What does God want for me?

     I have missed writing this past month.  The new book was out, Promises for Dynamic Living, and my life became overwhelming.  Isn’t that Satan’s way?  He gets into our lives and causes disruption and leads us to lose our focus.  I was not lost, but became consumed with all the turmoil in my life and was not able to focus on writing and speaking out for God.  I have been in prayer this last week that God would give me something new and different to restart my writing.  I pray that what He has given me will be a blessing to you- I know it has been to me.

What does God desire for me?  What doesn’t God want?

     I was going over a list put out by Bible Study Fellowship for parents as they work with their children.  Upon reflection I thought, I am a child of God and my heavenly Father wants these things for me too.  I will be writing about these characterizes that God wants to see in our lives.
God desires Holiness.   What is holiness?  According to my online dictionary- holiness is a state or quality of being holy and being holy is godly, saintly, pious, devout, devoted to the service of God, set apart for God.   Wow!  How in the world can I be holy?  The truth is “There is no one holy like the LORD, there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2.  Yet God commands us in Leviticus 11:44 “be holy because I am holy.”  Scripture tell us that the only way we can become righteous or holy is through our faith in Jesus. “This righteousness from God  comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”  Romans 3:22    It is through Jesus that we are cleansed and made righteous before God.   ” If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”1 John 1:9

     What kind of life is one that is set apart for God?  Our actions and thoughts need to reflect godly thinking.  Paul tells us in  Philippians 4:8 to have these types of thoughts in our minds. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”   1 Thessalonians 5:22 tells us to “Avoid every kind of evil.”    One can only do this through prayer, study and obedience to God’s word.  Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By living according to your word.” and 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

     So keep praying, studying and memorizing God’s word, seek to apply Biblical thinking to your life each day, praise God for His strength in your life and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit that makes this possible through Jesus.  Remember, “For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

Later this week, I will tackle the opposite of holiness or what God definitely does not want to see in our lives. Stay tuned and pass the word.

Blessings,

Linda

The Home-training sheet I mentioned from Bible Study Fellowship is available on their website: http://www.bsfinternational.org

God’s creation speaks of His majesty.

Live Radio Today!!

God is indeed good.  I put out my blog and various emails last week about the arrival of my new book, Promises for Dynamic Living.  I got an immediate response from a Christian Radio station in New York.  The host, Rick Tocquigny,  of a program called Life Lessons had interviewed me in the past about Fearless Living and wanted to feature me on today’s program.  Doing live radio is unnerving to say the least.  There are no do overs or well, let me think about that answer and get back to you! Here is the link to my interview.  I pray that God was and is glorified by my words and that I made sense.  Boy! That 15 minutes went by in a flash!!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lifelessonsnetwork/2015/09/16/life-lessons-with-linda-knight-author-of-promises-for-dynamic-living

Thank you faithful prayer warriors for upholding me in your prayers.  I surely felt them when I was in the midst of the interview.
Blessings,
Linda

Promises for Dynamic Living is HERE!!

2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you many participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

      I am so excited that my new book is in print and ready to go!! I have enjoyed blogging about God’s promises this summer but am ready to launch this book!   Please join me in praying that His very great and precious promises as written in Promises for Dynamic Living will:   * help people to learn more about God (Psalm 9:10),    * help point people to God’s transforming Word (Psalm 119:9,11, 105)   and     * accomplish the purpose God intended (Isaiah 55:11).

     I have posted how to order my new book on the ordering page of this blog.  It will directly link you to my publisher or Amazon.com.  Share my joy and love for God’s word and pass this blog along to your friends.

Here are the links:  Check it out!!
http://www.certapublishing.com/promisesfordynamicliving
http://www.certapublishing.com/promises-for-dynamic-living-ebook.html
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0996271635

      It is such a privilege to be writing about God’s word and to be used by God to reach out to others.
Thank you for your support and prayers,
Linda

Godly Commitment

This summer I have faced great challenges that would or could have been sources of great stress and worry.  In the face of this adversity, I took this verse from my new book, Promises for Dynamic Living, and worked on memorizing it.  As I did, I claimed its promise before God not knowing how God would work out my difficult situation but trusting Him to act on my behalf.   This week my situation has been resolved.  God’s answer was not what I expected and not from a source I expected.  Isn’t that just like God?  He has unlimited resources and when I try to guess or conjecture how things will be worked out, I never get it right.  His answer is always perfect and fits all of our needs.  I pray that you can claim this verse too and see God act on your behalf as you trust in Him.

Blessings, Linda

Day 14 from Promises for Dynamic Living

Psalm 37:5-6  “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”

Promise: God promises to act on my behalf, bring out righteousness and justice for me if I will commit myself to Him and trust Him.

     How are you at commitment? Do you start new things with great enthusiasm just to let them go in a day or a week? Learning to commit to the LORD is a lifetime process that increases as we study His Word, pray, and seek to follow Him. Truly committing to Him, in both faith and action, allows us to walk in God’s light and see His righteousness and justice more clearly. Will you persevere in God’s pathway, allowing Him to mold and shape you into the righteous person He desires you to be?
 Lessons and Truths:

1.God is good and wants only good things for me.                  
2.Following God requires trust and commitment.            
3.God has the power to mold and shape my character.      
4.God is just and righteous.

Prayer: Lord, create in me a spirit of commitment to you that I may grow and see evidence of righteousness and justice in my life. I know that you are good and that you want only good things for me. Help me to trust you fully so that I can grow and become more like Jesus each day. Amen.

What is my response to God’s promise?
Am I fully trusting God and committing myself to following Him?     What evidence is there in my life that this is happening?

Where do I see godly righteousness in my life?

Promise Confirmation:  1 Samuel 7:3-4, Pslam103:6, 145:17-20, Isaiah 30:18, Matthew 7:11, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, 1 Peter 2:23-25

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!” Luke 12:27-28

Roadside wild flowers and prairie grasses in South Dakota.

Faithful Wings

This week as I struggled with issues I’m facing, I was comforted by the great care my heavenly Father provided.  I found comfort in this verse and the loving picture it evoked in my mind.  I pray that this promise from God will encourage you today.
Blessings,   
Linda

Psalm 91:4
“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Promise:   God promises shelter, refuge and protection through His faithfulness.

     I love the word picture that this verse gives us of our Heavenly Father. He is like the mother goose or eagle covering and protecting her young within the folds of her wings. This protective covering makes us feel loved and protected from a world that seeks to harm us.   However, the promise states that we get this feeling of love and protection from and through God’s faithfulness. Knowing that my Heavenly Father is always with me, ever true and unchanging in his love for me provides me with an invincible shield from the world’s attacks. Relying upon God is our surest defense and one that will never fail us. We are reminded in Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” Do you rely upon God’s faithful character when you are troubled? Do you seek refuge in Him?   Begin right now to rely on God’s faithfulness to give you the encouragement and the hope you need to face the challenges of this day and the next.

Lessons and Truths:

1. God is all powerful and can and does protect me.
2. God is faithful.
3. I can depend upon God’s faithfulness.
4. God’s faithfulness gives me a sure defense 24/7.

Prayer: Lord, you alone are faithful every hour and minute of the day. You are merciful and loving, wanting the very best for me. Thank you for your protection and faithfulness towards me. Help me to live each day depending upon your faithful character and boldly standing to meet the challenges in my life knowing you are always with me. May others see your faithfulness in my life. Amen.

What is my response to God’s promise?

Where have I experienced God’s faithfulness in my life?
Do I have a situation where I need to seek God’s refuge and protective faithfulness today?

Promise Confirmation: Deuteronomy 33:26-27a, 2 Samuel 22:2-3, 31-34, Psalm 31:19-20, 57:2-3, 61:4 and 100:5, Lamentations 3:21-23, 2 Timothy 2:13

Old Faithful erupts faithfully each day. A earthly picture of God’s faithfulness to us no matter what.

Eternally Mine

Matthew 24:35

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

Promise: God promises that His Words are eternal and more certain than the existence of the universe.

      What do you know for certain? We know the sun will come up tomorrow, we have to pay taxes and death will someday come to all of us. These are all certainties in our lives that we can count on no matter what. Although we joke about these certainties, we know them to be real. I would challenge you to think of godly assurances that we have through faith in Jesus. We know that God and His Word are eternal. God’s words have been working since creation when God spoke the universe into existence.  His words have the power to create, mold, sustain, guide and keep us until the end of time. God does not change and there is not a shadow of doubt in Him. We can depend upon God and His Word to be consistent in all situations.   We are assured that even when all things cease to exist in heaven and earth, God’s Words will still remain. Open your Bible today and take a fresh look at God’s Words.  They have the power to change your life just as they changed the universe from nothingness into being.  There is power in the Words of God.

Lessons and Truths:
1. God is eternal.
2. God is immutable, the same yesterday, today and forever.
3. Heaven and earth are temporary places created by God.
4. God’s Words will remain forever.

Prayer:   Lord, you are eternal and your words are powerful beyond any measure in heaven or on earth. I can depend upon your Word as you do not change your mind and what you say and do is immutable. Help me to stand firmly rooted in your Word and to treat it with reverence. Cause me to hunger after your Word and to hide it in my heart. Amen.

What is my response to God’s promise?

What is my attitude towards God’s Word, the Bible?

When and where am I going to study God’s Word?

Promise Confirmation: Psalm 102:25-27, Psalm 119:89, 160, Isaiah 65:17-19, John 1:1, Hebrews 4:12-13, Revelation 21:1-4

      I pray that you are challenged by this promise and will pursue a serious study of God’s Words.  Here are a couple of suggestions:  contact your local evangelical church and ask about possible Bible studies they have, go on the web and look up classes for Bible Study Fellowship (www.BSF.org) as they have classes throughout the world or look up classes for Community Bible Study (www.CBS.org).  Both of these organizations have Bible based studies that will help you to learn about God and His Word.

Just as God’s Words changed the universe, He can change us through the study of His Word.  Blessings as you study,
Linda

Old Faithful erupting in Yellowstone National Park. A reminder of God’s faithfulness to His creation.

Are you a well-watered garden?

God's garden at Crater Lake, Oregon.

Isaiah 58:11   “The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”   (NIV)

Promise:  God will always guide, satisfy, strengthen and care for me.

      When I first encountered this verse, I was studying the book of Isaiah in a Community Bible Study group.  It was our verse to memorize for the week.  As I pondered the words, I realized the depth of God’s love and care for me.  He sees me as a young growing plant in his garden of life.  He is the eternal gardener who cultivates, nourishes, waters and supports all the plants in His garden.  Since I identify with this picture, being one who loves to garden and care for my plants, I realized that only God is the perfect gardener.  I stumble, fail and definitely fall short in the caring, watering and nurturing of myself and others.  I need to remember that God’s garden of life is a protected place where I will always be cared for, comforted, strengthened and guided along the pathways of life.  I need to trust God to provide and guide so I will flourish in His garden.  Being in God’s garden will give what the Psalmist calls the well-watered look.  Are you well-watered?  Do you read the Bible, pray, listen to Christian music, talk with Christian friends or read Christian literature?   We need to trust God and claim this verse, holding steadfastly to the truth of God’s gardening care.

Lessons and Truths:
1.   God is my guide in life.
2.   God is my provider.
3.   God is my source of strength.
4.   God cares for me and wants the best for me.
5.   God is eternal.

Prayer:  Lord, you promise to care, guide, satisfy and strengthen me.  Show me today each of these in a new way.  Help me to realize that you are with me 24/7 and that I can always depend on you.  Cause me to stand steadfastly on your Word and boldly speak to others about you.  Amen.

What is my response to God’s promise?

Am I trusting God to provide and guide me or am I trying to do things myself using my own power and strength?

What evidence do I see in my life of God’s care, satisfaction and guidance?  Thank Him today.

Promise Confirmation:  Psalm 25:9 and 48:14, Isaiah 40:31, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Philippians 4:13 and  4:19, 1 Peter 5:7

Blessings today as you enjoy and delight in being in God’s garden of care and love.
Linda

Grand Tetons in Jackson, Wyoming

Flowers alongside the road. God cares for all in His creation. Best of all He cares for you and me.