Tag: Bible

Bible Reading Plans!!

by atozmom, posted in Faith

Image result for reading bible

To help kick-start your desire to stay in the Word over the summer, I’ve compiled some great bible summer reading plans.  Feel free to return to this page and dive in whenever you have a moment and don’t feel bad if you miss some days.  These are just quick guides to help you!  Happy reading!

This one is to read the book of Psalms in June, July, and August:  HERE

This one is more of a year long one but it’s got a plan for different books of the Bible so you can pick a month and do whichever you want:  HERE

This one is just 5 minutes a day for 5 days a week.  Again, pick and choose which months:  HERE

Finally, my favorite link of all. This one has a bunch of different Bible reading plans based off of themes.  You can go chronological or Christmas or in order. Great choices: HERE

One Defining Moment

by atozmom, posted in Lissette's Lyrics

One Defining Moment

One defining moment in each of our lives
That make our life have purpose, that make us feel alive
One defining moment which way before our birth,
God has a plan for each of us so we may feel our worth

One defining moment we fit into his plan, the one we were
created for, there’s one for each born man…

Sometimes when we are open, we may be truly blessed,
To know that one small moment, that brings us happiness
One defining moment and sometimes there may be more
If you’re open to the master’s call, help me Lord, not to ignore

Sometimes we may be open and sometimes if we are not
God uses us to help another fill their special spot
So on the days you wonder, why you have been brought here,
That one defining moment will help to make it clear.

By :
Marcie Wert

Comment on One Defining Moment
I remember my one defining moment. I had opened a Bible for the first
time when I was living in Belize. I remember becoming interested but I
was still a skeptic. My first prayer was to ask God “I want out of this
jungle, help me find a way back to the U.S.” That was my first tour in
Belize.                          .

He answered my prayer, we came back to a beautiful home, I started a
ladies accessory shop. I was living the American dream. I kept reading the
Bible, seeking, knowing that there was so much that I needed to learn.
I was frustrated but I kept seeking.

One day, something happened. It is hard to put into words. I didn’t hear his
voice, I didn’t feel him touch me but I felt his presence. I felt his love.
A silent voice said “I am with you always”. Silent because the words I
heard did not come from me, I did not know that the verse was in the
Bible. The other thing that happened, all at the same time was that my
heart leaped. All was unexpected.

That was my defining moment. I have since had many moments with the
Lord, but that was the first. I became a believer, after feeling that presence,
that love, my whole life changed.

Do I still sin? Yes, but that voice that I heard “I am with you always”
makes me run back and confess. That was almost 50 years ago. In all that
time he has been faithful even when I wasn’t.

You will seek me and find me
when you seek me with all your heart
–Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

Attitude

by atozmom, posted in Lissette's Lyrics

ATTITUDE

My attitude determines what my day will be like.
When awakening in the morning if my first thought is of Christ,
No matter what lays ahead I know He’ll make it right.
At times it is not easy, life can be such a fight.
My attitude determines what my day will be like.

This life is a journey where I am learning how to trust
My attitude will determine, will I adjust or disrupt?
When my life goes into chaos, as it so often does,
Will I say Your will be done, or will I say enough?

I know when I am tested God is working in my life
Maturity and growth will come about with strife.
Attitude is the key, it changes life from dark to bright
God will take care of the rest, if my attitude is right.

By:

Lissette Trahan

Comment on Attitude

Life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent
how we react to it.

My attitude determines so much of what happens
everyday. Anyone that I come in contact with can be
changed by my attitude.

Winston Churchill said
“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference”

If I develop an attitude of thanks, giving thanks to
God knowing that He is working always for my good,
I learn to trust Him and that brings peace and joy.

I have talked about and read about trusting God.
It wasn’t until the trials came that I really knew what
it meant. Trusting to me was peace when everything
was falling apart. An attitude of patience while you
wait.

This verse says it all, this is the attitude that God
wants for me.

Galatians 5:22 ESV
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no law.

A Sinner

by atozmom, posted in Lissette's Lyrics

A SINNER

There is a bible story about David, the King
Mostly when talked about, it is about his sin
What I see is a story of Grace and Restoration
Rejoicing I thank God, there is no separation

David
A man after God’s own heart
He was the greatest sinner
And yet You called him that
What did he do? He loved you
Repenting for a start
Accepting what sin did to him
He never turned his back

Lord let me learn a lesson
From this man who stole Your heart.

By:

Lissette Trahan

COMMENT ON A SINNER

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of David.
David had many qualities described in his own writings.

He was trusting
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear

He was loving
Psalm 18:1
I love you, O Lord, my strength

He was repentant
Psalm 25:11
For the sake of your name. O Lord, forgive my iniquity,
though it is great

It shows the grace and love of God. Anything is forgiven if I repent.
I am a sinner and there is great comfort in knowing that I have a God
who is greater than any sin.

What I learned was that no matter what problems or how hard life
becomes I accept it never doubting that it will be for my good.

I want to be a woman after His own heart.

Acts 13:22
“I have found David the son of Jesse,
a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill
all my will”.

The Holy Spirit

by atozmom, posted in Lissette's Lyrics

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit abiding in me
Your gift gave me power, the truth I can see
It was the Spirit that changed my life
Your love for me, Your sacrifice

What is the greatest gift God gave me?
The Word says “Lo. I am with you always”
A Comforter, a helper, leading the way
Filling that yearning for which I pray

It is not my effort, but Christ that achieves
The life of freedom that God has for me
The Holy Spirit fills me with peace
It is Christ in me

The Cross, the Risen Christ and the Spirit released
O Lord, My God, What a Great Victory

By:

Lissette Trahan

COMMENT ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is God. The Bible says
He is omnipresent.

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee
from Your presence? I go up to the heavens, You are
there, if I make my bed in the depths, You are
there.”

When I accepted Christ, that Holy Spirit–that God–
came and dwelt in me. Christ’s disciples were
ordinary people like you and me. At Pentecost
something definitely happened.

When they were filled with the Holy Spirit, their
life changed. It wasn’t something that happened
quietly. These men were behind closed doors full
of fear. When they received the power of the Holy
Spirit what happened to their fear?

I didn’t see the same results as the apostles did, but
I know that I ceased being ordinary.

The Bible says I am a new creation,
born again. My hearts desire is to glorify and
please God. The Holy Spirit changed my heart,
changed my desires. It says I am sealed. I will
never be forsaken.

1 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new
creation has come: The old has gone, the new
is here.”

Hope

by atozmom, posted in Lissette's Lyrics

HOPE

The greatest hope that Christ gives me
To live with Him eternally
Because He died I will arise
Jesus fulfilled that sacrifice

Hope, is having faith to believe
The Bible proved it all to me
It is all guaranteed and sealed
Someday it will be revealed

Without hope what would life be
Days when hope feels far away
That is where faith is what I see
It is hope that helps me pray

For who hopes for what he sees
Instead I wait patiently
I know the plans God has for me
A future of welfare, hope and peace

Today I have the Holy Spirit
A gift and taste of whats to be
A hope of what I will inherit
Adopted, I’ve become family

By:

Lissette Trahan

COMMENT ON HOPE

Without hope life loses its meaning
Hope is belief in God who can be trusted
to keep His promises.

It was hope that kept me seeking.

Wherever there is assurance of hope there is faith
I am saved by grace through hope.

Hope gives me the power to live courageously,
to be all that Christ has called me to be.

Hope gives me that sure certainty that what is
promised in His Word is true.

Hope, then faith which in turn produces peace.
When I have peace, I have joy.

The greatest joy is that I will live with Him eternally.
On that I have faith.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I Take For Granted

by atozmom, posted in Lissette's Lyrics

I TAKE FOR GRANTED

Each day as I awaken
My first thoughts are of You
The restful sleep You’ve given
I take for granted too

The beauty that I see each day
Sunrise, sunsets, wondrous views
Such a beautiful display
I take for granted too

The times that You’ve protected me
Of sins that would my life undo
How could I have failed to see
I took for granted too

The times that You’ve provided
When all the bills were due
The times that it was all supplied
I took for granted too

How can I begin Lord
To express my thanks to You
Thanking you for Your support
In everything I do

But most of all I thank you Lord
The way that You’ve changed me
I’m not the way I was before
Your love has set me free

I thank you now throughout the day
I am aware of You

Especially Your love, dear Lord,
I now take that for granted too.

By:

Lissette Trahan

COMMENT ON I TAKE FOR GRANTED

I so often take my blessings for granted.
Emerson said that if the stars came out only
once a year, everybody would stay up all night
to behold them.

Instead of thanking God for what I have I
take it for granted. Instead of being content
and satisfied I complain.

How can I tell if I am taking God for granted?
By the way that I live my life? Do I ignore God?
Do I ever think about Him, do I ever pray or
thank Him?

Jesus shows up in my life all the time, but if I don’t
stay aware I miss Him. He is there providing
opportunities. He is there when I have problems. He is
with me ready to help me at all times. Then when
things are solved I just assume that I did a good job.
That is taking Him for granted.

When I pray I feel like my prayers are too simple.
Here I am addressing the creator of the universe.

Then I remember the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is
always with me helping me, interceding for me.
Jesus died so I would have that comforter.

He nudges me, with Him by my side I cannot ignore God.
I cannot take Him for granted.

Ecclesiastes 7:14
On a good day, enjoy yourself;
On a bad day, examine your conscience.
God arranges for both kinds of days
So that we won’t take anything for granted.

“The Lord Will Fight For You; You Need Only to Be Still.”

by atozmom, posted in Faith

Exodus 14:14

Words from Moses to the Israelites I needed to hear today and I thought some of you might need to as well.

Substitute I for “the Lord” and picture God whispering this in your ear and you’ll get a beautiful picture to last the rest of the day (and beyond).  Magic.  Powerful.  Life-giving. From Father to daughter or son.

What’s Wrong with Self-Help Books?

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews, Faith

Our BSF lecture last week insinuated there was something wrong with self-help books.  I immediately bristled.

As some of you know, I’m working on myself, trying to grow and fix some of “me”, smooth out the rough edges and I have chosen to do this through God’s word, prayer, and books.  Most of these books are self-help books.

The argument was made, “People look to themselves rather than God when they read these books.”  I think this is a valid argument if you do indeed rely on self-help books only instead of God.

But self-help books combined with God is a powerful tool.  I read books and I get ah-ha moments.

God speaks through people.  People write books (like myself).  And I believe God helps me write and He uses me to convey His message.  So why wouldn’t He help others?  Why wouldn’t God give us the gift of books through others to know Him better?  It sounds a lot like what the Bible is, doesn’t it?  Others words inspired by God and a chronicle of Jesus’s life–words written down so we can know Him.

Most of the books I read have God as a critical component in it.  It’s psychological advice accompanied by a strong message of faith and prayer.  It’s powerful.  It gives you ideas you normally wouldn’t see (I haven’t studied psychology) so you can become more like Jesus.

I believe God knows just what to put in my hands at just the right time.  Besides His word, books that teach life lessons that you can apply are powerful.  They challenge me to think, to analyze, to delve into my past, to see things through others’ eyes, to see me through others’ eyes.  They tell me things people would never tell me.

I agree self-reliance can lead to a powerful fall.  But I see nothing wrong with the desire to improve yourself and looking at other places in addition to the Bible and prayer.

Your thoughts?

Do You Pause to Give God Credit?

by atozmom, posted in Faith, Life, Writing

How many times have you paused lately to give God credit for events in your life?

I know I try, especially on Sundays in church, but I’m bad at giving him credit for the little things:  like today for a perfect bike ride with my son where we saw frogs, pelicans, geese, birds, and squirrels–His creations all around us.

I’m bad at giving him credit for the big things too such as my new novel idea (I always say a prayer of thanks but continually giving him praise is hard for me) or for maybe getting us out of this apartment through a nice couple that may sublet from us or for my husband’s new job that is allowing us to go vacation for the first time in at least five years, for us to get our teeth cleaned, and for us to visit the doctor without worry of bills to come in the mail.

I’m reading Daniel in the Old Testament who continually gave God credit for everything despite being exiled in a foreign country his entire life (Babylon).  It’s amazing how far faith can get you.

I do know in my heart I will write the novel that will find the perfect literary agent and an audience as long as I keep following God’s word and his word in my life.

So I will endeavor to pause more to thank God for his little blessings (and his big ones) as I continue on my life’s journey.