Tag Archives: Christian

100 spiritual walking steps – 27 – the festivals along the way

~I apologize, before hand, for the inconsistencies in this post, as I am using a speech to text program, and have only one hand with which to type. please give me grace for the mistakes.

Right now, the Jewish community is celebrating Sukkot. This holiday began the evening of October 12 and continues until the evening of October 19. Everyone else, especially the pagans, are preparing to celebrate Halloween. Although the celebration is always October 31, the communities celebrate Halloween on various days to make it safer for the children.

How does one walking along the path of life choose which festivals to participate in? Or DO you participate in any festivals?

Because I am a Christian, and because I try to live my life through Biblical principles, I will not be discussing festivals of other religions. I will be discussing festivals/holidays, celebrated or not celebrated, by the various forms of Christianity.

There are some in the Christian faith that don’t celebrate any holidays. Their thinking is that the Jewish festivals are gone/past because we are not bound by Jewish law under Christ, and the so-called Christian festivals were Christianized pagan holidays, and we should not participate in the holidays of the pagans.  Some take this as far as to not celebrate birthdays. Some will not celebrate the national holiday because of the rebellion to the authorities of that day.

On the other hand, there are those of the Christian faith that celebrate everything, with no difference from the world. their position is, it’s all in fun!

As for my personal opinion and position, I am torn.

When Jim and I married, Jim was not that big on holidays, but I had sweet memories of them.   In the beginning, Jim and I chose not to celebrate holidays in the same way as the world. Then we joined a church that exposed the pagan origins of Christmas, Easter, and Halloween.  At this point we stopped celebrating holidays, except Thanksgiving and birthdays.  This caused a great rift with our extended families.

When the children came along, and the first one went to public school, I decided to focus on the Christian aspects of the US holidays, such as Christmas.   Everything we did related to a Scripture verse, or Biblical principle, to be tangible lessons about God’s grace.   We didn’t do Santa because we didn’t want to lie to our children.  We did do Nativity scenes, but made sure they understood that there were no Kings at Jesus’s birth.
My purpose was to give them a godly worldview in the midst of an ungodly world, something to hold onto, that illustrated our difference.

We did participate in harvest festivals as opposed to Halloween parties.  But as we participated in the Halloween alternatives our children asked us what was the difference.  In our understanding of the Bible, and the origins of Halloween, we felt it was a pagan holiday and as Christians we should have nothing to do with pagan celebrations.  Our children concurred, therefore we quit. “and a little child shall lead you”(Is 11:6)

Today, I am looking into the Scriptures that talk about not participating or joining in any way the ways of the pagans.  That said, I do not believe that it is right to throw out an error free thing that evil has used for a sign for itself.

  • God gave the rainbow to Noah as a promise. -error-free
  • Homosexuals have used the rainbow to declare their opposition to God’s design in Genesis.
  • do we throw out the rainbow?
  • The Bible says in Psalm 8 that creation declares the glory of God, God created the Evergreen – error-free
  • Christmas trees go back to the pagans,do we have to give the pagans the evergreen tree?
  • Doesn’t God teaches about eternal life with that?  Didn’t God create the evergreen tree first?

****but what to do with this passage in Jeremiah?

Jeremiah 10.2-4 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the people [are] vain: for [one] cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

I cannot get over the fact that this sounds like a Christmas tree.  But not an evergreen tree, growing in the forest. Man has taken what God meant for good and used it for evil.

  • I believe that Judaism is the foundation of Christianity.
  • I believe that God intended celebrations and therefore instituted them in the Jewish religion, as a remembrance His works before the eyes of his people.
  • I believe that God wants us to celebrate, and that the celebrations are meant to remind us of His activity in our lives.
  • I believe as Christians that we should participate in communion (the Lord’s supper) as a remembrance of what Christ did for us on the cross.
  • In that regard, awhy we don’t celebrate the feast of the Tabernacles as our Jewish brothers and sisters do but with the glorious knowledge that the foreshadowing as been fulfilled in Christ’s birth, God Tabernacle-ing with us.
  • why don’t we celebrate Passover, the great foreshadowing of our deliverance?

Do we throw away the Old Testament? is celebrating the biblical feasts really being bound by the law?  I don’t believe Jesus came to abolish the Old Testament but rather to fulfil it.  And if the same celebrations were good enough for Jesus, why not remembering Him in the celebrations that He fulfilled?

As the day nears for Christ’s return, I want to be sure that when He calls out my name I am not entangled with things of this life. I am 51. If God grants me the gift of 70 years I have 19 years left. (Ps 90:10) I have 19 years, 29 maybe, to give, to serve my Lord Jesus.  No man knows the day that Christ will call him home.(Luke 12:16) When He does call my name, what will He find me doing (Luke 18:8)? I have been convicted that while I believe there is room to have parties, to have fun, to laugh, to sing, yes, even to dance, I need to number my days (Ps 90:12), and to the best of my ability to all things to the glory of God (I Cor 10:31).

Since we are in October, and Sukkot and Halloween are upon us, I an going to post links for these two holidays, and let the reader decide.

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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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100 spiritual walking steps – 26 – an inconvenient truth

~I apologize, before hand, for the inconsistencies in this post, as I am using a speech to text program, and have only one hand with which to type. please give me grace for the mistakes.

Isaiah 28.9-10
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? [them that are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little:

For many many years we have looked at this as the process for learning God’s will. Oddly, we had never paid attention to the context of Isaiah 28.
In verses 1-8, God condemns the pride of Ephraim. In the previous chapter, God condemns the iniquity of Jacob. Yet one chapter previous, in chapter 26, He called out those who are His people:

Isaiah 26.20-21 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

The very verse that we have chosen and understood for learning the ways of God and His path for our life is surrounded with the context of God destroying the wicked.

Isaiah 28.13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Really? Would a loving God send His word out to judge people?

Isaiah 55.11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.

this sounds like a good thing

Hebrews 11.7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

how many of us teach our children that Noah’s Ark, that Noah’s life, that Noah’s faith condemned the world?

Barnes notes on the Bible,
He condemned the world – That is, the wicked world around him. The meaning is, that by his confidence in God, and his preparation for the flood, he showed the wisdom of his own course and the folly of theirs. We have the same phrase now in common use where one who sets a good example is said to “condemn others.” He shows the guilt and folly of their lives by the contrast between his conduct; and theirs. The wickedness of the sinner is condemned not only by preaching, and by the admonitions and threatenings of the Law of God, but by the conduct of every good man. The language of such a life is as plain a rebuke of the sinner as the most fearful denunciations of divine wrath.

The fault was not Noah’s, but those that chose otherwise:

Ez 33.5 They heard the sound of the horn but ignored its warning. So they are responsible for their own deaths. If they had taken the warning, they would have saved themselves.

so the danger in hearing the word and not obeying is this:

FALL BACKWARDS

Luke 9.62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 17.32 Remember Lot’s wife!

what a set of warnings! And if that’s not enough, read James 1.6-8; 2Peter 2.20-22

BE BROKEN
by being in this curse, this is obviously not talking about a broken and contrite heart, as in:

Psalm 34.18 The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalm 51.17 The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

this word broken is not attached to the word heart or spirit.

Matthew 21.44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

I have always understood Matt 21.44 to mean that if we fall upon the chief cornerstone we will have the broken and contrite heart that produces change. If we do not, that stone will fall upon us and “grind us to powder.” The Pharisees, whom Jesus was talking with, apparently felt the same way in the verses that followed.( Matt 21:45-46)

Isaiah said it this way, in a prior chapter:

Isaiah 8.13-15 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and [let] him [be] your fear, and [let] him [be] your dread.
14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

SNARED AND TAKEN
Strong words, scary results.
Moses taught to separate yourself from the ways of the world to not be snared by them.

Deuteronomy 7.25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold [that is] on them, nor take [it] unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it [is] an abomination to the LORD thy God.

Deuteronomy 12.30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods?” even so will I do likewise.

Psalm 9.16The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

Solomon warns us about being snared by our mouth:Proverbs 6.2; Proverbs 12.13

but the evidence of the greatest snare was Eve in the garden.

Genesis 2.17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

personally, I would like to point out verse 17 comes before verse 22, in which the woman was presented to Adam. I would love to believe that Eve if was just weaker, and therefore the whole responsibility for this great catastrophe falls on Adam. He was the one that got the word from the Lord!

But, and there is a huge but…. Her answer to the snake shows she was aware of the word of God.
Genesis 3.1-3

  1. Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
  2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
  3. But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

Eve was aware of the word of God.
She stopped moving forward in her obedience, and fell backwards. There is no standing still in God’s walk.
She was snared by the very things that snare us all;

1John 2.16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

She was taken – not only in the definition of being taken, like tricked, but in the definition of being taken as an taken captive.

She knew the word.
She had walked with God.
She let go of the truth long enough to have it twisted by the father of lies.
She let down her guard. (she did not take advantage of the covering God gave her)
She was taken by the thought of fulfilling her pleasure rather than honoring her God.

Our lives are judged by the word of God.
Every person will stand before Him in judgment.
This is an inconvenient truth to those who choose not to walk in the path of righteousness.

Romans 1.18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed [it] unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

The verses that follow in Romans 1 are quite sobering.
but what about those who have never heard?

Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 [There is] no speech nor language, [where] their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

There it is!” their line…” God speaks His word through His creation even if the written word is not available. I’m not going to go into how creation declares the glory of God, but no one will stand before God and say “I did not know.” Christian apologetics has some pages about proving the existence of God.

Romans 1.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

If anyone reading this does not know how to fall upon the chief cornerstone so that they will not be crushed and judged harshly, I have great news! THE loving God provided a way, an ark, a path for deliverance.
God, in his great mercy, Who provided the sacrifice for Adam and Eve, Who provided the plans for the ark for Noah and his family, has provided the Lamb to pay the price for our sins.

Here are a few places to go for more information on how to get right with Jesus:

Fit 4 Heaven?
God’s simple plan
God’s plan of salvation by Chick

My desire with this study is that we will all study to show ourselves approved.

2 Tim 2.15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

As for me, I need to move from milk to meat:

1 Corinthians 3.2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able.

Why couldn’t Paul give them meat? they were still carnal(1 cor 3:3)

Hebrews 5.12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which [be] the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

I’m an older woman, mother of five, wife of 31 years, Christian of 42 years. By this time, I should be able to “eat strong meat”, and I am called by Scripture to teach younger women. Therefore, I have no business needing to go back to the first principles, but I should be walking in the meatier things of God. The first principles, of walking with God, should be habit, my first love should burn brightly and my life should be declaring the glory of God, just as Noah’s life judged the world.

Acknowledging and declaring God’s judgment against sin in the face of the “peace, peace” doctrine of today can make people angry. In the face of diversity and tolerance, and at the risk of being flagged as hate speech, I will declare that God hates sin, and if the sinner does not turn, judgment in the end, eternal hell will be their reward. Sadly, in our day, it is now illegal to preach God’s word against sins that can, that will, deliver people into eternal hell. In America, Christians no longer have free speech.

Romans 1.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

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

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100 spiritual walking steps – 25 – at a crossroads

~I apologize, before hand,  for the inconsistencies in this post, as I am using a speech to text program, and have only one hand with which to type. please give me grace for the mistakes.

Have you ever been at a crossroad?
I mean, we’ve had big crossroads,

are we going to sin, or choose Jesus?

but I’m talking about more specific things to ourselves.

Like for me, I’m being convicted about what I put in the Temple of God.
Understand I’ve been convicted before, but this time it’s like I’m at a crossroads, before it was just stuff to work on while I was walking down the road headed towards being like Christ.

Now, it’s like there are some things that if I hold onto them I will have gone down the wrong road. None of them are “sin” in the eyes of most, or in many interpretations from the Bible. These are things specific to me, between me and my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I have several things at this point that God is holding up in front of me, and it’s like I can’t go forward with him unless I drop these things.

One is about headcoverings. this comes from first Corinthians 11
Another is wearing dresses. this comes from first Timothy 2
then there’s the food I eat.

1Cor 3:17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.

Actually, it’s all about how I treat the temple God.

These could be a legalistic issues, but for me it’s something the Lord is working in my heart for many years. What is the struggle? why do I have a problem? Am I…

  • sitting on the fence?
  • regretting my hand to the plow?
  • wondering how much is worth sacrificing?

I’ve heard the teachings that first Corinthians 11 is for the social issues of the day. well, specifically, first Corinthians 11….

I can’t even separate the verses about headcoverings without separating the verses about Christ being the head of the church,or man is the head of the woman, or God is the head of Christ. 1 cor 11…..can you?

what does this mean?

John 15.10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

OR

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

OR

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

I put my hand plow, I don’t want to turn back.
I’ve been sitting on the fence for way too long.
How much is worth sacrificing for the One who sacrificed His life for me?

can I give up everyday ice cream?
can I wear a scarf on my head?
can I wear dresses and skirts?
Is that too much to ask from someone who bought me with His blood?

I’ve done it before, and quit because it bothered others.  It didn’t line up with their interpretation of the Bible.  They felt my life, my practices, were judgments on them.

Is that really my problem?  No I don’t want to be a stone around the necks of those who have not studied the Scriptures enough to stand on their own.  But does that mean I compromise what God has put in my heart?  Or does it come down to the 10 virgins, and I’m giving up my oil to those that did not gather enough for themselves?

Like I said, I am at a crossroads with things the Lord has put on my heart, and my understanding of Scriptures.
My crossroads is this,

are you going to obey what I have shown you?
yes or no?

the bottom line is, am I going to say yes Lord, and trust others to Him?
Oh yeah, one question I’ve been asked by those who I have shared this struggle with is, what does Jim say?
Jim likes me wearing headcoverings
Jim likes me wearing dresses
Jim would like me to eat healthy

So then, the other crossroads, am I willing to give up”fitting in” to please my husband, and obey my God?

As I write this out, I’m shaking my head. By God’s grace, I will walk out my specific commandments with courage, with grace, with peace and with out condemnation or fear of what others might think.

and today, on Facebook, from my friend Pam Dodson, I read this quote

“When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.” C.S. Lewis

there’s really nothing else to say.

 
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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!
 

there are giants in my land – part three

~It would seem that part three should be the third giant, but it’s only the second. I explained the giants in number one, and discussed the giant of fear in number two.

The second giant that has overshadowed my life is the giant of depression.

Many people think that the opposite of depression is happiness. Happiness is based on what happens around you, and joy is based on your Jesus relationship.

There is a simple circle that brings this truth to life.
Jesus came that we may have joy

John 15.11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full.

In the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy

Psalm 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.

The joy of the Lord is our strength

Neh 8.10 : for [this] day [is] holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

We can do all things Christ Jesus who strengthens us…

Phil 4.13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

…Because Jesus came that we might have joy

John 16.24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

So the bottom line is, if I’m depressed, where my dwelling?

Several years ago I wrote a post called “The Oil of Joy”, and that was the beginning of my battle with the giant of depression. The giant of depression had been around for quite a while, but this is when I started to learn how to battle. Here it is.

Joy is a choice. This is what God was telling me.

With my past experience with abuse, which plunged me into deep depression, medically declared not recoverable, as well as a mother with Bi-Polar/Manic-Depressive, and a daughter diagnosed as the same, as well as suicides running through the family spirit….Joy has been an elusive concept at times. I don’t take joy for granted. I respect the warning signs of depression.

It’s a choice? None of the above was a choice!
What choice do I have?

Psal 16:6 (KJS) The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant [places]; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because [he is] at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.

I can choose to trust in the Lord, look at what He has done for me, seek His counsel, hearken to His words, bless Him, set Him before me, and to stay in His presence, at His right hand.

Isai 61:3 (KJS) To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

I can choose to go to Him. He is glorified when I allow him to give me the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise of the spirit of heaviness…He wants to have the glory of being my joy! He knows that I am mourning, and has prepared a solution for it…before I was even conceived!

Hebr 12:12 (KJS) Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

My hands hang down when I am discouraged, my knees are feeble when I am afraid…..and then Lord says:

Nehe 8:10 (KJS) Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for [this] day [is] holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

He is my strength! If I let Him be my joy…then I will be strong..in Him!

2Tim 1:7 (KJS) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

He can calm my mind…when I am depressed, I do not have a sound mind…I am fearing…and that is not of Him! If I ask, He will give me the mind of Christ…and renew my mind. (Phil 2:5, Rom 12:2) He tells me to

1Pet 1:13 (KJS) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Last week, I was overcome with discouragement…when all in the house were sick or not up to par, and the plan wasn’t working, and there was so much to do. I had finally, taken a walk with the Lord…and had started to pull out of the dumps…but even the work of Saturday, the hugeness of it, without really even touching what I needed to get done for school brought me to my knees in tears. I went to my prayer closet (bathroom) and cried. Where is the joy? And He gently reminded me that joy is a choice…a choice of where I spend my time, where I place my heart, where I walk, and with whom I talk. In HIS presence is fullness of joy! I had been too busy doing what I thought He wanted me to do, that I hadn’t been with Him.

When I was marching around the house, thinking on the sins that were attacking our family, I had great joy…..from the presence of the King.

My prayer is(Acts 17:27-28) That in Him I would live, and move and have my being. That I would walk after the Spirit (Rom 8), (Gal 5:16-25) and live in the spirit-

Gala 5:25 (KJS) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

This is part of the Big Plan that God has for my family…

Jude 1:24 (KJS) Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

it was some time after this post that I changed my signature Bible verse to Psalm 63.7

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I learned that if I abide in the secret place of the most high and dwell under the shadow of the Almighty(Ps 91), nothing can keep me from singing.

I have written about the power of music to quiet demons in one’s head.

David played for Saul to quiet his demons. 1 Sam 16.23

God inhabits the praises of his people.  Psalm 22.3

Psalm 100 gives step-by-step how to abide in the Lord and in his joy with singing.

  1. A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
  2. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
  3. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
  4. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
  5. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

 

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

there are giants my land – part two

~editor’s note: while recovering from arm surgery, I am using voice to text software to write my blog.  There may be some strange words or phrases that I missed.  Please be patient me.  ~Christi

I touched on one of the giants in my opening post.
my life has been greatly overshadowed by the giant of fear.

  • fear of monsters in the dark
  • fear of rejection
  • fear of abandonment
  • fear of anger
  • fear of failure
  • fear of success
  • fear of large groups of people
  • fear of dying in fire
  • fear of men
  • fear of man
  • fear of competition
  • fear of leaving my home
  • fear of getting lost

I’m sure I am missing some. Many of these fears go back to fear that came from the “monster in the dark”. I could list these almost, in a tree of fear that grew out of trust being betrayed.  But the point is, once this giant fear entered my life, it had permission to reproduce many variables.

The Bible doesn’t really talk about many variations of fear.

  • fear of God
  • fear of man

The ratio, is quite interesting.

Prov 9.10 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.

Job 28. 28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding.

Psalm 111.10 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.

Proverb 1.7 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 15.33The fear of the LORD [is] the instruction of wisdom; and before honour [is] humility.

Prov 29:25The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

In just this selection, it is 5 to 1 for the fear of the Lord.  I’m not going into what the fear of the Lord is, just the fact that if were going to fear anyone we should fear the Lord.

Psalm 91 lists many things that dwelling with God will protect you from.

  • snare of the Fowler
  • noisome pestilence
  • terror by night
  • arrow by day
  • pestilence in darkness
  • destruction at noon day
  • evil
  • plagues

Psalm 91.11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

The rest of Psalm 91 tells why God would do this, and if Psalm 91 isn’t enough to fight off your giant of fear, God gave us Psalm 27:

Psalm 27.1[[[A Psalm] of David.]] The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

In fact, the whole Bible is full of words of truth that tear down strongholds.

2Cor 10.4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Another of my favorite verses about fear is this:

2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

When someone is standing up to the giant of fear, 2Tim 1.7 is the perfect stone to throw.  What fears are not covered by power, love, and a sound mind?

God in his great mercy and wisdom, knows that in this world there will be fear.  Adam and Eve, with the first sin, were afraid to see God. Sin separates us from God, which separates us from his love, and replaces it with fear.  Separation was never God’s plan.

God intended for us to dwell in the secret place of the most high, and to live under the shadow of the Almighty.

God intended for us to say “[He is] my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”

God never intended for us to dwell in fear.  Therefore, he has already taken down this giant, and all we have to do is speak the truth, embrace the truth, walking the truth, and rejoice in the victory that is ours through Christ.

When the giant of fear comes around, we can put the stone of Psalm 91 or 2Tim 1.7 into our Gospel sling and speak the truth in Jesus name, just as David did with Goliath:

David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 1 Sam 17: 45-46

As we shout the truth to the giant, God will guide the stone to slay the the giant.

Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.

I thank you Lord, that you have given us the tools we need to take down the giants that attack us.  It isn’t armor that doesn’t fit, it isn’t swords that are too heavy, but they are weapons that You created specifically for us. As I said in my previous post, The weapons of our warfare are not carnal… And we do not war against flesh and blood.(2 Cor 10:4,Eph 6:12)

1 John 4:4 Greater is he that is in me then he that is in the world.(paraphrased)

 

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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

 

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #22 – Sleep Tight

Genesis 2:2-3 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Rest is ordained by God.

Ps 4: 8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
Ps 127:2 [It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: [for] so he giveth his beloved sleep.

When God created the world/universe, He created time.
He also created rest.
We are to give ONE day a week to resting in His presence.
I’m not talking about that kind of rest.

God created our bodies with this circadian rhythm that keeps us in balance. This is the rest I am talking about. Sleep is a blessing from God.

Harvard Women’s Health Watch agrees:

Importance of Sleep : Six reasons not to scrimp on sleep
January 2006

A recent survey found that more people are sleeping less than six hours a night, and sleep difficulties visit 75% of us at least a few nights per week. A short-lived bout of insomnia is generally nothing to worry about. The bigger concern is chronic sleep loss, which can contribute to health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and a decrease in the immune system’s power, reports the Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

While more research is needed to explore the links between chronic sleep loss and health, it’s safe to say that sleep is too important to shortchange.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

  • Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
  • Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
  • Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
  • Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
  • Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
  • Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

There is a reason that sleep deprivation is a huge part of brain washing and torture! Wikipedia has an article on Sleep Deprivation with more than you’ll ever want to know. My point for including it here is that there is a section that discusses sleep deprivation as a from of Interrogation.

In my personal life, with a depressive disorder, if I do not sleep well for a period of time, I have had psychotic events that have caused various difficulties.
I have also had times, because of dreams or night terrors that I have been afraid to go to sleep. I have cried out for those promises.

In order to be able to walk, one must have the strength to walk, whether mind or body. Sleep is God’s way of restoring our bodies. How can we restore what we may have lost?
In this Helpguide about Sleeping, it talks about paying off the sleep debt:

Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you need and the hours you actually get. Every time you sacrifice on sleep, you add to the debt. Eventually, the debt will have to be repaid. It won’t go away on its own. If you lose an hour of sleep, you must make up that extra hour somewhere down the line in order to bring your “account” back into balance.

I have never seen a plan for paying off the sleep debt, but this makes sense to me. Find time that you can go to bed at the normal time, and then, wake up with no alarm clock. They recommend a two week period, but not everyone has that flexibility. So do it on the weekends.

In the end – a good night’s sleep makes the next day much better.
And in the consideration of walking, every thing is much steadier.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures, and leadeth me beside still waters.

My Shepherd leads me to rest BEFORE I walk into the valley of the shadow of death! Not after.

In the creation story, a day is described Evening and morning were the first….day.
Rest comes first – then the strength to walk through the day.
Rest is ordained by God.

Ps 4: 8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
Ps 127:2 [It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: [for] so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Sleep is a blessing from God.

I am walking a race – and I do not want to become weary in well doing, and faint…therefore, I need to take care of this body, and rest as God has instituted.
Good sleep every night, and resting in His presence every week(another post later).

So – good night! Sleep tight! and love the Lord with all your might!
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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

Battle Plan for Comparison Blues – part 2

Battle Plan
An Antidote for Post Conference Blues or any Comparison Blues!

Every time I go to a conference, I come back with Post conference blues. I am so quick to compare myself and my children and my efforts with everyone else, and to take the talks terribly personally, that I am overwhelmed with my conviction, and am tempted to give up.

This year I recognized it a bit before going…with the issue of dress, and looks, and expected appearance. After we arrived at home, the blues hit again, and this time, I cried out.

Here is the antidote that God gave me: Part 2

I needed a battle plan….I was definitely in warfare!
I went to the obvious warfare passage:

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

I was fighting with my husband’s flesh, my children’s flesh, and my own flesh (the latter being the most difficult!). I was falling prey to those fiery darts big time…and they were coming so fast and so furious, and I was so beaten down, my shield was almost too heavy to lift up.

Psal 3:2 (KJS) Many [there be] which say of my soul, [There is] no help for him in God. Selah.
3 But thou, O LORD, [art] a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

Somewhere I was missing something…but that goes back to part one…I was missing my promises! As my dear husband meditated on 2 Pet 1, he taught us on these verses – more promises to add to those God gave me (mentioned in part one)!

2Pet 1:2 (KJS) Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Promises:

11) Grace
12) Peace
13) both of those Multiplied through the Knowledge of God and Jesus!
14) I’ve been given All things that pertain unto life and godliness (I can do it through Him!)
15) other exceeding great and precious promises that will make me to be a partaker of the divine nature
15 b) and to escape the corruption of the world through the lust thereof

So, God has provided a way, and I just have to wait, and rejoice. I was already crying!

Phil 4:4 (KJS) Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.
(James 1:2 always comes to mind when choosing to rejoice!)
Phil 4:6 (KJS) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Ok, so I am taking thought, caring for my children’s futures, how to schedule our days, our seemingly endless failure to complete wisdom books(homeschooling) on time, and the fact that our marriage is not the ideal marriage, our life is not always lining up with what we say we believe…all this added to the health issues….whew. I needed to just get quiet! Rejoice?!? Count it all joy?!? I was trying hard not to grumble and complain!

So, how do I take on the enemy? Well, I’ll have to tell you that in Part three!

PART THREE

PART FOUR
BACK TO PART ONE

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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

Battle Plan for Comparison Blues

Battle Plan
An Antidote for Post Conference Blues or any Comparison Blues!

Every time I go to a conference, I come back with Post conference blues. I am so quick to compare myself and my children and my efforts with everyone else, and to take the talks terribly personally, that I am overwhelmed with my conviction, and am tempted to give up.

This year I recognized it a bit before going…with the issue of dress, and looks, and expected appearance. After we arrived at home, the blues hit again, and this time, I cried out.

Here is the antidote that God gave me:

Ephe 6:10 (KJS) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Who can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might? Those that are the saved, called according to His purpose.

1John 5:4 (KJS) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Luke 10:19 (KJS) 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.

He kept telling me to wait

(Isai 40:31 (KJS) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint. )

and in meditating on that verse, I also came to:

Psal 27:14 (KJS) Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

So, what was I doing? My soul was disquieted…cast down, despairing!

Psal 42:11 (KJS) Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God.

And God says to me:

Isai 41:10 (KJS) Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
2Tim 1:7 (KJS) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

As an aside, I have been struggling with many health concerns. So, here I have God’s promise to

  1. renew my strength
  2. mount up with wings as eagles
  3. run, not be weary
  4. walk, not faint
  5. strengthen my heart
  6. my countenance shall be healthy through Him
  7. strengthen ME
  8. help ME
  9. uphold me with his right hand
  10. give me power, love and a sound mind

All of these promises spoke to specific items of prayer that I have had, that had burdened me down, causing me to believe that I was not capable of attaining the certain high standard.

I’m going to do this in sections…but God gave me a battle plan that may encourage some of you. Take it one part at a time!

Christi’s Bible Study Page

Graphics by Free Bible Studies

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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

Comfort From the Comforter –

Let me share something what the Lord led me to do, as I was in an MRI machine. I had meant to choose a verse to meditate on….but was met there by friends to stay with my son…and had not chosen one yet.

As I lay in the machine, with many strange noises, The Lord brought Ps 23 to mind.
Here’s how He did it:
The Lord (this is one of the acrostics He gave me)
L – oving
O– mnipotant
R – uling
D – ivine

IS
I AM that I AM, eternal, without beginning or end

MY
I was predestined and ordained to be elect,
He knows the plans He has for me!
He knew me before the foundation of the earth,
before I was formed in my mother’s womb

SHEPHERD
My sheep hear my voice and follow me (yes Lord, I will follow)
~ Saviour, Like a shepherd lead me…..

I SHALL NOT WANT
He owns the cattle on a thousand hills
My God shall provide all my needs according to His riches in Glory
If I delight myself in the Lord, He will give me the desires of my heart (even more of Him!)

Do you get the idea? He gave me a few more hymns and spiritual songs to sing, along with other verses. We got through to the still waters (Be still and know that I am God, <well, I didn’t have much choice…I had to lie still!>). He ministered to me for the whole 1/2 hour …..all to comfort me, and to keep my mind on Him while they did the MRI.

Where ever, or when ever we find ourselves in need of comfort, He will meet us, and bring the word that we have hidden in our heart to comfort us. And, He even works in us to glorify His name! He is so Awesome!

May you dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and hide under the shadow of the Almighty……(Ps 91)

(written 2000 or before)

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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #19 Water, Water, Water!

We need water!

SanFran 1998

San Francisco 1998 - a lovely moment watching water

On How Stuff Works, I asked, How much water is there on the earth?

There’s a whole lot of water on Earth! Something like 326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons (326 million trillion gallons) of the stuff (roughly 1,260,000,000,000,000,000,000 liters) can be found on our planet.

I wanted to know how much water makes up our bodies. At Wikipedia, I found out that:

In medicine, body water is 90 to 94 percent of the water content of the human body. A significant fraction of the human body is water.

The University of Arkansas provided this summary about the importance of water:

You can live as long as six weeks without food, but you couldn’t survive more than a week without water. Water or fluids that contain water fill virtually every cell and the spaces between them in the body. Water accounts for approximately 60 to 70 percent of the total body weight in a normal adult, making it the most abundant constituent of the human body. In terms of volume, the total body water in a man of average weight (70 kg or 154 lbs) is roughly 40 L (10.6 gallons).

Of course, as with any science, they differ with the previous amount that makes up our bodies – from 90 – 94 %(which did seem a bit high) to 60 – 70%. I’m not a doctor or a scientist, but between 60 and 94% of our body is made up of water!

Author note: The University of Arkansas article, Water-Drink Up is excellent info on the importance of water – during all of this heat, please read this and be careful!

aT A yAHOO Answer spot, I got this wonderful breakdown of our body’s make up!

Here is a summary of the common molecules found in humans:

Molecule……….Mass %…Molecule %
Water…………….65% ………98.73 %
Other Inorganic…1.5% …..0.74 %
Lipid………………12% ……….0.475 %
Other Organic….0.4% …….0.044 %
Protein…………..20% ……….0.011 %
RNA………………1.0% …….3 x 10-5 %
DNA………………0.1% …….3 x 10-11 %

By weight, we are 65% water, 20% protein, 12% fats, and a few incidentals on top of that. By number of molecules, we are pretty much entirely water.

Of course there’s individual variation, but the bigger factor is exactly what you are counting and how – by molecule count, there’s less than 2% difference between a person and a glass of water!

Symptoms of Dehydration –

Dehydration symptoms generally become noticeable after 2% of one’s normal water volume has been lost. Initially, one experiences thirst and discomfort, possibly along with loss of appetite and dry skin. This can be followed by constipation. Athletes may suffer a loss of performance of up to 30%[6] and experience flushing, low endurance, rapid heart rates, elevated body temperatures, and rapid onset of fatigue.

I did find the seriousness of dehydration.

Untreated severe dehydration may result in seizures, permanent brain damage, or death.

WATER = LIFE

It is nice that there are many, many places that will tell you how much water you need to drink, and most of them are selling water filters! The point? Clean water is BEST!

On the Clean Water Blog, there is a summary of the historical effects on water.

For Homeschoolers!!!Exploring the Environment has a quick read on the importance of clean water, and may have study unit of the hydrosphere.

Many of the world organizations, and the missionary organizations go in to a place, and the first thing is to provide drinking water. Even one of our favorite charities, Compassion, has a program to provide clean water, and many articles about how clean water has ministered to the communities in which Compassion serves.

WATER = LIFE

There is so much to write about, when writing about water.  Importance, cleanliness, wonderful aspects, and the ability to take it for granted.

I have been VERY guilty of taking water for granted.

A few years ago, I became electrolyte imbalanced because of performing a practice sprint Triathlon. I didn’t do it for time, I did it for completion so I had time to take care of things.   I was maintaining track of my blood glucose.  I was drinking  1- 20 oz. G2 between each event in an attempt to replace electrolytes and water.  Apparently, something got messed up, because after completing this mini triathlonI just wasn’t ‘right’.  Because we didn’t know the dangers of a diabetic over exerting in exercise, and the ease at which electrolytes can be washed out of a system…I crashed.  The beautiful water that was sustaining me had poured out of my pores, and pulled potassium, calcium, phosphorus and other important elements out of my system.  I became suicidally depressed and almost lost my life. I spent several days in ICU with IV electrolytes and bags of water being pumped into my body.

WATER = LIFE

 

Compassion International – Water of Life from Compassion International on Vimeo.

 
This will be a multi part post….This is the importance of water. And, if YOU have access to clean water, Thank God, and Praise Him! And consider helping someone else who does not.

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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!