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Posted by: Administrator | June 13, 2023
Transformational God
Comments Off on Transformational God
Posted in Names, Attributes, Character of God | Tags: Chrysalis, Devotional, Miracle of Transformation, New creation in Christ, Personal testimony
Posted by: judyhitson | May 24, 2023
Mighty God
Mighty God
by Judy Hitson
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
When I think of mighty, the words strong and powerful come to mind. As I consider the words of Zephaniah 3:17, I am blown away to read the Mighty One will save, rejoice over us with gladness, quiet us with His love and rejoice over us with singing.
The phrase most on my heart regarding God’s might is that He is mighty to save.
Thinking of my own salvation, I am eternally grateful for the day I was born again of the Spirit, from
John 3:5-8, NKJV. Deeper still, I long for the goal of my faith, the salvation of my soul, from
1Peter1:9 NCV. That is the salvation of my mind, will and emotions. It is a process to surrender all to Christ, yet I stand on the promise of Phil.1:6 NKJV being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Some translations use the word warrior in place of mighty which brings to mind the Lord as Commander of the Armies of heaven or of God calling us to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
Revelation and understanding I pray to understand the LORD as Mighty God. As I consider each facet of His name in Is.9:6…And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, I am in awe to see our Triune God.
Seeing God’s might and power in a new light, I think about God who spoke the world into being at Creation and how He continues to speak His Word today. God’s Word tells us the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor.10:4-5, NKJV.
How can this be?
I believe it is through the power of His Word.
Remember He has given us a Spirit of power, love and sound mind, 2 Tim.1:7.
Prayer: Praise and Thanksgiving to You Mighty God for Your salvation through Jesus Christ and life in Your Spirit. Amen.
Posted in Names, Attributes, Character of God | Tags: Devotional, God's might, Power of God's Word, Salvation, warrior
Posted by: Administrator | May 11, 2023
Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God
Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God
Really? Yes, Really.
by Brenda D. Flowers
Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name. (John 20: 29-31, NKJV)
During my college years, I struggled in my faith. I honestly couldn’t “see” how God could love and care about me considering how many people there were in the world.
How could He be everywhere at the same time? Was He really omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent? These words I had heard at church as a child, but I didn’t fully grasp their meaning.
Deep down, I believed there had to be a God, a Creator. I had childlike faith in Him. I knew many Bible stories and songs of faith. I had even asked Jesus to be my Savior as a 12 year old. But was I truly born again?
Questions bombarded my mind.
Was the God of the Bible truly the One True God? Could the Bible be trusted?
A professor reinforced my doubts by claiming the Bible was full of myths. But I had been taught the Bible was the inerrant word of God.
Instead of going to God with my doubts in prayer or seeking answers to my questions from seasoned Christians, I chose to focus my attention on other things. To be honest, I didn’t go to church during my college years (from 1971-1975) except when I went home for the holidays. I allowed the influence of a secular culture to pull me away from God, and as a result I felt lost.
During graduate school, I “happened” to live on a hall where I met two new friends who were strong followers of Christ. They showed me love and kindness. They shared their personal life stories and how God had impacted them. They prayed for me and unashamedly read their Bible in my presence.
On January 21, 1976, one of my new friends invited me to a campus event. It “happened” to be A Campus Crusade for Christ event. As I watched the movie on the portable screen that night, I heard the gospel message and these words of Jesus to questioning Nicodemus, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3: 8, NKJV)
At that moment, God spoke to me and lit the tinder in my heart. I confessed my wayward ways, my sin and my doubts. I knew without a doubt that God was who He said He was and I could trust Him. I felt His omniscient presence. He became my all in all.I was born again that night.
The prefix Omni means all; of all things. I am so thankful that the all powerful, all knowing God loved me so much that He answered my questions that night. He loved me in my sinful questioning state and came to me. God’s Word, The Bible, became alive. I put my full trust in God that night.
If you “happen”to be reading my words and you have been struggling in your faith, I am here to testify you can trust the God of the Bible. There was a time in history when these words were spoken to God’s people who were in exile and I believe these are words for you right now,
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will bring you back from your captivity. (Jeremiah 20:16, NKJV). You see I know these words are true because that is what God did for me.
God showed me who He is and He is still showing me and loving me!
Posted by: judyhitson | April 17, 2023
Everlasting Father
Everlasting Father
by Judy Hitson
Matthew 6:9 NKJV In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Our Everlasting Father is eternal. We are instructed to pray to Him as our Father in heaven and to keep His name holy. I’m reminded of Acts 17:28 NKJV “for in Him we live and move and have our being…..This is a mystery only God can reveal to us.
Isaiah 9:6 NKJV was our key verse last month when I wrote on the “Prince of Peace. We also see in this verse “Everlasting Father” as part of His name. Now the Lord speaks to my heart of Everlasting Father as “Our Father in heaven,” Matthew 6:9 NKJV.
There are many facets of God as Father through the Scriptures. Let us focus on God as our Father in heaven. He is everlasting, all present, all powerful, all loving in the midst of this fallen world.
At this writing, in the area where I live, we mourn the loss of life after a recent school shooting. It is tragic that shootings are more frequent in our nation at schools, parks, malls, grocery stores, parking lots, bars, cars, houses, apartments and the like. We think of these occurring somewhere else but not where we live. This evil event in our area was shocking and heart wrenching. Yet for those who commit such violent acts, we discern hardened hearts. We read of this in Matt. 13:15 NLT For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’
The thought of the father of lies came to mind. John 8:44 NLT For you are children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
There is a stark contrast between the goodness of our heavenly Father and the evil of the father of lies. It is hard to understand how people can be deceived to believe lies of the enemy and miss the truth of God.
Prayer: Everlasting Father, help us overcome the father of lies. Help us walk in Your love and truth through the Person of Jesus Christ, by Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Posted by: Administrator | April 3, 2023
My Beloved
My Beloved
Lily of the Testimonies
by Brenda D. Flowers
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies. (Song of Solomon 6:3, KJV)
On March 7, 2023, I was praying about what God wanted me to write about for April as Passover and Resurrection Sunday (Easter) fall early this month.
I was surprised when I saw, with my mind’s eye, the image of a painting I had done as a young adolescent. It was the image of a brown cross on the backdrop of a light blue sky. Pure white lilies stood tall in the foreground.
My heart was touched by the realization that God had inspired me to paint this symbolic scene for the school contest I entered. He encouraged me to use my talents for Him.
Now many years later, God is still showing me His love and care in intimate ways. God speaks to me with “stones of remembrance.” (Special moments when He intervened in my life.)
As I pondered this memory, Jesus’ words came to mind, “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (Luke 12: 27)
I recalled these words in Hosea, I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. It will blossom like the lily; …(Hosea 14:5a, NLT)
I discovered several psalms are introduced with references to “The Lilies” or “Lily of the Testimony.” (Psalms 45, 60, 69 and 80) There is a mystery regarding the deeper meaning of these references to lilies.
To me, a pure white lily can be compared to the purity of a lamb without blemish.
God intervened on behalf of the Israelites that first Passover. When His people obediently followed His direction to apply the blood of a pure, beloved lamb to the posts (sides) and lentil (head) of the doors of their homes, God protected the Israelites’ first born sons from death. God delivered the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt miraculously. (See Exodus, Chapters 11-13).
Isaiah and other prophets prophesied of a coming Savior who would one day deliver all people, who trusted Him, from their sins, iniquities and sicknesses.
I had the opportunity to see photos of key parts of the Great Isaiah Scroll, mounted at the Bible Museum in Washington D.C. There, I read how it is one of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls, first discovered in 1946. The scroll is written in Hebrew and contains the entire Book of Isaiah.
In Isaiah 53 we see Jesus:
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. (Isaiah 53: 6-7, NKJV)
We see the fulfillment of this Isaiah prophecy in the New Testament, for example:
Mark 15::3 NKJV And the chief priests accused Him(Jesus)of many things but He answered nothing.
Closing Prayer: You, Jesus, and Your great love are revealed throughout the Old and New Testaments. You are the Lily of the Testimonies. Lamb of God, I see how Your blood was placed on the cross to deliver me and all those who faithfully trust You. We are set free from death, sin, sickness, and all the bondages of evil. You give us new life. Thank You, Lord, for the promise of Your pure raiment of righteousness, restored to perfect intimacy with You. We are clothed more beautifully than a lily. Thank You Jesus. Amen.
Posted in Names, Attributes, Character of God | Tags: Devotional, Easter, Lamb of God, Lily, Passover
Posted by: judyhitson | March 20, 2023
Prince of Peace
Prince of Peace
by Judy Hitson
Is. 9:6 NKJV For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
The most profound memory of God ministering to me as Prince of Peace was when I first heard the hymn, Wonderful Peace by Warren D. Cornell, 1889. A precious sister and friend in Christ, Ruth Dowler, sang this song and it went deep within my being by the Spirit of God. The anointing of the Holy Spirit was upon her. As she sang, it brought me to tears. The lyrics assured me of God’s peace with us.
While Ruth was with us in our small women’s group gathered for Christian Writers Circle, we often asked her to lead us to sing, Wonderful Peace. Ruth is now Home with the Lord but passed on to us her anointing. To this day there are times we sing this wonderful hymn of God’s peace. We think of Ruth and at times sense her presence from the great cloud of witnesses, Heb. 12:1.
There are many other ways the Prince of Peace ministers to us. Perhaps you have a testimony of your own to share with others. I encourage you to do so.
May the following verses from NKJV on peace bless you as they have blessed me:
John 14:27a Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives….
John 16:33a,c Jesus said, ….in Me you may have peace….. I have overcome the world.
Acts 10:36b ……preaching peace through Jesus Christ-He is Lord of all.
Rom. 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Rom. 16:20a And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly…
1 Cor.14:33a For God is not the author of confusion but of peace….
Phil. 4:9 The things that you learned and received and heard and saw in me, those do and the God of peace will be with you.
1 Thess. 5:23a May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely….
Heb. 13:20a Now may the God of peace…..:21a make you complete….
Prayer: Thank You Father in Jesus name for Your peace that surpasses all understanding to guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus as we refuse anxiety, pray with thanksgiving and let our requests known to You God. Amen. (Phil. 4:6-7)
Posted by: Administrator | March 6, 2023
My First Encounter with God’s Holiness
My First Encounter with God’s Holiness
by Brenda D. Flowers
“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!(Revelation 4:8b, NKJV)
When I was a young child, I often thought about how great and wonderful God is. I loved nature and intuitively realized there had to be a God who created everything. His works to me were amazing! I questioned how anyone could not believe in God if they took the time to look around to see nature’s intricacies.
The first vivid memory I have of recognizing the holiness of God was when I was about 10 years old. I participated in a children’s choir at the church I attended in Cincinnati, Ohio. One special Sunday, all the choirs, dressed in flowing choir robes, entered the sanctuary singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! ” a well-known hymn written by Reginald Heber (1783-1836) and sung to the melody of “Nicaea” by John Bacches Dykes, 1861.
As I entered the sanctuary and walked down the aisle towards the front of the church, I was awed by the beautiful flowers, the powerful pipe organ music and the joyful harmonizing voices of the older choir members standing on risers around the altar.
It is difficult to describe the beauty of that moment as I experienced the reality of God’s holiness.
In my white robe, I felt like an angel approaching the throne of God. I can still recall the intense emotion, the great happiness and reverence, I felt as I participated in the glory of worship.
Later in life, after I became a born again follower of Christ, I read in Isaiah about the holiness of God (Isaiah 6: 1-9). My mind immediately took me to that treasured memory of my childhood experience of God’s holiness. Truly every time I read Scriptures regarding God’s holiness, I recall this turning point in my life.
Have you experienced the holiness of God, His purity, His goodness, the absence of evil? God is revealing who He is and wants us to know and understand His holiness.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the ways You reached out to me when I was a child. You are still showing me who You are. Thank You for special memories which helped to form who I am today. Times I treasure! You are Holy and call us as Christ followers to be holy, separated unto You in intimate relationship, led by Your Holy Spirit.
Posted in Names, Attributes, Character of God | Tags: childhood memory, Devotional, Encounter, follower of Christ, God's Holiness
Posted by: judyhitson | February 20, 2023
The Great I AM
Posted by: Administrator | February 6, 2023
Know Him as Promise Keeper
Know Him as Promise Keeper
by Brenda D. Flowers
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Hebrews 6:11-15 (NKJV)
One Wednesday morning in January, I volunteered at my local Bible Study Fellowship’s elementary-aged children’s class. Two other teachers and I had the opportunity to share God’s Word with these precious children. During a sharing time, one of the teachers asked the children to share something they knew about God.
One of the youngest boys (maybe age 6 or 7), bravely raised his hand. His eyes twinkled behind his round glass lenses and he confidently exclaimed, “God’s a Promise Giver and He’s a Promise Keeper!” We three adults looked at each other with wonder, realizing the wisdom this little one had expressed.
I often listen to Bott Radio. Sometimes, short excerpts or messages spoken by pastors and speakers from past recorded broadcasts are shared. Several years ago, I heard the following powerful words spoken boldly by Adrienne Rogers. Like this little boy’s proclamation, Pastor Rogers’ words penetrated my heart and have encouraged me over the years:
“If God said He will do it, He WILL do it!”
God keeps His Word. He cannot lie. That is not part of His nature.
In fact, Jesus is the embodiment of Truth. He proclaimed, “I am the way, the truth, the life. …”
(John 14:6a)
The more I read and study the 66 books of the Bible, the more I see God’s fulfillment of His promises. I realize too that I can trust God with the promises that are not yet fulfilled.
He has given me promises personally during my intimate times with Him. I try to write them down in my yearly prayer journal. Occasionally, I review these promises and answered prayers, reminding myself that God is at work bringing to completion what He said He would do.
Let’s meditate on His promises that have been answered and are still to be answered. He wants us to be found faithful to His Word.
Stand on His Word. God is trustworthy! Know Him as Promise Keeper!
Posted by: judyhitson | January 24, 2023
El Shaddai
El Shaddai
by Judy Hitson
Genesis 17: 1 NLT When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am
El-Shaddai – ‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.
God Almighty, the All Sufficient One is El Shaddai. My first introduction to this name of God was when I heard the rendition sung by Amy Grant. Reading God’s word of El Shaddai – God Almighty appearing to Abram in Genesis 17 and His exhortation to serve Him faithfully and live a blameless life, I think of how God as the All Sufficient One recently ministered to my husband and me.
My husband had a positive COVID and Flu test with symptoms of low grade fever, congestion, cough and malaise. His blood pressure became extremely high and his pulse was rapid and irregular. I sought the Lord in prayer and heard Him say, “Go to St. Thomas Hospital Emergency Room.” I hesitated but soon heeded His instruction having our oldest son, visiting us from CA, to drive us to the hospital.
The Lord, God Almighty, gave me clear instructions. It was astounding to have a nurse come to the entrance, get a wheel chair and help us get my husband straight in to admit him to the Emergency Room without a wait.
Keeping my eyes on Jesus, I asked Him for the doctor who would be best to see my husband. I was grateful for the immediate care and assured we were where the Lord wanted us to be. After examination, the emergency room doctor diagnosed my husband with crisis A Fib and admitted him to the hospital to a Cardiac Step down Unit. A Cardiologist ordered an intravenous medication to regulate his heart. He said they would treat him for his heart condition but not treat him for COVID.
Because I had natural supplements to follow a COVID protocol as well as other supplements my husband was taking, it was a blessing the Cardiologist said it was ok if I wanted to give my husband the supplements I brought. This was like a miracle to be granted permission to give supplements and medication from home in the hospital. I sensed this was El Shaddai – God Almighty, the All Sufficient One leading the staff and me to care for my husband. As the Lord said for us to go to this particular hospital, He also guided me step by step in prayer in this emergency situation.
It’s amazing to learn to hear the voice of God, the All Sufficient One. My dependency was on Him. I was grateful for His presence, His power and His peace in this storm of life. God kept His promise to me with my husband as He kept His promise to Abram with his son in Genesis 17.
Prayer: Thank You Lord for reminding me that You are El Shaddai – God Almighty, the All Sufficient One.
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