Pleasing God Chapter 5

On to Chapter 5! For the rest of our Book Club study I am going to be doing one video per chapter or a typed review. Right now I am currently working and focusing a little more on my music which is why I haven't been up to date with the blog!

Three things I want to point out in this chapter WALK WITH GOD...

1. FAITH
Kay talked about our faith and how without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
Where does faith come from? GOD! She writes, "Isn't it beautiful that the very thing God desires from us, He gives us?" Ephesians 2:8 tells us faith is a gift of God.

How does our faith increase? "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Romans 10:17
We need to be in God's Word! Has your faith been weak and your walk been weary? Have a Bible around and throughout the day read and meditate on the truth of Scripture. You will find your faith strengthened and your walk more alive. The Word of God nourishes you and keeps you and your walk with God alive.

2. WALKING WITH GOD
Being AWARE of God's presence throughout the day. Talking to Him, acknowledging Him, thanking Him, praising Him, laughing with Him. I know we all want to do this more and more and so often we get through our day and realize we didn't pay much attention to Him.

3. IT'S YOUR CHOICE
She says, "The choice to have intimacy with God is yours." James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
God so greatly wants you to draw near to Him. He is waiting for you to make that decision...

Your Desires

What are your desires? Bring them before the Lord. Talk them over with Him. Your desires can be a dangerous thing if not placed in the hands of your loving God. Prayer. It is in prayer that you pour out your desires before Him. It is a place of reality. A refuge from falling into dillusionment. God is reality. Let Him be your greatest desire and you won't wake up feeling so disappointed. I promise you if God is not your greatest desire you will be disappointed. Jesus, it's all about You.

Hello!

Hey Everyone! Sorry for such a long wait! We have moved into a new home and are still settling in. The blog will be on hold for a couple of weeks longer. God Bless you and will keep you posted!

DEPRESSION

Here is an excerpt taken from the CHEQUE BOOK OF THE BANK OF FAITH, a daily devotional book by Charles Spurgeon.

May 4

Victory in Reverses

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. (Micah 7:8)

This may express the feelings of a man or woman downtrodden and oppressed. Our enemy may put out our light for a season. There is sure hope for us in the Lord; and if we are trusting in Him and holding fast our integrity, our season of downcasting and darkness will soon be over. The insults of the foe are only for a moment. The Lord will soon turn their laughter into lamentation and our sighing into singing.
What if the great enemy of souls should for a while triumph over us, as he has triumphed over better men than we are; yet let us take heart, for we shall overcome him before long. We shall rise from our fall, for our God has not fallen, and He will lift us up. We shall not abide in darkness, although for the moment we sit in it; for our Lord is the fountain of light, and He will soon bring us a joyful day. Let us not despair or even doubt. One turn of the wheel, and the lowest will be at the top. Woe unto those who laugh now, for they shall mourn and weep when their boasting is turned into everlasting contempt. But blessed are all holy mourners, for they shall be divinely comforted.

Don't Forget

"And He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while'" (Mark 6:31). Have you gotten to a quiet place with the Lord lately? Just you and Him? "And they all ate and were satisfied" (Mark 6:42). Have you eaten of His Word until you were satisfied? If you've been down and discouraged or feel like you are far from victory, the FIRST thing to ask yourself is...have you spent time with Jesus? Real time. Time in His presence where His Word jumps off the page and into your heart?
If you feel far away from the Lord right now, remember... "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You" (Psalm 86:5). Call upon the Lord...be refreshed in the REALITY of His presence! The more we live day by day apart from experiencing His presence, the more we live weak and hungry lives. We all are going to find a way to meet our souls needs somehow...let's not turn to idols but to the true and living God!
If there is one MAIN THING the enemy goes after...it's your time spent with the Lord. Remember that...

The Right Kind of Fear

Proverbs 15:33 "The fear of the LORD is instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility."
Proverbs 16:6b "And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil."
Psalm 85:9 "Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land."

What does it mean to "fear the LORD"?

In the original Hebrew the word for fear is "yir'ah" -it is a word that means "moral reverance"

The word study in the back of my Bible defines it as this...
"A feminine noun meaning fear. The word usually refers to the fear of God and is viewed as a positive quality. This fear acknowledges God's good intentions (Exodus 20:20). It will motivate and delight even the Messiah (Isaiah 11:2,3). This fear is produced by God's Word (Psalm 119:38; Proverbs 2:5) and makes a person receptive to wisdom and knowledge (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). It is even identified with wisdom (Job 28:28; Proverbs 15:33). The fear of the Lord may be lost by despair of one's own situation (Job 6:14) or envy of a sinner's (Proverbs 23:17). This fear restrains people from sin (Genesis 20:11; Exodus 20:20; Nehemiah 5:9); gives confidence (Job 4:6; Proverbs 14:26); helps rulers and causes judges to act justly (2 Samuel 23:3; 2 Chronicles 19:9; Nehemiah 5:15); results in good sleep (Proverbs 19:23); with humility, leads to riches, honour and life (Proverbs 22:4). The word also refers to the fear of briers and thorns (Isaiah 7:25); and the fear of Israel that would fall on other nations (Deuteronomy 2:25)." -taken from "The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Key Word Study Bible"


I love it! All the wonderful benefits from fearing the Lord. The Holy Spirit has been pressing this on my heart the last few days. God has shown me specific areas where I am not fearing Him. What areas of your heart are hard and in your rebellious flesh you don't care to fear God? Ask Him to show you and put a little fear in you. The truth will set you free. Let's be on a pursuit after God's own heart!

Your Reaction to Temptation

The first video for the Book Club will be posted on Tuesday...just to give you all a little more time who are in the process of getting the book. If you get it later then we started, no big deal...just go back and watch the previous videos to catch up! Again we will only be going through one chapter a week.

This morning this scripture stuck out to me. Be greatly encouraged by it!

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it."

What is the thing you turn to in your flesh when pressures arise? Does the enemy have a "temptation button" in your life that he can push to guarantee a trip up? Do not be alarmed as if this was only happening to you. We all are tempted and battle specific faults and failures. But please do not settle there. Recognize an area of temptation where the enemy always has victory. Search out the scriptures concerning it and cry out to God. He will break down the stronghold. Be persistent and persevere. Train your mind to turn to the scriptures instead of your fleshly reaction. I have a feeling the enemy will reconsider tempting you in that way when your every reaction is prayer and the Word. I know he doesn't want you to do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!