Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 6, 2014

A Better Deal

cb devo jan6“Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.” Deuteronomy 4:9a (NIV)

 Wrong size, wrong color, doesn’t work or just plain don’t like it – so we head to the store and wait in line.  Like we didn’t wait in line long enough Christmas shopping.  I don’t know about you but I hate to exchange or return anything, but my co-worker is a return Queen.  The back seat of her car is proof a return is on the way back to the store and it doesn’t bother her one bit.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could rewind the clock and make a few personal returns?   We could gather up all our don’t likes or things that just didn’t work the way we envisioned and exchange them for a better deal. If so, that line would probably be very long. Unfortunately that’s not how life works.  Once words slip off our tongue or reactions hit us square in the face, the recall button is nonexistent.  Difficult choices made without consulting God first can land us deep in unknown consequences.  Maybe that’s why God warns us to keep a guard over our lives.  Maybe that’s why we should carefully watch how we make decisions.  Maybe that’s why scripture reminds us to remember what we have read in His Word and how we have seen Him work.  Consistency is God’s trademark, and He has given us all the guidelines we need to be successful  – we just need to hide them deep in our hearts so that they impact all our choices.

 “Father, You have shown us how to live and the consequences of moving outside your protection – help us to stay within the boundaries of Your perfect will.”

 For His Glory

 Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Success, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 3, 2014

Lessons in Life To Learn

Smiling Teacher at Desk with Textbook“I long to obey your commandments! Revive my life with your goodness.” Psalm 119:40(NLT)

 What is God teaching us in this season of life? As we grow spiritually, God will show us areas that need pruning and areas where we need to change. Sometimes lessons have to be repeated until we finally get it; however, we cannot get it if we don’ pray for wisdom. We can only change as God empowers us with His strength. The first thing is to admit the problem we are facing. Then pray and get scriptures to help us renew our minds so change can take place. Sometimes it’s good to have an accountability partner to encourage us – a trusted friend who will not judge but understand. By sharing our challenge, we can pray together. Sometimes we have to be broken over our sin and see how it is affecting us and others. God loves us so much. He wants us to have victory over what holds us captive. Once He delivers us from something then there are other things He will work in us. God’s work never stops, and we should never stop growing. When we allow God to work in areas of our lives we can then minister, counsel, encourage and pray for others so God can set them free. God will shed his light in dark places hidden in the heart. He will begin to expose what’s truly in us, not to condemn us, but that we might repent and be free. God is a loving God, and He wants the best for us.

 “Lord, I long to obey Your commandments. Revive my life with Your goodness. Grow me up in the areas that I need to grow. Thank You for showing me where I fall short and the hope there is in You.  Thank You for accountability friends.  Thank You that only You can change me.” 

 For His Glory

 Linda Reyes Shepherd
TRBC Mountain Blend　

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 2, 2014

Every Day Praise

j0441048“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to Your name. O Most High.” Psalm 92:1 (ESV)

  I haven’t made it out the door yet. In fact, I’m still buried under my covers.   It’s a sweet place of quietness and rest.  Nothing has interrupted my day as God’s refreshing presence ignites my praise. 

 “Thank you God for another morning.  I praise you God for my health and strength.  You’re awesome God in the ways you work; I can’t wait to see what You’re going to do.  Thank You Lord for choosing me.  Praise You Father for guiding my steps.  Jesus, You’re awesome – I couldn’t have a better friend!”

 And that’s just the beginning – God is worthy of our praise all day long.  From the moment our eyelids open until our heads hit that pillow at night, God is orchestrating unpredictable and extravagant moments for our day.  Some may cause our praise to flow effortlessly, yet others may cause our praise to be challenged.  At moments, our own selfish desires may extinguish our praise.  Difficulties may stretch our praise and uncertainty may choke the adoration that once flowed from our lips.  Even if we bury ourselves back under the covers and close our eyes tightly attempting to erase the day – God is still worthy!  In the stillness of the morning greet God with refreshing praise that conveys, “I’m trusting You no matter the day.”

 “Father, Fill our lips with praise that confidently trusts You to carry us through our day.”

 For His Glory

 Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break


 

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Posted in Gratitude, Hope, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 1, 2014

It’s A(nother) New Year

cb devo jan 1“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17a

 Every year, people everywhere decide they want a fresh start. So, when the calendar once again turns over to reveal another January 1st, the new year’s resolutions begin. Some of my past ones have included:

 ~Being a better everything

~Losing weight (bet you haven’t heard that one before)

~Exercising more (see previous item)

~Getting up earlier

~Going to bed earlier

 You get the point. Same old. Same old. Yeah, I’ll try to do better in 2014. I always do. But, here’s the thing. I don’t really need a new year to have a new start. We are told that when we accept Christ as our Savior, we are already a new creation. But, we also know that we are imperfect humans and that we’ll fail again. Thank God He promises to forgive us. Again. (See 1 John 1:9).  So, whenever I am doing something that is not in line with what God wants from me (because it’s for my best). Or whenever I’m not doing something that God expects from me. I know that I can turn to Him, the one who makes me new again and again and again….

 “Dear Lord, thank-You for giving me chance after chance to re-focus on You and what You want for my life. Thank-You for another New Year.”


For His Glory

 Laurel Shaler (www.drlaurelshaler.com)
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Success, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 31, 2013

Winners

cb devo dec 31“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:37 (KJV)

 A conqueror is One who conquers, gains victory, subdues and brings into subjection or possession, by force or by influence. The man who defeats his antagonist in combat is a conqueror, as is the general or admiral who defeats his enemy. In our Christian walk, we have spiritual warfare. The enemy is a defeated foe (1 John 4:4). Simply because we are of God, we are overcomers. God has given us the power and tools to win. As we learn to use the Word of God effectively, we become victorious and more than conquerors – cutting through every defense the enemy hurls (Psalm 119:105, John 17:17 & Luke 11:28).

 Here are verses we can use with our sword to defeat the enemy:

 1.     No more condemnation (Romans 8:1).  When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we must repent. When we do, we will no longer be condemned. The enemy wants to keep us condemned when we don’t confess sin or keep us feeling guilty if we allow our feelings to consume us. This is why we must know scripture. We must be a skillful warrior.

2.     God will give us peace in testings and trials, and we can remain with good cheer because God has overcome the world (John 16:33). If we believe and receive this promise, we will defeat the enemy and avoid feeling confused and miserable.

3.     Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victims to devour. (I Peter 5:8) Be prayerful and discerning. If you remain in God’s Word, You will not be a victim he can devour. You can defeat him with God’s Word.

 “Lord, thank You for Your Sword. Thank You that we are more than conquerors. Thank You that You train my hands for war and my fingers for battle (Psalm 144:1).”

 For His Glory

 Linda Reyes Shepherd
TRBC Mountain Blend

    

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Freedom, Hope, Spiritual Living, Success

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 30, 2013

Cleansing Needed

cb devo dec 30“Take away my sin, and I will clean.  Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”  Psalm 51:7 (NIV)

 Packing up the Christmas decorations left me wondering why I had put off so many projects.  Now that everything was back in its place, I realized how badly I needed to paint one of the rooms.  And if that wasn’t enough, opening up the closets revealed a major overhaul was long due.  Kitchen cabinets weren’t any better; my endless holiday baking had caused a chaotic mess.  Overwhelmed, I collapsed on the sofa paralyzed at the thought of getting started.  While waiting to tackle these projects isn’t a huge thing, my procrastination will definitely not get anything accomplished.  However, if I at least get started doing one of those items on my list, I will move closer to getting them all done.  Often we are faced with the same challenge in our spiritual lives.  Bad habits and unconfessed sins have been covered up by layers of pretense.  No one would ever know, but lurking beneath the surface a lot of renovating needs to take place.  Unfortunately, Satan loves to keep us stalled and overwhelmed. Too much needs to be changed, and we don’t know how to get started.  Procrastination slowly creeps in creating unwanted delays in our spiritual growth and blessings from God.  However, if we at least confess one area and seek God’s help one day at a time then we will be empowered to make other changes as well. 

 “Father navigating the waters of change is never easy, but when we come to You we find change is exactly what we needed.”

 For His Glory

 

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 27, 2013

My Mind Is Made Up

Pretty woman portrait“Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)” Hebrews 10:23 (KJV)

 Are we holding firmly to our declaration of faith?  Are we allowing the best of our emotions to control us? We are either holding firm and yielding to the confession of our faith or we are wavering not keeping a firm grip on the promises of God. He wants to ensure that the plan and purposes He has for our lives are accomplished. We must keep our goal on the prize. (Philippians 3:14) We must press on to reach the end of the race. When an athlete is running, trying to win a gold medal, his mind and eyes are fixed on the goal. He is looking straight as he is running. He is not wavering in his mind. He knows a medal is awaiting him, and he is determined to win. Are we fixing our eyes on Jesus? We must press forth. The rewards are great. It is worth running this race and not giving up. We must continue to hold fast to the hope we have in Christ. If we have professed Him as our Lord and Savior, our mind should be made up that we are going to run this race because the One that is faithful has promised. God does not break his promises. (Numbers 23:3) We must take God at His Word. This will keep us from wavering. Remember, a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:6).

 

“Lord, I thank You that I can choose to hold firm to the profession of my faith without wavering as long as I continue to stay in relationship with You for You are faithful. My mind is made up. My eyes are fixed on You.”

 For His Glory

 Linda Reyes Shepherd
TRBC Mountain Blend

 

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Uncategorized

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 26, 2013

Shine

cb devo dec 26“And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:5a (ESV)

 A few months ago, I attended a conference that featured  Worship Painters. As the singers sang, the painters painted. I was sitting right near this one young woman whose canvas had one word written on it: SHINE. As she started to paint, she began to cover up that word. At first, you could see it slightly through the paint. But, then she began to paint some more. Covering, covering and covering the word “Shine”. I didn’t get it. I began to think that she was trying to hide the word. Maybe she didn’t like the work she had done and wanted to mask it. Or maybe she thought it wasn’t good enough. I started to feel bad for her as she painted, painted and painted.

 Until.  She started to peel back some tape. It turned out that the word “Shine” was written in tape. As she carefully took it off, it revealed this one word in bright white.  The color of the canvas. She had peeled back all of those layers of paint to reveal a purity that was totally unexpected.

 And it hit me. So, I went up to her before worship was even over to tell her what I saw: a vivid, colorful, beautiful reminder of what God does for us. Once we sin, we so often try to run from God. We try to hide our wrong doings from Him and from others. We put on masks and cover up our flaws. But if we are willing to STOP doing that, God can peel it all back to reveal a freshness, a wholeness, a perfectness that we would never do for ourselves. And I was reminded to SHINE for Him.

 “Thank You Lord for making me new and for helping me to Shine for You.”

 For His Glory,

 Laurel Shaler (www.drlaurelshaler.com)
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 25, 2013

Loves Common Thread

Young Woman Enjoying Christmas Lights“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins.”  Matthew 1:21 (NIV)

Love Christmas traditions and memories etched in our minds from childhood.  Gathering with friends, I listened as each person shared their memory of Christmas’ past.   From the special gifts they received to the best desserts from Mom’s kitchen – each memory was unique and special – we could see it in their eyes. Like the wide eyed wonder when tiny feet dance across the floor to reach gifts under the tree Christmas morn.  We could hear it in the depth of their voice – like the telling of the Christmas story.   We could feel it deep pulling at our heart strings.   Like a Christmas carol filling the silent night air.  And the common thread – well it really wasn’t about the presents, food or shopping.  Woven together in each story was a bond of love with family and friends.  Just like the very first Christmas when Jesus entered this world – love was the common thread.  Wonder what God’s favorite Christmas memory would be?  Would it be the moment Jesus took His first breaths?  Perhaps it was when the angels sang or the wisemen came.  Maybe, just maybe His favorite Christmas memory was wrapped up in us the moment we welcomed Jesus to be a part of our lives.  For the One who gave His all, for the One who spared nothing – the ultimate gift ushered in a chance for us to be redeemed.  Gifts that leave us wide eyed in wonder dancing through our days.  Gifts that leave us breathless and captivated.  Gifts that reach deep into our secret places and weave our hearts with His.

 “Father, the gift of Your Son has forever changed my world – Your endless love has captured my heart and I am forever yours.”

 For His Glory

 Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

cb devo 25aWishing you and your family a

Merry Christmas as we

celebrate the birth of our Savior.

 

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Love

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 24, 2013

Hope For The Brokenhearted

MP900443687[1]“A man’s cheerful heart gives him strength when he is sick. You can’t keep going if you have a broken spirit.” Proverbs 18:14 (NIRV)

 

It is so wonderful to know that there is hope, healing and deliverance for those broken in spirit. If we have a broken heart we can become depressed, hopeless, fearful, troubled, and even bitter. It is so wonderful to know that in God’s Word He says he is near to the brokenhearted and delivers them. He gives the broken-hearted strength. God also gives peace to the broken in spirit. He does not want our hearts to remain troubled and fearful. It is wonderful to know we can cast our anxieties on Him, and it’s even more wonderful to know that he DOES care for us. He will also give us rest. We can take refuge in God. We must remember that God has overcome the world and that makes us overcomers. If you have a broken-heart meditate on these verses. Pray them. Personalize them. Affirm them. Believe them and then thank God.

 1. God is near to the broken-hearted. (Psalm 34:18)

2. God gives strength to the broken-hearted.  (Psalm 73:26)

3. God gives peace to the broken-hearted.  (John 14:27)

4. We can cast our anxieties on God and He cares for us. (I Peter 5:7)

5. God will give rest. (Matthew 11:28)

6. I can take refuge in God.  (Psalm 18:2)

7. God has overcome the world and we can be overcomers. (John 16:33)

 “Thank You Lord for Your nearness, peace and caring for us. Thank You that we can cast our anxieties on You. Thank You that You are our refuge, deliverer, and healer of broken hearts. Thank You that we are more than conquerors.”

 For His Glory,

 Linda Reyes Shepherd
TRBC Mountain Blend

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope

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