Do Not Depart

Encouragement and Tools to Abide in God's Word

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The Wife Your Marriage Needs

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Photo from Photobucket

If you’ve been married more than six months you know that marriage isn’t always easy.

In Ephesians 5:23-33 we’re told the Christian marriage is to be a reflection of Christ and the church – a beautiful example to the world of what true sacrificial love and oneness looks like. Unfortunately, the divorce rate in the church is equal to that of the world.

Some have the benefit of their parent’s godly example of a good, strong marriage, but most don’t. There is no How to Do This Marriage Right manual handed out when we say “I Do”. Even as I write this, I realize many of you may be in messy marriages. Perhaps you feel like you’re shriveling up in a dry and barren relationship or maybe you just know things could be better on the home front.

My prayer is that you’ll have a fresh understanding that our marriages are much more about our relationship with God than they are about our relationships with our husbands.

My prayer for those of you who are hurting and on the edge is that God will make a miracle out of your marriage.

I learned along time ago that I can’t fix my man – but I’m not accountable to God for him.  I am, however, accountable for how I act and react in my marriage.

We may not be handed a marriage manual when we say, “I do” but we have the greatest guidebook available…the Word of God. So as we peruse through Proverbs, let’s commit to be doers of the Word and not hearers only regardless of what our husbands do or don’t do.

I promise you, sweet friend, it may not change your man (he has to work on his own issues) but it will certainly change you in the midst of your marriage and help you become the woman your marriage needs.

It’s interesting to note that Proverbs doesn’t give our men many words of wisdom about marriage. Perhaps that’s because with 1,000 women in the house, Solomon was wise enough to know that if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.

But we do find two very important directives for every husband to live by:

• Love your wife well and be faithful to her (Proverbs 5:18, 6:28-29).

After all, that’s what the heart of every woman longs for – a man who will really love her ’til the end. When he really loves her, he’ll put her needs before his own; he’ll protect her and provide for her; he’ll try to understand the longings of her heart; he’ll even make those late-night trips to the store for Midol, ice cream and a movie – because when he loves her well… he loves her with his life. That’s what sacrificial love looks like.

Words of Wisdom for the Wife:

The best list of traits that should identify a Christian wife are found in the oh-so-intimidating verses of Proverbs 31:10-31. 

• She’s a woman of strong character whom her husband can trust to do what is good and right for him and their family. Her man can trust her with his heart, his home and his finances (Proverbs 31:10-12).

• She’s a wise, diligent, hard-working woman who takes care of herself, her hubby and her household. She’s much too busy to be found sitting on the couch eating bonbons and watching soap operas all day (Proverbs 31:13-19,21-22,24).

• She has a servant’s heart and ministers to the poor (Proverbs 31:20).

• She is a woman of dignity who is wise with her words and, much like a boy scout, is always prepared for the unexpected (Proverbs 31:25-27).

• Like a pillar, she upholds her husband and helps him become all he can be. In the process she garners the praise of her man and their children. Her own works sing her praises, as well (Proverbs 31:23,28).

• She understands that true beauty is found in a heart that fears the Lord. Her life comes from the overflow of her relationship with God (Proverbs 31:10).

More Words for the Wife from Proverbs:

• A good wife is a priceless treasure to her husband (Proverbs 12:4, 18:22, 31:10).

• A prudent and understanding wife is from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22, 19:14).

• An irritable, quarrelsome, critical and complaining wife can make a man wish he never said, “I do” (Proverbs 21:9, 25:24, 27:15).

Being the wife your man needs will make you the wife your marriage needs – and vice versa. It isn’t always easy. It’s a day by day diligent and intentional effort of the heart. But we work on being the wife our marriage needs because our marriage is to be an overflow of our relationship with God and a picture of Christ and the church.

As you read through the words of wisdom from Proverbs, did you see any areas you need to work on as a wife? Do you have any godly counsel you can share with other wives that would help them become the women their marriage needs?

 

 

 

Free Online ESV Student Bible

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Happy Monday! Here are some fun tools I wanted to share with you today.

ESVBible.org

Have you checked out esvbible.org yet? It is an online Bible where you can add notes, highlights and bookmarks and access free daily devotionals, reading plans and study tools.

Through esvbible.org you can also purchase the online versions of different study Bibles and study tools which can be accessed online from any computer, through your esvbible.org account.

I love the potential here. I have a few favorite Bibles but if I want to do some studying those big Bibles pile up quick. And forget bringing them all with me on my “retreat” days. Having them all online, in one place, is a very attractive thing! Plus, each Bible module is a fraction of the cost of a paper copy. I’ve been looking into getting an ESV Study Bible with my birthday money, and am seriously considering getting the online version instead of the paper Bible. However, if I do decide to go with the paper version, access to the online version also comes with the purchase!

I’ve also had my eye on the ESV Greek Tools module that can be added…decisions, decisions.

Free Online Study Bible

Ok, so there is an new module out on esvbible.org. It is the ESV Student Bible, and Crossway has a great offer which I am super excited about. You can get the ESV Student Bible for free! All it takes is sharing it with five of your friends or family. I’ve already shared the offer with friends and family and immediately received access to the online version of the study notes, maps and other study tools.

I thought many of you might be interested in this! This free offer is a great chance to try out the ESV Bible and the great study tools in the student version for yourself. Hop on over to Crossway’s blog to read about all the details.

More About the English Standard Version

If you are unfamiliar with the ESV, or the English Standard Version, it is a wonderful translation of the Bible.

The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. – About the ESV Translation, esv.org

The bottom line here is that it is a great translation to use for studying while still being very readable. When you want to get into the nitty-gritty of what the author intended the verse to mean, it is important to use a version that was translated word-for-word. The ESV is also the trusted, go-to Bible of most of my favorite preachers and teachers.

ESV Trusted By Leaders from Crossway on Vimeo.

You’ve Got a Friend

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Photo from Photobucket

I have to admit I am very excited about today’s post because the Lord has blessed me beyond measure with several good, godly friends. They are living descriptions and definitions of what it means to be a friend. Unfortunately, their lives often remind me of how far I fall short of being not only the kind of friend they deserve, but also the kind of friend the Bible calls me to be.

Friends are powerful influences in our lives. They have the capacity to encourage us to live as we know we ought and to challenge us to accomplish more than we could envision. Yet, they are also capable of dragging us lower than we thought we’d ever go and into doing things we thought we’d never do. That’s why it is so important we choose our friends wisely.

Throughout Proverbs, Solomon gives us words of wisdom about the significance of our friendships. As we walk through the Word together today and begin our Proverbial friendship dig, we’ll unearth some priceless treasures of wisdom, warnings and encouragement.

1. Proverbs 7:3-5– Insight (understanding) is your friend. Insight is a necessary ingredient to help us live well and choose wisely. No wonder Solomon calls insight our friend.

2. Proverbs 14:20, Proverbs 19:4, Proverbs 19:7, Proverbs 19:6 – When it comes to friendships, motives matter. Financial status should never make or break any friendship.

3. Proverbs 16:28 , Proverbs 17:9 – A warning about words is necessary if we want to be and have good friends. Honesty, discretion and confidence are necessary on both sides of the friendship equation. Choosing trustworthy friends is as important as being a trustworthy friend.

4. Proverbs 17:17– Unconditional love is the foundation of true, long-lasting, life-enhancing friendships. We never look more like Christ than when we love at all times.

5. Proverbs 18:24 – The power of unsavory friendships to destroy each other is troublesome for those who don’t wisely select their friends. Yet, those who are wise will not only choose loyal friends, but will also be loyal friends.

6. Proverbs 22:11 – A friend who has a pure heart and a gracious tongue will speak with wisdom and earn the listening ear of leaders.

7. Proverbs 12:26, Proverbs 22:24-25– Just as a good friend has the power to encourage you to do what is right and good, an ungodly friend can lead you astray. Solomon’s words of wisdom speak through the portals of time warning us to cautiously choose who we befriend.

8. Proverbs 27:6 , Proverbs 27:9 – Giving and receiving good and godly counsel and correction is an important aspect of healthy friendships. When you know a friend loves you, her counsel is trustworthy and sweet – even if it’s hard to hear. In contrast, sweet words are wicked when the heart of the one speaking is also wicked.

9. Proverbs 27:10 – Friendships are a matter of the heart. True friends love each other, want the best for each other, are there for each other no matter what. They laugh and cry together; they hold each other up and they show up when everyone else runs away.

10. Proverbs 27:17 – Friends sharpen each other. They give each other permission to correct one another – to challenge one another – to speak truth to each other even when it hurts – to say not only what the other wants to hear, but what she needs to hear.

Do you have a filter for the friends you chose? Do your friends help you be a better person or a bitter person? Do you give your friends permission to say what you need to hear? Do you have any friends right now that bring out the worst in you or cause you to make foolish choices? 

I’d love to know how your own special friends have made a difference in your life – so please add your own girlfriend story in the comments.

Oh, and for fun, I just couldn’t resist adding the lyrics to this little ditty from Toy Story (bet you’ll be singing it before you get to the 3rd line!)… :-)

You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you’re miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
Just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me 
You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got troubles, well I’ve got ’em too
There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you
We stick together and we see it through
You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me 

Some other folks might be
A little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too
Maybe
But none of them will ever love you the way I do 
It’s me and you
And as the years go by
Boys, our friendship will never die
You’re gonna see
It’s our destiny
You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me

 

 

 

Abiding in His Word :: Finding the Time

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photo by Leland Francisco

My nine year old daughter recently asked me, worriedly, “Mama, how can I remember to read my bible every day?”

My daughter is a girl who loves God. She wants to read her bible every day. But sometimes she doesn’t do it. Life distracts her, just as it distracts many of us.

Perhaps you also face this dilemma. After years of struggling to read my bible daily, I realized the simple answer to my daughter’s question. I needed to make it a habit that fit naturally into the routine of my day.

Now you may be thinking “Ah, the early morning quiet time.” And yes, I do mean that, but not exclusively.

Getting up early to pray and read God’s Word is a great joy and blessing. But sometimes an early morning quiet time just isn’t realistic.

Take, for example, the early years of parenting. The sleepless nights. The busy, exhausting days. The nursing babes who wake from a deep sleep within five minutes of mother getting up, no matter the time.

Early morning quiet time may not be viable if you are in this precious season of life with small children.

Or perhaps you have to leave early for work, but the only time you have to spend with your husband is late at night, so your morning time is a blur of getting up and out the door.

You can still read your bible every day.

The key is to have a routine. Think about your day. Is there a consistent time when you can pick up the Word and read? Maybe you do need to get up 15 minutes earlier. But maybe you could read during the kids’ nap time? When you get into bed at night? During lunch?

I read through the entire bible during afternoon nursings one year. No early quiet time for me back then. But I still read the bible!

Think out of the box. You don’t actually have to read the bible yourself, you could listen to it. What about an Audio Bible while you drive or do dishes?

And toss out the I’m-only-a-good-Christian-if-I-read-this-many-pages-a-day guilt trip. I’m going to go out on a limb here… there are no rules! You don’t have to spend an hour reading and an hour praying and an hour studying to be loved by God.

Because the point here is not to fulfill an obligation or check something off your to-do list. Believe the truth… God wants you. YOU! He knows you, knows your life, and He just really wants you to hang out with Him and hear His truth.

How is God going to speak truth into your life if you don’t know what He is saying? God’s Word is for you, personally.

So think about it, pray about it, get creative, and find something that works for you right now. Then stick with it! Make it a habit, like brushing your teeth or hanging up your jacket… something you just always do. Sure, life will change, you’ll have to be flexible, but then you can just get creative again.

It is for freedom that you have been set free… and you are free to enjoy meeting with God in His Word at any time of the day!

Are you struggling to spend time in the Word today?

What creative ways have you found to work the habit of reading God’s Word into your life?

Wisdom and Folly

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(image via Microsoft clip art)

As Kristi shared earlier this week, Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. He was blessed by God with wisdom. As we start our study of the book of Proverbs, Solomon sets us up to compare wisdom and folly.

Let’s start first by looking at folly. Solomon personifies Folly as loud and demanding (Prov. 9:13). She entices those who are simple (9:16). She lies about what she is offering, not revealing that her way leads to death (9:17-18).

Wisdom also calls (Prov. 8:1-3). But she speaks truth (8:8). Instead of enticing people with temporary pleasures, she offers wisdom, which she says is more valuable than silver, gold, or jewels (8:10-11). Instead of death, she says, “For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life” (9:11).

The choice is so clear when we see it set up this way! No one would want to follow Folly into Sheol. So why does wisdom seem allusive to so many? Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

To gain wisdom, we must start with God. When we start with God, the wisdom we receive is “first pure, then peacable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Oh how I want those words to describe me!

  • At her job she shows wisdom.
  • With her friends she speaks wisdom.
  • In her family she shares wisdom.
  • At her church she spreads wisdom.
  • Even interacting with people online, she “status updates” wisdom!

Like Solomon, ask God today to grant you wisdom. Realize that He is the source. Take time to seek His will and wisdom as you act and react throughout your day. Praise Him for generously offering wisdom to all those who fear Him!

A Parent’s Plea

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Kathy and her son Mark

{Such a great post .. we’re linking it to Top Ten Tuesday at Oh Amanda’s!  Better two weeks late than never!! ~ Teri Lynne}

In just over a week, my husband and I will be taking our son, our youngest, to college. So many questions and concerns pop in and out of my head as the day draws near. Things like:

  • Will he take his studies seriously?
  • Will he make friends and feel connected?
  • Will he make church a priority?
  • Will he stand firm in the truth he has been taught?
  • Will he always have clean underwear?

For eighteen years we have taught him God’s truth and tried to live it out before him. We shared our “learned by experience” wisdom with our son, praying that he would not have to learn all these lessons the hard way. The closer the day of his departure draws the more urgent the message becomes. Now he has to make it his own. He has to live it out for himself.

In the book of Proverbs, the father also admonishes his son to live in God’s wisdom. In the first seven chapters we see ten specific “appeals to wisdom.” The father’s directives include reasons the son should comply. The father says “don’t” or “do” then follows it with a benefit or consequence. (He knew his son would want to know “why” he should heed his father’s advice.)

These ten passages are packed with much more wisdom and godly advice than we have room to cover here. I have merely summarized the father’s advice. I encourage you to take the time to read the passages and mull over the wisdom found there. Here’s my summary:

1.      Proverbs 1:8-19
Appeal: Don’t be swayed to go after “ill-gotten” gain.
Why: Greed fosters all kinds of immoral and illegal behavior that will be your undoing.

2.      Proverbs 2:1-22
Appeal: Diligently seek after and follow wisdom and understanding.
Why: Then you will know what it means to fear God and your knowledge of Him will multiply.

3.      Proverbs 3:1-12
Appeal: Fear God by acknowledging, trusting, obeying, and honoring Him.
Why: God will guide and strengthen you.

4.      Proverbs 3:21-35
Appeal: Diligently preserve sound judgment and discernment.
Why: You will be secure in the Lord’s guidance and protection.

5.      Proverbs 4:1-9
Appeal: Honor wisdom and do not forsake it.
Why: You will enjoy full life, security, and honor.

6.      Proverbs 4:10-19
Appeal: Stay on the path of righteousness and avoid the way of evil.
Why: You will avoid obstacles and will not stumble.

7.      Proverbs 4:20-27
Appeal: Guard your heart and watch your mouth.
Why: You will live a full life and enjoy good health.

8.      Proverbs 5:1-23
Appeal: Maintain sexual purity.
Why: Lust is a snare that leads to heartache and ruin.

9.      Proverbs 6:20-35
Appeal: Run from lust and adultery.
Why: Adultery destroys and brings disgrace.

10.  Proverbs 7:1-27
Appeal: Don’t succumb to seduction.
Why: It leads to death.

Hmm. All sound advice. For our children. For us. May we teach it to our sons and daughters. May we heed it ourselves.

Lord, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing!

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God often teaches us powerful lessons when He places us in situations where we become painfully aware of our limitations.

I vividly remember sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery in the wee hours of the morning, a first-time mom holding my fussy newborn baby. I was tired, emotional, frazzled. We had trouble with feedings, struggled getting her to sleep. Although I had read everything I could get my hands on as I waited for AG’s arrival, nothing had fully prepared me for the utter sacrifice of motherhood.

It was in that place that God taught me the prayer that has been the theme of my parenting years, and I expect it to be my theme for the rest of my life – “You said that if we lack wisdom we should ask and you would give it – Lord, please give me wisdom, because I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing!”  He did. He does. When we ask, He gives it.

King Solomon came to a dramatic point of realizing his inadequacies and His desperate need for God’s gift of wisdom. God appeared to him and told him to ask for whatever he desired. What would you ask for if God appeared to you and offered to give you anything you desired? Anything?

Solomon’s reply is profound.

“Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.  Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

1 Kings 3:7-9 (NIV)

Solomon understood the weight of the responsibility God had given to him. He had watched his father rule wisely, even if not perfectly. His father David had modeled for him the fact that the throne was not really his – it was God’s. The people did not belong to him for his benefit – they were God’s beloved ones. The job was huge, the ramifications eternal.

And so, knowing his own limitations and standing in awe of His sovereign God, Solomon makes his humble plea – “I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.” The Lord was pleased with the nature of Solomon’s request, and He granted him all that he needed and much more.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man …and his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five… Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

1 Kings 4:29-34 (NIV)

Have you come to a place of realizing your inadequacies? Whether as mothers, teachers, ministry leaders, or whatever roles God has placed us in during this season of life, we desperately need His wisdom. We must humble ourselves before Him and recognize that on our own, we are unable to carry out what He has called us to do. We must come to Him as little children, asking Him to give us wise hearts and instructed tongues to serve Him well.

If any of you lacks wisdom,let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James 1:5 (ESV)

He does. When we ask, He gives it.

Proverbs: Letters for Everyday Life

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When our daughter started high school, I was overwhelmed with all I wanted her to remember. Friends coached me on what I “shouldn’t” do as a mom of a teenager…  Much to my teenager’s relief, I resisted the urge to hang my head out of the window and shout as I drove away from the curb, “forsake not your mother’s teaching… if sinners entice you, do not consent!” (1:8,10) :)  Instead, I began to write a letter to her each week, highlighting and reinforcing God’s truth in practical ways, so she would remember how to live it out in her personal behavior. The letters became treasures for her, and her wise choices became treasures for me. God’s truth is meant to transform our day to day lives.

God has written us letters of wisdom as treasures to take with us into our ordinary days. As we kick off a Scripture Dig study in the book of Proverbs, we find its theme in the first seven verse of the book (1:1-7); the goal is to explain and plant wisdom into God’s people, so they would show the world what restored life looks like.  The book begins with letter like mine, from a father to a son. These words of wisdom literature were written first to a Hebrew audience, but extended to all mankind. The “simple,” the young, the wise and the “one who understands” are specifically addressed to give “skill in the art of godly living.”

My husband Jeff with our high school freshman son Jake. Sharing wisdom for everyday life = PROVERBS

Like letters I’ve written for my own daughter, Proverbs is a collection of writings, an anthology. They make comparisons and illustrate consequences of choosing wise or foolish pathways.  As a parent longs for a child to cling to wisdom, so the writers of Proverbs call readers to choose the virtuous life among the ordinary, with the hope that extreme examples will clearly show how obedience brings blessing. The characters of the “wise,” “fool” and “simple” are used to impress the point of the joy of the wise and the folly of the fool.

While Solomon was the primary author or collector of these scriptures, he was not the only writer. Authors called “the wise,” “Hezekiah’s men,” Agur, and Lemuel penned some of the collection’s words. The words of the well known Proverbs 31are ascribed to King Lemuel, taught to him by his mother. The Book of Proverbs is part of Jewish Wisdom Literature, along with books like Job, Song of Solomon, and the wisdom Psalms. The ESV Study Bible identifies three characteristics in the Proverbs:

  • A virtue is commended.
  • A vice is held up for disapproval.
  • A value is affirmed

Proverbs puts truth to the test in our regular, everyday lives.

Oh, I’m excited about the days ahead as we open up God’s letters of wisdom and enjoy the treasures He has for us there! While preparing and studying, I could almost hear the Lord with His head out of the “heavenly window” shouting about wisdom of Proverbs …

“if you seek it like silver and search for it as hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (2:4,5).

I’m so glad He didn’t hold back! Will you join us as we dig into these treasured letters from our Heavenly Father?

We do not love the word of God as we ought.

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Why aren’t we seeing more people come to Christ?

Why do our churches have a hard time meeting budget?

Why do we still have racial divisions?

Why do we have such a high level of poverty in our communities?

Why are so many students graduating, never to return to church?

Why do we have so many Christian families falling apart?

Why do our churches look the same now as it did a year ago?

Why am I not experiencing the fruitful and abundant Christian life?

The answer to each of these questions is the same:

We do not love the word of God as we ought.


About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

This is a powerful, anointed sermon on Hebrews 5: 11-14 about our failure to love the word of God and how it effects our days. This teaching is the heartbeat of Do Not Depart.

Click this link to open the sermon.

Here are our highlights of the sermon, with the times you can find them:

Hebrews 5:11-14 gives us 3 Accusations and a Test.

Accusation #1: You have become dull of hearing. (05:13-16:50)

Accusation #2: You should be teachers by now. (16:51-22:39)

Accusation #3: You are unskilled in the word. (22:40-28:30)

The Test: You are mature if you KNOW and DO the word of God. (28:31-34:45)

The answers to our questions. (34:46-41:59)

I hope you can find some time this week to listen to this sermon. If you can’t find 40 minutes to listen to it all at once, take a section a day. Each section is  just 10-15 minutes each. I know you will be blessed!

Oh, the sermon is by my husband!

The Breath of God

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Have you noticed how many times in scripture God’s power is revealed through Him speaking? He spoke the universe into place. He breathed life into man. He stilled the storm with the command of His voice.

Just last week I was thinking of doing a study on how often God uses his breath to accomplish His will. Sunday night my husband preached a message on exactly this topic. We had not talked about it at all. I thought it was pretty fun that we had the same thing on our hearts!

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host. Psalm 33:6

Photo Credit

Here is the outline from my hubbie’s talk:

The Breath of God…

…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit”.

…by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior…

The word breath is translated from the Greek word pnuema. The cool thing?  The word spirit is also translated from pneuma. The Spirit of God is the breath of God in us.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse…

I hope you can get a moment soon to take a better look at each of these verses. It is amazing to see the thread of God’s action through the breath of His mouth.

God’s breath is powerful. Imagine what would happen if He ever lifted His finger?

Have you noticed this theme of God’s breath in scripture? Which of these actions of God most strike you with awe?

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