#Psalm 34:8-10

[bookkats]

Rest is Resistance Week 3

Woodspell.apothecary post Sensory rest is silent walks. Soothing scents. Loose clothing. Cosy socks. Deep pleasure. Spiritual rest is meditation. Prayer. Energy healing. Full moon rituals. Creative rest is drawing. Pompom making. Cake decorating. Reading fantasy novels. Trying new recipe. Playful rest is anything fun and unproductive. Watching a romcom. Playing a board game. Doing a puzzle.…

[walkswithmyfather]

“12 Promises of God to Lean On” By Instaencouragements.com:

“Leaning on the promises of God means relying on the assurances that He has given us through His Word, the Bible.

God's promises are trustworthy and provide comfort, guidance, and hope to believers.

When we lean on these promises and trust in God's faithfulness, we find peace. Peace that passes all human understanding. Peace that sustains us in the midst of difficult circumstances. Peace that assures us that God is in control.

It's important that we read and meditate on God's Word regularly. When we do, we will be reminded of His promises and to deepen our trust in Him.

​Today, let's look at 12 of His promises and meditate on the Scripture where they are found.

12 promises of God we can confidently lean on today:

1. God will fight for you: “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” —Exodus 14:14

2. God will go before you: “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” —Deuteronomy 31:8

3. God will be with you: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:9

4. God will renew you: “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” —Isaiah 40:31

5. God will strengthen you: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” —Isaiah 41:10

6. God will be your Shepherd: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” —Psalm 23:1

7. God will deliver you: “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” —Psalm 34:17

8. God will counsel you: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” —Psalm 32:8

9. God loves you: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” —John 3:16

10. God will make all things work for your good: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” —Romans 8:28

11. God will never leave you: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.” —Hebrews 13:5

12. God will guard you: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 4:7

[graceandpeacejoanne]

Revelation 21: God's Glorious City

For this city was made entirely of the purest gold and shimmered with every hue of gem and pearl. In fact, each of its portals was carved from one voluminous pearl a piece. The sentries were angels. Every part of the city was foursquare, infinitely stable

[kmac4him1st]

In Awe Of God

It is a good day when you decide to develop your AWE of God. I promise you will never regret it. God bless ya. KimberlyMac

Amazing Awe-GOD Amazing Awe-God! I don’t think I will ever get over how incredibly amazing God is. He is a spectacular Advocate for us. He does intervene majestically in our lives, there is no doubt about that. It is not always very comfortable the way He does things, His methods are definitely not the way we would sometimes choose to do things. God is very unique, but we can trust that He will…

[ancientcatbuddy]

[martyschoenleber]

13 Ways to Grow a Passion for the Things of God

Psalm 119:89 How to Develop a Passion for the Things of God Hang around passionate people. Luke 11:1  “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”  —-the disciples saw Jesus’s passion for prayer and they were drawn to have a similar passion. A fascinating learning experience is to take…

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

is being gay/trans REALLY a sin? Is being attracted to the same sex/wanting to dress as the gender you feel you should be really all that bad to christians? Why do christians care what people do with their own lives to the point that they tell them it’s “sin”

I'm seeing three questions here. 1. What is sin? 2. How do we know something is a sin? 3. Why do Christians care if people sin?

What is a sin?

In order to understand what sin is you need to understand who God is. God is good. He does not just possess good or desirable qualities. He is good. The word "good" comes directly from the word God because God is the very standard of what it means for something to be good. We can say things like flowers and sunsets and sharing are good because they are based on God who is the source of everything good (James 1:17).

God is also our Creator. He designed us according to His perfect goodness so that we could be like Him and walk in His good ways (Psalm 25:8; Hebrews 12:10). God would be unloving to create the world and not follow His goodness.

Sin, then, is our rebellion against God and His goodness. When Adam and Eve first sinned, they were tempted with the idea that they could be like God and decide what is good and evil for themselves. They wanted to be able to say, "God is not king, I am king. God's ways are not good, my desires are good."

This is a lie from the father of lies. Satan wants us to believe that if I just do whatever I think is best then I will find true goodness and satisfaction, but all it does is lead us further and further away from true goodness which comes from communion with God (Psalm 34:10).

2. How do we know something is a sin?

When Adam and Eve sinned, our communion with God died. We all like sheep went astray and turned aside to our own ways. (Isaiah 53:6). We stopped listening to God's loving care and instead started following our hearts, but our hearts are deceitful and wicked beyond understanding (Jeremiah 17:9).

We cannot listen to our attractions or our feelings because we are attracted to and find pleasure in things that God declares are evil, things that are contrary to His good design. If people did not find pleasure in things like cheating on your spouse or stealing, then they would never do it. They are drawn into wrongdoing by their own wicked desires (James 1:14).

But God is still good. He has not left us without a witness. He has given a conscience to people who are hostile to Him so that even they can recognize when their desires are not good. We all know inherently that lying is bad, that pride is bad, that fighting and anger are bad, because God has hidden His law in our hearts (Romans 2:15).

However, because we have deceitful rebellious hearts, we try to justify ourselves and explain it away and muffle the conscience so it can't bother us any more, like searing your hand with a hot iron so it can't feel anything (1 Timothy 4:2).

The only way we can know something is sinful is by God giving us new life and enabling us to trust in the goodness of His Word again. We can know with certainty that all sexual desire outside of marriage is sin because God told us it defies His character and people do it because they want to rebel against Him, so God gives them what they want (Romans 1:24-25).

3. Why do Christians care if people sin?

Ray Comfort tells a story about a man who hated homosexuals. There was a broken elevator in his building with a sign on it that said "DANGER! OUT OF ORDER!" The hateful man saw two lesbians approaching the elevator so he took the sign down so they would use it and fall to their deaths.

God has given us a clear warning in Scripture that following your heart is dangerous. It's like an addictive drug, numbing your mind with pleasure so you don't realize it's killing you. If someone you loved was overdosing in front of you, you wouldn't say "whatever man, live your truth." You would shake them awake so they could see what is happening to them and try to get them help. If I believe that God's warning is telling the truth, the most unloving and hateful thing I can do is not tell anyone about it. Woe to me if I see judgment coming and don't tell anyone how to be saved (Ezekiel 33:6)!

Christians aren't trying to control you or force you to follow their personal preferences. Some people who profess Christ do that, but mostly we have met a God who loves us, who saw us hurtling in a downward spiral of guilt and shame and earning eternal punishment for our crimes against Him, and choosing to show us forgiveness in an unfathomably kind way.

Every single one of us has disobeyed God and tried to take His place on the throne. We all stand guilty before God not just for things like murder or homosexuality, but for lying and envy and idolatry. We have broken God's laws and because He is good, He cannot leave evil unpunished. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Every single one of us dies because it is what we have earned for ourselves. We deserve for God to give us His wrath and anger for waging war against Him (Romans 1:18).

But God is rich in mercy and abounding in love even to those who hate Him. We owe God a righteous life, but none of us are righteous, so God decided to wipe away our debt by living the perfect life for us. God became a man, Jesus, lived a perfect life, then died on a cross, taking the wrath of God we deserved, then rose again on the third day, proving that the price had been paid, then He ascended to God's right hand to offer Himself as the reason people can stand before God as righteous.

God does not delight in the death of the wicked. He does not want you to keep trying to find your identity in yourself. He wants you to know Him and His love for you. He wants to wipe away your sin and make you white as snow. What you need to do is confess your sin to God, which means to agree that you are guilty of rebellion against Him and that He is truly Lord, and you must believe that He will forgive your sin and give you eternal life because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. God is faithful and just to forgive the sin of anyone who asks Him (1 John 1:9)

I care about what you do with your life because I love you and because God loves you, just like a Father loves His children and wants what is best for them. I don't want you to miss out on the amazing gift of grace God is offering to you. Don't let Satan keep deceiving you. He promises you peace but all he can give you is death. Every promise of God will always come true (Titus 1:2)

[girlbloggercher]

how to read the Bible

this is in order!

1. John

2. Mark

3. Matthew

4. Luke

5. Genesis

6. Exodus

7. Leviticus

8. Numbers

9. Dueteronomy

10. Romans

11. Galatians

12. Colossians

13. Proverbs

14. Ecclesiastes

15. Job

16. 1 Peter

17. 1 Corinthians

18. 2 Corinthians

19. Ephesians

20. Philippians

21. 1 Thessalonians

22. 2 Thessalonians

23. 1 Timothy

24. 2 Timothy

25. James

26. 2 Peter

27. 1 John

28. 2 John

29. 3 John

30. Jude

31. Psalms

32. Joshua

33. Judges

34. 1 Samuel

35. 2 Samuel

36. 1 Kings

37. 2 Kings

38. 1 Chronicles

39. 2 Chronicles

40. Ezra

41. Nehemiah

42. Jeremiah

43. Lamentations

44. Ezekiel

45. Joel

46. Amos

47. Obadiah

48. Nahum

49. Habakkuk

50. Zephaniah

51. Haggai

52. Zechariah

53. Malachi

54. Micah

55. Hosea

56. Luke

57. Esther

58. Jonah

59. Song of Solomon

60. Acts

61. Titus

62. Philemon

63. Hebrew

64. Isaiah

65. Daniel

66. Revelation

[twiggy-in-pink]

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Fear the Lord, you his godly people,

for those who fear him will have all they need.

Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,

but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

Psalm 34:8-10

[hrsquotes]

Such great words from Paster Tim Peterson of Christian Family Church in Minnesota, USA this photo is.

Whether you know this or not, God wants to bless us. He really does. Each & every one of us. His desire is not for us to have little or to be poor. He wants us to live in abundance of more than enough so that we can be generous & help others, in the name of Jesus.

Some verses about blessing: Deuteronomy 8:18 Deuteronomy 30:15-16 Psalm 34:8 Proverbs 10:22 Proverbs 16:20 Malachi 3:10 Ephesians 3:20 Philippians 4:19

[artsymumof5]

A LETTER FROM YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER! The following words come from the heart of God. After all God loves you, and He is the Father you have been looking for all your life. This is His Love Letter to you! My Dear Child, You may not know me, but I know everything about you. (Ps 139:1) I know when you sit down and when you rise up. (Psalm 139:2) I am familiar with all your ways. (Psalm 139:3) Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. (Matthew 10:29-30) For you were made in my image. (Genesis 1:27) In me, you live and move and have your being. For you are my offspring. (Acts 17:28) I knew you even before you were conceived. (Jeremiah 1:4-5) I chose you when I planned the creation. (Ephesians 1:11-12) You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. (Psalm 139:15-16) I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. (Acts 17:26) You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) I knit you together in your mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13) And brought you forth on the day you were born. (Psalm 71:6) I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me. (John 8:41-44) I am not distant and angry but am the complete expression of love. (I John 4:16) And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. (I John 3:1) Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. (I John 3:7) I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. (Matthew 7:11) For I am the perfect Father. (Matthew 5:48) Every good gift you receive comes from my hand. (James 1:17) For I am your provider and I meet your needs. (Matthew 6:31-33) My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Because I love you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. (Psalm 139:17-18) And I rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) I will never stop doing good to you. (Jeremiah 32:40) For you are my treasured possession. (Exodus 19:5) I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. (Jeremiah 32:41) And I want to show you great and marvelous things. (Jeremiah 33:3) For if you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. (Deuteronomy 4:29) So, Delight in me, and I will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) For it is I who gave you those desires. (Philippians 2:13) I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) For I am your greatest encourager. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. (Psalm 34:18) As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. (Isaiah 40:11) One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. And I will take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4) I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. (John 17:23) For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. (John 17:26) And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. (2 Corinthians 5;18-19) His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. (I John 4:10) I gave up everything I loved so that I might gain your love. (Romans 8:31-32) If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. (I John 2:23) And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. (Romans 8:38-29) When it’s time for you to Come home I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. (Luke 15:7) I have always been your Father, and will always be your Father. (Ephesians 3:14-15) My question is….Will you be my child? (John 1:12-13) I am waiting for you. (Luke 15:11-32) With Love, Your Father, Almighty God

[walkingthroughthisworld]

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Psalm 34:8-10

John Gill on verse 10:

“The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger”

According to Apollinarius, ‘the needy rich, whom famine presses;’ see ( Job 4:10 Job 4:11 ) ;

“but they that seek the Lord;”

by prayer, diligently, with their whole heart, and in the sincerity of their souls; the Targum is, "that seek the doctrine of the Lord"; that seek instruction from him, and to be taught by him: these

“shall not want any good [thing]:”

which God has purposed to bestow upon them, which he has promised unto them, and provided for them; nor any thing that shall be for their good.

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Every September, my friend Marc Hong, a professor at Louisville Seminary, hosts Psalmtember. He invites you to join in, too!

Think "Inktober," but in September and with a spiritual focus — and with any art form welcome, from drawing to poetry to photography and beyond. There's also no pressure to create something for every day — do as many or as few as you like.

Here's Marc's description of this artistic event:

Each year, I love to spend a month making art inspired by the Psalms. There are 30 days in September, meaning that I can evenly divide up the 150 Psalms into 5 sets of 30. So, if I do this for 5 years, I will have made art with all of the Psalms. Join me! The prompt list is in the image [as well as below the readmore]. But other words may stand out to you! Or you may try to make art that represents the wholeness of the Psalm. I encourage you to read the text of the whole Psalm each day, consider what emotions it stirs up in you, choose a medium that speaks to you, and make some art! Folks have painted, used ink, drawn with colored pencils, taken photographs, written haikus, and much more. Choose what stirs delight in you!

Tag your post with #psalmtember2023 so we can celebrate the Psalms through art together!

Marc and many others post on Facebook, but I'll be paying attention to the tag here on tumblr. If you create anything you'd like me to share on Facebook on your behalf, DM me.

PSALMTEMBER 2023 PROMPT LIST

SEPT 1 - Psalm 31 - Refuge

SEPT 2 - Psalm 32 - Waters

SEPT 3 - Psalm 33 - Breath

SEPT 4 - Psalm 34 - Radiant

SEPT 5 - Psalm 35 - Net

SEPT 6 - Psalm 36 - Mountains

SEPT 7 - Psalm 37 - Smoke

SEPT 8 - Psalm 38 - Burden

SEPT 9 - Psalm 39 - Burned

SEPT 10 - Psalm 40 - Bog

SEPT 11 - Psalm 41 - Rise

SEPT 12 - Psalm 42 - Deer

SEPT 13 - Psalm 43 - Altar

SEPT 14 - Psalm 44 - Dust

SEPT 15 - Psalm 45 - Robes

SEPT 16 - Psalm 46 - River

SEPT 17 - Psalm 47 - Throne

SEPT 18 - Psalm 48 - City

SEPT 19 - Psalm 49 - Graves

SEPT 20 - Psalm 50 - Tempest

SEPT 21 - Psalm 51 - Clean

SEPT 22 - Psalm 52 - Uproot

SEPT 23 - Psalm 53 - Bones

SEPT 24 - Psalm 54 - Upholder

SEPT 25 - Psalm 55 - Dove

SEPT 26 - Psalm 56 - Bottle

SEPT 27 - Psalm 57 - Shadow

SEPT 28 - Psalm 58 - Snail

SEPT 29 - Psalm 59 - Dogs

SEPT 30 - Psalm 60 - Cracks

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil-doers came at me to eat up my flesh, Even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.

3 Though a host should encamp against me, My heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, Even then I will be confident.

4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after, That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To see the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the covert of his tent will he hide me. He will lift me up on a rock.

6 Now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies around me. I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

7 Hear, LORD, when I cry with my voice. Have mercy also on me, and answer me.

8 When you said, "Seek my face," My heart said to you, "I will seek your face, LORD."

9 Don't hide your face from me. Don't put your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Don't abandon me, neither forsake me, God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take me up.

11 Teach me your way, LORD. Lead me in a straight path, because of my enemies.

12 Don't deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, For false witnesses have risen up against me, Such as breathe out cruelty.

13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the LORD. — Psalm 27 | Hebrew Names Version (HNV) The Hebrew Names Version Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Exodus 15:2; Exodus 33:13; Exodus 33:21; Judges 5:3; 1 Samuel 17:48; 1 Samuel 23:17; 1 Samuel 30:6; 1 Kings 8:36; Job 28:13; Psalm 3:3; Psalm 4:3; Psalm 6:1; Psalm 9:3; Psalm 13:3; Psalm 14:4; Psalm 15:1; Psalm 16:8; Psalm 18:6; Psalm 18:28; Psalm 22:24; Psalm 24:6; Psalm 37:34; Isaiah 40:11; Isaiah 49:15; Jeremiah 11:19; Matthew 26:60; Luke 10:42; Acts 9:1

Psalm 27: How to Do Theology

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Craving For Something Spiritual

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

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VERSE OF THE DAY

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+  1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM MATURE

I AM GROWING

I AM HEARING GOD

I AM LETTING GO OF OLD WAYS

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READ TIME: 7 minutes & 40 Seconds

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THOUGHTS:

=======================

   When I crave something, I usually can't stop craving it until I have it. It can be cake, pies, ice cream, whatever. I want it, and I get it the next day. I think I have told you all about this new ice cream place here. I saw in an email that they had this new ice cream, and I wanted to try it, but it was packed each time I went by there.

  One day, I went, and they had changed their opening time. The next day, I couldn’t go, but this weekend, I didn’t care what I had to do. I was going to get that ice cream shop. Well, I got it. That night, I got home and sat down. I ate it, which was everything I hoped for and more, but I wanted to save some of it for the next day. But when I say the ice cream was great, it was terrific.

      Do you see how much I kept trying to get the ice cream? How many of us have a craving like this for God's word that we realize we must have and need it? How many of you see that we can't function

spiritually without it?? How many of us try to soak in his word?

Mathew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’

Today's word says we should crave it like newborns crave milk. How many of us crave it daily to have it in our lives? A lot of us don’t because as we crave the word, it has the supernatural power to change what’s in us around us; it has the power to pierce even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It has this amazing power, and many of us are ready to read but not change.

     The word of God tells us to walk in a manner worthy, but how can we walk this way if we never read our word to walk in that way??? the only way to know it is to read it and not just read it but apply it; how many of you are applying the word to your lives?

  Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

 We must taste the word and try to see how great God is because when we do, we will always go to him and make him our refuge. The problem is today, we make everything else a refuge and safety net, and we make everything else our everything, but do we do this with God?

      Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

   The Holy Spirit tells us we must trust him; it's like our houses. We trust and believe that whoever built our homes did it right, so when we sleep at night, we won't have to worry about things on the outside getting in; we trust our accounts to hold our money, we trust our jobs to give us what we need from it but why can't we trust in God for everything,why can't we trust that when we pray to him, he hears us and that every craving that we look for or everything we look for in everything else we can have that with him.

  1 Corinthians 3:1-2 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now, you are not yet ready,

  Some of us aren’t ready; we want to be ready for solid food, but just like infants, we can’t give them a jar of baby food if they aren’t at that stage in their lives; we have to make sure that a baby can handle that kind of food and that’s just like us, God has to make sure that the spiritual food we are partaking in we can digest it because if we can’t it will cause us to retreat to what we know that’s comfortable and that’s what we all are looking for, which is Comfort .

   Sometimes, in our walk, things aren’t comfortable; things will be challenging, but if we do it with God, if we go with God, it won’t harm us. Babies must be monitored when they eat to make sure the baby doesn’t choke. God is sitting back, He knows how much pressure will help change us and what kind of pressure will divert us. But we must trust in God, through our development.

  Having a craving for something is good, but we need to make sure what we are craving won’t change us. Paul knew what the Corinthians needed and what they could handle; 1 Corinthians 14:20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking, be mature”.

He told them not to be children in their thinking but to be mature in their thinking; we have to start growing and changing our mindset as we grow in God; we can’t stay the same even though a lot of us aren’t ready because we won’t let go of the bitterness and the petty actions, and unnecessary fights why because we don’t want to let go, but to grow in God we must let go!

  ***Today, we learned what we must and should do and that cravings are inevitable, but what are we craving? God wants us to grow to be bigger and better, and God wants us to let go of how we used to do things.

 Job 17:9 Yet the righteous holds to his way, and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger.

  We grow strong as we have clean hands; a lot of us don’t pay any attention to the activities we get into or the things we say, we just do whatever we feel, but as we live a clean life, we grow strong in God, and we grow stronger in our walk. Some of us must take the time to see where we are in our walk with Christ and what we need to improve. Have you asked him? If you haven’t asked him today, see what he says, and work on improving for him! ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

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Heavenly Father, thank you for the word; today, we ask you to help us see what we need to improve on, help us seek you every day, and help us change according to you. Lord, help us also to crave things of the spirit. Lord, we give you our lives and praise you for everything. Lord, we need you so badly, and we realize this; we thank you in Jesus' Name Amen

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REFERENCES

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+ 2 Thessalonians 1:3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

 

+ Romans 6:4 We were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

 

+ Hosea 6:3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains water the earth.

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FURTHER READINGS

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 Proverbs 16

Leviticus 16

1 Corinthians 1

Acts 12

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[apilgrimpassingby]

Demons of the Hebrew Bible

Since today is also the day for Lord of Spiritsposting, I've decided to make a post I considered yesterday - the demons of the Hebrew Bible. This will be a long post, so I'm inserting a "Keep Reading".

Azazel: Appears only once in Leviticus 16, as the being in the wilderness to whom the goat with the people's sins laid on it in the Day of Atonement ritual is given (this isn't sacrifice, because the animal isn't killed or offered on an altar, among other things). Becomes a Devil figure in some later Jewish literature like the Book of Enoch, and is associated with deserts, sin and goats - the name literally means "the goat that goes away" (an archaic translation gives us the word "scapegoat"), and the seemingly-random reference to goat demons in Leviticus 17:7 comes just after Azazel's appearance.

Deber: The most prominent of the gang, appearing (usually in conjunction with other figures on this list) in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Habakkuk and the Pentateuch a total of 49 times, usually unleashed as punishment for some sin by Israel (compare "handing people over to Satan" in St. Paul's letters - 1 Corinthians 5:5, 1 Timothy 1:20). A nocturnal demon of pestilence and destruction associated with the underworld in Canaanite mythology.

Hereb: Rendered as "the sword" in English; the next most prominent one, appearing 29 times and, like Deber, in conjunction with the others. A demon of violence and destruction associated with blood-drinking (Isaiah 34:5, Jeremiah 46:10) and flesh-eating (Deuteronomy 32:42, Jeremiah 12:12) and probably the rider on a red horse from Revelation 6:3-4.

Lilit: Appears just once, Isaiah 34:14, where she's dwelling in some ruins. Usually translated as "screech owl" or "night bird", but some use "Lilith". In Mesopotamian mythology, the lili are a class of nocturnal female demons associated who kill babies and are associated with owls, so the translation as "screech owl" is acceptable. The Songs of the Sage from the Dead Sea Scrolls refer to liliyot (feminine plural) as a class of demons: "And I, the Instructor, proclaim His glorious splendour so as to frighten and to te[rrify] all the spirits of the destroying angels, spirits of the bastards, demons, liliths, howlers...

Livyatan: Usually anglicised as Leviathan, and appears five times: Job 3:8 and chapter 41, Psalms 74:12-14 and 104:26 and Isaiah 27:1. Based on those appearances, he's a multi-headed fire-breathing sea serpent immune to weapons who battles with Yahweh and (of course) always loses. The myth of a god fighting a sea serpent is a staple of world mythology. Likely correlates to the beast from the sea of Revelation 13:1-10, since Leviathan is paired with a beast from the earth (Behemoth; Job 40:15-24) - also compare Revelation 13:4 ("Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”) to Job 41:33-34 ("On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride").

Nephilim: Famously appear in Genesis 6:1-4 as the warriors born of the sons of God and the daughters of men, understood in Second Temple Jewish texts such as the Book of Enoch and the Septuagint to be giants born of fallen angels and human women. They appear by the name Anakim or Rephaim in Genesis 14:5, 15:20, Deuteronomy 1:28, 2:10-11, 2:20-21, 3:11, 3;13, 9:2 and Joshua 11:21-22, 12:4, 13:12, 14:12, 14:15 and 15:8 and war with giants appears in 2 Samuel 21:16-22, 1 Chronicles 20:4-8 and, of course, 1 Samuel 17 (the David and Goliath story).

Qeteb: Appears just 4 times (Deuteronomy 32:24; Psalm 91:6; Isaiah 28:2; Hosea 13:14), together with Deber in the Psalms and Hosea appearances and together with Resheph in Deuteronomy; if there's any lesson from this post so far, it's that plague demons hunt in packs. A diurnal plague demon whose name is rendered in English as "destruction"; nothing more to be said.

Ra'av: The third most prominent one, appearing 35 times; a famine demon whose name is rendered in English as "famine" or "hunger" who is unleashed on Israel as punishment together with (surprise!) Hereb and either Deber or Resheph. Probably the rider on a black horse from Revelation 6:5-6.

Rephaim: The spirits of dead kings who dwell in the underworld not doing much, translated in the ESV as shades and appearing in Isaiah 14:9 and 26:14; the same imagery and concept is being used by Ezekiel 32:20-30.

Resheph: A demon of plague and conquest worshipped as a god in Canaanite and Egyptian culture, depicted as a bearded archer on a white horse. Appears just 6 times in the Hebrew Bible (Deuteronomy 32:24; Habakkuk 3:5 Psalm 78:48; Job 5:7, Song of Songs 8:6); the name is rendered as "plague" or "pestilence" or occasionally "fire" or "sparks" because the name literally means "burning". Probably the rider on a white horse from Revelation 6:2.

Sources and Further Reading

"Before Him Went Pestilence (Hab. 3:5) - Biblical Lexis and Semantic Field of Epidemics" by Jozef Jankovic for The Old Testament Society of South Africa

"A Land of Giants" by Frs. Andrew Stephen Damick and Stephen DeYoung on The Lord of Spirits

"War, Famine, Disease, Death and Hades" by Fr. Stephen DeYoung on The Whole Counsel of God

"Who is Azazel?" by Fr. Stephen DeYoung on The Whole Counsel of God

Who is Lilith - Ancient Development and Origins of the Demon Queen by Dr. Justin Sledge on ESOTERICA

Or in short - stop making it all about Lilith. Use some other Hebrew Bible demons.