#his faith in Jesus was rewarded

[indianahal]

My new video looks at Jesus' second recorded miracle, the healing of a Royal Official's son who was dying 20 miles away in Capernaum. The Nobleman had traveled and found Jesus, and pleaded with him to come visit his son so that he could be healed.  The man's faith in Jesus was rewarded when eventually Jesus told him to depart, that his son would live.  The Royal Official took Jesus for his word, and returned home to find out that his ill son was totally healed.  The Nobleman was told that his son was healed at the seventh hour, the exact time Jesus had spoken to him that his son would live. 

[markmcole]

Knowing God

Knowing God is not merely an intellectual pursuit but a deeply personal and transformative journey. It’s about experiencing His presence, understanding His character, and aligning our lives with His will. The Bible, God’s Word, serves as our guide on this journey, revealing who He is and how we can draw closer to Him. Below are some key points to help you grow in your journey to knowing Him. 1.…

[yeslordmyking]

Psalm 8:1 — Today's Verse for Thursday, August 1, 2024

[faithfullyfound]

In Order To Live You Must Die

My faith often fluctuates. Sometimes I'm on fire for Jesus while other times I don't read my Bible and forget the Spirit's presence. When things are going good in my life I tend to be more likely to read my Word, pray, listen to worship music, and spend time with God. However, when I face trials in my life I tend to not read my Bible, not pray with faithfulness, and forget to include Jesus in my life.

This year/month has been hard for me. I have struggled with many things that were often my fault, but sometimes the result of others' failures. As I felt more pain being added into my life the more I left God last on my To Do list. I began to make myself the front of my life, listening to my own voice instead of the Holy Spirit's.

But I was looking at these "trials" all wrong.

Matthew 16:25-28 states, "25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. 28 'Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.'”

The only way to save our lives and truly live is to give up our desires, wants, and control to allow God to control our lives. Anyone who wants to live according to the world will lose their life chasing after things that will never fulfill them. And anyone who is trying to control their own life will fail. What good would it be to have everything yet gain nothing? When you live for the world your soul lacks, you lack. What is better than gaining God's love and experiencing the Son of Man's glory.

James 1:2-4 showcases the joy that we should have in the midst of our suffering because it results in endurance/perseverance that strengthens our faith. "2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

When we are in the midst of suffering and we allow Christ in and make Jesus the center of our lives, we are creating something good out of our suffering. When we are acting according to our flesh we lack everything but when we act with the Spirit we lack nothing.

In order to truly live and experience Christ our vices and our wants must perish so that we can allow the Spirit of the Lord to increase.

I pray this week that you and I can strengthen our faith, as we go through hardships I pray that we put God at the center of it all. We go to Him for answers to our questions, not society, not parents, partners, friends, books, the internet, but God. I pray that through our sufferings we embrace God that we do not look to Him as a genie but a God that can grant wisdom and loves us more than we love ourselves. Amen.

[nerdygaymormon]

Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable of the Talents

Jesus tells a parable that says the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by a man going on a long trip. He calls together his servants and entrusts his money to them while he is gone. He gave five talents of silver to one servant, two talents of silver to another, and one talent of silver to the final servant—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

The servant who received the five talents of silver began to trade the money and earned five more talents. The servant with two bags of silver also went and earned two more. But the servant who received the one talent of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

After a long time, their master returned and he wants an accounting of the funds he left with them. The servant who was entrusted with five talents came forward to say he used it to gain an additional five talents. The master replied, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Let's celebrate together."

The servant who had the two talents came forward to say he had used it to earn two more talents. The master also congratulates him and invites him to celebrate together.

Then the servant with the one talent of silver said, "Master, I knew you were a harsh man as evidenced by you harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering straw you didn't set out to dry. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth to keep it safe. Here is your money back." The master calls this servant wicked and lazy and asks if you knew that I'm such a harsh man because I take profits I didn't work for, why didn't you deposit my money and at least earn some interest on it?" Then the master ordered the one talent of silver taken away from this servant and given to the servant with the ten talents.

The master goes on to say that those who use well what they are given, will be given even more, and they will have an abundance. But for those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The Kingdom of Heaven is like this.

————————————————————

First thing we need to make clear in this story is that a talent of silver is a LARGE amount of money. Some scholars estimate a talent was worth 20 years of wages for the common worker. Let's imagine someone who earns $25,000/year today doing work like cleaning houses or doing yard work, using that comparison would make a single talent worth $500,000.

Right from the beginning, this story is not what we would expect, the master leaving huge amounts of money with his servants for them to manage on their own with no instructions or supervision.

It makes sense to us in a capitalist system that people use money to make money. An investor uses money to buy shares of a corporation and expects it to work to earn a profit and pay the investor a dividend. If the corporation doesn't make more wealth, then the investor will take their funds elsewhere. This is greed-driven, not a charity. This is how the master in the story operates, he uses his money to reap profits from others who do the work.

The servant who buried the money blames his master's ruthless craving for profits as the reason he didn't want to possibly lose the money and so he buried it. However, the master is not pleased because he has no profit and points out that depositing the funds at a bank and earning a low interest rate is low risk and at least earns some profit.

If this is what heaven is like, then God wants profitable servants, not excuses. There's many ways to use what God has given us. Success isn't rewarded with carefree living on the beach, instead you're given more responsibility.

————————————————————

I've heard this parable used in two ways. One is to say we are each to work as hard as we can because we know God is harsh and demanding. The word "talent" in the story means an amount of money but in English the word "talent" means an ability or aptitude, and thus many say that whatever natural talents we have, we must develop and use them for Jesus (like he's the investor and we're the corporation that has to earn a profit), or else!

Another interpretation is that this isn't about working as hard as you can and only then are you valuable to the Lord, instead this is actually about grace. The Lord gave them huge sums of money and no rules about how to use it, they are enabled to act. The one who gets called lazy and wicked is the one who didn't try new things, who doesn't take risks, who does nothing but hide what he was given. Even if we have a fear of risk, there's low-risk options for us, but we must do something, even if not everything works out.

Let's take our body as an example of something given to us. We only have the use of it during this mortal life, then God takes it back.

In the first interpretation, we must exercise hard and eat right and care for our body, make it into the best, most-healthy version of itself so that we can use on doing good works for the Lord. In the second interpretation, we are given a body and it's up to us to experiment with it in different ways and in that way grow, like trying different sports, training our hands to play a musical instrument, experiencing the pleasures of sex and the pain of injury, we are to take risks, even if some of those risks don't pay off, because that's how we grow.

————————————————���———

What would be a queer interpretation of this story?

Telling queer people not to “act” on their queerness is akin to telling us to bury our talent and to go back to the Lord without doing anything with it.

Queer people are told to hide who they are. Gay, bi, and pan people have the capacity to love, but too often we're told we shouldn't, to bury that desire and instead return it unused to the Lord. Trans people are told not to explore their bodies and ways to change it to fit who they are on the inside, that God would rather we return our bodies unaltered and unexplored. This feels like the opposite of what this parable is teaching.

Also, we know Jesus uses the money in the story as a metaphor, elsewhere in the scriptures we're told accumulating riches is problematic, we're to use what money we have to help others. What would be examples of "investing talents" that God would view as profitable? How about helping queer people to overcome the shame they were taught? What about fighting for equity and justice for groups, like queer people, who are not treated fairly in our power structures?

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Bringing Intimacy Back

 MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK
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 + Galatians 3:26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
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VERSE OF THE DAY
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+Psalm 62:5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”
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SUBJECT: Bringing Intimacy Back
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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **
I AM INTIMATE WITH GOD 
I AM SEEKING GOD 
I AM PRAYING ALWAYS 
I AM LOVING  
********************************
THOUGHTS:
=======================
  Ever since I could remember, I have heard people say you don’t pray to feel God's presence, but you pray to hear his voice and communicate with him. But his presence can be felt if we focus just on him; he allows us to have glimpse or moments of his presence being there, but the most important thing we should focus on is communicating with him; we have to be intimate when we pray to him we must pray, a lot of times we get so focused on whether we will feel his presence that we lose the point of what we should be doing which is communicating.
    Where do you communicate with him,, only at church, in your car, in a closet? These things matter because if we are constantly around people, how will we ever have those moments to hear Him? God likes to speak; like I always say, when we communicate with someone, it's one person talking and the other listening, but how can we ever hear him speak if we are always talking? We have to learn to let God speak so we can know what he has to say. 
    Sometimes, we don’t know how to pray in silence because our mind is racing, and we have 1000 or more thoughts coming through our heads.
    Mathew 6:6 says, But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees you in secret, will reward you.
    We must go into a room, shut the door, and pray, and a lot of us don’t do that. Some of us will do everything in our power not to pray, but how do we expect to feel his presence if we are never alone? If we never go away, it says to go into a room, shut the door, and secretly do it away from EVERYTHING & EVERYONE so no one can hear or see us. Sometimes, when we pray, we are loud because when someone prays in tongues, they will feel the presence of God, and when they do, it is such a powerful moment, and it’s uncontrollable, but for the most part, we must remain silent so that we may hear God.
    To feel the presence of God, we must “Pray without ceasing,” I try to pray all the time; I set an alarm every every half hour, and when the alarm goes off, I pray, and it's not a long prayer. It may be for 5 to ten minutes. Whatever I can give God, I do it right then. We must understand that the more time we spend in his presence, the more likely we will encounter him. Don’t expect it to; don’t look for it, just relax and pray. 
    Acts 2:3-4 Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
     See, the disciples knew they had to wait on the Holy Spirit, and when they did, they were filled with him, but it was only when they waited. Look at this: it says they were sitting; we will feel his presence when we sit and dwell. A lot of times, we don’t feel his presence because we are messing with our phone or we are talking, but when we WAIT and SIT and wait on God, we can have encounters and opportunities to feel
We must confess our sins and wait for God to show us what he wants us to see.
  Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
 

The Lord will always. Be good to us; he will always see us through, but we must wait on him even in our daily lives and our big decisions; we must wait on him to show us the way because without knowing his way, we will always go wrong that’s why we sit that’s why we wait, if you noticed the prophets in the bible the always go to the mountain top, they always go into caves to get away from everything else just to hear the whispers of God.

If you're not hearing him check on these things, have you sinned, have you ignored is instructions, have I waited, we are so gain to go but where are we going, people are so ready to start their callings but where are you going? What will you do once you are there??  If you can’t answer these questions, seek God with everything. That means the time we have in our life; we must take it into account and understand every second and every minute matters when we are seeking him,
  ***Today, the Holy Spirit wants us to know to get alone in our closet, to get alone with him and connect with him; he wants us to love doing this and not feel like it’s a chore; this isn’t a chore this is intimacy, when we are in relationships you’ll hear people say they want time with the person their dating because they are seeking those intimate moments to talk and to get to know them so how do we do this with Him, how do we take the time to love him and to be near him, we must strip away the distractions and strip away other things and seek him. Put on worship music, praise him, and give him praise, set the atmosphere, and allow him to move through your room. After doing this, sit, wait, and focus on him, and he will speak to you. 
   This week, we talked about committing adultery in the heart; this happens when someone seeks something from someone else, they aren’t getting in their marriage, and we do this with God because we feel he’s not giving us the peace we deserve or the love we deserve or the attention. Still, God can give us everything we need, but we must seek him, put him first, stop looking for other things, be content , and start loving God more. ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee
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PRAYER
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Heavenly Father, thank you for everything you have done for us ,lord; continue to be our guide; help us to love you more to be connected with you, lord; we acknowledge we aren’t doing enough, lord. I ask you to be with each of us, lord, and continue to show us the way we love you so much; show us how to wait on you, remove the distractions, and help us be willing to let go of it. Lord, we ask you to forgive us for our sins. Lord, create in us a pure heart; help us to be closer to you more and more each day; help us to be intimate with you and not just seek you for this or that but to seek more time to have with you while it's still day in Jesus’ Name Amen 
========================
REFERENCES
========================
+ Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.

+ Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;” 

+ Genesis 49:18: “I wait for your salvation, O Lord.”
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FURTHER READINGS
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Proverbs 15
Nehemiah 3
Psalm 118
Luke 18
=========================

[walkswithmyfather]

Mark 6:45-46 (TPT). “After everyone had their meal, Jesus instructed his disciples to get back into the boat and go on ahead of him and sail to the other side to Bethsaida. So he dispersed the crowd, said good-bye to his disciples, then slipped away to pray on the mountain.”

Luke 5:16 (CEV). “But Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray.”

Matthew 6:6 (NIV). “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV). “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

James 5:13-16 (ESV). “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

[beloved-of-john]

3 5 8 10 14 15 31

Wow, okay! I assume this is for the Christian ask game :)

3. Have you been baptized? If you have been, when? If not, do you plan to be?

I have been baptised in the Church Of England (Anglican), but I hope to be confirmed into the Roman Catholic church in the future.

5. Do you attend church? If so, do you prefer traditional or contemporary services?

I attend church every Sunday if I possibly can! And I tend to prefer traditional services, they just help me connect to the divine much more.

8. What is your favorite Bible story?

I'm not sure if I have an absolute favourite, but Daniel in the lion's den has stuck with me since I was a child. There's something about the strength of Daniel's faith in God, and God's great love for him, and how the beasts of the earth, God's creatures, bow down to that love.

10. Is there a certain miracle that Jesus performed that's really spoken to you? If so, which one and why?

The healing of the paralytic at the pool really speaks to me, because I can't even imagine how radically that man's life was changed. Also the way Jesus chose specifically to heal him on Shabbat, demonstrating that His love for humankind defies all laws and boundaries.

14. What is something that's brought you closer to God?

I answered this question here :)

15. What is something that has made you question your faith?

The idea that non-Christians won't get to join us in Heaven, that they will go to Hell or that their souls will just be obliterated. I simply can't believe that. I know too many non-religious people and people of other religions who are wonderful people and examples of God's love. I can't believe that my parents, who I love so dearly, won't be the recipients of God's endless mercy. Yes, I believe that faith will be rewarded, and lack of faith is a sin, but they are no more sinful than I am. I'm pretty much a purgatorial universalist at this point anyway, but when people tell me that these things are a given of my faith, I sometimes feel that "if that's true, I don't want this".

31. What do you think you'll do when you first meet Jesus one day?

I think I'll just run to Him and hug Him so tightly, probably cry into his chest, thank Him for saving me and for His limitless love for me, thank Him for being my father, my brother, my best friend and my king, and take a while to just rejoice in His presence. <3

And then I'll ask Him a whole lot of questions XD

[droogiesanddiscourse]

"Hellfire."

Pairing: Monsignor John Pruitt x F!Reader

Summary: You are called first to receive everlasting life from the angel's blood during Easter Vigil.

Warnings: Spoilers for Episode 6 of Midnight Mass and all the content that comes with it. Language. Taking some liberties with how the angel's blood works uhhh hehe. Millie who's that AU. Going off of the stream of consciousness / dream-like writing I am trying so hard to stay out of my head and just write what comes.

"Brothers and sisters,” Monsignor Pruitt concludes. “On this most holy night I come to you with good news. Not only the good news of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who arose to forgive us of our sins after three days in the tomb. But, also the resurrection of ourselves."

He clasps his hands together in makeshift prayer, eyes sparkling an unfamiliar orange glow that you've never seen before. That of a feral black cat's eyes bouncing back light. The ones that hunt on the outpost of the island, all teeth and heat and hunger and sex and wild and and and--

Visions of nocturnal holiness.

"I ask you. Trust in me. And God will reward your loyalty heavily. Know that I would not ask of the ultimate sacrifice of your life if I did not have utmost faith in our God for the miracle he is about to bestow tonight."

The silence within the church is deafening. Not a soul rises for his offer, parishioners stunned to their seats. His eyes scan, searching for a familiar face. Finally focusing on yours.

“Please. [“____”]," his voice like liquid honey calls to you, echoing through the church. "I call upon you to take the plunge first, my sweet child. Show the good people of Crockett Island that there is nothing to fear. That there is paradise waiting for us all tonight."

He leaves his pulpit, descending down the steps towards you. His arm reaches out, using his slender fingers to beckon you to him with a "come hither" motion. White vestments flowing, covering his human visage as he moves, billowing out like an angel's wings.

Devils were once just fallen angels. Symbols of purity be damned.

He notices your trepidation.

"One moment of pain, perhaps. But an eternity of youth and love and worship in His name. We have been given a tremendous gift, sister ["____"]. Be brave.”

Beverly Keene remained tucked in the upper corner of the church, stirring the choice of death for this evening. She's always been a witch in your eyes; now the harsh comparison rings true more than ever as she concocts a deadly potion of sickeningly sweet liquid.

The smell reminds you of too hot summers and running against the shoreline as the waves lap against your ankles and buying popsicles at the general store and sticky raspberry juice running between your fingers. Familiar memories and tastes intermingled with rat poison.

“And so Jesus rose from the tomb, trampling down death. As will we. I am with you, and you are with me. There is nothing to fear."

Don't drink the kool-aid, the old adage goes.

But you wonder how vanilla and raspberry taste mixed together.

Jonestown redux is standing before you, with his hand outstretched for you to take; his body backlit by the illumination of hundreds of candles. You look up at him through your lashes, lips slightly parted. Your eyebrows upturned and eyes reposed.

"Monsignor. Forgive me, but I cannot," you swallow hard. Back yourself from that cliff, you have one leg dangling over the edge now! "For I have not taken communion as my sins have been too weighty, too difficult to ever be forgiven. I believe I did not deserve the body and blood of Christ at that time, which is selfish of me. Forgive me.”

John almost considers this for a moment, his thick eyebrows furrowing together as he stares down at you.

"There is no resurrection for me. I will die,” you state bluntly. Your words are finally registering. 

Back away back away, make distance between the cliff.

But he smiles, against your expectations. A tight lipped smile, his eyes kissing at the corners when his cheeks raise. Missed by the miracle of reversed age, not reaching the crows feet that reveal only when he's truly happy.

"My angel. You've taken more than enough of my seed in your womb, and down your throat. The blessing is already inside you."

His hand grazes your cheek, and Hellfire reigns down as the finality of his reveal sets in across the room. Hot and prickling at the back of your neck. High pitched buzzing of bees in your ears. Whore of Babylon comes to Crockett Island. Mary Magdalene weeps. Hundreds of eyes descend upon your form, fragile and ready to break at a moment's notice.

Hell has a special place reserved for you for tasting the most unholy fruits. You wear guilt like a halo.

John positions his index fingers and thumb underneath your chin, tilting it upwards. Your eyes dart away, unable to face him. For sure your very skin would burst into flames if you stared too long.

"Look at me," he demands. "Look at me, angel. Do not be ashamed.”

Oh, you’re more than familiar with this position.

Your eyes tilt back, big and yearning and scared yet wanting more. More of John, more of his smell on your bedsheets, more of his fingers in your mouth more of the salty bitter taste of his skin more breaking the boundaries between heaven and hell more more more more flesh more blood no sin no death no guilt.

Hell has a special place reserved for you in due time.

But real hell is living without him. You slip your hand into his, rising from the pew.

The church is silent, conversations about your unforgivable sin now hushed to murmurs. Somewhere in the distance you hear the gentle song of night crickets that intermingle with your delicate footsteps across decades old wood. A resounding creak and moan of the floorboards that echoes through the small church that makes it become an entity of its own, ready to swallow you whole.

Someone is crying, quietly muffled pathetically behind a cloth. A woman blesses herself using the sign of the cross as you pass.

A dead girl walking, and this is the sound of your funeral march.

Your toes bump into the first step leading up to the chancel. Guiding you by your waist, John spins you to face the congregation. Expressions of the crowd are unreadable.

Are you Joan of Arc or a witch about to be burned at the stake?

Blasphemy, blasphemy stood before your friends, family, acquaintances.

A light. The vision of John blocks you away from their watchful eyes as he stands before you, cupping your face within his hands. Your eyes lock together. Gently, he presses a chaste kiss to the center of your forehead. Lips just barely ghosting over your flesh. You tremble before him.

Bev stands behind you, both arms outstretched forward, bent at the elbow. You’re smart enough to realize she’s ready to catch you for when you involuntarily start seizing, your body putting up its final fight against the poison coursing through its veins.

Life. Death. Rise. 

A sob starts in your larynx, unable to burst fully to the surface The warmth of his hands removed from your face, now reaching for Bev's as he takes the small plastic solo cup of juice from hers into his.

"I am with you," he whispers as he holds the cup up to your lips. "As you walk through the valley of the shadow of death I am with you, and you will come out on the other side anew. Whole. Pure as a reward for your devotion to Him."

Raspberry and vanilla threaten to break the seal of your lips, the cup tapped against it. His other hand snakes his way up your back, weaving his fingers within your hair. The digits tug against your locks slightly, tilting your head back.

"Open."

Saliva gathers at the back of your throat.

You can't, you can't, you can't.

You cannot dare to lose the chance to miss another one of those too hot summer days where the children of Crockett island throw their books haphazardly into their backpacks basking in their first hours of summer vacation and the salty water clinging to your hair making it curly and sticky raspberry juice dripping between your fingers–

But oh the visions of him with and the way he whimpers into your neck when he thrusts into you, his hot mouth on your pulse point, the way his hand pin down your wrists forcing you to stay still. Murmured praises and bedroom hymns whispered as the moonlight coats both of your bodies in a ghostly blue glow. Was it truly ever living without him? No more hiding no more secrets you are his and he is yours. A boundary death cannot even cross–eternity is a beautiful thing to imagine.

A tear slips out of your eye, rolling down your cheek. The pad of John’s thumb gently rubs it away. Sympathy for the condemned.

"Drink."

And you do.

[skimbradsteen]

Daily Poem Praising God#4: If I Have Offended You

If I have offended you I'm being honest If I have offended you I'm trying to help you, I promise

If I have offended you For spreading my faith I'm doing it because I love you To change your everlasting fate

Our God is mighty He is full of Grace If you open the door to Him You'll feel His warm embrace

My goal is simple My faith is strong My love for you Is lifelong

In times of suffering I hope to bring peace In light of the chaos of the world Give it to God and allow it to release

Pain and suffering is bound to happen Jesus suffered much to provide us Salvation We must give it all to him For He is our foundation

He offers love and mercy Forgiveness and freedom Repenting of your sins For glorious rewards with Him If I have offended you I did so in love The God who I praise Sends his everlasting love.

[awideplace]

Question: “What does it mean to surrender to God?” Answer: This world is a battleground. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:17-19), the world God created has been in conflict with Him (Romans 8:20-22). Satan is called the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), and due to Adam’s sin, we are born on his team (Romans 5:12). John Bunyan pictured this conflict in his allegory The Holy War. Prince Emmanuel besieges the city of Mansoul to wrest it from the power of Diabolus. Unfortunately, the citizens of Mansoul are blindly committed to Diabolus and fight against Emmanuel, to their own detriment.

When we reach the age when we can make moral choices, we must choose whether to follow our own sinful inclinations or to seek God (see Joshua 24:15). God promises that when we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). When we find Him, we have a choice to make: do we continue following our own inclinations, or do we surrender to His will?

Surrender is a battle term. It implies giving up all rights to the conqueror. When an opposing army surrenders, they lay down their arms, and the winners take control from then on. Surrendering to God works the same way. God has a plan for our lives, and surrendering to Him means we set aside our own plans and eagerly seek His. The good news is that God’s plan for us is always in our best interest (Jeremiah 29:11), unlike our own plans that often lead to destruction (Proverbs 14:12). Our Lord is a wise and beneficent victor; He conquers us to bless us.

There are different levels of surrender, all of which affect our relationship with God. Initial surrender to the drawing of the Holy Spirit leads to salvation (John 6:44; Acts 2:21). When we let go of our own attempts to earn God’s favor and rely upon the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, we become a child of God (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21). But there are times of greater surrender during a Christian’s life that bring deeper intimacy with God and greater power in service. The more areas of our lives we surrender to Him, the more room there is for the filling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we exhibit traits of His character (Galatians 5:22). The more we surrender to God, the more our old self-worshiping nature is replaced with one that resembles Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Romans 6:13 says that God demands that we surrender the totality of our selves; He wants the whole, not a part: “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” Jesus said that His followers must deny themselves (Mark 8:34)—another call to surrender.

The goal of the Christian life can be summed up by Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Such a life of surrender is pleasing to God, results in the greatest human fulfillment, and will reap ultimate rewards in heaven (Luke 6:22-23).

Source: Got Questions

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 3/19

What am I feeling today?

Tired but excited and grateful! Today is my last clinical rotation on the stroke unit and as much as I enjoyed it, I’m really looking forward to being able to rest and have my Tuesdays open!

Bible Plan: Spiritual Wilderness

In my younger years, it was hard for me to continue my devotions when I didn’t feel His presence for a while. It was discouraging, but I have learned a few things that have changed my perspective.

One thing I learned is that God promises to reward those who fervently seek Him, not who only find Him. We don’t seek God because He is lost. He is always near to us because His Spirit lives within us. We go to prayer not to find God but to be with Him. With that said, there are seasons in life where it seems and feels like His manifest presence is gone.

During these seasons you must understand that God is building up your faith since Jesus is the author and perfecter of your faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, and this faith gets stronger as your feelings get weaker. You are forced to rely only on God’s Word, not on your feelings or experiences. In seasons of your spiritual wilderness, only faith can help you come closer to God. If you live by your feelings, you will feel distant from God. When you go to God’s throne in spite of your negative feelings, you are building your faith.

I find it encouraging that He is not a rewarder of those who feel or experience Him but of those who do their best to seek Him.

King David was called “a man after His own heart”. God didn’t say that David had His heart; he was simply after it. David was in constant pursuit of God. In reading the Psalms that he wrote, we see his heart’s journey into the presence of God. At times he would complain that he didn’t feel God, yet he was still seeking after Him. God likes that. He wants us to pursue Him, even when we don’t feel like it.

In fact, not only does God love that we pursue Him, but He also rewards us. This truth has been the source of my encouragement. I don’t submit to my feelings, but I let my faith grow by going to God no matter what’s happening in my life.

There’s so much to get from this and I thought it was incredible! First off, seeking Him over finding Him. You can find God once because He’s not far from any one of us, but seeking Him is a daily thing. You have to consistently go after Him day after day, acknowledging Him when you feel like it is not biblically sound.

Additionally with the seeking, relying on His word instead of your feelings. The heart is deceitful and your feelings are not always accurate. We can sometimes let ourselves be controlled by our feelings and let them direct how we operate but that can lead us down the wrong path. God’s word will always be right and ready for you, so read it, use it, apply it, keep it in your heart!

1 Samuel 13:13-14 NIV

““You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.””

For reference, this is Samuel rebuking Saul and the one who talks about in regard to who the Lord has sought out is David. Even though David struggled a lot, He always sought after God, seeking Him daily and I really want to imitate that as best I can.

Hebrews 11:6 NIV

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

I mean this is very self explanatory and emphasizes the importance of our faith and seeking after God every single day.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

“Let us run with perseverance” -> I want to place some emphasis on this. We can get tired and weary in our walk with God, especially when we’re in the spiritual wilderness where even our own emotions can be attacking our faith. But God wants us to persevere, we need to have our hearts set on the goal of it all, to be reunited with God after death! Also, Jesus is meant to guide us in this! He’s the perfected of our faith! Without him, we’d have no chance in having a relationship with God and it’s important to remember and be grateful for what he did for us on the cross.

[yeslordmyking]

John 4:23-24 — Today's Verse for Tuesday, April 23, 2024

[atiredgothenglishmajor]

What would you do if I told you that there was a way to truly save your soul from eternal damnation, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the church; the devil, jesus christ, god, angels, or anything else?

Most people would jump at that.

The idea that you could really and truly be saved?

No guessing, no groveling, no prayer, no wondering if the "big man in the sky" thinks you are worth his time and energy?

Fantastic.

But I would hope you would ask for the conditions.

What would this mean for you?

Nothing comes without a price tag.

What would you have to lose, to give up, to be saved?

Money?

Years?

The third toe on your left foot and your favorite eyelash?

What does saving your soul even mean?

Why does it need saving; what did it do, where did it go?

Was it born lost and broken, ripped with your body from your mother's womb, kicking and screaming into a world hellbent on destroying it?

Is being forced without your permission into an existence that crushes the hopes and dreams of children within the first ten years of life a crime?

That's why your soul needs to be saved; the sick passions of humanity.

God doesn't care, god is there to blame, like a giant squid for the tides that killed hundreds when the reality is just a storm without a care for the souls attempting to ride it out.

There is a way to save your soul without god.

Abandon god.

The cost; loss of faith.

A ship on those tides without the anchor it preciously had and a compass with no north, swinging wildly from side to side.

Having to relearn a navigation system you have been using since the beginning; that you are as familiar with as the whirls of your own fingerprint.

But with price comes reward; your soul.

Salvation from damnation.

What damnation?

If god is abandoned, there is no god.

There is no one to save you.

But if god is the one that damned your soul, and he is not there, then your soul does not need saving.

Salvation does not come from the anchor or the storm, from god or the squid, from groveling or prayer.

Salvation comes from you.

[angeltreasure]

Merry Christmas!

Please in your charity pray for me. 😔 All of a sudden I'm feeling sick, it might be covid, I don't have a fever, but I'm falling apart and very much pregnant. 🤧😷 I'm also sad that I'll have to miss the Mass this Sunday if I don't feel better.

Thank you!

Prayer for the Sick

Lord Jesus, You said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Through the prayerful intercession of Saint Pio, I turn to You now, Lord, in my suffering.

Be always near to me, especially when fear and depression threaten to take hold of me, and when I begin to feel like I am a burden to others. Do not abandon me, O Lord, but help me in my need to accept my illness, to offer it in union with Your Holy Passion on Calvary, and to trust in your Divine Goodness.

Bless and reward all those who assist me. Grant courage, comfort, and strength to all those who suffer sickness, troubles, and difficulties.

Dear Saint Pio, my Spiritual Father and Heavenly protector, do not allow me to waver in faith, hope, and love. Be with me and this time of need. Lead me to inner healing and a peaceful acceptance of God’s loving care through all the days of my life. Amen.

For a Mother with Child

O almighty and everlasting God, through the Holy Spirit, You prepared the body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mary to be a worthy dwelling place of Your divine son. Through the name of the Holy Spirit, You sanctified Saint John the Baptist, while still in his mother’s womb.

Hear the prayers of your humble servant who implores You, through the intercession of Saint Gerard, to protect me from the dangers of childbearing and to watch over the child with which You have blessed me. May this child be cleansed by the saving water of Baptism and, after a Christian life on earth, may we, both mother and child, attain everlasting bliss in Heaven. Amen.

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Thoroughly Seeking & Listening To God

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK
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+ John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God
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VERSE OF THE DAY 
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+ Exodus 15:26 If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.
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SUBJECT: Thoroughly Seeking & Listening To God
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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **
I AM A FRIEND OF GOD 
I AM THOROUGHLY HEARING GOD 
I AM THOROUGHLY SEEKING  GOD 
I AM DWELLING WITH GOD 
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READ TIME: 7 Minutes & 1 Seconds

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THOUGHTS:
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  Diligently means doing it thoroughly and well; sometimes, we halfway do things or don’t do them with so much heart. I wash my car every Sunday. I go through this car wash, and it shines the tires, and then I go to this spot, and I vacuum and detail it and clean the windows; I even do the back seat even though I never put anything back there. 
    When I'm done, I’m proud of what I did because my car is clean, and I love my car to smell and look clean. Some days, if I don’t feel like it, I might just let it go through the car wash. I won't do anything else, but that’s what I do; some of us don’t be thorough with our walk with God; we do things halfway. We give him half of our heart, half of our time, and don’t focus on him because we think he’ll understand or he’ll be there &&& I know he won't leave me.
     Every day, we shouldn’t fear that he won't be there because his word says, I’ll never leave you or forsake you . Still, God wants us to know we need to be thorough with what we do in our relationship with Him, be consistent with our prayer life, and be consistent with seeking him, and doing those things helps us build a relationship with God , God isn’t just a car we let go through a car wash and do half of everything , no he’s God the maker of the universe we should desire to do everything that’s required to build a relationship with him. 
  Today's verse says this: listen to God's voice thoroughly and do what is right in his sight. God sees everything, so whatever we do, he's watching us do it, good or bad, and he see when we keep his commandments. We shouldn’t just do some of them, we need to do all of them. The word tells us this.
    James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
     It says whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles with just one, is guilty of breaking them all; some of us aren’t mindful of his other laws and rules. Yes, Jesus died, so we won't have to depend on our ways, and he did away with the LAW BUT Jesus, WANTS US TO US THEM AS A —->>>guideline not to do what we want but a guideline to show us how to walk in him and how to be a person that honors God with our life. 
    God wants us to live a life free from thinking we must walk on eggshells, but we should walk in a way that pleases him. We do this by diligently seeking the voice of a God, always heeding his voice so we can get instructions about our life and day. The only way to build a relationship with God is to follow him; we might find this hard to do when we live in a way that doesn’t please God, but when we live in a way that pleases God, we don’t have to worry or be afraid all we have to do is walk in him 
  •Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

•Proverbs 16:7: When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies at peace with him.

•1 Thessalonians 2:4 But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

  The word tells us we can only please God through our faith and must believe that he exists. When we speak, it's not for man. It is to please God when we teach; our life must be pleasing to God, not everyone else; if everyone else around us doesn’t like our life and what we say and what we do, and we know our life pleases God, that’s all that matters, but we must hear from God so we can know we are at that point of pleasing him.
   Some people won’t understand your walk, they won’t understand your relationship, and that’s okay too, but we must keep doing what we know he told us to do. Just like we DON’T do exactly what everyone says to do, we should do the same with our walk with God. We should ignore the different opinions of what people say, and only hear God's voice.
   

   ***Today, we learned what God wants of us, what he requires of us, and how we can please him. We must seek him thoroughly. He must listen to him and seek him with our whole heart. Sometimes, it is hard because we have everyone telling us what to do, but we must look at his words. What did his voice say? What is he calling us to do today? God is not calling us to listen to the naysayers or to listen to everyone with a microphone; the most important thing we can do in our life right now is yield to him and not man.
    It’s hard not to listen to people we deem as important . Still, those people can have it wrong, and if we don’t bring their words before God and God tells us no or yes, we shouldn’t listen to them because the enemy can use anyone to pull us away from God. And we never want to be pulled away from God. If you’re struggling to hear his voice, you’re struggling to ignore everyone else. Ask God to give you strength and power, and he will do it. ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee
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PRAYER
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Heavenly Father, we thank you for today and your mercy and grace. We asked you to strengthen us through a hard time, but God guided us. Let us hear your voice and keep us strong. Forgive us if we did anything wrong. We asked you to help us to stay focused on you and hear your voice. We give you everything, and we thank you, Father; please help us to stick with you in our hard days in Jesus' Name, Amen
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REFERENCES 
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+ Psalm 103:3 Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

+ Psalm 41:3 The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness, you restore him to total health. As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you

+ Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
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FURTHER READINGS 
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Proverbs 1
Leviticus 1
Jeremiah 13
Matthew 11
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