My Alabaster Box

Though He Slay me...I will Trust Him!

How many of us say that we trust God? How many of us really trust God? If God told you to leave your job (your only source of income) to serve Him and bring people to the Kingdom, how many of us would willingly do it without hesitation? If it was so clear that it was coming from God, how many of us would say that we need to pray about it more? There are many times when God gives us an answer but it's not the one that we want so we continue to seek Him for a different answer. When you REALLY trust Him, you submit to Him in whatever He tells you to do. If you had everything that you owned and loved taken away from you, would you love God even more or would you turn away and live according to your own will? What if God allowed the people closest to you to be hurt or taken away?  Would you still love Him and Trust His will? What if God allowed all of things to happen to you although you have been obedient to His Word, His Will and His way? What would you do? Where would you go?

I am sure that you are familiar with the story of Job.  Job was a righteous man. The Bible quotes that he was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. Job was a rich man. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. Satan traveled to see God (with the angels, I add!) and told God that Job would curse His name should He take away everything that is important to him. God gave Satan permission to do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't kill Job. In Job's first test, he lost his sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys, his servants and his children - all in one day! Job raised up, tore off his robe, shaved his head and bowed down and worshipped God - How powerful!!!!! This tells us that Job trusted God so much that he knew that in the midst of calamity, God would bring restoration. He trusted God's plan. In Job's second test God allowed Satan to inflict sickness upon Job; but Satan was instructed to spare his life. Job's wife told him that he should just curse God and die - the pain was even tough for her to bear! His friends accused him of committing a sinful act. What will you do when you turn around and the people closest to you are accusing you? Who will you trust then?

Satan is Defeated - 5 ways to GET EQUIPPED for Victory!

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

Each and every one of us is filled with purpose from the day that we are conceived in our mother's womb.  God has a plan that He has called us to walk out in it's entirety for His glory.  The road will not always be easy (James 1:2-4) and the burden will not always be light.  There will be struggles, doubt, temptation, fear, haters and more.  But I have good news, with God all things are possible and He wants us to be confident that that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).  Just as we, God's children have purpose, that ole devil, Satan, has a purpose as well.  John 10:10 (above) tells us that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.  He wants to steal your joy, kill your purpose and destroy your life!  Satan can only do what we allow Him to do and he will be successful when we are not connected to Christ through a true relationship with Him. Jesus gives us the rich and abundant life. Part of that abundance is guidance into what He has called us to do.When things are going well the road is easy.  When you have discovered your purpose and have begun to walk in it, be prepared for the attack of the enemy. 

Honor Begins at Home - Courageous Movie Review

Inspiring, Encouraging, Faith-Building, riveting and even convicting.  These are the descriptions that popped into my mind and heart after seeing this remarkable film!  Courageous is the story of four Sheriffs who are called by the Chief to protect and serve their community.  They are committed and passionate about their careers.  They pour their all into their work.  Dedication to the county lives in their hearts.  Quite frankly, they are the best at what the do – serve and protect their community.  If the deputy sheriff was looking to promote four of his best people to the next level, Adam, Nathan, David and Shane would be the recipients. 

They are all fathers – called by God to serve and protect their families in every way.  In this area, they are falling short.  The same dedication that they bring to their jobs is often left behind when they get home.  Adam doesn’t seem to be paying enough attention to his children.  Nathan is doing well, but knows that good is not enough when it comes to fatherhood.  David is not stepping up to his role and Shane doesn’t seem to have his whole heart quite where it needs to be.  From the outside in, one would say that they are good fathers.  When tragedy strikes home, it forces them to become closer and makes it clear that God is calling them to bring a deeper dedication, passion and commitment to their homes than what they bring to their jobs. 

Spritual Growth Tip: Study Your Sermon Notes!

 

Greetings & God Bless My Alabaster Box Readers!

I have been getting a few questions from some of my friends and my readers about what they can do to develop deeper spiritual growth.  I thought that it would helpful for my readers (and also holds me accountable) to share with you some of the things that I do to further my spiritual growth.  I pray that these regular Spiritual growth tips will help you in your Christian walk as you develop a stronger relationship with Christ.  Let's start with Tip #1!

It's Sunday morning and it's Sermon time in the house of God.  Most of us grab our notebooks or paper, a pen and our bible.  The Pastor gives us the scripture, title of the sermon and then he proceeds with his Sermon.  What are we doing while pastor is preaching?  Most of us are taking notes on the key points that resonate with us.  At the end of the sermon, we close our books or tuck our paper inside of our Bibles.  What do you do with those notes that you are taking after the sermon is over? Most of us do not go back to those notes and if the notes are on a piece of paper, they frequently get thrown in the trash when we clean out our Bibles!  I want you to try something different.  Use those Sermon notes to aid in your spiritual growth! 

There is Purpose in My Affliction!

Have you ever been in the midst of troubled times and wondered why God is allowing you to go through? I know I have and I've even had times in my life where I wondered did God forget about me.  Some struggles may be great and some will be small.  Adversity is inevitable but none of us will ever raise our hand and say "Lord, choose me to go through a tough time!" I was spending some quiet time with God and began to think about the difficult seasons in my life.  I had to give thanks and praise to God for those seasons because the lessons learned were so much greater than the struggle.  I also grew closer to Him in the midst of those seasons.  You see, when God is all that you have to lean on you will learn that He is all that you need.

Days 41-42: Psalm 45-89 - Reasons to Read Psalms

As I continue my journey through the Book of Psalms, I am encouraged and reminded about the grace and goodness of The Lord.  I felt God speaking to me in every scripture and I felt Him comforting me in His arms.  The Book of Psalms is a great place to go for many things that you need from The Lord.  I have outlined a few reasons to read these scriptures along with the Psalms that you should refer to.  Keep this in your Bible and pass it on to others so that they too will be blessed by The Word! 

When you want to...

• Find Comfort (Psalm 23) 
• To Meet God intimately (Psalm 103) 
• To learn a new prayer (Psalm 136) 
• To learn a new song (Psalm 92) 
• To learn more about God (Psalm 24) 
• To understand yourself more clearly (Psalm 8)
• To know how to come to God each day (Psalm 5) 
• To be forgiven for your sins (Psalm 51) 
• To overcome the enemy (Psalm 18) 
• To feel worthwhile (Psalm 139)
• To understand why you should read The Bible (Psalm 119) 
• To give praise to God (Psalm 145) 
• To know that God is in control (Psalm 146) 
• To give thanks to God (Psalm 136) 
• To please God (Psalm 15) 
• To know why you should worship (Psalm 104) 
• To be reminded that God shows Himself Faithful (Psalm 18)

God is the same Lord in all the psalms. We can respond to Him in different ways, according to the specific circumstances of our lives. Oh What a marvelous God we worship! One who is high and lifted up beyond what we can imagine and one who is close enough to touch us and walk beside us along life's pathway. 

We can bring all of our feelings to God and be assured that He will hear our request and understand what we are going through. "The most profound prayer of all is a cry for help as we find ourselves overwhelmed by the problems of life." (Unknown) 

Until Next Time, 

Be Blessed!