“When I pray, I talk to God, but when I read the Bible, God is talking to me … I believe we should know better how to pray if we knew our Bibles better.”
D.L. Moody
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
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“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
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When I was a teenager, I participated in a seance with friends. They said there would be someone there who really knew how to do it. That night, I was overcome by an intense fear that I had never experienced before or since. I knew I was doing something I shouldn’t be doing.
I repented of this sin and I would never, never do it again. I learned my lesson well.
If you know someone who is troubled by unusual fear, make sure they are not opening the door to the occult in some way. If they are, they need to study the Scripture, pray, and repent.
“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
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 NIV
Every Christian should know that divination is an abomination to God. But do they?
1 Chronicles 10 is the story of King Saul’s last day on Earth. He is wounded by the enemy and then kills himself to keep from being captured. The next day, the Philistines stripped him and cut off his head. Verses 13 and 14 say,
“Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”
There are many Scriptures that make it clear that all types of divination are a sin and an abomination to God. Here are a few.
“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.” Deuteronomy 18:9-11 NIV
“I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.” Leviticus 20:6 NIV
“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:31 NIV
God calls these things detestable. Yet people swarm to fortune tellers and psychics by the millions. According to an article by Paul Thagard, PhD in Psychology Today, “4 out of 10 people believe that psychics are effective and billions of dollars are spent yearly by people desperate to have psychics help them with their problems.”
Dr. Thagard explains the deceptive practices psychics use, but I’d like to point out that whether the psychics use trickery or not is immaterial. God says it is an abomination to consult them.
Christians should look to God for guidance, not demons. Consider these verses from Acts 16:16-18 (NIV):
“Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.”
The devil will entice God’s people to sin any way he can. One of his favorite ways is to make the sin seem innocent. (It’s just for fun!) But it’s not innocent fun, and sin has consequences.
Some methods of divination include psychics, tarot cards, ouija boards, reading tea leaves, astrology, horoscopes, zodiac signs, the occult, fortune tellers, drug use and others.
I believe that people can open a door to evil spirits by participating in these things. (Paul associates fortune-telling with demons in Acts 16 above.)
Remember, sorcery of any kind is not innocent fun. God’s Word is our guide.
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:5-6 NLT
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 NLT
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 NLT
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
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Paul Thagard, Psychology Today, Should You Believe in Psychics? April 24, 2019
Photos from Unsplash and Pexels
“… we must pay much closer attention than ever to the things that we have heard, so that we do not [in any way] drift away from truth.” Hebrews 2:1 AMP
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
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realchristianwomen.blog
“so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
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“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4 NLT Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Anna French on Unsplash
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“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Have you ever been offended by someone or had your feelings hurt? I’m pretty sure we could all say “Yes!”
One morning, many years ago, I arrived at the women’s Bible study I attended only to discover they were having a pot luck and no one had told me about it. It really hurt my feelings. I felt left out and angry. I went home offended.
My Bible study teacher recognized what was happening. The next time I saw her, she handed me an index card with this Scripture written on it:
“A person’s wisdom yields patience;
it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11 NIV
I had never read that verse before. God was teaching me something new. I didn’t know it then, but it would be life changing.
One of Satan’s favorite ways to sabotage the work of the Church is to get Christians offended by one another. Maybe you were treated unfairly. Maybe someone did hurt your feelings. When you decide to overlook an offense you are defeating a scheme of the enemy!
“Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NIV
One of my favorite Bible characters is King David. Before he became king, he endured many trials. His determination to know and obey God formed his character until he was ready to serve as the king
One of the things he had to learn was to overlook offenses. There are many lessons to be learned from the story of David and Goliath. But I want to point out that before David slew the giant, he had three opportunities to be offended. How might this story have turned out differently if David would have given in to self-pity, hurt feelings, anger and resentment?
First, his brothers insulted him. David asked the men standing near him,
“What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
“Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 1 Samuel 17:26-30 NIV
Next, David is insulted by King Saul.
David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” (vs.32-33)
Finally, the giant insults David.
Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” (vs. 41-44)
As most of us know, David killed the giant. David didn’t stand up for himself or justify himself. He overlooked the offenses and defeated the giant.
“Fools show their annoyance at once,
but the prudent overlook an insult.” Proverbs 12:16 NIV
Once we understand that unforgiveness, anger, and resentment are the ploy of the enemy to stop us, we can rise up and refuse to be offended. We must not nurse the grudge or feed the hurt.
Refusing to be offended by other people is actually an act of mature love. The more love you have in your heart, the harder it is for someone to personally offend you. The less love you have in your heart, the more insecure you feel and the easier it is to offend you.
Pastor Rick Warren
The next time you’re offended or hurt (especially if it happens at church), recognize it for what it is: the enemy’s trick! Love overlooks the offense!
For a deeper understanding of dealing with offenses, read this excellent article by Pastor Rick Warren. Love Overlooks Offenses
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path. Psalm 119:105 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
