Tag: How to

Barefoot Devotions

The Three P’s

Hannah B.

Have you ever wondered how you actually study The Bible and live like you’re supposed to? How to get a fulfilled life that Christ wants you to have?  I have and I’ll be honest, it’s something I struggled with for the longest time. Now, I am no pro but I can tell you what works for me.

I know the big book with crazy words like thou, art, thee, ye, and shalt can throw you off and be intimidating and that’s okay! We will discuss this and break any feelings of intimidation in this Guide To Living The Life You Were Called.  Make sure you have a quiet place,  preferred Bible in the translation of your choice, a commentary, a journal and pen. Are you ready? Let’s get started!

The Three P’s – A Guide To Living The Life You Were Called

First and foremost, the first P is PRAYING. It is absolutely necessary to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you in your studies. Without Him, we will not even begin to understand anything about that big book called the Bible. The stories will seem crazy and cause you to ask yourself, “ummm okay, did that really happen?” or “What did I even get from this?” I was always taught that the Bible is our guide to life, every answer to our problems and heartaches are in this book. There is a story that has similar parallels to situations you may be facing. There is a person from the past that has felt the exact same way as you might be feeling right now. The stories allow us to see the outcome and how God provided right on time.  It is the living and breathing word of God – we need the breath of the Holy Spirit to unlock His words for us. It’s the key to this book. 

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. -Hebrews 4:12

Things to pray for before you start:

  • Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you on where to start, some might pick a book or a topic to study. Sometimes I just open my Bible and wherever I land, I read it! You’d be surprised that you might just find exactly what you were looking for.
  • Before you begin reading, talk to God about what’s going on in your life, be open and ask for forgiveness of anything that may block you from hearing from Him. Pray that God will speak to you through His word and reveal to you what you need to learn.
  • Go ahead and thank Him for what it is He is going to do for you during your time with Him.

This is a very important step as it keeps us in communication with God and through out your studies and you will need to keep the lines open with Him. You might find yourself asking Him to help you with something you may not be understanding.

The Second P is for Pondering. We need to slowly read The Bible and ponder on the words we are reading. Read a sentence or passage over and over and ponder on God’s word. Just close your eyes, say the verses and let it seep into your heart. God also likes for us to just to be still and know He is God.

Ask yourself these questions:

  • How does this apply to me?
  • What does it tell/show me about God?
  • How does God feel about this?
  • How can I use this passage to better live my life?

Continuously pondering on His word and allowing yourself to feel what God feels or the desires He is conveying though His word. These practices will help you keep your eyes focused on Him.  Even when you are not reading The Bible, you can still ponder on the time spent with the Lord and pray with Him about as you continue your day.  In return, you will grow spiritually and in your relationship with Him. You will be more confident in His love for you and His plan for your life.

My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. – Proverbs 4:20-22

Cause me to understand the way of your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds. Psalm 119:27

The Third P is for Practicing and applying God’s Word to your daily walk with Christ. Did He show you something in your life that needs to change? Work on changing it! It may not be easy but through Him, it is possible. We must always strive to do better with our lives and live the way He has called us to. Practicing is simply doing your part to live a Godly life. It is important to focus our minds on the good things of God, not the things of the world. Memorize scripture and hide into your heat so that you may not sing against God (Psalm 119:11).  The more time you spend with God, the easier this part becomes. You will taste His goodness and desire more of Him. With all of these steps combined, you are on the right path to living the life you were called to live.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. – Philippians 4:8

 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. -Philippians 4:9

I hope you enjoyed this blog and you will live the life you were called to live. I have been Praying / Practicing / Pondering and know that on this journey God is shaping me into who I need to be to get me to the life I was called to live. He will do the same for you! Please let me know of any tips you may have, I’d love to hear what works for you.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

The How To Series

How To Deal With Gossip

Hannah B.

Well, this is so complicated that it’s a simple 3 word answer. Don’t Do It. Not to mention it just sounds like a nasty word.

However, it is easier said than done. Especially if we harbor ill feelings like jealousy, envy and resentment toward a person. Perhaps we find that our feelings and actions are justified and you tell yourself it’s okay to gossip. It’s not okay because thinking this way causes you more pain and starts a vicious cycle fueled by negativity. It begins to gain more momentum until it feels uncontrollable and before you know it there is someone else looking back at you in the mirror. Exactly where the enemy wants you and as someone whose heart reflects these verses:

Romans 1:29-32 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Ouch. Gossips are lumped in with God-haters filled with every kind of wickedness. That hurts and seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it? If you think about it, the same God who made you, made the person you are talking about. That same God loves that person just as much as He loves you. If you claim to love God, how can we hurt someone made in His image?

It’s so hard when we get wrapped up in situations that life has thrown on our path and we forget that our tongue is the most damaging weapon we have. We can speak life and we can bless or we can speak death and curse. Our words have a powerful way of coming to life and reflecting who we are and what we stand for. Words have the ability to affect our mind and spirit in a way that taints us if we allow ourself to use them to speak death and destroy our spirit.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Proverbs 15:4 The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

I am guilty and you probably are too. I have gossiped, I have listened to gossip, and I have allowed someone’s gossip to influence my thoughts about a person. Isn’t it ironic when they turn out to be a perfectly wonderful human being?

There I owned it. I have prayed and asked for forgiveness for my transgressions. I’m not perfect because I am made of human flesh like you but if I am around gossip, my spirit feels uneasy and it’s a situation I want to avoid. Why? Because I’ve been on both sides. I know what it feels like to be the one being gossiped about. I know God allowed the tables to turn so that I would experience the other side of it. Even though it was painful and friends were lost, I thank Him because he extended me mercy so I could correct my behavior. He showed me that I don’t want to be that kind of person and He fixed my heart. He can fix yours too! You just have to ask Him.

Luke 6:45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

It is important to speak life, show love and kindness especially in today’s society. Hearts are filled with ugly characteristics that want to hurt others. The rewards of being kind are far more greater than the alternative.

I will leave you with this verse:

Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Xoxo,

Hannah B. (2)

The How To Series

How To Forgive When You’re Angry

Hannah B.

Have you ever experienced a situation that has left you feeling abandoned, broken and crushed by someone you loved and trusted? Perhaps your spouse has committed adultery, a loved one has let you down a time or two or a close friends has shared something you told them in private. There can be a multitude of situations that have left you feeling this way. It doesn’t matter what your situation is but we all have had experiences that have caused our hearts to hurt. I wish I could wrap my arms around you and embrace you. I will leave you with this verse that has carried me through many of my own heart breaks.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

At first, you are hurting and grieving as you are waiting on your mind to process the events that have recently unfolded in front of you. You ask yourself how this happened or how you got to where you are and the famous question of why. If you are anything like me, I need to know the why to everything. I overthink and I over analyze the situation at hand until all of my emotions eat me a live. Most of the time, I let them because I like to soak in the “I’m right and you’re wrong mentality” or “I have the right to be angry because you did this”. Then comes the rage, the anger, and the need for revenge. Yep. It just gets uglier and uglier doesn’t it?

Proverbs 29:11 Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.

I’ve been that person in this situation and I’ve been the one that can’t let go of something. I understand and I can relate to these fleshly reactions and emotions. Unfortunately, it’s normal for us humans BUT it’s not good for our soul and it’s not what God intends for our life.

James 1:20 because human anger does not produce righteousness that God desires.

I’m not saying it’s not okay to be angry or feel the way you do because it’s quite the opposite. Those are your feelings and you have every right to feel them and work your way through them but you must control your reactions and your words.

Ephesians 4:26-27 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. 

What does this mean? Well, we can gather that anger itself is not a sin but it’s your reactions that can be sinful if not controlled. The next part basically means that the sooner you let go of your anger, the better off YOU will be. Anger can fester like a nasty boil inside your heart than can result in a hardened heart. From the last part, I gather that the devil would love for you to let your anger fester because it allows him time to cause chaos in your life. Have you ever noticed that when you keep thinking about the event that caused your anger, you just get angrier, even more bitter and resentful? Perhaps the devil has seeped in through an open foothold that Ephesians warns us about. This is why it is so important to let go of the anger as quickly as we can because the devil will use it to his advantage.

Can you see the damage that has been done because we didn’t let go of our anger and forgive? The poison that caused our soul to rot. Can’t you see that the only one you are hurting is you? I can tell you that the person you are angry at is probably enjoying their life without being bothered by your anger and the unforgiveness in your heart.

How in the world do we move forward and forgive?

It starts in our heart and mind with a decision to forgive the person who wronged you. Say it out loud and pray it to Jesus. There is power in the willingness to forgive someone.

Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.

 

It’s not going to be easy but Jesus is with you every step of the way. If you are feeling hurt or if your mind is in over drive with ungodly thoughts about this person, pray and call out to Jesus. The devil will creep in and remind you of what this person said or did but you will need to be prepared to stop him quickly and not allow him a foothold into your mind. You can’t do this on your own but with the help of the Holy Spirit, you will conquer. You just have to ask.

Here is where you may think I have really gone coo coo…

Pray for the person who hurt you. Bless this person and do not curse. Pray for God’s will over this person’s life and their happiness and well being. Do it for no reason and do it when the devil attempts you to curse this person. Do it out of love. They hurt you out of weakness or wickedness and if we don’t pray for them we may never see the best that they could be. Most importantly, pray that the footholds the devil has over their life is broken.

Luke 6:27-28 But to you are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

 

You might be wondering, “Now what do I do about this person in my life?”

That is your decision to pray about. You know what’s best for you. Listen to the still small voice that you hear. Follow your instincts. Just because you have forgiven someone does not mean you allow them back in your life. It just means that you have found peace with them and the circumstances. It may take months or years to rebuild the trust and it may not ever happen. There is not anything wrong with loving and praying for people from afar.

Here is the real beauty in this: You are setting yourself free and tearing down walls that have been built around your heart. You are setting yourself up for God’s blessing and His peace that surpasses all understanding. Forgiveness is an art and it takes time to master but it holds such a powerful key to the life Christ wants you to have. He forgives us every time with so much love & mercy, how can we not do the same?

I want you to pray for any areas in your life that you may be convicted and for God search and know you. Pray that through Him you are able to find the peace through the pain as you take this journey with Him.

I challenge you to read: The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant located in Matthew 18: 21-35.

All of my love,

Hannah B. (2)

The How To Series

The How To Series – Get your questions in!

Hannah B.

That’s right, you read that correctly! A series. It’s gettin’ real up in here.

It’s a “How To” guide to questions that one might have when it comes to applying Biblical truth and practices to your life. How to deal with a situation in a Biblical manner and how to use the teachings in Bible to be a better you. All ideas and questions are welcome. What do you want to know more about and what have you struggled with when it comes to this topic? Leave a comment below or send me an email: barefotinaholler {at} outlook.com

It is my hope that in this series, we will fall into greater discovery of who our Maker created us to be and how to become our best self especially in the areas we struggle in.

All questions and ideas are welcome!

Xoxo,

Hannah B.