When you fast?

On August 21, 2020July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn #Handicaps, death, good works, humility, Inspirational, power, prayer, sacrifice, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, August 21 (8/21), is Ezra 8:21a as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“There, by the Ahava Canal [from the Euphrates R.], I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God.”

In our modern society, does anyone fast anymore? Not drinking our food (juice) for a day and calling that a fast, but a true fast where we drink only water to stay hydrated, but that’s all? And we turn off all computers, phones, radios, and televisions for the day?

Jesus said in his sermon on the mount, “WHEN you fast….” (Matthew 6:16). He didn’t say, “IF you fast….” No, he assumed his followers would fast. Do we?

If you do, do you do it as a group? Jesus said we are to keep it a secret. Does anyone else know about your fast? They shouldn’t know unless they are the reason for our fast. Fasting is an act of self-restraint. It belongs to the sphere of humble self-discipline. It is strictly a personal and private matter.

All moral and bodily restraint, all humbleness of body and spirit are represented by fasting, and it is a complete failure of self-restraint to want to show the world our self-restraint. An unknown author wrote this:

Let us keep our fast within,
Till heaven and we are quite alone;
Then let the grief, the shame, the sin,
Before the mercy-seat be thrown.

Fasting is a way of starving yourself temporarily, a way of saying, “God, I would do this and more for you; I would die for you.” Or, “God, if it were possible, I would trade lives with this person I am fasting for to give them rest. I would even die for this person.” It is a deep expression to God that goes beyond words.

Also, when you fast, your mind is freed from guiding the digestion of food, so you can think clearer and deeper. And you can face yourself more honestly.

Just what are you deep down? Do you truly love God as much as you claim? Do you truly love your family as much as you claim? Your neighbors? Your fellow Christians? Your enemies? This is your time of self-reflection and self-honesty.

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/1107-2/my-book-applied-christianity/

Come to me! I am doing everything I can to help you!

On August 11, 2020July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn Death of Jesus Christ, eternity, good works, healing, sacrifice, Saved from hellLeave a comment

The scripture for today, August 12 (8/12), is John 8:12 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ “

Jesus had only about six months left to live. He knew the religious leaders were after his life out of jealousy. Before going to Jerusalem, he told his brothers, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me” (John 7:7). Knowing people were wanting to kill him, he slipped into Jerusalem after everyone else got there (John 7:10, 14). Then suddenly, he appeared in the middle of the Temple complex ~ the size of many football fields. He knew he was safe as long as there was a crowd.

Jesus answered some private questions, and then “he called out, ‘You know me! You know where I am from!’ ” (John 7:28).

Every day of this feast, a priest would ceremonially pour out some water to represent the water that poured out of the rock when the Jews wandered in the wilderness. But on the last day, the priest did not do this, for it represented their ancestors finally arriving in the Promised Land. It was on this last day of the feast that Jesus “stood and said in a loud voice… ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him!’ ” (John 7:38f)

First thing the next morning at dawn, he returned to the Temple court. Maybe there was a beautiful sunrise. When the sun was up, and the crowds had returned, he shouted something else to everyone, “I am the light of the world!” (John 8:12).

He had compared himself to the water ceremony of the day before, and now he was comparing himself to the new dawn. There he was. God materialized on earth, crying out to humanity. “Come to me! I am doing everything I can to help you! Won’t you come? Please listen to me! Please come! I can save you from hell!”

Such stubborn love.

FOLK HERO is lyrical novel #4 in the series THEY MET JESUS. He has performed a few miracles, selected his 12 aides, and now he gets down to the business of some heavy-duty miracles and astounding sermons. People flock to him from Palestine and nearby countries. They cannot get enough of their FOLK HERE. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this: http://bit.ly/FolkHero

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/historical-novel-about-jesus/book-4-folk-hero-adults-childs-versions/

Confined to a body

On August 8, 2020July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, eternity, forgiveness, Heaven, Inspirational, joy, Life of Christ, Loss, sacrifice, Satan, Saved from hellLeave a comment

The 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?’.

STAR SONG is biblical lyrical novel #1 in the series, THEY MET JESUS. Follow the lives of 12 people he changed forever, even as a baby. I began writing this series when I was 17 years old and finished it when I was 60. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. http://bit.ly/StarSong

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/historical-novel-about-jesus/book-1-star-song-adult-childs-versions/

Was Jesus God? Why Evil?

On August 5, 2020July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, Death of Jesus Christ, eternity, forgiveness, Heaven, Holy Spirit, judging, love, sacrifice, Satan, Saved from hell, temptation, victoryLeave a comment

The scripture for today, August 6 (8/6), is 1st Corinthians 8:6f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Yet for us, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord [Word], Jesus Christ, through whom all things came [by a Word] and through whom we live [by the Word]. But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols.”

Was Jesus God? When you put your voice I an audio player, that doesn’t mean there are now two of you ~ one in your audio player and one in your body. You are still one.When God put his Words in a burning bush when speaking to Moses, that didn’t make God two ~ one in the bush and one in heaven. God was still one and chose to put his voice in something on earth. Jesus’ body was where God put his voice for 3-1/2 years in Palestine.

Just as you have a mind/will, a body, and a spirit, God does too. Some object and say, “Was Jesus praying to himself?” and “Why did he have to obey his Father?.” Your words do not just take off speaking on its own. Your mind, your will, tells your lips what to say. Your lips have to obey your mind, your will.

What about Jesus being God’s Son? You create your words, you beget your words. Your words are your brainchild. But your brainchild is still you.

I have written an entire enlightening book on this called WAS JESUS GOD? It is fascinating and wonderful. And, yes, Jesus was God.

WAS JESUS GOD? (WHY EVIL?) is a study of salvation and all that God went through to save. Save us to heaven? No, when we are drowning, we are not saved to the shore, we are saved from the water. So, too, when we are saved, we are saved from hell. The book begins with sin and ends at the gates of heaven in our glorious bodies. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/31nm5hM

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/was-jesus-god/

Can they just turn it off?

On June 21, 2020July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn blessings, ego, family, love, sacrifice, ThanksgivingLeave a comment

The scripture for today, June 22 (6/22), is Ephesians 6:22 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“I am sending him to you for this very purpose: That you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.”

Have you sent a letter to anyone in your family lately even if they don’t have email just to see how they are? How about your elderly parents, your grown children, aunts or uncles, nieces or nephews? Do they love you? If they do, they are going to worry about you until they hear how you are. Or do they only hear from you when you need money?

I have a letter written by my great grandmother to her daughter (my grandmother) saying (besides the usual chit-chat), “You never write.” I have another letter written a generation later by my grandmother to her daughter (my mother) saying, “You never write.” And I have a letter from my mother saying to her daughter, “You never write.”

Each generation goes through this. We grow up, go out on our own, get busy, and forget to write our loved ones. They spent somewhere around 20 years raising you, taking care of you, making sure you were clean, your clothes decent, you did your homework, you got along with your friends, your scratches were healed, you ate right. How can they devote that much daily time and energy (both physical and emotional) on someone until they are grown, and then just turn it off? Just quit caring? They cannot.

So today, sit down and write a letter to someone who helped raise you. If you think you don’t have anything to say, you really do. Tell them what you had for lunch yesterday, what song on the radio you heard, where you went, who you saw. Just chit-chat things. All they want is to know how you are. Then they will feel a lot better. Because they love you.

JOSEPH THE OTHER FATHER speculates what it might have been like for Joseph to raise the Son of God. Several months before Jesus’ crucifixion, he was rejected in Nazareth and they said, “Isn’t (present tense) this the son of the carpenter?” Jesus apparently did not try to save his step-father’s life with a miracle and keep him from heaven. What kind of things did Joseph talk to Jesus about on his death bed? What precious memories? To BUY NOW, click a book cover to PASTE THIS………. https://bit.ly/30FFlbC

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I’d die if I had to do that.

On June 16, 2020July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, death, faith, Fear, good works, Holy Spirit, judging, love, persecution, sacrifice, truth, victory, weaknessLeave a 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 worshiped, 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.

STEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR did everything he could think of to convince people his religion was good. He recruited help. At night they would sneak pages of scriptures under rocks, inside people’s houses, nailed to statues of the gods. They met in secret and worshiped. Then publicly they would march. And they fasted as Queen Esther had done. If it worked for Esther, surely it would work for Stephen and his zealous friends. Would it backfire? To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/2XBFXvJ

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My eyes are fixed on you

On May 28, 2020July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, blessings, Death of Jesus Christ, faith, Inspirational, joy, Life of Christ, love, praise, prayer, sacrifice, Saved from hell, Thanksgiving, worshipLeave a comment

When I praise you, God of the universe, my heart is lifted up beyond myself. Though I may be low and powerless, weak and sinful, you always remain high and mighty far above the universe, the work of your hands. You never change. You remain great, regardless of what happens to me or to anyone else. You are always there for me, ready to step into any situation for my benefit. My eyes are ever fixed on you. You are my life.

Thank you, my Lord, for sending your Words to be spoken and lived by flesh and blood. Not only that, but this part of you took my place so I would not end up in hell. You have made the impossible easy. To live again forever became possible because of your sacrifice, then conquering death. And, Lord, it is so quiet and peaceful this morning. A few birds greet the sun and add a lilt to the quiet. Peace. Quiet. Calming to the soul. So precious. I worship you.

I pen my thoughts and stories to touch souls. Will you help me tell people about today’s book? https://bit.ly/3epvDgU

365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS is the 2nd in the trilogy, TOUCHING GOD. Each day is a proverb and a passage from either Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, or Song of Solomon. Set up to go with the daily inspirational thoughts book and the prayer book. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://bit.ly/3epvDgU

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Pray for me

On May 25, 2020July 15, 2025 By Inspirations By KatherynIn #friendships, blessings, discouragement, emptiness, family, Fear, healing, problems, sacrifice2 Comments

The scripture for today, May 26 (5/26), is 1st Thessalonians 5:26 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Brothers, pray for us.”

Do you have a prayer list? Often prayers get bogged down and short because the only person we “remember” in prayer is ourselves. Well, and maybe a relative or two

There are many people who need your prayers: Your family is obvious. How about your neighbors? If you don’t know their names, pray for them by house or apartment number. What about the newspaper? Every one of those bad-news stories is crying out for prayer. The school near you needs your prayers ~ students, teachers, administrators, janitors. It doesn’t matter whether you have a child in that school; pray for them anyway.

Are you praying for the hospital workers during this time of pandemic? People who keep us safe or rescue us in the fire and police departments? How about people in food service? And the delivery trucks to bring things to us because we hesitate to go to the store? What about people in your town who are self-isolating and have to family nearby?

Who are your local government officials? Not liking them doesn’t make any difference, for Jesus said we are to pray for our enemies too. And that leads to the list of your enemies; do you have any at your workplace? Include them too. It’s pretty hard to resent someone you pray for.

One other thing you might try doing in addition to having a prayer list: Have an answered-prayer list. Write down when you pray for someone, then when it is answered. Keep it as a reminder when you are down and don’t think He’s ever going to answer your requests. God does care, after all.

And speaking of requests, by the time you’re done praying for all the other people on your prayer list, you won’t have a lot of time to pray for yourself. And that is okay too, for others are praying for you!

I pen my thoughts to encourage souls. Most are based on one or more of my books. Will you help me spread the word about today’s book? https://bit.ly/3eh9Yrk

LUKE: SLAVE & PHYSICIAN is part of the spoils of war when he is 8 and his big, strong Norse father has been killed. He is adopted by Theophilus, tribune in the Roman legion, as his slave, and helps the legion physician. When grown, he meets Paul and leaves paganism for Christianity. He is freed by Theophilus to become Paul’s personal physician, trying to keep Paul alive after all his beatings and lashings by pagan priests to try to stop him. To BUY NOW, click a book cover, or paste this………. https://bit.ly/3eh9Yrk

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Your glory gilds my songs

On May 17, 2020 By Inspirations By KatherynIn #ransom, Death of Jesus Christ, eternity, forgiveness, healing, Heaven, Inspirational, love, praise, prayer, sacrifice, Satan, Saved from hell, sin, worshipLeave a comment

Your glory gilds my songs of praise to you. You send out majestic beams of heavenly rays on all people, great and small. You brighten my day and enlighten the world around me. You give and expect nothing in return except love. Love begins as a spark and grows in glory the nearer it is to you. You give my soul wings, and I soar to you.

Your blood, oh God. Your blood slipped out of your body that day so long, long ago. That which ensures life was taken out of you in order to provide life for a lifeless world held captive by Satan. Blood ransom. Satan’s price was high. Too high. No one could pay it. So, you materialized and offered your own flesh in my place. You offered your own blood in my place. You offered your life in my place. How can I thank you for freeing my soul from Satan? Unworthy, I rush to you, fall at your feet in eternal gratitude, and worship you.

I pen my thoughts and stories to touch souls. Will you help me tell people about today’s book? https://amzn.to/2Z9nPeT

LINK to all BOOKS by CATEGORY: http://bit.ly/MyBookInfo
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THE LORD’S SUPPER: 52 READINGS WITH PRAYERS is perfect for either public or private meditation each week during the Lord’s Supper. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://amzn.to/2Z9nPeT

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Rushing into his arms

On April 25, 2020 By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, Enemies, eternity, Heaven, persecution, problems, sacrifice, sin, teaching, truth, weaknessLeave a comment

The scripture for today, April 26 (4/26), is Galatians 4:26 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.”

There is more confusion over the “new Jerusalem” than you might think. Well, let’s ask God.

What is “the Jerusalem that is above”? Revelation 21:2 says, “I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”

Aha! We learn two things. The New Jerusalem already exists. And the New Jerusalem is sometimes called our mother and sometimes the Bride of Christ!

So, what is the Bride of Christ? Ephesians 5:25,27 says, “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy…and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” How exciting! The New Jerusalem, which is the Bride of Christ, is the Church – all of us.

What else can we learn about the New Jerusalem? Well, the foundation of the New Jerusalem is the apostles. Revelation says it, and Ephesians 2:20 says it.

Hmmm. This is getting more interesting all the time. Okay, let’s look at the 12 gates leading into the church. They are the 12 tribes of Israel, Judaism, where all the prophecies of Jesus are found.

Always check out the symbolism in the Bible. It deepens your spiritual understanding. Like the Walls of Salvation around the New Jerusalem insurmountably high (Isaiah 26:1 & 60:18). The River of Life and Tree of Life are there in the New Jerusalem. Just imagine on the final day when the church arrives in heaven, and we are all arrayed in sinless white and are rushing into the arms of our groom, our Jesus.

I pen my thoughts to reach out to souls. Will you help me tells others about this book? https://amzn.to/3bEHw1L

PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE is by far the most sought-after of all 70 of my books. It is about a man obsessed, a man who can never do enough to make up for imprisoning, torturing, and killing God’s children. He spends forty-five years going from one city to another daring them to stop him. They harass him, beat him, starve him, rob him, imprison him, lash him, hound him to the next city. Nothing works. He knows when he enters a city what they will do to him. He knows! But he cannot stop him. Each time they torture him, he cries out, “Jesus! This is for you!” At the beginning of the book, he is tall, robust, athletic. By the end, he is stooped, disfigured, the shell of a man, but never defeated. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://amzn.to/3bEHw1L

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