Kimberly Farmer

 by Kimberly Farmer

Just Right

I was watching a program on television, where I learned about a flower that grows in South Africa called “Pietsnot.” It blooms only when spring conditions are just right – cold and wet ground – then lots of sun. When this flower blooms, it reflects the sun so much that it is difficult to look at. I would love to see this remarkable flower in person when it is shining so brightly. It must be beautiful.

As the program host told about the flower, I found myself thinking how I want to be a “Pietsnot” christian. The documentary could say…

A christian blooms only when spring conditions are just right – Spirit-filled prayer time and Bible study – then lots of worship. When a christian serves God, he/she reflects the Son so much that he/she is difficult to look at.

Let it be said of me, Lord.

 by Kimberly Farmer

Sweet Forgiveness

Close Encounter:
I remember two times in particular that I wanted so much to be closer to God, but I just couldn’t seem to get there. Both times, God revealed to me that I had unforgiveness in my heart that had to be taken care of first. That was the beginning of making my heart right with God, besides making it right toward those He revealed to me (and yes, there were more than one). He did the work when I submitted myself to Him. And afterward I reaped the benefits!

Biblical Example:
In 1 Samuel, we can read about the toll unforgiveness took on King Saul. He became bitter because the people praised young David more than they praised him. From that point, Saul’s life became worse and worse. He grew insecure, violent, and irrational. Saul’s life ended in ruin and disgrace, because he never dealt with his bitterness.

The Truth:
If you have asked Jesus to live in your heart, you know the forgiveness He has freely given you. Therefore, we must forgive others, as well. In fact, if we don’t forgive others, it hinders our own relationship with Christ (Luke 6:37). Forgiveness is consciously releasing someone from any debts that you feel they owe you because of hurts they have caused you. Unforgiveness is the root of bitterness; and bitterness will destroy you.

The Simplicity:
Forgiveness begins in the heart, and God wants to help you. With your heart and ears open to God, ask Him to point out to you any unforgivenesss you have toward anyone. When He reveals it, ask him to help you forgive that person. Give all the hurt and struggle to Him. Let Him forgive you for not giving forgiveness to the one you are praying about. Once He has begun cleaning all the junk out of you, then take your heart-change one step further…pray blessings for that person. Also, ask God to give you wisdom for how you should treat and be involved with them. And now thank Him for the forgiveness He freely gives you and the strength He gives for you to do the same.

 by Kimberly Farmer

Christmas Delight

There are so many Christmas memories! Here is one that stands out in my mind and makes me smile…

Every Christmas morning, the tradition in our home was that my brother and I would wake up (much earlier than usual, of course) and open our stockings together. Then we would proceed to bombard our parents room with orders to “Wake up! It’s Christmas!” This particular Christmas morning, when Jason and I set out in search of our stockings, not only did we find our stockings in front of the fireplace, but we also discovered our dad scrunched up behind the couch with an adorable grin and the video camera running so he could “capture the moment.”

There are few things cuter than my dad when he gets that little boy look of delight, and that morning we saw it. The amazing thing to me is that only God knows how long he must have spent stuck behind that couch to ensure that he would not miss anything and how he must have ached from being there for so long!

I think my heavenly Father has that same look of delight when I discover His blessings given to me, his child. He is eager to see me happy, and He doesn’t want to miss a moment of it. It’s wonderful to know that we have a heavenly Father who cares for us so much and who delights in us.

 by Kimberly Farmer

For You: Liberty

I created a desktop background/wallpaper for your computer, if you would like to use it. The photo is from mine and Tim’s vacation last week to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. To use the below wallpaper on your desktop, simply do the following:

1. Click below on the appropriate photo for your computer monitor.
2. Right click on the opened photo, and choose “Set as Background.”

Regular Screen

Widescreen



 by Kimberly Farmer

Thanksgiving Proclaimed

“Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may be then, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe. And I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid, that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust, and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the great Disposer of events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land which it is has pleased him to assign as a dwelling-place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations.”

Abraham Lincoln
October 20, 1864

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving…be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” -Psalm 100:4

 by Kimberly Farmer

Your Moment

Vote this Tuesday! Keep yourself informed about candidates and issues, and have a voice! Each American has not only the right to speak up about our laws and goverment, but also a responsibility to do so. Below are some links to websites that will help clarify some of the moral issues facing demise in America if we do not take a stand…

“God who gave us life, gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?” -Thomas Jefferson

 by Kimberly Farmer

Fish Outta Water

This past summer, Tim and I had a wonderful, relaxing vacation at Ocean Isle Beach with Tim’s parents. We all soaked up a lot of sun, and I took in a lot of water while having a blast riding the waves. You know, while I greatly enjoyed visiting the ocean, I do not belong permanently IN the ocean.

If I took a fish out of the ocean and laid it on the beach, that fish would not be happy. What could I do to give him back his happiness? a mountain of money? a beach towel? a cold drink? a beach house? Of course not. All these ideas are ridiculous since the only thing that would make the fish happy would be to place him back in the ocean. The fish is only happy when he is where he belongs.

Are you where you belong? Just as the fish was created for the ocean, mankind was created by God for fellowship with Him. We can be truly happy only when we are close to God, because that is where we belong.

“I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” -Psalm 16:9-11

 by Kimberly Farmer

Change Is a Choice

This morning, people from our church gathered together in the church’s front lawn bringing with them wonderful autumn decorations and lots of creativity and brawn to make the outside of the church look gorgeous for the autumn season. They certainly succeeded. Each Autumn, they strive to change their autumn decoration from the masterpiece created the year before, and make it even better.

I have been striving to change, too. Last year’s walk with the Lord was wonderful, but this season, I want it to be even better. For a while, I have been wholesomely thinking and praying, “I want to be more dedicated and sensitive to the Lord.” However, I never made my desire for that change move from my mouth to my mind and hands. Finally, a couple months ago, I came to grips with the fact that the change I was wanting was not going to just fall in my lap or knock me upside the head, because change is a choice.

So, I mustered up some enthusiasm, made a plan, and most importantly, disciplined myself; and God has greatly rewarded the energy and dedication I have put forth to deepen my walk with Him. If you are like I was and want to deepen your walk with God, but you are struggling with disciplining yourself, structuring your alone time with God, or finding encouragement and motivation, don’t give up. Make the choice to change. Just as we are to “pick up our cross daily and follow Christ”, I find that spiritual change is a daily choice. And what a beautiful change it is!

Recommendations:

  • Ask someone you trust and respect to be your accountability partner. They will hold you accountable, encourage you, and pray for you.
  • Pick a time (when you’re alert) and place (where you will be undisturbed) for your daily quiet time. Write your quiet time on your schedule for the day just as you would an appointment. It is an appointment with God, and you don’t want to miss it!
  • Make church a top priority in your life. You need them, and they need you. Desire to be with God’s people and in His presence.
  • Write down your spiritual goals for this week, and then go for it.
  • Select a good Bible study, devotional, or book that will teach you. Ask your pastor or a trusted spiritual leader in your life for their recommendations, if you are uncertain where to begin.
  • Keep a notebook with you during your quiet time to jot down thoughts, verses, and anything special the Lord shares with you.
  • Commit yourself to memorizing and applying at least one Bible verse each week.
 by Kimberly Farmer

Nothing is Impossible

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits –
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.”
-Psalm 103:2,3

I am very happy to say this verse has been manifested at our church – We have seen salvation and healing that only God can do. There is nothing like the hand of God moving in incredible ways to do what is impossible for us.

God has been challenging me recently to pray more BOLDLY…to EXPECT God to great things…IMPOSSIBLE things. My God is not weak, and He is not unwilling. He is the one and only King of Kings, Creator of the Universe, Savior of my soul, and NOTHING is too difficult for Him!

 by Kimberly Farmer

Achieve It

Last month, my husband made an eagle in golf…He was ecstatic! He danced around throwing clubs in the air, because he was so excited. He achieved something he had never before achieved. In his words, it was the biggest rush he has felt since he hit a homerun in college.

When was the last time you achieved something in your spiritual life that you have never before achieved? When was the last time you sought God so fervently that He touched you in an amazing and life-changing way? God doesn’t want us to be satisfied with making par, and we shouldn’t be either. God has given us the gifts and tools we need to live an abundant, growing, amazing life that impacts others and glorifies Him.

If Tim went out to the golf course with a stick and an acorn instead of a club and a golf ball, he would NOT do well on the score card, and I would not be expecting him home before dinner. But if he takes the right clubs and balls and does his best with them, he may come home dancing about a new high score.

Use what God has equipped you with, to make a new high score. It’s possible. And God is cheering you on.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 3:13,14

 by Kimberly Farmer

Perplexed, But Not In Despair

Recently, Tim and I have faced some difficult experiences that left me asking, “Why, God?” for the first time in my life. In my disheartening circumstance, I did not feel angry with God, nor did I blame Him, nor did I feel far away from Him. I did not ask “Why, God?” in a demanding and overwhelmed state. Rather, I asked “Why, God?” in a lost and perplexed way. In my humanity, I wanted to understand why this was happening so I could fix it.

In my confusion and sadness, I turned to God and the Bible for help. I knew that God was not angry at me or punishing me. I could feel His love and His comforting all around me. I wanted to be close to Him. I wanted to sit on His lap and have him hold me and calm me and reassure me. And this is the closeness I have felt.

What I am going through, and whatever reason I am going through it, is something that I am not responsible for controlling or figuring out. He has everything under control, and I can rest in His promises. I will remain faithful to Him no matter what circumstances I face, and I will praise Him and thank Him through it all. I already have eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and I have the precious Holy Spirit within me, comforting me and teaching me. I am a child of God, and nothing can come against me that God does not allow and know about. God is smiling upon me, and I choose to smile back. Because I love Him, and because He is all I need.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” –Romans 8:26,27

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” –Romans 8:28

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” –Romans 8:32

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” -Psalm 37:4-6

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.'” -John 14:6

 by Kimberly Farmer

Scripture Close Up

Notice the action words in Psalm 40:8-10:

“I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart. I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your loving kindness and Your truth From the great assembly.”

It sure sounds to me like believers should be vocal and be a living testimony about who God is and what He has done. There is power when we speak the truth about God. Sometimes when I am reading in the Bible during my private devotion time, I suddenly long to read the Scriptures aloud. I find myself adamantly declaring it and often crying as I read. It’s amazing the power that the Word holds. When I consider how wonderful it is to “delight”, “proclaim”, “not restrain”, “not hide”, “declare”, “not conceal” God’s truth in private, how much more glory does it give God when I exercise those action words in public, as it is talked about in verses 8-10? I give Him no glory in keeping the truth to myself. I must “declare” God’s righteousness, God’s faithfulness, and God’s salvation. It is much bigger than you or me.

Society tells Christians that we are being offensive by talking about God. Why is it that society feels offended by my just talking about Jesus? Because there is POWER in my God. So I want to shout it out! God is awesome…He is full of grace and mercy…He is the Creator of heaven and earth…He is Jehovah…He is King of Kings…He is strong and mighty…He is worthy of all praise and adoration…He is the joy of my salvation…

If they knew my God, they would want to talk about Him, too.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10