MOments with God

By Lisa Rioux

We all have the same amount of time every day, it's how you choose to spend those moments that can make a difference in your life. MOments with God is written with that thought in mind, to spend a few quality, precious moments with God can change your life. Originally written as encouraging words for my daughter, I pray they will be an encouragement for you.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

(2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781098092788

Book preview

1

For the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives. (Hebrews 12:6 HCSB)

I was reading this verse in an old Bible that our dear friends, Billy and Judy Causey gave me on September 10, 1996! It’s the Bible for Students and the translation of this verse in that Bible is this: For when He punishes you, it proves that he loves you. When he whips you it proves you are really his child.

I thought how often I have been whipped by God! I can remember my childhood days when I did something wrong it was often worthy of a whipping by my parents. And my own children received their share of whippings! But to think of God’s discipline as a holy whipping puts into perspective that God is truly our Father! And as our Father, sometimes the only way he can get our attention is through a holy whipping. He will discipline us when we make wrong choices so that we will change our behavior. When we receive a whipping by God, we are being warned of impending danger we may face because of our sin. We should recognize that difficult circumstances may be the consequences of our bad choices!

God’s nature is perfect love, and he has our best interests in his heart!

2

But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6 GNT)

In August 2015, I saw the movie War Room that impacted my prayer life. After the movie, I set up my own war room by carving out a small space in the back of my closet. It was there when I was by myself that God met me and my prayer life changed. As I spoke, cried, sang, and sometimes, just sat silently, I felt the presence of God so strongly. I witnessed firsthand answered prayers, it was not always the answer I asked for but God always replied. When you get alone with God, his Word—scripture—becomes alive and often directed at your specific need. When the word of God speaks to you, it is always for a purpose.

Only God knows your heart and only he can address the sin that is keeping you from obedience. When we get alone with God, all the negative voices of the world will be drowned out and we can pray, Search me, God, and know my heart (Psalm 139:23). When we pray this, we must be ready for the Lord to reveal some areas in our life that we need to change. Then it is between you and God to work on those areas in your life that are not pleasing to him.

We are in a battle these days, so get ready for war—go to your war room and allow God’s Word to come alive as it penetrates your mind.

I encourage you to watch the movie! You will be blessed.

3

But immediately He spoke to them, saying, Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid! (Matthew 14:27 AMP)

Life, this world, and these times are scary! There are many circumstances that we find ourselves in that cause uncertainty and fear. Sleepless nights spent worrying about our loved ones, our jobs, the weather, the state of our country, and the list goes on. Over and over in the Bible, Jesus reminds us to take courage. What does that even mean, take courage? God freely offers to take care of his children, fight our battles, to constantly be with us so we are never left to endure life’s trials alone. But we must receive his courage, his help, his blessings. So today and the next time fear attacks, take courage, believe him, and extend your hand to receive from Jesus the courage to face your circumstances and walk through them. As you do, His peace will overcome your mind and your soul and you will get a front-row seat of witnessing God still your storm!

When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, Silence! Be still! Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39 NLT)

4

Then He poured water into the basin and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which was tied around His waist. (John 13:5 AMP)

This verse is a mental picture of a true servant. Jesus touched the dirtiest, grimiest parts of the disciples. Their feet were caked with mud, grime, and I can only imagine what else. Our feet are the first thing to touch the ground every time we get up. Just as Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, He will take our filthy lives, the wrong paths we’ve taken, the harsh words we’ve spoken—every filthy thing we have done, said, or thought will be made clean if we allow Jesus to be our servant and cleanse us. We will never be able to wash the feet of those who have hurt us until we allow Jesus, who we have hurt, to wash ours.

5

My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken! I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. (Isaiah 66:2 NLT)

Have you ever been so surprised to see a celebrity that when you are around them you are speechless? I once met the actor Tommy Lee Jones. I think I was just mesmerized at the moment because I had just seen him in a movie. I can’t even remember what I said as I shook his hand. In Isaiah’s message, we are reminded that we should be in awe in the presence of God. We should never get so comfortable with God that we do not tremble at his voice when we feel his presence speaking to us. The God who created the universe, who created us, still chooses to speak to us! As you read his Word, expect him to speak to you through the scriptures. Jesus raised the dead, calmed a storm, healed the sick, and cast out demons, yet he speaks to us! That alone should cause us to tremble—not in fear but with a holy sense of expectation!

6

Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. I can’t go in these, he protested to Saul. I’m not used to them. So David took them off again. (1 Samuel 17:38–39 NLT)

I can remember my daughter used to love to play dress-up. She would put on my shoes, one of my dresses, my jewelry, and always grab a purse and try to walk around. She never got very far because of course my clothes and shoes were way too big for her.

When David killed Goliath, Saul gave him his armor to wear for the fight. But David couldn’t even walk in Saul’s armor. So he used the armor that God had for him specifically, five smooth stones. God gives each of us our own armor to wear that is specifically designed for us. It will fit us perfectly and if we are obedient, it will allow us to defeat the enemy that is always lurking around ready for us to wave our white flag in surrender. When life gets hard, and you don’t feel that God is moving your mountains, don’t give up. God has given you weapons to fight your battles. Read Ephesians 6:10–18 and you will discover your armor. Take note especially of verse 18:

Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God’s people. (Ephesians 6:18 GNT)

Let the Lord fight your battles, He always wins!

7

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. (John 16:13 NLT)

When I was younger, my friends and I would play a game called Truth or Dare. Someone would ask you a question and if you did not want to tell the truth you took the dare. I used to always wonder at those who decided to answer truth if they were really telling the truth. Unless you were present in the situation, you wouldn’t know if they were really telling the truth. Thank goodness we don’t ever have to wonder about the truth of God’s Word. Numerous scriptures tell us of God’s truth. We know that His Word is truth. In Revelation 19:11, we read, Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.

In the book of Matthew, numerous verses begin with, I tell you the truth. As you begin a new day, read God’s Word and know His truth for the truth will set you free—free from fear, anxieties, and uncertainty. And you will have the promise of everlasting life in eternity with the Father.

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. (John 6:47)

8

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10 ESV)

When we moved to the country, my husband put a little concrete bench on a hill for me that overlooks a patch of woods. It has become my favorite place to sit, read, think, write, and praise God. I love to go to my little sanctuary and just be still. Even Jesus felt the need to be alone, He often went away to talk to His Father and to listen. Our daily lives get so busy—Facebooking, cooking, cleaning, running errands, always a list of things to do. But the Lord is not in all the Facebook notifications, the traffic jams, or the endless tasks—he is the gentle whisper that follows. But to hear him, we must quiet our hearts and our lives. Jesus escaped the noise to spend quiet time with his Father, we need to do the same.

9

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:19 ESV)

The day after Christmas, we wake up and it’s over. All the presents have been opened, we’ve eaten way too much food, and our families have gone back to their homes and their lives. But the Lord has given me memories, all the happenings of the days leading up to Christmas and Christmas day events. Like Mary, I can ponder or think about all these things and treasure them in my heart. These days, we also have actual pictures of things that happened to look back on. The Christmas celebration doesn’t have to end just because there is a tomorrow, a day after Christmas. We can celebrate and treasure all the blessings, the memories, the things God has shown us and allowed us to be a part of all in the quiet thankfulness of our hearts. And these memories can last well beyond December twenty-fifth.

10

Peace

Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. (1 Peter 3:11 ESV)

In my young adult years, there was a commercial advertising, a bubble bath product, Calgon, take me away! During those stressful years as a young wife and mother, I often escaped searching for peace with the door locked and enjoyed a few minutes of the Calgon bath.

Everyone at one time or another seeks a life or even a moment of peace.

Webster defines peace: Peace is a stress-free state of security and calmness that comes when there’s no fighting or war, everything coexisting in perfect harmony and freedom. When you feel at peace with yourself, you are content to be the person you are, flaws and everything.

I have learned through the years that only God can offer that state of peace in my life. The day the Lord called our daughter to leave us and spend eternity with Him was the day I experienced that peace that is totally unexplainable. The verse in 1 Peter tells us to seek peace and pursue it. I thank the Lord daily for the peace that I have—that unexplainable peace that only He can provide. On days when I feel overwhelmed, anxious, or just worn-out, I am reminded of that peace and I am reminded that I must pursue it.

Some people look for peace in different ways—alcohol, drugs, Calgon bath, even looking to other people to provide an escape—but the only true peace is Jesus and once you experience his peace, there is nothing else that will compare or satisfy.

Peace on earth, goodwill to men.

11

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the