Verses on my mind

Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.

I like this: We know that God has answered our prayer. We believed that we "received" when we pray and we trust that we "will have it." The idea of progressive healing. The tree is not in the sea yet -- but it's nearer to the sea than before.


We wage a good warfare by the prophecies we received.

I like this too. If we remember what promises God has told us about our lives, we can tell the devil that he is wrong about all those fears he puts in our head. I can say, "The Lord has told me that I have six great works to do. The Lord has told me to expect great things. You can't make me fear for my health or my career."

I have commanded a widow woman there to feed you.

I like this: Because the widow woman didn't know that God had commanded her to feed Elijah. For all she knew, she was about to die from starvation. Amazing that we could be obeying God and following Him without knowing we are. This reminds me of the line in Job where Elihu says, "God gives us dreams." We don't understand the deep dreams in the deep darkness of the night but "God has sealed our instructions."

Guard your heart with all diligence because out of it flows the issues of life.

I like this. Been trying to do it. This morning I almost watched a TV show with all the wonderful things autistic kids could do. I reminded myself that younger son was no longer autistic in Jesus' name. Saw some news shows over the weekend and they were talking about how terrible fibromyalgia was and how bad it gets after menopause. And then I got to looking around the internet for more on that. Then I remembered the Bible said that we should not "strengthen ourselves in the things of Egypt" and that we should "take heed what we hear." So am protecting my heart.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, preach the gospel, baptize men. make disciples, feed my sheep Matthew 10:8 and other verses.

I got to thinking about the word "cleanse." Why did Jesus differentiate between healing the sick and cleansing the lepers? Okay, maybe I was thinking about body cleanses a bit too much but honestly. As a Christian I try to see what Jesus told us to do, in spite of what my denominational tradition is. We pray for the sick when we should command people to be healed. We pray for the demon-possessed when instead we should be casting demons out and preach the gospel to them so that their bodies (the spirit's former home) won't be "empty" after the demon is expelled but filled with the glory of God. We pray for healings when we should pray for miracles. I wonder...do we sometimes command people to be healed when we should be commanding people's body to be made clean. Is this just semantics? If so, then why did Jesus make a point of differentiating between healing and cleansing? Is it because one cannot heal a contagion, but one can only make a thing clean? Emotionally, biologically? Just thinking.

With the heart man believes and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

I like this. Because I will sit in bed pondering a verse. The verse will help my faith and give me joy. I was thinking that God has not given us a spirit of fear but one of power love and of a sound mind. But then I have to remind myself to speak my belief in this verse. It's not enough to lie in bed thinking of how lovely and good the salvation we have in Christ is. We have to say something. Faith without works is dead. Without saying something confession isn't being made unto salvation.

Been getting "'Not by might nor by power but by my spirit,' Saith the Lord." Don't know why. It's a famous verse but don't quite know where it seems to be popping up everywhere I turn. Trying to see how it applies to any of my situations. I tend to have trouble resting in the word. Paul wrote in Hebrews. We must enter into God's rest because the word of God is active, powerful, alive. I know that faith is the victory. But sometimes if I'm not careful I start striving in my own strength. This morning was looking all over www.curezone.com Which may or may not be a good thing. On the one hand, it reminds me to eat the way God wants us to eat. Which is good. On the other hand, alternative medicine can become a burden or its own little case of idolatry and enslavement...and might make a person strive to heal themselves instead of trusting God. Maybe that's what the verse is applicable to. But who knows?

Devotional verse this morning (we tend to just open the Bible and read whatever we open to) was where the older prophet lied to the younger prophet and made him "eat bread" after the younger prophet had been warned not to "eat bread in that place." It comes right after the section where Jeroboam listened to his companions instead of listening to the older men. So we figure it's about counsel and knowing when to listen and who to listen to. And also...if one hears something from God, don't discard it because some older and wiser prophet says opposite. A nice thing about hubby picking that verse out of the blue is that the chapter I am working on in Constant Tower really really really connects to that entire Jeroboam story. So I felt it was God hinting that he's over my shoulder.

Yeah, yeah, I know... I really should quote chapter and verse more often. But I'm lazy in that way. God bless.