Laced With Grace

“STICKS AND STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES, BUT NAMES WILL NEVER HURT ME”

  ~NAME CALLING~

Have you ever seen children engaged in name-calling? Perhaps when you were a child, you too called names or maybe you were the target of such painful words.

 When names are called out that are mean and destructive, it can cause so much pain, heartache and scars.

However, not ALL name-calling is bad…It might surprise you to know that God is a name-caller! He starts by calling us His children. That is not the only name He calls us, He also calls us…

•  Redeemed
• Forgiven
• Justified by faith

He also call us:

•  Beloved
• Chosen Ones
• Friends

He calls us blameless, holy and heaven-bound. He calls us wise, worthy, and filled with hope. He calls us confident, courageous, and content. He calls us righteous, worthy, and victorious. He calls us strong, successful, and rich. He calls us these names and MORE! Not because we can live up to the names, but because He has covered us with His love and grace! 

God not only has names for us but He has names for Himself. Such as:

•  The Beginning and the End
• Our Comforter
• Our Counselor
• Our Creator
• Our Deliverer
• Our Day Star

He is Faithful. Our Father. Our Friend. Our Helper. He is the High Priest. The Horn of Salvation. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

 ISAIAH 43:1 “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine.”

 ISN’T IT TIME THAT YOU BECAME A NAME-CALLER?

 One that is different from the child-like name-calling experience. It is time for you to experience who you are to God and who He is in your life. God is listening and waiting for you to call Him by name.

 WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Please visit me daily over at WOMEN TAKING A STAND and for prayer needs, check out my prayer blog!

 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 nkjv

Cold and flu season is just getting started and already I feel a sinus infection coming on. Once I feel the symptoms of an achy head, burning throat, or stuffed sinuses, I get my armor on, ready for battle. With a few years under my belt, thankfully, I have gained a little bit of wisdom. I work quickly to try and stop any ailment in its tracks. Taking vitamin C, Airborne, and Zicam, I arm myself to beat it down before it starts. I know just how miserable it is to be sick and I will do everything in my power to not let my enemy advance.

So, why don’t I react the same way when my spiritual health is at risk? Spiritual illnesses such as anger, discontentment, pride,and fear, just like a cold or flu to our physical bodies, cause our spiritual bodies to come to a stop for awhile-holding us back from whatever service the Lord has purposed us for. Just like my achy head and burning throat, there are symptoms to warn us of their coming visit. The infection of anger usually begins with small irritations and annoyances. Discontentment begins with an ungrateful heart. Pride’s symptoms are selfishness, while the symptoms of worry and anxiety can become a full blown illness called fear.

Just like the treatment of vitamin C helps my body to defeat my oncoming infection, the greatest elixir for any spiritual illness is the Word of God It never ceases to amaze me that when I am suffering from a spiritual illness, how fast these symptoms flee in the face of His word. When I feel symptoms coming on, I fight them by looking up all that God’s word says about that specific ailment. If I am suffering from anxiety I will looking up all that God has to say about them. If I am worrying or anxious, scriptures about anxiety, worry and fear speak straight to my heart, Phil. 4:6a “Do not be anxious for anything…” Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you…” Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Friends, are you suffering from anything today? Do you feel an illness coming on? Protect yourselves with the battle gear that God has given you. His Word is alive and active, sharper than any two-edged sword to defend ourselves from anything that gets in our way. Check your heart for symptoms before they become full blown illnesses.

Remember friends, when we get into God’s Word, God’s Word gets into us!

Believing God!

Joanne

When life is good and things are going smoothly, it’s easy to say you trust God.

But have you ever been in the midst of challenging circumstances that were outside of your control? Before you know it, fear can creep in as a natural emotional reaction to the uncertainty.

Maybe you didn’t realize you were actually trusting in:
• The stock market
• The government
• Your retirement funds
• Your doctor
• Your spouse
• Your pastor

That’s when what you truly believe is put to the test. Do you really trust God?

I love to see trust in action. Have you ever watched a little child who trusts his daddy? He thinks nothing of jumping into his outstretched arms in the pool … even though he doesn’t know how to swim. But he knows his dad will catch him. That’s trust.

Peter trusted Jesus when he stepped out of the boat and actually walked on water. I wish I could have seen that one. I wonder if I would have stayed in the boat or risked walking to Jesus like he did. It was only when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked around at his circumstances that he began to sink. He cried out and …Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

If I truly trust the Lord, I will believe what His Word says. If I believe Him, I will act upon what He says. It takes a wholehearted commitment to trust Him when the going gets tough. But trust is a choice. And when I choose to trust Him, He provides what I need when I need it.

I’ve discovered several ways that have helped me deal with fear and trust issues.

• Replace any fearful thoughts with Scripture verses. I write out verses like Psalm 56:3 “When I am afraid, I will trust in you” on 3X5 cards. When those fearful thoughts creep in, I take out my cards and recite the verses out loud.
• I love to journal and I’ve found it helpful to go back and read the many examples I’ve recorded of how faithful God has been to me in the past. It helps to remind me that He is trustworthy and I have nothing to fear. He will provide.
• I confess my fears to the Lord in prayer. The Bible says we are not to fear. When I fear I show my lack of faith and trust in His promises. I ask Him to fill me with His strength and wisdom to deal with the situation at present.
• Praise Him in the midst of the challenges.
• Thank Him in advance for His provision.

Whenever I choose to trust the Lord and take Him at His Word … He never fails me. He may not answer in the way I may assume He will but I know that His ways are higher than mine.

How about you? What do you do when faced with uncertainty and turmoil? My list is far from complete so maybe you’d like to offer your suggestions.

May your day be blessed,
Debbie

I hope you’ll visit me at my personal blog Heart Choices.