Revelation 12:7-17 (ESV)

My office is not exactly organized at this time of year. Preparing Christmas presents for my family, I’m joyful yet reflective of the reason for the season. The birth of our Savior reminds us of how much He gave (His life) in order to provide salvation for us. In V. 11 of this passage we are reminded of our protection from the dragon (aka- the accuser of the brethren), “11 And they (the believers) have conquered him (the dragon) by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” – Teresa #holdon #JesusChristtheLORD #RachelScott

Revelation 12:7-17 (ESV)

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers[b] has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood[c] on the sand of the sea.

My husband and I walked to the coffee shop on Saturday in the early morning sunshine. We were delighted to catch a glimpse of the seagulls swarming. It reminded me of this passage in Ps.139:9,10 “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me.” This truth was imparted to me 30 years prior while working in North Africa with a new baby. I was able to tangibly understand God’s leading and ability to hold us together as a family. The demands of life are not any less strenuous today and yet I trust this truth. – Teresa #ourworthtoHim

Psalm 139English Standard Version (ESV)

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

139 

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 

You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 

Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 

You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

6 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 

Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 

If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 

even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

11 

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

12 

even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you.

13 

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14 

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

15 

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

17 

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

18 

If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

I awake, and I am still with you.

19 

Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!

O men of blood, depart from me!

20 

They speak against you with malicious intent;

your enemies take your name in vain.[b]

21 

Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

22 

I hate them with complete hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23 

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts![c]

24 

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting![d]

When the sun rises, we are reminded of God’s care for all-both people and animals. Although Jonah’s bitter heart initially said no to God, he eventually obeyed yet felt like dying because the people of Ninevah believed his message and repented. The result was that 120,000 people were saved plus a multitude of cattle. When the enemy has a change of heart because of obediance to tough words, God is glorified. -Teresa #toughlove #agapelove #maturelove

Jonah 4:5-11 (ESV)

5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant[i] and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.[j] So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

When an extremely steep terrain has us winded, we have the option to look beyond the pain. The apostle John was exiled to a place (like Alcatraz) for his faith. He was given a revelation that buoyed his understanding of Rabbi Yeshua. The sight of Jesus, in all His glory, assured John of His master’s divinity. Jesus’ words stating that He held the keys of death and Hades comforted John who was not afraid of dying but willing to look beyond his pain. – Teresa #blazingeyes #kinglycrowns #WordofGod

Revelation 1:9-20 (ESV)

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The tree in our front yard is not afraid of losing its beautiful colors. Although its leaves fall due to shorter light patterns, we all know it will have foliage again in the spring. When those who are laid bare from life experiences are shown love from their brothers and sisters, our love for God shows through. Although there may be times when we are less attractive to each other- presenting naked humanity, God is not finished with any of us. The greatest testimony to a watching world is our love for one another. -Teresa #supernatural

I John 4: 1-21 (ESV)

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

God Is Love

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot[a] love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)

Walking in light means we are not stumbling into furniture or tripping over shoes. Walking in light brings awareness of the others walking with us (fellowship). Jesus is the light of the world. Do we love the light or do we love the world? Doing God’s will means walking with eyes wide open- lights on! -Teresa #Fatherlove

1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[c]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Have you noticed how some people are quick to bubble up with laughter and gratefulness? Trusting God’s promise, we can experience the streadfast love of our Lord. He saves us from a cynical spiral that would ultimately destroy us. Today, let’s choose Thanksgiving in honor of the faithful wisdom found in His word, the Bible. – Teresa #walkthisway #Thanksgiving

Psalm 119: 41-48 (ESV

41 

Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,

your salvation according to your promise;

42 

then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,

for I trust in your word.

43 

And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,

for my hope is in your rules.

44 

I will keep your law continually,

forever and ever,

45 

and I shall walk in a wide place,

for I have sought your precepts.

46 

I will also speak of your testimonies before kings

and shall not be put to shame,

47 

for I find my delight in your commandments,

which I love.

48 

I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,

and I will meditate on your statutes.

James 3:14-17 (ESV)

Just as the sheep and the goats are herded together and on the Day of Judgment separated out, our lives are either “in Christ” or not. The Bible says that by your fruit you will be known. If you wonder whether your faith is mere interest or received as a gift from God, check your actions. Those “in Christ” will push outside their comfort zone devoted to their precious Lord. – Teresa #UnionGospelMission

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Hebrews 12: 18-29 (ESV)

When our son, Hans, recorded his first album, we celebrated at the Buckhorn restaurant in Winters, CA. It was Christmas time and we found out that our granddaughter was born (just as we were being served our steaks). So many blessings all at once… we were overwhelmed with true joy! This passage reminds me of that picture. Not only did Christ offer to be the mediator of a New Covenant between God and mankind, He became the sacrifice sprinkling His precious blood that atoned for our sin sickness. His selfless act proves God’s love for us that cannot be shaken- joy upon joys!!- Teresa

Hebrews 12: 18-29 (ESV)

18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly[a] of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

Footnotes:

a Hebrews 12:23 Or church

Hebrews 10: 3- 17 (ESV)

Hiking along the Yosemite Creek, I was not as agile as my son or husband at boulder hopping. Their bodies displayed strength and agility, shining for the glory of God. Christ was given a human body to bear the weight of our sin. Although it was the Father’s will to sanctify mankind, His will was not accomplished until Jesus Christ the LORD, our Savior and God’s Son, submitted in love to bear the sin of the world. – Teresa #perfectedforalltime

Hebrews 10: 3- 17 (ESV)

3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Consequently, when Christ[a] came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
    but a body have you prepared for me;

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings

    you have taken no pleasure.

7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

    as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ[b] had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
    after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws on their hearts,

    and write them on their minds,”

17 then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”