Monday 6/17 ~ When you fast…

On June 17, 2019 By Inspirations By KatherynIn faith, humility, Inspirational, prayer, sacrifice1 Comment

The scripture for today, June 17 (6/17), is Matthew 6:17 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face.”

This is interesting because Jesus did not say “If, you fast” but rather “When you fast.” It was as though he was teaching us to take for granted that we would fast ~ it would be second-nature to us. In a sense it is, for when most people go through a sudden tragedy such as loss of a loved one, they often cannot eat.

But what about voluntary fasting? The early church sometimes fasted. Acts 13:2 says a congregation in Antioch, Syria, fasted and worshipped, then chose men to go out as missionaries. Queen Esther fasted before going to the king uninvited with a request he might not like (Esther 4:16). Isaiah 58:3 says people fasted in order to humble themselves.

Some people respond, “I’d die if I had to fast.” Perhaps that’s kind of the idea. We know we would die if we went without food long enough. So perhaps one day of fasting is a way of saying, “God, I would die for you if I had to.” Yes, fasting is a humbling experience, and frightening to some people. But perhaps that is the point.

Is something important coming up that you know you will be urgently praying about? Once you skip one meal, you will have conquered your desire to eat. Then, with your brain not having to concentrate on digesting food, it will be able to focus more on that important thing happening in your life. Your prayers will be more focused. You will be more focused with your eyes more clearly on God.

So, take a shower, comb your hair, put on some nice clothes, and look like you have something important to do. Then fast.

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Tuesday 5/21 ~ The Unimaginable Plan

On May 21, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, Death of Jesus Christ, eternity, forgiveness, Heaven, sacrifice, Satan, Saved from hell, sinLeave a comment

The scripture for today, May 21 (5/21), is 2nd Corinthians 5:21 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

A lot of people do not understand what Jesus’ death has to do with going to heaven. The key is in Romans 3:23 that says “The wages of sin is death.” In Genesis, 2:17, God told Adam and Eve the moment they disobey him, they will die. When Adam and Eve sinned, immediately their souls died, and the bodies gradually died. That was the wages they collected for sinning.

It’s been happening to everyone since then. Why is God so strict? He is trying to protect us from Satan. He is like a parent shouting, “Don’t go out into the street!” So, during Old Testament times, God told people to kill an animal to placate Satan temporarily. Apparently, it did but not forever.

Hebrews says the blood of animals cannot truly take away (take the substitute punishment for) sins; they are remembered again every year (Hebrews 10:3-4).

Finally, John the Baptist announced Jesus was “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). This is what Satan really wanted. He had not yet put mankind in hell with him. He was holding mankind for ransom. He wanted God to die before he would release mankind from his hold. For 33 years, God’s Word took human form in Jesus and became one of us. Then he died in our place. In so doing, he collected our wages forever.

Jesus did two things impossible for us to do: Live a perfect life without sin, and come back to life after he died ~ both physically and spiritually. Why? So we could do two more things impossible for humans to do on our own: Release ourselves from Satan’s captivity and escape to heaven where we would be permanently safe.

But we have to believe this happened. As long as we do not believe it, even though Satan has opened the gate to release our captives, we must walk through that gate and through the gate of heaven.

It is not about being good enough. No one can do enough good works Satan has no choice to release us and God has no choice but to let us into his home, heaven. It only takes one sin to be a sinner. God cannot exist with sin.

God begs us to come to him and follow him out of danger and into the safety of his heaven. It is not automatic. If we follow Jesus, God sees us as sinless. Jesus was perfect for us. What a plan ~ the things Jesus had to go through to free us. What unimaginable love.

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Tuesday 5/14 ~ You will not be able to stop

On May 14, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, Death of Jesus Christ, ego, eternity, forgiveness, healing, Heaven, Inspirational, power, sacrifice, teaching, truth1 Comment

The scripture for today, May 14 (5/14), is 2nd Corinthians 5:14a as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“For Christ’s love compels us….”

On a distant hill a very long time ago, something unbelievable happened.

Jesus ~ God materialized ~ died both physically and spiritually in your place! (Remember when he said God had forsaken him?) He knew you couldn’t come back from either kind of death on your own, so he did it for you. Such terrible things he went through for you so you wouldn’t have to and would fail.

Love is powerful! It causes you to do things for someone you love that you never wanted to do and never dreamed you could do.

How powerful is your love for Christ? And for those he was compelled to die for? Do you share his love with others? 1st John 4:18 says, “Perfect love casts out fear.”

Reach out to people who think Jesus will ruin their fun, or has too many rules, or could never forgive them, or wouldn’t stop a tragedy. If not in person, tell them in a note, a phone call, email, even a song. There are ways.

Reach out. You can if Christ’s love compels you. You will not be able to stop.

STEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR became obsessed with the Lord he loved and for people around him who did not know about Jesus’ love. This young man was so compelled, nothing stopped him ~ not even death. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2QcCWhr

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Thursday 4/18 ~ What is unseen is most real

On April 18, 2019April 18, 2019 By Inspirations By KatherynIn Death of Jesus Christ, eternity, forgiveness, Heaven, Inspirational, sacrifice, Satan, Saved from hell, Scripture, sin, truth, victory2 Comments

The scripture for today, April 18 (4/18), is 2nd Corinthians 4:18 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

In a sense, what is unseen is the true reality. We cannot see love, but we see its influence, and it is stronger than anything in the world that we can see. We cannot see God, but we can see his influence, and he is more real than anything in the world that we can see.

Sometimes we all say we wish we could see God and touch God. But if that were the case, he wouldn’t be God, for he couldn’t be everywhere at once. He would only be able to hear the prayer of one person at a time, and only able to answer the prayer of one person at a time. By being unseen by human eyes, God can be everywhere.

It’s a hidden blessing! Every one of us among the billions of people on earth can feel we are God’s special ones. Every one of us can feel his presence, his soul, his love.

Writing WAS JESUS GOD? (WHY EVIL?) impacted me more than anything else I have ever written. The urgency of God materialized spilling his blood so Satan couldn’t punish me touched me indescribably. Today, heaven is more real to me than ever it was. How I long to be there right now. But God still has work for me to do. When that work is done, I will leave all of you behind. But I’ll be waiting for you to catch up with me so we can be together forever. Katheryn. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2ULeFUS

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Monday 4/15 ~ Could you die for it?

On April 15, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn death, Death of Jesus Christ, Enemies, faith, Heaven, sacrifice, Saved from hell, Scripture1 Comment

The scripture for today, April 15 (4/15), is 1st John 4:15 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”

The New Testament was written by people who walked and talked with Jesus. They saw his miracles, they heard his amazing words. They were eye witnesses.

Several first- and second-century manuscripts still exist that were passed down from some who actually knew the eye witnesses. A few were even written during the late lifetime of the last living apostle, John. The Bible has more existing ancient manuscripts (over 5000) than any historical writing in the world.

Read the New Testament. It was written by inspired men with a passion that would not let them stop talking about this Jesus. He consumed their life when he was on earth, and consumed their spirit after he left.

Through the centuries, men and women have given their lives so that you today may have the writings (New Testament) of those eye witnesses in our own language and read it for yourself. Many were ridiculed and tortured terribly and then died a long excruciating death so that the apostles’ testimony could live on.

Do not take for granted your New Testament ~ the words of Jesus’ eye witnesses. Jesus lived and died for you. Those witnesses, in a sense, also lived and died for you. Read what they testified to. Then, live, and if necessary, die for it.

PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE loved people’s souls so much, after they beat him for telling them about Jesus, he got up and told them again. Such stubborn love. Follow him from his robust youth to bent and worn-out old age. To BUY NOW click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2Gg3ppw

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Sunday 4/14/19 ~ Listen. Do you hear them?

On April 14, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, good works, Inspirational, power, problems, sacrifice, victory, weaknessLeave a comment

The scripture for today, April 14 (4/14), is Esther 4:14b as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Today’s scripture is about a reluctant young lady who won a beauty contest and was chosen to be the queen of Persia. Time has passed, and now a command has just gone out to kill all Jews. Queen Esther was a Jewess but had not told anyone at the royal court. She could continue to hide her nationality and let all her people die, or she could try to intervene with the king. She was the only Jew the king would have listened to. So, realizing she could be killed too, she spoke on behalf of her people. They were saved.

There are always situations in life in which you are the only one who can accomplish something very needed. Perhaps you are the only adult standing near a strange child about to run out into a busy street. Perhaps you are tall and a short person needs to reach something at the store. Perhaps you know a particular language and others around you need you to explain something to them. Perhaps someone called a wrong number on the telephone and reached you instead.

As you go through life, there are situations in which you are the only one who can handle them. Do you? Do you watch for those situations, or do you walk around in your own little world?

Listen! It’s the silent cries of people only you can help. Do you hear them?

STEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR was difficult for me to write. He was a young deacon with a wife and children, a sought-after speaker, a miracle worker. What motivated him to be the one to go into the Sanhedrin’s chamber that day and speak so powerfully, they would kill him to shut him up? I walked the floor for two days and cried before I could write those final scenes where he struggled alone to make the big decision, then carry it out. Come along with me as we try to walk in young Stephen’s shoes. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2Bowxf8

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Tuesday 4/9 ~ How perplexing

On April 9, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn Death of Jesus Christ, forgiveness, sacrifice, Saved from hell, victory1 Comment

The scripture for today, April 9 (4/9), is 1^st John 4:9f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: Not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

How perplexing. We are stymied. There is no solution. We humans do not have the will to live perfect lives. We give in to sin. We can never get it right. Romans 6:23 says the wages we earn for sinning is death. In the Old Testament era, God held Satan at bay from us by telling people to kill an animal in their place whenever they sinned. But it had to be done over and over. Still, every time we sinned, our souls died a little more. Then came our rescue our solution. But the cost. It was so high. God sent his Son to us for a while with a body so his Son’s body could be killed (collecting our wages, the cost of our sins) in our place.

Finally, God invited mankind to bring our souls back to life through him ~ that is, become Christians. How do we become alive through Jesus? Of course, we know about believing Jesus was the Son of God and repenting of our sins. Also, Romans 6:4 says when we are baptized and come forth out of the Spirit’s watery womb, our souls are born again and we now have a new life.

Still, it does not stop there. We must try the best we can to live as Jesus lived, speak as Jesus spoke, love as Jesus loved. With Jesus living in us, we are his mouth, his hands, his feet. It is then that we offer our own bodies as daily sacrifices (Romans 12:1).

Ah, Lord God. I want to do this. I truly do. Help me. Help me.

SHADOW OF DEATH is a novel centered around Jesus’ death. Two chapters are of the hours on the cross. Feel the nails with him. Hear his cries. Sense his love. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2Utb8KQ

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Saturday 3/30 ~ Think. Think long and hard.

On March 30, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn ego, ethics, humility, power, sacrifice, sin1 Comment

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

“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!”?

Look inside. Deep inside. What are your motives for doing good? 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.”

Think. Think long and hard. Do you have some repenting to do? Father in heaven, help me see myself the way You do.

A CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES: ISAAC & JACOB is about Jacob who just had to be ahead of everyone else, so he lied and cheated in order to be first. He never saw the big picture and what it was doing to others. He had to be broken. It took 20 years in exile before he understood how to be honest and good. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2FIkHvr

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Friday 3/29 ~ Obscure Greatness

On March 29, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn church, governments, Inspirational, judging, persecution, sacrifice, worshipLeave a comment

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

“…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 made in obscurity.

Who were they that they earned even one brief mention in the Bible?

They were ancestors of Joseph, the human “father” of Jesus. 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 your 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.

WORSHIP CHANGES SINCE THE FIRST CENTURY not only tells who made the changes but also those who resisted and were tortured to death. We only know the names of many of them and nothing about their family and life. Meet those who attained obscure greatness. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2U5NWlG

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Thursday 3/14 ~ Are you throwing away your prize?

On March 14, 2019July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn Death of Jesus Christ, ego, eternity, judging, sacrifice, Saved from hell, things, worship1 Comment

The scripture for today, March 14 (3/14), is Philippians 3:14, as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus knew that, out of jealousy, the religious leaders were trying to kill him. So, for a while, he stayed out of Jerusalem where the religious headquarters was. But eventually, the time came for him to put himself in their hands. Was it easy for him to do? Definitely not! For he knew his death would be by physical and spiritual torture.

“They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished while those who followed were afraid” (Mark 10:32).

Jesus pressed on. He did not want to go through the crucifixion. Hebrews 5:7 says that “during the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death.”

As difficult as it was for him, Jesus pressed on toward the goal to win the prize. But the prize was not for himself; it was for you and me ~ eternity in heaven instead of hell!

You do not have to go through what he did for your salvation and avoidance of hell. Your little bit of sacrifice is nothing by comparison. Or do you turn away from the prize Jesus sacrificed so much for so you can have a little more fun, accumulate a few more things, watch a few more tv shows, play a few more computer games, be a little more important to your friends?

Are you throwing away your prize?

SHADOW OF DEATH begins with Pilate trying everything he can think of to change the minds of the bribed mob. It ends with the unbearable sorrow of his followers who think all is lost forever. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2TSBrt2

Chap. 1 ~ Pilate: Soaring to Nothingness
Chap. 2 ~ Simon the Libyan: The Gauntlet
Chap. 3 ~ Crucifixion I: The Substitute
Chap. 4 ~ Crucifixion II: Victorious Dying
Chap. 5 ~ Two Thieves: Stranger in Paradise
Chap. 6 ~ Joseph of Arimathea: Sleeping Giant
Chap. 7 ~ Graveyard Sentries: Dawn Eyes
Chap. 8 ~ Five Wealth Women II: Breath of God
Chap. 9 ~ Peter: Torch Flight
Chap. 10 ~ Big Little James & Alphaeus: Desert of Sighs

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