Category Archives: Christian Living

Assurance - Promise, Christian Living

I’m Taking It Personally!

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Just a quick hello for our Monday time.

Psalm 46 (New American Standard Bible)  1God is our refuge and strength,
       A very present help in trouble.
    2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
         And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
    3Though its waters roar and foam,
         Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
    4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
         The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
    5God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
         God will help her when morning dawns.
    6The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
         He raised His voice, the earth melted.
    7The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
 
Perhaps you have heard it said, perhaps you have said it yourself, “Don’t take it personally.” Well, let me encourage you to take it personally.  Take Scripture personally.
 
When it says as does our Text today, God is our refuge. Read it, God is MY refuge and MY strength. Pray it back to Him. 
 
ABBA, You are my refuge, You are my strength. You are my very present help. You are here with me. And by Your Grace and Your helps to me I will not fear, even though the whole landscape of my life as I knew it yesterday changes today, You are my refuge, You are my strength.  You are the LORD of hosts and You are with me. You are the God of Jacob, You are my God. You are my stronghold. I am safe in You my LORD and my God.  Selah — Pause and think about that.
 
If we will pause and think about this long enough and say it often enough, we will be transformed. I am sure of it. Aren’t you?

Romans 12: (New American Standard Bible) 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Praying for These

ABBA, You are my refuge, You are my strength. In You I am safe at all times; all we who have received Your Gift of Eternal Life are eternally safe in You. We proclaim, we believe it and we rest in You oh Gracious God and Father. And we rest our loved ones in You. Our IDOK Troops, our families, ourselves in JESUS Name. Amen and amen.

Until Then + + +
Kathie

Assurance - Promise, Christian Living

As We Go

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I think I have only a quick word for our Friday time together. And I confess a major factor in that is it is 8:59 PM Thursday night as i begin to write. I’m way off my schedule but as I say to my Girls: ‘It’ll be okay’.  In fact I said it to Little Girl just yesterday. Some years ago when I said it to her, she in a loving, yet exasperated tone said, “I’m gonna have that written on your head stone!” To which I replied ‘That’ll be okay’.  It’s a sweet memory.  But on to other matters.

Luke 17:14 When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed.

This is the account of the healing of the ten lepers. JESUS was on His way to Jerusalem passing between Samaria and Galilee and as He entered a village ten leprous men stood at a distance from Him and they cried out to Him, “JESUS, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:11-13).  And of course He did.

At some other time reading this Text I made a note in the margin of my Bible: ‘If they had refused to go they would not have been healed.’ 

I believe that. 

And I believe this: Some healings, particularly spiritual ones, like the breaking free of strongholds, requires that we walk an obedient path for some time (perhaps a long some time) before we see our healing.

Perhaps this is not a word that each of you need today, but to the one that it is — take heart, keep walking that obedient path He has laid out before you and as you go and keep on going those open wounds and sores will heal.

Praying for These

Thank You, LORD, that as we go with You and keep on going with You, we are healed. We bring our list of names, our IDOK Troops and all cares, our concerns, even our complaints and entrust them to You. We in faith proclaim and thank You for tending us so tenderly and faithfully. For taking care of us, watching and guiding and leading us. You are our Good Shepherd and we are the sheep of Your Pasture and we are grateful and pleased to be so. ABBA, thank You for each Dear One who gathers with us here to read and pray.  Thank You for inspecting us and healing us. As the weekend is before us I pray for our respective Pastors to minister Your Word faithfully and for we in our respective congregations to fail not to gather and worship You. I speak peace and a spirit of obedience over us in Your Holy and Blessed Name, LORD JESUS. Amen and amen.

Until Then + + +
Kathie

Christian Living, The 10 Commandments

Another Look At The 10.

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Exodus 20

You know what is recorded there for us, don’t you?

The Ten Commandments.

And you know why they were given, right? A mirror to show us our need for God. A means for us to realize we need a Savior because perfection is something that we just cannot achieve in our sin nature.

Galatians 3:(King James Version)
23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

And since salvation, how much attention do we pay to the Ten Commandments? How much time as Christians do we invest meditating upon them?

What if we took another look at them today? To Read them as recorded in the NASB click here or you may prefer to read in your own familiar Text there in your hands. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Good. You’re Back.

See if this bears out with your spirit. Would it not help us if we understood GOD to be saying this to us?

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of slavery to your own sin nature; I saved you and this is what I expect you to learn to do, to practice it faithfully.  I will help you. I have come Myself to help you. I am within you since I saved you. So this is what you must do to be conformed to the imagine of your Savior.

I am your God and you will not have another — you will not bow down to your bank account, your position in the church, your career, your family, your boat, your time, your recreation, nothing – nothing but ME. This is the only way for you to be free. It is the only way for you to have happiness or success as you journey My earth.  You must listen and obey Me because if you do not, your idols will corrupt your children and make it even more difficult for them to come to Me. I don’t want this. You don’t want this.

In all generations, My plan is the same. It will not change. I will show lovingkindness to My children who obey Me and keep My commandments, those that do not — well they will suffer. That is just the way it is.  I am not apologizing for it. It’s best for you and I love you too much to give you a plan that does not work or one that will not make you holy and happy.

You will not take My name in vain. This is more than you just refraining from saying God d__n this or that. This is taking on My name, saying you are Mine and then refusing to obey Me; refusing to be conformed to the image of your Savior.

You need to remember sabbath means rest and you are to rest from your own efforts at trying to save yourself or make yourself good enough for Me to love you. I do. Believe Me. And I expect you to remember this not just on Sunday but every day of the week. And as to work, earning a wage, providing for your family; I expect you to work responsibly. Work enough hours to give balance and order to your family and likewise rest and play too. And yes I expect you and your family to attend and take part in corporate worship with others who believe Me. And yes I expect it every Sunday, unless I let you off for sickness or the like.

I expect you to be kind and gentle with your parents however old, sick or cantankerous you think they are. And if you still live under the same roof and they feed you at their table, you obey them. Your ONLY exception is if they tell you to do something My Word has told you to not do.

Now I am going to give these next ones to you quick because they are really self-explanatory:
Do not murder another human being, period. Inside the womb, outside the womb. And I did say murder, not killings such as in war or threat to life and family.
Do not in your mind fantasize about sexual intimacies with anyone that you are not married to and like Joseph if sexual advances are made toward you I expect you to run for your life immediately!
Do not steal. If it (paper clips, candy bars, Cameros — you name it) ain’t yours by means that you earned it, purchased it or someone gave it to you as a gift — keep your hands off of it! Leave it alone!
If it is not the truth – Do NOT say it! Do not even imply it! Not in spoken or written word, not even your body language. (Not even to yourself about yourself.)Yes! I AM serious!
Do not covet. You will not plot, scheme, cry, pout, or envy ANYTHING that I have given to your brothers and sisters in the Church or your biological family; and certainly that goes as well for anything people who have so far rejected me and yet whom I have allowed, for now, to have use of it.

You practice these things and I promise you, you will be holy in practice and you will be so happy you will have to pinch yourself to make sure you are not dreaming!

I love you. Believe Me.

 This blessed and help me today.  Although it is not as the inspired WORD you have in your home and hands, I do believe it paraphrases pretty good what the Ten Commandments are to be to us Christians here in 2011.

 Praying for These

ABBA, You know my desire here is to help; to encourage myself and others to yield and honor You with our lives. I pray this devotional offering will do that. I am not expecting perfection from anyone, but You, and certainly not from me. You know how messed up in the natural I am. I know that unless You give it and do it there is not one good thing I can do or even think. And so I am grateful for this look at Your Ten Commandments; that they are still vital and helpful to us who by Your Grace have been redeemed. And speaking of redeemed I have some precious ones on my mind today. Thank You for what you are doing to redeem them.  HOLY SPIRIT, thank You that You will leave nothing undone that should be done in order to help them receive repentance and restoration. Thank You for what You are doing for our Praying for These list. And, LORD, we need to add Collin and Elaine and Pamela to this list today. You know the illness, You know the strain and drain not only on Collin but his mother and grandmother. I am so glad You care and You are helping and healing. I pray for willing hearts all around this. And our IDOK Troops, we are mindful of them too this day. Thank You for watching over them, for keeping them safe and we ask for safe returns home for each of them. Thank You for Grands recovery and new life. You have been so good and I know You are not finished yet. Thank You. And now for all our IDOKs I pray for peace and strength and open and willing hurts to be the servants and children You have saved us to be in JESUS Name. Amen and amen.

Until then + + +
Kathie

Christian Living, Forgiveness, Repentance, Salvation

I’m Happy!

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It is Friday morning as I begin to write for our Monday time together. I’ve been in my office (if you don’t know it’s a multi purpose room across the hall from where we sleep. A really easy commute to work :) Know what I mean? Anyway I’ve been here) since 9:25 this morning. Not that all that matters.

So in my on-line Bible study homework, Leah has us studying holiness. She asked that we identify people and/or things that cause us to not practice holiness. Like it or not, the answer is ME. No aggravating soul or malfunctioning piece of equipment can cause me to sin UNLESS I choose  to. I don’t like that much, but facts are facts.

And before coming to the office this morning, DADDY GOD and I were conversing about things and I came to this conclusion: Acting in ungodly ways may be a bit more easy to do than we have previously imagined. Let me explain myself.

We think of ungodly acts as immoral, cruel sins that other folks do. And without a doubt that is true. And before I go on, let me say I am not here to put a guilt trip on anyone — not even my beloved! Without reservation I tell you I am convinced that guilt comes from the devil (Conviction comes from ABBA and there’s a HUGE difference) and any time we, anyone, attempts to use ‘guilt’ to coerce/manipulate man, woman, or child into making changes (even good ones)  or behaving the way we want them to we are using a tool from Satan’s tool box — and we need to put it away and not use it again! ABBA has much better tools for us to use!!

 But back to ungodly being more than we may have until now allowed ourselves to believe it is. Try this on for size.

ANYTHING we do that God would NOT do is ungodly.

Do you really think JESUS left His socks on the floor in the den for His mother to pick up and put in the laundry room? Do you really think when He was finished with the screwdriver, He just laid in down and walked off and left it there for Joseph to put away?  Neither do I! And when we do such things — you got it! That’s ungodly.

I’m just saying. . .  . 

1 Peter 1: (New King James Version)15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

1 John 1: (New King James Version)8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In these last some odd days or weeks I have become much more aware of the depraved state of the heart of man, particularly my own. It may be surprising to some, I am not depressed about it. Rather, I am rejoicing that I see it!  You see we sin a whole lot more than we think we do. We are much more undone than we think we are. So why am I rejoicing at this? Because more and more I KNOW Romans 8:1 is true. Romans 8: (New King James Version)1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

So when I see and admit the depravity of my own flesh I rejoice all the more that I am forgiven and my precious sweet JESUS is taking great interest in me to crucify my flesh so He can live through me. And to the degree that I allow Him to do so, is the degree that I rejoice the more and more.

I know this makes no sense to the natural mind, but you know what –I don’t care! Because it makes perfect, holy, godly sense to the mind of CHRIST within me. And I’m happy! Actually I’m Asher!!

Thank You. Thank You, ABBA, for making me asher!! And when this post reaches the eyes of our IDOKs I pray they will get asher too! I love You, ABBA, in JESUS Name, I love You. You know our hearts and our prayers for all our PRAYING FOR THESE and our IDOK Troops and this great Nation in need of repentance. Amen and amen.    

Until then  + + +
Kathie