Blandina – France 172 AD

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This a true story: The tormentors had been taking turns torturing the Christian women in every way from morning till evening. At last, these tormentors collapsed in exhaustion. “We have tried everything on this one,” said the older of the two. “I can’t think of anything else do do to her! How can she still be alive?! Any one of the tortures we have used today should have been enough to kill her. Yet we used everything, and she still lives!”

Blandina, like many martyrs, had been tormented by the thought that she might not be able to endure the pain and then deny Jesus Christ as they demanded of her. But she was so steadfast in all her sufferings, she was filled with so much power, that even those who tortured her in relays all day long were faint and weary. Every time she repeated her confessions: “I am a Christian,” her heart was strengthened, so she was able to endure the pain.

After all this torture, she was returned to prison to wait for the next holiday, when she and other Christians would appear before the crowds in the stadium. There, she was beaten and roasted upon a red-hot metal plate. Then she was wound up in a net and thrown before bulls, which tossed her many times high up with their horns, and then let her fall down again. Even with all this, she was still ALIVE!

Finally, the judge commanded that she be killed with the sword. (End of story)

Makes me think about the things I complain about! Why complain when I have a God so POWERFUL who loves me and promises to give me the strength and provision I need whenever I come to Him faithfully ‘asking and believing.’ May I always long for that life that is TRULY LIFE that only Jesus has to offer anyone by faith.

Let Our Words Be Few

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We do not understand all of the evil that is in our hearts until we hear the words that come from it, whether inwardly with thought, or outwardly with words.   
King David of the Bible asked: "How can I know all the sin lurking in my heart?" Then he said to the LORD: "Don't let them control me!" 
The key to overcoming the evil in our hearts is meditation upon God's Word; to think before we speak, and even pray about every word we want to speak that might or might not cause trouble. This will help us to not speak so quickly. 
Some things just don't need to said. Then there are some that must be said no matter what it results in. We need WISDOM from God either way. 
"Our words have the power of life and death," says the LORD.

Less of Me – More Room for God (by Dori Mckinnon)

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No amount of self-love practices or self-help products will ever replace the true fulfillment of God in someone's life. 
The self-help industry makes millions off people and yet people are still miserable, lost, and searching. People buy into the products that claim to help them achieve this goal or that goal. We make a list of our to-do's to succeed & better ourselves, but then don't follow through. We make a budget list, but continue to find ourselves in debt. We are determined to quit that bad behavior, but find ourselves sitting comfortably back in it. We make great goals, but don't stick with the hard work long enough to achieve those goals because everyone wants a quick fix. 
The point is this: the problem with every human being is within. It's me. Self-love is toxic. We will always love & care for ourselves and we don't have to be told to do so. The problem is that we love ourselves so much that we forget the One who Created us because of His everlasting love. God is the only one who knows what we need before we ever speak a word of it. He is the only one who can supply all our needs according to His glorious riches in Heaven. He is the one who can heal and revive and restore every part of us - because He is our Creator Father. 
Our eyes can become so focused on self that it becomes sickening. The more we strive for self-love and self-help, the longer we remain in complete and constant lack. But the more we recognize the love of God, and strive to love God first and foremost, the less empty we feel and the more content we become. With less of me - there is more room for God.

PRAYER UP!

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When I am certain that God hears me, I am drawn to eagerly persevere in prayer.  I am strong to believe and stand on whatever answer God gives me; remembering that HIS thoughts are higher than mine, and HIS ways are far more productive and sucessful than mine. 
If only all of God's servants today would get a vision of their Father God waiting to grant their requests. If we could all see just how eager HE is to pour out on us all HIS heavenly gifts of HIS HOLY SPIRIT that we are so very much in NEED of. Then might we set aside 'everything' and make time to sit with HIM each morning, and make room for HIS out-poured power that blesses our 'prayer of faith' with HIS heavenly blessings.
When I say with genuine belief, "GOD WILL HEAR ME! HIS EAR I HAVE!" nothing can keep me from  constant prayer; living before HIM day and night; acknowledging HIM in all my ways. Then I KNOW that what I CAN NOT do on earth CAN AND WILL be done for me FROM HEAVEN! 
So, I choose to COME before Him each morning in quiet stillness. And then, I wait on Him to reveal Himself as the PRAYER-HEARING GOD.

What Did 2022 Bring? by Dori McKinnon

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Year 2022 has been a very beautiful year for me; a year of restoration and peace. I have no doubt 2023 will be another beautiful year because I have learned to trust Jesus with every part of my life and even when I have times of doubt. His sweet Spirit reminds me of where my HOPE comes from. Oh how I love His Word and Promises.  
I have lived in the goodness of God. He has been so good to me; all my life HE has been faithful, even when I wasn’t faithful to Him. He has led me through the fire. He's walked me into His joy and peace. To Jesus Christ alone may my spirit yield. God alone is my strength and my shield. I've known Him as Father and I've known Him as closest friend. He is the desire of my heart and I long to one day worship Him in His full presence. But for now, I will worship Him with my life, with my prayers, with my thoughts, with my words, with my marriage, with my everything.
To God be the glory in everything in my life because it is He who brings beauty of the ashes. It is He who restored the broken parts of my life. It is He who washes clean my filth. It is He who humbles the pride in me. It is He who comforts me in my seasons of pain. It is He who arms me with strength. I look at the years I've lived, and I thank God for them all. The good ones, the bad ones, the ugly ones.
Here's to 2023, my friends and family. May you take time to reflect on the goodness of God in your life. And if you do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, may this be your year of knowing Jesus personally and joyfully. Happy New Year!

What Will 2023 Bring?

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The wisest man to ever live tells us in Proverbs of the Bible what man’s government should be and not be, and what the results will be in either case! 
When the wicked are in charge: People will not accept divine guidance; sin and immorality flourishes, and the country will become unstable. Good people will be punished for refusing to accept their lack of morality. 
This lack of divine guidance in the land will result in electing leaders that have no common sense, who create laws that oppress and pervert justice. These wicked leaders hide their intentions behind emotional arguments, so that they can control weak-minded people. They promise to give you everything, and that you will not have any consequences for bad choices. THE END RESULT WILL BE, PEOPLE WILL BE ENSLAVED TO THE GOVERNMENT. 
When GODLY leaders are in charge: They acknowledge God and His Word that brings stability. When the nation's government is biblically stable - people enjoy safety and prosperity. There must be true justice in our courts and strong consequences for breaking good laws; for this will terrify those whose only purpose in life is to take advantage of others. 
Godliness makes a nation strong and great, but it is the moral rot of rebellion to God that will sweep it away. Justice is the truth in action! Truth comes from God, the Creator of Life! Men go in search of the truth, while others suppress the truth that sets men free from a life of their own moral rot. 
How do you know who is wise, and who is wicked? The wise build and govern upon God’s principles of wisdom about the family, government and eternal life found in Jesus Christ alone. The wicked build on falsehoods because they are trapped by their self-deceit and the devil's lies. Wise leaders know that when the people are joyful, and happiness fills their hearts, that the nation will prosper. The wise know that if you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you! 
This next year look let's take a hard look at our leadership, whether in churches or in our government, and note what you see.  If wise, then we have a hopeful future, but if wicked, then we need to be wise and very prepared for what is coming.

Christmas JOY – by Dori McKinnon

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The same event that caused Jesus so much grief and sorrow, is the same event that produces joy for the Christian. 
When Christ was undeservingly beaten, tortured and nailed to a cross to die, much grief and sorrow was felt in those who loved Him. And yet in that same event, there is much JOY because of what it all produced: Salvation for mankind; eternal security with God for those who love  trust in Jesus Christ. 
When a mother is delivering her baby there is much grief and pain involved, but with birth comes JOY of what it all produced, a little baby to love. God gives us great illustrations to see that sometimes life hands us (or we bring it up on ourselves) events that are sorrowful and that deeply grieve us. But God also uses those same events to produce JOY in us as we see our events through spiritual eyes. 
Joy is not to be confused with happiness. Happiness is external; joy is within and untouched by external circumstances. Joy comes from God. No matter what difficult event I walk through, I still have the JOY of the Lord because I have the Lord who walks with me through those difficult events.
I will come through a little more mature in my faith, more wise, more sanctified, and closer to my Lord, not because of anything I did, but because of everything HE does in me - through the grief and sorrow of events. If the event that caused me so much grief caused me to fall before the beautiful feet of Jesus Christ - it was worth all the suffering, and therein lies my true eternal JOY.

Blessing or Consequence

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Last Sunday I had my 6 granddaughters over and we had a conversation about how to know if something is right or wrong. Today we have the idea that if most people agree, then it must be right. 
Doing what is right, by God's definition of right, brings a blessing. Doing what is wrong results in consequences that aren't pleasant. An example I used, is a person who is married and commits adultery; will this result in a blessing, or have consequences. They understood.
Then we talked about a little lie, and I asked, “What would the consequence,” and one responded by saying, “A lack of trust.” 
We then began to talk about some of the topics being taught in schools today. I asked this question, "Have you heard it said, 'I was born this way'? and they both said, “yes.” "So how do we know if this statement is right or wrong? Should you decide like the rest of the world that popular opinion should rule? If they were born this way then, is their life filled with consequences or blessing?"
I went on to explain the difference between consequences of simply going through hard times that are out of your control, and a consequence from you doing what is wrong. You can do the right thing and still have hard times, but in these hard times that you can still have the true blessing from God. 
2 Corinthians 4:17: "For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!"  Hard times may only last a short time, but consequences last as long as the wrong is lived. 
The world’s view for not wanting to acknowledge wrong, is to get as many people as they can to agree with them, thinking that they can make a wrong - right, and make a right - wrong.  God has established right and wrong, and somehow I do not think He will change His mind based on what the world thinks.

Our Future Declared

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I love the book of Isaiah (in the Bible). All that the LORD GOD tells of the future. You might think it's all for Israel, but it's more. It's for all the nations, and people....
"'Turn to ME and be saved ALL you ends of the earth; for I AM GOD, and there is NO OTHER....Before ME EVERY KNEE WILL BOW; BY ME EVERY TONGUE WILL SWEAR. They will say OF ME, 'In the LORD ALONE are deliverance and strength.' I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST; APART FROM ME THERE IS NO GOD. APART FROM ME THERE IS NO SAVIOR. I HAVE REVEALED, AND SAVED AND PROCLAIMED - I, and not some foreign god among you. You are MY WITNESSES that I AM GOD. YES, AND FROM ANCIENT DAYS - I AM HE. NO ONE CAN DELIVER OUT OF MY HAND. WHEN I ACT, WHO CAN REVERSE IT?' The LORD will march out like a CHAMPION, like a WARRIOR HE WILL stir up HIS ZEAL; with a shout HE WILL raise the battle cry and WILL TRIUMPH over HIS enemies!"(compare to Revelation 19:11-16) "In faithfulness HE WILL bring forth justice; HE WILL not falter or be discouraged till HE ESTABLISHES JUSTICE ON EARTH. In HIS TEACHING the continents (islands) will put their HOPE." "'See, the former things have taken place, and NEW THINGS I declare,' says the LORD; 'before they spring into being I announce them to you.'"
There's so much more to know about the past and future for Israel, and the future of all mankind, just from reading the book of Isaiah alone. Isaiah, God's annointed prophet who prophesied of the LORD JESUS coming the first time as the Lamb of God and of Christ's second coming as the Warrior of God's great zeal and power, bringing righteousness and justice to the earth. PEACE ON EARTH! What a DAY to behold!
The LORD describes in so many ways (in the book of Isaiah) those who deceivingly look to other gods (themselves/governments/demonic spirits/men of great wealth/human wisdom) and what is their end to be. And HE tells the TRUTH of the glorious future for those who repent before the Son of God, and worship Him alone - to the end of their life on earth. GLORY GLORY HALLELUJAH! HE REIGNS! And He's my Savior and KING!

Distractions from the Truths of Faith

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I had a dream last night…I was invited to a small church. I was not planning to speak, I was simply attending. I had to be properly dressed with a white shirt buttoned up to my neck like all the others. I remember feeling uncomfortable. The pastor and his son came in. The son was helping his dad. I knew them both. I thought to myself why his son is up there, knowing the lifestyle he has; one that does not honor God at all. The pastor got up to speak and he was clearly unprepared. 
The pastor had a new book with him that he was going to find sermons in. The pastor asked an older man, that I also knew, but who was not dressed in a white shirt, but who had experience with God, to help him find a sermon in this book. I thought that was strange. While they looked through this book, the pastor asked me to speak as he was not prepared. 
Before I spoke, I looked around to see that there weren’t very many people in the audience. As I began to speak, a television off to the side went on. It was loud as people were working on it. I found it hard to speak over that noise. And then I heard women screaming in the kitchen as they were preparing a meal. A mouse had run through the kitchen. They began to talk loudly with each other about the things that happen to them in the kitchen. 
A fireplace was there to keep the whole place warm, and a man that was responsible to keep the place warm walked through the auditorium while I was trying to speak, shouting that he would take care of keeping the place warm, as people were concerned about it. 
I believed that what I had to say to this congregation was from the Lord, but as so many distractions were happening – I was very frustrated. I woke up feeling frustrated. 
As I thought about this dream, and how real and strange it was, the Lord said to me softly: “This is what I see with My church today.”