2 Timothy 2:11-13
1 Here is a trustworthy saying:
A Trustworthy Saying
1
Category Archives: God
3 Days to Pentecost
Drawing near to the time of the promise
If there was anytime that anticipation was at it’s highest is now. The Apsotles waited and knew that Jesus promise of the gift was about to unfold, just like us, when we seek to understand what God has for us and have to wait with patience, this teaches us that everything is done in God’s time, not ours.
So what do they do in their days of waiting?
Pray
What do we do in our days of waiting?
Pray
We carry on our lives as best we can, when we have anxiety over things we can’t control, we aren’t trusting in the Lord. The Apostles knew this and as anxious as they may have been at times, they knew His word was Truth. Just as they waited, we will wait for the Lord to act, be ready for what He will do next, you never know what God is going to do!
Shalom
Nancy
The Christian Writer
20 Days To Pentecost
So they waited…… and began to plan
20 days to the gift that Jesus promised.
The disciples didn’t stand around with their hands folded they prayed and began to plan, several of the apostles went back to Jerusalem as Peter addressed a crowd of 120, he spoke about the scriptures and how they were fulfilled “through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as a guide for those who arrested Jesus- he was one of our number, Peter tells them, and shared in this ministry.” Acts 1:16-17
When Judas betrayed Jesus, the reward for his wickedness was that he bought a field, he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everybody in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field Akeldema, Field of Blood.
The apostles didn’t wait around and complain about their circumstances they took action, they had to choose someone to take Judas’ place for leadership, it had to be someone from John’s baptism to when Jesus was taken up, that person needed to be a witness of the resurrection. Vs 21-22
They purposed two men, Joseph called Barabbas (also known as Justus) and Mathias. Then they prayed for the Lord to show them the one He chooses to take over the apostolic ministry that Judas left to go where he belongs. Vs 25. Then they cast lots and it fell on Matthias and he was added to the eleven.
Just as you and I wait in these days of uncertainty, the apostles felt the same, Jesus said wait in Jerusalem, we wait in our circumstances, God has a plan in our waiting, it’s not for nothing. He wants us to draw closer to Him, wait and pray, not to give up hope. Be open to his plan and be receptive to His call as the Apostles did, waiting is growth and seeing things in a different perspective, God’s hand holds us back as allows us to see the bigger picture and gives us time to heal, forgive and grieve. Don’t waste time worrying, Jesus tells us that, don’t waste the precious time you have on that, instead try to embrace wherever you are and make the best of it all.
Shalom
Nancy
The Christian Writer
32 Days to Pentecost
So they waited……
During the time that the Apostles were waiting for the gift Jesus promised, they didn’t fold their hands and wait, they took action, they walked back to Jerusalem gathered together and prayed.
Acts 1:12-14
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
When you don’t know what to do, do you seek God for answers as the Apostles did?
They walked with Jesus, they saw Him go out alone to seek His Father for direction and guidance but Jesus could not sit still He took action, He prayed and walked ahead, He came into people’s lives and changed them for eternal rewards not earthly. He gave hope to those who were suffering, healing to the sick and love to the unlovable. Maybe what you have a story to share and that would bring hope to someone, just as Jesus took action, we have the gift of sharing His love with others as He tells us to “Feed His Sheep”.
Do you continue to share your life story with others who may need that encouragement?
Are you taking the time to sit with the Father in prayer?
Shalom
Nancy
The Christian Writer
Rejoice He Has Risen!
After Jesus died on the cross, a rich man named Joseph who was a disciple of Jesus went to Pilate and asked for Jesus body and he gave his new tomb over to Jesus and wrapped Him in clean linen cloth and rolled a stone in front of the tomb. After preparation day the chief Priest and Pharisees went to Pilate to have the tomb guarded because they were afraid of what Jesus said about rising again after three days. So a guard was sent- but that wasn’t going to stop our Lord!
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb after Sabbath at dawn, there was a violent earthquake and an Angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled back the stone and sat on it. He shone like lightening and they were afraid but the angel assured them not to be and that Jesus was no longer there that He Has Risen!
The angel tells them Jesus is going ahead of them into the city and to go tell the disciples. We can’t imagine the joy they must have felt knowing that the Lord has come back to life, He was resurrected from the dead, He Defeated Death and is the only Living God.
Make no mistake about it, the account of this part of His life should assure you that God loves you and that no matter what you have done you can go to Jesus and confess your sins and ask for His forgiveness and make Him your Lord and Savior.
HE HAS RISEN
Shalom
Nancy
The Christian Writer
Ref: Matthew 27, 28
Do Not Love The World
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
One of my favorite verses. Why?
Because whenever I feel as if I have failed or not seen progress, I remember in this verse that God has provided everything I need. The world only provides ways to self preservation of desires. But because I follow a Great God I can have peace and know that my life is under His mighty hand and all I have to do is let go of the world and let God take control as He leads and guides me through the Holy Spirit.
I have seen a lot of famous people (including pastors) during my lifetime stumble & fall because of their desire to please themselves and make themselves like a god. Many have fallen prey to pride and seek it out like their food. Many may proclaim God but they still are their own gods, putting themselves in the limelight to get even more attention. Sadly their fate is sealed if they do not see that their ways are not pleasing to God.
There’s always hope in Jesus Christ!
So what do I do when I get caught up in the world? I pray and ask God to help me remember who is in charge of my life, because if I was, I would surely be a walking mess. If I give it over to Jesus, I can live free and be in peace. I can love others and be a light for others in their dark place, because Christ loves us, even with all our messy parts. Not for what we do for Him but because He shows us grace which we do not deserve.
I pray your heart is changed today and that you are moved to know Jesus more.
He is only a prayer away!
Shalom
Nancy
The Christian Writer
God Directs Us To A Better Route
I usually don’t share my dreams but this one I needed to share with you and it really got t me thinking about how God directs our lives.
I was riding on a very tall horse through the woods and I knew the presence of my husband also riding a horse behind me, I rode up to a steep cliff, almost falling but stopped. I looked to my left and there was a better route, so I turned the horse easily to go through a path lined with trees and I looked to my right there was a shorter leap for the horse to the way down, I rallied the horse, and got him ready to jump. We circled big and took slight run and we made it! Then the dream ended.
But it had me thinking.
When life’s circumstances get you to the “edge” there is always a better route, one that isn’t so complicated as we sometimes make things into. When you follow Christ there are no easy routes but ways that God can guide you through.
People walk in and out of our lives and we don’t understand why, we are detained in a job or a life “holding pattern” for reasons we could not possibly understand. Maybe it’s a position at work or promotion you have been waiting for and a daunting year by year process with no progress made. But don’t let the things that hold you hostage determine your route- just take a better one as God leads you along.
Just possibly when things don’t go the way you have the option of two routes-be upset, angry, anxiety filled , frustrated or you can be looking to God to see that all of this is His master plan for you. You may think- “If that’s God’s master plan, it sure isn’t a good one!” But you see the hardest places are where we must stop, pray & look to Him to open our minds for a change in the circumstances we are facing. He may be keeping us there for a long term reason of strengthening, growing and teaching you patience and sometimes even opening your heart to someone who may be unloveable or needs your love.
We just can’t know or understand God’s plan, but it’s always a better route!
I think of King David, when anointed to be a King at a young age, do you think he knew he had to wait 16 years to be the King of Israel, he fled from King Saul ’s jealously of trying to kill him, talk about being frustrated? But David was a man after God’s own heart and waited for him to direct him to a better route. David trusted God as even in David’s darkest moments he turned to His Father in Heaven in prayer. Each day was a challenge, but he fully depended on God’s plan and direction.
Do you seek God’s master plan for your life and circumstances?
Or
Do you remain bitter, frustrated and give up on things because what you thought you should have gotten didn’t happen?
Matthew 7:8
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Let it go to Him.
Shalom
Nancy
When Your Plans Fall Apart
Everyone makes plans, maybe you have mapped out your plan with steps toward it and a general time when you will arrive at the goal or maybe you have had a lifelong dream to achieve something that you think could be the right direction for you, then as you go along you don’t see progress towards that dream. You wait, you try, you pray, but to no avail that dream, that vision- just isn’t going the way you thought it would and now you are left with- what do I do and where do I go from here?
I’ve had two large dreams fall apart so far in my life, the first one I ran after with a vengeance, I loved the whole process of moving towards the dream, many of the people around me could see that it was only a dream not a reality. It was consuming me as I worked, breathed it in, it was my food and it came crashing down on me in a day’s time. I loved it, it took me away from my family and time with them as I was striving for a dream that now was gone, no turning back or even trying again. It was clear the door was shut, it took me a very long time to recover.
The second dream was similar except that I felt God was calling me to it and worked on it for a very long time, studying, praying, hoping a door would open but the difference was that this time I relied on God’s leading to bring me to it. I could not except that what He was leading me to was very different journey than my mapping out had hoped for, believe me I tried and tried to go in the direction that I thought would get me there, there again, I found myself delusional to think that I was achieving anything great. That was the problem, “I was achieving” I was counting on my success to fulfill what God’s plan was for me, He is so gentle and patient, He waited for me to come to an understanding.
God had given me a different direction to go in and it was hard for me to except that.
But you see God did something in both dreams, He gave me an opportunity to see truth in what I was striving to do.
Was I really suppose to be consumed by a dream?
Was I to see what would happen if I did achieve it?
What would I have been a slave to and what was I a slave to for so long?
Did I take my eyes off God and look at the dream not Him?
Hey-I’m not saying to give up your dreams, because if you have them and you feel led to follow it, go for it-what I am saying is, have a dream, map it out and let God direct your path, if it’s not going the way you wanted or right for you He will guide you to what is, maybe it won’t be exactly what you wanted- but MUCH BETTER!
Why do I say that?
To those who believe in Jesus he does not throw crumbs, He gives the bread of life, He leads you to fresh water which is so much more satisfying to the soul than anything you can achieve here on earth!
Make your plans and see what God is going to do with them, pray for them, don’t give up, something is coming and it could take a while but you will see how much He loves you just by preventing you from things that are wrong for your life and others around you.
Proverbs 16:9
In their hearts humans plan their course
but the lord establishes
their steps
Shalom,
Nancy
The Christian Writer
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
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
