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Weekly Verse and Song for Tonight Weeks 473 - 484
February 22, 2023

Week 473
James 1:2-4
Testing of Your Faith
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Why Is This Happening To Me

Recently as of last year as many of you know I hurt myself while training. This hurt required me to have surgery, which resulted in me missing time from work. When I returned to work and everything leading up, I was informed that the project I had been working on had been given to someone else. This news left me with no work to do and so I needed to find work that was billable. Then a day ago I was informed that the team I was working on did not want to "invite" me back for their reasons. With all this happening over the last few months, the question that comes to mind is "why is this happening to me?". In tonight's verse, we come to James 1:2-4:

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

God has taught me a lot over the years, I have grown up in situations with my mom where we did not have a lot. God provided for us always, and it is through the experiences I see mom go through and overcome that gives me strength by God's grace. Here I can tell you mom faced a lot. For example mom was walking home one day from the store when someone ran up and grabbed mom's purse and ran away. That was all the money mom had. Yet God provided through others by giving mom enough for the month. In these moments my mom may have asked the same question: "Why is this happening to me?" 

Many of us may be in situations where we are asking the same question. As Christians, we see that God may not tell us why, but how we should we respond. Our faith in God needs to be complete, the testing brings us to this point. So though we may never know why, or we may know in time, trust that in those situations God is allowing an obstacle in your life to complete your faith in Him. Know that God assumes responsibility for you and that God will bring you to it, He will also bring you through it, through it even better.

Love you mom and I love you, Lord.

Home with the One who completes us.

David Crowder Band - How He Loves (Official Music Video)
March 1, 2023

Week 474

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

One Problem After Another

The last few months have been exorbitantly hard for me in many ways, sometimes it feels like it's been one after the other. I came back from surgery to work and needed to take time off when I got back from taking time off I was told the work that I was going to do was given to someone else. In other words, there seems to be one problem after another. In tonight's verse, we come to Proverbs 3:5-6:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

I always remember things from my youth and I recall some things that my mom went through. One thing that I will always remember was that when mom was going through many problems here from family, to money, and everything in between mom would make sure that mom would pray. There was a place in the kitchen with this metal shelf separating the kitchen from the living room. On that shelf, there was a Bible at night before we all slept I recall mom would stand there and pray. Then mom would go in confidence and do what is needed by God's leading.

This reminds me today that especially when things don't seem to be going well to seek the Lord, pray, and do. It is through our acknowledging our Heavenly Father, that He directs our paths and makes the crooked ones straight for us. When we acknowledge the Lord especially when things are difficult we get clearer of the direction for our life, the Holy Spirit will fill us and the harsh problems that come after another will slowly dwindle. With this, we are to seek the Lord, and do what He leads us to do knowing that He will take care of us.

Love you mom and I love you, Lord.

Home with the One who guides us.

Katy Nichole - "In Jesus' Name (God of Possible)" (Official Music Video)
March 8, 2023

Week 475

2 Corinthians 13:14

14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Developing A Relationship With The Holy Spirit

One of the biggest struggles I have in life is making decisions. It seems that no matter how many times I encounter a decision I struggle with it. Earlier this year I made a decision and it was a decision that was not incredibly hard to make. After I made that decision I was clear in my mind, then a week later I started to question my decision. I started to get really bothered by it, that I needed to talk to someone. In tonight's verse, we come to the pages of 2 Corinthians 13:14:

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

Here we read Paul speaking to the Church in Corinth, in his final greeting to the church he was telling them in a benediction that may the grace of Jesus the love of God, and the fellowship with the Holy Spirit be with them. It's the final line that I want to address tonight, which is the fellowship with the Holy Spirit. See when I was younger my mom would advise me to seek people to talk with at times, but more importantly, mom would tell me to pray, and mom would tell me in my darkest times that mom was praying for me.

What my mom did was instill something in me that I tend to forget to pray to seek the Lord, at the same Jesus tells us He has given us a guide (John 14:15-17), which is the Holy Spirit. This is very important we must fellowship with the Holy Spirit Jesus sends Him to guide us in this life. You see when making decisions I tend to talk to others, who I believe are wise counsel however, the more important is to seek a fellowship with the Holy Spirit to let Him guide you in all truths. A lot of people will tell you something that you want to hear, but if it doesn't agree with the Holy Spirit that lives in you, you must not listen to what others say. You see when making a decision and solely following the advice of friends, family, etc. you'll slowly learn that no one else will live with that decision, but there is someone else who will, and that is the friend that sticks closer than a brother, (Proverbs 18:24), the Holy Spirit.

God has given us His Spirit, He will lead us. We must therefore develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit to recognize His lead and guide us, in this case in our decisions. 

Love you mom and I love you, Lord.

Home with the One helps us.

Graves Into Gardens | Red Rocks Worship
March 15, 2023

Week 476

Isaiah 35:4
say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

Being Strong

If you like to work out, and maybe even go to the gym you will see yourself getting stronger as you exercise your muscles. You may even get into a habit where you would see someone and think, wow they are strong. I like to work out and train daily, and sometimes (modestly speaking) people may think I am strong. The thing however there is an internal strength that I sometimes lack. In tonight's verse, we come to Isaiah 35:4:

say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

My mom was about 5'0 tall and mom on the outside may not have looked intimidating, however, there was something my mom had internally. My mom had an internal strength about mom that was from the Lord that showed also on the outside. My mom was strong to go through a lot in mom's lifetime, mom would raise us kids and take care of us with strength that was from God. Through many obstacles that could of broke mom, like a marriage that failed, being alone in this country without family, lack of money, no job, etc. the list goes on. As I look back at all that I know my mom suffered a lot but my mom was strong.

The strength I am speaking of is internal. I sometimes lack that internal strength because I let circumstances and situations affect me. Effectively it tells me that my trust is not fully committed to the Lord. I exercise my muscles to get strong, but my spiritual muscle needs to be exercised as well to become strong. This can only be done by each knowing that God is with you, praying, reading scriptures, and ultimately knowing that God is in control. It's a step of faith that I lack at times, and one I am working towards to become stronger internally.

If you are like me, the first step is to recognize it, confess it to the Lord, and ask the Lord to help become internally stronger. Nothing can stop our Lord, "....your God will come...with divine retribution He will come to save you."


Love you mom and I love you, Lord.

Home with the One who will come.

Red Rocks Worship - I Will Trust (Live)
March 22, 2023

Week 477

Psalm 34:19
The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;

Deliverance From Trouble

In the last month now I have (and still feel) felt that I was in troubling circumstances and situations. These troubling times make me wonder why am I going through them when I keep trying to do the right thing. In tonight's verse, we come to Psalm 34:19:

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;

One of the most pivotal times for me was when I was younger in college and one Saturday morning I went to school to study. I remember it was a warm morning seemingly. Well, when I got to school I met this stranger who asked me for help food, and money it seemed. I was so nervous to help this person because I had no idea who he was, he was also seemingly clingy to me as if he needed help. I walked him over to the school and asked him to freshen up a bit. Then I left and he was following me. Well, I quickly got worried got into my car, and drove off, I wasn't sure what to do. I went home and told mom the situation and mom said to call the pastor. So I called the pastor and asked him if would I get into trouble for helping this person. He was happy that I was asking him, and he assured me I wouldn't. Well, I went back to school with $20 in hand and a wrapped-up sandwich. I found this person sitting there resting and I placed the $20 on the ground and the sandwich on top and left he saw me and said: "God Bless you".

When I think back at this circumstance and situation I wondered at the time why did I have to encounter this person and be troubled by him. The Lord allows us to go through these situations to bring us out better. More than that though the Lord allows us to rely on Him, not on the things going on in our lives.

Even now the things I am going through I can remember that the Lord will deliver me from them and bring me out better. The righteous (the ones who accept Jesus) are not excluded from trouble, but the Lord delivers them from them all. We just need to trust that God knows what He is doing and allowing.

Love you mom and I love you, Lord.

Home with the One who delivers us.

Red Rocks Worship - The Battle Is Yours (Official Live Video)
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January 25, 2023

Week 470

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Remember That God Is In Control

Through the circumstances that I faced and am still facing this year, I've been tempted to get discouraged. In tonight's verse, we come to the pages of Isaiah 55:8-9:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Growing up with my mom I saw many things that mom faced. Even in my current circumstance, I think about how did my mom feel when, mom looked at us and knew mom had to take care of us without a job, without having more? I never really knew how mom felt but what I did know by how mom looked at times was that mom was dealing with a lot. There was a lot on my mom's mind all the time. One thing I recall about mom's actions is seeing mom pray in a prayer corner of the house, mom's dependence was on the Lord.

When I think of my current situation in life where suddenly there is a domino effect, I realize that more and more I need to remember that my dependence is not on me but on the Lord. I want changes now, I feel like a new job is needed now, I feel I want my health better now, and the list goes on. From the verse tonight I am reminded that it is the Lord's ways not my own that is right. Forcing things and becoming anxious (Matthew 6:25) is not the Lord's way, reminding ourselves that it is the Lord's way, not mine is correct.

Right now in whatever situation and circumstance you are in while going through it remind yourself that God is in control. It is an exercise that's best put to use when you are in the situation and an exercise that must be continually invested in. Remind yourself as you are going through your struggle that God is in control, let that thought seep into your ever being, and remember that this struggle is temporary, you will grow in it, and God will get you through for He assumes responsibility for your life. If you are not sure of this remember the cross.

Love you mom and I love you, Lord.

Home with the One with Higher thoughts.

Way Maker (Lyric Video) - Leeland [ Official ]
February 1, 2023

Week 471

Ephesians 3:20-21
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

When Things Seem Impossible

Sometimes when you are in the midst of a situation or circumstance things can seem impossible. Let's say you are working your job for a long time everything seems to be going well then suddenly things change without expecting it, or you are in great health, and then suddenly that changes. In those situations, because there is no preparation for you, you can suddenly feel that because of this sudden change, things are impossible. In tonight's verse, we come to the pages of Ephesians 3:20-21:

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Growing up in a household where things always were not easy I would say prepared me by God's grace to face hard things. Mom always took care of us, something always just seemed normal even things that were not easy. However, if you never faced those things, or are facing them now know that these are just a situation or circumstances that God knows about in your life. These things are not impossible.

As a Christian when you are faced with things that seem impossible, turn to God and seek His guidance. You do this in many ways, one of those ways is to seek godly advice (wise counsel Proverbs 19:20), turn to scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17), through pray knowing that God is near you (Philippians 4:5-7). The truth is trusting in the Lord is not an easy task, but knowing that He is with you through it all will help you understand that nothing is impossible with Him (Matthew 19:26).

Your situation or circumstance will improve and you will see God's glory, according to His purpose and plan.

Love you mom and I love you, Lord.

Home with the One who makes what seems impossible possible.

I Stand Amazed - Norton Hall Band
February 8, 2023

Week 472

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Making Decisions

One of the hardest things for me, is making a decisions. It seems a lot of times when presented with options, I do my very best to trust that the Lord will lead me to an answer. However, many times after making a decision I back track and wonder if that was the right thing or not. In tonight's verse we come to Proverbs 3:5-6:

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
Love you mom and I love you, Lord.

This has been a verse a cited a lot before in the past. When I was younger I recall a time I had to make a decision to help someone who I thought was doing something that was questionable. When I was deciding what to do, I turned to my mom, who didn't always have the answers but would pray for me and direct me. I won't forget that time because mom directed me to a Pastor who I spoke with to get some answers. I always trust that God will guard me through every situation as best as I can, but it's the surrendering that makes things better. 

It's not easy to simply trust God, it takes exercising that faith in Him, that He will see you through every decision you make. Today if you are struggling with a decision you need to make trust that God will guide you through it. If you have made a decision, don't look backwards and think I could have done this or that, just move forward knowing that God will guide you and guard you.  

Home with the One who guides and guards us.

Daves Highway - Jesus Messiah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK1AWAwqFy0
arch 24, 2021

Week 374

Numbers 22:26-28


26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

What We Should Do When We Feel Frustrated


Just this week, I needed some landscape work done, it's important for me as I think it should be for all Christians to take care of what God has given us. Well on that same day my neighbor texted me and told me the chimney, cover was broken. I felt so frustrated by this, because I knew it was going to be a cost to repair and on top of the landscape work I was having done. In tonight's verse we come to the pages of Numbers 22. Just a brief background Balaam was on a journey that was not the will of God, as he was on this journey, the donkey he had been riding stopped three times. Each time Balaam would strike the donkey to get her to keep moving. Well Balaam was taking his frustration out on the donkey, yet there was a reason the donkey kept stopping:

26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

When I was younger I wanted a video game system, my mom thought it would be a good idea for me to get one, but because of the expense, mom said mom would save up the Summer and Christmas allowance that mom would normally give us. I was OK with this, because I really wanted this game system. When mom saved enough for me, we went to the store to get one, but it was all sold out. My gave the clerk our number and said when they came back in stock to call us needless to say I was frustrated. I waited months feeling frustrated and it was then we received a call from the clerk at the store that the game system was available. 

In Number 22:32-33 The angel of the Lord told Balaam that I would have killed you because the reason for the journey was a sin. Balaam realized that though he was frustrated it was the Lord's purpose to stop him.

As I look back when I was a kid, and even the events of this past week, I realize something that we should all do as Christians when we feel frustrated, and that is we should ask and think of the Lord. We should ask and think what is the Lord trying to teach me here. Well as I look back as a kid, I believe the Lord was teaching me patience, and just this past week the Lord was teaching me something that I was fearful of, and that is "climbing on roofs". I went up on the roof for the first time to examine the chimney cover and to repair it. This is something I probably would never have done, but my thinking was perhaps the Lord is allowing me to be frustrated so that I could over come this fear.

We as Christians must always fix our eyes on the Lord and when we do we may come to realize in times of frustration, why the Lord is allowing something. It won't always be easy and it takes practice however remember this when you become frustrated, ask and think "What is the Lord trying to show me...".

Love you mom and I love you Lord.

Home with Christ Who Shows Us Why

Landslide - The Petersens (LIVE)
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