What a fragile thing faith is!

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who wins souls is wise.
Proverbs 11:30

every generation must determine its own commitment                                        [to the LORD God Almighty],                 and the fibers of faith are so fragile that a single misguided leader can entice the hearts of believers to worship lesser gods.

Daily Bible page 877

[Note: I started this post July 10th, today is December 9th, 2025]

A Good King

Hezekia was a good  king in Judah. He listened to the prophets God sent. He repaired the Temple of the Lord, called the Priests and Levites back to consecrated living, and led the people to remove all idol worship and the evils of their fathers from the kingdom.

His reforms of worship and cleansing of the holy things gained God’s favor. As his ancestor David, he was a man after God’s heart, quick to humble himself and repent when he realized he’d done wrong, which he did.

 2 Chronicles 32:26 Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

Chapter 33 says Hezekiah died and was buried in the upper tombs wth the sons of David, and all the inhabitants of Juda and Jerusalem honored him. They all respected that he had turned them back to the LORD, and He had caused them to prosper under King Hezekiah.

An Evil King

Then comes his son Manasseh, who was 12 years old when he became king. We all wonder if Hezekiah did not train him well, if he had bad advisors, or his mother was an evil influence. Whatever the case, God attributed the evil choices to Manasseh.  The revival and renewal from his father’s time quickly eroded.

2 Chronicles 33:3 But he [Manasseh] did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 

Manasseh even brought pagan worship into the house of the LORD  and led his people to follow, even sacrificing his own sons in the fire. He turned out to be more evil than the pagans God had wiped out. This king reigned over Judah for 55 years! No wonder the LORD was provoked to anger and sent them into exile.

Wayward Children?

I don’t know about you, but my children have turned from the Lord and are finding it hard to come into right relationship with Him. It is difficult watching them suffer, choosing  what the world has to offer them, when Jesus paid the price to give them a more abundant life, and eternity in heaven to boot!.

When I look at my own life, I am not completely surrendered to Him either. I spend time on things that distract me from a deeper relationship with my Messiah, and from the things He has for me to do. One example is the manuscript for my second book, which is languishing unfinished on my computer. Altough… it’s all about God’s timing!

A Testimony

Today,  I had a checkup at the nephrologist office. I have asked Jesus to heal my kidneys and had a friend whose kidneys have been healed to pray for me. I’ve worked to stand in faith and believe He is healing me. When I first went into this office, I was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease. The next visit, I was stage 2.  Six months ago, I was stage 1. Today, [July 2025] a year from my first visit, I was pleasantly surprised when the tests show I have normal kidney function, and the nurse practitioner moved my next yearly appointment to October 2026, praise Jesus!

Faith Is…

Faith is not just believing Jesus can heal us, but trusting that He will. So why is it surprising when Jesus actually answers our prayers? He is stronger than our hearts, which often betray us. He is patient to let us come back into right relationship.  Even when we’re unfaithful, Jesus remains faithful, interceeding before the Father for us.

Surrender

So let us surrender to the One who holds the stars in place and sustains our lives. Humbly I bow, offering myself anew to the Lover of my soul. In this time of manifold blessings in our nation, despite conflict from the enemy, let us live faithful, surrendered lives.

Bounty

A small taste of the bounty of the Lord,
fresh raspberries from our garden.

That was yesterday’s bounty, here’s what the bushes gave me this evening! It reminds me of growing up with a large raspberry patch in our backyard. It’s a treat to be growing some to enjoy with breakfast again!

Thankfulness

I am filled with thankfulness and praise to the Lord, as I think of all the wonderful produce that came from our garden.  We were able to give food to family, friends, neighbors, and many baskets full were taken to church on theweekends. It is truly a blessing to share bounty that comes from the provision Father God supplies.

Shalom, my loved ones –

Until we meet again.

Fall Glory in our backyard

Transforming Society Through Faith in Jesus

I just finished reading the latest issue of The  Voice of the Martyrs magazine subtitled,  “HEEDING GOD’S CALL IN COMMUNIST NATIONS”.  We are only an election away from socialists and/or communists coming to power in any country, so no one is exempt.

Our Response?

What should be our response? First, we can never trust that our help comes from those who rule. We as Christians must remember that:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

True Freedom

Second, the best way to change a society is to bring people to Jesus.

Genuine revival among Ethiopia’s Christians led to Communism’s defeat in their country… Scripture, history, and today’s persecuted Christians bear witness that ultimately only Christ, enthroned in the hearts of our people,  can make and keep our nations free.”               VOM President, Cole Richards

A Sound, Disciplined Mind

Wednesday evenings Women’s Group at our church is beginning a book study, A Sound, Disciplined Mind by Nancy Dufresne.  As Nancy says on the back of the book, you can live free from worry, fear, doubt & depression… not matter what is going on around us.

When we accept Jesus:  your spirit is renewed, but your body and mind are not. They need to be disciplined to come into alignment with the renewed spirit within; your heart that belongs to Jesus. (P.12)

Right Thinking

“When you think wrong, believe wrong, or speak wrong, you give place to the devil… When you have right thinking, then you’ll have right believing and right speaking, and you will keep the door closed to the devil.” (P.15)

Renewing Your Mind

Start by reading God’s Word. Don’t just read Scripture, but think deeply into the Word. Mutter it to yourself. (This is true meditation) Talk to God about His Word. Thank Him for His Word.

Speaking in Tongues

Dufresne recommends speaking in tongues daily. I find doing this encourages my soul to praise the Lord and opens up my mind to connect with my soul. You can’t just try to get the devil’s suggestions out of your thoughts. You need to flood your mind with the truth of the knowledge of God’s Word and flush out the other thoughts.

Testimony

I encountered a woman manning a booth at a festival I went to this summer who practices Kripaula yoga, Reikei healing, tarrot cards… and has a group who have begun a “church,” and she’s got 30-some state certified healers. She said they believe in the Bible.

Well, I began speaking in tongues. She told me I was messing her up. She was trying to get a word for me but couldn’t.  I told her I was speaking in tongues, asking the Spirit of God who to say to her. She let me hold her hand, and I prayed that the Lord would reveal to her the true Spirit of God.

My Takeaway

First, I witnessed that the spiritual battle is real, and if we have the Holy Spirit of God, we have an effect on others. Second, the more we grow in our relationship with the LORD, the more like Jesus we become, and the more we can bring heaven down to earth. All for His glory!

Conclusion

I’ve only read the introduction and first chapter in this book so far, and we haven’t had a meeting yet to discuss it. So far, I can tell you:  get into the Word, apply it to your life, and make sure you fellowship with the congregation God wants you in, that helps teach you the Word. The more you put in, the more your heart and mind align with God’s Word and the more the kingdom manifests and the devil gets put in his place.

Shalom, dear readers!

From my new publicity in progress