Archive | Spiritual Growth

  So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.” (Genesis 3:14 NIV) Farm life Life on the farm as a young girl had its close calls. As teens, we fell from horses and three-wheelers. I never felt farm life was the living for me. I never really connected with animals. Could be when I was four, my brother’s barrel horse bit me. My Uncle Jack, a nurse, […]

“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’ ” (Luke 3: 4-6, Isaiah 40: 3-5 NIV) All mankind All mankind will see God’s salvation through each one of His believers. We are made in the image of Christ. We are not only to have His silhouette, we are to have His heart and mind as well. What is important to […]

Our Fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10 NIV) Discipline Scripture continues with discipline is not pleasant. It is painful. No one enjoys this process. I hear all the amens! However, discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. I love verse 12, we are to strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees. Level paths are necessary for our feet as the lame will no longer be disabled, yet healed. Conviction I […]

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 NIV) Test Spirits We have discussed this week how God offers a free gift of righteousness and not to be deceived by false spirits for God is the giver of good and perfect gifts. Today, we will look how to test spirits. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we study the Word of God, attend Bible studies, and fellowship with people of similar faith. As we go […]

  Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the Word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created. (James 1:16-18 NIV) Let’s break this down. Do not be deceived. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. He does not change. We have a new birth through Jesus. God’s wish for us to be firstfruits of all He created. Clarity vs. low visibility The difference […]

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2 NIV) Basic 101 Basic 101. We are off running. We can hardly contain the excitement. Jesus is our personal Savior. Peace that surpasses all understanding becomes tangible. Our first steps back into the world are met with resistance. How is this handled? I am reminded in Mark 4 the Parable of the Sower. Birds in the air will try to […]

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28 NIV) Back to Basics 101 Reminded of this verse, I was taken back to when scripture took on a greater meaning for me. As a little girl, I am sure between Ms. Maggie and Ms. Jeana, I was taught scripture and earned gold stars for memorization. We learned about Jesus, Moses, and Jonah. When Romans 8:28 came alive within me, a new maturity level was reached. It’s when milk sipping stops and meat […]

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12: 36,37 NIV) Careless words Careless words…we have all been guilty. As I prayed for direction this week, my mind repeated, basic 101. Go back to the beginning and think through lessons learned. We first learn Jesus died for our sins. A sin is a sin. We must ask forgiveness for our sins. God says once we are forgiven, to […]