|
Welcome to the Café Logos thought bakery where I assemble the ingredients of my daily experiences to share with our diners.
March 2, 2025 “Don’t Tell Us What To Do” A new church plant sent out a survey to the surrounding neighborhoods to find out what the people wanted in a church. The response was abundant, and among the various comments and requests, there was one statement that was the most repeated, and that was, “Don’t tell us what to do.” I can imagine these same people standing before God at the last judgment and saying, “Don’t tell us what to do.” That was the basic response of the Israelites toward God’s prophets when they were trying to tell them what to do in order to avoid the Lord’s judgments on their sin. Their rebellion eventually earned them an arduous seventy year captivity in Babylon. The principle of reaping what one sows is still operational in the New Covenant (Galatians 6:7), and it behooves all of us to be willing to listen to God when He speaks correction, either through His teachers or His word. Editing what we want to hear from God isn’t wise, in fact it is downright stupid. His commandments are only for our good, our health and welfare. What distinguishes a sheep from a goat is a willingness to receive correction. The sheep “hear His Voice,” receive His instructions and follow Him. A sheep would never have the audacity to declare, “Don’t tell us what to do.” We need to honestly evaluate our attitudes and be willing to let the Holy Spirit help us to adjust our spiritual appearance according to God’s word. God wants to develop a holy people who will glorify Him and be a witness by displaying the characteristics that will set them apart from all those who don’t want God, or anyone telling them what to do. I am going to tell you what to do. Be a sheep. – My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. – John 10:27, 28
February 6, 2025 Practice A definition of God can be; the one true Deity that rules the universe, or that which rules your life. Is your God the one true God of Israel who made the heavens and the earth and sent His Son to die for your sins; or is it something or someone else? That is a question all who profess a belief in God should ask themselves. What is the motivating power that rules your life? Whatever that is, that is your God. The second chapter in the Bible’s book of Isaiah, describes a time when the invisible God returns in His image, the Messiah Jesus, (this also correlates to Zechariah 14). – And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols He shall utterly abolish. – Isaiah 2:17,18 While the verse describes a time in the future when God will be exalted above all of man’s endeavors and affections, putting God first in everything everyday should be something that every believer should be practicing now. The first chapter of Isaiah describes a people who professed belief in God, and practiced the rituals of religion, but their actions were in direct opposition to His word and purpose for their lives. We exalt God when we strive to live in a moral way that brings glory to Him, not just in church attendance and othe religious practices. God wants to see a people practicing love to others in their daily lives. Believers in Messiah Jesus accomplish this by yielding to the Holy Spirit that indwells them and empowers them to overcome sin. If God is your God, the evidence of your Priority will be apparent in your life. The future described in Isaiah’s prophecy is coming closer every day. Let’s continue to practice exalting the God of Israel and the Messiah Jesus and be the example the world needs to see.
December 3,2024 Another Gospel Today it seems that more and more people who claim to be Christians, are at the same time denying the doctrines that God has implanted in His word that are intended to enable our souls to enter heaven after death. I read a statement from one of these apostates who said that all we need to do to be saved is to love, and that the Bible was “all about you.” Real love is exemplified by selfless giving and putting others’ needs above your own. It’s not all about you. Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up (John 3:14). And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men to Me.” This He said, signifying what death He should die (John 12:32,33). Jesus used the incident of Moses lifting up the serpent on a pole as a similitude of His death on the cross for the sins (snake bites) of the people. That event recorded in Numbers 21:5-9, is just one of the many typologies that God has implanted into His word from Genesis on, to foreshadow Jesus’ sacrifice that removes the sins of all who accept God’s plan of salvation in Him (Isaiah 53). We can’t reject what God has ordained for our salvation, faith in Jesus’ atonement, which is the requirement that enables us to be accepted by Him. It is a massive ego trip when people claim they don’t need to come to God through the cross, or that they don’t need to follow the Apostles’ instructions; the people who actually knew Jesus and received their instructions directly from Him. People who are that arrogant and prideful are fulfilling the Apostle Paul’s prophecy that men will be ‘lovers of their own selves,’ narcissists who think it’s all about them, and who ‘deny the power,’ which is the atonement of Jesus though which we receive the Holy Spirit (II Timothy 3:2,5). Jesus said we must be born again, or we cannot enter heaven. We must be given new life through the Holy Spirit, and the only way God has ordained for us to receive the Holy Spirit of eternal life is to obey God’s plan of redemption. If we can’t do that, then we are following ‘another gospel’ that can’t save us (II Corinthians 11:4). Don’t be one of them, your eternal future is at stake. Don’t let someone who has changed the word of God into a self-serving caricature of the truth cause you to be rejected by God, who is absolute Truth. Be humble and believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead. Repent of your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. According to God’s word, you cannot be born again and enter heaven any other way.
November 23,2024 Missing Children When Jesus was being led away to be crucified, He prophesied that there would be a time when it would be more blessed to be childless. – “For behold, the days are coming in which they shall say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the breasts that never gave suck” (Luke 23:29). It was a reproach at that time in the Hebrew culture for a woman to be childless. Here Jesus is warning about a time in the future when being childless would be preferable, indicating that being a parent would be a sorrowful experience. Today, there are multitudes of children that go missing all over the world. In one report I heard, child trafficking is more profitable than drug trafficking. These children are used for sex, and free labor. They are slaughtered to harvest their organs to be sold for transplants and for their blood, that some wealthy perverts use as sort of a tonic. When Jesus was born, King Herod launched a slaughter of the babies and toddlers in Bethlehem in an attempt to eliminate the Messiah Jesus. Can we assume that the attack on the children at Jesus’ first coming is currently being repeated as a sign that precedes His second coming? I don’t know for sure, but we can see for a fact that His prophecy is being fulfilled. There are millions of parents all over the world right now whose lives have been shattered and they are weeping like Rachel (Matthew 2:18 from Jeremiah 31:15), and cannot be comforted because their children have been stolen from them. Please be alert to any signs of potential trafficking in your neighborhoods and towns, especially after natural disasters, which the traffickers refer to as “harvest time.” And please remember these grieving parents in your prayers, grieve with them, and intercede for the children that are suffering so many horrific tortures. And pray that Jesus will come quickly and vindicate all those who have become victims of the devil’s agents.
October 31, 2024 Victory over Evil Today my family and I are celebrating the victory Jesus gives us over evil. Jesus gave all sincere believers “power and authority over all devils” - Luke 9:1. “Behold, I give to you power to tread on serpents and scorpions (demons) and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (because our souls are kept by God). - Luke 10:19 “The spirits are subject to you…” - Luke10:20. Many Christians are not aware of the tremendous power they have been given over the devil. Too many professed believers are afflicted and tormented because they don’t understand that what they are experiencing is the result of demonic attacks. Demons have to flee when the mighty name of Jesus is invoked against them. Be aware of this gift and use it to deliver yourself and others from demonic attacks. While the rest of the pagan world is celebrating evil on this day, you celebrate the power Jesus has given you to defeat it. Get our free eBook – “Spiritual warfare – Combating the Powers of Darkness”
October 6, 2024 The Joy Set Before US The entire time of Jesus’ ministry on earth, He knew what He was going to have to go through in order to fulfill His assignment by God; which was the redemption of the human race. Many times when He walked into Jerusalem He had to pass by the criminals that were crucified that lined the road; a Roman custom that was intended to serve as a deterrent to potential malefactors. And every time He passed by those tortured, impaled bodies, they had to have been a reminder to Him of what was waiting for Him in the future. At the same time, He also must have envisioned the ensuing victory in the wake of His death; which was His resurrection and the salvation of the countless souls that would inherit eternal life through repentance and faith in His atonement for their sins. Today, believers, along with the world, are also facing a dark time in the future. The prophesied beast one world government (Rev. 13), that will eventually inflict its brutal totalitarian regime upon humanity, is swiftly being formed and implemented under the innocuous guise of “Globalism.” The coming tribulation that this demonically inspired system will instigate, will result in the deaths of multitudes. This system is given the impetus to arise by the sins of the people. Those who have willfully rejected the Messiah Jesus and God’s laws, will be given what they want for a season; a devastating world without God and its ensuing enslavement. Every day the persecution against Christians continues and increases. As the darkness advances to claim its temporary victory across the world, like Jesus, Christians also must face the future with their eyes locked on the joy that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:2 The suffering is temporary, our victory is eternal in Christ. Let’s keep our eyes focused on the outcome, not the darkness. The same joy that was set before Jesus that enabled Him to endure the cross, is the same joy that is given to us because of the suffering He was willing to endure to save our souls. Let’s reflect that victorious joy every day in our lives, and let the world see the hope that Jesus gives that makes the difference in how Christians react to the trials in the darkness.
October 3,2024 Colonizing Mars Billionaire, Elon Musk, is currently pursuing his goal of establishing a colony on Mars through his Space X company. I can’t imagine the cost involved in this project. I suppose he is being given a lot of support from other super wealthy people, who possibly are afraid that one day earth may no longer be in existence and they will all need some place else to go in order to survive. The Bible does support the eventual extinction of the planet (II Peter 3:10, Revelation21:1, Isaiah 65:17, Psalm 102:25,26). These people may have knowledge of the fact that Bible prophecies are 100% accurate, which may be giving them the motivation to plan an escape route. However, Elon and his accomplices have overlooked one crucial fact. God’s word tells us that He is going to wrap up the heavens like a scroll (Isaiah 34:4) and create a new heaven and earth. That means Mars, along with all the other planets, are going to be eliminated as well, rendering Elon’s project as another one of mankind's vain and fruitless exercises in personal ambition. The only escape route to the new heaven and earth is found in Jesus, the Messiah who gives free passage into the safety of the New World through faith in His atoning death for our sins and His resurrection from the dead. It grieves me, and I know it must grieve the Lord as well, that all this money is being spent on an exploit for the rich when so many people are suffering on this planet. If all the wealth these billionaires are harboring was focused on alleviating the suffering in this world, then just maybe God would suspend His plan to permit the destruction of earth and give humanity some more time to make things right in this realm. Elon has been given a Biblical name (Judges 12:11). The Bible’s Elon was a leader from the tribe of Zebulon who judged Israel for ten years. He accomplished good things during his time on earth. Likewise, Elon Musk has the opportunities to make a real difference in the lives of the poor; and he has already produced some solutions to provide much needed affordable housing which is commendable. I am sure he has helped in other ways as well. But housing people on Mars is not as important as building a legacy that can house people in God’s Kingdom for eternity.Whether we are rich or poor, let’s focus on the things that matter most to God in this life. Building a colony on Mars is not one of them. While we are on the subject of space exploration, my memory has been jogged back to 2009, when I had a dream that the U.S. government was requiring all of its citizens to know the name of NASA’s launch pad. In the dream I said the name of it was “Mistake.” Hmmm. What does that mean? We have to remember that God does not see things the same way we do. Jesus said, "that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). He said this to help us keep our seemingly great accomplishments in perspective. As we are busily spending billions of dollars to send a human being out into a vast expanse of uninhabitable air space, God is watching multitudes of children die simply because they do not have any clean water to drink, and He’s watching many more starve to death, because they have no food to eat. In other words, we can send a man to the moon, but we can’t or won't provide for the world’s children. Shortly after I had my dream, I read to my amazement that NASA had spent 79 million dollars to see if there is water on the moon. While they were doing this God has watched another child die because there is no clean water to drink in her village. It only costs a couple of thousand dollars to drill a well to save lives here on earth. “Well, if God is so great, then why doesn’t He do something about it?” I can hear someone ask. He has. He has given billions of dollars to certain powerful nations and they’ve spent it on the elaborate hot air balloons of man’s outer space fantasies instead of healing the wounds of the world’s neglected poor. If we genuinely have the mind of Christ, we’re not going to be impressed that a human being has managed to stroll upon a desolate moon, or has the ability to colonize Mars; although I’m sure God has a purpose for it all. Because we have spent millions on elaborate spacecraft, we now have pictures of what desolate looks like. In God’s eyes, do those empty craters and barren plains resemble the landscape of a compassionless soul?
September 25, 2024 Thanks to all! On this blog post I would like to thank everyone who has visited cafelogos.org and shared content on various social media outlets. You are loved, needed and greatly appreciated. My own YouTube channel was recently shadow banned and taken down without notice, after I posted a video of my article “Principles of Healing,” which included the testimony of my own doctor verified miracle healing. Apparently YouTube is threatened by the reality and power of God. So if you have noticed an influx of video content to this website that is why, as I have been transferring some of the content from my YouTube channel to cafelogos. Some of you may also have noticed that we have removed our book feature and assimilated it into the website. We offer many of our books for free, and any purchases you make helps support this ministry. Again, I deeply appreciate every one of you for visiting cafelogos.org, and please feel free to continue sharing our content - even on YouTube! Many blessings to all. – H. Deborah Shively
September 2, 2024 "You Can't Prove Christianity!" "You can't prove Christianity!" was the first line of an email I received from someone who was intent on trying to discredit my faith. How would I answer him? What could I say to him that would "prove" my Christian faith is real? First of all, I would say that Christianity doesn’t need to be proved. Jesus said no one could come to Him unless they were drawn by the Father. Those who are called by the Father accept the Truth by faith. Then these believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit who “Manifests” Himself to them. A believer can experience the Presence of God as a tangible reality. He sees his prayers answered. Personally I have learned to live on miracles. When I was in dire need of funds, on at least two different occasions, total strangers came up to me and said, “The Lord told me to give you some money.” The believer can hear the Still Small Voice of God. I suppose you could recount how Jesus fulfilled scores of Old Testament Prophecies concerning the Messiah. You could relate how there is more documentation closer to the original sources than any other ancient writings including Shakespeare. You could relate the endless testimonies of miracles. I personally know a woman whose firstborn daughter was born without eyes. She was convinced that Jesus would put eyes in her baby. And one day, supernaturally, miraculously– He did. I was also healed miraculously when I had an eyestroke. I suppose we could say all that, but it isn’t necessary, because the Bible makes a distinction between the wicked and the just. While all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God, the Word of God defines the wicked as the proud who refuse come to God. To these wicked ones no amount of arguing the Christian position is going to move them. God knows the hearts and He knows who are His. Like the angry mob at the foot of Jesus’ Cross who demanded that He come down and prove to them that He was the Messiah, He chose instead to reveal His resurrected Glory to a handful of the called – as He continues to do to this day.
August 19,2024 Are the Christians Wrong? There is one God, the One who made the ground we stand upon and the air we breathe. He has created this world to operate within certain natural laws. The law of gravity is one example. Whatever goes up must come down. Likewise God has outlined certain standards for human behavior. These standards are for our benefit, health and overall good. When we violate these laws, we fail. We have violated them and one look around this violent, disease scarred world will tell you that we are failing. While there is a definite wisdom to separate the church from state, which was a policy originally instigated to protect the church from government intrusion, there is absolutely no way that any government or society will continue to flourish without adherence to the invisible law that has been ordained to guide the inhabitants of this beleaguered planet. If we have no regard for the sanctity of human life, it should come as no surprise that we are attacked by terrorists who hold the same belief. If we choose to mock God by lifestyles that He tells us in His word are displeasing to Him, we can't expect Him to protect us if we don't repent. Christians are not wrong for reminding us that God's laws exist and that is why our voices are there for you to hear. We can’t ignore God and expect to succeed, for this world is designed to fail without Him; the testimony of this principle is declared daily in our newspapers. A society without law erupts into chaos – a society without spiritual, moral law will do the same. Whatever goes up, must come down.
July 31, 2024 The Beast As I write this the world is currently being directed into the strangulating embrace of a totalitarian one world government. This “New World Order” as it is sometimes called, is also identified in the Bible as the Beast in Revelation 13. While many are working very hard to wake people up to the reality of the emergence of this monster, according to God’s word, the only way that it can be stopped will be when people repent of their sins. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: (Revelation 9:20). The Bible also says that is not going to happen. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts (Revelation 9:21). So those who have chosen to reject God and the Messiah Jesus, will have to endure the consequences of their own miserable choices. In view of this we can see that the Beast arises as the result of the sins of the people. The first century Christian church was birthed in an empire which scripture has likened to the last one world beast empire. Yet, the believers’ focus was not to overthrow or fight against their government. The only purpose of the early church was to zealously proclaim the life giving gospel of the Messiah Jesus and overthrow the sin and evil in the hearts of the people one soul at a time. The result of their determination, perseverance and zeal, caused the Christian faith to bloom from a tiny seed into a massive spiritual kingdom that encompassed the planet. In many parts of the world today, the church is enduring the prophesied persecution that the Beast and its minions are inflicting upon believers in their attempts to eradicate Christianity. This persecution will only spread and increase. Christians need to wake up to the fact that they are targets for elimination. A church that is complacent in her faith will not survive. In view of this we should follow the apostles’ example. They fearlessly continued to proclaim the gospel no matter what challenges they had to face, and no matter what hardships they had to endure. Promoting the gospel must be our priority. The church this remnant births will survive no matter what events transpire in this world. Evil must come to its fullness before it will be eradicated, which is a Biblical principle (Genesis 15:16). When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed forever: - Psalm 92:7 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yes, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. – Psalm 37:10 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. – Psalm 37:2 Through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, the believer has been given the keys to a spiritual victory that will endure long after the Beast sputters to its inevitable end beneath the feet of our returning Savior, the Messiah Jesus (Revelation 19, Zechariah 14).
July 1, 2024 Success I have a friend who was bemoaning her supposed lack of success in life. She said, “I don’t have any kids, I don’t have a partner. I drive an old car. I don’t have any money. I don’t like the house I am renting” and so on. As I read the list she sent me in her email, I couldn’t help seeing how much she had in common with Jesus. He didn’t have any kids or a partner. He didn’t have a car, He walked everywhere. He was poor. He didn’t own His own home. He had no formal education. In addition to all that He was abandoned by His support group when He needed them the most. He became the object of ridicule and the crowds that turned on Him rejoiced in His crucifixion and mocked Him as He was dying. In spite of these things, Jesus was the most successful human being that ever lived. He rose from the dead and birthed a faith that encompassed the entire world. The secret of Jesus’ massive success had nothing to do with His family situation, lack of finances and prosperity, education or status. Jesus was successful because He followed the will of God in His life. As a result He accomplished the greatest rescue mission of all time, delivering countless multitudes from eternal death. The truly successful people in life are the ones who follow Jesus. Their success cannot be measured by any of the standards that the world deems as indicative of success. The world’s standards are worthless in God’s eyes. God values obedience to His word, and faithfulness to Him. His status symbols are the fruits of the Spirit that are developed in the lives of His people; the love that defines someone as a follower of the Messiah Jesus. My friend’s real failure in life is that she is not seeking the kingdom of God, but her own success. Jesus gave us the only formula for success in this life that really works. – "But you seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:33 God has called every believer to be a witness for Christ, and to help build His kingdom by adding souls; the people who make up His kingdom. Then when we are obedient to His command to seek the kingdom first, He will provide everything we need for our journey through this adventure called life. Some of us will only need a backpack, others may require a bit more to get the job done. But if our focus is serving God and doing His will, our success in this life is assured and our reward in heaven is guaranteed when we hear our Lord say, “Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: you enter into the joy of your lord." - Matthew 25:21
"Never measure your success by any other standard other than being in the will of God" - June 1, 2024 The Enemy Friend I had a friend I had known since fifth grade. She is a professed Christian, yet she doesn’t go to church or read her Bible. She told me she read it and didn’t get anything out of it. When I was telling her about the persecuted church, her solution to the problem was, “Don’t tell them you are a Christian.” She was totally unaware of the Lord’s commandment to share the gospel and expand God’s kingdom (Matthew 28:19, John 15:16, Mark 16:15); which is the responsibility of every believer and not just a select few. She believes that the Dali Lama will go to heaven. Apparently to her the necessity of coming to God through faith in Jesus’ atonement for our sins isn’t necessary. When I presented to her Jesus’ declaration in John 14:6, that He is the way, the truth and the life and the only way to the Father, she argued with me. She had a depressing habit of talking down about street people. I told her that she was not seeing them as Jesus saw them; as wounded people that needed help. I then gave her scriptures that exemplified God’s care for the poor, and how the Bible even supported a welfare system (I Samuel 30:10-25). She then angrily labeled God’s word as “fantasy bulls—t” and terminated our telephone conversation and our friendship. Months later I had a dream that she was in jail. I interpreted it to mean that she was imprisoned by self, based on our numerous telephone conversations. We are counseled that if one is “overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering yourself, lest you also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). We can correct someone who is in an obvious moral sin, but the inner sins can be just as devastating. I love her dearly, so I sent her a lovely card and told her about the dream. I suggested that she should make a fresh start with the Lord and say a prayer of rededication. I then became the object of a series of angry emails. In my attempts to direct her to God’s word, I was systematically labeled as a demon possessed, mentally ill, false prophet, all the while insisting through her mean spirited insults that she always had a close relationship with the Lord. I was wondering which one, the Lord of the Bible or the one she invented? Born again people do not respond to another with deliberate, malicious insults. What was most disturbing to me is that when I pointed out that she was being deliberately mean and insulting (not just to me, but my husband also), she didn’t seem to mind and continued with her attacks. She couldn’t address any of the issues, only justify herself and attack me personally. My zeal for God was obviously convicting her and challenging her complacency. Jesus said our enemies would be of our own house (Matthew 10:36, Luke 12:51-53). I know that there must be many in the church today who are like this woman who do not have a clue about what God’s word says He wants His people to be. When confronted with correction, what would your response be? The goal of the Christian life is to allow God’s Holy Spirit to conform us into the image of Jesus. He wants His people to be filled with the fruits of His Spirit; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control (Galatians 5:22,23). One of the things I suggested to her was to read through this list and the one in I Corinthians 13:4-7, on the characteristics of love, and as each one is read, pray that the Lord develops each one of those qualities in her. It works for me. That is why I was able to turn the other cheek and I never responded to her in like manner. It saddened me that this lifelong friend that I thought cared about me could respond with such venom. I will continue to pray for her. God is preparing all of us to stand before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ (II Corinthians 5:10). We will be appearing before the One who knows every thought that comes into our minds (Ezekiel 11:5) and has said that we will be judged by every idle word that comes out of our mouths (Matthew 12:36). It is better to repent now, evaluate our spiritual lives and make our calling and election sure (II Peter 1:10), so that we can appear before Him with confidence (I John 2:28). If we are not willing to evaluate our spiritual conditions in the light of God’s word, then we will be approaching Him in the illusions of our own making and will suffer the consequences the Apostle Paul describes in I Corinthians 3:11-15. We need to be honest with ourselves and each other. Be willing to repent and humble ourselves, for “God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble” (I Peter 5:5). Years ago the Lord gave me a dream where I saw Him separating the sheep from the goats. Then He came to me and He asked me, “What condition is your shell?” I looked at my hands and I was holding a broken sea urchin shell. They are very fragile and it was crushed. I replied, “Not very good.” He smiled and then I watched Him ascend. That was the dream. Apparently He was pleased that I recognized my spiritual condition. On another level, the humility and brokenness that I needed represented by that shattered shell, was formed in me through the years by His word and the things He allowed me to experience. I assumed that the quality that distinguishes the sheep from the goats is humility and a teachable spirit. We all need to die to self and come out of those prisons of ego that rejects the need for correction. Otherwise, if we wince at the light of a candle, then how shall we stand before the sun?
April 24,2024 Healing Miracle Unfortunately there are some people today who do not believe that God heals, even though the scriptures tell us that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). God still heals through the Messiah, just as He did when Jesus walked on earth (John 14:10). In the course of my own ministry I have known a few people who have experienced God’s healing power, myself included. Years ago I met Myda Kelton. She was in her eighties at the time. She told me that her first born daughter was born without eyes. She firmly believed that Jesus would put eyes in her baby. Then one day while she was bathing her daughter, the Lord came into the room behind her, put His arms around her and said, “This baby will have brown eyes.” When Myda opened her eyes, her baby was looking back at her with two lovely new brown eyes. When her doctor saw the baby, he said that this was a genuine miracle from God. He was a backslidden Christian and this miracle brought him back to the Lord. He died two weeks later. Myda’s husband was a hardened atheist and his daughter’s miracle contributed to his eventual conversion. Recently I had what is called an “eye stroke” in my left eye. I had a dream about this happening to me years earlier. In the dream I said to the Lord, “Turn this into a testimony.” The eye was photographed on the 15th of April and the doctor scheduled me to come back in a week to begin the first in a series of shots into my eyeball. I was experiencing a great deal of peace from the Lord, even though I was not looking forward to the experience and the possible side effects. I had recently met someone who had the same condition I did and he had to have 27 monthly injections. Yesterday I returned to the doctor for my shot and before the procedure my eye was photographed again. The retina specialist and his assistant were studying the photos from the previous week and the new ones that had just been taken as I was sitting there waiting. Then he turned to me and said, “This is a miracle.” The new photo revealed that my eye had been healed and he showed me the pictures. “I’m not going to give you the shot,” he said with a grin. I bubbled as I told him how I had gotten so much prayer and about the dream I had where I had asked the Lord to turn an eye affliction into a testimony. I was beside myself as I tried to absorb the fact that God had answered my prayer. The doctor shook my hand and I danced out of the office and shouted with joy “Jesus heals!” in the parking lot. From the onset of my affliction I had been praying that God would use it and heal it to be a witness to others. He answered that prayer. Whenever anyone was healed in the New Testament, it wasn’t just for the person who needed the healing, it was also intended to be a witness of God’s power to others and to validate the gospel message. In other words, any healing serves more than one purpose. Whenever we pray for healing it should never be just for ourselves, but for others who need to see the reality of our miracle working God. I hope that this testimony will do that for you. Related Content - Principles of Healing March 16, 2024 Egg Laying Rabbits I visited my optometrist recently and his exceptionally large lobby had been seasonally decorated to exemplify the worship of egg laying rabbits. As I sat beneath a windowsill that displayed an oversized bunny holding a basket of colorful eggs above my head, I decided to do some research into the origins of the rabbit/egg tradition and how it had become associated with the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection. I had always heard that Easter was originally a pagan celebration and the rabbit/egg symbolism had originated from that. It was incorporated into the Christian celebration by Constantine in his well-intentioned effort to evangelize the pagans, just as he had done with Christmas. However, my research revealed that this time Constantine did not merge the Lord’s resurrection day with a pagan festival. Instead, he maintained its separation as a sacred Christian holy day. It was assumed that Easter had originated from a pagan source because the name Easter was derived from a goddess called Eostre or Eosturmonath, which is the Old English pronunciation of the month in which the Lord’s resurrection was celebrated. So the word Easter is derived from the name of the month and was retained to be the name of the celebration. This is according to a British Monk named Bede who wrote in the latter part of the seventh century. So if the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection had not been merged with a pagan festival, then where did the rabbit/egg symbolism originate? I was shocked to learn that the German Lutherans decided that Easter needed an equivalent to Santa Claus. They invented a myth about a rabbit who would visit the children with baskets of goodies, toys and of course, colorful eggs that the rabbit had laid himself. It was quite a revelation for me to discover that it was not the pagans who polluted the Lord’s resurrection day celebration with rabbit idolatry, but the Christians themselves. I think it’s important to understand, especially for the children, that rabbits and eggs have nothing to do with the glorious resurrection of Jesus from the grave. They only serve as a distraction from the true meaning of the celebration, in my opinion. The only value that can be derived from the opulent display of bunnies at Easter time is that they serve as a reminder to the pagan world that something special is being celebrated that they should take the time to investigate. In our culture of mass marketing I hope someone will produce a rabbit for the occasion wearing a sign around its neck saying, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Constantine is off the hook on this one, however he did change the day that the early church celebrated the Lord’s resurrection. The scriptures show us that Jesus was resurrected on the Lord’s Day, the Sunday after Passover, and that was the day when Jesus’ victory over death was observed by the early church. Constantine changed the day to be the first Sunday after the first new moon in the spring. This change was a significant violation of God’s intricate orchestration of prophetic symbolism. The reason why the celebration of the Lord’s resurrection was always associated with Passover was because Jesus’ atonement and evidence that He had defeated death, was the fulfillment of the Passover. The Passover is the memorial supper that commemorates the Jews’ deliverance from the death of their firstborn while they were slaves in Egypt. God had instructed them to put blood on the doorposts of their houses. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:13). Jesus is our Passover lamb who was sacrificed for us so that the plague of death will pass us by because of His atoning blood that we have placed upon the doorposts of our hearts by faith. To disconnect the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the Hebrew Passover is spiritually illogical. But does it really matter which day we celebrate the Lord’s resurrection? The Apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 2:16 to – “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days.” Personally, I prefer to follow the Biblical record, so I will be celebrating Resurrection Day on the first Sunday after Passover. It will be a day void of egg laying rabbits. It will also be a day that represents the continuation of the daily celebration in my heart, as it should be for all believers, no matter what day is chosen to commemorate our Lord’s glorious resurrection and His and our victory over death.
February 6, 2024 Jehovah's Witnesses and the Trinity I had a visit from a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses a while back. They had previously visited my neighbor and were coming back for a follow-up. They had mistaken my apartment for hers. This error on their part was God ordained as I knew how to minister to these people. The first thing I said to them was, “You don’t believe in the Trinity, do you?” “No we don’t” the man answered. I replied, “It’s in Isaiah 42:1.” They had never heard that before and one of them quickly looked up the verse on his iPad. As he was looking at it I explained it to him. “In this verse we see all three. The Father is unifying Himself through His Holy Spirit with the Messiah making the three one. It’s not any more complicated than that.” The woman stated, “Jesus was created.” “That’s the wrong word," I answered. “Jesus was begotten. He is the only begotten Son. Anyone who is birthed or begotten must come from a pre-existing substance. Jesus’ soul, which had to be distinct from the Father in order to take our sins, was brought forth from the pre-existing substance of the Father and unified with Him, as we see happening in Isaiah 42:1. It was the orthodox doctrine of the early church that while Jesus always existed within the Father as the essence of His being, there was a specific time in infinity when His soul was brought forth from the Father. By the fourth and fifth councils if you didn’t believe that Jesus was twice begotten, once prior to His incarnation and then again through Mary, you were anathema, or cursed. “Jesus and the Father are the same Spirit. That’s why Jesus said, ‘As the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life in Himself’ (John 5:26). To have life in one’s self is a quality only God can have.” By this time they were swiftly retreating to their car. One of them called back, “Well, I’m still going to worship Jehovah.” I didn’t have time to tell him, “They are both the same Spirit. You can’t worship God without worshipping Jesus because they are one, as Jesus said, ‘I and My Father are one’” (John 10:30). My prayer is that what I told them will stay with them and eventually make them realize that they have been fed a lot of false information regarding the Trinity and the deity of Jesus. As we can see from the scriptures, the doctrine of the Three did not arise from pagan sources as some claim, but from the scriptures. God's word is all we need for the source of any doctrine. I believe that if we can’t teach the Trinity from the word of God, then we have no business teaching it as the word of God. Related Content - Understanding the Trinity from the Scriptures
January 8, 2024 Taking the Bait The Lord gave me another one of those mental images I can get from time to time that illustrates a Biblical principle. In this one I was shown swimming fish; the fish represented people. Lines were coming down into the water with chunks of bait on them representing false doctrines. I could see some of the fish were taking the bait and being hauled up into a boat where the fisherman, who represented Satan, put his catch into different baskets representing organized cults and false teachings. The other fish who knew the Lord and His word were not deceived and swam past the bait. A while back I did a video called “Simplicity and the Cults” based on a blog from my website. I posted it on another venue online. It was about following the Lord and His word instead of a guru. In response, a Seventh Day Adventist who had obviously become convicted, responded with a ballistic tirade. Adventists follow Ellen G. White and many Adventists place her writings on the same level as scripture which is a blasphemous error. The foundational heresy that Ellen G. White has injected into her followers, is that Sunday worship is the mark of the beast, or will be, even though the scriptures tell us it has to do with buying and selling (Rev. 13:16-18). Ellen G. White claims that an angel appeared to her and gave her this revelation. The devastating error of this apparent communication she claims to have had with a heavenly being, subtlety switches dependence on Jesus’ atonement for our salvation, and transfers it onto church attendance on Saturday. My dear little fish, listen to me. There will never be a time when our salvation will not depend upon the atonement. Any mark of the beast will have to in some way, be associated with a denial of the atonement and/or by unifying oneself through the mark with a system that has denied the atonement. The Apostle Paul said, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Satan is continually dangling his bait into the waters of this life, hoping to destroy lives by hauling them into prisons of deception like those fish baskets in his boat. You can only be deceived if your own knowledge of God’s word is lacking. Saturate yourself in God’s word, so when one of those tempting little morsels of deception is cast your way, you will have the knowledge and wisdom to discern the truth, ignore the bait and swiftly swim away. You are invited to read “Simplicity and the Gospel”- a post on Chef's Blog, from 2019.
January 1, 2024 Nobody's Perfect I recently purchased a small standing kitchen cabinet for extra storage in my kitchen. I ordered it online and I had to put it together. The directions were complicated. There were no written explanations, only intricate diagrams. It took a lot of study and with the Lord’s help I finally understood the principle of it and eventually managed to get it all assembled. After it was completed I realized to my horror that the shelf over the cabinet was in reverse and the screws which should have been hidden underneath were clearly visible on the top. I was deflated. I had been looking forward to a seamless accomplishment. Now I was tormented by my error. My new cabinet was marred. I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted to be perfect. I felt stupid. Fortunately I have a lovely tray that covered this glaring evidence of my incompetence. Even though the ugly screws were no longer visible, it still bothered me. I knew they were there mocking my lack of intelligence. At least when I saw how complicated the directions were, I didn’t pack it all up and send it back, I persevered. Shortly afterward when I was reading my Bible, I checked a cross reference and found an error. I had been referred to Jeremiah 33:26-38. Jeremiah thirty-three has only twenty-six verses. Reading this the next day after my construction error gave me a great deal of comfort. I felt the Lord had set me up again in order to deliver another one of those life lessons just when I needed it. Even those thoroughly educated scholars who write Bible references can make mistakes. I am not alone. I stopped berating myself for my own incompetence. I could step back and enjoy the overall beauty of the furniture I had assembled. At the same time, this whole incident reminded me of all those attempts that are made by some to discredit the Bible by pointing out supposed discrepancies. There are some copyist’s errors, just as I had found the error in my Bible and a typo in another. However, these minor imperfections, do not mean that the message of the Bible is not inerrant. In spite of the human element in translation and copying, the message remains intact and consistent from the Old Testament to the New. Anyone who says it is not, has never studied it in any depth. Those minor human errors in God’s word, are like those small screws in my cabinet that are diminished when admiring the beauty of the overall construction. The truth remains unmarred and untouched. And that truth is that all human error and sin are forgiven by God’s mercy by faith in His plan of redemption that He instigated in Genesis and was fulfilled by Jesus. This is the inerrant message of the Bible. Jesus’ sacrifice assures that all who repent and receive Him as Lord and Savior, God will view as righteous even though many of us still harbor flaws. He will eventually correct as we walk with Him and we are eventually received into His presence when our souls are released from the influences of the flesh after the death of the body. Nobody’s perfect, but someday all true believers will be perfected. So when life seems complicated like those diagrams in my project, don’t give up, persevere. Don’t try and cover up your failures, confess them and repent. Trust Him with the outcome. That is the only way you will experience the abundant life He wants you to enjoy. Read God’s word to strengthen you and follow His directions. He will assemble you into a glorious new creation and you will be able to step back and admire the beauty of His handiwork in your life.
December 11, 2023
November13,2023
October 20, 2023
October 5, 2023 Not enough Faith? Have you ever been accused of not having enough faith? An evangelist friend of mine was attending a funeral when he was approached by one of the guests and they began a conversation. The guest suddenly blurted, “If they had enough faith this woman would not have died!” My friend replied calmly, “Well if you have enough faith, then go over to her coffin and raise her from the dead.” Needless to say, the funeral proceeded without interruption. Now I firmly believe that God can, and still does on occasion raise people from the dead, because nothing is impossible to Him. And we must not fall into the error of limiting Him in anyway. I personally have met a woman evangelist who has raised the dead on several occasions. This woman was the co-pastor of a church I was attending in California many years ago. My husband and I were cleaning houses to supplement our own outreach ministry and I had been asked by Joan to clean her apartment. While I was there I was greatly impressed by a watercolor that she had in her dining area. She told me that it was done by a man in a church she used to attend. He refused to part with any of his paintings. Even though she had tried many times to purchase one from him, she was always refused. One Sunday morning at church his grown daughter suddenly dropped dead. No pulse. They called for Joan, she prayed and his daughter was restored to life. In gratitude he gave her the painting that I so admired in her home. She joked, “That’s what it takes to get one of his paintings, you have to raise someone from the dead.” Then she told me that even though she had been around a lot of dead people in her lifetime, it was only on a very few times when the Lord prompted her to pray to restore life to a corpse. While faith is essential for any miracle, everything must be done according to God’s will and in His perfect timing. We are not little gods dong our own thing, but servants listening and waiting submissively upon the Lord to do His bidding at His discretion. God does use seemingly bad situations for His purposes and a mature believer understands this Biblical principle exemplified in Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Ask God to increase your faith, believe that He can do anything, and use anyone to accomplish His purposes. Approach any assignment He gives you with a servant’s heart. And most of all, remember that the greatest miracle of all is a heart that is transformed by the gospel of Jesus, the Messiah.
August 27, 2023 Haters In this day and age of instant information that is available to us on a daily basis through various electronic media, we are able to receive an overview of the state of the world. We are currently witnessing an increase of violent crimes and other manifestations of rebellion against God and His laws. The Bible confirms that in the last days iniquity would abound and there would be a falling away from faith and the moral codes that can restrain societies from collapse. Those who proclaim the gospel and repentance from sin, will be singled out as targets. Christians will continue to be attacked because we love Jesus who is the truth. - I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me (John 14:6). Jesus’ words to His disciples are designed to prepare us for these times. – If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:18,19). And you shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake; but he that endures to the end (does not fall away from the faith, Matthew 10:33) shall be saved (Matthew 10:22). Jesus also gives us the root cause of this hatred and rejection in John 3:19 and 20. – And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. In other words, people do not want to acknowledge their sin and repent. They will instead vilify and persecute those who convict them by continuously proclaiming the righteousness in God’s word. That is why we are the ministers of life to some and death to others as the Apostle Paul said. - For we are unto God a sweet fragrance of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are the aroma of death unto death; and to the other the aroma of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? (II Corinthians 2:15,16). This is why there will always be some people who will not like you; because the Holy Spirit of God in you will agitate the demons in them. So do not think it a strange thing if anyone accuses you of being a hater for standing up for Jesus and God’s word. Remind them that people accuse others of what they are guilty of themselves.
August 21, 2023 A Form of Martyrdom I am currently a hyper-active senior contemplating the last few miles of my journey through this life. Therefore when I was reading Jesus’ prophecy concerning Peter’s last years in John 21:18, it held a particular significance for me. – “Truly, truly I say to you, when you were young you dressed yourself, and walked where you would: but when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall dress you, and carry you where you do not want to go.” When I am very old, (if I make it that far, Lord willing), there could be a time when someone else will have to dress me and carry me where I do not want to go. As I contemplated Peter’s captivity and martyrdom, I realized that old age is a form of martyrdom. When our bodies cease to function as we would have them, we can become vulnerable to forces and outside influences that are beyond our control. We can enter a period of captivity that must be endured until our souls are released in death. Peter had been given a heads up about what to expect in his later years to help prepare him to face the future. Likewise all of us also know that old age is our future state if we should live so long. I noticed in Jesus’ words to Peter that His disciple would “stretch forth your hands.” By the time Peter arrived at that place in his life there would be a voluntary acceptance of his situation. He would be carried along to his fate without resisting. In other words, his attitude enabled him to surrender. Just as Jesus was able to endure His cross “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2), I am sure Peter also had his gaze focused upon the same joy that was waiting for him when he passed through the gates of his martyrdom and stepped into glory. Likewise, those of us who face a future that unwraps the possibility of suffering and certain death, can also emulate Peter and the Lord, by focusing on the joy set before us; our assurance of eternal life through faith in Jesus’ suffering and death on our behalf. Our faith should give us the ability to welcome our caregivers with a cheerful smile that expresses the hope we have in our Savior. We need to let them see that there is something different about these ones who profess faith in Christ. I am sure that when Peter voluntarily stretched forth his hands to his captors, he did so with the intention of sharing his hope with them. I am now three quarters of the way up the mountain whose summit is the launching pad for my new adventure into eternity. I know the remainder of my journey may be the most difficult. God’s word and His Spirit are the anchors I use to help me make the climb. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), - and so can you.
August 6, 2023 Redirected A new Christian, still steeped in some of the bondages of her old life and with very little knowledge of the scriptures, stated with authority to her experienced Bible teacher; “Jesus protects, but He does not redirect.” In other words, she was saying that He was going to protect her, but He was not going to tell her what to do. She thus invented her own version of the Lord in order to continue in her own ways, some of which did not align themselves with God’s standards of morality. In many ways this immature believer reminds me of the disciples who were following Jesus when He turned to them and said, “Truly, truly I say to you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). He was telling them figuratively that they were going to have to ingest Him; to receive Him intimately. This communion, this intimate union would be made possible by accepting His atoning death for their sins represented by the bread and wine, the symbols of His flesh, the bread, His body, and His blood, the wine. For many of His disciples this commandment, this redirection of their own focus and concept of what it means to be a follower of Christ, caused them to stop following the Lord. Only twelve disciples remained who had the wisdom to recognize that Jesus was speaking the words of God. I often wondered what those other ex-disciples decided to do. Did this “many” form their own church based on the words of Jesus they decided to keep, rejecting His instructions that they found too convicting? How do you handle conviction when it enters your life? You know that there are many pastors today who carefully orchestrate their sermons so as to avoid offending their congregations by convicting them, for fear of losing church members. Instead, they should be teaching their people how to handle and respond to being convicted; for without constructive conviction it is difficult to grow spiritually. One of the phrases the Holy Spirit whispered into my heart one day was this: “A measure of conviction within the human heart is like a grain of sand in an oyster shell, it is the necessary irritant that grows the pearl.” This is so true. We all must stand before the judgment seat of Christ one day, and: “if we wince at the light of a candle, then how shall we stand before the Sun (Son)?” It is so much better to be honest now about our spiritual conditions and not rebel when we are convicted; but humble ourselves and receive the correction that is so necessary for us to grow into mature believers who are willing to allow the Lord to change us into the people He wants us to be. Those who instead choose to join the church of the “many,” will unfortunately find themselves matching the description given by God to the prophet Jeremiah: “For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13). Inventing our own versions of who we want God to be, instead of searching the word honestly for the truth, will result in a lot of faulty vessels incapable of retaining the constructive influences of the Holy Spirit. God does redirect His people. Ancient Israel learned this truth the hard way when they refused to be corrected and God had no other choice but to hand them over to their enemies until they repented. God’s methods are the same today. Galatians 6:7 – Do not be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. God will correct His children as any loving parent corrects a wayward child. Learn to hear and receive correction from God’s word and from others that God sends into your life who speak His word to you. And honestly receive those moments of irritating sand that can transform you into the beautiful pearl God knows you can be.
May 20, 2023 Pray for Israel As of this writing many are praying for Israel as the country is currently undergoing attacks from the Palestinians. We should be praying for the salvation of the Jewish people as we are nearing the prophesied time when the Jews will experience a second captivity before Jesus returns (Zechariah 14). We cannot ignore these prophecies, especially those concerning Jerusalem, a city that God has called “Sodom” and “Egypt” in Revelation 11:8. As we begin to witness the unfolding of these prophecies we need to understand why God is going to permit Israel to undergo a coming time of tribulation and a second captivity (Zechariah 14:1,2). After the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah, God permitted Jerusalem to be destroyed in 70AD and the Jews were banished from the land. Subsequently the holy land became home to the Arabs for hundreds of years. They lived in peace with the Jews who resided there who were only about 3% of the population. Then one of the members of the Rothschild family went to Palestine and began buying up land and started many businesses. He began importing Jews from Europe to work in those businesses. So many of them came they were running out of housing, and when the Arabs refused to sell their land, the Jews formed terrorist groups to drive them out. This was when Israel was under British control. The Jews then were violating God’s commands to live peaceably with the “strangers” Gentiles, in their land (Leviticus 19:34), or “Love one another.” Then another Rothschild was approached to help provide a homeland for the Jews which he was instrumental in accomplishing. It would be in the family’s best interest to do so as they had so many investments there. By the way, the Rothschilds are globalists who support the formation of a one world government. Because the Jews misinterpret scripture many of them see themselves as ruling the world with their messiah and the Gentiles will be their servants. I have heard some of them say this. Some Christians misinterpret Obadiah’s prophecy as support for the Jews to drive the Palestinians out of the land seeing them as Edom. (I have heard some Jews refer to the Christians as Edom). As far as the references to Edom in Obadiah are concerned, it is dealing with Edom’s “Exaltation of the Edomites over Judah at the time of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. It is not a prediction of such an attitude to be fulfilled at a future time”(Dickson Study Bible commentary). The prophecy concerning Edom’s destruction was fulfilled. That is why their city of Petra is currently a ruin. When Jerusalem comes under God’s judgment before Jesus returns, many see the Jews fleeing to Petra where the Edomites lived. Many modern day Jews in Israel harbor the same animosity to Gentiles as did the Edomites to the Jews in their day. That is why God calls the Jews Gentiles, “Egypt” in Revelation 11:8, because they are reaping what they have sown because of their own bigotry and abuse of the Palestinians. The reference to Egypt is also intended to remind them of their time as slaves in Egypt and God’s command to them in Leviticus 19:34. - But the stranger that dwells with you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. The Edomites were descendants of Esau who did not value the things of God and sold his birthright for a bowl of lentils. As Jacob represents the lineage through which the Messiah Jesus would come, and the spiritual lineage that all believers have been grafted into (Romans 11:17), then the Jews who have rejected the New Everlasting Covenant given to us through Jesus’ blood can be likened to Esau and thus also symbolically, the Edomites. If we truly love the Jewish people we will do everything we can to get them to repent and receive the peace and safety of their Messiah Jesus before God permits the prophesied tribulation and their second captivity. We also need to pray that both the Palestinians and the Jews will be able to forgive one another for the brutality that has been exhibited on both sides off this unfortunate conflict. May all of us come to the place where we can fulfill God’s commandment to “Love one another.” Related Content - The Nation of Israel - The Sign of the Fig Tree
April 24, 2023
March 3, 2023 Swimming Lesson Years ago I was staying at a motel that had a huge swimming pool. As I stood at one end, I was challenged by its enormity. In spite of the fact that my youthful energy had remained behind as my years continued to progress without it, I was determined to accept the watery challenge before me. I plunged in, determined to reach the other side without drowning. I was doing pretty well until I had reached the three quarter mark. My body was telling me I had to go on without it. Jesus’ words, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41), are true when facing physical challenges as well as moral and spiritual hurdles. I thought to myself, “I better quit before I sink,” disappointed that I would not be experiencing the satisfaction of reaching my goal. Then all of a sudden it was as if a hand was placed beneath me and I was suddenly propelled along with a fresh burst of energy. All my tiredness had been eradicated and it was as if I had just begun. I reached the end with ease, totally amazed. I knew I had not completed my challenge alone. The Lord had been watching me, and like the helpful, compassionate parent He is, stepped in just when His little one needed that extra help. That incident always stayed with me and it surfaces in those times when I have thought the journey was too strenuous for me to complete. God has always been there for me, giving me the strength to do what He has called me to accomplish for Him. If you are feeling like you might not be able to reach your finish line in victory, always remember that the Lord is with you, He is your strength. He’ll give you what you need to fulfill the calling He has placed on your life. He will undergird you with His power to push you through the waters of adversity. His faithful and consistent love is always there to buoy you up through the hard times. That’s the lesson I learned while I was swimming.
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. –
February 27, 2023 Losing a Loved One I recently learned that a dear friend of mine had died. Although her presence among us is greatly missed, we know where she is. She was, and still is for that matter, a believer in the Messiah Jesus. While her body ceased to function in this realm, her soul transitioned into that other dimension where God abides. Terry had struggled with physical infirmity for many years. Yet, she endured through it all, always maintaining her faith in the Lord, which was a great testimony to those around her. Like Job, she never turned on the Lord because He was allowing her to suffer. She was a martyr; enduring great suffering while she glorified God with her attitude. And at the time appointed, He gathered her into His embrace. Although her family and friends were all praying fervently for her physical healing, God chose to heal her in another way. While some of us may be wondering why the Lord chose to answer our prayers in a way that was contrary to what we had hoped, He did answer them in the way He knew would be best for her. There is a verse that always brings me a great deal of comfort in situations like this. It is found in the book of Isaiah. - The righteous perish, and no man lays it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. – Isaiah 57:1. God took her when the glorious bloom of her flower had come to its fruition in His eyes; and also possibly protecting her from circumstances in her future that only God could foresee. We are required to trust God in all things and we can praise Him for the outcome of our prayers in every situation. And when sadness tries to overcome us, we can pick up the words that our Father has given us to comfort and assure us. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?– John 11:25,26 Jesus asked a question. – “Do you believe this?” The great gift that our Father God has given us in the Messiah Jesus, enables us to have the ability to answer with a joyful, “Yes!” even though our hearts are breaking. Because Jesus gave His life for us, we know we will see Terry again someday. It’s only a matter of God’s perfect timing. And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life. – I John 5:11,12 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. – John 3:16 The following is a poem I wrote many years ago that was read at my mother-in-law’s funeral. If any of you have lost a loved one in the Lord, read these words as if they have been written to you from them. You are loved. Celebrate “Why do you go a mourning my loved ones, on this special day? For I have been born into a brand new life! I have been made like the lovely butterflies. Now together we inhabit the skies. My loved ones, be not sad for me. Now I fly! This death, you see, has propelled me into life! Celebrate! Today is my birthday! I have gathered all the gifts you have given me, memories of precious things, and placed them upon my butterfly wings to keep with me forever. Arise, my loved ones, do not be sad. I am redeemed by love, God’s grace in Jesus’ hand. Joy is my strength, love is my song, and I shall be listening for yours. Sing a new song. Read the words from the petals of a flower star and let your souls rejoice for me. I am home.” Copyright 2023 by H. D. Shively
January 18, 2023 Too Religious? My husband and I have always put Jesus first in our lives. Because of this we have been accused of being, too “religious;” once by a close family member who was a Christian, and another time by a neighbor who was a witch. The scriptures show us that it pleases the Lord when His people are exuberant about Him. We see a picture of this zeal in action when David stripped himself of his royal robes, humbling himself before the Lord as he danced exuberantly through the streets celebrating the ark’s return (II Samuel 6:14). Jesus provoked the ire of the religious leadership of His day when He overturned the tables of their business of religion, fulfilling David’s prophecy, “The zeal of Your house has eaten me up” (Matthew 21:12, John 2:17). Never be ashamed of letting your light shine brilliantly for the Lord, you are in good company, even if the beam of your desire is offensive to some. So if you are ever accused of being “too religious,” take it as a compliment. Tell them to substitute the word, “Religious” for “zealous” and remind them that Jesus spits the lukewarm out of His mouth and you do not want to be a puddle on His floor. Copyright 2023 by H. D. Shively Related Content: How Far Can God Spit? January 6,2023 2023 While most people celebrate the beginning of a new year, our family celebrates the fact that the Lord got us through the old one. As I look ahead to the immediate future that has been labeled, “2023,” the impression I am getting from the Lord is that it will be a year of many deaths, (possibly unprecedented?) through natural and man-man catastrophes. But those believers who are seeking and following the Lord, will experience a renewal in their spirits and an underlying current of the Lord’s joy which will be their strength (Nehemiah 8:10). This joy is like a current that the overcomers will ride through the chaos. These ones have their eyes fixed on Jesus and their eternal future with God. They know that their treasure is in heaven. They will shine as lights in the darkness of material losses. This remnant will make a difference in the lives of those who are floundering in the turmoil. I hope everyone who reads these words will be among that remnant. And when 2023 comes to its conclusion, we all will be able to look back upon our journey through those days, and thank the Lord for bringing us through in victory. Much love, and God bless everyone one of you. 
|
NEW! - |
March 10, 2025
|
|