Category Archives: Ephesians

2024, Ephesians, Genesis, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Proverbs

Silly Me!

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I expected my relief to last longer than 30 minutes! But here I am, cautious and concerned and warned: don’t celebrate too long, don’t celebrate with arrogance. Be kind. Be generous. And get to work LIVING THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

Proverbs 14:34 King James Version  34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

We have a reprieve. Reprieves are for advancing, not retreating, and not squandering. What do we have a reprieve from?  That’s a good question. How do you see it? HOW DOES GOD SEE IT? ASK HIM AND RESPOND ACCORDINGLY. 

Are you wondering how to ask?

My suggestion is to start with your Bible.  Read it. Read it like it is the BEST book you have ever picked up.  Because it is! Read until it becomes alive to you, then do what it says, praying every page of the way. 

I trust that we have a reprieve from the advancement of certain evils. But there are plenty of demons to fight  – armor up! Ephesians 6:11-24 Don’t spend this reprieve playing!  That’s the message. Perhaps we can hear The LORD saying to us: he who has an ear, let him hear. (That he is he or she, you understand.)

Genesis (KJV) 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Mark 12: 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  Link

This is how we use this reprieve. Study JESUS. The JESUS revealed in Scripture. Read Him. Watch Him. Follow Him. Know Him and be known by Him. (Matthew 7:21-23) In this way, we will not waste this reprieve. Biblically obedient brothers and sisters, I need your prayers! By no stretch of the imagination have I arrived at full obedience but by His Grace, I am moving forward!

 img_3894 Until next time, holy hugs, Kathie

2023, Ephesians, Giving Thanks, Questions, Revelation

Sunday Afternoon Stroll

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Titus 3

Titus 3:2 . . . behave gently towards everyone.

If you begin reading verse 1, you will see he had just told them to submit to the government and its officials – to obey them; to do any honorable work.
I wonder if the Cretan Government was any less hostile to People of The Way than today’s governments toward Christians? Would GOD have Paul tell us any differently? No. I am sure Father’s Word is the same for us as Titus and his fellow brethren.

Back to verse 2.
He goes on — slander no one. Avoid quarreling. Be friendly.

Wow!

Gentle.
I found a definition of gentle that I think fits here: Considerate or kindly in disposition.

Are Christians gentle toward the government and its officials?
Do Christians speak with godly consideration about the government? Please don’t misread me here.  I am not blind to the corruption, and the depravity of the powers that be here but I would like for us to recognize who our enemies are.  Ephesians 6

Considerately, what good have we done for our Father’s Kingdom if we are critical of people for the pleasure of criticizing? May I add, people that we have had no personal interaction with? Public people are people too. Again, I am not suggesting by any stretch of the imagination that we close our eyes to the sin that is paraded as good, but that we make sure it does not harden us – that we remain gentle, pliable in the HANDS of HOLY SPIRIT to the spiritual needs of government officials and all People.  Perhaps we can begin by praying for them more than we criticize them. And let’s put away words like idiot, stupid, imbecile, ding-bats, etc. Father uses words like poor, wretched, blind, miserable, and naked. See Revelation 3:16-18.

I don’t know that I can adequately write about this but it is firm and clear in my being. People are not our enemies. Our enemies live in the spiritual realm. As Christians, we are amid spiritual warfare. We must know our enemy and we must battle effectively.

Consider a good soldier, a Navy Seal. When they are on a mission they neither conduct themselves haphazardly nor nonchalantly. They are quiet, watchful, strategic, and ready at a moment’s notice to engage their opponent.

Spiritually speaking, should not we be the same? Should not we embrace that we too are on a mission? Should we be ever watchful, strategic, and ready at any moment to humble ourselves before GOD and resist the evil one and his army?

In summary, for too long I, and I think I am not alone, have lived years of this earthly journey like it is a Sunday afternoon stroll instead of a white-hot battle for the eternal souls of mankind.

I didn’t know this post was going to be so heavy – I’m not apologizing just acknowledging messages here are often tough.

What am I thankful for today?
That I am right here, right now.armor-of-god-cdd53f0d-6b0f-4ca0-9f21-ea844a06ea1-resize-750

2022, Colossians, Discipline of children, Ephesians, Gospel of Luke, Proverbs

Strong Language

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Luke 18

Then Yeshua told his talmidim a parable, in order to impress on them that they must always keep praying and not lose heart.  source 

Our English word for talimidim is Disciples. 
In our subject verse, there is a word I don’t want us to miss. It is MUST. 
It’s not a suggestion. It’s not merely good advice to take or leave. 
No, it is a command — we MUST always keep praying, and even when we do we MUST also determine to NOT lose heart. 
And so we practice. 

Verse 8. He asked a question. 

8 . . .   But when the Son of Man comes, will he find this trust on the earth at all?”  source 

Will HE? 

If we pray and refuse to lose heart — He will. 

And moving on in the chapter we come to children. It is the account of people bringing their children to YESHUA and the Disciples rebuked the parents. JESUS corrected them immediately. 

16 However, Yeshua called the children to him and said, “Let the children come to me, and stop hindering them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. source 

Let’s light here for a bit. 
Bringing children to JESUS. 
Do NOT hinder children from coming to JESUS.

Does this happen today? 
I think it does. 
People and parents HINDER their children from coming to JESUS. 

How?
By not going to HIM themselves for one. 
Another way – saying they have Come to JESUS but living like they have not. 
No parent or person ever lives for JESUS without obedience to Scripture and it is a day-after-day discipline. 

The evil one, all his unholy helpers, and even the world’s people hate our children. 
Do you think that is strong language?
Read your Bible and if you can tolerate it watch just a few minutes of  Mainstream Media.
All the aforementioned hate children and are making it their business to be sure OUR children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren DO NOT come to JESUS.
This world’s systems are set up, designed, and operate to hinder anyone from coming to JESUS in saving faith (trust); and children are the MAIN target. 

The WORST act a parent or person can commit against a child is to hinder or prevent that child from saving faith in JESUS The CHRIST. 

And parents if we do not actively engage with JESUS ourselves and actively seek to engage our children with JESUS – not the JESUS we are taught in many ‘churches’ today but the Real JESUS of the Bible – these children may easily grow into CHRIST-rejecting adults who die in their sins and miss GOD for eternity.  

As parents, NO job, mission, opportunity, privilege, or obligation is more important than bringing our children to JESUS. 

So how are you/we going to do that?

Prayer and not losing heart. 
By obedience to the Scripture.
By living a godly, holy life — a life they can SEE, trust, feel and KNOW. 
By refusing to provoke them to anger but rather by bringing them to JESUS.   See Colossians 3:21 and Ephesians 6:4

Are you unclear about what it means to not provoke them to anger?
Then Read Scripture and Pray until GOD makes it clear to you. 
For the LIFE of your children do NOT ask the unsaved people of the world for their advice!  Bible-verses-and-scripture-quotes-about-fathers-1000x525

Love, Kathie