Bible Prayers: Tower of Babel

by atozmom, posted in Bible Prayers

Genesis 11:4: “Then they said, “Come let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

Bible Prayers

The tower of Babel story reveals the rebellion in the human heart. The goal of the people was not to glorify God but to make a name for themselves. God knew that this would only lead them away from God. As a result he confused their language. It forced the people to scatter all across the earth. It reshaped the development of future cultures.

I ask myself, “What do I really want out of life?” What is it that I am really seeking?” I have lived a life searching for happiness; it has always led to a dead end, in the long run it never satisfied. The pursuit of happiness is not the answer. Happiness comes and goes depending on how well things are going. When I surrendered my life to you, Lord, I found joy. That joy that comes from the inside, from the Holy Spirit. It does not depend on outside circumstances. My sin nature tries to go back to my old way of life, a life searching for a happiness that is superficial. I left a life full of dead end roads that never satisfied. When I start to drift from you, as I so often do, I pray that you shake me, convict me, that I become aware of the wrong turn that I am making.

Why am I so easily distracted with earthly things?  Things that are temporal, that have no eternal value? I get so busy with the claims of the world that I become deaf to your calling. I get so preoccupied with life here that I forget what really matters. Lord, set me on the right path, I need your guidance.

I will never forget  the day that you came into my life. The joy, the love that enveloped me. I wanted to run and shout to every one that you were real. That one moment defined the rest of my life.

As I age, I realize how transitory my stay on earth is. What a difference between the eternal reign in heaven that I will have with you and this short journey here on earth. Help me to live a life that pleases and glorifies you.

By Lissette Trahan

Bible Study Plans: The Three Questions to Ask Yourself Every Time You Study the Bible

by atozmom, posted in Studying the Bible

When you study the Bible, there are three questions you should ask yourself every time you read the Bible and/or study the Bible. Contact AtoZMomm with questions

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN STUDYING THE BIBLE

  1. What is God showing me in this passage?
  2. What does this passage show me about myself?
  3. What is my response?

Ask yourself these three questions when you read the Bible in order to gain a deeper understanding and discover God’s timeless truths. Contact me with questions!

Motivational Quotes: Aesop

by atozmom, posted in Inspirational Quotes

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

Aesop

Bible Prayers: Noah

by atozmom, posted in Bible Prayers

Genesis 6:17: “I am going to bring floodwaters on earth to destroy all life.”

God saw how great wickedness had become and decided to wipe humankind off the face of the earth. Noah was found righteous in that generation, so God saved him and his family. God instructed Noah to bring into the ark two of every animal, male and female. Noah obeyed everything that God commanded him to do.

Bible Prayers

You are always with me,  no matter where I am or what I am doing. At this moment I stop to adore you, to praise you, and to thank you for my life. Even before I knew you, you loved me, you pursued me. You never gave up on me. I know you are aware of everything that happens to me, I call to you and you hear me.

When I believed and received by your grace my salvation, that was the beginning of my spiritual

journey. My soul awoke as from a deep slumber. I felt your love and I loved you in return. Now I cannot live without it.

Father, you sent your son Jesus to be a sacrifice for my sins. That was the only way that I could receive the Holy Spirit that abides in me today. That was the only way you could rescue me and allow me to spend eternity with you. You knew he would be tortured, crucified. Jesus could have said “enough” and stopped it, legions of angels would have come to his rescue. But then the devil would have won. I will  never understand so great a love. You did this for me, a sinner. How can I not spend my life praising you, loving you, obeying you.

Lord, give me a vision of life that transcends the world as I know it. Help me with  the situations I find myself in that calls for more sacrifice than I think I can give. I know if I obey you I can find my deepest purpose in life, the reason you created me.

Jesus, you are my mediator to God, you are my hope, you are the way to  my Father.

By Lissette Trahan

Bible Study Plans: More Tips to Go Deeper in the Bible

by atozmom, posted in Studying the Bible

In our last blog post, we discussed ways on how to go deeper for your Bible study. In today’s post, we’ll go over a few more tips. Contact AtoZMomm today to learn more!

TIPS ON HOW TO GO DEEPER IN YOUR PERSONAL BIBLE STUDY

  • Define words. It’s hard to understand what you’re reading if you don’t know what the words mean. A good practice is to have Google up and running while you’re reading the Bible and look up any words you may be unfamiliar with. Often, a good Bible Dictionary is handy to have as well as it will give you not only the Biblical meaning, but also cross-references as to where this word can be found elsewhere in the Bible.
  • Use different translations. When studying the Bible, different translations can be extremely helpful, especially in extremely difficult parts of God’s word. There can be just slight differences, but those slight differences can be all you need for understanding. Just be careful you’re buying a different translation and not a paraphrase of the Bible.
  • Invest in a good commentary. Bible commentaries can be extremely helpful when trying to go deeper in God’s word. You can learn a lot from others, and from others who have built upon others’ work as well. Just be sure to try and read it on your own first, but then definitely use resources that are available to help you.
  • Don’t get frustrated. God’s word is hard because God Himself is hard to understand. It can be easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated with yourself when you just don’t get it. Stop. Pray. Breathe. Take a break. God’s not going anywhere. He’s waiting on you to find Him.
  • Have patience. Studying the Bible is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. The more you read and study, the more God will show up and reveal Himself. Knowing God and Jesus is a lifelong process; give it time.

Studying the Bible is like studying anything you want to know more about — except, in this case, there’s nothing more important you can be doing with your time than studying God’s word. It will take time and patience. I hope you find these Bible study tips useful. Contact me to learn more!

Bible Prayers: Adam and Eve Banned from the Garden of Eden

by atozmom, posted in Bible Prayers

Genesis 3:23: “So the Lord God banished him from The Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.”

Bible Prayers

The reason God banished Adam and Eve was they now had the knowledge of good and evil. He was preventing them from eating from the tree of life. If they ate of that, they would have lived forever. Man was created with the ability to choose. If the only experience Adam had was of good things, he had no knowledge of anything that could be called evil. Satan introduced Adam to evil and God would not allow him to eat of the tree of life and live forever. Because of Adam and Eve we now have to choose.

Lord, I want to belong to you totally. I surrender my life to you. I want to live my life pleasing you, obeying you. The only way that I can be content is by knowing you more. I need your presence throughout the day. I can do nothing without you. Holy Spirit, help me.

I know that God never leaves us unless we go away first. Even when I ignore you, you are there knocking and waiting. Sometimes I feel you hiding, I don’t feel your presence. My prayers seem to just bounce off the walls. At those times help me to have faith in you. Your Word says that God allows us to go through difficulties to teach us to rely on him more. At those times let me experience your compassion, draw me back to you, Lord.

No matter what I am going through I know that you love me and that all you do is for my good. I believe that with all my heart. Knowing that helps me face life. Knowing that helps me through difficulties. With you by my side nothing is unbearable. 

Lord, as I go through life I want to learn to plant seeds that ultimately will help others find their way to you. What I plant, no matter how small, you can make it grow into something that is beautiful and fruitful.

Please keep me from falling, correct me and guide me. You know my weaknesses. I get caught up in the rush of this world. I want to learn to live constantly in your presence.

By Lissette Trahan

Bible Study Plans: 5 Ways on How to Go Deeper in the Bible

by atozmom, posted in Studying the Bible

Bible study can be daunting, especially if you’re a new Christian. However, studying the Bible is challenging for everyone, mainly because it points out point blank how we all deserve death, we’re all sinners, and we all need God. In this blog post, I’ll offer up tips on how to go deeper in the Bible. Contact me today with any questions!

5 WAYS TO GO DEEPER IN THE BIBLE

  1. View the Bible as a whole story. Many people make the mistake of tackling the Bible in pieces, reading stories here and there, and never putting it all together. Furthermore, many make the mistake of thinking the Old Testament is a completely separate part of the Bible and is completely opposite of the New Testament. However, the Bible is God’s story meant to be taken as a whole with an overarching theme — that of Jesus as Savior. Once you understand this basic fact, you’ll read the Bible in a whole new light.
  2. Understanding the genre of the books of the Bible. In your Bible study plans, it’s helpful to know what genre each book of the Bible falls into. This is important because not every sentence of the Bible is meant to teach you. Some are prayers to pray to God. Some are just part of a theme you can apply to your life. Understanding which books of the Bible are instructional versus narrative for example will help you to go deeper in God’s Word.
  3. Find God’s overarching truths. There are overarching truth’s in God’s word, such as Jesus is Savior, God is good, we are saved by God’s grace, and all believers go to heaven and await Jesus’ second coming. These principles tie God’s word together so you can go deeper in the Bible.
  4. Pray. When you ask God for help, He answers. Ask Him every time you sit down to read the Bible for a deeper understanding of His Word. He will answer.
  5. Don’t rush. Reading the Bible is not homework with a timeline to finish. You need to take your time to digest and ponder God’s word, and if you have to re-read a passage many times until you get it, do so.

These are just a few of some of my favorite tips to go deeper in God’s word. Stay tuned to AtoZMomm’s blog for part two to this series of how to go deeper in God’s word. Contact me to learn more!

Inspirational Quotes: Luke 22:42

by atozmom, posted in Inspirational Quotes

“Yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Jesus Christ

Bible Prayers: The Forbidden Fruit

by atozmom, posted in Bible Prayers

Genesis 3:6 “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

Bible Prayers

The fruit did not make Adam and Eve wise, but they did realize for the first time that they were not wearing clothes. Adam and Eve thought they would get pleasure and wisdom from eating the forbidden fruit, but they got neither. Their lives were ruined because of their sin.

Lord, I worry at times that my life is not pleasing to you, that my walk is not good enough. It is hard to forget my past sins even though I know that you have forgiven them. I know the grace that saved me. When I sin, I am convicted knowing that I have offended you. When my soul is troubled, I turn to you and you are always there. I can come to rest in that profound inner peace knowing that you will be my advocate when I stand before my Father.

Your Word is full of treasures, the more I explore it the more riches I find. The Bible is a love letter to me from the creator of the universe. It was your Word that led me to you, where you revealed your love for me. It changed my life. It introduced me to Jesus.

Your mercy gives me time to repair the many mistakes that I have made. I can begin over again knowing that you will accept me and love me. You never make me feel judged, you give me as many chances as I ask for. Your mercies are new every morning.

Your Word says that salvation is found in Jesus Christ. That there is “no other name by which we are saved”. Does this mean that only Christians are saved? God is not that small. All people are touched by the Spirit of God in many ways that we do not always see or understand. However, those who are touched, it is always by Jesus Christ. Jesus, you are the human face of God, you are the God who took on human flesh, you are the revelation of who God is for me.

By Lissette Trahan

Bible Study Plans: Is the Bible True?

by atozmom, posted in Studying the Bible

“Is the Bible true?”

I think most of us have heard this question at some point in our lives. Many say the Bible is just a collection of stories, myths even, about people who may or may not have lived long ago. How do we know it’s true? In this blog post by AtoZMomm, we’ll explore that question. Contact me today with any other questions you may have!

What is the Bible?

The Bible is the holy book for Christians. In it is recorded God and His son, Jesus’s, teachings to the world, as written down by chosen people of God. It is a collection of books written over a period of 1500 years. The Old Testament tells of the beginning of time and God’s choosing of His people, the Jews, and the Jews’ history. The New Testament is the story of God’s son, Jesus, and the spread of the new religion, Christianity, that Jesus ushered in when he died for our sins.

IS THE BIBLE TRUE?

What is truth? You have to answer that question before you can answer if the Bible is true or not. Truth is what has happened in reality, or something accepted as true. The Bible states many truths, for example, that God exists, that He created the world and everything in it, that Jesus is God’s son, and the only was to get to heaven is to have faith in Jesus as God’s son and that his death cleansed us all to make us holy enough to be with God.

Evidence for the Bible

  • There are many existing early manuscripts of the Bible, all supporting one another. There are outside writings as well, from the Greeks and the Romans, all verifying the existence of Jesus. Moreover, the Bible is a cohesive whole, all uniting in one message and never contradicts itself. This would not be possible with so many human writers over such a long time frame without a deity’s guidance.
  • The Bible lines up with history.
  • There are eyewitness accounts.
  • The Bible cared about women when no one else did.
  • The Bible prophecies much and many of these prophecies have come true.
  • The Bible is without error.
  • The Bible has a clear message.
  • The Bible is sufficient.

DO YOU HAVE FAITH THE BIBLE IS TRUE?

In the end, the answer to this question is faith, which is what determines your entrance to heaven or not as well. Do you have faith that what the Bible says is true, based off all the existing evidence? Has God spoken to you personally? Do you have a personal relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ? What does your heart tell you?

Your soul and your heart hold the answer. Search it, and find it today. Contact me with questions!