Tag: Bible

Bible Study, faith, God, Healing, Hope, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality, teaching

4 Things That Happen When a Christian Doesn’t Read the Bible

Have you ever carried a toolbox? And then forgot one of the most important tools at home? Let’s say you are going to fix a computer. And in order to change the hard drive you need a screwdriver to open up the computer box. You go to your toolbag and it’s not there. You have no way to open up the computer and fix the broken hard drive. You have no access to repair what is broken. You have the new hard drive with the new operating system but you have no power to use it.  That’s exactly what happens when a Christian doesn’t read their Bible. They have no tools. They have no access. They have no power. And the computer stays broken.

 

The same thing happens when a Christian does not read their Bible. If we do not read it, we do not have the promises of God in our heart to pull out when we need them. We are missing our most precious tool – the promises of God. If faith is being sure of what we do not see yet – how can we use it if we don’t know what God promises us?

  • Let’s say a brother or sister gets sick. How do we pray the Word over them if we do not know it?
  • Let’s say you lose your job. How can we pray in faith if we do not know what God says about restoration and provision?
  • Let’s say a friend dies. How can you offer the comfort of the Holy Spirit if you have not received it yourself?

Spiritual Immaturity

 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is,those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. -Hebrews 5: 12-14

4 Things That Happen When a Christian Doesn’t Read the Bible:

1.They get lead astray. sad girl 2

Without the Word as our Anchor vain philosophies and worldly ways take over. Christians get lazy and led astray. Worship Teams don’t know the Word to release it. Pastors give up on writing their own sermons and just copy them  from the internet.

Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;  and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. -Colossians 2:4-10

2.They get proud and lifted up.   

pride-bible-verses
From: bibleyp.com

Pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Without the Word in our hearts, God is not magnified. Our flesh is living on the throne – not Jesus. God wants us to read the Word DAILY so we can come to know Him and learn to respect Him. It’s hard to respect someone you won’t talk to. Our hearts will not be lifted up in pride if we read the Word.

Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel. -Deut 17:18-20

 

 3. They have no power.

There is nothing like a weak, wimpy Christian. They are all talk and no results. There is no weight in their words. There is no power in their prayers. It makes you feel icky because you know it’s just talk. We as a people long forthe_power_of_god_ the truth and the genuine. We want to see God magnified in our midst. We want to see the miracles and signs and wonder follow us wherever we go. But without the sword of the spirit – the Word of God, some Christians cannot even hold up their own sword. They insist on having others do the work. It’s sad. It’s criminal. It’s wrong. And I’m sure it is grieving the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not die on the Cross for us to be lazy. Get up!

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,  while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. -2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

 

 4.  Church becomes an Entertaining Performance.worship 2

Our churches are supposed to be hospitals. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. But when they get there what tools are missing from our toolbox? If we do not have the Word out of the Bible and into our hearts how can we release it? Vain words will not work. Empty, hollow promises will not heal. Only the Living Word of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can heal. If we don’t know it, we can’t use it. God is not glorified. And nobody gets what they came for.

Sermons may become platforms for people seeking to be admired. There are many Preachers who live for applause and fame. There are many Preachers who live to be the money changers and take steal from the sheep. They walk into the anointing from the prayers of the faithful and do amazing things. But they are simply using the power of God for their own purposes. God asks us to test the Spirits. You can tell them by their fruit. They have empty words, empty promises, no change, and no power. There is no weight to their words. Perhaps even Praise and Worship becomes a performance with tons of instruments, guitar licks, and light shows just like the famous pop bands of our culture. All while the Spirit of God is locked out of the building.

We eat everyday. We drink water everyday. Let us read the Living Word everyday. It is our daily bread, our manna from Heaven. Let’s eat with the Lord, sit at His table, and listen to Him speak His Word over our hearts and lives. Fill us Lord with your Living Water – the Word – so we can help our brothers and sisters come to know you more. Help us all Lord, to read your Word DAILY, in Jesus Name.

 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  -John 4:21-24

 

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Healing, Hope, Prayer, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality, Videos, Women

Only Grace Can Fix Stupid!

I was talking to a few friends yesterday and we were sharing our struggles. Some of us struggle with our bad habits and trying to change. Yes, God is greater and He will change our hearts, but let’s face it – sometimes we just make stupid choices. As with all of this, I will start with  myself. I have battled with the bad habit of smoking for over 8 years now. I didn’t smoke as a kid. I didn’t even start until I met my last husband and started going to those ‘wonderful’ 12 step meetings. Yeah. Drink coffee, smoke, and talk about how life sucks. And after that divorce I just kept going.

IMG_2309

Now I have tried to quit. I tried the patch and felt like I was having a heart attack. I tried Chantix and almost went crazy again. Now, I have bought the lozenges to try again. I know I am not alone. My sister in Christ and I shared our struggles and agreed to pray for each other. last month I had a respiratory illness and the Dr. gave me an inhaler. And what did I do? Instead of using it as an opportunity to quit, I would go smoke and then use my inhaler. Yeah – stupid.

 

And then another sister and I were sharing about how those that we love continue to make bad  choices about their health. It is so hard to see those you love continue to struggle with self destructive behavior. Especially when you know that God has put an amazing call on their life and great destiny in front of them.

Now I know why Paul started all those letters to the Churches with “Grace unto you…”. Yeah, he knew that we needed more grace. Grace that abounds to love and to live the way Christ wants us to. Grace to change our hearts and our minds. And grace to give to others so we don’t hit them over the head.

Yeah, only grace can fix stupid!

Without the Word of God there will be no change in ourselves or others. The Word is alive and is able to change our hearts and our thoughts – and finally our actions. Help us Lord, to see things from Your point of view. Transform these stubborn minds, in Jesus Name.

Idk about you, but today I am going to open up that Book of Life and eat! And I pray that those we love do the same. Give them a hunger and thirst for your Word Jesus.

The Cheerful Giver

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NKJV)

 

 

 

 
  

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5 NKJV

 

Poetry, Spirituality

Brand New Start

Brand New Start

~Copyright 2015 Diana Rasmussen

Meet me in the way
Reveal Yourself as
I walk along my day
Even in silence
I hear You in my heart
Your Word transports me
into a brand new start

 

 

“Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.

(Isaiah 43:18-18 NKJV)

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Spirituality, Teen Bible Study

Why Dance with Death?

I recently started a new book from my Pastor. It’s written by a Pastor Tim Baker, and it’s called DEWITCHED – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE DANGERS OF WICCA & WITCHCRAFT. It’s written from a Christian Perspective and compares Christianity, Wicca, and Satanism.

dewitched

I have teenagers. And I have worked in the school district. Have you been to a Scholastic Book Fair lately? How about the Young Adult Section at the library? Wicca and Witchcraft books abound. They are enticing our children, and this is one mom who says NO! So, I am arming myself – and preparing for battle. Our children’s lives are at sake, and their salvation. I admit, I used to be ignorant. No more. Our children are reading about it at school. Yeah, really. It’s time we wake up.

Here is an excerpt from GoodReads:

Wicca is the fastest-growing religion on today’s college campuses, and is even featured on the covers of popular teen magazines. Christian teens need to know what to believe when it comes to witchcraft. Dewitched equips teens to carry on intelligent conversation with someone from a Wiccan background, know how to defend their faith to a Wiccan, and notice signs of Wicca or witchcraft in their culture.

Dewitched is the must-have resource for any teen, youth pastor, or parent who wants good solid information and advice from a Christian perspective about this popular but dangerous religion.

(Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1957993.Dewitched#other_reviews0

We all worship something. Some of us worship God, some worship Mother Earth and other gods/godesses, some worship Satan – but we all worship. We all follow something/someone. We all have a ‘code’ we live by. And we all get to choose.  I am not here to dishonor your choice. Your choice is your choice. And my choice is my choice. I would ask you to honor that as well.

After my post about How To Recognize a Witch That Comes to Church I had a very good conversation with a member of Wicca. She was kind and helped me understand their beliefs. I am not her Holy Spirit, and she is not mine. Thank you Cat for your comments. But today, more than ever we need to know what we believe an why we believe it.

According to DEWITCHED,  in Wicca they believe there is more fight for joythan one God. They believe there may be many gods or goddesses.  This may be based in old Celtic religion. Wiccans do talk to dead spirits/family members. I don’t understand why someone would want to talk to a dead spirit. They are dead! To me that is dancing with death.

Also from the book, Wiccans usually meet outside and worship there with circles and pentagrams. There is a ceremony. They honor and worship the earth. They will use objects for their magic and create personal spell books.  They may take objects from someone who they are trying to convert. In the book there was a ceremony using a lock of hair, an object from another person,  and then they sealed it with their blood claiming that this person join their coven. Wiccans believe in magic (or magik) and harness this power/energy when they perform their rituals. This energy may be used for good, or for evil, it is up to the Witch.

In the book, Wiccans  may go to church, and then make friends with other teens there. Even attend youth group. But then they will ask their new friends to come to one of their services. Or maybe they will ask your teen if they could do a tarot card reading, read an ‘aura’, or practice exiting your body and going into another plane of existence. It may start as simply as giving your teen a pentagram necklace to peak their curiosity. But I am only on Chapter 11, so I’ll have to fill you in on the ending…

It’s real, and it’s time we talk about it church. Because our kids are.

holy spirit

Yes, we all get to make our own choice. And again, it is up to each of us. As a parent I want to train my child in the way to go so when he/she is older they will not depart from it.  It’s not about who goes to church on Sunday; it’s about who has a relationship with Jesus Christ, the ONE and only true God. He is the Author of LIFE and lives in them and through them. I want my kids to know Him, to love Him and follow Him. Let them be a witness and a prayer warrior/warrioress. Let  them to be the one their friends come to when they need prayer because they know that God hears their prayers and answers.

Children of the King, who have received the deposit on their inheritance already; children who have been adopted into the family of God, no longer orphans, no longer comfortless – but comforted and secure in who they are in Christ. Children who know that they have been redeemed and forgiven by the blood of Jesus; children who know that Jesus died on the Cross for their sins. That His death was a substitute for theirs – yes, the Passover Lamb. And now, there is no need to be afraid. The price was paid for our disobedience.

Children who have been baptized in the NAME OF JESUS, and who hold within them the Power of the Living God with the Holy Spirit. Children who talk in tongues and bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the Kingdom of Earth. Children who are led by Jesus Himself! And greater is the One who is in us that he who is in the world!

inspired man on beach in silhouette at sunset (XL)

(Photo Sources: todayschristianwoman.com, Pinterest, Amazon)

Healing, Spirituality

When God Shuts the Door

A few weeks ago our Pastor constructed a wooden door frame on a piece of plywood. He had got word from a Prophetess that we  honor that the old door had been shut for a long time and the Pastors in the area have the power and the authority to open it for a new move of God. I can’t tell you how exciting it was for our whole congregation to walk through that open door into whatever God has for our region. It was a very powerful visualization of something in the natural mirroring what is happening in the spiritual realm. Here is the Sermon from Pastor Jeff Hanson of Janesville Apostolic Ministries, “The Door is Open”

But this morning, God gave me another vision.  Because we had walked through the door into the newness of life, I saw an old wooden door shutting behind me. I didn’t shut it, God did. I believe this was the door to the past. God shut the door to the curse, the lack, and the sickness of His people. No more. We can’t live in the past. We must forget the past and press on towards the prize. Old things have passed away! We won’t be going back my friends!

All things are being made new. This is a new season for us.   I encourage you today – walk through the open door that God has put in front of you. And He will close the door to the past!

Here is an old hymn I am working on putting new music to. It was originally published in 1887 and is now in the Public Domain. Ever since I started singing this song amazing things are happening! It was based on these scriptures:

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; (Psalm 130:1 NKJV)

Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord—
Your salvation according to Your word. (Psalm 119:41 NKJV)

JESUS, I COME

lyrics by W.T.Sleeper, music by George Cole Stebbins

Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of my sickness, into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of earth’s sorrows, into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair, into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

John 10_9

 The key of the house of David
I will lay on his shoulder;
So he shall open, and no one shall shut;
And he shall shut, and no one shall open.
(Isaiah 22:22 NKJV)

 

(Featured image KEYS FROM HEAVEN from Visionary Perspectives  – Jewell Jeffrey available for purchase.)

(All other images from Pinterest)

Healing, Spirituality, Teen Bible Study

Are You Ready for Your Suddenly?

Suddenly – that is the Word I woke up with in my spirit today. Suddenly can mean:

  • quickly or unexpectedly
  • a happening without warning or delay
  • instantly, all of a sudden
  • all at once, or instantaneously

 

Things can change in a day, in an hour, in a moment. God is a good Father and He loves to surprise His kids!  Don’t you love surprises? I had the pleasure of taking my youngest daughter out dress shopping last night at the mall. For Valentine’s Day her boyfriend is taking her out to a special restaurant but he won’t tell her where. He wants to surprise her. I don’t know if she or I had more fun finding the perfect dress. And then the shoes, and still to do – the jewelry.

Remember young love? How we loved to surprise each other out of the blue. I remember. And I think I need to get a surprise ready for my love. We all love surprises right? Totally unexpected blessings from out of nowhere? That got me thinking –  What does God do suddenly?

 

SUDDENLY

The Lord speaks to us

 

Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, Come out, you three, to the Tent of Meeting. And the three of them came out. (Numbers 12:4)

 

The Lord changes things

Thus Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of what God had prepared for the people, for it was done suddenly. (2 Chronicles 29:36)

 

The Lord delivers us from our enemies

Let all my enemies be ashamed and sorely troubled; let them turn back and be put to shame suddenly. (Psalm 6:10)

But God will shoot an unexpected arrow at them; and suddenly shall they be wounded. (Psalm 64:7)

But the multitude of your [enemy] strangers that assail you shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless and terrible ones like chaff that blows away. And in an instant, suddenly, You shall be visited and delivered by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a devouring fire. (Isaiah 29:5-6)

 

Riches and Kingdoms disappear

Will you set your eyes upon wealth, when [suddenly] it is gone? For riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flies toward the heavens. (Proverbs 23:5)

O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? says the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. At one time I will suddenly speak concerning a nation or kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it;  And if [the people of] that nation concerning which I have spoken turn from their evil, I will relent and reverse My decision concerning the evil that I thought to do to them. (Jeremiah 18:6-8)

 

The Lord acts on His Word

I have declared from the beginning the former things [which happened in times past to Israel]; they went forth from My mouth and I made them known; then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass [says the Lord]. (Isaiah 48:3)

 

The Spirit of the Lord shows you visions

Immediately and suddenly there appeared the fingers of a man’s hand and wrote on the plaster of the wall opposite the candlestick [so exposed especially to the light] in the king’s palace, and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. (Daniel 5:5)

 

The Lord heals you

And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment. (Mark 5:29)

 

An Angel of the Lord is sent to us with messages

 Then suddenly there appeared with the angel an army of the troops of heaven (a heavenly knighthood), praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor]. (Luke 2:13-14)

And while they were perplexed and wondering what to do about this, behold, two men in dazzling raiment suddenly stood beside them. (Luke 24:4)

And while they were gazing intently into heaven as He went, behold, two men [dressed] in white robes suddenly stood beside them, Who said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, Who was caught away and lifted up from among you into heaven, will return in [just] the same way in which you saw Him go into heaven. (Acts 1:10-11)

 

The Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit falls

When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them. (Acts 2: 2-3)

 

The Lord appears to us in our everyday lives

Then on the next day he suddenly appeared to some who were quarreling and fighting among themselves, and he urged them to make peace and become reconciled, saying, Men, you are brethren; why do you abuse and wrong one another? (Acts 7:26)

 

The Lord transports us

And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord [suddenly] caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8:39)

Now as he traveled on, he came near to Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him, And he fell to the ground. Then he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me [harassing, troubling, and molesting Me]? (Acts 9:3-4)

And Cornelius said, This is now the fourth day since about this time I was observing the ninth hour (three o’clock in the afternoon) of prayer in my lodging place; [suddenly] a man stood before me in dazzling apparel, And he said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and harkened to, and your donations to the poor have been known and [a]preserved before God [so that He heeds and is about to help you]. (Acts 10:30-31)

But as I was on my journey and approached Damascus, about noon a great blaze of light flashed suddenly from heaven and shone about me. (Acts 22:6)

 

The Lord moves the Earth to deliver us

And suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared [standing beside him], and a light shone in the place where he was. And the angel gently smote Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, Get up quickly! And the chains fell off his hands. (Acts 12:7)

Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were unfastened. (Acts 16:26)

 

The Lord returns

For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord will come [as unexpectedly and suddenly] as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2)

 

Are you ready for your “suddenly”?

 

 

(All Bible Verses from the Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation)

Healing, Poetry, Spirituality

Love Wins

Love Wins

Copyright 2014 Diana Rasmussen

Stock with love

Always gonna be the haters
those who point and laugh
Bullies want to put you down
to get you to doubt
Who I am on the inside
Is more than you see on the outside
Even when I fall,
I’ll rise 7 times stronger
You can’t keep me down, I’ll last longer
Hate may fight in the night
But in the end, love wins
They have hearts of stone, cold as ice
They beat you down with
Angry words that cut like knives
they are all just lies
Who I am on the inside
Is more than you see on the outside
Even when I fall,
I’ll rise 7 times stronger
You can’t keep me down, I’ll last longer
Hate may fight in the night
But in the end, love wins
I am perfect in God’s eyes
Chosen, marked, and loved
That’s all that I need
it’s good enough for me
Love wins

 

 

GOD’S WORD FOR YOU:

The Way of Love

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

(1 Corinthians 13:1-7 The Message (MSG))

 

MY PRAYER FOR YOU:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for reminding us today that Love Wins!  Despite all the trials, tribulations, and sandpaper people we run into – love wins.  Thank you Lord that your love is the greatest force ever created in the universe.  Help us to walk in love towards You. Let us love our neighbors as we love ourselves. And let us love ourselves as You love us, in Jesus Name.

 

 

 

Music, Poetry, Spirituality, Videos

More Than Words – NaPoWriMo Day 7

And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not. (Isaiah 58:11 AMP)

MORE THAN WORDS

©2014 Diana Rasmussen

 Bible

to some you are just a black book

sitting on the shelf collecting dust

with long forgotten words of love

unopened letters from

a soldier of days long ago

but to me your words bring hope

love and life to my soul

You are more than words can say

when all else is falling down

I can open you and revive

my soul with your letters

to me from long ago

the love we share

as I tarry there

none other shall

ever know

 

 

 

 

NaPoWriMo – One Week  In

Today’s prompt is to write a love poem . . . but the object of the poem should be inanimate. You can write a love poem to your favorite pen, the teddy bear you had as a child (and maybe still have), or anything else, so long as it’s not alive! Happy writing.

 

Activism, Spirituality, Teen Bible Study

Married – Teen Bible Study

Married – to God, that’s what we are talking about today.  This post is probably not going to be the most popular – oh well.  I know our country is in flux about what Marriage is and what it is not.  And what is legal – or not.  Like a Pastor told me once,

“Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s right.”

 

So is Marriage a law? A covenant? A promise? An arrangement?  I guess we have to determine what the word means first.  It seems everyone has their own definition these days.  Change the definition to fit what you want to do with it right? Yeah, that’s working great – not! Welcome to the world…

My job as a Sunday School Teacher is to present what the Bible says about marriage. How does God define Marriage?  And then each child will have to make their own choices.  In the Bible, marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman. There is no gay marriage in the Bible. It doesn’t exist.

 

MARRIED

(Click to download free lesson)

Featured Image Source: art-of-facts.blogspot.com

 

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Divine Protection in Everyday Life

Divine protection in our everyday life.  God says He will never leave us and protect us right? Sometimes when I read the Bible I have a tendency to see God in the Old Testament and leave Him there.  Yep. I can see Him there with Ezekiel and the falling fire, with Moses on the mountain, with Daniel in the lion’s den. But what about here in my little corner of the world?  Today…now…and then some days He just shows up and you KNOW you saw His Hand in your life.

It started out like an ordinary day. Get 2 kids off to school, hubby went to do work, and I went up to my office to play with my new music toy.  Got a new plug-in for the recording software I use.  So I kinda get lost in my own little world sometimes.  Does that happen to you?

Anyway, before I knew it, it was time to pick up kids and get ready for the big game. Both of my kids are in basketball, and last night my daughter Johnna had a game in Monroe, WI – a town about an hour west of here.  Got her on the bus, and then went home again.  When Bob got home the three of us got into our Toyota and started on our way.  It was about 4:30 or so, and soon it would be dark.

We made it to Orfordville, about half-way through our journey when it happened. Just went through a stop sign, driving west with a car in front of us and another behind us. He came from the right. A thicket of trees. A jumping 10 point buck. Yep, a deer hunters dream jumped right in front of us. Hit him straight on. Deer meets Toyota.  Bob hit the brakes. Big thud.

And then the moment when time freezes and you see God’s Divine Hand at work in your everyday life.

The deer jumped, then time was in slow motion.  Car hit him, the silver hood bent up like an accordion.  And I see this huuuuge deer slide up our windshield.  The antlers were right in Bobs face. I got the body and the legs. And I’m picturing this deer coming right through the windshield.  I saw the glass shatter in my mind.  But it didn’t happen.  The windshield did not break. I felt the presence of God on the inside of our car…and His Hands holding the windshield up.

And then time went back to normal. The deer went up and over our car, and into the ditch on the other side of the road. Bob pulled over, the car started smoking, and leaking fluids. But Bob, my son Adam and I were all fine.  No injuries. Called the Police, called the insurance, called the tow truck.

Bob went to check on the deer.  Nothing like trying to see in the dark with only a cell phone for a flashlight. The deer was still alive! When the Officer came he had to shoot him twice, he had 3 broken legs, and his antlers were half-broken off. That happened when he hit the windshield. Yeah, the one that didn’t break…

Our friend Jeff came to give us a ride home. An older man with a pickup stopped and asked to have the deer.  He said he was retired and lived right up the road.  No problem – it took 3 of the men to load it into the truck. Yep, big deer. But God is greater. And I know His Hands were our Divine Protection last night.

After we got home Bob told me that He had laid hands on our car two days earlier and asked God to protect his family in that car. The prayer of a righteous man avails much. God heard and God answered with Divine Protection in our everyday life.  Thank you Jesus!

Deer vs Toyota

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:9-12 NKJV)

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Daily Post, Spirituality, Uncategorized, Videos

Applaud God

My Prayer For You:

Dear Lord,

Today we thank You.  Thank you for being You.  We applaud YOU, You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Thank you –  we love you Lord!

From Pinterest

A Thanksgiving Psalm


On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.

Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.

Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.

 

PSALM 100:1-5 The Message (MSG)

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
This is my response  for the daily prompt: playtime
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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Wonders Above and Below

The following is from my friend Emily Roll’s Facebook Page. Thank you so much Emily for letting me share this. We live in southern Wisconsin; look what the Lord is up to here…

image

“About few days ago I had this dream about three pillars of smoke, and I remember getting ready to take some pictures along with my husband. As I got closer to take a better view for pictures my husband and I saw this red pinkish light that looks identical like the ones I took the pictures of.

Before I took these pictures, I was walking out from my job and immediately I was in awe how the sky looked. I got in the car to go home, my husband was inside the car with me and then I spotted this huge pillar of pinkish light, I started to taking pictures of it, and I told my husband to take some too in his phone. As I got home and started viewing the images we took, I received a Revelation from God.

Now, earlier before we took these pictures, I have been asking God to confirm to me or help me understand what the dream I had of the three pillars of smoke meant, if in fact my dream came from Him as a type of message or something. So far I have been receiving confirmation that this is another dream/vision part of end time indication Jesus is almost here!

I have been doing research on the internet, as well as in the Bible, the main source to get your answer from. These are the scripture I came across as follows,

Joel 2:30-32
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Acts 2:19
And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

It almost looks like a cross.”

and here is my friend Emily, she is beautiful!

image

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