#christianliving

[stepforddoll]

[byfaithmedia]

Give it to God ✝️

[tmcphotoblog]

The next time someone tells you that the Bible is just a book written by man, show them this.

This is a graph of all cross-references in the Bible.

A total of 63,779 cross references. If one man wrote a book that articulates, he would be considered the greatest composer the world has ever known.

But the Bible wasn’t written by one man. It was written by the Holy Spirit.

Then the Holy Spirit used 40 men, most of whom never met each other.

It was written in 3 different languages. On three different continents.

Over a period of 1,500 years. Without divine inspiration that’s absolutely impossible.

The Bible isn’t just a book. It’s 66 books that men wrote under the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit. It’s the living Word of God!

Read it, study it, and apply it! Then go share it with someone else!

And think about THAT for a Minute!

[oillampslit]

We look at what is not seen.

[walkswithmyfather]

“📖✨ Living by Faith: The Message of Romans 1:17 🙏💖 Romans 1:17 reveals a foundational truth, "For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’" This verse calls us to embrace a life of faith, understanding that our righteousness comes not from our deeds, but from our belief in God's promises. How has living by faith shaped your daily life and spiritual journey? Share your experiences of how faith has guided you and the transformations it has brought about.”

From: iBelieve.com

[lightspreader]

MANIPULATION

[tmarshconnors]

Scripture on Hearing God's Voice 2/2

Romans 8:16 - "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."

James 1:5 - "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."

Galatians 3:5 - "Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?"

Isaiah 55:3 - "Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David."

John 14:21 - "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."

John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Habakkuk 2:1-2 - "I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. And the Lord answered me: 'Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.'"

Psalms 29:1-11 - "Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength... The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters."

Psalms 23:1-6 - "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want... Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Psalms 85:8 - "Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly."

Proverbs 3:30-32 - "Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence."

Revelation 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

1 Corinthians 14:1-5 - "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy... The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation."

Psalms 91:15 - "When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him."

Hebrews 2:1-3 - "Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?"

Acts 22:14 - "And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth.'"

Job 36:22 - "Behold, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him?"

Hebrews 1:1-3 - "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son... He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature."

Ezekiel 37:1-28 - "The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones... Then he said to me, 'Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.'"

Job 35:10-11 - "But none says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?'"

Mark 9:1-50 - "And he said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.'"

Revelation 1:3 - "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near."

Hebrews 3:7-8 - "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness.'"

John 14:15 - "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

Matthew 4:1 - "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."

Psalms 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

1 Samuel 9:1-27 - (The story of Saul being anointed as king and listening to God's guidance through Samuel.)

1 Samuel 3:1-10 - "Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision... And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant hears.'"

James 1:22 - "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

[biblealbum]

Episode 1667/1758. The Scripture art series from Revelation to Genesis.

[readersmagnet]

The book Joy for the Journey explores the idea of a spiritual route that individuals in search of happiness and tranquility can take to reach their destination.

Grab a copy now at https://www.gumshoepriestministries.com/ and journey into the road of spirituality.

[dailyfocusupward]

What To Do When God Is Silent #godisgood #shorts #Jesus #christianencouragement #inspiration #trust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCjEkTnaLb0 Life isn't fair. What do you do when God is silent and does not do what you want Him to do? You have a couple of choices. Ultimately, the right one is to keep trusting and believe He is good, even if you don't understand. 🔔 Shine bright in your Christian walk! Subscribe for daily biblical wisdom, empowering sermons, motivational messages, and faith-building content. https://www.youtube.com/@DailyFocusUpward/?sub_confirmation=1 🔗 Stay Connected With Us. 👉 Twitter (X): https://ift.tt/Ou2lIEh 📩 For Business Inquiries: dailyfocusupward@gmail.com ============================= 🎬 Recommended Playlists 👉 Choose To Know Seek Follow Obey Love Honor God https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgg7uePLulSnWMCRRjn6s2p8yK9zvd9gG 👉 Shorts https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgg7uePLulSnCCy3f2G8mMcrVpGag0xd1 🎬 WATCH OUR OTHER VIDEOS: 👉 Put God First | Idols Will Break Your Heart | Prioritize Jesus | Christian Motivation & Inspiration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGs66MfXIU8 👉 Thank God Every Night | Bedtime Prayer & Meditation | Calming Sleep Routine | End Your Day In Peace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38Ka6OoTciw 👉 Choose to Trust In God | Christian Inspirational & Motivational Video | Sermon on Trusting God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqem9mZt6MY 👉 Choose To Be Grateful to God | Christian Inspirational & Motivational Video | Sermon on Thankfulness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8p1Ji6Eb0E 👉 Choose To Forgive | The Gift Of Forgiveness | Christian Inspirational & Motivational Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws5wiN4gA1o&t=18s ============================= ✅ About Daily Focus Upward. Welcome to our channel, Daily Focus Upward! We aim to communicate Biblical teaching through powerful sermons that inspire, encourage, and equip believers for God's glory. The Christian walk requires daily, upward focus. We pray these videos are a blessing to you, and if so, we encourage you to like, share and subscribe to our channel. "Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever." Daniel 12:3 For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: dailyfocusupward@gmail.com 🔔 Unlock powerful sermons and transform your faith! Subscribe for daily biblical teachings, inspiring messages, and encouraging content. https://www.youtube.com/@DailyFocusUpward/?sub_confirmation=1 ================================= ADD HASHTAG HERE ⚠️ DISCLAIMER: We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of watching any of our publications. You acknowledge that you use the information we provide at your own risk. Do your research. Copyright Notice: This video and our YouTube channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Daily Focus Upward. You are authorized to share the video link and channel and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to our YouTube channel is provided. © Daily Focus Upward via Daily Focus Upward https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCREbePCZFUdW8TbVnLbggmA November 01, 2024 at 09:15PM

[stepforddoll]

[byfaithmedia]

Amen! 📖

[petes]

(via Reflecting on a Week of Overflowing Blessings) It’s Friday once more, and boy, did this week zoom by like a gust of wind! Today’s shaping up to be a full day of editing as I play catch-up on a ton of work.

[oillampslit]

People who love you correct you.

[trustandobedience]

Trust & Obey – Thoughts from January 1, 2023. 

            As we enter the new year, I’m reflecting on the weight those two words have had on me since September. Trust and Obey – they seem like simple things on the face of it, something every “good” Christian will tell you is a part of life. However, when faced with actual challenges in life, I’ve found that trust and obedience are harder than the words imply. As is often the case with following Jesus, things do not always go the way we would have them go, especially with regards to our future plans and the things we want for ourselves. His plan doesn’t always line up with ours, and that’s hard to come to terms with.

            If you’re anything like me, you love having a plan for literally any situation that comes your way. You’ve got that Type A, practical personality that means your every move is well thought out and considered before being made. And, if you’re like me, then you are absolutely devastated when things don’t follow the established plan. Whether it’s missing the plane you were meant to be on or something as simple as waking up an hour later than you’d planned, you just can’t handle the uncertainty and anxiety that comes with deviance from the plan.

            And that’s an okay way to be! The world needs thinkers like us to hold it together and keep it spinning on time. Although we often get a bad rap for not being as easygoing or agreeable as the “free thinkers,” the world’s creative types, we are needed at the end of the day to make sure that the dog gets fed on time and the clocks keep ticking in tandem. We are important; valued for combating the very things that often cause us distress. That bring the order and stability that we are uniquely and unquestionably able to bring to a chaotic world. We show God’s orderliness, His plan and pattern through the way we establish our own structure in our day to day lives. We are living evidence of a Creator who refuses to leave things up to chance, who establishes order in keeping with His character.

            However, sometimes it just feels like we’re getting in our own way, doesn’t it? I mean, life would be so much easier if I could just go with the flow, let things like disrupted plans roll off my shoulders, shrug it off and keep moving. But I can’t. I haven’t ever been able to, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. So, how do we navigate our lives in a way that glorifies God when it feels like the things we plan won’t come to fruition?

            We have to trust His plan. I know, I know – it’s trite, and even I’m tired of hearing it on my bad days. Trust me, I would rather manipulate a situation until no semblance of the original plan remains than move forward without one. Giving my plans over to Jesus and trusting that He will do infinitely more with them than I ever could is HARD. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, and it’s made harder by the fact that it isn’t a one-time deal. We have to give up our own sense of control, our ideas for what we want or deserve out of life, and we have to keep doing that time and time again until the end of our days. As Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” There will never be a time when His plans are not better than ours. There will never be a day where what we think we want is better than what God wants for us. If our wants and desires are not aligned with His plan for us, then we will continue to be disappointed, and we will end up disillusioned with Him if we aren’t careful. 

            If you grew up in the church, or have attended church for any stretch of time longer than, like, three weeks, there are several verses on this topic that you’ve probably heard multiple times and memorized at one point in your life. We can start off with Jeremiah 29:11 - “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” We don’t even have to look past the very words of this verse to get confirmation that He not only has plans for us, but that they are plans for our good, to give us hope. Psalm 33:11 confirms this once again, saying that “the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations,” and Psalm 32:8 tells us that He will “instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; [counseling] you with my loving eye on you.” 

            Of course, the “poster child” (or poster verse, if you will) of trusting in the Lord is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” This verse is about as clear as it gets! We are not meant to trust our own thoughts and opinions over the Lord’s, no matter how wise we think we are or how much we know about a situation. When the Lord calls us out of a situation we want to be in, there is always something else going on that He knows about and we cannot see. Since we know that His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, He has plans for us, and that those plans work for our benefit even when we can’t fathom how, we can rest in Him and give Him our trust, our thoughts, and our plans for the future. 

            Indeed, we can even see implications in scripture of where a lack of trust in the Lord caused Him to delay the enactment of His plans (Matthew 13:58, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”). This does not mean that the Lord’s plan is in any way derailed or misplaced, but rather that the Lord wishes to partner with us in the fulfillment of His plans for us. He wants our trust and obedience before He gives us the good things He has in store.

            So, since we can see clearly at multiple points in Scripture that the Lord has good plans for us, how then should we live? How can we live out the trust we are meant to have in His plans and provision? Well, that’s where obedience comes into play. No matter what the Lord says, no matter where He wants us to go, what He wants us to give up, or who He wants us to forgive, we are called, as His people, to obey Him in all things. A point in the Bible where this idea is made clear that has stood out to me is the story of Jonathan and his armor-bearer from 1 Samuel 15. At this point in Israel’s history, Saul is king and the Philistines have dominated the Israelites completely, making God’s nation subservient to them in more than one respect. Jonathan, Saul’s son, decides to attack a Philistine outpost without informing his father and taking only his armor-bearer, a personal assistant of sorts, with him. Jonathan shows tremendous faith and trust in what the Lord would have him do, and obedience to what God said, by taking a step back and asking for His guidance before going through with what he wanted to do (verse 10). The Enduring Word Commentary on this chapter names Jonathan as having a “Romans 8:31 heart: ‘If God can be for us, who can be against us?’” 

            Jonathan showed wisdom and complete trust in the Lord in this instance. He knew that his heart might be wrong, that his human emotions and thoughts were fallible and might be leading him astray, and so sought the Lord’s guidance before making a move. Enduring Word makes the important distinction that he did not doubt a word from God, as had other figures earlier in 1 Samuel (cough cough, Saul), but rather doubted his own heart and mind. Jonathan was content in knowing his part of the plan without demanding to hear the whole one, taking one step at a time and trusting that the Lord knew everything that was to come. He showed an obedience fueled by his trust when he attacked the more than twenty Philistines stationed there with only his armor-bearer by his side. 

            We can take Jonathan’s example for how we should respond to our own thoughts, emotions, and plans, and take a step back to evaluate them next to what the Lord says to make sure they are sound before moving forward. When we realize that His plans work together for our good (Romans 8:28), that His plans will come to pass regardless of how much planning and strategizing we do for ourselves (Proverbs 16:9), and that He is working in His own time to keep the promises He has made to His people so that all may come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), we really have no choice but to give Him the reins and see where He takes us. 

            Well, I say we have no choice, but what I really mean is that we have no logical choice but to obey Him. We can fight, and push back, and rage against His plans, but at the end of the day, we are only hurting ourselves. When it feels like all we’re doing is getting in our own way by trying to be in control, that’s because we are. Things will run so much more smoothly with Him in control, since He knows not only the future, but our hearts and the hearts of those around us. When we can fully trust in His ability to work things together for our good, the only choice that makes sense is to obey Him when He speaks to us and believe Him when He says that He will see us through to the end.