Step outside yourself for a bigger picture

As Christians it is easy to get stuck in thinking of God from our own personal perspectives; I mean that It is easy to get stuck within the kingdom of self because we experience every day from the vantage point of ourselves. That is why I want to turn you on to the humbling experience of empathy, or the ability to mentally put yourself in their shoes. It can work wonders for your ability to feel compassion even for those who persecute you and it can have a humbling effect.

What I want to share with you is that humbling effect that can be born of empathy. I want you to imagine yourself or think back on a time you prayed and asked God for an answer to something and then received that answer in a sermon the following Sunday worship service. You were probably sitting in that pew listening intently to what the pastor had to say or, we've all been there, started to drift off in your head or to sleep. All of a sudden, you snap to attention, the hairs on your back stand up and it occurs to you that God just answered your prayer through the preacher. You're now pumped up, praise God, Hallelujah, it is a fantastic feeling isn't it? When you know God is answering your prayers! It has happened to me quite a few times, but that is not the most amazing revelation. When we hear that answer we think "Praise God, He is listening!" But what is really going to bake your noodle later on is when you realize that you're not the only one He's talking to...

Imagine yourself in this situation, you're in church, you just heard the answer to your prayer but then before you celebrate and glorify God imagine that what just happened to you may have already happened to someone else earlier in the sermon. Look around and picture light bulbs turning on over the heads of the congregation and then give glory to God. Step out of your own limited perspective and worship God from the vantage point of your whole congregation! Remember that God isn't your own personal God, He is a global God, THE ONLY God! Then you look over the congregation and you begin to see how He is speaking to everyone, answering everyone's prayers. When I prayed and would ask God things and have them answered in sermons I would think to myself "Wow, that sermon was just for me." It never occurred to me that that sermon could have had the girl next to me or the elderly man in front of me saying the exact same thing. This thought didn't pop into my head until I accepted God as a global God, a universal God, who conducts His work on a grand Godlike scale. Sure I praised God for those moments when He answered me but you better believe I praised Him all the more passionately when I started to see how God is working around me, even without my knowing, in the personal lives of our brothers in sisters in Christ, who we see every Sunday!

This weekend when you're in church just think about that as your listening to the sermon and worshiping. Think about God on a grander scale than as your own personal God and then if you've ever wondered why that pastor is up there in front of all those people preaching every week, that is your answer. He is at work all the time, around you, around those who are around you, and around those who aren't around you. God bless you all!


If you haven't yet peeked at the site I am working on then give it a look, click here.

A Prayer From the Book of Hebrews

Drawing near to the close of my Hebrews study I'd like to share with you a prayer from today's chapter. It depicts the path of righteousness as a race towards Jesus with rough patches along the way where our hands begin to droop and our knees become weak and that we need the endurance to proceed. I hope you enjoy this prayer and I encourage you to do a study on Hebrews. There is a free study guide over at Executable Outlines. 

Also, if you have not yet had a peek at the website I have been working on then I would appreciate it if you would give it a look and let me know what you think. It may very well become the new home of this blog as soon as I can work out some kinks. It can be difficult jumping in the deep end with web development but I've already learned a lot. Click Here to check out the website. Lord willing, all will go smoothly, according to His will and within His purposed time frame. God bless you all.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray that, like the Old Testament saints,

we lay aside every weight,

and sin which clings so closely,

and let us run with endurance the 

race that is set before us,

looking to Jesus,

the founder and perfecter of our faith.

- Hebrews 12:1-2

Lord, Help us to consider Him who

endured from sinners such hostility

against Himself,

so that we may not grow

weary or fainthearted.

For in our struggle against sin

we have not yet resisted to the point

of shedding our blood.

- Hebrews 12:3-4

Lord, give us strength and endurance.

That we may lift our drooping hands

and strengthen our weak knees,

and make straight paths for our feet,

so that what is lame may not be

put out of joint but rather be healed.

Help us to strive for peace with everyone,

and for the holiness without which

no one will see the Lord.

- Hebrews 12:12-14

In the name of Jesus

I pray,

Amen.

Focusing on God's desires

I love Francis Chan, he is a fantastic preacher and really knows how to engage listeners. If I can learn to write half as well as he can speak then I think I'll be doing okay in the blogging category.

I'm almost done with my Hebrews study and I am preparing to start the 12-week Experiencing God study offered through Blackaby Ministries. My mother used to lead the study for adult and youth classes and she highly recommended it to me. She has all the workbooks and even the NKJV Study Bible they released with it (I've actually grown kind of fond of it) which they don't appear to sell anymore. You're welcome to join me!

Lately, I haven't felt inspired about any particular topics to share with you and that has resulted in a slow down in releasing new posts. I have to have inspiration in order to write effectively and that usually comes when I begin to feel solidified in a subject. I'm still studying and diligently seeking the Lord and whatever He inspires me to share with people, I share! However if I force content then I feel like I'm not glorifying God. Sometimes I feel like I want to write something but that would satisfy and glorify my own desires as opposed to what God desires. That is why I wait all the day long for the Lord to inspire me, fill me with passion, and help me to flow words together according to what God desires. That is what I pray for when I write these posts! God bless you all.

Bible Study Notes Free Printable PDF

I have put together a Bible Study Note PDF that you may download, print and share. My goal was to seek out an alternative to an unused Bible Study Journal book I found which is no longer in print, I forget the name of it off the top of my head but I really liked the idea of keeping a Study journal/notebook and figured the easiest way to do that is through a printable PDF. I searched around and couldn't really find any free alternatives so I decided to make my own. I'd like to share this PDF with you, that it might prove useful in your own studies. Perhaps, with a little constructive feedback, I may be able to improve upon the design and eventually add more options.

Click Here for The Bible and The Beard printable study notes PDF!

There is a little Psalm 25:4-5 prayer in a light gray color so that it can be written over in pen, it is in the main notation area. The Date box is the same way. Underneath the main notation box is an area for jotting down cross references or questions you may have that you wish to look into; you could put anything in that section. I tried to keep it aesthetically pleasing whilst maintaining functionality. All you need to do is print, hole-punch, put in a binder and get to studying. I made two identical pages for easy 2-sided printing if your printer allows it.

*TIP* If you don't have a printer with 2-sided print capabilities then just print on one side flip the page, put it back in the feeder and print on the other side.

Let me know what you think about it in the comments or on Google+. Use or share it as you see fit so long as you do not charge money for it. I pray this will help people who may be just starting out in their studies or their reading plans. You could print them as you follow a reading plan and take notes as you go! Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God and remember to seek Him diligently. God bless you in your studies, may He shew unto you His paths, teach you His ways and reveal to you His truths (Psalm 25:4-5)!

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who [diligently*] seek him. - Hebrews 11:6

*ESV doesn't use the word diligently here but some other translations do.

Temptations to Sin

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'" - Mark 9:42-48

Many books have been written about the temptations of sin and its implication on the children of God, often with particular attention placed on damnation. Let's focus on this particular passage in the book of Mark and its life application today. I remember reading this passage quite literally at one time. Now, I'm sure if we took account of each of our sins and severed accordingly then we would all be in little bits. Fortunately for us there is indeed a less morbid application of this passage but that is not to devalue the serious nature of the passage considering the manner in which it is dictated.

This is an extremely serious passage when we really consider what Jesus is telling us to do. Today, if you attempted anything like that you would be heavily medicated and institutionalized. How then can we apply this passage in our own lives? We look at temptation in the world today and it is on your tv, in your phone, in your laptop, and even within the confines of your own mind. Living the Christian life means obedience and life likened unto the perfection of Christ, a perfection we will never achieve but for which we can strive. I find this particular passage in Mark to be extremely helpful in following the narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14); it is extremely helpful in that I apply it in my own life. Whenever I feel I am being led into temptation whether by people or by technology there is always a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13) and Jesus tells us exactly what we can do to get out in Mark 9:42-48!

We cut it off, sever the ties, and burn the bridges of temptation. A common phrase that comes to mind: 'out of sight out of mind.' Think about what it is that is tempting you into the sins you are engaging in and try to cut it off at the source. If that means a guy or a girl who is pulling you into sexual immorality it's time to cut ties and let him or her go, I've had to do this before too and it is not always easy. There is usually some way to cut off these "limbs" that are causing us to sin. We are directly connected to these avenues of temptation spiritually and Jesus is saying it is better to cut it off than to be sent into the fire. We can make our Christian life so much easier on ourselves if we can find ways in which we can stay above reproach. I've uninstalled apps from my phone and closed accounts on social networking sites, that were all tempting me to stray, in order to stay above reproach. For this to be effective you have to think creatively and take inventory of your sins and where they are stirred from. Then you can search for ways to cut them off.

Sins that aren't so simple can be battled spiritually through prayer and fasting. There are many resources out there on this type of defense against temptation including articles, books, sermons etc. A simple search will yield many results and before you begin searching say a little prayer to yourself asking the Lord for guidance. You can check out John Eckhardt's powerful prayer books for great scripture based prayers of deliverance and many other kinds of prayer.

The other temptations can stem directly from the mind. This is a topic that is extremely important for Christians to come to know and understand. I could not even begin to explain this type of battle, 2 Corinthians 10:5 comes to mind, so I will leave that to those more qualified; check out Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. The biggest thing we can do is pray and the easiest thing we can do is to have the courage to cut ties. Remember that we are to be imitators of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) and do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31); keep these 2 verses in mind and continue to diligently seek the Lord (Hebrews 11:6). He will be with you every step of the way (Joshua 1:9)(Matthew 28:20)(Deuteronomy 31:6) for He is the God of our salvation (John 3:16)(Romans 6:23)(Psalm 62:7)(Psalm 33:20).

If you think someone could benefit from this post then by all means share it. If you have any suggestions or examples of how you cut ties with sin then feel free to share them in the comments. I love to read testimonies!

Heard but not listened

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.    - Hebrews 4:1-2

What Hebrews is trying to say in chapter 4 is making a correlation between the God's chosen people in the Old Testament and the Jews post-Christ, Anno Domini; when Israel was brought up out of Egypt by Moses they were a very stiff-necked people. They were rebellious and each time the Lord fostered His anger and showed them His power they would be awe-struck but they would sink right back into the same rut. All throughout the book of Numbers, it seemed every other passage, they were grumbling, complaining and rebelling against the Lord and each time they would hear but they would not listen. The Lord's anger was kindled against them and not even Moses made it into the promised land (Numbers 20:12) because he disobeyed.

The reality of the matter is that we are a stiff-necked people. We hear but we do not listen and the author of Hebrews is showing us the reality of the supremacy of Christ with His salvation and the New Covenant right alongside the despair of disobedience. I love Hebrews because it is chock-full of things we need to hear, and to listen, about our salvation. Hebrews 4:1-2 sings to the tune of surface Christianity, that is that many claim the title but do not walk the path (Matthew 7:13). Contextually it seems to be speaking to those Jews who have heard the good news but are not taking the good news of Christ to heart, we are often the same way. When we get right down into the essence of the book of Hebrews we then need to start asking ourselves, Have we truly accepted Christ in our Hearts? If so then how are we living each day likened unto Him with Him as our supreme example? He is the exact imprint of the very nature of God (Hebrews 1:3). Exactly the being each of us is to strive to be! He knows we are sinners to the very core (Jeremiah 17:9) but He expects us to search for and keep near to Him; to hold fast to our confession (Hebrews 4:14) so that we can approach the throne of God with confidence (Hebrews 4:15)! The book of Hebrews really speaks to those who believe in Jesus Christ but who aren't yet developing that relationship with Him out of true acceptance of His salvation.

I exhort my brothers and sisters in Christ to do as in Hebrews 3:13 and, if you haven't already, to begin fostering that extremely important personal relationship with God. Don't just hear the word of God but listen to it! I thank everyone who reads my blog and if you are moved by any of these posts, feel free to share them among your friends and family and to spread His good news to the ends of the earth (Psalm 19:4) (Psalm 22:27). If you'd like to dive deeper into Hebrews then look up the Inductive Bible study method from Precept Ministries. Also check out Executable Outlines for the Hebrews study guide I am doing right now (you will need a PDF reader, I recommend Foxit).

Mother Dying of Cancer Gives a Godly, Life Changing Final Speech

This woman has achieved a far greater strength of faith than I've ever seen publicly demonstrated by anyone especially in light of the grim circumstances by which she was encumbered. It's powerful to see ministry from this perspective. The biggest wake up, as you're asking yourself "why her?", is when she realized that God didn't even spare Jesus from His suffering, and He was perfect (Hebrews 1:3). The reality of the matter is rooted in deep theology, a surface of which I haven't even begun to scratch within the confines of my mind. At first glance the speech seems downright depressing but I somehow felt so much better after finishing it. She has been blessed to seize the opportunity to minister from this platform, God rest her beautiful soul!

"Rachel Barkey (nee Sawer) went home to her Lord on July 2, 2009 at 37 years of age." - Her website: www.deathisnotdying.com

Could you imagine the state of disconsolation in reconciling yourself to the reality of impending death but ultimately resting your weary head on the shoulder of Jesus Christ; taking comfort in His salvation as He wipes the tears from your eyes and accepts you? The thought is enough to bring any empathetic Christian to tears. I could only hope that I could be strong enough to serve Him even unto death.

All men seek happiness

"All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different

means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going

to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended

with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this

object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those

who hang themselves." - Blaise Pascal

A powerful quote from Christian philosopher Blaise Pascal. This is also one of my favorite quotes of all time. It speaks to the reality of man's greatest motive. The pursuit and desire for happiness. There is a lot of suffering in the world today and it has only been getting worse. The world is in desperate need of some happiness. The somber reality is that most will end up searching in all the wrong places. We may find traces of fleeting happiness but where can we find everlasting happiness? Delight in the Lord as the greatest treasure of your heart and I suspect you will find the finish line of that great pursuit (Psalm 37:4). Discover Christ's eternal love and salvation (John 3:16) then happiness will soon follow.

"It was when I was happiest that I longed most. The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing to find the place where all the beauty came from." - C.S. Lewis

I've never been so happy as when I found peace and comfort within the loving embrace of God's salvation (Isaiah 12:2). Every day I share with Him my life, my thoughts, my worries and my questions as one would with a very dear friend. I pray that I do all things to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). I give Him my praise, my thanks and my patience.

My goal here is to encourage people who are having a bit of trouble to beseech the Lord for help in finding peace and happiness. Ask Jesus to calm your stormy mind as He did the wind and the sea (Mark 4:41). Accept the reality of your salvation, accept the reality of His love and you will come to know the power in His name. My hope is that, by the grace of God, I am able to help build up my brothers and sisters to be strong in the Lord. That He will work through me to help spread His message and share His love. I've lately been pondering the notion of God potentially taking this simple blog and building a ministry on top of it. Something that to me, right now, seems almost impossible but I have confidence in Him that He will set me on the right path and I patiently wait for His guidance. I simply seek to do God's good work that He has purposed for me.

The true beauty of God's work rests not in that we see our prayers answered and how God is guiding us in our own lives but that we see other's prayers are answered by God's work through us! This is a powerful realization because we are so accustomed to viewing faith in subject to our own limited perspectives. When you are ministering unto people and you suddenly realize that God has been working through you there is nothing quite like that feeling of love, humility, and  joy that comes from the broadening of your perspective of faith and understanding of how God truly works within us! God bless you all.

A girl's message to all Christians

A powerful message indeed. We must remember our place as the children of God and disciples of Jesus Christ. If we are to truly walk the narrow path (Matthew 7:14) then love is an integral part of that journey. I suspect that we would be able to interest more unbelievers by love over damnation however a healthy fear of God is still integral to the faith (Matthew 10:28); it is that fear of God in light of His eternal love for us that we begin to understand His glory (1 John 4:18).


We are called to teach and minister (Matthew 28:19) to those who want to hear but the job of conversion rests solely on Christ (John 14:6). 

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. - Ephesians 4:1-3

Can the Lord convert unbelievers through you? Yes. God loves to work through His children. There is a fine line between doing the work of God and doing your own thing, humility and self-righteousness, glorifying God and exalting yourself; I refer, more specifically, at condemnation (Luke 6:37) and forcing belief on an unbeliever (John 14:6), self-righteously attempting to play the role of God.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10

It is through humility that we go out before the Lord ministering unto His children and glorifying God but it is through unwarranted self-righteousness that, we unknowingly attempt to take away from the glory of God, first in our self-righteousness and second in being in direct disregard of Jesus Christ's teachings. 

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”  -Luke 18:9-14

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. - John 4:19-21

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  - Ephesians 2:8

Free Bible Study Guides

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God... - Ephesians 6:11-17

I have found a great Bible study resource that is free and also has quite a few selections. Lately, I've been on a Google journey searching for free Bible studies so that fiscally responsible Christians can dive deeper into His word without breaking the bank or spending any money for that matter. Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't go out, purchase and support study ministries who effectively and efficiently engage Christians in their search for Truth. There are great Study Bibles, Atlases, dictionaries, concordances and studies etc. Many of which are relatively inexpensive (2 Timothy 3:16-17). However, in these financially trying times it is better to make sure we get our fix rather than being spiritually irresponsible by brushing off your studies due to a lack in the financial means (Joshua 1:8). Now, because of many generous and thoughtful people we can find resources scattered all over the internet all brought together by a simple search by keywords. We are without excuse! (Psalm 119:11)

Through my searches I have found many different sources of free studies with some being more comprehensive than others. Everything from adult to youth studies appeared in my endeavors but I've found a great starting point for myself and probably many other Christians looking to dive deeper who may not have the financial means. Most of them offer studies on just a handful of Bible books but if you search around you can gather a comprehensive list of free and effective studies. So lets get to the point of this post: the free Bible Study Guides.

The best site that I have found that provides a great study resource while having a good selection of studies to choose from is from a website called Executable Outlines. This site contains many resources including sermons, power point presentations, and Bible studies (around 1700 of them according to the site). The studies aren't so thorough that you'll be changing black ink cartridges after ever other print out but it is a fantastic start! I would probably recommend locating a library or using your campus resources to print these out which often results in the use of cents rather than paying more in ink than it costs to just buy a whole new printer. If you are tech savvy then saving the PDF files and using your favorite annotation software could easily do the trick but I'm trying not to spend too much time staring at a screen. That aside, I'd like to share the study I have printed off and am about to start, from the above website; The Epistle To The Hebrews. Feel free to join in or find another study to do that maybe you've been thinking about doing for a while and dive into the Bible with me! God bless you and your studies. May the Holy Spirit be upon you to guide you and give you discernment.

**Remember that you will likely need a PDF reader (or annotator for digitally studying) to view most of the studies you'll find!

Here's another resource I've found with some extremely comprehensive studies but fewer in selection:

http://www.journeychurchonline.org/studies.htm This resource you will cost you in ink and paper. It is quite comprehensive but worth it if you have the ink and paper.

There is Power in His Name

We pray for many different reasons and some of us pray the same prayers over and over. There is nothing wrong with this but it can often be refreshing to change it up every now and then. That being said, I'd like to introduce you to a book I've found and have come to enjoy. The book is Prayers That Rout Demons, By John Eckhardt. This book offers many prayers that are all rooted in Scripture so that you can change up your prayer routine with fresh requests that are less vague and mundane that can also deliver us from the enemy in. the name of Jesus! There is no denying the power in His name. Jesus Christ died on the cross but not even death could hold Him down:

This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. - Acts 2:23-24

There is a battle raging for control over our minds, our bodies, and our spirits. We have been given the power in the name of Jesus to thwart these attempts and win the battle. While there are many resources on the topic of effective prayer as well as spiritual warfare I particularly like utilizing the prayers in this book because each of them contain reference to the Word of God! This allows us to call on the power of Jesus's name while standing on the foundation of power rooted in Scripture. Whether you are afflicted with ailments or tormented by lustful spirits they can all be bound and cast out in the name of Jesus. It has already worked for me and I'm going to share with you the process I went through in preparing for powerful prayers.

The first thing I did before diving deeper into the powerful act of praying is root myself in Scripture so that I have the Word of God in my heart as I pray. The great thing about this book is that the Scripture is referenced in each prayer! First step in this process is to go ahead and pray, "Lord, I ask that You would make known to me Your ways and Your paths and that You would reveal to me Your truths as I read Your Word today, in Jesus's name I pray, Amen." Then I looked up each referenced verse and I studied it to gather the context of the chapters and I made sure that I understood each of the verses referenced. Going through this process solidifies our foundation in His Word. Keep in mind that Truth is someone not some thing. A great way to study the verses is to ask yourself "Who, What, When Where, Why and How." There are also various worksheets online you can print off and write the verse and answer questions about them, just search for them on Google. Or you can study them inductively, a process designed by Precept Ministries which is extremely effective. 

Once you have completed the groundwork for prayer you are ready to begin calling on the Lord to bind and cast out these unclean spirits out of your life whether they are of the destroyer, witchcraft, generational spirits or principalities etc. I have found the prayers to be very effective and I imagine the stronger your faith in Him the more effectively you will be able to utilize prayer. Just trust in Him and have faith, faith in the power of His name, faith in your Salvation, faith in the Holy Spirit which abides in you and you in Him.

"But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." - Matthew 12:28

---

Example:

Prayers for Deliverance From Evil

Prayers that Rout Demons

John Eckhardt

Deliver me from evil (Matt. 6:13).

I pray that You would keep me from evil (1 Chron. 4:10).

No evil will touch me (Job 5:19).

Put to shame those who wish me evil (Ps. 40:14).

Let no evil disease cleave to my body (Ps. 41:8).

I will not be afraid of evil tidings (Ps. 112:7).

I will not be visited with evil (Prov. 19:23).

I refrain my feet from every evil way so that I 

might keep Your Word (Ps. 119:101).

Preserve me from all evil (Ps. 121:7).

Deliver me from the evil man (Ps. 140:1).

Let people be healed of plagues and evil spirits (Luke 7:21).

I pray that You would keep me from evil (John 17:15).

Let evil spirits be cast out (Acts 19:12).

I will not be overcome with evil, but I 

overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21).

I put on the whole armor of God that I might 

stand in the evil day (Eph. 6:13).

I cancel all the plans and forces of evil sent against my life.

Let the works of evil be burned by Your holy fire.

Let men repent of evil and turn to righteousness.

Let no evil be established in my life, but let 

Your righteousness be established.

I loose myself from all evildoers and evil soul ties.

Teach Me Your Paths, Part 3

Teach Me Your Paths

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,

for they have been from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgression;

according to your steadfast love remember me,

for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

8 Good and upright is the Lord;

therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

9 He leads the humble in what is right,

and teaches the humble his way.

10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

- Psalms 25:6-10

So we are about halfway through Psalms 25 and so far we have covered that we lift our souls up to and trust in the Lord that we shall not be put to shame and that our enemies will not triumph over us but that they will be ashamed. (Psalms 25:1-3) Those who trust in the Lord will not be put to shame though they (we) are sinners. There is no shame in the salvation by Christ or the resurrection of Christ nor will there be shame in the salvation of man by the blood of Christ. Our souls are bought and paid for and so we give it to Him! We repent and give unto Him what is rightfully His so what is the next step in the journey? Psalms 25:4-5 where we begin to ask Him to make known to us his ways and to teach us His paths and to Lead us in truth and teach us for He IS the God of our salvation and for HIM we will wait all the day long!

Here in verses 6-7 it refers back to that trust and we call into the Lord's remembrance His mercy and His love for they have been from of old. Now, in verses 8-10 we are asking Him to forget the sins of our youth and our transgressions according to His love and His goodness then it goes on to talk about Him teaching and leading us down the Humble path! "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). You have to remember that Psalms 25 is still in the context of the Old Testament and Christ has yet to die for our sins but it is fascinating to read the Old Testament and find relevance. Throughout the Bible there is far more Truth behind the Word than meets the eye and that is why we read the Bible prayerfully and that we ask God, like in verses 4-5, to make known to us His ways and His paths and to guide and teach us His truths!

Looking at the Old Testament we see plenty of sin, as there is today, only theirs was not yet bought and paid for by the blood of Christ which is why they had to go through such elaborate rituals, as in Exodus and Leviticus, of cleansing for peace and forgiveness and healing etc. Looking on some of the profound revelations of people like Perry Stone we can really begin to see the consistent themes throughout both of the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is all so profoundly important that we read His word prayerfully and call on the Holy Spirit to bless us with the power of discernment so that we not misinterpret His message to us. This is why I like Psalms 25 because it is full of forgiveness, love, triumph, humility and guidance which were all things as relevant before His sacrifice as they are today. Trust me when I say that He remembered, and then some, His mercy and His steadfast love when He gave His Son on the cross that we, sinners whose hearts are deceitful beyond measure, could be saved, praise God. The most important thing we can do is truly accept in our hearts the gravity of His sacrifice and we can then come to know the power in His resurrection and in His name for even death could not subdue Him (Acts 2:24)!

Remember, don't take my word for it! Read His Truth for yourself. He will guide you and teach you and make known to you His ways and His paths. You cannot stand before God on mine or anyone else's words but only on His Word. Read the Scripture I share with you prayerfully so that you may come to know Him personally and not through my teachings because all these things were revealed to me through my own personal relationship with God and that is something I want for you and hope to inspire within you!

Teach Me Your Paths, Part 2

Teach Me Your Paths

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

teach me your paths.

5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all the day long.

- Psalms 25:4-5

Have you asked God to make known to you and to teach you His ways, His paths? Then, subsequently, ask God to lead you in His Truth, His Message, His Word and to teach it to you for He is the Living God of your salvation and for Him you will wait all the day long. Take a moment, open up your Bibles back to Psalms 25 and pray and really ask Him to reveal His truth, teach it to you and make His path known to you. Ask Him for His divine guidance that you may be led according to His plan for you.

I've been stuck in a loop where I repeatedly pray for forgiveness and I try to make known all my sins of the day but, not often enough, did I pray for clarity and discernment that I may hear God communicating with me daily. Have you ever been stuck in that loop? I would be so caught up in the guilt over having sinned that I would forget to take joy and peace in my salvation for He is the God of my salvation! So instead of professing to God about my many sins of the day and bearing the guilt of it on my own shoulders I prayed for His help, His guidance, His love, His message, and to make His ways and His path known to me. 

I wish to call in to your remembrance the price the Lord paid to make this possible. I burdened myself with the weight He had already lifted off of my shoulders over a thousand years go. That weight became a distraction that perpetuated unto itself until it became despair and I devalued myself and become ashamed. Calling myself a horrible Christian and belittling myself instead of humbling myself before the Lord. Remember the verse in part 1? "O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me." - Psalms 25:2 We lifted up our souls to Him and we are trusting in Him but we must accept that trust in our hearts so that when we ask for His path to be revealed we will have the courage to travel down it. We are sinners and we will sin but He has forgiven and so we must acknowledge that fact and acknowledge that we NEED Him in our lives. It doesn't really do us any good to pray for forgiveness and then not accept it when He offers it to us. Once we can accept the gravity of His sacrifice and salvation and we trust in Him then He will reveal to us His path, His plan, His message, His truth and He will communicate with us.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; 

seek, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you." 

- Matthew 7:7

"And whatever you ask in prayer, 

you will receive, if you have faith."

- Matthew 21:22

God will teach to you His paths and He will reveal to you His ways! Accept His forgiveness and His salvation and be at peace. Ask for His guidance daily, lift your soul up to Him daily, walk in His word daily, and stop viewing yourself as only a sinner because we are also God's blessed children, we are the sheep of His pasture, and He will guide us on the path to eternal life as He walks it with us daily and carries us when we fall off of the path. Pray for clarity, guidance, and help then delight yourself in the Lord (Psalm 37:4) as you begin to realize He has been trying to talk to you this whole time!

Beloved, now are we the sons of God,

and it doth not yet appear that we shall be:

but we know that, when he shall appear, we

shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

- 1 John 3:2

And because ye are sons, 

God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, 

crying, Abba, Father.

Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; 

and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

- Galatians 4:6-7

Teach Me Your Paths, Part 1

Teach Me Your Paths

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

- Psalms 25:1

Every night I try to lift up my soul to The Lord! Asking Him to fill it so that it overflows with His love and grace. I must say I really enjoy all of Psalms 25 although my favorite verse is probably verse 2 (KJV): O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, Let not mine enemies triumph over me. Isn't that a wonderful verse? Let's look at Psalms 25:1-3 (ESV) together:

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, in you I trust;

let me not be put to shame;

let not my enemies exult over me.

3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;

they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

I'm not sure whether Psalms 25 was a song or prayer of David but I like to read it as a prayerful passage. As I understand it is actually an acrostic poem, with each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Through this section we lift up our souls to the Lord, trusting in Him to not allow us to be put to shame or allow our enemies to triumph over us. Often I'll pray to the Lord saying "God, I lift up my soul to you and I am putting my faith and my trust in you for its protection." Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous (25:3). Or they shall be ashamed who are unrestrained in their treachery. Nobody who trusts in the Lord will feel guilt but those who are unrestrained in their treachery will be guilty! Shame, from BibleStudyTools.com: Sinful human beings are traumatized before a holy God, exposed for failure to live up to God's glorious moral purpose. The first response of Adam and Eve to their sinful condition was to hide from God, and consequently from one another (Gen 3:7-8 ; 2:25).

We lift our souls up to God and we trust in Him. NONE who wait or trust in the Lord shall be put to shame! But those who are unrestrained in their treachery they hide from the Lord, ashamed and exposed for their sinful condition. So take this opportunity to lift up your soul but not just your soul, lift up your sins, your burdens, your ailments and give them over to the Lord to be cleansed. Pray that He not let us feel shame or guilt but lift those feelings out of our hearts because we know we are forgiven, Christ Jesus paid the ultimate price to have that burden lifted off of all of us and that is what it means to be saved. The wicked who hide from God and bear the shame of their treachery on their own shoulders do not know that forgiveness and they shall be ashamed if not now then on the day of judgement! 

I enjoy the book of Psalms for its ability to teach us about praise and prayer. It is understood that most of them were authored by David which means it was before Christ. Give it a read and wait for part 2 as we study Psalms 25 a bit more. If you have anything to add or anything that I missed point it out in the comments section and I encourage everyone to study the Word of God and to know truth for themselves because you cannot stand before God on the day of judgement and say that "well my pastor said this or my mother said that or I read this on a blog somewhere!" Pray for discernment, open your Bibles and soak up truth! God bless.

Footprints in the Sand

Footprints in the Sand

The original author of this poem is debated and I'm not entirely sure who originally wrote it but it is a fantastic poem. I couldn't find the original author of this picture either through Google search and almost ended up getting a virus trying to figure that out.

Now I'd also like to share with you a post, Seven Ways to Pray for Your Heart, by Jon Bloom over at DesiringGod. I've got it bookmarked because I'm pretty sure I'll be referring back to it at some point.

Studying the book of Genesis

I have currently started (I'm on day 5) a 90 Day reading plan of the Bible which if you'd like to give it a try you can get it over at Bible.com. Just sign up and you can begin any number of reading plans or devotionals that you see fit. Also the site has the added benefit of having apps on all major smartphone/tablet devices. Although I have subscribed and follow the plan on my phone I do the reading out of my MacArthur Study Bible I purchased recently. It has a lot of helpful information but the thing to keep in mind about study bibles is that the stuff written underneath scripture is opinion while scripture is fact. My point is that you should seek the truth for yourself and don't always take people's opinion on Biblical themes. Be weary of opinionated contradictions to Biblical teachings within interpretations.

So last evening I finished the book of Genesis and all of it's 50 chapters. This is an interesting book that definitely warrants a few read-throughs! Here I wish to recap in an abridged outline the events that take place within the book of Genesis.

1. Creation
2. Adam and Eve
3. Abraham and the Abrahamic Covenant and his Act of Faith (almost sacrificing his son Isaac)
4. Soddom and Gomorah
5. Isaac and his sons Esau and Jacob, Jacob's Ladder
6. Joseph and the coat of many colors
7. And the Judah interlude

This is an extremely abridged outline as there is a lot of good stuff within this book as well as important genealogy (I know these are everyone's favorite verses to read) and themes. I'd like to offer some tips on getting through Genesis when you're reading it. The most helpful tip I can offer you, by far, is to pray before delving into scripture. Ask God to be with you as you read and to help you discern His message. Also when you are taking on an involved reading plan such as a 90 day reading plan (that is a lot of reading) it is important to stop about halfway through your scheduled chapters and reflect. Recap everything that has happened in your head and try to recall and add details then repeat that process at the end of your session. Even better if you actually take notes and write them down although that is not what I did unless you count this post.

I'd like to share with you a common theme I've noticed that persists throughout the Bible that I think a lot of people find misleading about God due to preconceived notions that we tend to develop about Him. As we think of an omnipotent God who is able to destroy entire cities (Soddom and Gomorah) and who can call forth rain to flood the entire earth we tend to misinterpret His philosophy of use of such power. The recurring theme is that God works through us. Throughout Genesis He interacts with His people but in instances motivated by evil intentions He does not send a fire ball to obliterate someone who steps on the toes of His people. The way the events unfold in these books suggest the notion of a God who walks with His people, it is as if He already knows the events that are to unfold. Joseph's brothers gave him to the Egyptians as a slave where he was eventually made second in rank only to the Pharaoh and overseer of all of Pharaoh's lands and resources. He worked through Joseph to do that because when he was asked to interpret the dreams of the Pharaoh he said it was God who interpreted the dreams. Not him but God. His own brothers plotted to kill him, but instead sold him, because of his favor in Jacob's eyes but God delivered him through those hard times according to His plan.

God works through us and those that He does not abide in are still free to do the evil in their hearts. So yes bad things can, do and will happen to good people, God's people, but we have to remember that He is with us. God is not afraid to use His great power like when he obliterated Soddom and Gomorah or when he flooded the earth but He instead guides us according to His plan. Life is made up of choices and trials but remembrance of how God walks with us through each choice and trial we face is key. If we believe and have faith in Him then He will deliver us through each one! The book of Job comes to mind, remember that God is with you and that no matter what trials you face it is highly unlikely that you face harder situations than Job and he was a very righteous man.

100 Views!

Thanks to everyone who has viewed this young blog of mine. I have a feeling that this endeavor will help me keep on the path of life and if I help but one person find his or her way down that path as well then words could not express the joy I would feel. To the family and friends who read this blog I am truly blessed beyond measure with a very kind and loving family! I give thanks to God for blessing me with a great family. Thank you everyone!

Psalm 100

A Psalm of praise.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with

singing.

Know ye that the LORD he [is] God: [it is] he [that] hath made

us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of

his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts

with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name.

For the LORD [is] good; his mercy [is] everlasting; and his

truth [endureth] to all generations.

Two paths, a crossroads, and a lifetime of decisions.

"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 verse is understood to be the climactic point in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. It distinguishes between two paths, Life and Death, Good and Evil, Narrow and Wide, Hard and Easy. The Lord urges us to follow His righteous path but as many of us Christians know it can be difficult at times. I'd like to get into why that is but first lets look at the root cause of our hardships.

John MacArthur wrote in a Sermon (Which Way to Heaven?) about this very verse that "someone has well said that all of life concentrates on man at the crossroads. That's really true. From the time of our life when we are old enough to make an independent decision or any decision, life becomes a matter of constant decision making. Every single day of our lives we make decisions, about everything. We decide what time we'll get up or if we'll get up in the morning. What we'll eat, wear. Where we'll go, what we'll do. Constantly life is a matter of decisions. We just pick roads all the way through life and so it is fair to say that life consists of man at the crossroads. Ultimately, and inevitably, there is a final choice. A choice that not only determines time but a choice that determines eternity. That choice is the one to which our Lord speaks in these verses. The ultimate choice." ("This article originally appeared here at Grace to You).

Two paths, a crossroads, and a lifetime of decisions. The difficulty of the Christian path stems directly from confronting and making choices throughout life. Not only what we choose to do and say but even in the things that we think by holding our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Often times, likely not often enough, our actions are born of thought. Has anyone, most likely your parents, ever told you to "think before you do" anything or "think before you say" anything? When we hold our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ we can then hold our words and actions to the same. The objective is to curb the destructive path before it has the time to manifest through our actions.The problem is that this sounds much easier than it is. Our minds are often all over the place which can send our actions down the opposite path. Not only that but earthly pleasures try to weigh your tendencies down the destructive path as well. I'm sure we've all faced the issue of waking up Sunday morning and we don't feel like getting up or getting ready besides there's always the evening service, right? If not this evening then there is always next Sunday. We constantly talk ourselves into and out of things, constantly making choices.

The path can be difficult but only because we make it difficult for ourselves by consistently making bad choices and creating comfort by repeating these bad choices. These choices are often earthly in desire and there are so many different forces that can pull you off the path of righteousness that it is easy to see why Jesus describes the destructive path as wide. The fact of the matter is that there is so many different ways to end up on the wrong path that the information could probably fill many books but in this post I'm going to try and focus on moving the topic along to how we can make the path a little bit easier for ourselves.

Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals." - 1 Corinthians 15:33

Even as bad company corrupts good morals so too does good company convert bad morals. I remember having friends who would curse like sailors as the adage goes but I remained vigilant in my morals and because of this those friends became aware of their words which caused them to then start cursing less in my presence. I have also experienced the phenomenon as described in 1 Corinthians 15:33 where those words had begun to creep into my mind and then out of my mouth.

Notice that I said the words crept into my mind first and then out of my mouth. So lets talk a little bit about how we can make the path easier for ourselves. We have to make a habit out of 2 Corinthians 10:5 so that the things we do and say are born out of righteousness from the womb of our minds, which are habitually held captive to the obedience of Christ. That's not an easy task to accomplish when we may already have bad habits that we need to break. The good news is that repetition, a little perseverance, and copious amounts of prayer should do the trick. We begin by letting Jesus Christ into our hearts, then we help Him win the battle for our minds and then our actions will follow suit. So long as you think before you do or say then you can follow the narrow path that leads to life taught to us by Jesus Christ.



For a more in depth and comprehensive look at Matthew 7:13-14 check out John MacArthur's sermon I referred to earlier in the blog, you can read or listen to it HERE. As you delve into the path of Christianity it would be important for you to open your Bibles to read and understand Mark 3:20-35. John Piper has a great sermon about Mark 3:20-35 on his site and you can read that one HERE. God bless!

Ask, and it will be given to you.. (Matthew 7:7)

"Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." - Mark 11:23-24

He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." - Matthew 17:20

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. - James 5:16 

Our prayer is given power through faith. The power to heal and guide you on your path as well as others. Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7). There have been many occasions where I have asked or sought out clarity from the Lord and I received. Most recently I've prayed about what Bible I should buy and after researching online and visiting a local Christian bookstore I ended up buying one I was drawn to get. I skimmed KJV, NLT, as well as various other translations and most were out of my price range then I found the ESV Bibles (admittedly I was searching for the ESV Study Bible). I bought the MacArthur Study Bible (ESV) which I was immediately drawn to purchase and it just so happened to fit snugly within my budget.

Now here is the kicker. The Lord knew I had been on the prowl for a new Bible before I had the money to get one and He had blessed me with exactly $50 which upon receipt I was immediately pouring over potential investments when out of nowhere it hit me: I had been searching for a Bible where before I did not have the means to purchase one, now I do. My mind was made up and now I needed guidance and I picked a local Christian bookstore and allowed the Holy Spirit to help me choose which one I should get. He did not disappoint. Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find! I may not have moved any physical mountains but it felt pretty significant to me. I've found, through prayer, that if you seek Him you will always find and if you ask for Him you will always receive. That is the first steps you can take in becoming the righteous person with great power in Him to heal and to move those mountains! I pray to receive such an honor by the grace of God.

My current prayers rest on becoming a member of and locating a local church. I have no doubt in my heart that He will deliver I simply must be receptive to His communication with me so that I don't miss it. I pray for guidance and discernment or a sign and the ability to read it. A sign can often be subtle but you always feel accomplished when that bell dings in your head and you realize that this is it.

Prayer is a wonderful way to commune with God and seek guidance from Him as well as providing the added benefit of further developing a relationship with Him which is really what it is all about; growing closer to God.

Fun Fact: I prayed and asked God what I should blog about in this post. Stumbled on a verse about prayer in my new Study Bible Mark 11:23-24 and here we are. God bless!

He adorns the humble with salvation!

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
-2 Corinthians 12:9

One day I had come to a revelation when I was given a phrase that had simply popped into my mind whether it was given to me by the Holy Spirit I don't know but it is profound. It expressed my humility, my imperfection as a sinner, and God's ability to love us despite these imperfections all while allowing the acceptance of the gravity of God's grace and mercy.. The phrase really defined the gravity of the above verse for me. God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. Here is the phrase that popped into my head:

"Though I am weak in the Lord, the Lord is strong in me."

As I reflected on this phrase, humbling myself before the Lord, I was lifted up and brought to tears as I felt the gravity of His love and grace. It really helps put into perspective God's strength made perfect in our weakness and reflects His mercy. 

I invite you to contemplate this phrase and meditate on 2 Corinthians 12:9. You may be moved to tears as I was while I verbally repeated it to myself over and over. It truly is a profound epiphany to experience, like a divine light bulb that turns on shining light on your soul. 

For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation - Psalms 149:4

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God - Micah 6:8

Bible Study Tools and Resources

Being kind of a tech freak has led me to many free and exciting resources across the web that make connecting with the word of God freely available in the home and on the go. I have recently added a small link list in the sidebar that will take you to some of these resources.

Let's get started:

Biblia.com

This site is a Bible study resource that is pretty simple to operate and offers a good bit of features such as various translations. It's basically just a simple tool for reading the Bible with a few study options built in as well. You can have the Bible open on one side and have a devotion open on the other. It's nice and intuitive but may be a bit difficult to get around sometimes. Definitely worth your time to tinker around with and see how it can help you grow closer to God! 

There are quite a few places to read the Bible online that are also rich in features and resources to assist you're studying. Another great site is:

YouVersion.com

Now this site is similar to Biblia in a few ways but I think it may have a few more resources. They are both fairly similar. They both offer note taking features, I'm not sure if you can highlight with Biblia though. Both are worth tinkering with to see which one you prefer to use to help you study! Neither sites require you to download any software but YouVersion offers more social features that you need to sign up for in order to utilize them. The other upside to YouVersion is that they offer what I believe is the top rated Bible app on Android and I'm assuming it is on the iPhone as well! So you always have the tools you need to study the Bible wherever you are! YouVersion offers you various reading plans and devotions as well as a verse of the day all available to you on your mobile device.

With great resources like these, and I'm sure there are many more as well, you should always have the tools available to you to take to heart the word of God.

The hardest to use and most feature rich resource I've found is the e-Sword Bible study software!

e-Sword.net

If you're serious about studying the Bible then this tool is for you. It offers a built in word processing functionality for fantastic formatted note taking as well as many translations including commentaries, devotions, dictionaries etc. Most of them are free but a few are premium but everything you could possibly want in a Bible study application is here! They also just recently released an iPhone app, nothing for Android that I know of yet. It is available for Windows PCs, Mac and Linux. I highly suggest going to the site and checking out the features this software is packing and if you enjoy the free software then I would highly recommend you donate to them because it is really amazing what e-Sword is offering to Christians around the world for free. 

That about summarizes a lot of the tools I utilize for my studies but if you're old fashioned, absolutely nothing wrong with that, then you can always go out and get a Study Bible and some highlighters and get to work. The internet is full of good resources but also some bad ones so be careful! Another site that you may enjoy checking out is John Piper's site DesiringGod.org He has a lot of books and sermons you can read for free but if you like his work then I would suggest purchasing some of his materials as well when you get a chance. 

The Beginning, The Bible and The Beard study experiment, Psalm 23

I intend for this blog to be my own Bible study experiment. I am a 23, going on 24, year old christian who has never been engaged in any kind of Bible study. So this ought to be an interesting learning process that assists me in diving deeper into my own faith and, Lord willing, might even assist others in the same. We'll see how it all pans out.

I'd like to start out by sharing my favorite chapter, Psalms 23:

Psalm 23

KJV

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and they staff they comfort me.
⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

I memorized Psalm 23 when I was very young and I remember it to this day and whenever I feel lost I will go to this passage and pray it. It has helped me quite a lot over the years and praying it has brought me peace and tranquility in times of turbulence in my life. It is quite a popular passage and also powerful. The reason I go with KJV is because that's how I've always remembered it and will continue to remember it. I often go with ESV when I read the bible.

When I pray Psalm 23 verses 1-3 bring me peace and tranquility, verse 4 brings me courage and verse 6 brings me joy. I'm still studying verse 5 but as of now I feel it washes away that sense of urgency that comes with earthly responsibilities in my life that oftentimes brings themselves ahead of God in our daily lives. It's as if God is telling us that there is never a time, no matter how busy or laden we may be, that we can't sit down and enjoy the feast of God's eternal love, grace and wisdom that He has prepared before us in the presence of our enemies.

What do these verses mean to you? How do you interpret verse 5? 

Remember that the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12 ESV). The word of God can speak to us individually in different ways because the word of God is living and active, it is dynamic. Just pray and ask God for spiritual understanding to be able to understand His message to you. You'll be able to feel it when God's word begins to speak to you.