Friday, February 15, 2013

Benefits of Knowing God's Word



Ladies, I wanted to share something with you that I realized while thinking about what the benefits are to knowing God's Word:

When you are anxious, you know this:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6,7)

When you are fearful, you know this:
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. (2 Tim 1:7)

When you are angry, you know this:
Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. (James 1:19,20)

or,

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. (Eph 4:26,27)

When you are weary, you know this:
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (Matt 11:28)

When you need comfort, you know this:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we ay be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves  are comforted by God. (2 Cor 1:3,4)

When you lack direction, you know this:
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go, I will counsel you with My eye upon you.  (Psalm 32:8)

When you feel lost, you know this:
Where can I go from Your Spirit?  or where can I flee from Your presence?  If I ascend to heaven You are there…If I make my bed in the depths, behold, you are there…if I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me and Your right hand will lay hold of me.  (Psalm 139:7-9)

When your heart is utterly broken, you know this:
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit.  (Ps 34:18)

When you don't know what to do, you know this:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.  (Pr 3:5,6)

When you wonder if you can be forgiven….again!  you know this:
For He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  (Col 1:13,14)

When you doubt God's love, you know this:
Your love, oh Lord, reaches to the heavens…your faithfulness stretches to the skies!  (Psalm 36:5)

When you lack peace, you know this:
Peace, I leave with you; My peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.  (John 14:27)

When your emotions have convinced you that God is nowhere to be found, you know this:
I am with you always, I will never leave you nor forsake you.  (Hebrews 13:5)

When you wander too far into the future and are overwhelmed, you know this:
Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.  (Matt 6:34)

When you are mistreated, you know this:
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  (Matt 5:11, 12)

When the "evil day" has dawned in your life (and you know when this happens because it is like all hell has broken loose around you!), you know this:
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. (Eph 6:13)

When the enemy whispers in your ear, you know this:
…for there is no truth in him (the enemy).  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

When sin starts to look attractive to you, you know this:
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Cor 10:13)

When you become discouraged and it seems like this life is all there is, you know this:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth…and I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain." 

And then here is the best part of all, "…and they shall see His face."  (Rev 21 & 22)

Oh,I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.  Ladies, do not grow weary of this very worthy labor we are doing!  If you've gotten distracted, if you've slacked off a little, if you're thinking it's too late to jump back in…whatever the reason, excuse, or fear…you can do this…you can start again….you can always jump back in the game.  Don't get discouraged!  Stay the course, keep your focus, and let's keep moving forward!  

Here's my next verse:
Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me.
For You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all day long.
Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindness, for they have been from eternity.
Psalm 25:4-6 (NASB)
I love these verses because they encourage me to remember that God wants to show us His ways!  He wants to teach us and lead us so that we may live this life we've been given with excellence.  And, it reminds me that the God who has authored and secured my eternal well being is worthy of waiting for and not rushing ahead when my patience wears thin and I am tempted to doubt if He's aware of my situation.  Finally, I love that His compassion and lovingkindness are a part of His nature.  It's "who He is" so to speak - and we reap the benefits of these two attributes as His children!

Please share the verse you are currently memorizing. Click on the word 'comment' just below the dotted line, and enter your comment in the white box (you may have to scroll through other comments to find the box.) If you have any questions on how to leave a comment, click on the Blog Q&A post from January. You can find that post in the right margin. It will give you detailed information on leaving a comment.

13 comments:

  1. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men," Col 3:23 (NIV)

    I need to be reminded of the reason I "do" stuff here on earth. When I focus on the people and red tape of life I easily become discouraged. Living for an audience of ONE...Lord I focus on You.

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  2. Feb 15th....today I landed on Psalm 143:8-10
    Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

    Thank you Jesus! Amen to that!

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    Replies
    1. Kim, those are some of my favorite verses ever! Good, good words. ;)

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  3. 1 John 1:22-23:"Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

    Sylvia - Feb 15

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  4. Psalm 32:7-8
    "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."

    I need a hiding place this week - Someone who understands my heart completely. And I need His guidance. I think my favorite part about these verses is that He counsels us in light of His love. :)

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  5. Micah 7:18 (GNB)
    "There is no other God like you, O Lord; you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry for ever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love."
    How precious is our God that no matter what we do or how we feel that He loves us. That is awesome and easy to understand, but this verse takes it to a new level: He takes pleasure in showing His love to us. I am so glad that I have surrendered to a God who is so awesome and unique.

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  6. 13-16So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy."
    17You call out to God for help and he helps—he's a good Father that way. But don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living.
    18-21Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.
    22-25Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God's living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That's why the prophet said,
    The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers droop, God's Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.

    These are the verses that I have been concentrating on this year. I want to be totally ready to receive the gift that is coming when Jesus arrives! I have a new app on my phone that is Bible Memory Verses and I can read them or listen to them as I go about my day. I had my granddaughter record the verses for me to listen to and that makes them even sweeter! These verses will keep me memorizing for a while! :)

    Blessings to all, Jackie Hodges

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  7. Zephaniah 3:17--"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

    I so love these verses! They've carried me through recent years.....through some tough times. I'm going through a new transition period---am officially an "empty-nester" now, as well as being single and I need the reminder that God is with me and He delights in me. Love that He rejoices over me with SINGING!!!

    Love the verses you all are hiding in your hearts!
    Donna Vonfeldt

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  8. This is my second verse and it's so awesome:

    1 Peter 3:15 - "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"

    When someone asks me why I'm so positive, I'd like to make sure that this verse always comes to mind, so that I may give them the TRUE meaning behind my positive outlook. :)

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  9. Our small group is getting ready to start sharing our stories with each other. We're going to have accountability/prayer partners to help us in our journey and this verse is prefect. Our second verse for our scripture challenge is James 5:16-Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

    Christi

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  10. Colossians 3:23 - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as if you were working for the Lord, not for human masters.

    I printed this and put it in my office as a constant reminder :)

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  11. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ... Matthew 6:25-34

    These verses are comforting and uplifting in this day and time. Fear not; God is in control. Stay in the Word daily and pray without ceasing.

    Love and God bless,
    Sylvia Allen

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  12. Today I am reminded in this scripture that I am not content because of my circumstances...I am content because of Jesus!

    Philippians 4:12-13
    I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
    I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

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