HillThread ~ Supporting Missions

Psalm 139:7-12
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

Jeremiah 23:23-24
23 “Am I a God who is only near” -this is the LORD’s declaration-”and not a God who is far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places where I cannot see him?” -the LORD’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” -the LORD’s declaration.

Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Related Text:
Deuteronomy 4:7
1 Kings 8:27
John 1:45-49
John 14:16-17

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Marco!?
Have you ever played hide-and-seek so well that the person looking for you just gave up the search? And what’s even worse, if you’re hidden that well, then you probably don’t even know that they have given up. So what do you do? You eventually have to come out of hiding to find out, and in the process, probably expose your killer hiding spot. So Frustrating!

Well, there is no where we can go to hide from God or His love for us. We can’t escape His presence. We can’t wander into some area where God can’t see us. We can’t get lost from His knowledge of us. It’s not like God’s going to say some day. “Hey, wait a minute, where did Kevin go? I left him right here. Has anyone seen Kevin?” God knows.

I hope this is comforting to you. I hope that knowing you can never be hidden from God comforts you and makes you feel secure. I once heard a preacher say that some people, when they realize they can never run away from God, feel comforted that He will always be with them. Other people hear that they can never escape or hide from God, and it leaves them with a chip on their shoulder, almost making them upset. I hope you are praising God today for always being with you and never leaving you.

Job 42:1-2
1 Then Job replied to the LORD :
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.

Psalm 68:34-35
34 Ascribe power to God.
His majesty is over Israel,
His power among the clouds.
35 God, You are awe-inspiring in Your sanctuaries.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.
May God be praised!

Jeremiah 32:17
Ah, Lord GOD ! You Yourself made the heavens and earth by Your great power and with Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!

Revelation 4:11
Our Lord and God,
You are worthy to receive
glory and honor and power,
because You have created all things,
and because of Your will
they exist and were created.

Related Text:
Genesis 18:14
Exodus 15:1-18
Psalm 29
Mark 4:35-41

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His Love Endures Forever
God is worthy of your honor and praise. Think about all that He has done, all that He has created, all that He has sacrificed so we could have a relationship with Him. God is truly worthy of our adoration and worship. Make a list (just on your own, not asking you to post it) of 5 or 6 things that you can give thanks and praise to God for. Spend some time in prayer today thanking Him for these things you have written down.

Psalm 123:1-4
1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you whose throne is in heaven.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us,
for we have endured much contempt.
4 We have endured much ridicule from the proud,
much contempt from the arrogant.

Ephesians 2:1-5
1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.

Related Text:
Exodus 33:19
Deuteronomy 4:31
Nehemiah 9:29-31
Micah 7:18-20
Romans 9:11-18

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And on Top of That, Add Some Mercy
Jehovah was one of the common names used for God in the Old Testament times. Jehovah was referred to as God’s personal name. The name Jehovah is actually the English word used to translate and pronounce God’s Hebrew name: YHWH. Depending on which translation of the Bible you have, you might see YHWH pop up here and there in the Old Testament. And in some translations, they use an all caps spelling of the word LORD, which signifies this personal name of God. If you take a look at YHWH, you will notice there aren’t any vowels. It’s normally pronounced Yahweh (sounds like Yah – Way).

God is given several names throughout the Bible. Although the usage of His names might change from time to time, His character, His abilities, and the way in which He loves His creation will always stay consistent. Always has, always will. His mercy is amazing, and His love abounds. That truth is worthy of our celebration today!

Leviticus 11:45
45 For I am the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, so you must be holy because I am holy.

Isaiah 6:1-3
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another:
Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts;
His glory fills the whole earth.

Isaiah 57:15-16
15 For the High and Exalted One
who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this:
“I live in a high and holy place,
and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and revive the heart of the oppressed.
16 For I will not accuse you forever,
and I will not always be angry;
for then the spirit would grow weak before Me,
even the breath of man, which I have made.

1 Peter 1:14-16
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance 15 but, as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.

Related Text:
Exodus 15:11
Leviticus 22:31-33
Psalm 99
Revelation 4
Revelation 15:2-4

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It’s A Tall Order, But God Will Give You The Strength If You Ask Him
It’s a wild truth to think about the fact that God wants us all to be holy as He Himself is holy. Luckily, God has promised to give us His Holy Spirit to help us out in this area.

So what is “holy” anyway? God calls us all to be holy, or to be “set apart” or to “be different” than the world around us that doesn’t know God. For example, if you’re pursuing holiness and some friends, family, or just the crowd around you are trying to get you involved in something that goes against God’s teachings (sin), then you wouldn’t take part in their plans. Instead you would set yourself apart from that sin and be different. You wouldn’t participate if you know it goes against God’s teachings and His commands for the way we should live our life.

Holiness is learning to hate what is evil and run toward and hold onto what is good, to live your life so that it is pleasing to God. Ask God to help you live a life that is set apart today. Romans 12:9 “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

Psalm 116:5-7
5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
6 The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.
7 Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.

Ephesians 2:4-9
4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

Related Text:
Numbers 6:24-26
Proverbs 3:33-35
Romans 5:12-21

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So Do You Open the Package Slowly, or Tear Into It?
As a follower of Jesus Christ, the word “grace” is one of the greatest words you cold ever learn about. Grace is best defined as an “undeserved gift”. So God’s grace is God’s gift to us, which is undeserved; meaning we didn’t do anything FOR God or give anything TO God to make Him want to give it to us. We didn’t earn it. And what is God’s gift to us? God’s gift is His love for us. It is because He loved us that He sacrificed His son to die in our place so that we can have forgiveness and live with Him eternally in Heaven. So it’s a pretty big thing. And it never stops. God’s love keeps on giving.

There is nothing you have done or can do to deserve God’s grace. You can’t work for it, earn it, achieve it, or buy it. All you can do it receive it. It’s a gift. It’s free!

When you feel God’s love today, stop down and lift up to Him a prayer of thanksgiving. Just thank Him for this great gift He has given to us. And if you haven’t felt His love in a while, spend some time with God today. Rake some stuff up and shuffle some other stuff around to make some time for God today. Just talk to Him. He wants it.

Micah 7:18-20
18 Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.
19 You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
20 You will be true to Jacob,
and show mercy to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our fathers
in days long ago.

1 John 1:5-10
5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Related Text:
Numbers 14:1-35
1 Kings 8:27-53
Psalm 32:1-5
Daniel 9:1-19
Matthew 6:14-15
Matthew 18:21-35

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So, Can You Forgive?
There are precious few things more mind-blowing than God’s forgiveness. Did you know that God forgives you over and over? Do you ever wonder why He doesn’t get tired of forgiving just you? Well, add up all of the times He has forgiven you, then multiply that times the billions of other people who have lived on this earth at one point or another – that’s a lot of forgiveness.

In addition to His forgiveness, God instructs His followers to forgive others and keep on forgiving them. This get’s pretty difficult at times. But you can’t expect God to forgive you if you aren’t willing to forgive others. Jesus said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” -Matthew 6:14-15

2 Chronicles 30:7-9
7 Don’t be like your fathers and your brothers who were unfaithful to the LORD God of their ancestors so that He made them an object of horror as you yourselves see. 8 Don’t become obstinate now like your fathers did. Give your allegiance to the LORD, and come to His sanctuary that He has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God so that He may turn His fierce wrath away from you, 9 for when you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful; He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

Psalm 145:8-9
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and great in faithful love.
9 The LORD is good to everyone;
His compassion rests on all He has made.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so our comfort overflows through Christ.

Related Text:
Exodus 33:19
2 Chronicles 30:7-9
Nehemiah 9:16-19
Psalm 103
Lamentations 3:19-23
Colossians 3:12-14

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Do You Have What It Takes?
There is someone, probably many, that need to hear the message in today’s scripture. We all need this info from time to time. No matter how far or for how long you have been away from God, He is begging you to return to Him. No matter how distant you feel, even if you’re sitting in a church on Sundays, He desires a relationship with you. He wants to be close with you. He promises that He will “not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.” He will be there waiting with arms open wide when you decide to run back to Him.

But the decision to run to God, to live for Him, to give up everything for Him, to seek a relationship with Him; that is a decision that we must make ourselves. It starts with us, each individually. We so often think that we are too bad, too sinful, or too far removed from God, and we convince ourselves that there is no way He could still love us or want to have anything to do with us. BUT HE DOES.

Zechariah 1:3
Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty.

Malachi 3:7
Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.

These are just two of many specific passages in the Bible that talk about returning to God and not being denied by Him. Another is up there in today’s scripture in 2 Chronicles 30. If you leave with nothing else today, please tune into this and remember that God loves you. He offers all of us forgiveness through the sacrifice of His son Jesus, and He gives new life through Jesus to those who believe and follow Him.

And just in case you haven’t yet been able to relate to this Bible study, just hold tight, you still have some responsibility. Take a closer look up there at 2 Corinthians 1:4. God comforts us so we may comfort others. If you don’t think anyone wants or needs to hear your life story about how God has rescued you or how God has used you or changed you, then I have to say that you are sorely mistaken. Maybe all of the stuff you have gone through is exactly what someone else needs to hear about so God can begin a change in that person.

If you’ve got the guts, I challenge you to pray to God, asking Him to put someone in your life that will benefit from hearing about what He has done in your life. Pray that God will put someone right in front of you that desperately needs to hear about His ability to rescue, His strength and grace, His love and peace and forgiveness. Whether you think God has done huge things or small things with you, it doesn’t matter. He can use whatever He wants to make an impact. But God needs a willing participant. Be that willing participant!

ps. if you don’t have the guts for this challenge, then pray for the guts. that way we don’t have any excuses!

Exodus 34:1-10
1 The LORD said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be prepared by morning. Come up Mount Sinai in the morning and stand before Me on the mountaintop. 3 No one may go up with you; in fact, no one must be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and herds are not to graze in front of that mountain.”
4 Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. He got up early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hand, he climbed Mount Sinai, just as the LORD had commanded him.
5 The LORD came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name Yahweh. 6 Then the LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed:
Yahweh-Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.
8 Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped. 9 Then he said, “My Lord, if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, my Lord, please go with us. Even though this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wrongdoing and sin, and accept us as Your own possession.”
10 And the LORD responded: “Look, I am making a covenant. I will perform wonders in the presence of all your people that have never been done in all the earth or in any nation. All the people you live among will see the LORD’s work, for what I am doing with you is awe-inspiring.

Acts 2:36-40
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!”
37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what must we do?”
38 “Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!”

Related Text:
Psalms 86:15
Psalms 103:8
Psalms 145:8
John 3:16-21
1 John 1:9

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Have you thought about it?

The word “repent” means to confess to God that you know you have messed up (sinned) and then change your mind, your attitude, and your actions so that you won’t get stuck committing the same sin over and over and over. Repenting involves confessing sins, but to repent is a lot bigger than to just confess your sins. Repenting means you change the direction of your life and make every effort you can to stop sinning in the ways that you are confessing.

In John 8 you can read about how Jesus forgave a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. As she was leaving His presence, He said to her, “Go and . . . do not sin any more.” Her personal repentance required more than simply receiving forgiveness, it also included a radical change in her lifestyle.

Confess and Change. I’m not saying that a Christian will never sin. We are all sinners. But it’s all about our attitude, our motive, our heart and our mind. What good is confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness if we make no attempt to stop the sin that we are confessing? If we have accepted Christ as our Lord and our Savior, we should have a heart change. And as God continually transforms our hearts, minds and attitudes, we begin to understand that our life isn’t about figuring out what sins we can “get away with”. Instead, our new life in Christ Jesus is about loving God, loving others, and living for Jesus who died in our place.

1 Corinthians 10:1
Now I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea.

1 Corinthians 10:3-5
3 They all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. 5 But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.

1 Corinthians 10:11-13
11 Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it.

Related Text:
Exodus 14
Exodus 17:1-7
Exodus 32
John 6
Hebrews 2:9-18
James 1:12-15

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Break the Cycle
Some people think the Old Testament is boring. I don’t think so Dave! Although I will grant you that sometimes it seems to be repetitive. For instance, the Israelites seem to keep going through a cycle of worshiping the One True God, then they forget about Him for a while, then they start worshiping all of these other foreign gods. They quit listening to God, and live in every kind of sin and disobedience. Then something drastic happens. God allows something to happen that shows them what life would really be
like without Him. They are punished, they are captured, and they aren’t allowed to enter the Promised Land for a while.

So they go through these periods without God’s protection and blessing and they realize how stupid they were to ever leave or doubt Him in the first place. So what do they do? They return to God, praising Him and worshiping Him and Him alone. Great! But here’s where it gets repetitive, they always seem to forget about how God rescued them and blessed them, so they stumble back into the same old sin and disobedience. (That’s odd, the Old Testament sounds like a picture of OUR lives sometimes)

We go through the same stuff in our own lives. We all have those times when we lose focus on God for whatever reason. But we have to remember all that He has done for us, all of His promises, and everything that He is capable of. He tells us that He’ll give us the tools to overcome whatever temptation tries to smash us in the face. We have no excuses, God is greater and more powerful than anything this world can throw at us. (John 16:33, 1 John 4:4)

We need to tap into His peace and His love and His strength. His everything! Don’t ever forget what God has done for you. And if you read this and can’t think of a single thing God has done for you, then remember this. While all of us were sinners, having nothing whatsoever to do with God, He allowed Jesus to die for our sins so that we could have forgiveness, have a relationship with almighty God, and have an eternal life in Heaven praising the One who rescued us from death. He gave up His son to die for you so that you can live for Him!

Exodus 32:11-15
11 But Moses interceded with the LORD his God: “LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from Your great anger and change Your mind about this disaster planned for Your people. 13 Remember that You swore to Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel by Yourself and declared to them, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever. ‘ ” 14 So the LORD changed His mind about the disaster He said He would bring on His people.
15 Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands.

Romans 8:26-27
26 In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. 27 And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Related Text:
Genesis 15:1-5
Genesis 22:15-18
Genesis 26:2-4
Deuteronomy 9:16-21
Psalm 106:23
Jonah 3
Acts 7:40-42

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Intercessory Prayer
When Moses begged God on the behalf of the Israelites, pleading with Him not to destroy them, Moses was praying for their own good. This type of prayer is referred to intercessory prayer. Simply put, intercessory prayer is when you pray for someone other than yourself.

You’ve probably done this many times. Whenever you share a prayer request in a Bible study for a friend or family member, whenever you pray for your parents, or your friends, or even your co-workers. It’s one of the ways we can love others, by lifting them up to God, and asking Him to help, to heal, and to supply what is needed.

But here’s where it gets crazy awesome! The Holy Spirit prays for us. Just like we pray for others, the Holy Spirit prays for us. It’s right there in scripture. The BIG difference (besides the Holy Spirit being part of the Trinity, or course) is that the Holy Spirit knows exactly what to pray for even when we don’t. When we feel so overwhelmed by whatever is happening in our life that we don’t even know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit knows what to pray for. The Holy Spirit performs intercessory prayer on our behalf. Go back up there and re-read Romans 8:26-27.

I hope you have peace today as you read this and know that you always have someone praying for you, someone interceding to God on your behalf.