“It is true, Scripture is. It is perspicuous, meaning it is clear. The meaning is evident on the face of it. There are no puzzles hidden in Scripture. It is not truth concealed, it is truth revealed. Sure there are some things hard to understand. Sure you’ve got to dig a little to get those things. But it is revelation no obfuscation. The message of Scripture is clear and unambiguous and it is not existential.” - John MacArthur, Transcript from The Authoritative Nature of Truth Sermon from GTY.ORG.

Recently I read a “Christian” book by a popular “Christian” author. The book was an easy enough read as I got through it rather quickly. However the author continually questioned the foundational truths of the Christian faith. He questioned the virgin birth, the doctrine of the trinity and the authority of Scripture among other things as well. When I finished reading this book, I wondered what in the world he really believed and why he was so reluctant to accept the Bible as God’s truth.

The idea of not knowing any absolute truth is prominent in today’s postmodern culture. The philosophy of believing we cannot know what the Bible says with any certainty has become a central theme in many circles. Yet, God’s word affirms over and over again that we can know the truth. I finished the last page thinking this book presented an incredibly sad religion by which we could not in any way totally understand or know God’s truth.

In Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s book, Lies Women Believe, she says on page 40, “Every area of bondage in our lives can be traced back to a lie.” Not believing the truth leads to believing lies. Believing the lie leads to bondage and it all begins when we doubt God’s word. Here are just a few scriptures in which God’s word affirms its truth (all verses are from the English Standard Version):

Psalm 33:4 - For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

Psalm 51:6 - Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

John 8:32 - and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 17:17 - Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 - Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Praise God that He gave us truth! He did not give us a Bible that we have to question if anything in it is true. You know what? Yes, there will be disagreements along the way. Calvinism vs. Armenisim, Lordship Salvation vs. Free Grace Salvation, gifts ceased vs. gifts active, pre-trib, mid-trib, post-rib…and the list goes on and on. People are passionate about their views. Yet, God’s word never changes; it is always the same and is always relevant. As John MacArthur says, there are some things in Scripture that are hard to understand. Just because it may be hard to understand does not make it any less true. It doesn’t mean we cannot know that truth.

Bondage in our lives begins when we distrust the ultimate source of God’s Truth. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says (NIV),

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

God’s word confirms that if we believers are given the ability to understand God’s truth. We just need to spend the time reading, studying, properly interpreting and discerning what the passages mean. If anyone has a hard time with that, there is a wealth of good information available to help you study your Bible. There are excellent teachings in interpretation and ways that you can grow in your knowledge of God’s truth. Praise God today for the gift of His Word. Be blessed today.

Dear heavenly father, Lord we are so thankful that your word is truth. There is no doubt that you have given us your authoritative truth in the precious Word. Lord, give us your guidance through the Holy Spirit as we read and study. Keep doubt from entering our minds. Give us discernment as we hear popular teachings today that we cannot know or understand the Bible. Keep us from deception and let us live lives of integrity and bring glory and honor or You and You alone. In Jesus name, Amen.

If anyone had asked me if I was a “worrier” a few years ago, I would have answered with a definite no.  I have always considered myself one of those optimistic people who unfailingly see the glass as half full.  I still do. 

However, when I listen to my own words carefully, I realize that while I don’t use the word worry a lot, I actually do worry – quiet often.  I hear myself using phrases like: “I hope….; What if….; I don’t think we should do that because….; I’m afraid that if….; I’m concerned….; Every time we try to do that….  Not words that reveal a very trusting heart.

I have many things in my life these days that can cause me to worry myself into a state of immobility.  I know the Lord is working through all of these things to teach me to trust Him absolutely and surrender completely, but I’m afraid my walk is rather like the proverbial “one step forward, two steps back”.  I understand that worry is a sin.  I confess my failing and ask the Lord to help me to grow in faith. 

I have come a long way despite the “falling back” more often than I’d like.  For me, the key to trusting the Father more is believing He is all that He has said He is and that He will do all He has promised to do.  I thought I had that nailed down pretty well until I read a simple little sentence in “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World” by Joanna Weaver.  It hit me right between the eyes as so often happens when we are just happily reading along:

“IF MY GOD ISN’T BIGGER THAN LIFE, THEN MY LIFE IS BIGGER THAN GOD – AND THAT’S WHEN ANXIETY TAKES OVER.”

It really was a heart-stopping moment for me.  When I begin to worry over my circumstances, what I am really saying is that they are bigger than God!  How simple.  Truly there is nothing in my life, no matter how devastating it may be, that is bigger than God – nothing. 

“I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA,’ SAYS THE LORD GOD; WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS TO COME, THE ALMIGHTY”     Revelation 1:8 (NAS)

“TO WHOM THEN WILL YOU LIKEN ME THAT I SHOULD BE HIS EQUAL?’ SAYS THE HOLY ONE.  LIFT UP YOUR EYES ON HIGH AND SEE WHO HAS CREATED THESE STARS,   THE ONE WHO LEADS FORTH THEIR HOST BY NUMBER,  HE CALLS THEM ALL BY NAME;  BECAUSE OF THE GREATNESS OF HIS MIGHT AND THE STRENGTH OF HIS POWER NOT ONE OF THEM IS MISSING….DO YOU NOT KNOW?  HAVE YOU NOT HEARD?  THE EVERLASTING GOD, THE LORD, THE CREATOR OF THE ENDS OF THE EARTH DOES NOT BECOME WEARY OR TIRED.  HIS UNDERSTANDING IS INSCRUTABLE.  HE GIVES STRENGTH TO THE WEARY, AND TO HIM WHO LACKS MIGHT HE INCREASES POWER”       Isaiah 40:25,26,28,29 (NAS)

This Holy God is my Father; He calls me child.  What have I to fear?

The Laced with Grace team has been very blessed by the readers/supporters of this team blog, we thought it would be appropriate to let them share their thoughts on faith. So, today’s devotion is written by Denise from Shortybears Place…

Proverbs 18:21: “Death and Life are in the power of the tongue”.

How very true this verse is, words can build us up, or tear us down. All of my life, my dad has verbally abused me. His favorite words to call me are curse words, or fat blimp. Family relationships are suppose to be encouraging, the words that come out of your mouth should be sweet as honey, filled with love.

If your relationship, is daily filled with hearing things such as ,”You are stupid”, “You do not matter”, “You need to lose weight”, “You cannot do anything right”, then you are being verbally abused. In James 3:8, it says that the tongue is full of deadly poison.

So, when you are being verbally abused, you are being poisoned. Those hateful, hurtful words, are seeping into your heart & soul, making you sick. You begin to believe those things that are being said to you, you feel that you are worthless. Every time that my dad would verbally abuse me, his words felt like flaming arrows as they attacked my heart, and burnt deeply into my soul.

But, when my true Father came to live in my heart, He healed my wounds. He replaced those flaming arrows, with a beautiful tiara. For you see, I am a daughter of the King, that makes me a princess. Wear your tiaras with pride my dear sisters, your Father loves you so much.

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for loving me just as I am, flaws and all. Your words always lift me up, never tear me down. Thanks for being my biggest cheerleader. I love You.

Blessings, Denise

If you have never visited Denise’s blog - “Shortybears Place“, I encourage you to stop by soon. Denise has a heart of gold and her blogs are very encouraging. Even through her own trials, she is willing to let His light shine through her…Thank you Denise for sharing your thoughts today here at Laced with Grace…

When our children are leaving us to spend time with friends or family, after reminding them to behave, we always whisper to them, “Remember who you are and whose you are.”  When you have given your heart and life to God, you are one of His children. With that comes not only a new life and new found responsibilities, but an abundance of promises He has made to each and every one of us. We are His beloved, His blessed ones.

His promises of divine favor in our lives are irrevocable.  Your Father makes promises to you that He keeps. Promises of mercy, grace, joy, peace, healing, love, forgiveness, the list is long and one that cannot be exhausted, no matter what your situation.

 Find a promise that speaks to your heart today.  Read it, memorize it, meditate on it, remind yourself of it when you feel your joy leaving and your heart breaking.  Pray your promise back to Him and remind your Father in heaven that He has made this promise to you.  Then wait and see what He does.  He will answer in ways that you can’t even begin to imagine.  That is the Father that you belong to.

Today my heart is to remind the body of Christ that although we do suffer through trials and heartaches like everyone else living in this world, we are no longer of this world.  No matter what comes our way, we must remember who we are and whose we are.

I am a child of God, the thought out creation of the one true and living God. 

Blue blood runs through my veins.

I am the daughter of a King…and so are you.   

“God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not a human, that he should change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”  Numbers 23:19 NLT

When standing on the edge of… oh, say….ANYTHING.  I get that stomach flip flopping, hands sweating, heart racing- kind of feeling. Not the “Ohh I’m in love” feeling- the other one- FEAR. It could be a bridge, a cliff, or the top of a steep set of stairs. Not quite panic— but fear. Although the fear is manageable… I don’t like it. It makes me feel like a wimp- a baby or maybe just a little too human and frail.

While on vacation recently, I had a few opportunities to face some of my fears. A looooong bridge drive, a steep, narrow light house to climb with the wiggly little guy…..and finally- a crystal clear Norman Rockwell type waterfall/swimming hole, complete with waterbugs of all ages jumping into the rapids, heads bobbing up afterwards with cheshire cat like grins from ear to ear. Standing on the edge with my camera/excuse for not jumping in… I knew I was missing out on half the experience. I witnessed the beauty of the rushing water- but was completely missing out on the fun.

Was I afraid of the waterfall?

No. Not a bit- In fact, I was so enraptured by it- that I totally forgot how short my legs are when I bent down to snap this pic— let’s just say I ended up a “soggy bottom mom”. It wasn’t the waterfall that     had me afraid- it was the JUMPING off into the unknown that worried me.

  I watched as child after child jumped and swam… I watched as adult after   adult proved the safety of the jump. I watched as friends and family rose out of the rapids- aglow with joy.

I carefully edged out toward the middle. I looked down into the swirling water….I walked back to shore. I handed my camera/security blanket to my oldest, and told him I was going to jump. His jaw fell open and nearly hit the shore. I told him to make sure and get the shot- there would only (probably) be one take.

I wandered over to the centerpoint, my feet slipping on algae covered rocks. I stepped aside as 2 9-10 year old girls jumped into the deep. (Ok so maybe it was 4 1/2 feet) I plugged my nose… I unplugged it. I stepped to the edge–heart racing… then down just one rock lower….I plugged my nose again. I made eye contact one last time with family and friends (just in case) .. and then? I jumped.

The water seemed to jump up to catch me. Not at all like the tearing torrent I’d imagined. It was cool and refreshing. I sank to the bottom and my legs automatically sprang me back to the top. I felt the current pulling me side-wise…. gently. My head broke the surface- and I knew I was grinning like a mascara streaked madwoman. Not mad with fear- but with joy. I DID IT!

Exhilarated, I climbed back up the rocks, and then?  I did it again. After a nice hike and towel dry… I started to wonder. How many times have I stood on the edge of fun- of a joy filled experience, paralyzed by a fear of the unknown.

Sadly-there have been more times than I care to admit. I’ve missed a lot more than waterfall jumping adventures. I know I’ve felt the same adrenaline rush as I stood at the top of faith leaps- watching others step up and leap- while I snapped pics and cowered in hidden fear.

I’ve been afraid to try, for risk of failure. I’ve been afraid to trust at risk of trust broken. I’ve been afraid to jump- at risk of falling… but all I’ve lost- was the joy of being caught- by much stronger arms than the arms of a river.

The waterfalls in faith leaps aren’t always as tame as the Ocqueoc Falls. They are sometimes dangerous. For some reason- God allows them to be. There is risk in trusting God. There are few guarantees.

But- today, as I upload vacation pictures… I wonder- how many guarantees do we really need- beyond this one:

Matthew 17:20 (New International Version)

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Are you standing at the edge of a waterfall of faith? Is fear keeping you there? Are you watching as other leap into the deep and are lifted up as God catches them, jump after jump? Today… I encourage you to go ahead… plug your nose if you have to… and JUMP!

The risk is worth the taking:)

For an interesting study on Faith- please click over to biblegateway- see for yourself the leaps that others have taken… and be encouraged.

In the comments today- can you share a leap you’ve either taken- or feared to take?  What was it like?  What was the outcome?  How did you grow?

PS- yes- the terribly unflattering jumper shot- is me…on my second jump:)

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” ~ Galatians 6:8-10 (ESV emphasis mine)

I am sure you had one of those days where nothing seems to be fair to you. People around you (believers and un-believers alike) get away with not doing their ‘fair’ share of responsibilities; or they whine all day long because they have to do something. It really doesn’t matter if it happens at work, at our church, or in our community we live in. There are always ‘slackers’ and ‘whiners’ …And to be honest, I sometimes whine too…

Some days I get frustrated for ‘doing good’. I have been staying on top of my tasks, so I should be rewarded, right? Or at least the people who do not pull their weight, should be ridiculed for not doing their job…

Well, it doesn’t always happen that way in life; this side of heaven I mean. There will always be unfair treatments; others will get ahead of you. Some times I let off some steam – communicate with my beloved. But most days I just whine to my heavenly Father how ‘unfair’ things are. You see, I am not better – I whine about the things I do. I should just concentrate on the things I do – not grow weary of ‘doing good’…

Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, is encouraging the believers to continue to do good, don’t grow weary, because they will reap in ‘due season’. Yes, life can get frustrating at times. What do you do when that happens? Grab your Bible to get encouraged by Him. And if you don’t have the opportunity to have a few minutes in His Word, listen to some encouraging Christian music. I highly recommend Third Day’s “God of Wonders”…Last time I listened to this song, the hot desert wind was blowing my frustrations out of me. I wonder if it was God’s breath blowing fresh life into me .

“Lord of Heaven and Earth. I am sorry that I sometimes get frustrated with life. I am heartily sorry Lord that my inside is yelling “It is not FAIR”. Thank You for always being there when I need You. Either by remembering a Scripture passage; an encouraging email, or through Christian music. Thank You Lord for Your daily Love notes. Lord, thank You for reminding me that I should not grow weary, but to do good without seeking earthly rewards. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen.

Wow, it has been a while since I have shared my thoughts with you here at Laced with Grace…but then again, you have had some wonderful encouragement from all my co-writers over the past couple of months. This gives me the opportunity to thank the team for stepping up during my ‘getting back into the swing of things’ – you ladies ROCK!!!!