Tag: Oswald Chambers

Happy New Year 2023

Happy New Year 2023

Happy New Year 2023!

If you think about it, each new year is like a book that’s about “you” just waiting to be written.

As we all know, resolutions can quickly come and go.

This year, why not set yourself up for success by setting realistic goals that really matter?

New opportunities to share your faith

A new year to read the Bible all the way through with fresh eyes

A new year to strengthen your prayer life

Keep standing on God’s Word and holding it close to your hearts.

No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in this year, remember that He is faithful, and His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His faithfulness is everlasting. – Psalm 136:1, (NASB).

From our home to yours, here’s wishing you much love and happiness this new year.

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1Oswald Chambers quotation, courtesy of christianquotes.info.

2 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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Battling Your “Less Thans”

Help When Battling Your Less Thans

battling your less thans

Do you sometimes feel “less than?”

I’m talking about every time you feel less popular, less successful, less attractive, less smart, or less “anything.”

Please stop.

I’m talking to you, my dear sister in Christ.

Cover your ears, and do your best “la la la’s“ to drown out any negative people who like to make you feel “less than” them.

No one is saying this is easy.

Battling your “less thans” gets easier with practice, but it starts with not knowing who you are, but whose you are.

Say Yes to Confidence in His Promises

Confidence when battling your less thans

Have you ever watched the TLC reality TV show, “Say Yes to the Dress?”

The show features future brides (and their wedding parties) picking out their wedding attire in preparation for the Big Day.

Occasionally I’ll tune in.

I admit, I love to look at wedding dresses!

However, there was an episode that made me sad.

The bride said she needed to buy a phenomenal dress so that she could finally feel “significant.”

Have you ever felt invisible when you’re around other people?

Ultimately, a killer dress (or anything like that) isn’t the answer.

You may feel like a nobody, but please remember this, in Christ Jesus you are so valuable to Him that He died on the cross for you.

God Uses Less Thans To Do Extraordinary Things

The Bible is full of people just like us who didn’t think they had what it takes when God called them to a task.

less thans can do extraordinary things

Remember the historical account of Queen Esther?

She was a young Hebrew maiden who, thru Godly intervention, eventually became the queen of Persia.

As intriguing as that is – God was actually putting her in place to deliver her people from destruction by the evil Haman.

All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them.– Oswald Chambers, Evangelist and Christian minister.1

So, you may not be in line to become a heroic queen, but your life is just as important.

We are on this earth for just a short time, really.

Don’t let Satan’s attempts to make you feel worthless distract you from your confidence in our loving Father.

God hears your whispered prayers

You’ll never be lost in the crowd with Jesus.

He’s coming back some day . . . for you.

our citizenship is in Heaven

If You’re Feeling Irrelevant

Dear One,

Please never doubt the Father’s love for you.

Take time each day to realize that you are priceless – an individual with so much potential, who was created to shine His light into the lives of others.

Turn off the naysayers, slay your doubts, and transform your “less than” thoughts to a “loved-more-than-I-could-ever-know” Child of God!

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1 Oswald Chambers quotation, as quoted from Christian quotes.info

2 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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No Time To Pause

We Have No Time To Pause

Easter (or more accurately, Resurrection Sunday) just wasn’t the same this year, was it?

Several Christians I’ve spoken to have described it as:

Strange

Surreal

Different

Heartbreaking

Whether you were watching a service online, or sitting in your car at an outdoor church service, all of us had to face the reality that we are not in control.

The world is temporarily on hold, but Christians, we have no time to pause . . . in faith matters, that is.

The time is now.

There are hurting people out there who don’t know the Lord. All they’re hearing about is a seemingly out-of-control virus, and what the media tells them every night.

This is an opportunity for us to shine the light of the gospel in the midst of a global panic.

What We Know About Godreaching the lost

Christians – we have the answer for lost people.

Although this pandemic may have temporarily caught us off guard, the fact is, the Bible speaks to us about calamities and pestilence.

But, I never thought I would see something like this in my lifetime.

I sooooo get it.

I’ve had my own moments of tears and frustration.

But, our Sovereign God already knew about this virus.

He will accomplish His will through this.

As this virus continues to attack our sense of peace, please try to take comfort in the fact that there are lost people coming to Christ all over the world through this awful contagion.

Shelter in His Wings

At a time like this, many Christians are turning to Psalm 91.

When you read through it, you can trust the reassuring words that God is our refuge and we need not be afraid.

Psalm 91

The Lord has graciously given medical experts the knowledge to work towards a cure, He has given a heart of compassion and skillful hands to all of our brave emergency responders to help the afflicted, and He has given us (the people of God) the ability to add to this fight with fervent prayer.

no time to pause

I love Charles Spurgeon’s expository lesson on Psalm 91, a small portion below.

Upon the child of the Lord’s own heart, pestilence has no destroying power, and calamity no wasting influence: pestilence walks in darkness, but he dwells in light; destruction wastes at noonday, but upon him another sun has risen whose beams bring restoration. – Charles H. Spurgeon, influential pastor and author.2

Every day is a day that the Lord has made.

A Wake-Up Call To Reach The Lost

This pandemic is a global wake-up call for each and every one of us.

Dr. Michael Youssef quotation

The Great Commission has not gone away.

The best way we can delight in God is to take the truth of His Word to the lukewarm and to the lost.

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Photo source credits:
– Window photo by Kristina Tripkovic on Unsplash.
– Oswald Chambers meme regarding Prayer, released into the public domain , via pixabay. It is an allowed derivative work of the original, and is licensed under a  Creative Commons CC0 License by Gracie Jane.

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

2 Quotation from Charles Spurgeon, influential Christian preacher and author, (1834-1892). Taken from The Treasury of David by Charles H. Spurgeon. “Psalm 91. Exposition.” n.d., para. 10. Web. Accessed 8 April, 2020. Retrieved from https://archive.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps091.php

3 Quotation from Dr. Michael Youssef, influential Christian pastor and author. Taken from The Christian Post. “2 Things God is calling us to do in the age of COVID-19.” n.d., para. 11. Web. Accessed 14 April, 2020. retrieved from https://www.christianpost.com/voices/2-things-god-is-calling-us-to-do-in-the-age-of-covid-19.html

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When God Is Silent

What Does It Mean When God Is Silent?

when God is silent

Have you prayed and prayed about an important decision, and waited and waited, and it seems like it’s taking forever to get an answer?

God’s timing and our timing are two very different things.

It’s important to remember that He hears us.

Absolutely, and loud and clear.

He hears every prayer, and sees every tear.

So why does God make us wait?

Trust Him More

Waiting can be tough, especially when you’re desperately seeking answers.

Daily (or nightly) prayers are essential, but here’s the most important thing – praying for God’s will and not our own.

Oops, we often forget that part.

The happiest ending may seem clear to us, but only God knows the final outcomes.

Despite what we think is best, the timing may not be right yet, or His answer is No.

If you read through Psalms, you’ll see that God didn’t always answer the prayers of His people right away.

Psalms

We must trust Him more, not less, even when it seems like it’s taking forever to get an answer.

When the waiting gets especially tough, I often turn to Christian music.

Here’s a favorite by the Newsboys that I believe captures the authenticity of our faith.

Is Our Timing More Important Than God’s Timing?

Our deadlines are not His deadlines.

There were several times in the past when my husband and I prayed about a big decision we had to make. We thought we knew what His answer would be, but it didn’t quite work out like we thought it would.

Years later, we can now look back and see that God was protecting us from something we didn’t realize at the time.

Some prayers are followed by silence (from God) because they are wrong, others because they are bigger than one can understand. It will be a wonderful moment for some of us when we stand before God and find that the prayers we clamored for in early days and imagined were never answered have been answered in the most amazing way, and that God’s silence has been the sign of the answer. – Oswald Chambers, Evangelist and Christian Minister.

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*Oswald Chambers quotation, as quoted from Christian quotes.info

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Fired Up For Your Faith

There’s A Fire!

“What’s that smell?”

“Something’s burning!”

Those are not the kind of words you want to hear on New Year’s Day. (or any day for that matter).

What in the world?

Sure enough, something at our house was on fire.

You just never think it’s going to happen to you.

It was so scary.

No Time to Spare

where's there's smoke

You might think it started in the fireplace.

After all, it was freezing outside, with a wind chill of 0 degrees.

Brrrr!

We had a fire burning in the fireplace all day.

Everything seemed fine for hours, until one of our dogs started acting up.

They always know when something’s wrong, don’t they?

He started running around like he was looking for a place to hide.

Uh oh.

Then we started to smell it too.

A bad burning smell wafted into the family room.

We both got up and frantically started looking around.

My husband went to the kitchen and opened the oven.

First place you look, right?

There was no food burning, and no flames to douse.

Where the heck was that smell coming from?

I decided to open the back door to let some fresh air in, and that’s when I saw it.

A thick cloud of black smoke hung over the whole porch, and big flames were dancing and flaring out from the grill.

I yelled, “It’s here!!!!!!”

Sure enough, I had located the source, and we needed to act fast.

My husband ran outside to fight the fire. I opened some windows inside the house to get some fresh air in, and tended to our dogs. They were absolutely terrified. I was shaking too, as I consoled them.

It took a little time, but we finally got the fire out.

“Grateful” doesn’t even describe how we felt, once the flames were doused.

I’m so thankful that no one was hurt, and also for our dog for warning us.

My husband and I said a prayer of thanks. It could have been so much worse.

Get Fired Up

Our porch fire was a close call and an important reminder that life can change in an instant.

There was no thinking about it first, or putting it off until later.

We had to act fast to get the flames out.

The whole incident got me thinking.

Do we get just as fired up about strengthening our faith? Are there areas of our faith we need to improve?

There are difficult times up ahead on the global stage, and we need to be ready.

An important goal for me is Scripture memorization.

“It Is Written” For A Reason

Why is Scripture memorization important for all of us?

Because Jesus knew and quoted Scripture. (good enough for me).

Knowing and continuing to learn about Scripture is essential to knowing God.

It saddens me when I hear that some religious leaders want to change the words of, and/or reject the Bible.

They are misleading many people and they will be held accountable for that.

We must have discernment, now more than ever.

Christians – please don’t put your Christianity on a shelf, get fired up for your faith!

fired up for faith

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*Oswald Chambers quotation, public domain, and as quoted from Christian quotes.info

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