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Monday, September 5, 2016

Increase Our Faith

Increase Our Faith????
                                       
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Romans 12:3
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.



As it states above, Faith is a gift of God and it is amazing how our faith does not need to be increased or "super-sized".  My strong mustard seed of faith is just fine.  Oh, over my years, at times I thought I wanted more faith, but I have learned that Trusting the faith God has measured out (given) to me was all I really needed to do.  A baseball size faith is of little consequence if  we do not fully and completely Trust Him.


The Romans 12:3* verse about how our faith is measured out to us from God has not bothered me for most of my years and always; as I studied this verse, it gave me abundant hope. But what has bothered me is when people, especially preachers, talk about us "growing our faith".  Simply stated, talk of "increasing"* our faith bothers me and goes against what Jesus taught (Luke 17:5,6*).  As people, how can we increase the faith God has given us.  In His perfection, our imperfection shines bright when we think we can improve on the blessings and gifts God gives us.  Today, I still see and feel we cannot grow, super-size, or "increase our faith" (Luke 17:5*) by ourselves  because
                      God measures out to us our faith.  And,
I am old enough and experienced enough to know and understand that--
     In His Perfection, what God gives us is sufficient for our needs! 


I have learned that
  in using our faith,
      in depending on our faith daily, and
            in holding on to our dependence on Him forever,
                     especially in our low times,
then
      in and by our Trusting God and Jesus
              we change not the size of our faith,
but rather,

      we  change 
because
      He leads us to be and to feel stronger in our Relationship with Him and
therefore,

      We trust God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and our faith even more.

 Mainly, we just have to be prepared
     to Trust His results and His answers to our faith, our Relationship with Him.

Faith- our Relationship with God is similar to a muscle in our body.  It is there and in the beginning it is weak, but with exercise the muscle gets stronger.  Similarly, when we exercise our faith, our God-desired Relationship with Him likewise gets stronger.  Then, if we cease to exercise, it shrinks, and can return to its earlier 
weakness. Now, I understand that a muscle gets bigger, but it is just as plants in "my" garden.  In my garden, after I have nourished the soil, planted the seed, and kept out the sin (weeds) in my garden, it is God that grows the plants and its fruit, and it is the same way our muscles may get bigger, but it is God who grows them.  If we withdraw the water and allow the weeds (sin) to flourish, the plants will die, and in the same way our muscles and faith will wither.  Stronger strengthened faith is a God activity in our lives due to our exercise, and a stronger Relationship with Him develops as long as we exercise the faith seed He gives us.  Just remember, it is Holy Scripture, Luke 17:5,6* that explains we do not need more faith and it is our exercising our faith that makes that seed of faith stronger.

Truly in our low times of trusting God,
      we feel renewed and strengthened
            in the faith God has measured out to us.  



Sometimes gifts of God come in unexpected ways.  Recently in some low troubling times of my heart, I found in some simple work at church involving small, unexpected challenges that surfaced, and some troubling thoughts were displaced for awhile and I was lead to write this Testimony.

    The Glory of life's low times is that in Faith- our Relationship with Him,
 we can look up and know the Good times are ahead and better understand the Glory in our Faith as it, our faith, is strengthened. .

The Glory of FAITH:
 In life we all face Trials.
      
In our Trials,

            they become just a Test or
            perhaps even a Temptation;

but
      In Trusting our God given Faith,
           the troubling temptation is silenced,
           the Test is conquered and
           the trial becomes a victorious Triumph,
     then

           in triumph we are driven to Testimony, and
              in Testimony we strive and thrive in sharing our Faith--
                  our Relationship with God, and

                     of 
His Glorious work in and through our lives.

 The more we daily Trust The Six T's in Faithful Living
   the stronger our faith becomes.

Thanks be to God.

blessings
lonnie

John 14:   Jesus talking to the Apostles:
  
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled.
          Trust in God. Trust also in me."

Luke 17:5,6
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." 

6 So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. 







© lonnie coggins


Please Join 'A Daily Thought Group' on Facebook.  
It is designed to be an uncluttered library of only ‘A Daily Thought’ postings.  

 Thanks and God Bless.



EMAIL?  If you would like to receive an email notification when add a new post to Facebook, about twice a week, send me your email to adailythought@yahoo.com and I will add you to the list in a blind copy.  It will only be used to send you the links to what I publish.




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Sharing these messages



Trusting Faith is a great resource to living a faithful life.  But, do you really need a "super-sized" faith?  Here are some thoughts.

 You are welcome to share these messages.  You can send the links to your friends,  copy and insert the link on FB or you can print the message and share it with your friends.


You can print the message including this sharing message only for your friends and for non-profit.  You MUST copy and paste the message to a word processing document.   After you copy and paste add the following at the end of the message:

© Lonnie Coggins        source- Facebook "A Daily Thought Group"
ldcoggins@gmail.com              www.adailythought.NET

If you desire to use any of these messages in a For-Profit manner you must contact me (email) for permission.  Typically, I will most likely give permission.

Please email me if you find any broken links in this message.


lonnie

Publication  0219


intro

 Our Faith, our "Divine Persuasion" of a Loving God gives us Hope regardless of our troubled times.  We have faith in many things, but have you allowed "Divine persuasion" to fill your life in a Relationship with God. Or, do you just want your faith "supersized"?  Here are some thoughts.
 Please share the message on your Fb page as you like, and if you like, click the FB 'Follow' button to have notifications of these publications.  For other messages like this, visit my FB page, or on FB visit-"A Daily Thought Group".

http://lonnieadailythought.blogspot.com/2016/09/increase-our-faith.html


Monday, August 8, 2016

Amazing Pits

The Amazing Pits in our Lives
                                       
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We all wish for the ups and suffer the downs of living life we call "living in the pits in our lives".  Here are some thoughts.


Let me begin with this observation-  Many places in the Gospels, it says the audience observing what Jesus did or said was "amazed".  As Christians we are often amazed at what God does for us.


I have often thought about my being amazed at God's behavior in the blessings of my life.


Consider this-   In a word study of the Greek that is translated "amazed" in the Gospels, it is found to mean "being astonished at an action that had never been seen or heard before."  Jesus' audience had never seen what we have, the opportunity to read and know all the recorded "amazing" words and deeds of Jesus.  And I wonder.

I wonder how 'amazed' we should feel in God answering our prayers and doing for us in our lives.  We know He loves us dearly and just as we are with our children, He wants to satisfy our needs and when in His will, He even give us some of our desires.  As our children are humble and polite to us, we want to help them in every way we can.  Sometimes that is giving them what they need and want, but sometimes, it is also withholding something to teach them patience, and that often leads to giving them more at a later time.  As with dealing with our children, in God dealing with us God wants only the best for us, but His Timing is important too.

Sometimes I think that if I am greatly amazed at what God does for me, maybe my expectations were just far to low, and question if I should I really feel "amazed"?.  Quite often, it is not what we ask for that controls what we receive from God, but rather, it is how we ask for it.

In Humility, I try not to ask for specifics but rather, very often, I just pray for peace and patience to get to where I need to be, and for the results to be through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  In patience, that peace comes in abundance, even out of my lowest pits; even when the current circumstances remain the same.  God's answers to my prayers always seem to fit, maybe not always immediately, but His answers are most perfect even in the time I consider delayed.  In waiting patiently, His answers eventually come, and most perfectly fits my pits. 

However, there are at times the need is very specific and not a want.  This is so very important to consider.  We cannot allow ourselves to feel slighted by God when we pray for a want and get little to nothing of our wants.  Pray for your needs, in humility pray big for your needs, you may get exactly what you pray for.  However, again, pray in humility.

In humility, when we ask for something beyond what we need, he supplies what we really need in a most generous manner that truly is at first amazing, but then, as we realize, He is God and He wants to bring us Joy in fellowship with Him.  Through His Loving action, His initiation, our relationship with Him is our faith in Him.

In humility, we should too remember to pray as Jesus did.  In the worst of His circumstances, in the most pressing moment of His life, at a time things seemed their worst, remember to finish your humble prayers, "not my will, but thine be done."

This is just a thought and not meant to be critical of your expressions of "amazement".  Just a thought to give you some alternative thoughts.   Because....

I am often amazed at what God does for me, but I use it to realize and seek a greater relationship with Him in the faith He gives me; and to understand He has so much more in store for me in the life I live in that Relationship.

The best gift He gives besides life itself, is the "measure" of faith for a loving relationship with Him (Romans 12:3).  Even in my pits, I do not need my faith supersized, I just need to trust Him more as He helps me to crawl out of any pit I come to.  (John 14:1*)  Faith, our Relationship with God, often does not change our circumstances but Trusting God though the Faith He gives us, changes us.

Far too often, in our pits we cry too much in our despair demanding an answer to  "why me?".  Have you ever considered that to get out of the many pits where we find ourselves (especially our self made pits), very often all He needs to give us is a shovel to dig on the wall next to us allowing us to just to make steps to climb out of the pit.  Amazing :).   We simply must trust Him and His Timing.

Finally, In our Pits, we just need to Trust Him, and to trust God more, we need to have the Holy Spirit in our lives.  "To have the Holy Spirit in our lives we need to pray.... and pray.... and pray..... often.... each and every day. *" As you Trust Him more, watch how you change; and do not be too amazed, it is God's everyday work to help you find the Joy in your life you so richly desire.


Thanks be to God
lonnie

An after thought:
 Most amazing perhaps is God's delayed answers to prayer, and 
     sometimes the answer to my prayers is "no" and I am most thankful.
TB2G
* Holy Spirit quote, Rev. Brenda Newman, January, 2009.

© lonnie coggins

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; Trust also in me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.


Please Join 'A Daily Thought Group' on Facebook.  
It is designed to be an uncluttered library of only ‘A Daily Thought’ postings.  

 Thanks and God Bless.



EMAIL?  If you would like to receive an email notification when add a new post to Facebook, about twice a week, send me your email to adailythought@yahoo.com and I will add you to the list in a blind copy.  It will only be used to send you the links to what I publish.


==============================

Sharing these messages

You are welcome to share these messages.  You can send the links to your friends,  copy and insert the link on FB or you can print the message and share it with your friends.

You can print the message including this sharing message only for your friends and for non-profit.  You MUST copy and paste the message to a word processing document.   After you copy and paste add the following at the end of the message:

© Lonnie Coggins        source- Facebook "A Daily Thought Group"
ldcoggins@gmail.com              www.adailythought.NET

If you desire to use any of these messages in a For-Profit manner you must contact me (email) for permission.  Typically, I will most likely give permission.

Please email me if you find any broken links in this message.


lonnie

Publication  0218


intro

Some thoughts on "Amazing Pits" in our lives.   Please share the message on your Fb page as you like, and if you like, click the FB 'Follow' button to have notifications of these publications.  For other messages like this, visit my FB page, or on FB visit-"A Daily Thought Group".

http://lonnieadailythought.blogspot.com/2016/08/amazing-pits.html


Thursday, July 7, 2016

Fear of the Lord

Fear of the Lord

                                       
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It can be confusing to read from the Bible that we should "Fear the Lord" and at the same time God often spoke, the prophets prophesied, and Jesus on occasions told his disciples 'to not be afraid'.

So the question becomes what does it mean to 'Fear the Lord'.  Here are some thoughts for consideration.  


These thoughts are nothing to be afraid of,
      unless you live in rebellion to God.

"Fear of the Lord" is the Positive Quality of
     Reverent Awe and
     Respectful Love
  Resulting In
     A Humble Repentant Heart
         leading to
 our Righteous Obedience.

In our Reverent Awe of the Lord
     We crave our Relationship with Him,

In our Respectful Love of Lord
     We feel desires for Exclusive Devotion to Him,

In the Repentance we know in our Heart
     We dread our failure of the commands we know from Him,

and


Through our  Righteous Response of Prayerful Obedience

     We Know our destiny is unending Praise filled Worship to Him.

Thanks be to God

     for He loves us in spite of ourselves.


Scripture leading to a better understanding of  "Fear the Lord"

    • 30 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the LORD God.”
    • 14 “ ‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.
    • 17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God.
    • 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.
    • 13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.
    • 24 The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.
    • 14 If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God—good!
      1 Samuel 12:24 NIV
      24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.
      Psalm 22:23 NIV
      23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
      Psalm 25:12 NIV
      12 Who, then, are those who fear the LORD? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.

      Psalm 33:8 NIV
      8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.


      Psalm 34:9 NIV
      9 Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.
      Psalm 112:7 NIV
      7 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.



      Psalm 115:13 NIV
      13 he will bless those who fear the LORD— small and great alike.    
    • Psalm 118:4 NIV
      4 Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.”
      • 1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him.

        Proverbs 8:13 NIV
        13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
      • 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
      • 16 The wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.
      • 27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.
      • 33 Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD, and humility comes before honor.
      • Scripture courtesy of BibleStudyTools.com
      • © lonnie coggins

Please Join 'A Daily Thought Group' on Facebook.  
It is designed to be an uncluttered library of only ‘A Daily Thought’ postings.  

 Thanks and God Bless.



EMAIL?  If you would like to receive an email notification when add a new post to Facebook, about twice a week, send me your email to adailythought@yahoo.com and I will add you to the list in a blind copy.  It will only be used to send you the links to what I publish.


==============================

Sharing these messages

You are welcome to share these messages.  You can send the links to your friends,  copy and insert the link on FB or you can print the message and share it with your friends.

You can print the message including this sharing message only for your friends and for non-profit.  You MUST copy and paste the message to a word processing document.   After you copy and paste add the following at the end of the message:

© Lonnie Coggins        source- Facebook "A Daily Thought Group"
ldcoggins@gmail.com              www.adailythought.NET

If you desire to use any of these messages in a For-Profit manner you must contact me (email) for permission.  Typically, I will most likely give permission.

Please email me if you find any broken links in this message.


lonnie

Publication 0217


intro


What does it mean to have "Fear of the Lord" as we find it in the Bible.  Here are some thoughts.  Maybe they will help you understand there is not to be afraid of, as long as we are not in rebellion.  Please share the message on your Fb page as you like, and if you like, click the FB 'Follow' button to have notifications of these publications.  For other messages like this, visit my FB page, or on FB visit-"A Daily Thought Group".