Tag: its a journey

Sword Fighting Class – Growing Wise

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting Class3 Comments

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Nice work! Here’s our next verse on our journey to memorize James 1:

‘If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without fault, and it will be given to him.’

Love this!  Who doesn’t need wisdom?James 1 2-5

And God gives us generous amounts of wisdom when we ask.

I need to remember this today!  I need to remember this everyday!

When I remember to remember this, I will ask God first when I’m making a decision.  And it always works out better than it would have without his wisdom.  Always.

Especially people issues….relationship issues…….family issues.

I’m glad we’re memorizing this.  As we etch God’s words onto our hearts and minds, God is changing us.  He is renewing our minds.  He is helping us grow more wise.

Thank you, dear Father!

 

I want to be…

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

like the Samaritan Leper.

He came back to Jesus after Jesus healed him.  He came back praising God in a loud voice.  He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.

He was one of ten lepers that Jesus healed in Luke 17 as he travelled to Jerusalem.

Jesus healed them all.

This man was the only one that came back to say thank you.

Jesus had redeemed the leper’s life from pain and death.  And the leper came back to show his gratitude for what Jesus had done for him.

Jesus did the same thing for you and me.  He redeemed our lives from pain, death and eternal separation from the only source of good things in this universe – our Father God.

For the rest of our lives here on this planet, let our first response be gratitude to God.

Dear Jesus, We are very grateful for all of the things you are and for what you have done for us.  Help us live lives full of gratitude, counting the blessings we have received from you each day.  Thank you.  In your redeeming name we pray, Amen.

We Know His Voice

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

Nov 5 2014 We know his voice 1We can follow Jesus, our Great Shepherd.  We can know what he is telling us –

when we know his voice.

And we know his voice by reading his word to us.  We know what he is saying to us when we don’t have a Bible in front of us because we have read his words before.  We’ve read it many times.   We’ve heard this before.  We’ve prayed about it many times.

We know his voice.

And we listen to his voice.

We let Jesus change us…..Nov 5 we know his voice 3. jpg

transform us…

renew our minds so that we think thoughts that are more like his.

We let Jesus change our hearts so that, more and more, we love the things that he loves.

Baby step by baby step we are becoming more like Jesus.

And it becomes easier to hear him with every step.

Because we’re closer.

Let’s keep moving closer.

Thank you, dear Jesus, for being our personal shepherd.  We love hearing your voice! 

The Best Exchange

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

It sounds daunting.  Nov 3 2014 the exchange

It sounds challenging.

It sounds like it’s too hard, too much.

We must deny ourselves….

– summit our will.

– decide to do what God wants instead of what we want.

It’s not natural.

Not normal.

It’s normal for us to look out for #1.

It’s natural for us to be self-centered and Captains of our own Universe.

But Jesus came and turned our universe upside down – inside out.

He tells us to deny our sovereignty over our space and submit to him in order to save our lives.

By denying ourselves and letting God reign as King of our Universe, we gain it all!

All of the important stuff.

The stuff that counts.

Forget the big houses, new cars, and money……that’s just stuff.

We’re talking about the most important things like ….

purpose for your life…

and peace…

and love….

And how about joy?

How much joy do you have in your life?

Everything good comes down from the Father of Heavenly Lights. (This is one of my favorite verses from James 1 that we’re eventually going to memorize in our Sword Fighting Class)

So we exchange our frustrating, disappointing, heart-breaking attempts to control of our life for God’s control of our life and he makes his dreams for us come true.

I love that exchange!

Don’t you?

Thank you, dear Father.

Who is in Control?

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

Jesus could walk on the water because he created the water – he could make it do anything he wanted.gdtDSC_0611

Jesus could feed five thousand people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish because he created bread and fish.  He could make them do anything he wanted.

Both of these things are impossible for us because we are not God.

Sometimes we try to act like God – we try very hard to control the world around us.  This sin goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden.  That’s what Eve wanted – she wanted to be like God.

But we aren’t God.gdtDSC_0647

So all of our efforts to control the world just cause anger, frustration and disappointment for us.

The lesson God has for us – if we choose to learn it – is that God is the only one in control.  When we truly let him take control of our lives, we find the peace and contentment that God wants us to have.

I was able to visit Israel earlier this year and spent an afternoon on the Sea of Galilee (pictures).  We saw the place where Jesus fed the 5000.  We spent several hours in the middle of the sea, imagining the figure of Jesus walking out on the water towards us and watching our ship captain show us how the disciples fished with a net.gdtDSC_0642

We are so blessed to have the Word of God available to us 24/7.  We know the historical accounts of Jesus’ life here on earth and we have his role-model for how we should live our lives.

Jesus created all of this – he knows how it should work.  Jesus reminds us through his word today to take courage and don’t be afraid.  We just need to give up trying to control everything and trust him.

God’s got this!

Thank you, dear Father!

Our Guardian Angels

On By Judy GlasserIn May1 Comment

Why do they do it?  Why do police officers put their lives on the lines every day?  Why do they agree to put this huge target on their backs?

Why?

Because God created them this way.  They care about having a safe community for you and me and their loved ones to live in.  To play in.  To not have to be afraid in.

And they are willing to do something about it.

Are there bad cops?  Sure.  Just like there are bad pastors, bad teachers and bad parents.

But the majority of them really care about right and wrong.  They really care about protecting and serving.  And they step up and put their life on the line to prove it.

Then why do Police Officers get such a huge amount of bad press?

This is a clear sign of how hard Satan and his team is working in our confused and ‘follow the crowd’ world.  Yes, we have a lot of information readily at our fingertips today – a lot of incorrect information.

Police officers are very easy targets for people who don’t have any idea of what really happens out there when they are face-to-face with murderers, drug dealers and psychopaths.  Police officers courageous face the danger of dealing with these criminals in an effort to stop them from hurting other people.

We read in God’s word about the guardian angels he sends to protect us and fight our battles for us.

The reality is that some of our guardian angels wear police uniforms.

Thank you, dear Father, for our guardian angels.

Why Are You So Afraid?

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

Jesus asked his disciples this question in the midst of a furious storm in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.gdtDSC_0639

I was in a boat on the Sea of Galilee earlier this year when the wind began to pick up – blowing through the boat. (pictures)  But it was a beautiful, sunny afternoon – nothing like the storm the disciples experienced.  They were in the eye of a storm with the waves breaking over the boat, ready to swamp it.

And Jesus was sleeping.

In a panic, the disciples woke up Jesus.

With one comment, Jesus calmed the storm.  And then he asked them why they were so afraid.  Where was their faith?

Jesus asks us this same question today when we are afraid…….gdtDSC_0656

afraid of what’s going to happen to us…..

afraid of what’s going to happen to those we love…..

afraid of all of the things we can’t control.

Jesus asks us, “Where is your faith?”

Because everything is under his control.  The winds and the waves on the Sea of Galilee were under his control.  Anything that will ever happen to us is also under his control.

And we know he wants the best for us – he told us that in Jeremiah.

So we can have faith and not be fearful as we go through the storms.  We can pray when the winds and waves pick up and start to swamp us.  We can stand firm on our Rock, knowing that he is control.

He is always in control.  So what are we afraid of?  Where is our faith?

Please grow our faith, dear Father.

Want a Challenge?

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting Class2 Comments

It has come to my attention (I love how God does this) that I need to get back into memorizing scripture.

For many years, I was very committed to memorizing God’s word and etching it onto my heart.  I loved it because I suddenly started to hear God talking to me much more often and a lot more clearly.

He stills does this today. When I need to hear his voice and I don’t have a Bible close at hand, he reminds me of a scripture that I have memorized. He talks to me like this all of the time.

And it’s obviously time for me to get more of His word written on my heart.

Would you like to join me?

Several years ago I decided I wanted to memorize James 1 but I didn’t get very far.  I love this portion of scripture because it starts with “Consider it pure joy” .  God talks to us in this passage about how to be more wise and how to deal with trials.  He also tells us that every good and perfect gift is from him, the Father of the Heavenly Lights.

My life could use some more of his heavenly light – how about yours?  Would you like to hear God speak to you more often?  More clearly?  Writing his words on your heart is a tried and true method of improving your communications with God.

Let’s start small.  This is a marathon, not a sprint.

One verse a week.

I’m not planning on posting these to Facebook so, if you want to take this ‘sword fighting class’ with me, make sure you sign up as a follower of my blog so you receive the emails.

There’s no time like the present – here we go!

James is actually a letter so it begins with greetings and salutations.  We’ll start with the good stuff – verse  2.

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers (and sisters), whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.James 1-2

Note: As I memorize these, I add words such as “and sisters” above.  God told me it’s ok :). He is also speaking to women and adding these words helps make it more personal for me.  Your choice.

Say this verse 3 or 4 times a day and you’ll have it written on your heart by next week.

Then we’ll add the next one.

God’s direction on how to become more wise is coming up!

Built on the Rock

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

This is the season when many of you are storm-proofing your houses.  Preparing for winter.  I grew up in Northwest Iowa so I know all about winter.  In Iowa, we also had to storm-proof our cars with better lubricants, snow tires and radiator heaters that we could plug-in every night.

Now that I live in Phoenix, we don’t need to do any storm-proofing except for making sure our air conditioners are in top shape before summer begins.

Jesus tells us that a wise person storm-proofs their life by building it on the Rock.  And Jesus is that Rock.October 27 2014 Built on the Rock

So when the rains of disappointment, grief and sadness pour down, our house will stand.

When the streams of hurt and lies and pain rise, our house will stand.

And when the winds of anger, hate and confusion beat upon our house, it does not fall.   Because its foundation is built upon the Rock.

Jesus says that a foolish person will build their house on sand and their house will crash down when the storm comes.  He says we are this foolish person if we hear his words and don’t put them into practice.

The storm is coming – it may already be blowing into your life – is your foundation ready?

Jesus tells us exactly what to do to storm-proof our lives.  We need to listen to him and obey.

Today is the day.  There is no better time than right now.

Dear Father, please guide us in building our lives upon the Rock.

Full of Light

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

Our minds are marvelous, intricate things, created by God for our use and for his glory.

What are we feeding into our minds?October 26 2014 full of light

Because whatever we feed, will grow.

God tells us in Matthew 6 that our eyes are a lamp to our bodies.  If our eyes are healthy, our whole body will be healthy.

But, if our eyes are unhealthy, our whole body will be full of darkness.

Filled with darkness.

Do you ever feel like that?

Have you thought about what you’re feeding into your mind?

It’s hard to avoid the darkness that presses in from our culture all around us.

For some reason, God has developed in me a heightened sensitivity to the darkness around me and a clear awareness of the work that Satan and his team is doing.  As a result, I avoid most shows on TV, most movies and a lot of books.  Any music other than Christian music usually  has some lyrics that turns off the light and brings on the darkness.

We can be careful about what we feed our minds with when its our choice but we obviously can’t avoid it all as we live our lives in this world, but not of it.  God calls us to turn on the light and push back the darkness in our world as much as we can.

In order to do that, we need to be filled with his truth.  Filled with his love.  Filled with his light.

Please fill us with your light, dear Father.