Tag: #faith-walk-ministries/blog

But God…

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

Today, many of us are reflecting on the past year as we all want a fresh start, a do-over, and an end to the virus, hate, and injustices seen the last few months. In my reflection this morning, I was reminded of all the great things God has done this year. Even during a pandemic, God showed up in a big way to bring good to many. We can rest assured He is with us and still in control.

At this time last year, I had no idea I would be in school, working from home, and getting ready to welcome a new daughter (in law) to our little family. I sit in gratefulness and awe of an amazing God and Father who loves us and wants good for us. I am reminded of Ephesians 2:4-10 when Paul makes what the ESV study Bible calls, “the greatest short phrase in history of human speech”. “But God!” (emphasis added) Just before this, Paul paints a bleak picture of our sinful nature. We are hopeless and helpless on our own, following the devil and his sinful nature that we, as descendants of Adam, inherited at birth. Just when things are the darkest and all hope is lost…God steps in with mercy, kindness, and love; for those who are joined to Jesus Christ are saved from the terrible consequences of their sin and enjoy the benefits of Christ’s resurrection.

Have you ever loved something or someone so much that you set it free? You did not want to keep it, control, or manipulate it into staying with you just because you wanted it to so much. That is the picture of true love. You want to offer a choice to be with you because of love for you. God does that for us. He gave us the free will to choose Him. He sent His Son to die on our behalf so we could have eternal life, but He also asks us to choose whom we will serve. (Joshua 24:15) Do you want to choose this broken world and our sinful nature or the Father who loves us and wants the best for us for eternity?

I look forward to a new year, to see what God will do, what surprises He has in store, as I rest in the knowledge of His love, truth, mercy, and goodness. I invite you to join me in celebration of that truth, not fearing what is next because God is with us. Let us stand on a firm foundation, rooted deep in faith, serving and loving others as He loves us. I choose God. I choose joy. I encourage you to read and reflect on Ephesians 2:4-10 and just what that means for us.

I pray for restoration of relationships, and that God will close the gaps on the many divisions occurring among Christians and family members, the enemy is trying to destroy. But most of all, I pray that you will welcome the intimate relationship God is offering you today.

Happy New Year to all!  May the God of peace be with you in the coming year and beyond.

Recipe

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. ~Proverbs 2:10

We should not add Jesus to whatever we are doing like an ingredient in a recipe to justify our actions. We need to be willing to search the scriptures for His truth and change our ways to be like Him.

We can ask God for wisdom and understanding. Jesus should come first and direct the rest of our actions. If this means our actions change, at first it is uncomfortable, and we resist. But if we trust Him fully and let Him lead us, the result is even better than we can imagine.

Our plan of action leads to sin and dissatisfaction.  Jesus’ plan & God’s will in our hearts leads us by the Holy Spirit and ultimately His plan for us. Let Him lead the way to the kingdom= JOY!

On the flip side of that coin, just as we should not add Jesus to justify, we also should not leave Him out. Everything in the Old and New Testament points to Christ. This is God’s story of redemption to bring His people to Himself. Scriptures are written for our instruction and the lessons are timeless. (Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:11-12) Cultures come and go but God remains the same throughout the ages and His word still stands today. Christ died to give us eternal life. It is not a secret society; it is an open invitation with eternal significance and our choice has eternal consequences. Thank you, Jesus! Merry Christmas!

For the time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Half-Baked

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

We cannot take one scripture and apply it to every situation. It is important to take the whole picture into consideration and search other scriptures on the subject to get a better understanding of God’s truth.

Each person’s own convictions must be taken into consideration and it helps to have a closer relationship with Christ to know what He wants for you specifically.

We are not to be the cause of someone else to stumble by encouraging them to do something they feel is wrong. It may not seem wrong for one, but if other’s conscience is telling them it is wrong then it is wrong for them and we need to be considerate of that and even change our behavior if doing it in front of them would cause them to be tempted and fall.

We can take all of God’s instructions into consideration and ask Him what He wants for us specifically and not judge others for doing something that is wrong for us. That is between them and God.

I am not talking about breaking commandments here- but if we dive into that for a moment, the Bible says the person who keeps all the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws. We are all sinners. There is no one good, not one. One is just as bad as two or more and they are all on the same level of guilty in God’s eyes, although they may have different levels of consequences.

Each of us must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We can help others understand the Scripture the way we interpret it and bring divine guidance and clarity to help them have a different perspective than they may have had before but it is ultimately between them and the Father to determine what is right for them.

With that said, I also believe that if a sister or brother in Christ is led away by false teaching, it is our responsibility to point them gently and lovingly to God’s word and truth so they can do a self-evaluation in the presence of God to get to the root of the belief and see where it is stemming from so, they can have a clearer picture of what God wants.

If you have doubts and do it anyway- you are sinning. You are not following your convictions if you do anything you believe is not right.

We are free in Christ and can interpret what is right and wrong based on what God puts on our hearts and minds, but we should not use our freedom to satisfy our sinful nature. Our freedom is meant to serve one another in love and let the Spirit guide us to righteousness.

Our sinful nature is opposite of what the Spirit wants. That is why it is important to not let our human desires and pride get in the way of what God wants for us. If we stay close to Him and are communicating with Him daily, staying in His word and listening to His instructions for our lives, we can live more fully in that freedom.

For further reading: James 2:10, Romans 14:13-14, 22, Galatians 5:13-17

A Purpose Filled Life

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

Honeybee: A purpose filled life that produces sweet results.

Think about it, a honeybee knows exactly what it is supposed to do. It has a purpose, and it works at it diligently each day. At the end of the day,  it has smelled the flowers and tasted sweet victory.

Honeybee workers forage for nectar and pollen to feed the colony. They have a sophisticated method of communication that involves a type of ‘waggle dance’ or elaborate series of movements to inform other bees where the best sources of food are located. They are not just out for themselves, trying to hog all the good stuff. They want to share with the others.

It not only works as a team player and serves the leader well but stores up food during the summer that will serve the colony during the winter months.

But the bee is not only helping himself and his colony when he is collecting nectar. The interesting design of the nectar in flowers attracts the insects by offering them nutrition, in return, the insects help fertilize the flowers by transmitting pollen that clings to their bodies from flower to flower.

This is a picture of two different species benefiting from each other in a win/win relationship because they use their God-designed gifts and talents for the purpose of surviving and helping each other.

Nectar on its own would not last and cannot be stored any length of time by the insects, but by design, the bees transform it into honey creating an efficient and usable carbohydrate that can be stored almost indefinitely.

Most foraging bees are collecting nectar for honey, but some bees are collecting pollen that is used to make beebread as the main source of dietary protein providing much needed fats, vitamins, and minerals to the bees. The bees add an enzyme and acids from their salivary gland secretions that keep the pollen from spoiling.

I find all this very fascinating. Stop and think about the design and planning God put into the details of honeybee and the flowers as they help each other survive by using what they were given with a purpose to fulfill in their short little lives.

A single worker bee only lives a few weeks. In that time, it only produces about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey. That does not seem like much but when you put it into perspective – by working collectively, thousands of worker bees in a hive can produce more than 200 pounds of honey within a year for the colony.

The beekeeper can in turn reap the benefits by harvesting 30 to 60 pounds of honey without endangering the colony, so it can survive the winter. Humans use honey as a sugar replacement because it contains antioxidants and enzymes. If we take care of nature as God intended, it will serve us well and provide natural food to sustain and benefit us as well.

If the bee deviated from God’s plan it would not survive. It would not have the joy of sipping on sweet nectar each day and spreading the good news to other bees. But it knows exactly what it is supposed to do. It is the ultimate example of a colony working well together. Teamwork at its best. Each given a special job or gift to use for the purpose of helping others.

Sounds like a sweet life.

Weren’t we given the same design? God gives each of us a gift or talent and a purpose in this life. He wants us to spread the sweet nectar of the Good News and help each other by working together as a team to help others thrive and survive in this dark world. We can enjoy the fruits of our labors at the end of the day. 

He provides us the natural resources to sustain us. We can enjoy the sweet aroma of the flowers around us and sip from Living Water and carry the sweet nectar to others in need of hope, love, and fellowship.

We are a colony that could work together using our gifts and talents for the purpose God designed us for if we did not deviate from His plan in our lives.

Human nature is opposite of what God wants for us. By design, God knows what is best for us and has a purpose for each of us. He puts His Spirit inside us to guide us and give us special gifts to use to help each other.

For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, Oh God! How vast is the sum of them. (Psalm 139:13-17 NLT)

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. (I Corinthians 12:7 NLT)

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10 NLT)

Cites:

Hadley, D. (2017) Honey Bee Habits and Traits of Honey Bees

https://www.thoughtco.com/honey-bee-apis-mellifera-1968092

The Hot Seat

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

Siting in a meeting, several months ago, I noticed one of my co-workers squirm a bit. Then he reached into his back pockets and pulled out two hand warmers he had placed there in anticipation of a cold meeting room. We had a little laugh and that was the last I thought of it, until one chilly morning run, a few weeks later, when I inserted hot hands into my gloves. As my body heated up my hands felt quite toasty, and that is when it hit me; the vision of him literally being in the hot seat.

When we are in the hot seat for something we’ve done- we begin to squirm. We try to explain ourselves or blame others. It wasn’t our fault or maybe we try to justify our behavior, like a child who gets caught with their hand in the cookie jar or with icing all over their face and still protest it wasn’t them. We’ve all been there at some point to some degree.

But what would it look like if we came clean now? If we faced those things from our past that haunt us and keep us awake at night; and instead of squirming and justifying- we owned it. What if we took it to God and talked to Him about it, asked for His forgiveness, for the part we played and laid it all out, instead of hiding from it? It is at that point God’s grace kicks in and we can have full realization of His redemption. Isn’t it better to receive that now so we can have peace than to wait until we are truly in the hot seat later? If we have taken it all to God already and allowed Him to redeem it and restore us through the blood of Christ- then we won’t have to dread facing Him later.

But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. I John 1:9

So, let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16

Marathon

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

Here is an interesting fact I learned recently in my Western Culture class; do you know where the name ‘marathon’ originated? During the Persian invasion of Greece, a man named Phidippides (fi-DIP-i-deez), was the messenger who ran the 22 plus miles from a town called Marathon to Athens, to tell of the Greek victory over the Persians. (Rawls, 2018)

Since becoming a runner about nine years ago, it has never been my goal to run a marathon. The longest race I have completed was a 10K (6.2 mi.) and the longest run on my own has been 7 miles.  These days I do about 2-3 miles each day.

My main goal is to run for my health not to harm it. For me, that is what I would be doing if I trained for a marathon. Finding out I have the first stages of osteoporosis and that running is good for my bones only added to the many beneficial reasons for continuing this sport. I enjoy running and spending that time with God. I do not want to turn it into something I dread. I have learned to listen to my body and give it a day of rest when it needs it; that helps my muscles recover and I feel the difference the next time I run. Besides, this is where a lot of these messages come from…my time with God in nature. I have the time to process, pray and receive. God teaches me a lot, but I realize it is not just for me, so I share it with others in hopes it blesses them as well.

However, when I think about the things God is preparing us for it reminds me that the opposite is true. It is in God’s timing. Most of the time He must remind us it is a marathon, not a sprint. We can celebrate the milestones along the way, remember to take breaks, rest, and enjoy the beauty of the journey. We may not know the end goal of our trainings, but God does. We can slow our pace and take one day at a time.

Our experiences and lessons along the way can be used to help others. Sometimes, we think we know where we are headed only to be shifted in a completely new direction and focus. If we are staying our course, with God as the leader, we can rest assured we will get wherever we are going at just the right time. We should not settle on anything less. It may take a little longer but that is the nature of the marathon. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 NLT)

Contrite

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

To be humble and repentant before God, crushed by the sense of guilt and sinfulness.

Hebrew word: daqaq (Holman, 2015)

In reading Isaiah 57:15, when it tells us that God not only dwells in the high and holy place, but also with him who is a contrite and lowly spirit, (ESV); have you ever stopped to think about that? I did recently and it is mind boggling to think that the God of the universe, who created all and is all, who fills the temple with His glory and presence, also lives inside us through the Holy Spirit. To be contrite is not saying that God wants to literally crush us, but our pride must be crushed so we can become humble before a Holy and Almighty God. We cannot serve man and God.

Arrogance does not feel the weight of sin or guilt. It is only a humbled spirit that feels that kind of weight. When we feel it, that is when God enters us and gives us grace for our sinfulness. When God lifted that weight from my shoulders, I rejoiced and fell to the floor, it was not a choice. It was the only response for such a realization in my broken life. In our humble posture we can be lifted-up, because of Jesus. Isaiah 53:5 says, “but he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (ESV) There was only one who could answer this call. We had someone willing to supersede for us- who took our place at the cross and became our substitute- that person was Jesus. A sinless Christ became human and took on our sin so we could be saved and live in peace with God and have a relationship with Him, through the Holy Spirit. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us.

I Thessalonians 5:19 – NLT translation says, “do not stifle the Holy Spirit” while ESV reads, “Do not quench the Holy Spirit.” In doing a little word study, we see that stifle means to suffocate and quench means to extinguish. Putting this into context, the Thessalonians had experienced false teachers, so they were “extinguishing” the Spirit’s fire by not believing in any prophesies. They despised manifestations of prophesies and were cutting them all off. Paul is telling them by cutting off all prophesies they were essentially cutting off a valuable source of encouragement. Instead of rejecting all, they should test everything to see what is true. I would encourage you to read the Scripture for yourself and ask God for wisdom for understanding His truth. It is well worth the time an energy. All OT Scriptures point to the coming of Christ. Before the Holy Spirit came, Jesus came in human form and died so we could live. After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, God placed the Holy Spirit in us to guide us and give us confidence that we are His as we look forward to that day when Jesus comes back for us. Eph. 4:30 tells us “do not to bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way we live.” (NLT) (1:13) “we are sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit.” God’s promises are Yes and Amen; He put His seal on us and has given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:20-21, ESV)

We should read the Bible to understand God’s heart. The mighty will fall, the weak will stand tall. His promises are sealed with a Holy kiss; to give us a future and a hope. Jesus is the only answer for a broken world. When we feel the weight of the world closing in on us, we can lift it up to God and ask Him what He wants for our life, and then be willing to listen and receive the Holy Spirit in peace and grace through Christ who sets us free. May we steep in the goodness of God, showing love and kindness to others as He has shown us.

2021 Calendar

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

Hot off the press!!! Quiet Moments 2021 Calendar

These images are just a sneak peak into the calendar. Each month has a unique photograph and an original inspirational poem or verse by yours truly!

Get your order in now because there is a limited supply. They make great gifts too! hint hint

$20/Each

Contact me for more information at angela@faith-walk-ministries.org or to place your order. Proceeds will support Faith Walk Ministries.

Thank you!!

Shalom

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

Shalom

Shalom – a Hebrew word which simply means peace.

According to the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, shalom appears in the OT 180 times. It is not used in a negative manner, rather involving completeness or wholeness as with the repairing of a relationship. One could say it means to have harmony with friends and family or even with allies, but it also can refer to health and security or being safe. We see in the OT testament it being used to describe a sense of confident awareness that all is well, as we see in Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (ESV) Another verse that comes to mind, and one of my favorites, which a song called, “The Blessing” is based on, is Numbers 6:24-26; if you haven’t heard it yet, it is worth it to look this one up on YouTube. (V24) “The Lord bless you and keep (guard & protect) you, (V 25) the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; (V26) the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (ESV) (Countenance involves taking notice and treating people with favor.) Here the word peace or shalom is “total well-being”, so, it is indeed a grand and positive gesture to pray this blessing upon someone.

In the NT, we see peace used in a different sense. Here the translation is eirene, and in addition to the “total well-being” we see in the OT, it can also relate to not only our physical well-being but our spiritual well-being. Another great verse that we can associate with this is John 14:27, we see Jesus use it as a blessing, when He says to the disciples, “Peace I leave with  you, my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let them be afraid.”(ESV)  I believe, to capture the fullness of this message and blessing we need to back up to the previous verse where Jesus tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit is coming, He will teach them and remind them of the things Jesus said to them. He is giving them foreknowledge that after He is gone, the Holy Spirit or Helper will come to live inside them to comfort them. This message is not only for the disciples of Jesus’ time but also for us as believers in Christ, so that we also may be comforted and receive the blessings of Jesus; the peace that passes understanding. A confident awareness in God.

The ESV study Bible notes that it is all that Christ would do or had done through the cross and the resurrection to end the dominion of sin and to make peace between God and man. Peace between all who are in Christ and state of being spiritually whole again. Not because of us, but because of Christ. The world cannot achieve or provide peace because it cannot deal with the problem of sin. But God’s peace guards the Christian’s hearts and minds and “surpasses every thought” (Phil. 4:7, ESV).

Now that we have established the usage and meaning of the shalom or peace in the Old and New Testament, let us look further at our Spiritual gifts. I believe we, as believers in Christ, can achieve both the OT and NT meanings through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 12 was in my recent reading, when I picked up a book, I had purchased several weeks prior and began to read it. In “Forgotten God” Chan specifically brings the readers attention to I Corinthians 12 as a reminder to take seriously and, “to believe that you have been given manifestation of the Spirit and that your church, the worldwide body of Christ, and the world are crippled without your involvement,” (Chan, 2009, p. 91). If you are not familiar with or have not read I Corinthians 12 recently, please take a moment to read it. It gives us a picture of the church (as the body of Christ) and all its members. We are all one in Christ and are to use our gifts, given to us by the Holy Spirit, to help each other and build up the church. If you are like me, maybe when you think of the church, you immediately think of it as the place we go on Sunday morning or that your service is limited to your local church involvement. When we look at the big picture here and allow our minds and thinking to go beyond that of human limited views, we can see the church of Christ, and as Chan put it, “the worldwide body of Christ”, we can expand our horizons and realize that our gifts are to be used, not only in our local church, although that is important, but also wherever we are. Whether that be at work, school, the grocery store, our community or neighborhood, we are to use the gifts given to us to their fullest for the Glory of God, through the love of Jesus, with the help of the Spirit who gave them to us.

I believe when we are doing this, then we will have shalom or peace – knowing all is well, confident in God, not ourselves, and can sincerely pray for others to find this peace as well; to be successful in their endeavors, and use their gifts and talents to the Glory of God as we walk together through this temporary life and world, in an attempt to show others the love of Christ, in hopes to bring others to Him, through the saving grace of Christ Jesus. The steps to victory are steep, but the Spirit will help us. It is easy to be the same- the challenge is being different. When we have these critical components in place, and genuinely walk by the Spirit through faith, we will not want to follow the world anymore; and that, my friend, brings true peace and freedom.

God’s Story

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

All of us probably have a different view of what the Bible is and how we should use it. I know I have been guilty of saying it is a book of instructions to guide us and show us how to live in this world. While I still believe that to be true, I wonder how others interpreted it. I want to add that it is that and so much more.

Some look at the Bible in two sections, the Old Testament, and the New Testament with lots of little stories in between. I may have been one of those people at one time, but with my new biblical class I am learning so much more about the Bible. (Yes, in case you did not know, I am in school now). God is amazing and full of surprises! Anyway, the Bible is God’s story. From start to finish and all the stories in between, He is the main character. The Bible tells the path God chose to redeem humanity. It is a beautiful love story- God loved us so much and this story tells of His plan to send His Son to save us so we could be in relationship with Him again. Ezekiel tells us that the cross is the ultimate sign act of Jesus profound love. The Bible gives us guidelines on how to be in a relationship with our Heavenly Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and with each other.

We live in a broken world. Because of the sin of one man, Adam, we are all sinners in need of a Savior. We have all fallen short. We will never be good enough to earn our salvation. That also does not give us a license to sin either. (Romans 6) The Good News is because of Jesus we are all saved by His grace. God’s restoration is open to anyone who chooses His plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. We are all on the same sinking ship. What it comes down to is if you will accept the life raft Jesus is offering.

The Bible says we will all be held accountable to God on judgement day for how we live. Sometimes this is a subject we tend to ignore or avoid because we do not want to think about it or simply do not understand it. But I thought Jon Weece did a great job in his sermon recently when he asked, “Do you want to live in fear of that day or trust what Jesus did is enough?” What a sweet message of love and grace that brings us hope.

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for, it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1