Archive for 'Christian spiritual growth'

Christian Meditations in a Minute: God’s Divine Protection

Today’s Scripture:

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
I cried out to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy mountain.
I lay down and slept,
yet I woke up in safety,
for the Lord was watching over me.
I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies
who surround me on every side. ~Psalm 3: 3-6Psalm 3: 3-6
English: World English Bible - WEB
3 But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me, My glory, and the one who lifts up my head. ⁴ I cry to Yahweh with my voice, And he answers me out of his holy hill. Selah. ⁵ I laid myself down and slept. I awakened; for Yahweh sustains me. ⁶ I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people Who have set themselves against me on every side.

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Today’s Meditation:

Heavenly Father, I trust You to be my Shield in every area of my life.
I know that I don’t have to constantly watch my back,
because You love me and will watch it for me.
Last night, I laid my head on the pillow.
I was asleep, unaware and powerless.
And yet, I awoke this morning to a new day.
Alive because You kept me alive.
Safe because You kept me safe.
So, today and everyday, I choose not to fear.
Why? Because You love me,
and I am learning to trust Your love.

Other Things You May Like:

• Discover how to renew your mind through Christian meditations in this short Bible Study
• Travel through Psalm 91 and learn about the realities of God’s divine protection promised to you in His Word.

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Today I was asked an interesting question by a frequent visitor to The Hem.

She asked me, “Ameerah, how do I develop a passion for studying the Bible?”

This question really caught my attention because I too have struggled with this issue. In fact, I think all Christians who are willing to be honest with themselves will admit that they too have wrestled with it.

We want to want to study God’s Word, but, for some reason, the passion and zeal for studying the Bible just isn’t there. Then, we feel guilty for not studying as much as we know we should.

So, how Do you develop a passion for reading the Bible?

You read it when you have NO passion to do it what so ever!

One of the key things that we as Christians must remember is that we are 3 part beings:

1. We are a spirit
2. We have a soul (mind, will and emotions)
3. And we live in a body (our fleshly nature).

Sometimes we forget that we still have a fleshly nature. That flesh does not like anything that has anything to do with God. In fact, there have been times when I would try to praise God or read the Word, and my flesh would revolt so badly that I literally felt physical pain!

But, the only way to crucify the flesh and deprive it of its power is to starve it and feed your spirit. That means doing the things that will build up your spirit man - Especially when you don’t feel like doing them!

Why?

Because if we don’t do them before we feel like it, then we will NEVER feel like it - Period.

So, whether you feel like you need more passion for praise and worship or for studying the Bible, there is only one solution:

Do It While You Have Not Passion…And the Passion Will Come!

God Bless!
Ameerah

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As Christians, we all want to glorify God, but when is God glorified? Is He glorified by how much suffering we can endure for His sake? Or is He really glorified when we bear good fruit in His name?

Here is the third installment into my Christian Joy Bible study notebook.

Date: March 20th, 2008

Scripture:

When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine. I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [continue in His love with Me]. If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on in His love. I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing. ~John 15:8-11John 15:8-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
8 “In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples. ⁹ Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.

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My Thoughts:

I think that sometimes we as Christians get confused about how to glorify God. Many of us have been taught that God is glorified by our suffering. But that is not what Jesus tells us in this scripture. He says that our Heavenly Father is glorified when we bare good fruit for Him - When we are producing a harvest.

That is so significant to me because I know that I have been in churches before that preach a certain kind of theology that makes you feel like God is only glorified by our pain and suffering. Somehow I had internalized the idea that if I was enjoying my life that I was doing something terribly wrong. It was like I had to be miserable to be a good Christian!

When I read all of John: 15 I was actually amazed by one thing in particular. The entire scripture focuses on baring good fruit for God, and then Jesus adds in: “I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing.”

His goal and intention for speaking with them about baring good fruit and glorifying God was not for His benefit, but for theirs - For ours. He wanted us to have joy and gladness that overflowed!

Where was that joy supposed to come from? From following the Lord’s commands, abiding in Jesus’ love, and baring good fruit.

Well, I’m not perfect, but I do try my best to follow the Lord’s command’s, Jesus’ love does abide in my hear, and I do try to bare good fruit.

So, I have to ask myself, do I have joy and gladness that overflows? Am I filled with God’s joy and delight as Jesus said He wants me to be?

Day by day I am more able to say “yes” to that question, but still only with a little “y.” But, I want to be able to say “YES! God’s joy and gladness is living within me!” I want it to bubble up until it overflow onto others.

Why?

Because then my joy can be a witness to the world of the joy available in Christ.

Then, my joy will bare good fruit, and that is how I truly glorify God!

My Closing Prayer:

Lord, please help us all to bare good fruit for You so that You may be glorified. Please guide each of us to the callings and giftings that you have stored up inside of us. Help us to use them to reach out to others in the world and bless them in Your name. Help us all to rid ourselves of any thoughts that we are not meant to enjoy our lives as Christians. Fill us with your joy so that it can be a witness in a world that has lost their’s. - In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.

Want to Keep Your Own Online Bible Study Notebook For Free?
I provide the online Bible and free webspace, you bring the topic, and God with supply the revelation!

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Read: Exodus 4:10Exodus 4:10
English: World English Bible - WEB
10 Moses said to Yahweh, “Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”

, Exodus 6:12Exodus 6:12
English: World English Bible - WEB
12 Moses spoke before Yahweh, saying, “Behold, the children of Israel haven’t listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, who am of uncircumcised lips?”

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, 1 Kings 3:71 Kings 3:7
English: World English Bible - WEB
7 Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I don’t know how to go out or come in.

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Today’s Scripture Focus:

Then the word of the Lord came to me [Jeremiah], saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations^. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am only a youth. But the Lord said to me, Say not, I am only a youth; for you shall go to all to whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. ~Jeremiah 1:4-6Jeremiah 1:4-6
English: World English Bible - WEB
4 Now the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ⁵ Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. ⁶ Then said I, Ah, Lord Yahweh! behold, I don’t know how to speak; for I am a child.

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I have to be totally honest with you - Without the help of the Holy Spirit, I can be a bit of a perfectionist. In fact, sometimes, no matter how hard I work at something or how much success I’m having, all I can see are my shortcomings and glaring imperfections.

But, praise God, that’s not what He sees when He looks at me. He’s not staring at my Pitfalls - He’s staring at my Potential!

And that’s exactly what He sees when He looks at you too!

Satan likes for us to get all hung up on what we think we can’t do. He wants us to be so focused on our flaws that they are all we can see. Why? Because if we are too busy looking at us, we will forget to stop, and look up at Jesus.

Our enemy wants us so wrapped up in the problem -Us - that we miss out on the solution - God.

You know, God showed me something a while back. In that passage that we just read in Jeremiah, God said “Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument].”

Before you were even created, God didn’t just know you - He approved of you. In all of your imperfections, the One who knows you better than anyone else on this earth approves of YOU.

Each of us has a special calling in Christ. Still, most Christians feel too unworthy and inadequate to even attempt the great things that God has for them to do.

But, God did not call you ignorant to your shortcomings. He was not surprised to find out that you stutter or that you’re afraid of speaking in public.

So, knowing your flaws, why would He chose you? Because He knew when He created you that He would be enough to cover them. He knew that, by His Spirit, you could do anything He had for you to do.

Now, if God approves of you, don’t you think it is time you finally approved of yourself? If He believes in you, isn’t it time you started believing in yourself?

Lord, Help each of us stop looking at our flaws,
and start looking at Your immense power working within us!

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Christian Meditations in a Minute: Godly Wisdom

Today’s Scripture:

[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength… ~Ephesians 1:17-19Ephesians 1:17-19
English: World English Bible - WEB
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts TR reads “understanding” instead of “hearts” enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might

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Today’s Meditation:

God has given me the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Today, by the power of His Holy Spirit,
I receive a deeper and more intimate understanding of who God is.
My eyes and heart is flooded with His light
that reveals the great hope that I have in Him.
I believe in His limitless power living inside of me.
I receive the rich inheritance of my Father in Heaven.

Christian Meditations Can Help You Grow In Godly Wisdom!

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Christian Meditations in a Minute: Controlling Your Thoughts

Today’s Scripture:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer. -Psalm 19:14Psalm 19:14
English: World English Bible - WEB
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in your sight, Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer.

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Today’s Christian Meditation:

Today, I will watch my mouth.
I will only speak good and not evil.
I will not gripe or complain,
but I will keep words of peace and joy in my mouth.
Today, I will watch my heart
because out of it flows the issues of life.
I will grab hold of my deeper self
and bring it in line with God’s Word and God’s will for my life.
I will keep my words and the thoughts of my heart
acceptable in the eyes of You my Lord.
Because You are my solid rock.
You are the Redeemer of my soul.
Alone this is impossible.
But with You, Lord, I know I can do it.

Learn More About Using Christian Meditations to Control Your Thoughts!

Free Bible Study:  How To Control Your Thoughts and Emotions.

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In the free Bible Study Basics eCourse on how to study the Bible , I talked about how one of the most effective ways to study is to use a Bible Study Notebook.

I decided, as a way to help myself stick with the commitment that I made to God to spend more time in His Word for my own edification, I am going to dedicate a portion of this blog to be my personal online Bible study notebook.

Of course, you are invited to join in and share your thoughts and ideas. But, ultimately, the studies will focus on areas that God is showing me I need to address personally.

Still, I pray that God will be able to use my study to be a blessing in your life, and to help you to grow closer to Him through His Word.

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First Online Bible Study Topic: Christian Joy

I’m doing a study on joy because God blessed me with what people call a Type A driven personality. I’ve noticed that, just as with all personality types, there are certain areas of the driven personality that Satan likes to exploit.

For me personally, the issue that I have struggled with is the idea that joy is not important - Only productivity. Rest, relaxation and fun can seem like sinful indulgences in my mind, and doing anything for myself typically feels selfish and fills me with feelings of guilt and shame.

How dare I drink a cup of tea and enjoy the sunset that God so beautifully created? How dare I take a long shower or even spend money on things I actually need? That is one of the reasons why I have not done a Bible study for myself in so long - Why be selfish and study for me when I could be writing studies for others to help them grow spiritually?

But, God has convicted me of this. Jesus died so that I could have an abundant life filled with joy.

So, I invite you to join me on an in-depth study of Christian Joy. I pray that it will be a blessing to you, and that God will use it to inspire you to experience the joy He has in store for all of us.

Create Your Own Online Bible Study Notebook for Free at The Hem!
I provide th online Bible and free webspace, you bring the topic, and God with supply the revelation!

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I have a confession to make…

Over the past month or so of diligently working on The Hem Bible Studies, God convicted my heart of something:

I had become so busy doing things for Him, that I was neglecting my first and most treasured task - Really Connecting with God.

When was the last time I had sat and studied His Word for my own personal edification, and not for one of the studies that I was writing for everyone else? When had I written a love letter to Him in my prayer journal, or created the opportunity to truly bask in His presence?

When?

Honestly, I couldn’t tell you when. I know it had been at least a month or maybe even two. Sure, I said little prayers throughout my day, and sang a few worship songs as I typed away at the computer, and those things are important.

But, my heart was longing for the intimacy that can only come from uninterrupted time alone with my Heavenly Father.

I had neglected spending time in His presence, and as I stopped to look at myself, I could tell the difference. I was struggling to hold on to the fruits of His Holy Spirit. His peace that passes understanding - His joy that strengthens me throughout my day - His love that never fails me.

How could I talk to Christians all around the world about connecting with God, when I knew in my heart that I wasn’t seeking Him as hard as I once had?

I would say to myself, “Tomorrow morning I’m going to slow down and write in my journal!” But, some urgent thing would come up that, at the moment, seemed much more…well…URGENT!

But, what could be more urgent than connecting with God? What could possibly be more needed than a fresh infilling of His Holy Spirit?

Absolutely nothing.

So, I have committed to myself, and our Heavenly Father, that I will slow down enough to spend more quality time alone seeking His face.

I will not be like Martha. Her love for the Lord was evident by her willing desire to serve Him. But, her lack of respect for His power was revealed by her assumption that He needed her service more than she needed His presence. Mary knew that the work could wait, but her need for communion with her Lord and Savior could not.

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Lord, I ask that you help us all to seek you more urgently. Develop a deep hunger inside our hearts that can only be quenched by You and Your holy presence. Let us say as the Psalmist said:“AS THE hart pants and longs for the water brooks, so I pant and long for You, O God. My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?~ Psalm 42:1-2Psalm 42:1-2
English: World English Bible - WEB
BOOK II ⁴² For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by the sons of Korah. ¹ As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants after you, God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

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Let’s all make a commitment to create opportunities in our daily lives where we can bask in God’s presence and be filled with His Holy Spirit afresh and anew!

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