Advent Day 26 – Angels
If you are doing the Advent Log, Light candles 1-26
Angels
Hark the Angels Sing
Angels
messengers from God.
warriors from God.
protectors from God.
In this case, I believe they were just so full of Joy that their star quarterback was now in the game!
They were there when God created the earth.
They were left in heaven when satan and the other angels fell.
They were there when Adam and Eve brought death into the world through sin.
They knew that God the Father had a plan, but they didn’t know what it was.
All they knew was what they were told when they were sent as messengers.
And today was the day – The Son of God was going into the world to make everything right! Lucifer had not won. The great plan, that had been foretold in multiple prophecies was being unfolded right before their eyes. This was the beginning of Peace on Earth, good will towards men!
Crocheted Angels
Luke 2:10-12
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
This was the message they had been waiting to give!
And once it was given:
Luke 2:13-14
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
For now – I am thinking about the ones that were part of the declaration of Christ’s birth. And I wonder, do I declare Christ’s birth, death and Resurrection with my life, as a light Jesus told us to be? He came as the light in the darkness, and I am to be the light of the world – my life should shine the light of Jesus wherever I go. He came and died so that I might live, and declare the glory of God.
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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~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.
A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
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.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
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.
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I just realized it would have been neat to do something about the number of the day…”today is day 10, let’s talk about the 10 plagues…oh wait, let’s talk about the 10 commandments, instead!”
That’s not what is on my heart today. Today I awoke with the scripture “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.” That’s all I got. Over and over and over.
Zeph 3:17 KJV The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Sounds good, eh? But, to get the gist of what Zephaniah was prophesying, I thought I’d read the whole book, all 3 chapters! And, I did it in English Standard Version, so I didn’t get stuck on the KJV terms.
Zeph 1:2 & 6 ESV “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD…. those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.”
Zeph 1:7 & 14 ESV Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests….The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.
And the cry to the true followers:
Zeph 2:1-3 ESV Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, before the decree takes effect —before the day passes away like chaff–before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.
A Warning to those that are supposed to be believers:
Zeph 3:1-2 & 4 ESV Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law.
To those that are supposed to know Him, and don’t….
Zeph 3:5 ESV The LORD within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.
God gave His believers a chance, with His word, with His touches in our lives, with His Son, Jesus Christ:
Zeph 3:7 ESV I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.
Zeph 3:8-20 Is for those that have not turned their hearts away from God – it is His promise for His coming Kingdom after the Tribulation. And then, there is joy.
Zeph 3:14-15 ESV Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.
And, the Creator of the Universe, the one that made me, that set laws into motion, that decreed behavior that would honor Him, and gave the only pathway to eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ, after having fought all that were my enemies says he’ll do this:
Zeph 3:18 ESV I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
I really embrace this one!
Zeph 3:19 ESV Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
Change my shame? into praise? save the lame? gather the outcast? I represent this promise! I’ll take this one, too!
Zeph 3:20 ESV At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the LORD.
I don’t know about this one…I have no fortune to be restored…but I know where my treasures are laid up! The promise is that while life here is hard, there is a better day. The promise is that the Lord will return, just as surely as the ones hearing this prophecy knew that Jesus was coming. He came first as the servant King, to deliver us from our sins, so that we could choose to heed this exhortation:
Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
ESV- He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
NLT No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
It is hard for me to imagine, the God of the universe doing this for me: Zeph 3:17 ESV –
The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
I can hardly speak at this thought…..I can only imagine….
If you like the song – please support the band Mercy Me – I have.
1 The 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
I told the Lord, no one wants to read such a downer of a blog. He said “write it.”
I told the Lord, no one would read this blog, and He sent me to 1 Thes 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The Lord’s return is closer now than it was in Jesus’ day or Paul’s day – and the world is fulfilling all of the prophecies. But, we can be encouraged that the God of all creation has chosen each of us, and as long as we are on God’s side…His return will be like the arrival of the allied forces into the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. Rejoice!
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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,
To the Only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)
Thank you for joining me on this journey,
…show me that God was right…and leave a comment here, saying you read this.
…and please, if you think this is relevant, share it with others…we need to gather the faithful, and to strengthen one another in Christ.
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing beneath the shadow of your wings.
