Beautiful Blessing to Yeshua

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M4_IlbaZHA

I just watched this with the kids, and then asked them, if Jesus were here right now, and you could say something to Him face to face, what would you say?

Caedmon, usually my verbal one, said, "Thank you".

Brennan said, "I yuv you!" (translation....love you)

Hope you enjoy this.

The thing about this that spoke volumes to me is the fact that the man who did the painting, took no credit at all for himself. Even to the point of wearing a jacket with a hood so that he wasn't the focus, but Jesus was.

That's how I want to live my life.

So that God gets all the glory, and I am in the shadows.

Hope you have a great day!

Jesica

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What I learned from My Friend Today....

I encourage you to read the note below. It is from a precious friend of mine who has cancer for the 2nd time. Last time it was lymphoma, this time it's breast cancer.

She just "gets it". She realizes that sometimes, to accomplish His greater plans, God allows painful things to happen to us. Maybe it's cancer, like she has...maybe it's the loss of those you love, like we've been through....maybe it's any number of things.

The main point remains the same...to glorify God no matter what. To walk in obedience to Him no matter how hard. To know that He loves you more than you can ever imagine, and that He will not allow ONE SINGLE THING into your life that He can't be glorified through.
NOT ONE!

I had someone tell me recently that if I just had enough faith, God would heal my children. That they wouldn't keep getting so sick if only I "named it and claimed it".

This is such false teaching! So very false, and so damaging to those who don't know the character of God well enough yet to know that it's false!

My friend "gets it". I hope after you read her note, you do too.

Reading her note makes me wonder if all of those other cancer patients and nurses and doctors have any idea how many people are praying for them....for their spiritual healing, and their eternal security more than anything!

It also makes me wonder if anyone would have been praying for them, had not God allowed my friend another bout with cancer. Maybe God needed a soldier at the Cancer Center?

Obviously so.

In love,
Jes

Dear Friends - A quick update: Very thankful for chemo this week! That completes #6- HALFWAY DONE!
My infection appears to finally be on the mend- and Valley Fever testing came back negative- Yeah!
It has long been confirmed in my heart that Jesus loves me no matter my circumstances- the more challenges I've faced and the more deeply I have experienced His love and provision, the stronger this conviction becomes.
My Bible Study reading this week was a refreshing reflection of what I know to be true: "We naturally think if God answers a prayer or grants a miraculous healing, it is because He loves us. If we pray and the answer is no, we question God's love. But beloved, healing or answered prayer has absolutely nothing to do with whether he loves you. It has to do with God's purposes and plans for your life.When circumstances tempt you to question God's love, learn to look in the right place.
John 13:1 tells us: "It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, He now showed them the extent of His love." ~Living Free, Beth Moore
What a great Easter reminder: His "cup" did not pass- so that we can all drink deeply of forgiveness!
God's love is constant, and our prayers bring us into deeper intimacy with Him... bless you for remembering our family and other cancer patients I have met these past 6 weeks: Vera Carol Mike June Wendy Norm and nurses: Martha, Barbara, Chris, Amber, Sam, Lydia, Tammy... and of course Dr. Kass.
I believe what goes on at the Cancer Center are "holy ground" experiences...I feel most privileged to be treated there with such loving care. Grateful for you, dear ones! Love, K




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Radio Time

I had the priviledge of sharing our life's passion..our vision and mission, with Dr. Randy Carlson on his radio show today.

If you click on the link below, and go to the past 30 days archived broadcasts, and choose Thursday, April 12th, you'll pull it up.

Then, if you don't want to hear the whole thing, you can slide the little button to where it's just under the "i" in circle. My testimony is on just after the man who gave up drinking, and just before the man who is from Alabama.



I really didn't expect anyone to hear it, but tonight at Bible study, one of the ladies in our group came right up to me and told me she learned some things about my kids today...it was really funny!

Hope you enjoy listening to it!

www.parenttalk.org/listen/broadcast/archives/

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The Next Time Someone Tells Me They Have a "WORD" for Me From God...

Recently, I had the second person in a short period of time come up and tell me that they had a "word" for me from the Lord.

I remind you that in my last post about this, I shared that in the Old Testament, God was so serious about false prophets, that He required them to be killed.

It's not acceptable in His eyes for one to say that they are speaking on His behalf, when in fact, they are just speaking out of their own feelings.

He does not tolerate that!

In fact, now that we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which people did not have during the times of the Old Testament, I believe that that God loves me enough that He'll speak right to my heart.

He doesn't need to tell someone else to come and tell me what He Himself is fully capable, and desirous of telling me.

In addition, I've been learning through the example of Josiah's life, that even when God spoke to Josiah through a prophet, what was spoken related right back to the book of the law. To be more specific, it was directly out of Deuteronomy.

And today, we have the full cannon of Scripture. It's complete. Lacking nothing.

So, even more so today...if God wants to speak, He will do it by pointing people back to His Holy Word.

I do believe that the gift of prophesy is still an active gift...but I believe that a true prophet only points people back to God's Word.

I don't believe that there is new revelation. Yes, it might be new to us, in that we might never have seen a truth in Scripture before..but it isn't "new" in that God just came up with it!

So, the next time someone tells me, "I have a word for you from the Lord", I'm going to say, "Super! I love hearing from God. Please tell me what book and verse it is, and I'll go home and get on my face before Him, and I'll read it"!

Chapter and verse, please...that's all I need.

Chapter and verse, please...no more, no less.

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The Believer's Responsibility for the Body and for The Word

Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

How are you living out your life as a minister of reconciliation? Are you aware of the fact that God says in His Word that this is your job description?

Do you know that it also says that as a believer in Jesus Christ, that you are to be an ambassador for Christ?

Think about it...both of those truths tell us that our lives are not our own...wow! Scripture even says that too..we've been bought with a price ( the blood and flesh and life of Jesus Christ ), and it's NOT ABOUT US ANYMORE!

What does it mean to be a bond-servant?

It means that we are totally and completely to be at the will of God in all that we say and do.

Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, was SERIOUS about this!

He said that even if he himself, or an angel, should preach a gospel other than what they had heard originally, that they were to be accursed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He included himself in that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He is SERIOUS about the holiness of God's Word...and so is GOD!

God tells us in the Old Testament that He has exalted His Name with His Word.

Why do we feel, in the church, that we can't be bold in the Lord?

Why do we buy into the thought that we don't have to PROTECT God's Holy Word with our very lives?!

Why do we seek the favor of MAN instead of the favor of Almighty God?

Why do we work harder at protecting man than at protecting God's Word and His body?!

We have to realize that God hates that junk! He hates it! He will not put up with it!

He is Holy, and we are told to be holy as He is holy.

He would not tolerate someone twisting His Word to meet their own needs and their own glorification..and He does not want His church, His body, to tolerate it either.

Yes, we are to speak the truth in love. No doubt about that...but speak the truth must...and it won't always mean that the person who it's being spoken to walks away feeling all rosy inside!

Maybe they'll be mad.

Maybe they'll be hurt.

Maybe they'll be convicted.

The end result is not our business. God doesn't say, "Speak the truth in love unless someone is going to be offended. In that case, just coddle them instead."

He never says that, for to do so would be contrary to Who He is...and contrary to the truth that He GUARDS His GLORY..and that we, as His body, are supposed to do the same...to follow in His model.

In fact, let's look at that passage a little more closely, for it is WAY too often taken totally out of context, and used to serve one's selfish need instead of serving it's intended purpose.

Ephesians 4:14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

So, look for yourself and see..what's the PURPOSE behind "speaking the truth in love"????????????????

That the whole body may grow up in all aspects into HIM who is the head, even Christ! For the growth of the body, for the building up of itself in love!

How can a body of believers truly grow up in all aspects into Christ, if we are not willing to speak the truth, relative to v.14 regarding "the winds of doctrine, the trickery of men, and craftiness in decietful scheming"?!

We must do so! We have an obligation to protect both the body of Christ and the Word of God.

If we need an example of what happens when a body of believers doesn't do this...we need only to read the Old Testament and see what happened to Israel and Judah.

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I found this picture of Brennan yesterday, on an old disc, and just had to post it. Isn't she precious? How can it be that it feels like this was last week..when it was actually years ago?!

Do you remember, when you were a kid, that it felt like it would take FOREVER to be 18 years old..the age when you were just SURE you'd know everything about everything?!

And yet as an adult, time is quite different, isn't it? When we have our babies, it just seems to FLY by!

This picture brought such sweet memories back for me. Brennan was such a sweet little baby...so gentle and happy. Really, she's still that way...except for the occasional pouty fit. :)

Makes me realize once again that the Bible is really true when it tells us that our lives are but vapors...not only can they be gone in an instant..but even the stages of our childrens' lives seem to disappear before our very eyes, as they mature on to the next season that God has created for them.

Gotta go now...my baby girl is still young enough for me to squeeze a hug out of her, and my son is ALWAYS willing to hug his momma...so I gotta go get some loving! :)

Oh, did you know? The promised Messiah of Israel is risen indeed!

Without His resurrection, there would be no salvation for mankind.

Do you know that?!

Do you know that He appeared to over 500 people after He rose...a testimony to the fact that He did, in fact, rise.

Guess where He is today? Seated at the right hand of the Father.

Guess what He's doing today? Praying ( the Scripture calls is interceding) always for those who are His.
In Scripture, we are called saints. (This means holy ones.)

Do you know Him, and the power of His resurrection?

Do you know that He died to set you free from bondage..the bondage of sin?

Do you know that once you are His, you are no longer a slave to sin?

Do you kow that you are a slave to that which you obey?

If you don't know Him..but want to know more about what I've told you...please post a comment, or e-mail me at azswimmer@msn.com.

I'd love to give you the Scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments, which will show you that Yeshua is truly the Promised Messiah of Israel...but that even if you are a Gentile
(non-Jewish person), you may have a true relationship with God...the great "I AM".

Yes, Yeshua is the promised Messiah of Israel, but He's also the Messiah of the Gentiles...He's the Messiah of all mankind, and He died to give you new life in Him.

I hope that today, as we celebrate His Resurrection, you will seek Him with all of your heart and mind and soul and spirit...knowing that as you seek Him, you will find Him.

God loves you dearly, and He provided His Son as the atonement for your sins.

To lay down His life for you...that's love!

In Him,
Jesica









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Did Jesus have an Old Man?

You may be wondering why this question.

Here's the answer..yesterday in our kids Precept class, we were studying through Romans 6:4.

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

I borrowed from an illustration that Kay Arthur gave in one of her studies, and I drew a cross, a tomb, and a representation of raising from the dead on the board.

The children have already learned that the Word teaches us that our old man (old nature, old sin nature) was crucifed with Christ, and buried with Him.

Yesterday we explored why and how Jesus was raised from the dead..and for what purpose. ( Why don't you observe the verse above, too, and comment on what your answer is.)

Anyway..I asked the kids at one point, "Now, who was crucifed on the cross?".

And one child said, "Jesus".

And another child said, "our old man".

Both correct answers. Yeah team!

But then, one child threw me a curve ball...he said, "Jesus' old man".

WOW!

Well, my answer at the time was to tell the kids that Jesus didn't have an old man. That He was sinless.

Yes, He was sinless. I don't have any question about that.

BUT...the question came later, as I believe the LORD was tugging on my heart to dig deeper...to make sure that I hadn't just given the kids a pat answer because that's what I had been taught.

The whole premise of a Precept Bible study is to learn to "Discover Truth for Yourself" and God showed me that I was just answering out of rote teaching. That I didn't truly KNOW.

Here is the thought line...if Jesus came to earth and took on the form of man, became fully man, and became flesh for us...and then crucified the flesh (ours included) on our behalf...then would he have had an "old man" an "old sin nature" an "old nature?

I thought about the times that He was tempted by Satan.

Scripture makes it clear that He had a choice....and that He chose to walk in obedience to God.

If that is true, and I believe from Scripture that it is, then wouldn't it mean that He had an "old nature" available to Him, but that through the power of the Father and the Holy Spirit, He didn't surrender to it at any point?

That He truly lived by the Spirit and not by the flesh?

Do you see where I'm going with this?

It's one thing to say that Yeshua lived by the Spirit and not by the flesh, but wouldn't realizing that show us that He could have chosen to do otherwise, in His humanity?

Hmmm..lots of good questions for us here.

I'm off to the hospital right now to visit our Grandma Nell...but I'll be digging into this later. I'd love to hear your thoughts..but please, base them in Scripture..for all else is sinking sand.

Would you please pray for our Grandma Nell? She is a precious friend, and after "losing" my parents year before last, she and her husband have filled the painful gap in the hearts of my children, (and ours too!) by allowing us to "adopt" them as their Grandparents.

They have loved our children as though they were their own, and we love them so much!

2 days ago, Jenel fell off of a ladder and landed on the patio of her home. Her husband found her when he came home from work, and at first she was totally non-responsive. He shook her several times, and she came to. At that point, she told him that she couldn't feel her legs.

They took her by ambulance to the hospital, and BLESS GOD, there is no head trauma or back injury!

However, she had to have massive surgery on her foot. She is now fully equipped with lots of pins and plates.

Her recovery will be long. But, we just Praise the Name of the LORD that she wasn't killed or crippled for life.

Thank you, Lord!

She may, however, have to wear orthopedic shoes for the rest of her life, and that might just be the worst part for her. She is a sandal wearing, flip-flop loving lady!

We'll have to figure out how to put rhinestones on orthopedic shoes. :)

Please pray for her, won't you?

And pray for her roommate at the hospital too, please...she's in a lot of hurt, both physically and emotionally. I hope to have an opportunity to share Jesus with her today.

Bye now!

Me

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Please pray for Jordin Sparks , Melinda Doolittle , and Phil Stacy

OK, so I'll admit that this isn't going to be a post focused on studying the Word.

However, I gave a friend my word that I'd post this..so I want to keep it.

She tells me that Jordin Sparks is a Calvary Chapel girl..that she has grown up in that church. My friend asked me to please be praying for Jordin during this time in her life.

She is smack dab in the middle of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood...would you join me in praying for her..that the LORD will surround her..that He'll go before and behind her every step of the way?

Another friend told me today that Jordin's dad is the football coach for our local high school...I had no idea of that.

So..let's pray for her..and for Melinda Doolittle, and Phil Stacy...these are the ones that have been vocal about being Christians..I don't know about any of the other contestants on American Idol.

Let's just pray for all of them!

Happy Resurrection Day! Did you know that today is the actual day? I know that we celebrate it on Easter, but when you look at Scripture, Yeshua's death coincided with Passover...and Passover was earlier this week.

We went to a Seder dinner on Tuesday night..I'll have to write about that later. It was awesome!

Have a great day!

Jes

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Caedmon leads a Precept Discussion

This may blow your mind:

Tonight, Caedmon, who is 6, woke up from leg pains, and was laying on the couch as I was doing some computer work.

He asked me what a blog was, and I told him about mine, and he wanted me to read something that I had written to him, so I read him the post about Noah ( see links to the left to go to the original post ).

When I got to the part where I was asking the questions about Lamech, he stopped me and said, "Mom, if Noah was righteous, then his dad had to have been."

I asked him why he assumed that.

He said, "Because Noah would have heard about God from his dad. His dad would have been the one to teach him about God and His ways."

So then I asked him, "Well, then why were none of Noah's brothers and sisters called righteous in God's eyes?"

He said, "Mom..they would have had to have died already. I think they were killed by animals or in war. If Noah's dad taught him about God, he would have taught the brothers and sisters, too...so they couldn't have gone through the flood..they died before it."

WOW! Now, I know that he skipped right to interpretation, but after I re-read that post, I see that I did too. I assumed that the brothers and sisters weren't spared, but maybe Caedmon's theory is correct.

Maybe they died before the flood.

Man...talk about having a cool inductive study discussion with your 6 year old!

I love how studying through the Precept method is teaching my 6 year old inductive reasoning skills!

People ask me a lot what curriculum I use for homeschooling, and I tell them, right now...we use the Bible. Yes, we use some other things for math and science, etc. But primarily, we use the Word.

It covers so many things...but what I love the most is that they are learning to think, to investigate, to write, to memorize, to read, and all of that in the framework of learning to "Trust in the Lord" with all of their hearts, and to "lean not on their own understanding"..in all their ways they are learning to "acknowledge Him" knowing that He will direct their paths.

Wow! God is so amazing!






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What happens when there is no knowledge of God in the land...

Tonight Shane and I had the pure joy of being with a precious group of fellow believers, as we all begin to work through "LORD, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days".

We were studing in Hosea 4:1-6 tonight, and therein we saw what happened to God's people, the sons of Israel, when they rejected God's knowledge, and forgot His law.

The Word says in v.1 that "the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land...(the sons of Israel)...BECAUSE there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land".

Then in v.2 it goes on to say what IS present in the land instead..."swearing, deception, murder, stealing, adultery, violence, bloodshed follows bloodshed".

Wow! Does that mirror anything we see in our own country? A country that is "hell-bent" upon removing God from our government, our schools, our homes...what is next? Will they make the attempt to remove Him from our hearts?

Sadly, that's already happened with many in our country.

And this passage in Scripture shows us that even in the days of the
Old Testament, when the parents failed to teach their children about God...about His knowledge (His Word)...that eventually they were left with a generation that didn't know God.

Didn't know His Word.
Didn't know His Law.
Didn't know His Precepts.

v. 3 Tells us the result..."Therefore the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky; and also the fish of the sea disappear."

MAN, OH MAN!

Because man chose to walk in unfaithfulness before God...to reject His knowledge, and to forget His law...utter destruction.

The interesting aside to all of this was that as we were driving home from Bible study tonight, having just studied these very verses, we drove past a drugstore and were in shock to see it surrounded by fire trucks and police cars, and the doorway taped off with police tape.

From the outside looking in, it appeared that something bad had gone down.

Then, we turned the corner only to see many more police and fire trucks in the parking lot of the local grocery store.

It looked like something bad had gone down.

Unofficial reports are that either a smoke bomb or pepper spray, or some other airborne irritant was purposely set off in these stores.

Hmmmm....has someone, somewhere forsaken God's Word?

Are there parents that have failed to teach God's Precepts to their children?

Who is responsible?

How did we get here?

How will we ever know how to order our lives in accordance with His will, if we never spend time in His Word?

Or, is it that even people who profess to be Christians, don't really care about ordering their lives according to His Word?

What are we teaching our children about the Lord?
ARE WE teaching our children about the Lord AND His WORD?

Or, do we depend upon the Sunday school teacher to do that?

If so, how do you know that what he or she is teaching them is correct?

How can we spend more time talking with our children about American Idol than we do about their loving, Almighty Creator?

Is there faithfulness and kindness and knowledge of God in your home?

We have friends who will not allow a Bible to be put on the floor in their home..that is how highly they revere the Lord and His Word.

Still others who won't let their Bibles out of their sight...they are from Romania, a land where Bibles were smuggled in for years.
They VALUE His Word...they live by it.

Where is your Bible? Why not go get it and read through Hosea 4:1-6, and ask God to speak to your heart about how you're doing with regard to seeking His knowledge...He promises that when you seek Him, you will find Him, when you seek Him with all of your heart.

May He speak to your heart today...as you diligently seek Him.

So in Love with Jesus,
Jesica

So, I was wondering about Noah's Dad...

I was spending some time tonight in prayer, and I asked the Lord if there was an example in Scripture of a child who had chosen to separate from their parent(s) because the parents weren't walking in righteousness before the Lord.

And, in that time, Noah came to my mind.

So...I went digging.

I remembered that the Word said that God found Noah to be the only righteous among those alive at the time. ( my paraphrase here ... for exact wording, see Genesis 5 )

So it made me question....were Noah's parents alive at the time? Had they blown it before God...is that why they weren't included on the ark?

This is what I found...Lamech, Noah's father, is mentioned in the genealogy for Noah...and when you do the math, you find that his father died 5 years before the flood.

Wow! I wonder what Noah's dad was saying to him all the while that he was building the ark. It would seem that Lamech was spared, since he died 5 years prior to the flood...but, I'd need to do a search on his name, and see if other Scriptures with his name show, before assuming that to be true.

I just found it interesting that Scripture says that Lamech had other sons and daughters, but it's only Noah...and his family, whom God spared.

Makes me wonder about Lamech...was he a man after God's heart...did he teach his children to follow the Lord, and then find that all but Noah would choose not to?

Or, did Lamech not do such a great job for any of them?

Lots more questions come up for me, out of this...that's just one more thing I love and appreciate about having learned to study the Word for myself...I know that I can find these answers out, by just spending some more time digging.

Isn't that awesome? To have a question for the Lord, and know that He will show us the answer as we turn to His Holy Word to find them.

Amazing that it's that simple, yet we have put our Bibles on a shelf, and only take them to church on Sunday ( and even that is a MAYBE, for many people ).

I remember that someone met Shane at a men's group shortly after we moved here and the guy said to Shane, "Oh, I recognize you...you're the guy who always brings his Bible to church!".

How sad! How sad that taking one's Bible to CHURCH makes them stand out from the crowd!

Where is Your Bible? Why don't you open it up and ask God to show you something awesome today...then send me a comment and tell me what you learned.

I can't wait to hear from you!

In Him,
Jes

Why I Love Inductive Bible Study and Precept Ministries

I had the priviledge of spending the past several days in Albuquerque for a Precept Leader Day and for a Kay Arthur teaching event at Hoffmantown Church.

I came in early to help the ministry team in any way that I could..I count it such an honor to give back to a ministry that has given so much to me. Learning to study the Bible inductively has changed my walk with God completely..and continues to change my life.

I love the people that work with Precept so much! They are so REAL and transparent, and fun, and they have such a HUNGER for God and for His Word, and to live a life of Righteousness that honors Him.

Kay spoke yesterday on one verse that really sums the heart of Precept up for her...and I just had to share it with you, because it's so perfect!

Psalm 119:102
I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, For You Yourself have taught me.

And that's it..don't you see?

When we study God's Word through exhaustive Observation FIRST...then we allow the Lord Himself to teach us the Interpretation of the Scripture, and then follow His lead and obey Him as we apply the Truth in our lives...We won't turn away from His ordinances.

That's what I love about Precept Ministries and Inductive Study.....it points me to God, not to a person to tell me what the Word means.

I love Kay with all of my heart, but I don't depend upon her to tell me what Scripture means.

She has allowed God to use her to teach people HOW to study for themselves, so that we can depend upon GOD to do the teaching.

Do you know how to study the Word for yourself? If not, and you want to learn, Shane and I have dedicated our lives to teaching people what others have so graciously taught us.

We'll be starting a couples' study on March 29th...all are welcome.

Shane and another man from our church will be leading "Living a Life of True Worship" starting very soon, at our church on Sunday mornings.

We have the childrens' Precept study on Friday afternoons...all are welcome.

The women are studying Covenant on Monday nights...all WOMEN are welcome. ;)

If you live outside of Arizona and want to find a class in your area, please go to www.precept.org and look on the right hand column for Classes...it will take you to a map where you can click on your state and then enter your zip code, and you'll have the info. you need to get started.

Or, feel free to leave me a comment with a way to get in touch with you. All comments are moderated by me, so if you send your e-mail or phone number, I will not publish your comment, but will get back with you asap and we'll get you plugged in.

If there's not a study in your area, I'll be happy to help you find the right materials to help you start one, or at least to help you get started studying on your own.

We have no excuse in America, for not spending time in God's Word.

Especially not when our brothers and sisters in Christ who live overseas are being brutally murdered for doing the very thing that we think we can't find the time to do!

That's just absurd, and a lie from the pit of hell!

You CAN learn to study your Bible!

You will be BLESSED when you learn to study your Bible!

You have been afforded the FREEDOM to study your Bible anytime, anywhere in this great country...without fear of death or imprisonment.

What will YOU do with that FREEDOM that great men and women have DIED to make sure that you have?!

I gotta tell you, from the depth of my heart, that over the past year and a half or so, I have gone through the most heartbreaking time in my life. I have lost someone that I love very dearly...she's still alive, so I didn't lose her to death...but I lost her because of the filth of sin.

I pray for her daily, that God will teach her His precepts, and that through learning them, she will choose to walk in obedience to Him.

But, until that time, I still wipe away many a tear as I think of all that she is missing in my life, and in my childrens' lives, and I in hers.

PLEASE hear me on this...If I did not know God's Word...if I had not been taught how to STAND on the Truth of His Word....if I had not learned to incline my ear to His still small voice, and to walk in obedience to what He whispers to my heart and teaches me through His Word....

I would be a basket case!

My home would be a war zone!

My children would be confused.

And I would be blaming God.

But, I am so far from any of those.

I am walking in the peace that passes all comprehension...and I am waiting on God.

He has made it clear to me that He has work to do in the lives of those involved, and that I am to stay out of His way.

So I am obeying.

Do I know that healing of this relationship will come in my lifetime?

No, I do not.

But, I pray fervently that God's Will will be established, and that restoration will happen.

Until then, I have chosen to take God at His Word....He tells me to "Cease Striving and KNOW that I AM God".

And I do know...and I can cease striving...because I've learned to study His Holy Word.

So my only questions for you are:

1. When are you going to start studying His Word inductively?
and
2. If you're already an inductive student, when are you going to share the gift with another person who also so desperately needs His Word?

Send me a comment...and let me know how I can help you.

All for Him...all for His Glory,
Jesica

A child who hits their parent....

Did you know that the Old Testament says that a child who hit their mother or father must surely be put to death?

Wow! God was SERIOUS about not transgressing His Covenant!

We had to deal with this yesterday with our child.

It wasn't really a hit, it was more of a head slam.

So, for you who say our kids are perfect ( you know who you are!), can't say that anymore! ;)

Shane found that verse in the Old Testament and shared it with our son and then was able to explain to him about God's mercy through Jesus Christ and that it's only because of Jesus' coming and fulfilling the Old Covenant that we are able to walk in grace before God.

But, that God's grace is not to be used as opportunity to walk in sin, thereby profaning His covenant.

It was a great study for Caedmon to learn, and today I have a new son. His heart was broken before God...it had to come through his bottom, unfortunately for him.

But, he got it. And we were reminded once again how serious God is about His Word, and WHY he has precepts in place to help us govern our lives according to His righteousness and not our own.

(In my righteousness, I wanted to tear his head off! Good thing I have God's pattern to live by and not what is right in my own eyes.)

Aren't you glad we don't have to put our kids to death for doing something like that, anymore? The death for sin was paid once for all when the Messiah of Israel came and reconciled us all to God, and imparted His Righteousness to us, through His death. (Romans 6)

And, through His resurrection we have newness of life to walk in God's glory through Jesus! ( Romans 6 )


Thank you again, Lord Jesus! Thank you, Father!

Precept for Kids

Have I mentioned lately how much fun it is teaching children how to study the Bible inductively?!

I am again amazed by how they "get it"!

Today in class, we talked about what it means to be a detective..and that when we study Scripture, we want to think like a detective does.

So, we staged a crime scene in class, and 2 of the children played the "good guy" and the "bad guy". Then, I came onto the scene as the detective, and asked the "good guy" questions about the crime.

The kids helped me think of questions to ask the victim, in order to figure out who had perpetrated the crime.

They loved it!

And, after my investigation took place, I explained to them that this was the exact way that we wanted to question Scripture..by asking the
"5 Ws and an H" questions.

I then asked them what the 5Ws and an H were..and they knew them! They just rattled them right off! Now remember, these kids are 4-6 years old, for the most part!

So, then we went through the last part of Genesis chapter 2, and we asked those questions of the Bible.

I just can't get over the fact that at 4 and 5 and 6 years old, these kids are understanding the basic principles of inductive study!

Then, we have an older child, who is so smart, and is such a whiz at studying this way! This child is also an amazing help to me...and such a joy to have in our class!

But, for the most part, this class is made up of 4-6 year olds...and they are EXCITED about studying God's Word!!!

I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!

I think about what a gift it would have been in my life if I had been taught how to truly study the Word for myself..instead of just being taught what my "right pastor" ( ugh! I digress...that's a Thieme term...if you don't know what that means, read a past post ) thought the Scripture meant.

To have known from a young age how to study the Word, and how to allow the Holy Spirit to teach me Himself...and to allow Him to point out in my life what the application of the Scripture was...WOW! What an amazing gift that would have been.

But, God is good...so good, and He redeems the time!

So, now my heart's mission is to share this amazing gift with as many people as I can. Yet, I would have never imagined that it would be with kids as young as 4!

God's plans are so much richer than my own! :)

We're starting a couples study in our home....if you're interested in joining us for that, please let us know. We'll be studying "LORD, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days" ....and we'd love to have you and your spouse join us!

Have a great weekend!

Revelation

So, up until 2 nights ago, I've never had the courage to study Revelation.

Quite frankly, it just scared me! I remember, before I was a Christian, going with a friend to my 1st Precept study, and it was Revelation part 2, and Kay was teaching on the video...and I was convinced that everyone in that room was about to sprout a second head!

That seems so hilarious to me now!

Especially in light of what the very first few verses of Revelation say: 1:3..."Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near."

To think! I've been afraid of Revelation, when the Bible says that there is blessing for those who read it and for those who hear it, and heed it!

14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
17 'Because you say, " I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
21 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

Wow! How many people there are who live like verse 17! I say that without judgement...for I was one of them for so many years. I didn't realize that knowing that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and living in light of that truth, are two totally different mentalities.

Women talk with me all the time and say things to the effect of, "I'm saved, but I just struggle like Paul says he did...the things I do, I do not want to do, and the things I don't want to do, I do."

In essence, they take Paul's comments totally out of context, and use them as a scape goat for their choices to abide in sin.

We can't be in both camps...if you're not sure of that truth, then re-read the letter above, to the angel of the church in Laodiciea.

We can't live for the world, and for Christ.

For, Romans 6 makes it clear that we can't have 2 masters.

If you are living in such a way that you are continually running back to a habitual lifestyle of sin, and you want to live for Christ, then I encourage you to go to God in prayer, and repent, and ask Him to show you what it means to make Jesus your LORD and Savior.

In the greek, the word "Lord", means one who has complete disposal of everything".

Is Jesus your Lord?

Or, are you holding on to the world, all the while trying to live for Christ through the power of your flesh?

Sweet friend, when push comes to shove, your flesh will fail you every time.

You cannot train your flesh.

Only through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, through Christ's shed blood on the cross, can you hope to live a life of overcoming, as is spoken of in this chapter.

Don't be deceived. The enemy would love for you to think that all you have to do is believe that Jesus died on the cross, and then that you are free to live however you please.

That is not faith.

That is not belief that is powered by faith in a risen Savior.

In fact, in Romans 5, Paul makes it clear that a belief system like that would be an overt abuse of grace..and that we are never to live like that.

Read Revelation 3:14-22, and ask God to search your heart, and to reveal to you if you are really His, or if you've just believed as the demons do.

To be His, you simply cannot live like the church in Laodicea, saying,"I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing".

Ask Him...even if you need to ask Him to give you the strength to believe...and repent.

To say that you believe in Jesus, yet all the while refusing to repent before Him, is not true salvation.

It's like the pastors who say that they'll never preach about sin or about the blood.

OH MY GOODNESS!

Without the BLOOD of Jesus, and without the admission of sin on our part...without seeing that we fall short of the Glory of God because of the sin in our lives...WHAT DO WE HAVE?

A FALSE GOSPEL! Paul said not to even let someone in the door who was teaching this garbage, yet many churches today have turned to this false gospel.

Please...ask God to show you the value of the blood of Jesus, and the filth of your sin, and through His love to wash your sins away in that precious blood...shed for you!

MMMMM....I can tell that Revelation is going to be rich!

Love and Hugs,

Me

Wisdom Searches

As most of you know, we are homeschoolers.

As such, I've been taking a hard look lately at what I want my children to get out of homeschooling, and I must admit, I really like what I'm seeing in them.

They are so loving to one another, and I see the fruit of the Spirit in their lives on a daily basis. I love those kiddos so much! Just when I think I can't love them anymore than I do...God gives me more!

Many mornings, we will do what I call a wisdom search...actually, I can't take credit for the idea, because I just borrowed it from another homeschooler, whom I greatly respect for the work she's done with her SIX children.

But...what we do is we sit down with the Bible and we turn to Proverbs, and I ask the Lord to direct me in choosing a proverb to learn with the children.

Our most recent one was Proverbs 10:19 "When there are many words, transgression ( I used the word sin with the kids ) is unavoidable; But he who restrains his lips is wise." I won't tell you which of the kids really NEEDED to learn this proverb, but I'm guessing you'll figure it out if you know them. ;)

We have a lot of fun with these, because my acting background comes out and the kids and I make up charade-like hand symbols to help us remember the verses.

They loved this one, because they got to make their little hands do the "talk talk talk" sign, like you do when you're telling a story about someone who won't ever be quiet. And then they squeeze their little lips together with their hands, to remind them to "restrain" their lips, as they point to their brains for wisdom.

It's a hoot to see them do it, but they REMEMBER the verses this way...and they have FUN!

We also recently learned a verse from Psalms. It's Psalms 119:114 "You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word."

OOOH! I love that verse! Isn't He though...isn't God the most wonderful hiding place one could ask for?

And what better shield in this tough world could we ask for than Almighty God?

I also love the "I wait for Your word" part.

I love that my kids are learning at such young ages that they can trust God, and that He loves them and will protect them.

And...I love that they are learning the value in waiting on Him, and on His word!

Tomorrow is our Precept class for kids, and I think I'm going to do a wisdom search with the kids.

I was inspired today as I saw the work that one of my sweet friends did in a science class with our homeschoolers...she had them so active and MOVING...and they LOVE going to her classes!

So, I think tomorrow, we're going to take the kids' Precept class to a different level for those little busy kiddos. We're going to act out the precepts that they learn, in the hope that the Word will plant in rich soil in their little hearts, and bear much fruit.

I'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, would you please be in prayer for the Precept team? There are leaders in countries all over the world that are taking the Word of God to some of the most remote and/or volatile areas right now.
Korea, Peru, Russia, Romania, South America, the UK, and so many others.

Just this month, Mia and Costel of the Eurasian team will be going to Iraq...please bathe them in prayer.

For those of you in Phoenix, Precept training is coming to Mesa in June! This will be a super opportunity for you to get trained to either study or to lead others in how to study the Bible!

For more info, go to www.precept.org and click on Training Workshops, and then on Arizona...you'll see all the details.

May you have a super day with the Word of God and the God of the Word!

Love you!
Jes

Obeying His Call

It's interesting to me...I heard someone say the other day that they take issue with the concept of obeying God...that the word obedience is tough for them.

I feel so differently about it. Not that I'm perfect, but I sure strive to be more and more obedient to Him as I mature in my walk with God.

To me, obedience is a gift...because it implies that I have a personal enough relationship with God that He makes clear to me the things that He wants from me.

That's a huge gift...that God loves me enough to show me the things in my life that don't honor Him and have to go...and that He gives me a choice as to whether I will obey Him.

I guess it all goes back to who I was before Him. You see, I spent years living for me, and they were empty pain-filled years.

So now, when God speaks to my heart..whether through His Word or through His still soft voice, or through the words of a trusted fellow believer, I want to obey.

He revealed something huge to me the other day...and I have chosen to obey.

I was listening to a tape on leadership by Kay Arthur, my mentor and cherished friend. On it, she was talking about how temptations will come for the believer, but that through Christ, we have all we need to rise above them. She was explaining that when they come we need to go right to God about it, and draw near to Him.

As I was listening, I was thinking about how Shane and I both feel a real call on our hearts to spend the rest of our days teaching people how to study God's Word.

And, I was thinking about this verse in Scripture, from Hebrews:

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

So I asked myself, what is the sin that so easily entangles me? Is there one?

I mean, anyone who knows me knows that I'm vigilant about protecting my marriage and my children. I don't spend time with men without my husband present. Even with my pastor, should we meet for some reason, it's done at the library in the middle of the kids play area, with my children right there.

I'm just very careful about situations with the opposite sex. I don't want there to be any chance for entanglement...ever.

There are lots of other things that God has made clear to me through my time as a believer about how He wants me to live. And, I try very hard to obey Him in those.

But still...that day I asked myself...is there anything else? Is there a sin that would easily entangle me?

And you know...there is. God made it clear that day. I know it's not sin for everyone, but I believe that when God reveals an area of our lives that could be used by the enemy to easily entangle us...that for us, is an area that we need to avoid like sin...because it could easily become sin.

For me, it's alcohol. I'm not an alcoholic...I am clear on that. Yet, when I am in a group of people where I feel safe and relaxed, and there is alcohol there, it's too easy for me to drink too much.

What's too much? For me, for a long time, I thought it was 2 drinks.

But now, I think it's any.

It's just not worth it when I think about it compared to the race that has been set before me.

If one drink is going to put me in a position where I could possibly be filled more with drink than I am with the Holy Spirit, then I don't want anything to do with it.

And the truth is, having one just makes having two that much easier for me.

The Lord really showed me that day that He doesn't want me to have anything more to do with it.

Someone asked me, "what about at home..when it's just you and Shane...what about a glass of wine with dinner?".

My answer to that is I'm not really sure...we're so cheap that we don't buy wine to have at home that often. So, drinking a glass of wine at home with my hubby wouldn't be the sin that easily entangles me, anyway.

My best answer to that is, I'm not sure..but God is, and I trust that He'll make it clear...and as He speaks, I will obey.

Funny isn't it, how when your life isn't all about you anymore, the things you once held so tightly to just don't seem to matter in comparison to being a faithful servant to your King?

At least, that's how I see it.

I'm Bursting to Share This With You...

I know this blog is about sharing with you what I'm learning from God's Word...and some days I feel like my head is so full of all that He's teaching me that I can't possibly do it justice by trying to write it down without first having time to digest it...thus, the weeks without posts.

But...I gotta go off topic a bit tonight.

Shane and I have started watching American Idol, and are really hooked. OK, so I hate the name...REALLY hate the name...but that's beside the point.

It's interesting to me, because we didn't watch the first several seasons of it...at that time I was a new believer, and my pendulum was WAAAAAY on the side of total separation from anything of the world.

God is gracious, though, and He used that time to prune me and mold me and purge the garbage from my life...and now I feel the freedom to do some things that at that time, would have been sin for me, but now are no longer.

So...enter American Idol. :)

I missed it last night ( can you say my hot hubby took me out on a hot date for Valentine's Day?!), so I went to the AI sight tonight to see who made the top 24.

Then, I decided to read their bios... I am DUMBFOUNDED by how many of them gave credit to Jesus, and still others who gave credit to God.

A few of the contestants have really stood out for me from the beginning, because of the total humility that they showed in their auditions.

One is Chris Sligh and the other is the sweet girl from TN who has been a backup singer for years. ( I'll get her name and post it, as I have drawn a blank...but she is PRECIOUS!)

Her name is Melinda Doolittle, and she says that her goal in life is to represent Christ well and to do everything 150%. YEAH! LOVE HER!

What really stood out to me as I read those bios is this...we need to pray for these young folk ( oooh...that made me sound oooooold!). We need to lace them up in prayer...that they will not compromise, that they will stay strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, that they will fulfill their missions as ambassadors for Christ to the Hollywood community.

Would you please join me in this?

When you read the bios of Chris Sligh and Rudy...you'll see that they give each other credit, as well as Blake.

All of them were in the best ever group audition..it was a true ensemble and it brought down the house.

And, when asked who their American Idol was, they listed one another...such humility...such love. It ministered to my heart!

Pray for them...they are on the front lines with the youth of America.

Pray that souls are saved through their witnesses during this time.

Pray for their families whom they've had to leave behind to follow this dream.

Pray that God is Glorified in all they say and do.

Pray a hedge of protection around them.

Who knows...they may be there just for "such a time as this", as Mordecai said to Esther in the book of Esther...when she had to step up and follow God's plan for her to save the Jews.

It's no secret that Hollywood is "getting" that many of us have grown exhausted from the gunk that they put out for us to be "entertained" by.

They are trying to find things that they think will appeal to Christians...but done through people who don't know Christ, that's like a stripper trying to design clothing that would appeal to an Amish woman.

So...let's pray that the powers that be in Hollywood will be so drawn to this group of young Christians on American Idol, that lives and families will be surrendered en mass to follow Christ.

Pray and ask God to go before and behind them...to hedge them in and keep them solid.

OOOH! It's really exciting stuff!

God never ceases to amaze me. I love Him so much and can't wait to be with Him one day soon!

Love you, LORD!!!!!

Love ya'll too!
Jes

I've been tagged...

Shawn has tagged me and given me the challenge to tell you 5 things about myself that most people don't know.

So here goes....

1. When I go to the theatre and see a really great movie, I always leave crying because I so passionately want to make great films and/or great theatre, and have wanted to do that all of my life.

2. I was invited to audition for the Julliard School when I was a senior in High School...the reason that it didn't happen isn't worth going into, but it was a huge honor to be invited.

3. Just after I gave my life to Jesus, when I was 29, the Lord tugged and tugged at my heart to pick up the phone and call my friend Paul and tell him what a hypocrite I had been for all the years that he had known me.

Paul was an athiest, yet it was clear that he wanted there to be a God...it's just that many of his friends were like me...we talked Christianity and yet lived just like the world. We were believers that Jesus had died on the cross..yet, had not submitted our lives to His ownership. HUGE difference!

So, I kept feeling tugged by God, but didn't call Paul because I had just married Shane and all I could think was "it's not right to have male friends anymore".

Several weeks later, a mutual friend of Paul's and mine called to catch up with Shane and me. I asked him at that time how "Paulie" was, and the phone went dead.

I said, "I have just heard...just this week, of 2 friends who killed themselves...if you tell me that Paul killed himself, I'm hanging up the phone!"

All he could say was, "He did, Jes. He did."

Paul's suicide framed the rest of my life. I'll never again pause when I know that the Lord is calling me to share the good news of the love and forgiveness that Jesus offers us. Never!

My life today is focused on sharing the Gospel with the lost, and on teaching people how to study God's Word for themselves.

4. I studied acting with Dennis and Randy Quaid's acting coach, Cecil Pickett. He was brilliant.

5. Every night, without fail, I go into my childrens' bedrooms after they are fast asleep, and I lean over their sweet little cheeks, and I kiss them and tell them what blessings they are...and how much I love them. I want that to be the last thing that they hear every night. They are such amazing, precious kids!

Now I tag:
Stephanie
Laura
Davina
Melissa

Lessons from Genesis

In the kids' Precept Bible study class, we're studying Genesis. Today we went through the whole 1st chapter of Genesis and I asked the kids the 5W and an H questions...

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

It was so awesome to help them learn how to interrogate the text of Scripture.

They got to see, from God's Word, that all the animals, and plants, and trees, and fish...etc., all of them were made "after their kind".

We talked at length about how doggies bear puppies, and cats bear kittens, and cherry trees grow fruit in keeping with what they are...cherry trees bear cherries.

BUT...man and woman were not made "after their kind"...they were made in the image of God.

They learned who the "Us" is in "Let Us make man in Our own image".

We talked about how when the little girls in the class grow up, they won't have baby monkeys or baby fish..they'll have baby humans, per God's design.

And we talked about how not one of us in the class was carried in the womb of an ape.

And when I asked them how they knew this to be true...they GOT IT! Yeah! They said, "Because that's what the Bible says!" !

Hooray!

These kids are LITTLE...most of them...the youngest is 4, and already she is learning that God's Word is absolute.

They also learned that the first thing that God blessed was the animals...and we talked about why they thought that was...the answers were precious.

Then we talked about how God blessed man and woman...and how that truth makes us so very special to God....and that the fact that God made us in His Own image....how very unique and important that makes us.

They also learned that we will rule over the angels one day...they thought that was awesome! :)

I never expected to love teaching these little ones so much...I just took on the endeavor in obedience to God's call to do so...

But, oh my goodness! It's such an honor to be used by God to plant such amazing, eternal seeds of Truth in their little minds!

I love them so much!

What a gift to be a part of their lives!

God's Blessings...

The other day my son told me that when he had recently had a friend over to play, that they went into the pantry and got out some food, and were about to eat it. But, he told his friend that they shouldn't do it, because he knew that I wouldn't want them to.

So, he put it back.

Well, the day that he told me this story, he was sitting at the breakfast table with a plate full of freshly cooked eggs and toast.

But, I went to my "candy stash" cabinet and got some m&ms and put some on his plate, without saying anything.

Then, I put some on his sister's plate too.

He then said, "Mom, what is this for?".

I explained, " I am giving you a blessing because you chose to obey, even when I wasn't there to know if you would or not. That is true obedience, son...choosing to obey when no one is around to notice."

So of course his next comment was, "But Brennan didn't do it...I did!".

To which I said, "Caedmon, one of the greatest parts of learning to walk in obedience is learning the truth that when you obey, you often times end up being blessed, and many times...others are blessed too."

I then shared with him the story of Noah. In Genesis 6, we see that Noah walked with God. He was obedient to God, and the Bible says that he's the only one that God found who was.

Yet, because of Noah, God chose to bless his wife and sons and their wives too.

It was such a great opportunity to teach my children from God's Word, and give them an example of application in their own lives. :)

That was one of those days when I just kept thanking God that I am able to homeschool them. The day was rich with living examples of God's precepts being lived out in their lives.

Off to sleep now...
Nightie Night!
Jes

Studying the Christmas Story Instead of Just Reading It

It occurred to me that I have never really studied the Christmas story.

Sure, I had read it...or portions of it many times. But, I had never really studied it.

So, this week, I have started my new endeavor...to study the story of the birth of Jesus from each of the gospels.

I'm learning a lot! So many subtle nuances are there, clearly for an inspired purpose...yet easily lost if I'm just reading, and not digging in.

So, I have started taking a lot of notes on what I'm learning, and chief among them is a list of prophesies that Jesus (Yeshua) fulfilled. Over and over again, the Scriptures from the gospels quote Scripture from the books of the prophets in the Old Testament.

Amazing to see them come to fruition through Yeshua.

Also...this year we are celebrating Hanukkah for the first time. Wow! We are learning so many things! Just tonight the children and I were talking about Judah Maccabee, and how God helped him and his army of men
re-take control of Jerusalem, even though their numbers were quite smaller than those of the Syrians under Antiochus.

Not surprising, though. We see that picture over and over in the Old Testament...God often reduced the size of the army before He led Israel into battle...so that God would get the glory, instead of man.

And to think...He did it again for the Maccabees!

Guess that throws that whole, "God was through with the Jews a long time ago...and now the church has become the new Israel" garbage right out the door, doesn't it?

God's faithfulness for Israel has never ended.

Or, if you need more proof...how about the Yom Kippur war?
Or, the re-establishment of Israel as a state?
Or, Or, Or....I could go on and on.

God loves Israel! They are now, have always been, and will always be...His people.

Genesis tells us that He will bless those who bless Israel and will curse those who curse Israel.

That's pretty crystal to me.

Praise be to God...we are grafted into Israel! We are one through Yeshua! There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile, because we are one through Christ...who fulfilled the law and brought us all under grace.

Praise God!
Happy Hanukkah!

I feel like I'm back in college!

I know that I haven't been posting much lately, and it's not because I haven't been IN the Word...it's more because I've just been trying to understand all that I've been learning.

I guess I've been busy processing. :)

I'm reading a book by Kay Arthur right now. It's a historical novel called,
"Israel, My Beloved".

Truly, I am learning so much about the history of the nation of Israel from this book. I know that it's all in the Old Testament...and I'm not for a minute discounting the Bible. It's just that unless I'm doing an inductive study of the Old Testament, one book at a time, there is still much of it that I don't understand.

So...this historical novel is teaching me SO much!

I am so grieved as I read what the Jewish people have lived through, and the vast majority of it has been in the name of Christianity. (Christianity in the wrong hands!)

It breaks my heart!

I recently called the "church"..and I use that term loosely...that I was brought up in, to ask them what their stance on Israel is.

I thought I remembered that they taught this...and sadly, my memory was correct.

They teach that God is done with Israel until the tribulation ( or maybe it was until the mellenial reign of Christ...either way, they are wrong..dead wrong ).

That is such a lie from satan!

Israel is still God's chosen people. That has never changed, nor will it ever change. He makes that clear over and over and over again in His Word...both the Old AND the New Testaments!

We, the nations, are blessed to be "grafted in to The Olive Tree". The olive tree is Israel.

You see, even in the New Testament, we are told that the Gospel is first for the Jew and then for the Greek ( the Gentile...that's anyone who isn't a Jew).

I have a friend who is a Jewish believer, and he says that when a Jew discovers that Yeshua ( Jesus' Hebrew name ) is the promised Messiah of Israel, and accepts Him as their own, that it's "like coming home"..."like the sweetest homecoming ever". Those were his words.

Wow! That's powerful!

See what a lie like "God is done with the Jews until the mellenial reign" can do to God's plan for His very own chosen people?!

A lie like that keeps the Gentile, the nations, from sharing the Gospel with the Jews.

If you think about it, that's like stealing! Yeshua is the PROMISED MESSIAH OF ISRAEL! He is theirs! He belongs to them first, then to us!

Did you know that during the Spanish Inquisition, Jews were told to "accept the cross or die"?!

Can you imagine treating someone like that today?

Please...if God has blessed you and put Jewish people in your life...please, love them. Show them the love of Yeshua. Lay down your life for them, as He did for you.

We took our kids to see The Nativity recently, and afterward Brennan and I were talking about some of the things in the movie. She asked me some questions about what it meant to be Jewish.

It was so wonderful to be able to explain to her that God loves the Jews with all of His heart...and that they are his chosen people. That He made covenants with them that He honors to this day.

I also told her that as a Christian, she was always to stand up for Jewish people. Always.

I told her that if she is ever playing and hears someone making fun of a Jewish child, based upon their race, that she is to always stand up for them...to protect them as best she can.

I told her that she is never to make fun of someone for being a Jew, because they are very precious to God, and that if she were to do that, it would dishonor Him.

I'm amazed that I'm 36 years old, and I'm just now learning about the horrific things that God's people have had to endure because of man's pride and sin.

I guess the truth of it all was hidden from me through the "God is through with the Jews until Jesus comes again" lie. That still grieves my heart so much!

"Accept the cross or die"...can you imagine how much that grieved the LORD?

It makes sense, doesn't it. God's chosen people are the Jews, and Yeshua was Jewish.

God promised them a King from the line of David. Yeshua fulfilled that....and tons of other Old Testament prophesies about the Messiah.

I'll post them as I learn them.

As sad as I am that I'm just now learning these things...I'm so happy that I am learning them. It's never too late, right?

In Him,
Jes