Dawn – Page 6 – Drawing Closer to Christ

So Thankful, Year 7!

In May, I celebrated 7 years of blogging on Drawing Closer to Christ! Thank you for choosing to be part of Drawing Closer to Christ. I appreciate you taking time to read what I write and share your thoughts.

Each time you like, comment or share my posts it encourages me to keep going and growing. And it is my prayer that when you visit this blog, you are encouraged too.

We all know trusting Jesus and walking by faith is a learning process. But His love and faithfulness are never ending. He has promised to supply our needs. And He is pleased when we wake up every morning and still choose Him.

As the hymn says, “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.” Keep choosing to trust Him, even when it’s hard. Your perseverance in commitment to Jesus is not in vain. Remember, He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Well, it’s that time of year, where I take a blogging break. I plan to return sometime in September. But before I break, I wanted to leave you with these words from Ecclesiastes chapter 3, reminding us to trust God with the seasons of our lives.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 NIV

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil?

10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Friends, God makes everything beautiful in its time. Although some seasons are more difficult than others, God remains the same. He understands your struggles. May He be your anchor no matter what you are facing. Remember that He always sees you and hears you. He has a perfect timing for everything in your life.

Blessings, and Happy July!

Do You Have An Answer?

1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV, “15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 16 But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

Recently while attending a small Bible study group, the speaker asked the question, “What keeps you committed to Christ?” For me, it was a very timely question because I had been thinking about this just a few days earlier.

These verses in 1 Peter tell us to be prepared to answer this question. We never know when we will be given the opportunity to share with someone the reason we have chosen to put our hope in Jesus Christ.

When it was my turn to answer the question, and share about something that keeps me committed to Christ, I said, “He always sees and He always hears.”

I love that Jesus is the God who always sees me. He is always aware of me and what I am going through. Although I am blessed to have people who care about me, people cannot always see what He can. I am never out of His sight. He understands me and my circumstances completely.

Secondly, I love that Jesus is the God who always hears me. I can pray at anytime and He will hear me. No appointment needed. He is always available. He does not slumber or sleep.

Psalm 121:3-5 NLT, “3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. 5 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.”

I was glad the Bible study leader asked us this question. I was reminded to always be ready to give others an answer for the hope Jesus gives me and why I choose to stay committed to Him. It could be a non-Christian asking us about our faith in Christ or even another Christian who needs encouragement. Whatever the case, we should be ready.

I could use some encouragement and I am sure others can too, so I am asking you to please share in the comments, “What keeps you committed to Christ?”

Love and Trust

Psalm 143:8: Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

As we start each new day, we can look to God and His unfailing love. He knows what is ahead and He is aware of every moment and every detail of our lives. We can trust Him completely. He desires to lead us into what is best for us.

Doubt and fear will sometimes hinder us from casting our cares on the Lord but as we learn to trust Him, we can experience the peace that He wants to give us, regardless of our circumstances. Peace that surpasses all understanding and His peace is only a prayer away. (Phil 4:7). No problem is too big or too small. So don’t hesitate to pray. Then trust God to answer your prayer and supply your needs.

May the joy of the Lord be your strength today as your rest in His unfailing love.

Persevere in Faith

Hebrews 10:38 BSB, “But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.”

Living by faith is a powerful yet challenging journey. It increases our intimacy with and trust in God. It challenges us to believe in Him and what He says, even when we have yet to see what we are hoping to see. It is not based on what we feel like doing, it is based on what God says we should do. Living by faith is an opportunity to rise above the natural and trust God for the supernatural blessings that only He can orchestrate in our lives.

If you are like me, you have had times where you were tempted to shrink back in your faith in God, or even times where you did shrink back. But God is always faithful to forgive us when we ask and give us the strength to keep moving forward in faith and trust. He understands our weaknesses.

Hebrews 4:15 NLT, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.”

**Photo by: Dick Scholten of Utah, USA 🇺🇸**

When God allows us to go through challenges in life, it is a time for us to stand firm in our faith, resist the devil, obey God and believe by faith for the blessings that He has for us. Through our perseverance and obedience, He rewards us.

Hebrews 11:6 NLT, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

Sometimes we wonder if God is listening to our prayers or if He sees our struggles. However, He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). When we ask Him for the ability to see our situation from His perspective, it helps the journey to become more meaningful and we can learn as He teaches us.

Although a life lived by faith will carry us through many different seasons, God’s love will always remain the same. He is our anchor. No matter where you find yourself today in your walk of faith, keep believing and hoping. Trust God to faithfully direct your paths and provide all you need. He see’s you and your circumstances and as it says in Romans 8:28, He is working things out for your good as you love and trust Him.

2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

Photo by: Wolfram K of California, USA 🇺🇸

No Need to Worry

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

These are verses that are familiar to many of us. And they’ve been on my mind quite a bit over the last week. As we all know, life can be tough and give us many reasons to worry. However, God is giving us another option. He invites us to choose to be thankful, and present our worries to Him in exchange for His peace.

**Photo by: Oleksandr P of the Ukraine 🇺🇦**

I am convinced that choosing not to worry takes some intentional effort. Because even though we may not want to worry, worry often consumes us and we find ourselves struggling to trust God. Trusting God can be especially hard when we do not see immediate answers to our prayers. But nevertheless, we have a choice. Even when we do not see the immediate answers we hoped to see, we can still open our hearts to receive God’s peace.

Since choosing not to worry takes effort, then prayer is an essential first step. No matter where we are or what we are doing we can whisper a prayer to God. We can repent for not giving God our worries in the specific situation (repentance refreshes us, Acts 3:19-21) and then we can ask Him for His help not to worry. It is such a blessing that He is always willing to help us do the things He instructs us to do. We can also pray for discernment and wisdom in our situation and God will show us what He wants us to know or do. And through all of this, we get to receive His peace as He guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

**Photo by: M Venter of South Africa 🇿🇦**

Through these verses in Philippians, God is inviting us to relinquish control of people and situations and trust Him. Trust his goodness, trust His justice, trust His mercy, trust His provision, trust His faithfulness and trust His love.

God is a good Father, who wants the best for us. His desire is for us to walk in His perfect peace. I pray that we would quickly pray and learn to receive His peace, no matter what we are facing.

Isaiah 26:3-4, ”You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”

Guest Post by Dawn Ivey – Spring Forward Into New Things

I want to say Thank You to Desiree from Hope, Faith & a Smile for giving me the chance to prepare a guest post for her blog. Please click on the link below to read my post and also check out her blog too. She has many writings that will inspire and encourage you. Blessings and thanks for reading!
Guest Post by Dawn Ivey – Spring Forward Into New Things

Jesus Got Up!

1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

**Photo by: yoldakocayanlaar of the UK 🇬🇧**

I love these verses from 1 Peter. And I love that death was not the final answer. But our Savior got up! Because He got up from the grave, so can we. Plus we can get up each day and go forward in His love, mercy and goodness. We can get up and proclaim the living hope we have in Jesus Christ, right in the midst of life’s ups and downs.

I pray that the resurrection of Jesus Christ will lead you to live a life of surrender, obedience and perseverance. And I hope that even in the smallest things, His love would be evident to you, as you live freely in His resurrection power.

Romans 4:25 NLT, “He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Have a blessed Easter! 🕊️

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