Hope When There Is No Hope

Have you been struggling with many different circumstances that you just have no answer for. Well you are not alone in this, there is hope when you think there is no hope.

God sees your heart and knows what is going on so don’t worry about what isn’t or is happening, allow Him to guide you through the darkest of days.

There is hope that tomorrow will be a s better day for you. What you are going through will not last.

We can only see what our eyes tell us, but it is what is unseen that we hope for and as we pray and have faith that God will show you the way, it is then that we can find the solution to what is wrong. When you are finding such things are happening to you, maybe it’s time to step back and wait for God to show you what to do. For He is in control, not us.

Be kind to people who frustrate you, be gracious to those who are not fair and be hopeful for all that God promises you. He will not leave you or forsake you, it is He who guides your path and makes a way. Now you must do your part and believe that He will.

Jesus tells us in John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Shalom
Nancy
The Christian Writer

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And Then The End Will Come

When will the end come?
Get your stuff ready, build the shelter, hoard the food, live like nothing matters….            all a farce.
In every generation, many have been fooled by someone that can sell you a bridge with your name on it. Let’s face it false teachers selling their agendas on end time events are gaining popularity as more and more people are being duped into their agenda, they make a feeble attempt to match up the Bible with their “opinion” on when these events will take place- “Did you see that thing in the sky?” Or “How about all these earth quakes, hurricanes and floods?” And so on and so on-this has the effect of placing fear/anxiety/hopelessness in the hearts of people who don’t know the truth of the Bible.
Matthew 24:36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Brothers & Sisters if you don’t know the Bible you will be tricked into believing and buying these false teachings. There is no sequence of numbers, blood moons, natural disasters or potential wars- Jesus says these are birth pains and tells us to look for the signs,
Matthew 24:4-8
 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Confirmations that we are getting closer:
– False Messiah’s (false teachings, anyone who leads you away from God) Some will fall away from God and follow false teachings of spirituality/growth potential/positive influencers or pastors following their own agenda and twisting the truth of the Bible.
– Nations are gathering against Israel, boycotting their products and services, the UN vote to block the move of the embassy to Jerusalem and the ongoing Gaza boarder war. You can read more on this link: https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-10-most-anti-semitic-countries/
Many countries are defending and gathering together to go against Israel, what we must do is to watch watch and wait for what will be coming next.
– Persecution
Jesus continues on to say that those who are Christians will be persecuted, which is happening now more than ever. The morals and values in which we seek are not God honoring.
Matthew 24:9-13 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
If faced with the decision to worship Jesus or be thrown in jail, possibly put to death, many will run, trying to save their lives. God is still in control and the gospel will continue to be preached all over the world, regardless of what people think, say or do.

-Anti-christ
Jesus tells us clearly the anti-christ will stand in the holy place (temple) in Israel and proclaim he is God, (He will be highly regarded and people will think he is the savior) that is when things begin to accelerate. Many will fall away and be deceived by great “signs & wonders.”
Matthew 24:14-25 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation, (Anti-Christ) spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!  Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.
“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.  At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.

Jesus tells us immediately after those days
Matthew 24:30-31  
“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Jesus concludes in Matthew 24:32-34 by saying to be aware of the sign of the times, be aware of what is happening in the world around you. He says : Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away.” That gives us the knowledge to continue serving and looking for Him everyday. Stay in prayer, these days are getting harder for us, the world is turning from God and looking to their own lives for comfort, no matter what happens you know that Jesus promises you eternal life when you worship Him. Stand on that truth everyday brethren, He shall return and when He does the judgement will fall on those who have turned away from God.
Shalom
Nancy
The Christian Writer

#andthentheendwillcome #endtimes #Jesus #signoftimes

God’s Timetable Vs Ours

Waiting….. how hard is that?

We pray we wait, we pray we wait. Still no answer.

We want things to happen and for things to be shown to us clearly as we wait for direction.

But have you ever noticed that as you wait, you do see things clearly. In hindsight many things I prayed for did not happen, and that for my greater good. Maybe something was given to someone over my desire to have it because it wasn’t right for me and very right for another.

Don’t get me wrong, God has answered many prayers and I have seen many great things happen under His hand. I came to resolve that my timetable is not God’s. So for you weary waiter’s (and I don’t mean in a restaurant!) I say there is a season where you see a lot happening, you may be in it right now or as I call it a desert season just waiting for God as He is shaping you for whatever is coming your way next. Hold firmly onto trusting God for wherever you are now.  His plans are making a way for better seasons and as you wait, your faith is always being tested. Paul tells us this in the book of Hebrews devoting a full chapter 11 to the faith of the ancient people in the Old Testament. They may or may not have seen their dreams come true but God is always faithful to those who love and worship Him.

Hebrews 11:1

 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 

For those who have given up on your dreams, I say this to you, dreams are created in your life that others cannot see. When you have a dream, it’s because the dream you have is placed in you, to strive towards, used for the greater good of God and man. Dreams change and sometimes they die but if it is in you pray and see God’s hand and how He answers you.
Place your trust in God as He moves you closer to the things He desires for your life, surrender those tightly held plans and release them to Him, He knows the best direction.

It’s hard to see God working, isn’t it?
Especially when you think you should be going one way and the opposite is true. But God knows you better than you know yourself. That’s where trust, hope and faith come in.

Exodus 15:11
Who among the gods
    is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—
    majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
    working wonders?

In writing this to you I see my struggles with waiting, but I know as much as I struggle you do as well so as we are in the body of Christ we wait, we pray and we trust.
Shalom
Nancy
The Christian Writer

Corny Christmas Movies Are Fun

I think I’m on my 10th Hallmark movie of 2018, I’ve laughed, cried, smiled and fell in love with every girl-guy romantic moment. I love the decorating and get many decorating ideas to liven up my house. So, the plots are encouraging and seem quite the same -if you are an avid Hallmark movie fan, you understand this, but if you aren’t here’s the scenario: girl or guy in their 20’s-40’s go to a small town either by chance of getting stuck there or some relative/business needs help, passes away and then either a child/ person comes to the rescue. That person decides they are there only temporarily but we know as die-hard fans of Hallmark, they will be meeting somebody that will change their life and they make the decision to either stay or leave that town or situation. (I’m not spillin’ the beans, you’ll find out!)  Always fun to watch the outcome, I’m never disappointed!

I know I summed it up, don’t be dismayed though, because each combination of characters brings its joy and we as watchers are rooting for that perfect outcome. These amazing movies, bring us out of our everyday lives into a perfect world, (we want to think so) it’s truly a nice escape, I would rather watch an uplifting movie even if it’s so corny I could pour maple syrup all over it- than a movie based in violence, sex and drugs. We need more good things to watch! To take our minds to another place even if it’s temporary, real life doesn’t play out this way but it’s a nice escape for two hours.

So every year I make a point to tune into the Christmas movies because the best part of Christmas is to enjoy family, friends and people that my life is surrounded by, I really think that Hallmark has captured this, putting some corky life situations into play that help us connect with the story, character and outcome that we enjoy. 

Ok, you want to know my favourite one? Can’t help it I watch every year and it’s one of their top movies “The Christmas Card” 

http://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/the-christmas-card

It’s a love story with a twist of beautiful fate. (plus they sing in church, just adore that)

Roma Downy also has a wonderful channel and believe it or not I get this channel on my antenna, it’s free TV. It’s call Lighttv  https://www.lighttv.com (you can also watch on your computer or phone) and its programs are good and easy on the eye. They have classic Christmas Movies on as well.

Roma is certainly an angel on earth, years ago she starred in a TV series called Touched By An Angel  https://www.hallmarkdrama.com/touched-by-an-angel  

The character Roma plays as Monica an Angel that is learning lessons and has a heart for God that capture audiences because we can relate to her up’s and downs. Over the years we have been blessed by the programs and content that Roma and her husband Mark Burnett produce, the Bible Series is a beautiful way to see the Bible in action- Truly Worth Watching!

 Bible Series Interview

In closing,  step out of your everyday craziness relax with your favourite beverage, watch something that’s good for your soul and maybe reminds you of days past. May your Christmas be joyful, light, beautiful and full of love, as we celebrate Jesus Christ, the birth of the One who came into the world for you.

Shalom, Merry Christmas 

Nancy

The Christian Writer

Matthew 2:1 

 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem

#Hallmark

#Christmas

#Roma Downey

#lighttv.com

#Hallmarkchristma#JesusChrist

Finding The Dream Job

I often wonder about people who say they are living the dream job. To them the dream job is doing something they love everyday and talking about it, enjoying what they accomplish in it, possibly profiting well from it. I do believe that people can retire from what they have done and talk about it as if it was a lifelong dream to do what they did and can say it was a great journey. There are many articles written
to date about the effects of work on your health.

Have you ever thought of your dream job?

~What you would have loved to do before you got caught up in all of the non sense of where you are?

~Were you thinking you wanted to go one way and you ended up going in the least desirable other way?

Let’s look at steps you can take to move  to a direction that not only can set your mind in looking outward and possibly to make part or if not all your dreams come true.

Write out where you are-

Just write it in a journal and keep it near you.

Write what your dream is or desire to see yourself

Write out your goals, you want to be _____ in 5 years, 10 years etc.

Talk to people who have achieved where you want to be

Let people know what you want to do, you may just get some ideas!

Keep writing- when you hit an incline, pit or mountain write it out, go back and read what happened.

Don’t give up if it’s in your heart —that’s not an option because if you don’t reach the dream another will go in it’s place

You will get discouraged, that’s not an option, everyone does when you are focusing in on something- the journey is way cooler when you don’t have a clear path, have faith.

This is your guarantee: YOU WILL GROW and see growth over time.

*God reveals a lot to us when we go through our lessons of faith, maybe what you desired to do so desperately at one time wasn’t-isn’t good for you and God has something better. So pray continuously for guidance and help.

Lastly, nothing on earth can ever satisfy what Jesus can. You could look forever but when you give yourself fully to Him, He will make your paths straight.

Shalom
Nancy
#Livingthedreamjob #faith #don’tgiveup #God

Eye Witnesses Of The Living Jesus

If there is doubt in the world whether or not Jesus was real and some made up story, there are many historical facts that are documented history on this. The most trust worthy written word is in the New Testament of the Bible, there we find eyewitness accounts of Jesus appearing first to Mary Magdolin at the tomb then to the disciples, then to many others. Pressing out further, we find documented letters from His Apostles that have been written and shared about Him and shared with followers regarding His crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection from death. In the Gospel of John, we read how the obedient disciples wait in hiding until Jesus appears to them as He promised.

John 20:19 

 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

In the Book of Acts, Paul (was Saul) himself experienced the Living Jesus on the road to Damascus as he was headed to persecute and kill Christians.

Acts 9:3-6

³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Then later after Paul’s conversion we read in his letters of the resurrected and living Christ and as he wrote to the Corinthians and said:

1 Corinthians 15:6-8

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas (Peter) and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

 There were many witnesses to the appearance of Christ that are documented in the Bible. There are other historical books that document Christ, Christians and the Romans persecution of Christians.

The following link is explores other documented evidence of Jesus’ existence.

(Bible History Daily)

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/did-jesus-exist/

At this time of High Holy Days, it’s a time to be reflective of our lives and what Christ has done for us on the Cross-, He died so that you could have eternal life; He defeated death and was a perfect sacrifice for your sins.

His faithful disciples knew first hand and stood their ground for Him as their one and only God. They were eyewitnesses to Jesus alive, talking and eating with them.

We may not be able to see Jesus, but when we whole-heartedly come to Him, he is in our presence through the Holy Spirit, which has guided you all along your life.

Jesus is as much alive NOW as He was then. We can’t see Him but he tells us in John

John 20:29

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 Be Blessed My Brothers and Sisters,

Nancy

 

 

#Christ #LivingJesus #LivingGod #ChristCrucified #God #One&OnlyGod #EyeWitnessesToTheLivingJesus

Spiritual Fitness

If you haven’t been watching the Olympics you are missing out on seeing the amazing physical endurance of these athletes from around the world, they train for years to get an opportunity to compete with the best of the best.

They endure pain and suffering, intense workouts and failures as well as triumphs through out their training. No one really knows the preparation that goes behind the process of standing strong in that struggle.

The same goes for us. We endure many trials and some do strength training in the gym or on the job as well as in our relationships and with people we don’t know. We can prepare for what may happen but we can never know the outcome, just like the many athletes in the games.

But, the most important overall is not just the physical training, but the spiritual training and many people neglect to even try to understand what that is. The spiritual training comes form reading the word of God. The tools that God has given to us for mental equipping are far beyond our understanding but God holds the answers in His word.

So if you are feeling depressed, neglected, overwhelmed, in pain or sorrow, you can bring the word of God into your mind to strengthen you. You can pray and ask for direction and God whom you have trusted will answer you in the ways He knows you need.

Spiritual Fitness isn’t just something you do when you think about it; you must exercise this part of your relationship with God everyday. Pray and ask for direction, read a part of the gospel that can strengthen you for instance where Jesus says He prays for you (John 17:9) or maybe you just want to see a chapter in the Old Testament where God steps in and defeats an army or heals a person. This is not just beneficial to religious people; it’s beneficial to you in every way.

The Bible is a gift from God to you, to lead and guide through this life

                                                                                                          and for your eternal journey.

 

Romans 15:4 

⁴ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

 

Shalom

Nancy

 

#spiritualfitness #Jesus #God #endurance #intensetraining #failures #triumphs

 

 

Do Not Underestimate The Power Of God

Recently I heard a sermon about the prophet Elijah, he was a famous prophet of God, and he had blessed him with gifts of healing, power and prophecy.

Elijah was given strength to withstand the opposition of the wicked King Ahab, he was not afraid when he had Ahab call all 450 prophets of their god, Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to go up to join him at Mount Carmel, for them to call out to their gods through worship and sacrifice, just to see who is really God and follow Him.

But they received no answer from their gods as Elijah tells them the one true God will answer by fire on the sacrifice he instructed them to set up, and that is just what God did, in the most miraculous way. 1 Kings 18:38

God gave Elijah the strength to kill all the false prophets of wicked Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Elijah had the strength of the Lord in him giving him the knowledge to bear witness for the Lord. Upon hearing about the slaying of the prophets, Jezebel sends a messenger to Elijah- “I will make your life like that of one of them.” 1 Kings 19:2

Hearing this, Elijah ran, forgetting just what happened at Mount Carmel, he was scared and he took his eyes off the One who is controlling the situation.

Don’t we all tend to do this? Something great happens; we know that God has given this to us. But as soon as something we don’t understand we lose sight of God’s sovereignty over us, because we believe what we can see instead of believing in the one who we cannot.

John 20:29

 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

It’s so easy to look at your circumstances and allow them to consume your every thought; we must re direct our thoughts to remember that God is in charge of everything, every situation, good and bad. We have seasons of learning, adjusting, growing, healing and loss.

As you go through situations where you just want to “run” remember to be still, God is over it as you keep trusting in His way and not your own.

Shalom

Nancy

 

#Godisincontrol #donotunderestimatethepowerofGod #Jesus

Horoscopes, Fortune Tellers & Cults

If you are one of those people that enjoy alittle unsuspecting encouragement in your day through what you think is a harmless horoscope reading. or maybe you went to a psychic, or a card reader that gave you some answers that encouraged you and maybe trusted on those words as truth.

Let me lead you into some godly truth, it’s false teaching to entice you to want more, to be caught up in some words that do not come from God but from satan.

You see satan knows your weaknesses, he knows you will get caught up in it and he will do anything to take your eyes off God, even if it sounds true. Trusting in something or someone isn’t focused on God is false.

Here are some ways that you will know its false:

You put hope in what you read

Someone will ask for a free will devotion or fee

They seem to be telling you the truth, but it just doesn’t seem right

They put fear in you, you believe them

You leave in hope of what they told you and then it never happens or,

What they say does happen but doesn’t have a good outcome or you sit and wait for it to happen (no one knows your future, only God does)

You are continuing to want more

You may start to separate yourself from people you have always had relationships with either by resentment, misunderstanding or unforgiveness

They tell you to pray to false gods/things/people (crystals, preachers, false teaching, etc.) Deuteronomy 18:10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,

Their motives are selfish

They can’t really help you and you feel lost.

Praying to Saints

Worshipping the church, it’s activities/leaders/rituals

They just lead you away from God

Exodus 20:3

“You shall have no other gods before me. (one of God’s 10 Commandments to us)

 

Here are some ways that you will know truth through God:

Spend time in prayer, listen for His voice

He does not separate you from the people that love or care about you

He doesn’t ask you to give away your money to get a reading or a teaching

He gently calls you and wants to speak into your life

He guides you into truth, through His word (the Bible)

He prepares you for eternity with Him

You do not have to pray to saints, teachers or anything but right to Jesus as our great intercessor

You come freely to Him at any time.

Jesus sends you the Holy Spirit for truth

Make no mistake, worshiping yourself, idols; things that aren’t God are a sin. Trusting in anything that isn’t God is a sin.

1 Samuel 15:23

 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”

So my word to you today is this:

What are you worshipping that isn’t the one true God who has created you for a purpose? Whose plans are great for you? Who gives you bread everyday

Are you willing to step out and trust Him instead of the things of this world?

No one of this world died to cover your sins, why trust in anything else but Jesus who shed His blood to cover your sins? Trust Jesus.

 

Shalom, Nancy

#trustJesus #horoscopesfortunetellers&cults

 

 

Held Captive By Sin

Sin can hold it’s grasp on you when you let what drives you to it take over your life. Maybe you are that person that says there is nothing wrong with what you are doing but deep down sin has got it’s hold on you.

Sadly that’s what sin does, it’s blinding to those who know no escape and allow the world and how they feel to dictate what is right. With no escape from the grasp how will you know if it is right or wrong?

The only way to know if you are doing the right thing is to ask God to come into your life and speak to your heart and to bring His light to the circumstances in which you live and to ask your self what does this thing that I know may be wrong doing to myself and those around me. Am I following my way or is it God’s way?

With sin, God always provides an escape.

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 

With following your way the hole you dig gets deeper and deeper so you can no longer see the light on the sin, you walk in the darkness. But God provides the light and He shines His light on the sin to help you overcome it. That’s why we go to Him in prayer for clarity and help.

Isaiah 29:15

Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”

God is willing to lift you up to see what you are doing and help you out of that pit but first you must ask Him to shine light on your life and to forgive you for the sin you are doing and have done.

Acts 13:38

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.

My prayer for you is simply this: Let the light of Christ shine down on you and may His grace be forthcoming in your life through the forgiveness of sins. Break free from the grasp of a sin led life to the love of Christ, following Him all the days of your life.

 

Shalom

Nancy                                                             #Jesus #sin #forgiveness #God #endure