Category: Daily

Scripture for Wednesday, April 5 (4/5)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn church, Daily, death, faith, Inspirational, persecution, power, Satan, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, April 5, is Micah 4:5 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-Medium“All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.”

Nations rise and fall. Nations come and go. Nations are founded upon terror and aggression, or peace and democracy. Some nations follow religions which declare that peasants are peasants as punishment for previous lives, so must remain peasants. Some nations follow religions chosen by their national governments and must be followed upon pain of death.

But as strong as various nations seem to be, as much power as they use on their citizens, they do not last forever.

Instead, there is a forever nation ~ the nation of God, the kingdom of God. No matter what nation someone lives in, they can have “dual citizenship”. And by being a citizen of God’s forever kingdom, they will walk in it forever and ever.

 

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Scripture for Tuesday, April 4 (4/4)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, death, faith, forgiveness, governments, Inspirational, judging, persecution, power, prayer, Satan, truth, worshipLeave a comment

Update on our brother being threatened for his faith.  He received a phone call from the one who has been threatening him, this time demanding $50,000.  This happened to him four years ago when he was cornered in an alley and threatened with imprisonment for becoming a Christian if he did not pay $50,000.

He sent his family into hiding where they changed locations every night. (Kidnapping children and demanding $50,000 is common there among the Taliban, Al Quida, ISIS, etc. If you do not pay, they either kill the child or make them slaves the rest of their life.) He went to yet another province to hide and draw attention away from his family. He sold his house and they escaped to India. He could not find a job, so their only choice was to finish raising their children in a UN immigration camp or return home.  They returned to a different city and I think he paid them a periodic bribe after that.

He had only been a Christian a year at that time. This time he has been a Christian five years. When they called and demanded $50,000 yesterday, he refused to talk to them and hung up the phone.

Keep praying for this mighty warrior for the Lord.

BTW, his son has had to drop out of university and go into hiding with the rest of the family, so he has asked me for many Bible materials to study.  About a year ago when he was 19, he told his father, “I want to be a preacher some day. I know they will kill me, but that’s what I want to do.”

 

HS-COVER-KINDLE-GOLDThe scripture for today, April 4, is Psalm 4:4 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“In your anger do not sin.”

This seems like an impossibility. After all, when people get angry, don’t they lash out at other people? And yell and call them names? And show their temper? Maybe even throw a few things? After all, that’s the only way to get across to the other person that you are really angry.

Not so. If a child, for instance, does what s/he was just told not to do, we become angry. Angry at the dangerous consequence of their action. Angry at not doing something to make that child a better person.

We can choose to lash out at the child wildly so that our emotions mask our words. Or we can choose to talk calmly and explain the dangers that child was put in because of that action, or the missed opportunities. We can even punish a child without losing our temper. We can calmly but firmly tell them what their punishment is.

It is the same way with adults. If we lose our temper and shoot daggers with our eyes and rant and rave, all these things distract people from our words. Are we wanting to punish them or reconcile? Aren’t our words of explanation more important than the emotionalism and yelling? If we were hurt, just say so. If they hurt themselves, just say so.

While we’re at it, not all words help. Name calling does not help. Name calling is done when we choose not to explain how we feel.

Name calling locks the other person in and sets them up for future failures between us and them. Losing our temper during anger gets us off the issue and into sin.

Let us try to remain calm and then explain the problem in tones that the person who has angered us can truly listen to and learn from. If you have trouble doing this, practice when you’re alone. It will teach us to remain calm when we’re angry so we can explain how we feel, not how bad the other person is. When we are angry, we must not sin.

 

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#anger, #ire, #irrationality, #yelling, #shouting, #beating, #accusing, #scorning, #hating, #selfishsness, #ego, #patience, #feelings, #calm, #punishment, #hurt, #pain, #NameCalling, #failure, #temper, #sin, #consequences, #solution, #reconciliation

Scripture for Sunday, April 2 (4/2)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, blessings, Daily, good works, Inspirational, Life of ChristLeave a comment

UPDATE ON OUR BROTHER WHOSE LIFE HAS BEEN THREATENED: 

In March, another brother in Iraq was threatened with imprisonment for being anti-Islamic. He was summoned to court and asked us, “Pray that I do not denounce Jesus, my Lord.” Hundreds of Christians prayed for him.  The judge threw the case out. (Prayer is so powerful.)

I asked that brother if he had any advice for his brother in Afghanistan. Among other things, he said, “You must also know that the one who defends you is Christ himself and that all those who confront you will be afraid of you. And you should know that the prayer that Mum Katheryn and all of us will make miracles. Therefore, Rejoice, then rejoice and rejoice. Because you will prevail.”

So, John Mark, though still very frightened, decided to face the jaws of the lion head on. He decided to go back to work and try to act normal (though his family is still in hiding). He wrote me last night, “Dear Mum I am fine and went to work today.  No one catches me.”

Keep praying. Prayer is so powerful.

 

00-Heroes-Alone-COVER-KINDLEThe scripture for today, April 2, is Exodus 4:2f as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Then the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ ‘A staff,’ he replied.”

God had just called Moses to go to Egypt and free his people from their slavery ~ one man against an entire nation. Moses objected that he couldn’t do it. Five times In Exodus 3 and 4 he argued with God. “BUT I’m not famous,” “BUT they won’t believe I come from the God of their ancestors,” “BUT they won’t believe God sent me, “BUT I’m not a good speaker,” “JUST send someone else.”

Then God replied, “What is that in your hand?”.

Moses had a staff. God showed him how to use it to perform miracles. Today, are you using excuses to claim there is nothing you can do for the cause of God and salvation? God challenges you: “What is that in your hand?” It is a steering wheel, a shovel, thread, a computer, a spoon, a wrench, a cookbook, a band aid, a Bible? Whatever is in your hand, God can use to bless people through you.

You are God’s hands and feet and mouth.  Use them.  Today.

 

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#Called, #excuses, #procrastination, #selfishness, #time, #pride, #FalseHumility, #Pretending, #miracles, #hands, #feet, #mouth

Scripture for Saturday, April 1 (4/1) & Update on Threatened Brother

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn church, Daily, death, faith, governments, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, judging, persecution, power, prayer, Satan, Saved from hell, worshipLeave a comment

Update on our brother in the Middle East whose life has been threatened:  He is in hiding, but decided not to flee to the mountains. If/when caught, he will stand and defend his faith.  In the meantime, he has sent his wife and children away and notified his oldest son to contact me if he is imprisoned or killed. Keep praying mightily for your brother. 

Note what the scripture is for today.  I wrote it ten years ago.

0-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-MediumThe scripture for today, April 1, is Ephesians 4:1 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

Jesus sometimes offended people. His apostles sometimes offended people. Specifically, the Apostle Paul sometimes offended people, and as he wrote he told people how to get to heaven God’s way instead of man’s way (which is impossible anyway).

But did it stop the Christians from telling people about the way to escape hell and go to heaven? Never. They loved people so much, they were willing to take insults and persecution and imprisonment and even death in the hopes that their persistent love would eventually lead to people becoming Christians and being saved from eternal hell. They knew their calling as Christians.

How about us today? Do we live a life worthy of our calling as Christians by standing up for Jesus and reaching out to the lost, regardless of the cost? Or do we cower and use the excuse, “Once people see my godly life, they will ask me how to be saved”?  How many times do the lost really do that?

Let us stand tall as brave soldiers of the Lord. Let us march into enemy territory and do everything we can to snatch the lost out of the jaws of Satan.

No matter what they do to us.

 

#martyrdom, #faith, #preaching, #teaching, #SavingSouls, #SpreadingTheWord, #PowerOfGospel, #cost, #CountingCost, #persecution, #prisoner, #DefendingChrist, #JawsOfSatan, #heaven, #hell

Scripture for Thursday, March 30 (3/30)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, church, Daily, death, good works, Inspirational, judging, power, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, March 30, is John 3:30 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-Medium“He must become greater; I must become less.”

This is John the Baptist speaking. He had a great following. People “were constantly coming to be baptized” by John (3:23). He had it made! But at the height of his popularity, he said, “I will be stepping down soon.”

Can you do this? Are you at the height of your popularity, perhaps at a club, an organization, church? Could you step down if someone more qualified than you came along? Or will you say, “I started this _______, and I was here first, so this is my project!” ?

Let us constantly look at our motives for doing good ~ whether selfish ambition or love for others. 1st Corinthians 13:1 says that, even if I offer my body to be burned and do not have love, it benefits me nothing.

Jesus warned, “Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

Father in heaven, help me look at myself the way You do.

 

 

#ego, #pride, #selfishness, #ambition, #credit, #acclaim, #power, #recognized, #praised, #applauded, #popular, #StepDown, #reward, #humility

Scripture for Wednesday, March 29 (3/29)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, death, faith, Inspirational, Scripture, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today, March 29, is Luke 3:29 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-Heroes-Alone-COVER-KINDLE“…the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi….”

Who in the world were these five men: Joshua, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat and Levi? Some were named after famous Jews, but no one in this list was famous himself. In fact, nothing else is said in the Bible about any of these men. They’re just a single name in a single but long list.
Who were they that they earned even one brief mention in the Bible?

They were ancestors of Jesus on his human side. What else? They were born and survived long enough to have sons. Not important at the time? No, but eventually it was.

We read obituaries and sometimes wonder about our own. Our whole life reduced to born, married, had a job, had children, died. That’s it. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just another one of billions in the world having come and gone.

Hold on! Maybe not!

Maybe your life, as ordinary as it seems now, will someday serve a greater purpose through a descendant or someone you become friends with. In a later generation ~ maybe ten or twenty generations from now ~ someone may do something extremely important for souls of the world. And it was made possible because of your “unordinary life” way back in the early twenty-first century when you survived one day at a time. So, keep on keeping on!

 

 

#survival, #alone, #lonely, #ordinary, #obituary, #list, #generations, #life, #value, #name, #unimportant

Scripture for Saturday, March 25 (3/25)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, Daily, faith, Inspirational, prayer, Scripture, truth, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, March 25, is Lamentations 3:25 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 2-DreamMaker-cover-kindle-medium-new“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.”

Notice, this does not say the Lord is good to those who have faith in him. All they have to do is hope he exists and hope he loves them.

Some people have been raised by atheists, or have attended a university where professors criticize theists (believers in God). Or perhaps they have had a major tragedy in their life and can’t understand how a good God could allow that bad thing to happen. Or maybe they live among people who believe all the gods in the world are the One God, so don’t pay special attention to any of them.

Life can be confusing, so confusing that we have trouble having faith in God. But we can still hope!

Keep hope alive. Let the Lord be good to you.

 

 

#hope, #faith, #tragedies, #failures, #atheists, #agnostics, #seeking, #seekers

Scripture for Friday, March 24 (3/24)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, faith, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, power, Scripture, truthLeave a comment

The scripture for today March 24, is 1st John 3:24 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-MediumThose who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

Some people think we can tell that we are obeying God and he is therefore in us by how we feel, by our emotions. But emotions are fickle. We can feel great one day and sad the next and frustrated after that, then great again. It can be confusing to rely on how we feel as to whether or not God’s Spirit lives in us.

Jesus said in John 14:17 that he was going to send us the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth. And in John 17:17 Jesus said God’s Word is Truth.

Now that makes more sense! We can know by reading the Bible ~ God’s Word ~ and following it. God thought of everything. His word is clear, and that is how we know we have obeyed him and he lives in us.

How grateful we are for his Bible. No guessing.

#HolySpirit, #Spirit, #Soul, #emotions, #feelings, #SpiritOfTruth, #WordOfTruth, #Scriptures, #Bible, #WordOfGod

 

Scripture for Thursday, March 23 (3/23)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, faith, good works, Inspirational, persecutionLeave a comment

The scripture for today, March 23, is Colossians 3:23 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Luke-Slave&Physician KINDLE Cover“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Perhaps you are in a job that is unfair ~ you are given too much work, you are underpaid, you are not given enough work, you are given too must responsibility, you aren’t given any responsibility, you have been passed over for promotion by someone less qualified than you.

Think not that you are working for the person who supervises you. S/he is only human. You are working for God. You are representing God. If you are being treated unfairly and smile anyway, others will wonder why. Keep smiling and keep working. Others will keep noticing.

Eventually, someone will ask you, “How can you keep going?”. Then you can tell them how you have God’s approval, and that makes you feel like number one. Therefore, nothing anyone can say or do to you can ever make you feel otherwise.

So, keep on keeping on. The world notices.

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Scripture for Wednesday, March 22 (3/22)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, Daily, faith, governments, healing, Inspirational, persecutionLeave a comment

The scripture for today, March 22, is Lamentations 3:22 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Bk3-HeartsAfire-COVER-Kindle.medium-new“Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.”

The name of this Old Testament book comes from the word “lament” or mourn. Jerusalem has just been destroyed and everyone except the poorest has been taken away to be slaves in another country ~ Babylon (today’s Iraq). Jeremiah, the prophet and author of Lamentations, is allowed to stay with the poor powerless ones left behind.

Jeremiah had spent years warning people of the coming destruction of their country due to their sinful life and taking advantage of each other. He endured taunts, reprimands, imprisonments and threats to his life. Now it has happened. All hope is gone. Nothing left but ashes.

It is at this point that Jeremiah utters bravely, “We are not consumed.”

Are there things going on your life that seem to be consuming you? Look up. God is still there. He still loves you.

When we have the love of God, we have the courage to take the next step and the next and the next. We have the courage to keep walking and to hold our head high. Nothing and nobody can ever take away the love God has for us. With his love, we can never be consumed.

#problems, #troubles, #hope, #destruction, #failure, #courage, #love, #Godslove, #overwhelmed, #overcome, #discouragement, #persecution