5 posts tagged “bible”

Day 22 ~ Be Exalted, Lord

Mar 27, 2009
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When I Speak Your Name ~ Indiana Bible College

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For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things:
to whom be glory for ever. Amen. ~ Romans 11:36
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The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God,
and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. ~ Exodus 15:2

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He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters,
and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. ~ Numbers 24:7

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And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD:
my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. ~ 1 Samuel 2:1

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The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock;
and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation. ~ 2 Samuel 22:47

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He must increase, but I must decrease. ~ John 3:30

Ministering online afternoons at Church of the Living God, I notice what is as if a river sweetly flowing...becoming more and more distinct...and something keeps happening with a fervent consistency: while the Lord is purposely, boldly exalted and glorified, He is changing us: from glory to glory. He is increasing...as we decrease. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
We exalt You, Lord God...
May You be pleased as
we lift the name of Jesus
for all to see...
and for all who see,
may they have ears to hear.

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Revelation 22
¹And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
²In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
³And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
⁴And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
⁵And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
⁶And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
⁷Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
⁸And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
⁹Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
¹⁰And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
¹¹He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
¹²And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
¹³I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
¹⁴Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
¹⁵For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
¹⁶I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
¹⁷And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
¹⁸For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
¹⁹And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
²⁰He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
²¹The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

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Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
March 27, 2009

And this is the promise that he hath promised us,
[even] eternal life. (1 John 2:25)

God has promised us life after death—life forever with Him. Amen!

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Days 15-17 ~ The Days of Noah

Mar 21, 2009
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NOTE: I normally post daily and apologize for inconsistency, but I'm a new grandma and am helping mom and her family adjust.

I hope you join me in welcoming my newest grandbaby, Adel Yara, born 3/19 at 11:53am, 7lbs 3oz, 19". Mom and babygirl are doing well, big bro Nassir (16 mos old) is in process of adjusting, Dad has his hands full working and helping mom at night.

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A note about this fast: it is between us and the Lord...so whatever it is, it needs to be a sacrifice...it needs to cost us something. The fast is until June 3 and can be a favorite thing like chocolate...or it could be a meal, a certain food, an activity on the internet, a shorter limit of time on the internet, TV, etc., or a thing like negativity...
The purpose is to stand in the gap regarding California Supreme Court's decision whether or not to overturn Prop 8. If they overturn it, then they set a precedence by blowing off the majority of California's voters; they rule from the bench.
It is not only about Prop 8, but includes all these things that are being done in Washington that stand against the Constitution and our rights. HR1388 is a recent one: it sets up everyone to work for the government. You'll have to search it out yourself, because this blog isn't meant to cover the details of political issues...only to pray for God's will regarding them.

Part of "occupying" is waiting on the Lord and keeping our eyes on heaven.

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
March 22, 2009

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, [so many] as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of [them], and embraced [them], and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that [country] from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better [country], that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:8-16)

God here promises not only His pleasure in those who look to the heavenlies rather than toward earthly treasure, but He also promises a holy and heavenly dwelling to His people. For all believers say the same: that they seek not a homeland with foundations of stone and metal, but one made of heavenly hands.

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Matthew 24:36-40

³⁶But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

³⁷But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

³⁸For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

³⁹And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Father God, I'm reminded of this childhood prayer...

Now I lay me down to sleep...I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep...If I should die before I wake...I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take

Lord, You've been with me all my life...You've kept me and I am Yours...and You are mine...we are one another's inheritance...one another's portion. (though I think I got the better deal)

I look forward to seeing You, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.

I want to be found, Lord, with oil in my lamp, waiting for You to come.

Lord, I ask that You continue to bless this site as we occupy until You return. Bless all those who read and pray...awaiting Your return.

Be blessed, my Lord. All honor and glory and praise we give unto You.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Moved with Fear

March 21, 2009

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Hebrews 11:7)

Noah was indeed a man of mighty faith, believing God's Word even about "things not seen as yet," preparing for a worldwide Flood in a day when God had never yet even "caused it to rain upon the earth" (Genesis 2:5). Noah was "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5) to an unbelieving world for at least 120 years (Genesis 6:3), "while the ark was a preparing" (1 Peter 3:20), without gaining any converts except his own family.

But why would he have been "moved with fear"? Noah was surely not afraid to die! He had "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9) for 600 years (Genesis 5:32; 7:11) before the Flood, and he was certainly not afraid to die and go to meet the Lord now.

Evidently it was for "the saving of his house" that he was afraid, realizing that his own children would soon be engulfed by the awful spirit of unbelief and wickedness that pervaded the antediluvian world, if they could not somehow be delivered from it. So he "prepared an ark," and his house was saved. "Come thou and all thy house into the ark," said the Lord, "for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation" (Genesis 7:1). Although they could easily have refused, they all chose to follow Noah.

In a like manner today, God speaks to the head of each house: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). A consistent example of obedient faith set by a godly father (or mother, if necessary) almost inevitably results in his (or her) children also trusting in the Lord for salvation. Every caring parent should resolve that, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15). HMM

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Day 4 ~ March 9 ~ King Jehoshaphat's prayer

Mar 9, 2009
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King Jehoshaphat was an awesome king who followed the Lord. But he made his mistakes, too. His sin was compromising with Ahab, which opened Judah up to danger. He got back on track with the Lord, and took action for Judah's safety. For details, see 2 Chronicles 17-20; he's also covered in 1 Kings and 2 Kings.

2 Chronicles 20:2-12

2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi).
3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him. [emphasis mine]

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said:

"O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven?

You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.

Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.

7 O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying,

9 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine,

we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress,

and you will hear us and save us.'

10 "But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.

11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance.

12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."

Oh, yes, Lord...our eyes are most definitely upon You.

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Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
March 9, 2009

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I [am] with you, saith the LORD of hosts: (Haggai 2:4)

Ever does the Lord make His presence known to His people. His grace and mercy are abundant and evident. Our Lord is ubiquitous and such His ever-presence is our great and undying comfort. Never need we fear for He is there and ready to attend our needs.

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I Hear the Voice of One Crying...

Mar 7, 2009
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PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD!

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In the beloved musical, The Sound of Music, Maria sets out to teach the VonTrap children how to sing. She begins singing normally and then realizes the need to go back to basics. "Let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start."

Lord God in heaven, where do we start? Where do we start? Where do I start?
Usually I cycle around to fretting about all that's wrong surrounding us...for it is what's wrong that brings me here. Here to this blog? Even though I dedicate it to You for Your kingdom, no. "Here" being Your throne of grace...the place You told us we can boldly come.

So, here I am. But in all honesty, Lord?...and I know that it isn't my feelings that matter, but I sense that Your throne of grace isn't where I'm to be at this moment...hmmm...almost as if I'm being pretentious, huh? I'm sorry...would You please forgive me? I do have a tendency to take You for granted sometimes, don't I? ... The Cross? ... Everything has to go through the Cross, doesn't it? ... OK, I'll be back. Thank You, Lord.

^{John 12:24}Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Paul, who authored most of the New Testament, declared the need to die daily. If Paul, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, had to do this, how much more must I?
God was pleased with His servant, Job, before allowing the adversary to wreak havoc in his life. Even though God was pleased with Job, there was self-righteousness that had to be purged and God put him through His refining fire until he abhorred himself and repented in ashes; how much more must I?

^{Matthew 20:20-23 20}Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons [the disciples James and John], worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. [How often do we desire a certain thing of the Lord?]

²¹And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

[Please listen closely to what Jesus says] ²²But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

²³And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with**: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

^**^{Acts 12:1-3 1}Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. ²And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. ³And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

At this point, Peter was taken to prison; fervent prayer was given for him, and he was rescued miraculously by angels. But down the line, he is believed to have been martyred. Does that speak to your heart? Does it matter if our life is miraculously saved one time but not another? Is not our life (and death) in God's hands?
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. ~ Ps. 116:15
[FYI, the bible doesn't reveal how the Apostles died; only James; I understand the reason each is thought to have been martyred in some way is taken from church history and from what Jesus prophesied about the nature of an apostle's death in John 21:18.]

^{John 12:25}He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

That's what it must mean to follow Christ: to pick up your cross and die; daily. How else are we going to approach this 90 days of God-given grace? Remember, Peter was miraculously rescused from prison at one time; martyred another. Listen to the Lord in John 12:27 ~ ²⁷Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

Whether saved 5 or 50 years, we've been living within the realm of God's miraculous grace. Are we ready to drink of Jesus' cup and to be baptized with the baptism that Jesus was baptized with?

This is my Father's blog. I'm the one writing, but He's the one showing/giving me what to write for such a time as this. Let's start at the very beginning...He shows that for such a time as this, it's a very good place to start.

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Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespass as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Days 60 & 61 ~ January 3 & 4, 2009

Jan 4, 2009
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A moment of silence for the unborn...for those who've lost their lives for the cause of freedom...for those who've given their lives contending for the Faith.
May abortion be brought to a halt...may the lives of our soldiers never be lost in vain...may the inner strength wrought in Faith's contenders live in us.

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Father God,
I thank You this morning, that You are always "on time" with a word in due season.
Today's promise (1/4) is just what I needed to hear, and resting in You is exactly what I need to do.
Hallelujah!
In Jesus' name, amen.
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Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
January 4, 2009

He giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:29-31)

Though we struggle to walk in the light and grow weary in the work of the Lord, our gracious Father is always there to renew us in His strength and power. By the might of God's word, we are encouraged and brought to a place of rest in His wonderful peace and love.

This has been brought to you by the following ministries:
Blue Letter Bible
Sowing Circle

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Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
January 3, 2009

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1)

Did you know that you are loved by the Creator of the Universe? Regardless of who we are, God loves us and is willing to adopt us as sons and daughters. All we have to do is allow Jesus to be our Lord. Do not be surprised if people mock you once you become a believer. They do not understand God's love for them, and therefore, cannot understand your love for God.

This has been brought to you by the following ministries:
Blue Letter Bible
Sowing Circle