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Violence Does Matter, But One Day Violence Will Be No More!

Violence appears to be plaguing a number of our cities this year. But God promises that one day “Violence will be no more” – Isaiah 60:18. And God always keeps His promises.

In the Bible it says: “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”-Matthew 10:28. And that’s right.

I would love to be able to say that the violence doesn’t matter, but clearly it does. We are just human beings. Violence frightens us. Being beaten or killed hurts. That’s why so many are fleeing the violence of these cities.

But in the end, we are going to Heaven-where there is no violence of any kind. Where we, and those we love, will be safe forever!

When you have a baby, it hurts. People used to tell me that you barely remember the pain once you hold your baby in your arms. Such is the joy one feels. And although I didn’t believe it at the time, it was true.

I think that life on earth and Heaven are like that as well. No matter how many difficulties we face on earth, once we enter Heaven, the Joy we feel is so overwhelming, there just isn’t room for anything else ?.

So take heart, no matter what difficulties we face, they will be nothing compared to the Joy of Heaven ?

Freedom!

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

In reading John 8:36, one thing it clear. Real freedom comes from God-not government.

The freedom we have experienced in America may indeed be lost. And there can be no doubt that many of us have taken that freedom for granted.

But the government does not grant us freedom, God does. And that freedom can not be taken away.

Even now, with the election unresolved, and threats of violence continuing. Even with the restrictions that the government has placed on our lives (using Covid as their reason), we are free.

For our Freedom, as our “Hope and Help, comes from the Lord”. And our Lord is stronger than any government; He always will be.

My Friends, Stand Alongside Your Brother!

1 Chronicles 12:16-18 Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.” Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: “We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.

Mark 6:7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.

“As David grew in stature those who stood by him increased in number, devoting themselves to fight with him. Though it was a time of adversity for David, and a time of warfare, he found that there were many willing to join their lives to his; “…a brother is born for adversity”; and “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”. Again we note that David’s anointing and his character made him a friend to many…and many became his loyal friends.

When Yeshua (Jesus) sent his disciples out, He never sent them alone — He sent them two by two; and no doubt these pairs of disciples developed deep loyalty, unity and friendship as they proclaimed the kingdom and faced the powers of darkness together.

TheresaF, how would you describe your friendships in the Body of Messiah? Do you feel isolated, fighting battles alone? Do you know others who are in that condition? With the battles now raging, it’s more important than ever to be a friend, and to really know who your friends are. May the Lord grant each one of us loyal and faithful friendships as we fight the good fight.”

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Gulf Port, Mississippi

(From Israel)

I have started by day with Worthy Devotionals for over 15 years. They really help me to focus my day on serving Jesus :). To receive them in your email, use this link: Worthy Devotionals

Being Obedient To God

A really good friend sent this to me. It was so good, I just had to share 🙂

“God’s Word captures the moments that the Lord passed the baton from Moses, who had died, to Joshua. God spoke to Joshua of His Commission for him to lead the children of Israel, to the land which He was giving them. God had told Joshua that His Book of the Law that was given them shall not depart from his mouth. That he shall meditate in it day and night, that he may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then He would make his way prosperous, and then he will have good success.

God asked Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God IS with you wherever you go.” Your Heavenly Father was discussing being obedient. Part of being obedient to God IS to be willing to walk down His Path for His Will and Purpose, even when His Way IS not clear! Truly you can NOT foresee what God will do in your life before you are obedient to Him TODAY! You also need to be willing to experience conflict. Know that the evil one does NOT want to see you seeking God’s Face. He will create havoc and disruption to attempt you from going down His Path.

Know that EVERY single time you obey God, He IS able to start His Work in you! Truly, surrendering and trusting in Him for EVERYTHING He needs you for IS required. You need to leave ALL the consequences, of being obedient, to God. You CAN NOT loose in obeying God!! No matter how hard the world tries to knock you down and tells you to trust only in yourself – this WILL NOT work. You will fail – but NOT with your Heavenly Father, Son and Holy Spirit – this IS your ROCK to stand on and be safe for ALL Eternity!!

Learn to accept His Divine Punishment in response to your disobedience. Ask your Father for His Forgiveness, repent, change to reflect His Example to live and represent Him on earth!

My thoughts and prayers are that you are being obedient to God. That you experience His Promises to you for this obedience! Praise Him for ALL! Thank Him for ALL!! Share Him with others! In Jesus’ Name. Thy Will be done. Amen. Peace”

Do Not Fear!

“For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish”-Isaiah 60:12

With the American election unresolved and Europe’s efforts to silence those who would speak God’s Truth, two thoughts come to mind upon reading this verse.

The first is, that the “nations and kingdoms” that refuse to serve our Lord will perish. Some quickly, some eventually. But they will not stand.

The second is, we need not fear. No matter what happens in the coming days and years. Our Father will look after us. No nation will be allowed to persecute those who follow Christ forever.

Whatever difficulties we as Christians may face-They are Temporary!

Trusting God: When Bad Things Happen To Good People!

When bad things happen, a friend often tells us-Trust God. I often struggled with that idea when I was young. How does one trust God when really bad things happen? Trust God for what? To “fix it”? Because bad things don’t always get fixed.

But with Trust comes Acceptance. And that means accepting the bad with the good. This isn’t Heaven. Bad things do happen here. And they happen to us. That’s just part of life on earth.

IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT GOD DOES NOT LOVE US! GOD LOVE US ALWAYS!

So here is what we can “Trust”. God hears our prayers and will use anything bad to the good of those who love Him. God will never leave us. Whatever difficulties we walk through, God will walk through every step with us. When we run out of strength, God will provide it. And God will Never stop loving us.

When we are in trouble, will God answer our prayers? Always! Sometimes He will answer by providing for our needs (whether they are healing, financial or heart driven…), but sometimes God will answer our prayers by giving us the strength, courage and faith to overcome the difficulties we face. And that is where acceptance comes in. When we pray for God’s Help, we need to be willing to accept His decisions for us.

And that is what it means to trust God’s Love for us. It is to know that whatever He decides, whatever He provides, it’s what we need. Because the God who loves us will always provide us with what we need, but perhaps not necessarily with what we want.

Trust=Acceptance. Trust God ?

Enter Into The Light :)

“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.”-Isaiah 60:1-2

The Light is the Holy Spirit!

As we await the final outcome of our presidential election in America, many of us are waiting for the outcome, instead of acting now. But while we are waiting, evil is not. Evil never sleeps.

For example there are efforts to shut down the light occurring in Europe now! On WND’s website, there is an article “Brits consider criminalizing dinner-table talk”’ it’s an important read for every Christian.

So important that I wrote to them to see if this is true. And it is. And while they now appear to be allowing a defense to dinner table-talk (since it is not intended to be heard by anyone else), it well may, if enacted restrict Preachers who preach the Bible. And if that happens there, there is a good chance it will happen here.

And so, we must arise and shine for our Lord-Now. While we can. No matter who wins the election, a time of great darkness is coming. However, we who truly follow Jesus will still walk in the Light.

The Great Awakening is Coming. Don’t Wait. Let’s bring as many as we can-into the Light! God’s Light 🙂

Entertaining Angels :)

^“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”-Hebrews 13:2

One of my very best friends once said to me that “you never know when you are entertaining angels”. What a beautiful image! I asked her what she meant and she explained ?

She said so often as we rush through our days, we forget to take the time to smile at someone who really needs it, or to truly listen to someone. To help that elderly person with their groceries or thank someone for their kindness.

She said not only could angels minister to us; they minister to others and that sometimes while performing their service they can take on the shape of a human being temporarily. So anyone we might meet in the course of our day could be an angel.

I thought about that one for a long time. And I realized she was right. Really, how would I know if any one I met was an angel?

But It also made me think about how I treat others period. How many times had I raced into the grocery store, stood impatiently in line and failed to reach out to anyone? How many times had I seen an elderly person struggle to put their groceries in the car, and felt to busy to help them? How many times had I listened to someone with only half an ear? How many times had I failed to thank someone?

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”-Matthew 6:19-21

And I resolved then and there, with God’s Help, to change.

And “With God All Things Are Possible” 🙂

Don’t Let Fear Stop You!

The stories about Gideon were always some of my very favorites in the Bible. They could have said about Gideon, “he was scared, but did it anyway”. That could probably be said about many of us, including me 🙂

For example, one of his first tasks was to destroy his dad’s alter to baal, because he was afraid, he did so in the dark ?

For Israel’s sake, Gideon also was called to defeat the Midianites. God wanted the people of Israel to realize that it was God who saved them. So God ensured that Gideon only had three hundred men with which to fight thousands! Gideon was afraid. Very afraid. But with God’s help and direction, Gideon won!

There is something else that is important in Gideon’s story. God is clearly sympathetic to Gideon’s fears. God even tells’ Gideon how he might relieve some of his fears. So often, when we are worried or afraid, we beat ourselves up and feel that if we just had more faith we would not ever worry. That’s just not true. God clearly loved Gideon, and He called him a “Mighty man of Valor”. Courage is not the absence of fear-it’s the facing of it. God understands that, just as He understands and loves us

So we need not let fear keep us from serving God. At some time in our lives, we are all afraid of something. And that’s okay, we just need to not let our fear stop us ?

Be the Light ?

From Judges 7:

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

7 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. ²The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ ³Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

⁴But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

⁵So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” ⁶Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

⁷The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” ⁸So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.

Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. ⁹During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. ¹⁰If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah ¹¹and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. ¹²The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.

¹³Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

¹⁴His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

¹⁵When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” ¹⁶Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.

¹⁷“Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. ¹⁸When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

¹⁹Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. ²⁰The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” ²¹While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.

²²When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. ²³Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. ²⁴Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters -of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.”-Judges 7: 1-24

Angels Give Protection, Comfort & Strength :)

And I am grateful for mine!

There are so many Bible verses that speak of Angels in our midst, and yet how often do we forget them? But they are there, sent by God Himself to help us.

They are here to minister to us, because God loves us so. Many believe that we can talk to our Guardian Angel. I think this is true. And we can thank them. And we can pray for them. And we can ask God to send them a special Blessing 🙂

They are here for you. And they will never leave you. If an angel appeared to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and strengthened Him, then I definitely want our Angels to strengthen us!

There are many Bible verses that speak of the Angels of the Lord, below are but a few 🙂

“Coming out, He (Jesus) went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.”-Luke 22:39-43

“For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee”-Luke 4:10-11

“The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace.”-Luke 1:30

“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”-Judges 6:12 (An angel talks to Gideon)

So thank you Guardian Angel. Thank you to all Angels. For your comfort and strength, and for protecting us. We are so grateful and we pray that God sends you a very special Blessing ?