God Provides

All Present, All Knowing, All Powerful05/21/2014 By Kristen Bannon 1 Comment

So… did you have any trials this week?  Anything that went wrong or not the way you thought it should go?  Did you praise God through it?  It takes practice!  Our human response is to start worrying and complaining, but… God wants us to praise Him no matter what!  Keep working at praising through the storms of life!

This week we are discussing the attributes (characteristics) of God.  We have heard of these attributes before, but it doesn’t mean we understand each of them.  We will discuss a few today.  The first is OMNIPRESENT.  Omnipresent means that God is everywhere at all times.  HE is with me in Florida, my friend Kerri in Michigan, my friend Kim in Colorado, and people all across the world all at the same time.  HE can and is there for all of us all the time!  Jeremiah 23:24 says ”’Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord.”  God is with us always!  It says in the Bible “I am with you always”.  This phrase is repeated 22 times in the Old and New Testament.

The second attribute is OMNISCIENT.  Omniscient means that God knows everything.  God’s knowledge is perfect, therefore HE doesn’t need to learn anything.  Since He knows everything and His knowledge knows no boundaries, nothing can be hidden from Him.  Psalm 147:5 says “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.”  God knows everything about us… our hurt, our needs, our past actions, our present actions, our future actions, our thoughts, what is right and what is wrong.

The third attribute is OMNIPOTENT.  Omnipotent means that God has all power.  God has no limitations.  He has unending power.  He does not need to replenish any energy that He uses.  Job 42:2 says:  “I know that you can do anything and that no one can stop you.”  During creation it says that on the 7th day God rested.  This was to show us that we need to rest, not because God needed it.

Your homework this week is:  Thank God for His all present, all knowing and all powerful attributes.

Next week: More attributes of God.

May the Word of Christ Dwell in You05/14/2014 By Kristen Bannon 1 Comment

I pray that you had a wonderful week!  Did you say your memory verses to a family member?  Have you been able to use your verses to get through tough times?  God is with you and wants you to keep His Words close to your heart.  Colossians 3:16 tells us to “let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.”  We are to not only read the Bible, but memorize verses also.

This week we are learning how to praise God through the storms of our lives.  John 16:33 says “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.”  The Lord says that we WILL have trouble!  So, if we WILL have trouble… let’s be prepared!  We can have peace in the Lord and in His Words!  If you would like to read more about the storms of life, you can read the book of Job.  Job went through many trials and still stayed close to the Lord!  Our hope is in the Lord!

I have been through many trials in my life (like most of you have).  I went through some of the trials just feeling sorry for myself.  I cried, I became depressed, I shut down.  That’s exactly what satan wanted.  Then, I learned how to praise God instead!  I’m still sad over my trials, but I give my problems to the Lord and I praise Him! God allowed me to go through those trials so that I could help others go through the same trials later on.

Some ways to praise Him are:  Listen to Christian music, read the Bible, listen to Christian preachers on TV, read a devotional, start naming all the attributes of God, write down things you are thankful for or do something for someone else.

Your homework for this week is to praise God through any storm or frustration you come across.

Next week:  The attributes of God!

Truth: God Wants You05/07/2014 By Kristen Bannon Leave a Comment

Last week we talked about four specific verses of Scripture we could use to minister to others.  Do you know #1?  John 3:16?  It’s one of the best known Bible verses!  Many people learn it as their first memorized verse.  It explains that God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us!  His love in never ending!

 ”God is love.
He didn’t need us. But he wanted us.
And that is the most amazing thing.”

 Rick Warren

Let’s continue on with Scripture that can help us minister:

5.)  God is merciful, full of grace and love:  Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”

6.)  Remedy: Jesus + nothing:  John 14:6 ”Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

7.)  The promise and the power:  II Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.”

8.)  We can know that we have eternal life:  I John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

(These steps, conjoined with Scriptural passages, were found at:  http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/)

The above four steps, in conjunction with last weeks’ four, will help you minister to others.  The more you have memorized, the easier it is for you to be confident talking to others about the Lord.

Take one verse a week.  Meditate on the verse and make sure you know it well before moving on to the next verse.  Soon, all eight will flow from your mouth as you are praising the Lord!

Your homework this week is to say whatever verses you have memorized to someone in your family.

Next week:  How to praise God through the storms of life.