Do I Really Know Whom I Have Believed
I know whom I have believed. But do I really? We could spend a lifetime studying and barely touch the most minute facets of His being.
Do I Really Know Whom I Have Believed
2MefromHim Devotionals
I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 2 Timothy 1:12
I know whom I have believed. But do I really?
I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 2 Timothy 1:12 #faith #Jesus #trust Share on XDo I Really Know Whom I Have Believed for Salvation?
Often when we first trust Christ for our salvation, it is in either the elation of learning about His saving love or a sad realization of our own sinfulness. Both are necessary. However, we know so little of our Lord’s power that we could spend a lifetime studying and barely touch the most minute facets of His being.
To know Whom I have believed, I must recognize His sufficiency in all areas. The great I Am is first, the pre-existent God of all creation, for, “Through Him, all things were made; without Him, nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3) And all that was made, He created ex nihilo, out of nothing.
We could spend a lifetime studying and barely touch the most minute facets of God's being. #man #God #faith Share on XDo I Really Believe His Uniqueness?
In Revelation 22:13, God says of Himself, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” The Book of Isaiah says, there was no god before Him and there will be no god after Him. (Isaiah 43:10) It is impossible for our minds to conceive, yet it is true.
We know that it is through grace by faith that we are saved. There is nothing that we are can do to gain faith. It is the free gift of God. He tolerates no boasting on that point. (Ephesians 2:8-9) We are incapable of performing acts that would gain our own salvation. As the old song says, “Oh, to grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be.” We owe our Lord and God a debt we can never repay.
We owe our Lord and God a debt we can never repay. #grace #salvation #hope Share on XDo I Really Know Whom I Have Believed from All Eternity?
When God speaks to Job out of the storm, He asks unanswerable questions:
- Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
- Who marked off its dimensions and stretched a measuring line across it?
- On what were its footings set,or who laid its cornerstone?
- Who shut up the sea behind doorswhen I fixed limits for itand set its doors and bars in place?
- Have you ever given orders to the morning,or shown the dawn its place?
- Have the gates of death been shown to you?
- What is the way to the abode of light?And where does darkness reside? Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
And on and on He goes, asking questions no man can answer that reveal the marvelous infinity of His being. Therefore, I say with the father in Mark 9, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
God asks questions no man can answer that reveal the marvelous infinity of His being. #infinity #Godislove #eternity Share on XDo I Really Know Whom I Have Believed for All Eternity?
Yet, when I contemplate such marvelous things, I realize that my understanding will always be incomplete while I live here on earth. God can guard everything I have entrusted to Him and more until that day when my faith becomes sight. And I bow on my face before Him in humility.
He is able to accomplish far more than I can ever comprehend in my finite being. To God be the glory.
God is able to accomplish far more than I can ever comprehend in my finite being. #Godisgood #man #grace Share on XGod’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. Job 37:5
© Norma Gail Holtman, July 24, 2020
About the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, or Amazon.
Some Things Never Change, and God is One
Some things never change, and God is one of them. No matter how our world changes, God stays the same.
Some Things Never Change, and God is One
2MefromHim Devotional
But you are the same, and your years have no end. Psalm 102:27
Some things never change, and God is one of them. Our entertainment is one day politically correct and the next day not. Our vocabulary changes with the latest whims. Vacations are virtual due to a pandemic. But God is faithful. His word is applicable. No matter how our world changes, God stays the same.
But you are the same, and your years have no end. Psalm 102:27 #Godisfaithful #hope #confidence Share on XSome Things Change
For example, until a few months ago, we traveled wherever we chose, shopped in crowded stores, attended church, concerts, voted, and visited hospitals. No one gave a thought to who touched the door handle last. But with the advent of the coronavirus, the entire world changed. Time changes things.
We have become wary of words. Television shows and movies are banned. Some areas in our cities are no longer safe. We don’t know how to express our feelings to someone of another race. Time changes things.
Some Things Never Change
Our search for stability needs to take us no further than the word of God. He assures us that though the grass withers and flowers fade, His word never changes. It is firmly fixed in the heavens. He isn’t a man that he should lie or the son of man that He should change His mind. God does not change but He can change things.
The story of Lazarus, in John 11, reveals the slower pace of Jesus’ day. By the time Jesus traveled to Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb four days. Martha protested Jesus’ request to move the stone because there would be a bad odor. But when Jesus called him forth, he rose from the dead. God can change things.
Likewise, in Acts, Chapter 9, Saul obtained letters to the synagogues in Damascus so that he could take Christians prisoner. However, after a confrontation with God, he became the most prolific teacher, preacher, and writer in the Bible. The man who called himself a Hebrew of Hebrews became the man who said, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” God can change things.
God does not change but He can change things. #change #Godisgood #anxiety Share on XWhen We Don’t Know How to Respond
God says: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
When changes frighten us, there is a standard. God gave us His word and it will never change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
When the entire world seems to have tilted on its axis, God remains the same.
When the entire world seems to have tilted on its axis, God remains the same. #worldevents #security #Godisgood Share on X© Norma Gail Holtman, June 17, 2020
About the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, or Amazon.
My Times Are in Your Hands, Therefore I Trust
“My times are in your hands…” All week, these words played through my mind to the tune of an old hymn. Peace comes with the knowledge that God is in control.
My Times Are in Your Hands, Therefore I Trust
2MefromHim Devotional
My times are in your hands… Psalm 31:15
“My times are in your hands…” All week, these words played through my mind to the tune of an old hymn by William F. Lloyd. Then I discovered a sermon by Charles Spurgeon by the same title. Peace comes with the knowledge that God is in control.
My faith sustains me when the world is filled with turmoil. COVID-19 and social unrest have our world in chaos. Natural disasters, fires, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes rob struggling people of all they possess. Where does your hope reside?
My faith sustains me when the world is filled with turmoil. #faith #hope #anxiety Share on XOur Times Cry for Hope
Psalm 31 reveals David crying out to God, his rock, refuge, and fortress, words that produce the sense of safety, a firm foundation in times of fear and distress. Spurgeon says, “If our lives were not appointed of heaven, we should wish they were. If there were no overruling Providence, we would crave for one.” I long for Jesus’ return because of promised peace.
Psalm 139:16 tells us, “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” I face the unknown with courage because I understand that God has a plan and purpose. Moses prayer, recorded in Psalm 90 says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” True wisdom offers hope.
When the downtrodden cry out for justice and disease or disaster threaten, I am comforted by my hope in God. In the words of Job 23:10, “He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” This time of testing for the entire world provides new opportunities to share the source of our hope with those around us. Moreover, as Christians, we can thrive despite our circumstances because we understand God is in control.
I face the unknown with courage because I understand that God has a plan and purpose. #courage #purpose #Godisincontrol Share on XMy Times Are in God’s Hands
Corrie Ten Boom said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” I know peace because all my days rest in the hands of a loving God. Likewise, never have Jesus’ words in John 10:27-29 resounded with such promise. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” I am safe even when the world around me spins out of control.
Do you have the certainty that your life rests in God’s hands?
I am safe even when the world around me spins out of control. #safety #control #fear Share on XMy Times Are in Your Hands
My times are in Thy hand;
My God, I wish them there;
My life, my friends, my soul I leave
Entirely to Thy care.
My times are in Thy hand;
Whatever they may be;
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright,
As best may seem to Thee.
My times are in Thy hand;
Why should I doubt or fear?
My Father’s hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.
My times are in Thy hand,
Jesus, the crucified!
Those hands my cruel sins had pierced
Are now my guard and guide.
My times are in Thy hand,
I’ll always trust in Thee;
And, after death, at Thy right hand
I shall forever be.
Hymn by William F. Lloyd
© Devotional by Norma Gail Holtman, June 14, 2020
My times are in your hands… Psalm 31:15 #Godislove #trust #faith Share on XAbout the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, or Amazon.
Sweet Surrender: Learning to Trust God
Surrender becomes sweet when we recognize that God’s ways are higher and better than ours. How much time I waste in worry and concern, only to discover I was wrong.
Sweet Surrender: Learning to Trust God
A 2MefromHim Devotional
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9
Surrender becomes sweet when I recognize that God’s ways are higher and better than mine. How much time I waste in worry and concern, only to discover I was wrong. God always has a better plan.
Jesus’ Surrender vs. My Failure
Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that if it was possible, the cup be removed from him. However, he said, “Yet not as I will, but as you will,” and then surrendered peacefully to his enemies—and to the will of God.
Many recent situations have sent me to my knees. However, my prayers are often based on personal desires. I shoulder the same burdens I should have left at the foot of the throne as I leave my quiet time. And I have no peace. Every aspect of my life is affected. Worries haunt me like ghosts.
Surrender from God’s Perspective
When Joseph’s brothers sold him into captivity, he didn’t worry and whine. He demonstrated acceptance and surrender, living to glorify God in one difficult circumstance after another. His story ends in blessing.
By the same token, one of the sadder accounts is that of Samson, who satisfied his own desires despite the call put on his life from before birth. We’ll never know what might have happened had he surrendered to God.
Elisabeth Elliot, widow of the martyred missionary, Jim Elliot, writes, “To pray, ‘thy will be done.’ I must be willing, if the answer requires it, that my will be undone.”
Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, “My situation is urgent, and I cannot see how I will ever be delivered. Yet this is not my concern, for He who made the promise will find a way to keep it. My part is simply to obey His commands, not to direct His ways. I am His servant, not His advisor. I call upon Him and He will deliver me.”
What blessings might God grant if I surrendered totally to him? #surrender #blessings #self-denial Share on XAnswering the Call to Surrender
I attempt to advise God when I pray for a situation to resolve my way. In Philippians, Paul wrote from prison, “what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” What might God might accomplish in me, through me, or in someone near me if I surrender my will to his?
When I pray “not as I will, but as you will,” my burden is lifted. The surrender is sweet. May I learn to surrender rather than advise.
The way to peace is complete surrender to the will of God. #trust #obedience #peace Share on X© Norma Gail Holtman, May 4, 2020
About the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, or Amazon.
When God’s Perfect Peace Eludes Me
When perfect peace eludes you, where do you turn? In these days of home quarantine, social distancing, job loss, a divided country, and general unrest, it’s easy to lose my focus on the One who promises perfect peace.
When God’s Perfect Peace Eludes Me
2MefromHim Devotionals
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3
When perfect peace eludes you, where do you turn? In these days of home quarantine, social distancing, job loss, a divided country, and general unrest, it’s easy to lose my focus on the One who promises perfect peace.
God Reveals Perfect Peace
I gaze out my window at the quiet mountain scenery, where birds soar on the breeze, and patches of snow linger on the tallest peaks. What a picture of perfect serenity! My heart slows after fluttering with unrest while I prayed over situations that distress me. My breathing evens. Tense muscles relax. Nature can offer a glimpse of God’s perfect peace.
Job 37:7 says, “So that all men he has made may know his work, he stops every man from his labor.” God never intended that we should live in stress and fear. When he is my light and salvation, the stronghold of my life, my refuge and strong tower where I can run for safety, I have nothing to fear. Therefore, when I feel a sense of unrest, it alerts me to the fact that I’m not resting in God. I need to cease my labor and concentrate on him.
When I feel a sense of unrest, I need to cease my labor and concentrate on God #stress #Quarantinelife #Godislove Share on XWhen God’s Perfect Peace Eludes Me, I’m Captive to Unsettling Thoughts
In reality, perfect peace has eluded me for a long time. Perhaps like me, you’re working your way back to that place of shelter and safety. Dissension in family relationships, life-altering changes, deaths, and my own tendency to fear traps me in a place of unrest, focused on people and circumstances.
However, even though I spend time in God’s word, if I don’t let his words sink deep into the soil of my heart, they die like flowers in drought. Rather than standing steadfast, I’m captive to every unsettling thought that enters my mind. Can you identify?
Even though I spend time in God’s word, if I don’t let his words sink deep into the soil of my heart #scripture #meditation #faith Share on XWhen God’s Perfect Peace Eludes Me, I Need to Remember Who Holds Me Safe
Sometimes I feel like a sheep while a wolf stalks nearby. Yet, Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Isaiah 49:16 tells me, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” Jesus echoes the same thought in John 10, where he says that no one can snatch me out of the Father’s hands. Don’t you love the imagery of being held safe, like a little bird in the hands of God?
I long to abide in Jesus so deeply that nothing causes my trust to falter. Therefore, if I must return to God’s word time and again throughout the day, I will do so. My place of refuge is safe in the Father’s hands. Will you try that this week when fear threatens?
My place of refuge is safe in the Father’s hands #security #JesusChrist #hope Share on X© Norma Gail Thurston, April 25, 2020
About the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, or Amazon.
