Tag: Blog

He is the Lion & the Lamb

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“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.11.6.ESV

“And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/rev.5.5.ESV

“They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of Lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭17‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/rev.17.14.ESV

THERE IS NO ONE, NO THING LIKE OUR GOD

There will be a day when mercy and judgement kiss. On that glorious day we will know peace at a level that we’ve not ever experienced.

God is the lion of Judah who has and will conquer our enemy for all of eternity;

He is equally the lamb who was slain that redeemed me from the hands of death, the evil one, the sin that taunts me even on today, and my God, that Lion of Judah, that pure spotless Lamb, will rule and reign forever more.

21-Days of Prayer and Fasting

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Daniel Fast Journal Prompts

“Setting our hearts to understand” (Daniel 10:12)

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”
‭‭Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/jol.2.12-13.ESV

Day 5 – Repentance & Cleansing

Scripture: Joel 2:12–13

Why: Fasting is often paired with repentance—not to earn forgiveness, but to realign with grace.

Prompt: What repentance is God inviting me into?

21-Days of Prayer and Fasting

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Daniel Fast Journal Prompts

“Setting our hearts to understand” (Daniel 10:12)

Day 4 – Spiritual Hunger

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.5.6.ESV

Scripture: Matthew 5:6

Why: Physical hunger trains the soul to recognize its deeper need for righteousness.

Prompt: What does my soul hunger for more than food?

21-Days of Prayer and Fasting

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Daniel Fast Journal Prompts

“Setting our hearts to understand” (Daniel 10:12)

Day 3 – Humility Before God

Scripture: Daniel 9:3

“Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭9‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/dan.9.3.ESV

Why: Scripture ties fasting to humility; it lowers the soul so God may be exalted.

Prompt: Where do I need to humble myself before the Lord?

21 Days of Fasting and Praying

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Day 2 – Seeking God, Not Control

Journal prompts

“Setting our hearts to understand” (Daniel 10:12)

“Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭7‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/zec.7.5.ESV

Why: Biblical fasting redirects motivation—from self-discipline to God-dependence.

Prompt: Am I fasting to change God’s hand or to change my heart?

21 days of fasting and praying

Journal prompts…

12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. (‭‭‭Daniel‬ ‭10‬‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Over the next 21 days we will seek together, a deeper understanding of Daniel 10:12.

Day 1 – Consecration Begins

Scripture: Daniel 1:8

“But Daniel resolved that he
would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that
he drank. Therefore he asked
the chief of the eunuchs
to allow him not to defile himself.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/dan.1.8.ESV

Why: Fasting begins with a decision of the heart. Daniel’s fast was not about diet alone, but devotion—choosing holiness over comfort.

Prompt: What convictions is God asking me to set in my heart before this fast begins?

Prayer

“Don’t fret or worry.
Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it,
a sense of God’s wholeness,
everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when
Christ displaces worry at the center
of your life.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭MSG‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/97/php.4.6-7.MSG

It seems as though telling myself not to fret or worry, seems a bit unrealistic. However, if God says to not do it, then what do I do instead, and how do I put this into practical application?

Theses are the steps, I believe, convert our/my worries into prayers and into conversations with God instead.

  1. Believe God is listening: In order to believe God is listening we must believe that He exists to lead and guide us. “Look at this: look Who got picked by God! He listens the split second I call to him.” Psalms‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬ ‭MSG‬‬
    “I yell out to my God, I yell with all my might, I yell at the top of my lungs. He listens.”
    ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭77‬:‭1‬ ‭MSG‬‬
  2. Believe God is for us: God loves us. He truly wants what’s best for us. “Pushed to the wall, I called to God; from the wide open spaces, he answered. God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid; who would dare lay a hand on me? God’s my strong champion; I flick off my enemies like flies. Far better to take refuge in God than trust in people; Far better to take refuge in God than trust in celebrities.
    ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭118‬:‭5‬-‭7MSG‬‬
  3. Believe God sees us: God already knows what we struggle with, what we celebrate and sees us. He is watching, waiting to be invited into, not only our struggles, but our celebrations too. “God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful— I can’t take it all in!”
    ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭MSG‬‬
  4. Believe God is who He says He is: This is probably the most important step. The previous three steps are much more challenging to apply if we don’t simply take God at His word, in His Word. “If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God’s testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God’s own testimony regarding his Son.”
    ‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭MSG‬‬
    “The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written, I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I’ll expose so-called experts as crackpots. So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered stupid—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.”
    ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭21‬ ‭MSG‬‬
    “What you say goes, God, and stays, as permanent as the heavens. Your truth never goes out of fashion; it’s as up-to-date as the earth when the sun comes up. Your Word and truth are dependable as ever; that’s what you ordered—you set the earth going. If your revelation hadn’t delighted me so, I would have given up when the hard times came. But I’ll never forget the advice you gave me; you saved my life with those wise words. Save me! I’m all yours. I look high and low for your words of wisdom. The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me, but I’m only concerned with your plans for me. I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can’t contain your commands!”
    ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭89‬-‭96‬ ‭MSG‬‬
  5. Believe for Salvation: It is crucial that we believe that Christ died for our eternal salvation. That He came so that we can be with Him for all of eternity. “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.”
    ‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭MSG‬‬
  6. Believe you have Access to the presence of God: The Holy Spirit is the person of God that leads us while we wait for Christ to return. This encounter with God, counters every lie and misleading of this lost world. “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.”
    ‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭MSG‬‬
  7. Believe prayer is talking directly to God. Prayer is our direct line to God in heaven. Our CEO, HR and advocate all wrapped into one. There is no being put on hold or AI generated phone service, He speaks in every language (because He designed us and every language that represents us), He sees you, He hears you and is eager to guide you on the perfect plan and purpose for your life. Below are some verses on prayer: “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.”
    ‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭MSG‬‬
    “God can’t stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers.”
    ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15‬:‭8‬ ‭MSG‬‬
    “God keeps his distance from the wicked; he closely attends to the prayers of God-loyal people.”
    ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15‬:‭29‬ ‭MSG‬‬
    “God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing! Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers.”
    ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭141‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭MSG‬‬
    “I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms— I’m celebrating your rescue. I’m singing at the top of my lungs, I’m so full of answered prayers.”
    ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭MSG‬‬

I am truly leaving today’s blog with such encouragement of these collection of verses. I pray that we each have a God-encounter, that we take prayer more serious but also more reachable and accessible than we did before. That today is a day that we celebrate the access we have to God, to His Plan and Purpose for our individual lives and for the corporate good of the Church. That prayer is a first thought to our day not a last resort to life’s problems. Amen!

““Yes, indeed—God is my salvation. I trust, I won’t be afraid. God—yes God!—is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation!””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭MSG‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/97/isa.12.2.MSG

#prayer #strength #joy #salvation #believe

Identity

We’re reading this book for one of my classes & this is what I want more than anything: I hope I read, meditate on, ponder, “Selah”, the Bible with the same confidence in my identity in Christ, as Jesus did when He read the prophecies that were being fulfilled, in His lifetime, by His very existence. #Identity #Truth #God #Selah #Bible

Friend of God

I am a friend of God

“It is only when you understand the transcendence of God that you see how amazing his immanence is, and what a huge privilege it is to be able to enjoy intimate friendship with God.”

The Bible with Nick and Pippa Gumble, Classic version 2025, day 33

We get to have an intimate relationship and friendship with God.

Transcendence means: God exists apart from, and is not subject to the limitations of, the material universe. He is above and beyond, surpassing and excelling, greatly superior to us. 

Immanence means: it is possible to experience his immediate friendship.

What that spoke to me was, God doesn’t need me, He wants to be in my life, just because of the me He created, to be a deep, intimate friend to Him. He owes me nothing. He gave me life.

The real question is: “What will I do with the gift of life, He gave me?” Knowing that He did not HAVE to create me or you, but He did. Knowing this, leads to the realization that you and I must have a purpose. The meaning of that gift of life given to you and me, is to find out why & then use every ounce of breath we have in our lungs doing exactly that.

Psalms 25:14-15 the Message

Lord, You are my creator as well as my best friend. Help me remember that if and when I lose sight of that. Amen.

#friend #hope #life #bible #truth

Are you lost? Do you want to be found?

When I Fall by Katy Nicole

Are you lost? Christians and non-Christians alike hit seasons in their life when everything feels like it’s falling apart. Good news, feelings are not facts, they’re just feelings and this too shall pass. If you’re anything like me that last sentence made you cringe, a little angry or if you’re willing, gave you a different perspective. Which leads me to my next question.

Do you want to be found? Specifically, by God? Most of us put God in a corner, in our most desperate times, in an attempt to fix the problem ourselves. We fail to realize, God, doesn’t care how you got there, He only cares that you want Him in all areas of your life. Even the messy parts, yes, the really messy stuff that you probably even contributed to, rather indirectly or directly. God just wants to be with you. That’s why He created you. You were created for the sole purpose of being in relationship with God. It was His plan before you were ever born.

No matter where you’ve been. No matter what you’ve done or how far you’ve run, He’s there, waiting to find you. So I’ll ask you again, “Do you want to be found, by Him? Are you aware that you’re lost and need Him?”

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Dear Lord, I am lost and ready to be found by YOU! Like a wandering sheep, I had no idea how bad things would get apart from You. I just want to be in Your presence, in Your care and lead by You. Amen

#salvation #lost #found #fall

My favorite day of the week

Give it all…“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/eph.3.20.ESV

Sundays are my favorite day of the week. I get to go worship the one true God that has led me through my darkest hour yet also has shared in my joy in my most celebrated moments. He is truly my most prized possession.

I don’t deserve it, I couldn’t earn any of it, yet here I am emptying all my junk on Him while He pours out mercy, love and grace to me. Sundays, I get to celebrate this God who is not mad at me, but madly in love with me, with other believers.

It’s mind blowing that He, the uncreated one who created everything…

“Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. They cried out to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭BSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.22.3-5.BSB

Today, is a great day to go be with people that believe what God says, about everything. We need His guidance, His wisdom, His direction. Today, I challenge you to go to church.

Current events

Lost or Saved?

What have we come to as a nation when we call good evil and evil good?

After the attempted assassination of our former president, Donald J Trump, I saw posts making light of it. Some even said it was staged after one innocent bystander was killed by a stray bullet and two others are in critical condition.

We can do better than this. I believe that when a nation honors God, Biblical principles and has a conscience for truth, we do better.

Let’s take our eyes off political opponents, media hype, misleading headlines and simply look up. God does not need to be found, He needs to be invited into our mess so He can clean it up.

Would you consider inviting God into your mess today?

Party like it’s 1776

Cotton Candy bigger than her face

Fourth of July is more like a week long event of carnivals, parades, BBQ’s, and of course, fireworks. My hope is that though none of those things are bad, in fact, all are very good, we realize what happened on this day, hundreds of years ago.

It’s our Independence Day. It’s the day that we put everything on the line by signing the Declaration of Independence. If we won the American Revolutionary War, we would be free from all British rule but if they won, we would lose everything and once again, be under the British regime.

As we play patriotic songs, light up the grill, shoot off the fireworks, take a minute, close your eyes, face up to the sky, arms raised high and thank the good Lord, the brave men that led the way for the Independence you and your family have, because of today.

God bless! And God bless America! From sea to shining sea!

Independently, dependent on my sweet Jesus

Religious Freedom

As an American writer and Christian, I must pause, every year to reflect on my religious freedoms. Many people that I’ve met throughout the years have shared their fight to acquire these freedoms that I have never been without.

With that introduction as a backdrop, I am here to express my sincere gratitude for my country, my faith, my church and my family. The United States is not perfect. We still experience growing pains from remaining to be the melting pot of the world. I want to thank everyone prior to me that fought for the freedoms my family and I enjoy to this day.

I highly recommend listening to Max McClean’s reading of the Declaration of the United States of America.

May you have a blessed Independence Day!

Nothing but the rest

“This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil,
addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.””
‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭MSG‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/97/jhn.3.19-21.MSG

Nothing but the rest of God’s promises wake us up to how truly evil darkness is. Like the sun that rises every morning pushes back the darkness, so does God’s light; as we allow it to enter in our hearts and push out the sin, often done in the dark.

Once we understand that darkness only exists in the absence of light, it is then, and only then, that we understand that we have the power and authority to let the light in.

My prayer for us today is that we choose to let the light of God’s love, truth and promises open up the floodgates of light, to expose, push back and push out every dark space in our lives so that we can illuminate in God’s light. So that we can be a light that leads others to God’s light. In Jesus name, AMEN!

What steps can you take today to welcome God’s light into your life?

Reading, writing and living

Obedience over sacrifice

As I read my daily devotional, I take notice of this habit that took me years to form. Reading God’s word inspires me to write from the heart and live out the life that God promises me.

I’m starting to get an understanding that obedience is far more valuable to God and my’s relationship, than sacrifice. Ultimately my obedience is a sacrifice. When I obey, I sacrifice the desires of my sinful nature, the ability, to sabotage the promises God has for me. Obedience over sacrifice. It’s a way of living. It’s a decision to follow Christ, to follow His character, until I reflect who He is in me.

Living to please God instead of people is a result of my daily indulgence in His living word. This lifestyle was bread out of committing to my daily time with God, as well as studying, memorizing and meditating on the Bible.

What has been your source of nurturing your relationship with God?

Dysfunction and stuff

Thinking about this verse this morning as I grieve the loss of my cousin, Jesse. His sweet kind soul, did not deserve to be entangled in our dysfunctional mess of a family.

As we become determined not to repeat the cycles of our dysfunctional family, never underestimate the damage that is done but furthermore never underestimate God and His redemptive love as He teaches us how to break these cycles.

The emotional and mental carnage should be the motivation of our dedication to change gears so that our children will rise above the ashes of that dysfunction.

We can’t change the past but we can surely work on our present. Do the right thing, even when it’s hard. Maximize the God in you, so He can shine through you, which leads to impacting those around you.

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Father me, Father

Father me, Father

I remember the day I lost you, the moment I forgot what your voice sounded like. Both heartbreaking 😢💔Happy Father’s Day in heaven Daddy 💕 top left pic is my last Christmas with my dad and top right was the last trip we took to Kentucky together to see Papaw. He was showing me how to use the recorder so we could send messages back and forth to each other while we were apart. The bottom two pics just remind me I always have a little bit of him with me.

“Your wings were ready but my heart was not” author unknown 🙏🏻

Hiding away in Your love
It covers all my pain
Hold me now in Your heart
Hear me now in Your mind
See me move this mountain
With You at my side
Weak and trembling I fall
Bold and courageous I rise
My hand in Yours
Your love covers me
It beats away my pain

K. Howard
June 15, 2017
#k4gsuspoetry
Psalm 34:18
I would say God definitely is my promise keeper, my papa-daddy, the lover of my soul and the healer of my broken-heart. He’s a good good Father for sure. #moments #thinkabouteternalthings #thatJesuslife #nothingwasted #goodgoodfather #coldcase #fathermefather #fatherless #grief

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Stopping, throwing stones

Stopping, throwing stones

We as a community, especially those engrossed in social media platforms, have gotten too comfortable fact checking, comparing, and just overall sticking our nose in, other people’s business.

The Bible speaks of a woman caught in the act of adultery. She was used by the Pharisees to put Jesus on the spot to act on the law at that time. But Jesus had a different plan to rehabilitate this offender. The law said she was to be stoned to death but mercy said, “He who has never sinned, cast the first stone,” John 8:6-8

We need to be careful to hold ourselves as accountable as we would others.

They asked this to trap him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse him.

6 Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7 When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. John 8:6-8 (CSB Version)

Lord, we need to hold ourselves accountable more than we do others. Amen,

Happy Resurrection Day!

Death could not hold Him down!

Just when the enemy thought he’d won, the stone began to roll, Jesus rose with a good morning stretch, folded His grave clothes, and placed them on the alter. (My paraphrase)

You may feel defeated but thank God feelings are not fact. They are simply an indicator to what’s going on inside your heart and soul. Like the indicator light on the dashboard of a vehicle. The fact is, we win with Jesus. Every time, every day, every circumstance. Not even death could hold Him down, darkness cannot comprehend His light. Defeat is impossible when all things are possible with Jesus.

Today is a great day to resurrect the living God in your heart.

Prayer

Lord, I believe that You were born of a virgin, sent by God the Father, to conquer sin and death for me. You were crucified, and on the third day, You rose from the dead. You ascended onto heaven and are preparing a place for all who believe! I believe! Help me with my doubt as I walk this out! In Jesus name, amen!