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Christian Devotional – May 7, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 23:49–You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. TRUTH: Sometimes we must face the consequences of our actions before we realize the position that God holds in the universe and in our life. He is over us all but if we do not respond to Him in a way that shows His true position, then He will allow us to experience the results of our sin so that we will know that He is over all things. Are we acknowledging the Lord for who He is or is He…
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Book Review – Journey to Redemption by Anne Patrick
I enjoyed Journey to Redemption by Anne Patrick. This Christian suspense book tells the story of Detective Morgan Reynolds who has experienced a tragic event when her husband was brutally killed and a serial killer she had been racking was charged with the murder. Now this serial killer has escaped and kidnapped her 7-year-old son. Claiming he was set up for the murder of her husband, the serial killer’s ransom demand is for her to find the real killer before he kills her son. Morgan together with her partner Russo and new Lieutenant Chase McAdams work together through twists and turns uncovering a plot of deception that goes far beyond…
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Christian Devotional – May 6, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 22:30–I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. TRUTH: The people had sinned. They had done evil on God’s sight and God was evaluating their deeds and looking to destroy them, but then makes this statement. God was also looking for someone who would be able to bridge the gap that their sin had created between the people and God. He found no one. This is such a great explanation of what Jesus Christ can to do in our…
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Christian Devotional – May 5, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 21:24–Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says, “Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do–because you have done this, you will be taken captive.” TRUTH: There are consequences for sin and when people are in rebellion to God, that rebellion is evident in everything that they do. Other people can see our rebellion and our guilt as we openly go against God. God will eventually take captive and punish those in rebellion to Him. Are we in open rebellion to God? Our sins are on display for the world to see. Will we repent?…
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Christian Devotional – May 4, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 20:44–You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord. TRUTH: What a beautiful verse! Even though the people had done evil and been disobedient to God, God promises to deal with them according to His Name and not according to the evil they had done. God is perfectly justified to destroy us in judgment because of our sins and wrongs, yet He chooses instead to provide an alternative that is only through His mercy and grace. This alternative shows the power…
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Christian Devotional – May 3, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 19:1–Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel. TRUTH: Do we rejoice or lament when people are brought down under the judgment of God? Ezekiel goes on in this chapter to describe the destruction of the kings of Israel, and even though they were evil, God gives this lament for the people to mourn their judgment. We are not to rejoice in the judgment of people who have acted wrong. We are to mourn their disobedience and failure to repent. Do we have a heart to mourn these who have refused to repent and turn to God? RESPONSE: Father, I want to have a heart like Yours to…
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Christian Devotional – May 2, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 18:21–But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live, they will not die. TRUTH: No one is too far gone into sin that they can’t decide to repent and turn and follow God. God spends this whole chapter explaining that people are responsible for their own sin, not the sin of their father or anyone else. Do we believe that God can truly forgive anyone? Have we asked for and received that forgiveness for ourselves? We are to be the message of hope to the world…
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Christian Devotional – May 1, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 17:24–All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. “I the Lord have spoken and I will do it.” TRUTH: The Lord is the one who brings about prosperity. He is the one who controls the outcome of all that we do. Do we trust in our own strength or are we trusting in Him? Since He is in control of the outcomes, we are to trust in Him and follow Him and allow Him to do what He feels is…
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Christian Devotional – April 30, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 16:60–Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. TRUTH: God does not forget His promises to us. He sees what we do and knows our thoughts, and He loves us anyway and claims us as His own. He paid the price for our wrongs and we are only to accept His gift to receive that forgiveness. Still, since He established the covenant, He is the one to follow through and keep it. The Lord remembers us and will always come through for us in everything that He has promised. RESPONSE: Father,…
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Book Review – And Then the Rain by Karina Harris
I love reading Karina Harris. I enjoy her first two books (See more here) and I always look forward to her articles on the Sisters in Cahoots blog. So when I purchased her newest book “And Then the Rain,” I fully expected to enjoy it. However, to say that I enjoyed it is an understatement. I loved it! In this historical fiction novel set in the 1800s, ten year old Ella Ferguson leaves her mother and father and five younger siblings to go stay with her aunt because times are hard and her family can’t provide for her. Fast forward six years and Ella finds herself in love with Alec…