REALIZE

Pearls and Dreams

I thought since I posted about the fact vs truth last night, I would post where that was coming from in my lessons. We are working on using God's Word to dig deeper, to accomplish a spiritual goal, to win a spiritual battle, to make it through a tough time, to do just about anything. But to use the Truth of the Word of God over our own logic, or emotions, habits and coping skills that haven 't worked in the past.



Realize
By Peggikaye Eagler
Research God’s Word.
Emphasize God’s truth in your life.
Always lift your praises to the King.
Lay your heart at the feet of Jesus.
Intently look past you, to God’s vision of you.
Zealously seek after God’s heart.
Examine your heart and mind.



Realize
By Peggikaye Eagler
Week 1

1.Research God’s Word.
Question: How Do I get to know you?
Answer: by talking, communication, words.
Question: How do we get to know God?
Answer: by his written word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers who know his word. Communication. But, in the end ... it is still through His WORD that we learn of the character of God, the will of God and what God wants for us.
Joshua 1:7-9
7 Be strong and brave. Be sure to obey all the teachings my servant Moses gave you. If you follow them exactly, you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Always remember what is written in the Book of the Teachings. Study it day and night to be sure to obey everything that is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything. 9 Remember that I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go."

We are to study God’s Word, be familiar with his teachings, that way we know what to obey, know what is written, that is what gives us the strength to be strong, and courageous. God didn’t ask Joshua to just go out and be strong and brave … he told him to study His word … let his Word FILL Joshua … IF you do this ..then ….
How do we know what to obey, if we don’t know what the teachings say? How do we know what the words of comfort are, to draw on them, if we haven’t read them? Study them, day and night, so that you are aware that God is with you everywhere you go!

James 1:22 -25 22 Do what God's teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Those who hear God's teaching and do nothing are like people who look at themselves in a mirror. 24 They see their faces and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like. 25 But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God's perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God's teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy
Proverbs 23:23
23 Learn the truth and never reject it. Get wisdom, self-control, and understanding
Isaiah 50:4-9

4 The Lord God gave me the ability to teach so that I know what to say to make the weak strong. Every morning he wakes me. He teaches me to listen like a student. 5 The Lord God helps me learn, and I have not turned against him nor stopped following him. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me. I offered my cheeks to those who pulled my beard. I won't hide my face from them when they make fun of me and spit at me. 7 The Lord God helps me, so I will not be ashamed. I will be determined, and I know I will not be disgraced. 8 He shows that I am innocent, and he is close to me. So who can accuse me? If there is someone, let us go to court together. If someone wants to prove I have done wrong, he should come and tell me. 9 Look! It is the Lord God who helps me. So who can prove me guilty? Look! All those who try will become useless like old clothes; moths will eat them.


Remembering that it is God who helps us to learn his Word, to apply His word to our lives, to learn how His truths reign rather than what we’ve always believed … but to know this, to understand this ..we have to know his Word. To know HIM we have to read his Words to us.





REALIZE
By Peggikaye Eagler
Week 2

2.Emphasize God’s truth in your life.
The situations in our lives sometimes lead us to think that things are different than what God says they really are. Because, we only see with imperfect and finite understanding … and God acts with perfect and infinite wisdom, we do not see the full plan NOR do we always understand the full scope of his forgiveness and love for us.
If we look at the facts in front of us, we miss the eternal truth of God’s Word and God’s truth Always is what is really true. Like a snow in May does not mean that is has suddenly become winter, or 70º in January does not mean it has become Spring. Temporary discomforts, do not change the eternal truth of God’s power and protection for our good and restorative future.
Each person’s need for God’s truth will be slightly different to dramatically different. There are however, some truths that we ALL need to emphasize in our lives. Those truths are about God’s protection, His staying with us, the fact that no matter what happens around us … that HE remains. He taught us through his Word, over and over and over again, that in spite of losses in spite of victories, His truth and His protection will remain.
Focus on the truths of His eternal protection, and research the specific verses you need for your specific needs to hear God’s truth for your life. Is it a lack of self esteem? Find the verses on how God loved you before you were born. Is it on lack of confidence? Find the verses on how God told Moses, Isaiah, Paul, and others that he’d called them … and he’d equip them. Is it a lack of financial stability, read about Gideon?

2 Corinthians 4: 7-9 New Century Version
7 We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us.
8 We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. 9 We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed

Same verses, Message
7 If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us.
8 As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, 9 but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken.


-2-

Job 19: 1-5; 23-25
1 Then Job answered: 2 "How long will you hurt me and crush me with your words? 3 You have insulted me ten times now and attacked me without shame. 4 Even if I have sinned, it is my worry alone. 5 If you want to make yourselves look better than I, you can blame me for my suffering
23 "How I wish my words were written down, written on a scroll. 24 I wish they were carved with an iron pen into lead, or carved into stone forever. 25 I know that my Defender lives, and in the end he will stand upon the earth.
Psalm 46:1-3
1 God is our protection and our strength. He always helps in times of trouble. 2 So we will not be afraid even if the earth shakes, or the mountains fall into the sea, 3 even if the oceans roar and foam, or the mountains shake at the raging sea. Selah

2Ti 1:12 - (KJV)
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

New Century Version
I am suffering now because I tell the Good News, but I am not ashamed, because I know Jesus, the One in whom I have believed. And I am sure he is able to protect what he has trusted me with until that day.

The Message
It's also the cause of all this trouble I'm in. But I have no regrets. I couldn't be more sure of my ground - the One I've trusted in can take care of what he's trusted me to do right to the end.

There is not a situation that you cannot come across, that God has not dealt with in His Word. “Everything you need is in His Word, either concrete or in concept” (Beth Moore, Jesus the One and Only). In Hebrews 2:17 & 18, Paul told us:17 For this reason Jesus had to be made like his brothers in every way so he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then Jesus could bring forgiveness for their sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself suffered and was tempted. God Understand Just what it is that we are going through, AND WHY, and he’s promised us a way to get through it. The key is finding out just what it is that HE says about it. Meditate on God’s truth. Emphasize God’s truth in your life …even when the Earth is shaking, the waves are crashing and the mountains appear to be falling into the sea … God still remains God … and HE WILL see you through it and HOLD YOU in his Palm!



-3-

Personal Examples
These are verses that I cling to when I'm really struggling, feeling like I'm not going to make it, or I'm not worthy, or that I'm not the person who should be doing whatever it is that I'm doing.

The one in Joel, I used to read it, and hold my Bible to my heart, and rock back and forth and cry while repeating it over and over ... reminding God that he promised to restore what the locust had taken.

Being in that time of restoration, in that time of peace it is so incredible to read these verses and realize just how much I clung to them, and how much life they breathed into me at the time!
Isaiah 54:11-17
11 "You poor city. Storms have hurt you, and you have not been comforted. But I will rebuild you with turquoise stones, and I will build your foundations with sapphires. 12 I will use rubies to build your walls and shining jewels for the gates and precious jewels for all your outer walls. 13 All your children will be taught by the Lord, and they will have much peace. 14 I will build you using fairness. You will be safe from those who would hurt you, so you will have nothing to fear. Nothing will come to make you afraid. 15 I will not send anyone to attack you, and you will defeat those who do attack you. 16 "See, I made the blacksmith. He fans the fire to make it hotter, and he makes the kind of tool he wants. In the same way I have made the destroyer to destroy. 17 So no weapon that is used against you will defeat you. You will show that those who speak against you are wrong. These are the good things my servants receive. Their victory comes from me," says the Lord.
Isaiah 61:1-3;9&10
1 The Lord God has put his Spirit in me, because the Lord has appointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts are broken, to tell the captives they are free, and to tell the prisoners they are released. 2 He has sent me to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness and the time when our God will punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort all those who are sad 3 and to help the sorrowing people of Jerusalem. I will give them a crown to replace their ashes, and the oil of gladness to replace their sorrow, and clothes of praise to replace their spirit of sadness. Then they will be called Trees of Goodness, trees planted by the Lord to show his greatness
9 Everyone in all nations will know the children of my people, and their children will be known among the nations. Anyone who sees them will know that they are people the Lord has blessed."
10 The Lord makes me very happy; all that I am rejoices in my God. He has covered me with clothes of salvation and wrapped me with a coat of goodness, like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding, like a bride dressed in jewels.
Joel 2:23-27
23 So be happy, people of Jerusalem; be joyful in the Lord your God. Because he does what is right, he has brought you rain; he has sent the fall rain and the spring rain for you, as before. 24 And the threshing floors will be full of grain; the barrels will overflow with new wine and olive oil. 25 "Though I sent my great army against you -- those swarming locusts and hopping locusts, the destroying locusts and the cutting locusts that ate your crops -- I will pay you back for those years of trouble. 26 Then you will have plenty to eat and be full. You will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has done miracles for you. My people will never again be shamed. 27 Then you will know that I am among the people of Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other God. My people will never be shamed again.




Next week's lesson will be Always lift your praises to the King. It will be on Praising God, even in the hard times. Regardless of the walls falling around you, the sacrifice of praise ... he can work through those who praise him ...

I just need to make sure I don't wait till Saturday night to write it and hopefully I won't be posting an SOS at 11:30 on Saturday night! ;)