Tag Archives: Bible Study

Itty Bitty Bible Study Ephesians 2: 20-22 living stones and the temple

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

For review – here is IBBS Ephesians 2:1-10 and IBBS Ephesians 2:11-19

 

A review from IBBS Ephesians 2:11-19, which you can skip if you are up to date:

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This section brings to mind the hymn “How Firm a Foundation” and “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand”.

How God created the body of Christ

Ephesians 2:20-22 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
21 The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord.
22 You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

LIVING STONES! stones are dead until God breathes life into them!

1 Peter 2:4-6 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4 Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it is contained in Scripture:

Look! I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honored[a] cornerstone,[b]
and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame![c][d]

At the beginning of this passage we are told to remember! What are we supposed to remember? On one side, we’re supposed to remember the we are nothing special apart from God. Apart from God we can do no good thing(John 15). In God we can do all things(Phil 4:13).

As we discussed in Chapter 2: 8 – 9 it’s by grace that we are saved through faith and that not of ourselves but it’s the gift of God! Not of Works lest any man should boast. (IBBS Ephesians 2:1-10) We cannot do anything to earn our salvation except to put our hands out and believe and receive from the hands of God!

What else is this that he’s talking about?

  • That we are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens that we are of the household of God.
  • That we are living stones.
  • That we are built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets that Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone.
  • We’re being built together into a holy Temple unto the Lord

 

Ephesians 2:22 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
22 You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How is this temple built?

Ephesians 2:20-22 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. 21 The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. 22 You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

What does this mean for us, and how do we apply it?
1st Corinthians 3 talks about the foundation and he who Waters and he who plants and he who harvests.

1 Corinthians 3:11 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
11 For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.

Then it goes on to talk about building with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and stubble and that every man’s work will be judged by fire.

THIS IS NOT SALVATION BUT EVIDENCE OF OUR LIFE COMMITMENT TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

1st Corinthians 3:16 know ye not that ye are the temple of God and the spirit of God dwells in you

That makes a very pretty little song but here is the second half, it’s following in our previous contrast and compare of the Flesh and the spirit

1 Corinthians 3:17 King James Version (KJV)
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

To know how serious God is about his dwelling place, just read the old testament about the tabernacle, the temple, or for that matter, his response to ones who touched the ark of the covenant that were not qualified. Jehovah God takes his dwelling place very seriously. Life and death seriously.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 King James Version (KJV)
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

If you read 1st Corinthians 6 Paul’s talking to us about making sure that we walk sanctified and that we should walk in righteousness. He talks about what will be in the kingdom and what won’t be in the Kingdom. He’s also talking that there’s a difference between what you eat as in legalism and the actual sins of the heart and the spirit if you start in verse

12 “Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is helpful.
“Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything.
13 “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will do away with both of them.
The body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
14 God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
15 Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body?
So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not!
16 Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh.
17 But anyone joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

I’m not talking about legalism and rules.
I’m talking about glorifying God in our bodies!
This is NOT Old Testament laws…this is new testament response!

Ephesians 2:10 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
10 For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

Remember that we are bought with a price…we OWE HIM EVERYTHING!!!
We owe him our lives!

Our choices can link us to God or the enemy.
Our choices indicate flesh or spirit guidance.
Our choices can bring us life or death!

Proverbs 18:21 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
21 Life and death are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

James 3:6 KJV
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 New International Version (NIV)
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

Back to the garden…they had a choice to choose life or death!

Genesis 2:16-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat[a] from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

Jeremiah 21 speaks judgement to Zedekiah, and yet, God gives the people a choice – life or death.

Jeremiah 21:8 Holman Christian Standard Bible
“But you must say to this people, ‘This is what the LORD says: Look, I am presenting to you the way of life and the way of death.

It’s all about choosing life or death, flesh or spirit!

Romans 6 talks about the fact that we are slaves to whomever we bind ourselves to…BUT IT’S A CHOICE!

Romans 6:16-18 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone[a] as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred[b] to, 18 and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.

The truth is, we are slaves.
BUT WE GET TO CHOOSE TO WHOM!!!

and then, the most beautiful thing happens when we choose Christ:
Galatians 4

Galatians 4:6-7 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

If that’s not special enough, Jesus said, in John 15:15:

I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father.

There is an understanding that a son of someone can represent their father, for good and for bad.

Ambassadors represent the nations for which they are elected. for good and for bad.
The same is true for us.

I’m trying to keep these shorter…so, I’ll talk about the HOW in the next section. For now, let’s worship!

For review – here previous sections:

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ephesians 2:11- 19 flesh and spirit

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

For review – here is IBBS Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2:11-17

Ephesians 2:11 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
11 So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands.

 

REMEMBER!
Lent day 11 we are called to remember what Christ did for us. This blog talks about the importance that God gives to remembering. Here we are, being told to remember something again!

What is Paul telling us to remember here in Ephesians?
That we have two natures.
That we are delivered from the old one, into the new one.
That we have responsibilities because of this great gift.

Romans 5:12 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Death through Adam and Life through Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things[a] have come.

Galatians 5:16-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
The Spirit versus the Flesh
16 I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.

I want to try to compare the flesh to the spirit.

flesh is  Adam….. spirit is Christ Romans 5:12

flesh is Judas (Lent day 9 and Lent day 15 )…..spirit is Peter (Lent Day 16)

flesh is worldly and old….. spirit is Christ and new 2 Corinthians 5:17

flesh loves not….. spirit loves 1 John 4:7-8

flesh listens to the world….spirit listens to the Word 1st John 4 5 & 6

flesh is of below and has died…..spirit is from above and is alive Colossians 3:1-3

flesh is  an Earthly nature(Colossians 3:5-11) ….. spirit is we put on new clothing of the Spirit (Colossians 3:12- 17)

flesh is baptized into death….. spirit walks in New Life Romans 6:1-4

flesh is Laws and death….. spirit is life with no condemnation Romans 8:1-2

flesh desires fleshly desires….. spirit desires spiritual desires Romans 8:5

flesh is death and carnally minded….. spirit is life and peace Romans 8:6

flesh is hostile to God, …..by implication the spirit is not Romans 8:7
 
flesh cannot please God….. spirit is in Christ   Romans 8:8-9 and Hebrews 11:6

flesh is dead and sin…..spirit is life and righteousness Romans 8:10

Romans 8:11 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.

THIS IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP AND PRAISE!!!

THIS IS THE MIRACLE OF SALVATION! we who were dead in our sins…which is everyone ever…when we ask the Lord Jesus into our lives, we are raised from the death of sin into the life of righteousness! HALLELUJAH!!!

Ephesians 2:12-15 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
12 At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.
14 For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh,
15 He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.

Here is the huge result of God’s gift to us through Christ:
The separation from the garden has been removed!
Our sinful selves have been brought near!
Our old dead flesh has been made new and alive!

HE BOUGHT US PEACE WITH HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS!
HOW CAN WE NOT BE GRATEFUL AND FULL OF WORSHIP????

Ephesians 2:15-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
15 He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.
16 He did this so that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it.
17 When the Messiah came, He proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

This is how God repaired the separation in the garden!

Ephesians 2:18 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

This is how God brought us into his family!

Ephesians 2:19 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household,

And this is how God created the body of Christ

Ephesians 2:20-22 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
21 The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord.
22 You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

LIVING STONES! stones are dead until God breathes life into them!

1 Peter 2:4-6 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4 Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it is contained in Scripture:

Look! I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honored[a] cornerstone,[b]
and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame![c][d]

At the beginning of this passage we are told to remember! What are we supposed to remember? On the one side, we’re supposed to remember the we are nothing special apart from God. Apart from God we can do no good thing(John 15). In God we can do all things(Phil 4:13).

As we discussed in Chapter 2: 8 – 9 it’s by grace that we are saved through faith and that not of ourselves but it’s the gift of God! Not of Works lest any man should boast. (IBBS Ephesians 2:1-10) We cannot do anything to earn our salvation except to put our hands out and believe and receive from the hands of God!

What else is this that he’s talking about?

  • That we are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens that we are of the household of God.
  • That we are living stones.
  • That we are built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets that Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone.
  • We’re being built together into a holy Temple unto the Lord

Ephesians 2:22 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
22 You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit! I’m going to go into that more about those last few verses in the next blog!

To conclude this blog, we have two natures that fight, and we need to choose which one will win.
There is a story about a native american father:

A fight is going on inside me,” said an old man to his son. “It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you.” The son thought about it for a minute and then asked, “Which wolf will win?” The old man replied simply, “The one you feed.

In the next blog, we’ll also talk more about how to feed the spirit within us! Psalm 37 will give you a heads up!

but for now…let’s remember that God has given us power to make this choice!

For review – here are the previous sections:

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ephesians 2:1-10 The situation

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

For review – here are the chapter 1 sections:

In the IBBS Ephesians Introduction, I shared my thoughts on Ephesians 1:1-2.
And here are the others up to this point:
IBBS Ephesians 1:3-6
IBBS Ephesians 1:7-14
IBBS Ephesians 1:7-14

Ephesians 2

Ephesians 1 is all about God’s love for us. At least, that is what Ephesians 1 speaks to me.
Ephesians 2 speaks to me of Grace. First, though, we need to see WHY we need Grace!

Ephesians 2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins
2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient.

  • Dead
  • trespasses
  • sins
  • ways of the world
  • according to…well, the devil

Who did we begin as dead in our sins??? In order to understand the greatness of God’s grace, we have to understand the WHY about the need.

We have to begin at the beginning, which is Genesis.
I wrote about this in Advent #6

For good measure, let’s start with Genesis chapter 2

  • God created a garden and it was good
  • God created man and he was good, except that it was not good that he was alone…
  • so God created woman, and she was good.
  • God created tress in the garden, and they were good…because the garden was good, creation was good, etc., etc.

There were two special trees…knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life.
One they were not to eat of…the knowledge of good and evil, because in that day they would die. Only ONE rule.

Genesis 2:10-17
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat[g] from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

They knew no shame or guilt:

25 Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.

Then came the enemy:
Genesis Chapter 3

There was ONLY one rule, ONLY one requirement, and everything else was paradise. Yet, their flesh got in the way!
Ephesians tells us that this applies to us as well.

Ephesians 2:3 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.

So does the rest of the Bible. The bible agrees with itself.

Romans 3:23 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
23 For all have sinned and fall short of the[a] glory of God.

Isaiah 64:6 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
6 All of us have become like something unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like a polluted[a] garment;
all of us wither like a leaf,
and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Genesis is the Old Testament. In the New Testament in Romans 5, we have at the example of how this applies to us today. read verse 1-11 for hope, then, here’s how God planned it.

Romans 5:12 through one man came sin through one man came salvation

Romans 5:12 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.

This is the problem – this is how genesis 3 applies to us!

Romans 5:14 through one man death reigned and through the other we have life
Adam was the protype of Christ

Romans 5:14 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a prototype[a] of the Coming One.

Romans 5:15 in the transgression of the one, many died but the free gift from the One is Grace to many
Romans 5:16 out of the transgression of one came condemnation and judgement, but because of the transgression of many, through Christ and his obedience we have the resulting justification – the gift.
Romans 5:17 from the transgression of one, death reigned. From the gift of Grace of One, Jesus Christ, we reign in life
Romans 5:18 through transgression of one came condemnation for many, but through the righteousness of the One came justification for everyone.
Romans 5:19 through Disobedience of one many were made sinners but through the obedience of the ONE many were made righteous

There will be an account made, and paid.

2 Corinthians 5:10 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
10 For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or worthless.

Romans 3:4-5 let God be true and every man a liar. God has a right to pronounce judgement!

The Gift of God

Ephesians 2:4-10

Ephesians 2:4-5 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us,[a] 5 made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

Ephesians 2:8-10 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

The judgement is real.
The effect is real.
The gift is real.
Simply put, there are “buts” to this situation!

Romans 5:8 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

Romans 6:23 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:13 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13 for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

How do we obtain this gift of God?

Some thoughts on choice from Lent day eight
Thoughts on Repentance from Jonah chapter 3
and, here’s one of my confessions as an example!

Now, I want to worship!
Grace by the Martins
Grace that is Greater than all our sins by Don Moen
Your grace still amazes me Phillip, Craig and Dean
and my favorite:

Ephesians 2:11-22 will touch on our two natures, and why we cannot do it, and why the gift of god is infinite in it’s worth

Josh Groban sings this…and many faith’s have put their own spin on this, but for me…this is my song of thanks to God, through Jesus Christ…because without Him, I am nothing!

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Nahum chapters 2&3

Nahum

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!) The conversation starts Monday, August 20.


Nahum 2 and 3 are all of the ways that God is going to destroy and wipe out Nineveh and Assyria.

God gives a warning….

Nahum 2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Attack against Nineveh
2 One who scatters is coming up against you.
Man the fortifications!
Watch the road!
Brace[a] yourself!
Summon all your strength!

I like it better in the NIV

An attacker advances against you, Nineveh.
Guard the fortress,
watch the road,
brace yourselves,
marshal all your strength!

I have seriously considered that these two chapters also describe, not on purpose, the destruction that will occur when Christ returns after the tribulation. That is the interesting aspect of the books of the prophets, they often have meaning in different timelines! In the end, this whole earth will be destroyed…and a new heaven and a new earth will be created. Revelation 21

I have created a summary of Revelation, from the end to the beginning. Nahum has really reminded me of the end times!

Back to Nahum:

Nahum 2:2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
2 For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob,
yes,[a] the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their vine branches.

Read Nahum 2:2 on the Bible hub….there are so many words describing ‘majesty’!

  • splendor
  • honor
  • excellency
  • glory
  • pride

All we need to know about how a slave feels we can read in the writings of so many. I think the earliest would be Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The King and I is a statement against enslaving people. Do a google search – and you can see how huge a topic this is, just in case you have been living under a rock! These qualities are stolen from slaves.

The Jews were slaves.

After years of crying out…some repentance…God heard their cry and set them free.
The American slaves related to the Jewish slaves…and made songs about being set free.
Go down Moses
Wade in the Water
For more Songs of the Underground, Wikipedia is a great source, of course.
The Harriet Tubman Historical Society has much information.

We were slaves to Sin…before we let Jesus in!

Romans 6
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

God promises to restore the glory, the honor, the pride, the excellency and splendor that being a slave stole from the people of Judah. He promises the same to us, when we are set free from sin, and the enemy! We must choose!

Dante’s Divine Comedy describes Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.
CS Lewis wrote about heaven and hell in The Great Divorce.

The point being that we have a choice. We KNOW the options, and we have a choice.
Nineveh had been warned.
She was warned by Jonah, repented and was delivered.
As is human, I wonder if they thought, oh, he preached hell and damnation, and it didn’t happen…why believe it again?
Children do that, don’t they?
We do that, don’t we?

As I said in IBBS Nahum 1:2b-15
Some judgments we see here on earth…some, at a future time.

Romans 2:5 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
5 But because of your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed.

We can store up the wrath of God…because we continue in hardness and unrepentant hearts. Are we even aware of this storing up? If not, our consciences are seared, and that’s a very sad situation.  Until then, it’s our choice.

I choose repentance!
And I choose to believe that it is an ongoing effort to maintain my heart right before God.
It is MY choice.
It is MY effort.
It is MY sacrifice on behalf of Him who sacrificed His live for me.
To be clear, I’m not talking about works here…I’m talking about relationship.

In IBBS Jonah 1 I shared part of my story, when I did NOT do what God wanted me to do…and I believe that I put myself in the path of judgement. To be honest, I’m glad that I did not have to wait for years and years and generations to see the hand of discipline upon me, and to help to turn my head back around. And this also speaks to the difference between judgement and discipline.

Hebrews 12 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart. 4 In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:
My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly
or faint when you are reproved by Him,
6 for the Lord disciplines the one He loves
and punishes every son He receives.

There is a struggle against sin…
There is a struggle to believe that the future prophecies will come to pass.
But God has given us several examples in the old testament to prepare us to not grow weary!

And God promises to restore “that which the canker-worm has eaten”… read Joel 2.
God will fight for his people, and restore the blessings to them/us.
In IBBS Joel 2, I shared my concerns for our world/country right now. This is an application for NOW.

Back to Nahum:
Nahum 2:3-15

This is something to read, holding in your heart that this what God does to His enemies, and to those that enslave his children. Think of this as God’s wrath against the devil and his fallen angels.

Nahum 3

4 Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute,
the attractive mistress of sorcery,
who betrays nations by her prostitution
and clans by her witchcraft,

This sounds very much like

Revelation 21:8 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
8 But the cowards, unbelievers,[a] vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

For the history,from a ‘unbiased’ view, I give you Wikipedia!
Nineveh
Assyria
Sennacherib

In Exodus, we see how God delivered judgement upon the pharaoh that enslaved the Hebrews.
I’ve done a little bit of research. If you don’t believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God, then, you might believe the archaeological studies that say that there’s no way that the Exodus happened.

For completion…Wikipedia shares two pages
The Book of Exodus
Exodus

The archaeologists say that there is no evidence.
That’s what they said for years about Nineveh in Assyria.

Archaeology is starting to confirm the Bible, but faith does not need that.
Hebrews 11:1

I’m going to place my faith in God!
And, in the unbelievable possibility that it is a parable for us, I still choose not to be enslaved to sin!
BTW, Jesus spoke of Moses…I believe Jesus!

Could you comment about how this speaks to you? How do you see Nahum applying to your life?

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

A Revelation Summary, the end to the beginning

Because the study I did was in the NIV Bible from Bible.com, via my Youversion app, I need to post this permission:

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

This is from the end to the beginning…this is not the usual way to read through any book.  Some read the end of mysteries first, which I do not understand. On the other hand, I do not want anyone to be mystified about what will happen at the end of the world…so, I start from the end, and move towards the beginning.  I only mention the letters to the churches, as those are pretty clear.

Epilogue: Invitation and Warning
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
Revelation 22:12 New International Version (NIV)

John and the Angel
6 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”
7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”
Revelation 22:6-7 New International Version (NIV)

What will not enter heaven:
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 21:27 NIV

Those that don’t get in
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Revelation 21:8 NIV

Who are not the Friends of God?
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:15 NIV

For what shall we be judged
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
Revelation 20:12 NIV

The enemy
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:2 NIV

Jesus, the warrior king
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
Revelation 19:11‭-‬13 NIV

The celebration
Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
Revelation 19:9 NIV

The why
In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
Revelation 18:24 NIV

Another call to repentance
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “ ‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
Revelation 18:4‭-‬5 NIV

Unrepentant – refused to repent
They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
Revelation 16:9 NIV

God is just
Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were; for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”
Revelation 16:5‭-‬7 NIV

Warning even in the end
He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
Revelation 14:7‭-‬10 NIV

Characteristics of the enemy
It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
Revelation 13:6‭-‬7 NIV

The plan of the enemy
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Revelation 12:17 NIV

The enemy
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.
Revelation 12:10 NIV

Unbelievers are angry
The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
Revelation 11:18 NIV

It’s God’s right
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
Revelation 11:15 NIV

To his prophets
And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
Revelation 10:6‭-‬7 NIV

Lack of repentance
The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Revelation 9:20‭-‬21 NIV

Breastplates red
The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.
Revelation 9:17 NIV

Who is permitted to be tortured
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Revelation 9:4 NIV

The bride
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
Revelation 7:9 NIV

Who can stand
They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
Revelation 6:16‭-‬17 NIV

How long
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.
Revelation 6:9‭-‬11 NIV

Now, a quick cover of the first books of Revelation.

Revelation chapter 5 talks about Christ is Worthy
9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign[b] on the earth.”

Revelation chapter 4 is John’s vision of heaven.
11“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

Revelation chapters 2, & 3 are the letters to the churches.
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 1 is the introduction, and John’s vision of the glorified Christ.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.

18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

The end is coming, but we can begin at the beginning.
Those that have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are part of the Bride of Christ.

Revelation 22:14
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

Ephesians 5:22-33
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Revelation is not to be scary, but to be a warning.
Revelation is an invitation.

Revelation 22:16-17
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

COME!

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Surgery Scuttlebutt, part six – surgery and recovery

I’m home! It’s been over two weeks since I’ve shared anything…and I wanted to share the update! Surgery was July 17th. I was in the hospital for 7 days.

If you don’t know what scuttlebutt is, please check out

Intro, part one, part two, part three and part four

If you want a great book to help you prepare for, and recover with, please check out Healing and Hope by Christine Carter. Tell her Christi sent you!

I finally got to Chapter 7. Adjust your lens.

The day before surgery, Jim took me to a very unique hotel, the Tudor Arms in Cleveland, Ohio…just down the road from the Cleveland Clinic.

I wanted to have a restful evening with my husband, and that is exactly what we did.

The outside of the hotel is beautiful.

The history of the hotel is amazing.

The entry was intriguing!


We loved the room.

We had a great supper,


And then we went exploring.
In the rooms that were for banquets and balls, there were details that were amazing, but when you stepped back, you could see the whole picture! Go to the website and look at the beautiful weddings!





 

The next day would be my surgery. This whole surgery scuttlebutt series has been how I could be focused upon the minutia of the issue, but instead, I have been encouraged to widen my focus to see the larger picture, and in that larger picture, I have seen the hand of God.

When I widen my focus, then, when I narrow down into the details, I can see God’s hand, even in the little things.
I was unaware of doing this, until I read chapter 7 – Adjust your lens.

Christine had been encouraging me to be intentional in my healing…via the book.

We must be intentional with our thoughts and expand our vision to include the full scenery we are leaving out.

Here are a few of the things that happened while in the hospital:

  • Our daughter Faith was able to be at the hospital with me because of a scheduling boon with her mother-in-law, making it possible to have the children babysat. She braided my hair after the surgery. Big Picture? LOVE!
  • A dear friend came to visit – and one night, it was so perfect because Jim was exhausted and he felt free to go to the hotel, since our friend Suzanne was there with me! The Big Picture? God will provide for our needs!
  • Jim’s cancer treatment got messed up and he had to have some medicine shipped, and it arrived the day after my surgery. Jim and I had forgotten my CPAP for recovery in the hospital. The day of the surgery, our daughter Faith had been asked to bring it, but she forgot. We were able to not make this detail a bit thing. God took these details, and the big picture was that Jim drove back home for the CPAP, was able to pick up his medicine and continue his treatment while staying at the hotel near the hospital! The Big Picture? God had it under control, with all of our frailties in mind, and the possibility that Jim would not have driven home for the medicine except that he needed to pick up the CPAP!
  • My first roommate was apparently a very angry person. I barely remember. Jim remembers her well. He was trying to figure out how he was going to get me transferred so that I was not with her yelling angry presence. She decided to get up, pack, and leave AMA – he says she walked out of the room, yelling, someone get here and take this IV out of my arm…I’m going home! Big Picture? I know that I felt bad for her, and was praying in my drugged state, but God had already made sure that I would have a peaceful room…the woman made her own choice to leave.
  • I had two other roommates during the 7 days, and as they were preparing to leave, they came over to my bedside and sat down and visited with me. I was drugged, so I have no idea why they became so friendly. the Big Picture? When you pray that you will be Christ like, sharing Christ’s love no matter what, people are drawn to you. Jim says that my character was gracious, compassionate and apologetic for bothering the nurses, even drugged.

From Help and Hope:

I finally discovered that if you can broaden your view – expanding the moments when your vision seems stuck – a massive shift in perspective happens.

When I think about my view, I think about this little house that God has provided us.
Out my bedroom window

Out the bay window….

On the swing and from the swing!

There are parks, and places that I can go to immerse myself in beauty. (these were taken on our 38th anniversary, less than one mile from our home!)

There are many other beautiful views…
My grandchildren, who love to come and say hi.
My friends on the internet that check on me daily, from all over the world.
I just have to look outside of myself – see the big picture, and then, I can drill down the focus and see the beauty of a butterfly, a vine ripe tomato plucked by my grandson, or a marigold that he brings me to cheer me up.

Looking at the big picture reminds me that

  • Even though there is pain…there is no infection.
  • Even though there is pain, there is no cancer.
  • Even though there is limited mobility, THERE IS MOBILITY!

The choice is to be grateful, to acknowledge my blessings, and then, my heart is content!

Isn’t that like looking at the stars and seeing HIS handiwork….

Psalm 19:1 King James Version (KJV)
19 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

and after reading the whole of Psalm 19, I drill down to MY response:

Psalm 19:14 King James Version (KJV)
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Part of adjusting my lens also deals with my mental illnesses – depression, PTSD, and anxiety. When I am in a ‘normal’ state, I feel – MUCH.
But I have been drugged…to help me not feel the pain.
I appreciate the “not feeling” pain, as much as the meds were able to help, but this also effects my emotional state, which is tied to the mental illnesses.

One of the concerns for this journey has been the chemical upset that the various medications will cause to my mental health. Even if one didn’t have mental illnesses, the normal mental person would have struggles with depression and being homebound and such. Therefore, we took measures to insure that I would not succumb to the enemy of my mind.

Just the other day, I read a blog by a dear lady that is also struggling with mental illnesses, and writes about her struggle. She opened my eyes to one of the things that I was experiencing…numbness. What is normal for us is to FEEL – BIG. Take that away, and we don’t feel alive. This can bring in some other issues, for me, such as cutting and bingeing…just to feel. These are some of my enemies.

Katie wrote Wait in the Middle, that so clearly explains this strange situation that effects those of us with emotional issues. I encourage you to go read this!

Back to the book, Help and Hope …I prepared.
I saw the big picture – I have illnesses that need medication.
I saw the big problem – without addressing it, I could relapse into suicidal depression.
I made small, detailed plans – meds were laid out for three weeks, photos of joy were put into photo albums, music to encourage was downloaded, a cd player was set up in my bedroom, and my medical providers were aware of the situation.

Have I had thoughts? not of suicide, Praise God – but I’ve started to have a pity party or two…and by being prepared, I was able to stop that party!
Have I gotten down? yes – and I started counting my blessings, because they were all around me…so the enemy couldn’t lie!
Have I had pain? Yes, and I was able to quote verse as things were being taken care of…to mentally handle the pain.

No matter where you find yourself in this journey, there are those that are willing to help!
In Surgery Scuttlebutt, part two, I talked about how I was afraid I’d be alone…and I have not been!

I hope that you have found something in my story to help you in yours. I have one more blog to share with you the various other things that I have learned…please stay tuned!

 
Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Introducing BlackWaterFalls Testimony – a book in progress

Why write a book about my past? is it relevant?
The purpose of this book is to shine a light on Darkness that is in our midst. Children are sexually abused every single day and it is ignored. Currently there’s even political people saying that it is okay for an adult to have sex with a child if a child is consenting. This absolutely blows my mind. How can a 12 month old, 18 month old, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 year old(for me, to age 12) actually know what they’re consenting to in the realm of sexual interactions.?

Think the church is safe? I tried to hide out in the church! Protect my children in the church!

And then there’s the church. Because the church is spotless and pure obviously there is no childhood sexual abuse within here! At least that was the false believe until we saw the Catholic Church go through serious problems with priests and nuns, and then the various Protestant churches, and then even in a group that we were part of that was very very intent on keeping girls and boys apart until marriage, it was exposed that the leader and his brother had had sexual situations with secretaries and children who were entrusted to him in his ministry.

What is my purpose? What is my goal?

I hope that my story can be used to take what has been whispered in Dark Places, in secret and shout it from the rooftops to bring truth and light into that darkness. It is because of knowing this truth and bringing this truth and shining the light of God’s word onto it in my life that I have been able to overcome. I hope, and I pray, that this book will help others to seek out the truth, release themselves from the guilt and shame, and even get to the point that they can forgive their abuser so that they are completely released from the chains of Darkness.

The break through came while I was hospitalized when the memories resurfaced.  Yes, there was a memory there for years, like one of those little tags at the back of the shirt that is irritating, but you ignore it.

For those that may wonder – the memories were confirmed by 6 different people – all of whom have gone on to their eternal reward.  

Here’s the Summary – created for a writing conference:

My Blackwater Falls Testimony, by M. Christine Wildman

The painting “Blackwater Falls” illustrates the river of my life journey.  The river journeys from hidden abuses, to a chaotic childhood and Christian confusion crashing me about in rock strewn rapids of teenage responsibility.  I am placed into a precarious life as a woman, with five children, and a marriage on the rocks, and I am propelled towards the waterfall plummet that ends in a violent crash.     The onslaught of repressed memories, the rejection from the church and family, and repeated self abuse issues threaten my ability to survive to serve God again.

How does a child handle 13 years of sexual abuse? What does that do to a teen as she looks forward to a future? Can a marriage make it with millions of IEDs lying in wait to destroy every tenet of trust? Can a human being learn to trust a God that allowed such things to happen?  And can a suicidal, mentally ill person become whole again?

As I learned to apply scripture to my situations, I learned to be still in the storms, embrace the storms, and even dive into the storms to obtain the nourishment for my recovery.  On the other side of the valley of the shadow of death, God is setting up a table for me in the presence of my enemies. It’s my job to walk with Him in the valley, so that I can get to the party!

Here is the painting that came out of me, and helped to set me free:

I’ll make a page to link the updates for this book…and I’d love to have your input!

 
Hi! Thanks for coming!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Surgery Scuttlebutt, part five

If you don’t know what scuttlebutt is, please check out

Intro, part one, part two, part three and part four

If you want a great book to help you prepare for, and recover with, please check out Help and Hope by Christine Carter. Tell her Christi sent you!

Tomorrow is S-day! my surgery. 

In part four, I talked about finding(being led to) our new church, and being blessed by the current sermon series.
I mentioned that I prayed that Pastor Keith would continue for this past Sunday.
AND HE DID!

He taught out of Psalm 91….

If you have never read Psalm 91, please bless yourself and do so now! I’ll wait! This blog will be here when you come back!

I wrote this blog in 2011 – What does Sonic Flood and Psalm 91 have in common?

This blog talks about how important it is that we confess with our mouth to obtain salvation.

That was the focus yesterday of Pastor Keith’s message….
SAY –
life and death are in the power of the tongue.

Proverbs 18:21 King James Version (KJV)

21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

There were four points to his sermon, but SAY – SPEAK were the big take aways for me!  There was faith not fear…and two others…but, SAY!!!

Jesus said speak to this mountain and it shall be removed.

Mark 11:23 King James Version (KJV)

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

  • shall say….
  • and not doubt….but believe
  • HE SHALL HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH!

Now – this is not a name it claim it thing…been there, done that. Never got the t-shirt! But, I did get burned!
God is bound to His word and His plans…it’s not saying I have a Ferrari and poof – I have a Ferrari….
No – it must line up with the promises that GOD has given us…AND, that the devil wants to steal, kill and destroy!

1 Peter 5:8-9 King James Version (KJV)

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

John 10:10 King James Version (KJV)

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Jesus was giving us power – over the enemy! Not to get rich!

Luke 10:19 King James Version (KJV)

19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Dear ones, we have an enemy…but Jesus has defeated him, and IN CHRIST… we have victory!

  • We can claim the promises of Abraham…
  • We can speak life to the death he wants to cause.
  • We can speak peace to the chaos that he wants to cause.
  • We can speak faith to the fear he wants to cause.
  • We can speak truth to the lies that he wants to make us believe.

we can…
WE CAN…
WE CAN…

IT’S A CHOICE!!!

We choose whom we listen to! – I wrote about this in Are you a Judas?

We have to choose Christ – I wrote about this in Lent day eight.

This past year, as I did the study on Lent, I studied Peter – and his choices.

The thing is…

    • we have a choice what comes out of our mouth.
    • we have a choice what goes into our minds AND STAYS!
    • we do have a choice what WE put into our minds!

Looking at this upcoming surgery..I HAVE A CHOICE!
I can be Christ like or I can be Christi like.
I can serve Christ or I can serve Christi.
Christi needs to be CHRISTi…Christ is greater, i am lesser.

Psalm 19:14 King James Version (KJV)

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Jesus said that I could speak to a mountain, and it would be removed.
I don’t have a mountain that needs to be moved…I have a cyst…a mass…a ‘suspicious’ mass that off the record has been called cancer. (legalese about why they can’t call it cancer without a biopsy, which won’t happen until after the surgery).

Yesterday, as the pastor was preaching about life and death in our tongues…I received a word…I believe…for me.

This preparation for surgery has been very interesting.

  • FIRST – God waited until the demon of suicide was defeated in my life(well, until I let go of that demon I’d known for many years…sometimes we become familiar with our demons and don’t know how to let go!)
  • SECOND – God waited until I was settled in with wanting to LIVE! (there is a difference between not wanting to die and wanting to live).
  • THIRD – God waited until I was ready to give up everything to follow his call – back to Ohio – to Youngstown, Ohio! (seriously, from my hometown, we didn’t have much good to say about Youngstown – and if I was coming back to Ohio, I was expecting to go back to MY hometown)
  • FOURTH – God timed the whole thing, from Faith’s house, to the timing of finding the mass, to finding the doctor that is the most experienced in the nation with this type of specialized removal of the mass and saving the kidney.
  • FIFTH – HE BROUGHT ME TO THE CHURCH HE CALLED ME TO 2 YEARS AGO JUST AS THEY ARE ABOUT TO MOVE INTO THE FULFILLMENT OF THE VISION OF A BUILDING…which I was a part of the announcement meeting!( I have to write up an update…because the Lord has orchestrated so much more since April!)

The word I received was to speak to the cyst that it would be removed.
I asked God to heal me…and that took a work of God to get me to the point that I even asked for that!
He didn’t “poof” heal me…and I have experienced that before, but rather, he orchestrated the above steps to get me to this doctor!
If he’d wanted the whole kidney out…he could have just had me do the surgery in January in Florida!
No, HE orchestrated events so that I met THIS doctor, that has THIS skill, and I am here.
I speak to the mass – MOVE!
I speak to the cancer – LEAVE!
I speak to all those that are involved in my surgery and care tomorrow – PEACE – CLARITY – WISDOM
and I speak to the enemy – GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN – YOU HAVE NO PLACE IN THIS STORY OTHER THAN THE BEATEN FALLEN FOE.
IN JESUS’ NAME
BY JESUS’ BLOOD
BECAUSE GOD PROMISED ME, IN CHRIST, BECAUSE OF THE PROMISE TO ABRAHAM AND HIS SEED!

Back to Sunday’s sermon. Pastor Keith shared a vision, very similar to a vision that I have had about that church…meaning that this is where I belong, for such a time as this! I can join in with the vision, but the reason I am sharing this is that Pastor sharing His vision, that was so similar to the one I’ve been given, just confirms that I am right in the middle of the will of God! That’s not always the case… it’s is what my heart desires, but, my flesh often sways my off track. I AM WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE TIME IN WHICH I AM TO BE!

I want to do a study on Psalm 91…but, my pastor just did an amazing one! In Part four, I gave all the instructions on how to find that sermon. look at the podcasts at Your Greater Life.

Better yet – read Psalm 91. IN THE AMPLIFIED VERSION!

And here’s a few bits that are crucial:
HE THAT DWELLS… do you dwell in the secret place of the most high? He is preparing a place in his mansion for me. Are you even invited into His presence? I was. and am. Do you know what that means? Do you think you are going to heaven?

I WILL SAY…I think I’ve covered that above.
TRUST …believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:11

Here’s the thing I’m getting at. Death is a risk whenever anyone goes into surgery.
I am at peace. I don’t fear the surgery, I don’t fear death. Why not? because I know where I am going!
Philippians 1:21 King James Version (KJV)

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Go ahead, read it in context….and for more info, I have shared my thoughts on Philippians 1:18-21.

YOU CAN KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING! I pray that each one that reads this will take this seriously.
Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation

Now, I do not believe that I will die…but rather live to declare the glory of God!

Psalm 118:17 King James Version (KJV)

17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.

God has not given me a spirit of fear….
2 Timothy 1:7 King James Version (KJV)

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

1 John 4:18 New International Version (NIV)

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

And God is perfect in Love!
Proverbs 18:10 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

10 The name of Yahweh is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are protected.

It is in the name of Jesus that I dwell in the secret place of the most high, and I am protected.

I pray that each person that reads this will also know the name of Jesus, by inviting HIM into your heart to be Lord and Savior, and to choose to dwell in HIS secret place.
He is my hiding place! And he can be yours!
Psalm 32:7 New International Version (NIV)

7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.

You are my Hiding place

He that dwelleth in the Secret Place.

A song to help memorize Psalm 91:

In looking for a Psalm 91 image, I ran across this lady’s blog about Psalm 91 – with free lock screens for your phone!

here’s an example

I also found this art by Hannah Pagel – that is absolutely beautiful…please check it out! And, yes, I did order one to keep in my bible!

I also found the image for ordering small cards of Psalm 91 at the Father’s Business. Great to have in your purse to share with those you pray for!

I also found a place for Bible Verse art….called, the Bible Verse Images!

another way that I have made images is via the youversion app. GREAT app for having your bible at your fingertips and bible studies, and our pastor puts our sermon series notes in there so that we can take notes right on the phone with the scriptures! woo hoo!

Freedom Word Ministries has a beautiful depiction of Psalm 91 – pray it out loud!

 

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Back Off! She’s MINE! Guest Post by my daughter!

I am so blessed to have children that will repeat the Bible back to me…as adults…as in, making sure I stay on the straight and narrow.
My daughter, Faith, has inspired me in so many ways with her mothering skills, her Godly focus on her marriage and her calling, and her humility.
I am so honored to share her first blog with you!
~Christi

Marriage is such a very spectacular and amazing adventure. It isn’t like anything else that we can experience in this life. In no other situation to do you come in possession of a person and in turn become another person’s possession. Not in the terms of a thing or a slave, but in a very unique and incredible way this person belongs to you and only you.

Throughout our lives we will have relationships with people who are “our people”. My mother, my friend, my son, my daughter. But in those relationships your “ownership” of those people is not exclusive. My mother is not just my mother, she is also my brother’s and sister’s mother. My friend is also the friend of other people. You get the picture. I do not have exclusive rights to these people, I share them with others. Yes they are mine but they are also part of other people’s relationships that mirror mine.

Marriage is something else entirely, in marriage I give myself to you and you give yourself me, excluding all others. My rights are not sharable or transferrable to anyone. You are mine and I am yours. There is no one else. It is because of this that I believe Christ used marriage as an analogy for his relationship with us, “I am the Lord’s and He is mine.” He is MINE! Have you ever seen a movie scene or read a book where the girl says, “Back off, he’s taken.”? You have a right of possession, a right of jealousy if you will. The Lord says He is a jealous God, he wants our hearts to be His and His alone. It doesn’t just go one way either – you have a right of possession of God. He has given himself to you as your bridegroom.

As I walk through my life I know that my husband is there to back me up, straighten me out, and lift me up. Because I belong to him, he will protect me with everything in his power and take me where I need to go. How much more so with God! I have a right of possession of Him, He belongs to me and I can believe that He is walking beside me, behind me and ahead of me, every minute of my life, constantly available to me because He belongs to me. In turn because I belong to Christ He has possession of me and stands in the way when things will harm me. He pulls on me when I need pulled. He tells Satan, “Back off, she’s taken.” How powerful is that?! “Back off, she’s mine!”

Today as you go through life stand tall knowing that not only are you fearfully, and wonderfully made, not only are you a work worthy of God, but you have a knight, a defender, a protector. This God man is actively, tirelessly, and passionately standing in the gap for you, taking the heat for you, and showering you with more love than you could ever ask for. Walk strong today because he says to you, “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.”

~Faith Gibson
mother of three wonderful boys
husband to my favorite son-in-law~

She is a stay at home mom, who homeschools her oldest, while overseeing the younger two.
She has asked me to move into her backyard, so I will be able to enjoy her wisdom face-to-face from now on!
I also am looking forward to grandbaby hugs and kisses and giggles and squeals!
I also think I have the best son-in-law in the world!

We love this family so much….

If you do not know if the above is true for you, here are two resources:
Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation

 

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

HE IS RISEN – a Resurrection Message from me

I’m not sure how this will work, but I want to try to share a message with you that the Lord gave me this morning as I was preparing for a sunrise Bible study on my porch.

 

https://www.facebook.com/mary.wildman.733/videos/2044181839136970/

For worship, music, and prayers – Please go to my Easter post – and rejoice with me!
 

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.