Tag: Jesus

Christian

Unveiling David’s Secret: Loving and Cherishing God’s Word

Cindy Dawson

“After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’” Acts 13:22

There are no words I would rather hear from the Lord than “She is a woman after my own heart; she will do everything I want her to do.”

I sought to understand how David did this. How was he able to do everything God wanted him to do? How did he know and do God’s will? How was he so different than others that God would say such a beautiful thing about him?

The answer is found in Psalm 119. David repeatedly proclaims how much he loves God’s Word. Here are a few important verses, but I urge you to read the entire Psalm HERE. Notice that this man whom God called “a man after my own heart” loved and cherished God’s Holy Word.

“I will speak of your statutes before kings
    and will not be put to shame,
 for I delight in your commands
    because I love them.” Psalm 119:46-47

I think David is saying, “I will not be intimidated by anyone’s status. I will speak God’s Truth.”

“The law from your mouth is more precious to me
    than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.” vs. 72

If we want to be a woman (or man) “after God’s own heart”, we must be a lover of His Word. This is how we will do “everything He wants us to do.” There is no other way.

New Age-influenced “Bible teachers” have taught a way to pray called contemplative prayer. This method teaches Christians to have a conversation or dialog with God. They say, “God said this. I said that. Then God said…” etc.

There is nothing in the Bible to back this up. This is New Age mysticism. The Bible is our treasure. Why must we always search for something more? (Read a brief description of contemplative prayer HERE, or an in-depth description HERE.)

If we want to know God’s will, we must read and study the Word of God: the Bible. Then we must obey what it says.

This may not always be easy. Social pressure to go along with the world is tremendous. But the person who does God’s will is the person who knows His Word and obeys it.

“The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7

This verse tells me that God’s Word can and should be trusted. It will make even the simple person wise. But contemplative prayer seeks more than what is written in God’s Word. The person engaging in contemplative prayer seeks a supernatural experience. But God’s Word is sufficient.

“Never take your word of truth from my mouth,
    for I have put my hope in your laws.” Psalm 119:43 NIV

“Indignation grips me because of the wicked,
    who have forsaken your law.” vs.53

“I am your servant; give me discernment
    that I may understand your statutes.” vs. 125

“Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
    for your law is not obeyed.” vs. 136

“My zeal wears me out,
    for my enemies ignore your words.” vs. 139

These proclamations by David reveal his heart, his love for, and his respect for God’s Word. Remember, it is God’s Word that equips you for service.

“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 (emphasis mine)

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Pray for Israel

All Scripture references are NIV.

RealChristianWomen.blog  

Christian

Friday’s Verse, 5/17/24

Cindy Dawson

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Pray for Israel

RealChristianWomen.blog  

Christian, Jews, Jews

What Happened to America?

Cindy Dawson

Somebody wake me up because I must be having a bad dream! This is not the America I have known and loved over the last seven decades!

Satan has unleashed his fury and the Church better wake up. It’s not like we haven’t been warned. The Bible tells us over and over about how Satan works. He is a murderer, a liar, a slanderer, and a deceiver. What we are seeing is a manifestation of Satanic influence and deception.

Gen Z thinks a man can say he’s a woman and you better go along. Approximately 1,000,000 babies are murdered each year by abortion because “that’s not a baby in there“. (Really?) College students support the terrorist organization Hamas. And anti-semitism has exploded around the world.

I believe the days are over when we can go about business as usual, ignoring the evil going on around us.

I am reminded of the days of evil during WWII when the Nazis were murdering Jewish men, women, and children by the millions. How did it ever get to that point? Compare what happened then to what is happening now.

There was a progression of anti-Semitic activity. At first, Jewish shops and businesses were boycotted.

Today, in university after university, protesters are demanding that their schools sever any direct or indirect financial and academic links with Israel, including by divesting from companies with ties to Israel.

The Nazis spewed hate-mongering propaganda.

This is happening today. The world’s biggest social media platforms are not just hosting antisemitic and hateful content, they are promoting it and making it easier to find. The result, researchers say, is fomenting dangerous ideas as antisemitic incidents in the U.S. surge to historic levels. USA Today

Between 1937 and 1939, new anti-Jewish regulations segregated Jews and made daily life very difficult for them. Jews could not attend public schools; go to theaters, cinemas, or vacation resorts; or reside or even walk in certain sections of German cities.

Today at American Ivy League universities, protestors bar Jewish students from going to class.

2024: Statue of George Washington, George Washington University, D.C.

This progressed to the physical destruction of synagogues and Jewish-owned stores, the arrest of Jewish men, the vandalization of homes, and the murder of individuals. My Jewish Learning

This is also happening all over the world today.

The storefront of a Jewish-owned business that was vandalized on Jan. 6, 2024.

2024, Denmark: Protesters vandalized a monument to Jews rescued from the Holocaust. 

“Nazi anti-Jewish policy functioned on two primary levels: legal measures to expel the Jews from society and strip them of their rights and property while simultaneously engaging in campaigns of incitement, abuse, terror and violence of varying proportions. There was one goal: to make the Jews leave Germany.” Yad Vashem

Rabbi Elie Buechler, director of OU-LJIC at Columbia/Barnard, told Jewish students at Columbia to leave “as soon as possible” for their own safety until the situation improves.

2024: Pro-Hamas protestors disrupt graduation ceremonies at the University of Michigan

The beginnings of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany are similar to what we see today on American college campuses.

2024: Columbia University USA

During the Holocaust, some Christian heroes emerged like Corrie ten Boom and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. But very few Christians helped the Jews. Most did nothing.

A wartime decree made “friendliness” toward Jews punishable by imprisonment in a concentration camp. Hiding Jews inside the Reich was risky and difficult. Only a few thousand Jews survived living ‘underground’ or hidden in Nazi Germany. Holocaust Encyclopedia

Eventually, 6 million Jews were murdered in concentration camps throughout Germany.

How will Christians today respond to this unprecedented modern-day anti-Semitism? Are you willing to speak out or will you silently stand by?

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.
Not to speak is to speak.
Not to act is to act.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as. yourself.”

To Abraham, God said, “I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse”
Genesis 12:3

To Israel, God said, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.” Deuteronomy 14:2

“For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” Romans 9:3-5 (emphasis mine)

“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.” Ezekiel 36:24

“He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.” Isaiah 11:12

“For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye—I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me.” Zechariah 2:8-9 (emphasis mine)

A lot is happening that you won’t see on cable news. Please stay informed by going to BeholdIsrael.org to join Amir Tsarfati’s Telegram channel HERE.

Note: Amir Tsarfati is President & Founder of Behold Israel and a Follower of Jesus, Husband • Father • Bible Teacher • Best-selling Author • Conference Speaker • Middle East News Commentator

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Pray for Israel

RealChristianWomen.blog  

Christian, women

Verses for Meditation, 5/9/24

Cindy Dawson

“For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. 16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]. Hebrews 4:15-16 AMP

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Pray for Israel

RealChristianWomen.blog  

Christian

How To Be a Discerning Christian

Cindy Dawson

The Bible warns us about false teachers. Yes, they exist today. But how do we know what is true and what is false? This is an important question. The answer is we must be discerning Christians.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about The Skill of Discernment. (Read it HERE.) Since then, I came across an excellent comparison that I want to share with you. In his book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, Tim Challies compares spiritual discernment with identifying counterfeit currency.

Challies writes, “We can best know what is wrong by first knowing what is right. Experts on counterfeit currency know this as well. They train others first to know the traits of genuine currency because such knowledge will make apparent what is fraudulent.”

Experts in counterfeit money study every aspect of their currency including how it feels and every detail of its appearance and color. Only after they do this are they shown counterfeit currency. And guess what? They know immediately what is not real!

In the same way, it is only after we know the Bible well that we will be able to recognize false teaching. A mature Christian is a Christian who knows the Bible well. This is an important point because the Bible says that the immature Christian can be blown here and there by every kind of teaching (meaning false teaching). That makes sense, right? Ephesians 4:12-14 NASB says,

“… for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the [b]knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature [c]which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 [d]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 people, by craftiness [e]in deceitful scheming;“

One thing about children, they’ll believe almost anything. And like children, immature Christians will believe almost anything, especially if it sounds good.

So the question is: How well do you know the Bible? How many times have you read it from cover to cover? How many times have you read the New Testament? Are you reading the Bible for yourself? Or do you rely on books about the Bible?

I challenge you to read the Bible from cover to cover at least twice before you read the Christian Best Sellers. Otherwise, how can you discern if what you are reading is true? Maybe you are thinking, “Oh I just know.” – I wouldn’t be so sure of that. But don’t take my word for it. Consider what the Bible says.

“I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” The Apostle Paul (Acts 20:29-31 NIV) Read full chapter

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. …21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Jesus (Matthew 7:15, and 21-24 NIV) Read full chapter

“2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” The Apostle Peter (2 Peter 2:1-3 NIV) Read full chapter

Remember this: “We can best know what is wrong by first knowing what is right.”

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Pray for Israel

RealChristianWomen.blog  

Christian

Verses for Meditation, 5/2/24

Cindy Dawson

“For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.” Romans 1:20 AMP

Click on any photo for slideshow

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Pray for Israel

RealChristianWomen.blog  

Christian

Sunday’s Memory Verse, 4/28/24

Cindy Dawson

“But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me;
my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3:3 KJV

My thoughts: Do you need Him to lift up your head, today? He is willing and able.

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Pray for Israel

RealChristianWomen.blog  

Christian

What Is Spiritual Warfare, Really?

Cindy Dawson

Many years ago, when I was in a Word of Faith church, I was wrongly taught that we had “revelation knowledge”. It was actually a prideful attitude, thinking we knew and understood so much more than that “religious” church down the street.

We naively sought understanding from the many books written by false teachers that could be found in our bookstore. Some of these errant teachings on spiritual warfare have permeated evangelical Christianity.

I decided to set aside everything I had learned from “Bible teachers” and books and to seek understanding about spiritual warfare from the Bible alone.

What the Bible says about spiritual warfare is straightforward and plain to see. There is no mysterious, hidden meaning that only the spiritual elite can understand. The Bible warns us about the ways of Satan. It also tells us how to stand against his schemes. Only by reading and studying God’s Word daily will we learn these things. There is no shortcut.

Spiritual Warfare isn’t some mysterious prayer technique. In fact, it really isn’t that complicated at all. In its purest form, engaging in spiritual warfare is proclaiming the Gospel and speaking the Truth in God’s Word.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Romans 1:16 NIV

True spiritual warfare is a battle for the minds of men because they are held in bondage to Satan by believing the lies that he (Satan) has told them.”

Jim Osman, Truth or Territory

Stop and think about that for a moment. The world today believes many lies that literally shock the senses! I won’t list them here because you already know what they are.

The Christian’s battle (true spiritual warfare) is not a feeling, an intuition or an imaginative experience in the spirit realm – however real it might seem.”

Bruce Cooper, Reasoned Cases for Christ

To be a mighty warrior we must trust in God’s Word. We must study it to be prepared. Consider this familiar passage on spiritual warfare. Notice that this passage is about how to “STAND”. Why do we need to know how to stand? Because in today’s world standing for truth can have its dangers. You might not be executed if you are fortunate enough to live in the West. But you could lose your job, your friends, or be outright hated and persecuted.

“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Our battle is not against people. It’s against the devil and his demonic forces. Our only weapon is the Word of God, the Truth. But to stand against the devil’s schemes we have been given “the armor of God”. Our faith (trust in God and His might) is our Shield.

Ultimately, spiritual warfare is not about a technique to battle demons. It is proclaiming God’s Word in a world under Satanic deception to a people who walk in darkness.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus (John 8:12 NIV)

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Pray for Israel

RealChristianWomen.blog