Deciding what I want to achieve this year is similar to deciding if I want to make a New Year Resolution or to make Goals. I do not usually make any Resolutions or set Goals.
IRESEARCHNET.COM
That being said, I do have a short list of Goals I would like to achieve this year.
2023 Goals:
To Pray more consistently 🙏🏼
To Read my Bible more 📖
To Read at least 30 minutes per day 📚
To not procrastinate about writing reviews – Be more consistent 📑📝✍️
What are your Goals, Resolutions? What would you like to achieve this year, 2023?
P. S. I must not forget that I want to strive to continue blogging and photography.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. I appreciate y’all.
At times, HOPE can lighten The Load… other times it Strengthens The Bridges
Spiritually, the Bridge is symbolic of communication and union. For example a bridge is symbolic of communication between God and man. It could refer to the connection/communication between heaven and earth.
Besides communicating with God, a bridge can symbolize the following:
Transition – transporting you from one place to another; it could be a physical place or a change in one or more areas of your life.
Unity – uniting two pieces of land, or two people or families.
Conquering Fear – Bridges are a means for overcoming your fears.
Romance – bridges are romantic places to express your love ❤️. Some people place locks on bridges as a symbol of how their love ❤️ will last forever.
A break from the past ( Burning Bridges) – putting your past in the past and not looking 👀 back. Only looking 👀 forward to what lies ahead.
The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn. — David Russell
There are many other symbolism for bridges which I leave you to discover on your own. I will however, deliberate more regarding the Bridge of communicating with God.
Prayer is more than a wish; it is the Voice of Faith directed to God. —- Billy Graham
In previous posts we’ve learned that prayer is simply talking to God. Prayer is the bridge of communication between God and man. Do you believe prayer 🙏🏼 is a bridge? Do you believe in prayer, talking to God? I believe prayer is a bridge to communicating with God. Do I pray? Not often enough, even though I believe God answers prayers.
Is the only time we pray when we make a mess of our lives or when we panic? Why is it that in times of difficulty we turn to prayer? Is it because our instincts, our beliefs, lead us to pray in hard times? The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Do we put God on hold until we realize we cannot fix our own problems? I know I am not in the habit of praying like I should.
Why do we choose to pray? Has someone suggested to us? Have we learned it from others? We choose to pray to God because we have faith that He will answer. Our faith leads us to choose to communicate with God. Our faith leads us to believe that God can fix any problem or situation we find ourselves in.
” Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1 NIV (New International Version)
Faith is the bridge we build to heaven each time we feel drawn to pray and desire to be closer to Jesus. The more our faith increase, the more we choose to pray and develop a strong bridge of communication between ourselves and God.
Therefore, we have discovered that both prayer and faith are types of bridges that can and will connect us to God if we so choose.
Whether you choose to build a bridge to God through Faith and Prayer is up to you. I believe God holds the answers to any and all problems, therefore, I choose to have faith in God and pray to Him. Faith and prayer are my bridges to a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ. What are your bridges? Do you choose to pray? Build your bridges to a better life.
Increasing in the Knowledge of God! Colossians 1:9-12
We’ve been studying Colossians 1:9-12 for the past few days. It is an interesting study. Going through this passage a section at a time has taken some time, but I think in doing so we are slowly learning about Walking with Jesus. We’ve learned that prayer is simply talking to God, sharing our hearts and minds with Him. We learned that Walking with Jesus is talking with Him anytime, anywhere, and while we are doing anything. We also learned about knowing God’s Will, that if we ask God will teach us what His Will is and how we are to do it. In our last post we discussed what it meant to Walk Worthy of the Lord. We learned that to Walk Worthy we need to be Walking and Growing in Christ daily, trusting Him to take care of us and guide us.
Colossians 1:10 Paul’s Prayer
Why should we be increasing in the knowledge of God? How do we gain/grow in our knowledge of God? We’ll start by discovering why we should increase in the knowledge of God.
The Better we Know God, the more our love will grow for Him.
….. We will trust Him more
….. We will brag about Him more
….. We will experience eternal life with Him more
….. We will be discerning more
….. We will experience His delight more
Now we know why, but what about the how? What must we do to grow in the knowledge of God? To grow in Christ means to get to know Him better. The following are ways in which we can use to get to Know God better and grow in His knowledge.
Read God’s Word, The Holy Bible. Renew our Minds.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2
The Bible gives us spiritual wisdom and understanding.
God’s Word Reveals Christ to us.
Time and experience.
Submit to God’s plan
Keep our Eyes on God
Pray continuously
Spread God’s Love
Ephesians 1:17
Therefore, in order to grow in the knowledge of God we must read and study the Word of God, we must pray, talk to Him constantly, we must share God’s love with others. we must allow God to grow us into who He wants us to become.
God Bless. Walk with Jesus. Pray to God. Study God’s Word. Grow in Christ. Become more like Christ each day.
Worthy is having sufficient worth or importance worthy to be remembered. What does it mean to be worthy? Being worthy means that you are aware that you deserve respect and have self-respect for yourself. We all deserve respect and need to have self-respect. Value your time, your space, and your life. You don’t have to be perfect to be worthy. Everyone deserves love and acceptance and to be embrace for who they are flaws and all.
Now that we know what worthy means, let’s take a look at what Walking Worthy of the Lord means. In order to Walk Worthy, we must first understand the tremendous price God paid to redeem us and we must appreciate his sacrifice.
‘I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV (English Standard Version)
There are several characteristics that a person should possess in order to be considered to be walking Worthy of the Lord. These attributes are as follows:
Pursue the goal of pleasing the Lord in everything that you do. Behave in a way that you strive to please the Lord.
Constantly bear the right kind of fruit. Exhibit the Fruits of the Spirit: love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.
Continuously increase your knowledge of God. Read and study the Bible.
Constantly receive God’s strength. I can do all things through Christ.
God will develop patience and tolerance into our lives. He will give us calmness to help us through any situation.
Always give joyous praise to God. Thank Him for what He has done and praise Him for who He is.
We are to Walk and Grow in Christ. We do that by keeping the faith, being repentant, and asking for forgiveness. We Keep the faith by continually believe in, trust God to take care of you, to give you the assistance you need. Repentant is expressing regret or remorse about a wrongdoing you have done.
Live a Life Worthy of the Lord
God’s grace makes you Worthy. There’s nothing you can do apart from Christ that can make you Worthy. Seek God. Talk to Him, His Grace is sufficient for you.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the Gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
I encourage you to Walk close to Jesus, try to please Him, Study the Word of God and Talk to Him daily. Live a life Worthy of the Lord.
God Bless. Keep the Faith. Trust in God. Thank you! May God direct your paths, comfort and strengthen you and surround you with His love.
In Part One we discussed Pray/Prayer, what it means and the main types of prayer. In PartTwo we deliberated over what it means to Walk with Jesus. We also determined that we can Walk and Talk with Jesus Anytime, Anywhere, and whenever we’re doing Anything. For Part Three we will discover the meaning behind Filled with the Knowledge of His Will.
Colossians 1:9 NLT
As we continue to learn about Walking with Jesus, shall we decipher what it means to be Filled with the Knowledge of HIs Will? What do you think that means? Do you know? I can honestly say that I’m not totally sure what it truly means. It’s not that I haven’t read or studied the Bible before, because I have. I’m sure it was brought up before in church or in my youth group when I was a teen, but if it was, I do not recall what was said about God’s Will. Therefore, we can make this discovery together.
Let’s begin by defining God’s Will. The will of God is the concept of a God having a will for humanity. It is the omnipotence of a divine being, having unlimited power. God has a plan for us just as He has a plan for all creation. The will of God basically includes everything that God desires to happen in Heaven and on Earth. His plan is already laid out. Even though God’s Will has already been all planned out in detail, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any free will for us to decide how our lives will go. He has given us all free will.
My Will vs. God’s Will
How do we know what God’s Will is for us? Knowing God’s Will is a matter of gaining spiritual wisdom and understanding from God himself. Where do we gain this knowledge? From the only source possibly, The Word of God, The Holy Bible. We gain this knowledge by reading the Bible, living a life of obedience, and God’s will is taught, studied, and discovered. It isn’t magically revealed to you. You have to communicate with God as well as God communicating with you. If He’s the only one talking, it’s like He’s having a one-way conversation and that is not what He wants. He wants it to be a two-way conversation. He is willing, are you?
“Teach me to do they will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.”
Psalm 143:10 KJV
There are five known “wills of God.” What are the known “wills of God?”
Be sexually pure – 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, Avoid sexual immorality.
Be filled with the Holy Spirit – Ephesians 5:17-18, Be fill with the Spirit
Understand that believers will suffer – 1Peter 4:19, Those who suffer should trust God
Give thanks always – 1 Thessalonians 5:18, In everything give thanks
Submit to your government – 1 Peter 2:13-15. Submit for the Lord’s sake to every human authority
How do we follow God’s plan for our lives? There are five fundamental things you can do every day to insure you are following God’s plan.
Be in prayer. Talk to Jesus. He will let you know.
Be actively reading in the Bible.
Follow the commands He puts on your heart…. there are several mentioned in the Bible
Seek a godly community. Environment matters. Surround yourself with godly people.
Obey the Truth. The truth is in the Word of God.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do HIs commandments. His praise endures forever.”
Psalm 111:10
In conclusion, we have learned that being filled with the knowledge of his will begins by getting to know God. By reading the Bible, praying, following His commandments, and giving thanks always to God. It is not only something we read but is done by living according to the instructions He gives us in His Word. Being filled with His knowledge is a lifelong journey.
Life with God is a Journey
God bless. Life is a journey. Walking with Jesus is a journey. God wants us to be filled with the Spirit. Join me on my journey of discovery in Walking and Talking with Jesus.
Thank y’all. I appreciate y’all. Feel free to like, comment, and follow.
To review, we discussed what it meant to Pray. We discovered that Prayer was simply talking to God. We are dissecting the verses in Colossians 1:9-11.
‘And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.”
Colossians 1:9-11 ESV
WALK WITH JESUS
What does it mean to Walk with Jesus? Walking with Jesus gives us assurance of HIs presence and power in our lives. It means we need to keep in step with Him. How do we keep in step with Jesus? By modeling our actions after HIs and follow the instructions God has provided for us and obeying God’s commandments laid out in the Bible.
Walking with God means Speaking to God anytime, anywhere, while we are doing anything.
There are several verses in the Bible which refer to Walk as Christ walked. We find encouragement of becoming like Christ Jesus in 1 John 2:6.
“He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”
1 John 2:6 KJV
And in 1 John 1:7 it states:
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7 ESV
Then in Ephesians 2:10 the Bible says:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 ESV
The following verse comes from the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 5:33. It commands us to walk in the way the LORD God has commanded us to walk.
“You shall walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.”
Deuteronomy 5:33 ESV
Walking with God is a daily Adventure
You may say these verses are well and good, but how do I actually Walk with Jesus in my everyday life? I could give you a long list of ways in which you could begin walking with Jesus, however, I will list the three that you need the most.
Begin each day in prayer. Spend quality time praising God, acknowledging who He is, and thanking Him for all He has provided you.
Have a daily quiet time. Designate some time each day to spend with God. Mark the time you schedule on your calendar and set a reminder so you will remember to spend quiet time with God. I know if I don’t plan it, mark it down, schedule it; I will not remember to actually spend the time alone with God each day that I need.
Study God’s Word daily. God has left us a wonderful instruction manual to live by, that manual is the Bible. The best way we can understand what God has planned for us is to read the Bible. It is the location to assist us in gaining His perspective and wisdom.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV
There’s no way we can truly understand what God has in store for us, for our lives, if we do not take the time to communicate with Him. Take time to talk with God and take the time to let God speak to you through His Word, the Bible.
I am the Light of the World He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12I will never walk alone… for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth. Psalm 26:3
We never have to walk through this world alone. Jesus is more than willing and able to walk beside us and if need be, carry us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Make time for God. Praise Him for who He is. Thank Him for what He has done for you. While talking to Him you can let Hime know how you feel, what you’re thinking, He already knows what you are going through, but He likes to hear from us anyway. God loves you! God loves me!
Have a Blessed day. Be sure to stay tuned for further adventures through Colossians with me. I appreciate y’all. Feel free to like, comment and follow. Thank You.
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.”
Colossians 1:9-11 ESV
In the first part of this verse it mentions not ceasing to pray. What does it mean to prayer? Do you believe in the power of prayer? I believe prayer 🙏🏼 works. I’m not sure if I fully understand how it works, but I know that prayers are answered. Maybe not the way we would like, but they are answered.
Pray means to talk to God. To give thanks or to ask for something. According to Wikipedia. Org, The Catholic Church believes there are four types of prayer 🙏🏼.
Prayer of Adoration/Blessing: Praise God for who He is and give glory and honor to Him.
Prayer of Contrition/Repentance: Showing remorse for sin, asking forgiveness and making a resolution to not sin again.
Prayer of Thanksgiving /Gratitude: Thank God for what He has done and what He has given you.
Prayer of Supplication/Petition/Intercession: Requesting God to fulfill a need, give you the desire of your heart ❤️ . It is not to demand but to plead on His kindness to provide for our needs.
1Timothy 2:1 NHEB
Will discuss each section of these verses, over the course of the week. Giving my opinion on what is meant and what is meant by Walk with Jesus. Stay tuned for more updates regarding Colossians 1:9-11.
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