We don’t know the exact date of Jesus birth, but we do know where and how Jesus was born. We also know that Jesus’ birth was planned long before the earth was created, when He was still in heaven with the Father. Prophecies throughout the Old Testament were foretold long before His birth. Here are just a few: His pre-existence and place of His earthly birth: Micah 5: 2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from …
Passion for Jesus
As I sat in this very large arena surrounded by thousands of women, I was mesmerized by the words that slapped me in the face. Words so powerful I could not move… words that formed a question that I must answer. I had come to Beth Moore’s Living Proof conference with a group of my church women. We had already attended many of her conferences to hear what the Lord would teach us through Beth’s words. God uses women who are willing and obedient to His leading and Beth is one such woman. He uses her to speak His words …
FEAR: Terrified or Reverent
FEAR: A big word filled with overwhelming emotion. A word that draws from the depths of your soul a response that results in an emotion of great terror or a great reverence and awe of Almighty God. In one scenario, fear can guide your actions or render you totally helpless and the other will bring you to your knees with great humility. Reverent: The Bible speaks of “the fear of the Lord”. This fear includes reverence and humility in your position compared to the God who created the heavens and the earth and everything within it. When we come to …
FEAR: Standing Strong
The Bible has a lot of things to say about fear. When doing a word search for scripture, I use Biblegateway.com. Typing in the right word or phrases make the difference. For this devotion, I found verses that contained the key word: afraid. Which means: feeling fear or anxiety; frightened. While searching for verses I was reminded of a time years ago when the Lord gave me three particular verses to help me through a situation I was experiencing. I have what is commonly referred to as “stage fright”: “Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an …
FEAR: Learning to Trust
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1: 7 My granddaughter has a fear of storms. They terrify her. She has never experienced a tornado but knows what a strong force of death and destruction accompanies this horrific force of nature should it decide to touch down near her. The dark sky with thunder and lightning force her even now as a teen to rise up from her bed at night and speedily scurry to her mother’s bed for comfort and protection. She calls her Pawpaw …
FEAR: A Tool of the Enemy
We have an enemy who desires to destroy our faith in Jesus. If he can’t destroy our faith, he will try to cause us to be ineffective. One of his chief weapons is fear. Fear renders us motionless. He knows that we can’t go forward in service to the Lord when we are crippled by fear. Be wise and know what you are dealing with when you start to fear. Who is this enemy? John 12: 31-Satan, the ruler of this world, John 8: 44-a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because …
FEAR: The Fight of A Warrior
We have an enemy who desires to destroy our faith in Jesus. If he can’t destroy our faith, he will try to cause us to be ineffective. One of his chief weapons is fear. Fear renders us motionless. He knows that we can’t go forward in service to the Lord when we are crippled by fear. Be wise and know what you are dealing with when you start to fear. Who is this enemy? John 12: 31-Satan, the ruler of this world, John 8: 44-a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because …
FEAR: For the Glory of God
You remember Moses don’t you? Moses was the one born to an Israelite woman during a time when Pharaoh was killing all male Israelite babies. She put him in a basket and set him in the Nile River with his sister close by until the Pharaoh’s sister found him and took him home. Later Moses had a face-to-face with God through a burning bush that would not be consumed. God told Moses he would be His mouthpiece and lead His people out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Moses offered his excuses but God won in the …
His Presence in Darkness
As a child my family took a vacation to the mountains of Tennessee. We enjoyed the trip as our family was together and searching out new places we had never been. One such place was a cave to explore. It was well lite and we could see the spectacular formations of stalagmites and stalactites. Each rock formation was uniquely different and beautiful. The rocks formed caverns with sharp drops to the next level. We were assured that we were protected by a tour guide who watched over us to lead the way and a rope fence to keep us …
Look But Do Not See
Sometimes my husband will go to the kitchen cabinet looking to locate something he needs. Often he will stand and stare at each shelf searching with his eyes to find the needed item. Then in final desperation he calls for me to come and help. More often than not, the desired item can be found at eye level right in front of his eyes. It is as if he is surrounded in total darkness with eyes closed. I will also admit that there have been times when this same thing happens to me. I search and search and then suddenly …
Shades
I am the world’s worst at losing my sunglasses/shades. I only buy cheap sunglasses now because I know that before long they will be lost. Their purpose is to hide the brightness of the sun and to make vision clearer. My eyes are sensitive to light and if I don’t wear them I can’t see well. Losing focus can cause me problems, especially when driving. Perhaps you can relate to me concerning the shades. The sun sometimes seems so bright you either squint your eyes very tight, close your eyes completely or fumble into your purse for your shades. None …
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
When I was a child one of my favorite games to play was pin the tail on the donkey. Being blindfolded you would spin around and around until you lost direction of where the donkey chart was located. Try as you might, without sight and being a little dizzy it was almost impossible to pin the tail on the back end of the donkey (unless you somehow had a sliver of vision somewhere behind the blindfold). I have been known to miss the donkey all together and pin the paper tail on the wall or chair or door facing. Sometimes …