Why should I care what the Bible says?

How are you weathering the storm? If you read my blog post last week it challenged you to look within yourself and ask “Do I stand strong like a palm tree or is my faith like a ficus tree?” (You can read it HERE)

If your faith is like a ficus tree, please know that I was once there too. My prayer is that this blog help teach you more about God’s perfect word.

2nd Timothy 3:16-17 says

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The bible is God BREEEEEEEEATHED.

Why is it important we know it’s God BREATHED?

• What are some attributes of God?

  • Omnipotent/Omniscient/ Omnipresent, etc.

  • Omni means every/all

  • Can God make a mistake? No. We know He’s perfect

If God is perfect then His word is perfect!

• Because it’s perfect, it is the perfect tool for

  • Teaching

  • Rebuking

  • Training

  • Righteousness

  • The last part of the passage says so that you may be COMPLETE and EQUIPPED for every good work.

Reading God’s word makes you COMPLETE

Well, what is complete?

• Greek word → Fits perfect →  For all my Disney fans think about Cinderella’s shoe (winky face)

• It doesn't mean you’re perfect, it means that God’s plan for your life is perfect

• When we come to the Bible and let God speak to us, it changes us, it completes us and transforms us -- KNOW THIS...

We begin to transform when we begin to understand who God is and who we are in Him.

How does reading God’s word make you complete?

I don’t have to tell you, God’s word speaks for itself

John 6:35 says

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

We can't be complete without God

• Your kids can’t sustain you

• Your spouse can’t sustain you

• Your career can't sustain you

• Another person can’t sustain you etc.

• Alcohol, sex, shopping, can’t sustain you

Before I met Jesus I thought alcohol would fill me up but drink after drink it only left me empty, dehydrated and broke (LOL). In my pursuit for more I “stumbled” into a church in Texas and since then the truth of the gospel has changed me day after day. I’m definitley not the person I was 8 years ago. You can read more about that HERE.

“Christ is the only one that can sustain you because Christ is the only one that cannot fail you.”

I am this confident because it is my testimony.

Reading God’s word EQUIPS you -- it prepares you in and out of season.

If you struggle with reading God’s word I wrote a blog that gives you a practical approach when reading the Bible HERE.

My prayer is that you grow to learn and love God’s word. Tell me more about your journey below.

Palm Tree Faith

The eve of Hurricane Irma is upon us and similar to 2017 we have three hurricanes hanging out in the Atlantic (dun, dun, dun!)

Do you remember Hurricane Irma? The forecast projected it to be a monster storm so much so that every state and country in it’s path were ordered to evacuate by their respected authorities. In Florida, it was anticipated that the Hurricane would hit Key Biscayne (East Coast) however Irma made a pivot and hit the West Coast instead.

Hurricane Irma Facts:

• The most powerful Atlantic hurricane

• 7 million people evacuated their homes

• Miami clocked 109 MPH winds

Me being from a small town, I was curious to experience it all. Nonetheless, as the hurricane began to make landfall the winds were roaring, our was building swaying and the crane was spinning! We stayed in Downtown Miami and heard the crane in the construction site in front of our building SNAP! Reference, the video below and check out a viral picture by my very own hubby Gideon Ape

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/multiple-cranes-collapse-in-miami-as-hurricane-irma-strikes

As you can see there was a lot of drama happening around Hurricane Irma.

However, I was closely intrigued by a couple of palm trees attached to the building next to me. I monitored them through the whole ordeal, I presumed that sooner or later they would snap and come flying through my window (dramatic I know, I did grow up watching Telenovelas so yeah) 

The trees were pounded for 3 days straight and by the 3rd day they finally lost all of their leaves, but to my surprise the trees did not snap… Hold up the huge crane broke yet these skinny palm trees stood strong? Yes! Sure the palm trees were naked and a little bent BUT they stood.

Video below shows the pounding of day 2, Hurricane Irma.

Next time someone tell me to evacuate you better believe I’m getting out of here!

Before we continue here is a link for hurricane preparedness

https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

Facts

Palm trees

• Trees are anchored in their soil 

• They have a wiry trunk that makes they hard to snap

• Their leaves bend and adapt to the pressures of the wind.

• Pal Trees can withstand storm bc they are anchored in their soil.

On the contrast Ficus tress all over Miami Dade snapped...

Ficus Trees ...

• Beautiful on the outside and although they appear strong and secure they have shallow roots

• They can’t hold strong under hurricane winds

• They damage things around them when they fall

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Does this sound familiar? When it comes to your spiritual life do you identify with a ficus tree or a palm tree?

Ask yourself this…

• When the storms of life come do you break or do you survive?

• Are you consumed by the circumstances of your storm or do you look to your savior and cling to your faith?

• Do you run towards Jesus or do you find refuge in other things?

My desire for you today is that you would stand tall like the Palm Tree but you can’t do this on your own, you need Jesus to walk you through the storms of life, the storms of life will come you must be prepared, stay tuned for part two of this series. I leave you with a text to mediate upon, until next week!

2nd Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

How are you weathering the spiritual storm today? Comment below and let me know how I can pray for you.

How to read & study the bible

Is it hard for you to enjoy reading the Bible? I've been there before. Many times it seemed to go over my head or I didn’t understand phrases like "festival of the tabernacle", I mean what is that? Or have you ever wondered why God included the Book of Numbers in the Bible? HAHA. I mean why, God?

The truth is that because God is perfect, His word is perfect and applicable to YOU and I. There is purpose and truth behind every sentence that you read. Personally I have used the method below provided by Jen Wilkin (Author and Bible teacher) and it has equipped me in learning how to read and understand the Bible better. 

I pray that it encourages and equips you in uncovering His timeless truths. I created a freebie just for you, so enter your email below if you want me to personally send it to you, I think you'll love it. - Abby A.

HOW TO READ the BIBLE (study GUIDE)

Comprehension: What does it say?

• Seek God in prayer for wisdom, earnestly invite Him to lead you.

• Read and reread the scripture

• Compare various translations using your bible apps

• Who wrote the book?

• Who was the intended audience?

• What is the scripture saying about God?

• What’s the genre of the text?

• Who are the people of the text?

• What’s the location of the text?

Interpretation: What does it mean?

• Cross-reference

• What are the timeless truths?

• What is the message for all humankind?

• What’s the point of the scripture?

• What did the people of the text learn?

• What did God want them to do?

Application: How should it change me?

• What do I need to change in my life?

• Where in my life might this truth possibly apply?

• What does God want me to do with what I have learned?

• What steps will get me to that goal?

• What should be my first step?

free Bible study resources

Thru The Word

YouVersion

Blue Letter Bible

freebie alert!

Enter your email below for a pretty and free printable PDF of the CIA method above. I think you'll love it. Ready, Set, Dale!

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He calls me Redeemed

This holiday season we decided to visit my hometown in Texas, it had been about 1 year since our last visit and well I was E X C I T E D to say the least. I have two amazing and loving parents, five crazy siblings and ten nieces and nephews.

My hubby and I drove cross country and it's been such a fun and relaxing time together. I've had the time to take him around and show him where I come from. Have you done that lately? Visited old places or relived old memories?

The old memories have been good but they have also been difficult. Difficult because I've revisited  old wounds. The ones that I don't want to open again, the ones that took a lot of healing nonetheless they are part of my story and they have made me into the woman I'm today and for that I'm grateful.

“
I’ve remembered my old self, my sin, my drunkenness, my hard heart and so much more.

”

You see BUT GOD!

I'm so grateful for the N E W life that Jesus has now given me. I was a girl who was B R O K E N... I felt worthless I didn't think I had much of a purpose or that I would live very long. I would drink excessively to fill myself but alcohol left me empty everytime, I tried attention from others but their love was never enough.  In every season I'm in tears because God's purpose has given me life. I was legit overwhelmed when I turned 28 because a part of me didn't think I would live that long.

“I was a girl who was B R O K E N... I felt worthless I didn’t think I had much of a purpose or that I would live very long, however, when God saw me he saw Christ Jesus”

When Jesus called me, He gave me a new song to sing. A song full of hope, purpose and joy. His song is now my song and  when my sin creeps up the bible reminds me that when God sees me he sees Christ Jesus. He never gave up on me and He won't ever give up on YOU either. 

Are you thinking about someone right now who needs Jesus?

I encourage you to pray for them faithfully meditate on Romans 12:12

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

”

Or do you need to be rescued from own thoughts that flood back to remind you of your sin?  Take heart and listen to the holy spirit who is working inside of you who calls you redeemed and beloved. 

“You are redeemed by His blood
You are redeemed by His death and resurrection
You are redeemed by His power
You are redeemed day by day

Pray, Read, Repeat”

“With love,
Abby A ”