Tag: Crown The Sword

Crown the Sword: Chapter 5-Absorbing God’s Word

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2 Timothy 3:16-17 informs us that God’s word is profitable. Paul advises Timothy to live in the Word because it is enduring. Paul knew Scripture would stand forever and equip us ALL if we so choose. Just like in Ezra’s days and the days ahead of our own lives on earth, God’s Word can sustain daily living and can be tangible if we strive for our understanding to be deepened.

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17 NIV) His pure truth is worth absorbing. It has a return on our investment and we can rejoice over it. We have to make margin for the Lord and His Word to grasp full understanding.

What will it take for you to release your grasp on life’s sponge and align yourself with the living water? How can you reposition yourself where you can make God and His Word real in your life? Do you need to eliminate areas of our life to help shift your perspective? How can you be useful in God’s economy if you are allowing other things to absorb in your sponge?

Get up-squeeze it out-and separate yourself from all those things holding you back. Claim Ephesians 3:20 over your life. Tell God you are believing He “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Start allowing Scripture to comfort, feed, center, motivate, and calibrate your life. Feast on His Word. Start where you are. Open to one book of the Bible and stay within it until you have read it from beginning to end regardless of how long it takes. Let your life sponge be saturated.

I had to believe Scripture was good for my soul or I would have never even turned my eyes toward it. As I have said before-God’s Word revealed a treasure unlike anything I had experienced. Oh LORD, help me spend more time feasting on Your Word.

Gosh, I have spent plenty of hours on other things in my life-wasted time-chasing people, selfish dreams, and perishable rubble! I want God’s Voice to be the loudest and His Word to get inside of me in a way that it causes me to be fully anchored in Him. I want something planted in my life that will grow and nourish not only to sustain me but those around me. (squeezing out the overflow of goodness I have soaked up from spending time at His feet)

God speaks to us through His Word. We have to be open to hear and understand. The Holy Spirit will lead us in our comprehension and reveal reproof to align our thoughts with truth. I have found Scripture to be firm and secure even when crying out to God “I don’t understand this!” Somehow He has always shed light on His Word through various ways, but not until I did my part on pursuing more understanding. I had to stop just adding God to my life and surrender to His kingship. It took me separating myself for some deep rooted loves in my life that were holding me back from moving forward. For me, I had to completely hand over my sponge because I had spoiled it-it was useless. The Father restored it and gave me another chance. I struggle over and over yet I refuse to let the enemy saturate my life. I want to be a bold follower by knowing God and His Word. May He fill me to overflowing, work through me, and give me understanding of Scripture to use my sponge for His Glory.

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Crown the Sword: Chapter 4-How can Scripture Impact?

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Have you ever studied the impact of a water droplet? Do you know the effects according to the surface it hits? Think about it this way-what happens to the water droplet landing on granite versus landing in a pond? You may not be able to scientifically explain it but it is obvious to the naked eye-the impact is different.

With that analogy in mind, what impacts your life? Are there times when God’s Word finds the surface of your heart hard? Can your eyes see the insight of Scripture? Does your entire being respond and absorb the Bible’s principles and apply it to your daily living? Will that single drop of His Word increase your desire to want the entire out pouring? Do you really want the ripple effect of the Lord?

As stated in Chapter 4, Ezra was impacted by divine wisdom. He “allowed Scripture to penetrate his inner being and transform him entirely”. I want that! I want that kind of devotion! I want to study Scripture beyond my own ability! I want to obey God’s Word in every aspect of my life! And, even as I write this, I fall short. There are areas of struggle in my life right now that are a part of my own doing. Places where I haven’t learned to live out Scripture and allow God to grow.

What about you?

However, when I have clung to Scripture, abided full in Christ, and claimed God as my Yahweh Nissi, I found a beautiful treasure. Scripture-“It is a mighty gift-the best I have ever unwrapped on any occasion.” (page 49)

Do you really want a life submerged in God’s Holy Word? Make your appeal known to God. Please ponder your thoughts and pour out your desires to Him no matter how far fetched they make seem. Let this week be the beginning to a Word-fed life. Ask God for a heart His Word can penetrate. Write it, Claim it, Shout it, Pray it, Draw it, Sing it, Cry it-

God has been waiting for this moment. He knew you would be right there, in that very spot, reading these very words! His disposition towards you is complete love. Stop and read John 3:16 in several translations and get a good view of this Love.

What is your disposition to God? Is it love for Him and His Word? Let this be the week to get in touch with your inward aspiration. It is an individual choice to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5 ESV)

I don’t know about you but I needed to hear this:

IF NOT NOW-WHEN?

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Crown the Sword: Ch. 3-How Can I just LISTEN to God?

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“In Zephaniah 3:17, we are assured God is with us. We are even told His love will quieten us, and He will rejoice over us with singing.” However, how quiet do we have to become in order to really hear God’s voice? In our daily world it seems there is never a quiet moment. For instance, what do you hear right now? I hear the typing of the keys, a space heater, the ticking of a clock, the laughter of my husband, the jingling of the dog’s tags, and the sound of the television in the distance. (and this is a quiet night at home).

Life pulls and tugs for our attention. In our fast paced environment, we have perhaps forgotten how to intentionally stop and just listen. I am talking about refraining from responding, listening past the words, and tapping into the true nature of the one speaking. Seeing beyond what you know and hearing the voice of God deep within your heart. Disciplining your mind to comprehend a new perspective and training your ears to be in tune with a higher being. Devising your perfect quiet time agenda and exercising it routinely. Oh in a perfect world you say?

Think about this…let’s focus on your best friend. How did you get to this point in your relationship? By spending very little time together and when you did-you did all the talking? No! There was give and take, moments of listening, times of seeing past your own viewpoint, days when disclosures occurred, and if they were a really good friend-having those hard conversations no one else would approach. And why are you willing to do this and so much more–because you value them and they value you. A free gift of love and trust. A beautiful bond with deep rooted understanding and insight. You would stop everything and just listen if they called right now. Plus, you could pick out their voice in a crowd blindfolded. You know them and they know you.

So, do you know God’s voice? I am venturing to say since you are reading this, you have heard His voice at least once. Remember, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) But God desires for us to know Him more than just this one encounter. The Father desires to be more than our best friend. He wants us to listen to His voice above and beyond all others. It is one way we can grow in faith. In Romans 10:17 we are told, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing my the word of God.” So, how often do you intentionally take time away to just listen.

His very words spoke the world into existence. His very words caused the dead to rise. His very words made the lame walk. His very words changed Saul to Paul instantly. His very words placed life within the womb. Powerful-miraculous-life-changing-transformational words-His very voice! And He still speaks today! God can restore, renew, redeem, and refine us beyond recognition. When we make time to stop and truly listen, our relationship with Him goes from distance to personal. God reveals His attributes one by one and becomes very real when we make Him a priority.

Listen-nothing more and nothing less. Be still-sit in silence-quiet your spirit-and tune into His channel. Train your mind to stop injecting personal thoughts-develop eyes to see beyond closed eyelids-open your heart to more than feelings and head knowledge-and exercise your hearing ability to seek, know, and listen to His Voice. Oh the sweet aroma of His breath!

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Crown the Sword: Ch. 2-Why the Stretch?

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Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (NIV)

Trials, temptations, adversary attacks, conflicts, disappointments, and life strains pull and tug at our heart, mind, and soul. The stretch often has us pleading for reprieve and begging for escape. Our appeal is for the test to be terminated instantaneously. If the pressure would lessen then we could better tolerate and cope is normally our generalization and mindset. Rarely do we ask-what is the purpose of this hardship?

God reminds us that when tests and trials enter, growth can occur. He even allows us to be stretched beyond our comfort zone because He loves us. (He is a Father-and discipline comes with the role.) However, the level of reverence and maturity varies for each of us. I stayed in the teenage zone for way too long. (Go ahead and ask God-He will agree with me!) I wanted everything to go my way and I had convinced myself I knew best. There may be a thousand reasons for this lack of trust and stubbornness but it is still no excuse. It took me being on the verge of life to realize my need to let God in the driver’s seat. Friends, I wasted a lot of God’s time. I was far from teachable and willing to be refined for a lifetime.

One thing I learned-spiritual growth begins with allowing God to lead. The Father is our assurance-the promise of survival and deliverance. Reigning victoriously starts way before the struggle. It originates with our understanding that we have not been promised sunshine 24/7. Life brings storms and raging winds. We have to decide ahead of time how we are going to fight our battles and if we are going to be compliant and dedicated enough to embrace the stretch. A choice to allow the valleys to strengthen our defenses and intensify our coping mechanisms.

Think about the power of the stretch under God’s authority:

Broadening our understanding of who God is

Extending the level of our faith

Enlarging our wisdom

Widening our eyes to the schemes of the enemy

Now ponder the results when trying to obtain victory on our own:

Broadening our thoughts of being incapable (possibly leading to depression)

Extending our level of anxiety

Enlarging our focus on ourselves (selfishness)

Widening our relationship gap with God

We can have the triumphant life when we preserve ourselves through walking in obedient faith daily. God is our way of escape. He can and will supply the support and elasticity. In Him, we can reign victorious and the words “Oh snap!” will only be for the enemy. It will be the sound of the adversary’s plan failing and slapping him in the face. Can I get an AMEN?

What are you committed to doing in advance?

Can you accept your current stretch?

Reach out-let us pray for you.

We have been there!!

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 2:18 (NIV)

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Prepare for the Unexpected

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You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Struggles-disruptions-setbacks. Not exactly the words we want weaved into our lives. Those major disappointments and seasons of tragedy seem to always show up. Crazy annoying interruptions-revealing true faith and reliance on God. We quickly discover the construction of our foundation: solid or shaky.

The enemy tried hard for almost five solid years to “pop every balloon” in my life. Such a BRAT!

However, each storm in the dark valley allowed me an opportunity to grow. I was determined to take every life circumstance and place it under God’s authority. I began seeking God every second of my life. Honestly, the Lord probably said, “Okay girl, it is time to make a change! Grow up and take your journey to eternity more serious.” I started with living out one scripture a week. Then I began a small ladies’ group on Saturday mornings to hold me accountable to praying, reading and studying. I reexamined my priorities and struggled to find my individualized plan. Then in 2018, God gave me a spiritual growth plan! A chance to rebuild my foundation.

Have you watched the War Room? It became very evident to me in the fall of 2017 that I needed a battle plan. Ed Young, in his book Battle Plan, states that just as God has a plan for your life so does Satan. This was hard to hear–I knew it was time to work on my spiritual maturity and find a better way to stand strong!

Our intentional pursuit needs a growth plan because in this world we will faces battles. Rick Warren says that our growth plan must have incremental steps 

1. First, Know Christ in order to…

2. Love Christ

3. Grow in Christ

4. Serve Christ

5. Share Christ

Chip Ingram, in his book God As He Longs for You to See Him, states five specific actions to take when seeking God.

1. Accept, learn, treasure, and store up His word. (Defense-Sword)

2. Submit to God and have a desire to be taught by God. (Refined)

3. Develop a passionate prayer life.

4. Make your quest for God a priority each day. (Battle plan)

5. Seek God with all our heart. (put on God’s armor)

A battle plan begins with knowing our purpose, establishing our priorities, living out scripture, relying upon the Holy Spirit, surrendering to lifetime refinement from God, and determining personal growth and needs. Also, you have to determine what you are willing to do. My spiritual growth plan began when I made this affirmation:

I am COMMITTED to spiritual maturity.

I am WILLING to learn and apply the knowledge God has in store for me.

I am DEVOTED to living for God.

“Living the rest of your life for the glory of God will require a change in your priorities, your schedule, your relationships, and everything else.” -Rick Warren 

It required a commitment. God revealed to me that this was the only way to real growth and to develop a steadfast faith. I discovered it was part of my calling and my chance to show sincere obedience. God longed to extend strength, hope, love, wisdom, and good battle skills. He deemed me His mighty warrior and now it was up to me to keep my sword sharp and my heart open to His training. Preparing for the unexpected struggles, disruptions, and setbacks. Why? Because they will still come my way.

How are you preparing for the unexpected?

Where do you want to be with God six months from now? What do you want to be able to do when the next storm hits? Remember, we cannot see everything that is happening nor see the future. But God sees everything. Press in, trust Him, learn His attributes, cling to His promises, carry out His commands, and draw close to your eternal Father. He is so good and He will come through.

Scripture reference:

Hebrews 6:1-2

Ephesians 4:15

1 Corinthians 13:11

Colossians 1:9-10

2 Peter 3:17-18

Hebrews 5:14

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Crown The Sword: Introduction

What a pleasure to walk with you through Refining’s first book study, Crown The Sword! It is exciting to hear people are engaging through an online group, individual study, face-to-face meetings, and even individual couples journeying together.

This is the first of many blog gatherings focused on this new release. It’s not too late to head over to Amazon where you will find a Kindle edition as well as the paperback. The book encourages interaction, note taking, and personal reflection writings for each chapter so if you are a Kindle lover, grab yourself a small notepad.

In a recent survey I discovered out of 331 million Americans today, only 9% read a Bible daily. Yet, almost one third of the population believe it is a complete guide to living a fulfilled life. It is the one book which has sold more copies and been translated into more languages than any other book in the history of the entire world.

God established His very words as nourishment to sustain every human. Why? Because life can be downright difficult. Think about some of those piercing painful valleys in your personal life. They can drain us to the point of hopelessness and place us in a position of overload before we know what hit us! The introduction to the book addresses this daunting challenge immediately.

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Proverbs 30:5 (ESV)

Let’s reflect on a few encouraging quotes addressing life struggles in the Introduction…

Prepared

“How can anyone ever be fully prepared for a season of tragedy and major disappointments? What about disruptions and setbacks to those well-laid-out plans you made?”

Invited

“God is anxiously awaiting to afford you the supernatural ability to flourish in life by engaging in His good and perfect gift, Scripture.”

Equipped

“…embrace a Word-fed life beyond mere Scripture reading—a lifestyle…for living. My dear warrior, your sword awaits.”

WOW! A treasured gift from the Lord-a sword of defense not only for hard times but for every second of every minute. And-God calls each of us a warrior. What food for thought and an invitation to personally assess the value, love, and use of Scripture.

What is hitting home for you?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Meet the author: Genna is an outstanding Christian writer of non-fiction works. Her writings encourage others to assess their walk with the Lord and stimulate growth. This native Texan is an educator by trait and author of Refining, a foundational study assessing one’s spiritual maturity which has stimulated many since 2019. She aspires to teach others world-wide how to sanction God’s supremacy and biblical authority as executor over their day-to-day lives.

She evolved into a passionate advocate for God and His Word after enduring half a decade of painful life circumstances. Being transparent with her life journey, Genna strives to instill the importance of surrendering ALL to the Lord. As an everyday woman, her main message to her audience is if God can penetrate her heart, downgrade her controlling human nature, and bring her life under the authoritative counsel of scripture, He can do miraculous things for anyone willing to know Him.

Come follow the Refining team on social media. You will be blessed by the words God has placed on their hearts. They love hearing from readers like you so do not hesitate to email them at refiningjourney@gmail.com.

“I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart”(Jeremiah 24:7 NIV)
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The book, the book!

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

Many would say 2020 delivered a powerful punch and a year to never forget. Yes, it definitely was not the vision I had thought it might be when I wished you Happy New Year a year ago.

However, God gave me His sight for a future-a future that is so unfamiliar. A time in my life where He decided I should take on a YES posture and not worry about being equipped for the task ahead. I often asked myself last year, “What have I got myself into?”. Yet, I continued to press forward and write a book He laid on my heart.

First of all, I am NOT a writer. I love to read, learn new things, and do anything but write-well that is up until Spring of 2019. God held my feet to the fire and reminded me that I told Him I would do whatever He asked if He would just give me one year to recover from the discipline gorge which lasted half a decade.

So, here I am almost two years later. A changed child of the Lord-crafting His directions into blogs and now a book! He has captured my heart and gave me a direction like none other. He has surrounded me with encouragement and hope. There aren’t enough words to explain the joy and love I have found in God.

I wish someone had given me this book years ago. However, I might not have been ready to be 100% sold out to His leading. But I do know what I am capable of today–handing back any gift He gives to me for His Glory.

This is your book Lord. Do with it what you may-it does not belong to me. I am merely a vessel to ensure it was relayed. May it touch lives for You and encourage others to fall deeply in love with a treasured gift-Your Very Words!

Come learn how to live your life through an Open Bible sweet friend.

He continues to show me the truth in this verse…I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. Jeremiah 24:7 (NIV)

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