Shields up

Shields Up

 

It’s a familiar phrase if you’ve ever watched Star Trek in any form.  I’m going to share a verse that has gotten me through a lot over the years.  It was the start of me doing this Bible study thing.  About the time this all started my ex and I had broken up and not too long after that my grandma passed away.  I was hurt.  But I came to these two verses.

 

Psalm 3:3-4

 

“But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.  I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain.”  

 

At that point in my life I understood “the one who holds my head high.”  Why did I understand that?  Because my spirit was crushed.  It was a time where God took my chin in his hand and made me look up at him.  

 

Now before I finish this blog I want to take your mind in a bit of a different direction.  It said that God is a shield about us.  Many times in the Bible, God is described as a mighty warrior defending his people.  I wrote this poem one time and it was about a closer look at Captain America.  See the superhero has been around for years and he uses the shield for offense and defense.  Now think about this for a minute.  A shield around us.  It protects us.  But God may also be using that shield in offense to protect us as well.  You can lift a shield overhead to protect from flying arrows.  In front of your person or to the sides.  A shield can also be swung or hurled in offense depending on the size of the shield and strength of the warrior.  Someone may also use a shield to defend someone else while attacking with the other hand.  You can also stand a shield in the ground and hide behind it.  Many ways to mentally see God being our shield and protecting us.  

 

 

 

 

Shield about me by Steffany Gretzinger

Made me glad by Sandi Patty

Defender by Upper Room

Least

 

Least

 

Very often I will say that I’m the least important part of this blog.  I was asked a question this past week.  “Have you ever thought about becoming a preacher?”  I talked about it a bit with my wife, Marion.  I’m not a public speaker.  I don’t do crowds.  I took a public speaking course in college, and I had to do a five minute speech.  For 2 minutes I breathed.  That’s all I could do.  I have taken a ministry of the pastor course years ago when on a different life plan to be a Christian counselor for youth but all that didn’t work out.  I read a poem I wrote at my Paw Paw’s funeral and the only reason I made it through was I put my reading glasses on, and I couldn’t see people.  When my dad was training to be a preacher there was a mentor of his who said, “You Put the cookies on the bottom shelf.”  Meaning when you talk or share a Biblical lesson you make it simple enough everyone can understand.  I try to keep things short and to the point but keep God’s word at the focal point.  I’ve even mentioned I try to keep things similar to a wrestling promo.  You have your main points you’re trying to make.  A little bit of stuff in the middle and then your go home line.  There have been some who don’t understand when I relate things to comics, cartoons and more but not every teacher is going to use the same manner of speech or illustrations.  In 1 Corinthians Paul talks about keeping things plain and simple so people rely on the power of God and not human wisdom in regard to his communication.  I don’t want to be the important part of doing a blog or video because I don’t want to take away God’s glory it doesn’t belong to me. I’m just here to share what God shows me in hope that He will draw people closer to himself.  

 

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

 

“When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.  For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.  I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.  And my message and my preaching were very plain.  Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.  I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.”  

 

1 Peter 5:6

 

“So, humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.”

 

I’ve said before I don’t know who all watches or reads this blog but if just one person draws closer to God and finds hope in his word then I have done what I set out to do.  

 

 

 

Youmake me brave By Bethel

Humbleyourself by Mylon Lefevre

The Reminder

 

The Reminder 

 

Just about every time I’m about to take a break or give up on doing this blog God gets my attention to make me remember why I do this.  I’m doing a weekly Bible study blog with an emphasis on Hope found in God’s Word.   There’s someone other than me that needs it.  Sometimes I’m the one that needs it.  If you’ve ever seen the movie Aladdin I often feel like Aladdin when the Genie hits him over the head and says, “He can be taught.”  We’re not all going through the same struggles, but we all need to turn to the God who can handle them and we need that reminder.  We’re all in the boat with the disciples and we need to look to the back of it.  

 

Mark 4:35-41

 

“As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.’  So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).  But soon a fierce storm came up.  High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.  Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.  The disciples woke him up shouting, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?’  When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be Still!’ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.  Then he asked them, ‘Why are you afraid?  Do you still have no faith?’  The disciples were absolutely terrified.  ‘Who is this man?’  They asked each other.  ‘Even the wind and waves obey him.’”  

 

Some of these guys were experienced fishermen by trade they should know what to do in a storm.  We can think we have all the answers and have as many plans as the A-Team but we still need to turn to God for real hope and trust Him.  

 

This week I was given another reminder.  It was a reminder of why I started doing this life group that turned into a blog.  I had a passion for people like me who work nights.  One thing churches fail to do is have overnight services for those people who work nights to go to when they are off work.  If you’ve never worked nights when you are off work, you are still up in the wee hours of the morning.  I do this blog thing as an email and a video.  I don’t know when people watch or read it, but I know God uses it.  I know a Sunday school teacher who posts part of his lessons on Facebook.  I know a guy who shares God’s Word on Linked In.  I also know several people who post scripture on Facebook.  When we use our passions in God honoring ways, he uses that.  Mine is to share hope.  Jesus called us to go to the uttermost part of the earth.  Sometimes that is cyber space.  Sometimes it’s face to face.  We can’t pin it down.  We don’t know everyone’s problem, but we can point them to God and we can have a passion for doing so.  I don’t know what God uses you to do but maybe like me you need a reminder to keep doing it.  Never give up!  Someone needs God’s word that you are willingly sharing.  Keep doing what God has called you to!  

 

Colossians 3:16-17

 

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness fill your lives.  Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.  Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

 

 

 

Strong enough to save by Tenth AvenueNorth 

Life is hard but God is good by PamThum

 Never look back by DeGarmo and Key

What’s in a Name by Petra

Thinking about our thinking.

 

Thinking about our thinking.

 

          So, not too long ago my wife told me I was too grumpy all the time and she was right.  Been working through a lot of Bible reading plans on the You Version app on my phone.  Day 3 of this one called Get out of Your Head though just got my attention and I think we all need it so I’m going to share part of it with you. 

          “Learning to capture our thoughts matters.  Because how we think shapes how we live. 

          Lies such as I’m helpless, I’m worthless, I’m unlovable, shape our thinking, our emotions, and the way we respond to the world around us.  They trap us in their cycle of distraction and distortion and pain, preventing us from recognizing the truth we should believe.  Most detrimentally, they change how we view God.  Every lie we buy into about ourselves is rooted in what we believe about God. 

          Let’s say I tend to feel worthless and invisible.  And let’s say I read Ephesians 1 and learn that God because He deeply loves me, chooses me, and adopts me.  Even if I don’t overtly deny the validity of that premise, I still doubt it is true for me.  I nod at the truth, but I never fully absorb it and let it shape my identity. 

          Then let’s say I am married to a spouse who is typically distracted with work.  I don’t feel seen in our marriage, which confirms my deep-seated fear that I am indeed worthless and invisible.  So even in the most inconsequential of arguments with my spouse, I feel anxious and start to spin every time they are short with me. “

 

          So how the writer sees themselves and not how God sees them begins to alter their reactions in her marriage.  We need to fill our minds with the things of God, or we destroy our relationships.  It’s not easy because I have some horrible thoughts and lies, I believe myself.  I have believed I’m a failure, I believe the part about being worthless and invisible.  I often question how a human could love me and then read God loves me and that’s even harder to comprehend.  I want to end this blog with some verses the You Version had to go with it and a few I’ve added. 

 

Ephesians 1:4-5

 

“Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy without fault in his eyes.  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”

John 1:12

“But to all who believed in Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.” 

Romans 8:14-17

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  So, you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.  Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.  Now we call him, `Abba Father.’ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.  And since we are his children, we are his heirs.  In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.  But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Romans 15:13

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him.  Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

1 Peter 5:7

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”     

 

 

 

Be Loved by Christy Nockels

Treasure Island by Steven Curtis Chapman

Hurricane by Natalie Grant

How He loves by Jesus Culture

How great is the love by Meredith Andrews

No longer slaves By Bethel