Wednesday 8/14 ~ The Creator’s Child

The scripture for today, August 14 (8/14), is Romans 8:14 as found in the New Testament of the Bible.

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Well, how are you supposed to know the Spirit is leading you? Is it guesswork? Does it depend on your emotions and how you are feeling that day? It doesn’t seem fair of God to leave you guessing.

But God does not make you guess. Jesus said in John 14:16,17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever ~ the Spirit of Truth.” And in John 17:17, praying to God the Father, Jesus said, “Sanctify them by the Truth; your Word is Truth.”

Jesus said you are sanctified by God’s Spirit, God’s Truth, God’s Word. How? Not by feelings. Not because someone else said so. Not by touching it or carrying it around in your pocket. But by reading it and following it. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”. That is how the Spirit leads you.

You don’t have to guess. Just follow it. Even if you are feeling rotten today, as long as you are following the Spirit of Truth, you are a child of God ~ not a slave, but His child.

 

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-ThumbnailTHE HOLY SPIRIT: 592 VERSES EXAMINED covers every verse in the Bible on God’s Spirit. Each chapter pulls together one of the categories they fall into.  This is not the opinion of the author and does not follow any popular or unpopular declarations about God’s Spirit. Let’s go to the source ~ God himself ~ and find out for sure. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2yV2R5k

LINK to all my BOOKS by CATEGORY:    http://bit.ly/MyBookInfo

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Monday 8/12 ~ I am your light. I am your water. I am your life.

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

0000-BK 1-StarSong-Cover-new-Thumbnail“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 the Son 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!”

Such stubborn love.

 

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LINK to all BOOKS by CATEGORY:  http://bit.ly/MyBookInfo

LINK to all BOOKS on AMAZON: bit.ly/AmazonBooksByKatheryn

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Monday 7/22 ~ You can know for sure

The scripture for today, July 22 (7/22), is 2nd Samuel 7:22 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible.

0-Michel-COVER-Kindle-Thumbnail“How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”

How do you know there is no God but the God of the Bible that we read about and “hear with our own ears” (when scriptures are read aloud)? How do you know our God is the only true God, and our Bible his only true words?

Investigating the numerous built-in proofs is how we know. They are all over the Old Testament ~ Prophecies fulfilled of people and entire nations as given in the Bible and verified in secular encyclopedias. Scientific facts not known in early centuries. Over 300 archaeological facts.  Here is a colorful website showing most of them:  http://bit.ly/2M4VdNu

Therefore, you can KNOW what God is like, what he wants and how he views you, for you have heard with your own ears and seen with your own eyes. How lucky you are. How blessed.

 

0-Michel-COVER-Kindle-ThumbnailMICHEL: THE FOURTH WISE MAN and the pagan wise men tried for over a year to find the meaning of the star. Only after a year was Michel able to convince the pagan wise men to check the archives where Queen Esther and Daniel had left copies of their own writings and writings of the Jewish prophets. There they found prophecies of the God-King.  At last, they knew.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2M4uzEj

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Sunday 7/21 ~ Teaching the teachers

Our scripture for today, July 21 (7/21), is Matthew 7:21ff as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

NF-WorshipChanges-WorshipFirst“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “

There are hundreds of denominations/sects out there all contradicting each other. It’s impossible for them all to be right. They cannot all be on different roads going to the same place. They cannot all be pleasing God if we decide opposing things please him.

You can never rely on what someone else says just because they look and act holy and say all the right holy words and phrases and pray such holy-sounding prayers. You must never rely on your religious leaders to tell you what to believe. Shall you take their opinion or God’s opinion?

Romans 10:1 in the Bible mentions some people who had a lot of zeal for God, but were lost because it was not according to the proper knowledge.

Well, how do you get God’s opinion? Read the Bible for yourself! Use a concordance (lists every word in the Bible and every scripture with that word ~ Bible Hub has one on the internet) and look up your chosen subject.  Then, having found the truth, why not go back to your religious leaders in love and try to teach your teachers? Some just might listen to you.

 

NF-WorshipChanges-WorshipFirstWORSHIP CHANGES SINCE THE 1ST CENTURY gives the very year changes were introduced and who introduced them. It also tells what they did to the protesters to each change.  WORSHIP THE FIRST-CENTURY WAY gently covers each part of our worship beginning with quotes from famous theologians, scripture examples, and intermittent prayers for guidance.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2M2Gsux

LINK TO ALL MY BOOKS:  http://bit.ly/MyBookInfo

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Monday 7/15 ~ Challenging and liberating

The scripture for today, July 15 (7/15), is Matthew 7:15 as found in the New Testament of the Bible.

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

Jesus said this. Maybe sometimes the “false prophet” is within yourself. You have a pet theory you want very much for God to agree with you on. So you read through the Scriptures trying to prove your point correct. Of course, taking a verse here and a verse there, you can “prove” anything you want.

So how do you find out if you are being your own “false prophet”? If you see a verse that contradicts your pet theory, look for other scriptures similar to this one. Use a concordance ~ a book that lists alphabetically every word in the Bible and every verse it appears in. There is one on the internet here:  https://biblehub.com/concordance/

Or, if you believe in a different holy book of a different world religion, you can read it, then honestly search for built-in proofs it is truly from a mind that knows things humans do not such as prophecies of the future that came true.

Or perhaps your pet belief is based on deep emotional longings or excitements or desires that want to show themselves in outward ways  “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:1, 14).  So God in flesh was Jesus, therefore God was and is word, logic. Therefore, try to find explanations of your deep emotional expressions in the Bible.  If you do not find them, perhaps your emotional expressions came from a tradition instead of God.

Yes, there are ways to determine if you’ve been listening to a “false prophet”. Yes, it is humiliating to believe you just might have been wrong, and then actually admit you were wrong. But it is also liberating. Many people have already gone through this challenge and can testify that changing from their viewpoint to God’s viewpoint is not only liberating, but ultimately brings peace.

 

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-ThumbnailTHE HOLY SPIRIT IN 592 VERSES is one of those liberating books.  We are told we do or do not have the Holy Spirit for all kinds of reasons people. Some are contradictory so they cannot all be true. Eliminate the confusion. Go with the author to all 592 times God’s Spirit is mentioned in the Bible and find out for sure.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2vKlzeK

 

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Saturday 7/6 ~ It IS possible to know!

The scripture for today, July 6 (7/6), is Mark 7:6f as found in the New Testament of the Bible.

“He [Jesus] replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ ”

It is the trend today to say that all religions ~ even those who teach opposing things ~ are right and all are good. It is the trend today to say all gods are the same God, and we are all going to the same heaven if we’re pretty good. It’s not that simple.  Jesus did not say this. Well, then, how do we know which religious things we are taught and do today are from God and which from men?

You are smart. Don’t be lazy.  Read the holy books of all major world religions for yourself. Who knows? What you have been told all your life may be wrong.  Do the other holy books have built-in proofs they really originated from God?  Perhaps scientific, archaeological, ancient inscriptions, prophecies fulfilled? Here is a website with those holy books on it:  https://www.sacred-texts.com  Here is a website with nearly 400 proofs the Bible is from God:

https://casagrandechurchofchrist.com/bible-proofs/

If you conclude the Bible is true, use a concordance and do a study of everything the Bible says about any topic. That way you will have God’s opinion, not men’s.

Here is a website with an online Bible concordance and it’s easy to use:  http://bibletab.com

You can find out for yourself,~ you can KNOW ~ whether what you were told to believe by family, friends, and leaders is what God told you to believe. Your eternity depends on it.

 

CHRISTIANITY OR ISLAM: THE CONTRAST quotes from both the Qur’an and New Testament of the Bible on the same subjects without comment. It can be given in a Muslim without offending them. Things they have been told about Christianity which is not true are explained. It ends with statements of over 100 Muslims I have studied with who decided Jesus really was the Son of God and not just a prophet.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2NyJHMH

 

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Sunday 6/16 ~Ask for the ancient paths

The scripture for today, June 16 (6/16), is Jeremiah 6:16 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Titus-Cover-Lg Thumb“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

We need history, not only for an appreciation of what our forefathers did for us but also to learn which mistakes not to make all over again. This is true with religion also. There are hundreds of denominations and religions out there. This divisiveness hurts us. It seems the more denominations and religions we have, the fewer people are interested in spiritual things. They call it “organized religion”.

Within Christianity, think about creeds for a moment. If a creed is less than the Bible, it isn’t enough. If it is more than the Bible, it is too much. If it is the same as the Bible, why have it? Let us change our loyalties away from denominationalism and toward the Bible. All this confusion is exhausting!

Human nature has always been the same, and the Bible written long ago applies just as much to human nature today as it did then. Proverbs! The life and speeches of Jesus! The many mistakes made by people in the Old Testament! The advice to Christians in the New Testament!

It’s not confusing. And maybe then, we will find rest for our souls.

 

0-Titus-Cover-Lg ThumbTITUS: THE ARISTOCRAT was raised in the elite city of Antioch (according to tradition). When he was converted to Christianity, Paul sent him everywhere to arbitrate problems between Christians and problems in churches.  He was a “smooth operator” and knew how to make both sides feel they won while staying true to the one path of truth.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2MRwnmn

 

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Saturday 6/8 ~ Have I died with Christ?

The scripture for today, June 8 (6/8), is Romans 6:8 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Acts of the Apostles-Cover-Thumbnail“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”

We all want to live with Christ, but how do we die with him? Earlier in this same chapter, God inspired the writer to say this: “We died to sin….don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead…we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:2-4).

So, just as Christ did a physical action to die for you, you do a physical action to die with him. And just as Christ’s physical death overcame spiritual death, so your physical action overcomes your spiritual death. Then you are born again, or as this verse says, you “live a new life”

Some say this is water salvation. But it is no more water salvation than the cross was wood salvation. You live in a physical world and God has us sometimes do physical things in order to obtain a spiritual outcome. Your singing praise songs is a physical thing, but it is no less spiritual in its outcome. Your eating the Lord’s Supper is a physical thing, but it is no less spiritual in its outcome.

Have you died with Christ?

 

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Monday 6/3 ~ Do you say no to what God says yes to?

The scripture for today, June 3 (6/3), is Romans 6:3f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Joseph-Cover-Thumbnail“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life….because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

Oh! Baptism does all that? Some people say no. God says yes. Some people hate this topic because their church leaders have rejected it as unimportant and even call people who quote such verses in God’s Word as dangerous.  Why?

Look at the list in that verse that baptism does for us.  In baptism, we obtain a new life ~ are born again. And in baptism, we are freed from sin ~ forgiven. Look at it this way: Just as Jesus died carrying our sins on himself, we die to our sinful nature ~ the part of us that sins and doesn’t care. Then just as Jesus was buried in his tomb, we are buried in our watery tomb. And just as Jesus came up out of his tomb the Savior, we come up out of our tomb the saved ~ with a “new life” and “freed from sin.”

Everything works together beautifully ~ hearing, believing, confessing, dying to sin, being baptized. What an honor and privilege we have been given to imitate what he did for us! 1st Peter 3:21 says it is an answer of a good conscience toward God.

Just as the crucifixion was a physical thing to obtain a spiritual outcome, baptism is a physical thing to obtain a spiritual outcome.  How beautiful. How amazing.

 

PERFECT FOR FATHER’S DAY GIFT ~

JOSEPH: THE OTHER FATHER had the greatest challenge in the history of the world ~ to raise God’s child in a violent world. A year before Jesus died, he visited his hometown of Nazareth. The people there said, “ISN’T this the son of the carpenter?” not “WASN’T”. Read the story of Joseph and all he may have gone through to keep Jesus protected until he was grown. To BUY NOW, click a book title or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2HTIcE6

 

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Wednesday 5/29 ~ Everlasting Arms

The scripture for today, May 29 (5/29), is Acts 5:29 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-Thumbnail“Peter and the other apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’ “

There are many countries in the world today where a person is tortured, imprisoned and/or killed for believing in Jesus Christ or owning a Bible. These believers must stay in the background and try to remain relatively unnoticed in order to survive. But their faith continues unabated, even amidst their fears. Because of brave Christians like these, the church has survived persecution for 2000 years.

Even if they’re not killed, they are by-passed for promotion at work or fired, they are harassed when out shopping, they are threatened in public transportation, they are turned down for a good education, and they must tolerate derision just walking down the street or waiting at a bus stop. But their faith continues unabated, even amidst their fears and tears.

Such events are usually covered up by their governments and news media, and the good people of those countries never know it is happening.

How grateful we must be to those who live life being rejected by others. Let us daily hold up these brave souls in our prayers ~ those who obey God rather than men.

In eternity, God will deal with the persecutors.  In eternity, it will be to God the persecuted will turn to, not men. And there, God will hold them in his everlasting arms.

00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-Thumbnail

STEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR was not brave as a youth. In fact, he was a coward. Walk with him over the next ten years as he grows into one of the bravest men you will ever meet.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://amzn.to/2wtVwIA

 

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