“GIANT SLAYER”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

There are giants in the land defying you. They are insulting your God.  What are you going to do about it?

1 Samuel 17:10,11 (NIV) “then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel!  Give me a man and let us fight each other.”  On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.”

The giant, Goliath, was the champion of the Philistines.  He was an intimidating foe to be reckoned with. He stood about 9 feet 6 inches tall.  He seemed to be invincible with his stature, strength, and armor!  His armor weighed 125 pounds and the spearhead was 15 pounds.

David, on the other hand, was just a shepherd boy who took food to his 3 brothers who followed Saul. Per, his Father, Jesse’s instructions, David was bringing cheese to the commander of their unit and while doing so overheard Goliath’s threats.  The Israelites fled in fear. This happened for 40 days.

David’s response. Vs. 26 “David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?  Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 

David was not intimidated.  Vs 34-37 David testified of the Lord rescuing him.  He went into action using the tools he had, his sling and a stone.

We can have overwhelming challenges that we face that intimidate us.  When the odds are stacked against you and threaten to take you down, Like David, we only need one smooth stone to take down the giants in our lives.  What has God placed in your hand?

My husband and I have been working on a project that we are close to completing and it’s had its challenges.  Along the way I thought of David and his one smooth stone.  His story was so encouraging while working on this project that on each set back or delay, I was encouraged to persevere. 

If you don’t take down the giants in your life, they will take you down.  Remember, God is bigger than any giant you will ever face. 

1 Samuel 17 “David and Goliath” Read the whole chapter and be encouraged!

SONG: Kutless, What Faith Can Do https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur6Zznc407U

PICTURE: Red Torch Ginger from my garden

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

“THE TURTLE WINS”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

In the story,” The Tortoise and the Hare,” the turtle wins!

Do you ever feel like you’re going at a snail’s pace trying to reach a goal and it seems like it’s taking forever to get there?  Remind yourself, the turtle wins!  You can do it!

It’s ok to take baby steps.  Slow and steady wins the race!  In a marathon, you pace yourself.  It’s not a flat-out run like in a sprint.  Keep your eye on the goal and keep moving forward.  You will get there one step at a time!

I’ve worked on many different projects and it seems like the preparation takes longer than the last step. There are usually challenges along the way that make it all take even longer.

There were some badly damaged kitchen cabinets that I knew could be beautiful.  I filled in the bad places, sanded, then repeated until they were smooth.  Cleaned off all the dust and primed both sides, and then painted the top coat with a high gloss oil twice. Oils take a long time to dry, but are well worth the wait! That was the doors.  Then I taped, primed, and painted the cabinets. Once everything was very dry, I re-attached the doors and added new hardware and they were beautiful!

It took a goal or a vision looking beyond what I could see with my own eyes. I then calculated the cost and what I would need to complete the project. I went through the steps of refinishing the cabinets. The prep work is what it took to make the final coat of paint look great!   The turtle wins!

If I would have skipped the prep work, the top coat would have looked terrible and you’d see all the damage in spite of the new paint.

Are you willing to do what it takes to reach goals in your life? Patiently persevere.

Don’t give up when you’ve hardly begun.  Going into it, know there will be opposition and challenges, but don’t let that deter you from your goal.  Start with small projects and it will encourage you, when you finish them, to go on to bigger ones.  Build your confidence in the Lord and in yourself as you conquer projects.

God is patient and long-suffering with us. I’m so glad He doesn’t throw us away because we’re broken or damaged!  He lovingly sets us on the potter’s wheel and patiently works on us a little at a time.  The more we yield to Him and His will being done in our lives, the more we reflect Jesus!

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) “Yet you, LORD, are our Father, We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Isaiah 28:10 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

SONG: Hope in Front of Me (By Danny Gokey) ~ Lyrics video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJkjcWUceLg

PICTURE:  Heliconia in my garden

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

“THE BOTTOM LINE”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

I passionately love the Lord with every fiber of my being!  There’s a tap root of hope in Him through every storm I’ve ever faced.  There have been many challenges throughout my life, and He was with me through them all! The bottom line in my life is Jesus! 

If you are struggling today, I want to encourage you in the Lord. I pray the bottom line in your life is also Jesus.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (Amp) “Though the fig tree does not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines; [though] the product of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls; Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation! The Lord God is my strength, my personal bravery and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering or responsibility]!

God was with David in the valley of the shadow of death.  Psalms 23.  He was with all the disciples who ultimately all died horrible deaths except John.  This may sound gruesome, but you can take heart. The Lord is with you through it all!  It’s by His mercy and strength we stand anyway.

True Christianity is real.  Just read your Bible.  It’s not religious. Our faith is built on a right relationship with Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 

We are all at different places in our journey with the Lord.  Don’t become disheartened when things get worse and continue to do so.  Take heart.  Rejoice in the Lord!  Hope in Him!  He enables us to continue on this fight of faith while we’re still on this side of heaven. 

What’s the bottom line in your life?  I hope it’s Jesus!  

SONG: Christ The Rock- Home 2013, Kim Walker-Smith & Skyler Smith Chttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s25–3HRsBQ

PICTURE:  Native Hibiscus in my garden

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice

“MAKE TIME FOR JESUS”

by Cindy Bice

Aloha!

*Today’s life-style is fast-paced and crammed-packed-full!  It seems that every minute of every day is filled to the max and even then it seems like we don’t have enough time to do everything. *

The modern inventions that were supposed to help us save time have actually made it more convenient to do more in the same amount of time so we are busier now than ever!*

Do you feel like you’re burning the candle at both ends trying to get everything done?  This may be a good time to take a few minutes and do some Spring Cleaning on paper.  Make a time graph and see what takes up your time.  You may want to spend less time doing some things and more time doing others. *

**Make Jesus First Priority. Give your life and all it entails to the Lord**

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV) “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

Proverbs 16:9 (ISV) “A person plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”

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

**God, you, your family, work, and then others.**

Our priorities may need to be revamped.  We need balance in our lives. For those who work too hard and are constantly putting others first, remember to take care of yourself! 

2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV) “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

It’s not just Jesus and don’t worry about anything else.  It’s Jesus on the throne of your heart and He’ll help you with the rest. Let Him help you with balance and order in your life.

SONG: Give Me Jesus- Jeremy Camp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_SwjzlMGhw
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_SwjzlMGhw>

PICTURE:  Flowers and fruit from our backyard*

Mahalo,

Cindy Bice

“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii

Please contact me via my Facebook for more information:

www.facebook.com/cindy.b.bice