Monday, January 9, 2017

Growth Through Faith ~ Stretching Situations

Hello to you my dear friends!
I appreciate your visits and those kind words left in your comments.
  Thank you for gracing my life with your friendship. ♡
The New Year is well on it's way and many of you have shared
on your Blogs already of your WORD for the year. 
I have so enjoyed reading your posts as to why you chose the word you did. 
Some of you have already shared testimonies of how
the Lord is working in your lives with and through your word.
One of you dear ladies has a terrific word for this year
and I have quietly claimed it as a second word for my own life
and have put it into practice in a BIG way over this past weekend.
I'm  looking to ACCOMPLISH a lot in the way of purging 
in both my home and our outside buildings this year.
My husband had better keep an eye on his garages. 😉




As Christians we all want to experience the fullness of the Christian life. 
There is so much more to having a relationship with God 
than simply having our sins forgiven.
But in this life we will all encounter faith ~ stretching situations
in order for us to grow in our walk of faith;
that is, if we are willing for the Father to speak to our heart
and direct us through those difficult situations
that are most certainly going to come into our lives at one time or another.
The beautiful thing is that whatever the Lord allows
into our lives it is for the purpose of increasing our intimacy with Him.



Proverbs chapter 5 speaks to us on the security in wisdom
and it is full of instruction. 
"Keep my commandments and live."Verse 4

"Get wisdom!Get understanding!" Verse 5

"When you walk your steps will not be hindered,
and when you run you will not stumble." Verse 12

"Take firm hold of instruction and do not let go." Verse13

" But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day." Verse 18

"Keep your heart with all diligence,
for out of it spring the issues of life." Verse 23

Those are just a few of the excellent verses on getting wisdom
found in chapter 5.



So when we face trials 《and we will》 or must make decisions 《and we must》
that require strength and wisdom far beyond our own,
that is when God wants us to seek Him through His Word
and in prayer.
Likewise, He asks us to pay attention to the promptings 
of His Holy Spirit, to listen to that still small voice
and be confident He'll work through our obedience
to Him in an amazing way.
As we seek to serve God obediently and trust Him to lead 
us in our Christian life we can trust Him in everything,
even those faith ~ stretching situations.



Heavenly Father~thank You for Your unfailing love.
Help us always to trust Your will and Your ways.
Amen.

Be Blessed!
~ Debbie ~

24 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What a beautiful, encouraging post.

**The beautiful thing is that whatever the Lord allows into our lives it is for the purpose of increasing our intimacy with Him.** Amen.

Love & hugs ~ FlowerLady



kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

I so needed this uplifting post today, dearest Debbie. Yes, difficult situations do increase our dependence on Our Savior and also increases our faith, and trust , as we desire His compassion and mercy. I liked the part where you described listening to that small voice in the Holy Spirit, which I will continue to do. Thank you for your lovely wisdom, and good luck with that purging! Love and hugs, Kitty

Sylvia said...

You always seem to know the right words to post at the right time, dear Debbie. I know it is the leading of the Holy Spirit. As we listen and obey Him, he gives us our words. As always I needed to hear this today. Sometimes in our days we can get so busy that we fail to hear Him speak. I am learning to be quiet. Thank you for this inspiring post.

Hugs, Sylvia

Vee said...

It is very comforting to know that God has our very best interests in mind. Does your husband read your blog? Is he getting nervous yet?

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Oh yes...those faith-stretching situations in life...yes, they do come sooner or later to all of us. Praise God...He has already gone before us and has prepared the way...to lead us into perfect peace in the midst of the storms.
Love your snow pictures...so crisp and clean and pure...and COLD...but OH! So beautiful! Thank you for sharing them with us. We don't get to see the beauty of winter here in Florida. (But we don't have to deal with the mess either...)
Yes, praying for God's wisdom in all of life's circumstances is always the right choice! This was a very inspiring and beautiful post. Thank you.

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

Beautiful post full of stunning snowy trees pictures - the wise counsel is indeed well taken. Thank you, sweet friend.

Hope your new year is going well = full of good health, fun and joy.

Hugs. God bless.

Sandra said...

For me it's learning to be quiet enough to listen to that still small voice. I get so easily get distracted and my lfe gets filled with "stuff" both physical and mental. Another encouraging post Debbie. Thank you. 💜

Debby Ray said...

What a wonderful post filled with such beautiful words, thoughts, and images. I have heard few others talking bout the word "accomplish". I wish I would have thought of this this myself since it is what I truly intend to do. I have been busy today doing just that...and I have so much more to do! Thank you for your encouraging and wise thoughts...just what I needed :)

Cheryl said...

Another beautiful post, my friend! God surely does have a way of stretching us and our faith, and He is ever faithful to us, in return! He is a dear, precious. loving Lord Who absolutely cares about the details of our lives. I will be announcing our word for 2017 soon, Lord willing. :) God bless you, dear friend.

NanaDiana said...

What a wonderful, UPLIFTING post, Debbie. You are certainly an uplifter of His word and live and lead by example. Thank you for the link...and I am glad you have claimed ACCOMPLISH as your second word. I am with you as I look forward to accomplishing things this year that have been stagnant for a while. Blessings to you, sweet Debbie. xo Diana

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Oh such a true word it the word of the LORD, I love the verses you've yused from Proverbs, for twenty plus years I read a proverb and a psalm a day, plus my four chapters a day to read my Bible through each year it year - you read through Proverbs twelve times in a year (and in ten years that is 120)and Psalms two and half times in twelve months.
When you read books that much it becomes a really familiar friend. I love "But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day." Verse 18.

Oh that my life would shine for Him in the through and smooth paths as you say.
I mention my word in my post today and link over to your blog. I only do it as a parentheses because a large number of my readers are not Christian, but I know they read such things so it is good to share in whatever way we can.
Thanks so much for sharing the inspiration of the word the LORD has given you, May god richly bless you dear sister.
Shaz in Oz.x

{Shaz in Oz – Calligraphy Cards}

Alex said...

Yes Debbie!The brilliant light of the sun on the snow, so beautifully depicted, is a reminder we should let God's brilliant Light illuminate us though sometimes it is hard. In other words let Him guide the outcomes to those difficult situations...I am not very good at that! Thank you for this most timely reminder, Debbie and the beautiful photos.

NanaNor's said...

Powerful post with beautiful photos Debbie. May He increase and we decrease! Sending you big hugs today.
Noreen

Anne Payne said...

My faith has been stretched, for sure! The only way I am able to comprehend what is happening is through prayer and reading His Word. I've known since mid-2016 that the Lord was steering me toward a more focused prayer life. Maybe that should be my word for 2017 - Pray. :-)

{{hugs}}

Creations By Cindy said...

Debbie, this is such a sweet post for me to read this morning. Thank you for sharing from your heart sweet one. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

Thank you for this post today! I have a huge decision to make and I am trying to hear from the Lord....there are no red flags or checks but I want to be sure He approves before I go ahead. Sometimes it is a leap of faith!

Stephanie said...

Good evening {late evening}, I was determined to leave a comment before I go to bed. I had your post up yesterday and then today so I got a double dose....which is a good thing :)

Your words were certainly uplifting and full of wisdom. When God stretches us it's certainly hard at the time, but what sweet joy to look back upon the stretching period and see how God worked in us and through us. Oh, to come forth as gold!

LOVE the word "accomplish" and when I saw it on Diana's blog I thought it was a wonderful word for the year. I don't claim words, but if I did I think that would be one of them :)

Your pictures are truly beautiful and capture the loveliness of winter.

Love you and wishing you a blessed Thursday!

Stephanie said...

Good evening {late evening}, I was determined to leave a comment before I go to bed. I had your post up yesterday and then today so I got a double does....which is a good thing :)

Your words were certainly uplifting and full of wisdom. When God stretches us it's certainly hard at the time, but what sweet joy to look back upon the stretching period and see how God worked in us and through us. Oh, to come forth as gold!

LOVE the word "accomplish" and when I saw it on Diana's blog I thought it was a wonderful word for the year. I don't claim words, but if I did I think that would be one of them :)

Your pictures are truly beautiful and capture the loveliness of winter.

Love you and wishing you a blessed Thursday!

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

Accomplishing things is something on my list too! I need to do some rearranging and deep cleaning in our home this year. Now is the time to not just plan, but do it, lol! You are always so encouraging, and I love how you share the Word of the Lord with your writing. Such an inspiration every time I visit you, my friend, your words are always uplifting, and a true blessing. Many hugs to you today!

hobbyloes said...

Dear Debbie, your words are always so full of consolation and compassion, delightful to read.

Annesphamily said...

Hi Debbie, you are another kind heart that shares your heart filled with love and compassion here. Thank you. Your photos are very lovely. Good to stop in and say hello. Stay safe in the cold and snowy days ahead. Blessings, Anne

Pom Pom said...

Hi Debbie! Sorting through stuff can be very reflective and cleansing, can't it? I pray for easy decisions!
Your snow is absolutely gorgeous.

Vicky Hunt said...

Oh how this post resonated with me. You are such an encouragement. Love the reminder to trust Him in everything...even those faith-stretching situations. I have had a few of those recently but I never lose my faith. Thank you so much for these reminders. You are a blessing!

Hugs, Vicky

Marilyn Mathis said...

I am very late in posting my appreciation for this post. The photography is beautiful, but the words are awesome. Such encouragement! You are such a sweet, gracious lady who is a ray of sunshine to all of us who follow your blog. Love you! Hugs.

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