Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Storms Are Coming

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

I went to bed late last night, or rather early this morning, after receiving numerous warnings about today’s impending storm. First, there were the texts from our Bible Study group that meets tonight telling us that they were watching the storm and would probably have to cancel the meeting. Then, there were the weather alerts, including this one.

Our schools in our district are closed since the time for dismissal would be when the storm might hit. On the map, we are south of Williamsburg, somewhere between the orange and the red zones.

You know, it’s good to have warnings that storms are coming so you can get prepared. I think my husband and I are as prepared as we can get. We live in a modular home, so it’s not a particularly safe structure, but it is not our home that we depend on to keep us safe. God will watch over us or bring us home to be with Him. Am I anxious? Well, yes, some. But at the back of my mind is the faith that I have leaned on for over 54 years now. God is always God, no matter what storms do.

Storms in our lives come and go. They are not always high winds, hail, thunder snow or even possible tornadoes. Sometimes, the storms come with advance notice. A loved one has an incurable disease and is going to die sooner rather than later. Financial problems arise when cars break down, houses need repairs and prices continue to rise. Unemployment is affecting the livelihood of someone in your life and you want to help but don’t have the means to do so. Your own health is not what you wish it was, and you are concerned about your ability to take care of yourself in the future. The list of possible storms is impossible it enumerate, isn’t it? Many storms come to suddenly and without any warning. Are they to be more feared or is God ready to carry us through them? It is a strong relationship with God that takes us through the storms we know about in advance as well as the surprise ones. Just think of some storms that you have weathered lately or are weathering now. What’s the answer? What do we do when the storms of life toss us around and there seems to be no end? Where do you go to take shelter?

We go to the One who spoke to the storm and told it to “Be still.” Whatever storm is raging within us or around us is subject to the Lord of the storm. The One who is the Lord of our lives is also the master of the winds, the water and the hail. He speaks to our hearts and tells us to “Be still.” He wants us to trust that He has us in the palm of His hand and as I have said before on previous posts: Nothing will happen to me today that God and I cannot handle together. Do you believe that? Do you know in your heart, mind and soul that God is in control? Storms come because that is what storms do. But they also go and leave us with a sense of our humanity and gratitude for God who knows and meets our needs, even in the midst of the storm.

So, even as I sit typing this post and waiting for the storm that the weather forecasts say is coming, I am hearing Jesus speak to my heart to have peace, to be still and to know without doubting that He is Lord. Not just of this storm outside, but of all of the storms in my life that rage and try to toss me around and to take my eyes off the Lord. God is and always will be the Lord of my life.

I pray that you may have the peace that comes from knowing that truth that God is your Lord, down into the depths of your soul and in so knowing you will trust God to calm the storms in your life and to bring you safely to the eternal harbor of your soul. May your day be blessed with the assurance of God’s love and protection.

Paying a Debt

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

God warns us in His Word not to go into debt because then we are a slave to that person to whom we owe money. After decades of working on paying bills, getting out of debt and then falling right back into it again when an emergency of some sort arises, I know without a doubt that debt is not a good thing.

It’s always a good feeling to pay off a loan or a bill and know that money can be used for something else, hopefully a better choice than another debt. I don’t know many people who have had their loans and credit card bills paid off by a friend or family member. The rule seems to be that you get into and out of debt by yourself. But there is a huge exception.

Our sin is a debt that we can never repay, a chasm between us and our Creator who did not create us to be separated from Him by our own foolish choices to sin. So, He Himself provided a way for our debts to be paid once and for all. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our debt is paid in full. We can go boldly before God’s throne, knowing that the price is paid and that we are accepted by Him because of the sacrifice of Jesus. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was saying that the debt was paid in full. There is no daily sacrifice or burnt offering necessary for us. He paid it all, so to Him we owe our lives, our everything that we will be and all that we are able to do to accomplish His purpose for us…we owe it all to Jesus. He is not a slave master but calls us His friends and His brothers. We are the children of God because He stood in the gap and paid the high cost of sin for us. Thanks be to God for His plan, His willingness to give His Son to sacrifice for us, and His great love for each of us!

God Is Faithful

On By vickleaIn prayer, Scripture, Song8 Comments

This beautiful verse can also be prayed. I plan to add it to my memory verses and pray it daily.

Our very finite minds cannot fathom the faithfulness of God. He never sleeps, slumbers, changes or lies. He always keeps His promises…always.

My God Is Able-Vinesong

Faithful God-I Am They

Amen and amen.

If you are having difficulty trusting God and waiting in His waiting room, just add your name to the comments and I commit to praying for you. No matter the problem or trial or temptation, God is always faithful.

Sharing Your Burden

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

Where you go when you fall determines how you rise again.

I really wanted to start with that today. ☺️

Because I’m always impressed by how honest the Bible is when it tells stories about heroes of faith. It doesn’t pretend these people were superhumanly strong or emotionless. Instead, it shows us where they brought their very human feelings.

Daniel was no exception. He wasn’t unshakable, but he was deeply anchored.

When Daniel 10 describes how he mourned for three weeks, ate no rich food, and collapsed in exhaustion, we see a man who was overwhelmed. BUT, look closely:

He didn’t complain horizontally—he cried out vertically! He didn’t throw himself at the feet of his friends—he threw himself before God!

And because of that, something incredible happens: God Himself strengthens him.

An angel tells him, “Daniel, you are very precious to God…” (Daniel 10:11, NLT) 

Wouldn’t you want to experience that too?

Deeply challenging seasons are often moments when people may not be able to reach your heart… But God can! ❤️ Daniel shows us a spiritual principle we often forget:

People can walk beside you on the outside, but only God can restore you on the inside.

Yes, we need friends. Don’t get me wrong. But we also need a place where we are truly allowed to fall while already knowing with certainty: here, I won’t just fall… here, I will rise again! 

Maybe you’re thinking right now, “I can’t—and I don’t want to—always be strong.” Then please hear this: you don’t have to be. You only need to know where you’re bringing your weakness today.

Because one thing is certain: where you go when you fall determines how you rise again.

You can be sure of this: God loves you too.

And, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29, NIV) 

You are a miracle!

Here’s the link to the original devotional and information about the author:

A Miracle Every Day: Deborah Rosencrantz

My Thoughts

As someone who has fallen a great deal (physically), I can tell you that I think this is a wonderful analogy. No matter who is walking beside me, I can still fall, and not gracefully either. How I get up again takes a lot of maneuvering with chairs, canes and even my walker.

The spiritual analogy is spot-on accurate. No matter how far away you turn from God, you always have to turn back. He will help you get up again and face whatever the future brings if you just take things to Him to help you handle them. God brings complete restoration, not a band-aid to our problems. He understands that we are human and make dumb choices at times, but He also has a plan for that. It’s called kneeling at the cross, repenting and asking Him to help you get up again.

A Soapbox Rant

On By vickleaIn News Notes and Observations1 Comment

Pardon me while I step up on my soapbox and give you my opinion of the main stream media. This is the obituary posted in the Washington Post about the death of Ayatollah Khamenei.

Seriously? He is portrayed as a jolly old man with an “easy smile, white beard” and who loved poetry. Where in this obituary is it mentioned that he hated all “infidels”, basically anyone who doesn’t agree with him and his faith in Allah. Does he say that they hope his victims rest in peace? The thousands of protesters that he had killed in the last few months are not around to witness his demise, but I am certain that this is not the obit they would want to read.

One person I follow on Facebook wrote this about the obituary:

Not the slaughter of tens of thousands.
Not the chronic persecution of women.
Not the funding of splinter groups of terrorists throughout the Middle East, constantly keying deliberate unrest.
Not the blood of Americans or Israelis.
Not the blood of its very own citizens.
Not the Death to America chants.
Not the schools geared toward hatred of Western culture, immersing children in an atmosphere of hate.
Not the Death to all infidels… infidels being anyone who doesn’t follow Sharia law, i.e. most of the world.
Not the hatred of anyone and anything that limited his reign of terror.

Nope.

Khamenei’s obituary in the Washington Post remembers him for his bushy white beard and easy smile and threw in words like “avencular” (uncle-like??? So he was everybody’s favorite “uncle”???) and “rapprochement” (return to harmonious relations).

In an obituary that reads like A. I. word salad, once again we see forest and the trees.

The Ayatollah was the favorite uncle to like-minded men and brainwashed women who may have no idea that options exist. The options that existed before the brutal takeover forty-seven years ago.

Recoloring history didn’t used to be a journo trait.
It is firmly embedded now. ~Ruth Logan Herne

Perhaps the MSM needs to hire Ruth to write their obituaries in the future. Then, again, maybe not since truth telling evades them so they probably don’t want to hire anyone who tells the truth.

I am glad that God doesn’t lie and that He holds those who do accountable. I am sad for all those deceived by these lies, but the Bible says something about that, too, in the Book of Romans.

End of rant. May God be with our courageous members of the U.S. military as well as with the Israeli forces as they fight the good fight against pure evil.

Pray for those in Iran who desire a peaceful government that does the job of protecting the people. 🙏🏻

Key Points from the Gospel

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

God’s Heart For All People (Daily Refresh, 03-01-26)

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 
John 3:16 NASB

The verse above is the essence of the Gospel. The Gospel means good news, and it’s God’s plan to save us from eternal separation from Him. 

Our sin separated us from God’s perfection. And because of that, we could not have a personal relationship with Him. Knowing that we could not get to Him on our own, God sent Jesus to us to make things right. Jesus did what no one else could do—He lived a perfect life, He died for us, and then He conquered death by coming back to life. It’s His resurrection that led to our reconciliation with God—and that’s good news! 

Here are a three key things to remember about the Gospel:

God Loves Everyone 
John 3:16 doesn’t say that God loved some of the people in the world. It says He loves the world … that means everyone who inhabits it. God’s heart is for all people. The Gospel is for everyone.

God Wants Everyone
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 
2 Peter 3:9 NASB 

Jesus has promised to come back for His people, and God always keeps His promises. We might grow impatient waiting for Him to return, but we can take comfort in knowing that His waiting is for our benefit. He wants to give everyone an opportunity to know Him personally. 

God Sends Everyone
The last thing Jesus told His followers before He returned to heaven was to go and make disciples everywhere. We aren’t all called to other countries, but we are all called to share His good news with everyone we know.

There are people who need the love and hope we have in Jesus. So if Jesus is our Savior, then let’s live like it. Let’s offer our praise to God for who He is, and worship Him through the way we live our lives. Let’s ask Him to help us see how much He loves everyone.  

As we patiently wait for God to return, let us purposefully live each day for His glory.

That’s why we’re here.

My Thoughts

Each time I get anxious about what is happening in the world and really wonder when Jesus will return, I stop and think about loved ones who are not saved yet, dear ones who don’t know Jesus as their Savior. And I am thankful that God is delaying the return because He truly loves everyone. We are partners with God in bringing more people to know Him and His love. We can’t do everything, but we can each do something. Our mission field is our neighborhood, at our grocery store, at work, and in all of our community programs that we attend. It’s sometimes difficult to know what to say and when to say it, but silence is not the answer. Our silence may mean that someone whom God loves misses the opportunity to know about Him and His sacrifice for them. I like these three key points: God loves everyone, God wants everyone, God sends everyone. To whom is God sending you today? Who needs an encouraging word of love and hope from the Lord? Sharing may be hard, but it will be worth it when you see the faces of those with whom you have shared with you in glory, won’t it?

Friendships

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

I can count on the fingers of one hand the close friends I have had during my adulthood. I generally have one very good friend at each place to which we have moved, but not all of them were close friends, friends who were there for me no matter what. That’s why I think that number is limited. Sometimes, the friends were Christians and we encouraged each other in our faith. More frequently, they were not Christians, so I shared my faith with them when I could.

No matter our location, I always knew that my best friend was always there with me. Jesus traveled with me from state to state and base to base. He was with me when Harry was deployed and I was feeling overwhelmed and lonely. He was there during hospitalizations, tests and surgeries. He was there when our children were injured or when our car was hit head on in an accident. Note that we had NO serious injuries from a big truck hitting us head on as we drove to our Bible study that night. Baby Hope was safely in her car seat and slept through the whole thing. I had a bruised knee and my husband’s chest was bruised from the seat belt. Our car was totaled, but we were fine. Jesus was there, and we didn’t even have time to send up a prayer of “help”. He was already there.

I want to be a friend like Jesus. I am not omnipresent or omniscient or any of the other qualities that only God has. But I do want to be the kind of friend who will be there when I am called and who will stick with the person who needs me until the situation is resolved. Phone calls in the middle of the night aren’t convenient, but if God can be there for us all the time, I can be there for friends who need me. I look in the mirror and I am sometimes disappointed at how I have let others down. But I repent, ask God for help in the future and determine to do better and be a better friend. I want to have friends who love the Lord, like the ladies in our Bible study group who text frequently to check on each other and offer help when needed. Friendship is a two-way street. Jesus wants a relationship with us, not based on His power that He demonstrates on our behalf, but because of our mutual love for each other. That’s what true friendship is all about, mutual love that surpasses our selfish desires and meets the other person where their need is.