Category Archives: 1 John

1 John, 2018, Ephesians, Ezekiel, Genesis, Gospel of John, Jeremiah, Romans

Hearts & Minds

Gallery Leave a comment 
Approximate reading time: 3 minutes 

Follow your heart. 

It’s often advised, especially in Hallmark movies. Now, don’t get me wrong I have watched and enjoyed more than my share of Hallmark movies. They are relatively clean entertainment, albeit predictable. I digress. 

However, reading today I was counseled that following my heart is not the ticket to successful living.  No. No. following my heart will devastate not only my life but others.  

Jeremiah 17:9 (CSB)9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it? source

Now what? If I cannot, and obviously I should not, follow my own heart, what? 

How about my intellect? That’s it. I can trust my mind and follow my thinking. Right? 

Genesis 6:5  (CSB)5 When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, source

Well, scratch that idea! 

Now what? What hope do I have to live a good life? What hope do you have?

Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;  10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. source 

That’s us!  Hell deserving sinners. Every. One. Of. Us.
Now what? 

This is what!

1 John 4:10  (TLV) 10 This is love—not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atonement for our sins.  source

Ephesians 2:8  (YLT) 8 for by grace ye are having been saved, through faith, and this not of you — of God the gift,  source

1 John 1:9 (TLV) 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. source

And now.

Ezekiel 36:26 (YLT) 26 And I have given to you a new heart, And a new spirit I give in your midst, And I have turned aside the heart of stone out of your flesh, And I have given to you a heart of flesh.  source

1 John 5:20 (YLT)  20 and we have known that the Son of God is come, and hath given us a mind, that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ; this one is the true God and the life age-during! source

This heart. This mind. We can. We must learn and follow. 

John 10:10(NLT) 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. source

Selah ~ ~ ~
1 John, Gospel of Matthew

Lets Be Mature About This

Gallery Leave a comment

Matthew 8:(TLV) 26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became totally calm. source

Reading this verse gave me questions. What are you afraid of? And why are you afraid? 
I think I shall make a list of the things I am afraid of.  I fear :) how long the list will be! 

1 John 4:18  (KJV) 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. source

And I say but in this mortal life I shall never be perfect and that is true but this perfect does not mean the perfect we so often conceive.
It means mature.
So as I grow up in love I will be less and less afraid. When I mature in the love I have for JESUS and mature in believing He loves me, I will be less and less afraid. That’s comforting! It’s doable too!

Chazaq! 

1 John, Ephesians, From the Quietness of the War Room, Gospel of Mark, Isaiah, Praying the Scripture

The 5th

Gallery Leave a comment

Mark 11:31 (KJV) 31 And they reasoned with themselves,  . . .  source

And that’s where they went wrong —-

Allow me to give you a little background.  In this chapter, it was Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem prior to His Crucifixion. The people celebrated His triumphant entry into the City; the Scribes and Chief Priests questioned Him, trying to find fault in Him.  When we arrive at verse 31 they have asked Him a question and He has wisely responded with a question. 

Hence, they reasoned among themselves and determined they would be unable to answer His question. They took the 5th we might say.

It is the same for us, as long as we take the 5th refusing to incriminate or shall we say refusing to own our incrimination, we will never know the truth. Nor shall we be enabled to answer GOD’s call when He says:

18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says Adonai. “Though your sins be like scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they will become like wool. Isaiah 1:18 (TLV)  source. 

I John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (KJV)  source

I John 1: 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (KJV)  source 

The owning of our sin, I suppose, is the hardest of all things in this life to do.  But if we want fellowship with the GOD of CREATION, we will.

 I John 1: 3 What we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so you may have fellowship with us. Indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Yeshua the Messiah. (TLV)  source 

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you [us] with inner strength through his Spirit. bracketed mine Ephesians 3:16 (NLT) source

Post Script:  Let us not go wrong as did they reasoning among themselves —- Let us learn to make the Scriptures our plumb line for reasoning a response to the many questions of our day.  

Kathie

1 John, Philippians, Revelation

Square On

Gallery Leave a comment

How do you handle guilt? You know that voice that accuses; that voice that sounds like your very own voice belittling you and shaming you and pointing out again and again that you have failed. Like when you are late getting to the War Room. Even there you hear: I should have been here sooner.  And then you stop. That’s not DADDY GOD’s voice.

And then you say, That’s absolutely true. It would have been better if I had been here earlier; but, I am here now!
And that means neither my flesh nor my enemy kept me away. I made it! 

That my Friends is progress. For sure. For sure. More victories are on the way when we learn to look the accuser’s charge square on; admit it, if it is true, and then turn from it toward the Father and keep on walking. 

Revelation 12:10  (NIV) 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.  source

1 John 1:9  (TLV) 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. source

Philippians 4:13 (NASB) 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. source

Kadosh Adonai Eloheynu ~
( the LORD our GOD is holy)
Kathie