analyze.  He is not of this world, and not even the smartest of minds can figure Him out.  I am proud to say that I have given up the battle of my flesh in trying to make God something of this world.  It makes heaven that much more exciting to get to, in my opinion.  I do not want the enemy creeping into my mind and telling me I need to “figure out” God.  I am at peace knowing that He is real and that He loves and protects me.    

IBS Week 15

Nick:

Acts 3:16 “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed, and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus name has healed this man before his very name.

Lord Jesus I was saved in the power of your name. I know that what I am is because of you Jesus. But I don’t fully understand the power that comes from my faith in your name. I believe Lord but help me with my unbelief. I want to know more of you Jesus. I want a deeper and stronger faith in you. I read this passage and it is just somewhat mysterious to me. It is such a deep verse. This is where all of what you give us comes from, faith in your name. The only reason any of this Christian walk and experience is possible is because of what you did and are now doing through the power of your spirit.

Julie:

 Ephesians 6:1-3 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

This verse has been a great verse for us to teach Trent.  Trent wants to obey, but he needs help – as we all do.  The bible is a guide to every trouble, no matter the age.  We had always told Trent the command to “obey your father and mother”, and he has had to recite it back to us many of times as well.  But one thing that I never noticed was that this commandment was followed with a promise.  The original verse in Exodus 20 says “…that is may go well with you.”  Trent is still a child and doesn’t understand complete sacrifice, so I thought this was pretty neat that God would know exactly how to speak to a child so they would hear.  If they obey this command, then they get something.  How often is that our parenting technique?  We tell Trent all the time that we are trying to make his life easier in the future (that it may go well with you) and protect him (that you may live long in the land), and that is why he should obey us.  God not only laid out in His Word a motive for Trent to obey, but encouraged Nick and me in our parenting.

IBS Week 14

Nick:

Acts 2:11-12 both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs. and we all hear these people speaking their own languages about the wonderful things God has done! they stood there amazed and perplexed. “What does this mean?” They asked each other.

None of what we do or say holds any weight unless we are doing through the power of the Holy Spirit. I can just imagine the apostles telling the crowds all about Jesus and Gods wonderful mystery of the kingdom of God. Testifying to all of the miracles Jesus performed during his ministry on earth. Them sharing their testimonies of the saving power of Gods grace and how it can truly transform lives. God chose the ones who the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. God transformed the lives of these fisherman from Galilee. They were now here in Jerusalem, redeemed and transformed by the power of God into trophies of His grace for all the world see. What took place here Pentecost wasn’t just for these apostles once for all time. He wants to use our lives in the same way through the power of his spirit. We to are to consider and proclaim the wonderful things he has done for us. To testify to the things we have seen and heard from him.

Julie:

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 – “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”

When I read this verse, I was being pressed from every side by God.  I was in distress and skating the fine line between discouragement and depression.  If I could put this verse in a “Julie Version”, it would go something like this – “The walls are closing in from every side, but we are not crushed; confused, but not overwhelmed to discouragement; captured and beaten, but not abandoned by God; humbled to lowliness, but able to keep walking; we suffer like Jesus because He is manifested in us.”.  The first point is that we are never defeated – especially by death.  And even if death does take us, we have eternal life, so death still has not won us.  The second point is that we suffer like Jesus because He is in us.  We do not get the reward of having Jesus in us without having all of Jesus in us.  That includes not just the salvation, eternal life, and joy, but it also includes the flogging by family and friends, the pain and suffering needed to grow, and the humility of dying to self.  But once you know a life with Jesus in you, what better way to live?  As it says in Psalm 84:10, “For a day in your courts (or presence) is better than a thousand elsewhere.  I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”.  I have walked the path without Jesus in me, and it is hell in comparison to the hardest day with Him in me.  I pray I keep this perspective and grow more into it.

IBS Week 13

Nick:

1 Samuel 12:24 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider the wonderful things he has done for you.

As of recently the Lord had brought to my attention how lazy and irresponsible I have become. I have been making small compromises and neglecting the small things that the Lord has given me. I have been unfaithful in areas in which the Lord has given me to be faithful in. My perspective and my heart have been so far off from what God has intended for me. I know that he has great plans from me, but along the journey I have forgotten that to be given more I must be faithful in the little things. I have, in a sense, grown weary of doing good, of serving him. I’ve allowed myself to be distracted by things and people. Things that ultimately are temptations of the flesh and drag me way as James puts it in 1:14. The Lord by his gentleness has redirected my path and has brought to my attention the cliff I was getting to fall off of. There is a countless list of incredibly wonderful things He has done for me out of his boundless love. Because of this, Lord please restore my heart to you so that I can fear you and serve you faithfully with all my heart.

Julie:

2 Corinthians 3:3 – “And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tables of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

In the Old Testament, the people followed the law of Moses.  They followed the ten commandments that were written on stone tablets.  They kept their distance from God in the temple.  They sacrificed when they sinned.  But now, we worship a God who does not keep a veil between us.  We follow a God who has already accepted the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, His Son.  And most of all, we do not have to go back to the stone that the ten commandments were written on because they are now written on our heart.  We now live for a God that conquered death and defeated the grave.  The guilt and shame that we once carried around on our hearts is now replaced by hope and faith.  That hope and faith has a character on our hearts.  It is the cross.  At the cross, when Jesus died for our sins, we discovered a relationship with God that does not require the weight of the law to be carried around in our hearts, but a light and peaceful word.  I felt this weight go away when I read this verse this morning.  God reminded me of His hope, truth, light, and faith.  And what comes out of the mouth comes from where? The heart!!! If the things God reminded me of are dwelling in my heart, then they will overflow off my lip and into the heart of others.  My application is to remember the what is truly dwelling in my heart that God placed there, and let THAT flow from my mouth.

IBS Week 12:

Nick:

Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

This was a portion of the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him to show them how to pray. He never said to pray for things to go the way you want them to go, but he said to pray for gods will to be done here on earth. I want to come to the point of wanting gods will to be done and nothing more. I know there has to be a huge freedom in wanting only what god wants for us. He created us and knows best for us. He knows the plans he has for us, we don’t. I find myself trying to figure out or predict what God might have for our family and he never asks us to do that. Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow. But our spirit is willing but our flesh is week. We want to know what God knows, and we can’t have that. We try and say this is his will and we think we know and we dwell on the ideas that we form. Ultimately, these thoughts will never give us the satisfaction we are looking for. We will never have the peace our hearts long for. I know that there is that peace and freedom once we have that perspective of wanting only Gods will to be done, not mine.

Julie:

1 Corinthians 7:23 – “You were bought with a price; do not become bond servants of men.”

This is one of those verses that you hear a million times, then one day it really sinks in how true and personal it really is.  Where I was spiritually when I read this verse this morning wrecked me.  I know that I am bought with a price, but have I really ever measured the weight of that price?  I’ve tried.  But I never fully grasped it.  As I read this though, God opened my eyes to recognize what exactly was given for my salvation.  The weight of Jesus’ blood was on me.  I felt it.  It was heavy.  I was humbled!  I was in awe.  I was convicted.  I had not been respecting what God sacrificed for me – his Son.  I have a son.  I can only taste the pain of the sacrifice.  And it was for me!  This lack of respect had landed me in giving myself to men (the world), not God.  Man does not own me.  Man did not create me.  Man does not know my future.  God does.  Why do I enslave myself to something that does not even care for me the right way?  Man usually has an ulterior motive or a selfish ambition.  I, as God’s beloved, cannot let myself get entangled in the pleasing of man any more, for man has nothing to offer me because I now have a better understanding of the weight of my price.  I am far more valuable than to fall into the snares of the world and be overcome by it.  I am God’s purchase and I will let Him be my guide.  I will let Him overcome me, and I will submit to my Creator.

IBS Week 11:

Julie:

Acts 17:28 – “For in Him we live and move and have our being…”

I am so happy, to the point of tears, to realize my faith in God is maturing.  I no longer doubt His Presence when I don’t feel Him close and my stressing out of situations is subsiding because my faith in Him has grown.  I am to let my past experiences be the precedents that give me faith.  Thank you, God, for my trails that have strengthened me.  Please continue to live and move in me.  Please continue to grow me.  You are right next to me, watching me, right now.  I want to grow so much more in You, that I acknowledge You every moment of every day, and not let You slip to the background as the day goes on.  I want to be as confident in your Presence then as I am during devos in the morning.  When I take up my cross every morning, I want to know Your Son is carrying His cross with me too, although I do not always feel Him near.  Because You live and move through me, I can have to selfless ambition to run and it not be in vain.  That chain of condemnation has been broken!  God, I do not want to treat You like the wind, but instead acknowledge Your Presence and honor it.