Welcome to Hiding The Word In Our Hearts. A morning scripture writing devotion. The scripture for today is Rom 12:12. The subject this week is HOPE. We write the scripture in the heart labeled Saturday, if you have the book or in a notebook. Actually, writing the verse will help you to remember it.
Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Chapter twelve in Romans is all about our growing in the spirit. Learning to be more like our God. This is how we develop the fruit of the spirit. When we rejoice in our hope, we find strength. God gives us strength beyond our comprehension. It is amazing how we can develop patience when necessary. The rough times of life can create in us strength to face everything that will come our way.
Prayer is the key to growth. Prayer will give us hope that God will work things our for our good, just as we have asked. Prayer gives us hope and a stronger connection to God.
Welcome to Hiding The Word In Our Hearts. A morning scripture writing devotion. The scripture for today is Rom 15:13. The subject this week is HOPE. We write the scripture in the heart labeled Friday if you have the book or in a notebook. Writing the verse will help you to remember it.
(show pic of verse)
Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
When we find our faith in God, our hope that we have in him will fill us with joy. He will give us peace that is plentiful, because of the power of the Holy Ghost. We can always find hope in any situation, as long as we look to God. All of our hope is in Jesus. No matter what we face, we can place our trust in Jesus, He is there to see us through any situations that arise in our lives.
We should have peace knowing that God is on our side and things will work out for our good. Because we hope in him.
Welcome to Hiding The Word In Our Hearts. A morning scripture writing devotion. The scripture for today is Prov 13:12. The subject this week is HOPE. We write the scripture in the heart labeled Thursday if you have the book or in a notebook. Writing the verse will help you to remember it.
Prov 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
When we hope for an outcome and it doesn’t turn out like we wish it can be disappointing. Some would even say heart sick. The disappointment can be overwhelming. When we receive the expected outcome, it is great satisfaction. It is like a life-giving tree.
God is there to give us a good outcome, as long as we put our faith and hope in him.
Good Morning my God Focus friends. Today is Saturday. Week Two of Hiding The Word In Our Hearts. Week Two is all about Faith. Our verse this morning is: HEB 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Without faith we cannot please God. He wants us to trust him. He wants us to believe in him and his word. Anyone who comes to him must believe or have faith that he is. Some do not believe that God exists. He is a rewarder of those who believe in Him.
God desires for us to have faith and trust him. He will pour out blessings on his people.
Faith is seeing things with our hearts that we cannot yet see with our eyes.
Good Morning my God Focus friends. Today is Friday. Week Two of Hiding The Word In Our Hearts. Week Two is all about Faith. Our verse this morning is: James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Many preach that we are justified by our works. Some believe that our works can save us. There is not a biblical basis for this theology. But only our faith in Jesus can save us. We are justified by our faith in the cross of Christ. This is how we are saved, not by works. But works are necessary, they show our faith. We have works as a part of our witness. They show the world that we are different.
Our faith in God gives us a heart to help others. Our faith is a fruit or byproduct of God’s Spirit indwelling in us. We walk by this faith which helps us to grow and be a light to others.
Go out today and let your light shine and show the world your faith.
Romans 10:17-18 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
How do we get faith. This verse says it comes by hearing. Actually, hearing in this circumstance means understanding. Faith comes from understanding and understanding from the word of God. This is why it is so important to study the word. Understanding of God through his word creates faith. The word is alive and we always find just what we need when we search for God in the pages of the Bible.
Many think it’s just an old book. But it is life, it’s love, it is the very essence of God’s character. Faith comes from learning about God in his written word. That written word will teach us that when we are born again, his Spirit will lead us and guide us. This is what it means to walk by faith, we allow God to lead us.
Let’s recap the week so far, faith is pure and cannot be mixed with doubt. We grow in faith through understanding of God’s word. We are justified by our faith. We trust that we will be saved by a just God. That belief is Faith.
God Focus This Morning will return in a few days. I am going to continue these videos for a short while also. I would love your feedback about them and the other videos. Please send all comments to angela@godfocus.net
The scripture for today is Luke 17:6. The subject this week is Faith. Faith is having complete confidence in God and is promises. To trust that he will answer our prayers. It is seeing the outcome we are praying for even when things appear a different way.
Luke 17:6And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Some versions of the bible says if you have faith the size of a mustard seed. It is not in the size of the seed but the purity. People will say it only takes a little faith. But actually, it takes pure faith. Mustard seed is pure; it will not mix with any other herb. In that regard we cannot have faith like a mustard seed if we mix it with doubt and unbelief.
For those of you that want to start scripture writing as a part of your study time, there are many in depth videos on You Tube and Rumble that will give you lots of creative ideas.
About a year ago I started a deep dive into the Psalms. Every couple of weeks I take a Psalm and break it down. I write out my thoughts about it. I will write down the passages that stand out to me. I have a few examples I want to share with you.
There is no right or wrong way to study, as I discussed yesterday. There is not right or wrong way to do any of the creative things. I also have a note book that I will share a few pages out of that I have written down because the verses inspired me or I had a sticker that was the inspiration for the page.
Lets get started with Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
I basically took notes in different color ink for each separate thought.
I wrote that blessed is the man who doesn’t listen to the advice of the ungodly or stands in the way of sinners. Not acts disrespectful. We can stand in the way of sinners by being judgmental.
Do not be disrespectful.
We will delight (define please greatly, satisfied) in the law of the Lord and will think on it night and day.
The ungodly will be like chaff blown away by the wind. God will remove them because they bear no fruit.
We will bring fruit in our season, our leaf also will not wither. (Ever in a state of healthy growth.) This makes me think of leaves in the fall how they die and fall off the trees. But we will be evergreen, ever growing and producing fruit.
Then I had this cute sticker that says we are rooted in Christ. I wrote the 3rd verse around it. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The way of the ungodly will perish.
Then I included a small prayer Dear Lord help me be the tree that produces fruit.
I know it is not the neatest page and not the prettiest writing, but when I got finished that day, I felt like I had made a connection with the scriptures. I felt like I had connected to what the word was saying. That is the point of Bible study.
Psalm 3
Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. 3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. 4 I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. 5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. 7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
I loved this Moses sticker, it reminded me that even though an army is coming to destroy me. God will make a way, he will part the sea and destroy the enemy. Psalm 3 reminded me of the Red sea moment.
David is pressed on all sides by people that rise against him. Many said there was no hope. How many times do people speak those types of words over us? With God there is ALWAYS!!! HOPE!!!
Then I copied verse 3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
The Lord is our shield (defense) His glory lifts up our heads. We have no reason to look down and feel down. He hears ten thousands of people against us for God will take care of them all. Just like Pharoah and his army. Like the three armies that came against Jehosophat. DO NOT FEAR!
On the sides of the sticker, I wrote Salvation belongs to the Lord! God has God us.
I hesitated to show you those pages at first because I do not think they are neat enough. But I have learned a lot by doing them. I have tried to slow down and be neater.
Now I will share a few pages of scriptures, to encourage you. It is always my goal for you to leave our time together feeling encouraged to dig deeper and stand stronger in your faith. To Keep your God Focus.
I was playing around with stickers to get inspiration one morning. I found these that I had left over from a poster I made for my Dad’s birthday party one year. It was his life on poster boards and he is a military veteran. Immediately I remembered the verse in 2 Cor. 10:4-5
2 Cor 10:4-5 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
We need to realize as children of God that we have mighty weapons through the BLOOD of Jesus. We need to take unto captivity every thought that is not of God. The battle is in our minds. We need to check every thought and see if it is from God or the enemy. If it is from the enemy, we need to dismiss it quickly.
Life is an amazing adventure when you live a life for Jesus. You never know what He will do to surprise you. There is a joy in serving Jesus. I hope something I have said today has inspired you to get into the word and dig for all the treasures of wisdom God has waiting for you. He is worth searching out.
It doesn’t matter what skill you wish to learn, it will take most people practice to get it right. For Example, unless, you are a gifted music prodigy, it will take hours and hours of lessons. Some are more musically inclined than others, but everyone learns at their own pace.
Cooking is another example, my mother-in-law used to make the best chocolate cakes. She never measured or wrote down a recipe. She could tell by the color that she had the right amount of Ingredients. If I had tried by just watching her, it would have been a horrible mess. I needed a precise recipe, because I was taught to cook with recipes and measuring cups. Neither way is wrong if the end result is good. The same is with study of the word, as long as we are growing in our wisdom and knowledge of God, there is not a wrong way.
I however, learned about Jesus by watching someone else live for Jesus. My grandparents and parents were my example. I learned about Jesus before I could even read about him for myself. They told me about Jesus, and I grew up watching my mom and grandma sing songs about him while they were cooking and doing dishes, laundry etc. around the house.
My grandpa would sit down at the dining room table, with his dictionary, a note pad and his bible to study for his sermons. He was never too busy to share what he was reading with my brother and me. My dad would go to his bedroom where it was quiet to read his bible. My mom would read hers with a cup of coffee early in the morning or with a soda late in the evening in her recliner.
It would be easy to say that there is only one way to study, and get legalistic. But it didn’t matter as long as they spent time in the word. Today, people are bible journaling and spending time to paint and doodle beautiful things. Some do scripture writing with fancy doodles and stickers in a journal. Others are scribing the entire bible as a way to study the word. Some spend hours with commentaries and concordances.
The main thing is to study the word. I personally enjoy the creative doodles when I am doing what many call scripture writing. I am not so legalistic that I believe it is wrong to write in my bible. I do highlight and take some small notes in mine. But it gives me a little bit of anxiety to see some of those bibles. I don’t understand how they read the scripture through the paint. Maybe, the bible journaling is just a way to have a flip through of bullet points and they actually read in another bible.
I guess the main point is we need to study the word. Doing all the creative things are great if it keeps you in the word. I actually do bible journal in an actual journal. I do some scripture writing and write down things that I want to remember.
When we get someone that is a new Christian is would be easy for them to get overwhelmed with how to study. It seems like a monumental task to learn sixty-six books. One thing I wish I had known when I first started is the breakdown of those books.
OLD TESTAMENT
LAW: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are know as the books of the law from the beginning of creation to the point of the Children of Israel entering the promised land.
HISTORY: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. These are books of the history of the Jewish people.
POETRY: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. These books are more metaphorical but contain a lot of wisdom about life and practical living, like honoring God.
MAJOR PROPHETS: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel.
These books came to be known as major prophets because of the length of the books. It has nothing to do with the importance of their messages.
These books became known as minor prophets because of the length of the books. It has nothing to do with the importance of their message.
NEW TESTAMENT
GOSPELS: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These books are known as the gospels. They cover the life of Christ from before his conception to his ascension into heaven. They are written from the perspectives of these four men who were a part of his twelve disciples.
CHURCH HISTORY: Acts. This one book contains the beginning of the New Testament Church. It contains what the apostles or original disciples did to establish congregations all over that area of the world.
In Bible times they didn’t have modern communications. They did have written language. In order for the meaning of what they were saying to get from one place to the other they wrote letters. Paul wrote most of the letters but not all. They would contain instruction, clarification of meaning, warnings and encouragement for the church or person they were sending the letter. These letters make up most of the New Testament.
PROPHECY: Revelations. This is the final book in the bible. It contains prophecy of the end times with themes of a catching away of the Bride of Christ (the church). To the anti-Christ taking control of the earth. To satan being cast into the pit of hell.
If you would like a copy of that list, shoot me an email I will send you a PDF.
That guide will give you somewhere to begin to understand what is in the word. There is no wrong way to study the word. I suggest praying before you start for God to give you understanding and wisdom. If you are a brand new Christian I suggest you start with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John they are all about Jesus.
I say that because for several years, I would start with the intention of doing the read through the bible in one year. For several years, I would get stuck in Leviticus, it became about the laws and the sacrifices. It would seem overwhelming to me. I felt like I needed to remember it all. But since I am not Jewish, I am not under the law, I do not have to worry about animal sacrifice for my sin. It makes me so thankful for Jesus, knowing that his sacrifice paid the price for all sin.
In summary, find you a good bible translation. I use the King James Version. I will accept other versions if I compare them to the KJV and the verses mean the same, however some translations are missing verses and the meaning is different.
Ask God for his guidance in prayer before you start studying. Have a bible dictionary handy. If you want to do a deep dive, a concordance.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
As we read and learn about God, we will learn of his spirit that was sent to earth on the day of Pentecost. Which is the beginning of the New Testament Church. That spirit is within anyone born again. God’s Spirit will teach us, He will open our understanding. If we desire a deeper understanding, God will not hide it from us. He wants us to know him in a deeper way.
There is no right and wrong way to learn about God. Because we could never learn everything there is to know, we always have more to learn; which is exciting. Don’t allow the opinion of the world to taint your opinion of God’s word. It is not some outdated old book about history. But it is living and breathing, it will be the best guide you have ever looked at to understand this thing called Life.
GOD FOCUS--Psalm 34:3 O magnify the Lord with me.... 