Perspective Is Everything

Numbers 13:30-32

"Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses & said We should go up & take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it. But the men who had gone up with him said, We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are. And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, The Land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size."

Isn't it amazing to see the vastly different perspectives people have in life? Caleb & his buddy, Joshua, looked at life with a God-centered point of view. They saw the giants in the land and believed. Our God is bigger than those giants, and He will fight for us. They trusted God to come through for them. God promised to give the Israelites the land and they trusted Him to fulfill His promise.

The other men had a fear-filled perspective. Their eyes were myopically focused on the challenges in front of them. They must have forgotten what God had already done. They seemed to think they were going to have to fight this battle on their own. Unfortunately, the fear factor spread more quickly than the faith factor. Before long, all of the Israelites were filled with the same we-can't-do-it attitude.

What giants are you facing in your life right now? Are you willing to seek God's help & ask Him to give you the strength you need? Faith grows when our eyes are on the Lord and we trust Him to do what we cannot do on our own. Fear grows when our eyes are on ourselves and we forget God is with us. Let's choose today to keep our eyes on the almighty God who loves us and is with us always!

"We have a God who delights in impossibilities." Andrew Murray

"Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends." George Muller

Further reading: Numbers 13:1-33; 14:1-45

Taken from The Power of a Positive Woman by Karol Ladd

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”- Philippians 2:3-4

101st Time

You know when you hear or read a Bible verse 100 times, but for some reason when you read it for the 101st time you hear something totally different? That is how I felt when Beverly read this at the Power Source study:

‎"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29

I always knew the first part, as much as it can be a struggle at times for me, but is was the part in BOLD that jumped out at me recently. It is the ones around us that can either see Jesus in us as we relate to others, or see our selfish nature that says what we want when we want. How I long for my children to hear only loving words come out of my mouth. How I long for my friends, people at church, our new friends at Tuesday lunch, the check-out lady at WalMart, and my husband to hear me encourage others and build them up! That is a tall order, but one that I am CALLED TO DO! Let us encourage one another and spur each other on to speak words of encouragement and love so that those who are listening see us as "different". And that "difference" is that the risen Lord lives and dwells in us and out of our hearts we speak His truth and love!

Jodi

Psalm 143:10

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

That was an awesome Bible Study last night. Blessed by Beverly Ross.

This is the Verse of the day from Read at Bible Gateway

Praying Over Tuesday Night

I am being called right now to pray over Tuesday night's Power Source Bible study...Father with great anticipation we are excited to praise, experience, & learn more about you, your son & the Holy Spirit. I pray over every woman that is desiring to be there. I pray that the evil one is silenced as YOU are proclaimed & praised. I pray for our speaker and those traveling to be here. You are amazing, God. We give you all the glory for what you've done & what you are going to do. In Jesus powerful name...Amen