Throne of Grace

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

One of the great privileges of being a believer is the ability to take concerns, fears, joys, and sorrows before the Lord and trust Him to provide what is needed. One biblical passage that greatly encourages me in this is 1 Samuel 1, where Hannah, who is barren, goes to the temple to pray for a child. As she is praying, Eli the priest comes to her assuming she is drunk due to the intensity of her prayer. I love what Scripture describes following: 

But Hannah replied, “No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I  have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord.... So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. (1 Samuel 1:15;18).

What Scripture doesn't say is "the Lord immediately granted her request so her face was no longer sad." Instead, it says after she had poured out her soul before the Lord and taken her requests to Him, she was no longer sad. The presence of the Lord was enough to satisfy Hannah and give her peace. As believers, we have the freedom to pour out our heart before the Lord and also can rest assured that He "causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Today, may we be thankful for the incredible gift it is to approach the throne of grace with CONFIDENCE. May we praise the Lord for the mercy and grace He gives in our time of need, and trust that He will provide for us. May we find our greatest comfort, peace and satisfaction in His presence.

Happy New Year!

Below is a devotion written by Charles Spurgeon. Please excuse the Old English language. Just thought it was an insightful devotion for this time of year.

"'Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.' -1 Samuel 7:12

"The word 'hitherto' seems like a hand pointing in the direction of the past. Twenty years or seventy, and yet, 'hitherto the Lord hath helped!' Through poverty, through wealth, through sickness, through health, at home, abroad, on the land, on the sea, in honour, in dishonour, in perplexity, in joy, in trial, in triumph, in prayer, in temptation, 'hitherto hath the Lord helped us!'

"We delight to look down a long avenue of trees. It is delightful to gaze from end to end of the long vista, a sort of verdant temple, with its branching pillars and its arches of leaves; even so look down the long aisles of your years, at the green boughs of mercy overhead, and the strong pillars of lovingkindness and faithfulness which bear up your joys. Are there no birds in yonder branches singing? Surely there must be many, and they all sing of mercy received 'hitherto.'

"But the word also points forward. For when a man gets up to a certain mark and writes 'hitherto,' he is not yet at the end, there is still a distance to be traversed. More trials, more joys; more temptations, more triumphs; more prayers, more answers; more toils, more strength; more fights, more victories; and then come sickness, old age, disease, death. Is it over now? No! There is more yet - awakening in Jesus' likeness, thrones, harps, songs, psalms, white raiment, the face of Jesus, the society of saints, the glory of God, the fullness of eternity, the infinity of bliss. O be of good courage, believer, and with grateful confidence raise thy 'Ebenezer,' for - 

'He who hath helped thee hitherto

Will help thee all thy journey through.'

"When read in heaven's light how glorious and marvellous a prospect will thy 'hitherto' unfold to thy grateful eye!"

Excerpt from Charles Spurgeon from Morning and Evening, Complete and Unabridged, KJV Edition. Published by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. in Peabody, Massachusetts in April 2010.

Photo by Nick Meers found with a BBC News article (www.bbc.co.uk).

We pray for boldness

"'And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence'...And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered was shaken, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness." -Acts 4:29, 31, New American Standard Bible

Two prominent Christian leaders, Peter and John, had just come out of a trial in the courts, where they were warned not to share their faith. As you can imagine, believers who followed Christ dove into prayer. They asked God for confidence to share His message. Even in the face of potential danger and risk, they looked to the Lord to give them boldness to continue to share Christ with others.

After the prayer, God answered them by giving them this confidence and boldness through the Holy Spirit. Even today, the Holy Spirit can help us see past whatever may threaten to block us from sharing Christ, so we can speak freely and with no reservations. He gives believers the courage to speak what He has done through His Son, Jesus, dying for us, and how God continues to work in our lives today. No matter what is on the road ahead, let us pray for the courage to continue to share the great love and grace God has shown us, especially through the sacrifice Christ made for us, so that more people may know God's forgiveness.

Lord, thank You for giving Your Holy Spirit to believers. Fill us with boldness to share Your love and message of hope with others, so that we honor You and so others can experience life with You, too. Amen.

More on these verses: Acts 4:1-31 - biblegateway.com

YouTube.com music video clip - "You Make Beautiful Things" by Gungor

Study based on the workbook, HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).

FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real!

"Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you...For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment."

2 Timothy 1:6-7 (HCSB)



As we prepare to share Jesus with others, the enemy uses one of his tricks to cause us to NOT witness...FEAR=False Evidence Appearing Real! God is not the author of FEAR, and through His Spirit He causes us to "FEAR NOT"!

I would like to share with you three FEARS that the enemy uses to put out the fire of Godly courage in our gifted2go lives:

1. FEAR of Rejection! Truth that will set us free from fear=we WILL be rejected by people as a witness for Jesus...BUT we will NEVER be rejected by God! "I ask, then, has God rejected His people? Absolutely not!" Romans 11:1 (HCSB)


2. FEAR of Failure! Truth that will set us free from fear=we WILL fall short as a witness for Jesus...BUT we will NEVER be forsaken by God! "...I will never leave you or forsake you..." Hebrews 13:5 (HCSB)


3. FEAR of the Future! Truth that will set us free from fear=we WILL not be in control of the results as a witness...BUT we can leave the future up to our Faithful God that is Always in Control! "So, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 (HCSB)

A "Gifted2Go" Word of Testimony: As a first-generation Christian, from the age of 22 when I first heard the name of Jesus, God called me to share Him with others from the day that I accepted Him as my Savior. I will never forget my first pastor sharing with me the very day that I became a Christ Follower for me to "Go, and Share with Everyone What Had Just Happened In My Life"...that is what I did, because FEAR was not something that I was feeling in my new LIFE in Christ, it was a moment full of FAITH! My first day as a believer I went door to door on my street as I shared with my neighbors how I had just given my life to Jesus; the responses from my neighbors were mixed from words of affirmation & joy as I learned that some of my neighbors said to me "that they had been praying for me and my husband (it was clear that we needed the Lord-Lost people look like Lost people!), but there were also some negative reactions from some of my neighbors and extended family that were not believers yet. With each negative reaction the enemy tried over and over to discourage me from being God's witness through the rejection that turned into the fears that I listed above...that is where the importance of discipleship and evangelism training came into my life (PTL!)...with every TRUTH that I learned and lived out from God & His Word, The Holy Spirit turned my FEAR into FAITH not just once but over and over again even up to this day 26 years later since the very time that I first heard the name of JESUS and ran to HIM with ALL MY HEART and made the sold-out commitment to follow Him and Share Him as His "Evangelistic Concerned for Others: Gifted2Go" Witness!!

What specific FEAR is stopping you from being God's Witness? Will you join me in giving God all of our FEAR as we exchange FEAR for FAITH? YES, LORD!! "...Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness, access, and confidence through faith in Him"!! Ephesians 3:12 (HCSB)

Enjoy these 2 songs that remind us that God has set us FREE from the chains of all FEAR!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-mNT0axB9U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrO5KGCNGHM

"an anchor for the soul"

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe..." (Ephesians 1:18, NIV).

When I see a star, I tend to think of strength and confidence. I find myself putting my hope in this symbol when it is on a police officer or a flag, since it can create a feeling of security. I see, though, that this symbol does not ensure dependability. God, however, is always worthy of our hope.

If someone asked you to explain why you hope, what would you say? The other day, my friend expressed that she rather be sure of something rather than just hope in it. The dictionary defines hope in several ways. Yet, how does the Bible define hope?

The Bible teaches us that hope is not seen (Romans 8:24) and we must wait for it (Romans 8:25). As Christians, we hope in the promises made by Jesus Christ to love us and save us (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Hebrews 6:19 explains, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure..." (NIV). The Bible speaks of a confident hope in God's promises because they are trustworthy and grounded in love.

Romans 5:5 explains, "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given to us" (NIV). The hope described here is not an unsupported optimism. It is a confidence in God's future promises and is based on God's love, expressed when He sent His Son to die for us to save us.

The Bible teaches us to hope in God, who, with His never-ending love, will always be there for us. Romans 5:8 explains, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (NIV). I pray that we will have hope and confidence in Christ and be able to show others His love.

"free to dance"

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." -2 Corinthians 3:17

As this man was helping me the other day, he said that he did not think he could work in the church. He had learned that I was going to seminary. He explained that he was not consistently a good person - that, at heart, he was a sinner. I tried to explain that I am, wihtout a doubt, a sinner as well. I just have to keep on coming back to Christ and asking for repentance.

It is true that we are all sinners, and that we cannot live a good life following Christ on our own. In Ephesians, Paul reveals how he feels about himself as he says, "I am less than the least of all God's people" (Ephesians 3:8a). However, he presents to us something to celebrate, noting in Ephesians 3:12, "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." By having faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit within ourselves, God can use us, no matter how sinful we may feel.

Lord, please help me to remember how mysterious yet unconditional your love is. Please help us to be able to explain to others how faith in you alone can bring us to a better life with you.

One of my favorite songs is, "Free," by Ginny Owens, and the passage below reminds me of it. If you want to read the lyrics, they can be found at http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/ginny-owens/free.html.

"And we have such trust through Christ toward God, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." -2 Corinthians 3:4-6

Picture from http://www.costumecapers.com.au/images/danceshoes.jpg