Nothing can conquer you

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-MediumJehovah God, in your Word, you tell me how to think and act. You tell me what to stay away from, what to change, what to do. You tell me what attitudes I should have.  I try, but sometimes Satan lures me away from you with his false promises of a better and happier life. He convinces me it’s okay to not do what you want because “God just doesn’t want me to be happy”. Then, when I give in, I realize he has lied to me again and I yearn to return to you. It is always astounding to me that you smile and welcome me back. You forgive even the sins I repeat over and over ~ always trying but always failing. Continuously, you forgive, wipe away my tears, and calm my soul. I do not understand such patience and love. All I know is that you are my God and I am yours.

Thank you for Calvary. Thank you for making it possible for them to arrest you, chain you, slap you, spit on you, beat you, scourge you, drive nails into your body. You let them do it to show the world how mean humanity had become when following Satan. You exposed Satan for what he was. Then you tricked him! Hallelujah, you tricked Satan!  He thought he’d killed God.  How egotistical. No one can kill God. You spent three days resting in Paradise, then came back to life. Was Satan ever mad. He had lost again. Oh, Wonder of wonders, my Lord. Nothing can conquer you. You are Lord of all lords, King of all kings, Conqueror of all conquerors. And I worship you.

.

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-ThumbnailFollow the suspense as each person in Jesus’ life comes to terms with who they are, and who Jesus is.  Jesus accepts them as they are.  But can they accept themselves as they are?  More than that, can they accept Jesus as he is?  Both God and man?  Both Creator and created?  Both King and servant?  It is the story of doubts explained away, animosities melted away, misunderstandings cleared away.  It is your story and mine.  For deep within each of us is everyone who ever met and struggled with Jesus.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  http://bit.ly/TheyMetJesus1-8          https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/historical-novel-about-jesus/

You’re Almost Home

0-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-MediumMy Father, you are my king. You are crowned with the sun. Your scepter is tipped with the moon. Your robe spreads across millions of galaxies.  Your throne is the dome of the cosmos encircled with a thousand rainbows. Your eyes sparkle like stars, your laughter is like the thunder, your tears like raindrops, your touch like billowy clouds gliding across the sky. Oh, my Lord. I love you, adore you, worship you.  I am your bride and long for you.

My Lord, you have given me so much. I have a decent place to live with air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. I have decent clothes to wear, nutritious food, doctors nearby. I even have the luxuries of a TV, cell phone, and computer. I take them for granted far too much. I sometimes forget others in the world who live in fear their freedom and luxuries will be taken from them.  If it is your will that I become one of them, grant me strength to do it.

Ah, Lord Jesus. What a life you lived!  You never sinned and that means you never passed up anyone who needed you. I think you must have been skinny. You must have skipped many a meal to get to everyone. And the awesome miracles you performed! Growing cut-off arms and legs back, returning the noses, fingers and toes to lepers, making the forever blind see, opening the ears of the deaf so they could hear your voice and the amazing words that came from your lips. Thank you, thank you for showing us who you really were ~ God materialized.

.

00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-ThumbnailSTEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR.   Saul goes after both Stephen and Simon of Cyrene. They rush to save each other’s lives. Stephen distracts the Sanhedrin with a long history lesson until Simon can escape to Antioch….As Stephen takes his final steps toward the stoning pit, he can still hear his father in years past. “Take another step, Son. Now another. Hold your head high. Don’t let them see weakness. You’re doing fine. Now another step. I’m here, Son. I will never leave you. You’re almost home.”  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:      https://bit.ly/StephenUnlikelyMartyr    https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/books-more-biblical-historical-novels/book-7-stephen-unlikely-martyr/

The Divine Boomerang Effect

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-MediumThe 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.

.

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS.  Most of the warnings in today’s devo come from the “Wisdom Literature” of the Bible.  This second of the trilogy, Touching God, provides a daily short saying from the ancient sheik, Job, from King David’s psalms, and from his son King Solomon’s Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Job lived some thousand years before David and Solomon; yet we see the same wisdom of God shines forth in every millennium of mankind.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:   https://bit.ly/365PearlsOfWisdom    https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/365-pearls-of-wisdom-gods-soul-to-yours/

 

He stands in the universe among the worlds

0-REV-Cover-No Logo-KINDLE-mediumThe stars join together in rapturous chords to sing your praises from galaxy to galaxy. The planets echo their song. It spirals down to the mountain tops. The mountains tremble and the song soars upward until it penetrates worlds and rests at last at your throne. Though there be hundreds of billions of galaxies, the worlds cannot praise you enough, nor can my heart.

You, God, are the only God. There was none before you and can never be another. None higher or lower. You are self-existent. The child was born ~ a Son ~ and he was called everlasting Father, mighty God. What a thought. What a concept. What a resounding declaration. You are the First Cause of all things that exist. You are the fountainhead of every movement. You are the Great Will that the world submits to save itself from being void. Without you there is no order, no cause, no truth, no good, no life. I will praise you alone. I will praise you to my friends. I will praise you to strangers around the world, great and small. To you belongs all honor, glory and majesty.

Ah, my Lord, I thank you for never changing. No matter how much people change, you stay the same. You never allow anyone to pressure you to give in to us or become like us to ease our consciences.  If you changed, there would be no such thing as truth. If you changed there would be no such thing as love.  If you changed, we could not be saved from Satan and his world. Your love is stubborn, immovable, persevering. You will stand in the universe and among the worlds tall and strong, exalted and majestic.

.

0-REV-Cover-No Logo-KINDLE-thumbnailREVELATION: A LOVE LETTER FROM GOD.  This is God’s last love letter to the world. He has done everything possible to help us escape hell, including offering his only begotten son to die in our place. We are his children. He loves us and does not want us to be hurt. He tells of the overwhelming joy he can give those who accept his Son as Lord of their life. He also tells us that, if we become Christians, he will protect us as he always protected his children in the past. This is one last reassurance. One last love letter from God. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:     https://bit.ly/REVELATION-LOVE    https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/1107-2/my-book-revelationa-love-letter-from-god/

Delightful Serendipity. And I smile.

OldOldTunes-mediumHeaven stirs. The song comes near. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Angel wings are heard then stilled.  Prayers rise from earth and soar to your majestic throne.  The mountains declare your glory and the ocean answers with a mighty roar.  Your love is like trees in a storm, bending but not breaking, and coming back stronger than ever. My praises break forth from my heart, dear Lord, in jubilation. The forests shiver in excitement and the tiniest creature answers with its tiny squeak.

Your love melts the hardest heart and chases away the worst sinful thoughts. Your love strengthens the weakest heart and makes it bold in the face of fear.  Your love shouts from the mountain tops in glistening white purity and spreads delight, wonder, and exultation to those willing to look up. You emerge from the depths of the oceans in face of storms, for nothing can hold you back. You reign from the heavens and are all glorious. Whatever I do, you are there. Whether I run or walk, you are there. Whether I work or rest, you are there. You are in my song and in my silence.

It is dawn. The sun is shining today. We have had a lot of rain and that made the gardens happy. Now the sun is back, gleaming in a deep blue sky while cottony white clouds bounce here and there in satisfaction. Delightful serendipity, no matter what the heavens bring day by day, I thank you for that.  And I smile.

.

OldOldTunes-ThumbnailTHE OLD OLD STORY SET TO OLD OLD TUNES.  Forty-four songs for the Old Testament and forty-four songs for the New Testament. This book may be used by teachers or given as gifts to children. Anyone who knows these common folk tunes will be able to sing the songs immediately. If you do not know any of the tunes, you can find them on the internet.   To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/OldStoryOldTunes                                                    https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/links-to-some-of-my-fun-bible-stuff/the-old-old-story-set-to-old-old-tunes/

The Unknown Future

The scripture for today, June 20 (6/20), is Matthew 6:20f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-MEDIUM“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In describing heaven, terms are used like pearls, diamonds, emeralds, gold, and so on. So, certainly, God is not against riches. Otherwise, he would not have described heaven with those terms.

So, what is the problem? Ask yourself, “If I lost everything tomorrow, could I face life?.”  You may say yes, but what about your friends? They may not want to associate with someone with nothing. So, it is not only a greed problem but a social problem. It is a problem of losing both your possessions and your friends.

Some have solved this problem by moving out into the country where possessions and social status don’t mean so much. Or you could stay where you are and just change your choice of friends. Your new friends may be truer friends than you ever had before and may need you more.

Lastly, if you lost your job, your car, your home ~ your identity ~ would you be so devastated that you would contemplate suicide as some have done? Or would you be able to look around and see what you can do without being paid and a job to occupy your time?

There are always things you can do for others. Is that truly where your heart is? In that case, loss of everything would not bring catastrophe. Rather, it would give opportunity to reveal what stuff you are made of deep down inside where your true treasure is ~ in your heart.

.

Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-THUMBNAILTHE ROAD TO HEAVEN.  It’s a long road.  It began in the Gaden of Eden.  What has it taken to get you forgiven?  It’s been a long battle between God and Satan, both of which are trying to get you on their side.  And the logistics God worked out:  He’s always fooling Satan.  Satan does not understand God. So, even though he thinks he is winning, he is not. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://bit.ly/Road-To-Heaven                                           https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/the-road-to-heaven/

Love Letters From God

Love Letters of Jesus & his Bride, Eccelsia-THUMBNAILI praise you, Lord God of my heart. You are my king, my Father, my Creator, my Life, my Betrothed, the Lover of my soul. You are all I need and all everyone else needs. I came from you and find peace only when I go back to you.  You made me, I am yours. I belong to you and long to return to you. I worship you both now and forever.

Forgive me for not sharing what you are with more people and showing them what you can make of them. You can make their life beautiful. How dare I keep it a secret!

Ah, my Lord, I cannot thank you enough for giving me your Bible. Within its pages is glory.  It brims with delight, for I never have to guess what you’re thinking.   They are your love letters to me. You are always on my mind. Sometimes I can hardly wait to join you in your home when I will know what you are like face to face. What a day that will be. Home coming! The angels and cherub and all of heaven will rejoice when I arrive, but none will rejoice more than I. What a wonder you are in the brilliance of your glory and majesty.

.

Love Letters of Jesus & his Bride, Eccelsia-THUMBNAILLOVE LETTERS OF JESUS & HIS BRIDE, ECCLESIA.  Look over their shoulder at their love letters [chapters in Song of Solomon] beginning with the time he finds her in the clutches of Satan and pays the terrible blood ransom to free her. He takes her to their Garden and they fall even more in love. Then on to the times she wanders away and he follows her to bring her back to him. Their story ends with Ecclesia desperately calling to him, “Come, Lord Jesus.”.  He replies, “I am coming soon.”  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/LoveLettersOfJesus                            https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/love-letters-of-jesus-his-bride-ecclesia-2/

What’s in the blood?

The scripture for today, June 14 (6/14), is Numbers 6:14 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-Thumbnail“There he is to present his offerings to the Lord…a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering…. “

 A lot of people don’t understand what Jesus dying on a cross has to do with going to heaven. Romans 6:23 says, “the wages of sin is death.” ~ both physical and soul death. It is what we earn when we sin.  It is Satan who pays us our wages.

In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve, the day you sin you will die.  Indeed, the day they fell into Satan’s deceptive trap and sinned, their souls were separated from God.

Leviticus 17:11 “The life of the body is in the blood.” Although Hebrews 10:4 says the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin, their blood was a reminder of the horribleness of a violent, bloody death – whether physical or spiritual.

Finally, God the Word came to earth as a human, and John the Baptist called him the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Jesus was perfect; that is, he never sinned, he had no defects (Hebrews 4:15).  Therefore, Satan had no hold on him (John 14:30). But he took the blame for our sins (II Corinthians 5:21) and faced down Satan with them.

What does blood do?  It delivers oxygen to the lungs and it delivers poisons to be destroyed by the liver which is in our side.  So, after Jesus took that last belabored breath, a soldier opened his side with a spear, and out came all our poison sins along with the water which symbolizes rebirth.

Hours before his crucifixion, Jesus said in John 12:1, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.”  How? In his dying, he could now cast out Satan’s greatest weapon – death.  Just when Satan thought he had won, Jesus came back to life so that “through death, he destroyed him who had the power of death – the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

Then God said, If you’ll believe and imitate sinless Jesus, I will forgive and consider you sinless too (Romans 6). Then I’ll bring you back to life in heaven.

Power in the blood?  Wonderful power!

And, by the way, since he came back to life on Sunday, that’s what makes Sunday so special. It’s the I’m-sorry-you-had-to-die-for-my-sins Day. It’s the “Do-this-in-remembrance-of-me” Lord’s Supper Day.  It’s the Gratitude Day.

.

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-ThumbnailTHEY MET JESUS:  SHADOW OF DEATH.  It takes two chapters to entirely cover the crucifixion of Jesus — one chapter for the first three hours, a second chapter for the last three hours.  Then the measly funeral held in the cave with two secret followers, his mother. and four other women just as the sun slipped away on the most terrible day in the history of mankind.  The following book, COME FLY WITH ME, is the victory book.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste thishttps://bit.ly/ShadowOfDeath-7                                           https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/historical-novel-about-jesus/book-7-shadow-of-death-adults-childs-versions/  

God loves to answer prayer

Silver Cover-KINDLE-thumbnailThe scripture for today, June 12 (6/12), is Luke 6:12 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“One of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”

How in the world did Jesus think of enough things to say that he could pray all night? Most of us, on a good day, only manage a 5-minute prayer. The next verse says that the next morning he selected his twelve apostles. Aha! He had a list. He had probably spent at least half an hour each praying about them by name, as well as about others he was considering. Jesus knew what his apostles would be facing someday. Which ones would be loyal enough, stubborn enough, strong-willed enough to someday in the future endure persecution, torture (skinned alive, beaten to death, burned), and martyrdom for him?

Who do you pray for by name? Do you have a prayer list? How about opening the newspaper and praying for all those people in the news ~ perpetrators, victims, causes, governments, situations? Or everyone you work with? Or everyone your children go to school with? Or all their teachers and administrators? Or the clerks in the stores you go to regularly? Or members of an organization you belong to? Or every member of your congregation? What about countries where people become Christians at risk of their freedom and even their lives?

There are always people in need of prayer. And one of the joys of such a prayer life is now and then telling people whom you know that they are in your prayers, or writing a note to someone who is a stranger to you telling them that you pray for them.

Some people have never heard their names in prayer. Some people have never even been told that someone prays for them.

God loves to answer prayer. Do you love prayer?

.

Silver Cover-KINDLE-thumbnailTOUCHING GOD.  SILVER-WINGED PRAYERS: YOUR SPIRIT TO GOD’S. I dare you to pray for 50 people, 100 people, 500 people. You do not need to explain each person’s needs. God knows them. If all you can do is bring their names before the throne of God, then do that.  May these prayers help you along the way to connect with your Maker, your God, the Lover of your Soul. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/SilverWingedPrayers    https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/365-silver-winged-prayers-your-spirit-to-gods/

 

Have they lost hope?

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

07-Jairus' Daughter-MediumCover“What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects that I should be patient?”

Many people use the expression, “patience of Job.” But he had on-and-off patience, for he was very sick. By descriptions he gave of himself ~ sores, rancid breath, low voice, partial blindness, skin turned hard and black, bloating, nightmares, extreme pain, unrecognized by his closest friends ~ some believe he had a grotesque form of elephantiasis leprosy.

What did he need from his friends? He surely didn’t get it, for they spent their time trying to prove he had sinned, and God was right to be punishing him. His reply? “I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all! Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing?” (Job 16:2f).

So how do you comfort someone who feels utterly hopeless? You certainly do not put the blame on them, nor do you tell them it’s “all in your head’ or to “snap out of it.”  You can share times when we felt hopeless. You can weep with them. You can hold their hand. You can sit with them in silence. You can pray aloud for them. (Some people have never heard their name mentioned in a prayer.)

And you need to let them talk. Sometimes they will say things they don’t mean in the long run, but at that brief moment, they do. Or sometimes, they need to talk through things they are unsure about. They may even say contradictory things.

At one time, Job said, “Surely, O God, you have worn me out; you have devastated my entire household….God assails me and tears me in his anger and gnashes his teeth at me” (16:7f). But another time he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end, he will stand upon the earth….I myself will see him with my own eyes ~ I and not another. How my heart yearns within me” (19:25f).

Do you have a very sick friend? Do you have a friend who has lost hope?  Let your heart yearn with them.

.

07-Jairus' Daughter-ThumbnailCoverA CHILD’S BIBLE KIDS:  JAIRUS’ DAUGHTER.  She was lively Leah and very happy from the time she was born.  But, when she was 12, she got very sick. The doctor came, but could not make her better. Her father was a rabbi and decided to ask Jesus to heal her. He found Jesus and begged him to come heal his little girl. But a surprise happened.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….http://bit.ly/JairusDtr                                                       https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/a-childs-bible-kids-book-7-jairus-daughter/?frame-nonce=dcd871ac5b