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Because He is the I AM, i am Robyn Rochelle Cox Biff and I are thankful you are here. If you want to join our membership community, daily readings and commenting available: click here ©RR&BC, LLC 2020 Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com 
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 In 1993 the Red Prayer Chair replaced the Pink Prayer Chair in my home in Flower Mound, Texas. It is a huge, rich red and gold/tan brocade woven fabric, with a ‘Gone With the Wind’ feel. The chair’s round arms flare wide and it’s a perfect height to lean one’s head back on. An ottoman in the same fabric was available with wheels. They were bought, with full acknowledgement of their purpose. My pre-teen daughter was there and agreed wholeheartedly, it was perfect, for the purpose. The purpose? The Pink Prayer Chair had lived its course. This chair moved several times and found its way into its purpose in the moment of my searching for the face of God. I was broken and being remolded. At that time, we lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was crying out to God moment by moment. Where had He gone? I would tuck children into bed, take my bible, my journal, my pen and sit under the golden light of an old lamp, reading, writing, crying, praying, kneeling often on the floor in front of the pink ottoman that had no wheels. Soon I realized I was having what I called ‘dates’ with God. The Pink Prayer Chair moved with us from Cinci to Flower Mound. Children grew larger, my heart began to heal, but my marriage began to show visible cracks and soon I was single with three children and having daily morning and evening dates with God in my Pink Thread-bare Prayer Chair. Several years after getting my education degree, moving three more times and buying our own home, I discovered this Red delightful chair in a discount furniture store. It took all of five minutes to decide to spend the money on it. Spending money was unusual. It was delivered in two days. My daughter had the perfect spot for it. The master bedroom corner beside the glass doors to the back porch held it nicely. My children could find me there every morning, and most evenings. Now, they each have a prayer chair in their homes. Several years later, on one of my lone silent retreats in the Colorado Mountains, an Irish Parish Parson was visiting the same ‘House of Silence’. We would nod during breakfast, lunch and even dinner. Quietly munching on magnificent breads and jams and delectable main courses. Then we would venture our separate ways. At the end of the weeklong silent retreat we were all invited to hear this man speak. In his delightful Irish rich brogue, he spoke of the Celtic Christian Faith and the long traditions of silence, fasting, prayer, and simplicity. He explained the thought and spiritual practice of ‘Thin Places.’ A Thin Place is a designated spot to meet with the LORD. There are references made of Jesus going off and praying in a certain spot. Jesus also tells his disciples when they are praying to go into their rooms and shut the door. Location clearly mattered. On the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) the Holy Spirit first “filled the whole house where they were sitting.’ Then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. Isn’t that interesting, first the place, then the people. Celtic culture understood that both people and places could be saturated with the Holy Spirit. They called these places, ‘Thin Places’. Your ‘Thin Place’ may be a particular chair in your home, a bench in the garden. Simply any place that you find a regular time to be with God. I don’t know what I would do without mine. Do you have a place of your own? A THIN PLACE to meet the Savior of your Soul, your Healer, Redeemer, Friend? A THIN PLACE to settle in and whisper your fears, your joys and your gratitudes? I encourage you to find one. For some reason, it prepares your heart when you take the first step to join Him there. Anytime of day or night. Theologian George. A. Buttrick says: —“Prayer is more than a lighted candle. It is the contagion of health. It is the pulse of Life.” Adam and Eve walking daily in the Garden of Eden. Moses intimately talked, as a friend, to God. You might find it interesting to read about Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, plus seventeen more siblings, who found her ‘Thin Place’ by throwing her apron over her head. Her children knew she was meeting with the LORD and not to disturb her. If you think you don’t have a ‘Thin Place’, read this by Joni Erickson https://www.joniandfriends.org/susanna-wesley/ Prayer means listening attentively to his voice, as Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow Me.” — John 10:27 Designating a ‘Thin Place’ began a new relationship with Jesus and myself. I didn’t know at the time what to call it, but the purpose was still the same. Consider establishing a spot… a ‘Thin Place’. Be blessed this week Because He is the I AM, i am Robyn Rochelle Cox Biff and I are thankful you are here. If you want to join our membership community, daily readings and commenting available: click here ©RR&BC, LLC 2020 Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com  Never Stop Praying If you ask a fellow Christ follower to list the most important things about their faith, one of those would be prayer. Some would even say, “Pray without ceasing.” All of us agree that prayer is one of the most important actions we can take in a personal relationship with God. But life gets in the way so often. In the midst of the sixth month of a worldwide pandemic all of us agree that prayer is vital for our well-being. However, in the beginning of these days we were caught without schedules, thrown into our homes, quarantined and confused. Lots of praying was going on. I wonder what a prayer meter might have looked like in those first days? Shock waves of world tragedy throughout history have brought us to our knees quickly. God handled all the prayers, heard each and everyone and might even have set another pot of tea on the stove enjoying the intimacy we sought with Him through the tragedy. Our Almighty God calming our souls and reminding us that He loves us and is for us and not against us. He will never leave nor forsake us. He is our loving creator, redeemer and friend. Yet as the days have gone on, we have thrown ourselves into all sorts of controlling feelings and actions. We really do like to be god in our own worlds, don’t we? Some have deduced this is all a hoax. Some have determined to expose themselves since it is just the flu. Some people have gotten angry and some have gotten loud. I don’t envy anyone in authority right now. We are a rowdy bunch when things don’t go our way. I’m reminded of the Israelites in the desert as they left Egypt. It was a short trek to the land of milk and honey. Only a six-week travel by foot at 6 hours of walking a day, and that includes with animals and children. What did the Israelites do instead? They grumbled. They took matters into their own hands. They were obstinate, disobedient, and forgetful. They stopped praising God. They stopped praying. They were doomed to wander in the desert for forty years. But even then God sustained them. “They lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.” Nehemiah 9:21 It has been said that the Israelites needed this time to change a culture of slavery into a culture of healthy God centered Israelites. This is a possibility. When we look at the Nation leaving Egypt we see broken slaves. We see people unable to tend to life themselves. Their faith has been weakened by the Egyptian culture, and their spirits have been broken. We see whining wimps missing the days of slavery. Hungry and thirsty they were irritable. And God answers. He rains down manna from the heavens. Yet only enough for the day, anyone trying to hoard, or control more than a day’s worth of manna found it moldy and worm infested the second day. Exodus 16 In Exodus 17 God instructed Moses to call forth water and water poured freely for the Israelites to drink. Unfortunately, Moses and Aaron didn't fully trust God and in a moment of frustration Moses struck the rock. God still gave water to the Israelites, but disciplined both Moses and Aaron for not completely trusting Him and giving Satan an opportunity to place doubt of whether it was God or the staff that had power. Thus, they never entered the Promised Land. After God fulfilled the needs of the people, they still argued and disrupted any peace. So God sends Moses up the Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments written down by God himself. These laws of practice were set to protect and extend the Nation and its people. After the Ten Commandments were given, the Israelites still lost faith and began to worship other gods. Exodus 32 There were many more years of wandering, and even when the Israelites were brought directly into the Land of Milk and Honey, they didn’t trust that God was big enough to hand it to them. They cowered under the appearance of a strong resistance. Instead of praying and moving forward they stopped worshiping. Wandering longer and longer and longer. Could we possibly learn something from these people that God has set before us? Could we wake up and remember to praise, remember to pray, remember to be thankful. Would we hold tighter to our faith and our strength and even our peace if we stopped and prayed for those around us, for our own families, for our churches, for our ministers and leaders of our country? God alone has placed all leaders in their positions; whether we agree or disagree with their policies or personalities can we pray for them? My question for us today? Will we pray? Will we remember? Will we trust? Will we obey? Will we be like, Joshua, taking courage before entering the Land of Milk and Honey. Never stop praying. Never stop praising. Keep our eyes toward heaven. Be thankful for the manna, the water, and the days of provision here in this wilderness. After all, God really does know what He is doing. Because He IS the I AM, i am, Robyn Rochelle Cox ©RR&BC, LLC 2020 email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com  You began. You were in the baby playground inside your mother’s womb. In the darkness you were snug and warm, growing healthy and strong. And God, your Creator, called you by name. Not only did He call you by name; He claimed you as His own. You are His. You belong to Him. God gave you to your parents. Now those parents could have been your biological parents, your adopted parents or even your Foster parents. But wherever you landed, you were still His. You belonged to Him. Hopefully, either in any biological or adopted family even a foster family, you were wanted and felt you belonged to your parents. As you grew, your sense of belonging to your parents secured, but you realized there were certain behaviors that were received more readily than others. And most of you behaved in the way that was best received. Later, the First Grade playground, you were vulnerable to the powers that be, the callers of the team picks. When all the kids lined up to be called for kickball teams, you ran to be picked for the best team. Do you relate? Hoping that your athletic abilities, or your smile, or your wit, or your smarts would get you on the team, you held your breath. When the dust settled and you were one of the ones left on the sidelines, you knew loneliness and rejection. Perhaps your first thought was, “I’ll get better next time.” You know the feeling? ‘Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.’ Just keep trying hard enough to change this behavior or that behavior. But alas, it was always a question, never a certainty. And every day, you stood and waited as the callers of the team picks called one classmate after the other. You were not as tall, as swift, or as gutsy as the kids that were being called. You shrank. We all relate to this story. Not because we have all experienced it, but because somewhere in our lives, we have felt the ‘behavior’ comparison. It could have been work, church, school, a club, or even a charity organization we serve. You didn’t hold your napkin in the correct place. You stood instead of sat. You talked too much, laughed too loud, sang off pitch, fell when running to first base. Whatever behavior didn’t measure up it was noted. No one had to tell you, you could feel it. Your heart felt the eyes look, the heads turn, or the under surge of not fitting in. Not belonging. When we feel this way, we respond to life as less than. However, what we relate to and understand by owning and receiving this feeling is a lie. We feel a false fate. From the moment we are thrown into the world we are attempting to belong. And yet, God says very clearly, we already do. We belong. We don’t have to try, don’t have to think about it, and don’t have to wish it were so. We belong. Just like we breathe. We belong. Do you think about breathing? Not often, I’m sure. And yet you breathe. And without that breath in your lungs you would die. There are some real advantages of recognizing and practicing breathing techniques. But you don’t have to force yourself to breathe. It happens because it is how you were created. The same is true for belonging. It is a need. A need when not met leaves us vulnerable and frightened. When we recognize and practice God’s belonging exercises we grow in our understanding of the reality that we belong. And in understanding that we really belong to our Creator we rise with an inexplicable peace and rest. What are God’s belonging exercises? Speaking truth to ourselves instead of the lies Satan whispers in our ear. Truth? What truth? The Bible, the truth in the Word that He has given for us to practice and receive. Listening to a sermon or podcast, reading and journaling from the Bible, face-to-face contact with those who reflect Christ, even a bike ride into the beauty of His Creation can allow us to practice these truths. Reading the bible is like eating good food. It grows us up into women and men that are healthy and courageous. His Words solidify this fact. We belong to God. And God says: Thus, says the LORD, your Creator, “Fear Not, I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are Mine. Isaiah 43:1 Do you have that scripture seared on your heart? I’d encourage you to memorize this one. When God created you He called you. By Name! Psalm 100:3 “Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made you, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” 1 Corinthians 3:23 “And you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” And belonging to God can make all the difference. Please don’t live your life outside of that understanding. You belong to God. Enter into His presence knowing He has a place sat just for you. Be blessed in knowing you belong to the Creator of everything. Because He IS the I AM, i am, Robyn Rochelle Cox ©RR&BC,LLC 2020  I've never known a time without God being central to my home. I lived my life involved with church, church members, and bible reading from my mother's womb into my teen world. Would I wish anything else for anyone else? No, absolutely not. It grounded me in knowledge, comfort and peace. Doesn't mean life was perfect, I just felt like it was. That said there came a time when it was not enough. I openly testify now to the deepening of my faith. It wasn't pretty. I was lacking something. For the first time in my adult married life we were financially 'safe.' But there was something missing. I didn't know why, but when I read the Bible it was empty, when I prayed I could see those prayers bouncing off of the ceiling and hitting me in my face. We had a four-bedroom house, three healthy children, a dog, a swimming pool with a diving board, and azaleas around the house, we even owned a Mercedes classic. My mother (my spiritual mentor) was in China doing mission work. And I was empty. I didn’t know where to turn. I called my Sunday School Leader. (The older version of small groups) I will never forget the conversation. Through sobs of an ugly cry I confessed, "Debbie, I'm afraid I've committed the unpardonable sin. There is nothing there, nothing. I have begged and cried out to God and nothing. Nothing!" I didn't really know what the unpardonable sin was, I just knew it was big and kept us from God. (Another story for another day) My friend and leader actually broke out in laughter. She laughed! Cracked up as a matter of fact. I was shocked. I had just poured out my heart and she laughed. Then she said, "Robyn? Do you really think if you had committed the unpardonable sin you would be crying about it?" I reeled back. "Well, I guess not." Debbie calmly led me through this amazing truth "God wants relationship with you. But God doesn't do fake. So where are you lying to God? Where is the place you haven't given him control? What are you holding onto? "Love the Lord God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength." So I went into my quiet midnight place and searched. I searched my heart for an idol, my mind for manipulation and impure motives, and my strength in my own power for works. As I found myself in my prayer closet, alone and stripped of anything but desire to know Him, my body fell on the floor. I was moved. I laid flat on my face and cried out that I just wanted to see His face and touch His hand. I would love to be able to tell you that life was hunky dory after this experience. It was not. But it was real, it was deep and it was fully given. I will never be the same. I gave Him everything I am. I knew nothing else would satisfy. I came out of that prayer closet seeing the world differently. I saw gratitude everywhere. Blessings that I had never taken notice of. God IS Good and I believed it to the very depths of my soul. Is there a time when it is wrong to pray? Is there a time when we are told not to ask? Please keep these words that I share with you now in the light of the knowledge of the Character of God. Remember, if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, He has saved you (past), He is saving you (present), and He will save you (our heavenly future). This is the trajectory of the sanctifying life of believers. (Again, another story for another time.) We are admonished to pray unceasingly, we are encouraged to ask and receive. We are reminded repeatedly, reading the Bible is God talking to us, and prayer is us talking to him. This is relationship. And it is. However, there are deep caveats that we sometimes gloss over, why? They are uncomfortable. God is nothing if not Honest! Down to our guts. So if you're willing, join me in digging into the guts. There are a few places in the Word of God where God says: 'Stop praying!" Remember what I was dealing with in the confession above and see if you can relate. Let us look at that courageous character in the Word, Joshua. Go back with me to Joshua 7. Joshua Chapter 7. Joshua was a mighty warrior. The LORD was with Joshua and his reputation was impeccable. Until, an Israelite violated the instructions of the LORD. This Israelite named Achan stole some of the dedicated things that were to be kept for the LORD. And in the aftermath, things started to fall apart for the protected nation of Israel. Joshua sent his men to spy out the town of Ai to attack and overcome it. The spies came back and reported that it would be an easy win. “There’s no need for all of us to go up there.” Joshua sent 3,000 warriors; they were soundly defeated! This froze the Israelites in fear and the Bible says, “Their courage melted away.” Joshua and the elders were distraught in this turn of events. They tore their clothes and threw dust on their heads. (An act that in the past was a sure fire way to get God’s attention.) Joshua even cried out to God and questioned Him why they were led to this place only to be defeated? “But the LORD said to Joshua, “Get up!” Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction. Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the LORD, You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.” WHEW! Not an easy word to hear is it? “Stop Praying!” It was the same when I heard the words from my friend/teacher. It hit me in the gut. Where was I holding back? Where had I lied to the LORD? What were my intentions, my motives? Did I really believe? My Heavenly Father, and yours, says, “I want you. Just you. Love me with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength.” My story? My ex-husband told me three months after this spiritual awakening he wanted a divorce. He didn’t want a family, didn’t love me, and never really had. Not exactly what I would have thought turning my life 100% over to God would look like. I soon was a single mother of three children under 9 years old, living in a new town, on child support, working and going back to University. There were often times of no food in the fridge, siding falling off of the house, no money in the account after bills were paid. It was a scary life. But, GOD. Life was and continues to be an adventure. Granted, I have often had to be taken to the woodshed to fall in humility again. But since that first relinquishing of myself completely, I have never had a question as to what God is wanting from me, “GET REAL with me Robyn, I know everything, I see your heart, know your mind. Take time to shed off all of the idols you are holding onto, all the relationships you want to put first, all the Things you want to do for me instead of relinquishing yourself to me.” Word of Warning: If we encourage our friends and family to pray and only ask for us to get out of this mess called pandemic, without there being an exchange of heart for Him. We are in a dangerous place. Prayer in place of Repentance – God says, “Stop.” Please let us each remind ourselves to search our own hearts and confess in truth before the Great God Who IS. And let us walk as light for those whom we are discipling — to encourage them. Turn all our hearts toward You, Father God. Seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. And everything else will come into place. Do I Really Believe? Find His blessings in the moments. Robyn Rochelle Cox ©RR&BC, LLC2020 i am robynrochelle cox
Robyn and Biff Cox pray that He becomes your ALL. RR&BC,LLC© all writings are protected by copyright laws please either give credit to this author or contact the author for any reference. Thank you to the God Who Sees - El Roi. Click If you want to join our free membership community, daily readings and commenting available: ©RR&BC, LLC Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Hide His Words in your Heart  In times of suffering they will rise up to your mind and give you the peace you need. “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans) Coronavirus. Does is it feel like God is not with us? When we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, he is. “Nothing can separate us from God’s Love.” (Romans) Nothing. Nothing. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Stop and think about this wonderful true statement. If we are in God’s LOVE somehow we will be safe, we will be secure. We will be protected. True it is hard and takes faith to not know how it is going to happen? Yes, it is hard! But it is a true statement and we can trust God to hold us. “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today or our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”(Romans) There is a spiritual realm that we cannot comprehend. Just as there is God, there is Satan. But God is over Satan. And Jesus has conquered Satan. Satan was removed from God’s firmament because he wanted to be like God. Satan wanted to be in control. Satan wanted to be God. Satan has tainted everything that happens on the earth from the time God kicked Satan out of the heavenlies and gave Lucifer (Satan) power over earth. What does Satan want? Us. Why? God loves us. He loves us so much He gave His Son Jesus Christ for us. And Jesus’ Holy Blood washes over us and cleanses us into holiness and eternal relationship with God in heaven immediately when we confess our sins and claim Jesus Christ as our Savior. Satan’s goal is a desire to get us to follow him, not God. “No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39 So, what does that mean? It means that once we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior we are covered and protected and predestined to be HIS forever. Nothing is surprising to the God over all of Creation. This Coronavirus is not bigger than God. It cannot separate us from God. It is not the victor. We are God’s children and we have eternal life, eternally. Be encouraged we are His. “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. (Timothy) Timothy reminds us that we have a job to do here on this earth. Join God in the ministry He has given you. And what is that? Telling others of the Good News. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” (Timothy) I want to join Timothy in this statement. I want to fight the good fight, finish the race, and remain faithful. Will you join Christ and know it is already done. Be blessed and encouraged by the Words hidden in your hearts from the Word of God. Spend time in His Word. Hiding them for such a time as this (Esther) He has fought the good fight Christ has won (the entire bible) Suffer well for the LORD Because He IS the I AM, i am robynrochelle cox Robyn and Biff Cox pray that He becomes your ALL. RR&BC,LLC© all writings are protected by copyright laws please either give credit to this author or contact the author for any reference. Thank you to the God Who Sees - El Roi. Click If you want to join our membership community, daily readings and commenting available: ©RR&BC, LLC Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Immutability of God -- it means God's Character doesn't change. The unchangeability of God can give us peace. It is an attribute of God that we can hang our hat on, lean against, trust. This unchangeable attribute has a name. It is called immutable. God's core never changes. God created Time, He is outside of Time and because of that He remains constant. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Unlike this world, where we find change the only constant. God's immutability provides security. With change comes uncertainty, and chaos. So, what do we do when it feels like the only thing we can count on is: nothing remaining the same? We can settle into the Truth that God is Immutable. He does not change. *In Malachi 3:6 we read: "I am the LORD, and I do not change." *And also in James 1:17 James says: "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes...." We are children of the unchanging God. Just think about that for a moment. This Immutable attribute gives us even more assurance when we know He is just and He is love. He is perfect and complete. He lacks nothing. Trusting in the God that is perfect, just, and lovely allows us to meet the unforeseeable future with an anticipation instead of trepidation. Breathe in the wonderful Truth that God Character hasn't changed. He won't change. He is right here outside of space and time and in control of all around. Anticipate His remaining the same. Robyn Cox @RR&BC,LLC 2016  Because He IS the I AM,
i am robynrochelle cox Robyn and Biff Cox pray that He becomes your ALL. RR&BC,LLC© all writings are protected by copyright laws please either give credit to this author or contact the author for any reference. Thank you to the God Who Sees - El Roi. Make a Joyful Noise Did you know there is a little known nerve that connects your brain, to all your major organs? In fact, it controls your heart,, lungs, and digestive tract. It is the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system in the human body. The ending part of this nerve is known as the nucleus ambiguus. It is called the Vagus nerve. It runs from you brain down your neck (jugular, carotid sheath, etc.), lungs, heart, abdomen. It conveys sensory information about the state of your body's organs to the central nervous system. It takes a little hook around the trachea and exiting the esophagus then entering the diaphragm through the esophageal hiatus. Then down into your colon. It also controls a few skeletal muscles. And muscles of the Larynx (speech). This nerve has been determined to be what Ecclesiastes 12:6 is referring to when the Bible reads: 6."Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; 7 then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." Some say the golden bowl is the head (head injury), the pitcher is the lungs (lung disease) and the wheel is the heart and circulatory system (heart failure). But the most interesting one is the Silver Cord. This is the only place in the Bible this term is used. When we sing or hum this Vagus nerve reverberates throughout our entire body. It stimulates our organs and creates a healing response, as if we were exercising our heart, lungs, etc. If you stop right now and hum and throw the air up into your sinuses you can honestly feel the movement. This activity has been used to help epileptic sufferers to calm them, it has been used to calm heart rate. This is not to replace your doctor care, of course. But as a person who no longer has a voice due to a brain dysfunction (1), it is one of the exercises I use to continue slowly helping my esophagus muscles. Why do I bring this up in a devotional? This humming/singing exercise can be done anywhere at anytime and is proven to calm our bodies. Now, think about this. If you've ever done a Bible study leading you on to join the journey with the Israelites through the Song of Ascents: Psalms, 120-134. Psalm means Song. God is guiding the Israelites to sing during their journey. He is giving them songs to sing and this exercise inadvertently physically calms them. That is the way God is. He knows the science behind his instructions. i.e. washing of the hands, cleansing of animals before eating, etc... and He knows we don't know how intricately we are made. As we begin to walk through this journey of COVID 19. Remember, God is available to help you through these days. Praise Him in Song. Trust Him. He knows what He is doing and where we are going. Please be encouraged by this information. Recognize that God even gave us singing and praise to calm our hearts and our minds. Make a Joyful Noise unto the LORD. Take a moment to lift up a song to the Great Almighty Creator — Jehovah. Be blessed this day, Robyn Cox Because He IS the I AM,
i am robynrochelle cox Robyn and Biff Cox pray that He becomes your ALL. RR&BC,LLC© all writings are protected by copyright laws please either give credit to this author or contact the author for any reference. Thank you to the God Who Sees - El Roi. A Promise Keeper Keeps His Promises As I celebrated Palm Sunday this year, with my husband and my bible, reading Genesis, I was captivated by Abraham’s faith once again. At the age of seventy-five Abram was called by God to leave his homeland, Haran, and promised he and his offspring would be a blessed nation. Twenty-five years later, yes when Abraham was 100 years old and his wife Sarah was 90, they had their first child, Isaac. Granted, Sarai had not been the most patient woman in those twenty-five years. (A very important story for another time.) Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah in God’s timing, not theirs. Somewhere around Isaac’s fifteenth year of life God calls out, “Abraham.” And Abraham responds, “Yes, here I am.” God tells Abraham to take his beloved, Isaac, up on the mountain and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. The Word says that God was testing Abraham’s faith. Abraham responded faithfully. This one hundred+ year old man woke up early the next morning, he chopped wood for a burnt offering, saddled his donkey, took two servants and his son, Isaac, and began a three day journey to Moriah. Isaac was not a baby. He was a young man. When they got to the place God told them to go, Abraham left the donkey with his servants saying: “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” Abraham puts the wood on Isaac’s shoulders and carries the rest. Notice the pronouns here. Abraham says ‘WE’ not ‘I’. WE will worship, WE will come right back. As they continued on their walk Isaac asked his father, “Father? We have the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son” his Father responded. They arrived at the place God had designated and Abraham built an altar and arranged wood on it. He tied his son Isaac up and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice." Stop, stop for just a moment. Think about this unwavering trust. Abraham picked up the knife. Abraham, in faith, picked up the knife. And think too about, Isaac, a fifteen-year-old young man, out of love and respect for his father, just laid there. This act of faith and love shakes me every time. This did not look good for the family. This did not bode well for the nation that God had promised Abraham. The entire journey was a journey of darkness. And Abraham prepared to do exactly what he was asked to do by the LORD God Almighty. Was this an easy task? Was it hard for his son? Without relationship and faith in a promise keeping, loving, caring God would Abraham have done this? Without Isaac’s love and respect of his own father, would Isaac have done this? “At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven. “Abraham! Abraham!” Abraham is stopped from ending his son’s life. God is satisfied with Abraham’s faith and God provides a ram caught by its thorns in a thicket. So, the two sacrificed the ram, worshiped the Lord and returned to the servants. What an act of faith in the Promise of God from them both. We are in the moment of testing. Are we listening to God’s still small voice? Are we providing the security our children need from us, as we answer, “The LORD will provide. He alone is trustworthy,” When they ask us the big questions, “Will we have enough food, are we going to die? When we place our heads on our pillows at night are we handing over the world’s problems into the hands of whom they belong? Do our children see this? Even our adult children, do they see this? Do you really believe God is trustworthy? Abraham named the place where he came into this deep faith YAHWEH-YIREH (which means “The LORD will provide”). To this day people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” What? What will be provided? His promises. The Promise Keeper’s promises. Yahweh Yireh! Be blessed this day as we remember His promises. Robyn Cox Because He is the I AM,
i am robyn rochelle cox Robyn & Biff Cox pray that He becomes your ALL. RR&BC,LLC © all writings are protected by copyright laws Please contact the author for any reference. Thank you to the God Who Sees - El Roi. During times of stress we are prone to worry. And worry is considered a sin. So we heap guilt onto ourselves for worrying. Multiplying our self-loathing and beating ourselves even harder. There is a very thin line between worry and concern. Let's uncover just one of many examples how Christ lived his life when thrown into worrisome situations. You might remember: feeding the multitude. This feeding of 5,000 is reported by all four gospels Mathew 14:13-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:12-17 and John 6:1-14 In Matthew we find Jesus stepping out of the boat into the multitude. He heard them and having compassion he healed the sick. Then the disciples asked Him to send the crowds away because it was getting late and they needed to buy food for themselves and eat. But Jesus challenges them. "...you feed them." The disciples spoke back with their lack of ability to do this. They only had five loaves of bread and two fish. And what did Jesus say? "Bring them here." Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. He did what? Wait a minute. You mean even Jesus looked up into heaven and asked for the Father's help? When we are put into a tougher than normal situation we have two choices. Worry or concern. Worry means we dwell on it allowing anxiety and unease to be the major importance; Concern means we have a specific connection with or responsibility for. The question lies in the responsibility and in the connection. Jesus recognized God the Father was responsible for the multitudes. He went directly to the Father for a blessing. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus is to be our example of how to live life. When we want to emulate someone, we should make it the best person to emulate. And well, we all know Jesus was perfect. Being a Christian is to be Christ like. To be a Christ follower. What did Jesus do? He went to the Father. And therein lies the difference between worry and concern. Where am I/you taking the anxiety? If we are taking on a problem that is bigger than ourselves, we must take it to the Father in prayer. He is the one that can handle the bigger than big problems. If we hold it and coddle it, it will drown us. One of the wonders of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is His tri-fold desire to be in relationship with us. He is pursuing us to get to know Him. Worry is sin. However, concern leads hopefully to dropping our hearts to our knees in prayer and request help from the Almighty God. The next time that you find yourself worrying over something you have neither the ability to help, nor the responsibility for, throw yourselves into prayer. Simply lift it up to God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit who is there to go into His presence and make those requests known to the throne of the Almighty God, the LORD of Heaven's Armies. Please LORD, 'pour out a spirit of grace and prayer' (Zech 12:10) upon us as we go through these days of trial. Because He is the I AM, i am robyn rochelle cox Robyn & Biff Cox pray that He becomes your ALL. RR&BC,LLC © all writings are protected by copyright laws Please contact the author for any reference. Thank you to the God Who Sees - El Roi. |
Robyn Rochelle Cox
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