Devotion for Monday, 7/13/26
This post from Alan Kearns at Devotional Treasure impacted me in a powerful way.
“One may mourn over the loss of a loved one or of possessions, one can also mourn over sin, and the results of it in life…” Alan Kearns
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6 NASB
Photo by Dima Kapralov on Unsplash
RealChristianWomen.blog
1-Minute Devotion for Sunday, 7/12/26
The first thing I do every morning is to read and study my Bible. (Well, after I feed and walk Henry, my Yorkie. As you know, he is very bossy.)
When we get back, he gets in his dog bed and sleeps for a couple of hours. And I open my Bible.
This is my favorite time of the day. Do you know why? It’s because the Bible speaks to me every day, and so it becomes more dear to me every time I read it.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV (emphasis mine)
No other book in the world can do that, only the Bible. The word translated as “alive” is the Greek word zao. It is the same word Jesus used when He said,
“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 NIV (emphasis mine)
Scripture is life-giving, not merely instructive, because the Bible is God speaking to you and me.
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6 NASB
RealChristianWomen.blog
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us… if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;” Romans 12:6,8 (Emphasis mine)
The Bible commands us to encourage one another. The following is a list of ways we can encourage someone.
HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE ENCOURAGER
1. Listen. Listening is better than talking. We need to give the person we want to encourage focused attention. That means we are carefully listening to them, not just waiting for our turn to talk. (Ouch!) Having someone listen is the best medicine for a hurting heart.
2. Provide affirmation before offering help. This validates their feelings and struggles.
3. Be compassionate and caring. The thing your friend needs most may not be answers, but just someone to talk to, someone who cares, so they can share their hurts or worries safely.
4. Do not pretend to know what they are going through or tell them what happened to you.
5. Write them an encouraging note. Believe it or not, two or three sentences can turn a person’s day around. I have received many encouraging notes over the decades, and I have kept many of them to this day.
6. Pray for them and let them know you are praying.
Maybe the Holy Spirit will lead you to pray in a certain way. Or maybe He will guide you in what to say. Or maybe He just wants you to show love and compassion. If your friend wants your advice, she will probably ask for it.
For some, being an encourager is a spiritual gift, but it is something we must all do. Let the Lord guide you to those who need your encouragement.
I can’t tell you how many times a comment someone left on my blog turned my day around. Many times, the Holy Spirit is encouraging me through their message, but they probably had no idea how timely it was. In fact, this happens quite often.
“Encourage the disheartened” 1 Thessalonians 5:14
To be disheartened means to have lost hope, courage, or enthusiasm. It is a state of feeling discouraged, demoralized, or dispirited, often as a result of experiencing setbacks, failure, or unexpected difficulties. (Dictionary.com)
The definition of encouragement is: “The act of inspiring others with renewed courage, a renewed spirit, or renewed hope.”
Look around. People who need encouragement are all around you. Ask God to help you reach out to them.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
Note: I have learned a lot about encouragement from David Jeremiah’s book, The Joy of Encouragement. I think you would, too.
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6 NASB
Photo: Getty Images for Unsplash+
RealChristianWomen.blog
For Your Reflection, Tuesday, 7/7/26
I have been reading in my Bible about the kings and prophets of Israel. Much of it is prophecy, and I have found it fascinating because it explains a lot about our times. And there are many lessons for the Church in these pages, too. I am referring to all the books of the prophets, plus 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles.
As I finish up this important study, I wonder why so many pastors ignore Bible prophecy. How is it even possible?
“Out of the 216 chapters found in the entire New Testament, did you know there are 318 references to the Second Coming of Christ? That means if you were to omit passages about prophecy, you would have to remove one out of every thirty verses in the New Testament. You would also have to skip 23 of the 27 New Testament books because that’s how many mention it. For every prophecy about the birth of Christ, there are eight about His Second Coming. Considering prophecy’s prominence in the Bible, how could any believer call it unimportant?”
Dr. David Jeremiah
And that’s just in the New Testament! Bible Scholars estimate that 27% to 28% of the Old Testament is prophecy. That’s a lot of the Bible to ignore! So I did some research to find out why.
One Christian author, Steve Lampman, suggests that fear is to blame (And we know where fear comes from: SATAN). Steve says,
“Fear of showing their lack of knowledge on the subject. Fear pastors may have of offending or scaring church members. Maybe the fear that people will stop coming and stop giving to support the church. Or maybe it’s the fear of them looking like a fringe group who take things to an extreme when other churches pulpits are silent on the subject. … There are many pastors who remain silent on Bible prophecy because they don’t understand and were never taught it in seminary. ”
Steve Miller also attributes fear as the reason prophecy is not being taught in the church:
Before I began this research, I didn’t expect to find that fear would be the culprit behind this neglect. But it seems to be so.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13 NASB
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6 NASB
Photo by HAN Mengqi on Unsplash
SOURCES:
https://www.stevelampman.com/why-pastors-dont-teach-on-one-quarter-of-the-bible/
https://harvestprophecy.com/why-are-some-churches-reluctant-to-teach-bible-prophecy
RealChristianWomen.blog
Reflection for Monday, 7/6/26
“Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.” 1 Kings 18:3-4 NIV
A MESSAGE FROM AMIR TSARFATI
“As the man in charge of Ahab’s household, Obadiah found himself serving in the highest levels of a corrupt and godless government. Yet when Jezebel began slaughtering the prophets of the Lord, he quietly hid one hundred of them in two caves, fifty in each, and provided them with bread and water.
What a reminder for us today.
God may place you in a position of influence where you are surrounded by ungodliness and compromise. He hasn’t put you there for fame, success, or fortune. He has placed you there to serve Him in places where others have no access and to be a faithful witness in the midst of darkness.
When I was appointed deputy governor of Jericho at the age of twenty-one, I knew it was my faith that led the colonel to choose a lieutenant as his second-in-command. My promotion defied both logic and military convention, yet the governor sensed something in me that made him trust me more than others. I never hid my faith from him, even though he was an Orthodox Jew.
You may not be an Elijah- with all the bold confrontations, dramatic moments, and public displays of power.
But maybe, just maybe, you’re an Obadiah.
And that is no less significant in the kingdom of God.
Courage, faithfulness, and truth are rare commodities these days.
The Bible is filled with ordinary men and women whom God used to make an extraordinary difference in the lives of many.
Be one of them.”
A Message from Amir Tsarfati, on his Telegram Channel
Telegram is the one-stop shop for daily updates from Amir related to current events in the Middle East and what’s taking place around the world. Connect with Amir and Behold Israel HERE.
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6 NASB
RealChristianWomen.blog
1-Minute Devotion for Tuesday, 6/30/26
“For myself, I long ago decided that I would rather know the truth than be happy in ignorance. If I can not have both truth and happiness, give me truth. We’ll have a long time to be happy in heaven.”
― A.W. Tozer
Jesus said, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 NIV
“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 NIV
“All your words are true;
all your righteous laws are eternal.” Psalm 119:160 NIV
The Old and New Testaments both affirm that the words recorded in the Bible are God’s words and that they are true. There are over 100 verses that affirm this. We thank God for this precious gift, the Bible!
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6 NASB
RealChristianWomen.blog
Quote of the Week for Wednesday, 6/24/26
God calls His children to study, understand and defend the truth because the truth does matter to God. Faith, in and of itself, is not what God is looking for. It’s not enough to be sincere or intense. Faith, in and of itself, has no magic power. It’s a faithful, reasonable trust in the truth that matters to God. Trust placed in the correct and true God of the universe is what matters to God. That’s why God is so particular about truth and calls us to have an accurate understanding of who He is. And that’s why God has called us to treat heresy very seriously.
J. Warner Wallace
This quote was taken from the article, How Should Christians Respond to Heresy?
“Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.” 2 John 9-11 NIV (emphasis mine)
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6 NASB
Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash+
RealChristianWomen.blog
1-Minute Devotion for Monday, 6/22/26
“I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible.” D.L. Moody
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
The first meeting I ever saw him at was in a little old shanty that had been abandoned by a saloon-keeper. Mr. Moody had got the place to hold the meetings at night. I went there a little late; and the first thing I saw was a man standing up with a few tallow candles around him, holding a negro boy, and trying to read to him the story of the Prodigal Son and a great many words he could not read out, and had to skip. I thought, ‘If the Lord can ever use such an instrument as that for His honor and glory, it will astonish me.’ As a result of his tireless labor, within a year the average attendance at his school was 650, while 60 volunteers from various churches served as teachers. It became so well known that the just-elected President Lincoln visited and spoke at a Sunday School meeting on November 25, 1860. (Wikipedia)
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6 NASB
RealChristianWomen.blog
If you want to know the Bible, you have to read the Bible, all of it, not just your favorite parts. If you don’t know the Bible well, you are vulnerable to deception. And that is exactly why so many Christians are deceived by false teaching.
The Bible consists of 66 books: The Old Testament (39 books) and the New Testament (27 books). If we are to understand the whole counsel of God’s Word, we must read and study all of it.
Every book of the Bible contributes to our knowledge of God. The Old Testament contains well over 400 verses and allusions that point to the coming Messiah.
You can read the whole Bible in one year by reading for about 15 minutes per day. This is not difficult to do! I highly recommend it! I have been doing this since 2019, when my pastor shared a one-year Bible reading plan. It changed my life!
It seems like most Christians would rather read a book by a well-known minister rather than read their Bible, but remember this: Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth. You will be surprised by how much you will learn!
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV (emphasis mine)
In Psalm 119, King David wrote:
“I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.” vv15-16 (emphasis mine)
“Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.” v 24
“Your word, Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
Your faithfulness continues through all generations” vv89-90
“If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.” v92
“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.” v105
“You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.” v114
“Great peace have those who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.” v165
Read the full chapter HERE.
No wonder God called David “a man after my own heart”! (Acts 13:22)
Ask God to give you a love for His Word.
God bless you, friends, as you seek to know Him more!
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6 NASB
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
RealChristianWomen.blog
Quote of the Week for Wednesday, 6/17/26
“God desires that His children not only receive His grace but understand why it is precious. Through the Son, believers learn to value mercy because they see what it cost…In Christ’s submission to the Father’s will, the depth of divine mercy is revealed. The Father’s justice and compassion meet perfectly in the cross. In that sacred union, the believer learns both the seriousness of sin and the magnitude of grace.”
Bruce Cooper, from KNOWING THE FATHER THROUGH THE SON: THE DOOR THAT NEVER CLOSES
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6 NASB
Photo: Getty Images for Unsplash+
RealChristianWomen.blog
Real Christian Women 