Posts

Posted on

Tired of drama in your friendships? 4 ways to change it!

There’s nothing in the world like the fun & support of a great group of gal pals!! We women know how love our friends fiercely! Yet, we know that when God gives a gift (like female friendship!) the enemy tries to take it.

The enemy’s will for you is always the same: Distract, Discourage, & Divide. The enemy uses these strategies because they work! He DOES NOT want you to have good & deep friendships. He loves it when God’s people battle!

What’s our strategy when conflict arises or feelings are hurt?

 1. STEP BACK! We all like to think we know what the other person is thinking.  We don’t. Choose to believe the best about your friend

2. In every conflict, LOOK WITHIN first. Ask yourself,”Did I hurt this friend unknowingly?”

3. Choose NOT to be offended! Pride blocks peace! Go low.

3. ASK GOD to pull out any root of bitterness you carry toward a friend(s). Stop rehearsing hurtful things said to you. You CHOOSE freedom!

4. LEARN HOW to fight jealousy. It will always be part of our flesh. When you smell the odor of jealousy creeping up, say to yourself, “God has a great plan for me-He made me gifted & beautiful. I don’t want anyone else’s life-I want mine!” Does this help today? Know that God wants to bless you with rich female friendships centered on Himself! He wants your relationships to radiate the peace of Jesus-based sacrificial love to a lonely world. 

Posted on

Amos Bible Study!

Me and my pal Abby Perry loved putting Amos study together with our friends, Carolyn Jones and Buck Anderson!

Many of us at Grace Bible Church have loved going deep into our Amos bible study! Many of us have studied much of the Bible but had never stepped into Amos. Why study this book? Amos is sandwiched into a section of Scripture called the “Minor Prophets”. Maybe it’s just me, but I think I avoided this book because it seemed so very “minor”. Can there be anything new to learn here?
YES! The 9 chapters of Amos portray a typical society in human history that had become consumed with its own importance and eventual abandonment of God’s preeminence. Throughout this book, God used Amos to call our attention to the PRIDE of Israel, the IDOLATRY of Israel, the SOCIETAL EVILS of Israel, and the impending JUDGEMENT on Israel. Amos is sent from Judah to Israel to point out the people’s sin and to point up to God’s constant mercy. God shows Himself in this book in fascinating ways. How?

  • He is a LION who roars in response to His people’s disobedience.
  • He is the divine JUDGE who will call to account His people’s idolatry and subsequent oppression of their fellow men.
  • He is the CREATOR who sits above the vaulted sky and orchestrates the symphony of time.
  • Finally, He is who He always is–the patient spurned FATHER who asks His people to return to Him because He loves them completely!

This book is so very timely for us.
Whether ancient Israel or Rome or America, the SOCIETAL CYCLE OF IDOLATRY AND OPPRESSION always follows a typical pattern: a society blessed with physical prosperity is often disregards God which leads to neglecting other people. We are forever ignoring what Jesus called the greatest commandments, “to LOVE GOD AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.” His judgment is consistently executed on disobedient civilizations. If we are to learn from the book of Amos, we must ask ourselves some questions: How much of the world’s values do we weave into our Christian faith, not realizing we’ve compromised the exclusivity of God and become idolatrous? How much of our society’s love of luxury has wounded fellow human beings made in His image? Finally, how do we get out of this cycle?
SEEK THE LORD. The most glorious and hopeful section of this book centers in Amos chapter 5 where three different times, God offers Israel a divine escape hatch and opportunity for cultural restoration. He offers FULL PARDON, FULL HEALING, and FULL BLESSING if they will seek Him and Him only. He is the Ever Patient One.
The book of Amos will challenge, convict, and renew our hearts. He will enable us to see our culture more clearly & guide us to responding appropriately to His loving leadership. We will see age-old patterns of human (and God’s) history dropped into these 9 chapters and boldly shared by the prophet Amos. Not bad for a “minor” prophet. 🙂

You ready for the challenge?

Download this FREE study at www.grace-bible.org!
Tristie Fisher, Abby Perry, Carolyn Jones, Buck Anderson

 

Posted on

If God can raise Jesus from the dead…

We can’t help but think the importance the Resurrection of Jesus Christ applies to the past or the future, but we rarely think of it as affecting our present world. Jesus lived 2,017 years ago and we can’t help but look at this glorious holiday in a way of sweet remembrance, not necessarily current relevance. We worship for what was done. We sing praise for what will happen. We pray for the Kingdom to come. But what about now? Do you need the power of resurrected Christ today? Romans 8:11 may not be a standard Easter verse, but for me, this has infused my life with resurrection power for 20 years. “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” This verse has given me the hope I need today, the power to live in a godly fashion, and a satisfied sense of His presence. Jesus has something NEW for you. We want to deal with next week in resurrection power. The resurrection is all about needing God. I need that huge, vast, and all-encompassing power to obey Him and love others. May our constant meditation be “If God can raise Jesus from the dead, then surely He can do ANYTHING for me!”

Ask Him for resurrection power. It’s His specialty.