Sword Fighting Class – Overflowing

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

Great job!  We are memorizing Proverbs 3 together and we’re seeing God’s faithfulness as he writes his words on our hearts and minds.”

My child, do not forget my teachings but keep my commands in your heart for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.Proverbs 2 -13-3-11

Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all of your might and lean not on your own undertanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and shun evil.”

Here are the next couple of verses:

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruit of all of your crops.  Then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

God has an abundance of blessings waiting for us when we are wise with our wealth.

We just read in Malachi God’s epic promise to open the floodgates of heaven’s blessings when we bring our entire tithe into his house.

What does it look like when our barns are filled to overflowing?  Have you been there?  Do you want to be there?  I’m there and it’s worth the struggle and adjustements and recommittments.

What does it feel like to have our vats brim over with new wine?  I have to smile at this one because I love a good glass of wine :).  And I know how it feels to have my life overflowing with new blessings from God.  I’ve been there….I’m not always there.

Please guide us to this place where you are overflowing our lives, Abba Father.

Hard to Wait

On By Judy GlasserIn October1 Comment

When we want something to happen,

when it’s going to be good,

when today isn’t that great.

But we have to wait.

The Old Testament ended on a high point of the Israelites turning back to God, listening to his Word and trying to obey.

Then came a 400-year break in God’s Word to us.Oct 14 2015 Hard to Wait.

We know the Israelites continued on with their lives during that time.

They were waiting….

expecting the Messiah to show up.

How long were they going to have to wait?

The historical record of the Old Testament ends but there are many other historical documents written during these 400 years.  Several of these have been grouped together in the Apocrypha.  I’m especially interested in the book of Judith ( I wonder why?).  It reads a lot like the book of Esther without the awesome “for such a time as this” part.

400 years of waiting.

That’s a long time.

A very long time of anticipating the coming of the Messiah who will save them from their enemies.

A glorious time was coming……

But when?

The Battle

On By Judy GlasserIn OctoberLeave a comment

We are under constant attack.

Satan and his army are always on the offense – looking for any weakness in our armor.Oct 9 2015 the battle

Plotting against us.

We read about Nehemiah’s strategy for dealing with the attacks of those who were opposed to rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall and we see how this strategy can work for us today as well.

While half of the men worked on the rebuilding the wall, the other half guarded the workers with shields, spears and armor.  Those who carried the materials worked with one hand and held their weapon ready in the other.

They protected each other.

They provided a shield for those doing the main work – those who were working with 2 hands.

They carried their weapons with them while they worked.

This same strategy will work for us today.  God has given us his armor of truth and righteousness.  He has given us the mighty sword of his Word.  He gives us the awesome privilege of interceding for others through prayer.

All of these weapons are available to us as we battle Satan’s evil attacks on us and other workers of God.

Providing a shield for others.

Strengthening each other’s armor.

Joining together in battle.

And diligently carrying our own sword.  Maintaining our own armor.

So Satan doesn’t get a toehold.

We know Satan is already defeated.  He has lost the war.

It’s time that we all help him realize that 🙂

In your name and by your power, Abba Father.

 

 

Sword Fighting Class – In Your Own Eyes

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

We’re being blessed as we memorize Proverbs 3 together:

“My child, do not forget my teachings but keep my commands in your heart for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all of your might and lean not on your own undertanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”Proverbs 2 -13-3-11

As we add this next verse, its interesting to me to see how it relates to last week’s verse:

“Do not be wise in your own eyes.  Fear the Lord and shun evil.”

If I had to tell you one thing that I’ve learned as I’m memorizing God’s word is that my past thinking and judgement had some big holes in it.  Not all of it, but enough that taking this verse literally is very wise for me.  I needed to realize that my thinking was not always in line with God and that I should depend more on God for my wisdom.  Not myself.

As God is etching his Word on my mind, he writing over some old, incorrect thinking and renewing my mind.  Adding his wisdom.

It’s changing me.

Preparing me for the next season of my life.

It’s growing my respect for God’s wisdom and increasing my awareness of evil so I can avoid it.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Audio file of my memorization of Proverbs 3 so far:

 

Flooded With Blessings

On By Judy GlasserIn OctoberLeave a comment

“Test me in this.”

God only says this once in his Word to us.Oct 5 2015 floodgates of blessing

He tells us to bring the whole tithe into his house.  When we do this, he promises to “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” (Malachi 3:10).

Wow!  Such a great promise!

Don’t we want that to be true in all of our lives?

Those of us who have tested God in this have experienced these blessings.  When we are faithful with our wealth, God truly does throw open the floodgate of blessings upon our lives.

Sometimes these blessings take the shape of actual money with raises, promotions or even unexpected checks showing up in the mail. (This just happened again to me).

But the greatest blessings God pours abundantly upon our lives are from the things that money can’t buy.  Like joy.  Purpose.

Peace.

Oh, the peace that comes from knowing that God is providing exactly what I need is priceless.  The peace that comes from knowing that God is in charge of our bank account is supernatural.  The prosperity that comes from God is perfect – the right kind, the right time.

God wants us to be faithful with our wealth…

because it’s good for us.  It’s right for us.

And he will open the floodgates.

He has promised.

Thank you, Abba Father.

For Such a Time as This

On By Judy GlasserIn OctoberLeave a comment

Oct 3 2015 For such a time as thisWe wonder….

we get confused….

we worry……

we stumble down the wrong path and end up somewhere we don’t want to be.

Meanwhile, God has it all figured out.  He has promised that his master plan is to prosper us and give us a purpose.  He wants to shower us with his blessings.

If we ask.

If we seek his wisdom and insight for our lives.

If we listen and obey.

Queen Esther faced the possibility of being killed if she stood up for her people, the Jews.  Mordecai, her uncle, told her, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (vs 4:14)

I believe that we all have many moments every day where God has planned for us to intersect each other’s lives ‘for such a time as this”.  He has something specific he wants me to say when I go to lunch with a certain person.  He has something he wants me to do when I’m going through the check-out at the grocery store.  He has something else he wants me to text to a friend – right now.

He has a purpose for my day today.

He has a purpose for your day today.

To know that purpose, we need to be in line with him.  We need to be listening,

and ready,

and willing.

For such a time as this.

We love you, Abba Father.

Greater Glory

On By Judy GlasserIn OctoberLeave a comment

The new temple of the Lord was completed……

but the older Israelites were saddened by how much ‘less’ this temple was compared to the past glory of Solomon’s temple.Sept 26 2015 b greater glory

God told Haggai to assure them that this new temple would be greater than the old one.

Because Jesus, the Son of God, was going to walk through this temple one day.

The Lord Almighty told the Israelites that in a little while he was going to “shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry lands.  I will shake all the nations and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory.” (vs 2:6,7)

Yes, God definitely shook up the whole earth when he sent his son to save it. Thank you, Father.  Jesus turned the entire religious community upside down when he spoke of unconditional love, unearned grace and life forever with God in heaven.  Thank you, Father.

Jesus offers a peace that passes all understanding to those who believe.  Thank, Father.

And he brought a greater glory to the temple and into the whole world than we have ever seen before or will ever see again….

until he returns.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Sword Fighting Class – A Favorite Truth

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

Its truly supernatural.  We are memorizing Proverbs 3 together and, as we faithfully review these scriptures everyday, God is writing them on our minds.  Such a great way to experience him working in our lives!

“ My child, do not forget my teachings but keep my commands in your heart for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.Proverbs 2 -13-3-11

Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”

Today we add some very popular verses that you may have already memorized at one time.  One of the blessings I am experiencing by memorizing whole chapters is really seeing the context of verses like this – what God is saying in the verses before it and after it:

“Trust in the Lord with all of your might and lean not on your own undertanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

This is such an awesome verse.  So much wisdom!

Trust with all my might!  What does that look like in my life?

Don’t make decisions based just on what I already know, my own wisdom and knowledge – what does that look like?

Always acknowledge him – I think that answers my last question 🙂

If I always check in with God, trusting him in all situations, constantly keeping my eyes on what he has told me and where he is leading me, I will be walking down the right path.

Thank you for how clear your directions are in your Word, Abba Father.

Audio file of my memorization of Proverbs 3 so far:

A Purse With a Hole in It…

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

won’t hold anything.

Your money will slip right through.Sept 26 a a purse with holes 2015

And you won’t have any money left in your purse.

Because you didn’t take care of the hole.

God told the Israelites through Haggai that it was time to give ‘careful thought to their ways.’ (vs 1:5 ).

They had planted a lot but had harvested little.  They ate but it was never enough.  They drank but were never full.  They put on clothes but were never warm.

They made money but it slipped through their hands like a purse with a hole in it.

Never enough.

Whenever we look to anything other than a relationship with God to make us happy, it will never be enough.

We will not be content.

We will always be looking for the next thing – maybe that will make us happy?  I call this worshipping the god of More.

God is telling us today that it is time to give careful thought to our ways.

If we are caught in the vicious cycle of worshipping the god of More, now is the time to turn back to the One True God and find true joy.

True peace.

True purpose.

The Israelites needed to be woken up because they had ignored the work God had given them of rebuilding his temple.  They had wandered down the crooked and dark path of focusing on themselves and their own agenda.

But it wasn’t enough.

It was never enough.

Their purse had a hole in it and nothing but turning back to God and obeying him was going to fix that.

Is God giving us a wake up call as we read this?  Have we wandered?  Have we lost the peace and contentment only God can give?

If so, he is waiting for us with open arms.

Today.

It’s time to jump off the merry-go-round of serving the god of More and plan our feet once again on the Rock.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Mysterious Ways

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

Not one but two pagan Persian rulers decreed that the Temple of God in Jerusalem should be rebuilt.  And the second one also decreed that the Persian government was going to pay for it!  And – amazingly – they also paid for the sacrifices that were going to be made in the temple to celebration its completion!Sept 25 2015 mysterious ways

What was up?

This is hard to believe.

It doesn’t make sense!

It was God.  He was using pagan kings to rebuild his temple.

He is the same today.

He can use anybody anywhere to do his will.  And he does.

They don’t have to be believers and they don’t have to be listening to him.

God is in total control of all creation.  Of all creatures.

He will accomplish his purposes perfectly, using whatever and whoever he wants.

When we are in tune with God, we will see what he’s doing and be able to join him even when his activity shows up in the most unlikely places…in the most unusual circumstances….in the most mysterious ways.

We’re listening and watching, Abba Father.