I AM Archives - Counting My Blessings

At Jesus' trial, He was asked if He was the Messiah. His answer. "I AM." He declared that He came to save God's people and He will come again in glory. #Jesus #Hope #IAM #BibleStudy #CountingMyBlessings #BlessingBloggers #WWGGG

I hardly know where to begin . . . where to focus our attention.

Mark 14 is packed with moments and lessons from the hours that preceded Jesus’ crucifixion.

Religious Leaders plotted to kill Jesus but not during Passover.
Mary anointed Jesus’ head with precious oil.
Judas agreed to betray Jesus to the Religious Leaders.
The disciples prepare for Passover and Jesus joined them to celebrate it.
Jesus initiated the Eucharist.
Jesus cried out to the Father from Gethsemane.
Jesus was betrayed and arrested.
Jesus stood trial before Caiaphas and proclaimed Himself, “I AM.”
Peter denied knowing Jesus.

A lot can happen in a day and a half and I invite you to go over and read these accounts for yourself.

But before you go, let’s take a closer look at Jesus’ trial before the High Priest, Caiaphas.

In the middle of the night, Jewish leaders gathered for a trial that had already been decided. Jesus deserved to die. So, they brought forward “many false witnesses . . . but they contradicted each other.” (Mark 14:56) And the defendant refused to defend Himself.

In frustration, Caiaphas stood up and asked:

“Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
Mark 14:61

And Jesus said:

“I AM”
Mark 14:62

Jesus declared that He was and is the Messiah, the Son of God.

And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.
Mark 14:62

And we can believe Him.

John who was with Him through His ministry, death, and after His resurrection wrote:

The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His name.
John 20:30–31

And because of the disciple’s testimony, you and I can trust all of Jesus “I AM” promises…

I am the Bread of Life. (John 6:35)
I am the Light of the World. (John 8:12)
I am the Good Shepherd. (John 10:11, 14)
I am the Alpha and Omega. (Revelation 1:8)
I am the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)
I am the Resurrection and the Life. (John 11:25)
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6)
I AM the Messiah. (John 4:26)

The I AM invites you and me to KNOW Him, Love Him, and allow Him to free us from the world’s lies.

We can trust His promise…

When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
John 14:3

So, let’s pray and surrender today to I AM, the Messiah, the Son of God.

A Prayer to Know and Trust
the Truth about I AM

Father, thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus, to show us Your grace, mercy, and love . . . for saving us from the consequences of our sin. I believe my favorite name You call Yourself is “I AM.” It is all-inclusive. It defines you as “the absolute I, the self-existent One. It says, “I am who I am, I will be who I will be, I cause to be what is.”

I believe! I trust You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Please forgive me and help me obey Your will as You reveal it to me. When I doubt, increase my faith (Mark 9:24). When temptation strikes, give me strength and show me a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). And when I am discouraged, please encourage me (2 Corinthians 7:16).

I offer myself to You. Teach me. Fill me. Lead me. In the name of Jesus, the I AM. Amen.

God told Moses that His name is “I AM” (Exodus 3:14)

John identified Jesus as The Word made flesh.

In the beginning, the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.

The Word became humanand made
His home among us.
John 1:1,14

And Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.” (John 10:30)

On today’s note write:

I believe Jesus is who He says He is.

God bless you as you focus on Jesus, the Messiah . . . the One who is, who was, who always will be.

Unger, M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., & Unger, M. F. (1988). In The new Unger’s Bible dictionary (Rev. and updated ed.). Chicago: Moody Press.

Church, C. (2003). I AM. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 802). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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I started reading Exodus this week.

Wow, those people make me uncomfortable! I think it’s because I so often see myself in their less than cooperative words and behaviors.

After I ask God to forgive me for being so much like them … I can settle in to learn from them.

Here are just a few of my favorite things I learned this week:

I have the ability to make my own stress and anxiety even when my circumstances are good. It’s something God and I have been working on for years. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been those 400 plus years after Jacob’s family arrived in Egypt.

The family had grown to 2 million people and the Egyptians weren’t happy about either their growth or their success.

Their solution?

Make them “less than.” Oppress, use and abuse them.

Hmmm, it’s interesting … some things never change.

The Good News is You Can Overcome

But God was with them.

But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread. Exodus 1:12

I added the Life Application Notes for that verse to my journal…

“When we are burdened or mistreated, we may feel defeated. But our burdens can make us stronger and develop qualities in us that will prepare us for the future. We cannot be overcomers without troubles to overcome.”

I’d prefer to get my overcomer abilities another way. You too?

But God uses overcomers to help, support, and teach each other. I am so thankful for the overcomers God has placed in my life.

The next time you feel overwhelmed by the problem, remember these two things:

God is with you and He will give you everything so you can overcome.
God is using you to encourage someone else who needs the courage to be an overcomer.

How can we know God is able?

He said so…

“I AM WHO I AM” Exodus 3:14

Once again, let’s look to the LAB notes … God’s nature is stable and trustworthy. He used the name I AM to show his unchanging nature. His wisdom spans the ages and His promises give meaning and direction to our lives.

The God of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David — all the way to Peter, John, and Paul is with you. All of the faith-strengthening accounts in the Bible apply to every moment today. They were overcomers and you can overcome, too!

Isn’t that awesome!

Hebrews 13:7–8 says:

Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

God is with you!

And with His help, you can overcome whatever is oppressing you today. Amen?!

This Week’s Friday Favorites

Highlights from the Week!

I’ve shared here often how much I love reading the Bible. I’ll admit it didn’t get the whole Bible Journaling thing.

I’m not an artist. I don’t like my handwriting.

I’ll admit to highlighting and circling thing I want to remember but had the desire nor did I want to take the time to get creative in my Bible.

To those of you who do love it – I must say I love your photos! I just didn’t feel like is was something I could do.

Then I received an email inviting me to review:

The Art of Bible Journaling by Erin Bassett at CreativitE – Illustrated Faith.

Erin’s book contains more than 60 step-by-step techniques for expressing your faith creatively.

My package also included these Bible Journaling Books:

Trusting in GOD by Anita C. Haines.

Everlasting HOPE by Karla Dornacher.

and Honoring the SPIRIT by Sue Kemnitz.

So, YAYYYYY! I have good news.

You don’t have to be an artist or even have great handwriting to spend time pondering and praying over God’s Word as you make it personal through stencils, stickers, traceable artwork and lettering, tabs, etc.

These books will inspire you with personal stories and artwork from four of today’s hottest Bible Journaling artists.

And you can find them on Amazon, at Hobby Lobby, Barnes and Noble, and WalMart.

I’m excited! With the help of these beautiful ladies, I can become a Bible Journaler too!

Four Faves from Last Week’s Link Party

Grace and Peace for Your New Year

by Leslie Newman

@ Journey to Imperfect

What No One Tells Weary Moms

by Jen Avellaneda

Rich Faith Rising

Trusting God During Difficult Times Series

by Nicki Edwards

@ Sincerely, Nicki

Remember This and Forget That

by Yvonne Chase

@ The Single Woman’s Cheerleader

Friends, this is important…

If you like any of the pins or want to save any of the posts I share here, PLEASE click over to the sites and Pin the originals. Why not share them on Twitter and FB, too. My friends and fellow bloggers have worked hard on these posts and graphics. Every link back needs to come from their sites.

Why?

My heart’s desire is to bless bloggers by helping new bloggers get their name out there and help veteran bloggers get to know each other better.

Now it’s time for…

Faith ‘n Friends Link Party

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I’m so glad you’re here!

This is a place to share faith, make friends, and have fun.

I’d love to connect with you on social media!

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Deb Wolf
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No More Rules Link Party

Add 1-2 of your favorite faith/life posts.
Then just make friends and have fun.
You know they love it when you stop by and say “hello.”

I would really appreciate it if you would
Grab my Link Party Button above and link back to CMB.

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May your week be blessed with faith, love, and friendship!

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and pray over the list left by our friends.

I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you visited the Faith ‘n Friends Link Party Board on Pinterest? It’s a great place to catch up with past posts you may have missed here at the party and/or save them for a future read! If you’d like to become a contributor to my Pinterest Group Boards – email me at deb@debwolf.com with a link to your Pinterest home page.

I’m always looking for stories that will encourage and inspire readers to live in faith, stay faithful in hope, and find joy in loving Jesus and others. If you’re interested in sharing your story here at Counting My Blessings –check out my Contributor Guidelines page.

And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…