God’s Grace Empowers Us July 30, 2015

Dear ones, today I want to talk to you about legalism and grace. What do these terms mean? What does scripture say about it? I ask the Lord to take away our misconceptions and to shine His light on the Truth. May he type through me.

Titus 3:4-7 Amplified Bible (AMP)

^“4 But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Savior to man [as man] appeared,

⁵ He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

⁶ Which He poured out [so] richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

⁷ [And He did it in order] that we might be justified by His grace (by His favor, wholly undeserved), [that we might be acknowledged and counted as conformed to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action], and that we might become heirs of eternal life according to [our] hope.”

I want to talk to you as a fellow student. I have worn the many masks of legalism. It invades all areas of life and sucks away the joy until you feel dead inside. Let me clear up a misconception before we begin.

Grace does not mean sinning all you want with no consequences. And having standards does not mean you are a legalist. By all means, follow the speed limit, don’t murder, don’t steal. The difference between legalism and grace is found in the heart…not necessarily outward actions.

Grace- unmerited favor and mercy.

Romans 3:23-24Amplified Bible (AMP)

^“23 Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory ^[a]which God bestows and receives.

²⁴ [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,” 

For more info on justification and the meaning of other important Biblical terms check out this post:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/inspirational-wednesday-part-two-the-power-of-the-cross/

“Legalism is:

1. Emphasis on the letter rather than on the spirit of the law;

2. Belief in salvation by obedience to the law rather than by the grace of God or by faith;

3. Undue stress on legal details without balancing considerations of justice and mercy.

Legalism only demands that the law be satisfied.”

~Grace that Breaks the Chains pg 27  (originally taken from The Dictionary of Religious Terms)

•           Legalism exalts man as god. The gospel of legalism says “I can earn my salvation.” “I can keep my salvation.” “I can please God on my own.” “I am good.” “I am righteous.”
•                The gospel of Grace says “Jesus is my salvation.” “Jesus keeps me.” “Jesus is my goodness.” “Jesus is my righteousness.” “Without Jesus I can do nothing, but with Jesus I can do all things.”
•          Grace empowers us to live right, through relationship with Christ.
• Legalism chains us to the impossible task of being good in our own strength. It inflates our pride when we do well. It brings us into the pit of depression when we fail.

Grace or legalism? Which is in your heart? Look at the root. Are you trying to earn God’s favor by your good works, or are your good works the result of your love relationship with God?

True Christians know that we are saved by grace, but even Christians can be legalistic. We know that grace through Jesus’ blood initially saves us, but then we think to live the Christian life we must try hard and do good works. Jesus saved us but we don’t expect Him to sanctify us. We look to our own strength. We think our good works will KEEP God’s favor. Dear ones, that is backwards. It is God’s grace that enables us to live right. It is the blood of Jesus that sanctifies us continually. We can not do it on our own.

Ephesians 2:8-9Amplified Bible (AMP)

^“8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (^[a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;

⁹ Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]”

“Man was never designed nor expected to keep God’s commands on his own, nor was strict adherence to law ever God’s way of making man righteous. It has always been by faith. Seeking to achieve right standing with God by religious performance would be like expecting a mirror to wash the dirt off your face. The purpose of the mirror is not to clean you, but to reveal the dirt. In the same way, ‘through the Law comes the knowledge of sin’ (Romans 3:20), not the power to remove it.“

~Grace that Breaks the Chains pg 28

So often we miss the purpose of the law, because we miss the Person who made the law (meaning the commands given in scripture). The Law, the feasts, the Sabbath…everything was made to point to God, to Jesus. Even in the New Testament…Jesus’ teachings, the parables, communion, baptism, putting on the armor of God…all made to point us to Jesus. The law shows us that we are helpless without God. We are missing something. We are in desperate need of God. If we try to follow the letter of the law so we can be good people or even to earn God’s favor, then we have missed the point.

James 2:10Amplified Bible (AMP)

^“10 For whosoever keeps the Law [as a] whole but stumbles and offends in one [single instance] has become guilty of [breaking] all of it.”

The Bible makes it clear that we as humans are unable to completely keep the law. We will fail. So why did God give us commands if we can’t keep them? Friends, God is good. He loves us. He wants us to see that He is what we are missing. Humans need God’s help to live. We need relationship with God. We can not be righteous, but Jesus can be righteous for us. Jesus sacrificed Himself so His blood will cover our sin. Truly without God we are naked and in the dark, with no way of turning on the light and clothing ourselves. Only God can turn on the light and clothe us. God gave the law so we would turn to Him for help. So we would realize we are not god. We were never mean’t to live independently from God. We were never mean’t to do everything in our own strength.

Galatians 3:24-26 KJV

^“24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

²⁵ But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

²⁶ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:3 Amplified Bible (AMP)

^“3 Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun [your new life spiritually] with the [Holy] Spirit, are you now reaching perfection [by dependence] on the flesh?”

Acts 13:38-39 KJV

^“38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

³⁹ And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

Romans 3:19-20 Amplified Version

^“19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that [the murmurs and excuses of] every mouth may be hushed and all the world may be held accountable to God.

²⁰ For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [^[a]not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character].”

Romans 5:19-21King James Version (KJV)

^“19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

²⁰ Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

²¹ That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

 

Legalism is a deceptive tool of the enemy. Legalism appears to be holy, but it is rotten to the core. Do you seem good on the outside but inside you are dying? Is your church a hateful place with no life in it? Are you losing members to the world? You might be legalistic. You see Legalism may seem to work for a bit. When you parent a child with an iron fist and no grace, they may be compliant for awhile, but inside legalism will spawn rebellion, bitterness, and defeat. Legalism simply does not work.

I get it. Some of us are scared of grace because we’ve seen the term misused. The world and carnal Christians have used “grace” as a way to excuse all manner of sin. Maybe you’ve been hurt by someone who said “Hey, don’t judge me.” The subject of grace has been horribly abused and so many misunderstand the meaning because of that. Dear ones, please don’t miss out on the power and goodness of Jesus’ grace. When someone truly accepts God’s grace they will live a beautiful empowered life through it. Abiding with Jesus by His grace enables us to live righteously. We will want to obey his commands because we love Him. Perfection won’t happen until Heaven, but our desires will be to follow Jesus.

Romans 6:13-15King James Version (KJV)

^“13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

¹⁵ What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.“

Romans 7:5-7King James Version (KJV)

^“5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

⁶ But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

⁷ What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”

What separates legalism from grace is our position. Where do we operate from? Do we operate in the Spirit or in the flesh? Are we in Christ or not?

Romans 8:2-4King James Version (KJV)

^“2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

The Spirit is not some mystical force or a drug that gets you high. The Spirit is a PERSON. The Spirit is God. We walk in the Spirit by spending time with Jesus. So we see that Grace and living in the Spirit all comes back to relationship. The law means nothing without relationship. Its job is to point us to relationship with Christ.

Galatians 5:17-18 KJV

^“17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

¹⁸ But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”

Hebrews 7:19 KJV

^“19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”

Hebrews 10:1 Amplified

“For since the Law has merely a rude outline (foreshadowing) of the good things to come—instead of fully expressing those things—it can never by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year make perfect those who approach [its altars].”

What is a better hope? What are the good things to come? Jesus answers them both. He fulfills the law. I enjoy the Biblical feasts (like Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles), but I know that celebrating them will not help me earn God’s favor. The purpose of the feasts are to point us to Jesus. I enjoy the celebrations when I use them as a way to think of Christ and fellowship with Him. There was a time in my life that I saw the feasts in a legalistic way. It’s funny because I completely lost my joy during that time and began to dislike the feasts. They became burdensome to me.  Have you ever done this with God’s commands or spiritual disciplines?

Let’s get in the New Testament shall we. Maybe your devotion time or how often you pray has become a burden because you believe these things will make God like you more? Maybe you feel that when you sin or skip church etc… that God all of a sudden dislikes you? Dear one, I’ve been there. Legalism can come into any denomination and it can invade any area of your life. I have seen legalism take over my parenting. I have seen it take over my self esteem…whether as puffed up pride or insecurity (which is just pride in another form). Legalism takes our eyes off of Christ and puts it on ourselves.

Basically this is what Satan did when he tried to overthrow God. He kept saying “I will” “I will”. Satan put his focus on himself and his power. He said in his heart that he did not need God. Then he fell and came to Earth where he convinced humanity that we do not need God. But it’s a lie. We were made by and for God. We are diseased without Him. We are cursed without God. The only cure IS God. Jesus Christ came to be your cure. He is God the Son, a part of the God-head (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 3 in one, the Trinity). Dear Christian, you were not saved so you could do it all yourself.

We must give every bit of our lives to Christ. We must have relationship with Jesus and operate out of that relationship. We must walk in the Spirit. It’s simple. Be with Jesus. Spend time with Him. Talk to Him. Get to know Him. I pray we won’t miss this simple yet profound truth. I’m there with you. Please pray for me as I pray for you. God wants to be known. He loves us.

God bless and remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

 

This is only part 1. Go to the website for all parts.

http://lifetoday.org/video/encased-in-grace-part-1/

Ash Wednesday 2015 March 1, 2015

In this post: Our Ash Wednesday craft, a sneaky squirrel, and an inside look at piano tuning.

Hello dear ones! Up above is the one craft we did for Ash Wednesday. We saved up used matches the weeks leading to Lent. Michael pasted the matches into the shape of a cross. Then he took a white crayon and wrote the verse Genesis 3:19. We also watched a video on the history of Ash Wednesday. The other picture is our chalkboard door. I’m really enjoying it.

Here’s a lesson on the meaning of Ash Wednesday:
https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/inspirational-wednesday-ash-wednesday-valentines-message/

We have a very sneaky squirrel that dumps the bird seed out of our bird feeder. He also lives in Chris’ shed and messes up things. Michael says he’s fat enough to eat. Yep, that’s the inner redneck. He didn’t get it from me lol. Anywho, we like to watch the birds and the squirrel as we go through our homeschool day.

Apparently the cat does too…

Lastly, Michael had the neat opportunity to watch the piano tuner in action. My beloved piano of 17 years had never been tuned. Finally, we were able to call someone in. The nice man didn’t mind me taking a picture of the piano’s inner workings. He also let Michael sit and watch him tune.

Well, that’s all. God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Lent, Ash Wednesday, and Easter ideas

Advent 2014 & Christmas Decor December 26, 2014

Hello dear ones! Here’s our Advent list and Jesse tree devotions for this year. Enjoy and may you be inspired!

We kept our Advent activities in the Advent Christmas tree. I got it at Michael’s craft store and my son Michael painted it. Each day Michael opened a drawer to read the activity.

Jesse Tree, devotions by Ann Voskamp, and Advent wreathe. We read the devotions each night and Michael would put an ornament on the Jesse tree.

We also did this names of Jesus chain. We read a verse and one of Jesus’ names. Then Michael would write someone to pray for on the back. Each night our chain got longer. Links for printables at the end.

First off, this year wasn’t nearly as busy as last year. Some of the activities on our Advent list we never got to but that’s okay. If peace means skipping an activity then it’s worth it. Advent should not bring stress. It is a time to remember Christ’ birth and to look forward to Jesus’ second coming.

Last year was a bit hectic but we did have fun. Here’s the link for last year:
https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/advent-week-1/

There are 4 posts but the rest of them are at the end of the first post. So you can hop to each one. We had some nifty parties for the Grinch and the Nutcracker. We also did some fun random acts of kindness.
This year we repeated a few activities and added some new ones. I’m just doing one post this year. Here we go!

Advent 2014

1. Leeland’s ultrasound, Christmas shopping, and watch a movie.
Our precious miracle

2. Read “The Gift of the Christmas Cookies” & make cookies.

You can find a detailed post on the Christmas books we read this year here:
https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/12/24/six-inspirational-christmas-books-with-activities/

3. Decorate Chris’ office, give out cookies, & fill a shoebox online.

4. Nativity play at group.

I did a whole post on this here: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/jesus-our-precious-gift-an-interactive-christmas-drama-2014/

5. Broadway Holiday (take canned goods) & make cornstarch ornaments.

Fake snow

6. Decorate a gingerbread house & sew primitive ornaments.

We never made the primitive ornaments but Chris and Michael did put together this gingerbread house kit.

Also, Chris and I had a date night. Details here:
https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/christmas-date-ingredients/

7. Army band concert and donate to World Vision, VOM, & Valley Rescue.

We didn’t make it to the concert because Michael felt under the weather.

8. Read “The Legend of the Christmas Tree”, make tree crafts, & watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.

9. Read “The Message of the Birds”, take a winter walk, & do bird crafts.

10. Watch Frosty, have a snowman ice cream sundae, & do snowman crafts.

mason jar snowglobe~ it was hard to get a good picture.

tea light snowman ornament

11. Group book club, drink mistletoe cider, and watch The Christmas Box.

We didn’t make it to our group because Michael still had the sniffles.

The Christmas Box is one of my favorite stories. My Dad read it to me one Christmas. It’s about a busy father who realizes he’s missing out on his daughter’s childhood. We got the movie this year on a dvd with other Christmas movies. I’ve read the book to my family once and will hopefully do that again some day.

12. Read “The Candy Maker’s Gift”, make candy cane crafts, & eat candy cane treats.

13. Christmas parade & movie marathon.
We didn’t make it to the parade. We intend to each year but usually don’t. Ah, it’s too cold anyways! Chris and I did make it to our Sunday School Christmas party. We played the white elephant game and that was fun. Here’s me and my buddy Carrie.

14. Christmas kid’s choir at church.
Well, after a busy weekend and a full morning at church we decided to stay home that night. I did go with the guys to the archery place after lunch. I had promised Chris that I’d go some day.

I shot once and…

found, archery is not my cup of tea. I broke the arrow. I came, I saw, and…next time I’ll stay home. At least there was a nice recliner.

15. Read “The Lil Match Girl”, make luminaries.

16. Fantasy in Lights.

Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens is a spectacular drive thru light show with over 8 million lights! The last time I rode through was when I was pregnant with Michael and Chris was in Iraq. So it was neat this year to take the guys to this AND to be pregnant again!

We stopped in the Christmas village for some hot chocolate and treats.

17. Watch The Hobbit, have Christmas treats at bookstore, & visit the Pet store.

I didn’t get any pics for this. Michael got some Christmas money from grandparents and used it to buy himself a book. We took a quick trip to the pet store before going to the movies. Maybe I will write a review on the third Hobbit movie…

18. Scholars Christmas party and bookswap.

Hannah reading to the kids.

 

Chris holding Miriam, Hannah’s baby.

 

23 weeks

19. Watch Seasons of the Heart, Make paper Holly garland and mini paper angels.

Mom & Michael

20. Christmas recital & give gifts to Nana & Grandad.
Michael played “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

I played a few sing along tunes for fun.

Gifts with Nana and Grandad

21. Instrumental Christmas program.

Our church has a large orchestra.

22. Read “The Christmas Owl” and do owl crafts.

We read the book but didn’t do any crafts. So instead here are some pictures of my lil snowman! 🙂

23. Read “Mortimer the Christmas Mouse”.

I let Michael start nibbling on his gingerbread house since Mortimer the mouse lived in one.

24. Christmas Eve, Read/watch The Nativity Story, living room camp out, & family games.

We set up a big manger scene.

Chris preparing the chicken. We also had leftovers from Thanksgiving.

Family game time

We each opened one gift.

Okay this was staged lol. They were not actually asleep ;). We all ended up in bed because my lil dog has a gas problem….sigh.

25. Christmas Day! Holiday breakfast & funny movie marathon.
It’s almost time!

Michael has been playing his harmonica all day, that Aunt Jenn got him.

I think he likes our present :).

Stocking time! (Annabelle)

 

Tessa

 

Chester

Annabelle…not cooperating.

The guys putting together a transformer and then…

the big Lego set. It took awhile.

But it was worth it.

Christmas decor etc…

So I was going to make this part a whole ‘nuther post but decided to keep this simple and put it all into one. It’s kind of late to show all our Christmas prep but what the heck.

Lights on the house

Outside the door…

Painting the Advent tree

Stockings are hung…

Christmas village on the piano

Christmas tree and Nutcracker forest

Chester modeling in his box

New Christmas bedding. Yaaa!

Chester…doing finances?

Tree chain on the homeschool room door

Michael likes to decorate his bedroom too.

Well, God bless & remember the High King lives! Merry Christmas! ~Amber Dover

Links:

Mission Minded July 6, 2014

 

Hello dear ones! So…I took a trip to Belize and I learned a lot. I’d like to share something that stood out to me: what it means to be mission minded. First, I want to share some verses that most Christians know.

^“37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.

³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Matthew 22:37-40King James Version (KJV)

We are called to love, God and others. We are called to take the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. The good news is that God the Father, sent His son, Jesus, to save the world from it’s sins, to restore the relationship between humanity and it’s Creator.  Jesus Christ died and took our punishment upon Himself. Three day later He came back to life and conquered death itself. We no longer have to be slaves to sin and death. If we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord, then we will be saved and we will be the children of God. It’s simple. Once we belong to God, He then fills our hearts with His love and Spirit. The Spirit empowers us to share God’s love and Truth with the world.

God has given us this great gift, but we are not to hoarde it. We are not to hide away from the lost. We are called to share this good news, to share Jesus Himself. Yet, sometimes we treat Jesus like our little secret. We have the keys to the kingdom but we’ve hidden them in our pockets. The world is starving and we have the food bank…but we’d rather keep it to ourselves, so the dirt and blood of the world won’t sully our white robes.  Yet Jesus, the one we follow, wasn’t afraid to touch the lepers, to heal the demon possessed, and set free the sexually immoral. He wasn’t afraid to embrace US in OUR filth and brokeness.

This was my first international missions trip but it wasn’t my first mission. I started my first mission the moment I became a Christian, in 1998.  I’ve been blessed, in that the Lord answered my youthful prayer: “Lord, please keep me on a tight leash. Please do whatever it takes to keep me from straying.” God has answered that prayer over and over. The times I would stray, something always happened to bring me back before I got too far. Usually it was hardship. I say that to say, my Christian walk has been a committed one. I can only give glory to God for this because HE is the one who made sure we stayed close.  This summer will make 16 years of the best friendship I’ve ever had. So I’ve known that my mission is to share Christ with everyone, in my home town, in my state, in my country, and in the world.  God made it clear to me my senior year, that my Highschool was a mission field. He took my eyes off of dating and the trivial issues of teenagedom and gave me a heart to reach my generation.

This missional mindset stayed with me for many years in my youth. But something changed when I got married and had my son. I still reached out, gave, and looked for ways to share the gospel…but I started looking inward. I started building up my lil kingdom. My focus was my family…protecting and prospering MY family. I made a little comfortable nest and I sat on it. Every now and then I would peak out at the world and throw treats: “God loves you!” “God bless!”

God had indeed called me to be missional minded with my family, to be a light at home as well as the world. But He had not called me to ONLY be a light at home…to isolate myself. Now, I understand how I slipped into it. My twenties have been filled with physical illness and several losses. I put a good bit of work into homeschooling my son and it’s a big part of the calling God has given me. Sometimes a calling can become an idol though. My love for my family has sometimes turned into idolatry, and fear has crept in. When you cling tight to your life, you will lose it. Fear is a great way to lose what you love.

^“24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

²⁶ For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Matthew 16:24-26King James Version (KJV)

I issue this warning to all my fellow sisters: mother and wives: Be careful, that your family doesn’t become your god…that you don’t become so comfortable, that the cries of someone else’s child mean nothing to you. Don’t spend so much time building up your own kingdom that you forget God’s kingdom. Because if your family becomes your focus, instead of Jesus, then you will do whatever it takes to protect them…even if it hurts Jesus. Let God protect your family. Open your tight fist and give your treasures to God. They really belong to Him anyways. He can take much better care of your family than you can. 

So, back to the point of this post: Mission Minded. In Belize, I was thrown out of my comfort zone, and in my mind I acted like a brat at times. I got really upset when I found I couldn’t call my son every night. My phone card didn’t work. I got homesick often. But when you’re on a missions trip, you have to deal with yourself pretty quick. I couldn’t stay in a crummy mood. I had to get focused on God and put myself aside.

• When you’re mission minded, you lay down yourself for the sake of others. You put aside your negative attitudes because you know you are being a witness. We were told to smile despite the heat and the bugs, because the people of Belize needed our encouragement. The people o f Belize live in harsh conditions all the time and it’s like Christmas when we come to visit. We give them a boost, to keep on ministering. But if we complained the whole time and focused on ourselves, then the people of Belize would not be encouraged. We would not be able to reach those kids for Christ, if we frowned while we were jumping and dancing to songs. Okay, I’ll admit…I got tired and many times I didn’t feel like playing. But when a sweet Belizean girl asks you to play, you just do. These kids die from fevers and infectious cuts. They have to worry about jaguars eating their livelyhood and then coming after them. Who am I to complain? It’s not about being fake, it’s about choosing to only share encouragement. It’s about truly loving others.
• When you’re mission minded, you fellowship with others with the same mission. I couldn’t isolate myself from the group. I did everything with the group because we had to be on the same page for the mission to work.  We had to be unified. I had to communicate with the team. We encouraged each other at the end of the day. We prayed together. We worshipped together. We were able to do a mighty work because God used our unity. It was amazing to feel such closeness to people I barely knew. Most of us wept at some time or another. We remarked that this is how church should be. We were bound by our mission. The mission was the one thing we had in common.
• When you’re mission minded, you’re open to be used however God sees fit.  The newcomers like me, didn’t know what to expect. I had no clue that I’d have to improvise and just go with the flow. We had to be flexible. When Drew, my mission leader, disappeared, I didn’t expect to be thrown into sharing the gospel on the spot in front of a bunch of kids. As scared as I was, I still did it, because the mission was more important than my fear. Many people had to throw away their inhibitions and step into roles they had never been in before. My friend who has a desk job at a hospital, had to give out medicines to people and explain how to use them. We all did whatever had to be done. No one said “Oh, I don’t do this” or “This isn’t my job!” We were willing vessels in the hands of our God.
• When you’re mission minded, you leave your arms open.  When we got off the bus at the school, the children ran to us. “The gringos are here! The gringos are here!” That means “white people”.  It’s a bit overwhelming. But when you’re on a mission you have to be open to loving everyone. You embrace people with God’s love. You can’t hide away. Personal space, your reservations, insecurities etc…they all go out the window!  Some children were easier to love on than others. There was this crippled boy who followed me around a bit. My heart broke for him but it was difficult to be near him because he would just come up and slap me on the leg or something. It really hurt. He probably had some mental issues too. I’m not sure. Or maybe it was emotional because handicapped people aren’t treated with much kindness over there. In the U.S.A. we really look out for the handicapped. In Belize, they are sometimes treated like animals. I struggled with how to share love with someone who kept hurting me. But I couldn’t close my arms to this boy. You don’t close your arms when you’re on a mission.
• When you’re mission minded, you abide in Christ and put aside distractions. I had some free time and I had time to goof off a bit…relax etc… But my personal devotions were most important. I didn’t have time to be distracted by social media. The schedule was pretty packed so I had to make an effort to put Christ first. Worship time and group devotions were great, but I needed to go to the life source myself. I needed to abide with Jesus  and keep my personal relationship strong, or I wouldn’t have had the strength to minister to others. Intense daily ministry can drain you quick, especially when you’re not in your comfort zone.  I could not share Christ’ love with others, if I didn’t know it myself. I had to be reminded that God loves me. I had to be comforted when I was lonely. I had to have God’s encouragement when I was insecure. My problems didn’t stay home while I flew to Belize. No, they all came with me. I just had to face them for once, because the distractions were not as available.

So what is my point? The mission didn’t end in Belize. The mission isn’t just for missionaries. It’s not for super christians. Dear ones, the mission of Christ is for all of his followers, every day of your life. We should be living mission minded always. The souls of the lost are too important, for us to be distracted, complaining, and isolated. I know it’s not easy. I have struggled trying to be mission minded at home. It’s hard to love the spoiled and the rich. It’s hard to love those who know better but still do wrong. But everyone needs grace. Everyone needs God. I’d venture to say, that those in first world countries, desperately need the mission minded. Why? Because they think they’re alive when they’re really dying. They think they are rich, when spiritually they are poor.  They’ve been given everything yet they still doubt God. It may be harder to be mission minded here, but it is just as important as it is in a developing country.

So my encouragement for you today is to remember that you ARE on a mission. Abide in Christ, so you’ll have the strength to carry it out.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: More details on Belize (including pictures), to come, Lord willing.

 

 

 

Music Videos for the Spirit April 1, 2014

Hello dear ones! Today I want to share some uplifting music videos to encourage you. I’m including lyrics. Remember email sub. to come to my blog to see the vids. God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Thrive by Casting Crowns (Lyric video)

 

Shake by Mercy Me. Their new album comes out the 8th I believe. I love this song but the Elvis meets High School Musical moves in the video crack me up :p. Check out Greater & Finish What He Started

 

 

Let it Go~ Tenth Avenue North (this one really speaks to me)

 

I Am ~Crowder  (Lyric vid) I’m so glad he’s still singing. He’s got to be one of my top favorite worship leaders.

 

We Believe~ Newsboys (Lyric Vid) They’ve done it again. Newsboys always delivers the truth with power.

 

Lyrics

“Let It Go”
By Tenth Avenue North

I’ve been holding on so tight
Look at these knuckles they’ve gone white
From fighting for who I want to be
I’m just trying to find security But you say let it go
You say let it go
You say life is waiting for the one’s who lose control
You say You will be everything I need
You say if I lose my life it’s then I’ll find my soul
You say let it go Well it’s hard enough to hear
Harder still to move beyond this fear
We know there’s nothing I can bring
So tell me what do you want from me 

You say let it go
You say let it go
You say life is waiting for the one’s who lose control
You say You will be everything I need
You say if I lose my life it’s then I’ll find my soul
You say let it go
You say let it go
Oh…

What do I love 
What do I hate
What will I lose 
What will I gain
How do I save my soul, oh
What if I bend 
What if I break
What will it cost 
What will it take
For You to save my soul, oh

You say let it go
You say let it go
You say life is waiting for the one’s who lose control
You say You will be everything I need
You say if I lose my life it’s then I’ll find my soul

You say let it go
You say let it go
You say life is waiting for the one’s who lose control
You say You will be everything I need
You say if I lose my life it’s then I’ll find my soul
You say let it go
You say let it go

“Shake”
By Mercy Me

I just can’t believe
Where my life was at
All that I know is that my heart was broken
And I don’t ever wanna go backAin’t no explanation
How I saw the light
He found me and set me free
And it brought me back to lifeBlame it on the transformation
Changed down to the core
His love is real
And I can’t sit still
Cause my name’s not shamed no more

Great God Almighty, gonna change this
Great God Almighty, He gonna change me

You gotta shake, shake, shake
Like you’re changed, changed, changed
Brand new looks so good on you
So shake like you’ve been changed

Come on and shake, shake, shake like you changed
Shake, shake, shake like you changed

Maybe He came to you
When everything seemed fine
Or maybe your world was upside down and hit you right between the eyes
No matter when it happened
At 7 or 95
Move your feet ’cause you are free
And you’ve never been more alive

You gotta shake, shake, shake
Like you’re changed, changed, changed
Brand new looks so good on you
So shake like you’ve been changed

Come on and shake, shake, shake
Like you’re changed, changed, changed
Brand new looks so good on you
So shake like you’ve been changed

Come on and shake, shake, shake like you changed
Shake, shake, shake like you changed
Shake, shake

Great God Almighty, gonna change me
Great God Almighty, He gonna change me
Great God Almighty, gonna change me
Great God Almighty, He gonna change me

No matter when it happened
At 7 or 95
Move your feet, ’cause you are free
And you’ve never been more alive
You gotta shake, shake, shake
Like you’re changed, changed, changed
Brand new looks so good on you
So shake like you’ve been changed

You gotta shake, shake, shake
Like you’re changed, changed, changed
Brand new looks so good on you
So shake like you’ve been changed

Come on and shake, shake, shake
Like you’re changed, changed, changed
Brand new looks so good on you
So shake like you’ve been changed

Come on and shake, shake, shake like you changed
Shake, shake, shake like you changed
Shake, shake

Great God Almighty, gonna change me
Great God Almighty, He gonna change me

Trials, the Goodness of God, and My Will March 13, 2014

” A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.” ~Proverbs 16:9 Amplified Bible  (Articles and a video that have spoken to me)

Hello dear ones! J.S. wrote the article that I wanted to write after my wreck. I just didn’t have the words to do it. Please check it out: http://jsparkblog.com/2014/03/12/question-does-everything-happen-for-a-reason/ .

         I do not believe that God causes someone to get raped, unborn children to be murdered, or all natural disasters. I do believe that God is all knowing and He is sovereign. I believe that He knows the world is fallen and sinful and he works what is to bring about his purposes. I believe because he is omniscient and all powerful, God can work anything to fit in His plan. I can’t believe that God caused my wreck to teach me a lesson or that He cursed my Dad with sickness to teach Him humility. That would go against God’s character of being good and loving. Now, I do believe that God allowed these things and then He used the circumstances to teach. Some people believe that God allowing something and causing it are the same thing. After all, God could stop the madness if He wanted. Let me give you something to think about.

Your, kid falls on the sidewalk and scrapes their knee. Maybe they were running too fast or maybe it was just an accident because those happen in life. You were near them. You could’ve grabbed them but you let them fall. Did you cause them to scrape their knee? Or did you just allow it to happen? Did you physically push them so they would learn not to run on the pavement? Or did you let them learn from their own mistakes? So you didn’t catch your kid and they accidentally fell of no mistake of their own. You pick your kid up, wash their wounds, and put on a band-aid. You give them a big hug and tell them to be careful next time. Should your kid hate you because you didn’t stop them from falling? Are you a bad parent because you let your child fall? It’s something to think about.

The issue of why God allows evil and how God can be sovereign is something that all people struggle with.  I encourage you to check out the articles below about evil and God’s sovereignty. They really are food for thought. I encourage you to post your questions to those who wrote the articles, not me, because I’m working through my own questions. I believe it also talks about verses in the Bible that seem to contradict one another, like Pharaoh hardening his heart but then it saying God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. I know you can find it on one of those sites.

God does warn us in His word, that there will be trials. This world is broken and life is hard. It’s still reeling from the curse caused by sin. One day God will fix things. We don’t know when or why He hasn’t already. But I will say this: I’m glad that God didn’t destroy all the wicked already because there is evil in everyone and I know none of us would have a chance to be born. I’m thankful that Christ hasn’t raptured the Christians yet, because there are still people who need to be saved. I believe God has allowed evil to continue because He’s merciful. To eradicate evil would mean cutting short the time of Salvation. I’m glad that I haven’t gotten what I deserve….because my low standard of righteousness (filthy rags to be exact) does not stand up to God’s high standards. I’m glad I’m not getting Hell. I’m glad God isn’t shutting me out of His presence, because He’s my best friend.  Anywho, back to trials. Below is a great Francis Chan video about trials. It really helped me.

Francis Chan ~Fiery Trials

Articles dealing with God’s sovereignty and goodness

http://christianity.net.au/questions/powerful-knowing

http://www.equip.org/articles/how-should-christians-approach-the-problem-of-evil/

Our will :This article is about children but it also broaches the subject of our will vs. God’s will. The Lord knows that I struggle with control & wanting to say what my will is.  Thank the Lord for His mercy.

http://getalonghome.com/2014/02/intentionally-childless-missionaries/

So dear ones, we are on this journey together. None of us will ever completely understand things. We have finite brains. But I do hope that we can all trust that God is good and He loves us. Father God showed that when He sent Jesus to pay the ultimate price by His shed blood.  I love ya and I’m praying for you.

I ask that you pray for me. Some of you may know, but I believe God has called me to go to Belize with my church. I’m still waiting on my passport and raising money but it’s pretty much in the works. I’ll be working with the children’s ministry. Here’s the site with more info about what we’ll be doing:

http://www.iservants.com/site/c.ahJJKZMHJiL2H/b.8049653/k.2B90/International_Servants__Belize_Mission.htm

I doubt I would have given this trip a second glance had I not had the wreck. God did use the wreck to teach me and to change my views. I wrestled with God ALOT about this trip. As a teen I would’ve loved to go. In fact, I tried going on missions trips but it never worked out. As a kid I was a “missionary” for career day. But now I am a mommy and wife. I’ve been content to stay home. So it sounded crazy this conviction and idea that kept hitting me in the face. It was painful to avoid it and I was amazed that I was able to get involved so easily. All the other times had been difficult.

My mother in law volunteered (before I decided to go) to keep Michael for a week in the Summer. It is very hard for me to be away from my lil one for that long. But God has worked out everything for me to go. Michael is almost 8 and it’ll be good for us to have space. That’s another hard change.

Because of this trip I’m able to be more involved with our new church. Michael and I enjoyed helping feed the homeless last month and hope to do it this month too. Honestly, I have missed doing hands on ministry like what I did as a teen.

So I can say that God took the bad situation of a very traumatic wreck and worked it out for my good. 1. We physically survived with minimal injuries. 2. We were able to get another vehicle, a blue pt cruiser that I really like. 3. My views on what is important in life have changed and I’ve become open to God flipping my world upside down.

Now, number three isn’t easy. I’m still reeling but…I know I’m going to see the fruit someday. I’m very uncomfortable with my life these days but maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe I was too comfortable. Thank you for your prayers!

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Inspirational Wednesday: Are You Listening? October 23, 2013

God speaks: Are You Listening?

God speaks in many ways and often. The problem is that we aren’t listening half the time. Sometimes we ignore God and push Him away when we don’t want to listen. Or maybe we just don’t know the ways God is speaking. Today I want to help you to recognize God’s voice.

My resources are coming from “Experiencing God” by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King. If you’ve never done this Bible study I highly encourage you to.  Also I’ve learned a lot from a local pastor Brother M.R. . I’ll also be quoting the KJV Bible.  I’m excited to share what God’s been showing me lately through His word!

• If you are God’s child then He is speaking to you.

“He that is of God hears God’s words: you therefore hear them not, because you are not of God.” John 8:47 KJV

• Those that belong to God hear Him. If you’ve never heard from God then you don’t belong to Him. It is possible to ignore God to the point that you no longer recognize His voice. More on disobedience later.

• God wants to speak to us because we are His children.

• Romans 8:14-17 KJV

  ^“14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.¹⁵For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.¹⁶The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: ¹⁷And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

• The Bible says that we are adopted. Adopted children legally have more rights than natural children. They can’t be disinherited. Let that sink in. 

• God shows himself to us so we can join in His plan, because He values us above everything. We are worth the blood of Jesus, His only begotten son. God wants to be with us. He wants to show us His ways.

  *Don’t you think he wants to be with us morning and night. Don’t you think it breaks his heart when we don’t even say hello? As Brother M.R. pointed out, most parents would do anything to stop their child from suffering. God watched His son being tortured and He had full power to stop it but He didn’t, why? Because of you and me! He wanted to save us from Hell and a life of bondage to sin. Jesus’ blood…His death and resurrection were the only way we could be free. We are worth ALOT to God!  He really does want to spend time with you!

God speaks to us in many ways

Under the Old Covenant, God spoke in several ways and all unique to the individual.

• Angels, visions, dreams, the use of the Utim and Thummin, symbolic actions, a gentle whisper, miraculous signs etc…

  When God spoke they

  1. Knew it was God *It’s not how he spoke but that he spoke.

  2.Knew what He was saying

  3. It was unique to that individual. God is personal. We don’t all talk to burning bushes.

  4. When God spoke that was the encounter.

*Points taken from “Experiencing God” Unit 5 God Speaks Part 1

• On pg 74 of Experiencing God it says ” I hear many people say something like this: ‘Lord, I really want to know your will. Stop me if I am wrong and bless me if I am right.’ Another version of this is: ‘Lord, I will proceed in this direction. Close the door if it is not your will.’ The only problem is I don’t see this as a pattern anywhere in the Scripture. You cannot allow yourself to be guided by experience alone. You cannot allow yourself to be guided by tradition, a method, or a formula. Often people trust in these ways because they are easy. People do as they please and put the whole burden of responsibility on God. If they are wrong, He must intervene and stop them. If they make a mistake, they blame Him. If you want to know the will and voice of God, you must give the time and effort to cultivate a love relationship with Him. That is what He wants!”

• Under the New Covenant God speaks through:

  A.The Holy Spirit– In the gospel, God spoke through His son. From Acts til the present, God speaks through the Holy Spirit. We must remember that the Holy Spirit is God. When you’ve heard from one person in the Trinity you’ve heard from them all. That’s the beauty and mystery of the Trinity, three in one.

• We see in John 14:7-10 that seeing Jesus is the same as seeing the Father.

^“7If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.⁸Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.⁹Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?¹⁰Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”

• The Holy Spirit lives in us. 1 Cor 3:16 & 1 Cor 6:19. “Because the Holy Spirit is always present in a believer, He can speak to you clearly at any time.” Pg77 Experiencing God

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

1 Corinthians 6:19 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

• How you respond to God is critical. Disobedience and ignoring God can lead to a famine of hearing God’s words. Amos 8:11-12

^“11Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: ¹²And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.”

These verses are talking about Israel’s disobedience to God and how they did not hear from him for 400 years, the time between the Old and New Testament.  We know under the New Covenant we can grieve the Holy Spirit.

^“30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30

• B. The Bible– 2 Timothy 3:16-17 God’s word instructs us and works in us so we will be complete. It is God’s complete revelation of Himself to humanity.

^“16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:¹⁷That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

Here is an article about a sad moment for the church in Korea. I thought it had happened sooner because I heard it from a preacher recently but this actually happened in 1992.  This isn’t in the article but the story I was told is that 3 of South Korea’s top preachers had a vision of an angel that told them the Lord was returning at a certain time. The article below says that 20,000 people got ready for this rapture day. It was a disaster. Of course the Lord didn’t come then. The Bible is clear that no one knows the hour when Christ will return. It says not even the son knows! So how would an angel know?!

Others have been tricked in similar ways.  The preachers probably did have a real vision. I don’t doubt their experience. But experiences can be wrong. They have to be filtered through God’s word. That is why we have so many cults today. People have visions or see angels etc and they base their decisions on these experiences without looking to God’s word.

http://articles.latimes.com/1992-10-29/news/mn-925_1_south-korea

• Our experiences and thoughts should always be filtered through God’s word. The devil is out to deceive.

^“13For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. ¹⁵Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 KJV

• Isaiah 55:8 God’s thoughts are higher than ours. Our thoughts and feelings can be wrong and we don’t see the full picture. We should use God’s word to guide us…not what we feel or think.

Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”

• We should not lean on our own understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV

^“5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. ⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

• When your experience doesn’t line up with the Bible then it is NOT of God.Galatians 1:8-9 KJV

^“8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. ⁹As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

I have to preach for a second about something that really troubles me in the modern church. There are so many spiritual books out there that tell of peoples’ experiences and so many Christians are basing their beliefs on these books instead of the Bible.  The sad thing is that these books are supposed to be Christian and most of them do not line up with the Bible. Even if these books did have the truth, we should still base our beliefs on the Bible first. We’ve got God’s words written down for us. Why should we go to other sources to find what He has clearly said. Even with blogs,Christian devotions, and preacher’s sermons…these things should be secondary. God’s word should always be our first source.  It is our standard…our plumb line.

• We can’t understand spiritual truth unless God reveals it to us. So when you’re reading the Bible and something clicks, you just had an encounter with God. 1 Cor 2:14 KJV

^“14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

•  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.  He is the one who helps you understand God’s word. John 14:17 KJV

John 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

• Pg 85 of “Experiencing God” says “Understanding spiritual truth does not lead you to an encounter with God, it is the encounter with God.”

• C. Prayer– It is a two-way fellowship and communication with God. It is a relationship, not just a religious activity. (from pg 87-88 of Experiencing God)

• Truth is a person.  Jesus is TRUTH! John 14:6 KJV

John 14:6  “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Pg 87 of “Experiencing God” says”When the Holy Spirit reveals Truth, He is not teaching you a concept to be thought about. He is leading you to a relationship with a Person. He is your life! When God give you eternal life, He gives you a Person. When you became a Christian, Jesus didn’t give you some thing; He gave you Himself.”

Now that is powerful!

• Prayer is about adjusting to God, not adjusting God to you. We need to take the focus off ourselves and start being God centered. God is already at work. Where does He want you to fit into His plans? It’s not about how you can fit God into your little corner of life. 

• When you call God don’t hang up on Him before he speaks! How rude would it be if someone called you up, told you about their day and then hung up before you could respond. You would definitely unfriend them on Facebook. Thankfully God is merciful because we do that to Him ALL the time! When you pray, open up the Word and get ready to hear God’s voice. Be aware of Him speaking to you through circumstances and people in your life. 

• D. Circumstances

  E. The Church/God’s people

I’m still learning about the last two points.  I know the first three to be the most reliable. People can be wrong. Circumstances are tricky. I truly believe that God will show you His will first through His word and the Holy Spirit…then people and circumstances may confirm. I highly question self proclaimed prophets who try to tell me what God wants me to do. The beauty of living under the New covenant is that God speaks to His children personally and the Holy Spirit dwells in each of us. We all have the right to boldly go before God’s throne. We don’t have to hear everything second hand from a prophet. I for one do not want to go backwards and live under the old covenant. I’m glad I can go directly to God on my own. I don’t have to pray to saints and I don’t have to wait for a prophet to tell me God’s word. Hallelujah!

• Connect to God’s plans. Don’t try to fit God into yours! I mentioned this earlier. Pg 14 says this beautifully, “What is God’s will for my life? -is not the right question. I think the right question is, what is it that God is purposing where I am. Once I know what God is doing, then I know what I need to do. The focus needs to be on God, not my life!”

The shift from being God centered to self centered can be very minute in our prayers. “What is God’s will for my life?” sounds Holy enough. It reminds me of the Purpose Driven life. Having your God given purpose to drive you, sounds Holy enough. But the focus should always be on God’s leading…not our skills or talents…not even our ministries. We may know that our purpose is to be a singer for Jesus. Great! But what if during that calling, God tells you to do something else for Him.?Well, if your purpose (to be a Christian singer) is guiding you then you won’t recognize God’s voice. But when you allow God to guide you (a.k.a. drive your life) then you will follow Him wherever he leads. Your purpose may change often according to life changes and ministry opportunities.

Within my short years, I have seen God change my purpose according to the season He had me in and the ministries he was doing around me.  Sometimes God calls us to do things that don’t absolutely tickle us or feel like our calling. A talented singer may not feel her purpose is to wash dishes at a soup kitchen or scrub floors at Burger King. But God may have her in that season to develop character. The point is  that being God centered means following God wherever He leads you and purposing to glorify God in every circumstance you find yourself in. The key is to be God-driven and God-centered. It’s a shift in thinking.

3 thoughts I want to leave you with…

• 1.Jesus could do nothing without the Father. How much more so, does that apply to us mere mortals? 

• John 5:19-20 KJV

^“19Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.²⁰For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.”

It is vital that we listen for God’s voice and that we have a relationship with Jesus. We need the Lord. We can not walk this life without Him. Ignoring God and checking out is not an option. It’s suicide. Please don’t do it. The God of the universe is speaking. You need to hear what He’s saying. If you’re a Christian then you already can hear His voice. If you are not a follower of Jesus then there is one message you can hear and that is God’s call to salvation. Come to Jesus and He will save you!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

• 2.Sometimes God calls us to Stand.

We are all about “doing”. We want to be go getters. We often measure our value by our busyness.  But sometimes we need to stop and just stand. Sometimes we need to just watch as God works things out.  There is a time to “do” but there is also a time to be still and quiet.  Here are some examples.

•   John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Abiding in Jesus is very important. Simply being with God brings about fruit (Godly character).

•  In our spiritual battle, the word stand is mentioned 4 times. Not once do we see “charge”. It is God that fights for us and through us.  Ephesians 6:10-18

^“10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; ¹⁵And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: ¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

• There is a time for “doing” but relationship must come first.

• Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God!”

We see in the stories below that God had His people stand while He fought their battles. Many times our hardships seem too burdensome. We don’t know how we are going to survive. I encourage you dear one, don’t run. Don’t hide. Don’t wring your hands with worry. Just stand…eyes on Jesus. Have faith and watch what God does in your life. You’ll be amazed at how He comes through.

• 1 Sam 12:16 “Now then, stand still and see this great things the Lord is about to do before your eyes!”

• Exodus 14:13-14 “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

If you get a chance, search the song “Til the Storm Passes By” by Vestal Goodman on Youtube. It’s very encouraging.

• 3.God’s standards are different than mans’.

•  John’s ministry only lasted 6 months but Jesus said there was none greater. “He had six months wholly yielded to God, and the Son of God put that stamp of approval on his life.”(p25 Experiencing God) Luke 7:28 KJV

“For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

•  God uses the weak things of the world. Jesus is our wisdom.  1 Cor 1:26-31

^“26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: ²⁷But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; ²⁸And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: ²⁹That no flesh should glory in his presence. ³⁰But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: ³¹That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

Think about the people Jesus called to spread the Gospel…a tax collector (Matthew), a fishermen (Peter), a former murderer (Paul).  Yet, people could see Jesus in them. When pride and self righteousness gets in the way it is SO hard to see Jesus. But a humble person is such a great vessel for Jesus to shine through. So no matter what you come from, God can use you because it’s all about God and His power…not you and yours.

• Elijah was a man just like us. God answered his prayers. We know that God answers the prayers of normal people. James 5:17-18 

^“17Elias  was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.¹⁸And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

• Pg 25 Experiencing God “Don’t measure your life by the world’s standards…By the world’s standards, a person or church may look pretty good, yet in God’s sight be utterly detestable. Similarly, a person or church may be wholly yielded to Him and very pleasing to Him and in the world’s eyes be insignificant.” 

•  Enoch is recorded as simply having faith and walking with God. He pleased God by simply abiding with Him.  Gen 5:21-24 & Heb 11:5-6

^“5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. ⁶But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:5-6

^“24And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:24

We have no great stories of Enoch preaching to thousands or slaying giants. All we have is that Enoch walked with God and this pleased God. Enoch pleased God so much that he didn’t die. He was simply taken up.  Please don’t think your quiet time with God is insignificant. Simply being with God is VERY important. I don’t know what season God has you in now. Maybe you are out in the ministry and all hands on. Maybe you’re doing. Or maybe God has you in a quiet time of just abiding in Him.  Maybe you’re standing. Remember that it is FAITH that pleases God….whether you are doing or standing.

I pray you have learned how to hear God’s voice and that God will write these truths on your heart. God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Inspirational Wednesday: Peace and Revelation in the Secret Place September 11, 2013

Dear ones, sometimes I strive so hard and get caught up in my own works that I forget that I have a God who fights for me and loves me desperately. I’ve been doing a devotional called “Victoriously Frazzled: The Frazzled Female’s Guide to Restoring Her Sanity”. It’s not very long but today I was struck by one of the verses in Psalm 57.

Note: This picture has nothing to do with the message, but it’s appropriate for today.

By Jetijones (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

You see, I have someone so dear to me that when they struggle I struggle too. I often feel like I have this Holy duty to defend those closest to me. Usually I’m calm with strangers but when you hurt someone in my inner circle I become a tiger. It’d surprise you to see how quickly I’m like night and day when this happens.  So I’ve been angry over how this dear one was mistreated and in my mind I’ve had thoughts of vengeance. My thoughts of vengeance are usually silly because I’m actually rather wimpy in body and I can’t do much in this situation at all.

So I’ve been worried and angry over the whole situation. I’ve got a dozen things rolling around in my head, like teaching homeschoool, fall crafts I want to do, writing in the blog, finances, planning my best buddy’s baby shower, church, writing my book, cooking supper, cleaning, and other things. Not to mention that my personality type INFP (aka introvert) mixed with OCD makes it hard for me to watch the news because I obsess over things. When I see public injustice I get really worked up and lately my hubby has got on to me. Then I get mad at him for telling me to calm down when I’d much rather stand in my pulpit and fuss!  Being an introvert, I’ve found that it’s actually normal for my type to have an ongoing inner monologue. Often I want to tell my inner voice to shut up so I can have some peace. I distract myself with media because silence equals “her” talking too much. Maybe I sound like a fruit basket but this is my life.

So I was struck by the verses below. It’s a two-fold revelation.

1. First that God is for me and that in the Secret place (quiet time with Jesus) I find peace from the chaos around me and within.
2. Secondly the revelation is that God often gives me revelation (wisdom) when I take time to be with Him.

I was reminded that God will fight my dear one’s battles. Instead of getting puffed up with anger, I should’ve stopped and immediately prayed with that person.  It’s not my job to fight the battles. God is in control not me.

Psalm 57 KJV

¹Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

²I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

³He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

⁴My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

⁵Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

⁶They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

⁷My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

⁸Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

⁹I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.

¹⁰For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.

¹¹Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

Dear ones, I pray that you find peace and wisdom in the Secret Place this week. God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Crafty Monday: The Tower of Babel & The Rats of NIMH September 3, 2013

In this post: Fun and crafts as we learn about the tower of Babel. Also a stuffed rat & journal activities for The Rats of NIMH. Then our group’s first book club, all about hats, and hosted by Rachel. 

Hello dear ones!  This week we continued our study of time and World History. We learned about the tower of Babel from the Bible. Michael drew then painted Babel from his art book. He used watercolors and we actually have watercolor paper now.

The Bible says that after the great flood, God told the people to spread out over the earth. Under the leadership of Nimrod, the people disobeyed and made a city called Babel. Then they built a tall tower. At this time everyone spoke the same language. God made the people speak different languages and so they finally dispersed and covered the earth.  Josephus (a Jewish historian from antiquity) said that near this time a group crossed the seas in ships. Some believe that those people became the Native Americans. It’s a thought to ponder.

The earliest peoples made bricks out of mud. So Michael and I made our own mud bricks, using ice cube trays. This also doubled as an outdoor challenge.

• First, Michael dug the dirt.

• Then he mixed the water.

• Then we  sifted the  dirt to get out debris.
• 
• Lastly, we poured the mud into the tray and let it sun bake.

Our mud bricks weren’t that stable.

We’ve been learning about body systems in Science. So I got this huge body puzzle that’s two-sided. Here’s the skeletal system.

• We added two more states and capitals to our list on the chalk board and…

the wall. Yeah, Michael likes to decorate things lol.

• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

I remember this book as a kid. It was one of my favorites. So I was excited to start the Rats of NIMH with Michael.

Michael read “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Rats!” book and wrote five rat facts in his journal.

We also made a stuffed rat toy. I got the idea here:

http://library.thinkquest.org/J002079F/#

• Make a heart shape out of paper.

• Fold felt in half and also the paper heart.

• Then cut around the paper.

• Sew the rat together but leave an opening big enough to stuff.

• Then sew the rat all the way up.

• Lastly, sew on eyes, ears, a nose, and a tail. We used wiggly eyes, a pom pom nose, and a pipe cleaner tail. The ears are felt.

Here’s Michael’s reading journal.

Inside we’re putting pictures of the main books we read this year.

Then we have vocabulary words and questions from the book.

Here’s Michael highlighting words in the dictionary.

He was really excited about  learning to use the dictionary. I was delighted!

I got these nifty cardboard bricks at a teacher store. Michael had a blast building with them.

Here’s just part of his city. It got better and better.

I’ve been reading stories from The Book of Virtues For Young People at snack time. We got this from the library but I like it so much I ordered one.  There are so many awesome moral stories in here.

Here are some more library books as we learn about body systems.

On a different note: remember our green lynx spider? Well, he disappeared and I finally found what I believe to be his web. The zig zag pattern is the same that I’ve seen in a banana spider’s web. It’s beautiful. I’m sad that our spider left though. He was so faithful to his flower. I believe he’s probably dead :(.

In between studies,  Michael helped Chris build our shed. I’ll show more pics Sunday and hopefully it’ll be finished then. This also doubled as an outdoor challenge.

• My buddy Rachel from Spark and All hosted our first book club at our Homeschool group. It was all about hats :). Rachel has more about it on her blog: http://homeschoolingmom2mags.blogspot.com/2013/08/do-you-have-hat.html

Michael and I in our hats.

Hannah and Rachel in their silly hats. Too cute!

Hannah and I cheesing it.

Rachel read a book called “Do You Have a Hat?” to the kiddos. You can see that the kids wore all kinds of marvelous head gear. This book taught us about famous people in History and the hats that they wore. It was fun :).

Then we made hats out of plastic plates.

Michael and his buddies.

Maggie, Rachel’s daughter, in her kewl animal hat.

Rachel made these super yummy and cute cowgirl hat cookies that look like Jessie’s hat (from Toy Story).

The center is a cinnamon gumdrop.

Here’s Michael’s cowboy hat. We had a blast!

• So I’m starting to get excited about the new school year. We’re still adjusting to the third grade schedule. Mondays are always the hardest. Michael has the weekend on the brain and getting him to do schoolwork is like pulling teeth. The middle of the week goes the best and by Friday we’re ready to half kill each other! I’m learning to keep the schedule flexible.
• One new thing we’re doing this year, is learning World History. I want to set a foundation of how things happened before we start skipping around in time. So we’ve started at the beginning and we look at our Bible time line that I showed you last week. I’m simplifying the stories and majoring on big events. We’re learning a bit about states and capitols but I plan on getting detailed with American history/ geography in the 4th grade.  I believe this is called classical learning.

So we are exploring World History with living books.  I’ve got many books in the “Who Was” series. When we get to Egypt, Michael will read “Who Was King Tut?”, Leonardo da Vinci for the renaissance, and Sacagawea for the 1800’s and so on.

We’re also reading some classic novels. Some of them go along with time periods and some with the seasons. These are just a few that I bought. I have a couple already on our shelf from my childhood.

I bought a stash of books just for fun too. I was delightfully surprised when Michael read “Despicable Me 2” for two hours one night.

I love using wrap ups for memorization. I was happy to find a states and capitals version.

I found a couple of Christian books by Adventures in Odyssey. One goes back in time to the battle between David and Goliath. The other goes back to the time of St. Patrick.

Here are just a few extra new things I put up in our room.

• A books of the Bible poster

• A globe ball that we can use marker on to mark what we study.

• A tree. It also has leaves but I haven’t put them up yet. Last year, we made our own tree and that was fun. I plan on putting the names of famous people in history, on the leaves.

That’s about it. I never got around to posting our curriculum.  Simply, we are using Bob Jones for devotions, Lifepac for Science, Horizons for math, and an eclectic mash for everything else. I’ll have to share more later. This post is already a bit late.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: How’s school going for you teachers? And to everyone what’s your favorite book from childhood?

Last week: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/crafty-monday-creation-the-flood-and-personality/

Next week: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/crafty-monday-part-1-ancient-china-and-the-rats-of-nimh/

Inspirational Wednesday: Scandal of Grace June 5, 2013

Hello dear ones, I heard this song at church tonight and I wanted to share the video with you. Email sub. please come to my blog to see the vid.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Scandal of Grace by Hillsong United