When God’s sacred vessels are defiled for the worship of that which takes our eyes off of Him, He will surely deliver a powerful message. God does not mince words or methods when the hard-hearted seek to lead others astray. Even if it means revealing a hand without a body, God is not limited by the earthly dimensions/realms that we live in. – Teresa #OurgreatGod #watchesoverthepowerless #defenderofchildren

Daniel 5: 4-12 (ESV)

4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared[b] to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed.

10 The queen,[c] because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.[d] In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

With God’s timing we may overlook calm serenity as lack of intervention. All of God’s promises will be accomplished in His correct timing (chronos). He will at times wait for a different timing (kairos) which means all things are correctly lined up. In the chronological realm it may feel too long or too short. He will ultimately fulfill His purposes for our good. – Teresa

2 Peter 3: 8-10 (ESV)

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,[a] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.[c]

When our back is against the wall because of unreasonable demands from those in authority- pray! Daniel prayed and was given the answer to “said unreasonable demand”. He was able to reveal the dream of Nebuchadnezer and interpret it without knowing anything about it!! Daniel was known for his simple faith (at the lion’s den) and his tenacity at pursuing spiritual disciplines (eating vegetables and water vs. rich food and wine from the king’s table). He gave glory to God at His lifesaving revelation. – Teresa #ourgreatGod #isnotblindtoplotsofdarkness #shinesforthwithlight

Daniel 2:19-23 (ESV)

19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

to whom belong wisdom and might.

21

He changes times and seasons;

he removes kings and sets up kings;

he gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have understanding;

22

he reveals deep and hidden things;

he knows what is in the darkness,

and the light dwells with him.

23

To you, O God of my fathers,

I give thanks and praise,

for you have given me wisdom and might,

and have now made known to me what we asked of you,

for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”

Genuine faith is tested and comes through as pure and valuable as gold in a fire. The butterfly during metamorphasis speaks truth to this. Without the struggle of getting free of the chrysalis, the beautiful butterfly dies. I received a science kit in the 4th grade containing butterfly larvae in their respective cocoons. Unfortunately, I was so anxious to see the beauty of the butterflies that I opened them all before their time to emerge, robbing them of tbeir chance at survival. Although we have not seen him (our Savior), we love him! This is part of our “faith walk”-to reconcile struggles with the beauty of His hand on us. – Teresa #struggling #purelove #hetrulysaves #histimingisperfect

1Peter 1:3-12 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time[a] the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

The more grace God gives is in direct proportion to the humility endowed to those who submit to God. Do you know of someone like Moses who actually is in fellowship with God and doesn’t realize his/her face is shining? It’s not about selling books or saying words smoothly. It is about a heart for God which is acted out in faith with compassion for others. This is “ministry” -full of God’s grace and truth. – Teresa #Jesusfollowers

James 4:6-8 (ESV)

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

There is a type of pseudo wisdom that originates in the demonic influence of negativity. It shows up as jealousy and selfish ambition. Those who are under the influence of the “god” of this age (2 Cor 4:4) may be prone to this. Wisdom from above, however, is: pure, peacable, gentle, open to reason full of mercy and good fruits. – Teresa

James 2: 13-18 (ESV)

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

This past month, we were blessed to find a camera to play our old VHS home videos. It reminded me of precious years gone by during child-rearing. This clip of Berit’s second birthday is precious, giving us a glimpse into the Lord’s steadfast love for us! Throughout Psalm 107, I read this phrase and considered the wisdom in recognizing His steadfast love. – Teresa #grateful

Psalm 107:8 (NIV)

Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Prepping for a sermon on John 8, I was pondering Walvoord & Zuck’s assertion that Jesus’ words at the Feast of Tabernacles pointed to the pillar of fire. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12 (ESV). This morning, I read Psalm 105:37-45 English Standard Version (ESV)

“37 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,

and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.

38 Egypt was glad when they departed,

for dread of them had fallen upon it.

39 He spread a cloud for a covering,

and fire to give light by night.

40 They asked, and he brought quail,

and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.

41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

it flowed through the desert like a river.

42 For he remembered his holy promise,

and Abraham, his servant.

43 So he brought his people out with joy,

his chosen ones with singing.

44 And he gave them the lands of the nations,

and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,

45 that they might keep his statutes

and observe his laws.

Praise the Lord!”

Bring us out of bondage, Lord, with the emphasis on fearing you (not the people who would like to keep us enslaved)!!

You truly do bring light to a dark place.- Teresa #shineonme

Swearing on oath means you are good for your word. When God swore on oath by His own greatness, He was making an emphasized point. God’s unchangeable purpose (our salvation through Christ) can be trusted (since He’s good for His word) plus His swearing by His own name makes it final (no accusation will overturn it since there is no one greater than God to swear by). Abraham believed and it was counted to Him as righteousness. He served as the “father” of our faith, showing us the possibility of believing God! Abraham was blessed and his family multiplied, against all odds. We also have this hope as an anchor for our soul that God’s blessing will draw others (multiply) when we trust God’s provision for sin. This goes against all odds (our sin accuses us and is meant to separate us from God, eternally). – Teresa

#watchNetflixGospelofJohn #Faithmakesitpossible #Melchizadekorderofpriesthood=greaterthanAbraham #beforeAbrahamwas-IAM

Hebrews 6: 13-20 (ESV)

The Certainty of God’s Promise

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham,[b] having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.