 Advent Reflection: Pray for the Holy Spirit to focus your attention and teach you... (Note this is 1 of 5 Advent devotionals I'm sending out. Sign up to receive them via email. This is the only one posted on my site.) Consider... how deep are your convictions in the infallibility of God's Word? Gallup's survey in 2022 found that a majority of Americans (49%) now think it is "inspired", i.e. inspired by God, but not to be taken as the literal Word of God. The next highest percentage was 29% of Americans who say the Bible is a combination of history, fable, and moral precepts recorded by man. The lowest percentage (20%), are Americans who believe the Bible is infallible. It is slightly higher (25%) when asking American Christians. Which category are you? It takes focused intent, along with the help of the Spirit, to look very closely at the Word. Once you do this, you will be in awe at the perfection of the Word! It grounds your faith in amazing ways to trust in God's Word as infallible! Some argue that differences in Jesus' genealogies by Matthew and Luke prove the Bible has mistakes. Why are there 2 different genealogies for Christ's lineage? Matthew has his in chapter 1. Luke has his in chapter 3, and it doesn't match Matthew's. Why? Let's compare how the Spirit inspired Matthew and Luke to record detail differently, but still accurately- Matthew 1:16- and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. Luke 3:23- Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, So Matthew says that Joseph's father was Jacob? Luke says it was Heli? That's confusing?! It's not if you focus very closely on the language and intent of each. Let's look at a few clues... Both Matthew and Luke make the case that Joseph was NOT who fathered Jesus. They say it in different ways for different purposes. Matthew's audience would have mainly been Jews. Matthew traced Joseph's lineage DOWN FROM Abrahamic covenant promises and Davidic lineage for kingship. Matthew shows legal (Covenant Law & Promises) in the lineage of Joseph as father. And in so doing, Jesus was proven to be the legal and RIGHTFUL HEIR to the throne of David. Pay attention also that Joseph's lineage starts with the MIRACULOUS birth of Isaac. Matthew 1:1- This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,... Matthew also uses "father of" language throughout the entire lineage, but STOPS from saying Joseph is the "father of" Jesus. Matthew 1:16- and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. Matthew instead says that Joseph was the husband of Mary; and that Mary was the mother of Jesus. The rest of Matthew chapter 1 is Matthew telling us that Joseph was visited by an angel of the LORD. He is finishing the lineage of Jesus; that is, God being the father of Jesus. Open your bible and read Matthew 1:18-25 to observe what Matthew is showing you. Now turning to Luke, his language and approach is different. He says Jesus was the son "so it was thought"... Then he says "Joseph, the son of Heli,..." Luke repeatedly says "son of" in his lineage for Jesus. Luke also starts the lineage with Joseph and GOES BACK to the beginning of time, to Adam, "the son of" God. Luke 1:38- 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. Even thought Luke goes all the way back to the beginning of humanity, it still doesn't reconcile why there are different names between Matthew and Luke? Let's look more closely at Luke before we look at his genealogy for Jesus. Different than Matthew, Luke's audience is strongly believed to be a Roman (Gentile) audience. Luke writes both the Book of Luke and the Book of Acts. In both, he starts chapter 1 addressing his writings to a Roman authority named Theophilus, Luke 1:3 & Acts 1:1. He names names on purpose. In Luke 2:1, he references the worldwide census of Caesar Augustus which meant Theophilus could check that Jesus was recorded by name in that census. Roman law required that once newborns reached 8 days old, they had to be registered. So Jesus was registered in the first worldwide census! Did you know that? Luke 2:21- When the eight days before His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived. Then in Luke 3:1, Luke references Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, and Herod. Luke is carefully mentioning Roman leadership so his work can be checked and verified. He is also believed to be a Gentile believer, so probably had natural ties to those Roman leaders. Maybe he was their doctor/ since Luke was a doctor (Colossians 4:14)? He ministered with Paul, and was part of the inner circle of Apostles & disciples. This meant he probably interviewed Mary. Let's look how Mary is in Luke's genealogy through his using "son of" language for Joseph. In Luke 3, he repetitively uses the phrase “son of”. It does not mean “fathered” like Matthew’s use of the term “begot”. “Son of” has a much wider use, which includes son-in-law! So Heli was not Joseph's father, but Mary's! Women were rarely if ever named in ancient genealogies. Culture was patriarchal. Men had absolute power over wife and children. Rome was ruling the Jews at the time, and as already mentioned, Luke wrote his account to a Roman leader name Theophilus, Luke 1:3. In his assigning Joseph as stand-in for Mary's name, Luke was conforming to patriarchal authority. And this writing style would have been known to first readers of Luke. They would have known that according to marriage, Joseph was a son of Heli, as his son-in-law! Where is another example in scripture where a son-in-law is called a son? We can look at 1 Samuel 18:27- David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage. In that passage, David is referenced as a son-in-law to Saul. Now we read forward to 1 Samuel 24:16- When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he wept aloud. In that passage, Saul calls David his son, when in fact we know he was his son-in-law. So do you see how both Matthew's genealogy and Luke's genealogy are accurate, even though different? ⁉️ What are 3 things you learned from above? Can you repeat them to someone else? Try it so that you retain what you've learned about the veracity of scripture. ⁉️ How does this background challenge your knowledge of the scriptures? Do you realize you need to go deeper to carefully study the Word? 🙏. What doubts do you have about the Bible? In 2026, what commitment will you make to inquire of God, and settle doubts you have about the Bible? Confess to God any doubts you have. 🙏. Pray right now and ask God to show you how His Word is infallible, to overcome your arguments, to pull down strongholds, and all the high things (self-knowledge and opinion) that exalt themselves over the knowledge of Christ. As a final help, notice how the genealogies of Matthew and Luke both trace back to King David, but to different sons of David. The Bible is not contradictory! It can be verified through the treasure of scripture, with the help of the Holy Spirit! Do not read the Bible without the help of the Holy Spirit! 
0 Comments
 (Note: If you have happened upon this blog, this is an excerpt from the devotional I send out to those who receive my devotional in their email box. Also in the blog I sent out this morning, I included some signs to observe in the US that should sober us, and urge us to return to Jesus. I have sent out about 12 email blogs since my last public post on this website in April. Please sign up to receive future email devotionals to get to know Jesus better!)
Can you explain the differences between soul, spirit, heart, and mind? I'm releasing a four-part series for you to better understand the difference between soul, spirit, heart, and mind. There are competing voices in our day that convolute and confuse the spiritual significance of each. This has always been true, of course. But what does it sound like in our day? Where is there confusion on what the soul is, what the spirit is, what the heart is, what the mind is? Compare definitions in our day to biblical definitions based upon scripture truth, and you'll see we now have corrupt and godless definitions. People's opinions and modern thought have greatly diminished original meaning of spiritual truths. Definitions on soul, spirit, heart, and mind have been either dumbed down or hyper spiritualized in unhealthy ways. It can cause a lot of confusion in you and others who are spiritually seeking and wanting to land on truth. Knowing the spiritual significance of each one as it's taught in the scriptures is a critical part of understanding your need for Jesus. “People say things like, "Well, you're going to die, but your soul is going to live on." That's it? Where is it living on? What does that mean exactly? A woman that I felt I was supposed to go up and pray with as I was walking in a park, had stage 4 cancer. We got to talking about her beliefs. And what she told me is that when she dies, her spirit is just going to go as light into the universe, and that is just how it's going to continue to live, just as this light floating around. 83% of Americans believe that we have a soul. But that only tells a small portion of the story when you talk to people and get answers like above. Have you tried asking people, "What is the soul?” See how many different answers you get. Other forms of belief like Hinduism say that there's an infinite cycle for the soul of birth, death, and rebirth coming into different bodies. Buddhists believe our souls are a consciousness that can leave our body, and enter another after death. There's so many varying opinions about what people think the soul is. Modern day science often debunks the existence of the soul, dismissing it as human belief only because they say there's no verifiable proof of the soul. Psychology teases that the soul is bound up with the idea of a future life and a belief in continued existence after death, saying that the soul is the ultimate animating principle by which we think and feel, but it's not dependent on the body. Psychology says that the soul is esoteric, it's mysterious, it's unable to be known. Science says the soul is separate from the body. What do you believe? What does Jesus say? Please listen to the episode to educate yourself on God's definition of the soul (click on pic above to listen). Please consider sharing it with a friend! Jesus has a hope and future for our soul and body beyond this sin sick world. He has a plan to make all things new! I pray that you listen to this series, and that you become clear on how God defines your soul, spirit, heart, and mind. And that you know how each one contributes to the quality of your life now and your future forevermore. Your soul never dies, but where will it go? Psalm 107:9- For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good. Knowing Jesus with Gina podcast can also be found on all other podcast apps. Other episodes recently released include:  Positioning for a miracle?
Lessons from Hannah & others whom Jesus healed. How many years do you think Hannah was barren? One clue we have is in verse 7 of 1 Samuel: This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 10 years? 15 years? 20 years? Another clue is there was enough time for her rival Peninnah to have many sons and daughters, 1 Samuel 1: 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. The account of Hannah's suffering reveals it took a toll. She became emotionally distressed and embittered, 1 Samuel 1:10- And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. It's reasonable to assume Hannah had an extended season of waiting. A season that seriously tried her soul, made her especially sorrowful during annual worship feasts, and caused her to reject the kindness of her husband. Maybe you relate. Are you in a season of waiting that is deeply affecting your worship, your closest relationships? Do you need healing? What is or who is a thorn in your side during the waiting? What did Hannah do? How did she position? What did she say to God? How can we glean wisdom and hope from her account? In the 2nd episode of my new podcast (Knowing Jesus with Gina), I'm looking at Hannah, and also noticing similar details in a majority of healing miracles from Jesus. What can you learn? Are you to reposition? What things can you open up to that you've not tried before? How can you soften and open up to the LORD, to deepen in trust and His love? I pray that you listen to the episode. Try taking notes. Try pausing to write down interactive questions that I present to you. Have your bible. Become familiar with the her story. Go beyond what I present to you, and read the full account of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 and 2:1-10. And notice the New Testament healings of Jesus. We're to observe that what she did is also found in the behavior and words of others who received miracles from Jesus. You'll hear me review some of them. I counted 34 instances within 23 miracles of common behaviors and actions of the one receiving the miracle. Be wise, slow down, pursue, and position the way they did. Hebrews 11:6- But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. I'll keep going with the healing theme in the next episode!  Have you thought about the fact that some of the most painful things Christ endured happened to His face?
Would you ever slap your parent? Spit in their face? Has anyone ever spit in your face? Has anyone ever blindfolded you and beaten you and mocked you? Matthew 22:67-68 Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You?” The WORD of God repeatedly calls for us to seek His face. Psalm 27: 7-9 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.” Do not hide Your face from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation!… Psalm 105:4- Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. Being able to see God’s face is blessing not accessible via any other religions! ❤️ Christ is the only God who put on flesh so we could know God’s face; and not be afraid when gazing upon Him! When in the presence of God, looking at His face, we are to be without fear of punishment and unashamed of our humble and vulnerable reliance upon Him for our salvation. He willingly laid Himself down! Now we have the PRIVILEGE of drawing close to God to talk, whisper, weep, confess, sing, gaze upon, and focus on Him and him alone! This is the heart of the first commandment which says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” The literal translation of Exodus 20:3 in original Hebrew is- No other god powers will exist for you “upon my face” or “in My presence”. No other powers will exist when we are so consumed with gazing upon the face of Jesus!!!!!!! So as we consider His suffering... is it any wonder there is such abuse of His face in His walk to the cross? Do you think that spitting in Christ's face is one of the most obviously disrespectful things that happened to Him? What part(s) of His walk to the cross makes you wince in disgust or horror? I wince in thinking that He was beaten repeatedly over the head. Can you imagine beating your parent over the head? It's horrifying to consider!!! Yet this is what happened to our precious and Holy Savior! What meditation will be fresh in your spirit to maybe share with a family member or a friend on Easter? How can you help someone understand the cost of Christ's suffering? ❓ Maybe ask them, "Can you ever imagine blindfolding and then beating (y)our parent(s) over the head while mocking and spitting upon them?" 🤔. Shock value might open the door for a challenging conversation about Jesus' suffering that they can connect with. Otherwise, it is upon this Good Friday that we can take a bit of time to remember the Messiah’s walk to the cross. Enter the difficult moments. Look at Jesus' face as he suffered and took upon himself the full wrath of God. 1 Peter 4:1- Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, If you try, it's not hard to imagine His face feeling the disgusting spit of mockers as it landed and dripped down. Especially with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can work up in ourselves seeing his face writhing in pain as it was repeatedly struck with a reed, perhaps a nose broken or a cheek bone split from blows, a head pierced with thorns, blood dripping down, blurring his vision. We can imagine the sounds of his cries from the repeated blows to his head; and his ears taking in the sounds of it all, especially public mocking. His beard pulled out, his mouth dried with his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth, no water to quench desperate thirst, only his own blood to swallow. Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. Matthew 27: 27-31 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s residence and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe around him, and after braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand, and kneeling down before him, they mocked him: “Hail, king of the Jews!” They spat on him and took the staff and struck him repeatedly on the head. When they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. As the Good Shepherd was struck, his sheep scattered (John 10:11, Zechariah 13;7, Matthew 26:31). While at the time of his crucifixion his followers scattered, that no longer has to be true. Now that we know death did not hold him, we can stay with him in that walk and look at His glorious face! We can whisper sweet things to him and praise him! His face is the place to undo our own words of mocking and unbelief that has reached his ears. His grace is sufficient! May you be willing to meditate on aspects of Christ’s suffering. May you be willing to admit you are one of multitude who put him on the cross, Romans 5:8. Walk with him to the cross, see the depth of His love. Let your heart be softened by breaking as an eye-witness, share in his grief, grieve with Him and then celebrate His glory displayed in the face of the risen Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6- For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. ✨. BLESSINGS BE UPON YOU AND YOURS AS YOU CELEBRATE THE RESURRECTION LIFE OF JESUS! LUKE 24:6-7- He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’  The ARGUMENT- JESUS NEVER DECLARED HIMSELF TO BE GOD IN THE SCRIPTURES...
✅ TRUE OR ❌ FALSE? If true, do you know how to prove Jesus never declared Himself as God? If you have confidence in the Bible, you can easily prove it as false. You can push back on anyone who says that Jesus never declared to be God in the scriptures. You gently push back and say, "Prove it." They will most likely stumble over themselves or point to some false teacher like Bart Ehrman. They will not have strong argument. They will not be able to prove it, because the scriptures don't support their lie! You can prove their lie as false if you know the scriptures! We must approach the Bible as ancient Eastern text. We must read it in context of those ancient times and cultural relevance of those times. You can only do that with the help and guidance of the Spirit of truth... promised to those who humble themselves like little children. John 14:26- But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. In fact, the very first words Jesus preached were a declaration of Him as King bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth! When Jesus used the word "gospel" or "good news", he was saying... "turn from worshipping Caesar as the gift given... I am the son who was born, I am the King of All, the gift that brings peace to all the world..." That one word "gospel" was only used for the worship of Caesar Augustus. It was a false gospel, and Jesus called it out right away!!!!!!!!!!!! “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the Gospel.”- Mark 1:15 What time has come? How is the kingdom of God near? Repent and believe the Gospel? Mark 1:14 clearly says he began his ministry by preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Do you think it wild that Romans, Greeks, and Jews would have immediately recognized the word “Gospel” before Jesus? It's pretty clever of God to have that word as common language BEFORE He began preaching! - Gospel- (Greek #2098 Bible lexicon) - euaggelion: Gospel, Good News Here is THE GOSPEL OF CAESAR AUGUSTUS- verified by archaeological discovery of an ancient Priene calendar inscription found from 6BC-. ‘It seemed good to the Greeks of Asia, in the opinion of the high priest Apollonius of Menophilus Azanitus: “Since Providence, which has ordered all things and is deeply interested in our life, has set in most perfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a savior, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar, by his appearance (excelled even our anticipations), surpassing all previous benefactors, and not even leaving to posterity any hope of surpassing what he has done, and since the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning [arxen] of the good tidings [evangelion] for the world that came by reason of him,” which Asia resolved in Smyrna.’- https://read-scripture.com/mark-1-1-and-priene-inscription/ Note the false gospel- Providence is feminized… “whom she filled with virtue…” Providence sends a savior, i.e Augustus. Augustus is for them and their descendants to be worshiped as god. On the birth of Augustus, he was to be known as the “beginning of the good tidings” (beginning of the gospel) for the whole world. It was used to announce military victories of Caesar Augustus also! The King was to be worshipped as Victor!!! OBSERVE: 👀 That is a lot to be said and understood by the masses, just by using one word- GOSPEL. Meditate upon that. Get it inside you. Share it with doubters. Before Jesus, 1st century hearers knew the Gospel as worship of a King! It was royal declaration of Caesar Augustus as god and good news for the whole world. Yet, here comes Jesus starting His ministry boldly declaring that He was the real Gospel! Jesus' first words to "...repent and believe the Gospel" was His bold declaration to turn from the false gospel of Augustus to the true gospel of Himself! He was announcing he was the King bringing His heavenly kingdom. Jesus was boldly declaring that He was the Son given who had come to bring peace on earth to all! Mark (Book of Mark), intentionally and boldly starts his gospel the same way Jesus started his preaching, declaring Jesus' royalty and heavenly victory as Messiah and Son of God. Mark 1:1- The beginning of the good news (gospel) about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, Point unbelievers to that scripture and Mark 1:15 and explain to them that Jesus declared Himself as God right out of the gate. As did His disciple Mark. Mark starting his gospel that way would have been understood as bold declarations AGAINST the Roman empire. This is believed to be why Mark was dragged through the streets of Egypt shortly after releasing his gospel account! He died a terrible death! He didn't succumb to death in the first public dragging through the streets, but was dragged again the following day and died! Who would endure this unless they experienced the resurrected Savior? When you know the cultural details of the day, the words of Jesus and the accounts of His life come alive in powerful ways! These are the hidden details that treasure hunters seek and find! Mark and Matthew and John were very clear who Jesus was as God, and to their deaths... proclaimed Him that way! Don't believe lazy doubters who have never scrutinized scripture with the help of the Holy Spirit. Never give in to those who casually say- "Jesus never declared Himself to be God in the bible". FALSSSSSSSSSSE!!! The full Gospel is that Jesus' birth was a royal birth through a virgin named Mary who was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Christ was the Son who was given as the perfect sacrifice and atonement for sin. He was the good news for all who call upon His Name. He is Peace and Forgiveness for all men who believe. He was the gift sent from God who suffered and paid for your sin and mine, dying a shameful death on the cross! He willingly gave Himself as payment for all of your mistakes so that you can stand perfect before God the Father and be welcomed into Heaven! It’s Good News that His Father didn’t abandon Him to the grave, but instead, exerted His power and raised Him from the dead. Jesus ascended to His heavenly throne, to be permanently installed as King of Heaven and earth. He was given power, authority, and glory that all people of all nations and languages would worship Him as God, Daniel 7:13-14. His Kingdom is now an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion one that will never pass away. He will reign and rule forever and those who call upon His Name as Savior will experience His eternal life and joy forever! Amen! So be clear... the "Gospel" of Jesus trumps Caesar’s fake gospel by a long shot, by incalculable strata. Jesus was, is, always will be God. Caesar, just a man. Jesus, was the child born with the government resting on his shoulders. Caesar Augustus, just a man who had to call for a census to count the people, Luke 2:1. Whereas Jesus can weigh the mountains on the scales and calculate the dust of the earth in a measure, Isaiah 40:12. Caesar wouldn't be able to accurately count the dust fallen in a square inch! The scripture can be scrutinized! Who can you share this with? Who doubts that Jesus clearly declared Himself as God in the scriptures? Who doubts the Word of God as infallible? Talk about the Word as true! Defend the Gospels! Thank you to those who are giving! Jesus is taking me month-to-month! He is so faithful! Even though I lost my largest donor, He is rescuing me! May great favor and blessing be upon those giving! I walk by faith! All the ministry I do is freely given! Pay it forward and seed into this ministry of the Spirit! Many people I minister to are without resources, like young adults or women on the brink of life! I'm still preaching and teaching 2x per month at 2 women's shelters! I'm led by the Spirit! Thank you to those who pray for me and for giving cheerfully! You can donate by clicking on my Donate page!  Easter 2025 series...
 Are fears and anxieties overwhelming you? Do you wonder if sudden loss due to fires, hurricanes, floods, and storms of life will take you out? Jesus wants to give you peace, but you have to draw near. It is NOT enough to have a casual relationship with Jesus... You must spend time BEFORE HIM. In Hebrew that word also means face and presence. Strong’s Concordance #6440.  So, when you are “before” something you are also in close proximity.
If you are across the room from someone, you are not “before” them. Their face and presence are not near. Additionally, it's very possible that objects are blocking your view, in the way, or maybe people are blocking access. You would have to take deliberate steps and actions to move yourself from across the room, and put yourself in front of the person you want to know and experience. Only then would you be able to look into their eyes, feel their breath, and be front and center, in their personal space. You’d be “before” them. Did you know there was an experiment done where men and women were paired to talk about life and values through a series of 36 increasingly personal questions, and then ended by staring into each other's eyes for 4 straight minutes? It was found that people fell in love. Some got married! A Japanese study looked into why that would be the case. They discovered that brain activity synchronized! Mutual eye-gazing bound people's brain waves into a singular connected system. Reference this article. Does your marriage need invigorating? Gaze into each other's eyes! Do your thoughts needs to be transformed? Gaze into the eyes of Jesus! His Word! His promises! His presence!
To have God going before you is to have Him very close. “I will send an Angel before you…” He is in your personal space to keep you and bring you to His intended destination that is full of provision and safety and hope, a place He has prepared in advance. To have His presence going with you is to give you rest. My presence will go with you… It is to have Him so close as to even carry you. Isaiah 63:9- In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. To seek His face means that you are so close to Him that His joy is yours. It is contagious and you have His joy. In His presence is fullness of joy, Psalm 16:11. To not have other "litte g" gods “before” Him, is looking so intently at Jesus that there are no other powers that block your intimacy with Him. Fear cannot also be present. Lust cannot also be present. Being consumed with other relationships cannot be present. Pride can not be present. God resists the proud. Religion and striving can not be consuming you. It is impossible to be in God's presence when you are so consumed with other things. The presence and power of God destroys those distractions! You have to let go. You have to unburden. You have to make strategic decisions to remove what is blocking your attention on the LORD. There is rest in His presence. ❤️ In Greek, prayer tells the same story. It is a compound of 2 words:
🤕 Consider... How are you positioned? What are you "facing" towards? What is blocking your view of Jesus? What are your eyes gazing upon?
🙏 Consider... Do you have peace? Do you have joy? Are you striving and consumed with earthly things? Are you grieving over relationships and longing for them instead of God? You must get in front of His face so that His breath gives you new life.
👤 What is blocking God’s presence? What steps do YOU need to take to have nothing interfering with gazing upon His face?
⏳ What are you waiting for? He has everything you need!
👑 Hebrews 4:16- Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. He is waiting for you to draw near. Seek Him so that He can give you peace that surpasses understanding, Seek Him that He can hold you and wipe your tears. Be before Him so that He can counsel you privately. He will give you His thoughts. He will root out lies and heal shame infested wounds. He will console and comfort and strengthen and encourage and teach you the way you should go. Follow so closely behind Jesus that He is the one leading you, instead of wandering in the wilderness, trying to figure life out on your own. Get to know Jesus! #lafires #whereisGod #losteverything #Jesussaves #hurricanehelene #hurricanemilton #flooding #homeloss #faithinJesus #repent #returntoGod  ✨Blessed New Year!✨
Yet, will it be? How are you positioning? Have you started on your knees? It is the state of your soul that launches your year. I encourage you to meditate upon Ephesians 3:14-21 as you begin the year. Meditate and reflect BEFORE you pray it. It will give you some counsel on the state of your soul and help form your prayer language. Consider:
Don't just pray the words. Take them deeper into your soul for examination, counsel, sanctification, and surrender. Blessings dear ones! Go deeper into His love! Riches of His glory awaits! #NewYear #2025goals #2025reflection #Godswill2025 #lessofmemoreofHim  Advent 2024! Prepare your hearts for Jesus! #miracles #christmasblog
Did you know that God used a Muslim shepherd teenage boy to discover one of the greatest scripture treasures of all time? Did you know that discovery happened in our lifetime, in the winter of 1946/7!? The ancient scriptures the Muslim shepherd teenager found are THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS. Did you know that Gentile shepherd boy was from a Bedouin tribe that resided in Bethlehem? Helloooo, that’s the birthplace of Jesus!!!? Romans 3:29- Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, Muhammed edh-Dhib was his name, and he noticed some caves while looking for one of his flock that had wandered away! Hello…….. a shepherd looking for a wandering sheep… In the search, he threw a rock into a cave to see if the lost one was hiding in it. Instead, he heard shattering of pottery, and left to get his cousin to explore further together. “Upon return Dhib retrieved broken and whole jars and fragments of scrolls. Of the intact jars, edh-Dhib found all but two empty; one was filled with reddish earth, and the other with a parchment scroll (later found to be the Great Isaiah Scroll)… (others found but you didn’t grab that quote)” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_Scroll Think about that… God used a 16-year-old Muslim shepherd boy from Bethlehem to uncover ancient Jewish scrolls, 2k years after he died and rose, that pre-date the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem! Through the eyes of many experts, those scrolls have been verified. The scriptures match our current Old Testament scriptures in modern day bibles! God is still proving His Word true and still choosing the humble to find the hidden treasure! There are over 300 prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament, which is made up of 39 books. Some of the best-known prophecies are within the book of Isaiah. Isaiah received 20 something major prophecies about the coming Jewish Messiah, which includes God sending a sign… Isaiah 7:14- Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and[c] will call him Immanuel. Prior to their discovery, the earliest surviving copies of the Hebrew Bible dated to around 1000 C.E. Compare that to NT manuscripts which number over 5K and date as far back as a fragment from 125AD. The Old Testament needed some verification! So in 1947, it is significant that the first 7 Dead Sea scrolls were found by the teen Bedouin shepherd, one year by the way before Israel was recognized as a nation once again. And, it just so happens that one of those 7 was the complete Book of Isaiah! Through carbon dating of the animal skin parchment and paleographic scribal dating (handwriting analysis), experts agree… let me repeat… experts agree that the date of the Isaiah scroll ranged between 356 and 103 BCE and 150–100 BCE respectively. This would be up to almost 350 years before Jesus was born! Why am I emphasizing that? Because it verifies our current Bible. Dr. Norman Geisler, a renowned philosopher, theologian, apologist, in his book “When Skeptics Ask”, he addresses the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls. He writes, “One scholar observed that the two copies of Isaiah found in the Qumran caves, ‘proved to be word-for-word identical with our standard Hebrew bible in more than 95% of the text. The 5 percent variation consisted chiefly of obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling.’” God cannot lie. God preserved His Word! Hebrews 6:18- so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. As mentioned, in Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah foretells that God would send a miraculous sign… the promised Son would be born of a virgin and he would be named Emmanuel. Matthew and Luke record the prophecy coming true. They tell the account of Mary as a virgin impregnated by the Holy Spirit. See Matthew 1:18...- This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. You can also read a longer account by Luke who represents Mary’s lineage and her account. See 1:26-38. People argue against the virgin birth, saying it’s impossible to prove. It's not a strong argument since Isaiah has amazing prophecies beyond the virgin birth! You have to look at the whole picture. Here are just a few more prophecies… Isaiah 40, God himself is speaking. He declares that He’s coming. He reveals there would be a prophetic forerunner, A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God Who’s the forerunner? John the Baptist. He is the other miracle baby born through the old, barren couple Zechariah and Elizabeth, relatives of Mary, not Joseph. See Luke 1:5-25, 57-80. In Isaiah 40:6- Isaiah captures the beginning conversation of God and John the Baptist… A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” Luke 1:80- And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. Luke, Matthew and Mark reference Isaiah’s forerunner prophecy of John the Baptist. God speaking in Isaiah 40… John the Baptist is to declare that God was coming, Isaiah 40:3! Isaiah 40:9 “Here is your God!” And what is the famous line of John the Baptist? "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29- The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! He was told to say that in Isaiah chapter 40. You also hear the voice of Jesus in Isaiah 40. He says there is no other god to whom you can compare me, Isaiah 40:25-26. 25“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Colossians 1:15-16- The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. John 1:1-3- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The One who spoke all things into being by His powerful breath, Isaiah chapter 40, God says “I’m coming”! Here are more descriptions in Isaiah chapter 40 of the God who was coming- Your God (v1), The LORD (v3), our God (v3), glory of the Lord will be revealed (v5), breath of the Lord (v7), your God (v9), Sovereign LORD coming in power (v10), Good Shepherd (v11), Creator (v12), Spirit of the Lord (v13), All Knowing One (v15), Creator & Ruler of all (v15), Everything (v17), The Enthroned One who is the Creator (v22), King of All (v23), the Holy One (v25), Creator of the starry host and heavens (v26), the Lord, the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth (v28), the Helper of the weak (v29-30). Isaiah also prophecies the exact geographic location of the Messiah’s home which would be in Galilee, Isaiah 9:1-2. 1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan-- 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah prophecies that the Messiah would perform miracles. Isaiah 35:4-6. 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” (NT fulfillment- Matthew 1:21) 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened. (See John 9:1-41, Mark 8:22-26) and the ears of the deaf unstopped. (See Mark 7:31-37) 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, (See Luke 5:17-26) and the mute tongue shout for joy. (See Mark 9:25) Matthew 15:29-31 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. And the last part of Isaiah 35:6… Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. Fulfillment- John 7:38- Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. Let’s keep going! Here is another famous, mind blowing prophecy by Isaiah- Isaiah 9:6-7. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. Isaiah tells us in chapter 52 that The Servant sent is “marred, beyond human semblance” (Is. 52:14). Isaiah chapter 53, Isaiah receives revelation that the Messiah would be despised, rejected, persecuted, silent before his accusers, spit upon, beaten, hated without reason, numbered as a transgressor, but without sin, taking upon himself your sins, my sins, the sins of all people. Isaiah prophesied that this was the will of God for His Son to bear the sins of all people. He prophesied Jesus being raised from the dead, that he would see the labour of His soul and be satisfied. How anointed was Isaiah? And how amazing is it that in our lifetime God sends a teenage, Gentile, Bedouin Muslim shepherd from Bethlehem to discover the Great Isaiah scroll, as he is looking for one of his lost goats? Pay attention to that last detail. He wasn’t seeking a lost sheep, but a lost goat. Goats in scripture represent Gentiles! Isaiah 56:6-7 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants-- Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant-- 7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (did you know that 50K of 75K mosques have closed in Iran because of the explosion of Christianity?). https://www.crosswalk.com/headlines/contributors/michael-foust/1-million-muslims-in-iran-have-turned-to-christ-as-50000-mosques-closed.html Unbelievers like to boldly say things like “Jesus was a myth.” “You can’t prove Jesus lived.” “The bible is made-up.” “The bible is full of errors.” “Jesus was a cult leader.” “Christians are blind fools believing in a fairy-tale.” Foolish, foolish, foolish, foolish, foolish. Psalm 14:1- Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! The truth is, the Bible can be scrutinized. Don’t listen to corrupt, heretical teachers like Bart Ehrman. His ridiculous arguments can be overcome pretty easily. It just takes concentrated intellectual rigour over the scriptures like I’m doing with you right now. But I didn’t start here. I started with a childlike approach. I humbled myself and prayed, “Jesus show me who you are.” It’s the simple ones with childlike questions, those with a desire to know God’s will that the LORD will answer, and reveal deep mysteries. John 7:17- Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. – JESUS The false… argue and deny. The true… seek and find Him. This is Day 1 of 7 days of preparing your hearts for Jesus. I hope helps you approach the biblical account of Jesus’ birth with great awe and reverence for our Everlasting Father who watches over His word to perform it, through all ages! Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!!!  I've been trying to get AI to create an image for me of Judas kissing the blood stained face of Jesus. AI programs stop me and say there is something wrong or offensive with my request. Maybe this post will find someone who has a suggestion around the blocks. But in the meantime...
Consider that Jesus was laboring in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane for HOURS. Consider the following for a picture to form in your mind of what Jesus would have looked like when Judas approached to kiss his cheek. Scripture accounts reveal this: - After the last supper, Jesus and his disciples go to the garden on the Mount of Olives, Matthew 26:36 Luke 22:39. - His shares with his closest companions that his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of DEATH, Matthew 26:38 - He fell. He fell with his face to the ground, Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:35. Does a calm, composed person fall with their face to the ground and pray? - To be sustained in his weakness, He needed to be strengthened by an angel, Luke 22:43. - He was still in anguish after the angel strengthened him. He prayed more earnestly, to a point of sweating. Have you ever sweat in prayer? His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. - He cries out in this state, 3 separate times. - Jesus is brought to the elders and chief priests in early morning hours. So how long was his distress in the garden if it began after the last supper? When scripture records that Jesus sweat blood, that means he had been enduring trauma. And note that it is trauma without physical abuse at this point. Hematidrosis (sweating blood) has only ever been documented on rare occasions to be experienced by people who have endured terrifying physical abuse. Jesus was stirred up within to that level of trauma and wrestling with God through extreme mental and emotional strain. "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Mark 14:36. So what state was the face of Jesus in when Judas approached? I think it was clammy. I think his face was gaunt looking, deep distress in his eyes, and bracing for the moment his closest companions would scatter. I think he was at beginning stages of uncomfortable thirst. I think his cheek was lined with drip lines from the sweat stained with blood, specks of blood on his cheeks. I think Judas tasted the blood of Jesus in the kiss of betrayal because he mentions, great regret that he betrayed innocent blood, Matthew 27:4. He is perhaps the only person who ever lived to physically taste the blood of Jesus. People like to emphasize that Jesus called Judas "friend", Matthew 26:50. It does seem to reveal an amazing amount of grace. Jesus was also wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove. Jesus gave grave warning about the fate of Judas and called him "his betrayer" more than once, Luke 22:21-22 & Luke 22:48 & Matthew 26:46. What did the blood of Jesus make Judas realize? He was seized with remorse, openly confessed, returned the blood money, and then hung himself, Matthew 27:1-5. Do you slow down with the scripture accounts? Do you read the accounts and compare them to notice additional details? Do you visualize what is happening? What state do you think Jesus would have been in when Judas approached with a kiss? How does that change your understanding and knowledge of Jesus? I pray it makes you fall more deeply in love with a Savior who poured himself out in traumatizing ways just for you! Confess to Him, in prayer, any ways you feel like you've been dishonoring to him. He is gracious and longs for time with you! Share any comments below! #betrayal #betrayaltrauma #JesusIsLord #GardenofGethsemane #hematidrosis #Judas #judasthebetrayer #mountofolives #spiritualcoach #kissofbetrayal #BloodOfJesus #confession #repentance #Repent |
🙏 Note: Most of the blogs are sent out privately via email. Sign up to receive the inspiration!
AuthorHi my name is Gina; and I'm a prayer coach, intercessor and bible teacher. My 25 year journey with God has been centered on immersing myself His Word, in the safe relationship God offers, learning about the power of surrender, and praying for His life in greater measure! Archives
December 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed
Gina Williamson
Commissioned Minister of CMN, Inc.
P.O. Box 291002
Kerrville, TX 78029-1002
501(c)3 Public charity
https://www.cmnetwork.org/cmn-ministers-s-z/gina-williamson/
Copyright 2024-2031