Christian Hope – It's about Him!

With all the screaming lately about keeping “Christ” in Christmas, I just want to say No, I won’t be keeping Christ in Christmas. Why? Because He has nothing to do with it. He is not the reason for the season and quite frankly we should do the things we scream for during this season every day. Peace, Joy, Love, giving, all of them should be done every day, including honoring Him.

Are there anything wrong with traditions? Not a thing! Unless they usurp the Word of God and/or become Idols.
I enjoy many of the fun things that surround this time of year.

The history of Christmas and all of its trappings today have old traditions, some pagan, some not. You can research them by yourself, and you probably know most of them already anyway.

Only God can declare a day a Holy Day.

For those that say, “But we don’t know when Yeshua/Jesus was born.” I say Hogwash!

As my friend Cerise posted on Facebook recently,

“He was conceived on Hanukkah (the feast of dedication of the temple). (This feast is mentioned in John 10)
He lived out the Torah in purity.
He was born on Sukkot (feast of tabernacles or temporary dwelling places).
He was circumcised the 8th day.
He was offered on Passover.
He sent the Ruach Hakodesh on Shavuot (feast of Pentecost)
He will rapture the Body, his bride (Leah) on Rosh Hashanah.
Seven years later he will return for his bride the Yahudim (Jews) (Rachel).
Last but not least he will judge the wicked on Yom Kippur (fast of atonement). Then he will turn and hand back everything to the Father. All order will be restored and the Ancient of Days will have removed all darkness from His creation.”

All of this can be proven in the Word of God if you study it out.

God’s Holy Days are important and tell us all about Yeshua, His first coming, His life, and His second coming. And much more! So study to show yourselves approved in this area if you are one of those that say we can’t know His day of birth.

Make sure his holiday season that you aren’t hanging onto idols, that you aren’t doing things that God has said not to do in His Word, or that you are doing (or not doing) things God has told you by His Holy Spirit that YOU should )or should not) be doing. These are 3 important things to check for.

Whatever you do this holiday season is between you and God. But we should all know what we do and why, and do them by faith. Romans 14:23

Do remember that the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple (We, the body, are the Temple now) begins at sunset on Tuesday, December 20, 2011, and ends at sunset on Wednesday, December 28, 2011. Take some time to rededicate your temple to Him and His Work in your life during this season.

To repeat, because I feel it’s the root of all of this and very important, Whatever you do this holiday season is between you and God. But we should all know what we do and why, and do them by faith. Romans 14:23

Blessings and happy holy days 🙂
Kath

Many believers are afflicted with insomnia, a lack of sleep.
This happens for many reasons, but what is more important is that we find out what the Word says about sleep and that we hide that in our heart and then we can enforce God’s promises in our time of need, in this case, when we need to sleep.

Here are some great scriptures to replace negative self-talk about sleeping. Read these throughout the day or before retiring ,and trust God to give you sleep and rest He desires us to have! Good medicine!

Psalm 3:5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

Psa 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

Psa 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Pro 3:24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

Ecc 5:12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

Psa 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

Isa 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:

Isa 57:2 He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Romans 8:6 The mind controlled by the sinful nature is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Blessings,
-Kath

I love Jesus/Yeshua!
If you know me at all you know that is the center of my heart!
You know I love Him!

I think often about what it will be like to be with Him someday. I think what it would have been like to be here with Him on this earth….
I play one of my favorite songs and I think about how glorious it will be someday, when we are joined with Him in the heavens!! “Will I sing Hallelujah? Will I even be able to speak at all….”

I love Him. He is my Rock. There are no words for it, my heart sometimes is so full with it that I can only worship Him with tears….Just think of it………

Well you get the idea! 🙂
So when I see this next scripture, I’m often taken aback…

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

WHAT?! It’s better if He leave?! How can that be!!!
My mind struggles to wrap around it, but it’s truth, so my mind must come into obedience to it.
How can this be?!

It is better for us to have the Helper, the Holy Spirit, than to have walked with Jesus while He was on this earth.

Today, I learned that my son’s best friend died suddenly. To hear the pain in my son’s voice from so far away was almost more than I could bear. As I loved my son and mourned with him I could feel the Holy Spirit working in me and in my son. I had just been reading and studying the Word on this verse.. “It is better that I go…I will send Him to you..”
I was so very thankful for the Holy Spirit filling up my heart, and my son’s heart during this horrible time and that He had prepared me for the evening, just a few hours prior, in a way I hadn’t imagined.

It is better for us to have the Helper, the Holy Spirit, than to have walked with Jesus while He was on this earth.

Are you walking in that truth? I know I want to and I press into it to understand and have my mind renewed in this area more and more. There is power in knowing that the Holy Spirit was sent to you and in you! More power than when Yeshua walked on the earth….. to quote Rick Renner… Think about it……

Be blessed
-Kath

I just found on Rick Renner’s web site a daily video based on his Sparkling Gems book. This is one of my favorite books for daily devotions so I am very excited about these short videos.

Be sure to bookmark this link and go back daily!
Refuel with Rick Renner

I am told this was the last teaching Kenneth E. Hagin did before he went home to be with his Lord.
Love is the most important thing….

This is more important today than it was when it was preached in 1982!