Category: Loss

The “naked” conqueror

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, Daily, discouragement, emptiness, Fear, Inspirational, judging, Loss, patience, persecution, problems, Satan, victoryLeave a comment

05-FLOOD GATES-Child'sCartoon-ThumbnailThe scripture for today, January 21 (1/21), is Job 1:21 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“ ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ “

Wow!  Is he for real? Job had every reason to turn against God. In one day his entire wealth was stolen from him, nearly all his servants were killed by an invading army, and all his children died in a storm. Why hadn’t God protected him if he loved him so much?

Amidst tragedy, do you sometimes forget that Satan exists also? Job understood that whatever Satan does, God can undo.

Satan is the accuser (Revelation 12:10), but God is the forgiver. Satan can cause you to get sick, but God can heal. Satan can cause you to die, but God can bring you back to life. Satan can make you miserable in this world, but God can take you to a better world.

Shall you leave God to fight Satan alone? You were made in his image.  And how do you fight Satan? The same way Job did. Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” There’s more….

In all these things we are more than conquerors

through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
Neither angels nor demons,
Neither the present nor the future,
Nor any powers,
Neither height nor depth,
Nor anything else in all creation
Will be able to separate us from the
Love of God
That is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:37-39)


How can you be “more than a conqueror” unless you have something to conquer? How can you have “victory in Jesus” unless you have something to be victorious over?

You have periodic assignments from God. What bad thing has happened in your life lately? That is your assignment.

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You are my everything

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, blessings, faith, forgiveness, good works, Heaven, Inspirational, judging, Loss, love, praise, prayer, problems, sin, Thanksgiving, weakness, worshipLeave a comment

Bible Puzzles for Young And Old-CoverMy Lord, you are my everything. You are what brought the world into existence. Without you, nothing would exist, whether physical, spiritual, mental, or emotional. You are the mover of the world. You are the life of the world, and the lover of my soul. Ah, to be with you and behold you as you are. You are my light, my heart, my song. You are in the whispers of the wind, the rumblings of the waters, the sighs of a baby.

Time. Forgive me when I misuse time. Sometimes I think Jesus must have been skinny because he never sinned; he never left undone some good he should have done. Help me be more like him.

Thank you, mighty God, for all my blessings. Even if I were without food, I would thank you for the beauty I see. Even if I were without warmth, I would thank you for the warmth in my heart. Even if I were without health, I would thank you for the sweet songs of birds outside my window.

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Hold fast. Stand Firm. Do the right thing.

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, church, Enemies, eternity, judging, Loss, patience, persecution, problems, Satan, victoryLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 12 (1/12), is James 1:12 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Joseph-Cover-Kindle-Medium“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

How loyal are you to God? Is your relationship up and down, depending on how your life is going at the moment? If you pray for something and don’t get it, do you feel as though God is punishing you?  If everything seems to be going wrong, do you blame God instead of Satan? Do you pray over and over for God to relieve you of a particular burden, but relief hasn’t come so you’ve decided to quit the church?

Quit grumbling! God has assignments for you. What kind of soldier of the Lord are you? Do you tell the general you don’t like what he has assigned for you to do? Where you are today is where God wants you. Your job is to stay loyal no matter how difficult things get.  Be brave. Hold fast. Stand your ground.

Why? To prove that love is stronger than hatred. To prove that good is stronger than bad. To prove that right is more mighty than wrong. To prove that God is stronger than Satan. Ephesians 6:12 says Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Determine today to thank God for whatever state you are in, even if you do it in tears because it goes against all your emotions. And, even though you may feel helpless to do anything about it right now, in your helplessness, persevere!

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Wellspring of hope

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #friendships, #Handicaps, attitude, discouragement, emptiness, Enemies, ethics, faith, family, Fear, healing, Loss, problems, victoryLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 5 (1/5), is Colossians 1:5 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Inside-COVER-lg thumbnail“…the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the Word of Truth, the gospel.”

Does your faith have its ups and downs? Is it strong sometimes and weak sometimes? When things sometimes go so wrong you have trouble having faith in God, you can still hope. Do you grow angry at God sometimes?  You can still hope. During such low times when faith does not come easy, you can still hope. Hope is the springboard of faith.

And stay close to the Word of Truth, for John 14:17 says the Comforter is the Spirit of Truth, and John 17:17 says Truth is the Word of God. Read when you don’t feel like it. Ephesians is what I go to. David tells of his own faith problems in Psalm 42.

When your emotions are pulling you down and you feel only the darkness of confusion inside, rely for a little while on your logic, your intellect, until your emotions heal. Read things proving God exists. Read things about other people’s love for God Do not drop out of the church; you need your Christian friends. It may be hard for you to believe right now but someday you will heal.

So, keep on hoping ~ the springboard. Eventually, along the way, your hope will return to faith.

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But when, Lord?

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #friendships, #Handicaps, blessings, discouragement, emptiness, Enemies, family, Fear, good works, Inspirational, Loss, love, persecution, prayer, problems, rest, victory, weaknessLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 29 (11/29), is Matthew 11:29f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Applied Christianity“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Ah, Lord Jesus. I am so weary worn.  It seems everything that could ever go wrong in my life is happening right now. Just when I think I have one problem at least partly under control, another raises its ugly head. Or should I say Satan raises his ugly head?  Satan, why are you doing this to me? It is you who is causing all the diseases and problems at work, and the car wreck and progressive blindness.  Was it you who set me up in that posh job which you knew was never popular in the company and would only cause me grief? Was this new house I bought with my pay raise worth it after all?

I am so tired. Help me, God.  I don’t know which way is up anymore. God?  I’m calling for you. God? Don’t you even care?

“Let’s trade, my child. I’ll take your burdens, and you take mine.”

But, Lord, I do not understand. What could your burdens possibly be? You’re all comfortable in heaven.

“My child, my burden is to reach out to everyone and tell them how much I love them. My burden is to take their burdens on my shoulders. You can do it too. You can write encouraging messages to my children every day. You can open up the newspaper and pray for everyone in it by name. You can call someone who is depressed like you and sing them a sweet song.”

But when, Lord? When would I find time?

“Use your brooding time, your crying time, your anger time. Let loose of them so I can brood, cry, and be angry for you. Remember, it’s a trade.”

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Me forgive?

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, ego, Enemies, ethics, family, forgiveness, Heaven, humility, judging, Loss, love, patience, persecution, sinLeave a comment

05-Joseph-KindleMediumThe scripture for today, October 30 (10/30), is Hebrews 10:30 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ “

In the Law of Moses, people were expected to avenge those who did not follow the law. The vengeance was to be carried out by the person who had been hurt. Some things were even punishable by death.  Remember the “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” command? If someone kills your child, you kill theirs.

But, under Jesus, the Prince of Peace who “turned the other cheek”,  who forgave people torturing him to death, you must forgive people so God, in turn, will forgive you (Matthew 6:14).

What is forgiveness? It is not condoning the bad someone did. Forgiveness is letting go and letting God do any punishing that may be required. Forgiveness is wishing the other person well. You may not trust the other person to not do the bad thing again, and you may forever fear that person. But you can always hope and pray that their lives and hearts will change for the better someday. No one is so bad that you cannot wish them well and pray for them. That’s forgiveness.

Vengeance only prolongs the pain; vengeance is hard on you. So, as the old saying goes, “Let go, and let God.” God will do his part ~ the hard part. He has left the easy part for you.

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05-Joseph-KindleThumbnail

A CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES: JOSEPH. He was forced into slavery because of his brothers. He spent years in prison because of his brothers.  Did he become bitter? That would have been natural. But Joseph did not know how to be bitter.  His love for everyone drove him to always be forgiving. So, with a constant positive attitude, he became “prime minister” of all Egypt.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://bit.ly/ForgivingJoseph

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The sun will return

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #friendships, #ransom, Bible, family, forgiveness, Heaven, Loss, love, prayer, problems, teachingLeave a comment

inside-cover-mediumSometimes storms sweep around me with gales that attack my faith. You break through the dark clouds, sweep them aside and reveal blue skies to renew my faith.  Sometimes I dare try to walk on water and do the impossible, then begin to sink. You come to me on those same waters, reach down, take my hand and lift me up out of my danger. Then you hold on to me until I am safely on the shore. Sometimes the darkness folds in around me ~ the darkness of my sin ~ and I despair of being lost. But I see in the distance a glow and know it is you coming to light my way and forgive my sins. I am overwhelmed by your love, Lord God, and worship you.

It is autumn. The leaves are glowing, the squirrels are scampering, and I am busy harvesting my garden and preserving it for the cold winter ahead. It is autumn and the shadows are growing longer as the earth tilts and winks at the sun.  It is autumn and the sun is disappearing much sooner now. But I have the promise that the sun will be back after a while. And it reminds me of your promise to take me home with you where you will be my sun and never will you disappear. Thank you for all this, my Lord.

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Confined to a body

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, eternity, forgiveness, Heaven, Inspirational, joy, Life of Christ, Loss, sacrifice, Satan, Saved from hellLeave a comment

0000-BK 1-StarSong-Cover-new-MediumThe scripture for today, August 9 (8/9), is 2nd Corinthians 8:9 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

Such love!

Jesus gave up streets of gold for streets full of trash. Gave up a heavenly mansion for a barn. Gave up the ability to be everywhere at once, to being confined to a body. Gave up eternal bliss for thirty-three years of pain and struggle. Gave up adoring angels for crowds that hated him. And finally, he gave up sinlessness to take the blame for your sins and allow himself to take the soul and body death penalty for your sins.

What more can be said about God who materialized for you and snatched you out of the  jaws of Sin, Satan, and Death? Unless perhaps we can add, ‘What have you given up for him?’.

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He just hung on

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn attitude, death, discouragement, emptiness, family, Fear, Inspirational, Loss, patience, problems, things, weakness, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, July 13 (7/13), is in Job 7:13ff in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail“When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine. I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning.”

Job was extremely depressed. It happens to everyone sometimes. His depression was certainly valid ~ he had lost all his income and all his children in a recent storm. Now he had what the Bible translated as “boils” but the symptoms indicate he had a form of leprosy called Elephantiasis.

This particular form leads to nightmares in addition to the physical problems. Job had every right to be depressed. So depressed was he, that he no longer wanted to live, for his life no longer had meaning.

But, as miserable as Job was, he hung on. Patiently he hung on during the bad times. Sometimes during your bad times, the greatest thing you can do is “hang on” ~ be patient.

Romans 8:28 says all things work together for good to those who love the Lord. Job loved the Lord. Even in his misery and desire to die,  he continued to love God and trust Him.

And, although at such times you may believe your misery will never end and you will never even smile again, it will happen. The misery comes to an end. It did for Job. He got his health and wealth back and more children to comfort him. God will see you through too.

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The Boomerang Effect

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Enemies, faith, judging, Loss, patience, persecution, power, sin, victory, weaknessLeave a comment

0-REV-Cover-No Logo-KINDLE-thumbnailThe scripture for today, June 23 (6/23), is 2nd Chronicles 6:23 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty and so establish his innocence.”

Did you notice here that God brings down on our head what we do to others? It includes how we treat him too. If we don’t have time for God, God doesn’t have time for us. If we put God last, he puts us last. If we refuse to forgive others, he refuses to forgive us. This is the boomerang effect. Here are several scriptures that reflect God doing to people what they do.

  • “The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. The Lord is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.” (Psalm 9:15-16)
  • “In his arrogance, the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.” (Psalm 10:2).
  • “The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts.” (Psalm 37:14-15)
  • “Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused.” (Psalm 140:9)
  • “He mocks proud mockers.” (Proverbs 3:34)
  • “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” (Proverbs 6:27)
  • “If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.” (Proverbs 26:27)
  • “Woe to you, O destroyer, you have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you have not been betrayed. When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.” (Isaiah 33:1)
  • “According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes.” (Isaiah 59:18)
  • “I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices.” (Ezekiel 7:8)
  • “As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.” (Obadiah 1:15)

In the meantime, we’re to leave punishment to God. And, if you are falsely accused of anything, God will declare you innocent. His is the important judgment.

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