Tag: Yeshua

Christian

How to Study the Bible: What I’ve Learned

Cindy Dawson

1. Study the Bible before you read books and/or listen to popular YouTube preachers. Read it cover to cover at least once, twice, or more.

I’ve loved to study the Bible for over 40 years. Unfortunately, in those early years, I made some big mistakes that led me to false teaching. I got up before dawn, before I had to get my children ready for school, so I could study the Bible.

The problem was this: I looked to books about the Bible and to popular “Bible teachers” for understanding. Even though my heart was after God, I was seduced by Word of Faith teaching, which eventually led me to become heavily involved with a NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) church.

Seduced? Yes seduced! It can be very enticing to read books by popular “Bible teachers” who appear to understand the deeper things of God.

2. Study verses in context.

In other words, if you read a single verse but fail to interpret its meaning from the context, you might completely misunderstand its meaning. For example,

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 ESV

“All things” means all things. Right? I can win this football game! I can get this job! Wrong!

Only when you look at this verse in context will you understand what Paul was trying to convey. First of all, Paul wrote this letter from a Roman prison with no idea of its duration or ultimate outcome. (“…I am in chains for Christ.” Philippians 1:13)

And in chapter 4, look at verses 11 and 12:

“I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Read full chapter

Paul is teaching the church at Philipi to stay hopeful, encouraged, and joyful no matter their circumstances.

This is one of many examples of a verse taken out of context to teach a false interpretation. Always study verses in context.

3. Use a good Bible translation.

Personally, I like the NIV, the ESV, and the NASB. Be aware that some Bible translations are not reliable. For example, The Passion Translation is not considered an accurate or reliable translation by many scholars and critics. (See Holly Pivic’s article, ” Important Facts about the Passion Translation for more.)

Personally, I do not recommend The Message Bible for several reasons. You can find several articles that provide critical information about this Bible HERE.

Conclusion: If you do these three things, you will be well on your way to understanding the Bible correctly. These are things I learned the hard way. But God is faithful! He rescued me from deception.

My Advice: Seek Truth. Love Truth.

Other posts related to this topic:

The Skill of Discernment

Rescued From “Word of Faith”

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Don’t Give In to the Devil’s Lies

Cindy Dawson

2-minute devotion for Friday, 12/5/25

Does the devil ever whisper in your ear, saying, “You’re not good enough.”? You think maybe it’s true. Or, perhaps he reminds you of your past mistakes and sins. You wonder if that’s your own conscience or the devil.

If that happens to you (like it does to me), remember the words of the Apostle Paul:

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

I wonder if the devil whispered those lies in the ear of Paul. After all, he murdered Christians at one time! He says,

“I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison.” Acts 22:4

But what did Paul do? He forgot what was behind and pressed on! That is exactly what we must do!

“Spiritual shame is unwarrented and unnecessary for the believer… When we confess, God forgives. And when God forgives, He does so completely. If guilt short-circuits our service to God, it’s not the Holy Spirit who is putting on the brakes. That is the enemy trying to take our legs out from under us before we have the chance to do some good for the kingdom.”

amir tsarfati (from his book, exploring ezekiel)

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul said,

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

God’s Irrevocable Covenant with Israel

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Thursday, 12/4/25

“I  ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.” Romans 11:1-2

“God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29

“And when it comes to Israel, this has never been – and will never be – a political topic. It is a divine covenant. No matter which government leads this small nation – liberal, conservative, or in between – God continues to preserve, protect, and fight for His people, even while they remain in unbelief. To those who claim that Israel has somehow fallen from grace, I can only say: God’s promises are not dependent on human faithfulness but on His unchanging nature.”

Amir Tsarfati

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Perfect Trust in God

Cindy Dawson

Quote of the Week for Wednesday, 12/3/25

Jesus modeled perfect trust when He prayed, 

“Not My will, but Yours be done” Luke 22:42, NASB

“This was not resignation but confidence in the Father’s wisdom. Such trust becomes the hallmark of those who know Him, a settled peace that transcends circumstance and a gratitude that endures through trial.
To know the Father is to find rest in His unchanging nature,to rely on His faithfulness even when His purposes remain unseen.” (emphasis mine)

bruce cooper, reasoned cases for christ knowing the father through the son

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

What Is the Mystery God Revealed to Paul?

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Tuesday, 12/2/25

"This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 3:6

In his Holman New Testament Commentary on Ephesians, Max Anders helps us understand why Paul repeatedly emphasizes the oneness of the body… It’s because Jews and Gentiles worshiping together was such a miracle… For example, a Jew would walk 150 miles out of his way to avoid going through Samaria! It was a truly revolutionary time in the church.

Read the entire 3rd chapter of Ephesians and note where Paul says, “For this reason,” and “Therefore”. It will help you better understand verses that we often read or recite out of context.

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog


Christian

Do You Need Rest Today?

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Monday, 12/1/25

“Come to Me, all [a]who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find [b]rest for your souls.  For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NASB Read full chapter

His burden is light does not mean that there are no problems, trials, labor, or heartaches in the Christian life. But it does mean that we do not have to bear them alone. We are yoked with One who gives sufficient grace for every time of need.  Believer’s Bible Commentary

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Are You Waiting for God to Answer Your Prayers?

Cindy Dawson

God always answers our prayers. He may say yes, no, or wait. Wait does not mean no. It means wait.

If God says, “Wait,” He has a purpose in your wait.

If you are waiting for an answer to prayer, God does not want you to give up! Jesus explains this in The Parable of the Persistent Widow. 

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think,  yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8

So, does God sometimes make us wait? Yes!

  • Abraham waited 25 years for the birth of his son, Isaac. (Genesis)
  • Joseph waited 13 years before becoming the 2nd-in-command in Egypt. (Genesis 15-30)
  • Moses wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. (Numbers 14:33-35)
  • David waited 15 years from the time he was anointed until he became king. (1 Samuel 16 through 2 Samuel 2)

God used this time of waiting to teach them perseverance. Romans 5:4 tells us that perseverance forges character, and character produces hope. Hope is essential because it gives us strength. When the time was right, God answered their prayer.

(The Greek word in verse 1 for “give up” is enkakeō. It means to give up, become discouraged, or lose heart.)

Jesus ended the lesson with this question:

“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (v. 8)

If Jesus returns today, will He find you giving up and losing heart? Or will He find you persisting in prayer, no matter how long you’ve been waiting? Do you trust God to answer your prayer when the time is right?

You may have been waiting 20 years, but your answer could come today! If not, remember this: your answer will come when the time is right.

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

(This post was inspired by my pastor’s Sunday sermon.)

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Will God Heal My Broken Heart?

Cindy Dawson

3-minute devotion for Friday, 11/28/25

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted…” Isaiah 61:1 ESV

Has something happened to you that you haven’t been able to recover from? Rejection, betrayal, loss, abuse, and trauma can be almost impossible to get over. Maybe you have been praying for God to heal your heart for a long time, and even though you have forgiven, the pain still refuses to dissipate.

In church recently, it occurred to me that this promise might not be answered in our lifetime, but only after we get to Heaven. (I don’t know why this never occurred to me before.) So I emailed my pastor and asked him what he thought. This was his response:

“I do think it’s possible for a broken heart not to be healed this side of Heaven, but I don’t think that should be cause for despair or giving up hope that such a healing will happen. I not only believe—but know—that God is able to “bind up the brokenhearted and set the captive free.” Pastor Jeff 

Then I went to GotQuestions.org, which I knew would give me pertinent scriptures and a Christian perspective. They said,

“God never failed one of His people when they cried out to Him, and He will not fail the heartbroken Christian who cries out to Him today. He may not always answer exactly in the way we would like, but He answers according to His perfect will and timing, and, while we are waiting for the answer, His grace is sufficient.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

David, a man after God’s own heart, suffered many heartbreaking circumstances. Each time, he recovered and became an even stronger man of God. He was no stranger to betrayal.

He writes, “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.” (Psalm 55:12-14).

The closer the relationship, the greater the pain of betrayal. Take comfort in this:

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”   Psalm 34:18

Despite the pain, there is a way we can heal from betrayal. That power comes directly from God for those of us who put our hope in His unfailing love.

“…the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalm 147:11

I put my hope in God’s unfailing love. Will you?

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Embracing Gratitude

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Thursday, November 27, 2025

“Rejoice always,  pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

My thoughts: Mourning for what we have lost will not bring joy, but being thankful every day for all that we do have will bring us joy!

Have a happy and joyful Thanksgiving!

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Reflecting Your Heart’s True Self

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Tuesday, 11/25/25

“As water reflects the face,
    so one’s life reflects the heart.” Proverbs 27:19

I have been reading through Proverbs, and I realize the importance of this treasure of wisdom. This book should be read and studied by all young people before they go away to college, maybe even before they start high school.

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog