ABC's of God and Jesus

A- Almighty, advocate, Alpha, alive, always, awesome, author, Ancient or days

B- beautiful, blessing, bountiful, beacon, Bridegroom, Beloved, begotten

C- caring, counselor, compassionate, comforter, constant, coming, Christ

D- Dedicated, deliverer, devine

E- eternal, Emanuel, Eli, example

F- forgiving, faithful, friend, Father, finisher, forsaken, fantastic

G- glorious, good, graceful, giving, granter, generous, God, gentle, guide, great

H- honorable, honest, helpful, holy, healer, humble

I- intimate, indwelling, invaluable, incredible, involved,

J- jealous, Jesus, Jehovah, just, judge

K- King of Kings, knowing, knowing

L- lasting, Lord, Lamb, life, light, leader, lovely

M- mighty, magnificent, mender, mediator, merciful, master

N- near, nourishing

O- omnipotent, omnipresent, owner, ONE, offering, order, obedient, ours

P- peace, patient, preserving, provider, persecuted, perfect, powerful, potter

Q- quickening, quiet, quality

R- risen, right, righteous, reassuring, reclaimer, refiner, revealer, reaching, restorer, redeemer, refuge

S- Savior, sent, sacrifice, Shepherd, seeking, strong tower, safe, Spirit, secure

T- truth, trinity, tender, tranquil, teacher, timeless

U- unity, unselfish, unchanging, unbiassed

V- valiant, virtuous, vigilant, victorious,

W- Wonderful, worthy, wise, willing, withstanding, water

X- X marks the spot (He is the real treasure)

Y- Yahweh, yearning

Z-zealous

thought for today

I have been doing the Ephesians study by John MacArthur with a friend. I want to share something he wrote out. it can be found on page 58.

"History records that Alexander the Great once discovered a coward in his army, a soldier who happened to also be named 'Alexander.' The legendary leader confronted the man and thundered, 'Renounce your cowardice or renounce your name!'

I love this. We are called by the name of Christ. We are promised that we have not been given a spirit of fear. If we live in fear than we are not living for the name of Christ.

Matt. 26:69-75 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came untohim, saying,

Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. ⁷⁰But hedenied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.

⁷¹And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid sawhim, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was alsowith Jesus of Nazareth.

72. And again he denied with an oath, I donot know the man.

73.And after a while came unto him they thatstood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; forthy speech betrayeth thee.

74.Then began he to curse and toswear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cockcrew.

75.And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which saidunto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Andhe went out, and wept bitterly.

When Peter lived in fear it lead to renouncing Christ. How many times has the cock crowed on us? How many times have we denied Christ instead of ourself by denying our fears?

How great God is. Alexander did not want to share his name with a coward and made it known. God did not take his name from Peter. He went on forward and died for Peter not long after that happened. What LOVE!!

I pray that we will remember that when we give into fear we are denying the one who set us free from it. That we would be bold as a lion and speak in truth.

A few thoughts for today

1. I was thinking again on those verses in Daniel 10. How people run away out of fear. I was hit with the fact again that there is an intense fear in our flesh of humility. We hate to admit weakness and wrong in our lives and in our actions. Even for children it is difficult to just say sorry. It can seem painful to humble ourselves. It seems scary, like you are about to jump and can not clearly see the landing place. Where will you land? Will you fall? The fear is simply because the unknown- venerability. When we humble ourselves we let go of control!!!! We feel venerable. We admit that the control and authority we "thought" we had is flawed or in truth, inexistent!!

Society wants us to believe the opposite. It tells us that humility is a weakness that needs to be avoided. It leads us to the illusion that life and the riches of this world are deserved; that when someone corrects our wrong behavior or answers on a test they are bulling us. It is not our fault if we mess up, there is always someone else to blame. It is all about #1!!! our own happiness is all that matters.

Judges 17:6 In thosedays there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

The world has not standard for living. No guidelines. As a result- ANYTHING GOES! It is all about what each individual thinks is best, what makes THEM feel good. Humility has no place in such a world.

People are fearing the wrong thing. How swayed the masses are when humility is worse than Hell.

2. I was vacuuming the other day and started thinking about that saying, "pick your battles". I know this thought is probably old hat to most, but I am reminded of it often. It is simply, that I do not want to be the one picking battles!! I want to pray about things until God picks the battles. I fail at this a lot, but that is just another thing to pray about.

A Trip Through The Bible!

I have been wanting to Memorize all these verses for a long time now. I have quite a few of them down, but I forget the order I want to tell them in, or sometimes have the wrong reference for the verse. So I am typing out my list and decided to post it on here.

Romans 3:23- For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Definition of sin= 1 John 3:4- Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 3:16-21- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. ¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. ²¹But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

John 3:3- Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 14:6- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Romans 10:9-10- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Eph. 2:8-9- For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

John 20:31- But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

1 John 2:15-17- Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1 John 2:25- And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

1 John 5: 12-13- He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. ¹³These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Daniel 10:5-8

Vs. 5- Daniel Looks up and sees Jesus!

vs.7- He is the only one who sees Jesus because the others run away in fear. A GREAT QUAKING FELL UPON THEM. They FLED to HIDE!!!

vs. 8- No strength remains in him and his comeliness turns to corruption.

I love this picture. I think that many times people run from God out of tear. They do not want to give something up, or they do not want to stop certain behaviors. They are "just not ready", as I have heard some say. They are afraid that a life lived for Christ will not satisfy. They are afraid of being disappointed, because what the world has to offer looks so good at the moment. They are afraid of that others will or might say. The list goes on. The truth is simply that we fall to to the lies and deceptions of the Devil. If we only knew what would really bring us peace! As lost individuals we are children of the Devil. He is the father of lies, and we hear the voice of our father and are persuaded by it. We are locked into a life of fear. Jesus alone can offer the key, to the lock that binds us. Once saved we are no linger the children of the Devil, but are adopted into the family of God and are told that we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power and of love!!!

Daniel does not run from fear he looks up. He looks to Jesus! All that he would see as good in himself, or the world would see as good is revealed as corruption!! That is not something to fear! We must be humbled before we come to Christ. We must see that we are sinners and corrupt. If we don't than we can never acknowledge are need for him.

Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and saw that they where naked. They tried to hide. They ran! God knew where they where the whole time and what they had done. There is no secret that God does not know. These men who ran may have felt like they where clear from the view the Lord. That He could not find them! But they where wrong. A time will come when we will have to give account for everything that we have ever done. There will be no excuses! No way to say we did not know! Our comeliness will be turned into corruption, the question is, will we humble ourselves NOW and let the blood of Jesus cover that corruption or will we pretend it does not exist and pay for it ourselves for all eternity?

We are given a choice in this world. One choice that matters. One choice that will define all others! Will we look to Christ, or will we run! Jesus was there for them to see, but they chose not to look! They missed the savior of their souls- Jesus! How many times has he revealed himself, stood out right in front of people who simple refuse to lift their eyes?

Daniel

I have been reading through Daniel, STILL. I love this book. I have been in Chapter 9 for quite awhile now. The second part of the chapter is the 70 sevens. This new study took me to the verses that describe why the people of Jerusalem were to be out of their land for 70 years as captives in other nations. In Lev. 25 and 26 God tells them that they are to give the land a Sabbath rest every seven years. For 490 years they had not given the land it's rest as God commanded.

Lev. 25:1-7, 26:27-35, 2 Chr. 36:20-21

They had transgressed, and turned their back on the Law of the Lord and they owed Him 70 years of rest for the land. As long as they were out of the land it had rest.

In the 70 sevens of daniel chapter 9 we see 70 weeks (groups of 7 years) that total 490 years.

I find that fascinating. God repeats the same numbers in 2 different situations.

490 years- in transgression

70 years- in captivity - rest for the land

Start of the 70 weeks- Nehemiah to rebuild the Temple

End of week 69- triumphal entry and death

Church age- Unknown length of time- Israel on hold (as Beth Moore says)

Week 70- Tribulation

The tribulation starts our with a time of peace and rest for Israel. They sign an agreement with the antichrist. At the end of the 3.5 years the Antichrist turns against the agreement and commits what is called the abomination of desolation. Israel flees for safely.

Once Jesus died on the cross he completed the law. At that point Gentiles had access to heaven through faith in Jesus. Enter the Church age!!! Thank you Lord!!! Israel turned their back on Jesus, the messiah that they had been waiting so long for, and are still waiting for. They are living without peace!!! At the start of the 70th week they will sign a covenant with the antichrist that will promise them peace. It is a false peace. They are searching for peace, but look to the wrong man to fulfill it. Luke 19:42-42. I love those verse. They are a beautiful picture of the complete and awesome love that Christ has for His people. He can't enter the city without crying for them. He knows what is coming. He is heartbroken over the fact that they do not know what will truly bring them peace!!

"I'm here. I've come to you! I love you! So much that I will soon die for you! If you only knew, knew what would truly bring you peace!"

They go into the covenant seeking rest and end up in the worst predicament that their nation will have ever known. BUT.......The 70th week will end with the return of the Lord!! That time period will finish the transgression, make an end of sins, reconcile for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up the vision and prophecy, and anoint the most Holy!! (Daniel 9:24)

The first 70, was 70 years. It was due to their iniquity and sins. The land needed rest that they would not give it. The last 70 is weeks, or groups of 7's. The last week starts with them seeking rest that they will not find, and ends with the purging of all iniquity.

I am not sure I communicated this very well. i have ten million thoughts running through my head!! Anyway, I saw something beautiful in the way the Lord worked and is working, and I wanted to try and share it. : )

Anger

I have to admit that, yet again, I had a bad attitude this morning. Something sparked it, and then like usual, I began to clean the bathrooms (I often resort to cleaning when I am upset). While cleaning I thought about the reason for my attitude and the actions that have a tendency to surface because of it.

Many verses started running through my head. I had to ask myself questions. I quickly became convicted at the final lingering question.

When was the last time I was able to say to someone, “I am not angry because you have wronged me, I am angry because you have wronged the Lord.”

At that point I decided that I would be doing a word study today on anger. Here is a list of the verses that I looked up and some of the thoughts that they provoked in me. I like to highlight fo emphasis on certain things. It makes it easier for me to grasp things when they are sticking straight out at me.

Psalm 145:8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

James 1:19-27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: ²⁰For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. ²¹Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. ²²But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. ²³For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: ²⁴For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. ²⁵But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. ²⁶If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. ²⁷Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

I love the oart where is says that the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. Our anger is triggered by a blow to our pride, by fear, by the “need” to defend. But God's anger is not that way. When God is angrey with us we know that it is deserved.

Prov. 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city

Prov. 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

I love Proverbs 15. It talks about the way the rightious behave themselves verses the way the wicked and foolish (or lost) do. I love verse 28. the Heart studieth to answer. Do we bridal our tongues or are we pouring out words all over the place.

Prov. 15:18 A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

I love too that the word MAN is used. The wrath of God will not issue the same result as the wrath of a man. The wrath of God brings conviction and repentance. It brings the truth to light.

Eph. 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: ²⁷Neither give place to the devil.

Heb. 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Anger is a part of life. It is natural. Jesus became angry. God gets angry. The Bible never tells us not to get angry. It tells us to be slow to anger. It tells us that when we are angry that we are not to sin, and that we need to deal with it before the day is done.

Psalm 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Lord, help us to remember You and Your word. When we look into the mirror, let us not forget what manner of man we are, but let us turn to You for help to overcome that man. When we are angry, let if endure but for a moment and help us not to sin in that anger. I pray that our hearts would be prepared to recignise quickly wither our anger be out of self or out of righteousness. I pray that we would not act in a way to protect our pride, but for Your sake we would willingly be humbled.

Gen. 49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

No one can denigh that when there is anger there is a feeling division and scattering, even within marriage and children. Is there a sense of division in my home, and has it been caused by me?

Col. 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

I thank God that He reminds us how our actions and attitudes affect our families. He does not wish His little children to be discouraged.

Jonah 4:4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

Next time we are angry, lets just imagine the Lord asking us this question!!!

Other verses:

NEH. 9:17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

Ps. 7:11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

Rom. 12:19-21 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. ¹⁸If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. ¹⁹Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. ²⁰Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. ²¹Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Prov.22:24-25 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: ²⁵Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

Ps. 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Prov. 12:16 A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame

Prov. 14:29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

Prov. 19:9 A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.