Hope's Alive!!

I have been struck lately by a song on a recent album I purchased... If you haven't checked out Ronnie Freeman's music, do it soon! His newest album, Perfect Love, is just as amazing and spirit-filled as his past recordings...Love it! Anyways, on that album is a song called 'Finished'. Listen to the lyrics:

Now I sing a song of Praise for my King who saved me

I'm so glad You made a way for me to be set free!

You paid for life and conquered death,

What You started, You finished!

Now today...For all the world...

Hope's Alive!! Hope's Alive!!

(Repeat Chorus)

What You started, You finished!

The work is done...Thank you Lord!

Such powerful words!! I so easily spend my days focused on me and the different situations in my life and in other's lives that can often seem hopeless. Hope's Alive!! Hope's Alive!! As believers in Jesus Christ we are never without hope! Oh how I pray that that truth sinks deep in each one of us today and that we never forget that our hope is “...in the living God, who is the Savior of all men...” 1 Timothy 4:10.

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.”

Psalm 62:5-8

In our little Bible study group yesterday (which I am loving, by the way), my sweet sisters have shared a little bit about some of the trials and difficulties they've been through in this life. I don't know what you are going through today, but just based on the odds from last night, It's likely to say you or someone close to you is going through some serious *ahem* crap! Sorry, but don't tell me that's not what you call it too... :) Find rest, sweet soul, in God alone! In every circumstance, your hope comes from Him. He alone is your rock and your salvation....He is your might rock and your refuge! Trust in Him at all times, dear friend, pour out your heart to Him, for HE is your refuge.

Listen to Beth Moore's writing in her So Long Insecurity book:

[God] does not take lightly that some of us were raised in a veritable madhouse. He does not take lightly that some of us have been mentally berated or physically beaten or abused or abandoned. He does not take lightly that some of us are still trying to recover from that midnight phone call. He does not take lightly that some of us were born with legs that don't work. Or eyes that can't see. Or ears that can't hear. He does not take lightly that some of us have endured the cancer treatment of our very own children. He does not take lightly that some of us, Lord help us, have buried our own children.

He knows it's scary to be us. Son of David, have mercy on us! It's almost too much to bear here at times, Lord....The thunder crashes in the heavens, and the earth grows dark in the middle of the afternoon, and a man, beaten to a bloody pulp, cries from a cross between two theives, “It is finished!” Because He did, one day God will wipe away every tear from the eyes of those who trusted Him, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will pass away and all our hardship will be finished.

My heart is heavy for the many who feel hopeless today. Take heart, Hope's Alive!

Love,

Hear the song here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyh1Feh9lyY

http://www.ronniefreemanonline.com/

Good Morning!

So, this one's for you Bible study ladies...I thought about shortening that to my B.S. ladies, but, for obvious reasons chose against it...hehe (Stephan and I have also joked about having a radio show and calling it the Becky and Stephan show and shortening it to the B.S. Show. Am I destined for everything I do to have the initials B.S. ???)... We'll have to come up with a better nickname for both soon! :)

I was getting caught up on the Living Proof Blog this morning and found the last entry to be so applicable to something we were talking about in Bible study last night! Every 2 weeks, Beth and a team of blog followers memorize a new scripture and post it. This is Beth's most current memory verse. I'm not going to say much more about it, but we all undergo times in our life where there is disagreement--even among believers, and I am finding it so important we know how to handle them in a way that honors the Lord. So, I think I'll memorize this one as well...

“And the Lord’s slave must not engage in heated disputes but be kind toward all, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance and then knowledge of the truth and they will come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap where they are held captive to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26 The NET Bible

This portion of Scripture and others like it seem altogether ignored or dismissed in a culture where believers stay embroiled in one heated dispute after another. Scripture tells us how to differ without ripping the fabric of our common faith to shreds. In the segment above, the Apostle Paul uses words like kindness and gentleness. When we tend to think that carnality is the only kind of sin that can keep the church from revival, we’re overlooking the steady stream of commands in the New Testament about how to treat one another. Disunity can shipwreck the whole lot of us right there on the shore of disgrace. We can even be right and fall into the chastisement of God because our hearts were wrong. May God forgive us, heal us, and help us.                -Beth Moore

May the Lord bless you and grant you (and me!) the patience and kindness we need for today,

So Long, Insecurity!

That's right! What a great night of Bible study... I just love our little group of girlies (you know who you are!). :) We started the "So Long, Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend to Us" Group Experience by Beth Moore study this week and it has already been such a blessing. When I first heard of this newest book by Beth, I honestly didn't think much about it and certainly didn't get all that excited about it. After all, of all the problems I have, insecurity isn't one of them. Ha! Forgive me, I was so naively arrogant.

I have little speakers set up in my bathroom and kitchen so I can get online (thank heavens for smart phones) and listen to radio messages while doing my hair & makeup or the dishes, etc... Among the many I love at http://www.oneplace.com/ are Charles Swindoll, David Jeremiah, and of course, Beth Moore (Living Proof). I had just finished Beth's amazing archived series, Wising Up, and saw that the So Long Insecurity audio book was also in the archives. More curious than anything, I started listening...and listening...and quickly realized she had hit on a huge nerve with women in general--myself included. According to Webster's Dictionary, insecure is simply being "uncertain, unsafe and/or shaky"...all emotions myself and the rest of the human race experience on a fairly regular basis. After listening to the first few chapters, I started to connect many of my past and even some current actions and decisions to insecurity. It also began to ring bells with other women I had opportunity to speak to, and so began my desire to study this book and encourage other women to join me in learning to recognize insecurity and what it means to find my security in Christ alone. I hope you'll join us. I have a few more study guides on-hand and we're only in by 1 week, so it would be easy to catch up! Every Monday at 6:30pm. Email me asap if you'd like more info babrams819@hotmail.com.

Below is a blurb from the website http://www.solonginsecurity.com/. You can also follow a link on the same site to read the 1st chapter.

We’re insecure. You and me and every woman.  In fact, chronic insecurity is a cultural epidemic, but almost no one is talking about it. And it ticks me off.

Today’s women face unrealistic expectations, and then we’re bombarded with unrealistic images every day, making us more and more insecure. We’re insecure about everything from our looks to our worth as women, from our relationships to our futures, and everything else in between. You name it, and we’re probably insecure about it. Let’s be honest here. Insecurity makes us miserable. It cripples us. It makes us feel worthless. Insecurity has been a bad friend to us. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s time to say “So long!” to insecurity. How? First we have to understand it, and the good news is that insecurity is understandable. The even better news is that insecurity is curable.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

May we find our security in Him today,