Needing Him...

For the next 15 days, I would like to share with you something that has helped me these last two weeks. Compliments of Need Him Ministries...

Is God a mystery to you? Are you unsure of what He thinks of you or what He expects from you? Need Him Ministries and I want to help you know God.

He reveals Himself through the Bible. There you learn that God wants a permanent relationship with you. 

I hope you will join me on this journey.

Deo Soli Gloria,

SA Brown

Waiting, being a Xenophope, Yearning, and with Zeal

Don't call it a comback...

Last year, I started something I didn't quite finish. The Weekly Alphabet got to W and stopped. Apologies for that. Today, I want to complete that assignment so that I may go on to the next one. 

W-waiting: There comes a time when you flat-out have to wait on the Lord. If you've gotten a word from the Lord, it shall come to pass. Period.

Back in the day, Abram got a word from the Lord. Genesis 15:4-5 reads:

⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” ⁵ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
Now he was sure of the word he heard but this heir wasn't coming fast enough. Ole Abram felt he and Sarai were too old. So they decided to 'fix it.' Abram gets with Hagar (with Sarai'sSarai just waited---for Issac.

X-xenophobe: You know how it is. Someone new comes to town, someone with different customs and strange ways of doing thangs, you know. The hushed whispers and the quiet gigles...  Don't discount that new person in your world. They may be coming to teach you something or even save yoru life.

Matthew 12:9-14 tells us: Then Jesus went over to their synagogue, where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Does the law permit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath?” (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.) And he answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other one! Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus.

The Pharisees wanted Jesus out simply because He did things differently from the way they did. And Jesus was gathering followers. Heavens forbid someone going againt the grain and getting people to back them too. Don't get caught be a xenophobe. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Don't curse your blessing...

Y-yearning and Z-Zeal: David was called the man after God's own heart. David had a passionate longing to be in God's presence. Yet, David was human. He did some wrongs and had to repent and still deal with those consquences. Nevertheless, David loved God and was not afraid to ask for mercy and forgiveness. In fact, David is credited with writing most of the Psalms. In them are requests for protection, repentance, and forgiveness. There are times David sang out with joy and thanksgiving.

I would like to close with Psalms 23.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. 
He leadeth me besides clear waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his namesake.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.

Yearn for Him and follow Him with great Zeal...

 

The Vicissitudes of Life

The Weekly Alphabet Bible Study moves on with the letter V. Life surely has its changes--its vicissitudes. The way you handle these vicissitudes defines your attitude. Life will never be fair. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Now that we know this to be a fact, how can we deal?

Mark 9:22-24 says, "...Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

Just like the father who son was possessed by demons, ask for help. This father took his son to Jesus and asked Him to remove the demons--if you can. Jesus told the father, "All things are possible to those who believe."  If Jesus said it then, He says it now. You just got to believe. If you are still struggling with the concept, then just like that father, ask Him to help you overcome your unbelief.


As a believer, we have a Savior that always has our best interest at heart. You may not understand the test or the trial. Still there is Someone watching out for you and the changes you deal with. Therefore, trust God. Believe in Him. These vicissitudes are nothing compared to the God we serve. So if something comes along that causes you to not believe, ask God for help. He will oblige. 


Soli Deo Gloria,


SA Brown

You may not understand it.

The Weekly Alphabet Bible Study marches on. As the letter T mentions how you will be tested and shaken and stirred, some of us struggle with the ways of God. Yet, there are many times in the bible that He tells us you may never understand. He flat-out says you cannot understand Me, but He leaves you instructions when you don't.


Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need.  The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."


With that in mind, I would like to offer you my comfort when I feel like God doesn't know what He's doing. I'll admit, I have said that to myself. God, what are You doing? Truth is, God knows. You may not know but He knows. 


Prayerfully, I hope you know Him. That should be enough but oftentimes, it is not. How your heart, emotions, and flesh deceive you. Knowing God is enough. Knowing that He is a loving and caring Father is enough. Knowing He will withstand nothing that is good for you from you is enough. Knowing that He cares enough to correct you is enough. Knowing God... Learn to make that enough.


As I grow in my own personal walk, I hope I can inspire others to spend time with their Higher Power. Whatever you conceive Him to be, know that His will is better than yours. Always has been; always will be. Sometimes we all struggle with His choices and His decisions. Keep in mind that His actions depend upon yours (free will). Yet, He is so omniscient that He already knows your mistakes before you make them and has made provision for the consequences. (praise moment) God loves you more than you could love yourself. Embrace that love and all of benefits that come with it. He has already told us in Romans that all the good and all the bad work together for your good. Please understand that.


When the struggle comes (and it will come), I hope you can remember Philippians 4:6-7. Don't worry about your circumstances and situations; instead pray over them. Always be grateful for what He has done as you ask Him, humbly, for things you need. Experience God's peace which passes anything we could ever understand. He will protect your heart and mind as you do so.


A peace that passes all understanding? God can give you so much peace that you don't have to understand.


Deo Soli Gloria,


SA Brown

Tests, Trials, and Tribulations

The Weekly Alphabet Bible Study is in the latter part of the alphabet. The goal is to be complete by July 4. So let's get it.


Hopefully by the title, you can tell what this week's letter is. Everyday, we have a chance to get better. God uses other people, our situations, and our own lives to test us. Each test gives us a chance to be better on the other side. 


Job loss, death, financial woes, betrayal, abuse. Just about anything you can think of that pushes you further than you believe you can go is a test. Your job is to get closer to God and ask for the lesson to be learned. You should make yourself palatable. Allow God to make you into what He wants. The way He makes these transformations is by bending you, breaking you, shaking you. There is no way around it.


In 1 Peter, we are reminded to "count it all joy" when you suffer for Christ's sake. But there are tests. There are trials. There are tribulations that are about you becoming the person He wants. 


Most of us know the story of Job. He lost everything, more than most realize. He went through it all. He praised God. He questioned God. I believe we have all been there. In the end, Job got double for the trouble. 


The point is that we ALL have things to deal with. There are no expectations; this is the rule. Deal with it. As you go through, please try to remember our example of Job. Job had no idea what God was doing in his life but Job knew it was the best thing for him. For me, I find myself quoting Job 23:10. You can borrow it if you wish.


Job 23:10 reminds me that He know where I am going and when He tests me, I shall come forth as pure gold.


Soli Deo Gloria,


SA Brown