Being a Doer of the Word

When Words Alone Are Not Enough

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

There are times when our words simply fall short of adequately expressing the thanks that we feel…. I found myself in just such a “place” a few days ago while I was praying with a close friend….

As I listened to the words of thanks coming out of their heart and into their mouth – my heart too, began to swell with thanksgiving and the growing realization.. that I would NEVER  be able to find enough words to thank God for Jesus my Savior – and all the prayers He has answered, and all the good things that He has done for me and brought into my life…..Then in the midst of that realization.. I heard Him speak this scripture in my spirit ..“What shall I render (give in return) to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” Psalm 116:12 – Then He Himself answers that question in the very next verse as He tells us “to take the “cup” of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.”…..

What does that mean?  He is simply telling us to acknowledge Him.. acknowledge His benefits and blessings – even those things/benefits (Psalm 103:1-5; Ephesians 1:3; II Peter 1:3) that came to us – and belong to us when we receive Jesus into our life.  In Ephesians 1:16-19  He even tells us how to pray that we might more fully see and understand these things….

To give a simple example, God is “like an earthly father” who loves His children, gives them certain benefits and blessings…. And all that father asks of those children is that they recognize and remember that He gave those things to them… AND USE THEM… call on Him for what  they need from those benefits He has told them belong to them as His sons and daughters.

So, how can I thank Him when words alone are not sufficient to express my thanks  for all the benefits He has given to me?…  I think perhaps better than anything more I could say to answer that here – would be to share what God says to us in His word in III John verses 2-4….

(Paraphrased) “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health… even as you renew your thinking to the truth which I have spoken unto you… I rejoice greatly to know that the truth is in you – and that you are walking according to it.  I have no greater joy than to know that My children walk in truth.”  That – in a nutshell – expresses what He wants and needs from us – when our words alone are not enough.

 

 

I Have Learned … Dealing with Difficult Feelings and Emotions

~ kathrynspen ~ 1 Comment

Note: I first published this post in May 2015 – but because so many people report having some of their most difficult times after Christmas as they go into the new year, I thought it good to share it again.  I share it from a Christian perspective …. because Jesus Christ really is “where my help comes from”… but  He is there and offers the same help for all who will come to Him.

So… I share this post about “dealing with difficult feelings and emotions” with compassion in my heart – because that is an area that used to “eat my lunch” – so that I very well understand how those things feel – and the way that they can negatively affect everything you need to do.  BUT this is one of the  “I have learned” things in my life…… not that I am always 100% perfect the minute I recognize a feeling I don’t like,  or an emotion that hurts – but I have learned what to do – and when I rise up and do it,  those things do not control my thinking or my day.

First of all, you must understand this – EMOTIONS CANNOT BE IGNORED! We struggle to get away from them – only to find that indeed they are still “with us” – they cannot be ignored!….. BUT fortunately –  they can be “TURNED”! …  I’ll show you an example of that in the Word of God……

I Samuel 30:1-19 (Paraphrased)  After being away for three days, David and his men returned to their place at Ziklag – only to find it burned and their wives and children all carried away captive……. “Then David and the men that were with him lifted up their voice and wept – until they had no more power to weep.” …..then came another “turn for the worse” ….. for David…..

“And David was greatly distressed – for the people spoke of stoning him – because the soul of every man was grieved for their wives, sons and daughters.. …..( which is not too surprising as people in deep grief often divert some of that grief to “assigning blame” for what has happened.) …. So that David who had suffered as much loss as the rest of them – now faced still another crisis…..  But the way that he chose to handle the mounting crisis is the thing that made ALL THE DIFFERENCE for him. 

So, what did he do?  Verse 6 says “David was greatly distressed… but David….  but David did what? – “But David encouraged himself in the Lord!!  To give you a better idea of exactly what David did, I will give you the definition for the Hebrew word “encouraged”…..  It means:  “to fasten upon – be stubborn, strong, courageous – which, by so doing – is causative to heal, cure, fortify, strengthen, or repair a situation….. David CHOSE to encourage himself in the Lord….. and the Lord obviously began to influence the situation so that the men who wanted to stone David in their grief begin to think differently….

AND – David prayed –  he inquired of the Lord saying -“Shall I pursue after the troop/this enemy? Shall I overtake them? And the Lord answered him “Pursue; for you shall overtake them – and without fail recover all”!   We then read the report of the outcome in verses 18,19 ……  “And David recovered all that the enemy had carried away –  there was no person nor spoil of what had been taken that was not recovered……. David RECOVERED ALL!  Of course that is what was important to David and his men……

But for us today, I am pointing to THE REASON  he was able to recover all the loss – which, of course, was that he fastened his eyes on God – David steadied himself in the midst of his distress – and looked to God for help and direction.  In the same way, when we are confronted with challenging or hurtful situations,  we have a choice to either “embrace” the negative feelings and emotions that often accompany those situations – and let them” swallow us up” – OR – we can begin to encourage ourselves in the Lord so that we can think and hear what He would say to us more clearly…….

HOW do you do that??  I am going to just list some ways I have learned that work for me   (and everyone of them you will find in God’s word)……

First, pray anything that you know to pray if a person’s safety etc. is involved. Also, forgive anyone that needs forgiveness – do this by faith – feelings follow.

  • Begin to give thanks for different things/ways God has helped or blessed you.  (This has nothing to do with what you feel like at the time – for basing what you do on feelings and emotions is like building a house on shifting sand.) You give thanks because God is good and offers help and deliverance to those who look to Him.
  • You might put on music that lends to worship – and deliberately focus on Jesus and the deliverance you have already tasted by His hand. Get into worship!
  • You can start speaking to yourself in psalms and hymns – sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord – with thanksgiving for every good thing.  (Ephesians 5:18-20)
  • Speak God’s word as scriptures come to you. (God’s word has the power to change things and to accomplish what He sends it to do.)
  • Pray in the spirit quietly – and continue in these things until your mind and emotions have quieted….. which will lend to hearing any scripture or words of direction the Spirit of God would put in your spirit for you at this time.   (Jude 20,21)

Setting yourself to do any of those things will have the effect of turning negative or painful emotions.

In the beginning, I found it hard to “make myself” say what I “didn’t feel” – but over the years I have learned to not go so much by what my mind or emotions are saying at the moment – but rather to choose to take Jesus up on His invitation to come to Him with all your cares and let Him give you rest.  Once I established myself in choosing to not embrace the negative feelings – but to labor to turn those emotions, I have seen a change happen in less than 5 minutes, but that’s not always the case – and you need to stay there with God until you have quieted your mind and let Him have some time to touch you.  Then if there be a valid reason for any of those negative feelings, He WILL show you – because He delights in our well being – the well being that comes from walking in the truth.

God bless and keep you.

 

 

Daily Bread – God’s “Can Do”

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

God is able to do anything!… If He said He will do it – He is more than able to do it! .. For what may be utterly impossible for you and me to do – is an easy thing for God…. And we need to understand that if He said it, He purposes to do it…. But it is up to us to do “the part” which He gives us to do.. That is, we need to do the things He has told us to do along the way…. even when it seems to be unrelated to the end result that He has promised…

We do those things He has directed us to do because He has “a definite end in mind”…. and a better way than we usually imagine – to “get us there!”  And the best thing about it is that – He ALWAYS  has a good plan in mind for us in all that He does.

Isn’t God wonderful?…. My soon to be 38 years of knowing Him as my born again Father in Heaven surely has confirmed that for me….and He wants each of us to know Him that well … i.e. to know that His “can do” is as big as His heart of love for me and you!…

 

“For God so loved the world…. that John 3:16… He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish – but have everlasting life.”

I Believe God that it shall be as He has said… Receiving the things God has Promised

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

The post that I share with you today is about another one of those “I have learned” things….. All of these “I have learned things” fit into a category of things that I have longed to see “work” in my life – as they are laid out in the Word of God – one of those things being about receiving things God has promised….. which is the thing that I will share about with you today.

I still have plenty of room to grow in this,  but I have gained a lot of ground… The credit for that  would have to go to the Spirit of God (aka the Holy Spirit )  because He has never given up on me, but faithfully led me to the next step – even when that next step meant going back to pick up some things I should have already worked into my life.

Sometimes He has talked to me “in plain English” – as another person would – but what He would say has never been contrary to the principles in His Word.  I shared that because – there is no where in the bible that God tells any one to “move to Minnesota” (for example) – but He might tell you to do just that – and you would need to know that you have indeed heard His voice and not something that is out of your own thinking – (or “off the wall” from someone else’s thinking).  Hearing and recognizing His voice comes as you spend alone time with Him….. time in the Word, in prayer, in worship.  Those are some  things that bring you into His presence – and into a confidence of knowing Him…. which things are paramount for you and me in learning to “walk by faith” and receive the things that God has promised.

You see, when the Apostle Paul – on that ship being exceedingly tossed for days in a storm they referred to as “no small tempest”- told his shipmates   “Be of good cheer – for I believe God that it shall be even as He has told me”….. Paul could say that to them because he had come to know…… and learned to have full confidence in God – from whom he had just received word that very night – “not to be afraid because there would be no loss of any man’s life among them.  (Acts 27:13-44 ) So regardless of how that storm (or your storm) rages, he had learned – as we can learn – to take what God has said about it and “fight the good fight of faith”….. by holding fast to acknowledge what God has said – and so receive the promise.

In holding fast to what God has said – regardless of “how things look” – we will “through faith and patience” obtain the promise…….whether it be a certain scripture that He has quickened to us – or a word we hear from Him – as Paul heard the word from God about the storm and the lives of the men on the ship.  We can count on it because “all the promises of God in His son Jesus Christ are yes, and amen (aka “so be it”) – That means they are sure and trustworthy.  (II Corinthians 1:19,20).

His words are trustworthy because  He has said “I will not alter the words that have gone out of my lips.” Our part is to hold fast to the words He has spoken to us ….. And we can learn to do that – with patience – because He is faithful that promised.

I’m in there with you – having received a lot of promises….  And I’m still fighting the good fight of faith – ie. endeavoring to “hold fast to what He has said” – in order to receive other promises.  That’s how it works!…..Through faith and patience you and I WILL receive the things that God has promised!

I Have Learned … Dealing with Difficult Feelings and Emotions

~ kathrynspen ~ 3 Comments

I share this post today about “dealing with difficult feelings and emotions” with compassion in my heart – because that is an area that used to “eat my lunch” – so that I very well understand how those things feel – and the way that they can negatively affect everything you need to do.  BUT this is one of the  “I have learned” things in my life…… not that I am always 100% perfect the minute I recognize a feeling I don’t like,  or an emotion that hurts – but I have learned what to do – and when I rise up and do it,  those things do not control my thinking or my day.

First of all, you must understand this – EMOTIONS CANNOT BE IGNORED! We struggle to get away from them – only to find that indeed they are still “with us” – they cannot be ignored!….. BUT  fortunately –  they can be “TURNED”!  I’ll show you an example of that in the Word of God……

I Samuel 30:1-19 (Paraphrased)  After being away for three days, David and his men returned to their place at Ziklag – only to find it burned and their wives and children all carried away captive……. “Then David and the men that were with him lifted up their voice and wept – until they had no more power to weep.” …..then came another “turn for the worse” ….. for David…..

“And David was greatly distressed – for the people spoke of stoning him – because the soul of every man was grieved for their wives, sons and daughters.. …..( which is not too surprising as people in deep grief often divert some of that grief to “assigning blame” for what has happened.) …. So that David who had suffered as much loss as the rest of them – now faced still another crisis…..  But the way that he chose to handle the mounting crisis is the thing that made ALL THE DIFFERENCE for him. 

So, what did he do?  Verse 6 says “David was greatly distressed —- but David….  but David did what? – “But David encouraged himself in the Lord!!  To give you a better idea of exactly what David did, I will give you the definition for the Hebrew word “encouraged”…..  It means:  “to fasten upon – be stubborn, strong, courageous – which, by so doing – is causative to heal, cure, fortify, strengthen, or repair a situation….. David CHOSE to encourage himself in the Lord….. and the Lord obviously began to influence the situation so that the men who wanted to stone David in their grief begin to think differently….

AND – David prayed –  he inquired of the Lord saying -“Shall I pursue after the troop/this enemy? Shall I overtake them? And the Lord answered him “Pursue; for you shall overtake them – and without fail recover all”!   We then read the report of the outcome in verses 18,19 ……  “And David recovered all that the enemy had carried away –  there was no person nor spoil of what had been taken that was not recovered……. David RECOVERED ALL!  Of course that is what was important to David and his men……

But for us today, I am pointing to THE REASON  he was able to recover all the loss – which, of course, was that he fastened his eyes on God – David steadied himself in the midst of his distress – and looked to God for help and direction.  In the same way, when we are confronted with challenging or hurtful situations,  we have a choice to either “embrace” the negative feelings and emotions that often accompany those situations – and let them” swallow us up” – OR – we can begin to encourage ourselves in the Lord so that we can think and hear what He would say to us more clearly…….

HOW do you do that??  I am going to just list some ways I have learned that work for me   (and everyone of them you will find in God’s word)……

First, pray anything that you know to pray if a person’s safety etc. is involved. Also, forgive anyone that needs forgiveness – do this by faith – feelings follow.

  • Begin to give thanks for different things/ways God has helped or blessed you.  (This has nothing to do with what you feel like at the time – for basing what you do on feelings and emotions is like building a house on shifting sand.) You give thanks because God is good and offers help and deliverance to those who look to Him.
  • You might put on music that lends to worship – and deliberately focus on Jesus and the deliverance you have already tasted by His hand. Get into worship!
  • You can start speaking to yourself in psalms and hymns – sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord – with thanksgiving for every good thing.  (Ephesians 5:18-20)
  • Speak God’s word as scriptures come to you. (God’s word has the power to change things and to accomplish what He sends it to do.)
  • Pray in the spirit quietly – and continue in these things until your mind and emotions have quieted….. which will lend to hearing any scripture or words of direction the Spirit of God would put in your spirit for you at this time.   (Jude 20,21)

Setting yourself to do any of those things will have the effect of turning negative or painful emotions.

In the beginning, I found it hard to “make myself” say what I “didn’t feel” – but over the years I have learned to not go so much by what my mind or emotions are saying at the moment – but rather to choose to take Jesus up on His invitation to come to Him with all your cares and let Him give you rest.  Once I established myself in choosing to not embrace the negative feelings – but to labor to turn those emotions, I have seen a change happen in less than 5 minutes, but that’s not always the case – and you need to stay there with God until you have quieted your mind and let Him have some time to touch you.  Then if there be a valid reason for any of those negative feelings, He WILL show you – because He delights in our well being – the well being that comes from walking in the truth.

God bless and keep you.

 

 

Part 2 – Being a Doer of the Word… Wielding the Sword of the Spirit

~ kathrynspen ~ Leave a comment

In this post, I will share a little about learning to use the Word of God as your sword of deliverance against attacks of the enemy….as Jesus did. This enemy that I  refer to here is specifically referred to as “your adversary, the devil” in I Peter 5:8…. and also named “the tempter” in Matthew 4 – as he comes to tempt Jesus to do other than what God had sent Him to this earth to do…. That is where we see Jesus taking the Word of God to “answer” every thing that the devil suggests to Him that He should do – but each time, Jesus answered and said “It is written…..” – using the Word of God to shut the enemy down – ie. we see that after his third unsuccessful attempt to lure Jesus away from His standing in God, verse 11 says  “the devil left Him.” Jesus resisted the devil and he left!

And that is exactly what the Word instructs you and  I to do when we find ourselves being tempted by this enemy….. because according to I Peter 5:8,9  “your adversary, the devil – as a roaring lion – walketh about seeking whom he may devour (oppose, swallow up) – whom we are to “resist – stedfast in the faith (the faith in what God has said)”….  that means that we are to speak in line with what God has said.  When the enemy comes to suggest anything contrary to what God has said about a matter – then you and I are to resist that temptation by speaking according to what God has indeed said about that matter.   Being a “doer of the Word” means that we apply the Word to our situation…. for as we do this, we are ” announcing”-  in effect – that we believe God that it shall be even as He has told us.  That is our resistance – it affects to “disconnect” us/our situation from the suggestions that the enemy is tempting us to take over what God has said….  And we are told to hold fast to our speaking according to what God has said..for His words SHALL BE FULFILLED “in their season.” (Luke 1:20)

How can such things be??  We have to get out of our own (man’s) way of thinking – because as Isaiah 55:9-11 (paraphrased) tells us – God thinks higher than you and I do.  His ways are higher than our ways …. and what He speaks, He is able to perform and intends to perform.  And as we get to know and trust Him, we can more and more be able to say with the Apostle Paul (Acts 27:25) “I believe God that it shall be even as He told me” – in the face of a storm that had raged so violently for days against the ship he was in – that all hope that they could be saved had been taken away……but the Apostle Paul said “I believe God that it shall be even as He told me”! … and so it was – for him – and so it can be for us!

…….And like Mary, whom God had chosen to be the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38) – who though being a virgin at the time – understood that “with God nothing shall be impossible”…. and with these words: “Be it unto me according to Your Word”– gave her consent for the power of God to “overshadow/ envelope” her – causing this miracle of conception to take place in her.  Likewise with our words of agreement with what God has said, we release Him to begin to bring to pass the promise He has given us.  

The words that God speaks  have the power to perform to bring about  WHATEVER  He has promised! …. But realize this – that HE HAS MADE US to be  labourers together with Him in this process….. BECAUSE…..He gives us His Word and it is with you and I even as He said to Mary  “Blessed is he or she that believes – for there shall be a performance of those things that were told her from the Lord.”

God’s Words – are the sword we use to cut off the suggestions of the enemy …. and they are the words we speak to bring forth what God has purposed for our lives and for His Kingdom!  Its not because you and I are such hot rods – but it is because God cannot fail – and His words SHALL BE FULFILLED in their season…. He wants us to get in there and believe so that they can be fulfilled in our lives!