Spiritual Thirst For God

Quenching Our Thirst

life-giving water

How long do you think you could you go without water?

It’s a sobering thought.

Estimates vary from a few hours up to one week, depending on a person’s age, overall health and surroundings at the time.

But, there’s no question about this, we need water to live.

Precious, life-giving, water.

Spiritual Thirst For God

May we never lose our thirst to learn more about the One Who gives us “living water.”

Living Water that leads to eternal life with our Father in Heaven.

spiritual thirst for God

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God. – Psalm 42:1. NASB1

In Psalm 42 an ode of the sons of Korah, we read that the author is downcast and in utter despair. The Psalmist pours out his heart to God.

But through the turmoil, he realizes that there is only One Who can give him peace and rest. He continues to praise Him.

I love this thought-provoking poem by fellow Christian writer, Deborah Ann Belka.

I believe it matches the heart of this psalm eloquently.

We can cry out to God and He will hear us.

To Be That Deer!
by Deborah Ann Belka
5/15/2013

Lord, may I be that deer,
that pants after You
may Your living waters
in my life, run though.

May I thirst after You,
more and more each day
may I find Your mercies
as I go along my way.

May I long to seek You,
to know Your perfect will
may You be the strength
keeping me calm and still.

May I sip from the brook,
flowing with eternal grace
may it be Your undying love
my heart, cries to embrace.

Lord, may my life reflect,
my desire to be near
may my soul pant . . .
after You, like that deer!

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Psalm 42:1-2
King James Version

“As the heart panteth after the water brooks,
so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:
when shall I come and appear before God?”

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Copyright 2017
Deborah Ann Belka
bdebby@hotmail.com
www.hiswingsshadow.com
http://poetrybydeborahann.wordpress.com/

# # #

1 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

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Need Encouragement?

Do you need encouragement today?

Me too.

I came across these reassuring words from William Wilberforce recently and wanted to, hopefully, brighten your day too.

Lovely flowers are the smiles of God’s goodness.1

– William Wilberforce (1759-1833).

do you need encouragement

Smiles indeed.

Whatever is going on in your life, remember God is good.

No matter what man-made craziness is happening in this upside-down world, our Heavenly Father is large and in charge.

He created you and me in His image.

God knows exactly what He is doing.

There’s so much He created that we can appreciate.

Beautiful landscapes

God's creation

Beautiful animals

delight in God

Funny-looking animals!

God created all

And so much more.

All created by God.

Thank you Father for Your creation

and most of all, for sending us Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Thank you for providing us the way to Eternal life.

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1William Wilberforce, (1759-1833), evangelical Christian and Parliament member instrumental in ending the slave trade. Wilberforce quotation, courtesy of Christian quotes.info. Accessed 14 September, 2019. 

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Finding Peace In The Chaos

Looking For Peace Of Mind

Just gonna’ say it.

I am ready for a vacation.

So ready.

Like right now.

Trust me, these past few months at our house have been very busy and physically exhausting.

finding peace when there's chaos

Who’d have thought I’d end up with two sprained knees and a swollen ankle when it was all over?

Not kidding.

Heavy boxes and I have a complicated relationship.

We don’t like each other.

Now it’s time to slow down, or at least that’s my goal.

Calgon, take me away!

There are so many places we’d love to visit again, including Myrtle Beach and Charleston, SC.

The last time we were in Charleston it was a birthday surprise from my husband. He got a few points for that one.

Looking for peace

If you haven’t vacationed in Charleston yet, you might want to put it on your bucket list. But, there’s a “but”, as you will see below.

We stayed at this charming downtown hotel within walking distance to everything you could possibly want – from restaurants, to art galleries, shopping, and more.

It was seventh heaven.

As soon as we checked into our room, it was back downstairs so we could walk around town and sample the delicious waterfront cuisine.

By the end of the day we were exhausted and ready to hit the sack for a peaceful night’s sleep.

All was quiet until 4:30 the next morning.

We heard a very loud bang outside our upstairs window.

Both of us jolted awake.

“What the heck was that?”

And then there was another bang, and another (times about 10).

It’s so loudddd.

I cautiously opened the blinds and saw the city garbage truck down below doing its trash pickup right outside our upstairs window.

Why hadn’t we noticed that when we checked in earlier?

The noise and beeping went on and on and seemed to get louder.

The idea of pleasantly sleeping in while on a vacation floated right out that window.

Excuse me, Concierge, where can we buy some earplugs?

Garbage in Garbage Out

Our experience with the trash truck reminds me of the “noise” circulating on TV and social media on a daily basis.

Lots of “noise” and loud angry voices – full of so much hate and division-promoting rhetoric.

I don’t know about you, but I have to turn it off.

Who can live with that much anger day after day after day?

There’s still so much good left in America that I don’t listen to those who try to tear her down.

Finding Peace in the Chaos

Looking for peace amidst the chaos

No one said it’s going to be easy to blot out all of the angry noise – especially with the popularity of social media and 24-hour news coverage.

But what we can do, is continue to trust in God’s will and cultivate an active prayer life which can help calm our anxious thoughts.

When we walk in peace even though our surroundings are unpleasant, God is glorified.1 – Chuck Swindoll, Christian pastor, author, and educator.

Here’s something else to consider.

Amid the “noise” of the world, why not shower someone else with grace in the name of Jesus Christ?

Good deeds don’t get us to Heaven, but they do take the focus off ourselves as we aim our attention on others.

I recently watched a video and loved the ideas presented.

Here’s the mission: on your next birthday, whatever age you are, that’s the number of random blessings to aim for over the next year.

Let’s see, for me that would be . . . 30 years old . . . 40 . . . We’ll stop right there.

There’s a wonderful feeling you get, sometimes hard to put into words, that comes from the smiles and/or tears you witness when you anonymously bless someone else. Add a note to your anonymous gift about God’s love for them, and you’ve planted a seed. For me, it’s an excellent way for finding peace in the chaos.

God has primarily chosen to reach people through people. So engage them, and most importantly, keep praying for them. Give it a try, and you will discover what a joy it is to tell others about Jesus. I pray that God will give you a burden for people like you have never had before.2 – Greg Laurie, Pastor, Bible teacher, and author.

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1Chuck Swindoll quotation, courtesy of Insight For Today, A Daily Devotional by Chuck Swindoll. “Peace Amidst Unpleasant Circumstances.” November 28, 2017. para. 21. Web. Accessed 15 September, 2019. 

2Pastor Greg Laurie quotation, courtesy of Harvest.org, “5 Ways to Love Your Neighbor.” Ebook. Page 22. Accessed 15 September, 2019.  

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Overcomer Movie

Overcomer Movie Inspires

the Overcomer movie

Are you looking for an inspirational movie to take your friends and family to?

I highly recommend the “Overcomer” movie playing in theaters nationwide. We went to see it recently and afterwards, I came out of the theater both inspired and shedding a few happy tears.

Remember the popular Christian movies “Fireproof” and “Courageous” from the Kendrick Brothers?

“Overcomer” is the latest film directed by Alex Kendrick and produced and executive-produced by his brothers Stephen and Shannon, respectively.

One of the stars of the movie is first-time actress,16-year-old Aryn Wright-Thompson. Aryn portrays the lead character in the film, Hannah Scott. Her performance is memorable.

There’s so much more I could reveal about the storyline, but I don’t want to say too much because it might spoil it for you.

You’re welcome.

I will say this.

Hollywood: are you listening? We need more movies like this one!

Faith-based

Family-friendly

Positive themes

Heartwarming

Inspirational

A clap-worthy ending

Seeing “Overcomer” brought back some fond memories of my high school track team days.

Did I tell you that I’m a former track star?

That’s another story for another day. 

If this movie trailer doesn’t get you excited, check your pulse.

Who Do You Give Your Heart To?

The “Overcomer” film is loosely modeled after the Apostle Paul’s encouraging words in the first chapter of Ephesians. These are precious reminders of who we are in Christ.

“Everybody tries to find their identity in their job, in their feelings, in their circumstances. We think the Creator gets to define His creation. When we find ourselves in Him, that’s the fullest version of ourselves.”1– Director Alex Kendrick, Overcomer movie.

There’s so much talk about “identity” now, what is it that defines you? 

Here Come the Cynics

So, what’s wrong with an uplifting, faith-based, film?

Absolutely nothing.

I’ve read some of the blistering reviews of the “Overcomer” movie to get both sides.

Then, I stopped reading.

Who needs all that negativity?

Okay, so the big wig reviewers didn’t like it.

Several were more interested in bashing Christianity as a whole, rather than being fair about the movie’s inspirational outreach.

It’s interesting to note, however, that a graphically violent, full of foul language movie like the horror film, “It Chapter 2” got a lot of positive comments.

What an upside-down world we live in now.

We all have choices.

Here’s mine: I have no desire to see “It Chapter 2″, “Chapter 3”, or any of the other chapters sure to grace our cinematic future . . . or any movies like it.

We make our own choices, so go for it if you can stand all the graphic violence and sexual themes in “It”, but for me, I’d rather watch paint dry.

Please note: I am no better than anyone else who reads this, but I just don’t want that kind of stuff cluttering up my mind.

The good news is that, despite some of the aforementioned negative reviews of the film, the “Overcomer” movie garnered a strong opening at the box office, earning an A+ cinematic score. 

I hope you get a chance to see this movie before it disappears from the theaters.

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1 Alex Kendrick quotation, courtesy of Fox & Friends. “Overcomer Brings Faith to the Big Screen With Story About Identity.” Online Video Clip. Web. Accessed 9 September, 2019. 

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Answering Tough Questions About Christianity

Answering tough questions about Christianity

Have you ever had problems answering tough questions about your faith?

If you have, you’re not alone.

I’m pretty sure it’s happened to all of us at one time or another.

Before you know it, a skeptic catches us off-guard.

The end result?

Often, it’s disappointment in ourselves and a feeling like we’ve let God down.

Please remember, dear Christians: Take these challenges as an incentive to get better prepared! 

It’s a constant educational process.

The more you learn, the more confident you’ll be.

If you’re struggling, it’s time to polish your spiritual armor. 

pray

Here’s Why It’s Important to Pray About It First

Remember not only who we are, but more importantly, Whose we are.

Challenges to our faith are becoming more frequent, and that’s why praying about these future encounters is so important.

Pray for courage and guidance on a daily basis. If we don’t pray about it, we’re sending a message that we don’t think we need God. We’d rather rely on our own influence and intelligence.

It’s a big responsibility but, as Pastor John MacArthur reminds us, it’s not our job to *change* men’s hearts. We’re to speak the truth in love. Evangelism succeeds in God’s timing, not ours.

Changing hearts is the supernatural work of God.

It gets frustrating at times, but we’re not failures simply because the person we’re trying to reach blows us off every time. 

Don’t give up!

When you believe that every word of scripture comes from God and is authoritative and true, and you believe that God is the One, Sovereignly and powerfully, Who uses that truth to change people’s lives – that produces courage. The courage of confidence in Scripture and the courage that God will work through that. You speak that truth with courage and with love and leave the results to the Lord.1 – John MacArthur, Pastor and Bible Teacher, Grace To You.

Answering Tough Questions About Christianity

Why do we evangelize?

Our motive is pure, despite mischaracterizations from the entertainment world.

We want to help lead people to Christ because we love them and care about where they’ll spend their eternity.

It’s up to us to get the skeptic to think about their faith challenges, but not to get them to sign on the dotted line first time out. It could even take years with someone, if it even happens at all.

It’s important to note that we don’t “win people for Christ” – without God.

Keep on gently listening and planting those seeds, then give it to God.

Please watch this excellent clip from apologist, Greg Koukl from “Stand To Reason.”

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1 John MacArthur quotation, courtesy of Sermons Online. “John MacArthur On Courage and Confidence.” Online Video Clip. Dr. John MacArthur. Web. Accessed 28 August, 2019.

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