InstaEncouragements Blog

The Red Sea Rules: Week 9

7/30/2019

Welcome to The Red Sea Rule: Week 9 post, we are so glad you're here!

We're almost done with our Red Sea Rules Summer Book Club-Style Bible Study. We will meet here one more time—next Tuesday morning, August 6, at 9:00. If you can’t join us on Tuesday morning, no worries. Anytime during the week, when it’s convenient for you, read chapter 10 in the book and the corresponding blog post, then join the conversation down in the comments section.

Still need to get the book? Click here to order or download your copy (less than $10 for the hardcover and less than $2 for the Kindle version).

Need to catch up?
Read Week 1 here, Week 2 here, Week 3 here, Week 4 here, Week 5 here, Week 6 here, Week 7 here, and Week 8 here.

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The Epidemic of Complaining Moms

7/26/2019

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We are all complainers every now and then. It’s all too easy to see negative things in our lives and verbalize our displeasure about them. Some of us just say it like it is while others of us mask our negativity in humor or sarcasm. When we take a step back we realize that what comes out of our mouths is really coming from what is hidden in our hearts. So, complaining is an outward manifestation of an inward problem.

The children of Israel complained all the way through the Old Testament, but the root of this negativity was always the same. The real problem was that they felt God was not giving them what they needed or thought they needed.

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The Red Sea Rules: Week 8

7/23/2019

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One of my favorite stories about faith comes from the life of the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah. In chapter 32 of the book of Jeremiah, the prophet finds himself in a hopeless situation. But then God tells Jeremiah to do something. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to Jeremiah, but he goes ahead and does it anyway. He obeys God and does what God asks him to do. But then he prays. In his prayer, Jeremiah, in effect, says, “God, why in the world did You want me to do that? It’s not going to do any good. There isn’t anything that can help this situation. God, I know that You are the Almighty God, but even You can’t help in this situation.”

Then God speaks to Jeremiah. He says,

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for Me?" Jeremiah 32:27

I would guess that God wants to ask that same question to many of us here today. “I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for Me?”

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Raising Best Friends

7/19/2019

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As parents, we make lots of investments in the lives of our children and we pray they’ll pay off when they’re raised into adulthood. We invest time, energy, and money in things we believe will build character, skills, discipline, and hopefully bring college scholarships. As a mom, I haven’t always done everything right, but one investment that my husband and I have worked hard to make is the friendship investment. I’m not talking about taking our children to play dates or signing them up for activities so they’ll find good friends, I’m talking about investing in their friendships with one another as siblings. Romans 12:10 says,

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

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The Red Sea Rules: Week 7

7/16/2019

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Red Sea Rule 7: Envision God’s enveloping presence. But how do we envision God’s enveloping presence? Make sure that you are with God. Remind yourself that God is with you. Thank God that He is with you. Then pray to the God Who is with you.

One of the best-known and most cherished parts of the whole Bible has got to be Psalm 23. Wouldn’t you agree with that? But why is Psalm 23 such a favorite?

I think part of the reason is sentimental. Many of us first became acquainted with Psalm 23 when we were young, and we have heard it recited countless times since.

Maybe you think back to your grandmother’s funeral, and sure enough, the pastor read Psalm 23. This is one of those passages from the Bible that evokes all kinds of memories. That’s part of the reason why we know and love this Psalm so dearly.

But there is something more about this Psalm than mere sentiment and emotion, isn’t there? Psalm 23 is intensely personal.

Welcome to The Red Sea Rule: Week 7 post, we're so glad you are here!

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Finding A Sure Hope After Deep Loss

7/12/2019

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About 4 years ago, one of the worst things that I could’ve ever imagined happened to me. My husband and I lost our firstborn son Jack. Read more about that story here.

Last year I came across the book Therefore I Have Hope by Cameron Cole at a large Christian conference. I had heard about it and knew the author had also lost his son unexpectedly, but was unsure if I should read it. Plus, the cover picture looked more sad than hopeful. I was afraid of weeping through the entire book. Could I handle that? I didn’t feel like I had any strength to be weak again.

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The Red Sea Rules: Week 6

7/9/2019

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The Red Sea Rules: Week 6 Ever since I first trusted in Jesus as my Savior, I have wondered what it looks like to live by faith. Have you ever wondered about that? What does it mean to live by faith? If you were given the opportunity to follow someone around who genuinely lived by faith, what would that person’s life look like? How would he or she make decisions about what to do day-in and day-out? Would they ever put money in a savings account or buy insurance? What does a life of faith look like?

Ever since I first trusted in Jesus as my Savior, I have wondered what it looks like to live by faith. Have you ever wondered about that? What does it mean to live by faith? If you were given the opportunity to follow someone around who genuinely lived by faith, what would that person’s life look like? How would he or she make decisions about what to do day-in and day-out? Would they ever put money in a savings account or buy insurance? What does a life of faith look like?

What does it mean to live by faith? That really is the question that we are studying this summer. We’re using this little book by Robert Morgan titled The Red Sea Rules. The cover of it says that it provides 10 God-given strategies for difficult times. I think it teaches more than that though. I think that it wonderfully summarizes some biblical principles that apply to all times, not just difficult ones. This book has a lot to teach us about what it means to live by faith.

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