A Great Promise, Plus more…

May 25, 2023 nofearlinda1 Comment

After a bit of a hiatus from my blogging during Lent, I am looking forward to continuing and finishing the book of Isaiah. The passage for today is Isaiah 55:10-13. God has been telling the Isaralites, who will be exiled to Babylon, that their days there will end and that they again will florish.

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens
    and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
    producing seed for the farmer
    and bread for the hungry. The seasons will come and go replenishing the earth and providing fruit. It is like God is telling them- things will return to normal and go on as before your exile. You will live, enjoy the land and florish- just like I planned. Like my land and seasons God continues in verse 11, my Word will be sent out and will always produce fruit! It will do exactly that which God desires it to do among men.

¹¹It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it. This is an amazing promise we can claim in our lives. We can trust God to produce results from giving out His Word. We don’t have to worry about where it is going or to whom, our job is to give it out. I claimed this verse for my first book, Fearless Living. I can trust God to fulfill His promise and use His Word in the lives of men. Praise God!

¹²You will live in joy and peace.
    The mountains and hills will burst into song,
    and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
¹³Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
    Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
    they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.” Isaiah’s words of prophecy were to be like a balm to the exiled Jews. They were given hope and reassurance that God’s love and power will remain and bring forth good things for them again.

Where do you need that hope today? Are you thinking things are futile and the cycle you are caught in is endless? The Jews must have thought that too, but God gave them hope by looking at the seasons and reassuring them fullness of life would return. Look around and see where God is sending encouragement into your life. Are you concerned about ministy and where you are giving out God’s Word? Be encouraged and don’t fret over the who and where, just trust God to bring the harvest when the Word is given out. He is a Promise-Keeping God! Are you looking for times of joy and restoration? Look to Jesus as He alone can and will restore us. Pray for restoration and pray for the faith and restoration of other Christians as Peter asked in 1 Peter 5:5-9 “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. ¹⁰And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ¹¹To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” Pray, pray, pray.

In accordance with Isaiah 55:11-13: live with and in hope, continue giving out God’s Word and pray for restoration for the areas of weakness in your own life and in the lives of others.

Linda

A Journey towards Freedom and Joy!

December 24, 2022December 24, 2022 nofearlindaLeave a comment

My journey though the Christmas scriptures has brought me to Christmas Eve with a humble and open heart. I know I did not get to the Wise men or aged Anna and Simon yet, but the Mary, Joseph and Jesus did not meet them until after his birth. Anna and Simon were encountered in the temple when Jesus was circumsized after 8 days, as was their custom. The wise men saw the star when Jesus was born and followed it, arriving in Bethlehem about 2 years after his birth. The gifts they brought provided monies for Joseph, Mary and Jesus when they had to flee in the night to Egypt to avoid Herod’s executioners. I’ll continue with their parts in this story next week. However, the journey thus far has given me renewed hope in the Sovereignty of God. He was then and is now in control of all things. God has a plan which is to bring as many people to himself as are willing to come. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” All the details before, during and after the birth of Jesus shout of His sovereign power to bring about the impossible.

This Christmas Eve, meditate on the delivery of all mankind from the power of sin and the freedom revealed in Jesus’ birth. Power over sin- Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Romans 5:9 “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” Freedom- 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Lastly, take time to rejoice in the Savior. He is worthy of all our praises and brings joy for you and me. Romans 5:11 “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”

Have a blessed day remembering how God led us in the journey, delivered His promises and provided unending joy for all mankind through the birth of His Son.

Linda

Holy Week, Wednesday, A Day for Resting

April 13, 2022April 13, 2022 nofearlindaLeave a comment

It would seem that the gospel’s are silent on the whereabouts of Jesus on this day of Holy Week. Perhaps he remained in Bethany with Mary, Martha and Lazarus, taking a needed day of rest. Tomorrow will be a trying day with the Last Supper, Gethsemane, His arrest, beating and trials by night leading to crucifixion on Friday. Jesus knew what was coming and how his human body would need strength for tomorrow so He rested. Even though He was God, He felt all the pain and fatigue of a man when He was within His earthly body. So He needed rest today.

What do you need today? Here are a couple of scriptures for you to mediate on to encourage and strengthen you. David knew his need for the Lord and relied upon Him each day. Here are two examples:

Psalm 138:7-8a ⁷Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
    and your right hand delivers me.
⁸The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
    your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Psalm 37:3-6 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
⁴Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
⁶He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.

Jesus knew the Psalms of King David and perhaps He drew strength and comfort from these words too. He knew God had a purpose for him to complete and that He needed to trust His heavenly Father and rest in Him. Let David’s words bring you peace and rest today as you walk trusting in Jesus..

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can call upon Him for strength and rest in His ability to give me all that I need.

Linda

Dry Bones Bring a Message of Hope!

June 15, 2021July 29, 2021 nofearlindaLeave a comment

And the journey continues…..into Ezekiel. Ezekiel is known as one of the major prophets due to the length of the book, 48 chapters. Ezekiel prophesied during a time of great upheaval and unrest in Israel. The northern kingdom had fallen to Assyrians and Judah was besieged by Babylon. Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C. to King Nebuchadnezzar’s army and many of the Jews were transported to Babylon where they lived in exile for 70 years. Ezekiel was among the Jews taken to Babylon and there he received his call from God as a prophet. He was from a priestly family and was able to serve as a prophet-priest during this time.

Chapter 37:1-14 tells of Ezekiel’s vision and conversations with Sovereign God that were to give hope to God’s exiled people. The vision and restoration of ‘dry bones’ has a message of hope for us today.

The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. ²He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. ³Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.” ⁴Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! ⁵This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! ⁶I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

⁷So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. ⁸Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

⁹Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’” ¹⁰So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

¹¹Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ ¹²Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁴I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’

God was giving the exiled Israelites hope of their coming restoration and return to their beloved homeland. God promised to accomplish the return through His Spirit and bring new life to them. Where are you in need of restoration today? Do you have insurmountable problems that need to be overcome? Do you have broken relationships or projects that seem too big even on your best days? Ezekiel knew that only God had the answer to their exile? Only God could restore them and make them a nation again. God assured Ezekiel that He would indeed bring them back and restore them.

Have faith today that God is greater than any problem you face and can indeed bring about restoration of your mind, heart, body and soul. He is Almighty God and nothing is beyond his ability to bring restoration and reconciliation. Walk in faith trusting Him for the answers.

Linda

Hello 2021!

January 1, 2021December 31, 2020 nofearlinda1 Comment

The scripture I have chosen to begin a New Year is Habakkuk 3:17-19. It is one I have turned to for hope and inspiration during hard times. I think 2020 would qualify as a hard year, so I wanted to begin this New Year of 2021 with a look back and a look forward with hope and joy in my heart because of who God is and what He has done in my life.

Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls, (This sure sounds like all the calamity of a year in 2020!)
¹⁸yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior. (This is my resolve for 2021!) ¹⁹The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights. (This is what a know by faith.)

What is your resolve for this New Year? What do you know about God through your faith? Where is your hope and joy in this New Year? Is it in Jesus where it can never fail no matter what comes into your life? The prophet Habakkuk really nailed it when he looked around him and saw his world falling apart. And yet, he looked to the Lord as the ever present, never ending source of His joy. He had hope and joy because he knew that God had the situation under His control, He is Sovereign. He knew that his own strength would fail but God could and would lift him up and restore, renew, protect and keep him in His everlasting arms.

Do you have that kind of faith? If not, look to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith. He is the only one who can restore and keep you safe in Him. As Martin Luther proclaimed starting the Reformation, “In Christ Alone”.

May this be a year of restoration for you, me and the world. May many turn to Jesus for their restoration and hope. Happy New Year as we begin 2021 together.

Linda

Thankfulness Day 26: Hard times, there is Hope

November 26, 2020 nofearlinda1 Comment

Are you in a hard spot this Thanksgiving Day? The prophet Habakkuk gives us words for difficult circumstances that bring hope and thanksgiving to our lips, no matter what.

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty,
¹⁸yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
¹⁹The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
    He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights. Habakkuk 3:17-19

The situations that are described in verse 17 are about as bad as it could get for an ancient agrarian society. Famine, crop failure, animals dying, no oil for lamps or cooking or wine for pressing and barren fields would mean complete destruction of life as they knew it. What devastating circumstances are you experiencing- loss of job, illness, Covid-19, death of a loved one, aloneness this Thanksgiving? Then Habakkuk’s words of hope and resolve in verse 18 and 19 are meant for you today.

Realign your thinking and focus on the goodness and provision of God. He alone is to be the source of our joy and strength and He is eternal. No devastating circumstances can remove or diminish God’s love for us. We are saved through faith in Jesus and salvation is a permanent state of being. Through God we can have the strength to endure hardships both physical and emotional. By concentrating and relying upon His strength, we can and will endure. My go to verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9 ” “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God gives me exactly what I need each day to endure with and in Him.

May we live each day dependent upon God’s Grace and be filled with Thanksgiving in our hearts.

Linda

A Call to PRAY this 5th Sunday of Lent 2020 in a virus filled world

March 29, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Here are some verses to uplift, encourage and challenge you this 5th Sunday of Lent as our world struggles with the pandemic of Covid-19:

God is Sovereign: Psalm 103:19 “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” 2 Chronicles 20:6 ““O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.” John 10:29 “My Father, who has given (my sheep- believers) to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” Acts 17:26 “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,” Each of these verses shows God’s Sovereign power. He is Creator God and there is none greater. Once we belong to Him, nothing and no one can take us away from Him. God is the determiner of mankind and those things He allows to come into our lives. Like the plagues of the Old Testament, pray, pray, pray for God’s mercy in these days of Covid-19. Humble yourselves and turn back to Him and seek Him and His forgiveness. “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. ²³For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:22-23 God promises restoration and forgiveness if: if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Please pray.

Here are the truths we found in God’s Word from Ephesians 4:17-5:20 this last week. They are rich and bring joy and challenge to the believer as we endeavor to walk with Him each day. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead:

I can be a new creation in Jesus! Ephesians 4:17-24

We are made for righteous actions and thoughts towards ourselves and others which bring joy to God. Ephesians 4:25-32

We can be imitators of Jesus and have lives filled with love. Ephesians 5:1-2

I can choose light and life with Him. Ephesians 5:3-8

His light can be seen in me. Ephesians 5:9-14

How I live my life for Him matters. Ephesians 5:15-20

May you have a Sunday filled with His love and be able to spend time praying and mediating on His Sovereignty and His wonderful truths from Ephesians.

Linda

1st Sunday of Lent

March 10, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Lenten Sunday’s are a time apart to get recharged and worship our Savior. These last weeks I have been studying King David’s life and was brought to my knees by Psalm 51. David wrote this psalm after his great sin with Bathsheba and the ordering of the death of Uriah, her husband. David’s confession is real, heartfelt and gives us hope that God can indeed forgive all our sins and restore us. Be restored and seek God’s forgiveness as you meditate. Psalm 51: 1-4, 10-12, 17

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
²Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.

psalm 51 10 David acknowledges his sin and knows God can forgive and wash him clean.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

David knows God can restore, renew and bring joy where there was sorrow over sin.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

David’s humbly offers God is his broken and sorrowful heart.

Prayer: May it be so with me too. Forgive my sins and create in me a new restored, resolved and committed heart to serve you. Amen.

Linda

Suggestion: attend a worship service really focusing on the praise and worship of God, so that you can soak in His restoring power.

A Recipe for Blessings

January 29, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Today’s blessing passage comes from Psalm 40. David leads up to verses 4 and 5 by describing the wonderful things God has done for him and can do for us. By the time we get to verse 4, we are ready to see how trusting the Lord can and does bring great blessing and to tell others of God’s greatness.

40 I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry In life, David had learned to wait upon the Lord patiently even when it was hard. He experienced God’s hearing his pleas for help and His rescues personally as he waited 14 years to be king while running and hiding from Saul. Is God asking you to wait patiently today?   ²He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
    out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
    making my steps secure. David had been rescued by God from Saul, the Philistines and from his own sinful mistakes multiple times, and he had experienced God’s restoration both physically and spiritually. Is this your story too?
³He put a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord. David praised God for keeping him and giving him a new song of praise to sing, and he is calling others to put their trust in his saving God. If you could name your new song from God, what would be the title?

⁴Blessed is the man who makes
    the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after a lie! Here David reaches the conclusion that one who trusts in God and not worldly things or advice is and will be truly blessed. Trusting God leads to wholeness in life.
⁵You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are more than can be told. Lastly, David praises God for His grace, mercy, blessings and acts towards us. Even if we started now and praised all day long we could never tell of all the wonderful things God has done on our behalf. We are truly blessed by Almighty God and no one or nothing can compare to Him!

The first 5 verses of this Psalm are all about blessings David experienced first hand and so can we. God listens and desires that we wait patiently for His perfect timing. God will lift us out of hard circumstances in life and set us upon solid ground if we will place our trust in Him. He will give us a new song to sing as we walk with Him day by day. We will be blessed by trusting in Him and not looking elsewhere for our direction and guidance. God has given and will give us abundant blessings for walking in trust and faith.

What a wonderful recipe for success in life– patience in listening, trusting God to rescue and provide, singing His song, looking to Him for guidance and advice and telling about His goodness. Will you make this your intent today? Look for blessings if you do!

Linda

Good News for you and me! Shout it out!!

December 22, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

In this next portion of scripture I envision the angels as they announce the arrival of our Savior to the shepherds, or Paul as he preaches about the ‘good news’ of the gospel. Like many prophecies it has already been fulfilled and yet there is one fulfillment still future to us.

Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”

Scholars feel the first fulfillment of God’s return to Jerusalem (Zion) was when His people returned from captivity in Babylon. Nehemiah led the group back to Jerusalem with the blessing and provisions of King Artaxerxes. See the books of Nehemiah and Ezra for the full telling of their return, opposition, rebuilding of the walls and eventually the temple. The second fulfillment of this prophecy of good news being proclaimed in Zion comes through Jesus. He proclaimed the ‘good news’ of the kingdom. Jesus read the words in Isaiah as told in Luke 4:18 ““The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,” He then in verses 20-21 Luke records, “Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus knew the gospel or good news he preached was to bring salvation and deliverance for all who believed. The final fulfillment of this prophecy is still future to us. It will be when Christ returns triumphantly to Zion, proclaiming the good news of His return and reign over all the earth. Revelation 19:6 “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.” What a glorious time that will be!

The prophecy tells of good news- good tidings, that salvation is available to all who believe. Jesus’ coming brought hope of restoration in our relationship with God and freedom from the bondage of sin. Paul reasoned with the Jews in Antioch “Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.” Acts 13:39 Again in Romans 6:-6-7 and 18 Paul explains this freedom and our new view of righteousness this freedom brings. “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” The good news of the gospel brings restoration and hope, and that is good news indeed!