Fireflies - God Knows Me!

Hi Lovlies!
A week ago a good friend of mine took a step of faith and began a ministry called Fireflies. Here is a brief description:

"A group of wonderfully made 3rd-5th graders looking to shine our light. The Firefly girl knows that beauty radiates from the inside out, and that real beauty comes from serving others."

How could I not accept the invitation to be a part of this group!?
The Fireflies gather together the first Saturday of every month to do a craft, play a game, work on an outreach project, and (my favorite part) learn about God. My lovely friend hosted the meeting and deligated each portion of the meeting to another lady invited. I had the awesome privilege of teaching God's word to the beautiful fireflies. I was asked to teach from Psalm 139 (YES!!!). These are my notes:

God Knows ME!

Psalm 139:1-4
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.

Here we read that God sees you. Our GREAT and BIG God sees the whole world, including you. He is with you sleeping.

He is with you awake.
He is with you when you sit down.
He is with you when you stand up.
He is with you when you walk.
He is with you when you run.
He is with you when you play.
He is with you when you sing.
He is with you when you read.
He is with you when you are alone.
He is with you when you are with your family.
He is with you at school.
He is with you everywhere you go.
He knows your thoughts.
He knows when you are afraid.
He knows when you are sad.
He knows when you are happy.
He knows what makes you happy.
He knows your heart.
He knows you, everything about you.

Psalm 139:5
You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. He is all around you on every side protecting you.

Not only does God know everything about you, He also promises to bless you and protect you. Nothing about your day catches God by surprise.

For example, He knows if you have to go to the doctor’s office, He knows if you have to take a test in school; he knows if you have a sports activity to go to. He knew along time ago that you would be in this room today. He knew about Fireflies.

Day and night God is aware of everything that happens to you. Day and night He protects us from harm. He protected all of us on our way here. He protects you and your family and your friends because He knows them too.

Psalm 139:6
Such knowledge is too amazing for me,
Too great for me to understand!

It is difficult for me to understand God’s mind. When doubt fills my mind I have to remember that I won’t always understand all of God or why He does so many amazing things for me, a sinner. The little knowledge that I know about God is enough to quiet my doubts. Here are four great truths that are amazing:

God knows you.
God loves you.
God blesses you.
God protects you.

Psalm 139:9-12
If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you

Two things we see here that are so good for us.
One) No matter where you are, or how far you are, God will be with you to guide you. God is strong and will help you with every problem. He will help you and support you.
Two) Darkness and Light are the same to God. Have you ever been in the dark? It’s scary!!! When you are in the dark, you can’t see anything, but God can see everything in the dark. He can see you and be with you. God isn’t afraid of the dark. Remember, you are never alone.

Have you ever been lost in the day time or in a store? That too can be scary, even though it isn’t darkness. God still sees you and is with you. He isn’t afraid of anything. No matter where we are at, near, far, or lost, God can see us and is with us.

Next time we meet I will share with you more about God’s love for you and how much He knows about you. There is so much God wants us to know about Him. He has given to us His own words to know Him by. It’s called the Bible. It tells us EVERYTHING we need to know about our awesome God. All the pages speak of His greatness. They give us knowledge and make us more like God. I would like for all of you to read your Bible and learn more about the God who knows everything about you!

After the Bible study we split into small groups. These were my sweet, spunky, and gusty gals:

Let's talk about sex, baby!

Happy Wednesday. A few months ago, I asked my friend to write a post on purity and she delivered... a whole lot of yada! Take the time to read this post and share with your friends.
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Let's talk about sex, baby!
by Stephanie Landa
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Have you ever wondered why God wants to protect the sacredness of sex for after marriage? Perhaps you're tired of hearing all the messages about purity/abstinence. It seems as though everyone is having sex, and you question what is the point of waiting after marriage for sex. “One side says condoms and sexual freedom are the answer to youthful clamoring about sex. The other, slides silver rings on the fingers of teens and hopes these miniature chastity belts will protect them in moments of temptation. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Is there a middle ground? Can anybody claim to have clear and certain answers?” – Dannah Gresh
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What if I were to tell you that there is something no one has ever told you about sex? Would you believe me? Well, last night as I was a reading, “What Are You Waiting For? The One Thing No One Ever Tells you about sex” by Dannah Gresh, I came across a profound truth that I could not keep to myself and had to, just had to, share with you. In Genesis 4:1 we read, “Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant.” They were obviously not just laying” there! Gresh grabbed a Hebrew dictionary; she searched for the meaning of “lay” in the sentence. Gresh found the Hebrew word for sex is yada. Yes! The word we most often use to communicate a sense of boredom, is not so “blah, blah, blah.” The definition of the word yada is “to know, to be known, and to be deeply respected.”
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“Almost every woman can admit that she isn’t really yearning for a physical touch in her sexual encounters, but is seeking a deep emotional caressing. For men, most of them, want to know they have what it takes to receive your admiration. They yearn to be deeply respected.” –Gresh
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Out of curiosity, Gresh researched how many times this word (yada) shows up in the Hebrew Old Testament. It is used more than nine hundred times. Now, that’s a lot of yada! It gets even better…
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A couple of other passages that mention yada are Genesis 4:17, Genesis 4:25, Genesis 24:16, 1 Samuel 1:19-20, just to name a few. Several times, the word is used to convey a deep emotional knowing and mutual respect between a naked man and wife. The word yada is used most commonly in a verse like this: “Be still and know [yada] that I am God.” –Psalm 46:10. It’s clear from this verse that yada isn’t about a merely physical act. Yada is a word of intimacy that goes beyond the physical to describe the whole knowing of a person.
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“O Lord, you have searched me and you know [yada] me. You know [yada] when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar…” –Psalm 139 Feel free to read the rest of Psalm 139:1-4, 13-16, 23 and be prepared to be blown away and humbled by God’s grace and love. “When you are in intimate physical and emotional communion with your husband, it will be a mere picture of the passionate love of a God who has been seeking your heart since before you were born.” –Gresh
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This is the one thing no one has ever told you about sex: it’s an exquisite revelation of a much Greater Love.
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God is trying to direct our attention to a portrait that comes close to helping us understand. That portrait is pure, holy marriage. In that sacred place alone do we find a taste of the intimacy we can have with a living, loving God. Maybe that’s why the word yada can be traced from Genesis to Revelation. We must be remind us of what true intimacy looks like, for we have drifted far from the truth. 

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So there it is, Ladies and Gents!  Now go, ponder, and digest this information while falling at the feet of Christ and praising Him for His goodness and unconditional love. I hope this information has given you a greater understanding and has answered your question, “What is the point?” One more thing, please do not drown in the lies of the enemy making you feel unworthy because of your past. God is relentlessly seeking you and loves you for you, despite your past, recent, and future hiccups.

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*If you have not read the book, “What Are You Waiting For? The One Thing No One Ever Tells you about sex” by Dannah Gresh…I totally recommend it. Get it HERE. 

you are known by God

Teacups full of Treasures 

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Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. 

She said, “You are the God who sees me [El Roi].” 

She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” Genesis 16:13 NLT

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The story of Hagar is one of my favorites. The Bible doesn't describe how she felt, or her thoughts. Her plan of action was unknown. We only have the facts written in the Word: she was an Egyptian slave, a mistreated maidservant, and a despised mistress who was pregnant and running away

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This verse rocked my world before I was even a Christian. I had planned to run away the day I read this story. I learned that God took notice of a servant. He saw and knew the heart of a woman who (in worldly terms) was of little worth. And she saw Him. Surely God would take notice of me, even if no one else did. I began to believe that He could see and know my heart, even though I believed I was of little worth. The difference was, I didn't look to Him. I remained believing I was worthless, because both worth and value are only found in Christ. Soon after, I fell into the whirlwind of Anorexia. 

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It wasn't till the day I surrendered to God that I was able to share Hagar's joy. My head knowledge of God had connected with my heart. I was known by God and now I knew Him. 

As I look to Him, my worth is made new. -2 Corinthians 5:17

As I look to Him, my circumstances change. -Acts 20:24

As I look to Him, I gain new purpose. -1 Peter 2:9-12

As I look to Him, my strength is renewed. -Isaiah 40:29-31

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I am known by God and He is known by me. You too are known by God. Do you know Him? (Psalm139)

If you don't, invite Him into your heart that He may make your heart His home. Then, talk to Him. That is was prayer is, talking to God. How will He respond? His Word, the Bible. This is how I got to know Him. There is now doubt in my mind that the God of Hagar can speak life into yours, as He did in her life. May you find worth,value and purpose as you get to know God, your God!

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 So she called the name of the Lord Who spoke to her, You are a God of seeing, for she said, Have I [not] even here [in the wilderness] looked upon Him Who sees me [and lived]? Or have I here also seen [the future purposes or designs of] Him Who sees me? Genesis 16:13 (Amplified Bible)

Intimately Acquainted

Hi Friends.
Have you ever felt alone in the world? As if you didn't matter? That feeling of solitude, that no one could possibly understand what you are going through? Or if you shared your thoughts and feelings, no one would care? To that lonely and dark feeling this is all I have to say:

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

You understand my thought from afar.

You scrutinize my path and my lying down,

And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

Psalm 139:1-3 NASB

Wow! Intimately... that is deep. I can't say that I am intimately acquainted with anyone on this level. I have read this Psalm many times, yet it wasn't till recently this year that someone shed light to this wondrous thought. How precious and comforting to know that God is intimately acquainted with you, with me. I don't feel so lonely anymore. And knowing that He is aware of my every need helps me to trust in Him all the more. Verse one reminds us that He has searched us and knows us. Dang, have I taken time out of my busy day to search the Lord and know Him? Reading these three verses has aroused within me a desire to search Him passionately and know ALL of Him. 

Challenge: To be intimately acquainted with Jesus like He is with me.