Ruthie's Inspirations

Isaiah 49-53 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.     The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.     I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.     For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.     He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.     Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.      ...

2 Kings 19, Psalm 46,80,135 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.   Psalm 46:10 Are you stressed or in a hurry to see God work in the world around you? Do you get frustrated with the wickedness that goes on seemingly without punishment or without God noticing? Do you tell God what He should do and when? God will accomplish His will, in His time. You need to be patient and focus on what it is God wants you to do in your own life instead of trying to fix the world around you. This verse says to be still and to know that He is God. If you don't acknowledge that God is the God in your life and take the time to be still and get to know Him, how can you tell others about Him? How can you share about someone that you don't know? How can you convince others to surrender their life in salvation to someone you won't submit to in obedience? It is when you focus on your own life and walk with God that He can be best e...

Isaiah 44-48 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.   Isaiah 48:10 It can be a hard thing to think that there are times that God chooses affliction to refine you. Refinement isn't easy and it's not fun. In order to be refined, to become more pure, God has to remove some things from your life. Are you willing to let Him do whatever refining is necessary to have a pure and holy life? When God brings affliction into your life, do you accept it and trust that He's getting accomplished what He wants to and not fight against Him? If you allow God free reign in your life to do whatever He deems necessary, you will benefit from it in the end and God will get the glory!

Isaiah 40-43 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.     Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.     Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.     For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.   Isaiah 41:10-13 Are you afraid of being alone? When hard times come, or those around you turn against you, do you feel like there is no one to help? Do you feel trapped in your problems or caught in a vicious negative mind loop? When something scary happens, do you get caught up in panic and fear? There are so m...

Isaiah 37-39, Psalm 76 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.   Isaiah 38:17 Does this describe you? Were you consumed by bitterness instead of filled with peace? Aren’t you so glad that God is bigger than you and your feelings? God loves you and for that you should be thankful. He loves your soul so much that He paid the price and delivered it from the pit of corruption. You could be lost, and living for the world, the flesh, and the devil, without hope if it weren't for His love for you. Not only did He deliver your soul because of His love for you, He also cast all your sins behind His back! There are times when Satan will bring up your sin and make you feel guilty but God doesn't remember your sin and He doesn't want you to feel guilty over something that He has literally forgiven and forgotten. He's been so good to you, will you thank Him...

Isaiah 35-36 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.   Isaiah 35:4 It is so easy to be afraid. But God hath not given us a spirit of fear. There seem to be so many wrongs to be righted and so much evil all around that our hearts can easily be overwhelmed with fear. But this verse says that we should be strong and fear not. You can only do that through Christ. And when you focus on Him, He will help you and it is God that will come with vengeance and recompense for the wrongdoers but He will save you. Will you trust God and be strong and fear not? If you love God, He says that perfect love casteth out fear and that you can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth you. You can trust that God will come through for you and save you and that He will have vengeance and give recompence because He said He would. God loves you and will take care of you if ...

Isaiah 31-34 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!     Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.     Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they shall all fail together.   Isaiah 31:1-3 Why is it we seek every resource available to find answers to our problems and not God and His word? It is God who has fashioned and formed you. He knows every little, intricate, detail about who you are and how you work. He knows your body type, the health genes you have, your ...

Isaiah 28-30 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:     Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.   Isaiah 29:13-14 So much of religion is based on man's rules and not Biblical principles. It is so easy for people to look and act the part of a Christian without actually having trusted Christ as Savior. Or there are those that are saved but they aren't close to the Lord yet again, look and act the part but really their heart is nowhere near the Savior. Men make themselves look good as the Pharisees did by adding rules and outward practices without there being an inward change. But we can only see a work of God ...

Hosea 8-14 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.     Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.   Hosea 14:4,9 To be like Christ should be your goal. If you are just, you will walk in His ways for they are right. How do you compare to Christ in the way you treat others? God is just but He has great mercy and love for His people. If a perfect God can love, forgive, and heal the wrongs of imperfect people, can't you do the same? You are no better than any other person, so why do you act like it? Why do you so often focus on yourself and what others can and should be doing for you instead of focusing on others and what you can do for them? Jesus loved us so much that He went to the cross for us. He didn't go through it because He enjoyed it or becaus...

Hosea 1-7 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.   Hosea 4:6 Ignorance is not bliss. It is a choice whether you want to be or stay ignorant. God has given us His word. It's up to you to study it and to learn what it is God has written in His word and what it is He wants you to do. You can't do what God wants you to do if you don't know what it is. We choose how much we learn and know. It says that we are destroyed for lack of knowledge and if we reject the knowledge we have been given an opportunity to learn, He will reject us as well. How can you serve God if you don't know Him or how He wants you to serve Him? If you do things your own way, you could end up marring the name of Christ. Not only that but it goes one step further. If you forget and don't do what is right in God...

2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 29-31, Psalm 48 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.   2 Kings 18:4 In their time of need, God provided a way of healing for the children of Israel. They then turned around and worshipped the things that God gave them for their benefit. How many times do you ask God for something and He gives it to you but then you focus more on the answered prayer than you do on the One who answered it? When you start to put more of an emphasis on the blessings of God than you do on God Himself, you put things above God and you start, in a sense, worshipping the stuff rather than worshipping God and giving Him the glory for what He's done for you. Whenever God grants a request, or gives you something, will you keep my focus on Him instead of the stuff or answered prayer?

Isaiah 23-27 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.     With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.   Isaiah 26:3,9 Do you have perfect peace? If not, that means your mind is not stayed on Christ. If you trust Christ, you will keep your mind stayed on Him and He will not just give you peace, He will keep you in perfect peace! If you’re going to keep your mind stayed on Him like you should, you need to be thinking about Him and meditating on His word all the time, every day. Isaiah says that his soul desired Him in the night and with his spirit he sought Him early. Can you say that about your soul and spirit? Do you desire the Lord in the night and seek Him early in the morning? If you’re longing for and seeking the Lord like you should and your mi...

Isaiah 18-22 Therefore said I, Look away form me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.     For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.   Isaiah 22:4-5 Are you affected by what's going on around you? If you are, how are you affected? Isaiah saw the wickedness and destruction going on around him and it broke his heart. He wept over the things happening to the people around him. Does what you observe do the same to you? Or do you just angry and wish revenge on those that do evil? It ought to break your heart and give you a burden for the people around you to see what is going on and the choices people make. It should move you to action. First of all to pray and then to share the gospel with them. Being angry and trying to push for justice doesn't do much good. But...

Isaiah 13-17 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the an that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;     That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?  Isaiah 14:16-17 Satan is usually pictured as a hideous, red, horned, creature. He's made to seem super scary and one that should be feared. But God hath not given us the spirit of fear. Satan wants you to fear him. And while he is very powerful, more than any human in our own strength, he will never be more powerful than God and he is definitely not deserving of our fear. Only God is deserving of our fear. That's not to say we treat him lightly or like a joke. The Bible says that we are to be sober and vigilant because as our adversary he is walking about as a roaring lion seeking to devour us. His roar can be loud and intimidating. It can strike fear in anyone's heart. But, a roar...

2 Chronicles 28, 2 Kings 16-17 And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz.     For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.     And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.     And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.   2 Chronicles 28:22-25 Ahaz trespassed against God. And when he was in distress, or as we say, stressed out, he sinned even more! He turned to other gods and worshipped them believing that other gods...

Micah 1-7 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.     For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.     Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.     Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.     I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.   Micah 7:5-9 So many times we put our trust in people. We expect them to fulfill our needs and expect them to be our satisfaction. But that is more than any...

Isaiah 9-12 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.   Isaiah 12:2 There are so many things that the Bible says that God is, but how do you see Him? How do you act based on who He is to you? As a child of God, He is your salvation. He's the only one that can offer salvation and the only one who paid for your salvation. Do you recognize and thank Him for it? Because He is your salvation, you can trust Him, and if you trust Him, you won't be afraid. In 2 Timothy it says that the spirit of fear is not from God but rather power, love, and a sound mind. Is He your salvation? Will you trust Him and not be afraid? Is the Lord your strength and your song? It is only through Christ you can be truly strong. Is He the One you sing about? He truly is worthy and the only One worthy of such adoration and praise. Who is God to you?

Amos 6-9 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit:     And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.   Amos 7:14-15 Amos was just a humble shepherd and farmer. He was faithful where God put him until God called him to do and be something else. So often the desire to do and be more is within us. You want to do more, and bigger, and better things for God. But, if He hasn't called you to do something else, you need to be faithful where He has you right now. He may not want you to ever do something different. If that is the case, will you continue to be faithful with what He has given you to do now for the rest of your life? Or if He calls you to do something different, will you be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and do whatever it is God has asked you to do? Faithfulness matters....

Amos 1-5 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.     Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.   Amos 5:14-15 It's so much easier to find mischief and to seek evil in our thought patterns, words, and actions. It's part of the natural man, the flesh. If it wasn't there would be no need for God to tell us not to seek evil but to seek good. To love good and hate evil. It feels good to your flesh to feel and to be angry, resentful, bitter. It feels good to hold a grudge and hold things over people's heads and manipulate the people and situations around you. But you are supposed to hate evil and not seek it out. You need to die to self and take up your cross and follow Christ and He says to seek good and love it, to go to God and ask His help to change and to be able to follo...

Isaiah 5-8 Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying,     Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.     But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.     And he said Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?   Isaiah 7:10-13 Are there times that you think that you are better than God? When you need something, God says to ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Do you obey? He wants to bless you, to give you what you need so why don't you ask Him for it? Or do you feel like you’re "bothering" God and decide just to "do it yourself"? Maybe you just need to keep asking and be patient. Maybe there's a lesson God wants to teach you. Maybe you’re asking for the wrong things. Whatever the case may be, it's no excuse to stop coming to God with ...

Isaiah 1-4 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.   Isaiah 3:10 There are times that it seems that what you do produces no results. You could spend time pouring over things in prayer and studying your Bible but to your eyes, nothing seems to come of it. Sometimes it might seem that things keep going wrong and that nothing you do turns out the way it's supposed to. But if you’re following God and doing what is right and what you know to be true, the Bible says that it will be well with you and that you will eat the fruit of your doings. Even if it seems to you that nothing is coming to fruition, God sees you and what you’re doing. Sometimes you, and what you do go unnoticed by others, and that's okay. It is God that sees you and what you do and will reward you accordingly. He is enough.

2 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 26 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.     And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.   2 Chronicles 26:4-5 Do you want to prosper? So many people turn to money, jobs, and anything they can to become prosperous. But they also have a different definition of what prospering is. What do you think of as being prosperous? Is being prosperous having plenty of money? Or having lots of things? Is it in having a lot of friends or being held in high esteem by those around you? According to the Strongs Concordance, to prosper is to push forward. And the only reason to be prosperous or push forward is God. What would it take for God to make you prosperous? If you follow the example of Uzziah, you need to seek the Lord. If you seek the Lord, He will be found and He will ...

Jonah 1-4 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.     Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.   Jonah 1:9-10 Jonah was a prophet of God. While every Christian take thought of what their testimony is, even more so someone who is a leader or in a place where there are many observers. Unfortunately, Jonah chose to be selfish and what others saw in him and experienced because of him was not what someone should expect from a child of God. What do others see in you? When you’re around, do you bring an atmosphere and an attitude of peace? Or do you cause chaos and disorder wherever you go? How are people affected by you? Is who you are and what you do portraying Christ and drawing others closer to Him? Or does it cause others to wonder if you even believ...

2 Kings 14, 2 Chronicles 25 But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.     But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.     And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? and the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.   2 Chronicles 25:7-9 Amaziah had all his troops paid and prepared to go into battle but then a man of God told him not to go unless he wanted to die. Although he was out a lot of many and it would probably cost him some embarrassment, God said that He would be able to give him much more than what he paid and Amaziah obeyed. Have you been determined to do something and even made all the prepara...

2 Kings 12-13, 2 Chronicles 24 And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.     Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.     And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.     And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the pries, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.     And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon...

2 Kings 9-11 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.     Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.   2 Kings 10:28-29 Jehu destroyed much wickedness while he was king. He completely got rid of Baal and his worshippers out of the land. But he kept and followed his gods as one of the kings before him did. Are there things in your life that you completely get rid of or destroy that are wicked things? But are there things that have been passed down from generations that don't seem so bad in comparison that you keep around or make excuses for? Maybe you are zealous about the movies you watch and get rid of those that have bad jokes or even swear words in them but you make excuses for your pride or anger. After all, you don't watch bad movies. Shouldn't that make you more spiritual? Who cares if you get angry and offended o...

2 Kings 5-8 And his servant came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?   2 Kings 5:13 There are so many stories of people who have done and are doing great things for God. They are inspiring and create a desire to do great things for God in your life. But, you cannot do great things for God until you learn how to do small things for God. You cannot lead thousands of people to Christ if you do not know His word and spend time communing with Him every day. You cannot be an encouragement to others when there is sin in your life. You cannot welcome people into your home and be hospitable if you are not faithful in keeping it clean. How can you be kind when there is anger, or bitterness, or hatred in your heart? In the parable of the talents, Jesus tells those that have been faithful with the little bit that He gave them that...

2 Kings 1-4 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hand of Elijah.        2 Kings 3:11 When asking about where to find a prophet of the Lord, a servant recommended Elisha and recognized him as a fellow servant. Elisha served Elijah before he became a prophet after Elijah was taken up into heaven. It's easy to desire a leadership position, or to have great power or authority. But in order to be lifted up by God, we have to humble ourselves. When people see you, what do they see? Do they see someone on a power trip or trying to get advancement in whatever position you’re in? Or do they see a servant? You should be a servant. You cannot learn to be a good leader without first learning how to be a good follower. Even Christ served those He was around when He was here on ...

Obadiah 1 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.   Obadiah 1:15 If everything you did to others happened to you, how would you feel? What would people say about you, or do to you? God sees everything you do including how you treat others. If others treat you poorly, you should examine your own life and actions toward others. Are you doing to them as you would want them to do to you? Even if it means loving unconditionally when you've been wronged? Serving those who least deserve it? Giving to those who can't give back to you? Christ loved and served others without reserve no matter who they were or what they did or said about Him. Sometimes loving others means speaking the truth in love even if it's hard. But Christ never once got revenge or was mean to those who mistreated Him. Will you choose to love others like Christ did? When you show love and mercy, kindness ...

2 Chronicles 19-23 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not your's, but God's.   So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.   2 Chronicles 20:15,30 We are in the midst of a spiritual battle. But there are times that God asks us to be still and let Him fight the battle for us. How will you know which battles to fight, and which ones to let God fight for you? By asking Him! Every time a problem comes up you need to pray about it, give it to God, and ask if there's something He wants you to do about it. If God gives instructions, you need to follow them and do what it takes to resolve the problem. But if He says not to be afraid and that this battle isn't yours, but His and He will fight for you, then you need to trust Him with it and deal with your own feelings and...