Shaped by God’s Word

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There are so many Bible tools available to us today.
1500 ways to memorize Scripture.
20,000 ways to study Scripture.
...okay, maybe a little exaggerated...

But it doesn’t amount to much if all we do is intake…take, take, take.
What part of that is being used to actually shape and transform our lives?

One of my favorite quotes from Joyce Meyer is, “We’re educated beyond our level of obedience.”

That is most often a true statement in each believer’s life.

The Word of God is dumbed down to fit into our experiences when we should seek to have our experiences line up with the Word of God;
to have a life shaped by God’s Word.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer
but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:22-25

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God;
and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness,
for he is a babe, but solid food belongs to those who are of full age,
those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Hebrews 5:12-14

I’ll pick on me for a moment. I know myself as a poor homemaker; meaning that I haven’t excelled in the art of making my home.

I’ve known for YEARS what God’s word says about:

• being a good steward (Luke 12:42-48)
• being faithful in little (Luke 16:10-12)
• doing all things as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23-25)
• being a homemaker (Titus 2:5)

See, the things that I’m NOT doing in my home are not lining up with the word of God!
Not being shaped by God’s Word.

This indeed affects my relationship with my husband and kids. I shirk my responsibilities way too often in this area.

I ask for wisdom, and God lovingly says, “I’ve already laid out My wisdom in the Scripture. Go. Seek. Study them.”

What area in your life could God be saying this to you?

To be doers of the Word and to grow up to eat the “solid food”, we have to dig into the Word; the Holy Scripture.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for ever good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

We’re to “be about it”! I’m not a fan of discipline or reproof, but I don’t want to be a fool either!

Hebrews 12:11 is SO TRUE! Discipline can be painful but there is peaceable fruit of righteousness, and joy when we are trained by it….or “shaped by God’s Word.

Let’s get in shape, y’all! 

***side note: I have a beautiful friend, Amy from Raising Arrows, that wrote a post that is pointed on the subject of being a homemaker. I promise you that I think of her post, Burned Out Homemakers, every time I get slothful!

Living With Sword and Coffee,
Kela

Running to Meet Him

photo credit: feelart/freedigitalphoto .net

 
I had THE perfect Scripture and the perfect post swirling in my head.
 
“Word of God speak! God almost always shows up when I write at the last moment! He's always right on time!!” is what I boasted in a tweet to a friend.
I thought I had all my stuff together.
 
As soon as I sat down to write, life interrupted for the rest of the night. Before I allowed myself to get to full-blown aggravation, I shrugged it off and chocked it up to my family simply needing me.
 
Every intention to get up the next morning to meet the sun was dashed with more hours of sleep.
No big.
I’ll just write after I get the kids’ lessons done for the day.
 
Frustration came to a head when I got no quiet that I desperately begged the kids for.
That perfect post? Completely G.O.N.E.!
 
“I gotta get out of this house!” I say. My emotions were about to get the best of me.
Throwing on my hoodie and sneakers, I head to the grocery store.

Needing God to help me block out the noise and busyness in my mind, there I sit scribbling this post in the parking lot.

I’m halted by God’s gentle words to me; the words that could only come when I sat still:

“This is where I want you at this very moment. I wanted to get you completely alone. It’s been a while. How have you been, My daughter? I already know, but I’d really like for you to pour your heart out to Me.
What troubles you? What are you anxious about? You know that My word speaks to that exact thing. Slow it down. There are so many things that are out of your control. I know your heart and desires for your daughter. That literal, physical pain you feel when she hurts; because you two are so well connected? Yeah…I, as your Father feel that pain because you and I, we’re so well connected.
Just as you desire the best for her, I’ve already got the best for her. She’s My child too, you know. She talks to Me too.
Rest. Cease striving. Regain your balance and live like you trust Me.
You DO trust Me. Don’t you?”

My Daddy spoke directly to my heart and to my pain. He heals me and give me so much hope of a future.
 
It’s what He does and it’s what He’s already said:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11(NKJV).
 
In the quiet of those 15 minutes, God washed me with the promise of His presence and with the assurance that I’m heard, that He cares and that He delights in answering my prayers.
 
He wanted time alone, and it was in that moment that I realized that I wasn’t “running away from home”, but that I was running to His Mercy seat. Not only was I running to talk to Him, but to hear from Him.
 
Are you running away to find a place of quiet and peace? I encourage you to run into our Father’s arms. He’ll have a word for you.
*********************
I wrote that post exactly a year ago! God has shown so much grace, mercy and blessing over the year! He more than heard me and spoke to me, He came through! The hurt, pain and loneliness was mightily redeemed!!

Living With Sword and Coffee,
Kela

Sparks Are Gonna Fly

Image credit: Darren Robertson/FreeDigitalPhotos. net

Author and speaker, Angie Tolpin: Leaving a Legacy, shared a blog post, Redeeming the Division: Cultivating Unity Among Women, that linked to her video from a recent speaking engagement.

Angie read a Scripture and made a point that I’d never thought of before.

Image credit: Michelle Meiklejohn/FreeDigitalPhotos. net

When iron sharpens iron, sparks are gonna fly!

In any relationship there are going to be uncomfortable, and some down right, mean times.

Sparks burn!

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t do well with sparks. Not at all.
As I read the entire verse, I realize that the end result should be a smile on my friend’s face.

So…sparks are necessary for sharpening?
Yes.

There are a lot of things that cause sparks in friendships.

Sometimes those sparks burn deep before they ever go out and stop burning.
Those may be the friendships that dissolve without the need to be mended.

There is an individual, between-you-and-God kind of sharpening that goes on then.

But I want to talk about that friend that doesn’t make a spark to harm you, but to..well..sharpen you.

I have those friendships in my sisters and a small (very small) number of others.These are the women that have permission to speak into my life.

Sometimes I don’t like when they make a spark and call out my selfishness, pride and wrong thinking.

I do appreciate the place they have in my life. It’s needed!



SPARKS FLYING isn’t the only thing that Angie speaks about in her message. That’s the part that stuck out most to me!

I urge you to listen to…pay close attention and let the Lord speak to you about friendship and redeeming the division.


Living With Sword and Coffee,
Kela

Meditate on These Things: Jeremiah 17:7

This has been a verse that I’ve been meditating on since last Monday.

In waiting to purchase a home, I’m learning that:

• I can’t control man’s actions
• to fully trust God in this whole process

Living With Sword and Coffee,
Kela

photo credit: "Wooden Chair On An Exterior" by Phiseksit / free digital photos .net