Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 10, 2022

Celebrate God’s Blessings

“From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another.” John 1:16 (NIV)

Children love treats, and it doesn’t take much to make a child scream with bliss. My siblings and I used to watch our dad empty his pant pockets in the evenings, in enthusiastic anticipation that from those pockets would emerge a treat for each of us. This was a familiar routine in our household, as our dad loved to treat us when he would get home from work. We used to be amused at how much those pant pockets could hold. Dad would play this “wait game” with us, by always removing his wallet first, then his hand-care-chief, then loose change, receipts, and whatever else a man would carry along with him during the day. Then, finally, he’d pull out a piece of candy, collection cards, stickers, or anything that he knew one of his four children would like to receive from him. I remember the euphoria sometimes when we would get to exchange cards and stickers after we got our treats.

As I raised my three sons, I, too, experienced much joy in bringing home treats for them after a long day’s work. Watching their innocent little selves stand there, giggling, hopping, and sometimes even clapping small, suddenly excited claps as they waited for me to empty my purse. Showing them the treats for that day warmed my parent heart. That same story is now repeating itself in the lives of my small grandsons, as my sons, too, take joy in giving their children something to smile about.

Our Heavenly Father does not see us any differently than my dad saw his children, or I saw my offspring. He is ready and with arms outstretched to pour down His blessings. May His face smile upon us as we rejoice with gratitude when He blesses us with His many blessings.

“Dear Lord, You are ever so generous to bless us. Thank You for all that You do.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 9, 2022

Captive Thoughts

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10: 4-5, ESV)

 My husband likes to watch documentaries about World War II.  I’m amazed how anyone survived the war, considering how they fought in those days. Or that anyone survived once captured by the enemy.  As captives, their freedom was completely controlled by their captors.  They didn’t have free movement to walk around, eat, or sleep.  They could only do what they were allowed by the ones in control.

When Paul is writing this passage to the church in Corinthians, he is imploring them to take their thoughts captive – to make every thought a prisoner to Christ.

Just like a prisoner doesn’t have free reign of their life – our thoughts should not have free reign in our mind (and ultimately control our lives). Unhealthy thoughts and perceptions that contradict the true knowledge and nature of God are the strongholds he’s referring to.  We cannot battle these thoughts by carnal methods -which was what the Corinthian Christians relied on.  Methods such as manipulation, images of success, smooth words, and perceptions of power.

In Ephesians 6, Paul lists the spiritual weapons we are to use.  To rely on these weapons requires us to have faith in God (not in ourselves).

At any moment a thought can pop into your head and that thought can evoke feelings that can lead you to do things against God’s will for your life.  It can be hard to let go of thinking that values the things of this world but with Jesus, it can be done.

Most of our thoughts are triggered by past life experiences, and the harder our lives have been the easier the negative thoughts may flow.  But even if we’ve had a perfect life – the enemy is still “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  Always ready to pounce by speaking an untruth into our mind.

Eve is a perfect example of this. She had not experienced heartache – she only knew a perfect life with God.  Yet, the enemy spoke and caused her to doubt God.  Instead of stopping the thought of “did God really say?” Eve gave it freedom in her mind which led to feelings of insecurity. As a result, she acted in disobedience. She chose to believe a snake over God.

Eve didn’t have the luxury of going back to the printed Word and challenging her thoughts with truth (taking them captive) – but we do. Ladies fight with truth!

“Father, thank You that we do not have to be helpless victims of our thoughts.  Help us to choose to stop our thoughts and filter them through the truth of Your Word.”

For His Glory

Laura Holmes    (www.ephraimministries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Freedom, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 8, 2022

Two-Faced Tongue

“With (the tongue) we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.”  James 3:9-11

The Bible has a lot to say about the power of our words—both the Old and New Testaments are a treasure trove of wisdom. You can dig into the book of Proverbs alone and get plenty to chew on when it comes to your mouth (pun intended)! “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21) is one admonition that sets a solid foundation of truth.

James, in the third chapter of his book, gets really real with us—a true “ouch” moment. He talks about how we believers tend to praise God one minute and curse someone the next. The classic example is sitting through a church service, worshipping the Lord in song and through the sermon…then, you’re driving home only to start shouting at (and possibly cursing) some motorist who cut you off.

Part of Christian maturity is walking—and talking—in alignment with God’s Word. And that “sanctification journey” is just that—a journey. We cannot be perfect. Part of our motivation for living a holy life is to let our light shine in a dark world (Matt. 5:16). So, when we let unholy, slanderous, or hateful words fly, we hurt our testimony, as well as the reputation of the Church.

But there’s another motivation for not having a two-faced tongue. Think of this example: What if someone you love had a habit of consistently using their words in this way: “I love you!” … “You’re such a jerk!” … “You are so awesome!” … “(Expletive expletive!)” Not only would it be maddening, but it would be incredibly painful. (Some of us may not have to “imagine” this example at all, as we’ve lived it.) And this is what we’re doing to our precious Lord (James 3:9; Matthew 25:40-45). This is how we’re treating our Best Friend!

God’s Word also makes it very clear that what comes out of our mouth is a direct reflection of what’s in our hearts (Matt 12:34; Mark 7:20-23). So, to address our two-faced tongue, we need to be sure we don’t have a two-faced heart. Because our mouth overflows from what’s inside, we need to fill ourselves with the good stuff—and stay in fellowship with Christ. What does this look like, practically?

  • Meet daily with the Lord in prayer
  • Read and study God’s Word
  • Serve others (This seems like giving away, but it’s actually very filling!)
  • Be in community with fellow believers (Proverbs 13:20)
  • Don’t fill up on junk food for the heart: social media, news, gossip, etc.

“Lord, help me surrender control of my tongue to You, filling up my heart so its outflow is honoring to You and refreshing to others.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Attitude, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 3, 2022

Wishing For More

“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them.” Luke 9:16 (NIV)

I don’t know about you, but often I find myself wishing for more. More time in the day to do the things I need to do plus the things I want to do. More financial security, so I never have to worry about the future. More space in my home for entertaining. I have a closet full of clothes, but I want more so that I always have just the right thing to wear for every occasion. And don’t we all find ourselves longing for more peace…in the world, our country, our families and sometimes even in our churches? We want more when what we have doesn’t seem like enough.

Jesus, when faced with the very real problem of not having enough food to feed a hungry crowd of over five thousand, gave us the prescription for this dilemma. With just five loaves and two fish, looking up to heaven, He gave thanks.

This simple formula helps us in two ways. First, looking up to heaven helps us distinguish between real needs and those things we desire. When my focus is on Christ, it is easier for me to see this. God promises to meet my needs so if it is a genuine need, I can rest in His promise. In the same way He provided manna, quail and water for the Israelites in the wilderness, He will meet my needs and yours. Secondly, when we give thanks for what we already have to the One who is the giver of all things, our gratitude and trust increases. When our trust increases, we can accept that what God doesn’t provide, we don’t really need.

Throughout Scripture God promises to care for our needs. In Matthew 6, Jesus says: “ …do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Sweet friends, we can trust God to meet our needs…even when what we have doesn’t seem like enough.

“Lord, we all know that sense of longing for more. When it comes, gently remind us to look up to heaven and give thanks for what we already have, trusting that You love us and will meet our every need.”

For His Glory

Ann Skalaski
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 1, 2022

3D Faith

“You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2: 18)

Over the past two years, we’ve all had a lot of two-dimensional interactions. I don’t know about you, but I’m on video meetings every single day—some days I could have up to five or six! That’s a lot of screen time, and it doesn’t even include my actual work! So, whenever I do get to interact with clients or teammates in real life, I always joke about how nice it is to see them in “3D” (three versus two dimensions). It’s the way we’re meant to live!

I’m currently studying the book of James in the Bible. And it struck me that we, as believers in Jesus Christ, must have “3D faith.” Let me explain.

See, in this powerful (and convicting) book, James talks about three different types of faith. First there is one-dimensional faith—or dead faith—which is all head knowledge. People with this type of faith know their Bible stories, and they may even talk a good talk about theology. But that’s all there is. All talk, but no walk. In fact, you may see these people at church on Sunday…but their behavior the rest of the week does not reflect their “Christian” label.

Next is two-dimensional faith, or demonic faith. This type of faith is head knowledge plus an emotional reaction. As James illustrates, even the demons have this kind of faith. If these fallen angels could sit around a Bible-trivia table, they would win every round. They believe in God—they were there when He created everything. Just read the gospel accounts of Jesus’s ministry, and you’ll see that the demons recognized Jesus as Son of God and Judge. They believe, as James says, and they shudder (James 2:19)! They know God, they acknowledge His power, and they have an emotional response…but they do not love Him or surrender to Him.

Finally, there is three-dimensional faith—or dynamic faith. This is authentic, saving faith, encompassing head knowledge, emotional understanding, and obedient action. Going beyond words and feelings, this kind of faith involves the will, choosing to live in line with God’s Truth…loving God with all we are, and extending that love to our neighbor. In his letter, James also emphasizes that 3D faith is the only way we can demonstrate our faith to the world. See, only God can truly know our saving faith—it is He who justifies us and declares us righteous through the work of His Son on the cross. But there’s no way for our brothers and sisters, or the dying world around us, to know our faith (or even know what it means to have faith), unless we show them.

So, what kind of faith do you have? Are you currently living with a one-dimensional or a two-dimensional faith? Or have you fully surrendered your mind, heart, and will to Jesus, walking out your faith in steadfast obedience to the One who surrendered it all for you? Friend, embrace 3D faith today—it’s the way we’re meant to live.

“Lord, reveal to me if my faith is just lip-service. I surrender my will to You today—help me demonstrate my faith and give light to a dark world.”

 

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | February 28, 2022

Extinguishing The Spread

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.”  Romans 6:12

I didn’t think I’d ever used so much Lysol and disinfectant.  When my husband tested positive for covid right before Christmas, I became the germ police going behind everything he touched and wiping it down.  Hand towels were tucked away and paper towels were on the counter.  My hands were raw from all the wiping down, and the smell of Lysol was starting to get to my sinuses.  Never realized how many things we touch in a 24 hour period…..so much more than I could keep up with. And of course all my germ police work was in vain…I still got sick.

Unfortunately germs aren’t the only thing that spread.  Don’t know if you’ve ever found yourself in this place, but entertaining sin is just too close.  One of our greatest deceptions is often found in our perceived self-resilience to not sin.  You got it friend – we simply think “we’d never do ___________.”

How does this entertaining happen?  Quite gradually.  We surround our inner circle with those who either don’t believe in God or have a loose view of sin.  We make little compromises because no one is looking right?  We allow our gaze to desire what we know we shouldn’t have (we retain 80% of what we see).  Longings focused in the wrong direction eventually lead us down the same wrong path. Zeroing in on our world versus having an eternal perspective shifts our feet from a firm foundation to shaky territory.

Not exactly where we want land is it?

Most believers probably don’t sit down and strategize how their going to sin.  Quite the opposite, we often think we are stronger, more resilient than the sin we entertain.  We all have our weaknesses – sins that so easily weigh us down, sins we cling to so closely, and temptations we have an ongoing battle against.

If we really want to glorify God with our lives then we must build a strong defense against the sins which seek to devour us.  We must guard our inner circle by cultivating godly friendships.    We must be diligent in not getting absorbed into the influences around us.  Our 24/7 is full of visual stimuli aimed at drawing us further and further away from God.  The enemy works overtime to kill, steal and destroy the testimony of those who proclaim Jesus as Savior (John 10:10)

Sweet friend, Satan never has the final say.  As believers, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to resist and defeat our enemy (James 4:7).  Simple truth here, we can’t lower our guard for even a second.   Diligence and awareness is crucial.  Ephesians 6:10:10 reminds us that our strength is in the Lord.  By activating the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-18), we will be able to stand against and defeat Satan. Now that’s a battle plan guaranteed to extinguish the overwhelming spread of sin in our lives.

“Father, thank You for equipping us and giving us the perfect battle plan against the enemy – Your word + prayer = victory!”

For His Glory

 

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | February 23, 2022

It All Belongs To God

“For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” (2 Corinthians 8:1-2, ESV)

For most of my life, it seems that the Lord was always “testing” me to give out of my leanness.

Going back about thirty years – I can remember times I would literally have five dollars left for gas in my vehicle for the whole week. After being obedient in paying tithes. And giving to others as the Lord led. I would often find myself laying hands on my car at the beginning of the week.  Asking the Lord to bless those five dollars and to make it last in my gas tank until the next payday.

In those years, I drove a white two-door Honda.  It didn’t have heat for the winter or air for the summer. It did have a hole in the floorboard in the back.  One in which my son lost a flip-flop through on the way to church.  Instead of driving a car with a payment, we chose to get a car that we could pay cash for.

I got laughed at a lot about my old clunker of a car in those days.  But we were at church every Sunday morning/night, every Wednesday night and pretty much anytime there was something going on.  It looked rough but it provided the need.

One summer, I remember the Lord placing this burden on my heart for some children.  I was burdened with the task of ensuring they went to the church’s summer camp.  Even if we could come up with the money to pay for them, transportation was a whole other thing.  Our little church didn’t have a bus.

Not wanting to miss out on the privilege of giving to others; we rented an SUV for the month so my husband could easily transport all the kids to the various camps throughout the month and back home. My husband took off a month (without pay) so he could work at the campground.  Memories that are worth more than gold to him now.

We looked so foolish to many back people back then. We were living without certain things that people said you needed to make you happy.  Yet God’s grace overflowed in our lives with joy that had nothing to do with material possessions.

People have often asked me how I could so easily trust the Lord with some of the painful valleys I’ve had to walk through in recent years. I think back to those years.  We gave our time and what little money we had as God led.  He was growing my faith all those years ago, as a result of me trusting him then, I am now “rich in faith” (James 2:5)

“Father, it all belongs to You.  Thank You for blessing us in abundant ways when we give to others.”

For His Glory,

Laura Holmes   (www.ephraimministries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | February 22, 2022

Immeasurable

“Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.” Psalm 36:5 (NLT)

Regardless of the family members who may surround you at home (whether it’s one person or 10), or the friends whom you hang out with every weekend, or even those Monday-through-Friday coworkers that can be categorized as close buddies, do you ever just feel alone and unloved? It’s like there’s a definitive limit to the love, care, and concern that these people (as limited humans) have for you…and you’ve somehow hit it. It’s totally illogical to feel discarded and even abandoned when you’re literally surrounded, but I’m pretty sure we’ve all felt this way at some point.

But God. This little—yet powerful—phrase got me thinking about all the promises in the Bible about the limitless love, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness God has for us. Now, when the writers of both the Old and New Testaments tried to describe just how immeasurable God’s love is for us, they used what they knew to be absolutely incalculable to them: natural elements. Today, a quick Google search can tell us that the deepest part of the ocean, called the Challenger Deep, has been measured to be about 36,000 feet—or 7 miles—deep. Similarly, a few key clicks later, we’d learn that between Earth and the edge of the observable universe there are 46 billion light-years (whatever that means).

But thousands of years ago, when those Holy-Spirit-inspired men needed to record the vastness of God’s love, they didn’t have Google. The boundless sky’s height and unfathomable ocean’s depth were perfect descriptors. And, although modern science may have (sort of) calculated these distances, we can still take great comfort in the Bible’s depiction of our amazing God. Here’s just a glimpse…

How much does God love us? “Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds” (Psalm 36:5); But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Will the Lord ever forsake us? “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8); “Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15).

How merciful is God? “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23); “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:11).

Can we really be forgiven? “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12); “You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).

Let me ask again, how much does God love you, friend? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). If you haven’t accepted this free gift of grace, of God’s immeasurable love, why not do so right now?

 

“Lord, if just one is reading this who doesn’t know Your amazing grace, mercy, and love, let them surrender their way for Yours, exchanging their sin for Your perfect righteousness.”

 

For His Glory

 

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Love

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | February 21, 2022

God’s Divine Perspective

“The Lord’s plans stand firm forever. His intentions can never be shaken.”  Psalm 33:11 (ESV)

Call me old school, but I love my (paper) planner which occupies the same spot on my desk each week.  Without it I’d be totally lost.  And this pen and paper routine starts on Sunday night as I lay out my schedule and work for the upcoming Monday – Friday.  Meetings highlighted.  Birthdays etched in red.  Endless lists of things I plan to do strategically on specific days. Weekly verses to encourage and empower me as each day unfolds.

Now to all those non-planners out there, I know you’re thinking, “is she crazy?”  Sometimes I’m tempted to think the same. Us planners find great satisfaction in marking tasks off our list.  We’ve even been known to add something we’ve just done (which didn’t make the list) for the simple pleasure of marking it off.  Yes we’re a little crazy, but  we do get a lot accomplished.

Despite all our planning, marking, writing and scheduling, life happens.  Meetings get rescheduled.  The urgent in the moment trumps our perfectly written list. Bottom line, our best thought out plans are never guaranteed. Whatever we desire, scheme, plan or write doesn’t always happen exactly the way we want it to happen.

There’s a really great reason why our plans are often derailed – it’s called divine perspective.  Our limited view gives us a narrow angle – a fragmented snapshot.  We only glimpse the outcome through our eyes and usually don’t consider the bigger picture or anyone else involved.

For the believer, it should be quite simple.   If we truly trust God’s infinite wisdom and sovereignty then our derailed plans will be less about us and more about Him.  What disappoints frustrates or leaves us overcome with analysis will be better served if we acknowledge God’s ways are much higher than our own.  He ultimately is the One who directs our steps  (Proverbs 16:9, Proverbs 19:21) – if it’s His will then no one can intervene or alter His plans.

Sweet friends, Psalm 33 offers us great encouragement for those moments when our plans dissolve, when we miss out on an opportunity or we doubt His purposes.    Love the psalmist words echoing the character of our God whose plans for us stand firm forever – that’s a really long time.  His intentions for us can never be shaken – even if they temporarily appear derailed.  Our God is righteous, faithful, just, and His steadfast love is everlasting.  What seems stalled, forgotten or overlooked can be dramatically changed in a moment.  Our God who spoke the whole world into existence is fully capable of orchestrating what serves us best.

“Father, if we could only glimpse our world through your eyes, we would see how perfectly You align all things to accomplish Your purposes.  Help us to trust in Your divine perspective rather than zero in on what we want.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | February 18, 2022

Whiter Than Snow

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7 (ESV)

Clean out the fridge. Sweets eliminated. Clothes to the Goodwill. Closet clean. Papers shredded. Ready for Tax Season. It’s the acts of a new year. Getting rid of stuff that accumulates or attempts to sabotage our resolutions. Putting away the past and pushing forward to the new. Dumping excess in exchange for simpler less complicated.

Wonder if we need anything cleaned out of our personal lives? What do we need to eliminate emotionally? Is there anything cluttering up our minds? What has crept in while we were busy or distracted? Maybe it’s time we got rid of the stuff that hasn’t served us well. The very things we are holding onto may be the exact things that God wants us to release, eliminate and put away.

Facing the reality of what needs to be changed takes honesty and courage. If we want revival in our hearts and the lives of those around us, then we must humbly admit what needs changing and confessing. It so easy to slide into a new year with the anticipation of new, better and great – but if we remain the same as 2018, we will only reap the same.

Personal revival only comes after deep cleansing. Love the tender mercies of God and welcome His grace in our places that need His washing. Cherish the tears that lead to repentance and the sorrows that drive sin away. Love the arms spread wide drawing us close to His heart filled with compassion. Clinging to the joy restored when whiter than snow covers us. Singing His praises in the breaking of another dawn knowing new, better and great awaits those who obey God’s commands.

“Sweet Jesus, You have covered all our sins so that we can experience the freedom of walking in your truth and grace – we praise Your holy name!”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

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