Faith – Page 2 – Karen Gamble Writes

Belonging to God

I was reading a bible study book and it mentioned Psalm 100:3, which says:

Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. (NIV)

There’s a lot of good stuff in this verse, but what really stuck out to me was the second line –

It is He who made us, and we are His,

According to this verse, it is God who made us.

We weren’t made by accident. We didn’t suddenly just exist.

We didn’t evolve from slime somewhere.

God made us.

On purpose.

He meant to do it.

Because God has made us, we belong to Him.

We are His people.

This means we aren’t our own.

Category: Faith, God, Life, Submission, Trust | LEAVE A COMMENT

Count It All Joy…

One bible passage I used to really struggle with comes from the book of James.

It says,

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. –James 1:2-4

So, according to this verse, we are supposed to be joyful over the trials of life?!?

In a way that seems far-fetched.

But look closer…

First, James is talking to other Christians.

We know this because he calls them his brothers.

As Christians, we live within the boundaries of God’s economy, not man’s.

This means that the reasoning and morals of God are what we adhere to.

They are different than the world’s and are often complete opposites to each other.

As Christians we cannot look at things from the world’s point of view.

We must look at things from God’s perspective.

Next, notice he says to consider it joy.

He doesn’t say the trial should be joyful in and of itself.

Category: Faith, Scripture Study | LEAVE A COMMENT

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church 2020

Tomorrow is International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

Traditionally celebrated on the first Sunday of November, it’s purpose is to highlight the need to pray for our Christian Brothers and Sisters around the world who are not free to openly worship Christ.

Please spend some time this weekend praying for the Persecuted Church.

More information may be found at Voice of the Martyrs.

They have information on ways to pray as well as opportunities to write to Christians inprisoned for their faith.

They also have a phone app called, Pray Today. This app offers a daily prayer prompt for people groups and countries in need of prayer due to the religious persecution they face.

It can be found in your app store or visit their website by clicking here.

Category: Death, Faith, Prayer | LEAVE A COMMENT

Spiritual Warfare Armor, Pt. 1 – Sunday School Outline

Last week we talked about Spiritual Warfare.

We have an enemy who is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)

He hates us because he hates Christ and wants to destroy us.

Thankfully, Christ beat him once and for all at Calvary with His death, burial, and resurrection.

He’s a defeated foe.

As Christians we’ve been given weapons of warfare to fight against the enemy and his schemes.

These weapons are called the armor of God.

So, today we’re going to look at some of the pieces of that armor.

We are still in the book of Ephesians, chapter 6.

Ephesians 6:14 –

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around our waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place – NIV

Let’s look first at the belt of truth –

Or, as the KJV calls it – having your loins girt about with truth

I went to BlueLetterBible.org and looked this word up in the original Greek.

It had 3 definitions –

What is true in any matter under consideration; in reality; in fact; certainty.

So, this would mean whatever is true of a situation; what’s really going on.

The literal truth of it.

The second definition was:

Category: Faith, God, Scripture Study, Sunday School | LEAVE A COMMENT

He Will Supply All My Needs

I was in a Bible Study recently where the verse Philippians 4:19 came up.

It’s a very popular verse.

It says:

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

It’s reassurance that all our needs will be met.

It’s a good reminder that God is Yahweh Yireh – the God who provides.

People commonly recite this verse when they are concerned about material needs such as rent, utilities, groceries, etc.

That’s a valid and important part of it.

God does supply for all our material needs.

But – there are other aspects to it.

Ones we don’t always stop to realize and appreciate.

Category: Faith, God, New Testament, Trust | LEAVE A COMMENT

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church 2019

There are several countries and regions of the world where Christianity is prohibited.

Because of this, many Christians in these areas are not free to openly worship God or serve Christ.

They are displaced from their homes and villages, discriminated against, beaten, and in some cases killed simply for believing in Jesus.

Today Christians around the world are joining together and praying for these brothers and sisters who are suffering greatly for their faith.

Please help us pray for their safety as well as for governments and countries to change and allow religious freedom.

Visit Voice of the Martyrs where you can learn more as well as receive resources to help you share this important ministry.

Category: Faith, Family, Prayer | LEAVE A COMMENT

The Face of Humility

Today a lady came by my office seeking help.

She’d been sent by another church who knew we have a homeless ministry.

It seems she and her 37-year-old son had been evicted from their apartment following some sad events concerning a questionable landlord.

I apologized as I explained we had no funds available and would not be able to help.

In a trembling voice, she said it was ok; she understood.

Tears fell down her face when I offered to pray for her.

As I prayed I remembered we had a few gift cards to a local restaurant and offered them to her, asking if she was hungry.

Her humble reply, “Well, we haven’t eaten in about 3 days, but that’s okay.” Her humble and gentle demeanor made it clear she really was in need.

I gave her the cards and rounded up a few cans of soup from the storage area.

She was so thankful, repeatedly telling me she appreciated it and thanking me for my kindness.

Feeling bad that I couldn’t do more for her, I gave her the number to a local Christian homeless shelter and apologized again that we couldn’t help.

She looked me straight in the eye, smiled, and said,

“That’s okay. God gave me

what I deserved today and it’s plenty.

We’ll be just fine.”

She left my office smiling.

Plenty? A gift certificate and a few cans of soup and she thinks it’s plenty? She and her disabled son are homeless and she thinks that’s plenty? What a testament to her faith!

Later, I sat at my desk and thought about how kind, gentle, and sweet she was. I kept thinking about what a bad spot she was in through no fault of her own. How humbly she’d accepted my small offerings with great appreciation and gratitude.

It dawned on me – I’m the one who should be thanking her.

She reminded me of the importance of a humble attitude of gratitude.

I might be the one sitting in this office assigned with the task of showing God’s love, but this lady showed me what true humility and love for the Savior really looks like.

So, thank you, Ms. Kathy.

It was an honor and a privilege to meet you!

Your witness is truly an inspiration for us all!

(this post was originally published on my previous blog, the link to which is no longer available)

Category: Faith, God, Submission | LEAVE A COMMENT

How to Study Your Bible

Regular Bible Study is an important part of being a Christian. (read why here)

If it’s not something you are familiar with it can be a bit intimidating. The Bible is a big book and it may be confusing as to where to start.

(Tip: The Bible is divided into two parts: The Old Testament and the New Testament.

Each of these is a collection of books combined together. When I say book in this post I am talking about one of these books, not the entire Bible.)

When it comes to reading it, don’t be afraid.

Just jump in there and try, even if you are uncomfortable or nervous.

Once you get started you might see it’s not as hard as you thought it would be!

Here are some steps to follow to help get you started reading:

Give yourself grace.

You cannot sit and read all of it at once.

You typically can’t even read a whole book, unless it’s one of the really short ones like Jude or 3rd John.

That’s okay, it’s not a race.

It’s an investment in your life, your faith walk, and God’s kingdom.

So take a deep breath and relax.

It’s not a race!

Start by finding a quiet spot and uninterrupted few minutes.

This might mean you have to get up a few minutes early. You could also use your lunch break at work, or time alone in the evening when the day has calmed down.

Category: Faith, God, Scripture Study, Teaching | LEAVE A COMMENT

See You At the Pole 2019

Today

7 a.m. (local time)

Please pray for the students who will be expressing their faith by gathering at their school’s flag pole this morning

if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

For more information, please see the See You At the Pole website

Category: Faith, Life, Prayer | LEAVE A COMMENT

Global Week of Student Prayer 2019

Today marks the beginning of the Global Week of Student Prayer.

It is a time set aside to focus on praying for students, schools, teachers, and administrators.

The highlight of this week is Wednesday, September 25th, (7 a.m. local time) when students all over the country will gather at their school’s flag pole to pray together.

This year’s theme is “if…”.

It references the verse 2 Chronicles 7:14:

if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)

I encourage you to spend time this week praying for our schools and their leaders.

Please also pray for Christian students to show up and pray that morning.

Pray they are a light in the darkness for the others to see.

Ask the Father to give them the words they need to share His love with their fellow students.

Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders. It’s imperative we cover them in prayer as they grow so they will become the person God has called them to be.

If you would like more information, please check out the See You At the Pole website by clicking here.

Category: Faith, Life, Prayer | LEAVE A COMMENT