Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 12, 2011

From Burdens to Blessings

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

 One of the greatest gifts I have been given in the past year is the wonderful small group God has placed us in. I have learned completely that God puts the right people in your life at the right time, for the right reasons. Prayer has been a huge part of our group, and we have seen many burdens turn to blessings. God did not intend for us to hold on to our hurts and struggles; He intended for us to carry each other’s burdens.

Sometimes praying for one another is the best way we can support each other. Other times it might be physical support by providing a meal, running errands, or providing babysitting. Emotional support is key as well. Just having a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen can be the greatest relief for some people. The key is we have to be willing to share our burdens and not be embarrassed to open up. The devil definitely tries to let pride derail our path from burdens to blessings. The thing to remember to overcome this is the fact that we have all needed help at some point in life. The relief you get from being able to have someone else support you through a tough time is worth it. You not only get extra prayers to get you through the situation, but you gain a friend to celebrate when the burden has turned into a blessing.

“Dear Heavenly Father, Help us to be willing to open up and let others into our lives. Place the right people in our lives to support us as we go through the burdens and to celebrate the blessings. Thank You for the people that we have already been able to share this with and for answered prayers.”

For His Glory

Katrina Redman
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Prayer

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 12, 2011

Bringing Sundays Back to God

“And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.”  Genesis 2:3 (NLT)

 The Sabbath day of rest is something many do not even know about in today’s world.  Businesses are now open on Sunday; limited hours are even becoming a thing of the past.  What was once a day of worship and reflection has now become like every other day of hustle and bustle in life.  Many call it a “catch up day.”

Thinking back to my childhood, I remember going to church then to my grandmother’s for lunch and fellowship with our extended family.  We would return home for an afternoon nap or reflection of the morning service.  Then we would head back to church for the evening for our final refreshment as we started the week.

Let’s get back to the basics of enjoying the simplicity of Sundays at church, learning about how to reach others for Him, growing closer to Him, and fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters in Christ.   Then enjoy family time and closing with that last bit of refreshment in Him.  Maybe, just maybe our stress level that we put on ourselves will come down as our focus turns back to Christ and the reason we are here.

“Father, never let me forget the importance of Your day and basking in Your glory.”


For His Glory,

Debbie Struble
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 12, 2011

For His Glory

“I (Jesus) do not accept glory from human beings.”  John 5:41 (NIV)

Crowds cheered.  Winners were announced.  Trophies were handed out.  CD’s topped the charts.  Fans applauded.  Who wouldn’t want to be in the spotlight?  Celebrities, athletes, politicians, evangelists, speakers, etc., taste the praise of adoring fans, constituents and followers.  And unfortunately many fall prey to the accolades of the voices singing their greatness.  Feasting on words like “you’re great” or “no one can do it like you,” leaves one hungry for more.  It’s a tantalizing temptation to bask in the limelight allowing our hearts to believe we are “great.”  Pride slips in like a tiny splinter in the top of our finger, and the longer it stays there the more infected our souls become.  So how do we graciously accept a compliment without allowing it to creep in and color our perception of who we are?  How do we keep our focus healthy and balanced – three simple words:  “For His Glory.”  When we chisel those words on our hearts, they serve to remind us that all we have and all we achieve is For His Glory.  Everything we accomplish, the gifts He entrusts to us and the successes we enjoy all come from God.  Apart from Him, we can do nothing and if we entertain the thought that we can then pride has slipped in.  So the next time a compliment or praise comes our way let’s choose to ponder the thought, accept it with grace and give God the glory!

“Father, when the sweet sound of praise echoes in our ears remind us that You alone are worthy of our praise.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Spiritual Living, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 12, 2011

Moving Forward

“But as for me, I am poor and needy; please hurry to my aid, O God. You are my helper and my savior; O Lord, do not delay.”  Psalm 70:5 (NLV)

Have you ever felt stuck, locked in place – you know like not moving forward?  Strongholds are things Satan uses to hold us back from growing closer to God.  I loved Pricilla Shirer’s example of a stronghold.  At the Going Beyond Conference at TRBC in April 2011,  she used the example of holding the back belt loop of her husband’s pants.  Priscilla was much smaller than him, but that small grip kept him from moving forward very far.  She reminded us how Satan only needs one very small thing to hinder us from doing what God wants us to do.  It doesn’t need to be something big.

When we struggle with a sin, we need to admit our weakness and call out to God for help in the matter.  Ask Him to Hurry to you; beg Him to be your help.  He can’t wait for us to call out to Him.  He loves to be our Knight in Shining armor and rescue us.  Will you give that addiction or sin to Him today or will you continue to let Satan keep a hold of your belt loop stopping you from moving forward?

“Father I need your help with _______________, Help me; free me so I can run to you.”
 

For His Glory,

Debbie Struble
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 12, 2011

Open Channels

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:35 (TNIV)

Have  you ever wondered why some people are just so hard to work with?  Some days you don’t know whether to smile or run for cover.  Had one of those experiences myself.  Couldn’t quite get a handle on it.  My coworker and I had always related well – we were lunch buddies.  Exhausted and trying to continuously meet deadlines left me frustrated. How could my co-worker be so oblivious to my crisis?  Couldn’t she see how much time she was wasting?  Very quickly my list began to pile up against her as my stress increased.  Wasn’t she a team player?  Couldn’t she see how her lack of work was impacting my deadline?

As my spirit rose within me, God quietly whispered – “Remember, she’s not a believer.”  Those words halted my thoughts.  My co-worker didn’t have the same resources I had.  She was operating out of her flesh (sin nature); but I was to operate out of the Spirit (God’s nature). Swallowing my exasperation, I focused on my tasks and kept pressing forward – my lips were silenced.  A few day’s later, I ran into my co-worker in the restroom.  As she turned her face away, I could see that her eyes were red and puffy.  Refraining from nosey questions, I instead  offered a hug and a shoulder to cry on – that was the right prescription.  What an opportunity I almost missed!  Remember, she was the same co-worker who was getting under my skin.  If I had responded to her the way I intended (in my sin nature), she would not have welcomed my help.  God orchestrates divine appointments every day.  Are we leaving the channels for His love to reach others open or are we too busy piling up accusations?

“Father, give us hearts that truly demonstrate Your love and teach us how to be Your hands and feet to a world that is desperately searching.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 12, 2011

Set Up To Win

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

 When teaching a child how to play a game, you make it age appropriate so they have a chance to win. Likewise, God will never put us in a situation that He hasn’t already set up for us to be victorious over. As our Creator, God knows our strengths, weaknesses and exactly what situations we will encounter. Therefore, He knows how to set up our challenges in a way that we can overcome them.

Just as a parent celebrates when their child hits the ball for the first time, God celebrates each time we take a step towards victory. A parent also holds on to the bicycle until the child is steady enough to let go.  However, God holds on and never lets go as we are empowered in His strength and courage. As our Heavenly Father, God loves us and positions us to be successful. We just have to be willing to take that first step towards reliance in Him, so we will be the winner He has set us up to be.

“Dear God, Thank you for wanting us to be successful and for giving us ways to do so. Help us as we take that first step towards victory.”

For His Glory

Katrina Redman
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Encouragement, Success

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 12, 2011

Digging Deeper

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.”  Ezekiel 36:26 (ASV)

I love going home to Kentucky in the Spring.  In our backyard, we have a swing that I love to sit on and read, write or just think.  The last time I was home, I watched my Dad as he plowed the garden.  I love walking through the freshly overturned dirt in the garden.  As a kid, my brother and sister and I would pick up the bigger rocks and throw them out of the garden.  (I didn’t quite enjoy it as much then… as I do now.)  We learned it was important to get those embedded rocks out of the garden so Dad could plant his crops.

As I walked through the garden, I thought about the times rocks played an important role in God’s story of His people.  Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on a rock altar; but God had other plans.   Moses disobeyed and struck a rock numerous times causing his sin to alter God’s divine plan.  A rock was rolled in front of the tomb where Jesus was buried, but God had other plans

Just like my Dad has to prepare the ground before he can plant his garden, God must prepare us.  We must not let sin become embedded in us.  Solid rock formations can occur with bitterness or anger.  God removes those rocks in our lives as long as we let Him.  By embedding our hearts with Biblical truths, God can plant His seeds within us and use our lives

Lord, please prepare my heart so that I can embed Your truth and receive Your love.  Help me throw out those “rocks” of sin, so that I might serve You today!

 
For His Glory

Melissa Tucker
TRBC Coffee Break

 

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 12, 2011

Stop, Look & Listen

“The Israelites tried some of the food, but they did not ask the Lord if He wanted them to make a treaty.”  Joshua 9:14 (CEV)

Joshua and the Israelites had just won a battle with Jericho and Ai.  News spread quickly, and the  Gibeonites sent men to make peace with Joshua to protect their nearby land.  They lied and said they had traveled a long journey to get to Joshua when really they were just around the corner.  God had promised Joshua all the land in front of him; but since the Israelites didn’t ask God’s guidance in their situation, they fell prey to the Gibeonites’ trap of lies.  They lost the land intended for them.

We so many times have people coming to us with sincere burdens.  We want to help, but often we act immediately without praying and seeking God’s wisdom.  We might give away the blessing intended for us, like the Israelites,  if we don’t wait for an answer from God.  God’s plan is always perfect.  Our good intentions sometimes cause extra work for ourselves and those who are burdened because we tried to take the world on our own shoulders.  We think to ourselves, this is no biggie – I can fix it.  God’s work is always best left to Him, and we are always to seek His guidance before we act.  Remember our mother’s advice as a child “Stop, look and listen before crossing.”

“Father, thank You for the reminder that it is always Your plan not mine;  I must always seek Your guidance.”

For His Glory

Debbie Struble
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Prayer, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 10, 2011

Beginning of the End

“Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be earthquakes in various,  places and famines.  These are the beginning of birth pains.”  Mark 13:8 (NIV)

Today, you cannot read a newspaper or watch the news without some kind of natural disaster being reported.  As Christians, we know that these are signs of things to come – the beginning of the end.  The end times are sometimes a far fetched and scary thought.  We’ve read about them in the Bible and watched scenes in movies that predict what it will be like, but many still find it hard to grasp.  While it’s awesome to think that our time on earth may be coming to a close and we will be in Heaven, it’s scary to think of those who may not be ready.

So many people need to be able to “see” God to believe in Him, but it’s that step of faith that makes the relationship with God so important.  Knowing that He is beyond our abilities and is in control of our lives is actually comforting.  While in the midst of the tornadoes and recent disasters, I heard over and over again people praising God and thanking Him for saving their life.  I also heard a lot of materialism disappear as people acknowledged that stuff could be replaced but people couldn’t. Sometimes, God uses those difficult times to give us a new set of eyeglasses (new vision) so we will realize our need for God’s offer of eternal life and salvation.  Amazingly, we begin to see what is really important in life and what matters the most.  By taking the time to see from God’s viewpoint, we will be prepared to respond to any action He leads us to take.  Every second draws us closer to the time on earth coming to an end; we need to make the most of every second God gives us.

“Dear God, Give us Your sight that we might see what work on earth still needs to be done. Give us the courage to move forward and be Your hands and feet to those around us.  May we make each day count for You.

For His Glory

Katrina Redman
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 9, 2011

More Than Meets The Eye

“God sits high above the round ball of earth.  the people look like mere ants.”  Isaiah 40:22 (MSG)

I don’t like bugs.  I’m not sure if that sentence truly conveys how much I don’t like bugs?  I DON’T LIKE BUGS!  But my niece loves them.  One of her favorite activities is sitting on the ground and watching an ant hill for hours.  I can become just as caught up in those ants as my niece.  Have you ever watched them?  There can be one straight line of ants walking, while others run in the opposite direction. They bump into each other, turn around and continue in various directions.  Their lives seem so limited, and they have no idea that the world is much larger than their environment.  I wonder if God thinks the same thing about us?

Like ants, we are busy and on the move in different directions.  When we encounter others, sometimes we get turned around and take a wrong path.  Our busyness and self-centeredness can make us oblivious to anything outside of what we see or experience.  Are we aware of the world around us?  The apostle Paul tells us that life is more than meets the eye.  He wrote that everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, was created by God.  Our temporary world that we daily encounter is microscopic compared to what God has created, which we cannot observe.

If we ever see a procession of ants around the yard, we should consider our place and purpose in God’s immense world, and self-evaluate if our chosen path is headed in the right direction.

“Lord make me mindful of the world I cannot see.  Help me remember that there is so much to do and so much more out there than my little section of the world.  But Lord allow me to make the difference for You in my little section.  Allow others to make the difference in their little section so that we can work together and make a huge impact on the world.”

For His Glory

Melissa Tucker
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Spiritual Living

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