schedule – Valerie Rumfelt

The Security of the Believer

I remember pedaling down our street and my daddy holding onto my bike seat. The training wheels had come off, and here we were, working together to take it to the next level. Now, I can’t tell you if I was hollering, “Daddy, let go!” or, “Daddy, don’t let go!” I just know my daddy was right there running and exerting all the encouragement he had to release me into the world of childhood biking. I worked with him while wondering if the bike would continue on wheels or if I and the bike would end up sprawled on the asphalt.

Later I would make more memories of me careening down hills without holding the handlebars embracing my play life on wheels. My daddy knew those days would come, but I didn’t. Perhaps he thought, ” I don’t want to let go of my sweet girl.” Who knows? But to this day, it is a vivid memory of growth and faith, and dependence on my dad.

Now while that’s a sweet memory of my dad holding on to me, his power was limited. He couldn’t hold me forever. He had to release me, and I had to have faith that I was going to stay up on those wheels. My faith was in my dad and my ability, both limited.

But when you become a child of God, that means you placed your faith in God. God. Omnipotent. Omnipresent. Omniscient. God.

He is not going to let you go, not one time. As a fact, He can’t. It is not in His nature to be faithless. (2 Timothy 2:13) . When you ask Jesus to save you, He saves you and keeps you. It is His responsibility to hold you forever. He will not let you go. You can rest in His powerful work in your life at the point of salvation. The triune God, the Maker of heaven and earth, is faithful and will never let you out of His hand(John 10:27-29). You can know He lives inside you forever if you’ve asked Him to.

It is not necessary that you continue to ask Him to. He is God, and He is able to keep you(Jude 24). Anything you think you might contribute to your salvation, you don’t. You received Him by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and there’s no work you can do to keep Him. He is keeping you. He did the work on the cross, and if you are His child because you have decided to be, then He is keeping you now.

If in a season of doubt, take some time and write the verses listed below and repeat them, memorize them, and pray them back to God with confidence and thanksgiving. Peace and confidence will be restored in the person of Christ, the One who saved you.

One side issue: If you are in a season of disobedience, this can cause you to doubt your salvation. As you grow in your faith, your behavior won’t trigger you to question your salvation. You will learn to trust Him. You will remember your salvation does not depend on you. You will discover your faith is in the person of Christ, not your changing feelings. But you should confess your sin to Him if you feel distant. It is always we who move away from God, not Him from us. He wants to have full, restored fellowship with you, and sin gets in the way. Confess your sin immediately, and walk in obedience again(I John 1:9).

Be sure you have time with God daily, preferably in the morning. This gives you the time to confess your sin, reflect on who He is, get solutions to your problems, build the faith you need to let God do His work in your life, and give you the strength to obey Him.

So whether you are a new Christian or one in a season of doubt, or you’ve been a Christian for decades, here is a list of verses you can put your hope in, memorize, write down, pass on, or hand them out to your Sunday school class, small group, or someone you are working with.

I John 5:11-13 – And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
John 1:12 – Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God –
John 10:27-29 – Jesus answered, ” My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
Jude 24 – To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without finding fault and with great joy.”
Romans 8:38&39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

*If your thoughts are not doubts but conviction and an invitation by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus by faith, then read the link below for more information.*

Let me know your thoughts.

Are You On Your Way to Heaven?

©Valerie Rumfelt

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Walk in the Rain

Walk in the rain that turned to storm

Some avoided this morning’s norm

No one out; the metropolis quiet

because of pounding rain, but we desire it.

Why out in the rain and not at home?

Did we not get the memo, stay out of the storm?

We knew the report, but we wanted to worship

So off in the rain we went to the church house.

Why walk in the rain when you could drive?

We couldn’t drive in our situation at this time.

Maybe a taxi, but it didn’t come to mind, 

so off in the rain our hearts sublime.

The destination worth it, the puddles unavoidable

Around each one we tried but wet was our stride

The pastor made comment of the weather amid,

“…also, a wonderful, dry room to worship in.”

How grateful he was and so were we

If work had called, we’d on time be.

So why miss assembly and worship a tree

Yes, a storm is on us, but we are free.

With lungs to breathe air, and eyes to see,

ears to hear tapping of wet moisture on me

It seemed such joy to be able to worship

A little rain, or a lot was not to disturb us.

Never should keep us from gathering or deter

So go to church, and be on time as it were.

A privilege that not all in the world can embrace

Be a Jesus freak, run and stay in the race.

The worshiping assembly is a joy of the Kingdom.

Make it a habit but not an agenda.

Don’t be one of those with no good reason

Go to church, worship Jesus, and live life in season.

©Valerie Rumfelt

2022

²⁴And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

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5 Ways to Handle a Busy Schedule

My husband and I are in full-time ministry, and just like you, we are busy. Like you, we struggle with time management, priorities, and just getting the daily list done sometimes. Some days the pressure comes, and it honestly seems no way to get it all done. As the holidays approach, you may find you have to drop some things and add other things. None of us can do it all. Wherever you may be on this struggle to juggle, maybe some of these ideas will help you as they’ve helped me.

1. Make a list– You don’t need a fancy planner to make lists. Use the notes on your phone or other apps. Sticky notes still work great for me. Whatever you use, you will find a sense of accomplishment for every task marked off or deleted.

2.Set the timer – When pressure comes, setting a timer moves my focus from all the tasks. The focus shifts to the task at that moment, and it never ceases to amaze me the satisfaction that comes after a 20-minute time frame. Repeat as needed.

3. Turn on background music – Calm music gives me a sense of being in charge and the manager of my world. It also makes the job more pleasant.

4. Pray – Talk to Jesus everywhere you go. Even when you work from home, talk to Him. When I lose something, I ask Him to help me find it. When I can’t find it, my frustration level doesn’t get out of control, but often I find it. Have you ever paused to ask the Lord to redeem the time? Ask God to be in charge of all you do; how you sound on the phone and talk with others is a good start.

5. Listen to inspire- If you are running errands, choose what you let in your brain. Car time can get the best of you. You can end up with road rage or poor thoughts. Focus your mind on beautiful music. Use your phone to listen to the Bible. Wholesome audiobooks take me to a pleasant place.

Not all days are going to be productive in terms of a list. I’ve sat at my desk at the end of a day with nothing marked off my list. That’s when I think the Lord had another plan for that day.

As the holiday season looms on the horizon, it’s essential to keep some of your usual routines. It’s also good to be open to eliminating some other things which send you to your crazy place. Remember to focus on your relationship with God and place this as a priority if it isn’t. God is the one who gives you your life, and honoring Him is a daily joy.

But do everything properly and in order. I Corinthians 14:40

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