Marriage - Keeping Your Focus

Hi Treasures and happy Tuesday to you. Thank you so much for joining us. 

Today we continue with the final entries of the Marriage Series collab with some sweet, faith filled, women of God, beauty bloggers;  Andrea of Wink For Pink Blog, Maria-Isabel of Agape Love Designs and Tawny of Glamorously Mommy.
Just in case you missed it, this is a mini series for the month of March and as a recap and for your convenience here is Week 1 Marriage and Respect, Week 2 Love and Marriage and Week 3 Reviving the Spark.  Each of us link up our posts for your convenience. Be sure to read all of the posts as they have been very candid and yet so encouraging.

I want to start off with this scripture plus a lovely photo that Mr. Aguila took on our stay at the lake.

The Voice Bible Translation

This is how Paul closes his letter to the church of Philippi and I like to read the different translations available and in doing so I found this translation on Bible Gateway. It is called Living Bible and this translation states this scripture like this,
"And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about."

We must always remember to keep our focus on the good things. We must fill our minds with beauty and truth.  We have to train our minds to focus on things that are good and right, pure and lovely and this is especially true for our marriages.  If we can focus on those things that are good in our marriage the rest will begin to dim.  Now I am not saying to be blind to things or to be oblivious to truth because I do know there are certain situations where doing so isn't the best option HOWEVER, I am saying that we don't need to nitpick or nag about our little pet peeves.

2 Corinthians 10:5
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

As wives we must encourage and uplift and set the atmospheres in our homes. We need to demolish arguments and take captive every thought into the obedience of  Jesus Christ. In doing this, we begin the process of fixing our thoughts on those things that are pure and lovely and think on that which is good and fine and we will be able to see more clearly the good in our spouses.

Source

Paul gives us the keys in Philippians 4:8. I like what the Living Bible Translation says, "Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about."  It reminds me of this picture above.  I seen it on Instagram the other day and when I read it, it really made me think. 

Sure there are things that we want from and for our marriages but we can not allow those things to make us forget what we have right now.  It is important for us to continually get our focus back on the things that matter and we need to think about all that we can praise God for and be glad about those things.  We should continually ask ourselves, where am I putting most of my energy?

1 Thessalonians 5:18
"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

All the answers to our hang ups and issues are found right in God's Word. We need to be thankful in ALL circumstance.  If we belong to Christ Jesus this is God's will for us.  If we begin to follow God's instruction and be thankful and truly live to put God first and surrender our own will, our own agendas, our pride, and our selfishness we are on the road to many more years of being happily married. 

It has to start with us.  As Andrea had suggested read Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian.  We can even do a blog series/study together on that book.  That book really helped me take a good look in the mirror and taught me how and what to focus my prayers on for my husband. 

There is power in prayer ladies.  There is no situation too hard for God.  God is full of love, grace and mercy for us and what He has joined together let no one separate. Once we allow Him to join us together and we become one with our spouses, no one can separate us.  We have the bible as our tool to a successful marriage.  It will take work on our parts and it will take retraining our focus and retraining our minds but every good thing is worth fighting for.  Let us continue to fight the good fight of faith and make God and our marriages more of a priority in our busy hectic lives.

I have enjoyed sharing with you about God and Marriage.  These are two of my passions in life. Thank you for sticking with us and for allowing God to minister to you through us.

Our prayers continue for marriages.  Revive the Love treasures. Please share with us what you have gotten out of our mini series. We love to hear the testimonies of how God has touched lives. 

Be sure to check out the posts from my beautiful friends linked below.

Reviving the Spark {marriage mini series}

Hi Treasures and happy Tuesday to you.Thank you so much for joining us. 

Today we continue with part 3 of the Marriage Series collab with some sweet, faith filled, women of God, beauty bloggers;  Andrea of Wink For Pink Blog, Maria-Isabel of Agape Love Designs and Tawny of Glamorously Mommy.

You can see last weeks posts HERE.  Each of us  link up our posts for your convenience. Be sure to read all of the posts as they have been great!!

In honor of my five year anniversary, I am going to talk about keeping the spark alive or reviving the spark and while this does include behind closed doors (if you know what I mean) that is not my focus. 

In five years, a lot can will change.  I mean think about it for a moment, where were you five years ago?  Heck, things can change in the blink of an eye.  This is where we come in. 

Proverbs 14:1 tells us that "Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands."
I am more than positive that all of us want to be a wise woman because let's face it who has ever strived to be foolish?  We don't want to tear down or destroy our homes with our own hands. We want to build it up. We want to build up our husbands, our children and establish a safe haven.  We want to build up  a house of prayer, a house of love, a house of peace, a house of kindness, a house of  patience.  When these are at our foundation, they will flourish and grow out and touch others.

Proverbs 24:3-4 The Voice (VOICE)

³ Wisdom is required to build a house; understanding is necessary to make it secure.
⁴ Knowledge is needed to furnish all the rooms and fill them with beautiful treasures.

This is how we keep the spark alive in our marriages, in our homes. This "spark" must always continue to be aflame. We can never get to comfortable. This especially holds true in our relationship with God and it is very true for our marriages. We must continually pray over our marriage.  We must continually bless our husbands.  We must fan the flames in our relationships.

We can learn a lot from Proverbs 31.  Take some time this week and read these VERSES and let me know what God speaks to you.

Proverbs 31:11-12 The Voice (Voice)

¹¹ She inspires trust, and her husband’s heart is safe with her, and because of her, he has every good thing.¹² Every day of her life she does what is best for him, never anything harmful or hurtful.

I love this entire portion of scripture and it is a goal of mine to attain Proverbs 31 wife characteristics.  I want my husband to know his heart is safe with me and that I only desire good things for him.  I want to always do what is best for him and never hurt him in anyway. My husband is a true gift from God. I want to love him and value him and treasure him just as God does.

Our hashtag for this series is #revivethelove2014.  We encourage you to make that extra effort, or to eat humble pie, or to step out of your comfort zone and just do something you know will just get the flame going in your marriage. We all know our husbands and we know what will work.  Each marriage is at different stages, each marriage is unique so only you know what you can do this week that will be extra special or a pleasant surprise.

For me, I am stepping out of my comfort zone big time for our 5 year anniversary getaway.  Mr. Aguila works a lot, like a lot a lot and he goes to school full time.  He gets back from a business trip just in time for our anniversary. Have I told you all how amazing my hubby is? Well yes he is but don't get me wrong he's not perfect, just like I am not perfect but honestly he's perfect for me and I love and appreciate him more than I show him.

I decided that I would stop being my selfish little missy prissy self and agree to go out to a lake resort where there are many outdoor activities to do such as jet skiing, ski boats, paddle boats, kayaks and well you get the picture. Water sports and I don't even know how to swim.  We will go out for a hike and do all the stuff Mr. Aguila likes to do. I am going to agree to the activities and I  won't complain. Treasures, THIS IS HUGE, like really HUGE but you know what, my husband has been looking forward to this trip and he totally deserves this.  We will of course get pampered with massages and all that fun stuff that I like as well. 

This small agreement has sparked up some excitement for us. Something to look forward to with the move and finals and business travel, this couldn't come at a better time.

Now it's your turn Treasures, share with us via a comment or a message or an email, (vra23@live.com) how you will take that extra step for your spouse. We want to hear all about it.  We are here to listen to you, to encourage you, to pray with you.  Revive the Love ladies. We can do this. God is faithful.

 

Changing Our Mindsets

Hey Treasures and happy Sunday.  

The other day I read this, "Be your mind's master, not it's slave." I am sorry, I don't even remember where I seen it. I read it and re-read it though and something snapped in me as if a mind set just broke off.   I can entangle such an awful web just in my mind.  I can get so paralyzed just by my thoughts. 

I read it and then it reminded me of 2 Corinthians 2:5 and I looked it up and read a few different versions of this scripture and of course I shared with my GIG (GirlfriendS in God) and even my cousin and quickly thought this would be a good blog post so here are some of different bible versions that spoke to me. I use Bible Gateway as an online tool to look up bible verses and the different versions.

2 Corinthians 10:5 The Voice (VOICE)

We are demolishing arguments and ideas, every high-and-mighty philosophy that pits itself against the knowledge of the one true God. We are taking prisoners of every thought, every emotion, and subduing them into obedience to the Anointed One.

 

2 Corinthians 10:5 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

I destroy every claim and every reason that keeps people from knowing God. I keep every thought under control in order to make it obey Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5 The Message (MSG)
^3-6 The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.


I don't know about you but my mind can wonder like crazy if I let it and my emotions can also get out of hand but this scripture reminds me take my thoughts prisoner (I literally grab my head and command my thoughts to submit into the obedience of Jesus Christ) as well as my emotions and to subdue them into the obedience of the Anointed One.  I am reminded to keep every thought under control in order to make it obey Christ. So in other words I am my minds master and not it's slave.  Through the power of the Word of God and using this powerful God-tool, I am smashing warped philosophies and tearing down barriers and aligning every thought, emotion and impulse into the structure of Christ.

 

The Word of God has the help we need for every situation and to help us get out and fly.  So when negative thoughts come in like you CAN'T do something take those thoughts captive and reverse it with Truth which tells us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, Philippians 4:13. 

Source

This photo right here seriously is all me.  I am trying to get fit but it is such a battle in my mind making it so difficult for me but I have to change my mind sets, break out of every lie that holds me back, punch my fears in the face and keep Philippians 4:13 on repeat in my mind and as Philippians 4:8 says...

 These are some of the scriptures that are helping me change my mindsets. What helps you?

Follow Me Bible Study {Week 2} Be Transformed

Hello Treasures and welcome to Week 2 of the Follow Me Bible Study series with Satisfaction Through Christ.

This week’s Focus

Be transformed.

 

This week’s Scripture Memory

John 15:5 – Vine and Branches Wallpaper

This week in a daily break down

I will share what stood out to me the most from each day (There is a lot of good points throughout the days, from what I have read but I will only share one.  I hope that you will join us on this bible study and share with us what stood out to you, ask questions and/or leave comments.

Day One – United with Christ

What a blessing to be united with Christ, united with a purpose.  We get to unite with Christ and continue the work of God the Father, the work to further the kingdom of God.  United to share and fill earth with God’s love; with joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

~~ “If you’re a Christian, Jesus Christ lives in you and is with you. Moreover, you live in Jesus and are with Him.  That’s what He meant in John 15:4 when He told His disciples to “remain in me, and I will remain in you.”  BY DAVID PLATT, page 42

==TO BE A CHRISTIAN IS TO EXPERIENCE UNITY WITH CHRIST==

Day Two – Jesus  Changes  Everything

Oh boy, Oh boy, does Jesus change everything.  When we truly unite with Christ, we will be changed and transformed.

~~ “First, when we’re united with Christ, He begins to transform our thoughts.  He changes the way we perceive and process information so that, over time, we’re able to think more and more like Him.  Paul wrote about this transformation in 1 Corinthians 2:”

1 Corinthians 2:12-14 (VOICE)

12 You must know that we have not received the spirit of this rebellious and broken world but the Spirit that comes from God, so that we may experience and comprehend the gifts that come from God. 13 We do not speak of these gifts of God in words shaped by human wisdom; we speak in words crafted by the Spirit because our collective judgment on spiritual matters is accessible to those who have the Spirit. 14 But a person who denies spiritual realities will not accept the things that come through the Spirit of God; they all sound like foolishness to him. He is incapable of grasping them because they are disseminated, discerned, and valued by the Spirit.

Question

Read 1 Corinthians 2:16 (AMP)

16 For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.

What does it mean when it says “we have the mind of Christ”?

I like the Amplified Version of this scripture.  It says we do hold the thoughts, feelings and purposes of Christ heart! This truth is enough to change us. If we really mediate on this, we will forever be changed. Think about it, we have the mind of Christ and hold thoughts and feelings and purposed of HIS heart! That is life changing. Join me on this life changing study.

David Platt goes onto say that Paul also wrote about the benefits of this transformation.  I love these cartoons from Joyful 'toons and I think this one depicts this well.

==THIS IS AN IMPORTANT BENEFIT OF CHOOSING TO FOLLOW HIM==

Day Three – From Internal to External

There are several sections for each day in the book.

On Day three, my favorite section was JESUS TRANSFORMS OUR RELATIONSHIPS. (This is big for me)

Here is what David Platt has to say,

~~ “As our transformation continues to progress from internal to external,  Jesus impacts more than our individual actions. He also transforms our relationships with others.  Specifically, He gives us the ability to love others as He loves them: (See John 15:12-15)

In this same section He goes on to say,

~~ “As we abide in Christ and Christ abides in us, He transforms our ability to love and relate with others. He enables us to love our neighbors as ourselves (See Matt. 22:39).  As a result, Christians should be distinguishable from the rest of the world because our relationships with one another and with those who still need Christ:

Question

In what ways do you express sacrificial love for those who still need Christ?

 

==YOUR WILL, YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, EVEN YOUR ENTIRE PURPOSE FOR LIVING IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AS YOU ABIDE IN JESUS AND AS HE ABIDES IN YOU==

Day Four – Abide in God’s Word

This was full of some wisdom for me. There were a few questions discussed on this day.
David Platt talks about believing the scriptures and believing through the consequences.

~~ "So part of what it means to remain in Jesus is to spend regular time reading the bible, which is His Word.  But we know from James that even the demons have an intellectual awareness of what God has revealed in His Word--and shudder (see Jas. 2:19),
Therefore, Jesus makes it clear that obedience is also part of the equation: 
John 15:9-10
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. (emphasis added), David Platt (page 53)
 

Questions

What part do we play when it comes to remaining in Christ?  What choices do we need to make in order to remain in Him? What actions do we need to take?

 

==BEAR THE FRUIT OF THIS WORD IN THE WORLD, EVEN IF THAT MEANS LOSING EVERYTHING ELSE==

Day Five – Personal Disciple-Making Plan:  Fill Your Mind with Truth
This one had me in tears for personal reasons but good stuff. Great questions to think about and advice on how to plan for filling our minds with truth.

~~ "As you consider a plan for reading, memorizing, and learning God's Word, don't forget that we do these things as disciples not for information's sake but for transformation's sake.  Once again, the words of James are helpful:  "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says" (Jas. 1:22)

As believers in Jesus, we're followers of Jesus , which means that we not only hear the truth of Christ;  we apply the truth of Christ.  Our goal as disciples is never just to believe God's Word;  our goal is to obey God's Word."  David Platt, (page 61)

Question

Are you satisfied or unsatisfied with your current plan for reading God's Word? Why?

No, No, No!!! I am not satisfied with my current reading plan for God's Word. I crave God's Word but it is hard for me to stick to a reading plan for some reason, so I usually just read random scriptures.  After reading this, I am following a reading plan and sticking to it and intentionally filling up my mind with God's Word, God's truth.

==THEREFORE, AS YOU PLAN TO FILL YOUR MIND WITH TRUTH, ALSO PURPOSE TO FOLLOW THE ONE WHO IS TRUTH ==

Thank you for reading. I pray you were blessed.  This book has my attention. Please make sure  to stop by Satisfaction Through Christ’s to read  Christie's discussion on the this week’s reading and also check back with us every Wednesday for the next 4 weeks for the rest of this study.

God bless you and if you have any prayer requests please leave me a comment or send me an email and we will lift up your needs in Jesus name.

My Current Reading List

Hey Treasures, how are you doing? This time of the year is so busy as we have lots of birthdays to celebrate (including mine) but here I am sharing a little about Life as Mrs. Aguila and what I am reading right now.

So last week we started what I am calling a Blog Bible study with Christie of Satisfaction through Christ and you can read my week 1 post here, Follow Me Bible Study by David Platt and be sure to check back tomorrow for week 2.

We are using a book by David Platt, Follow Me Bible Study. I have the regular book as well as the book we are using for the bible study. This book is a New York Bestseller, "A call to die.  A Call to Live."





This week I also started Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst.  This is also a New York Bestseller, "Satisfying your deepest desire with God, Not food." I received this book from my lovely friend Maria-Isabel in a swap we recently did and it was just in time to start with my fitness Coach and group.  We are reading through this together and support each other through prayer and encouragement on our fitness journey.

 

This weekend we had a guest speaker at our church and I have heard her before so I knew I couldn't miss it.  Her name is Jane Hamon and her church is in Florida.  This lady spits fire, the fire of God and just ignites my spirit.  The last time she was in town I got her book, The Deborah Company, becoming a woman who makes a difference.  I've said this before I want to be used of God to make a difference that is why I started this blog. Anyway, I started this book and never finished it so I brought it out again and really need to finish it.

 



Mr. Aguila asked me just now, "how many books are you reading?" and the other day, I posted on Twitter and Instagram.

What are you reading right now? How many books do you read at a time? #Books #reading #dailydevotions… http://t.co/7e7ib904O8
— Mrs. Victoria Aguila (@MrsAguila09) October 14, 2013

As you may already know, I LOVE TO SHOP which this Made to Crave book is really messing me up on, HAHA but anyway so I LOVE TO SHOP. I can hear about a good book or a good purse, or see some nice shoes, or some make up or anything and have no problem buying it.  I can buy books all day long. I love Amazon.com and Half.com for book buying.

Well this got me to thinking,  I can buy all these books and have an extensive library and even carry these books around with me from home to work, to my car, to wherever I go, have them nicely tucked away in my purse or my car (where I also have a big bag of books I still need to read) BUT if I don't take the time to actually read these books, it means nothing to have them, it means nothing that I bought them.  In order to benefit from these books I need to take the time to read them. If I want to blog about them or discuss them or share them I have to read them.  It reminded me of the Bible as well. We can have bibles, fancy ones, 10 of them, have them nicely placed HOWEVER, if we are not opening it up and reading it, we can't not gain the wisdom from the Bible.

I am on a mission to finish these books.  To open them up on a daily basis and complete them and not stop half way as I have done with so many books.  I want you to hold me accountable.

When is your favorite time to read? What books are you reading right now? how many books do you read at a time? Do you have books you started but didn't finish? Share with me, I'd love to hear from you.

Follow Me Bible Study {Week 1} The Call

Hello Treasures, so the Fall Bible Study using FOLLOW ME Bible Study by David Platt has begun with Christie at Satisfaction Through Christ.
So initially I had purchased the book not the bible study.

I begin to read it and I really liked it. Then I found out it wasn't the correct one and I heard about all the ways the devil tried to stop this and we pushed back the enemy and decided to go forward with the study and so I ordered the bible study version from Lifeway Book Store here in California.





The book is a 6 week bible study and each week has 5 days of reading.   I just got mine on Monday so its crunch time for me.  For the 6 weeks, Christie of Satisfaction through Christ , myself and others will blog about that weeks topics and we can comment, link up our posts and just discuss what God spoke to us.  I am late this week but still wanted to put something together.  I have never done this type of bible study so I am really excited to get into this with the group and we'd love for you to join us.

WEEK 1:  THE CALL

This week's scripture Memory
MATTHEW 4:19-20

“Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fisher’s of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

This week’s Focus

Was on that moment when Jesus first called His disciples, along with several more of their experiences and encounters during His public ministry.  Ultimately, we’ll find answers to this important question:  What does it mean to truly follow Jesus?

This week in a daily break down

I will share what stood out to me the most from each day (There is a lot of good points throughout the days, from what I have read but I will only share one.  I will share one paragraph and one question from the section plus share my answer and hope that you will join us on this bible study and share with us what stood out to you or ask questions or leave comments.

Day One - The Cost

Again there is a lot of good stuff in this section but this is something that really struck me.

David Platt shares Matthew 4:18-22 (NIV) {Note the subtitle for this section}

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers; Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Question

What strikes you as most interesting in these verses? Why?

What struck me the most on this was that when Jesus told Simon Peter and Andrew, Come, follow me, scriptures tell us that AT ONCE they left and followed him.  They had that blind faith and followed Jesus and they didn’t waver or contemplate or get prayer or ask for advice but AT ONCE they stopped what they were doing (their work, their lives, their agendas) and followed Him.

In verse 21, the same thing happens but with 2 other disciples, James and John, Jesus called them and scripture tells us that IMMEDIATELY they left and followed him.

I know for me there were many times that Jesus was calling me and I didn’t stop, drop and follow.

Day Two - Don't Invite Jesus into Your Heart

This day had my mouth dropping as I read.  David Platt uses a great analogy using his story of adopting Caleb Platt and the gospel.

He says, “Caleb didn’t pursue us, for he was utterly unable to do so.  Instead, we pursued him.

This is the heart of Christianity, and we're prone to miss it if we describe becoming a Christian as "inviting Jesus into your heart". We don't become followers of Christ by pursuing Christ or inviting Christ to do anything, for in our sin we're totally unable to do so. Instead, we become Christians when Christ pursues us and invites us to follow Him."  

Question

What’s your reaction to the previous paragraph? Why?

My reaction as I read was my mouth dropping wide open.  Reading through this day just really revealed so much to me about Jesus and His amazing love and how it wasn’t a prayer that was said or “inviting Jesus into my heart” but His love and His pursuit that has me on this journey of, FOLLOWING HIM.

Day Three - Understanding Salvation

This day was really deep for me.  There were two very profound sections for this day but I will share this one.

AWAY FROM ME

Here is part of this section…

“…Shouldn’t we who follow Christ be concerned that the Scriptures contain no references to people asking Jesus into their hearts or reciting a prayer of salvation? 

Yes this is exactly what multitudes of professing Christians have been encouraged to do. Worse, they’ve been assured that as long as they asked Jesus into their heart, invited Him into their life, prayed a prayer, raised their hand, signed a card, or walked an aisle, they’re Christians, and their salvation is eternally secure.”

Question

What’s your reaction to the previous statements? Why?

My reaction is that of surprised. I guess I really never thought about whether or not it was even biblical to do the “sinner’s prayer”.  It’s just what I have been taught all along. Each time the question was asked, “How many people have you lead through the sinner’s prayers?” I always shrunk back as I have never done it.  As time went on, I quickly realized it wasn’t as easy as saying a prayer. It took a lot more than that for my walk with Jesus. 

There is some other good things to ponder in this chapter but this post is already so long. (God bless you for sticking through this far)

Day Four - A New Creation

Another great section about Jesus making us a new creation and about superficial religion versus supernatural regeneration (read Ezekiel 36:25-27)

“Spiritual regeneration is the heart of Jesus’ call to follow Him.  When you become a Christian, you die, and Jesus becomes your life.  To paraphrase Paul, “You have died with Christ, and you’re not even alive anymore.  Instead, Christ is alive in you, and the only way you live is by faith in Him” (Gal. 2:20, author’s paraphrase).  In other words, Jesus died for you so that He could live in you.”

Question

Have you experienced supernatural regeneration? How can you tell?

I would say that I have experienced supernatural regeneration according to this that David Platt explains, “What Ezekiel wrote about (read Ezekiel 36:25-27) is exactly what Jesus came to do.  He came to cleanse us of our sin through His sacrifice on the cross; to wash us with “clean water” (v. 25).  And in doing so, He gives us something infinitely more valuable:  a new heart.  We’re born again! He gives us His Spirit to live in us and change us from the inside out.  This is what it means to experience supernatural regeneration.

Day Five - Make Disciples

So David Platt, closes up the week with this:

“Throughout the week we’ve explored what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  We’ve looked at several pieces of evidence we can use to confirm whether we’re truly following Jesus rather than going through the motions of cultural Christianity.”  He gives a recap of the week and then goes in to today.  He says, “Today I want to explore the final proof of what it means to live as a genuine follower of Jesus:  the reality that true disciples of Christ are supernaturally compelled to make more disciples of Christ.

He talks about being Fishers of Men and Moving Forward.

Question

Will you follow?

Yes I will follow. Yes I want to taste this pleasure as David Platt puts it.

“Follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘ and I will make you fishers of men’ “ (Matt. 4:19).  This isn’t a gently solicitation to tread a path of superficial religion.  It’s a call to taste a pleasure that can be found only in a supernatural relationship with Christ. ~~David Platt

Thank you for reading. I pray you were blessed.  This book has my attention. Please make sure  to stop by Satisfaction Through Christ’s to read her discussion on the this week’s reading and also check back with us every Wednesday for the next 5 weeks for the rest of this study.

God bless you and if you have any prayer requests please leave me a comment or send me an email and we will lift up your needs in Jesus name.

Fall {Follow Me} Bible Study

Hey Treasures and Happy Thursday!!!

Today has been an emotional day for me, not really sure why besides being a girl, if you know what I mean! So I took a day off from work because I am just not feeling myself today.  Praying to get out of this emotional/hormonal roller coaster.

So anyways, it is my favorite time of the year (which should have me in a joyous mood) and when the lovely Christie of Satisfaction Through Christ  announced a Fall Bible Study I was all for it. 
Have you done an on line bible study before?

Yesterday we did introductions and linked up our blogs.  You can check it out here:
http://www.satisfactionthroughchrist.com/2013/09/fall-bible-study-follow-me-introductions.html

The Book we are using is FOLLOW ME by David Platt.  The book says "A Call to Die, A Call to Live."  Have you read this book?  Do you have this book? 

Join us for a time to be together and get encouraged and grow deeper in the Lord. I am really looking forward to this.  I am not sure why but I know God is up to something. Christie asked us in the intro post above to "leave a comment below introducing yourself and telling us a little bit about why you signed up, what you hope to take away from our time together, and any prayer requests you may have."  I haven't commented because I am really not sure all I know is that when she announced it, I was all for it. Ordered my book on Amazon and I am ready to go.

***TURNS OUT, I AM NOT READY TO GO. I ORDERED THE BOOK AND NOT THE FOLLOW ME BIBLE STUDY MEMBER BOOK THAT YOU CAN FIND ON LIFEWAY OR ANYWHERE CHRISTIAN BOOKS ARE SOLD.***

To view the announcement and/or to sign up, CLICK HERE!

If you sign up, leave me a comment and let me know. This is going to be a great time in the Lord.

SHE...

Hey Treasures, Happy Saturday, I wanted to take Five Minutes of my Saturday and join.

The Prompt this week is SHE and here are my 5 Minutes before I get ready for my GIG's birthday dinner. By the way, today is my Friday. Just kidding meant to do this yesterday.

Start!
She confesses that she still has many fears.  She knows the scriptures, the ones that tell her fear not, there is no fear in love, perfect love drives out all fears.  She knows the promise in Psalm 34:4 that says as she seeks the Lord, He hears her and delivers her from ALL her fears.

Yet she admits she still has fears. She asks God why.  She cries out to be free from the fears. Recently she became aware of her fear of failure which is rooted in a fear of abandonment that started when her dad died when she was just five years old. Oh my, this has really paralyzed her for so long. The other day as the Lord used her to minister His Word, she admitted to a church congregation that she battles with this fear. 

She explained how this fear keeps her from stepping out many times.  When someone battles this fear one just stays in the safe zone.  You don't want to do much because you feel safe that way. If you don't try or step out, there is no risk that you will fail.  When she was prompted to share this and admitted it, she felt no more fear. The guilt and condemnation of this horrible fear was exposed and now that it is exposed, she can work through it.  She shared how hard it was to admit that to them but that she felt much better after doing so.

Sometimes, we may know the answers, we may know the scriptures but it's not enough just to know, we have to live it out, hold on to the promises, make that declaration and believe the Truth. 
The truth that God has delivered me of ALL my fears so I (SHE) no longer has to live in fear. Oh what freedom that brings.
STOP!

PRAISE HIM

Hey Treasures, I am sorry, I didn't get to post my face of the day yesterday. It's been crazy busy but today is Thursday, which thanks to Amanda at A Royal Daughter I know it to be a day to share about your Desire to Inspire.  She usually has a link up but I checked and didn't see it.

I wanted to share with God's lovely treasures, the message that was shared at my family in love's church on Monday.  If you missed that post, you can read HERE.  So these are my notes, just try and hear my speaking. I am going to add in a couple nuggets that I shared as I was speaking. The good stuff that wasn't on my notes but just Holy Spirit inspired. I pray this will bless you.
PRAISE

ISAIAH 12:1-6 (NKJV)
A Hymn of Praise
12 And in that day you will say:
“O Lord, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’”[a]
3 Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the wells of salvation.
4 And in that day you will say:
“Praise the Lord, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
6 Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst

I will just go verse by verse using Isaiah 12 (found above)

Verse 1

And in that day you will say:

“O Lord, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.

 

--In this scripture the prophet Isaiah writes "in that day(Possibly referring to the day of salvation?)  you will say, 'O Lord, I will Praise You;' “Praise” in this scripture means “to give public acknowledgement” and/or “to declare aloud in public”,  if you are making a public declaration or acknowledgement then more than likely there will be a gathering you won't be alone. At the time that the book of Isaiah was written, God was angry at the children of Israel, they had continuously worshipped other idols and were rebellious. The prophet Isaiah is prophesying how "in that day"  we will praise the Lord and He will comfort us. Before we may have felt alone or isolated but once the day of salvation comes for us we now we will be gathered together to give PRAISE to the Lord. 

Verse 2

2 Behold, God is my salvation,

I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’”[a]

 

When I read, “I will trust and not be afraid;” This reminded me of Psalm 34:4 which is a scripture that I have been declaring over my life.

PSALM  34:1-6(The Happiness of Those who Trust God)

34 I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.

6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.

Here I shared about my fear of failure. I am going to save that for another blog post.

VERSE 3

3 Therefore with joy you will draw water

From the wells of salvation.

With JOY you will draw water (Springs of Living Water)
Well of salvation (Jesus)

JOHN 7:38 NKJV

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

ISAIAH 55:1a  (An invitation of Abundant Life)

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters;”

VERSE 4

And in that day you will say:

“Praise the Lord, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.

 

In this verse, Call upon His name can also be said as “proclaim in HIS name.”

Here we are NOT ONLY proclaiming-Declaring something publicly, declaring somebody to be something, show what something is-BUT we are doing this is HIS name.

There is power in the name of JESUS and not in the name of Victoria THEREFORE as we praise, call upon, proclaim, declare, publicly speak of what the Lord has done for you and for me, we must do it in HIS name.

We should be declaring our victories publicly, being careful that God gets all the honor and glory, Sharing ALL that God has done for us.

DECLARE that we are victors, more than conquerors, victorious, over comers, free, transformed, royalty. (you fill in here) WHO DOES GOD  SAY YOU ARE??? Start with yourself and then impart that into others.

Then we SHOW others by the way we live.

We make mention which means “to cause to remember”

This verse is urging us to publicly speak out on these things, to verbally express, acknowledge, share and spread the goodness of God. His love, His mercy, His grace.

VERSE 5

Sing to the Lord,

For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.

 

This verse tells us to sing TO the Lord. He has done EXCELLENT things (NOT mistakes, Not accidents, Nothing questionable, or uncertain)

PSALM 5:11(NKJV)

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout (SING) for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name, Be joyful in You.

VERSE 6

Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,

For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst

Cry out and shout OR Shout Loud with Joy (like extra joy)

Shouting out ( Singing out) because the Lord isn’t angry at us,

He is our salvation

Our salvation from captivity (the people of Zion use to be the people in captivity in Babylon)

We are no longer captives but set free in Jesus!

That is worth shouting over;  that is worth singing about.

To close up, let’s recap what we have learned in this chapter 12 of Isaiah.

It is a hymn of praise and we see different ways to give praise.

·        Directly speaking to God (Verse 1)

·        Declaring about God (Verse 2)

·        Drawing near to God (Verse 3)

·        Publicly speaking of God (Verse 4)

·        Directly singing to God (Verse 5)

·        Shouting (SINGING) out loud in joy (Verse 6)

These are some things we can ponder about regarding Praise.

  

1.      Attitude of Praise
2.      A will to Praise
3.      Mentality of Praise
4.      Heart of Praise
5.      Spirit of Praise
6.      Time of Praise

I HOPE YOU GOT SOMETHING FROM THIS. SINCE THESE WERE JUST MY NOTES AND CERTAIN THINGS I DID ELABORATE ON MORE WHILE SPEAKING BUT PRAYING THAT GOD WILL SPEAK TO US. THANKS FOR READING THROUGH. TAKE SOME TIME TO STUDY  ISAIAH 12 AND LET ME KNOW WHAT GOD SHOWS YOU FROM IT.



PEACE AND BLESSINGS,