Christian, Jews

Understanding Noble Character in Berean Jews

1-minute devotion for Friday, 7/18/25

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 (emphasis mine)

What does noble character mean?

virtuous, good, honorable, honest, upright, upstanding, decent, worthy,  uncorrupted, moral, ethical, reputable

A person of noble character will examine the Scriptures to find truth. They do not examine the Scriptures to prove their own opinion. Big difference.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian

Renew Your Strength: Hope in the Lord

Meditation for Thursday, 7/17/25

“Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Quote of the Week, 7/16/25

“Confidence that one’s impressions are God-given is no guarantee that this is really so, even when they persist and grow stronger through long seasons of prayer. Bible-based wisdom must judge them.”
― J.I. Packer

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Finding Strength in Psalm 18

1-minute devotional for Tuesday, 7/15/25

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:16-19 (emphasis mine) Read full chapter

A song of David when the Lord delivered him from the hand of Saul and all his enemies.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Finding Hope Through Perseverance

1-minute read for Monday, 7-14/25

” … but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4 Read full chapter

Persevere: to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement (Dictionary.com)

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Jews

Let Your Light Shine

Sunday’s Memory Verse for 7/13/25

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel … Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 KJV

Christian

Satan’s Big Lie

When you are dealing with grief, suffering, or pain, Jesus can relate to you in a very personal way. He has experienced it himself. He understands your hurt. Let Him comfort you.

Who is this great Comforter? God calls Him, “my righteous servant“. (Isaiah 53:11)

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.” Isaiah 53:3

********************

Did you know that the Lord can set you free in an instant, just like that? That’s what happened to me. After years of believing a lie, I am finally free. What was Satan’s strategy to defeat me?

It was getting me to think that the “one thing” I couldn’t have was what I needed to be happy.

You would think I could have figured that out, but I didn’t, not until the Lord revealed it to me Himself.

After a time of prayer, I’m not sure why, but I decided to look up Charles Stanley on YouTube. I had heard of him, but had never listened to one of his sermons, and someone had mentioned him at my Bible Study the day before.

I picked a sermon called, “Satan’s Strategy to Defeat Us.” Totally unaware of what was about to happen, I listened to the sermon. Have you ever experienced this? In a sermon, the minister says one specific thing and you know God is speaking directly to you. You almost want to slyly glance around and see if everyone is looking at you!

That’s what happened to me that day. Dr. Stanley said that if you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired, that’s when you are vulnerable for a Satanic attack. My ears perked up. Then, Dr. Stanley explained that Satan’s strategy was to make you want the one thing you can’t have. I knew God had led me to this sermon. It was no accident.

Remember what happened to Adam and Eve? Satan got them to believe that they needed the one thing they couldn’t have. There was only one thing they couldn’t have: fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. I have a feeling that fruit looked a lot tastier than it actually was. (Is it possible that we magnify that “one thing” and make it bigger and better than it really is?)

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me and I ate.” (Genesis 3:13)

Satan is still deceiving people with that same lie. He will make you think that to be happy, you need the one thing you can’t have. That is a lie. There is no “one thing” you need to be happy, except the Lord Jesus Christ.

On the same day, I just happened to be on Isaiah 54 in my daily reading plan.

“For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth.” Isaiah 54:5 NIV

“Though the mountains be shaken
    and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
    nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10 NIV

The “one thing” you think you need to be happy could be any number of things: a baby, a spouse, or a home. Fill in the blank. But that is Satan’s strategy to defeat you. Don’t believe it. You are not condemned to a life of sadness, ever!

And, if you hear someone say, “The Lord is all I need”, those words might mean more than you ever imagined. There might be a story that brought her to that realization and now she can say with confidence,

“You may never know that Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have.” 

Corrie ten boom, Survivor of Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Read about Corrie’s trust in Jesus during WW II in her famous book, The Hiding Place.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Jews

The Call to Make Disciples

1-minute devotion for Friday, 7/11/25

Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (emphasis mine)

Making a disciple is more than leading someone in the sinner’s prayer. It includes teaching and supporting them in their faith. Making a disciple is a tall order and not one that someone can easily accomplish alone. The Church must work together, each one doing his part. We must ask ourselves: Am I doing my part?

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

The Truth About Declarations: Biblical vs New Age Views

1-minute read for Friday, 7/10/25

“Who can speak and have it happen
    if the Lord has not decreed it?” Lamentations 3:37 NIV

Although some view declarations as a way to manifest desired outcomes, that’s not what the Bible teaches us. They say, “Start building your faith today by speaking these declarations of faith for your finances, healing and relationships.”

The concept of making declarations, particularly affirmations and decrees, is strongly associated with New Age spirituality.

But as the verse above says, we cannot speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it.

For a more in-depth study of this topic, please see these posts from Reasoned Cases for Christ:

Framework Series – Through the Maze of Evangelical Christianity – Word of Faith Movement – Part 1 of 2

Framework Series – Through the Maze of Evangelical Christianity – Word of Faith Movement – Part 2 of 2

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Quote of the Week, 7/9/25

“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.”

Charles Spurgeon

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog