7 Words That Describe God- ‘D’

7 Words That Describe God- ‘D’:

Daring
Defender
Delight
Deliverer
Dependable
Disciple-maker
Divinity 

You are courageous, even daring with Your love oh Lord. Nothing frightens You away. The only limit is within us for how much of Your love we can receive. Like a water-hose gushing water into our mouths, our limit to take in lets the rest wash over us. Thank You for the daring mission to make disciples of all nations that they would know You.  Matthew 28:16-20

You are my strength Lord, my defender. You gave me value through Jesus’ sacrifice. Your love equips me to sail these seas. You defend me from them like a lighthouse buffeted by the waves. Your Light guides my way and washes over me. Darkness flees.  Psalm 18

You are my delight. In You my hopes are fulfilled. I do not wander aimlessly about lost in confusion. Your light shows the path clearly, if I’m brave enough to follow. Do I desire Your ways more than mine? Isn’t that the fullness of faith, surrendering myself to You? Isn’t that the compass which leads me to You? I praise You for the path Your light revealed to me. You are my delight. There is no other.  Psalm 37:4

You deliver me Lord from all that surrounds both outside and in. Though it closes in whether by mockery, eyes that disbelieve Your goodness to me, or from feelings that persist, Your right hand pulls me to safety. Though the times may be dark and dire, and voices speak to convince me that You, my only true salvation, are actually no more than a prison warden, You save me from their plots and plans to make me doubt Your goodness to me.  Psalm 40

Oh Lord, I depend upon You. You are my strength, I am so weak. When everything falls and friendships fail, I rely on You to carry me through. You lead me to pleasant places that restore my hope. Thank you.  Psalm 59

You teach me, oh Lord. You reveal to me greater things than I would dwell on. Your path leads me to Life. I can look upon others with eyes that don’t take, but give hope. You direct my eyes to not the storm, to not this fading life in this ending world, to not myself, but to You. I need Your love and grace to enable my vision to witness Your plan. You daily give me stronger eyes. Thank You for discipling me, my Lord, my Teacher, my Savior. Your patient hand is always with me.  John 8:31-32

You are the divine One, timeless, the only sure ground. Your thoughts are greater than humankind’s. Your words create. How can we stand before You without the grace of Jesus? You were before the beginning and will be after the end. Thank You for Your love that takes away fear.  John 1

7 Words That Describe God- ‘C’

Words that describe God- ‘C’:

Caller
Comforter
Compassion
Constant
Consuming
Cornerstone
Creator

You call me out of the dark into Your wonderful light. You give my heart its passion. Your voice is life to me. I listen to You.  1 Peter 2:9

You are the One who comforts me. You heal between flesh and bone, heart and soul. Your side effect is peace and You give me the patience to wait for Your goodness to shine. You are here, we don’t face the Fallenness alone.  Psalm 23:4

Family and friends will fail, but You, oh Lord, never fail. You alone know all things. You know every thought, every word even before they are spoken, and yet You are compassionate towards me. You love and understand me. Thank You, Lord, You make me victorious! Psalm 145

You are my constant source of hope in this Fallen world. You are constant like the oceanic tides, like a waterfall that flows bringing forth blessings of life to all below. You are like the sun, with us every day, and like the moon at night, but even when they grow dim, You remain.  Hebrews 13:8

You are the One who consumes all my thoughts. In You, my passions are made whole. You burn off all that would entangle, like a fire that clears away the brambles, all that would trip and ensnare. Thank You, God. You are very Great!  Hebrews 12

You are the Cornerstone of my life. I would fall apart without You holding me together. Without You, I would make no sense to anyone and would be a joke for people to point at and mock, as You were. You help me even there. If I was my own builder, I would be crooked and wouldn’t stand, but You are my solid ground who enables me to stand on the heights.  Isaiah 28:16

Yes, Lord, You are my Creator. You formed me and continue to fashion my inward self, my character, as I submit myself to You. Not only have you put my body together but You have a plan for me. You are not concerned with the standards of this world, of culture, Your will is everlasting. Your thoughts make and fold reality. Your wisdom is matchless. I turn to You, my God, and am not dismayed. Isaiah 41:10

7 Words That Describe God- ‘B’:

Words that describe God- ‘B’:

Balm
Bastion
Beautiful
Benevolent
Blameless
Blesser
Bountiful

You are the fragrant ointment that heals me. You know our inmost places; even ones we have blocked and forgotten to subconsciously protect us. You are there, and You bring peace.  Jeremiah 17:14

You are my Defender, my Bastion of hope. So many are the arrows of the enemy, even of ones I have let fly myself. You stand strong to save me.  Psalm 91

You are Beautiful to me Lord. Your wonders surround me and I am enraptured by Your love for me. You are my joy, there is no other.  Psalm 29

You are so kind to me Lord. Your goodness knows no limits. There is no element of my life that has not been blessed by Your benevolence. Thank You!  James 1:17

Your ways are blameless Lord; Your will is perfect. Mine is not. You are pure, oh Lord.  Wash over me! May Your Name be praised.  Romans 12:2

You are the only One whose blessings give life. There is no taint of the Fall in You; no vanity that blinds us from the truth. Your blessings fill me up, my Lord. You are the Blesser, without which I can do no good thing.  Philippines 4:19

You are all I need Lord. You deal with me so bountifully. Even our smallest need is considered by You before it arrives. You equip me and provide for me. Thank You, Lord!  Psalm 116

7 Words That Describe God- ‘A’:

This all began from a prayer.  Things in my life were getting too complicated for me.  God told me to look at Him.  So this has been my attempt to do that.  May it help you to do the same.  God is the only One worth our attention.

7 Words that describe God- ‘A’:

Able
Abundant
All-sufficient
Almighty
Amazing
Aware
Awesome

You are able. You consider me and my many requests. You teach me to avoid the path that does not lead to life. You guide me to turn from the brief pleasures of this world that so quickly rot from inside. You know all things and are able to judge justly and fairly. I am to know their destinations from their fruit but find I can stomach a lot. Teach me to rely on You and trust that You are able to fill me with more than enough. Psalm 147:3, Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

You are abundant Oh Lord. Streams of life flow from your throne. Your presence overwhelms; even a drop gives joy.   Psalm 16:11

Your love and grace are all-sufficient for me Lord. I need to look nowhere else. Your love covers me completely. El Shaddai, You over-shadow my every need. Psalm 46

You are almighty Lord! Nothing is greater than You. You hold all things together in Your hands. I rest in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 89:8

You are amazing O Lord. Your works display Your splendor. Your ways are higher than mine. Isaiah 55:8-9, Psalm 19:1-6

You are aware of everything Lord. You know the end before the beginning. Nothing surprises You. You see all. Isaiah 46:10

He is awesome. He is awesome in all His ways. He is awesome to all He has made. He is awesome from the beginning to the End. Nothing has ever, can ever, will ever change how awesome God is. You are awesome Lord!  Psalm 47

Spiritfire- Proverbs 20:25, It’s A Trap!

“It is a trap to dedicate something rashly
and only later to consider one’s vows.”
 
Admiral Ackbar’s cry of warning to the Rebel Alliance in the movie ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’, when they realized the shield around the “fully armed and operational battle station” was still up, was the first thing my kids and I heard.  After we took some time giving our best Ackbar impersonations, we began to explore this proverb from a long time ago, in a culture far, far away.  Because of its intro, we began to know this as the Star Wars’ proverb.
 
When we considered it, the story of Jephthah came to mind as one who made an oath rashly, in Judges 11.  Jephthah wanted to win a battle against neighboring Ammon over a dispute of land ownership, Judges 11:12-29.  So he made his oath to the LORD, in Judges 11:30-31, and said,  “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”  The LORD did as Jephthah asked, but the first thing that came out was not a thing, it was his daughter!  The trap of an oath rashly given was complete!  After he saw this, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break,” Judges 11:35.  She was his only child.
 
Did Jephthah sacrifice his daughter?  I’d consult the ‘book of armaments’ in: https://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/did-jephthah-sacrifice-daughter-to-god.html, to answer that.  Jephthah got to experience the truth of this proverb and in bitterness fulfilled his vow.
 
I then asked my kids, “Where’s Jesus in this proverb?”  As I asked this, it’s not to say that Jesus looked at each proverb and took the task to fulfill each one, but in His completeness as the Son of God, it was written in Colossians 2:3 “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” Jesus fulfilled everything.  Although again, as in most other proverbs, we feel the inescapable jaws of judgment and condemnation and are taught the discernment to ‘avoid the noid’, I mean the trap of impetuous oath making, Jesus is the One who sets the captives free as it is written of Him in Luke 4:16-21 quoting and fulfilling Isaiah 61:1.
 
Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who sets us free!  We are made new and complete in Him, Colossians 2:10!  Although this Star Wars’ proverb warns us and Jephthah’s example witnesses to us and we learn to be wise in what we say, Jesus gives us our freedom no matter how many Death Stars are built by the Empire.

The Vindicator

Isaiah 54:17 English Standard Version (ESV)
17    “‘ no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
    and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
    and their vindication from me,’ declares the Lord.”

“God is my vindicator!” This was echoing in my head this morning.
I know for myself, this often gets forgotten as I try to prove what I’m saying is the truth. I can’t find the verse that says we are to vindicate ourselves. God does this.

God’s arms are strong. He will carry you to safer shores. His Truth protects as it advances. His light makes plain the path you tread. Keep following after His call and He will lead you through.

How many are God’s wonders? None of us would believe; how amazing are His works? How are we to describe them? What words capture the wonder of His reality? This we have been promised, mind-blowing though it may be, more is yet to come!

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Taken

No matter the joy
No matter the peace
All can be taken away here
All except Him

Make the Lord your joy
Make the Almighty your peace
If you do, there is shelter
If you do, there is hope

One Day we will be taken to Him.

The Holy Spirit Loves Me

The Holy Spirit really loves me.  Of course, you say.  But I mean it.  He REALLY loves me!

This afternoon, I was putting together our new weed whacker.  I was trying to be careful and follow the assembly instructions but I managed to push the main handle sections together backward.  Ugh.  So I tried to pull it apart.  It wouldn’t budge.  I sat down and pulled the handle with my feet.  Nothing.  I called my son to come out and play tug-of-war.  No go.  I tried to wedge a flat-head screwdriver between the sections.  Nope.
I evaluated the situation and realized that it was unusable.  Weed whackers do not work upside-down.  It’s not just unsafe, it doesn’t work.  I couldn’t take it back to Walmart for an exchange without telling a lie. So I started my favorite prayer:

“Holy Spirit, please help me.  I can’t do this without you.  Please help me get this thing apart.”

And I continued wedging and pulling and praying.  Ugh.  Still no success… or so I thought!
I swallowed my pride and decided to show Brian.  I picked up the weed whacker and to my surprise, it was straight!  What?  I checked again.  And again.  Perhaps once again.  Hmm… I know that it was backward and that it didn’t twist or change in my hands.  There was only one explanation.  The Holy Spirit fixed it for me.
Yup, that’s right.  He fixed it for me.  The first thought in my mind was, “the Holy Spirit really loves me!”  It wasn’t a scream or shout or burst of praise.  Just the simple thought that has been a reality in SO many times of my life.  Everything from finding lost items to figuring out tricky computer programs to giving my family a free van.  He really loves me and cares about what concerns me (1 Peter 5:7).
Thank You, Holy Spirit.  I love you, too.
-Betsy

Intro the Spection

After all the deep introspection, yeah, I see my scars. I know enough to say, “Don’t follow me”, but not enough to say, “Go this way”. Just know who you’re following.

Keep Jesus as your compass and you will be surprised at the stormy seas you will walk upon. The ‘fiery furnace’ may not be who you’d expect, nor the ‘lions’ den’.

Jesus will see you through.