‘ You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.’
Psalms 18:35
Just some truth for you to think about and use as a Bible study! Such AWESOME truth is packed in this one verse!!!! Hope it encourages you and moves you closer to the Lord than ever before!
“”Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Matthew 7:13-14
This is a piece of Scripture that has been on my heart a lot recently and I’m really excited to share it with you today! I pray that this message will bring you closer to the Lord than you’ve ever been, strengthen your faith, and get your day off to a good start!
I had the privilege of teaching over this verse with two different youth groups the past couple of weeks and I’ll go ahead and start by saying…WOWWW!!!!!!! There is SO MUCH that can be taken away from these two simple verses!
Today, instead of sharing with you all that I’ve got from them, I wanted to introduce you to a method of Bible study that I may have mentioned before but it’s one that has really enhanced my time with the Lord in His Word in ways I’ve never imagined. I know it can be easy to take this quiet time in God’s Word lightly, maybe you start your day with your devotion, or read a few verses real quick, maybe you even listen to some worship music to get you going! Whatever way you spend time with the Lord, no time with Him is wrong but with this method, it just takes that time with Him a little deeper than you usually go on your own.
I for one, struggle big time with quiet time in God’s Word. I’ll have a million things on my mind about what I have to do in my day, I’ll be distracted by my phone or other things, or I read a couple of verses to check that time with God off the list, whatever the way, it’s hard to leave all these things at the door and make that time as important as it should be.
Whatever your struggle with Bible study, I want you to do something with me today. Step out of your comfort zone, move past the excuses of “I’m too busy, or I don’t feel like it.” And open yourself up to trying something new. Trust me, I get where you’re coming from but once I gave this a shot, my Bible study time or life will never be the same so in case you’re wondering….IT’S WORTH IT!!!!
I’m linking a video to this method below and challenge you to take these two verses and SOAP it up!!!! I would love to hear your challenges with Bible study, things you learned through using the SOAP method, or what God taught you in this Scripture! Seriously, share it with me! I’m struggling and learning everyday and the best way to learn is alongside others so reach out and share what God is up to in your life!
Happy SOAPing!!!!
‘ Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah‘
Psalms 84:4
Couldn’t help but write another message about this piece of Scripture to you! It’s crazy how just a few words, when they are God’s Word’s, say SO MUCH!!!
What a blessing it is that we get to dwell in God’s house! Seriously, it can be easy to read this and think, “okay so if those who dwell in the house of the Lord get blessed, then I need to do all the right spiritual things to get blessings.” That’s not it, those who dwell in His house, who spend time with God and walking close by His side, that is the blessing! May not seem like much on paper but THIS IS THE BIGGEST BLESSING WE CAN AND WILL EVER HAVE!!!!
It’s also easy in today’s world to mistake what “blessings” look like. When we hear someone say “blessed” it usually refers to their new home, a fancy new car with all the bells and whistles, any kind of nice material thing. “Blessed” can even be that new promotion at work, financial success, or just success in general. It can be easy to say, “I need to dwell in the house of the Lord” because I want……
But dwelling in the house of the Lord, it may bring some material blessings here and there, but in the BIG view of it, we are simply blessed because we get to dwell in the house of the Lord. Think about it this way, if you see “blessed” to be something that looks nice, shiny and BIG, like a brand new house that towers in size, on the outside it looks so beautiful. Like the kind that when people drive by they say, “woah!!!” That’s our human view of “blessed.” Our human view tells us that by the looks on the outside that it shows how “blessed” you are.
In God’s eyes, and the type of “blessed” He is speaking of here is TOTALLY different. Those who dwell in the house of the Lord, they are more like that tiny house, it doesn’t look like much on the outside. It’s got a few spots that could need some remodeling, actually not the best to look at or one that you could find going for much money in the real estate market. But those who dwell in the house of the Lord, who walk with God daily, embrace their broken spots and seek God out intentionally. On the outside it may not look like that person is blessed but on the inside, on the INSIDE is where God does His amazing, breath-taking work.
Picture this small little house, not much to look at but you walk through the doors and WOW!!!! It has everything one could need, the finest of all appliances, it may not be an inside that blows people away but it’s an inside that has everything needed to be the best house on the market. We get to be ‘those’ that dwell in the house of the Lord. That in itself is what makes us blessed, it may not result in all the nicest, newest or best looking things but it’s the sense of peace you can have living in this house. Knowing that things may break at times but just like that God molds them back together even better. It’s the strength of God that He places in us that outlasts any strength that any human or thing of this world could have. It’s a house built to last, not to look at. For those who dwell in the house of the Lord, they are blessed, maybe not by world’s standards but in the ways that truly matter. On the inside, internally in the heart and eternally forever!
When we spend time dwelling in His house, God shows us all of Himself and we see that we don’t need all the nicest or newest material possessions or titles of success. Why? Because we are blessed to have Him, and that’s all we need! As we grow deeper in our daily dwelling with Him, God continues to grow us on the inside placing in us things that only He can.
At the end of the day, a nice, big, beautiful house is nice and it’s something that may make us feel good but without being close to God, it’s just empty on the inside. God gives us such a gift to come to know Him more and more daily as we dwell in His house, it may not always be what looks best and what others are amazed by but on the inside, God gives us all and then some of what we need, on the inside it’s far from empty. With God and His loving presence there in every step, we are filled on the inside which is the only place that truly matters despite what our human eyes and mind may think!
‘ Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!”
Psalms 84:4
Hey everybody! I hope you are having an awesome day and hope it gets even more awesome after reading this piece of GOD GOLD!!!
Ran across this verse last week and it’s something that has kept me at peace, has kept me pushing forward and has given me a sense of strength that I can’t explain. I know how hard it can be to take time and recognize these awesome truths from God’s Word about how God feels about us, how He provides and fights for us so faithfully. With all the to-do’s and busyness we always find ourselves in, I understand completely how finding time to spend with God and His Word, talking to Him, it can be hard at times. But something I’ve had to drill into my brain lately is, no matter what all is going on, no matter how busy, no matter what the situation, there is no excuse not to make time for God! ZERO!!!
I make excuses all the time but when reading this verse it was a reminder of how much we really NEED that time with Him more than we’ll ever know! It says “blessed are those who dwell in your house.”
I used to see that as, “I need to read my Bible, pray, do this or that so God will bless me and I’ll be close to Him (in His house). When looking at things this way, I’ve even seen this part of my relationship with God as a rewards system, with blessings based off of how much I do. “If I do this good thing for God then I’ll be blessed in this struggle I’m going through.” That’s simply just not how it works.
This relationship we have with God isn’t based off of what we do in any way, shape or form. The truth is that’s this relationship we have with God is based purely off of who He is, it’s a gift and a privilege that Christ died to give us. It’s all based off Him. As much as we may think we’ll be closer to Him, hence being blessed more if we just do more. The truth of the matter is there is nothing we can do, we have been blessed by Jesus Christ dying for us and raising from the grave to even have a restored relationship with God! We’ve been given such an amazing gift!!! And now we have the privilege to spend time with God, the Creator of all, the one who is in control of everything. YEAH…. we get to spend time with Him, we don’t “have to,” we “GET TO.”
As we see this relationship with God outside of the human “work for it” mentality that we put on it, we see that we get to spend this time with Him, to learn more and more about who He is and all that comes with sitting close to Him in His house and the blessings. Well, the blessings are simply that! As we come to know God deeper and spend time with Him, God does a work in our hearts and lives that we can’t even begin to understand. I noticed last week, even in the days I was super busy and I had a lot going on, the days I spent time with God whether that was in His Word or just talking to Him. I was at ease, I felt a sense of confidence in knowing that He was in control and is the guide of my life. I felt stronger and more focused in, I felt so at peace with EVERYTHING, even the situations that weren’t so peaceful.
But the days I didn’t pay any attention to my relationship with God, I felt blind to temptations and had no idea what direction to go in. I felt insecure, out of whack, filled with so many thoughts of doubt and worry.
Now don’t hear me wrong, our relationship with God isn’t based off what we do, but the time we spend intentionally seeking Him out and being One with Him in His house, the less we are in focus of Him and moving in our knowledge and recognition of Him being the God of our lives. We are going to struggle. It’s not seeking Him out for blessings or doing something to get something in return, it’s just you and God. It’s embracing this beautiful and awesome relationship we’ve been given and knowing that He is our blessing. What comes from spending real, and intentional time with Him, getting to know Him and abiding in His heart, that just makes the blessing even bigger!
So I say all that to show you the truth of what I struggle with at times in this relationship with God and I pray this sheds some light for you on how this relationship works! I’ve spent a lot more days of my life not dwelling in the house of the Lord, the pain and struggle endured during those days has been tough. Thankfully, because of Jesus I’ve been given the greatest privilege of having days also dwelling in the house of the Lord and I can’t explain to you how AWESOME those days are!
I write this to you with the hopes that you’ll be encouraged to live your days in the house of the Lord, because you get to and enjoying all the many internal blessings that come only from Him! I understand what a struggle that can be to dwell in the many houses this world has to offer, but after spending time in those houses and the Lord’s, there is none that compare to dwelling and making a room for yourself with Him!!!!
So I ask you this,
Where are you dwelling?
Where are you spending your time and how much of it is with God?
What’s holding you back from dwelling in the house of the Lord and spending intentional time with Him?
Do you realize it’s not about what you do, but all about WHO God is?
“The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.”
Psalm 25:14-15
“God-friendship is for God-worshipers; They are the ones he confides in. If I keep my eyes on GOD, I won’t trip over my own feet. Look at me and help me! I’m all alone and in big trouble.”
Psalm 25:14-16 MSG
https://www.bible.com/97/psa.25.14-16.msg
I don’t even know where to start or what to say about these verses that would give God the glory He deserves! They were sent to me this morning and turned out to be the truth that kept me going today, pushing past difficult circumstances. I spend so many days of my life trying to do something or earn the love and presence of God in my life but this relationship we have with the Lord is completely different from everything we know and have done for years through jobs, sports, and even relationships we have with others. This relationship is so powerful and awesome with God because it’s simply all about Him and has nothing to do with us. There’s nothing we can bring to the table, nothing that we can do or say or even think that would make God love us more than He does right now.
At the feet of these verses today, it just struck me that these truths about God have nothing for me to do in them. It doesn’t say, “if I do this or that, that I need to hold up my end of the relationship, or anything to make God pluck my feet out of the net.”
These verses point to God, all of God and none of us! The only part that has to do with us is that these truths are for us and given to us. But they are all about God. Having the friendship of God in our lives is unlike any other, having someone is always there for us, always willing to reach out a helping hand, always ready to help. This friendship we have with God is unlike any other we could ever imagine, He is all these things and does all these things for us and there’s nothing we could do to ever earn or deserve Him. That points to the first part of the verses, “the friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him.”
God’s presence in our lives shouldn’t go unnoticed or put on the back burner, we’ve already seen and talked about how loving and faithful and awesome He is towards us, in the light of us not deserving any of Him but He gives Himself to us anyways. God is more than worth the #1 priority spot in our lives, He’s more than worth our praise, worship and thankfulness. And what’s so beautiful upon acknowledging who God is and how good He is, we are opened up to seeing His promises play out all over our lives. As we continually stand in awe of Him, worship Him and thank Him, we see more than ever that we have no need to continuing to try and take on the nets we face in our lives, the temptations, the troubles and the rough circumstances all by ourselves.
We have God with us, and fighting for us in each moment. We can call on Him at any moment and He keeps our feet from getting entangled in the nets of life. Just a big lesson learned today and I pray this can be a big one for you also. There’s nothing I can do, say or try that can keep me out of the nets that so easily entangle me daily. Trying to handle it on my own just leads me to stepping right into the net and getting more tangled up as I go. But the good thing is, we aren’t meant to maneuver through or around these nets on our own. We have God, the Creator of all, our Father and Friend, who is so faithful, loving and filled with grace. We have no need to take matters into our own hands, it’s God and only God who set our feet on a firm foundation, it’s God and only God who could love us despite our failures and pride. It’s God and only God who can deliver us through and around these nets of life.
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