Tag: faith

Scripture for Sunday, January 8 (1/8)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, faith, Inspirational, Life of Christ, Scripture, truth, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, January 8, is 1st Peter 1:8 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 4-FOLK HERO-COVER“Though you have not seen him, you love him! And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him! And are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy!”

This was written by Peter, one of Jesus’ apostles, when he was old. Peter had seen Jesus for himself. He was an eye-witness.

After Jesus returned to heaven, it was the job of the apostles to tell people about him and repeat his words. They spent the rest of their lives doing just that. Oh, the joy they found when people believed, even though they had not seen him; and not only believed, but loved.

Thank God, these apostles wrote the New Testament so we would never have to guess what Jesus was like and never have to guess what his words were, even after the apostles died. In fact, we have the advantage because we do not have to wait for an apostle to come visit us and tell us. We can read about Jesus for ourselves over and over as many times as we like right in our home.

Yes, we have not seen Jesus. Yet, with his life and words before us, we believe. And we love. What inexpressible and glorious joy!

#Faith, #JesusUnseen, #Witnesses, #Apostles, #Gospel, #NewTestament, #Bible, #Love, #Joy

Scripture for Thursday, January 5 (1/5)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, Daily, faith, InspirationalLeave a comment

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

Life-Changing-Scriptures-Cover-medium“…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? Do things sometimes go so wrong that 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.

When your emotions are pulling you down, rely for a little awhile on only your logic, your intellect, until your emotions heal. Some day they will.

So keep on hoping ~ the springboard. And some day it will return to being faith.

#Faith, #Hope, #Doubt, #Emotions, #Logic, #

Scripture for Monday, December 5 (12/5)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, faith, healing, Inspirational, persecution, Satan, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, December 5, is Psalm 12:5 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

00-Heroes-Alone-COVER-KINDLE” ‘Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,’ says the Lord. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’ “

Notice, in this scripture the Lord says, “I will now arise.” Sometimes God needs us to endure difficulties so that bad people who cause such problems can be exposed for what they are, and ultimately so Satan can be exposed for what he is. Sometimes that difficulty will last months or years ~ sometimes even a lifetime. 

First Corinthians 3:9 in the New Testament says we are workers together with God. Ephesians 6:12 says “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly [spiritual] realms.”

We are where God wants us to be. This is our assignment. Are we up to it? Sometimes our job is just to hang on and not give up on God. That’s what Satan is always trying to get us to do, just like he did Job in the Old Testament. God won’t leave us in a situation that is impossible for us to endure. I Corinthians 10:13 says, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” 

So, go ahead and groan in your weakness, but hang on. Never let go of God. That’s your part. 

As soon as the evil around you is exposed for what it is, you have proven good cannot be conquered by evil, and you have grown spiritually as a result of your experience, God will then arise.  That’s God’s part. 

#Troubles, #Problems, #Trials, #Endurance, #Patience, #Evil, #Judgment, #Punishment, #Satan

Scripture for Sunday, November 20 (11/20)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Daily, faith, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 20, is Hebrews 11:20ff as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Oldoldstory-COVER-KINDLE“By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. By faith Jacob when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons….By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.”

Do we have children that were so loving and good when they were young, but when they became older they changed? Do we sometimes wonder, “How could I have gone so wrong with my children?” True, they have free will. But do we feel like failures because our children did not turn out the way we had hoped and prayed?

Have faith ~ the faith of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Isaac blessed his sons with his land, even though he did not yet own the land. Jacob blessed his sons with power, even though they did yet not have power. Joseph blessed his sons and his brothers’ sons with the land, yet they no longer lived in it.

They all blessed their children with something they believed would happen some day, even though the evidence was not there. Why? Because they had faith in their children? Actually, it was mostly because they had faith in God. They had faith in what God would do for their children.

Let us keep on keeping on. Let us never stop having faith in what God (even after we die) will (not can, but will) do for our children.

#Family, #Children, #Hope, #Faith, #Restore, #Reform

Scripture for Wednesday, November 16 (11/16)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, faith, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 16, is John 11:16 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Joseph-Cover-Kindle-Medium“Then Thomas…said to the rest of the disciples, ‘Let us also go that we may die with him.’ “

This apostle is most often called “Doubting Thomas.” We’ve all heard the story about Thomas being absent when Jesus appeared to the other apostles, then later said he wouldn’t believe Jesus was alive again unless he could touch him. Well, the other apostles hadn’t believed until they saw him either.

After returning to life, Jesus first appeared to the women. Then, “when they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others…But they did not believe the women because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:9-11).

Now let’s look at our scripture for today. In the months before Jesus’ death, he had been traveling everywhere except to Judea where Jerusalem and the religious leaders were. Those leaders were after Jesus’ life, and everyone knew it. Then Lazarus died and was buried about six miles from Jerusalem. It was dangerous for Jesus to go there.

John 11:7-8 says, “Then he [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’ ‘But Rabbi,’ they said, ‘a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?’ “

After explaining that he needed to get to Lazarus, it was Thomas who bravely spoke up and said, “Let us also go that we may die with him!”

Doubting Thomas? Far from it! Brave Thomas. Devoted Thomas. Thomas who was willing to follow his Lord to the death. That was the real Thomas.

#Thomas, #DoubtingThomas, #Judging, #Faith

Scripture for Tuesday, November 1 (11/1)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn faith, Inspirational, ScriptureLeave a comment

The scripture for today, November 1, is Hebrews 11:1 as found in the New Testament of the Bible;

Life-Changing-Scriptures-Cover-medium“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (KJV).

Notice, faith is not based on a feeling. It is full of substance, for it is based on evidence. What evidence?

First, faith is complete confidence that the Bible is divine. We know this in large part because the prophecies about large nations and empires during Bible times came true after the lifetime of the prophets. Today, most people never heard of many of those large nations and empires because their destruction was so complete. But an investigation of encyclopedias shows that, in Bible times, they did exist.

Second, faith is complete confidence that Jesus on earth was divine. We know this in large part because numerous prophecies about his birth, ministry and death came true centuries after the prophecies were made. No one man could have contrived and forced all those prophecies to be fulfilled in his lifetime.

Finally, faith is complete confidence that the account of Jesus’ life was written accurately by witnesses who saw him and talked with him. These witnesses afterwards traveled the world telling people about him, suffering hardships, and often torture and death. They would not have gone through all this for a lie. Further, we have manuscripts that date back to less than a century of the actual events, something no other ancient writing can do.

Yes, faith has substance because it is based on evidence. And in the Bible, we have all we need.

#faith, #proof, #evidence, #Bible

Scripture for Monday, October 17 (10/17)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn Bible, faith, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, October 17, is Romans 10:17 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Life-Changing-Scriptures-Cover-medium“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

The King James version reads “Therefore, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Faith is not just a feeling or responding to what a friend tells us. It is not responding to a spiritual book or to a religious movement. Faith is the result of hearing/reading the Word of Christ, the gospel ~ for ourselves ~ all of it!

Faith is based on knowledge; zeal is not enough (Romans 10:1). Faith is based on considering the evidence; a feeling in one’s heart is not enough (Hebrews 11:1).

All who study the Bible for yourself are doing the right thing. Do not rely on anything but what you have read for yourself. All other religious people are going to be judged by God just like you and I are. When compared to God’s Word, their word is not important.

We are trying to please God, not people. We are worshiping God, not people. Let us rely only on what He says, and know for sure.

#Bible, #GodsWord, #Creeds, #Opinions, #Worship, #Choice, #Faith, #Truth

Scripture for Sunday, October 9 (10/9)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn faith, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, October 9, is Job 10:9 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE Medium“Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again?”

Job was sick, his so-called friends came to him to say God was punishing him, and Job was frustrated. He could not reason with his friends, so he tried to reason with God. It was a lovers’ quarrel.

By verse 18, he was so upset with God that he said, “Why then did you bring me out of the womb? I wish I had died before any eye saw me.” Job’s body was broken, and even more, his spirit was broken. Satan was doing everything he could to get Job to deny God. But, even though Job argued with God and perhaps came close to denying him, he always acknowledged the good God did along with the bad. He just didn’t understand the bad.

We don’t understand the bad in our lives. But remember, it is Satan that causes the bad to happen. God may step back and let Satan give it a try, but we are not their toys. We are soldiers in the army of God. When Satan throws darts at us, we hold up the shield of faith.

Sometimes, the bad happening in our life is God’s assignment for us. We are part of the war between God and Satan. As good and loyal soldiers, we take our assignments and stand firm. We may complain, but we still stand firm. We may trip sometimes, but still, we stand firm. Being a soldier in the army of God is not easy. But the battle will be won. Some day. So stand firm!

#bad, #problems, #Satan, #faith

Scripture for Saturday, October 8 (10/8)

On By Inspirations By KatherynIn faith, InspirationalLeave a comment

The scripture for today, October 8, is Romans 10:8f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Cover-KINDLE“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The word is in our mouth through confession of our faith in Jesus, and in our heart for truly believing it and not just saying it.

Some say we are not saved by works, and it is true in the sense that we cannot go around doing so many good works that God will feel obligated to take us to his home. We can never be good enough because we sin and those sins need to be washed away.

In the sense that we do not have to do anything to be saved, it is not true. After all, Jesus himself said faith is a work: “Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: To believe in the one he has sent’ ” (John 6:29).

To many faithful Christians, there are times in their life that faith is indeed hard work. They are beset with so many problems that they begin to wonder, “Does Jesus really care, like he claimed?”

Let us continue to work at our faith. You will have your ups and our downs. Sometimes your faith will be strong and sometimes weak. But remember, even when you doubt God, God never doubts you.

When faith flees, cling to hope.

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