Tag: Creator

And Without Faith…

On By CarmenLeave a comment

As I continue from my last post, The LORD Will Provide, I would like to address the question many of us have asked—What if God doesn’t answer my prayer?

I will attempt to explain by what God says from His Word, the Holy Bible.

Also, I will use examples from my life so that you know a little about at least one person’s faith journey with Almighty God.

First, let me write about what God thinks of faith in Him and then I’ll end with a reminder of God’s sovereignty.

Faith Pleases God

In Hebrews 11, we are told simply that God is pleased with our faith in Him and He is displeased if we don’t have faith in Him.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

I have personally experienced God answer prayers that came from much seeking and trust in Him alone.

I can even testify to a miracle that I witnessed in my family (see my first post, God Still Performs Miracles) when I was willing to accept God’s will, and lay mine at His feet. I still prayed and asked, but I was resigned to accept whatever He chose as best.

We are told that we only need faith in God the size of a mustard seed. (Matthew 17:20)

This means that if we haven’t yet walked with God in faith, it’s okay to start with even an ounce of faith in Him.

Trusting God without knowing the outcome is blind faith. And we will have to walk with God not knowing but trusting.

Sometimes, our faith walk will be hard and we will have to go through difficult circumstances that we have no control over.

It is when we lay it all at the feet of Jesus, and trust Him blindly, that we position ourselves to see God’s blessings.

Then, as we see Him move and change our lives for the better, our faith increases.

By the way, God will continue to grow us up in faith with more challenges until we know that we know God is real and He loves us.   

God Gives Us His Best

Sometimes we don’t get the answer we are looking and praying for in our lives, but this does not mean that God has not heard our prayers or has abandoned us.

This may be a sign of Him wanting us to wait until we are ready to receive His blessing.

For His good reason, He has us wait until He has worked on us, somebody else, or even the situation so that there is no struggle or harm when He says yes.

When His answer is no, it is because He loves us and what we’re asking for will not be good for us.

I have seen God shut doors firmly to what I was praying and asking for.

One of them was a relationship that I wanted to turn into marriage and the other was a business that I had started and wanted it to grow to where I could provide for myself financially.

I held onto both of them and worked at them both for a while even though I didn’t see good results and was distraught over the idea of losing them.

Eventually, I couldn’t hold onto them any longer, and although painful, I knew I had to give them up and wait for God’s best.

I still believed that God loved me dearly, so I let go of what I wanted and trusted God for my future.

I didn’t know how or when God would provide, but I knew He was faithful to His word.

God’s goal was to first work a great transformation in my life. He started changing my thinking, my desires, as well as my behavior—to become more like Jesus.

I finally came to a point that I didn’t want anything in my life that was not a part of God’s will.

As I continued to seek after Him, read His word, and rely fully upon Him, I began to see that God had a better plan for me and resigned myself to wait for it.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

This scripture verse tells us that waiting upon the LORD for His best in our lives will bring us new strength, courage, and joy.

Today, I am happily married to a man who seeks after God, loves me dearly, and is absolutely my greatest love and best friend, besides God.

As for my vocation, I work from home (as I have wanted for many years) and I am free to serve God in various capacities, one of which is writing this blog.

I find great satisfaction in my life and I have not had to work so hard for it as I did in the past.

God has given me better than what I asked of Him, a lot of what I didn’t know I needed, and a life filled with deep joy, peace, and gratefulness to Him.

Thank You, my LORD Jesus.

God is Sovereign

God has always been and will always be LORD of all. He created all things for His own purposes.

He lovingly created mankind in His image and gave us dominion over all the earth.

This dominion does not mean that we are in charge or that we are capable of running things on our own.

Scripture tells us this very thing.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21

Therefore, it is wise for us to humble ourselves and submit our lives to our Creator.

If we cannot bring ourselves into existence, how can we be so bold to think that we have all the answers and ability to achieve our own desires and goals?   

How often have we…

made plans and changed our minds?

started something and could not finish it?

planned and executed precisely an idea only to see it fail?

I have done all of the above and I’m certain many would say the same.

We do not know what the future holds, only God does.

God has a purpose for everyone and everything He has created.

So, it is best to ask His will for our lives, follow Him completely, and be willing to make adjustments in our plans while we wait to see Him unfold His purpose for us.

It only requires our love for Him, our submission to Him, and faith in Him.

Let’s be thankful when He tells us yes, patient when He makes us wait, and submissive when He tells us no.

God makes all things (good and difficult, emphasis mine) work together for those who love Him and are called for His purposes. (Romans 8:28)

If we can’t look back and see God’s purpose and we still wonder why God allowed certain hardships in our lives, I am certain we will know one day when we follow Him and make it to Heaven.

I hope this message encourages you to keep faith in God and allow Him to work in your life no matter how difficult the circumstances.

Please join me for my next post, The Heroes of Faith.

May God bless you.

I’ve included a beautiful song by one of my favorite Christian groups.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

Why Read the Bible?

On By CarmenLeave a comment

With our busy schedules and fast-paced world, it’s vital that we prioritize God and make time to read His message to us through the Bible.

Why?

Because the Bible is God’s inerrant word, His testimony of love for us, His book of promises that hold true, and our guide to living life victoriously.

The Bible unfolds God’s great love for us despite our sin by providing us with redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The following Scripture verses tell us this.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned— Romans 5:8-12

This one man from whom we inherited sin is Adam, God’s first creation of mankind. As descendants of Adam, we all have his sin nature because we live in a fallen world.

Just like Adam, we all are deceived by Satan.

We have the same nature that steers us to do our own thing which we think benefits us opposed to following God and His ways.

Think about this:  Holy God sees and knows our sin against Him; but He because He is love, He provides us a way to be forgiven.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:16-17

This truly is amazing grace!

I wonder how many of us freely and quickly forgive and restore those who have committed sins against us.

I will admit that this is probably the hardest thing for me to do. My sin nature wants to hold a grudge and reminisce the hurt others have caused me. But God does not want me to do this; so, I must surrender to His will and change my way of thinking and acting for my own good.  

Why?

Because God has forgiven me—over and over again.

We should all thank God for His love and grace toward us.

The Bible is factual history and inerrant prophecy.

It is His story—God’s story of His creation which includes Earth and mankind.

God is the author of history since the very beginning and He tells us not only about the past, but also the future.

‘Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’ Isaiah 46:9-10

Through His word, God gives us a foundation and principles on which to base our lives.

We read about real-life stories of those who lived before us who followed Him and those who did not. We read about their actions and consequences, both good and bad.

None are without sin, but when we repent, God guides His children to overcome any adversity, wrong attitude, and poor decision.

And there is no fooling God for He knows the hearts minds of us all!

God is so good that He shares what the future holds for mankind on Earth, as well as during Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, and into eternity.

Even though life will change on Earth as we know it (becoming gruesome for a period of time), those of us who are God’s children will make it into eternity to live forever with our Creator and Savior. We will finally live as God originally intended in Adam and Eve’s time in the Garden of Eden—in perfect peace and complete joy, without sorrow and physical pain or physical restrictions.  

We can only gain knowledge and truth if we read God’s word and we are told that we will be blessed if we read it.

God wants only the best for us and wants us to be overcomers.

As stated previously, our heavenly Father knows that we live in a world tainted by Satan’s wiles and temptations.

This is why He gives us a glance into the lives of the many whose names are in the Bible. We learn from them as we read about their trials, their failures, and their victories. And these victories were given to His followers by God Himself!

Our heavenly Father does not change, and He does not show partiality. What He did for His children in the past, He will do for His children today.

God is our provider, protector, and best friend.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:1-4

I believe that God’s word is His book of love written to us. It has stood the test of time over thousands of years and has been proven to be true over and over again.

It is a wealth of knowledge made just for us so that we can

  • believe and understand His love for us
  • receive the gift of eternal life and be restored to Him through His Son Jesus Christ
  • draw near to our Creator and commune with Him
  • believe in and witness His supernatural power
  • know what pleases God and follow His ways
  • hold onto His promises despite the trials we face
  • be encouraged in our daily walk with our Savior Jesus Christ
  • learn from the mistakes of others’ past
  • be thankful for the good in our lives and praise Him
  • know that our struggles never last
  • help others in their time of need

I want to share with you a few tips that have helped me read and better understand the Bible over the years.

Choose a translation (there are many) that you can understand and are comfortable reading. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) and English Standard Version (ESV) are good ones to start with. You may also want to invest in a study Bible which expounds on the text.

Pray and ask God to help you understand what He wants you to learn each day as you read His word.

Set aside a specific time each day or evening just to study God’s word. We are told to meditate on His word day and night. (Joshua 1:8) This means to think about what you read each day for retention.

Keep reading even though you may not understand everything, it’s okay. This is why it’s good to have a study Bible.

Make it a lifelong habit to read the Bible. When you finish one translation, pick up a different one and continue seeking. I’ve read many translations of the Bible over the years, and I learn something new every day.

Apply what you read daily to your thoughts and actions. We should be “doers” of His word for which we are promised to be blessed. (James 1:22-25)

Attend a Bible study with others at church or in a group setting. When we share our understanding and compare notes, we gain even more understanding.   

Use godly resources online to help you and don’t forget to ask God to help you discern which resources to use.

May you be blessed as you dive into the truth of God’s word and may it transform us all to be just like Jesus!

I would like to share one of my all-time favorite songs that praises God. I hope it will warm your heart and move you to praise God also. 

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

Spending Time with God

On By Carmen1 Comment

If you joined me last week for Starting the New Year with Promise, you read how important it is to study God’s word (the Holy Bible) daily.

We learned that we should meditate on His word, that is, to think upon what we read and strive to commit it to memory and apply it to our lives.

It can be done. It just takes carving out a set time in your schedule and perseverance.

It takes time to form a habit, so don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or so while trying to set up your schedule. Just start again the next day where you left off.

Most importantly, ask God to help you. He delights in helping someone who is trying to follow Him.

This week we are going to go further in seeking after God by forming another new habit (if you haven’t already), which is to spend time with God.

That is, to schedule time with God where only you and He are together to commune with each other.

Let’s look at a scripture verse that suggests we should seek after God.

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

God makes it clear in His word that any who diligently seek Him will find Him.

I want to confess something—only because it will help you know that it can be done, not to offer any excuses.

It took me some time to get this special time with God placed solidly on my calendar. I had to want to do it and stick with it in order for it to become a habit in my life.

When I first heard how to do this from Dr. Charles Stanley, founder of InTouch Ministries, I wanted to do it, but made excuses that I didn’t have time or didn’t have the space to do so.

I believe that God pursued me about this because I heard Dr. Stanley’s sermon about this topic again and again. Dr. Stanley gave all kinds of reasons why and ideas of how to get alone with God—he even spoke about just going into a closet and turning off the lights to avoid distractions.

He said that it was during these times that he spent alone with God that he had been the most reassured of God’s love and given the most insight in how to handle any situation that he was involved in—good or bad. Dr. Stanley insisted that this was a practice that would bring great reward to the seeker.  

So, I started my time alone with God in a closet (with the lights turned off) in an apartment many years ago. Today, I have a special room in my home where I go to spend time with God, seeking His face, praying, and talking to Him. I also set aside time to be quiet and just listen to God speak to me.

This act of seeking God and spending alone time with Him has been such a blessing in my life.

A couple of years ago, I was asking God what He would have me do with my life after moving to South Carolina. It was during Covid and I no longer wanted to work outside my home.

I believe through prayer and time spent alone with God that He showed me the next career for me—blogging about His goodness in order for others to know Him and walk with Him. If anyone would have told me prior to Covid that I would be blogging, I would have laughed and said, “No way, not my thing!”  

If you’re questioning whether or not God speaks to His children, the answer is YES, He most certainly does!

In the parable of the Good Shepherd, Jesus says,

“My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;” (John 10:27)

Jesus said it, so I believe it!

After some time, listening to God and following Him was something that I desired and needed. I once told a group of friends that I would never want to be so happy with my life that I would forget God. I still feel this way today.

By the way, I am very happy with my life, and I know it’s because of God.

He must be first in my life—first before my family, my work, my pleasures.

It is when I put God first that I can be and do what I should for my family, my work, and have a healthy balance in my leisure time.  

Before I close, I want to share with you one more promise I have always treasured and held on to. It is our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ reassuring His followers.

 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?  And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. God is more than willing to help you!

This is good news from God that He is for you and He will provide for you no matter how bleak your situation looks. He loves you because He created you and He has a purpose for you.

Seek His kingdom and His righteousness and let Him show you how much He loves you.

He is my Creator, my best friend, and my priority. Without Him, I would not exist; I cannot breathe; and I cannot discern what is best for my life.

I hold my relationship to Him as dear and privileged.

I hope this is or will be the same for you.

May God grant you His peace, His wisdom, and may His face shine upon you as you draw near to Him.

I love to end my messages with an inspirational song for your listening pleasure. The one below is perfect for today’s message.

“First Things First” – Consumed by Fire