Word of the Week: Truth

I've been preparing my notes to speak at Legacy this weekend and the word that I have had on my mind is Truth. So I decided to give you a sample of one of the devotionals from my ebook!

Truth

“And you will know the truth,

and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:32 NLT

Knowing the truth brings freedom from bondage, freedom from life altering lies, and freedom from despair.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He’s the freedom that we need to know. He’s the Truth that we must embrace.

He’s the Truth that will erase the lies we’ve carried in our heads. No falsehood or distortion can successfully stand in the light of Him.

His name is Truth, His character is truth, His word is truth. Truth bathed in the grace of God that has the power to transform us from the inside out.

Walking in truth places us on the path of righteous living. Washing our minds with the truth places us in the center of His will.

Waiting on truth to be revealed in our situation places us in the palm of His hand. His loving words are a balm for every battle-scarred soul. Cling to the God of all truth!

Prayer:

Precious Truth, our Savior, our Lord, guide us in the way of truth. Help us to listen for Your trustworthy voice and lay aside any whispers of darkness. Keep us steadfast and strong in the light. We praise You, we thank You, we love You. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

To get your copy of my devotional ebook click on the title below:

Exalt His Name

Word of the Week: Exalt

 

Come let us tell of the LORD’s greatness;

let us exalt His name together.

Psalm 34:3 NLT

As we exalt the name of God together, we give honor to Who He is, What He has done, What He can do, and Why He cares for us.

I wrote this song to give honor and glory to the name of God.

As I penned each verse various names came to mind from the Word. When I finished the song I went back and counted the names of God that I had used.

I was astonished to discover 25 names of God in the song.

That means that there are:

25 ways to tell of His greatness.

25 ways ways to tell of Who He is.

25 ways to get to know Him more intimately.

25 ways to exalt Him!

Each time I sing this song, each time I talk about this song, my desire is to exalt Him. My desire is to know Him more deeply and make Him known.

How well do you know Him?

He is:

Yahweh
Creator
Sustainer
Deliverer
Almighty God
Marvelous
Way Maker
Counselor
King
Rock of Salvation
Amazing
Friend
Worthy
Foundation
Way
Truth
Strength
Alpha
Omega
Ancient of Days
Anointed One
Consuming Fire
Immanuel
High Priest
Lord of Lords

Let’s aim to know Him intimately and exalt His name together!

Wednesday's Word

Do you have a favorite word? Or a word that you tend to use more than others. My word is 'awesome'. I think I use it at least 10 times a day. My husband, children, and grandchildren of course, are awesome. The cinnamon rolls I make are awesome, a friend tells me what happened to her and that’s awesome, I see a video or read I book and then describe those things as awesome.

• Awesome: extremely impressive or daunting;
• inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.
• 
  

As I was going through Psalms I came across this passage in Psalm 47:2 "For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth."

As I read I smile when I notice my favorite word! The Lord Most High is indeed totally awesome. I can say that, sing that, and pray that without fear that I’m using the word incorrectly.

God is AWESOME!

God speaks to us in words that can profoundly touch the heart. Stop and listen to His word for you. Pray, read, meditate, and hear what word God lays on your heart this week. Perhaps it’s one that you use all the time but you just need for Him to unveil it in a different way. And He will do that for you, because that’s just how awesome He is!

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10 Reasons I Sing

Why sing? As I was reading through the Psalms I noticed the phrase 'I will sing.' As I compiled a list of verses that stood out for me they provoked me to ponder the words of an old song, “I sing because I’m happy and I sing because I’m free. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.” I love to sing whether anyone else hears me or not, whether anyone chooses to sing along or not, I sing when I'm sad, I sing when I feel overjoyed.

And though I have many reasons to sing

they all basically fall into three categories;

to respond to God,

to recall what He has done,

and to reflect His glory.

Here are 10 reasons why I will sing His praises until my final breath:

1. Psalm 7:17    To praise Him because He is just
2. Psalm 9:2       To praise Him for filling me with joy
3. Psalm 13:6     To praise Him for His goodness
4. Psalm 40:3     To praise Him with new songs
5. Psalm 57:9     To praise Him for His forgiveness
6. Psalm 59:16   To praise Him for His power
7. Psalm 59:16   To praise Him for His unfailing love
8. Psalm 69:30   To praise His name
9. Psalm 75:9     To praise Him for His actions

 10. Psalm 104:33 To praise Him for life

There are some songs that I sing during quiet times alone with God. Just as I pray in the spirit, I also have times when I sing in the spirit. With candles lit and just the voice I cry out to Him in song.

As I lift my voice in praise I’m not worried about the notes, or what words may come. I simply repeat whatever I hear Him saying to me. Last week, after Tom had gone to bed. I got up because I couldn’t sleep. Whenever that happens I grab my bible, light some candles to avoid the harshness of the overhead lamp, and I pray. During the day I had been studying the name Yahweh. So I started reading through some of the verses I had studied earlier. I read Exodus 33:19 that God told Moses that He would pass in front of him and call out His own name.

This short video is the song that I heard God singing to me as I was seeking His face on that quiet dark night.

I'm in awe of how God chooses to reveal Himself to us. I love to sing and I love it when He writes the words of the songs. So for as long as I am alive, at all times, in every season and stage of life, God is worthy of praise, and I have a reason to sing.

Do you sing? I’d love to hear your reasons!

Keep Hope alive!

Keep hoping in the God of Hope and give praise to Him for another day! Happy Sunday!

Radical Consistency

My phrase for today is 'radical consistency'. Being faithful in small things day in and day out will bring about the spectacular results we're hoping or praying for in life. Time spent practicing, training, studying, or working will help you reach your goals. Be radically consistent and see where it takes you!

Tell what He's done!

At the Girl's Connect Retreat last weekend I was privileged to use my testimony about my battle with bulimia and surviving sexual abuse to share on the topic of brokenness and insecurity and how to see yourself through God's eyes.

One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4

When I was growing up in church we used to sing, "O, tell what He's done for you. Of His love so strong and true. O, tell what He's done, what He's done for you, others may need Him too!" Sharing your testimony is simply sharing a life experience that God has helped you heal from or taught you a lesson through. Never be afraid or ashamed to share your story. It doesn't have to be sensational it just needs to be real. Trust me, someone needs to hear what He's done for you!

For bookings contact: AlidaSharpMinistries@gmail.com 

Even while laughing...

Sometimes it's obvious when someone you know is hurting and sometimes it's not. Simply asking someone how they're doing might not be enough. We've all said, "I'm fine." at least once in our lives when we didn't really mean it. Ask again and be willing to listen to the answer. I'm grateful for those who check in on me. Someone you know is waiting for somebody to show that they actually care!

Gracious words...

Have you ever had someone say just what you needed to hear at just the right time? I am so grateful for those God moments when they come my way!

Someday...

Just in case you were wondering...it will all be worth it someday.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

Gotta get back up!

Walked around all day Saturday in these babies on rocks and through the grass without incident but somehow I fell today during my morning run?! Oh well, got up, ran a mile back home, and will keep on singing Hallelujah Anyhow! 

His protection...

I'm grateful that Facebook is up to date. Perhaps I should have read this before I ran 3 miles in the rain! I'm grateful that God protected me, kept me from falling, and brought me home safely.


You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip. Psalm 18:36 

Be set free!

When you know the truth about who you are in Christ you will find the freedom to be all that you were designed to be.
You will be able to
overcome your brokenness and insecurity and be set free to praise and bring glory to His name.
Dig into His word and be set free by the Truth! 

Girls Connect

They will still bear fruit in old age. They will stay fresh and green. Psalm 92:14

I had the honor of speaking at #girlsconnect today along with Mrs. Hettie Lou Brooks. She has been serving in Belize for almost 40 years and still going strong. What an incredible servant of God! Praise Him for women like her who set high standards for the rest of us.  

Who am I?

That smile that you get when you realize that the God of the universe, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, has YOU on His mind! Who am I that You are mindful of me! 

Searched and known...

Searched and known.
Is that a frightening or a comforting thought...that God has searched you and knows all about you? The search for self sends people on a journey that they hope will lead to discovering their purpose in life or give them a sense of significance. God has already done an indepth study of each one of us. He knows everything there is to know and everything that can be known about us. I've been married for almost 35 years. My husband has seen the best and worst of me and yet he still loves me. God has seen it all, heard it all, and knows it all AND still loves us. Praise God! My prayer is that we would come to behold how lavish God's love is for His children today and always! 

Open my mind...

As we search His word we are able to experience His presence, His peace, and His power. As we open our minds and become more aware of His grace, mercy, and love we find more reasons to praise Him. We realize that happiness is situational but joy, true joy, is eternal. Praise God for breathing out His word for us in order that we might grow and mature and find true joy in Him!

Dig out the roots...

A poor self-image is a cancerous root that corrupts our thought life, our attitudes, and our behavior. It can leave us feeling hopeless.

Learning to look to Him for hope and to praise our way through our circumstances can help us dig out those roots that cause our spirits to feel downcast.

It lifts my spirit to say, "hallelujah anyhow". My prayer is that it will help you as well! 

I know this full well!

As I work on my notes to speak at a young women's retreat on Saturday this verse hit me in a new way. It caused me to ask myself, "Does how I feel about myself cause me to praise God or to be frustrated with Him?" The psalmist looked deeply into how God formed and shaped his life and it led him to praise. Take a look at what He's done in you and through you and the potential He's planted in you. I trust that you'll find reasons to praise Him. His works include you and you are fearfully and wonderfully made. I know this full well!

Thought for Today

Not long after our puppy, Sabaka, came to live with us, I was sitting outside with my Bible doing a study on brokenness. I stopped for a bit to watch her play. She chased coconuts, ate leaves, and ran around the yard finding treasures. In between each action she would come back to me and I would pet her and shower her with love.

As I sit today in sorrow over the loss of her life to parvo, I am also reminiscing over those moments in the yard observing her play. It calls to mind how I am with God at times. I start reading my Bible and decide to get a drink. In the kitchen as I wait for my teapot to come to a boil I pick up my phone and check Facebook. As I check on what my friends are up to I come across a video to watch...and so on. When I finally get back to my Bible study, time is growing short and I have lost my train of thought with all the distractions.

God didn't move.
He didn't get sidetracked.
I did.

How I long to sit at His feet and be loved on by Him. But O, how hard it is somedays to stay put long enough to hear His voice and feel His presence!

I'm grateful for the brief time we had with our pup. I have photos, memories, and lessons gleaned from her short life.

Like her brief life...our lives are like a flower quickly fading. May we be found hungering and thirsting for more of Him. May we have steadfast and prepared hearts that are set on praising Him. May our souls awake to His presence. And may we acknowledge the greatness of His love and the magnitude of His faithfulness.

#FromBrokennessToBeautiful #MakeMeHoly