Complete in Him

by Tammy Phillips
July 29, 2024 (a repost from September 21, 2020)

 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12)

I was discussing with a friend how I see that we live a protected life in a bubble. It is like we have a force field surrounding us that keep us protected. It is called the protective blood of Jesus Christ. He is our hedge of protection.

The next day, the same friend told me that she had a vision. She was in a large three car garage. She was in one bay and a snake was in a relaxed position in the furthest bay from her. She took a shovel, hit the snake behind the head and almost severed its head. She thought the snake was dead and all of the sudden it lunged toward her upper body. She raised her weapon to block its attack. However, as the snake ensued its strike, it ran into an invisible force field and fell to the ground.

Stay with me. We talked about the bubble. My friend dreamed about the bubble the same night. We awoke the next day to an encouraging word from another sister in Christ who lives in Australia who we do not even know. She wrote: “I WILL SURROUND YOU LIKE A SHIELD… I saw the Lord SHIELDING YOU. The Lord wants you to be encouraged and to rest in His protection.”

I told my friend that the NBA who has attempted to live in a bubble to escape CoVid-19 has nothing on our God. In the state of living amazed by God, I questioned, “Bet there is a verse for this?” God was obviously trying to reveal another layer of Himself to us. I went to Blue Letter Bible and searched the word, “force.” Nothing. Then, I searched the word protect which led me to the word shield. Guess what? There is more than one word for shield in the Bible. WATCH THIS!

Most often in the OT the word for shield was the Hebrew word, magen, which is a smaller shield or defense.  This small shield is activated by trusting in the word of the Lord and walking uprightly.  The translation of shield in the verses below is magen.

The LORD [is] my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; (Psalm 28:7)

For the LORD God is a sun and shield…No good [thing] will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11)

You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He [is] their help and their shield. (Psalm 115:11)

You [are] my hiding place and my shield. (Psalm 119:114)

He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. (Proverbs 30:5)

One shield of God would be enough, but he gave us two!  In the focus verse Psalm 5:12, we discover that the Lord blesses us, the righteous, with favor by surrounding and encircling us like a “shield.”  Shield #2 revealed, was the Hebrew word, tsinnah, meaning, a large prickly shield covering the whole, a thorny hedge of protection, a target, something piercing.  The shield mentioned in Psalm 91:4 was the same word:

He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 

The thought of God being a surrounding, encircling, large, prickly, thorny hedge of protection was enforced by the addition of the word buckler in Psalms 91:4.  The only time the Hebrew word cocherah is used in the Bible is here for buckler.  It means something going around, to and fro, surrounding, or defending a person.  

 In conclusion, we found the answer.  There was a verse about “life in the protective a bubble.” It is life behind His protective force field, I mean shield.

I encourage you with the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Ask the questions.  He will answer.  Also, trust Him as your small shield and your large shield.  Enjoy the protection of life in His bubble.

Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (Ephesians 6:16)

by Tammy Phillips
July 16, 2024

“Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1 NKJV)

I could not travel to Macon, Georgia to attend my Uncle Billy’s funeral because my nephew married the same weekend. He passed one day short of his 95^th birthday. What a birthday party he must have had with Jesus. I can only imagine! I was able to live stream and listen to many stories about the man in my life who I have always said was most like Jesus to me. I was reminded of how He loved to throw up his hands, give a shout, and eat. I know he is having a GREAT time in heaven.

I have never ever met anybody like Billy John Abney. He was kind. He was loving. He was tall, very tall. He walked like Jesus. I believe he hugged like Jesus would hug…big and all encompassing. He was a character for sure. He was never ashamed of the gospel nor his Lord. He LOVED the word! He loved the Lord.

Was he perfect? No.

Was he faithful? Yes. He was resolute in His faith to God. He went through many, many trials, and tribulations. He endured the passing of not one, but three of his children. One son was murdered. One son had ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and one daughter had cancer. He persevered in his faith after the passing of three wives. Was he faithful to the Lord through it all? Yes.

Was he a prayer warrior? Absolutely. I found out that he had prayed twenty- five years for a Messianic Jewish church to come to Macon and it did.

Did he love life?  Always. He embraced it with joy, joy, joy, always smiling big.

Did he love the Lord? Yes, with all his heart, and soul  and mind.

Did he love others unconditionally? There was no doubt; he did.

“Whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.” 1 John 2:6 (AMP)

Uncle Billy walked like Jesus. He talked like Jesus. He loved like Jesus. He imitated Jesus.

Can the same be said of me?  All I can say is that I am working on it and…“But now, O LORD, You [are] our Father; We [are] the clay, and You, our potter; And all we [are] the work of Your hand.” Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV)

Can the same be said of you? Do you say what Father God says? Do you do what He says to do? Do you love like Him? (John 12:49-50;14:31).

I enCOURAGE you with the words of Paul. “Imitate me, just as I also [imitate] Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV). What a wonderful world it would be if we all just did, said, and loved like God said to do! Uncle Billy did and he made the world a better place.

Viva Magenta!
Live. Breath. Be imitators of Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

by Tammy Phillips
July 8, 2024

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow]. Psalms 147:3 (AMP)

I shaved my legs for a doctor’s appointment where gel would be inserted into my knees to help provide a cushion that time and weight had worn to nothing. I ran a razor over my knee and experienced a little resistance from a past scar. It brought up old hurts and deceptions. I thought more, “Did I shave my legs for this? Just to experience the pain of a shot.” My doctor does not care, but I do.

The summer when I was eight, I catapulted off the back of a pick-up truck. My knee hit the trailer hitch and burst wide open. It was nothing that God, stitches, and time could not mend. Remember, I mentioned it was summer. Summer on my grandparent’s farm meant dusty, dirt road explorations, fast riding bikes, and a multitude of adventures. Within a week, or two of my first accident, I had another and crashed my cycle. My original slash unfolded, and a second gash also appeared on my knee. The injuries from my carelessness and fearless-running-wide-open as a young girl scarred me for life. My gaping wounds left a “not-so-beauty” mark the size of a half dollar with a wide arrow shooting out of it. After my knee did not heal perfectly, the enemy of my soul tried to tell me that no boy would ever love me because of my defaced cap. I believed those voices in my head for way too long until I heard a different story from a loving Father.

As I shaved over my scar, I remembered my wound was healed and that the pain associated with it had long departed. Holy Spirit brought to mind Psalm 147:3, “He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.” God stitches, mends, and wraps up our body, soul, and spirit wounds, pains, hurts, injuries, and sorrows. He is Jehovah Rapha that heals and stitches us back together. And yes, I did shave my legs for that reminder.

Perhaps, God did not heal my knee exactly the way I thought it should look, but it was whole, healed, and completely mended, and so am I. Life leaves ugly scars, but God always heals when invited in. It may not be my way, but it will always be Yahweh!

Do we not want fractured relationships restored to blissful beginnings? Isn’t it our hope that no one experiences brokenness in any shape, form, or fashion? However, we live in a broken world and bad things happen, and they scar us. The great news is God is always faithful. “He himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains… He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.” [Isa 53:3-5 CSB emphasis]

Did I shave my legs for this…reminder? Yes.

I enCOURGE you to embrace your scars as pains healed. A scar is a mark remaining after the injured tissue has healed. Do not allow the scars of your live to remain pain in your life. If you have to shave your legs or your head to remind yourself that YOU ARE HEALED, then do it. You were not meant to carry around the pain of your past.

Live. Breathe! Be embracing your scars.

By Tammy Phillips
July 1, 2024

Recently, we were blessed to spend two weeks in Italy. I studied art in college and was so excited to see the art, architecture, and landscapes of the masters. From houses hung off the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast to the remains of Pompeii and its multitude of mosaics from 100’s of thousands to a million little, tiny pieces to Rome: St. Peters Basilica, the Colosseum,

and the Pantheon, I was in awe. I actually cried inside the Pantheon. Only God could have inspired someone to build the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome in 126 AD. and bring it to completion. It stretches across 142 feet and rises 71 feet. It is an awe-inspiring piece of architecture. I know its purpose may not have been to honor God, but I know it could not have been built without His wisdom. Michelangelo once said that the Pantheon was “built by angels, not by men.”

When talking of Michelangelo, one has to mention one of the greatest works of art, the Sistine Chapel. Did you know it took him four years, 1508-1512, to finish painting the over 300 characters on the 12,000 square foot, curved ceiling? Did you realize he did not see himself as a painter, but as a sculptor? He had never painted frescoes before. He learned as he went and there was no you tube in the 1500’s.

Then we experienced Florence with the opulence of the Medici’s palaces, chapels, their extensive collection of statuary at the Uffizi Gallery, and then Michelangelo’s seventeen-foot David carved from one block of stone. AND colossal David was originally commissioned to adorn the roofline of the Dome of the Cathedral of Florence. Remember, this was before power tools or cranes. David was carved one chisel at a time.

My take-away from the trip is we think and believe way too small. I am talking on the miniscule level. I thought I believed and thought big. WRONG. I came to realize that “cannot” should not be in our vocabulary when it comes to working, achieving, and accomplishing what we are called to do.

The Bible says:

1. I can do any and all things with Christ.

“I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me and nothing without Him.” (Phil. 4:13, John 15:5)

2.  Each person has his own gifting.

“…each person has his own gift from God, one of this kind and one of that. (1 Corinthians 7:7 AMP) and

3.  We each have something to do because God’s gift and call are irrevocable.  

“For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]” (Romans 11:29 AMPC)

4. We received the gift and need to use it to serve others.

So… “Just as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God], employ it in serving one another as [is appropriate for] good stewards of God’s multi-faceted grace [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God’s unmerited favor].” 1 Peter 4:10 (AMP

5.  It is all God’s idea, and He makes it happen, anyways.

And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them]. 1 Corinthians 12:6 (AMP)

I enCOURAGE you to think big. Believe big. If you are called and gifted to do it by God, BY GOD you can do all things.

June 24, 2024
by Tammy Phillips

Be kind. (Eph. 4:32)

A little background to this story…

After being gone from home for two weeks, we arrived stateside to a 24-hour delay of our flight home to Nashville. And better yet, American Airlines decided to give us a round trip, all-expenses-paid day trip to Long Island. Our not so luxurious, sleepy Holiday Inn Express with the air conditioner in the window was nestled between 3.5 starred, Bryant and Cooper Steakhouse and Long Island Sports Cars where you could pick up an Aston Martin or McLaren.

It really was a peaceful area with a gorgeous nursery across the street and exclusive shopping just a half mile away at American Manhasset with the likes of Cartier, Louis Vuitton and Dior.

We made the best of it. We ignored the 3.5 rating of restaurant next door. We joined a room full of Long Islanders for a very memorable New York kind of dinner! Delizioso!

After a long sleep, I wandered downstairs for coffee. This is where the kindest of a tiny, little old woman who couldn’t have reached four feet tall changed by day. She was bent over plagued by kyphosis, holding her own paper plate breakfast and coffee. She saw me coming but the elevator was three quarters the way shut. She paused to be kind. It was a struggle for her to stand and carry her load, but she paused to be kind. Her actions were so gracious! They changed my day.

Delays can be blessings. She delayed and blessed me!

I enCOURAGE you to embrace the delay and be kind! Stop. Pause. Maybe your seconds can change someone’s 24 hours!

by Tammy Phillips
June17, 2024

So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable. (2 Corinthians 4:18 AMP)

Yesterday, we were in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. We saw incredible mosaics that were uncovered from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and destruction of Pompeii. The mosaics pictured wealth, travel, and to be candid, the debaucheries of the times. I don’t know why the found “treasures” surprised me, but I could SEE why God who created all including Mt. Vesuvius my shake the earth with wrath, power, and total obliteration.

Today, we went to the ruins of Pompeii! It was massive. Think New York of the Roman Times! We saw store after store, house after house and road after road. To date, eighty fast food stores have been uncovered!

I saw intelligence. I saw progress. I saw art. I saw roads with lines in the stone where wheels had worn a path. I saw grooves in the stones where shop doors used to be. Yet the “thriving society” was gone within hours and days!

We are so very blessed in America! Pompeii reminded me of where we are now! Many think wealth and power are the most important things! One of the mosaics from yesterday pictured the rich and poor, all the same in death. We cannot take earthly wealth with us. We can take salvation. Many have forgotten God. The mentality is it’s all about me, me, me and what I want! Have we learned nothing?

I enCOURAGE you to enjoy today! Volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes and destruction are not choosey. They can hit anywhere and anytime. We are not promised tomorrow here, but with Jesus, we are promised an eternity with him.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil. 8 It will be health to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles–all your inner parts] And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones. (Proverbs 3:7-8 AMP)

by Tammy Phillips
June 4, 2024

For He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2Co 5:21 NKJV)

The good news from Jesus  is,  “It is finished!” However, we are not! He made a great exchange when He stepped out of heaven into the human form of a baby, grew up,  died on the cross and rose again. His job is finished. Ours is not. We must accept  Him as Lord and Savior to receive the “great exchange.”  When we follow after Him and read His word, we learn…

Jesus did not have to, but he did!

Jesus DIED so we could LIVE.

Jesus was ACCUSED so we can be ACQUITTED.

Jesus was PUNISHED in return we can be REWARDED.

Jesus SURRENDERED His life for us to CONQUER in ours.

Jesus was VICTORIOUS so we no longer have to live DEFEATED.

Jesus experienced great SORROW so that we may have great JOY.

Jesus was SHAMED so that we can reflect His GLORY.

Jesus was full of FAITH so we can live without FEAR.

Jesus was BEATEN so we can be HEALED.

Jesus was BOUND so that we can be SET FREE.

Jesus was CONDEMNED in order for us to be FORGIVEN.

Jesus was PUNISHED so that we could receive GRACE.

Jesus took on all SIN so we can become a NEW CREATION.

Jesus took on EVERY WRONG in order that we be MADE RIGHTEOUS.

Jesus took on every EVIL so we can experience ABUNDANT life.

Jesus was made a CURSE so we can receive the BLESSING.

Jesus was REJECTED and so we can be ACCEPTED.

Jesus was BROKEN and so we can be made COMPLETE.

Jesus went to WAR so we can live in PEACE.

Jesus was SAVIOR in order for us to escape DESTRCUTION.

Jesus was PUNISHED in return we were REWARDED.

I enCOURAGE you to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Be born again in Him and receive all His benefits. Live. Breathe. Be living the great exchange.

by Tammy Phillips
May 27, 2024

GOALS:  You have tested my heart; You have visited [me] in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. (Psa 17:3 NKJV)

There are treasures in God’s word hidden in the Hebrew language that does not translate well into the English Language. Have a look and see. According to https://www.blueletterbible.org the following underlined Hebrew words mean:

You have tested my heart.

Hebrew word, bāḥan: To search out, to examine, to try, to prove, like metals, to look out, to watch.

You have examined me at night.

Hebrew word pāqaḏ, to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for review.

You have tried me and found nothing evil.

Hebrew word is ṣārap̄: to melt, smelt, refine, test, purify

I have purposed that my mouth will not sin.

Hebrew word, zamam: to meditate, have in mind, determined, the idea of murmuring.

Hebrew word, ʿāḇar, emigrate, leave ones territory, to pass over or through, alienate, be crossed.

Now what? How do we purpose to not to sin with our mouth? We murmur in place.

“You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways. When you are cast down and humbled, you will speak with confidence, And the humble person He will lift up and saved.” (Job 22:28-29 AMP)

According to https://www.blueletterbible.org, the Hebrew word for decree is gāzar meaning, a royal mandate, a decision made judicially, a legislative resolution; to divide and separate. Declare by Hebrew definition is amar, meaning to say, to command and spar; score with a mark, scriber, number, recount , to be in front of, to front, boldly stand out, to be in sight, to bring to light, to manifest, to shew and tell, profess openly, report, announce and to make known.

I will do the right thing and stay in place.

I will murmur in place.

I have purposed that my mouth will not sin  by what comes out of it.

I have purposed that my mouth will not sin  by what I say.

I have purposed that my mouth will not sin  by what I do.

I have purposed that my mouth will not sin by what goes into it.

I have purposed that my mouth will not sin  by what I eat.

I have purposed that my mouth will not sin  by what I drink.

I have purposed that my mouth will not sin  by what I think.

My mouth shall not transgress.

I encourage you to murmur in place. Do not let your mouth take you to places you do not want to go. I have been there, done that and do not want to return.

Viva Magenta: Live. Breathe. Be murmuring in place.

by Tammy Phillips
May 20, 2024

“The God of old is your dwelling place.” (Deuteronomy 33:27)

“You also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Eph 2:22)

For at least the past ten days, the Lord has been talking to me about staying in place (He is our place) and being seated in high places. He recently physically demonstrated His word to me.

We came to Nashville for a work event. We were given the most beautiful corner room on the twentieth floor. We overlooked downtown Nashville, with a 180-degree panoramic view from the JW Marriott to Cumberland River, including Broadway, the Bridgestone arena, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Music Garden, and the iconic, AT&T building, better known, as the “Batman” building. We could even see the road that leads us home.

Talk about physically being seated in high places and a change of perspective that made me want to stay in place. Everything below was so small, and Insignificant. People were just tiny dots on the canvas of the city. Your name could have been Dolly P, Taraji P, or Tammy P, but from my view there was no difference! God sees us all the same and has the same message for us all…

Stay in Him.

For in him we live, and move, and have our being.  (Act 17:28 KJV)

Stay rooted and built up in Him.

rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. (Col 2:7)

Stay in the light.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1Jo 1:5)

Stay in life.

 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)

Stay in love.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. (Pro 3:3 NIV)

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, (Eph 1:4)

Stay in joy

Rejoice always. (1Th 5:16 NKJV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice! (Phl 4:4)

Stay in peace.

You will keep [him] in perfect peace, [Whose] mind [is] stayed [on You] because he trusts in You. (Isa 26:3)

The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. (Exo 14:1, 14)

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body: and be thankful. (Col 3:15)

Stay in patience, the wait.

Be patient in tribulation. (Romans 12:12)

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him. (Psa 37:7)

Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (Psalm 27:14 NKJV)

Stay in kindness.

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:32)

Therefore, as [the] elect of God, holy and beloved, put-on tender mercies, kindness. (Col 3:12 NKJV)

Stay in goodness.

Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. (Rom 12:21)

Stay in faith.

Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22 )

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. (Pro 3:3 NIV)

Stay in prayer.

Be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thess. 5:17)

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. (Col 4:2)

When we move out of the place where we are supposed to be “seated” in Him, we become out of line. Like moving from a place in faith to doubt, things get messed up. We have a place to occupy in Him. We are grafted into Him. He is the same. Like Israel, we are His and…

There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, the clouds in his majesty. ²⁷ The God of old is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you and commands, “Destroy!” ²⁸ So Israel dwells securely; Jacob lives untroubled in a land of grain and new wine; even his skies drip with dew. ²⁹ How happy you are, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you, the sword you boast in. Your enemies will cringe before you, and you will tread on their backs. (Deuteronomy 33:26-29 CSB)

I enCOURAGE you to either get in place or stay in place in Him. The benefits are amazing. Just read the verse above. The benefits are meant for you, me, EVERYONE!

It’s a great place to be, “raised up together, and made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus … in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Eph 2:6, 22 NKJV)

Viva Magenta: Live. Breathe. Be staying in place!