Category: discouragement

Wednesday 11/6 ~ Out of the ashes

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, discouragement, Enemies, faith, healing, Inspirational, Loss, power, victoryLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 6 (11/6), is Nehemiah 11:6 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

00-Hero Alone-COVER-KINDLE-Thumbnail“The descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem totaled 468 able men.”

Just who was Perez, and why was this even mentioned in the Bible? Perez was a son of Judah, and an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:3).

Why was living in Jerusalem a big deal at that time? Because Jerusalem had been attacked and destroyed. It was nothing but rubble and ashes. Earlier, other Jews had returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. Now it was time to rebuild the walls.

These 468 brave people had to agree to move into a burned-out city and rebuild on the ashes of previous homes. In the process of moving building stones out of the way to reuse in the city wall, they surely found skeletons of those who had been slaughtered in the attack decades before. It took grit.

At first, the Jews had blamed the Babylonians for destroying their city and temple. But eventually, they began re-reading the prophets who had warned them about their own sins. Finally, they turned inward and placed the blame where it really belonged: Themselves. Their own pride had destroyed their temple and their city, now crumbled ashes.

Following repentance, they acted. Was it easy rebuilding a broken city? Not any easier than rebuilding a broken home, a broken congregation, a broken life. You must look at your own part in your own destruction and begin building yourself anew.

Are there any skeletons or ashes in your life?  Is there anything that needs rebuilt? It takes grit.  Do you have the grit?

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00-Hero Alone-COVER-KINDLE-ThumbnailYOU CAN BE A HERO ALONE: COURAGE FOR ISOLATED CHRISTIANS tells the stories of heroic godly men in the Bible who had to stand alone when everyone was against them.  Written for isolated Christians around the world. All stories are followed by thought questions about their survival.  Perfect for missionaries and sponsoring congregations. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2NofrlJ

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Tuesday 11/5 ~ The lover of my soul

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, discouragement, emptiness, faith, Fear, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, patience, prayer, worship1 Comment

The scripture for today, November 5 (11/5), is Ecclesiastes 11:5 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.”

Are you ever frustrated because you cannot touch God or see God? In times of deep unbearable distress, probably a lot of people feel that need. But, if you could touch or see him, he could not be everywhere at once; he could not be omnipresent. That means, if he was with you where you could see and touch him, the rest of the world would have to wait for him to get done with you and go to the next person.

Are you ever frustrated because you cannot figure out God? In times of great challenges to faith, probably a lot of people feel that need. But, if you could figure out God, He would not be superior to you. It means that either he would not be God, or you would be God also.

Be grateful that you cannot touch or see God. Be grateful you cannot fully understand God. Be grateful that, despite all his greatness, he dearly loves you ~ you, a mere speck in the cosmos. He even knows your name. Ah, what a God ~ the lover of your soul.

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0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-ThumbnailTHE HOLY SPIRIT 592 VERSES EXAMINED shows everything in the Bible God wants us to know ~ no more, no less.  Some of the things you have heard are just not there.  Some of the things you never thought about are there.  This is a simple study but thorough. Could be used in Bible classes. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/32EUTdD

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LINK to all BOOKS by CATEGORY:  http://bit.ly/MyBookInfo
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Monday 11/4 ~ Keep silence before him

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, Daily, discouragement, Fear, Heaven, Inspirational, love, patience, power, Thanksgiving, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 4 (11/4), is Psalm 11:4a as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-REV-Cover-No Logo-KINDLE-medium“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne.”

No matter what happens in our life, in our town, in our nation, God is still on his throne. No matter how confusing things become, God is still on his throne. No matter how discouraging, God is still on his throne.

Therefore, no matter what, we will worship him

(This has been set to music. Listen to it here:  http://bit.ly/34ruHDV )

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0-REV-Cover-No Logo-KINDLE-thumbnailREVELATION: A LOVE LETTER FROM GOD is really a story, a love letter.  Throughout, God reminds us of all the times in past centuries when he punished the punishers of his people.  Thereby, he is telling us, “I defended you in the past, I will continue to.” When viewed as history, this is one of the most beautiful and touching books in the Bible. And exploring the meaning, the symbolism of the numbers adds deep insight and warmth to what God is trying to tell us.  Be inspired.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/32a4kAQ

 

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Saturday 11/23 ~ Me, myself, and I

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #friendships, attitude, discouragement, ego, ethics, humility, judging, patience, praise, truth1 Comment

The scripture for today, November 2 (11/2), is Proverbs 11:2 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Bible Puzzles-Cover-Thumbnail“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

The word “disgrace” comes from Hebrew “qalon” meaning confusion. It is also translated dishonor and reproach.

Pride is so hard to control. With the church or clubs or other organizations, do you think your ideas, your points of view, your ways of doing things are the right ideas, views, and ways?  Do you accuse others of not cooperating if it is your ideas, views and ways they don’t go along with? Is it hard to give up your ideas views and ways for the sake of peace?

Even in doing daily business, does your pride show up? Do you become impatient with clerks in stores who do not help you, with other drivers on the road who are too slow for you, with people delivering things to your home who do not deliver them right to your door, with kids throwing rocks at things that belong to you, people who try to cut in line ahead of you, fellow workers who take credit for your work, and on and on?

Is it hard to sit by and let others be praised when you do better work than they do, or you work harder than they do, or they get the promotion you deserve?

How do you control your pride? Perhaps by comparing yourself, not with others around you, but with Jesus? In the same circumstance, what did he do?

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Bible Puzzles-Cover-ThumbnailBIBLE PUZZLES FOR YOUNG AND OLD contains crosswords, secret codes, word searches, and fill-in-blanks.  Great for bulletin fillers, parties, homeschoolers, Bible classes, people in nursing homes, prisons, military to maintain sharpness of mind and memory.  Games are great equalizers.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2C8bGKt

 

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Monday 10/28 ~ Being a hero

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, discouragement, Enemies, eternity, faith, Fear, governments, Heaven, persecution, power, sacrifice, Satan, Saved from hell, victory1 Comment

The scripture for today, October 28 (10/28), is Matthew 10:28f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-Thumbnail“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.”

This scripture indicates that sometimes God’s allows you to “fall to the ground” ~ your body suffers, or you are killed. How can that be? After all, God is so loving. Surely a good God would not allow any harm to come to someone if he truly loves them.

But we all have our assignments from God in this war between Good and Evil. Just as Job in the Old Testament lost his entire family and all his wealth and then his health, he refused to blame God. He even said, “Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” (Job 2:10).

Satan causes bad to happen to you. Why? In order to get you to blame God for it and maybe even then declare God does not exist. Your assignment is to refuse to deny God. That way, Satan loses one more battle, and God wins one more.

There is an old Christian song called “Victory in Jesus.” How can you have victory in Jesus if you do not have something to be victorious over? Romans 8:37 says we are more than conquerors. How can you be a conqueror if you have nothing to conquer?

Stand strong and say with James (1:2), “I consider it pure joy whenever I face trials.” Hard to say? Of course, it is. But it could turn your life around and make you a hero.

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00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-ThumbnailSTEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR begins with a 17-year-old coward who grows and matures a little at a time so that by the time he is a 28-year-old deacon with wife and children, he is stronger than most people we will ever meet in our lifetime.  He purposely walks into the Sanhedrin’s council room to say what needed to be said, knowing he would not leave alive. He sees the door.  It is opening for him.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this: https://amzn.to/2MWxVtn

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Thursday 10/25 ~ Help me see myself as others do

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, blessings, church, discouragement, ego, faith, humility, patience, problems, weaknessLeave a comment

The scripture for today, October 24 (10/24), is 1st Corinthians 10:24 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Titus-Cover-Lg Thumb“Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.”

The context of this verse is that some of the members of the church in Corinth were expressing opinions or doing things that were offensive to some of the other members. They hurt the consciences of some of the weaker members.  

Everyone struggles with their ego sometimes.  Usually, we do not even realize our ego is involved.  It is so very hard to see ourselves as others do, and to see ourselves as God does.

Do you ever do anything during the public worship that is offensive to some people? Do you do them as an example of how “holy” you are? Do you even try to get God on your side and say that any Christian could do those things if they had as much faith as you do?

What about committee meetings? Do you ever suggest something that the others just aren’t excited about? Do you allow your ego to eventually seep in and begin to feel slighted or challenged because your idea wasn’t accepted? Do you even try to get God on your side and say he will be more glorified if the other committee members accept your plan?

One way to look at things objectively is to ask yourself, “Would my congregation survive without me?” What if I were killed in an auto accident and suddenly taken from them tomorrow? Would they continue to worship? Would they continue to do good works? Would they continue to meet as a congregation? Ninety-nine percent of the time your congregation would survive without you.

“Lord, I guess I never looked at myself that way. I love you so much, I want others to know you better. Maybe I should express my worship alone as much as I do in public. Maybe I should do more good works alone without a committee.

Help me, know what to do. Help me see myself as others do, and as you do.”

 

0-Titus-Cover-Lg ThumbTITUS: THE ARISTOCRAT was an expert arbitrator. So Paul appointed him to solve church problems.  It was a special and rare gift. He traveled to Corinth in Greece to calm them down, then he traveled to Crete to divert problems before they arose. Finally, he went to Dalmatia in today’s Albania, a special challenge with so many “barbarians” to deal with.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2OYISvL

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Wednesday 10/23 ~ Reading the map

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, discouragement, ego, eternity, faith, Holy Spirit, knowledge, ScriptureLeave a comment

The scripture for today, October 23 (10/23), is Jeremiah 10:23 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.”

Just how are you supposed to know what steps God has directed you to take? Do you have to guess, rely on a feeling, depend on the movement of your heart, see a vision? Actually, you have a guide, a road map.

Jesus said in John 14:16-17 that after he left, the Father would send another Counselor ~ the Spirit of Truth. In John 16:13 Jesus said The Spirit of Truth will guide into all truth. In John 17:17, Jesus said, “Your Word is Truth.”

Yes, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, guides you through the Word of God, the Bible.

You don’t have to guess! You don’t have to wonder! You don’t have to get discouraged! God has given you his Word to direct your steps. All you have to do is open his Word and read the map.

 

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-ThumbnailTHE HOLY SPIRIT: 592 VERSES EXAMINED lets the Spirit of Truth guide you in what to believe. Gone are all the numerous speculations, declarations, and conjectures. Read God’s opinions, the only opinions that matter, for they are Truth. It is liberating and gives us sweet rest. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/32EUTdD

 

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Friday 10/4 ~ New and wonderful

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, Death of Jesus Christ, discouragement, ego, Heaven, judging, knowledge, Saved from hell, victory1 Comment

The scripture for today, October 4 (10/4), is Romans 10:4 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Supper-Front Cover-Thumbnail“Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

When Jesus nailed the Old Law of Moses to the cross (Colossians 2:14) it came to an end. Thank God. There were over 600 commandments in the Law of Moses, not just the “ten commandments.” Those 600 were tedious. Try reading Leviticus and see if you can keep every commandment in it.

Jesus was the only one who ever kept the Old Law perfectly (Hebrews 4:15). Once that occurred, he could be the Perfect Lamb of God without blemish (John 1:29), and he could be sacrificed on the altar of the world (the cross) in our place ~ take the blame for every bad act and thought, then take the punishment for them.

And with his death came the introduction of a New Law covered in the New Testament. (The book of Hebrews explains it all.). Read the New Testament in its entirety. It is not tedious. It is beautiful.

Why would anyone want to dip back into the Old Law and bring back showy worship practices done back then and tithing and special clergy? He put it to death and gave you a new and wonderful and simple law of grace.  How he loves you!

 

Supper-Front Cover-ThumbnailTHE LORD’S SUPPER:  52 READINGS WITH PRAYERS. Excellent for those presiding at the Lord’s Supper as well as meditation for worshippers in the pews.  He paid a terrible price for our ransom from Satan. Now, we thank him. It’s the book hundreds have been looking for for years. Now it is here.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2LLuc0N

 

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Saturday 9/28 ~ Just keep walking and walking and…

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, Daily, death, discouragement, eternity, faith, Heaven, Inspirational, victory, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, September 28 (9/28), is Hebrews 9:28 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Medium-New“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Waiting is hard to do. We wait for relatives to arrive at our house for a visit. We wait for our next promotion. We wait for babies to be born. We wait for enough money to buy new clothes.

But what about waiting for something that we have never seen? Waiting for something we believe in by faith? Waiting an entire lifetime?

All the more reason to keep your eyes on the Word, your activities in good works, and your heart on your Creator and Savior.

It’s a long spiritual walk. But just keep walking, and keep walking, and keep walking until someday in the distant future you walk right through the gates of heaven.

Then, when you look back from eternity, you will say, “The wait wasn’t so long after all.”

 

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Friday 9/13 – Rise up! Experience the Victory!

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, discouragement, healing, Inspirational, power, problems, victory4 Comments

The scripture for today, September 13 (9/13), is Psalm 9:13f as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-Thumbnail“O Lord, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, that I may declare your praises…and there rejoice in your salvation.”

Life is a mixture of highs and lows. You sometimes experience difficult things ~ some minor, some major. Do you let them define your entire life? Do you cling to them, never getting over them, never letting them go, and reliving them over and over in your mind?

 You cannot be “more than a conqueror” (Romans 8:37) unless you have something to conquer. You cannot have “victory in Jesus” unless you have something to be victorious over.

God said he can make “all things work together for good” to those who love him (Romans 8:28). He did not say bad decisions will end up with the best result. He said even the worst situation he will turn in to some kind of good for you.

Today, with the courage of God in your heart, the love of God in your soul, and the might of God in your very being, rise up! Rejoice! Thank God for your problems.  It is only when you have problems that you can experience victories.

 

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-ThumbnailIn SHADOW OF DEATH, you live through the last night and day of Jesus life and death. Why did he do it? He went through a hideous death to pay the ransom to set us free from Satan who kidnapped our souls the day Adam and Eve sinned. It freed all good people (everyone sins) in the past and still does today. Of course, after giving Satan what he wanted as the ransom ~ the death of God ~ Jesus tricked him and came back to life. The ransom had been paid and now Jesus had overcome death for us.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2I7VgFk

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