Category: Fearing God

Categories
Beauty Fearing God Mother's Day

On Mother’s Day

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.“ Proverbs 31:30 (ESV) Our culture places immeasurable value on beauty. Teenage girls and women combat incalculable pressure to compete with the enhanced images of celebrities frequenting social media posts. The pressure escalates as trends vacillate from month to month. What is considered a beautiful trait now may not measure up next month. Swirling in plurality, our culture redefines beauty as often as the shifting of sand upon the seashores. The Bible defines beauty in relationship to how one reveres God. From God’s perspective, beauty is an internal reality instead of an external commodity. Your authentic walk with God determines your level of beauty. External beauty is fleeting. From the moment we are born, our physical body begins to deteriorate. This shell that we live in continues to age. How we respond to God determines our inner beauty. Fearing God is the key to beauty. Fearing God means to revere Him, to adore Him, and to esteem Him. To fear God is to value what He values, to love what He loves, and to hate what He hates. Fearing God involves being perpetually aware of His holiness and purity. If your mother is still living, have you praised her for fearing the Lord? If your mother has already gone to heaven, spend some time in prayer thanking God for blessing you with a mother who feared the Lord. You are blessed to have such a rich heritage. I am so grateful to God for blessing me with a wife, mother, and mother-in-law who fear the Lord. Their lives have been a continual source of inspiration. Let’s arise and call them blessed (Prov. 31:28). Following Jesus Every Day, Stephen Trammell

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1 Samuel Fearing God Saul

Decipher the Voice

“Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.’” 1 Samuel 15:24-25 (ESV) In our culture we are bombarded with messages that appeal to our senses and seek our attention. Multifaceted voices come our way through technology, verbal interaction, written word, and our thoughts. Deciphering the messages can be a challenge at times. Learning to hear and respond to the voice of God is vital for us to live in victory and to live a life that brings honor to God. Saul was torn between the tug of trying to please God and trying to appease people. Someone was going to feel cheated. Someone was going to be let down. Instead of fearing God and revering God, Saul chose to slide into the trap of trying to please people. He feared the people and obeyed their voice at the expense of disobeying the voice of God. God clearly instructed Saul through Samuel, “go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Samuel 15:3 ESV). In overt disobedience to God, Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, oxen, fattened calves, and lambs. Can you decipher the voice of God among all the voices that seek your attention? When you detect the voice of God you will be detecting the voice of Truth. It is not enough to hear God’s voice; you must be willing to obey God’s voice. Are you obeying what God has already said to you? Start there! Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell  

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Fearing God God's Character Revering God

The Importance of Revering God

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.“ Ecclesiastes 12:13 (ESV) Imagine enjoying a cup of coffee with one of the wisest men to ever live, Solomon. That’s right! You are sitting across from Solomon and you ask him to share with you what he has learned after experiencing life in a way that few would ever experience in a lifetime. Solomon pursued wealth, wisdom, and women. At the end of his life, he looks into the review mirror and captures what matters most. Let me share the first essential to doing life God’s way: Revere God. Solomon says to “fear God.” In the language of the Old Testament, to fear God means to revere God. It means to hold God in high esteem. We are to place the worth and value on God that He deserves. We are to reverence God for who He is and for what He has done. Revering God involves giving Him first place in your life. Your ambition is to honor God with your life. His agenda becomes the focus of your life. You revere God by aligning your heart with His heart. Revering God is demonstrated by loving what God loves, and by hating what God hates. In his book, Walking with God, John Eldredge writes, “I assume that an intimate, conversational walk with God is available, and is meant to be normal.” As you walk with God and revere Him, your love relationship with God will become intimate. Doing life God’s way always produces intimacy with God and brings Him pleasure. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Beauty Fearing God Mother's Day

On Mother’s Day

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.“ Proverbs 31:30 (ESV) Our culture places immeasurable value on beauty. Teenage girls and women combat incalculable pressure to compete with the enhanced images of celebrities frequenting magazine covers. The pressure escalates as trends vacillate from month to month. What is considered a beautiful trait now may not measure up next month. Swirling in plurality, our culture redefines beauty as often as the shifting of sand upon the seashores. The Bible defines beauty in relationship to how one reveres God. From God’s perspective, beauty is an internal reality instead of an external commodity. Your authentic walk with God determines your level of beauty. External beauty is fleeting. From the moment we are born, our physical body begins to deteriorate. This shell that we live in continues to age. How we respond to God determines our inner beauty. Fearing God is the key to beauty. Fearing God means to revere Him, to adore Him, and to esteem Him. To fear God is to value what He values, to love what He loves, and to hate what He hates. Fearing God involves being perpetually aware of His holiness and purity. If your mother is still living, have you praised her for fearing the Lord? If your mother has already gone to heaven, spend some time in prayer thanking God for blessing you with a mother who feared the Lord. You are blessed to have such a rich heritage. I am so grateful to God for blessing me with a mother who fears the Lord. Her life has been a continual source of inspiration. My brother and I arise and call her blessed (Prov. 31:28). Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
1 Samuel Fearing God Saul

Decipher the Voice

“Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.’” 1 Samuel 15:24-25 (ESV) In our culture we are bombarded with messages that appeal to our senses and seek our attention. Multifaceted voices come our way through technology, verbal interaction, written word, and our thoughts. Deciphering the messages can be a challenge at times. Learning to hear and respond to the voice of God is vital for us to live in victory and to live a life that brings honor to God. Saul was torn between the tug of trying to please God and trying to appease people. Someone was going to feel cheated. Someone was going to be let down. Instead of fearing God and revering God, Saul chose to slide into the trap of trying to please people. He feared the people and obeyed their voice at the expense of disobeying the voice of God. God clearly instructed Saul through Samuel, “go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Samuel 15:3 ESV). In overt disobedience to God, Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, oxen, fattened calves, and lambs. Can you decipher the voice of God among all the voices that seek your attention? When you detect the voice of God you will be detecting the voice of Truth. It is not enough to hear God’s voice; you must be willing to obey God’s voice. Are you obeying what God has already said to you? Start there! Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 102:  1 Samuel 15-17 ) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Fearing God God's Character Revering God

The Importance of Revering God

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Eccl 12:13 (NIV) Imagine enjoying a cup of coffee with one of the wisest men to ever live, Solomon. That’s right! You are sitting across from Solomon and you ask him to share with you what he has learned after experiencing life in a way that few would ever experience in a lifetime. Solomon pursued wealth, wisdom, and women. At the end of his life, he looks into the review mirror and captures what matters most. Let me share the first essential to doing life God’s way: Revere God. Solomon says to “fear God.” In the language of the Old Testament, to fear God means to revere God. It means to hold God in high esteem. We are to place the worth and value on God that He deserves. We are to reverence God for who He is and for what He has done. Revering God involves giving Him first place in your life. Your ambition is to honor God with your life. His agenda becomes the focus of your life. You revere God by aligning your heart with His heart. Revering God is demonstrated by loving what God loves, and by hating what God hates. In his book, Walking with God, John Eldredge writes, “I assume that an intimate, conversational walk with God is available, and is meant to be normal.” As you walk with God and revere Him, your love relationship with God will become intimate. Doing life God’s way always produces intimacy with God and brings Him pleasure. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Beauty Fearing God Mother's Day

On Mother’s Day

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Prov 31:30 (NIV) Our culture places immeasurable value on beauty. Teenage girls and women combat incalculable pressure to compete with the enhanced images of celebrities frequenting magazine covers. The pressure escalates as trends vacillate from month to month. What is considered a beautiful trait now may not measure up next month. Swirling in plurality, our culture redefines beauty as often as the shifting of sand upon the seashores. The Bible defines beauty in relationship to how one reveres God. From God’s perspective, beauty is an internal reality instead of an external commodity. Your authentic walk with God determines your level of beauty. External beauty is fleeting. From the moment we are born, our physical body begins to deteriorate. This shell that we live in continues to age. How we respond to God determines our inner beauty. Fearing God is the key to beauty. Fearing God means to revere Him, to adore Him, and to esteem Him. To fear God is to value what He values, to love what He loves, and to hate what He hates. Fearing God involves being perpetually aware of His holiness and purity. If your mother is still living, have you praised her for fearing the Lord? If your mother has already gone to heaven, spend some time in prayer thanking God for blessing you with a mother who feared the Lord. You are blessed to have such a rich heritage. I am so grateful to God for blessing me with a mother who fears the Lord. Her life has been a continual source of inspiration. My brother and I arise and call her blessed (Prov 31:28). Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Fearing God Holiness Purity

Living a Life of Moral Purity

“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Cor 7:1 (NIV) Imagine a bride, adorned with her beautiful white wedding dress, choosing to march down a muddy road before uniting with her groom. Purity and filth are not compatible. As the bride of Christ, we were made ready for our union with Christ through His atoning work on the cross. Positionally, we are clean and made fit for heaven. However, practically, we are still working out what God has worked in. The muddy road of life requires that we purify ourselves from the contamination of our fallen world. We must guard our hearts and protect ourselves from the flaming arrows of the evil one. Staying clean while living in a dirty world mandates making wise decisions about what we say, think, and do. Our conversation and conduct must be consistent with the character of Christ being formed in us. A clean life begins with receiving the nature of the Lamb of God at salvation. Upon conversion, we take on the nature of Christ and His desire for purity. That clean life is preserved as we purify ourselves from the filth of this world and embrace a healthy reverence for God. Fearing God means that we hold His opinion of us above all other opinions and expectations. Fearing God means to orient our lives to please Him above all others. Are you living a life of moral purity? How’s your thought-life? Evaluate your conversation and your conduct. Are you living a life pleasing and honoring to God? Is there anything in your life that contaminates the life of Christ in you? Are you perfecting holiness through revering God? Confess known sin and embrace the life God has for you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell