Righteously Redeemed

FOLLOWER OF CHRIST FRIDAY! 12/4/ 2020 By: Brandi M. Bell  Have you ever said something before you thought about it, then instantly regretted it?   Yeah… I have and it's and "open mouth insert foot" moment.  We have had one crazy year with up and down emotions where our words have been fully charged, been disgruntled, perplexed, angry, hopeful, full of love, etc…  Doug has been talking about The Word within the series he’s doing leading up to Christmas on a morning web show he has in the morning.   I  love Word Studies… I love the revelation I got when I was shown “The Word” and how it is all woven together and how much POWER is in THE word.   Out of the mouth of our Father all things were created, and when he says something about you in HIS word.  There is POWER in ALL spoken word. Genesis 1:1-8  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep...

DRESS APPROPRIATELY!!!  by: Brandi Bell  I have been walking a little in the mornings.  I love the fall with its crisp cool air and changing leaves.      It lends to the opportunity of needing to change my wardrobe for the adjusting temperatures.  I wouldn't dare go out without warmer clothes on.  A long sleeved shirt and a jacket.  It's what reasonable people do to protect their body from the elements.   So why do we ONLY seem to care about protecting our body?  We are told to Put on the WHOLE armor of God.   13  Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.   14  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.   15  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16  In addition to all of these, ...

Follower of Christ Friday  November 11, 2020 Ever been looking for a specific themed video on YouTube, instead find something totally unrelated but something you still needed to see? That was me a few years ago when I stumbled upon Author and Speaker, Christine Caine telling some of her testimony.  (warning this may be a lot of parphrase)  She was talking about when she was in seminary how one of her preaching professors pretty much told her that she did terrible, and that she should never teach / preach to an audience again!!  I expected to next hear how it made her mad, and how she vowed to him that she would "show him."   I mean she is Christine Caine, this great motivating woman who currently speaks internationally to thousands of people.  She overcame it somehow.  However, what I wasn't expecting was to to hear what really happened.  She said it absolutely DEFEATED her.  She felt shame!  She questioned her worth! She didn't want to ...

Follower of Christ Friday  by Brandi Bell  I have back surgery in 5 days as I write this.   I have had surgery before, 3 c-sections for my babies, but never anything like this.   Over the past 2 months you know what I have determined?  I don't have any control over this situation.      I can't medicate myself.  I can't exercise to be better.  I have been to different types of health care providers, and unfortunately they can only offer temporary fixes.  No, nothing I can personally do will make my back better. I have to have this surgery.  Before the news that I would need this, I had in my mind if I could do blank, or if they could do that, then I could handle it.  Really what I was saying is that I could CONTROL it!                 When the surgeon said "You have done everything else, surgery is the only option now."    A sense of peace came over me.  I would normall...

 A Follower of Christ Friday Blog Post  As I write this, I find myself in the midst of a storm, one concerning my health with my back.  A dear friend of mine was taking me to my appointment with a Physical Therapist yesterday when I expressed concerns I had about several areas regarding treatments.  Who should I choose as a doctor? What medicines, if any should I take?  How to pay for these services etc?  You know the typical stuff you think about when you are dealing with health stuff.  She then pulls out the verse that I have quoted numerous times while ministering to others.   And my God  shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19  How many times do we remind ourselves or others of this truth when we are in need of something?   It's definitely a favorite verse of mine, but when she quoted it to me right in the midst of my thought process it flicked a light on in my brain. ...

August 28, 2020 Getting a glow stick when I was younger was a rare treat.  There wasn't a dollar tree around the corner.    Amazon and the internet didn't yet exist either.  The only place that I can remember they were readily available was at concert type events or at the local skating rink.   I loved them!  To open the package and know you are about to see it miraculously glow a neon green, pink or blue, was such fun anticipation.   I think everyone knows how to use them, but just in case. You open up the package, break it in 1-2 places and then you shake it up!  It's at this moment, and ONLY then will it light up. Brightly, the light shines and can be seen from across the room.   Y'all, We are glow sticks!  I know that sounds crazy, but it's true.   We, like a glow stick, have great potential to shine our light to the world by reflecting the light of Jesus.  What we don't always or even want to realize is that in order to do...

Whew!  We have tons of things going on right now, don't we?   So many things we need to think about, so many things that are concerning or needing our attention!   Magnify :  make (something) appear larger  The other day, my husband was talking about how we need to magnify our God.  That HE is already big, but we need to make him larger for our own eyes, for our own problems!   I thought to myself—if that’s what it means, then you can magnify anything.    Candidly, I realize I do this with lots of areas in my life. Sometimes the things that I magnify or "make larger" are my problems, my hurts, my insecurities etc.  The fact that I sit and think about them is exactly like putting a magnifying glass on them. Because in all truth, I am making a choice to make them appear larger.  Notice I didn't say make them larger in reality.  No!  I said appear larger.  That's what a magnifying glass does.  It makes th...

Hello, McFly?   Where are you? Have you ever had anyone ask you that that was in the same room with you, and maybe even sitting right next to you.  You seem “distracted" I’ve been there, and I’m sure at some point you have too.  Question? Why is it a measure of success to be able to do three or four things at once? I’ll even go further to ask, Why, is it that it’s almost criminal to only be thinking about what you’re doing right then and NOT on what is coming next ?   Who told us that, that’s what is “normal?”  Well I can’t get it all done if I don’t Brandi? My boss is making me do four or  five things at once.  It’s what is expected of me. It’s what I have to do.  I get the pressures and busyness of life  and the need to add more and more to our already full plate. Is it beneficial though?  Here’s a confession that led me to God’s word for the year: Intentionality.  To be deliberate.   I seriously loathe having...

Follower of Christ Friday  by: Brandi M. Bell  Have you ever went hiking?  When you approached the bottom of a big hill or mountain did you stop  to prepare for it before beginning?  You know what's coming because you just came down the back side of the previous mountain!  Man, that climb!!... you have to start out by first making up your mind to do it!  You start on the trek up with one set of muscles engaged, you get hot, sweaty even.  However, you keep going, not looking back, just continuing to climb.  Higher and higher until eventually you get there.   AH Victory!  You've done it!  You are exhausted, your muscles burn in agony, but you are at the top!   You take a moment to celebrate the view for a few minutes, maybe even seconds, before going down to continue on to the next ascension.   What I want to highlight here without trying to sound too much like a Miley Cyrus song, is we don't appreciate the actual climb...

NOT GUILTY Follower of Christ Friday  By: Guest Blogger, Pastor Doug Bell What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Most of us have sung this song yet struggle to earn forgiveness. Most of us have sung this song, yet struggle with grief, guilt and condemnation. We struggle so much living forgiven, that we make others earn our forgiveness. You see, whenever we think we must earn God’s forgiveness, we will force others to earn ours. This is a sure sign we haven’t received forgiveness, but are in a sense making payments on a debt that was cancelled a long time ago. As difficult as it can be to understand, Christ blood washed our 21st century sins away a couple thousand years before they were committed. Some of us struggle to realize the sin stronghold we have today, is therefore, not our sin! 1 Peter 2:24 says it this way, “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross...”.  Christ took our sin u...

The other day I walked into a restaurant and this picture caught my eye. The title quickly grabbed my attention and the quote drew me in. I snapped a picture so I could share it with you.  I love this definition of success.  I feel like we get the wrong idea of success way too often. We think and view success as 1. A productive day 2. A prosperous job 3. A picture- perfect family 4. Popularity But what is success really and how does God view success? I think Matthew 5:16 gives us a  beautiful definition of a successful Christian...  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." A successful Christian is one who let's her light shine and allows God to have the glory. This should be our entire goal...to let our lights shine for Him.  Let our light shine in the good times. Let our lights shine in the bad times. Let our lights shine during our struggles.  Let our lights  in our marriage...

Follower of Christ Friday  by Brandi Bell  Have you ever said something and then went "Ohh, wait, why did I just say that out loud?" Then you know you regretted it! Or perhaps you've thought something, almost said it, but had been able to catch yourself before you said it.  Either way the tongue was trying to flap.  Sometimes it seems like it is easier than controlling the wind, right? Did you know that The Word of God even alludes to tongue taming being a difficult task in James where it says "if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way." James 3:17.  Wow!  If we can control our tongue we could control ourselves in  every . other . way.    That's pretty powerful if you stop and think about it!   I encourage you to read on in Chapter 3 of James as he describes just how powerful the tongue is. Everything from being like a rudder on a ship, or a tiny spark that makes a fire... go...

I AM NOT ALONE  Follower of Christ Friday  by Brandi Bell  Yesterday as I was driving around with one of my sons we noticed that to the west of us were some dark clouds. Naturally we then noticed to the east of us it was still beautiful blue skies with cumulus clouds litering the sky.  My son was even aware "Mom, isn’t that crazy on one side of us is darkness and on the other side it’s still beautiful and pretty."   Well as we turn the corner, and head into another direction it turns out we were now going towards the storm. While only a short time ago we had been moving away from it.  Me, seeing the moment for teaching for myself and my son I explain to him that at a moments notice we could be heading into a storm.   I said, "Look, right now we’re coming out of the storm, and now that we have turned 'what are we doing?"  He replied,  "We’re heading into the storm."   I continued, "Right, and if this car represents God where is God in all...

A little song that I learned as a child has been dancing around in my head the last few days. It goes like this... This is my commandment that you love one another that your Joy may  be full. This is my commandment that you love one another that your Joy may be full. That your Joy may be full.  This song is inspired of course from the well known Bible verses John 15: 11-12 - " These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."  So today, I just want to ask a few question:     1. How is your JOY?            Is it full?            Does it exist?      2. How is your love to others?            Is it full?           Does it exist?  The best way to answer this question is to compare our level of love to how ...