Tag: blessings

Sword Fighting Class – Walk in the Light

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

As we go over and over the words of Proverbs 2, we are realizing that a supernatural thing is happening.  God is writing his words onto our minds and into our hearts!

We used to say that the reason we didn’t memorize scripture was that we didn’t have a very good memory.  Well, we still don’t have a great memory – except when it comes to scripture.  We’ve got whole chapters of the Bible memorized!  Because God is faithfully doing it. We’re doing our part and he is doing the amazing part that we can’t do.Proverbs 2 1st page - this one

God is blessing our obedience to the words he used as he started out Proverbs 2:

My child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.  He guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.  Then you will understand what is right and just and fair, every good path.  For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.  Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.  Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose ways are perverse.”

Great job!  Here’s the next verse:

“Who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways,”

Jesus is the light of the world.  He brought light into a dark and broken world.

When we choose to think and act like Jesus wants us to, we are walking in the light.

When we choose to rebel and disobey, we are choosing to walk a dark and crooked path.Proverbs 2 -13-3-11

This path just leads us farther and farther away from the light.

The Good News is Jesus will always accept us back.  We just need to repent and turn  around.  We must choose to come back into the light.  Get back on the straight path.

This is the path God has prepared in advance for us through his love and grace.

Thank you, Abba Father.

 

Audio file of Proverbs 2:

 

Blessed

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

You are an everlasting God!

We praise you!  You created the earth and everything on it.

We know you don’t get tired, dear Father.

We know that we can never understand everything about you.July 12 2015 hope in the Lord

We know that you give us strength when we are weary.

We feel your power moving inside of us when we are weak.

Sometimes, we get worn out and we stumble and then we fall.

But our faith in you, Lord, gives us the ability to look forward to tomorrow – it’s going to be good because you are already there.

You give us the power to dream big dreams because everything is possible with you.

You give us the self-discipline to obey you even when it doesn’t make sense because we know you always want the best for us.

Blessed by you, we will run this race of faith with perseverence, not getting tired, never giving up.

Blessed by you, we will take our next step of faith and then the next one and then the next, into the future you have prepared for us.

Blessed by you.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Sword Fighting Class – Wisdom and Knowledge

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

We are memorizing Proverbs 2 and we are experiencing the blessing of God as he writes these promises and truth on our hearts and minds.  We practice saying these several times a day but God is actually doing the etching.  Thank you, Father!Proverbs 2 1st page - this one

“My Child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.  He guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.  Then you know what is right and just and fair – every good path.”

We will know every good path because – the next verse:

‘For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.’

Do you feel wisdom entering your heart as we recite God’s words over and over every day?

There’s this supernatural thing happening as I say these words aloud several times a day.  They become part of my thinking.  They change how I feel.  As I’m memorizing, I meditate over these words so much more than I did when I just read them and went on.  God speaks to me all of the time through these words as I’m saying them over and over and adding on the next verse.

Is this happening to you as you memorize God’s words?

I also love the anticipation of what the next verse is going to bring up.  Where is this search for wisdom going to take my thoughts?

And the knowledge that has come along with memorizing God’s word is very pleasant to my soul.  As his words reverberate through my head during the day, he gives me a peace that doesn’t come from anything else in this world.  He is renewing my mind….one verse at a time.

I’m glad you’re on this journey with me!

Audio file of our verses so far:

Open My Eyes

On By Judy GlasserIn JuneLeave a comment

We can be so blind!

Blinded by the immediate.

Blinded by what everyone else thinks.June 10 2015 Open my eyes

Blinded by what we want or what we think is right.

Blinded by our routines or traditions.

Blinded by worry.

Blinded by trying to control everything and everyone around us.

Sometimes we’re so blind!

Unable to open our eyes…

open our minds….

open our hearts….

To the truth….

to a new reality…

to uncomfortable yet very real feelings.

We need God’s help to heal our blindness.

Sometimes we can be just like Elisha’s servant in 2 Kings 6 who was afraid of the huge enemy army which surrounded the city they were in.  Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so he may see.”

And when the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, he looked up and saw the hills around Elisha full of horses and chariots of fire.

God’s army.

Elisha was not worried – he knew the truth.  God had his back and there was no cause for alarm.

Elisha’s eyes were already opened to the omnipotence and faithfulness of his Father God.

He knew the truth.

Please open our eyes, Dear Father.

 

Sword Fighting Class – Do We Know what is Right and Just and Fair?

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

It is very encouraging to me to know that there are several of you who are memorizing Proverbs 2 with me.  And I know you’re feeling it – God’s wisdom seeping in as he writes his words on our hearts and minds.  Thank you, Father!Proverbs 2 1st page - this one

“My Child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.  He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.  He guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Great job!  Listen closely to this next verse:

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path.

EVERY GOOD PATH!

Who would like to know every good path?

God says we will understand every good path when we search for his wisdom like hidden treasure, call out for insight and apply our hearts to understanding.

We will know.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Audio file below of Proverbs 2: 1- 12

Our High Places…….

On By Judy GlasserIn JuneLeave a comment

the places in our minds and hearts that we keep for ourselves.

Our behaviors that aren’t right but we accept them – that’s just how we are.June 3 2014 our high places

Our thoughts that are negative, mean and selfish – but we keep going back there.

Our actions that are not in line with God’s directions to us…….but we’re ok with them.  Or we just ignore them.  They aren’t THAT bad.

These are our high places.

We keep them separate from our relationship with God.  We don’t let his redeeming power into these places.  They are ours.

When Jehoshaphat in 1 Kings cleaned up the evil in Judah, he kept some high places which were places for idol worship.  He didn’t remove them and we read that the people still had not set their hearts on God.  They hadn’t fully committed.  They kept the high places which separated them from fully experiencing the love and blessing and protection of God.

What are our high places?

What is holding us back from being fully, totally committed to God?

This last year has been eye-opening for me.  I would have said I was full committed to God before but, since I’ve started seriously memorizing his word, I’m discovering a whole new level of interaction with God.  His words roll around in my head all day long.  I find knew meaning and understanding as I memorize each verse that I never got from just reading it – even though I’ve read it over and over.  God is expanding my insight and wisdom as he writes  over the lies and misunderstandings in my brain with his truth – a truly supernatural process.

We read good news in 2 Chronicles that Judah prospered and Jehoshaphat’s faith grew.  He became devoted to the Lord and finally removed all of the high places from Judah.

There is no better time than today – right now – to open up our high places to our Father of Grace and become fully committed to God.

Please help us grow and become completely devoted to you, Abba Father.

Sword Fighting Class – Where Do We Get Wisdom?

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

“My child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God.”Proverbs 2 1st page - this one

Awesome!   It’s it amazing how God partners with us as memorize his word?  The vast majority of us could never do this on our own so it’s a special blessing to be able to see this how obviously God is working in our minds as he helps us memorize verse after verse….after verse.  I have started attaching an audio recording (below) of me as I repeat my verses – it’s not perfect.  But it’s close!  That’s what counts 🙂

And we hit treasure in our next verse!

‘For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.’

Do we want wisdom?

Knowledge?

Understanding?

Well, we know where to go to get it.  The Lord gives it.  It comes from him.

Do you feel his wisdom and understanding growing in you as you etch his words on your heart and mind?

I do.  It’s subtle…..but steady.

I meditate on the words as I memorize them.  And I apply them to my life right now.

I’m amazed at how often I get to use them in my conversations.

God is good!  All the time!

Thank you, Abba Father.

Audio file of Proverbs 2:1-12:

 

Psalm 27, 2015

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

The Lord shines his light on the path I’m supposed to take.

He has saved me.  I have nothing to fear.May 9 Psalm 27 2015

The Lord holds me in his strong, loving hands.

Why should I be afraid of anything?

When problems and situations arise on every side me, trying to overwhelm me, I know that God is here.  He helps me have victory in my life.  Even when everything seems to be stacked against me, I am confident that God will work all of this out for my good.  He has promised.

In spite of all the mess and frustrations and pain of this life, my eyes stay focused on God because I know the end of this story.  When my time is over here on earth, I will go to live with my Abba Father forever.

How is that for a ‘happily ever after’ ending?

He will keep me safe.  He will hold me close to him.

Forever.

My life in heaven is going to be one really long joyfest!

Lord, I know you hear my voice when I call out to you!

I want to know all about you, God.

You have always helped me….I know you won’t stop now.

When everyone else rejects me, you are always there.

I want to learn everything you teach me, Lord, so  I can avoid getting lost in sin and rebellion.  Please help me stay away from the snares and traps of the world that could draw me away from you.

I am confident of this – I will continue to experience your love, goodness, patience and grace here on earth.  And I will discover more of who you are when I come to live with you in heaven.

More of you.

I’m waiting and watching expectantly, Abba Father. 

Psalm 146, 2015

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

Praise the Lord!

My praise comes from the bottom of my heart!May 9 2015 Psalm 146

I will praise you all of my life!

As long as I live, I will be singing praises to you, God!

I will not put my trust in human beings.  We will all die at some time and then all of our plans are worthless.

I know that you bless us when we put our hope and trust in you.

You, God, are the maker of all things.  And you will be faithful to us and all of your creation forever.

You care about the oppressed and you feed the hungry.  I should do that, too.

You free us from being prisoners to sin!

You open our eyes to the truth!

When we humble ourselves and bow our knees before you, you lift us up.  You make us whole.  You shine your light on us.

You love those who walk in obedience to your directions.

You watch over the lonely….the forgotten….those that don’t ‘fit in’.  I should do that, too.

You have a special place in your heart for orphans and widows.  I want that, too.

You, my God, make sure that those who are wicked and unrighteous pay the consequences for their choices.  You frustrate them.  Their plans are worthless because you are working against them.

But you are always on my side.  Thank you!

You are my God and you reign forever!  From generation to generation!

I praise you, dear Father!

He is More Grand

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

(Pictures taken on my recent trip to the Grand Canyon)GC red rocks

My eyes are filled with wonder, dear Father.

I look with breathless amazement at this Grand Canyon, the work of your hands.

The pinks, the reds, the blues, the purples and the greens!

I praise you for all of the colors of the rainbow!

Thank you for the extreme care you took in designing my eyes so I can enjoy the rest of your creation!

The canyon is so huge!

And reminds me of your love for me – how deep!  How wide! How high!

DSC_0196I feel so small….just a spot of dust that is here for a short time and then will blow away.

You are so significant! Who am I that you should care for even the hairs on my head?

But then I remember your words to me – I am your child.  You have adopted me for eternity and I matter to you.  You promise me that you have great plans for me and that you will not stop until those plans are complete.

Yes, dear Father!

I am not insignificant to you.  Thank you for the confidence that knowledge gives me!DSC_0178

As I watch a rain cloud float over the canyon, sending its rain down to the bottom of the canyon, I remember the storm clouds that regularly float into my life.  And I know that you are right beside me every time the rain falls…everytime the wind howls…everytime the storm tries to blow me away from you.  So I hold on even tighter and find my security in you.

I feel like I could look into this canyon forever and continue to see something new each time I looked.  I feel that same way about your precious Word to me.  Everytime I read it, opening my mind and heart, I read something new.

Something important.

Something very good.

Some new truth that I need to know.

Yes, this canyon is pretty grand.

But you are much more grand, Abba Father!  Your grandeur stretches out into infinity.  I get to see small bits and pieces of your awesomeness here on earth.  You are so much more!  Your creation is just a small reflection of your magnificence and beauty.

You are so much more!