Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Abide – Part 2
We are continuing in the series on Abiding in the Lord. Love plays a big role when it comes to abiding in Jesus. Let’s take a look at what Jesus said in John 15:9-17:
9 As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
I am not going to dig into each verse. There are a few key points I want to look at in these verses, especially as they relate to abiding.
In the last post, we talked about abiding in Jesus. In verse 9 Jesus takes it a step further and tells us to abide in His love. If you recall, the word abide means: to stay, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain. We are to dwell continually in Jesus’ love. Think about that for a moment. What a beautiful thought. I can’t think of a better place to be than in the love of our Savior. And what a great love that is!
In verse 10 Jesus gives us guidance on how to abide in His Love – we are to keep His commandments. Perhaps that initially feels overwhelming to think about. We have to be careful about every little thing we do, day in and day out. But the good news is that it isn’t that difficult at all. If we simply spend time with Him daily, our Heavenly Father with mold us and change our hearts. We will naturally become more like Jesus, we will see sin as distasteful, and we will want to walk in obedience.
At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that love plays a big role when it comes to abiding in Jesus. And love plays a big role in keeping His commandments. In fact, in Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus told us that the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. When we look at it from this angle, it simplifies everything. If we make it our main mission to walk in love, then everything else will fall into place. We will want to meet with the Lord every day, out of love. We will want to be kind to our neighbor, out of love. We will treat ourselves well, out of love.
In verse 11, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” I want to point out that although this Bible translation uses the word remain, in the original Greek it is the same word we have seen for abide. Jesus wants His joy to continually dwell inside of us. And that joy is right there at our fingertips when we abide in Him. What glorious news this is! Yes, we will face trials in life. But we can still walk in joy when we abide in Jesus and His love.
I understand that some of you may be thinking how impossible it is to have joy when you are dealing with something difficult. I know. I get it. Sometimes our mountains are so big, it can be a struggle to see beyond them. But when we abide in Jesus, it helps us to have an eternal mindset. We will realize how the pain of this world is temporary, and how we have something so much greater to look forward to. When we abide in Jesus, we will know that even in our darkest days, He is beside us and He will get us through our trials. And when we abide in Jesus, we will remember that God works all things together for good.
In the last post, we talked about bearing fruit. And in today’s verses, Jesus mentions fruit again. In verse 16 He said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” Jesus wants us to bear fruit and our fruit should remain. If you are wondering if the word remain here is the same Greek word for abide, you are correct. This should give us a sigh of relief as we consider all we learned about abiding. When we continually dwell in Jesus and His love, good fruit will continually dwell in us.
This doesn’t mean we won’t ever sin or stumble. We are still human and we will make mistakes. But the key is to abide in Jesus. Every day. We need to be intentional about seeking Him and clinging to Him. When we do that, we will see our hearts change. Remember we need to walk this out in the Lord’s strength. Holding onto Him is vital. When we are consistent, we will see the good fruit that Jesus talks about.
Dear Jesus, we are so grateful for You and all the amazing things You teach us through Your Word. We are so thankful to know that when we abide in You, we will have joy in our hearts, and good fruit in our lives. Help us to continually dwell in You and Your love. And help us to walk in gratitude. Because when we abide in You, our eyes are opened to how amazingly blessed we are. Thank You! We love You! In Your precious name we pray, Amen.
Gratitude Challenge for 2022
If you want to end 2022 on a positive note, then perhaps you will consider finding several things you are grateful for each day, through December 31. You can either write them down, or simply say a prayer of thanks. When we walk in gratitude, we are walking in Jesus’ love. When we see how blessed we are, we will see how much our Lord loves us. And our love for Him will grow and overflow.
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
Abide – Part 1
You might recall that my one word for 2022 is “abide.” Over the next several posts, I will be talking about abiding in the Lord, using Scripture as our basis.
Let’s start with the definition of the word abide. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, abide can mean “to remain stable or fixed in a state; to continue in a place.”
The reason why I chose this word for 2022, is because I want to learn to abide in Jesus. I want to remain stable and fixed in Jesus. I want to continue in the Lord. I want to abide in Him and He in me.
I believe we often go through life in our own strength. We forget that we can rely on the Lord. When we learn to abide in Him, we also learn to live through His grace.
This year I have worked on memorizing John 15:4-5, where Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
For today’s post we are going to dig a little deeper into those two verses.
A note before we get started. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. The New Testament was originally written in Greek. It has been translated to English and many other languages since then. The two main types of translations we read today are word-for-word (such as the New King James Version) or thought-for-thought (such as the New International Version). For these posts, I am going to focus on the New King James Version (NKJV) mainly because it uses the word “abide.” Some of the more modern versions, like the New International Version (NIV), have translated the word “abide” to the word “remain.”
“Abide in me and I in you.” – What did Jesus mean when He said that? When digging into Bible verses and their true meaning, it can be helpful to see what the original word was in the original language. In this case, since this is New Testament, we need to look to the Greek word used here – μένω. The Greek alphabet is different than the English alphabet. So when the word was transferred to the English alphabet (that is called transliteration) and we get the word menō. Then when the Bible was translated into English, often times this word was abide (but not always).
I realize that might be confusing and a lot to absorb. Don’t worry too much about remembering that. My whole point is that we need to look at the definition of the original Greek word.
Based on two of the things we referenced already (the Merriam-Webster definition and the word used in the NIV), the definition of the original Greek word is not a surprise:
To stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy):—abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry…
I especially like the words expectancy and dwell in this definition. We should expect the Lord to remain in us and we are expected to remain in Him. No matter what is going on around us, we should make Jesus our dwelling place. We should stay by His side every day. We should never depart from Him.
In these two verses, Jesus calls us a branch and Himself the vine. We wouldn’t want to break a branch off of a vine, because that would kill the branch. This illustrates how vital it is to remain connected to Jesus.
Maybe you are thinking, Okay, but how do I do that? Simply, this means that we meet with Jesus every day. We are in a relationship with Him, so we should seek Him out, try to learn more about Him, and grow closer to Him. If you were engaged to be married, you would want to spend time with your soon-to-be spouse, right? You would want to get to know them better and strengthen your relationship with them. This might sound like a lot of work, but we know it’s not because if you love that person then you want to spend time with them. That is how it is with the Lord also. We make Him a priority out of love. Our relationship with Him will continue to grow naturally, if we merely show up every day.
Sticking with the analogy of Jesus being the vine and His disciples being a branch, Jesus goes on to talk about fruit. He says when we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit. And He also says that we cannot bear fruit on our own. We need our attachment to Him to produce fruit in our lives.
When Jesus refers to fruit, He is talking about our character, actions, and words. When others look at us, they should see a good character (fruit), not a rotten character (fruit).
In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
How do we know if we are displaying good or bad fruit? In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When others look at us, do they see these qualities within us? One of my favorite quotes, which I heard a pastor say once, is “When you squeeze an orange, you get orange juice.” This makes me wonder, when I am squeezed (or pressured), what comes out of me? Is it the fruit of the Spirit? Or does impatience and irritability come out?
One point I want to make here is that many times we struggle to produce this good fruit on our own. But Jesus tells us in these verses, that we need Him to produce good fruit in us. We cannot do it in our own strength. When we abide in Him, and it will come naturally. Your relationship with the Lord will ultimately affect everything else in your life. When you spend time with Him daily, you will be a changed person.
This doesn’t mean that we are not accountable for our choices. Abiding in Jesus is a lifelong journey, as He molds us more and more to be like Him. Therefore, we need to be conscientious about our actions and words. It starts with us making an intentional effort to abide in Him. But know that day by day, the Lord is changing us and shaping us. Praise God for that!
Dear Jesus, we humbly come before You today with gratitude in our hearts. You are always there, always looking out for us, and always providing for us. Help us to focus on all that we have, not all that we lack. And help us to learn to abide in You. We want to produce good fruit in our lives. But we know it has to start by abiding in You. Please help us to cling tightly to You every day. Thank You! We love You! In Your beautiful name we pray, Amen.
Gratitude Challenge for 2022
If you want to end 2022 on a positive note, then perhaps you will consider finding several things you are grateful for each day, from now through December 31. You can either write them down, or simply say a prayer of thanks. Gratitude is an excellent way to abide in the Lord as we look around for the blessings He pours into our lives.
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
Security in the Presence of God
In my last post I talked about one of my recurring dreams. Today I wanted to mention another one. There are different variations of this dream. But it always has to do with water. I could be in an immense and deep indoor pool. Or I could simply know that there is a large indoor pool wherever I am, and I am eager to go in it. Or I could also be in a large body of water like the ocean, far from the mainland. In the dreams, there are always other people with me as well. Some people might think these dreams would be scary. But they are not. A lot of times I will dive deep into the water, just for fun.
In these dreams I feel a sense of freedom and safety. These dreams remind me that, thanks to Jesus, I am free. And they also remind me that I am always safe, thanks to the Lord. Even though life will have some scary circumstances and tough battles, the Lord is always with us. There is a deep security and peace in that knowledge and understanding. Sometimes we might know something in our mind, but we don’t truly feel it in our heart. And there is a big difference in that, especially in regards to trusting the Lord. We might have been told that He is always there, but until we get a deeper belief, we don’t have the same security.
One thing that helps me to have that deeper relationship and understanding of God’s love and protection is His presence. And in order to tap into that, I have been trying to remember to focus on the presence of God. “Trying to remember” is half the battle, because our lives keep us so busy and it is easy to forget. However, throughout the day, we can pause and remember that the Lord is with us. Just taking a moment to think about that brings comfort.
And we can also invite Him into all that we do. When we are working, we can seek His guidance and wisdom. This is something I do often when I am stuck on a difficult task.
We can also invite the Lord to join us as we are doing chores around the house. Thinking about Him and praying will make cleaning bathrooms less painful!
We can invite God into our conversations. Whether talking to a loved one or a stranger, we all have had times when we said the wrong thing. And we all have had times when we wish we had said something, but didn’t. If we simply remember that the Holy Spirit is there, this can help guide our words.
These are just few examples. But it is not only about seeking His help throughout the day. Merely remembering that He is beside us helps us to deepen our relationship with Him. James 4:8 says if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.
Perhaps you have a feeling that there is more to Christianity? Maybe you don’t normally feel God’s presence in your life? Or maybe you just want more of God, but you are not sure where to start?
Tapping into His presence will help. We simply lean into His presence. We remind ourselves that He is right there. Throughout the day, we can pray or we can remind ourselves of promises found in the Bible or we can just acknowledge that God is in the room with us.
(Bonus: I have a series of posts coming up on abiding in the Lord that will also help!)
Focusing on God’s presence in our day is simple, but not necessarily easy. Our minds tend to wander and worry. So we have to steer our thoughts back to Him throughout the day. But if we are consistent, the rewards will be great.
This, in turn, will help us build on our relationship with Him. He will become a trusted Friend. We will have that feeling deep down of how much He loves us. And His love will bring us comfort, peace, safety, and freedom in our lives. No matter what we are going through, we can feel secure, knowing and believing that God is always there.
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. – Psalm 91:1-2 NLT
Thank you for reading!
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
An Eternal Mindset
Do you have any recurring dreams? I have several. Some of them leave me feeling anxious, while others leave me feeling free. There is one in particular that I want to talk about today that fascinates me. In this dream I have a huge mansion. The part that I love is that the master suite is a house in and of itself. It has all of the rooms that you would find in a normal home – Bedrooms, bathrooms, living room, kitchen, dining room. When I enter the master suite, it feels like a safe haven where I can escape or hide.
In real life I don’t have a habit of visiting mansions, but personally I have never seen a house inside of a house before. And that part of the dream is what really intrigues me. As well as the safety I feel when entering the suite.
My husband and I were at a funeral a while back and the pastor referenced John 14:2. It really struck me because of the Bible translation he used (KJV). Jesus said: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
Did you catch that? Inside this house there are mansions. The King James Version makes it sound like there are houses inside of a house. I normally read NIV, in which Jesus says there are many rooms inside His Father’s house. That is more along the lines of what we are used to in a home. But when the pastor read the words from the KJV, it jolted me, as I thought about my recurring dream.
(According to David Guzik’s commentary: “In light of the ancient Greek, mansions is better translated ‘dwelling places.’ The noun mone – connected to the verb meno, ‘stay’ or ‘remain’ – means ‘a place to stay.’ In light of God’s nature, it is better to translate it mansions. Whatever dwelling place God has for us in heaven, it will be as glorious as a mansion.”) 1
Jesus said these words to His disciples to comfort them. At different times, Jesus had told them that He would have to leave, He told them He would die, and He told them He would be resurrected. They couldn’t comprehend any of this. And, understandably, it grieved them.
So Jesus was leaving them with a promise. He was preparing a place for them. They would be able to join Him one day. They would be welcomed with open arms. They could stay in His Father’s house. They would have a safe haven.
This promise is true for us as believers, as well. I know it depresses some to think about our departure from earth, and I am sorry if that is you. But let it bring us comfort to know that we have a glorious home to look forward to. I can’t wait until we are all together in Heaven. We will be safe. There will be no more pain or sorrow. We will have all of our believing family and friends with us. We will be reunited with the loved ones that are waiting for us. For those of us who have family scattered in different places, we will have the joy of being together again, without worrying about travel. For those of us who blog, we will get to meet friends that we have only talked to electronically. And best of all, we will be with the Lord.
May we live with an eternal mindset. May we remain aware of the fact that this home is temporary. One day we will be in our forever home.
When we live with an eternal mindset we will put God first in our lives. In Matthew 6:33 (NIV) Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Maybe you are wondering, what are “all these things?” In the verses prior to this one, Jesus says not to worry about things like food and clothes. He assures us that the Father will provide for our needs. In verse 26, Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Reflecting on these verses helps us to see that having an eternal mindset also brings us peace. We remember that God is in control and He is trustworthy. We realize that the hardships of this world pale in comparison to what we look forward to. In Romans 8:18 Paul said, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” (NLT)
When we live with an eternal mindset, we will be careful how things rank in our hearts. In Matthew 6:19-21, a few verses before the ones I mentioned above, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
When we live with an eternal mindset, we are careful with our words and actions. We want to do everything for the glory of God. Colossians 3:17 (NIV) it says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
All of this leaves us with two key takeaways:
1 – Jesus has prepared a place for us. I hope this truth brings us comfort. This speaks loudly of the Lord’s love and care for us. He has adopted us into His family, and He welcomes us into His home. What joy awaits us!
2 – May we keep in mind what is eternal and what isn’t. This will help shape our actions, our words, our possessions, and so much more. Our time will be used wisely. We will become better stewards of our money. We will be more mindful of what items we allow in our homes. We will be quick to share the Gospel with others. Overall, I believe we will be more intentional in every area of our lives, when we have an eternal mindset.
(Side note… I have a blogger friend who has said to me recently that he doesn’t want to sound preachy in his posts. And I feel the same. So I wanted to take this opportunity to say that if I do happen to sound preachy, please know that I am always preaching to myself too. I am far from perfect. I want Jesus to make me more like Him. And as I learn and grow, I try to share those things with you. I appreciate you being here. I consider you all to be friends. And whether it be in posts or comments, I love when we can help each other grow. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17). Thank you for being here. I hope you know how much I appreciate it. I know there are a million other things you can be doing with your time. And it means more than you know, that you take the time to stop by and join me on this journey.)
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
1. https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Jhn/Jhn-14.cfm?a=1011002
Keep Praising, Keep Praying, Keep Giving Thanks
At our church, we begin the service with worship before we move into the sermon. A few weeks ago during worship, the worship leader said that God was up to something good. Then we started singing a praise song with those words in the lyrics. But very quickly things took a turn. Suddenly, the power went out!
(Let me back up a bit by saying that the following day Vacation Bible School was starting. This means that a lot of extra equipment was set up and plugged in. So this obviously wasn’t a normal occurrence.)
But something wonderful happened. Despite the circumstances, the congregation continued worshiping. We didn’t let this hiccup stop us from praising God. For those that knew the words, they kept singing. And for those who weren’t familiar with the song, and had to rely on the television screens that normally displayed the lyrics, they clapped their hands in rhythm with the tune.
As we continued praising, different pieces of the electronics came up, one by one. And the rest of the service went on as planned.
But this service taught me a lesson. No matter what is going on around us, we have an opportunity to keep praising the Lord. We don’t have to let our circumstances stop us from singing God’s praises. God deserves all the glory and praise, no matter what. He is always good, He is always working on our behalf. He is always there.
Our problems might tell a different story. The enemy might try to whisper lies in our ears. But we don’t have to listen. We can choose to keep our eyes on the magnificence of our Father.
And something else I learned – it feels so good to keep praising God, even when things around us say we shouldn’t. I had a big smile on my face as we continued singing and clapping on that Sunday morning.
When we focus on the goodness of God, it helps our hearts to overflow. Praising God takes our attention off of any issues we might be facing. The more we focus on our problems, the bigger they seem to become. But on the other hand, praising God keeps our eyes on Him. And when we focus on Him and how amazing He is, our troubles seem to shrink in comparison to His greatness. Praising God also helps us to see that the Lord is our source. He is our strength, our provider, and our shepherd. Praising God reminds us that we don’t have to worry and fret because we have the Most High God by our side.
Some of my favorite Bible verses come from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” They are words I know well, yet I was recently struck anew by them. I was reading a devotional – Fighting Words by Ellie Holcomb – and in one of the entries the author referenced these verses. The part that really hit me was that it is God’s will for us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. I knew those three things were important, but these verses show us how vital they are. It’s no wonder we feel better when we implement these three practices into our daily lives – because they are in God’s will! Ellie put it this way, “Whenever I begin to direct my joy, my desires, my doubt, my cries for help, my worry toward Jesus, something changes in my heart. And I have a sneaking suspicion on why that happens—because I’m living right in the middle of God’s will for me! Did you catch that part about this passage? We don’t have to fret about finding what God’s will is for our life—it’s right here! When we rejoice, pray, and give thanks, there’s no question or doubt: we’re living in God’s will.”
This is something I want to tuck away in my heart each day. Whether things are going well or if problems arise, I want to remember to focus on God’s goodness. I want to focus on rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. No matter what comes our way, let’s keep praising the Lord. Let’s keep seeking Him in prayer. And let’s keep giving thanks.
Thank you for reading!
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
When the enemy Attacks
Do you ever have days when it seems like everything is against you? Every step you take seems to result in failure? Even when you try to do the right thing, or try to do something nice for someone, you are greeted with defeat?
Sometimes when we have days like that, it is the enemy who is trying to discourage us. (I am not saying every difficulty comes from him. Sometimes God allows difficulties in our lives for specific reasons, such as growing our character. And sometimes life just happens on its own. But I do believe that there are more obstacles coming from the enemy than we realize.) The enemy wants to take away our joy and our peace. He wants us to get angry or depressed. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” The thief is the devil, and he comes to steal, kill, and destroy anything he can get his hands on. This includes our peace, our joy, our dreams, and much more.
But in John 10:10, Jesus didn’t end His statement there. He went on to say, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
I am sorry to say that sometimes I forget these truths. I forget that the enemy is out to get me. And I forget that Jesus has my back. Sometimes I fall into the traps the enemy sets out for me.
But one particular day not too long ago, I had a breakthrough. I was working from home and needed to get a particular task completed. I didn’t have the option to work late that day because my husband and I had something we needed to take care of that afternoon.
Enter the enemy… my internet went down around lunch time. I used my phone to check with the company and saw that they knew of an outage and they were working on it. Since it was around noon, I decided to take a lunch break while the company worked on the issue. Later the internet came back up and I got back to work. Or so I thought. The internet seemed to sporadically go down here and there for the next couple of hours. Each time I checked my internet provider’s website, they had a new time on when they estimated the issues would be resolved. I was so frustrated!
But then I remembered that there is an enemy who is out to get us. The enemy was trying to stop me from working, trying to ruin my day, trying to steal, kill, and destroy. So I took three steps that transformed my day.
1 – I prayed.
Most of the time my prayers are far from formal. Rather, I simply talk to God throughout the day. In this case I don’t remember my exact words, but I probably merely asked for the Lord’s help.
I am finding more and more that God loves for us to chat with Him during our day. We don’t have to use fancy words, or pray at length. Throughout the day we can just talk about what’s on our mind. And He is always there! Ready and waiting.
Yes, we can pray in the morning, and/or whenever we have quiet time with God. But let’s not think of prayer as a once a day task. Instead we have the privilege to communicate with God all day. Perhaps that is what Paul meant when he said, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
2 – I told the enemy, aloud, to move on. I verbally told him to flee, in the name of Jesus.
James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” In this case, I believe James was telling us to turn from sin. But I think it is also good to keep these words in mind when the enemy attacks. That is because his attacks can still lead us down a slippery path. We might be tempted to get angry, especially when we don’t realize it is the enemy that is working against us. How often do we allow the devil to get to us, without us even realizing it? But when we realize he is behind many of our difficulties, that helps us to take the right steps to move forward. As they say, “knowledge is power.” So once we realize what we’re up against, we can resist the enemy’s tactics, and he will flee from us.
Notice that I said that I told the enemy aloud to move on. He cannot read our thoughts. That is why I spoke aloud.
Also notice I said “in the name of Jesus.” We don’t have power on our own. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Our victory comes from Jesus. That is why we often end our prayers by saying, “In Jesus’ name we pray.”
The name of Jesus is the highest name there is. Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT) says, “Therefore, God elevated [Jesus] to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
All of our authority and victory comes from what Jesus did on the cross for us. He has already defeated the enemy. Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Notice Jesus didn’t say, “I will overcome the world.” He said, “I have overcome the world.” That means He already did. So we have nothing to fear.
3 – The next thing I did was put praise music on my phone, playing it out loud. And I sang along with the songs.
Praising God helps our heart, our attitude, and our mindset in a miraculous way. Why is praise so powerful?
– God is in the midst of our praises. Have you ever heard the saying that “God inhabits the praise of His people?” That comes from Psalm 22:3 in which the King James Version says, “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”
– Praise takes our minds off of our problems and helps us to focus on the Lord. God becomes bigger and our problems become smaller. I like how Psalm 69:30 (ESV) says, “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving” (emphasis added).
– The enemy hates our praises, so he runs in the other direction. It is believed that before his fall, the enemy played a big part in the heavenly music (see Ezekiel 28:13). But his pride got the better of him and he wanted to be exalted (see Isaiah 14:12-15). So it makes sense that he wouldn’t like hearing the songs we sing to the Lord. (Side note: I know this will not be something we all agree on and that is fine. But this is why I rarely listen to worldly music. There is a lot of great music out there from talented musicians. But I feel like if it is not of God, then it could be against God. We don’t realize how much spiritual warfare there is around us. C.S. Lewis said, “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.”)
After taking these steps, things turned around. My internet issues improved, I was able to complete the project I was working on, and most of all I felt so much better. I had joy and peace.
When things don’t go well in our day, it’s important for us to remember that the enemy could be behind it. That is half the battle. And even if our problem is not something that the enemy sent our way, prayer and praise are always a good idea. These two steps in particular will transform our outlook. When our minds turn in the right direction, we can focus and use our energy more efficiently. Too often we are tempted to allow circumstances to defeat us. Instead we can cling tightly to the Lord in prayer and in praise.
Thank you for reading!
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
Who Am I
Who am I that
The King of kings
Would care to listen
To the song I sing
Who am I that
The Lord of lords
Cares so deeply
And lets His love pour
Who am I that
The Holy Savior
Stands strong by my side
And does not waver
Who am I that
The Name above all names
Called out to me
Causing my heart to flame
Bridget
May 18, 2022
How amazing it is to know that the King of the world loves us so deeply. He delights in us and cares for us. I fear that we might forget this sometimes. But when we keep our eyes on the cross, it helps the magnitude to settle in our hearts. May we take time to thank Jesus for taking our place on the cross. May we not overlook the enormous sum He paid for our sins. But may we also remember just how deeply loved we are.
I want to share a beautiful song with you. “Me On Your Mind” by Matthew West. If the video below does not work, try this link.
Thank you for reading!
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
Seeking Jesus
In the book of Luke, there is a story about a man named Zacchaeus. It might be easy to quickly read this story and move on. But I think if we spend some time here, we might discover some key takeaways for our own lives.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
– Luke 19:1-10
Let’s dig a little into this story…
1 – [Zacchaeus] wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
This part of the story makes me wonder – do we try this hard to seek Jesus? Do we do everything in our power to spend time with Him and soak up His presence? Do we try to seek His face every day?
I fear that we have many missed opportunities to seek Jesus. We are too distracted or too busy or just plain apathetic. Personally, I don’t want the wonder and awe of the Lord to be lost on me. Every day of our lives we get to have a relationship with the King of kings!
This means we have to make an effort every day to spend time with Him. The enemy might try to plant excuses in our minds about why we don’t have time today. However, I really believe we need to be intentional with our time, despite our feelings.
When we make an effort to be with Jesus, little by little, we will discover a love that is immeasurable. We will find the only One who can love us unconditionally. And we will be amazed by “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” (Eph 3:18)
But even more than that, we will find we have a trustworthy Friend who is with us every moment of every day. We will know that we can rely on the Lord and His strength, no matter what we are facing. What a comfort that brings!
2 – Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Note that during Jesus’ time, tax collectors were generally not liked. And as you can see in this verse, it was implied that Zacchaeus cheated the people. This was the norm for many tax collectors of his day.
But after spending time with Jesus, Zacchaeus was a changed man!
We might spend time with Jesus daily, reading our Bibles, and praying. But do we allow His presence in our lives to change us from the inside out? Or perhaps when we first became Christians did we appear to be on fire for God, but now our devotion has waned?
There are many out there who are just going through the motions of life. They checked off their Christian duties for the day, but they forget about Jesus during the remainder of the day. They grabbed their ticket to heaven, but they live life with worldly pleasure. They are the god of their own lives.
Truly when we become Christians, it is important to learn to fully surrender to the Lord. Seek His face daily. And allow Him to mold us and change us.
Maybe you wonder what is the point? Why can’t I have fun and do things my way?
First, Jesus did so much for us. Our hearts should want to live for Him in return. As I heard a pastor say once, “God owes you nothing. But you owe Him everything.”
Also, God has our best interest in mind. So when we learn to live life with Him as our Lord, we will find peace and joy. And we will save ourselves from a lot of heartache when we place our lives in the hands of the only One who is forever trustworthy and faithful.
We have so many blessings and so much beauty in the world around us. When we give the Lord our whole heart, it will open our eyes to the amazing things God does for us. Every day He is looking out for us, protecting us, and caring for us. I don’t want to forget that or take it for granted.
May we learn to seek Jesus with fervor, every day. And may we allow Him to change us and mold us daily. In the end, we will find true contentment and fulfillment in life.
Thank you for reading!
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
A Servant’s Heart
Something I have been thinking about lately is how Christians are called to have a servant’s heart. Having a servant’s heart might come naturally to some. Others might have a hard time with it. In our world today, we are taught to look out for ourselves and live rather selfishly. And it is telling. When we look around us, we see a lot of hate in our world.
As Christians, we are called to be like Jesus. And when we read Scripture, we see how Jesus put others first. One story that always gets me is found in Matthew 14.
Jesus had just learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded. It says in verse 13, “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.” Jesus wanted to be alone, possibly to pray and to grieve. That is likely what any of us would have done as well.
However, verse 13 goes on to say, “Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.” This sentence always bugs me. I wonder why the people couldn’t give him some privacy on this one occasion.
But then in verse 14 it says, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” And then I am humbled all over again. Every time I read this, I seem to go through the same emotions. I see how Jesus had a servant’s heart in this story. He set aside His own feelings and sought to comfort those around Him.
This story reminds me that sometimes what we want isn’t always what God wants for us. As it says in Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
I have always appreciated the way some have translated the word Joy into an acronym:
Jesus
Others
You
This is a needed reminder to put Jesus first, then put other people next, and put yourself last. (This doesn’t mean that we don’t take care of ourselves. God didn’t intend for us to be doormats and allow other people to walk all over us. Sadly, there are people in this world who will gladly do that, if we allow them to.)
But we are called to serve God and serve others. This way of living is not intuitive to our human nature. Thankfully we have the greatest role model of all to follow – Jesus. Keeping God first place is key. He will guide us and help us and show us how to live with a servant’s heart.
This week, let us look for ways to live with a servant’s heart. It might be something simple, like making dinner for someone who is feeling low, helping a coworker with a project that has been stressful for them, or babysitting in order to give a weary parent a day off.
Honestly, for those of us who do not live alone, we have tons of opportunities every day to serve the members of our household. Cooking, cleaning, laundry. Any normal household chore can be done with love.
And truly I believe that when we live with a Servant’s Heart, we are honoring and worshipping the Lord. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” When we have a heart that wants to honor God, it can be seen in all that we do. We worship Him, not just with our words, but also with our actions.
Let us look for ways to help those around us and spread the love of Jesus. In the end, not only will we bring a smile to someone else’s face, but we will find ourselves smiling too. That is because when we are kind to other people, this fills our own hearts with joy as well. When we selflessly give, we receive back more than we anticipated.
“But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” – 1 Samuel 12:24 NIV
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:45 NIV
Thank you for reading!
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
Finding Peace on the Waves
Some days might feel
Like we are on the waves
Tossed around in a boat
Looking for a hand to save
Splash after splash
We get soaked
We can’t catch our breath
With no anchor of hope
Our muscles are weak
From moving the oars
We’re getting nowhere
From an endless chore
Walking on water
A figure comes near
He gently asks
If we’ll allow Him to steer
When we hand Him the oars
We can finally breathe
Our worries dissolve
And our fears leave
Now we can rest
In His loving care
For each day we know
He will be there
Bridget
April 20, 2022
One night when I was in bed, trying to go to sleep, these words came to me. I had to get up and make sure I captured them before they were lost. I was thinking about how so many of us struggle in life. Day after day, we use all of our strength to tread water and stay afloat.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We try to fight our circumstances, when what we really need to do is allow Jesus to carry us. Jesus is our lifeline, and He is there to help us. However, the key is allowing Him to do so. We can walk in peace knowing that our lives are in the hands of Almighty God. It doesn’t mean we won’t have trouble. But it means we can rest because we know He is handling our battles.
I admit that it can be difficult to get to this point. It means learning to trust Jesus and remembering how faithful our Savior is. And it takes a conscious effort of relinquishing control over to Him. We might have to remind ourselves to do this daily. But in the end, the rewards are well worth it.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – the words of Jesus found in Matthew 11:28-30
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
Bridget A. Thomas 