Category Archives: Ephesians

2018, Christian Living, Ephesians, Forgiveness, Gospel of Matthew, Guests, Romans

In A Word

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Reading time: Approximately  3 minutes.

One word for the year.
One word to guide the year.
One word to direct my focus for 365 days.
Could one word do all that?
In a word.
Yes! 
But how do you pick that one word? In two words. You Don’t. You receive that word from The GOD who loves you. Okay. That was more than a word. :)

I like my friend, Leah Adams‘ word for 2018. Here’s a link. Check it out! 

I believe my guiding word for 2018 is forgiveness. It’s my word to receive, to give, to pray for, to live. Forgiveness heals. Forgiveness revives. Forgiveness restores. Forgiveness gives life to body, soul and spirit. Forgiveness sets a soul on the path to wholeness. And wholeness is my plea; for myself, for family, for friends, for strangers near and far.

A year of forgiveness, what will that be? I would say not easy but naturally speaking it is more than not easy. It. Is. Impossible!  Unless! 

Matthew 19:26  (YLT) 26 And Jesus having earnestly beheld, said to them, `With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.‘  source

This year when I forgive will I be saying the offense is any less offensive? Will I be saying it’s okay? Will I be saying it didn’t hurt? Will I be denying the awfulness of it? Nope! Not at all. Will I be saying they deserve forgiveness? Do any of us?

I just know this, when I give forgiveness it sets me free. Free to love again. Free to trust GOD again. Free to live again. Forgiveness lets me take my rightful place. Forgiveness takes ME off the throne of my life and gives that place to He who deserves it. The One and Only JESUS.

Forgiveness takes my hands off the control button and with trust, faith and love yields justice to GOD’s Perfection alone.
Forgiveness says I love JESUS too much to hate you (the offender).
Forgiveness says, GOD, I trust You to do what’s right by me with this one who has offended me. It’s, I give way to You, My Heavenly Papa, to treat me right in the way You treat my offender.

In a word, forgiveness is me (and you) trusting GOD. Trusting that He has done right and He will always do right.  This is forgiveness whether we are receiving it or giving it. 

Again I say, it’s impossible for natural people! But we who have said yes to JESUS in salvation are no longer just natural people. We have the SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD residing within and we can forgive – all year-long!  (Romans 8:9)

How many times this year must I exercise this gift of forgiveness? 

Matthew 18: 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Master, how often shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”  22 Yeshua said to him, “No, not up to seven times, I tell you, but seventy times seven!  source. 

If we find ourselves doing the math, I think we’ve missed His point. 

Ephesians 4:32(KJV)  32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. source

Forgiveness.
In a word, it will make me whole and a whole lot more Christ-like. 

Selah ~ ~ ~ Kathie
Christian Living, Ephesians

For Help

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This is a Word for us. Words for us to read, meditate on until they change the way we think. You see. As soon as our thoughts change, our lives change!

Ephesians 6: 10 Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power. 11 Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks. 12 For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. 13 So put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

14 So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, 15 and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. 16 At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One. 17 And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. 18 Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God’s people.  source

As we continue to pray for the people of Las Vegas, these verses will help.

Abba, we know Your heart is broken over this and we know this was not Your will; it was the will of our enemy but he will not have the triumph; You will be glorified in this and people will be comforted and hearts will be turned to You in love and surrender. We thank You that this evil will not be overlooked and You will have Your way. I pray the companion of the shooter will be located and appropriate measures will be accomplished. In the meantime, we bring the people harmed by this even though we do not know the names of those injured and those grieving those who have died. We trust You to be there, offering hope and comfort and redemption to the hurting. And we pray for healing of the broken in body and soul. Thank You for allowing us to pray. Thank You for what You are doing even in this moment. Amen in JESUS Holy and Mighty Name.

Chazaq! 

Ephesians, Holy Soap Box

Just Saying

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I invested a few minutes looking at some pictures of early elementary school students. Clearly the colors of their skin did not matter to them. So, I am pitching this out for consideration.

Why teach them otherwise? Why expose and indoctrinate them with violent attempts to sanitize America’s history? The very act of sanitizing history introduces hatred. Why not tell them the truth; the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Why not learn the truth ourselves? Why not do valid research and learn just how many people groups have been slaves and who are still slaves? And while we are researching let’s not limit it to slavery, let’s look at the coming to America; who came and why, what they found, the sins they committed, the good they did. Let’s be honest, let’s be human about it and seek The Creator to understand it all; and added to this, let us not forget the framing of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Through it all, let us use the old documents to tell the real story, not the opinions of some 20th and 21st century authors whose aim it is to re-write history.

We cannot undo what has been done but we can learn from the past and we can do better today and tomorrow.

To continue stirring and spreading this present hatred will not change the past but it will destroy the future.

We can help. We can stop posting unwholesome, non-edifying, strife-building stories, videos, pictures on Facebook, Instagram, snap-chat, etc. etc.  

IF IT WILL NOT HELP US APPRECIATE EACH OTHER, DON’T POST IT.

Ephesians 4:29 (AMPC) 29 Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it. source

Chazaq!